Tricky times

Quinn helped Vincent load the supplies on the 4-wheeler. He was far more nervous that he was letting on. He might die this morning. He might live and have new hope. The conflict in his mind came from that and more. If he survived, what did that mean? He tied the last cord and headed out the the spot by the lake they had chosen.

He had covered every possible variable, but he still knew the risks. He had seen vampires burn before and knew how this mind end up. He had, however, promised to help him in this. He knew that Mr. Quinn needed to know for him to be able to move on. He started the machine and rumbled toward the planned spot.

Quinn looked to the horizon and saw the light purple haze signaling that there was little time left to prepare. There was no way he could make it back to the house now, so it was go time. As he saw Vincent rolling in, he began setting up the platform they were going to use. This was going to be interesting.

As they set things up, he saw Mr. Quin getting nervous as the dawn horizon approached. They got all the platform set and the cover over it with little time left. He watched as Mr. Quinn climbed in place, pulling the cover over himself.

"How long do you want me to wait, Sir?"

Quinn heard Vincent's muffled question and thought a moment.

"Wait until the sun is fully overhead. If things go bad, at least it will be fast."

Vincent nodded and sighed.

"Just in case things do....it has been an honor to know and serve you, Jonathan."

He felt himself begin to cry knowing how much of a risk they were taking. He watched as Mr. Quinn pulled the cover down tighter and waited for Vincent to act.

Quinn's mind was swimming with thoughts. Regrets...dreams...hopes...

Faces were flashing behind his closed eyes. Tijgerian, Rajat...Brianna....Jessica....so many faces...

Vincent slowly drank from the bottled water he had brought. He watched as the sun rose higher. When it was almost at the high point, he started the machine he was riding and began praying to any god that would listen that Mr. Quinn survives.

"Here we go..."

He accelerated the motor, peeling out in the wet dirt as the ropes pulled tight and ripped the cover away from Mr. Quinn. He followed instructions and kept going for 90 seconds to be clear of him, then turned back, cutting the ropes free and headed back to Mr. Quinn.

Quinn felt the vibration of the cover before it happened. He braced for the pain he expected, and his eyes slammed shut when the sun glared down at him, searing his eyes for a moment until he shut them. He waited for the pain and then....nothing.

He sat up, confused....

“Clotho, your pet Tiger is amusing as fuck. C’mere.”

The baby Fate looked up from the open book in her lap, the cup of tea halfway to her mouth as Atropos the Death Fate and her sister strolled into the Relaxation Chamber within the Temple of the Fates on Mount Olympus. “Pardon?” She set the mug down, a puzzled frown on her heartshaped face as her swirling violet eyes met Atty’s sea foam green. “John? Is he alright?”

“Your kitty cat, while handsome, is a special kind of stupid, isn’t he?” Atty snorted, crooking her finger. Come to the Thread Room. You have to see this.”

Cloie huffed and set the book aside, following Atty silently to the Reflection Pool where Lacy sat perched on her side, chuckling softly. “Oh sister, you have to see this.”

“I wish you both would stop finding humor at my expense. And, I feel constrained to note, he is NOT my pet. He is my friend. But more than that he’s the brother of my heart.”

“Yeah, yeah. Well. Whatever. Still say you should adhere to the human’s policy of spaying or neutering your pets.” Atty laughed darkly, pointing into the shimmering ripples of milky iridescence that made up the Pool, their window to the world of Earth.

Rolling her eyes, the tiny Goddess peered in, watching the scene unfolding between her dear Quinn and his faithful Vincent. What...in the name of choco was happening?

“Right? I mean, right? Idiot?” Atty chortled. The triplets didn’t need to speak to communicate, they could read each others mind with ease.

“He’s not an idiot.” Cloie didn’t hesitate, merely teleporting from Olympus to Earth, appearing before Quinn, arms crossed daintily as she blinked a few times in the bright sun. Nodding at Vincent who stared, almost slack jawed at her, she turned back to Quinn.

