Chapter Nine

The Burden of Knowledge

How long had she been out? She had no concept of time at this point. She held the back of her head that had hit the basement wall when the flash of light from the comic book through them backwards.

"Taken down by a comic book." She grunted as she rubbed her eyes. She blinked to try and focus her vision but it was still blurry. Emma strained her eyes searching the room for any clue as to what came from the book, and where the White Woman went. She looked to her tight and saw that Jimmy and Layla were still unconscious. Just as she was, they were covered in bits of dust and splinters of wood from the broken coffee table. Emma brought her hands to opposite shoulder and began to slough the debris to the floor.

"Geez, a simple 'no ones home' would have sufficed. Even a buzzer would have gotten the point across. Didn't need to blow the place up." She mumbled to herself.

"I don't think that that meant 'no ones home'." Moaned a now conscious Layla. Emma remembered that Layla had been hurt during impromptu tornado. She looked over at her leg and saw the small piece of wood jutting from her right thigh.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Yeah, I don't think it's serious, but, it does sting a bit." Layla answered as she gently touched the bloody skin surrounding the over sized splinter.

"Well, I see you have actually gotten something accomplished." The girls looked upward to see where the voice had come from. There stood Aslyn in all her glory. She wore the same draping, liquid dress as she had before. Maybe it wasn't really a dress, maybe she herself was just a projection of sorts. Either way, Emma thought that her colors seemed brighter than anything else she had seen in this world.

Emma could almost feel Layla's aggravation mounting with the presence of Aslyn, her patron Goddess. Layla let her hand drop from her wounded leg and huffed loudly.

"And where in the bloody hell have you been all this time? Aren't you supposed to help your faithful servants? Isn't that why they, oh I don't know, WORSHIP you?"

"If I just hand everything to you, how are you going to learn and grow?"

"Well, I would think that when it comes to things as important as the fabric of the universe, you might give us a heads up!" Layla barked at the glowing Goddess as if she were nothing more than an inept supervisor. "All you did was tell us who Naberius was! You have said NOTHING about how we can find out what he is plotting and how we can stop him! At this point you have proven absolutely useless and absent!"

With this last insult Aslyn flew across the room in the blink of an eye to where she was nose to nose with the injured, yet mouthy, Layla.

"You insolent, little ill tempered child! Don't you think I care! If reality goes off balance than I cease to exist as I am! With out balance than there is NO Goddess of Balance! I become nothing more than another sniveling, fragile mortal! Because of this Awakening, my powers have been limited, and as each day passes I become weaker and my sight becomes shorter! Don't you think that I would have done something by now if I could have? The truth is I cannot SEE what Naberius is up too! And it has become more and more difficult for me to anchor myself in this plane. So, if you don't mind, shut your flapping mouth long enough for me to say what I came here to say before I loose my grip and get tossed back into the ether!" Emma and Layla both were frozen in place. However weaker she maybe, she was still very capable of making them non existence. Through the whole ordeal, Jimmy, who lay between Emma and Layla, stayed unconscious. Aslyn now turned her sights to him and made a confused face.

"He's alive, right?" She hesitated. Emma shrugged and nodded. She reached over and poked him in the shoulder.

"Hey, Jim get up, c'mon, wake up."

"NO! NO! The cows! The Cows! Stop! I don't want the feather….." Jimmy jumped awake, sitting up against the wall and looked around.

"What?" He asked uncomfortably as the others stared at him bewildered. "Uh she's really there right?" He asked as he poked Aslyn on the forehead. Her left eye twitched slightly and she slapped his hand away. He jerked his hand back and cradled it. Emma flashed him an appalled look and slapped his shoulder.

Aslyn stood and glided a few feet back.

"It's not like we have sitting around tickling each others asses…" This for obvious reasons got a few strange looks. "We're trying alright! Our resources are limited too! I mean we tried to open this comic book with the magic key the spirit of our mother left us, but it all just blew up, literally. Ok, now that I hear that out loud, I can see why you wouldn't believe us." Emma stammered. "But, we tried; I mean I don't know how to get this thing to work! They should make instructions for these mystical comic book thingies!" She crossed her arms and pouted against the wall.

