Avery the Immortal: Finale (complete)

Bill came to stay with me, and Mama and Iggy too. Mama has been so short with me for leaving and never contacting home that night. Upon meeting Bill, she is shocked, but she accepts him with open arms, just as I knew she would.

Bill gets a job in town working for Old Allen, helping take care of the junkyard and running his repair shop. Bill is also one of the only people besides Old Allen that Jeepers actually likes. I continue working with Mama, telling fortunes and what have you. Iggy leaves for periods of time to go hunting, but he always comes home after a while. Things were good, better than good, they were great. I had Bill back, I had a home, I had Mama who loved me. For the first time in...ever, I felt truly happy with where I was. 

“When I was a kid, I never expected to ever set foot in this town,” Bill murmurs one evening. Our bodies are still sweaty from lovemaking, and his fingers trail up and down my spine absentmindedly. “Back in the day, my dad told me if I ever came here I’d get cursed or the people would eat me.”

“Your dad sounds ignorant,” I mumble sleepily.

Bill chuckles, a grin on his face. “Yeah,” he sighs. “He was pretty much an ass.” He glances at me, lazing on his chest. “I like it here though. Mama is nice, and the townspeople are close. It feels comfortable.”

“Mhm,” I murmur, half asleep.

Bill takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “I still get scared sometimes.”

I slowly open my eyes and lift my head. “Why?”

Bill cups my cheek in his hand, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. “The Technocracy held me for so long,” he whispers. “All the things they did to me...” He presses his forehead to mine. “I can sometimes still feel it. The walls creeping in. The blades on my skin.” He stops and kisses me. “I just keep thinking this is all too good to be true. I’m dreaming and I’ll wake up in that cell again.”

“It isn’t a dream, though,” I tell him. “I’m here. You’re here.” I nuzzle to his neck and gently bite his skin. Bill lets a soft moan escape, then chuckles. “See? It hurt, right? But you’ve not awakened from any dream.”

Bill chuckles and grins up at me. His fingers trail down my scalp and against the nape of my neck. “I suppose you’re right. Although, I wouldn’t put it past myself to have these horny little dreams.”

I kiss him, licking his lips and down his neck. “Did you dream of me a lot?”

“Mm,” Bill moans as I kiss down his chest. “Of course I did. For the longest time you were my only happy thought. I’d imagine you’d gotten away from Hans and was having a happy life. You were free and learned to smile.” He grunts as I bite the jut of hip. “When I finally was free and I started looking for you, I often pictured how our reunion would go.”

I look up from his belly and smirk. “How did the fantasy compare to what really happened?”

Bill chuckles, reaching down his fingers comb through my hair. “Reality was so much better than anything I could ever imagine.” His fingers tangle in my hair, pulling slightly. 

I swirl my tongue in his belly button then sit up, straddling his hips. “There is something I need to ask you,” I murmur. “Something that has become terrifying for me recently.” I place my hand over his chest. “Even though I am not the real Avery, do you still love me?”

Bill sits up, a serious look on his face. He plants a soft kiss on my lips as his arms lock around my ribcage. “I loved Avery,” he whispers. “More than anything. When we were together, he was my whole world, my safety, my warmth.” His hands start rubbing up and down my back. “When you became him, I tried like hell to hold on. I did everything I could to convince myself you were still him.”

“But?” My voice cracks.

“I still fell in love with you,” Bill whispers into my ear. “I found myself thinking less and less of Avery and more of you.” He looks into my eyes. “Is that what you were worried about?”

“So you knew?” I murmur.

Bill smirks. “You didn’t exactly try to hide anything.” He kisses me and his fingers grip onto my hips. “You were sort of empty. I wanted to fill you up.”

I bite my lip as I feel his cock against my ass. “You still do.”

Bill chuckles, biting my neck as he ruts against my cheek. “I love what you’ve become,” he sighs. “You’re still weird, but you’re full again.” He pulls his cock out between us, taking my shaft into his hand and rubbing us together.

I moan into his ear, whimpering as I feel his heat pressed against mine. “I love you,” I gasp. I look down, watching his fist pump over us. I look into his eyes, meeting his intense gaze. I shiver and kiss him, dragging him down onto the bed.

“I want something,” Bill murmurs. “Can you give it to me?”

