“Damn… nothing I enjoy more then watching a gorgeous guy stripped to the waist getting all sweating and greasy. “

             He turned with a smirk to see Kay lounging against the wall, wearing cut off jean shorts, tank top and the ever present pony tail. He chuckled, shaking his head as he leaned back against the truck and finished wiping his hands off. “An’ when, exactly, did ye start leavin’ it at watchin’? “

             Chaos raised an eyebrow with a smirk of her own. “My my… someone’s in a cheeky mood….. truthful.. but cheeky.” She added with a chuckle. “So, Mr. Newest member of the Witches Council…  to what do we owe the pleasure of your gracing us with your company?” She suddenly held up a hand to silence him and tilted her head to one side as if listening for something. “And what’s this I hear? No pitter patter of little feet? Mr. MacDonnell!” she exclaimed in mock shock. “Did you abandon your wife and children to come be with us?!”

              He chuckled and tossed the rag towards the work bench across the room and reached back to tighten his own pony tail, the light auburn hair wet in spots and clinging to his back and shoulders. “Sylvie an’ th’ wee ones are with mum. Tam started her trainin’this year. Lards… they grow up so damned fast, don’ they? “

              Chaos snorted. “She’s what ? Seven ? Shit Mike, you make it sound like she’s running off to get married or something.”

              Mike chuckled and pushed himself away from the truck, walking towards her. “Actually, she’ll be turnin’ eight this year…” he said, grabbing his shirt from where it hung on the door knob. “Can ye believe  it, Kay? Eight years…” he shook his head as he pulled on his shirt. “I just came t’ check on things. Been awhile since I was here last. New place is lookin’ good… glad Dom finally talked ye into movin’.”

              Chaos snorted. “Like he had much talking to do after the explosion totaled the old place. Did you know about this place before hand?”

             Mike smirked and shrugged.

             Chaos smacked him on the arm. “You Bugger! You not only knew about it.. you were in on it, weren’t you?!”

            Mike chuckled softly, grinning. “Who do ye think put HIM up t’ it?”

            Kay hit him again. “I know why he did it.. he never liked the warehouse. Personally, I think it was more the old iron supports that he didn’t like, and it had nothing to do with his other excuses. But you… you helped pick the warehouse out and redesign it!” The two of them started for the stairs, talking as they climbed.

            “ Aye.. but Kay.. tha’ was years ago… times change, girl… ye needed somethin’ different. An’.. ye have t’ admit.. tha’ once again, I was righ’…. Ye love it, don’ ye?”

             Chaos shot a look at him then cracked into a grin at the cocky smirk on his face. “Yes, I do. We all do. And it has been nice to change things around a bit. The central archives are nice, a lot more handy.. and so is the link up with the other divisions… tell Sylvie again she’s a doll for setting this up. The new secretarial staff she selected and had trained for us is incredible… although I wish I could entice her away from Hawkscliff. Those first few years working with you two here…” she hauled off and hit him again. “I’ll never forgive you for running off to Scotland and abandoning me here with  a handful of recruits. Eire, bless him, was my saving grace. I’d have killed the lot of them a dozen times in that first year if it weren’t for him…and Nate..”

             Mike snorted. “Words I’m sure he’d be shocked to hear… both of ‘em..” he added with a smirk.

             Chaos snorted, smirking at him. “Not really. I’ve probably told Eire as much… there’s quite a few nights the we’ve got to drinking together that I have very little memory of.” She glanced at the door as they passed by it. “Where, exactly, are we going?”

             “Up.” Mike said with a smirk. “An’ ye cannae really complain about m’ running off with’ Sylvie.. after all… I brought her in in th’ first place… an’ I did turn m’ brother o’er t’ ye.”

            Chaos gave a short bark of laughter. “HA!  ‘Turned him over to me’.. that’s a good one… as soon as his ass was out of that hospital, he jumped head first into all those classes and courses… when he wasn’t in a class of some sort learning a new technique with a sword or gun or whatnot.. he was out with Eire getting drunk.“ She shook her head with a chuckle. “I swear the first two years I barely saw the boy… but .. I’ll admit… I couldn’t ask for a better man to have at my back on a mission. He can kick some serious ass. There’ve been a few times I took him on in the training room and nearly had my ass handed to me… nearly. And he’s incredible at training the newbies.  ”

           Mike chuckled, grinning as they climbed past yet another floor. “Well, I guess coming tha’ close t’ dyin’ has an effect on a man…” he sighed suddenly serious. “Y’ know, Kay… I cannae help but think… ifn’ I’d been a second slower I’d ne’er knocked tha’ sword enough t’ miss his heart…”

           She sighed as they climbed past yet another door. “And if you’d been a second faster, you would’ve been the one impaled on that sword… things happed the way they do for a reason, Mike… we may not have any clue what that reason is, but it’s there.” She turned a quizzical look to him and slammed a fist into his hip as they continued climbing. “Michael… where are you leading me? And if you say ‘up’ again, I’ll send you ‘down’..”

           Michael laughed and slipped an arm around her waist as they climbed. “Th’ roof, love… feel like goin’ fer a swim.”

           Kay raised an eyebrow. “Really….  Well..I don’t see any swim trunks in your possession…”

           Mike smirked. “Aye.. I do seem t’ be missin’ em……” he said slowly with a grin and a wink, and broke into a run up the final flight of stairs, pulling Chaos along with him. As they broke out onto the deck to find it and the pool deserted, he turned to her with a wink as he started to strip out of his clothes. “Feel like joinin’ me, luv?”

            Chaos stood with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face as she watched him strip down to nothing. “Tempting… skinny dipping on a hot day like today with a gorgeous hunk of man like yourself… very tempting.” She said and walked with him to the pools edge, trying not to let her eyes wander too much. “I remember how much fun this can be with you… of course, your married now… and I’m not exactly completely single myself…”

            Mike chuckled. “Kay, darlin’… I’m askin’ y’ t’ swim… no’ have an affair. Unless o’ course, y’ don’ think y’ can control yerself around m’…”

            Kay gave a short laugh and shoved him into the pool. “In your dreams, MacDonnell.” She said and glanced over her shoulder at the stairwell. “With my luck, the second I stripped down, we’d be overrun… and I’d rather not have my entire team see me in the buff…” She kicked off her shoes and sat on the edge of the pool, dipping her feet and legs in.

             Mike gave his own short bark of laughter at that, causing her to raise an eyebrow. “Then wha’s this I heard abou’ y’ runnin’ off t’ battle in nothin’ but a towel…?”

            Chaos blushed fiercely and kicked a wave of water at him. “One of my people was in trouble… I had to act fast…” she gave a sniff, glancing back at the stairs again. “And I’ll have you know, I did NOT lose it and no one saw anything…”

            Mike swam in place, his eyes sparkling with surpressed laughter. “Hmm hmmm… wish I’d been here t’ see tha’…” he dodged another  splash, and laughed as she cast another look towards the stairs. “Oh fer pete’s sake, girl! Are y’ comin’ in or no’?! “

            Chaos gave a sigh and smirked. “Fine.. but I’m not striping completely down.. I’ll swim in my undies… they cover as much  as my suit anyhow…” she muttered and ignored his laughter as she quickly stripped down, blushing slightly as she revealed the black lace french cut bra and matching thong… “ Okay.. so it shows a ‘bit’ more then my suit…” she said at his look and quickly slipped into the pool.

             Mike laughed as she emerged. “Don’ believe I was complainin’…” he said. “So.. Kay darlin’.. Natey tells me yer havin’ guy problems…”

           Chaos snorted and rolled her eyes as she swam next to him. “Hardly ‘problems..” she said, rolling to the side to avoid his plucking at her bra strap. “Just… a competition of sorts…for my attention…”

            Mike snorted, his eyes sparkling. “Aye… I’ve heard… so what are ye plannin’?”

            “Planning? You make it sound like I’m dragging this out for some ulterior purpose…” she said with a smirk, deftly avoiding another try at her top.

           “Kay, Kay, Kay…. ye’ve always had men fightin’ o’er ye… ye normally crack ther skulls together an’ settle th’ matter… yer up t’ somethin’ fer it t’ be goin’ on as long as it has…”

            Chaos smirked again, her own eyes sparkling. “Maybe I just can’t decide which one I want?”

           Mike chuckled softly and made a sudden lunge, narrowly missing snagging her top as she dove out of the way.

          “You might as well give it up, Mike.. you’re not going to catch me..” she said as she resurfaced, brushing her wet ponytail back over her shoulder as she tread water.

           Mike shook his head. “Me? Admit defeat? Ne’er!” he grinned and slowly swam in a circle around her as he spoke. “As fer yer men troubles… I can see where ye’d be havin’ trouble… a tall dark mysterious man from yer past who y’ were spelled t’ ferget… very romantic…. And the hot young leather clad stud ye can lead around on a leash… hmm… tuffy.”

         Chaos laughed softly, turning in circles to keep an eye on him. “I don’t lead Xander around on a leash… I could, but I don’t.. well.. not lately, anyways…” she blushed at the look Mike shot her. “Fine.. yes I’m up to something .. No I won’t tell you what it is… Needless to say it’s almost time to put my plan into action anyhow, so if you’re around you’ll see for yourself.”

          Mike raised an eyebrow as he grinned and glanced over her shoulder at the patio as the sound of footsteps sounded on the deck.

         “Well well well… There’s a sigh’ I ne’er expected t’ see…”

         Chaos groaned with a smirk and turned to face Nate. As soon as her back as turned Mike slipped beneath the water and snagged her bra before taking off. Chaos gave a shriek and crossed her arms over her chest, bobbing beneath the water. Even beneath the water she could hear Mike and Nate’s laughter.

         She swam for the pools edge where Mike was already sitting at Nate’s  feet, her bra dangling from one finger. “Seems like ye lost somethin’, darlin’…”

         “Michael MacDonnell… you are going to get a serious ass kicking on of these days…” she said as she hoisted herself out of the pool, trying to ignore the fact that she was topless as she  wrung out her ponytail and snapped up her shirt. “I don’t know how your wife puts up with you.”

            Mike grinned, still twirling her bra. “Same as ye do, luv. I’m too damned sexy t’ kill or kick out…”

            She snorted, biting back her smile  as she pulled her shorts on and walked over to look down at him. She held out one hand and raised an eyebrow. “May I?

            Mike grinned wider and scrambled to his feet. “Now now.. ye know th’ rules… there’s a price fer e’erythin’…”

            Nate snorted and rolled his eyes as he watched. “How does he get away with this shite? Ifn’ tha’ was me.. I’d have m’ ass handed t’ me…”

            Chaos fought down her blush and tried to ignore both Nate’s presence and the fact that Mike was dripping wet and naked not two feet from her. “I’m aware of your price, Michael… and I have no problem paying it…except that.. you’re naked at the moment…”

            Mike raised an eyebrow and glanced down at himself. “Aye.. so I am. Yer gonna pay me ‘r do I get t’ keep it?”

