#jackinthatpattillo

“Calm yourself. Just focus. Imagine a ball forming in your hands. Once you have it formed, place it down onto the wound. Just like we've practiced.”

Two men were sitting next to another lying in a bed. The reclined man’s face was scrunched up in pain that originated from a nasty wound on the left leg. His family hovered in the doorway, hoping that he would be alright. One of the other man, the one that was sitting closest to injured man’s legs, had his eyes closed, hands cupped as if he was holding something. The last man, sitting next to him, was speaking, giving the other directions.

“You can do it. Just relax and focus.”

The younger man nodded and did as told. Soon enough, a pale blue ball began to form in his hands, starting small and wispy before getting larger in size. After a few moments the young healer slowly opened his eyes and was a little surprised to see the ball had actually formed. He took a deep breath and lowered the ball over the wound, letting it sink into the exposed flesh. A couple of seconds passed and nothing happened. Just when they thought it hadn't worked, the leg glowed the same shade of blue that the ball had been. A few more seconds passed before the light faded and the patient opened his eyes. He slowly sat up and looked at his leg, letting out a cry of relief when he saw that it was completely healed.

“It’s healed! Oh my goodness! Thank you both so much! You saved my life!” He said, getting out of the bed to shake both of their hands. “Dear, could you get the money to pay these nice gentlemen?”

His wife nodded and moved out of the doorway to get the payment while his children ran up to hug their father, happy to see that he was not going to die. The two men watched the scene unfold as the father lifted both of his children into his arms. The older of the two pat the younger on the back as they watched the scene before them, giving him a smile that said he was proud of him. The younger male smiled back and reached up to rub some of the sweat away that had formed when he was trying to heal the father. The wife finally came back, two pouches of varying sizes in her hands.

“This one has the payment and the other is something extra.” She said as she handed the pouches over. “As thanks for saving my husband.”

The older male peeked into the bags.

“Are you sure we can take these? You have quite a bit of food in here.”

“We insist that you take it.” The husband replied, setting the children down and walking over. “I might not be here if it wasn’t for you and your apprentice. Would you both like to stay the night? It is getting late.”

“We appreciate the offer, but we must be going. There might be others like you out there that need healing.”

“Fair enough. You two stay safe now, you hear? You never know what might be out there at night.”

The two clerics bid the family farewell and left the small cabin. It wasn't until they were a good distance away that the younger cleric turned to the older one.

“How much did we get this time?” He asked.

“Five gold coins, three silver, and a couple bronze ones.” Was the reply. “The food bag has a few small loaves of bread. We should be fine for a couple days until we reach the next town.” The man puts both bags away and looks over at his companion. “You did very well back there, Caleb.”

“I was so worried for a moment there that I didn't do it right.” Caleb replied, rubbing the back of his head. “It only worked because I have you as my mentor, Jack.”

Jack chuckled at that, “While that may be true, what happened back there was all because of you.”

“Still, I have a long way to go. Compared to your eight years of being a healer, I only have four under my belt.”

“Hey now, the amount of years isn't important here. What I think matters most is how dedicated you are to your cause. Remember that, Caleb.”

“Alright. What are we going to spend the money we got on this time?”

Jack fiddled with the bag of coins. They didn't have much money, only getting it from the people they had healed, and sometimes that wasn't much either. Jack and Caleb didn't complain, though. To them, saving lives was more important than money. They’d survived three years just getting by and they were okay with that. Because of that they had become a lot smarter when it came to spending their money on food and supplies.

“Well, food for sure. How much will depend on how much bread we have left when we reach the next town. Maybe some clothing if we have the money for it. Whatever is left over from that we’ll save up for the next town.”

Caleb nodded, accepting Jack’s explanation. The two fell into a comfortable silence as they walked until it got too dark for them to continue. Jack started up a fire while Caleb rolled out their bedrolls. Pulling one of the loaves of bread from the bad, Jack broke it up into fourths. He and Caleb each got a fourth, putting the other two pieces back into the bag. Once they ate, they talked for a bit longer before lying down and falling asleep.

---------------------

After a couple days of traveling, Jack and Caleb found themselves in a small town. The two didn't stop to see the sights or rest, locating the market that was in the town. They spent a good while there, looking for the best deals for good food and clothing. Once they finally finished, Jack took Caleb to the nearby tavern to get a quick meal. Caleb was unsure if they would have enough money to pay for the meals. Jack assured him many times that they did so he went along with it, knowing he wasn't going to win in an argument against Jack. The two finished their meals not long after their arrival and exited the tavern.

“Where will we be heading next?” Caleb inquired as they walked.

