Date: Sat, 20 Jan 2001 09:32:42 -0800
From: Lael Stalnaker <vanyelashkev@pacbell.net>
Subject: Near Collision: Chapter 10

"Near Collision"
                    By Lael Stalnaker


Chapter 10: Exploring Possibilities


  Skyler opened his eyes and turned his head. He could
just make out the top of Bryce's head from where it
nestled into his shoulder. The glossy waves of hair
appeared tangled, as if from high winds blowing
through it. Skyler's eyes widened as he remembered the
night just past. A smile of contentment touched the
corners of his lips with the thought. He wondered how
they would top that Dream Realm experience. He doubted
they could.

  He listened to the quiet breathing of the man next
to him. Something seemed off, somehow. Every few
breaths, a hitch in the pattern sounded. Almost as if
he were gasping for air. Skyler shifted his position
enough to listen more carefully to his beloved's
breathing. He gently placed a hand onto Bryce's chest
and nearly choked at how fast the heart raced under
his fingertips. Something was very wrong. Bryce seemed
to be dreaming and it was not a good dream, if these
signs were any indication.

  Skyler debated on whether to wake Bryce or not.
After minutes of tormenting himself, the point was
moot. Bryce's eyes flew open and he started upright.
His powerful body was sweat slicked and obviously
overheated. Skyler held his shoulders to steady him
until he blinked the sleep from his eyes. Once they
were clear, Skyler looked into them carefully. He knew
from his expression that Bryce felt incredibly
disturbed by whatever the dream meant.

  Bryce shook the last of his befuddlement out of his
mind and looked over at Skyler. A smile quirked the
corner of his mouth. Then he leaned over and kissed
him. It always brought him joy to wake to the sight of
his beloved. He had missed the presence of another,
especially with centuries of being on his own alone.
Joy welled up within him. Despite the nature and ever
rising frequency of his dreams, that joy kept him from
the paths of insanity.

 They untangled themselves from the sheet and headed
for the shower. This was their daily ritual,
inaugurated since Skyler had invited the two immortals
to stay with Ethan and him. Quick caresses, delighted
laughter and plenty of soap dropping marked the course
of the event. They toweled each other off with all of
the delicacy of two rams butting heads. They loved the
feel of the hard toned muscles under their hands. The
roughness wasn't so much a dominance thing as it was a
reaffirmation of individual power.

  As Skyler dressed, he watched Bryce covertly. It
still amazed him that he was the choice of company
that the immortal had made. Billions now in the world
and he had the undivided attention of this wonderful
immortal of legend. He smiled to himself as Bryce
finished tying a shoelace. It had taken a while to get
Bryce to agree that they couldn't spend all of their
time romping in bed, now that Skyler was finished with
school. He appreciated the free time, but wanted to
get started on the problem that Bryce had originally
brought with him. Bryce rose from the bed and looked
down at his feet in semi-disgust.

"What's wrong, love?" asked Skyler as he ran a comb
through his tousled damp hair.

"I would rather go barefoot. Civilization has not
improved with the necessity of trapping your feet in
unyielding artificial footwear. It pinches the toes,
rubs the heel raw and makes the foot ache. I owe a
mortal an arrow, in sight of a diseased leech, for the
invention of this monstrosity," came the disgruntled
answer, along with a finger pointing at his feet. "Too
bad that they are probably already dead! No
satisfaction to have there."

Suppressing a chuckle, Skyler asked, "Well, is there
anything modern that you do like?"

"Well, I guess the sheer luxury. You do not have to
lug water in from a well or stream. You do not have to
bring in wood for cooking or warmth. You do not have
to go hunt or farm your food. You become nearly
anything you want. You do not have to make your own
clothes. You can speak with someone you do not know on
the other side of the world. Even your healers rarely
lose in the fight with death. All of this is
miraculous to see on such a scale that has never
before happened. Yes, a true luxury that any can
partake of. It leaves the mind free to create the
wonders around you."

  Skyler was stunned with that answer. He had never
really considered all that Eros would have seen
through the centuries of interaction with mortals.
Skyler was further amazed that he would be impressed
in the social impact of change. He knew from his
studies that most of the Greek gods were what could
only be designated as, in human terms, callous. It
gave him a large measure of pride that his beloved
transcended that image with his reality.

  Bryce quit staring at his feet and moved to Skyler's
side. He wrapped his arms around him and nuzzled into
his neck. Bryce gave an embarrassed start as his
stomach rumbled loudly into the comfortable silence.
Skyler laughed and tugged Bryce out of the room. Food
was definitely in order. Maybe afterwards they could
get down to the real business that had been left
unattended for so long.

  They trudged through some minor morning chores and
then finally got around to making breakfast. Bryce
always sampled things carefully first before throwing
his full enjoyment behind anything he ate. He still
nearly retched at the memory of chocolate covered
pickles. He shook his head in disgust as the memory of
the taste washed back through his mouth. He washed it
away with two glasses of water.

