'I know, but you must forget that fear; you must project only positive energy into his circle of light – there is no place for fear or dread, only love and conscious faith.'

****************

The cell phone rang out in the quiet of night for a second time before Peter realised it was his phone ringing. He saw Tyler's number flash on the screen and suddenly he remembered their dinner date.

Lo Si shot Peter a look that told him that it wasn't appropriate for this place and time. Peter sheepishly nodded in Lo Si's direction to apologise and quickly shut off the offending instrument.

Peter paced the floor, not really knowing what to do and unable to settle. He watched as Lo Si applied his hands gently to Caine's forehead and chanted rhythmically once again, the same chant he had sung over the past 12 hours.

Peter knew better than to ask but it made him feel better, "Lo Si, when? How long?"

"You know I do not have the answers to those questions Peter, please do not ask again. It serves no purpose and it does not help your father."

"I know, I'm sorry Lo Si – but he has been lying there, in that state, all these hours; nothing has changed."

"You cannot necessarily see the changes young Caine, but they are there. Your father is a very strong man, his mind, his soul – it will take more than this to beat him; you must have faith."

"I've seen him come through some amazing situations, terrible ordeals – but I've never seen him lifeless like this. It frightens me Lo Si."

"I know, but you must forget that fear; you must project only positive energy into his circle of light – there is no place for fear or dread, only love and conscious faith."

Peter settled on a chair and continued to watch as Lo Si again went through his rhythmic dance of sweeping his hands and fingers across his father's body and vocalising the chant in a language not familiar to Peter.

Peter closed his tired eyes and his mind drifted, back to the previous evening. He had been at the precinct and had experienced a sudden urgency that he should be with his father. He had thrown some lame excuse at Strenlich for leaving the 101 and high-tailed it out of there. When he reached his father's abode he had been surprised to find it in total darkness, with no sign of Caine anywhere. He didn't understand; the overwhelming sensation he'd felt at the precinct seemed so real, so vibrant – he knew for certain his father needed him. But where was he?

He stood among the rarely unlit candles and had closed his eyes, trying to gather a sense of his father's whereabouts. A huge streak of light and a loud thud from outside had jolted Peter back into the now and he ran for the door. He heard a commotion down the block and instinctively headed in that direction.

As he neared the corner he could see shadows on the darkened brick work and he knew there were at least 4 persons. His hand moved to his gun belt and he instantly felt reassured to just feel his weapon, although he kept it holstered. He inched his body around the corner and almost immediately got blinded by a brilliant white light and at the same time hearing his father's cries.

Peter dropped to his knees and covered his face and eyes with his forearms, hoping the searing pain would fade. When he was able to blink away the last remnants of the shooting pain he managed to glimpse one of the unknown persons. The hooded figure held up a menacing arm and began to order Peter to be gone, "You must leave here; this is not your concern!"

"The Hell it isn't! That's my father, and I'm not leaving without him."

As the man's raised arm flinched and released a sphere of glaring light, Peter closed his eyes tight, knowing he couldn't bear that pain again. He counted to ten and slowly reopened his eyes; there were no lingering rays to burn his eyes. He watched his father being led further down the alleyway and stood up to move, almost being thrown against the bricks by an unseen force. A few expletives escaped his lips but he kept moving forward. Another jolt from the darkness and his left shoulder hit the cold bricks making him wince and call out in agony.

As Peter grew in determination, the evil forces working against him also intensified. When he was flung back, this time his body was slammed to the ground with a resounding thud and his back spasmed in agony.

"No!" was the cry that Peter heard ring out above the noise of his gun blast. He had fired one shot into the air, more as a warning to the unseen menace but it had been met with fierce protest by his father.

"Father, help me here! I can't get to you."

"No Peter, just leave me be. You must leave."

"You know I can't do that."

Before Caine could respond to his stubborn son, Lo Si appeared before Peter, standing between him and his father.

"Peter, you need to leave. I will help your father but you must go. Go to my place and wait there. You cannot help here. Go Peter."

There was no way Peter was leaving without his father but something in Lo Si's voice, his manner, was telling Peter that there was more going on here than he could see or even comprehend. He backed away unwillingly, back to the corner and put his gun back in the holster. Peter knew better than to disobey directives from his father and Lo Si but it was killing him inside not being able to help, not being allowed to try.

He turned the corner to leave and he heard harsh words being exchanged and then he heard the fighting ensue. He withdrew his gun again, turned and rounded the familiar corner – only to be met by Lo Si and his father who collapsed at his feet. Peter cried out and caught his father halfway to the ground to break the fall.

Peter practically lifted his father like he was a rag doll; Lo Si led him to the apothecary.

***
Now some 12 hours later they were still there; his father hadn't regained consciousness and Lo Si couldn't or wouldn't tell Peter what any of it meant; who the bad guys were or what was wrong with his father. He simply instructed Peter to keep his faith in check and to believe that Caine would be all right, that he would survive.

