You Never Know What You Refuse to Learn

Aden stirred from his unconsciousness. He blinked several times trying to focus on the shadow that stood before him. He sat up noticing that he was still completed surrounded by nothingness in pure light. All except the shadow of man that stood before him. He touched his neck to check if he was still bleeding. He wasn't. His fingers felt no wound. He looked to the floor to find no sign of spilled blood. Turning his eyes back to the shadow, he watched it squat down on its haunches and reach a hand in his direction. His eyes widened and though he tried to retract for the shadow's touch, he couldn't move. He opened his mouth to ask, 'who are you?' but his voice made no sound.

He felt the cold fingers against his temple first, then the palm that rested upon his cheek. His body was filled with warmth at the touch. Instinctively, he raised his hand to the one resting on his face. Closing his eyes, he turned into the hand in surrender. "There you are." He heard a man's voice say calmly. "You will be alright, now. Let's get you back to where you belong. Shall we?"

He opened his eyes to see the shadow had come into complete focus. He was a young-looking man, approximately his own age maybe, with slightly unkempt brown hair and olive toned skin. Again, he asked, "Who are you?" surprised to hear his voice. "How did I get here?"

The man looked at him with a smile that shone solely in his black-brown eyes. "I'm of little importance." He said as he stood lifting me up by the hand. "I'm just a delivery boy."

"I don't understand."

"You seem to be lost. No?"

Aden looked around at the nothingness that surrounded them. "I guess," He admitted. "There was a man in my apart…"

"Jason."

"I didn't know his name." Aden confessed, confused as to how this stranger knew. "He just… I don't know. He was in the apartment one minute and then next I'm… somewhere. Dark. Not dark. Black. And then there was this girl…"

"Also Jason."

"What? No! She was like six, maybe seven. Blonde with violet eyes."

The man sighed. "Do you wish to go home? See your wife again?"

"Wife? The memories are true? I married her? Yes!!"

"Then save this story for her and come with me. I can't take your body with me unless you choose to come along."

"My body?"

"Yes. I found into Nickolas' lair. I can take you to the one who can rejoin your soul to your body."

"You're saying I'm… DEAD??!"

"Not at all. You are still very much alive, young one. But you have been separated from who you are."

Aden ran his fingers through his hair in confusion. "I don't get it."

"Come with me. Please." The man bowed extending his arm in the direction he wanted Aden to walk.

"Okay," he agreed only because he didn't want to remain in the nothingness. "Can I get your name?" He asked as he joined the stranger in the walk.

"Randall Johannsen." The man replied.

That didn't sound right to Aden. He narrowed his eyes at the man trying to read his expressions as they walked. "Randall, huh. No nickname?" He probed.

The man smiled. "It's good to see you have been unharmed." He stilled his steps to face Aden. "What do you think it is?"

Aden studied the man before him. Something in him knew this man's name wasn't what he said it was, but he couldn't bring up any altering information. "Umm." His attention was drawn to the man's neck, or rather the pendant and chain that hung around it. It was simple gold chain bearing a charm in the shape of the letter J. He looked back up at the man's face to find him smiling wider. "Uh… I don't really..."

"Yes, you do." He turned and began walking again. "Brother."

'Brother?' Flashes of memories flashed through his mind. He held his hands to his head to try to focus. So many faces flashing at a speed he couldn't control until he came to the familiar face of the man walking before him. "Randall!" He called as he caught up to him. "Randall is your nickname. Not your real name."

"And?"

"Your real name is…" He snapped his fingers in frustration. "Starts with a J. I know that, but… Oh, why can't I remember anything?"

"Once we get to where we are going, you will be healed. Then you will remember who I am. More importantly, you will remember who you are." They walked for what seemed like hours yet minutes at the same time. "We've arrived, young one. I'm afraid you'll have sleep now." He placed his hand on Aden's forehead and held him as he fell unconscious. He severed the connection he had with Aden's mind as he laid him on the table in the cabin. He sent a messenger to find Joey to let her know he had arrived so all he had to do now was wait. And maybe have some tea.

Joey arrived at the cabin within twenty minutes with Allie on her heals and a young, red-eyed woman beside her who seemed incredibly eager to reach the man on the table. The younger woman ran to Aden in tears being careful not to touch his body in any way. "Did you have any trouble?" Joey asked Jinka.

"Nothing unexpected." He refilled his teacup and sat near the man he'd delivered. "This one took a little more convincing than Jason."

Joey nodded her acknowledgement. "And Tommy?"

"I had to leave him there so Jason wouldn't grow suspicious. But he did as you asked."

"Tommy?" Rose interrupted at the sound of that name. "Tommy is working for you??"

"Tommy's loyalty lies with your husband here."

"How?" Rose shouted. "He's the one who wiped his memories!"

"No. He merely rescued him from Adrian's attack on your wedding."

"Then why doesn't he remember me? Why did Tommy tell me he took Kaden's memory?"

"He told what you wanted to hear." Joey stepped up to Aden's head with her eyes locked on Rose. "You are the one who wiped his memories."

"What?? I did no such thing."

"In your fear and in your anger at Adrian's attack upon your wedding, you subconsciously did the one thing your heart knew would keep him safe. Your erased yourself from his psyche to keep him off Adrian's radar."

"How?" Rose whispered in disbelief.

"Tommy thought you did it." Jinka said to Joey.

"Tommy doesn't know as much as he thinks he does. Had he known this woman is the phoenix we've been waiting for he would've never allowed the wedding to happen in the first place."

"I am so confused." Rose admitted. "This whole mess is just beyond… It's stupid. It makes no sense."

"Sense or no sense, truth is truth. Your belief is unnecessary for truth to be truth. And the truth is, you are the one who took this man's memories, and you are the one who can return them. But only if you want to."

"What do mean, 'if I want to'?"

Jinka reached over to Rose and rested his hand on her shoulder. "He taught you the art of seeing only what you want to in a person, correct?" Rose nodded. "There's a part of him that you have never seen before. There's a part of you that doesn't want to know everything about him. You saved him from you, not because you were afraid FOR him; you did it because you were afraid OF him. Afraid of what you didn't know. Afraid of what you refused to see. That's what we mean by 'want to.'" He smiled as retracted his hand.

"I was never afraid of him."

"Yes, you were. I can see in your eyes, that you still are. You are afraid he isn't who he claims to be. You're afraid the love he has professed for you isn't true. You're afraid that he may be just another person in your life that is out to kill you."

Rose's eyes widened at Joey's words. Deep down she knew the woman was right, but she desperately wanted her to be wrong. She loved him when he was Kaden. She still loved him as Aden. Truth be told, she did question his sincerity. He had come off so strong in the beginning and remained forceful in their relationship that it made her suspicious of his ulterior motives, but she refused to see for herself through her touch. She had refused to look any deeper into his memories beyond their relationship. Maybe it because she wanted to be loved and accepted so much that she was willing to risk a lie rather than secure the truth. Closing her eyes, she clenched her fists in anger at herself.

It was time she pulled herself out of the pool of insecurity she had chosen to exist in. It was time to face the truth of who she is and who this man on the table is to her. She loved him, yes, but it was time to know if he truly loved her. 'You never know what you refuse to learn,' she thought. She locked eyes with Joey. "What do I do?"

"Just touch him, like you would anyone else. Don't hold yourself back at all." Rose nodded and reached for Aden's hand. Joey hovered her hands over Aden's head. "Do you mind if I watch?"