Friday, May 17, 2012
Who: Cronus/Ben and Rhea/Brooke When: Friday, May 17, 2012 | mid morning Where: NY Pres What: death and rebirth
It was a perfectly average day at the office for Cronus. He’d left home, got coffee along the way, and was busy making some small design changes based on an early morning video conference with a client. But he was suddenly hit by a feeling of dread. He couldn’t put his finger on the source, but he knew something was terribly wrong.
When his secretary walked in, her face pale and eyes cloudy, his fears were realized. She didn’t have to tell him something had happened to his wife. He could feel it in his bones. “Where is she?” he asked urgently, not even bothering to grab his jacket or keys. He just started for the door.
“New York Presbyterian,” the woman said in a sad voice.
Cronus didn’t waste time with the elevator. It would take too long, and he couldn’t stand still. He took the stairs two at a time in his hurry to get to the street. His hand raised, and a cab driver who wouldn’t have stopped, was forced to by a burst of wind that caused him to slam on his brakes in front of Cronus. The god hopped into the cab and commanded the driver to take him to the hospital at once.
But Cronus was a mortal. He couldn’t turn back time or hope to race it. He arrived too late. Kate was gone and Rhea along with her. He couldn’t feel either of their souls as he threw himself over her in a flood of tears and anguished sobs. The goddess and mortal. He loved them both, and they were both dead. It felt like his soul was dying with them.
Cronus lay like that for an hour, refusing to leave his wife’s side. He couldn’t bring himself to call for his daughters. He couldn’t even bear to call Hades to confirm what he already knew. “Our son will watch over you. Both of you,” he whispered after pressing a kiss to her cold lips.
Kate’s body looked dreadful. She had blood stains on her clothing, or at least what was left of it. The emergency technicians had clearly cut much of it away in their effort to save her. He could see the stab wounds to her chest and there was a large cut across her cheek. Cronus stroked it softly, lovingly. He didn’t know what had happened. But his despair would be clear to all. Violent storms had erupted over the city. The lightning lit up the sky as the clouds bled all the sorrow Cronus felt. The lights in the room flickered as the power glitched from it all.
---
There was chaos. Rhea had always been buried inside of her host, never awakened, only occasionally stirring to life. The violence of death? Which she had never suffered? It was enough to shake the Titaness to awareness, and as her body failed in the bright cold lights of the hospital, she fled. It was difficult, leaving Kate, as she had grown fond of the mortal’s soul, but it was survival that spurred her on, that made her flee.
She knew she could not remain without a host for long and she looked, searched for the bright spark of light she knew was here. Finally, there! She reached, intangible, immortal endangered, and she found the woman, the one who she could take. A mother. Strong.
Sinking into warm flesh, she felt her body react, jerk against the hard bed. There were needles in her skin, a tube in her throat, and she choked around it. Reaching up, she tried to claw the vile thing from her mouth, tasting bile, and a colorful woman sitting next to her yelled for the doctors. A nurse stepped over, pulling the tube free, and Brooke coughed and bent over, calling out, her voice echoing through the halls. “Cronus! Ben!”
__
One of the emergency nurses who had tended to Kate also worked in the intensive care unit. She was nearby when a coma patient suddenly awakened and shouted out two names. One of them she recognized, because she had been the one to call Ben Harrison. She peeked her head into the room where Brooke Dewitt was staying. “Ben who?” she asked calmly. Brooke wasn’t her patient, but she glanced at the chart to see if maybe this woman’s case was connected to the stabbing that had ended Kate Harrison’s life. There wasn’t a relationship.
---
The woman who had been sitting at Brooke’s bedside seemed completely stunned by her shouts. She’d never met anyone by those names in her life before. She was overjoyed that Brooke was awake, but...who was she shouting for?
“Ben who?” the nurse repeated, and Brooke looked up with bleary eyes. She felt weak, unable to move quite right, and she wiped at her dry lips.
“Ben Harrison.” she whispered, shaking off the hand of the woman at her bedside, who was crying already. Why was she crying? __
The nurse blinked, not understanding, but not questioning it. “He’s.. in the ER. I’ll get him.” She hesitated though, looking at the tattooed, wild haired woman curiously for a moment longer before heading back to the emergency room where the late Kate Harrison was still being mourned by her husband. “Mister Harrison?” she said softly. “A woman in the ICU is asking for you. Her name is Brooke Dewitt.” This was odd.
