“Please, brother!” Gabriel’s scream was thick with blood.
This was the most pain he’d felt in his entire life. Retching, he was almost sick as his insides shifted, changed, becoming elvish once more. His eyes rolled back into his head as he tried to breathe while his lungs shifted and expanded.
After a little while, he was vaguely aware that the bleeding from his head had stopped. The poor elf could now feel his proper form manifesting completely, pulled forward by his own powerful magic, which he wasn’t able to control at the moment. Gabriel gasped for breath as he felt his ribcage shifting outward. Then the bones in his back grated together, sliding apart as his body stretched so far that it felt as if he might come apart. He ground his teeth together, which now had gaps in them as his fangs slowly forced themselves into his jaw, making it ache.
A moan dragged itself from his lips. The elf’s body contorted, his arms and legs jerking horribly as his bones and muscles changed. His shoulders shifted apart inch by agonizing inch.
Gabriel’s bones were molten metal beneath his skin as they stretched. His cheekbones shifted upwards as his face rearranged, which felt like they were slicing his face apart as they slowly slid their way back into their proper places.
Suddenly, Gabriel was aware that his wings were trapped beneath his skin, unable to escape. “M-my wings!” he was barely able to gasp. “M-my…wings!”
“Yes, yes of course.” He vaguely heard Myles say.
His brother’s claws tore the back of his shirt open as his shoulders dislocated simultaneously, drawing another scream from his tortured lips. Then Myles’ claws sliced down the two knobs of burning bone and muscle that he could feel protruding from his back. This drew more screams from him as his back was split open.
The force of his enormous wings bursting from his back propelled the elf forward, down onto his chest, and his shoulders snapped suddenly back into their sockets.
--
I watched, horrified, as Gabriel weakly tried to push himself up once more on the bloodied sheets. “Don’t watch, doctor.” Myles advised. The dark-haired elf went into the bathroom, and I heard running water as he cleaned his claws before appearing again, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away as the changes to Gabriel’s wretched body now sped up.
He writhed as spasms wracked his tormented, somewhat mangled form, causing his claws, which had slowly been pulling themselves from the tips of his fingers, slicing them open as they did, to tear the rest of his skin to ribbons as he clutched wildly at himself, as if trying to keep his body from falling to pieces.
The poor man’s bones cracked, and then stretched far too quickly, drawing screams of agony from him. The muscles in his body swelled, and caused him to claw frantically at the afflicted areas, only managing to slice his skin to pieces. His hair, grey up until this point, faded to a stark white, only to get flecked with blood.
The cloudiness covering his eyes eventually faded to reveal a pair of golden eyes that had catlike pupils. In his terrified, agonized gasps, I could see that a pair of sharp fangs now filled the gaps that had appeared in his teeth. He clutched weakly at his face, plucking at it almost nervously, no doubt due to his claws, as his features rearranged themselves even more, so that I no longer could recognize him as the man I’d known as Gabriel Locke.
That’s when I started to cry. The man that I’d fallen in love with was gone. He’d been replaced by a stranger, who laid there in the remnants of what had been Gabriel’s new suit, writhing in excruciating pain written on his entire form.
Magic sparked across the strange man’s skin.
Though it seemed like my senses were somewhat numbed, I could feel the surge of power from where I sat on the couch, and vaguely realized that his magic felt as it always had, as if he still were the dark-haired human detective that I’d known, however at odds that thought was with the new reality I now observed.
“I-It hurts!” I heard him gasp after a few moments of utter silence. The elf had slowly pushed himself up, and was now sitting on the bed, hugging himself as he shivered violently, clearly in shock. It was pitiful to see the incredibly attractive man in such a state of agony. Myles ventured forward, pulled a blanket off a chair, and cast it over his little brother’s still shuddering, now mostly bare, shoulders.
I stood slowly, my intentions something along the lines of leaving, running away and never looking back. But the white-haired elf suddenly looked up at me, piercing me with his unfamiliar, golden gaze.
A lump rose in my throat, and my eyes prickled hotly with tears, as it struck me that there was nothing familiar about his face. His golden eyes were large, and perfectly situated between his high cheekbones, not too far apart, nor to close. The elf’s nose was no longer long and aquiline, as it had previously been, but was straight and perfectly proportioned, fitting impeccably with the rest of his flawless, and sharply featured face.
As I stared, incredulous and horrified, at the inhuman stranger who sat in front of me, the edges of my vision suddenly caved in, and I knew no more.
--
“Joan!” Gabriel gasped, ignoring his pain, now frightened for her.
Myles easily darted forward, and caught the young woman before she hit the ground. The older elf gently placed her on the couch, saying quietly, “Must be in shock…can’t say that I blame her, though.” Gabriel noted that his brother was using elvish.
“What…what do I do now?” Gabriel asked, lapsing into their native language as well.
“Now I sneak you and Joan here out the back door, and hope that no one notices as I cart you back to Cooke Street…Is Mrs. Hudson going to be back any time soon?
