Chapter Eleven
Death’s Realm
His Personal Space
Check In Time
J acques had to get back to his realm to make sure that everything was running smoothly. With fate contained there, now also buried in his office wall, like his father was in Rinnon’s lair, it was better to keep checking in.
Fate was tricky, and once in his office, he wasn’t shocked to find that Fate was trying to lure his minions into helping him.
In fact, he was betting on that.
He wasn’t shocked at all.
It was a way he could find who was loyal, and who wasn’t. That was important in his world. He needed to be hyper aware of who would betray him, and destroy them.
Yes, destroy.
Death didn’t play around.
Brigit was waiting for him to return, and the second he walked through the wall, she warned him as to what was going on there.
Yes, it appeared that he had some business to attend to after all. The betrayers were making themselves known.
Slowly digging Fate out of her prison were a few beetles she’d managed to bribe. Well, that wouldn’t do, now would it?
It was when Jacques slammed his hand down on them, pulverizing them, that he ended that little coup.
Why couldn’t all the creatures there be loyal like Brigit? He’d take a million spiders over the lowly beetles any day. Now, he knew the Egyptians were right to make them into dyes and ink.
They.
Were .
Pests.
To ensure that she was still there, Jacques removed the wall, and slid the cage toward him with Fate locked inside.
She wailed in frustration that her attempt to bribe some of his minions had failed.
“Nice try, Fate, but I don’t give a shit what you think you can do here. I have you for almost twenty more hours.”
She stomped her foot in rage.
“When I get out, Death, there will be hell to pay. You can bet on that!”
Oh, there was no doubt there, so he had to try and slow this avalanche from hitting. She’d still take shots at him, but the world shouldn’t be collateral damage.
“Listen, we need to stop,” he said, trying to appeal to her sense of duty to their jobs.
She began laughing.
“Oh, don’t tell me you want to play by the rules now,” she said. “I was minding my business.”
He stopped her.
Bullshit.
“That’s priceless since it’s from you. You haven’t played by the rules yet,” he said. “We’re over a year into this, and you haven’t been cautious at all, and now you’re going to judge me?”
She didn’t care.
“Let it burn. Let the whole world burn for all I care. It’s a shitshow anyway.”
He didn’t believe her. If they destroyed the fabric of everything, they destroyed them.
“If you don’t stop, the horsemen will return, and they will make our lives a living hell. They will have to restart it all, and we’ll have to deal with that mess again. Do you want the real Lilith back?”
She paused.
Okay, that didn’t sound pleasant at all. The last thing she needed was more gods up her ass.
“Then end Jolie’s pregnancy. If that baby is born, we have Lilith. If she comes back, she’s called the destructor for a reason, Death. Rinnon jumped the timeline, and that will cause more harm than good.”
He said nothing.
“If she is born, we’re both fucked. You won’t be able to stop her when she betrays Rinnon. He doesn’t remember that she was the one who sold him out to me. She was the one who took on my appearance and betrayed him.”
He was aware.
She’d also used Voodoo to wipe his memory, thus giving him a weakness.
“If you’re so hellbent on saving this world, prove it.”
He didn’t believe her.
Fate changed the tone.
“Let me out, and I’ll stop for now. Better yet, sleep with me, and I’ll stop all together.”
Jacques knew what would happen if he did that. He’d destroy his relationship with Jolie and Flynn.
They would never forgive or trust him again. It also set everything onto a new timeline. He knew what had to happen to save them for the time being.
Sleeping with Fate wasn’t it.
“You know I won’t do that.”
She shrugged.
“Then, you know I won’t stop. Nothing will slow me down other than those two options. I’ll find the worst antiquities, and make Daddy Detestable pay.”
Death had to think this through, and figure out the best way to make everything happen that would save them. Unfortunately, he’d have to piss off people in the process.
As for Fate, he was done hearing it.
Waving his hand, he made the cage slide back into the brimstone so that it could be covered up. The wall swallowed her, and he needed to get out of there to set the stage for their fight to save everyone.
“Keep an eye on everything. If you need me, Brigit, come and get me.”
The spider chattered away.
He gave her a pat, and then walked away. When he was gone, Brigit hauled ass to the wall, and with her single claw on each leg, she began picking away at the stone that hid Fate.
It was clear she was in a hurry to get to her.
And that might just be a huge problem.
