The rain was pouring down outside, keeping the world in a blur of fallings drops of water. Although still far away, the thunder was softly growling, creeping in over the mountains. Feeling the dim weather to his bones, Josiah turned away from the window. Every once in a while there came a day that made him wonder why he had ever left the pleasant Indian climate. Reminding himself of monsoon times and rain that never seemed to stop, a smile crossed his face as he shook his head.
"Best be happy with the way things are, old man," he mildly scolded himself, an image of Raji coming unbidden to his thoughts. "Lord knows that you can't change them anyway."
The sound of laughter drifted into the kitchen. It was followed by an exasperated voice.
"Vin! You're not supposed to be thinking about that!"
More laughter followed and another voice replying: "But I can't help it, babe!"
The youthful voices made another smile appear on Josiah's face. His two, new houseguests were settling in just fine. They had agreed that it would be best if Vin and Ezra stayed with him for the time being. That way he could help Ezra with learning to control his powers and keep an eye on the somewhat notorious longhaired Texan, and let them all become a little more accustomed to the change in seven lives.
Making sure everything was ready for later, Josiah then exited the kitchen and went into the other room. As he had left them, Vin was laying with his head in Ezra's lap, the Southerner's hands lightly touching him. This was another one of the lessons, his boyfriend being the only one, so far, who wouldn't cause Ezra pain by the extended touch. Vin was not complaining either, happy with just laying back and being close to his beloved. And the occasional naughty thought that he was well aware of was broadcasted in all wishable nuances to Ezra. The latter now had a slight blush on his face, having forgotten that he was meant to try and shield Vin's thoughts and feelings.
The progress was slow, But Josiah had expected as much. The younger man's abilities were strong and without any proper training it was a small miracle he'd made it this far still in one piece, not to mention still holding on to his sanity. Josiah suspected Vin held a lot of the credit for that. He already knew most of their history, both together and before they met. But it wasn't something he would bring up before one of them, or both, did.
"How is it going, boys?" he asked, entering the sitting room.
"Good," Ezra answered, green eyes lightening up in a smile. "Although," he tugged on a goldenbrown curl. "Vin does his best to distract me..."
"I do not! Well, maybe a little," Vin admitted sheepishly. "Sorry..."
"No need for that," Josiah told him. "I think it's enough for one day anyway. The rest of the boys will be here shortly. Why don't you two go get ready?"
"Ok." Vin made his way out of the couch. It always amused Josiah how different they were. Yet they complimented each other perfectly. Their appearances couldn't be more apart though. Vin was as usual dressed in faded jeans, a white T-shirt, a light blue, shortsleeved shirt on top. To contrast his laidback style Ezra wore dark grey pants and a soft, black sweather with a v-shaped neck. Simple and elegant. His redtoned hair was kept short and neat, as Vin's curls were most of the time tucked behind his ears or collected in a messy ponytail.
By now Ezra had gotten up as well. "Josiah? Are you sure that it is a good idea for Vin and me to meet them tonight? It's only been a few days since..." His words trailed off into silnce.
"You have already met them," Josiah gently reminded him, sensing the uncertainty radiating off the smaller man. "Don't worry, son. You'll get along just fine."
At least he hoped so. JD was still a little bit apprehensive when it came to Vin, after having experienced the blueeyed man's powers up close. And he sensed Ezra's supressed hostility against Nathan who in his eyes had hurt Ezra's boyfriend. Buck and Chris were for once not causing any trouble at all. Chris had his own, private reasons he'd share when he saw fit. And Buck, as Josiah already knew he would, had developed a soft spot for the greeneyed Southerner and would click right away with said Southerner's mischievous better half. The evening would be interesting indeed.
A second later a blue flash of light washed through the house, snuffing out every other light for a short while. Then the omnious sound of thunder shook the large villa down to the foundation. Directing his eyes upwards Josiah hoped it wasn't a sign of what to come.
~~<>~~
As usual Nathan was done first. Joined by Chris a few minutes later, they watched JD's progress get slower and slower. As the darkhaired, young man slowed to a full stop, did a deep sigh escape Nathan.
"Chris, go see what's taking Buck so long, will you?" The blond by his side obediently disappeared, leaving Nathan and JD on their own.
