Golden Autumn - Part Four
This episode is part of a larger story, Soft Touch. If you haven’t yet, you can go back and read it from the beginning right here.
The rain blows away by morning, but the overcast skies have lasted long into the afternoon. The meadowy hills beyond our garden walls are full of amber and dark gold shadows. The wild blonde grass looks even more vividly yellow against the moody weather. Two white birds streak past in the distance, tiny snowballs crossing the charcoal sheet of clouds over the sky. Dots of white are scattered across the fields, too. Yarrow flowers, in the last days of their blossoming.
The wind is powerful, making the meadows whisper and my garden dance. Pushing my hair into my eyes as I stand on the hidden step stool, gazing out over the mossy wall.
No sign of Aiden returning from his run just yet, so I reluctantly force myself to stop waiting and looking. I step down again, then cross back to the malachite tree.
“Hello, you,” I murmur gently, going down to my knees before it. “How are you feeling about this wind?”
The overgrown brick walls around the garden block most of it, but the malachite tree, despite steadily growing in size and stature, is still young and delicate.
The storm that whipped through Port Sitka and scoured Ketterbridge failed to topple it, which feels like a good sign. Still, I can’t help but worry about it. All of my plants are precious to me, but the gem plants most of all. Each one of those is a gift from Aiden.
The wind is fierce today, so I keep finding myself taking breaks from my kitchen garden, hurrying over to check on the malachite tree. I could add stakes to help it stay upright, but I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Trees naturally grow to the height at which they can comfortably withstand the wind, so it might grow dangerously tall and blow over as an adult tree if I do that. I have to let it stand on its own for a while, much as that makes me anxious.
It’s a tough little thing, at least. Lost some leaves in the storm, but it has more now than it ever had before. It’s been growing steadily straight upwards before now, but looking at the top I can see that it plans to branch off in three different directions, given time. It’s slowly starting to spread out and unfold, now that it’s grown steadier and stronger.
Satisfied that it’s hanging in there, I get up, then turn around swiftly, catching some movement at the corner of my eye. I thought it might be Aiden coming back, but it’s a different pleasant surprise.
“Hey, Will!” I call brightly.
He crosses the garden to me, raising one hand in a wave. It’s odd to watch the wind simply not apply to him. It’s making the plants swirl and shiver around him, but his blonde hair goes unruffled, and his clothes, too.
“Hello, Jamie!” he calls cheerfully, stopping before me as I pull off my gardening gloves. “Might we speak inside, dear fellow? I shouldn’t like to keep you out in this wind. You may take a chill, you know.”
He says it like that would be a very grave, life-threatening occurrence, as I guess it probably often was when he was alive. Smiling fondly at him, I give my head a toss in the direction of the kitchen, then lead the way there.
“It’s good to see you, dude!” I tell him earnestly, dropping my gardening gloves on the kitchen island. “Felt like we were gone for a long time, given how much happened. Did Kasey tell you everything? About our camping trip?”
“Ay, lad, that she did!” Will shakes his head, running a translucent hand through his hair. “Sounds as if it was quite the turn-up! Is this the saucepan I’ve heard about?”
The saucepan, which just unhooked itself from the wall and curiously hopped over towards Will, stops shyly in front of him.
“Hello, it can sense me!” Will says in surprise, then bends over to talk to it. “So you had a hand in the destruction of that awful hotel in Port Sitka, did you? Famous!”
“Oh, the whole weekend was a ride,” I groan-laugh, pulling open the kitchen cabinet. “It’s good to be home, where things are calm - oh!”
I break off with a gasp, having opened the kitchen cabinet. As soon as I did, a whole bunch of shattered glass and ceramic waterfalls out, like it was heaped against the doors. It would have spilled all over the counter and the floor, but the saucepan moves very fast, bouncing up onto the counter to neatly catch the bulk of it.
I stare at the now-empty cabinet and all the glittering pieces in total bewilderment, then abruptly remember those distant shattering sounds I heard last night when Aiden and I were in bed together. I knew he’d broken something, but I didn’t expect it to be this much.
