Chapter 16 Part 1

    In the dark… yet again… Skye felt light as a cloud. When she opened her eyes the first thing she noticed was the dense fog in front of her briefly panicking before she quickly came to a logical realization that she must be sleeping. With a slow groggy shift she reached out in front of her to feel for a wall and stopped when she could barely make out the shape of her hands or fingers in the mist. She wiggled her digits just to be sure that something was normal and when her eyes drifted down to her feet, she realized she couldn’t feel the ground let alone see it.

    She wiggled her toes and felt nothing like her pain receptors were on the fritz. Her eyes went everywhere trying to make out some kind of familiarity, something to grasp onto in this dream that she had no idea of what was in store for her. Her heart began to pound in her chest as the panic started to build up, her lungs were burning and breathing got harder. That’s when she noticed that she wasn’t breathing but instead holding her breath, not  that she needed to breathe in her dream but that moment of clarity could stop her from going through the freak out she was having.

    Laughter bubbled up from what she thought would be the corner of the room if it had walls and the evil tones swam in circles around her. Skye stepped in the initial direction that the sound had come from, something telling her to go that way even though the sense of a warning was telling her to run away…fast. Her feet didn’t seem to be touching the floor and she moved with no effort at all, almost gliding. As she got closer to the laughter it began to falter and then stopped abruptly. Moving forward, the fog began to lift and clear until she saw two chairs sitting opposite each other, on the edges of an ornate golden rug. At first they looked like simple wooden dining chairs with the padded cushions and she made a face at how 80’s they looked. Once the thought was in her head they slowly warped and changed into a couple of cushy leather Lazy Boy’s.

    “Have a seat…” Skye heard echoed from behind her and she didn’t hesitate, she spun around ready to defend herself. When she noticed nothing behind her she shook of the sense of foreboding and stepped around the chair. For all of the intense feelings though she wasn’t scared because she knew this was a dream and she was not going to wake herself up. She would stay and wake up naturally while hopefully satisfying her sense of curiosity. Already having accepted the weirdness that was going on, it felt easier in a way not to question what was happening to her but to go with it and see where it led her. It seemed not to mess with her head as much. She moved herself over and sat down, scooting her rear end all the way back and placed her hands in her lap while she waited for god knew what.

    As if reading her mind the disembodied voice was all around her again. “God?” it questioned “God has nothing to do with me.” Skye rolled her eyes; she knew that this was just posturing somehow.

    Resigned to waiting patiently for what seemed like forever, she finally caught movement across from her heading in her direction. Brief flashes of colour in-between the wisps of fog that still skirted the outer edges of the chairs caught her gaze as the flow of a deep purple gown with gold sequins criss-crossing across the bodice of the strapless fabric moved like a calm slow running stream as the goddess in question stepped forward. At first Skye was taken by surprise because the face staring back at her was her own, the only difference besides the way she dressed was that her hair was swept up away from her face and held in place by golden combs and ribbons.

    Skye felt the power coming off of her and swallowed hard. “So to what do I owe this pleasure?” She said in a voice that surprised her at being strong. That was when she realized that this was no dream. That this was going to be another person/soul trying to make her do something she didn’t want to do. Trying to keep her composure was tough and fear was not what was driving her emotions at all despite everything she was scared of, it was the frustration of feeling like she was being toyed with and commanded. Even though she didn’t know exactly what was going on right now in this moment, she was well aware now that this was not a dream cooked up by the stories that Dom and Maury had told her. This unrealistic vision for all intents and purposes felt very real in the marrow of her bones and she knew now beyond a shadow of a doubt while she looked into her own face that she was going to have a fight on her hands because she wasn’t going anywhere.

    Georgia looked over Skye with a cynical eye as she came and sat down in the chair opposite her. She fussed lovingly with the skirt of her dress until it fanned out and revealed the golden sandals on her feet. “We meet for the first time Skye, officially.” There was no shock at seeing her own face across from her in humble clothes because she knew what the score was. She knew all about Skye in the way that she was fully aware of. Soul swapping was always part of the progression and if she could only stop the Guardians from taking it upon themselves the dispose of her whenever they disliked her methods her soul would have more time in their shared body, and even though the having children situation was a cold blast in the face, she had recovered and already had her wheels turning that the Guardians could take care of them once she reclaimed what was hers. She could feel Skye though, her discontent as well as her strength. The energy pulsating out of her body in waves was completely full of displeasure.