           “Michael!” she exclaimed, the blush winning. She crossed her arms over her chest. “I am not… I’m not kissing a dripping wet naked man on my roof, just to get my bra back…”

           “Damn… Something tells me I missed out on something big….”

          Chaos’s blush deepened even further as Xander’s voice sounded behind her.

           The second voice made her turn completely scarlet.“Like how he came to have your bra in the first place? Or do I not want to know…?”

           Instead of answering Auron, she glared at Mike, pointing at a finger imperiously at him. “See?! I told you this would happen… now give it back, you brat.”

          Mike laughed and shook his own finger at her, her bra tossed over his shoulder. “Nah nah.. ye said they’d all appear th’ second ye stripped down an’ jumped int’ th’ pool…”

           “Skinny dipping?” Auron asked softly, the amusement evident in his voice although she still hadn’t turned to face him.

           “I was NOT skinny dipping .. HE was skinny dipping… I was in my bra and panties.. until someone distracted me and he stole my bra…” she turned a brief glare on Nate who laughed holding up his hands in surrender. “Ey, now.. I didnae distract ye… I was jus’ comin’ t’ find ye….”

           Chaos turned back to Mike, who was still standing there naked and dripping, her bra drapped over one shoulder. She sighed, growling softly. “Fine.. you win, you adorable pain in the ass you…”  she said, trying to keep eye contact with him as she walked over  to kiss him. She gave a squeak as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and changed her kiss into something decidedly deeper.

            With a gasp , she pulled away, bra in hand. “You are so going to get your ass kicked one of these days…” she said pointing at him.

           Mike merely grinned and waved, then slammed his brother on the shoulder and dove back into the pool. Nate chuckled, cast a laughing look at Chaos then started to strip out of his own clothes.

           Chaos rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. “Excuse me.. you said you came to find me?”

           Nate looked up with a grin as he finished tugging off his jeans. “Aye. Ther’s a man downstairs askin’ fer ye…. Says he’s from yer father…”

           Chaos suddenly lost her smirk and ran for the stairs. “Stick around, Mike… you’ll be finding out what I’m up to any time now…” she called  she flew past Auron and Xander, tossing her bra at them as she past by.

          Xander caught the piece of wet black lace and raised an eyebrow at Auron, who promptly snatched it out of his hand. “Go.. follow her.” Auron said as he debated briefly what to do with it. After a moments hestitation, he followed after Xander, determined to stash the wet garment inside the apartment  before going downstairs.

                                                     **

          Mike found Auron and Xander in the ante chamber of Chaos's office. Auron was seated leisurely on one of the overstuffed chairs while Xander paced restlessly back and forth, making him think of a lion or tiger pacing it's cage at the zoo.

         Seated in the chair beside Auron was Lex, who had his feet drawn up on the chair, hugging his knees as he chewed on his thumb nail. He reminded Mike somehow of a kid summoned to the principals office but not sure what he'd done to deserve it...

         All their attention seemed to be focused on the standing screen
that hid the desk from view.

         Mike leaned back against the wall as Nate slipped in beside him, and they listened to the murmur of voices from the far side of the room for a minute or two. A moment after the voices ceased, a tall, distinguished gentleman with long red hair pulled back in a pony tail appeared and nodded breifly at them before leaving the room.

         "So? Are y' goin' t' tell us what yer up t', now?" Mike asked as Chaos appeared from behind the screen.

          She smirked and shook her head. "Wouldn't want to ruin the surprize..." she said with a smirk before turning her gaze on Xander. "Sweek Cheeks... go grab your leash... we're going visiting..." she said, ignoring the look from the other men as Xander smirked and left the room. She stared at Lex for a moment. "By rights, I should take you too..." she said softly and saw Lex blanche. "Luckily, it's been agreed that you would be in danger and so the need for your presence has been waved."

          "P'tite...."Auron said softly, his eyes narrowed as he watched her. "Where are you going that would be a danger to Lex?"

           She smirked softly and glanced at Mike. "I'm going to Hell." she said, enjoying the look on Mike's face before returning her gaze to Auron. "To meet with Abadon."

          "No no no no no no no nononononono." Lex began mummering before jumping to his feet in a burst of fear and energy. "NO! No You can't...!"

          Chaos caught hold of Lex and pulled him into her arms, stroking his hair softly. "It's alright, Lex. I promise I won't be in any danger. And I'll keep Xander safe as well. " Lex started to object again, but rather then pull away he clung tighter to her. "Shhh... no more, Lexi... you stay here with your dad and the others. Xander and I have to attend a tribunal.. there's no avoiding it. Especially because I called it."

           Mike cleared his throat, his eyes stuck on Chaos, still dressed in shorts that showed the wet imprint of the underwear beneath. He didn't know what had him more shocked.... the fact that she was calmly talking about going to Hell for a meeting... or the fact that she was holding and comforting someone. He couldn't recall ever seeing her be that way with anyone that wasn't a kid... and even then....  he cleared his throat a second time before he managed to find the words to speak. " Kay, darlin'... y' cannae be seriously considerin' waltzin' off t' Hell with just yer boytoy fer backup....?!"

           Xander raised a eyebrow as he slipped back into the room in time to hear Mike's comment. "We're going to Hell?" he asked calmly enough, but Mike noted the white knuckled grip he suddenly had on the leather leash in his hand.

           Chaos nodded as a knock sounded on the door. "One minute, please Mr. Devonshire.." she called out before taking Lex by the shoulders and pushing him away form her enough to look down into his eyes. "Lex... listen to me. I need you to do something for me.. something very important. You need to calm down first okay?" The knock sounded again and Chaos growled softly before nodding for Mike to open the door.

          The tall red-haired gentleman returned bearing a standard looking black briefcase and ignored the others as he moved to the coffee table beside them and began setting something up, muttering a spell half under his breath as he did.

           Chaos ignored him and tilted Lex's face up to her. "Lex... Mr. Devonshire here is an emmisary from the tribunal here on your behalf. You need to answer any questions he has as completely and truthfully as you can, alright? "  she said and bent down to kiss Lex's cheek, whispering in his ear as she did. "And when he asks you who you belong to...  you tell him you belong to me, and you mean it with all your heart..."

           She let go of the wide eyed young man and stepped aside as Devonshire finished and turned to face Lex, waving a hand towards the table. "If you would care to move closer to the table? You may sit if you wish, but it's not neccessary..."

           Lex hestitated, looking with wide eyed uncertainty to Chaos first, not moving until she nodded. Even then he moved warliy, his eyes dancing between the items on the table and the man himself, who smiled reassuringly. When Lex was standing beside the table at last, Devonshire took a seat and folded his hands in his lap. "Shall we begin? I'll need you to state your full name, please."

            Lex swallowed, glancing to Chaos again, before sinking onto the chair across from him.. "Lexine Gabriel Mordant..." he said softly before returning to chewing on his thumb nail nervously.

           Mike watched with narrow eyes as the man watched every glance Lex made towards Chaos, and every move he made. He recognized some of the items on the table and had managed to pick out a truth spell and a 'recording' spell from amoung the mutterings when he'd been setting it up.

           "And where were you born, Lexine... and under who's rule."

            Lex's eyes shifted back to Chaos again, trying not to look at his father or the others. "Hell..." he answered softly. " Abadon's realm..."

            Devonshire nodded and crossed his legs. "Did Abadon send you out of Hell, Lexine?"

             Lex's eyes shot back to the man across from him in shock and anger. "NO! I escaped! I...."  He fell silent as the man merely smiled softly and nodded.

             "And how did you escape... were you aided by someone from within Hell, or someone outside of Hell...?"

            The thumb was chewed more vigorously as he lowered his eyes. "I... I don't know..." he glanced up at the man, then over to Chaos. "I don't remember... I just remember being there... and then... being out here..."

             The man nodded some more and pulled a paper form his pocket, glancing at it briefly before slipping it back inside again. "So you have no memory of leaving Hell... " he asked, watching Lex's face. "Was your leaving voluntary, Lexine? Or do you believe you were taken from Abadon by force?"

             Xander made a choking noise and Chaos elbowed him sharply. Lex was staring at the man wide eyed, his mouth hanging open in shock. Nobody spoke and the silence dragged out as Lex struggled to speak. "Of course I wanted to LEAVE!!! " He finally shouted, surging to his feet. "No one had to force me to leave him... !!

            The man merely nodded again and motioned for Lex to sit back down. When Lex refused, he glanced at Chaos, who nodded and turned to Lex. "Lex... sit down and finish." she said softly.

            Lex blushed and sank back into the chair, turning his attentions to the other thumb nail. "Almost done, Lexine. " the man said kindly and uncrossed his legs, leaning forward on his knees. "Lexine... you are a slave. Who do you belong to?"

            "Chaos." he said softly and turned luminous green eyes to the man across form him. "I belong to Lady Chaos."

            The man smiled softly. "You wear Abadon's collar... yet you claim to belong to another? By what right do you belong to her and not him?"

           Lex swallowed and his eyes burned as he straightened slightly in his chair. "By right of choice. I choose to belong to her. You're right.. I'm a slave.. and that means I MUST belong to someone... so if I must belong to someone... I belong to her." he said defiantly, his eyes flashing.

           The man merely nodded again. "One more question, Lexine." he said softly.  "Would you die for your Mistress if she asked it?"

            Lex glanced at Chaos for a moment before turning back to Devonshire. "Even if she didn't ask." he answered softly, but firmly.

            The man merely nodded again and held out his hand to Lex. "Thank you, Lexine. You've been most helpfull. I'm sure your mistress will inform you of the tribunal's findings as soon as they're known." he stood and muttered another spell before quickly returning the items to his brief case and turning to face Chaos. "I'm finished here, My Lady. I trust I'll see your other slave at the tribunal for the questioning then?"

             Chaos smiled softly and nodded her head. "Yes. Xander and I will be along shortly, Mr. Devonshire... as soon as I change into something more fitting."

              Devonshire smiled and bowed his head before turning and nodding to the others. "Until then.." he said and quickly left the room.

              Chaos walked softly to stand beside Lex's chair and gentle brushed his hair back from his face. "Thank you, Lex." she said and turned to face Auron. "Don't leave him alone until we return, Auron. Not for a second. He doesn't draw a single breath unless someone is there to see him do it.. understand?"

              "What e'er yer plannin, Darlin.... sounds damned serious... how many o' us are ye takin' with y'?" Mike asked, pushing himself away from the wall to join Nate who had already gone to investigate the table the spells had been cast around.

             "It is serious, Mike. Dead serious. And I'm not taking any of you. Xander and I go alone... I need the rest of you here with Lex. Don't argue!!" she said, holding up a hand to forestall their arguments. "I know what I'm doing. Xander and I will be fine. Lex is the one who will be in danger until we return."

            She looked down at Lex. "Lex... I know you hate being coddled and protected all the time, but I NEED you to do this for me... you HAVE to stay with someone. You are NEVER to be alone, even for a second, do you understand? Promise me, Lexine... Swear to me that you won't be alone, ever, no matter how short a time.."

