Certain elements, not seen and considered in the outset, were beginning to assume shape

and consequence

 

T.S. Arthur-“After a Shadow”

 

“Hey, Job.  It’s Nia.”  Her fingers twisted in the cord of the payphone, her voice straining to be casual as she left the message.  “Um… I guess you’re still in that Council meeting, which -Yes, I know- I’m supposed to be at, too.  But, some stuff happened today, and I have a really good excuse for running late.  I found my Match!  How’s that for great news, huh?!  I can’t wait for you to meet him.  He’s wonderful.  Very thoughtful and handsome and charming.”

Cross snorted.  He crossed his arms over his chest to enjoy the ‘Nia Lies to Job’ show.

His Match was the charming one.

Lovely and passionate and strong.

Nia was… fun.

Since Cross could easily have counted the fun moments of his life on one hand, he was utterly captivated by her adventures.  Even with everything that had gone wrong so far, he was exactly where he’d always wanted to be.  For the past two years, he’d been listening to stories about Nia, of the Water House’s wacky schemes and daring exploits, and now he was standing right in the middle of one.  It was amazing.

He’d expected to desire his Match, but this was even stronger than just Phazing energy.  This was him wanting Nia.  The woman fascinated him.  Brilliant and complicated and clean.  Cross found himself just watching her, unable to believe she was real.  Sadly, she kept looking at him, too, probably thinking the same thing, but for very different reasons.

So far, Nia had seen him hack the heads off of six Air Phases, which was possibly the worst first impression in the entire history of relationships.  Then, there was his reputation for ending the world.  And the clothes vanishing thing.  And the vanishing her thing.

Christ.

Nia must be wondering what the hell she’d done to deserve such a freak as a Match.

Luckily for him, Thar, Uriel and Ty had been thoughtful enough to get carted off in squad cars.  Most of Nia’s attention was on saving them from long prison stretches, so she hadn’t tried to renounce him, yet.

Instead, she focused on the rescue mission.

After the walkie-talkie had started beeping, Cross had grabbed it and tossed it onto the desk for the cop to find.  Even at that point, he could feel the tension in Nia’s body.  Not at him or at the cop searching for them, but because she was already planning her new mission:

How to save her family from becoming convicts.

As soon as they’d left the hospital, she began looking for a telephone.  Cross saw no reason why Uriel and the Water Phases couldn’t escape from jail all by themselves. Their captors were just humans, after all.  Nia’s relatives were nutty, but they weren’t stupid.  Nia wasn’t taking any chances with her family, though, which meant swallowing her pride and calling Job.

Still, she seemed pretty cheery, all things considered.

They’d finally located a phone in some little park with a gazebo and palm trees.  Even in the shade, it had to be over a hundred degrees.  Cross squinted up at the brilliant yellow sun, amazed by the heat it gave off.  Mayport Beach was very, very different from the Shadowland.

It was something of a culture shock.

“Cross is just wonderful, Job.  You’ll love him.  I’m so happy!  You know how much I always wanted my Match.  You told me he was out there.”  Nia kept up her one sided conversation with Job’s voicemail, flashing Cross a bright smile.

The Wave House’s powers allowed for all kinds of Elemental communication on human technology.  Apparently, if you’d memorized the inter-realm phone directory or whatever, you could even call the unofficial “Job, of the Earth House Hotline.”

Cross would never ask Job for help.

Ever.

Nia, on the other hand, had no problem with ringing up the High Seat of the Council and putting him on stand-by to stage a jailbreak.  Cross sort of admired her confidence.  It must be nice to know that Job would just drop everything and come to the human realm with a hacksaw baked into a pound cake if you asked him to.

Cross would have much, much preferred to pick-up his Match and take her back to the Elemental realm immediately, rather than do all this.

Three things stopped him:  One, he knew that Nia wouldn’t willingly go anywhere without her family and he really didn’t want to force her.  That wouldn’t exactly build trust. Two, he was enjoying her, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” enthusiasm.  And three, dragging Nia out of here would probably mean touching her, again.

Cross did not want to lay one hand on Nia until he figured out what to do about his powers.  The Shadow energy was more volatile around Nia, trying to connect with her and begin the Phazing.

