"Where Your Heart Should Be"
May. 22nd, 2022 08:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dochermes"Where Your Heart Should Be"
10/1/1980
In the front hall of the headquarters, Jeremy Bane hung up his coat on the oak rack just inside the street door. He had already taken hers when they had come in from the rain. The Dire Wolf saw that Cindy was still holding the ominous green jewel they had retrieved from a novice sorcerer not a full hour ago. Destroying it would not be easy, but he had to find a way.
Cindy Brunner had lifted the delicate pale gold talisman that she wore around her neck on a fine-linked chain. This was a tiny wheel, crafted by the immortal Eldarin ages ago. Only a handful were in existence. With the protective Eldar talisman in her other hand, she felt relief from the oppressive influence of Darthan magick.
Glancing over, Bane snapped, "Hey! Don't let those things touch whatever you do."
Turning her head to reply, Cindy accidentally brushed the Eldar wheel against the Darthan gem. The detonation of primal gralic force flipped her completely upside down so that she landed face flat on the floor with a horrifying thud. Black smoke rose from her clothing. Ten feet away, Bane was driven back off his feet by that blast but even as unearthly thunder echoed in the hall, he was up again and leaping toward Cindy. She was limp. He couldn't find a pulse. For one second, he thought his own heart was going to stop. How quickly could he get her to the nearest hospital? But what would they do, treat her for shock as though she had been electrocuted by a mundane force?
Getting one hand under her knees and the other across her back, Bane sprang to his feet with the idea of taking the CORBY. Even without clearance, he could land on the heliport within three minutes. Let the CORBY be confiscated and all his secrets revealed. Let him get thrown in prison for the rest of his life. None of that mattered. Then he felt her stir in his arms.
Beyond all hope, he bent and pressed an ear to her chest, where the material of her shirt was hot and scorched. Yes, a heartbeat, growing stronger. She took a shallow shuddering breath and Bane nearly collapsed with relief. He sank to his knees and checked her pulse, listened to her breathing. Cindy weakly raised one arm to drape it around his neck and he had never been more grateful to feel a human touch.
Her eyelids fluttered. Bane tried to speak but nothing would come out. Struggling to survive, her telepathic mind reached out to the one person she trusted above all others. For the first time in his life, the Dire Wolf dropped all defenses, threw aside all barriers and mental blocks, to let her in. They both sank to the floor and lay still.
Twilight fell before either stirred. The windows were black and only a nightlight down by the front door had come on automatically. Bane forced himself awake first, getting his bearings and sitting up. Neither had moved for hours. As he looked down, he saw her dark blue eyes open and meet his as if for the first time.
"Hospital," he managed to croak. "We have to get you to a hospital."
"No, no, wait," she said. The blonde reached up to tighten both arms around him. "Hold me, Jeremy. FEEL it. Feel yourself holding me."
For the longest moment of his young life, the Dire Wolf was swamped with something he could not recognize. Everything had changed. It was as if he had been nearly blind all his life and now could see, or as if he had always been chilled and was now warm and comfortable for the first time. "I don't understand," he said at last. "What happened? What did you do to me, Cin?"
"Nothing. We did it for each other." The petite form pressed warmly against him and she finally got the strength to reach her face up and kiss him lightly. "I was dying. I could feel myself slipping away. I reached out with my mind and you gave yourself as an anchor. Jeremy, can't you tell what's going on? Your emotions are unblocked. You're really alive."
"It hurts," he said. "I'm afraid.. but I like it." The cold grey eyes had never even misted with grief or joy before but unexpectedly tears flooded out and ran freely down his face. "Oh my God. It's so strange. Cin, I was always fighting to keep you out. I wanted to be close to you but I couldn't."
"I know, hon, I know. It was ripping me up inside. You've had a locked box where your heart should be. Sometimes I thought I couldn't take it anymore but I always hung on one more day." She shifted on his lap to get more comfortable and pressed her face into his shoulder. "Are you glad this happened?"
"Yeah. Absolutely. I'm having trouble dealing with it. I'm not crying exactly, I have never been able to cry, but my eyes keep pouring. I kept everyone at such a distance. Cin, I could never tell Mr Dred how much he meant to me. He was the first human being to ever show any trust and faith in what I could become. And I never really thanked him."
"Don't get up. Not yet. Listen, Jeremy, Mr Dred knew you loved him. We talked about it when he was training me how to use my powers. He once told me that you weren't the son he never had... you were BETTER than the son he never had."
Bane realized he was squeezing her a little too tightly and eased up. "Ooof," she said gratefully. "My ribs were starting to give. I think there is a lot we have to figure out. I feel a permanent rapport between us now. Hon, our minds will always be in contact from now on, well, at least within my range of a few miles. You'll always be able to reach me with a thought."
"That sounds good," he admitted. "I like the idea."
Reaching up, she pressed her fingertips to his wet cheeks. "I will follow you into Hell if you want, Jeremy. And I know that if I went there, you'd come for me." She chuckled. "And all it took for us to unite was a near-death experience."
Bane made a funny snuffling noise that turned into laughter. For the first time he could remember, the Dire Wolf actually let out full unrestrained laughter and Cindy joined him.
