Numb

Dedicated to @Jamie

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Sariel had been standing, preparing dinner. Well, as best she could. Both dogs had been lying in their beds not far from her. Both the dogs lifted their heads and walked over to the door leading outside to the garden. Sariel lifted her head and pressed her brows together as she slowly walked over. Squatting down. “Need to go out?” she said with a soft smile, rose again and opened the door, not really thinking about closing it again. Some fresh air would be nice.

Turning back to the food she had her back turned to the door. A flash appeared for her eyes, and a soft gasp left her, but just as she was about to run over and call the dogs in. A gloved hand was forced over her mouth. Looking into dark cold eyes, she was almost paralyzed with fear. She remembered him, he had been one of the hunters that had found her back in September and placed her in the cabin. A small smile formed over Theo’s lips. “Had I known that my brother was so fond of you, I would have stuck around to greet him. Now” he leaned a little closer “You and I are going to get to know each other much better."


She couldn’t see, hear, or feel anything. Not the dripping of the blood gliding down her fingers, in the chair that she was sitting in. Not the pain she should be in after Theo had more or less made sure she couldn’t do anything. Like carving in holy symbols in her skin.

Theo was just sitting on the couch in the dark, waiting for his dear brother to come home. A gun resting in his hand against his right thigh. Now all that was to do, was to wait, until he could deliver the message that he had gotten from their father.

It had been a late night at work, but he was easing back to it wanting to make sure that he actually was worth the job. Hungry, he had texted Sariel to let her know she could just eat without him, but she had insisted that she could wait till he got back home. Back home, it was still such a funny thought that he adored so much. He was starting to feel a sense of belonging again, he was happy to return home, knowing Sariel would be there to great him. Able to wake up and see her every single day.

He drove down the dark streets, hit the breaks as he watched his dogs walk by themselves. The house was still a bit away, and he wondered what had made them walk all the way here, well they were quite trained in knowing how to get from his house and to Nigel's - it was just a speciel connection they seemed to have with Katelyn. But by no means Sariel would just have let them go this far. Jamie stepped out of the car, he whistled getting his dogs attention without to much trouble. Perhaps of being a shapeshifter, he could communicate more easily with them, understand them on deeper level. But it also meant he could sense they were anxious about something, which made Jamie look towards the house in distance. He whistled once again and pointed towards down the road, well if anything he could send them towards Nigel's house. Because when had Jamie ever just picked up his phone and made a simple call that he could be in need of backup? Never.

Stepping closer towards the house with very thought out movements, he knew his scent was a bit washed away in the rain, but it didn't stop his stronger senses for picking up on Sariel's blood. By now he could track her down so easily just by scent, but by blood it hit stronger - also made his own blood boil. Then there was the other scent in his house, making a low growl escape Jamie before he walked inside.

He didn't need to but he turned on the lights, seeing his brother sit there on the couch, his eyes shortly looking towards Sariel then Theo. "You have some nerve," he growled lowly stepping closer towards his brother. Jamie's clothing was soaking from the rain, but it didn't matter. He longed desperately to run to Sariel, but he also knew better than to turn his back on his brother. "Where the fuck have you been - and more importantly, what the hell do you think you are doing?"

Now, Theo could have done a lot to make sure that his brother could walk into the house without knowing what was going on. He had the ability to make sure that all sense of smell wasn’t working in the area around him. But where would the fun be in that? So, he heard the key in the door, and how it opened. Heard the heavy steps of his brother coming in. Alone? Interesting, their big brother didn’t live that far away from the house. Would have been a good idea to make sure to have some back up, no? Or maybe it had been the fact that there was only five years between them. Well William was closer to Jamie’s age, but William, he was just a giant turd and a dick. Even though he and his brother starring at him, that they had always argued and been at each other throats. It had come from a sense of them being a little too much alike for the other to care about.

A smile with next to no emotions formed over Theo’s smile as he leaned a little over his legs watching Jamie carefully. “Well Hello James, missed me?” he upgraded the smile to a toothy one “One would have thought you would have noticed, for so many months I was just underneath your shoes, you know back in Nepal, down in the basement” he lifted his brows, knowing very well that all his brothers knew what the basement was. Where they took you down if you weren’t behaving accordingly. Hell, Nigel had been down there a few times, he knew Jamie had too. Given that he had always been different from all the other brothers, being born the same race as their mother. But there was that part of the basement, and then there was the wing where they took the supernatural to make sure that they knew everything about them and could fight them even better. He turned his eyes towards Sariel that was hanging with her head. Her beautiful hair wet and sticking to her face. “Don’t worry she can’t feel anything right now, but she will, in a second” he snapped his fingers and a scream of agony left Sariel. Theo lifted the gun and pulled the trigger aiming at the right side of Jamie’s chest.

