Ene

Thinking out loud

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:56:07 GMT

I think it'd be nifty if Emma and Wyatt ended up confronting the current killer together. He's cornered and shoots them both. I'm not sure if he should get away after that or if the rest of the team takes him down right then. I'm kind of thinking that he was stalking Briony [chloe sevigney] and when she fell into prostitution, that was his trigger to start killing blonde prostitutes. Like he was angry at her but couldn't bring himself to kill her. What brings her to the bau may be the profile they give the washington pd or maybe he sends her a disturbing note.

In the future, I think it'd be cool to do ssomething with deafness. Like there's a deaf killer or a killer is targeting deaf or otherwise disabled people. I don't think the unsub should get Ally or anything, but. It might be particularly interesting to use his expertise or hit something personal for him.

No idea where the psychic is coming in but I so want to make him. I think he thinks he's legit, but I'm sure everyone else will be skeptical. He'll probably be brought in by a family member.

Thoughts?

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:00:28 GMT

Paul figured that maybe Colby would want to eat later, so he grabbed a big bag of chips for them and a couple sodas to take up to his room. He called out for his mom to see if she was home or not, though he was pretty sure she'd already left. He had some homework to do, but this was a special occasion and it could wait. Normally, Paul would never put off homework, but for Colby's attention he'd do pretty much anything. He motioned for Colby to follow him upstairs and when they got to his room, he made a little 'ta-da' motion as he set down the snacks on his desk. The room itself was quite small, but neatly organized. He had a nice stereo, and a record player as well with a whole shelf of old vinyl albums. "I-I always wanted to be a DJ, b-b-but I don't think anyone w-w-would listen to me. Th-they'd get too-too-too frustrated with my voice."

"I don't think that there is anything wrong with your voice." Colby walked over to the vinyls and he let his fingers trace gently along the edges of them. He'd never had any vinyls and he really didn't listen to anything that Corbin didn't want to listen to. "Out of all of these which ones are your favorite? Which one do you like the best?"

"Y-you don't?" He wondered if Colby even noticed his stutter. He seemed like the type of boy who just wouldn't comprehend a difference like that. Or maybe he was just being nice. "Some p-people can't understand me. Actually, when I-I-I'm around you it's harder t-to talk straight." He allowed his attention to be turned quickly to the records, and he went straight to one at the top. They were well organized. "Run DMC, R-raising Hell." It was a little cheesy, but it was one of the most definitive hip hop albums ever. "A-and The Doors, Strange D-days."

"Can we listen to that one?" He didn't notice the stutter, or maybe he just didn't care. As it was, he just thought it was how Paul talked and he really didn't mind that at all. "I can understand you just fine." he walked over to sit down on the end of Paul's bed.

"We can listen t-to both!" He was eager to share these two albums with Colby and was thrilled that the other boy had asked which were his favorite. To think that Colby might even be interested in something like that sent him reeling with happiness. He opened the plastic cover to the record player and took the first record out with care. "Run DMC first, b-because I think you'll like The D-d-doors better."

"All right, Run DMC first then." Colby settled back on the bed, laying flat with his legs hanging over the edge as he waited for Paul to put the music on. He'd never hung out with anyone before, not without Corbin, and this was really pretty weird for him.

He set the needle onto the record and old school s hip hop filled the room. It was fairly loud, and the sound was good quality. His mom didn't spend much time nitpicking over how he spent the money he earned at his job, so Paul had invested most of it in his music collection and equipment. He hesitated a moment before he sat down on the bed next to Colby.

Colby just stayed back on his back while he listened, not sure what he really thought of it. Corbin didn't listen to a lot of hip hop so he hadn't really ever been exposed to this type of music before but he supposed it wasn't so bad. After a few sounds he looked over at Paul, trying to see if he was enjoying it.

Paul was very much enjoying it, and he bopped a little, bouncing the bed with his movements. When he saw Colby looking he stopped and laughed, gaze darting down to his lap. "It doesn't mm-make you want to move?"

"I don't know how to dance." he said honestly. Colby just shrugged and he sat up to look over at Paul. Part of him wondered if the boy's speech impediment was something that Corbin could cure. He wouldn't ever find out, but he couldn't help but be curious about it. "do you dance?"

"It d-doesn't really have to be-be dancing. Just move." He grinned and got up off the bed, reaching down to tug Colby up with him. Paul was pretty strong for his size, probably from all that stock boy work, and he easily lifted Colby off the bed. "To the beat," he offered, trying to show Colby what he meant by wriggling his hips back and forth in time to the music.

Really, Colby didn't really have a single clue as to what he was doing but he let his hips move like Paul's were a few times. "I don't really know what I am doing." He told him, unable to keep himself from laughing at the absurdity of it.

The laugh was thrilling and Paul's face lit up even moreso than usual. This was much better than a concert would have been because they were alone and he could bask in Colby's attention. "You're d-doing great," he said as he took one of Colby's hands and lifted up his arm so he could twirl around underneath it. "I-I like to hear you l-laugh. Y-y-you don't do it a lot."

"I guess there just isn't a lot of things that make me laugh is all." he shrugged his shoulders a little bit and he let Paul twirl beneath his arm. "you like to laugh though and you smile all the time."

He stopped twirling, but he didn't let go of Colby's hand. Instead, he let his fingers tangle with the other's. "A-are you happy? Even if you're n-not laughing?" He wanted to think that Colby was simply stoic rather than sad. The boy was so fascinating to him, dangerous, and handsome, and he wanted to pull him out of the shell. Surely all the other boy needed was a devoted friend.

"I don't know." Colby didn't know if he was happy or not. Sometimes he was, but sometimes it made him incredibly sad to know where he was with Corbin. "Sometimes I feel happy and then sometimes I just feel like this."

"Like this?" He frowned a little, face falling. "L-like right now?" Did that mean Colby wasn't happy right now? But Paul was trying so hard, and he thought things were going so well. Usually he could hide it, but that indifferent comment had caught him off guard.

"I just don't know what to feel right now, is all." Colby said as he looked up at Paul. "There are a lot of confusing thoughts going on, a lot of things to think about." He shrugged his shoulders a little bit and he sighed softly.

Maybe he was masochistic and that's why he was so infatuated with Colby. But hearing his confusion just made Paul want him more. "The Doors might help," he regained his smile and dropped Colby's hand to switch the records out. The rich, sober sounds of Jim Morrison seeped into the room and Paul turned back to see how Colby reacted to it.

Colby liked the doors a lot better and he turned to face Paul as he listened to it. He wasn't sure what to do with himself right then so he just held his hand out for Paul to come back and stand with him.

Paul obliged immediately, clasping Colby's hand again and stepping toward him. Instead of dancing, he just stood there, close. It was the slightest bit uncomfortable, but only because Colby's proximity did things to Paul. After a full song, Paul couldn't stand it anymore and he mustered up the courage to kiss Colby on the cheek, and then on the mouth, touching his fingertips to the other boy's cheek.

Colby kissed him back, letting his lips part as Paul's mouth brushed into his. He was excited for this, in a way, an sad as well. He'd never kissed anyone other than Corbin until Paul, he'd never hung out with anyone or done anything that wasn't with Corbin. So he was a little scared and a little frightened over what this would do to him and corbin.

Some negative part of Paul had expected Colby to pull away, but when he didn't, Paul increased the pressure. This was so perfect. One of his favorite albums, and his favorite person, all tangling into one happy experience. Tentatively, he let his tongue graze down against Colby's lower lip before he pulled back just enough to whisper. "I like you so much," he admitted and felt his heart thud harder when he didn't stammer at all. It was easier to talk against Colby's lips.

Colby didn't reply to that. Instead he just wrapped his arms around Paul's shoulders and he kissed him again, harder this time to let him know that it was all right. that all of this was okay. He started to back up a little, taking Paul with him as he moved back towards the bed.

At this point, Colby could ask Paul to take a flying leap off a tall building and the boy would do it. He'd do anything to make this real. He thought he was dreaming as Colby backed toward the bed. The harder kiss made him whimper and drop his hands to clutch onto Colby's hips.

When Colby got to the bed he sat back on it, pulling Paul down with him so that he didn't have to break the kiss. He let his knees hitch up as he moved farther down, guiding Paul until he was laying on top of him, their mouths never once parting the whole way down.

When Paul had suggested that they go back to his place, he'd imagined this. But he hadn't dared to hope that it would happen, even after Colby had kissed him in the stockroom. But now it was really happening and he was shaking with the build up of nervous energy. He didn't want to mess this up. One trembling hand found its way to the hem of Colby's shirt and slipped up beneath it, steadying once his fingertips touched skin.

It never crossed Colby's mind that Paul hadn't done this before. He and Corbin had been having sex since puberty, so this was just natural to him, even if it wasn't with his brother. He broke the kiss just long enough to pull off his shirt and then he went to tug Paul's off as well.

It was amping up quickly and Paul's nerves were almost too much to bear. But the shirts came off. Eager to please, he tried desperately to figure out what to do with his hands, but couldn't think of anything, so he let them rest on either side of Colby's body on the covers.

Colby lifted his hips, letting his rub into Paul's to give him some idea of what he should be doing with him. He rocked slowly into him, his hands sliding down Paul's back to his ass so he could pull him down tighter.

He let out a helpless squeak as he felt the pressure against his front. The squeak quickly turned into an unhindered moan, not knowing any better to reign the sound in and it felt better than anything he'd ever felt before. His legs parted just enough to straddle Colby's thighs and increase the friction. The feeling was loosening his lips and he smiled a little. "I--sometimes--I mean--I think about you w-wh-when I --when I--you know." It was almost incoherent, though it was easy to decipher what he meant.

"What do you think about when you think about me that way?" He wanted to know what liked to fantasize about because if it was possible he wanted to try and give him that fantasy. "Tell me what you like."

He was having a more and more difficult time forming complete sentences. But the fact that Colby seemed interested in him and what he wanted was putting him over the moon. "I th-think about your m-mm-mouth," he admitted and seemed a little ashamed of it. "On me."

"Yeah?" Colby asked, his hands sliding down Paul's stomach to the top of his pants so that he could unbuckle the belt. "Do you want me to suck you? I'll let you fuck me if you want, or I'll fuck you, whatever you want." He slid his hand down into the front of Paul's pants and he rubbed over the front of his boxers.

"Wh-whatever I want?" The possibilities were endless, and Paul wanted all of them. But he didn't think it was quite right to go all the way just yet. He desired more than just Colby's physical self and he didn't want Colby to think he was that kind of boy. But when Colby touched him, he was already hard from the movement of their hips and the crush of their mouths. "I r-really like it when you t-talk like tha-that."

Colby let his fingers brush down the length of Paul's cock, epxloring him through the fabric because he felt so much different from Corbin. "You can put it in me." he whispered to him, his mouth hovering over Paul's. "I think you'll like it, you'll like the way I feel."

Paul whimpered. Colby had ridiculous amounts of power over him and all of the elements of the moment were coming together to break down his resolve. His hips bucked forward, beckoned by Colby's hand. "Just--" his voice was reedy, barely there. His own hand went down to press over Colby's, making the touch more intense. "J-just keep touching me like th-that. Please? Just like th-that."

Colby did as he asked and he kept his hand moving against Paul's cock. It was sort of becoming obvious that Paul hadn't done this often, so he let his fingers rub slowly, not wanting to make this end too fast. "Does it feel good.?"

He couldn't answer that question with words and so he just nodded, head practically rattling off his neck with its fervor. He didn't want this to stop, but he realized that he wasn't going to last very long. He made the mistake of glancing down at Colby's hand inside his pants and he lifted his gaze immediately with surprise at how much that added to the sensation.

Colby pushed his boxers down a little bit and he slipped his hand into the front of them so that he could wrap his hand around Paul's cock without anything between them. He was slower this time, letting his hand slide all the way up and then down his length again.

Paul could think of nothing else but to kiss Colby and whimper into his mouth. He didn't know enough to return the favor just yet, Cobly's hand gathering up all of his attention and function. The slowness was killing him, but he found that was probably a good idea.

Colby kept kissing him, his fingers stroking at such a slow pace. He pulled his hand away after a moment and cupped Paul's face in his hands so that he could kiss him back. This was so different, it felt so different but in a good way.

Paul was pretty sure that he couldn't go all the way, not tonight. But he wanted to. His whole body ached with the desire to take Colby up on his offer of fucking him. He bucked his hips up so the friction would keep going and finally had the courage to reach out and massage his hand awkwardly against Colby.

Colby lifted his hips rubbing against Paul's hand as best he could. He didn't care if he came in his pants, even if it was a little uncomfortable, he was used to the feeling. Corbin had liked to make it happen at work so he had entire shifts of discomfort.

Images of Colby underneath him, writhing, made Paul even harder, if that was possible, and he mewled as he felt Colby respond to his touch. He was far from skilled, but he made up for it in eagerness to please. "You're g-going to make me c-come, Colby," he squirmed.

"Good." That was what Colby wanted. He wanted Paul to get off and to know how good all of this felt. "Come for me, come on me."

Come 'on' him. That's what did Paul in. He couldn't help it, but the image of his come on Colby's clothes and skin made him cry out and he could feel himself erupt. It made him cling closer to the other boy as he came.

Colby's hand found Paul's cock again just as he orgasmed and he stroked him through it, milking the come out of him. It spilled onto Colby's stomach and his chest but he didn't mind one bit.

He couldn't believe how different it felt with another person, especially Colby of all people. But when he looked down and saw the mess he'd made, his cheeks went pink with humiliation. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, starting to back off so he could reach for his tshirt to clean it up with.

"It's all right." Colby let his fingers slide up through the sticky mess, smearing it more across his chest before he put his fingers in his mouth. He wanted to taste Paul and he thought that this might be his only chance.

Paul's face went stark as Colby sucked the come off his fingers and he felt as if he might be ready to go again. That sight would stay with him for a long long time. With a new found courage, Paul started to unfasten Colby's pants, wanting to get at what was inside. When he got them open, he tugged out the other boy's erection and cautiously bent down to lick at the tip, curious.

Colby's eyes fluttered shut as he licked the tip of him and he lifted his hips from the bed to try and encourage Paul to take it farther if he wanted to. "That's good." He told him, wanting him to know that it felt good.

The encouragement did worlds of good for Paul's confidence and after a moment, he took the cue from Colby and pressed his mouth farther down the length of him. His mouth was hot, but Colby's cock somehow seemed even warmer, thick against his tongue.

Colby couldn't remember the last time Corbin had gone down on him, so this was a nice change of pace. He sucked in a deep breath and then exhaled slowly through his nose. "That feels so good. You don't have to go all the way down." he didn't want him to gag.

He appreciated how instructive and reassuring Colby was being. Listening to the boy's voice while he was doing this was somewhere beyond pleasure. He wanted to make Colby come, it was his only goal now. His hands smoothed up the other's stomach, all the way to his chest and then back down as he sucked.

Colby arched his body up carefully and he tried not to gag Paul but it felt so good and he just wanted to lose himself in Paul's mouth.

He pulled back just a little, then when he got his bearings, he took Colby even farther inside. What he couldn't take into his mouth, he wrapped his hand around, wanting to touch as much of the other boy as he could.

Colby moaned and he tightened up, unable to keep himself from coming when Paul went farther down onto him. "Fuck." he said softly.

It surprised him and he pulled back, the last bits of it catching across his lips and chin. He let his fingertips play over the warm liquid, tapping against it and staring at the way it stuck to his skin, drawing out in strings.

Colby sat up when he caught his breath and he licked the come off of his chin and his fingers. Once Paul was cleaned up he kissed him, a little more forcefully than he had before.

Picking up on the intensity, Paul let out a little groan in response, putting the flat of his palm against Colby's chest to feel his heartbeat. It was a sweet move, one that showed this wasn't just about sex to him.

Taking it out of the context of fucking was scary for Colby. His eyes went a little wide and then he forced this shut. His heart had been beating a little faster due to the physical exertion but having Paul's hand on him like that sped it up, making it race.

Pulling his hand away, he replaced it with his mouth, kissing that same spot. He thought it was pretty cool that he could be the reason Colby's heart sped up so much. The Doors still played in the background and Paul focused in on 'People are Strange.'

Colby tipped his head back and he closed his eyes even tighter. His fingers tangled into the sheets and he tried to just stay calm but he was starting to panic a little bit. This wasn't supposed to be more than sex.

There was a moment when Paul realized the tension beneath him wasn't just excitement and he lifted his head to look at Colby curiously. "Are y-you okay? Have you ever--I mean--have you e-ever done this be-before?"

"no." because this wasn't something he had done before. sex yes, but this wasn't sex, it was different. this was something else and he didn't know what to make of it just yet. "i'm fine."

He rested his head back down, cheek going to Colby's shoulder. His laugh was the smallest of sounds, breathy against Colby's neck. "I-it seemed like you m-might have."

colby kept his eyes shut and he just laid there, glad that Paul wasn't looking at his face anymore. He let out a soft sigh and then ran his hand through his curly hair. "Why?"

"Well, y-you were pretty calm up until th-this part," he noted fondly, not really catching the significance of it When Colby said he'd never done this before, he thought he meant sex at all.

"I know." He said softly as he looked up at him. Colby wasn't going to correct him about any of it becuase he knew they were speaking about two entirely different things.

Paul didn't understand, but it just added to Colby's mystery and that was a large part of the infatuation. So he just smiled and enjoyed the afterglow. In Paul's mind, this was the first of many experiences like this.

Colby kissed the side of his head and he laid there for a while, listening to the record. When it came time to turn it over he moved to sit up. "I should probably go home, I shouldn't be out too late."

He nodded, even though he wanted nothing more than for Colby to stay. His mom wouldn't be getting home until much later, but he understood if the other boy needed to go before that. He reached out and drew his fingers down Colby's bare arm, all the way down to his hands where he tangled their digits together for a couple seconds. "Okay."

"I'll see you at work, okay?" He said softly. Moving to sit up, he held onto Paul's hand for just a moment before pulling back from his grasp. He moved to stand up so he could get his shirt and to pull his pants back up.

Paul didn't move to help him, or to put another record on. He just watched, puppy eyes taking in every movement. "A-and maybe y-you can come over a-again?"

"Yeah, maybe." he smiled at him for just a moment before he grabbed his jacket. "I'll show myself out. I'll see you later." He needed to go home and to take a shower, though he didn't know if Corbin would be home or not.

Corbin was, indeed, home. Ash had come to see him, but he told him to go away. The man hadn't listened at first, but after Corbin told him what was going on, he'd left with a scheming sort of smirk on his lips that Corbin wanted to tear off. He was pacing, looking at the clock every now and again. It was later than he'd expected when Colby came through the front door.

Colby had walked back from Paul's house and he'd tried to think of a way to explain this to Corbin, but he didn't know any way other than to tell the truth if Corbin asked. When he came in he took off his coat and hung it up on the chair and then he planned to take a shower but he turned and found himself face to face with Corbin instead.

"Well?" He said. There was a mixture of lusty interest and panic on his face as he drug his gaze over his brother. "What happened? What is his house like? Did you kiss him some more?"

"His house was quiet and small and we listened to records and kissed more. And then we got off. I'd like to take a shower." Colby moved to step around him so that he could go to the bathroom to get cleaned up.

Corbin was following him until got to the end and he laughed. "What was that last part? You got off?" He was almost certain Colby didn't actually mean what it sounded like he meant. Of course he ignored the part about the shower and blocked his path, letting his hand grope at the front of his brother's pants, kneeding against the cock beneath. "You didn't fuck him."

Colby sighed when Corbin touched him like that and his body instantly reacted. He pushed his hips forward and he leaned in so that his mouth was hovering just over Corbin's. "No, but I was going to let him fuck me." He wasn't sure if he was being cruel or not, but he was just telling the truth. "Instead he sucked me off, and I used my hand."

There was no way that little pipsqueak could do the things to Colby that Corbin could and he used his hand to prove it, touching Colby exactly right to send his brain into sex mode. He walked forward, shoving his brother against the front door, keeping his hand working through the fabric. "Did I fucking tell you to do that?"

Colby's shoulders struck the door and he just stared at his brother, trying to ignore the arousal as it it came to him. He shook his head, but didn't respond verbally because he didn't want to give Corbin the satisfaction of hearing how heavy his voice was.

His hungry mouth went to Colby's throat and he licked and bit against his flesh. "Then why did you do that?" He wanted an answer. All of his emotions were rushing up to the surface and foolishness was the strongest. He was stupid for making Colby kiss that boy because now he saw that there were other options. And now he was in the same position that Colby was with him, worrying that someone else would be just as good.

"Because I wanted to." Colby said, as if that was a simple enough explanation. "He wanted to, and you are the one that wanted me to spend time with him so I am spending time with him." And doing the only things he really knew how to do in the company of others.

He was angry. "Because you wanted to." The animosity in his voice was overpowering and he pulled away from Colby, taking all of his touch and sex with him.

Pushing forward away from the door he reached for Corbin. "Because you always have other people, you always have someone else who is omre interesting than me, and I wanted to see if i could have another person too."

Corbin dodged him, not allowing any contact to be made. "I don't fuck other people. I don't get off with other people." His voice was shaky, riddled through with his growing emotion. "I talk to them."

"You get tattoos with them, you take their money." he followed after him, trying to reach out for Corbin because he didn't like being denied the touch. "You create friendships and bonds and you try to replace me with them. I just let him touch me."

"How can I create friendships or bonds with other people when I'm always with you?" He yelled and stepped back too fast, stumbling stupidly over the corner of the couch and landing on the floor with a thud.

Colby stopped and he looked down at Corbin, his eyes full of pain because he was so upset and unsure of whta to even do at this point. He took a step back and then another, and then one more before he turned to go for the door.

"Don't you dare leave," Corbin said darkly even though his voice was trembling. "Don't."

"You'll be able to have friendships and other people if I'm not around. I know it is what you want. You always jump at the first person who tries to get closer to you, you are always so quick to forget me. Wouldn't it just be easier if I was gone, not standing in your way?"

Corbin stood up and grabbed his jacket. "You're the one who wanted to fuck around with Paul. I just told you to kiss him." And now that had backfired on him. Instead of letting Colby leave, he was going to do so. His game had come to a point where he wasn't in control anymore and it made him feel sick and like he was going to cry. He shrugged on his coat and pushed Colby out of the way so he could get to the door and walk out of it, slamming it behind him.

Colby just stood there, looking at the door. He didn't know what to do anymore. After a few minutes he went and took a shower and then he got in bed just to wait for Corbin to come back. He had to come back, right?

Corbin didn't come back very soon. It was well into the night before he snuck back into the house and crashed on the couch. Crash was probably the wrong word since he didn't sleep. Instead, he buried his face in his hands and cried as quietly as he could for what he'd started. He'd wanted to destroy Paul for even daring to like Colby like that. And eventually, he'd planned on telling Colby he should fuck him, but now Colby was on that path on his own volition and nothing had ever hurt so much.

Colby stayed in the bedroom, though he knew that Corbin had come home because he heard the front door open and then close again. He stayed curled up on his side, facing the wall. He knew he'd messed up, that this was completely wrong and it would probably never be right again.

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:29:22 GMT

It had been an uncomfortable day at best. Corbin had spent some time in the office just because he'd gotten such an uncomfortable feeling while he was out on the floor. He needed to hide, everything in his being told him that being 'gone' that day would be a good thing. When the time came, he didn't want to go home either, because he felt as if he would be leading this strange feeling right back to Colby. He didn't know what to do. It had been so long since he'd felt so afraid of anything and it was particularly disturbing because he didn't even know what the fuck it was. He called home, hoping Colby would pick up.

Colby had felt off all morning, but it was just one of those things. It happened so often and on so many varying levels of intensity that he wasn't entirely certain it wasn't just another of his little episodes. So he laid down on the couch and he put a pillow over his eyes and crossed his arms over his head to try and make the feeling go away so that when Corbin got home they would be normal. Sleep came to him eventually but when the phone rang he woke, the feeling of dread still centered inside of him. Lifting the pillow away, he reached for the phone and put it to his ear. "Hello?"

There was a long silence on Corbin's end of the line as he searched for something to say that sounded right. It was stupid to have even called Colby, he thought to himself. What was his brother going to do against some invisible force of--well he didn't know what. "Come pick me up? Walk me home? Or somewhere else, I don't care." He had the strong urge not to go home, as if that place was just not safe anymore.

"All right." Colby's voice remained quiet and he hung up the phone before getting up to put on his shoes. He took his time getting them on and he pulled on his scarf and his jacket before heading out into the brisk air. It wasn't cold, but he still wanted to be warm. The walk wasn't long, but his pace was slow, sluggish from sleep and from the weight on his shoulders, pressing him down.

Corbin stayed in the office for a little while, looking down at the grocery store below through the two-way mirrored window in front of the desk. From up there, he could see most of the customers and what they were doing. It was the small town version of security cameras. Nothing was entirely out of the ordinary until he caught the gaze of a man standing in the produce department. It startled Corbin because even if a customer did decide to look up there, they shouldn't have been able to see into the office and they certainly should not have been able to make actual eye contact with him. The gaze was brief, but intense and Corbin thrust himself away from the desk and ran downstairs and out the back to wait for Colby outside.

Colby walked down the sidewalk in the direction of the grocery store and when he got there he looked in through the large windows at the front, hoping to spot his brother. He didn't know he was meeting him out back, so he just decided to go in. The doors chimed the familiar sound as he walked through them and down the first aisle that would take him to the back and up to the office.

Corbin's fear of leading Ash to their home was unfounded. Of course the demon already knew where his boys lived, he'd just taken today to observe them separately. Earlier that day, he'd been inside of the house, invisible and looming close to Colby. That evening had been Corbin's turn and only near the end did he decide to outright reveal himself in visible human form. As a demon, he was fairly well informed, having the powers to slip around the human realm. But he hadn't heard the call Corbin had made so when he saw Colby walking in the front door, he mistook him for Corbin having come all the way around to the front. "Corbin?" He said with the slightest of frowns, annoyed that the boy had managed to flank him somehow.

Colby slowed to a stop and he glanced over his shoulder at Ash, not entirely certain of who he was. At first he thought maybe he was a fellow employee but this was certainly not someone that he knew. But the familiar feeling that loomed around him was enough to make him second guess the stranger. He turned just a little but kept his distance as he took another step back towards the office. "No." He wasn't Corbin.

Ash looked out of place in Coldwater Flats. He always wore suits, finding that it accentuated the right parts of his human form and appealed to his unending vanity. If one wasn't going to dress sharply, then they shouldn't dress at all. When Colby denied Ash's first guess, he smiled, the curl of his mouth wicked but pleased. "You really are identical." He took a step forward as Colby took a step in the other direction. "It's remarkable."

Colby's brow furrowed and he took another step back away from Ash because he didn't like that the man was trying to get closer to him. He wanted to tell him that Corbin wasn't here but instead he just took another step, hoping that he'd hit the door to the back office and then he could go upstairs.

When Colby didn't show up and didn't show up, Corbin had time to gather some courage and come back inside. Maybe his brother was looking for him upstairs. When he saw the stranger talking to Colby, Corbin's protective nature flared and he found a well of bravery as he strod up behind Colby and slipped in between his brother and the peculiar man. Ash's face lit up to see them together. He wished he had rights to the set--but unfortunately he could only take one. "Oh, there you are, Corbin. I saw you staring through the glass up there."

Reaching out, Colby wrapped his arm around Corbin and he pulled him back so that they were pressed against one another and he could look over Corbin's shoulder at the man. He kept backing up, taking Corbin with him until he hit the door. He didn't understand why this man knew who they were but he wanted to get away from them.

Corbin let Colby tug. He wanted to get out of there. With a flash of fear slicing through his heart, he turned finally and urged Colby out the door. It was all he could do not to break out into a run. Ash could fool a lot of people about his nature, but the horror his sons felt was based on the fact that he could barely hide his true self from them. He watched the boys go and didn't seem to follow.

When they hit the hallway that led to the back door Colby just started running. He had his hand laced tightly with Corbin's and he just took off, needing to get the hell out of there and away from that man. "Who was that?" he asked, his voice breathier than it should have been for someone who hadn't run that far or that long.

It wasn't far to their house, but bolting full out made the distance drag on and on. He'd held onto Colby's hand so tight his fingers hurt. "I don't know, but it feels like--I think he's been in the store since this afternoon." He shuddered and locked the door behind him, leaning back against it.

Colby just sank down against the door so that he was sitting and he put his hand on Corbin's ankle so that he was still touching him. His legs were stretched out in front of him and he tried to catch his breath. "What do you think he wants?"

Corbin leaned his head back against the door, searching for the breath he'd lost on the way home. His heart refused to stop pounding. "I don't know. I've felt like shit all day. I'm scared." He didn't like admitting that, but he couldn't keep it locked in his stomach. That's when the knock on the door came and Corbin let out a pathetic yelp as he lept forward away from it and onto the couch.

Colby jumped and he got up moving back from the door. He stood there for a second and then got closer to it so that he could look through the peep hole. He was a touch too short to see out of it but he pushed up on hos toes and rested his hands on the door to keep himself from tipping over as he tried to see who was in the hall.

It was, indeed, the man from the store. He looked right at Colby through the peep hole, smiling slyly. He didn't wait to be invited in though. Appearing in the living room, he started to remove his suit jacket for a more casual look. The white shirt beneath it was impossibly wrinkle-free. He was fucking perfect. "I'm surprised you boys don't recognize me. I thought you'd be able to feel it in your bones. But I guess I wouldn't know. You two were my first."

Colby whirled around when he heard the voice in the living room and he opened his mouth to say something but he didn't even know what to say right then. What was he going to do? What could he do. He went for Corbin, moving to get closer to his brother. "Who are you?"

"Your father," he answered simply. Corbin's stomach turned upside down and ice ran up his spine. Ash glanced at his fingernails and buffed them against his shirt before looking back up at the boys with a laugh. The sound of it seemed to fill the space without being too loud. "Our father is back in Tennessee," Corbin said quietly and Ash shook his head. "You never really believed he was your father."

"What do you want?" he asked, instead of starting into a back and forth about whether or not Ash was actually their father. Colby sat down on the couch next to Corbin. It was obvious that they weren't going to be able to just run from him.

"What would any father want?" He said smoothly. "I want to get to know the two of you." He looked around the apartment as if it was the first time he'd been here. Corbin didn't quite believe him, but he had to admit the prospect was slightly appealing.

"Well we aren't interested." Colby didn't want there to be anyone that would come between himself and Corbin. The idea of losing his brother was so horrifying that he was starting to get really aggitated.

Corbin reached out and touched Colby's arm. "We aren't?" he asked. "I mean--" he flicked his eyes at Ash, then back. "He feels familiar." That made Ash's smile grow even wider. "Don't you want to know more about the darker half of yourselves? I can show you things."

"No!" Colby looked over at Corbin and glared at him. He looked back at Ash. "No!" he said again, moving to get up off of the sofa and away from Corbin. "Get out of here, you need to leave right now." He stalked towards Ash with the intention of pushing him out of the apartment.

Ash couldn't pretend to look surprised or hurt. Instead, he stood his ground and let his face take on a passive, blank expression. Corbin frowned and stood up, not sure whether he was doing so to stop Colby or back him up. Ash very much wanted to see what the boys would do.

Colby planted his hands on Ash's chest and he shoved him, trying to push him towards the front door so that he could push him out of the apartment. "You are leaving, you need to go." When he couldn't budge him he started getting angrier and he called up his power to try and hurt Ash, to surprise him.

No memories of wounds plagued this form. But his skin grew hot to the touch until it was scalding. "You do realize I gave you those powers, right?" He said with mock sweetness. "Yours are much like mine." With the flick of his hand, he pulled to the surface and old bruise, skin going purple as the blood vessels shattered beneath it.

The feeling of the bruise coming up on his skin made him feel almost nauseous. The bruise was one he'd gotten from another boy at school when they had still gone to public school. The boy had taken a bat to him and hit him in the side with it. He dropped his hand away from his father and he tugged up his shirt to look at it.

Ash looked at it too, then smirked over at Corbin who was glaring at the man now. Before the bruise had even fully formed, he'd started to heal it, taking it away. "Leave him alone," he said dangerously, tugging Colby back toward him. Ash frowned as the bruise disappeared. "You don't have the same gifts?" He was clearly surprised.

Once the bruise was healed Colby whimpered and he leaned back against Corbin. Now he was really scared and he didn't know what to do. They couldn't run, he didn't even know how to get away from this man now so he just clung to Corbin.

It was pretty, the way Colby's tough exteriors broke down so quickly. The boy was raw and volatile. He liked that. But Corbin's powers were interesting to him. Something not exactly common--though probably not all that useful to him. "That's quite peculiar," he mused to himself. Walking to sit down on the couch, he made himself comfortable. Ash was a demon of destruction, disease. He lorded over human illness, destructive biological forces. To have Corbin come out restorative was twisted. Corbin kept his arms around Colby. "How can you show us things if you didn't even know that."

Colby wrapped his arms around Corbin's waist and he tucked his head down against his shoulder. He was so nervous and frightened. "I don't like this." he whispered softly to him. The idea of losing Corbin was still there, hovering around him.

The closeness was obvious, but Ash didn't understand love or loyalty. He saw it as a weakness and didn't hide the mild amount of contempt their embrace invoked in him. "You're living in squalor," he noted and reached into his pocket, pulling out a credit card. "You shouldn't be. Your mother is fucking rich and your father is--well I'm pretty goddamn powerful." He wanted them to be impressed. "Use this for whatever you want, and don't worry about the bill." Corbin looked at the card, ever so tempted. Didn't they deserve something from him?

Colby just tried to pull Corbin back so that he wouldn't take the card. "Just leave, please just leave." Because this was going to mess everything up. Their lives had finally started getting on track. They started going how he wanted them to go. They had a place and jobs and they had each other and that was all that mattered. But this was going to mess it all up.

The card was black and whispered possibilities. Despite Colby's urgings, Corbin stepped forward and took the card. Ash crossed one leg over the other. "You're getting worked up over nothing, Colby. You and your brother work so hard. You deserve this." Corbin examined the card as if he could see the fine print that might go with it.

Colby said nothing to that, he just let go of Corbin and he went off to their bedroom. He was terrified but having Corbin side with their father over him was enough to make him pull away. He slammed the door and moved to lay down in the bed.

Corbin grit his teeth when Colby left. It frustrated him when his brother checked out, but he was committed to taking care of him. Glancing back at Ash, he frowned. "Are you staying here?" he asked shortly. The demon didn't answer the question right away. "Have you ever thought that you would be better off without him?" Came the question instead. Corbin shook his head. No, of course not. Ash used the door this time, and his abrupt exit was the answer to Corbin's question. The boy went into their room and sat on the edge of the bed next to Colby. "He's gone."

"Why didn't you just go with him?" Colby didn't turn over to look at him, he just stayed on his side with his arm under his head so that he wasn't looking at his brother. He didn't want to deal with any of this because he was convinced that no matter what happened Corbin was going to leave him. It happened when someone new and interesting came around and their father was the most interesting person they had met by a long shot.

"Stop it," he said, laying a hand on Colby's back. "He didn't want me to go with him. He just wants to find out about us, that's all. And won't it be nice to have some damn money for a change?"

"He's going to want something in return. No one ever gives us money without wanting something back." he shook his head a little bit and just curled up even tighter. "Maybe you can go with him and get a matching tattoo or something.'

Corbin sighed and laid down next to Colby. "What's money to him? He's a demon. He's not going to want anything." Corbin was trying to convince himself as much as Colby, and he knew he wouldn't be able to hide that from his twin. He draped his arm over Colby's waist and pressed his front to the other's back.

Colby just laid there, feeling worse about this than before just because he knew that there had to be a catch. There had to be something that the man wanted from them and he didn't know what it was. "He just got really hot, I couldn't even hurt him."

That was indeed disturbing. Corbin had always believed that if worst came to worse, Colby could protect them on the offensive and he could protect them on the defensive. "I get the feeling I could only heal you because he wasn't expecting it. I'm scared too, but he is our father and I want to find out more about him." He missed their parents sometimes and maybe this was a second chance with someone who could understand them.

"All right." Colby just knew that it was going to be bad no matter what and if he kept fighting Corbin on it he would only want it more. "You can get to know him then." But he wasn't going to try, he didn't want anything to do with him.

"He's yours too." He didn't want this to pull them apart. He didn't want Colby to think he was choosing. "He's one of us." He pushed his face into the crook of Colby's neck and kissed him.

"I don't care. If you want to spend time with him then you can spend time with him, but I not going to get invested in someone who is just going to leave me like everyone else has."

