Sunday, July 22nd

Cape Neddick, Maine

Bon and Alexis, after he had retrieved Alexis from the airport had eaten a brief breakfast and were now strolling along the Yorks. Alexis was chattering on about her recent trip to New York and how she had come down with some mysterious 24 hour bug and they’d had to cancel the book signing and talk show appearance and reschedule in two weeks.

Bon was just glad to have her home. Even though she’d been gone but for two days he’d missed her. Today his kids would be coming and he could tell through Alexis’ chatter that she was nervous about meeting them for the first time.

“Hey babe, we’d better get our butts in gear,” he said. “The kids plane will be coming in about an hour from now.”

Alexis stopped and turned to him, a slightly worried look in her blue green eyes. Bon seeing that pulled her close and said, “Please don’t be worried love. It’s all gonna be just fine. Trust ol’ Bon here.”

She smiled at him as his mouth found hers and they kissed deeply. Then arms around each other, they walked back to his house.

Shortly thereafter they left the house and got into the limo on their way to the airport.

Later that afternoon Olivia had just gotten off the phone with Rye and told him she was on her way to the airport. She said the limo should be there in about 45 minutes to an hour and then afterward she hurried downstairs and left. She called Alexis on the way and when her sister answered she could hear the sounds of kids voices in the background.

“Hey sis, so what do you think of Bon’s kids?” she asked. “Is everything going okay?”

“Well,” Alexis replied “It’s obvious they’ve had good upbringing. Peter and James both seem very sweet and at least they’ve been talking to me.

“But what about Sherry?” Olivia asked.

“Well,” Alexis said, “She’s been polite enough but kind of quiet. I think it may take some time with her. After all I’m sure it seems strange to her to see her dad involved with another woman, you know?”

Olivia said she understood. Then they talked for a bit and she said her and Rye would come over when they got back and the girls then said goodbye.

By 7 p.m. that evening Alexis and Bon were out on the patio, while both of his boys were on the lawn playing frisbee.

Sherry was sitting on the edge of the patio talking to one of her friends on the phone as Bon and Alexis talked.

Bon was saying, “I can tell all three like you Alex. I told you, you had nothing to worry about didn’t I?”

Alexis whispered, “Well I’m not too sure about Sherry, as she hasn’t talked a whole lot.”

“It will just take a little time with her, don’t worry, she just needs to get to know you for a bit,” Bon told her.

Just then his cell phone went off. He picked it up off of the umbrella table, and answered. His cheery smiling face suddenly got very somber and he said, “When?”

Alexis seeing a grave look on his face, said, “What is it?”

But Bon didn’t answer, he instead quietly closed the phone and turned and looked at her. He looked like he had suddenly aged by at least ten years.

“That was the hospital in Augustus. There’s been an accident Alex.” His voice was shaking and Alexis had a burning feeling in her stomach.

She stood up as did Bon. She turned her back to him. “Is it Olivia?” she asked her voice trembling.

“On her way to the airport the limo was hit by an out of control semi truck,” Bon answered.

Alexis turned and faced him then. His eyes told her there was more. “Then we’d better get to the hospital Bon,” she said and turned to start back into the house, but Bon stopped her.

“Alex,” he said pulling her close and whispering in her ear. He hesitated briefly and then said, “She didn’t make it, baby, Jesus, I’m so fucking sorry.”

Alexis froze in his arms and then pulled away to look at his face. “Are you telling me that my sister’s dead?” As tears glimmered in Bon’s eyes, he nodded and Alexis felt a huge sob wrench out of her throat as she said, “No, Oh God no!”

She swayed on her feet as the sobs started, huge wrenching sobs, that absolutely curdled Bon’s insides. All of his kids stopped, stunned and were looking at the both of them. Bon picked Alexis up in his arms as she continued to cry her face buried in his shoulder. On his way back into the house he yelled back to his daughter, “Sherry please keep your eyes on your brothers!” She nodded, her eyes big with curiosity at what had just happened.

Bon quickly carried a sobbing Alexis up the stairs and laid her on their bed. She turned over on her belly and continued to cry. Bon quickly went into the bathroom and opening the medicine cabinet, found a sedative and came back and laid it on the bedside table with a glass of water.

He then called the airport and asked them to page Rye Sanders. How in the hell was he going to tell Rye that Olivia was dead, he wondered.

Twenty minutes later Bon had gotten Alexis to take the sedative and she was now sleeping. He had just gotten off the phone with Rye and somehow managed not to tell him what happened. He simply said, the limo would be late and to just wait. He then had Fran keep an eye on Alex and the kids and left for the airport.

When he got there, he found Rye in the waiting area. Rye took one look at his face and said, “What the fuck is going on bro? Why has it taken two hours for someone to pick me up? And where the hell is Olivia?” Rye had this rather sick feeling in his stomach fearing the worst. He had known Bon for over twenty-five years and he knew all Bon’s expressions. The one currently showing was a combination between, sadness, fear and great sympathy.

“Let’s just get outta here first Rye,” Bon said. They grabbed his luggage which Rye had already fetched from baggage and then left the building and got into the limo.

They were both sitting across from one another. Rye said, “Okay, so tell me where is Olivia? Is she okay?”

Bon took a deep breath and said, “There was an accident on the way to the airport Rye.” Rye’s face looked strained.

Bon haltingly said, “The limo was hit by a semi truck... head on. The drivers of both vehicles were killed instantly, and... and..”

“Olivia is in the hospital then, right?” Rye asked hopeful.

