By Any Other Name Disclaimer: Nathan and Cerebro belong to Marvel. Samantha, Ben, Shara, Robert and Susan belong to me. Jadelyne, Morkoth, and Nassus belong to J. "If I Stand" was recorded by Michael Call. No money involved.
Summary: An RPG fic, revealing more about the past of the second gens. This covers Morkoth's allegiance to Tiamat, and some of the interpersonal relationships in the family. It takes place when Rob, Susan, Shara, and Morkoth are 17, in the year 2016. Rob, Shara, and Susan are juniors at Callahan High School in Corpus Christi, Texas. Shara was raised by Samantha, while her twin brother, Morkoth, was raised by Nassus. This spans a time between mid-October to Christmas Day, 2016.
By Any Other Name
Friday, October 14, 2016 3:14 PM
"There's more that rises in the morning than the sun, and more that shines in the night than just the moon. There's more than just this fire here that keeps me warm, in a shelter that is larger than this room," Samantha sang quietly along with the radio being broadcast through the quiet house as she carried the full laundry basket back to the bedroom she shared with Nathan.
Setting it down on the bed, she took a moment to walk over to the bay window and look out over the countryside, enjoying the peacefulness. The children were at school, and Nathan was off at Xavier's fixing a quirk in their Cerebro system. Melody was lounging about on a tree branch by the horses' pasture, dozing in the heat of the afternoon. It was October, but the cooler weather was still a ways off in South Texas.
"Samantha?"
She jumped, spinning around, reflexively dropping into battle stance, then relaxed. "Morkoth." Her tone held a mild rebuke, softened by the smile. "It's good to see you." She looked him over, her eyes narrowing a bit as she tilted her head. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," he replied impassively. But she couldn't shake the feeling of a slight tension in the air. "Are you busy?"
"Just doing laundry. Is something up?"
He paused for a moment. "I need to talk to you."
"What about?"
"Let's go sit down."
"I already don't like the sound of this." She led him downstairs to the den, sitting down in a lazyboy chair. He took the nearby loveseat, moving his long cloak aside as he sat. She waited quietly, silently going mad in the pause as he studied his hands, tensing more when he glanced up at her.
"I've sworn allegiance to Tiamat."
Samantha blinked, letting out the breath she was holding slowly. "I see."
They studied each other for a moment, mirror reflections of poker faces.
"Are you certain this is this what you want?"
"Yes." His tone was firm, decisive.
"What brought this about?"
"My reasons are my own."
She quirked a brow slightly, pressing her lips together. "I see."
"I want this, Samantha."
"Are you happy?"
He considered his answer. "I'm satisfied with my choice. This is what I want for my life."
Samantha sighed, looking past him out the window. "Does your mother know?"
"Yes." There was an edge in his answer that cautioned off further queries down that particular road.
She pondered what to say for a few moments, then closed her eyes briefly in a facial shrug. "I won't lie to you, Morkoth--"
"It's Shadow now. Morkoth no longer exists."
Samantha stared at him, feeling a bit unsettled. Drawing a deep breath, she was unable to fully keep the faint tension out of her voice. "I was saying, I won't lie to you, Shadow...I don't like this. I'm afraid you may have made a very grave error in judgment." She raised a hand, forestalling the protest he was about to form. "I'm not finished."
Morkoth sat back, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"However, no matter how much I personally disprove of your choice, it's still your choice. Be it far from me to be a hypocrite. I've always told you children that your life is your own. Live to make yourselves happy, no one else. That way, you can ensure at least one person would be." Samantha gave another facial shrug. "If you want this, if you honestly feel that this is what's right for you, then by all means, do so."
There was a subtle shift in the air, the tension draining away in the silence that followed.
"Thank you, Aunt Sammy," he said quietly.
She nodded a bit. "I just want you to remember one thing."
"What's that?"
"We're still your family."
The words dropped like lead, increasing the silent tension with their weight. They both knew what she was implying. Don't turn against us.
