Light trickled placidly through the open curtains as the dawning recognition of 'morning' tickled Sally's groggy senses. Stretching with a yawn, she rolled to blink up at the ceiling. It was very bright, and yet there was no shrill ringing to wake her. Why was there no ringing? She ALWAYS set an alarm. What time was it? How hard had she slept? How LONG had she slept? Glancing at the clock, she noted it was 6 am. Weird. She never slept that well. What fucking day was it? Didn't she have something to do? And why did the house smell like... cinnamon? 

Pure delight washed over her peaceful morning as that realization dawned, a light rustle from the kitchen sending thrilling chills up her spine...

Sully. 

With a gleeful giggle, Sally whipped the sheets away; a rush of light footfalls dashing down the hallway just as Sully turned to smile... oven mits dawned and a pan of fresh cinnamon rolls in hand. "Good morning," his black velvet voice greeted her with a heart-melting smile as Sally's grin grew wide like a child on Christmas morning. 

Her eyes darted around the room with curious delight. Flour dusted the counter tops, the trash bin overflowing with orange peels from her backyard, her mixer dripping fresh icing into the sink, suitcases... BOTH their suitcases... packed and waiting by the door. Chuckling softly, she stared at him like a beautiful mystery as she tiptoed bashfully to a seat at the kitchen table. "Did you sleep any at all," she asked, shaking her head with a chuckle as he poured her a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice. 

"And are we SURE I didn't die yesterday? Like... can you pinch me?" 

Sullivan waved the oven mitts jokingly when she asked if he could pinch her.

"Probably not so well right now." He grinned.

"Is it strange that I'm slightly excited to go see my family with you? I feel like that should be strange. Since I should be dead, you know. Anyway, the car should be here in an hour if I know my brother. The driver will load our things and then we will leave no later than eight." He nodded, "So eat up."

He slid a cinnamon roll on a plate, then slid the plate over the counter top to her. Pulling the mitts off, he poured her a glass of the fresh squeezed orange juice and delivered it with a smile.

"It's nice to see you cheery this morning. I was hoping you'd still be that way. Anyway, eat, get ready, and I'll clean up."

"And no, I didn't sleep a wink." He chuckled. "I got up a few hours after you had fallen asleep." Shrugging, he apologized with his look and mouthed 'Sorry'.

Making himself a plate, he joined her at the counter and sank his teeth into the gooey warmth. "Oh that is good. I think I missed food a lot." He smirked. "I know where Hiram gets it now." He nodded.

Sally shook her head, "I don't think it's strange at all, all things considered. I mean... you do kind of redefine the entire concept, you know." She winked, sticking her tongue out playfully. She grinned, "I mean... it's not more strange than my cheeriness. I mean... I'm not a grumpy person... but... I'm not... usually... "happy", y'know? That's... um... one of yesterdays more interesting developments." She frowned a bit as a sudden thought struck her, "Do you think it wears off? I mean... you've done this before. Does it go away? I don't want it to go away. How do I keep it?" Her eyes were large and pleading as looked at him, but the thought... like the expression... melted away as he sank into his first bite. 

She truly, deeply, madly loved how much life he had. She couldn't wait to watch him experience everything else that life had to offer with that same zeal and hallowed appreciation... like everything was new and wonderful. He made life wonderful. And she desperately wanted wonderful... in som many ways. 

"I wonder how much you missed other things," the words overflowed without restraint as she sank her teeth into a large cinnamon roll with almost animalistic enthusiasm. Pausing mid-bite, her eyes went a little wider as realized her verbal filter had failed her... BIG TIME. Her brain was stuck between two extremes... HORRIFIED that she'd said that out loud but enveloped in the almost sensual perfection of the taste on her tongue. The two battled out to a stalemate in the matter of a split second. She wanted to moan... she wanted to apologize. Instead, she did both... which only worsened the pale blush that had crept into her cheeks. 

"Mmmm..." the sound wavered tantalizingly as she blushed, "I'mh shorreh....Sorry!" She covered her face with the long cuff of her robe as the hole she dug for herself deepened in her flustered state. 

Deciding to shift the conversation, she chirped happily, "Well, if it's any consolation, I slept like the de............ wow.... not gonna be able to say THAT anymore, huh?" Her brows furrowed as she pouted. "I give up. I'm just not gonna talk ANY MORE this morning," she chuckled playfully, stuffing her mouth with sweet cinnamon delight. 
 

Shaking his head, Sullivan chuckled.

"No, no, it is quite alright. By all means, speak how you would normally. I don't know why I'm back, but I am. Please do not let my situation be of any worry to you. I accept my place, for now." He smiled at her.

"As for other things? Well, you're right. I've missed them. It was hard to lay beside you last eve and keep myself together." The nod that followed brought a blush to her cheeks that made his smile even larger.

Laughing as she took another bite and moaned again before turning red, Sullivan reached out for her hand. "Here, if you don't believe me, I'll pinch your hand. Then you'll know the cinnamon roll is really that good." He winked, taking a bite of his own.

"Anyway, you should hurry and get dressed. I still need to clean this mess. I can't leave your house this way. It will drive me nuts the whole time. Go, shoo!"

