?How hard can Pilates be? Girls do it.?

Arms crossing over his wide chest, Colt settled into a lean against the slate gray wall of the weight room in the belly of the Sharks stadium with a flicker of a smile for Nate Taeger, the Sharks star wide receiver. In gym shorts and sleeveless shirts, the differences in their statutes stood in stark contrast. Nate was all lean flexible muscle, built for speed, an ability to get air, and quick changes of direction. As a linebacker, Colt was the quarterhorse to Nate?s thoroughbred. He was all thick, muscular mass best used for short bursts of speed and violent collisions.

?I dunno,? Colt replied casually. ?I?ve seen my wife do it. She?s pretty badass. It looks hardcore. I agree with the trainers, though. It would be a great offseason workout.?

Nate?s brows furrowed at Colt?s skepticism. ?I?m a professional athlete. I can hang.?

A chuckle broke free from Colt?s chest as he shifted from his lean, letting his arms drop to his sides. ?Yeah, you let me know how that goes for you. And be sure to go in there tellin? them that you?re a man so you should be able to do it better. Chicks dig that.?

?Shut up,? Nate responded, unable to completely fight off a grin. He waved Colt off, turning to head for the showers. ?We?re grabbing lunch on Friday. Don?t forget that.?

?I hear you,? Colt called back as he lifted the earbuds tossed over his shoulder to slip them back into his ear. The music already in progress flooded his mind, pushing all else aside.

He was alone now. Relatively speaking. The place was empty save an intern trainer watching the news on one of the flat panel televisions with his feet up on a desk. After some cardio, he?d make the kid pull his weight by spotting him on some free weights but for the moment, he wanted to enjoy the solitude.

Eric Church hummed out a low chorus as he turned to the row of empty treadmills. A couple months from now they would be packed with men who had gained too much weight in the off season and would need to slim down. Colt would have the opposite problem. His natural weight was about ten pounds shy of what the Sharks training crew preferred to see him at. It wasn?t a bad problem to have, Dylan always teased.

A swampy strand of ?Creepin?? ended abruptly as the MP3 player strapped to his arm shut off. A frown formed as he tried to power it up. Please connect to power source, read the device that had been fully charged only a half an hour before. ?Bullshit,? Colt muttered under his breath.

The word had barely left his lips before the lights flickered. The intern?s feet hit the floor and his eyes lifted to the overhead lights. They flickered again under his watch and then the weight room was plunged into inky black darkness.

?Colt.?

The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. His heart seized up in his chest at the familiarity of the voice.

?Colt? I can feel you.?

It was a whisper from across the void. It was distant but intimate. Delicate yet strong. She had always been a beautiful walking contradiction. And he had loved her. A pure courtly platonic love. Each whispered word sent pain coursing through his nerve endings. In the darkness with the pain of his grief gripping him anew, a strangled cry escaped his throat and his weight crashed to the floor.

The coolness of the tile under him was no relief. His body burned, his lungs refused to fill with air. And then just as suddenly as it had arrived, the voice was gone, her presence was gone. Seconds ticked by, a rush of noise filled his ears, making everything else seem distant. Someone was yelling for help in the background.

Finally, the pain began to dull and taper. His tightly closed eyes opened to find the intern staring down at him with wide-eyes. ?You okay? You okay? I called for help. Someone?s coming,? the kid?s questions came in a rushed panic.

Colt reached out a cupped hand in a silent request for help sitting up. The intern complied, assisting Colt to a sitting position on the floor. He concentrated on filling his lungs almost to capacity and then exhaling them, trying to mentally shove out the lingering pain with it. ?I?m okay. I?ll be okay. I don?t need help. Did you hear anything? Did you hear someone calling my name.?

Confusion settled on the kid?s face. ?No. No, I didn?t hear anyone but us.?

Quiet seconds passed. There was jogging coming down the hallway. Colt would have to repeat those sentences several times, he was sure. I?m fine, everything?s fine. Just not enough to eat today. The intern -- Tommy was his name? -- cleared his throat before lifting his voice. ?Who is she??

?Who is who?? Colt asked, his hazel eyes lifting towards the kid.

