Chapter 32
Kara didn't have the heart to throw out Bob's things. Instead she boxed them up and sent them to her apartment. The dead squirrels had to go though. They served no purpose and some of them were beginning to stink. Going into the kitchen, she smiled at Brock and kept herself busy with emptying his feeder and water bowls, sending them after the boxes. The only thing she kept here was his favorite bear squeaky toy. She sniffed and tried not to think about how much she missed him and how big of a place he'd cared into their lives. Brock was back and that was something to be grateful for.
When she was done, she pulled two beers from the fridge and dropped into a chair, holding one out to Brock and smiling when he took it. She'd been feeling a little off since she woke up from that nightmare. It was ridiculous and could never happen, but damn, it had felt real. She didn't miss the weary glances that he cut her way either. Something was between them and for the first time in her life, Kara was taking the coward's way out and not facing it head on. Instead, she let it stew, trying to figure out what was wrong between them on her own, and prayed that it was just her imagination, but feeling that it wasn't.
Salvation stopped outside of Brock and Kara's room. Knocking on the door he waited to for something to open it.
Taking the beer Brock thanked her for it. Brock was about to ask her if she wanted dinner, when someone knocked on the door. "Now who could that be?" He asked her. Did anyone really knock anymore? He asked himself.
"No idea, but no yelling is a good sign, I hope," she grinned and got up to answer the door. Pulling it open, she smiled and stepped back, waving Salvation inside. "Two visits in one week, I feel kinda special," She teased. "Beer?" She asked as she closed the door. "It's Sal, Babes," she called to the bear.
Salvation stepped inside. "Sure I'd love one." Following her into the room more he saw Brock sitting there. His brain kinda stuttered for a moment. He still had the bears body or he thought he did on the mountain, but since he couldn't ghost he wasn't sure. And he was a little leery of the portal, but he may have to chance it sooner or later. "Hey Brock!" Salvation said trying to make sure he face didn't give anyway weirdness.
Brock looked up and saw Salvation standing there. Mentally he was shocked, he couldn't remember the last time he saw the Ghuardian. "Hey!" Brock said wondering why he was here. "What brings you here?" He asked.
Kara pulled another beer from the fridge and popped the top before handing it to Salvation. "Have a seat and be comfortable." she grinned. She wasn't joking about being happy to see him. They had spent too many years ignoring each other, it was about time that came to an end. "Things are good?" She asked, referring to his talk with Asher, but not wanting to say too much.
Salvation nodded a thanks to her as he took the beer and sat down. "Yes they are. Started out weird, but it was good." Sipping his beer he hoped he wasn't bothering them. He wasn't sure why he cared normally he didn't. He blamed the Doc for his new sense of giving a shit. "Am I coming at a bad time? If so I can make my visit short." He said.
"Good." She smiled and shook her head, dropping onto the couch beside Brock. "No, we were just relaxing. No need to rush." She sipped her beer and dropped her hand on Brock's leg. "What's up?"
"There is meeting tomorrow morning. I asked Rycker to email everyone who needed to be there. He forgot to add you, but he sent Brock one. I've decided we all need to have a sit down meeting. Try and get things worked out an if we can work together to get things fixed. Between the humans trying to off everything that more anymore, and the demons an other creatures coming out of the wood work, things are very unsafe." He said sipping his beer.
Brock pulled his phone from his pocket to get his emails. Scrolling he saw a new message reading it he laughed. "The P.S should of be the first line, but since you didn't write it I'd start with that next time." He said giving his phone to Kara to read the email in full.
She read it and grinned. The bear was right. "I think it's a good idea, could get a little sketchy. Am I there as security or referee?" she joked, mostly. Some of the people in the cc line didn't get along on a good day. Add in the stress of everything happened and it wouldn't be better. "All joking aside, do you need anything specific from me?" Kara was surprised to be included. Typically she was reminded from everyone that she wasn't one of them, unless they needed her for something. this was a pleasant surprise.
"As it happens I want you there for Bart." Salvation said watching her face for a moment. "It seems I have a lot to speak to him about. Having everyone there to defend themselves helps. An security is also why. I'm making everyone to please their weapons with me. So if a fight breaks out there is less chance of death. I also am including, because of the Morgan's. Reese and Rycker have some information on Jared."
Kara made a face at Bart's name, "you might need security for me, when it comes to that bear," she growled. She wanted to kick his teeth down his throat so badly she could taste it. If he got in her face again, she wasn't sure that she'd be able to force herself to miss this time. She sighed and tried to smile, "But anyway though I hate to defend him," she almost gagged at the thought. "He wasn't in his right mind at the time, Brock had just," She had to clear her throat. "You know. I didn't take it well either." Her brow popped at the news of Jared. "Serra will be so relieved, or at least a little less destroyed. Is it something we can move on?" she asked hopefully.
