Volume 8

Plot: Exploration to Nick's past; Allie & Nick run the dojo

I.

I walked Nellie in to her box stall, passing Nick and kissing him on the lips. “How's your life today, Love?”

“That depends. Do you love me?”

I grabbed a brush and took off the saddle. “More than my world.”

“Then I'm alive.”

“And me?” I asked him rather suspiciously, my inexperienced attempt at flirting.

“You have all of my love.”

“Then I know I am.” This was our usual greeting and after a year you'd think we'd be a little tired of it but we weren't. We were in love. We were alive. I gave Nellie a carrot and walked back to the castle with Nick, hand in hand. Out lives were so simple. We really had no responsibilities, except for out managing the dojo, and my keeping track of history. Nick took care of most of the paperwork and I ran most of the classes. Not that he wasn't a teacher, too, just that I organized the people into classes and judged most of the tests. Nick and I both taught the same number of classes. Neither of us had given up on Marcus' dream, we were going to keep the dojo open forever.

We walked up to our room. We were living on the fourth floor in the north wing of the castle, with a magnificent view of the forest and the mountains in the background. “Al, have you heard from Niki and Roger lately?”

“No I haven't. But I'm sure they'll be back any day now.” Niki and Roger had gotten married two months ago. “I don't want to talk about them right now.”

“Oh? What is it you want to do?” he asked playfully in a low voice.

“I think you know.”

He pounced onto the bed. “You're right. I do.” I giggled and jumped up on the bed along with him, falling on top of him. We made love.

****************************************

The next morning I woke up uncomfortably cold. Nick was sitting up forward in bed, moaning softly. His arms were folded around his stomach. “Nick?”

“Allie, I don't feel too good,” he whined pitifully. He moved one of his hands up to his head and rubbed his forehead a little.

In response I sat up as well, wrapping my arm around him. I felt his forehead with the back of my other hand, and then his cheeks. “You feel like you've got a fever. I'm so sorry.”

Last week I had come down with a bug. I probably gave it to him; sweet Nick. “It's not your fault you were sick.”

“Do you want me to call a doctor?”

“No.” Nick had always hated doctors.

“Do you want me to get you anything?”

“No… I don't know…” Nick said in a while, almost on the verge of tears. “Just… stay with me?” I nodded, lovingly. I helped him over to the bathroom and satyed with him for a good part of the morning. When I finally got him back to bed it was time for lunch. Obviously, he wasn't up for food but I hadn't even had breakfast yet. Looking into those eyes of his I saw so much pain. He sneezed and I passed him the box of tissues.

“I'm going to get something for lunch. Do you want a warm cup of tea?” He nodded. “I'll be right back. Are you going to be OK?” Again, he nodded and started coughing. I went downstairs to the kitchen. It was hectic around lunch time as usual.

Sarah's daughter, Mora, saw me and came over; we were practically step-sisters, after all. “Hey, Allie. You didn't call for breakfast. We were getting a little concerned.”

“Nick's not feeling very well.” That explained it. The servants weren't expected to take care of people who were sick. It was kind of a hassle and all and there was the risk of spreading germs to other rooms. “I just came down for a sandwich and a cup of tea.”

“Get whatever you want. I've for a busy order in the south wing or else I'd help.”

“That's all right. I've done this enough to know where everything is.” She left with a cart full of meals and I set out to make myself a sandwich. It was a slow day for me, it always was when someone around me was sick. The time just crawled by and you never knew what time it really was. By the time his tea was done I had already eaten in the sandwich and a cup of yogurt. I couldn't remember how much honey he liked in his tea so I just brought the jar along with it. I walked up to our room. I walked in, closing the door behind me. “Here you go, Nick Love.”

“Thank you.” Nick was shivering slightly so I got him another couple blankets, wrapping them around his shoulders. He added the honey and sipped the tea slowly. “Where would I be without you?”

“I know where I'd be. I wouldn't be alive. You know that.”

“I can't tell you how much I love you; it's impossible—' he coughed, I reached over and hugged him.

“I love you, too.” Nick looked tired. I told him to get some sleep and he agreed that he needed it. He set the nearly empty cup on the bedside stand and curled up under the covers. Within an hour he was snoring. He usually didn't snore, I'm glad about that, but he was sick so I guess it was expected. I stayed in the room, just in case he woke up, and made calls to the people I knew to see if they could sub at the dojo until Nick felt better. Most everyone was busy but they told me how much they hoped Nick would get better. “Well, that helps!” I said softly as I hung up the phone for something like the thirtieth time. Next I called Pete- no. Rachael- no. John- no. It was getting hopeless. Finally Denise said she would do it. I thanked her hundreds of times and told her I'd see her tomorrow.

