Saffron sat still in the driver's seat a moment, staring out the driver's side window at the big house, which sat out side of Boston. They were to investigate for the new owner to see if it was really haunted. Saffron could understand why any one would think that, considering the way it was built, the way it looked. Kay had assigned him and Matt. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel of his Mazada a moment, in thought. "Don't know why she couldn't have sent Eire and Nate..." He muttered.

"Because she wanted to get rid of me... and we seem to be a package deal lately." Matt said in reply and yawned before stretching. "Damn... this is nice.. being driven around...Man could get used to this." he added with a smirk. He yawned again as he looked out at the house and snorted softly. "Maybe she's hoping it'll fall on my head or something... " he suggested, still smirking. "You notice how these kinda things keep coming to me more often the closer we get to the wedding?"

"No shit. After all, Regan said something about you two having a date tonight...she's not happy." Saffron said, pulling his hair into a pony tail. He glanced over at Matt, with a slight smirk. "Of course she's hoping it'll fall on her head. I'll be surprised if the place isn't rigged, to do just that...course if it is, then WHY did I have to come along?" He asked, smirking a bit more, before taking the keys from the ignition and pocketing them. "And don't get fucking used to it; future brother in law or not, or best friend, I'm not gonna be your damned chauffuar."

"I'm really fucking hurt, kid." Matt said with a snort as he opened his door and got out. "Look at all the times I drove your ass around." he said as he grabbed his stuff. "Oh.. been meaning to ask.. Regan won’t tell me. You heard any more from your dad? Think he'll actually walk her down the aisle and give her away.. or will we be skipping that part...?" he asked, his eyes sparkling.

"Hey, all those times you drove me around, I asked." Saffron said, before getting out of the car. He sighed, as he went around to the trunk, opening it. Casting another glance at the house, he pulled off his jacket. Like Lexine, Saffron was small and slender and far to feminine for his own good. "The last I heard, he said he'd walk her down the aisle, but he'd make sure you were using crutches. I think mum secretly agreed with him on that, but Regan was not amused...and neither was I, actually..."

Matt snorted. "Yeah well... don't say anything, but I think Regan's on the verge of throwing the dress and all of it out the fucking window and eloping. Which is fine by me.. Fuck.. that was my suggestion to start with." he said, leaning back against the car and  watching the house. "You'd be fine with ditching the fucking monkey suit and getting dragged off to Vegas to witness, right?"

"Regan doesn't want me wearing a tux anyway...she told me I was to wear the dark blue victorian tails." Saffron said, tossing his jacket in the trunk and shutting it. He didn't use guns, being a terrible shot. "She's just ticked you nabbed me to be best man first, before she could make me a brides maid..." He added, rolling his eyes, before looking at the house again. He had the terrible feeling something was going to go wrong.

Matt laughed softly. "Yeah.. aren't you fucking glad you're the grooms best friend?" he said then sighed softly. "Fuck... this is getting really kinda.. surreal. I mean... I'm getting fucking married. ME! Can you believe it? And it's your fault. You’re the one who introduced us and managed to get us trapped in a fucking tomb." He glanced over and saw the look on Saffron's face. "Hey... you okay?"

Saffron didn't hear Matt for a moment; staring out the house, he was actually slightly afraid of the place. It wasn't that he'd back down from the job. Hell, he took any excuse to spend a little more time around Matt before the wedding. He was happy for his sister and Matt, if getting married was what they wanted, but he was also jealous...

Matt pushed away from the car, all sense of joking and humor gone. "Saff?" he asked softly as he watched then he stepped between him and the house. "Kid...snap out of it." he said softly. "You okay?" he asked. He hated it when strange things happened with Saffron.. the kid was so feminie and delicate looking that it was too easy to forget what and who he was. Moments like this when he looked so frightened and out of it, Matt was hit by the strongest urge to hold him and comfort him... which only made him feel weird. He cared alot for Saffron but Saffron was a guy, and he wasn't into guys. And now he was engaged to Saff's sister...  Matt cleared his throat and snapped his fingers in front of Saffron's face. "Yo kid."

Saffron startled, snapping back into attention and looked up at Matt, slightly wide eyed. "Sorry...lost in thought." He said softly, fighting off the blush, looking away from Matt. "Right...well, lets get this over with..." He added, taking a breath, before heading for the front doors of the big house, taking the key the owner had given the office to open the doors. It was a large old brass key, which looked rather interesting. Saffron eyed it a moment, before fitting it into the lock one of the doors. The owner said the power had been turned on in the house and that it should hold, but there'd be a couple flash lights on the hall table just inside the front door, just in case.

