Eire went to another spare guest room and shut the door. He stared around the room with out actually seeing anything and moved toward the bed, flopping down on his back, his hands behind his head, staring hard at the ceiling, and what looked like a water stain starting to form. He'd have to tell some one bout that later.

Right now, he was lost in his past, the first time his mother appeared in his life. She'd murdered the only family Eire had ever had, Ruby, her own sister, who he'd believed all his life to be his mother. She'd left the body exactly where she knew Eire would find it, and then, as if Emerald had done nothing wrong, told Eire that she was his mother, not Ruby, and that Eire should take his place beside her.

It wasn't enough that she'd abandon Eire, then she expected him to be on her side, after he'd killed the only family he'd ever had. He had no one left, except for Chaos, Nate and...Lex. He considered Lex a brother in arms after the things they'd been through and Eire refused to allow his bitch of a mother to even get close to either three of them.

With a sigh, Eire rolled over and tried to get some sleep, though it wasn't coming easy for him. His mind just wouldn't stop turning. Knowing he had to work out his frustration one way or another, he got up, leaving his jacket and car keys on the bedside table and left the room, heading for the main exit.

The night air was frosty, but not so cold that Eire couldn't handle it with out a jacket. He walked with his arms crossed toward city limit, which wasn't far from where the Chaos building was. Once he'd reached it, he stood on the corner, staring off over a construction site, and the tree line of the woods that was outside of town. Then he changed forms into a silver wolf and took off bounding across the street, scurried through a hole in the chain link fence and bound for the woods, intent to run off the energy, or hunt. Anything to work out the aggression.

Lex crashed in the guest room Rue usually used and tried Rue's cellphone with his own, but it was off, the way it had been the for the last couple of nights. He sighed and turned his off, pulled off the shirt and kicked off the boots, flopping down on the bed, putting his cellphone on the bedside table and proceeded to curl up around a pillow, thinking about things. He was exhausted after his and Eire's brush with the demon.

His side was sore but the pain medication made him feel quiet content to ignore that pain. He considered things with Aiyla and when she'd brought up Rue. He supposed he really should apologizes...she'd only been ignoring him because he'd told her to...Lex drifted off to sleep with out any more thoughts, thanks to the pain medication. He didn't even realize, some one was scrying his room, watching him.

Around eight thirty, Lex got up, finding a black turtle neck and pinstripe trousers in the closet and changing into them. He grabbed a pair of sold black biker boots and pulled them on, then debated on rather to wear his old duster, or the white trench coat. Deciding the white trench coat probably looked better then his flame patterned duster, he pulled it on, running both hands through his hair. Realizing it was straight enough to put in a pony tail, he did so, glancing at his reflection. It was an odd sight to see himself with a pony tail and he turned his head this way and that, deciding it looked odd, but alright.

He went to the lobby and found Meeks waiting for him with a cup of coffee and immaculately dressed in a black business suit with a short skirt and stiletto heels. Her whitish blonde hair was pinned up in a french twist. She'd done her make up in a business style and on her fore finger of her left hand was a three inch onyx black nail with a gold oriental dragon embossed upon it, a ruby stone as it's eye.

Lex looked her up and down with his eyebrows raised. "Wow...you're really getting into this part, aren't you?"

Meeks looked up from her cup of coffee and newspaper with a grin, looking Lex over. The turtleneck hid the collar quiet well and he looked business like himself. Even the coat fit with the outfit. She quirked an amused eyebrow at the pony tail and smiled. "Lookin' good Lexine. I especially like the hair. Are you ready? We'll take my car." She said, holding up a set of car keys.

"Ready when you are." Lex replied, hands in his pockets. Meeks noted he'd left the fingerless kidskin gloves off. She picked up a briefcase by her side and nodded, turning elegantly on her heel and headed for the elevator.

They were met by Eire and Nate who were coming out of the room next to the elevator. Nate looked Meeks up and down as she smiled. "Lord, girl, ye clean up nice." Nate remarked, as Meeks stole a kiss.

"Thank you, almost as good as Lex here." She said, gesturing to Lex.

The guys looked at Lex, both amused and Eire reached over, fingering the pony tail. "Don't look so girlish now, Lexy." He said, teasing him with a grin.