The more Cross considered that, the more worried he got.

What if he couldn’t control it?

Nia blew out a long breath into the receiver.  “Ummm… So, we did run into a little problem with Thar and Ty and Uriel, though.  Nothing I can’t handle.  But…  I’m filling you in, just in case something else goes wrong.  We may need help.  It’s nothing big.  Just… bail.”  She cringed at the word, as if imagining how Job was going to take that request.

Cross couldn’t blame her.  Mr. Law and Order would not be thrilled about two-thirds of the Water House doing hard time.  Oh, Job would come and lend a hand.  He doted on the Water Phases.  Plus, he was physiologically incapable of not being selfless and magnanimous.  But, he was going to lecture them all into comas.

Job was perfect.

Annoyingly so.

But, he still loved to harangue.

Cross glanced down at his palms and cringed a bit, sure that he could still see the blood drying on his fingers.  Keeping an eye on Nia, he headed over to the nearest water fountain.  He’d already washed his hands back at the hospital, but he swore the icy water ran red as it swirled down the drain.

“It was a total misunderstanding, Job.”  Nia infused her voice with determined cheer.  “We’re barely in the human realm, at all.  Just teeny, little Mayport Beach.  Nothing to get upset over.  Really.  This is very fixable.  I’m all over it.”

It sort of annoyed Cross that his Match would automatically go to Job for help.  But, it wasn’t a huge surprise.  Nia wasn’t an idiot.  If you were in trouble, it made a lot more sense to dial up the Elemental’s own Captain America, rather than ask a man whose weird, wrong, out-of- control powers had just assaulted you.

Shit.

Cross dried his clean hands on his pant leg and went back to scanning the park for threats.  Being so exposed made him uneasy.  More Phases could attack his Match, at any moment.

Aside from a few spindle-y white birds and some squirrels, there wasn’t another creature in sight, though.  He and Nia were alone in the park.

Which was good and bad.

Obviously, only having woodland creatures as possible enemies significantly cut down on the risk of ambush.  But, it also meant there were very few distractions.  As soon as Nia got off that phone, she was going to want to talk to him.  Only, Cross had no idea what to say to her.

He glanced over at Nia, again, just because he couldn’t help himself.  Even standing in the dingy phone booth, she was stunning.

A miracle.

What the hell was he supposed to do with a woman so completely out of his league?

“So… Yeah.  Alright.  I guess I’ll call you back later, then.  Oh.”  She hesitated.  “Ummm… Don’t be mad, but also some Air Phases got killed.  Okay, bye.”  She hung-up as quickly as she could and dropped her head against the metal payphone booth.  “Holy crap.  He’s gonna freak out on me.”

Cross couldn’t imagine Job “freaking out.”  It would be like Gandhi throwing a temper tantrum.

Nia glanced up at him.  “Now what?”  She asked.  “Should we wait for him?”

Cross didn’t think that was a good idea.  Nia didn’t have her cellphone with her and Cross didn’t own one, at all, so Job couldn’t call them back.  They’d have to keep trying him again and again, and that meant they’d have to stay put.  It was hard to find payphones these days, even in a time-capsule of a town like Mayport Beach.

That made Cross feel strange, since he remembered when telephones were invented.  Human technology moved so quickly.  Probably because humans had such short lives.  They had to cram everything in as fast as they could.  Elementals took a much longer time to adjust to changes.  Cross was always overwhelmed by the new gadgets and ideas that humans came up with and he was still young.  Only two hundred and forty.

Job was over a thousand.

That thought came out of nowhere.

Job must feel a constant struggle just to keep up with all the shifts.  From horses to trains.  Trains to Model T’s.  Model T’s to jets.  Since Job was perfect, Cross didn’t feel a lot of sympathy for him.  Still, he realized for the first time that the Earth King might actually have some problems of his own.

“Cross?”  Nia prompted when he didn’t respond.  “What should we do, now?”

Cross’s mood soared as he realized that Nia wasn’t asking for his help, because she just automatically knew that he’d give it.  She was just assuming that they were in this together.  Instinctively trusting him to be on her team.

That was sort of gratifying.

