Chapter 10

Adam reached up and wiped the blood pouring from his nose without making one sound.
Walking over to the fireplace, he placed the now bloody knife on its mantle and turned. Leaning back against the wall, he finally spoke. “I wouldn’t bloody harm her you idiot. I'd rather have to drink tea the rest of my life than do that.”

Jon looked at the man as if he had grown 3 sets of eyes. “You wouldn’t harm her?? I think killing her is pretty damned near harm! My god what did she do to deserve that?” Kneeling, he lifted Amelia’s body and went to place her on the couch. “You know I just don’t understand this. You seemed like a pretty intelligent man. Hell, Amelia even said you were a doctor. Doctors are supposed to heal people, not inflict wounds." Jon yelled, "What the heck got into you man?”

Adam sighed: his temper was fraying at the edges. He hated having to help new immortals understand the full ramifications of being what they were. He hated it worse when they were stubborn and unpredictable, and this Jon fella was definitely that.

“Listen Rock Star, I didn’t kill her. Oh sure she bloody well looks dead, but like you heard, unless you separate us from our heads, we come back.”

Jon began to laugh. He had fallen into the twilight zone for sure. Here he was stuck in a house somewhere in the middle of wherever with a man who loved sharp knives and a dead body. He was pretty sure that whatever came next, although he might not like it very much there wasn’t a damned thing he could do to avoid it.

Adam watched him as he gingerly took a seat at the end of the couch. “I had two choices, I could give you proof. I could have very well used the knife of you, but Am is no slouch with a sword. Teacher or not she would have had my head for harming you. Such as it is the only choice I had bugger it all was to hurt her. YOU Rock Star I can handle.

Jon muttered a “yeah right” just before a slight movement against his leg had him nearly yelping. His eyes swung to the woman on the couch and watched in amazement as her chest began to rise and fall. Leaning over he placed his fingers against a pulse point, totally astounded to feel a pulse where none had existed just sixty seconds before. He watched as gold flecked green eyes opened and a soft cough issued from full pouty lips.

“Dammit that hurt Adam,” Amelia coughed out as she slowly sat up.

“Had you rather I let Rock Star there experience it first hand?”

Amelia stood, cutting Adam a look that said try it old man, just try it. She turned to Jon and seeing the awed disbelief in his eyes gave him a smile. “I’ll be right back guys I’m going to get out of these bloody clothes. Dammit Adam you ruined my favorite sweater!”

Adam laughed. “Serves you right wench, you’ve ruined a few of mine over the years.”

She shook her head and walked to the bedroom and whispered the word “behave” to Adam as she passed. He arched his fine brow at her as if to say, “who me? I never behave.”

Shortly thereafter Amelia returned to the living room, her hair still damp and a change of clothes in her hand. She tossed them to Jon, “I really think you need to freshen up too. Before Adam could say a word Amelia spoke. “Yes it’s a spare set you left here, no I wasn’t gonna ask you because it’s YOUR fault his are ruined.” She moved over to the easy chair by the fire and sat. Dying wasn’t easy, and she was still a tiny bit out of sorts because of it. “Bathroom’s through that door there Jon.”

Within moments he was through the door and once again the sound of a shower was heard. Amelia stood and moved into the bedroom to gather up her ruined clothing. As she walked into the bedroom she noticed the bathroom door was ajar. Knowing it was wrong, but unable to resist the urge; she walked up to the door and peeked through the opening. What she saw caught at her heart and made it race at the same time, for there he stood, arms braced against the shower wall as water caressed the plains of his face and body.

The hot water felt good to his stressed body. It was true, it was really true. The twilight zone had become real. She was dead, and then she wasn’t. The blood was real; the evidence of it was swirling off of his body and down the drain. Lifting his head he allowed the overly hot water to sluice down his face as he allowed it to relax muscles tightened by stress. What if what they said was true? Had he died only to come back again? What did this mean for his life, once he remembered what that life was that was. It was too much to consider so he pushed it all out of his head and just enjoyed the feel of scalding hot water upon his abnormally chilled skin.

Amelia couldn’t tear her gaze away, remembering other days and other showers, when he didn’t look so bereft and confused. Days painted in the gold of love and laughter, when her life was still before her and her futurewas not painted in the drama of swords and life and death.