Satyr Play 03 Pt. 02

Tish smiled back at the hallway of people. "They seem very protective of him."

Roy nodded. "Yes, let's move back and let the boy sleep. He's performed enough miracles today. We have the weekend to catch up with him."

Tish shut the door, and the group returned to the living room.

Camila sighed. "Speaking of over-protective females, have any of you been accosted by Minkah Meskhenet recently? She's been hanging around VRL, asking about Henry. She had that meltdown that night," Many nodded as they recalled her panic and rage when the stone woman carried Henry through the rift, and it closed behind her. "She's been insisting he was alive ever since. I don't know what senses or abilities Bastets have, but now we know she was right. We're going to have to let her know he's back."

Roy snorted. "If she's anywhere near a TV, it's highly likely she already knows."

Eleanor addressed the group. "How is it possible for him to be alive? I examined him that night. He had no life signs, and his injuries were too severe to sustain life!"

Roy shook his head. "It wasn't his first time, dying, I mean. When he was severely burned by the lightning strike in Washington, he told us he died but returned and healed his body. I can't imagine how much willpower it would take to deny death itself."

They were quiet for a time as they considered that.

Meixiu suddenly stood. "I believe Henry will be very hungry when he wakes. We should purchase the ingredients for a few meals."

Smiles appeared on the faces of the friends, and Sigrid nodded.

"Let's make a party out of it!" Tish said as she hugged Sandy and Dayshia, both beaming with brilliant smiles. Kesini wrapped herself around all three and hugged them.

"Does anyone else feel like they've already eaten a full meal and gotten a good night's sleep?" Raymond asked, curious. Eleanor nodded with a wide-eyed smile.

Siobhan grinned. Her sight had picked up the fact that Henry was leaking Wild Magic energy like never before. "It's Henry. The flow of energy passing through him is incredible!"

"You know what that means, don't you? He's going to trigger transformations like gasoline thrown on a bonfire," Roy suggested.

Sigrid nodded. "Yeah, that's likely. You might want to warn the Congressional Committee."

"Ach, screw those stuffy bastards. I was thinking about our people at VRL!" Roy growled.

Camila smiled and nodded. "Maybe Henry will need to work from home for a bit."

Siobhan was looking back towards the hallway. "I think Henry will need to work outside the city for a while. The energy is leaking into the living room now." Much more slowly, it was soaking through the concrete floors and walls.

"He can work from my mansion!" Meixiu exclaimed, thinking of her home on the border of Connecticut, which she hadn't parted with yet.

That raised a few smiles as the idea had merit since it was very secluded. With Henry's Magic Door trick, he could work from there and go anywhere instantly.

Sigrid looked to Meixiu. "Why don't you and I head up to the mansion tonight? On the way, we'll pick up groceries to stock the fridges for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, then freshen up the place. Tomorrow, Henry can open a door from here to the mansion so everyone can join us through that."

Meixiu saw the happy looks on the faces of the others, so she nodded to Sigrid. Then she looked at the others. "Everyone should bring an overnight kit with a change of clothes and sleepwear if you'd like to stay overnight tomorrow. There are plenty of bedrooms in the house."

With a party weekend plan in place, everyone stood, and hugs were shared. There was a new feeling of hope and excitement, which was such a relief.

Those who had to leave the building were first to go, with Sigrid and Meixiu in the lead as they had the most to do. The others promised to return to Tish's place by nine the following morning to have breakfast together at the mansion.

Lorelei recalled Henry owed her a date. She was going to remind him of that promise this weekend.

She left with Siobhan so they could produce the next song, which would contain an extra dash of hope and joy because of Henry's return. Raymond and Eleanor left to share an elevator with them.

Marisa collected her daughter, and Camila picked up the bag with all her baby stuff. She turned to the new mother before they left. "Can you imagine the peace of mind of knowing it doesn't matter if you left something behind because you can just open a door and be where you left it?" she giggled, triggering the others. They waved and were out the door.

Sandy was almost vibrating with joy. "I doubt I'm going to be able to sleep tonight! I'm too excited about Henry being back!"

Dayshia was nodding quickly as she shared a grin with Sandy and Michelle.

They hugged Tish and left with promises to return in the morning.

Tish placed her hand on Mahati's arm to make her pause before heading home.

"Has there been any word about Kali?" she asked gently.

Mahati shook her head. "She's been known to disappear occasionally, but this is the longest she's ever been away without contacting me."

Tish gave her a hug and walked her to the door.

Then, she was alone in the condo. A thrilled smile appeared on her face, and she danced in place for a second because Henry was back. She quietly made her way to the bedroom door and slowly opened it.

"Croo?"

