Sorrow's Sieve Ch. 07

(Author's Note: I have taken some creative license in the retelling of the Algos. If you are a buff on Greek mythology please be gentle with me. I know I've said this before but I'm sorry this has taken so long. Another big move for the family and another new job has taken up a lot of my time recently. I hope now that things have settled down I can find some time to spend with my characters. Much love to all and Happy Thanksgiving! - Spinner)

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"The Three Algos, or Algea were the spirits of pain, suffering, grief and sorrow in ancient Greece. Daughters of the Goddess of strife and discord, Eris their natures became a tool to fight their mother's turbulent character. Lupa and her twin sister, Achus the spirits of pain and the youngest, Ania, the spirit of sorrow. Little is known about these spirits, some believed them to simply be the personification of pain and suffering, while others saw them as saviors, using their gifts to help ease the pain and sorrow in the population around them. It has been postulated that because of their insubstantial nature they were unable to affect the world around them without the aid of a human host. Sadly there is no evidence, anecdotal or otherwise to support this claim."

Ada yawned and rubbed her eyes. She had been up all night, trying to find even a spark of possibility hidden in the university database and the internet. The current passage was the only thing she had found. She had started her search in the countless medical, psychological, neurological and any other journals looking for any reference of a condition similar to Galen's, she had found nothing. So she'd moved onto the realm of the improbable; myths, legends, and fairytales. Whatever was happening to Galen obviously lay beyond average medical understanding and she was a believer in seeking out all possibilities, no matter how remote. At 3:30 in the morning she had stumbled across this passage but that was it. She searched for another hour for any other information or stories on the Algos but all she could find were brief mentions in old poems and stories. If the Algos had anything to do with Galen's condition, she wasn't sure if knowing would make a difference.

****

The water lapped gently against the form in the water. Braedan walked toward it and realized he was looking at the remains of a marble statue. It had toppled over and as the water rose had been covered. Their actions during the night seemed to have eased more of the sorrow than Galen's songs and the water level had dropped nearly two feet. Despite its watery resting place, the statue, although in pieces held a pearlescent glow. Kneeling down in the shallow water, Braedan studied the pieces and realized it was the form of a young girl, marble tears streaming down her face. The toppled base held characters he didn't recognize. Not for the first time he wondered what this place was and was even more curious that he could remain there when Galen was not present. He could feel the pull of the waking world and stood to glance around one last time. He noticed an odd bluish glow in the water he'd never seen before. He looked up, realizing the moon had fallen below the horizon, leaving no explanation for the light in the water.

His eyes fluttered open a moment later and he stretched with a smile. This was the first time in months he had woken without an aching need for release. With that thought he glanced down, expecting to find a mess to clean up but besides being rather tangled his sheets showed no sign of his explosive finish. He glanced at his clock and saw that it was only seven, too early to hear from anyone he assumed.

"A run it is," he declared happily.

*****

Galen opened her eyes not to the sight of Braedan but to the sheer canopy over her bed. She smiled to herself thinking about what they had done and stretched. She winced as her muscles protested and not just from her horse ride the day before. She frowned and sat up and then felt the moisture between her legs. Throwing the covers off of herself she ran to the bathroom and pulled off her clothes. Her underwear were soaked and now that she was standing she felt more moisture begin to drip down her legs. Despite the impossibility of it, she knew this was not the sole product of her arousal as she slept, it was their combined passion. She sat down hard on the edge of the bathtub.

"But, it was a dream," she said quietly to herself, trying to come to grips with what had happened. She knew she had been in her bed all night and that Braedan had been in his, across town. But she also knew that her body ached in a way that proved she had been well loved the night before and the combined spending pushed the point home. Somehow, normal physical laws had been circumvented and any protection a normal dream would give a girl had just been thrown out the window. She didn't think Peter had put her on any form of birth control, feeling that his protection would be enough to keep men away. She placed her hands on her stomach, her heart racing at the thought that she could very well end up pregnant. But when she thought of Braedan, his smile, his love, and his dedication she felt warm. She could picture herself, swelled heavily with child and Braedan at her side. A giddiness welled within and she picked herself up and started the shower. Her heart felt truly light for the first time in years.

