WARNING--I have a Potty Mouth and I am not afraid to use it. No Bullies! I knit and I write. I'm a single, straight, mixed blood Mama, so some (ok, most) of my stories will have some NSFW stuff!--So ONLY 18+!!
This coming week, I'll be reposting The Hamato Chronicles from the beginning. I hit a wall with Mikey, Usagi, and my OC's, but I've got it now. To recap....The Chronicles are the story of Marlowe Jean and her daughter Fawn Li returning to the family. I have 14 chapters done and ready to go up, while having the ideas for about a dozen more. The additional chapters document Marlowe's recovery.
I'll also have the next two chapters of Reunion, my BTS, MX, and Wonho fic, up this week. The healing starts and some old memories surface.
I'm looking forward to your feedback on both stories.
However, 'The Third Times The Charm' is moving a little slower at the moment, but there will be big moves happening soon, so don't forget to check back there every few weeks. While slower, I'm still writing there, too.
I slipped away and stepped out onto the deck. "You okay?"
He grunted in my general direction.
"That bad, huh?"
Then he growled, a short burst of irritation. His dark eyes never once looked at me.
Yoongi POV
This grumpy cat was not in the best mood. After fighting to get to sleep, and not being able to stay asleep for long, I had jumped at the two people on the planet I knew better than myself. How was she real. What had I done to deserve this? I must have been very, very good or done something so monumentally stupid that Karma was now waving her in my face, ala; 'See what you could have had'. I grew angrier at myself as the moments ticked by.
By the time she stepped out onto the deck, I knew I had messed up.
"You okay," she asked politely, but bluntly.
I knew, that if I turned and looked at her, that would be it; I would be a bawling, clingy mess all day. I grunted as another wave of memories and their attached emotions hit me. How had she carried all this, all these memories, for so long. That woman is surely made of better stuff than me.
"That bad, huh?"
The growl that came out wasn't meant to come across as irritation, but I knew she would take it that way. I wasn't frustrated with her, but with the position I had put her in, time and time again. Yeah, I had known where she was all these years, but I had never made a single slip to show that I knew. Instead, I constantly told her through, whatever this connection is, that she was safer there. In all honesty, I thought she was safest away from me. I mean, with sasaengs, anti-fans, and super fans. I honestly thought she was safest on the other side of the planet, but now; now, I'm not so sure. I'm not sure if I was protecting her from them, or from me.
Oddly enough, I knew that this was the cause of most of the distance between us. More than miles separated us at this point. I knew, deep down, that most of our issues were from shielding each other from the bad things in our pasts. I kept her from knowing about the wreck, and she kept me from the abuse. We really aren't that different in that respect. Also, there is the knowing that it drives both of us spare to be out of the proverbial loop, as it were. Alas, that's the way we are and always were, protecting each other to the bitter end, even if we were only protecting each other from ourselves.
I never heard her footfalls on the decking, but it was hard to miss the brightness of her energy as she walked towards me. I tried so hard to shut down the aching in my soul, the pulling in my chest, and swore that if someone could have seen my spirit, it would have been grabby handing towards hers.
I was angrily staring at a spot on the decking when two, tiny feet in handknit, turquoise socks came into view.
I was instantly upset. What the hell was she doing! "Really," I shouted. "It's fucking cold, and you are out here, without shoes," I looked up to see her shiver and wrap her sweater around herself. I shot up, "Or a coat. Are you trying to kill yourself, Woman!"
All my anger at myself spilled out onto her and I could almost see her shut down.
I gasped as I registered what had just come out of my mouth. 'You are an idiot,' I swore at myself, mentally.
Her face drained of all emotion as she sighed, and the mask that came up was pure stone. The cool, emotionless look in her eyes, was too much. I was already so used to seeing those eyes so warm and full, that seeing them cold and empty was horrible. "Breakfast is ready. Better get to it, before Joker eats it all."
As she stepped away, I opened my coat and grabbed her, wrapping her in it. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry; I didn't mean it."
She sighed and set her shoulders.
I knew, right then, I had cut her deeply, though that had not been my intent. She is like me that way.
"Bullshit, Heyhaka. You meant every damned word of it," she growled as she pushed away and stalked back indoors.
It was all I could do to stand there, mentally screaming at myself. What I had done was the equivalent of tearing the offered olive branch of peace from her hand and whipping her in the face with it.
I heard a door slam somewhere inside the house. Then, I heard another slam above me and looked up to see her walk out on the balcony, a smoke between her lips. I thought she had quit. It's my fault she is starting again. But, in true fashion, I stepped into my monumental asshole demeanor and stomped back inside.
CK PoV
Hearing that my past-life father was already being a grumpy fucker just pissed me off, but more so when he directed it at Ma. She hadn't done anything wrong, and when she came back through the kitchen, I could see the tears welling up in her eyes. It took all I had to keep from kicking my old man's butt ALL the way back to Korea. As it was, my elder brother was the voice of reason.
"I know, Piyah," NamJoon growled. "Let's go check on Ma."
All of the bags were brought into the foyer, and I set about showing each of the guys to their rooms. Up the stairs, the landing split into three corridors. To the right were JHope, Kihyun, and JK on the right side of the hall, and Jin, JooHoney, and NamJoon to the left. Beyond JK and Joon's rooms, there was another bathroom. Suga's room was behind Jin's, just down the center corridor, with a rather large bathroom between. The door to the balcony was a little farther down from the door to Suga's room. To the left of the landing, Minhyuk, Tae, and CK were on the right of the hallway, while HyungWon, Jimin, and Wonho were on the left. There were two large bathrooms off this hallway; one between HyungWon and Jimin, while the other was just past CK's room.
Each of the boys’ rooms sported an antique, queen sized, four poster bedstead. Across the room was a fireplace surrounded by bookshelves that were utterly stuffed with books. By the large windows sat a very comfortable, overstuffed armchair with an ottoman, and side table. All of the fireplaces had been closed for winter, except for the big one in the family room, allowing the furnace to do the work.
Off to the left of the landing, and to the last door, there was one small room left at the end of the hall. While this room had its own bathroom, it was noticeably smaller than the rest. The bathroom was a standard three piece, thereby making it much smaller than the others. The bed was a small twin, and while rather cramped, it was more than enough for me. It boasted a large bank of bookshelves and a good view of the mountains. In all honesty, I figured it had either been added as a nursery or as space for a housekeeper.
Across the hall from Suga's room was a large, open lounge. The seating was plentiful and comfortable, with a perfect view of the mountains. The far-right hand corner boasted a small bar, with a drink fridge and all the gadgetry needed for mixing drinks. A rather large selection of liquor bottles sat perched on the shelving and glittering in the bar lights. A single serve coffee brewer sat along the barback. Next to this was a huge tv, where many movies sat in row after row on the shelves that flanked the set.
All the members of the groups settled in rather quickly and one by one, drifted off to sleep. At the end of the hall, I, on the other hand, found sleep elusive. As the sun began to blush the sky, I gave up and went to begin breakfast for my visiting family. Creeping down the back set of narrow servants’ stairs, towards the kitchen, I made a note to add more lights here, and to fix the rail.
From the foyer, one could reach the kitchen by following the wide hallway down past the stairs and hanging a left at the farmhouse table in the dining area. I was in awe, yet again, of how well equipped this kitchen was. It was so much more spacious than my other, back in Podunk. Along the far wall, there was a Vulcan six burner gas stove, with a steel hood shining above. To my left, a large, fancy, glass front Frigidaire and matching stainless upright freezer, which together was much larger than a standard side-by-side. To the right, was a farmhouse sink and a large capacity dishwasher.
I sighed and got to work. Just past the corner, was a door leading to the basement, storage, and the game room. At the bottom of the steps, to the right and down a small hallway were the washer and dryer, along with the furnace and water heater. To the left of the stairs was a bank of shelves and two more fridge/freezer combos.