"Like everybody else has?" Corbin said, mood flickering toward foul. "Fuck you, I haven't left you. And everyone who's left you has left me too." He shoved Colby in the back and rolled away from him.

"Maybe I will just leave you. And then you won't have the chance to leave me. And you can be with our dad without worrying about me." He was thinking darkly now, his voice taking on that tone as he laid there.

Corbin laid on his back, silent and staring hard up at the ceiling. The view started to go blurry as his eyes went teary. The idea of Colby leaving him was unbearable and he wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. It was hard to cry quietly, but he managed. He could picture Colby leaving in a huff, not really thinking it through.

When he started crying, Colby turned over onto his back and then onto the other side so he could hook his arm around Corbin's waist. He pulled him in closer and just laid his head down on his shoulder. "I don't want you to leave me."

"You're the one who said you might leave me," he said angrily and he pushed Colby away again. But seconds later he was pulling him back, narrow fingers clutching. There was a lot of pent up energy inside of him from being afraid and uncomfortable all day. It made the crying worse and he buried his face against Colby's chest and started to sob pathetically.

Colby just wrapped his arms tightly around Corbin and he held onto him as best he could. When Corbin cried like this he didn't know what to do, he wasn't used to being the brother that provided the comfort, but he was going to try. "i'm not going to leave, I wouldn't really leave."

Deep down, Corbin knew that. But there was always the looming worry that one day, Colby would simply go off the deep end. "I don't want to run. I like this place. For the first time in a long time, I like our life." So he wasn't going to let their father chase them away. His next option was to just accept the man and pray for the best.

"I dont' think that we could run even if we wanted to. he found us once, what makes you think he wouldn't just find us again?" Because in that moment he knew that if they tried to run they would end up in the same trouble they were in now.

"Then I'm just going to play along." The problem would be when Corbin stopped playing and started believing. It had already started, because he was thinking about that card in his pocket, and the idea of having a family, having someone to take care of both of them so he could go to school and be a kid for once. "And maybe you should be nice."

"I'm not going to be anything, I'm just going to be me." And he wasn't going to talk to their father if he could help it and he wasn't going to take any of the money he offered, even if Corbin wanted to use it for things.

"Which isn't nice at all," he said and although he was still sniffling a little, his tone had taken on some humor. He sighed, body relaxing a little now that he'd gotten some of the energy out.

"I nice." He frowned a little bit and just clung a little tighter to Corbin, his fingers tangled tightly in his shirt. "I don't want you to like him better than me."

"I'm sure he won't fuck me like you can." He was finished crying and he pulled back to grin at him. It might have been the wrong time to joke, but Corbin was stellar at picking bad times for jokes.

"What if he does?" Colby asked, the concept of being fucked by their father not something that seemed wrong to him on account of the fact that he and Corbin had been sleeping together since they hit puberty. "What if he's better than me and you like him more?"

Corbin let out a frustrated, but used sigh. "Don't be stupid. That guy fucked mom." And that made him shudder. Still, it didn't seem so wrong to talk about it, or think about what it might be like. But it would never compare to what Colby could do to him.

"What if though? What will I do if that happens?" because to him there was a chance that it could and he was horrified to think that he was going to end up alone.

"Then I'll make you fuck him too, and then I can be jealous as well." That sounded like a pretty good solution. "Or you can fuck Paul." The curly haired boy from the grocery store.

Now that was something he hadnt' even considered. Paul was sweet, and Colby liked listening to him talk, but he didn't really do much talking in return. "Why would I want to do that?"

This was all hypothetical. Corbin didn't really expect it to happen. "To get back at me for fucking our dad." Only Corbin could utter a sentence like that and not flinch at how ridiculous it sounded. "I told you you should kiss him. Have you?"

"No, I forgot." Mostly because it wasn't really a high priority to him. "We talked about music yesterday when we worked together, i didn't think about kissing at all."

"Music?" He frowned. Somehow, kissing because Corbin had instructed it was less angering than the two of them chatting like friends. "Why? Because I told you he liked you?"

"I don't know. We were stocking in the same aisle and he asked me if I was going to go to the She & Him show this weekend and I said I didn't know what that was. So he said he would burn me their cd and so I asked him if that would ruin it because wouldn't burning it make it unplayable? And then he laughed and said he would make me a copy of it and he asked if I wanted to go but I said I'd think about it."

Corbin didn't know what to think about that. He tried to picture Colby and Paul chit chatting and he didn't like it. "You should go," he said, but his tone was clipped.

"I don't want to go, I don't even listen to music." So he really had no idea why he would want to see a show if he didn't have to. "Why do you want me to kiss him?"

Corbin shrugged, shutting down emotionally as soon as he ran into a feeling he couldn't control. "I don't know," his voice going hollow. He rolled onto his side, and then got up, peeling his shirt off. I'm going to go take a bath," he announced as he shucked his pants off and headed to the bathroom.

Colby just stayed where he was, not moving. He wasn't sure what he had said wrong, he just didn't understand it. After a few minutes he got up and followed Corbin into the bathroom. He undressed and moved to climb into the tub with him.

Corbin didn't tell him no, watching him crawl into the tub. He loved watching him move, musing over the fact that even though they were twins, he was sure Colby was far more beautiful than he was.

Colby slid between his brothers thighs and sank down, leaned back against his chest as he let the water come up over his skin. He didn't like baths, really, but he didn't want Corbin to be so far away when he was already feeling so vulnerable.

He knew how Colby felt about baths, which was why he'd decided to take one. It was all different levels of control, the desire to have power over Colby to guard against the possibility of his brother leaving him. "I love you," he sighed.

"I love you too." Colby said softly as he tugged his knees up and just wrapped his arms around them. He closed his eyes and sank lower in the water so he could lay his head back against Corbin's shoulder. He was tired now, this had taken a lot out of him.

"Don't fall asleep and drown." Not that he'd mind giving Colby mouth to mouth. The water felt good against his skin and he sat there for a long while, until he was pruney. He wondered when the man would come back, or if they'd scared him away. Teenage boys could be pretty goddamn scary.

When Corbin was ready to get out he got out of the bath and brushed his teeth. he didn't like sleeping naked so he went to find a pair of underwear and some pajama pants. He had a bunch of pairs of them, just because he liked to have a clean pair every time he slept. Crawling into the bed, he scooted over to the edge by the wall and tugged the quilts up over himself.

As put together as Colby was in his bedtime routine, Corbin was the opposite. When he got out, he dried himself off and crawled into bed, sprawling out under the covers like a starfish. He was worn out as well. "I still say you should go to that concert."

"I don't want to go to that concert." he very nearly said, you can't make me, but he knew full and well that if anyone could make him do anything it was Corbin. "I would rather just kiss him like you said and not do anything else.'

"You should do both, and then get married and have babies." He laughed a little, but it sounded like Ash's laugh, more cruel than used. He turned his head so that his face was in the pillow and fell silent.

When he laughed like that Colby tensed up and he stayed tense as he laid on his side, back to his brother. He didn't like hearing the cruelty in his laugh and now that he had their father's laugh to compare it to he was instantly uncomfortable and upset again.

Corbin could sense it and instead of comforting, he just left him there as he drifted off to sleep.

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:35:51 GMT

Joshua heard the television and could smell the familiar scent of his brother. He grabbed some cookies from the kitchen and a sandwich with a glass of milk to take to the boy. When he went into brotherly mode, he forgot about himself, and even his own hunger. "Jer?" He sat next to him on the couch. "What're you watching?"

Jeremiah was curled up on the end of the sofa, tipped over so that his head was resting against the overstuffed armrest. He had his blanket with him, fingers curled around the edge with his thumb in his mouth. He was hardly watching the tv at all, he was just sort of staring at it. Instead of acknowledging Joshua he just pulled his knees up even closer to himself.

He did not like being greeted like that; it worried him and made him feel overwhelmed with guilt. If only he'd found them sooner, then Jeremiah wouldn't be going through this. Joshua set the food down and laid on the couch with his head on the boy's feet. "Don't be a snot," he laughed.

Jeremiah just whined and he tried to tug his feet out from under Joshua's head. He'd been keeping pretty much to himself, staying in his room when he could and coming down to the living room to park in front of the tv when Hunter made him. He didn't even spend as much time with Wendell and Hunter as he used to.

"Miah," Joshua's voice turned a little more serious. "Why aren't you playing more? I thought you liked it here. You should be happy," he sighed, sounding worried. "What's wrong?" He knew the boy was young, but he was smart enough to know what was going on around him and know that his behavior was concerning.

"I don't want to play." Jeremiah had felt safe when he first came to the haven. It was the first time in a long time he had felt safe. And there had been so many promises about him getting to stay there, and then Joseph had taken them and he realized that not even Hunter and Wendell could keep him safe. He didn't want to get used to the comfort again. He was just waiting for something to go wrong, or someone to change their mind, or for their mother to come back after them again.

"You can't just sit around all the time. What are you going to be for Halloween?" Even though their mom had been a royal bitch, Joshua had always tried to make the holidays special. "We can go trick or treating around here and then maybe Andrew will drive us into town and we can get more candy there."

"I don't want any candy." he hadn't been eating as much, though he was still hoarding as much as he could, whenever he found something he thought would last for a while, and he kept it in a showbox in the back of his closet. "I don't want to do anything for halloween."

"We always do something for Halloween," Joshua insisted and scooted closer to Miah, reaching up to tickle him gently. "Julian will be lonely without you. I'll be sad if you don't come with us."

"I don't want to!" He snapped, pulling his blanket in closer to him as he pulled away from the tickles. Jeremiah finally just untangled himself and got up from the sofa. Standing up he looked tired, his little shoulders hunched up and his face paler in the light than it had been mostly hidden behind his blankie.

"Do you not like it here anymore? Do you want to leave?" Joshua looked like he was going to cry. "Don't be sad, Miah. We've finally found you guys a good home."

"I'm not going to get to stay here." He said, the fire out of his voice, all spent up on the one little outburst. "I'm going to get taken away again, just like last time. They aren't going to want to keep me."

Joshua reached forward, unable to keep from touching him. He needed that comfort for himself; it was a selfish move maybe. Wrapping Jeremiah in a hug, he held him whether he wanted it or not. "They love you. I can smell it on them. Everyone adores you here. Don't be scared."

Jeremiah just leaned against Joshua and he tried not to start crying but it happened anyway. He wrapped his hands into the sides of Joshuah's shirt and just buried his face against him. "I don't want to leave here."

"No one will make you leave. That bad man took you, but Hunter got you back. Wendell and Vance did their best to protect you and Hunter brought you home. Bad things happen, but we have someone who will fight for us now and who will help me take care of you." Because apparently he couldn't do it alone--which killed him.

"I love you." Jeremiah said softly, his voice lost in the fabric of Joshua's shirt becuase he had his face pressed so tightly against him. He was so afraid of being taken again, and he hated the idea of getting used to being well fed and being loved, only to have it taken away.

"I love you too," he replied easily and kissed the top of Jeremiah's head. "This is your home now, I know it. And Hunter and Wendell will love you forever. You'll grow up here." Joshua wasn't including himself in that because he didn't really feel close to anyone here except Logan. And he wasn't sure Jeremiah would need him for much longer.

"What about you?" It wasn't lost on him that Joshua wasn't including himself. He was well aware that the boy had been purposefully left out and he wanted to know where he was going to be, if he wasn't going to be right there.

"Me?" He frowned a little and kept Jeremiah close to him so he couldn't see it. "I don't know. Andrew has a house in Seattle--that's not far and I would come to visit and you two could come and stay sometimes. It's a really nice house and I think you'd love Seattle. We could do so many things that mom would never let us do."

"No." He held onto him tighter. "No, you have to stay here, you can't leave." He couldn't be away from him again. Jeremiah clung to him, refusing to let go if he was going to leave.

"This isn't--" he didn't want to finish that sentence. But Wolf Haven wasn't his home. His brothers were though. "Miah, what if I stayed in town?"

Miah started crying harder, he didn't want Joshua to leave him. Even if it meant he had to leave the haven he would, just so long as Joshua didn't go away again.

"No, no, no, it's okay Miah." He hugged him more tightly and felt horrible. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. He didn't want to stay in this place. It was nice enough, but it wasn't what he wanted. He knew Andrew would leave him if he had to stay at Wolf Haven. He felt helpless. "Don't cry. I'll stay."

Jeremiah was completely sobbing and upset. He didn't want Joshua to go anywhere and he didn't understand that just becuase they weren't staying at the same place that they would still see one another.

"Stop, Miah, it's all right. I'm not going anywhere. I'm sure Hunter will let me stay here. If you want me here, this is where I'll be," he held Jeremiah out at arms length and looked at him squarely. "Okay?"

Jeremiah sniffled and rubbed at his eyes but he needed. He had absolutely no understand of the position that he was putting Joshua in, he just knew that he wanted his brother around, and he thought if he went to Seattle he'd never see him again.

Joshua certainly didn't blame Jeremiah for reacting as he did. He should have known that it was a dumb thing to say to the boy in his current state. He just felt bad he'd upset him so much with the suggestion. It felt good to still be needed so much. "I brought some cookies, aren't you hungry?"

"No." Jeremiah rubbed his hand against his eyes again and he tried to move forward so that Joshua could hold onto him again. "I want to hold you." He wanted to be picked up and just cuddled for a little while because it made him feel better.

At least it was something. He had been afraid that he'd never get a connection back with Miah. He was afraid the boy had gone completely into himself. He tugged him into his lap. "I think you should be a zombie for Halloween," he said as he rested his chin on Jeremiah's shoulder.

"How come a zombie? What's a zombie?" Jeremiah wrapped his arms tighter around Joshua and he curled his fingers into his hair at the base of his skull. He let his fingers slide through his hair, again and again, just a comforting thing for him.

"It's a scary monster. Don't you want to be scary? Or maybe Batman. You could be Batman." Joshua was calming him down immensely and his breathing evened out from the rousing panic from before.

"Okay, I can." He would be Batman or a Zombie, it didn't matter to him. Either way. "What is Julian going to be?" Julian was the only person that Jeremiah was still actually open with, but he'd even closed out his other brother a little too.

"We'll go shopping in town, all three of us tomorrow and look for ideas. Maybe Julian already has an idea." If Miah wasn't going to eat, Josh was. He reached forward and started in on the sandwich, trying to make it look especially good so Jeremiah would want it.

Jeremiah kept his head pressed against Joshua's shoulder. Joshua was eating, so he pulled a little piece of bread off of his brothers sandwich and he put it into his own mouth. "What if he wants to be something different from me?"

Joshua smiled at the mentality that the boys had to pick the same costume. They usually went as a pair and he liked that, but someday he knew one would want their independence--at least with costumes anyway. "Then you'll both get the outfits you want," he said.

Jeremiah kept curling his fingers against Joshua's hair and he took another piece of the crush off of his sandwich so he could have another bite. "I want to be whatever Julian wants to be."

The feeling of Jeremiah's fingers in his hair was putting him to sleep. He was tired after working on the treehouse that day. "I think Julian will like that." He wondered if they would ever outgrow that and he smiled a little.

"I hope so." he laid his head on his shoulder and he yawned a little bit. "Will you sleep in my room tonight, Joshua?" Because he was used to sleeping alone but he wanted to be close to him.

Nodding, Joshua combed his fingers through the boy's hair. "Sure, I can do that," he said, actually pleased at the request. After a second, he decided to ask. "Miah, I know you haven't really hung out with him a lot, but what do you think about Andrew?"

"I don't know." he said softly. "He's handsome." But that was really all he could think to say at that point because it wasn't like he and Andrew had spent any significant amount of time together.

Joshua nodded, having to accept that. He leaned back on the couch, keeping Miah on his lap as he finished his sandwich. There they would relax together until dinner, and eventually bed.

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:30:28 GMT

It was getting a little cold out to be building a treehouse, but werewolves or their children didn't exactly have a great care for poor weather. Outside was outside and it was usually a good thing. Joshua had selected the perfect tree and he had a tarp laid out at the base of it with materials that he'd purchased (or rather Andrew had purchased) in town. He was making a lot of racket, pounding nails into the boards.

Austin had been trying to study but the hammering was driving him absolutely crazy. After a while he just shut his book and headed downstairs to cross the back yard to where Joshua was just inside the woods. "What are you doing out here? You are making an awful lot of noise."

Joshua looked up, hammer poised in the air for another swing. He could feel dominance and power radiating off of the other wolf and his breath caught in his throat a little. He was very sensitive to such things because he himself put so much importance on being top dog. It was clear that he had alpha qualities, even though he was still quite new to the shifting thing. His back straightened a little, though he stayed kneeling. "I'm building a treehouse. And you must be Hunter's brother."

"I am." Austin had his glasses on still, and with them on he looked even more like Hunter than without them. He had gotten a little bigger over the last year, having grown another inch or two and filled out. He'd matured too, in ways that he hadn't thought was possible until it happened. "Have you drawn out any sort of plan for this are you going about it willy nilly? Hammering boards together with no real idea."

He chewed on the inside of his cheek, disliking the implication that he wouldn't go about this task properly. "I've never built anything willy nilly in my life," he said with a fair amount of petulence. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out his makeshift blueprint. It was quite detailed, with sketched in measurements. He offered it up to Austin. "I'm Joshua, by the way."

"Austin." He took the drawing and he moved to sit down on the edge of the tarp. Austin opened the blueprint up and he chewed on his bottom lip as he looked over all the measurements. He was good with math and he liked building things, so this was right up his alley. "This looks pretty good, did you sketch it yourself?"

Defensive little Joshua had been expecting some snide remark and he frowned briefly when he was caught off guard when Austin looked satisfied with it. "Oh--um--" he hated stammering and he gathered his resolve to look sharp. "Yes, I did that. I like architecture and design and construction."

"Me too." Austin laid the plans out on the tarp and he looked around the wood that was spread out. "Where did you get all of this?" he picked up one of the two by fours, turning it over in his hand to study the integrity of the wood.

As soon as he saw the way Austin handled the materials, Joshua's eyes brightened. That was definitely the way a fellow builder acted. Immediately, his demeanor shifted from defiant brat to eager child. He'd never had someone who appreciated this hobby as much as he did, and certainly not someone like Austin. "At Lumberman's in town. I asked Andrew to take me. I promised Julian and Jeremiah a treehouse a long time ago, but I wasn't ever able to get it finished."

"This is really good wood. You know once you get it built I have a pretty good sander. You can sand everything down and stain it, something darker with some sealant so that when it rains it won't warp the wood." Austin put the wood down and he looked at the plans again. "You want a hand with this?"

"Really?" He blurted excitedly and then tried to gain back some of his composure. "I mean, yeah, that'd be nice." This was a long way from the arguments he used to have with his mother's boyfriend who would offer to help one day and then snarl and yell the next day. He hoped Austin wouldn't turn into that.

"Yeah. Let me go and get my tools." He got up off of the tarp and then looked at what he was wearing. "Let me change into something else and get my tools." he was still dressed up from earlier in the morning when he and Hunter had gone to the nearby University for a meeting with Austin's advisor.

Joshua was a filthy mess compared to Austin. "Why are you dressed up?" He asked before Austin could leave. He was very curious about the man now, finding that he already looked up to him. Given his dearth of rolemodels growing up, Joshua was overly eager to accept them when they showed up.

"I had an appointment with my academic advisor at the school where I go. I do most of my work via correspondance, so when I actually go up there I like to look nice." He smiled a little. "I'll be back in like fifteen minutes."

Nodding, he turned back to his work. He was prebuilding the supports and would climb up in the tree later to secure them to the trunk and supportive branches. He was ridiculously excited for this now, especially since he had someone to help him. Andrew wasn't exactly the builder type and he was nervous to ask Logan to spend time with him.

Austin went inside and changed and he grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge before coming back out of the house. He still had his glasses on, but mostly just because if he was going to be looking at plans he wanted to be able to read them without much trouble.

As soon as Austin got back, Joshua pointed to a section of the drawings. He had no qualms about being directive. "That pile of wood over there is for this part. It needs to be built before we get up there. Once the platforms and supports are secure, we'll be doing most of the building up in the tree. Are you afraid of heights?"

"Nope." Austin didn't mind letting Joshua take the head on this, since it was his project. He passed him one of the bottles of water and then he took out his hammer and got a few of his other tools out.

Joshua stretched his neck and peered over at Austin's tools, wanting to catch a glimpse of them. His own tools were new but they didn't hold any particular special meaning. "Thanks," he said at the water and felt a certain commraderie building already.

All of Austin's tools were old. They were hunter's and Hunter's father's. His own father had bailed on him before he ever got a chance to know the guy, so he always had looked at Hunter like a father, rather than a brother.

"Where did you get those?" He pried curiously. He sat back for a second to watch Austin work, not so much supervising as admiring. It was clear the other knew what he was doing. "They look like they've been broken in perfectly. I think an old set of good tools is so much better than new ones. My mom's boyfriend Rick had a set of tools from his dad, but he never used them. It was a shame."

"These were Hunter's and before him they belonged to his father." He knew that most people assumed he and Hunter had the same dad, but they didn't. "If you want to use my tools you can, but you won't ever break yours in until you use em enough." He smiled a little bit. "besides, these tools were new once upon a time. Maybe by the time Jeremiah and Julian are a little older they will be broken in for them to use."

Joshua hadn't thought of it that way. Maybe he really could be the start of a legacy rather than just feeling as if he came from nothing all the time. Not that he hadn't loved their father, but the man hadn't passed on as much as Joshua had once thought. "I'll use mine then," he smiled and looked down at his own, hammering a few more nails into the planks.

Austin smiled a little bit and he paused. "Here. Why don't you use my hammer, and I'll use yours. We can break your set in together." Because he wanted Joshua to feel like he was part of the pack. Like he was entitled to use the tools that belonged to the pack, and that they could break the new set in as part of the same pack.

"You're very nice," Joshua said honestly. "You're like Hunter. I guess when my dad talked about packs, the alphas were always scary. They went around killing wolves who didn't have a pack. Killing wolves like me and my brothers." But maybe those were just horror stories that had no foundation in reality.

"Some pack leaders are like that." Austin said, his brow furrowing just a little bit. "but we haven't ever been. Not even the alphas before Hunter and certainly none of the ones that are going to be alpha after him. Hunter is already incredibly attached to you and your brothers. You guys are pack now, you're family."

Joshua glanced down at the old hammer now in his hand. He turned it over against his skin. "Who's going to be alpha after him? How do you decide? No one has to kill him, do they?" He quickly caught on that Austin was a great source of knowledge about pack life and he was going to take advantage of that. "And I think that everyone like Julian and Jeremiah. They're easy to love." Joshua was not quite so easy to adore. He was headstrong and needing to prove something most of the time.

"Hopefully me." Austin said with a bit of a laugh. "I think that is sort of the direction everyone thinks that the pack is going to take. And it will really just be when Hunter doesn't want to do it anymoer. Two years ago I would have said he'd die of a heart attack before giving up alpha, but everything that's gone in in the passed two years... I think it could be any time. I think he's probably waiting for me to finish school and then he's just going to be done."

He didn't know what to think about that. Austin's words sent his mind working and as the wheels turned it was clear on his face that he was mulling things over. "Aren't you scared to be responsible for the whole pack? What if you can't do it? What if bad things keep happening?" Joshua had the desire to lead, it was written into his DNA, some wolves were just born like that. But his youth was getting in the way of that code.

"I don't know. I guess I'm a little bit scared, but it's in my blood." Austin could tell that Joshua sort of felt the same way, and he knew that the boy was at an age where he could go one direction or another with the right pushing, and austin thought maybe taking the kid under his wing would be a good idea. If he couldnt' be alpha, he thought Joshua would at the last make a perfect second. "Bad things always happen. It's just part of life. But if I wasn't around it could be a lot worse."

"Do people ever start their own packs?" He tilted his head to the side, wondering about the origins of others, especially the Portland pack who had stolen Jeremiah for awhile. He wished he'd been there to see them die. It was a viscious part of himself that was a little scary, but thrilling as well and he was more than willing to embrace it.

"Sometimes. But usually that only happens when people in the pack disagree so much over something that they split into two. There are packs all over the United States. There is a pack from New Orleans, you might have met some of the members because they moved here. Their alpha is Louisa, the blonde woman. They are really like part of our pack now, but Hunter still allows her to keep control over her pack."

The supports were put together and Joshua stood up to start loading one of them up the tree. He'd screwed in some steps earlier that day so the climbing was going to be easy. "My dad said there were no girl wolves. I was suprised to see three here." He didn't know about Arabella, but he was referring to Louisa, Tes, and Winnie.

"Yeah, we have the monopology on female werewolves." he laughed softly. "My mother was a werewolf too. Hunter and I have the same mom. Her name was Arabella." he put a few nails between his teeth and he shifted some of the wood to where he needed it to be before going to hammer the wood back together again.

"Arabella," he repeated. It humanized Hunter and Austin a little to think about them having a mother. They were personable enough, but both affected Joshua like a king might affect his subjects. He wasn't used to the energy they gave off. Hiking up the ladder, he packed up one of the elbows, adjusting it and nailing it into the tree. "Was she nice?"

"Yes. She died when I was eleven." He was working on finishing another piece that he could hand up to Joshua so that he didn't have to come right back down since he was all the way up there. "But she was incredibly kind and very fair. She was the Alpha before Hunter. And before her it was Hunter's father."

"Then it must be in your blood," he said and sounded just a little disappointed. His father had definitely not been like Hunter or Austin, so perhaps Joshua wasn't cut out to lead. "I think that I'll be going back to Seattle with Andrew pretty soon. I think the boys will be okay without me here all the time now that they have a pack."

That made him frown a little bit. "Do you really think that is such a good idea?" Andrew's relationship with Joshua bothered him a little bit but he didn't want to make a big deal out of it with Joshua. "I think that they need you here, and you are part of this pack too, you know?"

"I'll visit them a lot. And Andrew says that maybe we can take them for weekends. I think they'll like his house--our house." He'd heard Andrew call it 'our' house and it'd made Joshua feel good. He wasn't sure he felt like part of the pack just yet, but he was getting there and Austin was certainly helping to make that happen.

"He bought you." Austin said softly as he looked up at Joshua. "Doesn't that bother you?" He didn't want to make Joshua uncomfortable or anything like that. "If you don't want to go back there you can stay here, you know? You have a lot of potential, you could be a very strong member of this pack if that was what you wanted."

The word 'bought' felt like a slap and he tried not to flinch. Even though Austin's tone was careful, the whole business behind the way he and Andrew had met still bothered Joshua a little. "He's not holding me hostage or anything," he said a little defensively. "It just--I'm glad I met him."

Austin reached up and he touched Joshua's foot, just curling his fingers around the outside of his show a little bit to get a connection with him, and to really get his attention. "If you want to be with him, then that's fine. Be with him. But if you are only doing it because you don't think you have any other choice, just know that there are always choices. We're a choice. You can live here, stay here with your brothers."

Staring down at Austin, Joshua marinated in what the other was saying. "I want to be with Jules and Miah all the time, but I really like Seattle too. I know they need to be raised here; it's what's best for them. Everyone here is so stable and amazing. But I want to live with Andrew and I think that makes me selfish."

"I don't think that makes you selfish." Austin said, not letting go of his foot as he looked up at Joshua. "Do you think that maybe Andrew would be willing to get a house in Cold Water? I know that Seattle is only thirty minutes or so away but sometimes that can feel like a life time. I don't think your brothers will want you to go." Especially not Jeremiah. He was barely functioning.

There was a part of him that was running away from responsibility and that part of himself he hated. Having never had the chance to be a kid, he had an underlying urge to just think about himself. But he couldn't abandon his brothers. "I could ask him," he said thoughtfully, uncertain the man would like the idea. Looking a little disappointed, Joshua turned back to fastening the supports to the tree, taking one of the pieces Austin had built and securing it with efficiency.

Austin let go of his foot and he moved so that he could finish putting together the supports that he told Joshua he would build. He worked in silence for a little while, just enjoying the manual labor that he didn't get very often.

Not allowing the silence to continue for too long, Joshua let his hip rest against the tree as he watched Austin finish up. "What are you studying in school?" He'd always wanted to go to school, but he'd never believed he'd have the chance. He was pretty sure he'd be able to now though.

"I am studying Math. Hunter wanted me to study languages and history like he did, but to me that is boring." He looked over his shoulder and up at Joshua. "Did you Hunter speaks thirteen languages?" None that he never used around the house or in front of anyone.

"I didn't even know thirteen languages existed," he said with reverence. "I'm positive I don't have the patience to study something like history or languages. I like hands on stuff. I keep asking Andrew to teach me magic or something about what he does, but he won't."

"I don't think that magic like that is really something that you can just learn. I think you have to be born with it." he sat back on his heels and looked up at him. "but there is wolf magic. It's not the same as anything else. It's just sort of our own thing."

"I'm convinced that he could at least teach me something. Maybe no one's tried, and if anyone can do it, I can." He spoke with all the foolish confidence of a fifteen year old. But when Austin mentioned wolf magic, his ears perked. "Really? More than just the whole smell a pie from a hundred miles away thing?"

"That's just Hunter magic." he laughed a little bit. "I'm pretty sure that he could track down pie anywhere inthe world." He turned back to what he was doing to keep on hammering. "There is very minor wolf magic. You should talk to the coyotes. They have a lot more magic than we do. But there is a myth about the wolf magic being lost because we lost the artifact that gave us our magic."

Hopping down from the tree, he landed cleanly on his feet. The prospect of some magical artifact was absolutely fascinating to Josh and appealed to his sense of adventure. "Coyotes? There are coyotes who can talk here?" He was showing his lack of knowledge about the way the supernatural world worked.

That made Austin smile a little bit and he glanced over at him. "Warner and Jonas." Because he didn't seem to have a real grasp on all of it and he thought it would be interesting for him to find out. "And Haben? Is a lion. He has a friend here named Noah, I haven't met him yet though. He's around but not all the time."

Joshua opened and closed his mouth in surprise, like a gaping fish for a moment before he stopped himself. "I'll bet even Jeremiah and Julian know more about this stuff than I do." He wrinkled his nose with frustration before picking up one of the planks and lugging it up the ladder. "I met a demon though, the one that works with Logan at the tattoo shop. She does Andrew's hair."

"What was her name?" he wasn't sure he knew which he was talking about, but he had met a pair of demons. Asshole demons. "There are demons here too, not on pack lands though. Mabel is one. Her brother is a demon. There are vampires too, but I am not very fond of any of them."

"Julia. She has pink hair. I think I'd like pink hair." She was Mabel and Foster's sister, though that fact was as of yet undiscovered. Mabel had no idea her sister was actually so close and Joshua hadn't caught the last name to make the connection. "Vampires?" He didn't like the sound of that, and since Austin wasn't fond of them, Joshua decided that he wasn't ond of them either.

"They think they are so entitled, when really a little well placed sunlighta nd they would be dust." he looked over his shoulder at Joshua. "I try not to dislike them, I really do. I am sure there are one or two of them worth keeping around, but as a whole, they are miserable creatures. Manipulative and mean, and dangerous."

Joshua listened like he was taking notes, logging away everything Austin said. He was rapidly fashioning an idol out of him. "Dangerous? Why doesn't Hunter get rid of them?" Joshua figured that the alpha had the right to exterminate something that was dangerous to his or her pack.

"Because they haven't always been, and sometimes they can be a valuable asset." He finished part of the frame he was working on and he wiped his hands on his jeans before he stood up and picked it up to walk over to Joshua. "Hunter has a pact with their leader, sort of. They are at least civil to one another."

It seemed there were a lot of politics that went along with the job and Joshua wasn't too sure he liked the sound of that. "I'd probably just end up getting into arguements with everyone and want my own way all the time." He was at least mature enough to realize he had growing up to do.

"That was how I was last year. " but a lot had happened and a lot of things had changed. "I used to be a miserable shit. I still can be sometimes, I have my moments." Austin lifted his head and looked back in the direction of the house. "Hunter is making lunch."

Joshua sniffed the air, frustrated that he hadn't smelled it first and could only barely smell it now. Sigmund said his senses would get better and better as he grew though. "We should go and eat," he said as he hammered in the first plank that would be the foundation of the treehouse. "Oh, and if you run into my brothers, don't tell them about this. I want it to be a surprise, okay?"

"All right, I won't. Though I"m not entirely sure I have to worry about running into them." Julian had been clinging to Wendell and Hunter and Jeremiah hadn't wanted to talk to anyone or be around anyone. He was just sort of keeping to himself.

"Yeah, that's true," he said a little sadly. Both boys had been affected by the kidnapping, but Joshua was worried about Jeremiah the most. He didn't want his brother to always be escaping into himself, that was concerning. Jumping down again from the tree, he gathered up the tools and then folded the tarp over the wood in case it rained.

Austin helped him tuck it down around under the wood and he put all of his tools away to carry them back towards the house. "We can go tomorrow afternoon to find a color of stain that you like for the wood and some of the weather proofing stuff. I think we have paintbrushes here but it wouldn't hurt to get a couple of new ones.'

Joshua grinned, his mouth taking up most of his face under the expression. "That sounds great," he admitted. "And I think that maybe, I'll look for a job so that Andrew doesn't have to pay for everything for me." He liked that sense of independence a job would give him.

"There are a bunch of places that are hiring seasonally right now. and I think Mabel was looking for a bus boy." Austin hadn't ever had a job but sometimes he felt like being who he was was a job all on its own. "I'm sure Andrew likes paying for you though."

Frowning a little at that last statement, Joshua headed toward the house, glancing over his shoulder for Austin to follow. "You kind of think I'm a prostitute, don't you," he said flatly.

"That's not what I meant." He said, giving him a stern look. "When I was dating Sullivan I liked buying him things and that didn't make him a prostitute. and Hunter buys everything for everyone, and that doesn't make us all prostitutes."

"Well, we're not all having sex with Hunter," he noted, but accepted the fact that Austin hadn't meant it that way. He could be sensitive about that, he knew. Instead of saying anything more on it, he walked back to the house for lunch.

"I should hope not." Austin wrinkled his nose and went inside with him. There weren't many people in the main house, but he could hear the tv on in the living room which meant Jeremiah was in there. No one really ever watched it, but since he'd been back Jeremiah tended to veg out more than anything else.

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:43:29 GMT

Standing out in the pumpkin patch, Tes had her hands on her hips, glaring down at the pumpkins someone had snapped from their vines and rolled around the yard. "It's anarchy around this place!" She growled as she shook her hands in the air. Kicking the ruined pumpkin, she felt only slightly satisfied when it burst around her foot and left a sloppy orange smear across the grass. Tes was prone to throwing temper tantrums, they were ferocious but brief.

Winnie had been sitting on the porch watching the scene unfold before her and she couldn't help but snicker at her. It was funny to see her having a little tantrum because she liked the way her cheeks went pink and how she radiated anger. "You are cute when you are mad." She got up and went to the edge of the porch.

Tes had been so wrapped up in her trampled pumpkin patch, she hadn't realized Winnie was so close by. As much as she adored the other woman, she was still a little on edge with her. She could scream and yell at the boys and they always backed down, but Winnie was different. She wouldn't back down for anything, and when they'd fallen into sex, that had only added to the complexity. "I told everyone to leave my goddamn pumpkins alone. I'm surprised only two got ruined."

"Well what are you going to do with them? Are you going to make pie? If you make me a pie out of the ones that are left I will tell you who ruined the two that you just kicked." She folded her arms on the edge of the railing and rested her chin on top of them. Once she was settled she just grinned.

She wrinkled her nose. "Make pie from scratch? Who do you think I am--Wendell?" She toed at the ruined pumpkin and sighed as she bent down to clean up the mess she'd made. "I was going to carve them for Halloween and put them on everyone's porches to protect against evil spirits." She didn't really believe the last part, but she loved the tradition.

: "Do you have enough to do that and to make me a pie too? Because if you give me one for a pie I will give it to Wendell to make a pie for me. And then I will tell you who it was that ruined your pumpkins. Well since you aren't making me the pie it is the pumpkin and a kiss."

That made Tes's cheeks flush even more and she glanced upward at the girl on the porch. Werewolfism suited her so painfully well and even though it had been difficult for her to survive, Tes thought it had been worth it. And she was thankful to have someone like her at Wolf Haven. "I suppose I could spare a pumpkin and a kiss for such a vital piece of information." She got to her feet and walked purposefully toward the porch.

"Where is my pumpkin?" She held her hands out for it, still standing up on top of the porch so she was a good foot off of the ground and over Tes. "I don't give out information until I got the goods.'

