thedivinegoat_archive

Three Rings And A Book Of Poetry.
Amaltheia

Genre: Slash, Angst
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Nothing to Fear (Season 1)
Summary: Ever since that night, they'd slept in the same bed.
Author's Note: Thanks to my beta's Maygra, Sharakh, and esp. Morgan.
Distribution/Archive: Ask and ye shall receive.
Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me presently, have ever belonged to me in the past, or will ever belong to me in the future. Unfortunately.
Feedback: Amaltheia@ukf.net



Ever since that night, they'd slept in the same bed.

***

At first it was grief, shock, fear. The need to know that the other was still there.

At first they slept in Adam's bed in Sanctuary, creeping around the building afraid to disturb the ghosts they both sensed.

***

Before long it was the loneliness, the comfort of someone else who knew the same grief.

Before long they'd left Sanctuary behind, taking as much as they'd dared, laptops and data disks crammed with the knowledge Adam had left them. Hoping it would be enough.

***

Later it turned into need. Hands moving against slick bodies, limbs fluid and intertwined, mouths pressed against skin shiny in the heat, tongues sharing pleasure until that time forgotten.

Later, at the eighth apartment they had found in six months, three rings are placed on a book of poetry and set on the mantelpiece to watch over the room.

***

Sometimes Shalimar wakes screaming, remembering the dreams of fire Henry inflicted upon her. Sometimes in her dreams the man wielding the flame wears his face and sometimes wears Eckhart's. On other nights she remembers finding Adam.

Sometimes Emma wakes screaming, remembering a kiss that sucks the life out of her. Sometimes in her dreams she watches another woman die and knows that she will be next. On other nights she remembers Brennan and Jesses's blood running together.

*****

It's been a year since that day and the latest town lies behind them. The Mexican border lies a couple of hours drive away, and without speaking they know it's where they're heading.

There's an uneasy sense of guilt that they're not carrying on Adam's mission, that they've let him down. They've tried to help, tried to protect but the loss is too recent, and the burden too much for the two of them. Shalimar wonders how Adam bore it when it was just him alone - without the team. Emma hopes he's at peace now.

They want to leave the memories behind, forget about the pain and the ache for a time. Emma wants to be able to tease Shalimar about her cat-like need to bask in the sun. Shalimar wants to try to make Emma blush by thinking dirty thoughts at her in public.

They cross the border and carry with them three rings and a book of poetry.