Second Blessing: Part 2

Another Monday, another installment of our on going saga.  

If you missed the first episode, you can click the label, of course, and it'll take you to last week's episode.

Enjoy!

2

            Sean was trying very hard not to feel resentful.  He knew this was the best situation for him, knew that Kelly had his best interest in mind, but he still didn’t like the fact that he had to be managed.  He’d grown to trust Kelly through his visits over the last several months.  And he knew that he wasn’t getting any better.  But he still didn’t like the fact that he was being forced to take a leave of absence from his job and go to stay with Kelly for a while.

            He felt cramped and restless in the car.  It was nearly an eight hour drive from his home in Billings, Montana to Boulder, Colorado.  They had stopped a few times to get out and stretch their legs, but now that the end of their journey was in sight, Sean couldn’t wait to actually get out of the car.  Kelly was a pretty good travel companion, and he had appreciated the fact that Kelly had driven the distance in the first place.  But it was hard on Sean, knowing why he was leaving his home.

            Having Nola in the car, crawling around and meowing, didn’t make it any easier.  She was a constant reminder that Sean’s own familiar was gone.

            His heart ached every time he thought of Koenig.  The German Shepard had been his constant companion for fifteen years.  They’d found their niche in Search and Rescue while Sean was still in high school.  They worked together seamlessly.  And then, in an instant, Koenig was gone.  They’d been out searching for a lost hiker.  The man had been stupid enough to wander high into Bighorn Mountains in the middle of February and had gone missing.  Sean and Koenig had been called in because they were the best.  Despite taking all the necessary precautions, and never having a mishap of any sort before, Koenig had taken one wrong step and it all ended.  Not even a magically enhanced familiar could survive a sixty foot fall.  Four months had passed and Sean was still unable to deal with the loss.  His magic was unstable and he was growing increasingly erratic.  Even being aware of it, Sean couldn’t seem to do anything to correct it.  

            When Kelly had shown up that first time, Sean had thought that he was going to be eliminated.  But instead, Kelly assessed the situation and felt that, together, they could get Sean back on track.  But the time had passed, and while Sean wasn’t getting any worse, he wasn’t getting any better either. 

            A Soul Bond would have, perhaps, been the best option at grounding Sean.  Except that trying to find someone who had more power and was more dominant than Sean was proving to be tricky.  The bond wouldn’t work if they couldn’t find a practitioner that Sean could relate to and was willing to submit to.  And since it was not in Sean’s make up to submit to anyone, their options were truly limited.   

Kelly had decided that they needed to take more drastic action.  Sean’s coven was unable to support him in the way that he needed, so Kelly was bringing him back to Boulder, hoping that some time away with a different coven would be a stabilizing force.  Sean was reluctant, but in the end, he agreed.  He didn’t want to endanger anyone else and he didn’t want to be killed.  He was willing to try.  Even if he resented the hell out of the whole situation.

The phone call this morning from Kelly’s partner Jason, had gotten them into the car and heading south as fast as they could.  Sean wasn’t entirely clear about what was going on, something about a tree in their backyard.  Kelly assured Sean that they didn’t need to rush, that Jason had everything under control, but Sean could feel the man’s anxiousness.  It was plain to see that Kelly was spending a great deal of energy reassuring Nola as well.  Sean thought it was nice that Nola cared for Jason almost as much as she cared for Kelly.  Koenig had never been fond of any of Sean’s boyfriends.

As they entered the Boulder city limits, Kelly started talking about his hometown.  After hearing they were only about thirty minutes from Kelly’s house, Sean tuned him out.  He stared out the widow, watching houses and businesses pass by in a blur, and reminding himself that he was here to heal.  That this was his best option at the moment and that if he didn’t get some of his control back, he was in danger of being eliminated.

Sean was so lost in thought it seemed abrupt when they pulled into driveway of a ranch house.    He looked around as he unbuckled his belt and reached for the door handle, desperate to get out and stretch.  Kelly pulled the keys from the ignition and waited until Nola had perched on his shoulders before exiting the car.

“Leave your things,” Kelly instructed softly.  “We’ll get them later.”

