Chapter 5
After putting his brother's in their places something he should of done years ago Brock heads back to the bar. His knuckles are covered in blood moving behind the bar he goes to the sink an turns on the hot water. Putting his hands under the water he lets out a growl as the water pours into the cuts on his hands. Washing the cuts out he looked up at the people in the bar. Or lack there of people. Right AP cleared out the place.
Kara shook her head at the boards that had been removed from the windows. Fucking Bart and his knowing better than everyone else bullshit. When the shit was hitting from every direction, of course you wanted a thin layer of glass keeping you safe. She rolled her eyes and ground her molars until her jaw creaked from the pressure. The bear was a moron. "Just let him get into my face today and I'll put an end to it for good," she muttered under her breath and pulled open the door to The Pit, half expecting some idiots to jump on her and try to stuff her back into that cell. Not in this lifetime. She was over this play nice with the natives, BS. Fuck them all, she'd do her damn job and as soon as Asgard was open for business she was going home. She'd had enough of this place and the people here. Get Jared Back, and she was free, it was the one thought that was keeping her sane.
Brock squatted down behind the bar looking for the first aid kit. "Come on it has to be here." He moves cleared and other things out of the way. The kit was always in Papa's green tool box behind the bar. The tool box wasn't there. "I swear to fuck if Bart moved it to his room again. I'm going to put my fist all the way through his head this time. Not just give him a love tap." He was so focused on looking for the kit. He didn't hear anything one come into the bar. The sound of boots kept getting closer.
The place was as quiet as a graveyard, with the exception of someone bitching and moaning behind the bar. She wasn't joking about killing Bart. He'd chewed through her last freyed string of patience and one more word or glare would snap it completely. All she wanted was a hot shower and to go sit in her room with one of Brock's pillows hugged to her chest. Her brows furrowed when she remembered what she thought was Brock walk by, just before she'd broken out, but it couldn't be. She was just seeing what she wanted to, though him just leaving her there wasn't exactly a dream come true. Either way, it had to be her imagination still working through that shit the Djinn pumped her full of. It was the only thing that made sense. Sighing, she walked behind the bar to grab a bottle to take with her and yiped when she tripped over someone.
Brock finally found the tool box wedged under the bar behind a trash can. He was about to pull it free when someone knocked him off balance. "I am not a fucking floor mat!!" He snapped as he fall on his right arm looking up he saw Kara. He didn't say anything his brain tried to register anything more than shock of seeing her.
She cursed a blue streak when she took out a shelf of glasses, sending the crashing and shattering down around her. "What ever, Life. What the fuck ever," she grumbled and hissed when she dropped her hand on a broken wine glass and sliced it open. Holding her hand up, she eyed the half of the glass with the stem still attached. Just her luck lately. Sighing, she rolled her eyes. "Sorry didn't see you there. I'm sure it's my fault, after all, isn't that how you bears roll these days?" She pulled the glass out of the heal of her hand and tossed it in the trash looking around for a towel.
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Brock pulled the tool box free and got to his feet. "Sure, cause are all like." He said looking at her. She seemed to be her ray of sunshine self. Putting the box on the bar. He opened it with one hand and the other he took hold of her hand. Not giving a shit if she was in a mood or not. Fishing out the first aid kit. "Maybe if someone watched here her boots where stomping she'd not of tripped."
Her nose twitched as his scent hit her, ran her over and dragged her down the road. Her mouth opened but no sound came out. She rubbed her eyes with the hand he wasn't holding and blinked. Reaching out slowly she poked him gently and then pinched her own arm as hard as she could. He was still there. "Well, if you weren't lurking where I couldn't see you," she grinned up at him as her heart raced and she tried to remember how to breath. "Who knew you'd be a pro at hide and seek?"
"You got me there. Hiding behind the bar and all that." He patched her hand up and looked at the mess behind her. "Hiding and seek is one of my best talents." He looked at his hands remembering he still had a hold of her. "Sorry about that." He said letting go. Taking the glue that was in the kit out and making a face. "Someone's idea of a joke." Brock said putting the wood working glue on the bar. "Cause that'll really hold someone's skin together." He thought a moment. "It would, but not in the way it should." He was babbling like a moron. Why did that always happen with her. He stared at her a moment looking at her face. It was different, but he wasn't sure how. He couldn't pin point what it was that was different.
