The Return, The Merge, and Other Such Things...
From here:
The portal led them into the grey of Otherwhere and Billy clutched Cassie to his chest, their minds still newly linked and pulsing with the power of it.
They flew, together, toward where a point of light stretched slowly into a door.
He stopped, moments short of it, and kissed her.
::I love you::
It was hard to tell who had initiated or spoke the words, for they were so intertwined.
The smile they shared was open and calm and with a nod, they moved again toward the door.
And then, they were there and Billy reached out to open it.
When the door opened, both stared, shocked.
Cassandra stood there, smiling, and looking eminently relieved at their arrival.
Billy eyed her, even as he reached to Cassie.
::Is this as weird to you as meeting one of my own other selves was to me?::
Cassie blinked, startled that this old woman felt.. familiar in some way?
::Just..a bit.::
Cassandra let out a sigh of relief as she looked from one to the other. Her eyes twinkled.
“It worked. I'm so glad.”
She stepped closer to the pair.
::My last gift to you: understanding.::
And before either could react, the edges around Cassandra blurred slightly, she stepped into Billy and Cassie and seemed to dissolve.
Cassie’s newly healed skin glowed for a moment.
“Wha-“
“Gauugh~” Cassie’s eyes rolled back in her head somewhat as close to one thousand years worth of information and memories suddenly merge with her mind. Her brain felt like it reached capacity - and kept going. And just as she felt like she would go mad with the sheer enormity of it, her body went completely limp in Billy’s arms.
Billy's mind exploded as the information dump hit him and he realized, through a haze, what had happened.
Frantically he began weaving a teleportation spell, looking up and seeing Sam and Janet. He extended his powers as far as he could, looping it around them as well, as it took effect, and there was a flash of light.
And then, the area in front of the door was empty and the door shut.
In Billy's room's, light exploded outward, sending Rena scurrying for cover as Billy and the others appeared. Billy staggered, feeling all the confusion and overload hit him, as well as all the magic he had expended today. He staggered to the couch and put Cassie down slowly and managed to turn toward Sam and Janet, barely.
"I'm sorry-" was all he managed to get out before the darkness swam up and drew him down into nothing.
The portal led them into the grey of Otherwhere and Billy clutched Cassie to his chest, their minds still newly linked and pulsing with the power of it.
They flew, together, toward where a point of light stretched slowly into a door.
He stopped, moments short of it, and kissed her.
::I love you::
It was hard to tell who had initiated or spoke the words, for they were so intertwined.
The smile they shared was open and calm and with a nod, they moved again toward the door.
And then, they were there and Billy reached out to open it.
When the door opened, both stared, shocked.
Cassandra stood there, smiling, and looking eminently relieved at their arrival.
Billy eyed her, even as he reached to Cassie.
::Is this as weird to you as meeting one of my own other selves was to me?::
Cassie blinked, startled that this old woman felt.. familiar in some way?
::Just..a bit.::
Cassandra let out a sigh of relief as she looked from one to the other. Her eyes twinkled.
“It worked. I'm so glad.”
She stepped closer to the pair.
::My last gift to you: understanding.::
And before either could react, the edges around Cassandra blurred slightly, she stepped into Billy and Cassie and seemed to dissolve.
Cassie’s newly healed skin glowed for a moment.
“Wha-“
“Gauugh~” Cassie’s eyes rolled back in her head somewhat as close to one thousand years worth of information and memories suddenly merge with her mind. Her brain felt like it reached capacity - and kept going. And just as she felt like she would go mad with the sheer enormity of it, her body went completely limp in Billy’s arms.
Billy's mind exploded as the information dump hit him and he realized, through a haze, what had happened.
Frantically he began weaving a teleportation spell, looking up and seeing Sam and Janet. He extended his powers as far as he could, looping it around them as well, as it took effect, and there was a flash of light.
And then, the area in front of the door was empty and the door shut.
In Billy's room's, light exploded outward, sending Rena scurrying for cover as Billy and the others appeared. Billy staggered, feeling all the confusion and overload hit him, as well as all the magic he had expended today. He staggered to the couch and put Cassie down slowly and managed to turn toward Sam and Janet, barely.
"I'm sorry-" was all he managed to get out before the darkness swam up and drew him down into nothing.