Nia was really accepting this Match.  Seeing them as “we.”  Cross wasn’t used to being part of a “we.”  Or having someone ask his opinion.  It was a gift.  “Um… I think we should go bail out your family ourselves.”  He said, truthfully, and braced himself for a list of reasons why they needed Job’s expertise.

Going solo was apparently the answer Nia was looking for, though.  She grinned at him.  “I agree.  Honestly, I really don’t want Job here, anyway.  Not unless something else goes wrong and we’re completely screwed and desperate.  I mean, he’d be super helpful and fix everything.  But, he lectures.”

Cross’s mouth curved.

“I should also warn you, I’m sort of in the middle of rebellion.”

“I doubt you’re in the ‘middle’ of anything, Nia.  If there’s a rebellion, I’m sure you’re leading it.”

“Maybe.”  Nia winked at him.  “Seriously, though, Job’s not going to be pleased about this whole mission.  He told me not to come to the human realm.  Just consorting with me, could probably get you banished by the Council.”

“I’ll take my chances.”

“You sure?”

“I’m not hoping to see any other Council members naked, so I think I’ll stick with you.”

She snickered at that.  “Good choice.”  She gave him a quick kiss on the chin and Cross felt the impact of it straight through to his soul.  The Shadows roared.  “Anyway, Uriel gave me a lot of human money, so bail will probably be simple.  How much do you think it costs to get three people out of jail?  Thar’s the one who knows stuff like that.  Like forty dollars?”

Cross blinked, ignoring the blinding pain in his head.  He was completely clueless about money.  Elementals didn’t pay for a lot of human products.  They just took them.  “Sure.  Forty dollars sounds right.”  He guessed.

Nia nodded, shrewdly.  “And if that doesn’t work, I’ll hire them a lawyer.  Or stage a political prisoner protest rally.  Or just jump in and steal them.  Or we could tunnel into their cell.”

Job would really not like any of that.  Not that Cross cared what Job thought.  Absolutely not.  Still… “Let’s try bail first.”

“Right.”  Nia grabbed the phonebook, again.  “Alright.  Step one.  Find the jail.”  She began flipping through the pages, looking for an address.  “Oh perfect!  Look at this.  Map!”  She ripped the rendering of Mayport Beach right out of the book and headed back over to him.  “So, it looks like we have to go that way.”  She pointed to the left.  “Do you know how to drive a car?”

“No.”

“Me neither.  No point in stealing one, then.”  She gave a disappointed shrug.  “We’ll have to walk.”  She started off with total authority, red hair bouncing.

Cross almost smiled.

Nia’s self-confidence was incredibly appealing.  He’d never met anyone so cheerfully sure of themselves.  There wasn’t a doubt in Nia’s mind that she could stroll into the police station and save the day.  And, really, Cross didn’t doubt it, either.

His Match was a savior.

God knew, she’d saved him.

He fell into step beside her.  Nia liked to lead the way and Cross was okay with that.  The second she put herself at risk, though, he planned to yank her back.  She could protect the whole world if she wanted, but Cross was going to protect her.  To him, Nia was the world.  He was literally only alive because of this woman.

“Sweetie, the sword isn’t really blending with all the human-ness.”  She gestured to the weapon that he still had clutched in his hand.  “Is there any way you could put it away or something?”

“No.”  Cross wasn’t about to walk around unarmed.  Not with the Air House in town.  He barely let the sword leave his hand back in the Shadowland, for God’s sake, and he was the only one there.  Cross’s loving parents had taught him the importance of being battle-ready.

“I just don’t think they’ll let you walk into the police station looking like Rob Roy.”

Cross seriously doubted the humans could stop him.  That was one of the many upsides of carrying a sword.  It stopped people from stopping you.  Still, he didn’t want to upset his Match.  He could compromise.

They’d reached the street, by that point, and Cross used his elbow to smash in the window of a vintage VW Bug.  The car appeared to be made of nothing but rust and bumper stickers.  The largest one was vivid purple and advocated “turning on, tuning in, and dropping out.”

Cross had no idea what that meant.

