| Chapter 13 Nick walked into Tara's room, "Is this OK?" Tara looked at him and smiled. Nick was standing there in dress pants and a dress shirt, barefooted. "You look fine," she said, "Although you might want some shoes." Nick looked down at his bare feet, "Crap, be right back," he said turning and leaving the room. Tracy laughed, "I don't understand why he always forgets his shoes when he's nervous." Tara shrugged her shoulders, "I dunno, but it's so cute." Tara walked over to the mirror, looking at herself. She was also wearing dress pants and a nice blouse. "I hate dressing up," she said, smoothing out a wrinkle in her shirt. "You don't have to ya know," Tracy said. Tara turned to look at her, "I know, but we want to make a good impression. This is important." "I know honey," Tracy said, as Nick walked back into the room, with his shoes on this time. "OK, I'm not forgetting anything am I?" he asked. Tara looked at him, smiling, "Nope, you look great." He smiled back at her, "So do you." Gideon walked in, "Are we ready?" "Just a minute," Tara said, "We need to go over to Lyn's for a second." Gideon nodded, moving out of the way to let them pass. "Where are they?" Tara asked Nick as they walked down the hall. "In Lyn's bedroom, asleep," he answered. Tara arched her eyebrow, smiling, "You wanna pop in?" Nick looked back at the three waiting on them, "We can do that?" "Sure, it'll save time anyway," Tara said, taking his hand in hers. "OK," Nick said, as they vanished from the hall. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The two appeared in Lyn's bedroom, standing at the foot of the bed. Brian and Lyn were wrapped in each others arms, sound asleep. Tara looked up at Nick, "They look cute like that," she whispered. "Yeah," Nick said, walking over to the side of the bed. He reached down and gently shook Brian, "Bri, wake up." Brian jerked, looking up at Nick, a confused look on his face. "What's going on?" he asked. "We're about to leave," Nick said. Lyn woke up after feeling Brian jerk, and sat up, rubbing her face, "What time is it?" "It's still early," Tara answered, "The suns not up yet." "Yeah, we just wanted to let you know we were leaving," Nick said. Brian looked at the two for a moment before getting out of bed and hugging each of them. "Good luck," he said. "Thanks," Tara said. Lyn followed suit, "When do you think you'll be back?" "We aren't sure," Nick said. "Well, be careful," Brian said. "We will," Tara said, turning to leave the room. "Oh Tara," Brian remembered, "The fax came in last night right before we went to bed." Tara smiled at him, "I'll sign it before we leave." Brian nodded, watching as the two left the room, and closed the door behind them. Lyn crawled back into bed and lay down, "I hope they get to stay together." Brian crawled in next to her, snuggling close, "I do to." "I'm not sure how I'd feel if they were denied. I think I would feel guilty that we are together, and they couldn't be," Lyn said. Brian nodded, "I know I would. I think we should pray for them, let someone up there know we support them in this." Lyn smiled, "I think so to." Brian took her hand in his, "You wanna start, or should I?" "You," she said. They both closed their eyes as Brian started, "God, please be with Nick and Tara......." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tara walked over to the fax machine, pulling the papers out. She thumbed through them, signing where she needed to, then placed them back in the machine. She turned to face Nick, "OK, I guess we're ready now." He nodded, as Gideon, Tracy and Jade appeared next to him. "We need to get going," Jade said. Tara walked over to stand next to Nick, taking his hand in hers, "Lead the way." Jade took Nick's other hand, while Gideon took Tara's. Tracy reached over and held onto Gideon's other hand as they vanished from the room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The group appeared next to a large meeting hall. Nick looked around, recognizing the streets from when he was there with Aleisha. Tara tugged on his arm, "Come on." Nick followed them inside, trying to take in as much as possible. It amazed him how beautiful the city was. No matter how many times he saw it, it would still amaze him. They made their way to what looked like a waiting area. Gideon turned to them, "I'll be right back." Nick watched as he headed down the hall and turned the corner. "Nick, let's sit down, it may be a while," Tara said, leading him over to some chairs that were along the wall. They sat down, not letting go of each other's hands. They were both extremely nervous. Nick started tapping his foot, then made himself stop. Tara looked over at him, "I know, I'm nervous to." Tracy walked over to them, "I wish I could say something to make this easier, but I can't." Nick shrugged, "It's alright. Just you being here with us helps." Tracy smiled, "I wouldn't be anywhere else." Gideon walked back around the corner, coming up to them. "Tara, they want to see you," he said. "We aren't going together?" Nick asked, looking scared. "No, they want to meet with you individually first," Gideon said. They both stood up, looking at each other. Nick reached up and brushed a strand of hair from Tara's face, "I love you." She smiled, "And I love you." Nick stepped closer and pulled her into a hug, holding her there. He didn't want her to go, his fear of what may happen coursing through him. Tara pulled away, staring deep into his eyes. "Don't worry, whatever happens, we'll deal with it," she said. Nick nodded, as she turned and followed Gideon down the hall and out of sight. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lyn opened her eyes and looked around. The sun was shining through the windows. She looked over to see Brian asleep next to her. She smiled, realizing they had both fallen asleep while they were praying. She raised up on her elbows and reached over, touching Brian's cheek. "Bri, wake up," she said. Brian groaned and pulled the pillow over his head. Lyn laughed at him, pulling the pillow back, "Brian." He slowly opened his eyes, letting them focus on her. A smile crept across his face, "Is it morning?" Lyn nodded, "Late morning by the looks of it." "We fell asleep didn't we?" he asked, sitting up. "I believe so," she answered. Brian looked at her, "They aren't back yet are they?" She shook her head, "I think someone would've come and got us if they were back." "Yeah," he said, stretching. Lyn got up and ran her hand through her hair, "I guess I'll go see if the other guys have had breakfast yet." Brian stood up and grabbed her arm as she walked past him. He pulled her to him, kissing her softly. Lyn smiled at him, "Now that's a good morning." Brian laughed, taking her hand in his and heading to the door, "Come on, I'm hungry." Lyn laughed as they opened the door and headed into the living room. Kevin was sitting on the couch reading the paper. A.J. was in the recliner, flipping through the channels on TV, and Howie was in the kitchen. Kevin looked up from his paper, "Morning. We were wondering when you two were gonna grace us with your presence." Lyn and Brian both blushed, why they didn't know. Lyn walked into the kitchen to see if she could help Howie finish what he was cooking. Brian took a seat on the couch. "They're gone," Kevin said. "Yeah, they woke us up before sun rise and told us they were leaving," Brian said. Kevin nodded, "So all we can do is wait?" "And pray," Brian added, looking over at his cousin. Kevin smiled, "Already been doing that. I even caught A.J. saying a word or two." A.J. rolled his eyes as Brian looked over at him, "Hey, I want them together as much as you guys do." "We know," Brian said. Howie leaned over the bar, "Foods ready." Everyone found a place at the table, sitting down. Howie had prepared a huge brunch for them all. "Man D, I see why Kira keeps you around," Brian said with a laugh. Howie smiled, "Well my cooking isn't the only reason she keeps me." Lyn shook her head, "I could've gone all day without that vision in my head." Everyone laughed. Howie's smile grew wider, "I said nothing dirty. You're the one who's mind is in the gutter this morning, young lady." Lyn blushed, "Yeah well, Brian's rubbing off on me." "In more ways than one huh?" A.J. said, nudging her with his elbow. "Oh God," Brian said, putting his hands over his face and shaking his head. Kevin cleared his throat, "Um it's a little early to be having this conversation. I'm trying to eat here." "Sorry," everyone mumbled, stifling their laughter. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nick was still sitting in the waiting area. He'd been there for hours now, and he was about to lose his mind. Tracy and Jade were sitting on each side of him, holding his hands, trying to keep him from climbing the walls. Nick shifted nervously in his seat. He sighed, starting to bounce his leg again. He stopped when Jade looked over at him. "Sorry," he said. She smiled, "It's alright. I know you're nervous." "I passed nervous two hours ago," Nick said, leaning his head against the wall behind him and closing his eyes. Tracy and Jade leaned forward, looking at one another and smiled. Nick opened his eyes, and sat up. He was about to go and see what was taking so long, when Gideon came around the corner. Nick stood up, wondering where Tara was. "Nick, they want you now," he said. Nick walked over to him, "Where's Tara?" Gideon put his hand on Nick's shoulder, "She's fine." They walked down the hall, and around the corner. Gideon led him to a large set of doors at the end of the hall. "Go inside. I'll be here when you're done," he instructed. Nick nodded, taking a deep breath before pushing one of the doors open and walking inside. He stood just in front of the doors, letting it shut behind him. Nick looked around the large room. The ceilings were vaulted, and the floors and walls looked like marble. There were two large columns in the middle of the room, leading up to the ceiling. Nick slowly walked to the columns, looking past them and seeing the counsel seated behind a large table at the other side of the room. There were nine counsel members. All distinguished looking older men. Nick wasn't sure what to do. His nerves were sending his body into overdrive. He felt like running out of the room, and found it hard to breathe. "Nickolas, come closer," one of the men said. Nick swallowed hard as he stepped closer to the table. Nick glanced from one to the other, not sure if he should say something or not. The man sitting in the middle of the table stood, and motioned for Nick to come even closer. Nick stepped to where he was standing right in front of the table. "Has it been explained to you what we will do?" the man standing asked. Nick nodded, "Yes, sir." The man smiled at being called sir. "You need to calm yourself," another man said. Nick nodded again, closing his eyes and focusing. He took several deep breaths, willing himself to calm down. He finally opened his eyes again, waiting for their next instruction. "We will look into your heart, you will be able to see what we do," the man standing said. Nick nodded his understanding. "Alright, let's begin." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gideon stood in the hall. He'd been waiting for Nick for several hours now. He knew it would take a while, but he was beginning to wonder what was going on. Just then Nick came out of the doors. He was visibly shaken. His face was pale, and his eyes were puffy from crying. He looked exhausted, and his hands were shaking. Gideon took him by the arm, walking with him down the hall. "You alright?" he asked. Nick shook his head, "No..... they saw everything. Everything I did to her when I was turned. I don't know how they can let us be together after seeing that." Gideon put his arm around Nick's shoulders pulling him closer to him as they walked, "But they also saw how you've changed, and how much you love her." Nick sighed, "Yeah, but is it gonna be enough?" "We'll see," Gideon said, leaving Nick with Jade and going back down the hall. Nick sat down, "Where's Tracy?" "She's with Tara," Jade answered. He nodded, "So what do we do now?" "We wait," she answered. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Nick," Gideon said. Nick opened his eyes and looked up at him. He had fallen asleep while he waited. "Come on, they want to see you again," Gideon said, offering him his hand to get up. Nick took it, standing up and running his hand through his hair. "How long has it been?" Nick asked, as they walked down the hall. "They've been deliberating for about four hours," Gideon answered. "Is that good or bad?" Nick asked. Gideon shrugged his shoulders, opening the door for Nick and following him inside. Nick smiled when he saw Tara already standing in front of the table. He walked up next to her, desperately wanting to take her hand in his, but not sure if he should. She looked up at him and smiled. The man sitting at the center of the table cleared his throat. Tara and Nick looked over at him. "We have reached a decision," he said. Nick was on the verge of holding his breath, and he was sure Tara was in the same condition. The man looked at each of them for a moment before continuing. "For ages it has been our policy to forbid this, and for good reason. It makes you vulnerable to the other side. We've lost so many, due to this very thing. Yourself included Tara." Tara hung her head and nodded. Nick bit his lip, throwing caution to the wind and reached over, taking her hand in his, squeezing it. Tara looked up at him, squeezing back. "But, we think in this case, with you two, that it is time to change the policy," the man finished. Nick and Tara looked at him in shock. "You mean it?" Nick asked. The man smiled at them, "Yes, but it's not without compromise on your part." "What do you mean?" Tara asked. "You must give up some of your ability to feel emotions when you are together," the man said. Nick and Tara glanced at one another, then nodded. "OK, what else?" Nick asked. "You must also give up your ability to have children," the man said. Tara and Nick looked at each other. They hadn't even thought about having kids, but now hearing that they couldn't, they both felt saddened by it. "Is there anything else?" Nick asked, still looking at Tara. "No, that's it," the man said. Nick looked over at the man, "Could we have a minute?" The man nodded, and Nick pulled Tara over to the side of the room. "Honey, are you sure about this? I mean, giving up having kids.....?" Nick said. Tara looked deep into his eyes, "If it means getting to be with you, then yes. Having kids isn't as important as getting to be with you." "You're sure. I don't want you to regret making this decision later on," Nick said. Tara gently touched his cheek, "I won't. What about you though? I always thought you wanted kids someday?" Nick shrugged, "Not without you I don't. Besides, we could adopt if we really wanted to." "Yeah, and we'll have enough �nieces' and �nephews' to play with too," Tara said. Nick smiled, "So, we're doing this?" She nodded, "Yes." Nick couldn't hide his smile as they walked back over, "We agree." "You're sure? This can't be reversed once we do it," the man said. Tara and Nick glanced at each other, then both nodded. The man smiled, "Alright then. Take a step back." They both stepped back, wondering what was going to happen. Suddenly they were engulfed in light. They both shut their eyes against it, but still had ahold of each other's hands. Then just as soon as it appeared, the light faded. They both blinked a few times, getting their vision back. "You OK?" Nick asked. Tara nodded, "You?" "Yeah, I don't feel any different," he said. "Neither do I," she admitted. The man walked up to them, smiling. "The counsel wants to see you again when you return from your undercover work," he said. "You saw that?" Tara asked. The man nodded, "We think it's a good idea, but a dangerous one too. Just remember, you are stronger together than you ever will be apart." "Thank you," Nick said, shaking the man's hand. "Be careful, we don't want to lose you two again," the man said. "You won't," Tara said, shaking his hand. The man nodded, as Nick and Tara turned and left the room. Once they were out in the hall, they fell into each others arms, overjoyed and relieved. "I take it we got an answer?" Jade asked, laughing. "Yes," Nick said, grinning. "Great," Tracy said. "We should probably be getting back," Gideon said. They all took each others hands, standing in a circle, and vanished from the hall. Chapter 14 |