Adventures with the Marauders W/Lynx

Hana pursed her lips together, trying so hard not to start laughing. "It's hysterical you say that." She admitted after a moment. "Trevor, Sam and Cassandra who are my friends are German and Mike, Masanori's boyfriend, half-Russian and speaks the language. I think the only American I know of, besides you, is Shaye. I wonder how you two would mesh."

"You spoke about Shaye in passing and I think I saw her name on the Daily Prophet publisher-writer section," Slate hummed, "What is she like?"

"Well, people look at her twice since she insists on wearing a flower crown regardless of what she's wearing. She makes Sirius, her boyfriend, ten times darker than he really is because of it. Personality?" She wondered how to word Shaye. "She is sunshine on the earth. She is wise, beyond years of you and me since she's been through so much, and because of what she's been through no one would've blamed her if she hated people or distrusted them. Instead, she loves and trusts, unconditionally. You meet her, you treat her with kindness and she treats you with loyalty beyond measure, love without limits, and her arms and home is open to you. I consider her to be an older sister, which is a feat no one has beside Shaye outside of this home. She's done too much for us, and we could only do little for her. All she requires, sometimes, is an open door and a loving family.

Sometimes, that is all we can give her. She means the world to Ryoko, and Ryoko, as well as us, mean the world to her. Though if I were to describe a dark side, I would say that her mercy doesn't come easy should you hurt anyone that she knows. If you hurt her, she may give you a second chance. Hurt me? Hurt Kai or Masanori? Hurt Ryoko? Mercy is not in her vocabulary unless you beg her to remember it."

"Even then, she might not give it," Slate finished with a nod, "I like the sound of her. Perhaps I'll meet her soon, being involved with you. Tomorrow I do look forward to meeting the rest of your family. You don't mind me staying for breakfast, do you? I can good pretty well. People love my hashbrowns."

"I'd love you to stay. I never had hashbrowns before, so it'll be fun for me to try." Hana smiled as the kettle whistled.

()

"Shaye! You look ravishing," Sirius beamed as he aparated in front of the White Tiger Diner and his girlfriend was the first person he saw, though her jacket obscured his vision from her clothing, as did his own. Raking his hand through his hair, he reached out for her hand, "Allow me to take you inside out of the weather." It was about nine at night, and everywhere around was dark. The light from the diner was dim at best. The wind had picked up and there was the smell of rain on the air.

Shaye beamed happily as she took his hand and walked into the diner. Much to her surprise, the diner didn't have any patrons, save for themselves. She could smell something cooking in the back, herbs were being used and she could something spice on the air. She shrugged off her jacket to reveal a beautiful dress. It was short sleeved and went to her knees with a soft ruffle. She wore thermal tights and dress shoes. Her flower crown off set the black dress with it's bright orange color. Her hair was free from any style and cascaded down her back in waves. "Thanks." She told him with a bright smile. "You look gorgeous as always." His jacket was practically a trade-mark, and he looked damn fine in it.

Taking it off he was wearing a purple dress shirt that had darker purple stripes that had a slight shimmer texture to them, a dark blue tie on his neck, a silver pin holding it in place, and his black slacks barely skimmed his black dress shoes. Draping it over his arm, he watched as the person he knew to be James saunter up to them. He rolled his eyes at the stupid hat and fake mustache. He wanted to make a quip, but bit his tongue, "A booth would be appreciated," he said instead. Of all of their Auror training, James had to go and be ridiculous.

"Right this way mademoiselle and sir." James said, in a horribly thick French accent that made Shaye laugh. They were guided through the diner, still oddly empty and they came to a booth which had a white candle dancing happily in the middle. "What may I get you two to drink this fine evening?"

"Wine now or later?" Sirius asked Shaye curiously, glad it didn't quite matter either way. It wasn't like he had to disappear and incriminate himself, "There's no time limit, just us and whatever we feel like doing. We can be here until midnight if we wanted to or leave after half an hour."

"I love him but he's going to be the death of us both tonight with that getup," Sirius agreed with a snicker and slid into his side, jacket folded up beside him in the corner, "Do you like the dim lights? They aren't scented, either, the candles..."

Shaye smiled brightly. "I love it." She told him gently as she ran her hands down her skirt and took a breath. "This atmosphere is gorgeous. Though, if James is here, is anyone else?"

"Raiden and Eri, of course, but that's it. They didn't need a big staff, just two people to cook and James volunteered to serve," Sirius smiled and laced his fingers together on the table, eyeing her in nothing less than adoration, "They already have our dinners for us being prepared. Raiden is actually making yours."

"Oh?" Shaye blinked in surprise. Just as she was about to ask, James came back with a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses. He set the glasses down and poured the bottle into the glasses, giving them a good amount. "Want me to leave the bottle here? Your food should be out shortly."

"Yes, thank you," Sirius agreed, taking his own and tapped it a time or two before taking a drink, glad his silent spell had been successful in removing the blood. Sure it was his own, and Eri promised not to put a lot in it, but the thought was still a bit too much. He just hoped he seemed natural in his actions, "You'll like what he makes, I promise."

She picked up the glass and swirled it a bit, enjoying how the liquid stirred against the glass before taking a sip. It was...a bit sweet. Not like the sweetness that she was used to other red wines that had blood in them. She was a little surprised that there was some. She didn't think Sirius researched that much. "Is this from Ian's stash or did someone tell you to season it with blood?"

"The wine itself is from Ian, the blood is for me to know and you to ponder and /maybe/ find out," Sirius smirked at her, hoping she didn't realize it was his, "I should've known your taste buds would be able to pick up on it."

"As long that it's not someone unwilling," Shaye replied as she took another sip. "It's sweeter than I'm used to with other bloods, so I wonder if it's the type or just the person behind it. I won't worry too much." She set the glass down. "But did I...miss something?" She pursed her lips together. "I know you go all out, but this feels like an occasion. Please tell me didn't miss an anniversary of something."

"No, no, no occasion, but I did want it to be just us, solely focused on each other, warm, comfortable, and open," he shook his head, "I /may/ have an ulterior motive, but let's just relax, hmm?" he purred, holding one hand palm-up for her to take.

"If your ulterior motive is to get me in your bed, you know I'm already there." Shaye teased, her shoulders easing up. So it was just Sirius spoiling her. She took his hand, smiling softly as she rubbed her thumb against his skin. "You know, I'm still surprised that I somehow, someway managed to woo you."

"You mean because of the blood, guts, and gore?" Sirius laughed, "It had to be your red on black eyes that caught my attention, or that fiery red hair. Of course, later when I got to know your more, your wit and personality drew me in more," he promised, his thumb chasing hers, trying to pin it down.

Shaye grinned at the small game that they were playing with their thumbs. "Mostly because I said you were delicious and you freaked." She teased him. "But I was right." She preened. "You make me happy." She told him sincerely. "You do too much for me, I hope I'm doing enough for you." She decided to switch conversation. "So Hana told me that Kai asked Auntie Matt if she could make him a sunflower costume for Halloween."

"Oh my Merlin that would be so adorable," Sirius laughed, finally giving up on catching her thumb and just tugged her forward while he did and he pressed a kiss to her cheek, "You make me happy, too, of course. I'm a simple man to please, I don't need much," he assured. "Lily will be putting Harry in a little deer costume."

"Oh my gosh! Bambi!" Shaye giggled brightly. "The Skunk in the movie was named Flower! Oh, I should've introduced Kai to the movie. It'd be so cute to have the two of them coordinate a costume. Next year." She blushed at the kiss that he gave her on her cheek and smiled warmly. "A simple man," She rolled her eyes fondly. "You, my dear, are not simple."

"One can dream," Sirius laughed, "I don't believe I've seen that one, but Lily has found plenty of children movies to plug in to keep Harry entertained. Robin Hood is a favorite in the household," he looked up when he saw two figures moving, this time Raiden joining James to carry their separate plates. His was a meatloaf with a ketchup and honey glaze, mashed potatoes, carrots and fries. Shaye, however, was a colorful arrangement of different kinds of sushi.

"Oh...." Shaye stared in shock and wonder as the platter was set before her. Who...knew that she could have raw meat? Especially fish? Sirius probably only thought of red meat...since that was he brought to the picnic...but...did he do more research? Did Ian tell him? Her heart...swelled tight into her chest. This was the entire reason why he was not a simple man. He lavished her with luxuries and she could only give him so little. She would have to do something for him after this. Make him something or do something. Probably a massage if he wanted one...or whatever ideas Remus might have.

"Enjoy." James and Raiden said together at the same time and nudged each other as they walked off. Snickering as they went back to their hiding spots.

"You look so surprised," Sirius chuckled, "Perhaps you need to re-read your own works," he pointed out, "You did put in a couple adventures as well as a list of foods you'd discovered you could eat, along with what you couldn't for sure. So yes, I did go to Ian for the wine since it was unprocessed."

"I didn't think you'd remember that section, let alone read the entire novel." Shaye admitted, looking up at him. Her heart swelled more and she could...feel something akin to pride. She took another sip of wine and she took a piece of Sushi. "I love you."

"As I love you," he grinned and they were quiet for a bit while they dug in. When Sirius managed to stop stuffing his face, always so eager to eat Eri's cooking, he tilted his head at Shaye, "So, what's your favorite sushi on that plate?"

"The salmon," Shaye smiled as she picked up a piece. "The second is the shrimp. The rolls are interesting to eat, I haven't had these before, but their good." She glanced at his plate. "What about you? Is it any good?"

"I think it is, anyway. Wish you could have some, but that's fine. I guess what I wish more is that I could describe it to you and you'd understand, but you don't have a lot to compare to," Sirius pouted a bit.

"Try me." Shaye challenged.

"Well..." Sirius mumbled as he stared at his plate, before taking a bite and contemplating it. Then, "The brown-sugar Eri uses adds a sweetness to it that makes your mouth water. The ketchup and mustard mix gives it a tang. Garlic and seasoning salt give it a savory taste. It's quite an explosion of different flavors every time you take a bite. The ground meat has buttery cookies mixed into it, too, giving it a mushy but crunchy texture. If there's onion flakes in here i can't taste it."

"Huh." Shaye hummed softly. "It's a shame I can't try it." She shook her head. "But it sounds like it has a lot of flavors and that it's juicy enough."

"It is. I like scooping the potatoes with it, too, if you haven't noticed," Sirius chuckled. He finished another glass of wine, and topped hers off. He wondered, briefly, if she was affected by it or if it was just tasty. "So, do you think Tonks should come to the next full moon with us? Remus has been worried how he'll act around her as it gets closer."

"I say that she should, she's an metaphormagus. She shouldn't be worried about a werewolf since she can transform into animals without too much of a hitch." Shaye frowned deeply. "Though if Remus feels uncomfortable about having here there, then that's a whole other story."

"He's always skeptical about new people," Sirius explained, "He doesn't want to hurt Tonks, and he feels a strong pull to mate with her. He doesn't want to bite her on accident even if she can be whatever animal she wants. I think he just needs some reassurance. He must've read the book on werewolves at least three times before he gave it back."

"Ian must adore him." Shaye grinned. "If he read a book that many times before giving it back, I'm certain that they're going to be starting a book club. But," she paused thoughtful. "He is coming to terms to allowing the wolf to teach him. It's...difficult when you shut that part of you away for so long. Hybrids always feel like they must be one or the other, that "both" is something bad. That "both" is to deny both cultures."

"I commend him for trying," Sirius smiled, "I think it'd be difficult for me, too. At least he's had most of his life to figure out who he is. Isn't it much harder for those changed later in life?" he tilted his head, "They end up falling victim to their more basic instincts and being corrupted, from my understanding."

"It all depends on the personality and if they're strong enough to endure it." Shaye sighed deeply. "Children are better capable. Adults not so much if they're too set in their own ways. Though if a creature changed them, then they have a teacher...and a guide. So...as long as the sire or the mistress don't leave their changlings side until everything is smooth sailing, the change shouldn't be too hard to accept."

"Have you ever helped a ghoul come into their own? Show them the ropes and stuff? You didn't tell me how you knew Thomas or his family," Sirius tilted his head at her.

"Ghouls are not created through human means. Our bites, our blood, it doesn't turn you into a Ghoul. You have be born one. That said, if you were to start eating humans, and started the practice of unritualized cannabilism...you would be a wendigo." Shaye paused. "But do we support families who cannot hunt? That are unwilling or unable to? Yes. Though there are some of us that'd rather kill those who are unwilling or unable to hunt since they're weak."

"That was in your book," Sirius nodded, "I was just curious if you helped with any supernatural growing up, since you seem to be much older than you let on," he shook his head and put his head in the palm of his hand, "Shaye...that reminds me...do you want children of your own? If you have lived such a long time, why haven't you had any relations or offspring?"

Shaye had just been taking a drink when Sirius had asked his question. She slowly set her glass down and took a breath. This was the first time she had talked about this in detail. “I was in love with a human once.” She told him as she looked away. “He was beautiful, silent, everything a girl wants when they look for a man really. He was a rebel in his own way. Not outlandish or dramatic, but in action, in silence.”

She traced the rim of the glass. “He took one look at me and liked me for who I was. We were young then. He had the same birthday as me, which was funny, and he was the same age as me back then. Nineteen. I never told him that I was a ghoul, always keeping hidden. If we went out, I lied and told him that I was a fussy eater and had a strict diet so I would get coffee while he chowed down. We had the same tastes in movies, in…just about everything.”

She pursed her lips together, wondering how to say this. “When he did find out that I was a ghoul…we were twenty one and I was ready to marry him. He was disturbed, but he didn’t care. At least, he didn’t tell me that he did. One night, he was late coming home…and things took for the worse.”

A sharp knot twisted in his stomach and he put his fork down, pushing his plate aside and lacing his fingers tightly together in front of him. His mind turned around a few ideas. One that he told someone else and it spiraled out of control, or that he...found a hunter himself...or maybe he was a hunter and didn't tell Shaye. Those three were the biggest, and he waited patiently for her to continue, watching her face intently.

She could feel a twisting sensation in her gut, and a fire boiling in her veins. She glanced at Sirius’ face and she saw…anger. Not a rage that was blinding, but anger for her. Anger that someone that she loved deeply was going to betray her. He already guessed it. She could see the pictures going through her mind and she sharply bit her lower lip.

The blood she was drinking.

She decided to continue and bring it up later. “He tried to surprise attack me. It nearly worked, I was startled and I was unprepared let alone I couldn’t believe that he’d…” She trailed off and took a breath. “We nearly destroyed the house in our fight. He had strong magic, I always admired it. He was good at wordless and wandless. Hell, that’s how he almost managed to kill me. But I won in the end. I survived…and I didn’t have a choice. I made it look as if we both died in a fight, I took his body…and I did what I do.” She bowed her head. “I cried. My heart was shattered and I really, truly couldn’t find myself in love with anyone after that. But I never hated humans. I was just a little more careful. A little more cautious. A little less foolhardy with my heart.”

Her pain struck at his heart and it was like they were feeding off of each other's emotions now. He reached out for her and stroked her cheek, anticipating the first tear and stroked it away, "That's why everyone was so wary of me, I suppose?" he asked, "It's a good thing we met when you were already a ghoul, otherwise I probably would've been really shocked, but otherwise not bothered." He stood up and moved around to her side, sliding in beside her and hugged her close to his body, nosing her hair above the flower crown.

"As for children, yes." Shaye sniffed wanting to get back on a happier topic. "When I think of family, I think of warmth. I think of what you lost, Sirius, and all that you'd give them. I know I'd be a good mother, I'd try my hardest to make the home happy and nice. Filled with support and unconditional trust and love."

"I hope they have your hair," Sirius purred and kissed the top of her head and then tilted her head back so he could slant his lips over hers sweetly, lingering for a time before pulling away, "I love you. I know you knew him for years, but I'd never do that to you. I hope you trust me enough at this point to believe that. I see a future with you...me in a black tuxedo and you in a lovely white dress. Outdoor wedding with all of Fireside, Ian the one taking you down the isle. James was always my Best Man. Would Ryoko be your Maid of Honor?"

Shaye laughed and she looked at him, "I would hope so. If she doesn't accept then Hana's my next choice." She watched him for a moment, her smile bright and decided to poke his nose. "You gave me your blood in the wine glass."

Sirius was startled, "What makes you say that?"

"Because I can feel you." Shaye shook her head and his raised eyebrow. "Not that, head out of the gutter. I mean your emotions and your thoughts. I could see that wedding. I saw your thoughts about the betrayal and the anger you felt. I feel your love and your sorrow. I'm certain you can feel me, just a smidgen too."

"I do. Your sorrow made my heart hurt. I just knew you were going to cry, and I didn't want to see that, not on such a lovely date," Sirius agreed, "Even though you saw my thoughts, can you see yourself with me?" he asked sincerely, "I'm...afraid of being a bad parent because mine were awful, but at the same time I want to prove to myself that I'm not and never will be like them."

Shaye's eyes sparkled with tears, this time not from sorrow, but from happiness. "I'll be blessed to have your children, Sirius. I'll be blessed to be yours. Technically since you gave me your blood, you're already mine." Shaye said firmly, her smile wide. "If that's what you want. I don't want you to be afraid. We'll make mistakes, but we'll learn and you have me. I won't let you be a bad parent so long as you don't let me be one either. I'm your support. Lean on me and I'll do whatever I can."

"We'll support each other," Sirius reaffirmed and stroked her cheek again, "I'll be honest, I let Lese take my blood so I could put it in the wine, because I felt...jealous, about you drinking some random person's blood from a stupid blood pack. I was wondering how it would affect you, but I didn't expect it to be that."

"Well, spiritually we are mates since we're so close to each other." Shaye reminded him. "Remus had to be the one to break it to you that we were since neither one of us knew. It's no surprise, really that the blood would tie us a little closer." She took a breath. "But you...know that you can't break this connection. If you do...or try to...it's going to hurt. It's going to destroy us. Especially if we...make it stronger."

"If I bite you hard enough to draw blood, it might hurt you really bad. I could always try and use my animagus to make my teeth longer or something...I want to mark you in a way that stays, like you would bite me," Sirius pouted a bit, "I want to make it stronger, solidify it. I just don't want to injure you really badly."

"I have an idea." Shaye pursed her lips together. "But you may not like it."

"Try me," Sirius teased, using her own words against her.

"Let me put some of my blood in your wine." Shaye said and took a breath. "And after this date come home with me."

"Let's drink it at the same time, too," Sirius offered, "I've been punched before so I know what blood tastes like, just don't put too much?" he requested. He'd probably drink it either way, but he'd have to mix more wine with it to drown it out. He grabbed his glass and topped it off, then tapped it to get rid of the blood within it so she could put her own. Two-three gulps this was if he chugged it. The bottle was nearly gone but he had a high tolerance and had been drinking it slowly enough it hadn't effected him much besides rise his body temperature.

Shaye smiled warmly, "Not a lot." She promised as she bit her finger until blood welled up. She held it over the glass and let about three to four drops fall into the wine before pulling her hand back and licking the wound. She took her glass that had Sirius' blood already there and she looked at him. "By the way should you propose to have a human wedding, just know I'll say yes in a heartbeat."

"There's a Celtic Wedding ceremony with ribbons and stuff that I've researched that sounds like something I'd love to do with you," Sirius smiled, surprised that there was actually so little. Lese had taken a lot from him, at least a pint. Maybe there wasn't as much in the wine as he thought. Feeling less nervous he took it and raised it, offering to clink.

She raised her glass and clinked her glass with his. "Handfasting and most definately. Ready?" She smiled brightly, "One, two-" And together they both lifted their glasses and drank.

Sirius wasn't expecting to feel anything, so he just finished his glass, barely tasting her blood at all except for the weird copper taste in the red wine making it heady. Setting the glass down, he slid out from the booth and grabbed his jacket, slipping it on before he reached for her hand, "Shall we? I already gave Raiden money for all of this since Eri wouldn't hear of it."

Shaye smiled as she took his hand and allowed her to help him slip from the booth. When they were close together, she cupped his cheek in her hand and pulled him down for a kiss. "Home." She murmured softly. "And think about living with me."

That was something he would talk to Remus about as it was their flat, but the idea didn't bother him. He simply wrapped his arms around her and aparated from right there in the diner, appearing in front of her door. He wanted nothing more than to show her the world, that she was his everything. Their previous sessions had been beautiful, but this...everything about tonight had been special and this was no different. She let them in and he shed his shoes and socks, then his jacket again before gently removing her crown and set it on a nearby table.

Shaye reached up and cupped his cheek, staring at him. She didn't feel a rush to hurry this moment. She stood on her tippy-toes and kissed him. He bit at her lower lip, causing her to whine and his hands gripped her hair as if he knew that his kiss could bring her to her knees. This kiss wasn't frenzied, it wasn't rushed and hurried. It was hungry and passionate. It was a simple motion of feeling his hearbeat within hers and feeling how the heat of his veins sang to her.

