In the light of the moon (cw)

His words always got to her, making her body react even without knowing it fully. She let her hands fall by her head as he moved over her. Her body aching for him, but also aching from having so much of him. She sometimes wished she could heal as fast as a demon so that they could continue forever like this. It was silly to think this way, but her thoughts disappeared as she felt his tongue. He was gentle, but small whimpers still escaped her lips between her moans. It was always like a piece of heaven when he did something like this, making her body shiver. She looked down her body, watching him as he slowly came closer, this tongue tracing her small trail. Feeling his tongue and lips made her moan softly. He pulled away and she opened her eyes carefully, watching his face as he spoke. Biting her lip she couldn’t really disagree with him. It wasn’t too bad, but she knew if they continued their games could get quite wild. Nodding carefully she laid herself closer to him, closing her eyes as she just enjoyed his scent. Her body still felt the euphoria, but laying here and breathing in the hint of lavender was all she needed. His hands were almost teasing her, she smiled, looking at him as he kissed her cheek. As he spoke she closed her eyes, running her fingers down his chest, just feeling him close.

”Walking is overrated when you can fly,” she teased, but she knew that they had to stop while they were ahead. They did have the rest of eternity to play more games, but she somehow wanted everything right now. She opened her eyes, looking at him with her gentle eyes as she moved her hand up to his cheek, caressing it in small strokes. ”I’d love for a shower,” she said with a smile. Eaden knew how much she loved showers, the more the better, but even better when Eaden joined. She sat up, making a small frown as she felt how sore she was, but she got to her feet regardless. Taking his hand she pulled him with her, turning on the water and pulling him closer as they waited for the heat to kick in. She sighed and leaned her head against his chest. ”My heart still hurts,” she whispered carefully. It was only honesty she dealt in right now. Maybe it was the thought of what she had to tell Jake. Maybe it was that she hadn’t quite forgiven herself and Eaden for all of this. ”Will that ever go away?” she whispered, scared of what the answer might be.

Her tease made him chuckle heartily as he shook his head, "I think I should have been the angel," he said as he caressed her body with gentle long strokes of his palm, feeling a calmness fall over them as their hearts slowly returned to a regular beat. He sighed at her sweet caress and smiled lightly at her words, looking at her with eyes of content, "I know that," he said. He watched her sit up and followed soon after, ready to grab her if she was unsteady. He did feel a bit exhausted himself, yet he knew that he wasnt that easy to tire in this matter. He followed her lead as they got out in the shower, feeling the lukewarm water heat up against their damp bodies, feeling the water slowly rinse off the traces of their lovemaking. He wrapped his arms around her and placed his head on top of hers as he closed his eyes. Her whisper made him tense his lips together shortly as he calmly rubbed the water into her skin on her back. His heart wasnt healed fully, but he knew it was slowly getting there. But regardless of his heart's condition, he needed her close, needed to feel his missing piece in his embrace. Her question made him sigh as he lifted his head and looked at her. "Eventually, it will," he said, as he frowned in concern, "If you let it," he added as he looked down at her. He sighed and lifted his face, closing his eyes as he felt the water sprinkle down on his face. After a bit he moved his head back down and shifted between her eyes, trying to catch her gaze, "I cant imagine how you feel. It must be hard to be with me when you told Jake that you wouldnt choose me," he then said, a sad look in his eyes. He hated Jake, he hated him with a burning passion, but he was worried about her feelings.

Holding back a chuckle wasn’t an option as she giggled at his words. His strokes helping to calm her down was nice, sending small tingles through her body. Getting under the water, them wrapping their arms around each other felt awfully good. She let her head rest against his chest, smiling slightly as she felt his hands move around and his head resting on hers. Hearing his heart beat behind his ribcage gave her some peace, but she still had to tell how it was. They might have gotten a good part of the way, but Dinah still felt like it would take more than just talking and being together like this. However she had been surprised at how she had felt their connection getting stronger, and it was what had healed a lot of her heart. His words made her nod, rubbing her cheek against his barren chest. At times he sounded so much like their father, but she didn’t mind. Eaden was Eaden. She looked at him, feeling the water make it’s way through her long hair. She looked down at his words. What she had said or hadn’t said could change. ”I honestly never thought you would want me back,” she whispered. She had threathened his life, found love in another and now he seemed more concerned with her words spoken. She took his hand in hers looking up at him. ”And I wouldn’t have chosen you if things would have remained the same as before,” she said. Dinah was honest to the bone, she might only have told Eaden a lie once or twice in their lifetime.

”If all you wanted was to reclaim me and keep the patterns, then I wouldn’t have been here right now,” she said, looking up at him with tender eyes, a bit of sadness behind her eyes. ”I never imagined that we could change, and I know we still have to prove that this is the right thing for each other, but I can just feel it,” she said, swallowing as she looked at him, leaning up to place a sweet kiss on his chin. ”We’ve always been all or nothing, but this time we have room to love others; I have room to find the love I’ve needed from father and I think you’ll realize soon enough that you need some parental love as well,” she said as she carefully started soaping in his body. Dinah was thorough, getting every corner of his body and scrubbing him clean. It finally felt alright to touch all of him. He had said it was alright, but sometimes her eyes wandered up to greet his, check if it was still alright.

