God of War: Time In
Lynn Jepsen
In his life, he had loved two women. He had loved them, and yet, finding
the words to express that love had never been easy. He had never been
easy for them to love. It was now, with his blood ebbing slowly across
the tiled floor that he wondered why they had loved him in return.
Donna. His Donna. He would never know why she had loved him, or how much.
Hands roughly jerked him back to his feet, and he cried out her name
before he could stubbornly bite back the pain. His pride allowed him no
concession to the agony. He would meet this with a quiet acceptance his
colleagues would never believe. He still loved his Donna, and the thought
of being with her again had ceased to be abhorrent.
Death. It came to everyone.
When a fist again pounded against his rib cage above the long, thin scar
marring his chest, his teeth ground together. The air was driven from his
lungs, and within moments he was struggling again, unable to give in.
Unwilling to surrender. Her voice came to him, "Josh, I knew you'd be
alright. The world couldn't live without your ego." She had smiled then,
tolerantly fetched him another physics book, and kissed his forehead. Her
voice also blended with that of another.
Something hard struck his back, just above his hips. The recently mended
wounds to his side forced a choked scream from his throat as pain tore
through him. Donna's voice blended seamlessly with Diana's. The two women
in his life. He loved them. Not once had he said those words, not to
either of them. He hoped his eyes had told them, or his hands, or his
actions, but he had never once said the words.
The tip of the knife was drawn delicately across the flesh of his
shoulder - tracing a pattern. He would tell her he loved her. He would
see one of them when it was over. He would mend in Diana's arms, and damn
the press, or he would cup Donna's chin in his hands and beg forgiveness
for his sins. His angel.
Hands released him then, and his legs refused to support his weight,
sending him crashing painfully into the hard floor. The politician in him
refused to rest. Memories of the summit, and of General Zeta rising in
opposition to the treaty. He had vowed he would refuse any agreement that
did not meet his demands. He then ordered his own army to mobilize.
Existing treaties crumbled. He let's his head slam into the wall. He
feels stupid. It was all right in front of him, and he never saw it
coming.
Talia's eyes had burned with the same fire he often saw in Lisa's, or
Sam's, or his own. She was willing to sacrifice, to compromise, to work
the system, all for a homeland for her daughters. His mind's eye had no
trouble imagining her internal angst. Her position was untenable. To save
a nation, she would destroy lives. An entire aircraft carrier, and his
life would enrage the United States, and they would swoop in, forcing her
husband from office to obtain a treaty. Then they would stay to enforce
it.
He admired her planning. He even forgave her for his ordeal. He was
almost certain she had not actually known his religion. She had merely
guessed, and guessed wrong. It was only after she departed, bound for
Cairo to meet up with the General that they returned for him. It was only
then that he realized that the two women he loved were everything he was
not. They were worth saving at all costs. He had failed to save Donna,
and he had failed to save Diana from the ordeal he imagined her enduring.
He only hoped Sam and Lisa would support her the way they had support
him.
When the booted foot slammed into midsection, he recoiled, coughing up
blood, and struggling to collect his thoughts. It had all started in the
hallway of the Supreme Court. Justice Dreifort had called her a feminzi
bitch and he had hired her. It had been on impulse. Life had rewarded him
for following his instincts. It was only fair that his debts be
collected. On the other side of the world, Sam and Lisa would still be
fighting for him. Their hearts would fight against their minds. He could
only hope Sam was strong. The United States did not negotiate.
The next kick rattled his skull as the impact traveled up his back, and
he wished he had been more religious. Toby had the answer. Even Lisa was
more devout. Doubting God would hear his pleas after half a century of
unkept promises and forgotten prayers, he instead pled for Donna to come
and take him away. She would take him away, and he would find comfort and
release from the pain in the embrace of Leo, Jed Bartlet, his father.....
He let his eyes close heavily as hands again dragged him to his feet. The
pain was distant. His thoughts slowing. In the background, he heard
music. His hands shook.
He stilled them.
His hands were calm.
He was beyond their reach.
The music played.
God of War: Part 26
HOME | TITLE |
AUTHOR | CATEGORY