  By the time they had finished an already late
breakfast, Ethan and Josh had joined them. Things went
smoothly and soon the four sat in the living room,
paired as always. Ethan sat in Josh's lap on the
recliner. Josh always sat there, claiming it from his
first day in the house. Bryce was on the couch with
Skyler perched on the armrest and wrapped around him
over the backrest. Skyler played with the back of his
dark hair as they talked.

"Well, what now?" Skyler started off. "We've finished
school as planned and now we can focus on the problem
you came with."

  Josh glanced at Bryce and shrugged. As far as Josh
was concerned, this was Bryce's show. He had just
shown up for the sightseeing and a bit of business.
Josh frowned as he remembered why he had come here in
the first place. He began to tune the others out.
Bryce didn't notice as he started to go over the
problems again. He knew that this would be the first
time Ethan had heard any of it, so he tried to be
complete.

"There is something wrong. Each night that I enter the
Dream Realm from here, without going there in more
than spirit, I dream of something horrific. It chills
the soul and quells the mind. I wake with only badly
remembered fragments, disjointed, never clear enough
to place. The feeling of terror grows stronger each
time. I know that we must find the others to stop
something. I just do not know what it is we are to
stop. I know that I cannot do it alone, nor with just
a few. It will take all we can find to stop whatever
is coming . . . And it must be stopped."

"But you can't be sure of what it is?" questioned
Ethan.

"No."

"But how do you know that it is something real and not
just something from your own mind?" inquired Skyler.

"Immortals do not dream in the same way that mortals
do. Normally, our sleep is dreamless, unless messages
come to us from another immortal. Morpheus sends
these, but I have searched for months to find him. He
is not making himself available to clearly find out
what he knows. He does know all that happens in the
Dream Realm. It is his, after all. The dreams of
mortals shape it and he simply governs the encounters
within it. Perhaps . . . " Bryce grew thoughtful and
his voice trailed off abruptly.

"Perhaps I should search also," Josh put in. He had
jerked his attention back to the conversation in time
to catch most of it.

"Do you have any idea what the others might choose to
do, if they are material in our world?" asked Ethan.
He had his own ideas for a search parameter.

"They might stick close to their concept. What I mean
is, wherever their concept is most likely to manifest.
Mostly to encourage it to grow. As our concepts grow,
so follows our available power. The more people we can
get using our concept, the more energy is generated
for our use. Some of us are lucky enough to have
concepts that are self-generating. Others, like Ares,
have to nudge it along every now and then to keep it
rolling. It could get difficult with immortals that
encompass several concepts, especially if they hope to
get them all going at the same time at top efficiency.
Locating these immortals will cause a lot of headache,
but they will have the power we will require,"
explained Bryce.

"That is true. However, there are many variables. We
do not know that they will help or join us even if we
find them," put in Joshua.

"Have you ever come across any other immortals over
the centuries?" asked Ethan.

"Only a couple and we parted ways quickly enough. I
have never looked for anyone who might be outside our
family though, if that is what you were really asking.
I can see your point though. We have no way of knowing
if the threat might be coming from an entirely other
group of immortals."

"I, for one, have never encountered another immortal
since leaving Olympus. But then, I am hardly the best
one to ask either. I have not exactly been in the
thick of things," admitted Joshua.

"How can you be sure that the other Olympians will be
able to help?"  asked Ethan. "I don't mean to sound
negative, but I think it is a question that needs to
be asked."

"The feelings in the dreams tell me that it will take
all of us to stop whatever is coming. I feel death, so
much death that it shrivels my soul. Death in many
guises. All over the world, not just here. It wounds
the soul, it kills the body, shatters the mind. With
each death, more follow. Soon it will be a wave that
cannot be stopped. This is why I sought an anchor
here. The deaths will over take our ability to stay on
our own as we weaken," clarified Bryce. Joshua stared
at  him in horror. The twins sat in shocked silence as
they absorbed the meaning of the words just uttered.

"I have not had any dreams of that kind. Are you sure,
brother? Could it not be a trick or misreading of what
you are seeing the Dream Realm?" asked Joshua
uncertainly. "We all know that things of the Dream
Realm can mislead as often as they show truth."

"True. But I know. The dreams have come too many times
not to be a warning. Only a fool or madman ignores a
plain warning of danger. I am neither. It is coming.
Something monstrous and beyond our experience. I see
people falling in droves, fire crisping their skins
from their  flesh. Still others starve and collapse
where they fall. Then there are those who sicken and
waste away, the lucky ones. Still others fall dead, no
rhyme or reason to their death. They happen in waves,
each one different but overwhelming in the sheer
number of deaths. Each wave must be stopped separately
from the others. So it feels. Perhaps stopping one
stops the later ones. I just do not know for sure.
Nothing is clear.

