Only A Dream Away

Part 3

A Moment Forever

By Nick Maro

Pizzazz hugged Eric's body to hers as she sobbed uncontrollably. She hardly noticed the other Misfits around her. She held his body to her chest and cried as she faintly heard the shocked whispers in the room. She'd been holding him for what seemed to be an eternity, but in reality it had only been ten minutes. Finally looking up, Pizzazz wiped her eyes and set Eric's body down on the ground. He didn't look like himself anymore. He looked as if he was his own great grandfather.

David put a hand on his twin's shoulder turned her around and hugged her tightly. She felt David's tears hit her shoulders. "In the end, he was a great and noble man." She smiled at David's words and nodded.

"I'm going to cast a glamour on Eric's body. Make him look as he was before his life force was drained." Christine quietly chanted and motioned over Eric's lifeless form. His body shimmered and looked how he did before he was killed by the Soulweeper. Christine glanced up and walked away as she was visibly disturbed at the whole scene she had witnessed.

The entire wedding reception felt the tension in the air. Pizzazz walked up to Richard and slapped him as hard she could. She looked him directly in the eye and slapped him again. Then repeated slapping him until Stormer and Roxy pulled her away. "This is on you, Richard. A good man is dead because he sacrificed himself for all of us. This is your fucking fault." Pizzazz shook Roxy and Stormer off of her. She then grabbed a full bottle of champagne and took a long drink. "He was my friend." She walked out of the room without another word.

Richard began to follow her when Techrat and Clash stopped him. "Just let it go. We have to figure out what to do here. We need to call the police, but we can't let them do an autopsy." David paced and ran his fingers through his hair.

The shock of the attack was still thick in the ballroom. Richard had placed a tablecloth over Eric and sat at a nearby table. He looked at Christine and then Rapture. They each saw the helplessness and despair in his eyes. Neither woman had ever seen him so lost and worried. Christine crouched in front of Richard and looked him in the eye. "I'm going to call the paramedics. We have to report this. It looks as if it was a heart attack." Richard just nodded as his assistant made the phone call.

"Everyone," Richard said softly as Christine finished her call, "my house is yours to use as you see fit. There's plenty of room for you. My apologies to all for what has happened here tonight, this was to be a joyous occasion. Phyllis was right this is my fault and I dragged everyone in, but I will take care of it. You have my word."

Richard left the ballroom to wait for the paramedics and police in the front of his mansion. Slowly the friends of Eric Raymond stood and consoled each other. They spoke in hushed voices as they left the ballroom to find a room in Richard's mansion. Each knew they would be questioned by the authorities about what had happened. They all agreed on the same story, Eric was dancing when he clutched his arm and fell to the dance floor. The story was simple for each person to remember.

Stormer walked the grounds of the Xanthos Estate looking for her half sister. She found her sitting in the pool house, splashing her feet in the pool. She opened the door and sat next to Pizzazz. Stormer removed her shoes and put her feet in with Pizzazz. They sat together in silence for awhile. "I never realized how much he meant to me until I held his head in my lap. His final words were the most heartfelt and honest words I ever heard him say." Pizzazz wiped the fresh tears from her cheeks.

"He saved us. Plain and simple, Eric is a hero in my eyes. We all owe him more than we really know." Stormer rested her head on Pizzazz's shoulder. "He was the best thing to ever happen to us. He gave us a shot when no one would. In his own way he believed in us. We owe him everything in what we do from now on."

Pizzazz nodded in agreement and the two women sat in silence, just kicking their feet in the water.

It wasn't until early morning that the police left the grounds. They interviewed everyone at the wedding as a part of formality. Richard was sitting in his study drinking and thinking of what to do next, but he was mostly drinking. He was still in shock at how easily the Soulweeper had slipped past his defenses. A knock came from his door and then opened a little. He saw Pizzazz's face through the crack. "Come in, Phyllis, come in."

Opening the door fully Pizzazz entered the study. She looked at the carpet obviously ashamed of something. "Listen Richard, I'm sorry for slapping you. You didn't deserve that at all. You're not to blame, I know that. I was just upset. Eric meant a lot more to me than I ever cared to admit."

