Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 01:25:23 EDT
From: LaelSt@aol.com
Subject: Near Collision Chapter 5

Usual disclaimers concerning who should read what and whether or not it is
legal for you to do so, so forth and so on. This is a work of fiction and
should be treated as such.

Well folks, my deepest apologies for how long it took me to get this chapter
to you... again! Seems that my life has really been going up and down since I
started this story. Health issues came up of a really bad nature that kept me
too worried to write without it affecting the story. I had to stop and wait
it out. All of that stuff has now been dealt with, thankfully with negative
results for certain tests. But, in that time, I didn't stop writing entirely.
If ya go to the Boy Bands Catagory, I put in a little one shot story by the
name of Kevin and Nick. My heart really belongs to this one for the long term.

A huge special thanks to Benji for editing. I got sick of not finding typos
and such until weeks after I posted the chapter. Hugs and kisses are due him
for his fast and wonderful work. XXXOOO  Also a thanks to Ashdeath, Spike and
CoryJ for talking me through my unsettled period with this chapter. Thanks
guys! Chapter 6 is now about one quarter done. Thank you, everyone who wrote
asking about when the next chapter would come out. It let me know that the
story wasn't dead in the water. Enough said, read on!


"Near Collision"

      By Lael Stalnaker


Chapter 5: OK, Now What?

 Sunlight streamed through the dining room windows,
casting shadows and patterns across the dark wood
finish of the table. It melded with a cut-crystal vase
that was filled with white roses. The light entered
the vase an unassuming white and departed once more in
strips and ribbons of multicolored bands that fought
with the mobile shadows from outside the window.
Skyler sat, comfortably slumped, in one of the high-
backed dining set chairs, mesmerized by the mock war
playing out all across the table. He was transfixed
with the wonder of it. It had been ages since he had
simply sat and watched something for its own sake. It
felt wonderful!

   Skyler was waiting for Ethan to get up. He knew
that Ethan would be absolutely unbearable today, and
for the rest of their lives, if he did not get the
answers to whatever questions his feverish little
brain had hatched over the last few days. Skyler
continued to watch the play of soft light and shadows
on the wood in front of him. He sighed softly to
himself, finally shifting restlessly in his chair. It
was still fairly early. Skyler had woken with the dawn
this day. Not really usual for him at all to do so.
Still, he was glad. It had been ages since he had a
morning to himself that he didn't sleep through. Muted
birdcalls came through the windowpanes. The peace of
the morning was comforting, somehow.

  He was already missing Bryce. It had only been a few
days together, but he was totally attached to the
handsome man. The thrill was still very new and at the
same time felt so right. Skyler wondered what had
called Bryce away so suddenly. As he pondered that
question, he began to unconsciously rub the nick on
his finger, the very one that Bryce had caused during
the whole proof episode. The edges were just beginning
to draw together and heal. It hardly hurt at all.

*******

  Ethan opened his eyes gradually. He stretched his
form lithely and then completely relaxed his body
again. He lay still for a while, absorbing the sounds
around him. The birds were just outside his window,
raising quite a ruckus. He smiled to himself and sat
up. Then he frowned. Last night's weirdness returned
to him. He bit his lip in thought. 'Well, one way or
another, I will have some answers today,' he promised
himself.

  He got out of bed and went into the bathroom. After
a quick shower, he toweled off hurriedly. Ethan was
slightly suspicious that Skyler would skip out early
to avoid him. He threw on some clothes and hurried out
into the main part of their home. He always walked
very quietly and therefore did not disturb Skyler as
he rounded the corner to the dining room.

  Ethan paused for a moment, taking in the sight.
Skyler's head was framed by the sunlight streaming in
through the window. The light glinted metallic golden
from his hair. His profile showed very strongly from
the angle that Ethan was watching him. Ethan also
immediately noticed that the worry lines and fatigue
that had grown steadily worse over the long months on
his brother's face were entirely gone. Ethan was
totally amazed at the apparently overnight
transformation in his brother.

  He continued through the dining room and into the
kitchen. Skyler glanced up and then went back into his
own thoughts without comment. Ethan sighed. He just
knew that this was going to be like pulling teeth to
get anything that made sense out of his brother. He
opened the fridge and hauled out some things to cobble
together a reasonable breakfast for them both. Within
minutes everything was ready. He carried two plates
into the dining room and set them down at their
accustomed places. After a brief pause to get the
herbal tea and some juice, he sat down opposite his
brother and began eating. Neither had yet said a word
to each other. Another of their games was in effect.
The first to speak was going to have to do the most
talking. Fortunately, it never had really gone to any
lengthy excess.