"How about the kiss first, then you can come pick out a pumpkin," she said with a quirk of her brow. She stepped up the first step, then the second. Usually, they were about the same height, but at the moment, she had to look up at the other woman.

That made Winnie smile and she nodded. "All right." She stayed on the top step so that when Tes got in front of her they would be closer to the same height as one another. "Kiss first then."

Tes moved quickly, her hands going around Winnie's waist to slip underneath her shirt. It was sexy at first, but it became clear that she still had pumpkin goop all over her hands and when they touched Winnie's skin they were slimey and cold. She pressed her lips to Winnie's though, trying to hold onto her so she couldn't pull away.

Winnie started to squirm, immediately trying to pull away from her because of the goop but Tes had a pretty good hold on her. She yelped before their lips met but she kissed her back, planning on getting her back for this big time.

She'd gone into this knowing that she was opening herself up to a revenge play, but it was worth it. Briefly, she grinned beneath the kiss before putting herself back into it, tilting her head to the side to deepen it. Kneading her fingers against Winnie's skin, she was very satisfied with the slick, messy feeling. When she pulled back, she laughed. "I hear pumpkin crap is good for your skin."

"I hate you." Winnie whispered to her, but then she leaned in and bit his bottom lip before pulling away and going down the steps sos he could grab her pumpkin. She didn't care if she was covered in mess, she'd clean it up later.

The words made her shiver and she turned to watch Winnie walk away over her shoulder. The way her shirt rode up because of the pumpkin on her back revealed the narrowest part of her waist and the swell of her hips made Tes exhale slowly. The woman was slowly wrapping Tes around her little finger and that was very hard to do. She followed after her, kneeling down to knock on pumpkin rinds to find the fullest. "Well, who did it?"

Winnie knocked on all the pumpkins and she picked them up, holding them in her hands. Passing them from hand to hand until she decided which one she wanted. "This one. It was Sullivan. He came through and he was running and tripped and ripped the two out."

Tes let out a miniature shriek. "That fucking ox." She rocked back on her heels, not caring that she was getting the soft earth on her pants. Her fists clenched and rested on her thighs.

"Thanks for the pumpkin." She smiled and started back to the house with the pumpkin in her hands. She was going to go and get Wendell so that he would make the pie for her. He was still hurting and down but she thought that spending time with her in the kitchen woudl cheer him up a little.

Her outburst was immediately quelled by Winnie's disappearance. It was a struggle to keep up with her sometimes and Tes sighed, not getting up to follow. Wendell was in his room, not really sleeping, but lying down.

When Winnie got to Wendell's room she knocked on the door and waited, the pumpkin balanced perfectly against her hip. She knew he'd been pretty down but she was hoping that he would jump at the chance to make some pie with her.

"Come in," he said, moving so that he could sit up. He was in his pajamas and he pulled up the covers around his waist, waiting for Winnie to come inside.

Winnie came inside the room, her pumpkin still on her hip, and she walked over to sit down on the edge of his bed. Setting the pumpkin down, she patted the top of it. "So I weaseled Tes into giving me one of her pumpkins and I thought that we could make a pie."

Wendell loved pumpkins and all of the trivia and lore that went along with them. They were one of the most uninviting piece of produce and yet they were such an icon. He laughed when she mentioned Tes. "I doubt you'd have to weasel anything out of her," he noted. He reached out for the pumpkin and held it in his lap for a second. "Have you ever made a pumpkin pie from scratch before?"

"Uh, no." She shifted so that she could sit indian style across from him and she smiled as she rolled the pumpkin over to him so he could take it from her. "I did, I traded a kiss and some very important information for this pumpkin and she smeared pumpkin goop all over me, I need a shower. But first I wanted to talk to you about this very important pie that is going to be in my very near future."

He raised his eyebrows at the idea of pumpkin goop. "I'd like to make a pie with you," he nodded. It was about time he started to do things around the house again and the kitchen would be the best place for him to start.

"All right, well let me go upstairs and shower and then we can go and start making this pie. But listen, it's just for you and me, okay? We're the only ones who get to eat any. Well you can share your half with whoever, but my half is just for me.'

Wendell didn't think he'd ever kept a whole half just or himself before and the idea appealed to him just a little. He nodded and let her go for her shower as he got up and put on some slacks and a shirt. Taking the pumpkin down into the kitchen, he washed the outside of it with warm water and then cut it in half to scoop out the seeds.

Winnie came down once she was clean, wearing a dress from a thrift store. It smelled like laundry because she'd made Hunter wash it before she would wear it, and she put on a little cardigan and some leggings to keep warm. Her feet were bare though, because she never liked to wear socks if she could help it. "You started without me." She walked over to stand just next to him.

"I figured you'd had enough of the goo," he held up his spindly hands which were covered in the stuff before he stuck them under the faucet and rinsed them off. Putting the two halves of the pumpkin into the oven to bake, he wiped his hands on the apron he'd put on.

"It's all right. Really, when I said that we were going to make the pumpkin pie together, what i meant was that I was going to let you do it, and I was going to stand really close to you and ask a lot of questions and then eat it when it's done."

Wendell chuckled. "Somehow, I'd imagined it just that way." Someone asking him questions would be a change of pace and he welcomed it. He got into the cupboard to take out all of the appropriate spices. He never needed recipes unless it was something new and he'd made pumpkin pies before.

"How come you put the halves in the oven? Like what happens once they are in there? What if you burn them? I really don't think I am going to be able to get another pumpkin out of Tes, I don't have much more to trade her for."

"The meat needs to be soft so we can scoop it out and puree it. The heat breaks down the molecular structure of the pumpkin, changing its consistency." He glanced over the labels and mixed what he was going to need into a little pyrex bowl. "And I'm sure you of all people could just ask Tes for another--but I don't think we'll need one. The skin would burn long before the meat was ruined."

"It's really weird that it is called the meat." She shook her head a little bit and moved around him to look down at what was in the mixing bowl. "What all are you putting in there? Is that cinnamon?"

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:51:02 GMT

Corbin had actually managed to work his way up at the grocery store to shift manager. It beat stocking the shelves and it meant he could schedule his time off to coincide with Colby's. It was also possible to keep his brother out of trouble better. He'd just gotten home from work and flopped down on the couch. Life was going strangely well and quiet. He couldn't help but be afraid that something bad was coming.

Colby still stocked and they kept him pretty well away from the customers. He worked harder now though and he tried to make Corbin look good to the other bosses. When he got home that afternoon he had gone to their bedroom in the tiny apartment to take a nap. When he hear Corbin come in he rolled out of bed and he shuffled into the living room in just his pajama pants and one of Corbin's t-shirts he had found on the floor. He cralwed onto the couch and laid his head down against his brother's chest.

"Does it feel like something's coming?" He asked with a concerned frown. "Things have been too easy." The boys had never been psychic, unless one counted their own connection to one another that bordered on supernatural. He sighed, smoothing his hand down the other boy's back.

"Mhmm." Colby murmured quietly before he closed his eyes and just sighed. "I just want things to keep going like this. Just you and me, working and living here." It was really nice and he felt like they actually had a life for once. "What if something is wrong and we get hurt or worse?"

Corbin wasn't sure if he loved the safe monotony or was being driven crazy by it. He didn't suppose it mattered so long as Colby was around. "If someone tries to hurt us, you'll hurt them and I'll heal us. It'll be okay." He shouldn't have brought anything up. A worried Colby was an eradic one.

"What if I die. You can't heal dead." Colby frowned and turned his head down to press his face into Corbin's shoulder. "Would you miss me terribly if I was gone? Would you find another lover? Someone easier to love?"

"You're easy to love," Corbin frowned, not liking that Colby thought like that. "And I've never tried to heal dead. Maybe I can." He knew he couldn't, but he could not handle the idea of not being able to save his brother. "What if I die?"

"I'll open all the old wounds in my body and I will die with you." Simple as that. He answered without hesitating, as if he had thought of this before, and he had. Actually he had thought about it often.

"That's not fair. How will I kill myself without you around?" He could talk about dark things easily and he grinned, laughing a little as he combed his fingers through Colby's hair.

"You will have to do it the old fashioned way." Colby said, quite seriously as Corbin carded through his hair. "It will be more effort for you than me, that is for sure." he sighed, letting hot hair out against his brother's throat.

He loved how serious the other sounded. For Corbin, it was a game--lots of things were a game. "Do one on me now. Call one up." It was exciting to feel that swell of pain that came from seemingly nowhere and the gush of blood that so often came with it.

For a moment Colby was entirely still as he tried to recall a wound he wanted to call up. He was touching him, head to his shoulder, forehead against his jaw. That was all the more contact he needed now, he had been getting better at controlling it without his hands. He pulled up a slice across Corbin's palm. One he had done to him and to himself so they could be blood brothers.

Corbin hissed and then groaned. He knew it would be that one; it was one of his favorites. He lifted his palm so he could see it and whimpered when it went even deeper than he remembered. It hurt, stung all the way down his wrist in a throbbing ache with each heartbeat. "There's a boy at work who likes you. Did you know that?" Corbin said idely.

"Really?" Colby sounded vaguely interested but only in the sense that he found everything Corbin said interesting. "Are you sure they don't just like you?" They were the same person, essentially, but Corbin was saner by a longshot.

"I'm sure," he said before healing up the wound. There was still blood on his hand though, and he smoothed his fingertips up underneath Colby's shirt so he could let the warm liquid smear across his bare skin. "His name is Paul and he always asks about you. This morning he asked to switch shifts with someone so he could work on yours."

"Really?" That surprised him a little and he tried to remember which person Paul was. He was pretty oblivious to everyone else. "Which one is Paul? Is that the one with dark hair?" he squirmed at the warm feeling of Corbin's blood on his skin and he chewed on his bottom lip to keep from making any noise.

He liked to feel Colby move against him and he dug the heel of his palm against the small of the boy's back to create more sensation. "Yes, with curly hair. He's really sweet actually, but kind of pathetic." He'd be lying if he said he wasn't jealous, but the kid interested him a little. He was so normal.

"He's all right I guess." Colby rocked his hips against Corbin's and he pressed his face to his neck. "Do you think he wants to be my boyfriend?" Not that Colby wanted it, he was just curious.

Corbin laughed at Colby's response, but the pressure of their hips together made his throat go a little dry and his laugh died off. It was easy to forget about his jealousy when Colby was on top of him. "He has a crush on you--it's obvious," Corbin managed to get out. "I've tried to fool him into thinking I was you, but he always seems to know the difference."

"Maybe I will talk to him tomorrow. He can be my work boyfriend and you can be my home boyfriend since I shouldn't be dating the boss at work." he rocked his hips against Corbin's again. "Do you want me?"

It was impossible to keep up the conversation with Colby moving against him like that and he let his face turn to the side as he exhaled a slow breath to try to keep himself from getting hard right away. He always wanted Colby and he bit his bottom lip to keep from groaning. "Promise me you'll kiss Paul? I think he'd like that very much." Corbin got off on the idea of leading the poor kid along and then pulling Colby back at the last second.

"I promise." He'd do whatever Corbin wanted him to and he'd never ask why he wanted it or anything like that. "Just put your hands on me and make me feel good and I promise I will kiss him."

Putting one hand on either side of Colby's cheeks, he pressed their foreheads together. "You're so easy," he grinned teasingly before he kissed the other boy. It was anything but a sweet kiss, and he bit down soundly on Colby's bottom lip until he could taste blood.

Colby moaned and he scooted a little higher until he was laying fully on top of Corbin. He wanted to get as close as he could to Corbin as he could, though he knew that short of climbing inside of him he would never be close enough.

He never knew what Colby was going to do, even if they were twins with an uncanny connection. But the unpredictable nature was what Corbin loved most about his brother, though it had gotten them into trouble more than once. Slipping his leg up between Colby's, Corbin kept kissing him, his energy ramping up by the second.

Colby pushed down against him, grinding into his thigh as best he could. His hands started to push Corbin's shirt up so he could pull it off of him. He wanted to be able just to touch him.

"Fuck," Corbin murmured against Colby's familiar mouth before he broke contact enough to let the shirt come off. He did the same to Colby, pulling it over his head before he started to work at the boy's pants. "I love you more than anything," he frowned, very serious suddenly as he tried to get Colby out of his clothes.

"I love you too, so much I can't breathe sometimes. I would die for you and die without you." He knew he wouldn't be able to live without him. He scrambled to get out of his clothes and to try and get him out of his too.

It always frightened Corbin just a little, to be so important to Colby's well being. But he wouldn't have it any other way. When their clothes were finally on the floor next to the couch, Corbin pushed Colby upright until he could climb onto his lap. Somehow, he kept kissing him the whole way, tongue slipping into his mouth. As he straddled him, he let his body cause copious amounts of friction against Colby's cock, crushing it almost painfully beneath his weight.

Colby whimpered into Corbin's mouth and he let his hands rake down Corbin's back. He pulled him down harder and he lifted himself up as much as he could. Pain or no pain, this was the most perfect thing for him. "I want you so bad." he muttered into his mouth.

The nails down his back made him squirm with discomfort, but he didn't mind. He could picture his skin completely raw if Colby ever decided to bring back all of the times he'd done that, torn skin from Corbin's back in the middle of something like this. He pulled back enough to lick a damp path down the middle of his hand before reaching behind himself and gripping Colby roughly, stroking him a few times. "Do you?" He smiled coyly.

"I do." Colby's eyes met Corbin's. He had always thought looking at Corbin was like looking in a mirror until you looked at the eyes. It was just easy to see that there was a different person in there. "I love you, I always want you."

Maybe that was how Paul told the difference between them. Corbin's heart always lept when Colby said things like that and he leaned forward again to kiss at the other boy's neck, resting his cheek on his shoulder. His hips and hand kept working though until Colby slid inside of him.

moaned at the feeling, happy to be inside of his brother. It was a connection he didn't have with anyone else. Lifting his hips, he pushed deeper into him until there was no where else to go and nothing else to take. "You fit me."

"I am you," Corbin breathed against Colby's skin. They were different, sure, but Corbin liked to focus on how they were the same. It made him feel closer to Colby; if they were the same person then they were never really apart. As he settled back onto the other, the sensation of being filled up got to him and he had to let out the smallest of whimpers as he started to move his hips up and down, rolling them over Colby.

Colby pressed his head forward, laying it against Corbin's chest while their bodies moved together. He was able to easily slide in and out of him, almost like they were made to fit together like this. One of his arms wrapped tightly around his body and the other squeezed between them so he could stroke Corbin off.

The hand on him only caused him to move faster, breaths getting ragged. Sometimes he wanted to push Colby away, tell him to stop because it was too much to handle. It felt like his body would blow apart. But instead of trying to run away, he wrapped his arms more tightly around Colby to anchor himself. This position was one of his favorites because he had control; he slowed down and sped up as it suited him.

It was safe to say that Corbin was the top from the bottom, and that was just fine with Colby. It let him go with his brother's urges and the way he wanted to move. He just always wanted to make him happy.

As he started to feel himself get close, he pressed his lips to Colby's. It was soft at first, but as he started to come into Colby's hand, the kiss got rougher, crushing and hungry.

Colby kept on stroking him, his fingers wrapped tightly around him. he was milking the come out of him, wanting to get every last drop. when he was sure that he was done he let go and smoothed his hand up corbin's stomach.

His fingers combed through Colby's hair, curling against it and tugging his head back so that he could kiss and bite at his throat. The slick feeling of Colby's hand against his stomach made him squirm with pleasure. His ass kept moving though, and after a moment, he pulled his upper body away from his brother's so that he could lean back and prop his hands against Colby's knees so he could look down the length of his body and watch himself ride the other.

Every touch sent him spiraling toward the edge of an orgasm but seeing Corbin tip back like that just did him in. He arched his hips up, thrusting erratically into his brother when he finally came.

Corbin bit his bottom lip, focusing on the way it felt to have Colby come inside of him. His fingertips dug into the boy's knees as his hips froze. He didn't move for what felt like a long time until he exhaled and laughed. "You're fucking perfect," he said as he tilted his head back.

"God." He muttered softly. "I love you." Colby let his fingers grasp Corbin's hips, wanting to keep him where he was on top of him. "Don't move yet, okay?"

His chest rose and fell with the effort, but he was calming down. As Colby's words burrowed into him, he nodded an acknowledgment. Instead, he looked down at his brother, stomach still smeared with come and looking utterly debauched. "I love you too."

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:40:08 GMT

Jonas had been avoiding Felix like it was his job. Not because he didn't want to be around him now that they'd had sex, but mostly because he wasn't sure what to think about all of it. He was sort of terrified that Felix had just done it and now wasn't interested in being with him again and he was just trying to avoid the inevitable hurt when they ran into one another and he saw first hand how uninterested Felix was. He was sitting out on the back porch, settled on the steps with his leg stretched out. He rubbed at his knee absently while he sort of just stared out into space, looking at the woods even though he wasn't expecting anyone to come out of them.

The first few days afterward, Felix hadn't thought it was too weird he kept missing Jonas. Then he started to catch on that the man's absence was on purpose. The artful dance that they were doing was starting to piss Felix off. If anyone was going to bail, he felt it should be him. He was the one who ran first and quite frankly, he had no intention of running again. He'd gone for a run, and when he caught scent of Jonas outside, the wolf stalked around so that he was upwind of him and could sneak up. He shifted quickly and emerged from the woods, naked and glaring at Jonas.

Jonas was sort of out of it, just staring into space, and Felix made it halfway across the yard before the movement in his vision snapped him out of it and he focused his eyes on the wolf. Fuck. Naked, and angry, and coming in his direction. Getting up from the steps, he hobbled a little bit and turned to go up them, planning on getting into the house and up to his room if he could manage it.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Felix called to him. "You're going to make me chase you with my wang out?" He picked up his pace and caught up with the still slightly hobbled coyote easily. Putting a heavy hand on his shoulder, he turned him around. "Why are you avoiding me?"

Jonas really cursed the fact that his knee was still fucked up as Felix caught up to him, clamping a hand on his shoulder. Once he was turned around to face Felix he just looked up at him. "Are you really going to pick a fight with me with your wang out?" he asked, since Felix had been the one to say it first.

Actually seeing him close up for once made Felix realize how much he'd missed him. Taking a couple steps forward, he pushed himself up against the other man. "If I have to," he said, but his voice was softer, the wind taken out of his sails by just the feel of Jonas this close.

Having Felix's body pressed up against his made Jonas gasp softly and he backed up as much as he could, but really it only put him up against the sliding glass door, pinned in by the weight of the wolf's body. Closing his eyes, he tried not to think about how good it felt to be in that position when he was trying so desparately not to fall for him any harder than he already had.

Felix rarely got outright angry. Usually he passed off anger for caustic humor and then he just avoided the situation. But he didn't want to avoid Jonas. "Why are you avoiding me?" He said again, frowning at the other man, letting his face go closer. He wanted to kiss him, force him to react rather than retreat, but he wanted an answer first.

"Because I wanted to beat you to the punch." Jonas said, his head tipped back and he was looking up at him. Part of him expected to be kissed and part of him expected to be slapped. Either way he hadn't wanted this confrontation for any reason. "Don't be mad at me just because I ran before you could."

"Don't," Felix said, hating the weak sound to hiis voice. He supposed he deserved this, after fucking up so many times and bailing on the man just as they were about to get intimate. But he was trying. He brought his hand up to touch Jonas's cheek. "You can't know for sure that I'll run."

"You bail every time we get close. And after we fucked..." He trailed off and juts shook his head and he tipped it down so that he wasn't looking right up at him. It pressed his face more against Felix's cheek and he closed his eyes. "I can't handle it if you ditch me now, I just can't."

"It wasn't just fucking," Felix said and couldn't hide the hint of indignation there. He let his face drop into the crook of Jonas's neck as he let his body press harder against him. "If you run, I'm fully prepared to chase you." That was hard for him to say and he grit his teeth.

Jonas let out a soft sound as Felix pressed against him and he put his hand on the wolf's hip like he might try to push him away but he coudln't. Instead he just gripped him tightly and pushedh is hips away from the glass door. He'd run. He was still going to run.

Felix recognized the posture because he'd done it to other people. He didn't realize how much it would hurt though. "I want to go inside with you," he said quietly against Jonas's ear. "I want to crawl into bed with you if you'll let me. You can't avoid me forever. I can feel that you can't hold out."

"I can try." And there was some truth behind that. He wasn't going to give it up so easily. Press right up against Felix meant that he wasn't going to be able to get away from him like this. He couldn't out run him in his human form and he probably couldn't either if they were both shifted, but if he was and Felix wasn't he thought he stood a pretty good chance. It was easier for coyotes than wolves, he started shrinking away from Felix into a little pile of clothes. There was no howling or bones breaking, he just was a human one minute and then a coyote.

That had been the last thing Felix had expected and when the coyote was there he was too surprised to reach out for him. "Jonas!" He cried out angrily and stomped his foot like an angry child throwing a temper tantrum. His body was revolting at the idea of shifting again so soon after he'd just shifted back to human form. He tried to drop into it, but his muscles refused and he let out a frustrated growl. Instead, he let himself inside the house and went upstairs to take a pair of Jonas's pajama botoms. They were far to tight on him but he didn't care. He was going to wait for him.

Jonas took off and he hid under the house for a while, small enough to squeeze under the porch and away from Felix. He didn't see him go inside though and he just stayed there for a while, and when he thought he was gone he went creeping out from under the porch and up to the back door. He scratched his paw against the glass until Austin came over and opened it and he darted inside and went up to his room. He left his clothes on the porch and when he got to his room he didn't realize straight away that Felix was in there. He just jumped up onto the bed and went to lay down.

Felix was lying with his back to the door, stewing over how annoyed he was with Jonas. He didn't like having to be the one to work and be vulnerable. When the animal jumped on the bed, he turned around quickly and reached out to grab him. But as soon as he had a hold of him he didn't know what the hell to do with him. "Ha! Now what?" He was half talking to Jonas, half to himself.

Jonas yelped and started thrashing around now that Felix had a hold of him. His grasp was too tight and he was holding him in a way that kept him from being able to bite or claw, neither of which he would have really done anyway. Instead he ended up shifting back, pushing against Felix's grasp to make him lose it as he changed.

Feeling the shift against his hand was enough to make him release Jonas. But as soon as he was human again, Felix was on top of him, pinning him down. "You're going to go on tour and leave me behind, aren't you. I heard Emmett talking about going."

Finding himself pinned against the bed made him frown a little bit and he tried not to wiggle ot struggle too much because he knew he was just going to hurt himself if he did. "I don't know. If he goes I'm going with him." There was no way he was going to stay behind here without Emmett.

"Then why shouldn't I have just bailed on you? I told you you were going to leave me. I finally connect with someone and it's a fucking musician." He sighed and looked away from the man. "A famous one even." One who would probably never belong to him.

"You're the one that bailed on me every fucking time we came close to anything at all." Jonas said to him, frowning as he looked up at Felix's face. "You can't say that you weren't going to do it again becuase it is what you do. Of course i'm going to go on tour, it's my fucking band."

"I don't want to be here without you." Not that he hated Wolf Haven, he'd just never felt so attached to it. He'd long ago conceeded that it was a better place for him to grow up, but it'd never been able to replace his parents and he'd never been able to open himself up to the pack fully.

"Then come with me." The words left his outh before he could manage to stop them. Swallowing, he closed his eyes and he just sighed. "I don't want to get hurt, and you keep running away from me, and I don't want that to happen again but if you aren't going to then just come with us if we go."

Now would certainly be the time that Felix would normally pull away, but he got the feeling it would be the last time if he did. "You didn't give me a chance once we really started. But I didn't deserve a chance. Do you really want me to come with you?"

"Yeah." Jonas looked away from him, his eyes focusing on the wall because he really oculdn't even look Felix in the eyes at this point. Yes, he wanted him to go, but he wasn't holding his breath and he wasn't counting on it.

Felix's hand came up quickly, taking Jonas' chin and turning his face back toward him. He crushed his lips against the other man's with aching fondness. When he broke the kiss, he fell into numerous smaller ones that dropped down the coyote's neck and then his chest. The fact that the other was already naked was a perfect convenience.

Jonas closed his eyes and tipped his head back, letting out a soft sigh as Felix kissed his way down his neck and against his chest. He was completely naked and he squirmed a little under Felix's attention. "I want you." there was no real surprise there, he had from the first damn minute that they had seen one another, and it felt totally unfair because Felix frustrated him to no end.

"You have me," Felix muttered in return, mumbling against Jonas's skin which still smelled and tasted like wild. He wanted to touch every bit of Jonas with his lips and tongue and he started on the methodical journey. "I'm sorry you had to get stuck with me," he continued to talk as his mouth roamed over his skin. "But I think you are. I can't stand the idea of you somewhere that I'm not."

There was no way that Jonas was going to complain about this. He just sighed and tilted his head back a little more, his hips lifting off the bed as Felix's mouth trailed down his stomach. "I want to be stuck with you, I don't want to be apart."

"I'm going to piss you off a million times on tour," he said before he let his tongue lap up the length of Jonas' cock. That would be how he'd beg forgiveness and it was as if he was giving Jonas a preview of how sorry he could be when he messed up, which he knew he would sometimes.

Jonas let out a little moan and he reached his hand down to slide his fingers through Felix's hair. "Why?" He barely had any mind to ask him that but he wanted to know why he was going to piss him off. "I want your mouth on me.'

Felix loved to hear Jonas ask for what he wanted; it made him feel obliging and just the right kind of dirty. "Because you're grouchy and easy to piss off and I say stupid things." He teased him, staring up at the need etched on his face. "You're really fucking gorgeous like this."

Jonas' breath was caught in his lungs and he lifted his hips up from the bed
because he was practically begging for Felix to suck him more. "Dont' tease me." It was really unfair that he was just kissing him and teasing him like this. he wanted his mouth on him all the way.

Finally, Felix dropped his mouth down the length of Jonas, covering him in warmth and wet. He held him there for a few moments before pulling off completely and blowing against the sensitive skin, chilling the surface before starting to lick again. When he was sure any more would infuriate Jonas, he went back to letting his mouth wrap around him, bobbing with purpose.

Jonas whimpered and he wiggled his hips a little more, trying his best to push up into his mouth. "Fuck, fuck. Please don't stop." His hand went down to Felix's hair and he curled his fingers into his hair.

At this point, Felix had no intention of stopping. He let his hand wander against Jonas' thigh, careful not to drop odwn to his knee. Being able to make Jonas make those sounds was worth his own vulnerability.

Jonas turned his leg to the side a little, hitching his knee up even though it sort of hurt. he could ignore it as long as Felix's mouth was on his cock. He wanted to lift his hips up even higher but he was careful not to push too far. "Felix."

Relentless, Felix kept on him, not prepared to stop until he tasted Jonas' release. His hand drifted up to rest comfortably on the coyote's soft stomach and he could feel the deep sense of connection with the other. Even if it scared him, he didn't want to think of it any other way.

"I'm going to finish." he whispered to him, unable to say it any louder. "I'm almost there." he rocked his hips up one last time before he finally came, losing himself into Felix's mouth. He felt bad for coming with almost no warning but he couldn't help it.

Felix didn't care in the least. He wanted Jonas inside of him, all the way down his throat and he could feel his own cock twitch when ropes of come erupted over his tongue. He crawled back up the length of Jonas, kissing him immediately to mingle that taste with his own. He was still in Jonas' pajama bottoms and he was going to make a mess of them fairly shortly as he made out with the other man.

Jonas kissed him back, tasting his own come in his mouth. He licked over his lips before drawing his head back to look at up him. "I want you." he whispered again. "Fuck me." He knew it wouldn't last long, and that he wouldn't really get much out of it, but he wanted him anyway, he wanted the intimacy because it helped him feel more connected.

Hearing that utterly stole Felix's breath and his brain seized up for a second, dumbfounded with how hot he found it. "Jesus," he groaned, wriggling his hips against Jonas. But it wasn't too long before he had those pants off and was positioning himself between Jonas' thighs. With a determined thrust of his hips, he was pushing inside of the man with the slickness of his own saliva and some of Jonas' come. It was enough, and Felix found himself gripped in tight heat.

Jonas' head tipped back and he cried out at the feeling of Felix sliding into him. It was a little rough at first, but it always felt that way. He wrapped his arm tightly around Felix's shoulders and he lifted his head to kiss him again. It didn't even register to him that the door to the room was still open.

That would have bothered Felix profoundly if he'd realized it. Fortunately, he was far too focused on this. It was a ridiculously short amount of time before he lost control and thrust himself into an orgasm. Stamina could come later when he hadn't waited so long to get another go with Jonas. He collapsed into kissing him, still holding himsel finside.

Jonas kissed him back, his arms and legs still wrapped around him. Of course his knee was already starting to ache but it didn't matter. All that mattered to him was that Felix was still inside of him and on top of him and that Felix wanted him. He held a little tighter to him than he wanted, afraid that he would run now.

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 04:47:35 GMT

Patrick's father didn't live at Wolf Haven, but as soon as Patrick had been born he'd sent him to live with Hunter's pack. It hadn't been so much a responsibility thing as a convenience thing. Like many rich parents sent their children to a boarding school, Patrick Sr. had decided that his son would best grow up somewhere else. Besides, the pack could teach him far more than his father alone could. He was frequently sent lavish gifts though and his father often tried to send Hunter money for his care as well. When the black Maserati Gran Turismo showed up for his 18th birthday, Patrick was mildly amused. Sullivan had nearly shit himself and really that had been more fun for Patrick than the car itself. At the moment, he was standing next to Sully as he looked under the hood, making almost girly sounds.

Unlike Patrick's father, Kelly's wanted nothing to do with him but he didn't have the money to pay for the boy's care. Instead he was just dumped off on the porch one day and Hunter had had no choice but to raise him. Of course, it wasn't a bad life. He never wanted for anything and though he wasn't the strongest wolf in the pack, he could hold his own among them. The afternoon that Patrick's father sent the car, Kelly had been out for a run and when he came back in just a pair of torn cargo shorts, he frowned at the sight of the car. And at the sight of Sullivan and Patrick standing together. "What the fuck is going on?"

Even if Kelly's voice was a bit grouchy, Patrick turned toward him with a big grin on his face. "It's two weeks late, but this is my birthday present from my dad. I saw it in one of Sullivan's magazines and thought it looked nice. Do you like it?" Patrick's tone was far from bragging; he was just excited now that Kelly was around and he wanted to tell him about it. Sullivan groaned when he ran his hands over the clean V8. "The 2009 is fucking amazing--2008 is shit, but the 09? Jesus."

"Why don't you go inside and jerk off thinking about it." Kelly said to Sullivan, bumping him out of the way so that he could look at the inside of the car. Then he turned to look at Patrick, frowning a little bit. "It's a car, so what." Okay, maybe he was a little bit jealous. No one even knew when his birthday was, they had just called it the day that they found him.

Patrick always celebrated that day with a great deal of fanfare. Ever since they'd been kids, he'd always tried to make that day special for Kelly. When he bumped Sullivan out of the way, Patrick bit his tongue and watched Sullivan go through a range of emotions. The old Sullivan would have put Kelly in his place, started a huge knock-down drag out fight. Instead, the older wolf just snorted and slammed the hood down, narrowling missing Kelly's face with the edge of it. "Do you want to go into town with me?" Patrick asked hopefully.

Kelly jerked his head back when Sullivan slammed the hood down and he glared over at him. For the most part, Sullivan hadn't ever scared him, but he hadn't ever been interested in being around Austin and Sullivan. Patrick was the only person he really gave a fuck about. and Wendell, who he had taken a liking to instantly and was generally the only person Kelly ever listened to about anything. "What's your damage? Christ." He moved back away from Sullivan and turned to Patrick. "Let's go."

"You can play with it later, Sully," Patrick promised and Sullivan waved them off as if he didn't care. But he was already pretty in love with the car. Patrick opened the door and slipped inside, unlocking the passenger side door for Kelly. When he got in, he started the engine and took a second to appreciate how it purred. Pulling out of the garage, he headed down the driveway and then out onto the little highway that connected Wolf Haven to Coldwater Flats. "I guess he was thinking about bringing it in person--but he couldn't get away from work." There was a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Right." Kelly was never very optimistic when it came to anything to do with fathers of any type. "I don't think that it's a very good idea to see him anyway." Kelly hung one leg out the window and he rested his bare foot against the dashboard. "You know we can't get out of the car. I don't have a shirt or shoes."

"It would have been nice to see him. I haven't seen him since like--two Thanksgivings ago. Why wouldn't it be good to see him?" Even if Patrick tried to be understanding, half the time he simply couldn't get Kelly's views on dads. Glancing over at the other boy, he smiled, always liking to see the way he owned his space. He looked like he belonged everyplace that he deemed worthy of his presence. "Since when has being shirtless stopped you from trouncing around everywhere?"

"Since today." Kelly was in a mood. But he was generally in a mood whenever Patrick's dad sent him gifts. Part of it was the lack of his own father, but part of it was also that Patrick always seemed so happy with them, and Kelly was sort of afraid that one day his father really would come back and try to take him away.

"I love it when you're a dick, Kelly. It turns me on." A lot could roll off of Patrick's back and he flashed his friend a wide grin to challenge him to do his worst. Opening up the sunroof, he stepped on the gas to kick the car into the next gear.

"Well then why don't you just pull over and suck me off then, if you are so turned on." He rolled the window down and just leaned against it, letting the breeze blow through his hair as they headed in the direction of cold water. "Where are we going anyway."

He would. Patrick had always had a crush on Kelly. Thinking about doing what Kelly suggested made him twist a little in the fine leather seat as he swallowed back a little laugh. "We're just going for a drive, I guess. Since you can't go in anywhere with your new found modesty."

"Whatever, there isn't anywhere that we can go that will just let me in. Except Mabel's, we could always go there and get some pie or something." He always had a soft spot for that woman, mostly because she was gorgeous and she babied him from time to time.

"Okay," he nodded. He could always go for her cooking. Pushing the speed limit, they arrived in Coldwater in no time. "I think Mabel has a crush on you," he said as he got out of the car. "She lets you get away with anything."

"Yeah, well, she's pretty hot." Kelly got out of the car and he headed up to the door, letting himself in. He let Patrick catch up on his own as he went to look for a table to sit at. They got the same thing every time they went there but he picked up a menu and settled in to look at it anyway.

Patrick had to force a laugh at that. He shut the door behind him and stuffed his keys into his pocket as he followed Kelly inside. None of the customers seemed to even notice the fact that the boy didn't have a shirt or any shoes on. Mabel glanced up and popped over to the table, beating the little waitress there. "Really? A menu? Don't pretend you two are going to be adventurous."

"Yeah, I'm going to get something different today." Kelly smiled at Mabel, a genuine smile because she always cheered him up. "What is good today? Do you have any specials?" There were specials everyday, but he never took the time to learn them because he always just got a double bacon cheeseburgers, chilli fries, and whatever pie he felt like that afternoon.

It wasn't that Patrick didn't like Mabel, but he didn't like the way he saw Kelly flirting with her. Okay, so maybe it wasn't flirting, but Patrick imagined that it was. "We've got some Colorado Green Chili today." She rested a hand on her hip, glancing between the two of them. "But I seriously doubt you two could handle the spice."

"That's what I want." He handed her the menu. "And I want my usual in addition to that. And whatever pie is best today." He always let her pick which dessert she was going to bring him because there wasn't a single type of pie he didn't like.

"Why don't you just bang her?" Patrick said when Mabel was out of hearing range. He was trying to make light of it, but his tone had a hint of jealousy to it. He'd ordered the Egg's Nest and some ice cream and he sat back to wait patiently for it.

Nudging Patrick under the table with his foot, he just smirked. "Do you think that she'd let me fuck her?" He spoke like he had any experience with women whatsoever. Really, Kelly wasn't all that interested in anyone, aside from Patrick, he just wanted to be left alone.

Patrick offered a shrug and a shake of his head. "Probably not," he said and pulled his foot away from Kelly's touch. "Do you really want to?" He quirked a brow, playing with the fork that was already on the table.

"What the fuck do you think?" Kelly rolled his eyes and he put his foot back down as he sat up a little more. "Let's talk about something else, this subject is boring me." He really didn't want to talk about fucking Mabel or about fucking anyone in general.

"What crawled up your ass today?" He wrinkled his nose and wadded up his napkin, chucking it at Kelly. "Let's talk about that." He was being good natured about it and it didn't seem to bother him so much. But he was sure as hell going to mention it.

"Nothing." Kelly made a face at him and brushed the napkin out of the way on the table so that it wasn't in front of him. Really, he always got like this whenever Patrick's dad sent him anything or contacted him in any way.