“I can try,” I purr. “What is it?”

Bill reaches for the lube, dripping it onto his fingers. He then reaches back, rubbing it into his own ass. I gasp softly, watching him work himself up.

“Bill,” I gaze up in awe at him.

Bill smirks, pushing me down and straddling my hips. He rubs lube onto my cock before he slowly starts to take me inside. “Is this okay?”

I nod excitedly. I reach out, grasping Bill’s hips as he sits on me. Bill takes a few deep breaths then chuckles. “Damn, you feel good.”

I’m bleary eyed for a moment. Being tucked inside him feels so warm and snug. When he starts to move, my thighs tremble. Watching him on top of me is enough to make me blow then and there. His movements are so sensual, yet so masculine at the same time.

“I like that look on your face,” Bill moans. “Does it really feel so good?”

I cry out in pleasure, bucking my hips upward. Bill growls, arching his back as I thrust deeper inside him. I start to move faster, wanting more and more of this. Bill cries out and plants his hands on my chest. His cock twitches, and with a loud shout his cum splatters on my belly and chest. Soon I release inside Bill. My whole body is on fire, and it makes my limbs weak.

Bill slowly lays down beside me, chuckling to himself. “Did you enjoy that?”

I gulp and nod. “Yeah.”

Bill kisses me. “You came a lot,” he moans. “I didn’t expect to like it so much.” He lays on his back and sighs deeply. “I can see why you’re such a horny thing.”

“Hey,” I pout at him. 

Bill kisses me again. “Only teasing, love.” He pets my hair away from my face. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I whisper.

There’s a banging on the door. “Hey! Both of you!” Iggy shouts. “Try to be considerate of the other people who live in this fucking house!” He kicks the door, then storms away down the hall.

Bill snorts and covers his mouth. “We have got to learn to be quiet.”

“I was wondering why he couldn’t look me in the eye the other day,” I murmur. “I guess that’s why.”

Bill pulls me close so my head is laid on his chest. “One day, we’ll have our own house. Nothing too big, mind you. Just something comfortable and warm.” He rubs my arm and shoulder. “We’ll get it fenced in so our dogs can play outside freely.”

“Dogs?” I murmur.

“Yeah, like two or three. I wouldn’t want them getting lonely you know?” He chuckles. “I figured we would have a garage, but we’d use it as a workshop. I could keep repairing things for people, you could… I dunno, sit there and watch.”

I giggle softly.

“We’d have a bedroom upstairs with a king-sized bed, so we would have lots of room.” He sighs and closes his eyes. “And we could wake up each morning and fight over who makes… oh, never mind, we both know I’d be the cook.”

“If you wanted to keep the house,” I chuckle.

Bill relaxes. “One day,” he says. “It’ll be ours.”

I close my eyes and rest my cheek to his chest. I fall asleep listening to the slow pulse of his heart.

I wake up early. The air is crisp and cold, so I duck further under the blankets. I reach out, searching for Bill in the bed, but I find nothing. Sitting up, I see Bill is gone. I grumble, resting my head back down on the pillow. After a while, I decide to go looking for him.

In the hallway, I hear soft murmuring from the kitchen. I go towards it, but stop when I hear Bill and Mama talking.

“Does it still hurt?” Mama asks.

“A little, but I think your poultice did the trick,” Bill sighs.

“It’s what my grandma used to use on her arthritis when it flared up,” Mama says. “How often does it act up?”

“With rain,” Bill chuckles. “Sometimes for no reason at all. Other times when I have done too much work.” He grunts and hisses. “I may look young, but I’m sure if you cut me open you’d find an old man in there.”

“You’d be the same age as my father, right?” Mama asks. “He was in the Second World War too.”

“Probably,” Bill chuckles. He sighs. “I may not be aging like a normal human, but my inner workings are all confused. There are some days I don’t know if I’m coming or going.”

“That’s age, alright,” Mama sighs. “You’re not in any pain though, are you?” she asks with concern. 

“Even if I was,” Bill mutters, “I couldn’t go see any doctor. I’m just too afraid and… how do I explain-” he scoffs. “It’s better to let things run their course. If I am lucky, I could have twenty or thirty years left - optimistically, of course. Even five would be better than none.”