Cronus didn’t look up right away. Why was the nurse bothering him? He was told he’d be allowed some time alone with Kate to grieve. But he did eventually look up and wipe away tears from his blotchy eyes. “I don’t know anyone named Brooke,” he said in a hoarse voice.
“She’s been in a coma. She’s asking for you. And someone named Cronus,” the woman added with a scrunch of her nose.
Cronus’ red eyes went wide. He stared at the nurse, then down at Kate’s lifeless body. Kate was gone. He knew that. Human souls were not like those of a god. At least he didn’t think so. The gods hadn’t thought it possible to occupy different vessels either until they actually did. “Please take me to her,” he said after kissing Kate’s cheek. He was still heartbroken, but if there was a sliver of a chance that Rhea was still here, he had to find her.
The nurse walked Cronus through the halls, keeping quiet the whole way. She didn’t understand, and she felt weird asking questions.
When she showed Cronus into Brooke’s room, he felt a tug at his chest. A tug toward a woman he did not recognize but a soul that was extremely familiar. The other people in the room were still strangers. They were fully human. And they looked extremely confused by his presence.
---
She wasn’t certain why the woman beside her was crying, but it was distracting. She turned her head and looked at the woman, holding out her hand. She squeezed it, giving the woman a look, and a flood of ease traveled through her. The woman stopped and gave a little sigh, smiling. “I’m so glad you’re back with us, Brooke. I need to make a few phone calls.”
Brooke nodded and looked to the door, feeling a familiar presence. She took a deep breath and let out a small sob, opening her arms. “Ben...” she whispered, her voice breaking. She was confused by all of this, frightened, and she didn’t know what to make of the people waiting for her. Moreover, the soul in her body, the mortal soul, was quiet. Asleep. Still...away. ___
Cronus rushed to her side and crouched down beside her, instantly taking her hand.. which was covered with tattoos, into his own. She looked.. strange. He was choked up, his chest pained him from an attack of mixed emotions. He was relieved and grieving at the same time. He loved Kate, but Rhea was his first love, his lasting love, and she was still with him. Cronus kissed her knuckles and then held them to his cheek as tears fell down it.
The nurse was more confused than ever, and while she was curious to see how this all panned out, curious to learn why a man who just lost his wife was now crying with what appeared to be tears of joy over a woman who looked to be his total opposite, she decided it best to leave. She didn’t want to get mixed up in their mess.
“I thought I lost you,” Cronus whispered. Her soul was awake. “I’m so sorry I never told you. I wanted to.” Was she angry with him? Did she know he’d changed since becoming mortal? Did she forgive him for all the terrible things he’d done in the past?
---
Rhea let out another soft sob as Cronus took her hand, Brooke’s hand, and she reached over with her other hand, squeezing his. She took a few deep breaths, looking up at the women in the room for a moment.
“It’s alright, it’s fine.” She paused and tried to remember the colorful tattooed woman’s name, the one who was to her side. “Um...Mel, could you...give us a minute?” Mel’s eyes lit on Cronus and she nodded, pursing her lips before she left the room. The nurse left, though for some reason Rhea knew that she would probably return with a doctor, and she leaned into Cronus, feeling Ben’s familiar face pressed to hers.
“Shh, shhh.” she soothed him, pressing her lips to his forehead. “Don’t worry about these things now. I thought...Kate is dead. I thought I would follow. I was so frightened.” she whispered. ___
For years, Cronus had been living in fear that when the day of Rhea’s awakening came, she would be furious with him, even though she would know through Kate’s memories that he really and truly was a changed man. Now, here she was in another body, and it was hard saying how much she really remembered of Kate’s existence (though she knew his vessel’s name), and yet she was comforting him. His immortal love supported him even now, when he should have been the one tending to her. Was there any greater soul in existence? He didn’t think so. Cronus was unworthy of his sister wife.
He continued to weep. The tears were a mix of joy and sorrow. The two streams tangled together as they rolled over his flesh and fell onto Rhea. “I cannot exist without you. It nearly destroyed me before.” Yes, he’d been a power-hungry monster when she plotted with their children to lock him away, but he fell apart over losing his wife, not over losing his kingdom. He couldn’t lose her again. He wouldn’t survive it.