This man, this beautiful man. He who saw her exactly for what she was and knew to love her as she is. He heard her story, felt her pain and she felt his anger. The one who went after Thomas' killer like a ghoul on a hunt, ready to murder him in cold blood for someone he didn't know, for he knew that if it was Ghoul, Shaye more than likely knew them.

His heart was on his sleeve and Shaye swore to herself to protect it. They pulled away, breathing harsh and fast. She could feel a wave of emotions and she felt chastised. Her thoughts must have went too deep. "Sorry, love. I was thinking of my luck."

"It's alright, I understand," Sirius nuzzled her and his hands roamed to her hips, then up her back to find the zipper, "Shall we move to the bedroom? Or are we going to end up on the couch?" he teased.

"My room, it's comfortable and the couch is more than likely to try to toss us off." Shaye agreed and took his hand into hers before dragging him into her room, a domain they were both familiar with. The moment they got in, Shaye spun around and he closed the door behind them. She got up, close and personal and she traced his button up dress shirt with her fingers, feeling the muscles underneath the fabric. His arms wrapped around hers and his fingers found the zipper and they simultaneously got the clothes undone. She stepped out of the pool of black and she watched the purple dress shirt slide right off of his shoulders and arms. Her eyes quickly shifted from brown to red and black before brown again. He was /fine/.

“I want you like that," Sirius breathed, reaching for her face and his fingers entangled in her hair, "I want you to be natural, all you...please," he moved his other hand to her hip so he could grind against her even though he was still wearing pants and she was just in her underwear, "You're so sexy...everything about you. You don't even know how difficult it was not to ravish you every time I saw you. Drag you into an alley or Aparate to my place...take you until you can't walk anymore. I'm just so drawn to you. Do you want me to do that, /Shaye/?" he asked, her name rolling off his tongue huskily.

Brown turned back to red and black and she could just feel his lust and love. She could see the pictures float. Her bent over in an alleyway, nails scraping at the walls while he frantically gripped her hips and waist. Another where he would slam her up against the door, legs barely getting a chance to purchase against his hips as he managed to climb into her. She keened at the images, her knees buckling and her panties soaked at the very arousal he was sending her. "/Yes/." She hissed. "I want you exactly like that. I want you to do that."

"Do you want me to make you mine, Shaye?" he panted, blunt nails digging into her skin and he guided her closer to the bed. He unclasped her bra and slid it off of her before he shoved her back, growling as he watched how her breasts bounced, her eyes flashing, "Cum on you, in you, bite you, bruise you...in any way I possibly can?" he asked, slowly teasing her as he took off his belt and then let his pants fall when they were undone.

Her red irises were practically glowing by now and she groaned in response to his words. "Use me." Shaye said hungrily as she watched him step out of his pants, his erection hard and erect. She could feel her abdomen clench in anticipation. "However you wish. Make me your Madonna or your whore." She smiled as she reached and began sliding her panties off, slowly to let him see her wetness sticking to the fabric and how her body was already calling out to his as she tossed it towards him in a teasing manner. "No more waiting."

He'd never thought he'd do it, too interested in the act to care, but he caught the underwear with ease and brought it to his face, closing his eyes while he took a good whiff before groaning deeply, her scent sending him into overdrive. Turning it inside-out he used the juices that slicked it to rub the head of his dick with it, putting one knee on the bed and he grabbed her thighs and pulled her close, "Is this good?" he rumbled, coaxing one thigh on his hip.

Fuck, she wasn't expecting that and just to see it. Just to know that it turned him on just that more made her legs spread just a little more invitingly. "Real good." She purred, her darkened eyes tight with lust. She could feel herself get even more slick if that was possible and she groaned. "Fuck...in."

"As my lady wishes," he let out a hot breath and kissed a knee before he lined himself up, dropping the underwear, and without any prep he leaned down and sucked a perky tit into his mouth before ramming her full of him. She was so scorching, and tight, and he just moaned around her breast. He pulled out and rammed back in, doing what they both craved. Even if he was being rough on the outside, he could only think of how beautiful she was and how much he loved her.

Her arms immediately went around his neck and her feet quickly planted into the bed so that she could lift her hips up to meet his desperate thrusts. She had cried out, loud and her nails scratched his skin as he quickly thrusted into her, giving her no time to prepare, exactly how they wanted it. She bit at his neck, teasing the skin and sucking as she held him close, rubbing their bodies together, already sweat-slicked from the need they were both feeling.

Sirius tilted his neck so she could have easier access, and he continued to lavish her chest. She squeezed him with her vagina muscles and he groaned, shuddering and giving her a good thrust in approval. Then his tongue went up her neck so he could suck and nibble, "What do you want? I'll give it to you," he promised.

What did she want? Shaye's mind was practically overflowing from his assault to the many pictures and images and thoughts that were going through his mind. "I want you, in every way possible. Your heartbeat, your soul, your children. I want all of it." She said after getting her tongue back. She was certain that he was speaking of sex, but her heart and her voice weren't going to go in that direction.

"You have it..." he groaned, biting her neck a bit harder, but was still afraid of hurting her too badly, "I will hold your heart and soul in tender hands...and you have mine until the day I die," he swore, slowing his pumps but it wasn't any less pounding, rolling his hips to churn her insides, "I love you...and I know you love me. I don't want anyone else. Now that Remus has Tonks, I can let him go," he moved his mouth to kiss her hotly, but sweetly. She was the only one for him, and it was becoming more apparent by the moment.

Suddenly he pulled out of her and coaxed her on the bed more, before he positioned himself at her chest and gripped her breasts, wrapping them around his cock, "I'm going to cum all over you like this, and then I'm going to continue to fuck you, cum in you, and turn you over so I can cum inside you again. Do you want that? I remember you telling me it's hard for Ghouls to have children...so I have to make sure you're full. Maybe I'll fall asleep beside you, my hard, thick cock burried in you so it doesn't come out, and then take you again in the morning. How's that sound?" he rumbled.

Shaye let out a soft wine when he left her body and stuck his wet, dripping cock in between her breasts. Just hearing him promise her this, made her head tilt back and moan. "Yes." She said, managing to look at him, her eyes lidded and her body loose and hot and needy. "Yes I want that. I want what you can give." She groaned. "I love you. Fuck I crave you."

Words failed him for a moment as he pumped against her, her softness wonderful, but nothing compared to her velvety core. Breathing labored, he let his quicksilver eyes bore into her Ghoul ones. They were...such a turn-on for him, and he felt his balls tighten, "Shaye...here's your first load..." he choked, and pulled back so he could coat most of her torso with his seed, watching the thick ropes splash across her pale skin.

Shaye's eyes were blown out as she watched Sirius's come. Her own abdomen tightened in response. His head was tossed back, his body was tensed and she watched his penis pump all of the seed that it could. She couldn't help herself, but to carefully dip her finger into the mess and bring it to her lips. His taste, salty and sweet, made her moan as she licked her finger and carefully slipped it out of her mouth. His eyes were hooded, his silver brighter and his body moved like a predator on it's prey. It made her heart jump to think that he was hers. Before he could do anything, she grabbed him and flipped him over, her leg swung across him and she kissed him heatedly. No time for thoughts, animalistic drove her as she kissed him, running her hands down  his chest as she tried to find every sweet spot that she could to harden him again.

"Oh, is it your turn now, love?" Sirius panted, kissing back with fervor, "To use me until you get off?" he wasn't processing his words before they tumbled free from his lips, but at this point who cared? He hissed and arched as she scratched his nipples, tilted his head so she could get at the hallow behind his neck, and just generally moaned whenever her body moved lewdly across his, rubbing skin against skin. The adrenaline in his blood got whatever he'd drank from her to course faster, and he gave a very crude curse as he felt the spike of heat in his body and just /knew/ it was her, "Shaye..." he whimpered, his cock bouncing and hitting her ass as her ministrations started working as well.

"I got you," She murmured, stroking his cheek in a loving manner before sensually going down towards him. She liked how hard he was, but he could get harder. She stroked him, once, twice, before wrapping her lips and going down. The mingled taste of his and her cum was...dizzying. The salty sweetness mixed in with the tang in a perfect flavor that made her roll her eyes back and moaned. She felt his hips jerk up, and instead of pushing him down and forcing him to be still, she allowed him to hit the back of her throat (Thank god for no gag reflex). She continued this at least until he was much more erect and slowly got him out of her mouth, licking the slit to get the last bit of flavor before straddling him again. She reached behind her to grip him firmly and aim him into her. The moment she slid down on him, she let out such a lewd moan, it almost sounded whorish. The feeling of him inside of her again was just...it was amazing.

"Yes!" Sirius snapped, grabbing her hips so harshly he /hoped/ he bruised her lovely pearly skin, pistoning upwards harshly before he planted his feet and started rocking forward into her. Looking up at her he gave her a demanding growl that could rival Remus', "Can you cut your tongue with your teeth? I want more..." he wanted to feel her more than just a teasing sizzle in his brain. More of her blood would do the trick, he was sure of it.

Shaye nearly toppled over him. How did she deserve this man? She bit her tongue as hard as she could until she could taste the blood well in her mouth. She cupped his cheek and gave him exactly what he wanted. Her tongue danced across his, smearing it over his taste buds, painting it on his teeth. She could feel a higher sense of arousal, she could feel...oh god she could feel his love and his wants. His nails gripped her back tightly, threatening to tear skin. He gripped her hips and piston his into her, now having a better angle at her sweet spot since she was over him rather than just sitting up top. Her clit was being rubbed on his skin, causing her abdomen to tighten. "Everything you want, I'll give you." She muttered against his mouth. "Anything."

It was so strange, to taste her blood like this, but it was better than he thought it would be. Drinking it hungrily, he pounded harder, but was sensitive from cumming once, so he actually slowed to an almost stop, "Shaye...rid me...ride me until you finish," he begged. It wouldn't be fair to blow his load again without her.

Shaye could see that it was a kindness that he was giving her. She kissed him again, allowing them to stop just for a moment to breathe and kiss and connect. The tingle of blood and all of the love that she could feel from him was pouring on her like a waterfall. She could feel that he cared, he worried about her. She slowly moved up, using his chest to as leverage as she managed to sit straight up. She ground her hips agianst him in a semi circle one direction and then going the other way before bouncing. Instead of hard and fast, she went slowly, relishing how deep he went inside of her and keeping tabs on where he was hitting. She wanted him to be deep enough to impregnant her, but she also wanted him to feel pleasure from it. She also wanted to get off on it, just like he asked her too. She ran her hands up her body, curving and tracing her ribs before squeezing her breasts as she used her knees and the balls of her feet to help her bounce on him and ground while she danced for him. She threw her head back, bearing her throat to him and letting her hair tickle his legs before slowly tilting right up and bringing on her fingers to her clit to press against it to help her get further on that edge.

Sirius smacked her hand away, replacing her fingers with his own, and panted at the feeling of where they were connected. It was heady, and he whined as he felt the head of his shaft press against her cervix, "I'm going to...pump you so full...when you're ready for me," he told her hoarsely, feeling his pectoral muscles twitch as she scraped her nails over his skin, "Ride me like you mean it, baby...I want to make you fly..."

Shaye couldn't deny that request. She bent down over him, gripping his shoulders and used him like he wanted her to. She didn't fuck around. She thrust her hips onto him hard, sucking him deep. Only a few times did she stop to grind here and there, to make sure that she was touching everything that she could, before bouncing violently again. It didn't take long, with Sirius' constant touch of her clit and her bouncing she was bound to fly and when she did, she flew. She flew /high/.

Eyes rolling back, Sirius clenched his abdomen muscles and fought the urge to bust, marveling at how rightly she squeezed him, before she began to throb and convulse. It wasn't until she started to come down that he denied her the rest and went wild, pounding hard, deep, until he couldn't hold back anymore and pressed her down hard, keening before he screamed, the jizz that filled her not any less thick than the previous, and that was when everything melted away, his brain cracking and he flipped her over, rutting wildly into her. He wouldn't take the chance at /probably/.

He hooked his arms under her thighs, pinning them back and dug into her pussy like a drill, hollowing her out and it drove him on at the slutty sounds it produced. He came again while buried so deep into her he was sure she felt it in her throat. Pausing, he panted and shuddered, letting the cum stay in the downwards dribble into her womb for a moment before he pulled out and flipped her over, pulling her ass into the air and his hands gripped her shoulders. For her comfort, in what shred of sanity he had, he put a pillow under her hips before he began assaulting her all over again.

It was mindless, animistic rutting, but even Shaye couldn't grasp a coherent human thought. Her body screamed for Sirius' just as Sirius' screamed for hers. The only way this fire would be sated is if they fucked themselves to oblivion. She scraped her nails on the sheets, needing something to hold on to since he was behind her and she couldn't reach. She could feel him, her cervix burning from the abuse, but she was so fucking turned on. The sweet scent of sex muddled her brain. Was this the fourth round? Fifth? She was losing track, especially when he slammed into her harder and harder, keeping her on the edge instead of letting her go. or if she was cumming, she couldn't tell since she was so turned on no orgasm was watering out the fire. She could feel her strength sapping from the assault, she could feel the sweat between her legs and mingling with his. She could hear heavy panting from both sides. She couldn't feel the scratches and the bites anymore. She couldn't feel the bruises that he was bound to leave, too fucked out to care.

~*~

As Sirius had promised, he ended up falling asleep behind her, his body wrapped around her like an anaconda, cock buried deep within her. The morning wood he sported when he opened his eyes was enough to make him moan and rock forward. His balls felt empty and they ached, but he just...couldn't help but roll Shaye onto her stomach and rut tiredly against her, just wanting so badly to fill her up so she felt pregnant by just how much she had in her womb. Morning wood was hard to get rid of, and he had worn Shaye out, so it wasn't until he started going faster a few minutes later that she stirred. He felt...like he was going to explode very hard from this one, as the burn was far away, slowly building.

Shaye could feel him against her. It wasn't too hard, but it wasn't exactly lazy either. His speed was fast, and deep, and she was too tired to even try to get up, or do anything. Instead, she laid there, letting him do the work. She could feel his balls bump against her and the sweet smell of sex getting stronger. Her mind blissfully blank. Jesus, if anyone saw them doing this, they'd definitely say that they were fucking like rabbits, or at least in heat.

"Shaye...does it hurt...?" was the rasp he managed to form as he licked the bite on her shoulder. So he had managed to do it, though only the sharpest ones had punctured, the rest making a bruise in the shape of teeth.

"It aches a bit," Shaye murmured softly. "But keep going if you want to." She could feel that he was on the edge, or very close to it. "Are you...hurting?"

"I ache everywhere...but it feels good..." Sirius panted, "This...is going to be a big one, Shaye..." he panted, and he moaned as he continued his actions before finishing himself off with a burst of speed, grunts and moans, bursting whatever had built up from the time thy stopped to now. Shuddering, he reached down and felt her abdomen. It was silly to think there'd be a difference, but he hummed softly and just nuzzled the uninjured side of her neck, "Do you feel that? Do you feel me?"

She felt everything. She felt him come, she could feel his hope that this would be what got her to carry his child. She could feel his emotions. He was tired, aching, sore, just like she was, but so blissed out fucking happy. "I feel you." She sighed as she turned her head around enough to kiss his cheek. "Do you feel me my star of life?"

"I do," Sirius made a happy noise and slowly pulled away from only, only to gasp and whimper as the cold air of the room touched it, "Fuck...James is going to wonder if Remus fucked me I'll be walking weird, unless he sees you, too." He chuckled and got off the bed slowly, "Allow me to start the shower. I'll be back for you," he smiled and limped slowly to the bathroom, unsure which of his thighs, hips, or knees hurt worse than the other. No, his balls definitely hurt the worst. True to his word, once he made the water to their liking, having done this a time or two, he returned and scooped her up.

Shaye laughed as she wrapped he arms around his neck, leaning his head against his shoulder. When he helped her into the shower, they both stood there for a moment, letting the hot water soak their skin. She looked up at him and kissed him warmly. Nott to start anything, but in adoration, in love. She could feel his happiness, his unbridled joy. "Thank you." She said after a moment. "For taking me out last night, it was beautiful."

"You are more than welcome," Sirius grinned widely, wrapping her in his arms as they enjoyed the water and let it sooth their muscles, and he kissed the mark. Everyone would know now that she was his forever.

()

"Shaye! You look so pretty as always!" Ryo cooed as she met with her friend at the abandoned house. Every Monday and Friday is when the vampire and ghoul agreed to join up, putting two and then three days between meals so it wouldn't be a strain. While Mondays were at the Graveyard, Fridays were spent here to eat animals they found. This time, Ryo perked as she noticed something, "You look...stronger, more confident, even." A pause as she thought about it, and then remembered the date everyone was talking about. A smile graced Ryo's face, "Did you finally mate with Sirius?"

Shaye's smile widened, "Is it that obvious?" She did a twirl. Her flower crown was abandoned for the hunt. Today it was Ryoko's turn to feed and she was dressed up for it. Instead of a dress, she wore jeans and a black shirt. Her long, red hair was tied up in a braid to keep it from getting caught in the leaves and the twigs. "Yes!" She giggled as she grabbed Ryoko's hand. "He asked me to be his as a mate /and/ as a wife. A wife!" She stood there for a moment, just squeezing Ryoko's hand. "I still feel like I'm dreaming. He's starting to learn how to sense me. It's not a human instinct, to be able to know when a loved one's hurt or needs." She shook her head from side to side. "I asked him to live with me, but...Remus. He still needs a home and it's not fair of me to take Sirius away. What do I do?" She looked at Ryoko with a bit of worry in her eyes. "I know he's with Tonks, but Sirius is his too."

"Give them time. They have been friends for a very long time, they'll figure out what to do," Ryo assured, "For all we know, Lily and James will invite Remus to live with them as a live-in babysitter, or help him get a cabin out in the woods or something like Raiden and Eri. They look out for each other," she smiled and fixed her socks inside her boots, before putting her jeans back where they belonged. She was wearing a sweater over a long sleeved shirt, but she was sure when she found something she would get warm again and take it off.

As it were, she was freezing, "I  hope I find a nice deer to drink from tonight, in any case," she said as they started prowling through the forest, going towards the usual animal locations, "While you're happily mated and it looks like Sirius is working on getting you a ring to be his fiance, David and I are at a stalemate," she pouted, "I care about him, but it feels like he's being extra cautious because of Fireside. He knows if he makes a wrong move, everyone would come down upon him so he's not really...relaxing or being himself. It's starting to piss me off. The only time I can get him to actually talk to me is on Skype when I'm at home, and we flirt...and even last night he didn't have his shirt on and I had a really skimpy nightdown, but I want...to be with him. I want him to touch me and...I've really wanted his blood..." she blushed at that, though it wasn't as vibrant as it could've been without eating, "He just...smells so good..."

"Do you want his blood or do you want to mate with him?" Shaye questioned as she followed her through the forest, listening to her surroundings. "Because that'd save you a lot of trouble if you just wanted to suck his blood and be done with it. However, if you really do care about him like you say you do, then where's your defense? Why are you letting Fireside decide who is right for you?" She looked at Ryoko. "Or are you afraid yourself?"

Ryo bit her lip, "I'm not afraid of him. I know he's like Sirius and does care about me," she sighed deeply, "Every time I bring it up, he shuts down or changes the subject. I don't know how to break him out of it. In answer to your other question...I want to mate with him. I do. I know my next cycle isn't until April-May, but that give us time to talk about what we want. If we're not ready by then we'll use condoms. Though...at the same time...I don't know if he's up for being mated? That's...a big commitment and if he ends up not wanting to be with me later..." she wrung her hands nervously, "I want him to want me...but I'm not aggressive, Shaye. I don't know what to do."

"Well, he still doesn't know that you're a  half-vampire," Shaye conceded to her. "So I think you may want to have that kind of conversation with him. That's really the entire reason why Fireside won't let you get hurt with David. They know a story about what happened when a human hunter discovered one of the creatures of the night. Once you have that talk, then the decision on whether or not to mate will come clear. But until then, you have to decide if you're willing to tell him that you're half vamp."

Ryoko sighed, "Yeah, that would make more sense. It might help him understand, too, why they are acting that way," she agreed. They were quiet for a while as they started to focus on hunting, when Ryo caught the scent of what she wanted. Looking over at Shaye, she noticed she was lost in thought and her smile faltered, "Hey, you okay over there?" she whispered, "Do you smell that?"

"Smell?" Shaye glanced at her friend worriedly before she tried to focus on what was going on around them. She didn't smell any humans, and she didn't get a sense of danger. She still paused, her heartbeat fluttering wildly as she tried to pinpoint what Ryoko was talking about. "I don't...smell anything." She said slowly. "Why did you catch something?" It was rare if Ryoko could catch a scent that Shaye couldn't.