Nia winced slightly at the broken glass.  She looked up and down the street nervously as Cross reached through the window and grabbed a trench coat from passenger’s seat.  Khaki green and covered in military-style snaps, it looked like it had served on the front lines of several wars.

The damn sleeves ended at his elbows, though.

Why were humans so small?

Cross rolled his eyes, pushed the sleeves up even more.  Then, he slid the sword behind his back, so it was hidden by the length of the coat.  That was the best he could do.

Nia seemed to appreciate the effort.  “Close enough.  Hang on.”  She extracted some money and dumped it into the car.  “We should pay him for it.  How much do coats cost?  Like seven hundred dollars?”

“Not this coat, I’ll bet.  It’s tiny.”  How valuable could four inches of fabric be?  Plus, it was hot.  Cross glowered up at the sun, again.  The Shadowland was constantly cool and damp.  How did human live here?  Why did they live here?

“Right.”  Nia cut the amount down to six hundred and nodded in satisfaction.  “That’s better.”  Turquoise eyes drifted over his body and Cross felt his temperature jump even higher.  “I think it’s worth the seven hundred, though.  You look really good in it.”

Nothing in Cross’s life had prepared him for a statement like that.  Conversations, in general, weren’t his forte.  He’d already said more today than in the entire previous two years combined.  Nia complimenting him was… shocking.  Cross’s mind went totally blank, trying to think of a reply.

Nia bit down on her lower lip as if reading his bafflement.  She started walking, again, shaking her head.  “I make you uncomfortable, don’t I?”

“Yes.”  Absolutely she did.

Sexual frustration ate at him.  The Shadows were swirling tighter and tighter, struggling to get free of his control.  Nia was everything he’d ever wanted and he was terrified to even touch her.  Of course, he was uncomfortable.  What did she think?

Nia’s eyebrows compressed.  “It’s because we’re a Match and there are emotions -like- instantly growing between us.  My mother always told me that it would happen that way.  It’s natural.  A chemical process and a sacred experience.  But, it’s overwhelming.”

Overwhelming?

Cross nearly snorted.  Yeah.  He’d rip his heart straight out of his chest for this woman, so that statement seemed fair.

“Finding each other happened so fast.”  Nia continued, earnestly.  “At least for me.  You knew that I was out there for two years.”  Cross opened his mouth to defend himself, but she waved a hand at him.  “Whatever.  I’m dealing with that.  You’ve been knocked off balance and you’re uncomfortable.  I can understand how you feel.”

Cross had no clue what she was talking about.  Aside from the headache, he’d never felt better in his life.  “Okay.”  He said, anyway.

“Maybe if we try some kind of speed-dating technique.  That’s basically what we have here.  Speed dating.  I saw it on TV.”  Cross had the feeling that Nia was nervous, now.  Her words were coming faster.  “We have to get to know each other as people, right?  So we can be sure.”

Cross couldn’t even imagine a worse idea.  Shit.  Nia wasn’t going to like anything she uncovered about him.  Why was she doing this?  Did she really think small talk was going to accomplish something?  He was already sure that she was his Match.  He’d never been more sure of anything.

Ever.

Was she trying to deny their connection?

“I am sure.”  The words were unequivocal.  “We’re a Match, Nia.”  Cross would argue the point to the end of time, if need be.

“No.”  She shook her head.  “I mean, yes.  Obviously, I know we’re a Match.  But, don’t you want… more than that?”

“More?”

“Yeah.  Don’t you want to be sure of me as a person?  That I’m someone you’d… like, even if we weren’t a Match?”

Like?

Was she insane?  The emotions Nia brought out in him were as far from ‘like’ as a solitary pebble was from an avalanche.  Nia was the only thing in the whole fucking galaxy he cared about.  The only cool, calm spot amid the chaos.

He’d do anything for this woman.  She had to know that.  Cross eyed her, warily.  This must be some kind of maneuver for Nia to get rid of him.  A trick.  There was no other explanation.  “I like you.”  He weighed each word, carefully.  “A lot.”

She frowned, slightly, as if she’d expected him to say something more.

Nia probably didn’t have a great opinion of any Matches, these days.  Not with Parald and Ty’s example burned into her mind.  Nia knew that sometimes a sweet innocent girl got stuck with a monster.  Of course, she’d be wary.  Who could blame her for second-guessing the idea of spending her life with Cross?