"I do know that these deaths will impact everyone,
immortal or not. I just do not know when. I also do
not understand how Morpheus knows what he knows. Where
is his information coming from? Why did he choose to
send it on to me? These questions plague my waking and
sleeping. This is why I still search the Dream Realm
for Morpheus. I have had no luck. I know that if I can
find him, much will become clear in the talk we will
have. Until then, I can only piece it together slowly
and with many mistakes," finished Bryce.

  The others sat stunned. Bryce was so emphatic about
the dire danger down the road. It appalled them. It
sounded too much like the end of the world. They
stared at each other, looking for the same shock in
the faces of others that they knew showed on their
own. It changed everything. So much that they could
almost feel the change surrounding them. How does
someone assimilate something like this?

"So, what should we do?" Ethan asked into the granite
thick silence.

"I do not know. Perhaps an idea will appear."

"Well, I have an idea or two. First, Ethan and I will
set up a computer program to help us find the likely
places your fellow immortals would have planted
themselves. After all, they need to stick close to the
site of their best concept building areas. Once we
have something up and running on that type of search,
Bryce and I can try hunting for Morpheus together in
the Dream Realm. Maybe I'm being to simplistic and
hopeful, but it's a logical start, isn't it Ethan?"
Skyler challenged his twin.

  Ethan brightened and nodded briskly, "Sure, as good
a place to start as any. Might even work. Josh can
keep us straight on the power bases while you two are
off on your hunt." Ethan's eyes flickered to Josh and
then back to Skyler. Another blush crept across his
face, giving away other plans unvoiced.

  Bryce rose from the couch and began to pace. His
agitation translated into quick steps back and forth
along the couch. Skyler rose also, getting his feet
under him in time to get knocked back onto the couch
as Bryce turned to go back the other way. Skyler let
the air return to his lungs after having it knocked
out of him so suddenly. Ethan stared at the pacing
immortal in concern. Something was obviously up.

  Skyler got back to his feet and nimbly jumped over
the coffee table to avoid another trip back onto the
couch. Once out of the way, he glanced at Ethan and
shrugged. Ethan got up and headed for Skyler. He waved
toward his room and started down the hall.

"We're gonna go get started on the computer search
part of this," he called over his shoulder to the two
immortals. Skyler followed him, avoiding Bryce on his
swing through that end of the floor space.

******

  Ethan set up a database and the parameters of the
search. Once he had things to his satisfaction, he
turned to Skyler for information on what they should
cut out and what to keep for the web search. If they
needed to go beyond the web, Ethan knew how. He just
hoped that it would not come to that. It was chancy
and likely to be illegal as well. It went against his
ethics to break into anyone's system uninvited.

"So, what exactly are we looking for?" Ethan asked.

"Well, I think we should start with identifying places
where immortals are likely to keep close to. Places
that would boost an immortals power. Uh, say... Paris
for beauty... Aphrodite might hang out in a place
where the standards of beauty are set. Let's check out
companies that are based there. We should look at who
the owners are. I'll give you a list to put into the
search parameters."

"Geez Sky, this could take months!" yelped Ethan
minutes later when Skyler handed him a half-inch of
paper closely filled with information to track down.

"Well, Ether, no one said this would be easy or done
by tonight. Do you realize how many immortals there
are in just the newer Greek family? I am not including
the Titans. Their locked away anyway. Still in
Tartarus for all I know," admonished Skyler. "I should
ask Bryce about that."

"Fine, it'll take me a couple of days to enter all of
this. Anything have priority?"

"Mmmm, no, not that I know of. I'll try to be back as
often as I can to help you sort through the
information that comes out of that hell box you call a
computer," Skyler teased Ethan.

"Yeah, well, ya better! I wouldn't really know what to
look for. I doubt Josh would either."

"I'm worried, Ether. Really worried. I didn't know why
he came. Now... I almost wish it was for just me. He
needs us, but I don't think he knows why. For that
matter, neither do I! Am I just over-reacting?"

"No... I don't think so. He's describing the end of
the world, or at least something that sounds like its
close cousin! I'm scared too, Sky. More than I could
ever admit. What on earth have we gotten into?"

"I don't know. I just don't know," Skyler whispered.

*******

"So, do you agree with my reasoning, Brother?" asked a
pensive Bryce.

"Concerning the dreams? Certainly. Dragging Skyler
through the Dream Realm with you? Not in the least.
What are you thinking? The danger to him is immense.
Does he know what could happen to him there? The power
you have given him will not matter in the slightest
way. Dead is dead, no matter how you fight it. The
dangers there are just as real as any here. Do you
want to lose your bonded to some of the depraved
malignant creations that wander unchecked there?" an
incredulous Joshua pointedly asked. Bryce's anguished
face spoke volumes.

"I feel we have no choice. Too long we left mortals
out of the decisions concerning their destiny. We need
them and they cannot be left out once more. I have to
believe that I have made the right choice. More is
leveled at us than I have said. I suspect that, though
we will fight for humanity, it is humanity that we
fight," offered Bryce. Joshua sat up suddenly. He
stared at Bryce, his mouth dropping open.

