Chapter 14: Sting, Stang, Stung

"Gus?" I murmured, blinking up into the white light. Everything was slightly fuzzy and inexorably bright, the only sound a slight hum.

Was this heaven? If it was, why did it hurt so much? My arm throbbed in time with my heartbeat and my mouth felt like a calico had decided to take a nap in it while I wasn't looking.

"Gus?" I asked again, louder. If this was heaven, heck, even if it wasn't, Gus would be there. He was always there.

Sure enough, a dark cloud passed over the endless white, the shadow a relief on my watery eyes.

"Shawn? You awake?" Gus asked quietly, his teeth flashing as he smiled down on me.

I relaxed. Gus was here. No matter where we were, we were together. That's all that mattered. Now the only thing that could make it better would be for…

"Shawn?" Jules' voice sounded like the harmonic strumming of angel's harps and I couldn't help but grin as her familiar face and long blond hair popped up next to Gus.

"Hey Jules," I managed to croak.

"Here," Dad said, appearing opposite of Jules and Gus, a cup of water in his hand. He stuck the straw in my mouth before I could move, but I wasn't about to argue this time.

Gulping down the flavorless, but miraculous, liquid, my clearing vision searched for the last piece to my puzzle.

Glaring at me from his ram-rod straight position at the door, Lassie couldn't hide the hint of concern as I choked from drinking too fast.

"Careful, Spencer," he warned, and I didn't bother to ask which Spencer he was talking to. I doubt even he knew.

I grinned at him anyway.

"So," I said, lying back in the bed, the smell of antiseptics filling my nostrils, "I'm guessing I'm not dead?"

Lassie snorted and shook his head, his arms crossed.

"What was your first clue, Kid?" Dad asked sarcastically, moving away from my bedside with a sigh as Jules glared at him.

"You're in the hospital, Shawn," she said, leaning her hip against my bed as she gently touched my cheek, "You lost a lot of blood, but you'll be fine. We all will," she added, glaring over at Dad and Lassie as if daring them to say differently.

My face fell at the reminder and I turned my head to kiss her palm.

"You sure?" I asked quietly, glancing between her and Gus.

"Yeah," Gus said softly, "We're good."

"Well, now that we've got that settled," Lassie interrupted, striding forward with a notepad in hand, "What the hell happened?"

They all looked over at me.

"What?" I asked, "I was apparently out for the conclusion of this little adventure. Why don't you ask Fearless Guster?"

Gus preened a bit at the attention but quickly shook his head.

"I know what happened at the end, but I have no idea how we got… there," Gus said, gesturing awkwardly.

"All I remember is Mama Aimee throwing down a handful of powder, and then nothing until Gus woke me," Dad said, his arms crossed as he glared menacingly at the wall. He hated to be out of control, and admitting to forgetting something was tantamount to admitting defeat. Jules and Lassie nodded in reluctant agreement.

"Yeah," I agreed, "You guys were pretty out of it."

"You guys?" Gus interrupted, "You mean that you remember?"

"Parts of it," I said with a shrug, wincing as the movement reawakened the ache in my arm. I continued before they could make a big deal about it.

"I woke up in the basement, all chained up like you found me," I said, looking at Dad and Gus, "You guys were standing across the room, chained up too, and acting like zombies."

Lassie scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"No, seriously," I defended, sitting up slightly, "Your eyes were open and you were standing but it's like you weren't…" I paused, swallowing back the hopelessness that the memory engendered, "It's like you weren't there," I finished quietly.

"Then what, Kid?" Dad asked.

"Then the voodoo priestess, or whatever, came in and lit this powdery stuff on fire, right in front of you!" I said, my voice rising in agitation, "I thought you were going to burn or suffocate. The room filed with this thick, greenish smoke, green flames…" I trailed off, remembering, "I tried to get free, to get to you, but I couldn't and then I…"

"What?" Jules asked.