"I know and it's alright." He poured her a glass of water and put his arm around her shoulder. "You look exhausted. Take my room, I'm going to be staying up and researching how to handle things. Get some sleep and we'll talk when you wake up." He led her to his door and opened it. Richard hugged Pizzazz in return when she wrapped her arms around him.

Eric Raymond had no relatives that anyone knew of. David searched Eric's address book for any family. So far he found nothing. He found Eric's will in a safe in his office that was unlocked. The will stated that everything he owned went to Misfits Music. It also named David as the executor of his estate. He sat back in the chair in mild shock.

David put the will in its envelope and went to his office. He picked up his phone and called Yuji. He would know how to handle these things better. Yuji asked him to fax a copy of the will to him which David did right away. He confirmed to David that it was perfectly legal. He thanked Yuji and hung up. He then made several phone calls to make arrangements for Eric's funeral and memorial.

The memorial for Eric was held a week after his funeral. Like his funeral, the memorial was private and held at the Gabor Estate. A large portrait of Eric was hung over the fireplace. Candles and flowers were placed in front of the painting. David decided to make the memorial informal and casual. From his conversations with Eric he knew that was what he'd want.

It came time for those who knew Eric to say a little about him. Roxy went first and told stories about how she tormented him yet he always stood up for her. She thanked him through her oncoming tears. Slowly each of the people, who came, told a short story about their dealings with him. Jerrica told the story of when she first met him. It was a story that no one had ever heard. Rio looked mildly shocked that his new wife actually went on a date with Eric. Kimber just giggled at his expression. Stormer told a story of how he comforted her after Pizzazz had yelled at her after a show. Jetta just simply thanked Eric for saving her life and walked outside. Roxy followed her after a few moments. Pizzazz spoke last.

"Eric Raymond was the older brother who always got you into trouble, especially in the early days of our career as a band. It was almost as if it ran in his blood. In the back of your head, you'd think it was a bad idea, but you would hear yourself agreeing with him." She took a sip of water and continued. "He and I had our disagreements later on. Hell, I absolutely thought he was the fucking Anti-Christ at one point, but he eventually came around and I valued his input on things. I'll miss him always." She turned and looked at the portrait. "I love you, Eric. I'm just sorry I couldn't say it when you were around."

Pizzazz excused herself and went upstairs to her room. The memorial continued without her, until it broke up a few hours later. She came down the back staircase and found Roxy, Stormer and Jetta still there. She smiled at her best friends. They ran up and hugged her tight. Stormer pulled away and went to the bar. She poured four shots of Eric's favorite drink. "I think it's only right, we do this correctly." She handed each woman a shot and raised her glass. "To Eric, without whom we wouldn't still be a band."

"To Eric, that smooth talking son of a bitch!" Roxy raised her drink.

"To Eric, the most unexpected hero," Jetta raised shot to Roxy and Stormer's.

"To Eric, the man we owe everything to. You were family," Pizzazz said as she tapped her drink to the other women's. Together they tipped the glasses to their lips.

The Misfits spent the rest of the night and most of the early morning drinking and laughing about memories of their friend and manager.

Kimber straighten up her bedroom after weeks of neglecting it. She always figured once she hit a certain age that she'd out grow having a messy room. She was still waiting for that day. Instead of it being school books, it was sheet music and clothing, even a few magazines. She picked up her jacket and checked the pockets out of routine and habit. She found a business card that she forgot she put in a pocket. The card was for James Thomas from the Skylarker magazine.

"Hey, Mary! Remember that guy we met at the signing right before Jerrica's wedding?" Kimber yelled through the house as she walked into the kitchen. She showed her best friend the card. "I completely flaked and forgot to call him. With everything that has gone on I haven't been on the top of my game."

Stormer put the knife down she was using to cut the carrots for dinner. She wiped her hands on her apron and looked the card over. "Oh yeah, I thought it was weird at the time. He did seem interested in talking to us. Give him a call and find out what he wanted." She picked up the knife and started preparing dinner again.

Kimber searched for her phone then found it under a few magazines on the coffee table. She dialed the number and paced as she waited. It picked up after a few rings. Kimber spoke in her best professional voice. "Hi, this is Kimber Benton calling for a Mister James Thomas. Might he be available?" She waited as the receptionist transferred her call. "Hello, Mister Thomas, this is Kimber Benton. I'm so sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Things got a little crazy as you may have seen."