For Death.
Meanwhile…
Death popped into her garden, and when he arrived, it was destroyed.
He was talking decimated. It was to the point that nothing would grow back for a long time.
His minions did a good job.
This place, in all its cheery flowers annoyed him to no end. It was a lie too.
There was no joy here.
Fate was a cancer, and this place was the evil space that would trick you before it destroyed you. Like the biblical story about the Garden of Eden, it was misinterpreted. There was evil in that too.
Not the snake.
The false beauty.
The fake perfection.
It was vanity, and people ignored that.
Well, he couldn’t control that, but he could handle this one.
This time, he’d make sure his bets were hedged, and they had a fighting chance against the nightmare that was Fate.
Deep down, he was well aware that there was no way he’d keep her in that cage for the full twenty-four hours. He knew Fate and what she was already planning .
How?
He peeked into the tapestry far enough back.
So now, it was time to be proactive.
Opening his palm, he saw the tiny little pill bugs. They reproduced quickly, and they would inundate her soil before she ever had a chance to get the garden repaired.
Again.
More importantly, they’d be his spies, and when they gave him information, he’d give them a second chance at life.
Yes, he told his mates he couldn’t bring people back due to the tapestry, but he knew that was a lie. He had a bunch that would be returning to help them stay ahead of Fate.
Sue him.
Death was never to be trusted.
“Make yourself scarce, and report back to me.”
The bugs rolled in his hands like the little roly-polies they were.
He dropped them into the dirt, and then pulled the tiny vial of blood from his pocket to see how much time they had left before Fate was back to screwing with them.
There was less and less, and he knew the truth.
They had a problem.
A big one.
He was right.
They didn’t have twenty-four hours. They had even less. In twelve hours, Fate would be free, and if Mathew was alive, the shit would hit the fan.
For all of them.
* * * T u e u r A n t i q u i t i e s * * *
Magick Shop
The French Quarter
One P.M.
When Flynn popped them into the alley next to the Voodoo shop, the coast was clear.
Seth, their human detective had alerted his partner as to where they would be, and the man was standing there.
Waiting.
Apparently, he needed something, and they all knew what.
Cerise.
Well, the romantic in him knew the truth. He wanted that for both of them.
As for their other mate, Jacques had popped back to his realm to check on Fate, and he would be joining them as soon as he could.
As for them, they were going to go into the shop and try to convince Mambo’s son not to lose his nut.
And throw herbs at them.
If you wanted to make Rinnon testy, it was burn his Flynn suit.
“Detective,” Flynn said, letting everyone acclimate to being popped into the location. Seth hated that, and he looked irritated that there had been no warning.
That was common with humans, and Flynn sometimes forgot he’d been one.
Now that they were there, it was time to get this handled. Only, before they could, Rinnon was losing his shit from inside him .
Yeah, he put The Big Scary away when he offered to let Vanth climb into Mambo and use her meat suit as a puppet.
That was too horror movie for him, even if he was technically doing that to him.
Now, he was bitchy.
Let me out. I need to protect my family. Someone could be hurt!
No. You get vicious.
You dare say NO to me? What is this? Why do you think that is acceptable?
This is me keeping you from going off the deep end and taking us with you. Vanth is on standby. She can help, and it’s acceptable since I’m your freaking vessel!
There were grumblings.
I don’t like how you treat me like a petulant child.
Then stop acting like one. You can’t get meat-suit-y on people, and think that a possession is cool.
I was kidding. Okay, I wasn’t, but it would make our lives easier.
Since when did they do that?
It was always a bumpy road where they dinged up his chassis.
Now behave, and if I need you, I’ll let you out.
First, though, he had to deal with Logan.
“I see you came back,” Flynn said. “Why are you here, Logan?”
He stopped leaning against the wall.
“I need you to send me to Cerise. I need you to do that thing you do, and pop me off to wherever she is. I want to talk to her.”
Flynn wasn’t shocked.
When it was your mate, you’d do just about anything to get to them. What wouldn’t he do to get to Jacques and Jolie?
He’d do anything.
From within him, Rinnon was bitchy.
He’s bossy. Let me crush him with my boot .
Stop! He’s confused. I’ve been there. It’s not easy being human and falling for a vampyre. Cut him a break. At least he’s trying.
Rinnon actually sighed.
