4.20 Consequences

"What are you doing here?" Quinn asked as Silver made himself at home inside her safe haven.

"Aren't you happy to see me?" he asked laughing at the dagger filled glare she gave him. "What the matter? Mommy doesn't love me anymore" he gave her a pretend pout.

"I'm not your mother" she scowled at him "now leave."

Crossing his legs he leaned back on the couch. A pleasant smile upon his lips. He gave the appearance of a guest enjoying tea. Only his eyes portrayed his veiled intent. "He's not going home," Silver informed her as if she should know who he was referring too.

"He who?" she asked. She could have read the information from his mind if she was so inclined. It was not a practice she enjoyed doing often or ever especially an evil mind such as his.

"Everett Gray" he said the name enjoying the shock that spread across her face.

"How do you know that?" she asked keeping her voice devoid of emotion.

Shrugging he leaned back smirking "you could say I engineered it that way. Your stuck with an extra Gray in your dimension."

"Why did you do this?" she screamed. All the work she had done to balance out her dimension was falling part. Not only was her dimension teetering out of control now Phoenix's would be too. His face flashed in her mind. His intelligent kind blue eyes. His long soft red hair. 

"It could be be worse," Silver said studying her face "I could have prevented Lincoln from leaving. He after all is the vital Gray for your sister dimension."

"It'll cause an imbalance" she shook her head to stop the flow of words that would betray her upset emotional state. She couldn't give Silver anymore ammunition to use against her. "What do you want?" she demanded.

"I want what's mine" Silver growled "my son. My bonded one. You hid them from me."

"No" she said her voice firm unwavering "I will not risk bringing the council to this dimension by giving them to you."

Silver nodded eyes sparkling "have it your way. I could have been persuaded to let you use them. I had no desire to bring the council here." He shrugged getting up "if I can't have what I want neither can you."

"You'd be willing to destroy two dimensions to get them?" she asked astonishment lacing her words.

"Yes" he said walking menacingly towards her "give me what's mine. I'll let you save this pitiful world."

"If I don't you'll destroy yourself and them" Quinn pointed out "I won't cave to your demands."

"One last chance to change your mind," Silver glared at her in incomprehension at her unreasonableness.

"No" Quinn shook her head "I need Adam and Keenan to do their part to bring balance to the dimension."

"Find another way," Silver hissed.

"There is no other way" she crossed her arms determined.

Taking a step back Silver stared at her "so be it. What happens next is on you."

***

Adam rushed forward to catch the young man before he fell to the floor. "What happened?" he shouted over the noise of the alarms.

Peter stood over the instruments board as alarms and lights flashed. Shaking his head "from what I can ascertain the portal has been sabotaged."

"Serafino" Adam said the name like a curse.

"More than likely" Alanon agreed stooping beside Adam inspecting Everett's injuries. "I don't think he's badly hurt. More stunned than anything."

"Do what you can for him" Adam commanded the mage. He stood up surveying the room. Everyone looked stunned except for the two werewolves who had been assisting Serafino before their arrival. 

"What did he do?" Adam demanded letting his Vampire powers fuel his anger "tell me now or suffer the consequences."

The two men growled in unison remaining silent otherwise their gazes insolent. "Guards" Adam shouted.

"Yes sir" the two guards said coming to his summons.

"Take these men to the dungeon" Adam pointed towards the werewolves. Their eyes flickered with indecision. "On what charges" the oldest of the two asked.

"Treason" Adam hissed.

The younger man stepped forward "I was following orders..."

"Tell me everything you know" Adam commanded "so that I may be lenient with you."

"We'll tell you nothing" the oldest man said grabbing the younger man squeezing the man's arm.

Whirling around on his superior the werewolf growled "I'll tell him everything. I can't bring this shame on my family."

"You should have considered that before agreeing to work with me," the other man said. With a vicious abrupt move the older werewolf rushed at his partner snapping the man's neck with a loud resounding snap.

The two guards fearing for their ruler's life rushed forward. Within minutes the traitorous werewolf was dead upon the floor beside his murdered counterpart.

The others looked around in stunned silence. For some reason an inane thought kept running through Adam's head that caused him to place a hand over his mouth to cover up the giggle that wanted to escape.The inappropriateness of the thought prevented him from giving in to the desire. Alanon looked up with a twinkle in his eyes "clean up on aisle nine."

"Were you reading my mind?" Adam asked giving his good friend a worried look.

"No" Alanon assured him "it was just" he shrugged "a very inappropriate thing to say." 

"Yes it was," Adam said fighting to keep a straight face.

***

Kimberly sat beside the unconscious young man lightly running her fingers through his hair. "Please wake up" she pleaded to whatever powers that could hear her. She leaned forward resting her head on her knees feeling tired but unwilling to leave his side.

