To Rise Again

Eithen watched as River turned and walked away, shutting him out. He stood there not sure if he should go to him. He could feel his wolf pacing, it wanted to comfort its mate. Eithen knew he couldn't do that however, not yet, River had just dismissed him. So he turned without another word and left River to his thoughts.

As Eithen headed to his truck he pulled out his cell, he needed someone here ASAP. There was no way he would leave River here unwatched after he had been so adamant about going. Eithen had a bad feeling River would do something irrational out of emotional distress. Parents, after all, were known to act before they thought, and River would be no exception.

"Hey Troy, I need you to get over to my place and stay out of sight. I want you to keep an eye on River for me; I have a feeling he's gonna try something stupid.... yeah.... he knows we're going to talk to them.... I told him he couldn't go, he was pissed about that.... What did you expect me to say to him?.... no, just get your ass here Troy."

After that was taken care of, Eithen dialed up his pops to get all the details about where and when they were to meet up. He hopped into his truck and sped off to have a much awaited conversation with these people and hope that Raivyn was still with them. Eithen didn't know what he would do if she wasn't safe.

******

River waited about 30 minutes to make sure that Eithen was gone before he went out and headed into the woods. He knew that Eithen lived on the same side of town as the park from his dream; therefore the woods behind the house should lead him to where he needed to go. As he walked, he thought back to everything he had seen in the dream, all he needed to do was find a trail. He stopped from time to time, closed his eyes, thought of where he needed to go then would continue walking.

It took River about an hour before he came across a trail in the woods. He took in everything around him and knew he was where he needed to be, it looked as it had in his dream. He headed down the path a bit further when he saw the clearing ahead of him. River raced into the middle and stopped to turn in a circle trying to locate where he had spotted his wolf by the trees. Once spotted, he took off again. Unaware of the extra large chocolate brown wolf that had been following him.

Where are you going man, traipsing thru the damn woods like this? Troy thought as he stalked behind River to Lord only knew where. He had to agree with Eithen; that River had decided to do something stupid, and was happy to make sure his Alpha's mate was kept safe and unharmed. He needed to find time to contact Eithen to let him know where they were. Troy just hoped that he could get there before River really did something crazy.

******

Eithen pulled up in front of the address his pops had given him, it looked like any other house that you would see in the middle of a suburb. Eithen knew that appearances could be very deceiving though. He walked up to where the others were parked and talked about what they knew and what they still needed to find out from the people inside the house.

Once they all had their instructions, Eithen and his pops walked up to the door and knocked. They never expected it to be answered by an elderly woman; they just stood there a moment as they made sure they had the right address.

"May I help you gentlemen?" she asked as she kept the door closed a bit.

"Sorry to bother you ma'am, but is this the residence of a Mr. Turner and his wife?" Eithen looked at his pops and unasked questions passed between them.

"Yes it is young man; I'm just here to keep an eye on the place for my son and his wife while they are out of town for a few days. Is there anything I can help you with?"She asked with a look of suspicion in her eyes.

"Do you know where they might be? It is imperative that we speak to them as soon as we can." Devon spoke up, as he watched the woman to see if she would lie about the couple's whereabouts. He noted the suspicion and confusion she had with them asking questions.

The woman glanced between the two men standing on the stoop, wondering if they could be trusted. She thought herself to be a good judge of character, and they looked like they might be able to help her. She opened the door the rest of the way to let them enter. "Please, come in out of the heat for a moment, that way we can speak in private without all these damn nosey neighbors."

Eithen signaled for his men to stand-down but stay alert. He didn't know what they were walking onto. The woman led them into the kitchen and offered a drink, they politely declined. They just wanted to get the information they needed to locate Raivyn.

"Ma'am, could you please sit, we are not here on a social call. We came to ask your son and his wife some questions. Now, do you know where they currently are?" Eithen questioned.

"Call me Edith please, and no I don't know where my son and that woman he married are. They asked me to stay at the house for a few days and I have not heard from them since. That was two weeks ago, and to be honest, I'm worried for my son. I never trusted that woman and I told him that. But what does a mother know right? Edith wiped a stray tear away and took a few deep breaths before she continued.

"He changed you know, after he met her. My son was a good man, but something in him changed and not for the better. He started drinking more and missed enough work to the point he lost his job. He stopped speaking to me on a regular basis like he used to. There is no way to prove it, but I believe he has been using drugs and that wife of his has convinced him to do something bad." She dropped her head in her hands and started to cry.

Eithen and Devon exchanged knowing looks before Eithen decided to be just as honest as she had been. "Edith, we came here today to try and get information from your son and his wife. We know that they had a little girl with them awhile ago, but when we arrived to where they should have been, they and the girl were no longer around."

Devon looked from his son over to Edith, he waited for her to acknowledge what she had just heard before he told more of the story. "The childs name is Raivyn, she is the three year old daughter to an employee of my son Eithen here. Her mother took off with her about 6 months ago and when she figured out that she didn't want her anymore, well, she just gave her away. From what we have learned, she gave Raivyn to your son and his wife. All we want is to reunite her with her daddy."