“If you did live that long, do you think you’d be able to live it?” Mama asks softly. 

“I would try,” Bill chuckles. “With all my might, all my soul, I would try, Mama.” He huffs. “I can see why Avery was drawn to you. You’re so… I’m not sure what the word is.”

“I’m a mom,” she chuckles. “Always have been, probably always will be.”

Bill huffs. “My Mom died when I was six. Dad said it was in her sleep, but I heard people talking. She was never…” He hesitates, and I can hear his voice shudder. “She was never happy,” he admits. “Neither was my dad. He used to call me names, say I was a sissy. If I didn’t do the things he wanted then I wasn’t good enough.”

“I’m so sorry, Bill. Men like that are too common. I’m proud of you for stepping out of his shadow.”

Bill lets a soft sob escape. “Jesus, woman,” he laughs.

“I know,” Mama chuckles. “I’ll do what I can to help you. I know you’re afraid of doctors. But I know some that will help you, no questions asked, should the need arise.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Bill sighs.

I step into the kitchen, looking at them both. “Is breakfast ready?” I ask.

“I’ve got coffee on,” Mama says. “Just getting everything situated. Sit down and I’ll bring you a cup.”

I sit with Bill and glance up at him. He smiles at me like nothing is the matter. “You’re up early,” he says.

I nod. “I was looking for you.” I glance to Mama. “What were you talking about?”

“This and that,” Bill chuckles. “Got into it about my dad and Mama made me cry.”

I smile at him and take hold of his hand. He isn’t going to tell me, so I’m not going to ask. I should know better, but much like Bill has done with me, I am going to pretend and keep living like things were normal.

Several years later, a hurricane comes through and destroys most of the town, including Mama’s house. We escape and evacuate to Mama’s friends’ house further north. Coming home to the destruction is gut wrenching. Our home is in ruins, and I remember standing in front of the grocer back in England, where Bill and I had shared the flat upstairs.

“Nothing to do but pull up our bootstraps and rebuild,” Mama says with a heavy sigh. I notice tears in her eyes. She wipes them away, trying to hide them. “That’s all we can do.”

“Mama,” Iggy comes forward. “Here.” He hands her a bag, and inside is wads of money. “I don’t need it. Not that much anyway.”

“Where did you...” Mama stares at him as the tears roll down her soft cheeks. “Iggy, where did this come from?”

“Living with you, having no bills, all the rewards I get add up.” Iggy shrugs. “I think it’s best this goes to you, after everything you’ve done.”

Mama hands the bag to Bill and wraps Iggy up in her arms.

Bill and I look into the bag and gasp. “There’s more than enough in here to rebuild the house. We could build two houses with this,” Bill says.

“We’ll build what we need,” Mama laughs. “If Iggy is okay with it, the rest can go to helping others in town.”

“Yeah, of course,” Iggy nods.

We start rebuilding, and we make Mama a new house that’s nicer than the one before. We construct two stories, and add on a porch that wraps all the way around. When we can, we volunteer with the restoration efforts in town, starting with the diner. We also help Old Allen fix his house. Jeepers ran away before the hurricane, but a bunch of kittens who look just like him appear under the ruins of his porch. So now, there are three terrors that stalk the town.

Once the house is built, we are flooded by donations from people who had been helped by Mama. Some of her other kids come, bringing beds and food to put into the new place. When it is complete Mama holds a massive banquet for everyone in town. We cook for days - or rather, everyone else cooks and I clean. We celebrate. One year to the day after the hurricane destroyed our homes, Mama steps out into the swamp, placing a new protection spell on the town and buildings. The swamp glows and fireflies rise from the waters, creating a galaxy around us that swirls and flows through the streets and into the woods.

That evening, Bill and I sit on the new porch together, enjoying leftovers from the banquet. We are both overstuffed, but we continue to eat anyway. As we chuckle and laugh, Bill grimaces. 

“What’s wrong?” I gasp.

Bill clutches his arm. “I, uh… I don’t know.” He winces in pain. “I feel… I feel strange.” He drops what he’s holding and nearly collapses.

“Mama!” I scream. “Mama!”

Mama rushes out onto the porch and grabs Bill. “He’s having a heart attack.”

“What?” I scream.

