Bridging the Distance

by Evangeline Anderson

  Torn seemed to feel it too, or maybe it was just painful for him to touch her without his twin, because he withdrew his hand after a minute and sighed.

  “Yipper told me Bound can come home too—back to our suite,” he said, plucking a blade of the greenish-purple grass and twirling it idly between thumb and finger. “He said he might be able to make new memories, eventually. But his past—all his old memories—are gone forever. He looks at me and he doesn’t…” His voice grew low and husky. “Doesn’t even fucking know me.”

  “Oh, Torn…” Forgetting her shyness, Lorelei turned to him. Getting to her knees, she pulled his head down, pressing his face to her breasts, comforting him the only way she knew how.

  The huge warrior let himself be comforted, wrapping his muscular arms around her and holding on tight. He didn’t say anything but his broad shoulders shook and Lorelei felt like her heart might break for his pain.

  “It’s all right,” she murmured, carding her fingers through his thick, dark hair. “I remember Bound felt the same way about you—he was so upset that you didn’t know him. He loved you so much—and he loves you still, I’m sure he does. He just has to remember it somehow.”

  Torn pulled back from her, his green eyes red-rimmed.

  “You know,” he said in a low, rough voice. “If I’d been paying attention those fucking Genoshians couldn’t have gotten the drop on us and stolen his memories. They boarded the ship and I didn’t even notice before they were in the fucking room with us! I should have heard them! I should have—”

  “Now you sound like Bound,” Lorelei interrupted him. “He felt like it was his fault you were taken by the V’radors. But you never blamed him.”

  “Because it wasn’t his fault,” Torn said in a low, intense voice.

  “And what happened to Bound wasn’t your fault,” Lorelei emphasized. “He wouldn’t want you to blame yourself. You did everything you could, Torn. You saved us—even with a broken arm.”

  “I wish they’d broken my fucking neck instead,” he growled savagely. “I’d rather die than be without my twin like this. With him but without him at the same time.” He sighed deeply. “I haven’t even told our parents yet—I can’t fucking stand to think of the look on our mother’s face when she finds out.”

  “You’ll have to tell them eventually,” Lorelei said gently. “Is Yipper going to release Bound too?”

  “He will as soon as I come to get him.” Torn ran a hand through his hair. “I’m going to get him from Yipper and bring him back to our suite. Show him around, see if it jogs anything loose. You know…” He barked out a laugh. “I even thought about getting him a tinda, although I don’t fucking know how I’d get one shipped all the way from Twin Moons.”

  “A what?” Lorelei frowned.

  “It’s a little feral animal native to our world,” the Dark Twin explained. “They’re kind of like a cross between a fox and a cat from Earth, I guess.” He scrubbed a hand over his face wearily. “When we were young—only about nine cycles old—Bound and I found a nest of them in the woods behind our house. The mother was dead in a trap nearby. And there were four of the little tinda kits, no bigger than your hand, all crying their heads off for food.”

  “Oh my—what happened?” Lorelei asked, interested in this little piece of her twins’ past.

  “Well Bound insisted on taking them home, of course.” Torn laughed, his green eyes misty with recollection. “Then he was dead set on raising them until they were old enough to be let go. Which meant feeding the little bastards every two hours with a tiny milk syringe and rubbing their furry little tummies to make sure they didn’t get sick.”

  “He took care of four kittens—er, tinda kits—by himself?” Lorelei asked.

  “Oh, not by himself—hell no!” Torn exclaimed. “He made me help. We were up all hours of the night for weeks. Good thing it was during a school break or our marks would have been shot to the Seven Hells.” He laughed again, ruefully. “I used to get so mad at him when he woke me up to go tend those damn tindas but it’s something I’ll never forget about him—my twin always did have a tender heart.”

  “That sounds like Bound.” Lorelei couldn’t help smiling. “You know, he told me stories about you, too, when we were coming to Femalah to get you.”

  “He did?” Torn raised an eyebrow at her. “Uh-oh, this can’t be good. What exactly did he tell you?”