Well, they’d won that round at least. Only, there was no chance that was going to last long.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Flynn said. “You’re involved with someone else. You can’t have two women when one of them is your true mate.”
Logan was honest.
There was no point in not being truthful.
“I broke up with my girlfriend. I went home, and I told her it was over.”
Jolie needed to be sure.
They had to be protective of Cerise. She’d lost a lot in the last few days, and she was now their family.
“Can I touch you and make sure what you’re saying is the truth? I can get into your memories, and I’ll be able to confirm that.”
He didn’t answer, but instead asked a question.
“Why are you trying to keep us apart?”
“We are trying to protect Cerise. She just lost someone she loved two days ago. The last thing she needs is to be played with. If you don’t feel anything for her,” Jolie began.
He stopped her, and he was brutally honest.
“I feel too much. I need to see her. I won’t hurt her, and yes, Jolie, you can go into my head. Why not? This has been a wild day.”
She moved closer, and Rinnon growled deep from within Flynn’s body.
It made the man jump.
“When another male goes near our mates, we get testy. That was Rinnon warning you that he’s here and watching. Please don’t make him tear from my body all fangs, feathers, and fury. That hurts.”
Logan got it.
He held his hands out, so that Rinnon wouldn’t get twitchy. That was the last thing he needed .
As Jolie touched his head, she was able to see the whole thing that went down.
She saw his feelings.
His emotions.
His fears.
Jolie also saw him getting slapped twice, and both times taking it.
Yeah, he was a decent man.
He didn’t want to hurt either woman, so he’d tried to do the honorable thing.
She released him.
“He’s not lying. He broke up with his girlfriend, and she struck him.”
That softened Flynn, and he understood what the man was going through.
He wanted to go there, and honestly, they couldn’t use him. He was mortal and had nothing extra under the hood. Instead, he’d risk it since this wasn’t likely going to be too bad.
He’d pop Alexzandre in if need be, but Vanth was already there, lurking.
“Okay, I will send you, Logan, but Cami is there, and if she tells me that you’ve upset Cerise, you’re coming back here and dealing with us. Rinnon will be the one who comes to get you.”
They all heard wings and a chortle from the demon God.
It.
Was.
Creepy.
Instinctually, Logan stepped back, and when Flynn waved his arm, the man disappeared.
Hopefully, he didn’t fuck this up.
“We should get this done,” Mambo said, wanting to see her son in the worst way. She was antsy and bouncing from foot-to-foot in waning patience.
On that, they agreed.
“No tricks, Mambo, or your son will be the one hurt,” Flynn warned .
Because New Orleans was busy at that time of the day, they wanted to get inside. Flynn and Jolie went first, heading in with Mambo behind them, and then Tommy and Seth flanking them.
As soon as they did, they were spotted.
Oh, and trapped.
Right inside the door was a demon trap, and along with it a bunch of vampyre ones too.
Holy shit.
That sucked.
Flynn dropped to his knees as his flesh began bubbling, and Jolie was right beside him. She looked like she had sunburn, as she dropped to her side to protect her belly where their baby was growing.
Rinnon roared, and Mambo tried to help them.
“Under the tapestry!” she called, alerting the human detectives.
Both moved fast, knowing exactly what it was they were looking for.
Flynn put his body over Jolie, trying to take most of the pain from her. His wings opened, and he cocooned them inside them.
He needed help.
“VANTH!” he shouted. “DEATH!”
Luckily for them, Death had not been with them. He walked through a wall not far away, and saw his mates in pain. He waved his arms, and all the marking began burning up like hot coals. He took care of the ones that Seth and Tommy couldn’t reach.
He burned out the traps.
When they were free, Rinnon ripped from Flynn, sending the man to rest deep within him to heal. He was a mess now that he’d protected Jolie.
While he was hurt in traps, Flynn was damaged.
Rinnon picked up his woman, and he was not happy. Granted, it wasn’t anyone intentionally trying to hurt them. The man was just being careful.
“I really hate those things!” he bellowed, and the glass shook in the shop .
The man inside came out, herbs flying, as he was chanting the protection spells his mother had taught him before her death.
As Mambo’s son came around the corner, she stepped out from behind Death.
“Mom?”
She saw him.
“Oh, my son,” she said, heading toward him. When she reached him, he picked her up and hugged her. The tears came, and no one blamed him.