"What do you mean it's didn't work?" Aslyn asked. "What were you expecting to happen exactly?"

"Well, isn't supposed to be some secret stash of knowledge accumulated by our family over the years?" Jimmy suggested.

"Yes, that's exactly what it did." Answered the statuesque figure before him. The group looked around their surroundings searching for anything new or out of the ordinary. Or anything resembling a mystical book shelf. The only that looked out of place, was the lustrous Aslyn the Azure standing before them amidst the scattered debris of wood, paper and couch fluff. Her blue light echoed off of the paneling and concrete walls. It shone through the dangling prosthetic legs that hung above Jimmy's work shop, and through the railings of the banister to her left. With shake of her head or wave of her hand, fluid shadows were cast making the ragged threesome feel like they were sitting in the bottom of a pool. They continued to scrutinize the area; squinting their eyes to focus harder on every detail. After a while of checking the walls for a new crack to indicate a secret doorway, the moving shadows made Jimmy motion sick and wobbling, turned his head back down towards the floor and moaned in discomfort. Concerned, Layla laid a caring hand to the back of his head and rubbed it gently.

"Did you hit your head when the book exploded?" She asked in genuine care.

Emma rolled her eyes and chuckled out loud as she began to stand to further inspect the room. "No, he's…" Emma stopped short as she turned and looked at her ill brother. He gave her a desperate look, pleading with her not to make him look any weaker than he had already done for himself.

"He's just frustrated." With her brother's ego intact, she turned her eyes to Aslyn, who stood at the opposite wall. "Maybe you could help us out a little and tell us exactly where this cache of "watcher" knowledge is, because I don't see it anywhere."

"Why does it have to be 'seen'?" She smiled coyly.

"Why do you have to always be so gratuitously mysterious? I mean, why can't you just tell us where these books poofed at so we can dig through their smelly pages to find out how we can stop Naberius from raising the Blood Goddess, and Oh my God where did that come from?" Emma stood in utter shock and she turned slowly to her brother and Layla who stared back at her equally as shocked with their mouths agape and eyes wide. "WHERE DID THAT COME FROM!" Layla asked again. "And what is a Blood Goddess?"

"The Inanna. Called forth by the sacrifice of a pure vessel and sired by an entire order of vampires. She is also referred to as the Empty One, because she harbors a constant hunger that can never be satiated, thus making her a viscous and monstrous threat." Jimmy rattled off the definition, with out fracture, in one breath, and then gasped for air. Layla's hand had stopped rubbing the back of his head and sat perfectly still in amazement. Emma's jaw went slack.

"See that right there!" She pointed at Jimmy. "What the hell was that?"

"How do you know that?" Layla asked in a mumbled voice. Jimmy looked into her large black eyes and shrugged.

"That was your magical bookcase you referred to."Aslyn spoke up.

"What?" Emma asked aggressively.

"For a creature of supernatural power and such incredible insight, you're very small minded Emma Hogan." Emma's mood was not improving. She did not take criticism well in any respect. Her arms folded and her lips tightened, ready to attack even a Goddess is she continued to step on preverbal toes. "You said yourself, 'a mystical bookcase; a cache of knowledge'. If it's mystical, who says it has to be tangible?" Aslyn moved towards the hardened slayer. They locked eyes and Aslyn continued to smile even though Emma refused to reciprocate. Aslyn breathed out, reached out with her right index finger and tapped Emma on the forehead. Emma's composure relaxed slightly as she began to understand Aslyn's point. The Goddess had already turned away, and with hands held behind her back, began to walk passed Layla and Jimmy who were still huddled on the floor.

Emma whipped around and caught her twin's eye. He patted Layla and stood as well to meet Emma as she walked towards them. He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed to show his support.

"Are you telling me that, when that comic book exploded, it shot all the info that their parents had as Watchers into their melons? That's bloody aces!" Layla exclaimed.

