by Saless
Chapter 61

Mike checked in on Erica; she was sound asleep. When he returned to Jill he said, "I feel so helpless! I wish there was something I could do."

Jill hugged him and said, "I know it's hard, but there's not much either of us can do right now. Maybe you should go ahead and go to work. I'll watch them until you get back. I doubt much of anything will happen before then."

"Are you sure? What if John comes again?" Mike protested.

"Mike, if John comes again right now I'm likely to fry his brain! I'd be more worried about him than me!" Jill replied.

"Fry his brain?! You can do that?" Mike said, wide eyed.

"Vash said I could. I think I know how it works, and with John I would be highly motivated! It's not something I really want to ever do, but I don't know if I could stun him without killing him at this point." Jill said.

"Wow! I guess you can take care of yourself! I'd still feel bad leaving you alone with this, though." Mike said.

Jill gave him another hug and then said, "Go on, get out of here! I'll be fine. Vash is still here, after all, and Erica will probably be able to help as well."

Reluctantly, Mike went to work. Jill moved to the recliner and relaxed. Before long she was asleep as well.

Jill awoke to an insistent whispering sound. As she struggled back to consciousness she realized it was Vash. You'd better wake Erica and get in here, Sarah is awake and acting strangely. he said.

Strangely how? Jill asked as she dragged herself out of the chair.

She's acting like nothing happened. I think she repressed this memory along with the old one. Vash replied.

Great! Jill thought sarcastically. Alright, I'll be right there. She shook Erica awake and they walked into Sarah's bedroom to find her getting dressed.

"I told you Vash, I'm fine! What's gotten into you?" she was saying as they entered.

"Sarah?" Erica said hesitantly, pausing at the door.

"Hey Erica, what's wrong?" Sarah asked.

"Sarah!" Erica cried, running across the room and throwing herself into Sarah's arms. "I'msosorrypleaseforgiveme!" she said breathlessly.

Sarah looked stunned at first, and then confused and concerned. "Erica! Calm down! You haven't done anything you need my forgiveness for!" she said. It took her several minutes to calm Erica enough for her to be able to speak clearly.

"I'm sorry I got angry with you, and I'm sorry I triggered that horrible memory of your mother!" Erica finally said, tears still streaming down her face.

A strange look passed over Sarah's face at the mention of her memory of her mother, but only briefly. "What are you talking about?! I don't have any horrible memories of my mother!" she exclaimed.

It was Erica's turn to look confused as she said, "Yes you do! I saw it! Your mother tried to strangle you!"

That look crossed Sarah's face again, staying a bit longer before she shook it off. "You must have been dreaming Erica. Now get dressed, I need you to drive me to work." she said.

"No you don't." Jill said, startling Sarah who hadn't realized she was there. "I called in sick for you."

Sarah groaned and rolled her eyes, "Not you, too! I'm fine! Erica just had a bad dream! Now how am I going to explain this?"

"You're staying home today, there's nothing to explain." Jill said.

"What is with you guys this morning?!" Sarah exclaimed.

"It's not morning anymore." Erica said softly, pointing at Sarah's alarm clock, "It's almost noon already."

"What? How did I sleep in that long?" Sarah said.

"You didn't. You woke up and then passed out after you freaked out." Jill said.

"Don't you think I'd remember all of this? It was just a dream!" Sarah said.

"If it was just a dream, why did I see it?" Jill asked.

Sarah shrugged uncertainly, "I guess I was dreaming, then. It's no big deal."

"You weren't dreaming!" Erica exclaimed tearfully.

"I get it; we must have shared the dream through our bond! No wonder you're so upset!" Sarah said, pulling Erica back into her arms.

"Could…could I really have been dreaming?" Erica asked in confusion.

"You're confusing her! You were both awake, it wasn't a dream!" Jill said.

This isn't working. Let me. Vash said to Jill.

"You're the one confusing her Jill!" Sarah said angrily.

Maybe you should change the subject, they're not going to let it go if you keep arguing. Vash said to Sarah.

At least someone around here is talking sense! Alright, I'll give it a shot. Sarah replied. "Well, if I'm not working today, maybe I'll make another try at changing back. There are a couple of stories I've looked at recently that are pretty promising." Sarah said.

Let her change the subject, we'll try again later. Vash suggested to Jill.

"I thought we were going to wait and rely on the Magician's Answer." Jill said, confused.

Sarah shrugged, "We tried that, but it isn't working. And what kind of answer was it, really? He was probably just trying to get me to accept being a girl because he didn't know how to change me back. So I'll find someone who does."

"I thought you'd tried all kinds of things, and they didn't work." Erica said. She was thoroughly confused and burrowed deeper into Sarah's arms.

"We did, but that doesn't mean a solution doesn't exist. Maybe I'll even try Venus again." Sarah replied.

Total silence descended on the room as Jill and Erica stared at Sarah in shock. "Venus?! You've always been adamant about staying away from gods!" Jill said.

"That's why we failed. I'm sorry I was such a pain about that, but I'm willing to give it a try now. Will you help me find another copy of the book we used? I think that's the best place to start." Sarah said.

"Uh, we already got one." Jill said uncertainly.

"Really? Great! Then we can go as soon as Mike gets back." Sarah said cheerfully.

"I guess." Jill agreed reluctantly.

"In the meantime I'll make something for lunch. Any preferences?" Sarah asked. Erica shook her head against Sarah's chest and Jill shrugged. "Okay, I'll pick something. Why don't you lie down for a bit Erica, you look pretty worn out."

"Uh, yeah, maybe I will." Erica said. She looked at Vash and Jill, shrugged, let her robe drop off and crawled into bed. Vash flew off of the bed onto Sarah's shoulder.

"Why don’t I help you." Jill suggested. Sarah shrugged and they went to make lunch.

I have an idea, but it will require Erica's help. Letting her sleep will help, as she'll need to be clear headed for this. Vash told Jill.

I'm glad you've got an idea; I have no idea how to deal with this. If I could access that memory I could show it to her, but it's like it doesn't exist. Jill replied.

She has excellent mental shields, but they do not protect all of her mind equally. Her repressed memories are within the most heavily shielded part. I doubt you could ever pierce those shields without destroying her mind, if at all. Vash said.

That's why I find her so hard to read, she's shielded? But I thought she didn't have any telepathic abilities. Jill thought.

Part of her shielding is simply her intense desire to keep certain things hidden. That would have been enough to keep you out at first. I suspect she may have developed telepathic abilities after being exposed to them through us, but they were channeled into her existing shields. She may be able to learn to use them as you do eventually. Vash replied.

How many powers does she have?! Jill said.

I don't think it's a matter of having many powers, but one very strong one. She is…strange. My former master saw something in her, but I think he misinterpreted it. If I did not know better I would suspect she was an immortal, or even a god. Vash said.

She's that powerful?! But if she's that powerful then Venus shouldn't be a threat to her, right? Jill asked.

I said if I didn't know better. Gods are different. If she were one I would be able to tell. She's something else, something I've never seen before. I have no idea how her power works. Vash replied.

Okay, so what's your idea? Jill asked.

You'll need to mesh your own mind into Sarah's as deeply as you can without being detected. Once you've done that, Erica will send the image she got from Sarah back to her. This will accomplish two things. One, you will see the image and be able to paint it, which will help to make it real for Sarah. Two, it may force Sarah to face that memory then and there. I suspect she will fight it, as there is a lot of pain associated with that memory, but it's a possibility. If not, then we'll still have the option of your painting. Vash replied.