My baffled dismay at the sight of all the ruined things instantly transforms into a flood of inner heat that makes me blush. I guess he really enjoyed himself last night.
“I’m gonna see about buying some wooden tableware,” I laugh helplessly, catching the saucepan by the handle so I can pour all the pieces into the box of broken glass and ceramic I’ve started keeping under the sink. And then, when Will shoots me a puzzled look - “Aiden keeps breaking things with magic when he’s, um - distracted. He’s more powerful than he realizes.”
“Yes, I hear he was quite exceptional against the Witch,” Will answers, drawing my eyes back to him.
I thought I heard some note of distress beneath Will’s voice. Now that I’m looking at him closer, I can see that he’s agitated, or distracted, or - I don’t know. His leaf-green eyes aren’t looking at me, and he’s nibbling on his thumbnail, his burly arms crossed over his chest.
“Everything okay, Will?” I ask curiously, setting the box of broken glass aside.
“I…” He rubs one eye, then breathes out a heavy exhale. “I’ll own the truth, Jamie - no, decidedly it isn’t! I know that I come from another time, and some might hold my opinions to be - old-fashioned, but…”
I turn around to face him in mounting concern. “Okay?”
“It’s - it’s this matter of sending off my woman to handle a dangerous foe. Without me. In my place, one could even say, if they wished to be very damaging!” Will winces with his whole face, like he’s already said it to himself a few times. “I’ll own that it’s my fault, damn it all. I told her I had no desire to leave Ketterbridge until we could do so together, and all seemed well, with you and Aiden to escort her… But that was before I knew what curst dangers lay in the path! When you came home without your memory… I was worried then, and I wanted to ask her to stay back, but my little darling is quite - well, you know, telling her not to do something is the surefire way to ensure that she…”
Will stops, like something just occurred to him, then adds hurriedly -
“Pray, do not tell Ms. Lavoe that I called you her escort, for I know well enough she doesn’t need one! Though in my day an unmarried lady, even of seven-and-twenty, would not dream of even going out to dine or to church unescorted, much less-! But that’s not what I - I shouldn’t care one whit if that’s where she were going, but this - you do know what I mean, don’t you, Jamie?”
He’s looking at me like he’s terribly worried he said the wrong thing. I’m actually trying not to laugh fondly, but someone else does that for me.
“That assumes I would have been a lady in your day, Will,” chimes in a bright, giggling voice. “Instead of a peasant wench, which probably would’ve suited me better anyways. Much less restrictive.”
Will twists around in surprise, startled to find Kasey perched comfortably on the kitchen counter.
“Did you sneak over here to talk to Jamie about this instead of me?” she asks conversationally. “Is this a topic unfit for a lady’s ears?”
Will recovers quickly, and crosses to her.
“Oh, Kasey, how can you?” He takes both of her hands in his, presses a kiss onto her knuckles. “Why the devil should I decide what is and isn’t fit for a lady’s ears? Surely the ladies would know best of all what matches that description.”
“Then why did you come here to talk to Jamie instead of me?”
“You can hardly fault me, my love, for hoping to win his support before I told you that I’sll be the one to go with him and Aiden, to face the next illusion.”
Kasey widens her eyes at him. “Oh, shall you?”
“Ay, for this - sending you, while I sit around at home, unable to protect you - it will not do, ma’am! It will never do!”
Kasey’s dark eyes dance with a silent laugh. “Oh, it won’t?”
“Never!”
“Did you forget that I can’t die, or get hurt, and that no one besides you can touch me?”
“Regardless,” Will says firmly. “You, my sweet angel, are a pea-goose if you think I’ll sit back while you nose out into danger again, and I’ll be quite blue-devilled if you attempt to force me. Only think of the shocking tales of this last venture that you told me when you came home!”
“Everything was totally under control the whole time,” Kasey says innocently, smoothing down her flowing maroon pants.