Peter didn't have much trouble believing that his father would survive; after all he had seen his father come through some hair-raising situations and this event actually paled in comparison but it was his father's still-motionless form that bothered Peter; to see him so helpless and to not know what it was keeping him in this state. That is what he couldn't get his head around.

Peter opened his eyes and Lo Si was now resting. Peter stood up and quietly moved to his father's side. He gently touched his fingers to Caine's temple and stroked it ever so lightly. He smiled at the peaceful, calm face of his father and said in a whisper "You look like you're sleeping, but I know better – you and I both know better. Pop, you have to guide me here… is this a test for me? Is there something I need to be doing here? How can I help you?"

Peter took Caine's hand in his and held it firmly. He looked over at Lo Si and it seemed like the old man was willing him on, trying to coax him in some way. His clear blue eyes held Peter's and a nervous twitch pulled at the side of his crinkled mouth, making his droopy moustache waggle. Peter tried to look deeper, look beyond Lo Si's eyes.

He gripped his father's hand tighter and closed his eyes, trying to focus all his energies on Caine. His mind swirled and as was customary, Peter began to think back to his early childhood, to his time at the temple. He could feel heat emanating from his father's hand into his and he focused on that energy and on his vision. It was a lesson; ‘do you remember the lesson of faith my son?' He could hear his father's words but they were not spoken in his vision, his thoughts had been transported back to the temple but his feelings were of now, here, at this moment.

He recalled ‘the lesson of faith', seeing himself as a young boy enduring a menacing schedule, being pulled here and there, pushed to and fro but needing to believe that his peers would not let harm come to him. He heard his father's words, ‘you need faith my son, if your faith is strong and unyielding, no harm will come to you. Energise your fear and make it work for you, not against you.' Peter tried to harness all his energy and focus it on his father. ‘You can do this Peter; you heard my calls for help – we are of one, you feel my pain and you can help. Hear my voice Peter; give me your strength to pull me out.'

Peter's chest was thumping and beads of sweat trickled down from his brow. He could sense Lo Si standing behind him and he could feel the heat of their hands growing. His head continued to swirl and all kinds of images were appearing in his mind's eye; the fire at the temple, the last time he saw his father before believing him dead, images of his life with the Blaisdell family and images of his real mother.

His shoulders ached from the tension but he resisted the urge to open his eyes and break the chain of images. Lo Si placed a welcomed hand lightly on Peter's shoulder, "You can do this young Caine; have faith."

Images of Caine carrying The Ancient's body from the burning building, seeing the stranger's eyes, the wonderment Peter felt at that very moment and later in the hospital room when the truth became apparent and his prayers were answered… and now all these years later, he was being tested. Could he save the man who breathed life into him, the man who shaped who he was today?

Peter opened his eyes and stared down into the face of his father, "I have faith father! Come back to me; I know you can hear me – because I hear your thoughts, I breathe your soul, I feel your light. Our journey is far from over Pop, come back to me now. You have my strength; we will share our path and continue this journey, together."

Tears spilled from Peter's eyes as the emotion became too much for him. To realise the love he felt at that moment, for this man, his father, his flesh and blood, the other half of his soul.

He fell to his knees beside his father and began sobbing. Lo Si's hands on his shoulders reassured him that he had done what he was supposed to. A faint murmur turned his head in a violent swoosh as he looked up to see the eyes of his father, the same eyes he recognised after being torn apart for over 15 years.

Caine smiled and said in a faint whisper "You came for me, you brought me back and you connected with my soul. We are one my son."

Peter leaned forward and placed a tear stained kiss on his father's forehead and said "I believed you would come back to me. I can't lose you again."

"I'm not going anywhere. Peter, in time this test of your faith will come to mean more to you than I can reveal to you now but remember this day Peter, these feelings; this strength. It will serve you well. Your faith is part of who you are and makes your heart beat and your heart love."

Peter didn't know what to make of his father's declaration but he knew for sure he would remember this day.

Some time later, after Peter had been firmly assured that Caine was perfectly well and that no harm would come to him, he prepared to leave Lo Si's. He turned on his cell, ready to check in with Frank and make sure he still had a job after his unexplained absence, again. His phone rang.

"Caine."

"You stood me up! I can't believe you!"

Peter smiled, "Tyler, I can explain…"

"You always say that! When I agreed to give you another chance, you swore you would put our relationship ahead of your damn work, for once!"

"And I meant it… this had nothing to do with the job Tyler, I promise. I'll explain when I see you."

"Whatever!"

"Have faith Tyler, have faith!"

He shot his father and Lo Si a lopsided grin, a shrug of his shoulders and disappeared back out into the dark of night.

"Master Caine, do you think he has what it will take to learn and then teach?"

Caine gave a shrug of his shoulders also, smiled coyly and said "My friend, I do not know… but I know my son's heart is full and pure and he will in time learn to use his faith as he must."

The End

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