Absolution Part VI

by The Prime Minister

Lina, Xellos, and family leave Zel and Amelia to continue their lives, but what will the price for Xellos' humanity be? (Lina x Xellos) (Last in the Absolution Series, complete.)

1. Absolution VI Continued Chapter 1

Author's Note: Once again, I don't own these characters and don't even pretend like they're my own.

A note to all: I apologize this took so long to post, but I think it's about halfway done now. Between family illness and getting adjusted to a new job and living situation, I just haven't had the time to write that I'd like. Keep tuned in, though. I WILL finish this story, and then I'll begin on "Pursuit of Merit." In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this installment! As always, reviews and feedback are greatly appreciated.

Absolution Part VI
by the Prime Minister

The next several days were actually quite companionable, with Xellos and Zelgadis getting along reasonably. Lina and Amelia were closer than ever, and Xellos noticed that Lina's attitude had relaxed somewhat. Perhaps his wife had discussed the swordsman with her friend. Lecia was happy as well, glad for her playmates, and was sad when they had to go.

"But Daddy," she pleaded.

"I'm sorry, little one," he said gently. "We have to be on our way if we're going to make it home before the snow falls. Besides, your mother's other friends will have other little girls for you to play with. Then we can go home and see Val. Don't you miss Auntie Filia and Val?"

"Yeah," Lecia muttered, and that was the end of that.

Lina, too, seemed reluctant to leave her circle of friends. "Thanks for putting up with us," she murmured as she hugged Amelia fiercely.

"You're welcome, Miss Lina," Amelia choked, tears openly rolling down her cheeks.

"We'll miss you, Lina," Zelgadis said, blushing slightly as Lina embraced him as well.

"Thank you for everything," Xellos added, shaking Zel's hand. Amelia surprised him by throwing her arms around him and squeezing with all her might.

"You take good care of her, Mister Xellos," she said. "If you ever need anything, please let us know."

Xellos smiled and nodded. "Mister Zelgadis, if happen to get your hands on some amurium, please write and tell me. It would be nice if we had means of communication other than riding hundreds of miles."

Zel nodded in understanding. Xellos had talked with him at length the night before about the situation with the Monsters. Zelgadis was ready and willing to help. "We'll come visit you as soon as we can," the chimera promised, and the parents waited while the children said their good-byes.

"Bye, Lecia," Alfred sniffled. "You're fun."

"I'll miss you," Celdra said.

"Bye!" Rodimus added.

"Bye, guys. You gotta come visit me, okay?" Lecia said with a wave, then let Xellos pick her up. He shouldered his bag, looped his staff through it, and settled Gorran into a sling.

"Good bye, Lina!" Zel shouted as Amelia burst into tears.

"Let us know when the baby's born!" Lina called out in return, and they were on their way.

It was only an hour before they arrived at the Gabriev residence on the outskirts of town. The manor house rose gray and stately above gently waving grasses, and even from a distance Xellos could tell that the grounds were extensive. There was an excellent setup for sword training, and room for horses as well. It seemed that Gourry was running quite the battle school. "Yo-ho!" Lina cried out and was immediately greeted with the barking of dogs.

"Hey, quiet!" a large, male voice bellowed, and Gourry appeared from one of the outbuildings. He shouted at the dogs for a bit, then turned and noticed them. Xellos felt his heart constrict as Gourry's face brightened at the sign of Lina, and soon the big man was loping toward them. "Hi!" he yelled, opening the gate for them.

"Hi," Lina said awkwardly, eyes downcast.

"Hey, don't be such a stranger," Gourry murmured with a smile, reaching down and squeezing Lina's hand.

Xellos felt anger flare up inside of him, making him feel dizzy. As a Monster he hadn't been able to feel love, but as such had also not been able to feel its opposite, hatred. Now human, Xellos was more than capable of feeling crushing hate, just as he did at that very moment. He would have been perfectly happy to see Gourry die a painful, bloody death right then and there. Loathing flowed through his every vein, and he could already feel his brain working on how to get the swordsman out of their lives for good. Killing him outright would drive Lina away forever, though, and he hadn't come up with an equally permanent solution yet. He would, though, he would.