He put his chin in his hand and scrunched up his nose. Mabel brought the food out, balancing it easily in her arms. When she left them to eat, Patrick started chewing on his bottom lip. "I wanted to talk to you," he smiled a little and there was clearly something on his mind.

"What do you want to talk about." He took one of his fries and dipped it into the bowl of chilli that Mabel thought was too spicy for Kelly. But Kelly was like a garbage disposal and he had yet to come across something that disagreed with him as far as food went.

"Well," Patrick started, cutting up his toast so he could eat it with a fork. "I've been talking to this guy on the internet for awhile now. He saw some pictures I posted and messaged me." As he spoke he got a little excited, thinking that what he was about to say was fantastic news. "So like, he thought I was good enough looking to be in one of his films and he offered me a job with his production company!"

"What kind of movie? How can he tell just by looking at you if you'd be a good actor?" Kelly really didn't bother much with the internet. It seemed boring to him. He was more interested in reading or going for a run than anything else. Socializing was never one of his strong suits.

"I already filmed one," he blurted as if he'd been keeping it a secret for a century. Actually it had only been about a week. "Um--it's one of those adult film companies. You know, porn." He'd never been all that shy about sex and he didn't think there was anything wrong with pornography. He'd sure as hell watched enough of it online. "He paid me like two grand." Not that money was ever an issue for Patrick.

That just stunned Kelly into silence and he even stopped eating, which wasn't something that happened very often. "Are you fucking insane?" Because really, the boy had to be if he was willing to put himself at risk like that. "I mean, really? Really insane?"

Patrick was as surprised at Kelly's response as Kelly had been at the news. "What! I'm not insane. It's totally harmless. And it's fun." He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm eighteen now, everything is legit. I've seen the guy's movies and they're good. He said I did a great job."

Kelly just wrinkled his nose and turned his head away from Patrick. "That's fucking disgusting. I can't even believe youd' think about doing something like that. o you know what kind of danger you put all the people on the set in? What if you shift?"

"Oh, because getting fucked by complete strangers in a professional setting is going to get me so riled up that I shift." The only person he could imagine being able to do that to him was sitting in front of him, disgusted with him. "It was fine. No one died." He paused for a second and looked down at his meal. "Maybe you can see it when it comes out."

"No thanks." Kelly wasn't interested in watching Patrick get fucked by anyone. The jealousy that had been threatening to spill over all day was rearing it's ugly head again and he suddenly wasn't hungry anymore. "I'm going home."

Patrick sighed. "Please don't be like that. I'm really excited about this." He reached across the table to try and grab Kelly's hand. He wanted Kelly's attention and he went about trying to get it the wrong way.

Kelly pulled his hand back away from Patrick and he just made a sour face at him. "Don't be like that? You are letting someone fuck you for money. What am I supposed to think about that?"

"You make it sound like I'm turning tricks on the street. It's really safe and kind of artistic. I mean, I've always wanted to be involved in the film industry and lots of actors have started out in porn." He couldn't think of any names at the moment but he was sure people had made the leap to mainstream acting.

"Whatever. It's disgusting." Kelly got up from the table, leaving behind most of his food. He was going to have to pay Mabel back later but he wasn't going to sit there and eat with Patrick when he was so pissed off at him.

Patrick got up and followed him. "Are you seriously mad at me? It's not any of your business who I have sex with." He was keeping his voice down, not wanting to casue a scene in the middle of the restaurant.

"Then don't fucking tell me who you are having sex with and we won't have this problem." He walked out of the restaurant and he started back in the direction of the haven. He was going to walk back because he didn't want to ride with Patrick in his stupid brand new fucking car.

Stubbornly, Patrick kept following him. He walked in angry silence for a little while and then reached out to grab at Kelly's arm. "I didn't tell you. I told you about something I was excited about and something that I wanted to do for a long time. You should be more supportive instead of a complete dick about it."

"More supportive about you letting someone fuck you for money on camera? So that the whole world can see you getting drilled just because you think it's glamorous? It's not. It's trashy. So be excited about it all you want but don't ask me to back you on it. Let go of me now."

Patrick grit his teeth and held onto Kelly more tightly, just daring him to do something physical against it. He was so fucking pissed about this and he didn't really even know why.

Lifting his hand up he just shoved at Patrick to get him the fuck back away from him. Kelly had a temper, there was secret about it, but he wasn't going to stand there and talk to him if he didn't want to. "Fuck off."

With his free hand, Patrick hauled back and punched Kelly. He was wirey and not very strong, but he put all of his effort into it. At the same time, he released Kelly from his grasp.

Kelly had already been pulling back from him so the punch knocked him down and he hit the ground hard on account of how hard he'd been trying to get away from Patrick in the first place. He rolled over and put his hand against the back of his head before he started to get up. Now he was really mad.

It was incredibly satisfying to see Kelly go down and Patrick stood there, glaring at him. "I guess now I'll fuck off."

"Yeah. Go fuck yourself. Or go let someone pay you to fuck you." he turned his back on Patrick and started to walk away, absolutely fuming. His head was bleeding where he'd hit it, and the blood dripped down his bare back, but he didn't notice. He was going to head off to the edge of town, shift, and run back to the house.

He wanted to curl up right there and sob, but as he watched Kelly walk away from him, he noted the blood and he bit the inside of his cheek hard. Goddamnit, he thought to himself. "Kelly, wait. You're bleeding." He jogged to catch up and touched the blood on his back, showing the spark of red to the other boy.

"I don't care, get away from me." Kelly jerked away from his touch and he turned to keep on walking. His head hurt but he knew if he just shifted it would go away and he wouldn't even worry about it at all.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, stopping in his tracks and giving up. He was probably never going to win Kelly's respect back. Instead of walking back to the car, he just sat down where he was and sighed.

Kelly walked away from him, not really wanting to have this conversation with him at all. Instead he just wanted to get home and go to his room so he could be alone.

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 05:31:27 GMT

Wendell had been using his medical knowledge to keep infection from setting in too soon. Their systems were naturally hardier than humans, but Joseph and his pack had really done numbers on Wendell and Vance. Part of Wen wanted to die out there in the middle of nowhere just so that Hunter never had to find out about what had happened. He'd felt guilty and worthless too since Vance had been so brutalized anyway. They'd travelled as much as was possible, trying to get to a road, but ultimately the pain and lack of food or drink got the better of Wendell and he found them a little rock shelter before falling into a deep sleep.

For some reason, the connection to the pack hadn't been so strong across statelines as it usually was. Hunter wasn't sure whether the stress of the situation was to blame, or if his age was starting to catch up to him. Maybe it was the fact that after his own kidnapping he had never really fully recovered. Not to the way he had been before. When they recovered Jeremiah the little boy was filthy and hurt, starved nearly to death, and that set Hunter's mind spiraling as to what had happened to his mate and to the other wolves. If they had been able to do that to a boy, what were they capable of doing to adults? With Shane and Everett, they scoured the woods where Jeremiah was found. But eventually they had to make the long drive back to the haven, leaving behind what little hope he had to find his lover. It was another two days before he had any taste of hope again, the faintest feeling that the two were somewhere he could get to them. It was enough and he and Shane set out again, this time leaving the boys in Everett's care as they left first thing in the morning. It was a four hour drive. Another three spent in the woods before they made their way to the mouth of the rock shelter. The scent was strong now, the feeling, and Hunter was frantic as he went inside. Seeing the two on the ground was enough to make him sick, but he swallowed back the nausea as he went to Wendell, scooping him gently up so that he was in his lap. "Wendell, my darling. Wake up." he leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead but he was gentle as he tried to urge him awake.

Hunter's touch reached into his disturbing dreams and as consciousness inched up on him he whimpered. At first it was easy to mistake the embrace for Joseph, the power was similar and Wendell woke fearing that the man had come back for him. "No!" He said before he realized who it was. When the dawn set in, he broke down into tears, turning his body to Hunter's. "I'm sorry," he cried and murmured. "I'm sorry Hunter. Please forgive me. Please. I'm so sorry."

The fact that Wendell was begging for his forgiveness made Hunter frown, but he held back the anger that started to swell inside of him. He wanted to cry out in anguish, but instead he just carefully pulled him up in his arms, cradling him as if he were a small child. He was no such thing, but in this moment Wendell felt as vulnerable as Jeremiah had when they found him. His hand came up and he brushed his fingers gently along the side of Wendell's jaw and he brushed his hair back out of his face. "Shh." he whispered to him, his head coming down so their foreheads touched together. "I'm here now, you're going to be all right.' It was late, he knew. Too late to save him from the damage that Joseph had already done. Hunter was afraid that maybe the light had been pulled from his mate, but he knew it was too soon to tell. "I'll take you home, you're going to be safe now, I promise. You're safe, I've got you."

"Jeremiah. I don't know where he is. I lost him. I couldn't protect him." He had convinced himself that they'd dumped the boy's body somewhere. He could smell his blood in the forrest. All he could think about was Julian's face when he had to tell him.

"We've got Jeremiah, Wendell. He's already back at the Haven. Everett is watching him and Julian with Joshua tonight." He rubbed his hand gently along the side of his face. "We're going to get you and Vance home. I'll take care of you, I promise." He picked him up carefully, letting Shane pick up Vance, who was still unconscious.

The dark parts of Wendell wanted to scream at Hunter to put him down. Don't save him. He clearly was not strong enough to be worthy of Hunter. But he couldn't bear to push the man away and instead, he clung to him. Home with Vance and Jeremiah was there too. It was the most relieving news.

Hunter carried him carefully out of the cave and in the direction of the car. Shane was just behind him. They had already laid the back seat out and it was full of blankets, water and food so that they could eat and hydrate as they made their way back to the haven. Hunter let Shane drive and he climbed up into the back with his wolves. "I'm going to get you some water, all right Wendell?"

Wendell was staring at Vance, trying to reassure himself that the boy was only asleep. When Hunter spoke he nodded and tried to sit up. He wiped his hand across his face, disgusted with how dirty he was and how he knew that he smelled. Joseph had purposefully not allowed Wendell to shower afterward and now there was blood and filth piled on top of it. "Where were we?"

Twisting the cap off of the water bottle, he pulled Wendell back against him and he held the water up for him. "We are in the woods somewhere between Cold Water and Portland. About four hours away from the Haven."

Wendell swallowed some of the water. The cool liquid hit his stomach and he groaned. It made him feel sick, but he knew he needed it. "I tried to identify plants--and I knew we were at least in the Northwest still." His voice seemed impossibly dry and he drank more water. "Hunter," he said just to say his name and put his face in his hands. "Is Cassidy safe? Joseph said the boy would come to him."

Hunter brushed his fingers back through Wendell's hair and he frowned a little bit. "Cassidy went to them. He left in the middle of the night. We aren't sure where he is yet but we haven't stopped looking." That wasn't something that Wendell was going to want to hear, but he wasn't going to lie to him.

His face fell even farther. All of it really had been for nothing. He'd protected no one. Wendell hitched his knees up even though it hurt his bruised ribs and aching muscles. He didn't want to, but the tears were coming again and he couldn't hold them back.

"Shh.' He rubbed his hand up and down Wendell's back and he just held him closer. "Don't cry, we'll find him. It'll be all right." He felt completely horrible about everything but he was doing his best not to lose it in front of anyone.

As Wendell was crying, he still tried to talk. "I missed Parker's first bath. And they nearly beat Vance to death. And Joseph promised me he wouldn't. He gave me his word." And Wendell had trusted it. He'd been so stupid.

"Shh. There will be plenty of baths for you to help with. And Vance will be all right." Physically, anyway, he wasn't sure how long it would take the wolf to recover mentally from what had been done to him. He pulled Wendell in closer and kissed him very gently. "It's all right. You'll be all right. I promise"

This only served to make him feel weaker, but right now he didn't care so much. He'd never had a problem with being physically weak before, but after this experience he could see its downfalls. He fell silent for awhile, letting Hunter's body warm him and the drone of the road home soothe him.

"I love you." Hunter whispered to him, pressing a kiss to the side of his head as he sat there with Wendell cradled in his arms. He rubbed his hand carefully up and down his back, not sure what sort of damage had been done to his lover and he didn't want to hurt him accidentally. "It will all be all right."

It felt good to hear him say that and Wendell mumbled it back quietly as he reached out for more water. He thought maybe he could drink a lake now that he'd gotten started. Four hours passed quickly because as he calmed down he drifted in and out of sleep. Once he woke up with a start, but upon realizing he was safe went right back to sleep.

When they got out of the truck, Hunter let Shane take Vance again and he lifted Wendell out of the back and into his arms. He held him tightly as he carried him towards the house. He was going to take him for a bath and then he was going to get him something to eat before tucking him into bed.

"I knew you'd find us," he said as he buried his face in Hunter's neck. He'd never stopped having faith in the man. "I still feel dried out." He desperately needed a bath, though he knew it would hurt. No matter how much he'd tried to keep their wounds clean, Wendell's had gathered bacteria.

"I am going to put you in the bath baby, and then I am going to go and grab a bottle of water for you and also something easy to eat." Some crackers and maybe a little cheese, something that he could stomach.

Having Hunter take care of him made Wendell smile a little and he wasn't entirely surprised that the man could pull happiness from the abyss. "I love you so much." He wanted to beg more for forgiveness but he couldn't bring himself to say the words.

"I love you too." Hunter kissed his forehead and then down to his lips. "I am going to put you in the bath and when I get back with food and water I will get in with you, all right?" he had no illusions about what had happened. Hunter could smell the sex on Wendell. But he was going to try not to treat him like a fragile broken thing. Instead he was going to clean him up and then hold him for as long as the water stayed warm.

Wendell didn't want Hunter to leave even for a second but he nodded. When they got inside and up to the bathroom, he undressed slowly. It felt good to get the grimey clothes off. "I'm going to burn these," he wrinkled his nose and shuddered. Being naked wasn't great right now though and it showed in his posture.

Once the tub was full, he helped Wendell to slide into the water and he drew the curtain around him so that he had privacy, even against Hunter. "I'll be back in a minute. i'll be quick and then I will help you get cleaned up and into some pajamas."

The now empty bathroom was dead quiet because Wendell wasn't making a move. The warm water stung at first but then felt good. He knew it wasn't the best idea to submerge a gunshot wound, but he wanted the bath so badly. He kept his knee hitched so the water didn't cover it. It was slowly sinking in that he was really home. Taking the washcloth, he soaped it up and started scrubbing. Once he got started he just kept going, scrubbing so hard that his skin was turning red from irritation.

When Hunter got back to the bathroom he ptu the water and food down, sort of surprised at Wendell. "Hey, hey... careful." he took the cloth carefully from Wendell and he submerged it in the warm water and then drew it up over his skin, gently wiping away the grime. "we're going to have to be careful with your knee."

He flinched away, but stopped himself knowing that Hunter was helping. His body had all of the pent up emotion and it was coming out in little bursts that Wen was trying to control. He just wanted the smell off of him. "I tried to shift to make it heal more cleanly but I just couldn't."

"You are exhausted. I will help you shift in the morning if you still want to, but only after you've had some rest.' Hunter was going to have to do his best to clean out the wound and then to wrap it for the night so that it didn't bleed through the sheets. It wouldn't get infected, so he wasn't worried about that, but he just didn't want there to be a mess.

"I don't know what I want." He reached forward and unplugged the bathtub, letting the already brown water drain. He tried to believe that the experience washed down with the dirt and blood. "He said he wouldn't hurt them if I cooperated. That he'd feed them and give them water. So I did everything he wanted, Hunter." His voice sounded distant.

"You did everything that he wanted because you thought it was the right thing to do, Wendell. And for that I am proud of you." He got up from the floor so he could get towels to wrap his lover up in. "I am just so thankful that you are all right."

He searched Hunter's face for anything that might indicate there was hidden tension there. "It felt a little like you. I tried to imagine you but that only made it worse because--because I didn't want to associate you with him." Maybe Hunter didn't need to know these things, but Wendell needed to tell him. He got out of the tub, skin and hair clean at least.

Hunter wrapped him into one of the large, soft towels, and he leaned in to press a soft kiss to his lips. "If you want to talk about it we can talk about it." He didn't want to hear it, but he would, just in case Wendell needed to speak about it.

"I'm just--I was just scared because of what happened with Gael. I'm scared that deep down you'll think I wanted what happened and you'll never look at me the same way." He felt sick to his stomach when he let those thoughts be out loud.

"I'm never going to think less of you for what happened. You wanted Gael, but you didn't take him. And what Joseph took from you was against your will. The only reason you even allowed it to happen without a fight is becuase of Vance. You tried to save him."

"I have a PhD in psychology. I should have known he was lying. I should have known not to give into him." He shook his head, not letting himself off the hook nearly as easily as Hunter was.

"You thought you were doing what was right." He pressed another kiss to his cheek and then he guided Wendell into the bedroom where his pajamas were laying out on the end of the bed. "Let's get your knee bandaged up and then you can put on your pajamas."

The bandaging didn't take long and Wendell was still during the process, letting Hunter take over when normally Wendell would have wanted to butt in and talk about ancient wound dressing practices. Finally getting into his pajamas, he felt like a little kid that Hunter had to care for and it disturbed him. When he was finished he sat on the edge of the bed looking down at his light blue linen pjs.

Hunter changed as well and he moved to crawl into bed with Wendell. "Lay down with me." He said softly, a request more than a demand because in that moment he wanted Wendell to be able to make his own decisions.

Wendell heard the subtle difference and he had to smile a little. Hunter was being so perfect and Wendell wasn't sure he deserved that kind of treatment. Logically, he knew he hadn't done anything wrong. Emotionally, he still felt like a failure. But he was home now and the boys were home and that was the best thing that could have come from this situation. While he still feared for Cassidy, he knew that in the long run, he would be rescued too. He got under the covers and turned his body toward Hunter's, curling against him easily.

Both of Hunter's arms went around him and he drew Wendell in close. "I was so scared that I was never going to get you back." Hunter admitted to him quietly. That wasn't something that he would often fess up to, not even to Wendell. Fear was a powerful thing and he liked to think he was above feeling it, but he had been afraid for Wendell.

He could feel the gravity of that statement and it made him feel loved. "I think maybe I need to learn some kung fu or something," he murmured quietly against Hunter's chest, the faintest hint of mirth to his voice. Wendell was not completely lost, that was clear now.

Hunter laughed softly and he leaned his head down so that their forheads were touching. "I'll teach you krav maga." Hunter said, as if he really knew the fighting technique.

That made Wendell laugh outright and he tilted his head so he could kiss Hunter on the chin. "Thank you," he said and let his eyes drift closed. Sleep would take him soon; he could feel it at his heels.

Hunter stayed awake, he kept his arms around Wendell and he watched as his features shifted and sleep started to overcome the smaller wolf. He wouldn't sleep all night, he knew that all right.

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:05:16 GMT

Tricia- My phone is being a douche again and won't let me respond to our threads. I'll keep trying intermittently, but I might be stuck til I get home Saturday night :(

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 05:18:47 GMT

Joshua had been shifting as often as possible, trying to get to a place where he could control himself. He was driven, utterly determined to get good fast so that he could keep up with everyone. He hated to be left out of anything. Even if he didn't really acknowledge this place as home, he wanted to be included. He was out with Sigmund currently, hunting. Unfortunately, since Sigmund was allowing Joshua to do most of the work they hadn't caught anything yet. When a car approached, Sigmund lifted his head and signaled for Joshua that wolf time was over.

The entire duration of the four hour car ride back to the house had been spent trying to keep Jeremiah calm. The little boy had been starving and dehydrated from two nights alone in the woods and days spent locked in the basement at Joseph's cabin. He had cried and fussed a majority of the way back and had eventually fallen asleep, clinging as tightly to Holden as he could. He'd eaten a few bites of crackers and had a few sips of water, but he was really just fussy and didn't want anyone to put him down. Hunter got out of the truck first and he walked around to hold the door open for Holden to step out with the ltitle boy.

Of course Sigmund was the first to change and he tugged on his clothes, heading in the direction of the arrivals. When he saw the little boy, his heart skipped with a mixture of horror and relief. The boy looked terrible and he wondered if Joshua should see him like that, but something told him that Joshua would tear through all of them to get to the boy. He trotted toward Hunter and lowered his voice. "The boy who came with the sorcerer and Logan; it's Joshua."

Hunter took a deep breath and held it for a second. Taking Jeremiah from Holden, he told him to go into the house and he just cradled the little boy in his arms while he waited for who he assumed was Joshua to come and find them. Jeremiah got a little fussy but Hunter turned his body in closer so that he was pressed up against his chest and his shoulder and he quieted down pretty quickly. "Maybe Joshua will be able to get him to eat."

Joshua hadn't understood the hurry, his senses not nearly as acute as Sigmund's. But finally he came out of the brush and walked toward the two men. Sigmund was blocking his view of Hunter, but he could feel a large power radiating from the man and it made him puff up, walk taller and with greater purpose. He was so busy preparing himself to meet and impress the alpha that he didn't catch the familiarity of the creature in Hunter's arms. But when Sigmund stepped aside, Joshua nearly cried out, hands flying to cover his mouth before he sprinted the rest of the way. "Miah! Miah!" His arms outstretched and he started to tug the little boy out of Hunter's arms.

Miah didn't realize who was trying to take him away from Hunter at first and he started getting fussy again until he realized who it was. Then he just started sobbing as he clung to Joshua's, his arms wrapped so tightly around him that he threatened to cut off his airway.

Joshua could smell the lingering flecks of fear, and pain on the boy and it broke his heart. He should have been there to protect him but he hadn't been able to do so. He stumbled back a little, still holding onto his brother, arms wrapped protectively around him. "You're safe now. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you ever again. I'm so sorry, Miah."

"Joshua." He cried as he kept his head against the side of his face and he wrapped his arms tighter around his brother. He was terrified but entirely relieved all at once and he didnt' know how to stop himself from crying.

"Is he hurt? Shouldn't we take him to a hospital?" Joshua looked up at Hunter, smoothing his hand over Jeremiah's hair. There was a bit of blame behind his gaze, as if Hunter might not know what the hell he was doing considering he allowed Jeremiah to be taken in the first place.

"Just bruises and scrapes." Hunter said as he walked over to put his hand gently on Jeremiah's back. "He didn't want to eat for Holden but maybe he will eat for you, so can you take him into the house? We can get him cleaned up and if you try to feed him he might eat."

"I'll clean him up," Joshua said, tugging them both back from Hunter's touch. "Thank you," he added though because Hunter had been the one to bring his brother back when he couldn't. He turned and took Jeremiah toward the house, muttering to him quietly. "Julian will be so happy to see you. He was so scared for you. I was too." He took him into the kitchen first and set him up on the counter. "I'll get you some jello, okay? And some soup? Chicken noodle like when you got a cold? It'll make you feel better."

Once he was on the counter, Jeremiah usually would have let go but when Joshua tried to step back he held tighter and started whimpering. "No, no." He didn't want anything to eat, he didn't want anything but for Joshua to just hold onto him.

"Yes, yes," Joshua vollied in return. "You have to eat something and then I can take you to get a warm bath." He was gentle but firm, trembling at the idea that if Jeremiah didn't eat something, he would only get weaker and weaker. He knew it was important for their kind to eat. Instead of pulling away, he simply slung the little boy easily onto his hip and kept him close as he went to search for a can of soup.

Jeremiah sniffled a little bit and he put his face down into Joshua's shoulder. The last thing he wanted to do was for Joshua to put him down at all, so he clung to him as tightly as he could to keep him from allowing him to drop him down. "Where were you?" he asked finally, his voice still shaky.

"I was--" he didn't like to use the word 'sold,' even though that's what had happened. "A man named Andrew took me to his home in New York, and then we came to Seattle." Some people would have trouble doing everything one handed, but Joshua was used to it and fell into the routine easily. He felt completely natural doing this, had been doing it since Julian was born and their mother had made it clear she had no intention of really caring for the boys. "And now I'm here. They helped me through my shift."

Jeremiah didn't know what that meant so he didn't say anything. Instead he just clung to him for dear life while he went about making soup. "Where's Julie?" he wanted to see his other brother but he didn't know where he was. "When those men took me they left him." And he was crying and that had horrified and Jeremiah kept thinking about it.

"He's okay. He's probably upstairs" He put the bowl of soup in the microwave and started it up. While it was cooking, he leaned against the counter and drew Jeremiah to the front of him, hugging him tightly again. He couldn't believe he finally had both of them back and safe. Even if he could still smell the other pack on the boy, he was infinitely comforted by the fact that he could smell that familiar scent of his brother beneath all that.

Jeremiah was shivering as he held onto Joshua. He was starting to calm down a little bit as he leaned against him but he still refused to let go. "I want to see Julie tonight." Because he wanted to make sure that he was okay. Finally he pulled one hand away from Joshua, loosening his grasp so that he could put his thumb in his mouth.

Joshua nodded. "You will. But first you need to eat and we need to clean you up. You look a mess." And he didn't want to scare the other boy. The reality of the situation was really starting to settle in and as the microwave signaled that the soup was warm, Joshua had to sniffle back a few tears as he went to get it. Taking it over to the table, he sat down with Miah in his lap and stirred it.

Once they were settled on the seat he just leaned against Joshua and refused to turn at all so that he could eat. Jeremiah sucked his thumb, his hand pressed against his face as he closed his eyes and started to relax. The comfort of being with his brother again after such a long time was going to put him to sleep.

He let Jeremiah cuddle for a few moments before he turned him around so he faced the table. "I know you're tired, baby, but you've got to get something in your belly." Scooping up a spoonful, he put it gently in Jeremiah's mouth. Josh knew how to deal with stubborn little brothers. This wasn't exactly the same situation, but the same loving firmness applied.

Having to put his thumb down made him fuss until Joshua replaced it with the spoon and he just swallowed down the soup was ease. The soup was chicken noodle and it was easy to go down so he sipped it off of the spoon and then leaned back against Joshua again.

Joshua fed him until the whole bowl was gone and he placed his free hand on his stomach. It was warm and he smiled, relieved. "Good boy," he murmered before standing up. "Bath now? We'll get you all cleaned up and then we can go find Julian, okay?"

Instead of protesting, he just nodded and laid against Joshua again. He was uncomfortably full, which was how he was used to being since he had gotten to Wolf Haven, but not it wasn't something that he liked. He felt sort of sick but said nothing. He wanted to take a bath and then go to sleep with his brothers.

He hiked up the stairs and into the bathroom that he'd been using. He was eager to get Jeremiah's clothes off to check him over, convince himself that they hadn't injured the boy more than what was obvious. He ran the water and made it nice and hot.

When Joshua went to set him down to undress him he started whimpering a little and just held onto his shirt as tightly as he could. "Don't put me down. I wanna hold you." which is what he said when he wanted to be carried.

Jeremiah was like velcro and Joshua sighed. He wasn't going to force the boy, so instead, he knelt down next to the bath, all the while still holding onto him. "Skinnacat," he said as he tugged Jeremiah's shirt off, wriggling it between them until he could chuck it on the floor. He left the boy's pants alone and reached for a washcloth to scrub gently over Jeremiah's face.

Jeremiah closed his eyes and scrunched his face up as Joshua washed him off. He was covered in dirt and beneath the layers of it there were dark bruises on his skin, mostly from being grabbed too roughly and just sort of pushed around. His elbows were scraped and there were other scratches all over. "Just wanan be dirty."

Joshua nodded. "All right, all right," he said quietly, giving Jeremiah a kiss on his forehead. "You can be dirty for awhile longer." It wasn't imperative to get him cleaned, even though Joshua's mothering instincts were in overdrive and all he wanted to do was clean and feed the boy.

Jeremiah curled up against Joshua and he closed his eyes, calming down now that they were sitting there together. The bath was hot so it was steaming up the air in the bathroom and he curled in closer to Joshua, calming down enough to start to drift off in his arms.

At least he'd gotten some of the dirt off. "Can we at least get you into pajamas?" He asked as he drained the tub and stood up to carry Miah into the boys' room. He rummaged through the top drawer and found some PJs in Jeremiah's size.

Miah let go of Joshua put him down long enough to strip him the rest of the way out of the clothes he'd had one. He was really filthy when he was completely undressed. Beneath the dirty and filth there was the distinct smell of urine and vomit that was stronger once his clothes were off.

Joshua wrinkled his nose at the smell. It wasn't so much that it was foul but what that foul smell told Joshua about how his little brother had been treated. "Are you sure you don't want a shower? I'll get in with you and wash your hair." He'd done that before, just all three of them in a quick shower after they'd been playing in the mud, or snow.

"Kay." Jeremiah liked having his hair washed so he agreed to the shower. Just so long as Joshua stayed with him he didn't care. "Just let me hold you." If he had to be put down in the shower, fine, but for the most part he just wanted Joshua to keep a hold of him.

Joshua wanted that too. He felt like if he didn't keep Jeremiah in his sights, he'd lose him again. He'd been like that with Julian for awhile too, though it wasn't as severe as in this case. Grabbing the pajamas, he plucked Miah back up and headed to the bathroom again. Shucking off his own clothes, he picked the boy up and got into the shower, turning the water on quickly. It was warm and felt good and he felt satisfied to watch the grime from Jeremiah's skin wash down the drain.

The dirt and filth washed off of him, but the bruises stayed on his skin as he was wiped clean. Now that he had calmed down a little bit he moved with Joshua and let him clean him up, though he always kept one hand on his brother just to make sure that he wasn't going anywhere.

He scrubbed the boy's hair and then rinsed him off, appreciating the scent of clean rather than torture clinging to Jeremiah. He was careful about the bruises, and logged each one so that he could keep a watchful eye on their healing. Cleaning himself up briefly, he finally turned the water off and picked Jeremiah up to wrap him in a big towel. "Isn't that better?"

Jeremiah nodded and he just shuffled closer, all wrapped up in the little towel, so that he was pressed up against Joshua's legs. He leaned against him and just sighed. "Sleepy."

Putting him swiftly in his pajamas, he carried Jeremiah to bed. Julian would come in from wherever he was soon, he was sure and until then, he decided to let Miah drift and nap.

Curling himself up to Joshua as close as he could manage, he wrapped his arm around his hips and he clung to him tighter as he pressed his face up against Joshua's ribs. He was out within a matter of minutes, completely gone from the world.

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 05:12:42 GMT

Haben had been eager to tell Robin about Noah. Having a bit of his childhood in town had put him in a perfect mood. He was up in the attic at Robin's house, going through some of his boxes. He wanted to show Noah Robin's work because he thought it was amazing. Unfortunately, the wolf wasn't doing much of it anymore, so he wanted the old stuff.

Since they had come back from their failed attempt at finding the humans that had hurt him, Robin had spent a majority of his time moping around. At first he stuck close to the haven, afraid to get too far away from the safety that lay within the small cluster of houses. But as the days passed he spent more and more time away from his house, wandering the woods just to be alone. Today he had been gone since before the sun came up and it was nearly setting when he came back, exhausted and pale from the effort of being out all day. He trudged up the stairs, not hearing Haben, though he should have guessed that he was there.

Haben heard Robin come in and he was relieved that the boy had come back. Sometimes, when Robin left he wondered if that was the last time he would see him. It hurt, but he knew he couldn't force the other to stay in his sights all of the time, even if the thought had crossed his mind. As soon as Robin came inside, Haben gathered up the pictures he'd selected and bounded down the stairs. "You're home," he pointed out the obvious with a smile.

"Yes." Robin nodded and he started into the bedroom, not even seeing what Haben had in his hands at that point. He started to work himself out of his vest, trying to get it off of his arms as he toed off his shoes, but he was tired and not paying much attention. He ended up tripping over pajamas left on the floor from the morning and he fell face first into the bed and just laid there.

Laughing a little at the fall, Haben's mirth died out when he saw that Robin was just lying there. "I took some of your art from upstairs," he began as he set it down the papers and went to help Robin out of his shoes. He tugged them off and chucked them haphazardly into a corner. "Noah's in town. He's a friend from when I was little. He's a werelion." He sat next to Robin on the bed.

With his shoes off, he had more energy to try an finish what Haben had started and he managed to wriggle himself free from his vest before he turned onto his back to look up at him. "Oh yeah?" There was interest in his voice, though it was very nearly covered by lethargy. Part of him worried about that, but part of him was relieved. Another lion meant something for Haben to focus his attention on.

He smiled at what he'd picked out as mild interest. It made him feel good to think that Robin still cared about his life and things outside of whatever was going on in that head of his. "I wanted to show him some of your stuff. And--I want you to meet him. He means a lot to me and you mean a lot to me and I think it'd be nice if you knew each other." Wolf Haven felt kind of like his home now and more to the point, Robin did and he wanted to share that with Noah.

That made him a little uncertain but instead of questioning it he just nodded. He would do it for Haben. The lion had made so many sacrifices for him, the least he could do would be to meet someone from his past. "When would you like me to meet him?"

"I don't know, as soon as we can. I don't know how long he'll stay." He didn't want to think about Noah leaving, but he didn't know what Noah was thinking about finding Haben here. Putting his hands on Robin, he rolled him over onto his back so that he could look down at him. "Where did you go today?"

"To the edge of the world and back." By that he meant he had walked as far as he could in one direction to hit the edge of the wolves' territory and then he had followed the line all the way around the outside and back to the house. He hadn't set a single step outside of it but he had walked along the edge, going as far from the houses as he dared to go alone.

The words appealed to Haben. He missed traveling and he laid down next to Robin, throwing an arm over his chest. Pressing his lips to Robin's shoulder, he spoke against it. "You and I could really go there someday. We could travel to the edge and then come back here."

"Yes." As if he had asked him to do it right in that moment. He wanted to go, he wanted to go and never come back. But he knew that he couldn't. There were too many responsibilities and too many relationships he'd be leaving behind.

"Where do you want to go first?" He wanted to take Robin away. Not to leave Sullivan behind, but to get him away from all of the pain that the boy so obviously had here. But maybe it would follow them and that would just hurt more. He worried about that, but he didn't dare talk about it right now. "I know how to get anywhere."

"I want to go to Africa, to see where you are from. And Japan to see the cherry blossoms. And Russia to feel the cold." There were more places he wanted to go, more things he wanted to see. But those were on the top of his list.

Haben got quiet for a second, hope building up in his chest. His arm tugged Robin closer and he looked up at him with his amber tinged eyes. "Would you really go with me? Will we really go? I want to take you away from the things that make you sad, but I think that I'm one of them."

Robin studied Haben's face and he leaned in to press a very gentle kiss to his lips before drawing back just enough to speak. "You are." He whispered. "Because I think you would be so much happier with someone better than me and that makes me sad. It makes me sad that I can't just be there for you. That I can't be better."

"We'll travel and you will be better," he said with a burst of confidence. "Even though you don't have to be better for me. You're just fine for me. I don't want anyone else." He liked Robin this close, especially his lips as he spoke. His eyes fluttered shut and he looked happy.

"I'm sorry, Haben. For everything that I have been putting you through. It is incredibly unfair of me." And he knew it was. To him and to Sullivan. Though he clung to them both anyway because he knew without them he would drown, and there was still a tiny part of him that wasn't ready to give up. A part that was getting smaller by the day.

"What's been unfair? What they did to you wasn't your fault." He kept his eyes closed, trying not to think about the first few days after Robin had gotten home. He'd steadily gotten better, until he started getting worse and Haben had to wonder if Robin had ever gotten better at all or if he was just trying to put on a brave face.

The last thing he wanted to do was worry Haben but he knew that everything worried him. "Sometimes I wish that they would have just killed me. That Hunter and Sullivan hadn't come along to put a stop to it. You would have never known where I went and you could have hated me for just assuming I left. Then you wouldn't be so sad." He ran his finger down the tip of Haben's nose.

"I keep telling you that I'd rather be sad with you than happy with anyone else. Our life will be much simpler once you accept that you're stuck with me. You feed a stray cat and he never leaves." He leaned forward and offered Robin a little kiss that turned into numerous ones.

There was a smile on Robin's face as he kissed him back and he just wrapped his arms around Haben so that they could be closer to one another. "I love you, Haben."

"We'll go to Japan first," he said quietly. "And I love you too. Sometimes I don't think you get it, but it's true." He sighed, trying not to think of how Robin had said he wished those men would have killed him.

"I want to see the cherry blossoms. I want to see everything while we are there." Robin thought about the places he wanted to go. "I want to see tea houses and temples. I want to see where the bombs were dropped and I'd like to go to museums." He sighed softly and brushed their nose together. "When can we go?"