"And painful." Groaned Emma, as she grabbed her head with her left hand and, with the help of a conveniently placed brother, dropped to the floor. Jimmy held her tight by the shoulders as she crumpled into a smaller and smaller ball. She grunted and squeezed her eyes shut firmly. A flood of images rushed passed her eyes at such a pace Emma was barely able to recognize them as words. Faster and faster they came, bombarding her senses until she could hear, feel or even smell anything else around her. Jimmy gripped his sister tight, becoming more worried as the tears began to drip from her clenched eyelids. Suddenly, it was as if someone had hit Jimmy in the back of the head. The force of it knocked him off of his haunches and he fell forward holding himself up with his hands. Images and words came at him over and over again.

Layla sat in distress at the sight of the twins rutted in pain. She wanted to get up from her spot, but her leg was still hurting from the wood lodged in it, and she had a sense of apprehension about the decision. She looked to Aslyn in angst. Pleading with her eyes for the Goddess to do something or at least give her an answer as to what was taking place. She just stood and held a hand up to let Layla know not to interfere. Their cries grew louder and as Layla looked at Jimmy, she could see his eyes were watering intensely and drool strung from his mouth to the floor. The sight of Emma crouching on the floor holding her head was equally as disturbing. Her face too was wet from tears, snot and drool. Layla became frightened and wanted to help, and when she noticed that Jimmy's nose had begun to bleed, she resolved herself to do what she could to find out what was happening. She started to climb to her knees and crawl towards the now weeping twins.

Jimmy's head felt like it was going to burst from being filled too much. He couldn't even make sense of what was barraging his mind. Slowly, he became able to comprehend that a voice was speaking to him from the din. It took all he could muster to pull the words into focus. He howled as he forced them into forefront of the assault in his head. Then there they were; in whisper they came and drowned out the montage if only for a fleeting second.

"She is the Rose. Give her light to grow." Cooed a woman's voice that he could not place. As soon as the message was delivered the flood returned rendering him an invalid once more.

Layla crawled through the pain to reach the twins. She tried to reach them through her mind minds eye, something kept pulling them just far enough away from her. Her anger with Aslyn mounted. How could she just stand there and watch them suffer?

"LAYLA!" Aslyn commanded.

"Get Stuffed!" Layla spat back. Suddenly, as Emma rocked, she began to yell out.

"The Arm must be severed! Severed, severed! SEVERED!"

With that Layla fell forward and grabbed Jimmy's hand as it clutched the puce green shag carpet. The shock of the collapse, sent shock waves of pain from her wounded thigh up to her brain telling her that she needed to move fast. She bit through it and clenched her eyes to focus on reaching Jimmy.

"C'mon Jimmy, let me in there, and show me what's going on so I can help you find your way back." She mumbled.

"Layla! Get back! This is beyond you! You have to stop!" Aslyn begged.

"Just a sodding minute." Layla grumbled. In her mind she was racing through a red and black tunnel. But, she was blocked at every turn. Finally, she punched her was through, and in a rip and a flash of light her mind was exploded into the torrent of information that had been tearing thru the twins' minds. She cried out in agony. Maybe she should have listened to Aslyn this time. If she didn't get a grip now, she herself would be swept up in the surge and be lost in Jimmy's subconscious.

"How do I filter this?" She questioned herself. "All this couldn't be meant to fit in a person's mind. If I could just get him to focus. On what? ME! JIMMY! Focus on me! Listen to my voice!"

Another voice rung out in the distance. He thought it was another woman, but, he couldn't be sure. He was sure that it was calling his name. Throughout all the other hushed and mounting voices quoting definition and prophecy, he felt that among them was someone calling out to him. Focus, yes focus. It called for him to focus. Jimmy held tight and used all of his strength to focus on the voice calling to him. Jimmy felt cold. It came from between his eyes; sharp, wet, and cold. Still, he forced himself to concentrate. He could make out the words now, "Jimmy, focus on me, listen to my voice and follow it". It was like he was drowning and someone had throw out a preserver that was floating fifty feet above him and the more he swam towards it, the more the undertow fought against him.

"I hear you!" He called out to the voice that was instructing him.