"Well of course Theobald - wish I could say it's a pleasure," he sighed annoyed, only really using his brother's full name when he was mentioning Jamie's. He narrowed his eyes a little bit, mentioning that Theo had been in the basement, he hated that place. Spent too much time down there. Jamie's blood boiled further by the second almost to a point where he thought he could explode. Now, Jamie had never been good at controlling his temper, it came from always having rejected his animals, how his animals had suffered the abuse of that and from anything else. But right now he kept his focus on Theo, because he knew, he knew damn well that he couldn't help Sariel till Theo let him. And if that meant he had to play this game for a moment - he would, even if he hated it. And he also knew by sending the dogs to Nigel, there was a chance of either Irina or Mariella to pick up on how anxious they had been - knowing something was off, so Jamie wasn't completely alone, despite it appearing so. "Don't look at her," he spoke rather calmly, almost surprising himself, still not taking his eyes of his brother. Not even when he snapped his finger and Sariel screamed in agony, like it could have bursted his soul into pieces by the second. But just before Jamie actually had a chance to do anything, the gun fired and he felt the burning sensation in the right side of his chest. A groan left him annoyed looking at his younger brother. Right now he didn't think about what had happened to Theo in the basement, how could he when Sariel's blood kept infusing his mind with blind rage that everything in him wanted to react on?

"Oh, that's cute," the groan turned into a longer lasting growl, taking a few steps closer towards Theo keeping his eyes at him. "Get the fuck out of my home before I end up killing you," he warned his brother, feeling the anger, worry and frustration built up in him. Because he knew that if he let go of his emotions right now, stopped holding them in check - he would lash out, and he wouldn't stop. And the last thing he actually wanted, was to kill his little brother. He also knew, the wolf wouldn't be stopped - not after the harm he had caused. He looked at the gun, before looking back into his brother's eyes.

Sariel looked up and felt tears rand down her dirty and cut cheeks. Mixing with the blood and sending shivers down her spine form how it burned when her tears touched the carvings that Theo had done so she couldn’t use her magic. Rendered completely helpless as she heard the cock of the gun go back and then how it fired from a suppresser so it wouldn’t be heard outside these four walls. Another scream left her as she felt the pain that went through Jamie, as the bullet penetrated him. Ripping through her, and she was reminded on how River had made her stab herself in the leg over, and over. Sobs left her as a soft chuckle left Theo.

He watched how his brother walking towards him. Threatening him. Now that wasn’t very nice, now, was it? He let out a small sigh, getting up from the couch, almost as if he was about to leave. But he didn’t, he kept very still with his gun hanging down the side of his body. “Now, I could do that” he mumbled, letting his eyes travel down Jamie’s body before turning his eyes towards his again. “Hmm, I could do that” he nodded his head a little and looked up and quickly moved the gun pointing it at Sariel shooting her in her shoulder. Another scream, and then he redirected it to her head “Next one goes in her skull, now sit, down, Jamie” he nodded towards the chair behind his brother “or if you really want to test if you’re quicker than me to pull this trigger, I know I’m not as good of a shot as you, but I think I’ll still win this one, brother” Theo let his tongue run over his lip, as he slowly started to squeeze the trigger to let Jamie know he was serious.

Jamie knew he could have stopped it. Or at least he believed he could, "Theo," he roared at his brother as he had fired the next shot. Still not looking away from his brother, but he knew just where his arm was directed at, he didn't even need to see it to know. The rage burning in him longed to be lashed out, hating feeling repressed, hated feeling helpless. "Fine," he hissed taking a step back, lifting his hands up, feeling it sting a little bit on his right side, but he also knew it was lesser damage - he would be okay - he didn't even dare to worry yet on how the damage would affect Sariel. It was a film he had seen before, and he didn't appreciate the ending of the former one. So, of course he was terrified, angry and everything in between. So, Jamie kept stepping back till he reached the chair without even looking back - because he knew, both of them knew, that you didn't turn your back on the enemy. And now, he had never seen Theo as an enemy - sure they didn't if ever really get along, but from that to being the enemy, there was a long way.

If anything that had shifted the second he had even dared touching Sariel, and Theo knew it. It was crossing the line. Jamie sat down, and opened his arms a little in a gesture to Theo to giving him an insight in what the hell he was doing. "So, now you got me sitting down, what else do you want a gold star? An applause? How about you start talking," Jamie hissed feeling the wolf stronger right now than ever.