"By Gaia, what do you mean?! Do you know what that
implies? And you gave a portion of your power to a
mortal?" Joshua had risen from his seat in a surge. He
stalked over the carpet to Bryce, his eyes locked to
his twin's. Bryce stopped his pacing and sank back
onto the couch. Dejection clearly outlined his
features. His broke off the staring contest and
shrugged his uncertainty.

"I saw no other choice. I still do not. These mortals
think in ways that we do not begin to comprehend. They
no longer startle in the night, thinking ghosts lurk
in wait for their blood. They have gone to their moon,
Joshua. Would any of the peasants of our past dared
dream such? Would even our nobility? They went and
they came back. They speak with each other as quickly
as ever we contrived, Hermes not withstanding.

"Can we say that we are still their superiors? Are we
truly any better than the least of their people now?
Yes, we can do many things that are beyond their
current dreams, much less understanding. How long will
it remain so? Look at Sky. He has already surpassed
many of the made immortals in his acceptance of his
new power. Did any of the others take less than a
century? Yet, this mortal has managed so much in a
month.

"I feel, in time, these new mortals will not only
understand themselves, but will be able to understand
us. What we are. How we do what we do. Do we have the
right to continue to play gods over them? Must we
always make the same mistakes that have ever plagued
our stupid follies?

"Tell me that I truly error. Tell me that I have
sinned. That I have destroyed us all with my choice.
Do you not think that I have not already considered
all of that? That I have doomed us? I know what I
know. I felt I must risk the worst, with a view to the
best before me," Bryce looked up as he finished.
Joshua was still, absorbing the words, taming them
from their frenzy. He had never heard his twin speak
with such conviction. Passion yes, but not exactly
certainty.

"I can only hope you are right, Brother. It is far too
late to go back. The only other course is to end his
life and I am unwilling to take that step. For all we
know, you have saved everyone. Only Kronos knows. Time
will tell, eventually, if he ever opens his damned
mouth!"

"We may have to go to him to find out." As the words
left Bryce's mouth, they both felt pole-axed. They
stared at each other in the new silence. A shudder
passed through Joshua. He knew what such a journey
would entail. It was not one he cared to make. Nor did
Bryce. The implications of the statement were almost
as bad as the ones about Skyler.

"Well, the one thing that was not mentioned was you
passing on any more dreams that come. If they are
truly signs in the desert, we need all of us to think
on what you are shown. The more minds at this, the
better. I hate to think that we might miss something
important."

"I think there is something else that needs to be done
as well. I agree about telling the dreams. I also
think that Ethan should be brought up to Skyler's
level. He is vulnerable as he is now. Should something
happen when all of us are away, he is in danger. Do I
need to argue the point?" demanded Bryce.

  Joshua stiffened and then slowly relaxed as he
thought through Bryce's words. He went back to the
armchair and levered himself down into it, his joints
nearly rigid in protest of the thought of harm to his
bonded. He stared off into space, trying to find a way
around Bryce's suggestion. In the end, he could find
no better solution. His heart pounded so hard that he
thought surely the mortals could hear it from down the
hall.

  Bryce waited Joshua out. It was too important to
leave unaddressed. He was concerned on a number of
levels, for multiple reasons. He knew that Skyler
would lose his mind if his twin were harmed. He did
not want to think what havoc might be loosed if Ethan
were to die due to some foul design. His head shook
slowly as he went over the possibilities in his mind.
He looked over at Joshua and stilled his mind. The
power would have to come from him. After all, Ethan
was HIS bonded, not Bryce's.

  Joshua let the fear tear around his mind until it
became a whirlwind. He could not bear the thought of
Ethan coming to any harm at all, much less because he
had withheld the means of his defense. As that
surfaced, he glared at Bryce. He knew what had
happened. Bryce's points had wormed their way straight
to the heart. There was no honorable way to withhold
or even stall the granting of power to Ethan. Bryce
has seen to that with purest cunning.

 He felt uneasy about it, all the same. It was rare
enough that one mortal came into the fold, but two
from the same family? At nearly the same time? Unheard
of! A clear and dangerous departure from tradition.
Joshua listened to his arguments with himself and then
stilled them. Tradition had fallen to the side with
the dispersal of the family centuries ago. He almost
smiled. A huge change of attitude, especially about
who was in charge.

 Now that he had seen the stupidity of falling back
on old outdated ways, he could examine the reality of
the situation. Bryce had seen more clearly than he
had. It irked him in that way only brothers can. Ethan
really needed the protection. With all the visions of
death Bryce was seeing, Joshua could all too easily
see Ethan as a victim out of those dreams. It scared
and angered him more than he had thought possible.