She heard him through the din. She wondered what the point of all of this was. Why couldn't his parents just have a secret room or magic box like any other self respecting scholar of mystical studies? Slowly, she became aware that through all the quick flashing images, she could just make him out; Jimmy doubled over clutching the carpet. He was small and far away, but it was him. This was her opening.

"I'm coming! Jimmy hold on! Keep holding on to my voice! Don't listen to anything else!"

He knew who it was now. It was Layla! He was pretty sure that his boyish crush on the spicy bronze beauty was turning into love! She was coming to his rescue. "Oh crap!" He felt. "I really have no penis." Still he focused. She was there and she was going to help him find his was through this and get control of his mind back. But, what about Emma? He couldn't help but think of his sister who was no doubt suffering the same fate as he was. "Ah God, Emma!"

"No! I'm losing him!" Layla cried as the image of Jimmy began to flicker. "Jimmy no come back to me!"

Hundreds of voices rushed through her brain. She tried to fight them and she tried just letting it come, but, nothing could stop the pain. Pictures, words and memories it seemed took her over completely. She couldn't take much more, she thought soon her brain would give out and she would die. "Stop stop stop!" She howled. "Just stop." She let go and fell to the floor. She rolled to her back and let the tears come.

"He heard her again pleading with him to come back to her. Jimmy's body began shake as he was going into convulsions; it was beginning to shut down. "If I die now, I'll never get to Emma." He cried out and reached out for Layla with all that he could.

Suddenly he came back into focus. Almost shocking the way the image of Jimmy flew into clarity and pushed everything else cluttering his mind out of Layla's way. She reached out and grabbed hold of him making sure this time he wasn't going anywhere with out her. "You hold on Jimmy boy, I'm not done with you yet, where getting out of here!" And with that she pulled him and herself back into reality; agonizingly but effectively.
He rolled over gripping his head. It was so good to be able to feel that old crusty carpet, and be able to smell how musty it was. His face was wet and when he went to wipe it, he found that his nose and ears had been bleeding. "That can't be good." He said out loud. He remembered swiftly that his sister was still lost in that same blinding maze. He flopped over and slid over to his sister. She was beginning to twitch and he knew that he brain was on the verge of shutting down as well.

"Sis no, don't let this happen, your too strong for this! Fight your way out, push passed it, and come back to me!" Jimmy pleaded in a hoarse voice.

Layla began to come around and make her way towards the unconscious slayer. She looked around the room for her ineffectual Goddess, but she was no where near them that she could tell. Jimmy saw Jimmy hovering over her, trying to wake her.

"Jimmy, use it now, your connection, use it to find her and pull her free."

Jimmy looked down at Emma and grabbed onto her left hand. He spoke to her in the voice only they could hear.

"Come on Emma, your too good for this! Listen to me, push it out and come to me! Push it out of your head!"

She could hear him. And she knew he was squeezing her hand if she could only squeeze back, she knew she could get out.

Jimmy jumped. Emma had squeezed his hand. It was slight at firs, but then he was sure she was coming around. The pressure was increasing and her eyes began to flutter.

The noise was gone all she heard was Jimmy now. The relief was immaculate. Her head felt fifty pounds lighter. Emma blinked her eyes and looked up. It was blurry at first, but then there he was. Her brother; bloody and smiling at her.

"Damn, I thought I was finally rid of you. Than I could have the bathroom all to myself and finally be able to score with hot chicks!" Jimmy joked.

"Yeah well, I was never the reason why you couldn't score. For starters, do you bathe in Old Spice?" She defended n a raspy voice. She leaned up and rested on her elbows. Layla smiled in relief and dropped her head down.

"What the hell was that!" Emma forced as she sat upright.

"I think that was the secret library we were looking for." Remarked Jimmy.

"Well, duh. If that was what we were looking for, why do I feel like it almost killed me?" Emma pondered as she held her throbbing cranium.

"Because, it wasn't meant to be contained by just the two of you. There's too much info in that blasted comic book of yours." Moaned the sore and sweaty medium resting on the floor. "Bollocks, this really hurts." She reached down for the giant splinter that was still jutting out of her leg.