"Oh it's no problem, I completely understand. I'm sorry to hear about Mr. Raymond. I never met him myself, but I have colleagues who have. He was a pioneer in the music industry." James Thomas' voice echoed through the phone after Kimber put it on speaker mode.

"Mister Thomas, this is Mary Phillips. Kimber put her phone on speaker phone so we can all talk. You said you wanted to speak to us." Stormer looked up at Kimber and shrugged. "Could you please enlighten us?"

James cleared his throat quietly. "I think its best that the both of you come into the Skylarker offices. It's a proposal that I don't like making over the phone."

Kimber and Stormer exchanged confused looks. "Okay, how does tomorrow sound? We're both free."

"That's perfect, Ms. Phillips. How does three in the afternoon sound?"

"We'll see you at three, Mr. Thomas. Take care." Kimber hung up her phone and sat on the stool by the kitchen counter. "Okay, this is starting to sound a little weird. Maybe we should bring someone with just in case. I'd feel safer."

Stormer went back to making dinner for the two of them. "Good idea. Call and see if David can make it. He's now pulling triple duty at the label." Stormer put the carrots she just cut into the boiling water as Kimber called him up.

Closing the travel bag, Richard looked up at Christine. He still looked scared and uncertain about what to do. It was obvious that he'd never witnessed the Soulweeper with full power. "I need you to help Phoebe to train and teach the new arrivals and the Chosen. Especially help with Sheila. I've never seen anyone learn and adapt that fast. She may be the key to all of this. I need to find answers by myself. You know how to get a hold of me in an emergency."

"Richard, you're scared and I understand that. I am too, but you can find all of the answers you need here." Christine stood in the doorway of his bedroom. "You say you're not running away, but it will look like you are. Stay here and search. It'll put everyone's minds at ease."

"What I need for answers aren't here. I have to find a nexus and search there. It's dangerous, but the Soulweeper is more so." Richard lifted his bag and put the strap over his shoulder. "I'm hoping I won't be gone too long. There's no telling what that maniac is going to do next." Richard stood in front of lifelong friend and waiting for her to move out of his way. As soon as she did he began walking down the hallway. He turned as he walked and gave a wave and then vanished into the air.

Coming out of the shadows Rapture stood next to Christine. "He'll be fine. You have to remember that none of us have faced anything like this before. We're facing a mad dark god, an ancient one at that. Knowing how to defeat him won't be in any of the books here. The Nexus is the place where he has a slim hope of finding answers." She nervously played with her blonde hair.

Letting out a small amused chuckle Christine looked at the young woman. "And when did you get so wise and find such faith in the man?"

"Easy, he's my father and the greatest mage alive today." Her smile grew when Christine's did. "Come on, Sheila is waiting in Richard's inner sanctum. I swear she's like a sponge when it comes to learning. I have Astral in there now teaching her, but I think its best she learns from you."

Christine agreed and followed Rapture into the hidden room. Once there they found Jetta learning combat magick from Astral. Each woman was already sweating heavily. Jetta still had a long night ahead of her.

Sitting in the waiting area of Skylarker Magazine, Stormer and Kimber both checked their phones for the time. Their meeting was set to begin ten minutes ago. David sat across from the two women and went over tour dates and schedule for The Misfits. He took over Eric's manager duties after his death. He agreed to do it until The Misfits and Fire and Ice could find a new manager.

The door to James Thomas' office opened and a woman gracefully walked out. She smiled and waved her fingers at David as she passed. He exchanged a confused look with Kimber and his half sister. James Thomas came out of the office and greeted the two women. "Kimber and Stormer, I must apologize for the wait. Time can escape from you at times." He glanced behind himself and saw David. "And I must apologize to you as well. I didn't know they were bringing anyone along."

David stood and shook James' hand. "David Gabor. I'm Kimber and Mary's manager. They each wanted me here to make sure everything on the up and up." He gave the women a quick wink.

"Oh, of course, of course, please come into my office." James led them into his spacious office. Along the walls were the covers of past issues of the Skylarker. It featured scantily clad women in tasteful poses. Both Stormer and Kimber were relieved that David was with them. "Now I'm sure you all know what the Skylarker features. It's a magazine aimed at gentlemen who have refined tastes and enjoy the female form. Keep in mind that we do not have any full nudity. It's all kept hidden like on your album and the booklet.