  He came to a decision far quicker than usual. The
old ways had little meaning now. This was a different
age, a different place. The older ingrained rules and
traditions had no basis. They only served to tie him
to a time and place that lived in memory. Why? It was
not as if those memories were all that wonderful. He
recognized the interdependence with humanity. They
were as deserving of the right to evolve as the
immortals had. He nodded sharply.

  Joshua looked up and smiled. Bryce blew his breath
out sharply. He had not realized that he was holding
it. It was a relief. There was a chance now that the
two mortals would make it through whatever was coming.
He had doubted that Skyler would, if Ethan did not. He
still did not understand why he knew they had a part
to play, but he did not doubt it. There is always
symmetry to the Fates workings. He only hoped that
they had done enough.

"I hope what we do is the right course, Brother. We
will not know until the bitter end. All is clouded."
Joshua said quietly into the deepening silence between
them.

"True. We will only know at the end, but we will have
done what we know to be right."

*******

  Ethan set aside the pen he had nibbled on for the
last hour. All of the programming for his initial
search for the missing immortals was now in his
computer. All he could do was wait for results to come
in. The magnitude of the requirements meant long hours
or even days waiting for data to correlate into a
usable picture. Ethan began to cuss as the pen flooded
ink over the computer desk. He hadn't noticed chewing
through the chamber into the ink compartment.

  He then noticed the black stains on his fingers.
Ethan groaned as he realized that he probably had ink
on his face too. He turned to Skyler and started to
open his mouth. Skyler saw his face and began laughing
with amusement at his brother's plight. With the
seriousness of everything else that had gone on so far
that day, this was the pinprick to the water balloon.
He fell onto Ethan's bed, clutching his sides in a
vain attempt to keep breathing. Ethan's new scowl did
nothing to help the situation.

  Ethan stalked into the bathroom to get a better idea
of the liquid damage to his face. His dignity took a
hit at the expense of the stain on his lips and chin.
He immediately attempted a rescue, but the ink had set
in too deeply into his pores. His muttered curses on
all manufacturers of disposable pens brought fresh
howls from the direction of his bed. Ethan growled as
he slammed the door to the bedroom. Leave it to his
brother to find the humor in a deadly serious
situation. Ethan sighed as he began to scrub
determinedly at the ink.

  Skyler knew he shouldn't laugh, but once the gasps
of air escaped as giggles, he knew there was no hope.
He let loose and laughed until he thought his sides
would cave in. The pain became intense with each new
spell of laughter. He knew it would take a massive
apology, maybe even some groveling to make it up to
Ethan, but this kind of laugh came along only so many
times during one's life. He wiped the tears from his
face. Skyler then rolled off the bed. He went to the
bathroom door and knocked softly. It wouldn't do to
bring the others in before Ethan's face was fixed.

  Ethan let Skyler in and continued to stare into the
mirror. He simply could not allow himself to believe
that he was stuck with the shadow of the remaining ink
until the skin cells let go. The indignity of it was
too much. He turned to Skyler and stared him down.
Skyler managed, barely, not to smile. He took the
mirror of his own face in his hands and tilted it from
side to side. An idea formed as he examined Ethan.

"Say, Ether, I think I can get it off. Wanna let me
try?" asked Skyler.

"Ummmm, I don't know, Sky. You might turn me into
something gross and then I would have to kill you. Not
that you don't already deserve death for laughing at
me..."

"I'll be careful. Just had this nifty idea. Remember
watching Roswell?"

"Yeah, so what? What does that have to do with ink on
my face?"

"Just hold still. It won't hurt. I'm not going to
touch you, just the ink."

"Sky! I don..."

  Skyler held Ethan's face with one hand and moved the
other one to the ink stain. Ethan had done a pretty
good job of rubbing it deep into his skin. Skyler
moved closer and stared at the ink. He looked around
and snagged a piece of toilet paper from the roll. He
held it to the corner of Ethan's lip and stepped
closer yet. Ethan's eyes started to get bigger as he
watched Skyler's eyes start to glow with that intense
light.

  Ink flowed from Ethan's skin to the piece of paper
tucked near his lip. Soon, it was as black as the
splotch on the desk, rather than the faded gray it had
been in Ethan's skin. Skyler carefully tossed it into
the toilet and flushed the evidence away. He let go of
Ethan's face and took a step back. Ethan turned
quickly to the mirror and gaped. All of the ink was
gone. The only thing left was a bright red area where
he had scrubbed so furiously to remove it. He warily
sneaked a look at Skyler.

"My skin isn't going to fall off, right?" he demanded.

"Not that I know of. I've never done that before..."
Skyler purposely let his voice trail off. Ethan's eyes
widened in horror. He turned back to the mirror and
stared hard at his face. Skyler couldn't help but let
a giggle escape. Ethan let out an outraged growl and
tackled Skyler, shoving him back through the bedroom
door.