Lex stuck his tongue out at Eire, slapping away his hand. "Thanks."
"We'll be back by lunch." Meeks said, opening the elevator's gate.

"Ya got yer cellphone?" Nate asked.

"Right here, handsome." Meeks held up the slim pink phone. "But if we need anything, I'm wearing a two way." She tapped the pearl earring in her left ear.

"Be careful." Nate said seriously as Lex got into the elevator with Meeks.

"Always." She replied a sing song tone as the elevator descended. Lex waved bye bye to the guys who stood watching them leave.

Meeks led Lex outside and to the alley, were a sleek black corvette sat parked and she unlocked the passenger's door. "Your car?" Lex asked, impressed.

"One of them." Meeks replied with a grin, going around to the driver's side and unlocking her door, slipping in gracefully. Lex got in and sank into the posh seats, looking around.

"Nice, very nice." He said with a grin. Meeks grinned back, starting the car and revving engine. Then she pulled out of the alley and headed at a good speed toward the rich side of townwhile Lex played with the stereo system. 

They pulled up to a large gated mansion and Meeks pushed the button on the automatic window, rolling it down as a guard stepped up. "I have an appointment to see Mr. Dumas." Meeks told him. The guard checked the clip board and glanced at Lex. "My assistant." Meeks answered simple. Lex managed to look convincing in the part. The guard nodded and turned to the gate house, pushing a button to open the gates, and picked up a phone, phoning Meeks' arrival, a head of her.

"Carry my briefcase for me when we get up here." Meeks told Lex nodding to the black case at his feet. "It'll give the appearance more of you being my assistant. And let me doing the talking."

"Sure thing." Lex answered, giving her an amused look. Meeks grinned back. Then opened the compartment between the seats, taking out a black velvet box with a spin dial lock on it. Unlocking it, she opened it to reveal a chandelier necklace of dimonds and sapphires, at the center, dropping down was a sapphire the size of a robins egg, a large five caret diamond ring and a diamond and sapphire tennis bracelet. Lex looked at the jewels and whistled lowly.

"Oh these?" Meeks smirked. "I've had 'em for years." She replied with a gesture and wicked grin.

Lex snorted. "Girl, you're somethin' else." He dug in the inside pocket of his coat.

"I hear that all the time. The necklace was a gift..." Meeks replied, putting the jewelry on. She glanced at Lex to see he'd found what he was looking for.

He took out a eyeglasses case and removed a pair of frameless glasses, unfolding them and putting them on. Meeks raised an eyebrow as he turned his head to look at her. "You were glasses?" She asked.

"Reading glasses." Lex corrected. "Figured they'd help..."

Meeks giggled. "You look cute." Lex grinned. "Wait, here!" She pulled up the velvet plate in the box and sorted through miscellaneous earrings underneath, several seemed to have no match. She rooted around, then found what she was looking for and held up a two caret pink diamond earring. "Trade out your hoop for this one." She said with a half grin.

"It's pink..." Lex replied, but took the earring.

"It works." Meeks answered simply. Lex took his silver hoop out of his ear and put in the pink diamond earring, flipping down the mirror on the visor to inspect his appearance. He'd forgone the eyeliner this morning, but still seemed to still be wearing some from the night before. He ran his thumb under his eyes, wiping some of the access away, until Meeks handed him a tissue. "Ready?" She asked, before opening her door. She pulled on a stylish white coat with a high collar and made sure the collar hide the necklace she was wearing.

"Do I have a choice?" Lex asked with a slight grin, getting out of his side with the brief case. Meeks shut her door and headed for the front entrance of the large mansion, which was already opening.

A tall, older man stood in the door way, wearing a smoking jacket and holding a cup of coffee. He looked them over as Meeks approached. Lex had paused, looking up at the house, which was the height of money.

"You would be Miss Meeks, I take it?" The man asked calmly.

Meeks came up to stand on before the man, holding herself with grace. "Yes, that's right." She said in a crisp but calm tone. She produced a business card from seemingly know where and held it up between two fingers, the dragon nail's ruby glittering in the sunlight.

The man took the card, there was only six words on the card in elegant style. "Miss Anya Meeks, Rare Gems Collector." The man read from the card. "What an interesting card, you have, Miss Meeks. Do come in."