  They both ate slowly and in total silence. Things
were beginning to get a bit strained around the edges.
This was so far from their normal mornings together
that it was beginning to hurt them both. Finally,
after they both had reached the nails on the
chalkboard stage, Ethan exhaled sharply and took the
first step. He gathered up the dishes and tossed them
into the sink. Then he came back and planted himself
firmly in his chair and stared directly at his
brother.

" Well, how long are we gonna play this lovely little
silence game?" Ethan finally muttered.

  Skyler smiled slightly and then grinned outright.
One point in his favor, so beginning the tally for
this game. At least, that's what he thought at first.
Then the grin faded as Ethan continued staring at him.
So much for the usual game rules.

"All right, all right, I'll talk. What do you want to
know?" asked Skyler, drawing the whole process out in
retaliation.

"You know damn well what I want to know! Who the hell
is Bryce and are you out of your friggin' mind?"

"What do you mean, 'Out of my mind'?" retorted Skyler.

"Since when do you get physical with someone you have
just met? That's so unlike you it's not even funny!
Who the hell is he? What do you actually know about
him? Where did he come from?" Ethan countered, totally
exasperated now.

Skyler winced at the barrage of questions. He had been
afraid that Ethan's analytical mind was going to go in
hard to answer directions. Ethan was just too damn
logical to miss much. He also was too good at picking
up on the least likely discrepancies in anything he
heard. Skyler began to try and organize some kind of
answers to keep Ethan off track. This was going to be
harder than Skyler had first imagined.

"First off, I already told you his name is Bryce
Jackson. We met officially at the parts store, but he
is the guy I saw on the motorcycle that Saturday. Drop
dead gorgeous, ain't he?" Skyler paused hopefully. He
sighed when Ethan only gave him a stony gaze and
didn't rise to the offered bait.

Skyler continued on, "He is a student and that is all
I really want to say on that. Philosophy, if you
absolutely have to know. As for my sleeping habits,
hey there's a first time for everything. I don't know
why your making such a fuckin' big deal about this.
It's not as if you haven't had your share of 'instant
gratification on a whim' flings! Don't try and
moralize when you are not innocent yourself," growled
Skyler, becoming more than a little pissed off.

"Whoa, wait a minute! We're not talking about me;
we're talking about the radical change in behavior on
your part. And when the hell did morals come into
this? Feeling guilty?" asked Ethan sharply.

"No! You want to know the truth? I think I am in love
with him. Satisfied? If you have any more questions,
ask him your damn self!" exploded Skyler.

  He got up from the table and stomped into the living
room. He began cussing to himself as he realized the
tactical error he had made with his brother. He had as
much as challenged Ethan to find something wrong. He
knew that Ethan would worry at it like a dog with a
favorite bone until he found out everything. Skyler
hoped Bryce could cope with the constant hounding that
was sure to come. With a final muttered 'Shit!',
Skyler threw himself onto the couch to brood.

*******

  Ethan sat at the dining room table stunned. He had
never had Skyler walk out on him before in the middle
of a conversation, fight or no fight. This was
something else to file into the rapidly growing
mystery compartment. Ethan went over everything again
and again looking for how the pieces he had so far fit
together. None of it made any real sense... yet. He
was confident that he would figure it out, eventually.

  He got up from the table and began to wash the
dishes. It was a departure from their normal routine
as far as chores went, but he wanted something to do
with his hands while he thought. 'Sides, they needed
to be done. The simple task was far too quickly
completed. As he dried his hands, Ethan decided to
come at this from a different angle.

  He left the kitchen and went into the living room.
Ethan couldn't miss the broody mood his brother was
in. Skyler was hunched on the couch reading. His
forehead was furrowed in deep lines as he read. This
was not a good sign. Ethan sighed and plopped himself
into the armchair.

"I'm sorry Sky. I guess I shouldn't have pushed so
hard. I was just worried."

  Skyler looked up from the book and stared at Ethan.
The frown lines were still there. Ethan swallowed
involuntarily at the sight. This was going to be
harder than he originally thought. Skyler was not
going to make this easy. With a mental shrug and
grimace, Ethan foraged on.

"Would you feel better if I just dropped the whole
thing?"

"Yes, actually, I would."

