When the dust settled, blood dripping from hands and faces, 23 of Sorsha’s children lay dead on the floor; two by her own hand when they wanted to surrender rather than continue to fight. At the end, she knelt in a circle formed by the war council that had been formed at William’s. Justin peered between the bodies, wanting to see the end of the war that had been waged for years.
William stepped forward, looking down on his childe with a combination of love and anger. He did not ask her if she had anything to say; she did not ask for mercy. With a soft whoosh, the sword cleaved her head from her body. For a just a moment, there was a look of peace on Sorsha’s face before her body disintegrated into a fine dust.
After that, everyone milled about and talked quietly. The remaining members of Sorsha’s family were escorted away, and Justin was loathe to ask where and what would happen to them. He simply followed Lance out into the darkness as they headed home to their little apartment.
**~~**
Justin was still awake, staring out through the half-closed blinds on their balcony door when Lance walked into the room.
“Still awake or just get up?” He ambled towards the kitchen to make the coffee.
When it brewed, he took his cup back into the living room and sat down in a chair opposite his friend. “Justin?”
The young man turned to look at his friend. “Do you think that will happen to me?”
Lance didn’t even pretend to misunderstand the question. “I don’t know. It hasn’t happened to me, and I’m older than Sorsha. It’s not something that can be predicted, J.”
“But she loved him so much; so much that she was willing to start a war for him.” Blue eyes turned back to the sun creeping through the blinds. “You guys always used to say that I was a once-in-a-lifetime type of guy. If I can’t bring my lover across, will I go crazy like that?”
The question hung in the air between them, but Lance couldn’t find a cut-and-dry answer to give his friend. He waited for a few minutes, sipping his coffee as he thought about it.
“Several of our kind make it a point to avoid emotional entanglement with humans because it hurts when they die. They prefer to try and make connections with others like us to lessen the pain of loss. I could tell you not to hang with Dionne too much for fear you’d fall in love with her. I could tell you to stay away except for when you have to feed or you wanna get laid. I will tell you that when you lose someone for the first time, it will feel like your heart’s been ripped out. I survived it, I think you will, too.” Lance stood and moved towards his friend, resting a hand on the auburn curls. “I think you’ll be fine, Justin, whatever you do. And if you need help, you only have to ask.”
Justin reached out and grabbed the other man’s hand as it left his head, squeezing the fingers gently before releasing them. Sighing, he stood and made his way to his room to try and sleep. The problem would wait.
**~~**
Time can be a great healer, and the questions that plagued Justin eventually faded or were answered in some way that gave him peace. The two men remained in Chicago for another two years, making it easy for JC, Chris, and Joey to find them. The three men stopped by or called, eliciting a promise from their friends to let them know before they decided to leave. The two men continued playing at Starlight, although they began to share the stage with different groups they brought in take over.
Justin settled into the art program at UIC, knowing that he would not be able to graduate, but enjoying the classes. He continued to see Dionne, but he made it clear that it could never be a long-term relationship with the young woman. She accepted the terms, glad of his stance when Justin introduced her to Michael, a promising young architect. Justin had grinned when he opened the wedding invitation.
Lance continued his relationship with Gabrielle, only feeding off her when it was absolutely necessary. She never turned him away when he showed up on her doorstep, and they spent many an afternoon or evening doing “normal” things that he had missed doing while he and Justin were on the move.
Joshua got his degree in architecture, after a brief foray into the world of music. JC helped the band produce a demo, and the group achieved moderate success with their first album before “artistic” differences between the drummer and lead singer brought it to end. He still wrote music, actually working for JC’s label on occasion.
**~~**
Neither of them were immune to loss. Justin’s parents had died several years before, and he mourned them as he did the other members of his family who had already passed. Lance went back to Mississippi for each funeral, hiding in the shadows to avoid questions but there to pay homage to the love they had for him. After each funeral, it got harder and harder for them to remember what life had been like before Justin had been embraced. Still, they remembered the good times.
**~~**
2052
Justin slipped in through the window, ignoring the soft growl of the small dog that lay at the foot of the bed. He stood for a moment, studying the figure in the bed. Apparently feeling eyes on him, Chris stirred and slowly opened his eyes. It took him several moments to focus, but when he did, he smiled.
“Hey, Jup.”
“Chris.” The young man smiled and settled on the bed next to his friend. “How you doin’, man?”
“Dying. You?”
“Dead.”
They shared a laugh, and the dog settled back down on the coverlet. When the laughter stopped, they just looked at each other.
