Old Friends..(Zodiac)

[Doc]

Doc stared at Zodiac. He stared and mentally felt for that choking weight of stupidity and responsibility that symbolized his relationship with the Ball and Chain. It wasn’t there. Not a hint, crumb, or symbolic residue of the bond remained. When had it happened? How long had it been gone? Yes. He compartmentalized things, especially with things that he hated to be reminded of. So yes. The Ball and Chain received her own special compartment, where she was ignored until he was forced to deal with her.

But the Ball and Chain was gone. The stare that he had been giving Zodiac slowly began to morph into a tentative, albeit mostly hidden smile. Now he understood. That feeling that something was off. Something was different. Something he was missing. That is what had been different.

The bond had been broken.

Now things began to make sense. Doc had subconsciously known that something was wrong. Something was missing, but he didn’t realize what that ‘something’ was. Now, knowing that .. the bond was gone, he visibly relaxed. The careworn look that had only moments ago adorned his face, had vanished. The tentative smile transformed into an obvious closed lipped smile.

There still remained a torrent of emotions, that he still had to deal with. The rocketing highs, and depressing lows. But now he knew what was behind them. Over the last five years, he had become accustomed to shutting down that part of his life. Forcing himself to believe the bond didn’t matter. That it should be ignored, could be ignored. Was ignored, as if it never happened, or existed. But as Zodiac had said, once the trap door was opened, things spiralled of their own accord.

The bond was gone. With that knowledge, it was as if there was a symbolic weight that had been lifted from his shoulders. And what had Zodiac said.. ‘She had been told..’

The closed lipped smile became a knowing smirk. He had not been aware of it, but Zodiac had known.

Zodiac had -known-.

The knowing smirk became a sly full on grin.

For Zodiac to know, when he did not, meant the Chain had broken it.

The Bond that came about all because of a game of Chicken. Who would pull out first.. Who would balk.. Who would admit defeat.. But neither side had. And thus they were bound, together. Forever. Had Doc realized he was making a mistake? Yes. DId he go through with it, anyway? Yes. Why? His pride wouldn’t allow him to admit defeat. He was going to take it to the end; there was no way he was caving, and admitting she was won. **** that.

Until now...

The bond was gone. Looking at Zodiac, the grin in place, exuberance was clearly heard, as he said, “I WIN!”

[Zodiac]

Once again, he surprised her.

I win?

I WIN?

What the hell kind of a response was that? You suddenly face the fact your soul mate has vanished from your existence in a permanent type of nature and your reaction is ‘I win’, then what kind of a situation did the pair of them have to start with? Sadly she did not know the details of the couple’s life. Zodiac had only seen ‘Mrs Nilson’ a total of 2 times that she could recall. She had never approached or spoken to her, so she had no clue what kind of individual she truly was.

Cytherea, wasn’t it? To Zodiac, the name sounded like she hung around with Great Cthulhu and Lovecraft’s other Great Old Ones (which might not be a bad thing in ways). From what she observed those two times, it was apparent the woman did not put up with Doc’s unique brand of ********. Good for her. The Doctor needed someone to stand up and tell him what part of the woods the bears made baby bears in. Who exactly was it that told her the pair had severed? She could not be sure. So many tidbits crossed her paths in the night and the majority of them were usually not worth the effort to dig too deeply into. She had simply filed away the rumor in her head and left it at that.

So again, what kind of reply was ‘I WIN!’ ?

It was obvious Cthulhu’s kid sister had finally had enough of Doc. One does not forget severing, no matter how deluded they were. Doc had simply not even noticed or chose not to investigate the matter at all. If the latter, it would explain some of his emotional upheaval. Something was off, but he could not find what started the entire matter within. Had their ‘marriage’ been so trivial in nature? A game of double dog dare you? She could not wrap her head around it. Add to it the fact he had not even noticed when she had cut all ties with him until now and this was his reaction?

