Sorrow's Sieve Ch. 09

Braedan rushed forward and kicked the gun across the room. Galen was in his arms in the next heartbeat, sobs echoing through the cold room as they both sought comfort from the other. They were able to compose themselves after a few moments and Braedan left Galen on the floor and scooped up her discarded clothes for her. As she worked her way back into her pants he checked on Daniels.

The man lay on the ground, eyes wide open staring straight ahead. His pulse was slow and his breathing deep as if he were asleep. Braedan glanced a Galen, knowing instinctively that Daniels would not be hurting anyone ever again.

"Are you okay?" He asked her, sitting down beside her and pulling her snugly against him.

"No," she whispered, "He almost shot you, Braedan. You could have died!"

"I know, love. I'm sorry all of this happened, I'm sorry you had to go through it. But this time you saved me. Is it my turn to use the high pitched princess voice?" he asked with a small smile, hoping to lighten the mood just a little. It worked too, Galen laughed through her tears and sighed.

"Did he...I mean..." Galen placed her hand over Braedan's mouth and shook her head.

"You got here just in time, the only thing he got was a good view."

"Thank god," Braedan trembled.

A commotion sounded upstairs at that moment, someone identifying themselves as the Police and then Peter and Ada's terrified calls.

"We're down here," Braedan yelled and in a moment an armed officer was coming down the stairs, gun raised. He took a second to assess the scene and not seeing any danger, lowered his firearm. As the officer went over to see to Daniels, Peter and Ada rushed down the stairs. Braedan and Galen were engulfed by the other two in an instant. More tears were shared and for a few minutes no words were spoken, the emotion running too high to formulate a thought. Braedan eventually relinquished his hold on his woman and allowed her brother to hold her.

"I'm sorry, babe, I'm so sorry!" he mumbled over and over, his face buried in her neck. The rolls had reversed and now it was Galen comforting Peter. He rocked her back and forth, mumbling further nonsense until Galen was able to pull away enough to grasp his face between her hands.

"Peter, stop this!" she demanded. "None of this is your fault and I won't have you blaming yourself. This is his fault," she pointed to the still form of Greg Daniels," and no one else's. It's over now Peter, and I would very much like to put this all behind me. Do you understand?" Her tone brokered no argument and Peter nodded and kissed her forehead.

"I understand, babe." It would take more than a few words to ease the ache he felt over what happened but being in her presence helped a little.

While the siblings were talking, Braedan was looking Galen up and down, trying to discern any injuries. The most obvious was a severely swollen, bloody and bruised ankle. What wasn't quite so obvious and it took him a moment to notice were the small spots of blood on her clothes. He gently placed his hand on Peter's shoulder.

"Would you mind if I exam her really quick?"

"No, please do." Peter quickly backed away and Braedan knelt down. Upon closer inspection he was able to make out the small metal barbs that were still protruding from her abdomen and chest through her clothes. "A taser?" he asked, horror clear in his tone when he realized just how many different barbs were embedded in her skin. Galen nodded.

"I can't really feel the barbs," she said gently "the rest of me hurts like a bitch though, to be honest I can't believe I'm sitting up right now." There was a grim smile on her face, "my ankle hurts the worst though." Braedan changed his position and reached down to her foot. She winced sharply when he began to prod at it but remained silent otherwise.

"I hate to say this but I think it may be broken, sweetheart. It's hard to tell because of the swelling, we'll need to get you in for an x-ray and probably an MRI to make sure the soft tissue is alright. We also need to get those barbs out, the easiest way is with tools at the hospital." Galen nodded.

"I had a feeling I hadn't seen the last of that place. At least I have my own personal physician." The smile that crossed her face this time was genuine.