In the first, was eggs, milk, and the like. In the second, there was fruit and veg, mostly all from my garden in Illinois. Upon grabbing a laundry basket, I reached into the first and I grabbed out a large flat of 18 eggs, a gallon of milk, and some shredded cheese. From the second, I grabbed orange bell peppers and a selection of berries. From one of the freezers, I grabbed a large packet of pre-cooked bacon and sausage patties. From another freezer, I grabbed some extra-large tortillas and several bags of precut potatoes and onions.
After returning to the kitchen, I placed the foodstuffs on the counter and went into the dining room. On the large chalkboard above a large, ornate, antique buffet, I wrote, 'Breakfast Burritos, hash browns, fruit cup, and toast'. Then, I placed the bread and the toaster on the buffet and plugged in the toaster.
Next, I placed a two-burner griddle on the stove, followed by a large chicken skillet, and a large Dutch oven. Once I had cut up all the required veggies, I turned all of the burners I needed onto low and while they warmed up, I beat nine of the eighteen eggs I needed.
In the Dutch oven, over medium heat, I heated a little olive oil and added a little minced garlic, and some of the diced onions. As they started to become translucent, I dropped the heat to low. Then, dumped in the diced potatoes, giving them a good stir afterwards, before covering the pot, and moving on.
In the chicken pan, I sauteed the remaining onions and the bell peppers with a little bit of olive oil. When they had softened enough, I transferred them to a large stainless bowl and set about making the sausage and bacon.
At the same time, I added the eggs to the griddle and began to scramble them. About that time, the timer on the coffee pot went off, sending the smell of steaming brain juice wafting through the lodge.
"Need any help," a voice whispered from behind me.
I almost jumped out of my skin. Turning, I saw Jimin there, taking an apron down off of the pegs by the door and pulling it down over his head. He then went over to the large sink to wash up.
Finally shaking myself awake again, I whispered, "Yeah, Cricket. When you get washed up, stir the potatoes. I will check them in a minute, as soon as I get these eggs finished."
"So," he whispered, "What kind of fruit is in the fruit cup?"
I smiled, "Blueberries, blackberries, and golden raspberries, all of them from my garden in Illinois."
"Really," Jimin chuckled. "You grew them all?"
"Yep. You should have seen my truck bringing all the food up here. I looked like I had bought a ton of coolers," I laughed. "Spent a small fortune on ice, too."
"I'd bet. So, you grew all the vegetation we will eat our entire time here?"
"Well, not ALL of it. Lettuce doesn't keep that well, and I am in the wrong spot to grow some things, like cranberries."
Jimin nodded as he stirred the potatoes. "Forks," He asked.
"That drawer over there,” I said as I pointed at it.
He chuckled and went to find a fork. He returned with one and poked the potatoes to see how done they were.
"Hey, good job."
"Not a total slouch, Sis."
"Liar," a grumbly, deep voice rasped from the doorway.
"I am not lying, YoonGi. I simply choose not to."
"Right," Suga grumped. Turning to me, he asked, "Mugs? Before I down the entire pot myself."
I chuckled, "Look up."
He tipped his head up and chuckled at the row upon row of 20oz latte mugs arranged on the shelf just over the coffeemaker.
"Sleep well," I asked, politely.
He glared at me and growled, "No. I couldn't fuckin' sleep."
I turned back around and focused on the eggs, doing my level best not to tear up at the sheer malice in that growl.
"He didn't mean it that way, Sis."
I sighed and flipped a mess of eggs into a large bowl and said, "Yeah. He did, Cricket."
"I think you two need to talk," Jimin said.
YoonGi jumped up like he'd been bitten before growling hotly at Jimin, "There is nothing to talk about". Then, he grabbed his parka and stalked out to the deck to sulk.
Joon was in the doorway, rubbing one eye, "Wow. What got into him? Ma, you ok," asked NamJoon, his glasses sliding down his nose slightly. Silently, he reached up and resettled them properly.
Cricket sighed and rubbed my shoulder. "I think he is having a hard time coming to grips with a few things."
"Like," NamJoon asked as he poured a mug of coffee and sat down at the bar.
"Like the fact that Ina is real," a groggy CK said from the doorway, "He went so long thinking she was just some girl in his dreams that he would never actually meet, that it hurt less to just classify her as a fantasy. Same thing happened with Mum, but she always kept the faith and hope, somehow. Right now, Ata is kicking himself for not doing the same. It's a hard pill to swallow."
"He almost made Ma cry, Dan."
CK's head snapped up. "Are you ok, Mum," Danny asked, his voice full of concern.
I sighed heavily before fighting the lump in my throat again. "I will be, boys. Your father is grumpy this morning, so it's best to stay out of his way. You know how he is."
CK sat down next to NJ at the bar and huffed out of his nose. "You know what this means."
NJ nodded. "Means we have our work cut out for us, little brother."
"Hey, which of us is older," CK chuckled.
NamJoon almost giggled. "Me. Irish twins," he replied as he fluttered his eyelashes at CK.
"Dear God. Don't do that. You look like Ina," CK laughed.
"Hey, at least one of us got her dimples."
"Oh, shut up."
"Not my fault you look like Dad and Grandpa," NamJoon sniffed.
A booming voice behind them yelled, "What was that, boys," as a hand landed on NJ's right and Ck's left shoulder.
Both men sheepishly looked up at HyungWon.
"Sorry."
"We love you."
With infinite patience, HyungWon simply sighed and rolled his eyes before heading to the coffee pot and pouring out the last 3 mugs of coffee as Wonho and Kihyun stumbled into the kitchen.
As the sausage and bacon finished up, I put the last of the eggs into a large bowl.
"Potatoes are fork tender, Sis. What now," Jimin asked.
"Turn the fire up and stir every few minutes. They will get color on them that way."
Jimin nodded and did as I had said, slowly stirring the contents of the pot until they had started to take on a golden-brown color.
"This right," he asked.
"Perfect," I said and turned the gas off, under the pan. I then pulled out two large serving bowls and said, "See if you can get about half in each bowl."
Cricket nodded and set to work.
"Anything for me, Ma," asked NamJoon.
Setting down another bowl, I asked, "Can you empty those bags of berries together and give them a stir?"
He grinned, happy to be helping.
The sausage was chopped up and put into one bowl, while the bacon was cut up into another. I added half of the eggs to either bowl and half of the onion and pepper mix. After stirring them up, I added 2 cups of cheese and mild salsa to each and stirred them another time.
The coffee maker beeped again, and I looked to see that someone had started a second pot.
"Who," I started.
"Me, Ma," answered CK as he washed the griddle for me. "I know how you, Ate, and the uncles are with coffee.
"Thank you, dear."
"No problem, Ma."
After this exchange, I loaded up the tortillas and set the folded side down on the griddle. After some color on both sides, they were put on trays and sent to the table, along with condiments.
Jimin asked, "Hey, Sis. Do you have any hot sauce?"
I nodded and pointed at the fridge. "There should be a bottle of Cholula in there."
Within ten minutes, there was food on the table and the chairs had begun to fill up. We went through almost a whole bottle of hot sauce during breakfast. Conversation was grumpy to start with, but it brightened up.
Wonho and Jin relished the fruit and the burrito, as did JooHoney and JHope. Tae didn't add extra salsa or hot sauce, but everyone else did. CK loaded his potatoes with ketchup and grossed out everybody. But everyone laughed when Joker went for his third burrito.
"Joker, slow down. Eat some fruit too, Kiddo."
"Sorry, Nanny. These are REALLY good."
Suddenly, Jin turned towards JK and yelled, "How would you know what they taste like? You have inhaled the last two. Did you even breathe?"
HyungWon laughed, "Well, then, he eats like his father."
Wonho chuckled, "No bite, swallow whole."