"Consider it done. Just promise me that if there are
any problems, you won't shut me out. OK?"

"Sure, no prob," Skyler promised, the frown lines
smoothing out with his obvious relief. He smiled
briefly at Ethan and went back to his reading.

  Ethan watched him for a minute and then got up. He
went to his room and fired up his computer. There were
other ways to find out about Bryce. None of which
Skyler needed to know. Ethan soon lost himself in his
online detective work. He decided that this was what
he should have done in the first place. Ethan was
quickly skimming through sites that most people had no
idea were even there.

*******

  Skyler set the book down and glanced at the VCR
clock. It was now late afternoon. The day had slid by.
Abruptly, Skyler froze into perfect stillness as he
stared out the patio door. His eyes narrowed as he
spotted his nemesis, the neighbor's young tabby. The
damn tomcat had taken to using the very narrow strip
of real ground that bordered the inside of the twin's
patio as its personal litter-box. A lot of work had
gone into bringing up rose bushes and other flowers
from the grudging ground. Skyler normally loved cats,
but definitely did not like the odor this cat was
leaving behind.

  Skyler leapt off of the couch and bolted down the
hall to his room. He ran into his closet and hauled
down a shoebox from the top shelf. Racing at top speed
back into the living room, he carefully and silently
slid open the sliding glass door to the patio about a
hand's width. He knelt down carefully onto the plush
carpeting and opened the box.

  Inside was a tiny remote controlled car. It fit
neatly into the palm of Skyler's hand. The lime green
car was a miniature of the new VW Bugs. He flicked the
on switch, slowly set it down outside the door and
peered around the corner. The tabby was just now
circling; sniffing at the ground to find the just
right spot to do its inflammatory - to Skyler's
sensibilities anyway - business. Skyler grinned slyly
and waited motionlessly.

  The gray and black tabby finally settled on one spot
and began to squat. His back was to the door and
Skyler took full advantage of that fact. He jammed
down on the forward button, sending the tiny car ahead
at full speed. It smacked into the descending rear of
the cat. The tom flew straight up into the air with a
startled hiss and landed facing the car. Skyler
reversed the car and sent it to the far end of the
patio. The indignant cat rushed after the fleeing
vehicle. When the car reached the limits of its
maneuvering room, Skyler turned it around. The cat
paused, staring intently at the car, tail lashing from
side to side.

  Skyler was having trouble keeping from laughing
hysterically. The whole scene reminded him of a Tom &
Jerry cartoon. He waited as the cat crouched about 2
feet from the miniature car, tail flailing about
violently now. It stared with complete concentration
at the unmoving toy. Skyler launched it full-tilt
forward again. The cat jumped and landed running from
the car. It made a mighty leap and landed on the top
of the fence. From its new perch, the tom stared down
at the incomprehensible thing that had shattered the
dignity of its toilet duty. With a final look of
disgust that only a cat is able to truly master, the
tom glared down at its odd enemy and leaped off onto
the other side of the fence.

  Skyler collapsed into a ball on the living room
floor. He was laughing so hard that no sound was
escaping his heaving body. That exercise had certainly
evened up the score a bit. He knew that it really was
a hopeless battle, but it was the principle of the
thing. Skyler finally laughed himself out, but not
before hiccups got a hold of him. He ran the car back
to him and flicked it to off. Skyler set the car and
controller back into the shoebox. He merrily shifted
himself off of the floor and slumped himself onto the
couch.

  He took deep, steady breaths. Finally, just when he
was close to despairing of them going away any time
soon, they just stopped. He sighed with relief and
picked up his book. He had just gotten to a really
good chapter and didn't want to be distracted by damn
hiccups. Mini-crisis over, he got back to the book.
After several chapters, Skyler sank into sleep.

*******

Dark eyes opened in a seemingly endless void. There
had been a jump in the energy that surrounded the
formless entity. A signal had sounded, much amplified
verses the usual everyday ones that flooded the void.
This was a call to arms. He recognized the source of
the change. The entity realized that the call was late
in registering in its mind. Too long had it been
without form, resting in the void. It had been
millennium since that voice had called. A body formed
in the void. Then it vanished.

*******

  Ethan shut down his Internet connection and leaned
back into his chair. He had been unable to find a
single thing wrong with Bryce over the Internet. There
had been some small oddities, like no credit history,
but no real alarming finds. He now had a rough idea of
who he said he was and what the records said he was.
The two matched, for the most part. Ethan grumbled to
himself. He just couldn't help, but feel that there
was a hell of a lot more going on.