This would be the one time that Rinnon wouldn’t kill the person who did this to him. If he was human, and living in this city, he’d have all kinds of traps all over the place too.
It was about survival.
To give the Voodoo priestess time, Rinnon stayed back, holding Jolie. His wings were still out, even if the others couldn’t see them. He was cocooning his woman in his arms, and they were slowly healing from the damage.
“I’m okay,” she said, reassuring him. “Our child is safe, thanks to Flynn. He saved us.”
Speaking of the man...
Flynn wasn’t okay at all.
I need some time to rest. You’re going to have to tag in for the time being.
Rinnon was aware.
He could feel Flynn’s pain. His body had been damaged as he tried to protect both Rinnon and Jolie from the demon traps.
Take what you need. I can handle this. This is my area anyway. Thank you, Mate, for protecting my woman and child. I love you.
I love you, too, he admitted, and then, he was silent as he rested.
In warning, Death moved toward them.
“No more Voodoo while we’re here,” Jacques warned, getting the son’s attention. “Am I clear?” he asked.
Immediately, Mambo’s son recognized him from someone he’d met before .
“My mother helped you guys before AND YOU LET HER DIE !”
There was no time for his anger. Lots of people died each and every day, and Death was holding the universe together by the threads of fate.
They had less than twelve hours to fix this mess.
To make sure the man realized he wasn’t playing, he raised his hand, and the young man slid across the room toward the wall. There, he found himself pinned to a wall and couldn’t move.
To prove a point, he slowly turned him upside down and held him there with merely a thought.
“Don’t play with me,” Death said. “Today is not the day where I’ll be magnanimous.”
There was a tickle to his mind, and he opened for his mate.
Jacques, take it easy on him, Jolie said. He was warding his shop and is scared.
Jacques was honest.
I’m scared too, Jolie.
He shared what he knew.
The blood spell is running out faster than I anticipated. We have until midnight at the most. We’re running out of time before Fate is free, and all hell breaks loose. We don’t have time.
Oh, no.
Shit. That’s not good, Flynn admitted, from deep within his body.
Jacques was aware.
We need to pick up the pace or we have a problem. Fate has already begun planning our destruction if we don’t find a way to protect ourselves. That’s going to take a sacrifice bigger than us. Trust me when I say you don’t want to know what that sacrifice will be.
When Jacques set the man free, he slid down the wall and into his mother’s arms.
That’s when he explained.
“We need your mother to find two particular relics for us. She’s agreed to help us. ”
Let me compulse him. I don’t like how he’s looking at us, like he has a spell.
Death warned him.
He’s warded. You won’t be able to. Let’s try talking first, and if that doesn’t work…I can handle him.
From where the man sat on the floor, he looked scared. Then again, no one could blame him.
“Then what? She goes back?” he asked. “Then you let her die on me again?”
Jacques let his eyes go green, and he chilled out, trying to calm the man down.
“I won’t be putting her back. We aren’t sure if there’s a time limit on her being here, or not. She was necromanced, and not brought back by me.”
He wasn’t lying.
Before he came here, he popped in to check on Flynn’s parents, and they were being kept company by Mina and Percy.
They seemed normal. Well, from what Flynn’s memories had of them.
Mambo’s son wasn’t having it.
“What can I do to keep her? I want a guarantee. I want to know she is not leaving me. You let her die once!”
What was this insanity?
“She’s not a pet,” Rinnon said. “She’s a being without a soul. We don’t know how long she has. Death isn’t lying, and we can’t answer that.”
At one time, he’d remember, but Flynn’s Little League years were stealing space.
Don’t! If you erase them, I’m erasing your memories of sleeping with ten vampyre women at once.
That was all he had to say.
RINNON ! Jolie hissed. Flynn, delete that! NOW !
Instead of answering, they focused on the situation at hand.
The priestess.
From the floor, Mambo hugged her son, and was grateful to see him again .
They didn’t have enough time together before she was dying. Now, all she wanted was to make sure they could reminisce and be happy.
She missed him.
And clearly, he’d missed her.
“We will make the most of this and go from there. I need my books and spells to help you. I have to locate a cross and a sword, so let’s get about business and do it so I can spend time with my boy.”
Her son had bad news.
“Mom, I got rid of all your things. I didn’t keep anything that was yours. I’m sorry.”