"Yeah, I caught scent of the deer I want," Ryo frowned, "Are you sick? Your nose stuffy or something? I'm...sure I can ask Hana or Masanori if I can have some of their blood tonight instead if you want to go home," she said quickly. This was very unusual and it made Ryo feel panicked, "Ghouls aren't supposed to get sick, are they?"

"No I can breathe just fine." Shaye frowned deeply. Was she sick? It was starting to worry her now. "How close was the deer?" She asked. "Like...is it mile and miles off or..is it close by?"

"Half a mile, maybe? It can't hear us talking, at least," Ryo bit her lip.

"Why don't...you go ahead and hunt." Shaye offered. "If my nose is fucked up, then...I doubt I'll do you any good. I'll keep watching your back though, I'm certain I can still sense dangers..."

Ryo nodded and came closer to hug her, worried and paranoid, but she used her speed to go on ahead, hoisting herself into the trees with some acrobatics and bounding along that way, giving herself some leverage for an ambush. She really hoped Shaye was okay, but in case she wasn't, she would take as little time as possible to get her meal that would last her the weekend until Monday.

Shaye's mind was on a buzz as she tried to keep up with Ryoko. She felt weird. Instinct told her to be careful, be alert. It also told her to take care, for anything wild or strenuous would be bad. She felt...worried. Maybe she was sick. Lese would know what to do. Hopefully. If not, then Shaye was going to have to beg Cassandra to find a ghoul doctor to help her...and how would she tell Sirius that she was ill? It'd worry him...not that it was already wasn't. She could feel his response like it was her own. Apparently she managed to accidentally connect to him. She tried to send out a soothing vibe, but as she did that, she noticed that she lost time. Ryoko was covered in blood and..."When did you eat?" Shaye asked blankly. "I didn't..." She started to feel even more scared. "I didn't notice..."

Ryo frowned and wiped her face, though her clothes would have to be bleached. When she'd bit down, in her haste she'd hit a blood vessel that gushed everywhere, "That's not cool, Shaye. We should go now. Lese can help you, can't she?" she asked, pulling a wet wipe from her pocket to wipe her hands and face as they walked back towards the road, "I can call someone to pic us up? Mattie? Candy?"

"Matt." Shaye said after a moment of thought. Matt could read minds. Maybe she'd have an idea of what was wrong with her, or would be able to keep her calm. "I accidentally threw Sirius into a small panic."

"Oh crap, you really did link with him, didn't you?" Ryo's eyes widened and she reached into her pocket. As soon as they got to the shack house where there was a signal, she dialed and Mattie picked up after a few rings, her voice tired and lazy when she said hello, "I think Shaye's sick."

"What?" Matt's sleepiness quickly faded at the words. Sam muttered something in the background, but Matt shushed him. "What happened?"

"We don't know. I smelled a deer half a mile out and she didn't at all, and then when I went on ahead of her she joined me asking when I ate, like she lost track of time. We were hoping Lese can help, but we need something a little faster than a car," Ryoko listed, "Shaye's also mated Sirius for real, and now they're linked. He's panicking because she's worried and wants you to keep her calm."

"Of course," Matt said and there was shuffling. "You give me a few seconds to get dressed so I don't go off willy-nilly and I'll be there in a flash. You tell Shaye to breathe deep. It's probably just a lapse of having a new connection made. God knows the doors I ran into when I first linked to Sam. Talk to you soon dearie." She hung up gently.

Ryo took a deep breath and relayed what was told to her as she put the phone away, "Everything will be okay, we just gotta keep telling ourselves that," she smiled lopsidedly.

"I could see that," Shaye laughed after a moment of thought. "Having to focus on what thoughts and emotions to send out and things...it's multitasking at it's finest...so if it is that then...I'm going to feel like an idiot."

"So did he really drink your blood? I didn't notice before," Ryo reached out and looked at the healing bite mark, "That must've hurt! He doesn't have teeth like us!" Yes, changing the subject, that should help.

"He made sure I was mindless and delirious from all of the....activities that we were doing." Shaye replied with a faint blush on her cheek. "It didn't hurt until the day after next really. He spiked a wine bottle of his, I had about five glasses."

"Holy...you must be /really/ connected to him. How connected is he to you? Do you know? What is it like?" Would it be something David would want with her? Was her passing last thought, "I'm so very happy for you."

"Well, I can feel his heartbeat and his emotions." Shaye said slowly. "When he hurts himself or someone hurts him, I can feel it in the exact same place, but...we're not strong enough for a mental link. Maybe we'll never have it since we're different species. It makes me sad, but at the same time...the connection we have is...it's enough. As for him to me, I know he feels my emotions. I don't know if he can feel my pain since I have such a high tolerance for it..." She paused wondering how to actually describe the third part of it.

"It's...beautiful." Shaye finally answered after a moment of thought. "I don't feel alone. I know that I'm going to Lese with you and Matt, but he's there too even if he's not there physically. I know that when I come home, I'll come home to an embrace. I know that I have his support and he has mine, in whatever we decide to do. If he needs comfort or I, we have the ability to send it to each other. It may not be much. It may a simple suggestion of calling a friend like Matt, but...it's enough. He makes my heart sing, Ryo. Sing! I haven't felt like this since I was in my early twenties, late teens. The connection we have...it makes me feel stronger, like I can do anything in the world. I can burn this to the ground, I can make it into a kingdom. I can do whatever I want, because he's right there behind me pushing me on. For his side...I don't know what he sees the connection as. But I know just from talking about it, that it's making him happy and giddy. Like a child discovering a new toy, like an adult who discovered freedom for the first time."

Ryo felt her eyes prickle but she shook her head so she would not cry, as her tears would just be the fresh blood she drank, "That's absolutely amazing. I did say you looked more confident when we first met up," she grinned and hugged her again, "I'm so glad you're not alone." What it would be like...to feel that warmth inside as well? To feel what she's feeling? If Shaye asked she would agree that yes, she was a little jealous, but she was more very glad her friend had something tangible in her life after living so long without true love.

She hugged her friend tightly, her fear coming back just a little. What if....she lost all of this? Lost her friend, her love of her life to whatever was plaguing her? She told Sirius once that she wasn't going to survive pass 200, but she also didn't have a timeline for herself and her final leg.  Could this be it? First teh loss of smell, then what? She let her friend go just as she heard a loud snap and Matt appeared, looking frazzled but dressed in a plain skirt and blouse unlike most of her lavished style clothing. "Oh. Oh honeys." Matt immediately went up to them and hugged them both. "Stop those tears, no one's dying yet."

"We sure hope not," Ryo sniffed, wiping at her eyes, just smearing blood like it was make-up, but it wasn't a whole lot, "That's why we're going to Fireside. Let us away!" she smiled, trying to lighten things up. Lese was their best doctor, Andrew only second. Andy hadn't been around in a long time, though, too busy at the wizard hospital.

Matt took them together and one minute they were in the forest, and again with a loud crack were inside the large Fireside building. "Sam called Lese, I wonder where she is." Matt frowned. "Why don't you go sit on the couch, both of you." She herded them over to the couch and sat down next to them. "Did you freak out Sirius again?" She questioned Shaye.

"I think I did, if it's not him then it's probably me. I'm too..." Shaye shook her head. "I'm scared, I'm nervous, I'm scared again, and then I try to calm myself down. If he's trying to send me his own message, I...I don't know if I'm getting it."

Just as Matt was about to open her mouth to say something, Shaye's cell phone immediately blasted a Nickleback's ringtone /Gotta be Somebody./ She quickly reached into her skirt's pocket to pick it up and look at the text message that Sirius left her.

/"Please tell me the emotional roller-coaster is almost over? I'm getting dizzy...not used to it yet. Are you okay???"/

Shaye burst out laughing. "I annoyed him." She took a sharp breath in. She didn't know what to text him. No? Yes? I don't know? "/I'm at Fireside right now, something...happened./ God make that sound ominous. "/ I'm not certain if it's anything to worry about but...all of us are scared./" Well, Ryoko and herself were scared. Matt probably was and hiding it well. "/I'll keep you posted when Lese tells me what's going on./"

/"I REALLY don't like the sound of that, but you make sure to let me know immediately. Honestly a bit scared and I know it's my own, not yours. I'm figuring out the differences."/

"/I'll keep you in the know./" Shaye promised, she felt her fingers tremble. "/I love you Starlight./"

"Be more dramatic and he's going to apparate over here," Matt frowned as she peered over Shaye's shoulder.

Ryo watched as he replied in kind before letting out a breath of her own, and then looked over as she heard footsteps, "There she is!"

"Now, what is all this ruckus about Shaye being sick? Sam's all pouting because he was comfortable holding you, Mattie," Lese smiled in amusement, surprisingly calm. There was calm and then there was the ease of which she moved and talked that she already knew the issue.

"Shaye lost time," Matt spoke up and explained the situation. "Apparently she lost her sense of smell too while Ryoko was hunting. They're all frazzled because, well, it's not normal for Shaye. Her senses are sharper than most ghouls."

Lese only hummed at the last comment, striding over and placed her cool hand on Shaye's forehead, "No fever. Your breathing is stable so you are not clogged. Now, the lost track of time part is intriguing, but what is it you were hunting?"

"Venison." Shaye responded. "Deer. It's Ryoko's turn to feed and I usually help her, but I....I couldn't sense anything. No danger, if there were animals I thought they were leagues away."
Tapping her chin, she smiled and looked at her neck, "He was careful and didn't bite where it would be damaging. That is good," she said absently.

Ryo furrowed her brows, "Are you toying with us?" she accused, "We're really worried here."

"I might be. In any case, Shaye, his scent is really strong on you. No amount of showering will cover that up, especially now," Lese shook her head, "You young ones are so easy to freak out. You don't eat a deer's innards unless you're desperate, Shaye, that's why you didn't smell it. You weren't interested in eating it."

"But..." Shaye glanced at Ryoko and back at Lese. "I could smell deer before, when I went hunting with Ryoko..."

"Come now, Lese. Stop worrying the poor girls." Ian admonished as he came around the corner. "Shaye's an excellent hunter and her sense of smell is flawless besides a few occasions. Also, this is good news. You should be happy to give it. Not making them more scared."

"...!!!!" Matt seemed to catch on quickly and she gripped Shaye's arm tight enough it almost hurt. "Are you saying? Am I thinking what I think you're saying?!"

"They were just so cute, I couldn't help it, but alright," Lese giggled softly and knelt down, taking Shaye's hand and placing it on her stomach, "You have to hunt for two, now, so your subconsciously filtering out what you do and don't need to eat."

Ryo's jaw dropped and she only slightly winced at Mattie's scream that was sure to wake the household.

"Pregnant! Oh!" Matt quickly grabbed Shaye into a hug. "We're going to have another little one in the family!!!! I can't wait to tell Sam! You're probably eager to tell Sirius. Is he working? Is he at home? You should surprise him at work. He'd want to hear this from your mouth."

"So perky after waking up ten minutes ago. This sort of news would do that to anyone, though," Lese teased.

"I'm always perky and flawless when woken up at the terrible of times." Matt sniffed before turning to Shaye. "Go on! Text him and ask where he is and I'll teleport you straight to the door." She turned to Ryoko. "And I can come back and bring you home. I want to tell Hana! Can I tell Hana? I'm telling Hana."

Shaye was still stunned speechless, her emotions were once more going haywire. Happiness, fear, excitement, dread, nervousness. She mutely took out her phone and before Sirius could text her, she wrote. "/Where are you?/"

/"Home, Remus talking my ear off about his date with Tonks to keep my mind off of the mixed signals you're sending me. I'm just so confused!"/ the sentence was punctuated by a crying emoji.

Home. Shaye's heart beat fast. Remus would be there. That was good. "/There's something I want to tell you and Remus in person. Can I come over?/"

/"That is such a ridiculous question! Why the fuck would I say no at this point?!"/ The whine was prominent through the link.

"He has a good point." Matt mused.

Ryoko hugged Shaye tightly before Matt could take her anywhere and did burst into tears this time, "You're so lucky! You deserve this! Go knock him flat, sister!" she beamed, pulling away before blood could get on Shaye's shirt.

Shaye smiled back and she took a deep breath. Before Matt could say anything or teleport, she looked at Ryoko. "Once I talk to Sirius, expect a text from me. I'm going to be asking you an important question okay?"

"Okay!" Ryo nodded eagerly, taking her phone out to prepare, "Good luck! He's going to be so thrilled!" Her throat was tight as she watched them disappear, and then the smile turned a one-eighty, a sob escaping.

Lese was shocked by this, "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"I...I'm just a bit jealous, that's all...I'm...I'm sorry, I should be jumping around like Mattie..." Ryo sniffed and made her hands into a ball on her lap. If she wiped away her tears she would make her face look worse than just streaks of vibrant red. Another sob, "I want to tell David...what I am, but he's being so distant with me..."

"Sam is probably no help to this," Ian said, frowning deeply. "I'll tell Sam to keep his thoughts to himself. David hasn't hurt us yet, and I doubt he will. He needs to learn how to trust more."

"Honey, if you think David should know, then tell him. If anything happens, you know we're here," Lese soothed, taking a red handkerchief from her robe pocket and drying her tears, "It'll be fine, I'm sure of it. That was such a big controversy at the party. I doubt he'll turn you away for being who you are."

Sniffing again, Ryo nodded and smiled again, though this time it was weaker, "Arigato...if anyone has a say...it's you two. Everyone respects you," she took a deep breath and tried to calm down before Matt could return.

~*~

"Okay sweetie," Matt said as they stood at the door of Sirius' and Remus' apartment. "Remember, chin up. Be proud. And tell Sirius to start getting used to that connection thing. Your going to have a lot more rollarcoasters and those were /easy/." She kissed Shaye's cheek before teleporting again.

Shaye took a breath in and out and raised her hand to knock on the door, only to have it swing open. "Hey." She smiled a little. Her stomach fluttering with nerves.

"Thank goodness," Remus had answered much to her surprise, "He felt you pop up five seconds before the energy hit me. He is pacing and going to wear a hole through the floor to China," he rolled his eyes and let her in, "Please, tell us everything is okay?"

"Well, I'm not dying." Shaye smiled, relieved to see him as she entered the flat. It had been a while since she seen it. It grew a lot more homey, and a less bachelor. Sirius was indeed wearing out the floor, he looked frazzled. He looked scared, she could feel it in her veins as well as their nerves together. "I think...this may be a sit down conversation though."

Sirius came over and practically crushed her the moment he laid eyes on her, breathing happily before Remus coaxed them all to the long couch, "What is it, Shaye? The week has been pretty smooth so far, so what was the bump in the road?"

Shaye sat down and took a deep breath in and out as she watched them look at her expectantly. "Well, for one the emotional roller coaster is going to continue happening, and it's not going to be my fault. Second, you're lucky I don't have a bump yet otherwise that hug would've been hard to maneuver."

Remus stared at her a moment but it clicked before it did Sirius, his face splitting in two with his grin, "That was the smoothest way I've ever heard someone announce."

"What...?" Sirius just blinked blankly before it was like a light bulb went off in his head, "Wait...you...mean...?"

Shaye's smile brightened even more. "We're going to have a little Padfoot running around yes." She teased him.

"It worked...?" he continued to stare before it really hit him and he gripped her hands tightly, eyes bright and grin wide, "It actually worked?! I wasn't....expecting it to work, since you said it's so hard, but that's bloody fantastic!" he brought his arms around her and pulled her close, "Oh, I'll definitely handle the roller-coasters. I'm so sorry, it just hit me so hard and I panicked a little bit."

"Oh believe me, I was freaking out." Shaye laughed as she hugged him tightly. Her heart light as a feather. "I thought I was dying or worse."

"It was creepy, seeing him freaking out in that way he does and then smile for a minute before going back to panic mode," Remus admitted.

"Oh gosh that was my fault," Shaye scratched her cheek. "Ryoko went out hunting and....I couldn't smell the deer. My senses are whip sharp..and when Ryoko was feeding, not only did I not notice it, I didn't even smell the blood or anything. It scared Ryoko half-to death, scared me...and then we started trying to cheer each other up till Matt came to get us. Then Lese freaked us out."

"Well no wonder," Remus chuckled and when e saw Sirius give an inch he moved in and hugged her as well, "I might end up being permanent babysitter, huh?" he poked.

Shaye laughed, her eyes watering from too much happiness and joy as she hugged him back. "You're much more than that." She let him go. "Do you mind if I steal Sirius for just a half of a second? I swear, I'm coming straight back here."

"If you don't I know what's going on," Remus cooed playfully as Sirius and Shaye practically dragged each other off the couch.

Shaye lead Sirius to the bedroom and kissed him deep and filled with love. She was so happy, so happy that she could give him a child. That his seed was strong enough to stay in her womb. "Before we celebrate, there's something I need to ask you," she said softly.

"What is that?" He cradled her, nuzzling her hair and kissing her sweetly.

"Your idea for godparents." Shaye kissed his cheek. "I want Ryoko to be the godmother, but...I'm torn between Remus and James since I know they're so close to you."

"You can have more than one," Sirius pointed out with a beam, "It'd be difficult to chose for me as well. Remus and Ryoko, for the Dark Creature side of things, would be safest I believe. James because he made me Harry's, but who would you chose as the second godmother?"

"Hana is my next choice then," Shaye smiled warmly. "Then we're settled. I want to text Ryoko....I'm sure you want to ask Remus yourself."

"If he cries I'm going to kick him," Sirius laughed before smiling and nodding, kissing her with deep love before practically bounding back to the living room.

~*~

Ryoko was glad that Hana wasn't downstairs when Mattie joined her in the living room. She gave a quick goodnight before running upstairs. Once safely in her room, she shot her boyfriend a text. "David! Omg you'll never guess what just happened!"

Minutes passed before a reply, "Geez, Ryo! It's after midnight, what do you want?! Your ringtone scared the daylights out of me, I was just falling sleep!"

The way he snapped through the text made Ryo's smile fade and stomach twist, "I'm sorry...I just wanted to tell you Shaye found out she was pregnant. I was worried about her."

"My Merlin...I'm happy for her, but couldn't this have waited for morning?"

Ryo could practically hear the groan, and the smidgen of a smile she had quivered, "Forgive me...I won't txt you so late again...Goodnight." He replied in kind with the short response and she went to the shower to wash off. Maybe she should wait to tell him after all? She was glad she took the phone to the bathroom with her, as she saw a text from Shaye appear.

/"So I know that it's late, but I don't think you went to sleep yet. I have an important question to ask you. Will you be our child's godmother? I'm asking Hana the same question, since we're going to have two sets."/

That was enough to make the half-vampire snap back from the verge of fresh tears and making her headache worse. In a flurry of fingers, she texted, /"HAI! Kami, oh my God, YES! I would absolutely love to! Hana will definitely agree, too!"/

/"Yay!!!! Sirius told Remus to be godfather. I think he's crying right now. ^^()"/

/"Daw, that's so cute! Is James the second Godfather, then?! We're becoming one big happy family!!!"/ Ryo cheered in her text, but she wasn't feeling so excited on the outside right now. Perhaps tomorrow she would have some real enthusiasm, /"You KNOW I'm going to go baby shopping with Hana."/

"/DX I think you and Matt and Hana will go baby shopping./"

/"Accurate. Haha, anyway, ttyl and good night, sweets!"/ Ryo set the phone down and didn't look at it again. It was just because she woke him up, it had to be. She was over thinking things...she hoped.

()

"Look at how much candy you have!" Slate cooed at Kai as he, Hana, and Masa all came in, "Do you want to sort your candy? Get rid of things you don't like?" he offered to the boy dressed in a sunflower costume. He himself had worn a policeman's outfit that was different form the uniform he wore at the precinct.

Matt had done a fantastic job on the sunflower costume. Hana watched as Kai grinned at Slate brightly. His eyes bright. "Five piles." He told Slate. "Mama, you, Uncle Mike, and Uncle Masa. I have to share."

"Looks like you're offically apart of the family," Masanori teased Slate. "If he's willing to make you your very own candy pile."

"You don't have to, buddy," Slate laughed and patted his head, "But alright, let's go sit by the cough and dump your bags on the carpet?" he grinned and guided him over, scooting the table out of the way so they could all gather around, and he even helped him spread it all out.

"Uncle Masa doesn't like peanut butter." Kai was telling slate as he was trying to find those with peanut butter to put to the side else where. "So we can't put any peanut butter in his pile. I like peanut butter. Do you?" Kai turned to Slate curiously. "What candies do you like?"

Masanori's heart just swelled for this kid. "You can put some peanut butter in my pile. I think Uncle Mike has a thing for that. If he doesn't like something we have endless amounts of friends to give it to."

"Should we save some for new baby?" Kai questioned looking at Masanori.

