The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Light and Shadows X: Eclipsed

by J. Darksong & Gbrn32e

* * *

Ch.11) Aftermath

Katie Frasier slowly stirred, stretching slightly, eyes opening only with an effort. She felt so sleepy, so tired... and she’d been having the most wonderful dream. But her full bladder was demanding her attention, and as much as she wanted to stay asleep, her body was dictating otherwise. She shifted position, trying to push the covers off from her legs, only to gasp, the linens covering her seemingly having gained the weight and mass of steel reinforced concrete.

“Katie? Oh my god... you’re awake!”

A blurry dark shadow enveloped her as soft firm and strong hands slid over her, under the massively heavy covers, lifting them with ease and helping her up. She blinked as the figure drew back, resolving itself into the beautiful and caring face of Tawnya Parkinson, peering down at her with concerns. “What’s wrong, Katie? What do you need? Something to drink? Are you hungry? Are you in pain? Do I need to get the nurse for you?”

Katie shook her head. Her throat felt dry and scratchy—she’d obviously been out of it for a long time, possibly days, but she managed to croak out a response. “Just need... to get to the bathroom... please?” A rustle of cloth from the corner caught her attention, however, as a figure in the small cot next to the bed suddenly sprang forth, kicking off her covers, revealing herself to be her redheaded friend.

“Nnnghhh... Katie? You’re awake?” she said, a slow smile creasing her face. She let out a loud sigh. “Thank the goddess for that! After three days, I was beginning to worry.”

Three days?!? Wow... guess I really WAS out of it for a while, Katie mused. Seeing Sioban again brought back the dream, and she wanted to go to her, touch her, caress her, feel her—but her full bladder made its presence felt again. “Ummm... yeah, I’m finally up,” she said, wincing slightly, “but reeeeally need to go to the bathroom right now!”

“Here, let us help you,” Sioban said, carefully sliding an arm around Katie’s waist, while Tawnya moved to take the other side. “You’re still too weak. Don’t want you to faceplant.”

“Heh. You’re one to talk, ya spazz. You’re not much better off than Katie is,” Tawnya joked good-naturedly as they helped her to the bathroom, then back to the bed. “You know, Katie, she’s been here at your side for the past three days, at your bedside, ever since you were first brought in. If Nigel hadn’t shown up and insisted that she bed down in here and get some sleep herself, she probably would have collapsed and ended up in a hospital bed next to you with an IV in her arm as well.”

Sioban glanced down at her feet, blushing heavily as Katie turned to gaze at her. “Yeah, well,” she began, her color going a deeper red, “I figured that after everything that happened, the least I could do was make sure you were okay, you know?” Katie nodded softly, the dream coming back to her. She bit her lip in uncertainty, glancing down at her own bare feet.

Tawnya, glancing from one friend to the other, sighed dramatically, shaking her head. “Really? Huh. I guess some people never learn,” she muttered, walking to the door. “Okay, girls, you two obviously have some things to discuss. Now that the disaster is over and done with, maybe you can actually say what you need to say without any distractions.” She paused at the doorway. “I’m going across the room to check on your brother and your dad, and see what everyone else is up to. They’ll probably want to visit you now that you’re awake,” she said with a grin, “but don’t worry, I’ll hold them back until you’ve both had your ‘alone time’.”

Katie blinked. “Wait... did you say my dad? Jimmy and Dad are both here at the hospital too? I know Jimmy was a bit banged up but... What happened?” She turned to glance at Sioban in alarm. “Did something happened to my dad? Did he... did I hurt him somehow there, at the end—”

“No, no, nothing like that,” Sioban assured her. “From what I hear, it was merely exhaustion. He’d been working with Nigel the past several weeks trying to find and stop Contreras and Satore, and dealing with that whole mess.” She sighed. “Then of course, he heard about what was happening here in River City with you, and immediately flew back here to try and help you, too.” She smiled softly, shaking his head. “Nigel said he hasn’t slept in days, that being sedated in the hospital is probably the best rest he’s had in a month. But just like you and Jimmy, he’ll recover,” she said, placing a hand atop Katie’s.

“That’s good,” she replied softly. “Losing dad now, on top of everything else? That would... that would just be too much.” She sighed softly, going silent again. The question was still there, still begging to be asked, but she was afraid. Afraid to know the truth... and afraid of Not knowing. Finally, however, as Sioban turned to say something she just blurted it out.