?You were calling for someone. I was just wondering who she was.?

Calling for someone. Had he been calling for someone? All he could remember was the pain.... and the voice. Panic gripped him once more. Clammy palms were wiped off on his gym shorts. ?Who was I calling for??

?Someone named ?Yaya?.?

((Related to this SL.))

It was going to get worse. Maybe it was going to get worse before it got better. Maybe it was going to get worse until it drove him into the ground finally. But how unpoetic would it be for him to survive Yaya?s death only to get his life in order and then die years later when suddenly, out of the blue, he began being haunted by her memory?

The question gave him little relief. The only part of his life that brought relief and reminded him of his present and future rather than his past was his wife.

Tenacity's loss for words when he spilled out his fears was evident, because her response was to guide his head down, chin to shoulder, with a gentle push from her hand. She tipped her head against his, going ear to ear as she ran her palm continuously down the back of his skull.

After a moment of sinking in against her, he tilted his head to bury his nose into the crook of her neck. His hands slowly slid up her sides, fingers still curled around her abdomen. "She would have loved you. She had a silly sense of humor and way too many shoes. I was just tellin' someone this morning that I don't know if I've ever felt her around more than I did that day I asked you to marry me. She used to give me a hard time whenever I picked up some girl in whatever country we were in or told her about the Thomaston girls. She'd say that one day I'd find someone and fall hard and she'd be more trouble than I am and I'd deserve every bit of it."

Ten hummed sweetly in his ear, a crooning sort of sigh. "I really wish I could have met her, you know? That isn't just lip service. To meet the first woman who wasn't family that really seemed to have an effect on you?"

She picked her head up and smiled at him, the warmest sort of smile her lips knew how to make. "Smart enough to know your future. If only someone had warned me."

"That's just it." He lifted his head to catch her eyes, a spark of firmness narrowing his gaze and bringing life to his expression despite exhaustion. His hands lifted up off of her to reach up and tuck her hair behind her ears. "My future. I have a future. The last time this happened I didn't have anything. Even King died while I was locked up. My family was still on me about going to college to play ball. When she died, I just let go. But I refuse this time. And I know even though that whole thing with Kat was a fake and that Yaya really didn't talk to me that day.... I just know that this is what she would have wanted.?

A silence stretched out between them. There was more. She was watching him work his way through it. Finally, it spilled out of his lips in a desperate pleading tone. ?Don't let them take me, okay? If things go bad.... don't let them take me. Not again. I need to be with you.?

She took up his chin with both hands and made him look her dead in the eyes. "I would never. I worked too hard to keep you this long."

((Adapted from live play.))

"We need to talk, Harper,? Colt began, easing to a seat on the couch in his living room.

The Rine Virus. That's what Colt was officially at home with according to his employee records with SPI. It was evidently a common enough virus among the Terrellis of the Iilaan Peninsula on a world called Ceyath. As a favor from the St. Aldwin government, Colt had been among a team searching for several lost children that were kin to a great Terellis warrior only a week before. The timing was perfect to keep Maureen and her band of Ad Lucem-tainted SPI agents from knowing just how unstable he was.

So Colt and that comfortable couch in the living room had become fast friends.

The idea of being stuck on the couch during March Madness eating copious amount of junk food certainly always had appealed to him. But, as was true with most things in life, in actuality it was far from the bliss he had expected. The cabin was leaving him stir crazy. His appetite had completely disappeared. And who wanted to watch Wichita State against La Salle?

"What's going on?" Harper flopped back onto the chair when he veered for the couch and settled. Even through the weakened bond, Colt could feel his unease reverberate around and notch hers up.

Molly hopped up onto the couch beside him, curling into a ball of chocolate fur, and he didn?t have the heart to order her off. One of his hands landed on Molly's neck, stroking her fur from the base of her head to her shoulder blades before resetting the hand for another soothing motion. Her tail thumped twice in appreciation. Colt's hazel eyes lifted from the dog to Harper. "I told Luca I would tell you myself. You need to leave town. You need to get as far away from me as you can."