"Want to tell me about it?" JD's brown eyes whipped up to meet Nathan's at the sound of the question.
"What? Oh. It's nothing..."
"Nothing? Then why are you moving around here like a zombie? We need to be at Josiah's in less than twenty minutes." Nathan checked his watch. "Make that fifteen minutes."
"I know that!" JD drove his hand through his hair. "It's just that... That..."
"You're scared of that Tanner-kid, aren't you."
"No! Well, not of him really... But..." The younger man's face was serious. "He was inside of my head, Nate, I can't explain it any other way. In control over me...it was the most eerie thing I have ever felt. I don't want to feel that way again."
Nathan placed a comforting arm around JD's shoulders. "And you probably won't either. He promised to be good, remember? And Josiah is going to be there too."
JD's eyes narrowed. "I don't trust them, Nathan. The redhaired one even attacked you!"
"Because he thought I was hurting his boyfriend," Nathan patiently explained. Being around people with special powers was not the same as having them yourself. Coming too close or being the victim of the powers in question could be a very unpleasant experience. Reckoning that that was what lay underneath JD's words, Nathan didn't argue with him. The kid would come around soon enough. At least he was moving now, kneeling to tie the laces on his sneakers. Now all Nathan had to do, was...
"JD, where did Chris and Buck go?"
At last all four of them were where they should be, inside Nathan's Ford Explorer. At the turn of the key, the engine sparked to life. Turning the car out onto the road, Nathan pressed the play button on the CD player. Soft country music filled the vehicle, reminding him that it had been Buck that had driven the car last. Leaving the CD in, John Denver's voice soon had him singing along. In the other front seat JD was in the process of putting on the seat belt, while Buck and Chris were nestled together in the backseat in quiet conversation.
Outside the rain was getting heavier, fighting with the windshield vipers for the upper hand. The next bolt of lightning made them all jump.
"It's awfully close." JD sounded a little worried.
"We're soon there," Nathan calmed him. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he frowned at the sight of the two serious faces. "You two alright back there?"
"We're fine." Chris' tone was just a little bit too cheery.
"Fine indeed." Buck was staring out the window on his side. Watching him, Chris then turned to stare out the other window.
"What now?" Nathan wondered. Then he remembered what day it was.
"Damn."
~~~<>~~
Breathing a sigh of relief, Josiah listened to the car pulling up to a stop outside the house. He walked to the front door, finding his four guests getting wetter by the second. Shooing them inside, he paused at the feel of the mixed emotions coming off the small group.
"Don't ask," was Nathan's comment as he saw Josiah's face. "I'll explain later. Not that I know that much of what's going on..."
After hanging various items of jacket and coats up to dry, Josiah shooed them all further on into the living room. "Go on and get yourselves warm again. I'll be right in. Ezra and Vin should be down soon as well." Catching the look on JD's face, he smiled.
"You know?" Nathan asked. "Of course you know."
On top of the stairs Ezra turned to Vin. "You think they would notice if I should just stay up here?"
Vin smiled, hugging the other to him. "I'm afraid so, babe." He brushed his lips to Ezra's. "I'll take care of you."
"I know you will." Ezra returned the kiss, adding a little more pressure. Slipping his hand into Vin's they started down the stairs. Entering the room where the others were seated, the conversation stilled.
Four sets of eyes were directed at them. Ezra wondered if it would be unmanly to hide behind Vin. Before he could do it though, a tall blond got up. The wide, open smile put Ezra more at ease.
"Hi. I'm Chris. That's my boyfriend Buck, and that's Buck's cousin JD. And this is Nathan."
"I'm Vin, and this here is Ez." Vin's voice was seemingly light, but Ezra knew the wary tone well. Over the years they had learnt to be cautious of strangers, no matter how friendly they seemed to be. Sending another look towards the blond, he wished that he could touch the other to see if the older boy was to be trusted. Making their way back to the couch they had occupied earlier, Vin pulled Ezra down next to him.