“First, we’ll head to the local church, if they have one here, and see if they need any help.” Jack replied. He reached into his pack and pulled out a piece of parchment, unrolling it as he continued. “After that we’ll head to the next town. Which, from the looks of it, is about a weeks worth of walking.”

“That doesn't sound too bad.”

“That’s how long it will take if we don’t stop to help anyone on the way there. I would have to say maybe a week and a half for the maximum time it would take adding that.”

They managed to locate the church fairly easily and were just about to walk inside when they heard someone shouting behind them. Turning to see what the commotion was about, they saw a man in red and black robes running towards them. He stopped in front of them, doubling over to catch his breath before he looked up at them, his glasses slightly askew and black hair falling down into his eyes.

“Is… Is there a healer in?” The man breathed out. “My… My friend is gravely injured and needs a healer.”

Jack straightened up at that. “How badly?”

“I’m not sure. I was just told to find someone as soon as possible. I didn't stick around to find out.”

Jack and Caleb exchanged looks before Jack spoke up again. “I’m a Cleric and this is my apprentice. Take us to your friend.”

The man looked relieved to have found someone who could help. “Oh, thank goodness. Hurry, this way.”

Jack and Caleb wasted no time and followed after the man, weaving their way through the market. Their destination was outside of the town and into the forest. It took them a couple minutes before they reached their destination, if the dead bodies and blood were any indication of their arrival.

“Geoff, Jeremy, I found some Clerics who are here to help!” The robed man shouted.

“You did?! That’s great Matt. Over here! My potions are about to wear off.”

Matt, the now named man, gestured Jack and Caleb around a few trees. They rounded the trunks and paled at the sight. Four men were gathered around one man laying on the ground, a large amount of blood pooled beneath him. Jack couldn't tell how bad the wounds were, but if these five men were desperate for a Cleric to help, then it must be bad.

“What happened?” Jack asked as he walked over to them.

“We were hunting a target and they had more people than we thought.” One of the men, dressed in assassin’s robes, replied. “Kdin here took a fatal wound for our leader, Geoff.”

Once Jack was close enough, he could he see just how serious the wound was. Kdin, the assassin had supplied to them, had five puncture wounds on his chest. They looked deep and Jack couldn't tell if they went all the way through, but he knew that if he didn't do anything now, this man would die. Jack moved between two of the men, shrugging off his pack and getting to work.

“Caleb, I’m going to need some of the clean rags from your bag and some warmed up water.” Jack ordered. “I’ll also need some of those leaves I showed you a few days ago to make a paste out of. Thread and needle might be needed as well.”

“Micheal, go with him just to be on the safe side.” The man to the left of Jack asked. “We don’t know if there are any more of the target’s men out there.”

Michael nodded and followed after Caleb after Jack was handed the rags, a needle, and thread.

“Will you be able to fully heal him?” Matt asked.

“Not at the moment, no.” Jack replied as he removed Kdin’s clothing so he could have better access to the wounds. “The body can only take so much healing magic before the body refuses to accept it anymore and rejects it. Once his body starts to reject the healing, I’ll wrap the wounds that are still there and we’ll have to wait till the next day to finish up.” Jack looked over at Matt and gave him a comforting smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll be able to keep him from dying.”

Once Caleb and Michael came back with the water and plants, Jack got to work. He crushed the leaves and made them into a paste before setting them aside for the moment. Grabbing the rags and the water he slowly began to clean away the dried blood and any dirt that had gotten into the wounds. Once he finished cleaning the wounds, Jack took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He slowly started to mutter a healing spell under his breath and his hands started to glow a light green. After a couple minutes Jack reopened his eyes and placed his hands over the wounds. The process was slow and long, as Jack had to be very careful when it came to healing injuries like these. He didn't know if the wounds had hit any of the vital organs, so Jack had to make sure that he didn't skip over them.

Hours passed before Jack finally moved from his spot. He lifted his hands away from Kdin’s chest, the light green glow gone from his hands. His breathing was heavy from the amount of focus and magic he had used to heal the man. The wounds now looked much better than when Jack started, but they still would be a problem if left unchecked. Jack reached over and picked up the paste and leftover rags. He smeared the paste over the wounds and wrapped them up with the rags, making sure they were tight enough to keep them from bleeding but not enough to cut off circulation.

“He should be out of danger for now.” Jack said, reaching up to wipe some sweat from his brow. “Give him the night to sleep and I should be able to heal up the rest of it in the morning.”

“Are you okay?” The man, Geoff, Jack was told, asked. “You don’t look so good.”

“I’m just very drained from healing your friend. That much focus took a lot out of me.”