            Lex stared at her with wide, luminous eyes and nodded slowly. "I promise." he said softly.
            Chaos smiled down at him, brushig his hair back on last time before turning to Auron for a kiss. "Call Faal. He should be back by now. Lex is more lightly to cooperate if he's here to play bodyguard." she said with a wink. "Come on, Xander... lets go find me something suitable to wear..." she said and crooked a finger at him as she walked past everyone out of the room.

            Xander cast a confused  and worried look at Lex before following.

                                                        **

            Kay stood with her arms crossed, Xander's leash held in one hand as he watched the man enter the room across from her. She had to admit, he was a damn fine looking man, and the  gorgeous black feathered wings only added to that. Shame he was an ass. 

           Abadon took his place after Devonshire spoke briefly to him, no doubt reminding him of the rules of conduct. Xander shifted restlessly beside her and she gave the leash a subtle tightening until he stopped. Her gaze never left the devistatingly handsome man across from her, suddenly glad she had Auron waiting for her back home. If she'd been available, Abadon would be a definate temptation... a disaster, but still, a definate temptation...

          The head of the tribunal was speaking again, outlining for Abadon her claim and the resulting testimony of both Xander and Lex... As the man spoke, a pair of dark smoldering eyes turned to look at Xander briefly before settling on her. She felt a little thrill go through her at the look and silently cursed her demon blood that found dangerous types so.... yummy...

           She smirked back at him as the man finished his little speech and Abadon was free to speak. For a few moments he did nothing more then look at her with that look that spoke to her more of hunger than anger... and made her wonder just what he had planned that he didn't seem upset over her move...

          "They belong to me... they have no say in their 'owner'." He said quietly, his eyes never leaving her.

         "On the contrary, Lord Abadon... according to law, a slave who leaves his master or mistresses realm and service or his own free will, and remains outside of that realm and service for a certain period of time... can be claimed by a new master.. or mistress.... without repreive form the former master." Devonshire supplied helpfully. "And, evidence of this being the case for both slaves in question has been proven to this Tribunal's satisfaction. In other words, Lord Abadon... you're presence here is merely a formality to notify you that two of your escaped slaves are no longer legally yours and now belong to Lady Chaos.  Since they are now the legal property of another, any further actions on your part, or by any of your people or supporters against these two slaves, shall be viewed as an insult or attack against their mistress and be treated as such."

            Chaos smirked a bit more as the look she was receiving darked a bit more and she noticed the slight tensing of his shoulders. Obviously this wasn't what he expected... perhaps he thought he'd be asked to testify or be allowed to argue his case...

           "Actually..." She said, her voice soft yet clearly heard through the room. "There was another reaon for you to be present aside form formality..." she said and held out her free hand. "The key please."

           Abadon raised one perfect eyebrow and a faint flicker of amusement shone in his eyes. "The key?" he asked, his own arms crossed over his chest as he stared at her.

          "Yes... for the collars..? I find them rather... 'tacky' and would like to remove them." she said, her hand unwavering. Xander had seemed to stop breathing from his place beside her and she gave the leash another light tug.

          Abadon smiled slightly, his head cocked to one side as he regarded her. "You seem rather sure of yourself, girl... do you even know who I am?"

         Chaos laughed softly. "Girl? Obvioulsy you are the one who doesn't know who you're speaking to."

         Devonshire cleared his throat and stepped forward to interrupt. "Lord Abadon... the Lady Chaos has been accepted as your equal.... if not better.. by the Tribunal, and you are reminded to speak to her as such. Any failure to do so, shall be seen as an insult  to her and shall be..."

         Abadon waved a hand. "Yes yes .. 'treated accordingly'..." he gave his head a slight bow, his eyes sparkling. "My apologies, Lady."

         Chaos returned the slight head bow and returned her hand to its waiting position, wiggling her fingers slightly. Abadon let his gaze drop briefly to her fingers before returning to her face. "If her Ladyship is their Mistress now, and is indeed my equal... why doesn't she remove the collar's herself? If she is who she claims to be, there should be no need for my key...."

         Chaos smirked and crossed her arms again. "Because the Tribunal has voted in my favor and it is my right to ask for the collar's removal. I perfer to do things the easy way if possible. Why should I do something myself when someone else can do it for me?"

         Abadon's own smirk grew and he bowed his head slightly again. "Very well...Lady... I shall release the slave beside you... but in the case of Lexine, I refuse." he turned to face the Tribunal. "I wish to.."

         Devonshire cleared his throat as the Tribunal sat motionless. "Lord Abadon... the Tribunal has made its decision. Be assured that all things have been taken into consideration. Any request you make for a review or reopening will be seen as an insut to the Tribunal... I suggest you accept the decision and hand over the key." he said pleasantly with a slightly mocking bow.

         Abadon stared holes through the man before turning to glare at Chaos again. This time the amusement and hunger were greatly reduced and his eyes fairly glowed with his anger. "Lexine is mine. I will not allow this false claim to stand...."

         "Careful, my Lord..." Devonshire said softly, discretely indicating the Tribunal behind him. 

         Chaos was almost certain that at any moment smoke would start pouring out of his ears and had to bite down at the giggle that threatened to errupt at the image. Giggling infront of a Tribunal was not something an heir to a throne did... Instead she dropped Xander's leash and walked towards him, stopping a mere foot away. "Lex is mine now, as is Xander. Any attempts  to recapture or kill either of them, even those made by an ally of yours... such as Rowen Ravenscourt... will be viewed by all as an attack on me. " she smiled darkly, her eyes sparkling. "Which would no doubt start an all out war... and considering you are... restricted.. to your own realm... I don't think that out come would be very favorable for you..."  she held her hand up, palm up. "I may not look like much of a threat, Lord Abadon... but, as you know,  looks can very deceiving. you don;t me as an enemy.... the key, if you would?"

         Abadon stared down at her, his anger seeming to roll off him in waves, and yet the pale, almost delicate woman before him didn't so much as flinch from him, but stood waiting, her eyes dancing. "I've been informed that I am suddenly depreived of two of my best slaves... am I to receive no ... compensation?"

         Chaos's smirk grew into a smile. "I think you misunderstand... I'm not buying them from you... you have no further claim to them. You can only own what you can hold onto, sir... and you haven't been able to hold on to either of them for some time now..."

         Abadon allowed a small smile of his own that didn't even come close to reaching his eyes. "Still... would it not be a sign of... good will... between us? "

         Devonshire cleared his throat again. "Your request is ... unusal, Lord Abadon, but not unheard of. Perhaps it would be considered if you would inform us of what you had in mind?"

         Abadon smiled down at Chaos, reaching up to take her outstretched hand and kiss the palm of it, sending a shock wave through her body. "Since her ladyship has depreived me of two slaves... one of whom is very ... dear.. to me, and whose presence by my side has been greatly missed.... perhaps she would consider offering herself as my .. companion for a period of time in their place? Afterall.... being ...'restricted' to my own realm is rather a ...' lonely' business..."

         Chaos raised an eyebrow at the request while Xander choked behind her and Devonshire spluttered unintelligebley for a moment. "Absolutely not! You ask the Heir to Lord Chaos to be subservient to you? Never! The notion itself is an insult..!"

          Chaos continued to smirk, ignoring Devonshire's outburst. "I am no one's slave nor sevant, sir. And I never shall be. You'd find me a very... uncooperative companion. " she said calmly.

          Abadon smirked in return, kissing her hand again. "Forgive me... I misspoke. I meant no insult. Of course I would never expect the Lady take the place of a servant... I merely would like her.. company. She strikes me as a very.... interesting individual."

          Chaos did her best to get her smirk under control and wiggled her fingers again. "It's not nice to keep a lady waiting, sir."

          Abadon sighed heavily and pulled a chain from around his neck, a key dangling from its end. He held it up, still around his neck. "Do I receive the pleasure of your company, Lady?"

          She raised an eyebrow at him, not answering for a moment. "I'll admit, Lord Abadon... I find the offer very.... tempting. However, my time is rarely my own. I am a very busy woman, after all. Also, I'm not a fool, and you must think me so to place myself in your hands so easily. I have seen the scars my boys bare from your hands. And I have heard of .. other things." She was rather surprised at herself... that the two of them stood so close and were speaking in normal tones, almost flirting. She's always thought if she had this opportunity to face the man who had done the things he'd done to Lex... well... it was a very good thing she'd had to remove her weapons before entering the Tribunal.

          And yet here she was almost considering agreeing to his request.  Damn her demon blood.

          "Lady... I assure you... I would submit you to nothing that you were not a willing particpant in." he said, a wicked gleam in his eyes as he smiled down at her. She felt her stomach do a flip at the thoughts that comment conjured and forced herself to think about what he was up to. She knew how important Lex was to him, or thought she did at any rate.... he was taking this much too well... which made her wonder how things were going back home.  The sudden image of Auron made her sigh. 

          "I'm sorry, sir... as I said... I am sorely tempted by your offer..." she said, allowing her eyes a brief trip over his body before returning to his face. "But I'm afriad I am unable to bring myself to trust your word on my .. safety...  the key, please."

          Abadon looked at her a moment longer before sighing and lifting the chain over his head and letting it puddle in her hand. He wrapped her fingers over the chain and raised the closed fist to his lips for another kiss, his eyes on hers. "Will you at least promise to keep my request in mind?"

          Chaos felt the corners of her mouth tug slightly. He was a charming bastard, wasn't he? "I seriously doubt I could forget it." she said softly, letting her gaze drop briefly again before smirking back up at him.

         Abadon smiled and kissed her hand one last time before letting go. He bowed grandly before her, his long steel grey hair brushing the floor before he stood again. "I look forward to the prospect of you changing your mind, then my Lady. " he shot Xander a  look and smirked darkly before returning his gaze to Chaos.. "I hope you .. enjoy.. your new slaves."

"I already am, sir." she said with a smirk as he he nodded and turned to bow to the Tribunal before leaving. Chaos watched him go, tossing the key from hand to hand and wondered just what it was about him that made her go from fantasizing about killing him slowly... to another type of fantasizing altogether. She shook her head and turned with a sigh and a smile to the Tribunal, bowing. "Thank you for your time." she said and  received a series of nods before the Tribunal was suddenly no longer there.

Devonshire sighed and shook his head. "Be careful with him, Lady..."

Chaos smiled at him. "I know... he's up to something, that much is obvious... he took this much too well." she smirked, glancing over her should towards where he'd left. "I wonder just what it is..."she said then looked back to Devonshire. “The Tribunal agreed to the removal of Abadon’s brand as well?” she asked and Devonshire sighed softly.

“I’m afraid removal isn’t an option by anyone other than Abadon himself… and obviously he wouldn’t be willing to cooperate.. and I wouldn’t trust his ‘efforts’, at any rate.” He said then smirked softly at the crestfallen look that started to appear on her face. “But since They awarded you the right of ownership, you may rebrand Lexine with your own mark. That will effectively cancel out his hold on him. Once your mark is upon him, Abadon’s final hold will be severed and his mark will fade out; usually within a month.”