Sean just nodded and followed Kelly through the front door and into the house. Seconds later, a man came running into the entryway and threw himself into Kelly’s arms.  Obviously Jason, the smaller man started babbling even as he pulled himself up Kelly’s body and wrapped his legs around Kelly’s waist.

“Oh my God, I’m so happy you're home.  I missed you so much.  And we’ll do the big reunion thing later and you’ll kiss my face off but I can’t get Daniel to stop and right now you have to come outside and make him stop because he’s been at it since three.”

“Hey sweetheart,” Kelly said soothingly, taking the kiss from his partner anyway.  “I missed you too.  And three isn’t so bad.  It’s only been a few hours.”

Kelly leaned in to kiss Jason again, but the man pulled back and stared at Kelly hard.  “Three o’clock this morning.”

Kelly practically dropped Jason as he took off through the house.  Sean followed closely, not knowing what else to do.  He wouldn’t get involved in the inner workings of their coven, but he was ready to provide support should Kelly need it.  Still unsure of what was going on, Sean only knew that whatever it was, it didn’t sound good.

Through the sliding glass doors off the kitchen, Sean could see the backyard, a huge tree, and a man slumped against the base.  He followed along until he was outside, stopping far enough away to not be in the way but to still hear what was going on.  Because the man—who must be the Daniel Jason mentioned—looked like he was on the verge of collapse.  He was wearing a pair of denim overalls with no shirt underneath. And every inch of exposed skin was either deathly pale or mottled with bruises.  Whatever he was doing, it had been going on long enough that he was out of magical reserves and his skin was showing it.  His breathing was a little ragged, his lips cracked and dry, and his magic was a faded wisp of green that barely had a presence.  Daniel was fatigued, dehydrated, and in bad shape.  Sean’s training kicked in, and he wanted to start performing basic first aid like he would for a victim.  He held back, but only barely.

“Daniel, come on.  That’s enough,” Kelly said softly as he knelt by the man. He put his hand on the back of Daniel’s neck and reached out to try and coax one of the man’s hands from the bark.

Weakly shaking his head, Daniel’s voice was rough when he spoke, “No.  Not done.  Have to fix the alder.”

“I know,” Kelly said in that same soothing tone.  “I know you do.  And you will.  But you need to stop now and take a break.”

The crow at Daniel’s side gave a soft, weak caw.  Daniel only shook his head again and tried to shrug out of Kelly’s grip.  He closed his eyes and used the trunk of the tree to attempt to pull himself more upright.  When that didn’t work, Daniel leaned heavily against the bark and pushed more magic at the tree.  Sean felt the rise of magic but it only lasted for seconds before fading again.

Kelly continued to try and talk Daniel into taking a break and coming inside the house.  But Sean could see instantly that that tactic wouldn’t work.  Daniel was focused on the job and the man must know that the instant he stopped, he’d crash.  He’d be asleep for at least twelve hours.  It was clear to Sean what kind of person he was dealing with.  And Sean knew exactly how to handle him.  Against his better judgment, he strode forward.  If Daniel couldn’t keep his own best interests in mind, Sean would see to them himself.  If Daniel wanted to act like a brat, Sean would treat him like one.

Sean nudged Kelly to the side, reached down to grip Daniel’s wrists, and used his own magic to break Daniel’s magical connection with the tree.  Using his hold, he turned Daniel to face him.  “You’re done.”

“But I—“ Daniel protested weakly.

Sean cut him off, “Not buts.  You’re done.”

He hauled Daniel bodily to his feet, and when the man swayed unsteadily, swung him up into his arms.  He strode back to the house and he could hear Kelly and Jason following.  Once in the kitchen, Sean sat in a chair and arranged Daniel on his lap.  The man didn’t exactly fit comfortably, he was a little too tall, but they made it work.

“Can someone get him a glass of water?” Sean asked politely.  He clamped his arms around Daniel’s waist when the man tried to wiggle off his lap.  He heard the tap running and a few seconds later, a glass appeared.  He took it and smiled his thanks to Jason before he held it in front of Daniel’s face.  He kept his voice firm as he directed, “Sip.  Slowly.”

Daniel did without hesitation.  His entire body sagged into Sean’s and he had to readjust his hold.  Sean looked up and ignored the disbelief in Kelly’s face.  “He needs some protein.”