"Wait." she was momentarily stunned. "What? No! What?" He could see the realization cross her face. The conversation had been had without her input. "Why? No. I'm not leaving you."

"Luca has been working with your doctor to try to find a way to keep you and the baby safe if the bond is severed," Colt began to form his argument, retaining the slow, steady motion of hand sliding along the dog?s neck. "And there isn't any way, Harper. If something bad happens to me, you and the baby are in danger. Serious danger."

They were close enough that even through the weakened bond he could feel her working hard to fight the worm of panic curling in her chest. "Nothing is going to happen to you, Colt. You hear me? We'll figure this thing out. It isn't severed... I couldn't feel you the other day for those few minutes, and it came back. We were okay. I found you."

"I'm serious, Harper. You're leavin' town. Luca's packin' now as soon as you get home, you're takin' off," Colt stated sternly. His hand fell off of Molly and clasped the other in his lap.

She was almost panting. "No. Nononono. He wasn't even at the house when I left. What the hell? Colt... no... You two've been planning this and not saying anything?" Anger was better than the alternative.

"Yeah, and you're not going to fight me on it because I don't have the energy to deal with it," he growled suddenly as he shoved himself up from the couch. The tone, the sudden flare of emotion caused Molly to whimper softly as she tightened her ball further. "Ten and I have a plan. Or the closest thing to a plan we're gonna get. And she's gonna have to deal with enough and it's going to be hard enough on her health and I don't want her to have to deal with keepin' things from you for fear of riskin' your health and the baby's life."

It was a low blow. He knew it was a low blow, using Ten and the baby against her. It showed in the blossoming hurt clouding her eyes as she stared up at him from the chair. Her hands balled on her thighs.

"I can't believe you're doing this."

"Right. Because this is what I want. This is all just workin' out exactly how I wanted." He turned towards the empty hearth, letting his hand rest against a cool, smooth stone, trying to catch his breath. The ache lingered, plaguing his joints and gnawing at his nerve endings. The grief held fast. "I just got married. You're pregnant. I'm supposed to be going to Icecrest. My wife's in the best health she's had since we've gotten together. One of my brother's is a mess over a girl. One of my cousins nearly died. And now I hurt so bad I want to die again. If you want to be pissed at me, fine. But you'll be pissed and safe and I won't have to worry about you."

But she was going to worry about him. They both knew it. He could feel the part of her that wanted to rail at him, to fight tooth and nail to stay. The other part of her ached over the things he was saying and wanted to comfort him. Her breathing was a raggedy thing in the room.

As usual, as he had predicted, the latter won out. She was up out of the chair when it stabbed at her, crossing the room to wrap her arms around him from behind and press her face against his spine. "I'll go. But I don't want to. I'm scared."

His head dropped, a hand landing on top of hers and he whispered in reply, ?I know. I am too.?

((Adapted from live play.))

Somewhere beneath the couch cushions, the ringtone on Tenacity?s phone jingled to life.

"Mmph." She snapped her head up and immediately felt the pain shoot through her neck. She'd just finally managed to grab some sleep--about 20 mins of it-- but unfortunately it had come when she was in the middle of a movie, sitting up on the couch when her head at a strange angle.

By the time she dug out, she was a bit more awake, but not enough to sound it. Her throaty voice had more scratch and grogginess over it. "Hey."

The voice on the other line had enough cheer for the pair of them and Sofia dished it out in plenitude as she watched the passing scenery out the window from the backseat of a town car speeding towards the Cuyahoga County Airport. "Do you know how difficult it is to get from RhyDin to Cleveland? It's really quite ridiculous and it would make my life so much easier if you all would just tell me exactly how to get to the portal in Georgia. Half of the ones I know of won't allow me to use it anymore for various silly reasons such as safety and internexual treaties that forbid me personally from using them. And it seems the other half are so unstable that there is always trouble. I'm currently about to have a plane take from to Texas where I will have to make a series of jumps through various dark and dangerous sorts of places just to get back to RhyDin."

There was a noise that could have been a chuff, but could have just been a sigh. Ten rubbed at the side of her neck. "I so don't envy you right now. Also? I understand people trying to keep you out." The humor was evident. If you listened hard enough under the guttural elements of her voice. "What're you doing?"