He studied his black glove-clad hands for a moment, then looked back up at her. "Just don't let them give me a reason to turn against them."
Samantha let her breath out slowly. He'd called her on her implication, bringing it out in the open. But at the same time, he made an implication of his own. Benjamin. If anyone would react negatively, it was sure to be him.
But it was as good a promise as she'd ever get that things wouldn't change if nothing forced that change. He wasn't leaving, just...different.
Samantha let herself relax a bit. Her expression didn't change, but she allowed a faint touch of humor to seep through in her eyes. "Deal."
His expression didn't actively change, but there was a subtle shift, an increasing warmth there as they both relaxed. They sat together in silence, both of them considering this new course they were on.
She broke the silence first. "Shadow, huh?" she asked, looking over the seventeen-year-old, giving him a lopsided smile. "It suits you."
His lips quirked upward in a slight suggestion of a grin. "I am a Shadow Dragon, after all."
"Good thing I'm nothing like any of my code names," Samantha said, grinning a bit. "At least two of them were snakes." She trailed off, blinking. "Whoo, boy. If that ain't just loaded with phallic implications..." Morkoth just barely managed to suppress a chuckle, caught a bit off guard, and her grin broadened. "I don't know why you people keep getting surprised. What? Y'all reckon I'll get less perverted with age? You crazy. I ain't throwing away all this experience."
He grinned at that. "You never did fool me."
Samantha chuckled. "Care for something to drink?"
His smile faded as he glanced at the clock on the wall. "I should be going."
"The kids'll be home soon. I know Rob and Sue would be disappointed if you left without saying hi."
"I've already spoken to Rob, during his study period."
"You told him?"
He nodded.
"What about Sue?"
"I was hoping you would break it to the rest of the family."
"'Break it to them'?" she echoed. "You make it sound like bad news."
"They might take it as such. Rob wasn't...happy."
Her eyes narrowed. "Did you two fight?"
He shook his head. "No, he didn't really say anything, but I could tell."
Samantha nodded. "Then go on. I'll handle them."
Friday, October 14, 2016 3:52 PM
He wasn't going to fidget. He wasn't going to pace. No, he could be patient. Patience was good. Impatience in his line of work could get him very dead very soon. He'd consider this training. Didn't make it any easier, regardless.
Shadow kept to the shadowlands, watching over the ranch. A flash of deep red reflecting the intense afternoon sunlight caught his eye, and he recognized the Dodge Durango suburban belonging to the Dayspring-Summers coming down the quiet road.
The driver--most likely Ben--pulled it into the carport, and the occupants climbed out. He saw Rob first, and the other boy's face was partially obscured by hair kept as long as the dress code would allow him. His manner was more subdued, which was to be expected. Textbooks covered up the graphic on the shirt which Shadow had seen earlier, a dinosaur offering another dinosaur a box of chocolates, only instead of chocolates, they were cave men. One dinosaur was picking one from the box, and the text bubble had read; "My favorite! The little scream-filled kind!"
Shadow had almost betrayed his presence to the school officials when he barely managed to keep from bursting out laughing.
Small black boots appeared in the door behind Rob, followed by faded, baggy, jean-clad legs as Susan scooted out after him. She was wearing a plain white tank-top, her hair piled up in a simple ponytail. She looked like she just grabbed whatever was handy when she rolled out of bed in the morning, and pulled her hair up and walked out the door.
If Susan was the epitome of dressed-down casual, then Shadow's twin, Shara, looked like she'd stepped off a runway. Every golden curl was in place, and her clothes looked crisp and new, from her pink dress blouse, to her short black skirt and pink pumps.
Jadelyne wasn't much different, he noticed, as she followed Susan out of the carport, wearing a short denim skirt that looked even shorter with her long legs and black pumps. Like her younger sister, her hair was also in a ponytail, except it was obvious she did more to it than just pull it back and secure it with a band.
