Times Like These

[Ayden]

They busied themselves with sight-seeing. You were only in Saint Petersburg once. Or so that's the line she wanted to believe. They could only have this once chance to see it all. Who knew where their life would take them.They

Ayden's dreams and her reaction from the mugging still bothered her, but made the most of their time together. Connor made Ayden smile, he made her happy. The museums were fun, the Winter Palace was grand. Ayden had seen the insides before, but under much more stressful times. She didn't want to think about that life, this was her new one, making new memories.

They strolled through the park. It was gorgeous. Even the snow made it magnificent.

"So...can I ask you something?


That was such a hard question. She nodded. He could ask her anything.

"Do you ever think about contacting your family? Of going home to see them?"


Ayden knew that question would come up one day. She hadn't hoped it would be anytime soon. But there it was. She shook her head. "No. My family thinks I'm dead. I thought about it when I was working for someone else. But never did. I didn't want to hurt them, or bring down the wrong people on them. And now. The pain would very hard to deal with on all sides."


She knew family was important to Connor, it was important to her, but she did not want to see her family, the family who thought their daughter was a good person. One who died with honor.


Edited by Ayden, Aug 26 2014, 12:48 PM.

[Connor Kent]

The only sound was the sound of their shoes on the snow walk and the slight breeze ruffling the branches overhead. He let her words sink in. He understood what she was saying. It had been years and they had likely come to terms with her 'death' though they likely thought of her often. That loss would always be there, he knew. He knew that from experience.

He looked at her wanting to say something, but held back. Not yet. He didn't have a right to push her. He'd support her. Though he did hope that one day she might change her mind. Getting their daughter back from the dead would be a wonderful thing. Maybe one day.

He put his arm around her and pulled her to him, kissing her on the forehead. "I love you Ayden."

[Ayden]

These two were too cute, too much for Thomas. Even through the scope of the rifle he had they were nothing but cute. It made him sick. But one thing kept him watching, the payout!

They moved and wandered the park, never making for a clean shot. When they finally stood still the unwitting fool stood in his way, but... Thomas took aim. He knew he could make the shot. Two birds with one bullet. He just had to hit the mark.

Thomas wasn't a trained marksman, but he was Atharim - trained in everything possible to make his mark on the world. Guns, swords, fist fights, you name it Thomas could do it. He knew he could do this. In training he had only been bested a few times. The Regus had put him in his place a time or two, but the one that really chafed was the girl who had nearly killed him during a spar. He had only fought her that one time before her so-called mentor had stepped in and told Thomas not to spar with her. He didn't know why, sure there were rumors about the girl, but he as not some easy mark like that boy Scott had been.

A slight breeze. The sun was just right, not in his eyes. Perfect line up and Thomas squeezed the trigger ever so gently. A small pop and he watched it sail. He wished he could hear the sound of the bullet hitting flesh, ripping through the man and into the women. All he heard was screams.




Edited by Ayden, Aug 26 2014, 03:35 PM.

[Ayden]

The words were barely out of his mouth. Ayden heard the familiar sound of a sniper rifle go off. Ayden looked past Connor and embraced her gift.

A boy lay on the ground, his hover board lay spewing air and snow off in every direction. The world spun quickly and yet it stayed still. Her gift brought every detail to her. A bush rustled with the wind. Was it the wind, everything else was still. Quickly Ayden wrapped air around the bush. If it were the wind it wouldn't mater, an animal would scamper off into the wall of air. A person slammed into her weave.

There were so many people around, other kids were screaming, a few women too. Ayden looked at Connor and nodded towards the boy. With her gift in hand, Ayden knew the boy was not breathing, but it would keep Connor out of harms way. Though she doubted he'd stay long with the boy. He was a bit of a hero. Ayden didn't care right now, she wove a small ball of fire. She kept it hidden in the palm of her hands, but it was there, ready to be unleashed.