The twins made their way over to Layla to tend to her wound. Jimmy lifted her head and rested it on his lap. He looked down at her; her forehead was glistening and her complexion was becoming ashy. He did his best to smooth the hair from her face and dab the sweat with his t-shirt. Her head rocked and her eyes rolled back and closed. Jimmy was starting to panic.

"Layla, hey stay with me! Wake up, I need you to stick around so I awkwardly flirt with you some more!"

Her lids opened somewhat and she cracked a half smile for him.

"There we go, there's those beautiful chocolate orbs that make me stutter!" He cooed. He combed her hair with his finger tips. He marveled at its softness. He'd never felt hair like this. And it was the kind of black that seemed to have blue tints in it when the light hit it just right. It was like having pure black silk wrapped around your fingers.

"You didn't seem to have any trouble talking then." She stammered. "I'm ok, I'm just tired. Just need a ten minute nap love." She began to drift once more.

While Jimmy was making his best attempts to keep the waning Layla conscious, Emma examined her wound. She hadn't realized how large the impaled wedge was. By all definitions, it was a small stake lodged in her thigh. If Layla hadn't put any pressure on it, it may not have gotten this bad. But, it was and blood pouring down her leg. They didn't have time to call 911 now, Emma had to do something fast to make the bleeding stop.

"Jimmy, go up stairs to my room and the bottle of pills from my night table. Then grab the stitch kit we keep in the bath room along with a bowl of water and some towels. DARK towels." Jimmy gently laid her head back onto the floor and whispered to her that he would be right back. He began to dart up the stairs when he stopped and looked back at his sister.

"Whish pill bottle?"

"What?" She asked put out.

"I'm not stupid, I know about your little 'sleep' aides. Which pills?"

Emma bit down and looked at Jimmy with half lidded eyes. "The oxicodone. The big bottle. Now hurry."

Emma held Layla's hand and coxed her to open her eyes. It took so much effort, and she was so tired. But, she knew that it was important that she stayed awake right now.

"Layla are you with me?" She nodded the best she could. Emma slapped her cheeks to get to rouse. She knew she needed a tourniquet so she began to look around. She felt her waist to see it she had a belt on but no luck, she was still in her pajama shorts she remembered. When she went to remove her shirt to tear it to make a tourniquet, she noticed Layla's peasant skirt and the rope belt she wore with it.

"Sorry chica, I'm not getting fresh I just need this to slow your bleeding."

"Yeah, I knew you were funny when you saw me in my knickers that night. Not, that I blame you." Layla mustered.

Emma scoffed and continued to remove the belt and then raise the red and black gauze skirt just above the wound. "Ok this is probably going to hurt." She slid the beige macramé belt under her blood soaked thigh and tied it tight and then knotted it. Layla faintly arched her back and groaned as the belt squeezed her. By this time Jimmy was bounding down the stair with arms full of supplies. "You're lucky that my occupation requires that I learn field medicine. You try explaining to an ER doc how you got four broken ribs and crucifix sticking outta yer ass!"

"Yeah that was hilarious; I took pictures I'll have to show some time!" Jimmy chimed in.

Layla attempted to laugh, but gagged instead. Jimmy propped her head back up, this time with a pillow. He soaked a rag with the water he brought down in the blue glass bowl, rung it out and then dabbed her face with it. Emma also took a rag, but, after placing a towel under her injured leg, she rung her out over the wound. Blood and water mixed together and ran down onto the awaiting dark blue towel. Emma opened the bottle of synthetic morphine, and dumped out two tablets. Jimmy lifted her head and explained to her that they were going to give her something for the pain and that she needed to swallow. It took some effort, but she was able to get them down. Emma opened the converted tool box and prepared. Alcohol, pre-packaged needles, gauze, scissors, tweezers, and hunk of smooth wood to bite down on. She took the cigar shaped piece of wood that was covered in bite marks, and tapped Layla's cheek with her hand coaxing her to open her mouth. She positioned the wood between her teeth and Layla understood what this meant. This was REALLY going to hurt. Emma nodded to her brother and in response he placed his hands on both of Layla's shoulders.