“So! Um... about what you said, um... before,” she began awkwardly, still unable to meet her lover’s eyes. “You know? After you sang that Evanescence song. When I was... trying to break through the fissure to bring Jessica back at the end?” Sioban nodded, her expression blank. Katie swallowed painfully. “Did you... I mean... did you say that... to get me to stop? Did you really mean what you said?”

It was Sioban’s turn to sigh heavily. “You really have to ask me that?” she said, turning to look at Katie now, her expression showing definite sadness.

“No! I... I mean, I just,” Katie began, confusion and frustration twisting her thoughts before she could express them clearly. “Gaaaaahhh! I’m so fucking confused! I mean... yeah, I loved hearing you say it. I think I’ve always wanted to hear those words from you.” Her expression hardened. “But you made it pretty clear that YOU didn’t feel the same way!”

“Wait! WHAT?!?”

“S’bon! At the lowest point in my life, I did the hardest thing I’d ever done and pleaded with Nigel to join his harem—just to be with YOU! I begged him, NAKED, on my hands and knees, for the privilege of joining! I ever confronted my parents, my aunts and uncles, and convinced them to let me do this!”

Sioban groaned inwardly. This was it. This had been the start of the problem between them, the misunderstanding. It was only now, after the fact, that she understood. But Katie apparently still hadn’t figured it out. “Katie, baby,” she began, only to be cut off.

“Do you know how HARD that was?” Katie continued, her weak frame shaking slightly with emotion. “Getting my Uncle Parker to agree to that? Convincing my DAD?!? You know me, Sioban... I HATE confrontations... especially with my own family.”

“Okay, Katie, I get it,” she tried again, “but you don’t—”

“And it’s not as if I had anything else going for me back then,” Katie continued heedless. “I was literally at the end of my rope. I’d tried to kill myself multiple times. The only thing I had keeping me sane was the idea of being with you and Tawnya... being a part of your group.”

“Katie!”

“But you just said no,” she said, shaking her head, eyes wet. The old wound was still there, still fresh. She was too damned emotional, so used to the Dust in her system keeping them repressed, then having the ink simply controlling and guiding her thoughts and actions. Well, maybe it was a good thing, in a way, if it was letting her finally say what she’d been holding back all this time. “You said you didn’t want me to join the harem, S’bon. You didn’t want ME. Do you have any idea how deeply that hurt?”

Bonnie winced. “Katie, please. You’re not getting the big picture!”

“And... you couldn’t even tell me why!” Katie continued on, shaking in the bed now. “Why? What happened Sioban? Was I... was I really that much of a mess that you didn’t want me in the harem anymore? What changed from when you and T wanted to recruit me? Was I... was I really that bad?”

Sioban shook her head. “No! NO! Absolutely not, I just—”

“Did my trying to kill myself fuck things up that badly? Was that it? Was it... was it because I’d Dusted myself, and you had to cover with the Chief for me?”

“Katie, that’s not it! Please! Just listen—”

“Or was it that I’m just a kid?” she asked, challenge in her voice now. “I’m just a young girl, barely out of high school, fun for a tumble in the bed now and again, or team up with fighting the bad guys, but not serious enough to want to spend your life with—”

“GODDAMMIT KATIE! WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!?!”

Katie gasped, mouth snapping closed, staring at the furious redhead with wide eyes. Sioban, panting heavily, took a moment to compose herself. “You still haven’t figured it out yet? I didn’t reject YOU! I just didn’t want you in NIGEL’S harem! I didn’t want you in NIGEL’S bed! I didn’t want you as NIGEL’S girl, NIGEL’S lover, NIGEL’S slave... serving HIM, loving HIM!”

Katie swallowed again, the pieces finally, finally, starting to drop into place. “B-bonie? What... what are you saying—”

“I WANTED THAT FOR ME!” she exclaimed, shuddering, reaching out to pull Katie into a deep embrace, kissing her lips. “You stupid, kiss ditzy, kiss blonde kiss air headed girl—I wanted you all to myself! I wanted you to love ME, live for ME, serve and submit to ME! Not Nigel!” She shook her head, her cheeks tear soaked. “Katherine Brianna Frasier. I said it once already. Let me tell you again, plainly. I love you!”

Katie gaped at her. dazed, scarcely able to believe it. “You...”

“LOVE YOU! Yes, dammit! No tricks! No misunderstandings! I! LOVE! YOU! From the first moment I saw you, when YOU swooped down from the sky like an angel and saved me.” She chuckled softly. “And yes, I know how that sounds coming from me.” She sighed. “Maybe you’d understand it if I said it a different way? ‘Damn girl! Yer as hot as fresh biscuits! You sure melt my butter!’”