“He’s having a heart attack,” Mama repeats. “Go inside, get the aspirin,” she commands me.

I rush into the house, going to the medicine cabinet. I return and give Mama the bottle. She crushes up one of the pills and puts the powder into Bill’s mouth. 

“We need to call the hospital,” Mama says.

“No!” Bill grabs her. “No doctors. Please!” He wails in agony.

I kneel down beside him, breathing heavily as I try to concentrate. I lift my hand and Bill gives me a look. 

“Don’t.” He looks at me and then his body suddenly relaxes. He loses consciousness in Mama’s arms.

Mama calls over a friend of hers, a healer, not a doctor. She looks over Bill and tends to him. When he wakes back up she asks him a string of questions.

I sit with Mama outside the door, holding her hand tight while the other is wrapped around my shoulders.

“What did you try to do?” Mama asks me.

“I was going to heal him, but…” I blink tears from my eyes. “He knew it would have hurt me in the process. I would have done it though.”

Mama rubs my back. “You know, don’t you?” she whispers. “He’s not young like he appears.”

I nod. “I know, I know. I just wanted to forget.”

The healer walks out. She closes the door and stands before us. “It was a heart attack - mild luckily, but he’ll be very weak from here on. He’s…” She hesitates. “I’m sure you know his condition better than I. But from now on, he will need assistance with most things.”

“Can I see him?” I ask with a quiver in my voice.

“Of course.”

I go into the bedroom, closing the door behind me. Bill is laying propped up on pillows. His skin looks ashen, his eyes sunken. He smiles when he sees me, sitting up slightly as I come to his bedside.

“I didn’t scare you too bad, did I?” He asks.

I kiss his temple. “Why didn’t you tell me, Bill?”

He sighs, smiling as he looks down at his hands. “I didn’t want to worry you,” he whispers. “I just wanted what time we had together to matter and to be free of that sort of shit.” He gazes back into my eyes. “I wanted us to be us unencumbered.”

I put my arms around him and lay down beside hm. “You still should have told me,” I whisper. “But don’t worry, I’m going to take care of you from now on.”

Bill sighs. “I know,” he replies softly. “I was never worried about that.”

Over the next year or so, Bill recovers. He gets stronger, but he’s never the same again. His hair turns white, seemingly all at once, but it suits him in an odd way. He gets tired easily, and eventually has to rely on a cane. I hold out hope, thinking that even in this state, I could have him for another ten years. 

One Halloween we sit on the porch, handing out candy to kids. Bill is in good spirits and is having fun playing with the kids, telling them riddles they have to answer to get the candy.

“I think I need to go lie down,” Bill grunts, rising slowly from his seat. He takes his cane, then waits for me to stand and gives me a kiss. “You stay out here, have fun, eat candy.” He reaches into my bowl, which is mainly candy wrappers. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I smile at him. “Get some rest.” 

Bill nods and goes back into the house. At midnight, I turn off the porch light and blow out the  jack-o’-lanterns. As I go back towards our room I stop cold in my tracks. I take a deep breath as the heavy weight settles on my shoulders.

Walking into the bedroom, I see Bill laying peacefully under the covers. His cane is toppled over on the floor and the glass globe at the top is cracked. I kneel down by the bed and take hold of Bill’s hand. The fingertips are cold and his palm is barely warm.

“Avery, did you blow out all the-” Mama stops in the doorway. “Oh, baby.” She walks in, sitting down beside me as I sob. She cries with me, holding me fast in her arms.

We bury Bill outside, marking his grave with an apple tree sapling. Jeepers’ three children attend, sitting near the edge of the woods, watching as Mama sings. In the passing years, the cats sleep under the tree, then their kittens sleep there, and so on and so on. I join them often, eating apples and talking to Bill, telling him about my day, updating him on Mama and Iggy. The cats purr and curl up in my lap.

“I know he’ll come back, Clef.” I say to a fluffy white kitten with a single black spot on its face. “It’s just a matter of time.” I smile up through the branches of the tree. “Until then, I’ll do what I can to honor him.”

Clef purrs and yawns widely, showing off their sharp teeth.

“I’ll be kind, and I will love,” I whisper. “It’s what he would want.” I smile back up through the branches of the tree. “I’ll make him proud when I see him again.”