Split in Time Ch. 14

Both women went to cry out in shock but Amy's hands stopped them, "calm down you're safe." Amy explained gently as she removed her hands from their mouths. "I've been told it is unsettling, I find it normal myself."

"Why did you wish to speak with us Alpha." The timid woman said.

Amy studied her for long moments, "what rank are you?" she asked.

"Omega..." She answered which meant she was a normally ranked member of the pack.

"Who is your Beta?" Amy asked with a frown, this woman may pretend but she wasn't Omega.

"Eden... Eden Clare... why?"

Amy glanced off for a moment and a few moments later Wolfgang walked out. "What do you know about Eden Clare?"

Wolfgang frowned, "Beta, runs a small group near the southern border, a little backwards but a good leader. Why?"

Amy turned to the woman, "your name."

"Sara, Sara Peirce." She answered.

"And why, Sara, is Eden keeping you in Omega rank when you are clearly enforcer or Beta rank?" Amy asked.

Sara shrugged, her eyes refusing to meet Amy's, she knew why she hadn't advanced as she should have. Eden was just a little too backward and it didn't help that he had a wandering eye and wandering hands.

"I think Eden needs to be removed as Beta." Amy said through gritted teeth as she had followed Sara's thoughts. "A little backwards... try a lot backwards, he makes even Noah look like the most forward thinking person going." She turned to Wolfgang, "he is deliberately keeping Sara put, so that he can sexually harass her."

Wolfgang growled. "I'll get Sienna on it, for now you and Miley will live at the central den and your training will begin. Will that be okay with you Miley... are you comfortable with the pack?" He asked.

Miley smiled a little, "it was an adjustment but Sara is everything I could ever want or need."

Wolfgang grinned, "your brother is inside, let's go eat and talk."

****

Wolfgang cuddled Amy close as they lay in bed that night. "So... tomorrow we find out if we can change those merks' minds. If your plan will work." he told her as he stroked her back, she groaned and rubbed her face against his chest. "We need to make a decision about Ash, Amy, we can't keep him in limbo."

"Adoption is a big thing now Wolfgang, if I adopt Ash here he will be my son there, his mother could live, I don't want to confuse him." She explained.

"And if she does it won't matter but if she doesn't we will be there for him. You've known Ash longer, what does he need?" He asked.

Amy closed her eyes and thought, more than anything Ash needed stability, immortal family members meant that he would never be alone again he would never fear being left alone again. She took a deep breath, "fine, we'll do it tomorrow after we get the decision from the merk group."

He smiled and tilted her face up and kissed her.

****

Amy stood before Jasper and his group, ready to hear what they would do, the pack had left them in comparative peace although they hadn't gone far just in case. Ash watched, his stomach growling. He had been told not to eat as he was going to get adopted today and he knew adoptions were hard on humans having read up on it as soon as he learnt it was an option.

Jasper stood with his team, they had been given the newly thatched building which was still a little damp but liveable for the night. They were left alone, to think and talk about all they had learnt and to decide how they would handle this.

"So..." Amy said trying to start them off.

"we've talked." Jasper said, "and we want out of the Merks..."

Amy shook her head, "but we need you there."

Jasper frowned, "Why?"

"To convince others, to work within the organisation to bring it down." Thais said firmly, he stood beside his mother, "you will succeed where others have failed... you are not the first to learn the truth." He told them. "But you have the advantage the others didn't, you have allies outside of the organisation."

"How do they win?" Keira asked Thais, those who knew his ability listened intently.

Thais thought for a moment, "they unseat the high command by eroding the leaders, it will mean death to those who will not see sense but it is the only way. Better to kill them than let them regroup." He explained. "When the command is unseated you can leave the merks because they will no longer exist."

"Until then we have to know you are friends and when you convince others." Wolfgang explained. "I was thinking a subtle gesture." He made the motions with his left hand. The whole group copied him. "if you manage to subvert people teach them this gesture and we will teach it to other human groups we manage to befriend. This way we will know each other but be prepared to be distrusted by the villages. If you want to make contact with Were every member of your team must tie a piece of cloth around the muzzle of your riffles we will see you but you will not see us."

"if possible we should introduce you to the villages, it will smooth the way." Amy added. "We will have gained their trust so it might be easier that way."