Peter woke to the smell of bacon. He pulled on a robe and rubbing his eyes and made his way to the kitchen. The sight and sound that greeted him almost made his heart stop. His sister was dancing around the kitchen, making breakfast and humming happily to herself. She noticed his stare and giggled.

"Good morning, Peter. Breakfast will be ready in just a few minutes. Would you like some coffee?"

He nodded, almost dumbly and sat down at the breakfast bar. He hadn't gotten much sleep having to wake Galen up every few hours and the last time he woke her up she had still been the zombie. He looked at the clock, just past seven, which mean that was only two hours ago. What had changed in that time?

"How are you feeling? How's the head?" he managed to get out.

"Wonderful!" She twirled again and deposited a steaming cup of black coffee before him. "My head's still a little tender but besides that I feel incredible."

"You seem way too cheery for someone who had to be woken up every hour last night,"

Galen shrugged and grinned at her brother. Turning back to the stove she flipped the eggs over and pulled the bacon out of the pan. In another few moments she had assembled two plates, complete with bacon, eggs, and hash browns.

"Do you have any idea of what you'd like to do today?" he asked, enjoying the first few bites of his food. He wasn't sure but he swore he saw the slightest blush before she turned around to gather her own plate.

"I was hoping to call Ada and see if she'd be willing to take me shopping. I haven't really had a chance to do that is a long time. Would that be alright?"

Peter was surprised she didn't ask to see Braedan first thing and he was more than happy to see her go out with Ada. He'd had to do most of her shopping the last three years and it was definitely not on his top ten list of fun ways to spend an afternoon.

"Sure, babe. We'll call her a little later and see if she's free. How much money do you think you'll need?"

"I'm not really sure," she said thoughtfully, "I guess I hadn't really considered what I would get exactly, I just thought it would be fun to go out with Ada for some girl time," she smiled sheepishly and Peter laughed.

"I'll give you my card then, and you can go crazy," Galen came around the counter and after placing her plate next to Peter's on the breakfast bar gave him a big hug.

"Thank you, big brother."

"Anytime, babe. Just make sure to have fun."

The siblings finished their breakfast amidst a feeling of serenity. Peter couldn't help the warmth that swelled in his chest at seeing his sister smile and laugh and he felt his resolve crumbling in regards to Braedan. With a new determination he knew he would do whatever it took to keep Galen smiling.

"Why don't you go and relax. Since you made breakfast I'll do the dishes and then give Ada a call." Galen nodded and quickly rinsed her plate in the sink before heading back to her room. She figured a little more rest wouldn't hurt especially after the exertions of the day before.

Peter waited to hear her bedroom door close before he gulped down the rest of his coffee and grabbed his wallet and phone. He pulled out the slip of paper he'd been handed the day before and took a deep breath before punching in the numbers. The phone rang for a while and he was about to hang up, not wanting to say what was need on a machine when Braedan's voice came on.

"This is Braedan," he said, sounding slightly winded.

"Umm, Braedan, this is Peter." Braedan could hear an uneasy undertone in Peter's words and was instantly concerned.

"Is Galen alright?"

"She's fine, better than fine actually," Peter said with a sigh. "She says her head is a little sore but nothing besides that."

"Then why the trepidation, Peter." Braedan asked, confused. "I know we haven't really gotten off on the right foot, but you sound genuinely concerned about something."

"Look, Braedan, Galen is my sister, she's all I have and I don't want anything to happen to her. I know you...are interested in her and she in you, but,"

"Peter," Braedan tried to say.

"No, please, let me finish before I lose my nerve." When Braedan didn't say anything else he went on."I know you are interested in each other, but please get to know each other a little better before you jump into anything too serious. There is something about you that brings Galen back to us, I won't even try to understand it but I can accept it. My sister needs you Braedan, and as much as it pains me to admit it, I need you too. I don't know what I would do if she went back to the way she's been the past three years. I won't ask you what your intentions are with her, because you've made them pretty obvious, but still know that if you hurt her, mine will be the last face you see."