Haben would take them anywhere but Africa. The idea terrified him. He listened to Robin talk, liking the fact that there was some life to his words. "As soon as you want. I'll tell Noah. I'm sure he'll understand. Maybe he'll come along; he's been traveling too--he can help us. You'll like him."

"All right. We can take Noah too." Though he wasn't sure that would be quite as he imagined it. There was a lot going on in his head so he just got quiet.

Haben laughed a little. "You don't take Noah anywhere. He drifts along next to you and then he disappears at will." A pause. "Though I guess I was the one who disappeared on him." He still felt guilty about that. "Do you want to ask Sullivan?"

"If he wants to go with us or if it is okay for us to go without him?" Robin wasn't sure but he tried to read Haben's expressions as he spoke because he wanted to know what he was thinking about.

"If he wants to go with us," Haben said honestly. He'd slowly grown to accept that Sullivan was a part of them. It had helped to go hunting with them, and although Austin may not have realized it, he had helped Haben a great deal.

"All right. I will tell him and ask him if he would like to go." Robin nodded and he leaned his head against Haben's. "I'll ask him in the morning. It is already late and I just want to be here with you."

"Will you be sad if he says no?" Haben wondered out loud, slinking his arm around Robin's waist.

"Maybe a little, but it won't be the end of the world." Robin rubbed his nose against Haben's again and then he laid his head down on the pillow. "Can you help me get undressed."

Smiling just a little at the request, Haben sat up and moved his hands over Robin's pants, tugging on them. His motions were less nurse and more boyfriend now though they weren't overtly sexual. Stripping Robin down to his boxers, he smiled triumphantly as if it was a great accomplishment.

Once he was undressed he turned over and laid on his stomach. "Hey, curl up with me." Robin gave him a gentle smile and he patted the bed beside him so that he could come closer.

Haben obliged quickly, curling close to Robin. "I'll always love you, no matter what. You know that, right?" He wanted Robin to do more than know it--he wanted him to believe it. Nuzzling his face against Robin's neck he sighed warm breath against him.

That made him smile again and he moved to push Haben over onto his back. He wrapped an arm over his hips and then laid his head against his shoulders. "Can I sleep on top of you?"

Haben laughed. "You can do anything you want to me," he said. "I'll try to make a good bed." He was warm and soft in the right places.

Moving to crawl on top of Haben, he kept his head on his chest and curled their legs together. He tangled himself up with the lion and then closed his eyes so he could rest.

It felt so good to be there. It had been far too long since they'd just been close to each other. A warm contentment radiated from him, like an aural purr.

The purring was perfect. Robin had had so much trouble sleeping lately but the feeling of contentment that seeped into Robin while he laid on top of his lion made him start to drift off. His fingers were curled into the fabric of Haben's shirt but they loosened as he drifted.

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:30:57 GMT

(I get the feeling I can only post comments to my own journal today so I'm starting this here so I have something to do until I get off work Saturday at 10pm!)

Sterling had been more than happy to relate the day's information to Pirate upon his arrival at home. Well, everything except the fact that he's told Vance about how he'd heard him talking about the boy. Pirate was beyond annoyed and he headed toward the main house, looking for the boy. He felt the need to warn him about Sterling and how he really should stay away from the man.

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:38:18 GMT

It wasn't often that Lewis actually went looking for Elgyn, but tonight he went from room to room, peeking inside to see if Elgyn was there. He was just about ready to give up, trudging down the stairs with his head hung low. He slid his hand down the rail and noticed that it was dusty. At least he had a purpose now and he went to the broom closet in the utility room to get some dusting supplies.

For most of the night Elgyn had been out, preying on the helpless because he could. When he came back there was the faintest traces of blood on the collar of his shirt, but even if it hadn't been present the flush to his cheeks would have given away the fact that he had indeed eaten. Coming in to find Lewis looking for dusting supplies he just smiled and let his fingertips run up the back of the boy's neck. Alarming, he was certain, because he was so silent in his approach.

Lewis's body clenched, flinching down away from the touch because it did indeed surprise him. He turned around and when he saw that it was Elgyn, he relaxed--although he knew he shouldn't have. . "I was looking for you," he said as he stood up straight and smiled at the man. When he caught sight of the life to Elgyn's cheeks he knew where he'd been.

"I was eating." Elgyn reached his hand up and brushed his fingers through Elgyn's hair, sweeping it out of his face. "What have you been doing my darling?" He referred to him as such becuase even after all this time he still considered Lewis his boy.

He closed his eyes briefly at the touch and that word 'darling.' He liked it a great deal and tried to allow himself to dwell on it. "Cleaning, cooking. What else do I do?" He chewed on his lip, glancing down at his feet. He wasn't usually shy, so there was clearly something on his mind.

"Well why don't you stop cleaning for a spell and come down to my room with me." His sanctuary. Lewis was one of the few people who ever got invited down there and one of the few people that ever came back out alive. The bed in there was a king, full of pillows and blankets, no windows, so he slept in a bed instead of a coffin.

Lewis nodded and shut the broom closet door. He would take care of the dust later because Lewis was the type of person who would remember it. He followed Elgyn down to the room, rather quiet. Being in Elgyn's room was nice--it felt secure.

Elgyn put his hand on the small of Lewis' back and he directed him towards the bed so that the smaller boy could climb up on. It was fairly high off of the ground but he let Lewis climb on on his own. "Lay down. I am going to change my shirt and then I will be back."

Maybe it was twisted, but he liked how Elgyn's bed made him feel like a little boy. Hoisting himself up easily onto it, he settled himself into its softness. He wanted to tell Elgyn that he shouldn't change his shirt, something in Lewis liked the evidence of blood there, but he didn't dare comment. It was probably wrong for someone like him to like the fact that Elgyn killed people, but not him. He laid on his stomach, resting his chin up on his hand as he kicked his feet casually up behind him.

The shirt was ruined so he threw it away and grabbed a new one from the stock of them in his closet. He buttoned it up halfway and then came back to the bed. There was no climbing for Elgyn, he floated up off of the floor and onto the bed to lay down beside Lewis. His arm hooked around his waist and he leaned in to kiss his neck below his ear.

"My father got reelected," he said casually, even though everything else about his body language was saying that this had somehow upset him. He didn't know what he was expecting, telling Elgyn, but it had been bothering him so long that he had to say something out loud, just to get it out there.

"You have no father now." Elgyn turned him over onto his back and he kissed across the front of his throat, his hand rubbing onto his hip slowly. "I am your father and Bernadette is your mother now. We will care for you for as long as there is breath in your lungs and long after, little lover." He nipped at his collarbone but didn't break the skin.

Lewis sighed, a slow exhale that only Elgyn could truely coax from him. He swallowed, trying to prevent himself from making any telltale signs of arousal. Wasn't it wrong to love those words so much, even though Elgyn did some of the same things to Lewis that his real father had. And Bernadette, as wicked and detached as his own mother. "You'll care for my dead body, Elgyn?" He smiled a little as he imagined himself with no breath, no pulse.

"You will not die a permanent death, little one. I will make sure you are this beautiful for an eternity." Elgyn had no intention of letting Lewis age much farther than he was and he certainly had no intention of letting him die. "But keep that between us."

His eyes fluttered open and closed, surprised by that. He'd always viewed his stay in this place as temporary, until he died, or until the vampires lost interest--more than likely the later in Lewis's imagination. "I don't know if I could stand not being human for you," he said with uncertainty.

"I think you would make a beautiful little vampire. Or if you would like I will bind your spirit to mine." It meant if Elgyn died that Lewis would or if Lewis died than Elgyn would be considerably weaker. Of course Lewis would be stronger and harder to kill. "If you want, you would never get any older than this. You will never be sick. Never died so long as I am living."

Even though Lewis had been in the mansion for well over a few years, he still didn't understand all of the things that vampires could do. Elgyn usually overwhelmed him with his presence, but now the man was overwhelming him with ideas. Lewis flushed, heart rate picking up as he slid his hands up Elgyn's chest and then back down. "That's not human," he noted.

"Yes. You will live and breathe and eat and you can go out during the day." he would essentially be human. "It is called being a human servant. You will just live as long as I am living."

Lewis laughed and gave Elgyn a shove that just showed how completely weak he was against the vampire. "I'm already a servant around here. No one does the fricking laundry. And that food doesn't cook itself." Not that any of the vampires needed food, but all of the others running around the house did. After a second, his laughter died and he looked away from Elgyn's gaze.

"You will not be a servant to anyone but me, you would be mine." That was all he wanted, he didn't want anyone else to have him. "I love you, Lewis, I do not want to be apart from you."

Once again, Lewis looked caught off guard. "You do?" That was something he'd never expected the man to feel, and certainly not to say. "I love you too--" It felt strange to say not because it wasn't true, but because he'd never pictured something like this happening. "What will Bernadette say?"

"She will just have to deal with it." Because Elgyn was banking on her loving the two of them enough not to kill them if he did it without telling her. "If she said no I would have to steal you away."

Deal with it. That's what Lewis was afraid of. Since Elgyn was capable of this, Lewis was suddenly afraid that Bernadette was capable of Elgyn-like wrath. "You would steal me away? You wouldn't leave this place," he stretched up to kiss Elgyn on the mouth, trying to distract him from what he thought might be a mistake.

"I would leave this place. But I don't think shewould let us both go." He pressed a kiss to his forehead and then down to his mouth. "I want you."

"You'd leave Bernadette?" He said quietly and with a fair amount of shocked reverence. The kiss stole his breath though and he whimpered a little bit at the way Elgyn could make him feel. "You have me," he said thickly.

"Be mine." Elgyn whispered to him, his eyes dark as he said it. He wanted to bind Lewis to him, he was even willing to risk Bernadette's wrath to get it. "Forever."

Some part of him screamed that this was the wrong way to make a decision: underneath Elgyn's perfect body and his intense eyes. But Lewis nodded anyway. "Okay," he agreed. He didn't know how it worked or what would happen to him, but he trusted Elgyn even though commons sense said he probably shouldn't. Though Elgyn had never hurt him more than he could handle before.

There was a large part of him that wanted to do it immediately but he didn't. Instead he brushed his hair back and pressed another sweet kiss to his mouth. "We will speak more of this soon."

He groaned a little bit, afraid that if he didn't do it now, he would be too afraid to do it later. Instead of protesting too much though, he just wallowed in Elgyn's attention. "All right."

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:19:02 GMT

Jacob was reading one of the books about babies Wendell had given him. Even though the wolf was the omega, he had a way of being insistant about certain things in such a way that he made others do them. He was downstairs in Kinley's house, curled up comfortably on the couch. Babies sounded like a lot of damn work, but at least everything was ready for their son.

The contractions had started earlier in the afternoon and Kinley had suffered in silence. The baby wasnt' due for another two and a half weeks and she was determined to ignore the fact that the little shit was trying to come early. There were such things as Braxton Hicks contractions. They were what had put her into bed in the first place. But they went from being twenty minutes apart. To ten minutes apart. To six. And then her water broke and it was all over. Getting up from the bed, she waddled over to the door and leaned against the frame. "Jacob!" she felt like she had just wet herself and really this was probably the worst fucking moment of her life, or at least she was convinced of it right that second.

Even though Jacob had never been around a baby on the way, he could sense it the moment it became critical. But he second guessed himself and didn't rush up to Kinley until she cried out for him. Oh god. He found her and just stared, clearly terrified. He wanted to yell out for Wendell or Morgan, but his vocal cords wouldn't work. Hospital. It was a good 15 minute drive into town. "Kinley," he breathed. "What--where--I don't know what to do!"

Kinley had her hand on her stomach and she looked over her shoulder back into the room. "Okay, get my overnight bag and then we can..." Her words were caught off by a cry as she leaned forward, the contractions alarmingly painful and she hadn't entirely expected that. "Get my overnight bag and I need to get down to the car. I'm not having this kid here."

"Bag, right!" He pointed at her like she was the smartest thing in the room right now--which she probably was. He scrambled to find the bag and started to run downstairs without her. He paused and whipped around. "Need you too," he noted and went quickly to hook his arm around hers.

"Yeah, that would be pretty fucking important at this point." She walked down the stairs with him and was screaming again by the time they got to the bottom of them. At this rate every single person in all of the haven was going to be aware of the fact that the baby was coming.

Wendell was currently flying on long legs to the sounds of the cries. Jacob helped her down the stairs, nearly carrying her. He could nearly feel the contractions wracking her body as they washed over her and he stared in a mixture of admiration and horror. PaRt of him screamed that he couldn't fucking handle this. But as he saw Wendell in the doorway he breathed a sigh of relief. The two of them were far from alone.

Kinley was relieved to see Wendell even though he had annoyed her a little at first. He knew what was going on and even though his wealth of knowledge had seemed bothersome before, right now she needed it. "Are you coming with?" She asked as they stepped out of the house. Everett was there too, shirtless and barefoot because he had come running as soon as she started screaming. His hair was a mess and he had his glasses on instead of his contacts, which meant he'd been sleeping or writing when this whole thing started.

Jacob was surprised to see Ever and he paused to stare at him. It made his heart skip a beat in a grateful way. Wendell nodded. "Yes, certainly. I suspect I might be the best to drive." Though it was clear that Wendell was reeling from excitement and couldn't contain the giddy energy that was rolling off of him. Jacob handed Wen the keys and helped Kinley to the car, doing his best to help her breathe. After a second, he shot Ever a hopeful look, begging him to come.

Without even a second thought, Everett got into the car with them, helping Kinley scoot in to the middle so that she was sitting between both him and Jacob. He took her free hand and she squeezed his fingers tightly even though they had only met once and it hadn't been on the friendliest of terms. "I hate you, Jacob. I hate you and your potent fucking semen."

He so didn't want to think about the act that had gotten them into this. "Your eggs aren't so bad themselves," he responded as he smoothed her hair back from her face. He had the feeling he was going to get brutalized by the time this was over. Wendell drove sensibly, but very quickly, knowing the stretches of road where he could safely speed.

"I hate you!" She shrieked at him and Everett tried not to groan. The high pitched noises were particularly bothersome to those with sensitive hearing and he wanted to beg her not to do that again but he knew better than to provoke her while she was in labor. Instead he squeezed her hand gently and looked at Jacob, not sure what else to do.

Jacob's cheeks were flushed from nerves, fear. All of the smells were overwhelming and there was nothing in the world that could calm his nerves. The ride drug out forever, and Jacob was really starting to think that Kinley would kill him once she was done getting the kid out. He glanced at Everett and there had never been more fear etched on his face. Finally, Wendell pulled into the ambulance section and hopped out to get a wheelchair for Kinley.

Everett got out first and he helped Jacob get Kinley out of the car. She was trying to control her breathing but everytime a contraction hit she cried out curses in Jacob's direction and when the ystarted getting bad just at anyone who was in her line of sight.

Wendell hardly flinched at her epithets as he wheeled her inside. Jacob trailed behind. "She hates me. What in the hell am I even doing here. I can't do this." He muttered. Wendell helped fill out the admissions forms quickly and before they knew it, Kinley was being wheeled into a room. The baby was coming very fast.

"She doesn't hate you, she'sj ust in pain." Everett took Jacob's hand and he laced their fingers together as they followed Kinley and the nurse into the room. They put her in a hospital gown and then got her settled onto the bed before the doctor came in to check on her. Everett watched with interest as the doctor helped her prop her knees up and he even tilted his head to the side a little bit before the doctor's hand went up between her knees tocheck her dialiation ."Oh my god what is he doing..." Everett asked as he looked over at Jacob. Okay, so maybe he should have expected that but it just shocked him.

He blinked a few times, pushing away the urge to slap the doctor's hand away. "His job. Get it out of her!" He offered his instructions to the doctor as Wendell was being far too nosy with the procedure. He'd gone off into some story about how the stirrups were originally used by King Henry so that he could watch the birth of what he hoped would be a son. Jacob squeezed his eyes shut.

"Wendell please stop talking and please for the love of god stop watching!" Kinely shouted at him. Everett just reached out and tugged Wendell over to the side of the bed where he and Jacob were standing. The doctor called in another nurse so that they could give Kinley an epidural, though something started going wrong by the time she got there and plans were quickly changing.

Wendell did her bidding very quickly and observed the doctor and nurses instead. Jacob frowned. "What's going on? What's the matter?" His question was directed at the room, begging for anyone to take pity on him and give him an update.

"The baby is in distress." The doctor said. The sound of the heart monitor they had put on Kinley started going crazy as her heart rate elevated even higher. "We need to get the baby out of her, we're going to have to do an emergency c-section." She wasn't dialated far enough to push.

Jacob reached out for Kinley's hand, terrified of what that meant for her. For some reason he hadn't considered the possibility of a c section. Wendell hadn't either and he tried to go through all of the births he knew about to see if he remembered any being like that. Leave it to their boy to be so difficult. They started to wheel her away into surgery and Jacob kept hold of her hand.

Finley was scared. For the first time she was really really scared that something wasn't going to go right. "Jacob." he said softly, her eyes on him as he held her hand. "What's wrong? What's wrong with our baby?" The first time she referred to it as theirs and not just hers.

Jacob put his fingers through her hair, following the bed as they moved her. The scent of fear was heavy on the people helping them and he wished he wasn't able to smell it. "It'll be okay. He'll be fine." He knew the constitution of the baby was very strong, but he worried about Kinley. "But they have to get him out now. Right now. Just breathe, okay?"

Finley just nodded and she kept a hold of his hands. "I'm getting dizzy." She told him, her fingers loosening up a little bit but she didn't let go. "Are you sure Parker's going to be okay?" She wasn't thinking about herself, she was just thinking about Parker.

Parker. His heart leapt in a little thrill at the name. "Yes, I'm sure. You'll be okay too." He didn't like how she was just concerned about the baby, as if she'd die for him. He hadn't met Parker yet, but he loved Kinley. They wouldn't let Wendell and Ever into the operating room, but theyy let Jacob scrub up and go inside as they prepped her.

By the time Jacob got there Kinley was already feeling pretty out of it. They had tucked all of her long red hair back into a cap and she reached for his hand, needing something to hold onto while all of this went down. "I can't see anything."

He didn't know if that meant something terrible. He knew about animals, but far too little about humans. Instead, he just squeezed her hand as they worked. A curtain had been hung between them and what was going on down below, but god he could smell and hear all of it. He looked at her vital signs on the monitor and laid a kiss on her forehead. "It'll be okay, I promise. It has to be."

They had put a sheet up to keep her from looking down and seeing the blood, so she had no idea what was going on. The whole thing took less than a few minutes, and soon enough Parker's cries could be heard as the doctor lifted him out of Kinley. When she heard his crying she squeezed Jacob's hand and she tried to lift her head to see him.

The cries were strong and Jacob blinked. "He has lungs," he noted, craning his head around for a glimpse. When he caught sight of the wailing, red thing, Jacob's heart jumped into his throat. He stared and frowned and sucked in a breath.

The nurses rushed him off to get him cleaned up while the doctors set to work putting Kinley back together again. She was still feeling really dizzy but she ignored it in favor of trying to see her boy. "What does he look like."

"Like a giant kidney bean." Because that's just what he looked like. It was probably the wrong thing to say, but it was Jacob after all. He kissed Kinley's forehead. "Definitely looks like you."

Kinley laughed softly and when the nurse brought Parker around she just started crying. They helped prop her up slightly and she let go of Jacob's hand to take the little boy.

He'd never quite seen her like that before and he stared, a bit starstruck. He glanced between the two of them. "You named him Parker," Jacob said quietly.

"Yeah." Kinley held the tiny little guy in his arms and he had calmed down almost as soon as he was wrappe up and given to her. She couldn't help but smile as she looked down at him. "Parker Monroe Calder." Because Monroe was her last name, but she thought it made a good middle name.

Jacob liked the sound of it and he reached out to touch the boy. Sliding his fingers gently over his cheeks, he laughed. "This is so bizzare," he said quietly. They'd made this. All he could think about was begging the baby not to grow up to hate him.

"He's perfect." Even if he looked like a kidney bean. "He's perfect. I'm sorry I told you I hated you, I don't." She'd just been in a lot of pain and now she wasj ust high.

"I'm holding you to that." He was relieved that Ever had been right. "I love you," he said honestly. Kinley was moved to a non-surgical room then and encouraged to rest. She'd need to stay longer than the usual delivery. They took Parker for his workups and Wendell assured them that they would all be normal at this stage of life.

Kinely was resting but she refused to be alone, so she tried to convince the doctors and nurses to let Jacob and the other two stay with her. Everett just sat off to the side, staying there for Jacob, but he kept mostly out of the way.

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 19:56:33 GMT

The sun was getting ready to drop below the horizon, sending Wolf Haven into a nice summer twilight. Tes was out back of the main house, working in her little garden. Hands deep in the earth, she dug at some weeds that were daring to choke her watermelon plants. She'd been out there for a couple hours, harvesting and tending. There was a large basket behind her, full of tomatoes, cucumbers, and strawberries. She didn't waste her time on ridiculous flowers that had no real purpose. She grew utilitarian plants. Herbs, and fruits, and vegetables.

For the most part, Jeremiah was sticking by Julian's side. The only people he would let hold him were Wendell, Hunter, Everett and Loren, and he'd howled and cried for an hour when Shane tried to take him to meet the other kids. But other than that, he hadn't much been alone. When he was alone, however, he was foraging. Taking food he knew wouldn't go to waste and hiding it in the tiny closet in their room. Wendell had put what was left of the cookies in a little baggie and he had taken those off the counter when no one was looking. The closet had a lot of things in it, so he tucked the food away in the back, hidden in an empty shoebox he had found on his own. Everything was just in case. Just in case they had to go and could take the food with them. Just in case their food started being taken away and used against them like punishment. And that was precisely what he was doing in the kitchen until he saw Tes in the garden through the screen. For a few minutes he just watched her and then he pushed the door back on its tracks to see what she was doing. It looked like she had food out there and he thought maybe she would give him some if he was nice to her. To get down the steps on the porch he had to hop down and then he went across the yard to Tes. Once he was to her he just stopped, a few feet back, and waited for her to notice him.

She heard him thumping down the stairs and frowned. There were way too many damn kids running around this place now. The twins were bad enough, but two more and then Jacob's brat on the way? Christ. She dug a little more ferociously at the weeds, enjoying the sound of the rough roots ripping and giving way under her attentions. Tossing the now-dead plant into the pile of pulled weeds, she turned around to look at Jeremiah. "Hey, kid. You got time to lurk, you got time to work." Even though she wasn't nearly so nice as any of the others had been, there was no true cruelty coming from her.

Jeremiah stood there for a second, his hand by his mouth as he touched his bottom lip. The kid sucked his thumb. Had since birth and hadn't found a way to stop yet. It was a comfort thing, one of the few comforts that he actually had. But for the moment it stayed out of his mouth as he tried to decide what to do about Tes. "I don't know what lurk means. Can I have one of those?" he pointed to the strawberry, just because he knew what it was and he knew that it probably tasted good. He wasn't really that hungry but he pretty much ate any time food present itself because he didn't know when he'd have the opportunity again.

"Lurking is what you're doing now. Standing behind someone and staring and basically doing nothing very helpful." She wiped her arm across her forehead to catch some of the sweat on her brow. It smeared dirt over her face. "Come here, take a few of these weeds to the compost pile over there," she pointed. She was not gonna have these babies grow up as unhelpful as the likes of Sullivan, Austin, and the rest. "Then you can have a strawberry."

Walking over to her, he picked up as many weeds as he could fit in his arms, promptly smearing dirt across his new shirt, and once he had an armful he went running off to the compost pile to put them on it. Jeremiah was very intent on getting it right, his little tongue stuck out between his lips as he threw each weed individually up onto the top of the compost pile, as high as he could get them to go before he turned and ran back over to her. Jeremiah was not a stranger to work, even at barely four years old. He was always fetching things or putting things away when people told him to.

She was surprised by his earnest effort. No, damn it, she would not let him become endeared to her. Watching him carefully, she nodded with approval. "All right, I think you've earned some berries." She gestured to the basket and stood up to put the rest of the weeds on the pile.

Wiping his hands off onto the side of his shirt, he made sure they weren't too dirty before he took one of the strawberries from the little bucket in one hand and another in the other. "Thank you." Miah said as he looked up at her. He held each of the strawberries by the stem and in turn he ate each of them all the way down to his fingers, leaving only little bits of green leaves.

She brushed her hands off and eyed him some more. "Come inside. You're a mess now. Two minutes outside and you're dirty. Typical boy." She picked up the basket of food and started to walk back to the house, expecting him to follow her. Once inside, she set the veggies on the counter, knowing that no one would dare lay a finger on them after her last blow up about eating her garden things.

Following along after her like she said to, he just tried to keep up with her brisk pace. Jeremiah practically ran to keep up and when they got inside he stayed behind her because he figured she was going to make him wash his hands or something. He probably should have before he ate the strawberries but they had smelled so good.

Washing her own hands in the sink, she wiped them on a towel and then turned to beckon Jeremiah into the laundry room. As she walked, she pulled her dirty tshirt over her head, revealing a tank top underneath. Once they got to the laundry, she knelt down and reached for Jeremiah's shirt. "We need to wash that. We'll toss it in with mine."

For a second he just stood there, looking at her like he didn't think that was a very good idea. But then he took off his shirt and held it up for her to take it. There were marks on his shoulders and against his back and his chest. Bruises that had been so deep and so dark that even over a week later they were still blue and black in the middle, though starting to yellow around the edges as they prepared to fade. The last gift his mother's boyfriend had given him before selling him off at as high a price as possible. "Wendell bought me a spiderman shirt."

She had not expected that sight, and so she had no time to hide the surprised but concerned look that blossomed onto her face. Putting their clothes into the washer, she turned it on and then got back to her feet. "Back to the sink. We need to wash you off and then we can go upstairs and pick you something else to wear." She was not affectionate, but her demeanor was slowly softening.

Jeremiah walked back to the sink and he just stood in front of it, looking up at it. It was too tall for him, he could barely even get his hands up to the counter when he stretched as far as he could, let alone into the sink. So he just waited, expecting her to pick him up so that he could wash his hands off underneath the water. "Can I put my spiderman shirt on? It's red."

"You can wear whatever you choose," she said simply as she plucked Jeremiah from the ground and set him up on the counter. Efficiently, she wetted a cloth and started cleaning him off. She was meticulous, and finally she took a step back to examine him. "There, much better."

Once his hands were clean he looked at them and then he gave her a very small smile. It didn't last though, before it was gone again, and then he turned to try and lower himself down off of the counter. Miah wasn't used to asking for help, so he just dropped off the edge and he landed on his feet and then fell back onto his butt. Just a small setback before he was upright again and heading off towards the stairs so that he could go and find a shirt that Wendell had given him.

Tes actually yelped for him when he ended up on his backside. But he was up and gone before she could help him. It was her turn to follow, and she ended up in his room where the boy was looking through his clothes. "Looks like Wendell set you guys up with a nice room." She eyed the rabbit in the cage.

The drawer on the bottom was his because he could get to it. Pulling it open, he took out the little red shirt and unfolded it and pulled it on. It was a great deal of effort for him, getting his head in the right hole and then his arms in. He put it on backwards first but before she could say anything he took it all the way off and tried again with much more success. Once it was on again he looked up at her again and completely ignoring what she said about the room he said "You have very long hair."

Gee, kids were so smart. She wasn't about to help him with the shirt. She was of the mind that children needed to learn for themselves, that's how she'd been raised--mother hardly there, working all of the time.

"Yeah, I guess I do. Your hair is very black."

"Can I touch it?" Her hair, not his, but he didn't think that he needed to specify that. Jeremiah didn't really usually ask so many questions but his interactions with Wendell had allowed him to be a little bit braver. And Tes didn't seem very threatening, even if she wasn't all that friendly.

She was going to say no, but she thought of his willingness to help in the garden and the bruises on his body. Going to sit on one of the beds, she nodded. "If you want." Though she didn't know why anyone would want to touch her hair. She had to smile a little though.

Jeremiah came over to the bed and he pulled himself up onto it after three tries and once he was up he stood up so that he could reach it. Though really, her hair was long enough that he didn't have to stand to touch it, but he wanted to. Reaching up, he ran his hand down the back of her hair. It was soft, he liked the way it felt.

She stayed still. "You're used to doing things for yourself, aren't you." She observed. He kind of reminded her of herself, just plowing forward and never asking for help. It made her soften another notch toward him. "What's your name? We haven't introduced ourselves."

"Jeremiah. Though lots of people just call me Miah." He petted her hair for another minute, taking great comfort in how soft it felt, but he stopped before it would become bothersome. Moving to sit down beside her he let his legs dangle off the edge of the bed and he put his hands in his lap. Jeremiah was very good at sitting still and being quiet, which wasnt't natural but very practiced. "what's your name?"

"Tes," she replied, kind of missing the sensation of his little hands in her hair. "You're welcome to pick and eat my strawberries anytime you like." Miah wouldn't realize it, but that was a huge deal to her. That garden, like her own room was under strict guard from the others. She needed her space and would protect it under punishment of death.

"Thank you." Miah gave her another little smile but this one didn't last either. He swung his legs from side to side a little bit and he looked down at them. "I'll put the weeds in the pile when I do so that I'm not lurkin, I'm workin'." There was an overwhelming urge to crawl into her lap and nuzzle into her, but jeremiah stayed put. He hadn't felt any of these people out yet and he didn't want to overstep.

It would have been overstepping with her, but she would have tolerated it. After a second she reached over and patted his shoulder gently, cautious of hitting any sore spots. "Sounds like a deal," she said and then stood up. "I'm going to go check on our clothes. I'll bring your shirt up and leave it for you when it's all dry."

"Okay." Jeremiah watched her go and he just stayed put on the edge of the bed because she hadn't asked him to come with her. He was still figuring out how to play and how to be a little kid, because so far he hadn't managed to do it and now that it was expected of him he didn't know what to do. So he sat, hands between his knees, just staying quiet.

To Holden

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:52:37 GMT

Sometimes, Robin smelled like Holden. It didn't bother him so much, but he wondered what was going on. Robin could be a terribly hungry little thing, and it made sense that he would be even moreso after his extra helping of trauma. Sullivan understood more than most people thought. He was always watching and his wolf was always assessing each behavior. When Sullivan noticed Holden outside, he decided to take a break and head out to say hello. He'd offered his fair share of harrassing the boy back when that's pretty much all Sullivan and Austin did, but it hadn't been like that for a long time. "What's up?" he said as he approached. His stride was confident and a little bit overbearing.

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 09:39:15 GMT

To say he'd been run ragged was an understatement. At the moment, he was lying face down on Kinley's king-size bed, dozing next to her. He was on top of the covers, barefoot and just in jeans. His hair was still a bit damp from the shower he'd taken before flopping onto the bed a few hours earlier.

For a good long while Kinley had just read her book, but after a while he got really bored. Shutting the book, she put the book down on the nightstand and then reached over and tugged at a piece of his hair to try and wake him up.

Jacob pushed his face harder into the mattress, trying to deny the fact that his brain was bobbing back up to consciousness. After a few more moments of denial, he slowly turned his head to the side to look at her. "You rang?" He'd been strangely good natured about all of the running around, though that didn't mean they still didn't get into fights with each other. It was just how they functioned.

"I'm really bored." Kinley couldn't even lay on her side at this point so she was just sort of stuck, bored out of her mind, in one position. "If I get that stupid pillow wendell got me and turn on my side will you rub my back for a little while?"

Eyeing the pillow within her reach, Jacob had to admit it looked pretty stupid. Then again, anything pregnancy shaped looked odd to Jacob. He nodded and got up so he could sit indian-style on the bed next to her. As she positioned herself, he took slight pleasure in watching her roll around ungracefully. She seemed a lot more human this way.

Kinley had to roll over and it took a lot of effort to get over onto her side and to put the pillow in place so that her stomach didn't feel so heavy. Once she was settled she closed her eyes and just sighed. "Ugh, this is so awkward, I can't deal."

"Am I supposed to tell you how beautiful you look?" He poked his head up over her shoulder and smirked. "I'll bet we could make thousands off of those pregnant-lady fetish sites." That was kind of a compliment, right? "Shall I go get a laptop with a webcam?" He put his hands on her lower back, easily kneading his thumbs into the muscles there.

"I will fucking kill you, Jacob. I really will. And then I am going to tell the baby that Hunter is his dad because at least he doesn't try to make porn with me."

"It's not porn if it's tasteful." He said plainly. "It's erotica." He continued to rub her back. By this time he was pretty good at it and he quickly eased her muscles out. "Did you read that story I gave you that Everett wrote?"

"Yeah, I did." She'd read it a few times, actually. Because she really had liked it and she wanted their story to turn out something like that. Leaning back, she let his hands rub a little harder. "That feels good."

Her tone of voice told him that there was definitely hope their kid would end up named Parker. He grinned, finding it almost amusing how badly he wanted that now that it was in his head. "I was talking to Morgan the other day and he wants to help with the baby rooms. He mentioned maybe Vaughn could help too since he's artistic. I thought you might have some paintings you'd want to use."

"I was thinking that I would paint a mural on the wall once I am up and mobile." She sighed and closed her eyes. "Go a little lower, yeah, right there... oh right there." She arched her back a little bit. "This baby better come soon, I can't take much more of this laying in bed stuff."

Jacob quirked a brow at her words. "This kind of sounds like what got us into this in the first place." He couldn't help but point out as his hands obeyed her commands. It felt good to connect with her, touch her. "We'll leave a wall blank. I figured we'd have two rooms for him. One here and one at my place." It was weird to talk about living in separate places, but he didn't know how else it would work.

"No, I don't think that's a good idea." Finley shook her head and she looked over her shoulder at him. "You live next door, why don't you just come over here all the time." Because she wasn't sure she liked the idea of the baby spending the night away from her.

"What if you want to go out or something? The baby will need a place to stay. I figure I'll be watching him." For when she went out and--well, he didn't really want to think about her doing that but she was certainly free to do so.

"Well then you can just stay the night over here. I don't want him to have two bedrooms and I don't want him bouncing all around. I just want him to have one bedroom that is just his bedroom and he won't have to worry about what toys or what clothes are where and it won't be such a huge mess."

"You're so going to hog him, aren't you." Jacob pulled his hands back, setting them in his lap. In the beginning, he wouldn't have minded that, but now he had this huge fear that Kinley was going to tell the kid all sorts of horrible things about him and the boy would believe her because kids believed their mothers.

Turning back over onto her back, it was slow, but she managed it. "No, I'm not going to hog him, Jacob. But he's my son, and I know he's yours too, but he's been with me for almost nine months already and you've only just started coming around. I've already changed all of my plans for you. I came here, didn't I? I don't want him to have two rooms, I just want you to respect that."

"Oh, like it's fair to count the nine months. I'm being penalized for not having a uterus." He sighed and folded his arms over his chest now, scooting back so that he could lean his back against the headboard. "One bedroom. Can Vaughn and Morgan help, or should I just leave that to you?"

Being bed ridden was horrible because this was usually the point in the conversation where she got up and walked away from Jacob. She rolled over slowly and tried to sit up, but it was a slow and difficult process.

"You're not getting out of bed," he informed her, if that's what she was trying. It was difficult to tell with her odd body mechanics now. He reached out and touched her shoulder. "Stop, I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry." He didn't want to stress her out and it gave him the power to apologize for when he acted like a jerk instead of just storming out of the room.

With Jacob, Kinley was in a near constant state of stress. If it wasn't one thing it was another and today was no different. Sure, it had started out nice, but it had escalated into something she didn't want to think about. "Don't touch me right now." She shrugged off his hand and managed to sit herself upright.

"You're really this pissed about the baby room?" He pulled his hand back, figuring it was best to just do as she said at this point. "I said we could have just one. I'll just stay here when I'm looking after him. And I'll sleep over the first few months to help with middle of the night stuff."

Kinley didn't know what was wrong. It wasn't even that she was pissed really, she wasn't sure what she was. All she knew was that she was seconds away from bursting into tears and she didn't want to do that in front of Jacob. So she got up and waddled her way to the bathroom, which was the only place she was allowed to go, and she locked herself inside.

Wendell had warned him about moodswings, but sometimes he didn't believe them until he actually saw them. Right now, he hated the fact that he could hear everything going on in there and he tried to block it out. He had no intention of leaving, so he simply sunk down on the bed and laid his head back on the pillow.

Kinley sat down on the edge of the bath tub and she put her face in her hands. She had a pretty good idea that he was going to hear everything anyway, but at least he wouldn't see it. Kinley sobbed as quietly as she could into her hands, keeipng them pressed over her face to muffle the sound as much as she could maange.