  He rose from his chair and stretched his aching
limbs. He had been at this all day. Ethan had been so
absorbed in his hunt that time had flown without so
much as a whisper in his ear. He was starving now.
'Funny, Sky didn't come in hounding me about food,'
thought Ethan to himself.

  He trudged down the hall. Ethan sighed to himself as
he spotted Skyler passed out on the couch... again. He
sure seemed to be sleeping a lot lately. Ethan sighed
to himself and went to grab something to eat from the
kitchen. He made himself a sandwich, got something to
drink and took it all into the living room. Ethan
curled himself into the recliner and sat eating while
watching Skyler sleep. He could just see that faint
golden glow from the night before. He suddenly put
down the leavings of the sandwich. Ethan could see
that Skyler's lips were just barely moving in his
sleep. He got up and crept silently closer to his
slumbering twin, hoping that he would be able to hear
him.

  Ethan sat himself on the floor on the other side of
the armrest from his brother's head. He leaned his own
head against it and just listened quietly. Ethan had
already decided that if he thought Skyler was having a
nightmare, he would wake him. The mumbling was to
faint to really catch anything, but the tone was not
negative. Ethan relaxed. He waited patiently for some
clear sentence that would give him another clue about
what was going on.

*******

  Skyler came to himself and was immediately aware
that he was dreaming. It felt really odd to know it as
a fact. He had heard of lucid dreaming, vaguely, but
this was his first experience with it. He decided he
liked it so far. He began to take a good look around
him to get his bearings. He almost jumped out of his
skin as he recognized the same beach he had dreamed
about before. The major difference this time was that
it was full daylight, rather than the deep of night.

  He stood for moment with his eyes closed, feeling
the warmth of the sun caressing his skin. His body was
bare but for a pair of skimpy Speedos. The slightest
of breezes added to the sensual delight. He listened
to the waves as they pounded into the sandy shore.
Gull cries intermixed with the moderate rush of the
waves. Dune grass rustled an accompaniment to the
other sounds. Wet sand pressed firmly against the
soles of his feet. Salt lent its scent to the moment.
It gave a certain crispness to each lung full of air.

  Tension melted away as he relaxed into the dream.
His senses were awash with a different kind of clarity
of experience. Everything seemed to have a totally new
meaning, a kind of underlying essence to it. He
eventually opened his eyes. He smiled with contentment
for a moment. He stood watching the waves come in.
Skyler then slowly walked to the water's edge. He
allowed the foam to wash over his feet and was
delighted to find the water was warm, quite
comfortable actually.

 Skyler watched the height of the waves and then made
another decision. He closed his eyes again and poured
his will out form his center. When he opened them
again, a beautiful surfboard was sticking out of the
sand next to him. He grinned to himself as he ran a
hand down the slick surface of the tall board. He took
the foot strap and set it around his left ankle.
Skyler then grabbed up the board and walked out into
the water. Soon the water was to his waist. He threw
himself onto the board and began paddling out into the
surf. He was amazed at how well he was doing with the
waters temperature. He definitely didn't need a
wetsuit for this. He shut his eyes one more time and
then opened them. His Speedos were now gone. Skyler
laughed to himself with sheer delight. Where better to
be totally naked than in the privacy of his own dream?

 Skyler was now far enough out that he could turn and
face the shore again. He sat quietly for a long time,
watching the pattern of the waves unfold before him.
He judged them perfectly, choosing the best one in a
series to take back. As the clear water unfurled into
a beautiful cascade, he was on its crest. He re-angled
the board to nearly parallel to the shore and planted
his feet firmly. He whisked along the edge of the
wave. A tunnel was forming behind him as he rode the
wave with an ease that he wished were possible in the
waking world. Wind whipped through his water-tangled
hair. It was very nearly like flying.

  Finally, the water subsided, lowering the board and
Skyler to the wet packed sand of the beach. He tumbled
off the board gracefully. With a laugh, Skyler hauled
in the board as it began to float back out with the
tide. He loosened the strap at his ankle and stuck the
board back into the sand. Then he ran his hands down
his body to slick away the salty water that clung to
him. Within moments, the warmth of the sun overhead
had dried him, only leaving a faint trace of salt here
and there. Skyler sat at the water's edge, just being
in the now.