“Lay down and rest Jack.” Caleb said. “I’ll keep a watch over Kdin and let you know if anything happens.”

Jack nodded and moved away from Kdin and over to his bedroll, which Caleb had set up for him. His apprentice gave him some food to eat and some water, and he was out like a light once he laid down to rest. The others fell asleep soon after, only Jeremy and Caleb staying up to watch over Kdin.

The next day had Jack waking up early and working on his patient as soon as he could, despite Caleb, and even Jeremy’s, complaints. Jack worked well into the afternoon until he was able to fully heal Kdin. There were faint circles on his patient’s chest, showing where he had taken the injury. Otherwise, though, he was going to be okay.

“There, done.” Jack said, leaning back. “He should wake up in an hour or so.”

“Seriously, thank you for saving him.” Geoff said. “They’re like family to me and I would hate to lose one of them.”

“It wasn't a problem. I feel the same way with Caleb.”

“Do you accept some sort of payment for doing this? We don’t have much, being hired hands ourselves, but I’m sure we can get something for you guys.”

Jack shook his head, “Usually we do, but for this I’m not going to charge you guys.”

“Come on. There has to be something we can give you.”

“Nope. Anything you try to give myself will just be given back. And don’t you even try to give it to Caleb, he’s not the best at keeping things hidden.”

Geoff frowned at Jack. “You seriously don’t want anything? Why?”

Jack turned away from Geoff to look down at the fire that Ray had started. “It just doesn't sit well with me, that’s all. Sometimes I don’t charge people when I heal someone and they practically throw their money at me and run before I can stop them. It’s just my way of doing things.”

Geoff stared at Jack for a while before he smiled. “I can understand that, I guess. You are one strange man, Jack.”

“Thanks… I think.” Jack looked over at Geoff and gave him a smile back. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Jack spoke up again. “So, do you guys get a lot of jobs?”

“It depends on the size of the town. Some towns we’re there for just a night or two and others we stay for weeks. We want to help however we can.” Geoff paused to gesture at Kdin, who had woken up while they were talking and was being introduced to Caleb. “Stuff like this happens quite often. Not as severe, but it is not uncommon for one of us to be injured.”

That made Jack freeze. “And you never had a Cleric with you before, why?”

Geoff shrugged. “Never had one offer to join us. Jeremy’s potions, he’s an alchemist if you haven’t been told yet, do us just fine since most of the time our injuries aren't severe enough. That’s why we had to find you guys, Jeremy’s potions weren’t strong enough to help Kdin like healing magic could.”

Jack was about to say something when Jeremy and Kdin joined them around the fireplace, Jeremy supporting Kdin as they sat down.

“I am told that you are the reason I still breathe.” Kdin said as he bowed a little bit. “I thank you for saving my life, good sir.”

“It wasn't a problem. I couldn't stand by when your friend came into town screaming for a Cleric.” Jack said. “You are Kdin, correct? I’m Jack.”

“Nice to meet you, Jack.” Kdin turned his attention toward his leader. “Geoff, have you seen Val? The others said they haven’t seen her since Matt left to find help.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, a loud roar sounded overhead. Everyone looked up and spotted a black dot in the sky, getting bigger every second. A few seconds later a black and blue blur tackled Kdin to the ground, kicking up dust. Only when the dust had cleared could Jack and Caleb see what took Kdin down. The man was laughing as a black and blue dragon laid on top of him, showering him with pecks and licks to the face.

“Val! Val, calm down.” Kdin said between his laughs. “I’m okay! I’m okay!”

Val kept up the treatment for a few seconds before moving off of Kdin and curling around him, laying her head in his lap.

“So, this is Val.” Kdin introduced as he pet Val’s head. “Val, this is Jack and Caleb. They saved my life.”

Val lifted her head and nodded at them, letting them know she was grateful.

“Kdin’s a Warlock and Val is his dragon partner.” Geoff explained. “Matt is a Red Mage, Ray is an Assassin, Jeremy is an Alchemist, and Michael is a Warrior.”

“What are you?” Jack asked.

“People like to call me a Hero, but I like to say I’m a normal Fighter.” Geoff answered.

Caleb tilted his head at Kdin and Matt. “What is the difference between a Warlock and a Red Mage? Those sound kinda the same.”

Geoff groaned as both Kdin and Matt looked appalled at what Caleb had just said. The two huffed and moved to either side of Caleb and began to tell him, in great detail, the differences between the two. Jack and Geoff were forced to listen in as well, as anytime they tried to leave they were glared at by the two.

“So,” Caleb said after what felt like hours of explaining. “A Warlock has magic abilities, but if they have a pact with a demon or supernatural being they have it boosted greatly, and a Red Mage is a very rare class of mage that doesn’t specialize in one area of magic?”