“
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Who: Cronus/Ben and Rhea/Brooke When: Friday, May 17, 2012 | mid morning Where: NY Pres What: death and rebirth
<lj-cut text="It was a perfectly average day at the office for Cronus.">It was a perfectly average day at the office for Cronus. He’d left home, got coffee along the way, and was busy making some small design changes based on an early morning video conference with a client. But he was suddenly hit by a feeling of dread. He couldn’t put his finger on the source, but he knew something was terribly wrong.
When his secretary walked in, her face pale and eyes cloudy, his fears were realized. She didn’t have to tell him something had happened to his wife. He could feel it in his bones. “Where is she?” he asked urgently, not even bothering to grab his jacket or keys. He just started for the door.
“New York Presbyterian,” the woman said in a sad voice.
Cronus didn’t waste time with the elevator. It would take too long, and he couldn’t stand still. He took the stairs two at a time in his hurry to get to the street. His hand raised, and a cab driver who wouldn’t have stopped, was forced to by a burst of wind that caused him to slam on his brakes in front of Cronus. The god hopped into the cab and commanded the driver to take him to the hospital at once.
But Cronus was a mortal. He couldn’t turn back time or hope to race it. He arrived too late. Kate was gone and Rhea along with her. He couldn’t feel either of their souls as he threw himself over her in a flood of tears and anguished sobs. The goddess and mortal. He loved them both, and they were both dead. It felt like his soul was dying with them.
Cronus lay like that for an hour, refusing to leave his wife’s side. He couldn’t bring himself to call for his daughters. He couldn’t even bear to call Hades to confirm what he already knew. “Our son will watch over you. Both of you,” he whispered after pressing a kiss to her cold lips.
Kate’s body looked dreadful. She had blood stains on her clothing, or at least what was left of it. The emergency technicians had clearly cut much of it away in their effort to save her. He could see the stab wounds to her chest and there was a large cut across her cheek. Cronus stroked it softly, lovingly. He didn’t know what had happened. But his despair would be clear to all. Violent storms had erupted over the city. The lightning lit up the sky as the clouds bled all the sorrow Cronus felt. The lights in the room flickered as the power glitched from it all.
---
There was chaos. Rhea had always been buried inside of her host, never awakened, only occasionally stirring to life. The violence of death? Which she had never suffered? It was enough to shake the Titaness to awareness, and as her body failed in the bright cold lights of the hospital, she fled. It was difficult, leaving Kate, as she had grown fond of the mortal’s soul, but it was survival that spurred her on, that made her flee.
She knew she could not remain without a host for long and she looked, searched for the bright spark of light she knew was here. Finally, there! She reached, intangible, immortal endangered, and she found the woman, the one who she could take. A mother. Strong.
Sinking into warm flesh, she felt her body react, jerk against the hard bed. There were needles in her skin, a tube in her throat, and she choked around it. Reaching up, she tried to claw the vile thing from her mouth, tasting bile, and a colorful woman sitting next to her yelled for the doctors. A nurse stepped over, pulling the tube free, and Brooke coughed and bent over, calling out, her voice echoing through the halls. “Cronus! Ben!”
__
One of the emergency nurses who had tended to Kate also worked in the intensive care unit. She was nearby when a coma patient suddenly awakened and shouted out two names. One of them she recognized, because she had been the one to call Ben Harrison. She peeked her head into the room where Brooke Dewitt was staying. “Ben who?” she asked calmly. Brooke wasn’t her patient, but she glanced at the chart to see if maybe this woman’s case was connected to the stabbing that had ended Kate Harrison’s life. There wasn’t a relationship.
---
The woman who had been sitting at Brooke’s bedside seemed completely stunned by her shouts. She’d never met anyone by those names in her life before. She was overjoyed that Brooke was awake, but...who was she shouting for?
“Ben who?” the nurse repeated, and Brooke looked up with bleary eyes. She felt weak, unable to move quite right, and she wiped at her dry lips.
“Ben Harrison.” she whispered, shaking off the hand of the woman at her bedside, who was crying already. Why was she crying? __
The nurse blinked, not understanding, but not questioning it. “He’s.. in the ER. I’ll get him.” She hesitated though, looking at the tattooed, wild haired woman curiously for a moment longer before heading back to the emergency room where the late Kate Harrison was still being mourned by her husband. “Mister Harrison?” she said softly. “A woman in the ICU is asking for you. Her name is Brooke Dewitt.” This was odd.