Ben looked almost like he'd just stepped off the Opry Stage, Shadow observed, smirking a bit. All that was missing was a white cowboy hat, not permitted in the schools. Shara waited as Ben unlocked the back of the vehicle, letting Jade pull out a black instrument case containing her French Horn. Shara held a smaller one with her books, a flute.
Rob just walked directly to the door, while Susan jogged past him, racing inside. Her expression was closed and introspective, and he raised an eyebrow, wondering if she knew already. She must have dropped her books off somewhere without missing much of a beat, because it was only a few moments before she came out the back door, jogging to the stables.
Although the 100-degree weather was still a bit cool to Shadow, he knew the humid fall afternoon was still too hot to ride the horses.
With a final glance at the other four kids, he walked through the shadowlands to the stables, remaining hidden as he looked out. She had gone through the stables out to the paddock, and was astride one of the horses, the aging, docile Ghost Dancer. She was laying down on his back, her arms draped down on his shoulders, resting her head on him. The horse continued to graze, barely paying any notice to the passenger, but when Shadow started to approach, Dancer's ears started flicking his way, and his gray tail slapped against his thigh with a bit more agitation. Not wanting to spook the old gelding while Susan was on him, he stopped.
She was breathing a bit funny, not crying, but clearly attempting to keep from doing so. Shadow set his jaw, and stepped back, turning to go find Rob. The teen was in his room, laying down on his bed, staring up at the poster-covered ceiling blankly.
"Rob?"
He blinked and pushed himself up on his elbows a bit. "I thought you'd left."
"Not yet. Did you tell Susan?"
"No."
Shadow frowned, glancing pasture-ward out the window.
"She's upset because someone backed out on her."
"What?"
Rob smirked a bit. "She had a date tonight. Apparently he's unable to make it."
Shadow crossed his arms.
"Said his aunt died or something. Idiot."
"You mean it's not true?"
"Well, I didn't check, but there's a little matter of lying to a telepath."
Shadow shrugged. "Good thing anyway. If he's the type to lie to her..."
Rob grinned a bit. "It was either that or get his ass kicked. I overheard him in the locker room. Moron didn't know I was the next row over."
He narrowed his eyes. "What was he saying?"
"Usual jock type bullshit. I don't recall it all verbatim, but basically he was planning to make her a proverbial notch on the bedpost. I do recall him saying he wasn't crazy enough to stick around what with how her family is, but..." He shrugged.
"Does she know?"
"Nah. I figured it would be better this way. She doesn't need to know he was talking about her like some object."
Shadow closed his eyes briefly. "What is his name?"
Rob blinked when he opened them again. "Uh, Mork-- Shadow, it's all right. I've got him taken care of, no harm done."
"She's out there trying not to cry. I'd say there's harm done."
"Aw, c'mon. You don't need to kill him."
"I wasn't planning on letting him off that easily."
"He's just an asshole, not worth our time.
Shadow narrowed his eyes a bit, but dropped the matter. He had other ways of finding out who it was. "Well, I'm going to go, before your mother calls a family conference."
"How'd she take it?"
"She wasn't happy, but she accepted it."
Rob nodded. "See you later then?"
"Yeah." He opened a portal and stepped out.
Friday, October 14, 2016 5:20 PM
Judging from Nathan's expression, Samantha had told him first, privately. Shadow watched the group silently, unseen, as they took their seats around the dining room table. The air was heavy with anticipation; only Rob appeared uninterested.
"What's going on, Mom?" Ben asked, ever the blunt one. Samantha looked down the table at Nathan for a moment, then to her oldest son.
"Morkoth came by earlier today," she said.
"He did?" Susan asked, frowning a bit as she clasped her hands over the table, leaning forward slightly. "Is everything okay?"
Samantha nodded. "He's fine. He just had a bit of news. He's made a decision, a choice for his life's path, and it's what he wants."
"You know that we can't teach you kids the secret of success in life, but we've taught you that the secret to failure is to try and please everybody," Nathan added. They all nodded slightly, exchanging glances.
"We're not gonna like his choice, are we?" Jadelyne asked.
