(Immediately after Coming Home)
As Jon sat there on the bench, he let out a soft sigh then reached into his
t-shirt pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. It was a bad habit he
picked up from the Re-hab and from Zan. Usually only when he was feeling
down or really stressed did he light up. He was half way finished when he
heard someone approach the bench was sitting on.
“Smoking is bad for you, Skipper,” came the baritone voice of Will Heart.
“Hmm?” He looked up at the bigger fellow then glanced to the shorter, slim
woman standing with her arm about his waist. “Yeah. It is.” He glanced down
at the cig in hand.
“Problems?” Zan asked as she moved to sit down next to the Lieutenant. Silence
settled between them as Will leaned on the back of the bench.
“No.. yes..” he sighed. “I don’t know at the moment.”
A look passed between Zan and Will, then she spoke. “Come on.” Standing up
she offered her hand to Jon.
“Huh?” he grunted as he finished the cig and put it out with the heel of
his shoe. “Where are we going? I don’t want to be a bother.”
A gentle laugh from Will. “You never are Jon, you know that. Besides, you
do look like you could use some friends about.”
Looking at the pair again, he smiled slightly and accepted Zan’s hand, being
pulled to his feet. “So.. I know your place is pretty isolated. How did you
get all the way into the city?”
Zan chuckled. “We rode.”
“Rode? Rode what?”
“Horses.” Will said.
“Horses? You mean those big, four legged animals that smell?”
“Is there an echo? Yes Jon, a Horse.”
Jon looked at the two like they were crazy. “I don’t ride. I never have and
I’m a bit old to start now I think.”
Zan snorted. “That’s what Will said when I introduced him to the idea. Now
he has a good enough seat to keep up with both Me and Em on a regular basis.
Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
That’s when the trio came around a curve in the path. Off to the side was
a pair of chestnut colored horses. Both were saddled in what was a cross
between a traditional English saddle and the better known Western saddle.
With practiced ease, both Will and Zan unhitched the horses and checked the
saddle girths, tightening them where needed.
“You look like you know what your doing. How long have you been riding?”
Jon asked standing back away from the animals.
“eh.. Only a few years now. Zanna’s been in the saddle since she could walk
practically.” Will said.
“Have not. Only since I was 10.” Zan corrected, swinging easily up into the
saddle. “Come on Jon. Unless you want to ride Pillion with Will that is.”
She had a rather wicked gleam in her eye.
One that Jon had come to realize she was up to something but there was no
way one could get out of it.
“Oh come on Skipper. She won’t do anything dangerous.” Will said.
“That’s what I’m afraid of!” Jon said as he approached Zan and her horse.
He accepted the hand up, settling somewhat uncomfortably behind her. He had
little choice but to wrap his arms about Zan’s waist to hold on.
Zan grunted softly. “Ease up Jon, I gotta breath!”
“Oh… er.. sorry” he said somewhat embarrassed.
Will laughed as he climbed up into his own saddle and swung the horse around
to face the right direction. “Let’s head home.”
The events of earlier along with the quiet sounds of evening lulled Jon into
a hazy sort of trance. Before he knew it, his head was on Zan’s shoulder
and his eyes closed, his grip having loosened.
“He asleep?” Will asked, looking at the pair.
“Can’t tell. And no ideas. I don’t think he swings that way and we don’t
need to give him any nightmares.”
Will’s chuckle and the sound of horse’s hooves were the only sound for quite
some time after that.
“Jon? Jon, wake up. We’re here.” Zan said, reaching back to pat him on the
cheek lightly.
“Huh? Wha?” Jon lifted his head and rubbed his face with a hand. “What..?
damn I fell asleep didn’t I? What time is it.” He ached in several places
he wasn’t use to, wincing as he tried to straighten up.
“It’s only been about an hour.” Will said. He had dismounted already and
was taking care of his horse. “Need a hand getting down?” he knew what it
was like after a first time. Zan had taken him out for an all day ride once
and boy did he regret that.
“Damn. Sorry.. no, don’t think I will…” He swung a leg over the back of the
horse and managed a controlled fall. He wasn’t too steady on his feet
as he hissed in pain trying to straighten.
Zan laughed and shook her head as she swung out of the saddle. “Just go sit
and I’ll take care of this, then we can head into the house. Sorry about
the shape of the place. Been doing some additions on the place.”
It didn’t take long before she had her horse taken care of. The three of
them ambled to the main house. From the look of it the back porch was only
half finished. It was hard to tell if the place was two stories or three
as dark as it was. This was the first time he had ever been here. Granted
though, he had seen a few sketches while he was in re-hab.
Will lead him into what looked to be a rather large den area. “Have a seat.”
He said, nodding to one of the several chairs and sofas scattered about.
He walked over to what looked to be a wet bar in one corner. There he fixed
three glasses of ice and grabbed an unmarked dark bottle. He set them down
on the coffee table between the sofa and the chair Jon chose. Opening it
he poured several finger lengths of the amber liquid into the glasses.
“Is that what I think it is? I thought Limbo was Dry.” Jon commented.
“It is. On both accounts. And I figured you needed something from your look
earlier. Thought you might want to talk about it.” Zan said as she came in
and claimed a seat on the sofa after claiming her glass.
Will settled next to her after taking his own, draping his arm over her shoulders.
Jon picked up his glass and swirled the liquid about. The tinkling of ice
against glass was all that could be heard. “Yeah… I probably could use it.”