Matt kept an eye on Saffron as they headed inside. He'd noticed more often lately the kid would 'get lost in thought' like that, as well as he'd have times where he just clammed right up and shut everyone out.. even Matt. "You know... I could just park my ass somewhere and open up and see if I can't find any one to tell us. If that attracts a few well.. we'll just say they were here already..."

"Well, I don't think that should be ruled out..." Saffron said softly before getting the door open finally, shoving the heavy door open and entering the greeting hall. He paused, looking around as he turned on the lights, it was a grand art deco design, even white and black marble tile on the floor, with a touch of egyptian decor mixed in. "But it can't hurt to have a look around, either..." He added, grabbing one of the flash lights as well. There was a round bench in the middle of the greeting hall, and two sets of double doors on either side. As well as two sets of stairs winding around up to the second floor.

Matt snorted softly as he pocketed the other flash light, doubting he'd need it. Thanks to his father's bloodline, he had excellent night vision. "In other words... you want to snoop. cool... Not like I have anything else to do tonight, afterall... You know.. shit like.. a hot date with your gorgeous sister?" he said with a wicked smirk and started for the left hand stairs.

"Well if you want to head back and meet up with her for that, I can open a shadow portal for you." Saffron said, wandering over to one set of double doors, and pushing one open, looking in; a large sitting room, more egyptian. Regan would love it. He snorted softly, pulling the door closed and turned to look toward Matt, when he thought he heard a little girl laughing from the other room across from him. He headed across the hall to the other doors and opened one, and raised an eyebrow. The room was done in blacks and reds, a large fire place, but no sofas or chairs. And yet on a dias in the middle of the room was a large four poster bed, with snakes carved around the bed posts. "Oo...okay..."

Matt was slowly climbing the stairs, staying close to the wall since he didn't care to find out if the place had termites by falling through anything. "Sure, kid." he called back down to Saffron. "And have mom peel a layer or two of skin off me for leaving you?" he said with a soft smirk. "Explore already...  you’re too much like your sister at times..." he added. "Fuck these are ugly ass paintings."

"Orgy room!" Saffron announced over the room, before pulling the door shut. He heard the little girl laughing again, this time toward the back, beyond the stairs. "Hey, Matt, is this place haunted? I mean, do you...sense any one else here?" He called up the stairs as he made his way toward where the laughter was coming from.

Matt laughed at that, still climbing carefully. "Fuck, kid... every place has a spook or two.. course there's some here. Is it 'actively' haunted as in posing a threat to the living?" he snorted softly  as he reached the top and  looked over the railing back down at Saffron. "Don’t know yet... Like I said.. I open enough to find out I might wind up inviting more in..."

Saffron looked up at Matt, "Just wondering." He said, before looking back. He thought saw some one at the end of the hall, and blinked. "Right...I'll be down here..." He said, heading in that direction. That sense of something wrong about this place only grew and he had a thought that maybe he should have gone with Matt, but he was a death elemental, he could take care himself...

Matt hesitated as Saffron vanished from his view, tempted to go down after him. Scowling at that crazy over protective urge  he turned and headed down the closest hall, trying doors as he went and trying to open his abilities enough to be receptive to the spirits already there but not enogh to attract more.

After the fourth bedroom he was ready to call the 'exploring' quits and risk adding to the ghost population. He headed back to the stairs and started down, moving a bit quicker now that he knew they'd hold his weight. "Yo Kid! This place is fucked up..  hurry up and get your fill of snooping so we can do this shit and leave!" he called out.


~~

Saffron followed the sound of the little girl laughing, and had the feeling, he should have asked Matt if he'd heard her. He followed the sound into what was the last room on this end of the hall, an office by the look of it. He entered slowly, looking around. The laughing had stopped, but Saffron wandered over to the book cases, looking at the titles of the books, which...were slightly distrubing, considering they all had to do with sex, or demons. He shuddered, and started to turn to leave, but found the door was closed. He hadn't even heard it. He started to summon his swords, but he found he couldn't, at the same time, feeling a spell being worked. A tall willowy looking woman, with what could only be called  ‘blood re’ hair emerged from the shadows. "None of that now..." she said with a Russian accent.

The woman wasn't alone; she had two others with her, and they opened a panel in the office, which led back into the room with the bed. She smirked darkly as she cast the spell on Saffron. He couldn't fight back. He couldn't even yell for Matt when he heard him. The two men with the woman, grabbed Saffron roughly, dragging him through the short passage into the room. The woman followed. "My name is Yelana Rosso. Rosso the Crimson." She said, nodding to the two men, who threw Saffron on the bed. "And I know who and what you are." She added, watching. "Lets have a little fun, shall we..." She said with a wicked smile.