Shara was sitting quietly, ever the remote ice queen, as unconcerned, haughty and untouchable as ever. She glanced at her watch, an implication of boredom. Shadow looked away, back to Susan as Samantha resumed speaking.
"He serves Tiamat now."
Here it was, the moment of truth. They were all quiet for several moments. Shadow watched as variety of expressions crossed Susan's face. Shock, dismay, confusion, fear. She said nothing, otherwise.
Ben was a different story, the first to break the silence. "He is WHAT!?"
"Benjamin, watch your tone," Samantha said sternly. "It's his life, not yours. His choice, not yours. It's what he wants."
"Well, whoopie-fucking-howdy-do!" he retorted, his tone heavily laced with sarcasm. "That's like, what? Me saying 'gee, Mom, I think being a Sith would be like, ultra-spiffy cool'!"
"Benjamin! Watch your mouth!" Nathan snapped.
"You're overreacting," Samantha said.
Ben choked on a shocked laugh. "I am overreacting? Mom!"
"Don't 'Mom' me, mister!"
"Didn't you ever hear a word Aunt Nass said about her? She's like the equivalent to Satan with tits!"
Shadow's eyes narrowed instantly, and he almost forgot his resolve to stay in the shadowlands and let Samantha handle it. How dare he? But no, he expected this sort of thing. Ben was an asshole, pure and simple. Shadow told himself to just ignore it -- for now, anyway.
Jadelyne and Shara struggled to keep a straight face, while Rob just smirked a bit. Susan appeared not to notice, her expression still stunned.
Samantha's, however, was a step away from fury, and Nathan did not look amused either.
"Your personal opinion is yours, and Morkoth's choice for his life is his. I do thank you to keep the two separate," she said, her tone very soft. Shadow knew that tone, as did all the others. Immediately, everyone sobered up, including Ben.
"He is still family, and he is remembering this. I would be most displeased were someone to attempt to help him forget that fact."
"So you're saying you wouldn't give a shit if I decided to be a Sith?" Ben asked. He was skating on dangerously thin ice with his mother.
"I am saying I would tell you exactly what I told him. I would not be pleased with your choice, as I am not pleased with his. But it is what he wants, and he is satisfied with his life. That is all that matters when everything is said and done. I cannot imagine how being a Sith would give you personal peace and satisfaction, but if it were the case, I would say nothing more on the matter, provided you did not turn against your family."
Shadow heard the hint of French in her voice, in the precision of her speech patterns. Ben was just this side of being in very deep shit.
Silence settled over the table again as Samantha fixed her icy gaze on the other children. "One last point I would stress that you recall in the future is that Morkoth has changed his name. It would suit you well to remember to address him as Shadow from now on."
Yep. Aunt Sammy was in a seriously pissed-off mood. He learned early on that when he heard her getting all French-sounding and formal, it wasn't a very bright idea to keep pushing her.
"Now. Are there any questions?" she asked, looking around. Shadow smirked a bit, listening to the soft, murmured 'no ma'ams' going around the table. If anyone did have any questions, nobody dared to do too much of anything to attract notice.
"Good. Supper will be ready in an hour and a half. Do try to have your chores completed by this time. Dismissed."
Ever the Marine. Shadow looked at Susan, wondering what she was thinking. He didn't dare attempt even a surface scan. Odds were too good she would sense him then.
Everyone stood to leave, although she was a bit slower than the rest. Her eyes were downcast, her expression stricken and dismayed.
Something tightened inside of him then, a freezing sensation deep inside so intense it burned, and made it hard to breathe. He should have expected it. Susan always was a rule-keeper. She was a tomboy, and fun, and could hold her own with Rob in the practical joke arena. But she had her limits. She never cheated, only very rarely talked back to her elders, always had her homework completed on time, was in the top ten-percentile of her class, and always did her chores responsibly.
Susan walked out of the dining room, and he stepped back. He had known deep down this would change things. It was foolish to hope otherwise.
