Eternal (Eternal series) (34 page)

"I was one of the chosen few who would become mortal, but he wasn’t going to be allowed to come.   He refused to give up on the promises that he had made to you though, he kept trying to find a way around the proclamation that he was obligated to uphold. 

I finally came up with a plan that I knew he wouldn’t agree to, but I had to try. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but I was willing to do whatever it took.  I would do it for him, and I would do it for you, because it was the right thing to do,” he closed his eyes, lost in his agonized confession.

“
I went to the Grand Council, and plead my case.  I would stay and take his place, and he would go to earth and become mortal.  I finally convinced them that I had a right to give up my free agency and grant it unto another. 

He argued with me, of course, refusing to take this precious chance away from me.  In the end though, I only had to remind him of the promise that he'd made to you.  I knew he would do anything to keep that promise, and I knew he would have done the same for me,” Micah paused, looking deeply into Emma's eyes.

“I gave up my mortality freely Emma.   There was never really another choice for me.  You two were meant to be together.  Before he left, I promised him that I would make sure that you found each other on earth, no matter what it took to bring you together.  This is me finally keeping that promise.”

Chapter 28:  MEMORY

Micah took Emma's face in his hands, and she could feel the electricity swirl through her mind like static shock.  It felt like someone opening a door or a curtain to a hidden place, and suddenly she could remember. 

Emma watched it all play out before her like a movie.  Everything that Micah had told her, it was all happening right there in front of her, but from her own perspective.  They were her memories. 

Emma felt her unbearable heart-ache and fear at the moment of their separation, and she saw him— the other piece of her heart.  He looked perfect. His deep blue eyes held hers and she heard his familiar voice tell her that it would be okay.  Emma could feel their intense love through the memory; it made her blood pulse hotly through her veins, and her chest wrench in pain. 

It was so overpowering, she started to cry, the tears stinging her eyes again.  She missed him so much.

But he had been here with her all along.  He'd made it to earth, and against all odds he had found her.  He hadn’t needed an angel to tell him that they were meant to be together, he knew it within himself.  He truly was a noble and great spirit, Emma thought.  He had kept his promise to her.  He hadn’t let anything keep them apart, not even Emma's impossible stubbornness.

Micah dropped his hands from her face, the vision closing as he did and smiled. “You see, I’ve been very selfish; which is funny, because I didn’t even know that I was capable of selfishness.  I started out with good intentions, I was going to fulfill my promise to my best friend,” he hesitated, and his eyes looked a million miles away. 

"But after I started talking to you, I didn’t want to stop.  You made me feel things that I didn’t know I could feel.  I started to question the promise I made to him.  I wanted to keep you for myself for just a little longer.  I thought that maybe there would be a way that we could be together.  You made me feel almost human, and I didn’t want to give that up.  You were my only connection to being able to experience what might have been,” he looked so ashamed.

Emma wanted nothing more in that moment than to reach out to Micah and tell him that it would all be okay, but she couldn’t move.  Her human brain was having a hard time processing what he was telling her.  He seemed to sense her unease, and he smiled at her reassuringly with his flawless lips.

“
It didn’t take long for me to come to my senses though.  I knew that what I was doing, and what I was feeling, wasn’t right.  I knew that it was only a fraction of the feelings that you felt for him, and he for you. 

Linked Souls; that’s what many call it. I could never have kept you apart.  Your souls would have found a way to be together.  Your connection is eternal.  I knew that was how it was supposed to be and the thought of me keeping you apart was unendurable in the end.”

Micah's fingers reached out and touched Emma's chin, tipping her head up gently so that she was looking straight into his beautiful, repentant face. 

His agonized eyes were still glorious as they found hers.  Emma could see that Micah truly loved her.  She knew that was why he was letting her go, so that she could be truly happy.
 

“
I was selfish before, but now I know that your happiness is the most important thing to me.  I don’t regret giving up my mortality for true love,” his words were sincere.  “I would do it again gladly, because believe it or not, a love like yours is a very rare thing.  There are only a chosen few out there that are two halves of one whole, destined to be together throughout eternity.  I couldn’t let that be wasted. I loved you both too much.”  Micah smiled, and in his face Emma could see that he was at peace with his decision.

Emma couldn't help but feel grateful to him in that moment of truth, she understood his sacrifice; she knew exactly what he was giving up by telling her the truth.  The weight of her own guilt about her part in this whole mess was suddenly bearing down on her.  Emma knew that a lot of the blame for this rested firmly on her.

“I’m so sorry Micah, I must really be a disappointment to you,” Emma muttered pathetically.

“
What do you mean?” Micah asked, a puzzled look on his face.

“
Here I’ve been, going on and on about my undying love for you, and my indecision between you and Destry…. I must have looked like a total idiot to you.  You probably thought that eternal love should have been a little stronger than that.”

“
You have never looked like an idiot to me,” he smiled peacefully.

“
Well, that doesn't stop me from feeling really bad about it all Micah.  I created this whole situation and it has caused you a great deal of pain,” Emma's eyes lowered.

“
You didn’t do anything wrong Emma, it was all my fault.  I can’t even explain…, I‘m so sorry that I put you through that, making you feel like you had to choose…it was unforgivable on my part,” his voice broke, and he shook his head. "I
knew
what I was doing.”

“
Well, I forgive you.  You're so special to me; I can't put it into words,” Emma smiled.

“
I will be forever grateful to you for giving me this experience Emma.” His words soothed Emma's fears. She had no doubt that everything would be alright now, things were finally just as they should be.

There was no need to explain anything more to Micah.  He knew her soul; he knew who she
really
was.  This mortal body was just an imperfect shell, that couldn’t hide the real her; not from him anyway.

“
Now it’s time for you to grab hold of your destiny Emma,” he said reassuringly, “and promise me that you won’t ever let him go.”