Despite the tension of the moment, Katie laughed. “Oh goddess... please, don’t remind me of that! Being turned into a big breasted county bumpkin of a bimbo is NOT one of the highlights of my life.” Composing herself again, she smiled shyly at Sioban. “So... you love me?”

Bonnie nodded. “I do. I really do. I never really pushed it while you were with Jessica, and then after she... you know,” she said, glancing down briefly, “it just seemed there was never the right time to say it. But yeah. I love you, Katiecat.”

Katie literally purred in pleasure, nuzzling up against her. “Oh, Bonnie... you don’t know how long I’ve wanted to hear you say that! I just never thought... never believed you felt the same way. Oh! And I love you too! Just as much! Just as deeply. That’s why it hurt so much when I thought you rejected me! But... now I get it! And I’m sorry I made such a mess of everything! From now on, though, it’ll be different, I promise! I swear I’ll make it up to you—”

“Katie, baby, you’re babbling,” Sioban said with a laugh. “Just kiss me, you dork!”

Shuddering in pleasure, Katie pulled her close. “Mmmmm... yes, Mistress. Right away, Mistress, mmmmm,” she said, giving the love of her life the deepest most passionate kiss she knew how to give...

* * *

“Hey! You’re back! Any luck?” Rosella asked hopefully.

“Unfortunately, its all bad,” Regina Baker replied glumly as she and her partner, Henry Matthews stepped back inside the room. “I contacted my friends back at the Department, as well as a few pals of mine from my college days who’s with the Feds now. There’s virtually no chatter at all about Her. Whatever happened to the Goddess after the battle on the rooftops, she wasn’t arrested and turned in to the police.”

“Are you sure?” Chloe asked, frowning slightly. “I mean, she IS a pretty high profile subject. And all things considered, if someone had Goddess Aphrodite on lockdown somewhere, they probably wouldn’t advertise it.”

“I thought of that, too,” Regina admitted, “but I’ve very sure of my sources. They have no reason to lie to me. Besides which, her being in jail doesn’t explain the other problem,” she stated, glancing meaningfully at Sister Rosella.

“You have a point,” the dark haired Priestess conceded. The main thing that worried the group wasn’t their Goddess being missing. If anything, Venus Satore had shown time and again that she was more than capable of taking care of herself. The problem lay in their connection with their Goddess, the bond that existed between Her and them, and among each other to a lesser extent. They could each still feel Her, could sense Her presence, but it was muted, and dim. And try as they might, they couldn’t communicate with her psychically, couldn’t hear her voice in their heads, or sense her thoughts or her will. Which, as Satore herself had explained, should have been impossible.

“That does leave another possibility, however,” Chloe pointed out, causing the others to glance at the male member of their group. “What about you, Henry? Did you find out anything?”

Hank Matthews sighed deeply, shaking his head. “Nothing. I hit up all my old contacts, and called in some major favors, but I came up with zilch.” He shrugged. “I suppose its possible that Mr. Frasier might have told everyone to deny me access, or withhold any information about having captured our Goddess if anyone started asking questions... but it doesn’t strike me as something he would do. If he had Her, he’d be up front about it.”

“Really?” Regina asked, incredulously. “After everything he’s done to stop Goddess Aphrodite, even sending YOU after her as a sniper to take her out, you don’t think he’d snatch Her up, lock her up somewhere, and keep it a secret so we wouldn’t be able to rescue her?”

“And Eugene Frasier would be one of the few people with the scientific knowhow to be able to block Her powers,” Chloe pointed out. “And he certainly has motivation in going after Goddess Aphrodite. He’s made it abundantly clear that he blames Her for taking us away from him.”

But Rosella shook her head. “I disagree. I think I’ve come to know Eugene Frasier pretty well over the past twenty years. The man is a lot of things, but he isn’t petty. He’s not mean. And like Hank said, even as his most brutal, he’s always up front about it.” She sighed deeply. “So... where does that leave us? Could it be possible that she’s just wandering around aimlessly somewhere, with her memories fried the way ours were?”

It was a distinct possibility. In the past few days since waking up back in one of Rosella’s safe houses, they had had to try and fill in some of the blanks in their memories. Rosella, Henry, and Chloe were all somewhat blank about everything that had happened to them after fighting Parker Abinn more than a week ago. And it seemed that their amnesia was far from an isolated incident; indeed, they discovered that most of the city’s residents had varying degrees of memory loss as to recent events. The common thread, they’d soon discovered, was the intervention of Katherine Frasier, the one who had attempted to enslave the city in some insane scheme. Somehow Frasier, or ‘Supernova’ as she’d called herself, had brainwashed not only all of them, and a number of he city’s Supers, but even their Goddess!