She couldn't help it, she was starring and before she could think about it at all, her body took over. She reached up and turned his face back to her, the other lifting to cup his face between her palms as her eyes searched for something that would tell her that she wasn't seeing what she thought she was. It wasn't him. It couldn't be. But it was. Her breath caught in her throat as she pulled him down, to brush her lips against his, smiling at the tickle of his beard against her skin. "Just shut up and kiss me, please?"
Brock was a little shocked by her request, but what the hell. It had been forever it seemed. And who was he to tell her no. Wrapping his arms around her still bleeding a little he kissed her hard and rough. Pulling back he wanted to see what she'd do next. He liked this game she was playing. "How's that Cher?"
She melted into him, not caring if it was rough. Her bear was back. Biting her lip, she looked up at him when he pulled back. She had to blink her eyes a few times before they cleared enough for her to see him clearly. "I have missed you so much," she whispered, her throat tightening at the relief that tackled her.
He smiled at her it seemed a lot of people had missed him. He should be happy about that, but in reality it freaked him the fuck out. "You act like I was gone forever. It was only a moment." He said honestly noticing blood running down his hands again. He could feel it. He moved his hands away from her an was going to start patching himself up, but couldn't she was in the way. "Mind helping a bear out." He said showing her his hands. "If not that's cool I can just bleed on the mats they wash off easy."
"It felt like it," She almost groaned when he let her go and forced herself to do the same before dropping her gaze to his hands. "Oh," she blinked and poked through the first aide kit, pulling out gauze and then remembering that she'd stashed some crazy glue behind the register with plans to 'doctor' the rim of Bart's beer bottle the next chance she got. Either that or on a cork to stuff in his yap. The bastard would probably find away to bitch around both. Returning to him she held out her hand and waited for him to put his in it and then went about sealing the cuts. "Whose ass am I kicking for making you mad enough to hurt your hands hitting them?" She joked, smirking up at him.
He grimaced as she fixed his hands. It stung like a mother. "My family and a few walls." He said, once she was done he looked over her work. "Thank you Cher. This looks like it should hold. If not I'll just duct tape it closed." He's eye fall to the mess behind her. "I probably should clean that up before someone gets hurt." He wasn't sure why he cared so much, but the last thing he wanted was the staff getting hurt.
Her brow arched, "Should I ask?" She couldn't help but chuckle because god knew she'd wanted to pound the hell out of his family lately. "I broke it, I'll clean it up and I'll pay to replace them." In all honesty, she was afraid that if she let him out of her sight, he'd disappear again, or if she was hallucinating, it would stop. She leaned her forehead against his chest for a moment and breathed in his scent. "I'm glad you're back," she had to blink back the tears that wanted to leak out and closed her eyes, before exhaling and forcing herself to pull away to find the broom.
He wondered if she was just toying with him. I mean after all who was he really. Not compared to her. She was a goddess. And his mind was fuzzy as hell, though some things were crystal clear. His brother's were wastes of space. Everything else was blurry if was honest. One moment he was fighting for his life and the next well he wasn't sure. Maybe was dead and dreaming this. Or maybe this was hell and she was there to remind him of what hope was like. Either way he was done playing the games of others. If they wanted to come for him again he'd be ready and this time he would let them know who they were fucking with.
Kara glanced up as she swept the glass into the dust pan and dumped it into the trash. "You look like you're a million miles away. What's going on Babes?" She wanted to touch him again, half expecting someone to walk in and ask her why she was talking to herself, because she still wasn't convinced he was really here. "I love you, Brock. I know that everything has to be weird as hell, but I'm here for you." She swept up a few pieces that she'd missed.
Her I love you hit him like a punch in the dick. "Weird is understate me. I feel totally off. This place is off big time. I mean it looks the same, but." He trailed off. Brock didn't know how to explain it and he was scared to tell her. What if she thought it was he was rabid? Would she put him down? Right now he couldn't take the chance. So he cleared his throat.
She put the broom back where it went and dusted her hands off on her thighs. She placed her hand on his chest, smiling softly when she felt the strong beat of his heart under her palm. "It takes awhile to adjust, I remember. You were there for me and I'm here for you. That's what we do," she grinned and shrugged. "You're my bear and I told you before, I'm not going anywhere until you tell me to. I suck without you Babes, and not in the good way."
He smiled down at her. "Thank you! I guess it will take some time. Since AP cleared the place out. Maybe I should lock up or maybe work would be a good thing for me. My brothers haven't shown their faces, since I put my fist in them." Brock tried to remember what the drill was. Damn his mind for being fuzzy as fuck. Maybe he need his family if only to keep this place a float. "I feel like I'm missing something."
