Chapter 40

Winter had come to Maplewood, Vermont, and with it, heavy snowfall. Just like always, when the first snow stuck to the ground, the lifts opened, and the tourists came in droves. For the rest of the winter, the little burg would not be owned by the residents who lived there all year long. It would be owned by out-of-towners, skiers, winter wedding parties, and young couples looking to stay in the bed-and-breakfasts throughout the state.

Christmas was fast approaching, and along with the white snow, decorations of bright red and green were wrapped around anything that stood still long enough for the city council to get their hot little hands on it. Lights were strung everywhere. This year, the atmosphere was unusually festive, and the tourists ate it up. Later, they would comment in various ways to those who listened that they’d had the time of their life in Maplewood. Some would even consider moving there, which, much to the city council’s delight, drove up property value.

The townsfolk, at least, everyone beside the group of people who’d been involved, didn’t remember a thing. The deaths, the nightmares, no one remembered. For some reason, when anyone brought up the lake itself, trying to pry out of the citizens what they remembered about the fight that took place, the townsfolk stared blankly at them as if they were crazy. Whether they knew or didn’t know became irrelevant. They didn’t want to remember. Just like the part of the town that would forever be submerged beneath Lake Veronica, it would be obscured in their thoughts.

Yet those who fought, remembered. It was a secret they would carry to their graves. They had been warriors. The romances that sprang up between the couples or were reignited continued. Paul and Michelle married, and he adopted her children. Much to Jake’s delight, his parents remarried, and miracles being what they were, were expecting their second child. The doctors said that the baby was doing just fine.

Amanda returned to Boston for a little while, but she couldn’t forget that day. Suddenly the concrete world became too much for her, and she returned to open a magic shop on Main Street. Terri thought she’d lost her mind. She married Robert, who took up a teaching post at the local university along with Paul. Cassandra and Tony added to their brood as well: a girl they named Elizabeth. It just felt right.

Judy, the last advocate for Rose Demeter, visited the grave of her friend often to leave flowers and sit with her. Despite her reputation, Rose had looked out for Judy, and when folks came to clear out her belongings before her house was sold, unsent letters to Judy were among her effects. Love letters, where Rose had poured her heart out to the other woman. Although Judy didn’t share her inclination, the deep and resounding love Rose felt for her moved Judy, and she wept for her friend.

Suzie…well, Suzie became the new Rose Demeter. The diner became the new place to catch all the local gossip. However, Suzie made it a point to always be gracious. She’d seen enough nastiness in the past few weeks to set her up for life.

Tonight, the moon hung low, full, and bright. It set the world aflame in silvery light. The skies were littered with millions of tiny white winter stars, and in a small home in the center of town, Hayden leaned against the window frame of Tommy’s house and looked out into the night. His lover was asleep in the bed. Turning from the winter scene and the quiet streets to look at the man who was currently stretched out, arms wrapped around a pillow, his bare ass hanging out of the blankets, and smiled to himself as, for the millionth time, he thought back to the day he’d thought would be his last.

He remembered emerging from the lake, upside down, as Tommy struggled up the side of the cliff wall.

He remembered being grabbed by several hands and being dragged off and laid on the grass as he faded in and out of consciousness.

He remembered hearing someone call his name—Amanda’s voice, as she cried and wept over him. And he remembered not being able to move a single muscle on his own to put her at ease.

The hospital stay had been long and complicated. The official diagnosis was malnutrition, dehydration, and exposure. Tommy’s was the same. The doctors wanted to know where they’d been to have had this happen to them.

“Camping. We got lost,” was all Tommy would say. Hayden agreed, and Tony confirmed it.

Hayden, however, kept his own secret. He shouldn’t be here. He’d gone over to the other side. He’d gone into the void, the dark; he’d opened himself to it and all its power. And yet, unlike Veronica, he didn’t die. He hadn’t been consumed by it.

When the secret started driving a wedge between them, Tommy got down on his knees and begged Hayden to tell him what was wrong. They’d been living together a month after being discharged and unlike the others, they’d begun to drift apart. Tommy, sensing Hayden’s ever-growing distance, finally broke down.

“I don’t know why I’m here.”

“What? What do you mean? With me, here? Alive, here? Are you having survivors guilt?” he’d begged tearfully. If he’d had any doubts about Tommy’s affection for him, or if he was worried that their relationship was just a byproduct of Riley’s magic, they disappeared then and there. Tommy was in love with him, and Hayden felt the same. It broke Hayden’s heart to see him so upset. So, Hayden told him what he’d done.

Later, after a surprising make-up lovemaking session, they spoke in soft tones, limbs wrapped around each other’s, face-to-face. Tommy gave a hypothesis that was as good as any Hayden could come up with.

“Veronica was distressed when she crossed over. She was angry. Her reaction is understandable, but it was selfish. What you did was selfless. You knew you could die, you knew it was a real possibility.”

Hayden had stayed silent.

“I’m glad you didn’t,” Tommy whispered. There was such vulnerability in his eyes that Hayden leaned in and kissed him before crawling into his arms.

They never saw Riley, Veronica, or her father again. They, like the nightmares, like the demon, like the town’s memory of the events of this past fall, simply ceased to be.

Hayden held out his right hand, and it suddenly shimmered a bright green light.

Everything ceased to be—but this.

Tommy’s arm illuminated as well in response.

Hayden let his arm fall and the magic cease.

As far as their friends were concerned, however, their abilities died with the monster. The lie felt necessary, and although some of them looked at them as if they doubted it, Amanda being the most vocal, they kept it.

They didn’t play around with it. There were a million questions they had, and none seemed answerable. They’d researched as much as they could but found nothing online other than a lot of dead ends. What they did know was that Riley was Irish, and that both were also of Irish descent.

Hayden crossed the bedroom and picked up the two airline tickets for Dublin the week after Christmas.

They needed answers.

Hayden had a feeling that his showing up to Maplewood was the catalyst that set things in motion. Tommy even agreed that might be a possibility. So, they devised a plan. They would track Riley back home to Ireland and go and talk to his descendants. If there was one benefit of being a former lawyer, research was it.

Hayden set the tickets back down on the dresser and, with a yawn, stretched his fingers toward the ceiling.

“Hey, you gonna just haunt the bedroom all night or are you coming back to bed?”

Hayden looked over at Tommy. The man had rolled over onto his back and was now propping himself up on his elbows.

“You thinking about what I think you’re thinking about?”

Hayden nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Yeah.”

Tommy’s hair was disheveled, and he had sleep lines on his face. Although his eyes were heavy lidded, he was alert and attentive. Since that day, he lingered just outside of hovering. He was protective.

“We’re gonna figure this out. You have your lawyer abilities. I have my connections from the field…”

Hayden took a deep breath. “I know.”

“Then what’s on your mind?”

Hayden sighed. “What are two druids seventeen years into the twenty-first century going to do?”

Tommy laughed and ran a hand across Hayden’s face. He lay back in bed, and the bedsheets fell away in a revealing manner, “I dunno about tomorrow. But I know what’s going to happen tonight.”

Hayden leaned in and kissed him and felt Tommy’s arms wrap around him, dragging him further into bed. As the two men came together, Hayden relaxed. He didn’t have the answers either. Staying up all night worrying about it wasn’t going to help matters much. So, he gave in.

As they made love, Hayden stayed in the moment. Right here. There was no yesterday, no tomorrow; all there was in the world that he had to worry about right now was the pair of strong arms holding him. He held on just as fiercely, wrapping himself around the present, and clung to it for dear life.

To be continued…

* * * * *