Chapter Twenty-Two

Not long after, Hades appeared in Calla and Daniel’s bedroom and held out ungloved hands to Calla. “Get outta here.” David growled.

“So like your brother,” Hades mused with light disgust as he took her outstretched hand in his.  “How are you tonight, my Little One?” He asked with much concern as he felt the warm weight of her hand in his colder one.  “She knows I’m not here to take her, don’t you?” Hades smiled kindly at the ailing woman on the bed.  He sat down next to her.  “Do you remember when I used to come and visit with you in the night when you were in that terrible place they called a hospital?”  Calla nodded her head waiting for him to tell her that what Daniel had said was true.  “I’ll never let you be alone.” Hades promised.

“She ain’t alone, I’m here.” David protested.  “Get your hands off her before you kill her.”

“Not tonight,” Hades corrected, “tonight I can walk among you and touch whomever I please without harming them.”  He watched as Calla let go of his hand and pointed at the large flat-screen television at the foot of the bed.  Hades looked at the screen and saw that the auction was just beginning.  “You little spy.” He said with a smile but then his voice turned serious. “You heard?”

“Every word.” David said. “Say it ain’t true.”

“If only I could.” Hades said as easily as he could.  “We will just have to find a way to bring you back to health.” He kisses the back of Calla’s good hand.  “You heard your Husband’s theory?” Calla rolled her good eye and let out a groan. “I didn’t think it was going to go over well with you, my dear. Doesn’t he know you at all? I do wonder about that sometimes.” Hades brushed gray hair away from her face.

“Well?” David asked not liking the way they were so chummy all of a sudden.  Then again, if the man could only touch a living thing for ONE night a year that was a shitty deal even if you did get to be King of the Underworld.  Sunshine did love her family.

“Well what?”

“Aren’t ya gonna tell us who these other two guys are?”  David was pretty sure that Danny was right and he, David, was one of them.

Ignoring David Hades looked down at Calla. “Do you want to know? I will tell you if you do but only you.  What you do with the information is up to you.”

“Hey!” David interjected. “That ain’t fair. She can’t tell anybody else.”

“My point exactly.” Hades chimed. However, he was certain that if she wanted them to know the identities of the two men Calla would find a way to do just that. “So what do you say? Do you want to know?”

No, she didn’t really want to know. She didn’t really want to spent eternity in the Seventh Level of Tartarus either!  She was the last person on Earth to plead her own case but if there was some way to change her Fate then she would like to find it.  That wasn’t what Hades was offering her, he was offering he a possible way to regain her strength and vitality so that she could continue to avoid said Fate another few centuries.  Still, while she completely understood the concept of rebirth she’d never once thought of whom she might have been in another life or if she’d spent a life with Daniel before this one. The idea was very intriguing.  Guinevere.  The idea was astounding and sent a chill through her frail body.  Hades put his arm around her shoulders glad that tonight he was able to bring her warmth and comfort.  After thinking about it a few moments before Calla decided she did want to know and nodded her head.  Hades brushed the heavy gray hair away from her ear and leaned in to whisper the answer to her.  Calla’s bad eye rose as she looked at David while Hades spoke and David just knew that God of Death had uttered his name. A second later she looked like she wanted to cry.

“What is it, Sunshine? He say my name?” David asked and she nodded as she painfully turned her head to look up at Hades who was sitting on her bad side.

“T-t-t-t-…mmmmm….r-r-r-r…MMMMMMMM,” she growled getting angry with herself for not being able to give voice to her thought. She took her hand and began hitting the good side of her head with her fist.

“Stop that.” David admonished and tried to grab her hand but she managed to rake her nails down her face began he could grab her wrist and pull it away. “Aww, now look what you done.  You gotta chill out, Sunshine. Re-lax.  We’re not goin’ anywhere.”  He looked down at the fresh red striped on her left cheek.  “Real pretty.” He commented and got up from the bed to retrieve a wet washcloth from the bathroom and swab the Ichor off her cheeks.  Through the surround speakers the loud sound of gasping suddenly filled the room and all three of them turned their attention to the screen. Everyone there seemed to be turned toward the back of the room as they sat in their chairs. 

“The bid is now $750,000.00 gold pieces.” Colleen in her Cleopatra costume announced nervously and she held her breath and a hand to the flat of her chest.   Next to her on a large easel was the painting that was up for bid.  It was one of only two portraits up for sale tonight and it depicted a young man with long dark hair standing in a garden which was in full bloom.  In one hand he held a flaming sword and the other a dove.  Behind him was the kingdom of Altair Ain. Calla always thought it came out looking more like a Tarot card than an actual painting, she couldn’t believe someone would bid so much for it. “Do I hear 775?” In full living color Colleen’s face went white and everyone in the bedroom knew that someone had held up a paddle.  “All right, I have 775, do I hear 8?”

Someone off camera did not hold up a paddle but spoke instead. “One million gold.”  More gasping filled the room and Calla thought Colleen’s knees would give out and she fall flat to the floor behind the podium. Though they couldn’t see him they knew the speaker was male and he had a thick Russian accent.

“Holy crap!” David said loudly as he finished washing the streaks of Ichor from her cheeks. “Did you hear that, Sunshine?”  Calla nodded with disbelief filling both eyes.

“Wha-wha—one million gold,” Colleen finally stammered out the words. “Do I hear another offer?”  She paused and looked around the room. “One million. One million. Going once,” she paused again, “twice.” Another shorted pause and Colleen banged the gavel onto the wood. “Three times! SOLD! To the man in the Rasputin costume.”

A large round of gasping and applause went up in the auction room.