"I vote for locking up. The streets are empty with all of the crap that's going on out there. People are cowering in their homes, I doubt they'll come out, even for Brax's food." She smirked at his comment about hitting his brothers. "Well, they've had a beat down coming for awhile, I'm just jealous that you got there before I did. Maybe I can help fill in the blacks, Babes. What's the last thing you remember bfore you came back?"
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He thought a moment and the last thing he remembered was Bree screaming and shit breaking. "My sister screaming. Is she okay? I haven't seen her yet." He asked fearing she was dead. His throat started to close on him.
"I think so. God knows if she wasn't, I would have heard about it while they had me locked up," she growled. "Maybe you should find her and see for yourself," she suggested, even though the last thing she wanted was for him to be out of her sight or disappear.
Brock looked at her again. "Why were you locked up anyways?" He asked picking up the bar phone. And dialing his sister's room. A recorded message came on saying the number had been disconnected. Odd that always worked before. He hung up the phone. "The phone didn't work. Did they change the numbers?" He asked hoping she knew something he didn't.
"Not that I know of. Here, try mine." She fished her phone from her pocket and handed it to him. "She's in the contacts. I was locked up because I kinda lost my shit and started breaking stuff when you flat lined. By stuff, I mean The Pit and NOLA. They over reacted." Kara shrugged.
Taking her phone he stared at it a moment. Hers was different there was no buttons on it. He wondered if he had brain damage, cause she was talking to him like he should know some of these things. He touched the screen and it lit up. He found her contacts and hit the call button. Putting the phone to his ear he listen to it ring and ring. Voicemail picked up. "It's Brock I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I'm using Kara's phone. I'm in the bar if you could come find me that would be great." He said and then hung up. He handed the phone back to her. "Thank you." He realized what she said about breaking stuff. "You did what?"
"Just a little lightning, maybe a tiny little earthquake." She winced and glanced up at him through her hair as she pocketed her phone. "I didn't take it well and I guess my thought was if you weren't part of the world, then there didn't need to be one."
He patted her arm. "You're to kind Cher. I'm nothing special. I'm just another face in the crowd." He said putting everything in the tool box and putting it back where it should be. As he did he heard something moving off to the side of the bar. Turning he saw a demonic face it laughed at him. "I'm coming for you little bear! You can't get away from me that easily. The gates of hell are open. And sooner or later I'll find the right one that leads to you!" The face said. Brock couldn't make out who it was. He stumbled back and when he turned back to Kara he saw her face twist like the demonic one he'd just saw. He's eyes widen. "You keep away!" He said putting his hands out as his power spiked it sent a bolt of ice at her.
She was just about to tell him how wrong he was and that to her, he was the only one that mattered when his eyes bugged out and he stumbled back. Pure horror filled his face. Worried, she reached out to him, to soothe him and was blasted with ice, knocking her on her ass. She blinked back the tears as he said the only thing that could gut her. "Like I said, I'm here until you tell me to go. As you wish Babes." She picked herself up of the floor and turned away, not wanting him to see her cry, even though it felt like she was losing him all over again and she couldn't breathe. Holding out her hand to stop herself from running into anything, she limped toward the kitchen.
His heart slammed into his chest. When she started to leave he blinked hard the face was gone. "Wait!" He yelled after her. "You didn't hear any of that?" He said hoping she could still hear him. He didn't realize he was shaking till his saw his reflection in the mirror behind the bar.
Kara stopped not tuning as she used the bar to hold her up when she was afraid that her knees were going to buckle. She was hurting, both on the outside and within. "I heard you loud and clear. I'm going, like you want." Her voice sounded like it had a metric ton of gravel in it. "I'm just going to get my stuff from our room and then I'll go."
"No there was a face it said." Brock felt like he was having a break down. "It said it was coming for me. When I looked at you. You didn't look like you. I didn't mean to hurt you. Sometimes my powers get away from me." He felt like he needed to puke. Running on rage and fear since coming through the portal finally hit him. He put his head in the sink and threw up. His hair fell in his face. Trying to push it back as he unloaded his stomach into the bar sink.
"The bolt I can take," She swiped at her face and turned when she heard him getting sick. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to go to him, but he wanted her to go. So, she stayed where she was and felt helpless and confused. Brock never used his powers and he'd used them on her. It was hard to wrap her head around. "They can come all they want, Babes, but here or not, the only way anyone is taking you is over my cold dead body."