Kay sighed and crossed her arms, the leash in her hand forgotten for the moment. “I don’t have a ‘mark’.. and I wouldn’t know how to ‘brand’ him with it if I had one.”she said softly, distracted by the thought.

“You do have a mark… it just hasn’t been utilized yet so it’s not been seen.” Devonshire said simply. “Perhaps you should discuss the matter with your father? I’m sure he’ll be able to be of more help than I in this matter. I would however, suggest you do so soon. I wouldn’t care to leave any opening for Abadon to exploit, despite the Tribunal’s ruling.”

Kay nodded and shook his hand. “Thank you again, Mr. Devonshire. I’ll look into it immediately.” she said then turned to Xander and held up the key. "Well, Caine... what do you say we get rid of that thing and go see Lex? Or shall we stop by and visit my father first to discuss a full ‘release’ to surprise our favorite red head with first?"

Xander eyed the key, one hand going to toy with the collar around his neck nervously. “Part of me would like nothing better then to get rid of this and see the look on Lex’s face… but maybe we should see about the brand first… just to be safe…” he said in a soft tone.

Kay smiled softly as she reached up and took hold of the collar, unlocking it. As she pulling the thick band of leather form around his neck, she dropped the chain over his head, letting the key settle against his chest, then pressed the collar into his hands, the leash still dangling form it. “Good idea… but there’s no need for you to wait.” She said, then pulled him down enough to kiss him lightly. “congratulations, Xander Caine.” She whispered softly, before pulling away enough to take his hand and pull him along behind her.

Devonshire watched them go with a soft smirk before letting the human guise flicker and vanish, reveling in returning to his true form. The long deep red forked tail lashed the air a moment before he turned and vanished in a swirl of darkness, back to his own realm, well satisfied with the days work and his part in it.

                                                       ** 

Kay watched her father pace the simple living room of his private quarters. She was always amazed at how comfortable it was in here and how she had to remind herself that she was actually in Hell. Xander sat on the sofa beside her, his gaze on the collar that he still held in his hand; his other hand absently rubbing his throat.

“Daddy.” She finally said softly and the man stopped and looked at her.

“Clarice… this is not a simple matter. It’s one thing to claim ownership and remove the collars… or have Abadon remove the brand.. but to put your own in it’s place?” he shook his head and started to resume pacing, then caught the look she shot him and chose to sink into the chair across from her instead. “If you were to have your own collar made for Lexine…”

Kay held up a hand and he cut himself off and sighed. “No.” she said simply.

Lord Chaos gave another aggravated sigh and leaned back in his chair. “What I’m saying is… the bond of a collar bearing your power might be enough to block the brand, since his ownership has already been revoked. And it’s temporary; the bond only lasts as long as he wears the collar. The bond that is formed with a brand is permanent, Clarice. Once done, it’s done. Normally you could remove it, but… this is your first branding; there’s no guarentee you’ll do it .. ‘properly’.. Most first brands are not removable, sweetheart. And the bond that’s formed… You have no experience at using this type of power… you have no idea how strong or how… far reaching.. it might be. I beg you to reconsider this, Clarice.” Rohan said softly. “Have a collar made… at least until you have time to learn more about this…”

“Daddy… I understand more then you might think. I know what I’m suggesting is an unknown… and dangerous, which I notice you didn’t mention.” She said with a soft smile. “But I refuse to free Lex from one collar only to trap him in another.”

Rohan scowled and leaned forward. “And yet you have no problem branding him? Do you hear how… “ he sighed heavily. “I’m wasting my breath, aren’t I?” he asked. “You’re too much like me… you make up your mind about something and that’s it. “ he added with another sigh. “Fine. I still think it’s a mistake, but it’s your mistake to make… I just hope you don’t regret it.”

Kay smiled softly. “Thanks, daddy. Now are you going to tell me about this ‘mark’ business? Devonshire said I already had one…”

Rohan looked at her, then glanced at Xander who still seemed to be lost in thought. “It’ll be a variation of my own, most likely… sort of like a family crest that your power adds your own personal touch to… and yes, let’s get down to business so you can go home and free our little Lexine from Abadon’s influence…”

**
Lex sat in the far corner of the archives, huddled between shelves, with just the minimum lighting on. His hands kept moving from his bare throat to his shoulder, as if trying needing to constantly remind himself that it wasn’t a dream.

The others were all off planning a party to celebrate his freedom from Abadon, but he’d needed some time to himself. He knew Xander felt the same and figured the Ice elemental was hidden away somewhere as well.

His hand reached up to toy with the ring on the collar again, only to touch bare skin and remind him all over again that he no long wore it. His fingers traced over the skin that he hadn’t been able to touch since he was five. Having nothing there felt… wrong. Like a part of him was missing.

His fingers slipped over to his shoulder to caress the chakrums tattoo that he’d had done to cover Abadon’s brand… that now covered a new mark. It still ached; a bone deep ache that was slowly fading. He didn’t know what it looked like… he’d closed his eyes and looked away when it had been done, trying to keep from crying out at the pain. It hadn’t hurt nearly as much as when Abadon had done it, and Kay had pulled him into her arms and held him until the worst of the pain had faded… By then the mark had faded back to being unnoticeable beneath the tattoo.

He instinctively pulled himself deeper into the corner, curling in on himself tighter as he heard the door open. It wasn’t that he felt threatened or anything… it was just the change. He felt… lost.

The soft footfalls sounded, crossing the room in the half light, then paused at the entrance to the stacks. “Lexi?” The footsteps continued drawing slowly closer, until they stopped in front of him. “Lexi. Are ye alright?” Nate asked softly, squatting down in front of him.

Lex just nodded, not looking at him or loosening his hold on himself. “They send you down to get me?” he asked softly

“No… although I’m sure they woulda sooner or later.” Nate said simply. “I just wanted t’ make sure ye were alright. It’s a big  change t’ get used t’…”

Lex snorted and looked up at him with a smirk. “Understatement.” he said softly. “I’m fine… it’s just…”

“Weird?” Nate asked. Lex smirked even more and Nate added. “Aye… understatement. Ye ready t’ come out yet? Or shall I come back later fer ye?” he asked.

Lex looked at him a moment, considering the hand Nate held out to him, but made no move to take it. “Later… if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all… I’ll see ye in a bit. I’ll see if I can keep everyone away fer a while, too.” He said softly as he stood. He hesitated a moment, then turned and left.

Lex sat huddled in the corner, listening to the footsteps fade then leave the room, returning the archives to the peaceful quiet he’d been enjoying. His fingers returned to his throat, stroking the skin absently, wondering how long he’d have before Nate returned.

**

Nate was sitting in a lawn chair on the roof top, looking out over the city. The remains of the party to celebrate Xander and Lex’s release from the collars still littering the patio inside the dome and he could hear the odd bit of music or laughter that said one or two people were still up and around. Some how, he doubted they were cleaning up.

He still had a couple beers left and he wondered how close it was to dawn. It had been a long time since he’d watched the sunrise. Well… at least watched it without any ulterior motives behind the watching, like waiting for the vamps to be forced in doors and thus have a quick and relatively safe escape…

“’Ey… since when did ye become one o’ those arseholes who duck out o’ a party early?”

Nate snorted and raised his feet, bracing them against the safety wall. Leave it to his brother to find him and make a point of opening his mouth. “I wouldnae consider this ‘early’ Mike… ther’s only what.. two of ye left?”

“Ther were three when ye vanished.”  Mike said, sitting beside Nate’s feet and giving them a shove off the wall. “Used t’ be ye were one o’ those three…”

Nate raised an eyebrow and put them right back again. “I’m still here, aren’t I? Just wanted some air.”

Mike eyed his brother for a moment then shoved his feet off again. “Yer pissed at me fer some reason. Spill it, boyo.”

Nate snorted and finished his beer, leaning back to toss the empty can into the box waiting by the secondary stair door. “Yer imaginin’ things, mate… what could ye have done t’ piss me off?” he said calmly and put his feet back up on the wall again. He stabbed a finger at his brother. “Ye shove me again an’ those boots will be introducing themselves t’ yer arse.”

“Ne’er happen, Natey… ye ne’er ben able t’ best me an’ ye know it. Now tell me why yer hidin’ out here.”

Nate snorted and grabbed another beer from beside him, popping the tab. Mike leaned forward, shoving Nate’s feet off again as he went for the last beer. Nate suddenly had a gun pointed at him. “Don’ e’en think of it.”

Mike raised and eyebrow and leaned back again, eyeing his brother. “Ye’d kill yer own brother o’er a beer, Natey?”

Nate smirked. “Lot’s o’ places I can shoot ye tha’ won’t kill ye, Mikey. No’ like I havenae don’ it before..”

Mike smirked, crossing his arms and ignoring Nate’s feet reappearing beside him on the wall. “Tha’ was a bloody accident.” He eyed Nate’s smirk. “Are ye tellin’ me, boyo, tha’ ye shot me in th’ arse on purpose?!”

“Fuck off, Mike.” Nate said softly, not bothering to answer. “Ye only came out here t’ fuckin’ piss me off an’ ye know it. Go back inside an’ bugger off.”

Mike stared at Nate for a moment. “I did do somethin’… an’ not just th’ usual horseshit we pull on each other…” he said softly, his eyes narrowed. “Whate’er it was…I didnae mean it, Natey…”

“Ye ne’er do, Mikey… tha’s th’ bloody problem. Now bugger off.”

Mike stood for a moment before shoving Nate’s feet off one last time before turning and heading back inside. Nate listened to the door close hard enough to rattle the entire glass wall and smirked softly. He was sure he could see the faintest lightening of the sky on the horizon and figured dawn was fairly close… he wasn’t sure a beer and half would do it though. Especially not after Mike.

Eire would no doubt try to calm Mike down and then he’d probably head out here to try to patch things from this end. He didn’t know how much Eire had figured out, but he probably knew more then Mike at any rate. For a moment he wondered who the third person had been with them, trying to remember who’d been left and figured it was probably Reese. No wait… Reese was dead… couldn’t be Reese. He snorted softly and tossed back the rest of the beer. This can he crushed before throwing it at the box.

He hated funerals, but he had to admit, Reese’s wasn’t bad. The guy had actually planned his own. Kinda sad when a twenty something guy has the forethought to plan his own funeral, but that was the kind of life they all lived. Hell, Reese had been younger then him and he was only twenty eight. Maybe he should look into planning his own too. No sad weepy music and black clothing... he’d outlaw black at his funeral.

Fuck, funerals.. how’d he get on that train of thought? Oh yeah… Nate sighed and leaned his head back, looking up at the sky. Maybe he’d write a letter and leave it in his will to be given to Mike after he was dead… or perhaps really piss him off and have it read at the service. Tell him what an ass he was for having such a wonderful wife and family and continuously tossing them aside to fuck around. Oh he didn’t know for sure that Mike had ever cheated on Sylvie, but he flirted like mad and everyone knew it. Fuck, he even did it right in front of her and the kids.

