Topic: Me Without You

Colt Daniels · Date: 2012-08-03 18:15 EST

A tennis ball flew through the air in a wide arc. A bright green speck against the perfectly blue late afternoon sky. Sitting on the front steps of his cabin, Colt tipped up his bottle of beer as he admired Seth?s throw. Molly barked excitedly as she tore off after the ball across the green expanse that set the cabin back off from the woods beyond. With the Labrador momentarily satisfied, Seth blindly reached back to the step behind him to wrap his hand around his own bottle of Badsider.

?So when does Eleven come back??

Seth?s nickname for his girlfriend didn?t even cause Colt to bat an eye. Maybe he would have given a huff of laughter if his mind wasn?t stuck on the ship Ten had piloted off hours before. He breathed a relaxed exhale as he watched Molly snag the ball after the first hop. ?She said she?d be back to spend her birthday here. I?m thinkin? she?ll cut it pretty close, though. Probably two weeks.?

A two-fingered whistle was given from Seth to Molly to show his appreciation for her speed. With the ball clamped between her jaws, she bounded back across the yard towards them. ?And then she moves in??

?Yeah, then she moves in.? It was the only bright spot in Ten leaving. When she got back, she would move in. The cabin was ready and, to be perfectly honest, a significant portion of her belongings had been at his place for months. It seemed like every week he found another drawer, closet, nook that she had quietly taken over.

Drawn into deep thought, Seth didn?t even make a face as Molly deposited a slobbery tennis ball in his waiting palm. The former all-state quarterback launched the ball again across the yard. This one had enough hang time that Molly had a chance to catch it before it hit the ground. The dog seemed to note the opportunity and her speed increased even further. ?So this is your last couple of weeks as a bachelor??

?I ain?t gettin? married, man. She?s just movin? in.?

The bottle of Badsider was set down so that Seth could clap for Molly?s aerobatics as she jumped up and snatched the ball out of the air. ?Right. But you?ve changed. You could probably count on one hand the number of times in the last couple of months that you?ve been wasted, really wasted, right? And you?ve been with one girl for seven months which you always mocked me for. Things are changing.?

Molly deposited the ball at the foot of the porch steps before dropping to a heap herself. A comfortable silence settled while a hawk circled above, no doubt looking for field mice in the opening around the cabin. Colt cut a glance from the bird over to Seth to find his eyes following the same smooth circles in the air. ?You?re right, y?know,? Colt stated slowly. ?If it was up to me, that girl would move in tomorrow and stay for good.?

Seth?s eyes shifted to Colt and he gave a slow, knowing nod. ?Instead of sitting here like a mopey thirteen year old girl, you should man up. Enjoy these last couple days of nobody giving a flying shit if you stay up all night, of drinking to the point of being a complete jackass, and of being as selfish as humanly possible.?

The advice caused a warm laugh and Colt lifted his bottle to clink the neck of his bottle against the neck of Seth?s in a cheerful toast.

?Now that?s somethin? I can drink to.?

Colt Daniels · Date: 2012-08-08 08:43 EST

Day One - Smells Like Danger

?So what are you going to tell him when he wakes up, Dollface??

Colt Daniels was certainly not a dollface. His nose had been broken one too many times and was destined to sit slightly askew for the rest of his life. There was a jagged little scar over his right eyebrow that was particularly apparent when he wrinkled his brows from a rather unfortunate incident in Mexico. Rarely was he ever completely clean shaven and there was nothing babylike about his features. But that mattered little to Lilli of Lilli?s Lace and Ladies. Everyone was ?Dollface?.

Colt gave a grunt of effort or acknowledgement as they deposited Sergei?s unconscious form into the back of a taxi cab beneath the glow of the strip club's neon sign. ?That he should probably avoid the east side of Star?s End for a while.?

Two closed fists landed on Lilli?s ample hips as her cat-like eyes narrowed in on Colt after she took a step back onto the curb. ?The pair of you better find a way to make nice with Bonnie Danger. She and her crew are pretty thick in these parts. And she?s good business.?

?I hear you,? Colt huffed in reply as he straightened to turn and face her. ?How?re we supposed to know that she had a gland problem that made her smell like that, though??

Lill?s laugh was as wide as she was and it followed Colt into the cab behind Sergei. The cab driver was given the address but it seemed that RhyDin cabbies spoke as little of the common English dialect as did their counterpoints on his Earth. Or at least they pretended to. The vehicle seemed pointed in relatively the right direction and Colt didn't feel like arguing over the fastest path to his cabin.