"I guess I passed out," I said, "I kept having this weird dream, where you all kept disappearing, one by one, and I was trying to stop it, and then, when I woke up… You and Lassie," I said, looking up at Jules and tightly gripping her hand, "You were dead. At least, I thought you were dead," I said, swallowing roughly.

"They were unconscious," Gus supplied helpfully, "But it scared me at first, too, when I saw them."

I nodded, fighting for control. I never, ever wanted to see my friends, my family, like that again.

"Dad was next," I continued, "and then Gus woke up."

Gus grinned and nodded.

"I can take the story from here," he said, eyeing me worriedly as I lay back without an argument. I was too tired, in too much pain, to fight to tell the end of this twisted story.

"I woke up and Shawn told me what was going on," Gus said.

"Wait a minute," Lassie interrupted, "Why did you wake up? And for that matter, why did Spencer and not the rest of us?"

"Her potion wasn't supposed to work on Shawn," Gus said, "And I guess I'm just stronger than you," he finished with a nose flick.

"Wait a minute," I said with a chuckle as Lassie's nostrils flared, "Potion? What potion?"

"I'll get to that in a minute," Gus said uncomfortably, "Anyway, I woke up and Shawn told me a little about Mama Aimee and her collecting the… bodies," he stopped, shifting uncomfortably, "And then she came in and doused me with another smoke bomb thing and the next thing I know I was out. When I woke up, I remembered to play dead so she'd release me and I could escape and get help."

"Play dead!" I exclaimed, "You mean you..."

"I had to!" Gus defended.

"He saved your life, Kid," Dad added before I could get too upset.

With a huff of disgust, I glared at my friend as he continued his tale.

"She took me upstairs and I waited till she left. Then I got up and looked in her spell book to figure out what she'd given us."

"Spell book?" I asked, eyes widening at the thought, "You mean she really was a witch, or a priestess, or something really magical?"

"No such thing as magic," Dad said gruffly, "Just drugs and trickery."

I rolled my eyes and gestured for Gus to continue.

"That's when I discovered she'd been trying to erase Shawn from our memories," Gus said.

"Erase me? What for?" I asked.

"She," Gus said, clearing his throat, "She wanted to kill you and use your powers to extend her life."

"And wipe out any witnesses when you were discovered missing," Jules added.

"Not like it would have worked," Dad added under his breath.

"Powers my Great-Aunt Arizona," Lassie snarled, "The sick twist was psycho, pure and simple!"

"Anyway," Dad said loudly, bringing us back to the story, "Gus woke me up, screaming about how you were in danger and he couldn't get you two lightweights awake," he said, gesturing derisively towards Lassie and Jules, "So we ran downstairs and stopped her."

"Did you get her?" I asked, my memories hazy.

"No," Dad muttered, crossing his arms, "She got away."

"But she didn't succeed, and that's the important thing," Jules said, kissing me lightly.

I smiled as she pulled away.

"Now, rest!" she admonished, taking my good hand.

My exhaustion must be more evident than I'd thought, but I couldn't sleep. What if…

"We'll be here when you wake up," she said softly, Gus nodding behind her.

"Promise?" I asked, the tension in my grip belaying my light tone.

"Yeah, Kid," Dad said, gripping my shoulder, "Promise."

I grinned at them. My family, as dysfunctional and mismatched as they could be, but I still loved them.

"I need a drink," Lassie muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"I'll join you," Dad offered, ignoring the skyward look Lassie threw as he marched out the door.

"I better go referee," Jules said with a frown, glancing over at Gus for confirmation.

"I'll stay," he said, "I've got a new Safecraker Monthy calling my name."

"Rest, Shawn," she ordered, finger wagging.

I nodded and snuggled down into the thin hospital mattress, giving her a little wave as she left.

My eyes were just drifting shut to the sound of pages flipping when I heard Gus' whisper.

"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"

I held out my fist in Gus' direction, eyes closed.

After a second, his fist bumped mine.

"Night, bro," I mumbled, drawing my hand back under the covers.

"Sleep tight, Shawn," Gus said softly.

END

AN: There is an Alternate Ending in the works, so keep your eyes open and thanks for reading!