Lightning Struck

Billie Joe quickly got out of bed and saw flames inching their way towards him, as though they were only going after him. He opened the window from where he was and then levitated the hose outside as close as he could. He felt the heat of the flames and started to sweat. Adie was staring wide-eyed at the fire. They were trapped in the room at the moment.

Billie got in the stance for making a jet stream of water and nervously performed the moves. The water blasted out of the hose and went all over the place. He immediately closed his fists and got ready to try again. He was breathing quickly and getting very hot. He was starting to panic since the flames were closing in on him.

He gulped and then slowed his breathing so that it was steady. He only heard the sound of his breathing in his ears. He tried to get the water out of the hose again. It came out focused at the fire and Billie started to put it out. He had to also use the moving water technique, but managed it.

When it was all put out, there wasn't even a trace of it left. Adie ran over to her husband and hugged him. He was sweating a lot and was burning hot. She noticed.

"You need to cool down," she said quietly, "I'll go get you some ice water and an ice pack." She was still stunned by that near-death experience and her husband displaying his powers.

'How did he learn that?' she thought as she turned on the light and then left the room. Joey and Jakob came running up to her.

"Was there a fire Mom?" Joey asked.

"Yes," Adrienne told them, "but your dad took care of it. Just go back to sleep and don't worry about it."

"Okay, Mommy." Jakob gave her a hug before walking back into his room and going back to sleep. Joey meanwhile wanted to go see about the fire thing himself. As his mom left to go downstairs, he went to his parent's room and saw his dad lying down on the bed, his eyes wide open and his face all red and sweaty. Billie suddenly sat up and saw Joey standing in the doorway.

"Why are you standing there?" Billie asked curiously.

"I was just wanting to see about the fire and stuff," Joey scanned the room, but everything looked the same. "It doesn't look there was one."

"I know. It's strange... " Billie said thoughtfully. He considered whether or not he should tell his son about Death trying to kill him. 'Maybe some other time.' "Now shouldn't you go to bed?"

Joey shrugged and was about to leave when he said, "Good night, Dad."

"Good night, Joey."

Joey walked into his bedroom just as Adie came back upstairs carrying a small bag of ice and a glass of ice water.

"Here you go," she said, giving them to Billie. He accepted them gratefully.

Then he noticed something black that was glinting on the bed where he had been sleeping minutes before. It was the black gem he had found in his dream. He put his glass down on the bedside table and grabbed the gem, turning it over in his hands. It was still as flawless as ever and it still seemed irresistible and foreboding.

"What's that, honey?" Adie asked, sitting down next to him.

"I'm not exactly sure," Billie didn't take his eyes off of the gem.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't even know what it is, but I found it in a dream I had tonight." Billie then told her about Zen and what she had said about it.

"Well then where are you going to keep it?" she asked when he was done.

"I dunno, somewhere safe, or keep it with me at all times." He yawned. He gently removed the bag of ice from his head now that he was cool again and took one last drink of water before lying down and falling asleep.

Adrienne turned off the light and went to sleep herself.