Sometimes he wished Sylvie had said no and never married him. He’d miss having her as a sister and he’d miss the kids, but damn … they didn’t deserve the crap he put them through. Where’s that time travel machine when you need it, right?

The sky was tinged a faint pink, with a full inch of light on the horizon when he opened the last can. All noise from the dome had stopped a while ago and a part of him wondered if one of them was sitting in there watching him. He wouldn’t put it past either Mike or Eire.

“Uncle Nate?” A soft voice sounded from his shoulder and Nate jerked, upsetting his chair and landing in a half crouch half sprawl, the beer held carefully upright. He didn’t think he spilled any. He looked up to see his niece standing behind him in her jeans and tshirt. He noted with a smirk it was one of the ones he kept buying for her.

“Hey, sweetpea… wha’ are ye doin’ here? Where’s yer mum?” he asked softly as he regained his feet and righted his chair.  When she didn’t make a move closer, he sat down and patted his knee and she grinned and climbed up on his lap. “Ye know, Tam.. yer getting t’ big fer this… pretty soon yer gonna be squishin’ me. Or we’re gonna be breakin’ th’ chairs…”

Tamara raised an eyebrow at him and gave him a look, her arms crossed over her chest. “Are you saying I’m getting heavy? That’s rude you know. Mum says a man should never comment on a ladies weight or size.”

Nate chuckled and kissed her forehead. “She’s righ’. I’m sorry, lass. No, yer no’ getting’ heavy.. yer just growin’ up.”

She seemed to think about that for a moment then smiled and leaned against him, her arms wrapping as far around him as they’d go. “You love me, right, Uncle Nate? More then anyone, right?”

“Righ’ ye are lass... yer m’ favorite girl, ye know tha’.” He said, planting another kiss to her forehead. “Now are ye goin’ t’ me wha’ yer doin’ here so early an’ where yer mum’s at?”

“Mum’s at home with Gram and the others.” She said softly. “I came by myself. Can I live with you?”

Nate’s feet dropped to the ground again and he lifted her chin from his chest to look at her. “Wha’ d’ ye mean ye came alone?” he asked incredulously. “An’ why would ye want t’ live with me? Have ye had another fight with yer mum?”

Tamara just looked at him. “I opened a portal and came by myself. I learned how. Portals are okay, they don’t hurt me as long as I don’t call them too often. They’re not magic. They’re a part of you.” she said matter of fact. “And yes and no… about the fight… we just don’t get along… and the boys pick on me and Gram tries but she doesn’t understand me either. Can I live with you?”

Nate looked at her in stunned silence for a moment. “Tam, lass... ye shouldnae be playin’ with things ye don’ understand. Yer too young t’ be callin’ portals an’ such.” He saw the look on her face and knew she wasn’t listening. Well, she was listening, she just would keep doing whatever she pleased despite anything he said about it. He sighed and moved on to the next topic. “Sweetpea, ye know I love ye dearly, but ye should be with yer folks. I know yer havin’ troubles, but things’ll smooth o’er. What about yer da? Don’ ye think he’ll miss ye ifn yer no’ there?”

Tamara snorted softly in imitation of him and laid her head back on his chest. “He doesn’t like me. He spends all his time with the boys and he looks at me weird. Like he knows I’m different, that I don’t belong.”

“Tha’s not true, lass! Yer da loves ye. An’ ye do belong,  just cause yer no’ a witch doesnae mean ye don’ belong.. yer mum’s not a witch, is she?”

Tam shifted on his lap, turning so she was facing him, her expression serious. “Your right, my da does love me.. my REAL da.” She reached out took hold of his pony tail, wrapping the copper blonde strands around her fingers. “I know. You don’t have to pretend anymore.”

Nate had to remind himself to breathe, then he took hold of her shoulders and gave her a little shake until she looked up at him. “What are ye talkin’ about lass? Yer da IS yer real da! Has some one been fillin’ yer head with nonsense?”

She looked at him, the stubborn set of her jaw told him nothing he could say was going to get through and he sighed. “No he’s not.” She said. “You are. I know. I look like you, don’t I? We’ve got the same hair and eyes… no one else does.”

“Yer wrong lass.. yer Gram does.. tha’s where I got them from after all. An’ o course we look alike, we’re family.”

Tam shook her head. “It’s more than that. I KNOW.” She said firmly. “He said..”

“He?! He who, Tamara?” Nate said, trying to keep his voice down as a sudden realization hit him. “Connor.. ye’ve been talkin’ t’ yer bloody damned cousin Conner again, haven ye? Damn it, Tamara… he’s nothin’ but trouble… ye’ve been told t’ stay clear o’ him!” Nate said then let go of her, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. “He’s just tryin’ t’ cause trouble, luv. Don’ believe him. Th’ man is  made o’ lies.”

“It’s the truth… he cast a truth spell on himself before he told me so I’d know it was real.” She said, her voice softer but just as firm in her belief.

“He cast a spell around ye?! Tam!”

“Not ON me!  On himself ! I was shielded and I could feel the spell work, so I KNOW what he said was the truth!” she said indignantly and Nate was suddenly reminded of just how much she was like him. His mum always said you could tell she was a MacDonnell, not by the hair and eyes but by the stubborn mule headedness.

“Fine…but just cause he cast a spell an’ told ye it was a truth spell, doesnae mean it WAS, Tam… he could have cast anything an’ ye would have felt it!”  he reached out to brush aside a lock of copper blonde hair that had escaped her braid. Next time he saw Connor he was going to have to have a ‘word’ with him…

“I can tell the difference, you know.” She said softly, her eyes intent. He found himself smiling as the sunrise behind her lit her hair,  making all the loose wisps glow as if on fire or shining with some inner light of their own. “Just because I can’t cast spells, doesn’t mean I can’t feel them and know what they are. I’m not stupid you know.”

Nate tore his gaze from her hair and looked at her face, which was hidden in shadow. “I know yer not, Lass. Yer th’ smartest girl I know.”

“Then believe me. It’s the truth. You’re my da, not him. Connor said you and mum had a ‘fling’… and she didn’t tell you. But it’s true. It is.”

Nate looked at her and felt his heart squeeze painfully at the thought of it being true. Sylvie had been colder towards him since Tam had been born, the easy friendship from before  a bit more strained whenever Mike or Tam were around. And she did look like him. He sighed, reaching out to run his fingers back over her hair, smoothing down all the stray wisps of golden light. “I’ll talk t’ yer mum, Tam, alrigh’? Ye can stay fer now, at least.” he said softly and was suddenly tackled in a hug that made the chair tip backwards. He managed to keep them from falling, righting the chair with a soft chuckle, but the beer he’d set on the ground beside the chair when she’d climbed on his lap, ran away in a tiny river across the roof. “Ye made me spill m’ last beer, sweetpea.”

She moved her face out of his shoulder enough to speak, but didn’t loosen her hold. “You’ve had enough.”

Nate laughed softly and hugged back, hardly daring to think she might actually be his daughter. “Aye lass.. I suppose I have.”

“Tamara… ?! Are ye hearin’ me lass?! I said fer ye t’ get yer arse home t’ yer mother!”

Nate sighed as he walked into his apartment to find his brother yelling away at the eight year old who was studiously ignoring him as she played a game, her attention focused completely on the screen in front of her.

“Mike… “ he said as he stopped where he was, the door still open behind him.  His brother ignored him as he walked closer to Tamara, knocking the control out of her hands and grabbing her arm. “Hey, now! Mike.. Get yer mitts off’a her!”

Tamara reached up and scratched her finger nails down the hand that held her and he cursed, letting go. She lept away from him, her eyes flashing. “No! I’m not going anywhere! THIS is my home!” She jumped over the back of the couch and ran to Nate who’d made it half way across the room.

Mike turned an incredulous look at her, still ignoring his brothers presence. “Tamara! Yer goin’ t’ get a hidin’ yer ne’er goin’ t’ ferget ifn ye don’t get home right now.” He growled as he inspected the bloody scratches on his hand.

“No. She’s not.” Nate said simply as Tamara clung to him, standing slightly behind him. “Get out, Mike.”

Finally looking at his brother, Mike shot him a look. “Butt out, Natey.. this doesnae concern ye.” He said and started towards them, his  hand once again reaching for Tamara.

Nate grabbed his hand before it reached her. “Yer wrong, Mike. It does concern me. Yer not goin’ t’ touch her. Tamara’s not goin’ anywhere.”

Mike yanked his hand free and leaned back, looking his brother over incredulously. “Have ye gone mad, Natey? She’s m’ daughter an’ she’s goin’ home t’ her mother… an’ when I get home.. she’s getting’ her hide tanned fer runnin’ off an’ disobeyin’ me.”

Nate blocked another grab at her. “I said, she’s not goin’ any where, Mike. I think ye need t’ talk t’ Sylvie. Tamara’s goin’ t’ live here with me from now on.”

Mike’s eyes flashed as he laughed, eyeing the both of them before settling on the frightened but still defiant girl. “What tales have ye been tellin’ now? Yer goin’ t’ get yer uncle in trouble.. is tha’ what ye want?”

“Leave, Mike… call yer wife. She’ll explain e’erything…” Nate said, moving so that he was still between them but the path to the door was clear.

“No, Natey. I don’ know what’s goin’ on, but damn it.. I’m not leavin’ here without m’ daughter.”

Nate drew a breath before answering as calmly as he could. “She’s not yer daughter. Now get out. An’ from now on… knock. This isn’t yer home, Mike, an’ it pisses me off tha’ ye just waltz in whene’er ye like…”

All expressed fled from Mike’s face as he looked from Tamara to Nate. “What are ye talkin’ about. O’ course she’s m’ daughter… Look at her… she’s a MacDonnell through an’ through…” his eyes narrowed suddenly. “Nate…”

“Call yer wife, Mike. Th’ two of ye need t’ talk..” Nate’s words were cut off as Mike stepped closer, his face almost touching his brothers.

“Ye better tell me what yer talkin’ about, boyo…” he said, his voice low and soft. “If Tam’s not m’ daughter… then who’s is she..”

Nate swallowed, shoving Tamara away from them as he answered. “She’s mine, Mike. Go home an’ talk t’..”

Th’ fist caught him in the gut and  doubled him over. He looked up at his brother standing above him with his fists clenched and his face turning red. “Are ye tellin’ me ye slept with m’ wife, Natey?”

Nate struggled to catch his breath as he stood back up. “No, Mike… ye weren’t married at th’ time…”  This time the fist caught him across the jaw and knocked him back into the bar that divided the kitchen from the living room/ dining area. He heard a shriek and looked over to see Tamara pummeling Mike with her fists, screaming at him.

“What th’ fuck?!” A voice said and suddenly Eire was at his side helping him up. Nate brushed him off as he saw Mike swing his arm, knocking Tamara into the side of the couch, and raising a hand as if to hit her. He gave yell and charged his brother, slamming his shoulder into the man’s gut and sending them crashing into the coffee table, the glass shattering beneath them.

