and even if you were in some prison

[menocrede.livejournal.com]

Who: Josiah and Calum
What: A still amnesiac Josiah comes across the person who made him so in the first place
Where: In a dream, aboard a pirate ship, somewhere
When: Late Sunday night

Just out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the faint impression of something gold and dangerous, and he was sure this was a dream.

The room was tiny and dark, save for the bluish tint of night that pierced through the wooden planks that made up the floor, the ceiling, and the walls. The air was cool, vaguely moist, and held the distinct stringent scent of gunpowder and of the ocean, the taste of salt thick in the air. Just past the walls of the room he could hear black waves crashing in multitude, and the moaning creaks of the planks settling against each other.

Well. This was different.

Maybe it was a memory - the others did say that he had lost two years' worth of them, and perhaps during that time he had been on a ship somewhere, and... he shook his head with a sigh. Sometimes, it was almost too much to process - nearly two years of memories gone, and along with them, dozens of friendships and experiences.

It should have worried him more than it did, but hell, if what everyone was saying was true, he was going to believe in that good old Disney magic and hoped his memory would come back. Preferably soon because the whole idea of Kingdom Hearts being real (why couldn't it have been any of the multitude of Marvel universes - except for the one with the zombies, he liked his brain where it was, thank you very much) was starting to weigh on his nerves.

"Alright, this is just..." He sighed. "Must be one hell of a dream." He headed towards the stairs near the far wall and peered up into the night sky that was slightly blocked by large canvas sails and masts that didn't quite hide the full moon. The sails swayed slightly in the breeze, but the ship didn't rock - in fact, it didn't seem to move at all.

Very different.

"Looking for something, boy?"

Josiah turned in the general direction of the accented voice, eyes narrowing slightly. The room had enough shadows clinging to its corners that even the moonlight didn't penetrate them, but there was a shadow against a shadow that didn't look as if it belonged there anyway. He raised an eyebrow at it. "Hi..."

The shadow shifted slightly. "Appropriate place to meet you - without the interference of the girl."

"Uh-huh. Right. Who are you?"

"You managed to figure it out before. Do you think it's possible for you to do it again?" The other man's voice wasn't condescending, but neither was it friendly. Just a simple statement of facts. Josiah could hear the man's fingers drumming against one of the wooden planks that made up the hull of the ship, and only sighed. Wonderful.

"Well, considering I have a big blank nothing in my head about two years long, I don't think there'll be a repeat of that anytime soon," replied Josiah, crossing his arms. The ship creaked again as the other man laughed.

"Truer words," came the reply and the man stood up to pace in the shadows. Josiah could only catch a passing glimpse of him - older, blondish hair, maybe an inch or two shorter, and wearing strange, dark clothing. There was a strange silence between the two men for a few minutes as the stranger continued his pace. Josiah sighed miserably - he supposed since real life was recently so fantastical, any dream would be dull in comparison.

The abrupt click of a pistol's hammer being pulled back alerted his senses and he had time to jump back a few steps as a flash of something appeared in the shadows. The stranger harrumphed, but his aim didn't waver. Josiah narrowed his eyes as the sound of the waves crashing died, and somehow the night became a little bit darker. He glanced back up the stairway, and saw that the moon was gone, replaced by completely black night and a sky that was impossibly full of stars. Slowly, he turned away from the sky (and a logical part of his mind demanded why he would turn his back to danger in the first place) and faced the stranger in the shadows.

Of course, he had an idea who this person was. "What do you want? Wasn't my memory enough?"

"Those are intriguing questions, aren't they?" the other man asked, though there was no amusement in his voice. He shifted the pistol slightly. "I wanted to meet you again. Without pretensions or distractions from outside sources. You, boy, have something that belongs to me."

"I have something that belongs to you?" Josiah replied incredulously. "Considering that Song and Chase told me you're the reason that I don't know who won the Superbowl in 2008 or 2009, I think that it's vice versa." He sat down at the bottom of the stairs, deciding that if the man wanted to kill him, he probably would have already. Still, he kept an eye on the stranger and raised both eyebrows in exasperation expression. "Mind telling me your name now?"

"In fact, I do," the man said amiably. He brought the pistol back up so that his aim was now centered perfectly at Josiah's head. A single pull of the trigger would kill him - sort of. It was a dream after all, but Josiah still didn't want to know how that worked. He had an inkling that the gun wasn't meant to intimidate him but to distract him with exactly those thoughts. He hated to admit it, but it was working. "Now, how much does your memory mean to you?"

He gaped and then laughed quietly. "That's an easy answer, man. A lot. Memory holds lessons, experiences, friendships... memory defines who you are as much as the present and as much as the future can. I'm missing two years, and two years can change a person. Time changes people, and you've taken that away from me. Not exactly thrilled about that, by the way." He leaned forward and rested his elbows against his knees, looking down at his hands. "Tell me - why is my memory so important to you?"

He could make out a small shrug from the shadowed figure. "Your memory is of no consequence to me. What I did, I did to make a point." He waved his gun casually in the direction of the stairs, murmured something in Latin, and Josiah only had a moment to blink before the spell hit him.

And two years' worth of memories flooded into his mind with enough intensity to leave him reeling.

He gasped in pain, hands flying to his head in a vain attempt to stop the headache that pounded against his skull with a ferocity that he had never felt before. And dammit, he remembered.