Cronus didn’t look up right away. Why was the nurse bothering him? He was told he’d be allowed some time alone with Kate to grieve. But he did eventually look up and wipe away tears from his blotchy eyes. “I don’t know anyone named Brooke,” he said in a hoarse voice.
“She’s been in a coma. She’s asking for you. And someone named Cronus,” the woman added with a scrunch of her nose.
Cronus’ red eyes went wide. He stared at the nurse, then down at Kate’s lifeless body. Kate was gone. He knew that. Human souls were not like those of a god. At least he didn’t think so. The gods hadn’t thought it possible to occupy different vessels either until they actually did. “Please take me to her,” he said after kissing Kate’s cheek. He was still heartbroken, but if there was a sliver of a chance that Rhea was still here, he had to find her.
The nurse walked Cronus through the halls, keeping quiet the whole way. She didn’t understand, and she felt weird asking questions.
When she showed Cronus into Brooke’s room, he felt a tug at his chest. A tug <i>toward</i> a woman he did not recognize but a soul that was extremely familiar. The other people in the room were still strangers. They were fully human. And they looked extremely confused by his presence.
---
She wasn’t certain why the woman beside her was crying, but it was distracting. She turned her head and looked at the woman, holding out her hand. She squeezed it, giving the woman a look, and a flood of ease traveled through her. The woman stopped and gave a little sigh, smiling. “I’m so glad you’re back with us, Brooke. I need to make a few phone calls.”
Brooke nodded and looked to the door, feeling a familiar presence. She took a deep breath and let out a small sob, opening her arms. “Ben...” she whispered, her voice breaking. She was confused by all of this, frightened, and she didn’t know what to make of the people waiting for her. Moreover, the soul in her body, the mortal soul, was quiet. Asleep. Still...away. ___
Cronus rushed to her side and crouched down beside her, instantly taking her hand.. which was covered with tattoos, into his own. She looked.. strange. He was choked up, his chest pained him from an attack of mixed emotions. He was relieved and grieving at the same time. He loved Kate, but Rhea was his first love, his lasting love, and she was still with him. Cronus kissed her knuckles and then held them to his cheek as tears fell down it.
The nurse was more confused than ever, and while she was curious to see how this all panned out, curious to learn <i>why</i> a man who just lost his wife was now crying with what appeared to be tears of joy over a woman who looked to be his total opposite, she decided it best to leave. She didn’t want to get mixed up in their mess.
“I thought I lost you,” Cronus whispered. Her soul was <i>awake</i>. “I’m so sorry I never told you. I wanted to.” Was she angry with him? Did she know he’d changed since becoming mortal? Did she forgive him for all the terrible things he’d done in the past?
---
Rhea let out another soft sob as Cronus took her hand, Brooke’s hand, and she reached over with her other hand, squeezing his. She took a few deep breaths, looking up at the women in the room for a moment.
“It’s alright, it’s fine.” She paused and tried to remember the colorful tattooed woman’s name, the one who was to her side. “Um...Mel, could you...give us a minute?” Mel’s eyes lit on Cronus and she nodded, pursing her lips before she left the room. The nurse left, though for some reason Rhea knew that she would probably return with a doctor, and she leaned into Cronus, feeling Ben’s familiar face pressed to hers.
“Shh, shhh.” she soothed him, pressing her lips to his forehead. “Don’t worry about these things now. I thought...Kate is dead. I thought I would follow. I was so frightened.” she whispered. ___
For years, Cronus had been living in fear that when the day of Rhea’s awakening came, she would be furious with him, even though she would know through Kate’s memories that he really and truly was a <i>changed</i> man. Now, here she was in another body, and it was hard saying how much she really remembered of Kate’s existence (though she knew his vessel’s name), and yet she was comforting <i>him</i>. His immortal love supported him even now, when he should have been the one tending to her. Was there any greater soul in existence? He didn’t think so. Cronus was unworthy of his sister wife.
He continued to weep. The tears were a mix of joy and sorrow. The two streams tangled together as they rolled over his flesh and fell onto Rhea. “I cannot exist without you. It nearly destroyed me before.” Yes, he’d been a power-hungry monster when she plotted with their children to lock him away, but he fell apart over losing his wife, not over losing his kingdom. He couldn’t lose her again. He wouldn’t survive it.
