Fancy a Swim?
"Mark, get table 6 please."
"Did you wipe table 9? There's people waiting on it."
"Mark! Man the bar will you?" Mark heard his father's voice from behind him once again, digging his fingernails into his palm.
"Yes, dad." He grumbled out, snatching his rag from the table and making his way behind the bar.
"I'll take a Manhattan, sweet thang," A man's fake southern drawl startled Mark who had been pouring a beer.
Mark looked up and saw Gale smirking at him from across the bar. The panther growled at the wolf and poured him a pitcher of mead. "You will get what I can make." He glared at his friend who laughed.
"Having a rough day?" Gale sipped at his mead, looking around the Dal.
"Don't get me started. My father has been up my ass about everything." He said low enough so only Gale could hear.
Gale laughed loudly. "Well, speaking of father's, I have news."
Mark's ears perked. "What?"
"You know how a few months ago when Vex got his wrists slit, we figured it wasn't him?"
"Like I could forget."
"Pixies."
"Pixies?"
"Yeah, they do the dirty work of dwarves occasionally."
"And this has to do with how Vex got hurt….?"
"Vex picked up a job. One my father sent him on."
"You're shitting me."
"Why would I shit on you?" Mark glared at Gale with a deadpan face. "Anyway! My father sent Vex on a job to find a particular dwarf. I'm assuming Vex got close and that's why he got sliced and diced. That dwarf did not want to be found, let me tell you."
"And I can only assume your sneaky ass found him."
"Look at you, Nancy Drew." Gale rhymed with a wink. "Yes, I did. And I figured out why my father was looking for him."
"Care to share with the class?"
"Not particularly at this moment," Gale said nonchalantly as he finished off his mead and slid the pitcher toward Mark.
Mark slammed his hands down on the bar, drawing a small amount of attention. "Really, Gale? You're going to bait me with information and then just drop it?"
"I said I wasn't going to share at this moment. Not that I wasn't going to tell you indefinitely." He shrugged, nodding toward his glass. "Bartender."
Mark narrowed his eyes, snatching the glass and refilling it.
"Hey! Can I get another?" Some fae yelled at him from the end of the bar.
"No!" Mark snapped at him.
"Mark!"
"Shit."
"Go to the back and put the new keg on tap. Clearly, you can't handle anything else today." Dyson scolded, going back behind the bar top. Gale snickered at the boy who growled at him.
Mark trudged out back, slamming the door behind him. He had only made it halfway through his task when his phone went off. He looked down at it, rolling his eyes and smiling at the message.
From: V
Pike's Quarry. SOS ;)
Mark went back out to the front, grabbing his jacket.
"And where do you think you're going? I can't do everything by myself." Dyson folded his arms over his chest, giving his child the signature "Dad" look.
"Sorry, it's an SOS."
"From who?" Dyson called after him.
Mark paused, "Uh, Kenzi. Must be a Dagny thing." He threw over his shoulder as he ran out.
Gale tilted his head, a suspicious look in his eyes. He slid his eyes over to Dyson's who looked furious, but otherwise unconcerned. He rapped his nails against the bar top for a few moments before sliding out of his chair and the bar.
"Vex!" Mark called, pulling his jacket closer to him as the November air chilled him. "Babe, where are you?" He walked up the dirt path that lead to the very top of the quarry. "Stop fucking around, V, it's cold."
Mark heard something rustle in the bushes slightly ahead of him.
"Vex, this isn't funny anymore." Caution slipped into Marks tone. A scent drifted past his nose and he furrowed his brow. He had little time to contemplate as two burly men came up behind him and kicked the back of his knees, causing him to fall to the ground. They grabbed his shoulders and arms, shoving them behind his back and practically lifting him off the ground. They dragged him further up the Quarry but out of sight, hidden behind the brush.
When they reached the top, Mark paled. Another burly man held a prisoner; handcuffed, gagged and bleeding from his hairline.
"Vex!" Mark tried to fight the men that held him to no avail. A tall, gangly man straightened from his spot, leaning against the black hood of a van. He held Vex's phone in his hands, twirling it around.
