The Raven and the Witch Hunter Omnibus

BIG BEAR CHAPTER 11

BIG BEAR CHAPTER 11

Main Street in Banff during shoulder season wasn't all that bustling, although because it was a weekend there were still a fair number of people walking up and down the sidewalks. Vanessa noticed the Christmas decorations for the first time, surprised to realize it was almost December. She didn't know where the time had gone. It felt like everything had piled together into a single week and now the year was pretty much over. She looked at Emma Jane beside her, grinning at her stunned expression.

"Are you okay?" Vanessa asked.

Emma Jane startled at the question. "What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I was just looking at everything. I don't go shopping much so I may not be the best judge of this, but damn, is this place touristy. Even with my vision being the way it is this place is bright. Look over there."

Emma Jane pointed to a window display with various animals wearing clothing saying they'd been to Banff, or Canada, or Alberta, or some mutant combination of all three. It was garishly loud to Vanessa. She wondered what it looked like to Emma Jane to have captured her attention so intensely when she couldn't see inanimate objects very well.

"Yeah, the wharf is like that in San Francisco as well, but I didn't take you to those areas. Most really scenic locations seem to have stores whose sole purpose is to capture the tourist dollar in some way. But that isn't the store we need. I’m hoping this one here will be able to provide us with a rawhide cord."

Vanessa pointed out a jewelry store across the street advertising fossils. They used the crosswalk, entering the store just as the clerk was preparing to close the doors. She was an older woman with white hair in a bun, wearing an atrociously ugly Christmas sweater. She wore a name tag that said 'Flo', and gave them a sour look as she paused, blocking their entrance.

"We close in five minutes. Can I help you with something?"

The tone of her voice didn't suggest helpfulness, but Vanessa gave her a sparkling smile anyway. She found it was easier to take people at face value when they were being snarky than to comment on it.

"Why, thank you so much! That would be great. I'm looking for a rawhide cord that I can use to hang this stone from."

Vanessa displayed the green stone with the small hole for the woman to see and she huffed, but nodded.

Flo huffed, but nodded. "Over here. I was hoping to not have to use the register again tonight," she grumbled under her breath to no one in particular.

Vanessa looked at the small selection, picking up a creamy strip of tanned leather that felt soft but strong and held it up, sliding the end through the hole. It fit perfectly, with just enough room for the stone to move easily while remaining secure.

Emma Jane nodded. "That’s perfect. I can tie it up for you, if you'd like."

Emma Jane's face was a swirling mix of hope, fear, and attraction which drew Vanessa closer, until the sound of the woman’s strident voice behind them brought her back to her surroundings.

"Is that the right one? How would you like to pay?" Flo's demanding voice broke the moment and Vanessa nodded, answering Emma Jane as she walked toward the register where the woman stood waiting for her impatiently.

"As soon as we pay. Let's put it on outside. We don't want to keep Flo waiting, after all."

She winked at Emma Jane before focusing her attention back on the transaction. The second the purchase was complete they were whisked out of the store. As they regrouped on the sidewalk, they heard the click of the lock as the closed sign flipped over.

Vanessa held out the cord for Emma Jane. "Well, she was lovely," Vanessa quipped, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, here it is."

The foggy spring green stone became infinitely more elegant once it was on the rawhide cord.

As Emma Jane took it from Vanessa, her hands were shaking. "Let's see if this works. It doesn't look like much, but sometimes the most powerful things don't."

She placed the cord around Vanessa's neck from behind while Vanessa scooped her hair out of the way. Emma Jane's hands continued to tremble as she tied a knot, then doubled it for strength. To Vanessa, the warmth of her fingers touching her neck felt marvelous. While it had only been a few days, it seemed like years since the last time they'd touched. They’d even avoided small contact, such as a holding hands or brushing against each other accidentally in a hallway. Now that they had the stone, it was supposed to be safe and they should be able to touch like regular people- if Vanessa understood correctly how the stone worked. But the only way for them to find out was to take a chance.

Standing on a street corner in Banff, Canada, outside a shop run by a cranky old lady, Vanessa turned to face the object of her affection, lightly touching the stone that seemed familiar and alive around her neck.

"Now what? If Big Bear and Evelyn are correct, this should allow you to be near me without taking my powers. It should actually make it so that no one is able to take my powers, which is cool, but it's you that matters most. How shall we test it?"

Emma Jane looked at her with the magical swirling eyes that Vanessa loved so much. She took one step closer, then another. Vanessa's heart rate increased. She was unable to take a breath as she anticipated her approach. Then Emma Jane wrapped her arms around Vanessa and leaned toward her, tilting her face up. Vanessa leaned down to meet Emma Jane's lips as they kissed for the first time in days.

The cold air vanished as a warm blanket of feelings wrapped them together tightly. Vanessa felt the same intense need and attraction she’d had every time they'd kissed, but this time it was without the pulling sensation that simultaneously drugged her and dragged her down. This kiss was simply intoxicating. She sank deeper into the moment. She could have stayed in the warm waters of love forever had it not been for the rude intrusion of a car honk which pulled her back to reality.

Startled, she looked around, realizing the car had been honking at someone who hadn't used the pedestrian crosswalk appropriately. Even though not directed at them, the noise had lifted her from the embrace long enough to realize that they were still standing outside in the middle of a street in Banff, on a cold November night.

"Maybe we should go back to the bed and breakfast." Vanessa smiled at Emma Jane, incredibly happy and hopeful about the future that lay ahead.

"I think we should," Emma Jane agreed, a corresponding smile lighting her face. "How do you feel?"

She sounded so sweet and nervous that Vanessa couldn’t resist leaning over to give her another quick kiss. "I feel like a million dollars. Let's go talk in private."

They smiled at each other, excitement at the possibilities for their relationship adding a giddiness to their love-struck grins.