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Chapter Epilogue

The oppressive night air steamed its way through the open windows of the darkened bedroom where Daniel and Calla lay deep asleep in each other’s arms. Feeling the heaviness of the heat surrounding him, Daniel kicked the sheet from his naked body as he slumbered.

A sharp tapping sound, like finger nails on glass, woke Calla. Listlessly her eyes rolled open and she tried to focus in the direction of the sound which had woken her.

Perhaps it was a branch from the elm tree knocking against the window, she told herself as her eyes closed and she began to drift back into Morpheus’ realm. Before they closed all the way, a dark shadow blotted out the moon light which was shining through the same window.

Calla’s eyes fully opened now, with some effort she tossed back the thin sheet which still covered her, she looked over at Daniel who slept peacefully beside her. A wistful smile crossed her lips as she ran her fingertips along the outline of his cheek. Silently she placed her bare feet on the warmed wood floor, her eyes opened a little wider, her mind drifted back up through the stages of consciousness, coached onward by the annoying occurrence coming from the window. Without a sound, Calla rose from the bed and began to cross the room to the window where she expected to find the offending branch knocking against the outer glass pane. With one hand she rubbed the last bits of the sleep from her eyes.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Almost to the window now and the fingers which had been rubbing the sleep from her emerald eyes now moved to the pain beginning in the small of her back. Calla was not allowed out of the bed any longer, Dr. Fraser had told her that she was to stay on ‘bed rest’ until the child was born, which was another four weeks. Dr. Fraser had been very upset when Calla turned up pregnant. So had Daniel but he hid it well. The hand which had been soothing her back now reached up to touch her brow in an attempt to ward off the coming headache brought on by the thoughts in her head which were beginning to turn dark. A sharp pain shot from her swollen bell to under her rib cage as the baby stretched inside of her, Calla doubled over and pulled in a hard breath. She shot a guilty look at the sleeping Daniel Jackson and began to straighten and soothe her tummy by rubbing her hand lightly over the painful area. "Now, come on," she whispered in the dark, "that's not nice to do to your mama." Calla rubbed and gently pushed until the small limb reached a place which was more comfortable. "Thank you."

At last she reached her destination and peered through the clean glass at the elm branch which was a good safe distance from the window. The moon overhead was half full, stars shone bright in the cloudless night sky, the street below was empty and quiet. Calla noticed that the sound had stopped, perhaps she had only been dreaming. As she turned away from the window to make her way back to the bed, the silvery light of the moon was blotted out once again and she turned back to see the cause.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Outside their bedroom window a man with bronze skin and golden wings hovered before her widening eyes. He raised a slender finger to his full lips to silence the woman inside. "Eros," she whispered in surprise, "brother."

"Go downstairs, open the door and let me in, sister." Eros smiled brightly at her then watched as she turned away from him and toward the sleeping Daniel Jackson. " Do not wake him." Calla reached out to open the sash, she was not to go up and down stairs on her own any longer. By the look on his face Eros was insulted by her action. "I am a proper guest, you will let me in through the front door." Eros fluttered his golden wings and landed softly on the green grass below him.

Calla grabbed her robe and drew it around her shoulders before she crept out of the bedroom, leaving Daniel to sleep. With her right leg still giving her problems and her center of gravity seriously off kilter, Calla held tight to the banister she put one foot in front of the other and very cautiously made her way down the stairs to the first floor, flicking on the kitchen and then living room lights as she went. Expecting to find the waiting arms of her brother, Calla opened the door to the cold night.

No one was there.

As she stepped barefoot onto the front porch, Calla looked around. "Eros?" She called softly to the night but there was no reply. "Eros? Brother, where are you?" Again there was no answer from him. A fleeting shadow caught the corner of her eye, it came from the right side of the house where Eros had been but a few moments before. Carefully, she padded barefoot down the three steps to the front yard and she stood under the light of the summer moon breathing in the fragrances of the flowers she had planted earlier in the year. "Eros? This is no time for games, brother." She whispered to the dark as she made her way the side yard and stood where Eros had been. The newly mown grass held the impression of his foot prints which were easy to follow in the light of the half moon above. They lead from her bedroom window, around the house, through the backyard. At the end of the yard, Calla turned back to look at the darkened house and knew she should go back. Perhaps this was all just a dream after all and Eros had never been here this night.

"Sister, come with me."

