Chapter 4

Kayleigh regarded herself in the mirror, disgusted by the traces of nervousness that were easily readable on her face. "Get hold of yourself!" She ordered her reflection sternly. "It's hardly your first gig." She finished fixing her makeup and exited the ladies room, heading back towards the lounge where the rest of her band was relaxing with drinks before the show.

Marty was there as well; when he saw the look on her face he quickly drew her into his arms, murmuring to her reassuringly. "Relax, sweetie. You're ready for this. I've listened to you guys rehearse and you sound fabulous."

Kayleigh smiled at him gratefully and pulled gently out of his arms, turning to face her band. Sean smirked at her. "What's this, fearless leader, stage fright?"

"Some." Kayleigh admitted sheepishly.

Sean reeled in mock horror, which earned him a raised middle finger from his band leader. "Well, this is the Limelight! Not some no-name bar, not one of the other clubs. This is the big time. Industry people go to the Limelight to scout for new bands. This could make us or break us, so we can't fuck it up."

Her bandmates stood around with the vaguely amused, vaguely bored expressions of those who had heard this many times before.

The club manager's assistant, Bethany, stuck in her head. "Okay guys, they've got you set up. Go out and make your adjustments, it's just about showtime." The pretty elfin girl, hesitated for a second and grinned at Kayleigh. "Break a leg." She winked and retreated.

Charon's Boat made their way onto the stage, made some minor adjustments on their instruments and stood, waiting. Kayleigh turned and nodded to the drummer. "Lets do it." She flashed the cocky smile they knew so well and they were off and running. The moment she had reached the stage, Kayleigh's nerves evaporated, leaving her with a rush of adrenaline that carried her straight into the set.

Watching her, Marty grinned. He'd known that her stage presence would quickly win the battle against anxiety. Their first song was a fast paced, danceable gothic tune called "Pit." Marty relaxed, seeing the tension leave Kayleigh's shoulders as she moved through the familiar chord changes and vocals. By the third song, Marty started looking around to see how the audience was reacting and was pleased to note that they seemed to be enjoying the music. Some were even dancing in place, and there was loud applause and some cheering after each song.

Onstage, Kayleigh's stomach had unknotted and her nervous energy changed into a smooth warm flow that grew with each new round of applause. With her mind a little calmer, she was able to observe her audience. The goths were, predictably, the majority on the dance floor. But there seemed to be plenty other club-goers getting into their music and staying to listen. Kayleigh was very pleased. This Limelight show could be a very good thing for them. They wouldn't know until the next show, although the number of names on their mailing list by the end of the night should give her some idea . . . Kayleigh lit into "Shards" with a guitar flourish.

Towards the back of the dance floor, Rhiannon stood quietly, unobtrusively. Her iridescent lilac eyes were disguised by an illusion, as were her wings and talons. To the average human eye, she appeared to be a mousy looking gothic girl in a Nine Inch Nails t-shirt. She had carefully constructed the spell to conceal her beauty as well as the obvious attributes that marked her as inhuman, as this would be more likely to insure that no one remembered her at all. The music that Kayleigh was producing was a little odd to Rhiannon's ears, far too full of modern human rhythms to sound quite right to ears accustomed to the strains of celtic harp or ethereal Daemonic music. Nonetheless, Rhiannon could tell that Kayleigh was indeed a true Bard. There was a faint hint of magic in each of the songs. Judging by the type and lack of direction in it, she could tell that Kayleigh was probably adding it subconsciously. So much the better, Rhiannon nodded to herself thoughtfully. So it was true, that Kayleigh had fully renounced the position assigned her by her mother and PSI. This would make it a great deal easier to remove her as a threat.

Rhiannon noticed a young man standing near her, staring entranced at the stage. His eyes followed Kayleigh's every movement and held a childlike glow of wonder. Perfect, Rhiannon thought, and began to weave her hands and body in sinuous patterns that she managed to make look like intricate gothic dance steps. This was a lot easier to disguise in a gothic club, since there were plenty of actual clubgoers there who used dance steps just as complex and odd-looking. Her spell began to manifest physically, turning the glow in his eyes into a glaze. The subtle threads began to twine into his mind, stroking at his admiration of Kayleigh, intensifying it into an obsession. His senses were filled with her, all he could see was Kayleigh, all he could hear was her voice all he could feel was adoration of her and a need to be closer, to touch his idol with tender hands . . . Kyle felt the rest of his life slipping away. Nothing was left for him but the Goddess on the stage. . .