“<span title=”You are my endless strength and greatest weakness. My love for you will never die,”>Είστε ατελείωτες δύναμή μου και την μεγαλύτερη αδυναμία. Η αγάπη μου για σένα δεν θα πεθάνει ποτέ,</span>” he whispered as he pressed a trembling kiss to her lips. “Rhea..” he added softly, his fingers caressing a lock of hair, “<span title=”How I have longed to whisper your name.”>Πώς μπορώ να λαχταρούσε να ψιθυρίσει το όνομά σας.</span>”
---
Rhea was the soul of comfort. Even upset as she was with her husband, with his machinations of power, all she had ever wanted was for him to come back to her. To his senses. To realize that power wasn’t everything. Now, he wept over her, wept over her lost mortal self, and she stroked his hair back even as she made gentle shushing noises. She wanted to cling back, but her body was weak.
“<span title=”My love, I have missed you. We must obey the proper laws here. Do what's necessary, then we can be together.”>Η αγάπη μου, έχω χάσατε. Πρέπει να υπακούουν στους νόμους σωστή εδώ. Κάνει ό, τιείναι απαραίτητο, τότε μπορούμε να είμαστε μαζί.</span> She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment, exhausted. Weak. ___
A doctor came into the room as Cronus and Rhea were speaking to each other in their native tongues, and he made a face. It sounded <i>familiar</i>, but he couldn’t identify it. As a doctor, he knew some Latin, but this was off. “Miss Dewitt,” he said softly while keeping a bit of a distance, observing the odd scene of the new widower embracing a woman who had been in a coma and never once had the two been spotted together before.
Cronus didn’t really care how things looked right now. Nor did he care that the doctor was listening in. “<span title=”Whatever it takes to make you mine again. It is done.”>Ό, τι χρειάζεται για να σας κάνει και πάλι δικό μου. Γίνεται.</span>” He’d marry her immediately. Cronus was too wrapped up in his love for Rhea that he didn’t really stop to think about how strange this would appear to the outside world. He didn’t even pause to consider how his daughters would feel. Their mother was dead, even if one of her souls lived on.
---
Rhea knew little of the strange customs in this world, but she did know that this would cause unease. She was shaken, desperate to be with Cronus now that she’d awoken, but there were matters at hand, mortal matters, that would cause trouble. Looking up at the doctor, as she was the only Miss in the room, she raised her eyebrows.
“Yes?” she frowned softly, her hand never leaving Ben’s face. The doctor cleared his throat, looking at the widower with disapproval. Of course. Ben’s wife had died while Cronus’ lived on. And of Dewitt, Rhea could sense the woman’s soul in a deep sleep. She hadn’t meant to be awakened, and she wasn’t yet. ___
The doctor looked through her chart as a means of avoiding letting his eyes linger on the odd ‘couple’. “We’re going to need to perform some tests. It’s remarkable that you’re awake.” He still avoided eye contact.
Cronus had been ignoring the doctor, but he finally looked up and over at the man, still holding Rhea’s hand in his own. “Can you release her?”
The doctor glanced up from his paperwork, an eyebrow raised in suspicion. “I’m sorry, sir.. but the ICU has a strict visitation policy. Are you related to Miss Dewitt?” There was an accusation in the doctor’s voice, and it didn’t sit well with Cronus.
“You didn’t answer my question, so I don’t feel inclined to answer yours.” The stress of this situation was eating away at Cronus’ usual decorum. He had excelled at controlling his temper over the years and was typically able to schmooze with the best of them. But right now, he was too wrapped up in the fact that he had his beloved Rhea back, and he wasn’t letting her go.
“As I said, we need to perform some tests. I’d like to speak with Miss Dewitt privately.”
---
Rhea felt Cronus tense, heard the waver in his voice, and she knew that he did not want to let her go. She didn’t want him to either. She could feel him, after so many eons it felt, and she didn’t want for him to leave. But...she remembered Kate’s daughters. Her daughters. Looking up to Ben, she sighed softly.