Regina, who had managed to avoid being enslaved by Supernova, was the only one of the group who had retained her memories of what had happened. Telling the others, however, jogged loose their hidden memories, and slowly but surely the fog had lifted enough to recall much of what had happened to them. Even so, even she had no idea of what had occurred once Darklight and Dragonfyre arrived to face the powermad Supernova.

“Yeah... maybe,” Regina murmured softly, glancing away. Rosella, attuned to her Sister’s obvious discomfort, turned to face her.

“Regina? What’s wrong? You seem... distracted. Is there something bothering you? Beyond the obvious, I mean,” she added with a small smile.

Regina merely shook her head. “No. No. It’s... its nothing. Please, just ignore me—”

“Sister,” Rosella said forcefully, causing the young woman to stare back at her. “You’re one of Goddess Aphrodite’s chosen. You’re one of us. If anything is wrong, you have to share it with us so that we can help you.”

Staring into her caring face, Regina nods softly. “It’s Chloe. I’m worried about her.” When the blonde heroine glanced up, confused, Regina shook a hand dismissively. “Sorry. I meant my daughter Chloe. That’s her name as well. I left her with neighbors to take care of her for a few days when I came to follow Goddess Aphrodite. And as much as I worry about our goddess, and want to help you search for her—“

“You’re just as worried about your daughter,” Rosella finished, nodding sagely. “Go. Go after your daughter,” she said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. The three of us can handle things here. And once you’re reunited with your daughter, you can aid our search from your home through your police contacts.” Rosella smiled. “I’m sure that’s what our Goddess would want you to do.”

Regina hugged her. “Thank you, Sister Rosella. And I’ll keep in touch. if you need me, just call.”

“Don’t worry about it, Regina,” Henry said softly. “Believe me, I know how you feel. I have a daughter of my own. She’s grown now, and can take care of herself, but if she were in trouble, I’d drop everything and go to her in a heartbeat.”

After a few more well wishes and assurances, the trio watched their friend depart. “Okay. So. What’s next?” Rosella asked once Regina had departed. “Any ideas on where to start looking next?”

Chloe frowned, crossing her arms. “I still think Eugene Frasier is our best bet. Even if he didn’t kidnap her himself, I’d be willing to be he knows who has her.” She smirked. “From everything I’ve head of the man, he’s pretty damn obsessive about keeping track of people of interest, his enemies as well as his allies.”

“That’s pretty accurate,” Hank replied with a chuckle, “but in this particular case, I doubt it. Gene Frasier hasn’t been keeping track of anyone or anything for the past several days, other than the pretty nurses coming to check up on him—”

“Wait. What? Nurses?” Rosella cut him off, frowning. “What do you mean by that?”

“Frasier’s in the hospital,” Hank replied with a shrug. “One of my contacts mentioned it. It seems he collapsed halfway through the flight back to River City... something about overwork and exhaustion.” He shrugged again. “I guess its not that surprising, really, He’s not exactly a young man, and he did recently have heart surgery. With the stress and strain and all, trying to find you, Rosella... it was only a matter of time.”

“Yeah...” the dark haired woman replied softly, turning away, her throat constricting painfully. Despite everything that had gone between them, she still felt a sharp pain at the thought of him laboring away in a hospital somewhere, struggling to live. “Just a matter of time.”

Chloe glanced sharply at her friend. “Rosella?”

But the dark haired woman shook her head. “Its... it’s nothing. You know... I think perhaps you might be right after all. Maybe I should pay him a visit after all... just to see what he knows,” she added almost as an afterthought..

* * *

Jimmy groaned softly, opening his eyes with an effort. Sitting up, he winced slightly as a searing brightness immediately flooded the area. It was merely a small lamp in the corner switching on, however, and after a moment, his eyes adjusted. “Jimmy? You’re awake?”

“Dev?” he murmured, rubbing his eyes. “Is that you?” He immediately felt a familiar pair of hands taking his own, squeezing them gently. He chuckled softly, leaning forward to kiss her, surprised to see tears in her eyes. “Hey! What’s wrong, hon? Why the waterworks?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Devon replied dismissively, shaking her head even as she melted against him. “I’m just... it’s good that you’re awake, is all. You’ve been pretty much out of it for the past three days.”

“Thr... three days?!?” Jimmy replied in disbelief.