Devon had to take a moment as he wondered how any parent could do that to a child. He shook his head to clear away those thoughts before he spoke up again. "Do you have any idea where they could be hiding out at or even give us a few names of their friends? Anything you could tell us would be helpful." Edith nodded as she stood to gather anything she could find in the home that would help find that little girl.

******

River continued to fight his way through the woods, as he tried to locate the area that he and his wolf had come out of on the edge of town. He had to be close; he hadn't come all this way just to have it wrong. Just when he thought he must've made a wrong turn somewhere he noticed the trees thinned out, he headed in that direction and came out on the backside of some abandoned apartment buildings and homes. He knew he was in the right place, now to find Raivyn. She was there somewhere...he felt it.

He didn't even know where to start.... this was as far as he got in the dream. Again, he did as Siobhan had told him and closed his eyes to see with his mind. River blocked everything out, cleared his thoughts, evened his breathing and pictured Raivyn. He immediately saw her in a dark room, he had no idea what he was doing, but he felt like he needed to reach out to her, his mind to hers.

******

Troy stayed hidden in the shadows of the trees as he watched this man, his Alpha's mate just stand there with his eyes closed. What the hell are you doing now? Who wanders the woods for over an hour just fucking stand there with their eyes closed? Guess it's time to call Eithen and let him know what's up. Troy shifted back to his human form and pulled his cell out of the pouch that he had attached around his ankle.

"Hey man, you need to get your ass over here to the east end of town.... ya with all the abandoned places.... your guy is just standing there with his eyes closed.... yeah, that's what I said.... no, he's just standin' there man, not movin'.... yeah I got my eyes on him.... don't worry I won't let anything happen.... I understand.... yeah.... ok.... see ya here in a few."

******

River kept the image of Raivyn in his mind as he reached out. He searched, felt and listened to everything his heart, mind and body were telling him. She was there, just barely but she was, he felt her fear.

'Daddy's here baby girl, daddy's gonna find you and keep you safe. Raivyn... baby... can you feel me?' River had no idea what the hell he was doing, it just felt like the right thing to do. He kept at it, trying to make contact with his little girl.

'Come on baby, open your mind to daddy, I need you to feel me here.' River called out to her but nothing, he had to find something that would make her aware of his presence. Then suddenly he remembered, 'Raivyn, oohhh Raivyn, where's my angel? I wonder, oh gee I wonder where my Raivyn could be?' He waited a few minutes then repeated it again and again. After the third time he began to feel something stir in his mind. Could it really be her, did it work?

What he felt faded in and out.... not quite sure if it was even real. Maybe he just hoped that whatever it was that he was doing had worked. He kept at it though, he couldn't give up, not after he had come this far.

******

Raivyn sat there, she was scared, she knew the mean people would find her sooner or later and she didn't want that, she couldn't let them. All of a sudden she felt an overwhelming sensation of being held and it made her feel so safe. It reminded her of when her daddy would hold her, his arms wrapped around her. She closed her eyes and whispered to him as if he were there with her. "Daddy, hold me and keep me safe. I miss you daddy and I love you." With that, she felt herself drifting back off to sleep.

She dreamt of playing hide-n-seek with her daddy again. He was calling out to her, trying to find her. She still felt those warm loving arms around her, she knew she would be safe here in her dream. She forgot about the mean people that had her and started to giggle. Her daddy was funny, he sang out to her in goofy voices.

'You can't see me daddy.... hehe.... can you find me?' Raivyn said as she heard him say her name again. 'Daddy.... oh daddy.... where am I.... I see you can you see me?' She liked playing hide-n-seek with daddy, he made her feel so special.

******

River was unaware of the things around him as he concentrated his all on Raivyn. He kept sending her his love and his strength along with the questions of where she was, what she saw or anything else that might help them find her. He just hoped that she felt him. He thought he heard her giggle, but he couldn't be sure. It was faint and broken, almost like a bad connection on a cell. River did not want to give up, but he started to feel drained of energy, he had to stop, at least for now. He would rest a bit then start again. Maybe if he moved closer to the buildings, he just had to try something different.

******

Eithen pulled up behind the buildings and sat there as he watched River just stand there, he could see that his eyes were closed and he had a look of intense concentration on his face. "What is going on with you River? Why come here of all places?" Those were the questions that Eithen asked himself before he got out of the truck and headed to where River stood.

He spotted Troy hidden in the shadows of the tree line and motioned for him to stay where he was but remain alert. Slowly Eithen made his way closer and closer to River and stopped a few feet away and called out to him getting no response. Eithen didn't know what River was doing, but from the look on his face, River was in a world of his own. He called to him again softly, it was not his intent to frighten River.