"I sent you a text. A couple days ago," Soph reminded, stretching her legs out in the back seat.

"Right. Right, you did." Ten was thankful that Sophie kept on going with her thoughts as she sat there trying to collect her own. She was so tired, but when she went in to sleep next to him, all she did was soak up the residual of whatever he was constantly casting off. She'd been forgetting a lot in general.

The exhaustion on the other end of the line was clear. Soph didn't have to ask. Clearly, things had gotten worse so the she started from the beginning. "I went to visit my grandmother when Harper told me what was happening. The Rhovniks did so much testing on him before and after... her death. I thought there might be something that would help. Of course, my grandmother wouldn't give me any records. Nothing I offered was any use."

"But," a thread of encouragement popped up into Soph's tone with the word, her voice dropping in volume. "I remembered the name of the doctor that did testing on the three of us right after Colt bonded. They were trying to figure out why he bonded with Yaya rather than me. I suppose nobody bothered to tell that doctor not to talk to me because it was so many years ago and not relevant to the severance of the bond that caused him to-- well, you know."

Ten carefully lowered her head at the original lead in, but at the offer of hope, she started to lift it again as she repositioned the phone on her ear. "And?"

"The bond starts with Colt. He chooses who he bonds to. He has way more control over it than he thinks. His mind controls it even if he doesn't do it consciously but the data suggests that he can." The whisper across the line came in a rush as she spread her hope, fingers unknowingly curling around the phone. Maybe this was her chance to right the wrongs that occurred after Yaya's death. Just a bit.

"Think about it, Ten," she encouraged gently. "The pain comes from the emptiness that the bond leaves. Who knows why it's restarted but he should be able to control it on his end. He just has to see and believe that he can control it. He can shut down the severed link. Like... like closure."

"He...he can? You really think so?" Had Ten been more alert, the vulnerability in her voice would have made her scowl. She chewed her lower lip and tilted a look to the stairs. It made sense, didn't it? If he could control the tracking, there had to be a way for him to have some domain over the rest.

"I sa--" That time, Ten did catch herself. She shouldn't tell Sophie that. Granted, Soph might not really react outwardly to the idea of her sister's ghost, but what good would that information really bring? Especially now, when everyone was just starting to work together more cohesively. "I'll see. He's--- he'll fight me on it for a bit, but I'll see what I can do."

Tem blew out a breath and leaned back. "Thank you."

"Yes, well, we both know I'll collect on this favor one day soon," Soph breezed past the brief moment of gratitude as if it didn't sit easily on her shoulders. "I'll be out of touch for a half a day or so getting home but Alain will help if you decide you need it. Talk to you soon."

That was the nice thing about Sofia DeMuer -- she was a lot like her. She didn't linger on moments. She left them alone and was decent enough not to mention that stray weakness. Tenacity would never admit she thought these things to another living soul, but she let herself indulge in the idea very briefly before looking back to the TV. "Right. Have fun. Don't get...you know...eaten by a portal."

When the call ended, Ten looked at the time on her screen. In forty minutes, he'd be on schedule for another dose. She nodded gingerly, still working out the kink in her neck, and pulled the blanket up a little on her legs. It was just enough time to finish the movie.

((Adapted from live play.))

Even before Colt opened his eyes, he could smell summer. A southern summer. The rich scent of the grass, the deep earthy red clay it grew in, the homey scent of wild-growing azaleas, and the almost too sweet scent of honeysuckle. It was the last scent that caused Colt to put the work into opening his eyes and shoving off the sleep that wanted to suck him back under. The shafts of sunlight which slipped past the thick green canopy created by the old oak he was laying under felt good against his face. The soft grass provided the perfect pillow.

There was another scent as well. A mix of them. Orange blossom shampoo, the softest hint of tiger lilies. Since her death if he even caught a hint of any of those, it caused his stomach to clench and his heart to pound. But not today. Not in this moment. Instead, it felt like a beautiful chord struck. He let it reverberate in his head before turning it slightly to squint up at the face he knew would be lingering nearby.

