My Immortal Chapter 13: Coming Together
"'You will answer my questions Demon!' I raised my hand to the creature and clenched my fist. Telekinetic pressure closed around the pit the creature was in and pulled the walls in around its waste.
"I didn't care that the being was in pain. I didn't care that I was torturing it. I just wanted answers. It cried out that it didn't know anything. I began to burn away its flesh. I began to slowly pull out its soul chunk by chunk with the Dagger of Set. It begged to be set free, but I didn't care.
"That was the first of the demons I destroyed. I eventually started in on vampires, even fey. I became crazed in my search for a way home. All of those that I killed were twisted by darkness and were killing innocents, but no one, nothing, deserves to die in agony. I sent them to the pit writhing. Hundreds of them."
Josh just looked at me. There was no disgust, there was no horror. That hurt more than anything. "Blake, I would have done the same thing."
"What?"
"I would have torn apart the heavens to get to you. I almost did. If it wasn't for Maharet or Meker you would be sitting next to a man twisted by dark magiks." He looked at the floor. "I commissioned a dark sorcerer to take me as a pupil."
I sat quietly. "There is only one answer." He looked at me. "We stick together because we can't seem to stand being apart for great periods of time."
He smiled. "Deal."
The two lovers spent the next few days wrapping up their affairs in the city of San Francisco. So did their teammates.
Josh finished planning out the first leg of his tour, the one he left for the day after he returned from the mystic honey moon.
Blake spent the days contacting beings in the spirit realm, ones that he reestablished contact with once he returned to his own world. They helped him in the parallel dimension as much as they could. He earned their respect, and gave him the use of the corned of the Never Never they would be in.
Andrea set up the Serenity to be run by their assistant manager for a few days. She finished training their new Bar Tender, Kevin, so that he'd be able to fill in for Blake.
Jubilee, Alison, and Tabitha spent the days shopping. They were to be Blake's Grooms Maids. Jubilee almost blew him up when he suggested that he pick out the dresses.
She was picking them out.
Devin pulled in a few strings and managed to bring in a temporary Slayer to keep thing in San Francisco under control for the few days they would be gone. Buffy, the leader of the Slayers, was more than willing to help out.
After everything that the Birds of Prey had been through, they were all excited for a celebration and a time of peace and happiness.
"Mom, it's ok. He doesn't need to come. I've come to terms with it." I said into the phone.
"But Joshua, he's your brother." She sighed into the phone.
"And I'm sad that he doesn't want to be there. He made his feelings known at my birthday." I looked out the window, momentarily flashing back to the party at the Rain Forest Café. I immediately pushed it out of my mind. "It's enough that you, Dad, and Heather will be there."
"I can't believe this is happening. I wanted to tell you so bad! Blake is such a great man!" I laughed. I knew she was bouncing on the other side of the country.
"I know. Mom, are you sure dad is ok with it? I mean, he dealt ok enough that Blake was a guy, and a mutant. Are you sure he's ok with him being a Vampire?" My stomach still twisted.
"At first, no. But sweetie, you know what happened here. With that fire. That boy pulled that baby from the fire even though he was burning. And he just wouldn't stop burning. They tried to put him out, but they couldn't. I don't know how anyone could say that all vampires are evil when one died saving a baby. There are bad ones and good ones just like people."
"Thanks Mom. You gonna be packed and ready for Sage? She'll be there tomorrow early. She has to stop to pick up Lance, Eric, and the kids along with Joey and Chris in Orlando after you, then swing down to LA to get Justin and Jessica." I said twisting the phone line.
"We'll be ready dear. Don't worry." There was a crash in the background. "I've got to go. Your Father is a sweet man, but as coordinated as a... ROY! Don't put that there! You'll break it!" I laughed as she hung up. I hung up, then dialed Lance's.
"Hello?" came a sweet little voice.
"Hey munchkin! Is your Daddy home? It's uncle JC." I smiled into the phone.
"Hi uncle JC, they're in the other room." I heard the phone set on the table, then a scream "Dad! It's uncle JC!"
"Hello?" Came that bass voice I'd come to depend on.
"Hey! I'm calling around to make sure everyone is set to be picked up." I said. "You having fun getting the kids packed up?"
"Oh a blast. `I wanna take this, and this. I can't go without these! No, I need those too!'" He laughed. "I thought that I had until they were teenagers till I worried about over packing."