Several hands pulled them apart and he was suddenly aware that they’d attracted a fair sized audience. He wondered briefly if it was the yelling or the breaking furniture that had brought them running or if security had summoned them. He shook himself free of the hand that held his arm and glared at his brother where Kay was helping him up.  “Get th’ fuck out, Mike.. an’ don’t come back.” He said, wiping a hand across his mouth and finding a smear of blood on it. “An’ if ye e’er raise a hand t’ m’ daughter again.. I’ll kill ye.”

The silence that greeted his words was broken only by the sounds of their ragged breathing and a soft sniffing from Tamara as she pushed her way past everyone and hugged him. Nate wrapped an arm around her, his eyes never leaving his brother who just glared in return. “I said.. Get Th’ Fuck Out.”

When Mike made a move towards them, Kay tightened her hold on him and pulled him back. “Whatever is going on… just drop it, Mike… come on… you need to cool off.”

Nate followed them as Kay , with Xander’s help, ushered Mike out of the room, the others following obviously confused and concerned by their soft mutters as they left. As the last of them filed through he closed the door and leaned against it.

“Care t’ tell me what just happened, mate?”

Nate opened his eyes and looked at Eire where he stood surveying the shattered remains of the table. With a sigh he pushed himself away from the door and made his way to the bar, noticing several sharp stabbing pains as he moved now that the adrenilne rush was over.

“Yer bleedin’ Nate.”

“Daddy!” Tamara cried out and ran to him and he was so distracted by how wonderful that sounded he didn’t even look to see what Eire was talking about until the man grabbed his arm and pushed him down onto a chair he’d grabbed from somewhere.

“Nate .. I said yer bleedin’… out of th’ way Tam.. .” Eire said then pried her away from the tight hold she had on him. “Tam… go fetch th’ first aid kit so we can take care of this.” He said and she finally ran off, wiping her tears as  she went. He looked up at Nate as he began pulling chunks and  slivers of broken glass out from where they’d pierced his skin. “Ye goin’ t’ tell me what th’ hell is goin’ on?” he asked softly. “Why were th’ two of ye tryin’ t’ kill each other.. an’ what this about Tam..?”

Nate sighed as he helped pick slivers out of his arms while Eire removed the last of the larger ones from his legs. “Tam’s m’ daughter E’.. Sylvie admitted it. I just found out… Tam came t’ me cause Conner  told her.. “ he sighed. “She wasnae happy at HawksCliff.. her brothers are makin’ her miserable an’ her an’ Sylvie are always at odds… we decided it’s best ifn she lives here…” he smirked and gave a slight shrug. “Ye came I on Mike finding out… Sylvie was goin’ t’ tell him.. but seein’ how he reacted… it’s probably best I did…”

Eire continued to remove splinters for a moment in silence as he eyed Nate, then he snorted softly. "Maybe it would be a good idea if ya gave yer mum a call and warned her so she can keep an eye on him when he gets home."

"Aye..." he answered softly, his shoulders suddenly drooping as the realization hit him that he'd lost his brother. Despite their differences and his feelings about Mike's behavior at times, they'd still been friends. Not as close as before Sylvie entered their lives, but still friends. Now he seriously doubted they'd be able to spend family gatherings in the same room without a referee.

He looked up as a small hand took hold of his own and smiled softly at Tam's tear streaked face. He reached up to brush her hair aside, caressing her cheek. "I'm fine, Tam.. don't worry.Thank ye fer tryin' t' help, love.. but ye shouldnae have done that. Ye shoulda stayed out of the way an' let me an'... yer uncle... work it out." he said as Eire took the small metal box from her and set about checking it's contents.

With a snort he looked up at Nate. "Do ye want me t' do this.. or would ye rather find a doctor t' handle it? Either way.. Yer jeans are goin' to come off... an' Tam's going to leave."

Nate gave his daughters hand a squeeze to stop her arguing. "Is it bad enough fer a doc, E'?" he asked softly.

Eire eyed the wounds, his hand pressed on a particularly deep cut to stop the bleeding. He shrugged. "I'd say let me stitch ye up an' get Mike t' cast a healin' spell t' finish it off.. but I don' think that's happenin'. An' I know from experience ya suck at healin' yerself. I say go see a doc." he smirked, shooting him a look. "Plus it'll put a little more distance between the two of ya."

Nate snorted. "Aye. Grab m' keys an' go start m' truck would ye?" he said as Eire finished tying a tournaquette to stop the worst of the bleeding. Eire just nodded and stood up, grabbing the keys off the bar as he went past.

Nate stood, trying to ignore the slight wobble as his one leg buckled slightly before he caught his balance. He slipped an arm around Tamara's shoulders. "Come on... grab yer shoes and coat.. an' yer game boy or whatever ye want fer while ye wait fer me." he sighed as she ran for ehr room "Mum's goin' t' kill me..." he muttered softly.

 

Kay sighed softly as she let her body sink beneath the bubble ladden hot water. She leaned her head back against the edge of the tub and the pillow of her own hair where it lay bundled and drank in the hot moist air scented with vanilla from the candles and bubble bath.

"Comfy?" A soft voice purred from the doorway, and Kay smiled softly as she lifted a leg to watch the bubbles run back down into the tub.

 "Yes I am, actually. Come to keep me company?"

Auron smiled softly as he made his way across the room to sit on the edge of the large built-in tub. He scooped  a handful of water and winced as he let it dribble over her shoulders. "Clarice... you are going to boil yourself in there... that is far too hot."

She just smiled and closed her eyes, letting herself sink a bit lower under the water. "Hmmm... wimp. It's perfect."

He snorted, but scooped another handful of water to dribble over the exposed parts of her.

"What's on your mind, handsome?" Kay asked softly as she listened to his slide a couple candles aside to make more room for himself on the ledge.

"Hmmm... everything.. and nothing I suppose."

It was her turn to snort and she tilted her head back a bit to look up at him, then turned to sit facing him. She leaned back, sinking back down beneath the water as she watched him. "You're thinking about Xander and me." She smirked at the look on his face and cut him off before he could deny it. "You're wondering what happens now that he's free of Abadon." she stated plainly as she lifted one leg to wiggle her toes at him.

She watched as he ducked his head sloghtly as if looking at something and she was failry sure if the lighting was better she might have caught the hint of a blush on his cheeks. "Well... it IS a question that comes to mind. Assuming the two of you were sleeping together in order to built the case of 'ownership'..."

Kay laughed softly. "Partly. And partly because he's sexy as hell and damned good in bed." she said, pretending not to notice the way his entire face tightened momentarily. She sighed softly and stretched her leg a bit farther to run her toes up his arm. "Auron..." she said softly. "Tell me you're jealous."

He gave a soft cough and inspected the wet mark her foot was leaving on his sleeve. "You're a grown woman, Clarice... I..."

"Auron." she repeated softly as she leaned forward, the bath water sloshing slightly at the movement sending a wave of bubbles over the edge to stain his pants. She tilted her head slightly, a smirk toying at the edge of her mouith as he eyes danced in the candlelight. "You are... admit it."

Auron gave a soft sigh and stood, brushing bubbles from his hip as he did. "You have a right to be with whoever you choose..."

Kay sighed and sank back down, her eyes closing. "That's another reason... at least Xander says what he means and I don't have to play word games with him to find out how he feels." She undid her hair, letting it fall around her shoulders and sink into the bubbles surrounding her. "Did you ever stop to think, Auron.. that maybe.. just maybe.. I might like to hear that you're jealous? That you want me to yourself?" She said softly then sank completely beneath the water. When she resurfaced, he was still standing beside the tub. "This has been a very long and eventful day, Auron. I've faced the Tribunal and Abadon, taken two slaves and freed them, and witnessed two brothers and good friends physically attack each other. Sylvie said Eire took Nate to the hospital to be stitched up and I had to call Helena and have her tend to Mike. No way was I sending him to the hospital too... my luck they'd wind up at the same one and start another fight." she sighed again. "I'm tired, auron.. tired of the stress and the tension and this." she said, waving a hand between them. "Why can't you ever just come out and tell me what I want to know instead of leading me in circles or avoiding me completely?"

The silence between them stretched, the only sound the soft sloshing of the water in the tub as she moved her hands idly. finally he sighed softly. "Fine.. yes, Clarice. I'm jealous. I hate having to share you. I hate feeling this way. Every time he looks at you I want to stand between you both and block his view. When he touches you I want to pull you away." he gave a dissgusted snort. "Happy?"

Kay smiled softly as she stood, letting the bubbles run down her body. "Yes. Thank you." she said softly and stepped out of the tub, leaving puddles of soapy water as she took the few steps to stand in front of him. She reached up and cupped his face in her hands. "If you only knew how long I've waited to hear you say that..." she said softly and pulled him down for a gentle kiss. "It's over, Auron." she said just as softly, letting go of his face and slipping her arms around his waist, pulling him against her. "No more sharing me with Xander." she said, smiling up at him coyly. "I'm all yours."

It was a moment of stunned silence before he smiled in return and wrapped his own arms around her. "Really, sweetheart? Just the two of us?"

Kay smiled misceiviously and nodded. "Yes.. and you'll never know how much sooner it could've been that way if you'd only been open with me about your feelings. Maybe form now on you will be...?"

They both snorted at the same time then laughed softly. Kay slipped free of his arms and went back to her tub, sinking back beneath the waters. "So... care to join me? Or would you rather go back to sitting on the edge?"

Auron laughed softly. "No.. I believe I'll join you... it's certainly a big enough tub..." he said softly as he stripped out of his clothes, leaving them on the floor where they fell.

"Yes.. it is isn't?" Kay asked with a playful smirk, as she watched him undress. She looked up at him and scooted forward ad he slipped in behind her, then lened back aginst him, ignoring the excess water that sloshed over the edge of the tub and onto the floor.

"We're making a mess." he said softly in her ear as he kissed the side of her neck.

"It's only water... I have a mop, plus we have towels."

He chuckled softly then his voice went serious. "Thank you, Clarice. For Lexine. I can never repay you..."

She sighed and turned to face him, her body pressing against his as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Shut up, Auron. I love Lex like a son... I think I started to fall for the kid even before I knew he was yours... and before I knew who you were to me." she brushed her nose against his with a soft smirk. "You want to repay me... fine... be my boyfriend. Put up with my shitty attitude and my temper and one day if you're brave enough, you can marry me again."

Auron smirked softly as he held her, his hands sliding over her lower back. "I think I can handle that." he said simply.

Kay smiled and flipped over, leaning back against him. "Good answer."

"I thought so." he answered with a smirk and  held her closer as they both sank a bit lower beneath the water and bubbles, enjoying the candle light solitude.

Nate sighed and leaned back against the couch, his feet propped up on the new coffee table that had appeared to replace the broken one before he'd even gotten home from the emergency room. He wasn't sure who had cleaned up the mess and replaced the table, Eire had been with him and Mike sure as hell wouldn't have. It might have been Kay...or even Lucy. The woman was cheerful and chipper enough to drive you insane, but she always on top of things and there when you needed her. He'd have to ask and thank whoever it was.