He chuckled and rushed her off as he took her empty plate and his to the sink to began clean up...

She was DYING. She was sure of it. He was so worried that something he would do could kill her that he seemed oblivious to how mercilessly softly NOT doing anything was killing her. 

Shaking her head she chuckled, "Well, obviously the dead DON'T sleep. So the adage doesn't hold. It's illogical and oxymoronic." She batted her eyes at him with a shrug. Couldn't argue there.

Blushing, she relinquished her plate as he shoo'd her away, heading back toward the bedroom before pausing in thought. Rounding back, she slinked back into the kitchen, sliding herself between him and his chores as she hopped up onto the edge of the sink. He blinked at her as she leaned tantalizingly close to his face.

"So... you're a genius right?" she purred playfully, slipping her arms around his neck as she pulled him close. Quirking a brow, he chuckled and nodded. Looking him dead in the eyes she smiled wickedly, "Well, since we're being candid and all... I'm giving you two weeks." Her grin widened at his quizzical smirk. "One week to settle things with your family. One week to adjust my meds and prepare. That OUGHT to be enough time for a genius. And then so help me, I will tie you to the fucking bed if I have to. Understand?" She wrapped her legs around his waist, tugging her body closer to his so that her heat radiated across his skin. "I'm FUCKING. STARVING," she snapped her teeth at his lips playfully, the look on her face screaming 'I dare you' as she grinned, "And I'm not immortal like SOME people. So forgive my human impatience... but a lady can only hold off for so long... and I was never very ladylike anyway." 

Nuzzling his neck, she breathed him in with the softest teasing chuckled he'd ever heard. "DON'T keep me waiting, Sullivan. I think it just might kill me," her breath was warm against his skin as she whispered into his ear. Trailing kisses down his neck, she nipped his collarbone enticingly in 'that spot' that so few people had ever discovered, before kissing him lightly and hopping down from the sink. 

Turning, she sauntered away before he could give a reply, calling over her shoulder, "TWO WEEKS." 

Her footsteps were even and controlled as she paced her way back to the bedroom, but her heart was a RACKET... her emotions a mixture of glee, pride, disbelief, and even a tinge of shame. She'd never been so bold in her entire LIFE! What the hell was she THINKING?! 

Breathing slowly, she slipped into the shower, rinsing the anxious sweat from her skin as she let the frigid water cascade over her. It was a dumb idea, honestly. She'd have no time to dry her hair at this rate. But, she reassured herself, she could always do a wet-set. 

Towelling dry, she slipped into a diaphanous floral print tea dress, her favourite beige flats, and a string of pearls. Twisting her hair up into a curled up-do, she grabbed a sun hat, a dainty pair of matching gloves and her peignoir and headed back to the foyer. Slipping the peignoir into her luggage, and resting the little hat neatly atop. 

From his place in the kitchen, her hauntingly familiar style would give Sully a double-take as she straightened to look out the window; nimbly tugging on the gloves as she watched a car pull up the street and pause in front of the gate. 

Smiling as innocently as if she HADN'T just placed a ticking time bomb in his lap, she called over, "Car's here." 

What the fuck was that? For every day in his old life, he'd never been challenged so. How was she able to make claims like that and walk off without missing a beat? This was no ordinary woman, not at all.

Resigning himself to a two week time-line, he paused and wondered if he was even interested in that kind of relationship. Staring out of the window while holding a plate over the sink, soap dripping from it, he rolled over the question...

"YUP!" he chirped, chuckling and dropping his gaze back to the plates. Two weeks it was then. Now he'd been issued the challenge. He gave himself one week.

Hurrying with the dishes and the counters, then putting everything away, he prepped the house for a long vacation. He'd put a call in to Harvey and James so they could watch over the house and send things as they were needed. Everything would be handled before they even landed in... well, wherever the private plane was taking them.

He heard her come back into the room, and saw her out of the corner of his eye as she stared out of the window and waited, silently. He continued cleansing as swiftly as possible, but was still caught unprepared as she hollered out, "Car's here."

Nodding, he finished placing the dishes away and tugged on the trash bag, pulling it out of the can as the doorknocker knocked loudly. Sullivan hoisted the bag and headed for the door as Salena opened it. However, what was on the other side was not expected. When the two males saw each other, Sullivan grinned, but the other male quickly grabbed Salena's wrist and tugged her behind him, growling out through clenched teeth.

"Who the fuck is that? Or better, WHAT the fuck?"

Sullivan attempted to speak, but was cut off with a growl that, oddly, emanated from deep within the "driver's" gut, catching Salena off-guard. A few moments of time passed as the three stared between each other before Sullivan finally spoke up.

"Jacoby, it's me... Really me. Somehow. Don't believe me, here, sniff me..." Sullivan, growing irritated, held out his hand toward their driver Jacoby... Ely's "useless" member as Dimitri called him. Apparently he'd at least worked his way up to errand boy...

"Sullivan?" the man-child stammered a bit, before looking at him. "How?"

"Not sure, but my brothers don't know yet, so, lets surprise them too, hmm? Then maybe we can figure out what the reason is. Sound like a plan?"