It was Jason who responded.  “He’s a vegetarian and I’m not sure we have anything in the house that he can eat.”

Sean nodded.  “How about some peanut butter then?  Protein, sugar, fat, it’ll all do him some good.”  He turned his face a little to focus on Daniel.  “Is peanut butter on the okay foods list?”

“Organic,” Daniel croaked.

“We have some of that,” Jason said quickly, reaching into the cupboard.  “I started buying it after I had some that time at your house. It tastes really good.  But I don’t think you want our bread or crackers.”

“Off a spoon is fine for now,” Sean directed.  He took the jar and the spoon that Jason handed him, loaded up the utensil, and handed it to Daniel. When the man looked like he was going to protest, Sean gave him a stern look that he hoped conveyed the fact that if Daniel wasn’t going to do it, Sean would have no problem feeding him.  Daniel must have gotten the message because he took the spoon and popped it into his mouth, his only reaction a little indignant huff.  When the spoon was licked clean, Sean loaded it up again.  Daniel didn’t hesitate to take it this time.

Satisfied that Daniel was taken care of for the moment, he turned to the other two. “Can someone fill me in on what’s going on with the tree?”

Kelly was still staring at Sean like he was crazy.  Sean felt no need to justify his actions.  When he turned an inquiring look to Jason, the man quickly explained that the alder in the backyard was an excellent source of power and that it was special to the entire coven.  He then went on to detail everything that had happened; from the moment his familiar woke him in the middle of the night until now.  Sean listened patiently and kept loading up Daniel’s spoon.  When the story was done, Sean felt he had the full picture and when Daniel pushed the jar away a little, Sean let him be done eating.

“It’s a good thing I’m here after all then,” Sean said into the ensuing silence.  “I can help Daniel repair the damage to the tree.”

“You know nothing about that kind of magic,” Kelly scoffed.  Sean nodded. They’d talked in depth about his abilities over the last few months and Kelly had his official Tribunal file.

“Maybe not,” Sean conceded, cuddling Daniel a little closer as the man started to crash.  He was quickly becoming deadweight in Sean's lap.  “But Daniel does.  And I have a crap ton of unfocused magic right now.  I can act as a conduit.”

Kelly blinked.  Then a small smile crossed his face.  “You’re right about that.  And I’m in favor of anything that keeps Daniel from burning out.”

“If it’s all right with you, I’m going to take Daniel home.  I’ll stay with him, get him powered up again, and we’ll be back once he can work again.”  It wasn’t a question in any way.  Sean was determined that Daniel would be smarter about healing the tree in the future.

“I think you better ask Daniel if it’s all right that you stay with him,” Jason chimed in, his tone a little angry.  Sean liked that he was sticking up for his friend, but he had no intention of staying anywhere else. It was plainly obvious that Daniel needed a keeper.

Sean tucked his fingers under Daniel’s chin and lifted the man’s blue gaze to his own.  “I’m staying with you.”

Daniel blinked blearily at him for several long seconds, before a ghost of a smile crossed his lips and he nodded.  That was enough confirmation for Sean.  He wasn’t going to wait any longer to get Daniel tucked into bed.  The man would be lucky if he woke up before this time tomorrow.

Sean stood and tucked Daniel under his arm.  He was pretty sure Daniel could make it outside under his own power if Sean helped.  He reached out a hand to the crow.  “Come on, you.  Let’s get your practitioner home and taken care of.”

The crow gave a soft caw and hopped up on to his arm, digging in his talons as he scooted up until he was standing on Sean’s shoulder.  He steer the sleepy man out the front door and took an educated guess that the truck in the driveway with the landscaping business logo on the door was Daniel’s.  Daniel groped into his pocket and produced the keys.  Sean settled Daniel into the passenger seat, let the crow hop down into Daniel’s lap, and with strong instruction not to fall asleep until Sean got them to Daniel’s home, went to retrieve his bags from Kelly’s car.

As Sean slung his duffle bags and suitcase into the bed of Daniel's truck, he realized he felt better than he had since he lost Koenig.  Something settled into his gut, adding to the rightness.  It felt suspiciously like purpose.

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