Overcoming the Past

They helped Talon in silence, not knowing what to say to him, but offering themselves if he wanted to talk.

Talon fought with himself as they helped. He could not comprehend why they were not running from him.

Did they really trust him enough to think they were not in danger? How foolish could they be?

Talon turned to them.

“Thank you for the help. I am sorry it was done in front of you.”

There was no regret for what he had done, only that he had been watched as he did it.

Eric put his hand on Talon’s shoulder.

“You do what you must. We are here when you need us.”

Talon nodded and left without another word.

The two men watched him go, wondering what would happen to the relationships they had started to build with him.

Would he turn from them or embrace them?

***

Wren found herself at the piano.

It had always been her rock, her comfort, her joy.

It broke her tension, made her smile, but today she could not focus.

She could only see Talon and his eyes as he prepared to take another person’s life.

They had gone dark, the soft glow gone, replaced by a darkness similar to that of the Beings they fought.

Even though she had decided to wash her hands of him, she found herself struggling not to take him into her arms and tell him everything would be all right.

***

Eric entered the training room a few hours later.

“Talon. Do you know where Wren is?”

Talon finished off the Being before him before answering.

“No. Shorty, raise the difficulty level.”

“It is as high as it can go.”

“She left, and we have not seen her since. We are a bit worried.”

Talon killed the next Being and turned to Eric.

“I know where she is. She is fine. Let her be.”

“She was distraught and upset. We are worried, aren’t you?”

“No,” Talon said, turning back to his training.

He wanted to be alone—could Eric not see that?

Eric pressed the issue.

“Talon. She should not be alone right now.”

Talon had not seen it, but they had.

Something had snapped in Wren, and it had nothing to do with the altercation with King.

“If you will not tell us where she is, will you at least go to her?”

Talon let out a bark of laughter. “I am the last person she wants to see right now.”

“Then tell us where she is so we can go to her,” Eric said.

He stood right before him and looked him straight in the eyes.

“You should not be alone right now either. Is this making you feel any better?”

Talon turned away from Eric to finish off yet another Being before the program stopped.

“What do you mean? I do not have anything else. Why would this not help me?”

Eric finally let his control snap.

This man was the most difficult, dense, stubborn, egotistical man he had ever known.

“You think this is all you have? What about us? Do we not count? Is the person you were back then so much more important than the person you are now?”

Talon stared at Eric, not speaking, but Eric refused to be intimidated.

Someone needed to make Talon look at the truth.

Talon sighed.

When had he started to care about how his behavior affected others?

He did not want to admit it, but Eric was right.

He did not feel any better, but he wanted to.

He wanted to make up for the lives he had taken; that was why he did this.

That was what drove him, and if he did not have this, then what would continue to drive him?

This so-called dream of having a family? Not a possibility.

He could not function as a human; there was no way he could function in a family.

Talon let out a sigh.

Eric was right about another thing.

Wren should not be alone right now.

He needed to explain things to her, but he did not know what or how to explain them to her.

She knew his past was not pretty, but how could he face her and see the pain on her face again, or heaven forbid, have her turn from him in disgust?

“Follow me,” Talon said as he put his weapons away.

They wanted to help so much, they could help Wren.

Lord knew he could not.

“Tell the others to follow as well. I know they are there. Just make sure you are quiet,” he added.

Eric nodded.

They left the room, and the others appeared.

Talon headed toward the director’s office.

Sure enough, he could hear the piano before he got too far down the hallway.

Talon put a finger to his lips and stopped before the door.

They could hear the haunting melody coming from the piano.

It was broken and choppy, the fingers clumsy as the sound, along with the accompanying sobs from the woman playing.

They listened as she continued to play, calming herself as she went.

The music slowly grew more stable and more poignant as time went by.

“She is not bad,” Michael whispered.

The others nodded their agreement.

Talon closed his eyes and listened to her music.

It calmed his own emotions and seemed to soothe his ragged soul around the edges.

In the span of time it took for her sobs to subside, he realized that it was not fear and loathing she was feeling, but sadness.