“That’s the short version, yes.” Kdin replied.

Matt nodded in response, “Yup. Do you get it now?”

“Yeah. Never will I call the two similar again.”

----------------

In the week and a half Jack and Caleb began traveling with Geoff’s group, Jack realized that Geoff talking about how often his team got injured was not a lie. He has had to heal them more times than he would have expected. He had to admit it was good practice for Caleb, but if they could not get injured almost every damn time and give Jack a heart attack, that would be great. It was the day before they reached the next town that Jack approached Geoff.

“You guys are more trouble than I had thought.” Jack told him.

Geoff shrugged. “We know. It’s not like we can help it.”

“I can tell. That’s why Caleb and I are going to travel with you guys permanently from now on.”

That threw not only Geoff for a loop, but everyone else in their group. Everyone turned to look at the two.

“W-We are?” Caleb asked.

“You are?” Geoff asked at the same time.

“Yup!” Jack replied. “You guys really are in need of Clerics, no offense to you Jeremy. Your potions are really good.”

“None taken.” Jeremy commented.

“It’ll make me feel a lot better to know that you guys aren’t off dying somewhere. One of you could get really injured like Kdin did but you won’t be close to a town like last time. Then what would you do? It makes sense that we come along to help out.”

“Are you sure?” Geoff asked. “You guys could be put in danger because of us.”

Jack scoffed. “That’s not going to stop me. Is it going to stop you Caleb?”

“Nope!”

“There you have it. You can’t say no either. You’re stuck with us.”

Geoff tried to say something, but Jack gave him one look and he backed down. Michael let out a whistle of amazement.

“Geoff backing down from an argument? That’s a first.”

“Shut the fuck up, Michael.”

---------------

A month had passed since Jack and Caleb joined Geoff’s little group. With the two groups combined, they were able to get a nice increase in money, from both healing and taking missions. Caleb fit in very easily with the younger members of the group, much to Jack’s relief. He did notice that Caleb tended to hang around Kdin the most, but he put that in the back of his mind. If Caleb wanted Jack to know, he would tell him.

Injuries the group sustained were brought down to an all time low thanks to Caleb or Jack being right there to heal them so they could hop back into the fight. What annoyed Jack to no end though was how often the two Clerics were shoved to the back of the fight. He understood that they needed to be protected, but that didn’t make them completely useless.

Jack and Caleb were by themselves as they walked through the town they just arrived at. The group had made a system that certain people would go buy certain things while in town. Jack and Caleb were in charge of food and any medical supplies they or Jeremy needed. Kdin and Ray were helping them out as well, looking for food and refilling their water supply. Geoff and Michael were out looking for potential jobs they could take while Matt and Jeremy checked the blacksmith to get their weapons fixed or have new weapons made

“I think we’ve got enough food to last us till the next town.” Caleb commented, holding the bag of food over his shoulder. “How are we doing for money?”

“Pretty good, actually.” Jack replied. “With us, we have seven gold, ten silver, and fifteen bronze coins left.”

“That’s great... Could I have about four of those gold coins?”

“Why?”

“You’ll find out eventually.”

Jack shrugged and handed over the four gold coins. Up ahead, Kdin and Ray could be spotted, holding a couple bags each. Caleb grinned and was about to call out to them when two men, whose clothing and build told Jack that they were up to no good, blocked their path.

“Well, well, well.” One of them said. “Look at what we have here. Two Clerics all by themselves. That’s no good.”

“Not good at all.” The other agreed. “Something bad could happen to you two. This isn’t the safest part of the city after all.”

“That it isn’t. Why, what if someone other than us came along? They might not have been as nice as us. You two need protection.”

“Which we would be more than happy to offer, for the right price.”

Jack grimaced. Of course this had to happen. Just behind the men, Jack could make out Ray telling Kdin something before Kdin ran off. Ray moved out of sight as well, Jack assumed he was going to scale a building to get a better view.

“No, thanks.” Jack said. “We don’t need protection. Even if we did, we wouldn’t accept it by the likes of you.”

“Oh, how you wound us with your words. That’s no way to talk to someone who could kill you without remorse.”

“Is that so?” Jack asked, moving Caleb behind him and giving him the bag of food. “Who says I can’t do the same?”

The two thugs looked at each other before bursting out laughing. Jack just let them both laugh, a small smile on his face.

“Oh, that was a good one, little man.” The first thug said. “But that isn’t enough to scare us.”