  “Just about Kilji and how you set fire to the cart that hit him,” Lorelei said quietly.

  “Oh Gods, Kilji…” Torn sighed and ran a hand over his face. “I loved that animal so much. Thought I would die when he got hit.”

  “Bound said you grieved for weeks,” Lorelei said softly. “I think he was trying to let me get to know you, in a way. So I wouldn’t be frightened when we finally met.”

  “You were frightened of me?” Torn shook his head. “No, don’t answer that. I suppose I was pretty fucking scary before you helped me tame these damn nanites.”

  “I’m not scared anymore,” Lorelei told him. “And I think your idea of getting a, uh, tinda for Bound isn’t a bad plan. You know, the temporal lobes aren’t the only place memory is stored. I’ve been doing some research and long term memories can be stored in different areas in the brain. Maybe something is still in there somewhere. And maybe his senses—touch and smell and sight—can help bring it out. Do you have any pictures you could show him of the two of you together?”

  “I have a few holo-pics back at our suite…I just don’t know if they’ll bring back anything or not.” He shook his head. “I’d cut off my other fucking arm and give him that, if it would help. Anything, just to get him back.”

  The Dark Twin’s pain tore at Lorelei’s heart. She wanted to hold Torn again, but she knew it wouldn’t help. She couldn’t heal this hurt, no matter what she did.

  No, but maybe I can help him bear it.

  “Torn,” she said hesitantly. “Can I…would you mind if I came with you to get Bound and bring him back to your suite? I know he doesn’t know me anymore but well…I’d really like to be there. If…if you don’t feel like it would be intruding.”

  “Intruding?” He shook his head incredulously. “How could having the female we both love in our suite be intruding?”

  Lorelei felt a blush rising to her cheeks.

  “Oh, Torn…”

  “I’m sorry…” he said roughly. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said it out loud that way. I know we haven’t known each other long. It’s just, when you’re between Bound and me it feels so fucking right.”

  “It feels right to me, too,” Lorelei murmured. She reached for his hand again. “Come on—let’s go get Bound. You can show him some of your, uh, holo-pics. Maybe that will help him remember.”

  “Worth a try.” Torn squeezed her hand in his much larger one. “Thanks, Lorelei. Bound did well when he chose you for us.”

  “Well…” She cleared her throat. “Your brother didn’t exactly pick me out to be your, um, girlfriend. He was looking over my qualifications as an AI shrink at the time.”

  “That and the fact that you’re an Elite, I bet,” Torn rumbled, raising an eyebrow at her.

  “That too,” Lorelei admitted. “He, uh, thought I might appeal to you for that reason. Thought it would make it easier for me to bring you back to yourself.”

  “He was right.” Torn squeezed her hand again. “But you’re not just beautiful—you’re honorable and loyal and intelligent too. I admire that in a female.”

  “Well…thank you.” Lorelei blushed again. “But you don’t have to say all that, Torn.”

  “Yes I do—it’s fucking true,” he growled. “Besides, I want you to know I feel the same way for you that Bound does—if he can just remember it.”

  “Let’s do what we can to jog his memory,” Lorelei suggested, rising and tugging at his hand. “I think the idea of stimulating his senses is a good idea. Come on.”

  Torn rose, towering over her. But the Dark Twin’s great height made
her feel protected rather than afraid. Protected but incomplete—she felt the lack of Bound keenly. If only the Light Twin was here, walking on the other side of her.

  Maybe we won’t be incomplete forever, Lorelei thought. Inside she heard the voice of the Goddess, whispering…When the time comes, you will know what to do.

  Had the time come? Lorelei didn’t know—she only knew she wanted to be there for Torn and for Bound, even if the Light Twin didn’t know her.

  Please Goddess, she prayed, let me find a way to bring him back to himself. Let me be the bridge once more so that the three of us can be together.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Hello, My Lady. Do I know you?” Bound’s intense blue eyes looked into hers, frankly curious.

  “As a matter of fact, you do,” Lorelei said, smiling. She put a hand on the Light Twin’s arm. “You just don’t remember me yet. But you will.”