Her whisper made him frown in confusion as he lowered his chin like he wasnt sure of her words. He looked down at their hands before he looked back up at her. He made a sad motion with his mouth as he looked away for a bit, "I am still the same me," he argued, but he knew that he was slowly changing. It had been huge steps for him today but there was still a lot of things in him that he knew he had to work on.
He nodded as he listened, not really interrupting her as he wanted to hear what she had to say. His free hand caressed her arm and glided up to her shoulder as his eyes stayed on her. He was glad to hear that she believed in them, as now when his demon side had calmed, he did feel a little doubtful of himself. A slight fright of just having been able to accept this at thought that he could get her back showed in his eyes, he looked a bit away as she kissed his chin, making a small smile at the sweetness. He looked back at her and listened, as happy as he felt for her, he sure knew that he couldnt just let their father back into his life. He shook his head, "I dont know if it would be his love that I need," he said truthfully as he sighed.
He let her wash his body, letting her know that it was alright. He pulled her close as she had finished and made a more joyous smile this time as he started moving her around, rubbing the soap off on her body. He grabbed the soap and returned the favor. His face suddenly turned to the door as his senses picked up on something vibrating in the room, but only barely as the water was drowning out most of the noise. He looked back at her before he turned off the water and listened carefully. "I didnt bring my phone so it's yours," he said as he turned to her. Suddenly it stopped and he sighed. "You should probably check it. It could be important," he said as he kissed her forehead gently, grabbing the showerhead to remove the soap from her body.

The voicemail:
"... Hey Dinah, it's Jake.... Um, so I just had the weirdest shit happen to me..." ... " It felt like a forgotten memory coming back I... I cant explain it.." Jake sighed and a rustling was heard like he was fiddling with something that fell, "It's about your brother Eaden... I think I saw him die," he then explained before he went on to explain how it was her future and his past and it was a very complicated thing for him. He sighed in the end. "Let's talk soon," he then said, beeps soon followed as the call ended. "Do you want to save this message?" an electronic voice asked. "Press 1 for yes... Press 2 for no,"

As he said he was still the same she shook her head. He might feel it like that, but it was the willingness to change that made her believe he had changed. It was true that it might not be their father’s love he needed, but he did long for some parental love. Maybe finding their mother would put both of them more at ease, and he had seemed to bond with Buffy. She finished soaping him in and chuckled as he started rubbing his soap off on her before returning her gesture. She sighed, closing her eyes as she enjoyed his hands all over, that was until she felt him distracted and she opened her eyes once more. He didn’t look her in the eye, it felt strange and he suddenly cared about who called her. She let him rinse her off, grabbing a towel and placing a gentle kiss against his cheek before moving out into the room. Walking over to her overalls and rummaging the pockets to find her phone. A voicemail from Jake. She sighed, feeling her nerves react in her body. She decided to listen to the voicemail, and she could hear something was off. She was quick to call Jake, hoping he would pick up. It felt like eternity, hearing the ringing tone of the phone. She heard the noise of the phone getting picked up. ”Jake,” she said in a breathless voice, clear fear in her system after listening to his voicemail. ”Let’s meet up now, I’m with Eaden right now … I’m scared to look at his life span,” she said in a shaky voice, trying to keep herself down. ”I’ll bring him along, I-I need you to tell me everything,” she whispered, clearly in pain. They agreed to meet at their spot at the mansion, even though it would be awkward with both Eaden and Jake there together with her, she couldn’t think of anywhere else where it would be safe. She hung up, quickly getting dressed as she turned to look directly into Eaden’s eyes. His lifespan was rapidly decreasing. What was going on? It had always stood still, never changed and now it was plummeting like it was skydiving.

”Eaden, I-I need you to come with me to see Jake, please,” she said. She couldn’t bring herself to leave him alone, purely fearing that she would not get to see him again. She took his hand, a water droplet moving from her wet hair until it ran under her shirt. Dinah could barely look him in the eyes, fearing to see his life force disappearing. She took his hand as he had gotten dressed and moved quickly through the streets of Gaia. Flying would have been faster, but her body was still aching after what they had done, and she knew she wouldn’t be steady on her wings. Getting to their spot she saw Jake and ran to him, embracing him before she looked at him with a serious gaze. ”Tell me everything that you know,” she begged.

Jake picked up the phone and sighed as he was expecting her to be shaken up by his words, "You're with Eaden?" he asked, voice full of confusion as he then seemed to exhale deeply as she said she would bring him along, "Alright, meet me at the usual spot," he said. He was just about to add a question to why she was with Eaden, but the line was cut off and he was left with a suspicious look in his eyes looking at the phone.

Eaden stepped out of the shower soon after and pulled a towel over his waist, grabbing another towel for his hair. He stepped out with the towel over his head and looked at Dinah with a smile that quickly faded as he could easily see that something was wrong. When he saw the look in her eye, he knew what she was seeing, "Dinah, what do you..." he was cut off by her and raised an eyebrow as she mentioned Jake. Did he have something to do with this? He pulled the towel off his hair and grabbed his clothes to get dressed. When he was ready he squeezed her hand and followed her.

