ASL Files Chapter 8 New Love & Old Wounds
The following story is a work of fiction and is copyright by yours truly. It may contain implied acts of yiffery between two consenting males and other such things. If you have a problem with such details or such things are (heaven forbid) against the law in your area please leave now. Otherwise read and enjoy. Comments are always welcome. [email protected]
ASL Files Chapter 8
New Love and Old Wounds
Daren tossed and turned restlessly in his sleep. Karl sleep soundly beside him, unaffected by the constant thrashing of the one he loved lying next to him. Finally Daren pushed the sheets back from his chest and rolled himself out of bed. Being very careful not to wake Karl from his peaceful dreams, whatever they happened to be this evening. Quickly and quietly, with skill born of long practice, he pulled on a loose fitting sweatshirt and matching pants. Silently he slipped from their quarters and out into the oddly silent corridor, of course the fact that it was 3am had a bit to do with the lack of activity. Those who were on night shift would be at their posts and most of the rest of the base would be asleep. Daren just began to warder through the corridors and catwalks, spending a few minutes at his favorite spot high above the rainforest floor. But still he could not find peace. After about three quarters of an hour Daren found himself in a small open area at the top of a low hill. His path lit by the half moon and the seemingly endless star field. He sat for a moment on a low bench made of carved granite. It took him a few seconds to really figure out where he was, as he didn't come to this place often. In front of him lit by the moon where two rows of headstones. The small patch of fenced off ground was the base's small cemetery, there were only fifteen people buried in here, and over the history of the ASL and with everything that they did it was surprising that the number was so few. Daren rose from the bench and made his way to the third monument in the second row, the one closest to where he'd been sitting. Slowly and softly he knelt beside it, carefully brushing the light coating of sand and dust from its surface. A single tear rolled from his eye as he placed his hand over the Dark Knights insignia that was carved into the stone.
"You miss him very much, don't you?" Came a soft voice from behind him.
Daren had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't heard anyone approach. He turned his head to see Jonathon sitting on the bench where he had been a few moments ago. "Is it that obvious?" Daren said, sniffling slightly. "It is to me Daren, but I doubt anyone else would notice. Except for perhaps Karl, he reads you fairly well." Jonathon said softly. With that he got up and moved over to the opposite side of the stone to Daren. He placed a hand lovingly on the smoothly curved top. "It's been three years today. And I'm guessing that's why you're having trouble sleeping tonight."
"You're probably right. It's just that I love Karl now and yet I can't let go of Charles and the past."
Jonathon placed a comforting hand on Daren's shoulder. "And nor should you, but you might consider letting Karl in on your past. I think it would help."
Daren looked up into Jonathon's kind eyes, and Jonathon patted his shoulder a few times before turning to leave.
"Sir if you don't mind my asking," Daren said still kneeling by the headstone, "Why are you here at this time of night."
Jonathon grinned, "I come hear more often then most would think. But I'm here now for two reasons, one I just finished my shift and needed to take a walk. And the second, well, I have my reasons and I'll leave it at that." With that Jonathon disappeared down the path back towards the maze of internal corridors.
Daren leaned forward and gently kissed the etched stone in front of him, "I miss you so much." He said, another tear rolling down his cheek. "I hope that you won't think less of me for this, but I've fallen in love again. But you will always hold a special place in my heart." Daren rose to his feet, hand never leaving the headstone, and one last tear fell to the earth before he turn and walked away.
Daren sat quietly at his desk in his quarters, the only light in the room ushered forth from his dimmed computer monitor. He sat with a hot mug in his hands as he watched picture after picture fill the screen. Mostly they were of Charles either in his were form or his human self. Every now and then there would be a shot of both he and Charles together somewhere. He sighed audibly as the memories filled his head. After an hour of watching the slide show he finally felt tired enough to go back to bed. Silently he striped off his shirt and pants, hanging them over the back of the chair. He didn't have to work tomorrow so he'd put them back on after his morning shower anyway. He gently lay down next to Karl and pulled the sheets back up over his chest. No sooner had he gotten the sheets up then Karl rolled over and flopped one arm lazily across him. Jonathon was right. He would have to tell Karl about his past and about Charles. But that could wait until morning, for now he lay next to what, in his mind, was possibly the most perfect creature alive.