  Finally, his thoughts turned to Eros. Funny, in the
dreams it was Eros, in the waking world it was Bryce.
Skyler felt he had adapted almost too readily to the
different aspects. Still, it made a kind of sense. In
dreams would be the only logical place the Skyler
could really think of Eros as he really was. Too
dangerous in the waking world, too much risk of making
a mistake.

  Skyler was getting a little worried about Eros.
There was still no word from him and still no idea
when he would be back. He knew that he was already
falling deeply in love with the Olympian. Skyler
couldn't help but wonder how much of that was just the
innate power of the god and how much was natural. If
Eros' own reactions and responses were any indication,
it was one hundred percent spontaneous. Skyler smiled
to himself but also a bit sadly. Love was, as ever,
complicated. He was really beginning to miss Eros.

  Skyler started humming to himself and then laughed
once he realized what it was. He knew the words by
heart and sang them out loud.

*******

  Ethan jerked his head up and listened intently.
Skyler was speaking again. Well, not exactly speaking,
but rather singing in his sleep. This was getting
really bizarre. Skyler didn't like to sing while
awake, what would cause him to do it while sleeping?
Ethan tried to make out the words.

"Show me... lonely... broken heart...and I could...the
meaning...wish...be there where you are...never
ends...never say...Are you with me now...Show me
the...why I can't be...missing in... nowhere to run...
surrender... you never show... be there where you
are...me the meaning... feeling I need..." sang
Skyler, barely breathing out the words.

  Ethan was puzzled for a few seconds and then grinned
to himself. He should have known. After all, it was
Skyler's favorite song. He had never heard his brother
sing before. It was hard to tell what kind of singing
voice he had, but Ethan was willing to bet that it was
a strong baritone. He also thought it was interesting
that his brother's voice kept fading in and out, as if
he were near then far. Ethan leaned back again,
waiting for any further words that might slip out into
the silence of the room. This was getting more and
more interesting.

*******

  Skyler was now sitting on the sand, chin on his
knees, hands clasped together around his shins. Tears
trailed down the soft curves of his cheeks. He had
managed to depress himself. He was still feeling
incredibly insecure about the budding relationship.
Skyler had been alone far too long before this to be
able to handle a long separation. He began to rock
back and forth.

  His thoughts turned to the night that Eros had first
shown him his true self. The self that was so stunning
and beautiful. The wings that caused Skyler to lose
his breath at how incredible they looked. Without
really knowing it, he also went over the whole knife
incident. The terror of that still sent chills down
his spine. Skyler hoped that he would never see
anything as horrific again. It had certainly made its
point though.

"Well, my love, are you OK?" sounded from behind him.

*******

  Ethan jerked upright again. Skyler was glowing
golden again. It had started off very faint, but as
the seconds passed, it was growing stronger. In under
a minute, the glow was bright enough for Ethan to be
able to see the room clearly. His jaw hung open in
absolute astonishment. This was definitely no trick of
his mind. That was what he had been trying to convince
himself since he had first seen it the other night.
Ethan found himself frozen to the spot in shock.

*******

  Arms wrapped around Skyler. They were followed by a
mass of feathers. Eros' wings encapsulated him
blocking out the ocean and sky. He felt Eros' lips
against the back of his neck and shivered. Skyler
released his hold on his legs and leaned back into the
form behind him. The feelings of loneliness and
sadness fled in the face of the god's arrival. Skyler
sighed and drank in the presence of his love. His
senses were nearly overwhelmed with that very presence
he sought with all his mortal heart.

"I have missed you too my love. Don't be sad,"
whispered Eros into Skyler's ear. It was followed by a
feather light kiss on the ear. "You sang for me, now
it is my turn to sing for you,

"When you feel all alone
And the world has turned its back on you
Give me a moment please
To tame your wild wild heart
I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you
It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold
When darkness is upon your door
And you feel like you can't take anymore," sang Eros'
golden voice directly into Skyler's ear. Skyler
recognized the song immediately. He was surprised that
Eros knew it.

"Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash, then crash and burn
You're not alone

"When you feel all alone
And a loyal friend is hard to find
You're caught in a one-way street
With the monsters in your head
When hopes and dreams are far away and
You feel like you can't face the day

"Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash, then crash and burn
You're not alone," continued Eros. Skyler was
breathless with wonder. He knew that Eros meant every
word of what he was singing. The pain of his emotions
melted in the face of such depth of caring. The tears
were streaming down his face now.