“Yeah. You and your sister both,” she replied with a sigh. “And... I know its silly. I wasn’t really all the worried about you. I knew you’d be okay, that you’d wake up eventually. I even Foresaw this moment, you and I sitting here together, talking, with you alive and well. But, when you actually groaned and sat up just now and opened your eyes...” She smiled, wiping the tear tracks. “I guess I just got caught up in the moment, that’s all.”

Jimmy nodded, holding her, kissing her again, reassuring her that he was okay, and likewise taking solace in her presence. “So, how is Katie doing?” he asked after a moment. “Has she woken up yet? Have you heard anything? I was having a really weird dream earlier with her... just the two of us. I was holding her like we used to back when we were still kids, and we talked.”

“Oh?” Devon asked, sitting down on the side of the bed with him. “What did you two talk about in this dream?”

“Oh, you know, just... things,” Jimmy replied with a sigh. “About our childhood, and growing up. About being second-gen heroes, growing up with this kind of epic disaster stuff all the time... about love and loss.” He sighed again. “I think a lot of it was about Jessica... but we also talked about Sioban and Tawnya... and you, of course,” he added, squeezing her hand again. “Looking back on it now, considering that I’ve been out of it for three days, I guess we really had a lot to talk about. But mostly... I get the feeling that Katie’s in a better place now that she was before.”

“Well, that’s good to hear,” Devon nodded gently. “I hope for her sake that its true. So... how are you feeling now, after everything that has happened?” In response, Jimmy’s stomach rumbled loudly, causing them both to laugh. “Well, I guess that answers THAT question,” Devon replied with a giggle. “I guess an IV in your arm doesn’t quite cut it. I’ll buzz the nurse and have them bring you something to eat.”

“Actually, hospital food doesn’t sound all that appetizing either,” Jimmy admitted with a shrug. “First things first, though,” he said, pushing back the covers. “I really need to go to the bathroom. Just let me he-eeeaaaahh!!” he yelped as he nearly slid to the floor, caught only by Devon catching his arm at the last second.

“Jimmy! What the heck were you thinking? You’ve been unconscious for three days, remember?” she chided him, helping him back upright. “Not to mention you could barely stand on your own power when I brought you here in the first place. Let me help you.” Grumbling softly, Jimmy acquiesced, letting himself be lead across the room to the bathroom. Devon had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing at his antics, but they made the trip there and back without incident.

“You know, you could have just teleported us directly into the bathroom,” Jimmy pointed out as she wrapped the covers back over his legs.

“Or I could have very easily teleported us into a lake,” Devon replied with a shrug. “I’m still new to this whole Nornir Goddess thing, you know? The part of me that’s Skuld remembers enough to pull it off, the rest of me is still getting the hang of it.”

Jimmy simply nodded. “So, um... how is everything going in the rest of the world?” he asked, glancing down. “I assume you and mom, and the others were able to close all the breaches?”

Devon frowned slightly. “Well, ‘closed’ might be too strong a term,” she said slowly. “All of the holes have been patched, yes, so there’s no more danger of the Great Weave unraveling and the universe ending. But its like using glue or wet cement—it needs time to set and seal completely. Right now, there are still fluctuations in space-time occurring randomly. The other Sisters are keeping watch, and sealing breaches as they happen, but its going to be a long and tedious job for the next several months until things go back to normal.”

“Hmmm,” Jimmy replied, nodding again. “Well, at least the world isn’t ending anytime soon.”

Devon’s frown deepened. “Okay, Jimmy, out with it.”

“Eh? What?”

“What’s wrong? Something’s eating at you,” she stated with conviction, causing him to glanced up at her. “I know you too well, love. And something’s bothering you. So, what is it?”

Jimmy’s eyes veered slightly to the side as he forced a smile. “Well, my sexy goddess,” he said, pulling her into an embrace, “for starters, it’s been three days since I’ve had the pleasure of your ‘heavenly body’ next to mine. I’m definitely going through withdrawals. What say you ’port us out of here and over to Lorenzo’s for a nice dinner... and then maybe back to our apartment to... ahem... ‘catch up’ a bit?”

Devon blushed deeply, his words definitely having a reaction. “That, um... ye-yeah, that does sound like a nice way to spend some time... but you haven’t answered my question,” she said taking a moment to compose herself. “You can’t deflect or distract me from this, baby. Something’s the matter, and I want to know what it is.” She turned his face to stare directly into his eyes. “You always said we could talk to each other about anything, right? So, please... tell me what’s wrong?”

