Feather

A Crossworld Fanfic by Tsubasa

Warning: Contains Spoilers

The girl was standing in a clearing in the forest.  The ground rose steeply away from her in front and fell back sharply behind her.  Vines and low bushes, small trees and tall grasses filled the floor, so that there was barely room to stand.  The sky hung overhead, a shade of blue almost too bright to look at.  Standing on level ground was impossible.  It was like the whole world had suddenly begun to tilt downwards, and had only just now halted - any movement might send the whole sky crashing down on her.  She stood, hidden amongst the tangled greenery, breathing heavily, and afraid to look at anything too hard.

There was something shiny in the grass at her feet.  Barely moving, she looked down.  A small blue gem lay glinting among the emerald weeds.  She blinked, and suddenly there were two jewels.  Shiny, falling fast - from the sky?  She looked up - the world spun, her stomach heaved, and she faltered, landing on her hands and knees in the grass.  A small pile of jewels rested there now.  Suddenly she felt something cool slide down her face, and brought her hand up to catch it just as it fell - a tear, transformed into a tiny blue gem.  If she looked hard enough, she could see her reflection within it, and the endless sky hanging over her.

The ground moved and she dropped the tear, scrambling for anything to hold onto as the world slid and tilted even more.  Something was burning in her stomach, in her throat, ripping across her back in sudden, ever-moving waves of pain.  A burst of white light, and the pain intensified, multiplied, until her whole body was singing with it, arched back and calling.

A shower of something soft and white drifted past her face.  Her vision blurred, she tried to focus.

...A feather?

The distant rumble of thunder woke Chip, and he stirred slightly in the bed, grimacing in the realization of the room's heat and humidity.  Beth was curled up facing him, still asleep, but they were not touching.  It was way too hot.

Chip rose and padded over to the window, turning the fan up to its highest setting.  Of course Ben and Shane had been doing something down in the garage with the cars that had blown all the fuses in the building and shorted out most of the wiring - and when they had finished repairing everything as punishment, the air conditioning was still non-functional.  The rest of the VGM had put off trying to figure out the A/C until tomorrow.  Chip smirked, running his hand through sweat-dampened hair.  At least his room was high up enough in the building that it caught some of the breezes that flowed through the high-rise buildings downtown.  At least his windows even opened - some of the ones lower down were painted shut, something that had never mattered until now.  Until the central air was out and it was a muggy summer night in the south, with a thunderstorm that kept rumbling in the background, refusing to actually rain.

Chip turned and smiled at the sight of Beth sleeping, her back to him.  He climbed back into bed.  Beth shifted a little closer to him in her sleep, and he moved to accomodate her.  Just as he was drifting off again, her hand brushed his bare chest.  He could feel the heat radiating off of it - she was burning up.  Chip's eyes snapped open as he looked at her.  She moved again, more violently this time, and Chip saw a tear leaking out from behind a closed eyelid.  A thought jarred him.  Was this one of the dreams that Vincent had warned of?  Grasping her hand where she had laid it against his chest, he gently shook her.

"Beth, wake up.  It's okay, you're just having a bad dream.  Wake up," he called, softly. 

Suddenly Beth's head snapped back, her whole body arching painfully.  Chip grabbed her forcefully, holding her steady even as she trembled under the strain.  He called her name louder, holding her head in his hand.  She was crying freely now, her head shaking violently, her back arched, taut as a bow ready to fire.  Chip was quietly starting to panic, attempting to keep his voice low so no one else would wake, and yet trying as hard as he could to reach her, to bring her back.

And almost as soon as it had begun, it was over.  Beth slumped forward, sweat breaking out across her forehead.  Chip pulled her close, feeling the heat slowly leave her body as he ran his hand through her hair.  She was trembling, but that too subsided, and soon she was breathing deeply, resting in his arms.  She had never woken up.

Chip kissed her on the forehead, tasting her.  Her hand brushed his chest, still clenched tightly, and he reached up between them to grasp it, unfolding her fingers to better hold her hand.  He frowned.  There was something soft in the hollow of her hand, something light that moved when he brushed by it...

He held it up to the dim light of the room.  A white feather?  Beth settled in a little closer, and let out a deep breath.  Where did she get that from?

There was a growing sound of white noise from the window, but it wasn't the fan.  It had started to rain. 