A smile formed on Theo’s lips as Jamie saw reason and slowly backed towards the chair. “Now there we go, was that so hard?” Theo mused, knowing very well that he was stepping into territory where he would never be able to come back from. But he had lost his love because he would never be able to leave this life, so why should Jamie get to betray them and then get together with a supernatural being. Now he wasn’t being hypocritical, he had just seen the truth now. That they were the enemy and they needed to show that humans weren’t to be trifled with anymore.

Theo chuckled “That gold star and an applause would be nice, but let’s keep that for another day” he put away the gun and walked towards his brother, finding robes, that had been hanging by the side of his hip “Don’t do anything stupid Jamie” he said, as he tied his brother to the chair “Alright, there we go” he said and walked over and dragged a chair so he could sit having a good look at both of his captives now. “Now, I don’t think we have a lot of time, before our darling brother puts the pieces together and comes running to your rescue, he was always good at that” Theo mumbled, looking towards the sobbing hybrid. “I’m here because father has a message for you Jamie” he pulled out his knife that was still red because of the blood from Sariel. He pressed it towards his temple while looking towards Jamie “Now, he wasn’t very specific, but I’ve always been good at reading between the lines, so I think he wanted me to kill you, and your beautiful little hybrid over there” he looked towards Sariel that lifted her head, having trouble looking out her eyes because of the blood dripping from her forehead. “Now, I don’t really want to kill you Jamie” he looked back at his brother “And if I kill her, well then you’ll never stop before I’m dead, which I don’t want either, so” he clapped his hands together “I’m just going to give you a warning, because if I didn’t it would have been William here today, and you and I both know that then there wouldn’t have been anything left of your beautiful little girlfriend” He licked his lips and turned towards Jamie “You really shouldn’t have turned your back on father, Jamie” he slowly moved the knife back and furth and slowly shook his head. “That was a really dumb move”

Could he calm down? Of course not. Did he want to rip Theo's throat out, right here and right now? Yes, very much. But he contained himself, which everyone who knew him, knew was a easier said than done. Don't to anything stupid was however, something he was rather good at, but it was the sobbing of Sariel that made him not doing anything. Letting Theo tie him to the chair, with the right move, they both knew it wasn't impossible to escape the chair, but Jamie also didn't try to do so. Jamie dragged a longer breath in by the mention of Nigel. Well Nigel was the only one Theo would know was around here, he couldn't know about Archie's return, or maybe he did know - Jamie had no idea, at least there was Jack as well. Damn, Theo was not updated - and it wasn't like Jamie felt like making his younger brother a cup of tea so they could talk things over - besides it seemed so that Theo wasn't really interested in that either.

If there was anything that could get a glimpse of fear to flicker in Jamie's eyes it was the fact that their father wanted to deliver a message. Pulling out a knife, he knew whose blood was painted over the blade. But Jamie just listened, listened to the tales of a mad man. But hadn't they all been somewhere close to that line? Jamie had always known he was the disposable one of his brothers, given what he was - he had always had to work twice as hard to even be appreciated, and for that Jamie was thankful for his powers. But from that to send one of his own brothers to kill him? And Sariel for that matter. Well of course, hadn't it been the loss of his former wife that had sent him right back to the hunting world again. He raised his brow a little by the fact that Theo didn't want to kill him, in this second the feeling was mutual. He was right about one thing. If Theo killed Sariel, he was damn sure that Jamie wouldn't stop till he had made sure that Theo had stopped breathing. It was almost uncanny how Jamie just sat there and listened to Theo, because even in the insanity there was some words that made sense. They both knew William would have finished the job with little questions asked.

Jamie also knew it had been risky to turn his back on their father, everything was a risk, but he also had found both Nigel and Archie here. Even Reginald. There was more family here than he had ever really felt like. He felt more at home here than he had ever felt at home growing up. "Oh you know me Bud, I have a flair for making the dumb move - so do you, difference is I know how to actually make it worth the while."

Theo’s smile became wider, as if what Jamie said to him actually amused him. Which it didn’t, but he still found it hilarious that Jamie could keep that tone of voice, given that seemingly the woman he loved was sitting with tears streaming down her cheeks, while being in immense pain. For someone that had a flair for getting into trouble and hurt, it was almost cruel to mate with a witch, even though she was a half breed.  But what did he know? Maybe the woman had begged Jamie long enough or gotten him under some kind of spell. She was rather enchanting and he himself had fallen deeply in love with a half witch. Even wanted to marry her. “Worth your while” he placed the knife against his knees. A soft ‘hmm’ left him, as he looked a little from Sariel to Jamie and back again. He inhaled deeply and let out a soft exhale.