3/17/2019
10/1/1980
In the front hall of the headquarters, Jeremy Bane hung up his coat on the oak rack just inside the street door. He had already taken hers when they had come in from the rain. The Dire Wolf saw that Cindy was still holding the ominous green jewel they had retrieved from a novice sorcerer not a full hour ago. Destroying it would not be easy, but he had to find a way.
Cindy Brunner had lifted the delicate pale gold talisman that she wore around her neck on a fine-linked chain. This was a tiny wheel, crafted by the immortal Eldarin ages ago. Only a handful were in existence. With the protective Eldar talisman in her other hand, she felt relief from the oppressive influence of Darthan magick.
Glancing over, Bane snapped, "Hey! Don't let those things touch whatever you do."
Turning her head to reply, Cindy accidentally brushed the Eldar wheel against the Darthan gem. The detonation of primal gralic force flipped her completely upside down so that she landed face flat on the floor with a horrifying thud. Black smoke rose from her clothing. Ten feet away, Bane was driven back off his feet by that blast but even as unearthly thunder echoed in the hall, he was up again and leaping toward Cindy. She was limp. He couldn't find a pulse. For one second, he thought his own heart was going to stop. How quickly could he get her to the nearest hospital? But what would they do, treat her for shock as though she had been electrocuted by a mundane force?
Getting one hand under her knees and the other across her back, Bane sprang to his feet with the idea of taking the CORBY. Even without clearance, he could land on the heliport within three minutes. Let the CORBY be confiscated and all his secrets revealed. Let him get thrown in prison for the rest of his life. None of that mattered. Then he felt her stir in his arms.
Beyond all hope, he bent and pressed an ear to her chest, where the material of her shirt was hot and scorched. Yes, a heartbeat, growing stronger. She took a shallow shuddering breath and Bane nearly collapsed with relief. He sank to his knees and checked her pulse, listened to her breathing. Cindy weakly raised one arm to drape it around his neck and he had never been more grateful to feel a human touch.
Her eyelids fluttered. Bane tried to speak but nothing would come out. Struggling to survive, her telepathic mind reached out to the one person she trusted above all others. For the first time in his life, the Dire Wolf dropped all defenses, threw aside all barriers and mental blocks, to let her in. They both sank to the floor and lay still.
Twilight fell before either stirred. The windows were black and only a nightlight down by the front door had come on automatically. Bane forced himself awake first, getting his bearings and sitting up. Neither had moved for hours. As he looked down, he saw her dark blue eyes open and meet his as if for the first time.
"Hospital," he managed to croak. "We have to get you to a hospital."
"No, no, wait," she said. The blonde reached up to tighten both arms around him. "Hold me, Jeremy. FEEL it. Feel yourself holding me."
For the longest moment of his young life, the Dire Wolf was swamped with something he could not recognize. Everything had changed. It was as if he had been nearly blind all his life and now could see, or as if he had always been chilled and was now warm and comfortable for the first time. "I don't understand," he said at last. "What happened? What did you do to me, Cin?"
"Nothing. We did it for each other." The petite form pressed warmly against him and she finally got the strength to reach her face up and kiss him lightly. "I was dying. I could feel myself slipping away. I reached out with my mind and you gave yourself as an anchor. Jeremy, can't you tell what's going on? Your emotions are unblocked. You're really alive."
"It hurts," he said. "I'm afraid.. but I like it." The cold grey eyes had never even misted with grief or joy before but unexpectedly tears flooded out and ran freely down his face. "Oh my God. It's so strange. Cin, I was always fighting to keep you out. I wanted to be close to you but I couldn't."
"I know, hon, I know. It was ripping me up inside. You've had a locked box where your heart should be. Sometimes I thought I couldn't take it anymore but I always hung on one more day." She shifted on his lap to get more comfortable and pressed her face into his shoulder. "Are you glad this happened?"
"Yeah. Absolutely. I'm having trouble dealing with it. I'm not crying exactly, I have never been able to cry, but my eyes keep pouring. I kept everyone at such a distance. Cin, I could never tell Mr Dred how much he meant to me. He was the first human being to ever show any trust and faith in what I could become. And I never really thanked him."
"Don't get up. Not yet. Listen, Jeremy, Mr Dred knew you loved him. We talked about it when he was training me how to use my powers. He once told me that you weren't the son he never had... you were BETTER than the son he never had."
Bane realized he was squeezing her a little too tightly and eased up. "Ooof," she said gratefully. "My ribs were starting to give. I think there is a lot we have to figure out. I feel a permanent rapport between us now. Hon, our minds will always be in contact from now on, well, at least within my range of a few miles. You'll always be able to reach me with a thought."
"That sounds good," he admitted. "I like the idea."
Reaching up, she pressed her fingertips to his wet cheeks. "I will follow you into Hell if you want, Jeremy. And I know that if I went there, you'd come for me." She chuckled. "And all it took for us to unite was a near-death experience."
Bane made a funny snuffling noise that turned into laughter. For the first time he could remember, the Dire Wolf actually let out full unrestrained laughter and Cindy joined him.
3/17/2019