As the new day dawned outside Karl stirred next to Daren. He could feel his arm draped over Daren's chest. Karl pulled himself in close to Daren and laid his head on his shoulder. Karl's movements woke Daren instantly, but he just laid quietly in bed and let his love snuggle in close. From where he lay Daren could just see his alarm clock out of the corner of his eye. He breathed a heavy sigh after looking at the readout. He'd only managed to sleep for two and a half hours. "Ah well." He thought to himself, he'd be able to have a nap later and he'd most likely sleep better tonight anyway. Both of them just lay in bed, Karl with his head on Daren's shoulder, neither wanting to get out of bed and break the moment. After a good long while of just being close to each other Daren took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He reached across himself and gently ran his hand through Karl's hair. "You know we really should get up about now." He whispered quietly. Karl moaned slightly and shifted his head so that he could look directly into Daren's eyes. "Do we have to? Neither of us have duty today. Why can't we just lie here all day?"
Daren smiled as he looked into Karl's beautiful eyes, "Well there are a couple of reasons why we can't. One if I did lie here next to you all day, not that I'm not temped mind you, I wouldn't be able to move tomorrow from cramps. And secondly there's something I need to talk to you about. And..." Daren paused to take a deep breath and consider his next words. Meanwhile Karl lifted his head from his loves shoulder and his eyes held a "And what" expression.
"And it's not something that's best done lying in bed." Daren finished.
Karl rolled himself out of bed and onto his feet, which sank into the deep carpeting. He spread his arms wide in a big morning stretch. Daren propped himself up on one elbow and grinned. "He looks so cute when he does that." He thought to himself as a wide grin spread along his features. Karl took a few steps towards the bathroom before turning his head to look over his shoulder at Daren lying in bed. "I'm going to take a shower," he said smiling, "are you coming or are you just going to lay there and look at my tail?"
Daren didn't need to be asked twice. He fairly leapt from the bed and followed Karl into the bathroom.
After what could be considered an extremely long shower, Daren pulled on a new set of boxers and slipped back into the sweatpants and shirt that he'd worn on his night walk. Karl got himself dressed as well, pulling on a pair of loose fitting black jeans and an old long sleeve shirt, one of the few things he'd cared to bring with him when he moved to ASL headquarters. He'd since had the ASL insignia stitched onto the left shoulder, but it was unchanged other then that and it had always been a favorite of his. He finished doing up the last button and turned to face Daren, who in turn handed him a cup of steaming tea. Karl couldn't see it, but Daren's mind was desperately trying to figure out what he was going to say. Daren sank into the corner couch that he had brought from when he moved to headquarters full time. Karl slid onto the couch on the other side of the corner so that he and Daren where more or less facing each other. Karl leaned forward and rested his cup on the small coffee table that sat between the couch and television. "So what was it that you thought we should talk about?" he said at length. Daren held his cup cradled in both hands and looked at the floor, his head hanging as he tried to find the right words.
"Does it have anything to do with wherever it was that you got to last night?" Karl enquired.
Daren's head shot upright, "I thought you where asleep when I left last night. I know you were when I got back."
"I was. I have no idea when you left. But I know that you where gone because I rolled over and you weren't there and no lights were on."
Daren hung his head again. There was no going back from here.
"In fact it has everything to do with last night, but not in the way you might think." Daren started, "I love you very much and I always will. But something was bothering me last night and I couldn't sleep."
Karl leaned forward slightly with his chin resting in his hands in the classic "I'm listening" pose.
"I was in love once before you know." Daren said looking up at Karl for the first time since he'd started. "A long time ago and then something happened and I thought that I'd never feel that way again. Until I met you and then you came here. And that's where my problem is. It's about my past. Do you remember when I took you up to base one?"
Karl nodded.
"And we went to the garden and you asked about that inscription on the plaque."
"Oh dear," Karl chirped up, "It was Charles Fox. You were in love with him."
Daren nodded his head slightly choking back a sob into a sniffle. "It was three years ago yesterday that he died, I hadn't realized it until Jonathon told me." He sniffled again between sentences. Daren fought hard to stop from breaking down on the spot and considering that he wasn't normally emotional it was exceedingly difficult. Karl had quietly slid around the corner in the couch to be beside Daren. Daren leaned into his shoulder as a tear rolled down his cheek. "When did Jonathon tell you that it had been three years?" Karl asked soothingly.
