Disclaimer: Victoria DiThon Kestral, Eva Davids, and Von belong to me. Kronos belongs to Rysher. I am making no money, just lots of fun!
This story is for the Lyric Wheel of June 2004, which does not appear to have a theme. So I’m just going to have fun with it, and write a story that I’ve had a few requests for. The song I have is “Wasted Years” by Iron Maiden.
For Marc. You know why *wink*.
Fall, 1987
Oxford, England
Eva Davids slammed the door shut to her bedroom and sank down onto her bed. It was official. Eva was *quite* concerned about her good friend and housemate Victoria. Sure, Victoria two hundred years old and absolutely wicked with a sword, but she still looked like a teenager. And you didn’t see Eva inviting home men old enough to look like her father, even though *she* was already twenty. She had known that Toria was going to have one of her “old” friends over for a few days, but she had expected it to be Elizabet, or perhaps Justin.
Not this…man. What was his name? Victoria had introduced him as Malcolm Rainier, but called him Mal. They had been lounging comfortably on the couch when Eva come home from classes. Both had been acting as if the whole thing was completely natural. And Mal was certainly polite enough, and had seemed interested in meeting her. But he looked like he was in his thirties. The whole situation was odd, and Eva still wasn’t quite sure what she thought about it. As much as she tried to remember that Victoria was an Immortal, she was rarely faced with such tangible evidence of the girl’s long past.
A soft knock at the door startled Eva out of her reverie. “Yeah?”
Victoria poked her head in the room and gave Eva a concerned look. “Hey, are you okay?” Eva remained silent, and merely shrugged. Victoria sighed, entered the room and closed the door behind her. Snagging Eva’s desk chair, she sat. “Okay, what’s wrong?”
Eva shrugged again. “Actually…I thought Justin was coming to stay. Not this guy. It just surprised me.”
“Are you okay with it?” Victoria asked seriously. “You live here, too, and I don’t want you to be uncomfortable or anything.” She paused. “Is it because he’s an adult?” Victoria refrained from sighing when Eva looked down at her hands, then cracked a smile. “Would it make you feel better if I told you that he’s just a platonic friend and that we’ve never had sex or anything?”
A horrified look crossing her face, Eva looked up to stare at Victoria. Seeing the smile, Eva couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, I guess it does help. It was just…weird seeing both of you. I’m sorry if I was rude.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it,” Victoria replied. “Mal offered to get a hotel room. What should I say?”
“It’s okay if he stays here,” Eva said after a moment. She shrugged. “After all, I do trust your judgment. How long have you and Mal been friends?”
“I did a job for him during the Depression,” Victoria answered. “And we hit it off pretty well. Justin thinks he’s nuts, but Mal and I get along okay. We’re both pretty kooky.”
Eva shook her head and smiled. “That you certainly are.”
“Anyway, dinner’s ready if you’d like to join us,” Victoria continued. Eva nodded and both women stood. “And by the way,” she added in a conspiring whisper. “Mal gives *fabulous* back massages.”
It was no use. Eva was ready to throw her notebook across the room, burst into tears, or both. She shoved her books away from her on the coffee table and leaned forward to rest her face in her hands. She absently heard someone enter the living room, but automatically assumed it was Victoria, who didn’t have classes on Thursday afternoons.
A distinctly male clearing of throat caused Eva to look up in surprise. Mal stood in the entrance to the kitchen, a book and mug of coffee in his hands. “I’m sorry,” he said, tossing a lank of black hair off of his eyes. “If you’re working, I can go read in my room.”
Eva shook her head, and leaned back against the couch cushions. “Don’t worry about it – it’s not like I’m getting anywhere.”
Mal nodded and sat in one of the armchairs on either side of the fireplace. He glanced at one of the books. “Genetics?”
Nodding miserably, Eva replied, “For my bio class. One of the general education courses I have to take in order to graduate. Unfortunately, they won’t let me take solely anthropology courses. I apparently have to have a well-rounded education.”
“I see,” Mal said. “Anything I can help you with?”
Eva looked surprised. “You know about biology?”
Grinning, Mal replied, “I received my MD in Germany about fifteen years ago. I don’t practice medicine – I’m a researcher in virology, but I’m sure I know enough to help you out.”
Eva could not help but smile at his egotism. “All right then…” She reluctantly picked up her notebook again and Mal moved across the room to sit next to her on the couch.
Later that evening, Eva and Mal were still next to each other on the couch. Eva wiped tears of laughter from her eyes, and desperately tried to catch her breath. “I can’t believe you let her get away with that!” she cried. “And then she just walked out on you, too!”
