Taylor
The guys were a little tired from being on a non-stop tour, but that wasn't going to stop them enjoying every concert to come.
Right now, the meet and greet was about to start.
As the fans came through the door, the guys began to mingle and shake hands.
"Hey, where are you from?" Taylor smiled at a girl who'd approached him.
Zac and Isaac
Zac struck up conversation with a few girls, as did Isaac. Isaac did notice that he wasn't flirting with them. Before Faith had contacted him, Zac had been awfully flirty with the fans. Isaac was glad things had calmed down now.
Blakesley
Blakesley looked around, his cool air of aloofness unfuffled by the fact that he looked severely out of place. He almost froze for a second as Taylor's gaze passed over his face, and was surprised when there was no reaction. Not even a flicker. Well. Blakesley inclined his head thoughtfully, then decided to take the bull by the horns, as it were and go and greet his erstwhile experimental subject. He made his way over to Taylor unobtrusively, then took on a lost air.
Taylor
Taylor had figured he was someone's father, btu he could always be wrong. They often met middle-aged men who'd been fans for... who knows how long.
He smiled at the man in front of him.
"First time?" he greeted, holding out his hand.
Natalia
"Quite," Blakesley said dryly as he shook Taylor's hand. A subtle twist to his finger and the ring delivered the chemicals to Taylor's bloodstream. "My niece is here, somewhere...she's going to have my hide when she realises I've talked to you before she has." He smiled slightly and looked around, ostentaniously for his niece. In truth, for Natalia and Mouse. "If she hasn't managed to lose herself already in a hysterically happy stupor."
Natalia was hanging around the edges, when she saw Him. She couldn't even moved, paralysed like a rabbit by a snake, then His eyes moved on. Don't run, don't move, maybe He won't see you if you don't move...
Taylor
Taylor flinched a little, feeling a prick in his hand. As he pulled his hand away he glanced at it, quickly dismissing it as an insect bite.
"Well I hope she enjoys the show," he smiled enthusiastically, "and I hope you do too. Guess I'll see you in there."
Natalia
"She will." Blakesley had a long suffering look on his face. "I'm afraid that concerts such as these aren't quite my cup of tea. The things one does for one's family."
Natalia couldn't move, breath coming in terrified gasps. Oh, she'd been a bad girl, and He was going to punish her. She'd been so bad. She hadn't remembered her training at all. The soles of her feet itched.
Taylor
"Well, we try to make it suitable for all audiences, but I guess the constant screaming would turn the middle-age off," Taylor raised an eyebrow, looking around.
Then he spotted Natalia staring in his direction.
With a little frown, he turned back to Blakesley.
"I'm sorry, excuse me. I'll see you at the show."
And he made for Natalia.
Natalia
"Indeed." Blakesley smiled to himself, and lifted his hand to Natalia in an ironic salute before heading towards the door. Soon, he was gone.
A small whine of terror bubbled up to Natalia's lips as he lifted his hand. Oh god. She was so dead. He was going to kill her. He'd know she'd lost the baby, and He was going to kill her slowly and painfully.
Taylor
"Nat?" Taylor called as he came closer.
"Nat? Are you ok? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Natalia and Mouse
Natalia turned wide open terror filled eyes on Taylor. "He's here." Suddenly the words broke through the case of fear that was covering here. "He's here, and He's going to take me back, and He's going to kill me cos I lost the baby, and I'm a bad, bad girl, and He's going to kill me with art."
Mouse walked over, feeling the fear surging over all the other emotions in the room. "Nat, what's the matter?"
"I'm dead. You won't be cos He still needs the two of you, but He's going to kill me."
Taylor
"Umm... Nat, thinks, she saw someone," Taylor tried to explain.
"It's ok Nat, we're not going to let anyone hurt you, alright? There's a lot of security personal here to watch out for us."
Natalia and Mouse
"Think I saw someone! I saw *Him*." Natalia was shaking hard, and her body language had lost any slight confidence she'd gained. "You were talking to *Him*. He saw me, and He waved. He knows I'm here, and now I'm gonna die."
"Nat..." Mouse went to put her hand on Natalia's shoudler, and the blonde haired girl jerked away like she was expecting to be hit. "Which one?"