Chris remained on his feet. "I don't know if Orrin has had a chance to talk to you yet, but you two are to be placed on our team. That's the four of us here, plus Josiah." Seeing the doubtful looks he shrugged. "Oh well. It will work out in the end, trust me." He sat down again, keeping some distance between Buck and him. He'd get around to fix things between them later. Pushing the other, disturbing thoughts away, he snuck a glance at the brunet in the chair next to JD's. Blue eyes were immediately turned away from him.
Josiah noticed the tense atmosphere as well. Thinking it was best to leave it up to the boys to figure it out among themselves, he decided to wait it out.
~~<>~~
The storm showed no sign of diminishing as the evening proceeded. Having retreated back to the living room after dinner, Josiah sent the increasingly bad weather a thoughtful look. "I think you boys are going to need to stay over if this continues. You can't drive back to town in this weather."
A fire was burning merrily on the marble fireplace, and seemed to be the centerpoint of both Buck's and Chris' attention. The two hadn't spoken more than two words to each other all night. What was going on between them affected JD as well, sending his fidgeting through the roof. By now Nathan was ready to drag them outside by their ears and demand that the two of them kissed and made up again. But he didn't say anything. It had taken a lot of time before Chris had felt sure enough to tell him about Sarah. Buck had never made mention of Chris' former girlfriend, but he knew just as well what the day meant to his boyfriend. Sometimes Nathan thought that the darkhaired girl he had only seen pictures of, was the only thing that held the power to destroy their relationship. And this time it seemed worse than ever.
He absentmindly agreed with Josiah's comment about the weather. At least conversation were flowing a little more freely now. You couldn't exactly call them friends yet, but they weren't sitting around sending each other suspicious glares either. You had to be thankful for small favours. Leaning back Nathan decided that the night hadn't been all that bad after all. He had no idea that he was about to be proven wrong.
All it took was an unintended touch, Chris' hand brushing over Ezra's. Green eyes widened slightly, finding Chris with a inscrutable look. Studying the taller man, the words he said surprised the entire room.
"She did know. And she was happy about it too. She had meant to tell you, but she never got the chance."
The silence was deafening. Then Chris forcefully withdrew his hand, every last bit of colour drained from his face. A second later he was gone from the room. The scene had made Buck jump to his feet. Reaching out, he grabbed Ezra by the arm, dragging the smaller man closer.
"What the hell did you do to him?"
Without thinking Ezra placed his hand on top of Buck's hand to remove it. By the first touch, he stilled and raised his head to meet Buck's eyes.
"You're not his second choice, because he couldn't have what he really wants. He doesn't blame you for what happened."
The taller man took a step back, nearly stumbling. Shocked, blue eyes were locked on Ezra.
"Jesus, kid. Do you always scare people like that?" Too caught up in his own emotions he didn't see the look on the younger man's face. Pushing Buck's hand away, Ezra turned and ran.
Vin was on his feet in an instant, ready to follow. To his surprise Josiah stopped him.
"Sit down, young man." The words were calm.
"But..."
"It's going to be ok. They need this. To clear the air between them." The feelings on the young Texan's face were easy to read, even to anyone without a set of extra senses. Josiah patted his arm. "Ezra is going to be fine, Vin. I know you said you'd take care of him and you will. But you need to let him do this on his own."
"That doesn't mean that I have to like it."
"No, it doesn't."
"So what do we do now?" Nathan asked, watching Buck leave the room as well.
Josiah had a determined, yet thoughtful look on his face. "Now we wait."
~~<>~~
It felt really strange. Buck had expected that his first priority would be to find Chris, sitting the two of them down to talk. But here he was, watching a small, curled up figure that hadn't discovered him yet. The winter garden was mostly dark, the lightning sending brief pulses of light through the spacious room. Taking a deep breath he walked in and over to the large windows. Settling down on the carpeted floor he leaned his back to the window panes.
"Hey. I thought you had run away."
"I thought about it." Ezra didn't look up, his chin resting on his knees, arms securely fastened around his ankles. "But's it raining outside."
The statement made Buck laugh in spite of all. "Is that so..." Sobering up, he looked down on his hands laying in his lap. "Listen, Ezra. I didn't mean what I said back there, I just wasn't expecting you to say what you did... It's kind of a non-issue between Chris and me at the time being."
"I know. And I hadn't really meant to say anything either... But it was too strong when I touched you, I didn't even know I had said it before I saw the look on your faces." The tone of voice was defeated, tired. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause trouble between you and Chris."