One man tied Saffron's wrists with a cord, the other stripped him down to the boylegs. Rosso looked toward the door and smiled evily, before calling out, answering Matt in Saffron's voice. "In here." Saffron closed his eyes, praying Matt wouldn't come in here. He could already feel the magic in the air as the woman prepared another spell.

Matt hit the bottom stair and looked around at Saffron’s shout; the voice had echoed a bit making it hard to pin point, but Matt figured he'd just start heading in the direction Saffron had been going the last time he'd seen him then trust the death connection they shared to let him know when he was close. "Come on... let's call it quits with the Indiana Jones shit. We'll finish the case and I'll blow off my date with Regan. The two of us can go grab a pizza or something... Go raze the new grave digger's they hired out on the east side..."

Saffron struggled, still unable to answer. And the more he struggled, the more the cords binding his wrists tigthened, digging in. Rosso sent her two men off, and she headed to the door of the room, opening it slightly. "In here..." She called again in Saffron’s voice, before looking back at Saffron with that wicked smirk.

Saffron struggled more against the spell on him and managed to break through it enough to cry out. "Matt!"

That only made Rosso smile more. "Yes, bring him here..." She said, approaching the bed on the dias; the spell she was preparing, growing in strength while she waited.

Matt had spotted the door opening as Saffron called out again, letting him know where he was and sighed as he started towards it. Obviously Saffron wasn't in any hurry to leave. "Look kid..." Saffron's sudden shout cut him off and he ran the rest of the way to the door expecting the worst by the panic in his voice. He had his gun in his hand with the safety off by the time he slammed into the door, knocking it open the rest of the way and froze in shock as he spotted Saffron.

Rosso leaned against one of the bed posts, looking like the cat who ate the canary. "Thank you for joining us." She said, and flicked a wrist, the door slamming behind Matt. "As you can see, I've laid her out for you." She added, before casting the spell on Matt.

Matt had been so distracted by the sight of Saffron that he hadn't even noticed the woman beside him until she spoke. The sound of the door slamming snapped him out of it enough that he started to bring his gun to bear on her only to suddenly freeze, unable to move. He felt as if he was wrapped in a web, his body bound in place and unable to move. He tried to force his finger to tighten on the trigger, but even that bit of movement was denied him.

"Now...there's no need for that..." Rosso said, pushing the gun down. "Put it away." She said with a wicked smile, before turning and starting toward the bed. She stopped at the foot board, looking down at Saffron. "Your young friend here," She said to Matt, glancing at him. "…looks like she's lonely." She said, sending the suggestion through the spell. She needed only to give a push; if there had ever been a stray thought connected to lust, the spell would find that and build on it.

Matt watched in dawning horror as his hand obeyed her, engaging the safety and putting the gun away. He moved his eyes away from the gun back to her as he strained to fight against her spell, as her words hit him. For a moment he couldn't breathe, the spell tightened around him so hard, then his eyes fell on Saffron. The sight of the slim young man tied to the bed looking up at him suddenly had him moving towards the bed... or rather it had his body moving, since his mind was still fighting against the spell that held him.. or trying to. He kept getting distracted by how beautiful Saffron looked laying there, his pale skin criss crossed by scars. Matt had seen him shirtless a time or two and had had too look away.. because the sight of the scars on that young body enraged him.. and aroused him. With a sudden rising panic Matt felt his arousal and suddenly understood what was happening. "Saff.." he whispered.

Saffron looked up at Matt, his eyes wide with terror, but there wasn't anything he could do. She'd made sure he couldn't fight back. "Matt...don't do this..." He whimpered softly.

Rosso laughed from where she was, moving around the bed, she paused long enough to lean in next to Matt. "You want him...take him..." She said in a seductive tone.

Saffron tugged at the cords again, twisting, and gasped as the cords cut into his wrists. "Leave him alone!" He snapped at Rosso, she merely smiled, saying nothing, though her eyes flashed and for a moment Saffron felt a sharp spark of pain; he gasped again, arching slightly, almost sensually.

Matt found himself staring at Saffron as he felt his hands removing his shoulder harness before starting to undo his belt. He renewed his mental attempts to break free of the spell, doubling his efforts when his body knelt on the edge of the bed, his hands reachiing out with one of his knives to slice Safforn’s underwear away from him. "Saff..." he managed to whisper again, trying to let him  know he was fighting as hard as he could...