"Master Blakesley." Natalia wrapped her arms around herself and rocked slightly. "I've forgotten all my training. He'll kill me. Blood, blood everywhere..."
Taylor
"Blakesley," Taylor frowned, sincerely confused.
"Nat, Blakesley wouldn't set foot here if he was in his right mind. What with the security and the bodyguards..." he was shaking his head.
"And even if he was here, he's not going to lay a finger on you. Even I can make sure of that."
Mouse and Natalia
"Well, He was there, and you *talked* to Him. He *waved* at me before He left just to make sure I saw Him. I wasn't sure, but as soon as He did that...I remember that look. It means the cupboard's gonna open wide, and there will be screams like music and blood all over like paint. Scattered roses." A single tear slipped from Natalia's eye.
"Nat, we won't let anyone get you-"
"Since you've all done such a fine job of keeping *yourself* out of there?" Natalia threw back. "He's going to kill me...maybe I should just throw myself down another set of stairs. It would certainly be less painful." She got a thoughtful look on her face, the tear track still shining in the light.
"Nothing is going to happen," Mouse said slowly and firmly.
"He's going to come here again. He was just looking around. He's not ready yet. But He will be soon, and He'll take me back. And He'll kill me. And it will hurt. A lot. Because I've been so bad."
Taylor
"Natalia, no," Taylor shook his head.
"He won't hurt you. He won't hurt anyone here. We have people here that will stop him before anything happens. And you haven't been a 'bad girl' at all."
He looked to Mouse for help.
Natalia and Mouse
Mouse tried again, emitting soothing empathic waves. Natalia shook her head and backed away out of range.
"Don't fiddle with me, it's not nice. I'm tryin to *warn* you, and you don't want to listen."
"Nat, nothing's going to happen. Look, we can tell the security people that you think you saw something, and they'll be on the look out," Mouse said.
"I'm going to die. I never should have run."
"Nat, no." Mouse looked concerned. "You didn't belong there..."
"And I belong here? I belong no where, no where for this child to lay her head. It's all broken and the bird is flown so it can be shot down. A caged bird doesn't want to sing anymore but it dies away from the cage."
"No one's going to die," Mouse said firmly. "Not you, not me, not Tay, not anybody."
"Don't make promises you can't keep. He's coming. And I shall become art again. Art in pain."
Taylor and Ash
Taylor gulped and closed his eyes with his hands out, remembering some connection with his nightmares. His voice saying something about art?
"Yo Tay! They're moving in here!" came Ashley's voice.
Taylor's head snapped around, before he turned to Mouse.
"Can you look after her?" he asked, almost regrettingly, "just tell the security guy if something comes up, ok? I'll be back to you as soon as the show's over, I promise."
MOuse and Natalia"
"Yeah. I'll look after her." Mouse nodded. "I'll see you after the show. Have fun, ok?"
Natalia was staring around, looking for Blakesley. He would have come back in if he thought he could get away with it. "Skin as canvas and screams as paint..."
Mouse glanced unhappily at Natalia, then back at Taylor. "Have fun, mon couer. I'll make sure nothing happens to Nat. Now, go! Before Ash decides to make a scene to get you on stage." She smiled.
Taylor and Ash
"God I love you," Taylor shook his head.
He put a hand on her shoulder and kissed her, before taking off.
"Someone looks a bit stressed," Ashley raised his eyebrows, putting a hand on his back.
"Yeah, she thought she saw someone from where she came from," Taylor replied.
"Well, nevermind. We have the bodyguards around. Ready?"
Taylor nodded as Ash led him to the side of the stage. His brothers were already up there, so he plastered on a smile and joined them.
Natalia and Mouse
Mouse watched the concert, Natalia and the two canines almost glued to her. "Nothing is going to happen!"
Yeah? Then why does beta girl stink of fear? Fafnir growled.
"It's going to be blood screaming. Paint, blood and butterflies."
Mouse bit her tongue so that she didn't order Natalia to be quiet.
"I want my knight." Natalia looked around fearfully. "But you drove him out, and broke his lance. He's shamed."
"We didn't do anything to Ewan!"
~*~*~*~
Blakesley watched the band perform, smiling to himself. Yes. This would work wonderfully. Even if he could only retrieve Natalia and Taylor...it would be worth it. Regaining Jane could wait until after the babies were born. Let her have them, and then take them. He nodded slightly. That would work...
