Monday Night, April 7th

Theodore Roth was not prone to nightmares. There was just one that followed him around, the memory of his first meeting with his grandfather: He'd been six and playing with his older brother Simon while visiting for the weekend. Simon had grabbed the Transformer Theo had brought with him and was playing keep-away; Theo'd called him a 'bastard'. His father used the word all the time, and Theo had been pretty sure he'd used it right. His grandfather had plucked him out of his headlong dash and turned him over a knee before Theo had any idea what was happening. The first blow on his backside was lost in shock, the rest were agony. In his dreams his grandfather would become a monster, or his family would point and laugh at him. It wasn't the worst nightmare a person could have, but it was Theo's and he hated it.

So when Diamante smiled at him from across the porch, he didn't understand that he was in a nightmare. She was in that dress, the red one Geneva'd picked out for her, and there were smile lines around her lips and eyes he didn't remember.

"Stop staring, silly. Maya's trying to get your attention." Diamante gestured out past the porch to the swimming pool. A young girl in a princess bathing suit was waving at him from the edge of the diving board. Her mop of dark curls were spilling over her face, but he could make out the eyes that were the crystal blue of the Roth family. Once she was certain she had his attention she pirouetted and then half dove, half fell off the diving board. His heart skipped a beat until she surfaced, all giggles and years of summer swimming lessons.

Diamante sighed next to him, "I wonder how we're going to get her out of the pool and into class this year." Theo hadn't noticed, but there was a slight chill to afternoon breeze. He smiled and leaned forward, "I remember last year. Two weeks of wearing her suit under her clothes so she could get home and run through house and jump in as soon as she got home." He chuckled, "She went in with her backpack still on the first day."

Diamante sighed next to him, "You'll take care of her now that I'm gone, won't you?"

*********

Theo woke up to his alarm blaring. It was 8:30 and he had Introduction to Physics an hour. He rolled out of bed and headed for the shower, wondering how long that tubby bitch was going to keep bothering him.

Tuesday Night, April 8th

It wasn't the house this time. They were at a church, Catholic from the arches and stained glass windows. There were pink and white streamers everywhere and balloons to match; everyone was milling around buffet or chatting around one of the dozen or so round tables that were set up. Pastels abounded, it looked like an Easter family reunion except that about half the people had skin several shades too dark.

Diamante was still in red, though. She caught Theo's eyes and smiled, disengaging herself from the clutch of just-past-middle-aged women that were cooing at her arms, and made a beeline for him. He didn't register what the small bundle was until she was placing the infant in his arms. "Here, just for a minute. My arms are killing me and I'm tired of wondering if your friends are looking at her or my chest."

Theo panicked for a moment, realizing he was holding an actual tiny living person in his arms. What if he dropped her? What if she started crying, or worse?

"Congratulations, man!" A knot of his fraternity brothers had zeroed in on him the moment Diamante had placed his daughter in his arms. They were grinning and looking all poster-card perfect in their Sunday bests, but Theo could smell the beer and liquor on their breath. "Look at you, little cutie!" They were peering down at his little girl, reaching out to pinch her cheek or tousle the few whisps of hair poking out from under her christening bonnet. He pulled back away from them, instincts telling him that these were not good men to have his daughter around. They wouldn't hurt her on purpose, but they were selfish, callow, and irresponsible. "Um, she's tired, guys. She been getting stared at and messed with all day."

Richard, the ringleader of that little posse, glanced up and shrugged, moving away. "Alright, man. We didn't mean any harm." The others followed, taking up residence near the champagne and cheese trays. As they cleared Theo could make out someone that had been waiting patiently behind them, another fraternity brother. He sighed in relief. He didn't know Davian well, but he knew he was quiet and didn't party like the others.

The smaller of the Layton twins nodded to him and stepped forward, hands held respectively behind his back to avoid the excesses of the other friends and family members. "Theo." He smiled down at the child, then glanced back up, "What was her name again?"

Theo smiled down at the lace and blue eyed bundle in his arms with pride. "Maya. Her name is Maya."

Wednesday Night, April 9th

Diamante was dressed to nines and putting in the diamond drop earrings Theo'd gotten her for their seventh anniversary; the red dress still looked gorgeous on her. She checked herself in the bathroom mirror one last time, then strode back over to where Theo was waiting, suited up himself and holding her wrap in the master bedroom. "Look, if you're still set on it, we'll talk about it once we get back from the awards dinner, okay?"

He laid the wrap around her shoulders and curled an arm around her waist, pulling her close. "I didn't think this would be such a hard sell," he was smiling, but there was the smallest spark of anger in his eyes. "You love Maya, and it wouldn't take that long out of your research. Besides, she could use someone to play with at home when we go out or on trips."