Will lets out a noise of pure indignation. “You are wholly without shame, deceitful creature! As if you haven’t already told me everything! I know what happened!”
He pauses, then turns to me with a barely suppressed grin. “Is it really true about Noah, and the police car?”
I nod solemnly, biting back my laughter, and Will doesn’t manage to keep back his.
“Famous!” he says again, his green eyes sparkling, then taps a fingertip to his temple. “Although one could say that Noah is not all right in his cockloft!”
I choke on the sip of water I was taking, then start coughing as I set the bottle down. “In his what?”
“I’m not sure that expression translates smoothly into today’s language, Will,” Kasey giggles.
“Should I say dicked in the knob instead? Some of the British lads I worked with used that one.”
“No,” Kasey laughs, as I start coughing harder on the water caught in my throat. “No, you could say, um - not all there upstairs.”
“The man is quite unhinged,” Will says firmly instead, drawing a bubble of laughter from Kasey.
“He wouldn’t try to tell you otherwise,” I laugh, dragging the sleeve of my flannel over my mouth. “And we should all be afraid, because this year he’s coming to the Fling Thing. And you can, too, Will! We’re all going!”
“Oh, is it so?” Will smiles in surprise. “I have avoided it in years past… one does feel lonely at those things, if no one can see or hear you. But if - if I can join your party -”
Will breaks off with a violent blush as Kasey winds her arms around his neck, perching at the edge of the countertop so she can snuggle his hips between her knees.
“Don’t tell me what to do, William,” she says sweetly, smiling up into his eyes in a way that clearly foretells danger.
“Never, my angel, I wouldn’t dare!” Will answers hastily. “Don’t mistake me! It’s you who must be asked to allow me to do something. I’m only - humbly begging for the - the honor of standing between you and whatever might wish to harm you.”
“And you say you’re nothing like your father,” I laugh, catching Will’s eye. “That was very diplomatic of you.”
“Okay,” Kasey giggles, her short hair falling around her face as she leans forward to nuzzle his nose with hers. “I’m willing to hear you out if you argue it from this angle.”
Will’s eyes grow warm with laughter, but he keeps his expression completely serious as he immediately drops to his knees, clasping Kasey’s delicate hands in his huge, calloused ones.
“Fair Ms. Lavoe!” he says grandly, with a Kasey-approved level of drama. “Send me in your place, I beg of you! I only came to Jamie to learn how best to make my appeal to you, for keeping you safe is all I pine for! Grant me this one thing, and I’sll do whatever you like.”
“Whatever I like,” Kasey repeats thoughtfully. “Hm. Does that favor include sex things, too?”
“Wh-?” Will, who’d been maintaining a perfectly serious expression so far, cracks abruptly with a burst of shocked laughter, his cheeks coloring up as he glances over at me. “Ms. Lavoe! You are so forward, I - I hardly know what to say-”
“Can you believe that I ended up in love with someone this easily scandalized?” Kasey giggles, catching my eye. “Me?”
“No, not really,” I laugh, pressing my fingertips over my mouth. “But I’m glad you did, because it’s very fun to watch. Are you okay, Will?”
Will has laid back on the floor as if in agony, gathered two fistfuls of his blonde hair into his hands, and hidden his blushing face in his arms. He’s a grown man, but this positioning makes him look very boyish for a moment.
“Yes, including sex things,” he says weakly, in a voice strained with mortification. “If only we might discuss those terms in private! Though why you should think you need a favor to ask for anything related to that is beyond me!”
“Aw,” Kasey laughs adoringly, catching my eye as I tremble with silent, affectionate laughter. “Okay, this is officially too cute to say no to.”
Will freezes, then sits up with wide, hopeful eyes. “Really?”
“Yes, for that and one other reason. Because we do things equally.” Kasey leans down to take his head in her hands, then softly kisses his forehead. “I took the last illusion, so you can take this one. But I’ve got the one after that. I know it’s not exactly what you want, but - does that sound okay?”