For half a second, Jimmy considered putting her off again, telling her everything was fine. But he realized that she was right. There should never be secrets between them. And even if there was nothing she could do to assuage his fears, she could at least share them with him. “Okay. You win. Guess I could never fool you for long, could I?”

Devon grinned wryly. “More like, ‘never’ period. Come on, Jimmy. Spill.”

Despite himself, Jimmy smiled as well. “Well, since you asked... I guess I’m still just kind of... overwhelmed. You know, about what Katie and I did. Or NEARLY did, I suppose.” He shrugged. “Growing up as the children of Armor Man and Omega Girl, I guess we’ve seen our share of craziness. I’ve fought people with ridiculous powers and abilities, fought crazed mad scientists trying to rule the world, and others trying to destroy it. But this time the one who nearly destroyed everything was us!”

He shook his head, trying to find the words. “It’s no secret I’ve always been afraid of my powers. I found out at a very young age just how dangerous and destructive they could be is misused. So, I learned to control them, learned to repress the worst aspects of them and even use the better aspects to help people and fight criminals. I’d finally gotten a handle on things... and then suddenly, out of the blue, my powers evolved and kicked into overdrive!”

But Devon shook her head. “Well, I don’t think they ‘evolved’ per se. It’s more like you’ve always had this power, only you’ve just now gotten to the point of being able to access it.” She considered. “To use a Dungeons and Dragons reference, you’ve like a wizard or sorcerer. You’ve always had the ability to use Fireblast, you’ve just now leveled up enough to be able to access it.”

Huh. She makes a good point. And, well, taking that D&D reference even further, it IS possible for a magic user to cast spells that are outside their level and ability, or even for non-magic users to cast spells. But it usually has a very low chance of working, and tends to come with very severe penalties and consequences if it fails. So, maybe Katie and I had the capacity to alter reality the way we did. But neither of us were ready or trained to use that kind of power. And doing so nearly burned us out...

“Okay. Point to you. But still... my point is, if I was dangerous before, now I’m infinitely more so now! And my powers are guided by my emotions. And, to top it all off, I pretty much absorbed all of that sentient ink that was controlling Katie and the others into myself. What’s to prevent it from corrupting me as well?” He sighed heavily. “When I lose my temper or get frustrated, it tends to get out of control. What happens if the next time I get cut off in traffic, or a waiter gets my order wrong, or some simple insignificant thing happens, and suddenly I desperately trying to keep a black hole from swallowing up the Earth?!?”

He hung his head in disillusion. “That’s what scares me, Dev. It almost makes me wish... that Fate HAD intervened after all. Maybe the world would be better off without me in it—”

“NO!” Devon yelled loudly, fiercely, causing him to start. “HELL NO! Absolutely not!”

Jimmy sighed. “Devon—”

“And I’m not just saying that because I’m in love with you,” she continued, cutting him off. “Look, Jimmy. I don’t claim to know all the answers, okay? Even we goddesses are not omniscient. But I can tell you that Fate always has a plan. Nothing happens by mistake or by accident. Even your mom losing her powers until now was for a reason,” she muttered, shaking her head, “even if it was for a pretty fucked up reason.” She pushed aside her feelings on that particular subject. It was over and done with now. Best to move on. “Jimmy, my point is, if you and Katie weren’t supposed to have these powers, then you wouldn’t have been born with them. And you wouldn’t still have them after the crisis has passed if there wasn’t still a need for them.”

Jimmy shuddered. “You mean, something even worse than what we just faced is coming?”

Now it was Devon’s turn to glance away and avoid his eyes. “I... can’t really say. The future’s not set in stone after all—until it actually occurs, its really just a possibility. But I do know ONE thing for certain,” she said, once more looking him in the eye. “I know YOU, Jimmy Frasier. And you can handle this! You’re stronger than your sister—and I’m not talking physically. Up until now, Katie’s lived a charmed life. Everything good always happened to her, while you dealt with your bad luck on a daily basis. And you’re emotionally stronger for having gone through all that.” She smirked. “And as for Quillspawn’s ‘spawn’? There’s no way it could best you in a battle of wills. You’re the most stubborn person I know.”

Jimmy chuckled, shaking his head ruefully. “I think I’ll try and take that as a compliment. Besides, it’s actually something of a family trait.” He mused silently for a moment. Well... I guess that settles that, then. If I’m stuck with this new mojo, I guess I have no choice but to learn to master it. Ugh... The way this works, the way it totally ignores the laws of physics, and logic, and hell, reality itself? This is all magic. So... I’m going to need a mage to teach me how to control it.

