Split in Time Ch. 12

Amy nodded in understanding that it would be best to let them settle in for themselves. She handed him a new message globe. "Maddie is coming with us."

Jesse suddenly tensed, Amy may have put his beast to sleep but he still knew that Maddie was his mate and he wasn't going to let her go.

"Jesse, Maddie has to complete her healer training which she can't do here. The man she needs to learn from is in the central den." Wolfgang explained.

"But she's mine." Jesse complained then frowned as Maddie wasn't kicking up a fuss.

"Jesse, you are needed here, I need to be there." She told him as she walked into his arms and hugged him. She didn't want to leave him but she had no choice, not if she wanted to learn the full extent of her powers.

Amy stepped forward. "Look, compromise. Two weeks then Nathanael and Maddie come here for a month then you, Nathanael and Maddie come back to the central den for a month."

Jesse thought about it for a moment then sighed, he had no real choice and at least he knew she would be his in two weeks.

"Keep safe." he told her.

She grinned, "Don't worry about me, immortal, keep yourself safe." She told him.

He smiled, "you're immortal... so am I." She smiled and offered her lips to him which he took and gave her a soul searing kiss. She mumbled and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back just as deeply. No one tried to stop them or pull them apart, letting them have their moment.

Mayhem chuckled and nudged Jesse to break them up. He sighed and broke the kiss; he didn't want to but knew he had work to do. He slowly released Maddie then stepped back. Amy, Wolfgang, Maddie, Kathryn and Sienna vanished leaving Mayhem's group to settle.

****

Vivian appeared with the others a few hours later, she made sure to appear near Amy and Wolfgang as she knew there would be a reaction. Thais skipped forward away from the other children and up to his parents, he wrapped his arms around Wolfgang's leg and rested his cheek against him and watched. He had carefully chosen this spot to hopefully prevent his father from losing his temper.

The activity around the room stopped and people stared, some reached for weapons. Wolfgang growled and everyone who had reached for weapons stopped. "I will warn you once," he said loudly and firmly. "Ancients are allowed to come and go here without harassment. Da'Vaila," he gestured to the winged beings, "are our friends and these ones in particular are allowed to come and go as they please WITHOUT harassment." He searched for Vlha, "whatever he is," he said as he pointed. "And the other two who smell similar to him, are pack now and are NOT to be harassed."

He let his eyes roam, "spread my words because if ANYONE attacks those I accept they will feel my wrath." The pack members suddenly left the cavern. Kathryn and Sienna just stared at Wolfgang.

Wolfgang glanced down at Thais, "you did that deliberately didn't you?"

Thais nodded but didn't release his leg. Kathryn and Sienna approached to question Wolfgang as Amy went to see how the group was; Bastion as usual seemed to come from nowhere, his eyes searched the group as Garnet went to join her brother.

"What the hell was that?" Garnet asked her brother.

"They were shocked into action; I just laid down the law." Wolfgang said, "Although I may have gone completely nuts if not for him." he said as he messed Thais's hair.

Kathryn knelt and blinked in surprised as she watched the little boy who looked just like Wolfgang when he was the same age. "Who are you?" She asked in a friendly tone.

"Thais." He answered with a smile. "I know who you are; I've seen pictures, lots of pictures." He let his eyes feast on the real woman, a woman he wasn't ever meant to know as his grandmother.

"You look just like he did when he was your age." She told him gesturing to her son.

Thais nodded, "I should, he's my da."

She blinked in shock, Garnet helped her mother up. "Ma... Thais willed himself here to prevent something he won't tell us about. He is from that other universe."

"No point in telling you, if I tell you it will happen, better not to speak it." Thais answered.

"Huh?" Kathryn stated.

"Thais sees everything, past, present and future." Wolfgang said simply, he was just beginning to understand why Amy had told him that, that Thais sees everything, it was the best way to describe what he did.

"And you saw what would happen here?" Kathryn asked.

"Time has no meaning for an Ancient." Amy said as she brought Sage over. "When I reappear in my universe, he saw everything that had happened while I was gone; he then went back in time to stop something from happening." She explained.

"Oh." Kathryn said with a little squeak, daunted by the obvious show of power in one so young.