"'Mark! Glad you could make it ol' boy!" The man greeted.
Mark snarled at him. "Who the fuck are you?!"
"If you must know," he smirked, "I'm a collector. Of rare fae. And well, I couldn't help myself! The mesmer was enough to get my knickers wet but then, oh but then! I find out that the last mesmer has been sleeping around with one of the almost extinct were-panthers! It's my lucky day!" His voice was giddy and he grinned at the two.
"Put him in the van," the burly man who held Vex told the two who held Mark. Vex's eyes widened and he began to thrash violently. The man holding him was caught off guard and Vex's movements threw him off balance. He suddenly let go of the mesmer but Vex was no better off for balance.
"Vex!" Mark screamed as the world seemed to spin in slow motion. He watched Vex tip backwards as the man released him, handcuffs making him unable to regain balance. He kept stepping backwards where all his weight rested until he ran out of ground to step backwards on. He met Mark's eyes, a terrified glaze setting in, as what little ground was under him collapsed, sending him tumbling down into the quarry.
"No!" Marked fought vigorously and the men kicked his knees again. He couldn't hear Vex fall or the muffled scream, only the splash of the water when he landed. Mark's eyes flashed a bright green as a deep, threatening snarl ripped it's way out of his chest.
"Sedate him!" The tall man shouted, seeing Mark begin to shift. One of the guards pulled out a vial and began to siphon something out with a needle. All Mark heard was the shattering of glass and a body dropping to the ground. Before anyone had time to react, another arrow split the air and a man's chest. One of the guards holding Mark fell to the ground, the other let Mark go and began to back away.
Mark shut out the noise of arrows zinging through the air and bodies dropping into the dirt. His mind was solely focused on saving Vex. His body grew hot and fur erupted over his skin. He snarled again, nose elongating slightly into the maw of a panther. He shot toward the edge of the cliff, slinging his body over the side and digging his claws into the rock. With the famous big cat agility, he slid down the rockface, jumping from ledge to ledge when available, and finally into the water.
The mighty hunter, who had now taken out every man who had been set on taking Mark and Vex, came down from his vantage point and looked over the cliff face. He saw Mark easily scale down to the cold water below where his precious Vex had fallen.
"It's like fucking Lion King all over again," Gale muttered, jumping to the van and starting the engine.
Mark was almost shocked into shifting once he entered the icy water. He composed himself, diving under again to get a glance as to where Vex was. His nimble body and strong paws helped him avoid spearing himself on the sharp rocks he swam above.
He came up for air once again, noticing that black van traveling down to the quarry. He decided that was a problem for a different time as he dove back under to find Vex. He felt as if he had searched every inch of the large quarry to no avail.
"Mark!" The panther's head popped out of the water only to see his very best friend standing by the edge of the quarry. "There!" He was pointing towards the edge of the quarry where Mark caught a glimpse of black latex floating.
He dove back under again, swimming toward the outline of a body under the water. He nosed the body, getting no reaction. He began to panic, maneuvering Vex's body over his back and dragging him towards the shallows.
Gale helped pull Vex out of the water, laying him flat on the dirt as Mark shifted. Gale was checking for vital signs, color instantly leaving his face.
"I've got no pulse."
"No, no, no," Mark begged, placing his head over Vex's chest. "He's not breathing!"
"Move," Gale spoke calmly, pushing Mark away. He placed his knees on either side of Vex's chest and began CPR. "Mark, hold his nose and blow air into his mouth." Mark did as he was told but Vex didn't change. Mark held his face, feeling how cold his cheek had become.
"C'mon, Vex," Gale grouched as he tried to start Vex's heart. "C'mon you bastard. You are not allowed to leave him." He pushed on Vex's chest with every word. Gale sat back on his heels after almost a whole minute.
"Mark…"
"No! Not like this!" Mark begged, taking Vex's body from Gale and hugging the mesmer to his chest.
Gale rubbed his face, trying to think. Lauren's was too far. He needed electricity and fast. "Jumper cables…" he muttered.