Diamante laughed and playfully pushed him away, careful not to jostle her hair out of it's coif of curls. "Easy for you to say. You don't have to go through the cramps and bloating and cravings and mood swings." She held up her hand to him before he could launch his protest, "And don't even tell me that putting up with me going through them is just as hard. I said I'd think about it, but not until I finish this study. It's taken too long to get the materials together and get NASA'a agreement to take the compounds up. I'm not passing up my chance at a shuttle ride because your biological clock is ticking." She was still smiling, but her voice was firm with a strength he'd never imagined she'd had when they first dated in college.

He shrugged in momentary defeat and opened the bedroom door for her. "I still think Maya could use a little brother or sister. She gets lonely at home when we're gone."

Diamante stopped in the door and turned to look at him. Her face had contorted, eyes bugged out and tongue protruding. She was turning blue except where her neck was twisted and necrotic black. "That's okay. You'll still be with her now that I'm gone, won't you?"

*******

Theo bolted up in his bed, drenched in a sheet of night terror sweat. He ran a shaking hand through his hair and cursed, trying to erase the image of Diamante's suffocated face from his mind. Leave me alone, you fucking ghost. You're dead. Dead and buried and not my problem anymore.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and made for his bathroom, thankful he'd paid for his own room. He splashed cold water over his face and wondered if confession had ever cured anyone of nightmares. His family was nominally Catholic, thanks to his grandfather, but little more than a disdaining hatred for homosexuals and a preference for large architecture had sunk into Theodore's young mind. He'd think about in the morning, right now he needed more sleep for his Calculus test tomorrow.

When he reached his bed her red dress was laid out on the rumpled sheets; her diamond drop earrings sitting open in their box on top of it.

Thursday Night, April 10th

The priest hadn't been any help, not that Theo had actually told him anything incriminating. With the rate of attrition on priests these days he couldn't honestly trust himself to the professed sanctity of the confessional. Besides, he vaguely remembered some article about how priests were still held legal responsible to report on capital crimes to the police. Murder surely counted.

So now he was onto to coffee and caffeine pills. If he didn't sleep, then he couldn't dream. If he couldn't dream, then she couldn't haunt him. He knew he couldn't stay up forever, but by the time he crashed from the caffeine and exhaustion, he shouldn't dream anyways.

******************

Davian sat in his room and contemplated whether or not he'd go through with the capstone of this little project. He'd acquired what he needed, but his own belated conscience on this matter made him was questioning if he was taking this too far.

Lexy? The probe was gentle, but she was sleeping for once and he wouldn't wake her up for this. He sighed and stretched, avoiding looking at his desk.

He nearly jumped out of his skin as his cell phone chimed into the early morning silence. The caller ID printed out a phone number with a certain three digit combination of the seven numbers that Davian knew quite well. A pre-pay, disposable phone. Intrigued, he answered.

"Mr. Layton," the voice on the other end of the phone was deep and tired, "I hope I haven't woken you." Canned line, and delivered in full knowledge of it.

"Umm...who is this?" Half asleep wasn't that hard to fake at the moment and Davian didn't recognize the voice at all. He was careful about who had access to the cell-phone registered in his name, but for a Layton very few things were entirely private. Still, anonymous early morning calls were rarely a good thing for the affluent.

The voice replied matter-of-factly, "My name is Jeremy Kent; I'm a detective in the Boston PD."

"May ask what the Boston PD needs with me at three in the morning, detective?" Davian asked, figuring letting his actual annoyance through was safe enough given Detective Kent's timing.

"Nothing at the moment, Mr. Layton. This call is not an official communication, I had simply noted from your school email records that you tended to be up late and wished to speak to you without distraction."

So you've been spying on me? Davian ignored the small skip in his heartbeat and ran through his mind any use of his school account that could be considered suspicious or dangerous. He came up with only one or two bits of activity that would lead to inquiries; and only if someone was looking very closely. "You have my attention, Detective Kent."

"Mr. Layton, may I ask your opinion of Theodore Roth? I understand he and you are fraternity brothers." The question was asked in the same tired, nearly flat manner that the caller had spoken with the entire conversation.

Davian considered the possiblities of who he was actually speaking with for a moment, then replied with the diplomacy and firmness that had made his mother the most successful CEO Layton Biotech had ever had. "Detective Kent, without proof of you occupation or reason for your questioning, I cannot in good conscience answer you questions. If you would be willing to provide such, and meet face to face with me, I would be more inclined to provide you with the information you've requested."

The caller was silent for a several moments then gave a humorless chuckle. "Already the corporate speaker, eh? I can't blame you, though I'd thought you'd decided on medicine and not law. Well, different ways to play God, I suppose. The child was his, if that was your curiosity, but then the coroner's report should have told you that. I'm not sure what you're up to, but I'm watching, boy. Pull a stunt like this again, and I'll have you in prison or a straight-jacket before the day's out, Layton twin or not. You understand me?"