Will lets out a heavy sigh, pouting up at her. “Yes, I accept. So long as I’m not forced to do nothing! That I cannot bear.”
Kasey smiles, then looks searchingly into his eyes. “Are you sure about this, though? I know you were nervous about leaving Ketterbridge without me.”
He gets back to his feet, folds his powerful arms around her waist. “I’ve since come to realize that I loathe nothing more than sitting on my hands while you might be in danger, love.”
Kasey glows at this, then looks over at me with a wide grin. “Did you hear that?”
“Yes, Kase-face, I’m standing right here.”
Will takes a deep, determined breath, looking over at me. “When do we leave, Jamie? In a sennight?”
“No, in two weeks,” Kasey answers, gently pinching his jaw.
I bite back a smile, gazing affectionately at Kasey. She understands more of what Will says than any of the rest of us do. When he speaks like he’s from his own time, that is. Sometimes he switches without warning to sounding like he’s from right now, and it’s always kind of funny when it happens -
“I’m a little nervous,” he admits, tugging at a gold strand of his hair. “Not really about the illusion. That I’m not afraid of. It’s just leaving Ketterbridge, really… But it’ll probably be fine, right? Did you guys get any details about what to expect?”
“Yes,” I answer, biting back a laugh at this abrupt switch-up. “Kasey stopped by the flower shop earlier this morning, so I’ve filled her in on what she missed at our breakfast with Calla. The only thing is - there is no illusion this time, you guys. Remember? We’re going into the territory of the one the Sorcerer already destroyed.”
“Yes, but now we know that the Witch was able to break out of her territory, and she said the Sorcerer was working on accomplishing the same thing,” Will points out. “So we might run into something, right? If not, I’ll just come along for the next mission, too. Like Kasey said, we’ll be taking it in turns.”
Kasey suppresses a giggle behind her hands. “You seem like a cute guy on his break at the Ren Faire when you start talking just like we do, dressed the way you are.”
He smiles to see her smiling, then catches her hand and presses it gently. “Will you be my date to the Fling Thing, Kasey?”
“Oh, I’m not sure,” she says, putting a thoughtful finger to her lip. “I’ve got other people who might be more fun to go with, so… I should probably take some time. Consider all my options.”
Will’s green eyes shine with laughter, but he sternly asks: “Will you go with me, ma’am, or will you not?”
“Okay,” she giggles. “Now let’s go talk over those terms you mentioned. The sex thing terms.”
Will blushes violently, smothering a shocked laugh behind his hand. He opens his mouth to answer, looks at me helplessly, then vanishes instead, taking Kasey with him.
I let out a laugh in the now-empty kitchen, then glance over my shoulder as I hear the front door open.
“Hey, Jamie!” calls a voice in the living room. “Are you home, brother?”
“In here, Raj!” I call back, then hastily put the saucepan back on its hook, dropping my voice to a whisper. “Back up there, you, and hold still!”
The saucepan settles itself against the wall right as Raj pushes the kitchen door open. I think he might have caught a glimpse of the movement, because his eyes, which had already flitted past the saucepan, blink back to it and stare for a second.
“Hey, man!” I say brightly, spreading my arms out wide. “I know we were only gone for one weekend, but it feels like ages since I’ve seen you!”
Raj immediately comes over to accept the hug, just like I knew he would. “I know! And it felt like a lifetime since I had seen Noah!”
I draw back to grin up at him, wishing Noah was here to hear that. I’m sure Raj told him right to his face, though, and embarrassed him deeply.
Raj is clearly happy to have Noah back. His dark brown eyes are smiling warmly, and he has the glow of good sleep about him. His windswept dark curls fall over his face as he bows his head to look into his bag.
“I can’t wait to hear about everything that happened!” he adds, making me feel a twinge of guilt. “But if Aiden’s not home we should take advantage of the opportunity… here it is!”
Raj draws a pencil and a notebook out of his bag, then starts flipping through pages full of notes and measurements. He stops on a page with a sketch, then slides the notebook along the kitchen counter to me. “Is this what you were thinking?”