She looked up startled at the faint touch of someones hand in her hair "Everett?" she cried looking up to find his soft gray eyes looking at her.

"What?" he licked his lips "what happened?" he asked frowning as he took in his surroundings

"The portal rejected you" Kimberly explained "Grandpa Peter said someone programmed it to reject you so you couldn't return to your dimension."

"How? Why?" he frowned "it worked before to bring me here."

"Evidently that's why the sabotage worked. It allowed you to cross over to get your DNA. Since it acquired your DNA it was able to block you from re-entering and going home." She tried to smile at him "if you want a more detailed description of what happened you'll have to talk to Grandpa."

"What about Lincoln?" he struggled to sit up.

"He's ok" Kimberly said gently pushing him back to the pillow "you need to rest."

Closing his eyes a single tear rolled down his cheek "I've never left him alone before."

"I'm sorry" Kimberly picked up his hand gently kissing it's palm "if there's a way to get you home my Grandpas will find it."

He gave her a twisted smile "I should be thankful. I wanted to stay."

Lifting his hand she pressed it against her cheek "shh that was before you knew the consequences."

"I would have missed you," Everett said eyes shining with wetness "as much or more then I'm missing my brother."

"Oh I'd hope more," she smiled down at him.

"Definitely" he twirled her hair around his fingers pulling her head down to his.

Their mouths hovered close together "we shouldn't be doing this," Kimberly said breathing deeply of his scent committing it to memory.

"I don't care" he told her "I love you."

She moaned helplessly as the pressure on the back of her head increased and their mouths connected in a heated passionate kiss. "I love you too" she said sounding breathless a moment later.

***

Ambrogio starred at the green eyed boy. A man trapped inside the body of a toddler. He couldn't fathom anything so so horrible. He had been a bodiless entity for eons of time. He could remember how he ached to have a body. He could only imagine how Malachi felt. Having to sit back and watch his girlfriend become involved with someone else regardless of the feelings he had for her He had to let her go. There was no way they could be together.

Looking up as Alanon entered the room "can we keep the boy?"

For a moment Alanon looked at him in confusion "what boy?" he asked confirming to Ambrogio his appearance of confusion was accurate.

"Malachi" Ambrogio said letting his longing filter into his voice.

"He has parents" Alanon said dismissing the idea.

"He did have parents," Ambrogio corrected "his parents are expecting a nineteen year old young man to come home. Someone they have already raised to adulthood."

"Yes but..."

"But what?" Ambrogio demanded "are going to explain to them that their son was caught in a time bubble? That their son aged backwards and is now a toddler again. They'd look at us like we were crazy or worse that we had harmed their son in some way."

"I hadn't given it that much thought" Alanon admitted "I just assumed he'd go home. I see now he can't."

"Not really unless we want to assign him to an endless amount of needless tests from over eager scientists trying to figure out what has happened to him." Ambrogio bit his lip "please can we keep him. Raise him like our own?"

"He's not a child" Alanon pointed out "he's a grown man trapped inside a toddler body."

"I know but" he sighed unsure whether he should admit he had been reading his husbands spell books "can't you wipe his memories?"

Slowly Alanon nodded "I could but is that the best thing to do?"

"Is it better to watch him suffer?" Ambrogio asked "he has to endure being treated like a child because of his appearance. He has to act like a toddler otherwise people will become suspicious of him. He has to watch Kimberly falling in love with someone else." Ambrogio looked up sighing "I can't imagine the torment his life has become. Can't we please help him?"

"I'll consider it," Alanon said "if he wants me to I will. I won't unless it's what he wants."

"Thank you" Ambrogio smiled in relief "can I ask him?"

"You're the only on he talks to. So yes ask him. Don't pressure him" Alanon hugged his husband tight realizing for the first time how much Ambrogio must have been longing to have a child.

***

Malachi listened silently absorbing everything Ambrogio had to say. Inwardly he wanted to jump up and down with joy but outwardly he gave the impression of an implementable rock. He was an opportunity to start over. A clean slate with no memories of the past. No dreams about parents he could never see again. No regrets about his decision that let up to his current situation. Mostly no heartbreak. Kimberly wouldn't occupy his thoughts.

"So what do you think?" Ambrogio asked becoming worried. The longer the boy remained silent the more he was sure he wouldn't do it. 

"Yes" Malachi nodded vigorously "yes." He smiled throwing his arms around the man who would become his adoptive parent. Who was giving him this miracle.

"Are you sure?" Ambrogio asked despite his growing excitement "once your memory is wiped we can't get them back again."

"I'm positive," Malachi assured him "the Malachi that existed is dead for all intents and purposes. His memories are only a torment."