Mal shook his head with an answering grin. “What can I say, I’m a sucker for a pretty face. I’ve traveled far and wide, and I rarely see a woman that beautiful.” His eyes took on a strange glint as he gazed at Eva. “Though I seem to have come across one once again.”
Eva ducked her head and blushed. “Shush, Mal. We both know it’s not true.” Her eyes were drawn to the clock on the mantelpiece when it struck eight o’clock. “Oh gods…I’m so sorry to have taken up your time like this. Thanks so much for your help with the genetics, but I’m sure you have better things to do than sit around and talk to your friend’s roommate. You were here to see Toria after all.”
She began gathering up her books from the coffee table, but Mal reached over to place a hand on her arm. “I don’t see Victoria anywhere. It is completely my pleasure to spend time with a beautiful young woman, and since Victoria told me this morning that she would be at work late, that only leaves one question.”
“Yes?” Eva asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
“You look like you need a back massage,” Mal replied, a sparkle in this dark eyes. He held out a hand. “Interested?”
Early winter, 1989
New York City
Eva trudged through the dirty snow to her apartment, exhausted after yet another long day at work. The job was interesting enough, but it didn’t pay very well, and the only way she could afford to live in the city was yet again through the good graces of Victoria. She was currently living in her friend’s New York apartment since most of her money was going towards her graduate studies. Eva refused to let Victoria pay for her education. Having a nice home in the city was good enough for her.
She idly wished that Victoria had accompanied her to New York once they both graduated, but the Immortal had decided to head for warm climates and was currently living at her ranch in Australia. Eva had recently been invited down there for some sort of crazy party, but finals were coming up, and she couldn’t afford to take the time off from her job and still be able to spend Christmas with her cousin Will.
Stepping off the elevator onto her floor, Eva was surprised to see the door to her apartment standing open. When she entered the living room, two men were sitting on opposite couches, eyeing each other wearily. One she was not surprised to see – Erik von Strausse was the Immortal who owned the apartment building, and Victoria’s friend and “financial advisor.” He kept an eye on Eva, and she enjoyed his company.
He was glaring at, of all people, Mal Rainier, who stood and smiled when she entered the room. “Mal!” she cried happily. “What are you doing here?”
Von gave Eva a hard look. “You know him?”
“Yeah, he’s a friend of Victoria’s…I met him when we were at Oxford together last year.” Eva smiled at Von. “It’s okay, I promise.”
Giving Mal another weary look, Von nodded at Eva. “Okay. You know where I am if you need anything.” Eva nodded reassuringly at Von, and he left the apartment.
Turning to Mal, Eva gave a broad grin. “What are you doing here?! I’m sorry to tell you this, but Toria’s not here.”
Mal grinned and held out his arms. “Then it’s a good thing I’m not here to see Toria. I’m here to see you.” Eva laughed and let herself be enveloped in his strong arms for a hug.
A few mornings later, Eva opened her eyes and smiled sleepily to see Mal staring at her from the other side of the bed. “Morning,” she said happily, leaning over to give him a quick kiss on the nose. “Sleep well?”
“Perfectly well, my sweet,” Mal replied, pulling her into his arms. She snuggled happily into his chest. “Can I talk to you about something?”
Eva froze momentarily, then twisted her head up to look into his Mal’s face. “Did I do something wrong?”
Mal gave a small laugh. “Of course not. I just felt the need to tell you something before things got too far.”
Eva relaxed again and replied, “What could you possibly have to tell me? I know you’re Immortal, I know the whole Immortality gig. I don’t really care how old you are, and I promise that nothing crazy about your past is going to change my opinion of you.” She laughed. “Hell, I know some of the things Victoria has done, and she’s still my friend.”
Mal smiled slightly at this, and lifted Eva’s chin so that she was looking at him again. “I’ve had too much time on my hands, and got you on my mind.” Eva smiled at him, her eyes alive with curiosity. She nodded. “Then to start with, I must confess that my name is not Mal Rainier.
“It’s Kronos.”
~Finis~
Wasted Years
by Iron Maiden
From a coast of gold
Across the seven seas
I've traveled on, far and wide
But now it seems
I'm just a stranger to myself
And the things I sometimes do
It isn't me but someone else
I close my eyes and think of home
Another city goes by in the night
Ain't it funny how it is
You never miss it till it's gone away
And my heart is lying there
And will be till my dying day
[CHORUS]
So - Understand
Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years
Face up - Make your stand
And realize you're living in the golden years
Too much time on my hands
I've got you on my mind
Can't ease this pain so easily
When you can't find the words to say
It's hard to make it through another day
And it makes me want to cry
And throw my hands up to the sky
[CHORUS]
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This page was last updated: 6.18.4 ~jlg~