Hana wanted to laugh. "I think new baby will have a hard time eating anything you have to give it, Kai. So I don't think you have to worry about another pile."

Slate worked on taking off the sunflower hood and then ruffled Kai's hair, "I like peanut butter, but let's just sort them first before we decide what goes where? Hmm? Like all the skittles, then all reeces, and toosie rolls to start," he listed. "I like suckers and toosie rolls, though, especially those fruit ones."

Hana watched as Slate and Kai got to work seperating the candies. Kai happily giving him some of the suckers and tootise rolls when he could, though she smiled at how Slate was sly enough to put them in Hana's pile since he knew that Hana would give them to Kai. Her eyes wandered to the girl who was sitting next to them, watching. She was still, her scars still looking freshly healed and her eyes haunted. But she was smiling a beauitful smile and a few times she would carefully guide Slate's hand to a piece of candy to sneak into Kai's pile. Normally Hana would be all over that woman, telling her to leave her kid alone, but...the gentleness and the smile...it was like a little sister caring for a nephew. It made her eyes water and she had to look away.

Slate looked up curiously and tilted his head at Hana, "Are you okay? You look tired," he reached over and placed his hand on her knee, "Geez, you're cold!" He took his hand back and took off his police over-shirt, leaving him in just the black t-shirt under it, and he placed it around her shoulders, "There, that should make you feel better."

Masanori blinked in shocked as Hana smiled at him. She carefully wrapped it around herself. "Thanks, ai." She told him sincerely. She took another breath as she watched him go back to Kai, but could see that his eyes were trained on her worried. "...." She looked over at Masanori and he knew, just from the look on her face to who it was that was making her feel this way. He nodded slowly. This was her decision. Though if it was smart enough to talk about it in front of Kai, he didn't know.

"Slate...." Hana said after a moment, unable for the words to come out of her mouth. How was she supposed to do this? How could she do this?

"Do you need to talk to me?" Slate asked gently, "We can go to another room."

Hana nodded and she carefully pulled the shirt closer to her. She stood up and Masanori quickly grabbed onto the hem. They looked at each other, and he slowly let her go and Hana walked with Slate to another room, knowing full well Masanori was with Kai and that he'd be there for support. "Here." She took the shirt and handed it to him, her skin still freezing and trembling. "You...you may want that."

"No, keep it," Slate smiled at her, pushing her hand back, "You're shaking as it is. I can get it another day," he promised.

Hana carefully took the shirt back and she took a breath. "I...You know that Fireside has people, wizards and witches, besides dark creatures, who have...powers...right? Trevor with his electric magic, Sam with his fire..."

"Roughly, yes, though not who's what," Slate nodded, but then eyed her carefully, "Why do you ask?"

Hana took a shuddering breath, knowing too well that this could...be the end of everything good. But she couldn't hide this from him. "I can see the dead."

A blank stare. It took a moment before he started shifting uncomfortably, "Okaaayyy...that's not something you hear every day." He paused again. Watching her with confusion before taking a small step back, "I'm not sure I believe you. Why are you bringing this up now?" There was a little bit of fear in his eyes.

"It's difficult to believe," Hana admitted. "But...Halloween is...hard for me. In the old calendar it used to be called Samhien, and that's when the barriers between the dead and life were broken. That's why I'm freezing," she smiled sadly. "Not from the weather, but from the many dead who are trying to reach out. Some times they can, the Hispanics are good at it considering they believe in the day of the dead and make sure that they have an alter to go to." She realized she was rambling and she halted, trying to breathe. "But...there's a ghost that...hasn't been shaken off. She refuses to."

"I know about the Day of the Dead," Slate suddenly snapped, stuffing his hands in his pockets, and then grumbled, "What about this Spirit? Why is she so special?" his open demeanor had changed to be shut in, head down and head tilted to hear her words but he didn't look at her.

Hana flinched at the hard tone. She deserved it, she was doing the American thing and beating around the bush. She took a breath. "I have reason to believe she's your sister."

Slate paled horribly. It was distinctly obvious because of his tanned skin, and he stared at her, pupils small from dread and fear. The words fell quickly, "No. No. She's not. She has to be someone else and just likes me like a brother or something."

Hana wished, desperately wished, that was the case. The girl was standing behind him, looking sad and shaking her head from side to side. "/I used to call him-/"

"She used to call you Bubba. You used to call her Duck because she followed you like wherever you went. You had a big fight when you went into the military because she didn't want you to go." Hana took a breath. "When you left, she went missing."

"No. No no no no no," Slate's breathing started to accelerate, "No! This isn't happening! You're lying!" he pulled one hand to his head and fisted his hand into his hair as he winced like he had a migraine, shrinking away from her, "The magic school kicked me out when I was thirteen because my powers didn't develop, I'm more or less a Squib. I focused on school work and joined the military at eighteen. Jaybird...J.J....Jayden was so angry with me. I was kicked out of bookcamp for my behavior and inability to follow rules and came home to discover she'd disappeared. I didn't give up...I didn't give up! Coming here was giving up, though, wasn't it? I just...couldn't stay home...Parents divorced, both got remarried...but I was an alcoholic. Father blamed me..." he was holding his head with both hands now, incoherent words falling faster.

It explained why J.J was behind him. She wasn't there to hinder him. She wasn't there to torture him. Hana felt her eyes prick with tears, as she watched J.J's arms wrap around Slate's shoulders. "She doesn't blame you." Hana told him thickly. "J.J never blamed you. She knew you didn't give up, she watched you struggle for so long. She's happy you're finding-"

"I'M NOT AT PEACE!" Slate screamed at her, tears bursting from is eyes like a fountain, hands bunched at his sides before he collapsed and put his face in his hands, "I know that's what you were going to say! I've never been at peace! It plagues me every night! I don't remember what it's like to sleep soundly! I dream about her being tortured, elicited for things I don't want to speak of...addicted to drugs, brutalized...any terrible thing that could happen to a person I've thought about it!"

Hana looked over at J.J who was silently in tears, still holding onto her brother like a rock in a storm. It broke Hana's heart, to think that such a young girl was destroyed like that. There was no denying, J.J was tortured. She wore the scars on her soul. She opened her mouth, only to hear Masanori shout in surprise and a loud snap coming from the other room.

"Where is he?" Mike's voice came from the other room, voice pitched high in panic and need.

"In the kitchen with Hana, Mike don't-" Masanori was pleading but it was too late and Hana closed her eyes as Mike came in.

There was stumbling, a few things crashing but not breaking on the ground, and Mike appeared at the doorway panting, "What's going on? Hana...Slate," he hadn't even met Slate before, but he just knew it was him, "So much pain...I could hear it so far away..." he whined.

Hana knew, just by him telling her that, what Mike was. It was so glaringly obvious now, she felt ashamed. However, she had to keep firm. "I'm trying to pass on a ghost." She said after a moment. "Slate's sister is here and-"

"It can't be!" Slate sobbed brokenly, rocking back and forth now, almost curled into the fetal position.

"He's not listening to you anymore, Hana," Mike whimpered, slumping to the floor there in the door, panting hard, "It's like...he had a deep battle scar that almost killed him the first time, and now you just ripped it wide open and he's going to bleed out." His hand went to his head, groaning.

Hana watched as J.J just sat there, holding onto her brother. They were both in tears and she knew it was her fault. "/You tried./" The poor ghost, trying to comfort her. Hana smiled weakly at her, but knew it was futile. She turned to Mike. "Then what do you suggest to do?"

"He's going to break...I have to..." Mike scrambled forward on his hands and knees, coming in front of Slate and he murmured, "It's okay, soldier. I'm going to ease your pain," he promised and cupped the man's cheeks to bring his forehead close to his, and the moment they touched there was a flash and they both collapsed, only Slate was unconscious and Mike was the one crying now, gasping for air and he just whispered through his pained whimpers, "He never wanted to believe she was dead. All this time...he hoped she lived..."

Hana looked away, feeling sick. "I won't tell him." She said after a moment. "He imagined the horrors, I won't further that." She took a shuddering breath. "Fuck.." She felt her tears slip down her cheeks and she felt like her heart was breaking. For J.J who finally disappeared, more than likely to wander around the neighborhood. For Slate, who was on the floor and tear-streaked. For Mike. "...I don't think staying here is going to do anyone any good." She said after a moment. "I have a child to tend to...and you have a solider to care for Michael. Maybe...she'll be one of the few ghosts I cannot pass on, though I wish desperately that won't be the case."

"Don't give up hope so easily," Masanori said as he walked into the kitchen with careful steps. "We can do one of two things, put Slate on the couch and Mike you can have me in my bed. Or I can drive both of you home."

"Why did you call me Michael?" Mike sat up slowly, wobbling on his own hands, looking ghostly himself from draining himself like that, "I know I'm named after him...but Lese did it too..." he looked at Slate and waved his hand, "Couch...he won't wake up for a while..."

Hana watched Masanori lift up Slate and look at her before he carried him into the living room. She turned back to Mike, uncertain if she should mess this up further or not. "I...I can't." She told him after a moment. "I already...broke one person I can't break you." Tears slipped down her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I...I have to tend to Kai." She slipped of the kitchen as fast as humanly possible. Masanori came back, looking pale and sad.

"This hurts her," Masanori said after a moment. "She did not realize that she was speaking to a recent murder victim. She thought that this had time to close." He looked at Mike. "I'm sorry. I told her that I should've told you her abilities. But she denied it saying that it was not your problem."

"It's my problem now," Mike said firmly, having gotten to his feet though still was wobbling as he followed Masanori, "One of my soldiers was in pain. I couldn't ignore that." Though Mike paused at that. One of his? He didn't even know Slate, but felt very protective of him, "Hana said she couldn't break me after breaking him. I don't understand what is going on. This has never happened to me."

"Hana's one of the angels of Fireside," Masanori sighed as he leaned against the counter, all of the sudden tired. "So far, she's the only one who has yet to abandon her heavenly duties even though she's fallen so far from God's eyes."

"The others are gay, that's why. Hana's still technically pure," the words were there, but Mike stared blankly at Masanori even after he said them. He furrowed his brows, "I...that was....it felt like it wasn't me that spoke just then." He winced and gripped his chest, "Ah...Masa, what the hell? It's like my brain is scrambling for something, but it hurts..."

Masanori quickly got to Mike's side. "Hana and everyone else probably think that you're the reincarnation of the Archangel Michael. It makes sense...but enough of that. You're hurting...and there's a block."

"Block? I'm...so confused," Mike swayed, "What about you? Do they say the same?" he clenched his eyes shut as he saw a few flashes of something. It was really fast, but it also made his chest ache as if someone had died.

"I've been called a name, but the block hasn't effected me as much as it is now." Masanori was pale and shaking. He could feel Mike's pain and discord. "Lese called me Zadkiel."

Mike licked his suddenly dry lips, gasping like he was underwater and lost oxygen, "Zad...kiel..." as soon as the name rolled off his tongue he saw a very powerful flash of a man with pitch black hair, purple eyes, and there was screaming in his mind, though he wasn't sure if he screamed aloud as everything went black and he passed out in Masanori's arms.

Hana came back, rushing in. "Masa..." She choked. "I felt that." It had been like a power surge and had scared Kai. "Is he...?"

“He’ll be fine with rest.” Masanori was still pale. “We’ll need a way to…figure out how to undo this block. I’m not certain Lese or Ian will be of help.”

“Will Shaye? She’s a Ghoul, closer to Lucifer than God, but she may know a trick or two.” Hana paled. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, brother. This wasn’t…”

“Rest.” Masanori sighed. “Maybe we’re panicking over nothing.” He picked Mike up and stumbled a little from his weight. “It’s all that vodka and sprite you drink.” He admonished Mike’s sleeping form. “I’m bringing him to my bed. Will you be alright yourself?”

“I have Kai, he’s still awake. I doubt I’ll get much sleep.” Hana watched as her brother and his lover walked up the stairs, Masanori stumbling from the weight. Her heart broke further.

“/I’m sorry/“ The ghostly girl had come back, she was looking pitifully at her brother’s sleeping form on the couch.

“This isn’t your fault, it’s mine.” Hana sighed. “I’m…going to go to sleep.”

The girl just nodded and disappeared once more.

~*~

Shaye watched as the man tumbled down the steep cliff. She counted how many times his head smashed into the rocks and how his body was shredded by the small sharp ones. She knew too well that it was a waste of meat, to have it tainted like that. However, her stomach growled and she felt her senses sharpen. Her teeth raked the bottom and she could feel her power surging. Fresh human meat. It was a shame the man wanted to die, it was a shame that she was witness to it, but the wait was worth it.

Otherwise, she might’ve just pushed him herself.

She walked over to the sprawled body. He was breathing, raspy and she felt disappointment. She could tell his lungs were filing up with blood, his throat was gurgling with the excess. He was staring at her, blankly and without emotion. It was quite clear she wasn’t what he was seeing. She felt her power unleash and she had a thick, ribbon of blood circle around her arm like a shield. She sharped the point and snapped it towards his chest.
His breathing stopped and he was no longer suffering. She pulled her weapon away and knelt down. Out of her pocket, she had a galleon and she placed it in his mouth. “So that you can pay the fee.” She told him sincerely. “Hades always liked these coins, though I don’t understand why. May the river flow your direction and your trip be safe. Thank you for the meat you left behind. I’ll savor it well.”

Her sanity snapped away and she turned animalistic, tearing into the flesh without too much care about any type of eittique. She stayed away from the face, for he needed to identify himself across the river. The rest was for her.

While she was eating, she could hear snaps of twigs. The air stilled and she picked her head up. Something was…wrong. She stood up, wiping the blood from her mouth even though it just smeared. She flicked her hands, droplets scattered across the grass. She summoned two ribbons, one of each arm at the ready. She growled, and the first spell was cast.
She dodged the spark just barely and she empowered herself to run towards who it was. She was thankful that she had good infra-red sight, but she hadn’t expected the second one. The curse flung her to the side, and she had to land cautiously to not damage the precious cargo in her womb.

The Hunters stood at the ready. There was no biting remarks. It was business and duty as usual. They looked a little rough around the edges. Not clean-cut, but as if they were scrambling for money. Their cloaks were a bit worse for wear. She had no time to assess what they were doing, and who they were as another curse was made. She blocked it with her blood, and shot it towards the man. The first hunter did a good protective charm, and just as the second though that he’d have time to do a curse, she brought her other arm down and tried to slice him. He dodged, but she managed to gash him across the shoulder and at the neck. Blood gushed quickly, but it wasn’t a fatal wound.

They turned grim, as if they were starting to realize that they were up against. She wasted no time, she used her speed to try to blind side the first hunter, the second probably unable to move. The Hunter she was attacking must have thought ahead, for he was quick to give her a spell that made her levitate and slam into the tree behind her. He brought his wand down swiftly and she screamed when she felt a large gash appear across her body.
DANGER

Her two ribbons became for and she no longer rested. She got up close and personal with the first hunter, forcing him to dodge, dodge, dodge, dodge every attack that she was throwing at him. Sometimes he was unlucky and was caught into an attack, but he never let her have the upper hand for long. He was quick to shoot a blinding light in her eyes and she let out an inhumane howl as she staggered backwards, blinded for a good moment. She felt two stunners at the very least and he attempted a Torture spell, but he failed at getting angry enough. She staggered upwards and she forced herself to fight again.

The second hunter was watching this back and forth, wand at the ready. The ghoul moved with a grace only a dark creature could have, but his partner was stronger and was able to counter. He stood up, holding his shoulder and his wand tightly in his hand. He aimed it at the ghoul and caused her to be flung across the forest. They could hear a smashing of trees.

Just when they though they could breathe, the ghoul came back, this time after the injured one. They had no time to recover as she snatched his wand out of his hand and enclosed her fingers against his throat.
The first hunter could not save his friend as Shaye’s grip crushed his throat, his windpipe, and left him to suffocate to death.

“You made me waste my food.” She growled angrily. “Your partner will make up for that.”

“I’m sure he will.” The Hunter replied and did another stunning curse. She held the wand in her hand as she got up close and personal.

/Baby, baby./

She skidded herself to stop and barely dodged curse. It whipped through her hair, frying some of the ends. She was bleeding, he was wearing down. She had to end this, for she couldn’t fight like she used to. She had a last resort in her hand and she knew that she needed to use it. “Avada Kedavra.” She shouted, flinging the curse towards the man.
The Hunter narrowly dodged the curse, and she let out a high pitched shriek, her powers snapping back towards her body as she fell to her knees.

“Stupid ghoul.” The Hunter spat, but the surprise was clear on his eyes too. Why was the wand…suddenly burning her hand black? Her veins were turning dark, suffocating the blood and trailing up her arm quickly like a spider’s web. He lifted his wand up only to hear a foreign voice shout at him and he was hit.

The Petrifying spell was good enough as the Hunter thumping onto the ground like a tree that had been felled. He took care not to be seen, but he threw his cloak over Shaye, covering them both, "I can find you more flesh to eat. Let's get you out of here," he whispered, and they disappeared in a wisp. They landed, but when he looked up he didn't recognize the surroundings. "How did I get here? What is...? Oh, never mind," he muttered and didn't care as he scooped Shaye up and stormed to the door, his cloak still disguising him, and used a flick of his wrist to blast in the door. It resisted and he paused, "What interesting magic..." he muttered, and then decided to kick it in the natural way only to find multiple wands on him from several directions within the minute of turning a corner.

"How the hell did you manage to break the wards," Was the white hair man's first question. "You just..kicked in like a muggle. Who taught you how to do that? The Martial Art Academy?"

"Trevor..." The redhead man said warning while the bubble-gum pink hair woman looked like she was fighting back a smile. "Who are you." He commanded. "And why did you come here."

"It felt like really strong magic and my hands are currently occupied by a friend of yours who just might be /dying/," the mystery man said coolly.

"You're extremely calm even though you just stepped into a nest of vipers," A woman with extremely curly hair black and vivid green eyes stood close to Trevor.

The man with scars glanced over at the one with black hair beside him, "Sirius...?" he was looking at the man differently than the rest now his voice had been heard. He moved around through the bodies and gasped before he slid his wand away and took Shaye from him, only to freeze again.

"Remus, do you recognize the smell?" Sirius couldn't be quite sure.

A pause before Remus' eyes widened, "What the bloody hell?" He raised his hand to those around him and did a roll-call, "Matt, get Lese for Shaye. Candice, Sam, Trevor, Miranda, Tonks, he's safe."

"What makes you so sure...Remus?" The one under the hood turned just slightly to the voice behind him, "I could've been the one who hurt her for all you know."

"That's not the kind of person you are, Regulus," Remus folded his arms.

"Oh no, he's not that kind of person at all," a voice from on top of the stairs said. Everyone's head snapped over to look at Cassandra. She was wearing a dark black tube top that showed more cleavage than necessary and tight pants that left little to the imagination. Her make up was sexy and alluring and she topped it with thick laced boots. "He just likes hiding underneath the cloak because his handsome good looks would make all you bitches swoon."

"Yes, we're absolutely terrified of the magic that is his good looks and that's why we're all pointing wands at him." Sam said sarcastically. 'Where were you when this was going on?"

Regulus pulled his hood down only to stare at Cassandra. He was more or less a younger version of Sirius and while his brother had a gruffer, punk look to him, he was a pretty-boy goth, "Would you /please/ get these people moving and off of me? The other redhead you told me about is, oh, I don't know, /in pain/?"

"Ooh I love it when you growl." Cassandra purred. "He's underneath my invite so wands down or if I have to tell Shaye you just killed the uncle of her child, you're all going to hell."

Tonks snorted as she casually put her wand away. "Shouldn't have that been Sirius and Shaye's announcement? Rather than yours?"

"That is why we were all here," Remus shook his head in amusement.

Regs shook his head and watched as Sirius could only look at him briefly before he followed the one that had been called Matt upstairs passed Cassandra. He nodded to Tonks and Remus respectfully, "Pleasure to see you two again, though I am sure none of us expected it to be in these circumstances."

"Yeah, no kidding." Tonks ran her hand through her hair her wand already placed back into her pockets. "Shaye's going to be so upset that Cassie broke the announcement to ya first. She was hoping to do it herself." She sighed. "Fucking hectic week. Everyone seems to be on the verge of a mental break down or worse."

"Should you really be telling him that?" Sam asked mildly as he carefully placed away his own wand, though kept an eye on Regulus wearily.

"You and your skepticism is going to give me an aneurysm." Trevor sighed. "I'm in my early twenties and I look like I'm thirty because of you."

"Thought it was because of HQ." Sam quipped.

"Family is taxing, in any way, shape, or form," Regulus hummed before bowing respectively to the group, "Regulus Black, for those of you who don't know me. Whomever put the wards on the doors is genius. By the way..." he stepped confidently through the group towards Cass, knowing if he so much as twitched wrong that he would get blasted into oblivion, but he needed to speak with the woman dressed so skimpishly, "I Aparated here. I didn't even know where here is. You can only Aparate where you've been. I have only one theory on how I managed to pull this off."