Rosso backed away from the bed, but made sure the spell was strong enough to see this through. Saffron looked up at Matt again, and he swallowed hard, before closing his eyes against a sudden flood of tears. He some how knew there was no stopping this, yet at the same time, he was oddly glad it was Matt and not some one else. He opened his eyes, looking up at him imploringly, though he flinched at the feel of hte cold blade.

For a moment when he dropped the knife and tossed the ruined underwear aside and Matt saw the thin line of blood along Saffron’s thigh where he'd knicked him, he’d struggled hard enough that he was sure he felt the spell's control slip a bit... but just as he felt that slip.. his body had leaned over Saffron and kissed him. The feel of that kiss stole away all will to fight from him.

Saffron had started to twist away, as Matt had started to lean over him, but the kiss stopped him. He gasped behind the kiss, arching slightly against Matt. He whimpered softly, half submitting to Matt, half trying to fight the spell, and get his wrists free. He felt if he could just get his wrists free...

From the moment he kissed Saffron, Matt knew he was lost. He didn’t have the will to fight this. When his hands slid over Saffron's body, Matt couldn’t help but enjoy the feel of the pale skin. A part of him wondered if it was the spell making him feel this way or... or if this was what he'd been feeling and fighting against the entire time he'd known the death elemental.

Saffron had to pull away from the kiss, gasping for a breath air, but he didn't struggle any more. He had the thought again, that if this had to happen, then he was glad it was Matt, but he wished it wasn't happening this way. He whimpered softly as felt Matt's hands slide down his body; his body reacting to Matt's touch, wanting more and he pressed against him.

The only thing that reached through to him and made him struggle against the spell was Saffrons fear. His whimpers were tearing against Matt's heart, even as his hands finished undoing his jeans, freeing his erection. The fact that he wanted this, spell or no spell, bothered him more then he cared to admit... and the fact that Saffron's whimpers and struggles only excited him more made him start to hate himself for not being stronger. He wanted to be able to look away, to see the woman behind all this.. the one controlling him and making him do this... but he couldn't even take his eyes off of Saffron.

Saffron closed his eyes, trying to hold back the tears that wanted to fall, though a few slipped down his cheeks anyway. He would have kept his eyes closed, but he heard the hissed order from Rosso to look at Matt, and whether Saffron wanted to or not, he obeyed, opening his eyes again to look up at Matt. He squirmed a bit more, which only made him rub his body against Matt's.

Matt felt his own eyes fill with tears as he watched Saffron. His hands were moving of their own accord, lifting Saffron’s hips slightly as he pressed against him. Even watching the tears slip down Saffron's face, all he wanted right then was to kiss him again. He cried out as he felt himself slip inside him and knew without a doubt that even if the spell was broken right then.. he wouldn’t be able stop. "I'm sorry." he managed to whisper softly, although it more for him wanting to do this then for actually doing it.

Saffron gasped with a soft cry, arching slightly. He pulled at the bindings on his wrists more then anything, which got slippery with the blood as they cut in deeper. He looked up at Matt, hearing him whisper, and more tears fell. "Matt..." He whimpered softly, in a whisper, wanting more then anything to touch his face. There was a good part of him that wanted this to happen, not this way, but to happen...but he'd always tried to hide that.

Matt found himself kissing Saffron again; a deep passionate kiss that he wanted to last forever. He wasn’t sure if it had happened because he’d wanted to kiss him, or because of the spell, but his body was still running on automatic and beyond his control. If he’d been in control, he'd have been slower, he was sure... more careful of him, wanting to make this incredible feeling last . As it was, it was fast and hard and decidely rough and he was sure he must be hurting him... but none of that made it feel any less amazing.

For the moment, Saffron focused on the kiss, his eyes closing, drawn into it. Anything to take away from the rough and painful pace. He whimpered plantively behind the kiss, more tears slipping down his cheeks. Even if he'd wanted to be with Matt, this brought back too many memories and he wanted nothing more then curl up and hide. He could hear Rosso, laughing in the back ground and decided he hated her more then he had Right.

Matt tasted salt in the kiss and wondered if it were Saffron's tears or blood... and suddenly gathered what remained of his willpower to throw at the woman in one last attempt to break free. Just as he did however his orgasm hit, slamming into him with such force that he cried out, even as he felt the webs of the spell shred in the burst of power that consumed them.

The whip lash of the spell knocked Rosso back to the floor, but she recovered enough to sit up, laughing. She scrambled to her feet quickly, opening a rift. "What's done is done, and you'll deal with the consequences..." She said. "I suppose I should have warned you...she was more then ready to concieve..." She added, before dodging through the rift, the spell breaking completely as she disappeared. Saffron was left gasping for a breath, pain mixed with relief, and he wasn't sure he understood what just happened, part of him hoping it was a bad dream...

