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"You look ten shades of horrendous." Bear blearily follows the voice and stops, his heart being wrenched from his chest. Dark eyes glint in the bright room, a slow smirk lying beneath them.
"You are dead. You cannot be here. How are you here?"
He rises and stretches his arms out above his head, muscles flexing beneath the thin white material of his shirt. "You tell me. You brought me here." He glances around, his nose wrinkling in disgust at their surroundings. He rubs his arms and glances at Bear. "Is it usually so cold in here?"
Bear frowns and it is then that he senses the iciness to his skin. "You are in my head."
"Yes but the question is why am I in your head?" Hunter asserts. "You do not make it a habit to remember what causes you pain. You usually push all memories of me away. But there are a few too many for you to completely do that. Memories of her are not so many. Do you ever think of her now willingly?"
"You are just telling me what I already know." Bear grumbles. Hunter smirks and shakes his head. His dark hair dangles down into his eyes and he casually brushes it back, only for it to fall back a moment later.
"I am in your head, brother. I am part of a delusion you are creating. Everything I say you already know. Why are you cold?"
"The room is warm, the sun is streaming in." Bear notices, speaking aloud.
Hunter rolls his eyes and snorts. "And I am here before you? A little picture perfect do you not think? Why are you cold?"
"I am not awake." Bear realises. Hunter nods and steps closer. He fuzzes around the edges and Bear groans, his memories unable to shape the man he once knew up close. "I am asleep. I am cold. Why am I cold?"
"The weather when you left the tavern, what was the weather? Was it raining? Did you get soaked to the skin? Were you conscious enough to get out of those clothes or are you still lain in them?"
"I do not know." Bear softly replies, ice shuddering deep in his bones.
"Bear! Wake up Bear!" The voice shouts into his ear but Hunter does not move.
"What are you waiting for?"
"You are here." Bear answers, the weight in his chest for once a little bit lighter. If only she was here too.
Hunter grimaces and rubs his neck. "You know that I am not really here. You need to wake up because they actually are here. It is still cold." A cloud of white leaves Hunter's mouth as he breathes. Bear knows his words are true, his own mind is reasoning logically with him.
"Bear!" The skin on his cheek stings, his left ear ringing. "Wake! Up!" It shouts louder. Bear resists the pull back to reality as he asks one of the questions that has haunted him.
"Why did I not push you to tell me the truth?"
Hunter shrugs his shoulders and in that moment he knows that there is no answer to that question that could possibly make the here and now any better.
"Why did you not save her?"
Bear opens his eyes.
The petite form of Lilly, his older brother Bronco's wife, appears in his bleary vision, hands on hips, lips pursed and brows furrowed. Her blue eyes spark with something akin to disgust but he sees more pity than anything else. His chest struggles to get out its next breaths. She turns to the person just out of his line of vision and says, "The bath is filled, you just need to get him into it." She looks back at Bear. "I never expected to see you like this. You will do as Jaguar tells you otherwise you will die. You will not do that to your family. We cannot cope with another funeral or another gap in our lives."
Jag moves into his sights and places a hand on Lilly's shoulder. "I will look after him Lilly," he promises. He walks her to the door where she stops and whispers to him.
"Can we not lock him away until his thirst for this poison has subsided?"
Jag shakes his head, "No. It is a problem but removing that may only send him further into the pit his mind has become." He gently pushes her through the door with a nod. She heads off downstairs to wait around until there is further news or her help is needed.
"Get up, get out of your clothes and get in the water." He gestures to the copper bath newly acquired in the corner of the room. Delicious white hot steam rises from its surface. "Do you need assistance getting there?" Jag asks; his patience is wearing thin as he stares at the unresponsive Bear. He grinds his teeth as he waits for a reply. "Bear."
Bear slowly moves, sitting up before letting his legs drop off the side of the bed. His head sways with the effort. Lingering effects of alcohol numb his responses but the shivers still controlling his body increase the weight of all his limbs. Jag crosses the room in a heartbeat and lifts Bear to his feet. He gets Bear across to the tub and hesitates.
"The clothes will have to stay on," he mumbles before heaving the body into the water. Heat quickly infuses into Bear's cold flesh and he sighs. "A fresh set of clothes are in the corner," Jag explains, "courtesy of Lilly. Do not, you hear me? Do not stay in the wet clothes!" He marches out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
Bear relishes in the warmth surrounding his body.
○ ○ ○
"Where do you think you are going?" Bear groans and turns to his brother's wife, her hands once again firmly on her hips. A smile meets resistance on his lips and for a split moment she sees more than just a shell of a man. "I have been constantly told to keep my nose out of your business. Bronco does not know that I am here. He wants us all to leave this to Wolfe but I cannot follow these orders when you look like this! You are killing yourself. Is that what you really want?"
Bear shakes his head as if a fly is buzzing irritatingly around his ears. He continues to the door and Lilly taps her foot, agitation leaking into her every movement.
"Bear!" she shouts. "You could have died today. You could still die today. What would have happened if Jag had not checked in on you? Would you have continued to lie in that bed shivering?" The words fly out of her mouth but not one makes even a slight dent of impact. Bear turns but his expression is simply bored.
"You should listen to your husband. Stay out of my business." Bear coldly replies.
Her mouth tightens. "How have you allowed yourself to get into this state?"
Bear laughs and chews on the inside of his bottom lip. The fresh clean clothes do little to improve his appearance. Dark bags hang under red blotted, haunted eyes. His beard covers the lower half of his face, still damp from the bath. The clothes actually make the rest of him look so much worse by comparison. "Go home and irritate someone who cares," Bear orders.
Her eyes light with fire. "I know you care. I know this is not how you saw your life. This cannot be the end for you. You have to still care!"
Bear rolls his eyes. "My life?" His chuckle is dead. "My life...you speak as if you can comprehend anything in that simple skull of yours. You are my brother's wife and there is no mystery to why he chose you. Pretty, submissive and frightfully dull. Remember your place."
She takes a step back from the cool delivery of such wicked words. No guilt flashes across his features despite her frantic searching for it. "No, you cannot..."
"Mean it?" Bear finishes for her flatly. "Ask him why he chose you. I can guarantee he will not say it was for your mind."
"You are just trying to push me away." Her voice shakes, uncertainty in the honesty of her own words.
Bear scoffs. "Continue to care if you wish but care as far away from me as possible. I do not need boredom to add to the list of troubles I already experience." His eyes flick to the doorway behind Lilly. She glances back and Jag stands there, his mouth thin and his eyes narrowed. "Next time you step within my room I will not hesitate to end your pitiful existence," Bear threatens without any remorse at Jag.
Jag grinds his teeth and slowly nods.
"You are pushing everyone away." Lilly mumbles. She wraps her arms around her waist as Bear chuckles again, the sound hollow and frightening.
"Everyone?" He echoes. "How about you ask Sparrow about that? I have not pushed her away." He smirks and heads out of the door. Lilly turns to Jag, her eyes wide with alarm.
"What is he implying?" She asks sharply. Jag bites his lip and shakes his head.
"I should not have brought you here. That was a mistake." Jag admits. "He is more damaged than I initially thought. Be assured that his implication is empty and a strike to cause anger towards him. Do not allow his words to manipulate you. Do not repeat them to anyone."
"Has Sparrow been visiting him?" Lilly asks softly. The lack of reply gives her the answer.
I fear this is giving more questions than it is answers...I think I am getting into a habit of doing that ;) Do you think Bear is pushing people he cares about away or do you think he has lost the part that cares?
I need song suggestions; I have gotten bored with the mix of songs I usually listen to when writing so... any ideas? All suggestions are welcome (just not songs with bad language.)