Cassandra's eyebrow went up and she smiled brightly. "I'm willing to bet your theory's right, but I wanna know what you think." She swung her legs back and forth.

"It's you. I thought about what you said and I arrived outside the door. We've met only once, but you're always on my mind and I want to be where you are. It's rather irritating when I'm trying to concentrate, but seeing you in my head is never a bother," Regs stopped going up the stairs, ending where his eyes would be level with her breasts, but he only watched her face and her eyes, unfazed by her outfit.

"Rather forward, isn't he? I think Sirius is more romantic than that," Miranda drawled, before tugging on Trevor's shirt, "Let's sit somewhere more comfortable."

Trevor blinked slowly as Miranda grabbed him and pulled him to the couch since he was still stunned from the comment. Well fuck. His older sister finally was having a relationship. Sam on the other hand looked petrified. He sat down next to his wife and held her hand and whispered softly, "Sam's going to go nuts."

"That will just be more entertainment for this evening. Tempted to ask Candice to make popcorn, if he hasn't disappeared to do so already," Miranda giggled.

Remus reached over and slipped his hand into Tonks' with ease, "Shall we join them to sit? Or stay where we are and watch this unfold?"

Cassandra on the other hand, had her expression melt into something softer. Sirius may be more romantic, but the straight-forwardness was the way to her heart and soul. "I was hoping I wasn't the only one feeling like that. I'm glad I was able to lead you here, you run through my mind endlessly, it's...nice. I never had someone to think about constantly like I do you."

"Let's sit down," Tonks murmured. "I'm a little worried about Shaye. Sirius should've come back by now, Lese should've been done, shouldn't she?"

"There isn't much that can hurt a ghoul, from what I remember," Remus frowned, "It looked like she was in a fight. I could be she used a wand? I think there was something about unicorn hair especially is dangerous," he sat down in a chair, and he surprised Tonks by pulling her into his lap.

Regulus went one more step up and could feel the redheaded statue down below start to move, "We touched back there, on that first date you dragged me into. That linked us, didn't it?"

Cassandra blinked. "That would make sense." She said after a moment. "I forgot that all it takes is a touch for someone to be connected with each other."

"What do you mean "You're linked"!?" Sam finally broke out his stupor. "What date? What...?! What the hell?! You don't /do/ dating!"

"For this one I do." Cassandra glanced up at her brother. "I thought you'd be happy. Me settling down." She crossed her legs with a huff. "Did you go nuts on Miranda?"

Sam gave her a glare. "In case you forgotten they were already married before I met her. So there was nothing to be upset about."

"Hence the tradition." Cassandra gave Regulus a wink.

Sam looked flabbergasted and Trevor leaned into Miranda. "She's not wrong."

Sam frowned deeply. "I thought that it was you, you kept bailing out of the family reunions until something big like a wedding or an announcement shows up."

"True enough," Cassandra jumped off the banister and into Regulus' arms. She grinned as she kissed him on the cheek and looked at Sam. "At least I'm not going after an Auror, or a Hunter." Sam immediately looked chastised and Cassandra beamed in victory. "A proper introduction, that's my older brother Samuel. The blonde who carried Shaye off was Matt whose his wife. That's Trevor and his wife Miranda. I'm supposing HQ is sleeping in one of the rooms. I'd take you to her, but I don't know how deep we should get into family things. Too bad I broke tradition, but oh well. That seems to be my motto."

Regs held her close and enjoyed how his cheek tingled, "I guess I'll be the late one in breaking tradition, I suppose, but Sirius has already carved a path for me to follow if I so choose." He nodded to Sam and the others, "We met in Diagon Alley and had butterbeers together. Then we talked, and did nothing more. Though I'm sure you've been seeing her owl be more active lately."

"Is the end of the hectic week, yet, Cassandra?" Miranda asked mostly out of curiosity, giggling at Sam, "He's a Black, but he's proper and diplomatic. Honestly, if this was Sirius he would have been in your face by now for daring to question his integrity or some crap. I feel like Cass needs someone like this boy."

"Amen." Trevor said sincerely. "Welcome to the family, none of us bite besides Sam. Though I may accidentally shock you. I apologize in advance." He paused when he watched his sister still. "....I don't think our hell week is over yet. You jinxed us Anda."

Cassandra had went very still in Regulus' arms and she had a blank expression on her face, eyes looking at something so far off it was a little creepy. When she came too, her skin was cold and she was shaking. She looked...terrified. "Lese...she can't keep Shaye stable." She said after a moment. "She's managing to slow the magic, but...she's only buying hours."

Remus' eyes went wide, "What can we do? Sirius can't lose Shaye like this, or their baby," he bit his lip, "Cass?"

"Is there /anyone/ else in your group that knows healing?" Regulus asked.

"Candy..." Cassandra frowned deeply. "Candy you know healing don't you?" She asked just as Candy came from the kitchens. "Lese's having trouble, think you might be able to do something?"

"I might." Candy frowned and teleported with a snap.

"That was...an odd form of Aparating," Reg frowned and tilted his head curiously, but shook it, "I hope Candice can help give us more time to think of something."
~*~

"Candy! Candy, oh God, can you help or are you just checking?" Sirius' tears were flowing down his cheeks and he was restricted to the wall to give them room. It felt strange. He saw her, which created panic, but Matt was trying to use her powers to keep him calm, so he was crying without feeling the pain or any emotion, really. He knew it would only hinder Shaye as well, but he couldn't leave the room.

Candy didn't want to break his sister's concentration and he gave Sirius a wane smile. "I'm going to see what I can do...if anything." He assured. He nodded over to his sister who was standing nearby Sirius, ready for him to hug and comfort when he needed. Candy walked over to the bed and frowned deeply. She was thrashing, red and black eyes gleaming with red-soaked tears. Sometimes her powers would just unleash, but the restraints that Lese had managed to put on Shaye's arms, kept her powers from going too haywire. It was obvious now. It was unicorn hair, and Candy knew that if he even attempted...he could kill Shaye quickly or he could manage to save her. The risk of death...was much higher than the ability to save.

"Lese..." Candy stopped short. "I think...I think you should let Sirius try to say goodbye."

"I called for the only help I knew of," Lese breathed deeply, "Ian came in and we discussed it. /He's/ coming, Candice. Everything will be alright, but maybe not at first. Take Matt, and go start calling the others. We don't need Sirius to be restrained anymore."

Sirius felt the release and burst into a fury of broken sobs, going over to Shaye in a couple strides and ignored her thrashing to hold her tightly, "I'm here, baby, I'm here. My sweet cherry pie, it's going to be okay," he promised even though it felt empty. He didn't know what they were talking about, but he didn't care. He just wanted his mate.

Candy watched, heartbroken and let his sister guide him out of the room. It killed him that he was unable to do anything for her. He was always their second to last resort. It killed him that they didn't have a choice, that his abilities were too pure for the Ghoul. Matt squeezed his arm tightly and he sighed. They didn't need telepathy. Their emotions spoke for them all. "Cass probably told them that Lucifer's coming." Matt said after a moment. "We should tell Lucy that there's a few others who need his help."

"Masanori, Mike, and Hana and Slate." Candy replied dully. "Do we teleport?"

"We should now." Matt gripped his bicep again and together they teleported. At the same time, down in the lower level where everyone was on edge and waiting, and another snap appeared and...a man with long black hair that was tied in a braid tossed over his shoulder appeared. He wore a dark red and gold kimono and the way he moved practically screamed royalty.

Remus was glad Tonks stood on her feet, allowing him to jump to his own and he kept her behind him, instinct screaming that this was a /very/ powerful creature. He could feel it. It permeated the air and made it hard to breathe. When golden eyes struck his olive green ones he felt like he was punched in the gut and the wolf inside howled so loud he wanted to put his hands over his ears. Gasping, his knees felt week, and he lowered himself down to a kneeling position. He...didn't feel ashamed, however? It was like he was a Knight kneeling at his King's feet. It felt right, proper.

Regulus had a different reaction, and noticed Cass was also immune, if that was the right word to use. Sam was sitting on the stairwell now, and Tonks had bent down beside Remus, grasping his shoulders. Miranda was leaning heavily against Trevor, and Trevor's energy was crackling in a sort of protective barrier, but his nails were digging into his thigh. It was like they were unable to move. Any of them. Looking at Cass who stood beside him, he laced his fingers with hers at their sides and led her down passed Sam. Back straight, he felt.../stronger/. The dark energy spoke to him, called to him, and he followed the sound.

"You might want to tone down the impressive first impression." Cassandra seemed to be the only one brave enough to call out to Lucifer. Sam was able to withhold Lucifer's call as well, but that was probably more or less due to equal status of being a fallen angel. "Not all of us are in good hands to kneel."

Lucifer blinked and then just like that, the power that had been over-flooding like a hurricane disappeared into a whisper. "My apologies. I forget that the earthly realm cannot hold such powers. You must continue to forgive me, I'm about to be very rude and only request to where I've been summoned. I was told it was an emergency and I can feel a Ghoul's soul weakening."

"Shaye," Remus said in a whoosh and shook his head, staggering as he stood up again, "I think she might have used a wand that hurt her, but was also injured across her torso in a magical fight."

"Rowan?" Lucifer's eyes narrowed and before anyone say anything, he strode quickly passed Cassandra and Regulus and headed towards the stairs. He stopped in the middle and turned around. "I will come back to give a proper introduction." Before he disappeared up the staircase.

"Good ol' Lucifer. It's nice to know that Lese and Ian weren't wrong." Cassandra grinned. "If anyone's going to be able to set this into rights, it's gonna be him. He's our ace in the hole."

"Lucifer...I thought he was banished forever to Hell?" Regulus looked down at Cassandra, brows furrowed, "That's what I understand from the muggle religion, anyway."

"There are many religions, and he is also known as Hades," Remus explained, "He is a God to them, and normally he doesn't step on our grounds, but like he said this is an emergency. He probably won't be here longer than 24 hours or two days. It's risky."

"We see Persphone more anyway," Cassandra shrugged. "I think that's Hana's patron goddess practically even if Hana is completely zen."

"Blimey," Tonks was just...impressed. "When you told me that things were chaotic here, Cassie, I always thought you just meant people wise. Not...this. It's incredible. Shame it's an emergency."

"I think...I am going to check on HarleyQ and Hota," Miranda stood up carefully, "I get the distinct feeling it is going to get very crowded soon. Nix must want to see Lucifer, anyway."

"I think everyone wants to see Lucifer, but I'll come with." Trevor stood up. "I'm not needed anywhere but with you."

"Persephone must be coming up soon, then? It has been getting increasingly colder," Remus asked Cass, "This is...blowing my mind."

"If she's coming I don't know." Cassandra smiled sadly. "Honestly, Remus, I sincerely wish you never had to meet Lucifer. Not with Shaye being the catalyst for his summons."

"Why? Am I going to ask too many questions?" Remus arched a brow, though he was attempting to lighten the mood.

"You're going to bore him to death the book of them." Cassandra agreed.
Sam snorted, "Don't listen to her. Lucifer likes questions. He finds it fun to answer them."

"Don't ruin the mood. I'm trying to make him ashamed for being a nerd!" Cassandra whined.

Remus took a breath and turned his attention to Sam, but waited for Trevor and Miranda to disappear, "I get the distinct feeling you know him on a personal level. Are you a Fallen? I'm asking you while I wait for the King of the Underworld to return."

"He just has to take it out on someone, doesn't he?" Regs snickered to the woman he held close.

"Techincally all of us are fallen besides one." Sam agreed. "In my former life, you'd know me as Uriel. I'm quite literally a flame."

"Do the others have special names? Mike is actually Michael?" Remus rushed, "But is he a fallen? Who's not a fallen and who is /all of us/? How many of your are there?"

"/Remus/, by Merlin's beard," Reg arched a brow, "Breathe."

"There's seven of us, I should've said that first." Sam found himself a spot on the couch and stretched out, putting his feet on the coffee table, manners be damned. "Nix, Candy, Matt, myself, Mike, Nicky, Masanori, and Hana."

He paused, "We have our names, yes." He continued. "MIke is techincally a fallen angel considering that he fell for Masanori, who is actually Zadkiel. A long time ago, Zadkiel was a follower of Michael's. Wherever he went, Zadkiel wasn't far behind. Candy fell from disobeying orders and saving a life that was supposed to die, his name was Raphael. Nix, who was once Raguel an angel of Justice, left God's side and coverted his soul into a vampire so that he would live to see Candy's reincarnation forevermore. When Candy fell, Matt fell, who was Chamuel, quite literally our cheerleader and resident matchmaker, still is."

"Oh my..." Remus could say so many things but just left it hanging. So many things ran through his head. How much was actually true? How much of it was just the re-writings of men in power? If Lucifer was only Hades, and the Underworld Ruler, then who was the Devil they spoke of who was the face of true evil? Did Lilith play a part in anything? "Some of these angel names I haven't heard of, but research will fix that I'm sure. I remember at the party, Mike was confused about the name Lese called him. Do some of you have a block or do you all know who you are?"

"Masanori and Mike have a block. I think Nicky has one...or he just doesn't care. I'm not sure about him." Sam frowned deeply.

"Nicky's creativity is his divine power. It may seem like it's not much, but man the things he can get out of." Cassandra beamed proudly.

"Because you toss him into those situations to begin with." Sam rolled his eyes.

Remus snorted, "So is there anything special to unlock your memories? Are some blocks harder than others?"

"It depends on who fell and why." Sam said after a moment. "Hana has no blocks because she didn't fall. Or at least no one, not even the Divine considers to be fallen. The rest of us...we had blocks to go through. Mine was a little hard, but after meeting Matt....the block disappeared. Of course, it's possible that was the key to begin with. Chamuel doesn't like it when soulmates aren't connected."

"Nix and Candy never had a block to deal with..." Cassandra frowned.

"That's because when Nix became a vampire, he did it through Lucifer. He has many of his Divine powers because Lucifer made them dark." Sam reminded.

"Mike's block...it might be because Michael was a very powerful angel. He is known and believed by so many people. I don't even know who Zadkiel is," Remus shook his head, "I'll save my other questions for Lucifer, though. Sorry if I annoyed you."

"I like questions." Sam shrugged. "Those were the most interesting ones I ever received. Lucifer will love you."
~+~
Lese stood up when she felt him draw near and she bowed before giving him a quick hug, "I didn't know what to do besides call you, but I think it's time. She's going to die if she stays a Ghoul, Luce. Sirius, the man with her, will die as well, from a broken heart if nothing else."

Lucifer frowned deeply. It was...so similar to his daughter and her lover from the long time past. Personality and aura was completely different with this man. He walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. Her arm was entirely black and the veins going down her side of the body were probably just as black if he pulled the covers to the side. Half of her face was also shrouded in darkness. Yes. It'd be soon. She'd be burned alive. "There's a method." He said after a moment. "But in order to do it....I have to have her anchored to someone's timeline."

"I offer mine." Ian said as he came through the door. "I've lived for seven hundred years, possibly longer. If she needs a timeline, I have enough to spare. She's been like a second child to Lese and I. I will not have her suffer a moment longer."

Sirius looked up, eyes red and eyes black from despair, but there was a spark of silver from hope. Who was this person? The one Lese mentioned? She and Ian spoke so respectfully to him, "I need her." He said with a rasp, "I'll do anything. She has our child. She can't die. If you can save her, use me. I was going to die before her, anyway, but I don't know how she'd be without me."

"She'll suffer." Lucifer agreed. "I'm sorry old friend, but...I believe I will take a leap of faith." He rolled up his kimono sleeves. "When I break this curse upon her, her powers will be crippling. With her accelerated healing and my magic, we'll repair the burn together. However, once that's said and done, she'll be severely weakened. That's when I will match your timelines. However, whether this mean you'll be granted a demon's timeline and you will become old beyond measure, or her to be granted a human's lifeline and die as soon as she would've had she remained a ghoul, maybe a bit longer, is up to fate's design. Will you take this chance knowing this?"

"Yes! Yes...can I stay right where I am or do I have to move away from her again?" His voice cracked at the thought of parting from her, but he would understand if he was in the way.

"It'll be best to stay where you are. Poor little one is a bit frightened as they don't know what's going on." Lucifer replied. "Your touching is soothing to her as well, even if she can't register it at the moment. When I need you, I'll have you re-position yourself." He took a breath. "Keep her steady and calm if you can, and I'll begin."

Lese had an arm around Ian and her other hand on his chest as they stood back and let Lucifer do his magic, "Sirius is a miracle. I don't know many besides you who wouldn't hesitate to offer their life like that."

"I'm praying that it works," Ian admitted as he watched Lucifer begin at Shaye's hand. They could hear the crackling rip of a magic coming undone by threads. Shaye let out another scream, and Sirius was running his hand through her hair, whispering promises and assurances. Sometimes his hand wandering down low to her womb to carcass there, now aware that the babe was emoting. "He loved her when she showed him what he was. To him, she is the sun of his earth, the flowers in his garden. To her, he is her prince in shining armor, her north star. I suppose if you look at it that way, it is no wonder. They would rather perish together, than to live without the other. What a dangerous love they have."

"I feel as if that is all of our, more or less, adopted children this time around. There have been times where we would find one, but not the other. Everything is coming together this time, and I wonder if it is prelude to darker times ahead. This Dark Lord...I do not like the sound of him. It sounds.../too/ familiar..." Lese bit her lip and her eyes twitched to narrow but there was no other physical flinch to Shaye's next scream.

"Considering Lucifer is breaking the curse on Shaye, I will bet that it is." Ian sighed. "He wouldn't break this curse, it was a treaty. But God has made them into playthings and if dark times do grow near, the demons are needed. Not Ghouls."

"Michael...we need him as Zadkiel to Link truly as well. We need everyone and that won't work if some of us are blocked. This Regulus...I haven't seen him but I hear the whispers of the others. Do you think Koko's mate has finally showed himself?" Lese looked up at her husband curiously, "You would know a bit more than me."

Ian was thoughtful, "Perhaps." He said after a moment. "I didn't get to meet him. When I see him, I'll know more. If he is indeed Kokoro's long time mate reincarnated, then...we can truly say that there is a darker time coming. Locien wouldn't reincarnate unless he absolutely had to, and Kokoro wouldn't have left hell to find him."

Lucifer finally got rid of the magic and he placed his hands over Shaye's heart. After a moment, they could feel a powerful surge. Her power was no longer in blood, but it was still unprotected and blocked to know what it it is that she may be good at. "Sirius," He told him after a moment. "Place your hands where mine are and concentrate on your life. Picture it and make sure her and the child are will envisioned in it. Focus on the flow of power and don't be afraid to let it travel through you."

Sirius shifted to be in a more comfortable position, putting his hands where they were required of him. He would do more than that. Closing his eyes, he felt as if he was dying, everything pulsing behind his eyelids in fast-forward, but then once he flew through his childhood, school life, and late teens it stopped, focusing in on when he first met Shaye int he dark woods with Remus, in his animagus form. There'd been confusion, but all he could do was lock eyes with her. The blood was freaky, but she was captivating. It forwarded again, through the good and rough times they had together the last two months. Coffee together since she couldn't eat. The thought-out dates with raw food she could eat while he had some fruits. Calling her Cherry Pie and her cute blush...their first time together...the recent weeks...their last date and pouring his heart out to her, drinking her blood and coupling with her to make their child. His brain went forward to the future even, seeing the proposal, though he had many ideas for it. The bachelor/ette parties, baby shower, wedding, arguing over names, birth...oh what would the baby /look like/? Boy or girl they'd be /gorgeous/.

Watching their baby growing up, becoming even more stunning as an adult. Jealousy either way because he'd be a good daddy, protective and only wanting someone true for his offspring. Gandchildren! Age would be slow, but he'd feel wiser with time...but he just wanted them to be together as long as possible, for whenever he did get grey hair. He would want to curl up with her, smelling her beautiful hair and staring into the eyes he fell in love with first. If she was old and grey as well, they'd pass together. That was a far-off dream and he would be /damned/ if he let her go!

Lucifer could feel his hopes and dreams feed into Shaye and he could feel Shaye doing her utmost to weakly respond back. He encouraged her to keep the flow going, being a support while she gave him hers. He could feel it was a struggle, she was losing consciousness, but the cycle was a stable circle. Sirius was giving as well as receiving and so was she. He let this continue on for a few moment's longer before gently tapping Sirius. "Keep your hands there, but you can stop. For you two I will give you a early wedding present. Just one of few I have planned." He closed his eyes and started connecting them, making their bond a little stronger and intense. Allowing the ability to read minds and actually feel each other a little better than the muddled confusion they were having. "There," He smiled warmly. "Join your wife in sleep, you did well." He promised Sirius. "Your child is secure in the womb, I doubt she'll miscarry."