”So, let me get this straight. This….marriage of yours. Was it real or just some kind of….. Contest?” Crystal blue eyes blinked rapidly and purple shaded lips hung open in surprise. ”Is this the end result of being a scientist? A logical person in all things? No love, no romance? Just a game to see who got tired of whose nonsense first?”

Her Romany blood was literally boiling in her veins. The outrage she felt. Matters of the heart were always sacred and not to be considered a triviality. She respected this man. He was not like most males and when the notions began to appear perhaps he was interested in her, she was open to that. A surprise to her beyond anything she could imagine. He was different, he would try to understand her, they would accept each other as they were and work together to things beyond the both of them individually. And she would love and care for him. Be the one he’d talk with at the end of days and help him make sense of the world he was forced to work in. And all the things he could teach her as well.

She was almost giddy when she realized who had sent her the plants. She waited for an invitation that never came. She did not complain or comment. When the gypsy heard he had been bound, she was happy for him. She had already warmed to Cinnamon’s offer and affections, so she was glad he had found someone to share the darkness with.

But if it had been just a game with Cytherea, then what would it have been with her? Would she have been a joke? Someone to parade in front of his friends and laugh about when she was not around?

”Oh yeah, she is way out there. Still prays to gods that never existed, burns candles, casts spells and curses, thinks the future can be told in a deck of cards and picks up every stray cat she finds, but– she can do the laundry like nobody’s business. Keeps the house clean, my suits are always pressed and neat and the bedroom is not so boring. Total idiot, of course, but hey...”

Would that be how he'd think of her?

”You………..”

The word sounded like a snake hissing as the emotional firestorm inside her was reaching its zenith. Zodiac exploded into a standing pose-levitating in the air looking down at him now. Thin lines of crimson were eroding away the details of the elaborate eye make up she wore to fulfill the image most expected to find when they came to have their fortune told by a gypsy witch. She shook for a moment– unable to process how to purge herself of the anger inside. He would have treated her like that?

Her right arm suddenly pulled back and swung– laying a hard slap to his face. If he had been human, she might have caused him serious injury with the force of her blow. She hung there now with eyes blazing as the powers of the Burning Touch rose unbidden within her and caused the palms of her hands to begin to glow with fire.

”You….*******…MALE!” her mindspeak screamed. Even the lich that had wandered near them flinched at the volume and tone of her words. She watched the Doctor closely. Waiting for whatever was to happen next. She was ready and if she could not put his *** solidly to the floor, she knew who could and would do so gladly. Unlike him, there were a few men that actually respected her and would not be amused that someone had toyed with her in such a way. Her attention was especially on his eyes. The eyes always said far more than anything else…..

And she blinked when she saw. The fires in her hands faded away as she watched him now. No one could fake that so easily.

He didn’t understand.

He simply did not understand this turn of events. The lines of crimson grew more intense as she drifted back a couple feet from where he sat.

”I have always said, you never cease to surprise me, Doctor Nilson.” her mental voice whispered again with an occasional sound most would consider sobbing as her body visibly relaxed. ”And tonight was no exception. You cannot even begin to understand why I was so angry at you just now– can you? Not a single clue. And if you think it is born of sympathy for your ex-wife, you’d be so far off the mark it would not even be funny. You managed to make me pity you in the middle of my rage. Amazing.”

[Doc]

Doc never had a chance to reply to Zodiacs first question, and in the seconds before the slap, he had intended on telling her, yes, Zodiac had hit it on the head. It had been a contest. The binding had been a game of chicken. Who will flinch and bail first? But neither of them did, and this binding resulted in constant state of acrimony. Even when Doc tried to have a pleasant evening, Chain would constantly find something to find fault with. How did one explain how caustic and poisonous the two of them were together? How, more often than not, the two of them, ended up in fisticuffs, that often escalated to bloodshed by weapons. Mostly hacked into him, by the Chain.

The Chain would leave, months, years on end, then wander back and expect him to have been patiently waiting. Waiting, and willing to give her pass, with no explanation needed. He would bite back the anger, give her a job, bend over backwards to accommodate her ******* patients. Patients, that under her care, would manage to to escape. Would she follow the ******* rules, and let everyone know? No.. she would play detective, hunt them down and kill them. How the **** she got a license to counsel inmates, he still questioned. So yes.. He was free and ******* pleased about it!