He sat back and lifted the glass. “Cheers.” Then took a sip. “Nice. Really
nice.”
“Thanks. It was a gift.” Zan said as she sipped her own. “And before you
say anything, if we have more then a glass a month, we’re doing really good.
I think this is the second time we’ve gotten into it since getting it, what..
a year or two ago?” she looked up at Will.
“Something like that.” He replied. Will knew that Jon was in the need of
friends right now. That something was bothering him more then he wanted to
admit. While he wasn’t as strong of an Empath like his sister, Emily, he
was still an Empath. “You know you ever need someone to talk to, Me or Em
is always here.”
“Don’t forget about me.” Zan said quietly.
“I.. I really appreciate this. I don’t think anyone has any idea of what
went in while I was gone. While I feel guilty about not telling them,
I’m relieved at the same time they don’t know.” He tossed back the rest of
the amber liquid and grimaced as it burned it’s way down his throat. Setting
the glass down on the coffee table he stood, running a hand though his hair.
“It’s hard to get back into the swing of things. Truly back into things I
mean. Yeah, I’m keeping on top of what I get, but that don’t change anything.
I leave then come back to Cami married to Brightlight, a new Hawk that is
one of those super-powered beings, and a third hawk dead. By suicide no less
over Cami’s marriage.” He sighed and rubbed his temples. “I can understand
that what ever is between Cami and Brightlight is something.. magical, for
the lack of any better words. But he’s How much older then him? Don’t get
me wrong I’m not against it. But neither am I for it. Virgil is a good kid.
He’s treating Lorie like she is a queen. A hell of an improvement over Kyle
that’s for damn sure. But I don’t think I can ever bring myself to trust
him 100%. I’m being honest about this. I’ve read what happened back on earth
and I know he’s doing his best, but up here” he tapped his head, “Something
is nagging me. Maybe I’m just too old fashioned or there’s still parts of
my father floating around. I don’t know.”
Will and Zan listened to him as he spoke. Nodding their heads at key points,
letting him know they were listening to him. Not just hearing what he had
to say.
“Have you noticed something? We’re a dieing breed Will. You, me, Emily and
James. We’re the last of the original team. If you count Kyle, Condor and
The Commander, we’re the only humans left on the team. Not to slight Virgil,
but I don’t think he’s really human like us anymore. Maybe it’s fear speaking
up, maybe it’s jealously. We’ll be lucky to see the other side of a century.”
“The Commander’s pretty old..” Will pointed out. “So is Condor.”
“True. But the Commander is a stubborn old goat that is going to die behind
his desk. The only ones to call family are the rest of us Hawks. I can’t
do that.”
“Boy you get talkative when you have a drink” Zan said.
“I could always keep quiet about things.” He snorted.
“And get so screwed over and messed up like you did? I’d rather have you
talkative.” She returned.
“Yeah. Besides you don’t have to worry about anything getting out. At least
not from us.” Will pointed out.
Jon dropped back down in his chair and bit back a yelp of pain. “Damn, I’m
going to feel it worse in the morning aren’t I?”
“Yep”
He groaned. “If I wasn’t such a coward I would never have come back. Just
turned in my resignation and left.”
“What about what you have going on here? What about Sara..” Will asked.
“Sara isn’t the person I thought she was.” Jon said softy. “I’m starting
to think she’s trying to get back at Mon*Star in other ways. First was joining
the SilverHawks. Then there was me. Other then Stargazer, he hates me the
most out of any of us.”
“Uh-oh. What happened?”
“Did you know that half-breeds live on average 500 years?” he said looking
up at the pair. “It scares me to death, knowing that I won’t live 1/5 of
her life span. That’s the real problem I think.”
“Tell me this, what would you have done if you did leave instead of returning?
Where would you have gone and what would you want to do.”
“Don’t know.” Jon shrugged. “that’s why I’m a coward. I’m afraid of having
to start all over again in an unknown place, with strangers all around.”
“Tell you what. Why don’t you think about things for a while. If you still
feel the same, then decide to retire or resign. Your gonna have a hell of
a pension when you do. Over 20 years as a Lieutenant, plus all the back pay
from the leave time and sick time you never took. And your going to have
a humdinger of a resume too. I’m willing to bet there will be law enforcement
agencies clambering to get you to go to work for them.” Zan told him.
“What if I don’t want to work anymore?” Jon asked.
“Then don’t. This isn’t about what I want you to do or what Society wants
you to do. This is about what YOU want to do.” Zan got up and walked over
to crouch infront of him. “Jon, after all you went though the last year,
you deserve some happiness. If Sara isn’t the one for you, then that person
is out there waiting on you somewhere. But you have to be willing to take
the first step.”
Jon couldn’t help but smile.
“And with that, I’m off to bed. I have things to take care of in the morning
and 8 am comes early. Good night Jon.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek as
she stood up. Then walked over to the sofa and gave Will a kiss good night.
“See ya in a little while.” Then left.
“You know.. You have a very special woman.” Jon said sitting back with a
bemused look on his face.
“You have no idea Jon, No idea at all.”
“I envy you.”
“Don’t, she has her bad days just like the rest of us.” He said standing
up. “Come on, I’ll show you the guest room, then I need to get to bed. Got
second shift tomorrow.”
Jon chuckled and followed Will. ‘Now if those two would only get married…’
he thought to himself as he bid Will a good night.
~Fini~
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