Sergei mumbled something about maintenance on Winterbach engines as the cab sped off, giving them distance from the trouble they had created at Lilli?s. The offended Bonnie Danger and her gang of low-rent thugs would have to be dealt with at some point but for tonight he was plenty satisfied to simply bask in the glow of a night of mischief accomplished, a handful of private jokes created, and a brotherly bond forged.

The phone in Colt?s jacket pocket vibrated and he checked it for only a moment before taking the call. Sinking lower into the back seat, he tipped his head to rest lightly against the window. ?Hey. How was the flight there??

A smile found it's way to his face as he listened to the answer. Her question in reply caused him to shoot a glance over to the sleeping Sergei and Colt lifted a single shoulder in a shrug even though Ten couldn't see it all those miles away.

"Me? I ain't up to a damn thing, babe."

Colt Daniels · Date: 2012-08-11 19:22 EST

Day Five - A Breath of Hope

Harper had been uncharacteristically quiet as they had carefully picked their way over and around a kilometer of loose rock and giant boulders down into the barrel of a cave. She didn?t have to speak, though. Colt could feel her emotions tugging on him through their bond. That deep well of sadness and concern was a continual presence. It was the third entity in the room whenever they were together.

He didn?t ask about her parents. He knew they still hadn?t turned up by the nagging worry that ate at his stomach liner. He didn?t pester her about setting her up with a football buddy. Her sense of failure over the crumbling of that relationship was a weight on his shoulders just as it was a weight on hers.

Instead, whenever the concern or sadness would push to the forefront, he would push them harder and fill the silence with information. Lamps on their helmets lit the darkness of the lava tube cave that Seth had stumbled upon the week before. Away from the open air and into the depths they climbed. A descent. It truly felt like a descent into hell created by molten lava several millennium before. Colt hoped the imagery didn?t wiggle its way into Harper?s mind but he doubted she would be free of it. Her mind usually found those connections long before his.

What he felt from her instead of dread, however, was unexpected. A flicker of recognition and acceptance followed their descent as the cool, inky darkness crowded around them, familiar as skin. Something that had been so long anticipated, there wasn?t any room left for fear. It was a little like relief.

Colt filled the silence between them as they dug their way deeper into the cave. ?Austin?s done a lot of research and she believes this was once called Surtshellir. There is some evidence that the area was inhabited during the time of the original eruption. There?s some ancient writings from some witnesses. And it?s definitely been used since that time.?

The pale glow from the light on Harper?s helmet hit a delicate relief cut into the wall of the cave, drawing Harper to a stop and Colt with her. A flashlight from his bag was flicked on to illuminate the bust as Harper?s fingers brushed over the fine lines of a woman?s face carved into the wall. The artisan had meticulously created aristocratic features twisted in a painful agony and hands with long, graceful fingers that clutched at her hair. The creature was beautiful in a heartbreaking way.

?We?re not sure who did this. These caves have been used by nomads, monks, and outlaws on the run over the years. There?s four sculptures. The first three are like this. Seth and I?ve been calling this one Pain. Then there?s Anger a kilometer ahead and then Sorrow a kilometer after that.?

She listened to the explication in silence, nodding without remark when he mentioned the other carvings. After a moment, her hand fell away. She started forward, following the path his lantern painted on the rock floor for them, and he followed.

They trudged on through the lava tube, pausing only to take in the same woman gripped in Anger, her mouth wide with a ferocious scream, and Sorrow, eternally wracked with soundless, tearless sobs. They could have been in a church, following the stations of the cross, and with each sculpture, the heaviness between them grew and their usual comfortable silence further diluted into a ponderous weight of introspection. Colt longed to fill it with something uplifting but there was nothing he could say that would compete with the final image.

The bond between them grew stronger every day. Colt could feel the first twinges of curiosity bubbling up as Harper caught the sound of rushing water falling from a great height. At first, it confused him, for he knew what lay hidden ahead beyond the curve. It took him a moment to identify that the emotion was emanating from Harper. It was distinct and separate, but he found it just as easy to get wrapped up in as her sadness and concern was.

A natural skylight had been created several stories overhead where lava had shot up out of its tube so many centuries before. Now water and light spilled through it. The water cascaded down rocks far beneath into a shimmering pool left an iridescent blue by the light play on the rock below.

A beam of pure midday light slanted down like a spotlight on the final relief near the edge of the pool. Her eyes were half-open and a nascent smile played on her lips as if she?d just been woken from a dream by the warm sunlight playing across her features. The expression wasn?t one of instant happiness, but it shone with a readiness to face the dawning of a new day with an open heart.