Additional police arrived on scene along with an ambulance. With a police escort, Daniels was loaded into the ambulance and carted away. Galen denied transport, assuring the paramedics that she would get to the hospital as soon as they finished giving their statements to the first officer. It wasn't as difficult to tell her story as she thought it would be. Of course she kept out certain parts, like what exactly caused Daniels to go comatose; although to be perfectly honest she wasn't completely sure anyway. Within twenty minutes they were on their way back to town, Galen and Braedan in the back seat. Braedan called Mrs. Christiansen to let her know what was going on and she promised to have a room ready for when they arrived.

Three hours, an x-ray and many anti-inflammatories and pain killers later Galen was snuggled up in the back of Braedan's truck dozing. Her ankle was just badly sprained and there had been no lasting damage from the taser except some sore muscles. He hadn't told her about his conversation with Peter yet. The conversation that told her brother in no uncertain terms that he was not letting Galen out of his sight again and that he was taking her home with him. Okay so it was less of a conversation and more of a declaration. Peter had remained surprisingly calm.

"I guess I don't have to ask you what your intentions are with my sister, do I Kelly?" He asked in a light tone. "Just do me a favor and marry her before you two give me a few nieces and nephews." Braedan actually had the decency to blush. He reached into his pocket and passed a small velvet box to Peter.

"I already bought a ring." Peter opened the box and gazed down at the simple but beautiful ring inside. A floating diamond took up the center of a white gold band while six small sapphires found a home in a row next to it. Ada who had been watching the scene unfold found that tears were brimming to the surface and she launched herself at Braedan.

"I'm so happy for you both!" she sobbed happily. He gave her a tight squeeze and looked over her shoulder at Peter. With raised eyebrows he motioned to the woman in his arms and Peter just smiled and nodded. He knew it might take them a little longer but he was positive that Ada and Peter would find a similar happiness to his own.

Now he glanced at Galen through his rearview mirror as they pulled up in front of her house. She was sound asleep and Braedan really didn't want to wake just to have her go pack a bag. Ada solved that problem however.

"I'll go and get some things together for her, you should stay here." She and Peter got out of the car and within ten minutes Ada was back with a small duffel bag over her shoulder. "Take care of her, Braedan and give us a call in the morning." Braedan agreed and pulled away from the curb, heading towards home.

Galen woke up hours later, snuggled comfortably against a hard male body with arms wrapped around her tight. She inched closer, reveling in Braedan's warmth but the slight movement jarred her ankle and she winced.

"Sweetheart?" a husky voice asked quietly, "you awake?"

"Mmhmmm," she responded and looked up into the rumpled and sleepy face of the man she loved, she'd never seen him look sexier.

"Are you alright?" he asked, pushing himself up and rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine Braedan, I just jarred my ankle a bit."

"Here let me take a look" He threw back the covers and Galen couldn't help the blush as she realized she was in nothing but her underwear. Braedan didn't seem to notice and gently took her ankle and began to unwrap the ace bandage around it. "Well the swelling has gone down quite a bit but I should probably redress the broken skin and get you some more pain killers. How does everything else feel?" She moved around a little, testing her muscles and grimaced only slightly.

"My muscles are pretty tight but nothing too bad."

"Okay, stay here I'll be right back, once I'm done taking care of that ankle I'll give you a massage, how does that sound?"

"Heavenly," she said with a smile.

Braedan left the bed and Galen nearly groaned. He only wore some black silk boxers leaving the rest of his body on display for her. He really was the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen. Despite her discomfort and her earlier treatment she felt the first signs of arousal and she was nearly squirming by the time he got back. His gentle treatment of her leg, the soft caresses of his hands, felt anything but clinical. By the time he finished she was nearly gasping with need. His eyes lifted and met hers and she realized quickly that she wasn't alone in her desire.

"Love me, Braedan," she demanded in a voice heavy with passion.

"What about that massage?" he asked, clearly teasing.

"Massage later," she gasped while reaching toward him. He met her half way, easing her onto her back and taking control of their joining. As desperate as they both felt what they shared was gentle, tender. When Braedan finally eased himself inside her he felt like he was coming home. With slow deliberate strokes and heart wrenching kisses he pushed them both closer to that precipice of pleasure. It didn't take long, so emotionally high strung as they both were, and they were soon writhing in passion as the ultimate pleasure invaded their senses.