Braedan was a little embarrassed and rather stunned at Peter's forthright speech. He'd expected a fight to get closer to Galen, but if he heard correctly, Peter had just given him permission to be with his sister.

"I know my words won't mean much, but I hope I can prove to you that I would never hurt your sister. I've seen how she suffers, I could never add more to her," he said. There was an uncomfortable pause before Peter cleared his throat.

"If you aren't busy this evening, you might bring Galen out, she could use a nice night out."

Braedan couldn't help the smile that came to his face, and Peter could easily hear the change in tone in his response.

"Are you setting your sister up on a date?" he asked, trying not to laugh.

"Oh shut it, Kelly, just be here at six to pick her up," CLICK.

Fifteen minutes later Peter knocked on Galen's door.

"Come in," she called.

"Ada will be here in an hour to take you shopping," he said and laughed when Galen squealed in excitement. "And make sure to pick up something nice to wear,"

"Why's that, where are we going?" she asked, confusion evident on her face.

"Not 'we', you. You have a date tonight." Galen was off of her bed and in her brother arms in a second.

"Thank you!" she kept saying until Peter had to forcibly push her way.

"You're welcome, now get ready," he said, smiling broadly. Her excitement was infectious and the hint of worry that lingered began to melt away.

*******

Maywood Mall was nothing special but it held enough shops to keep Ada and Galen busy for the afternoon. By the time Ada picked Galen up it was nearly lunch time so they stopped in the food court for some greasy food before hitting the actual stores. Galen had every intention of telling Ada what had transpired the night before, hoping for some guidance, but now that the opportunity had come she felt too nervous to talk about it.

"I know something is on your mind, sweety. Why don't you just spit it out, you'll feel a lot better afterward."

Galen looked at Ada and blushed hotly. This was why she loved this woman. She was incredibly perceptive but lacked the self righteous streak that caused many other perceptive people to add judgments to what they saw. Ada cocked her head and smiled knowingly at the color that came to her friends cheeks.

"Should I assume this has to do with a certain handsome doctor? Peter told me that you have a date tonight."

"It's not about tonight," Galen said quietly, glancing around to make sure there was no one nearby who might overhear. "It's about what happened last night."

"Last night? But you were..." Ada stopped and her eyes grew wide as she realized the significance of Galen's words. "You mean in your dream?"

Galen nodded, Ada laughed.

"Well damn, he must be rather talented to produced a blush like the one you just gave."

"You have no idea." Galen sighed happily and then laughed along with her friend. But her merriment didn't continue and Ada knew there was something else going on. Taking Galen's hands she squeezed gently.

"If things were as wonderful as you're alluding to, why on earth do you seem hesitant in your happiness?" Once again Galen glanced around before speaking.

"Everything was wonderful, and I am happy, happier than I've been in a really long time. But, I mean, this connection I have with Braedan is weird enough but after last night...well, let's just say when I woke up I had a lot more to clean up than should be possible." The confusion was clear on Ada's face for a few moments but Galen could clearly see when the other woman figured it out.

"You mean, when you two...how could that happen? Are you ok, do we need to pick anything up for you? Does Braedan know?"

Galen almost laughed at how unbalanced Ada seemed at the news. She smiled gently and shook her head.

"No, Ada, I'm perfectly fine. Whatever happens, happens. I've thought about it a lot today and if I were to get...pregnant," the word was harder to say than she thought, "because of last night, or any other nights like it; I doubt there is anything I could have done to prevent it, not if the normal rules are already out the window. I don't understand any of this but if it were to happen, I have to believe that it is meant to be, none of this makes sense anyway. I'm not really sure if he knows or not, I haven't had a chance to talk to him, I'll try tonight though."

Ada was completely out of her element, she dealt in the realm of facts, of reality, or at least she use to. She thought back to the reading she'd done that morning and sighed. No, she was definitely not dealing with something that could be explained away. The girl, no the woman in front of her just continued to surprise her. Looking at her again she realized it wasn't fear that was holding back Galen's happiness of the experience, it was confusion.