Part of him wanted to break the door down to get to her and that feeling of protectiveness sat in an uncomfortable wad in the pit of his stomach. He knew for a fact that would upset her more. Instead, he went to go sit on the floor next to the door, one knee hitched up, arm draped over it while he waited for her to come out.

It took her a few minutes to calm herself down and then she washed her face in the sink before coming back out. When she opened the door and saw him sitting there she just frowned. "You don't have to be here all the time."

He tilted his head up to look at her and offered her a shrug. "I know," he said a little defensively. But wasn't that what fathers did? And he liked being around her, even if she drove him fucking crazy.

With a sigh Kinley leaned back against the wall and then slid down so that she was sitting next to him. It took a lot of effort but she managed it in the end. "I just don't know what to do half the time."

Jacob turned his head to look at her. "Well sitting on the floor wasn't the smartest thing you've ever done." Because it was going to take a crane to get her up. On impulse though, he leaned his head against her shoulder. "It'll make more sense once the baby is out. Shit will just fall into place." It was one of the most zen statements he'd ever made.

And Kinley hoped that he was right. Stretching her legs out she sighed again and leaned her head against his. IT didn't help how she felt about him. How what she wanted to ask him was just to move in with her, to do the family thing. But she wouldn't. For Evererett and Vaughn she wouldn't. Because somewhere deep down she was certain that Jacob had a sense of what the right thing to do was and she didn't want him to feel like it was the right thing to abandon his lovers just because he had gotten her pregnant.

Wrapping his arms around her, he fell into the clinging mode. It was a Jacob that only she really ever saw. His long limbs tangled up as best they could with hers and his breathing deepened so that he could take in her scent in long deep droughts. "You know, we would have always been connected somehow even if it weren't for the baby. We probably wouldn't be here right now, but there'd always be something there."

"I don't know what you see in me." She was rough and stubborn and as far as women went she wasn't exactly a prize catch. At least she didn't think so. "I love you, Jacob. I know I don't ever say it, or show it, but I do. And I'm sorry that I make you miserable sometimes and that I'm going to make you miserable for many years to come now."

All Jacob could do was hold onto the roller coaster. To be honest, he knew he was up and down too and he didn't have pregnancy to blame it on. "Yeah, well, I like that you put so much effort into making me miserable sometimes. It shows me my own hard work at making you go crazy isn't all in vain." He was turning it into a bit of a joke, but that was just Jacob. To seal her words in seriousness, he gave her a kiss that started at the corner of her mouth and worked it's way over to dead center.

Kinley kissed him back and she lifted her hand up to brush her fingers across his cheek. She knew it wasn't always going to be easy but moments like this made it worth it, and she knew that their son was going to make it all worth it.

Her hand was so infinitely different than Vaughn or Everett's and he shut his eyes, focusing in on that difference. His tongue slipped into her mouth as the kiss deepened and he had to admit that he very much wanted to feel all of her against him again.

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:44:10 GMT

Wendell was prepared for the arrival of children. He'd gone to the store and purchased kid-friendly meals, toys, and best of all in his opinion children's books that he woud be able to read to them. There were things already on hand with the twins, of course, but Wendell liked for each child to have their own special things that belonged only to them. He'd finished a room for them as well, prepared it with two twin beds and inviting wallpaper. At the moment, he was baking cookies in the kitchen, from scratch of course. It was nice to take his mind off of all the bad things he'd been looking at recently.

For the duration of the ride, Jeremiah and Julian had been attached to one another and Jeremiah had absolutely howled any time they tried to separate them. When they finally got back to the house they had both calmed down and Julian had even fallen asleep, so Hunter carried him into the house and put him in one of the beds. Jeremiah was still awake and having a fairly needy moment and he was clinging to Hunter. Not wanting to leave him alone and awake in the bedroom, he came downstairs with the tiny wolf tucked in one arm, holding onto the front of his shirt for dear life. Jeremiah had his head turned so that he could ese where they were going but his face was mostly tucked down into his own shoulder so that only his eyes were visible. They were wide and taking in absolutely everything.

Wendell had cookie dough ready and was squeezing it between his fingers a bit childishly when Hunter arrived in the kitchen. His heart gave one giant leap at the sight of Hunter carrying the pup and he was actually a little embarrassed by how deeply that sight affected him. "Hello," his voice was infinitely soft and he pulled his hands out of the dough to wash them off quickly. Walking toward them, ever bit of his posture was submissive and the vibe he put out was non-threatening. If anyone knew how to approach children, it was Wendell.

Jeremiah was small for his age. The size of the twins, who were two, though he was four. The boys were severely undernourished and had spent the last few weeks in the care of someone who planned only to sell them. And there they were better cared for than at home, so it said a great deal about their mother and her choice of company. When Wendell came closer his shoulders hunched up a little bit but he didn't recoil entirely. He was so tired and in such desperate need for affection that he couldn't stay on the defensive for long. "hi." he whispered.

Glancing up at Hunter, Wendell stretched out his arms for the boy. Every bit of him wanted that kid, wanted to hold him and make everything right for him. Maybe it was something in the eyes. He hadn't been there for some of the younger wolves and now was his chance to make up for that. "Are you hungry? How about you help me put some dough on the sheet and then we can watch the cookies bake in the oven."

Jeremiah didn't know either of them, so he saw no danger in going from Hunter to Wendell. When Hunter moved to let the other wolf take him, Jeremiah let go of him and reached for Wendell. The length of time it took to transfer afforded him one whiney whimper. A protest at not being held as closely as Hunter had been until he was in Wendell's arms. He took a hold of Wendell and pressed his head down against his shoulder as he clung to him.

Something told Wen that Jeremiah wouldn't be hopping down to get on the little stepping stool he'd set up for him. This would work though, he could do things one handed. "You're going to like it here," he whispered into the boy's hair and whisked him off toward the bowl of dough. "Chocolate chip," he kept talking, only half-expecting a response, just so that Jeremiah could get used to the lilt of his voice. Taking a handful of the dough, he rounded it into a ball and plopped it down on the cookie sheet.

Jeremiah clung to him but he watched as he formed the dough into the little balls and put them a few inches apart on the cookie sheet. For a while he only watched, studying the process. The dough smelled good and it looked weird so when he had distracted himself enough with the need to touch it he reached forward and poked one of his fingers into it and then he leaned back again.

"It tastes good," Wendell offered him up a little swipe of the dough before taking the completed sheet and putting it into the oven. It didn't take long for them to bake and as he closed the oven door, he knelt down with Jeremiah so that they could both peer into the little window. "There's fat in butter, you know. It melts first and as it melts it lets off air. See? See how the dough puffs up a little?"

"How come they go in there?" His words were barely above a whisper. Jeremiah had gotten punished one too many times over being loud and he was very conscious of it in front of new people. "why can't we just eat it with spoons."

Wendell lowered his voice, approaching the same slight volume as Jeremiah. "Eating too much raw dough can give you a stomach ache. And putting dough in the oven makes it taste even better." The cookies started to pool, little waves of heat rolling off of them. The smell was overwhelming. "All of the ingredients work together in the heat to make the cookie taste good."

"How can those be cookies?" because the dough had smelled like cookies but didn't feel like them or look like them. Jeremiah hadn't ever seen cookies made and he hadn't really gotten to eat them very much. As they started to flatten out he leaned in closer, wanting a better look. They smelled good and it made his stomach rumble because he was getting hungry again.

Wendell could feel the gurgle of the boy's stomach under his hand and it made him frown. A young wolf's stomach should never be empty enough to growl like that. In a perfect world, anyway. He could see that the boy was behind in developmental milestones and it troubled him a great deal, but he didn't show it. "Heat changes lots of things," he said as the timer went off. Lifting Jeremiah up, he was careful that the hot sheet stayed out of the boy's curious grasp as he took the finished cookies out. "Do you have a favorite thing to eat?"

Biting his bottom lip, he just shook his head a little bit. There wasn't anything he could think of that he got to eat regularly that he really liked. The few times he had had fast food he had liked it but they never got that so it didn't even cross his mind to mention it.

Wendell figured that the reason for a lack of favorite was exactly that, nothing that great to eat. "I'm sure you'll find something you love here," he said firmly, testing the cookies to see if they were cool enough to eat. Waiting just a bit longer, he offered one to Jeremiah.

Taking the cookie, he brought it up to his mouth. His eyes stayed on Wendell and he tried to see if the man was going to take it away from him. When he didn't he just tried to put the whole thing in his mouth all at once to ensure that no one took it away from him once he started.

Blinking, he supposed he should have expected it. "I don't think your mouth is that--" When the cookie disappeared into it, Wendell stopped and didn't even bother to say 'big.' Getting into the fridge, he got some milk out and poured two glasses. Taking a plate of cookies and the glasses (one at a time) to the table, he sat down and kept Jeremiah on his lap. "Don't eat so fast, it'll be here for you."

Once they were seated, Jeremiah took two cookies from the plate. He put one in the front pocket of the bibs that Hunter had put on him and the other he tried to eat much the same way that he ate the first one. They never got to eat much with their mother and she took food away from them as punishment, so it was just a reflex for him to try to stuff his face.

Gently, Wendell took his hand and tugged it down. "Slow," he said firmly, but kindly. "Here," he broke the cookie and gave it to him a bit at a time. "The whole plate is yours. I made them for just you and I don't want you to get a stomach ache by wolfing them down." Wendell kissed the top of the boy's head, trying to reiterate that he was in a different place now, though he knew it would take time.

It was really different and he looked a little sheepish as he ate the cookies one piece at a time. He'd managed to get his hands messy with the cookies and by pushing his fingers into his mouth with each piece. Once he had finished off a few cookies he just sighed and leaned back against him, his stomach already starting to hurt a little because he wasn't used to eating so much.

Wendell had overestimated his belly, but that was all right. He leaned back too, making himself a comfortable chair for the boy. "How is your brother doing? I see that Hunter took him upstairs to sleep."

"Julie is tired. He didn't sleep at all while we were in the house becuase he wanted to make sure I was okay." Jeremiah tucked his knees up against his stomach and he put his thumb in his mouth as he got comfortable against Wendell.

"He did a good job making you safe," Wendell agreed. Even if both of them had been mistreated, the fact that they'd had each other probably had done wonders for their psyches. "Would you like to go lie on the couch with me and I'll read to you?"

Instead of taking his thumb out of his mouth he just nodded and curled up against Wendell a little more. He wanted to lay down with him, that sounded nice. "Can we go in our room with Julie?" Just so he could see his brother while they laid down.

He nodded. "Of course we can," he said as he stood up. Packing the boy upstairs, he chose one of the books with which he'd stocked the room. Where The Wild Things Are. Never once did he let go of the boy, knowing he needed the comfort. Arranging himself and Jeremiah on the empty bed, he glanced over at Julian and then started reading in a quiet voice so as not to disturb him.

Miah practically crawled right on top of Wendell and he stretched himself out so that he could stay close to him. With his head tucked down against Wendell's shoulder, he closed his eyes and just listened as he read the book to him. It was nice, no one ever read to him.

When he was done with that book, he reached for another, The Last Unicorn. That one lasted longer and by the time he was near the end, Wendell himself had drifted to sleep. The book lowered next to Jeremiah and Wendell's breathing evened out and deepened as he dozed off.

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 06:24:19 GMT

Lewis had been scrubbing the kitchen floor that evening. One of the more inexperienced vampires had had a little accident with one of the humans and Bernie had asked Lewis very nicely to clean up all the blood. It didn't bother him so much because he was a master at detaching himself from the task at hand. He was just finishing up, slopping the scrubber back into the pink water, wiping his forearm across his brow.

With no care at all for the hardwork that Lewis had done, Elgyn walked through the kitchen. He didn't care that his shoes tracked footprints on the freshly washed tile. He ran his fingers through Lewis' hair as he walked passed him and around the counter to the fridge, which he tugged open. There was wine in there, which he oculd drink if he only drank a little at a time. "How are you this evening?" he asked, not acknowledging the fact that he was obviously cleaning and working.

Lewis didn't even mind that Elgyn was tracking footprints. He had all the time in the world to do it again and footprints were better than gore. "A little queasy. Do you think I'll ever get used to the smell?" He looked up at the man with wide, deceptively innocent eyes. The hand in his hair had made him lean into the vampire, but he just kept walking and almost sent Lewis keening over.

"I don't know, will you?" Elgyn asked as he glanced back over at him. He could see Boy looming in the doorway and he didn't acknowledge the child-like vampire because he wasn't particularly fond of him. When Bernie had warned him away from Boy he had stuck to it, mostly because he didn't want Bernie to be angry with him if he crossed the line with the innocent little thing. Looking back over at Lewis, he just smirked. "I think someone wants dinner."

Lewis was usually very open to different vampires feeding on him, or interrupting pretty much anything. But he was intent on Elgyn and he frowned a little. Getting to his feet to hide the vague pout to his lips, Lewis went to the sink to dump the bucket of dirt water. Getting out some bleach, he started to scrub out the stainless steel basin. "Hello," he said to Boy.

Boy could sense the disappointment as Lewis saw him and he just shrank back instead of saying hello to him. He slipped back away from him then and turned to start down the hall to another room to look for someone else to feed off of. Elgyn just watched him go and then he glanced over at Lewis. "What's wrong with him?"

Lewis let out a sigh and stopped his work. "Nothing is wrong with him. He's just sensitive, I guess." He left Elgyn standing in the kitchen alone and took off after Boy. "Where are you going? Were you looking for me?"

"No." Boy lied. An obvious lie because he wasn't very good at hiding his true intentions and never had been. At least not since he had been turned. It didn't take much to agitate Boy anymore. Since they had come to stay at the manner he had felt as if his whole world had been turned upside down and every time he thought things were going to be okay it just got all turned over again. He had thought things would be all right with Hugo and then they had slept together and now they were off again. He was afraid to leave the manor but he felt suffocated and stuck inside of it and he didn't know how to fix anything, which was frustrating.

"You were, Lewis said calmly. "I'm sorry, I should have put down what I was doing--I can always do it later." Whether he meant Elgyn or the mopping was uncertain. Ever since the trip to the wolves, Lewis had felt like Elgyn looked at him differently. Not his anymore, maybe. Boring or tainted. He didn't know. "Is something wrong?" He figured he'd get another 'no,' but it was worth asking. He caught up with him and put his warm hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

Boy's shoulders hunched up when Lewis touched him and he actually rolled his head to the side and tried to pull away from the touch. All he wanted to do was run. Just get away from them. There were a lot of moments were Boy thought maybe if he just stayed out all night that the sunlight would fix everything. Of course he knew that if he did that then something awful would happen with Hugo. Or maybe it wouldn't, he wasn't so sure. "No. I just want to go back to my room."

Lewis sighed dramatically and though he knew he was no match for Boy physically, he grabbed for his hand tightly. "I've been here long enough to know when you're hungry. At least let me do that. I like it when you feed from me; you're so sweet and constantly confused. Your brain feels like a drug I can't get anyplace else." He smiled and darted forward to kiss his cheek. "Please?"

Boy was hungry. And he was constantly confused. For once he just stopped fighting it. Lewis had tugged him back and he really shouldn't have done it. Giving up the constant fight, the constant attempt to control himself, Boy just turned on Lewis and forced him into the wall with his body. He sank his fangs into his throat, not even thinking about what the consequences would be if he accidentally killed him.

He hadn't expected Boy to so wholly give in. Like a rabbit that knew he'd fucked with the wrong dog, Lewis started to struggle. But Boy's child-like mind overwhelmed him and he relaxed with trust. Quickly, he was swept away by innocent things, that feeling that things were all a game. But there was dark taint to it too, the confusion of adulthood right on the brink, and the abyss of insanity that was below it. It felt so fucking good to let his mind go like that and he moaned with relief.

Together they started to sink to the floor and Boy knew the moment that they were down there was a chance one of them wasn't getting back up. He curled his fingers around Lewis' shoulders and he started to suck harder, bringing more blood out of the wound in his throat.

The blood was flowing faster than usual and with more purpose. As the euphoria started to wear thin, Lewis was able to realize that this was bad. As best he could, Lewis started to struggle again and managed a gurgled cry that was barely able to echo down the hall. "Boy, stop--Bernie--" was all he could get out.

Boy's eyes went entirely dark and he just shrugged away all the responsibility of killing Lewis. He held him tighter, keeping their bodies pinned together as he drank him dry. He was straddling Lewis' lap, sitting on top of him as they sank all the way down onto the floor.

Lewis was ready to let go, arms dropping to his sides. He was so close, but suddenly, the weight of Boy was lifted off him. Hugo's thin, but very strong hand was clutched around Boy's shoulder holding him up until his toes barely touched the floor. Hugo could feel anger rising up in him and he threw Boy back so that he hit the opposite wall of the hall.

"What are you thinking?" He yelled in half-panic. Closing Lewis's wound, he didn't dare move him right away.

Boy hit the wall, hard, and he sank all the way down to the floor and then just sat there. Lewis' blood was all over the front of him, covering the bottom half of his face and the front of his shirt. He knew, he knew that he had done a bad thing but that didn't stop him from doing it. He just looked up at Hugo and said nothing. He wasn't going to justify it, he couldn't.

When the vampire didn't respond, Hugo frowned, lines etching into his skin. Picking Lewis up, he took him to the nearest room and laid him on a couch. He would sleep, and Hugo would have food sent to him later.

Returning to the scene, Hugo's strong arms reached down to pluck Boy from his place. "She would have killed you. She would have ripped your throat out and sent you straight into the sun, you foolish fucking ungrateful little snot!" He hissed.

"Then I wouldn't be something for you to worry about anymore." Boy didn't sound mad, or particularly frightened. He just sounded slightly defeated. Boy hung there, his feet barely brushing the floor at all and he didn't try to get Hugo to let him go. "I want to go home." Back to their little hospital that he knew was just a pile of rubble now.

Hugo hated hearing this from Boy. It didn't help that Hugo desperately wanted to go home too--but home was fucking gone. Being here made him crazy, made him have to fight his brain even harder. "THERE IS NO HOME," he yelled and gripped Boy's shirt so that he could pull him forward and slam him back against the wall. "You're the only home there is, and if you take that away from me too, I will never forgive you. So stop this!"

Boy hit the wall and his eyes welled up. He was already hurt from the first time he was thrown into it but the second slam just made everything ache all over again. He tried not to cry but it was too late, the tears were already coming. Everything he said seemed to serve to make Hugo angrier so he just didn't say anything.

Hugo was losing it, the flash of utter insanity came at the threat of losing Boy to an angry Bernadette. But when Boy started to cry, Hugo snapped back to himself. Letting him sink down to his feet, he wrapped him in a hug. "Tell me what you want me to do--tell me. I tried so hard to fix you and I keep making you worse. They shouldn't have brought me back the last time."

Boy just stayed quiet again and he closed his eyes as Hugo hugged him. His fingers tangled into the bottom of Hugo's shirt and he just held onto him for a minute. All he wanted to do was close his eyes and fade away. It would be easier on all of them he thought. "I could just go away. I could go away and then you wouldn't hate me anymore."

"If you leave me, I'll hate you." He wanted to make that clear. He had nothing without Boy. From the second he'd made him, Boy was his entire unlife. "I need you. You can't leave me. We'll go home. I'll rebuild the goddamn hospital."

"You hate me now. You will always hate me. Just let me go away, I just want to go away." Boy knew that it would solve all of the problems that they were having presently. "Please, you could be so happy here, you just need to find someone who isn't broken like me."

"Shut up," he said firmly. He wasn't going to listen to this. Grabbing Boy by the hand, he pulled him to their room and put him down on the bed. "I don't know what I did to make you think this way, but it's not true. Just stop." He sat down next to him and put his hands in his lap. "I don't hate you. I never have."

"You never want to be around me. I thought it would be okay after we were together but then you went away and I slept alone and I just don't know what to do." He felt like he was going to start sobbing but he managed to keep himself together. "I just want to go back to the way it was." Before there were boys he could be interested in, and when he only fed off of bums that smelled so foul he never once considered using them for anything other than food.

"I don't want to go back to the way it was," Hugo said. "I don't want to have to obsess over how much I want you and how much I shouldn't have you. I don't want to have to worry about who you'd find to be your first. Now I know. It was a wolf, and then it was me, and I'm okay with that."

"It could have been you." but Hugo had made him feel so ashamed of it. He still did becasue of the way that Hugo reacted the first time he got hard and the first time he showed any interest in sex or what it could be like to be close to someone. "But you went away after we did. And I was alone again."

"You're my patient--it shouldn't have happened." That's why he'd left. The guilt from what he did was overwhelming and he'd needed to be alone. Ultimately, he'd made it worse though, like Hugo was so good at doing. When he was a human, he'd been a brilliant psychiatrist, but now--now he was a disgusting mess. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, lowering his head into his hands.

Boy just sat there, knees together and feet facing in at each other. He stared down at them, his hands resting on either side of the bed. he was still covered in Lewis' blood and it was drying on him, though it didn't feel uncomfortable yet. "I miss the way it was. Before there was anyone but you and me."

Hugo rubbed his hands against his face so hard he threatened to tear skin. "We'll find a place of our own. We'll go to Seattle and it'll just be us. How does that sound?" He was really trying. Glancing back at Boy, he turned his body around to face him.

"It's too late now." Things were different. The dynamic of their relationship changed and now matter hwo childlike Boy could be that was something that he understood. "It's too late to go back."

"So now that we've fucked, everything is ruined forever? Now that there are other people, you're just so intent to go off on your own?" He pursed his lips together, jaw clenched tightly. "Fine, leave me then. Leave me and Bernadette can just lock me in the basement like the last time."

"It's not ruined, it just can't be the same." Boy felt thoroughly scolded as he lowered his head even more and hunched his shoulders up around his ears. Before he had been sexless. There hadn't been time to know what arousal was because he never felt it. The few times he had ever even gotten close it had been shut down by Hugo. And now that he was exposed to it, understood what he felt towards Hugo, he couldn't shut it off. He would never be able to look at him without feeling it. So things would never be the same.

It was like being a pedophile, or committing the most basic ethical violation of his profession. It didn't matter that Hugo had ceased being a psychiatrist long long ago. And Boy had ceased being a patient the moment he'd bonded himself to him so intricately. The moment he'd killed him. Hugo got up and went into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Even though he didn't need to breathe, he felt like he was hyperventilating. Running the water, he filled up the sink and dunked his face in it, feeling like he was having a panic attack.

Boy didn't move from where he was sitting on the bed. Instead he just stayed put, knowing that from now on he just needed to go back to doing exactly as Hugo told him. He thought maybe if he stayed in the room all the time he wouldn't feel all the things he felt when he was out. he wouldn't want to do bad things.

It seemed that when he needed Boy, he was there for him less and less. He knew it was his own fault and when he came up from the water, he put his fist into the mirror, cracking it into spiderwebs. The minor cuts healed and he rinsed the glass away in the sink. As he stood there, he looked at the bathroom window. The dark expanse beyond it seemed to call to him and draw him out. But he didn't move, just stared and calmed himself with the possibilities.

If he left it would shatter what was left of Boy, but the young vampire knew not to beg him to stay. It wouldn't stop him from leaving, wouldn't help the situation any more. If anything it would simply add a new sense of desperation to what was already such a bad and miserable situation for him. He listened as the mirror shattered and as the sink finally turned off and he didn't move.

With resolve, Hugo turned on the water for the bathtub and then came back out into the bedroom. "Come on, we need to get you cleaned up." His quick hands started to unbutton Boy's shirt and pants, tugging them off so that they could be either thrown away or sent to the wash.

Boy let him undress him, much like before. There was nothing romantic about it, simply an adult undressing a child for his bath. Once he was nude he moved to climb into the water, not bothering to test the temperature first. He didn't care if it was hot or cold he wasj ust doing what Hugo told him to do.

Maybe it was prefunctory to Boy, but Hugo was having a hard time with it. Before, his mind could separate himself from the lust he felt for Boy, but now that he'd breached that, it was difficult for him. "Don't die inside. There's still a lot of joy to be had, sex isn't a bad thing. You didn't do anything wrong." He used his hands to gather water and run it over Boy's hair.

"It is. It ruined everything. If I hadn't done it then you wouldn't be so angry at me all the time." He frowned and tipped his head down so that he was just looking down at the water. "I thought it would be better when we did it. Because that was what we both wanted. But then it wasn't better and you left and then it was weird and I felt lonely. I don't like it, I don't like feeling like this."

Hugo took Boy's hands, scrubbing them clean of Lewis's blood. "Things take time. It takes time to let go of your morals and everything you thought you believed. It takes me time. Give me time." His words were starting to get muddled and even though his face looked completely relaxed, a couple of red streaks had started down his cheeks. Hugo leaned forward over the railing of the tub to pull Boy into a little kiss, testing the waters.

At first he tensed, but he scooted closer and let his mouth press more firmly to Hugo's after a second. The only thing he had ever wanted was to be closer to Hugo. and now that he had discovered sex it seemed like the perfect way to achieve that. But it had screwed everything up so badly he was tentative now. Afraid to make it any worse.

Even the slightest acceptance from Boy made Hugo go forward. Maybe clinging to his morals had helped keep him from going completely over the edge. But now that he was teetering on the edge, he needed to make a choice and leaping from the cliff was his decision. Still clothed, Hugo crawled into the bathtub, long crooked legs hiking over the sides of the tub like a spider crawling toward its prey. His black slacks turned even darker when they were soaked with water, but Hugo didn't mind since he was still kissing Boy. The kiss got rougher, more demanding as he pressed his body down onto Boy.

If Hugo was the spider, then there wasn't anyone who was happier to be prey than Boy. He scooted in more, finding the best way to mold his body against Hugo's as he sat in the water. His arms wrapped around him and he wiggled closer until their hips were pressed together. His legs were hooked over Hugo's and he tried to wrap himself up in the other.

Boy's awkwardness was infinitely alluring to Hugo and the blood he'd taken from a girl earlier was flowing rapidly through his veins. "See? It feels good. And I won't leave this time," maybe if he promised such a thing, he'd have a better time sticking to it.

Boy nodded, trusting that that would happen if Hugo said it. He ran his hands down over Hugo's stomach and to the top of his pants. He knew they would have to come off if they were going to be together. "is this okay?"

Hugo nodded, wanting Boy to continue down this line of thought. The wet fabric felt good against his skin, but he knew that a slick Boy would feel even better. Part of this made him sick, but maybe that was some of the attraction too, the wrongness to it. His mind was striving back to clarity and Boy was helping him do it.

Boy worked open Hugo's pants and he tried to tug them off but he was having trouble. Moving around he caused the water to slosh out of the tub but he didn't care. All that mattered was that he wanted to get Hugo's clothing off of him.

Gawky limbs untangled a little to help with the removal of clothing. With some more effort, Hugo's sopping clothes ended up on the floor beside the tub and he slid his naked body back around Boy, somehow wrapping him in something similar to the coils of a snake with his arms and torso and legs. "It's too late for this to be wrong," he spoke, but mostly to himself.

Boy scooted in as close as he could, legs still hooked over the top of Hugo's as he tried to pull himself closer. He tipped his head back and tried to press a kiss to his mouth. "I love you." he whispered. "I love you so much, please don't leave me."

Those words hurt a lot because how many times had Hugo left him? Over and over he would disappear, brain shutting down and leading him to god knew where. "Are you sure?" He had to ask, kissing Boy's throat, resisting the urge to bite down. "I love you too. I'll die if you go and never come back." He thought he'd add that last bit, given the fact that he'd gone so many times but he always came back when his brain kicked back into the real world.

"I'm sure." Boy was still clinging to him like he had to. His hands were working on getting his pants undone and he was careful as he tried to disrobe the other man. "I need to feel your skin on mine. I want to be closer to you." He needed it, didn't he understand that? "I need you, Hugo, I need you."
Hugo swallowed, wondering if Boy had any idea how much he'd wanted this and for how long. It was overwhelming as he got out of his clothes and finally sloshed down onto Boy. When they fell skin to skin, Hugo groaned and buried his face in Boy's neck. "Let me have you," he growled, wanting Boy's blood inside of him. It was the best way he knew how to connect.

Boy wrapped his arms tightly around Hugo and he tried to just wrap his entire body around him, as if he wanted to smother the other man. Tipping his head back, he allowed Hugo all the access he could manage to his throat because he wanted the other vampire to have him in every way possible. "Have me, have all of me."

All of him. The thought of it overwhelmed Hugo and made him feel so deliciously sane for a split second. If anyone could quiet his mind, it was Boy. He drank and drank, but not too much, because he wanted him alert. There wasn't much room to move and he smiled. "This reminds me of our little coffin at home. We can leave here if you want. I'll go anywhere so long as you're there." He was spouting sweet things against Boy's skin, wanting to make him happy. Wanting to assure himself that Boy wouldn't leave ever.

Having Hugo drink for him was more intimate than any sex they could have attempted, so once it was over he just slumped in closer to him, feeling satisfied even though he hadn't come yet. "We can go anywhere, I don't care, just don't leave me." And don't change, though that went unsaid. He was terrified tht Hugo would get bored of him and simply leave him behind.

The heat of the water was a pleasant contrast to their cold skin. Hugo's emotions were running high, but he felt in control, a rare and infinitely pleasing thing. "Bernie would miss you if we left," he murmered, starting to sit up and reach for the sponge and soap. He squeezed the two together in his hands, making lather spill out between his fingers.

"Bernie doesn't like me." Boy only remembered the threat she had placed against him when Hugo had spent the night locked in a room, in panic over Boy's disappearance. Since that day he had steered as clear of her as he could manage because he didn't want to cause anymore problems. And really, he was sort of terrified of her.

"How could anyone not like you?" He smoothed the sponge over Boy's body, tugging him up out of the water a little to wash him. Eventually, the sponge ran down over Boy's groin and Hugo pressed harder there, flicking his black eyes up to watch Boy's face change. "You have no idea how hard it's been to keep from having sex with you. I've wanted you from the very start. But you seemed so young, like a kid. It felt wrong, but I don't care anymore if it's wrong. You're mine and no one else's."

"She just doesn't. She doesn't like me." Boy knew that she didn't and he was certain that she would kill him given half a chance. "We can have sex right now." he whispered, his body lifting slightly so he could slide into Hugo's lap. "I just don't want you to leave me when it's over. I thought you'd come back after last time but you didn't. You didn't come back."

You didn't come back. Those words were razors against his skin, slicing wickedly into him. "I was ashamed. I'm your doctor and it's not ethical to sleep with you." But they had long since passed the relationship of doctor and patient. Hugo knew that now. "I won't leave," he reassured Boy and leaned up to lick at his shoulder, and then graze his teeth across the skin so that it would leave a thin line of blood in their wake.

The pain didn't bother Boy like it should have. Usually if it hurt him he would cry or get upset. But the way that Hugo nipped at him didn't really bother him. Scooting in as close as he could manage, he rocked up against Hugo, rubbing their hips together.

"Do you want sex? Do you like it?" He pulled back a little, studying Boy's face very very carefully. Hugo had gone a very long time without it--uninterested in it entirely unless Boy was involved. But he didn't want to force the other; the thought of that made him ill inside.

"I do." Boy whispered. He liked it, it felt good, but mostly he just liked being as close to Hugo as he could be. It meant so much more to him than the sex had with Sullivan. That had felt good but it hadn't been so amazing.

Hugo licked the trail of blood he'd created. "What was it like with the wolf?" He said, and it was in his usual clinical tone. He wanted to know and to Hugo, now was as good a time as any to ask since they were on the topic. As he spoke, he pressed their hips together, dipping his hand down to stretch around both of their cocks, stroking once up, then back down.

The feeling was enough to make Boy almost forget what the question was. Tilting his head forward, he laid his head against Hugo's shoulder and closed his eyes. "He was different than you. It felt good on my skin but you feel good in my heart."

"What did he do to you?" His hand kept moving and he focused on the way they felt against each other. Each jerk of his hand brought a little splash in the water. "Did you think about me?" Most people, that would be a question of jealousy, but Hugo really just wanted to know. There was no question about who Boy belonged to, so he had no reason to be jealous.

"I thought that you might be mad at me.' Boy said softly, his words quiet and his voice was heavy with arousal. "He put me on the hood of his truck and he just pushed against me. It hurt at first but felt good after."

He was so innocent that it made Hugo's heart ache. The world itself was so corrupted and disgusting, but here in this tub was the most pure, beautiful thing ever created. And he had created it. Sometimes it made him feel more powerful than God. "I wasn't mad, just afraid. I thought you'd finally gotten tired of me leaving and left yourself."

"No. I got lost. I was walking and I got lost and then I was so scared because I couldn't remember how to get home." It had happened twice, but Elijah had brought him back to the house instead of taking him to the wolf's haven like Sullivan had. "I'm sorry that I left. I just wanted to find someone who would talk to me.'

"It's all right," he murmered. "It's okay, I promise." Hugo rarely promised, knowing that his brain wouldn't let him keep them in the long run. He turned around to pull the plug from the tub and the water glubbed as it started to drain. He stood and lifted Boy to his feet and then turned the shower on to drench them in warm water. He let Boy lean against the cool tile and sunk to his knees in from of him, taking the other vampire's cock in his mouth, sucking it down hungrily.

Boy took a deep breath when he felt Hugo's mouth against his cock and he leaned into the wall as the other man went down on him. The feeling of it was undeniably good and he reached down to slide his hand through Hugo's hair. "That feels good."

His common sense descriptions were sweet and he would have smiled if his mouth wasn't so busy deep throating Boy. He swallowed around him, muscles of his throat gliding against him. Hugo was careful not to knick him, even if the thought of drinking from there had crossed his mind. Perhaps another time. After awhile, he pulled back and kissed his way back up Boy's chest, asking if he would like to taste himself before locking him in a kiss.

Wrapping his arms tightly around Hugo, he kissed him as deeply as he could manage. It knicked his tongue against his fangs and he barely even noticed. Both of his hands went sliding up and down his back and he scratched gently against the skin.

Pain and pleasure was similar to Hugo, all firings of the neurons in the brain reacting to signals sent by his body. He wanted more of everything, and the moment that blood was put in the mix, a switch flicked on in Hugo and he wrapped his hands down around the backs of Boy's thighs and lifted him up off the ground, pinning him back against the tile. In one desperate thrust, he'd lowered Boy onto his cock, piercing up into him.

Boy cried out loudly, but the majority of the noise was muffled by the kiss they shared. His nails dug into the small of Hugo's back, fingers pressing hard against his skin. hard enough that he was going to leave marks. Both of his legs wrapped around Hugo's hips and he tried to pull him in as far as he could.

Currently, Hugo was tumbling over the edge and the sex got rough, but not angry, just painfully urgent and raw. Each thrust was jarring and Hugo's body pressed hard against Boy's, nearly crushing it with his strength. Fortunately, Boy's body was built to take the abuse. He fucked him ruthlessly and if Hugo had breath, he would have been out of it by the time he came.

The pain was good because he knew that it was caused out of love, and he just clung to Hugo as they fucked. He came before the other vampire, his whole body reacting as he squirmed and tensed up and just thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. Though even when it was over he didn't let go of him. He just held him tightly.

Hugo held himself inside, claiming Boy's body firmly. "Mine," he said, face buried in the other's neck. A possession, a creation, a lover. He almost couldn't stand how good this felt. Somehow he felt he didn't deserve it and that each stolen moment of bliss would be paid for in agony later.

"I love you." Boy said quietly but unafraid. His arms circled tightly around Hugo's shoulders and he let one hand slide up into his hair to curl his fingers into the dark locks. "Can we sleep together during the day?"

"Yes," he nodded and finally let Boy down, keeping a hold on him in case his legs were unfit for standing. "I love you more than anything." That was a big deal because Hugo had loved his wife very much. But he would have traded her for Boy and even though that made him feel guilty, he knew it was true.

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 07:16:57 GMT

Sullivan had not been happy about giving up the hunt. But he could at least agree that they needed to come home and regroup. Wendell was working on tracking and Sullivan himself was poring over the updated maps Wendell gave him when he had new information. At the moment, he was in the garage, the place he went to be alone. The map was up on the wall with little pins stuck in it like a big investigative operation.

The trip had worn Robin out. One of the many reasons that they had decided it was time to come home. The longer they were on the road the harder everything was for him. He couldn't sleep, he wasn't eating right. He was absolutely exhausted. So when they got home the first thing he did was eat a meal that Wendell prepared and to disappear into his bed for the better part of two days. Now that he was up again he shuffled into the garage of the main house with every intention to go into the kitchen to eat. But when he saw Sullivan sitting there, going over the maps, he walked over to the little table and leaned against it. "Hey."