They lay gasping in each other's arms for minutes after until the pull of sleep claimed them once again.

*****

Soon after the haziness of sleep gave way to the vision of a rocky landscape. Galen stood beside Braedan, clutching his hand as they both took in the drastic changes that had occurred to their private place. The water was gone. The sky was taking on the hue of the coming dawn and the normally silent world was alive with the sounds of crickets and morning songbirds. Among the rocks and sand they could see sprouts of green where grass was bursting forth and patches of color where wild flowers were already blooming. The lakebed was scattered with more rocks and budding green but as the couple walked around they noticed a discernible path that led down toward what appeared to be a large amphitheater. At the center of the stage they could just make out a bright blue glow.

Glancing at each other they both smiled and started down the path. The toppled statue that Braedan had noticed on one of his last trips was now standing and whole. Looking down the path he realized that every ten feet or so there was another statue of similar make leading the way. Galen stopped at the first figure, a flash awareness ignited inside but she couldn't quite place what it was about the statue that caught her interest. Her eyes focused on the marble tears and suddenly she gasped. Reaching for her own face in shock.

"What is it?" Braedan asked, "What's wrong."

Slowly she turned to him, a bright smile on her face, "I'm not crying anymore," she said in wonder. "I'm not crying anymore!" she shouted and with a laugh threw herself at Braedan, wrapping her arms around his neck. After a few moments she pulled back and grabbed his hand again. "Let's go," she said, "I have a feeling there is something else we still have to do." And pulling him forward with a laugh she began running toward the light.

As they neared the top of the stairs Braedan reined in his beautiful woman and they both looked down at what awaited them. The two women from before stood in silky white robes looking back at them with glowing smiles of pride. In front of them sat a pedestal of white marble where a glowing object sat.

"Galen, sister," one of the twins called, "Come." With a tight squeeze of her hand, Braedan released her and ushered her down the stairs in front of him. The twins greeted her warmly, offering her warm hugs and sweet kisses on each cheek before turning to Braedan and offering him the same.

"We know you both have many questions," the one on the right began. "To begin let us introduce ourselves, I am Achus."

"I am Lupa. And you, sweet and brave Galen are our sister, Aina."

"You're sister? What do you mean?"

"A long time ago," Achus began, "Your soul was born to a powerful goddess named Eris. What made her so powerful was not the power of her talents but their magnitude. As the goddess of strife and discord she wrecked havoc on the world. As we all grew we took it upon ourselves to ease the suffering she helped caused. Lupa and I focused mostly on physical pain, while you took it upon yourself to champion those suffering from grief and sorrow. Now Eris's powers did not last, as the world progressed she realized that man was more than capable of inflicting ample amounts of pain on each other and as with many other gods she retreated many millennia ago to a life of solitude. All of us, however have continued to fight.

"Together we created this place, a sanctuary we could visit that would personify the world's suffering so that we could more easily give our aid. There came a time when you, Aina, realize that without physical contact with the real world we were becoming numb to the pain and suffering, so you decided to re-enter the corporal world. Over and over again you found a host who had suffered a great ordeal. You did so in order to really feel the pain inflicted on humanity. For many years things worked very well, you lived in harmony with your host, visiting us at night while your partner slept and we continued our mission.

"But times changed. As years passed the population grew and so did the suffering. War and poverty were just the beginning. You began to loose yourself in your host and the lake began to fill faster than we could combat it. Two thousand years ago Lupa and I discovered that we could no longer enter this world. Somehow it would only accept your presence. For two thousand years we watched as your soul jumped from host to host, unconsciously still trying to make a difference. Some of your hosts were stronger than others. Some were so overwhelmed with the emotions that they quickly ended their lives, while at other times someone would end it for them.

"Although you are now known as Galen, you are still our little brave and selfless sister, Aina. We had hoped that this time would be different and that hope proved true."