Jake stood by the lake looking out at the water as they approached him. He turned his head and walked towards Dinah, wrapping his arms around her as he lifted her off the ground. Eaden cleared his throat in silence and decided to look at the lake instead, keeping his distance. He felt his jealousy rise rapidly but decided to stay away so he couldnt act on it. Jake opened his eyes to look at Eaden before he looked at Dinah, placing her on the ground. "It's like it's slowly coming back to me. It's happened before when I meet people of the past, though they never died," he looked to Eaden who had turned his eyes to him, frowning a bit as he was bit by bit trying to piece everything together, yet he knew it was something about him. Jake looked back at Dinah. "It didnt feel like me, but I saw it through my own eyes like I did it. I dont think I did it Dinah," he explained as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I think I saw someone else through those eyes, killing your brother," he said. Eaden widened his eyes shortly before he looked out at the lake again. Was he going to die? He felt his heart sink and he grabbed onto a small tree near the lake, staring down at the waterline, not really knowing what to think or say.
Jake closed his eyes for a bit. "It's gonna happen at the cemetery, Eaden and something not human. I dont know what it was," he opened them and looked at Dinah. He widened his eyes and placed a hand over his forehead, "Shit it's changing Dinah, oh fuck," he mumbled as he let out a frustrated groan, feeling his mind change like this was exhausting. Eaden looked to Jake with angry eyes, Jake looked back at him and shook his head, "Eaden whatever you're thinking stop it" he begged in frustration as he kept shaking his head. Eaden clenched his jaw and looked away. Jake sighed. "He cant be here, him being here keeps changing it," he said as he looked down at Dinah. Eaden gritted his teeth, "If I'm going to die, I'm not leaving her," - "You have to," - "Not a chance in hell," he said in a serious tone as he glanced at the werewolf.

Dinah didn’t feel like she had time to explain, but it seemed like her brother picked up on the seriousness of it all. Her heart was pounding in her chest, but not from all the pleasure she had felt, no from pure fear and frustration. She didn’t understand, but wanted to get to the bottom of this, and maybe that was what drove her forward. She trusted Jake and he wouldn’t call on her like this, not when they had agreed to think things through. She did realize that she would have to explain the situation with Eaden, especially as she had brought him along, but first she greeted the tall werewolf. He picked her off the ground as if she was nothing more than a feather, but placed her back just as carefully as if she was made of glass. Dinah felt a bit guilty, but Eaden had promised to understand that things weren’t going back to what it used to be. They needed to build something better together, and she still needed Jake in some way. Eaden seemed to keep his distance, but she didn’t like that, even if the werewolf weren’t a person he liked, she still wanted her brother close. Especially with his life span being so quick to decrease. As Jake told what he had seen, she felt her eyes water, but she blinked them away, looking to Eaden from time to time.

Jake began to mumble and Dinah instinctively placed a hand on his upperarm, giving it a squeeze. Dinah looked to her brother with concern as Jake told him to stop his train of thought. What was going on? ”Ead,” Dinah said in a weak voice. The last thing she wanted was to lose her brother, and seeing as they had started mending their bond, would that all have been for nought? She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, calming herself so she could use her head. She was scared, oh how scared the angel was in this moment. Funny how death could make Death tremble like this. ”You two stop it, I can’t think!” she exclaimed as they started bickering. She opened her eyes and looked to both of them. Both she loved, in different ways and for different reasons, but the love was there. Dinah took a few more deep breaths before she stepped away from Jake to walk to her brother. She felt like she had to be the mediator between the two guys, and it felt awful. She looked up at her brother, distraught at the situation, but she had to trust Jake on this. ”Ahuvi, please listen to me carefully,” she pleaded, taking his hand in hers. She wasn’t chosing anyone over the other in this, but she had to know that Eaden would be safe. ”Jake is not from our time, so what he says he has seen has already happened to him – I want you to go and stay with father, just until I am sure what I can do to prevent this,” she said. Sometimes she sounded so clearheaded when in reality her mind was fogged with worry and concern. ”I can’t lose you and we agreed to be together for eternity, so if I need to get on my knees and beg, I will,” she said in a silent voice. She felt distraught, so many thoughts popping in and out of her head as she looked at her brother. She wanted to kiss him, but would that upset Jake? Dinah sighed. ”Ani ohevet otcha, (I love you),” she said in their native tongue, placing a hand on his cheek. She didn’t want him to leave. She wanted to keep him by her side, but that would risk his life, and she was not foolish.

Dinah looked to Jake and sighed before she looked down. To him she would probably look weird, having run back to the man she said she didn’t want to be with, and to top it off it was her brother. She prayed that Eaden left and stayed out of trouble, but to be sure she shot a text off to their father, yet again asking for help regarding her brother. Dinah looked to Jake, walking over to him, feeling rather defeated. ”I know I have a lot to explain, but can you please tell me every detail from your memory?” she asked, feeling a bit timid.

Their little discussion didnt get far even though Jake was about to throw back a few snappy words, hadnt Dinah broken in and told them to stop. Eaden frowned a bit and looked away. Was it hard to understand that he just wanted to be near her? Jake sighed his frustration out and hoped that Dinah could change his mind.
Eaden looked at Dinah as she took his hand, sighing deeply as he wasnt this snappy with Jake to frustrate her. He listened to her and glanced at Jake as she spoke, the werewolf staring at them with narrow eyes. Eaden could see the conflict in him, let alone feel the desire he had for his sister, making him quite unwilling to leave her side, even if he said that she could love others. He looked back at her and shook his head as she said she would beg if needed. "You know I dont want that," he said in a low vulnerable voice. Her native words gave him a sad smile on his lip as he felt her hand on his cheek. He placed his hand over hers, "Akiva brest" (Always in my heart) he whispered, something he had heard their father say to their mother over and over. He caught Jake in the corner of his eye and knew that he couldnt just kiss her. He moved out of her grip and swallowed as he moved away. He turned his eyes back to her, blinking a few times to stop his eyes from watering before he went on to make his leave.