  They landed in their usual tangle, already
struggling to see who ended up on top. Tickling and
pinching, they thrashed about, giggling inanely. All
of the prior stress dissipated with the rough and
tumble affection that kept them together past their
childhoods. Skyler, in a rarely used licking move,
ended up on top, pinning Ethan to the floor. They
laughed themselves out and helped each other up. Ethan
hugged Skyler briefly and went to clean up his desk.

  As he got to it, he turned to Skyler and lifted an
eyebrow. Skyler could hear the question in the air
before anything left Ethan's mouth. He grinned and
shrugged his acceptance. He took a piece of computer
paper from the printer and placed in on the desk near
the puddle. The ink crept onto the paper and pooled.
Ethan stared in fascination the whole time. Once all
of the ink had collected, Skyler carefully picked up
the paper and took it out to the kitchen trash. Ethan
followed him shortly after.

*******

Joshua froze and stared wide-eyed at the hallway
leading to the twins' rooms. The sounds of a
battlefield echoed from the walls, and then laughter
that was totally out of place with the sound of
furniture toppling. Joshua turned to Bryce and let his
jaw fall open. Bryce was sitting calmly on the couch,
ignoring the sounds entirely. It puzzled Joshua almost
as much as the sounds themselves.

"Umm, what is going on Brother?" Joshua finally asked
when he got his voice back.

"What? Oh that?" asked Bryce as another crash rumbled
down the hall. When Joshua nodded, he grinned. "That
would be Sky and Ethan settling a dispute. It IS
rather startling the first time. It appears that they
wrestle out their dissatisfaction with each other.
They always end up laughing with each other by the end
of it."

"They what?!?" Joshua was incredulous.

"It is true. They fight as dirty as a couple of dogs
over the same bitch. And yet... by the end of it they
are as close and loving as any other siblings you
would ever meet. It is beyond me," Bryce laughed. Then
an evil sparkle gleamed. "Care to try it their way
next time you and I disagree on something?"

"I do not think so... I do not think the apartment
would survive our clash! We would bring it down around
our ears. I think that our lovers might get more than
a little upset over that," replied Joshua, throwing
his hands into the air in a surrender gesture. Bryce
laughed.

  Skyler came through shortly after that holding a
piece of paper out in front of him. He walked as if
the paper were nitroglycerin. Joshua and Bryce stared
in bafflement at the odd behavior. Skyler disappeared
into the kitchen. Ethan came down the hall and planted
himself into the armchair. He didn't mind at all that
it was already occupied. Joshua grinned from behind
Ethan's back and laughed when Ethan suddenly blushed
and got up in a hurry. Joshua nonchalantly adjusted
himself into a more comfortable position within his
pants. Ethan sat down again, more carefully this time,
across Joshua's thighs.

  Skyler came back into the living room and sat on the
couch without explaining what had just happened with
the paper. He snuggled into Bryce's side and smiled
contentedly. Bryce stared at Joshua and then jerked
his head toward Ethan. Joshua looked puzzled as
Bryce's motion became more emphatic. Then sudden
comprehension lit across his features. He sighed and
nodded back to Bryce.

"We have reached a decision that you both need to
understand and accept. It means your safety, Ethan
love," Joshua started off with. "We have come to the
conclusion that you are not safe. You are a target and
there may be a time when we are gone for whatever
reason and Skyler with us. That would leave you alone,
defenseless. We could not bear the thought of harm
coming to you. Or to Skyler for that matter."

"Oh... umm, I hadn't really thought about it," Ethan
replied. His brow furrowed as he began to.
"We have already reached a conclusion about what to
do. In a way, it is appropriate that it should be so.
You should be equal and as safe as your brother."

  Ethan struggled to absorb what Joshua was telling
him. It made no sense, at least at first. Once his
logical brain tackled it full on, he got it fast. His
face went blank and then rebounded with shock. He
turned his head to see Joshua more clearly. There was
no sign of joking or deceit anywhere in the handsome
face inches from his own. He looked deeply into
Joshua's eyes and saw the genuine concern for him
there. He cleared his throat to speak and found it
locked tight. He tried again and finally managed to
croak something out.

"Are you sure? I know it takes away from your own
available power. I wouldn't want YOU to come to harm
because you had given me something you needed. It
would kill me almost as much as losing Sky."

"We are sure, best beloved. My heart would fail in my
chest were you to come to harm. We already know that
you would perish without your twin. Who would know
better?!" Joshua laughed. "But think of what Skyler
would go through without you. This is the only way. I
might selfishly wish otherwise, but in the end the
more selfish thing is to give you power. That way I
know you will survive what comes, though we know not
what form."

"Do I have a choice?" asked Ethan, somewhat
belligerently. He looked over at Bryce meaningfully.

"Of course you do. I have already explained to Skyler
why I did what I did. Your situation is similar but
hardly the same. We worry that you could come to harm
or even be used against us or your brother. With the
power granted, that becomes far harder to do. We hope
that you accept. In token of this, we ask." Explained
Bryce, choosing his words carefully.