"Right now it's toys, then it'll be clothes." I laughed. "So, Sage is expecting to be there at about 12:00 your time. Will you be ready?" I asked.
"Yeah. Joey is expecting to be here by 11:30, and Chris said he'd stay over so that we can make sure he's awake. I told them no more than two bags each. Will there be enough space on the plane?"
"I almost forgot who I was talking to scoop. And yeah, more than enough." I laughed.
"You got your Vows written yet?" he asked.
"Almost. And no, you can't hear them." I said before he could ask. Everyone wanted to hear them, but I wanted to wait. We chatted a while longer, then I called Jus, my best man, to make sure they'd be ready.
Jean was flying in from New York along with Professor Xavier, Ororo, Joshua and his boy friend Logan, Bobby, and Marie, on the X-Jet.
Blake asked me if I wanted to invite any of my other friends. I said no. Sure, there were hundreds of big name celebrities I could invite, but these people are like family to me. I had enough people to bring.
All I really needed there was Blake anyways.
"Roger that Phoenix, clear me a space. Touchdown in T-30 seconds." Sage said through the com.
"Stand back everyone!" I yelled to everyone. The portal at the end of the hangar flared to life and the Night Hawk slid through the lading stretch. The feet came down, and in a wash of landing thrusters settled.
"Ok y'all!" I yelled at the girls. "Let's load up! I wanna get married!"
Josh just stood off to the side smiling. I walked up to him and pulled him into a hug.
"You know. I've been thinking for a while. C is a bit of a lame codename." He said smiling.
"Oh really? I've always thought it was cute." I kissed him on the nose. He slipped on his glasses. "Sage. Access my personnel file. Change the code name. No longer C. Make it Bard."
"Change noted." I could hear her voice coming from his ear piece. "Effective immediately all references to C shall be made to Bard. Nice choice."
"Thanks." He said smiling. "One name changed. Two more to go Mr. Alexander-Chasez."
"After you Mr. Chasez-Alexander." I said swatting him in the butt.
I grabbed our stuff with my powers and let the bags follow us up into the Jet.
Mom and Dad sat down with Josh's parents after some tear filled hugging of him and I and started chatting. I found Justin and Jessica sitting with Lance and Eric swapping stories about the kids, who were off to the side playing.
"This thing is remarkable." Chris said patting me on the back.
"Wait until after dinner." I said smiling.
"Dinner? No one mentioned Dinner." He said confused. "I thought we were just eating at the island."
"All hands please take your seats." Sage said over the speakers. "We will be taking off in just a moment."
"You better sit down Chris. The lift off can be a little trying." I patted his shoulder and headed for my station.
Being a being from Space, when I became a part of the crew of the Night Hawk I got Navigation. Andrea was sitting as co-pilot to Sage. Devin sat down at Communications. Dazzler took over at the Engineering station. Jubilee took Tactical. Tabitha sat down at Ops. I smiled at everyone.
Sage could easily take care of all systems, but there's just something about working as a team. I pressed a button at my station. "Hello and welcome aboard the Night Hawk. Please sit down and enjoy the comforts of the lounge area. I would like to make a special welcome to Nsync, and the friends and family of the band. Our flight to Cante Sinoa, the private island of Sezuan Perceville will take approximately 6 hours."
I could hear the murmurs of confusion coming from the back, and Andrea turn to ask me a question. "I know this may seem a little outlandish considering how quickly you all made it to San Francisco from the East Coast, and LA. We have a slight detour to make."
"Excuse me Blake." Sage said over the Speakers. I found it slightly unnerving that she was speaking, yet not through her body which was pressing buttons at the pilots seat. "All hands prepare for takeoff. Inertial dampeners should cancel all feeling of thrust during takeoff, but incase of any sort of system failure please stay seated until we reach cruising speed."
"I suggest you all look out the windows." I said pressing the buttons necessary to activate the spell cast on the walls of the lounge to allow people to see what's outside the ship. "Cause the view is gonna be killer."
I pressed the button to close the connection to the speakers and started punching buttons to get a bearing. "Sage, I'm sending the coordinates to you now. This time of year we should be able to swing around Mars easily. If you can, pass by one of its moons on the way to Ganymede."