He was broken.

Wrong.

Nia should run to Job and petition the Council for help.

And if she did that, Cross’s life would be over.

How could he fix it?

“Nia, I don’t know what speed dating is, but if you want it…”  Cross shrugged.  “I’ll do it.  End of story.”

“Really?”

Cross was momentarily hypnotized by her excited grin.  No one had ever smiled at him like that.  Like he’d done something wonderful, just for them.  He gave a dazed nod.

Nia didn’t seem to notice his stunned face.  “Thank you!  This will be a quick way to learn all about each other.  All we have to do is take turns asking questions, okay?  Very simple and informative.  I’ll go first.”  She cleared her throat and adopted a newscaster type of voice.  “So, Cross, what kind of music do you like?”

“Music?”  Cross floundered for a beat.  When he was lying in bed, night after night, wracked with pain and envisioning his Match, he’d never anticipated her administering any sort of pop quiz.  Still, it seemed like a fairly innocuous topic.  “Um…  Bach?”  It came out sounding like a question and from the expression on Nia’s face, Cross had the feeling that the answer wasn’t what she’d been expecting.

“Bach?  You like classical music?”

“Yeah.”  Bach was definitely his favorite.  Maybe that was wrong, for some reason.

The Shadow Kingdom didn’t have a lot of radio stations to choose from.  Job usually brought Cross stacks of CDs when he visited, though, most of it classical.  The guy worried that Cross’s homeland was too quiet.  Which it was.  Cross would eat double ‘A’ batteries before he admitted it to Job, but the silence of the place sometimes weighed on him even heavier than the Shadows.

Job wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if he wasn’t improving the lives of the less fortunate.  Cross was never thrilled with Job’s charity… But, he still listened to every damn song.

“That’s so cool!  I like classical music, too.  Actually, I like all kinds of music.  The Water House used to host incredible concerts before the Fall.”

Cross never really made it onto anyone’s guest list, so he wouldn’t know.  Another nod seemed like the safest response.  He tried that.

“Okay, now you ask me something.”

“Like what?”

“Whatever you want.  Whatever you want to know about me.”

Cross hesitated.  “Anything?”

“Sure.”

“You won’t get mad if it’s personal?”

“No.  Matches shouldn’t have secrets from each other.  My life’s open book.”

Oh, there wasn’t a doubt in Cross’s mind that Nia had nothing to hide.  Her past was undoubtedly the stuff of inspirational greeting cards.  Of course, he wouldn’t really care if it wasn’t.  Nia could have singlehandedly started the Fall and Cross would have been fine with it.  Just so she wasn’t renouncing their Match, nothing else mattered.

In fact, there was only one thing Cross needed assurance on.  “How do you feel about Job?’

“I love Job.”  She answered, instantly.

Cross’s stomach took a nosedive.

Nia’s eyebrows drew together as she looked up at him.  Then, she started laughing.  “Not like that, dummy.”  She gave him a little bump with her shoulder.  “Look, I used to play in Job’s office when I was a little girl.  He would do paperwork and I would draw pictures on his paperwork.  Then, he would sigh and let me tack my scribblings up over this creepy portrait of his grandfather scowling, while he had to redo everything that I’d just ruined.  Our relationship hasn’t really evolved much from there.  He’s like my uncle or something.  Understand?”

“Yes.”  Cross felt dizzy with relief.

“He would tell me stories, too.  Job has an incredible voice.”

“I know.”

“Have you met Job?  You didn’t tell me that.”

“Everyone’s met Job.”  And, because she was going to find out the truth, anyway, Cross felt compelled to add:  “He doesn’t like me.”

Nia squinted.  “Job doesn’t like you?  Job, of the Earth House?  That’s impossible.”

Cross shrugged.  “He doesn’t like me.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not very likable.”

“That’s ridiculous.  You’re very likable.  I like you.”

Cross’s mouth curved.  When Nia said it, “like” didn’t sound quite so paltry.  He really, really wanted Nia to like him.  It never occurred to him that it was so vital, until he saw the truth of it in her gaze.  “Thank you.  It’s your turn to ask a question.”