Jasper nodded as he could see the sense in that, he turned his attention to Thais, he had seen how the others had reacted to Thais, how they hung on his every word. It made him think that perhaps Thais was more than just a child, "do you know the names of those who know Were are good? Who all we have to do is tell them our plan to get them on side."

Thais nodded and held out his hand, Jasper gulped as he watched a piece of paper appear in the little boy's hand. "I made it special, see," he offered the paper to Jasper. Jasper took the piece of folded paper with trepidation and carefully opened it, he frowned as his eyes focused on a hand drawn map of the area.

"Huh?" He showed it to Thais and Thais smiled.

"Say Wolfgang's son Thais is a little freak." Thais said, delight evident as he waited for Jasper to do as he said.

"Wolfgang's son Thais is a little freak." He said a little hesitantly, he then just blinked as the map faded and the page divided into two lists.

"The left hand list is all those who are important to shift the balance of power, the star next to the name means they know Were are good but are afraid. If you get them to touch the paper a tick will appear by their name." Thais explained, "the right hand list is the high command and those who need to be taken out I made it so that once they are dead they cross out automatically."

"How do I make it go back to the map?" Jasper asked.

"Simple say... But Amy's a bigger freak than Thais." Thais said and got chuckles from many.

Jasper grinned and repeated what Thais had said and the map returned.

"Also the phrases will only work for you and if you say them under duress nothing will happen." Thais added then glanced to his mother, "did I miss anything?"

"No..." Amy said, "you've thought of everything."

He smiled, "oh... the map is accurate and it can't be torn or damaged by water or flame." He added.

Jasper tucked the map into his breast pocket and studied Thais for a moment, "what are you?" he asked the little boy.

"I'm... complicated." Thais answered with a shrug.

"Oh we will find out who raided your winter stores, this is our area to patrol and no one should have taken anything from you unless it was us." Jasper told the village.

"What will you say about your leader?" Amy asked.

Jasper shrugged, "he slipped on a narrow path and fell, he was dead when we got to him. Mountain paths in winter are treacherous and the fool didn't want to be attached by a line but it was his choice. I did warn him." He said weaving a completely believable story.

Everyone in his team nodded siding with his story.

"Good luck and good journey." Amy told them.

Jasper bowed, "It has been a honour." he answered and he started to leave, his team went with him. He had already said his goodbye to his sister before she went back to the den, he thought he had lost her but now he knew she was alive and safe. The pack would protect her until she no longer needed to be kept safe.

"You did it." Wolfgang said as he scooped her up. Now... to adopt Ash. he reminded her.

She smiled and nodded.

****

Thais watched as his brother was carried to a chair, his body still weak after the adoption was completed hours ago. He walked over to his mother and grabbed her hand, tugging on it. "Ma... it's time." he told her gently the moment before Amy felt the warning tug, time was almost up, she had done what she was meant to do and it was time to go home back to her universe.

She frowned as she suddenly realised, "it was all about Ash... him becoming my son... meeting Wolfgang, fixing this world... it wasn't what I was here to do... I was sent here for him." She said to Thais who simply nodded although that was not the entire reason as to why she was here, everything else she had done was important but Ash was why she was sent.

"He is more important than you ever dreamed of him being. You've given him the tools he needs to be the man Fate needs to correct this world, to set it back on its path and keep it there until it eventually re-joins." Thais explained.

By now they had everyone's attention.

"You have the time to say goodbye and to give Ash the same gift you gave my sisters back in our world." Thais added.

Amy nodded and turned to her daughters, they all hugged her. "I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer."

"Doesn't matter," Sage said, "you gave us everything."

"We will miss you but we will remember everything you taught us and gave us." Alanna added.

"You gave me my life back, my mate, and a family thank you and I love you." Electra said. The three sisters released their mother and stepped back before they knelt to group hug Thais.

Crystal and Destiny approached. "In your universe can you fix our problem?"

Amy nodded.

Destiny took Amy's hand and fed her a couple of phrases which would get her attention and how to get a hold of her. When that was done she stepped back.

"Easiest way to get a hold of me is to get Ghan to do it." Crystal said.

Amy nodded then huffed as Sasha launched herself at Amy her hands touched Amy's temples, please, make sure I get back to ma... she said and fed everything she knew to Amy which was a lot, her mind had been reading others while she still in her mother's womb.