Jake rubbed his temples as Eaden left them and took a moment to sit down while he collected his thoughts. Mostly he was too occupied by wanting to know how they seemed to have made up all of a sudden, as he couldnt really understand it. He had thought that they wouldnt be on speaking terms and now they seemed close - It was worrying and he felt as if she had already made her choice. He looked out on the lake and closed his eyes for a bit, trying to remember his father's words about keeping focus. If there's a problem that needs solving, you need to keep your mind clear from intruding thoughts. I'm not saying you should let your thoughts go, but solving the problem should be your main priority, Kyle's voice resounded in his head like had he just said this a few minutes ago, only that it was a very long time ago. But he didnt understand, why had Kyle told him to be a problem fixer, he was the troublemaker, the last person to fix anything at all. He sighed deeply and opened his eyes.
"Sorry, I just had to shift my focus," he apologized, knowing he had been sitting there for a while. He leaned his head back and looked at the afternoon sky as he sighed deeply. "I need to know first," he said, clearly not being able to keep his focus on the task at hand. "Did you choose him?" he then asked as he looked at her with sad eyes that didnt understand what he had been seeing. The touch, the caring after all that had happened. Maybe they truly were the sun and the moon, but Jake didnt want that. He felt like the stars that had to watch the moon chase the sun, always still, only able to watch as his own love fueled the bright light that never moved. Fuck he hated this feeling.

Dinah hated this, as it felt like she sent Eaden away, but it was for the best. If he and Jake kept bickering she might lose it, considering the serious circumstances. Eaden’s whisper sent chills down her spine and she nodded looking as he disappeared. It hurt. It felt like she was chosing Jake over Eaden, although she wasn’t. She hadn’t really chosen, besides deciding to devote herself to her brother. Living without Eaden was not a posibility. He was the moon and she was the sun, always chasing each other and not one capable to be without the other to keep the Earth alive and well. She stood for a while, watching where he had disappeared before she walked over to Jake. She felt too nervous of everything to sit down and just watched the water. She still loved him. Jake meant something greater than first planned, and she was scared to let go. Scared of losing him. The angel kept silent until the werewolf spoke and she sighed shaking her head. He didn’t have to apologize. As he said he needed to know something she felt herself scared for some reason and as he asked she bit her lip and looked to the water again. ”I have told him everything, how I feel about you and how I just can’t delete those feelings I have for you,” she said taking a deep breath. She sat down next to him, leaning her head against his shoulder. ”Jake, I don’t know what to tell you, because I love you – I just can’t ignore the history I have with Eaden,” she said with a sad voice. Did she look pathetic? Having run back to her brother like it would appear to Jake right now. Dinah shifted her gaze, looking at Jake’s blue eyes, feeling a bit lost in this whole ordeal. ”I have to trust that things can change; hell he even said he would be alright with me loving you, even though he won’t be,” she said, closing her eyes to focus.

”I haven’t chosen, because this isn’t a choice – I love Eaden in one way and you in another,” she said with closed eyes. She expected a scolding. Him telling her that she was twisted and had lost every respect he held for her. ”I am giving him a chance because he has begun changing, I can just feel it in my gut and to be honest … If he hadn’t shown any wish to change, I wouldn’t be sitting here,” she said. She cared for Eaden on a deep level. He was her brother and lover alike, but the bond they had was something out of this world. She did feel guilty for not being with Jake, but what good would that guilt do? It would always be there, because Dinah was not one to just stop loving. ”Go ahead and yell at me all you want, it won’t change,” she sighed and looked out to the water again. It was calm, and she almost felt like jumping in the cool water. That day when they had met she had felt so happy. Gaining a friend was something she found almost magical, but the attraction to Jake had even been there. ”I just need to know everything, everything that can help me prolong his life,” she whispered feeling her stomach twist and turn at the thought of losing her brother.

He felt her lean on his shoulder but he couldnt answer her. He didnt really know what to say. Her words were both comforting and hurting at the same time. He looked at her and shifted between her green grey eyes, before he looked back at the lake. He blinked a few times as she said Eaden was alright with her loving him. It was clear that the demon wasnt okay with it, Jake had seen it. A sigh left his mouth. She hadnt chosen she said, yet it seemed that she had. Jake hadnt really come to a conclusion with his feelings yet, but this just made him feel like it wouldnt matter. He shook his head and said nothing.
He felt hurt by her words, how could he not be? He didnt think she would have gone back to him, but he couldnt believe it was her seeking him out, it had to be him seeking her out. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, shaking his head, "How do you know he's not just playing you?" he then asked, the muscles around his eyes tightening as he was genuinely worried despite hurting. She told him he could yell at her and a part of him wanted to, yet he couldnt. "Everyone here yells. It's all they do when they're angry. So I wont," he said in a sad tone as he looked out on the water again, scratching the side of his finger as he sighed deeply. Sure he was angry about it, but he wasnt really the kind of person to yell, not at someone he loved. Kyle had taught him that, with the love he had shown Abigal and despite the fights that their parents could have, Kyle had never raised his voice with her. Jake wanted to be the same. He nodded at her whisper and rubbed his forehead, shaking his head while he ruffled up his curls. "He had the same look like he did when I hugged you, I see it so clearly," he said in a low tone as he gulped, trying to make out what the memory was trying to tell him.
He frowned a bit, as he then looked around like something was bugging him. "Wait," he mumbled as he looked up at the trees and around. "It's gonna happen here now, not the cemetery," he said as he looked at Dinah with a face full of confusion. It made no sense, why was he seeing something through eyes that didnt feel like his? Did he have some sort of ability. He rubbed his temples hard and closed his eyes. "I dont know why I'm seeing it. It's not me," he mumbled as he looked back at the lake. "He cant be killed by regular things, that's what he said in the memory. But this beast snapped at him and caught his arm... The wound was almost oozing with infestation at the impact," he felt so confused and clenched his fists as he then slammed them to the ground, "I dont understand!" he exclaimed in frustration, pressing his palms against the sides of his head.