He flicked the tv off and tossed the remote onto the table with another sign. He hated hospitals. You did nothing but wait for hours then someone tossed paperwork at you and made you wait some more.. then finally a nurse or doctor took a look at you, did what whatever and sent you out to pay and leave. He'd have to renew his suggestions for looking into equiping their own med lab here in the building and hire a doctor or nurse or two to staff it.

A soft sigh from beside him caused him to look down to see Tam fast asleep beside him, her head pillowed against his ribs... she'd been too afraid of hurting him to lay her head on his leg. He'd tried to tell her it was fine. Most of the cuts had proved to be superficial, with only two needing actual stitches; a total of fourteen between them. Not too bad. He'd certainly been hurt worse. Hell, he'd hurt HIMSELF worse. But it did look bad... his upper legs looked like he'd been mauled by an entire family of angry cats. He was just lucky that the way he fell ontop of Mike during the fight saved the jewels from getting nailed. Mike's ass took the brunt of it.. he was looking forward to hearing how badly and how many stitches... unless of course the bastard cheated and went to mum to be healed.

A soft knock at the door made him turn around and sigh again. He didn't want to wake Tam up... hell it was very late.. he should've taken her into bed as soon as they got home.. but he liked having her close.. and she hadn't wanted to leave him either....

A second knock sounded rather hestitant and he carefully leaned Tam away and slipped off the couch, hurrying as quickly as he could to the door. The cuts stung, the analgesic from the stitches having long since worn off, but he was rather glad he'd pulled on the loose fitting pajama pants his mum had gave him for Christmas a few years back. He'd never worn them, perferring jeans or or his jockeys... although with Tam living here now, that was going to have to change.

He quicly unlocked the door and opened it in time to see the back of a familiar red head retreating donw the hall towards the stairs. "Lex!" he called softly, and the red head stopped and turned back to face him.

"Sorry... I didn't mean to wake you... I just heard what happened and when i saw your light still on...."

Nate noticed the way he was figgiting slightly and wouldn't look directly at him when he spoke. "Are ye alright, Lex?"

Lex looked up in surprise at that. "Me!? Of course I'm alright.. you're the one who spent the entire afternoon at the hospital getting stitched up!"

Nate gave a soft snort and waved a hand. "It's nothin', boyo... really. Fourteen stitches altogether.. hardly worth mentionin'. It just looked a lot worse then it was. D' ye want t' come in? I wasnae sleepin'... just turned the tv off. Tam fell asleep on th' couch. Let me move her int' bed an' we can have a beer or two." he said and headed back inside before Lex could refuse.

He carefully scooped his daughter into his arms and carried her into her room. So far it was still just a spare room with just a couple boxes of her stuff they'd grabbed that morning. He'd have to arrange for the rest of her stuff to be delivered soon and see about redecorating to better suit her. He tucked her into bed and she immediately curled onto her side, rubbed her eye lightly and went right back to sleep.

He was still chuckling softly as he emerged to find LEx standing awkwardly by the bar. He sighed and went straight to the cupboard. "Somethin' tells me we're goin' t' need more than' just th' beer." he said simply as he grabbed a couple glasses and tossed them to Lex. "Well...I certainly could.. had a fuckin' messed up day." he added, grabbing the bottle of whiskey from the cupboard then a six pack from the fridge. The bottle was half empty, but that was from Eire and him when they'd first got back. That was a couple hours ago now and the buzz had worn off. "Time t' reload." he said with a smirk and motioned for Lex to head for the living room.

He set the bottle and cans down on the coffee table and opened the bottle before realizing that Lex wasn't there with the glasses. "Boyo.. get yer arse in here an' sit down. Ther's obviously somethin' on yer mind.. yer not actin' yerself. Park it an' spill. An' give me a damned glass."

After a moment Lex sighed then came over, handing Nate the glasses which were quickly filled. He went to sit on a chair not far form the couch , but nate gave him a look and set the second glass in front of the couch for him.

Nate narrowed his eye as he watched Lex move to sit beside him on the couch, but shift over as far as he could. He downed the shot in a gulp and set the glass down. "Alright Lex.. what th' fuck is wrong?" he asked, remembering to keep his voice low. "Yer actin' like... like yer afraid o' me..."

Lex looked up again, startled. "No!no... no it's not that .. I just ... I was just worried about you.." he said and dropped his gaze again. Nate thought he caught a hint of a blush.

"Lex...what's botherin' ye.. ye've been actin' weird th' past day or so now. I was thinkin' it was just th' whole Tribunal thing.. but somethin' tells me... this is somethin' else."

He watched the young red head take a drink, both hands wrapped around the small glass as if he could warm his hands from it. "It's nothing. Really." he said and Nate snorted, then caught a hint of the blush Lex was trying to hide. He slid closer and reached out a hand to raise Lex's face, but as soon as he touched his chin, the red head jerked away, blushing furiously as he scrambled to his feet. "I have to go... I'm sorry... I'm glad your okay." he stammered as Nate stood, watching him run for the door.

"Lex." he called out, but the boy didn't even slow down as he bolted out the door. He sighed softly and picked up Lex's glass, finishing off the drink before heading back to the kitchen to put everything away again. He had one rule about alcohol and that was to never drink anything stronger then beer alone.. well.. that and never set it on fire unless you actually PLAN to destroy things.

He paused by the door and snapped the locks back on as he finished up. He didn't know what was going on with Lex. He'd been shy enough at first but he'd quickly become a good, close friend... this sudden shyness around him again was strange to say the least. He wondered if it had something to do with his suddenly being free of the collar, then snorted softly, wondering just what difference that would make. Maybe it had something to do with his own behaviour... Lex had been acting weird since Mike got back.. and he knew he was a bit off when his brother was around.. more so now...

He suddenyl stopped dead in his tracks as a thought hit him, then he snorted again and shook it off. True Mike did have a boyfriend in the past.. but Nate hadn't seen any sign of him flirting with guys since he married Sylvie. And Lex wasn't his type anyhow... although it might explain why Lex was suddenly so nervous.. especailly now that they'd had the fight.. he might be afraid he'd find out and go after Mike over it.

"Ye better not have, Mikey..." he said softly as he looked back towards the door to the hall. "Ye keep yer damned hands t' yerself or there''l be hell t pay.."

 

Mike, after spending the night out in the gauntlet then down at the pub with his cousin Duncan, was now systematically taking his... neices... room apart. His sons had long since been ushered away by their mother, who wasn't speaking to him at the moment. Of course, that was fine with him. Everything he had to say to her would only get his ears boxed by his mother anyhow.

He shoved the dismantled bed a bit closer against the wall and started stacking the boxes beside it. His mother had already been in yelling at him that he was being an irrational ass and that he should leave things alone... but he just couldnt bare to see any of it. He'd gone through the house late last night ripping down any pictures of her... and Nate. He would've taken a turn at his room as well, but his mother had locked the door on him.

They both thought he was mad for taking it out on Tamara. They didn't understand. Everything he'd done and become, was because of her. He'd been cosidering breaking things off with Sylvie when he found out she was pregnant. That was why he'd gone ahead and married her. That was why he'd pulled out of Chaos Inc. and threw his energy into the council and the rest of the family work. That was why they were still together and now had the boys as well.

He'd given up everything... all his dreams and hopes.. all of it... because he was going to be a father. He'd decided to step up and take resonsibility. Do what was right.

And after all this time, after everything he sacrificed.. he finally finds out that it wasn't HIS responisbility to take.

He looked donw at the toy in his hands and threw it against the far wall, watching it shatter before turning and storming from the room.

He didn't know what hurt more... that the daughter he gave up everything for wasn't even his daughter....

.. or that his brother was the one that had betrayed him.

"E'...." Nate said softly as he watched Lex across the room as the red head was working on some paperwork. Eire gave a soft grunt form here he was busy cleaning his desert eagle. "Have ye noticed LEx actin' strange lately?" he asked. "I mean... th' past couple days th' boys been... down right weird whenever he's been around me... has he sid anythin' t' ye?"

Eire looked up then over at Lex. "Nah... haven't spoke to him much since the party. He's been keepin' pretty much to himself. Think he's missin' Faal. The two of them were gettin' rather close."

Nate raised an eyebrow. "Well... he's Lex' guardian... and all th' fae mystical crap tha' goes with it...Plus.. he's a good guy. Lex deserves good friends like tha'. An' what d' ye mean, missin' him... where'd he go?"

Eire snorted as he returned his attention to his gun. "Paris... somethin' t' do with a family emergency or somethin' of the sort." he shot Nate a look. "He left right after Kay and Xander got back form Hell..." he ignored Nate's answering snort. "Well.. guess ye had other things on yer mind...As fer th the other thing... I meant... I rather got the impression there was somethin more t' it between them... or at least form the wy Faal looked at him th' odd time." he gave a shrug. "I don't know.... it was weird... sometimes ye just got the impression that he ws looking at Lex.. but seein' someone else..."Nate saw an odd smirk creep over Eire face. "An' Lex.. well... Lex has always had his eye on someone else..."

Nate riased an eyebrow. "Who? I know th; boy as well as ye do... I havenae seen him makin' eyes at anyone..."

Eire just snorted as he finished and sliped the gun back into it's holster. "When ye figure it out.. ye might have yer answer as to why he;s been actin' odd." he said simply and walked past Nate heading for the stairs. Nate watched him go then snorted softly. "Some best friends.. one's actin' all weird an' avoidin' me.. an' th' other acts like he knows why but won;t bloody tell me." he muttered softly and headed over to wher Lex was filing the finished paperwork away.

He watched him for a moment, sure there was something different about him but not able to put his finger on it. Maybe it was his hair.. it was a bit longer then he remembered.. or maybe it was just the way he had to pulled back. "Lex." he said softly, making the red head jump and give a startled shriek as he spun around. "Sorry.. I didnae mean t' scare ye. About last night..."

Lex was blushing again as he tried to slip past him, but Nate moved just enough to block him into the corner with the file cabinet. "No Lexi... no runnin'... tell me what's goin on with ye. I'm worried about ye." he said softly.

Lex looked up and Nate noticed how wet his eyes looked as if he was about to cry. "Ah shite.. Lexi... I'm sorry, mate.. don't...I didnae mean ..." he stammered then suddenly reached out and pulled the startled red head into his arms. "I'm sorry. What ever I did t' have ye actin' so frightened an' nervous around me.. I'm sorry. Please, lad... don't cry. Ye break m' heart when ye look like tha'." he said softly.

He'd felt Lex stiffen in his arms and was worried he'd pull away again. But now he could feel him relaxing and leaning into him. He didn't know what made him do it, but it had felt right. He'd always tried to avoid stuff like this... first because Lex had been through so much and hurt so badly by men, he didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable.
And secondly.... because he'd always felt something for the delicate little fire elemental and he hadn't wanted to get his own heart tangled up in something that was the exact opposite of what Lex needed.