The table erupted with laughter, all but for Yoongi, who was still sulking on the deck.
Patting my shoulder as he walked past, Kihyun chuckled, "Good job, Sis. That was tasty," as he walked towards the sink with his empty plate.
Without thinking, I answered, "No problem, Rave."
He stopped just past the bar and turned around. "I wondered if you would remember or would I need to hit the reset button."
Pop snorted and pushed his chair back, "You had best not. Your nephews may have something to say about that."
NamJoon looked up at his past life uncle with a dark look on his face.
Just then, Jimin interrupted, "Hey. Don't make fun of my sister. Don't you know that's my job."
A third letter sat unopened, on a table, until the last minute. Wonho sifted through the piles of bills and separated out what was fan-mail from Wenee's. As he accomplished this, he thought sadly of the friends, near family, he had lost. It wasn't that they were gone from this world, but that he wasn't allowed to speak to them anymore.
That thought sparked at least a dozen more of his old friends, his new friends, and a long-lost friend, from lifetimes ago. He remembered the strong, little girl who never let separation from her family bother her, except on festival days. He remembered the beautiful woman she grew into, but the spot she would hold, would never be the love of his life. He grew faintly sickened at the idea of being her match. No, she was more like the sister Fate forgot to give him. A friend and confidant, but not much else.
Wonho reached for a brightly colored envelope but pulled his hand back as if bitten. Something about this envelope was different from most of his fan-mail, it had an energy about it. His flagging spirits were buoyed by what had been written on the page. "Wonho has been invited to spend the Christmas holidays (15 Dec to 1 Jan) in an all-expense paid lodge in the Wyoming Rockies this year; hosted by a very special Wenee."
"This has to be a joke," he thought. But he decided to double check with the airline listed and found out that a rather large block of tickets had been booked and paid for. There was a confirmation email to a nondescript website. Sending off a quick question, he was a little saddened to hear all other spots were accounted for.
Taking a quick minute to think, Wonho quietly contemplated whether to go. As he thought about it, he realized that the energy felt VERY familiar. In a split second, he texted his Boss. After receiving a reply, he smiled. He, then, called the pet sitter and started to pack. He knew he would have to hurry to catch his flight.
Chapter 4
The flights had been relatively uneventful for all of the men. All three groups were routed through SeaTac, then into Cody Regional on smaller, domestic flights. The men were surprised to see each other and waved, exchanging greetings and holiday salutations as they passed. No one suspected that their destination was the same place.
Minhyuk drove for MX and Kihyun carefully followed the detailed directions on the paper. As Kihyun looked for their exit, Minhyuk noticed a van behind them, as it turned off at the same time they did. He started to get a little worried after seeing the car rental sticker in the window, but they were so close to his sister, he would not stop. Pressing down on the pedal on the SUV slightly, Minhyuk picked up speed to get there a little faster.
At the same time, JK noticed the car that was following them. "Jin Hyung, there is a car behind us that turns every time we do," he whispered to Jin, who was driving.
"There is also a SUV in front of us that seems to be going the same way we are. Wake the others, just in case."
As they all pulled up, they noticed that the others had pulled up too.
"It's you guys," Jin sighed in relief. "I thought we were about to get attacked. Wait, you guys are here too?"
HyungWon nodded.
"I think there has been a mix-up here," Namjoon asserted as he waved the paper in Minhyuk's face.
Grabbing the paper, Minhyuk read it and said, "Nope. We got the same one. What about you? Did you get one too," he asked as he turned to Wonho.
Nodding, Wonho answered, "Yeah," as he handed over the paper.
Minhyuk chuckled, "They are all identical, but for the names, flight information, and rental counters."
As the other members of both groups were pulling bags out of the vehicles, the front door opened.
"Gentlemen," spoke a loud, but feminine voice.
Jay’s POV
There she was. Now, I know why Suga's thread was attached to the paper and then took off like it did. Between the two of them stretched what had been a thin, delicate, very old silver thread. This close though, and that thread turned into a sheet of moonbeams, almost a sail between them. And what had been silver burnished to almost black, this close, was a gleaming, bright, glittering silver.
Min YoonGi POV
I secretly smiled because I knew that voice. I knew what it sounded like as a whisper, all low and smoky, like velvet; and what it sounded like when barking orders to unruly children or soldiers. It had haunted my dreams for at least fifteen years. I had never gotten to see the woman it was connected to in her entirety. All I was allowed to see were the color of her eyes, the same blue green of the sea. I was also allowed to feel her breath on me, feel her energy close to me, when I was sick and still working. I was allowed to hear her voice when I got lonely, late at night.
"Glad you could make it," she said as she stepped out of the shadows and started down onto the upper step.
Several of us either gasped or whispered in shock.
"Ina," came from IM, his eyes wide.
Where Jay could be heard to whisper, "Nanny," with a happily confused look on his face.
My world came to a dead stop. I thought she had just been a dream; some fevered fantasy my lonesome, dreamer's heart had made. "You," I whispered in disbelief.
If I didn't already believe we have multiple lifetimes under our belts before we are born here; it would have been HyungWon's reaction that made me believe in an afterlife. He turned and went stock still, the bag slipping from his grasp and landing on the gravel, before whispering, "Ghost Wolf? Sweet Angel, you had best not be dead, young lady. Or I will come to hell and kick your butt." Tears were welling up in his eyes as he spoke. "Please, tell this old man I am not dreaming," he said as his tears overflowed and ran down his face.
The other young men were shocked by this. But even more shocking would be her next words.
"Ata," she chided gently, her green blue eyes soft and full, as she walked towards him. "Ata, I am right here. I'm alright."
HyungWon sobbed and grabbed the woman by the shoulder and hauled her into a huge embrace, before breaking down completely and bawling, "My child is home. My daughter is finally home."
She smiled in the embrace. "I told you I would come home, Dad. I'm sorry it took me so long."
A look of realization came over the faces of Minhyuk and Joohoney. It was the same look on Jimin and Jin's.
"Sissie," whispered Joohoney.
"Heya, Red. What's doin'?"
Joohoney grabbed Minhyuk's arm. "It's her. I was right. What do you call this guy," he said as he pointed at Minhyuk.
"Minnie-Pearl," she giggled. "He reminds me of her. I couldn't remember his name. Shitty isn't it. I can only remember small bits and pieces."
"I'm sorry," Jimin looked at the ground and whispered. "I tried."
Turning to Jimin, she whispered, "I know, Moose. It was never your fault. I completely forgot my training," she said as she tenderly laid her hand on his shoulder. "It was never your fault," she smiled. "The only thing in my mind was their safety," she said as she looked at me, then at CK, followed by NamJoon, and back to me. "The only thing I was thinking of was how to slow the invaders and put more distance between them and my family. I let my panic blind me to my training. So, no, Jimin," she said as she turned her face to him, "the fault was never yours."
Being this close and not touching her, somehow, was torture. I had to know, so I caught her hand as she moved away from Jimin. The tingle that flew over my skin was the damnedest thing. However, the memories that seemed to come from nowhere were a little scary. But, as long as she kept her hand in mine, it was slow. I, somehow, knew, if she removed her hand, they would hit me in a rush and I would be on my knees in the gravel, fighting to breathe as they all clamored for my immediate integration. "No," I said as I caressed the back of her hand with my thumb and looked into those green-blue eyes I would know in the dark and mostly dead, "It was mine. I should have fought harder. I should never have agreed to stay with the kids," I sighed. "They should have had you. Even now, you still carry the guilt, when you shouldn't," I said and then looked up at CK. "I'm sorry, Piyah. I was not the best father to you or your sisters. A part of me died when I lost your mother."
The memories had slowed to a trickle as she dropped her hand and I walked up to my past-life son and whispered, "Can you forgive this old man, for being so lost without her?"