Still seeming suspicious, Jacoby warily stepped inside the house and allowed Sullivan to take out the trash.

"What the fuck?" he looked at Salena. "So, you're Evelia's friend thing, I get that, but how di-... Where... What happened?!" Jacoby queried more baffled than anything.

Sally rubbed her forehead, suddenly looking rather tired, "With all due respect, I don't know  you. So I'll be saving all the explaining for Christian. All you need to know is that you know about as much as we do, save a few troublesome family details which I will explain to your boss once we've landed. Okay?" 

She winked and skipped down a few steps toward the car, her dark curls bouncing along with each step. "Besides, I'm much more interested in that noise you just made," she chuckled, now eye level with his belly, "Can you do it again?" Salena, full in for the sheer curiosity of it, blinked up at him innocently, "Oh come on, I'm learning all sorts of new things this week. For science. You gotta do it." 

Jacoby, somehow won over by the beseeching gleam in her mismatched eyes begrudgingly gave a short, clipped snarl. Sally, with a squealing giggle, tugged at his wrist, "No, louder." Another short, slightly irritated but slightly louder growl elicited more blinking, as Sally bounced on the spot, "Uh-huh. Just a little louder," Jacoby, tired of feeling like a science experiment gave her a decent little snarl, but in return, Sally simply pouted. "Come on, Sugar. Rawr my ass," she challenged him, that same gleam from earlier sneaking into her mischevious smirk... which quickly faded as Jacoby all out Roared in her face. Half-startled, but fully entertained. Sally jumped, her bi-colour eyes going wide with equal measures of shock and glee. Recovering quickly, she grinned wickedly. "Do you do that in the bedroom?" she asked coyly as she turned and skipped down to the car, "I bet your lovers get a real kick out of it." 

Dumbfounded, Jacoby stood on the steps, luggage in both hands as he tried to form an acceptable response. There just wasn't one. Shaking his head, he finally managed to move from the spot, just as Sully came sliding at full speed around the corner from the dumpster... pistol at the ready.

Pistol levied at Jacoby's head, Sullivan glared... But then looked as Sally literally skipped down the sidewalk, and glanced back at Jacoby's dumbfounded features. Blinking, Sully slowly lowered his weapon and Jacoby exhaled with relief.

"You okay?" Sullivan asked soflty.

Jacoby shrugged and nodded. "She wanted me to roar, and kept challenging me to really let one go. So I did... And now she's happy. And she's weird, Sullivan. Then again, everything with -your- family is weird."

Sully shot him a sidelong glance as he turned for the car.

"You act as if you aren't my family, Jacoby. As I recall, we're practically cousins since Ely adopted you." He chuckled and winked, offering the man-child a smile and a nod before turning his back to him.

"Bring the bags, I'll load them up and you can run back and grab the last one then shut and lock the door. I'll shut the gate and seal the barrier once you're out."

"Do you really not trust us, Sully? Have we ever attacked you, here or anywhere for that matter? Your brothers and you aren't the problem," Jacoby huffed out as he hoisted the bags onto his shoulders and followed the tall, lanky Black to the car.

"It's not you or the rest of Ely's pack I ever worried about, Jacoby. The protection wasn't from you. That's why Ely knows how to get through. We just purposely didn't tell any of you because Ely saw no reason to until now I suppose. Figured it was less that could be given up if anything were to ever go awfully, awfully wrong in our world, if you understand my meaning."

Jacoby nodded as he sat the bags down beside Sullivan. "I suppose that makes sense. Certainly makes me feel less queasy and apprehensive around you... You're definitely the Sullivan I remember. Maybe a bit more cheery, but, that's not bad right?"

He elbowed Sullivan with a grin before spinning and heading back to grab the last bag and lock the door. Sullivan watched the boy. He'd grown quite a bit, and had easily been Sullivan's equal in gloomy, broody, 'hate-life' fashion. He'd come out of his shell. That was good. Perhaps he'd finally shaped up to be much less useless. Sully could only hope. He'd always, surprisingly, favored Jacoby from the other young one. Audolf had always been rambunctious and reckless, albeit he was incredibly strong and a good fighter; and loyal without any doubt. Jacoby had just never been at peace with what he'd become. Perhaps now he simply saw the gift in his abilities.

Sully smiled, thinking to himself, -I could really learn from him...- Turning back to his task, Sullivan loaded the bags in the car and waited for Jacoby to join him at the gate. As the young wolf made it, Sully pointed at the car.

"I left a small nook for it. Stuff it in the space while I shut the gate, then I'll join you in the car." Jacoby nodded as Sully grabbed the wrought iron gate and swung it closed. The loud, resounding *CLANG* of the gate made Jacoby shutter slightly, but he finished his job and hopped in the car.

"Sullivan will be in shortly. He's setting the barrier now." Noticing the perplexed look on Salena's face, he pointed out the window.

