Disclaimer: If you're under age to read stuff about guys having sex or if you find it offensive, your society finds it offensive or illegal then stop reading now! This story is completelly fictional, as are all the characters.
By the same author: Previously I've written the multipart story "A Different World" which can be found under gay/sciencefiction at nifty. I'm also writing another story called "Going Home" that also can be found in the sci-fi catalog. "Going Home" is a completely separate story with no connection to "Different World" except that it's me that's writing both. "Going Home" is not finished by far and I will continue writing that too. In addition to this I've made an attempt at writing a story set in the "Star Trek" universe called "Junior Officers" which is published under gay/celebrity here at Nifty. If the story gets continued it will be kinda like the episode "Lower Decks" of "The Next Generation" but set in the era of the original television series... at least to begin with.
This part contains some graphic voilence but as usual it's only what's necessary for the story.
Sorry there has been such a long break between parts 7 and 8. There is no excuse, I've just been lazy! *ashamed of myself* Once again, sorry.
Written by Adam
"Well I've been at the inn. Since both André and Siegfried who used to run it died yesterday it's deserted and... well, not entirelly since I were there ofcourse... so I've been thinking I might take it over if nobody else will" Claes said as they walked through the streets towards the cemetery.
"I wouldn't know, it depends on whether André or Siegfried had any sons who inherited the business, doesn't it?" Per said.
"They didn't, I've checked telepathically... and as far as I can tell both of them were reborn on Earth, on different continents as far as I can tell... I guess it's some kind of punishment for the evils they did in their previous lives" Erik said.
"Well then, in that case..." Claes began.
"Excuse me, how did these two boys André and Siegfried die? Is it something I need to investigate?" Richard interrupted.
"No need to investigate, André was a spy for the Queen and killed during the battle yesterday and Siegfried... Hans, how did Siegfried die?" Per said.
"Siegfried attacked Hans with a sword and was killed in self defence by Hans, as far as I'm concerned... and Siegfried was also loyal to the Queen just as his boyfriend, André" Valodja said as he and Hans came up to walk alongside Erik, Per, Richard, Stefan and Claes with Hans' and Valodja's boyfriends taging along behind them.
"If Valodja says that's the way it was I believe him. He was there as a vitness and as chief of security so if he says so then that's the way it is. And since he is Chief of Security I feel that also makes him in charge of any criminal investigation so you report to him if you don't mind" Erik said.
"Since you're the ruler of this world I guess I must obey and I understand that you know and trust Valodja since quite a long time so I guess I should too" Richard said.
"I've know Valodja longer than Erik and trust him too, so you can rest assured that he can be trusted" Stefan said.
"If you have problem taking orders from somebody who looks half your age I could change to look my real age when giving you orders" Valodja said.
"No, that's alright, I think I'm getting used to the idea of people looking like teenagers though they're several hundred years old or more" Richard said.
"Thanks a lot! I'm actually only 45 years old!" Valodja said.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to say that you were that old, I just meant that..." Richard said, beginning to blush.
"Ofcourse not. I didn't really take offence, sorry" Valodja said.
"Excuse me, but can I take over the inn or not?" Claes said.
"Since Hans killed both the previous owners yesterday I guess he's first in line to have the rights to take it over or decide who should run it, don't you agree Per?" Erik said.
"You're the King, well not officially yet but at least you're the prince and legitimate ruler so if you say that's the way things work here then that's the way it is, so you don't need my oppinion" Per said.
"Yes, but is it sensible reasoning or is it a decree that the Queen would have made?" Erik said.
"No, the Queen would have had everybody that happened to be at the inn killed and the place burned to the ground" Valodja said.
"That sounds like his style, yes" Hans said.
"And how would you know that?" Richard said.
"I'll explain later" Stefan said.
"I think your reasoning under the circumstances is sound" Per said.
"I agree, it should be for Hans to decide what happens to the inn" Valodja said.
"So Hans, do you want to run the inn or stay in the service of the court... or do both as part time jobs?" Erik said.
"Could I get some time to think about that, say until tonight and then have a word in private about it, just the four of us?" Hans said, getting something urgent in his eyes.
"Which four?" Per said.
"You, me, Hans and Valodja" Erik said.
"Okay, so you read Hans mind, but why should we talk about the inn in private?" Per said.
"I picked up a bit telepathically of what Hans said to Valodja a few moments ago so I think I know what it is, and knowing that and a couple of other things of which Hans and Valodja may not be aware I think maybe we should let Richard in on that discussion after Thomas, Sergio and Hans get back from their excursion into the mist" Erik said.
"I still haven't got an answer" Claes said.
"Well, since Hans wants to think it over and give me his decision tonight I guess you'll have to wait until tomorrow morning" Erik said.
"Since you're the king you could order him to give an answer now" Claes said.
"Yes I could, but I'm not going to" Erik said.
"But..." Claes said.
"End of discussion! That's an order!" Erik said.
"Yes, your Majesty" Claes said.
"Now please, I need to speak with my fiancè and my staff so if you would be so kind and walk further back in the procession!" Erik said and waved at Claes to move back which Claes did, though he didn't look happy about it.
