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Mother Earth

By: Sean Renaud



Most people never realize how beautiful the world really is. They spend all their time locked in concreted jungles without ever getting to see the beauty of our world. Well that's not how I am. I spend as much time as I can exploring the natural beauty of the world. That's why I became a park ranger, so I could help preserve what's left of our world. 

I don t want you to get the wrong idea about me. I'm not one of those eco freaks that you hear about all the time. I don't grow my own food, though I do buy locally grown produce more out of loyalty to my community than out of concern for the environment. I don't drive an electric car, I drive a Jeep that gets fifteen miles to the gallon. I do have solar panels on my house but I also have a satellite so I can watch television and play on the internet. I'm saying this so that you don't picture me as one of those freakish hermits or insane activists. I've never thrown a bucket of paint on someone for wearing fur or chained myself to a tree to prevent a new store being built. I know we can live with nature and people like that just make it harder to get people to listen.

I guess I should introduce myself though and tell you my name. Name's Jonathan Price, I know kinda dorky but it's the name I was born with. I already told you what I do for a living but I haven't described myself to you yet. I'm a little under six feet tall and not to brag but I'm pretty well built. I have a six pack any way and the arms and pecs to match. Being out in the sun for eight hours a day has given me a permanent bronzing and I don't shave my sideburns.

Now what happened to me is going to be a little hard for you to believe. If you came to me and told me the story that I'm about to tell you I'd call you a liar, or think that you were insane. I mean who knew that dryads were real? I mean you spend enough time out here in the woods and you hear stories about strange things that people claim to have seen. Bigfoot, jackelope, giant spiders I've heard all the stories and seen all the hoaxes. I thought that everything that real we'd already discovered a long time ago but I was wrong. 

I guess I should tell you about how I found Gaia. Remember a few years ago when California nearly burned to the ground, I mean practically the entire state was on fire? I was up in the Angeles National Forest at the time assisting fire fighters and helping to evacuate campers. It was the third day of searching when I got separated from the team I was working with. It's hard to really explain a wild fire to someone who's never been in one but if there is any proof of the supernatural in this world it's fire. 

Fire is a living thing and while we've managed to capture it, tame it, and force it to do our bidding it is still a living thing and given a chance it will have its revenge. A wild fire is trying to kill you, it's seeking vengeance against humanity, there are no two ways about it. That's why fire comes at you the way it does. It wasn't an accident when the fire got between me and the others, it was intentional because the fire wanted me. I don't know if it was luck or if it was my will but I know I shouldn't have survived that night. The firefighters didn't survive, the fire coiled around them like a giant serpent and sucked the air right out of their lungs and it was working towards me when the trees came to life. See I told you wouldn't believe me. I barely believe it and maybe I was just crazed from smoke inhalation but I swear to you that one of the trees reached down and picked me up and together the trees handed me from one to the next until I was safely dumped in the river. 

That's where I saw her casually sitting on a floating log with her long legs crossed. At first I thought she was dirty because her skin was brown, not brown like black people brown like tree bark. She even had little flecks of other colors spackled over her so she looked like her skin was made of tree bark. Then there was her hair, her hair came all the way down to her butt and it was bright green. It kind of sprouted out of her head like a palm tree. 

I remember speaking to her, or trying to speak to her. She didn't seem to understand me when I said hello or when I asked her name though she eventually started parroting every word I said. She didn't seem to be nearly as concerned about the fact that we were in the middle of a fire as I was. I think it's because she knew that we were perfectly safe, she was the one who had commanded the trees though I don't know why she'd saved me.



Together we just drifted down the river until we were safely away from the flames. It was obvious that she wasn't human and it was also obvious that she wanted me alive for some reason. Well she wasn't much one for words but I know that look in a woman's eyes. That smoldering look of desire and I wasn't going to deny the woman who'd just saved my life, not that this woman would have been turned away if I wasn't grateful. Gaia was, I mean is beautiful in away that only something more than human could possibly accomplish. She was just better than human, perfect shape, perfect green eyes to match her pouting green lips. 

Gaia knew what she wanted from me and how to get it. One thing I noticed that surprised me was just how strong she really was. She could easily have taken me if that had been her intention but she didn't, she kissed me long and hard thrusting her tongue into my mouth. She tasted like honey, so sweet and thick I didn't want her to stop kissing me I didn't even notice her unfastening my pants and wriggling them down to my knees along with my boxers. I didn't even notice until she wrapped her fingers around my cock and started stroking me. 

We stayed like that for a few minutes before she decided she was ready for me so she broke the kiss and turned away from me leaning against a near by tree. I could just make out the sweet pink petals of her love flower between her spread legs. I could have stared at her all day but I wasn't going to keep her waiting. Actually I didn't really feel in control at the moment, it was like my head was in a haze. It's like in the stories, she might have had some kind of mind control powers. I'm not sure though. What woman doesn't have hypnotic powers when she's looking over her shoulder beckoning you to take her?

I couldn't believe how tight Gaia was. She was soaking wet, so wet that her juices were running down between her thighs and her sweet scent was assaulting my senses. Even as wet as she was it took several tries before I was able to push more than halfway into her. Once she was relaxed enough to take me all the way she started pushing back against me. Maybe all women sound beautiful when there are whimpering on your cock but I remember her voice, it was like tiny bells ringing as we ground against each other. I couldn't believe how much energy she had, when she got tired of doggy style she turned around and leapt into my arms guiding me back into her warmth. Then she kissed me again.

I lost track of how long I spent with Gaia twisting from one position to the next. She was completely insatiable. No mortal woman has a hunger like that driving inside them. Gaia just kept going and going, I couldn't feel my legs by the time that she finished with me. I swear to you I must have come three times before she finally tired of me and then she was just gone. It was like she'd vanished into thin air, it was just that quick.

When the rescue team found me they said I had inhaled a lot of smoke and I was lucky to be alive. That I was hallucinating and that no such thing as a dryad existed. I think I believed them, after all the truth was too bizarre. That was before I had proof. I have proof that my story is true. It was about a year after the event, I was back in the forest, I was looking for her. I didn't find her, I don't know if I'll ever find her, maybe I'm not meant to. 

What I am meant to do though is raise our child. I'm sure she followed me one day, I don't know any other way she could have found my house but one night there was a knock on my door and laying on my porch was a baby with eyes just like mine but with her unusual skin. One day I'll have him tested, DNA and everything, he's still too young to question who he is and where he came from but I want to have those answers when he asks just like I want to be able to tell him more about his mother than we shared a single night of passion when he asks those questions.

That's why I'm here searching for answers, because I know that the Earth hasn't shared all her secrets with us and that the world is a beautiful place and if we take care of it will take care of us.

Mother Earth Mystery



Gaia sat cross-legged on the beach. The sun and wind caressed her golden skin as her natural blond hair whipped about her ethereal face. Her striking blue eyes that had brought her fame were closed at the moment in meditation. Her voice low as she hummed an ancient mantra. 

"Mother earth, goddess of all life, hear me now..."

This was a daily ritual for Gaia for as long as she could remember. Her mother and grandmother taught her before she could even walk or talk. Despite her fame, this was the one time each day that Gaia left real, alive. 

As always she lost track of time. In this dream-like state, minutes could be hours or days be mere seconds. Nothing mattered but communing with the goddess. Especially on days like this one.

***

Eli Harris stared at the computer screen. He checked and re-checked the facts. He went over the finest details of each murder. 

For the past eighteen months the full moon brought a murder. But not just any murder. The murder of a high profile businessman or politician. A business reporter. Even a prominent scientist, who had spoken out against the theory of global warming. That was the key. Fame was not all these men had in common. Each was on the watch list for Green Day, a leading international environmental organization.

The crimes occurred in different cities, different countries even. This serial killer moved about the globe easily. Money was no object. 

But it was not just that had Eli stumped. It was the intimate nature of each crime. Each man was strangled, naked in their bed after the act. There was DNA, plenty of it. But this killer was not in any system. All they really knew from the DNA was that they were looking for that most elusive of creatures, a female serial killer. A killer that would murder again in two days if Eli did not stop her.