Sullivan stood beside the gate speaking, almost as if in prayer. If there were anyone that saw half in and half out of the world they lived in, it would certainly have an awkward effect... Almost dizzying and nauseating for just a split second as the shimmer of worlds clashed. Then, as if in a sparkle of light, everything would return to and appear normal. Nodding, Sullivan released the gate and made his way to the car, slipping inside and smiling at Salena. As the door shut, the car lurched forward and started down the road.

"Sorry, sorry," Jacoby called back with a grimace, "Still not completely used to this starting and stopping thing. Used to running everywhere." He chuckled, then mouthed another 'I'm sorry...' to Sullivan in the rear view. Sully shook his head and smiled. "Think nothing of it."

Turning, he smiled awkwardly at Salena.

"I don't think I've ever felt this when going to see my damnable brothers." He chuckled nervously.

Salena grinned, "Well, that's good, I suppose... at least, I think I suppose." She chuckled lightly, her mismatched gaze giving Jacoby shivers as she eyed him in the rearview. "It will certainly be an interesting day of 'firsts' for us both, that much is sure," she slid across the seat to curl up next to him, tucking her feet beneath her on the seat. Did she really mean that she'd never met his brothers? Had that whole conversation with Christian been their first interaction? And she wasn't dead?? There was no way... was there?

A few miles of hard braking and lurching gas passed with Sully in contemplative silence, delivering them to a small, private airstrip with unexpected celerity. And, to Salena's well-disguised surprise, an unexpected lack of security measures or intervention saw them loaded and ready for flight in less time than it took to drive there. 

As the pilot lackadaisically worked through the usual list of brain-numbing safety checks. Sally, much more bouncy than usual, began to pale to a very interesting shade of chartreuse. Jacoby, sneezing as he passed, patted her head as he took his seat. "Somebody's an anxious flyer," he poked with a chuckle as she drummed her fingers anxiously on the armrest. 

"Am not," Sally quipped back, "I'm not a flyer at all. That's the problem." The idea that she would be afraid of flying... when she didn't bat an eye at her heart stopping on a fairly regular basis... struck Sully as unbelievably humorous and endearing as he watched her fidget and fret. How was she such an oxymoron all the time? 

"How long is this gonna take," she asked with a smile, trying her best to hide her discomfort, "Do you have time to give me the run down? Or are you just gonna throw me to the wolves and 'sink or swim'?" Her grin told him she didn't really mind either way. She was just making conversation to distract from the earsplitting discomfort that tremored through her body as the engines whirred to life... her eyes instinctively squinching shut as the plane lurched forward. At this rate, she'd miss the best part... 

"You have to watch! Come on Sally, watch as the ground shrinks beneath us! The people look like ants, then the cars, then you can hardly see them at all! It's a must see!" Sullivan looked out of the window with a smile...

Whether she looked or not, it was up to her. Regardless, once they were in the air, he finally looked at her.

"Have you really never met my brothers? Please tell me that was not the first time you've ever interacted with Christian?" He pleaded silently that they had at least established some form of relationship, but judging from both her face and the previous comment of giving her the rundown, he assumed the worst. Lowering his head, he sighed.

"So, Hiram is the oldest. He's the on to talk to if you're hungry. Has an absolute zest for life when we're talking food or he's cooking. However, baking is not his, mmm, forte... Anyway, he's pretty relaxed and easy going. He's also a really great tracker, and thus is our family's headhunter." Shrugging, Sullivan smirked.

"Then there is Christian... He's not the oldest, but he's the chosen head of the family. He's all about the legacy of our family, and probably the best attorney in New York when it comes to zoning, property, and estate law. He's very level-headed and calm, most of the time. He's strong, probably more so than the other three of us. His presence and aura can be unsettling for those unprepared."

Jacoby scoffed. "Yeah... I almost pissed myself the first time I had to stand toe to toe with him. It's almost like standing face to face with Ely when he's mad... Except it's like that all the time with Christian. You know he's not mad, he's just intimidating. I don't know, I think it's just the way he caries himself... The posture, his attitude, and when he IS mad, you can feel the energy in the room literally making you sweat." Jacoby shivered, and Sully laughed.

"Yeah, he practically makes your blood boil. It's certainly uncomfortable when he's angry."

Looking out the window, he continued.

"Then there's Salvatore. He's the baby... Aside from me. I'm the youngest of the four of us. Salvatore is, well, very sensitive. He's very keen on sensing emotion and reading a room. Kind of a human lie detector too... He's not often wrong about people being dishonest or telling the truth. Problem is, he can become overwhelmed rather easily by the energy in a room... He's like a sponge, soaking it all up and letting the energy of others infect him. So, unless he's gotten better about his emotional sensitivities, he can be a bit of a loose cannon at times; negative or positive... You almost never know what he's going to do based off his current state of mind." Sullivan looked at Jacoby, who simply nodded in agreement.

"There are a few others in the house, but I'm not as familiar with any of them, and you already know Evelia." He smiled at Salena. "That's about the best preparation I can really give you... Any thing else you wanted to ask about before we land?"

Sally chuckled, shaking her head. "Nope. Good enough. And no, I haven't... at least not officially. They know me, I know of them. And that's the way it's stayed... by your family's preference, I'm sure." She shrugged, seeming perplexingly unflappable. She was a conundrum and a half. FORCING herself to look out the window to marvel at the smallness of the world seemed like a herculean task. But dying... or worse yet facing off with Christian toe-to-toe... seemed like the simplest and most natural thing in the world. 