    Georgia continued to play with the material of her skirt twirling the edge between her fingers while she looked Skye in the eye wondering how this encounter was going to progress. She quickly decided that there was only one way this was going to go. “You know it’s my time, correct?” she paused only for effect to make it look like she was giving Skye a chance to speak but when nothing came from her she shrugged and continued, “This is my body, first and foremost…it is mine.”  Georgia crossed her legs at the ankles and sat calmly as she waited for a response from her mirror image.

    She watched as Skye sat forward until she was on the edge of the leather chair and rested her elbows on her knees with her wrists crossed while she looked Georgia up and down. She knew where Skye’s thoughts were and at one point she was noting how insane it was that she was looking at a carbon copy of herself dressed like a Greek goddess and now…well now she was getting very angry. Georgia smiled in spite of herself, just waiting for Skye to concede at then she felt the shift from anger to clarity and relief.

    Skye while trying to keep everything in check in her brain was just about to lose her mind when the thought struck her that in fact, she had the upper hand. She had heard what was said about the incantation and without her saying it there was no way out for the woman in front of her unless…

   She would have to figure out if only she had to say it or if anyone could. All that swam around in her mind was hope that this was true and seeing as it had never happened before that it was possible. With the knowledge she had right now if it turns out that she might have the power to keep Georgia right where she was then she would do whatever she had to, except that Georgia had already punched her way through once already and clearly had no real control over how long she stayed in possession of their shared space but could probably do considerable damage in the time she had it.

   Now was her chance to assess the goddess carefully. “Can I ask you something?”

   Georgia frowned, “I’m not usually one to answer questions.”

    “Humour me then. I mean it’s the least you can do since you want me to vacate the premises right?”

    Georgia seemed to think about that and decide she had nothing to lose.

    “What did you do?” Skye’s eyes roamed the fog before settling back on Georgia’s face. “What did you do to be cursed to half an existence and does that mean I’m not real?”

    Georgia fiddled with her skirting again but didn’t answer, her lips were pressed tightly together and her brows low as she seemed to be remembering the past and not looking happy about it at all. When she did look at Skye again there was confusion and a hint of fear. Georgia stood quickly and with grace before Skye noticed that her hands that were still crossed at the wrists were fading, fast. Georgia was up and running towards her but she wasn’t fast enough, by the time she got to the other Lazy Boy… Skye was gone.

Chapter 15 Part 3

    When Maury returned to the rest of the household he had in his hands the leather journal that Cyrus had been looking for before all of the lunacy of the morning took over. As he stepped into the kitchen he could see by the looks on Dominic and Chases faces that something bad had happened. Cyrus looked concerned but the witch looked positively glowing and that…was not a good thing. To confirm his fears as Skye turned to look at him he could see clearly in her eyes the gold rims around the irises.

    Skye was not Skye anymore, they had lost her, they had failed already and they still had no answers. He cursed under his breath and thought about returning the journal upstairs when Cy caught the man’s gaze.

    “Is that my dad’s journal?” He asked sounding so much younger than he was. Maury looked down at the book in his hands and nodded.

    “Can I see it? Please?” Maury couldn’t deny the look in the poor boys eyes and was about to hand it over when he caught Dominic looking at him with a slight shake of his head. Maury cleared his throat. “Hang on kid, let’s assess this situation first OK?” Although Cyrus looked defeated he didn’t fight logic presented to him and settled in a seat beside his mother. Dom held out a hand and Maury obediently walked over and placed it in his Alpha’s hands before he stepped into place opposite of Chase flanking Dom’s left side.

   He watched Gertie smile from ear to ear and his eyes returned to Skye…or not Skye but Georgia. He couldn’t hold the silence any longer. “Boss, how is this possible? The incantation has not been said. She’s barely touched the thing!” Dom’s silence and furrowed brow was enough for Maury to see that he didn’t know either but before he had time to say more…she spoke.