”I suppose I don’t know, but I am more than willing to take that chance,” she said with a shrug. She knew that her brother had a lot of wits, but with how she had seen him acting and hurting, she knew that he wouldn’t want anyone but her. Maybe that would change with times and his instinct would take over, but then she would have to worry about it then. ”I need to trust him, even if he has broken my trust before,” she said looking at Jake. Dinah knew she must’ve sounded like an idiot. His sad tone of voice made her nod. It wouldn’t help to yell at anyone, but sometimes it felt good just getting it out of ones system. To be honest, she wasn’t capable of chosing between Jake and Eaden like this, but she had to go with her gut feeling, and living without her brother was not an option. As Jake started to explain she felt a bit scared. That look? Dinah hadn’t seen it, but Jake sure knew it. He told her to wait and she felt awfully confused, but he quickly explained that his memory was changing. Here? Their safespace felt less safe now and she breathed out shaking her head.

”It’s true that he can’t be killed, unless it’s something either out of this world holy or something formed from pure darkness,” she nodded, she had seen a few times his ability in action, and last time he had gotten hurt was when her father’s hell hound decided to use him as a chew toy. The images of that dog getting beheaded and absorbed still haunted her mind. Dinah closed her eyes, trying to focus intently on what Jake said, but it felt so oddly similar to the discription of the hell hound. A beast going for his arm. She had seen that before, seen how his arm had oozed and the darkness corrupting some of his tan skin. She jumped a bit as he hit his fist into the ground, moving a bit away from him, as it didn’t feel as safe anymore. ”Calm down,” she said with a worry in her voice, getting to her feet in the same breath. ”It sounds like it’s you that is the beast,” she whispered a bit scared. Could Jake be the one to kill her brother? She felt her heart race at the thought, unease spreading through her system as she stood for a while just staring at him. She heard her phone vibrate again and took it out of her pocket, frowning at the message before she popped it back in her pocket again. Why was she texting her?

”I need to keep my distance from you,” she said, clear hurt in her voice as she didn’t want to. She wanted to stay and laugh and feel good, but what he had just told her had ruined this place. If her brother were to die here, she wouldn’t let herself or Eaden near this place. ”I need to look out for my family, and I can’t risk losing either of you,” she said as she closed her eyes. Don’t cry. Don’t feel. She tried. Tried using the things her grandfather had thaught her, but it was hard when all her body wanted to do was feel. Feel Jake’s breath on her skin and his arms around her, yet she couldn’t do that. She felt at a loss and took another step back, shaking her head as her eyes started watering beneath her eyelids.

"Then it must be some holy beast," he mumbled, feeling his mind tear at him with all the changes that kept rolling around. The place kept changing, but changing back to this, it seemed like it could happen in a moment or years from now. It was so frustrating to not be sure of it, it pissed him off beyond belief as he wanted to help her. His outburst was pure frustration, but he hadnt expected it to startle her. He felt the shame spread as she moved away and gulped to himself, "Sorry..." he whispered, sniffling a bit.
He exhaled deeply as she told him to calm down and felt it oddly easily to do as she commanded. Her whisper made him widen his eyes for a bit. Jake stared at her and shook his head frantically in denial as he got to his feet, "Dinah, please. It's not me, I swear," he begged as he reached out for her but stopped himself. Did she see him as a monster now? He ran his fingers through his hair and stared down at the ground, not really sure what to believe anymore. It didnt feel like him, it really didnt, why was she thinking it was him? He looked up at her and felt his eyes water at her words. "Please..." he whispered faintly, his voice breaking slightly as it seemed like his throat was tearing knots around itself. He felt his jaw clench tightly and his eyes slowly started to glow as he forced his eyes away from her. "It's not me..." he whispered, feeling his voice break as a few tears streamed down his face. He rubbed his face to feel the friction warm up between his hands and his face before he looked at her. "Dont go," he begged as he stepped towards her, lifting his hands out to grab hers. "Trust me when I say it's not me," his eyes were filled with sadness, begging her to just stay with him. He didnt feel in control if she was to leave him.

His sorry did little to make her feel at ease. This wasn’t safe anymore, not when her brother’s life seemed to be on the line. She watched him get to his feet and she wanted to place her arms around him, comfort him in this as she knew how it was to feel confused. Maybe not to that degree, but she still wanted to be there for him. ”Don’t swear on it – you say yourself that things keep changing, so it could be you, me or anyone for that matter,” she said with a weak voice. She didn’t want to put the blame on him, because she felt guilty. Had she not interacted with the werewolf like she had, they wouldn’t be in this mess right now. He kept begging, begging for her to stay and she really just wanted to stay. She opened her eyes as she felt his warm hand against hers. It seemed too warm right now and she sighed shaking her head. ”I don’t want to leave,” she whispered truthfully. Dinah took a step closer, wrapping her arms around the werewolf and breathing in his scent she felt more relaxed. ”I want to trust you, but right now I feel betrayed on both sides of my heart,” she said against the soft fabric of his shirt. She begged herself internally not to cry. Don’t feel. Don’t show the weakness. But with Jake she wanted to show just how weak she was right now. She was the angel of death and could apparently do nothing to stop her brother from dying from her. After a while she let go of him, looking up at him with sadness in her eyes, taking in small gulps of air when she remembered to do so. ”I’ll need to figure this out,” she said placing a palm against her forehead. She felt overwhelmed by all of this information, feeling like she was burning up. So many things were happening, and she felt like she was about to lose her grip on everything. ”Have you spoken with your father about this?” she asked as she closed her eyes. Kyle had been nice to her, speaking with her briefly about small topics that concerned her, but she far from knew him. She knew that he was a good father, as he had raised Kyle to be this great young man.