She was silent for a long while, absorbed in her own thoughts as she stared down at the world passing below them like clockwork toys.

Sully and Jacoby discussed things quietly amongst themselves, making polite conversation as Sally mused. Suddenly, as if her own clockwork gears lurched into place, her expression shifted to quizzical wonderment as she looked down at the skyscrapers like dollhouses. Turning to Jacoby, she tugged his hand with a sweet smile. "Give me your opinion. Is THAT what we seem like to all of you?" she mused, her insinuation clear as she eyed him... those mismatched eyes seeming to pick up so much more than they should, "Tiny and fleeting?"

Jacoby stammered, eyeing Sully for 'help' as the plane slowly started its descent. 

Sullivan smirked, then nodded. "To them, yes. They will all outlive you by a long shot. Some of them indefinitely... Jacoby will eventually grow old and pass, but Audolf and Demitri were turned into what they are by Ely... So because they bare his actual curse, they, too, are immortal as Ely is. Of course, we can all be killed... We just won't die of natural causes, minus Jacoby. He -can- die of old age, even if it's around the five to six hundred year mark... But illness? Unlikely, unless he gets wounded in a way that caused infection... But I'm certain that Ely or Tamarind, or even Shomecosse could fix him up."

Jacoby nodded. It wasn't the answer he'd have thought to give, considering she was human... But, Sullivan generally knew what he was doing. At least that was the consensus with the rest of the family.

"To me, you still seem as forever as the day I met you... Time still feels relatively normal to me, aside from the years that I missed." Sullivan smiled.

Sally frowned a bit, Jacoby assuming she was - understandably - upset by Sullivan's assessment. The words that spilled out, however, shocked him. "How sad for you," she uttered quietly, her eyes soft and beholding. She was quiet for a few moments longer, leaving both men to ponder which part was sad. "It must be a very heavy burden... to have so long to contemplate and dread the inevitable. Don't worry, though. It's truly not as awful as everyone makes it out to be. It can be rather peaceful, really... once you get the hang of it." 

Her chipper smile was at complete odds with the heavy conversation, causing Jacoby to shiver yet again. It was funny. He lived in a den of monsters, and yet somehow SHE was scary. Chuckling softly to himself, he wondered if that might be why Christian had indulged her so when she called. Maybe there was something to her 'weirdness' after all?  

Sally did her best to adjust to the feeling as both men contemplated her momentarily... sure that the coming days would hold much more of the same as the family adjusted to her presence and vice versa. Biting her lip, she held back a soft squeak as the plane bounced and lurched onto the landing strip... a Cadillac limousine already waiting for them, right where Jacoby had left it in the wee hours of the morning. 

A few minutes worth of disembarking, and reloading luggage, and the trio was on their way to the doors of fate... a heavy, deathly silence settling over the car as Sully began to fidget anxiously. 

Twiddling his thumbs, he inhaled slowly, and exhaled even slower. Rain poured loudly over the city, and he couldn't help but feel anxious. Christian never allowed someone to speak to him that way, especially someone he'd never met. Respect was expected, even if it wasn't known it should be. So why now? Why this human? Sullivan turned and looked at Salena. She was brazen, that was for sure. Maybe it was her life and death situation that made her so, resilient. Maybe it was something else entirely. Whatever it was, it didn't seem like she was going to let them frighten or bother her. She'd made up her mind to accept that Sullivan was either crazy, or telling the truth... Now, she'd see it for certain.

The eyes she'd seen the night before... They were unnatural, and Sullivan didn't even know they'd been so. It wasn't planned, but in the dark they seemed to take over on their own so that he could see without hindrance. Natural instinct, and he'd not even realized it. But Salena had certainly seen it.

Sullivan couldn't help but wonder what was going through her head at the moment... Was she even nervous? Turning back and looking out of the window, he began tugging at his jacket. They were entering the city's south side already, and would soon be coming up on the castle-styled home of the Black family. In fact, Sullivan was fairly certain he could just make it out on the horizon through the heavy rainfall.

"We're almost there..." he whispered out softly. "What should I say?"

Sally rested her head on his shoulder, noting the change with a soft sigh. Squeezing his hand, she caressed his face tenderly. "Breathe, my Love," she urged him gently, Jacoby's yellow eyes not missing the inference as he eyed her through the rearview mirror. "Breathe through the tension. Be patient. Ask for their help. Beyond that... be who you are. They will see. In time they will see." 

Smiling, she reassured him. "It was easy enough for me. And I am merely tiny and fleeting. So... how much harder could it possibly be for those to whom impermanence is alien?" Perking up as the car rounded the bend, she did her best to camouflage the snerking gasp that slipped from her lips. Unable to write it off as anything else... she simply allowed herself to chuckled freely... almost maniacally as the car meandered it's way up the long drive to the heavy doors. 