“Oh!” I gasp, startled and delighted, snatching the notebook up for a closer look. “Raj, that’s amazing! Can you really make that?”
“Sure, brother. So long as this is to your liking. I can change anything you want.”
“No, it’s great,” I assure him, meaning it completely.
It’s a small, freestanding spice cabinet, with tiny wooden drawers for each spice. Not nearly enough drawers for all the different ones Aiden uses, but enough for his favorites. Raj added some nice details that I didn’t even ask for, beautiful touches.
“Can you have it done in time for our anniversary, though? Technically it was last week, but we think of the Fling Thing as our anniversary, even when it’s held late.”
“Yeah, I can, but you’ve gotta tell me what kind of wood you want me to use.”
“I have some, actually!” I tell him enthusiastically, putting on some water for tea. “Emmett’s dad is a farmer, and he had to clear two trees near one of his fields. He said if you wanted to come take a look at the wood, for this and anything else you might need it for, and as long as you’re willing to haul it away-”
“Oh, yes please!” Raj jumps in enthusiastically.
“Awesome.” I beam down at the sketch happily, then turn around and pick up the big box I left on the counter last night. “Here’s the first installment of your payment!”
Raj peers down into the box, making an appreciative noise when he sees the colorful berries, foraged mushrooms, bundles of herbs, and cardboard crates of veggies from my garden.
“You sure you don’t mind giving up all this, Jamie? Wasn’t it a lot of work to grow it?”
“Oh, it’s okay,” I promise, nudging the box towards him. “First of all, I’ve never had a kitchen garden for the harvest season before, so I got too excited and way overplanted. We’re having a harvest right now like we’re a farm. And second of all, the cabinet is for Aiden, so of course I don’t mind…”
I trail off, blushing, then add - “And we could use the spice cabinet! We’re officially all unpacked from the move, and it still feels like there’s so much empty room in the house to fill up.”
“Been there,” Raj says sympathetically. “You guys still have a whole empty bedroom upstairs, right? You gonna turn it into a guest room, or something?”
“Oh, no, I think - for now we’ll probably just leave it how it is. Might have other plans for it at some point. Maybe a nursery. A plant nursery, I mean!” A little flustered, I peer down into the box, pretending to make sure I put everything in. “Are you sure you don’t mind working for this, instead of money?”
“Yeah, ‘cause - I mean - probably better for my baby if she eats food that was homegrown with love, right? Better for Nohea and M, too.”
I smile fondly at Raj, caught by surprise. “Oh. Yeah, probably.”
“Then no, I don’t mind.” He draws the box towards himself, carefully closing it up. “Gotta trick Noah into eating vegetables somehow, and I bet they taste better when they come from your garden.”
This is a compliment that makes me positively beam at Raj. The look on my face is enough to draw a soft huff of laughter from the new arrival standing in the garden doorway.
“Wow, what did you say to him, Raj?” Aiden’s deep voice is a little out of breath from his run as he comes into the kitchen and stops to pull off his sneakers. “I feel like I should be jealous.”
Raj smoothly snaps his notebook closed, then folds his arms on the box and grins at Aiden, extending one hand for a slap of greeting. “Anyone who’s seen the way Jamie looks at you would tell you it’s stupid to be jealous of anyone, man. Look at him right now, even.”
I quickly check the look on my face before Aiden can see it. I’m sure I was pretty dreamy-eyed, given how nice he looks after his run, his cheeks pink from the wind and exertion, his chestnut hair in a sexy, silly tumble.
“He’s glaring at me,” Aiden observes.
“To try and balance out the look he had on his face before,” Raj snickers. “And it’s not working.”
“No, it isn’t,” Aiden agrees, smiling adoringly as he bends down to give me a kiss of greeting.
I make a face at him, but accept the kiss, then hand him the cup of black cardamom tea I made him, sweetened with milk and rock sugar. He lets it warm his cold hands with a sigh of relief, then turns to smile at Raj.