  “I would be pleased to remember so beautiful a female as yourself—an Elite.” The Light Twin’s memory of the past might be gone but his courtly manners remained intact, Lorelei thought with an inward smile.

  “Well, we’re going to try and help you remember,” Lorelei told him.

  “We’re going to take you home, Brother,” Torn said gruffly.

  Bound looked up at him uncertainly.

  “Home? Whose home?”

  For a moment a look of despair flitted across Torn’s face but then he squared his shoulders and replied firmly, “Our home, Brother. I’m taking you back to our suite here aboard the Mother Ship.”

  “And I’m coming too,” Lorelei put in. “To help you get settled in. I might even stay a while.”

  “I’d like that, My Lady.” Bound frowned a little and looked down at her hand on his arm. “You know, I can’t help feeling I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

  Lorelei felt a jolt of hope. She looked up at Torn who had an expression of surprise on his face.

  “Gods,” he muttered. “I’ve been with him all his life and you’re the one he remembers.”

  “I’m…sorry,” Lorelei said awkwardly.

  Torn barked out a laugh. “No, no—can’t say I blame him. I’d rather remember a pretty little Elite like you than a big bastard like me, too!” He nodded at his twin. “Come on, Brother. Let’s go.”

  “I wish you all the best of luck. Yes I do, yes I do!” Yipper exclaimed, coming out of his surgery to see them off. Lorelei had told him about their plan to try and recover some of Bound’s missing memories by showing him things from his past and stimulating his senses and the little Tolleg surgeon thought it was a fine idea.

  “Though you shouldn’t get your hopes too far up. No you shouldn’t, no you shouldn’t,” he’d said apologetically when Lorelei explained the idea. “He hasn’t responded to any other therapy so far. But maybe your way will work.”

  Lorelei hoped it would—she wasn’t sure what she would do if it didn’t. She supposed all she could do was trust the Goddess…which still felt strange to her. She’d lived for so long without faith—a feeling like walking a tightrope over a yawning chasm with nothing to catch her if she fell. Now she felt she had something to hang on to—a helping hand to catch her if she slipped or tripped. It was a wonderful feeling but she still wasn’t used to it.

  Bound was leading his brother by the arm out of the surgical recovery suite as she waved goodbye to Yipper. On impulse, Lorelei stepped in between them, taking Torn’s non-metal hand in her right hand and Bound’s hand in her left.

  At once, she felt the familiar sexual tingle rush through her and was glad that Yipper had been unable to remove the nanites from the Dark Twin. They might make him really scary in a fight but they certainly had their uses.

  “Oh!” Bound looked at her in surprise and then down at himself with apparent shame—a bulge was growing in his black leather trousers. “My Lady,” he exclaimed, trying to draw his hand out of hers. “I…forgive me but I must—”

  “It’s all right, Bound,” she said firmly, keeping her grip on his hand. “This is normal for us.”

  “For…us?” he repeated uncertainly.

  “The three of us,” Lorelei told him. “You and me and Torn. We’re together. Or…” She bit her lip. “We were about to be before you had your…your accident.”

  “Lorelei is right,” Torn growled. “You and I were going to claim her together. Don’t you remember, Brother?” he asked hopefully.

  “I…don’t know.” The Light Twin shook his head. “It almost seems you’re describing a dream I once had. But it’s all so fuzzy.”

  “Fuzzy is fucking better than nothing,” Torn growled but for the first time there was hope on his dark face. “Come on—let’s get home so I can show you some holo-pics of us when we were younger.”

  They made their way back to the twin’s suite, which wasn’t far from Lorelei’s own. When they got to the door, she turned to Torn.

  “Do you mind if I run get a few things from my rooms? I’ll be right back.”

  Torn shrugged. “Sure, go ahead. I’m going to show Bound some holos and see if it helps.”

  “Be right back,” Lorelei promised again and ran down the hall to her suite.