Chip stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel to dry off with.  The morning training session was over, and since classes for fall semester didn't start until the following week, most of the VGM had the rest of the day off.  Trips to the Beef Educational Unit were generally reserved for Saturday nights anyway.

Chip smiled as he got dressed.  Ben and Shane were probably somewhere in the innards of the warehouse's duct system, trying to figure out what was wrong with the air conditioning.  Hopefully they'd get it fixed soon.  The day was promising to be another scorcher.

Chip walked down the hallway past the game room, where he spied Beth working away on an RPG.  Tim and Dan were going at each other on a fighting game on one of the other TVs.  Michelle, over in the corner, was reading.  Chip paused at the sight of Beth, thinking of the white feather currently resting in one of his desk drawers.  He shook his head to clear it, then resumed his walk down the hallway towards the kitchen.

Vincent was standing at one of the counters, cutting up some chicken.  Chip smiled again.  "Vincent, just the man I wanted to see," he said, as he crossed to the fridge and dug out a drink.  Vincent made no comment, but shot Chip a querying look as he continued preparing his food.  Chip leaned back against the counter.

"Beth had a dream last night, and I think it had something to do with her alternation.  But we haven't had a chance to talk about it yet, and I don't even know if she remembers it.  Should I not mention it, and see if she brings it up?  Or would it be better if we just didn't talk about it at all?"

Vincent frowned, thinking.  "She didn't wake up while she was having it?"

Chip shook his head.  "No, it just sort of came over her, and then it was gone.  She never woke up."

"Then it's probably best to say nothing.  If she remembers it, it's probably not very clear anyway.  If she brings it up, talk to her about it, see if she remembers any details.  But who knows if she will or not," Vincent finished.

Chip nodded.  "Thanks."  He paused, lost in thought.  "Vincent, are they usually very... violent dreams?" 

Vincent stopped cutting the chicken and laid his knife down.  "Why do you ask that?" he said, looking down at the knife.

Chip shrugged.  "She just... moved a lot, I guess.  And I found something..."  Vincent's head turned sharply, staring at Chip.  "Found what?"

"Nothing, it's nothing.  I think I was dreaming half of it myself anyway."  Chip pushed off from the counter and threw away his empty drink.  "Thanks for the advice, Vince," he tossed over his shoulder as he walked out the door.

Vincent stared down at nothing.  "It's Vincent," he said, to the silence of the room.

Chip settled down into the couch next to Beth.  Over in the other corner, the boys continued their game.  Someone had opened all the windows that lined one wall of the room, and set up a fan in the center window, but the temperature inside was already somewhat unpleasant.  Chip looked over and noticed the almost entirely untouched sandwich and mug of coffee sitting on the table in front of Beth, and then glanced at her face.  Her eyes were glued to the screen.  Chip sighed, and nudged her leg with his foot.

"Aren't you hungry?" he asked.

"Not really," she mumbled, playing away.  Chip shrugged and reached down, breaking the sandwich in half.  He began eating his half, then leaned over and hit pause on Beth's controller.  She started, and he handed her the other sandwich half.

"Here.  Eat.  You'll thank me later," he said, in that tone of voice he had that meant he was winking at her behind his Skyfolds.  Beth sat still for a moment, looking at him in confusion, then blushed.  Looking away, she took a bite of the sandwich and slowly began chewing. 

"You got any plans for tonight?" he asked, between bites.  Beth slowly shook her head.  "I thought we might go out somewhere for dinner," he said, offhandedly.  Beth paused and looked up at him, considering.  True, they had been together for a few months now, and Chip never hid his feelings for her, but he also wasn't very big on overly romantic gestures.  Beth could count on one hand the times they had gone out to eat with just the two of them, and most of those had been while they had been out running errands and Chip had offered to buy her lunch while they were out.  They had only gone out to dinner once, just after they had gotten back from Crossworld.  And that had been months ago. 

Beth swallowed the food she had been chewing.  "Why?" she asked.  Chip shrugged.  "Just thought it'd be fun," he said, but Beth could hear something else in his voice, something she couldn't quite place.  "Besides -" he began again, but he got no further.

With a resounding crash, the vent on the ceiling broke open, and a filthy body hit the floor.  Tim paused his game with Dan and looked over, but no one got up.  The figure sprawled on the floor groaned, and then sat up.  Shane's dirty face looked up towards the ceiling, where an equally dirty Ben could be seen, looking out from the duct.