“No…no, she’s on a long holiday.” He sighed, rubbing his forehead. Then, he looked at his hands, and around slowly in the bed, getting a feel for his elvish form again. “I-I don’t remember being this tall.” The younger elf muttered.
“You’ve grown.” Myles nodded, casting an analytical eye over his little brother. “I do believe you’re taller than me…wingspan is probably bigger than mine too.”
“I…I guess.” Gabriel said weakly, the last of his strength was quickly failing him. He was already shivering violently, and knew he wouldn't be able to walk.
“Let’s get you both home.” Myles sighed, and went to the door. He removed the soundproofing spell that he’d had thought to put up around the room. “It does seem that I’m always having to take care of you, little brother…but I guess that’s what I’m here for.”
“Right.” The younger elf had no energy left to mount an argument.
Myles left, locking the door behind him.
--
I woke up with a gasp, and sat up, looking around, wondering if that had been a terrible nightmare? Because I was now in my own room, and couldn’t remember how I’d gotten there.
Getting up, I put on my robe, and timidly left my room. It was mostly quiet in the house, but I could hear voices coming from upstairs, from Gabriel’s quarters.
Almost as if I was in a daze, I went up the stairs, hoping that when I opened the door to his study, that I might find him there, with a client, as a human, a proper human, not an...an elf in disguise, or anything, but human.
Opening the door to his study, I saw that it was empty, and that the voices were coming from his room, the door to which was open. Cautiously, I went to it, and entered without knocking.
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Immediately, Gabriel and Myles stopped talking, and looked over at me, still very much elvish. This made me freeze in fear, not sure of what to do. It hadn’t been a nightmare, it had been reality…and the reality was that he was elvish. They both were elvish.
I burst into tears and ran from the room, ignoring Gabriel’s calls for me.
--
“Joan!” Gabriel cried, struggling, trying to get up, and ending up sprawled on the floor, gasping, “Ah…” The pain, which still raced through his veins, increased sharply for a moment.
“Don’t try and get up yet.” Myles warned in their native tongue, “You’ll only hurt yourself.”
“Please go after her!” Gabriel requested as Myles helped him back into his bed.
“She would not come, especially not with me, now that she knows the truth.” The elder Locke said in his typical, mild tone.
“Please…” Gabriel pleaded, rubbing his eyes with his fists.
“Sentiment, brother, sentiment.” Myles sighed. “But I do see that you are a little hopelessly attached to her.”
“What do I do?” Gabriel moaned, asking himself more than his brother.
But Myles answered anyway. “I will not pretend to know. I will not pretend to understand all the little nuances of sentiment…I can see that you wish that she had stayed, though.”
“I do wish she’d stayed.” He sighed, staring down at his now clawed hands. “I could have explained myself. Now I am left hoping that she doesn’t pack her things and leave.”
“Tell me, where would she go?”
“A friend of her father’s lives on the other side of the city, she’d go there.” The younger elf sighed.
“If she doesn’t stay to hear you out, to allow you to explain yourself, and she moves out of this house, then you need to let her go. But if she stays, and listens, then…well, wait and see what she does.” Myles said thoughtfully.
“Then I can only hope that she stays.” He said quietly.
“I imagine.” Myles stood. “All I can say now is that perhaps you’ll heed my advice, and use glamours from here on out instead of more permanent spells, if only to save yourself from such a traumatic change again.”
“I-I will.” Gabriel mumbled, rubbing his face tiredly.
“Good.” Myles nodded approvingly, “Well, I must go now, I’ll be missed if I’m gone for too long, farewell.”
“Goodbye.” Gabriel sighed, putting his head in his hands, still trying to cope with the throbbing pain that still permeated his form.
It was as if his nerves were on fire. Something told him that his body had been damaged permanently by the violent change of the spell coming undone. Typically, Myles had never removed the spell fully, but had affected changes on it with his magic, while boosting the basic foundation of the spell itself, making it as good as new, albeit different, each time. Or on the few occasions he’d taken it off, it had been all at once, rather than slowly, and that had spared Gabriel the painful transition, as the spell was meant to be taken off that way, all at once. But if left to its own devices, the disguise spell would slowly unravel over the course of many years, and eventually wear off, as was only natural, but it would also cause the person under it to be in immense pain until their original form was restored, as Gabriel had so unfortunately experienced.
He eased himself back, lying down, and tried to sleep, but his slumber was fitful, and he awoke often.
--
I was standing at the door, my bag packed…but only the things that I’d come to Cooke Street with; none of the beautiful dresses would go with me. If I was going to go away, I needed to leave all reminders of my time at Cooke Street behind. It would hurt too much to see them, to be reminded of Gabriel and how I’d been deceived.
But I couldn’t step across the threshold. My broken, confused heart both insisting that I leave, but also ordering me to go upstairs, slap him, and demand that he give me a satisfactory explanation and apology. I stood there for far too long, trying to make a decision.
As I stood there, an elderly couple meandered down the street, holding hands, looking like the happiest people in the world. Bursting into tears, I suddenly knew that I would never be able to leave Gabriel’s side, even though my heart felt like it had been shattered. Maybe I was weak…maybe he’d been right about sentiment being a weakness.