Hearing that, Buck gently drew the other closer, careful not to touch bare skin. "And you didn't either. What's going on between Chris and me right now has nothing to do with you. It's something that we need to work through, the two of us, alone. It's not your fault at all." He could feel Ezra relax and lean his head to Buck's broad shoulder. Over the initial shock now, Buck found himself worrying a little for the smaller Southerner.
"Can't be easy having the power that you do. It must have been hell when it first started."
"It was."
The answer was short, but still told Buck a lot. After all he had been through some of the same. "How old were you?"
"Three months shy of fifteen. I thought I was going crazy."
"Most do."
"You too?"
Buck smiled. "Oh yes. I was on an excursion with my class to an old castle. We were given a tour of the dungeons when the walls suddenly started to move in on me. You see, I don't only get stuff from things, I also get vibes from houses, the rooms in the houses... And down there, where so many people had been held captive, had been tortured and killed..." He shuddered. "It was worse than the worst nightmare I have ever had. I guess you know something about that feeling?"
Ezra held out his arm, hand turned palm up. Pulling the sweather back, he allowed Buck to see the faint scar drawn vertical on his wrist. "Yeah. I guess I do."
Watching the other letting the sleeve fall back and tuck his arm back against his chest, Buck was silent for a second.
"When?" he quietly asked.
"Two weeks before I met Vin. I had just been released from the hospital when they sent me to the Gaines house. Vin saved me."
He could try and imagine how it had to be like. How it would be like to still have it like those frightful first months when he had no idea what was happening to him. Before he learned to raise his own shields when touching something, holding off the tidal wave of information aimed for him. But not being able to touch inanimated objects was one thing, not being able to touch other people was a whole other issue. "You two seem very close," he opted for in the end, embarrased over the lame reply.
"We are." There was an vast ocean of love in the two words. "Just like you and Chris."
"Don't know about that." Buck couldn't help the insecurities from slipping out. "We used to be, but now... I'm not sure what we are right now."
"Then why don't we find out?" The voice startled them both.
"Chris!" Buck stared at his boyfriend standing by the door. "How long have you been here?"
A small smile made its way over Chris' face. "Long enough, Buck. We need to talk."
Unsure of what to do, Buck turned to Ezra who smiled and easily detangled himself from the darker man. "Go on. I should get back and let Vin know I am ok. He's probably just about to flip right now." Walking towards the door, he was stopped by Chris.
"You and I are going to have a talk later on."
"We are?" Green eyes were meeting hazel ones in a slight battle of wills.
"Yep. Either you like it or not, shorty." Chris smiled. "Whenever you feel up to it. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a few things to clear up with the person staring at me from over by the windows there."
Ezra slipped by him, undoubtedly heading back to the living room. Bracing himself Chris started walking over to the other side of the room. This wasn't going to be easy, he was afraid. Buck was still sitting on the floor, making Chris sit down next to him.
"Hey."
The answer was guarded. "Hey yourself."
"You know," Chris started. "Everybody keeps telling me that it going to be easier for every year, that every passing year will make the day she died hurt less. And they're right... But then again, when something happens that bring a lot of things that you think were done and dealt with back up..." Reaching out he found Buck's hand, clenching it in a tight grip. "That's when things start to get difficult. I talked to Sarah's dad this morning."
"You want to tell me what he said?" Buck knew that Chris still kept in touch with the couple who most likely would have ended up as his parents-in-law in had things turned out differently. He told himself that he didn't mind, but it did produce a feeling that seemed a lot like jealousy to him. "Great," he told himself. "You're jealous of a dead girl. Wonderful."
Chris was studying their linked hands, running his fingers over Buck's. "Sarah was pregnant, Buck. He said they found out after an autopsy. Three months along, she must have known... I don't know why her father told me today, don't think he was meaning to..." Moving his free hand up to wipe a stray tear away, he continued: "It hurts not knowing, Buck. If she was going to tell me, if she was happy or wanted to have it taken away... And when Ezra said what he did, I just freaked. I'm sorry, I should have told you sooner. But I was scared what you would think, that I loved Sarah more than I love you."