"Guess that was the wrong hatch," Shane said, before collapsing again.

"...It'd be nice to go somewhere where it's not the same temperature inside as it is out," Chip finished dryly.

Later in the afternoon, after running some errands around town (at least the car had air conditioning), Chip came back and opened the door to his room.  The fans were going full blast, and Beth lay on her stomach in the bed reading with the overhead lights off.  Instead, yellowed afternoon light flooded in the open windows, making moving patterns on the floor from the disruption of the spinning fan blades.  Through the windows, muffled by the noise of the fans, could be heard the sounds of afternoon traffic.  Beth lay on the bed, one of the white bedsheets pulled up casually around her hips, and it was apparent that she wasn't wearing much else.  Chip shut the door behind him, hard.

Beth looked up from her book.  "What?" she said.

Chip crossed to the desk, depositing bags of whatever paraphenalia he had been out buying.  "If I had known that you'd be here like this, I would have come back a lot sooner," he said.  He toed his shoes off and pulled his shirt off over his head, tossing it onto the desk, and then turned to face the bed.  He took a few steps, stopped for a moment, and then continued to the bed, flopping down beside Beth.

"Why is your back all red?" he asked, casually.  Beth glanced at him.  "Is it?"

Chip peered over her bare back.  "Yeah, there are these lines on it, really dark red.  Looks almost like sunburn, just here, across your shoulderblades," he remarked, and then touched one, lightly.  Beth hissed in pain and glared at him.  "I don't know.  I haven't been outside all day," she said, grumpily. 

Chip turned on his side and regarded her.  "Any particular reason you're lying around naked in my bed?"

Beth shot him a look that said it should have been obvious.  "It's too hot.  My back was sore, so I came in here to read and took off my t-shirt, but I was still burning up.  My room is just too far down in the building to get any breezes, and I don't have as many fans or windows."  She looked at him again, feeling him giving her that look, even through the Skyfolds.  "It's not like I planned this or anything."

Chip leaned over and kissed her on her cheekbone, inhaling her scent.  "Good... because things like this usually work better when they're unplanned anyway."  He moved closer to her, and brought up his hand to her chin, turning her face towards his.

Beth dropped her book and brought up her hand, placing it on his chest and gently shoving him away from her.  "Not right now," she said.  "It's way too hot."

Chip fell back, disappointment and resignation written on his face.  He sighed.  "Do you still want to go out tonight?" he asked.

Beth rolled over onto her side, so that her back was facing Chip.  "I said it was too hot right now," she clarified.  "Give me a moment."

Chip started to ask her what she was talking about, and then stopped, held short by the sudden tightening in the air that usually heralded the use of magic.

"Ice," Beth said, and a sheen of blue covered the middle fan.  The air flowing towards the bed noticeably cooled.  It wasn't cold air, or even chilly, but it was enough.  Beth rolled back over to face Chip, pulling the sheet with her.  Her eyes were suddenly tired, and she gave him a rare smile.  "And you say all those RPGs are a waste of my time."

Chip stared at her in amazement.  "I love you more every day.  Why haven't you done that before?  In battle?  We could have another combat mage!"  But he stopped as her expression fell.

"I only figured it out earlier today.  But don't tell anyone else - I'd hate to get attacked and then me not be able to do it on command.  I don't want to get anyone's hopes up."  She shrugged.  "Maybe it's just because it's so damn hot outside.  Who knows."

Chip leaned forward suddenly and captured Beth's lips with his own.  He slid his hand up into her hair, feeling the almost non-existant weight of it.  She relaxed into his arms, and they lay there, comforted by each other's prescence.  Beth reveled in the feeling of Chip's warmth in front of her and the blissfully cool air behind her, caressing her stinging back in the lazy afternoon.

She finally pulled away and looked up at Chip.  He smiled, and she reached up and took the Skyfolds off his face.  She folded them and then handed them to Chip, who leaned over and set them on the nightstand.  Turning back to her, he smiled again, his shockingly bright blue eyes dancing.

Later, as Chip held Beth in his arms while the two rested, the image of her from the night before suddenly flashed into his mind - the girl struggling and arching back in his arms, crying.  Chip stilled, lost in thought.  Beth let out a small sigh and reached up to play with his hair.  But she noticed the look in his eyes, the sudden solemness that had stolen into the room.