Of course, there were a few other assumptions that Eli could surmise from the crimes. This was a beautiful woman, someone that these powerful men would desire. She was also someone that these usually cautious men would trust. Each had dismissed their security team for the night, saying that they were going to bed early and would not need them for the rest of the night. 

He had begun to look for patterns. He followed the society pages and online gossip looking for the same person or group in each city in the days before and after the murders. One group jumped out...the Cirque de Majique. Each murder had occurred in a city when it was playing. 

Now it was in London. Eli was following it there. On his own time and money. His superiors at the FBI had dismissed his ideas out of hand. Why would someone with money and fame risk everything to kill? The connection to Green Day was tenuous at best. And a quick background check of the troop had revealed that none of the performers or staff had any connection to the organization.

But Eli was convinced that he was on the right track. He was convinced enough that he came three thousand miles. He had spent the small inheritance that his grandmother had left him for the plane trip, tickets to all the Cirque de Majique shows for the next three days and a room in the same hotel as the performers.

His gut told him that he was right about this one. That it could make his reputation as a profiler before the age of thirty. This was his chance and he was taking it.

***

Suspended from the ceiling by a thin wire, Gaia spun slowly. It was the perfect chance for her to survey the crowd. But it was one face that she sought. Yuri Adamovich. The Russian oil baron, who had immigrated to England a decade before. 

Gaia's blue eyes focused on the front row and then upon the box seats that suspended from the walls almost at eye level with her. She found her prey there; seated next to the woman she recognized as his current paramour. A world famous model, her career had taken backstage for the past six months as she followed this man around the world. 

Gaia could not blame her. After all beauty was sure to fade with time, but a wealthy husband could provide the lifestyle to which she had become accustomed. Even if they divorced, a child would ensure a decent settlement. Yuri's first wife proved that point. But the woman was of no interest to Gaia, other than as an obstacle standing between her and her mission. 

Gaia stretched, arching her back as she hung suspended upside down above the stage. She had long ago become accustomed to the glare of the spotlight that followed her every move on stage. 

This night she added just a bit more to the move, jutting her small but perfect breasts out. The flesh toned Lycra and lace was studded with sequins and rhinestones, giving the illusion that she was naked beneath the gemstones. 

As she spun back towards the box, she saw that the move had its desired effect. The man's eyes were glued to her. She returned his gaze briefly then demurely dropped it. The cat and mouse game had begun.

***

Eli walked slowly through the lobby. This hotel was a far sight better than the ones he usually stayed in. Thanks to the television show, his job might appear glamorous. But the reality was cheap motels, day-old cold coffee and greasy burgers. This place on the other hand offered freshly cooked gourmet food by a top chef. A bed that was decadently luxurious. And coffee that was sinful. 

But that was not the reason that he had spent the last half hour hanging out in the lobby. Eli had spent over two hours seated in the front row, watching the performance. He was not sure what he was looking for exactly. He had long ago learned that serial killers rarely were the wild-eyed monsters of lore. Especially a killer this skilled at her craft. 

He had spent the performance surveying each woman in the troop in turn. Most would perfectly fit the scant profile he had developed; beautiful enough to attract any man's attention. But his eyes kept coming back to her. Gaia Montgomery, the program said. She was the lead performer. And the most beautiful woman there tonight. Perhaps the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. 

Her body was lithe, but he knew that this job meant she was far stronger than she looked. Arms that could easily lift her body weight or balance in hand stands would be more than strong enough to strangle a man, especially a man who had just...well, given the scant state of Eli's own love life these past few years...the idea did not bear thinking about.

He had tried to get back stage after the performance. But had been dismissed by the guards. No one was allowed back before or after a performance he was informed. 

So he had retreated here. He was waiting for the troop to arrive, a chance to speak with someone. Anyone would do at this point. He just needed to get a better feel for life within the troop.

***

Gaia finished the note. She signed it with a flourish and included her cell number. Her script was a curvy and bold as she was. But the words were simple; designed to appeal to the ego of men such as these. 

Thank you for attending our humble performance. I hoped you enjoyed the show. We will be in town for two more days. I would love to see you again. Perhaps even have the chance to speak with you...alone.

She signed it and handed it to one of the guards. The man was more than a bit enamored with her. This man provided the perfect go-between. She had used him in the past to pass dozens of notes like this one. Just as the guards were charged with protecting the performers, they also catered to the needs of their high profile guests. 

With a blush and whispered words of thanks, she stood on tiptoes to plant a soft kiss upon his cheek. "Thank you, Thomas. I don't know what I would do without you," she purred.

She watched as he slipped from the room. There was nothing to do now except wait. The next move would be up to her prey, but she had little doubt she would be hearing from the man soon. For now, she would head back to the hotel. Food and a shower were all that was on her mind this night. The rest could wait.

Just as Pachamama, Mother Earth had been patiently waiting for centuries to wreck her vengeance upon these pitiful creatures of her own creation. And just as Gaia dispatched these greedy and thoughtless men who raped and pillaged the earth's precious resources, she knew that one day the great goddess would rise up and call all of mankind to account for the squandering of her gifts. 

But Gaia knew that she would not be here to see that day. She could feel it now. Like sands through the hour glass, so are the days of our lives...the words of her grandmother's favorite soap opera rang in her mind. 

One of the 'gifts' that came with the sight as her mother called it was a premonition of one's own death. It was meant to give you time to take care of business. To right any wrongs. To get your soul right with the goddess. 

That was what Gaia had been doing these past two years. Repaying the deity for the bounty that she had enjoyed in her brief time upon this earth. She was at peace now...well almost. The blood of this one final sacrifice and she could go freely to her ancestors knowing that she had done her part to balance the scales of life.

***

Eli could not believe his luck. It was her. He was certain of it. Despite the lack of makeup and with her light blond hair pulled back into a ponytail, he was sure that it was Gaia Montgomery. But the creature that stopped at the front desk before disappearing into the restaurant looked more like a young teen than the seductive siren that had captivated the hours by spinning, twisting and dancing in mid-air for hours. 

The body that she had used to weave the exotic tale was hidden beneath sweat pants and a baggy t-shirt. Her still enticing face was bare of make-up. But he would recognize those clear blue eyes anywhere. They were almost the exact shade of the oceans in the pictures of earth that came back from space.

Following his gut, he slipped into the restaurant behind her. At this time of night the place was practically deserted. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim light, but he quickly found her sitting at the bar, a glass in her hands. Mustering all his courage, he walked over.

"Excuse me, but is this seat taken?" he hoped the words did not sound as ridiculously cliché to the woman as they did to his own ears.

When she lifted those clear blue eyes to his face, he swore that his heart froze in mid-beat. Air whooshed from his lungs. His chest tightened uncomfortably at the twin sensations. 

"No, not at all. Please take a seat," he strained closer to hear her soft, almost whispered words.

"I'm Eli. Eli Harris," he said holding out his hand.

He swore that the earth shook beneath his feet as her small, warm hand disappeared in his own. 

"Gaia Montgomery. Nice to meet you, Eli," she smiled at him and his heart stuttered inside his chest once more.

"I know. I mean I watched your performance tonight. It was amazing," he stuttered. Eli had never been particularly talented with the opposite sex. Geek, nerd...all words that had been used to describe him. He had been well into his early twenties before he had lost his virginity in fact. Not that it mattered to him. Usually he was more than happy with his life. Knowledge and his career had been more worthy pursuits than the female of the species...or so he told himself until that moment.

But in this instant, he wished that he possessed the looks, confidence and charm of his friend and colleague Jason. He would know exactly what to say to this creature, this goddess. His All-American good looks would match her own exotic beauty. Eli was none of those things.

***

Gaia smiled at the man. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," she said with genuine warmth.

Gaia had always been the center of attention. Even as a baby her looks had won her allies wherever she went. Her mother and grandmother told tales of how people would stop in the street to oh-and-ah over her.

Of course, the duo had used the distraction to their advantage; often relieving the unsuspecting people of their wallets or jewelry. But that was the gypsy life-style that they had lived in service of the goddess. Traveling from town to town, city to city, in their camper van always in search of the perfect place...their Eden. 