The first man looked to the second and nodded at him. The second man smiled and slowly started to approach Jack and Caleb. Jack could feel Caleb shaking behind him and reaches back with one hand to comfort Caleb as the other reaches into his Cleric robes. Only when the man got close enough did Jack move. The man could hardly see Jack, his movements quick, and he just barely made out a sliver blur as it swiped at him. Both men stood confused as to what happened before the second one screamed in pain. There was a long gash across his chest and Jack stood in front of him, blood dripping off of the sword in his hands.

“I was being serious.” Jack said, his voice like steel. “I could kill either one of you and have no remorse over doing it. Know why? Because people like you will never change, always wanting to hurt those weaker than you.”

The second man didn’t listen to Jack speak as he made another lunged out at Jack. He easily moved out of the way and thrusted his sword at the man, the sword slipping right between his ribs and striking his heart. Jack pulled his sword out and the man fell over, never to rise again.

“How dare you!” The first man shouted, pulling out a sword of his own. “I’ll kill you.”

Jack moved into a fighting stance, waiting for the man to charge at him. But before that could happen, Ray came down from above and landed on the man, his hidden blade plunging into the man’s neck.

“You guys alright?” Ray asked, walking over to the two, not caring at all that he just killed a man. He looked down at the sword in Jack’s hand for a moment. “I didn’t know you knew how to fight, Jack.”

“...It’s something I haven’t told many.” Jack replied. He gestured to the two dead men next to them. “We should go in case these guys had friends.”

Ray nodded and the trio left after Jack cleaned the blood off of his sword. Meeting up with the rest of the group, they left the town and set up camp outside of the city.  The group sat around a fire, everyone looking at Jack. The man in question was staring down at the fire, in his hands was his sheathed sword.

“You know how to fight?” Michael asked first.

Jack nodded. “Yeah. I’ve got ten years of fighting under my belt.” Jack paused, putting a finger against his chin. “Well. I guess it would be twelve if you count before I enlisted.”

“Enlisted?” Geoff asked next.

Jack looked at everyone in the circle before stopping at Geoff. The two made eye contact for a couple seconds before Jack answered the question. “I trained by myself for two years before I became a Knight under King Jordan.”

“You worked for King Jordan?” Ray asked, letting out a whistle. “Impressive.”

“Why did you stop?”

Jack ran a hand over his face. “I was tired of the fighting. I felt like we were only stopping our enemies and not saving the innocent. I had to hold people as they died and I just couldn’t take it. I wanted to do something to stop people from becoming a casualty. Two years into my service to the King, I found out that I had a gift to become a Cleric. I left the army and started my career as a Cleric.” Jack paused again. “I guess I would be a Battle Cleric instead of just a Cleric, since I still train often. I can fight but only when necessary.”

“Does Caleb know how to fight as well?” Jeremy asked.

“I do not.” Caleb replied. “I know some self defense, but I wanted to mainly focus on healing.”

“So, how did you two start traveling together?” Kdin asked, leaning against Caleb as he petted. Val, who had her head in her partner's lap.

“Jack came to the village I was training in.” Caleb answered.

“I wasn’t planning on taking on an apprentice.” Jack added. “I had been asked many times to take someone under my wing, but it never felt right. I happened upon Caleb training and something about him drew me in. We ended up talking and I changed my mind and took Caleb under my wing. We left the next day and I spent these last three years teaching him everything I knew.”

“What about you guys?” Caleb turned to Geoff. “How did you all meet?”

“That, is a long story.” Geoff replied. “But we’ll tell it to the best of our abilities.”

The rest of the night had the six guys telling their tale of how they met one another and how they came to be in the same group together. Jack and Caleb sat there with rapt attention, listening to the story from start to finish, only stopping them a couple times for some clarification on things. --------------

‘Well, this could be going better.’ Jack thought as he leapt away from an incoming arrow.

The group was on another mission. It was supposed to be simple, but the guy that they took the mission from didn’t tell them just how many people their target was with. It wasn’t a huge army, but it was enough for the group to be forced to fight defensively. Jeremy kept them from getting overwhelmed though, throwing his bombs and dangerous potions at the enemy when they strayed too close. Kdin and Matt were fighting back to back, spell after spell being cast. Michael was working with Geoff to make a path to their target and Ray was trying to pick off guys from above. Caleb and Jack were towards the back, healing from afar. Val was flying overhead, swooping down to try to take out the archers.

‘They better take out that guy soon.’ Jack thought.