"I can see where they're coming from, Ether. It would
devastate me if something happened to you. The
visions, dreams, whatever..., they are too real. If
this gives us all an advantage in stopping it, don't
we have to take it?" added Skyler.

  Ethan let his chin rest on his chest as he thought.
It had to be, was his final thought on the matter. The
arguments were persuasive and made sense. He also
appreciated the fact that he was being asked, rather
than having it dumped on him. Though it felt like an
ambush, it looked like an ambush, it wasn't. He was
logical enough to see past the obvious to the heart of
their reasons. Concern and love for him and Skyler.

"Alright. Let's get this over with. Does it hurt?"

"No of course not! I would do nothing to harm or hurt
you. It might tingle and feel strange at first. It
becomes a part of you."

"Well, if we are gonna do this, let's get it over
with. This creeps me out enough as it is without
having to drag it out." grumbled Ethan.

"As you wish. It might be best if Skyler and Bryce
left the room. This is rather personal."

"But.. but... I saw Bryce doing it. What is the big
deal?" insisted Ethan.

"That was not the gifting. That was a testing. Shades
of degree but not really the same thing in the end. I
personally would prefer privacy," Joshua said quietly,
his eyes on Ethan's.

  Ethan sighed and nodded. Bryce and Skyler got up
hurriedly and went to Skyler's room. Ethan got up off
of Joshua and stood near the couch. A look of
apprehension clouded his face. Joshua smiled, hoping
to reassure him that everything was ok. Ethan smiled
back, but it was a sickly looking one.

  Joshua took his hands in his, after standing
himself. He led them to the center of the living room
and pulled them both down so that they were sitting.
Ethan dropped gracefully into a sitting position, as
did Joshua. Ethan nearly clutched at the hands holding
his. He really didn't like his orderly world getting
turned upside down so often. He took a deep breath and
waited for whatever would come next.

  Joshua inhaled deeply and smiled again for Ethan. He
took a moment to appreciate the man in front of him.
The sparkling hazel eyes. The sun bleached hair. The
line of his jaw, so often set stubbornly. The tight
muscular body, graceful yet strong. The deep tanned
skin without blemish. His mind's eye supplied other
details that made his smile broader. A truly handsome
man, by many standards.

"Ok, this will be relatively simple, though I have no
idea how long. Be still within yourself, let your mind
drift without thought. It would be easier if you were
asleep, as Skyler was. Then your mind is at rest, not
active and seeking differences. I am going on memory
for this and have never done it before. Be patient,"
Joshua instructed. He put Ethan's hands into Ethan's
lap. Then he reached up and placed one hand on Ethan's
heart and the other at Ethan's right temple.

"Free all thought from this mind. Open this heart to
hear new words. Still my mind to speak my heart,"
Joshua began.

"Love rejected, love returned,
 these are mine, these I know.
 My heart is thine
 As yours is mine.
 All I have is ours
 All power shared
 All feelings bared
 All time, now together
 All time, past as one
 All time, future ours," Joshua intoned. His voice
started low and rose with each word. Soon the room
vibrated with the power of sound. Ethan thought his
skull would shatter with the strength of Joshua's
voice ringing there.

"A third is granted
 By ancient Law
 Bonded first
 Not love lost
 Power turned
 From me
 To thee
 Any time
 Any where
 Any reason;
 It is yours."

  Joshua froze, light streaming from his hands into
Ethan. Blue light turned to gold as it entered Ethan,
spilling back as a nimbus of glorious light around his
form. His mouth was open, sending back echoes of the
sounds and crystalline tones. His body was as rigid as
Joshua's, though not painfully so. Joshua slumped
forward, his hands slipping from Ethan's body. He
landed face first in Ethan's lap. Ethan sat still,
listening to the fading echoes of power. Then he
passed out.

*******

  Bryce and Skyler finally came back out. They had
gotten too hungry and hoped to slip by. They stood
stunned at the sight that met them. Josh and Ethan
were tangled together on the floor. Both were out cold
and barely breathing. Bryce knelt near them and
checked something that Skyler couldn't figure out. He
nodded to himself and got back up. He motioned Skyler
into the kitchen and set about raiding the fridge.
Skyler stared at him, not believing that he hadn't
said what was going on out in the living room.

  He cleared his throat loudly to get Bryce's
attention. When Bryce clearly ignored him, he popped a
leg up and knocked the bottle of mustard out of
Bryce's hand. Skyler full on glared him into place
before bending to retrieve the fortunately plastic
bottle. Bryce raised an eyebrow and then grinned.
Skyler hauled back his arm, quite prepared to hurl the
mustard into Bryce's face. Bryce mock cringed.

"Ok, ok, they will wake up in a while, none the worse
for the experience. It was silly to do it with Ethan
awake. It wings back on them both. Please, desist with
threatening me with the precious mustard," Bryce
murmured.