Salvation knew how his sister felt about Bart. It seemed he's pissed off all the females that could crush his skull with their bare hands without thinking about it. He nodded at her question. "I'm thinking they got some details. I didn't ask for a lot of them, I think their still trying to piece it all together. Though some of the stuff I saw from Rycker I have a new respect for Ve. Speaking of him, I hope Rycker put him on the list. Shit I forgot to ask." He made a face and took a sip of his beer. "I'm telling you this techno bullshit is gonna be the death of me." As Salvation thought of the Viking God some questions came to mind.
Brock drank his beer and listened to them talk. Taking it all in trying to see if anything connected in his mind. It was all a big shit show as it stood.
"I'll make sure Ve knows. He's trying a tanning bed tonight to see if it has the same effect as the sun," She laughed because she did not think it was going to work. "He said that wither way, he'd have a great tan and no tan lines." She scrunched up her nose. "Gross, I know. And people say I over share. When it fails, we can prop him up in a corner or something," she grinned.
"Ve jerky, how nice." Sal said laughing. "Do they make them big enough for him?" He asked wondering if they did. "Yes please make sure he does. I have some questions for him myself." Sal took another swig of his beer thinking over everything and he had so much on his mind. "Also I have to ask you something and I'm not sure if you'll have the answer for me."
Kara brushed Brock's thigh with her fingers as she listened. "Knowing Ve, he has two pushed together so he's mostly covered. If Dad would stop being ridiculous he could just go home and soak in the hotsprings," She shook er head and sipped her beer. "Ask anything, I'll try to answer."
Brock smiled a bit and pushed his hair from his eyes. Drinking his beer he tried to picture Ve in a tanning bed with those things goggles on his eyes.
"Have you had a lot of reaping lately? I mean any of my Enforcers?" He asked hoping she was the one that handled his men. If not he wasn't sure who he'd ask for answers on the well being if their souls.
Kara leaned back and sighed. "The reaping has been insane and yes, I was there for your Enforcers. They're waiting. I can't take them to Valhalla because the doors are locked. SO their families NEED to get off their asses and do what needs to be done to take them where they need to go. I wish I had something better to tell you. My hands are tied. It hasn't been long enough for Ty to have a claim, but the clock is ticking."
Ty Monsterous the bur in Salvation's butt. Just his name made Salvation's blood pressure spike. "That's all I need is Ty taking my men. I guess when I do my face to face with the families I'll add that to list of things. Does Odin not realize the damage he is doing by not letting souls in?" He asked her.
Kara growled. "He thinks that if Fenrir can't complete the prophesy, then Ragnarok can't happen. I'd love to explain that he's got some faulty logic going on, but I can't get in either." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, is there anyway that I can take them where they need to go on your side? Or somewhere else that you know of until Odin comes to his senses? It rubs me wrong, leaving warriors who died well, out there hanging."
Salvation would normally say to the mountain, but he wasn't even sure he could there without any problems. "I'd say the mountain, but since I can't ghost for shit I'd say the portal, but I'm not sure if its working or not. The last thing I want is you taking them all through and them ending up in the shadowlands or some other hell hole."
She nodded, understanding his concern. "I can try to ward my apartment and ask them to stay there until we sort it out. Ty wouldn't be able to get in without my removing it. The hard part is convincing that many shades to stay put, when there is haunting and pranks to be done to family members." She shook her head.
"Yes that might be best. I'm very glad Brian wasn't in the lot that died. I think that would really hurt a lot of people. Especially Jared, I don't think he'd take it well at all."
"I'll round them up before the meeting, so you'll know if there are issues. Yeah, That beer needs to keep breathing because I don't want to have to tell Jared that he's not. God knows what the Panthers going through. No matter what it is, it's too much. He deserves some peace. We all do," She glanced up at Brock and then back to Salvation.
Brock and Salvation both nodded at the same time. "I just hope Ty doesn't pull anything, because I don't have it in me to not rip his spine out through his ass. When you last spoke to Serra how was she doing?"
Kara grinned. "I'll hold him down if you want." She sipped her beer. "I talked to her a few days ago. She's dealing, better than I did, but still... She'd pregnant, scared and she just wants her mate back. She's trying to hold it together and Daniel and Damion are helping, but knowing that if her mate dies, so do her cubs. News, will be good and hope would be better, before she gets tired of waiting and finds a way to get him herself. If anyone can figure out a way, Serra will." She smiled sadly, knowing that if she hadn't been locked up after Brock died that she would have taken him to Valhalla and never spared another thought about the world of man.