Kayleigh felt the stirring of magic and her hands fumbled a little on the guitar strings. The band caught the two flubbed notes, but interpreted it as Kayleigh getting tired. Only one more song until the end of the set, she'd be fine. Watching her, Marty knew that something was definitely wrong. Her face was a set mask and her smile was so stiff, it could have been painted on.

Kayleigh extended her senses, trying to locate the source of the disturbance. It was like trying to use muscles that had long been idle. All she could get at first was a feeling that someone was watching her. As she probed deeper, guitar wailing as she kept the song going, sweat breaking out on her face from the effort of concentrating on so many things at once, she received an impression that the source was towards the back of the room. Then she hit a strong shield. There were no cracks in it, no way for her, with her out of practice gift, to batter through it. Kayleigh withdrew back to herself and wove a crude shield, praying she'd survive whatever attack was on its way. It never came. There were no magical fireworks at all, and after another minute or two, she lost track of the prescence. The set ended, to thunderous applause and loud cheers and Kayleigh drifted back through to the dressing room in a daze.

The rest of the band was elated. "Oh man!" Mike was jubilant. "We had them right here!" He pointed to the palm of his hand.

Richard, the bass player, was grinning from ear to ear. Even the usually taciturn Derek was talking animatedly to Sean. Sean nodded at whatever Derek was saying, but his eyes were on Kayleigh and filled with concern. "What's wrong, Kay?" Sean stepped closer to her.

"I'm just exhausted." Kayleigh managed a wan smile. "It was a great show, but the adrenaline is starting to leave me and now I'm about ready to collapse."

Sean nodded sympathetically and passed her off to Marty, who was just walking into their dressing room. Marty grinned jovially and gave her a big hug and a kiss. "May I buy my now famous girlfriend a drink?"

"Yes. I could use one." Kayleigh gratefully snuggled up to Marty and let him lead her off to the bar.

"So, what happened up there?" Marty asked, soto voce.

Kayleigh glanced over at him with a sinking feeling inside. Since there was no way to explain rationally to him what had happened, she had really hoped that Marty hadn't noticed her reaction. "Um . . ." Kayleigh tried to find a convincing lie and couldn't. "I noticed someone, that I uh, didn't expect to see and never wanted to see."

"An ex or something?" Marty asked.

"Um . . ."

"Because your reaction seemed a little bit extreme. You looked like something had really rattled you." Marty stated bluntly. "So, why don't you tell me what's really going on? Is this another one of your mother's enemies."

"I think so." Kayleigh replied reluctantly.

"If you're not sure, why are you so afraid?" Marty's gaze was piercing. "What are you involved in?"

Kayleigh sighed. "I can't tell you and if I did, you wouldn't believe me."

"What is this, a James Bond movie?" Marty's temper was rising. "How can you expect this relationship to work when you're keeping such big secrets? If you're involved in something potentially dangerous, then you're endangering me by even associating with me. And if you're already putting me in danger, you damn well better tell me what the hell is going on!"

Kayleigh's anger was stirring, too. "Look - don't you think I'd explain if I could? There's more going on here, more at stake than you really have any idea about."

"If that's no the biggest fucking excuse-"

She cut him off. "Look, we haven't even been going out very long, for you to be making demands like that."

Marty reeled as though she'd slapped him. "Maybe you're right."

"Mart?"

"Maybe I shouldn't be making any demands on you at all." Marty turned and walked away, vanishing into the crowd so fast, she couldn't even follow him.

Bethany, the manager's assistant had caught the tail end of the fight and walked over, giving Kayleigh a sympathetic smile. "Great first show here, huh?"

"Jesus H." Kayleigh shook her head. "Men."

Bethany laughed. "Don't I know it." She signaled the bartender. "Lets have another round for our singer, here."

"Thank you." Kayleigh smiled gratefully. "How'd you know I needed a refill?"

"Lucky guess." Bethany snorted delicately. "Don't let it ruin your night. You were fabulous, by the way." Her crystalline blue eyes were warm and kind.

