Jay whirled around, as Greg moved toward the phone. As soon as Greg picked up the receiver, one of the guards from hell appeared out of nowhere and smashed it back on the cradle. Greg moved away, edging back toward the others.
Sutomi stood at the top of the staircase. He smiled down at all of them, and started to walk towards the first step, then proceeded to make his way down the stairs.
"What seems to be the problem here? Are you not ready yet Jay? Still clinging to some hope that all of this isn't going to happen?"
Jay stood watching him as he walked down the stairs. As if he'd been convinced by his mother's words, he moved slowly to the side and said "Only that we have found something here. Something that we think may belong to you."
And he moved to the side to reveal the woman that Sasha held right.
Sutomi Lim looked up, and immediately his face fell into a shock that seemed to rock him to his core. The entire colour drained from his face and he stopped dead in his tracks. He half collapsed to the rail of the steps, and moved both hands to reinforce his grip there.
"Aoide?" was all he could say.
Aoide pulled herself free from Sasha, who couldn't quite believe that she had been right after all. She wasn't worried now about letting her captive go. She'd been seen and that was all that Sasha thought would be required for Sutomi Lim to have what he wanted.
"Aoide. Is that really you?"
"Aye, it's me" She said with a heavy level of disgust in her voice. She rubbed her wrist and looked at Sasha as she rolled her shoulders back and stretched a little. "As you see, I am here before you."
Sutomi Lim didn't move. He kept staring at Aoide.
Sasha stared up at him. The one guard by the phone had now been joined by the other two and their eyes were on Sutomi Lim as well. Everyone watched, as if the entire world depended on what happened next.
Soon, he partially recovered and remembered himself. He stood and walked down the stairs the rest of the way, not saying a word. Sasha watched him, fascinated. Suddenly she felt a touch at her elbow, and Jay was gently encouraging her to stand closer to him. She moved, and he'd pulled her further toward the stairs. Suddenly, Sutomi Lim turned on his hells.
"You four get over near the stairs there. I don't want any of you leaving or thinking that this is over for you."
Jay pulled Sasha toward him, and moved nearer to the edge of the staircase. The three guards moved to position nearby making it clear they had a job to do again and were doing it.
Sutomi Lim moved toward Aoide. He stood only about two meters away. From where she stood, Sasha could only see the back of him, but she could see Aoide's face.
"Where have you been? How did you survive?" he said, wonder in his voice now.
"I am half daemon. I didn't die, like you killed my children. Instead I was cursed to live as all daemons live. I stayed physically close to my offspring, but I have had to watch them all die through the ages because of you and your curse."
Lim looked down as if he were wondering who had tied his shoelaces that morning. With his head still bowed, he said, "But I have had to spend an eternity without you, and you have been here
with me all along?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you show yourself?"
"You were killing my children. You would kill me eventually, if you knew that I lived. Just I expect you will now."
Lim looked up at her. "Yes it's true. My anger against you runs very deep. You gave yourself so happily to another man. We were young lovers."
Aoide had a defiant look on her face. "We were never lovers. You never touched me. I tried to kiss you, I tried to reach for you, but you always turned me away. You didn't want Me., We were both daemon, and you didn't want me. I thought, where will he find another daemon woman? But I decided that you must be searching for her, so I would have to make myself take my own course."
"I wanted to make myself human for you."
"When did I tell you I wanted a human?"
"But you are human. You are half human."
"That doesn't mean I can live a human life."
Sutomi looked down again. Toward his feet he said "Have the gods deceived me?"
Suddenly Aoide laughed. It was a screeching, piercing laugh that hurt the ear drums.
"The gods? The gods! You fool! You deceived yourself."
Sutomi turned so that his face was revealed. He was definitely in some sort of shock. He moved toward the chair that jay had been sitting in earlier. It was a collapse, all the strength out of him. He looked to Sasha like a man who had the weight of a thousand planets on him. He took a deep breath, and then without looking up at Aoide, he said,
"Why didn't you speak to me, and tell me all this. I would never have killed you."