Her looks had served Gaia well when she moved from school to school as a child. The frequent moves were another way that her family stayed ahead of the law. They moved two or three times each year always just in time before a warrant was issued for writing bad checks...her mother's and grandmother's crimes of choice. 

Not that the duo saw anything wrong with it of course. They were simply modern day Robinhoods, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, primarily themselves. It was not fair after all that some people should have all the resources, taking them from the goddess. It was only right and just that they take them back, the women justified to the child. 

But that had been a lifetime ago. Now Gaia had everything that she could have ever dreamt of. But it brought her no comfort, no joy. She was alone. She had been for so very long. And in that moment she felt the lonesomeness to the core of her being. 

She stared lost into the bottom of the glass. Water, the refreshing water from which she usually drew her strength had abandoned her this night. It was doing so more and more lately. She knew that it was another sign. The end was close. Her time here on this golden world of green and blue was almost to an end. Her assignment here almost complete.

But still some part of her longed for something. Something of her own. Gaia had long ago accepted the solitary life that her job required. She knew that for her there would be no family; no daughters. A husband was never an issue. In their world, the goddess reigned. Women were the queens. Men were nothing more than a thing to be used and discarded...or worse. Gaia had never known who her father was, just as her mother and grandmother before her had not known. 

But in moments like this, some part of Gaia longed for what could not be...to be held. Even if just for a single night. She knew it was an illusion. Real love, marriage, security...it did not exist. But still it was a beautiful fairytale.

"Penny for your thoughts," the man said.

Gaia looked up into the purest brown eyes that she had ever seen. They reminded her of the cool, clean mud that she had loved to play in as a young girl. She would often run through the rain as a child, splashing in puddles and running her hands through the sticky mud that clung to her skin. Her breath caught at the sight now of those eyes...and for a single moment it seemed as if fairytales did come true.

"I was thinking about fairytales," she responded honestly. It was not something that Gaia did often. Honesty, except with the goddess and herself, was not a virtue that held much value. Her life was filled with deceit...in every nook and cranny of her existence. Lies built upon lies built upon lies. 

"What a beautiful thing to think about," he replied. "Which one in particular?"

"Prince Charming actually."

He laughed and the sound caressed her skin as nothing except the sun and wind ever had. Tiny hairs stood on end as her heart hammered inside her chest. Beating to be set free...for one moment in time.

"Tell me about him," he asked.

Swirling the final bit of liquid that remained in the bottom of her glass, Gaia began, "It's his eyes. They are the warmest brown and I get lost in them just as I used to get lost when I would play in mud as a little girl."

***

Mud...there was nothing sexy about mud. But why then when this woman spoke of it did he feel aroused. His cock hardened inside the confines of his khakis. The usually lose cotton material suddenly chafed and felt much tighter. Tighter than he could ever remember it being in the past. 

The way that she played with the liquid in the glass was mesmerizing. He stared as she toyed with it, swirling it slowing. He felt as if he were that liquid. What would it be like to be the center of this woman's attention? What would it be like for her to toy with him? 

"Mud doesn't sound very appealing," he said past the tightness in his throat.

"Oh but it is. Didn't you ever run your fingers through it as a child? Do you remember how it felt as it clung to your skin? All sticky and gooey."

Eli drew in a deep breath. Something else threatened to get very sticky and gooey at the sound of her voice...at her words.

"Sorry, afraid that was one of those experiences I missed as a child. I was the sickly type. Afraid my adventures as a kid were limited to the things I read."

"Oh, how sad," she said. "Perhaps I'll show you someday." 

Eli's found himself crossing his fingers at the thought. Sharing such an intimate moment with a woman like this was more than he could imagine. More than he could ever hope for.

"I'd like that very much," he smiled at her. He knew that he should be pumping her for information. If anyone knew the troop it was Gaia. But something inside of him refused to corrupt this moment with work...with the distasteful business of murder. 

***

The bartender disrupted them as he passed a paper bag that Gaia knew contained her salad, fish and bread across the bar to her. She smiled and thanked him for it. 

It was so unlike her, but Gaia followed her heart. "Would you care to come up to my room?" her voice faltered over the words.

She saw a shocked expression momentarily cross the man's face. She smiled. He could not be any more shocked than she was. This sort of thing was out of character for her. Despite her appearance and the sexy image that she cultivated on stage, Gaia was not loose with her affections. Her one true love had always been the goddess whom she served. 

But something about this man appealed to her deeply. She took the chance to observe him closer while he overcame his shock and mulled over her invitation. He was tall, well over six feet. And unlike the muscle bound behemoths with whom she worked he was thin, almost painfully so. Lank she supposed but that would be a generous description. 

His brown eyes that had first caught her attention were matched with soft brown hair that hung in gentle curls almost to the collar of his shirt. She ached to brush a stray strand back from his face that gave no hint as to his age, boyish that was it. He could easily fit in at high school were it not for the tiny lines that were already forming around his eyes and lips.

Watching his brow furrow in thought, she feared that he would turn her down and that possibility hit her hard, far harder than it should have. He was after all nothing but a stranger. A strange man. In a strange city. To fit her strange life.

"Please," she said. "I don't want to be alone right now."

***

The honesty in her words shook Eli to the core. "How could I refuse such a beautiful woman," he smiled. 

He picked up the package from the bar and held out his hands. "You lead the way, kind lady."

The relief shone brightly in her face. As playfully as that little girl who had once played in the mud, she grabbed his hand and led him through the lobby to a bank of elevators. Pushing the up button, they both avoided eye contact. 

Looking instead at the geometric patterns in the carpet as for an instant reality threatened to invade this perfect moment. To bring the two of them back to a world rife with intrigue, murder and pain. But they fought it aside long enough to make the quick ride in the lift and the short walk down the dim hallway.

Eli watched as she fumbled with the thin plastic keycard trying to unlock her room. "I'm never any good with these things," she said.

"Here let me," he offered. "I practically live in hotels."

She laughed and the sound washed across him like the discovery of a new idea or theory. His mind filed and stored the sound for deeper examination later. 




Mother Earth Mystery



"Me too," she said as the green light in the panel indicated that he had succeeded at opening the lock. He pushed the door open and stepped back to let her enter first.

***

Once inside with the door firmly closed, Gaia was gripped by second thoughts and third. It seemed to go on forever. She tried to remember the last time that anyone had been inside her room. But she could not. Intensely private, Gaia had never had anyone visit her room before; not any of the other members of the troop, who honestly considered her a diva and certainly not a man. 

She fidgeted for a moment with her hands as she tried to think what to do. How to say...I've changed my mind, could you please leave. But she could not squeeze the words out past her tight throat. 

Instead she murmured, "Have a seat. I'm just going to grab a quick shower. I get so sweaty when I perform."

With a weak smile and a wave of her hands towards the table and chair positioned near the window, she fled into the solitaire security of the bathroom. 

***

The cool professional side of Eli knew that he could not have planned this better. It was an opportunity to investigate this woman, who was one of his suspects. 

But he hesitated. Somehow the idea seemed devious, more like snooping than investigating. She had trusted him. He could not betray that trust by rummaging through her things looking for evidence against her...or one of her friends.

On the other hand, a quick look around might be enough to exonerate her. Then he could relax and enjoy this almost magical night with this truly spectacular woman. 

With this flimsy justification in mind, he began to look around. The hotel was luxurious, but small. There was not much to investigate really. Like most hotel rooms the table, night stand and dresser were bear of any personal items. A quick check of the night stand revealed nothing more than the television remote and room service menu. Throwing open the closet door, Eli discovered nothing more than sweatpants, jeans and a light jacket. 

Turning back towards the dresser against the wall, Eli paused, making certain that the shower was still running. When he heard the tell-tell signs of water, he moved quickly. The first drawer he opened contained nothing but t-shirts much like the one she had been wearing, many advertising the show. The second drawer was slightly more interesting with sexy convections of lace and silk in a rainbow of colors...white, red, black, pink, purple and several other colors which defied descriptions blue-green sorts of things. 