“Jimmy,” Devon murmured softly, nuzzling him, pulling him out of his thoughts, “you know... you’re not the ONLY one that’s missed us being together. Now that you’re feeling better, how about we talk about more about your earlier idea?”

“Hmm? My idea?”

“You know,” she said, grinning wickedly, “about me teleporting us out of here for dinner, and a bit of quiet time? I’m sure I could have us back here before the doctors or nurses came back to check on you.” She ran a hand idly along his chest, gently but firmly pulling down the paper hospital gown to reveal his bare chest. “Mmmm... paper gowns. I never really liked hospitals that much,” she husked, as her hand slid further down, grabbing the edge of the covers, slowly sliding them down his waist, uncovering more skin as she did so, “but I have to admit to enjoying at least one of their policies about now—”

Suddenly the door opened. “Hey! Jimmy! Good! You’re awake!” Tawnya Parkinson replied, head poking into the doorway with a grin. “Katie just woke up too! I stopped by Eugene’s room and told Lacie and Eva, and they’re all heading over there to check up on her in a bit. I’ll let them know you’re up as well.” She paused, eyes widening briefly, before a knowing smirk crossed her lips. “But, um, hey, if you need a minute or two, don’t let me bother you. Please... by all means, carry on.”

Jimmy and Devon both let out a collective sigh as the door closed behind the busty dark skinned teen. “Well, that kind of ruined the moment,” Jimmy remarked, kicking back the covers. “Still, it is good news. Let’s go and see how she’s doing.”

“Yeah,” Devon replied, rolling her eyes. “Fine, I guess we can pick up where we left off later. But you’d better make good on your promise about ‘serving at my altar’...”

* * *

The dark clad figure stared out across the city landscape from high above, his cape fluttering slightly in the breeze as he stared down at the people far below. His lips twisted into a sneer. Huh. Look at them all, scurrying around like ants, going on with their pointless lives like the mindless little worker drones they all are. He shook his head in disbelief. Ignorant. Totally completely blissfully ignorant of everything happening around them. I doubt any of them even realize how close they all came to not existing just a few short days ago.

His expression darkened. It seemed so unfair that THIS was the world that had been allowed to flourish and prosper, that the beings of power had chosen this land of such plebians to survive. Thinking back to his own world, to where he had lived and grown up and thrived, and to know it had been taken from him in favor of... this? Hands clenched into fists, and a dark eerie glow began to fill them as the power within him began to emerge.

It would be so simple. Childishly simple. With the power coursing through him now he could easily destroy this city, reduce it and its population to nothing more than a smoking crater in the ground. In the blink of an eye, it would all be gone, leveling the playing field, and evening score for all of those in HIS world who had suffered—

With an effort, he repressed his power, and unclenched his hands. He hadn’t gotten this far in his quest by letting his anger and rage guide him. If he was going to succeed, he needed to stick with his carefully wrought out plan, and make only the decisive and necessary moves needed to advance his plan.

Besides which, the very last thing I want to do at this stage is announce my presence here to those accursed Nornir bitches, he thought grimly. They’re distracted right now, trying to seal all these breaches, and I’m cloaked from their sight for the moment. But if I get careless now, everything I’ve set up could come crashing down around my head. Once I begin, I’ll need to keep moving to keep them from locking in on me.

Lifting off gently from rooftops, the cloaked man hovered briefly in the air, taking a last look at the city. River City, the same city in which he had been born and raised, yet so very different from the metropolis below him. Again, he felt that surge of anger at the unfairness of it all, but managed to repress it. At any rate, my doppelganger should be showing up anytime, he mused, as he streaked across the sky, heading out towards the coast. And I can’t imagine a warmer welcome for him that arranging a nice little ‘surprise’ for him when he reunites with his long lost friend. Of course, she IS a bit long in the tooth these days, he thought with a sigh. Taking out his beloved Gwen will really be more of a mercy killing. Still, it should send the right message, and properly push him down the path I want him do go.

He laughed gleefully as he left the skyline of the city far behind him. “Beware the Jabberwock, my son,” he intoned softly as he flew. “The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird and shun, the frumoius Bandersnatch!”