Once his stomach started revolving he turned the sink on an put his mouth under the water. After a few moment he stood up an let the water wash the sink out. He could see the pain on her face. She took the bolt and he knew he had to fix it. "I didn't mean to hit you. I thought you were that whatever the fuck I saw. Fuck my life." He said putting his hands on the bar an looking down in to the sink. "Just end me please. I know I deserve it Cher. Don't think I don't know who and what you are." For some reason his eyes started to sting. He was going to cry. What was going on with him. He knew he needed help, but he felt like he was walking on a tilt. All he wanted was to feel safe. She had told him she loved him an he attacked her. He knew her well enough to know she was a woman of her word. He was lucky she didn't end him here and now. "Cher forgive me please." He said choking to keep the tears back.
"The bolt is forgotten. You've got to help me out here, bear. Do you want me to stay or go. It's your call. Just say it, one way or the other, because this shit is killing me." She growled at the tears that she couldn't seem to stop and didn't dare to hope that he'd say anything other than to pack her shit and go.
"Please stay and help me Kara." He said clearing his throat. "My mind isn't right and the world is on tilt for me." Brock moved from behind the bar and let himself drop into a chair at one of the near by tables.
Nodding, Kara watched him fall into the chair and moving slowly, because his powers packed a punch and she still hadn't fully recharged since the Djinn took her down, she circled the bar and stopped beside him. Cupping his head in her hand she pulled his head to rest against her and stroked his hair. "Then I'm not going anywhere."
He didn't understand why she was so calming to him, but she was. He left his head rest against her. "Thank you. So tell me what's been going on? If you were locked up how did you get out?" He remembered the hole in the wall. "The wall? Was that you?" He asked looking up at her.
She coughed a laugh. "Yeah, that was me. Guess they forgot to ward the wall. I asked them nice to let me out. They had their chance. The pussy rat bastards." She felt herself relax a little when he let her hold onto him. "Most, I overheard, so my info is spotty at best. Bart kicked Alpha Pride out and Brian knocked his ass out." Just saying the words brought a satisfied smile to her face. "After I broke out, Jared was sucked into a hole by one of the four horsemen. Shit is weird as hell around here."
Brock's brow arched. "Wow. Well at least I'm not the only one who's head is spinning." He was going to ask why anyone would want Jared, but he decided not to bother with all that. Not his business. "So how are you feeling?" He knew her power needed sunlight to be at full strength. "If you need to power up you can. I don't think I'm gonna move from his spot for a bit." He just wanted to pass out and wake up back when shit was normal. The world was going to hell in a hand basket.
"I'm okay and I'm afraid if I go anywhere, you'll disappear again. I just want to hold onto you and feel like I'm not dying inside for awhile. If that's okay?" She appreciated his offer, but what she said was the truth and that was how they'd rolled since getting together. Even if it laid her wide open to be hurt, she had no intention of changing that now. "I know when I came back, I was exhausted. If you want someone to take watch while you sleep, all i ask is to able to cuddle with you while you do." She groaned inwardly at how stupid that sounded coming from her. "I won't let anything get to you, Babes."
"Okay that doesn't sound half bad. Let's do it." He said feeling weird being here at the moment. He got up and locked the front door and waited for her to lead the way.
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Kara waited for him and took his hand when he came back, taking them to their room and using her magic to unlock the door because she had no idea where her key was. She hoped to find Bob waiting for them when the door opened, but their rooms were sadly silent, with no thumping tail to welcome then. She winced, but didn't ask. The bjorn had been through enough, she didn't need to point out that their pet hadn't made it back with him. "if no one has said it yet, Babes, welcome home."
He looked around the room. So this was his room. Weird, but it seemed to have his stuff in it. "Thank you." He said going to the bed and laying down on it. The bed was nice and it was huge. He didn't remember his bed being this big.
She smiled and waited for him to get comfortable before climbing onto the bed beside him and adjusting the pillows. her brows creased at the way he seemed to be seeing everything for the first time, but coming back from the dead had a tendency to scramble your gray matter a bit. Leaning over him, she kissed him softly and almost cried at how much she had missed this and taken it for granted in the past. Not anymore. Now every moment with his was a priceless gift. "I love you Brock. Sleep, Babes."
"I'll try." He said honestly. As he lay there his mind didn't want to shut down, but he shifted into his bear form anyways and lay there next to her.
Kara took his paw and rubbed it between her hands, trying to work out the tension the way he liked and had to fight not to snuggle closer. She missed feeling his weight and fur cover her. It was the only time she'd ever felt truly safe.
A yawn slipped from him as he drifted off.