"Hey, Xellos," Gourry said, looking at him cautiously.

Xellos wondered if Gourry even knew what he had lost, then recalled that Gourry's honor had returned Lina to him. Interesting, that. "Hello, Mister Gourry," Xellos said smoothly. "I trust today finds you well?"

"Yeah," Gourry said, giving him a genuine smile. Xellos smiled back. Honestly, the man was so easy to fool.

"Who're you?" Lecia asked, staring up at the man. "You're really big. You're even taller than Daddy."

"Hi," Gorran said, waving at his sister. "Hi hi hi hi."

Gourry laughed and crouched, sinking down to Lecia's eye level. "I'm Gourry," he said, offering his hand. "I'm an old friend of your mom's. We used to travel together and I'd protect her."

"I'm Lecia," the little girl said, taking his hand and shaking it vigorously. "I'm six."

"You're strong," Gourry grinned. "You'll be just as strong as your mom someday."

"I know," Lecia said, then lost interest in the stranger and began to play with the dogs. "These are smaller than Grandma's," she called out.

"That's because the ones at Grandma's were wolves," Xellos replied.

"Hi," Gorran said, not wanting to be ignored. "Hi, Dada, hi!"

"Hi, there," Gourry chuckled, tousling Gorran's hair. Xellos' first instinct was to pull his son away, but he was able to restrain himself in time.

"Hi, hi," Gorran babbled, amethyst eyes huge as he looked about.

"Sylphiel!" Gourry called, leading them back toward the house. "They're here!"

Sylphiel appeared at the door, wiping a plate on her apron. "Gourry, dear, please don't yell," she said, then spied the others. "Oh, hello!" she beamed. "I'm so happy you could visit!"

Lina nodded. "We can only stay for a couple of nights," she said. "We really need to get home before winter."

"We've been gone nearly a whole year," Lecia said. "I'm six!"

"Oh, who are you?" Sylphiel cooed. "You're such a pretty girl!"

"I'm Lecia," she said. "I'm going to be a beautiful sorcery genius like Mommy."

"She's very well-spoken," Sylphiel smiled.

"Thank you," Xellos said.

"Girls!" Sylphiel called into the house. "Girls, come meet our company, please!"

Four girls neatly filed into the front room and Xellos and his family entered the house, Gourry closing the door behind them. "Hello," they said, the three older ones speaking in unison.

"Lecia, go play while the grownups talk," Lina said, eyes wandering around the room. Xellos could tell that she was imagining herself in Sylphiel's role and wondering how things would be different.

"But, Mommy," Lecia whined, tugging on the edge of Lina's tunic.

"Please do as your mother asks," Xellos said gently.

Lecia narrowed her eyes. "Will you buy me toys?"

Xellos sighed. She was getting more like her mother every day, it seemed. "We'll talk about that on the road home, okay?"

"Okay," Lecia agreed, expression still crafty. "But you'd better not forget."

"He won't," Lina said roughly. "Now, scoot."

"Come on," Lecia ordered the girls, and Xellos smiled as they all followed Lecia outside. His girl certainly had charisma, that was for sure.

"She's just precious," Sylphiel said with a giggle.

"She's gotten really big since I saw her last," Gourry admitted, looking deeply into Lina's eyes. Xellos had to repress a scowl as he saw the other man's gaze sweeping over his wife's body.

"A lot has happened since then," Lina replied softly.

"Yeah," Gourry agreed.

"Let's retire to the parlor, shall we?" Sylphiel volunteered, and they all filed in after her.

The afternoon was filled with banal conversation, Sylphiel and Xellos doing most of the talking. The subjects they covered included recipes, needlework, and stain removal while Gourry and Lina just sat and stared at one another from across the room. Xellos always kept an eye on his wife, watching, but he could sense nothing untoward in her actions.