"Last night when I couldn't sleep I took a walk. I stopped at my favorite places to think but I still didn't feel any better. After a while I sat down on a stone bench and didn't know where I was for a couple minutes. Then in the moonlight I realized that I was in the little cemetery atop the hill by the communications array." He took a sip of his tea before continuing. "I hadn't even noticed walking there, but there I was. So I got up and went over to his gravestone. I was just sitting there lost in my own little world when Jonathon sat down behind me on the bench and spoke up. He told me that it had been three years and I had to look at the date carved there to be sure. It felt like my heart was torn in two. On one hand I miss him so much and on the other I love you just as much. I didn't know what to do. Jonathon suggested that I should at least tell you about my past and that that might make me feel better. But right now I feel worse." Daren's body shook with his sniffling as another tear rolled from his eye. Karl held him tightly, lovingly, and for a brief moment Daren could have sworn that he was back in Charles' arms after he'd been hurt doing something or other. Karl just held him, not saying a word.
Karl just sat holding Daren in his arms as he snuffled and cried quietly. Neither of them took notice of the time that had past and by the time that Daren stifled the last of his tears it was early afternoon. After Daren stopped shaking with his sobs Karl stole a glace at the clock on Daren's desk. 1315, read the numbers on the face. Karl rubbed his hands through Daren's hair and gave him a firm squeeze, "Come on it's after mid-day and you haven't eaten anything yet. Some food will do you good."
Daren nodded and sat upright, straitening his sweatshirt before getting up. Karl soon followed and took Daren's hand tightly in his own. He gave his love a brief smile, which Daren returned. Daren wiped his face with the sleeve, before they left their quarters. They walked most of the way to the base's café in silence, just content to hold each others hand. They were just sitting down with their meals when Karl piped up, "I was meaning to ask you. What was Jonathon doing at the cemetery in the middle of the night anyhow?"
Daren shrugged his shoulders, "I don't really know and he wouldn't say. I asked him the same thing last night. He just said that he was there because he'd just gotten of duty and wanted to take a walk, and that he had his own reasons for being there at the time. That's all he said and I didn't feel like pressing him"
Karl shrugged this time, "Oh well not that it matters that much anyway. I'm just glad he got you to talk to me about this."
Daren nodded as he speared a piece of steak with his fork. The two ate the rest of their lunch without really talking.
It was on the way back to their quarters that Karl noticed Daren's pace slowing and his head hanging slightly. Karl stopped and gently lifted Daren's head by his chin, looking in to his deep blue eyes. His eyes where starting to glaze slightly and they had traces of red running through them, showing all the signs of sever fatigue. Karl put his arm around Daren's shoulder to hold him close just in case Daren decided to fall asleep where he stood. It took longer then normal to get back to their quarters, because of how tired Daren was. Once they were back home Karl sat him down on the edge of the bed and quickly removed his shoes and clothes. He helped him under the covers and tucked him in for some much needed sleep.
Karl went to the Daren's desk after he made sure that he was sleeping soundly. He flipped on the screen and turned down the volume on the speakers. He opened a few folders and got some soft music playing as he began to browse the ASL archives for the facts surrounding Charles' death. After a few minutes of searching he came across the official after action report and started reading. As detailed as it was some things were curiously missing, such as whether or not Daren had been around at the time of his death or if he had visited him in the base hospital or even if Charles made it to the hospital. With his efforts getting him nowhere fast Karl closed the archives and let the music play as he got himself a hot cup of tea. Then he lent back and just listed to the music, sipping at his mug ever now and then.
Daren lay in bed and for a long time was in a deep, dreamless sleep brought on by his exhaustion. After some time he found himself sitting outside the lookout tower atop Knight's peak relaxing under the light of the full moon. His black fur waved in the light breeze that always moved on the mountain top. His tail tip flicked back and forth idly on the grass. The earth felt soft and forgiving under his paws as he sat watching the stars and the clouds drift by. From behind him he heard the familiar creak of the tower's access door being unlocked and opened. Daren turned to see who was coming to join him on this almost perfect night. In the light from the doorway he could make out the silhouette of a wolf standing there leaning on the door. The wolf's tail fanned the air behind him as he stood. "Mind if I join you for awhile?" the figure asked.