Emma placed her left hand on the patient's thigh above the wound and gripped the impaled piece of wood and swiftly yanked it out. Blood shot out along with the wood and Layla grunted in agony as she bit down the bit in her mouth. Emma took some of the gauze and sopped up some of the blood to get a better view of what she was working with.

"Well, I think it just missed your artery. Ok, I'm going to clean it off now, keep that bit in your mouth." It wasn't a large opening, but, it was deep. Emma looked at the quivering Layla empathetically as she opened the full bottle of rubbing alcohol. "Don't worry kiddo; those pills are the best of my personal stash. They'll kick in soon and you won't feel anything but floating." With that she poured the cleaning liquid over the wound and quickly dabbed it with a fresh piece of gauze.

Layla let loose a guttural moan and bit down on the wood in between her teeth. The burning from the alcohol was far more intense than having that stake removed. It was too much for her. And where did Aslyn go. So much for majestic deity; she was proving more and more useless. At least she led her here to find the Hogan twins. She let herself go and she drifted into unconsciousness.

Her arm rested above her head and her hair laid disheveled about her shoulders and pillow. Her bladder ached nagging her to rouse from her blissful slumber and relieve it. She hated waking up; it was the worst part of the day. There was nothing more unsettling than stirring from an intriguing dream and forcing yourself to shake free of a magnificent rest into the blaring reality of consciousness. And this was a magnificent rest. She smacked her lips and clumsily began to rub her eyes. She knew the next step would be to actually open them but, she wasn't ready for that. She knew what would be there when she did. The same thing she saw every morning. And the worst of it was she wasn't sure if it was real or just a waking dream. She got those a lot. Of course, one of the first troubles one has when they realize they are a medium, it then inability to decipher reality from fantasy. She remembered what it was like when she was child. It was horrifying for her. Turning the corner of their home in London could mean an assortment of things. She could see an old man smoking a pipe, a harlequin clown in oxford print holding a large axe while jumping and laughing manically, a singing teddy bear, or another spirit begging for her assistance. At first, she would run to her mum every time something like this occurred. But, she soon grew tired of exciting her mother and father. There was nothing they could do to stop the inconsistent visions anyway. At least them being Watchers was an advantage to where they believed that she wasn't mental. They actually knew what she was and eventually requisitioned lessons for her from the resident coven.

For fifteen years she studied with the gentile women. She began to amaze even them. Her parents couldn't have been prouder. Her Watcher training was different however. That began at birth as with all children of Watchers. They did their best to take their darling daughter with them on every expedition they could. The more dangerous always meant that she was to stay home with her vigilant and plump nanny, Aunt Dorrie. As furtive as she was in her childhood, Aunt Dorrie was no fool and foiled her every plot. But even Aunt Dorrie wasn't able to see what the future held for the Fellows and the rest of the Watcher's Council.

Layla had been training with the Coven of Musal. She was studying a book on transdimensional demon relocation, when she heard her father call her name. She had looked up from her book and seen both of her parents standing before her. Before she could utter a question of why they were there, she knew. She knew they were dead and that they were saying their farewells. She remembered dropping the books and her face quivering until tears fell without a sound. She had said no; trembling and reaching out to them. They had simply smiled and told her that they would be around; with her always. So cliché, she had though, but true.

And now, as every morning since their untimely fate, she knew that when she opened her eyes she would see them sitting there at her feet, if only for a fleeting second. As much as it warmed her heart to see her parents smiling faces, it hurt to know she could wrap her arms around them and kiss their cheeks. The dreadful part was, she wasn't even all that sure if it was really them or just another waking dream. After two years, it was beginning to feel like torture. With all her power and talent, she could never bring them back. Where they were they were happy, and at peace.

She took a deep breath of opened her eyes. Sure enough there they were smiling. And as they faded she came to realize that someone else was really there and they sat sleeping with their head propped up by their hand. Jimmy, sweet Jimmy. He kept watch over her.