“Hallo, John. Um....”a soft, angelic laugh echoed, full of genuine tenderness, “Fancy a bit of early morning sunbathing, do you? Whatever are you doing, akribos?”

He stood, walking to Clotho's side and brushed a stray hair from her face.

"I don't understand, My Lady Fate. When I asked your favor, you told me I would pay the price of never being...."

"...able to see the sunrise again.Yes, yes." she beamed cheekily, tiny curved fangs flashing in the sun. "Which has nothing to do with getting a bit of a tan."

She nuzzled happily into the palm of his large hand and stepped back. "Haven't you yet learned I am the Queen of Loopholes and what I don't say is just as important as what I do? I haven't lived all this time without having learned a few fail safes, agriato."

He felt his jaw drop as the implications were made obvious.

"So when you said I would not see the sun rise again....you meant exactly that, and not..."

He pulled on an embarrassed grin..

"I assumed you meant I could not be in daylight. I had to know...hence..."

He motioned to the 'test' equipment..

She laughed again, the sound soft and child like. "I can see that. However, you're a bit higher on the food chain with some of my ...well, with some of my primality in you. You're not entirely invincible but for certain, Apollo's little toy there in the sky, won't kill you."

She regarded him solemnly before glancing away, muttering low. "Not much will actually. Not now."

He looked at what they had done to test his sensitivity and chuckled.

"I do imagine this looked a bit odd, Carissimi. You could have told me more...but I guess that would not have been as amusing for you and your sisters."

He pulled her into a gentle embrace.

"So much has happened since your last visit, so much that I would love to talk to you about..."

Rarely was she at ease in the presence of most, she was either feared or reviled, loathed or cursed. Even the Gods and Goddesses themselves, took great care to avoid the Fates. It never bothered her sisters, but her? It more than bothered. It hurt.

But not with John. Never with him. One of the very few who knew her, all of her and that what she did and who she was were two different things. For that alone he had her eternal love and devotion. She snuggled into his embrace, so rare was the affection any one ever showed her. However, there was no doubt John adored her, she fairly preened at the Latin endearment for "beloved."

"Of course. But John? You can always summon me, you know this. No matter what. You don't need a good reason."

He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes as he held her. She was the one constant he had all his life, and she had seen him through the darkest hours, but now, she was not who he wished to hold like this. He slowly backed away, smiling.

"I am sorry to be so familiar, Carissimi. It is no longer appropriate as you know. I will always be your agriato, but my heart has been restored. I now have what I once was too weak to hold onto. Even if there is a glimmer of a chance, I must try for it."

He stepped back and smiled at her.

"Indeed you must!" She laughed low again, tiny hands snaking up to cup his cheeks fondly. "And yet you men swear we females are the stubborn ones!" She dropped her hands and stepped back.

"How can I help? More importantly, my Lord Tiger, why are you here with these crazy experiments rather than the one who holds your heart?"

"We meet at noon in two days, and I had to know if I would survive the meeting. You forget my assumption that you meant I would never again see the sun."

He chuckled now, thinking about how silly it must have looked.

"I should have known better, My Cloie. You are never so blunt in your actions, and the games of words are a favorite of yours..."

For a moment, her eyes shadowed over. "Not so much a game as a way to keep those I love from the harm I cause at times." She shook it off and beamed a grin his way as Vincent quietly gathered things up. "Well, and now you know, adelphos. I really should have been a bit clearer but other eyes than my own watch you. Being so closely connected to me is not so much a gift as a curse, my darling. You may as well be wearing a huge "X" on your head. My enemies are yours, now. So, perhaps I didn't do you a great favor after all..."

He lifted her chin and smiled as he looked at the dark soul and light behind her eyes.

"You will always be a part of me, Bit...and I will always be a part of you. We have both always known that. You are my strength, and I am your Sword. That will always be in a hundred lifetimes but in this one, I have another soul to guide me. My match is here in this place and time. We share a child and the kind of love you could not understand unless you spent time as a mortal."