Hope.

?Do not fear, only believe,? Harper?s voice was rough and hushed as she took another step forward and tipped her face up to the light.

(Mark 5: 35-36)

((Written in conjunction with the player behind Harper!))

Colt Daniels · Date: 2012-08-12 15:32 EST

Day Seven - Just the Usual Riff Raff

?God, this place is a pigsty.?

Each word caused pain to radiate in Colt?s head. He withdrew the arm draped over his face from his head and cracked open his eyes to find a very unexpected blonde frowning down at him. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail with wisps framing her stern features. To any other man, she?d be the picture of beauty. To him, she was just God Damn Allie Dee. ?You?ve got to be fucking kiddin? me,? he muttered under his breath.

Allie Dee?s clenched fists, fell to her hips as she tilted her head to the side. ?Sit up.?

He did as he was told to do. Colt?s palms fell to either side of him, shoving himself into a sitting position on his bed. Molly sat at Allie Dee?s feet, thumping her tail against the floorboards and grinning happily up at Allie Dee. Some watchdog she was.

?I hurt right now. Can we not go through listin' my crimes at a later date?? Colt begged in a hoarse tone.

?You?re in no position to make requests, Colton Daniels.? Her hands dropped to her sides and her posture tightened further. Molly?s eyes slipped from Allie Dee to Colt as if to ask him what he had done now. Typical. He really needed a more loyal dog. ?Just in case you don?t remember last night which I have a feeling you do not, you broke Butch McAllister?s nose before Rhett could pull you away. Do you have any idea how well he tips? Now he?s talking about never coming back because, according to him, the Busted Knuckle attracts too much riff raff.?

?Well, hell, Allie Dee, I was just tryin? to straighten it for him.?

Allie Dee had clearly had enough. She nudged a pizza box aside with the toe of a boot, shaking her head at the mess once more. ?Don?t you try your ?aw shucks? routine on me, Colton. You?ve trampled all over the line in the sand. I?m callin? your sister.?

?Really? Tell her if she?s comin? into town to bring some of that Laughing Skull Amber Ale that Red Brick makes,? Colt called to the blonde?s back.

The request caused a groan from Allie Dee as she stretched a hand up to flash him a certain finger on her way out of his bedroom. The door was slammed shut in her wake causing a fresh wave of pain to rattle through Colt?s head.

Colt Daniels · Date: 2012-08-13 07:40 EST

Day Ten - Life's a Beach

?I can?t believe you dragged me all the way back to Georgia and then to the beach for a single day.? But Austin wasn?t able to pull off disbelief. She could believe it. It wasn?t all that uncharacteristic of Colt and she didn?t really mind the road trip all that much. Particularly since her cousin doubled as her co-employer at Annie-Love?s Wilderness Expeditions. If he said that she was taking a day off to go to the beach then so be it.

She wiggled down deeper into her low set beach chair, stretching her legs out and sinking her toes deeper into the wet sand. Austin?s voice was kept just loud enough to be heard by the man in the chair next to her but low enough that it was buried by the regular rush of waves ?You do know there are beaches in RhyDin, right??

?There ain?t nothin? there like this,? Colt replied, flashing a grin her way from out from under the fraying brim of an Atlanta Braves ballcap. Seated beside her with the Atlantic Ocean lapping at his bare feet and a beer in hand, the tension he so often carried in his shoulders was missing.

Eyes the color of faded denim swept over the landscape of St. Simon?s Island. Austin didn?t bother asking whether he was talking about the beach itself or the swirling, foamy Atlantic Ocean or the Georgian girls in tiny bikinis. Often with Colt, it was best not to ask and she didn?t need another of his less than intellectual lectures on the pros and cons of Georgian girls. ?Isn?t Harper going to be ticked with you for all this time off you?ve been taking??

The question caused him to lift his shoulders in a shrug. Harper understood. Thanks to the hum of energy that ran between them, Harper understood him better than anyone. He needed this. But instead of putting words to what he felt shouldn?t have any, he allowed the shrug to serve as answer enough and instead turned the questioning around on her. ?How?s Slate??

?Good.? But the smile that overtook Austin?s face and the warmth in her tone was more of an answer than the single word itself.

The smile was infectious and Colt felt it spread across his own face as his eyes swept out of the ocean. He knew it was all he?d get out of her on the subject. In fact, she was probably punishing herself for giving too much away. He let the crash of waves stretch out between them, filling the comfortable silence that lingered. A gull broke from formation past the breaking waves for a dive bomb attack against a hidden fish.