"What is it?" she asked, still a little breathless.

Chip shook his head, almost laughing, trying to decide if he should even mention it or not.  "You, just now...  It reminded me..." he trailed off.

Beth looked at him seriously.  "Reminded you of what?"

Chip took a deep breath and made the plunge.  "Last night.  I think you had a bad dream - you just arched back in my arms and you were crying."  Beth looked at him, now unsure and looking almost hurt.  "I don't know if you remembered anything at all, but... well, it scared me."

Beth pulled away from him a bit and half-sat up, looking off into the air.  "A dream?  Last night?" she said, almost as if he had spoken in a foreign language and she was trying to puzzle out the meaning of his words.  "I think..." she began, and then trailed off.  Chip waited.

Beth shifted again, pulling her arms close to her chest.  "There was something..." she said.  "Something about the whole world tilting.  I was so afraid I was going to fall off into the sky.  And... everything hurt.  It felt like something was pulling itself out of my stomach, out of my back.  Like something inside me was moving underneath my skin, trying to get out."  She closed her eyes and shivered.  "And there was something white falling with me, something I couldn't see..."  She opened her eyes and looked at Chip.  "I don't think I would have remembered if you hadn't said anything."

Chip looked concerned.  "I didn't know if I should mention it or not.  Do you think it had to do with your alternation?" he tried, cautiously. 

Beth shrugged, suddenly looking delicate, fragile.  "Probably," was all she offered.  She rose off the bed and walked to Chip's adjoining bathroom.  Chip watched her go and then laid back on the bed, arm thrown up over his head.  He heard running water from the bathroom.  Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned it at all.  But it was done, and there was no taking it back.

Beth came back and climbed back into bed next to Chip.  He pulled her up next to him and kissed her again, gently.

"So, are we on for tonight?" he asked.

"Yeah, that'd be nice," she said, ducking her head as if embarrassed.  Chip smiled.  He raised himself up on one arm and looked over her to check the clock on the nightstand.  "I think we still have some time before showering and dinner.  Do you want to rest a bit?  Or go kick someone off a console and play a game?"

Beth pulled herself even closer to Chip, burying her head in his chest.  "I'm good," she said, her voice muffled.  Chip simply shrugged, and then leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of her head, smiling to himself.

Several hours, a small nap, and two showers later, Beth and Chip were walking through downtown in the twilight of a summer's night.  Chip was wearing a slight variation on his normal street clothes, just looking a little bit nicer than normal but still in all black.  Beth had changed into a light summer dress with a low-cut back, the two red marks across her shoulderblades standing out against her fair skin.  Her short hair, still in the process of growing out, was still damp at the ends from her shower and hanging down around her ears.  She clutched a small purse in one hand, and had her other arm looped through Chip's.  The two wound their way from the warehouse towards the center of downtown, finally stopping on the sidewalk in front of one of the taller high-rise buildings.  Beth looked up, and Chip followed her gaze.

"There's a really nice restaurant and club on the top floor," he said.  Beth looked away. 

"I know," she said.  "Vincent and I came here once, before Trebor happened." 

Chip looked down at her.  "...We can go somewhere else, if you'd like?"

She looked up at him, seeing herself reflected in the Skyfolds.  "No, it's okay.  I remember liking this place anyway."  She squeezed his hand.  "Let's go."

Chip shrugged and led the way.  After riding the elevator up, Chip "convinced" the stuffy host that they actually did have a reservation, and for one of the 2-seater booths near the floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the city.  The two were seated, ignoring the looks of some of the other patrons, who apparently thought they weren't dressy enough.  Beth and Chip slid into their booth, Chip picking up the menu and throwing the wine list to the side.  He looked around for another menu and was going to hand it to her, but then stopped.

Beth was transfixed with the view out of their window, looking out over the city at dusk.  Lights were beginning to come on in the other buildings, and a sliver of moon could be seen rising across the sky.  Chip looked at Beth as she gazed out the window.  Finally, she reached up a hand to touch the glass, but she pulled back before she actually made contact.  Instead, she let out a deep but quiet sigh. 

"What is it?" Chip asked quietly.

Beth started, having forgotten where she was.  Embarrassed, she let her hand fall to the table, resting on the menu he had pushed across to her.  She looked down at her hand, not meeting Chip's eyes.  "It just... reminds me of something.  Being up so high.  All of the space...  It gives you room to fly..."  She looked back out the window.  "Or to fall."