Shaking her head, she doubled over in her seat, hiding her face in her skirt as she snickered uncontrollably. "I'm sorry... that's... that's a fucking CASTLE!" The hilarity seemed lost on Jacoby and Sullivan, who both simply nodded... as if living in a castle was the most normal and natural thing in the world. "Oh COME ON," Sally goaded, still snickering, "TELL ME the irony of that isn't lost on you. You're a... and he's a... and you're all... IN A CASTLE! ??" 

Facepalming, Sally shook her head as she marvelled up at the building. It was smaller than she would have imagined but no less imposing. And certainly no less impressive. For a long moment, she was almost afraid to step out of the car. The memory of how small the world seemed from above replaying in her head as she compared herself to the monumental world that lay before her. But, as her heart skipped a beat, the breath that hiccuped in her throat reminded her of all that she had faced before... and what was any of this compared to a lifetime of death? 

Ducking out of the car, Sally straightened herself and smoothed her dress. "Jacoby, get the bags," she snapped, with a beckoning smile, as she took Sully by the wrist and marched them both toward the door with all the brazen resilience he was learning to expect from her

Sullivan lowered his head as he approached, remembering to guard his own emotions as he did so. As they tromped through the rain, he wanted nothing more than to stop and drown in it's cold embrace. Droplets bounced off of the back of his neck and hands as he shivered from it's cool touch.

"Slow down, I'm not ready..."

He tugged back against her rushing lead, but it was to no avail... She tugged and tugged until they were safely beneath the arched porch near the large, wooden door. Beads of sweat formed on Sullivan's forehead, lucky he could blame it on the rain. Before he could truly gather his thoughts, he heard voices inside. And then the unthinkable...

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

The crash of the heavy knocker resounded loudly as Sally let the world know of their arrival. Just inside a voice squealed for joy and Sullivan's heart ached. He knew it was his daughter, excited to see her friend and to meet the "mystery-man". Little would she know the surprise in store for her.

"SALLY!" the voice called loudly as the door slowly, painfully creaked open. "SALLY! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH! OH MY GOD HOW IS EVERYTHING! IS THIS THE..."

Evie froze in her spot and slowly backed away as she looked up at the tall, lanky, seemingly familiar form. "...plus... one?" she almost whispered before slowly backing away through the door. Sullivan heard the next voice and swallowed hard as Christian's footsteps approached.

"Ah, good. You've arri~, what seems to be the matter, Evelia?"

"Th-th-tha...that..." she stammered out and pointed at the doorway where Christian could see Sally. "Is your friend from Seattle, I am aware."

"Noooo. Not her, him." She pointed behind the door, and Christian stood straight, Hiram approaching the commotion from the kitchen. A gust of heavy wind caught the door as the sky darkened with more rainfall and it pushed the heavy door open with an eerie creak. Sullivan looked up and met his brother's eyes just as lighting flashed in the background. The skin across his face almost seemed to vanish in the flash, like the light revealed what was hidden beneath, only to appear normal immediately afterward again.

"It's been a while, Hiram. Christian." Turning his head slightly, he looked down the hallway as a set of blue eyes approached. "Salvatore." He returned his gaze to the most quizzical of looks on Christian's face. "It's good to see all of you... I think."

Sally braced herself against the storms that raged before and behind her. The swirling wave of rippling energy that tore through the house was not lost on her as both Hiram and Salvatore charged the door, dragging Evelia backwards. Almost as quickly as they appeared, Sally stepped in front of Sullivan, placing herself fearlessly between the two parties without regard. Drawing herself up to her full height... minuscule in comparison to everyone else around her... she glared up at Christian in defiant silence. 

Hiram, inhaling the frigid wind as it blew through the door, growled low as he paced behind his brothers. Sally, with a small, challenging smirk, growled back... as best she could... drawing the slightest flash of a smirk from Christian. It didn't linger, however, gone as quickly as it had come as his hand flashed to Sally's throat. Ever, brazen, she... shockingly... neither blinked nor flinched as his cold, low voice cut through the night. 

"WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS?" he barked, dragging her forward yet never gripping her tightly, "You bring deceit to my doorstep and DARE challenge my brother... when you know NOTHING?! You are..." 

"I am your guest," Sally cut him short with an equal glare. "And I've brought you nothing but the truth," she continued in the shocked silence, her brow arching up as she leaned INTO his hand, "I told you I'd been made aware of developments that were dangerous for unsecured disclosure. It is YOU who brought me to your door. And now YOU threaten me as if I am an ENEMY when it is I who have been... at every turn of my life recently... pursued and endangered by your family. So if you think me brazen, perhaps it is the prey in me responding to the predators that seem to continually stalk my days and nights in the guise of knights and saviours, hm?"

Leaning even closer, she tiptoed up to meet his glaring blue gaze with her mismatched eyes, "So if it's my throat you want let us get that unsavoury business done and over with. In which case, do us both a single kindness and take Evelia to another room. Otherwise, you have two choices: let us in to discuss all that we suspect - your brother's 'condition' being the least of which - or we'll turn around right now and I'll take him to the LAST blue-eyed stalker who haunted my nightmares. At least HE never DARED to handle me so roughly!" 

