JP- Broken hearts and Kept Promises

Sorley swam for a bit after they left. He recognized Min Chang. It was good to know she was alive. He wished his face did not scare her though. He floated in the pool and tried to calm his thoughts, using his power to make the water swirl and shoot into the air like fountains.

Klaire would walk in with both Lotus and Leon, all of them dressed for a good swim, but she made sure the kids had good lifejackets on. “Oh…sorry. I didn’t know you were here.” She said, noticing Sorley. With James gone to help an undercover agent for the Underground, it gave her time to spend with the kids and let them just be children.

Sorley let the water go back to its natural state. “It’s okay.” He said, looking at Klaire and the kids. He swam to the edge of the pool and used his power to propel himself to the floor.

Lotus and Leon rushed over to watch Sorley in awe.

Klaire wasn’t sure how to respond at the moment. She was just emotionally exhausted and wanted to be around her little lights in the world - her children.

“Hey, Leon and Lotus, right?” Sorley asked, noticing how exhausted their mother looked.

The twins nodded and smiled up at Sorley. “That’s our mama!” They chimed and pointed at Klaire, who walked over to them with a smile on her face.

“Hello Klaire.” Sorley greeted her.

“Hello Sorley.” Klaire replied. “How are you? I’m surprised to see you without Gelf.”

“I’m good. She wanted to visit with her sister and one of Yule’s roommate’s was hurt by my father’s clone… I already scared her once.” Sorley shrugged. “How have you been?”

“We’ve been on the run for five years, so I’m a bit tired, but…” Klaire looked at the twins and that smile returned. “I’m happy. You two ready to swim?”

Hopping happily, the twins jumped into the water, easily saved by their lifejackets when their mother was about to freak out over them.

Sorley smiled and sat with his feet in the pool. He could tell without even looking where each child was, their weight and buoyancy. “Are you planning on staying in the Underground for a while?” Sorley could not imagine running for so long with children and was grateful that Gelf’s farm was safe.

Klaire went quiet for a moment as she sat down at well, letting her own feet rest in the water. “I don’t know…I’ve been thinking of leaving and finding a safe place to settle down with James and the kids.” She explained, hugging herself. “Things have been very tense between my best friend and I.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Sorley said. He knew Klaire’s best friend was Tzeitel, he also knew Tzeitel was… troubled. She had attacked him the first time he met her. “Do you think it’s so tense because of all the running, or my father being cloned?”

“Maybe a mix of both…I don’t know anymore.” Klaire shrugged and kept watching her children, wanting to make sure they stayed safe.

Sorley used his power to move the children to the shallow end of the pool. “Have you tried Leimomi?” He asked.

“She’s supposed to see Leimomi while we’re here, I think…” Klaire looked toward the door when Susi walked in. The wolf girl looked at Sorley, her eyes pleading for him to stay for Klaire’s sake at the moment. The dog girl was going to need her friends.

Alex was right behind Susi dreading what was coming next “Klaire we need to talk.”

“But have you tried-” Sorley trailed off when he noticed the look in Susi’s eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Klaire asked and glanced to her children. “Can you keep an eye on them, Sorley?”

Susi grimaced and sighed heavily. “You might want to stay sitting…”

“Thrane sent a heavy hitter with Canestone to capture Drizzt” Alex explained looking away “some guy with acid blood. In the middle of combat he separated James from us and captured him.”

Klaire was silent for a moment, staring at them. “What?”

“We didn’t want to leave him behind, Klaire, but you know how he is.” Susi added, flinching when the dog woman hopped up to her feet.

“Where?!” Klaire’s voice was a pure growl, tears stinging at her eyes. “Where, damn it!?!! I have to get him back! I have to help him!”

Lotus and Leon stopped playing, staring at Klaire with worry.

Riley bursted through the door panting as he ran up to Klaire “I just heard what happened.”

Sorley frowned, and gently bobbed the children in the water, hoping to distract them.

“WHERE IS HE, SUSI?!” Klaire screamed, barely even noticing Riley at the moment.

“I…I…uhm…” Susi, for once, was speechless. She hated doing this. Klaire had already lost one person she loved. Now this had happened.

Riley placed a hand on Klaire’s shoulder to get her attention, his own problems can wait she needed his help. “Klaire we’ll find him and get him home, Mark’s already looking for him, he’s pinned down 12 possible locations and is narrowing it down.”

“I can’t wait for Mark to find him! That bastard will hurt James!” Klaire finally let the tears fall. “Thrane might kill him! Oh, God!”

Lotus and Leon got out of the water and ran over, hugging their mother. They didn’t get what was happening, but they knew their mother was distressed and wanted to help.

“Thrane told me he had a plan for Jame’s Tzetiel’s and my powers” Riley explained “he already got what he wanted from me but that means James still has time.” Moving closer he pulled her into a hug “I made you a promise to stay by your side, say the word and we’ll leave now to find him.”

“Where is he, though?!” Klaire wept, hiding her face against his chest.

“Momma, what’s wrong?” Leon asked.

Lotus looked at Riley and the others. “What happened? What’s happening to daddy?”

Sorley looked at Susi and Alex. “Anything I can do?”

“More than likely one of Thrane’s lab that’s no farther than a day’s drive from the incident” Mark replied entering the room “Drizzt can more than likely point it out to us.”

Riley continued to hug Klaire but looked at the twins “Daddy is doing something for us and your mother and I are going to pick him up. In the meantime why don’t you go with sorley to see aunt River and Anastasia.”

“Okay…” The twins said and went to Sorley, reaching up for his hands like little kids do.

Klaire wiped her tears away. “Drizzt?” She asked. “Who is that?”

“Undercover agent for the underground” Mark explained “saved one of Canestone’s victims at the cost of his cover.”

“That’s who we went to save” Alex added.

“I see…” Klaire nodded. She knew James would rather they run instead of stay and help him. That didn’t stop her from worrying and wanting to get him as soon as possible. She could only imagine the hell Clonestone was putting him through.

“Come on let’s go talk to him” Riley said taking Klaire’s hand before turning to Alex and Susi “Get a team ready and let River know.”

Susi nodded, grabbed Alex’s arm, and bolted off to do that.

Klaire nodded again and would follow Riley to where Drizzt was. He was sitting outside the room where they were helping the woman, not even paying attention to the fact that he was covered in her blood. In fact, he didn’t care. He just hoped she was okay.