An hour before supper Lecia materialized at the edge of his chair, tugging gently on his sleeve. "Daddy," she whispered.

Xellos raised his eyebrows and looked down at his daughter. "What is it, darling?"

"These girls are BORING," she hissed. "They only play with dolls! They don't play pirates or anything!"

Xellos nearly burst into laughter. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "Why don't you play a different sort of game with them, like a matching game, or tag?"

"Okay," Lecia whispered loudly, and crept out of the room.

Gorran whined and reached after his sister, but Xellos kept him on his lap. "Eya," he moaned, waving his arms about.

Xellos' eyes widened as he looked down at his son. "What was that?" he asked.

"Eeeeeyaaaa!!!" Gorran wailed, and started to cry.

"What's wrong?" Lina asked in alarm.

"I think he's learning Lecia's name," Xellos said with surprise.

Gorran, however, was sobbing, and Xellos had to take him out of the room. He changed him, rocked him, and walked around until the child was calm, spending the remaining time before supper practicing walking. Lina called him to eat and they all settled in at a massive table, which was piled high with food. All the girls ate politely, even his own daughter, which left only Gourry and Lina to argue over food. They battled constantly and were stealing one another's portions at every turn, leaving Xellos and Sylphiel to stare at them, dumbfounded. It made Xellos uncomfortable to see Lina so familiar with her ex-lover, and to break the tension he smiled at Sylphiel. "Can you imagine what a war zone dinnertime would be if they ended up together?" he said with a forced chuckle. "Both can eat, but neither can cook!"

Sylphiel laughed. "It's a good thing they have us, Mister Xellos!" she replied merrily. "We can do for them what they can't do for themselves!"

Xellos nodded and smiled, carefully feeding Gorran. He congratulated Sylphiel on her wonderful cooking and engaged her in more household conversation until Lina sat back in her chair, hands on her stomach. "Good," she grunted.

"Thank you," Sylphiel said with a shining smile.

Gourry moaned and copied Lina's actions. "Don't starve around here," he muttered with a lazy grin.

"Dearest, would you please hold Gorran while I help Miss Sylphiel clean up?" Xellos asked Lina, then handed over the child.

"Oh, Mister Xellos, you're a guest! You just go ahead and sit back down," Sylphiel protested.

Xellos shook his head. "Nonsense," he said. "You fed us and the least I can do is help tidy up." He rose from his seat as he spoke, carrying dishes to the counter.

"He sure is nice," he heard Gourry say, and he glanced over his shoulder.

"Yeah, sure," Lina replied, shooting him a patented look of death. He grinned back at her innocently, then made idle chitchat with Sylphiel as he helped do the dishes, the whole time wondering how he could possibly sever the bonds that Gourry and Lina had built over the years.

It turned out people went to bed early at the Gabriev residence, and so Xellos bathed the children, read them stories, and settled them down with the Gabriev girls for the night. He bathed himself, then slipped into the guest room, where Lina was sitting on the edge of the bed. She glanced at him, then sighed and leaned back on the pillows, still in her clothes. "Aren't you tired?" he asked, undressing and feeling satisfied when he saw her eyes rove over his body.

Lina shrugged and watched him crawl under the covers. "Not really," she muttered, folding her hands behind her head.

"Hmmm," Xellos murmured, producing a book.

"What's that?"

Xellos turned the book so that he could see the cover. "Umm, it's a book on the divergence of human speech patterns near Sangorta during their empire period," he explained.

"Boooooring," Lina groaned.

"It might seem dry, but the ancient Sangortans actually had quite a complicated system for researching black magic," he replied.

"Well, I'll let you figure it out, then, and fill me in later," she grunted.

Xellos shrugged. "As you wish," he said sliding under the covers further.

They lay in silence for some time, the only sound the occasional spluttering of a candle. "This sucks," Lina growled. "I'm going for a walk."

"Have a nice time," he said gently, glancing at the clock. The hour had just struck, and he noticed that she had been watching the clock for quite a while. Interesting.