Sullivan glanced up at Robin and smiled briefly. He'd been preoccupied with this, he could feel it in himself, but Sullivan was extremely tenacious. It was clear he could easily lose himself in this. "Feeling better?" he mumbled as he plucked a pin from the map and examined the city name beneath it.

"Yeah, I am.' Robin tilted his head down and brushed a kiss across the side of Sullivan's neck. While he worked, he brushed his fingers back through Sullivan's long hair, just raking out all the tangles as gently as he could manage. "I was going to go inside and get something to eat, would you like me to bring you something? We can share."

The brush of lips was pretty distracting, but Sullivan jabbed the pin back into the map. "I'll get something to eat later," he said, going to look at one of the news articles Sigmund had clipped for him. Sullivan was not the most booksmart of the wolves, so things like this took his brain much more effort. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, obviously getting a headache.

"Take a break." Robin said softly. He could tell that Sullivan was stressed out and that he was borderline obsessing over all of this but he didn't want the boy freaking out over everything. With his hands resting on Sullivan's shoulders he gave a gentle rub, pushing his thumbs into the muscles so that he could try to relax the tension. "Come inside and eat with me. Just be with me for a little while?"

"Where's Haben?" As if to suggest that he could be with Robin and then they could both leave him to work. But the tone of that made him wonder why the hell he was so intent on this project and why he could see nothing else. "Yeah, okay. I could eat." He nodded and pushed his hair out of his face with a reluctant sigh.

Robin felt momentarily put out but then he smiled at Sullivan's agreement. Wrapping his arms around Sullivan for a moment, he pressed a kiss to the side of his head and he just grinned at him. "Come on, come inside and spend a little time with me. We don't have to find them today or tomorrow. We have time."

"I hope we have time," he said ominously. A million whatifs ran through his head, the biggest of which was the what if they decided to turn around and hunt Robin down? Who knew what they were capable of. Shutting the light off in the garage, he went into the kitchen and leaned against the counter, fully expecting Robin to be getting the food out.

There was plenty to eat in the fridge, so Robin just set about plating everything up and putting it in the microwave for the appropriate amount of time. Once it was all warm he put the plates on the table and went to get them some soda and silverware. There was no comment on Sullivan's remark about hoping they had time. They would. He was confident that they would have time to figure this whole thing out and to make it all even. "Eat something and then maybe we can go for a walk or sit in the hammock for a while."

Sullivan watched him, curious at the ever-growing confidence he could sense in Robin. Maybe that had been the real attraction, the sense that there was a dominant wolf inside of Robin, waiting to grow up. "If you get any bigger, I think you could take Austin in a fight." He was half joking, but there was truth to the statement. "You're like a little fucking alpha sometimes--look at you." He smirked, passing off that he was just making fun of Robin.

When he said that bit about being a little alpha it made Robin make a face at him. Putting the sodas down on the table he sat down across from Sullivan and propped his feet up in the other boy's lap. "Just eat your dinner and then we are going for that walk out to the hammock. Don't argue with me." If he was going to call him a mini alpha then he was going to act like a mini alpha.

"Or you're just a spoiled brat." Who might not think he got his way, but always seemed to be making people jump through hoops for him. Sullivan dug in to the food and was quiet while he ate. Being used as a foot stool wasn't all that bothersome, given that he felt it gave him an advantage, and power over Robin's legs. He was starting to embrace his status, rather than fight it. Second.

Robin slid his feet down between Sullivan's knees and he leaned forward so he could eat. He stayed quiet, ignoring the comment about being a spoiled brat because he was pretty sure that was much more the case than the mini alpha thing and he wasn't going to argue with the other wolf. Instead he was just going to keep on eating and then strong arm Sully into the hammock with him.

When they were done, he picked up the plates and stuck them in the sink. "Come on," he gestured with his head toward the door. The way he said it was a command, but really he was just doing what Robin wanted. He seemed to do that a lot.

Robin got up and he walked over to take a hold of Sullivan's hand. Lacing their fingers together, he just held his hand loosely and started to walk off in the direction of the hammock. It would be nice to just lay around for a while, even if it was virtually all he had been doing lately.

He had to admit that it was nice just to focus on being with Robin instead of assuming he had to rescue him from the memories of what had happened. "So I guess you're feeling better. You smell closer to before," that was the best way he knew how to describe it.

"Yeah." Robin pressed a kiss to the side of his face as they slid into the hammock and leaned against one another. He laid his head on Sullivan's shoulder and brought his knees up so they were tucked between them. There were still moments when Robin felt vulnerable and a little scared but he tried to hide it as best as he could. "I am feeling a lot better."

Satisfied with that answer, Sullivan let himself relax a little. The evening was nice, warm but they avoided some of the hottest days by being up in the mountains. "You've done really well," he praised lazily. "I wouldn't have come out the other end of that."

"Yes you would have. But you wouldn't have even gotten yourself into that sort of situation in the first place." Robin sighed a little bit and he turned to nuzzle his face in against Sullivan's throat. "I'm glad that you came to find me, I don't think I would have made it if you hadn't come with Hunter."

"You wouldn't have. They had every intention of killing you." He was tired of the pack not being safe, of him not being able to make it safe. Sullivan sighed, suddenly feeling as if he should be back at work.

"That's not what I meant." If Hunter had come alone, or come with Austin, he was pretty sure that he would have just wasted away in Aubrey's apartment. But Sullivan being there saved him. It gave him the last little bit of will he needed to survive. "I know that they wanted to kill me. They talked about it. He was going to strangle me with a neck tie. I'm pretty sure they had plans for my corpse too."

Robin would leave a pretty corpse, he was sure. Sullivan shifted uncomfortable beneath Robin. "I see." He understood what Robin was saying now. "That's probably why Hunter let me go." Or he knew Sullivan would have found some way to follow after anyway.

With a soft sigh he shifted around because Sullivan did and he just went quiet. The conversation was approaching uncomfortable and he knew that even if he was ready to talk about it that didn't mean anyone else would ever want to hear it. "Have you even slept since we got back?"

He sensed the tension in Robin. "No," he said casually. Sleep was his absolute favorite, but he just couldn't close his eyes after having been in that house again. Looking through pictures of the people that the two of them might have gotten their hands on--Sullivan exhaled a long breath. "Will you ever tell me everything that happened there?"

"When you are ready to hear it, I will." Robin said softly. "I just don't think you are ready yet.' Sullivan was uncomfortable when he mentioned the bit about them wanting to kill him so he wasn't sure if he could handle all the rest of it just yet.

Sullivan clenched his jaw, disliking that answer. "You don't know if I'm ready. I'm ready. I don't think you're ready to talk." Typical for him to turn it into a challenge. Sullivan was under the impression that he could handle anything.

"I was walking home to the hotel room that I was staying at. It was sort of an out of the way walk on a hiking trail through the edge of the campus. He came out of no where, drugged me. When I woke up I was tied to a post in the basement and I could hardly even breathe over the stench of sex and death." He started, and he looked at Sullivan to see if he could handle more.

Sullivan's face was a mask of collectedness. He was trying to detach himself from the words, but he needed to hear them. Knowing how they worked might help them be tracked. He swallowed, raising his eyebrows so Robin would continue.

"I don't remember all of what happened. I was in and out of it, but they kept injecting me with stuff. And when I would wake back up I could hear them talking about what they wanted to do to me. The younger one, he was new, I guess. I was supposed to be his first. He was going to rape and murder me, that was the plan. But things weren't going well and they figured out that my metabolism was killing me. I shifted, I tore this tiny room they had me in to pieces but I was too weak once I shifted back, so they put me in the bath and cleaned me up. And then they took me to the bedroom, and the younger one raped me while the older one watched."

Sullivan's heart was beating faster with the little jolt of adrenaline that Robin's words had caused in him. So it was the newer one who'd done the most damage, the one who'd claimed what Sullivan claimed as his. His jaw clenched a little and he was silent, unable to think of anything to say to what Robin had revealed.

"They fooled around with each other afterwards and took me back downstairs. They stopped feeding me, kept torturing me. It wasn't long after that that you found me." Completely on the brink of death.

His stomach churned wildly. Something about that last little bit that made Sullivan so furious he had to untangle himself from the hammock and get up. Walking to the line of trees, he bent in two and threw up as he propped himself up against a stump. The bile kept coming, and all the food he'd just eaten. The vivid scent memory from the house rose up to egg him on. When he was emptied out, he leaned his forehead against the tree.

The reaction surprised Robin and he got up to follow him but stopped when he realized that Sullivan was being sick. It felt like such a private moment and he felt as though he was invading, but when it was over he walked up on him and squated down to put his hand on Sullivan's back. "I'm sorry."

Sullivan shrugged the hand away and stood up straight, walking away from the scene of his weakness. "Don't be sorry. It's just disgusting, that's all." Really, it was the thought of those things happening to his Robin, and he hadn't been able to stop them. And now, he couldn't even find the sonofabitches to give them what they deserved.

Robin stood there, watching him walk away. "That's why I never wanted to tell you." Because he didn't think that sullivan would see him the same way. Now he was some damaged and disgusting little used toy and he didn't want Sullivan to think of him that way.

"Because you thought I'd puke?" He frowned and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I couldn't help it. Those things are fucking vermin and if I don't exterminate them, I'm going to die trying. If they got a taste of one wolf, what makes you think they won't look for another? I know I'm not responsible for fucking mutts, but I wouldn't wish that fate on anyone, not even humans."

"No, that's not what I meant." he said softly. "because you won't be able to look at me now without thinking about that. About how I looked when you found me or how the house smelled. You won't be able to look at me without knowing what they did. And I know this because I can't look at myself in the mirror without thinking about it. I can't close my eyes without thinking about it." And eating was the worst because any smell that started to smell too strong reminded him of the stench he'd lived in for weeks.

"I have a lot of memories of you, Robin. I look at you and see those, not how you were when we found you. Just see you, nothing else." He shook his head, convinced in his words. And while he was obsessed with hunting these people down, it was for revenge, because it's what he thought Robin needed for closure. And it was pennance for his own inability to prevent it in the first place.

Robin just shook his head and he ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at it gently. He was having enough trouble with it and he was completely terrified that they weren't going to want to be with him now. Like he was ruined. And he didn't want them to feel obligated to be with him either. "I am going to go back to my house. I need to sleep." As if he hadn't already done enough of that since they had been home. It was just the only way he knew how to cope.

"I'll come with you in a minute, okay? I need to go brush my teeth." He pointed back at the main house and headed in that direction. When he was done, and feeling better, he headed toward Robin's house, entering and wondering if he'd already just gone upstairs to bed.

Robin had gone up to his room to crawl into bed. He was staying along at the house, though most nights Haben ended up there, crawling into bed with him. He wasn't sure if it was out of love or out of some sense of duty now that Robin had been pieced carefully back together with all of their hardwork and care. He was curled up on his side of the bed, laying so far against the edge that there was nearly the entire bed behind him.

Sullivan toed off his shoes and crawled from the foot of the bed up to where Robin was. Putting an arm over him, he shook his head enough for Robin to feel it. "Do you really think we're going to leave you? Haben gave up a lot for you and obviously I don't have the ability to quit on you."

"I would understand if you both did." Robin told him. "I'm different now, I'm going to always be something different from what I used to be. The thing that you loved." And he didn't know if he still had it. "And you both took care of me, and you both stayed with me, but you don't have to, if it isnt' the same." Because he didn't see how they could still both be in love with him and still want him after all of this. And he wasn't sure he wanted them to stick around just out of obligation. "I'm different, you said it yourself."

"When did I say you were different?" Sullivan scooted closer, tugging Robin closer at the same time so that their bodies collided front to back. His voice was right in Robin's ear and he kept it low and calm.

"I don't know, maybe I just thought that you did. I can't remember anymore." It was hard to keep things in his memory when hsi thoughts drifted so easily. "I just am though."

"You've always been a little alpha, you've always been demanding, and wounded. You haven't changed, Robin, except that maybe you've been forced to realize the world out there fucking sucks." He kissed the back of his neck, thankful that Robin had stolen his attention away from the newspaper clippings and the maps. "Everyone changes. I've changed, do you still love me?"

"Yes." There was nothing that would cause him to stop loving Sullivan. Nothing that would stop him from loving Haben either. Closing his eyes, he curled up a little more and leaned back against Sully. "I just worry sometimes.' But he always worried.

Putting his chin down on Robin's shoulder, he stayed silent for a second, then kissed Robin's neck again. "Don't worry so much," as if it were that simple to turn such a thing off.

"easy for you to say." he laughed softly and just tipped his head down so he could kiss his neck again if he wanted to. "I wish that it were so easy as all of that, I really do."

"Will it help if they're dead?" Sullivan asked. Rarely did his voice go tentative or uncertain, but that's how he delivered that particular question. "Will it help any of the memories, or the way you're feeling?"

"I don't know if it will or not. I think maybe, mostly just because I sleep and I dream about what they are doing to other people. What might be happening to boys in new towns. And what their families must be going through knowing they are gone."

"Humanitarian of you," Sullivan smirked, making fun of him. Though he'd been thinking the same thing. He remembered holding him like this, trying to will him into a sound sleep after the incident. It had never worked and he sighed with the memory of it, warm breath ghosting out over his neck. "I love you, get some sleep."

Robin smiled a little bit at that and he leaned back against Sullivan a little more before he closed his eyes. His sleep had been coming easier and lasting longer, so he hoped he could make it through the night with Sullivan at his side. "I love you. Goodnight."

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 06:13:16 GMT

Sigmund lived in town, but every once in awhile, he drove out to Wolf Haven for dinner, or just for socializing. This evening, he was there to work with Wendell who had asked him to come help research recent missing persons cases from around the US. Sigmund had special access to newspaper databases, and paired with Wendell's access to police records, they were a good pair. But Wendell was running an errand and when Sigmund went upstairs to the office, he found Hunter instead of Wendell. He hadn't bothered knocking and there he stood in the doorway with a surprised look on his face. "Oh, I was looking for Wen."

For a while now Hunter had been considering the idea of getting away for a while. Going on a vacation was something he'd never really spent much time thinking about but he was getting older and there were other, responsible wolves that owuld be more than willing to fill in as interim pack leader until he returned. Sigmund was among the people he considered capable. Shane was on the list, but he also was near the bottom on account of the fact that he often acted before thinking and he didn't want to come back to a pack of hungover werewolves and all kinds of women all over the haven. That seemed like the type of thing that would happen under Shane's care. When Sigmund came in he looked over his shoulder at him, over the top of his glasses which he took off and pushed up onto the top of his head. "Sigmund. Come in. Wendell is running an errand but he'll be home soon."

Sigmund and Hunter were approximately the same age and Sigmund remembered clearly the kind of dominance that Hunter had always possessed, never the forced kind but the kind that required respect. Sigmund, however, had had a shred of the same dominance in him as well and so it made things a little difficult sometimes and sometimes it put Sigmund on edge. Shutting the door behind him, he set his messenger bag down in a nearby chair and glanced at the computer monitor. "Relocating the pack to Taihiti?"

"Hmm? Oh." Hunter put his glasses back down and turned back towards the computer monitor. For as smart as he was and as wise as he was, computers sort of unsettled him. Most electronics did. Austin always teased him about living in the dark ages but Hunter had been born in a time when all of this wasn't around and most of the pack had never bothered to have them. It wasn't until Wendell moved in and Austin got to high school that the main house even had a computer in it. "No, I am thinking about taking a trip. Would you believe it if I said that with the exception of Canada I've never been outside the United States?"

Sigmund sat down and laughed a little. "You, a recluse who's never been out of the US? Gee, I think somehow I'd believe that." Hunter was worldly, sure, but not in the sense that he'd been all over the world, just that he'd read about it. "A trip? That's a really good idea, I think." Because with everything that had been happening lately, a vacation was probably much needed. "Wait, a trip for work or for fun?" Maybe there was a crazy tropical mutt on the loose.

"A for fun sort of trip." Hunter skimmed over to see how much flights to the Bahamas cost and what sort of activities there were that they could do there. He was going to plan for this, though he had an idea that he was probably going to end up laying on the beach and drinking little fruity umbrella drinks while he reveled in the fact that he didn't have to worry about the pack for a few days to a few weeks. "I was thinking I would take Wendell. I think that maybe you might like to keep an eye on the pack while I was gone. Stay here in the house maybe, make sure no one kills each other and there is no impending doom while i am gone."

He couldn't help but imagine taking Casey on some long getaway and that thought made his scent change ever so slightly. But when Hunter asked him about babysitting the pack while he was gone, he had to raise a brow. "Are you sure I'm not going to turn it into a democratic state while you're away? I might. You know I've been aching to do it." It was mostly a joke, but there was some truth to it as well. Hunter knew Sigmund's beliefs.

"I know that you would try it and that if you did Shane would hang you from your ankles in the backyard and use you as a target for his knife throwing practice." Hunter didn't miss a beat and didn't look up from the computer as he said it. "And for as much as people here like you and for as powerful as you are, we both know that Shane would get the better of you." Because Shane was wiley and he was strong and he had been around years longer than everyone else.

Sigmund smirked. If Shane had been gay, Sigmund would have pursued that--so the idea of even being used for knife practice by the man wasn't the worst thing he'd ever considered. "I'm far too busy trying to stage a coup at the newspaper anyway," he quipped. "So you and Wendell are okay? He sounded worried on the phone. I think if you hadn't decided to go on a trip, he would have decided to drag you on one."

"Wendell lives in a state of constant worry." Hunter said, which was mostly true. "He's been worried about me since the whole incident." Which was when he had gone and gotten himself kidnapped and hurt fairly badly. Hunter had been recovering for ages but he was back on the top of his game now. "He has Kinley to worry about now. Our eight months pregnant little human who is on bed rest and has been running poor Wendell ragged."

"Are you going before or after the baby is born?" Sigmund wasn't sure what they would do without Wendell during such an event. And he sure as hell didn't know thing one about babies. Not that the mother was completely incompetent, but Sigmund didn't know her and she had, afterall, slept with Jacob.

"After. There is no way that Wendell will want to go before the baby is born. Maybe a month or so after, once he's had time to hang out with the kid for a while. And of course he'd want to be able to help her learn all the things about being a new mother. "We'll just have to play it by ear. But I wanted an idea of the price of tickets and all the options of where we can go."

"So in about eighteen years?" That's how thorough Wendell could be. Sigmund leaned back in the chair and sighed. "Yeah, I can stay out here for awhile and keep an eye on things." It would be strange, but it would be something he could manage.

"Well I won't let him wait eighteen years. I'll be ancient by then." In eighteen years Hunter would be in his seventies and he wasn't going to wait until he was seventy to go out of the country on a vacation that he had been wanting to go on. Of course, Shane was in his seventies now and as far as how he was physically he still appeared to be in his late thirties or early forties. He was still more physically fit than most humans, so he really didn't see being seventy as something that would slow him down much.

Age was far more important to Sigmund, even if he still looked young. For some reason, the idea of being over 50 was torture. Eighteen years in the future? He shuddered to think. "Do you ever wonder what will happen to him after you die?" Dating someone younger presented those sorts of problems.

"I'm never going to die." He said as he continued to click through the travelocity website. "I'm going to out live you all just to spite you." With a sigh he clicked off the internet browser and just closed the laptop. "What work did you and Wendell have to do?"

He hated that he couldn't ever have a real conversation with Hunter, and he wondered if even Wendell had a hard time getting through to the man. "He wanted me to help go through news archives to look for missing persons. Something about Robin's attackers? Sullivan has asked for help and of course Wendell is giving it." Because Wendell never denied anyone.

A frown settled onto Hunter's face and he leaned back in the chair. The whole situation rubbed him the wrong way but he understood the intense need for closure and would not deny that to Robin or to Sullivan, or even Haben. The three had been through so much and he knew that they needed it. "They didn't find them. They were trying but the trail went cold somewhere and they couldn't pick it back up."

Sigmund was intent on letting people make their own decisions, but the idea of those wolves going after a pair of murderers who'd been able to subdue a werewolf--albeit a small one--made Sigmund extremely uncomfortable. "I guess that's where Wen and I come in. Are you going to let them go back out?"

Hunter sighed and he rubbed his hand across the side of his face before just closing his eyes. Yeah, he was going to let them. "I don't want to deny Robin the right to closure. I'm not entirely sure that they will all be able to handle it, but I also know that if I don't allow them to do it they will resent me for it, and they will always wonderwhat would have happened if they had gotten to do it."

Wendell heard them inside and walked into the office. "Sorry I'm late, Sigmund." He glanced at the two of them and smiled a little. Walking over to Hunter, he kissed him on the cheek. "Denying Sullivan this little obsession would probably only lead to trouble anyway," Wendell added and Sigmund nodded, understanding completely.

The kiss on the cheek was sweet and he lifted his hand up to Wendell's collar, tucking his fingers inside of it so he could keep him from standing upright. He turned his head and brushed his lips over Wendell's before letting him go. "I thinky ou are right. And it is good to see Sullivan so interested in something."

Despite Sigmund's presence, Wendell wanted to make the kiss much more than just a brush, but he refrained. Sigmund smirked to himself, crossing one leg over the other. Wendell looked at the computer screen and grinned. "You're serious about the trip?"

"Yes." Hunter nodded. "I was thinking probably some place tropical. I want to lay on a beach." The idea just seemed entirely appealing to him. "I was thinking we could go somewhere that has a lot of touristy things too." Because that seemed like Wendell's idea of a good time. To be able to vacation and to absorb as much knowledge about a place as was possible. "I figured we could go somewhere with tours."

It was clear how much this idea delighted Wendell and Sigmund had to laugh. "Just don't let Wen kill the tour guides with questions." Because he was sure that was a real danger. After a second, he looked at Wendell. "Are we still going to work on the project or shall I go downstairs and get something to eat?"

"Go get something to eat, Wen will be ready to work with you in a few minutes." Hunter wanted to spend a little time with him first since they hadn't really seen each other all day except for in passing. He tugged Wendell down into his lap and wrapped his arms around him. "You know we could go to Mexico. There are all kinds of things to do there and we could see all sorts of architecture and ancient cities."

Sigmund headed downstairs and Wendell fell easily into Hunter's lap. The idea of Hunter lying on a beach was incredibly appealing to him and following him through ancient ruins was even more so appealing. "That's a long ways from Wolf Haven," he smiled and kissed Hunter's chin.

"Yes. It is. Does it seem too close? We could go anywhere in the world. Where do you want to go?" There were so many places. "We could go to Greece. There are beachers there with white sand and blue waters. We could see the Acropolis in Athens It would also let us go all over Europe if we wanted."

Leaning his head on Hunter's shoulder, Wendell gave it some thought. To hear Hunter so ready to get away from his duties was a nice thing because he knew the man needed it and if he was willing--well, that made it much easier to drag him. "You'd never see me in Europe. I'd be sucked in by all the museums and I don't know if I could resist them." He wanted to spend time with Hunter, no matter how alluring old paintings and artifacts were.

That made him laugh a little bit and he tipped Wendell's head up just enough to brush his mouth across the other wolf's again. "I wouldn't mind going through all the museums with you. But we can't stay in Europe forever and I think that would be how long it would take for us to see everything you wanted tos ee."

Wendell smiled against Hunter's mouth. "I love you," he said it often, but it never got old and the words never lost their fervor. "Mexico, I think." Because there was something comforting about being away, but still being on the same continent.

"All right then. Mexico it is." he kissed him again and brushed his nose against Wendell's. "I love you, too. I'm going to go ahead and get our tickets and make hotel reservations. Two months from now, does that sound good? That way we can be here for the bth of Kinley's baby."

And an extra month would give him time to feel good about leaving the new mother. Not that he was so experienced, but he'd read everything there was to read about babies. He nodded. "Two months, and pray the odds of something huge happening are slim to keep us from going."

"Yes, if something happens I am going to lose my shit, so to speak." A phrase he had heard Austin say from time to time. "I really need a vacation and it will be nice to be somewhere alone with you." They never got to spend much time alone.

Wendell's heart was speeding up with excitement now that a date had been set. They were really going to go and he was elated. At the moment, he really didn't want to research case upon case of miserable missing persons, all probably dead and buried somewhere. "Is it bad that sometimes I want Austin to be really ready to take over so that I can have you all to myself?"

"I want it too." He laughed softly. "One day. Hopefully i won't be too old to be able to enjoy everything that the world has to offer by then." he wrapped his arms around him and a little tighter, pulling him all the way in so that they were pressed up against one another.
Wendell didn't think it was possible to be close enough to Hunter. But whenever the man tugged him in a little more, he felt that much closer to perfect contentment. Just for fun, he leaned his head in and dared to put his teeth against Hunter's neck. It was never an outright challenge, but it was a tease Wendell used to get the alpha riled.

And it worked. Everytime. One of hunter's hands came up and fisted in Wendell's hair to tug his head back away from his neck like that. It stirred his beast and made him feel almost crazy. Lowering his own head, he nipped back, harder than Wendell had dared to do it, and he pressed his face against the boy's throat.

It was intense to push Hunter's buttons, and Wendell had to whimper a little. Each time he did it, he was always surprised by the ferocity of Hunter's energy. It made him utterly weak inside and his body tightened everywhere. Wendell's skin could take a lot, his body could withstand a good deal of roughness from Hunter and it was usually part of how he liked it. That one movement made him exhale a low sound from his throat, happy to feel so exposed.

Hunter knew it was hardly fair to get Wendell wound up before he had to sit and work with Sigmund, but his mate had brought i on himself. Thrusting his beast forward, pushing it against Wendell's, he tightened his grip and dug his fingers into the small of his back. There were times when he left bruises, but Wendell never complained. He wwas almost certain Wendell secretly liked it.

Wendell had impeccable control over his wolf, but Hunter could force it to the surface anytime he wanted. A million thoughts that were once racing through his head were completely gone, replaced only be the sensation of Hunter's body beneath him and the rich energy of the wolf pressing in from all sides of him. His chest rose and fell in helpless breaths as he finally pressed a hungry kiss to Hunter's mouth, begging for something, anything.

All Hunter would give him were brief tastes. Nips and bites and his fingers tugged at him. Then just as soon as all of this had started he lifted Wendell out of his lap and stood up him. "You have plenty of work to do with Sigmund, I wouldn't want to keep you any longer than I already have."

Feeling devestated, but amused all at the same time, Wendell let out the most pathetic of sounds. Hunter always had the power to start and stop where Wendell could be swept away so easily. To calm himself, he started to pull statistics on record high temperatures for various large cities. The numbers helped, but Wendell's wolf was still whining about the loss of fun. "Sigmund would wait," he noted.

"Yes, but it's more fun if I make you wait." he swatted him on the ass and then turned his chair to face the computer again so he could go about booking their flight and their hotel reservations.

Wendell turned on his heel and left, a little grumpy now, but also rife with anticipation for later.

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:35:30 GMT

Jacob was blissfully unaware of the argument that Everett and Vaughn had had. When he went to go see Ever, he had no idea he might be walking into something bad. And that's what he did, walked right into the Lawson home without knocking. Sticking his tongue out at Duke, he strode right by him and went up to Everett's room, following his nose to the location of the man. "Did it kill you when you saw he shaved?" Jacob grinned as he opened the door.

If Everett had been left to his own devices he might have been gone for days, but it was hard to argue with Mabel and when she told him that he needed to go back to wolf haven he reluctantly agreed and headed back in that direction. When he got home that morning Vaughn was gone and for that much he was relieved. He put away the blankets and pillows from the sofa before taking a shower and laying down in his bed. He'd slept the night before in his jeep though it had been a restless sleep and so he had gone almost three days now without sleeping at all. When he heard Jacob's voice he didn't even move. Sure, now seemed like the perfect time for Jacob to come and gloat over things. Like Vaughn shaving for him when he told him how much he liked the scruff. Admittedly, that was the last thing that he even cared about at this point but he wasn't going to say that.

When no answer came, Jacob figured Everett was serious when he'd said he liked the beard and was pouting still. That sounded like something Jacob would do, so he didn't think anything of it. "Ever?" He shut the door behind him and walked to the bed. Kicking off his shoes, he crawled onto the mattress and tugged at the covers so that they pulled back from Ever's head.

Ever hadn't shaved in three days. Hadn't slept. Had only just showered which was a small miracle because it had gotten so hot in the car. When Jacob pulled the blanket back off of him he just shifted a little, sliding one arm up under the pillow so that it was beneath his head and then he went still again. His eyes were even open, because there was no point in closing them. He wasn't going to sleep.

He'd seen this kind of depression before. Sometimes the sadness coated Everett so completely that he couldn't even recognize him. His heart clenched and his body sagged. He wanted to fall into begging, asking Everett to please not do this to them again. He didn't know if he could stand to see it. "Everett," he said more firmly and leaned his face down to kiss his cheek. "Talk to me."

"Vaughn and I broke up last night. So you don't have to keep coming around here." Everett told him, though he didnt' say anything else. He really didn't want to talk about all the reasons why they had split up or if he was permanent or not because at the moment it certainly felt that way. In fact he kind of hoped that it was just over, because this pain wpould go away eventually, but if they ended up back together then he just ran the risk of feeling like this all over again the next time this happened.

"Because of the beard? It'll grow back." Jacob had a way of saying the stupidest things when he was completely floored. He pulled back and crawled under the covers with him, wrapping his arms around him tightly, refusing to let him pull away if he even bothered to move.

He didn't. Ever just stayed still, not even so much as tensing up when Jacob put an arm around him. He absolutely did not have the energy for that. "No, not because of the beard. Please go home, Jacob. I'm very tired, I just want to sleep now." But he wouldn't, not even if Jacob left him alone, which he probably would refuse to do. "I haven't slept at all in three days."

"What the fuck is going on?" He was through with playing easy and his voice turned sharp. "Don't fucking do this again. Don't crawl into your goddamn hole and make me and Vaughn watch you go blank." His voice was starting to get panicked. This wasn't happening, not when he thought they were all finally going to be okay.

"Nothing is going on. You don't have to worry about it." Everett lifted his hand to his face and he rubbed at his eyes for a second as if it would help him wake up a little more. He clearly wasn't going to be allowed to sleep so long as Jacob was there. "I am going to sleep and then I am going to get up and finish my book and then I am going to go to Seattle to see Aryk." Indefinitely. "You won't have to watch anything you can just go be with him."

That made Jacob freeze. "Are you breaking up with me too?" Because he knew for a fact that whatever had happened between Vaughn and Everett hadn't been mutual. Everett was the one pushing people away and now Jacob was on the chopping block.

"We aren't even together, Jacob. I know you only come around when Vaughn is gone because you are lonely. You will just have to find another boy for the side when he is gone because I just don't want to do this anymore."

"Yes we are," his voice had never sounded so hurt before and he pressed his forehead to the center of Ever's back, feeling his chest tighten even more with a lump that rose to his throat. "Don't leave." He couldn't bring himself to say please for fear that once he started begging, he wouldn't stop. His voice was clenched, wavering.

"There isn't anything to leave, Jacob. I can't even remember the last time that I saw you. Do you remember?" Because it seemed so long ago now that he couldn't recalll.

"You were upset with me about Kinley, and we sat on the couch for awhile. I wanted to just press up against you, but there was this barrier I couldn't get over, so I left." He could have told him the day, the time, what clothes Ever was wearing, how his house looked, how he smelled. Jacob could have told him everything. "Vaughn loves you. You can't leave him. And you can't leave me." Because Jacob loved him too.

Everett took a deep breath and then he let out a loud sigh. "You left because you never want to talk about anything. It doesn't matter that Vaughn loves me because he loves you too and he doesn't need me. The same way that you don't. You'll both see that and then this mess will just be over with and no one will get hurt anymore." He was starting to sound numb.

"I left because I can't stand to see that you're disappointed in me." He sighed too, not knowing what to say to all of this. His mind tried to sort it out, but he was coming up short and all he could revert back to thinking was 'but this is hurting me, stop it.' Not an argument he figured Ever would accept. "I don't just see you when he's gone. And we are together. We're still together and I'm not going to let you leave me or him." His hands tightened, holding Ever as close as he could.

"You're hurting me." Everett wasn't actually physically hurt but he wanted Jacob to let him go because he felt like if he kept on squeezing him like that then he was going to completely crush him to death. "What if this is what I want? What if I don't want to be with Vaughn and I don't want to be with you?" Because right now he was trying to convince himself that he didn't want them.

Even though Jacob was managing to keep his voice level again, giving no indication that he was crying, his eyes were still welling up. He prayed that Ever didn't turn around to see his face, because it was pathetic right now. Jacob released him, feeling completely cut loose, drifting away without any anchor. "It isn't what you want. You wouldn't be acting like this if it was what you really wanted. You wouldn't be running to Seattle to forget us."

Both of Everett's hands came up and he covered his face as he tried to collect all of his thoughts. With Vaughn it was always a fight, he never listened. He thought maybe with jacob he stood a chance. "I've been in love with Vaughn since I was a little kid. And it never went away. And he was always with other people. Always. And he always ran away. And I waited for years for him to love me too. And he when he finally loved me it was only after he loved you too. And somewhere along the line I started to develop feelings for you and I started to fall in love with you too. But I'm still always the odd one out. I'm the one that you come to when he's not around. I'm the one that takes care of him for two months when he's broken and you're the one he goes to for sex when he feels well enough to get up and walk around. I think it's pretty clear how this is laid out. And I am so tired of always feeling like I'm being left out, and it's so stupid that I still feel like I am in high school."

"I don't just come to you when he's gone," Jacob frowned and shook his head, rolling over onto his back to stare up at the ceiling. "And he didn't fucking love you after me. He's loved you long before that. If anyone should be sacrificing themselves for two people to be happy together it's me. But you don't see me pulling this shit. Why? Because if you can love two people like you say you do, then he can love two people. It's not about one or the other, it's about all three. It's all three. I'm not with you and I'm not with Vaughn. I'm with you and Vaughn. Jesus Christ, Everett, I thought you'd figure this shit out before I did."

It hadn't ever crossed his mind like that. Everett bit his bottom lip and just took a moment to try and let everything settle in. With a soft sight he shook his head a little bit and put his hands down away from his face. "I don't know, Jacob. I just don't know. I get so fucking jealous that I start to hate myself for it."

"Jealous that I get him too?" Because Jacob hadn't really registered yet that Everett really was talking about him too. Maybe he claimed to have it all figured out, but he really was uncertain if Everett even wanted him so much as he just took him when he got him because he was connected to Vaughn. "You'd find some other reason to hate yourself. That sort of thinking is just in you. You need us to love you more than you hate yourself, to make up for it."

"It doesn't really work when only one of you loves me and when he really doesn't even like to admit it." He rubbed his eyes and he turned over so that he could fcae Jacob. "I really don't want to do this." Everett just didn't even think that it could happen anymore. "Jacob... I spend all my time thinking about the two of you when you aren't around. I can't focus on anything. I can't even write half the time."

When he heard Everett start to turn over, he quickly wiped the backs of his hands over his face, trying to remove any trace of tears. "I've wanted you for a long time. I hope you know that. It's just harder to admit things to you. I don't know why, but it is. And it isn't only Vaughn who loves you. It isn't." He felt like he was changing inside, his foundations moving around and breaking down in the face of Everett, like they always did eventually. "If you think about us when we're not around, then we should be around. Won't that solve it? Then you can focus. We should share a house."

Furrowing his brow a little bit, he tried to figure out what was even a good response to that. "We would kill each other inside of a week." And Everett would never give up his house so the only option was for them to move in to his house and he didn't think Jacob and vaughn would want to do that.

Jacob's heart dropped and his throat felt as if it would close up entirely. Ever's words were like a hand constricting around his stomach. "I don't know what to do to make you stop acting like this. I don't know who to be to make you stop being hurt by this." His breathing was going shallow, speeding up as he started to get closer and closer to the conclusion that Everett was going to go.

Lifting his hands, he cupped Jacob's face and he leaned in to press a very soft kiss across his mouth. It was soft, with all the tenderness that no one ever seemed to pay Jacob, except for maybe Vaughn. He leaned his forehead against Jacob's and he closed his eyes. "How did I fall in love with you? When did it happen? Do you remember? Do you remember the exact moment?"

Everett was a river washing away Jacob's shore, miniscule grain of sand by miniscule grain of sand. But that kiss, soft as it was, was a fucking tidal wave and it broke him down. He could smell his own tears, a faint spark of salt between them. "I don't know. I can't remember anything now." It was as if his brain, so retentive of all the bits and pieces of the people he loved was doing a protective shattering of his memories of Everett, banishing moment upon moment to an abyss of forgetfulness.