Chip placed his hand on hers wordlessly, not really knowing what to say. 

The two were interupted by the arrival of their waiter, and they quickly ordered.  Their drinks arrived, and Beth sat playing with her straw while still gazing out the window.  It was like something out there was pulling her like a magnet, and she couldn't look away. 

Chip watched her as she forgot where she was again and gazed out the window.  There was a distance in her eyes, something she was looking for that was far away from her.  He noticed how she sat in the booth, sitting straight up, not leaning her injured back against the seat.  The delicate curve in her neck as she looked out the window.  Finally, he broke her reverie.

"You look beautiful tonight," he offered tenatively.  Beth looked quickly away from the window and blushed.  She glanced up at him and then quickly looked away.  "Why did you want to go out tonight?" she asked.

Chip cocked his head, thoughtful.  "Why not?"  She shifted in her seat, still not looking at him.

"It's just that... we don't go out like this often.  We haven't really since that one time right after we came back from Crossworld.  Right after I was alternated.  You're just not big on stuff like this.  I guess it took me by surprise."

Chip smiled.  "What, can't have a little romance?"        

Beth shrugged, playing with her straw.  "It's not like you," she said, simply.

Chip leaned back in his seat.  "Well," he began, "you gave me a scare last night.  And it's been months since we've done this, and even though I don't do it often, it occured to me today that I would like to."  He leaned forward, causing her to look up at him.  She could feel his gaze even through the Skyfolds.  "I care about you, and I know you know that, but I like to remind you from time to time."

Beth blushed.  "Thanks," she mumbled, lost for words.

"I'm just worried about you," he continued.  "Vincent's not exactly forthcoming on details concerning the effects of alternation, but I know you're probably in for a rough time.  I want to ease that as much as I can.  If there's anything I can do..." he trailed off.

Beth reached across the table and placed her hand on his.  "Chip, having you here with me is already more than I could ask for."

Later, after dinner had arrived and had been cleared away, Beth sat sipping coffee and watching the city lights through the window.    The stars were out in the clear night sky, but they were dim in comparison to the glow from the surrounding downtown buildings.  Beth shivered a bit, and drank more of her coffee.

"Are you cold?" Chip asked.  Beth shrugged.  "Kind of," she said.  "Got used to being hot all night and day; now the air conditioning is too cold for me."  She paused for a moment.  "Though it does feel good on my back.  Makes it numb."

Chip motioned to her.  "Turn around a little, let me see it."  She complied, turning sideways in her seat.  Chip saw that the two red lines were still standing out angrily from Beth's pale skin.  "It doesn't look any better," he said, as she turned back to face forwards.  "I wish I knew what caused it."

Beth shrugged.  "I'll be right back," she said, standing up.  Chip watched her walk away from the table, and then frowned.  Something drifted to the floor a few feet from the table.  Chip got up and went to pick it up, already knowing what it was.  Another white feather.

Chip sighed and sat back down.  None of it made a lot of sense, and he couldn't see how the pieces of her dream and the feathers fit together.  Reflecting, he smiled to himself.  If nothing else, it had been a pleasant (and air conditioned) evening.

Beth was standing at the sink in the club's bathroom when she began to feel the pain suddenly rising within her.  She grabbed the counter, bracing herself, glad that she was alone in the room.  The pain ripped up out of her stomach and burned through her throat, making her eyes water.  Something was moving inside her.  Her back felt like it was breaking.  She stumbled for the door, screaming inside her mind, trying to find Chip.

It was then that the lights went out.

Beth crashed through the door of the bathroom, barely able to stand upright.  In less than a second, Chip was suddenly there in the darkness, steadying her.  He was breathing hard, having cast the Lit spell at the first fuse box he could find when he had heard her calling him.  He tried to lay her down on the floor, but she shook her head, resisting.  Chip supported her as she stumbled through the restaurant, managing to avoid the other patrons and employees who were running amok with flashlights and candles.  Beth found a door and pushed on it, Chip following her through.

Suddenly, they were outside.  Beth had found a way out onto a balcony that should have been locked, for all Chip could tell.  He made sure to lock it behind them as they went out.  It was brighter outside than it was in the club - all of the other buildings still had power.  The wind was steady and strong, whipping around the corners of the high-rise buildings.  Below, the lights of cars moved and danced along the gridwork of the roads.  Beth stumbled to the railing, which came up to her chest and was made of solid concrete.  She leaned against it, breathing heavily.