Everything was a blur. Ayden ran to where the bush and man were. He was nursing a head blow as he had tumbled backwards into a rock. Ayden tightened her net of air upon the man. He stared back at her. Ayden smiled. She'd seen the man before, he'd been in the bar once or twice. She was fairly certain she'd seen him around Moscow, and now in Saint Petersburg. She had been followed.

Was this a man from the organization that Connor was afraid of. Ayden turned to find Connor standing behind her. "He one of them?"



Edited by Ayden, Aug 26 2014, 04:49 PM.

[Connor Kent]

Ayden looked up at his words as if to say something when he heard a loud popping sound. Then it was chaos. Ayden had jerked away from him. A boy was on the ground- where had he come from?- blood spattering the snow, his hoverboard aimlessly whining above the snow next to him. He looked at Ayden to see if she was ok and she nodded at him and then at the boy. Knowing she was ok, he scrambled to the kid.

He was only peripherally aware of the noise of others- Connor hadn't noticed that people had been scattered through the park- coming to see what happened. There was a big gaping hole in the side of the boy's head and blood and brain and skull fragments scattered out from him. He was dead. Connor felt rage burn in him. Another dead kid! His heart pounded. He wanted someone to pay for this. He stood up looking around, trying to see where the shot had come from when he saw Ayden hurrying toward a bush.

When he caught up to her a dark man lay against a rock squirming but able to do little more than that, arms were pinned to his side. The hatred and fear on his face were palpable. Connor looked down and saw the rifle and he looked back at the man glaring.

Ayden stood there cupping fire. Connor smiled tightly. Oh yeah, this guy had made a mistake alright. "He one of them?"
For a moment Connor didn't know what she was talking about. Then he remembered his warning to her yesterday about the Atharim and everything fell into place. The rage he'd felt moments ago doubled at the realization of what the man had been trying to do. They go after my family!! As if Hayden's death hadn't been enough, they try to kill Ayden? White rage blinded him as he went over to the man and punched him as hard as he could in the face. He felt his nose crumple and blood spewed all over the man's lip. His head flew back and hit the rock with a hard thud and the man went limp.

Connor grabbed his arm and slid the sleeve of the leather jacket up. Nothing! Checked the other arm. There it was. The oroboros tattoo was there. No question. This man was Atharim and had been trying to kill the woman he loved. Such cowards, hiding behind rocks. Killing innocent kids. He flashed back to that old man in the book shop. Fuck him! Sanctimonious hypocrite! Hiding behind the Bible to commit cold blooded murder. Judgmental asshole!

"Yeah. He is one of them Ayden, This is their mark."
A thought occurred to him. Perhaps they had been after him because of the information he'd gotten. It didn't matter. They would have killed Ayden anyway. Now more than ever, he wanted to hurt them.

For the first time, he was glad that Ayden had killed people before, because that's what he wanted to do. He looked at her. "He wanted me or he wanted you, but he was going to kill us both."
He looked down at the gun and made a decision. "He's not going to get back to his asshole friends and tell them what happened."
He bent to pick up the gun in his gloved hands. In the distance he heard the shouts and knew that the police would be there soon. He didn't have much time.

[Ayden]

Ayden nodded when Connor confirmed the identity of the man. He then proceeded to punch the fellow. Connor bent with anger to get the rifle he had dropped. Ayden let him. But she wasn't going to let Connor kill this man. Connor was a good man. He didn't need to taint his soul with murder of the vengeful kind.

It might be therapeutic for him to do so. But Ayden couldn't let him do it. She put her free hand on Connor's arm and shook her head. She hoped he'd understand.

Ayden could burn the man alive, but the smell of burning flesh and the deed itself was not fast, the authorities were soon to be here. She could do any number of things but what was quickest and easiest to get away with was to make it look like natural causes. Ayden dropped the fall of fire and started weaving a net that she could wrap around his heart. If the gift could heal, it could easily kill. Ayden didn't quite understand what she did, but it felt like it had been natural, though she had never done it before.