He felt her arms around him and sighed deeply. He didnt want to hurt her and yet here he was, hurting her. It felt like he was tearing his own heart apart and he had no idea how to stop it. When she let him go, he realized that she couldnt stay here. If she did stay, the memory would never clear, it would keep scrambling itself and confuse his mind. "He gets awfully philosophical at the mention of future and past. I havent told him," he admitted and sighed deeply. He shook his head and closed his eyes for a bit. "I wish I could have been more helpful. That it wasnt just this big mess in my head," he said, motioning with his hands around his head like everything was scrambled together. He sighed deeply and shook his head again as he opened his eyes. "Maybe it is me," he said in a defeated tone as he looked out on the lake. "I dont know," he mumbled as he walked over to the fireplace and sat down. He didnt want her to leave, he wanted her to stay. He heard her phone vibrate and blinked a few oncoming tears away. "It's probably important," he said in almost a faint tone as he covered his head with his hands.

Getting a hold of Eaden had proven to be quite a challenge. The demon had been so filled with anger and when he saw Baal, he just lost it. Apprehending his son wasnt something he enjoyed doing, but he feared that this was all an act on impulses. "Let me fucking go," he demanded as Baal sighed deeply, "How many times can you say that without getting tired of it?" he asked him in a wondering tone as he dragged Eaden with him, the demon trying his best to get free of the grip that was held on him. A hand got free and he smacked Baal across the face, stepping back to make a distance between them. "I dont need a babysitter," Eaden hissed. Baal felt the sore spot on the side of his face, the pain made the amulet move inside him. "Just come with me, it's what Dinah wants" Baal almost begged as he looked at his son. Eaden sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair. "Fucking... fine," he said as he then followed his father back to the apartment. When they got in, Baal's face got a weird expression as he rubbed his chest were the fragment laid. Eaden noticed and made an analyzing frown, "What's going on?" he asked, just as Baal gasped and clutched at his chest. He fell onto his knees and made a few more gasps for air, his face filled with confusion as to why the fragment was suddenly acting up. He clenched his teeth tightly and shook his head, feeling the dark energy spread within. Keep your distance, dont touch me, was what he wanted to say but no words would come out. Eaden stepped back and pulled up his phone, to text Dinah, in that moment he was unable to stop Buffy if she were to approach and touch his father.

Dinah didn’t like feeling like this, but comforting Jake was all she could do, even if felt like it didn’t help. She took a deep breath as he moved away and over to the fireplace. Maybe she wasn’t helping much by standing here, but she didn’t know what else to do. Could she change anything anyways? She felt at a loss. Her phone vibrating made her scrunch her face as she heard Jake mention it was probably important she nodded and took out her phone. Eaden’s text made little sense, but she felt a rush of emotions. Her heart felt like it stopped beating for a while and she grabbed her chest gasping shortly. ”I-I need to go,” she said, falling over her own words as she started running. No, running wasn’t fast enough, her wings expanded, groaning as her body was still soar, but she didn’t care. Her heart was racing and she knew that death was close. This was how it felt everytime someone close to her died. It had felt like this with mother. In time just in time, she pleaded in her own head as she fell to the ground. A rough landing, scraping her arm in the process, but she moved up to the apartment. ”Buffy, don’t!” she yelled, moving past Eaden and Baal to grab Buffy.

Buffy felt a bit confused, looking at Eaden and Baal as they entered. Her body felt weak and as Baal grabbed at his artifact she was quick to her feet, walking over to the two demons with a pained expression. She touched Baal as Dinah came through the door, pulling her away but it was too late. Buffy bent forward, gasping for air, before letting out a gut wrenching scream, placing a hand over her bump.

Dinah had pure panic in her eyes as she grabbed Buffy and pulled her to sit down, looking at the hybrid’s eyes, she knew. ”I’m sorry,” Dinah pleaded. She had been too late. A bit bewildered she looked back to her brother and father, begging with her faze for help. ”She’ll die,” Dinah whispered in fear before she turned her face back to Buffy, placing a hand over her bump and shook her head. Such a pure soul was already suffering more than good were. No, this wasn’t right. ”E-Eaden,” she pleaded, not looking at her brother as she kept her attention on keeping the child inside of Buffy alive. ””Get Samaira on the phone … Ask her to bring Kol if you can,” she said, trying to keep her head clear, but her hands were shaking.

”What’s going on?” Buffy begged for answers as she wrenched in pain. Her uterus felt like it was burning inside of her. ”Please, no – Please, not her,” she whispered frantically, fearing for her unborn child’s safety.