?Colt,? Austin began in a somber tone as she pulled her sunglasses up to the crown of her head, turning her eyes back on his face. Her brow crinkled just as his did when she was worried and instantly he could tell that whatever she was about to address was something she?d been considering for a while. ?You know I love Ten and I think the change in you has been amazing.?

?Why do I feel like there?s a ?but? coming??

His interjection didn?t break Austin?s line of thought but it did make her skip through more of the preamble. He knew it all already anyway. ?But I am worried. You?re sinking in deeper and deeper with this girl. Your mama and Jackie and I always joked that once you got this wild streak out of your system you?d be married with a whole pack of kids. You haven?t even talked about any of this stuff with Ten, have you? Marriage? A family? She?s not your typical sort of girl. Does she even know how important that stuff is to you??

A pair of teenage girls with boogie boards ran past towards the waves. The blonder of the two shot Colt a coy smile which he returned with his usual gusto, causing a pointed roll of Austin?s eyes. His gaze didn?t trail after the jailbait, though. Instead, they bounced back over to Austin all too aware of the questions hanging in the air between them. ?It doesn?t matter.?

?Of course it matters to you, Colt. You can?t lie to me.?

?No, no. It matters to me. A lot.? He paused, squinting out into the eastern horizon trying to figure out exactly how to express what he already knew. A hand lifted to tug on the brim of his hat restlessly. ?You know Ten has health issues. It?s up to her to tell people exactly what so I?m not gettin? into it but I don?t know if she can have kids. We?ve never talked about it. But it doesn?t matter. It won?t change my decision. Neither would it change if she decides she never wants to get married. If this is the life I?ve got with her, I?m livin? it. I?m in for the long haul.?

The warmth in Austin?s smile returned as she studied Colt?s profile for a moment. Change. He was awash in it. It was hard to put words to it. The trouble-maker was still present but it no longer went all the way to his core. She launched a punch out towards his closest bicep. ?You?re such a big dumb goon.?

The insult gained a laugh and a grin was shot her way. ?Love you too, Austin.?

((With thanks to the player behind Austin!))

Colt Daniels · Date: 2012-08-14 00:32 EST

Day Eleven - Lavender Is Her Color

Dylan and Colt had put a half mile between themselves and the blue Dodge pickup truck parked down an access road. Dylan stomped along behind him with footfalls heavy enough to scare away all the small game in a two mile radius. Usually it was enough to prompt a round of bickering between the two but tonight he ignored it. After all, this was a different kind of hunt entirely and his game wasn?t anywhere near them.

"Colt, why in the world of all the things ta do would ya' bring me out 'ere and make me go trompin' through the woods? Yanno I ain't a woodswoman er' whatever. This ain't bondin', it's torture. Can't we go... pretty you up er somethin'? Ten'll be back, we could get haircuts and lunch!"

Why did the mention of Ten?s name suddenly cause a thread of something sharp to grip Colt?s heart? The less he heard from her this trip, the less he wanted to hear her name on other people?s lips. Fear that she wouldn?t return became more palpable with every day that went by and every time he got her voicemail. Denial was so much easier to live in but even that was fading. Alcohol masked it and he was finding that his world was a much darker, dingier place without Ten in it. Had that always been the case?

Dylan was unconcerned that in the mess of his own thoughts, Colt had failed to answer her question. In fact, she pressed on as her eyes studied the beautiful cedar shake home poised on the edge of the lake. ?Wait. Isn?t this Harper?s house??

?Yeah,? Colt replied quickly to mask the fact that he had become lost in his own private nightmare. ?We?re gonna surprise her.?

?Surprise?! I love surprises. An? I really think she?d like one, she?s been so tired and down. What?er yer ideas?? The brunette tilted her head at the driveway, noting that Harper?s jeep was not in the driveway as she followed Colt up the front steps.

Again, though, he seemed to be only half-listening but Dylan loved him well enough to excuse his typical failure to respond to questions that he would rather ignore. Colt produced a key to unlock the front door and Dylan followed him inside, allowing her eyes to sweep the room as Colt punched the code into the wall unit to deactivate Harper?s security system. Vaguely, Dylan wondered if it was ever wise to allow Colt such free access but she didn?t put words to it. Instead, she soaked in the large windows on either side of the great fireplace. The chimney flanked by those windows stretched two stories above, allowing unfettered views of the lake and despite the fact that it wasn?t her first time in the room, Dylan couldn?t help but have her breath stolen by the view.