Bon sighed and then looked him squarely in the eyes, his own eyes full of pain. “I’m so very sorry man, but she didn’t make it.”

Rye was shocked and didn’t say anything for a moment, and then his eyes filled with tears as he said, “She’s dead?”

He turned and looked out the window then. “My Liv is dead?”

Bon felt a tear slide out of his eyes as he watched his best friend put his head in his hands.

Quickly he turned to the small bar, and poured two shots of Jack Daniel’s whiskey. He waited and after awhile Rye’s head came up. Bon had never in all of his life saw Rye look that way. There was so much pain and anguish on his face, that it was almost unbearable to look upon.

“Drink this man,” Bon said and handed him the shot. Rye took it with trembling hand and drank it down. Although it didn’t stop his grief, it steadied him somewhat.

“I can’t believe she’s gone. I just talked to her two hours ago, Bon. Sweet Jesus, I loved her!” His voice broke as his eyes filled with tears again. Bon said gently, “I know bro and she loved you too.”

Both men sat in silence for awhile and then Rye said, “How is Alexis handling this?”

“She had to be sedated, she was sleeping when I left,” Bon told him.

Silence reigned again, the rest of the way and finally the limo pulled into Bon’s driveway.

Both of them went indoors. Rye quickly hurried up to his guest room. He needed to be alone and after Bon checked on his kids finding them all in the family room and basically explaining to them that there had been a death and that it was Alexis’ sister, he told them he’d return soon and went back up to the master suite.

He walked over to the bed and saw that Alex was still sleeping but he laid down next to her pulling her body up close to his, kissing her hair. My poor darlin’ he thought. Just when things were going so great between you and Olivia, now she’s gone. He stroked her hair and after a bit kissed her softly and left the room, heading back downstairs to his children.

The funeral for Olivia was a bittersweet yet a truly sad affair. Many of their mutual friends came and quite a few business associates of Olivia’s as well as a few Aunts, Uncles and cousins. It was an open casket affair and Olivia looked beautiful, as much as someone deceased can. Alexis if it were not for Bon’s support knew she would not have been able to get through the service.

Bon, Alexis and Rye then all spoke each in turn about what Olivia meant to them.

Bon simply stated that he had been very happy that Rye had found love again and Olivia was a good person and had made his friend very happy. He said he would miss her.

Alexis said that she had been so happy that her and her sister had put aside their differences and found one another again. She said, “As Olivia’s twin I feel like a part of me died right along with her,” and then she lost it and Bon had to come up there and lead her sobbing back to her chair.

But it was Rye’s words which were the most touching of all. He told them that when they met it was almost love at first sight for him. That in the short time they’d been together he had fallen deeply in love with her and he could see how much she had grown as a person. Her life was back on track, her and her sister had a good relationship, and the both of them wanted to marry and have children. He said he would miss her so much, he missed her right now more than anything. His voice broke and struggling, head bent with his fingers over his eyes, he said, “I love you, Liv. We’ll see one another again some day. God rest your soul baby.”

Then he stumbled from the podium his face wet with tears as well as everyone else’s at the service. Alexis just cried harder into Bon’s chest as he stroked her hair, murmuring words of comfort as best as he could.

The service ended with the sounds of the organ playing the beautiful and emotional song, Amazing Grace.

Kronos' Estate

Titania, The Realm

Kronos and Eos were watching the events unfold on his block for the Adonis Mission. “So it has officially happened,” he told Eos.

Both of the deities felt much sympathy for those mortals who had to grapple with a death of a loved one, but knew that the three of them were strong and would eventually get through this tragedy.

After a bit, Kronos went to his desk and Eos sat down in the chair in front of it.

“I am still stunned though at Zeus’ verdict for Deianera,” she said. “It is my opinion she has gotten off lightly.”

Kronos thought about the hearing that both of them had attended. Zeus ruled because of Deianera’s great love for Bon and the fact that she was punished greatly already, finding out that her and Bon’s child would not survive and she would never even see it, he felt that this was punishment enough. So he did not send her nor her mother to the Underworld but instead allowed them both to remain in Titania. However both were stripped of the powers for at least eight years earth time.

Hekate had been overjoyed to know she would at least be able to still live in the beautiful higher realm and maintain her house and property. Deianera had sunk into a deep depression, and it was hard to know if she was relieved or not. However Hekate vowed to try and help her daughter find some kind of happiness. That was her new goal. There were plenty of Gods in the realm. She wanted her daughter to find love and find someone who could love her back. So she vowed to devote most of her time to trying to make this come true.

Right now, though Deianera still retained her palace she was staying with Hekate, as her Mother was concerned about her and wanted to try and help her recover from this horrible ordeal as well as to help her move forward so that she could heal eventually.

Kronos had been leafing through the prophecy book his mind lost in thought. He suddenly looked up and said to Eos, “There’s another new prophecy here.”

“What does it say?” Eos asked feeling a flutter of fear as most of them had been upsetting.

“A pregnancy will happen soon.”

Eos stared at Kronos and then smiled suddenly. “Oh Kronos, Alexandria will become pregnant?”

“Well we can’t be sure but, I would assume that the prophecy must mean her, for who else could it be?”

Kronos closed the book and then said, “Would you like a cup of tea, Goddess? I’ll get Rhea to whip up some of her tiny delicious little cakes as well.”

Eos still smiling said that would be delightful and they both stood and left the room, heading for the outdoors and the lovely terrace, each suddenly in very happy frame of mind.