"Thank you." She turned part way to see Lex still staring at the house and frowned, then snapped her fingers. Lex started and hurried after her. "Allow me to introduce my assistant, Lex." Lex nodded his head, but other wise said nothing, pushing his glasses back up his nose and holding Meeks' brief case. The man was staring at Lex with obvious fascination.

"Did those hurt?" He asked, curiously, gesturing to the tattoos that looked like inverted tear drops under each of Lex's eyes.

Lex cleared his throat and answered softly. "Only for awhile."

The man looked quiet amused, and even more fascinated by Lex. Meeks watched this exchange with interest herself, and glimmer of a grin.

"I'm Edward Dumas, as you probably already know." The man said bemused. "Do come in," he repeated, stepping back from the door. They entered the greeting hall, Lex looked around, the place was even bigger on the inside then out. "What can I do for you, Miss Meeks?" Dumas asked as he sat the coffee mug on a table in the hall and held his hands behind his back.

"As I told your secretary on the phone this morning, I'm cataloging private collections for the British Museum and would to take a look at your collection. With your premission of course." She said with a charming smile. It was hard to ignore such a smile, Meeks had prefected it. As she said this, she unbuttoned her coat and began to remove it, watching Dumas from the corner of her eye, eyeying the sapphire in the necklace. She handed her coat to Lex who carried it in his arms along with the brief case.

"Is that the Lady Blue Sapphire?" Dumas asked, licking his lips.

"Indeed. A prized piece in my own collection." Meeks replied with a smile.

"Its been years since I've seen the Lady Blue." Dumas said, almost forlornly. "How ever did you acquire it?" He asked.

"It was a gift." Meeks answered softly, calmly but Lex detected it was not something she liked to discuss.

"How interesting." Dumas replied. "Of course, of course. This way." He turned and started down a black and white marble tiled hall. "It's not often one just wants to see my collection." He said as he led them on.

"I would simply love to do a feature exhibit, produced of course by me, with your collection if you would care to work out details." Meeks replied sweetly.

Lex kept his head down, to hid his silent snicker, Meeks could be as smooth as honey when she wanted to be.

Dumas paused, looking at her. "Perhaps." He said bemused, but his interest shifted toward Lex, who was standing just slightly behind Meeks, quietly awaiting her orders. Dumas turned to the door he'd paused infront of. A stainless steel door and a keypad lock. Dumas wiggled his fingers, about to type in the code.

Meeks grabbed her coat from Lex's arms with out turning and took a pair of very stylish cat eye framed glasses with rhinestone trim on them, sliding them on, making a show of to take her planner from Lex. As she put the glasses on, her thumb nail sank into the screw and for a moment, it seemed like the left lens darkened slightly.

Appearing to look at her planner, she watched Dumas type in the door code, the micro camera in her glasses recording the action. Dumas turned around, and Meeks was already taking off her glasses and handing Lex her planner. She said quiet business like to Lex, "Lex, be a dear and remember to reschedule my lunch date with the president of DeBers tomorrow. And see to it that Tiffany's will be waiting for my arrival."
Lex put the planner back in the brief case. "I'll get right on it, ma'am." He answered with a nod. "Shall I wait here?" He asked.

It was Dumas who answered as the door slid open silently. "No no, do come in as well." He said, eyeing Lex. He turned and entered the secure room, three walls lined with glass cases, velvet lined shelves. Display lights shown all around the other wise rich walnut room, light glittered and winked off the many gems and jewels in the cases.

"Welcome to the Dumas collection." Dumas said with obvious pride.

Meeks smiled, to anyone who didn't know her, would appear delighted. But Lex knew that smile, it was wicked in nature. "Marvelous, simple marvelous." Meeks moved around the room, pausing for moments to inspect every piece, saving the last case for last. The case that held the blood star. She moved over to it, her head tilted to the side.

"Ah yes, The Blood Star. A new acquire to my collection. The color is just so rich. Worth a cool fifteen mill." Dumas said, stopping next to her.

"Is it the only one of its kind?" Meeks asked curiously.

"The story is, that the Maharaja who owned this particular piece had four...but it is unknown where those other three are...or if in fact they did exist. So I would safely bet that it is."

"And what else does the story say?" Meeks asked, still curiously toned, but charmingly.