Taylor
Hanson delivered a set list of twenty songs, the last one being This Time Around.
As it came to the bridge, Taylor noticed he was a little off-balance.
"I started feeling
Like I don't want to fight
Give in to the given
And put out the light..."
But he kept going with a smile on his face, as if nothing was wrong.
They gave 'Song To Song' as an encore, when Taylor started feeling sick to his stomach.
Mouse
Mouse frowned and put a hand to her stomach. God, she felt sick...but it wasn't *her* sickness. Her gaze flew to Taylor up on stage, not that it had strayed far from him anyway.
~*~*~*~
Blakesley looked at his watch, then up at the stage. He smiled as he saw Taylor blanch. It was working then. Good.
Taylor and Ash
"I'm looking for a song to sing
I'm looking for a friend to borrow
I'm looking for my radio
So I might find a heart to follow
I've never been just longing for your loving
I've never been just wearing down to nothing
I've never been just looking for a reason
So that maybe you'd be thinking of me
You'd be thinking of me
So you'd be thinking of me."
Taylor shook the hair out of his eyes and smiled at the crowd as they gave their last applause, and he and his brothers began to depart the stage.
Backstage, Taylor grabbed onto a nearby railing to lean against.
"Tay?" came Ashley's worried voice.
"I'm ok, I'm alright," he insisted softly, a hand at his stomach as he squinted up at him.
That was before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell forward in a dead faint.
Mouse and Natalia
Mouse didn't think she'd ever run so fast in her life as when she felt Taylor slide into the faint. Natalia was left behind, though she kept following Mouse backstage. Fafnir and Bets followed their Packleader, worried about Taylor and their other responsibilities slipping their minds.
Blakesley caught her elbow, and she nearly collapsed in terror. "Hello, Natalia."
"Master Blakesley."
"Did I say you could speak?" Blakesley said almost pleasantly. Natalia glanced at him for a moment, then dropped her head submissively. "You've been a bad bad girl, Natalia..."
A whimper rose to Natalia's lips.
"But I'll leave you for now. Tell Jordan I enjoyed talking to him tonight." A caress of his hand on her cheek, then a quick stinging pain as he carved his initials onto her face. She sobbed quietly, the salt tears stinging the shallow wounds. "Goodnight, Natalia." And Blakesley left for real this time. Natalia stumbled backstage to find Mouse, blood running down her ashen face.
"Tay!" Mouse knelt beside him, then turned to Ash. "Get a healer, a doctor, something!"
Ash, Taylor and Walker
"Relax," Ashley insisted, "he's just passed out, it's probably exhaustion... although I haven't known Tay to go this far before."
He hesitated as Walker came up behind them.
"What happened?"
"He fainted, that's all."
Walker's face twisted in cocnern.
"Taylor doesn't faint, Ashley. Here," he handed him his phone, "call Duke. He's the closest healer at the moment."
Taylor moaned and opened his eyes into a squint as Ashley took off.
Mouse and Natalia
"Taylor?" Mouse put her hand to his face, seeking to reassure him. "Mon couer? What happened? I felt something, and I just ran. Please be alright."
Natalia stumbled onto the group, blood and tears running down her face. "Do you believe me now?! He's here, and He hurt me again." She swayed from side to side, drawing in on herself. "He wanted me to give you a message. He said..." she wet her lips, "tell Jordan I enjoyed talking with him tonight."
"Oh god, Nat, I'm so sorry." Mouse didn't know where she should direct her attention; Taylor or Natalia.
"Blood like roses, dripping so quietly through the winds...He signed me again. I can feel the knife." Natalia tapped her cheeks, which now sported a large 'K' on one, and 'B' on the other in a ornate style of script.
Taylor, Walker and Ash
Duke was on his way, so Ashley hurried back.
"Tay man? Wake up," he shook his shoulder a little.
"I... I'm..." Taylor struggled, his right hand moving to help himself up, "I'm... ok. Just... dizzy. That's all."
Not to mention how sick he suddenly felt.
"We're lucky this didn't happen onstage," Walker commented, "Duke is a specialist healer. He'll be able to tell us what happened when he gets here."
Isaac and Zac
"I can believe that bastard got us here," Zac growled. "After what he did to you guys, if I ever see him, I'll kill him. I'll boil his blood."