Matt lay ontop of Saffron for a moment, struggling too breath and adjust to the sudden freedom from the spell, as well as the power rush that was running through him. To confirm that he was free to move, he slid his arms over the bed and slipped them beneath Saffron, holding him tightly as it fully hit him; he'd just raped his best friend and his fiancees little brother... and he'd enjoyed doing it. With a painful gasp of breath, Matt started to sob, his arms tightening around Saffron even more.

Saffron felt oddly numb, he wasn't sure he had it in him to actually cry. He wasn't sure he wanted to cry. He wasn't sure it'd all settled in. He curled up against Matt, oddly enough feeling some comfort in doing so, silent tears fall. But he wanted his wrists free. "Matt...please...my wrists..." He whimpered softly.

Matt struggled to regain control, swallowing his tears and the urge to cry; something he'd only done twice in his life that he could remember. He loosened his hold on Saffron and pushed himself off of him. He freed his wrists as quickly as he could, blinking his eyes clear so he could see what he was doing. The sight of the blood on Saffron's wrists made his hands shake, but as the bindings came free he couldn’t see any sign of a wound.

Saffron felt the pressure come off his wrists, and he moved finally, curling up on his side and sobbed. The whole impact of what had happened, hitting him. Matt had just raped him...and yet Saffron didn't hate Matt, wasn't even mad at him.

Matt sat there for a moment watching Saffron then tore his gaze away as he felt the urge to hold him again. He grabbed one of the pillows and tore the cover of it and quickly cleaned himself as much as he could before doing his jeans back up. He got off the bed, burying his emotions for the moment as he gathered Saffron's clothes and set them on the bed for him, before retrieving his gun. He tried to focus on finding out who the woman had been.. but his mind kept shifting back to Saffron, curled up on the bed crying. He dug his cell phone out of his pocket and stared at it for a moment before dialing the office. "Give me Kay." he said softly, his voice sounding strange even to himself. While he waited for her to come to the phone he pulled the blanket off the bed as far as he could and laid it over Saffron.

 "Yes?" Kay's voice soundied in his ear.

 "Some friend you have there, Kay.. it was a fucking trap... I'm taking Saff to the hospital..." he swallowed hard as he looked away fomr him.

 "What?! Graves, what.."

Matt cut her off by saying simply. "He's been raped." then hung up before she could say anything else.

Saffron had managed to stop crying and for the moment he merely lay where he was, his eyes closed. A part of him was hoping if he opened his eyes again, he wouldn't be in this room, that it had just been a bad dream. But he knew better. He opened his eyes, staring at the room around him with out really seeing it, before he took a shuddering breath and moved to sit up.

Mat put the phone away and snapped the ruined underwear off the floor. Not wanting to leave anything behind in this place, he shoved them into his pocket. He looked over as Saffron moved and went to his side. Hesitantly he reached out, then sighed and slipped his arm around him to help him sit up. "I'm sorry I hurt you." he said softly. "Can you get dressed or should I just wrap one of the blankets around you...?"

Saffron blinked, looking up at Matt wide eyed a moment, not sure he'd heard him. "What...?" He muttered in a whisper before Matt's words got through to him and he sighed deeply, before looking toward his clothes. "I... I don't know... I don't...think so..."

Matt grabbed another pillow and yanked off the cover, then stuffed Saffron's clothes inside it. "Here... hold onto this, alright?" he said softly, placing the bundle in Saffron’s arms. He then grabbed the coverlet from the foor of the bed and wrapped it around him. "I'm getting you out of here, kid." he said softly. "Hang on to me... I won’t hurt you anymore..." he said as he slipped his arm beneath Saffron’s knees while the other went around his back and lifted him into his arms.

Saffron clutched the pillowcase rather tightly, but looked up at Matt again at his words. He stared at him a moment. "I know you won’t hurt me..." He said softly, as if the idea of Matt hurting him was absurd. He sighed deeply, tired and sore, before laying his head against Matt's shoulder. "I just...want to go home..."

Matt carried him out of the room, overcome by the desire to burn the place to the ground as he walked through the place back to the front door. "I'm taking you to the hospital. I told your mother I would." he said softly. "Don't fucking argue... I know you hate hospitals.. but you were just ... raped. There was blood... " he choked on his words and he had to take a deep breath before he could continue. "You're going to the hospital. Either I take you or your mother does."