"Now, my offer is to have you do a feature spread in an upcoming issue. No nudity, all kept tasteful and implied. We think you'd be perfect for our first musical tribute to the female form. First impressions?" James sat in his chair and leaned back a little as he waited.

Stormer and Kimber looked at each other then at David. He just gave a slight shrug. Kimber sat forward in her chair and cleared her throat. "I think we need to talk about this first, Mr. Thomas. It's definitely an interesting offer, but one we definitely need to think about."

"Yeah, we just want to talk this over first. We've been having problems with that moronic Smut Harms Your Teens group." Stormer ran her hand through her hair.

James nodded and sat forward. "Understandable. We start shooting for our next issue in a week. Let me know before that and we can discuss things further." He stood up and shook each of their hands.

Craig flopped back on his bed. He let out a satisfied sigh and looked around his room. The Blue Bloods had finally called a break to their non-stop world tour. Lord Mason Hawthorne decided that he needed to bring the family estate up to date. Craig bought a two bedroom house near his sister's home in Los Angeles. He wasn't sure if he was happier to be near his family or his girlfriend Aja. He suspected it was both.

Fumbling for his phone as it rang, Craig answered before it went to voice mail. "Hello? Oh hey, Dad. Yeah, I can meet you at your place. I was just finishing setting everything up here. Okay, I'm leaving now. See you in about fifteen minutes." Craig sat up from his bed and looked for his car keys. He found them under a flyer and opened his front door.

Letting out a yelp of shock together, Craig almost ran face first into Aja. She hugged her boyfriend tight and gave him a long kiss. "So, where are you heading in such a rush?"

"My dad called and invited me over. I've been playing phone tag with him for a few weeks now. You'd think with being local we'd both have time to be there for each other. I saw him at the wedding and funeral, but each time he didn't stick around." Craig gestured at his home. "Then I moved in and didn't have time to talk with that chaos." His sentence drifted off a bit as he looked at his house. "Come with me. I know he'll love to see you again."

Aja nodded and got into Craig's car. They drove off together and arrived twenty minutes later. She got out of the car and followed Craig to his father's apartment. He knocked on the door; it opened after a few moments. Max smiled at both Craig and Aja. "Aja, it's so good to see you again. Craig didn't say anything about you joining us, but its fine."

"Thanks Max. How are you enjoying the apartment? It's probably better than Mary's couch." Aja followed her boyfriend inside.

"Oh, it's a great spot. I love the ocean view. I'm close to the market and theater. Craig and Mary didn't have to buy this for me I do have money put aside."

"Dad it was nothing. You're my father and I wanted to help you out." Craig sat down on the couch and took the beer that Max offered him. He opened the bottle and sat forward a little. "Now, what did you want to talk about? You sounded kinda serious on the phone." He took a small sip and set the beer down on the coffee table. Max cleared his throat and pointed to a coaster, which Craig then set the bottle on.

Max wiped his hands on his pants. "I've been having some strange dreams is all. I don't know if I told you, but in the Army I was a part of Special Forces. I did black ops and things of that nature. Some top secret stuff that I can't even tell you about, but I was also a part of some experimental programs. They did stuff to me, messed with my head, but nothing permanent. The scientists assured me all I'd have is headaches and weird dreams. And it looks like they were right for a change."

Taking another sip of his beer, Craig looked at Aja and then at his father. "Well, if you want to talk about it, Aja and I are here for you." Max nodded and thanked his son. He was happy that he was bonding with him.

The sweat dripped from her brow and into her eyes as she concentrated. Jetta ignored it and forced her will into the beam of eldritch energy. The beam was striking against a similar one coming from Rapture. Each woman refused to give up. In the center of the two beams erupted a starburst of clashing energies. It lit up the training room that Richard Xanthos used on his estate. Finally giving a frustrated grunt, Jetta's beam began to flicker and finally faded. She fell to her knees, panting and exhausted.