Davian swallowed, chills and panic shivering along his skin in unfamiliar and frightening ways. How? How could he have tracked it back to me? Where did I trip up? Where did I fail?

"Layton?" Irritation and impatience crept in. "That wasn't rhetorical. Answer me."

"I-I understand."

"Good. Pray we never have cause to speak again, Mr. Layton. I rarely give second chances, and never third ones." The phone clicked dead.

Davian sat, staring at his desk and shivering uncontrollably until morning forced him into the shower and on to classes.

Saturday, April 19th

It had taken over a week for Davian to decide how to proceed. Lexy was in Cleveland right now, meeting novas and eating aerial brownies or something. It was enough that she wasn't here, and Theo wouldn't be reported missing until at least Monday. Davian was awake right now, perched in tree over the highway rest stop and waiting. It might have been risky, meeting the younger Roth in public on a Saturday afternoon, but in the week that Davian had observed this four car, two toilet rest stop he had found it was nearly as abandoned as it smelled. It was 12:16, and Theodore Roth was late, as usual.

The purr of the Jaguar engine was out of place here, humming with electronic efficiency and monetary splendor. Davian observed in silence as Theo exited his car and nervously began to check the public stalls for signs of....what? Davian skimmed his thoughts, found that in the two weeks of nightmares Theo had discovered at least of kernel of genuine faith. The cross around his neck and the rosarie in his pocket were to ward off the vengeful spirit of his former paramour. Although he enjoyed the flickering fear chasing over Theo's mind, he couldn't have his quarry checking the Oldsmobile parked on the other side of the lot in his ghost-hunt. Not before they had spoken. He dropped easily from the low branch of the tree, several yards from where Theo was nervously checking the women's stall.

"Theo, what are you doing?"

Theo started, backpedaling out of the small wooden box and nearly knocking it off of the half-rotted support beams. "Shit. Davian. What the hell are you doing here?" He was glance around in furtive bursts, hoping whoever had left him the note and Diamante's wedding ring was running later than he was. Wait, the was just a dream. Wasn't it?

Davian smiled softly, pleased that Theo could hardly tell the difference between now and the future self that had been crafted so carefully in his dreams. "We need to talk Theo." He clasped his hands behind his back, inspecting the damage Theo had done to the stall. "There's need for an accounting. A life for a life, so the Bible puts it."

He watched the effect his words had on the other man, curbing his thoughts only enough to keep him from bolting in his panic. Davian was up for neither a run nor a car chase today. As the blood drained from his face, Theo's belabored mind made a few coherent connections.

"You...you...the dress, the earrings...the...the ring..." His hand fumbled in his pocket, spilling out the rosarie and an elegant gold band. Davian crouched down, picking both of them up and carefully untangling them. He took Theo's hand, placing the ring in his palm and carefully closing his fingers over it. "Yes and no, Theo. I put them in your room, but you created them. It's a simple law of the world that every action has consequences. Today you will come to understand the extent of yours."

Theo stared at the ring in his hand, mind still fuzzy and halfway between the waking and dreaming worlds. "How...how did you, what....what the hell, man?" The last was raised in anger.

Davian arched a brow and took a breath. This was the delicate part, the only part where he was vulnerable. "Very few things in our lives are what they seem, Theo, so take this moment as a gift. I am going to be honest with you. Diamante could not avenge herself, and her family wouldn't risk their own reputation and the future of their other daughters to avenge her themselves. They know." He let that sink in before continuing. "I love my sister, Theo. Do you love anyone in the world beyond yourself?"

Theo made a sound in his throat; it could have meant anything. His heart was beating too fast and he could hear the blood rushing in his ears. Davian was tall. His mind was ticking slowly and it took another moment to realize he'd fallen to his knees. "Wh-What are you going to do?" He roused his pride, "You don't have any proof. No one does."

Davian's smile twitched for a moment into a smirk. "Proof, Theo? Proof is for courts and cops and due process. Nothing today is about justice. It's about keeping promises to the ones you love." Unable to give up the dramatic pose, and because he needed to keep Theo off-balance for everything he was doing to take permanent root in the man's mind, Davian slipped a small, silenced hand-gun out from the shoulder holster he'd had it in.

Theo scrambled up, backing away from Davian with wide eyes. "Shit. Man...fuck. Davain, please. I-I didn't mean to. We were just supposed to talk. Convince her to get the abortion, that sort of thing. She just kept...kept...fuck."

Davian pointed the gun at him, focusing his voice to menace. "Stop moving, Theo." Theo stopped, hands still out and eyes wide. Davian moved on. "How much is a life worth to you, Theo? It certainly has a price, or you wouldn't have killed her. A million dollars? Two? Half a million?" He held the rosarie out where Theo could see it, wrapped tightly around the hand not holding a gun. "What's the price of soul? Murder couldn't even bring you to faith, but fear could. Murder is a mortal sin, Theo, and you can't even bring yourself to actually confess."