Daren tried to make out whose voice it was, it was very familiar but for some reason he couldn't place it. "Not at all," Daren started, "it's too nice of an evening to be wasted on just me." The tall wolf turned and closed the door into the observation area and began to back his way over the short distance to where Daren sat. Daren look intently at the wolf's face as he approached, but even with the back lighting from the inside of the tower gone the face was covered in shadow, almost as if it didn't want to be seen. As the figure drew near to Daren the ground on which he sat shook slightly. Daren quickly put his paws out to steady himself and looked up at the wolf next to him. The ground shook gently again as Daren watched the wolf, but it seemed to have no effect on him, his balance not wavering in the slightest. After the first tremor Daren's ears had been laid flat on his head. Faintly he heard something in the night breeze. His ears raised and swiveled to try and catch the sound as it moved on the wind. Again he heard it, his name, his name being carried by the breeze. He looked up to ask the wolf if he'd heard it too, but the wolf was nowhere to be seen. Then the realization hit home he was dreaming. Daren's eyes fluttered open and he was met by the eyes of his love. Who was standing over him shaking him gently. "Hey there sleepy." Karl said with a grin. "You looked so peaceful that I didn't want to wake you."
"Umm," Daren moaned sleepily, "What time is it?"
"It's just after seven hun. It's time for dinner, if you don't have something now you'll just be up in the middle of the night again looking for a meal."
Daren yawned and pushed back the covers on his bed before getting up and stretching to get the last of remnants of sleep from his system. He pulled on his sweats and both he and Karl left to have dinner.
Daren and Karl found their normal table in a quiet corner of the base's café unoccupied and so they retrieved there meals and sat away from all the hustle of the rest of the joint. Daren started eating his dinner in relative silence every now and then he'd glance over at Karl, just in time to see him look away. Daren didn't think much of it, just his love being flirty. That is until Karl broke the silence, "Is there something on your mind hun?"
Daren looked up at him with a "how did you know that" look.
Karl seemed to read his thoughts, "It just that you've been looking over at me since we started eating like there was something that you wanted to tell me but were afraid to or something. So what's on your mind?"
Daren sighed and placed his knife and fork down on the plate. "After I went to sleep I had this really odd dream." Daren started. Karl put down his utensils and took a pull at his class to help wash down the last mouthful he'd taken.
"To start out with," he began again as Karl placed his chin on his hands, "I was just sitting outside the lookout tower up at the peak enjoying the full moon and the night sky with a light breeze. After a few minutes I heard the access door open and I turned to see who it was. I could tell it was one of the wolves, but not who exactly. He asked if he could join me and I said that he could, his voice was so familiar, so comforting, but I couldn't tell how it was. Anyway he closed the door and started to come over to me, and even after the backlighting had gone I couldn't tell. It was like his face was just permanently covered by a shadow, sort of like when I'm in my Dark Knights gear with the hood up. But he wasn't wearing one of those coats. Well he was just about to sit down so that I could see who it was when you shook me to wake me up. At first I thought there was an earthquake. That is until I heard you calling my name. When I looked back up at where he'd been there was just empty space, like he'd never even been there." Daren finished. Karl had been sitting, elbows on the table, listening intently to Daren tell of his dream. "What do you think it means?" Daren asked pleadingly, hoping that his partner had some idea. Karl leaned back in his chair, turning his eyes to the corner of the ceiling as he thought. He shrugged as his gaze came back to meat the longing eyes of his love. "I can't even begin to guess what it could mean, if it means anything at all." He said. "But if it is about something important that you really need to know about I'm sure that it will happen again, most likely tonight."
Daren nodded, knowing that Karl was more then likely right. He'd always seemed to be good about such things. Daren sighed and picked up his knife and fork, setting back to work on the last of his food.
Daren and Karl finished the rest of there dinner with a bit of lit chatter about this or that and by the time that they'd finished having dessert it was quite late by the time they began the short walk home. This time, since Daren had gotten mostly caught up on his sleep from the night before, Karl wasn't going to have to half carry him home and put him to bed. Not that he really minded doing it at all, but it was nice for him to see that Daren was feeling at least a bit better then he had earlier. When they got back to their quarters Daren quickly pulled off his shirt and tossed it into the hamper in the corner of the closet. It was closely followed by his pants and shocks. As he made his way to the bathroom, Karl took a seat at the desk in the study and looked at their messages. As he'd hoped there was a message from Jonathon waiting to be read. After Karl had put Daren to bed that afternoon he'd sent Jonathon a message asking for Daren to have the next day off for "personal reasons". Jonathon's message said that he'd talked to the scheduling staff about it and that it would be fine. He went on to say that both his and Trisha's thoughts were with them both.