"Because there has always been heartache and pain
And when it's over, you'll breathe again
You'll breathe again

"When you feel all alone
And the world has turned its back on you
Give me a moment please
To tame your wild wild heart


"Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart
I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash, then crash and burn
You're not alone," finished Eros. His arms were tight
around Skyler.

  Skyler turned in those arms and buried his face
against the warm skin and taut muscled chest. He felt
Eros rest his chin on the crown of his head while the
grip on him squeezed just a tiny bit harder, just
short of pain. Skyler's own arms encircled Eros
tightly. He rested that way for an eternity and then
sneezed. Apparently, even in dreams, those feathers
could tickle nose to the point of sneezing. Skyler
laughed.

"Wake up my beauty, I am back with you. I can put off
what I was doing for a while. I do not want you to be
unhappy," whispered Eros.

*******

  Ethan dropped to the floor in utter, unconditional,
flabbergasted shock. Out of nowhere Bryce
materialized. There was no other word for it. Bryce
materialized. One minute he was not there and the next
he formed out of the blue, right before Ethan's
unblinking eyes. Ethan's mind nearly shut down from
the shock.

  Bryce was kneeling next to Skyler, holding Skyler's
head tenderly against his chest. The golden glow
around Skyler was beginning to fade back to
invisibility. Skyler struggled briefly and then pushed
himself upright on the couch. Bryce and Skyler turned
simultaneously toward the gasp that came from the
floor at the end of the couch. Bryce cursed softly and
sagged into a slump where he knelt. Skyler's jaw fell
open as he stared at Ethan. Ethan stared at them. He
was totally speechless. He had seen the impossible.

"Oh shit!" murmured Skyler and Ethan simultaneously.

"This isn't possible," continued Ethan.

  Bryce gathered himself back together and pulled
upright, still kneeling next to the couch. He sadly
watched the situation unfold. He knew that it was
completely out of his hands now. It appeared that when
the twins were nearly in the same exact place, he
could not sense the difference between them. Bryce
would never have materialized if he could sense anyone
else near Skyler. His mind was numb now. The Law had
been broken, but not by Skyler. He had no idea how
this would effect the course of things yet to come.

"What are you?" demanded Ethan as he stared at Bryce.
He had his own suspicions, but was still not sure of
anything. What, not who, was the question Ethan had
asked. His first instinct was to search Skyler for
bite marks, weird as that seemed. Ethan shook his head
at the thought.

"Bryce, you may as well tell him who you are. He
*will* hound you until you do. My twin is not known
for his ability to let things go," Skyler said quietly
as he took Bryce's hand into his.

"You know that I am not free to give my name nor are
you. He has to say it first. That is the Law. I do not
know what will happen to any of us with what has
transpired here tonight," replied Bryce glumly.

"What have you been taking from my brother that makes
his glow like that?" demanded Ethan. Another of his
assumptions was in the open now.

"Glow? What glow? What the hell are you talking about
Ether?" asked a confused Skyler. Bryce dropped his
eyes and stared sullenly down at the floor.

"You have been GLOWING with this golden light when you
sleep for 2 nights now. I want to know what he is
doing to you. Obviously, you had no clue about it.
Well, I know he does! What have you been doing?"
shouted Ethan as he jumped to his feet. It was plain
to Skyler that Ethan would attack Bryce if some kind
of answer was not given and soon. Skyler moved between
then, slipping hurriedly from the couch to place him
strategically in arm's reach if needed.

"Answer him Bryce. What have you been doing? Why
didn't you tell me?" asked Skyler, still in a soft,
quiet voice. Bryce looked up sharply and captured
Skyler's eyes with his own. Pleading silently, Bryce
finally found his voice.

"This may give away too much, but I can refuse you
nothing, my love. The glow, of which your brother
speaks, was not a taking but rather a giving. I was
giving you part of my strength, part of my being. You
are my bonded, my anchor to this time and place. It
heals the vertigo that contact with me gave you. It
inures you to any earthly sickness. It allows you to
sense those like me. It even protects you somewhat
from others of my kind. It was a gift, nothing more,
twofold, but a gift for you and for us. I am no
parasite!"

  Ethan looked even more puzzled. What did all of this
really mean? He could tell that Skyler understood what
was just said, but he was still horribly confused by
all of this. All of his theories about what was going
on were being blown right out of the water. Nothing
matched. He began to back away from Bryce, pulling
Skyler along with him. He wanted to speak to Skyler
alone now. Bryce was just too much of an unknown in
the face of what Ethan had witnessed.