Calla looked up to see Eros floating above the Earth and nearing the train tracks which ran behind the house. She did not immediately follow.

"Sister, you must leave him." He brought his bronze arm out in front of his body and waved for her to follow him. "If you want to save your child you will trust me, you will come with me. Come."

Damp eyes looked up at him with guilt and shame, she wanted to tell her brother that Daniel would never hurt the baby, that he loved and wanted this baby. Her throat would not obey her order.

In the bedroom, Daniel’s eyes opened as he reached for the woman beside him only to find himself alone in his room. 3:17 am read the clock by the bed. "Calla?" He called out as he sat up, she did not answer. Daniel swung his legs over the side of the bed began to walk down the hallway to see if she had gotten up to use the bathroom but there was light coming from downstairs. Taking a backwards glance into his bedroom he noticed that her robe was missing from it’s customary place, draped over the chair in the corner. A sense of urgency began to rise inside of him. "Calla?" Daniel found himself sprinting down the stairs and into the brightly lit kitchen, the lights in the living room were also burning bright but before he could make his way there movement outside the sun porch caught his eye. Daniel opened the door to the back porch and saw Calla wadding quickly through the open field towards the tracks. "Damn. Calla!" He called out harshly as he exited the porch into the overly warm Colorado night. She did not turn to look at him. "Calla!"

Suddenly,

WONK...WONK...WONK

The deep booming sound of an oncoming train whistle cut through the soundless summer night.

"Come sister, come with me." Eros called as he floated beyond her reach. "Hurry, Little One, you must hurry."

"Please wait. Eros, please!" She cried as she stumbled through the brush, stepping on pebbles and feeling the biting sting of the wild Blessed Thistle’s transparent thorns as they bit into the soles of her bare feet. Paying no mind to pain, Calla followed the command her beloved brother.

As Daniel raced after her he could hear her words rising and floating back to him on the wind, she was speaking in Greek and calling to her a brother. Daniel looked up and saw no one but Calla in the trotting past the backyard, through the field, in the dark of night.

WOMP! WOMP! WONK! The train whistle sounded its warning as the lights from the engine rounded the bend. She was heading straight for it.

"Calla!" Daniel called out in a sharp voice as his legs went faster. "Wake up!" She had to be sleep walking, there was no one else out here but the two of them. Who could she possibly be talking to?

Floating through the air at a height where it was easy to see past her, Eros watched as Daniel struggled to catch up with her. "Hurry, sister." He encouraged. "Hurry."

In the dark summer night, Calla made her way across the empty field which separated their home from the train tracks beyond heeding the call of her brother and taking no heed of Daniel's voice straining behind her.

The rails before them began to let out a low groan which quickly grew to a high pitched whine. The conductor must have seen her nearing the tracks, he leaned hard on the whistle. WOMP! WOMP! WOOOOONK!

As the blaring noise cut through the silent night once more, Calla did not stop at its warning, in fact, she did not hesitate whatsoever.

Sweat breaking out on his forehead, Daniel’s heart thundered in his chest as he raced through the sultry August night, trying desperately to catch up with her before she could reach the railroad tracks. Again and again he called her name, she did not respond. Did not even turn her head in his direction, as far as he was aware, Calla couldn’t even hear him screaming for her to stop before she ran headlong across the tracks into the path of the oncoming locomotive. All he could hope for now was that he could catch her before the train did. She was within spitting distance of the metal tracks now, Daniel watched as her feet slipped upon the rocks which lines both sides of the tracks, molding themselves upward into a small grade. A grade that only a few months ago she would have been able to skip over, now held her back from whatever it was she was chasing. It was enough to slow her down.

Strong arms threw themselves around her as they both crashed to the ground. Daniel shielded her with his body as the train roared past their heads, mere inches above them. Dirt and debris kicked up all around them. Together they laid there and shook under the half moon of the hot summer night until the train was past them. His heart in his throat, Daniel held her tight even after the train was gone. Calla made no move to get away from him. He raised his head and looked across the tracks.

“You can’t keep her forever, Jackson!” A spiteful voice shouted at him. “She’s mine. I will have her.”

End
Daughter of the Gods: Every New Beginning
By Moon Mistress
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Daughter of the Gods: Dark Illusions

This story and all stories in the Kingdom of the Gods & Daughter of the Gods series are copyrighted to Lisa Beth Darling these stories may not be transferred outside of this URL in any fashion.