A slow smile spread across his face. "Ata," he started and sighed before trying again. "Ata, you were forgiven a long time ago."
I grinned at his mom, "Did ya hear that! He finally forgave me," I laughed happily, before turning to NamJoon.
"What," He shouted. "Why is everyone suddenly looking at me?"
CK started to snicker and almost lost it.
Jay spoke up and said, "I wasn't much older, but I remember how Lilah looked. Now that you mention it.... He does look like Nana."
"Oh, yeah; about that," NamJoon giggled and nervously scratched the back of his head. "I was supposed to be born the first time. I waited a long time for you guys. The only spot was a girl. It was uncomfortable to say the least."
JHope laughed and smiled, "It was uncomfortable for the rest of us, too."
She turned to him and smiled, her own dimples peeking out. "I won't call you 'Princess' then. That is what your name then meant. Lilah Wiyah is 'Best Girl' or 'Princess'. And before you say anything, I did not name you," she said as she hooked her thumb over to me.
"Me!?"
She nodded. "His name that first time was supposed to be Artem Ra. He came too early and was taken from me while you were on campaign."
I looked at her again; just how much had she been forced to endure alone.
Namjoon grinned. "Artem, hmm. Masculine form of Artemis. Goddess of the hunt and the moon."
She smiled. "You chose your name well, son."
I'll be damned if that kid didn't blush.
"Thanks, Ma," he whispered.
"Anyway," she chuckled, still smiling. "Do you notice any other of us, Ata?"
Jin looked like a deer caught in the headlights.
Jimin, on the other hand, stepped forwards and looked down, "Ata," he whispered, looking rather forlorn.
HyungWon soon tipped Jimin's head up and looked at him before placing one hand on his shoulder, "I have heard good things about your parents in this life. You chose well, son," HyungWon nodded slowly. "All was forgiven ages ago."
"Ata. I couldn't do it. Sis begged me to help, and I ran away, bawling like a coward."
"I know" HyungWon nodded. "I also know who gave the order," he said as he turned to Jin.
Jin looked like he was well and truly caught. "It was her idea," he shouted, pointing at Ghost.
"Way to throw me under the bus, big brother."
"What? If you two hadn't fought so hard, I would have stayed. You were all my responsibility, but I could never figure out how to tell you no. Every single time I looked at you, I saw that tiny little girl who annoyed the hell out of me but made every single day worth it until I met my Meera. And then, you tied her around your little finger, too. Plus, that damned noble streak you got from Ata, I never had a chance to argue why it should have been me," Jin half shouted, half sobbed. "It should have been me!"
HyungWon looked at him. "Explain."
Taking a moment to gather himself, Jin spoke slowly, "When these two," he said gesturing at me and Ghost, "Started arguing, Meera said she would follow me, wherever I went."
Wonho piped up, "Ata, if I remember right, Meera was as big as a house at the time. Jay would have been about six."
HyungWon looked at Jin, "Is that why you agreed, Lone Elm? To keep your own wife and children safe?"
Jin covered his face with his hands and bawled. "I thought they would all make it out. I did not know Sis would panic or that Moose's shot would not hit right. I did not know they would throw Watcher from the beacon, followed by Sis"
Wonho chuckled, "Well, that explains a lot."
"The thing with heights," asked Ghost.
"The very same."
"I totally get that," she snickered. "I get dizzy much taller than my counters."
"Well, wolves aren't made with wings," I snarked at her. "They aren't made to fly."
HyungWon looked at JHope, who grinned broadly in return. "Heya, Gramps. How are ya?"
HyungWon snorted. "Always does this old man good to see you, Sunshine," he chuckled then hugged his eldest grandson.
Tae and JK stood off to the side and looked down like a couple of whipped pups. HyungWon shook his head and said, "Boys, just because you don't have a parent here, doesn't mean I don't recognize your energy. JK, you belong to Diving Swan. And V, I do believe you were Skah's middle boy."
Reunion--A family separated by time and death reunites at a lodge in the Rockies. I own nothing but the plot.
Chapter 1
Present--Seoul, SK
Lee JooHoney looked across the table at Minhyuk. "And that is the story. It was long before the life as the tiger."
Lee Minhyuk sat in utter stillness. In his head and heart, memories rolled like grainy, old films. "I understand. I think we may have been related then."
"Brothers," JooHoney asked.
Minhyuk nodded.
From beside Minhyuk, Chae HyungWon chuckled. "I knew the first minute I saw you that there was a connection between us all somehow."
"Dad," Minhyuk queried.
HyungWon nodded. "It's something HyunWoo and I have discussed several times."
Then, the men sat in silence as they balanced themselves out.
The mail came and was separated by member. A festively colored envelope was in Minhyuk's pile of mail.
"What is this," Minhyuk grumbled as he opened the envelope and scanned the page. "Monsta X has been invited to spend the Christmas holidays (15 Dec to 1 Jan) in an all-expense paid lodge in the Wyoming Rockies this year; hosted by a very special MBB," shouted Minhyuk as he read the paper. C.K. and JooHoney were standing right there with him as his voice got louder.
"Ina," CK whispered in disbelief as his hand slowly went to the paper.
"What," asked Minhyuk. "What was that?"
ChangKyun looked at the two other men standing with him, "This has my other mom's energy still woven into it."
JooHoney looked at CK, "Your other mom? Who the hell is that? This energy belongs to a sister I had a VERY long time ago."
Both men looked at each other with new eyes, before CK broke the silence, "Uncle?"
"Piyah," whispered JooHoney before he and Min gave CK the biggest hug to date.
Chapter 2
Little did they know, across town, two men from BTS were about to have a nearly identical conversation, albeit a little differently.
Park Jimin was already nursing a migraine, and it was making him irritated at everyone. Jin's nagging was not helping. Finally, Jimin lost it, "Oh, for fuck's sake, Elm!" As the last word left his mouth, Jimin's eyes widened and his jaw clenched. Mentally, he was kicking himself. He had always felt a strange connection to the elder member, much beyond friends, but it had been in the past year or so that Jimin finally figured out why Jin's energy felt so familiar. However, as he didn't know if his past life brother had remembered, Jimin kept it to himself.
Jin stopped and a look of disbelief came over his face, but it was very quickly replaced by relief. The elder man whispered, "Do you have any idea," Jin paused and swallowed hard, tears just beginning to mist his eyes, "How hard it is not to call you 'Moose' when you catch a cold? For the longest time, I knew. I wasn't sure if you did, so I did my best to hold it all back."
Jimin's slow smile held all the answers Jin needed.
"Big brother, the whole reason I never said anything is because I wasn't sure if you knew."
A few minutes later, one of the PA's brought RM a festive looking envelope with international postage affixed to one corner. Reading the letter over his shoulder, Jin about jumped all over again, although for an entirely different reason.
Reading aloud to the guys, Joon said, "BTS has been invited to spend the Christmas holidays (15 Dec to 1 Jan) in an all-expense paid lodge in the Wyoming Rockies this year; hosted by a very special Army."
Jimin's jaw hit the floor. "All expenses paid,” He shouted as he snatched the sheet from Namjoon’s hand, “Thats a ton of money. Someone sure went through a lot for this. Look, even our flights and travel have been taken care of. I think we should go. It's perfect timing. We need a break and Jin has Christmas leave almost as soon as he walks in the doors," he grinned as he snatched the page from RM's hand.
Jin smiled, sadly, "Don't get your hopes up, little brother. They might not let us go."
"But, Jinja, this is from her, I can feel it. This," Jimin said as he waved the paper around, "Literally has her energy all over it."
Jin took the page, "I know, Cricket. But," he paused and looked at Jimin, his lips set in a grim line. "Why would Ghost do it this way?"
"Jinj, that says the lodge is in the States. Tickets are hard as hell to come by there. Fan meets are even farther apart and ten times harder to get to.”