"I'll let Alanon know," Ambrogio said a grin spreading across his face like sunshine after the rain.

"Are there any side effects? Any chance that my memories will resurface?" Malachi asked suddenly afraid of this life altering decision.

"Possibly but not likely" Ambrogio told him trying to recall what he had read in Alanon's spell book "you'd have to ask Alanon. He's the mage not me."

Shrugging Malachi jumped to his feet "it doesn't really matter I'm doing this regardless." Turning to the older man "just promise me you'll always be there for me. I need something. Someone to cling to that's mine."

"I promise," Ambrogio whispered. Sometimes he felt he needed the same thing. He had Alanon but he had his magic that Ambrogio struggled to understand. His needs were secondary to the needs of Moonlight Hollow.

***

How long had it been Phoenix wondered since he had last seen Quinn. There were so many things he needed to ask her. All his requests to meet had gone unanswered. Slowly he started to accept that Quinn wasn't coming back. He would have to face the consequences of their actions alone. If he had known becoming pregnant was a possibility he would have been more careful. She had assured him that it was impossible for her to become pregnant. He had not known that he would be the one to get pregnant. How was that even possible?

He ran a hand over his protruding stomach. Soon he would become a father. His baby would never know it's mother. Could that be why she refused to respond to his requests? Did she know this would happen? He could feel his anger rising inside him.

All her talk about helping him maintain balance in his dimension had been a trick to get him to trust her. She had betrayed him. He had noticed when Peter and the others had left. Noticed when Lincoln had come back. Everett was supposed to come back too. He hadn't. Quinn had been the one to explain to him how important the Gray's were within each dimension. Had she taken him because he could help stabilize her dimension or did she take him knowing it would further destabilize his.

He didn't want to believe she would do that to him. The more he looked the more he could see her involvement in the things that were unraveling. His protruding stomach made it impossible for him to appear to anyone he trusted to help him. How would they react to seeing a pregnant man? That just wasn't possible. He couldn't contaminate his dimension with that knowledge.

It was proving difficult to keep the knowledge of time manipulation from becoming a preoccupation of the science community in the end he had to maneuver things to destroy Silver's lab. That creature wouldn't be able to continue his experiments in his dimension anymore.

He still didn't have a time keeper. Whoever the two that Quinn promised him were they hadn't come. At least while Peter was here he had someone knowledgeable in the position now he had no one.

Now Everett was gone and Lincoln was struggling without him. Of course Lincoln was the more important Gray but Everett was his support system. The one Lincoln turned to for strength when he was confused or doubting himself.

Like dominoes in a line one fell after another. When would the last domino drop? He shivered knowing that the council would come. Reset both their dimensions and carry on as if nothing happened.

***

Quinn felt utterly exhausted for a being with almost limitless power. She had been following Silver around trying to figure out what he was up to for months. She couldn't help but appreciate his ingenuity even if it was in direct conflict to her. She could see the beauty of what he was doing even if she didn't agree with him. Overall she had hoped to discover a weakness she could exploit. If she hadn't been so busy following Silver she might have given in t the desire to see Phoenix. Something was wrong. Why else would he be trying to contact her? The most frightening thing was when his requests stopped. Now there had been nothing but silence for several weeks.

She tried to see things from his perspective. She reluctantly concluded that he must think she betrayed him. She took Peter without sending the promised replacement. Then Lincoln returned without Everett. She could have sent him back herself except she wasn't supposed to become directly involved in the dimension. Also she had been swayed by sentiment. Her judgment had been clouded. He and Kimberly reminded her of how it had been with Phoenix. Now it was too late to rectify it. She could detect the fertilized egg within Kimberly. She couldn't separate Everett from his family anymore than she could abandon her dimension. She came to the unwelcome conclusion that it was best to let Phoenix believe she had deceived him.

For the first time in millennia she dropped to her knees and gave way to despair. The tears flowed unchecked as deep wracking sobs squeezed her lungs blocking the air she needed to breathe.

***

"What are you doing here?" a brightly colored man demanded barring the door.

"I have information for your esteemed leader" Silver replied sounding as respectful as his nature allowed.

"I bet you do," the man scowled "you are not welcome here."

Laughing Silver shook his head "I'm not allowed most places but that has never stopped me."

"You have lied to us and about us. Manipulated us in the past" the man said calling for security.

"I only did what was necessary" Silver declared with a thin lipped smile. Leaning forward he stabbed a finger at the man "tell your esteemed leader the dimension watcher has awakened."

"I will relay the information" the man agreed despite the sparkle of interest in his eyes "we'll contact you if the leader wants to see you."

"Oh he will," Silver laughed as the man closed the door in his face.