"What?" Mark questioned.
"The car. Jumper cables," Gale shot up from his spot. "Bring him here!" He yelled, digging through the van. Lo and behold they carried jumper cables in a utility van. "Lay him flat." Gale instructed, opening the hood and attaching the cables, testing them. Sparks shot in front of his face which twisted into a grin.
"Don't touch him." Gale placed the cables and touched them to Vex's chest. His body convulsed, but otherwise remained dead. Gale used his wolf hearing, hoping to hear a heartbeat. He shocked Vex again with no change.
"C'mon you motherfucker. I will roast you if you don't get your ass back here." Gale yelled, shocking him again.
Then he heard it. "Ha! I have sinus rhythm!"
Mark took his place, grabbing Vex's body. Vex choked for a moment, gurgling. Mark rolled him onto his side and he coughed up the water in his lungs - along with blood.
Vex, who remained completely out of it, began to shiver from his wet clothes. Gale pulled off his jacket and laid it over Vex. "C'mon, we've gotta get to Lauren."
"Again," Mark choked desperately. Gale simply grimaced. Mark went to lift Vex's body when a guttural scream left Vex's lips. Mark halted all movement while Vex began to pant.
Gale removed the jacket he had placed on Vex, now pulling off his wet shirt and vest as well. Vex's torso was turning various shades of purple and Gale cursed at the particularly large bruise on his upper left side. Little puncture wounds littered his side and back.
"He hit the rocks. We've gotta go now." Gale replaced the coat on top of Vex, scooping his body up and ignoring his cries of pain. He neglected to notice the state of shock Mark was in.
Mark had begun to shiver in his naked form, the cold water finally catching up to him as his wet hair dripped onto his shoulders. If he heard Gale speak he made no motion other than a whimper in response to hearing Vex's cries.
"Son of a…" Gale got Vex into the van, laying him out on the backseat bench. He gathered Mark up into his arms and half dragged him into the front seat, throwing a towel he found in the back over the shivering boy.
Gale turned the key but the van stalled. "No, no, no, c'mon you fucker!" He tried again but the engine wouldn't turn over. Gale slammed his hands down on the steering wheel, causing the horn to honk. He was no mechanic but he popped the hood and attempted to find the problem.
That was, until he heard Mark's phone ring. Gale scrambled back into the van, digging for the phone and finally retrieving it. The two men in the van were shivering terribly and Gale was at his wit's end.
"Hello?!"
"Mark finally, you-," the female voice caught itself, "Wait, that's not Mark."
"No it's Gale."
"Oh, Gale. What are you doing with Mark's phone?" Gale finally recognized the concerned, motherly voice to be Bo.
"I don't have time to explain, Bo, I need you to get Lauren to Pike's quarry and then we have to get back to her clinic. And bring a fuckton of blankets."
"What? I don't-,"
"Bo!" Gale shouted, "Do it, now!"
Gale could hear both Mark and Vex hyperventilating and shivering. He went to Mark first, trying to get his attention.
"Mark, hey, c'mon love." Mark's eyes looked at him but he had no reaction to the words or touch. "Fuckk," Gale cursed. He went to Vex next.
Vex was the epitome of unstable and in need of a hospital. Gale pulled him up, despite the strangled scream that left his throat. Gale wrestled Vex out of his latex pants and zipped his jacket up around Vex again.
Gale went back to Mark and picked up him, wrangling him into the back with Vex. He sat them both close to each other, peeling his own shirt off and putting it on Mark. He wrapped Mark's makeshift blanket around the two, rubbing their arms to warm them. He tried to hold them both close to his own body to warm them as he anxiously awaited Bo.
Gale's arms were sore from rubbing the two men next to him. Their wet hair was starting to chill his bare chest. Vex's pulse was almost non-existent while Marks was steadily slowing.
"You know, I'm real fucking tired of being the one to save both of your asses. I'm starting to feel like I should be paid for this kind of job. And good pay, with hazard compensation. God, my idea of a threesome never looked like this." Gale started to complain just to keep himself going until he finally heard a car approach.