"Have you ever heard of the Veil of Dreams?" Dumas asked, turning to Meeks, his hands still behind his back.

Meeks had in fact, heard of the Veil of Dreams, and she noted, with out showing it, that she saw Lex start at those words as well. "Why, I don't think I have." Meeks replied, her dragon nail tapping her bottom lip, in a gesture she stole straight from Lex, who did his best to hide the rolling of his eyes.

"The Veil of Dreams is said to grant the one who finds it, what ever he or she most desires. The Blood Stars were the key. However, there was said to be a great cost to such desires being granted. That is the short verson of it." Dumas said, his eyes twinkling.

"A pretty fairy tale to be sure." Meeks replied smiling.

"Indeed. How would you like to start cataloging the collection?" Dumas asked.

"We'll make arrangements to view the collection up close and personal, here of course, with your presence if that makes you feel more comfortable." Meeks replied, business again.

"Of course, of course. Just set it up with my secretary. Will your assistant be coming with you." Dumas did everything not to look at Lex.

"Oh, indubitably. Lex is my personal assistant and there for, invaluable to my work." Meeks replied, her green eyes sparkling as she watched this. Lex smiled brightly, but other wise said nothing. "I must ask, before we make arrangements, Mr. Dumas, do you intend on selling any of your collect soon? Cataloging does take some time..."

"No, absolutely not. None of them." Dumas replied strongly. Then added, in strange way, "But I'm not above bestowing gifts."

Meeks watched him glance out of the corner of his eye and she silently giggled, though her face remained impassive with a business smile. "Of course. Thank you very much, Mr. Dumas, I must be on my way now, I have a few more appointments ot attend to, Lex will be in contact with your secretary, quiet soon."

"Of course, of course, I'll show you to the door." Dumas said, leading them out and locking the door.

As Meeks and Lex got back into her car, and once the doors were closed, Meeks burst out laughing. "Just what is so funny?" Lex asked simply, taking off his glasses and cleaning them.

"Our dear Mr. Dumas is quiet interested in you, Lexine..." Meeks replied, pulling away from the house and back down the long lane.

"Yes, I know. He's gay." Lex answered.

"And how can you tell?" Meeks asked, bemused as she drove through the gate and back on to the main road.

"There was a bit mark on his neck, at the shoulder, just under the smoking jacket collar." Lex replied, rolling the window down a short bit and lighting a cigarette.

"So, perhaps his wife is quiet physical in bed." Meeks replied, still amused.

"Perhaps, but then explain the absence of a wedding ring." Lex said, drawing a long drag.

"Girlfriend, mistress..." Meeks put out.

"And the appearnce of a young hunk in the masterbed room window, over the entry way, in nothing but knickers and a studded collar...Not to mention, Mr. Dumas was walking...quiet slowly and painfully and he's not that old..." Lex turned to look at her with a wicked smile. "I have enough experience in this area to know that walk anywhere..."

Meeks laughed as she turned back toward the direction of the office building. "And what do you think of Mr. Dumas, Lexine?"

"If your asking do I find him attractive, then the answer is no. He's not my type and a little TOO old for me. But if you're asking, can I play him," Lex snorted. "I can wrap him around my little finger if inclined."

"Good, because I want to do this the easy way, before we do the hard way." Meeks said.

"The hard way being?" Lex asked, tapping the ashes out through the window.

"Stealing it..." Meeks answered.

"Could you do that?" Lex asked curiously.

"With a few more visits to the house. Did you feel your skin prickle when we entered the room?"

"Yeah..."

"It's magically sealed as well as electronically. Nate was right, the fucker is a magic user, and powerful at that. There's no way a shadow portal could be opened up into that room...outside it, maybe, which is why I recorded the code."

Lex chuckled. The more time he spent with Aiyla Meeks, the more he liked her. The he stared out the window for a long moment, before saying. "There's something bothering me though..."

Meeks nodded. "The Veil of Dreams...You knew what the blood star was, have you seen it, or one of the other three before?"

"They were supposed to have been scattered, long ago...because if a person, who's heart was full of greed, entered the Veil of Dreams, the world would be plunged into darkness, and evil would dwell." Lex replied. "I saw one...a couple years ago...a smaller one."