The man lay helpless at their feet unconscious. Ayden wrapped her net around the down man's heart and crushed it. It may not look like a heart attack on autopsy, but they'd have hell explaining it none-the-less. The sudden pain in his chest made his eyes pop open and he gasped for breath. It was quick. Ayden wished to make it longer, but there wasn't time.

She turned to Connor and frowned. "Let's go home. He can't hurt us again."

[Connor Kent]

Connor lifted the rifle but Ayden touched his arm and shook his head. She looked angry and determined and he didn't understand why she was stopping him. He'd killed that kid, tried to kill both of them. Connor was going to protect his family. It was as simple as that. The Atharim had tried to kill them. He would do what he needed to, by any means necessary.

The fire in Ayden's hand went out and she looked intensely at the man. Connor was still been intent on killing this man when he realized that Ayden was doing something with her abilities. The man's eyes flew open and then they glazed over. She had killed him. Just like that, without touching him, and he was dead. He stared in shock. She said something about leaving and he walked in a daze.

Rage blinded him. The Atharim had forced her to kill again. He didn't begrudge her the death at all. He had been about to do the same despite the shake of her head. But it still tore at him that they made her walk that path again. A part of him knew it was necessary. She was stronger and more capable of protecting them than him. Somehow, the Atharim had learned of either of them and they were targets.

The simple life ahead of them seemed to stretch off eternally out of reach and he felt something dying inside. He didn't want this for them. He wanted them to be left alone. Letting go last night had been hard, but it was for the future ahead of him, with Ayden, of the family they might create together. But the fucking Atharim were trying to take that away from him too.

Well he wouldn't let them. No he would not. He and Ayden would have a future together. He was not going to lose her. Not another one. Not one god-damn other one! He had to think of something.

They quietly made their way to the metro- passing on-rushing police and EMT's- and headed back to the hotel. Connor took her hand and squeezed it. His jaw was clenched and an idea was forming in the back of his mind.

[Ayden]

Their conversation about family had died when the kid had. Ayden wasn't sure she liked the fact that Connor was asking. There was a lot to think about on the ride back to their hotel. Ayden had meant to go home, home, but once they were alone in the room. All thoughts of going home fled. Not only because she liked the room and it was great to have Connor with her, but because home was hard.

Ayden didn't know much about the Atharim. Short of what Connor knew. And Ayden gathered that he knew little to nothing at all really about them. But what he did set his blood to boil as it did hers. They had marked her a target! That was not acceptable. She knew it was for her, she had used her gift in public not once but twice. And that was when the feeling's of being followed had started, the night she'd met Zoya.

Ayden was thankful that Zoya hadn't actually channeled outright, she should be safe. A ball of fire and lifting kids from the water is pretty magical stuff. A dry coat that no one could really see was wet in the first place that was another story. It made her feel better that the brunette she'd met who didn't know what she was would be safe.

But there had to be something she could do about this, do about the Atharim. To Do about staying alive for both her and Connor's sake.

They spent the remainder of the day and evening together, flirting, playing and of course in bed. All of it made the weekend great, the small interlude of murder in between seemed to make life brighter. More scared, something to live for now, not wait for later. Ayden knew what she wanted to do when they got home. She wasn't going to wait, not now. There were many things to do and she would happily do them.

When sleep finally came Ayden drifted off to sleep lying against Connor. The dreams came as they always did after a kill. They were covered in blood, but everyone was safe. It wasn't her family that was dead, just the man she'd killed. He saved them.

The realization hit Ayden and her eyes popped open. She knew why her dreams had changed. But she couldn't exactly go around killing people again. That was a sure way to end what she had. What was the reality of the dreams? Why had killing worked? And why had they gone away after she had given up everything, only to reemerge. Something was the same and yet completely different and Ayden had to figure out the connection. Ayden didn't want to dream of blood every night. And she definitely didn't want to dream of Connor dead, or her family anymore. Life was good now, her dreams should reflect that. There was still work to be done to solve the problem. Maybe in the morning she'd talk to Connor about it. But for now Ayden closed her eyes and slept again, knowing that every one was safe.