“Did you really think that you could just put down roots, attack fellow hunters after they had taken her in, and then think that it wouldn’t have consequences? Really Jamie, it would have been more compassionate to break her heart than keep her around” he licked his lips and shrugged “But what do I know, I’m just the dump little brother – but let this be your warning, father might have killed Quentin, but that was because he had become a liability, things around here will chance and being a friend or apart of the supernatural will become very dangerous” he felt how his nose pulled a little back, almost if he was disgusted. Maybe it was for the fact that everyone around him seemed to have found a supernatural partner one way or another. Mingling them with powerful families from the supernatural that shouldn’t be walking around anymore.

No, he hadn't believed in it. Putting down roots again, or well first time had been fine - no one had had a say in getting with a human, still doing some of their shady ass work on the side. It had been a good balance - this was everything he wasn't supposed to do, and he knew it, but he was convinced by Nigel and Archie that he could live a life like this. Right this moment, despite how much he hated Sariel was in pain, he was happy that it was his door that Theo had knocked on. But one thing he did know was that Sariel deserved better than to be put in this sort of pain. Jamie took a sharper breath in looking at his younger brother, listening very carefully to how he was talking, moving and yet knew none of it would matter. "Okay, I hear you -" Jamie narrowed his eyes a little bit. He had to keep himself calm, he had to. "I don't know what twisted game dad put your head at, but you should know there is more to the world of this black and white frame - and I would hate to see you miss out on it, but you just might if you kept going down this path," voice of reason - who would have thought, maybe he had been listening a little bit to Nigel's big brother speeches. But he had also seen how the guilt of not being able to save Quentin had affected the boy's family - hell he had been at the scene.

Theo just looked at his brother, as he tried to convince him, that his way of thinking and viewing things weren’t correct. He started laughing, shaking his head as he looked towards his brother. “You’re really going to talk to me about missing out?” he laughed, looking towards the hybrid and then back at his brother. “That’s cute” he said with an almost unnerving smile on his lips. “I tried, I ran away with the love of my life, and on our wedding day, daddy dearest came and took me away, now I don’t feel anything” he stood up “You know, she lost our child while I was locked away, couldn’t do a damn thing about it” all emotion had left Theo as he looked down at his brother. He truly didn’t care anymore. It had broken him when his father had told him, that they had made sure that no child of his would walk this earth.

“Well, this have been delightful” Theo said as he moved his knife towards Jamie’s left hand “I have to take something with me, to show that I did the deed” then with a swift and strong hold on the knife he started cutting off Jamie’s hand. Sariel screamed and pulled in her restrains, clearly trying to make Theo stop what he was doing towards Jamie. Spattered blood all over the place as Theo finally took the hand. “Well, do give my best regards to Nigel – hopefully we’ll never met again” he looked towards the screaming and crying hybrid before he with very steady steps walked towards the backdoor. Putting the hand into a small pouch and stepped out into the night and disappeared.

The door bust open as Nigel stormed in. He had to stop the moment he saw the scenario forming in front of him. “Mariella, stay back” he ordered, with a voice he hadn’t used in a very long time. “Take Katelyn and go back home, now” he ordered, before walking towards Jamie putting the gun he had been aiming in the back of his pants. Walking towards Sariel he undid her restrains, but when he saw what had been done to her, he knew that wasn’t much he could do for her right now. Which made her walk towards Jamie, making sure that he wasn’t tied to the chair anymore. Trying not to look to much as the missing hand. They just had to wait till it grew back, didn’t they? At this moment, Nigel had no idea what to say or do.

Jamie might now have been caught up in the details on what had been going on  in Theobald's life. No, he hadn't really been one to sneak around in his younger brother's affairs. But that feeling, the feeling of being away and your child was no more, he did know that feeling. He had experienced that twice on the same night. But who was Jamie to start trying to talking about this at this moment, it wasn't really the time - but at least Jamie now knew a source of the reasons behind. Which could just be what they needed to find out what had happened.

Jamie looked towards his left hand as Theo moved the blade towards it. "You got to be kidding me," he mumbled in a lower growl. Then his entire body started to tense up the second the blade cut through his skin, Jamie screamed up, but was pretty sure Sariel's scream was the only one he could hear. Even if Jamie's body was great at withstanding pain, he couldn't avoid the burning pain that spread from his nerves like a will fire throughout his body. Jamie closed his eyes tightly together and breathed out. Pearls of sweat running down from his forehead from the body's reaction to the pain he was in. It wasn't the first time Jamie had lost a hand, or any other limb for that matter - didn't mean the process of it was pretty. But he felt like he could finally breath out a little as Theobald had left. He could smell he was gone, or at least he hoped it was the truth. Jamie opened his eyes back up, as the pain got easier to handle for him at least. The blood, there was so much blood and even if he could survive losing so much of it, it wasn't really a healing state he liked to put himself in. He moved his eyes to Sariel. "Hey," he breathed out. "We will be okay," he sounded more exhausted than he wanted to, but he knew it wouldn't take long before Nigel would arrive.