"Thanks," she replied. "Be back in a bit. Don't wait up if you get tired."

"Very well," he murmured, feigning disinterest until Lina left the room. He waited until he could no longer hear her footsteps, then he heard the heavy front door open and close. Several moments passed and he didn't hear any more footsteps, and he wondered if Lina really was just out taking a walk. Shaking his head, he slid from under the covers and silently dressed. Lina was good at subterfuge, but she couldn't beat the master. He had several thousand years' worth of experience, after all. Picking his boots up in one hand, he clutched his cloak to him and soundlessly crept after his wife.

It didn't take him long to catch up to her, but had to be very careful she didn't notice him. He also had to gradually close their link through the rings, which was a dangerous task both because he had to do it slowly enough she wouldn't notice what he was doing and also because he had to be certain she wouldn't pick up on his intent. Lina was moving with purpose through the darkness, and he followed her until she entered the trees. Thinking back, he tried to discern the moment in which she had made plans with her ex-lover. As far as he could tell, they really hadn't had a moment in which to whisper and scheme. That's when he remembered an odd moment, after dinner, when Lina had pushed her plate over to Gourry, complaining about something or other. Was he remembering incorrectly or had there been a note slipped under the plate? What that when the plans had been made? Clenching his jaw, he stole into the trees after her, tracking her by sound as he levitated above the dried leaves and pine needles littering the forest floor.

Xellos followed Lina until she reached a clearing by a small stream, where she stood and waited. He perched in the boughs of a tree, eyes alert, and watched as she looked up at the stars. Perhaps she really was out for some fresh air, after all. She certainly didn't have the air of waiting for someone. As soon as he had the thought, however, another dark figure emerged from the trees, hopping over the stream and rushing over to Lina. Xellos caught a glimpse of golden hair in the moonlight as the large man swept Lina into his arms, crushing her to his chest. "Lina," he sobbed.

"Gourry," Lina replied, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Oh, gods, I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too."

"Have you been happy, Lina?" he asked, stroking her fiery hair.

She sighed and leaned into his embrace. "Mostly," she murmured.

"And Xellos? Does he treat you right?"

"He worships me, Gourry."

"I worshipped you, too."

"Not like he does."

Gourry was silent for some time. "Do you love him more than you love me?"

"What?" Lina asked, voice halting.

"I asked if you loved him more than me."

"I don't understand..."

"I still love you, Lina," Gourry whispered, taking her hand in his and pressing her palm to his chest. "I think about you every day and love you. Don't you love me, too?"

Xellos held his breath, his ribcage feeling as if it was full of ice. "Yes, I love you," she whispered, and he felt his gut twist in agony. Oh no, everything he worked for was going down in flames!

"Do you love him more?" Gourry asked, voice sounding desperate.

Lina was quiet for a few moments. "I love him differently," she murmured. "But I do love him."

"I've missed you," Gourry breathed, crushing her close again. "For the longest time I didn't think I could live without you."

"I felt the same," Lina replied. "But I slowly healed. I loved Lecia, then I fell in love with human Xellos. I can't describe it, not really.... A lot has happened."

"I understand. I thought I'd die without you, and just when I was ready to give up, I saw Sylphiel. She was a wreck, having just lost her husband, and I helped her for a while, taking care of all those daughters. Then I realized she was so nice, and she cared about me so much, and I asked her to marry me."

"Do you love her?"

"Yeah, I think so," Gourry whispered. "But it's not like I loved you. She makes me comfortable, and I like being with her, but she doesn't make my heart soar or my head spin like you do, like you still do. Just being around you takes my breath away. I love you, Lina, I want to be with you."

Xellos ground his teeth with anxiety and fury as he listened to their words. How could this be happening? Had Lina lied to him?

"Oh, Gourry," Lina murmured, and he recognized the sounds of her sobbing. She threw herself against Gourry and wept, her entire body shaking in the darkness.

"There, there," he crooned, patting her gently. "I'm here for you now."