Acting on impulse, Buck embraced the shorter man, hugging him almost with desperate force. "The thought crossed my mind, yes. But then someone we both know told me that you didn't see me as a replacement for the love you lost."
Chris' laugh was a little shaky. "I think that 'someone' is a lot smarter than the both of us." He snuggled closer to Buck, folding his arms around the brunet as well. "I know that you have been blaming yourself for what happened. It was nothing you could have done, Buck. Nothing any of us could have done. It took me a long time to realise that, but it's true."
"If I hadn't convinced you to come with us to that concert that night..."
"It wouldn't have changed anything, Buck. The house would still have burned down. I didn't even know that Sarah wasn't feeling well and had decided to stay at home instead of going out with her parents as she was supposed to do. If anybody knew about it in advance, it was me. After all I had dreamt about it the night before."
"It was a nightmare, Chris. How were you to know..." They had had a conversation like this many times before.
"That what I was dreaming should turn out to be real? Yeah, I know."
Recalling the night several years ago, Buck still felt the helpless feeling of terror. "I'll never forget the look on your face when you suddenly knew what was going on, even if we were far from the house. I was sure you were dead when you passed out like that..."
"My very first vision. And what do I see? My girlfriend's death. Had to have been some monumental cosmic fuck-up, at least I hope it was." The bitterness in Chris' voice made Buck hug him closer. Sometimes he felt guilty over them being together like this, almost like he was betraying Sarah's memory. He had known the girl and liked her. He had never imagined that she'd end up dead and he'd end up as her boyfriend's boyfriend. But he couldn't change what had happened, wouldn't change it.
"We make a right pair, don't we?"
"As long as we are a pair. I love you, Buck. Don't you ever doubt that."
"I won't."
~~<>~~
Nathan and Josiah were engrossed in a discussion of alternate vs. classical medicine, which left JD and Vin to entertain each other. Or as JD was coming to see it, it left Vin to torment him. The older boy knew perfectly well that JD found him to be somewhat intimidating and teased him mercilessly. After a few too many dents in his ego, JD had decided to fight back.
He was regretting that now, crystal blue eyes staring at him with a look of utter havoc.
"You know, I could have made you do something really bad, instead of just getting out of the way... Like taking of all your clothes and stroll down mainstreet singing 'I feel pretty'. Or some selected Village People tunes."
Clamping his mouth shut, JD was not going to ask for Nathan to help him. Or Josiah. He was able to fix this on his own. He was certainly not letting some wildhaired bully run him over completely. Absolutely not. He just needed to come up with a good come-back first. Opening his mouth to speak, the sound of footsteps made him look to the door.
In an instant Vin had forgotten all about him, which JD was quietly thankful for and had scooped his boyfriend up into his arms.
"Are you alright, babe? Did they do anything to you? If they did, I'll..." A small hand reached up to cover his mouth. It wasn't Ezra's usual way of shutting him up, but they didn't know the others that well yet.
"They didn't do anything. In fact," Ezra had a puzzled look on his face. "I think I might have helped them."
"That's my boy!" Vin was beaming. "Now, you sure you're ok?"
"Cross my heart." Green eyes were intently watching blue. "Vi-in! You said you were going to behave... I don't think teasing poor JD into confusion qualifies as good behaviour."
Intriguided against his will, JD sat up. "You got that from just touching him?"
Ezra turned to look at the younger man. "Yeah. But I also know Vin. Very well," he added with a mischievous smile aimed at Vin next to him. "And he promised me to be nice to you, and now he is looking guilty."
Vin sat down again, sprawled over the length of the couch. Dragging Ezra down to him, he arranged them so they were resting comfortably against each other. "I'll leave the kid alone, promise. It was just too tempting to wind him up a little."
Not believing him for one second, JD sent Vin a doubtful look. And earned himself two humourous glances from Josiah and Nathan as well.
"Are you boys going to play nice?" Nathan couldn't help himself.
"Shut up, Nate." JD's bristling reply set both Nathan and Josiah chuckling. In the end the laughter proved to be contagious and JD had to laugh as well. The tension was eased, letting a more relaxed atmosphere enter the room. Leaning back in his favourite arm chair, Josiah smiled. Things were coming along nicely. But it was probably for the better that Ezra and Vin were to stay with him for a while longer.