When he opened the third drawer, he was not certain what he had found. It was filled with candles, shells, and rocks. A leather volume was tucked into one corner. Eli was reaching for it when he heard the water stop. He quietly closed the drawer and tip-toed over to the table. Sitting down quickly, he gave the appearance of having been there all along, bored by it all.

But his mind was racing. What were those things? What did a woman like this do with shells and rocks? And most importantly, what was in that journal? Could she be the killer he sought? Were stories of her exploits written in that book?

***

The warm water sluiced over Gaia's aching muscles. Her routines had never been easy, but these past few months as her life force fled they began almost more than her frail body could manage. But the water, even a brief shower, always revived her at least a bit.

But for now it was not her impending death that held Gaia's thoughts but the chance to grab just a taste of life. The man...Eli was his name...bringing him here was so unlike anything she had ever done. But it felt right somehow. How could the goddess refuse her such a brief lapse when she had served her the whole of her life? Gaia had followed the dictates of her faith, staying pure. 

Until her purity had been sacrificed on the alter of greed...man's unending greed. Then it had been nothing for her to use her body as a tool for the goddess's greater purposes. 

Gaia did not enjoy the act, received nothing for her labors. How could she? Those men were rapists and murderers. Their greed stole precious resources that the Mother meant to be shared by all. They deserved what they got. It was too good for them in fact. A quick death. Gaia wished she had the strength, the power to make them pay the full measure of their sins, but her body betrayed her in this as well. 

But Eli...he was different somehow. She did not smell the stink of greed, power and death upon him. But then again she had met other men, whom she could say the same. No, there was something more. Of course, his physical appearance was not the answer. The man was most definitely a geek. But then again perhaps that was the appeal. He is an omega type, caring and considerate. The opposite of the Alphas that ruled this world...the men that she hated...had always hated.

There was something about his eyes though. Their soft brown depths held such pain, as if he had seen too much, knew as much as she did of the horrid things that man did. Something inside of her wanted to share that pain...if only for a moment. If only for this single night.

Her mind made up, Gaia turned off the water. Stepping slowly out of the shower, she wrapped a towel about her body and opened the door. He was sitting at the table staring at the newspaper that the hotel left each morning. 

***

Eli looked up when the door had opened. He heart was still pounding from his deception and quick escape. But when he saw her standing there in nothing but the white towel, its pace quickened even more, threatening to pound out of the confines of his chest. 

She was even more beautiful like this, without the costumes that clung to her slim body giving the illusion of skin while covering everything. Her face was devoid of any trace of makeup and she looked more like a teenager than a world famous performer. Her blond hair was darker from the water and hung limply about her small shoulders. Her skin was translucent almost as white as the towel wrapped about her. 

He watched as she walked slowly towards him. She was even more graceful then than she had been upon the stage. Each step was slow and practiced, a seeming seduction in itself. He stared in fascination at the way that her toes pointed as she lifted her foot, placing one in front of the other. It could not have been more than a dozen steps from the bathroom to where he sat at the table, but the show seemed to stretch forever. Each step was an act of beauty in itself. 

When she stood before him, clad only in the towel, Eli cold smell the fresh scent of rose. He realized it was probably her shampoo, but some illogical part of his brain protested that it was her...just her. This woman that enthralled millions with her grace and beauty. This woman-child that loved playing in the mud. This erotic creature that had invited him back to her room. 

When she lifted her chin and looked up into his face, the air whooshed from his lungs. Those blue eyes. A man could get lost in them. 

Some barely sane part of his brain wondered...how many men had gotten lost in their depths? Had some of them paid the ultimate price for their sin? Was this divine creature capable of murder? 

Staring deep into the depths of those sea-blue eyes he sought the answer. But what he saw there froze his blood. Pain. Deep, soul-searing pain. Pain that made him want nothing more than to wrap his arms about her, protect her for anything or anyone that could hurt her. 

***

Gaia gathered her resolve about her. She was uncertain what to say, what to do. This was not another performance. She was not the vengeful, seductress bent upon exacting justice. She was a woman. A vulnerable woman. A woman, who wanted nothing more than to be held. 

In the end, that was exactly what she said. 

Taking a step forward, she whispered, "Hold me."

Looking up into the depths of his mud colored eyes; she thought for a moment that he might push her away. Reject her plea. 

But then his arms wrapped about her, drawing forward to press her against his body. There was a great deal more strength in those arms than she would have first imagined. Their power held her tightly. So tightly that for that single moment everything else dropped away. The pain in her body that never left her. The ache in her soul for the damaged goddess that she served. The hatred in her heart for the men that caused that damage. All of it melted away.

There was nothing but this man. Those arms. And safety. Safety and security were not familiar emotions to the girl that had been raised by a mother and grandmother who moved constantly, to the woman that moved constantly, living in hotel rooms. A woman who had never even had a real friend. 

It felt good. No, that was not right. It felt right...perfect. Gaia stiffened, her eyes flew open. It was a feeling she only got when she communed with the goddess. But how could this be? 

He must have felt the change in her, because he shifted them then. He leaned back so that he could stare down into her face. His voice was low when he whispered, "I would never hurt you, Gaia. Never. I'll go if you want."

Panic rose like bile in her throat at his words. "No, don't go," she pleaded. "It isn't that I'm afraid. The opposite in fact. I have never felt so safe."

His smile lit up the room. "I'm glad. I didn't want to go either."

"Would it be terribly forward of me if I asked you to take me to bed?"

"Probably...but does that matter," he said as his hands caressed her upper arms.

She smiled, "I guess not. It isn't like I have lived by society's rules up until now." She stepped forward and pressed a brief kiss on the buttons of his shirt just over his heart. "Take me to bed, Eli. Make love to me. Show me how it should be between a man and a woman."

***

Eli wondered if she knew how much those words revealed. Someone had hurt this woman badly. That was clear to the profiler inside of him. 

But it was the man that responded to her plea. 

Bending down, he scooped her into his arms. It was the kind of move that Eli knew filled the pages of the romance novels that his mother always read. It was the sort of thing his friend Jason might have done. But it was not something that he would have ever though he would do. 

The knight in shining armor was not a role that fit him. He would buckle under the weight. But not this night. This night he wanted to be that knight. That perfect knight for this woman, this damsel. 

He knew that was all they would have...this night. When the light broke, he would have to become the profiler once more...and his gut was telling him that this woman held the answers. But that was tomorrow. They still had the night. Long hours of dark in which to hide. Hours that he was determined would be filled with love enough to last them a lifetime.

His knees hit the side of the bed and he laid her back upon the soft duvet, following her down onto it. He hesitated. Fear gripped him. It was not like he had Jason's experience with women. What if he messed this up? What if he could not give her what she needed? 

Suddenly, that seemed the most important thing in the world. Not finding murderers. Not building his career with the Bureau. Just giving this woman one night of love. 

***

Gaia felt his body go stiff. But having come this far, she was not letting anything stop her from tasting this...just once. She arched her body, the same move that she had done thousands of times before. The move that always got her what she wanted. The move that men could not resist.

She was rewarded this time with a sound emitted not from the man's throat but from somewhere in his soul. It was half whimper, half growl, but all sexy. It gave her the courage to take that next step. She reached up, lacing her fingers through that long hair. The feel of it reminded her of the softest silk of her costumes. She purred at the sensation.

With a gentle tug, she brought his face close to hers. So close that their breaths mingled in the mere fraction of an inch between them. It danced and wrapped and swirled like acrobats in her troop. She could feel the power of the performance. 

"Kiss me," she breathed as she tugged his face closer.

When his lips moved over hers, it was so tentative at first. Like a flower lifting its face to the early spring morning, testing the air to make certain that it was safe to emerge after the cold, long winter months. Then like that flower sensing the sun's warmth, it burst forth. His lips became bolder. His teeth nibbled lightly at the corner of her mouth as if seeking entry. 

Gaia opened her mouth to moan and his tongue swept boldly inside, tasting her, teasing her. 

His hands too joined in the bold foray. Moving up and down her body as if memorizing each curve and indentation, his caress lit fires inside of her. 

Fires that Gaia did not know even existed. She moaned into his mouth and arched her body as his hand found and cupped her small breast. 