The van doors flew open, revealing Dyson who looked like an angry papa wolf. "Thank gods," Gale breathed, practically throwing Mark at Dyson. Dyson caught him easily, wrapping him in a few blankets and scooping up his deadweight. Mark curled into the warmth of his father but was still rather out of it.
"What happened?" Lauren questioned, taking over and marching into the van. Gale let Vex go as Bo draped blankets over his body, furrowing her brow and handing one to Gale.
"Thanks," he muttered, "Vex fell into the Quarry and Mark went after him. Mark definitely has cold shock but Vex is just a downright mess. I had to jump start his heart with jumper cables. He landed on the rocks."
"I can see that," Lauren mumbled, Vex crying out when she moved him. "We've got to get him to my clinic, I need things there."
"Great plan, didn't work. This god damn van won't turn over." Gale huffed.
Lauren looked up at him, ducking out of the van and going under the hood just as Gale had. Except this time when she shouted, "Try it now!" The bloody thing turned over. Gale let a string of curses out of his mouth that would have shocked a sailor.
"Dyson will meet us back at the clinic. He's got Mark. Bo, I need you to drive. Gale, I'm gonna need your help." Lauren barked in a way Gale had actually become quite fond of.
Laurens hands expertly moved up and down Vex's body, finding injury upon injury. Bo almost crashed the van as Vex screamed bloody murder when his ribs were touched. "He's got broken ribs but it seems all the major organs are intact. Definite internal bleeding from his spleen. I am pretty sure his skull is fractured or he may have a concussion. An MRI would give me a better idea about his condition but I'll need to rush him into surgery to get that bleeding handled."
"Will he live?" Gale questioned quietly.
"I don't know. If he wasn't fae I would say his progress is incredibly poor."
"Will. He. Live."
"I can't say for certain. I can only do everything possible for him and hope for the best."
"He can't die, Lauren. That will kill Mark too."
Lauren looked up at him sadly. "I know."
When Bo finally pulled into the clinic, Dyson was short behind her. All attention was focused on Vex while Mark was placed on a warming table with a heat trapping blanket on. He was out cold.
They rushed Vex into surgery to correct his internal bleeding. Gale watched through the window, watching Vex's vitals crash several times over the monitors. Lauren was barely pulling him through.
"He's gonna die." Gale muttered. Dyson, who had been standing beside him, nodded slowly. "If he dies, he'll take Mark with him. Mark won't stand to lose his mate."
"I'll take care of him." Dyson's gruff voice was thick with unshed tears. Despite how annoying, hard headed, and downright strange Vex could be, he had become family.
"No." Gale turned, walking into the church, common at all hospitals but small and unused here. He kneeled by the shelf of candles, clearing his throat and speaking in his old norse language.
"Lo, there do I see my father.
"Lo, there do I see my mother, and my sisters, and my brothers.
"Lo, there do I see the line of my people, back to the beginning.
"Lo, they do call to me. They bid me to take my place among them, in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live forever.
"Goddesses, Frigg and Eir, I beg of you. He is not one of your own. But I need your help. He must be healed. Should he die, the love of my life, my mate, will go with him. Please, I beg of you Eir, come down from Lyfjaberg, show me your ways of healing. Grant me the gift of giving life over death. I will give my life for his. I would do anything to save my mate from this nightmare."
Gale would have continued to beg, done anything to give life back to the one thing Mark cared about most in this world. But he didn't have to continue. His eyes rolled back into his head, showing only the whites and suddenly he was no longer on this ethereal plane.
He was standing outside of a great hall, white light emanating from it's doors. He was up high, on a hill or mountain. The light beckoned him and he cautiously stepped through the massive oak doors. Small, white spirits danced around the hall. Flowers of every kind in full bloom were draped across the walls.
"Great dark wolf, you have called upon me?"
Gale looked up to see a beautiful woman, sitting on a throne made of tree limbs, thriving with flowers and every sign of life. "Goddess Eir," Gale immediately bowed. Her light laughter filled the room and he felt himself getting lost in the sound.