RM sighed, not saying a word about the familiar feeling of the energy surrounding that sheet of paper. Knowing Jimin was right, he continued, "I'll talk to the Boss."
In the silence that followed, Jimin whispered to Jin, "Elm, this may be the only way to find our sister."
As RM left the room, Jin looked at Jimin, "Just don't get your hopes up, okay?"
Jimin nodded vigorously but silently prayed the bosses would say yes.
"I'll go with him," Jay brightened, hoping that he could explain his gift and their connections to the Boss. Jay sat there with a small smile on his face. His big secret, that he had never told anyone, he could read the threads of connection. It wasn't fun, often being painful as many trailed off into the distance or went skywards and petered out. But to see his own connection to the energy that surrounded that paper was both strange and comforting. He remembered a sweet voice, a warm hug, and calling her 'Nana'. She would have been his father’s baby sister, in that life. He looked forward to seeing her again.
He blinked and stopped as the connections came into view. There were ones between all of them, all varying degrees of family bonds. The strongest being a parental thread between himself and Jin. Jimin, his uncle, he surmised, had a silver thread that flowed out of his chest and went off in the opposite direction. What surprised him is that Suga's thread, was of the darkest silver, almost burnished black by age alone. That thread ran right at the paper before veering off in an easterly fashion, heading in the general direction of the US. Jay was again amazed that no one’s threads ever got tangled with anyone else’s.
All of the men were almost giddy when leave for the whole group was approved for the whole two weeks and they were not required to do anything but enjoy themselves and the holidays.
Security would pre-sweep the lodge twice but find nothing. Then, they checked out the host, who owned the lodge. She was nothing but honest. The security team agreed that they would be on standby, in a nearby rented cabin, for the boys and their host, should anything amiss occur.
(A/N--Dont expect doubles all the time, Folks. Lol Remember, I own nothing but the plot...)
Reunion--A family separated by time and death reunites at a lodge in the Rockies. I own nothing but the plot.
Prologue--1152 BCE
All told, Old Man Wind Riven had nine children, eight that were his and one adoptee, plus their spouses. Add to that grandchildren, and he was a rather wealthy man. All those sons would make a man rich; whether in lands or in gold.
However, in the way he was raised, he was a poor man, for he only had ONE daughter. In his mother’s ways, the man with daughters is the rich man, for they bring sons and grandsons into the clan, thereby increasing the strength of the clan. With more male members of the clan, there would be more men to go hunting, more men to defend the women, Elders, and children. More daughters increased the possibility of one of his grandchildren being picked for the same training his daughter was chosen for, increasing the prestige of the clan. See, in the ways of his mother, a newly married man became part of his bride’s clan, leaving his birth clan for hers. In this way, the clans were unified.
It was with a sadness that could not be measured that the old man married off his eldest son, Lone Elm On the Hill. The old mans youngest, and the only girl, was 5. It was hard to start letting go of his children, when his son's wife did something unexpected. She walked about 20 yards from his home and placed the center post to their new home. Over twenty-five years later, a small community of families had sprung up around the old man’s home.
Standing still at the edge of the nearby lake, he raised his voice again in lament. He would never know if his song would be enough to sing his beloved only daughter and son-in-law across the veil, but he would try until he couldn't get out here anymore. That day came sooner than expected when his heart stopped one night at dusk; stopping the old man’s sorrow mid breath.
Now, they weren't celebrating a union, or the returning of a victorious Ghost and Guard, but a long life; one well lived, surrounded by many generations of family. The only ones missing were his precious daughter and her husband, whom had long since crossed over themselves.
As all seven of his sons stood at the foot of his cairn, the youngest raised a mournful voice in song. Slowly, the others joined into the sad dirge. There were tears to be seen on several faces, in both sorrow and memorial as the old man’s sons sang him across the veil and into the next life.
One by one, the family would age and cross the veil. Eventually, even the age-old Order of his daughter would be swept from the annals of history.
There would be another life, they would be family again, and this one would also end in tragedy. As such, Fate wrote in their books they would all meet again. This time, as friends.
Present--
It was a tale I remembered well; although, it was no tale. It was whispered, between the trees, in the growing inkiness of centering behind the barn. Spirit granted me all of those old memories. To this day, I am not sure if they were a gift or yet another trial; to be able to recall things my current meat-suit had never encountered.
Night after night, I grappled with the memories; all from a seemingly bygone age in an empire I could find no information about, in an Order of People who had been lost to the sands of time. But there were memories of all sorts; of feast, famine, festival, and war.
However, the memories that haunt me, are of him; of his strong, gentle hands, his sweet face, his tender touch. His eyes, though, I see behind my own every time I blink. At my end, the pain in their dark brown depths has always been more than my heart can handle. To see that pain and hear the mournful howl that accompanied them; that makes my soul squeeze. The voice is definitely male, but to hear that shrieking yowl. It speaks to something primal in me, that rattles my spine and ties me up, heart and soul. The closest I can come to it, is the sound of ultimate suffering from 'The Princess Bride'.
After the better part of a decade, I asked an old family friend about it. He laughed when he said, "Girlie, you were either very, very good, or you did something so heroically stupid that the Elders decided you needed your memories back. Because these things you have described to me aren't regular memories, but soul memories; things so indelibly etched into your soul that your soul remembers."
I remember asking, "How does this happen?"
The old man smiled, "You either loved someone so much, so completely, that you died for them, or they loved you so much they went crazy when you crossed the veil. Probably both, from what you describe."
The look of confusion on my face must have been enough for him to continue.
"You likely shoved someone out of the way of immanent death, and they mourned you for however long or short their life was afterwards. In all likelihood, this has been the way you two have always been, you caring enough to sacrifice yourself and them mourning your loss until their end, however long or short that may be."
Eventually, after watching and waiting for him, for what seemed like forever, I gave up. I settled for what was easy and available versus what had always been mine. Then, I regrew my spine and left, carrying the memories, allowing them to cut me.
Until the day I finally gathered my courage and the shards of my memories, I wrote to them. If they didn’t show up, I’d have my answer. That they didn’t remember me, the wayward Ghost. Then, I could grieve my family cleanly.
Ya remember back when I said I was working on 3 new stories to try to excise some of the memories? Tonight, I have tthe first two chapters of 'Reunion' And the reworked beginning of 'The Ballad of Ghost and Guard'.
Across town, NamJoon paced his foyer, waiting. He was nervously awaiting the arrival of not only pizza, wings, and beer; but of his little brother, the past-life one, and several friends. Two minutes later, JK and IM both stood on the stoop, along with Shownu and Jackson Wang. All four men had their arms full of the delivery order, with the case of beer bottles resting at Shownu’s feet. Jackson had also brought a dozen cupcakes.
Joon just pointed at Shownu with a questioning expression.
IM answered, “Uncle Swan wouldn’t let me come here alone. He got extremely overprotective after his service.”
Joon nodded, “Dad has too,” as he took the two pizzas from Jackson. A moment later, he added, "Even though we were in the service at the same time."
“Are you kidding me,” IM asked as he sat down the bag of take out chicken wings.
“No,” Joon sighed as he sat down the extra-large pizzas in a neat row on the counter.
Then, as Joon set out plates and napkins, JK filled the sink with beer bottles and ice.
Next, as they were getting ready to eat. IM asked, “Tem, when’s the game on again?”
Joon smiled softly at the use of his past-life name. At least Danny had used the boy name from his first life. He thought back to IM first seeing their connection, his whisper of ‘Lilah’, and the look on Piyah’s face as he realized that we don’t always come back as the same gender. “In half an hour, Piyah,” he chuckled.
It didn’t take long for all five grown men to have polished off all the wings, three of the four pizzas, and half of the cupcakes. After they cleaned up, they all sat back, satisfied and happy, settling in for the game.