Daren emerged from the bathroom and gave one last big stretch before crawling into bed. He lifted his head and looked towards the study, and seeing the soft glow from the computer monitor said, "Hey what are you up to? Hurry up and get your little black tail in here."
He heard a soft giggle from the other room followed by the sound of the computers monitor being switched off. Karl appeared from the study, pulling off his shirt as he walked toward the bathroom. Daren rolled on his side so that he could partly see past the half closed door into the bathroom. He could see Karl's shadow dancing on the tiles as he removed his pants. The shadow disappeared for a minute or so, only to reappear accompanied by a soft flushing sound. Karl flipped out the light as he opened the door. He sat on the edge of the bed for a sec before flopping down next to Daren. "Oh, By the way," Karl said, "You have the day off tomorrow. There was a message from Jonathon about it."
Daren cocked his head slightly to one side, "Why would he get me the day off?" he puzzled.
"Well the fact that I asked him to give it to you might have had something to do with it. We need to take tomorrow and sort this thing out."
Daren leaned over and planted a loving kiss on Karl's cheek before rolling onto his back and closing his eyes. Karl smiled and whispered, "I love you too." Before settling in to sleep himself.
This time it didn't take long for Daren to slip peacefully into his dreams. Again he was sitting atop Knight's Peak on the grass outside the lookout tower. Again he heard the door open behind him and the same wolf stepped into view. And as last time the wolf asked if he could join him for a while. And again Daren agreed. This time there was no shaking and as the wolf sat down close to Daren, his face came into view. It was Charles! How could he have not recognized his loves voice from fifteen feet on a calm night? Charles just smiled. "It's been a long time hasn't it kitty." The wolf said. Daren was still too shocked to answer, so Charles continued. "You're probably wondering what I'm doing here and if this is another dream." Daren finally realized that he was sitting with his mouth hanging open and was able to talk again. "You mean that was you the last time as well?" Charles just nodded, "And yes this is still a dream. You weren't yet a panther at the time I left you." He said quietly.
"So what's going on here?" Daren asked meekly almost as if he was afraid to hear the answer. "Well," Charles started, "It's all to do with you. Now I haven't been around these last three years to give you a shoulder to cry on or to comfort you when you needed it. But that doesn't mean that I haven't been watching out for you. And now you have this new Panther in your life and you're worried about what I'd think." Charles paused and took a deep breath. "I've always loved you Daren. Right from the very first time I met you on that trip to Base One. And I will always love you. You know that right?"
Daren nodded quietly, listening to what Charles had to say.
Charles smiled on seeing his mate's response. "You are worried that if you let Karl into your heart and love him that somehow you'll be betraying what we once had. What I want for you is to be happy, and I can see how happy you are when you're with him. Daren the last thing that I would have wanted for you is for you to go through the rest of your life keeping out the love of another and keeping the hurt that you feel bottled up inside you. We both know that time heals most things, but we also know that some wounds," he placed his hand over Daren's heart, "Will never fully heal. I know that from time to time this old wound will hurt more then others." He patted Daren's chest to make a point of it. "And it's times like that you need to have someone like Karl there to lean on. I'll always be with you, as long as you can hold the love of another you'll never forget what we had." Charles got to his feet and straightened his shirt. Daren nearly jumped to his feet after him, "Where are you going?" he almost sobbed.
Charles pulled him into a warm hug. "I have to go, my time here is over. But remember, I'll always be in you heart." Charles walked back to the access door and pulled it open. Again he was flooded in the bright light from inside. But this time Daren could see one final smile from him. Charles stepped through the door and pulled it shut behind him. And with that Daren's dream ended and all was dark for a time.
Karl, in his sleep, was dreaming of the day a few months back when he was walking along the beach at Sea Wolf cove. It was a clear morning and the light trades hummed through the palms that lined the shore. The sand felt good on his bare feet, it squeaked between his toes with each step he took. The sun was warm on his face, but the breeze kept him from getting too hot. Up the beach a little ways he come make out someone sitting on a large rock which stuck up all on its own in the surrounding sand. As Karl drew nearer to the rock and the person sitting upon it he could tell that there was something strange about this person. When he finally got right up to the rock a large grey furred wolf smiled down at him. "Care to join me for a while Karl? The view really is nice from here."