"Not saying that he doesn't deserve that," Isaac said, "but don't talk so casually about taking lives, Zac."
"You're a fine one to talk. You've killed two people."
"And don't think I didn't feel guilty about it after."
"They were trying to kill you!"
"I know. But a part of me still feels guilty about it, Zac. It's easier to take lives than give them."
"Really?" Zac said cheekily. "I thought it was pretty easy..."
"Very funny. You know what I mean. Besides, you're not on the pushing end," then Isaac sighed. "Of course, having said all that, I'd probably kill him too."
Mouse
"I have dibs," Mouse growled. Fafnir and Bets snarled beside her, fur ruffled and erect.
His throat is ours. Fafnir said, tail moving angrily.
We are going to eat him. Slowly. One little piece at a time.
Oh, I do adore you sometimes. Fafnir licked the side of Bets's face.
"He's going to come, and He's going to take me back, I know it. I'm dead." Natalia's face was almost completely white, except for the blood that covered her cheeks like a mockery of makeup.
"No one's going back there, Nat." Mouse shook her head slightly, knowing the girl had very good reason to be afraid. Blakesley was more then slighty unhinged. Natalia hiccuped a bitter laugh through her tears, but stayed silent.
Isaac and Zac
"Hey, Nat, don't worry," Zac said. "As was saying, if I ever see him - and Mouse isn't nearby - Blakesley becomes a very dead man. Human witnesses or no human witnesses."
"And if it weren't for the fact that the YIRAAS have a death warrant on him, you would get in so much trouble if that were the case," Isaac pointed out.
"No body hurts my friends and family and gets away with it."
"I'm with you on that, buddy. Down with alien hunters, and evil scientists!"
"May they all die slow and painful deaths."
Mouse and Natalia
"Oh yeah." Mouse's face was almsot blank, except for the heated rage simmering in her brown eyes. The canines showed her mood better, snarling and snapping their teeth as they padded restlessly. "Where's that healer? Nat needs something for her face-"
"Oh no. No no no." Natalia backed away. "I can't, you see. Marks are to stay. If I...if you...it would be so much worse."
Mouse continued, ignoring Natalia's protest. "And Taylor is still kinda out of it."
Taylor, Walker and Ash
Taylor rolled onto his back, squinting up at the lights.
"Can you guys just... shut up about death?" he begged softly.
"Yes, this isn't quite the time," Walker shook his head, "where's Duke?"
"I'll go wait out front in case he gets lost," Ashley offered, and took off once again.
Taylor covered his face with his hands, trying hard not to throw up.
Natalia and Mouse
"Is this what's it like in the mornings for you?" Mouse said quietly to Taylor. Fafnir and Bets had stopped talking about how much they were going to kill Blakesley and how much it was going to hurt before he finally died and crouched next to Mouse. She flicked a glance upwards at Natalia. "Can you just move out of range a bit, please? I'm already feeling worried enough without your fear screaming at me and making it worse."
"Wouldn't you be?" Natalia said as she moved back another step.
"Well, if I thought Blakesley was going to be a problem, yes, I would be scared. But not at the moment."
Natalia gave her a 'you've got to be kidding me' look.
Isaac and Zac
"Sorry Tay," Isaac appologised.
"Umm, guys, I know it's unusual for me to be the responsible one," Zac replied, "but don't you think we should take this elsewhere? Y'know before humans come along and start asking awkward questions?"
Ash, Walker and Taylor
"Everyone's busy packing up, and we are in a pretty secluded area," Walker insisted, "I've had one of the security guys do the rounds and tell the other to keep people out. They know something's happened."
It was then that Ashley and Duke made an appearance.
"God, not hidden at all, are we?" Duke grinned, "where is he?"
Taylor tried to sit up, but halfway decided it wasn't a good idea.
"He just came off and fainted, but you know he isn't looking good," Ashley frowned.
"No problem."
Duke knelt beside Taylor and took his left hand with a frown.
"He's been poisoned," he said after only a moment.
Mouse and Natalia
"But you can fix that, right?" Mouse said worriedly. Fafnir whined, and she patted his head.
Natalia had a knowing look in her eyes, but didn't comment.
Taylor, Walker and Ash
"Poisoned?" Taylor looked up worriedly.