"Thanks." Kayleigh let her features relax into a smile. "This gig could really open some doors for us if the right people were watching."

Bethany nodded knowingly. "I'm afraid your shit out of luck on that one. We didn't have any real names tonight. A couple of industry people, but no one with a whole lot of sway." Seeing Kayleigh's mild disappointment, she grinned reassuringly. "Hey - the audience loved you. You might have added to your following. Besides, you know what the secret is?"

"No. Tell me."

"Now that the manager knows what you can do, it won't be hard to get another gig here. You've got to get yourself in as the opening band for someone big. The Wake, for example. We're having them in a month or so. So, you get on the bill with some band like that and then you get exposure, because they draw in a lot of fans and maybe their fans will like you. Plus, if you get friendly with the other band, maybe you can work out something with them, you know, another couple of gigs or a tour or something." Bethany grinned. "So what do you think? I could talk to Lynch and get you on the bill for one of our big nights."

Kayleigh stared at her with respect and surprise. "You'd do that? No offense, but why? What's in it for you?"

Bethany shook her head, eyes twinkling. "Do you know how many loser bands I've suffered through here? Add to which, do you know how many primadonnas we've had to deal with? You were on time, you didn't trash the dressing room, you didn't pitch a fit about how we set you up and you gave a damn good show. When I find a band like you guys, I want to keep you coming back for more. If I can help you guys get going, I get my good samaritan badge and the pleasure of saying I knew you when. You want to pay me back, put something about me in the album credits!"

Kayleigh grinned back at her. "I should be buying you drinks."

Bethany shrugged. "It's nice to make friends around here. There's too many people in this scene that'll treat you like shit and stab you in the back if you let them."

Kayleigh sensed a pain behind the words and a loneliness that the other girl hid well behind her facade. "Maybe I'll come some night just to hang out. You seem like good company."

"Sure. I'll give you my number." Bethany scribbled it on the back of a pass and handed it to her. "Call me whenever you want to show up and I'll put you on the guest list." She leaned closer and whispered. "I think you have an admirer! Your boyfriend may be acting like a jerk, but at least someone around here has some taste."

Kayleigh followed the other girl's gaze and saw the young man standing a little ways down the bar. He was staring intently at her, but his expression lit with a smile when he saw that she'd noticed him. Her recognition seemed to give him the courage he needed to make his way down the bar to her. "Hi." He breathed. "Forgive me for staring. You're very beautiful."

Kayleigh blushed and exchanged a look with Bethany. Bethany gave her a wicked smile and said. "Well, I've got to check in with Lynch or he'll be wondering where I am. Talk to you later, hon." Kayleigh gave her a murderous glare which Bethany chose to ignore as she walked away.

Kayleigh turned to her admirer. "Well, thank you. You already know who I am, so why don't you tell me who you are."

Kyle extended a hand. "Kyle Morelli." He took her hand and kissed it. "An absolute pleasure."

Kayleigh took his measure and was amused. The young man was undeniably handsome, with long dark hair drawn into a ponytail. He was attired in his gothic finest, ruffled white shirt, black pants and boots. Kayleigh wondered where his cloak was. Did they put those in coat check, the better to show off the elegant forms beneath the frilly shirts? "Well, I'm certainly pleased to meet such an eager fan." Did you even notice my singing or were you too blinded by my tits? Kayleigh wondered sardonically.

"You really do have a lovely voice." Kyle added, to Kayleigh's relief. "Why haven't I heard you before?"

"Well, this was our first time here. We've played at the Bat Cave a couple of times. We've also played at assorted bars and such." Kayleigh smiled. "Would you like to be on the mailing list?"

"Already signed it." Kyle assured her.

Marty had come back, but seeing this tableau, he hid behind a few people at the bar and eavesdropped shamelessly. His heart was a heavy weight in his chest. She wasn't that angry with him, was she? She wouldn't ditch him for another guy that fast, would she?

This caught Kayleigh's attention firmly. "You mean like a date or something?"

"Well, yeah." Kyle's eyes were bright with hope.

Kayleigh decided that this conversation had gone far enough. "I'm sorry if you got the wrong impression, but I'm not interested. I have a boyfriend and I really don't think that-"

"He's my jerk." Kayleigh replied with a frosty smile. "And he's just confused. I'm sure he'll come to his senses soon."

