Post by StoryGirl83 on Sept 23, 2008 1:00:25 GMT -5
Chapter Twenty-Three – Andy Makes a Choice
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All other eyes turned to Sam, except for Sam’s where were turned on Victor. “I won’t stay long.”
Victor was silent for several long seconds. Finally, he asked, “Did you help my daughter?”
“I didn’t know about any of this until a couple of hours ago,” Sam replied regretfully. “I couldn’t even help my grandson. One of the elders had already done that. And Hank’s the one who negotiated to get the Cleaners help.”
Victor considered this and nodded. “Fine, just deliver your message.” He wondered what Sam would have done if he had said to leave now, but there had been too many years that had passed. As long as Patty didn’t come into the conversation, he figured he could manage to deal with Sam. He had two whitelighter, or rather former whitelighter son-in-laws now. If he could manage to deal civilly with Sam, dealing with them would be easy.
Sam directed his attention to Andy. “Andrew David Trudeau.”
Andy turned to look at Prue with a wry look on his face. “Why do I feel like I’m five-years-old and have my hand stuck in the cookie jar?” When Prue smiled, Andy hugged her to him and turned back to face Sam. “If that was a question then yes, that is me.”
“It wasn’t a question,” Sam denied. “Besides we’ve met.”
“Yes, sir,” Andy agreed. “I just don’t really know how much my memories might count for on that account.”
“Most likely the majority of your memories before the event that lost you to this world originally are the same,” Sam informed him.”
Andy frowned at the awkward wording of the statement. Replaying it in his head, he said, “I am assuming you mean the darklighter.”
“Yes,” Sam confirmed.
Andy wasn’t sure what this might be about. He’d only just managed to survive along with his two daughters and niece and now he was being singled out. “What is it you want with me?”
“You have a choice to make,” Sam told him. “I think I know what choice you will make, but I have instructions to ask anyway.”
“What choice is that?” Andy asked, not sure why he was suddenly apprehensive. Surely if Sam thought he knew the answer, one answer at least was a good one.
“Whether you wish to remain a whitelighter,” Sam told him and then rephrased it, “or maybe return to being one would be a better way of putting it.”
For a second Andy thought that was both options, but then he heard the end of Sam’s statement. “And my other option?”
“To be fully mortal, again,” Sam informed him, “no powers, but alive.”
“What’s the catch?” Andy asked. At the moment either option sounded good to him for different reasons.
Sam sighed. “If you become a whitelighter, again, the elders in this reality will not be held to the agreement you had with the elders in the other, whatever that agreement was.”
Andy stilled. “In other words, I lose my family.” Now, he understood why Sam was so sure he knew what Andy would choose.
Sam nodded.
“All my charges have other whitelighters in this reality anyway,” Andy said, thinking allowed. “I can find another way to help people.” Protecting people was what he did. No amount of powers would ever change that and a lack of powers wasn’t about to do that either.
“Just so we are clear,” Sam smiled, “what is your choice?”
“Just so we’re clear,” Andy informed him, using the same words on purpose, “while innocents are very important to me, there is more than one way to fight for them, to protect them. There is no way I will willingly give up my family. I died for Prue. I think it’s time I lived for her. I chose mortality.”