JK sat silently for most of lunch and part of the game before Shownu pulled him into a hug and patted the younger mans head, “Tell Dad who hurt you and Ata will make it all better,” he crooned, making his voice sound syrupy sweet.
JK’s face twisted, “Get off me, Old Man,” as he slid out from under Shownu’s arm. “Ick.”
“Don’t feel bad, Joker, he does that to me all the time,” Danny said as he sat back into the corner of the couch. After belching and excusing himself, he continued, “Better you than me.”
“How’d you get him to stop,” JK asked.
“Threatened him with mom,” IM answered.
Jackson interjected, “I can see why it worked. Your mother is downright terrifying.”
Joon chuckled, “Why does everyone think Ma is scary? In all honesty, I’m more scared of Pop than I am Mom or Dad.”
Danny laughed, “Pop is scary, but he can’t hold a candle to Mom.”
JK giggled, "Nannie is fun. Uncle Moose, tho, Jimin...He's scary. But, not as much as Pop. Pop is SCARY."
IM laughed as he leaned forwards, "Another thing we have in common; we are both terrified of our grandfather."
Shownu nodded, "It depends. When it comes to your mom," he said as he turned his head to IM and Joon, "It's your father and Dad. Although, the uncles and I aren't too far behind. When it comes to the grandkids, it's Dad and their parents. You boys need to feel lucky. You are the only ones who have found both parents....Even if they don't always get along."
"I can tell when they have been fighting. Yoongi-hyung is an asshole when they fight," JK sighed. "I don't know how you two do it."
Joon sighed, too, then looked at IM.
"At least they aren't fighting right now."
"Huh," asked Changkyun.
"Anie is in town," Jackson nervously itched the back of his neck.
IM jumped up from the couch, "Why didn't anyone tell me that my mother is in town!"
The morning dawned cooler than the previous day. I awoke as the sky over Seoul began to reveal orange and coral hues. I slid my left hand under my head for a moment as I gazed out onto the balcony. I woke up with my shoulder feeling a little tight today, and the movement and slight stretch felt good.
However, the weight next to me felt like it had always been there, I’d just been too caught up in working myself sick to see it. But, watching her sleeping peacefully next to me, I honestly felt horrible; I mean, I hadn’t exactly been the best guy. No, I’d been a monumental asshole the whole damned time. I’d been so sure that if I could just work enough, I could dull the feelings, make them stop….but I couldn’t. Because every time I broke a promise, every time I slammed the connection shut; she’d be a bawling mess on the kitchen floor, and I’d wind up with a belly full of angry bees. Cause they sure didn’t feel like butterflies. I mean, I could drown out the feeling with booze, but it never lasted long. Then, I’d hit that vicious cycle where I’d drink to forget how it hurt and then drink to remember our shared past. To remember her laughter as we waited out storms at that ceremonial pavilion, the way I’d chase her all over the house, or the way she’d smile at me; they all haunted me.
So, yeah, it’s safe to say that I have an assload to make up for. I screwed up, bad.
At that moment, my bladder started to revolt, so I slid out of bed and headed towards the bathroom, to handle the biological functions. After a quick shower, I snuck past her into the kitchen to start coffee. Next, as the coffee was brewing, I snuggled back in next to her.
She had been spread out all over my bed, oblivious to the fact that I had gotten up, and had been up for a little over half an hour. As I slid between the sheets, Anie rolled onto her right side, arms around the pillow, hugging it.
“Anie,” I whispered on her shoulder, “Time to get up. I have a surprise for you.”
“No,” She said in a deep, growl as she pulled the covers up over her head. Her voice is bassy when she first wakes up.
I laughed, “If I wasn’t looking at you, I’d swear I was talking to a man. C’Mon, Mama, up,” I sighed as I swatted her butt gently; a gesture from our past that woke her up fast.
She pulled her legs under her and rested her cheek on her left knuckles, then promptly fell back to sleep.
It hit me then that waking her up must be a herculean task when she is well and truly asleep, taking two grown men, three small boys, and an entire circus.
Then, I had an idea. I sat up and pulled her to me, laying her head on my chest. Then, I started to softly play in her hair, waking her slowly but gently while occasionally whispering, “Mama, you need to get up.”
Eventually, she groaned and woke up, just about the time I kissed her forehead. Squinting, she looked up at me. Thinking fast, I grabbed her glasses off of the end table and slid them onto her pretty face.
“Hi, there,” I smiled as I settled them on her nose.
“Hey,” she returned, “Time is it?”
“Still early but not too early; a little before 7:00.”
She nodded and slid off of me to the end of the bed, turning as she did. She ended up with her back to me. The next thing I knew, Anie tightened every muscle along her spine and the whole thing started popping and cracking back into place. Then, she turned back to me, and without missing a beat, asked, “Coffee ready?”
When I nodded, she kissed my cheek, got out of bed and picked up the sweats she wore the night before as she headed towards the bathroom. Her lacy, blue boy shorts slid up over one perfect butt cheek as she walked. She spotted her bag by the bathroom door and wheeled it in with her.
As the door closed behind her, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding and looked down at my nether regions and grumbled, “Shut up, you.” Although, thankfully, the shower started soon after and I could get myself under control. That’s not to say that it wasn’t torture to know she was in my bathroom, less than four meters away, and naked in my shower. It was hell. But, I was hell bent on not making that kind of move first. Nope, that would be her decision. Not that I didn’t want to see…or taste, or feel, but that I had a ton more respect for her than that.
Yoongi sighed, “Yeah. My first morning after being released, I woke up twice; once from a dream and once actually awake. When I woke up in the dream, Grandsire was standing there, his hands behind his back, tapping them together, and looking for all the world like I should be damned thankful he couldn’t punish me. Gran was on the other side of me, mad as a wet hen. I will never forget the tone of Grandsire’s voice as he growled at me, the way it shook with barely contained frustration. He was so upset with me.”
“Oh, I know that sound.”
“You do, huh,” He asked.
“Yeah. One day while he was trying to figure out if he’d allow it. Followed me all over the house while I was working, asking a thousand questions as to what I did to keep you away. I finally had enough and I told him I didn’t know what I did wrong, but if he figured it out, could he let me know. He chuckled and said that right there is why I picked you for him. You’ll only let the attitude go so far, then you stand back up and put him in his place. He needs that, someone to keep him grounded in reality, but who can still dream with him.”
Yoongi sat across from me, listening intently. “He wasn’t mad, you know that, right?”
“I know. He was frustrated with the situation.”
“Good. Grandsire upset is hilarious, though; all stomping and yelling.”
“Yeah. He looks like an overgrown toddler in gold and scarlet robes when he’s frustrated,” I chuckled. Before I could stop myself, I yawned. “Sorry about that. It’s been a very long and trying day.”
Yoongi tenderly cupped my face in his right hand, “You are exhausted, my love,” as his thumb was tracing my cheek.
“Am not,” I whispered tiredly as I nuzzled my cheek into his large, warm palm.
“Are too,” Yoongi chuckled deeply before continuing, “Darling, you can’t lie to me.” Then, he laid back on his pillows and held up his right arm, “Come cuddle with me. Let me hold you, my heart.”
I curled up into his right side, tucking myself under his arm.
It was mere seconds before I felt his fingertips on my right cheek and temple. He was tenderly, softly, caressing mindless waves and patterns, while softly saying, “Sleep now, my Ghost, I’m here. I won’t leave you, not ever. I’d rather gut myself than hurt you.”
I draped an arm over his torso and felt his other hand on my elbow; then, for just a second, a tight hug. I wriggled closer to him and sighed. The last thing I heard was his contented humm….like a cat purring.
It took me a minute to realize what she had meant. "You were sick?"
"Yeah. To this day, Elm won't tell me how sick I actually was. My memory is shoddy at that point, so I'm pretty sure it was a fever, probably from some sort of infection. But whether it was from that prison or the loss, I couldn't tell you."