[Connor Kent]

The rest of the day was odd. Death in the afternoon made a strange interlude and seemed to shadow everything. It had a weird effect. The darkness seemed to make the lighter moments more lighter. His rage was still in the back of his mind, making him determined. But they had also survived an attempt on their lives. Ayden seemed to want to savor the life that they had, that they had almost lost. Or she was once again compartmentalizing her emotions. He couldn't help but twinge at the thought. Connor had a harder time of it. He was not used to doing that kind of thing. Everything was always intense for him, always demanded his full attention. They were just different that way. So he said nothing to her. He might- later- but not now. Instead, he tried to play along. But the feeling remained in the background. A strange day indeed.

Sleep had been fitful, dreams of losing Ayden or her leaving having come to him for most of the night. His stomach was in knots with worry. When morning came, he was relieved. She was sleeping peacefully. He watched her for a while, fiery hair a wild mass on the pillow. She was so beautiful, all her thoughts- the fire and spirit of her- locked behind those closed eyes. No. He wouldn't let the Atharim take her from him.

He got up and put on his shorts and went to his wallet, flipping it to holo-mode. He pulled up the video of Michael Vellas in DV and watched it again. The kid's destruction had been nothing short of miraculous. After he'd handed over the drive with the list, he looked him up. The man was important, a Commander. The news credited him with a big part of the victory in Jeddah. He had even been mentioned by the Ascendancy at his Christmas party for his roll.

And Vellas was using his power in the military. And he now had a list of other magic users. Ayden was one- though not on that list he'd had thankfully. But yesterday's events were still fresh in his mind. She hadn't been, but she was definitely on one now, their target list. She needed to be safe from them, in a place where they couldn't get to her so easily.

She was ex-military. Maybe Vellas would be willing to help her somehow, maybe find a use for her skills. The thought scared him- the potentially dangerous situations she might be in- but he reminded himself that she had been doing this for years and years and was very good at her work. Between that and the magic she had access to, she was formidable.

His heart hurt. No matter what, there would be risk. But at least she wouldn't be alone. He wanted to be the kind of husband who could protect her from everything. But he knew his limitations. He was just a simple guy. He had no special skills. She lived in a different world, had power he didn't understand. As much as he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to protect her by himself. Not from the Atharim. But if she was around others like her, maybe she'd be safer.

She shifted in the bed and he looked over at her from the desk. He went over to the bed and got in next to her, watched her continue to sleep. He gently put his hand on her chest, over her heart the way he had with Hayden the day he was born. "I swear I will do whatever it takes to protect you Ayden. I love you,"
he whispered.

[Ayden]

Ayden stirred in her sleep. She felt Connor lay down next to her. He said something but she didn't quite hear him, but she felt his hand on her chest. She smiled sleepily and put her hand on top of his Ayden didn't open her eyes. "Good morning, my love."


Sleepily rolled over on her side pulling Connor's arm around her. Her back against him and smiled. She loved feeling him next to her. He was safe and warm and comforting. Ayden never wanted to leave his embrace.

"My dreams were like they were before."
Ayden sighed. "That man, killing him, I think that was the reason."
Ayden rolled over to look up at Connor and smiled. "Everyone was safe again. But when I stopped doing that for you. They went away all together."
She frowned, it was a hard thing to say. "But when they came back, they were different. Something was missing. The only things the two have in common is a sacrifice. The first of men, the second of myself."
She sat up on her elbows and kissed Connor. "I don't want to kill to feel safe, but these dreams they need to stop. I can't fear sleeping."
Ayden feel back against the pillow. "There has to be something I can do that will make them go away."
Her voice was desperate, Ayden didn't particularly like that emotion, but it's how she felt, and she wasn't going to hide it from Connor, the man she was going to marry and probably sooner rather than later.