"Yes you would have. You could kill all my children. You could kill me."
Aoide placed her hands on her hips. She looked defiant, and in control. She dealt Sutomi the final blow to his realisation. "And besides. I liked it when I had sex. I didn't want to stop and I didn't want to have just one man."
"You would do that rather than save your children?"
Aoide screamed out loud in the same terrifying voice, "I thought you would kill me you fool. I hoped you would never come from me and that I would be able to watch my children's children from a distance till they left. It was the only pleasure I ever had."
Not the only pleasure, Sasha thought with disgust.
A pause controlled the room. Sasha held her breath and imagined everyone else did the same. Sutomi sat in his chair, staring at Aoide as she looked back at him doing the same. Sasha could feel the tension between them, and almost imagined she could feel some sexual energy.
Suddenly, Sutomi Lim leaps out of the chair and ran toward Aoide. As he did so, she opened her arms and welcomed him. The pair started to kiss, fevered, passionately, Lim holding her face in his hands, Aoide with her arms clasped around his neck. If it weren't for the fact that both of them disgusted Sasha so much. The scene would be endearing.
However, soon the kissing had been going on long enough. Sasha wanted resolution on the issue at hand, and clearly Jay did as well. He stood forward, not enough so as to wake the guards, but enough to be able to show that he had something to say.
"Ah, hem." He forced a false cough to get their attention.
They didn't move. Kissing as if they'd been separated for years, which they had, they ignored Jay and just kept up.
"Sutomi Lim. You have a problem. You now have to deal with me." Jay called out.
"You have no justification for your anger now." Sasha turned to see Estella standing next to Jay. She looked strong, and almost as thought ten years had been taken from her appearance.
This would be the biggest validation the woman was ever going to receive and she was enjoying every moment of it. "The gods will not look favourably upon you exacting out revenge with Aoide in your arms."
This had Sutomi Lim cease his kissing. Without taking his arm off Aoide, he turned to look at the small party gathered under the stairs.
"It's true" he said. The guards turned their heads suddenly toward Lim. "This has no justification now. I have Aoide back again, and I am no longer allowed to curse Alexander and his offspring."
He leaned toward Aoide and kissed her again. She kissed him back, and snuggled into his chest.
"You are free from the curse Jay. I no longer wish to see your death. And your woman is yours also, and you can enjoy your child together."
Then, with a sudden wave of his hand, he and the guards, and Aoide all disappeared.
Sasha stood still, not being exactly sure of what to do next.
Jay turned around, and ran to her; kissing her almost with the same passion Lim and Aoide had kissed with. He held her caressing her, clutching her, reaching of her. Sasha kissed him back, feeling the full weight of relief flowing through both of them. Jay was going to be alright, he want' going to die, and they had a chance at a real life together.
After a moment of clinging to each other, accepting that they had more time, and they had a future, Sasha turned away from jay to look at the others. Greg stared at the two of them. He looked lost, as though he didn't know what to do with this information or what it could all possibly mean.
Her eyes wandered to Estella. The older woman had fallen into the chair and sat forward with her head in her hands. She shook and at first Sasha thought something was wrong with her. She soon realised, however, that she was crying. Pouring all the years of grief and desperation into the tears that flowed through her hands.
Sasha let go of Jay and indicated toward his mother. He pulled away and ran to her.
"Mother. Mother, I'm here. Touch me. I'm here and I will never doubt you or not trust you again. You saved me mother. Your belief and faith saved me, and I will always be grateful."
Estella looked up at her son, tears staining the face that had already been marked by the years – years of sadness, desperation, loneliness and grief. Jay held her hand and lifted her out of the chair to stand before him. In a hug that held and protected her against a world that hated her for so long, he wrapped his protective muscled arms around her and let her sob and sob into his chest.
With tears in her eyes, Sasha moved toward Greg.