She glanced over at the demon God and Death.
“Then, I can’t do the spell. I don’t remember everything.”
Yeah, that was a problem.
For all of them.
* * * T u e u r A n t i q u i t i e s * * *
Harcourte Manor
Safely Tucked
Into the Trees
Flynn’s mother and father were wandering around, and Percy was all over them like flesh on a skeleton. He followed them wherever they went, and it was clear he wasn’t letting up.
When the master said watch his parents, well…he was going to be very literal.
There was no way he was dropping the ball. Percy wasn’t leaving them alone for a single second.
And he wasn’t the only one.
Lucian, Vanth’s mate, was also helping keep an eye on them. Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, Alexzandre was in the shadows, lurking too.
They had two guardians and some British vamp up in their business.
When they went into the kitchen, to escape the lurkers, Mina was in there.
Thankfully, it gave them a break.
“Do they always follow people around?” Flynn’s father asked.
Mina laughed.
“Yes. Percy is paranoid on a good day. When you’re their ages, and you’ve had to deal with angry humans for years, you get bitchy.”
Not bitchy, my love, but cautious. Do you want to tell Master Flynn that we’ve lost his soulless parents?
Not a chance, handsome. Keep doing what you do. I’ll babysit inside, but you get the outside.
Deal, my love.
Mina focused on the two people.
“Would you like something to eat , Mr. Brogan?” she asked, smiling at them.
“I’m famished, but can we drop the formality? How about you call me John, or Dad? I miss having someone call me that. My son hasn’t really been fond of using that term.”
She smiled.
“Well, since I have never had a dad or mom, I can do that,” Mina said.
Flynn’s mother grinned.
“I like this whole big family thing,” she admitted. “It’s nice. I’m glad Flynn had it when we were gone.”
Mina said nothing .
She knew how rough Flynn’s years were after their death and as he fought for this family. It had been brutal, but that wasn’t her story to tell.
“What would you like to eat? Most of the people here don’t consume food, but we do have a few humans who live with us. I’m one of them.”
Flynn’s mother moved closer.
She was curious.
“Do you have the things to make cookies by any chance?” she asked. “My son needs to gain a few pounds. He’s all skin and bones.”
Mina nodded.
“Absolutely, but I’m telling you now…he won’t want to gain too much weight. Then, he’s too heavy for Rinnon’s wings.”
Together, they stared at her.
The look was very familiar. It was the same look Flynn would give them when one of them was kidding and he wasn’t sure.
It made Mina laugh.
“It’s a joke. Rinnon doesn’t fly with his wings. That would be weird. They are more about protection than flapping around.”
Yeah, this whole thing was bizarre.
“I need a manual to catch up on all of these things,” Flynn’s father said. “This is craziness.”
Mina shrugged.
“Not if you are living it. It’s pretty natural to me. I’ve been here a long time. Jolie is like a mother to me. Flynn is like our father. Jacques is too. We’re a family, and while it’s odd for outsiders, it’s our norm.”
Flynn’s mother patted her hand.
“Give us time, dear. We’re working on it.”
Mina understood.
To keep them busy, Mina began getting the things out of the cabinet, and giving them to Flynn’s mother.
When she was done, she made a sandwich for the man so that he could have some lunch .
As ‘mom’ worked in the kitchen, Mina placed lunch in front of the older man.
He ate it.
And then, the worst thing happened.
He.
Got.
Sick.
When he stared at her, going a shade of gray that she’d seen before when Flynn tried to eat, Mina knew what was about to happen.
“Are you okay?” she asked, stepping back.
“I think I’m going to…”
That was all she had to hear.
Mina grabbed the garbage can, and he proceeded to puke in it.
Flynn’s father purged up all of the sandwich, and that told her one thing.
Someone and food were not going to be BFFs.
“Oh, no,” she said, as Percy came in through the back door when he heard his mate’s distressed voice.
Yeah, they’d both seen this happen before.
He’s definitely not human, my love. You should contact the master and tell him that you tried to feed his father.
I feel bad for him. He’s just like Flynn. It’s like we’ve done this before.
He’ll be okay. If Flynn is any indication of the stock from which he came, his father will be just as tenacious.
To do what her mate suggested, Mina reached for their master.
Flynn, I fed your father, and he got sick. I’m sorry. He can’t tolerate food.