  Skyler allowed himself to be pulled along as he
mulled over what Bryce had revealed. It was true, he
felt better than he had in months. Also, he knew that
Bryce would never hurt him. Now came the hard part,
convincing Ethan that everything was really OK.
Skyler sighed to himself as Ethan tugged him into
Ethan's room. Ethan slammed the door shut behind
Skyler and then leaned back against it.

"All right, brother dear, cough it up. What is Bryce?
What the HELL is going on?" demanded Ethan loudly.

"Ethan, I really can't say. I promised. The only clue
I can give you is that I can't tell you his real
name," Skyler said hesitantly.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" muttered
Ethan, more to himself than to Skyler. The puzzle just
got more complicated.

"You know me, better than anyone else ever will. Think
it through Ether. You know I would never willingly
hold out on you. I know these last few days have been
weird, but just think it through."

"All right. Fine, we play the guessing game then. If I
ask you something, you will either be able to say
something or not. Whichever way that goes, it tells me
something. Can we do that?" asked Ethan, rapidly
applying his logic to the situation.

"I don't think I can do that," replied Skyler
apprehensively. "You know that I would never break my
word Ethan. Not even in a roundabout way, even for
you. You know you are the same way, so don't get
indignant with me about it."

"Yeah, I know," sighed Ethan. He slumped against the
door for a moment then he pushed off of it and to the
side.

"I'm really sorry Ethan. I want so badly to tell you
everything. In fact, I really need to... but I just
can't," whispered Skyler, near tears now.  He went to
Ethan and embraced him. Ethan stiffened for split
second before relaxing into the hug. He could feel the
shaking that was racking Skyler's body as Skyler hung
onto him.

  Skyler released Ethan reluctantly. He knew that
Ethan was hurt and concerned but didn't have any idea
how to fix the mess they were in. He looked into his
twin's eyes before opening the door to the hall. He
closed it behind him as he left. Now he had to deal
with Bryce. His heart hardened for moment as he
decided just what he was going to say to him. Skyler
deeply resented the position he had been put in with
the only person he had ever depended on with absolute
trust and faith that would always be there for him.

*******

  Skyler walked into the living room to find Bryce
kneeling just were the twins had left him. His face
was slumped against his chest. The soft wave of his
hair fell over his forehead and along part of his
cheek. His hands hung limply down and onto the floor.
Skyler had a sense of intense grief as he watched
Bryce before coming over to the couch to sit opposite
to him.

 Bryce looked up into Skyler's eyes. The pain in his
eyes struck a near physical blow to Skyler's heart.
Bryce could see an equal pain reflected from Skyler's.
He pulled himself together, got to his feet and then
sat down beside Skyler. Skyler leaned away from the
close contact. He was still angry about the position
he had been placed in with Ethan. It just wasn't
right. Bryce sighed and then moved slightly away from
Skyler to give him the space he very obviously
required. Skyler went through his memory for a moment
and then got up.

"I'll be right back Bryce. I have something to ask
you. Stay right here."

  Skyler rushed down the hall to his room. He dived
into his closet to grab the book bag he had tossed in
there that morning when he had gotten up. As a last
second thought, he also grabbed the note out of his
robe. Taking his finds back to the living room, he sat
down next to Bryce again. He pulled open the bag,
grabbed a book at random and flipped it open.

"Did you do these?" Skyler asked as he pointed to some
of the tiny red Greek letters strewn across the open
page.

"Yes. I know that you need to finish school. It is
something you hold to be very important, so I tried to
help. Was this wrong?"

"No, I just wanted to be absolutely certain it was
you. Now, what was this about?" Skyler unfolded the
note and laid it on the open book.

"Ah, yes, that. I left because I thought I felt a
presence near. An immortal. I wanted to see if it was
one of the family."

"You mean there are others who are not 'family'?"
inquired an intrigued Skyler.

"Well of course. Each area of the world has its own
group of immortals that manifested in the form that
the local culture envisioned. Surely some of them have
survived in the same manner as my family. I have not
run into any of them, but it is very likely,"
responded Bryce.

"I need to think about this. Let's go outside and
watch the sunset."

"Certainly," came the simple reply.

  They left the couch and went out onto the patio.
Both sat on the patio chairs in silence. Skyler's head
was racing with the implications of what Bryce had
just said. It put a whole new twist on everything.
Bryce sat quietly letting Skyler get his thoughts in
order without distraction. He looked with interest at
the white roses that Skyler had spent so much effort
cultivating and defending against the ravages of
unnatural fertilizer. The blooms were large and
fragrant.