There was dead silence for a few long moments as the two stared each other down... the whole of the house nearly vibrating with the intensity of emotion that swirled around them as Christian fought to assert his dominance. Sally, finally growing tired of the wearisome game ceded her defiance with a growling hiss, turning her attention on Sal with a searing gaze. "Make this easy," she quipped, lowering her guard with a blink so that the impact of her last three days sliced through the accumulated tension of the room like a knife through hot butter, "If I'm lying, he can rip this heart back out of my body. But you know I'm not."

Softening as she turned back to Christian, she met each of their gazes... Evie included... before whispering softly, "We need your help."

Sullivan hardly even had a chance to move before Sally placed herself in front of him. Lowering his head to her ear, he whispered, "That was stupid..."

Jacoby came running up after the plead for help for them and dropped his bags. "Christian, if you don't believe them, believe me... It's definitely your brother. He doesn't even know how."

Christian was already loosening his grip before Jacoby had come running up. Mostly, it had been to keep the two before him safe from his guard dogs, anyway. Hiram was always itching for a scrap, but Salvatore hardly ever wanted to rip something to shreds without talking. So he assumed the visage of their brother had triggered them heavily. Especially the emotionally vulnerable Sal. So, instead of allowing them the chance to act, he'd done so...

Releasing Salena, Christian stepped back and put his hands behind his back.

"Is it true, Sullivan?" Slowly, he finally moved his gaze from the brazen Salena and looked at his brother.

Closing his eyes, Sullivan nodded, "Something called me back, I woke in the grave... I swear it took six hours to dig out of the ground. Also, you'd think Harvey would have cleared the giant, dead, wisteria tree from the grounds, not that I remember having one planted there, I meant to ask him about that... But then this little one almost died in the funeral home." He pointed at Sally.

"She'd gotten into my old Tesla coils and shocked herself something fierce. Did you know Matty's heart is in her?"

"Yeah, Matty, the lady Uncle Harvey used to save you, right Salena?" Evie slowly approached, hiding behind Christian like a little girl hiding shyly behind her father or big brother.

"Your mo~" Sully started, before both Christian and Salena stopped him with a glance.

Sully smiled, covering his mouth and yawning, "My apologies, it was a long trip. As I was saying, you're most correct, young lady. The woman that Uncle Harvey used to save Salena."

Evie gulped and ducked back behind Christian as she peeked around him while looking at Sullivan. "Is that, is that really my dad, Sally? Uncle Christian? I thought he was dead..."

"He was, child. You know that. You also know this family, and you know how the world truly works. Do not discredit the option that he somehow has arisen," Christian answered, warmer than Sullivan remembered him normally being. In fact, even the interaction with Sally had been different than he remembered.

"When did you get soft, Christian?" Sullivan tilted his head to the side as he asked.

"Dearest brother-dispărut, you've been gone for a long time. Do you remember what it is that we speak in times of question?"

Sullivan sighed, and took a deep breath, "Dyro Dduw dy Nawdd; Ag yn nawdd, nerth; Ag yn nerth, Deall; Ag yn Neall, Gwybod; Ac yngwybod, gwybod y cyfiawn; Ag yngwybod yn cyfiawn, ei garu; Ag o garu, caru pob hanfod; Ag ymhob Hanfod, caru Duw."

Inhaling again, then exhaling, he repeated himself, but so Sally would easier understand. "Grant, O God, Thy protection; And in protection, strength; And in strength, understanding; And in understanding, knowledge; And in knowledge, the knowledge of justice; And in the knowledge of justice, the love of it; And in that love, the love of all existences; And in the love of all existences, the love of God."

Smiling, Christian nodded. "Why, I'm not certain, but I'm sure we can figure it out. You mentioned a dead wisteria tree, where was this tree?"

"Near my grave site, why?"

Christian's brow raised as he looked at the other two, Hiram slowly stepping forward. "It's uncanny, you sound just like him, but there is no reason Sullivan would have returned to this place. So why?"

Sully shrugged, but Christian chuckled. "Because he was called to, and the tree offered it's life for him to return to life, or rather, unlife it would seem."

Two things happened at once.

Kina, who up to this point had been hiding behind Sal, tiptoed up behind Christian at the mention of the tree. Her electric blue eyes wide with dismay as she shook her head. "Christian, I swear... I didn't know." She looked like she could wilt on the spot and die... were it not for the striking blue gaze that gave Sully sudden chills; his fingers gripping Sally's wrist lightly as he eyed the newcomer. Kina, eyeing him right back, melted to the floor in a puddle of silk, clasped hands pressed to her forehead, "It wasn't... I didn't... I wouldn't..." she fought through her own shock, shame, and regret, "I'm so sorry."

"This is all my fault," she whispered to the tile floor, leaning into Christian as tears started to slide down her cheeks. 

Simultaneously, Sally leaned around Christian to address Hiram; her sour defiance replaced with a sweet and innocent softness. "Normally you would be right... but there's more." Her gaze flickered to Christian before lowering to the ground, "It's Carlisle."