"Affirmative Blake. Course laid in. Main engine power up confirmed." Her body pressed some runes on the console above her head. "Activating Golden Gate." We started flying towards the target at the end of the chamber and just before hitting it were suddenly flying above San Francisco Bay. We angled up, climbing, but didn't level off. We kept climbing until the sky started to fade to black.
I hit a couple buttons and was greeted with a view of the lounge. Everyone was looking out the walls at the horizon line of the earth which was slowly fading bellow us.
"Coming about." Sage said over the speakers, "If you all look out the right side of the craft you will be able to see the West Coast of North and South America. In just a few moments the Sub-Light drive will kick in and we will be heading towards Mars."
We all watched the Earth and Moon get smaller as we flew away. Within five minutes there was a rapidly growing red sphere. "Braking for close orbit fly by." Sage slipped in between Mars and two oddly shaped masses. "If you look out the left side of the craft you will be able to make out the shape of Olympus Mons, the largest mountain in the Solar System. On the right you will be able to make out the two moons of Mars." We passed by Mars and its small partners in a couple minutes. Sage kicked the engines back in and we were off. In a couple minutes she slowed again. "We are now passing through the Asteroid Belt. When the Solar System was forming, all the terrestrial planets formed within a relatively close orbit of the sun. We know the surviving planets as Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. The Asteroid Belt was the last attempt at a terrestrial planet. It would have formed and had a stable orbit if not for the gravitational disturbance created by Jupiter, the largest of the planets." She sped back up as we passed a particularly large asteroid.
Within a few more minutes we were in orbit of Jupiter. "If you'll look out the right side of the craft you will see the Great Red Spot coming up from the horizon. A storm system large enough to house several Earths, its center is a downdraft of winds that give us a view of a lower layer of Jupiter. We are coming up on our destination for dinner, Ganymede. One of the many moons of Jupiter."
"What do you think of the view, Pop?" I asked, setting my hand on his shoulder.
"Son, I never imagined I'd see anything like it." We both gazed out at the orange clouds swirling around the largest of the planets. On the horizon we could see the thin ring that orbits it. "Are you sure about him?" he asked.
"Yeah dad." I looked over at Blake. He'd changed his hair to black with blond highlights. "He's my everything. When I thought he was gone..." I couldn't finish the sentence.
"I know Josh. I saw you." My dad looked at me and smiled. I was shocked to see a tear in his eye. "I've never seen you so happy, son. When he's around, I see the boy I helped raise. Every word you speak is laced with music." He looked out into the stars. "'It is right it should be so: Man was made for joy and woe; and when this we rightly know, through the world we safely go. Joy and woe are woven fine, a clothing for the soul divine.'"
"William Blake." I said smiling at him.
"Yes." He turned to me. "Take care of each other." He looked at Mom and smiled. "It's a wondrous thing."
I looked at Blake again. "I know."
We landed and I could hear Josh's breath catch.
The thing about borrowing a Wizard's private island is that it's always a beautiful place filled with magic. There were pixies dancing in the fields, and trees that danced in the wind. In the center of the island stood the ruin of an ancient castle. Off to the side, near a cliff, stood the main house.
"My God!" I heard Josh's mom exclaim.
"I take it you like it Karen?" Devin said laughing.
"It's wonderful!" She said. "I never imagined..." She strolled towards the field, Roy in tow. Mom and Dad followed close behind.
"It is wonderful. Thank you for setting this up." Josh said pulling me into a sideways hug.
"Gang way!" Jubilee screamed. We turned and saw her carrying a load of boxes down the ramp.
"Yeah, if you're not setting up the site, get the hell out of the way." Andrea said, pointing her ring at a dozen or so men carrying boxes towards the ruin. We headed towards the house, our bags in hand. Everyone else just worked.
"Shouldn't we help them?" Josh asked.
"No." Devin said strolling up along side. "If they would stop long enough to remember what I said, they'd remember that house elf's are here to take care of that."
"What?" I asked.
"In the Wizarding community they are slaves. Sezuan bought a hundred or so and told them that they were to live on this island freely. They said that they couldn't, and was scared to death that he would set them free. He compromised and said that they would tend the island, keep the plants healthy and well cared for, keep the house in shape, and take care of him and the guests whenever there are any. This being his summer home, he's only here every once in a while. He did send word that we would be coming though."
"Wow." Josh said. "That's so sad. They are petrified of being free."
"In my opinion it's the single worst thing wizards ever did." He said quietly. We went the rest of the way to the house in silence.