Nate sighed and wrapped his arms a bit tighter around him. Now that he'd taken that step he found he didn't want to let go. "Lexi darlin'... what's troublin' ye so?" he asked softly as he slipped one hand up to gently caress his hair.

He thought for a moment that this time he was going to get an answer. Instead, Lex gave a sudden cry and shoved him back on the balls of his feet, breaking free and running from the room.

Nate just leaned back until thumped into the wall. "What th' bloody fuckin' hell is goin' on..?" he asked softly, completely stunned. He fought the urge to run after him and instead snatched his jacket off his chair and headed out to the main desk to check on assignments. Just holding him had started him thinking and he shoved those thoughts aside. Lex obviously was in no shape to deal with that... and besides... he had a daughter to think of now. What would she think if her dad suddenl;y started dating another guy? He sighed softly and tried to ignore the soft floral scent that clung to him from where Lex had been pressed against him a moment earlier as he checked the board and grabbed a likelt looking job. Bad news... it wasn't going to work.. he'd know that from the start.. that was why he'd always held back and focused on being the kids friend. And by his actions lately, it was obvious tha Lex wasn't....

Nate stopped in his tracks causing Lucy to look up curiously at him. "Ah shite... son of a bitch..." he muttered to no one in particular as it suddenyl all made sense. "Fuck." he added a bit louder and kicked at the desk for good measure. "bloody fuckin' hell... yer blind as a friggin' bat, Nathaniel.. ye fuckin' jack ass..." he muttered to himself the entire way to his car where he tossed the folder on the seat beside him and rested his foreheaad on the steering wheel to gather his thoughts and decide what to do.

 

 

 

Faal sat at the small table on the balcony over looking the dance floor and watched the spunky blonde fae on the floor beneath him dancing. He sighed again and rubbed his forehead. He wasn't sure why he'd agreed to come all the way here. He'd never particularly liked Paris... or any part of France for that matter. And it irritated him that there wasn't any particular reason for his dislike.... he just didn't feel comfortable when he was in the country... there was this constant feeling like he should be doing something... like there was something he should know that he didn't...

He waved off the waitress as she started to head towards him and forced himself to stop rtubbing ahis forehead. The music was too loud for his tastes, and he could feel the bass reverberating in his chest and watch the surface of his drink ripple from it. He'd had a headache since he walked through the door.

The blonde was still dancing... if it could be called that. From what he could tell, they didn't seem to be doing much more then jumping around...

He snorted softly as he reached for his drink. At least it wasn't disco... Sweet Terra but he'd hated disco...

"Have you talked to her yet?" a soft voice whispered near his ear and he sighed as he looked over his shoulder at his uncle. Gillorn Pendragon's current glamour made him look younger then his nephew.. but that was nothing new... nor was the long flowing honey blonde hair or the vibrant blue eyes.. these were all things he used in most of his glamours. The purple and blue streaks in the hair and the leather pants and long purple trench coat however were definatly new. Faal snorted as Gillorn took a chair beside him and flipped it around so that he was straddling it. "trying to fit in?" he asked.

Gill ignored him, his own eyes locked on the girl dancing below. "Have you?"

"Yes... I have spoken with her. She doesn't want anything to do with you... for now. Which I believe means, if you back off and leave her alone, she may decide to change her mind about you." he said, taking another drink.

"She's my daughter, Ellander.. I can't just walk away..."

Faal sighed and caught himself about to rub his forhead again. "Uncle... you don't know her. You only just found out she even existed a couple days ago. She, however, has always known about you. Let her be. When she's ready to get to know you, she'll come to you." He sighed again and finished off his drink. He already knew he was wasting his breath. Gillorn had his mind set and that was that.

Unfortunately, his daughter seemed to have the same stubborn streak, and she's set her mind as well.

To his surprise Gillorn turned his attenion away from the girl and looked him in the eye. "Ellander... most of my life has been spent alone with nothing and no one I truly loved. First I had my sister.. your mother... but Teliveer took her from me. Then there was you, but he took you as well. For the longest time after that, I had nothing and no one. A few affairs hjerfe and there, of pasing friendships... but no one... special." he said softly. If Faal had been mortal he wouldn't have heard him at all over the music.
"Uncle.."

Gilorn raised a hand to stop him. "When I finally decided to break my fathers law and seek you out, I thought I lost everything in exchange for finding you. Instead, I have a new, albeit, fragile relationship with my father as well as you. Ellander... since you were born I've loved you as I would my own son. That hasn't changed in all these years and has only grown stronger over the past years with you. But now.... now I find that I have someone else. someone who is as much a part of my heart and soul as you are. I can't just walk away. I can't."

Faal sighed and looked back down at the floor, looking breifly for the blonde and seeing her on the far side of the room dancing with yet another guy. "I'll keep trying, uncle. Perhaps I can wear her down to the point where she'll agree to see you just to get rid of me.."

Gillonr laughed softly. "I think you're confusing yourself with your brother. You charm people into giving you want you want without even trying... Estehl tends to irritate them into doing the same thing."

Faal snorted, then shook his head, smirking. He looked up to see his uncle bouncing in his seat, the chair tipped back on it's legs. The sparkle in his eyes told him that his agreeing to keep trying was enough to lift his uncle's mood, and with the outrageous changes to to his normal chosen glamour, he actually did fit in. "Go on..." he said with a smirk. "I'll keep an eye on her for you."

Gillorn grinned and bounced to his feet. "Thank you, Ellander. I knew I could count on you. Care to dance? We can grab a couple of those young ladies that have been watching us."

Faal glanced over at the trio of scantily clad girls at the bar who were bsuy eyeing them and giggling into their drinks. He snorted. "No thank you. I think I'll sit this one out. Go have your fun."

Gillorn spared him a slight shake of his head. "Let go, Ell.. stop being such a damned elf. Have some fun.. you know you want to."

Faal watched his uncle sprint across the space between them and the bar before he even had time to answer. A moment later and he was boucing donw the stairs to the dance floor with all three ladies, the four of them laughing. Faal shook his head, a smirk growing on his face as he watched his uncle acting like the party loving kid he appeared to be.

"He doesn't know the meaning of the words 'fuck off', I take it?"

Faal laughed softly as the blonde slipped onto the the empty chair beside him, sitting aside the same as his uncle had. "I'm sure he does... he's just extremely good at ignoring the knowledge. He's extremely good at ignoring anything and everything that doesn't fit with what he wants." he sighed again and offered a saof smile to her. "Threnidiel... would it kill you to have lunch with him? Whether you like it or not, he IS your father and he's not going away until he gets to talk to you. Trust me... he can be the most irritatingly persisant person..."

Threni snorted and propper her elbow n the table, her chin resting on her hands as she watched Gillorn. "Yeah... pain in the ass." she muttered softly, but he caught a faint smirk.

"Already getting to you, is he?"

She looked over at him suddenly, her face going carefully blank. "don't be ridiculous."

Faal just snorted. "I suppose it's something that you'll at least speak to me. I heard you refer to me as your cousin earlier, so I know you accept me as family. He'll be glad to know that, at least."

One delicate eyebrow arched, the florescent purple and blue spiked ball on the eyebrow piercing catching the light even more and seeming to glow. "You didn't tell him?"

Faal couldn't comepletely hide his own smirk as he shrugged. "I deserve some fun in all this... let him suffer a bit longer, thinking you're completely against all of it."

She smirked and reached to poke him in the chest. "Bastard."

Faal chuckled softly and gave another shrug. "It doesn't matter really... sooner or later I'll get the two of you together and he'll find out and plot his revenge.... then I'll have to find a way to get back at him..." he smirked, his eyes twinkling. "Trust me... I owe him. "

Threni eyed him curiously for a moment then grabbed hold of his pony tail and gave a tug. "What did he do? Spill or I chop it off."

Faal smirked, the raised an eyebrow as she produced a knife. He didn't think she actually would, but it didn't pay to try to call the bluff of a Pendragon.. they tended to be stubborn enough to follow through and make the bluff real. "He spiked my shampoo with food colouring."

He watched her face contrort as she tried to contain her mirth, but he eyes were dancing. "What colour?"

Faal eyed the knife where it danced perilously close to his hair. "Pink. I suppose it was suppose to be red... but the amount of colour versus being diluted with shampoo..." The resulting laughter drew several stares fomr the bar and surrounding tables. "Finished?"

"He did that? He dyed your hair pink?" she asked when she managed to stop laughing. Faal just nodded. "Did he get photos?"

Faal snorted. "None that I've seen so far... but I have no doubt he has them and is merely saving them for another opportunity. I've never been so glad of being fae and having the ability to cast glamours."

Threni laughed again and he found himself laughing with her. He genuinely liked the fiery yougn woman and hoped he could make peace between her and his uncle. "If I managed to get my hands on one of them for you ... would you agree to meet with him?"

The look she shot him made him bite back his smirked. She let go of his hair and played with the knife, spinning it tip down on the table. "You'd seriously do that? Hand over an embarassing and potentialy humiliating photo to me .. just to get me to talk to my father? You? Mr. Prime and Proper Perfect Gentleman? I know about all your buisness ventures an what not... I could make you a laughingstock..."


He nodded slowly. "Yes, I'm sure you could. But I think you like me too much to do that. "

She studied him for a while longer, not saying anything, only the amusement sparkling in her eyes betryaing her thoughts. She looked donw at her father then turned back to him with a smirk. "Forget the photo... let me help you get him and give me photographic souveneirs of it... and I'll agree to meet with him."

Faal raised an eyebrow and smirked in return. "Interesting deal... we do have rules you know.. nothing damaging, either physically , mentaly or reputation wise. And nothing permanent."

Threni bit her lip thoughtfully then nodded. "I can work with that." she said with a smirk. "Deal?"

Faal glanced donw to his uncle then nodded, smiling softly. "Deal.. cousin."

threnidiel beamed and bounced form her chair to place a kiss on the top of his head. "Excellent. I'll catch you later and we can start plotting... Elly. In the mean time.. my friend is in need of some encouragement to get him onto the dance floor." she said and vanished.

A moment later he saw her reappear dragging a familiar looking young red head out onto the floor. He found himself suddeny standing at the rail, looking down, his eyes glued to the slight figure. As if sensing he was being watched, the red head looked up and Faal felt his heart race. It wasn't Lex... no inverted tear drop graced his face and the eyes were a deeper green... but he was identical other wise.

He suddenly knew he had to meet him. This was what he'd felt when he first met Lex, this feeling of connection... only a thousand times stronger. His heart lept within his chest as he saw the shy smile turned his way before Threnidiel dragged him from view.

Suddenly everything his uncle had been telling him about the Seal and his role as a guardian made sense. When he'd found out he was a Guardian then met Lexine and felt that connection... he'd assumed that was what it was... but now he knew...

He wasn't Lex's Guardian...

... and Lex wasn't the mysterious redhead that haunted his dreams...

"I have to meet him..." he said softly, but finding himself unable to move from his spot. Instead, he continued to stand at the rail and search the crowd below, hopeing for just one more glimpse of that shy smile....