And just by that thought he could hear the front door bust open. Mariella could feel it even before they got inside. The pain, the fear and it was like a giant stab in the gut, making her eyes light up with worry. But even so, she was right behind Nigel, because she was worried about Jamie and Sariel. However, as she was about to step in, she stopped the second Nigel ordered her to step back. It was a while ago since she had heard him talk like that, but it also made her understand how serious this was. So, she licked her lips a little bit before taking a step back and she grabbed Katelyn's arm gently to guide her back towards the house. She looked around in the night, almost as if she was searching for some sign of what had happened here tonight.

Jamie breathed out watching Nigel walk over to get Sariel free, which lowered the tension in Jamie's shoulders a little bit. His eyes moved towards his brother as he walked over to cut him free. First when he was free, he felt like a part of the nightmare was over. "It was Theo," he breathed out with a small growl. Looking towards Sariel before looking back at Nigel. "I have something in the bathroom that can stop the, the bloody bleedings," Jamie clearly high on the adrenalin that pumped through his body, but also the only thing keeping him up right now. He walked towards Sariel, reaching his remaining hand towards her. Jamie couldn't really push a thought together, not make sense of any of this - not yet, it hadn't clicked completely. But he just wanted to make sure she was alive, because he couldn't dare losing her.

“It was who?” Nigel snarled, looking at Jamie as he then told Nigel that he had something in the bathroom that would stop the bleeding of Jamie’s hand while they waited for it to grow back. Nigel then rose from his squatting position and walked towards the Bathroom to look for the remedies that Jamie had talked about. Letting him have a moment looking at Sariel. Not that it looked good.

Sariel looked up with hazy eyes. A smile formed over her lips, not knowing what else to do. Other than be happy to see it was Jamie checking up on her. Her eyes blurry she could of course just be hallucinating. “Jamie?” she whispered, coughing a little, still feeling his pain roaming through her body. Tears started to form in her eyes all over again. “He cut my mate mark” she whispered, almost as if that was, she was most embarrassed about. And for all the small symbols that he had carved into her skin, rendering her completely helpless. Jamie’s name, or James. That was standing on her collarbone couldn’t be seen anymore. As fine cut lines over it had it removed it completely in blood and wounds. “He told me you didn’t like the name so he was just, doing me a favor” her voice caught in her throat, as another wave of sobs left her. “I’m sorry, he was to quick, I couldn’t… stop him”

Nigel came back in and let out a small breath, clearly not knowing what to say or do. One thing was monsters doing this to your family, a vampire or a rouge werewolf. But not family, family shouldn't do this to one another. “Here you go Jamie” he mumbled, walking over handing him the remedies to make the bleeding of the hand stop.

"Yeah, its me," he breathed out kneeling down, looking up into her eyes. His jaw tensed, lifting his hand up to remove some of her tears, almost about to lift the other arm as well - looking down at it still bloody and and making a mess over the entire floor, over his own clothing most of all. His eyes moved towards her collarbone, why would he do that? Jamie took a sharper breath in. "Hey, don't take anything in he has said, okay? - I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere," he whispered a little pained, licking his lips. Well, even if Jamie did not like his name, it wasn't right. "Don't do that. No one could have known, he is a master in hiding till he wants to be found," he assured Sariel, "we will come out on the other side, we always do," he breathed out getting back up on his feet when Nigel returned to the room.

Jamie still remembered the first time he had lost a limb that had grown back, it had been a snake on a hike that had bit it off - not that Jamie had been very old back then. Then there was William at some point who had been out with him one day, well they had been needed to check the range of Jamie's powers. So, at this point losing a hand was nothing. "Thanks," he breathed out, siting down on the floor almost like a child that knew just how to wrap his own wound up and not wanted or had ever been granted the help of doing so. So, he knew how to do it. A small state of shock still though. "I will be fine - I'm not the one I'm worried about," he looked towards Sariel. She was the one clearly having been put through most torment.  And well Jamie was used to this, so it didn't say him much. But the only reason for wrapping the arm up, was mostly for Sariel and Nigel's comfort, so they didn't have to look at it. The wound in his chest from the shot had almost closed, but he knew it would take him at least a good amount of hours before he would be restored back to optimal health.