  One inside, she went to her bedroom and pulled out a change of clothes, some toiletries, and then, after a moment’s hesitation, she added her sexiest sleepwear—a short, silky babydoll nighty trimmed in black lace along the breasts and hem. It fell to the tops of her thighs and had a deep V in front which showed her cleavage to best advantage. She’d bought the nighty on sale some time ago, hoping she would find the right guy to wear it for. But it still had the tags on when she pulled it out.

  Well, maybe tonight is the right night, Lorelei told herself. She couldn’t help thinking that Bound seemed to remember more when he touched her skin-to-skin than when they weren’t touching. Maybe it was time to bring Torn into the mix. She could lie between him and Bound and let the two of them just…touch her. It was, after all, the way she and Bound had brought Torn back to himself. Maybe it was the answer to helping Bound regain his memory as well. It would certainly be stimulating to all his senses, which was what they were trying to do.

  But we’re not going to do anything but touch, she told herself firmly. Nothing else. Nothing permanent. We need to take this slowly.

  She finished packing her things and was about to leave the guest suite when her eye happened to fall on the fruit basket on the dining room table filled with little peach-colored triangular fruits. Kat had left that for her as a homecoming/welcome to the Mother Ship present, on the assumption that she and Bound and Torn would be getting together when she got back.

  On impulse, Lorelei walked over and picked up one of the small fruits. They smelled delicious—an indescribably sweet flavor that had hints of peach and strawberry in it. There was a note by the basket in Kat’s handwriting.

  Be careful with these, doll! Let me know if you need any help.

  Love, Kat.

  Lorelei stared at the note, frowning. Be careful? Why? Did Kat mean she ought to be careful because the fruit were precious and she shouldn’t waste them? Maybe that was it.

  Maybe I shouldn’t waste them, then, she thought, sniffing the juicy bonding fruit she still held in her hand. Maybe I should eat one…just in case.

  What’s wrong with you, Lorelei? whispered a scolding little voice in her head. I thought you were only going to touch the twins—nothing else. Nothing permanent. Wasn’t that how you put it?

  But it can’t hurt to eat just one, she argued with herself. They smell so good and anyway, I can be ready in case Bound starts getting more of his memory back. And if he doesn’t and it’s not the right time, I don’t have to do anything. It doesn’t hurt to be prepared.

  Feeling justified, she sank her teeth into the thin skin of the fruit and took a bite—and then another and another. The bonding fruit was amazing—possibly the best thing she’d ever put in her mouth. It was sweet and juicy but there were hints of saltiness too—almost like fresh popcor
n or buttered toast hiding in the peachy flavor.

  It tasted so good that Lorelei found she had started a second one before she knew it and then she ate a third. Finally, she made herself stop.

  I can’t eat them all! What if I actually need them in the future—if I want to bond with Torn and Bound? I can’t go back to Kat telling her I foolishly ate all the precious bonding fruit when I didn’t really need it, just because I was being greedy.

  Grabbing a paper towel, she blotted the juice from her lips and picked up her pile of clothes. She hoped she’d get to put the bonding fruit to their intended use later. But for now, she and Torn had to help Bound remember his past.

  Chapter Seventeen

  When she walked back into Torn and Bound’s suite, she found the two brothers sitting side by side on the long leather couch. Torn had a thin, flat black disk, about as big as his palm, which he was holding out to Bound. Over the disk, holographic pictures were appearing one by one.

  “See—this is us at our twelfth name-day party,” he was saying. “Remember those shirts? Fucking pink and purple stripes. But we had to put them on because the mother of our mother—Nona—made them and our parents were afraid she’d be insulted if we didn’t wear them at least once.” He looked expectantly at Bound, who was staring blankly at the hologram. “Well?”

  “I…” Bound looked up at his brother helplessly. “I want to remember,” he said tentatively. “I can tell how much this means to you and you say you’re my brother—”

  “I am your brother,” Torn growled in obvious frustration. “Your fucking twin. We’ve been together all our lives!”

  Uh-oh…this wasn’t going well. Quickly, Lorelei put down her pile of clothes and went to the couch.

  “Hi guys—room for one more?” she asked as she wiggled her way in between them.