~~<>~~
The morning appeared with bright sunshine and a blue sky that looked unable to produce the kind of rainfall they had been treated to only last night. Josiah found himself back in his kitchen, making a fresh pot of coffee. The smell of freshly ground coffee beans perforated the air, accompagnied by the quiet sounds coming from the coffee maker.
The clock was aiming for nine in the morning when he had company, in form of Vin and Ezra, the latter looking half asleep on his feet. He promptly sat down at the circular table, resting his head on his arms and closed his eyes.
"Good morning, boys. Breakfast's done in a minute. The coffee's ready though."
Vin accepted a mug filled with rich, dark coffee as Ezra shook his head. "Haven't had my insuline yet." The sentence was ended by a yawn. "And I don't think there exists coffee strong enough to wake me up at this ungodly hour of the day anyway."
Before Josiah could answer, JD and Nathan were shuffling into the kitchen, JD still looking very sleepy.
"Nathan snores," JD informed them as a way of explanation. "It was like sleeping with a saw mill in the next rom."
"It didn't seem to bother Chris and Buck, and they were on the other side of the wall too," Nathan goodnaturedly reminded him.
"I am not even going to guess what they were up, making up for the fight they had. Trust me, they were too busy to listen to you snoring the roof off."
As Nathan and JD found their seats, Ezra pushed himself up. "Be back in a bit."
"Where is he going?" JD asked, watching the other leave.
"Getting his medicine," Vin answered, diverting his eyes from the windows to JD. "He needs to have the insuline shots twice a day."
"He had any trouble from it lately?" Nathan had already gathered most of the information he needed from just being around Ezra, but it wouldn't hurt being on the safe side.
"Nah, he's usually on top of it. Except for when he gets another headache, and he doesn't eat. Hopefully the headaches are going away now." Vin's eyes were worried. "They seemed to be coming a lot more often in the last months. Every once in a while they were so bad he could hardly breathe. Scared me to death, I can't stand seeing him in that much pain. And the only thing I could do was get to him to sleep and hope it had passed when he woke up again."
~~<>~~
About to leave the room he was sharing with Vin, a soft knock on the door interrupted Ezra. He turned to find Chris watching him back.
"Listen, I have something I need to ask you, Ez... It's about what you said last night..." The taller man was looking nervous. "I just... How did you know? How did you know that Sarah was happy about the baby? You never met her."
Waving him over to the bed, Ezra made him sit down. Taking a seat at the end of the bed, he attempted to explain.
"Sometimes, if a feeling is strong enough, it can sorta jump over on a person and be carried on even if the person's unaware. You talked to her dad yesterday...I don't think he told you the truth."
Chris didn't say anything, waiting impatiently for Ezra to continue.
"She told them about being pregnant, her parents, I mean. They had a fight which was why she was at home the night of the fire. They thought she was too young, that you both were. But she said she was going to keep it no matter what. It was her baby and she was not letting anyone take it away from her."
A small, fond smile fluttered over the blond's features. "That's Sarah for you... I think I already knew what the answer would be. She was one hell of a remarkable girl."
"Do you still miss her?" Ezra shyly asked.
"Yeah. I expect I always will. But now I am with Buck, and I wouldn't change that for anything in the world." Chris' smile widened. "Thanks for setting us straight last night. I am not sure I could have mustered the courage to tell him if it wasn't for you and what you did."
Ezra returned the smile. "My pleasure. Even if I didn't know what I was doing at the time. Sometimes when I see something, it just automatically gets transformed into words."
"Know what you mean. That happens sometimes with my visions as well. And Buck complains that I talk in my sleep too."
"Now that could be dangerous," Ezra teased. "Depends on what you're dreaming about though."
Chris made a face at him. "I even dreamed about you and Vin. Not that kind of dream, mind you. But I knew about you before Orrin gave us the assignement."
"Really?"
"Yes. And I knew we were going to find you. I don't know all the details yet, the most of it's still too blurry to see. But we were meant to find each other like we did."
Chris paused a little before finishing.
"We are meant to be together, the seven of us."
The End
Continues in Storm Front