“What’s up, Raj? I missed you, weirdly!”
“Not weird at all, brother, I was just telling Jamie it felt like you were gone for ages!” Raj says earnestly, tucking his pencil back behind his ear. “When do I get to hear about the camping trip? Noah seems like he had a blast, but he hasn’t said too much about it. I’m kind of surprised, actually. Expected him to come home bursting with stories.”
Aiden pauses, looking across the kitchen island at Raj’s face. Noticing the gently-asked question in his dark brown eyes.
It feels like Raj has noticed Noah being a little weird, but he’s not concerned about it yet. Just confused, and wondering if we have an explanation.
“Noosh probably just wants to wait and tell you everything when we’re all together,” Aiden says slowly, hesitating. “And, you know - it has been a while since we got to have a boy’s night. But this time we should do it with Melanie, ‘cause she’ll want to hear, too.”
“Aw, you’re so right!” Raj brightens immediately. “Our house? Soon?”
“Yeah,” Aiden says, after a moment of consideration. “I’ll text Ripley and let him know.”
I’m still staring at Aiden in surprise, but when Raj looks at me I quickly smile and nod in agreement.
“Sounds good! Did you want some tea, Raj?”
Raj straightens up, wrapping his arms around the harvest box. “No need, bro, I’m just headed out.”
“You sure you don’t want to stay?” Aiden asks, setting his tea aside so he can take down a mixing bowl from a shelf. “I’m making fesenjan, since it’s cold out and I’ve got the time.”
“Ooh.” Raj hesitates, lowering the box back onto the counter. “I don’t know what that is, but everything you make is amazing.”
“Should be pretty good,” Aiden says, crossing over to one of the far kitchen cabinets. “I’m gonna use a lot of stuff that Jamie grew, so - ow, fuck!”
“Oh, no, did you hit your head on the ceiling again?”
“Yeah, Jamie, why do we keep the spices in this fucking cabinet all the way in the corner?” Aiden grumbles, rubbing his head as he comes back over to join us. “That low-ass ceiling over there!”
“It’s the only place they fit!”
“As a construction guy, I can explain,” Raj offers helpfully. “The people who built this house didn’t realize a ten foot tall man would one day live here.”
“Ten foot-? Okay, you’re uninvited from dinner, Raj, for reasons of absurd exaggeration.”
“Ah, it’s all good,” he laughs, waving a hand at Aiden. “I gotta go replace a few floorboards and mount a TV for somebody, anyways.”
Aiden glances at him curiously. “Oh, so you - just stopped here to say hi for a few minutes? Missed us that much?”
I steal a nervous glance at Raj. I haven’t had too many occasions to see him attempt to lie about something, but given what a sweet-natured guy he is -
“And what if I did, man?” he asks, grinning widely as he puts a hand to his chest. “I got a lot of love in my heart, I won’t deny that! Although in actuality I wanted to pick up some veggies and stuff from Jamie, and get his opinion on something I sketched that I’m gonna get to work building tonight. I’m excited, I think it’s gonna turn out-”
Raj breaks off, his attention snagged on the box of colorful ceramic and glass shards I had to add to earlier. He blinks a few times, then wanders closer to it, peering in.
“Wow, what’s this?” he breathes in delight.
“Something I’m trying to figure out how to recycle,” I answer honestly, with a helpless laugh.
Raj flashes me a wide grin, then closes up the shards box and stacks the harvest box on top of it. “You just found a way, dude! Me.”
By now Aiden and I are pretty used to Raj gathering up what can only be classified as trash and turning it into beautiful stuff. We exchange an affectionate grin as Raj calls out a goodbye and heads for the door with both boxes.
I’m full of relief, too. Aiden is clearly none the wiser, and not at all suspicious. Seems like Raj can keep a secret, even if it’s someone else’s.
If I’m guessing right about Aiden’s intentions in making those plans, that’s an infinitely reassuring thing to know.
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