I made a mental note to talk to Jin about how sick she had been. "How long were you sick?"
Anie chuckled, "I was cold a lot, I remember that. I would say it was almost three months before Ata or Elm would allow me out of my furs. Swan always let me sit up, though. It was almost six months before the twins came to visit. Their boys were 3 and 5 and couldn't figure out why Auntie couldn't get up."
I chuckled, "Those two absolutely adored you. They are likely what got you moving again."
"Nah," she replied as she snuggled into my shoulder, "That was Sunny. He was in my rooms every single day. Haha. He got in a fight with his dad once about me."
"They fought about you??"
"Yep. Sunshine was mad cause I just kept losing weight. He found out his dad still had the kitchen bringing me broth but not helping me."
I could only imagine Jay screaming at Jin over that. If I had been there, I would have....My thoughts trailed off as I realized where I had been. I'd been beaten every day for my refusal to bed the Empress, to be her bed slave. Then, I had been tortured every night as she would try her damnedest to illicit a reaction from my nether regions and fail miserably. She was and would never be my Ghost.
Ana's hand landed gently on my arm, "You ok??"
The look in her eyes and the tender weight of her hand, banished the coming memory and at the same time, brought a wash of grief over my heart. "I should have been there," I managed to choke out around the growing tightness in my chest.
Anie smiled, a soft, comforting smile, "You and I both know it would have been impossible," she paused, gathering her thoughts. "When you made it back, you were skin and bones. As scared as they were to lose me, I was just as afraid I would lose you."
"You can't lose me," I snickered. "It's physically impossible."
"How do you figure that," she asked curiously.
"Because I was always right there, with you, even when you couldn't see me. Remember what we were taught, Darling."
She gripped the lapels of my pajamas, as my forehead settled gently against hers, and sighed, "The ones we love never really leave us."
Gently, I cupped her sweet face in my hands, my thumb tenderly caressing her right cheek, "I can't leave you; our souls are too tangled up. I can't even distinguish where you end and I begin, sometimes. We just are, no more, no less." I pulled back from her enough to settle her head on my shoulder and pull her further into me, "Not that I'd ever want to. I don't want to even imagine the day when we have to be two separate beings, completely disconnected from each other."
"Are you worried about the scars?"
"Mine? No. No, no, it's you that I worry about. When I was doing my best to deny the connection, I couldn't help but notice the way it wore on you. And, to be quite honest, I had tried so hard to shut out my own feelings that you could pick up on it. I mean, if I could work myself into a stupor and fall into bed, I'd be asleep before my head hit the pillow and be so exhausted, I'd not dream of you, or anything connected to you. And then, I was forced to face it, during that tour and everything after. My service didn't help much, because I was still being forced by the Ancestors to take a good, long look at myself."
"Is that when you finally stopped running from it?"
"No," I answered somberly, "I stopped when I felt you give up. It hit me like a freight train what I was about to lose. And I wrestled with that for quite a while, knowing that I could still feel you, still feel so much for you after all this time. It was a royal wake up call. The Elders standing over me screaming at me one morning, was bizarre, but I knew I deserved it."
"Madam and Sir screamed at you?"
I nodded, "Uh, yeah. 'We hand-picked her for our heir, straighten your rear end up and return to your Ghost, Grandson.' That was a wake up call in the worst way. Nothing like waking up to Gran and the Royal Grandsire berating me," I finished, then shuddered.
We laid there, snuggled up like that for the better part of three hours, just talking about inane things. In all truth, we were still basking in our reconnection. Then Yoongi yawned and I said, as I looked out the window, “Storm’s passed. I should head back to the hotel so you can sleep.”
Shaking his head, he said softly, almost scared, “Stay. Stay here, with me. It’s not safe, Anie, to walk that far this late at night. If something happened to you, I’d never forgive myself.”
“Are you sure, Yoongi?”
“Yeah,” He nodded, “If I had my way, I wouldn’t let you out of my sight.”
“Where do I sleep?”
He laughed and flipped another switch on the wall and a large loft bed began to descend from the ceiling. “This is easier and I don’t need to make my bed.”
Yoongi PoV
We laid there for a grand total of ten minutes before she rolled to her stomach and curled her arms around the pillow. As she drifted off, I reached over to her and tenderly brushed the hair from her face. She sighed contentedly and snuggled further into the blanket. Not wanting to wake her, but still wanting to hold her, I slid a little closer to her, so my hand was across the small of her back. It was then that I noticed how tiny she really is. My hand was almost as long as her waist was wide.
Her hair had gotten caught under her chin, so I swept it back. Gently, tenderly, I caressed back down her spine before trailing to her hand and holding it for a solid minute, just watching her sleep.
If I blame what happened next on a reflex, would you believe me??
I leaned over her and placed two soft kisses on her temple.
In all honesty, I’d dreamed of her for so long, being this close was torture. But, then, I’d burn the world for this woman if she asked. I’d bring her the moon if she said she wanted it. I’m already such a sucker for this woman. And yes, that was nine tenths of the reason I was still awake, rather than sound asleep. I knew that she would have to go back and I didn’t want her to go.
I thought about it for a second. The only hotel six blocks the way she had gestured was a Hilton. Grabbing my phone, I texted one of my security team.
*Hey. Go to the Hilton 6 blocks north of the café. Tell them you are there to clear out Ms. Fuller’s room as she found better accommodations elsewhere. Bring her bag here.*
A moment later, the reply came, *Will do, Boss.*
Within the hour, her bag was in my kitchen. Now, there was no reason for her to leave.
I laid back down next to her and curled my right arm behind my head, breathing slowly. I laid there until my hand went numb before rolling back over to face her. Sleep tonight was elusive this close to her.
“Babe,” I whispered in the darkness.
“Hm,” she grunted in return.
“I can’t sleep.”
She was on autopilot as she rolled to face me and held up her arm.
When I cuddled in, she rolled one eye open to look at me. “Whazzamatter.”
I chuckled, “I can’t sleep. I’m not used to sharing.”
She started to sit up, aiming to crawl to the couch when I caught her around the waist and pulled her to me, settling her between my legs, where I was sitting.
She woke up and looked at how we were sitting and snorted, “This looks familiar.”
I chuckled on her shoulder, “I think we were in this position when we brought Leaf into the world.”
She snickered tiredly, “I remember you catching the twins. The look on your face was priceless when I told you not to go far.”
“I had no idea there were two in there. How could two even fit in there. And it would have been the midwives if that storm hadn’t blown in.”
She tiredly settled her head on my shoulder and we began to gently sway, “Nothing like natural disasters and full moons to bring on labor,” she chuckled. “What do you remember about Joon?”
I snickered, “I don’t remember much about our first life. I had my head bashed in.”
“I was so excited to tell you, but the King came with the Elders and said they needed you. You literally only had time to send for Watcher and tell him to take me to Ata’s. We were almost halfway there when we were ambushed. The Empress noticed me. I tried to get away, but she let her guard decide my fate. Her general put me in her prison. I had been there a few days before he noticed and started trying to sneak me in extra food. Some days he could, others she didn’t let anyone feed me. My swollen belly became noticeable, no matter how I tried to hide it. She killed that guard right in front of me, not knowing he had already sent a message to Ata. Ata and his men raided the prison not long after.”
Feeling the hitch in her breathing and seeing the dewiness in her eyes, I said, “You don’t have to tell me the rest. I’ll ask Ata the next time I see him.”
“No, you should hear it from me,” she sighed and continued. “As Ata carried me away, my waters broke. It was far too early and he panicked, taking me to the nearest midwife. That old woman went pale at my state, I was so skinny. She sat with Ata, praying they didn’t lose me too. That’s when they sent the mourning dove. He was so small when he finally came. Ata could hold him in one hand. She wrapped him up and handed him to me, saying that she had lost several of her own and it never gets easier. He couldn’t even open his eyes. He smiled, sighed, and was gone. Ata instantly started to sing the lament, and I lost it.”