Salvation laughed. "That might happen.I'm hoping the news AP has for her will be good. All I know is that they have news. I asked for her clan to be there tomorrow. I don't know if everyone will be there, but I think as long as her father is there things will be okay for her. Well as long as he doesn't start shit again, because this time I'll just make him into a rug."
"I can help with Damion. He and I go way back," she grinned and sipped her beer. "And he was the first one to suggest getting clan leaders together to fins a solution, so in his mind, he's getting his way." She glanced up at Brock. "Is there anything that you want to have brought up Babes?"
Brock put his beer down on his leg a moment and thought. "No, other than having you locked up. And the rewarding of things."
She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. "they might not have been completely wrong. I was tearing things apart. You were gone, I wanted the world to look the way I felt. Utterly destroyed. Only seeing you could bring me out of that," she smiled. "By the time I woke up from Balden's trip juice, I'd already missed my window to get home before Dad locked the door. I do appreciate you taking offense to it, though."
Brock patted her leg. "Still." Brock said he eyes fell to Salvation. "Okay I'll make sure I give you time to plead your case." Sal said as he drained his beer and burped. "Excuse me wow. I guess that was building up."
"better out than in." She grinned. "Can I get you another?"
"Yes, and no thank you. I've had a few already. If I keep going I'm going to get wasted. I haven't been drunk in forever." Salvation said looking at the bottle.
She laughed, "That I've got to see, sometime," she teased as she reached for her phone that beeped. Typing quickly, she responded and put her phone down. "Sorry, Damion was just double checking that the email was above board, since it came from Rycker."
He laughed. "I don't know I get a little weird, and mean. I should be headed, back I got some stuff to do." He said standing up. "Thanks again. I'll see you tomorrow."
Kara got up and hugged him. "Just so you know, you don't need a reason to stop by." She kissed his cheek. "And enjoy tonight. What we find out tomorrow might keep you busy for awhile, so take advantage of the down time."
He hugged her back. "I'll keep that in mind. If we live through tomorrow I may just get drunk for the hell of it." He said jokingly. "See you both in the AM." He said leaving. He made sure he closed the door behind him. He headed to Asher's room, he hoped tomorrow went okay and there was no bloodshed.
Kara sat back down and curled against Brock. "I think he finally doesn't hate me," she grinned and pressed her lips to his shoulder.
Brock smiled. "Ah family." He said laughing.
"I know, right?" She leaned her head back on the couch and looked up at him. "I am so glad you're back. It's no good without you."
He patted her leg. "I'm glad I am too. I guess we should prepare for tomorrow."
She nodded, not sure that was possible. Either was going to go okay or be world war three and she was leaning towards the second option.
Brock finished his beer and got up to throw it away and Sal's empty one. "Does this mean divide and conquer?"
"Probably, what do you have in mind?" She grinned and watched him moving through their shared space.
"You talk to Ve and I'll go see how my family is handling the email." He said coming back and sitting down with her.
Kara nodded, "Solid plan, I like it." She curled a strand of his blonde hair around her finger. "Promise you'll be careful?" She blushed when she realized she'd said it aloud. "I can't help it, I worry about you."
"I promise Cher." He smiled. "You'd better do the same." He said. "Not that your family is as crazy as mine is right now."
She laughed and tugged his beard down to kiss him, "Well, they are, but they're not here to torture me."
He kissed her. "True you got me there."
"Do we want to do it tonight or in the morning?"
Tonight I think, so no one is blindsided." He said with a sigh.
She groaned, "You're probably right." She didn't like leaving him. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was terrified that he'd disappear or have been a figment of her imagination. "Get it over with and meet back here for Chinese food and mead in bed?" she grinned and wiggled her brows.
"That sounds great. And better soon than later." He with a smirk. "Plus the sooner we get it over with the sooner we get to watch Bart get some karma coming to him. Well tomorrow anyways."
She laughed and nodded. "If you need it, The hammer is in the corner of the bedroom. I'll bring the food."
He laughed. "Sweet I may take it with me for fun." He said smiling.
Smiling wide she kissed him again. "Okay, gonna get this over with so I can spend the rest of my night with you." She kissed him again. "I love you, Bjorn."
Kissing her back he nodded. "I love you too Cher." Brock went and got the hammer. He picked it up and then decided to leave it. The element of surprise and all that. He chuckled to himself.
Seeing him go for the hammer made her laugh and put her at ease. Shaking her head, she ghosted out.
Once she was gone Brock left the room an went to find his brothers. Not really wanting to, but figured it had to be done.