Karl was a bit taken aback by this, but seeing how it was mid morning and his curiosity was aroused, he decided that he could use a short rest from walking and clambered up the rock. He sat down beside the wolf and looked him over for a moment. "How did you know my name? I've never met you before and you're the first were I've ever met that could be in wolf form during the day."
The wolf laughed softly, "I know it's a bit of a shock. But anyway I know your name from a mutual "friend."," he accented, friend, to make a point. "Anyway I'm Charles Fox."
Karl stared at him in shock for a few seconds before saying, "No. You can't be Charles died three years ago."
Charles nodded, "Yes that's quite true, I died three years ago yesterday. But I've come back to finish a few things that need to be done. I know that you love Daren, and I can't say that I was any different. He is a remarkable person, and he thinks the world of you even if he doesn't say it." Charles looked out over the expanse of blue ocean for a moment before returning his gaze to Karl. "When I was around I loved Daren the best I could and now that I'm gone and you've come into his life he's feeling that sort of love again, a feeling he thought he'd lost forever. The problem is that he thinks that if he loves you that way he'll be betraying the love we had shared. Deep in his heart he knows that all I want for him is to be happy. And you've given him that. This time of year has always been hard on him Karl. Now it's up to you to help him see that he can love again without losing what he and I had. He'll need you to be there for him. You think you can handle that?"
Karl looked deep into Charles' eyes, "I will love him the best I can. He means the world to me and I'd give almost anything to see that he's happy."
Charles smiled again, knowing that Karl would love Daren as he did, until the end of time.
"Well I have to get going." Charles said getting to his feet.
Karl was up with him in a flash. He extended his hand to Charles, and Charles closed his heavy paw around it in a firm shake. "Oh there's one thing I don't understand." Karl Said.
Charles, who had jumped down from the rock looked back up at Karl. "Oh and what's that my friend?"
"Why did you come to see me and not Daren himself?"
"I did see Daren. In fact I was only just talking to him. That's one of the nice things about being a spirit. You can be in two places at once."
Karl laughed and waved as Charles faded away as he walked along the shore. Karl smiled in his sleep. It had been a good night indeed.
For the first time in a long while it was a low rumble in his stomach that woke Daren from his sleep. He smiled to himself as he thought of his dream last night and Charles' visit. His ears could hear the slow breathing of Karl lying next to him. He smiled all the wider remembering what Charles had said to him. Both a good night's sleep and the visit from his first love had him felling much better this morning. Slowly and silently he turned his head to look at the sleeping form next to him. He had to work not to giggle at the sight of a large grin spread across Karl's face. Karl stirred in his sleep, rolling on his side and flopping one arm across Daren's chest. Daren just let it lay there, not wanting to wake his love from whatever good dream he was having. After about a half hour the rumble from his stomach was beginning to sound like an approaching storm. He slowly, gently began to stroke Karl's arm. After a minute or so Karl's eyes fluttered open and Daren smiled into them. "Morning sleepy. I hated to wake you, but my tummy is sounding like a tropical storm."
Karl giggled slightly at his remark before craning his neck and planting a kiss on Daren's cheek. "Well then we'd better feed the storm." He added.
Daren smiled and pulled Karl closer to him, into a loose hug before rolling out from under his arm and sinking his feet into the carpet of the floor. He got up, making his usual act of big stretching and a few yawns. "For some reason Karl always finds it amusing to watch me get up in the morning." Daren thought to himself, though he himself couldn't understand why. Daren headed for the bathroom. He turned on the shower and let the water get nice and warm whilst he brushed his teeth. A healthy steam filled the room as he pulled back the curtain. He was about to get in when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He froze in shock be fore looking over his shoulder to find Karl standing behind him. Karl smiled, "Not thinking of starting without me are you?"
"Umm, I just thought you'd be along later."
"Nonsense, now get in and stop wasting time." Karl said, giving Daren a soft poke in the back.
"Ouch, don't be so rough." Daren whined in a mock hurt tone.
"Oh alright, I'm sorry." Karl replied, suppressing a giggle.
After a very long shower both Daren and Karl emerged from the bathroom began to get dressed. Karl could tell that Daren had something on his mind, but he figured that he would tell him what it was when he was ready to. Daren finished lacing up his boots and looked up at Karl with a smile. "You ready for breakfast?"
"You bet I am, I'm starving." Karl said smiling.