"Alright, just promise me you'll speak with Braedan about all of this. You can't know how he will feel about the possibility of bringing a child into this world without speaking to him. I can't even begin to understand all of this but make sure you're both on the same page. Braedan's a great guy, he deserves the knowledge at the least."

"All right, I promise," Galen said and took a final sip of her root-beer. "If we're done with the serious talk can we go shopping now?"

*****

Braedan glanced at his watch, 5:34pm. Early, but he couldn't stop himself from climbing the few steps up to Galen's front door. He didn't understand how he could physically hurt from being away from her but as the hours ticked by that day his head began to hurt, his skin prickled and a heaviness descended on his chest. He'd driven over to her place at 5:00, unable to wait any longer and as if her physical proximity made the difference the heaviness lifted and he was able to breath easily for the first time in hours. Feeling better he tried to sit in his car until closer to his expected arrival but the anticipation was too much and the heaviness returned. He was just reaching for the door bell when the door swung open and a streak of blue flew into his arms.

"Braedan!" Galen wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head in the crook, breathing in his soft musky scent. Braedan smiled and buried his face in her hair. "I couldn't wait either," she said sweetly in his ear and he sighed and squeezed her tightly.

"Mind if I declare that 24 hours away from you is much too long?" he asked her, while extracting himself from her arms. When he got a good look at her he sucked in a breath. Her hair was curled gently and flowed down her back and across one shoulder. Very light makeup adorned her face with a silver eye shadow that made her eyes shine. Blue tear drop earrings hung delicately from her ears and their color matched the blue of her dress perfectly. The dress, wow. The dress hugged her slender frame down to her hips at which point it flared out into multiple layers of fabric that swirled down to her knees. The sweetheart neckline was modest enough for her brother, Braedan was sure, but not by much.

Galen beamed up at the man before him, adoration clear on his face. She twirled around gracefully.

"Do you like it?"

Braedan gulped. He was about to tell her just how much he liked it when Peter and Ada appeared in the doorway smiling. Ada nudged Peter in the ribs and after a quick glare he turned his attention to Braedan.

"I hope you both have a great time. Galen is an adult so she doesn't have a curfew, but I would appreciate a call to let me know when I can expect her home." Peter's eyes bore into the other man and Braedan could easily read between the lines. Peter would not be very happy if Galen didn't make it home tonight and he understood completely.

"Actually I plan to have her back no later than 11:30, so there is no need to worry. I figured dinner and movie would be appropriate for a first date?" He turned to Galen at this to make sure she was on-board with the plan; she nodded her agreement with a grin.

"See," Ada said smugly, "that wasn't so hard was it?" Peter just grunted in response.

Braedan offered his arm and Galen took it with a smile, glancing back over her shoulder with a grin at her brother. Once in the car Galen wanted to get the heavy topics of conversation over with, not to mention a restaurant and a movie theater weren't ideal places for private chats but the words wouldn't come.

"I know you want to say something," Braedan smiled, "I can feel it, just spit it out."

Galen thought back to her conversation with Ada, and almost laughed at the similar start to it. She took a deep breath.

"I...I could be pregnant." As soon as the words were out of her mouth she almost groaned at her wording. What would he think? "No, that came out wrong," she chanced a glance at his face, afraid at what she would see but she just saw confused amusement. Heaving a sigh she tried again. "Sorry, let me start over. This morning when I woke up, after we..." she blushed scarlet not sure why she felt so shy all of a sudden.

"Made love," Braedan supplied for her helpfully, taking her hand and squeezing it gently.

"Yes, made love. Well, when I woke up I had a lot more to clean up than I should have." She watched him closely. First he grinned ear to ear, in manly pride no doubt but then the real meaning behind her words sank in and his smile faded to a look of astonishment. She gasped when he took a hard right into a parking lot and stopped the car quickly. He took her hands and looked between her face and he belly.

"So you mean, with what we did last night, you could become pregnant because of it?" His eyes shown with wonder and one of his hands reached tentatively for her stomach but stopped with inches remaining between them. Galen took his hand and pulled it the rest of the distance to rest on her flat belly.