"Why was this time different?" Galen asked, trying to wrap her mind around everything that had been said.

"There are a few things," Lupa finally spoke. "Firstly, in the past your soul would find a host who was so torn up with grief that they were nearly an empty shell already. This time, for the first time, you were born as Galen. Your soul and your body were in perfect harmony. It wasn't until the accident three years ago that the part of you that had always belonged here woke up. Secondly, you found your symbolon." She stated this second part with a tender smile in Braedan's direction.

"Just want is a symbolon? You called me that earlier but what does it mean?" Braedan asked. Pride had welled up inside for his love as he listened to the story unfold. She may not remember everything but he had no doubt that he had fallen in love with the purest soul that ever existed.

"You would be more familiar with the term, Soul Mate." Achus supplied helpfully, a large smile on her face. "Congratulations."

Galen turned to Braedan, her own tears of happiness shining in her eyes.

"After all that has happened you would think I wouldn't be surprised that such a think exists," she said with a laugh. Braedan held out his hand and when she placed her small one in his he pulled her into a warm embrace.

"I knew it was you," he whispered against her head.

"Galen," Lupa hated to interrupt the moment. "We have a gift for you."

Galen looked, though choosing to stay in the warmth of Braedan's arms. Lupa reached for the glowing object on the pedestal. As she lifted it the light dimmed and in its place hung a crystal blue teardrop pendant. The blue matched the eyes of each of the sisters.

"You have already done so much, and suffered for so long that Achus and I have created this for you. When you wear this pendant you will help all those around you, without having to suffer for them. All we ask is that you pass it on to your children so it will continue to be of help to the world. We also thought you would like to know what happened to that horrible man. When you touched him you passed on to him all of the suffering that had gathered here, thus why all the water is gone. He is the new sieve. No longer will there be a need for you to suffer for others. When his time on this world ends the gift will move onto the next person, someone equally as deserving of it as Greg Daniels."

"Thank you, thank you so much." Galen extracted herself from Braedan's arms and hugged her newly discovered sisters. "Will I ever see you again?"

"In time, for now we must return to our own mates. But don't fret, little sister, we will meet again." Lupa motioned for her to spin around while Achus lifted her long hair off her neck. The pendant settled just below her clavicle and a pleasant warmth spread outward from her chest. "Live well, sweet Aina." Lupa whispered before a blinding light erupted from the necklace.

"Why do they always do that!" Braedan swore with good humor. He was rubbing his eyes trying to clear his vision when he realized he was back on his bed. Blinking a few more times he was able to focus on Galen as she stared down at the simple blue pendant around her neck. It was nearly undetectable but Braedan swore the necklace glowed. He looked at the woman he loved, sitting before him with mussed hair and not a stitch on. He already knew he was the luckiest man alive just to be in her presence but he wanted so much more.

He wanted to hear her claim him as her own. He wanted to watch as her belly swelled with his child, he knew she would be even more stunning than she was now. He wanted to hear her sing their children to sleep and watch her sooth all of their aches and pains; she was the best person for the job after all. He wanted to grow old with her, he wanted to be the one to comfort her, to love her and cherish her for the rest of their lives. It was silly for him to be anxious, he knew they belonged with each other but he couldn't help feel the slightest bit of hesitation.

"What?" Galen asked, growing more uncomfortable at Braedan's silence. He just sat there and looked at her with such tenderness she was starting to feel antsy. Through their bond she felt so much love washing over her she couldn't help the smile that stretched across her face. His hand came up and brushed against the necklace; a wave of absolute contentment infused him.

"I think I have something that will go with that perfectly," he said now without a second thought. He reached for the drawer in his side table and pulled out the small velvet box he'd shown to Peter. "Galen, I know it's only been a few days, but I don't think I have the ability to continue living without you by my side. Marry me?"

He knew the answer without her saying a word. Her elation filled his heart and the glow in her eyes said more than words ever could. She would be his, for now that knowledge was enough.