When Jacob spoke and his lips parted, Everett slid his tongue into Jacob's mouth and he cut off any more words that the boy might have offered him. Their lips stayed pressed together and he drug the tip of his tongue across Jake's teeth and passed them. Both of his arms wrapped around the other wolf and he just held him there for a moment.

Jacob was terrified that this was a goodbye kiss. Everett didn't know it, but he could be cruel, just with a look or the tone of his voice. It was subtle and wrapped in caring, but it was cruel all the same, and it could cut Jacob in two. His body was still, but his mouth kissed back, head tilting so that he could crush harder up into Everett. He poured desperation into the action, like the final burst of rich color before the sun finally sunk beneath the horizon, his last needful effort.

The kiss was strong and deep and when it ended he kept his forehead resting against Jacob's. He was still trying to figure out what he wanted to do with himself. What he wanted to do with this situation because it was never going to get any easier, he was sure of it. "You wouldn't even want to live here, would you?"

"If it would keep you here, I'd want to live here. If it would mean that I could still have you, we could still have you, then yes." If the very thought of Everett not being a part of them broke Jacob down, then he didn't know what the reality would do to him. "We'd buy a bigger bed and this is where we would sleep, and you wouldn't feel left out anymore. Because you're not left out. It's impossible to leave you out. Without you, it's nothing." It would be the same if he lost Vaughn, though sometimes he wondered if he would be with one if the other left. If he even could.

"I can't leave this house behind." Emmy was hardly ever there and aryk practically lived in Seattle with his artist boyfriend. Most of the time Everett was alone in the house and he and Duke were sort of set in their ways. "Duke isn't going to like it if you are living here with me. What about the girl?" Kinley. What about her baby?

Jacob sighed and turned his face away. It couldn't be easy; it couldn't stay the way it was. "What do you mean what about Kinley?" He didn't like the fact that Everett called her 'the girl.' It was degrading, like he couldn't even be bothered to remember her name, the name of Jacob's little mistake. Well, she was an accident, but she wasn't a mistake.

"What about Kinley? She's due really soon sisn't she?" Everett sort of kept track, but he wasn't entirely sure. He'd written a story about Jacob and Kinley, though he'd never met her. It was just how he had always assumed how the girl actually was.

"She's here, at Wolf Haven. Hunter and I brought her so that she's safe and the baby is safe." He'd planned on telling Everett that, but this had taken precedence over that news. "She's in the house next to mine." Which wasn't all that far from the house they were in now. His body tensed, unsure of how Ever was going to take that.

"Have you decided what to name him yet?" Everett asked as he looked into Jacob's eyes. He could see the fear there, so he decided now wouldn't be the time to be an asshole about Kinley and the little boy that was about to be Jacob's son.

"Kinley has no intention of letting me have any say in the name." There was the faintest hint of a fond smile on his face when he said that. Falling into a conversation with Ever was dangerous right now though and he frowned up at him, lifting his chin to try and capture the wolf in another kiss. His fingertips played over Everett's sides.

Everett kissed him back and he let his nose brush against Jacob's before he laid his head back down on the pillows. With a soft sigh, he just brushed his fingers against the edge of his jaw. "In the story I wrote he was named Parker." Though he really didn't think that was what the little boy was going to end up being named.

Jacob turned his head to look at him. "You wrote a story about it?" The name hung between them and Jacob listened to its echo in the room. It settled in around him and he could imagine himself calling out the name 'Parker' to the back of a child running full out into the woods to explore.

"Yes. Would you like to read it?" It was one that Everett hadn't ever let anyone read because it had been something private. But he supposed that since it was about Jacob it was only fair that he be allowed to read it.

"Are you staying, Ever? What happened? Now we're talking about something else entirely and it's just like you to give me the manuscript as you're walking out the door, just to distract me. Well last time, I came after you and I'll do it again because I need you around."

"I'm not going to go anywhere, I think we've already established that I can't." Because if he had been able to he would have gotten up and just walked away. Though he had no idea how to go about fixing things with Vaughn. "I am still pissed at you for fucking him last night."

"He's mine too," Jacob retorted. "You can't be pissed at me for fucking him. And fuck you, I got him off by making him think about fucking you." He sat up and rubbed his hands over his face, angry at himself for getting emotional before.

"He's hurt." and he was even more hurt now, which made him feel even worse about the whole thing. "I made him fall last night. We were fighting. I feel like shit about that." he stayed laying back even though Jacob sat up.

Jacob stood up, folding his arms over his chest. "Then I think he faired better with the sex rather than the fighting. Maybe you two should have screwed instead." That would have been better for everyone. Maybe that's what Vaughn had been hoping for when he came to see him.

"Except he came reeking of you." Everett just sighed. He hadn't gotten off since the last time he slept with Vaughn and it had been months ago. That made him edgy, but he wasn't going to admit that to Jacob. Though he supposed Jacob probably knew.

"Didn't know I smelled that bad." Jacob threw a crooked little verbal barb at Everett. "That even the smell of me makes you want to fight with him." After a second, he laughed and shook his head. "You know, you were bitching about me only coming to see you when he's gone but you don't come to see me even then."

"I spent years going after Vaughn, I sort of lost my ability to do so. To chase after people that I want." He turned over onto his side so that his back was to Jacob and he just stretched out a little bit.

Jacob picked up a pillow and threw it at the back of Everett's head. "Fuck you," he said plainly. That was the most selfish thing he'd ever heard, and Jacob was the king of selfishness. "You don't love me at all. That's why you can't stand this. You can't stand me with him. If you really loved us both, it wouldn't matter. So fuck you." Since Everett's back was to him, he couldn't see Jacob walk out, but he'd be able to hear the slamming of the door behind him.

Really Everett wasn't really surprised that Jacob walked out. But instead of chasing after him he got up and went out the back window to his bedroom. He climbed out onto the overhang of the porch and dropped down into the yard to wait for Jacob to come storming out of the back door.

Which is exactly what Jacob did and when he saw Everett standing there, his eyes narrowed. "Geez, Ever, planning on making me fall too? You're going to have to work harder with me." That was the understatement of the century. God, he wanted to fight right now, his bitterness practically a taste in the air that surrounded him.

Everett crouched down a little bit and he pounced on Jacob, knocking him flat onto his back in the yard. He pinned him down there, keeping Jake's arms at his sides with his knees. "You say I never come to you but I do. I just never make it to your door."

A fair fight, he corrected in his head. Or just a fight where he won. The brunt of Everett's knees crushed tight to Jacob's arms and he couldn't even dream about moving them, so he just clenched and unclenched his fists. He was all barbed wire now and his eyes glared up at Ever. "Thought you were too tired from flitting after Vaughn."

"Maybe I am. Maybe this is my one last hooray and after this I will die a miserable and tired wolf." Because he was pretty sure that was what was happening. He was dying slowly. "So I'm here for you, i thought things were going all right in there and then you were gone."

"You scolded me for having sex with Vaughn and then you said that you got into a fight with him because he reeked of me. That's not what I would call going well." Jacob was not, however, struggling to get up. Even if he was angry, the weight of this man on him was a good thing. At least he was still close.
"Becasue I was jealous that it was him taht smelled like you and not me. Because he was with you and not me." Either way, he just felt left out. "I wasn't scolding you, I just said that I was upset. If this is how it is going to be all the time, hot and cold constantly, what's the point?"

The old Jacob would have simply thrown that back in his face. Right, what's the point, with a shrug and a look away. But he couldn't bring himself to do that. "The point is that I love you. That's the point. If it's hot and it's cold, then that's what it is."

That stopped Everett in his tracks and he just sat there fora second, not even sure what to do. All of his time with him he had just considered what they were doing to be fucking. And unrequited love in Jacob's direction, because Everett was really good at at loving people who couldn't love him back.

He didn't know what he'd been expecting, but utter silence hadn't been it. He'd thought of every possible way of conveying this fact to Everett, but apparently it had taken actually saying the words to get them across. Go figure. "Say something," he said with a frown. "Or let me up, I'd take that response too."

"I love you." he just hadn't ever thought that Jacob would love him back. Again he just sat there for a second, still not sure what else to say or what to do. "I never thought that you would say it, I guess you just caught me off guard."

Deep down, Jacob was intensely relieved that Everett hadn't chosen the 'let him up' response, because that would have been rejection that Jacob couldn't have handled. So he stayed pinned as his muscles relaxed and the anger went out of him. "I want to read that story, about Parker."

For a second he just shrugged his shoulders but then he looked up and over at Jacob so that their eyes met. "I didn't know, Jacob." Because he just wasn't very perceptive when it came to things like that, which was really odd considering the fact that he seemed to study them all to write about them and he seemed to know them all so well.

That made Jacob sad and relieved at the same time. Sad because he'd been loving Ever for a long time without it being acknowledged. Relieved because it was safer not to be obvious about such things. Now he wondered if Vaughn hadn't known before the other night. That was also disturbing to Jacob. He nodded a little, holding Ever's gaze before he stood up. "I'll go get it." He followed Ever's direction and came back shortly with the manuscript in hand.

The story was a short story. Twenty pages or so. It was about a guy who knocked up a girl and the story took place after the baby was born. It was set in the hospital, where he held his son for the first time and they, together, agreed on the name Parker. The story was sweet and very much unlike the biting and snarky writing he usually wrote with.

He sat down and read it. There was always something nerve-wracking about reading Ever's work right in front of him. It made Jacob worry that he would react wrong, or laugh at the wrong moments. Though writing was supposed to be interpreted. He pulled his legs up to his chin and held the paper at his shins as he read over his knees. When he was done, he glanced up at the other man. "I think I was expecting you to write about how stupid and reckless I was and what a bad father I'm going to make."

"Why would I do that?" Because he honestly didn't think that he was going to be a bad dad. Reaching over, he nudged his foot against Jacob's knee and then he put his hands beneath his head. "I dont' think you are going to be any of those things."

"I don't know, because of the way you look at me sometimes." Jacob could almost feel the disapproval drifting from Ever in waves. But he shook his head, passing the topic off. "It's a really nice story. Exactly what I needed to read right now, I think." No matter where he was or what he was doing, there was always a scared running commentary of terror surrounding the baby.

"You can have it." There was another copy on his harddrive so he didn't mind if jacob took the story with him. "I want you to be happy, you know? I want everything to work out. I"m glad that Kinley moved up here. It'll be easier for you that way."

"It'll be easier in some ways," he set the manuscript down on his lap, brushing his fingers over it. "When you meet her, it'll be pretty clear why it'll be a lot harder in some other ways." That, and the fact that Jacob still had feelings for her and things were apparently still delicate between Vaughn and Ever and him.

"Well can I meet her?" Because Kinley seemed like someone that he wanted to meet. "IDo you love her too?" Because he loved Vaughn. and now he knew that he loved Everett too. "I want to meet her."

Jacob didn't know how to answer the love question about Kinley. "You can meet her anytime you want. She can't run away since she's stuck in her bed until the baby comes. And I don't think she has enough energy to beat anyone up." If any human could beat up a werewolf, it was Kin.

"Well then I guess I better meet her before the baby comes. She'll be stressed and tired when the baby comes and then she'll probably kill me with just a look if I say or do the wrong thing, as I am prone to do."

"Can I let her read this?" He gestured to the story in his lap. Maybe it would be a way to persuade her to name the baby Parker because the more he thought about it, the more he liked the name. But damned if it was his idea; it would have to be hers.

"Yeah, she can read it." That made him smile a little and he turned over so that he could lay his head down in his lap. "I love you." One of his arms hooked over his thighs and he closed his eyes as they laid there in the yard.

Closing his eyes, Jacob let the words sink in slowly. Now that he'd said that he loved Everett, one might think it would be easier to say it again and again, but Jacob was still findining that the words stuck in his throat. But hearing Everett say it made him want to repeat it. "I love you too." It sounded weird in his own voice.

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 05:10:53 GMT

Jacob was kind of looking forward to this in his twisted-Jacob way. It would be like one giant 'I-told-you-so' when Kinley hadn't believed him about the whole werewolf thing before. But he wasn't looking forward to the car ride over with Hunter.

He sat in the truck, looking sheepish, hating the fact that Hunter had to help clean up his messes. He didn't say anything, just stared out the window.

There were times when Hunter felt it was appropriate to scold someone and times when he felt like it would just be beating a dead horse to try and explain what the person had done wrong. With Jacob it was consistently the latter so he just kept his mouth shut as they made the drive to town. Kinley was going to have to believe him one way or another, he just hoped he didn't have to show her what they were by making Jacob shift or anything like that.

When they got to where they were going Hunter put the truck in park and then looked over at Jacob. "It would be in your best interest to try not to upset her."

Even if Jacob respected Hunter, he often let himself talk back. "Right, because I'm the one who always starts it with her. She kicked me out. She's the one who decided I wouldn't be part of the kid's life, even though I tried. I think it would be in my best interest if she tried not to be a cunt."

"We are already going to be putting an incredible amount of stress on her. We are already running the risk of sending her into premature labor. So if you could be so kind as to not be an asshole, it would be one less thing to put strain on her and one less thing that I will have to worry about." Hunter knew that jacob was probably going to talk back, he always did, but he wasn't going to make a big deal out of it yet.

"Blame it on the hormones," he muttered bitterly under his breath as he nodded agreement to Hunter's logic. He got out of the vehicle and made his way up to Kinley's place. Wouldn't she be thrilled to see him. He'd advised against calling ahead, knowing she'd have conveniently managed not to be home.

He knocked, feeling like he was going to throw up, mainly because when he did see her, he wanted to help her and be a part of her life. And she simply wouldn't let him.

At eight months, Kinley was ready to push the baby out and be done with this whole pregnancy thing. She was a small girl to begin with but having the added weight of a baby made her waddle a little bit and all of her clothes fit tightly, even the maternity stuff. She was wearing a pair of overalls, her red hair all tied back under a bandana because she'd been painting again. When she heard the knock she got up and made her way to the door and when she pulled it open she just frowned at Jacob. "What? Are you serious? I thought we already decided you weren't coming around."

"You decided," Jacob corrected, but went quiet as he remembered Hunter's words. "This is a serious situation, Kin. You need to listen to us. It's important. Hunter's here." It was like he'd gone and tattled to daddy and he didn't like the way it sounded. But there was no other choice--except kidnapping the kid, and/or offing Kinley.

Frowning, Kinley tipped her head to the side and looked around Jacob at Hunter. She'd never met the man before but she knew a little bit about him and his relationship to Jacob. "Snitch." She muttered to Jacob before pushing the door back on it's tracks even farther so that she could let them both in. "Just come in then. The sooner you come in and try to talk me into whatever it is the sooner I can tell you both to get fucked."

Jacob glanced over his shoulder with a classic 'see!?' look, he went inside. The smell of her was overwhelming. There was so much of him there and indications that their genetics together were strong. The boy was certain to be utterly fierce and nearly impossible to manage. He could feel a fondness creep into him, and it made his stomach flip flop.

Hunter just sighed and he leaned in to Jacob. "Leave it to you to pick the most difficult woman on the planet." He told him before he moved to walk around Jacob and into the apartment. He was momentarily distracted by the paintings that lined the walls and by the canvases she had stacked against the floor. It looked as though she was constantly painting, or had at the very least been painting for a very long time. "There is much to talk about, Kinley, it might be best if you sit down." She rolled her eyes but went over and sat down on the stool that was next to the canvas. "You boys can share the couch."

Jacob flopped down, the attitude of a brat hanging about in his limbs. "Something tells me you're not keeping an open mind, Kin. Please, just listen, okay? You know I wouldn't take a cruel joke this far."

"You wouldn't?" Kinley wasn't so sure about that but before Jacob could reply Hunter cut in. "Jacob might but I would not. You can ask him, I have no sense of humor whatsoever." That wasn't true. But Hunter was rather humorless in situations like this. "What we have to say today is very important, Kinley. It would be in your best interest to listen to Jacob. He only means well."

"I wasn't pulling your leg about being a werewolf. I wasn't being an ass or just trying to get out of this. Trust me, that's the last thing I'd say if I just wanted to abandon this." He put his head in his hands. "You cannot raise this boy alone. You just can't. You don't know how bad it could get without our help."

Kinley just looked at him, feeling fairly skeptical as she sat there. Frowning, she chewed on her bottom lip and just looked over at him again after taking a second to look at Hunter. He looked deadly serious. "Okay, say for one second I believe you about this werewolf thing, what happens then? You aren't just taking my kid. If I didn't want him I just would have aborted him instead of spending the last eight months of my life dealing with this by myself and getting fat."

Jacob frowned. "You weren't by yourself! I took you to appointments. I visited you--sometimes." Okay, so she had been mostly alone while Jacob had gotten his head on straight. He shut his mouth and took a breath. "I don't know what happens. Usually, they just take 'em. Or the mother doesn't want them as soon as they find out." That's what happened in Jacob's case and a note of pain glinted across his face. He glanced at Hunter. "It's his decision, and yours."

"If you'd like to remain in the child's life then we would suggest you move out onto pack lands. Though there will be a lot of rules. Well, not a lot, but important ones anyway. No going out in the woods alone at night, no going out in the woods alone at all for the most part. You'll have to learn to trust us when it comes to developmental stages in your son's life, because he won't grow up like a normal little boy." Hunter knew that was going to be hard and Kinley just frowned a little bit as she looked at her studio that she'd built in her apartment. "If you'd like we will continue to pay rent for you here so that you can come here to work if you'd like, or we can build you a studio at the haven." Because he'd been itching to build something lately.

"What about if I start dating someone, then what? I don't want to be alone for the rest of my life."

For some reason, that slapped Jacob in the face, though he realized how irrational it was. "Well, there are a ton of men out there, and you seem to have a thing for our kind." Bad idea to be a dick now, but Jacob had an impossible time controlling it.

Kinley's face fell a little bit but it was barely noticeable with how quick she just glared at Jacob instead. "You are such a shithead." Kinley folded her arms over her chest and just sat there, feeling particularly pissed about all of this. "What am I supposed to do? Spend the rest of my life alone because I made the mistake of sleeping with the most emotionally unavailable asshole werewolf with the world's most potent sperm?"

"We fucked a lot more times than I got you pregnant." He spoke before he remembered Hunter was listening. Embarrassing. "Kinley, you don't have to give up your love life. It'll be like free childcare. Come on. This could be a good life for you--for us even, all three of us." He meant the baby, of course, not Hunter.

Kinley didn't know what to say at that point. Truthfully, she'd always had a thing for Jacob. Which was how she had gotten into this mess in the first place. "This is such a bad idea." She shook her head. "It's actually a very good idea, Kinley." Hunter told her. "You'll want for nothing while you stay with us, I can promise you that. And you can keep this place, so that you have an escape when you need one."

"And you'll need an escape," Jacob assured her. "But Cold Water isn't horrible, and Wolf Haven is safe." He hesitated after he said that. It might not be safe for her and that worried him. When he looked at Hunter, this was clearly his concern.

"We'll make sure everyone knows that you are out there. We have had humans living on our property before. It'll be no big deal." Hunter said, mostly for Jacob's benefit. "Why don't you pack up some things and just come stay there until the baby comes, see how you like it." Kyla frowned and she just sort of let the stool swivel from side to side. "Fine."

That reassured him, but as soon as Kinley agreed, his mouth hung open. He'd actually researched the effects of using chloroform on her to get her out to Wolf Haven. But there she was, accepting. Was there a catch? He didn't dare ask if she was sure though. The relief showed on his face and he actually looked happy. "We can drive back to Seattle whenever you want. I'll haul all of your stuff back and forth. There's also a baby shop in Cold Water we can go to, get the things you'll need."

"Yeah. Okay. But I am going to need a studio there. And I am going to need all the stuff out of this place to be out there and I want my own place out there. With keys and a lock so that Jacob isn't just strolling in unannounced whenever he damn well pleases." Kinley told Hunter and he just nodded. "Only if I can have a key in case of emergencies." "Deal."

Jacob went from pleased to annoyed very quickly. "You wait til this kid is born--I'm going to stress you out as much as I can to make up for how much shit I'm taking right now." Typical self-centered Jacob. He glanced around the room then and something sad flickered on his features. "Most of them will love you. How could they not?" She was so fucking talented and interesting and strong.

Kinley noticed the way he looked around her place, almost sadly. It was the same feeling that she was having right in that moment. All she wanted to do was keep this little place but she wasn't sure if she could. She was pretty sure it's where their son was conceived and they had had a lot of good nights in this place. And a lot of bad ones too. "You think?" Kin wasn't so sure. "Also you don't get any say in his name."

"If you name him something stupid like 'Blue,' I'm going to just call him what I want." Jacob had his hands on his hips and he went into her room to get her bag started. He'd helped her pack once when they'd driven up to Canada for a week together. "You'd better get in here and help or you're going to be wearing tube tops until we can bring the rest of your stuff."

"I hate you so much." Kinley slipped off of the stool she was on and she glared at Hunter before going into the bedroom to help him pack. "I'm not going to call him Blue, asshole." She didn't know what she wanted to call him but she was going to figure something out sooner or later. Hopefully sooner. "I was thinking maybe Alexander or something, I don't know yet. But you aren't calling him whatever you want, it will confuse him." She went to start getting some of her clothes together.

"I don't hate you at all," he answered with a sigh, sitting down on her bed and putting his head in his hands. Her suitcase satopen next to him. "And I'm glad you're coming to live with us." It made things more simple--though they remained terribly complicated, just slightly less so. "And I'm going to call him Apple." Joke.

"I will smack you every time you call him that." She folded some of her clothes and tucked them into her bag. "I still think you are all a bunch of crazies." But she really didn't se any other options and what Hunter was offering her was a pretty good deal. "Do you want me to bring anything specific?"

He rubbed his hands over his face, thinking about everything that was going to change, or the issues that might come up. "Just you and Apple," he smiled, bracing himself for a hit.

Reaching out Kinley smacked him upside the head and then she started to pack up her things. It didn't take her long and once it was packed she waved for him to pick it up. "Come on, I'm riding with you guys because my car will never make it to cold water flats."

Jacob stood up, but instead of grabbing the suitcase he grabbed her wrist gently and tugged her into a kiss. The slap had been enough to push him over the edge. Her lips tasted painfully familiar and he wished so much that this kiss could be sweet and uncomplicated.

If Kinley hadn't been completely in love with Jacob she probably would have slapped him again. Instead she just kissed him back and wrapped one arm around his shoulders. The kiss was slow and sweet before she swatted him away. "Stop it. Behave yourself. Hunter is out there."

He pulled back, feeling confused. She was right, and Jacob knew Hunter would know exactly what had happened in there. Grabbing her bag, he headed out, looking flustered and guilty. Heading straight down to the car, Jacob loaded the truck without a word.

Hunter helped Kinley downstairs and he promised to let her come back for all the rest of her stuff later. Once they had her in the truck he slid in behind the wheel and turned the engine over. Kinley sat up front, leaving Jacob to sit in the back seat like a little kid.

The small space of the backseat was fine by Jacob. He was silent the whole ride home and even he didn't know if he was pouting or just thinking. When they arrived at Wolf Haven, Jacob had to wonder where Hunter would put her. He lived in the same house as his brother Morgan, and there was an empty house by them.

That was exactly what Hunter was thinking. He drove by the mainhouse and pulled up in front of the house just beside Jacob's. "This is you. Once we've gotten you settled inside we can walk down to the main house and I can introduce you to Wendell and some of the others that live there." he came out of the truck and walked around to help Kinley down and out. "Jacob please get her bag."

He would have rather gotten her, but he didn't complain. He was kind of gloating given she'd be so close. "Hey, you always wanted to see my place. There it is." He pointed right next door to her new place. When he got in the house, he took her suitcase to her room, the one downstairs because he decided that would be safest for her.

"I'll bet Wendell already went out and bought a bunch of baby books."

"are you joking? I mean, I saw half a dozen houses on the way up here and you are putting me in the one right next to Jacob's?" She looked at Hunter, incredulous that he would do that. Hunter just shrugged and he went to take her bag from Jacob. "Jacob will show you down to the main house. You guys can get settled and meet us there for supper."

Jacob watched Hunter leave, thinking he didn't know if he was happy or sad about that. Alone with Kinley, he couldn't look much more than sheepish. "We should probably make out now," he quirked the slightest hint of a smile.

Kinley slapped him. But then without even thinking twice she stepped in and wrapped her arms around his shoulders so that she could kiss him again. She pushed up onto her toes and really leaned, knowing it would be hard for him to even get his arms around her with how pregnant she was.

Something about all of her indignation wrapped up in that one smack of skin to skin really got Jacob going. He also liked the press of her stomach against his. It made him feel closer to her, safer in his connection to her. Hands on either side of her face, Jacob held her there possessively. She felt like he had remembered her feeling and that was a good thing. The kiss drew on and on and broke apart into smaller kisses. He was actually going to be able to show her his life now.

Each kiss just tugged her in deeper and she really wanted to tell him she hated him and wanted nothing to do with him. She was going to end up being tangled up into him even more and she couldn't stand the thought of falling for him any harder than she already had. "How did this even happen." she murmured.

"I'd give you a refresher course if I didn't think it would emotionally scar the baby." He could hear a note of vulnerability in her voice and it killed him. He'd done this to her, to them. At least she didn't deserve this life he'd roped her into. Kissing her again, he dropped his hands down to her stomach and rested them there. The baby kicked and he pulled back, overwhelmed with the reminder that there was something alive in there. "We should get to the house so you can meet people."

When he pulled his hands back like he did it made her sigh and she just nodded. "I'm pretty sure i can find my own way to the main house if you don't want to go." Just because she got the feeling that things were going in the weird sort of direction between them.

"Stop pushing me away," he said firmly. "We're in this together now, whether you like it or not." For the first time, those words weren't meant to be snotty, or mean. He was serious. Heading out of her house, he waited for her to follow and showed her the way to the main house where he was greeted by and eager Wendell.

Kinley was used to Jacob pulling the whole fuck and run thing. Following after him, she made her way to the main house with him and was surprised to be bombarded by a tall, thin and extremely anxious looking man. He seemed as if he had a million questions brimming inside of him and she could tell he was nearly busting at the seems to keep from asking them all at once.

Jacob noted the stack of books in Wendell's arms. Rolling his eyes, he walked past him. Wendell didn't seem to mind though because his focus was on Kinely. "Welcome!" He piped, and his voice was nothing but warm. Hunter had warned him not to overwhelm her, but there was so much to do and very little time to do it. "I thought these might be useful. I have more in the house. You've no doubt read a good deal of them, but if not, we can go over some of them very briefly. Now--have you decided on a home or hospital birth? Either would be safe for you, I'm sure."

Jacob cleared his throat and Wendell jumped. "Oh, right. I'm Wendell and it's very nice to meet you. Jacob thinks highly of you. Please don't let him lie and tell you otherwise."

When he mentioned having read the entire stack of books in his arms Kinley just raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything to the extent of having read zero childcare books for the duration of her pregnancy. She just looked stuff up on the internet and asked her doctor if she wanted to know. "It's nice to meet you, Wendell." She said, ignoring the question about the home birth because that was just ridiculous.

She probably had a lot on her mind, so he didn't press about the home birth questions. He probably shouldn't run experiments with having babies anyway. "I also have baby name books. Come inside, we'll get you something to eat, and you should be off your feet. Does your back hurt? Probably. I read about a tea used to relieve pain and I've made some iced. It's good for the baby too--calming."

He led her inside, hovering, clearly protective. All Jacob could do was tail afterward, feeling a little useless.

Kinley followed after him and she looked over her shoulder at Jacob, giving him a look that said "What am I supposed to do here?" Because she had no idea what to say to this guy. They had only just met and he was already going to town. They could have warned her a little better about something like this.

Jacob caught the look and laughed. "You're overwhelming her, Wen. Lay off." He said to Wendell's back. It made him turn around with a shade of hurt sliding onto his face. But he quickly pushed it aside with an understanding nod.

"Of course. I'm sorry. Kinley, if you need anything at all, I'd like you to come to me. I'll help you. I want to be absolutly sure you're comfortable and healthy." He said it like he meant it on a purely selfless level and his eyes Conveyed that too.

"It's fine." Kinley wasn't going to make too big of a deal about it. "I have it pretty under control I think. I already have a doctor that is going to deliver and I'm going to do it in the hospital in case I end up needing something for the pain." Because she was going to try to do it naturally but she had no idea if she could handle something that intense.

Jacob smirked. "It's mine--you'll need something for the pain," he quipped. He could imagine the kid making it a painful birth just to spite the poor woman. Wendell smiled a little at that comment. "Well, Kinely--I'm glad you've thought things through," he intoned kindly. Jacob put a hand on Kin's back and sat her down at the table. He was thankful no one else was in the kitchen right now. Wendell had left the stack of books on the table and wandered off.

Kinley looked over at Jacob and she just sighed as she put her hands against her stomach. The baby was kicking but she didn't ask for Jacob to touch her stomach because she knew that he had recoiled from it the last time. "My feet hurt, I really hope you don't plan on taking me for a tour of this whole damn place, I'm wiped out."

"No," he said plainly, watching her hands, remembering when he'd felt the kick. He wasn't recoiling now, but he wasn't sure he could handle touching her again at the moment. His mind was still racing with his feelings for her, all rising to the surface. "But I wanted you to get some food. The fridge isn't stocked out there and while I'm sure Morgan has our fridge stocked, I figured you'd want access to one not so far away."

"Yeah." She rubbed her stomach a little and sighed. "I am starved, so the sooner that we can get something in me and I can get back to the house the better. I just want to lay down for a while." That and she wasn't sure how to react to Jacob being around so close to her all the time.

He smiled a little bit. "Do you want me to carry you back?" Because now that she knew, he could use all of his abilities around her, be himself. Getting up, he went to the fridge and pulled out the makings of a sandwich. He knew what she liked on them, remembered her quirks like he remembered Ever's and Vaughn's.

"No, I don't think that's a good idea." Kinley shook her head and she just watched as he went about making her a sandwich. Leaning her head on her hand, she looked around the small kitchen and dining area. It was huge and the table she was sitting at looked like it seated a small army.

"Why isn't it a good idea? Too knight-in-shining-armor for you?" He plopped the plate down in front of her and sat down next to her to dig into his own meal. Jacob had a lot of questions he wanted to ask her, but he couldn't find the voice to do so.

"With the way you jerked your hands back when the baby kicked I'd be afraid you'd drop me if he started moving around in there." Taking the plate, she tugged it over to the edge of the table and she picked up the sandwich for a bite. "Thanks for the sandwich."

Jacob pursed his lips and brushed his hands off on his pants. With a dramatic flare, he laid his hands on her belly, keeping them there firmly. "It was the first time, okay? Cut me some slack." The baby leveled a mighty kick to Jacob's palm and his heart clenched in his chest, but he didn't pull away. It felt like the thing knew what was happening just then.

"No you are making me uncomfortable." Kinley said with a frown as she looked down at his hands on her stomach. "If you don't want to do that you don't have to just to prove something."

He kissed her, wanting to shut her up, and wanting to taste her again. He left his hands on her stomach for a second, but they ended up sliding to her sides. Given that he was sitting next to her, it was a bit of an awkward reach, but he managed.

Yeah, well it worked. That definitely shut her up. Kinley leaned into the kiss and she let her lips part so it would go a little deeper. One of her hands came up to rest on his shoulder but it migrated from there up the side of his neck and into his hair.

She was so warm and perfectly soft. The kiss went on and on, and he didn't make any move to pull away. When the kiss finally ran out, he put his head on her shoulder. "Are you scared?" A stupid question, but one to which he wanted to hear the answer.

"Terrified." Because she really had no idea what she was going to do. And while living here with all of them allieviated some of her stress over it, but now she had a whole new thing to be worried about and scared over. What was it going to be like to be here? Would she ever be able to leave?

That was a relief. For some reason, Jacob had started to think that maybe Kinley was so strong, she didn't even feel fear. And there Jacob was, scared shitless. "Me too. I'm going to be a bad father." He wasn't fishing for compliments; he was telling the truth and he knew Kinley wouldn't sugar coat things for him. "But thank you for not bailing. When my mom found out, she just--" He shook his head and sat up without finishing the sentence.

"Of course I am not going to bail." there was no way she was going to leave her kid behind for any reason. "This is my kid. It's our kid." She kissed him softly in the lips. "And you are going to be the most ridiculous father ever, but you aren't going to beat the kid and you aren't going to treat him like shit, so you aren't a bad dad. You just aren't going to be father of the year>"

"You're so nice." He kissed her neck, brushing a length of hair out of the way. "You really wanted me out of your life?" He dared to ask, now that she was safely at Wolf Haven. He didn't want to believe that she would have stuck to her word if he hadn't brought Hunter in to talk to her.

"I wanted to try to stick to it. You always come around and I always let you back in, but I didn't want you to just be walking in and out of our son's life whenever you pleased, you know?" She frowned a little bit. "You can leave me and come back, and toy with me in that way all you want but I wasn't going to let you do that to our kid."

Jacob could understand that, albeit reluctantly. But it wasn't an issue now because the baby would be here and Jacob would be in its life. No matter how terrifying that was, he was starting to like the idea. Maybe that was all he needed, a kid to make him grow the hell up. "You should eat, and then we can go back to your place. I'll get some bags and pack up some groceries from here too."

"All right. But you aren't carrying me. I weigh a million and a half pounds right now." She picked up her sandwich to keep eating it. She finished all of it off and then pushed her plate across the table before she moved to stand up. "Just help me."

He was being so good, he didn't even comment on the way it looked like she'd swallowed a beach ball. Clasping her hands, he helped her up and felt a strong sense of fondness for her, moreso than usual. Grabbing the grocery sacks he'd filled, he led the way back to her place. Once there, he stocked her fridge and cupboards with what he could. "Going to lie down?"

"Yeah, I think that I am going to lay down for a little while. I'm not feeling very well." She rubbed her stomach as she made her way to the stairs and she put her hand on the railing so she could waddle her way up the steps.

Part of Jacob wanted to follow her up there, but he found that his feet were glued to the floor. Instead of going upstairs, he went and sat down on the couch. This way, he could keep a guard on her, but not encroach too much on her space since she wouldn't have the senses to know he was down there.

For a little while Kinley slept in the bedroom that was now going to be hers. She was only there for a few hours before she woke up to a pretty severe pain in her stomach. With her hand resting on her stomach she rolled out of bed and onto her feet before she went downstairs to try to find Jacob. She didn't realize he was just going to be on the sofa but she was glad to see him there and she walked over to the back of it. "Jake?"

He'd fallen asleep with his chin drooping down to his chest, but his name roused him quickly from sleep and he looked up at her. It hadn't been some bizarre but relieving dream that she'd come to live here. "What's wrong?" As he came up from grogginess, he looked concerned.

"I don't know." Kinley wasn't sure what was wrong but she hadn't felt pain like this. It was sharp and it faded in and out. Frowning, she looked down at him and just tried to stay calm. "Jake, I don't know what is happening."

Standing up quickly, he urged her to sit down as he went to grab the phone. "Doctor's number?" He was already looking through her stuff when he found the card and dialed her up. He'd met the woman before, and he didn't think she liked him very much, but now was not the time to worry about his bad first impressions. "Come on, we're going to the hospital. Dr. Newhouse says we should get it checked out if you're not feeling well." There was a hospital in Cold Water and if it was serious, it was better if it was closer.

She was already breathing hard and the pain was getting a little closer together. When she moved to stand up she needed his help to get off of the couch and she leaned heavily on Jacob so that they could go out to the car. "What if the baby is coming? I'm not ready. I'm not ready for this."

"Well, hold it in!" And he wasn't even trying to be mean, it was just the first thing that came to his mind and he wasn't ready either. He walked her out to the car and tucked her inside, not even thinking twice about borrowing his brother's. For some reason, he didn't think the motorcycle would be the best mode of transportation for Kinley. It was all he could do not to drive like a madman. If the baby was on its way, he knew Wendell would be immensely upset that he'd missed this part.

"Are you fucking mental? You can't just hold it in." Kinley was panicking and her voice was getting shrill as they made their way down to the truck. "Jesus christ, I am going to fucking die. ' She leaned forward a little, hand still on her stomach.

"No you're not." He spoke so firmly, it almost scared him. She shouldn't even suggest that something like that might happen because it made his heart start to flail, going into full panic mode. The ride wasn't too long, since Jacob drove fast and when he pulled up to the hospital, there was a wheelchair waiting for them. Wheeling her in almost as fast as he'd driven there, he stopped on a dime at the check in and started talking like a crazy man to get her in to see a doctor.