She realized then that the towel had fallen away at some point. She was naked. Naked and completely exposed with this man. She had never been completely naked before. She thought that it would be frightening, an uncomfortable feeling, but it was not. It felt freeing, it was perfect.

She moved beneath him, stretching and dancing with her body, a dance of seduction that was not practice or fake. Genuine need and desire coursed through her young body for the first time in her life. She gave into the feeling. Her hands quickened as they sought buttons and zippers. Working to free her lover of the strictures of clothes, freeing him just as she herself felt free at last. 

Whether it took seconds or minutes, Gaia was not certain. Either way it felt too long. But when he was finally free, as naked as she was, it still was not enough. Gaia shifted, her tiny hands sought him out. With a slight shift, she opened her thighs and drew him forward until she felt his tip pressed tightly against the warm wetness between her legs. "Please," she whispered looking up into those comforting pools of warm mud.

***

Things were moving too fast. Eli knew it. His brilliant mind that was recognized as genius even argued that he should stop now. This woman was hurting. He was taking advantage of her. Hell, she might even be a serial killer.

But in that moment, with her tiny hands wrapped tightly around his cock, the warmth of her body caressing it and those whispered words of needs, his brain could go fuck itself, he thought. 

Following the instinct that more even than his brain had accounted for his success up until then, he surged forward. He moaned as the heat and wet enveloped him. He sank deeper inside of her. 

He would have paused then, would have used his hands and kisses to tease responses from her. But there was no need. Her body was as hungry as his, arching to draw him deeper. Her fingers scored his back as she moved her hips in seductive circles beneath him. 

Looking down at her then, he knew it was a sight he would never forget. Pure, raw need. Open and honest in its power. Seeking to give pleasure even as it took. Something as old as time and life itself. Something completely woman...yet god like in its powers.

And Eli was just a weak man, powerless to resist such an elemental force. Under its spell, he moved then. Following her lead, he danced. A pounding, primal dance of life that had been played out billions and trillions of times over the eons. A life giving dance of nature itself. 

At its pentacle they both cried out. Loud, guttural songs of fulfillment and joy. The dance, the song was too brief in its perfection, he thought as he lay atop her. His body spent but strumming still with the power of this dance. 

He shifted a bit to the side, taking his weight from her. He drew her into his arms without a word. Words would only break the spell; only mar the perfection of this night. 

There would be time enough for words later. For now the only thing that mattered was this connection, holding this remarkable creature in his arms. It was the most right thing that he had ever done. 

***

They both slept then. Rest needed to recharge their life forces. But they had awakened twice more in the night. The dance repeated. And each was more perfect than the last. 

As the first rays of the early spring sun drifted between the dark drapes, Gaia rose. Her body clock had long ago set itself to the call to worship. Slipping from the warmth of the bed and his arms, she felt reluctant for the first time ever to meet that call. Would just one morning hurt?

But old habits die hard as the saying goes. She snuck over to the dresser pulling underwear and a t-shirt from the drawers. Then quickly she found an old pair of sweat pants in the closet. Within moments, she was dressed, her hair pulled back into a ponytail and her teeth quickly brushed. 

Quietly, she crept about her room. She did not want to wake him. Did not want to break the perfect spell of last night with words. After communing, she would head to the theater. A couple of hours of practice should give him time to realize that she would not be returning. He would leave and their perfect night would remain just that...perfect. Unmarred by words or promises that could never be. 

Returning to the dresser, she packed the contents of the bottom drawer into the duffle bag that she had grabbed from the bottom of the closet. The rocks and shells collected from a thousand different places across her lifetime. She had always felt that she carried a bit of each place with her this way. The candles were all natural...essence to beckon the goddess to her pleas.

When she had finished packing her bag, she tip-toed across the room to the table. She picked up the cell phone that lay there, noticing the light that indicated she had a text message. She felt a pang of regret, but knew exactly who the message was from...and what it said. 

Her perfect night had come to an end. Turning she brushed the jacket that hung from the back of a chair. He must have hung it there while she was in the shower. The movement was enough to dislodge it. It fell to the floor. A black leather case fell from a pocket. Gaia picked it up.

Her heart froze as her fingers caressed the lines of his face beneath the plastic cover. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Special Agent. Behavioral Analysis Unit. The words sprang out at her. Eli Harris. At least he had not lied to her about his name.

But thinking back over their night together, Gaia realized that she was not being fair. He had not lied at all. Not really. He simply had not told her everything. 

Actually, she knew that it was her own guilt that plagued her. There was no reason to believe that his being here was anything other than what it seemed...a wonderful carnal interlude between two consenting adults. 

If she were not a cold-blood killer, these credentials would mean nothing. But she was. She was also a woman on a mission. A mission that was not finished yet. With resolve, Gaia placed the leather wallet back inside his jacket pocket and hung it on the chair. She tucked the cell phone inside her bag. She would answer the text message. Finish her mission...and her life. 

Gaia's hands were on the handle of the door when she stopped. Crossing back to the table, she opened the bag. She drew forth the leather bound volume and brought it to her lips. She kissed it softly, the way she dared not kiss her lover now. She did not want to awaken him. She laid the book on the table and slipped into the early morning dawn.

***

Eli woke slowly. A smile crossed his lips as memories of the night flashed through his mind. Perfection was not sufficient to describe it. He reached across the bed but his hands found nothing but cold, crisp cotton. Rubbing his hands across his face to clear the sleep, he looked about the dim room. Light was trickling through the dark curtains, enough to see that she was not there. He listened for the water running to indicate that she was in the shower, but was greeted with silence. 




Mother Earth Mystery



He sat up in bed. The tight feeling in his chest warned him that he was not going to like this day. Throwing back the covers, he jumped from the bed. He raced to the bathroom, just to be certain. She could be drying off after all. But instead of a gorgeous naked lover, he was greeted with emptiness that matched that growing in his soul.

Crossing the room to the window, he drew back the curtains. He winced as light filled the room. Cold, harsh light of day. The light that he knew last night would come...would break the spell. But he wanted that spell to continue. 

Turning back to the room, he saw it then. The book. The leather journal that he had found in the drawer last night was laying on the table now. His gut screamed at him. He did not want to know what was inside that book. But the profiler knew he had to open it. Had to learn the truth. No matter how painful it was. 

He sat at the chair, staring at it for several minutes. Then he willed his fingers to pick it up. Even then for several long moments all he did was hold it. Caress it, just as he had caressed her soft skin last night. Finally, with a deep sigh and heavy heart, he forced himself to open it. 

Her handwriting was as beautiful and curvy as she was. His experience in handwriting analysis immediately told him of the pain that those carefully formed letters hid. The first few pages were simple enough. They seemed to be prayers, incantations of sorts to some god...no, goddess. Mother Earth, he recognized. Having studied a plethora of religions, they were not any that he knew that much was certain. They were though ancient, elemental in their simplicity. Their words and use of pentameter were striking. For several minutes he got caught up in them. Studying them, what they revealed about this woman.

Most of the rest of the book was filled with the musings of a woman tormented by a childhood that had been full of both unprecedented freedom and joy and deep loneliness and fear. The words broke his heart for that little girl forced to move just when she began to make friends. Her only real solace had been in the hours she spent roaming the forests, beaches and mountains in whatever town that their caravan of gypsies had landed for that moment. 

One thing that stood out to the profiler was the fact that there was no mention of men. Any man. Not her father, not a single word about any male member of their group. Not even a little boy. 

Their group seemed to be made up exclusively of women and girls. Just a feminine as the goddess they served. But what happened to the men and boys? Where were they? Obviously there had to be men if there were children. But what became of them. And why only girl children? Did these women never birth sons? A thousand questions, unanswered by this book, raced through Eli's head.

But he forced himself to continue his journey...even though something deep inside of him knew that it was taking him to a place he did not wish to go.

***

Gaia started to collect the rocks and shells. But then she stopped. What did it matter now? Was it not better to leave them here? Back with the Mother that had given them birth. She had after all only borrowed them for a time. She always knew that they would live far longer than she did...that was the greatness of the goddess, her ever present force that had given and taken life for millions and billions of years.