"Will she need to eat?" Ian asked swiftly.

"Actual food or meat?" Sirius added absently, smiling at the sound of 'wife'. He knew something was different. Her skin wasn't nearly as grey but it was still pale.

"She won't have the need for human meat though I'm certain she'll have a taste for rare or at least medium rare meats." Lucifer agreed. "Might as well start of off with something she's used to, than to toss her into something blind when she's still recovering." He smiled warmly as he brushed a strand of hair away from Shaye's eyes. "I should welcome you to the family, Sirius. You are the second person in my family's lineage to be an outsider to love someone decedent from Hell. Questions later, I will remain here for three days rather than the normal two. I fear I may have a lot of work cut out for me on earth."

()
The first person to seek Lucifer out was actually Phoenix, as he was on the second floor, having been relieved from watching the little ones from Miranda and Trevor. He waited until the second wave of power surge had faded before appearing just outside the sick room area, waiting for the Underworld King to emerge. When he did, Nix gave a polite, short bow before quickly straightening, knowing he didn't care for such things deep down, "There are so many things to talk about between the whole lot of us, but not nearly enough time to get to it all. I'm glad Shaye will be alright now, after you and Sirius took care of her. I'm sure it will be strange for her to be able to eat human things now. I still remember when it was the reverse and how...upsetting it was when I could no longer eat my favorite dishes, but now she has a chance to find some of her own."

Lucifer nodded, "I plan to stay for at least three days, so that at least most of what's going on is fixed...and you're informed of what's happening. What's affecting Earth, does indeed affect Hell." He smiled sadly. "I waited too long, Raguel. The moment the curse was set upon my grandchildren and their families and friends, I should have stepped in. But I had believed that the treaty would work. God wold leave our kind alone, so long as we remained in the shadows. Magic became bloodline...He could not erase it. Yet his children still tormented mine and my generation of friends. My regret lingers, my daughter would've been angry at me for letting go for so many generations." He paused. "It's funny. Sirius and Shaye remind me so much of how Persphone and I are. Shaye is a lot like Persphone, it's a bit disorientating, even if she followed my daughter's footsteps and loved an outsider."

"That outsider became the best Prince that Hell ever had, respected /and/ feared, but in a healthy way, like you," Nix smiled and he looked towards the door where Ian and Lese came through after covering Shaye and Sirius with blankets so they could rest. He nodded to them as well and watched as they went downstairs, leaving them to their privacy. "Lucifer...I've come to understand some things in this cycle that I didn't before."

Lucifer raised and eyebrow, prompting his friend and brother to continue.

"Before...way back in the day, Raphael and I were more or less equals in terms of personality and how the...dynamic of our relationship worked. I am the Bringer of Justice, ruthless and stoic and often times befoe and after people who don't know me believe I am cold. Raphael, while the Healer of our group, was a fiery redhead who was no pushover. He did not even care he was cast for disobedience, as he felt strongly about the person he saved from death, and how they didn't deserve it." Nix smiled in admiration, softly to himself, before continuing.
"We often...fought for dominance though at the same time we were sweet on each other. It was because of the way we push and pulled then that I didn't understand the other's relationships, how one was more submissive than the other...in say, Michael's and Zadkiel's case, Michael was much more dominant and felt protective of Zad, almost as if he was a woman. Uriel and Chamuel were the same. Still are, even," he amended the last part, "Yet in this cycle...Masanori, Zad's vesel, is much more dominant over Mike. I, myself, am the dominant one over Candice. Candy can still put me in my place if he has to, just like he used to, but often he just likes to have fun with me, and let me take charge. He has a power of me this time that is different than before, and he knows it. He is smaller than I am, and I want to protect him and make sure no harm comes to him even though I am /aware/ of how he can care for himself."

Lucifer had to smile. Oh he could remember how Raphael would tear into Raguel if he thought his territory was being invaded and that Raguel forgot the words of "mercy" and "compassion." He could see how they would fight for dominance over the years and years of them getting together because of that. Michael and Zadkeil, the strongest Archangel and the leader of the Angelic Armies, and his lieutenant and sometimes only shoulder. Michael who couldn't be seen as anything but strong, would protect the one thing that could bring him light. He smiled a little. It was a lesson and understanding he thought his friend and brother wouldn't come to for quite sometime. He stayed silent, knowing too well that Nix had more to say.

Phoenix took a deep breath, "I suppose...what I am trying to say, is I have grown, changed, and the same goes for all of us. Some things are still the same, but so much has changed to help us see things from different perspectives. Sam has already taken the step to ensure he and Matt are forever linked by marrying under your name. You remember Persephone gushing about it, I'm sure..." he shifted, "I want to do the same with Candice, and I am certain that Masanori would like to with Mike as well down the line. I'm going to propose on New Years. I just...wanted you to know that I understand what it is like to want to protect someone, how it makes you stronger, not weaker. I would like if you could go to help the last of our brethren before you take the time to let the rest speak with you. I want them to be happy, as I am with Candice, as Sam and Matt are. They've waited long enough, especially with my rambling."

"It pains me to say this, but it is no longer simple to just break the block, Raguel." Lucifer sighed. "Azrael made a complete mess of Michael's solider and by default, Zadkiel's alliance. Therefore it's become a tangle rather than a straight line. Are they all here or is it just them two?"

"They are at Az-" Nix cut off when he felt his mate's presence reappear above him, and he looked up, "Well, they /were/ at her home in the forest. Matt took Azrael's and Slate to Hana's designated room. Candy took Zad and Mike to Masa's room."

"Might be best if we get all four in the same room. I know you can communicate that to Raphael. Hopefully we don't cause too much of an issue, but unless I see it...I won't know what I can do." Lucifer sighed. "Since I know where Azrael's room is here, I'll meet them there. Fingers crossed Fireside doesn't actually become a fireside."

~*~

The two that were in the most pain were on the bed together looking like complete crap. Slate, on one hand, looked...dead to the world, head in his hands and body slumped. It was like he'd lost hope, and was unresponsive to anything around him. He hadn't even opened his mouth to mention the teleporting. Mike. on the other hand, was actually unconscious. He looked like he was dreaming, however, or rather was having a very bad nightmare. Masa had had to carry him from the other room after being told they needed to all be together, and Mike had clung to him so tightly he almost ripped Masa's shirt. It was also like he was in pain, making whimpers and tossing his head.

Lucifer sighed at the damage that was caused. He could see Hana, no...Azrael standing by the bed, hands clasped tightly in front of her and mouth in a firm line. He knew to well what that look meant. Azrael didn't know mercy. Compassion to her was a gentle death, nothing more. To pass on the dead, regardless of the living's feelings. "I pity you sister. You're the longest living angel among everyone. God nor I can control your whims. You cut strings and you tie them together to your leisure. More times than I can count you made enemies of your siblings than friends. Even Raphael once swore vengeance upon you. I thought having a child, and falling in love, would spare you. Apparently, it made you more ruthless."

Hana's eyes widened as if she were smacked, and then narrowed. "The dead cannot stay on this plane unless it's willing. Even then, it's dangerous. You know this as well as I do. The living can affect the dead and the balance-" Lucifer gave her a glare and she growled, "<You do not get to tell me how to do my job.>"
"When it hurts your beloved, its' in my place." Lucifer retorted and then fell silent for the longest time. He watched the three of them, silently suffering in their own way. He rolled up his kimono sleeves. "Sister, the only person you have ever listened to was Michael and Zadkiel. War and death and protection go hand in hand with each other. They are the holy trinity. Perhaps, if my advice goes unheeded...you'll listen to them instead. I'll go to Michael first. He has the strongest voice."
Lucifer knew too well how deep his words cut, and for a moment he felt sad. Azrael was the sister everyone hated and no one adored. Only Michael and Zadkiel sometimes consider to be a friend. She could give death a gentler touch. He walked over to Mike and gently pulled him into a sitting position, head rolling to the side. "Forgive me brother." He said after a moment. "You were the one who cast me down to hell, and I know how that tore at you, especially after all that went down. Your heart, and no angel's purity could hold that type of damage. I could have spared you, but I was stubborn. When Zad died and fell..." He took a breath and placed his finger tips on either side of Mike's temples. "I will not let you suffer a moment longer." The block was easy to navigate, but...the lock itself was...hard. It was not a simple chain and padlock with a missing key. It was a combination lock and Lucifer knew that each key hole had to be clicked in a certain order. It was a shame that Zadkiel wasn't awake, this combination would work flawlessly. God certainly foresaw that. Once the block was off Mike, it would be off Zad. Until then, Zadkiel was merely a memory bubbling the surface. Mike...would suffer silently.



Lucifer stared at the locks that appeared before him. The combination, clearly was the memories. He went up to each lock which had a small tidbit of information that was carved in gorgeous script he recalled Michael having. The first lock said, “My heart’s dove”. Lucifer had to step back, and think about this. The dove that was spoken of was clearly Zadkiel, but what memory? He tapped his finger to his chin in thought before one slowly unraveled in his mind.

He placed his hand over the lock and concentrated. He was walking along the Gardens of the Kingdom’s Courtyard. The scent of spring weighed heavily in the air, flowers were forever blooming and a fountain could be heard off in the distance. The birds chirped and sang cheerful songs and everything was bright as the golden sun. He could recall how the grass was plush on his bare feet, and how his white robes didn’t stain, instead they flowed along his ankles. The nonexistent breeze pushed back his gorgeous long locks, making him look elegant, and beautiful. Indeed, he was Morningstar here, the gorgeous creation God could’ve made.

He could hear laughter behind the rose hedges and curiosity was piqued. It wasn’t unusual, but the voices were familiar and he had not heard this laugh in…several thousand years. He turned the corner and promptly fell back.

Michael, in all of his armored glory was sitting on the fountain’s edge, laughing and laying his head in Zadkiel’s lap. His short bangs were happily falling into his eyes as Zad was fruitlessly trying to push them away. His long, black hair was tied up in a high ponytail, both of their swords were left carelessly on the ground.

Lucifer was struck, not by the way they tossed their swords aside. No. But how they were together. They were blooming like the flowers on the earth after a long winter’s day. Michael closed his eyes, peace that he had never seen before was clear on his face.

“I envy the humans down below.” Zadkiel finally said, breaking the tenderness of the silence.

“Why? Their lives are just a blink of an eye. They are temporary in God’s design.” Michael looked up at Zad. “Is it their purpose you’re jealous of, Zad? Careful, envy is a powerful sin. Look what it did to our…brother.”

Zadkiel made no mention of it, instead he answered the first of the question. “They can love whomever. They have that free will. Humans will always go back and forth about the Great Creator’s word, that’s true….”

“What your merely suggesting is sin in itself.” Michael interrupted. “You and I both know that the Great Creator wants more children. They can’t do that if they’re-“

“Children are left abandoned in wars, Mike.” Zadkiel admonished. “There were many times where I thought to beg Azrael to take their lives too, even if they were healthy. Better up here, than down there where there’s no one to love and care for them.”

Michael fell silent.

“Adoption should be considered a blessing, Mike.” Zad said after a moment. “Love should be considered a high virtue.”

“And it is.”

“Then why are we not allowed to love? Why is it that my lips are sealed to the one who holds my heart?”

Michael’s heart broke. “Do you love a human?”

“Nay. If I tell you the holder of my heart, will you betray me? Will you send me to our fallen brother?”

“You know I wouldn’t.” Michael’s eyes snapped towards him. “Though you should be warned there’s no secrets with the Great Creator.”

“Angels should have free will.” Zad disagreed. “Therefore, I chose you to be my heart mate. My forever bound.”

“Me?” Michael slowly sat up and turned to face him, knees barely brushing against each other. “Me out of all the angels?”

“You. Out of all the angels.” Zad admitted. “I noticed your looks. I noticed how your eyes wandered towards me. If you’re afraid of Divine Wrath, then let us break apart and say no more-“

“Are you calling me a coward?” Mike sounded delighted. “You of all people?”

“I’m only trying to-“

Michael broke his protest with a searing kiss that left Lucifer, who was merely watching, blushing a bright red. He pulled away, eyes hooded. They said nothing as they stood up, swords still lying discarded, and they hurried through the gardens in a lover’s rush.

Lucifer came back to himself and he could hear a loud click. The third lock disappeared and he took his breath back. He could still feel heat in his cheeks as he thought back towards the confession, and what they clearly were about to do.

His morning dove was always going to be Zadkiel.

But now he had to think about what the second memory was going to be. The words that were written said “My Soul’s Gratitude.”

Thankfulness was hard to give to Michael. He would be forever thankful about Zadkiel and having the ability to love him…ah but that was the trick wasn’t it? Michael’s and Zadkiel’s love wasn’t going to last. Therefore, what was the easiest way to make that come true?

He placed his hand against the lock and took a breath, going into the memory.

Michael was sitting on the fountain, the golden glow of Heaven no longer seemed to have a spark. The kingdom was starting to look desolate and even the fountain that once sprouted fresh, clear water was turning blue. The scent of spring and the flowers didn’t do anyone cheer. Instead, it felt like that Lucifer was walking on an endless grave.

Michael’s sword was unsheathed, the point barely digging into the ground. His eyes black and soulless, they were not eyes of an angel. They were eyes of a demon, at the very least. They were eyes that no longer knew what love was, that no longer could feel a touch of a kind hand.

Lucifer already knew what was going to happen. Michael’s sword went up and he pointed it at his neck. His eyes gazed upwards and Lucifer could practically hear his plea before he plunged the sword into his throat, blood staining the ground below him.

Zadkiel had died…leaving Michael behind. Michael who knew that suicide on earth would only cause him to heal and wake up here, committed suicide and stained heaven with it’s blood. He would be banned from heaven for seven hundred years, and forever cursed to reincarnate to make him prove his worth. Oh he’d keep some of his abilities, God was not cold. But he would always walk a line of despair and hope, and it’d be kept thin.

A horrible curse, and yet…the one Michael longed for. He had seven hundred years to reincarnate and to search for his beloved, wherever his beloved may be in the world.

The fifth locked clicked and fell. Lucifer opened his eyes and sighed at the door that stood before him. “Did you have to torment yourself brother?” He asked after a moment. “What could you possibly gain from punishing yourself? Your love was a gift, your suicide was a curse. Did you really see the opposite? Did the Great Creator do you wrong?”

He wasn’t expecting an answer. He let the silence deafen his ears and his mind. He wished he could hear his brother speak to him, tell him what was going through his mind. He took a breath and the third clue came to him.

“The poisoned apple.”

A snow white reference, Lucifer would have to hold back from rolling his eyes. Out of everyone who was there, who searched and searched, only Jophiel knew of the folklore the humans were coming up with and would repeat it back to the angels. Michael’s (or was it Zadkiel’s?) favorite story was of snow white. It shouldn’t surprise him to see it, but it was…heartbreaking.

He could hear Jophiel’s cheerful voice as he told the story, doing the dramatics as much as possible. Azrael would even come by and sit. They were neutral with each other, the only brother and sister that never had a fight, nor had a love. He would weave the story and he could hear his other brothers request their favorites, teasing him endlessly for trying to know all of this.

But that memory wouldn’t serve this purpose. If Jophiel was a big part of Michael’s and Zadkiel’s lives, he would be around more and Lucifer would see them hang around and about. No. They didn’t circle with each other much.

Therefore, the poisoned apple was a metaphor, and it broke Lucifer’s heart on what that metaphor was. It was, indeed, the same metaphor that made him infamous for stealing Eve’s “innocence” and Adam’s “naivety” (But seriously, what else did the Divine Creator was going to have them do?) He placed his hand over the lock and closed his eyes.

Uriel was flickering on the candle wick while Chamuel was reading a book of Names and Lives. His pen gliding across different names and drawing lines to connect them in his way. Love, love was his method and no one would take that form him. Chamuel would glance up at Uriel, who’d flick in response.

Uriel couldn’t speak. He was Light, therefore he was just that. He could become small for a candle, large for the sun, he was God’s dramatic entrance, he enhanced Morningstar’s beauty. Lucifer watched as Michael kept his eye on them. Chamuel clearly melting further and further into something akin to love sick.

“Why are you a flame?” Chamuel finally asked. “Why don’t you have a spiritual body like the rest of us do?”

“The Divine Creator didn’t see reason for it.” If a flame could shrug, this did. “I’m content where I’m at.”

“But how am I to kiss you?” Michael spluttered, but kept himself silent. His eyes widened at the confession. It was spoken so loudly. There was no doubt that God heard them. Even Lucifer felt his heart clench in fear, even if this was a memory.

He forgotten how loud Uriel and Chamuel were with their feelings. But, a flame wasn’t supposed to have any, and God made a mistake of giving Chamuel the hardest emotions to master. Love and the heart’s desire.

“Your words are kisses enough,” Uriel promised. “Asking me to be your candle rather than making me give up apart of myself, is enough.”

“So drab.” Chamuel sniffed. “I want to hold you and kiss you and-“

“Dangerous territory love, walls have ears we can’t see.” Uriel reminded. “But believe me, I know.” His voice sounded sad, soft and forlorn. “But will you love me even without this?”

“I love you,” Chamuel declared. “Even if you have seven arms.”

“You’re reading Jophiel’s story books again. What is with the seven armed Gods the humans create? Makes no sense. How will one get anything accomplished with that many arms?” Uriel scowled.

“Come now, angel heart. You sound like God when he gets upset over a new religion being built.” Chamuel scolded lightly. “Get your robe loose.”

“…I have no robe.”

“Are you serious?!”

This was no longer a conversation that Michael wanted to hear, and booked it out of the library before the conversation got any worse.

But it made him think of Zadkiel, and the many times he seen his naked body. The desire coursed through his veins and he immediately bit his finger in order to keep himself in line. No. No. He was NOT his fallen brother. He wouldn’t succumb to this.

But yet….

Lucifer sighed deeply as he let his hand dropped. “You and I will talk and I’m going to lecture you on how battle-weary your riddles are. You sound like a dying crone. Your love is alive and yet you pine away wistfully behind blocks of keys. Are you that much unaware that your beloved is with you and want you?”

Again, he wasn’t expecting an answer. He moved on towards the next riddle, “My livelihood” and already, Lucifer felt like he was plunged into darkness. He knew what this answer was, without needing to dig.

But in fact, it was a multitude of things.

Oddly enough, it was Raphael and Raguel who fell first. Raphael who stood up against the Divine Creator and Michael over a dying little boy. His heart was giving out and his mother had pleaded of divine intervention. Raphael answered the call, but God had requested to let the child die as it was his time and human’s lives were fragile. Raguel was to agree, Michael was just there to make sure that the order would happen.

The throne room was gold, huge and white. It was blinding and glorifying as the sun would always hit the room no matter the angle or time of day. Raguel stood on God’s left, down the second step. In his hand was a feather and a gold plate of scales. The feather was weighing heavily on the left. Emptiness was on the right. Michael was standing there, in ceremonial robes and armor, sword on his hip. Raphael was kneeling on the ground, forced by two lesser angels.

Raphael spat towards the God and glared up at him. “You cannot control who I heal and save. Azrael didn’t claim the soul. Therefore, it was mine to save.”

“Azrael failed me,” God mourned. “But she most likely was taking her time in order for the mother to say good bye.”

“Azrael is smart, she knew I’d save the child if the mother plead. You let me save others, why not the child?” Raphael argued, barely struggling against the bonds.

“Humans will become greedy. Not every prayer is ours to answer.”

“Then spare me your calls, and your summons. Cut my wings and cast me down. Let our Fallen Brother find me and do what he sees fit. Perhaps we should’ve listened to him-“

“Raphael, please.” Raguel spoke up. “Don’t be rash.”

“Listen to your brother.”

“My lover.” Raphael snapped. “And if you take his side, your heart I don’t want nor desire!”

Michael heard God sigh and Raguel gasp. Raphael’s words cut deep, and it hurt everyone to hear their brother deny God. The order didn’t even need to be given. His sword unsheathed, and the wings were cut.

Raguel disappeared soon afterwards. Days in human time.

Soon afterwards, about a day later in human time, Chamuel stomped over to Michael and before the full-body flame could pull back, or attempt to barricade, he grabbed the fronts of Michael’s robes and shook him. “You took my twin away from me!” It was just lucky that they were out on the terrance’s hallway heading into the main building where a sitting room was. The porch shielded them from the sun’s hot rays, but the shadows didn’t cover what was happening here.

“Your twin had no business-“

“Ever since you lost Zad, you been taking your grief out on us.” Chamuel snapped. “Sheathe your sword and renounce your title as “Archangel” Michael. You are no longer to command us.”

“Only God has that right,” Michael snapped. “My wings stay firm on my back.”

“Fuck you.” Chamuel snapped. “Give me my brother, or send me to him. I will not be sentenced to a life of fear because of you.”