"Then I imagine Emerald Shadow's target is nothing less then the veil of dreams..." Meeks answered. 
 
 

Eire was sitting in his truck when Nate found him. "Hidin' again?" Nate asked, climbing into the passenger's seat.

"Nah, just seems like this is the only quiet place today." Eire answered, raising his head from the back of the seat.

Nate regarded him, then said. "Quit thinkin' 'bout her, E."

"I'm not, really!" Eire replied in wry protest. "I just didn't get a lot of sleep..."

"Ye had four hours..." Nate looked at him.

"Er, no, I went runnin'." Eire confessed. "Those woods, 'couple blocks from here. Spent the time stalkin' a doe. Anything to get my mind off...things."

"Thinkin' 'bout Ruby..." Nate added softly.

Eire shifted uncomfortably in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest and looking disgusted at the subject. "She was the only mother I knew, Nate."

"I know tha' Eir. I met her, remember." Nate replied still soft toned.

"Its just that...Emerald, she killed her own sister for fuck's sake! And...expected me to accept her?!" Eire ranted.

"Who knows wha' she wanted, Eir." Nate replied. "But if yer gonna remember Ruby, remember the good stuff."

Eire snorted, looking out his window, silent for a long moment, then he began to grin. Nate was watching him from the corner of his eye and if Eire started grinning, Nate couldn't help but grin himself. "Ya remember that night, we were all kinda shit faced and I forgot my keys..."

"We tried t' get inside with out wakin' up Ruby?" Nate asked, glancing at him.

"None of the down stairs windows were unlocked so we opted t' go through my bedroom window...and Micheal climbed the tree and got in..."

"But it was some one else's house." Nate shook his head, but was grinning anyway.

"The hard part was tryin' to explain it t' the people, from the tree their dogs ran us up..." Eire added.

"We didn't get back t' yer place till some time af'er dawn..." Nate pointed out.

"Yeah, to which mom...Ruby," Eire corrected himself with a grimace, "Beat the hell out of us with her wooden spoon."

"Ne'er took a spankin' from a more illustrious woman then Ruby Montgomery." Nate said, taking off his hat and holding it to his heart.

Eire snorted, trying not to laugh out right. "She'd beat the hell out of you with anything in reach if you crossed the line. She didn't take any shit. You remember that fight in the front yard?"

Nate snorted. "Ye mean the one, with you, me, Tommy and Rick..."

"Michael sittin' on the porch laughing his ass off, and you know Tommy and Rick were kickin' our asses..."

"We were drunk..." Nate pointed out.

"That too. Must've been wha', midnight, little after. Ruby comes charging out of the house with a news paper rolled up and starts smacking us all!" Eire was reaching under his seat for something. "Giving her famous, 'If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times' speech."

"With emphasis." Nate added with a chuckle. "Once she was done beatin' us, she grabs you and me by the ears and starts haulin' us back to the porch. Tommy, Rick, laughin' their asses off...until she started beatin' on them again, giving them a lecture."

Eire held up what he had pulled out from under the seat and handed it to Nate. It was a photograph, of younger Eire, Nate and Nate's brother Michael lounging on a porch and steps with a distinguished woman in her forties sitting with them. Her hair was black and in a long thick braid, with some grey in the temples. But she was still a beautiful woman. She was smiling warmly and it was clear she mother henned over all three boys.

Nate smiled slightly, looking at the photo. "Ruby was somethin' else." He said softly. "Still a beautiful woman."

Eire looked at the photo from his place. "Ya know she loved you and Michael like sons."

"We knew." Nate answered. "Why da ya think we hated t' get in trouble with her as well?" He looked over to see a black corvett pulling into the garage. Meeks and Lex were back.

Eire saw them too. "She knew how to raise boys." Nate handed him back the photo and Eire slid it above his visor and they got out, meeting Meeks and Lex.

Meeks sit her brief case on the car hood and was taking her jewelry off as they came over. Nate eyed the necklace. Meeks caught this and giggled. "This is mine...I've had it for years..." She said coyly.

"An' where'd ya get it?" Nate asked.

Eire was eyeing the jewelry then glanced at Lex, who was still wearing his glasses and the pink diamond earring. Eire raised an eyebrow.