Flynn reached back through their connection from where he was resting.
We suspected as much. He’s no longer human, Mina. Since he’s missing his soul, you’ll have to treat him more like a vampyre. He’s not going to be happy, but he’ll adjust. Thank you for taking care of him.
We don’t mind, Master.
Flynn .
There was her laughter.
He told us to call him dad. Will that upset you sharing him with us?
Never. Just have Percy watch them in case this goes bad.
Yes, Flynn.
When Mina nodded at her mate, they tried to help the man the best they could. Flynn’s mother was holding the garbage can as the man wrapped up vomiting.
“Are you okay, Honey?” she asked, rubbing her hand up and down his back to sooth him.
“I don’t know what happened. I was hungry and then…sick.”
Well, yeah, about that.
Mina broke it to him.
“I have bad news for you, John.”
They both looked over.
“I just spoke to your son, and they suspected as much. When Jolie brought you back, you returned without souls.”
They looked so confused.
“What’s that mean?” she asked.
Mina didn’t beat around the bush.
“You’re going to have to have a much stricter diet. Think more like some fruit, wine, and no food like you’re accustomed to consuming.”
Flynn’s father looked horrified.
“I can’t eat? So I came back and now I can’t have food? I like food!”
Oh, this was like déjà vu all over again.
“I’m sorry, Dad. You simply can’t eat like you did. The good news is you can have lots of wine.”
Mina said nothing about blood. She was not sure if they’d have a need for that too.
Time would tell.
Flynn’s father sat there, and his wife sat beside him.
“This seems like torture,” he admitted.
Oh, his wife wasn’t having it .
“But we get more time with our son and each other,” she said. “We left him, and he’s never been the same. Think of it that way,” she offered.
He closed his eyes.
And like the tenacity that Flynn also had, that came shining through.
“You’re right, Baby. I also get more time with you. That’s the most important thing. I can enjoy some wine now and again.”
Mina made them some tea.
“Have some of this. You’ll feel better,” she admitted, placing the tea in front of them and then returning to her mate’s side.
They are very vampyre like, but not, Percy whispered into his mate’s mind. I can’t scent them as being vamps like me. They’re something else, and that makes me worry.
Mina held his hand.
I don’t know what they are, but I like them. They remind me of Flynn, and he’d never hurt us. Maybe we’re being overly paranoid.
Are you trying to school me, my love? This feels like you are putting me in my place.
Her laughter filled his head.
Who? Me? School, my big, strong, ancient mate? Never.
He slapped her on the ass and watched the ‘humans’ before him.
Flynn’s father took a sip.
His face said it all.
“Well, that’s horrible. Can’t I have some coffee?”
“Nope. That could kill you. Like I said, think fruit-based things or tea. No meat, and certainly not cookies,” she said, pointing to the ingredients the woman had been gathering to make her son cookies.
He looked horrified.
When his wife elbowed him, he sipped the tea, and swallowed it like a trooper.
Mina laughed .
“Your son is just like you. We did this with Flynn too, once upon a time.”
Flynn’s father put his cup down.
“Is he happy?” he asked.
They both sat there, waiting.
“With Jolie and Jacques or with being Rinnon’s vessel?” Mina asked.
“All of that,” he answered.
“He’s madly, stupidly in love with Jolie and Jacques. He fought hard to be with them. As for Rinnon’s vessel, no other being was strong enough to be him.”
“But is he happy?”
Percy looked confused.
“It’s not a matter of happiness, Father of Flynn. It’s duty. Flynn is the most loyal and dedicated man I know. He was one of the only humans I truly believed in, and he is our friend. He does what he does because it’s his duty.”
Didn’t that say it all?
“Your son is a good man,” Mina admitted. “In a world where people would kill us and destroy my mate simply because he isn’t ‘human’ , Flynn has always put his body in front of this family. His family.”
Flynn’s mother stood.
“I’m going to make those cookies now. His wife doesn’t feed him enough.”
Percy laughed.
“He won’t gain weight. He’s immortal. How you see him now is how he will be forever.”
She shrugged.
“I don’t know how much time we have here. I need to give him this so when we are gone, he’ll have this memory.”
Mina understood.
“Let me help you, Barb.”
And she did.
Together, they made cookies, laughed, and talked about the man they all loved.
Because time was fleeting .
And that was a constant.