She saw two faces lift from the pillows to look towards the door curiously. Henry was snoring softly, and she smiled at how much comfort she got from that sound.

"It's okay. Sleep," she said softly. After a moment, the heads settled down again, so she closed the door.

Tish would sleep on the sofa tonight. She'd speak with Henry tomorrow to work out the sleeping arrangements for their new guests.

-=-

In the early morning hours, Henry woke in his bed between the Succubi twins' soft and warm bodies. In the past couple of weeks, he'd been aware of this sensation when he'd healed sufficiently to hover at the edge of consciousness. They took as much comfort from it as they gave.

Abandoned by Baba Yaga on Eden, they'd wandered until they'd picked up his scent, tracked it back to the Glass People village, and found him healing.

When he stirred they immediately woke and looked to him. He touched their cheeks, and they leaned into the touch.

"Sleep," he whispered, and they both faded back into a restful state. It was the same spell Baba used on him for his entire childhood, now at his disposal.

He eased himself from the bed and switched to his human glamor with PJ bottoms for decency as he watched the twins sleep. Carefully walking to the door, he slipped out silently and walked down the hall slowly. His left leg wasn't one hundred percent yet, so small spikes of pain shot through it into his hip as he put weight on it.

Glancing forward, he saw snow on the balcony. That was jarring as it reminded him how long he'd been away.

He padded into the baby's room and over to the crib, where he watched his daughter sleep. A tear slipped down his cheek, but this one came from joy. She truly was perfect. He vowed to do anything and everything in his power to protect her. He knew he couldn't control everything, but what he could, he would.

He felt someone watching him and smiled as he knew it was Tish.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" he whispered.

She crossed the room, switching to her Human glamor as well. When she stood before him, she reached out tentatively to touch his chest. The breath she'd been holding came out in a gasp, and then she was in his arms, kissing him desperately. He gently but firmly held her face as he slowed their kisses until they were sweet and tender. Her arms wrapped around him, pressing her body tightly to his.

When the kiss broke, he held her trembling body close as the tears came. He said nothing but embraced her until her breathing returned to normal.

"I'm sorry I couldn't contact you and let you know I was alive. I fully woke and was sufficiently healed just a day or so ago. My time sense is still messed up," he said quietly next to her ear.

"You—you were dead," she choked out.

"My body was smashed up pretty bad. It didn't want to function, but I... refused to leave it. I had to come back. For her. For you. For Sandy, Dayshia, and the others." He looked at the crib. "But mostly for her."

She pulled back to look into his eyes with only the nightlight to see by. "I keep thinking this is impossible as I've seen so many victims of accidents at the hospital. They don't come back when they're as bad as you looked that night."

He frowned and looked away. "Yes. It's not something I want to ever do again. This time... wasn't like the first. Coming back was... so much harder. I don't think I could endure it again. I can't describe it as my mind won't focus on it."

They held each other as they watched their daughter sleep.

"Why did Baba do this? The complexity of the trap tells me it was her," Tish reasoned.

He nodded with a small smile, pleased she'd figured it out. "She wanted to die. To stop remembering everything. If Humanity died, she'd be free."

"Did it work?" Tish asked.

Henry shrugged. She'd put so much knowledge of magic in his head that he wondered if she'd been collecting it while looking for a way to escape her bargain. Many spells were beneficial and simple, like healing and magic doors. Others, he refused to look upon as they reeked of evil. Some were so alien in nature that he feared he might go insane if he examined them more closely. In his gut, he knew these last ones were somehow linked to the ancient beings Baba had made a deal with to save her son. She'd had no fear of keeping these in her head, but now Henry was carrying that burden.

He hadn't seen Baba since that night and in his mind, he could still see the expression of complete peace on her face as she disappeared with Stanley.

However, there was no smoking gun to confirm her plan worked.

Henry's stomach chose that moment to give out a plaintive squealing gurgle.

Tish slapped her hand over her mouth to snuff out her laugh. He pouted as he looked at her. "Hey, I haven't eaten in months!"

"I'll go make you some sandwiches," Tish said as she spun and pranced away. Even in her Human form, she moved with the grace of a faun.

Henry moved slowly to the doorway as he soaked in the warm and welcoming ambiance of the baby's room. He wondered if he'd had a room this sweet when he was a baby with his parents. Likely not.

He stopped in the door and closed his eyes as he reviewed Stanley's memories of growing up in Baba's cottage. He felt a twinge of sentimentality and pushed it away with a snort. She hadn't raised him to be a mopey dreamer.

"Good night, Baba," he whispered automatically to the darkened room.

He paused as he didn't know where that came from. He turned and walked away.

"Fuck," the room whispered back.