Saffron's eyes widened at the idea of going to the hospital and he started to struggle. "Matt, please! You can't...I can't go there...they...they won’t understand...please...not the hospital!" he whimpered.

Matt sighed and held him tighter. "Shh.. shh don't.. please..." he said softly, his eyes watering again. "Alright.. okay... I won't." he said and pressed his lips to Saffron’s forehead softly. "I won’t." he repeated.

"Not the hospital...they wont understand..." Saffron repeated, a few more tears falling. "Anywhere but the hospital..." He didn't exactly want to go back to the offices either. Everything was now far more complicated.

Matt sighed heavily as he carried him to the car and set him o the hood. He had to look through the pouch of clothes to find the car keys and unlock the door. "No hospital." he said softly as he set Saffron on the seat and buckled him in before shutting the door. He felt like he was still on automatic, like the spell was still moving his body without him.. but he knew that wasn't true. He used his phone to call again as he walked around to the drivers side. "He wont go to a hospital.. he's freaking out about it... where do we go, Kay?” he asked softly, his voice sounding tired.

 "Here. Bring him here... or I can open a portal... how bad it is?" 

Matt sighed. "There was blood but.. I don’t see any wounds...I don’t know... I'll bring him."

Saffron curled up in the seat even smaller in the blanket, but he watched Matt. Things were starting to set in, and he felt a distant happy feeling but he wasn't sure where it was coming from. He sighed deeply, pulling the blanket tighter. They were going to question him back at the offices, but he didn't intend on saying anything, other then telling them about the woman.

Matt shoved the phone back in his pocket as he got behind the wheel and started the car. He didn’t bother with his own seat belt as he backed out and headed back the way they'd come. He had the thought that the woman had been telling him something important but he couldn't remember what it had been. He'd been so comsummed by Saffron that he hadn't even been paying attention to her. His mind raced ahead to what he'd tell everyone once they got there and he suddenly felt sick. Clenching his jaw tightly, he drove a bit faster.

Saffron was quiet for a long moment, staying curled up. "I'm not telling any one..." He said softly after a moment. "I'll tell them about that...woman...but I'm not telling them anything else..."

Matt glanced over at him and felt his face burn in shame. "Go ahead and tell them." he said softly. "It's what happened." he said simply. "Can't change that." He focused on the road ahead. "I'm sorry I hurt you." he said again. Not that he was sorry he'd raped him... not that he was sorry he hadn’t fought harder... because part of him wasn’t sorry for those... but he was sorry he'd hurt him.

"No..." Saffron replied with a hiss, turning his head away, leaning it against the passenger window. "I tell any of them, and they'll try to kill you. If they even believed me in the first place." He added. "And just because it happened...it happened, it's in the past..."

"I was under a spell, Saff... she nailed us both." he said softly as he made the turn that would take them to the office. "Do what you want. They ask me I'll tell them." he said simply.

Saffron snorted illy. "Yus...you were under a spell...it wasn't your fault...but when it comes to my parents, that won’t excuse it...especially with my father..." He said softly.

"I said fine." Matt snapped. "Tell them whatever the fuck you want... I don’t care." he added a bit softer as his foot got a bit heavier on the gas pedal. "Don’t think about it. Just.. get some rest."

Saffron fell quiet, as they got closer to the offices, but he was watching Matt. The closer they got, the more he had to say it. "Matt...I don't blame you...I'm not even mad at you..." He said softly, close to a whisper.

Matt clenched his jaw at that, his knucles turning white in their grip on the wheel. He didn't say anything until he turned into the drive and spotted Kay and Regan waiting. "You should be." he said simply as he shut the car off. "I enjoyed it." he added before getting out of the car, leaving the keys in the ignition. Kay was around to Saffron’s door before Regan reached him. "Matt.. what happened?!" she asked and he just shook his head. "Just.. take care of Saffron.." he said softly, walking past her into the building.

Saffron's breath caught, when Matt had said that and he started gasping, as if unable to breathe, on the verge of hypervenallating as he watched Matt walking away. He wasn't even aware of Kay pulling open the car door, or either her's or Regan's questions.


~~

Matt ignored everyone he passed as he headed to the gym and the lockers. He grabbed the duffel he kept in his locker then headed into the showers to wash up and try to think what to do now. He seriously doubted that he could never look Saffron.. and any of his family or friends in the eye again. Forgoing the actual shower, Matt washed up quickly at the sink with a wet cloth, fighting the odd feeling of panic that kept trying to bubble up out of him.. he wasn't generally given to panic or fear. With a heavy sigh, he dug out his deodorant and a bit of cologne then stuffed everything back in his duffel, his mind made up.