Thais just smiled at her, he released Wolfgang's leg and moved over to Sage who scooped him up and sat him on her hip. "Hey little man."

"Ma this is Sage." Wolfgang introduced.

It took Kathryn a moment to place the name and when she did she didn't know what to think but now understood some of Wolfgang's reaction, he was warning people from harming his daughter.

"A Nephalim daughter..." she said as her eyes scanned over Sage.

"Half Nephalim, I'm Bianca's daughter." Sage answered as she turned and pointed to her mother. "See in that other universe, ma died, but she made a request, that Amy take me into her family so that I could learn to be a whole person, understand both sides of my nature." She explained, "At the moment I only know the theory for pack life and I understand why that other Bianca asked what she did. I also think that the other Sage is probably a much more... balanced person than I am."

"Okay... what else do I need to know?" Kathryn asked, she wanted all the shocks to come now so that she could get them out of the way.

"I found my mate thanks to Thais." Garnet said excited.

Kathryn hugged her daughter, "congratulations." She said pleased. "So introduce me." Garnet smiled and went back to the group and dragged Taliesin forward.

"Ma this is Taliesin, my mate." Garnet said pleased as Alanna dragged Tarval over.

"An Ancient?" Kathryn asked as she shook Taliesin's offered hand.

"Yep." Garnet answered as she wrapped her arms around her mate. Taliesin smiled and nuzzled at her, he was much more relaxed now that he had gotten to really know her and had her in his thoughts. Everything she had done was completely reasonable if you saw it from her perspective.

"Grandma... this is my mate... Tarval," Alanna introduced.

Kathryn blinked in shock as her eyes roamed over the man Alanna called her mate, "a Da'Vaila..."

Alanna smiled and nodded. "Yep."

"What type are you?" Kathryn asked.

"I don't fall into a category, I am simply Da'Vaila." Tarval answered.

"See it's all about the wings," Sage explained. "Nephalim have white and grey wings, S'ephalim have pure white wings and Gephalim have pure black wings. Those born outside or develop different colours in their wings are simply considered Da'Vaila and not a part of one of the specific races."

"When did that happen?" Amy asked as it was news to her.

"Shortly after Gabrielle found that golden feather in her wings after that duel with you." Michelle said as she walked over with Dominic. "We all got together and decided it was time for those who are different to take the general title of Da'Vaila instead of the specific race."

"All that just because Gabrielle found a different coloured feather in her wing?" Amy asked.

"No..." Dominic said, "Because that feather shows she is now no longer under the edict of the gods." He wrapped an arm around Sage. "See when the gods created us they gave us strict rules, made us a certain way. Gephalim the war mongers, S'ephalim the gentle messengers. You may not know this but Michelle has a temper, something no other S'ephalim Prime has and Tarval has compassion, something no other Gephalim High Lord has. When they created the Nephalim they even gave us an edict, something we cannot disregard."

"So when Gabrielle picked up that sword and used it even in practise," Tarval said taking over. "It broke the edict placed upon her by the gods but not in a bad way as she has always made weapons that kill, the gods encouraged it, that's what they wanted her to do. She just never used one or tried to use one, she may never kill, but she has the potential to do so."

"NO S'ephalim may kill or do harm to another through physical action or inaction." Michelle said firmly, "That is the S'ephalim edict."

"NO mercy to anyone in their path." Tarval said, "Is the Gephalim edict."

"Kill ONLY when absolutely necessary..." Sage slid in, "the Nephalim edict."

"I have the potential to kill now," Gabrielle said as she joined them having heard their discussion. "I have a theory about our wings." She continued. "Why the colours are so important? Our wings are like a visual marker warning everyone as to what we are. Gephalim are dark in nature and manner so their wings are dark. S'ephalim are light in nature, they are pure goodness, so their wings are light. Nephalim are neither good nor bad, though predominantly they are good people they can be dark when they need to but still tempered with that goodness, that is why their wings are white interspaced with grey, never black." She said insightfully.

"So where does gold fit in there?" Sage asked as she pointed at the flash of gold visible near Gabrielle's foot.

"I don't know." Gabrielle admitted.