Chip was close beside her, his hand on her waist, ready to support her if she faltered.  "What is it?" he asked.  Beth just shook her head, gulping for air.

"It hurts," she said.  Chip could see the strain in her arms, the sweat suddenly appearing on her forehead, her entire body trembling.  She was crying, the wind carrying away the tears before they could even fall.  Suddenly she arched back hard, and it was then that Chip saw a flash of white in the dim light of the other buildings.

Beth's back was crying feathers.  The pain would cause her to convulse, arch back, and at the bottom of one of the two red lines a feather would suddenly appear, floating wordlessly for a moment before being whipped away in the wind.  Chip was dumbfounded.  He had no idea what to do. 

Another feather appeared, then another.  Beth was crying tears and feathers freely now.  She looked over her shoulder at him, pain and confusion in her eyes.  Chip went into action, moving to pick her up somehow, his only thought to get her back to the warehouse.

As he reached to lift her up in his arms, he saw a drop of blood on her back, across one of her shoulderblades.  Chip halted, his hand inches from her back.  As he watched, Beth cried out, and the blood flowed more freely.  Something matted, wih spots of red and white, pushed out a few inches.  Another spot of blood could be seen at the bottom of her other shoulderblade.  Chip abandoned his plan to carry her off and instead reached up to grasp Beth's hand, holding on tightly and whispering words of comfort as the wings forced themselves out of her trembling back.

What seemed like hours later, Beth and Chip were still on the balcony.  A pair of white wings, with black feathers around the edges and scattered in amongst the white, swept out from Beth's back.  Fully extended, it took several minutes for everything to dry.  Chip wordlessly asked permission, and she nodded.  He began cleaning them out, straightening feathers and picking off matted and dried blood.  Beth leaned against the wall for support, shaking all over.

When it was done, he returned to her side and picked up her hand.  Beth opened her eyes and looked up at him, exhaustion written on her face.  Softly, she smiled up at him.  Chip, still a little overwhelmed, smiled back.

Beth pulled away from the wall and practically fell into Chip's arms.  He put one hand around her waist and the other he ran through her hair.  Her eyes closed as she leaned into his embrace.  Her wings trembled slightly, and he felt the breeze.

Suddenly he felt more than a breeze.  Chip looked down and saw the balcony falling away below them.  He tensed up, and Beth felt it.

"Don't worry," she said, in no more than a whisper.  "I won't let you fall."

The two rose in the air, with almost no apparent effort on Beth's part.  The city spread out below them, lights going father away as the stars grew nearer.  The moon hung in the sky just as they did, silent above the city. 

Chip looked down at Beth.  There was a light in her eyes that he had never seen before.  She kissed him up there in the sky, with the wind in their hair and the sound of softly rustling wings. 

Suddenly she dove, traveling from the lights in the sky to the brighter lights far below.

Later that night, Chip sat up in bed, thinking in the darkness.  He had woken up in his room, Beth beside him in her dress, but completely without wings.  He had woken her up long enough to help her change her clothes and then she had passed out again.  The lines on her back had faded into two long scars, ones that looked like she had had them all her life.  He had no real memory of how they had gotten back to the warehouse, nor any answer as to where the wings had gone.  Shaking his head ruefully, he admitted that he wasn't even sure that the incident on the balcony had even really happened.  At least the air conditioning had been finally fixed, and the room was dark and cool as he listened to her breathe.

Maybe it did have something to do with her alternation, but it didn't make much sense to Chip as to how.  She was technically functioning with half her chi anyway.  Even the magic cast earlier in the afternoon should have sapped her more than it did.

Chip shifted, rustling the sheets.  But maybe the alternation had, in essence, knocked something loose inside her.  Something that had been there all along, but had never manifested before.  What exactly it was, he wasn't sure.  He also wasn't sure whether or not it had even really happened. 

Beth made a noise in her sleep and rolled over.  Chip sighed and laid down, sliding himself under the sheets.  Beth moved towards him and Chip gently pulled her into a loose embrace.  He kissed the top of her head and prepared to drift off to sleep.

Something tickled his hand.  Holding it up in the nearly dark room, Chip squinted.

Another feather.