Even if she never spoke to him again, that didn't matter. She was still Susan. Even if she was a day older than him and Shara, she was also younger. Her entire family -- including himself -- shielded her from everything the most, the baby of the family. She was shy and innocent, a bit too trusting and naive for Shadow's comfort.
Someone would have to watch out for her, or she would be hurt. It didn't matter how she took this. He knew he'd never be able to let that happen.
Shadow decided that he just wouldn't give her a chance to reject him. At least not until he was sure it wouldn't hurt...as much.
It was done. He turned and walked away, deeper into the shadowlands without another look back.
Friday, October 14, 2016 8:32 PM
"Two times X squared to the fifth power subtracted by sixteen times X squared to the second power equals zero?" Susan muttered to herself, idly tapping the erasered end of her pencil on the textbook page. "If it equals zero, what does it even matter?"
"Sue?" Rob said, knocking even as he poked his head inside her room as she looked up from her desk. "Can we talk?"
"Beats trying to figure out what the hell equals zero. What's up?"
"Just wondering if you were all right," he said, walking in and sitting on her bed. "You've been pretty quiet all night."
She shrugged and turned back to her desk. "Just one of those days."
"You're upset about Jon, aren't you?"
Susan shrugged again, starting to drum her pencil on the wood in irritation.
"Listen, it's not you, okay? He's just an asshole. You'll meet somebody someday." There was a pause, and a sense of him contemplating saying something else, then he apparently changed his mind as the mood shifted. "Anyway..."
"It's not about Jon," she said, cutting him off. "I really couldn't care in the long run." Susan shrugged, staring blankly at the ciphers on the paper, doodling in the margin.
"Then what is it? Is it Mor-- Shadow?"
It was. She sat quietly for a moment, a million thoughts burning in her mind. Finally, one managed to surface to coherent words. "Is he ever gonna come back?" she asked softly, and turned around, peering over her shoulder at him.
Rob studied her for a long moment, and there was a contemplative look on his face, rather out of character for him.
"What is it?"
He shook his head. "Nothing, Sue. I was just thinking. Yeah, I think you can bet some pretty good money he'll be back."
"I don't mean...Shadow," she said. "Morkoth. Is he ever coming back?"
Rob frowned. "What do you mean, sis? Are you asking if he'll leave Tiamat?"
"I don't know." Susan sighed and crossed her arms over the back of the chair, resting her chin. "You talked to him?"
"Yeah."
"Is he...different?"
Rob considered it. "Well, maybe a little, but he still wanted to laugh at my shirt today if that tells you anything. I think I know what you're asking. Is he still our friend and cousin? Yeah, he is."
"Why'd he tell you and Mom, but not me?"
"I don't know, sis."
She shrugged and turned back to her desk once more. "I guess he just told the people who actually matter to him."
One stride had Rob beside her, and his grip on her shoulder hurt as he whipped her around slightly. "Don't say that!" he snapped. "Don't ever think that."
Susan blinked, reflexively cringing away a bit from the unusual display. "Okay," she squeaked out meekly.
"I'm sorry, Sue. It's just...I know for a fact that you mean a helluvalot to Mor- Shadow. I don't know why he didn't tell you himself, but I damned good and well know that's not the reason, so drop the bitch attitude."
She felt a burning sensation suddenly begin to build up in her eyes, and a painful, sharp tingling in the bridge of her nose, and looked away quickly, blinking rapidly to try to keep the tears at bay.
Rob's grip loosened, and he knelt beside her chair, rubbing her shoulder a bit. "Hey, c'mon, Suzy, aw, don't cry. I'm sorry."
"Is there something wrong with me?" she muttered, yanking on a lock of hair, twisting it around a fingertip as she crossed her other arm over her stomach.
"Huh? What brought that up?"
"Jon backs out on me at the last minute, Morkoth's here but didn't even bother to say hi..." Susan shrugged, sniffling.
"C'mon, sis. Don't get like this. Those two situations are totally unrelated."
"I know, but is it something to do with me?"
"Naw. I dunno about Shadow, but I know why Jon backed out."
"Why?"