She nodded slowly, inhaling trying to calm herself. But everything hurt. Just like when her wings had started to rot away, because her body couldn’t handle being both unholy and holy. She had always been much more in contact with her witch side, than her angel side.

Nigel looked at how his brother sat down and put bandage around her hand. Once again he was a little stuck between calling in the cavalry, and walking away so Sariel and Jamie could lick the wounds that had been done to them. He knew that there wasn’t much he could do, and he had also gotten to know Sariel fairly well, that she didn’t really trust anyone except Jamie. Nigel let out a small breath and let his tongue glide over his lips. “I will go Jamie, and brief the others, call us if you need us, alright?” he said with a soft sigh, looking towards Sariel that was afraid just looking at him. Yeah, this demanded that he walked away. He placed a comforting hand on Jamie’s shoulder before he walked out of the house. Still processing that Theo was back, and he had done this. What on earth had happened to their younger brother while he had been gone?

Sariel breathed out as they were alone again. Closing her eyes, trying to calm her aching body. “Are you okay?” she asked, opening her eyes again, looking down at where his left hand was missing. She wasn’t sure if they had been lucky or not. They were still alive, so lucky?

Jamie nodded a little bit, also needing to collect with himself what had happened and he couldn't do that, while healing and making sure that Sariel was alright in the aftermath of Theo's brutality. "Just be careful - this was a warning," he looked up towards Nigel before watching his brother leave. Jamie knew that once he had healed up and put things into perspective, he could tell about the things he had learned from tonight. "I'm fine, I will be fine," he replied, "It's not the time, last time it was my right foot," he sighed and shook his head a little bit, "it will grow back - within some hours," Jamie looked towards Sariel with a pained smile. "How about you? How are you feeling?" He asked just before finishing his little wrap up of his hand. It would have been easier if Theo had left the hand behind as well, then it didn't have to grow back, just heal- would have been less exhausting. "I'm so sorry this happened to you, that he did this to you." Jamie was angry at his brother, anger didn't even begin to describe it - then there was the huge wave of worry towards Sariel that filled him up, and was just enough to put the rage to sleep.

She nodded slowly as he told her that his hand would grow back. It eased her guilt a little, that mean that he would go back to normal. She wasn’t sure that these markings would ever heal. It had felt like he had dosed the knife in some kind of poison burning into her skin making it almost impossible for her to heal. It still burned. Like rubbing salt into the wound over, and over. How was she feeling? She couldn’t really answer that. She had never thought all of this would happen to her now. Of course, there had been a future where she would have been an enemy to a lot of people. But that was before she had met Jamie. Before the day where he had caught her snooping around in the forest. How just being so close to him had made her long for something better. Well, she had gotten that, but at what price? “A bath, and I’ll be as good as new” she let out a soft chuckle, trying to push down her own feelings about it. Not wanting to make it all sound as bad as it really was. Because it was, bad.

A bath, and I’ll be as good as new. Well she tried at least, they both tried. Just trying to make the other feel just a little bit good about all of this, truth was the only good thing was that they both had made it out alive. But it reminded him of when he had found her in the woods, when he had taken her back to the cabin. "Liar," he chuckled a little looking back at her. "You don't have to be strong for me," he breathed out still looking at her. Because she didn't, he knew she had to be in a great deal of pain, and a huge wave of different emotions were washing over him. Because she was in this pain because of him, because he had let her into his life - and what had it gotten her because he hadn't let go? He could almost feel Archie slapping him for even having that thought, but Jamie knew it was also true. If Jamie hadn't let Sariel in, then she wouldn't have gotten hurt because of him. But they could get cleaned up, they could clean the house up - make sure it looked like nothing hadn't happened here - and then they could take it from there. "We will come back stronger," he whispered looking around. Jamie believed it, he believed this wasn't the end - he had to. He hadn't come this far not to have a happy ending. And he wasn't going to let anyone take it away from him.

She didn’t even have the strength to chuckle along with him, as he called her a liar. She wished he didn’t look through her cracks so easy at this point. She had always been good at hiding. The perfect little mask or show she could put on for other people. And right now, she hated it. Because she didn’t like to be the damsel in distress. She didn’t want him to come safe her or look at her wounds. Hell, she still tried to keep her back away from him. Making sure she dressed herself or undressed herself in an angle that would keep her back turned away. Which was odd, that she had seen most woman always trying to hide their front from men.