*******

  Ethan was in total turmoil. Nothing about any of
this made sense to him. All the logic had gone out of
his world in a split second. His head was still
whirling as he tried to come to grips with things he
had thought impossible. He had gotten more than he
bargained for today. However, more things began to fit
together. He sat on the edge of his bed and stared at
the closed bedroom door. Too much had changed in too
short of a time. Ethan decided that he had to find out
what was really going on, even if he did it without
Skyler's cooperation.

  Resolved, he got up off the bed with a bounce. He
still needed to put away the dishes from his snack
earlier. He went out his door and into the living
room. He could just see Bryce and his brother sitting
outside. As he grabbed his stuff off of the coffee
table, he noticed the open book and note. He ignored
it for the moment. Once the dishes were in the
dishwasher, he went back to the living room. The pair
outside seemed to be oblivious to him. He glanced down
at the book again. He weighed the right and wrongs
then decided to go with his instincts. He snatched the
book up and took it to his bedroom.

  He flipped through the book grunting in disgust. It
was all in Latin with the exception of the Greek
letters scattered in the margins. He glared at the
open page in front of him and then grinned. He had a
Latin translator program installed on his computer for
Skyler to use. He grinned as he turned the book over
and set it on the scanner. Within minutes, he had
readable pages on the computer screen. He frowned
slightly as he read one of the stories.

  Giving up on that for a moment, he next turned to
the note that had been tucked into the book. He read
it through twice and then fixated on the weird little
drawing that was the signature. Suddenly Ethan's head
jerked up and scanned the computer screen again. Back
and forth his eyes went, from note to screen. His jaw
fell open as it dawned on him what he was seeing.
Ethan snagged the book from the scanner and put the
note back on the open pages. He hurled himself from
his chair, charging back down the hall to the living
room. He tried to place the book back exactly where he
had taken it. Then he pelted back down the hall into
his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

  Ethan sat back down at his computer, staring at the
screen with unseeing eyes. The conclusion that he had
come to stunned him. What he had witnessed with his
own eyes, added with Skyler's strange behavior plus
the book and note. It all added up to something that
Ethan had never imagined in his entire life.
Truthfully, he never would have imagined this to his
dying day. His whole concept of science was rocked.

*******

  Skyler stared at the stars that had started showing
as the sun's last light faded. His turmoil at not
being able to tell his brother flat out what was going
on still raged a complex war within his soul. On the
one hand, love as no one had ever been offered since
Psyche. The other hand being his loyalty to his twin.
Skyler felt his stomach turn at the thought of Eros'
missing wife. Talk about yet another tangled problem.
He pushed that thought away firmly.

  Bryce stirred next to Skyler. He could tell that
things were going to take time to sort out.
Interaction with mortals had grown far more
complicated than he remembered. Still, he genuinely
cared about this one. It had been many mortal
lifetimes since he felt such a clear connection and
longing for one in particular. He watched Skyler with
his peripheral vision to avoid being caught staring.
Bryce did enjoy the good looks of his chosen. He also
appreciated the soul that was clothed in those looks.
Depth of passion ran deep and in many directions
within Skyler. Bryce smiled softly to himself as he
mentally examined Skyler's many virtues.

  Skyler sighed and looked over at Bryce. The figure
next to him was quietly sitting in patience. Bryce
turned marginally to meet Skyler's gaze. Skyler nodded
slightly at the inquiring look. Bryce took Skyler's
hand in his, bringing it to his lips. He kissed the
fingers that rested lightly in his. Skyler smiled
sadly before taking his hand back. He got up and
motioned Bryce into the house. Bryce took the hint,
rising quickly to his feet.

"We'll have to deal with this tomorrow Bryce.
Something has to be done."

"Let tomorrow be as it must then," came the reply.

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

That's it for Chapter 5 folks. Hope it satisfied. :)

The lyrics to the song "Crash and Burn" by Savage
Garden are fully copyrighted.

 Any comments can be directed to me at LaelSt@aol.com
or ICQ #11938988<preferred>. My heartfelt thanks to
those who wrote me with ideas and wonderful comments.
Every little bit helps and encourages me to dredge my
brain for the right stuff. Chapter 6 is on the way
now. Hope to have it up soon, but cannot promise that
it will happen as I wish.