Before man...men that is thought themselves mightier than all other of her beautiful creations. Without regard for the other life-forces that Mother Earth had brought forth, these powerful men sought to grab, to take for themselves more than their share, more than they could ever use in a thousand life-times...if the great goddess had ever granted such pitiful creatures such a thing. But she did not. She demanded their one measly life in payment for their sins. Sins against her creatures; sins against humanity; sins against Her. 

And Gaia was her instrument for delivering that justice. Picking up the phone that lay next to her, she typed in a few letters. Words sufficient to bring her prey to her. Gaia had one final mission...and she would not let Mother down.

***

Eli forced himself to continue reading. The final pages of this tome twisted his gut in tight knots. The rape. Gaia had been raped by the son of the first man she murdered. This powerful politician had voted against every environmental bill that had come before Congress. His son had been as arrogant in his right to possess her body as his father was in the right of men to do with as they saw fit with the land upon which they lived. 

But Gaia had taken her time. She had planned carefully a way to exact revenge. No, not revenge. To this woman, this was justice...and she was judge, jury and executioner. 

She had waited and continued to plan. When the show appeared in Washington, a few months later she had perfected her plan. She knew that this man had a reputation with women. His son clearly learned the lesson from the man that sired him. 

It had been easy enough for her to use her body to attract the man's attention. The chance to possess a beautiful young star that others coveted was simply too much for the entitled man to pass up. But it was a trap...a trap that cost him his life.

Eli tried to identify with the victim. Tried to remember the pain that this man's death brought to his family. But he failed. In the end, he could only feel that justice had been done...justice that Gaia had delivered. 

He willed his eyes back to the words on those pages. Words that he realized now she meant for him. Her confession, a penance of sorts. But it was something else as well, something that Eli hated to admit. It was a suicide note. Death by cop was the outcome that Gaia sought. An outcome that he was determined not to give her.

He knew that he should take this journal straight to his colleagues at Scotland Yard. They would begin a manhunt for Gaia. Send officers to the theater to wait for her. But Eli was not going to play into Gaia's hand. There would be someone waiting at the theater to take her in alright. But not a SWAT team of sorts. He would go there...alone. And somehow he would convince her to turn herself in. He had to.

***

Gaia followed the instructions in the text. The hotel was nicer even than the one in which she was staying. She knew from her research it was another of Adamovich's holdings along with a soccer team and the Russian oil company that had made him a billionaire. 

An oil company that had no regard for the fragile environments in which it operated. Precious species pushed to verge of extinction by the huge, loud machines that brought the oil from deep within its home within Pachamama. His company raped the earth, used people and discarded them like garbage. 

But it was time for him to pay. And she was here to make sure that he did.

***

Eli rushed into the theater, running into the behemoth of a man that had turned him away from backstage 

"Is Gaia around?" he asked.

"That is none of your concern. Like I told you last night that badge of yours isn't going to buy you a chance to ogle her, not when you are thousands of miles out of your jurisdiction. I have seen men like you before. Men that use their power to get close to famous people, beautiful women like Gaia."

Eli felt anger course through him. If he had any hope of saving her life, he did not have time for this. "Listen, Thomas. You see this book," he held up the journal and watched as a look of recognition crossed the man's face.

"Where did you get that?" the man growled protectively.

Eli could empathize with the need to protect Gaia. Given all that he had read that morning, she clearly needed protecting. But right now, he needed to protect her from herself. 

"That does not matter. Let's just say that Gaia gave it to me herself. I spent the night in her hotel room," he knew that he was playing with fire. It was clear from her journal entries that Gaia used this man's feelings for her. He used that fact now, "There is enough in here to tie you as an accomplice to a dozen murders. So unless you start cooperating now, I will personally see you tried for every single one of them...right alongside her."

The man lunged for him, but Eli stepped to the side, grabbing the man's arm as he did. The man might have fifty pounds or more on Eli, but he knew something far more valuable...how to use a person's mind against him...or her. "Now where is she?" he asked as he twisted the man's arm up higher behind his back.

The man remained silent for a moment. Eli twisted a bit more, but still nothing. Eli's estimation of him rose. Clearly this man was loyal to her, a feeling he could empathize with. "I don't want to hurt her, but she has to turn herself in. You must have known something was up. How could you not put it together? You deliver a note to one that turns up dead it might be a coincidence, but a dozen? You should have come forward."

Eli felt the strength drain from his adversary at his words. "You don't understand. She has been through so much. If you knew what that kid did to her..."

"I do know. I read it all. But right now, I need your help to save her life. She believes that she has one final mission. It says so in here," he said waving the book. "But it doesn't say who. I think you know that. Who did you give that note to last night?"

"Adamovich," he whispered.

Eli released the man's arm. His body weight carried him forward, only his quick reflexes kept him from a nasty fall. As it was he put out his arms just in time to prevent his head from making contact with the floor. 

"Where? Where is she to meet him?"

"I don't know. I only deliver the first message. She always includes her cell number and I guess the rest is handled through calls."

"Or texts," Eli said, thinking aloud. He turned and fled, leaving the man lying where he was. He pulled his own phone from his pocket and within moments there was a text from a colleague at the Bureau. It contained the information he sought...the location where Gaia would be meeting her prey. Eli hailed a taxi and headed towards the hotel, hoping he would be in time.

***

Gaia twisted and turned. It was a blatant seduction meant to entice her prey, lower their defenses. Enthrall them in her web until like the black widow one of Mother's most magnificent creatures, she pounced upon them, sucking their life force from the pitiful shell that was their bodies. 

She inched closer to the man as he leaned back against the pillows. The smug, arrogant look on his face disgusted her. She longed to pounce then. To slap that look of entitlement from him. 

But like the skilled killer she had become she bided her time. If she made her move too quickly, her prey might escape. Her strength waning as it was would be no match for him...not now. But afterwards...when all men were vulnerable.

Gaia's step faltered as her mind remember the sweet way that Eli had rolled to the side, drawing her protectively to his side. No man had ever done that before. If they rolled away it was because they were done with her. They had gotten what they wanted and now discarded her like trash...just as they did the people that worked for them, the pieces of Mother Earth that they could not use, the creatures that inhabited their oil fields or lived near their plants. These men cared for no one and nothing, not even themselves...or they would have seen the damage that their actions left in their wake.

"Hey, what's up gorgeous? I thought we were going to fuck...and now you're getting all cold and silent on me," the man said as he stared at her.

Gaia looked down at the man. Disgust filled her at his words. Fuck. That was all this beautiful act of creation ever was to men like this. Fucking. It was all about them. Their pleasure. Just as everything else in their lives were about them.

In that moment, Gaia lost it. The years of anger. The humiliation of the rape. The damaged lands that she had seen over and over again on her travels. The harsh chemicals that were pumped into the lands and waters of this world by men like this. Chemicals that were sapping her very life from her day by day, moment by moment. 

It all came crashing down upon her. She lunged then, wrapping her hands about his throat just as she had done with the others. "You arrogant bastard. You don't deserve the precious air that Mother Earth gives you. The water she supplies. The food. None of it. You are pitiful, pathetic excuse of man," she spat each word at him. She watched as his eyes bugged out. She squeezed with all her might. 

Then she was being pulled off of him. The strong arms that wrapped about her did not feel like bonds. They felt like freedom. True freedom. And in that moment she allowed her spirit to fly free, just as she had flown above the stage so many times before. And then she dropped from her birch above it all, the darkness coming up to greet her.

***

Eli felt her body go limp in his arms as he heard the man cough. Secure in the knowledge that the man was alive, he turned his attention to Gaia. Scooping her into his arms, he carried her to the couch against the far wall. He knew that she would not want to be anywhere near the man. 

Arranging her on the pillows, he checked for a pulse. It was weak, so faint that he could not even count the beats. Her breathing was shallow and slow as well. 

Pulling his cell phone from his pocket, he dialed for emergency services as the hotel manager that had let him in rushed forward to the man that was his boss. He heard them talking.