Sariel slowly got up from the chair she had been sitting in for so long. A little disoriented she felt how she for a moment got weak in her knees. Not that she couldn’t keep herself standing. But she hated the feeling, how drained she was. “I’m going to take a bath” she whispered, turning, and walking towards the bathroom. Almost as if she had just been sitting having a conversation with him. Not that she had been tortured or that she had just experienced that Jamie had gotten her hand cut off, and now had to wait for it to grow back out. Maybe she just didn’t want to think about.

I’m going to take a bath. Jamie nodded feeling his heart heavy in his chest as he watched her walking towards the bathroom. Jamie fell back down to the floor the second she closed the door, letting himself fall all the way back till his back collided with the floor, not caring around lying in his own blood right now. He wanted to scream and shout so loud, he wanted to break something, to just make something explode with the rage boiling inside of him. Jamie could kill right in this moment in mortal terror that haunted him, tormented him. But he just stayed there on the floor not moving, Jamie could feel the ache in his hand from it starting to heal. It still didn't stop the tears in his eyes from wanting to sprint out of anger. He could kill Theo right now. Not just kill him, tear him apart - but it was perhaps just the wolf doing most of the talking. Jamie finally sat up, and sighed before standing up, just walking outside to catch some of the cold air standing in the kitchen door. Then he turned around picking up one of the sharper knives they had to cut meat, placing them on the counter then one by one he took the five knives and threw them at one specific part of the kitchen, walking over picking them out of the wall before doing it again at least seven times. Usually he would have thrown a few punches on the nearest wall, broke his hand doing so, but he couldn't really do that without bringing Sariel pain - so this was his new solution now that he not even could just run off into the night in his wolf shape and escape. Jamie finally stopped and looked down at himself, covered in blood. Everything was covered in blood. "Fucking hell," he slowly escaped the state of shock and anger, placing the knives back in the drawer and sighed. Then he slowly started to gather stuff up to clean the mess. His hand aching tremendously but he couldn't really take anything for the pain, and well, perhaps it was just a sweet reminder what he deserved for his actions.

When she finally shut the door, her back hit it. Eyes closed, as tears started gliding down her cheeks. At first, she didn’t even dare to walk over to the mirror. Fearing what would be looking back, and that she wasn’t ready to see it. But after a few minutes of trying to get her breath under control, she slowly walked over, her eyes focusing on anything but the mirror at first. Her hands found the sink, seeing how they were tainted in the colors of dried blood. Then ever so slowly, she lifted her head, and looked. Her eyes widened, and it was like a feeling of horror glided over her. Her face was messed up, with small delicate markings that he had drawn with his knife. Making sure she couldn’t cast any spells nor use her other ability. She tried to calm herself down, but it didn’t help, and an almost silent scream left her as she bent her back turning her head back towards the ground. Tears fell quickly down her cheeks, mixing with the blood, making her almost forget that she was in here to get a bath. After a few more minutes of just sobbing and taking everything in, while her body was aching from the pain that Jamie was still going through. She walked over to the shower and turned it on with a shaking hand. Still sobbing silently, not wanting to alert Jamie too much, and make him even more upset about this whole thing. As she watched how the water slowly became warm, she let out a breath. That was when it hit her, why had she gone in here alone? She needed to remember that Jamie needed her to, and she couldn’t just close herself off like that.

With a few breaths trying to clean of the tears she had been crying. She walked into the living room, only to see that he had started cleaning. “What are you doing?” she whispered, walking towards him, taking his hand, stopping him from whatever it was he was doing. Her shaking hands found his face, turning it towards her. “Hey -- hey” she whispered, like the aftermath of what had happened had settled, and she could think again. “This - don’t blame yourself for this” she told him, letting her thumps glide over his skin. “I’m okay, we are going to be okay” she then took his good hand and pulled him along towards the bathroom. “Let’s get you cleaned up, I’ll take care of the other things when my powers are back” she almost insisted, turning completely over from how she had been before going into the bathroom again.