"I do." Thais said and everyone turned to him for the answer. "It means you're special... special in a way the gods had never dreamed for your kind. You are like Tarval and Michelle but you are also not like them, they were born this way, even if it was by accident, you became this way. You are the first... you are an evolution."

"What does it mean though?" Michelle asked.

Thais just smiled at them, "that is the question you must answer, the answer you must find." He squirmed and slid out of his sister's arms and skipped back over to the other children.

"Does that irritate you?" Dominic asked Amy.

"No... it doesn't because he is right, he could give you the answer but if he did, you would never learn." Amy answered, she turned to Gabrielle, "all this just because I stung your pride."

Gabrielle shrugged, "to be honest, my hands have always itched, more so after I made Justice." She tapped the sword at her hip; she had made it eons ago and had never even thought to sell it. It was the most beautiful weapon she had ever made... okay not completely true, if she was honest with herself THAT particular sword now hung on Alanna's hip, but in its own way it was magnificent. She didn't even know why she felt compelled to bring it to begin with but she was glad she had as her hands no longer itched and she felt like a whole person finally. This sword had always been meant for her.

"So how does that work with breast plates?" Wolfgang asked knowing that breast plates were important to Da'Vaila.

"We keep the base colour of our plate from our 'source' race. Gabrielle's plate will soon have golden feathers on it." Tarval explained.

"So... who's hungry?" Amy asked.

**

Amy jerked awake when she heard a gentle scratch on the bedroom door later that night, knowing instantly who was at the door. She made silk pants appear on Wolfgang and a silk teddy on herself and just as she clothed herself Thais walked in. He said nothing as he walked over and crawled into the bed with them.

Wolfgang mumbled and rolled over but didn't wake.

Thais wrapped his arms around his mother and shivered slightly.

What's wrong little one? Amy asked silently as she stroked her son's back. He didn't answer at first he just wormed his way closer to her, only when his quivering stilled did he open his mind to her.

I thought it would be easy, I thought I could cope... He hesitated not sure how to go on.

Cope with what, meeting people, learning about them only to never see them again? She asked.

No because eventually I will see them again. He said confidently.

Then what aren't you coping with? She asked.

Being without my sisters. He admitted, I don't think you know just how close we are.

How close are you? She asked.

I feel like you did when you woke that first morning here. Like I am missing something vital, that I've been taken to with a sword and had my arms cut off. He explained. We are always together... even when we are apart.

She kissed his forehead and held him tightly; she knew exactly how distressing this would be for the little boy. I found it easier to deal with that pain if I woke up with and cuddled up with someone, from now until we return crawl into bed with Sage or Ash or Kathryn, whoever you feel comfortable enough to sleep with. She told him, now go to sleep we have a big day tomorrow. She watched as he closed his eyes, she sighed, just another thing to investigate when she got the time.

****

Kathryn felt eyes on her, she glanced around her eyes searching for whoever was staring, it took her several moments as the bustle of bakery cavern was making it hard. Her eyes came to rest on Thais who was safely tucked under one of the cooling benches out of the way.

She left the biscuit dough she was working on and wiped her hands on her apron as she moved over to Thais. She knelt and smiled at the little boy, "how about you come and help me." She suggested as she offered her hand to him.

He took her hand and she led him out from under the bench and over to where she was working, she pulled out a stool and lifted him easily onto it. She watched as he moved until he was kneeling on it then rolled his poorly fitting grey jumper up to free his hands. He had discarded his well-made clothes for handmade patched clothes to fit in with everyone else, the only thing he refused to compromise on was his shoes, they fitted perfectly although they were scuffed and looked old and worn.

"We're making biscuits." She explained as she halved the dough, giving him half. She started to knead and he copied. After long minutes of silence she decided to break it, "your father was just as quiet as you."

He stopped kneading the dough and frowned, "no, Anna says he and Uncle Gillian were imps and only rate marginally better than Temperance in their path of destruction."

She frowned for a moment and shrugged, some things had to be different between the two universes. "In your universe perhaps, here in mine your father was quiet as a young boy, he had to grow out of it and you will too."

"Sometimes I just can't talk." He said as he grabbed a rolling pin and started to roll his dough out.