"That crazy bitch, she tried to kill me," the man accused. But somehow instead of relief that he had stopped Gaia before she could finish the job, Eli wanted nothing more than to rush across the room and finish the job for her. The arrogance in the man's voice was so infuriating that for a moment he understood how righteous Gaia had felt her mission.

But somehow Eli managed to restrain himself. It seemed like hours even though he knew it was only minutes that he sat on the couch, holding her, caressing her, begging her not to leave him. He did not even care that the men were watching him. He barely noticed when the ambulance crew entered. He clung to her still. 

It was the compassionate blue eyes of an older woman, one of the technicians, which finally bore through his pain. Eyes that reminded him of her, Gaia. "You have to let her go. We have to be able to get to her, if we are going to help her. You want us to help her, don't you?" she pleaded.

Her words brought sanity back to Eli. He released her and reluctantly stepped to the side so they could work. He noticed that other technicians were working on the man, examining his minor injuries. 

Then Eli was being pulled aside by one of his colleagues with Scotland Yard. As they carried her from the room on the stretcher, Eli was left to explain everything...well, not everything. He crafted careful lies about how her diary had come into his possession. He would not have that one perfect night in his life marred by the prying eyes of anyone.

***

Eli spent hours, precious hours, answering questions at their headquarters. They had contacted his superiors at the Bureau of course. Another member of his team would be there within hours. The diplomacy had already begun. None of the other murders had taken place in England. The FBI clearly had a greater claim to the prisoner than any assault charge that even a man as powerful as Adamovich might levy. 

It was all tedious. All Eli wanted was to rush to her side. Thankfully, his position as a profiler did allow him to make reasonable enquiries about how the 'suspect' was doing. He learned the name of the hospital where she had been taken. She was still unconscious; the doctors were performing a battery of tests to determine why a seemingly healthy woman would just collapse...after attempting to murder one of the most wealthy, powerful men in the world.

By the time that the interrogation, and having been on the other side of it many times Eli knew that was clearly what this was, was over it night. The sun was setting and a deep chill filled the London night. Just as a chill was settling over Eli's soul. Hailing a cab, he gave the driver the address of the hospital where they had taken Gaia. 

When he got there it was a quick matter of flashing his badge to a few uninformed nurses. He was ushered into a waiting area and told that one of the doctors would be with him shortly. Looking around the room, he saw a familiar face. The man's shoulders were stooped as he sat with his head in his hands. Eli crossed the room and sat down on the chair next to him.

The man did not look up when he spoke. "It isn't what you think."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not some leech, like those others. In love with a younger woman," he explained.

Eli shrugged, "I never thought it was that simple. There is something about her. Something that makes a man just want to protect her."

He looked up then at Eli. Tears brimmed in eyes that Eli suddenly noticed were a clear blue of the oceans. "I felt the same way about her mother."

"She's your daughter?" Eli breathed the question reverently.

He simply nodded. "I met Crystal when I was nineteen. I was a spoiled rich boy, spending the summer on the Cape before another year of cheating not to fail out of the Ivy League college that my father had bought my way into. I was just like them...those men that she killed."

Eli waited, knowing that this was a story that the man had to tell. That in time it would all come out.

"Crystal was beautiful, but then again I was used to beautiful girls throwing themselves at me. But she was different. She was working as a waitress that summer in one of the fish shacks where me and my friends ate. She would not give me the time of day. My friends took quite a bite out of my hide for that. At first, the challenge was all I saw. But then...well, Gaia is like her mother so I supposed I don't have to tell you how captivating they are."

Eli smiled and nodded his head.

"When it was time for me to go back to college, I wanted to take her with me. But her mother...that bitch was cold...nothing like Crystal or Gaia..."

Eli remembered passages from the Gaia's journals. Disapproving, domineering and cruel were adjectives that he knew fit this woman. Some part of him hated her...blamed her as much as the men themselves for what Gaia had done...what she had become.

"Anyway she refused. Her daughter was too good for the likes of me. Too good for any man. That's how those women thought. It was a cult, pure and simple. And that woman was the high priestess. She brooked no arguments. What she said goes. Crystal packed up with the rest of them, taking to the roads in that damned caravan."

The man sighed and ran his hands throw his dark blond hair. "I went back to college. I tried to forget her. Honest, I did. But a woman like that...is not something a guy forgets. Ever. I left school at the end of the term...and never went back. I made it my mission to find Crystal. But wherever it went I seemed to be just weeks, sometimes even days behind them. I finally found her a couple of years later. One look at Gaia and I knew that little girl was mine. We snuck around for a couple of weeks. I thought I had convinced her to leave her mother and those other crazy bitches. She was supposed to bring Gaia and met me at the bus station one night. But I waited all night and she never showed. When I went to the campsite, they were gone. Just gone. Her mother must have found out...at least that is what I hope happened. The idea that it was all a lie and she was deceiving me, using me, is more than I can bear even now."

"You gave up?" Eli asked.

The man smiled, "Hell, no. You don't give up on a woman like that, boy. But I never got that close again. The old bat made sure of that. A year later though, a woman that I recognized as one of them came up to me. She had gotten too old to carry on with all that traveling. She had found a place she liked and decided to stay. She had something for me she said. It was my son. Crystal had left him behind. For once, she had gone against her mother...for him, for me."




Mother Earth Mystery



His throat tightened, some part of him dreaded the answer even as he forced himself to ask the question, "What do you mean...go against her?"

"The old bitch had this crazy idea of a new age society made up solely of women. She and the others used men...like bulls. Then they moved on. I suppose that in itself ain't all that bad. I guess you could say that men have used women for sex for thousands of years. But the other...it was unthinkable. The girl babies were welcomed, raised to carry on their crazy elitist society. But the boys." 

He paused, a pained look crossing his face as he whispered, "They killed them. The women who attended the births. She would not tie off the umbical cords. They bleed to death before they even took their first breath. But Crystal wouldn't let them do that to our baby. She could not be sure if it was another little girl or a little boy. But she knew if she had it there she would not be able to stop them. She went to a hospital. Maybe she would have even stayed there...waited for me. But that bitch had Gaia. She could not leave her daughter to be raised alone by her mother. So she left our son with this woman and followed her mother. For Gaia's sake."

"I wanted to keep looking. Honest, I did. But she had left a note with Gerard. She begged me to take him home. To raise him. To love him as she was forbidden to do, but did anyway. She promised that in turn she would watch out for our Gaia. She said if I ever loved her then I should do this for her."

"I did it, but I never for a moment stopped thinking about them. Crystal and Gaia." He looked up at the door, his face frozen in a tortured expression. "I found out ten years ago about Crystal's suicide. The note she left was addressed to me. Full of bullshit about how she had failed me, failed to keep Gaia safe. I tried then to the girl, but it was useless. That bitch knew how to hide what she considered hers. I went through half my daddy's fortune on private detectives."

"But you did find her. How?"

The man laughed, "Fate, if you believe in that sort of shit. She was already performing with the Cirque de Majique. Gerard and I had tickets. The minute I saw her I knew it was her. Then when I looked the name up in the program and saw Gaia...well, there was no doubt. One good thing about the crazy bitch was her penchant for unusual names. I thought about telling her then, but decided that I should get to know her before springing this sort of thing on her. Besides I wasn't sure how well all that brain washing shit had worked on her. I couldn't afford to bring her into the family...not if she might hurt Gerard. He was off to college then, so I got a job as security with the troop. Actually, I bought my job with them, but no one knows that. And I watched and waited. Watched my own child."

He stared at his hands for a moment, "I watched her kill men. You are right. I should have told someone. I didn't catch on right away. I mean that Congressman I knew what she did, but I thought the bastard deserved it for what his son did to her. But then I pretended; I turned a blind eye. Three men died before I figured it all out. But you have to know it isn't her fault. Her grandmother...that crazy bitch...she turned her against men. All men."

Eli shook his head, "Not all men. It seems to me that she trusted you. Something inside of her knew she could even if she did not know why."

Tears spilled out of those blue pools then. "You think so? I know it is too late, but I'm here for her now. Hell, I'll do anything. The best doctors. The best lawyers. Maybe we could get her sent to a hospital somewhere. Insanity, right?"