Theo had fallen to his knees again; his mix of terror and guilt keeping him in place. His mind gibbered and teetered on the brink of madness. Davian pushed ever so slightly, keeping him just this side of sanity. "Please...how...oh, god...are-are you going to kill me?" Tears were streaming down his face and mixing with the dirt under the trees.

Davian relented in his voice. "That depends on you. Theodore Roth will cease to exist today. He will never earn his degree from Harvard or inherit a fortune from his grandfather. He forfeited that right when he strangled Diamante Pacheco because she would not abort their unborn child. He murdered her because she did have faith." He stepped up close to Theo, crouching down to look him eye to eye and place the tip of the barrel just under the other man's chin. "Now, in many cultures, when a person goes through a rite of passage or wishes to leave behind their former life, they will take a new name. The tribe will mourn the death of their tribesman, and the body that used to be them will be exiled to find a new name and new life, far from their previous home. You can be that body."

He looked over the Oldsmobile, innocently heating under the afternoon sun, and made sure that Theo was looking with him. "There is a man without a past that owns that car. He doesn't have much money and isn't well known; he has no family to care for him and no education to speak of. His life is not easy, but he lives." Davian shifted the gun enough to remind Theo that it was there, and caught his eyes again. For a moment he wondered if the Laytons and the Roths shared ancestry. "You could be that man." He stepped back, gun still trained on kneeling figure. "If you have no name."

Davain slipped his mind into Theo's again, tasting the thoughts there. For all that he would push a man to madness and bring him back only long enough to do it again, he would not make this decision for him. Death or poverty, it was Theodore's to decide. It took Theo nearly five minutes, a small eternity in the mind, to truly decide that life could be lived without money. As his mind recovered a bit of logic, he also figured he could just take the junker car home, transfer to some other school, and claim that Davian started stalking him after Diamante's death if anyone asked.

Davian tilted his head regarding the kneeling man as his thoughts spilled across both their minds. He spoke softly but firmly. "No, Theo. That won't work. I have the coroner's report. The phone records. Your grandfather's trust clauses. Beyond all of that, I have money. More than you. Enough to strip away all your defenses and expose you to the world as the spoiled, amoral, and murderous bastard that you are. You'd be a celebrity witch hunt, and they'd call for blood." His arm was starting to hurt but he ignored it. "This is a one-way decision. If you walk away another man today and Theodore Roth's ghost ever surfaces in the world, I will find him and he will die a second time. I rarely give second chances, and never third ones."

Davian shivered as he echoed Detective Kent. This might be the last great act he ever committed, as he was on strike two with a man seemingly as focused and canny as himself. I promised Lexy, and that was the end of it. "Now get up. Pick a car."

The blond youth stumbled to his feet and took several unsteady steps. He glanced over his shoulder to see Davian still pointing the gun squarely at his chest. Slowly he made his way towards the silver Oldsmobile, grabbing the keys off the roof and nearly falling into the driver's seat. Davian saw him put the key in the ignition and sputter the engine into life. The man that was no longer Theodore Roth glanced into the passenger seat--

To most people when a mind snaps it is the actions that tell you: they scream or throw things or froth on the floor and speak in tongues. For Davian it is a color and feeling and a near audible 'pop'. He holstered the gun carefully, making a mental not to spend some time a shooting gallery. Had he had to use the thing, he wasn't sure he'd have been able to actually hit Theo. The man in the Oldsmobile was leaning over the front passenger seat, securing the seat belt and murmuring. He sat back up, adjusting mirrors and shifting into to reverse.

"Hey! Hey, hold up!" Davian jogged over to the driver's side window and knocked on it. The man rolled it down, frowning slightly at the stranger in front of him and asked, "Somethin' wrong, buddy?"

Davian smiled politely, a harmless young man. "Sorry. I think you picked up my wallet and keys in the john on accident. I've got yours." He held up a faded pleather wallet for inspection.

The man frowned and fished in his own pants for the offending items. The soft black leather wallet definitely wasn't something he could afford, and the extra set of keys weren't familiar either. He handed them over with an apologetic look; sunlight glinting off the wedding band he was wearing. "Sorry, man. My head must have been somewhere else. Nice car; is it a Jag?" He eyed the sleek black auto with envy.

Davian nodded, "Yeah, and hey, no problem. Everyone makes mistakes, especially when they have a kid to look after. What's her name?"

The man chuckled and glanced over with adoration. He ran his hand over the lid of the jar, feeling black curls and warm skin inside his fantasy. "Maya. Her name is Maya." He shook himself slightly, then reached for the wheel, easing his foot off the brake. "We've got to get going, though. We're headed out to California for the summer."

Davian nodded and stepped away, holding keys, wallet, and rosarie. "Well, good luck. Safe trip."