Amelia, having lingered on the sidelines up to this point, instinctively rushed to Sal's side... her eyes wide with fear and concern. "Oh my god," the words slipped out softly as she slipped her arm in his protectively. Sally, nodding to the blonde added, "We can't be sure. But... Sully was concerned enough that I... I couldn't not call." 

Her gaze lifted ever so slightly to meet Evelia's wide, green eyes, "I'm so sorry..."

Sullivan was stuck, staring at Tsukina, and not having words. What was she talking about? And better yet, where had she come from? He had no recollection of having helped her process, nor any recollection of giving her what should have been his gift. All he saw, were the tell-tale blue eyes of one of their own, on a female... And worse, one he didn't recognize. Was she a new player? Had Carlisle succeeded in creating a female host? Had one of the brother's created a new pet? If so, it was seemingly Christian since she was cuddled up against him in her deflated puddle of guilt.

Finally getting the nerve to break the silence that had befallen everyone as they stared, his nostrils flared and he inhaled deeply before speaking. "What Salena says is true. Carlisle was on the move. He wanted Salena, and attempted to bargain for her life with her father, as he's known to do when searching for new vessels to house one of us. I can't imagine he'd simply be lonely. He's making a move, and I don't know why or what for... But, if you were not aware, I knew you needed to be."

Looking at Evelia, he smiled, "She showed me the home videos... I was incredibly impressed with your autopsy, and watching you learn as you grew was amazing. I'm so sorry I wasn't here for that, and I will rectify that as I can." Looking at Christian, he smiled weaker, "As you know, Salena's heart is Matty's, as well as one eye. Harvey was unaware when he did the surgery, I'm sure you're certain. However, I believe Matty's family may have housed a~"

"Witch. Yes, her blood is a carrier, which is why Evie is so special, and perhaps exactly why Carlisle wanted your dear Salena..."

The voice came from behind them, but was certainly not Jacoby's. Sullivan turned slowly as Ely stepped into the door and waved.

"Hello dear nephew, it's been a long time. Matty's great-grandmother was, indeed, a witch. Her blood is a bit diluted from the original source, but still carries strong."

Christian sighed, lowering his head. So much for being a low-key family meeting. "Everyone inside... At least let's get you all out of the rain."

Turning to Kina, he knelt beside her and smiled, kissing her head. "Dear love, it is not your fault. I fear there are bigger forces at play here. It doesn't add up otherwise." Standing, he looked at Elyan. "So why are you here?"

Elyan smiled, "To see my nephew of course! And to check on Evie and to pick up Jacoby. Come on, dear boy, inside you go. Out of the rain. We can rest here if that's okay with Christian." He looked at the head of house with a smirk.

"Of course it is, Elyan, you know you and your pack are welcome here," Christian nodded. "Just don't out stay your welcome." It was subtle, but there was a hint of animosity in the forced invitation... They were welcome, it was true, but Christian liked more than two minutes advance usually.

Jacoby grabbed the bags and hoisted them onto his shoulder as the group moved in, but Evie spun and looked at him as he entered for some reason, and he froze on the spot... The luggage clattered to the floor as Jacoby almost seized, standing straight up, his head shaking as if he was watching something happen in speedy succession... Ely, not missing a beat, looked between Evie and Jacoby, and chuckled. "Oh my..."

Jacoby fell forward and caught himself on all fours, his breathing hitched in his chest as he gasped for air, then looked up at Evie...

"Evelia Carlita Black..." Jacoby called out before making eye contact with her. "I'll be here with you, whenever and however you need. I'll protect you with my life if it ever comes to that."

"Very interesting," Ely chuckled out, before reaching down and hoisting the boy up by his collar. "Get on your feet, grab those bags, and come inside." Turning back, he smiled at everyone else.

"Seems my young boy has imprinted upon your dear Evelia, Sullivan. You've gained yourself a house dog." He laughed. Christian groaned. Salvatore chuckled. Hiram smirked. Sullivan, however, glared at Jacoby.

"As long as he tries nothing funny, then so be it."

"No worries, he'll only act in her best interest and protection from now on. It's in his blood."

"Fine..."

Turning to Tsukina, Sullivan softened, "I don't think this is your fault. Something sent me back, and used you to do it. Something needs me here to help remove Carlisle from the equation. Something on the other side... And I think it was Damian."

Ely froze at the mention, the hair on the back of his head standing. "Damian," he whispered.

"Yes, Damian or Aoibhel."

Ely swallowed hard then nodded before looking at Christian. "If those two are getting involved, then Carlisle has become too brazen even for their tastes. Which makes him dangerous. We will need to have a summit and invite the others."

Christian nodded. "Yes, but for now, let us focus on family. We can worry about Carlisle once we understand Sullivan's return, and we all get some much needed rest." Looking at Evelia, he smiled. "Will you please take Sullivan and Ma-Salena to one of the guest rooms?"

"Nonsense! We can use my room." Sullivan stated as he started down the hall before his pause as Christian cleared his throat.

"That is no longer your room. That is Tsukina's room now. I will set up the guest room the way yours used to be. Piano and all."

Sully blinked, then nodded. Unlike his old house in Seattle, this one had adjusted. Oddly, that upset him, but he was a guest in his own house everywhere he went now it seemed...