"I have listened to your prayer, dark wolf. Your plight is a noble one. You would save the life of a man you should despise, to save your mate the pain of losing their own?"
"Yes, my goddess. I would do anything for my mate. Even save the man he chose over me." She nodded thoughtfully.
"What a brave and mighty wolf you are. I hope all of the black wolf's children turn out as you have. I will grant your wish, dark wolf. And you may keep your life. The sacrifice I require is much… simpler."
Gale looked up at her, confused. "What may I sacrifice to you, my goddess Eir?"
Eir touched his cheeks. "When you are given an opportunity to kill a man, spare his life, and remember this day when I spared yours. I aim to give life, dark one, not take it."
"I will do as you wish. I will not forget."
"Good." She smiled pleasantly. "Then you may take one of my spirits with you, heal this man, then return my spirit to me."
"I will. Thank you."
"Do not thank me yet. Keep your honor, dark wolf."
Mark had watched Vex crash for the fourth and final time. Lauren had tried CPR, a defibrillator, and an ambu-bag with no result. She looked up to him and mouthed, 'I am so sorry'. Dyson held Mark back as he tried to crash into the OR, screaming for his mate. Tears were streaking down his face and sobs were racking his chest. Dyson tried to calm him but there was no helping him as he slid to the floor, crying out.
Dyson saw Gale out of the corner of his eye, but didn't turn his head to truly look at him before he bust into the OR. Every nurse in the room tried to push him back but Lauren stopped them, realizing something was different about him. It was as if his eyes were cloaked in white.
He touched Vex's chest, speaking in old norse. Lauren swore she could see pulses of warm light emanating from Gale's hands. Mark, too, was watching from the door, still a sobbing mess. Then, everything happened all at once. With a final pulse from Gale's hand, Vex's vitals jolted back into normal rhythm, the marks showing internal bleeding were slowly dissipating. Gale collapsed in the OR, two of the nurses tending to him.
Vex jolted awake violently, unable to be calmed by Lauren. He was frantic, pulling at his leads and IV. Mark rushed into the room, grabbing him by his shoulders and shaking him. "Vex!" He cried out.
Vex finally stilled, looking into Mark's dark brown eyes and regulating his breathing. "Mark?" He croaked. Tears were still slipping down Mark's face as he nodded. He enveloped Vex in a hug, practically crushing him, only lightening up when Vex yelped.
"Oh god, I thought I lost you. I thought you were really gone this time. I didn't- I couldn't-," his voice racked with sobs, "I can't live without you."
Vex ran his hands slowly down Mark's back, hugging him carefully. Mark's face was buried into his neck, soaked with tears. "I'm here, love. I'm never gonna leave ya, I swear."
The two stayed in each other's embrace for long after Vex had been moved into one of the rooms. Lauren had wanted to keep and eye on him, seeing as he wasn't completely healed. Mark refused to leave his side, resorting to sleeping on the bed with him in panther form. Vex was curled into his personal space heater, still wheezing some from broken ribs but finally stable.
Gale came around a few hours after the whole event, finding Dyson sitting by his bedside. He sat up quickly, looking around at his surroundings.
"Easy, buddy, easy." Dyson calmed him.
Gale clutched his head, feeling like his brain had been replaced with a brand new version. "What happened?" He groaned.
Dyson was quiet for a moment, probably pondering why Gale couldn't remember. "You saved Vex. We don't know how, but you essentially brought him back to life. He had coded four times. Unfortunately Mark saw the fourth time. But then you were there, and he was back. It was a miracle."
Gale grimaced. "Not a miracle. Prayer can get you a long way." He muttered under his breath. Dyson pretended not to hear him.
"Thank you, Gale."
"I didn't do it for you."
"Yeah, and you didn't do it for Vex either." Gale looked away and shrugged.
"I don't know. He's grown on me a bit."
Dyson laughed."No he hasn't."
"No," Gale paused, "he hasn't."