    “Oh gentlemen…not that you have ever been gentle with me,” she paused pulling at her sleeves. “Fortunately for you I seem to only be partially here at the moment.” She looked back over at Gertie and gave her a warm smile. “My Gertie…you are always so kind to me and I never get to see you like this.” She extended her hand to the old woman as a growl bubbled up from Chase’s throat. Georgia’s eyes narrowed as she looked into his. Her golden rings around green eyes seemed to be revolving. “Down boy,” she hissed dripping of hatred.

Really though wouldn’t you if you were killed by these people repeatedly? Would you be full of the warm and fuzzies?

    Maury was more than ready to go toe to toe with her already. As he stepped forward Dominic’s voice boomed out and yet only Cyrus and Gertie jumped. Considering how transfixed Gertie was with Cyrus, Maury was surprised she heard anything at all. Like she was sensing his thoughts Georgia turned towards Cy and searched his face but not knowing for what. “Curious…” she said softly before returning her attention to Dominic.

   “Guardian…” her voice held a melody in it that could sway any man or beast but these men knew her better than to believe there was any softness in her. “Your—um what is he exactly?” Pointing to Maury who bared his teeth without hesitation. With a lazy hand she swatted at him like he was a drunken fly that was barely a nuisance. “Anyway, he is correct that the incantation has not been completed and truly I have no answers for why I am here right now.” She thought hard for a moment. “Partially here.” She corrected and began to slowly walk the kitchen floor as she tried to piece together what was happening. It wasn’t until Cyrus spoke up that she had a possible idea of what was going on. “If you are someone else then… where’s my mom?” Cy had unshed tears in his eyes as he tried to stay strong in front of the men in his family.

    “You’re…Mom?” She blinked at the question and offered up some cynical laughter until she noticed the sheen in his eyes. She stopped moving and searched his face again for something and realized that he felt familiar. That the very essence of him was what resonated in her.  “You mean you mother… is the vessel I am… in?” As the question was asked, all three men moved to Cyrus as if they were expecting a battle right here in the kitchen. Georgia began to pace again. At first she was mumbling to herself and her voice got louder and louder as she circled.

    Without warning she spun and slammed her hands down on the table in front of Gertie making the old woman white as a ghost and scared shitless. “A…son…a child! How is this possible? This vessel does not breed, it is to be barren!”

     Gertie had no answers and sank into herself. Not wanting to be too close to Gerogia’s anger and knew it was going to get worse when she figured out that there wasn’t just one child… but three, then decided that when that little tidbit came out she was going to take shelter behind the big men in the room with her. When she saw, Georgia’s hands move up to stroke her hair she figured that she was going to be doing exactly that. Running…quickly. In a quick change of the direction of her thoughts she remembered the sense she had of something or someone upstairs.

    As Georgia paced back and forth, her mouth moved rapidly as her brain tried to process the existence of a blood child. Not only would he be the child of her vessel but also a child with a guardian as well? The implications of that alone had her enraged. The dogs who had up until now had stayed pretty quiet began to bark and snarl in the direction of the irate goddess. At that moment, Georgia stopped pacing and her hands flew up into her hair, she grabbed large chunks and pulled as a scream ripped from her throat and hit the airwaves long and high pitched.

    Cyrus had moved to take a hold of angel by the collar as Maury held Kona between his thighs trying to turn the big husky towards the door to the backyard and they both stopped immediately. The energy in the room made the hairs on Cy’s neck stand on end as Georgia’s scream pierced the air. The dogs cowered and pawed frantically at their ears letting out whimpers that couldn’t be heard by the others in the room. As the scream raged on Cy on some level in the middle of the chaos noticed that first of all, the three men in the room didn’t flinch. They stood firm, patient, like this was something they had been through before, and second Gertie had bolted heading for the foyer and the front staircase.

    He wasn’t sure exactly what to do about that and having that thought in his head made him realize that although he could hear the screaming, his ears didn’t hurt and the only physical annoyance was the hair on his neck vibrating. He thought about his mother and as much as he wanted her back right this minute, he was terrified of the next step.

    Georgia’s screaming cut off abruptly and she focused back onto Cyrus. Her hair flowed out behind her on a wind that wasn’t there and her eyes contained death. Cy searched for Skye in her eyes and as much as he tried the look on Georgia’s face prevented him from finding her. Georgia launched herself at the boy but without her full strength she was caught by Chase easily before she could latch on to Cy’s neck. She thrashed against him as Maury grabbed Cy by the arm hard and escorted him from the room. Angel nipped him on the way by with her sharp teeth in warning as he pushed Cy forward.