I slowly carried my things back to my room, and put them away, then went downstairs and made myself some food. The thought occurred to me that Gabriel would probably be getting hungry as well, but I was terrified of going up there again, and facing him alone, as I’d noticed that Myles’ personal carriage was no longer parked in front of the house. Not that facing him with Myles would have been any better, really.
--
Gabriel awoke to the morning sunlight on his face, and realized that his pain had lessened. It was still there, but it was more manageable.
He sat up, and rubbed his eyes, looking around the room. Much to his surprise, he saw that a tray of breakfast food, coffee included, had been set on his bedside table. Warmth swelled in his chest.
Mercy had stayed, for now, at least…but something told him that if she hadn’t left the day or night before, then she wasn’t going to leave.
Feeling altogether too fond of Joan, as well as incredibly guilty, he took the tray, and quickly ate its contents, as he was famished.
Then, upon testing his legs, and finding that he was now strong enough to stand, he took the tray, and went downstairs, glad that Myles had made sure that his little brother had some clothes of the appropriate size before returning to his manor.
--
I was doing the dishes as I felt Gabriel enter the kitchen. I say felt rather than saw because his magic was so strong that it spilled uncontrollably out of him, and I could feel it as he entered the room. I stiffened, and hoped that he didn’t notice that my hands were shaking as I continued to wash the dishes I’d used to make breakfast with.
“I brought the tray.” His now-unfamiliar voice said quietly. “Thank you.”
I could only nod in response, not trusting myself to speak to the strange elf just yet.
--
Gabriel watched her clean the dishes for a little while, clearly terrified of him, her small hands shaking so hard that she kept dropping the silverware, causing it to clatter back into the sink. It hurt that she was terrified of him now.
The elf sighed quietly, and left, pausing upon hearing her burst into tears as soon as the door shut behind him. Now he realized what it felt like to be heartbroken. Gabriel leaned against the wall just beside the kitchen door, feeling something akin to being stabbed. After a little while, he slowly retreated up the stairs, lest she find him standing there miserably, almost in tears himself.
Tired from his trip downstairs, as he was not back to his full strength just yet, he lay down, trying to fall asleep again.
--
Slipping into his room, I quietly set the tray-full of lunch food down on his bedside table, as I had earlier that day. Gabriel murmured quietly in his sleep, and I noticed that he was broken out in a cold sweat, and was sleeping fitfully, tossing and turning, his breathing labored and heavy.
Feeling a pity that I thought that I was still too angry with him to feel, I sighed, and reached out, putting a light hand on his shoulder, pushing magic into him to ease his pain, which was still probably considerable. After all, the poor man had changed species…and grown a foot or so…and gone up at least two clothing sizes…not that he’d put on any weight, or rather, the weight that he had gained was clearly mainly muscle, from the looks of him. The elf shifted in his sleep, his eyes fluttering a little as his breathing slowed.
Tearing my eyes away from his now impossibly handsome face that looked not a day older than twenty-five, at most, I darted from the room, reprimanding myself for being enraptured by his features, that would get me nowhere. Just because I found him attractive didn’t mean that he was at all attracted to me…had he even been attracted to me in the first place? Probably not, I should have known better than to allow myself to think otherwise…why would a man like Gabriel find himself pulled to a simple girl like myself? Even when he was still human, and only halfway handsome, I should have known better than to think that he had at all liked me as more than just his maid or associate.
--
The next day, Gabriel decided to try and get some semblance of normality back into his life.
He stood, and stretched, marveling at his own height and the power he felt pounding in his veins. It…kind of hurt?
Being this tall, this big, it hurt. The elf’s veins burned. It was an uncomfortable, prickling feeling that wouldn’t go away, even when he had flushed his body with magic, and found, to his surprise, that he was far, far stronger than he’d ever been before.
Going to his mirror, he stared into it, his mind having trouble accepting what his eyes were seeing. He’d been human for so long that he’d almost forgotten what he actually looked like. Stripping off his shirt, he extended his wings, rolling his shoulders, and wincing as they cracked loudly.
After a few more moments of trying to get used to himself again, the elf shook himself, and mentally prepared himself to go about his usual tasks, as Joan had left a note with his dinner the night before, that Inspector L’Strade had dropped by, requesting that the detective come by his office the next day, if he was feeling up to it. Gabriel guessed that Joan, his dear Joan, had told the Inspector that he was sick, or something of that sort. She was, after all, an intelligent woman.
After a few more moments of staring, still a little in disbelief, into the mirror, Gabriel used a glamour to make himself appear as the Sir Locke that everyone would recognize. Immediately, he was comforted by his human form’s appearance. Then he quietly slipped from the house, pausing momentarily at the kitchen door upon hearing Joan doing the dishes once more. For a split second, the idea of telling her that he was going out bounced around in his head, but then Gabriel sighed, knowing that she wouldn’t speak to him even if he did say something to her. He left without a word.