"Maybe he already has!" Marty stepped out of hiding, his faith in her restored by what he'd overheard. "Kay, can we talk?"

Kayleigh glared at him. "What is this, you're spying on me now?"

"I was coming over to try and talk to you and then I saw you were in the middle of something, so I didn't want to interrupt, especially if it was a fan." Marty spread his arms to show his sincerity.

Kayleigh snorted, not at all fooled. "Huh. And of course, once you heard how the conversation was going, you figured you'd see if I said yes, right?"

"Look, do we have to do this here?" Marty glanced meaningfully at Kyle. "I'd really like to move someplace more private."

"I'll give you private!" Kayleigh snarled. "How about a fucking morgue?"

"How goth of you, dear." Marty couldn't restrain the smirk that appeared on his face. "I can see the club scene has had a wonderful effect on you!"

Kayleigh looked at him incredulously, unsure whether to laugh or hit him. Mirth bubbled up in her throat, but she choked it down. "Okay, lets go." Kayleigh headed to coat check. She threw a backward glance over her shoulder and waved distractedly to Kyle, who was still standing there. "Bye, Kyle. I'm sorry, but I have to get out of here." Kyle watched her vanish, silently seething.

Marty followed her, outwardly calm but inwardly jubilant. He had seen the laughter in her eyes and knew that he was home free. He was a gracious victor, though, for he sensed that the least show of smugness on his part would put Kayleigh back into a rage.

Kayleigh spotted Sean and gave him a quick hug. "I gotta split. I'm exhausted."

Sean nodded and hugged her back. "Go to your well deserved rest, I'll tell the gang. See you at band practice."

Kayleigh barely made it out onto the street before the laughter she was choking on began to explode from her in quick bursts. Soon she and Marty were both standing in front of the club, holding on to each other to keep from falling over as they howled with laughter. "Aw, shit." Kayleigh wiped her eyes, still giggling softly. "That was too much." She whacked Marty lightly on the shoulder. "You bastard. It was the goth comment that started it and the more I thought about it, the more the whole damn scene was funny."

Marty hailed a cab and hustled her into it. "Your place or mine?" Marty batted his eyelashes at her coyly.

"Mine." Kayleigh snickered a little, but kept it under control. She leaned against him. "You really are a prick, you know." She began conversationally. "Causing a scene at my first Limelight show, storming off in a huff. I really ought to kill you."

Marty smiled at her disarmingly, and slipped an arm around her. Kayleigh nestled against him. Although she was relieved that they were making up, she was still in a quandary as to whether or not to tell him anything. Was it more dangerous to let him in on the secrets or to let him remain ignorant? Kayleigh was beginning to wonder if it really made any difference. Try as she might, to escape, it seemed that her mother's world would always intrude on her own and as long as that was the case, anyone who was near her on a long term basis would be in danger.

They reached Kayleigh's apartment and were scarcely in the door before they were in each others arms, kissing fiercely. When they paused for a moment, Kayleigh drew back, her eyes grave and sorrowful. "If you and I are to continue as a couple, I guess I really do owe you an explanation." Kayleigh led Marty into the kitchen and sat him down, putting on the kettle for tea.

"This is a long, complex story and by the time I'm done telling it, you'll probably be convinced that I'm insane." Kayleigh began. "My mother is not just a corporate executive. The corporation that she's an executive in is really a front for something called the PSI Foundation."

"Which stands for?"

"Paranormal Sightings Investigation Foundation." Kayleigh laughed softly. "Which is only the part that's connected to the government and known about in some circles of the general populace. In actuality, PSI is a cover for an organization that is far older in its origins, that has its roots in pure mysticism."

Marty blinked. "What?"

"PSI investigates weird sightings, you know, extra-terrestrials, people with strange powers, events that have no rational explanation."

"You mean like the X Files?"

"Kind of. Except that PSI is not actually sponsored by the government, only affiliated with one branch of it. There is something similar to the Bureau in the X Files. PSI is affiliated with that. They sometimes work together and they compare notes on separate cases they're each working on."

"Okay. What about the other organization, the mystical one?"