He jumped back as a swordsman got past the others and charged at him. He tried to draw his sword, but the guy was too close. Jack squeezed his eyes shut and prepared himself to die. He flinched as the sound of a blade tearing into flesh could be heard, but was surprised when he felt no pain. He opened his eyes, the scene before him causing an anguished cry to escape his throat. Caleb was in between him and the swordsman, the blade sticking out of his chest. A roar from above and the swordsman was no longer there, Val landing on top of the man and tearing him apart. The dragon then moved so she was in front of Caleb and Jack, daring any man to try and get to them. That wasn’t Jack’s focus of attention, however, even as he saw Kdin rush forward out of the corner of his eye, tome in hand and fury in his eyes. It was all on Caleb.

“CALEB!”

Jack surged forward as Caleb started to fall backwards. He caught the younger man before he could hit the ground and cause more damage to himself. Jack pulled the sword from his chest and replaced it with his hands, working hard to try to heal him.

“Why?” Jack asked, trying so hard to keep his voice strong, but failing. “Why did you do it?”

“Because…” Caleb started, but stopped because he started to cough up blood. The sounds of fighting were dying down around them, but neither noticed. “Because you’re someone I care about, and I couldn’t stand there and watch as one of the things I care about in this world die right in front of me.”

“You still didn’t have to take a sword for me!”

Caleb kept talking like he hadn’t been interrupted. “You’re the father I always wanted Jack… and I’m happy that I got to spend three years with you.”

Jack couldn’t stop the tears that rolled down his face. “You’re the son I’ve always wanted, but you aren’t dying here. You are going to spend so many more with me. No parent should have to outlive their child.”

Caleb chuckled, or tried to with the coughing fit he was having. He reached up and wiped the tears away.

“No tears. Not for me….You’ve made my life worth it and I feel like I could die without regrets. Just… tell Kdin...that I love… him.”

Caleb’s eyes closed and his hands fell from Jack’s face. Jack could feel Caleb’s pulse getting weaker. His tears only fell faster as he tried to keep Caleb from passing on.

“Don’t you die on me!” Jack shouted. “Stay with me Caleb! Please don’t leave me! Come back! CALEB!”

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to find Geoff standing there, covered in blood, but looking down at Jack with sadness and concern. The others were a short ways away, standing around Kdin and offering him comfort as he sobbed.

“Jack…” Geoff started before trailing off, not knowing what to say to the distraught man.

Jack just shook his head. “He’s not dead. He’s not dead Geoff!”

He turned his attention back to Caleb and tried to use the highest level of healing he knew. It was risky, since he didn’t have a healing staff to help buffer him, but he had to try.  He heard footsteps approaching him but he didn’t look up. “Geoff…” Jack recognized the voice as Matt. “I know this might be a bad time, but in the event Caleb doesn’t make it, I think Jack should be given this.”

Curiosity got the better of Jack and he looked over his shoulder again to see Matt approaching him, a long item in his hands wrapped in brown paper.

“Caleb had me holding onto his for him. He bought it in the last town we were in. It was a gift he wanted to give to you.”

Matt tears off the brown paper and Jack’s eyes widened. In Matt’s hands was a healing staff, a very powerful one. Suddenly, it clicked in Jack’s head why Caleb kept asking to hold on to some of the money they made from healing and quests. It was for a staff for Jack. A sudden realization hit Jack and he realized that he had a chance to save Caleb.

“Quick, give it to me.” Jack demands, holding his hands out for it.

Matt didn’t question why as he gave Jack the staff. Turning back to Caleb once more, Jack held the ball of the staff over Caleb and tried the healing spell once more. It was a lot easier for the energies to flow now that he had a staff, and Geoff and Matt watched as green streams of light fell from it and onto Caleb’s wound. They watched in amazement as the wound healed and Caleb’s breathing got stronger. A sob of relief escaped Jack as he watched Caleb’s eyes flickered open.

“I’m….alive?” He asked, his voice holding surprise and confusion.

“Oh, thank god.” Jack said. He put the staff down gently and scooped Caleb up into a strong hug. “I thought I was going to lose you.”

Caleb was still confused until he spotted the staff at Jack’s side. It all began to make sense to him and, before he knew it, there were tears in his eyes as well and he was hugging Jack as hard as he could.

“I’m sorry.” He sobbed. “I’m sorry I did it, but I-”

“You don’t have to explain yourself.” Jack interrupted. “I understand. Just...don’t do that again. I don’t think I could handle a second time.”

Caleb nodded and the two pulled apart, Jack gave him a kiss on the forehead before fully letting go.

Val noticed that Caleb was alright and nudged her owner until he looked at her. She motioned over to Caleb and Jack and Kdin followed her eyesight.

“Caleb!” Kdin cried out of happiness. Kdin sprinted over to the two and tackled the other man, bringing him into another hug, his head buried into Caleb’s chest. “I thought you were dead!”