She looked up at him, the swirling violet eyes shooting now with streaks of silver to indicate her changing emotions. “I understand far more than you know. About this love you speak of, John. I gave my heart long ago to man who curses me with every beat of his heart. Who curses me in his ignorance and who thinks I’ve a heart of stone for the life he’s made of the destiny I gave him. Spend more time with mortals?” She gave a laughing sigh, frustration and pain lacing each word. “It would kill me. Of all the Moirae, I am the only one designed to feel. Atty? Her emotions were drained so that she may better accomplish her duties as a Death Bringer. Lacy? She measures everyone and everything with rationale and empathy. But I? I feel...so much. That is my gift and my curse. I am the one who weaves the fate of all creatures, mortal and immortal and the only one who stands in judgement of herself. Every day. Do you know why I rarely come down? I can’t shut them all out when I’m here...”

She waved a hand around. “All the wicked and goodness of this world, I feel. All the ecstasy and despair, it burns in my belly. All the sins and rage, it sits in my soul. When I am here, like now, on the mortal plane, it ..hurts me. I can’t explain it better than that. It’s easier to keep myself apart from it by rarely being here. You know what lives inside of me. What I really am. The monster I am hungers for all that emotion to feed it. Given its head, I would end up tearing this world apart. So...”she smiled wanly. “So I do not need to live life as a mortal, you see. I live it every moment, for the last 12,000 years.”

Gathering her pride around her like a suit of armor, she forced a smile. “You speak truth, though. We will always be part of each other. Always. Which means, I will always come when you call. Remember that.”

He smiled.

"Of course, My Cloie. I sometimes forget the weight you carry on your gentle shoulders. With the strain it gives you, I will not ask you to stay much longer, but I wish to give a gift to the imp on your shoulder, as gratitude for what was done when I was to weak to thank you."

He pulled out a small knife and poked the tip of his thumb, holding it out for her.

Her demonae quickened, unfurling at the sight of blood, its insidious voice whispering in her head as it awoke instantly. I'm so hungry, Goddess. It's been so long. Please...just one taste?

She blinked up at John then back to the welling drop of rich, thick blood. Its smell was pungent, her gums ached. No. Its never just one taste with you. I let you free and you'll kill this one and I, I will be the one who has to live with it.

Just. One. Taste.

No.

I won't hurt him. I swear on the blood of Abattis, my father and yours.

She fought for several more moments before she stiffened, eyes draining to pure, haunting white, fangs dropping low even as the very air around stirred with malovolent energy. A pair of webbed wings shot from her back, skeletal and powerful, their span easily measuring 6 feet on either side as she stepped forward and grabbed his outstretched hand. Her dainty looks belied the true strength of her as she lowered her head and snaked out her tongue to lick once, then twice as shudders rippled over her body. She growled low at the rich flavor, taking one more swipe and culling her powers, calling the monster back to heel even as she stepped back from John, not looking at him.

She hated this side of herself. This...thing within. Licking her lips free of the last bit, she bowed her head a moment, the demonae only struggling minimally before fading from her consciousness as her eyes filled with their usual amethyst light, wings curling and seeping back into her own flesh. It was almost painless. Almost.

"Thank you, my Lord Tiger." She stepped back further, still  not looking at him. "But what I do for you, you never need to repay. I do it freely without thought of any payment in kind. "She gave a brief smile. "Although I appreciate the sentiment." Glancing at Vincent who had thoughtfully kept his distance, she waved. "Good to see you again, Vincent." She gave another small smile at his nod then sighed and looked up at Quinn. "I must go. But perhaps..soon, another visit, yes?"

She began to fade, feeling melancholy suddenly. No lonelier creature existed than she, she was sure of it. "Agapay, agriato....always." Then she was gone.

Quinn smiled as she left as quickly as she had arrived. Well...at least now he had his answers.

"Let's head home, Vincent. For some reason I am in an extremely pleasant mood."