“Mama, you don’t have to explain it to me if it still hurts. Just remember, he was my son, too.”
“It’s alright, the next parts you’ll have to ask the brothers about. I was sick as hell and they were sure they were going to lose me, too.”
Synchronicity— The term synchronicity (syn = with, chronos = time) is the simultaneous occurrence of events (or coincidences) which apparently have no clear cause but are deeply meaningful.
However, please remember this small detail........There is no such thing as coincidence. Every single meeting was planned on the other side of the veil before birth. It was given to you in the dossier you are supposed to read before you are sent off to be washed of memory.
"Actual dialogue"
<text messages>
"Phone calls"
^Telepathy^
*Astral speak*
Memory(--ie; ^Telepathy^ or “Actual Dialogue”)
Chapter Thirteen
Yoongi
The frustration over the distance between us had compiled so much over the past two months that I felt like I had no choice but to run, as I did NOT want her in Korea. She is enough of a fireball that she’ll own the place by the time she leaves. Or burn it all down. I secretly booked a first class ticket on a flight from Seoul International to STL and then the private charter to PIA, discreetly alerting the airline staff that I would be on board, and wished to keep my arrival and departure a secret. As I packed, I kept thinking of things I could leave at hers. Several pairs of socks and a fair few of my down-market Levi's went into the bag, along with several hats, two hoodies, and at least a dozen t-shirts. My entry was through an employee entrance where I was met by security, who were quick but discreet. The flight was long and uneventful, with no one knowing I was on the flight at all. I ended up sleeping through most of it, so I was well rested by the time the first flight touched down at 7am.
After arriving in Peoria, I texted Joon to let him know where I was, so he didn't worry and could do his thing there to keep my impulsive ass outta trouble. In all honesty, at the moment, I didn't care if I got into trouble with corporate. I mean, what were they gonna do, fire me? Can you imagine the backlash if they fired their best producer and talent? Army's would have a field day. Next, as I was the first to exit the plane, I was escorted to one of security's private rooms where I went through all the TSA checks and passport stuff before being escorted to a waiting car.
The car took me directly to a dealership in the area, where I bought a car. Granted, it would stay in the long-term parking at the airport most of the time, but I wanted something I could just get into and drive myself home.
Home.
That had been a relative term until I had physically met Annah. I had always known that wherever she was, was my home. But for the longest time, I thought it meant our little nest, not realizing for years that she is home. Trust me, that was an epiphany, that the place mattered little as long as I was with her. I remember telling her, through our shared telepathy, ^I was wrong. Home isn't a place on the map. It's you and this feeling between us. You are my home.^
At the dealership, I paid cash and transferred the entire amount; tax, tag, and title, out the door. I added it to my insurance in Seoul and started for home. Thankfully, the dealer had filled the tank for me, so I wouldn't need to stop anywhere along the way. I knew it probably wouldn't get stolen as I had purchased a manual transmission, but to be on the safe side, I made sure it wasn't flashy. In the end, I bought a green Chevy Cruze, not only because it wouldn't stand out, but also because the four cylinder engine in it made it more economical. I mean, no one would steal the two-year-old, pine green, standard, domestic in the long-term parking lot.
When I pulled in, there was a bicycle on the patio, and I saw the curtains move in the front room. I wondered if her ex had crashed at hers last night before the kids finally went down. I don't like that he's around all the time, but with not one, but two, special needs boys, I am glad he is. Sometimes, she needs the back-up, but I wish it wasn't him.
Although, when he met me at the door, he was jovial and let me in.
"She's still asleep. You are welcome to wake her up, but it's your funeral."
I just chuckled, "Watch this shit, Brah," as I walked to her doorway and sat next to her sleeping form on the bed before leaning over her to whisper on her exposed shoulder, "Ba-By."
She rolled and grunted.
I smiled because I knew waking her up from a dead sleep would be a challenge. After taking a selfie with her, and tapping send, I leaned back over, "Ma-Mi," I whispered again, this time on her cheek, "C'mon, Honey, wake up."
This time, I felt the hurt and bittersweet longing more than I physically felt her awaken.
She gathered the blankets around her and grunted, "Ugh."
"Baby, wake up, please."
In her deep, gravelly, morning voice, I heard, "No."
"But, why, Baby?"
"Cause you're a dream," I heard her whisper.
I snorted at that. "Woman, I can guarantee you that I am no dream," I growled. "C'mon, Ghost, UP!" and then I gathered her hand in mine and bit her knuckle.
"Oww. Haka," she half grumbled, half cried.
"Ya can't feel pain in dreams, Ghost. Gonna annoy you until you wake up."
"Go’way and lemme sleep."
"No, Darling, I have a surprise for you."
"Don'wan’it, wanna sleep."
It hit me then that waking her up is like waking me up.
"Darling, you are going to want this surprise. C'mon, my love, up, up, up," I couldn't hide the smile on my face. In all truth, I was grinning on her right shoulder now and petting her head as I spoke.
She rolled to her tummy, her face to me. One ocean eye rolled open, and I took the opportunity to lean forwards to where I knew I would be in focus; my lips resting on her arm.
"Good morning, my Queen," I grinned.
Suddenly, I had my arms full of sobbing Ghost. It was all I could do to hold her, rocking her while she cried. "Darling, don't cry. I'm home. Told you I was no dream."
"Damn you, Min Yoongi," she giggled as she wiped her face. I could tell when she actually woke up because she stopped and looked at me, sitting on the edge of the bed, smiling softly at her. Blinking a few times, she asked, "How are you here? You are gonna be in so much trouble," she whispered as my phone started to ring.
It was Joon. I gave her the international signal for quiet and answered, in English.
“Joon! How goes it?”
“You are in soooooo much trouble, old man. If you hurt my mom, I'll skin you myself.”
It wasn't until she snorted as he was going off about me running out just before midnight, that he caught on that I had him on speaker.
“MA! Are you ok?”
“I'm fine, dear. Your father decided to surprise me this morning, that's all.”
“Ma, He's in a lot of trouble. He took off in the middle of the night and didn't tell anyone where he was going until he landed and then just shot me a text. I didn't even know he knew where you live until he sent me a selfie with you asleep next to him.”
“Artem Ra,” she interrupted, her growling bark bringing up a memory of her barking orders at troops. “Your father is safe and sound. Relax, son. However, remember that even a king needs downtime. Besides, you and I both know he has a wild streak. I mean, where did you think you got it?”
Joon sounded shocked that she knew, “Ma!”
That is when I noticed the tears dried on her face. Without thinking, I licked my thumb and set to wiping the salty residue off.
"Yoongi," she said as she slapped my hand away.
"Just lemme," I started as we tussled, me trying to get the streak off her sweet face and her trying to keep my hands out of her face.
The whole time, we were both laughing and Joon was shouting, “Stop acting like kids!”
I had her caught around the shoulders when she yelled, “Bye, Joon! We love you!” and hit the end call button on my phone.
"Why, you,” I laughed as I grabbed her and fell over on the bed with her, tickling her.
Her laughter was like an angel song to me.
"Stop, stop, stop," she laughed.
"Why,” I asked as my fingers stilled.
"Cause I gotta pee."
"Oh, well in that case," I chuckled as I let her up, swatting her butt as she moved past me. "P.S. That's a FANTASTIC ass."
Haha. Caught her off-guard and speechless with that one. I smiled, sitting on the bed waiting for her to return. When she did, she smelled like strong soap. I instantly tackled her and set about to covering her sweet face in kisses.
"Yoongi," she giggled as she tried to push me off.
"Nuh-uh. I owe you, like, a billion kisses for all the time I was away. And you saved up all your kisses for me, too, so shush."