Caleb smiled and hugged Kdin back. “I thought so, too. Jack saved me though.”

Jack stood up and let the two have their moment, smiling when Kdin pulled Caleb into a kiss, which was happily returned. Geoff moved over to his side.

“He’ll be alright?” Geoff asked.

“He’s going to be just fine.” Jack replied. “He’s got Kdin.”

“Not to mention yourself. Will you be alright?”

Jack pondered the question before he looked over at his companion. A small smile made its way up his face and he reached out and took Geoff’s hand into his own.

“I think I will be. After all, I’ve got Caleb and a great Hero looking out for me.”

Geoff’s face lit up at the last part, but he smiled in the end, giving Jack’s hand a small squeeze.

“Hey, Jack.” Jeremy said, walking over. “You look really tired. Here, this’ll help.”

He handed Jack a potion and walked away before Jack could stop him, going over to Matt and the two entering a light conversation. Jack looked over and found Ray and Michael talking to Caleb and Kdin, smiles on their faces at the fact that Caleb would live. Jack stared down at the potion and shrugged, popping the cork off and downing it in one gulp.

“I think we’ll all be alright.” Jack finally said once he finished the potion. “Just fine.”

Geoff laughed. “I think so, too. These kids are hard to kill.”

“Yeah, but they’re our kids, Geoff.”

“You realize that it’s still october right? These aren’t even in season yet.” Ryan said with an eyebrow raised, holding at least three boxes of string lights.

“I know.” Jack replied with a sheepish smile. “I just get over excited for Christmas decorating.”

“Why?”

“It’s a bit sappy.”

“I had expected as much, you’re a bit sappy.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Going to tell me the world of sentimental value in a light?”

“There’s none really.”

“None?”

“Yeah. It’s not like I’ve got some memory of my first kiss by the christmas lights or some shit.”

“Did you want a memory like that?”

“Later, unless you don’t want to know about the lights.”

“Tempting.”

“When I was a kid, I used to really believe in magic.”

“As in the Goddess magic?”

“No. I mean, pagans are fine but they weren’t magic. Oh god damnit that sounds horrible.”

“They just weren’t your idea of magic at the time.”

“Yeah. Yeah, that.”

“It’s hard to imagine magic as lighting a candle, to be fair.”

“Anyways. Every year my Dad would bring out the lights and loop them over the house. He always did it just before Halloween.”

“Why was he putting up Christmas lights for Halloween?”

“It made it easier to see the house. Also worked as a landmark in case I’d wander off in my excitement.”

“Fair enough, continue.”

“Before he put them all up, our house was dull. It was boring and the only reason anyone ever wanted to look at it was to wonder if I even had something to game on.”

“Did you?”

“Yes. Anyways. My favorite moment had always been when he plugged the last strand in and they all came on at once. I didn’t know how electricity worked back then so it seemed just so magical to see our house all light up- my dad would hide the wiring the best he could too so it just looked like floating lights. It was amazing.”

“Sounds pretty.”

“It really was. It’s dumb but I love putting up these lights now because it still almost feels like magic to me. I know it’s not- I know it’s just a bunch of wires and light bulbs, but it’s as close as I’ll get.”

“You’re right.”

“I am?”

“That is sappy.”

“Oh fuck you. C’mon, I still want pizza for dinner.”

Ryan sat in the living room, in a tangled mess of green plastic, and wondered how people did this. How they possibly subjected themselves to this every single year just to have a higher electricity bill and draw even more attention to themselves. How they spent hours after hours detangling plastic green tubing without losing a little bit of their souls. How anyone, magical or otherwise, could dedicate so much of their time to meticulously planning where they’d go- even down to the bulb. Maybe it made sense to Jack, but to Ryan there seemed to be no point into making their house so much brighter. Besides making Jack happy, which was what most of his decisions came down to these days.

Jack seemed perfectly happy among the mess, sketching out the house and where he wanted to put them. He was even noting down what they’d need to keep the lights in place and how they’d have to power it all. It was all rather mundane, really. Which made Ryan berate himself for belittling it in the first place. That was why he’d moved back to the muggle world after all- magic was nice but it didn’t give you internet or peace and quiet. It just gave you so many more ways to fuck up whatever you were doing or make simple chores even simpler. Speaking of making things simpler, Ryan inconspicuously let his hand fall into his pocket and curl around his wand. He’d still kept it, even though he’d promised himself he would throw it away as soon as he moved in with Jack. After all, muggles couldn’t understand magic and the temptation to share the secret would be too great.