"We should keep..." Hans began.
"... an eye on Claes, yes I know... That Jonas who always hanged around with Gustav, wasn't he Claes' older brother?" Erik said.
"Yes, that's what I want to talk about, but let's wait until tonight" Hans said.
"Yes, that would be more prudent... too many ears here" Erik said.
"And why do you want me there tonight?" Richard said.
"Well, Claes is still a dreamer and I think you may need to keep an eye on him on the other side too... and there may be some relevance to your case too" Erik said quietly to Richard.
"Okay. Now, there was something else you said you were going to explain... why you think it may be a risk..." Richard said.
"... for somebody who's died on Earth to return there through the mist... yes, well I'm not sure I entirelly understand the theories that were put to me about that... so I guess I should let somebody else, who understands the theories explain... Valodja, you're the one who brought it up" Erik said.
"Well, the first theory is that a body who has died on Earth can not return there and stay alive because the damage that was done to the body earlier will appear on the the new version of the body entering the world so if Erik, who was shot to death, went over the bullet wounds would appear on his body and he would die again and this time there would be no coming back except through being born again as another person, just as Thomas and Peter" Valodja said.
"But Hans was shot to death too... with the same gun, by the way" Richard said.
"Yes, so if I go over and starts to bleed from the same places as I was shot before then we can be sure that the same thing will happen to Erik if he crosses over" Hans said.
"And you're willing to risk your life this way?" Richard said.
"He is, but I'm not willing to allow him to die... I hated him after he shot me and seperated me from Per but he turned out to be a good guy after all... so I have ordered that Thomas and Sergio cross over first to be there when he arrives so Sergio can heal those wounds if they appear and both boys can help Hans back to this side if necessary" Erik said.
"And his boyfriend doesn't want him to die either!" Pak said.
"And I'm not going to die, love! Not if I and Thomas and Sergio can help it!" Hans said and hugged Pak who embraced Hans and started to French kiss him.
"Okay. Well, the first theory makes some kind of sense in a way. But if there's a first theory, there must be a second" Richard said.
"Well, the second theory also concerns anybody who's a dreamer as well, since it has to do with the idea that two copies of the same body can't be in the same world at the same time and if they are they will... I don't know... cancel each other out somehow and both will die... and we think that it will be the same even if one of them is a decomposing corpse or even a cremated one and if this is true, the erruption may be so voilent and sudden that Sergio can do nothing to save Hans" Valodja said.
"Okay, well you've got a few points there as well... though personally I think that the second theory only applies to those who are dreamers and thus alive in both worlds, and not if the person is dead on Earth and the corpse has decomposed as much as it has nine months after they died and especially not if they were cremated which I believe both Hans and Erik and even Per was, because then it's not the same matter in any way" Richard said.
"You seem to know a few things about physics... or theoretical physics" Valodja said.
"Before I decided to become a cop I took a physics course for a couple of semesters at the University of Uppsala" Richard said.
"Yes, well I was pretty hot on physics while I was alive on Earth as well and some said that I might have gotten the Nobel Price at an extremly young age... probably within a few years, but they said that shortly before I died... and then I might have not been allowed by the Soviet government to go to Stockholm and recieve the price in any case" Valodja said.
"But the USSR no longer exists" Richard said.
"It did when I was alive. Now, there is a third theory, which somebody brought up but it's the least credible one" Valodja said.
"Let's hear it anyway" Erik said.
"Hans said that he thought that maybe if... you'd better tell it yourself, Hans" Valodja said.
"Oh, it's just a crazy idea... it's that if a person who's been alive once on Earth returns this way and his body no longer exists due to having decomposed or been cremated then a new body will appear here asleep when he... or she emerges asleep in the other world and the person will become a dreamer once more for a while until the balance on Earth is settled by him being killed again... and if a dreamer crosses over this way then the sleeping body will somehow be transported over to the other world so they simply switch places" Hans said.
"But that probably also would mean everybody from here that crosses over and doesn't currently have a body there will get one and become a dreamer, including the boy who crossed over last night... Thomas, if I remember correctly, and he would have become awake in that world during daytime, yesterday when he fell asleep here last night after his little adventure... and he would remember being awake on Earth... or what do you say, Valodja?" Richard said.
"Yeah, I think so too... and since Thomas is not a dreamer, I think we can discard this theory right now" Valodja said.
"Let's not be so quick, discarding the theory. Thomas, come here for a moment, I need to ask you something" Erik said.
I'm having trouble making up my mind! Which theory should be proven right? Write to me and tell me what you think? Will Thomas turn out to be a dreamer or not?
I will try to avoid keeping you waiting for so long in the future! But I am a bit concerned that nobody has written to me to ask why I haven't written any more chapters for this story!
I will try to keep this story running parallel with Going Home and write chapters for both. I'm interested in your feedback and suggestions. Is there some story thread that you would like me to explore further or turn into a spin off? ... Write me at my_evil_twin47@yahoo.com and tell me what you think of this story!