~~
As soon as Kay had seen the shape Saffron was in, she lifted him into her arms, carrying him towards the door while Regan dodged around her to open them.

Regan got the door open for Kay and lookd back at Saffron, who was still hypervenalitting. "Saffron, breathe." Regan said softly, concerned, but she wasn't sure what to do with him. She glanced at her mother; the sooner they got Saffron upstairs, the sooner Regan could go see about Matt.

"Go see if any one down here has a paper bag or something." Kay told her daughter. "They usually get take out from the cafe down the street.."  she'd barely finished getting the words out as she headed for the stairs when Craig and Mark appeared, Mark with a paper bag in hand.

Craig didn't hesitate as he  took Saffron from Kay, although he did expect her to argue about it. Instead she just took the bag from Mark and tried to get Saffron to breathe into it as they trotted up stairs. "The doc's in the lab waiting." Craig said simply. "I've got her, you go on up." he said and Kay almost tripped over a step at his words.

"Her?"

"Were, Lady... the nose knows." he called back as he sprinted up the steps two at a time.

Regan followed behind her mother, but she faultered too at hearing Craig. "You've got to be kidding me...The Seal..." She muttered, shaking her head. "I need to go check on Matt. I'll be up to the lab soon." Regan told Kay, varying her path.

~~

Saffron kept twisting away from the doctor, who sighed and glanced at Kay, before moving to get a syringe. "I'm going to have to sedate him." The doctor said, and managed to inject Saffron before he could pull away from the needle.

Kay looked over at Safron and sighed then nodded to Craig as the were rat left. "Do what you need to... just remember he's... SHE'S not that great around doctors and hospital type situations..." she said as she came to stroke her hand over Saffron’s forehead.

Doctor Casper MacMillian, or Doc Cas as the hunters liked to call him, sighed and shot her a look. "Yes .. I remember. I've gotten quicker thanks to that experience.. "

Kay smirked softly. "Saff.. baby... what happened?"

Saffron shook his head, could already feel the sedative setting in. "There...there was a woman...She called herself Rosso...." Saffron replied softly, not wanting to say anything about what really happened.

Kay continued to stroke Saffron's hair soothingly, although her eyes had shifted to red. "What else, baby? Matt said it was a trap... that they were waiting for you..."

Saffron shook his head, his eyes closed. "It was...a trap, they were waiting....she...had two men with her..." Saffron said softly, he felt tired, but he wasn't hypervenallating.

Kay leaned down and kissed Saffron’s forehead. "Get some rest, baby.. Let Cas will take care of you. The boys will find this Rosso and take care of her." she said softly and looked up at the doc. "Matt said he.. she..was raped. He said he saw blood but couldn't find any wounds..."

Casper smiled softly and nodded. "Go on... go catch the person who did this. I'll take good care of Saffron. Especially now that she’s out of it and can’t kick my ass…"

"You won’t find her..." Saffron muttered. "She left...she released the spell and left..." He muttered sleepily, half aware of Lex coming into the lab, looking anxious.

Kay looked over at Lex then kissed Saffron's forehead again. "Shh, baby... you rest." she said softly then turned to leave, stroking Lex's cheek tenderly as she past, knowing Lex would no doubt stay while Saffron slept. The doc glanced up at Lex, waiting for the door to close behind Kay before he started to up wrap the blanket from around SAffron, gently easing the pillow case of clothes out of her arms.

Lex took a seat next to the examination table, the worry clear on his face. With the tap into the Seal, he knew what had happened as a result of all this. "Doctor...there's...there's something else..." Lex said softly, glancing at Saffron, who was sleeping.

The doctor looked at Lex a moment. Lex bit his lip, looking back at Saffron. "There's...there's a good chance...she's...pregnant..." Lex said very softly, glad Saffron was asleep.

The doc smiled sadly as he  checked her over for any injuries before doing anything else. "Is that just a guess... or something more... instinctual..?" he asked softly.

"Instinctual..." Lex said softly. "The Seal...I don't think that fact has caught up with Saffron yet..." Lex added with a sigh.

The doctor sighed softly. "It will. I hope you're wrong about this though Lex... I think Saffron  has been through too much tonight as it is to have to deal with being pregnant as well.. Epecially with it being the result of rape." he said, finishing looking her over. "I'm going to do an internal now, Lex... you can stay if you wish. Actually, you can get some warm water and a cloth and clean her up a bit..."

Lex sighed softly, knowing the doctor was right, but he also couldn't shake the fact that there was something more to all of it, something Saffron hadn't said, or hadn't wanted to say. He got up, to get the water and wash cloth.