Maybe it’d be good that he kept it. It would serve as his own personal sentimental gift to Jack- a secret shared on their first Christmas officially living with one another. A sign that Ryan was in this relationship for the long haul. A gift to help bring back the same awe that Jack had to have had as a kid, seeing floating lights on his own house. Only this time, it’d be real magic and something specifically for him. The risks of showing his magic were definitely worth the chance of making Jack happy. Everything was worth Jack’s happiness, because it directly affected his own. So he detangled the green tubing by hand and waited for Jack to go start working on setting up the outside ones before actually getting to work.

First he made sure all the blinds were shut and that the door was closed- it wouldn’t do for a neighbor to see this. Taking in a deep breath, he readied himself against the thought of finally using magic again. It felt like it’d been years since he’d last touched his wand. With a slow, steady exhale he pulled the wand from his pocket and pushed his elbows out. Floating lights were easy. He could do this. Almost violently he thrust his wand towards the light strands, nearly chucking it away by accident. Laughing at his own ridiculousness, he forced himself to grip the wood tighter and focus.

The lights slithered upwards, like a snake being charmed, and made their way towards the far wall. They creeped carefully around framed photographs, bumped clumsily into the bookcases, but finally stretched out across the edge against the ceiling- jumping just a bit away from the wall. Not enough to be obvious, but enough to show they were floating to anyone who looked close enough. They continued on to the next wall, plugging themselves into one another to form a single strand that seemed to go on forever. When the entire room was covered, Ryan lowered his wand and waited for them to fall. They didn’t. He thanked them silently and moved to plug in the last strand, smilingly proudly when all of the bulbs lit up.

He stood admiring his work for a moment or two before grabbing the extra box of the tiniest lights and retreating into their bedroom. Floating lights in the living room were great, but they weren’t personal or awe inspiring. Especially since they were plugged in and didn’t seem that magical in the first place. It wasn’t what Ryan was going for, but it had been enough practice to make him feel skilled enough to try this.

Gently, he began to remove each tiny bulb from the green tubing. He piled them to his left carefully, counting mostly just to keep his mind from wandering. Or to keep his nerves from talking him out of this. He wasn’t really sure which. When the pile started to get out of hand he stopped and put the rest back into the box, bringing his wand back up again. This was going to be a bit harder and require a lot more focus. With a silent prayer that Jack wouldn’t be back inside until he was done, he started to float the first bulb into place. Slowly, meticulously, repetitively, Ryan raised each and every tiny bulb until they were aligned hovering below their ceiling. With a flick of his wrist he lit them all and let out a sigh of relief when they all actually came on. It’d be embarrassing if he went through all of this only to have floating dead lightbulbs. Fortunately, they seemed to work just fine and even stayed when he started to put his wand away.

Unfortunately, he’d been so focused he didn’t hear Jack come inside and didn’t have time to put them back away before the man had opened their door. Ryan turned in surprise and felt his heart beat away far faster than it should have in shock as Jack stared at floating, working, disconnected lights. Silence stretched between them as the minutes dragged on, and Ryan felt his palms start to sweat. It’d been a horrible idea. He never should have done it. Magic didn’t belong in the muggle world and now he’d risked the normal, happy life he’d worked so hard for. Fuck.

“Holy shit.” Jack’s voice seemed so loud now.

“Jack?” Ryan asked.

“Holy shit. Ryan. Ryan!”

“Uh. Yeah?”

“They’re floating! They’re actually floating!” Jack’s laugh was loud and merry, like a child playing with their first toy. “How are they? How did they? Did you? Oh my god, they’re actually floating!”

“Yeah. They are.” Ryan smiled widely, relaxing as Jack seemed to stumble over what question he was trying to ask first.

“Did you do this?”

“I did. For you. I mean, I thought it’d be a nice gift and I was trying to save it but you kind of walked through the door and spoiled it all, didn’t you?”

“You did this for me? Why? How?”

“I wanted to bring you a little closer to magic.”

“Magic?”

“Magic. I mean, it’s rare in the muggle world and it’s not really something we’re supposed to use here...But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist and isn’t a little bit cooler looking than some hidden wires.”

“Holy shit Ryan.”

“So you like them then?”

“Just holy shit. This is the most romantic thing you’ve ever done for me.”

“I thought that was asking you to move in with me by adding my keys to your keyring.”

“Ryan.”

“Mm-hmm?”

“Our room is full of floating lights asking me to marry you.”

“It is.”

“How do keys beat this?”

“They got an answer faster.”

“Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes.”

“But Ryan?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m expecting a better show of this magic later.” Jack said with a joking smile, bringing his hands up to cradle the other’s cheeks.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Up close and personal.” He pulled Ryan down to him, gently touching their foreheads together. “I want to see you set this all up and there’d better be a ring.”