The artifact was just looking for an outlet to take in all the darkness, it being as unstable as it was after removal made it fall out of sync with Baal’s body. He was too engulfed in agony to even realize what was going on. As soon as Buffy touched him, the artifact reacted to the goodness of her soul, sending a deep darkened wave of energy through the touch, removing all the pain he felt in an instant. He inhaled sharply and frowned deeply as he looked up at Buffy, his eyes widening as realization kicked in, just as Dinah was pulling her away. He pushed himself to his feet and gulped as he took a few steps back, “No...” he mumbled as his hands started to shake. Eaden was quick to stand in front of him, lifting his palm to strike his father in a fast motion, “It’s not the time for self hatred, you can let yourself feel later” his son said in a stern tone. Baal blinked a few times and shook his head before he nodded and looked to Dinah and Buffy. Eaden nodded at Dinah’s command and grabbed his phone, calling his aunt in the hopes she werent in hell. Baal walked over to Buffy and was about to reach out as he then felt a reluctance. “I’m sorry,” he whispered with sad eyes as he looked down at her belly. Had he killed their child? Eaden told Samaira what was needed to know and went back to the others. “She’ll need souls.... Pure souls,” Baal said in a low tone, feeling the sadness overwhelm him. Eaden was awfully calm but inside he was a mess. “Then let’s go,” he said right as the door opened and Samaira followed by Kol arrived. Eaden glanced at the body before he looked to his father that seemed to be frozen by Buffy’s side. “Do I have to hit you again? Get the fuck up.” He hissed, his anger showing in a second before he exhaled. Baal got up after a bit and stopped at Sam, “If you cant save them both then just keep Boadicea alive, please,” he said in a faint tone, his eyes planted on the door as shame was written all over his face, “The child is killing her. You have to get it out,” the words alone stung in his heart to say, but he knew that if he were to choose, he wanted Boadicea to survive. If the child could survive, it would feel like a miracle. Eaden walked over to Dinah while they talked and grabbed her face before he placed a gentle quick kiss on her lips, “We’ll be back soon. You have to keep your calm. I know you can do it,” he said, sounding fairly encouraging as he did believe in her. He ran his thumb over her cheekbone before he let go and followed his father out on the street. They couldnt do anything useful in the apartment except being in the way, so this was for the better.

Buffy felt like everything moved so fast, the pain excrutiating as she tried breathing normally. She could barely react as two strangers entered her apartment, neither when the body made a loud thump. She heard Baal mention something about pure souls and she shook her head. No. No she wouldn’t. She couldn’t. ”Baal,” Buffy tried pleading as she felt her body burn. Even if she was dying she wouldn’t do something like injesting a pure soul. That would be breaking every rule in her mind. That would take away the humanity in her that she clinged on so dearly.

”Father, do not upset her – bring back her usual diet in tenfolds,” Dinah said as she struggled to hold Buffy still and get in contact with the pure soul that was suffering right now. She could almost hear it screaming and crying. ”And it’s not an it,” she commented on her father’s low murmur. She didn’t even flinch when the body was dropped next to her, but she knew that Samaira and Kol was there now. ”Auntie,” Dinah said, gesturing for her to come over to her. Dinah knew that Buffy wanted the child alive more than anything, but she knew her father was right. Would he be able to survive without her? Could he lose another love like this? Dinah hadn’t seen how he had reacted to their mother dying, but from what Eaden had told her there wasn’t much to work with. She looked at Eaden as he came over, she felt so weak. Feeling his lips against hers did little to boost her energy, but she was still happy that he was there for her in this. She nodded at his words, wanting to believe it to be true, but she just watched with empty eyes as he and her father left. She quickly turned her attention back to Buffy. The hybrid was slowly losing her life, and Dinah could see the lifespan decrease with immense speed. ”Uncle, I need you to work your magic on that body as soon as I say so, alright?” she said. Her and Kol were not close, but she had been there for him a few times over the years.

Dinah took a deep breath as she looked at Buffy. The hybrid was the first priority, but Dinah didn’t feel like she could let such a pure soul just die. She had never seen anything like it. It felt almost holy. ”Please just breathe for me,” Dinah said, taking deep breathes herself to show Buffy how to do it. ”Auntie I need your help with the soul,” she said in a strained voice. Slowly but carefully she managed to get the soul out of the body, clinging on to it as if her life depended on it. ”Uncle, now,” she begged in a strained voice. Buffy fell unconsious, her head dangling loosely and Dinah was afraid she was going to fail any of them. As Kol readied the body she looked to Samaira with pain in her eyes. ”I promise to be in debt from this – anything you need I’ll make sure of it,” she whispered in a weak voice. If she lost her consiousness now she would lose the unborn soul and the chance of cleaning Buffy’s soul. ”Uncle, ready?” she pleaded, feeling her strength waste away by the second. When Kol signaled he was ready she placed the soul into the body, breathing heavily and in pain. Through a slurry voice she explained what Kol needed to do with the unborn child’s body still inside of Buffy’s uterus, making sure that it became merged with the body lying on the floor.

Slowly as Kol did as Dinah explained the body would change it’s looks, looking more and more like it resembled the parents of the soul. But the body wasn’t waking up. Dinah felt her heart race. The soul was in pain yet again, stuck in a body that couldn’t emote nor move. ”Uncle, heal Buffy – her soul needs cleansing as well, can you help with that Auntie?” she pleaded. She knew that Buffy would survive, she could hear the hybrid’s heart beat normalizing as the dying child was no longer in her. She leaned over the body, placing a hand on each side of the face as she closed her eyes. Dinah knew this was not the optimal choice. This was not a good thing to do, but if she wanted to give life to this kid, this was something she needed to do. ”I’m sorry Jake,” she mumbled to herself, a few tears falling from her eyes as she felt her heart break apart. All the feeling and emotions she had ever felt for Jake was broken off from her soul, taken from her heart and placed into the body. She heard the door open and as Dinah collapsed the body opened it’s eyes taking in a sharp breath.

Buffy felt little discomfort but her being unconsious could have a lot to do with that fact. She still hang in the chair, her heart beating but faint and weak as time passed. Her body would need souls to retaliate, but her insides were a mess. The demon part of her hungry, ravenous as it wanted substance in it’s system. However the body was so exhausted that it felt almost unable to move except for breathing. She could feel her own heart beat in her throat, but her eyes wouldn’t open at her command. She wanted to see what had happened. She wanted to see if everything was alright, because she didn’t feel the pain anymore. She felt more reliefed than she had for a while.