"I threatened to beat him up."
"ROBERT!"
"Hey, easy there!" He backed up, raising his hands defensively as Susan turned on him, the tears forgotten in outrage. "He wasn't interested in you!"
"How would you know?"
"I heard him talking to his buddies. Sue, he just wanted to fuck you, that's it."
She blinked. "That's supposed to make me feel better, and think that nothing's wrong with me?" she asked hollowly.
"Hell, yeah! He's the type to look at all women as a notch on the bedpost. It's not just you."
She considered that, then sat down again.
"I don't know why Morkoth-- I mean, Shadow didn't talk to you, but I know he cares. He saw you crying this afternoon, and came to me demanding to know why. He was all ready to go find Jon and do evil, dragony-type stuff to him. Maybe he didn't tell you about this himself because he didn't know how you'd react."
She shrugged, and Rob walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "Just rest assured, sis, there's nothing wrong with you."
Susan nodded.
"And now, I'm going to go before I catch whatever virus it is you have that makes you want to do homework on a Friday," Rob said, giving her a smirk as he walked out of her room. Susan shook her head, chuckling a bit, then turned back to her notebook with a sigh.
Running a hand through her hair, she peered at the bothersome algebra problem again, then noticed what she had started doodling in the margin. Forgetting the math, she continued sketching, and frittered away a half hour detailing and shading the dragon-head.
Carefully tearing it out of the paper, she stuck it up on a frame, and glanced out the window.
She just hoped Rob was right for a change...about everything.
Wednesday, December 21, 2016 4:47 PM
Damn Terran winters. Even in the so-called warm South, it was still frigid to him, with the temperatures in the fifties and a brisk wind pushing it down even more. Shadow tightened his cloak around him, waiting.
The hoofbeats came closer, and he stepped out of the shadowlands, bracing himself against the cold as Robert came around the bend.
"Whoa, dammit!" he shouted as the horse shied away from Shadow. It didn't take the other teen long to bring the big chestnut gelding under control, and he looked up to see what startled the horse.
"Hey, Mork-- err...Shadow!" he exclaimed, surprise fading into a smile. "What're you doing here?"
"Came to see you," he replied, trying to keep the shiver from his voice.
Robert peered at him. "Let's go back to the house before you turn into a dragon-cicle."
Shadow chuckled. "That's all right. It's you I wanted to talk to anyway."
Rob dismounted, leading the horse away from Shadow, and tied him to a tree. "Just me?" he asked, walking back. "What about everyone else?"
Shadow just shrugged. "I don't have a lot of time, I'm just stopping by real quick between jobs."
"Sue wouldn't mind seeing you."
Shadow glanced at him.
"Serious. Hell, know what upset her the most when Mom told us about you joining Tiamat?"
"What?" He braced himself for the answer.
"She was afraid of never seeing you again."
Shadow blinked slightly. That wasn't one of the answers he expected to hear.
"Matter of fact" -- Rob's eyes narrowed slightly -- "you hurt her by not telling her yourself. Oh, it wasn't entirely your fault. That guy -- nice job you did on his face, by the way -- didn't help matters either. I guess it was just timing."
"What happened?" he asked, fighting down a twinge of guilt.
"She was just depressed, and having a bit of a pity-party. She thought maybe that you didn't want to see her anymore, that something was wrong with her."
He shook his head slightly, feeling a bit shocked. "No, that was never..." Words weren't enough. Guilt started eating at him, and he wished he'd followed Sue out of the dining room instead of just assuming she was angry with him like her older brother. Trailing off with a sigh, he looked at Rob. "I probably should make it up to her, huh?"
"Yeah, that would be good."
A few thoughts turned over in his mind, and Shadow pondered how to phrase his idea. "Think she'd, well, maybe like to go out? No offense or nothing, but I did stick around for the reactions. I don't think it would be good for me to be at the house right now."
Yeah, that's good, he told himself. It's not a date.
Rob nodded. "Maybe later though. She's pretty sick. Helluvaway to kick off Christmas vacation."