* * *

Eugene Frasier glanced up at a knock on his door. “Aye, come in,” he barked gruffly. “About time ye arrived back. I trust ye have the blasted release for me to... ohh!” he broke off, sitting up in surprise. Instead of the attending doctor he’d been expecting, he found himself staring at the visibly nervous form of Rosella Contreras. He opened his mouth to speak, then thought better of it, nodding at her instead. Saying nothing, she stepped fully into the room, stopping a foot or so away from the bed. “Well, this is a surprise,” Gene said after a few moments of uncomfortable silence. “Not completely unexpected, but still a surprise. Tell me, lass... what brings you here?”

“I...” she began, only to fall silent. “I don’t... really know myself,” she admitted, still avoiding his eyes. “I heard you were in the hospital. And, well... I mean, I just thought I should... pay my respects.” Gene nodded, not giving her any feedback. “I, um... ran into Evangeline and your wife outside in the hallway,” she added after a moment. “They said it was okay to come inside.”

Gene nodded again. “Then I guess it’s a safe bet that you haven’t come here to kill me then,” he stated pointedly, ignoring the shocked look on her face. “I rather doubt the two of them would have let you pass if you had ill intent. Not that either one needs to be here in the room to intervene if necessary,” he added unnecessarily.

“Ki... kill you? Why on earth would you ever think such a thing!” Rosella asked, horrified.

“It’s what you were trained in, after all. Killing the enemy. Or, are you here to say that you no longer consider me your enemy? Despite everything that’s happened over the past few weeks, and basically leading a nationwide manhunt for you and your Mistress?”

Rosella winced. “I never really thought of you was my enemy. Opponent or adversary, yes. Roadblock to achieving my dream? Definitely. But I never thought of you as my enemy... certainly never as someone I would try and kill!”

Not that it would take much at this point anyway. Gene smiled ever so slightly. “Doesnae matter at this point, does it?” he stated with a shrug. “You got what you wanted after all. Chloe is all better, back of sound mind and body once again. And you’re both free to leave, to go wherever you like, without opposition. I ended the alert shortly after I regained consciousness here in the hospital... no real need for it anymore.” He shrugged again. “So, is this the part where you gloat, tell me that I was an old fool, and that you were right all alongg—ummpph!” Eugene protest was cut off as Rosella lunged forward onto the bed, hugging him tightly.

“You are an old fool,” she said gently, warmly, tears running down her cheeks. “But I’m not here to gloat. I just wanted to say I’m sorry for everything... for the way everything went down. If I had it to do all over again—”

“You’d do the exact same thing,” Gene replied solemnly.

“Maybe,” Rosella admitted. “Maybe I’d have taken the same actions as before... but I would have come to you first. I would have talked to you about all of this, face to face. And maybe... maybe you wouldn’t be looking at me right now with those eyes... showing such... hatred...”

“Nae, lass,” Eugene replied softly with a shake of his head. “Not hatred. It’s pity I feel towards ye... pity mixed with sadness.” He sighed deeply, leaning forward to caress her cheek. “There was so much I did wrong... so much we BOTH did wrong.” He closed his eyes. “Do ye ken... do you remember... that night, the only time we made... uh... love,” he began. But Rosella shook her head.

“You mean, the night when Evangeline planted the memory of you and I together in my head?” she said archly, causing Gene to stiffen. “Yes, I knew,” she said softly, sadly. “My Goddess was able to help me sift through all the real and fake memories in my head. I know that you and I were never together that way.” She forced a smile. “It’s okay. I understand why you did it. And, again, I’m grateful, more grateful than you can even imagine. I’ll always be grateful to you for everything you’ve done for me and for Chloe. But... gratitude isn’t love, or devotion. As much as we might wish it otherwise, I can’t get what I need from you anymore. And that’s why I’ve chosen to stay with my Goddess. Now, more than ever, she needs me as much as I need her.”

She leant forward, kissing him lightly on the forehead. “I just wanted to say thank you, and to wish you well, Eugene,” she said, again, smiling despite the tears. “My Goddess is out there, somewhere... and Chloe and I are going to search for her.” Eugene went very still.

“So... ye dinnae ken where she is, then?” he asked her.

“No,” Rosella shook her head. “I can’t sense her. When I came to after the fight, she and several others were already gone. Chloe, Henry, Regina and I... we’re going to look for her. We can’t sense her or feel her anymore... it’s like something or someone is blocking our connection.” She sighed. “But I know she’s still alive. Even if I can’t feel her presence, we’re still bonded to her. I am still her High Priestess,” she said proudly. “And as long as she is out there, we’ll find her.”

As she turned and walked out, Eugene let out a soft sigh. “Aye, lass,” he replied solemnly, voice tinged with regret. “I bet that if she’s still alive... you will indeed find her again someday...”