An hour later Nick woke up coughing. He sounded worse, more congested. “Do we have adythig left I cad take for this headache?”

“I don't know. Let me go check.” I found a bottle of Tylenol in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. I filled a cup of water for him and returned. I dumped three pills out into my hand and gave them to Nick. He swallowed them individually with long gulps of water after each. He leaned back on his pillows, rubbing his head, sneezing. “Head hurts?” I asked sympathetically.

“Yeah, alog with every other bart of by body. I feel terrible!” He shivered and sneezed, then rubbed the back of his neck. “Would you get be a cold wash cloth, Al? Blease?”

“Of course.” Again I went into the bathroom. I soaked a washcloth in some cold water and went back to lay it on his forehead.

“Thanks so buch. Really Al. I cad get addoyig. Thaks for buttig ub with be.”

“Anytime. You took care of me, and I love you no matter what happens.” There was a knock on the door. I knew it wasn't a servant. “Can I go open the door? Will you be all right if I go?”

He nodded.

“OK. I'll be right back then.” I shut the door to the bedroom halfway and walked over to the hallway. I opened it; it was Queen Lnore. “Len! What are you doing here?”

“That's a greeting!” she laughed. “Actually I was looking for Bates. Do you know where your father is?”

I thought for a minute. “If he's not in his room he's out with Sarah. I think I might have the number of their usual resturant if you want to call them.” I could hear Nick coughing hard in the other room, I was sure that Len could, too.

“Is that Nick?” she asked, concerned. I would have to tell her.

“Yeah, he's come down with something. He hasn't been feeling well all day.” I tried to make it sound casual. “So you want that number now?”

“No, it can wait until tomorrow. He is going to be back tomorrow right?”

“As far as I know. I try to stay out of his love life and—“

“Al?” moaned Nick from the other room.

“It's Len, Nick. I'll be right there, can you hold on for a minute?”

He didn't answer. “I'll leave now. Thanks, Allie.” She spoke louder in the direction of the bedroom, “Hope you feel better, Nick.”

“Al?” he moaned again.

I smiled, starting to close the door behind Lnore. “Bye, Len.”

“Bye, Allie.”

I nearly sprained my ankle getting back to Nick I was running so fast. “What's wrong?”

“It hurts!” he moaned, holding his stomach.

“Come on.” He acted so helpless when he was sick. I got him to the bathroom- I'll spare you the details but I never got around to dinner. I fell asleep in bed around ten or eleven. As I said, I lost track of time.

********************************************

“Nick,” I said softly, trying to wake him the next morning. “I'm leaving now.” He opened his eyes. Those big, beautiful eyes that still made me melt after all the years we had been together.

“Kay, I'b sorry.” He sneezed.

“It's nothing. You just hang out here and get some rest.”

“I love you.”

“I love you.” We kissed lightly on the lips. We never really kissed whenever one of us was sick. “I'll see you later.”

“I'll be here, Love.” Then I left. I went down to the kitchen and arranged for Nick to get food and drink when he called. Then I walked over to the stable. I wasn't up to running the way that morning. I was still recovering, myself, from a week ago. Luckily the classes at the dojo hadn't started then so Nick stayed home and took care of me. One, he was so sweet! I felt guilty for having to leave him but he knew as well as I that the classes had to be taught that day. I took Nellie to the dojo, leaving her in the village stable while I was gone for a good part of the day

<Snip>

I walked into the room. Nick was lying in bed, covered in blankets, washcloth on head, thermometer in mouth. “Hey Love. How's life?” He gave me a pitiful look, raising his eyebrows. “Not much better?” He shook his head. I threw my coat on the desk chair and, clearing a spot on the bed among the used tissues, lay down next to him. I took the thermometer out of his mouth and looked at it with squinted eyes. “Hundred and two?”

“Sabe as before,” Nick said in a dry voice. He coughed and continued. “How did the dew classes go? Are there ady really good beoble?”

“Nick, I really need to talk.”

He recognized the tone in my voice. “Fire away.” I told him every detail about the experience with Dan. Nick listened closely without interrupting. When I finished and broke down crying he hugged me. “You boor thig.”

I was shaking with fright at the reliving of the incident. “What if I hadn't been able to stop him? It was so scarry, Nick!”

“It's alright, Al. You did stob hib. You saved his life. You stayed id codtrol add did't badic. He did't die.” He stroked my arm, trying to comfort me. “It's goig to be fide, Al,” he whispered.

“I know. Thanks.”

“Adytibe. I love you.”

“I love you.” We stopped hugging and I kissed him on the cheek. There was a knock at the door. I answered it to find Edward, one of the kitchen hands. He nervously handed me Nick's tea and quickly left. I gave Nick his tea, helping him up in bed. I stacked some pillows behind him and pulled the blankets up higher. I didn't feel much like having dinner but Nick pressured me into getting a sandwich. Nick didn't have anything.