Daren giggled and quickly flipped his pant leg down over the top of his boot. Pushing himself up off the bed he met Karl on the way to the door. The walk to the café was quiet, with the pair of them just content to hold the others hand and be in their company. It wasn't long before they were at their usual table with breakfast laid before them. After they started in on their food Daren looked across at Karl and set his fork down on his plate. Karl looked back into the eyes of his love and set his spoon down as well. "You know I had the most interesting dream last night." Daren started.
"Oh? Do tell." Karl quipped, leaning on the table.
"Well to start with you were right. That dream I had yesterday afternoon did happen again last night. Only this time I managed to get through all of it." He took a sip from his tea. "There I was sitting outside the lookout on the grass and the same wolf came to sit with me. And when he sat down I could see who it was. It was Charles, or rather his spirit I think. But anyway we talked." Daren continued to tell of his dream in great detail to Karl, who sat and listened without interrupting his partner. "And so anyway that's what it was about, I think." He finally summed up.
"Well that certainly is an interesting dream. I'm glad to see that you're feeling better this morning because of it." Karl said picking up his spoon and digging into his now soggy cereal.
"You know you had a very big grin on your face this morning before I woke you up. You mind letting me in on what that was about?" Daren said before scooping up some of his scrambled eggs and popping them in his mouth.
"Well," Karl started in between mouthfuls, "I had a dream very similar to yours actually. And yes it was Charles who came to see me too. He said that was one of the great things about being a spirit, you can be two places at once. Anyway we talked and he told me some important things. And I feel much better know them." Karl finished his sentence and scraped the last of the cereal from the bottom of the bowl, before licking his lips in a catlike manner.
Daren giggled, and Karl looked at him in a "what's so funny" manor, Daren smiled "Always playing the part of the cat." He said quietly.
Karl threw a wadded up napkin at him, and then giggled because he knew Daren was right. It didn't take long for Daren to finish eating his meal and soon the two of them were just sitting with a cup of tea, looking across the table at each other.
"Well now, we've had breakfast so what do we do next." Karl said.
Daren thought for a moment before finding the answer. "I think we should go for a walk, there's something that I have to do this morning and something that I need to show you."
Karl nodded and the two of them finished their tea before heading out. Daren lead the way, holding Karl's hand and waking close beside him. They ventured outside of the forest walkways, walking amongst the roots and ferns that littered the forest floor. Every now and then Daren would stop and pick one of the brightly colored flowers that grew around the place. By the time Daren had collected a handful he had a good idea what was going on. The flowers were, of course, some of Charles' favorites. After Daren was satisfied that he had collected all the ones that were in bloom this time of year, they set off again back to the corridors of the base. After making there way through the underground sections it became plain that they were walking up an incline. And before too long the corridor ended at a large heavily armored door, which slid smoothly open as they approached it. In front of them was a large tower with a number of small covered dishes on it and surrounding that were three big satellite dishes, all pointing in different directions to capture the various feeds that came down to them. Daren pulled Karl away from the sight and up a small rise to a small very neatly kept area. Karl looked around. Fifteen gravestones, neatly arranged in two rows filled his vision. He looked over at his love. Daren had a tear welling up in his eye. Karl squeezed his hand to let him know that it was ok. The two of them walked over to the third stone in the front row, Charles' stone, and Daren placed the bunch of forest flowers gently at its base and pulled a simple card from his shirt pocket. The card read simply, "Thank you", he placed it atop the stems of the flowers before the tears fell from his eyes. Karl knelt beside him and pulled him close into a tight embrace. Rocking him from side to side, as a mother would to comfort a child. After a few minutes Daren sniffled and stifled the last of his tears, wiping his eyes with his shirt sleeve. "You know I forgot to mention one thing about that dream at breakfast." Daren said looking up into Karl's loving eyes. Karl looked back into his and waited for him to continue. "Charles told me that as long as I could have love for another in my heart, that I could never betray his memory. I love you so very much Karl, more then you could possibly know. And now I can move on in my life knowing what I do now." Karl pulled him even closer, "I know you do sweetheart, I've always known. And I'll be here for you until the end of time."
Daren snuffled again and stood up dusting his pants off. "Well after all this crying and sitting on the ground I think I need a hot shower. Would you care to join me?"
Karl laughed and stood up as well. He gave Daren one more, big hug before taking his hand as they walked back inside, back to their quarters and a better love then either had had before.
The End....