"River.... hey man.... what are ya doin' out here?" Still no reaction, so he got louder. "River, I thought I told you to stay at the house and wait for me to get back. Why didn't you listen to me?" Still nothing, so Eithen walked closer and placed a hand on River's arm to try and get his attention. River swayed for a moment, just before he started to collapse. Eithen scooped him up into his arms before he could hit the ground, then turned and headed back to the truck. Troy was there with the door already open and ready for him to slide into the passenger seat, never once releasing his hold on River.

Troy ran around to the other side and got in behind the wheel, he knew his Alpha was concerned. He wasted no time getting the truck turned around and sped off to Eithen's home. The only thoughts that went thru Eithen's head as he held River against him yet again were, 'please be ok.... you have to be ok.... I need you.... Raivyn needs you.'

******

River started to stir about 10 minutes from the house, he looked around and tried to figure out where the hell he was and what was going on. He remembered that he found the place from his dream and that he had tried to reach out to Raivyn. He did what Siobhan had told him to and he saw with his mind and he listened with his heart. He knew he had been close, he had felt her, heard her sweet little giggle. So what happened?

He tried to sit up only to become aware of being held against someone. River looked up and straight into a pair of steel grey eyes that were full of concern among other things. The look on Eithen's face however went from concern to anger in seconds. Oh fuck, he's pissed, River thought as he watched a scowl form on those lush lips. What the hell.... lush lip? I can't think of that right now. He shook his head to get that image out before he tried to speak.

"Ummm.... Hi...." he said quietly as he looked around, not willing to look Eithen in the eye quite yet. He knew he fucked up, but damn-it.... he couldn't just stay at the house and not do something. He also knew that he would go back there and try again. With or without Eithen's permission, Raivyn was his daughter, his responsibility.

"Don't hi me River.... what the HELL were you thinking? I TOLD you to stay at the house until I got back. What would you have done if something had happened to you out there huh? Did you THINK of that at ALL before you decided to take off on your own?"

Eithen had to stop for a second before he really went off. He needed River to understand the danger that he had put himself in with his foolishness.

River sat there stunned, how dare this man go off on him like that. He shoved against Eithen's chest so he was able to turn and stare hard into his eyes. This man had another thing coming if he thought he could just command River to do as he wanted.

"Excuse me.... WHO do you think YOU are to tell ME anything? Oh that's right.... you are the Great and Powerful Mr. Donovan whose shit don't stink. Did you really think I would just sit there on my ass and not do a DAMN thing to find MY daughter? Because if you did, then you were so WRONG."

River didn't give a fuck if he pissed this pompous ass off. "And another thing Mr. Do As I Tell you.... I am NOT your FUCKING lapdog so don't EXPECT me to obey EVERY TIME you bark an order." River was worked up enough that he failed to notice the look of shock and disbelief on Eithen's face. Or the fact that the guy driving was trying not to laugh as he watched the exchange between them.

The rest of the ride to the house was silent, River and Eithen both to angry to look at one another, let alone speak. As soon as the truck came to a stop River was out and heading into the house with one goal in mind. Pack his shit and get the hell out and away from that man. The man that made him forget almost everything when he looked into those steel grey eyes. The man that made him so damn angry he wanted to deck him. River couldn't do this anymore, he would leave and find Raivyn on his own.

******

Eithen stormed into the house after River and headed straight for his office. He knew he needed to calm down a bit before he dealt with River, his emotions were in turmoil. He wanted to pull River into his arms to assure himself that he was safe but he also wanted to throttle him for being so stubborn and.... and.... so damn beautiful.

He fell into his chair and placed his head in his hands, he had no idea what to do. Eithen knew that River was right about some things and he needed to remind himself that River was not pack. He wasn't someone that would follow orders just because he gave them. He needed to apologize for how he treated River, but he didn't know how. Eithen was not a man that liked to be wrong. He sat there, fighting an internal battle, needless to say his wolf won. He stood and headed towards his future mate's room.

Eithen stopped outside of River's door, hand raised to knock yet he hesitated. Could he do this and not lose his temper again? He had no choice really, he knew if he wanted to keep River in his life he would have to. Eithen knocked softly on the door, "River, can I come in?" He got no response, so he opened the door to make sure River was ok, what he saw made his heart skip a beat.

"River, what do you think you are doing?" Eithen questioned as he watched River go about the room and pack his belongings up.

"What the hell does it look like Mr. Donovan?" River hissed out between clenched teeth. "I'm going home and you will not stop me. I've had enough of your Jekyll & Hyde routine. I thank you for what you have done so far in regards to Raivyn, but she is MY daughter, therefore I will find her myself."

"I don't think so River." Eithen whispered right behind him.

River never heard Eithen come up behind him during his little speech. His breath caught at the nearness of this man. "I won't let you go, not now River." River felt strong arms wrap around and hold him close at the same time he felt Eithen's lips brush against the side of his neck.

River didn't know what to do. His mind screamed at him to pull away and put Eithen in his place. Obviously his body had other ideas though as he leaned back into that embrace. He slowly turned in Eithen's arms so he was able to look into those eyes that made his heart stutter. He knew what was going to happen and he did nothing to stop it.