He felt rather than heard the man chuckle quietly at his pain. "Two years of hate, confusion, love, friendship, loss, joy... it does hurt, doesn't it? Memories can do that."

He gritted his teeth. "Goddammit, Calum, you bastard..."

Calum turned his back in response, settling back into the shadows, and watching him from his corner. "Yes, I have heard that one before." He tapped his pistol against the planks, and Josiah could see the flash of a smile in the darkness. "Now listen to me very carefully. We need to come to some sort of... compromise, as I do not wish to take any more of your memories away from you. I find it unnecessary and draining on my part. But, you have something that belongs to me, something very dear. While I do not wish to reclaim it, I would be very distraught if harm came upon it."

"What are you talking about?" Josiah asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. "And what about those four hundred years?"

Calum chuckled humorlessly. "Amazing what the time context can do. Your memories end in Narnia and begin again four hundred years later in Narnia. But that doesn't mean you were in Narnia that entire time." He gestured to the three necklaces the other man wore around his neck. "The talisman is proof of that in itself."

Josiah remained silent for a few minutes, considering this. He had been in Egypt, obviously, during that void of memories he still couldn't reclaim. Narnia, Egypt... where else? He glanced at the wooden planks beneath his feet and then up at the star-studded sky. Something vaguely familiar echoed in his mind... god, if he was in Neverland of all places, he would never hear the end of it. Pixie dust, ticking alligators, mermaids... just, no.

"I have work to finish," Calum continued, leaning forward, and this time, his voice sounded sad and almost reluctant. "Very important work, and time is pressed."

"What sort of work?"

Calum lifted his head. "It's none of your concern."

"Bullshit."

The other man smirked. "Perhaps you may think so, but I don't much trust others enough to inform them of my decisions. People can be very... dishonest. Untrustworthy."

"And you're just radiating goodwill and love and rainbows - kittens actually adore you," came the disgruntled reply.

"We'll agree to disagree. But I must complete my work. If I don't..." He trailed off.

"I can't stand the ominous trailing off," Josiah said darkly, rising unsteadily to his feet. "You want my cooperation? What makes you think that you have a chance of getting it without telling me why you keep stealing my memories, why you attacked Song in the dreamscape, and what I have of yours that's so important?" He crossed his arms defiantly. "I swear, if you don't leave the other Refugees out of this, I will find a way to send your soul back to whatever hellhole you dragged it out of."

Calum's gaze shifted from reluctant to vague amusement to cold fury in the matter of seconds. "Don't make oaths you can't keep," he replied, resting back into the shadows. "Or you will find yourself sailing on turbulent seas to the Locker much faster than you cared to."

"What sea? What locker?"

He chuckled quietly, now with the first traces of amusement in it. "The only sea that matters, boy. The sea that all of us sail." He then rose to his feet again and approached Josiah, but for some reason his features blurred in the shadows and no matter how hard he tried to make out the man's features, it was pointless. Calum stopped only an arm's length away from him, and even though he made no gesture, said no words, Josiah sensed the magic that suddenly sparked to life between them.

The same furious cold that he had felt a week ago spread out from the touch rapidly, and it didn't matter that he tried to pull away - the hypnotic ice that surged through him prevented him from moving.

Before panic could strangle him, Josiah thought quickly of Paris burning. Roaring flames, magical in source and furious from a single man's hatred, that burned with an intensity to scorch not just skin, muscles, and bone, but soul as well. He recalled the memory and held onto it hard, pushing back the ice-cold shadows with memories of fire. Both fire and ice fought for control in his mind, and dammit they both hurt but he kept fighting. Like hell was he going to let Calum win.

And as soon as it began, it ended. Both men stumbled away from one another, and Josiah heard Calum murmur, "well, that's an interesting development. You hold that memory in such contempt, but you used it anyway. Very interesting..."

"Go to hell..." Josiah suggested as cheerfully as he could through clenched teeth, plunking down on the stairs.

"I've been there. I don't plan on going back anytime soon... at least not without some noticeable changes first." The man turned his back on him, heading back towards the shadows. "Trust me when I say this - we will meet again. I hope that you will have a change of heart by then. Give my regards to Miss Song - I find her a fascinating lady."

Now... wake up.

He opened his eyes.

He was in the loft, just as he had been a week ago. He quickly skimmed over his memories - all two years were there, including the recent amnesiac week. Still, that time from the beginning of November to the end of December was annoyingly blank. Calum must not have been feeling all that generous if he was still in the dark about that. And he wondered why still - what was so important that he wasn't allowed to remember? And why him - what tied him to Calum in the first place?

He sat up on the couch and rubbed his eyes wearily, letting out a heavy sigh. Nearly two years. He didn't realize how much he had changed... two years ago. Everything had been so simple. College, work, hanging out with his friends... the minute someone decided to throw in the end of the world and a race to save all known existence, life suddenly became a lot more complicated than it should have been.

He got to his feet and walked over to the open window, staring out at the sparkling city of Radiant Garden, still quietly bustling even at night, people still working despite the hours. People who had just gotten their lives back, free from danger of the universal level. Friends who were settling happily into new lives. Why the hell couldn't it have stayed like that? Simple.

This was just perfect.

"Alright, Calum," he murmured. "Let's play your game."