“
I promise,” Emma said with sureness that she had never possessed within herself before.  Then the finality of his words suddenly struck her with worry.  “Won’t I ever see you again Micah?”

“
I’ll always be around,” he laughed gently. “You might not see me, but I’ll always see you." 

His finger stroked her face, sending tingles through her skin.  Then his image blurred slightly, as it scattered into tiny fragments of light.  And he was gone.

Emma couldn’t wait any longer, she had to see Destry.  She felt as if her heart was going to jump out of her chest if she didn’t go to him right now. 

Everything was perfectly clear.  All of the events of the past few months made perfect sense; the reason she'd been so drawn to him—and him to her, the unexplained light she saw in his eyes, the dreams—both his and hers, and the effect that his touch had on her.  His spirit had been reaching out to Emma's all along, and when they had finally touched it was electrically charged with their desperate need to be close to one another and to recreate their previous connection. 

Emma knew now, beyond a shadow of a doubt that Destry was her true other half, he was her everything, her comforter and her strength.  Emma knew now that he would be with her throughout eternity; and she was unafraid.  She couldn’t imagine anything better than having Destry with her forever.  She didn’t want to waste one more moment of her mortal life without him in it. 

She sprinted from the barn to her car.  It was late afternoon.  Emma knew that Destry would be at work, so she raced towards town. 

She worried a little about what she would say to him.  Things had not been left well last night.  If Emma's aching heart was any indication as to how Destry was feeling though, then she knew he would be in need of the comfort she could offer.

Emma prayed silently all the way there that Destry wouldn’t be angry at her for the pain she’d caused him.  She didn’t want to ever be responsible for causing him pain again.  Emma made a promise to herself that she would make it up to him for the rest of their lives and beyond, if that’s what it took.

Emma pulled up across the street from the feed store, and parked the car.  She jumped out and ran toward the loading docks.  Destry had to be here somewhere.  She spun around wildly trying to find him.  Where was he?  Just then the door to the office opened and her heart skipped a beat.

It was Chuck who came walking out and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her, a mischievous smile spreading across his face.  Emma didn’t have time to trade insults with him at the moment, she needed to find Destry.

“Well, well, who do we have here?” Chuck said snidely.

Emma held her hand up to him.  “I don’t have time for this Chuck.  Where’s Destry, I need to talk to him?”

“What?  You mean you haven’t heard the news?  I thought you’d be the first to know.”  Chuck’s eyes seemed to dance and seethe with pleasure when he saw her confusion.

“
What are you talking about?” Emma said as she felt her insides begin to twist.

“
Destry’s going back to Nebraska.  He didn’t tell you?”  Emma wanted nothing more than to slap the evil smirk off Chuck’s face, but she was frozen. 

Could it be true?  Surely this was some lie, some sick joke that Chuck was playing on her.  Destry wouldn’t leave; he couldn’t.  He loved her, she loved him, they belonged together.

“I don’t want to play games with you Chuck,” Emma said, her voice beginning to shake.  “Tell me where he is.”

“
Oh, this is no game sweetheart,” Chuck hissed.  “Face it, you just weren’t enough to keep him happy.  Me on the other hand, I’m pretty easy to please.” Chuck took a step toward her and grabbed her shirt pulling her closer. 

Emma didn’t have time to think, so she just reacted.  Her knee came up and hit him in the crotch hard.  He released her shirt and dropped down to his knees in pain, moaning and groaning and cursing all at the same time.  Emma turned and ran back to her car, climbing in and locking the door.  She turned the key and slammed it into drive and sped away.

She was so shocked that she couldn’t even cry.  It wasn’t the incident with Chuck that had her reeling, that hadn’t been the first time that he’d tried something like that.  She’d expected nothing less from him, but where was Destry? 

Was Chuck telling the truth, had he really left?  It was all her fault, he was gone and he was probably never coming back.  Could she blame him, after what she’d done, how she’d treated him last night?  She’d ruined everything; his life, her life—she’d ruined their eternity.  There was no way to fix it now.  It was too late.

She drove past his house; his truck wasn’t in the driveway.  Was that a good sign or a bad one?  If he’d left on a plane then his truck should still be here.  Maybe he would have wanted to drive though, it would have given him more time to think, more time to think about how much he hated her.  Emma knew that he must hate her now.  He wouldn’t have just left if that weren’t the truth. 

Emma hadn’t thought that he would just give up.  He’d spent three months trying to win her over.  She’d assumed he would always be there, like he’d been all along.  She hadn’t been able to escape him before when she wanted to and now he was gone. 

Emma drove around for hours searching, and hoping and hurting.  She went to all the places they’d gone together.  His presence was everywhere she looked, but he was nowhere.  The longer she searched, the tighter her chest felt, the harder it got to breathe.  She couldn’t give up, she had to tell him.   He needed to know that she loved him.  If he still chose to stay away after that then she would have to deal with it, but she couldn’t let him go off thinking that all of his feelings had been wrong.  He had no idea how right he’d been.

It was dark.  The sun had been down for an hour.  She hadn’t gone home, hadn’t called, and hadn’t made dinner.  She knew that her mother would be worried sick about her by now.  There was nothing more she could do.  She decided to go home.

As she pulled into her driveway she gasped.  A familiar grey Chevy step-side was parked in front of her house.  She could see through the kitchen window, Destry sat at the table with her mother and they were smiling.  He turned when he saw her headlights.  His smile faded.  He didn’t look happy now that she was here, but Emma didn’t care.  She had just wanted the chance to see him one more time, to tell him how she felt.  There was a small tinge of fear crawling up her back.  What if he didn’t want to hear it?  What if he still wanted to leave?  He said something to Catherine and then got up from the table and disappeared from Emma’s view.