********************************************

Halfway through the night I felt a coldness at my back. I turned over to look at Nick but he wasn't there. “Nick?” I said, walking over to the bathroom. There was a bright light shining out from the bottom of the door. I walked on in. There he was, leaning over the toilet getting sick. “You poor darling. You should have woken me.” I stayed there with him through the night, holding his head over the toilet through it all.

The next morning found us sleeping back in bed. I was scared to death about having to go back to the dojo. I wondered if Dan was going to be there. I had mixed feelings about seeing him again. Nick was already awake. He turned over on his side to face me. “Morning, Allie.”

“Hey, Love. Do you feel any better?” He sounded better.

“Not much, but I guess a little. What time is it?”

I looked over at the clock on my dresser. “Almost eight. I better get going. Are you going to be alright here alone today?”

“Yeah. I have some paper work to do. Later, if I feel better I'll come to the dojo.”

“Alright. But dress warmly. Promise?”

“Promise.” He closed his eyes, sneezing.

“I'll see you later, then.” I knew he wouldn't come unless he was feeling a lot better compared to the night before and I trusted his judgment. I got changed and snuck a bagel from an unguarded cart in the hallway on my way out. I jogged to the dojo, not wanting to bother with Nellie that morning.

<Snip>

I noticed Nick enter from out of the corner of my eye. “Guys, I'll be right back. Keep practicing.” I walked over to Nick and patted him on the back. “Hey, Love. You look better.”

He coughed. “Yeah, but I don't feel well enough to teach today. I think the papers and I will just go hang out in the office.”

“Okay, Nicky.” I kissed him on the lips. “Take it easy.”

“I will, Love. Thanks.” He went off and I went back to teaching.

<Snip>

I walked over to the dojo office. From what I could see through the office window Nick was sitting in the desk chair, light in front of him. His elbow was on the desk, head resting on his arm. There were papers in his other hand. As I got nearer I saw him throw the papers across the room, causing them to hit the wall and scatter across the floor. I opened the door and heard the phone off the hook, buzzing loudly. I walked over and hung it up, then turned to my husband. I knelt in front of him and gave him a hug. There were tears running down his face. It was the second time I had ever seen him cry, the first was after he proposed to me. “What's wrong?” I asked to which he had no answer. I wanted to know what was so upsetting but he wouldn't tell me. When he calmed down a little I wiped the tears off of his face with a tissue from the box on the desk. “Let's go. Alright?”

“Yeah,” he whispered, collecting himself. “Let's go.”

<Snip>

“Everyone sit down.” They all sat down in a circle, Nick's legs were crossed as well. “First of all, my name's Nick. I'm your instructor. I'm just getting over something so I'm going to have to take it easy for the next couple days, that's why I wasn't able to get to class. I'm really sorry.”

<Snip>

“Come on, Nick!” Patrick said. “come on!” He stood up and walked to the mat.

I looked him in the eye. “Are you sure you're ready for this?”

“Yes, I think I am. Just don't bear me too badly in front of the kids.” We shed our extra clothes and dew swords. It began. I realized how much I missed the feeling of fighting with him; it was almost as needed a thing as sex, something else I had been without for way too long, believe me. The swords clashed together, over and over. Hundreds of moves, of course I was expecting it; he tried not to show off but sometimes he had to use that one move against me in order to win. What he didn't know was that a week ago I had discovered a counter to the movie of his. It was no longer thought of in his mind than his sword came down in a cut… the sword flew from his hand, landing nearby and not hurting anyone.

He smiled excitedly at me. “One, you did it!” Suddenly his face looked a little paler. Nick went to slap me on the back but he stopped.

“Nick, you OK?”

“I think… I need… to sit down,” he said slowly as he stumbled backwards and nearly fainted. I dropped my sword, grabbed his arm and got him over to the wall to sit down against it, head between his knees.

“Take deep breaths.”

“I just wore myself out. I guess I wasn't ready for this quite yet, he said between breaths.”

I felt really guilty all of a sudden. “I'm sorry.”

He looked up at me, wrinkled his brow, funny questioning expression on his face. “Whatever for, Love?”

“beating you.”

“We were fighting. I was tired. You were better. You won. That's the point. By the way, when did you find that counter?”

“A week ago. Did you know about it?”

“Three years ago I found it. Nels was quicker. He got it in less than a week.”

“He's far better than both of us.”

“That's to be expected, I suppose.” He was the King after all.

“Right. Stuck-up private teacher snob.” Not to mention that his teacher had not only been half his mother's illegitimate son, other half a demon. Or that his teacher had tried several times to murder him in cold blood.