That carefully cultivated heart of stone melted away with worry. "What's wrong? I thought you guys couldn't get sick."
"Oh, we can, if we get hit by a strain of something that the immunizations don't cover. But at any rate, it's just a bad case of bronchitis brought on by a sinus infection."
"She'll be okay?"
"Yeah, once the medicines start to work. It's only been a day or so."
"She's in her room?"
"Yeah."
A new plan formed. "All right, thanks. I'll see you later."
"You gonna be here for Christmas?"
Shadow paused. "I doubt it."
Rob nodded. "You'll be missed."
"I think it would be best for all parties involved if I stayed away this year. I don't want a fight to ruin it."
Thursday, December 22, 2016 1:20 AM
Susan's room was dim, lit only in the soft, weak glow of a small lamp in the far corner. The coughing fits had finally slowed down enough to let her rest. It didn't look like it would last too long, though. She was too pale, with dark raccoon rings of fatigue around her eyes, and bright splotches of high fever burning her cheeks. The door was shut, and the rest of the household was sound asleep, so as long as he kept his presence masked, it was doubtful anyone would know he was there.
Walking over to Susan, he dropped to one knee beside the bed, reaching out to gently smooth a black lock out of her eyes. She murmured something incoherent, and stirred a bit under his touch. Leaning forward, he lightly kissed her forehead, trying not to feel alarmed at the unnatural warmth of her skin. Rob told him she would be fine once the antibiotics kicked in.
"I'm sorry, Sue," he whispered, reaching into a pocket. "I never wanted you hurting."
At his voice, her fever-glazed eyes opened, and tried to focus on him. She mouthed his name, not his new one, but the one Nassus gave him, and closed her eyes again wearily before suddenly curling up in a coughing fit.
Shadow moved up to sit beside her, rubbing her back gently, and grew tense listening to the deep, rattling coughs that shook her entire body. Her breath came in wheezing gasps, and once it passed, Susan fell back against the pillows with a frustrated, weary moan.
He pulled out a small box from his pocket, opening it and withdrawing the small silver ring.
"Susan, can you hear me?" he asked quietly. She nodded, and he took her hand. When he slipped the ring over her pinky finger, she opened one eye to look at it.
"I remembered a movie that was on TV when I was visiting some years ago," he explained, reaching up again to brush the hair from her face. "In it, someone gave another person a ring, and told them that if they ever needed his help, to send the ring. You don't need to do that, but consider it a reminder. If you ever, and I mean ever, need me, for anything, even if it's just to talk, just say my name. I'll hear you, and be here as soon as I possibly can."
She nodded slightly, and closed her eyes, resting a moment before another coughing fit took over, and faded to a pained whimper.
He winced, wishing there was something more he could do, but he was a mercenary, a killer. Not a healer. Resting his hand over her face, he gently made her close her eyes, and telepathically set up a temporary block, suppressing the coughing fits for a little while. Not too long, but maybe long enough to let her rest.
~~Thanks,~~ she replied, her 'voice' an exhausted whisper in his mind.
Looking over his shoulder, Shadow summoned a wraith servant to their side. "Let her rest," he instructed the shadowy form, "but do not harm her at the cost of your own unlife."
The wraith reached out, and touched Susan, very carefully draining off her just enough to get her to fall into a deeper state of sleep than she would have been able to achieve on her own in her current condition.
With her coughing held at bay for the time being, deeply asleep, maybe now she could get some sufficient rest and recover. It wasn't much, but it was all he could do.
Sending a wraith to guard the door, Shadow remained at her side, watching her carefully. He wasn't sure if there would be any side effects from blocking the body's reaction to cough, and he wasn't about to leave her alone in case any complications should arise.
He would stay until the block wore off, or until she started having complications. It would be an easy matter to watch from the shadowlands, but she wasn't contagious, and besides, he rather liked being able to just sit quietly with her.