"So sweet." She whispered. "And so painfully adorable." She pushed down with her hands and scooter herself upward. As she moved she felt something roll up on the underside of her right thigh. She pulled back the red and blue quilt to reveal her bandaged right thigh. She touched the dark red spot on top and discovered it was still wet. She must not have been out for too long. She saw Jimmy begin to stir and looked as if his head was about to fall from his hand. Layla quickly pulled the covers back and pretended that she was still sleeping. No sooner had she closed her eyes, than sure enough, Jimmy's head slid from its prop and jolted him awake. He looked around abruptly and than back at the phony sleeping Layla. He smiled to himself as he gazed at her.

"God! What is wrong with me? A girl like this would NEVER have anything to do with me!" He stood up from the bed and turned to leave the room. Layla immediately shot her eyes open and faked a waking yawn to get his attention. Jimmy stopped in his tracks, turned around and hurried back to her side.

"Hey, I was wondering when you were going to come back around!" He greeted her happily. "How ya feeling?"

Layla promptly made a pouty face and gently touched her injury. "Oh ok I guess, I am a little sore still. How long have I been sleeping?"

"A couple of hours now. You passed right out when Emma dumped the alcohol on your leg. Probably a good thing you weren't awake for the stitches. Emma is many things, but, well let's just say she wouldn't have made it thru medical school. Or, sewing school for that matter. Do they have a sewing school? I bet they have a better name for it. Maybe something like seamstress academy or …." He rambled on. His discomfort was becoming apparent.

"Do I really make you that nervous?" Layla asked frankly.

"Uh, well, yeah, I mean most beautiful women do." He stopped and smiled awkwardly.

Layla smiled largely flattered by his comment. "You think I'm beautiful?"

Jimmy blushed and looked away from her intense dark eyes. "You know that you are."

She smiled softly, and touched his arm. "I didn't know that you thought so."

He turned back to her at looked her face over. "I've never seen anything so beautiful. You scare the hell outta me."

She picked up his hand and held it in hers. "Trust me; you've got nothing to be nervous about." She leaned forward and Jimmy's eyes grew wide. Was this really happening? Did she just say that she was attracted and was going to kiss him?

"Oh good your awake, where's that book about Marmaduke you showed me the other day?" A very badly timed Emma interrupted. The two jerked around and stared at the intruder in the doorway.

"You mean the book on the Ancient MARDUK Prophecies?" Layla asked agitated, by not only the interruption, but Emma's failed attempt at pronouncing the name of the book.

"Yeah that one, whatever, where is it?"

"You left it in the living room, on the floor I believe!" Layla spat.

"Oh yeah! Thanks!" Emma began to disappear down the hall when she caught herself with her right hand on the doorway and turned back. She looked puzzled back at Layla.

"How are feeling? Didn't I tell you those things would knock you out!"

"Uh, yeah I'm aces. Thank you, they were hunky dory. Give me a tick and I will help you gen up." Layla stammered.

"Sure, take your time. Jimmy, do you think you could stop drooling enough to fix my leg? I would like to patrol when the sun goes down. You know tonight, in like eight hours."

Jimmy slowly turned and glared at his evil twin.

"What are gonna do? Glare me to death?" With that she walked away down the hall.

Jimmy but his lip and lowered his head. He looked back at the object of all his desire and smiled uncomfortably.

"I have to go to work. She has a pretty bad temper, and she likes to start trashing my Star Trek collectable figurines when I tick her off. And I just completely ruined a chance at ever getting back to that moment didn't I?" He spluttered.

Layla just raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Well, just don't tell me you have Chewbacca bed sheets and I think we'll be straight."

"Actually, Chewbacca is Star Wars….." Jimmy stopped. And I'm doing it again.

"Kinda are. Let's just get to work and maybe when there is time we can get back to that conversation." She grinned and batted her eyes.

Jimmy smiled back and walked away. As he made it down the hall he though that with the way things were going they would never have another free moment. And here was all worked up and little Jimmy was ready for action. He spoke out loud to himself.

"Thank God no ones in the bathroom." He turned into the bathroom and locked the door.