Date: Sat, 17 Nov 2012 07:52:29 -0500 (EST)
From: Pwrlftrbear@aol.com
Subject: Falling Into Forever Chapter 19

	"Too bad the boys didn't stick around," Ben said as we tramped
upstairs.  "They're going to be pissed they didn't get to break the place
in."
	"You've certainly expanded your...repertoire," Jay said, grinning
at me.
	"Well, you pointed me in the right direction," I laughed.
	"You never did tell us how long you all have known each other,"
Paul said.
	"Oh, probably fifty years or so," Ben said.
	"I know you were with Jay when we met," I said with a nod.  "The
date wasn't memorable, but the encounter was."
	"For us, too," Jay chuckled.
	"Actually, Jim had a lot to do with my change in attitude toward
white men," Ben said.
	"Do tell," Paul leered as we entered the living room.
	Before we could start the story, Paul dropped to his knees,
clutching his head.
	"Paul?  What's wrong?" I said, dropping down beside him.
	"Brian!" he shouted, eyes wide with fear.
	"What happened?" I asked, gripping his shoulder as Ben and Jay
looked on in confusion.
	"I...I don't know," Paul said, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
"I...he just...."
	"Is he all right?" I asked urgently, silently cursing myself for
allowing them to go out alone.
	"I think so," Paul said, visibly trying to pull himself together.
"I felt panic fighting with rage, then nothing."
	"He's not...?" Jay said anxiously.
	"No.  I think he's blocking me out," Paul said with a shudder.
	"And you're not the only one," Joe said through Paul.
	"Whoa!" Jay hissed.
	"You didn't know about Joe?" I asked.
	"Yeah," Paul said.  "They've just never seen him talk through me.
Joe?  What happened."
	"I'm not sure," he said.  "He was...helping Dan."
	Ben chuckled, but Paul shook his head.
	"Not that way.  Then something...intruded on him."
	"Intruded?" I asked urgently.
	"He felt something.  I...I don't know what.  He was struggling to
contain himself and that's when he blocked us out."
	"Why would he block you out?" Ben asked.
	"I don't think it's intentional," Joe said.  "I think he's focusing
on...something to the exclusion of everything else."
	"Crap," I spat.  "Any idea where they are?"
	"I was able to pick that up before he shut me out," Joe said
uneasily.  "They're headed to South Beloit."
	"What's in South Beloit?" I asked and Paul shrugged.
	"I...I think something happened to Brian there, a long time ago,"
Joe said darkly.  "He would never talk about it.  But while we were
together, he wouldn't even drive through that town."
	"Well?" Ben asked looking around at us.
	"Let's go," I said.



	"Stop!" he said just before we crossed into South Beloit.
	He was gripping the armrest tightly, taking deep breaths, obviously
steeling himself.
	"Are you okay?" I asked as I pulled over to the side of the road.
	"I swore I'd never come back here," he growled softly.  "Why did it
have to be here?"
	"Why?  What happened here?"
	He closed his eyes, his mouth working soundlessly.
	"I...I can't talk about it," he said miserably.
	He shuddered and whimpered, sounding suddenly much younger.
	"Okay.  Go," he urged.
	I wasn't sure where we were going, but he seemed to know.
	"There," he said at last.
	"That's a church," I said.
	He nodded tensely.
	"Wait here," he said, getting out of the vehicle.
	"I'm going with you," I said, climbing out.
	"Fine," he snapped, tossing his shirt and shoes in the back.
	"What are you doing?" I hissed.
	He let out a breath.
	"From experience, I want to keep my clothes intact," he said, as he
tossed me his pants.  "If you're coming, keep a hold of those.  Please."
	"Don't you think someone will notice a honking big naked man
breaking into a church?" I growled.
	"Nope," he said with certainty.  "Coming...?"
	I followed him as he slunk silently up to the wall encircling the
grounds.
	I was watching for observers when I suddenly realized that, while I
was nervous, the familiar fear that set in during such situations was
absent.
	"How are we getting over this?" I whispered.
	In answer, his body began to swell, dark fur encloaking his flesh.
I had seen him change before and Jim had done so when I would ask, so I
recognized the...what did he call it?  Hybrid?  I think that's it.  Hybrid
form.  It was about half way between man and bear with the benefits of the
bear's strength and the man's dexterity.
	He crouched down and looked at me.
	"Get on," he growled.
	I still wasn't far enough along to understand bear talk, but in
this form, he was able to speak clearly enough for me to understand.
	"What?" I hissed back.
	"Get on my back and hold on tight," he rumbled.