The next two hours were spent like that, seated beside her on the bed, gently stroking her hair back from her face. As time elapsed, her breathing grew more labored and thick, a deep rattling murmur coming from her chest. Finally, he decided it was no longer safe to keep the block up, and removed it.
Still mostly asleep from the wraith's treatment, the result roused Susan in a heavy coughing fit as she forced herself up on one elbow, fumbling for the Kleenex box.
Footfalls on the carpeted hallway and a wraith alerted him to others, and he quickly stepped back into the shadowlands, not leaving.
Ben burst into the bedroom, with Jadelyne right behind him. He sat down behind Susan, pulling her up slightly into his arms, and held on as Jadelyne knelt by the bed and placed her hands on Susan's torso, doing something Shadow couldn't quite make out, but suspected it was a type of healing with her powers. Rob and Shara stumbled to the doorway, still half-asleep, only to get brushed aside as Samantha hurried in.
The coughing sounded worse than it had before, and Shadow started to fidget, wondering if he had done the wrong thing. The three stayed next to Susan, with the other two leaning in the doorway, drowsing a bit.
"Should we take her to medical?" Ben asked, frowning in sympathy, still cradling his younger sister.
Samantha shook her head, eyes narrowed in concentration as she helped Jade do whatever it was they were doing. "It sounds worse than it is, I think."
Nathan appeared in the doorway with the other two, watching. Finally, it subsided, and Susan's breathing came easier than it had before. She was asleep, exhaustion taking over.
"How is she doing?" Nathan asked.
"I'm not sure, but she seems better now than before," Samantha said, putting on a stethoscope and sliding the end under Susan's nightshirt. She paused, listening, then nodded. "Her lungs are clearer now. She should be fine."
"I'll stay with her," Ben offered, and his mother nodded.
Shadow narrowed his eyes a bit, mentally muttering a few choice words, wishing the older teen would leave as well. As the rest of them returned to bed, he glanced at a wraith.
"Stay here, and summon me at once if she should get worse." With that order, he walked away deeper into the shadowlands.
Friday, December 23, 2016 10:15 AM
Late morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the drapery, spilling out over the floor and her bedspread in unsymmetrical shapes. Susan laid back against the bed, staring up at the ceiling in exhaustion in between fits, and closed her eyes, rubbing them. She was drenched in cold sweat-her fever broken.
As she ran her hand through her hair, a tangle caught on something, drawing a yelp from her, and she reached up, freeing her hand. Pulling it down for inspection, she blinked at a small, silver plain ring on her pinky finger, in the shape of two engraved horse heads meeting at the top.
"What the hell?" she mumbled, frowning as she tried to remember where it came from. Vague impressions began to surface, almost like something out of a half-remembered dream. Shadow had been here? She would have dismissed it as imagination, but the ring was solid proof of that.
His words came drifting back to her as she concentrated, trying to recall what had happened. Consider it a reminder. If you ever, and I mean ever need me, for anything, even if it's just to talk, just say my name.
Rob was right. He did still care. Covering the hand with the ring with her other hand, she held it tucked under her chin and closed her eyes.
"I don't know if you can hear this, but Shadow, thank you," she whispered, already drifting off back to sleep.
Sunday, December 25, 2016 9:12 AM
Susan sat up in bed, wincing at the pain in her ribs as she coughed. But it was subsiding. Her fever gone, the antibiotics were working, and she was able to get rest again. There was a knock at the door as her twin stuck his head in.
"Are you up yet, lazybones? C'mon, it's time for the presents!"
"I'll be down in minute," she replied hoarsely, fumbling her feet around for her slippers. He stepped out, closing the door, and she stood, reaching for her robe.
Pulling it on, something on the dresser caught her eye. It was a single Poinsettia blossom, its petals a deep, rich red throughout, bruise-free and picture-perfect. Attached with a golden ribbon was a glossy black card, embossed with gold foil script.
Getting two sheets of paper, Susan took a moment to carefully press the blossom in between the pages of a large, unabridged dictionary she picked up at a book resale shop, and tucked the note away in the pocket of her robe before going downstairs.