Her back was against the old oak and honeysuckle vine that had been pulled off a rickety old nearby fence post now lay in her lap. Deep dark brunette locks framed her face in a messy halo braid. She turned to him, hazel eyes shining with mischief, and smiled that old familiar smile. It was full of pure, unpolluted love and laughter. ?Hello there, sleepy-head.?

She pinched off a flower from the vine, plucking out the green base that held the petals on. A slender string was pulled free. The white petals floated carelessly into her lap as she popped the string into her mouth to suck off the nectar.

?You?re appearin? to me in my dreams now, Yaya?? His voice was stronger than it had been in days and he felt a smile begin to warm his features. ?And here? Are we in your hometown or mine? Summer in the south. This is awfully corny of you.?

Her laughter was even more musical than he remembered it. A shining light that lit up his soul. ?You are ridiculous,? she responded as she let her eyes take in their surroundings. ?I have no idea where we are. This is your dream, not mine. You brought me here so you?re the one with the corny mind. Not that I?m surprised. You like to pretend that you?re not a sentimental sap but you never fooled me.?

?I?m not a sentimental sap,? he huffed in reply.

Yaya reached out, brushing the white petals off her skirt before rising to her feet. ?Come on, sap. Walk with me. I hear running water.?

She reached a hand out to him and, knowing better than to clash with her over denying the assistance, he clasped her wrist to allow her to take some of his weight as he rose to his feet. Her hip bumped lightly against his once he was on his feet and they started, side-by-side down a dirt path, following the call of the soft babble of a nearby brook.

Birds called from treetop to treetop. Cicadas chirped. A breeze rustled the leaves of the trees overhead. But, still, a silence stretched on between the dead girl and the bird dog.

Even in the moment, he knew there were things he had always wanted to ask her. How had she died? Had she suffered long? Was there anyone there to hold her hand when she died? Was she alone now? Was she cold? Did she miss him? Could she see how hard he had worked to get his life together? With her at his side now, they seemed pointless, silly even. There was something more he was supposed to be figuring out. If only, he could figure it out.

A laugh of delight escaped her as they came within range of the creek. Water rushed over rocks made smooth by the constant motion. It flowed along towards a greater tributary that somehow encouraged laziness despite its brisk pace. Yaya slid her feet out of her sandals as she took a seat, sinking her feet into the cool water. Colt lowered himself to a crouch at her side, watching flathead minnow flitting around near the bank.

Minutes past. Maybe it was more than minutes. Maybe it was even hours. Time had no meaning here.

?Do you understand yet?? Yaya?s voice didn?t break the quiet of the perpetual afternoon but just seemed to weave into it magically.

Colt looked to his side to find her surprisingly serious eyes studying his face. He breathed in a breath before lifting his shoulders in a shrug. ?Ten says that I am doing this to myself... or at least that I?m not putting a stop to it.?

?You should listen to her more often. I?m not haunting you. There is some rift allowing you to call me back. If you stop calling me, I?ll stop coming,? Yaya responded gently.

Colt shook his head in frustration and turned his eyes back towards the minnows chasing one another through a calm shady pool in the brook. ?That?s what she said but I don?t know understand how she can believe that. Why would I bring this sort of pain onto myself? I don?t want to die. Not this time.?

The babbling brook and a chorus of cheerful finches filled the silence once again. He could feel her eyes on him. She was waiting for him to turn to meet the look. He gave in and turned his chin towards her. There was a demand for him to listen in the look. To really listen. The whole of this conversation was hard to hear, hard to accept but by the intensity of Yaya?s gaze, he could tell that it was important that he listen.

?You have the control, Colt. You?ve always had the control,? she began with a soft but passionate fervor, pressing the truth further and further towards him. His ability to keep it at bay was failing. ?You let Harper and I in. You could experience us without ever letting us experience you but that?s not your nature. That would be invasive and powerful, not the type of relationship that you want to have. You submit because in the submission there is love. Not submission in the way you think it but submitting to serve, submitting to honor, submitting to protect. To give of oneself, to let someone else experience your life in that way... it?s a gift. A gift is only a gift if it is given freely. You choose to give that gift. You chose me to share in it with you once... and now it?s a gift you choose to allow Harper to share with you.?