Dinah fell over, feeling the break from her heart and soul so brutal to her as she laid with open eyes. She couldn’t scream, just lay there in pain as her heart felt torn apart, but she could hear heartbeats around her. A faint, yet pained smile came upon her lips. She hadn’t failed them, she thought. Maybe she should get some rest, but her head fell to her side to look at the young girl. White hair and white skin, like the child had no color at all. That’s when she saw those blue eyes, searching but knowing what it searched for.

The young girl sat up, looking at her hands, feeling overwhelmed by everything. Her blue eyes searched the room, her ears ringing as they had to get used to sound all around her. She heard a voice and looked to it, seeing color for the first time and even just the sensation of breathing felt weird. ”Sca-red?” she said, repeating the last words this stranger said to her. She tasted the syllables for a second as it felt strange to say such weird things. A little shaky the girl got to her feet, taking a few steps that felt like walking on glass before she fell over and landed on the floor with a thud. ”Hmpf?” she mumbled to herself and looked around a little disoriented.

Buffy could hear someone enter, but she was too weak to react much. It was first when she sensed the souls her body reacted and ate a few, gaining her strenght back. She kept swallowing until she couldn’t get any more down and she looked at Baal, scared to look out into the room. Her hand fell to her stomach and her eyes watered. She could feel it was empty and she shook her head. No. God no, why not her? She wrapped her arms around Baal before she looked into the room, and for a second she couldn’t understand what everyone was talking about. That’s when the girl turned around and she saw something more beautiful than she had ever seen before. She was scared to ask. Ask if it was who she thought it was. ”Baal,” Buffy said with a weak voice, breaking as tears started falling.

Dinah got up as Eaden helped her, guiding her to the couch, where she leaned against him. She took a deep breath and took her brother’s hand. She gave his hand a weak squeeze and whinced at the pain she felt in her soul and heart. ”I’m sorry,” she whispered, not really knowing what else to say. She knew she had wronged her brother in so many ways today, yet she felt relieved to sit here with him. Carefully she looked to the blonde girl that her Auntie was trying to teach how to walk. ”Did I do the right thing?” she whispered, placing a hand over her heart as she felt it ache from being torn apart so harshly and out of nowhere.

Nessa looked at Samaira’s hand, taking it and getting to her feet. She giggled a bit to herself as she took a few more steps. As the others started talking she could understand some of it. It was like it was slowly coming to her. ”Nes-sa,” she repeated after Eaden and giggled again. It was like she was a little star burning so bright that it was almost blinding. ”Nessa!” she giggled as Baal also said it, and before she knew it she was at Buffy where she wrapped her arms around the hybrid. Buffy was taken a back, but embraced the child nonetheless, shedding a few tears as she breathed in the slightly sweet scent she had. Like a newborn but with a hint of something different. Soft and fresh wool almost. ”Our little Nessa,” Buffy whispered with a sad voice. She looked baffled, a bit surprised and rather scared as she shifted her gaze to look at Baal.

Eaden's happiness was disrupted a bit by Dinah's apology. He shook his head and grabbed both her hands as he looked at her, "Dont apologize," he said in a low tone as he searched for her eyes. There was nothing to apologize for, not for Jake or for what had happened, at least he thought so. He looked to Nessa as she whispered and narrowed his eyes a bit as he noticed how she held a hand over her heart. He looked back at her and frowned a bit, "What did you do?" he asked in a worry just as Nessa wrapped herself in Buffy's embrace and Samaira approached them. He rose to his feet and felt the squeeze on his shoulder, yet his eyes didnt leave his sister. He looked to Samaira and shortly placed his hand over hers to let her know that he accepted her affection, yet he looked back at Dinah with worrying eyes. Whatever had happened, the sight from the street seemed to burn in his mind brighter now as his worry grew stronger. He lifted Dinah's chin and looked into her eyes, "It's okay," he said in a low tone before he made up his mind. He had to go make sure that he wasnt seeing what he thought he saw. "I'll be back in a bit. I need to check something," he said as he looked at Samaira with uncertain eyes, that was more a beg to keep Dinah alright while he went on his small errand.

Baal was fully focused on making sure Buffy got what she needed that it was only after he was done that he had seen Nessa. A beautiful girl, their beautiful girl. It was kind of a kick to the gut to know that they had missed a lot, both pregnancy wise and childhood wise, yet he couldnt be regretful of the outcome. A slithering chilling shame still moved through him at the sight of the girl, knowing that had he just mustered the strength to tell Buffy to keep her distance, this could have all been avoided. He moved a bit back as the girl approached them and moved into Buffy's arms, looking at both his fiancée and their new child, but also his other children. He moved his eyes up to Samaira and made a bit of a sad smile, noticing that she seemed happy about the ordeal. He placed a hand on Buffy's shoulder but felt reluctant to touch his own child, just the fear of the fragment reacting to the pureness of her soul was scary on it's own. He closed his free fist and kept it at his knee where it would stay out of reach. He looked to Eaden and Dinah with a confused expression as Eaden spoke of an errand, realizing that he did see something when they were outside. He gulped and bit back a protest for the demon to go alone, something just felt off. He watched Eaden leave before he took Samaira's hand and brought her closer, "Thank you for your help," he said and gave her hand a squeeze, before he placed it on Nessa's shoulder without touching her himself. "This is your niece," he said with a small smile, trying to hide his own shame as he didnt want to ruin this moment for everyone else. He could indulge in his own emotions later.