“<span title=”Leave. I will be safe.”>Αφήστε. Θα είμαι ασφαλής.</span>” She promised, raising his hand and kissing it with trembling lips. She was still weak, her body barely nourished, her legs stiff and unwilling to bend. How long had this body been asleep? So long that it had forgotten to walk? She prayed that wasn’t the case. “<span title=”Take care of the girls. They will be distraught. Their mother...is dead. Mourn for her. I will wait for you.”>Προσέξτε τα κορίτσια. Θα είναι τρελός. Η μητέρα τους ... είναι νεκρός. Θρηνώ γι 'αυτήν. Θα σας περιμένω.</span>” ___
At first, Cronus shook his head, barely managing to say, “No,” in response to her request. He didn’t want to leave her. What if something happened? He couldn’t save her before, and he was so lucky that she survived. She might not the next time. He needed to find Hebe and ensure that she perfected her gift. Rhea needed to be the first to drink.
Then she mentioned their daughters, and Cronus started to cry. “<span title=”How will I ever explain?”>Πώς θα εξηγήσει ποτέ?</span>” He didn’t know if he could. And even if he did, Kate was still gone. She had been the one to raise them. The twins were born of <i>her</i> flesh. They wouldn’t see Rhea as their mother as well. They wouldn’t accept her.
Cronus pressed a kiss to Rhea’s knuckles then held them to his forehead for a moment of silence. “<span title=”I will speak to a man of law. All debts will be settled. Your vessel will want for nothing.”>Θα μιλήσω για έναν άνθρωπο του νόμου. Όλα τα χρέη θα διευθετηθούν. Σκάφος σας λείψει τίποτα.</span>” It was all he could do for her right now.
Standing upright again, he regarded the doctor with distaste. “You’ll be hearing from my attorney,” he warned before looking back to Rhea. “<span title=”I carry your heart in mine.”>Μεταφέρω καρδιά σας σε ορυχείο.</span>”
---
Rhea was still disoriented. This body was so different. She hadn’t even noticed the markings covering her skin. Her attention was solely on Cronus as he protested, then began to weep. She smoothed back his hair again, brushing her palm down his face, her hand trembling.
“<span title=”I don’t know.”>που δεν ξέρω.</span>” She was at a loss for what to tell the girls. They would never accept another woman as their mother. Simply showing herself for who she was would traumatize them, despite their age. Would she have to be away from her daughters? Her love? Though Kate had borne them, Rhea had love for them. The times she had peered through, been vaguely aware, she had loved them.
“<span title=”What of her life? What if she had a love? What will I do? She sleeps. I know nothing.”>Τι της ζωής της; Τι και αν είχε μια αγάπη; Τι θα κάνω; Κοιμάται. Δεν ξέρω τίποτα.</span>” The thought worried her. She would be expected to be in this life, but...she knew nothing of it. She only knew the woman’s name here because of the vaguest of memories. ___
Rhea called out a question before Cronus could leave. He turned to walk back to her, cupping her cheek when he was at her side again. “<span title=”No love is greater than ours. It will find a way.”>Καμία αγάπη είναι μεγαλύτερη από τη δική μας. Θα βρούμε έναν τρόπο.</span>” He had to believe it was true. Look at all that had befallen them. They’d still managed to reunite. Each and every time. Cronus had to believe that their souls were linked for all time. There was no force strong enough to keep them apart.
He brushed his thumb over her face before heading for the door again, looking to the doctor once more. Cronus produced his business card from his pocket then and handed it to the doctor. “If I discover you failed to deliver this to her family so that I might address their questions or concerns, you will find yourself in the unemployment line. Am I understood?”
The doctor, who was not easily intimidated, saw and felt something dangerous in the man before him. Had any other man said such a thing, the doctor might have called security. Instead, he took the card and nodded obediently.
---
Rhea said nothing, though her eyes lit on his and she watched him with love, giving a slight nod. She didn’t want him to leave her, but he had so many more things to address. Kate. She mourned then, her heart saddened by the passing of her former hostess, and she looked away and down as Cronus slipped the card to the doctor.
She couldn’t bear to watch him leave when every part of her heart begged for him to stay. But she was the mother of the gods. She could be alone for the time that he needed to sort his life, her old life, and mourn Ben’s wife. She could see the woman standing in the hallway, waiting, worried. A few other women had joined her. She didn’t know what they would say to Ben, if they would say anything, but one of them held a child. A child who looked familiar.</lj-cut>