~~

Regan headed down to the locker room, having a good idea that was where Matt was. She entered in, leaning against the door jam, watching Matt a moment. "What happened?" She asked after a moment, coming away from the door frame.

Matt swallowed hard and didn't look at her as he finished, zipping the bag closed then letting it fall to the floor at his feet. "I don’t know... it was a fucking set up..." he said softly. "I..I don’t want to talk about it, Reggie... I.. I can't..."

Regan frowned, moving over to him. "Matt...?" Her tone was soft and concerned, before she sighed, resting a hand on his chest. "It's a bit more complicated where Saffron is concerned..." She said softly, shaking her head. "He's...SHE...the Seal's doing it's job apparantly..."

Matt swallowed hard and moved away from her, not wanting to be touched and not sure he could look at her. Regans words at first didn't make much sense to him. "Look.. I ..I don’t... There was a woman... she nailed me with a spell as soon as I stepped in the room. I only got a glance at her... she had red hair. She kept talking but, I don’t remember what she was saying.. just the first when she told me to put away my gun... She had an accent.. Russian I think." Then he remembered some of the others things she'd said that hadn't made sense at the time and suddenly Regan's words clicked. "Wait.. she?" he asked, freezing where he stood. "Oh fuck... she knew.. she kept saying shit like 'she' and 'her' when she was talking about Saffron.. and.. oh fuck... concieve.. she said she.." Matt swallowed hard , feeling suddenly sick. "Oh fuck... "

Regan frowned, watching Matt. "Matt, what are you talking about...what do you mean she hit you with a spell..."

Matt  leaned his head back and ran his hands through his hair, staring at the ceiling as he remembered. "It was a fucking set up, Reggie.. they knew we were coming and they waited. They had Saff tied to a bed.. I heard him call out and I busted in and she hit me..I couldn't move.. I couldn't..." he swallowed hard. "Fuck..." he said softly. "What the fuck are you doing down here anyhow? Your brother was just fucking raped... why aren't you with him?!" he snapped, still avoiding looking at her.

"I came to check on my fiance." Regan replied crossing her arms, and watching Matt. "Matt, if you know something, you need to talk." She added softly. "And are you the least bit worried about Saffron, after all, I thought he...SHE is your best friend..."

"You're little brother was tied up and raped... but you came to check on me?!" he asked then snorted. "Fuck..." he muttered then snatched his bag off the floor, slinging it over his shoulder. "Get the fuck out of here, Regan.. go check on Saffron." he said simply, the tired tone returning. "I'm fine.. he's not. I don’t want any fucking company right now and I don’t want to fucking talk."

"What the fuck, Matt...? So sue me for giving a damn! For caring!" Regan snapped darkly, glaring at him. She shook her head, and turned, heading for the door. "Saffron had mum and Lex with him, I wanted to check on you. Fuck...you can't take any one caring, can you? How you put up with Saffron being so fond of you, I'll never understand, considering he loves you like family."

Matt spun at her words and slammed his fist into the nearest surface, which happened to be one of the mirrors. "You have no fucking clue, Regan..." he growled. "Just get the fuck away from me. You and you're whole fucking family..." he added, giving his hand a shake to dislodge the glass shards and blood, then stalked through the door, knocking her into the frame slightly.

"Where the fuck are you going, Matt?" Regan snapped, watching him. "You're just going to take off?! What about Saffron?"

Matt didn't answer her as he headed through the gym and out to the elevator, his duffel still over his shoulder. He'd get in his car and get the fuck out of here... beyond that he wasn't sure. He just knew that Safforn was better off without him any where in the picture. So was Regan. So was every one, for that matter..

Regan stood there, watching him go, half shocked, half furious, before she turned and headed for the stairs, and her mother's office.

Matt tore out of the building and headed to the pub and Regan's apartment above it. They'd decided to live there so she could be close to work and her family.. he'd even put his place up for sale.. although with strict instructions that he was to have final say over the buyer just to make sure a certain old bat didn't get her hands on it. Now he'd just get his shit out of the apartment and leave. Whether he'd keep his place now or not he didn't know... He'd figure that out on the road..

~

Regan passed Eire and Nate in the hall as they were leaving, Eire paused, eyeing Regan who looked pissed. But she didn't stop, going straight for Kay's office and going in. Kay was removing a set of knives from her wardrobe in the corner. "The wedding's off, apparently." Regan snapped, slamming the door.

"I'll celebrate later, baby..." Kay said slightly distracted. "Right now I have to help the boys find this Rosso bitch... You coming? Or would you rather stay with... your sister?"

~~