"Oh! Yus, forgot." Lex grinned slightly, taking off the glasses and folding them, before stashing them in an inner pocket of his coat. "You want your earring back, Aiyla?"

"Ah, no, keep it darlin'. I don't have the match for it any more anyway. Besides, looks good on you." Meeks winked at Lex, before turning to answer Nate. "It was a gift, from Maya. For my sixteenth birthday."

"Ah..." Nate nodded, leaving it at that for now. Unless she wanted to say more.

"So wha'd ya find out?" Eire asked.

"Well, if we do it the easy way, it'll take us a little time. If we need it fast, we'll have to do it the hard way." Meeks replied.

"Give me details, woman." Eire replied sarcastically.

Meeks snorted and replied. "Well we may be able to get him to give up the stone...but some one may have to be a bit of a slut." She looked at Lex who rolled his eyes.

"Who?" Nate asked raising an eyebrow.

"Me." Lex replied with a gesture.

"You?"

"Mr. Dumas is gay..." Lex muttered, shifting uncomfortably.

Eire scratched his nose, not sure putting his friend through such a rouse was the right thing or not. "Wha's the hard way?"

"We steal it. It'd still take a couple days of planning, but it could be done..."

"Do it this way." Lex said, leaning against the corvett. "We'll go with both plans, it'll be best if we have something we can quickly fall back on..."

Nate chuckled, looking at Lex. "Couldn't've put it better m'self."

"Got a good leaders head, Lex." Meeks said with a grin. "Alright, I'll start sittin' this all up." She picked up her briefcase and started for the elevator.

"Think ye can handle this, Lex?" Nate asked, looking at the red head.

Lex gave him a duh sort of look and rolled his eyes. Nate smirked. Eire shook his head. "Wha Eire?" Lex asked, seeing this.

"Only Emerald would give me something this complicated." He muttered.

"I don't know, might prove fun." Lex remarked with a brazen grin. Nate snorted softly. Eire couldn't help but grin. With that Lex filled them in on the Veil of Dreams and such.

***
Eire had finally managed to snag a nap and dropped into his bed like a stone. He still smarted from the run in with the demon the previous evening and his run about in the woods. He reached over to his bedside table and grabbed his discman, dragging it toward him and slipped on the headphones.

He fell asleep with Pink Floyd's 'Mother Do You Think' playing softly. Perhaps it was the music that inspired his dreaming, but he dreamed of Ruby, the only mother he knew.

"If I've told ye once Eire Daniel Montgomery, I've told ye a thousand times, WIPE YER FEET when ye come in!" Came an exasperated yell from the kitchen of the victorian two story. A young Eire, with shorter hair and a bit lanky for his frame grimaced from the hallway.

"Yes mum!" He called back, starting to creep up the stairs toward his room.

"Come 'ere, Eire." Her voice was soft spoken and sounded like it came from right next to his ear. Eire shuddered, there was that prickly feeling that she always knew EXACTLY what he was doing. He retraced his steps and went around the stair case, into the kitchen.

Standing in the middle of the kitchen was a tall and athletic woman with mild cream skin, raven hair in a long thick braid over her shoulder and one hand on her hip, the other holding a mop.

She looked like moms shoulder, in a past the knee length skirt and blouse. heelless shoes and there was a bobby pin or two stuck in her hair, but there was something about Ruby Montgomery that didn't look quiet normal. There was something about the proud woman that sparked a beauty about her. She wasn't a woman you forgot.

Eire started to enter the kitchen and she snapped. "Take off the boots, young man!" She pointed at his feet. Eire looked down to see his mud covered hiking boots and grimaced, leaning against the door frame and pulling off the heavy footwear. He hurriedly took them to the back door beyond the kitchen and dropped them by the door, checking the carpet on his way back to see if there was any mud.

Ruby was still waiting for him with the mop when he got back. He crossed the mostly clean floor in his stocking feet and accepted the mop. Ruby pointed at a the trail of mud from the kitchen door to the yard, across to the hall and Eire set to work mopping it up as Ruby turned to the dishes.

"So I imagine you an' the lads've been gettin' into trouble again..." Ruby said as she washed the dishes.

"Aw, mum, Nate and Michael an' I aren't always gettin' into trouble." Eire protested as he mopped and looked over to see a smile on Ruby's face as she cleaned and he had to grin himself.

