WITHOUT

Before The Storm.

The mansion was too quiet.     We all sat around the table now.....Clark had called Abby and Fern into the kitchen area.  Told them, no hiding in corners...."That's what the spiders do!    And, doors-frames only allow half-truths.."             Ethan had never left her side, he was few inches taller than her - His wings made him look absolutely enormous.     But, there was a smallness to him.

He watched us all, directed Hector and EB silently.....Stella kept her eyes on him (Every so often, I caught her forming a fist.  She was at the ready)        But, if any thing did happen.     Stella really wouldn't stand a chance.     I would fair better (I could, and would equal him)   That thought gave me some comfort.     Bell and Geer chatted away - They made themselves the "entertainment!", if you will.     I have to admit as I drank my second coffee of the morning - I really couldn't stop laughing at them.

(They were presently pretending to be Benton and Clark. But, in the kindest and most funniest of ways!)

I looked over to Ethan, watched him a minute.   I had wanted to go to him, after Clark had said it was safe to do so.    But, I held back.    I could now see that was a wise decision.    The "shift" the spirits had all seen, was Ethan bonding to Clark.    It may have started when he was small, but it got broken.     BROKEN.    Seems to explain a lot of things about Ethan.    He came here half alive, half dead.

He was not fully himself.

We all thought it was the joining of a body and soul that would correct things.

But....It was something more!

(There was always something more, to Ethan. The deadness of him had "covered" what we all needed to see)

His soul has now merged to his wings.   His fidgety soul was the electricity of his hidden wings.    It has been noted, Ethan needs Clark to learn important skills, they are simple things - Things most of us take for granted.     If Clark could do that, she may even be able to curb some of other "killer" issues within Ethan.     I need to let him have his missing past. He needed a foundation, the Archangels knew to rip that away from The Others.

(They had fine tuned their treatment over the years. They knew exactly what to leave, and what to take. It was immoral what they had done.   To have stopped their true nature, they had just made The Others even worse!)

Ethan is now sitting right beside Clark, he keeps looking around (Glancing at Hector and EB every so often)     But, I can tell his main focus is Clark, she's talking away to Benton (Benton keeps nodding, then shaking his head) Clark chatted to him a minute or two, then closed a conversation and suddenly stood, something was changing in her manner - She appeared to have more of a "flow" to her movements (Before, she was swift. No flow)

Clark had a glide to her. The spirits in general, glide - But there's a signature to how they do it. A personal insight to them. I had only ever seen her do that once - She'd told us, she would never assist with Ethan's baths (But, she had) Afterwards, Clark had seemed happy. The everyday task had calmed her (I had thought it odd at the time, but Clark basically puzzles me most of the time any way) She was now at the bench, pulled out loaves of bread (Till she found the one she liked best)

A small, interesting breakfast was placed in front of Ethan. He stared at it, but had no idea what was expected of him. But. How could he have forgotten so quickly?! Food, we eat. The cup of....? whatever, she'd made - He could drink.   Ethan knew how to do those things! (A penny dropped within my head.    But, that was the "Ethan" of before. Even when refusing)      But, the Ethan we have now  - is with wings, has a newly found mother, a different life, and has been awoken to his true self!