“Okay.  Well, since we’re being personal… what happened to you earlier?  You were in so much pain back in the office.  It scared me.”

Cross winced.  He liked the question about music better.  He didn’t want to discuss the crushing pressure of the Shadows.  The last thing Nia needed was further proof of his instability.  “I told you.  It was a headache.”

“That was more than just a headache, Cross.  There was blood.  I think you should see a doctor.”

“I can handle it.”

She wasn’t satisfied by the finality of his tone.  Cross could tell by her frown.  “But what happened?  Why would you get a headache like that?”

He glanced away.

Nia sighed.

Mostly to change the subject, Cross decided to take his turn.  “Why are you in the human realm looking through hospital records?  Who do you think donated blood here and why does it matter?”

Nia shut down.  What seemed to Cross to be a very simple question, had her lips pressing closed and her shoulders lifting in a shrug.

Cross scowled when he saw that she wasn’t going to answer.  Why?  What wasn’t she telling him?  “This is your speed dating game, Nia.  And you just said that Matches don’t have secrets from each other.”

“Hey, you’re the one who’s not acting like a Match.  I’ve been very open and honest.  You’re the secretive, closed mouthed one.  You don’t want to share anything with me, so why should I share anything with you?”

“I just told you I liked Bach!”

Nia rolled her eyes.  “Oh yeah, that was our real breakthrough moment.”

“Being in the human realm is dangerous.  I think I have a right to know why you’re endangering your life.  And mine, too, since we’re a Match.  If you die, I’m probably gonna go with you.  Matches life’s spans usually match.  We’re connected.  That’s simple biology.”

Actually, if Nia died and he somehow survived it, Cross would let the whole universe fall.  There wouldn’t be a point to keeping it around.

Nia stared up at the flat clouds as if she had all the time in the world.  “If anyone’s risking their Match’s life, it’s you.  I’m not the one bleeding from my eyes.  If I was sick, I would go to a doctor.  I wouldn’t do anything to upset or endanger you.”

Cross’s eyes narrowed.  She was playing dirty.  “I did go to a doctor.”  He said, grudgingly.  “I went to Freya.”  Or Job had brought Freya to him.  And he’d used that same damn argument to get Cross to submit to the examination.

Think about your Match.

Cross never thought about anything else.

Even when she was driving him crazy.

“You did?”  Nia looked reassured.  “You saw Freya?”  Freya was the foremost Elemental healer.  “What did she say?”

That there was nothing that anyone could do.

That it was a medical impossibility that Cross could support the entire Shadow House and she had no idea how he could even survive.

That the headaches wouldn’t kill him, but they’d probably never go away.

“She said I was fine.”

“Really?”

“Yep.”

“Oh.”  Nia laid a palm over her chest.  “Thank God.  Ever since the Fall…”  She trailed off and shook her head.  “I just couldn’t stand it if something happened to you.  I just found you.”

Something soft and warm twisted inside of Cross.  His feelings for Nia washed through him like rain, primal and cleansing.  She was everything he’d ever dreamed of having.  His Match was so beautiful, inside and out.  The Shadows stirred, wanting to get closer to her.

Nia looked at him sharply, feeling the strain as he pulled them back.  “Cross, our energy will have to touch when we Phaze.  You’re holding it back and there’s no need.”

Cross stayed silent, because Nia was wrong.

The Shadows could never touch her.  The weight of them would crush Nia.  Hurt her.  No one knew that better than him.  He couldn’t allow their powers to merge and risk destroying the only good thing he’d ever had in his life.  No way.

It dawned on Cross that he would always have to hold the Shadows back from Nia.

Forever.

It was the only sure way to protect her.

Cross’s eyes widened in horror.

Which meant that they could never fully Phaze.

The Shadows screamed in his head at the very idea and, for once, Cross completely understood their swirling frustration.

He’d only met Nia today and he was already going insane from wanting her.  How the hell was he supposed to resist her for thousands of years?  For the rest of their entire lives?  How the hell could he possibly survive not Phazing this woman?

Cross would lose what was left of his mind by the end of the first week.

Shit!

This was going to be a problem.