Duke concentrated, and Taylor moaned a little as he felt the sick feeling slowly dissipate.
"Ok, done," Duke finally dropped Taylor's hand, then reached for his other.
He looked it over, searching for a mark.
"It was somewhere... ah ha!"
Walker and Ash leant in trying to see.
"See that little dot? That's where it was."
"That was an insect bite," Taylor sat up, confused.
"Ah, no it wasn't. You were injected with something, and that's that spot."
He put a finger over it to heal it, as Taylor tried to think back.
Mouse and Natalia
Mouse was thinking hard. "Tay...did you shake Blakesley's hand? He would have been an older man, blond hair, blue eyes, spoken very formally. Nat?"
"He was wearing a suit." Natalia blinked slowly.
Taylor
"Blonde hair, blue eyes... yeah," Taylor nodded slowly, "I think, I think I remember. There was a guy... the last person I spoke to actually. Said he was there for his neice."
He scratched his cheek, then looked up worriedly.
"You mean that was Blakesley? Blakesley himself?"
Natalia and Mouse
"He wears masks," Natalia said faintly, swaying slightly. "He plays games. I know. How well I know." She closed her eyes for a moment. "Yes, that was Master Blakesley."
"Don't call him that," Mouse said. Natalia turned eyes on her that were blanker and deader then any of them had seen them.
"Don't? He wrote his initials on my face when I spoke to him. Because I hadn't been given permission to speak."
Taylor, Walker and Ash
Taylor looked up worriedly, then away.
"That was so easy then," he shook his head, "I guess... I guess I keep underestimating him."
"He won't be finding it this easy again," Walker made a stern promise, nodding to Duke, "thank you."
"No problem Mr. Hanson. See you around."
And Duke left. Ashley sighed.
"Ok, we should be getting back to the hotel."
Mouse
"Yes, please." Mouse stood with Taylor. "Ne m'inquiétez pas comme cela encore. Je ne pense pas que j'ai jamais couru tellement rapidement dans ma vie, mon couer."
It was pretty fast. Fafnir agreed.
Taylor, Walker and Ash
Taylor looked between them, and chuckled.
"Now you know what I go through every morning. Although I'm not sure that would have stopped as easily..."
Then he realized he was still sitting on the ground, and finally stood up and brushed himself off.
"Are you alright now?" his father tried to make sure.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little... It was a bit sudden,t hat's all."
Walker nodded, and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Let's get back."
Then he and Ash began to lead the way back to the hotel.
MOuse and Natalia
They all went back to the hotel, and before Natalia went to her own room, Mouse stopped her. "Take Bets." Natalia looked at her with wide eyes.
"I couldn't..."
"Yes, you can and you will. I want you to feel safe." Bets, guard her like you would me and Taylor.
Alright. Bets shrugged, and padded after Natalia, the mutant still throwing amazed glances at Mouse over her shoulder.
"Now, that that's all sorted..." Mouse rubbed her head tiredly. "I was so frightened when I felt you fall."
Taylor
"Fall?" Taylor hesitated as he opened their door.
"Oh yeah, kinda happens when you faint," he chuckled, "well at least I know there wasn't anything wrong with me."
He let Mouse through the door and closed it behind Fafnir, before going to greet the fuzzles.
Mouse
"Yeah, you were just poisoned..." Mouse rubbed Fafnir's head, as much for her own reassurance as his. She went over to the fuzzles and tickled Dorian with her finger. "God, I hate people who play mindgames." She shook her head. "I'm going to have a shower...unless you want one first?"
Taylor
"No, no... that's fine if you want one."
He threw himself down onto a chair and leant his head back.
"I can wait."
MOuse
"Ok." Mouse got her stuff together and went to have a shower. She relaxed into the hot spray and allowed herself to finally think about how close she had come to losing him. If there hadn't been a healer around...who knew what that stuff Blakesley had injected him with did? Longterm and shortterm? She thought even the scientist couldn't have known for sure. Hair slightly damp after vigourous towelling, she padded out. Fafnir was snoozing on the ground near the door. "Shower's free," she told Taylor quietly, then crawled into the bed, feeling so very tired.
Taylor
Taylor grabbed his towel, and made his way over to her. He kissed her on the forehead, then went to have his shower.