	I tied his pants around my waist and did as he said.  I wrapped my
arms around his thick neck and pressed my knees into his torso.
	I wasn't sure what he planned until he surge into the air, his
front paws catching the top of the wall, sending us up and over.  The
ground rose to meet us and I tensed for impact, but he landed lightly.
	"Whoa," I breathed.
	"Helps being part cat," he whispered.
	His form dwindled to almost full human.  He slunk to the side door
and it opened.
	"Arrogant bastard," he snarled softly as we slipped inside.
	I wasn't sure what to expect, but it wasn't the whimpering of a
child.  What I witnessed that bastard doing to the kid was so obscene, so
unthinkable, my mind had trouble processing it.
	"You fucking son-of-a-bitch," Brian roared, surging forward to
where a half naked man hovered over a young boy, his form swelling anew.
	The man spun around, the panic on his face giving way to pure
terror.  He fumbled at his throat, pulling out a crucifix and began
stammering something, in Latin, I think.
	Brian lashed out, his paw closing over the man's shaking hand,
covering the cross.  The man scream as Brian crushed his hand.
	"Hide behind the emblem of your church even as you desecrate it?"
he roared.  "This stops now!"
	He lashed out, catching the man by the throat, lifting him of the
ground.  The man flailed his legs, clawing feebly at Brian's paw with his
unmangled hand, a hoarse scream tearing from his gaping mouth.
	"Brian!" I cried rushing forward.
	I grabbed his arm and the world spun around me.
	I was suddenly somewhere else.  That man, but now much younger, was
staring gleefully down at me, doing to me what he had been doing to that
little boy.  Helpless fear and unending, hopeless shame tore at me.
	I stumbled back as the foul man gasped for breath.
	I shook my head to clear it and stepped forward again.  No matter
what he had done to Brian, I couldn't let him have another death on his
conscience.  I could only think of one thing that might make him stop.
	"Mouse!" I shouted.
	Brian turned toward me, blinking.  I could almost see the child he
had been in his eyes.  With a sob, he threw the man against the wall where
he crumpled to a heap on the floor.
	Brian dropped to his knees, hands over his face, shoulders shaking.
	Hesitantly I touched him and he looked up with shame filled eyes.
	"That's what happened to you," I said, wrapping my arms around him.
"That's what changed you when we were kids."
	He nodded and I held his shivering body as it slowly shrank.
	"I never told any one.  He told me nobody would believe me if I
did," he whispered hoarsely.
	A whimper drew us back to the little boy curled into a ball.
	Brian tugged his pants on and stumbled to the boy.
	"It'll be all right, Bobby," he said as he knelt down beside him.
	The boy peeked up at him, then threw himself into Brian's arms,
sobbing hysterically.
	Brian was still sitting there, gently rocking the child, crooning
softly to him when Jim and the others showed up.



	"There!" Joe said.
	Paul's finger pointed to the church at the end of the street.
	"You sure?" I asked.
	"Yes.  There's his truck," he said.
	We got out of the truck and checked the Hummer.  Brian's shirt and
shoes were rumpled up in the back seat.
	  I was so glad to have Ben with us.  Especially since he had
brought his uniform.  Having a cop with us might come in handy.
	"How'd they get in?" Ben whispered.
	"I'm guessing Brian jumped over the fence," Paul said absently.
	"He can do that?" Ben said in surprise.
	"Well, he is at least part cat," I said with a hint of a smile.
	"Hmm," was all Jay said and leaped nimbly over the fence.
	"Yeah, guessing like that," I chuckled.
	The gate opened and we slipped inside.  All was quiet.  I would
have been more uneasy, but Paul had clearly calmed down, so I suspect Brian
was okay.  Just hoped Daniel was, too.
	The side door was ajar and we entered the church, all senses alert.
	There was less wreckage than I had feared.  An unconscious man lay
in a bloody heap.  Brian sat on the ground, cradling something in his arms
as Daniel looked up at us.
	"What are you doing here?" he asked, relief clear in his face.
	"Between Joe and Paul, we knew something was wrong," I said as Ben
went to check the body.
	"Well, he's alive," Ben said, looking up at us.
	Paul stepped up to his cub.
	Brian looked up at him miserably.
	"I'm sorry, Papa," he said hoarsely.  "I had to try and save him."
	I realized he was holding a young boy.
	"What's so special about this kid?" Paul asked gently.
	Brian whispered to the child and he peeked up fearfully.
	"Oh my God," Daniel said, stepping back.
	The boy had dark, curly hair, framing an oddly familiar face.