I promise but I will not take you from your family if you have one. Amy told her.

Sasha smiled and hugged Amy. "miss you." She said then squirmed out of Amy's arms to hug Thais. Thais wormed out of Sasha's arms and skipped over to Mryddin as Amy went to Ash to give him the same gift she gave her daughters.

Thais gestured Mryddin to come down to his level, Mryddin leant down. "Gabrielle... get to know Gabrielle." He told the older man.

Mryddin watched as Thais went back to his mother who was hugging Vivian, Mryddin let his eyes wander until they came to rest on Gabrielle. He knew what Thais had implied that Gabrielle was his soul mate, that Thais had given him a hint, a little nudge in the right direction, the rest was up to him now.

Thais walked over to Wolfgang and held up his hands, Wolfgang leant down and scooped the small boy up, Thais wrapped his arms around Wolfgang's neck. He said nothing he just held his father and his father just held him tightly, breathing in his son's scent. Thais rested his forehead against Wolfgang's. It will be hard... but you will get through it... I promise. But before you put me down, I want to show you my sisters. Wolfgang felt the little boy enter his mind and introduced Wolfgang to the twin girls, how vastly different they were and what they would become but he also showed his father the little things, Serenity's love of music, Temperance's mischief making, and his love for nature.

Wolfgang hugged his son tightly thanking him for the gift, Thank you, he told him and leant down to put Thais back on his feet.

Amy kissed Ash's forehead, "Sorry I can't give you more."

Ash shrugged, "you've given me more than you think ma." She hugged him again.

Taliesin stepped forward as the other Ancients appeared to see Amy off, she released Ash and turned to Taliesin as he spoke, "I know the answer..."

"To what?" Amy asked.

"The riddle, what comes without being asked and is gone without being stolen." He said excited.

Amy smiled, "okay, what's the answer?" She asked.

"You." He stated, "you are here without being asked and gone without being stolen. You are the answer to the riddle."

Cleopatra chuckled and wrapped an arm around Taliesin, "nice guess and in a way a true guess but the answer is the nights sky."

"Really I thought wind," Vivian said.

"Thunderstorms," Alanna said firmly.

Amy chuckled, "you are all right. The answer is things of nature, they come without being asked and are gone without being taken." She told them all.

Amy focused her attention on Wolfgang. She could feel his pain, he knew he was losing her but he had also known all along that she was never truly his to keep. She walked into his arms and held him, his lips found hers, his kiss was desperate but he knew he couldn't stop this, she had warned him.

She broke the kiss, "I have some gifts for you." She told him, in her hands an exact copy of the same collar the other Wolfgang wore appeared in her hands. She slid it over his head and bound it to his body.

"I too have a gift for you." Wolfgang glanced and his eyes met the pack's jeweller who was panting as he put the small box in his Alpha's hands, he was frantic, he hand made two hearts... as it was easiest to do, one was for Wolfgang the other for Amy but he couldn't find the other heart. It mattered not he still had to make other hearts for the girls as Wolfgang wanted to wear them like she did. "A heart for Ash." Wolfgang explained as he put the box in Amy's hand.

She smiled desperately trying not to cry, she could feel his pain and it only compounded her own. "One last gift." She told him and reached up with her free hand to touch his temple, she easily entered his mind doing her best to block out his pain, she felt someone wrap around her leg, helping her deal with his pain. She slid through his thoughts looking for that special one way mirror which linked him to the other Wolfgang.

She found the mirror purely by accident in his mind, it was completely coated in some dark coloured grime. With a simple thought the mirror was clean and the other Wolfgang's memories streamed into this Wolfgang. She spent long minutes engraining those memories into this Wolfgang so that he could lose himself in memories that were like living dreams. As she pulled away the mirror again was covered with grime preventing more memories from crossing over, which was strange as that hadn't happened with the others.

Wolfgang shuddered as he realised what she had done, he leant down and kissed her passionately knowing it would be their last kiss. She gently broke the kiss and glanced down. Thais glanced up and sighed, it was time to go.

Amy nodded and slid out of Wolfgang's arms, she stepped back and glanced around. "Goodbye, thank you and I love you." She told them as she felt the surge of power that heralded their return trip. There was a sudden loud pop and they were gone.