They were quiet for a few moments as they worked, until Ruby asked. "Wha' d'ya say we go t' home t' Ireland this summer?" She glanced at Eire.

Eire paused, leaning on the mop, thoughtful. "I don't know mum...I'm not sure that's such a great idea...righ' now."

Ruby paused herself, turning to regard him. "Alright, heart, wha's had ye in such a foul mood as of late?" She asked, eyeing him.

Eire winced, knowing he couldn't keep it from his mother any more. "I've jus' had this feelin' for 'while that some one's watchin' me from behind. And the last couple day's it's been gettin' stronger."

Ruby's gaze was steady, but she didn't say anything for a moment. "Anything else?" She asked finally, going back to her cleaning of the dishes in the sink.

"Yeah, I've been havin' this dream lately...with this woman...she's got silver hair..."

There was a clatter and sharp breath. Eire's head snapped up, Ruby was holding her hand, which was bleeding. "Mum! You alright!?"

"Be a dear and get me, me first aid kit." Ruby said in response, moving over to the kitchen table and sitting down.

Eire dropped the mop and went to the shelf, reaching on to the top and pulling the long box out. He took it over to the table and turned on the over head light, sitting down opposite of Ruby, opening the box as Ruby cleaned the cut with a clean towel.

"Does the woman in yer dreams say anything t' ya?" She asked softly.

Eire looked up as he got his mother's special balm out of the box. "No, but she gives me a cold look."

Ruby snorted softly and shook her head ruefully, whispering under her breath, "She never knew a gift when she recieved one..." She knew how ever the Eire would have most likely heard it and she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "If the woman in your dreams says anything to ya, I want ya t' tell me." She told Eire.

"You know who she is." Eire answered flatly looking at his mother with disbelief.

Ruby took the balm and opened it, spreading it on the cut. "Once upon a time, I did, lambkin." She looked at him, pausing, then sighed and said. "Go up to me room and get my box. Ye know the one. Bring it to me."

Eire sprang up from the table and left the room, hurrying up the stairs, wondering what this was all about, what his mother's comment had meant. He turned into her room and turned on the light, looking around. A delicately carved box of ivory stood on his mother's dresser and Eire picked it up, taking it out of the room.

He knew his mother kept her treasures in this box, but Eire hadn't looked in years to see what it contained. Looking curiously at the box, he took it back down stairs to the kitchen. Ruby had bandaged her hand and was waiting for him.

She took the box from him and sit it on the table, pushing the other aside for the moment. Then she opened the box. She took a stacked of tied letters from with in, a few trinckets and stones and little satchels. Finally she took a faded photograph from the bottom and handed it to Eire. "This is the only picture I have of him." She said softly.

Eire looked at the photograph and saw a tall, darkly handsome man with dark hair and piercing eyes. He was holding what Eire realized was an infant Eire, would couldn't have been more then a few days old. And the man looked proud, yet sad.

"That was the first and only time he ever saw ye." Ruby said softly, resting her chin on her good hand, watching Eire look at the photograph.

"My father?" Eire asked in a whisper, looking at Ruby from the photograph.

Ruby smiled slightly. "His name was Vincent. Ye get your wolf side from him." Eire had recently come into the his powers, the sharpened senses and the ability to become the silver wolf.

Eire sat the photograph on the table slowly, still looking at it. "So where is he?" Eire asked softly.

"Where he's happy and free." Ruby answered, looking at the photograph, then she glanced at Eire's quizzical look.

"In Ireland, luv." SHe smiled slightly.

"Do you...ever see him? When we go?" Eire asked.

Ruby sighed. "I thought I saw him...once or twice, when you were a wee one...watchin' ya on the beach or in the garden of the house...He was proud of ye.'" She touched his hair affectionately.

The dream ended there, with the sound of Eire's aparment phone ringing. He never used the apartment phone, he wasn't even sure it was plugged in! Scramblong out of bed, he crossed the room grabbing thhe receiver.

"Four days Eire. Interest in blood." She hung up with that.

Eire growled and glared at the phone, befoer slamming it down. He knew he wouldn't fall back asleep now. He might as well get up.

Leaving his room, he aimed to wonder aimlessly about the halls of the building. Maybe annoy some one.