	"What?" I asked, looking at my cub.
	"He looks just like Brian did at that age," he whispered.
	We all turned to look at Brian, but he shook his head.
	"Not what you're thinking," he said, lifting the boy's chin.
	The child did resemble him, except for his eyes.  Unlike Brian's,
the boy's eyes were a clear green.
	Brian looked up at his papa and Paul nodded in understanding.
	"We need to get him home," he said.
	"Home?" Jay asked flatly.
	"His home," Brian clarified.
	"What about?" Ben said, jerking his head toward the crumpled heap.
	Brian snarled silently, then looked down at the child in his lap.
	"Sleep," he whispered, stroking the child's hair and the boy
yawned, his eyes fluttering shut.
	"Wow," Ben said.  "That must come in handy."
	Brian snorted and eased the boy onto a pew.  He stepped over to the
unconscious man, glaring down at him.
	"Death is too good for him," he growled.
	"Brian...," Paul warned.
	"I'm not going to kill him," Brian snarled.  "As much as I want to.
But I'm not going to let them sweep this one under the rug."
	His jaw clenched and his eyes squeezed tight.
	"Holy cow," I whispered as a claw emerged from his forefinger.
	He let out his breath.
	"You shouldn't be able to do that," I breathed.
	He smiled painfully at me.
	"You told me to practice," he said, then the smile dropped from his
face.  "Let's see how my penmanship is."



	We pulled up to the little house just as the sun was peeking over
the horizon.
	"Do you want us to come with you?" Jim asked.
	"Just Paul," Brian requested.
	Bobby was sleeping trustingly in his arms as we walked up the
sidewalk.  I rang the doorbell and a dark haired woman in a bathrobe
answered the door.
	"Ms. Hamilton?" Brian said, his voice so chill I could practically
see his breath.  "I think you need to keep better track of your son."
	"Bobby!" she gasped.
	"Mom?" the boy said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
	"What's going on?" she said, snatching the boy from Brian's arms.
	"May we come in?  I'd like a few words with you," he said.
	"What are you talking about?  Who are you?" she spat angrily.
	"I'm sorry," he said calmly, then his voice hardened.  "You will
ask us in."
	"I will ask you in," she said flatly and opened the door.
	"Bobby," he said.  "Why don't you go to your room for a bit while
we talk with your mother."
	The boy hesitantly tugged at Brian's sleeve.  With an bemused
smile, Brian dropped to one knee and the boy threw his arms around his
neck.
	"It'll be all right, Bobby," he said as he patted the boy on the
back.
	The boy clattered up the stairs while his mother stood glaring at
us.
	"You need to get him to a doctor, Rose," he said when we heard a
door close.
	She took a step back.
	"What's going on?  How do you know me?" she said.
	"I know you used to work for Robert Torkelson," he said flatly.
	She blushed and glanced up the stairs.
	"What was it?  About ten years ago?" he sneered, folding his arms.
	She stepped back and crumpled onto the couch, covering her face
with her hands.
	"What do you want from me?" she sobbed.  "I was young and stupid."
	"Did he know?" he asked, straining to keep his expression calm.
	"Yes," she said.  "When I found out, I told him.  He told me to get
rid of it or get out."
	She looked up, tears streaking her cheeks.
	"Get rid of it," she sobbed.  "Like he was an old shoe.  I couldn't
do it.  So I was out on the street."
	"Why didn't you sue him for support?" he said, his expression
softening.
	She looked up at him, then dropped her eyes in shame.
	"He had kept me isolated from most of the other employees.  He told
me he was a widower.  After I found out I was pregnant, I found out he had
lied to me.  He had a wife and children.  I'm...I'm not that kind of
person."
	"He lied to a lot of people," he said, his stance relaxing.  "You
do know he died a few years ago?"
	"I heard," she whispered.
	"You could have contested the will," he said.
	"I could have," she said softly.  "But all I would have done is
embarrass myself all over again."
	He stood looking down at her for a long moment, then nodded.
	"You need to get Bobby to a doctor.  I...discovered him being
molested."
	She gasped, her hand covering her mouth.  She got up and headed for
the stairs.
	"Rose," he said, grabbing her arm.  "He's going to need to know it
wasn't his fault.  That you believe him.  That you love him, no matter
what."
	She looked into his eyes.
	"I do," she said, then looked at him closer.
	He shook his head and she rocked back, her eyes going blank for a
second.
	"What about the bastard...," she began, her expression hardening.
	"He's been taken care of," he growled.  "He'll never hurt another
child.  Trust me on that."