  Skyler tossed the bottle to Bryce and went back into
the living room. He sat on the edge of the couch and
waited. Bryce came in munching something or other that
he had cobbled together. Skyler didn't look up for his
vigil over Ethan. Bryce plopped himself onto the couch
and kept eating.

  Minutes later Joshua groaned and tried to sit back
up. He found it hard to do with Ethan still crumpled
on his back. Slithering out to the side, he cradled
Ethan in his arms while he waited for his head to
clear. He finally noticed the pair sitting on the
couch staring at him and Ethan. Joshua grimaced, his
head splitting.

"Well Brother, you did not ask how it felt. I would
have warned you if you had only asked," Bryce
volunteered innocently.

"I will kill you later this century, once my head
stops hurting. So, this happened to you too then?" he
asked. He winced as Bryce nodded his head vigorously.
His eyes tracked the movement, making his wish his
head would just fall off and be done with it.

"Yes, it did. Not as bad though. And I had the sense
to make sure Skyler slept, thereby lessening the
resistance. That is what hurts. No matter how willing,
the waking mind fights to keep you out. Why do you
think there are not more mortals that were given
power? It hurt too much!"

  Skyler finally had enough and went to his collapsed
brother. He carefully untangled the two bodies, Joshua
attempting to help as much as he could. Not that it
really helped much at all. He was too disoriented to
do anything useful. Skyler cradled Ethan's head in his
own and looked over at Bryce.

"Is there anything we can do to help him?" Skyler
requested, compassion coloring his voice.

"Not that I know of. Now that the power is within him,
he will fight off any outside power that comes into
him. It is up to him now." Bryce shrugged.

"I can feel such a difference in myself. I am not all
here any more," Joshua noted absently. His eyes were
glued to Ethan's still face. The only real sign of
life was the rise and fall of his chest with each
breath.

"Of course not, idiot Brother. You have given a
sizable piece of your soul to him."

"I what?!?" Joshua's head whipped around to stare at
Bryce, much to his immediate regret. His hands flew to
his temples as he continued to visually pierce Bryce.

"Well, what on earth did you think you gave him. That
is what our power is, our soul, our spirit, whatever
you want to call it. That is why it is a major
sacrifice for us to give our power to a mortal or even
another immortal. It is that much a part of us. And
the giving is forever. That means it is no longer
ours. You can be such a simple idiot, Joshua. I
thought you understood all of it. You did this without
knowing? No wonder you both ended up knocked flat. I
am just glad you did not kill him accidentally."

  Joshua's color drained from his face. Skyler's head
whipped around and his eyes blazed with rage. Bryce
continued to munch on his snack, unconcerned with the
results of his statements. Joshua looked back at
Skyler and blanched. Skyler ignored him and continues
to glare at Bryce. Bryce calmly ate and then raised an
eyebrow. Skyler finally reached a inner decision and
snorted his frustration. He couldn't really lay all of
this on Bryce and he knew it. He would however nail
him later for risking Ethan by not making sure that
Joshua knew the real possibilities inherent to the
process. He began to smile as he thought of ways to
get back at Bryce for his neglect. Joshua didn't like
the look of that smile and was glad it wasn't for him.

  Ethan moaned, clutched his head and tried to sit up.
Skyler pulled Ethan's head back into his lap and held
it there. Ethan gratefully went with it. He couldn't
believe the pain that was coursing through his
temples. Still, he was grateful he didn't hurt
anywhere else on his body. Then again, it might have
been a relief. Joshua leaned forward and kissed
Ethan's forehead. Joshua lifted Ethan into his arms
and staggered to his feet. Then he carried him down
the hall to his room, leaving Bryce to deal with the
angry Skyler.

 Joshua carefully laid Ethan onto the bed and stripped
him of his clothes. He rid himself of his by the
simple expedience of ripping them off and climbed in
next to him. Friskiness was the farthest thing from
his mind at this point. He wrapped himself around
Ethan and let his mind go. Within seconds, both slept
as peacefully as they were going to. Skyler looked in
briefly on his way to his own bed. Bryce sat stunned
on the couch still. He was puzzled with the command to
sleep on the couch or be castrati by morning.

------------------------------------------------------
-

Well, so ends Chapter 10 guys. Heh, hope that clues
you in on some of the future plans for the storyline.
It is a long way off, but needed to happen. This is
also the midpoint for this book. Yes, book. After all,
this makes about 200 pages so far. Hard to believe,
but true. Let's see if I can get the next chapter out
as equally fast. I seem to be picking up steam.

Tons of thanks for those that send in their comments.
They are the life's blood of any author, letting them
know their personal baby has been looked at. As
always, drop me a line on how you felt about this
chapter and/or the entire story so far. I can be
reached one of 3 ways: vanyelashkev@pacbell.net , ICQ
#11938988 , or through AOL Instant Messenger at
Screenname VanyelAshkev.