    “Jesus dog!” Maury yelped. He sat Cy on a bench in the hall. “Stay here, she can’t see you right now.” Without another word he turned back to the kitchen and strode off. Once he stepped back in he saw Chase holding Georgia under the arms and Dom was holding her face, angrier than he had ever seen him before. From his belt he pulled out a bone dagger and for the first time ever... Maury stepped in front of Georgia, to protect her.

    “You can’t boss!” he yelled with his hand Dom’s chest he enunciated his words so they all understood loud and clear. “You can’t…Skye is still in there and that boy in the hall would be broken forever.” Dominic was quick on the uptake though and lowered his hand but the smile on Georgia’s face made him raise it again. Chase turned her around to face him and her satisfied grin pissed him off.

“Well how do we get her back Mo?”

“I... I don’t know Boss.” Just as Maury spoke the words he heard the slap of skin on skin and when he turned around Skye’s body was limp in the big man’s arms.

   Chase simply shrugged and said softly. “I couldn’t take the smug look in her eyes, one second longer.”

Chapter 15 Part 2

  Upstairs in the attic the dark figure stood completely still and completely naked as he listened to the commotion that was going on two floors down. Thanks to his exceptional hearing he heard every word as the whole thing went down. He was glad the witch didn't get up here because he could only use the transforming spell one more time and he had to find what he was looking for first so leaving was not an option until he had it. He hadn't moved since the children left and he heard Skye's unexpected guest arrive, careful not to, not only because they might hear him but because the dogs that were perched underneath the trap door to the attic would bark and alert the house to his presence.

  And still now after the argument with the witch on the stairs and Dominic showing up with his boys in tow he stood perfectly still, barely breathing and gauging everything. He almost bolted once already when he heard the yelling downstairs, his muscles twitching and fighting the commands from his brain to stay still. His brain won finally and he was going to resume the search when he felt the panic of the others in the house. 

  Still frozen he battled with himself about abandoning his mission or continuing forward until he felt the energy shift from fear and concern to confusion and anger. Everything seemed calmer now and he had to complete his task... the faster the better.

  He had wasted too much time.

  Moving silently across the wooden floor his feet moved swiftly as he rounded to the left of the 
couch that he had crouched behind. As he walked, he stepped carefully over the boxes and stray objects in his path that Cyrus had been throwing around and he headed to the corner where the boy had been searching. The boxes were all labelled neatly with the contents of each one written in black marker. The writing was definitely female judging by the swoops and delicate script done neatly in the top left hand corner of each box.

  Six feet away from where he was standing was a loose panel in the wall but his path was filled with obstacles. None of which deterred him in the least. He read each label as he picked up the boxes marked with soft contents that would make little or no noise when being moved and he had to make sure he put them back exactly where they had been before. Cyrus had not made it easy. He picked up the closest one marked WEDDING LINENS and placed it on top of one marked X-MAS DECORATIONS. When he put the box down Jingle Bells started to play from inside and the melody consisted of muffled notes escaping the cardboard but he was confident the people downstairs couldn't hear it.

  Reminding himself that he needed to be quick about this he set back to work and now his hands moved without hesitation. Before he knew it he was right where he wanted to be. The panel he was looking for was right in front of him and as he slide his fingers along the top of the pale wood it slid over quietly, just like it was meant to. He put his arm through the one foot by one foot hole and reached down, searching until he felt the soft, worn material under his finger tips. Stretching his arm in further he wasn't paying attention when Maury stepped up behind him. His sense of smell was keen to smell the Brut 33 wafting off the guy though and at that moment his hand closed around the object of his mission and he knew who was behind him.

  He stood slowly extracting the journal from the wall space and slid the panel back into place before turned to face Maury.

“Well, well, well fancy meeting you here” Maury drawled crossing his arms across his chest unconcerned about the guy in front of him in his birthday suit. The naked man lifted the corner of his mouth in a sly smile and put out his hand. As Maury clasped it in his own he laughed. “What took you so long?”