Hey -- hey, her voice like a distant echo trying to reach him, he blinked a little as her hands found his face. Jamie blinked a little bit. He shouldn't blame himself? This was the aftermath of choices he had made, not that Jamie regretted anything he had done - and yet, if choices were the reason why she was hurt. Why she was in pain, then of course this was something he should and would blame himself for. Jamie exhaled looking into her eyes as her thumbs traced over his skin, claiming that she was okay. None of this were okay, but he couldn't really argue, he was all over the place and not even in a state of mind where he could find something Jamie like to say. He didn't even argue with her as he took his hand and pulled her towards the bathroom. His entire body taking up all his energy and strength to heal the wounds. So, he was tired, very tired. "I just want to clean up my mess," he mumbled a little bit and took a deeper breath in. "I'm sorry he hurt you - I should've been there," he felt guilty for not having been there when Theo attacked, he was just so every happy that she had made it out alive, because that would have been the worst possible thing that could have happened. He couldn't lose her. "I'm so sorry," his voice almost cracking as he exhaled, looking into her eyes. His hurt him. It hurt him to know, it hurt him to see the pain that his own brother had caused the woman that he loved. Why couldn't he be better? Why couldn't he protect anyone? He had to do better. He had to. Jamie took a sharper breath in, just letting his eyes rest on hers, feeling the tears forming in them, they wanted to be let out - hell they were screaming to just be allowed to run over his cheeks. Then he just let his head fall onto her shoulders for a moment, just letting himself go for a moment just letting the tears out for right now. Letting his guards completely down. And yet, he felt selfish for doing so, because she had endured most of the pain, so who was he to be this weak right now.

She turned when he spoke. Telling her that he had just wanted to clean up the mess he had made. He hadn’t made any mess, what was he talking about? Her brows lifted and her eyes widened as he told her that he was sorry she had gotten hurt. He didn’t even need to tell her that he thought all of this was his fault. That all of this was his blame to bear. It wasn’t, it truly wasn’t his fault. And she didn’t blame him for any of it. Not even when Theo had whispered in her ear, that all this could have been avoided if Jamie had just stopped being so selfish. Because he hadn’t been. She had found him when he had still been hurting from the loss of his wife and kids. She knew, oh how she knew that none of this was his fault, and she, as much as him had decided to be together. Knowing that it came with risks. She had slowly figured out where the rest of her family came from. This could have been one of her family members doing this, but to Jamie instead of her. And she was sure, that it would have been much worse. Her own eyes started to sting, as she could see just how much pain he was in. “Jamie” she whispered, almost begging him to understand. Her arms quickly found him, one of her hands placed on the back of his head. “I love you” she whispered, hugging him closer. “And I don’t care what your brother said, we’re in this together, and none of what happened today, is something I blame on you –“ she pulled his head a little away, softly kissing his lips. “You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me, and even knowing what I know now, I will always choose you” she gave him a pained smile and took in a deep inhale. “Let’s get you cleaned up” she whispered and started pulling his shirt off him. So, both of them could get into the shower then they would go to bed. The rest of the house could wait tomorrow. Because that wasn’t important.

He took a deeper breath in as he felt her hands placed on the back of his head. I love you, he took a deeper breath in and slowly exhaled, leaning closer towards her. He was used to hiding his emotions. Used to push through and hide everything behind a snarky comment, but right now, right now it was just him and his raw emotions getting the best of him. Letting it all out, because he had no reason to stay guarded. She didn't care what Theo had said, but he cared about it. Because he didn't want the person that he loved to have to hear words like that from his family, from his brother. Then she pulled his head a little away and he looked at her, took her in, before she placed a soft kiss against his lips. I will always choose you, he let a few more tears fall down from his eyes, roll over his cheek. "I would choose you too," Jamie whispered as he took a deeper breath in, letting her get him out of off his shirt. Seeing the wound almost closed from the gunshot in his chest. Jamie didn't say much more than get into the shower with her, just taking a deeper breath in, holding his injured hand out of the shower, to not having to mess the bandage up he had wrapped it in. They perhaps just needed to get cleaned up, and some sleep. Then he could contact Nigel and Archie tomorrow and tell them more about what had happened. Because they needed to know. Well, he didn't worry much about Archie and Elenora in this, but Nigel did live with a house filled with supernatural people, and he still was thankful that Theo at least hadn't knocked on their door, even if everyone in that house could somewhat protect themselves - well so could he and Sariel, and look what that had gotten them. Then all he could hope that there somewhere in Theo still was some humanity to not let him knock on Nigel's door and do anything stupid.

She helped with undressing him, before she undressed herself. Leading him into the bath, very aware that he had a bandaged hand, so without even saying anything. She started to move around him, spreading soap over his body, washing down the blood. Taking the shower head, making sure that the water was more localized, so it wouldn’t hit his hand that was healing at this very moment. She turned back to his front, as her hands glided over his chest to get the blood from the bullet wound off. Her. Hands stopped, as it glided over the still visible wound from where Theo had shot him. Her fingers softly caressing it. Almost as if she fell in a trance, thinking about what she would have done if he hadn’t made it today. She looked up, into his eyes. Feeling how her own tears started to spring out of them. Her hands found his face again, almost as if she was making sure that he was actually standing there in front of her. And she wasn’t just losing her mind.