Michael looked slapped. “You dare?”

“I dare more than that. Give me your sword, I’ll take these wings off my self or demand Uriel to burn them.”

“I will not hurt you.” Uriel replied. “But I’ll go down with you.”

“First we lose our laughter and love, now we lose our light?!” Michael demanded. “Have you two gone insane? Even Raguel went missing.”

“Open your eyes.” Chamuel’s eyes were watery and his lips were red from being bitten and rubbed. “Don’t you see that heaven is falling apart? Do you not see that Zad’s death affected everyone? That what Morningstar said was true? God created us to be his eyes, ears, and hands. And yet when we try to use that power, we cannot. We’re punished. Tell me, is that justice? Raguel will say no.”

“Raguel is God’s mind. If he says no then the Divine Creator says no.”

“He said no to Raphael’s sentence!” Chameul snapped. “His judgment is no longer God’s to control. It’s Morningstar’s.”

“Lucifer…” Michael sighed. “Is this really what you want? To fall from heaven? You’ll lose everything.”

“You don’t know me well enough to tell me what I lose. You don’t know me to know what I’m gaining. Cut my wings, Archangel. I don’t want to talk to you anymore. Your mind’s clouded. Zadkiel’ll be ashamed.”

The sword unsheathed.

Lucifer was most surprised by Jophiel. He gave up his wings in order to save a human and turn them into a saint of arts. Michael watched the fall with shocked eyes. His sword quivered in his hand. Heaven and earth lost a colorful soul and Michael was starting to detest war.

Perhaps, the sword should also be turned on him. Perhaps…he should not cut his own wings. Everyone was right. Heaven was falling apart. As he walked through the gardens like a funeral pyre, thinking of all the judgements. How Zadkiel had saved his life and how in return for the life he saved, he practically killed all of his siblings besides one now.

He sat down at the fountain, the scene playing out where he would unsheathe his sword. But, not yet. He sat at the edge of the fountain and took off his shoes, letting his soles touch the ground. A young woman with dark black hair and a simple shroud walked over to him and sat down with him.

“What am I doing to myself Az?” Michael asked after a moment. “Where, where are my brothers going? What are they seeing that I no longer see? I see corruption. I see unfairness. If my brothers were here still, with me, would this happen?”

“Yes.” Az replied easily. “God forgets, even Angels have their time.”

“I cut their wings, they’re forever fallen.” Michael gripped his head. “Az, tell me what to do. What do I do?”

“I’m not a fortune seer. My abilities are only attached to the breathing and the dying. Nothing more. Nothing less. Why ask my advice when you know what I’d give?”

“Heartless.”

“I may be.” Azrael admitted. “But I allowed Raphael to spare the child. I allowed Zadkiel to die. One right cannot fix a wrong. Nor do I want it to.”

“Maybe you’re the true god.”

“I’d be a very boring God. Ask Lucifer when you see him.” Azrael smiled slightly.

“I should…” Michael sighed. “Will he forgive me? Will he love me still?”

“Lucifer will forgive you. Zad will love you.” She touched the hilt of the sword and walked off, her voice barely carrying, “So you don’t feel pain.”

Lucifer let his hand drop hard against his side. He spared no words, instead heading over to the last and final door and riddle. The loud click and he could feel an enormous sense of power now that there was only one last thing to do. It was suffocating, but Lucifer knew how to match his brother’s wavelength.

“The knife that severed all ties.”

“Me.” Lucifer responded aloud. He didn’t need touch the lock to confirm his answer. No, this was simple. The memory flooded as if it just happened recently.

His feet skidded against the rocky terrain, his sandals abused beyond repair and his feet cut from the sharp rocks. He brought his sword up to deflect Michael’s sword. The sounds of swords clanked loudly, echoed throughout this barren wasteland that would one day be called home. His sword came back down again and Lucifer blocked it again. Clothes were torn and armor was dented and blood was spilled. Lucifer’s hair was in a wild frenzy he no longer had it tied back.

People were dying around them. Angels, humans, demons. All of them. Demons that Lucifer learned how to create. They were stupid looking with horns and red skin. Really pathetic, but they were the best he could come u with at this current time in his power. The first demons…and the strongest ones. Michael rubbed blood from his nose and Lucifer picked his sword up with a heavy breath. It was starting to become tiresome to just swing. They’ve been at this for three years now.

“To think I once called you brother.” Michael spat. “When in the end you betrayed us all. Heaven needs no one like you.”

“Heaven needs some one like me.” Lucifer replied, heaving his sword up into a defense. “God will destroy us and the humans below.”

“It is you that will destroy us all!” The fight began again. Parry, attack, parry, attack. Did more years pass or not? Lucifer and Michael were losing strength, they were trying their hardest to continue when they knew that it was futile. All of the archangels were here, all of the demons that were strong enough to be created were here, and plenty were dying on the ground. This was the first time, the only time, Lucifer met Azrael in all her glory, bending down and taking souls away with her like they were collector’s items. The fight went around her without so much of a scratch. No one dared to lay a hand or sword on her.

To kill death was a paradox that couldn’t nor wouldn’t happen. Lucifer looked back to see Michael struggle to keep standing. He knew, he knew that there was no happy ending to this war. He was losing, he didn’t give himself time to ferment his newfound abilities. His angel wings turning darker than black. “Will you cut my wings?” Lucifer mocked. “Hang them to see?”

“No.” Michael said harshly. “Instead, I bound you here.” Lucifer’s eyes widened. To bind another angel was high power energy.

“Are you insane?!”

Michael brought his sword down swiftly in a series of illustrations. Five cuffs wrapped around him; neck, wrists, and ankles. Chains yanked him suddenly to the earth and the ground began to shake. “Forever you are bound to this earth and it’s core. Never will you step foot in heaven. Never will you taste the sweetness of fruits. You will never be loved or have worshippers. You will not be considered a god in anyone’s eyes. For this I bind. With all of my might.” He said something in latin, probably seal and Lucifer screamed.

And screamed.

And screamed.

Iron burned his flesh and earth began to pile on top of him as he started to sink further and further below. The end of Morningstar and the beginnings of the Underworld King.

A surge of power and an oxygen deprived deep gasp of air filled the room, and it was nearly as crippling as when Lucifer had appeared on this plane. Only this time the power was quicker to disappear back into it's normal state. Michael's eyes had snapped open and he just /stared/, as if he had been blind and was seeing the world for the first time. It was not Zadkiel's eyes that he found first, or even Lucifer's. Instead they landed upon Azrael, "You will help me heal the man beside me, as you were the one who caused him pain." No formalities. Those could be saved for later, and his eyes flickered to Lucifer with a soft edge of gratitude before he slipped off the bed and stood at his full height, back straight, facing the woman with short black hair and grey eyes. He was not ignoring his treasure behind him, and knew he knew that. There were more pressing matters at hand and once they were dealt with, he would be able to give him his full undivided attention, which he deserved.

Hana pursed her lips together, but instead of arguing, or even trying to stall, she walked over to Michael and Slate. Her eyes watered a little at the pitiful sight before her.She knew this was her fault. All of it. She bowed her head for a moment and then said softly. "I don't know what to do. She's still here, glaring at me, but she has a voice. She wants him to hear it. Should I do possession? How do I heal Michael?"

"I want her to have her own voice, not someone else's," Michael hummed to himself, "Knowledge of years helps me here. Spirits need energy in order to move anything. They're stronger at water sources and on full moons. As we have neither, I'll just offer my new found energy. It's been locked away so long," he cracked his neck, "Why not put it to some good use?" He held his hand out and summoned a pure energy ball that swirled gold within white, "Jayden, is it?" he hadn't asked anyone her name, and he watched as Slate finally lifted his head, but no reaction besides, "Go on, touch it dear. Speak to him yourself."

"She doesn't know what that white thing is...she's scared it's going to hurt." Hana translated. "Will it hurt or burn?"

"I don't know," Mike said honestly, "Maybe a little, but I'm only giving gentle feelings here. It's not a fire, just me. There's enough energy here that I'm sure you can even manifest, if you want to give him something to focus on."

Hana watched as J.J cautiously approached the white light. She glanced at Hana who nodded her head and she turned back to the white light. She took it into her hands and she felt a wave of energy go zapping through her, turning her solid. She stared at her self, at her hands, no longer seeing through them. "I'm...real? Temporary?" J.J's voice had a crack in it, a sign that she was still in puberty when she died.

Zad smiled, but sadly. His beloved always was going to tend to his solider's first, regardless of when and hwere. It was nice, that it hadn't changed. To see J.J standing before them, made his eyes widened a bit. It obviously had been a while and the reminder that Michael's abilities were strong hit home quick.

"Temporary, but I can't tell you how long it'll last. I wasn't expecting that," Michael held both hands up when Slate jumped to his feet, "Easy, easy, both of you," he warned, "Slate...?"

"Jaybird?" Slate's voice cracked. It sounded like back in the kitchen, broken and though his eyes were dry, tears were in his voice, "You're so small..." he fell to his knees and his hands were out like he wanted to touch, but he was obviously afraid.

J.J's eyes burned with tears, but she had no body to give them to. Instead, she reached out and gently took his hands. So hard and rough from the callouses and she knelt down too, carefully like she was afraid that she'd turn invisible again. "I don't know how to speak." She said after a moment. "I...have so much I want to tell you."

"Tell me you don't hate me..." Was Slate's whimpering request, "Did you run away because of me after I left? You were so angry with me..." he did start crying, and they were the big fat tears that dropped straight from his eyes down to the carpet.

"I never hated you." J.J's voice broke like she was sharing in his pain. "I didn't run away. I was heading home after school, a van came by...I was chloroformed before I had a chance to use those self-defense moves you told me about in your letters. I kept them. Every one."

Slate moved his hand to her cheek, more tears falling, "Father started drinking and I stole his booze...not like he noticed. I blamed myself every day, Duck. I never stopped looking for you even after everyone gave up. No one else seemed to care but me. I love you...I miss you," he hesitantly leaned into her, sobbing into her shoulder once he found it didn't give way, "I hoped you were okay...but after mom and dad broke up I couldn't...I couldn't stay...I had so many nightmares you went home but I wasn't there for you...like I wasn't there for you when you were taken..." he always walked her to and from school, "None of this would've happened-" he was cut off.

"Dilly-dally shilly-shally," J.J frowned at him as she gently wrapped her arms around him. "I saw your nightmares, I know about all of how you blame yourself. But it would've happened if you were there." She pulled away. "And you would've blamed yourself then too. Slate. I'm not going to lie to you. Most of your nightmares /was/ my fault. I'm always so close to you, the moment I died I heard you call for me, I knew you were searching for me. It took me years before I realized I was dead." She took a breath. "You were there with me when I was taken, just as you were there with me when everything was happening. I had your locket you gave me for my birthday. Remember?"

Slate pulled back from her and sniffed, even had to wipe his eyes so he could see clearly, but he saw the shining silver heart around her neck, "They didn't take it from you? Or did you hide it?" he asked curiously.

"They didn't take it away. They realized that I'd fight them if they tried. They didn't like that very much." J.J sighed. "I'm sorry...I tried my hardest to survive, Slate. I lasted a lot longer than I should've, but...you wouldn't have recognized me after what they did. My living probably would've killed you."

Slate felt his grip on her starting to slip, and he felt his throat tightening. He looked at Hana and Mike who had gone quiet, giving them some semblance of privacy, "I have a couple questions..." he said softly.

Hana took a breath, readying herself and she stepped forward. "Okay..."

"Shoot," Michael encouraged.

Slate swallowed thickly, "Where will she go? Also...you guys are some sort of angels, right? So...is there a way I can get her locket from her death site? I want...to bury her properly instead of having a picture in a casket."

"Where she goes depends on her." Hana said after a moment. "If she wishes, she could go with Lucifer and become reincarnated or stay in his kingdom. Or she could go up to heaven. She is a murder victim. They have equal rights to her soul." She could feel Michael's and Zadkiels' glare now. "As for her locket..." She glanced at J.J. "Do you know where your body is hidden? A lot of ghosts don't."

"I know where I'm at..." J.J said after a moment. "I'm probably horribly....looking now. I...I'm in Europe." She closed her eyes in thought. "I'm in Spain. By the Coast. I believe on one of the Canary Islands. I'm in rocks, no one looks there."

Michael reached out and placed his hand on Jayden's head, "Just...hold the picture a moment..." he said softly, and gave her a tiny bit more energy as well before he pulled away, "It's odd to see into a Spirit's mind, but I'll be back," he smiled at Slate, "Hang in there, soldier," he said before using two fingers to wave and his wings fluttered out, enveloped him, and he was gone in a flash of light.

Slate looked at Jay again, but this time really took her in. He was much calmer now, and he stroked his sister's cheek again, "I am sorry, again, and I love you, Duck. You look much better than you did...have you decided where to go and what to do?" he asked.

"I love you and you don't have to be sorry. I'm sorry." J.J smiled sadly. "As for what I want to do...or go....I'm still debating. A part of me wants to stay. I've been in this plane for so long, I don't see a reason to move on. At the same time, I know that's where you want me to go. Okay big brother, help me out. Do you want me to stay? Or do you want me to go?"

"How about...we compromise? You stay a little while longer, but /only/," he stressed the word, "Until we find a place you really like and would enjoy being laid to rest for good. You'll have to communicate through Hana what you want. It'll give you time to think on where to go afterwards, as well."

J.J perked up. "Okay!" She paused and noticed that she was fading. "Listen before I go really, really fast: Love Kai. He's a sweetheart and he looks up to you. I'll do my best to point out what he likes, but he's a flower child. I really wish I was alive so I could hug him, so give him all of the hugs you possibly can. Oh and forgive Hana. You were mean to her when she was trying to give you a piece of her that was important. Alright...I love you! I'll talk to you again." And she disappeared.

"Ah...that..." Slate hummed in thought, bowing his head. Standing, he looked at the three remaining people in the room. They'd all been so patient and quiet, it was a bit nerve-wracking, "Can I be with Hana alone now? I'll send Mike after you," he nodded to Masanori.

"Sure," Zad stood up and nearly fell over. "Oops. Not used to human body with angel powers. This is going to be fun. You be kind to her." He winked and he walked out of the room. Lucifer said nothing, but gently touched Hana's shoulder as he too left the room, happy with the outcome.

When they were alone, Slate watched Hana closely before he took a breath and walked towards her, "I probably look like crap, but..." he leaned down and surprised her with a searing kiss to the lips, pulling her close to him and his arms immediately locked in a tight hug, as he had been afraid to do so with Jayden's temporary body.

Hana was shocked about the kiss and the tight hug. It took her a second to regain her senses before she managed to wrap her arms around him and kissed him back. When they parted, she stared at him a little blissfully. "Nani?"

"I hope you can forgive me," Slate smiled a bit sheepishly, "I spoke harsh words to you...seeing Spirits must not be easy, especially if you're seeing annoying little brats like my sister," he said, feeling light enough to joke, "I have no better excuse than...it was the shock of the situation and my denial that made me say what I did. I am very sorry."

"I should also apologize," Hana said smiling. "I shouldn't have sprung it on you and...I didn't realize how much you hoped that she was alive, and well. From the way you acted and how she acted, it felt like it was just a letting go problem."

"It's alright," Slate kissed her again, "I guess we have a mutual understanding, then. I care about you, Hana...I'm not sure if I'm ready for the big word, but I do care, and I want us and whatever this is to progress further. What about you?" he asked.

"I also don't know if I'm ready to say the other word." Hana admitted. "I'm used to being the guide of spirits, the one who breaks hearts. To care for you, I worry. While I forgive you for your harshness and for recoiling, I cannot help but to worry that the other spirits will be just as hard between us." She pursed her lips together. "I care about you, but not enough. I chose your sister over your well-being. I...I still don't what the right course of action would've been."

"I don't believe there was one, but here we are now. I think if this experience has taught me anything, it's to let go of the past, Hanako," he brought his hand to trace his fingertips along her jaw, "What happened, happened, and I want to move on and see what happens next. This time, if another Spirit crosses our path, I will be more prepared. That's the difference. I know now. I also know that you and apparently many others here are freakin' angels. I am /dating/ an angel. Who gets to say that without being called insane or people think I'm doting?"

"There are a lot of us that are angels, but most of us are dark creatures." Hana agreed. She stared at him for a moment, still unbelieving that he was willing to continue to be with her. "Why don't we go down stairs." She said after a moment. "And listen to everyone badger Lucifer for story time. I'm sure that...I'm sure that you're welcomed among us. Squib or not, you have a place here."

"Hey, I can still perform small magics," Slate sniffed and then jumped when Mike popped out of nowhere, holding the silver locket in his hand covered in sand.

"I...uh...took the liberty of putting her bones somewhere more comfortable, but her soul is tied to this," he promised, handing it to Slate.

He took the locket and swallowed thickly, dusting it off before he put it on, "Thank you, Mike. Right, Masa went downstairs. It's probably a clusterfuck down there, so I hope you don't mind but I'm going to just steal Hana for the night and relax."

Mike waved his hand, "You two have fun!" he said happily and quickly darted out of the room. Now all of his tasks were free, he felt his heart hammering in his chest. Freedom! Everything was in it's place and he could do what he /really/ wanted! Scrambling to the stairs he paused as he spotted red hair, but the voice was...ah, Sam, or otherwise Uriel. A sly smirk came across his face and he hid his energy, slowly creeping down.

Sam could feel an energy coming down from the stairs, but he dismissed it as he spoke with Remus. "-I told you he wouldn't be upset about asking questions." Just as he finished the sentence, something wrapped around his neck and he coughed when someone jumped on him. "You're heavy as hell."

"You have a body!" Michael chirped happily and laughed when his full body weight tipped them both over and he landed on top of Sam, grinning in his face.

Yes, otherwise I think you'd be burning to a crisp right about now." Sam rolled his eyes. "Welcome back to the world of the living, Mike."

Matt just only snickered, shaking her head from side to side. "You were missed Michael." She teased. "Somewhat."

"A little." Sam agreed.

Mike leaned down close to Sam's face, his grin turning impish and lewd, "I bet Chamuel /really/ enjoys kissing you..." he was thrown off and the shouted reply made him crack up, holding his sides.

"Gosh, what a reunion." Cass joked as she flipped her hair back. She was sitting on the chair with Regulus, her legs were draped over his lap and she had one arm casually slung across his shoulder. If anything, the pretty-boy goth looked like he got the punk-rocker chick. It was kind of funny to see really. "Michael's alive, Hana's proabbly having sex up stairs. It turns out Michael has a thing for Sam's body. Matt clearly staked a claim. All the sexual tension."

"Inside joke, I was making an inside joke," Mike clarified smirking at Sam's red face and Matt trying to hold in her snorts of laughter. He stood up and dusted himself off before he locked on Lucifer's location, perched in a chair apart from the others so he could see all of them and they could all see him, "Morningstar," he said firmly, the first to call attention before he strode over and wrapped his arms around Lucifer's neck. He didn't apologize. No formal or informal words could take away what he did. Instead, he let the old saying of 'actions speak louder than words' take over.

"It's been a long time." Lucifer hugged him back, tightly like one would embrace a brother from a long trip away. When they pulled away, he smiled. "I never thought I'd hear you say it again."

"The past will never be undone, but isn't this cycle our chance to start anew?" he asked, "You saw. I'm certain you are aware of the answers, as well," he smiled as he looked around. He would make apologies to the others later, even though he was sure of their replies in turn. He had ideas starting to form in his head as it was. He frowned when he didn't see the one he wanted most.

Remus watched as Masanori...no, someone else. What was it...Zadkiel? Snuck up on him as Mike had done to Sam. The honey-brown haired man looked so disappointed only for him to jump and spin around when arms were wrapped around him from behind. A silent exchange before they pulled apart. He knew that look, though. He'd shared it with Sirius often enough. They would have a private reunion of their own later. Right now, he watched as they found a cozy spot to curl up together, "Lucifer? I guess I have a simple question to start off with. Will Persephone be coming up later? The weather did say it was going to start snowing soon."

"She may be here tomorrow or another day." Lucifer agreed. "I told her through the link that Shaye's expecting and needless to say, she's wanting to say hello. Of course, to all of the children here." He shook his head. "It's been a toss of a coin as of late on whether or not we want to attempt to have our own children, but for now, we're content in spoiling everyone else's. We're the...odd grandparents I suppose."

"I'm looking forward to meeting her," Remus smiled brightly. He had so many questions, but now that he was actually here, it was like his tongue had tied.

Regulus was a bit more curious...and less tactful, "Are you really the Snake from the Christian stories I've heard? I don't think you are, because of what you did tonight. You're no devil."