“So, couldn’t stay away any longer?” Chris leaned back against the pillows supporting him, coughing a little.
“Just had to come see you. It’s been a while, wanted to catch you up on what’s going on.” Justin pleated the sheet between his fingers, not wanting his friend to see the pain in his eyes.
“Lance told you.” It wasn’t an accusation, simply a statement of fact.
The young man simply nodded, sniffing as tears began to streak down his cheeks. Chris reached out and pulled his friend to his chest, stroking the dark curls. He kept patting Justin’s back as the other man cried silent tears.
“It’s just…”
“I know, J. It’s a chance to say goodbye.” Chris watched as his friend sat up and wiped his cheeks.
“Yeah, it is. Since I didn’t get to with the others, I couldn’t just let you go.”
The old man had to chuckle, even knowing that the movement would cause pain. He waved away Justin’s hands, easing back a little more against the pillows. “Now, tell me what you’ve been doing.”
For the next three hours, Justin told his friend everything he had done in the five years since they had seen each other. Although phone calls had grown more frequent, over the years, visits were harder to coordinate due to Chris’ increasing age and then his two heart attacks. By the time he finished, Chris was grinning widely. Justin reached and laid his hand over his friend’s, squeezing gently.
“Can I get you anything? Do anything?”
Shaking his head, the old man continued smiling. “Nope. I don’t have long, but it’s been a helluva ride, Jup. I had a good life, good family. My kids are doing well, my grandkids are wreaking havoc. I think I’ve done real well for myself.”
“You have, old man.” Justin winked at him.
They sat together for a while, just sitting together a they watched the sky change from deep indigo to a softer blue as dawn approached.
“’Bout time for you to get. Don’t want to have to try and explain anything.” Chris sighed and rubbed a hand over his face.
“Yeah. I suppose.” The young man moved closer and wrapped his friend in a tight hug. “I’m going to miss you.” His words were muffled by the tears clogging his throat.
“You’re gonna be fine, J. Take care of yourself, and say hi to Lance for me.” Brown eyes still twinkled with life, and Justin was glad he had come to see Chris before that light was dulled.
“I will, and I will.” He stood and moved to the window, turning back for one last look.
Chris gestured with his chin for his friend to head out, and he sighed as the young man disappeared from view. His morning nurse entered his room a few minutes later, a little surprised to see her patient in such a good mood.
“You must have had a good night, Mr. Kirkpatrick.”
“One of the best, Linda. One of the best.”
**~~**
Sighing, he clicked out of the news site and sat back in his chair. Warm hands settled on his shoulders.
“He’s gone.”
The hands squeezed gently, offering comfort, before arms wrapped around broad shoulders in a hug. “Guess we need to make arrangements to get there.”
“Yeah.” It was spoken with a heavy heart, and he accepted the gentle kiss before he turned back to the computer to make flight arrangements.
The weather in California was warm and sunny, and Justin squinted behind his sunglasses. The service was brief, but amazingly humorous, which didn’t surprise him considering how much Chris enjoyed laughter. They stood in the back, watching as the casket was lowered into the ground. He so wanted to console the family, but too many questions would be raised, so he settled for watching from a distance.
When the last of mourners had cleared away and the dirt had covered the last resting place of Chris Kirkpatrick, they walked forward and laid white roses on the tilled earth. No words were spoken as they moved farther into the cemetery to stop at another grave site. The headstone was covered in music notes, indicating a true love of music. JC Chasez had been working in his basement studio when an earthquake struck, collapsing the house onto the basement. Family and friends commiserated that he had died doing what he loved best. It was a small comfort. More roses were laid on the ground in remembrance.
They moved off to stand in front of their final stop. Joey Fatone had been killed in a 25-car pileup on I-5 on his way to Los Angeles from a film shoot in northern California. The world had been shocked by the loss, fans mourning publicly at the service. Critics had acclaimed his performance, lamenting the death of one of the up-and-coming stars in Hollywood. Justin had just cried. Now, he stood and looked at the simple headstone, but his mind was in the past as he remembered the great times he had shared with the other four men. A gentle tug on his hand brought his attention back to the present, and they leaned forward to place the last of their roses on the ground.
“I guess the circle is complete now.” The young man bit his lip.
“I guess it is.” Lance looked around the calm grounds of the cemetery. Releasing a sigh, he turned back to Justin. “Let’s go home.”
Justin tightened his grip on Lance’s hand and nodded before they walked back to their car.
Nine