"Because you see the future," she surmised as she too started to roll the dough flat, she was impressed by the little boy's skill with a rolling pin.

He nodded.

"It doesn't mean you can't talk, it just means you can't talk about the future." She told him wisely, "you know talking might be able to help you deflect people from asking about what you see." She added and let him think about it for a while.

"You do that well," she told him as she nodded to the dough.

"Anna takes us to one of the out houses 'cos Bastion banned Temperance from his kitchen, she teaches us to bake and cook and generally keeps us out of Bastion's way. When ma has the time she comes too, she taught us how to make brownies from scratch." He used a cutter to start cutting the biscuits and placing them on a tray.

"Who is Temperance?" She asked.

"My litter mate, she's an identical twin, she's the oldest of us three and Serenity is the middle child and I was born last." He explained.

She hesitated for a moment, multiple births were common with normal ranked Were, however it was rare for Alphas, when a multiple birth happened for them it normally meant the next Alpha was one of the cubs, the others normally took high positions like pseudo Alpha female or second. However Wolfgang was immortal, he would be Alpha for the rest of time so what did that mean for this multiple birth.

"Which of you is the next Alpha?" She asked.

He thought for a moment as he gathered the remaining dough and patted it together to roll out again. He could see no harm in telling her, "If da weren't immortal, Serenity, she is always calm but she will be fierce warrior, almost as good as ma. She will become as good as them at leading, strong, firm but understanding as she can feel the emotions of those around her."

She hesitated for a moment, "I wish I could get to meet her and Temperance."

He frowned for a moment as he thought, "you can... in a way."

"How?"

"I can show you." He answered.

"After we finish making biscuits." She replied but wondered for a moment how he was going to show her. Twenty minutes later they had cleaned up and left the baking of the biscuits to the bakers. She took him to her rooms and sat him in her lap. "Okay how can you show them to me?"

"I can show you what I have seen; I can even show you some of their future." He explained.

"What do I need to do?"

"Relax, it won't hurt." He said trying to reassure her, he raised his little hands and touched her temples, "close your eyes and open your mind." He coaxed before closing his eyes and entering her thoughts.

An hour later she opened her eyes, her mind was reeling as she focused on the present world. He just watched and waited.

"How... how do you cope?" She asked after several minutes of quiet.

"I know no different, I've seen stuff since my birth." He told her honestly.

"So... what you showed me, are those possibilities...?"

He shook his head, "the unavoidable future, no matter what we decide or others decide, those events will happen."

She thought for a minute, "You were right; if Wolfgang wasn't immortal Serenity would be the next Alpha."

He nodded, "She will still be an Alpha, later... much later... but she will be a minor Alpha, she will answer to our parents."

"And you?"

"I will do what I need to do for my pack as a Beta. Temperance will become the record keeper; it is what she's going to be good at." He said with a small shrug.

"Do your sisters know... because your bond is so deep?" she asked, having him in her mind she recognised his pain and loss and knew it was because his sisters were not here with him.

He shook his head, "although we are aware of each other," he tapped his forehead, "much like the mates bond, our abilities don't bleed into each other thank goodness. I find it hard seeing what I see, Serenity always knows when I am distressed and it pains her, Temperance just knows that something bad is happening with me and she gets angry."

She frowned, "mates can block each other, it's hard but it can be done. Have you tried to block your sisters?"

He shook his head, "ma tried that, we can't do it our minds are too bound together, what we've learnt to do is basically ignore each other but we are always aware."

She pulled him close and held him, "whenever you want you can crawl into bed with me at night." She offered.

"Thank you." He said with a smile.

"Now why were you staring at me?" She asked.

"Making my own memories of you and aunt Garnet to show my sisters when I return." He explained as if that was the most reasonable thing in the world.

She grinned, "I wonder..." she said before she started to tickle him, she remembered that Wolfgang had been exceedingly ticklish as a child. He started to giggle as he tried to worm away from the wiggling fingers.

****

Maddie bounced a little next to Nathanael as she waited for Amy. Two weeks had flown and she was looking forward to going and seeing her mate. Claire glared a little at Maddie; she didn't like the fact that she was going to be moving every month all because of Maddie.