Was she sad for him or about him?

Not that it mattered.

As the music faded away, Talon realized it was not a bond or partnership he wanted from the woman in that room; it was her love.

He was head over heels, madly, truly, deeply in love with the woman…and he had no right to her.

The others watched as Wren’s music seemed to heal a bit of Talon right before their eyes.

They watched his body relax and the hard lines soften around him.

Something was clicking in Talon’s heart and mind.

It was time for them to leave.

Once they had entered the main hall, Michael broke the silence.

“I think we need to move that piano here for both of their sakes,” he said.

“Agreed,” Carrie nodded.

“Now I know why he seems more approachable lately. Imagine what effect she will have on him in a few more months.”

“But what about her?” Emerald asked the question they were all thinking.

Wren had not changed as much as Talon had since her arrival.

“Maybe we just do not know her as well as we know Talon,” Lily finally spoke.

The others nodded; no more needed to be said.

***

Talon listened, eventually realizing that if he truly wanted to overcome his past, he was going to have to take the next step and face Wren.

He did not deserve her, but he wanted her, and that was enough for him to try to mend the relationship he had just torn apart that morning.

He turned the knob, entering the room.

Wren sat at the piano, paying no mind to anything else around her.

Talon quietly moved over to the sofa on the wall of the room, just under the windowsill. He had never seen her play, and it captivated him now.

It looked as if she was dancing with the piano rather than playing it. It was obvious; she was just as broken as he was.

She finished her piece but did not move. He stayed where he was, waiting quietly for her next move.

He did not know how she would react to him now. Wren looked at the piano keys.

How could she convey her feelings? How could she help him heal the pain that she felt through him and for him?

She wanted to… No, she decided, she needed to do something about these feelings. He may not want to, but he needed to address what they were feeling before they killed each other.

She stood abruptly and quickly crossed over to where he was on the sofa. Without thought, she wrapped her arms around his neck, letting the tears flow.

Talon just sat there, unsure of what to do. This was not the reaction he had expected when she suddenly stood up and came to him.

He let her cry, trying to figure out what to do with his hands as her tears streamed onto his neck and chest.

Wren’s tears stopped after a few moments, and she raised her eyes to look him in the face for the first time since the incident. Talon could only stare, and suddenly understanding dawned.

She was crying not because he had killed another person, but because he had had to do it once again. She did not condemn him but was feeling the same pain he was feeling.

He had been so sure of her rejection that the relief he felt washed over him, and he took her in his arms, letting his own tears fall. Wren held him close until he had finished.

He had never had anyone who loved him, no matter what he did, and he was overwhelmed at the thought that anyone could love him. Once finished, he held her close, not wanting to let go of her just yet.

He placed his eyes on her head and felt their powers connect.

“Wren…”

Wren started at the sound of him using her name. She wondered if he even knew her name most days.

Her heartbeat sped up, and her body’s temperature rose slightly. He had spoken her name like a caress.

“May we stay like this for a bit? Is that all right?” Talon asked softly. “I do not want to be alone.”

Wren could only nod, tears threatening to fall again.

“You are not alone, Talon,” she whispered back.

He tightened his hold for a fraction of a second at the sound of his name on her lips. That one word was sweeter than any music she could ever play for him.

“You have a family that loves you and accepts you. All of you,” she added, knowing he needed to hear those words more than anything else.

Talon felt the last of his fear fade. To think, just this morning he had been determined to break ties with them all.

King would be crawling out of Hell right now if he could, knowing he had done something good with his wretched life.

***

The director sat in his office, well aware of what was going on in the next room. It was an important moment for them.

If they could not get around Talon’s past, they would never be able to handle hers. First hurdle, done.

He let out a sigh and turned to look at the glass rose that sat high on a shelf behind his desk. It contained the power core of his partner from so many years ago.

“I do hope they are the ones we have been looking for, dear. However, they have a long way to go before they are ready,” he said.

He turned back to his work, his heart a little lighter.

“I wonder if I should tell him how King got in. Nah,” he muttered.