Eli did not know what to say. The man in him was glad that she had an alley like this man. But the profiler recognized that what she had done was murder, not something to be dismissed easily with a flimsy excuse of child abuse. 

Thankfully he did not have to respond. At that moment the double doors opened and a doctor stepped into the room. 

"Agent Harris?" he asked as he extended his hand.

Eli took it. "What happened, doctor? Why did she collapse?"

The man shook his head solemnly. "I'm afraid that the woman is very ill. Leukemia. Stage four. There really is not any hope. She must have been ill for years. I don't know how she could have possibly performed, not a strenuous job like hers. Not...what she did."

The man blanched at the truth. What he meant was clear...not murder. But at that moment Eli did not care. The man's words were ricocheting through his mind, bouncing off walls into feelings that did not bear closer examination.

The other man stepped forward then, "But there has to be something you can do. Blood transfusions. Marrow. Something?"

"We have already given her three pints of blood just to stabilize her. And a marrow transfusion requires a close match. Her blood type is not that easy to find. We would need a close relative."

"I'm her father. I can have her brother here in a few hours. Anything you need. Cost is no object."

The doctor shook his head sympathetically. "I'm sorry. Perhaps if she had come to us a year ago, even a few months ago. But she is too weak now. The procedure would kill her just as surely as the disease is."

"But it's worth the risk, right?" the man pleaded.

"I can't advice it. It could actually shorten what little time she has left. And it is not without pain. As it is we are barely able to keep her pain controlled with the drugs. I just don't think it would be a good idea."

Eli watched as the man he had known less than twenty-four hours slumped to the floor. His face buried in his hands as great retching sobs shook his body. "No," he screamed. "I can't lose her too. Not like Crystal." 

Eli sank to his knees next to the man. "Thomas," he pleaded using the man's name for the first time. "Pull yourself together. You are here now and for whatever time she has you can be that father, the daddy that the little girl in this journal longed to know. You can give her that. You can share memories of the mother she fears she has forgotten. But you have to be strong to do any of that."

The man's sobs slowed as he wiped the tears back from his face. "It's best isn't it? If she lived, she'd spend the rest of her life in jail wouldn't she."

Eli nodded wordlessly at the truth that both of them knew. 

The doctor, who must have witnessed hundreds of other grieving families, cleared his throat. "Do either of you know someone named Eli? She keeps calling for him."

"I'm Eli," he answered quietly.

The doctor quickly hid the shocked expression on his face. "Yes, well. I don't want her disturbed with any questions right now. But if you want to sit with her for a bit, I think that would be alright."

Eli looked at the man who was her father. The man, who by all rights should be with her now. "Go. Go to her. Just promise me that you'll tell. Tell her about me. Ask her to see me."

Eli nodded and followed the doctor through the door and down the corridor.

***

Over the past year, Gaia had come to accept the pain. Her mind had developed tricks to keep it at bay. Meditations. Visualization. She would run through the meadows. Dance along a deserted beach. Her favorite had always been wallowing in a huge mud puddle. The sticky substance clinging to her skin, sucking her down.

But now it the pain that was sucking her down. Deeper and deeper it called to her. This pain would not be denied. But it was not just the physical pain of a body betraying her, shutting down. It was not the weight of her 'sins,' if there were such a thing, certainly the justice that she had exacted from those vicious, greedy men was no sin. 

It was the pain of a broken heart that did her in now. Why was it only in the final hours of her life that she had met a man worth fighting for? 

Her mother had told her stories as a little girl, forbidden stories of white knights and shining armor. Gaia knew those stories were her mother's homage to her father. She had been a teenager when she learned the truth of that love...and the betrayal that it had caused. 

Her mother had stood accused of helping another to commit a similar crime...saving a male child. Her grandmother had stood coldly, harshly sentencing her only child to death. A syringe had been prepared even as Gaia clung to her mother pleading for her life. But her grandmother had order the others to drag her from the room. 

It was the last that Gaia saw of either of them. When the others locked her in the camper to return and watch justice being served, Gaia had performed her greatest feat...an escape through a high window, pulling herself up and squeezing through the tiny space. 

She had run to town, told the authorities what was happening. But by the time, they got to the camp her mother was dead. Despite her pleas, they believed the story of a suicide. They had though decided that she should remain in the care of a foster family while they investigated the situation. Her grandmother had been livid. She belonged with her family, she asserted. The woman might have won guardianship eventually, except that Gaia did not stick around...making another escape.

At barely fifteen, she had lived for months on the land. It was one of the good things about Mother Earth, if you knew her, she cared for her own. She feed herself from the fields were wild berries and dandelion greens grew in abundance. She lived in caves craved into the side of mountains thousands of years before man ever roamed these lands. It was a wonderful time in her life. If only she had remained there...but the harsh winter sent her seeking other means.

She had ended up in Vegas. And where others might have fallen prey to the pimps and drug dealers who roamed the streets, she had been raised by the most devious of all...her grandmother had long ago taught her to avoid men. She had lucked into a job working the props of a Cirque troop. And over the months and years, she had learned to soar...soar with the best of them. But there would be no more soaring...not in this life time. 

She felt the warmth and strength envelope her hand and she smiled. Her voice weak and hoarse, she whispered, "Eli, you came?"

He leaned over so that she could see him. He smiled but it did not reach his eyes. Those beautiful pools of mud that had stolen her heart. 

"How are you feeling?"

"I've been better," she tried to laugh but nothing came out. "I need to..." she wanted to say 'explain,' but what explanation could she offer.

"I think you already did. Your journal." He squeezed her hand, "I can't give you any absolution. It isn't mine to give. But what I can do is tell you none of it changes what happened last night. You gave me the most perfect night of my life...and I will always remember that."

He brought her fingers to his lips, brushing them lightly across her knuckles. "I also want to tell you that waiting outside is your father. He has been watching over you...Thomas. When he found you, he just did not know what to say, how to tell you. After all your grandmother had done, he wasn't sure you would want anything to do with him. So he waited and watched. He'd like to see you. Get to know you. Spend some time with you. If you'll let him."

Gaia's eyes filled with tears. If only she had known. Her father had been close all along. He was the one person that she had turned to. That she had trusted. She was too weakened by the illness and by his news to speak, but she nodded. "Will you stay with me for a few minutes first?"

***

Eli Harris stared out the window of the tiny cabin he had rented for the week. It had rained for the first three days he was here. Great torrents with huge drops. Winds that howled. Howled just as Thomas had when Gaia finally slipped quietly from this earth. 

Eli had finished his enquiries as quickly as he could in London. He had changed his ticket, catching the first flight back to America he could get. He still had time left on his vacation and he certainly did not want to return to small barren apartment that he rented in Quantico. 

His friend Jason had been bugging him for years to get away. Try some fishing. Get back to nature. Do something besides just reading for change. It had been easy enough to have Jason arrange the rental for him. From the moment that he arrived, Jason had known that something had happened, but being a true friend he had kept his questions to himself. Maybe one day Eli would tell his friends about the beautiful soul who had held his heart so tenderly...even though she killed other men.

But for now, he had a promise to keep. He tossed aside the socks that he had worn all morning to keep the chill of the bare wooden floor from his toes. Stepping from the door of the tiny cabin, he walked into the bright sunshine of an early spring morning. He walked carefully down the rough wooden steps, mindful of splinters. Right now the splinter in his heart every time he thought about her was enough pain to deal with.

He stood on the bottom step for several long moments. For the little boy who had spent his childhood cossetted safely indoors with books, afraid of every germ, the idea was ludicrous. Why would someone want to do this? 

But how many times over those few precious days had she called him her 'muddy puddles'? It might not sound like the sexy of pet names between lovers but when she said it there was a reverence to the words that left him aching for more. 

He closed his eyes and took a small leap off the bottom step. The cool, sticky goo oozed through his toes. He lifted one foot to look at it as it clung to his skin. He put that foot back down, feeling the thickness envelope him once more. He repeated it with the other foot. Then he jumped up and down, turning around and throwing his arms about like a man possessed. 

And for that moment he was free...Mother Earth embraced him and rejoiced with him in her servant that had been Gaia.