"Well, that's where it completely goes off the deep end. There are different types of creatures that walk amongst us but are not human. The race that PSI's inner circle is most concerned with is the Daemons." Kayleigh saw the growing disbelief in his eyes, but continued anyway. "We don't know precisely what the motivations of the Daemons are, but their actions have been almost always destructive. The growing theory is that they're interested in world conquest, but there are many who suspect that their motives are a bit more complex than that. As my mother's heir, I am considered a threat, even though I have left PSI and chosen to reject this heritage."

"There are more things on Heaven and earth, Horatio?" Marty replied sardonically.

"Something like that." Kayleigh stared intently at him. "I know this is a bit much for you to swallow, so I'll give you a little demonstration." She held up her hands and stared at them, concentrating. Violet flames appeared around them and danced, yet seemed to leave her hands unharmed. Marty drew back, fear and awe mixing on his face.

"That's what that was, that night." Marty sighed softly.

"What?" Kayleigh stared at him quizzically.

"When the guy you said was an enemy of your mother's was following us. You did something and you looked like there was a faint violet glow around you."

Kayleigh stared at him in astonishment. "But I wasn't manifesting in the visual range! That requires a conscious effort!" Kayleigh damped the flames, then made them disappear altogether. "There must be some of the old blood in your family, giving you a touch of the Sight, or you wouldn't have been able to see what you saw that night. It was a shield, by the way."

Marty was regarding her with mixed feelings flitting across his face. There was dawning wonder, fear, love and amusement. "I love you, Kayleigh. This is a strange world you're bringing me into, but I can't say I'm sorry."

Kayleigh gazed back at him intently. "It's a world that I try to be associated with as little as possible. We're not comic book heroes, here. There's a lot of danger out there. I can't guarantee that you'll be safe, but I will protect you as much as I can. I also stay uninvolved, which cuts down on the danger somewhat."

"Kayleigh. . ." Marty held her hands in his own and stared pleadingly into her eyes.

"I love you, too, Marty." She knew that was what he needed to hear, and now saying the words, Kayleigh knew that she meant them. She led him to her bedroom and showed him with lips and hands, eyes and body, how she felt, for this fragile new emotion was too potent to be expressed in words. Hours later, they drifted off to sleep in each others arms.

* * * * * *

Marty came groggily awake, disoriented until he realized that he was in Kayleigh's bedroom. Rain streamed against the windowpanes and the winds kept up a steady, mournful wailing. Must be one hell of a storm, Marty blinked drowsily in the blue-gray light. He rolled over to pull Kayleigh back into his arms and found her half of the bed deserted. Piano music drifted out from somewhere else in the house and Marty leaned back against the pillows, closing his eyes. He recognized the piece as Beethoven, but it quickly switched over to some unfamiliar melody. Marty listened to the cascading chords and wondered if it was one of her own compositions.

Marty fought his way free of the tangled bedclothes and made his unsteady way to the living room, following the beckoning notes. Kayleigh sat at the piano, clad only in a silk kimono, dark hair still damp from the shower. Marty's eyes were on her face, but the play of emotions there only told half the story. Her hands rippled over the piano keys, making the complex patterns seem effortless. The music told a story of love and fear, darkness and confusion building towards a glimmering hope. She built towards the crescendo again and again, never quite reaching it, she played on, unaware of his prescence. The music wandered through the final phrases, ending on a wistful note that was far more touching than a splashy dramatic finale would have been. Kayleigh lifted her hands away from the keys and lifted her head, finally noticing him there.

Her face darkened slightly, and Marty almost felt like an intruder for having witnessed what was obviously a very private moment between her and the piano. "Hi." Marty greeted her softly. "What do you call that?"

"I just wrote it, I don't have a name for it yet." Kayleigh replied gravely.

Marty moved over and sat down next to her on the piano bench. "It's beautiful."

"Thank you." Kayleigh met his gaze, but she seemed almost shy with him now.

"I'm still not running away." Marty raised a hand and gently stroked back a tendril of her hair.

"I know." Kayleigh wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you, Marty."

His heart lifted within him. It was so filled with emotion, he was afraid it might explode. "I love you, too, Kayleigh. Thank you for trusting me." They sat that way for some time, unmoving, with the rain still pattering down outside, shutting them into their own private world. The storm tossed the tree limbs outside and shook the window panes with its blind fury, but inside there was only warmth and safety.

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