?I think I j?es might ?ave to take Harper up on her offer ta come an spend a few nights ?ere. It?s breath takin?. Don?tcha think??

?Come on. Upstairs. We don?t have long,? Colt demanded as he jogged his way up the stairs towards the loft above. Quickly Dylan skittered across the Great Room and followed him up, pursing her lips at him the whole way.

?What?re we doin? up ?ere? Ya still didn?t tell me how we?re gonna surprise her.?

?I told you. Bondin?.? Evidently this bonding took place within the master suite because Colt wasted little time opening the the door to the master bedroom and stepping inside. In order to discourage further questions, he turned the questioning back on Dylan. ?Tell me about your house.?

?Oh! Well I hired someone ta come on out and fix the winda. An? I got my floors all polished and sealed, they?re beautiful,? Dylan began. The tactic seemed to be effective. Colt nodded at the appropriate time as he headed for the bathroom with Dylan trailing behind. The shampoo bottle was quickly located and a quick sniff confirmed that it was indeed strawberry scented just as Harper used. A vial was pulled free of his back pocket.

?I got most?a the paintin? done. I really gotta get some new fixtures for the kitchen an? the bathroom. An? I think most?a the critters are gone now too. Got my chimney all cleaned out, tha? was a mess, I tell ya. Prolly will j?es ?ave ta do it again before winter anyway. It?s really comin? along.?

The purple substance in the vial was dumped into the shampoo container and once replacing the top of the bottle, Colt gave it some good shakes. Still, Dylan continued on. ?I?m so proud of it, I got a pretty view too. Not like this one, but nice enough and a lil dock. I?m thinkin? about addin? a garage or a carport for Reba though, she gets awfully dusty out there.?

?Sounds nice, DeeDee,? Colt finally responded as he carefully set the shampoo bottle back down on the ledge of the shower with the label facing outward just as he found it.

"Heeey. Whad'ja put in there? Colton Nash. Are ya sure this is a nice surprise?" Her hands went to her hips. "Ya didn't but no nair er somethin' in there. Right?" He even got a finger wagged at him.

After a quick check of the watch around his wrist, Colt turned to flash Dylan his most disarming smile. An arm reached out to wrap itself around Dylan?s shoulders as he began to guide her back out of the suite. ?Have you seen the kitchen? It?s amazin?. Truly.?

A handful of questions about Reba?s maintenance kept the conversation from turning back to Harper?s shampoo bottle as Colt led Dylan back down the stairs. Once there, he opened the fridge door to study its contents. It was a pit of despair. Beer, bottled water, peanut butter, and mayo that should probably have the expiration date checked. With a huff, Colt shut the refrigerator door and turned back to Dylan. ?Harper never has pudding.?

The sound of tires hitting gravel caused Colt?s eyes to grow wide. ?Oh, crap. We?ve got to go.?

Dylan screeched at the alarm on Colt's face and she nodded quickly, ready to follow his lead. "Iffin' we don't get caught, I'll make ya some puddin'!"

His laugh was warm and packed full of mischief. ?This way!? A hand reached out to snag Dylan?s wrist and with the confidence of someone who spent a lot of time in this house, Colt led Dylan through the mudroom and out the back door. Harper?s new (well, new to her) jeep was thrown in park and the ignition cut. As she gathered her things, the pair of them crept around the railing towards an opening.

Nodding towards the woods, Colt shot Dylan a grin. ?Now run!?

And run they did. Dylan, who never ran on principle unless it she was late for a sample sale, was hot on Colt?s heels. An unwilling participant in this prank, she certainly wasn?t going to get caught red handed in the middle of.... well, whatever Colt had just done. A half mile they ran without breaking stride before collapsing in laughter against the side of Colt?s old blue pickup.

Still doubled over and gasping for breath, Dylan?s wide eyes focused in on her cousin. ?What did we j?es do in there? Ya gonna tell me?

Colt rested his back against the hood of the truck, grinning up at the sky as he worked on filling his lungs after the ravages of running for a half mile and hysterical laughter had altered his breathing. ?We just dumped purple hair dye into Harper?s shampoo and she just got back from a work out and is probably on her way up to shower as we speak.

Dylan?s laugh filled the air again as she opened the passenger door to pull herself up into the cab. ?Oh my God. Poor Harper.? But still she couldn?t quit laughing.?I?m thinkin? it might actually look good on ?er.?

((With thanks to the players behind both Dylan and Harper!))