"You've always been so good to me," she sniffled. "You've always meant so much to me. I'm sorry for everything that happened. I shouldn't have ever left you. We should have been together forever."

"I know, I know."

"But now we can't. We both have families and children that we love and can't leave."

"We have tonight. Being around you drives me crazy. I can't control myself around you."

"We can't," Lina whispered. "We just can't. Xellos...."

"I can't be responsible for my actions around you," Gourry murmured, and tilted her chin up to his. He leaned forward and kissed her, their bodies melting together in the darkness. Xellos felt the kiss like a physical blow and recoiled, his heart shattering within his chest. No, it couldn't be, not his Lina. Not his Lina!

He looked down on them for what felt like an eternity, then launched himself into the air. Tears stung his eyes but he didn't look back, couldn't bear what he knew was happening. Damn her, damn that lying, betraying human woman! How he wished he had his empty Monster's heart back so that he wouldn't have to feel the pain of love!

He landed in front of the house and stormed inside, clomping up to his room, where he perched on the end of the bed with his head in his hands. Damn it. He had worked so hard, and yet she had belonged to Gourry the entire time. His heart turned so cold in his chest that it burned, and he found that it was getting harder and harder to breathe. It hurt so much that he wasn't certain he could stand it, and then he heard footsteps on the stairs. What, back so soon from her infidelities?

Lina opened the door and started when she saw him sitting, dressed, on the end of the bed. He looked at her coldly, his emotionless mask sliding into place. Her face was slightly puffy, as if she was holding back too many tears, and then she took off her cloak and threw it on the floor. They locked eyes and stared at one another for several tense moments. "Where were you?" Xellos grated.

Lina didn't answer him, just slid into his lap and smoothed his hair away from his face. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve and kissed him tentatively. Suddenly his pain gave way to jealousy and fury, and before his brain could catch up with his animal instinct he had her on her back, moaning as the headboard of the bed crashed rhythmically against the wall. Lina burst into tears as she finished, clutching at his slick body with all her limbs. Xellos, for his part, felt sick as he trembled, staring down at her with a mixture of loathing and sorrow. What was he thinking? Did he really believe he could just mate with her and erase the swordsman's body from hers?

"I love you," Lina said, pulling him down to her and burying her face in his shoulder.

He escaped her grasp and recoiled from her completely, separating himself and sitting on the edge of the bed, head in his hands as his elbows rested on his knees. "Where were you?" he asked again, voice thick.

He felt her fingers tentatively brushed his shoulder. "I went for a walk," she explained. "I figured some things out."

"Oh?" he said bitterly, hiding his face in his palms. He didn't want to look at her. He could scarcely stand the thought that he had just finished making love to her.

"Yes, like how I could never leave you, that no matter how I feel about Gourry, it's you I choose."

"And just walking around outside made you realize that?" he said sharply.

Lina took a deep breath, resting her forehead in between in shoulder blades. "No," she breathed, voice quivering slightly. "I met Gourry in the woods."

Xellos stiffened. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but this wasn't it. He hadn't thought she would tell him the truth. "What?" he choked.

"I met him in the woods and we talked. Then he kissed me, and he might have wanted more, but I told him it was you I married, and I ran back here."

Xellos opened his eyes wide and turned to her, grabbing her by the upper arms. "You kissed him?" he asked, voice catching in his throat. "Did you do anything else?"

"Dammit, Xellos, I'm your wife! What do you think?" she snapped, but there was moisture in her eyes. "I knew you were jealous the second I walked in the room. I don't know how you knew, but you did. You knew I met up with him, or at least suspected. I could tell by the look on your face, and by the fact I couldn't reach you through the rings. Then, when I saw you sitting there, I just wanted to touch you, to remind myself of you, and then you took me hard. You only do that when you're jealous."