Astral and Roxy watched off to the side as the two women trained. Roxy gave a concerned look for Jetta. Astral held the white haired woman back. "She's fine Roxy. Just give her a moment to catch her breath." She then turned to the two women. "I can't tell you how impressed I am with the both of you. Sheila, you're absolutely amazing. I've never seen a novice learn so quickly. Phoebe, you're almost better than you were before you were stripped of your magickal powers."

Catching her breath, Jetta wiped the sweat from her face with a towel. "Thanks, Maeve. I'm feelin' more and more powerful. Like this energy is a part of me. I know I'm just a conduit for it, but I can feel it in me cells and bones. It's an amazin' feelin'. I really can't describe it. I'm bloody exhausted, but I'm also euphoric!"

"I've missed this feeling myself. When it all came back and just exploded from my body, I think that was a buildup of the energy. Like water breaking free of a dam." Rapture went to the cooler that was close by and grabbed two bottles of orange juice. She handed one to Jetta.

Roxy handed Rapture a towel and stood by her girlfriend. She looked Jetta over with a small look of concern on her face. "Are you sure you're not pushing yourself, hon? You looked like hell back there." Jetta just smiled and kissed her cheek. "I'll take that as a shut up Roxy." She giggled softly. "So where is Richard? You said he's left to find something called a nexus? What's that?"

"A nexus is a place where one can travel into another plane of existence." Astral smiled as Roxy gave her a confused face. "Okay, there's more than one plane of existence. We exist on a physical plane. This nexus is kind of a doorway for those who are sensitive to magicks. Richard is obviously one who is, but you wouldn't be able to cross through the nexus portal. Sheila would be able to. In fact, she kind of did before."

"Wait a minute, I did?"

"Yes, when you turned invisible that first time. You forced yourself to make a nexus point, but you got stuck between this plane and the one you were accessing." Astral paced before the two women as she explained.

Rapture looked up sharply after Astral explained what had happened. "Hold on a second here. Sheila forced a portal? How the fuck is that possible? When did this happen? Was it recent?"

Jetta shook her head. "No. It happened just before the whole Tolliver affair. I'd been readin' these books and just practiced what was in there."

"This was the first thing you ever did?" Rapture was beginning to look more and more visibly upset before she pointed a finger at the Englishwoman. "Did it ever occur to you that you may have weakened the barrier between the planes? You may have allowed me to call upon the Soulweeper's powers." She looked Jetta over closely and then looked at Astral. "This woman is dangerous. She fucking broke the barrier between the planes at not even a novice's level of power! She's the most dangerous woman on the planet! She's just a nuclear bomb waiting to go off!"

"Well, you used the power of an ancient god to get your powers back."

Rapture punched Roxy in the jaw and stood over the stunned woman. "I did it to protect my best friends and Eric. You know, the man who died protecting Sheila! The man who accepted me at my worst. Your girlfriend shattered the fundamental laws of magick and nature from something she read in a fucking book! She did that for fun!" Rapture pulled her arm from Astral's grip. "I'm done here. If you need me, don't bother. I'm not answering your calls, only Richard's."

Rapture stormed out of the room leaving Jetta and Astral to help Roxy to her feet.

Standing on the desert peak the Soulweeper scanned the valley below him. It was here he'd begin his true conquest of the planet. He allowed himself to let a smile cross his lips slowly. He looked back at the group of followers that stood behind him. These were his most loyal followers, yet he was somewhat disappointed at the true size. None the less they would do for now. He turned around and threw his arms wide. "Today we remind the world what it truly means to fear. Today we bring paradise to this wretched little planet."

The Soulweeper motioned to one of his loyal followers. They dragged a bound and gagged form to him. "Thank you, my child." The Soulweeper took the captive and began chanting. He pointed the captive at the setting sun, pulled a knife and ran it slowly across their throat. Blood sprayed into the air, reflecting in the sunlight. The Soulweeper's chanting grew louder and quicker.

The gathered followers began chanting in unison with their dark master. They each sliced the throats of their own captives on cue. The sky before them began to ripple, as if a pebble had struck a pond. The ripples turned to infinite darkness as portals to a dark plane opened. The Soulweeper's true home was about to be revealed to his loyal worshippers.

TO BE CONCLUDED IN "LIGHT OF DAY"

PART 4 OF ONLY A DREAM AWAY