Doc was free and he won the contest! He was feeling exhilarated at the news that the Chain cut him off. And then the slap sent his head whipping backward. “**** me…” He wheezed out, reaching up, he felt his jaw, “I think you broke it…” he said through gritted teeth, “You must be ******* channeling her. She had a wicked right hook too.”

What Zodiac went on to say in his head after the slap was lost on him. He was used to shutting out mindspeak. Another trick thanks to the Chain, he had to learn, because she liked to scream into his head all the ******* time. Her genuine disappointment in him, was missed in words, as Doc was focusing on fixing his broken jaw.

However, Doc may not have focused on the words, spewed into his head, but he saw the look in her face. The rage, the disgust and loathing, and what he had planned on saying, dried up. What was the point? He could tell by her face, Zodiac had judged him and found him lacking. What would the truth matter? It would just be his ‘excuse’. Just another reason for her to be righteously upset. What would it gain him? It was better she believe the worst of him now, he would only **** it up later. He knew this. There was no point in trying.

Doc returned her indignant look with flat look of his own. He shut down the openness he had previously shared with her. He nodded slowly. “My apologies for intruding upon you, to begin with. You are quite right. I should have never imposed. Lesson learned. With your permission, I will take my leave.”

[Zodiac]

She watched the typical dead pan expression the Doctor wore so well fall across his face with ease. His simple wish to be away from her company confused her for a second. She had missed something in the entire exchange of things, and apparently so did he.

But what?

She had broke a cardinal rule in her profession. Her own feelings eclipsing into the subject at hand. She ran the entire conversation over in her thoughts. What had she missed in all of this?

A nagging feeling spread through her now. An opportunity had been missed and now both of them were suddenly miles apart.

”I…I’m sorry,” her thoughts muttered as she watched him inspecting his jaw. He had not been prepared and the girl still saw herself as what she was when alive at times. A blow from her from before would probably be a fierce attack with a powder puff. She still could not accept she had grown far stronger than her origins, and this was the results at times. ”I’m so sorry.”

She began to drift to him, but thought better of it. Zodiac knew him too well. He would accept no help or sympathy from her now. Whatever it was she should have picked up on was lost. The only way she’d ever find it is if he would open up to her again and the odds of that happening in the near future would be astronomical at best. Her thoughts were racing as she bit down on her fingernails. ”You should have stayed on point!” she screamed inside.

With reluctance, she drifted to the side, allowing him a clear path to leave if he wished. She held him in her gaze as she gritted her mental teeth as her mouth opened.

“Eye mmmm…..rArry.”

She hated how she sounded when she forced herself to actually try and speak. She had read in the past that if one had heard sound, she could learn to talk. She tried many times but between vanity and that stupid growth in her head that could not be removed now, this was it. Sounding like a dying animal when she tried to form words. She had even toyed with the idea of consulting with the Doctor on that. Would it be possible to be operated on and have it removed? Her powers could prevent healing if she willed it, so the growth would not return. Perhaps then the lines of communication between her brain and her mouth might actually work as they were supposed to.

Perhaps degrading herself like this might get some of her sincerity across to the Doctor.

Perhaps.

What had she done?

It occurred to her it was a two way street in this conversation. Nilson had not caught certain nuances from her or if he had he had simply dismissed them. After all, he had said it himself in the beginning. Out of sight-out of mind. Was it real or had she just deluded herself? Maybe it was him just being kind? Nothing of substance at all?

She looked away from Nilson and spied the lich growing curious again and making its way toward her. Perhaps sensing weakness in her. She shot toward the thing, her short blade up and ready. The last of her anger focused in her strike. The lich shuddered as its head was split in half by her single blow and collapsed on the floor dead. She ignored the prize and continued to drift down the hall toward the exit.

She’d done enough damage for one night.