"Oh, no." Lucifer shook his head from side to side. "Well, sort of." He amended. "I did trick Adam and Eve into the apple. But everything else? No." He shook his head. "I'm a trickster not a devil. The one you're thinking of, the true Snake and his Demon Mistress would be Azazel and Lilith."

Just like that, the tie was gone, "Lilith! Adam's first wife. Is it true she preys on children and that's why there are lullabies? What is Azazel's story? Are the levels of Hell and the Inferno real? What do you rule over? Do you actually..." he felt a gentle hand on his mouth and looked to see Tonks giggling into her hand.

"Not going to give the rest of us room to ask questions?" Regulus arched a brow and snorted as Remus' cheeks flamed.

Lucifer burst into laughter. "A werewolf whose a seeker of knowledge! I finally heard of everything! It's been a long time since I was graced with a werewolf's intelligence. After God's idea to make this into a sickness, well...no one no longer cares of spiritual journeys. They care to hide and to make sure they live to see another day. It's refreshing."

"It's only attractive because it's a novelty for you," Sam teased. "He's endless with the questions."

"I've tried very hard not to be the savage from legend and stories," Remus agreed to Lucifer.

"Shaye must have been some help to you, for you're not exactly denying your werewolf heritage like I seen most hybrids do." Lucifer agreed. "In answer to your questions, yes there is an Inferno. No I don't rule over the Inferno that is Azazel's and Lilith's territory. I'm plain and simple Hell. Yes, it is true that she used to prey on children. She'd steal them, make them her own, and then watch them die. And yes that is why there are lullabies. A sound sleeper will not wake up to Lilith's bells."

"She sounds like a witch." Tonks frowned deeply.

"She is technically the first witch there was. A human banned to Hell automatically for wanting equality, and then fraternizing with the enemy." Lucifer agreed. "But she became a demon. Azazel has complete control over her, even if she likes to think it's the other way around."

"Are they...mates? Bound?" Remus furrowed his brows.

"Yes, do tell us their story," Regs seconded for the real backstory.

"When Lilith fell to Hell for wanting to be equal to Adam, I offered her refuge." Lucifer admitted. "This was before I met Persphone. She had free reign to go wherever she pleased in Hell, so long as she didn't touch the Inferno. She didn't like the fact that I wouldn't fall for any of her charms, nor would I allow her entrance into my domain. It was the time where I was still building my empire and my reputation was still fragile. She grew upset, and wandered off into the Inferno. Azazel welcomed her into his domain and in offer of their bond, gave her half of his powers and the ability to leave the Inferno if she wished. Hence the cause of the second Civil War." Lucifer sighed loudly. "Lilith and Azazel are indeed bonded. Lilith is...insanely clingy to Azazel and she'll hang on his every word like a good puppet. Azazel likes to torment her. Awful story, he got her pregnant once, a long time ago, and made her kill her child. He told her that the child wasn't perfect enough. That's why they're on the very lowest part of the Inferno."

"It's a good thing this place is armed to the teeth with Dark Creatures and bloody /Angels/ and magic because with children here with possible hidden talents then it sounds like Lilith would be all over them," Regulus commented.

Lucifer nodded his agreement. "Infants are more her style. Toddlers are a bit annoying. Anything older than eight are not even considered."

"The smaller, the easier it is to carry," Remus frowned as well.

()
The rest of the night had been cut short, everyone exhausted from the day's events. Regulas took the time once everyone was out to slip out from under Cassandra's head, laying her tenderly on the couch so not to wake her. Then he took his cloak, laying it over her like a blanket, and headed for the door. There were footsteps on the stairs but he was already outside. Taking a breath of the chilly air, he watched is breath turn into a white cloud. Then the door opened and he heard a sad hum behind him.

Lucifer quietly shut the door behind him. He could taste snow and rain on the wind. It was hard to tell what covered up the stars more, the light pollution or th clouds. He leaned against the door frame and sighed, "Forgive my melancholy." He said after a moment. "Persphone leaving Hell means I go home to an empty Castle when this is all over. At least she'll be here to see things through if needed."

"They can call upon her if they need her? That will be good," Regulus turned around to face him, watching how it looked like steam was coming from Lucifer's body like an odd aura, "Were you a Fire element before you were cast down or is it inherent of going to Hell?"

"Morningstar." Lucifer nodded with a smile. "I was no Uriel, my ability was of pure light when I was an angel. When I was cast down, Michael burned me with iron for....a long time. I can't recall much of time. It goes by too fast for me to care about and mark. Well, before I had a wife and daughter anyway. Regardless, the iron corrupted my light and turned it into flames."

"I suppose that makes sense," he tilted his head at the angel, "So, is there a reason you followed me? Do you want to talk to me?"

"The Hunters are getting worse." Lucifer decided to cut to the chase. "Now that one of them is alive, they're going to know that wands with specific cores can hurt Ghouls, no...demons." He shook his head from side to side. "You know more about what's happening on the other side. I'd normally ask Cassandra, but..I fear you have more information than she does."

"I'm sorry I couldn't kill him. I was too focused on Shaye. I don't like talking about being on the other side, because I'm technically a turncoat. I'm working for them, but I have my own agenda," Regs folded his arms, "Is there anything specific you want to know?"

Like always. Lucifer had to smile a little. "You remind me of the Prince." He said fondly. "Tell me what they're after. This Dark Lord. I heard him whispered by Lese, but I'm afraid I don't know much."

"I haven't met him myself but I did see him in passing..." Regs shifted, "He...looks like a Snake. The talk among the Death Eaters is he's undergone transformations and changed a lot. Many even say he's a different person, a Devil, no longer human. That the human gave up his soul to become more powerful."

"That does sound like a contract that he'd make," Lucifer muttered to himself. "What's his end goal? World domination?"

Regulus frowned, "Not particularly. He does want to dominate the Hogwarts, a school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ultimately he wants blood purity, no mudbloods or half-breeds."

Lucifer snorted. "Oh this is going to be fun." He said sarcastically. "Once Azazel catches on that I broke the curse on the Ghouls, they're definitely going to be rounded up like cattle. After all, /they/ are the ones who can determine who can hold and not hold magic anymore." He shook his head, pursing his lips together. "It's a shame, but I'd do it again. It was a personal reason rather than request that made me save Shaye and in return, gave your brother a longer lifespan than he's supposed to have." He sighed again. "Blood purity and a school. It's like the past is repeating itself all over again. Humans really don't remember lessons well."

"No, because the teachers these days make it boring," he grumbled, "But I understand. How do Ghouls decide, though, who has magic and who doesn't? I don't get it."

"Demons were the ones who gave Humans the ability to do magic through a contract of blood." Lucifer replied easily. "Males used athames back then and women were able to use wands. Without the silly need for a catalyst such as a unicorn hair or dragon heartstring. Blood was enough. Once a human was pledged to a demon and recieved the demons' magic, the human was a "protector" as well as a demon. If a human hunter were to go after a demon, the human protector protected the demon. If a witch or another demon tried to attack a witch...the demon protector stepped forth. Very rarely did witches ever battle with each other without a demon familiar. Duels used to always be in twos, that's why tradition stands you have a second if you fall."

"Is my brother, in a sense, a demon being linked to Shaye?" Regs arched a brow, "Will they be happy together? I have always been worried about him, though I know he worries for me."

"In a sense." Lucifer said slowly. "Not literally. He's still a wizard, he's still human. He'll just have a long timespan, longer than most wizards and witches. Since he's in love with a demon, there's somethings he'll have in common. His sense of smell might be stronger, or maybe his sight. Perhaps, his magic will go chaotic and uncontrollable. It's...hard to say what's affected and what isn't, considering this just happened." He smiled softly. "It's my belief they'll be happy together. What I saw today...it brought back good memories. My daughter and son-in-law would've been so proud of their ancestral daughter and your brother and that is a feat."

"That's good," he smiled softly, "So...I really should get going. Do you want to know anything more?"

Lucifer shook his head. "Not at the moment." He watched Regulus for a moment and said honestly, "You remind me of my son-in-law. Be careful when you're spying. If you find out anything, give the information to Cassie. Believe it or not, she can get you the connections you may need and visa versa."

"If you are sure...I just don't want to hurt her. I figure you could've guessed that, though," Regs sighed, "Well then. Without further ado..." He Aparated away, leaving Lucifer to his thoughts.
~+~
Shaye felt...off. Real off. Like the world was spinning even with her eyes shut. She woke up, and her stomach did a flip. She felt...really hot like someone had taken her veins and stuffed them with hot wires or something like that. Her stomach flipped again and one minute she was tossing off the bed covers, the next, her knees was on cold tile floor and she was bent over the toilet, vomiting blood and all sorts of things that shouldn't be seen. She did this a few times, sweat on her forehead and she shivered violently. Her arm /hurt/. Her body felt sore and achy. She felt like she was feverish and sick. Her stomach weakly protested and she felt....awful. She suddenly felt like she wanted to cry. She never felt so ashamed for being weak or....felt so /disgusting/ before. Hormones. If this was hormones, then poor Sirius' rollarcoster of hell was just beginning and for some reason, that was what pushed her off the edge to start sobbing.

It took a few moments but Sirius came and knelt beside her, hugging her tightly, "What's wrong, my sweet cherry pie?" He soothed her by stroking her cheeks free of her tears and he kissed her forehead.

"Sad. Scared. Happy. Safe." Shaye took a shuddering breath as she managed to reach up and flush the toilet before sinking further into Sirius' hold. It was awkward, and she was a horrible sweaty mess. "I don't know what's wrong with me. Somethings off. A lot of things are off."

"Shhh," Sirius stroked her hair from her face, "Lucifer is here, he saved your life by changing you. You're a demon now. That might be what you think is off," he tried to explain.

Shaye looked at him in shock. "Demon?" Her voice went up high. "Wait...is the baby going to be okay with the change?" She was absolutely freaking out now and she knew, logically, that she was supposed to calm down but instinct was all over the place. "Is that why your energy is off? What....what do I do about food? How will I be able to keep the baby healthy if they're a ghoul and I'm no longer one? Sirius what about you? What about us? Does this change anything? Did-"

"Deep breath, one thing at a time," he said firmly, "Lucifer said the baby would be alright. I don't know what they are, though, ultimately. Ask him. For food you can eat what humans can, but your meat you will probably still prefer medium raw. My energy is different for a...complex reason. Apparently, our lifespans are tied, that was the only way to save you. I'll have to say ask Lucifer about the healthy part...I don't know if I am different. We are fine, I promise, and it didn't change anything between us."

She took a calming breath. Safe, secure, and Sirius was alright. She felt most of her energy disappear and she groaned. "I feel like I'm running track." She said after a moment. "You said Grampa was here?" She ran her hand through her hair, sighing softly. "....Help me up?"

Sirius moved slowly, getting her into a bent-over position before straightening her out. He didn't want her to get dizzy. Taking deep breaths, he tried to help her relax if only a little bit, "Okay. Let's go downstairs. Slow and steady wins the race, now. Hey, Shaye," he waited for her to look up at him, "I love you. I'm so glad you're okay."

Shaye smiled as she reached up and hugged him tightly. "I love you and I'm glad that I didn't leave you." She told him sincerely, eyes misted over as she parted away from him. "I'm going to brush my teeth and get dressed...and then we'll go down stairs." She promised him, cupping his cheek in her hand, smiling at the adoration and sincere care in Sirius' eyes. God, he knew how to make her melt with just that look.

He left her in the bathroom and she took another few deep breaths before doing as she said. She brushed her teeth and spat out the pink residue from her mouth. Then, she got dressed out of the nightgown that Lese or even Sirius put her in. She still felt uncomfortably hot, but she had a feeling that she'd cool down when she left the room. Sirius waited for her at the door and she playfully took his arm with hers and they went down stairs.

Needless to say, almost everyone was down there. Cassandra was wearing a dark cloak that Shaye never seen before. It was open, showing off dark jeans and a red top that looked as if it was painted on her. She looked a little scary, in Shaye's opinion. Trevor and Miranda were together, Miranda bouncing H.Q on her hip while Lucifer, dressed in a dark blue with white trim kimono this time, was making the little toddler laugh.

"She's a joy." Lucifer commented as he stood back straight. Shaye could hear noises in the kitchen, much louder than she was used to. She could assume correctly that's where most of them were. "That smile will bring men to their knees."

"Don't say that," Trevor pinched his expression. "I don't need another Cassie around."

Cassandra merely laughed, tugging on the cloak subtly. "Please. She might even be better than me." Lucifer and Miranda laughed at the horrified expression that Trevor wore.

"Grandpa?" Shaye asked hesitantly. Her voice a little high in wonder.

Lucifer turned around and he beamed. "Sunshine." He greeted, striding over to meet Shaye's quick pace and hugged her tightly. "I'm glad you're feeling better Sunflower." He pulled away. "You had all of us worried." He cupped her cheek. "But now you're worried. Come. Sit. Sirius you too. I have yet to properly meet you."

"Masa! Stop spraying me with water! What, do you want me to melt like the Wicked Witch?!" Mike's shout came from the direction of the kitchen along with another squeal and laughter.

Sirius snorted, "It sounds like those two are feeling significantly better," he commented before he sat down and brought Shaye to curl against him, feeling protective, "I was rather undignified last night, though I'm sure I can be excused for that," he said to Lucifer, "Sirius Black, at your service. I'll never be able to thank you enough for saving Shaye." He looked at Cassandra, "So...Regs left already? That's his cloak...at least he left you a keepsake."

"Like you wouldn't leave a memento for your lover to remember you by?" Cassandra teased lightly at Sirius, but her words were a bit flat. "He did leave, but I'm sure he'll come back. Fate made us meet again. He can no longer call it chance." She beamed. "So I'm content."

Lucifer was a little surprised at how quickly Sirius offered up his services and shook his head. He sat down on the recliner that he had summoned a day ago and sat down. As much as he liked Lese's and Ian's choices of furniture, there was only so much to go around. Lucifer wasn't about to intrude when they didn't have much to give. "It was just as personal to me to save her, as it was personal for you to have her by your side." He watched the two of them for a moment and sighed softly. "Every time I gaze on you, I can't help but to think back of me and Persphone, as well as my daughter and son-in-law. You two look so much like us...it's a bad case of deja vu for me."

"Didn't Kokoro and Locien die?" Shaye asked after a moment, causing Cassandra to perk at the words.

"Died yes." Lucifer agreed. "Reincarnated into people that I will not awaken until needed. They deserve their happiness. Whatever that happiness entails. If I can not be apart of that plan, well...it's all for the better."

"I have so many questions." Shaye said after a moment of pause. "Too many...I practically poured them on Sirius and he didn't have much."

Lucifer frowned. "What questions?"

"It's about the baby," Shaye quickly said. "Are they okay? Were they hurt? Will they be a ghoul or a half-demon?"

"Your child is safe in your womb." Lucifer said seriously, straightening in his chair. "I promise you Sunshine, you will give birth to a lively child. They weren't hurt, but they were terribly frightened. As a child will do when they're thrust upon a situation that they don't know. As for type they are half-demon. They will be half-demon. The curse is broken on you as well as all Ghouls. Ghouls are now merely legends. Though as rare as Ghouls are, I know many of them will not be able to handle becoming a Demon, causing the rarity to be higher." He paused. "I'm afraid that in exchange for saving your life, I endangered you and all of your people. For that, I apologize."

"I am sure everything will be alright in the end," Sirius assured, "There's a mother and family around here that should be more determined to live instead of lose their minds. I think they might been take it as a blessing, so they will be able to hide better and seem more human than before. The Hunters will lose their trails."

"One can only hope," Miranda agreed, helping her daughter stand on her knees, balancing her by holding her sides, "Look at you, Harley!" she cooed, and watched her wave her tiny hands towards Lucifer, "Aw, you want him to pay more attention to you?"

Lucifer laughed as he stood up and walked over. "I'll take her from you." He said to Miranda as he gently picked up HQ. "Now you have half of my attention." He told the girl as he pressed a gently finger against her cheek. "You spoiled little girl." His voice was highly affectionate as he walked back to his chair. "It never ceases to amaze me that children who hear of me evil, still come to me innocent." He said fondly, before glancing up at Shaye and Sirius. "That being said though, I see more questions burning in your eyes. Your worry just doesn't cease does it?"

"I have many worries." Shaye sighed. "And fears."

"Being a new mother is terrifying and when you discover that you're bringing your child in a potential war, well...it gets even more frightening." Lucifer started bouncing HQ in his lap.

"I know you tied me to Sirius' timeline." Shaye said, her fear edging in her voice. "Did that change him? What did it change for us?"

"I tied him to yours as well. The length is up to Fate." Lucifer replied. "When I broke the curse, you and I had to work together in order to heal the burns in your veins. And that weakened you to the point where you would've died if you had no one to tether you. Ian offered his, but Sirius gave me a little more." He smiled softly. "You have a good man beside you Shaye. Never in my life had I met someone, a human none the less, who was willing to give up his life...in order to spare you. And to think, the Black Family is one of the few Nobel Houses that once was tethered to a Demon in order to gain magic. What a funny coincidence that they're now in love centuries later." He paused. "All that would change is how deeply connected you are. Should you allow yourselves to practice, I gave you the ability to be able to communicate telepathically as well as a deeper connection. Your heart will beat within his, and his heart is yours. Your souls are twined together. Most demon soul-mates used to have that ability. So I gave it back. After life matters, on the other hand, changes things drastically. You will always be in Hell, Shaye. But Sirius...I'm afraid that when I tied you to Shaye's lifeline, I tied you to her fate. When you die, you have to give up the idea that you will go to Heaven. You'll be in my kingdom instead."

"If I'm with her, then I will happily agree to that. You're not such a bad guy," Sirius chuckled, "I'm okay with all of this. You shouldn't fret, Shaye. I did it willingly," he gripped her hand, "We'll have to try out the telepathy later," he smirked a little and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Aw, can you guys not?" Miranda shook her head, "Not with kids around, please?" She leaned against Trevor with a soft hum, and then laughed as Mike stumbled from around the corner, his shirt damp and Masanori was right behind him, "You two look like you had fun."

"Masa did, for sure," Mike stuck his tongue out behind him, but he set the plate of food he had on the coffee table, "An assortment of food for everyone!"

Shaye turned a little pale. All of it was human food and she was already queasy enough from morning sickness. The smells were so different now. Instead of revolting, they were pleasant. Toast was nice and crisp with butter melting on the side. Eggs were cooked and looked solid. Bacon had a smell that reminded her of meat that was /just/ about to turn into jerky. There were bowls of fruit, apples, strawberries, bananas. The strawberries had a tartness to the smell and the apples were homey and tantalizing.

Lucifer picked one of the fruits from the bowl and handed it to HQ who took it in her chubby hands and started sucking on it. "Why don't you try bread and butter first, Shaye." He offered. "Or at the very least the fruits. Your stomach may not be able to handle the bacon and eggs yet, but they are soft enough."

Shaye frowned deeply. As inviting as the plates were. She was scared. For the longest time, human food was akin to poison. Now it was flipped. She wasn't sure how to deal with that, nor how to react. She reached for the bread and decided to try it. The butter melted in her mouth and bread had a sweet taste to it, mostly from the flour and the way it was baked. Her stomach growled and she felt her gag-reflex kick in for a moment before she managed to swallow. "It's a....bit hard." She admitted.

"...Nix used to have a hard time with drinking blood." Lucifer recalled.

"Bread may be too much of a jump. Here, try a cherry. They've been pitted so you can just bite it," Sirius smiled and picked one up that had two attached, "I'll eat the other one. This is why I call you my cherry pie, though honestly I prefer the darker ones."

Miranda reached for a watermelon, and then offered Trevor the first bite, "I suppose I don't need to ask why Sam is taking his time joining us this morning, as Matt is also missing."

Trevor gave his wife a look as he took a bite of the watermelon. It looked a little funny that he was trying to pout while he was chewing. Shaye smiled, her worries and anxiety decreasing little by little. It was strange, weird even. Miranda was right about trying the fruits. They were lighter to start off with. The cherry Miranda recommended was sweet on her tongue and juicy. She had to smile a little as she thought about Sirius' nickname for her.

Cherry Pie.

She would have to try that one day to see what it was like.

"Bananan." HarleyQuinn pointed over at the banana slices and started making a grabby like fist towards it. Lucifer chuckled as he leaned over and took a slice. She took the slice and smushed it in her fists as she ate it.

"I must say I'm looking forward to the new members of the family." Lucifer said after a moment of watching Harley. "Every time I come up here, I'm always pleasantly surprised that I keep finding children. I wonder if I should brooch the subject with Persphone and see if we should try for a second. That being said, I should say that I'll be staying a few days upside. At least till Persphone comes by."

Shaye felt her heart break for her grandfather. Demons were supposed to live for a long time, and those who were part angels were practically immortal. She didn't know the story very well, of what happened to her ancestral mother and father. She just knew that it broke Lucifer's heart to a million pieces.