The Lightning that Jumps Between

Forty Two

Karl knew they would be making a horrible, gambling mistake if he forced Eva and Ethan to yank his brother from the Mutamycete and put him into the world right there in the parlor at 3am. He knew , logistically, that they needed to plan things.

But the want, the soaring hope, was there, and he'd insisted on taking the crystal to the master bedroom–his former room–even though he couldn't touch it without an unpleasant, painful sting that made his head and ears ring and seep black fluid. Eva put the crystal on a high shelf above an ornate wall mirror that, until today, Karl had ignored completely.

He now stared back and forth, between his own scarred face in the mirror, and the slightly luminescent crystal on the shelf. Imagining having his brother there, in the flesh-as it were. Heisenberg's mind surged with possibilities. He'd rarely dreamed about anything this recklessly; he was almost buzzing with happiness. Not even his frustration with Ethan being a constant threat to his own health, or his distaste at Alcina's arrival could rile his spirits.

For once, Karl felt something different than bitter resentment or righteous anger surging through his charged veins. It was new, wild, out of control. Hope.

Karl passed out on his former bed while Ethan quietly left the wine and glass outside Alcina's door with a quiet knock.

Heisenberg didn't wake up when the blond crawled in bed beside him and also fell into a deep sleep.

—------------

Salvatore was content to take the sofa, and passed out as soon as the rest of the group departed.

Donna picked the dark-haired child up and carried her as she moved toward the hallway. She paused, unsure where she should take the girl, and Eva supplied from behind her with a supportive smile, "I'm sure she'd love to stay with you. You made her very happy with the horseback ride. Do you feel comfortable taking care of her tonight?"

Donna beamed, and then hugged the heavy bundle of limbs and torso that draped over her. "I do. She feels so familiar to me. Maybe she reminds me of Claudia. I'm not sure."

"I sense a bond between you two," Eva affirmed. They began moving toward the staircase, and Donna hesitated, wondering if she could speak. The calm, friendly face of Eva spurred her forward, and she exhaled quickly, "I....do you...sense, something else?"

"What do you mean?"

Donna actually paused, and lowered her voice as she glanced around the hallway. She wasn't sure where the others were, and didn't want anyone to overhear them. "Ever since we returned from the field, I feel...something is wrong, different. It's not the child," she added quickly, stroking the girl's long black hair with her pale hand. "And it is not anything I can place within myself or another."

"I do feel dread," Eva admitted, her very Miranda-like eyes narrowing in thought as she considered. "I suppose I attributed it to my mother's actions tonight...the chaos...."

"It's not that," Donna said more resolutely. "I know her moods, her...effect on others. This is different. I feel something dark, brewing from within. Perhaps the Mutamycete is...." Dark lashes fluttered closed. "Dark water, flowing over rocks, smooth, but deadly. Like a ghost within us, a tearing curtain, a growing void. Something is missing from us tonight, or else, something is coming toward us."

Eva's expression was grim, and she gripped Donna's other hand. "I understand. I believe you. You can sense these things best." She seemed to consider something else, and then added, "You used to see such things, even as a child, did you not? You were treated, given medication, due to visions and prophecies. This is a part of you."