The bond sounded so wonderful when Yaya spun her thoughts on it. He?d always seen it as a burden. It was just another piece of his life that sat outside the lines of normalcy, another piece that he had not wanted to accept. But he chose. There was truth in that. Yaya, Harper... the bond did not emanate from them but within him. He had seen Yaya?s beautiful, loving soul and unconsciously chosen to protect her. He had seen Harper?s mischievous, caring personality and unconsciously chosen to open himself up once again to better assist her at her side.

?Why didn?t I choose Ten? Why not the woman I eventually chose to be my wife??

Yaya?s smile was serene and there was an impish delight in her eyes as if she was glad that he had chosen to ask the question but also surprised by how much he had changed. ?Because sometimes there is beauty in the mystery, in the discovering. You always say that you want to give her as much life as you can fit into the years that she has. As much normalcy, right? Well, how normal would it be if every time she wants to yell at her husband, she has to experience the full weight of your anger or hurt or frustration. Her empathic ability is enough. I suspect you wanted her to have this experience with you, to grow with you in a different sort of bond. Ten is right. You didn?t overlook her when you chose Harper, you chose Ten for something even more wonderful. The love that Harper and I give you strengthens you. The love that Ten gives you has started to heal you.?

Colt?s features twisted in confusion. ?You act like you?ve been there all along. How do you know all of those things??

Yaya gave a sly smile in reply before letting her eyes fall back down into the water. Her toes curled beneath the surface. ?I?m always with you, Colt. Whenever you want me with you, I am there. You carry me in your heart.?

The veracity in the statement made his heart ache but before he could voice how much he missed her physical presence with him, she continued softly, ?But it?s time for you to move on. It?s time for you to move forward with your life with your wife and your family and your children.?

?My children? But Ten-- She and I? We will--?

?I cannot see the future,? Yaya stated as she pulled her feet from the water, reaching for her sandals to slide her feet back into them. ?I just simply don?t believe that the two of you will not be able to overcome such a minor roadblock once you stop living in the past and in fear and start realizing how bright your present is.?

Colt suddenly realized that their time was over. Panic threatened to grip him as he rose to his feet. This time he stretched a hand out to her to help her up. ?How do I do that? How do I let go of you? I failed you. I would have died for you.?

Her hands reached up, settling on either one of his cheeks to draw his eyes down to meet hers. Until that moment, he had forgotten that she had always done that when she really wanted him to listen. His heart had masked over it, not wanting to remember because the pain of the memories was too great. But she had always done it and now Ten did it. He met her gaze and he listened. He opened his heart and listened.

?You don?t let go but you stop blaming yourself and you say goodbye,? she whispered empathically. ?Colt, it?s time for you to say goodbye.?

?I never got a chance to say goodbye to you.?

Her hands dropped back to her sides and a sad smile settled on her lips. ?I know.?

His hands wrapped around her form and she didn?t vanish as he was afraid she might. She was physical and real and she hugged him back. Tears caught in his throat and for a moment he battled them but then he gave into them, letting them slip down his cheeks. They would be allowed. There would be no world-ending pain or sobs to follow. This time he would say goodbye. ?I love you. I will always love you. Everything you taught me... I won?t forget any of it.?

?I know.? Her voice was a soft whisper in return as she squeezed him tightly. The physical contact stretched on. Long after the hug should have been released, he clung to her but it never felt awkward. It felt right. It felt like a proper goodbye.

His hold eventually slackened and as he pulled back, her lips grazed his cheek. ?Goodbye, Colton. Live big, alright? Live big.?

?Always. Always,? Colt promised solemnly. His hands finally fell off of her. ?Goodbye, Yaya. I?ll see you again one day.?

Yaya laughed cheerfully as she backed several steps away from him. ?Not too soon, you hear? I want to see you old and gray.?

He smiled softly as he watched her turn and head down the narrow dirt path, deeper into the thick forest where the path disappeared into underbrush. Colt exhaled the weight that had gathered up on his shoulders for so long and he turned, heading back towards the field they had come from.