Calla let out a satisfied sigh. Just in time, that bid came just in time. Tonight’s proceeds were earmarked for a new clinic for Annie though Annie didn’t know that yet.  With the news that babies would arrive soon that clinic would be very useful and that one million gold pieces would go a very long way toward seeing the project to fruition.  Even if she did have to leave this world and her beloved Family she would leave a good legacy behind and that made her happy, proud almost.  On the television the crowd was rising. It was over for the year and Daniel would be on his way back to the bedroom soon.  She looked up at Hades again and held up one finger to indicate that she was trying and he should wait for a moment.

“Take as long as you need. David is right I’m not going anywhere.” Hades said in a soothing voice.  “Do you want to know if I am sure? Is that it?”

Calla sighed with much relief and nodded her head.  “Shhhh….shhhh….u-r.”

“I am.”

She shuddered long and hard. If Daniel was right and Hades was right, well, she’d almost rather take her chances with Fate and let the fires burn.

“What is it? WHO is it?” David demanded not liking the way the color drained from her face.

“Yeah, that’s what I want to know too.” Daniel said as he walked into the bedroom.  Calla looked at him with distrust in both eyes and she shrank away from him when he held his arms out to her.  “I know you heard everything, Kitty.  That’s not the way I wanted you to find out, you know that, don’t you?” He asked still holding out his arms. “What’d you do to your face, huh?” Daniel shook his head knowing she’d gotten overly frustrated at some point and done the damage to herself.

Calla grunted and shook her head violently. “N..n…nnn…nnn….NO!” She shouted.  Her voice was so loud that all three men were taken aback as they stared first at her and then at Daniel.

“That sounds final to me.” Hades said as he rose.

“Me too.” David agreed even though he was still dying to hear the second man’s name. Who could it be that it would make her so upset?  “You’ll have to come up with another plan, Danny.”

“Why don’t the two of you get out and leave me alone with my Wife?” Daniel suggested heavily and slipped off the black dress jacket. He threw it over the nearest chair. “Go on, what are you waiting for?”

“Tryin’ to consider whether or not that’s a good idea.” David returned.

“Get out!” Daniel hitched his thumb toward the door.

Hades leaned over and kissed Calla’s forehead. “Don’t worry, Little One, all will be well.” He promised.

Calla tried to smile as she shook her head.  No, it wouldn’t be well especially if these were her only options.

“I see you had a little picnic with David.” Daniel said after the two men left the room and he began to undress for the night.  “I’m sorry you had to hear some of those things, Cal.”  Daniel pulled back the covers and hesitantly climbed into bed.  She let out a big grunt and folded one arm across her chest while the other lay locked up in its brace.  “Hey, what do you say we take these off for the night, huh?” She always looked so damn uncomfortable to him. Daniel unfastened the Velcro on the neck brace and took it off with one hand while holding the other out to catch her head if it should fall to one side.  To his delighted surprise she held her head up on her own.  “How’s that feel? Better?”  She nodded and he removed the brace on her arm and the one on her leg.  The arm hung limply at her side but the leg moved freely and didn’t curl inward as it usually did these days.  Perhaps she was getting better after all.  “I know you don’t want to but I need you to tell me the names of the men.” He said softly. “If you can’t say it, that’s fine. You can text it to me.” He held out his cell phone.  She shook her head vehemently.  “Yes,” he said in a stern but soft voice. “Look, I promise not to go off the deep end, ok?  I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to, I just…I need to know who they are.”

“D-d-d-, Doc.” She stammered.

OK, so he was right about that one. “David is one of them?” He asked just to make sure and watched as she nodded. “The other?”  Now staunchly refused to answer him and turned her body as much away from him as she could.  To his way of thinking there was only one man, possibly two, in the equation which would make her react this way.  “It’s Nick, isn’t it?”

Calla erupted. “Sss—ink, bbb-ed, rrug, MMMMM!” Her hand came up to her face again but this time it was her hair that took the brunt of the assault and Daniel let her go at it for a few moments before he tried to take the hand away and untangle the hair between her fingers.  “N-NO!” She managed again.

Wild horses weren’t going to get her to change her mind on this one but at least he knew who the four of them were.  If sex was not part of the equation, which it might not be, then he still had a starting point.  Daniel couldn’t say that Nick was anymore likely to go along with this idea than Calla was.  “It’s just an idea, Kitty.” Daniel said softly and tried to bring her in close. Calla resisted at first but he didn’t give up until she was snug at his side.  “You don’t have to, ok?”

“Hmmmm…..” she let out a little sound that he didn’t what to make of at first. “P-d-s-t-…mmmmm!”

“Don’t get frustrated, just take your time.”

So she took a deep breath and concentrated very hard on what she wanted to say. “Pro-pra-promise?”

“I swear.” Daniel assured her.  “We’ll find another way. That’s all; we’ll just find another way.” While that seemed to satisfy her for the moment he did little to soothe his mind.  What if he was right and there wasn’t another way?  “Did you hear the other news? Did Sam call you?”  Beside him, free from the restraints of the braces, Calla nodded and bounced excitedly.  Daniel had called Sam after getting the text message and already knew that Calla would soon be taking a trip to Colorado but that could wait another week or two. Now that they knew there was a viable solution to the problem instituting it would be easy (or so he thought) and so there was no rush.  “Soon there’ll be babies all over the place, Kitty.”  She’d be in her glory if only she wasn’t so disabled.

End of Chapter Twenty-Two of
Golden Years
by Moon Mistress
a/k/a Lisa Beth Darling
Go to
Chapter Twenty-Three