Xellos, for once, was at a loss for words. "Yes, Lina," he replied, voice thick. "I am jealous. I'm afraid that you'll want him instead of me, that you'll want to go back to what you had before. I fear that you think you need a completely human man to understand and love you, and that I suddenly won't be good enough. It makes me sick to think of him touching you, holding you, loving you, and I can't hardly stand to be in the same room with him. I'm afraid that any given moment you'll just jump up and run out on me, reunited with your true love at last."

He must have said the words more sharply than he meant to, for Lina's face crumpled in rage and she slapped him across the face. His eyes opened wide and he stared at her, his hand reaching up and gingerly touching his stinging flesh. He could already feel the skin swelling slightly. "Shut up," she croaked, and he saw that tears were running silently down her cheeks. "Shut up, you distrustful bastard. Just because you couldn't trust anyone as a Monster doesn't mean it's the same way now. After all these years I've been with you, you still don't have faith in me?"

Xellos blinked. "Faith and reality are often at odds," he said quietly.

"I'm your lifemate, dammit!" she cried. "I've had two of your children and lived with you for over half a decade. I even married you, and tonight I turned down my old lover and dearest friend for you. I gave you everything I swore I'd never give anyone, Xellos. What more could you possibly want from me?"

"Lina," he said, hand pressed over the mark she had left on his face.

"I have nothing left to give," she said, collapsing in upon herself. "You have it all."

Xellos reached out and pulled her into his lap, stroking her long hair as it spilled over his bare skin. "You're right, I'm a fool," he murmured into her ear. "I apologize."

"That's not going to cut it. I destroyed the heart of my best friend tonight for you. I hurt him badly. You should have seen the look on his face."

Xellos wished he HAD seen the look on Gourry's face. He would have given a limb for it, in fact. "I can't tell you how much that means to me," he whispered, and he meant it.

Lina shook her head and wiped her eyes. "It hurt," she muttered.

"I'm sorry," he breathed, pulling her closer. "I'm sorry. I will never doubt you again, Lina Inverse."

"Good," she grumbled, and he stretched her out on the mattress, cuddling up next to her. Slowly he opened their connection through the rings and sent his feelings toward her. He received back her pain as well as her love, and he soothed both with kisses and tender murmurings. Lina quivered in his arms for quite some time, but eventually she turned to him and embraced him, burrowing into his shoulder. He just kept sending wave after wave of assurances and love toward her, and eventually she began to send the same. Thus connected and satisfied, they were finally able to fall asleep.

By the time morning rolled around a plan had formulated inside his brain. Gourry would be hurt, and Xellos knew he could use that to his advantage. Even more importantly, Lina knew that Gourry was hurt, which would greatly help the credibility and irreversible nature of his plan. It would all work out perfectly, if he played his cards right, and since he was the master of the game, there was no reason it shouldn't go precisely as anticipated.

He actually looked forward to breakfast, eager to get to the table after rousing the children, and his anticipation was rewarded when Gourry appeared, tired and downtrodden. Sylphiel cooed and hovered over her husband as he shuffled to the table, a slight scowl on his face. Xellos sat up straight and alert as he watched Gourry carelessly pull out a chair and plop down in it, his expression disgruntled. There were dark rings under his puffy eyes, and he looked like he hadn't slept all night. Well, there would be time to bring that up later.

Lina, for her part, simply kept her eyes on her food, shoveling away methodically instead of with her usual abandon. She, too, looked tired, but more bone-weary instead of destroyed like Gourry did. All the children were eating, even Gorran, and if the girls noticed that there was something wrong with the tall, blonde man, they knew better than to comment. Xellos kept close tabs on everyone, constantly engaging Sylphiel in conversation so that she really didn't have time to talk to her husband and find out what was wrong. Not that he was certain that Gourry would actually tell Sylphiel anything, but better safe than sorry.

When the children were finished and began to pester Gourry for the day's plans and information, Xellos took the opportunity to slip away, ostensibly to bathe. Instead, however, he slipped up to Gourry's room and delicately removed his sword, Scundabran, from its sheath. He scowled as he gazed upon the wicked blade, the edge still sharp after a thousand years. Veins of amurium ran the length of the blade, and a single jewel was set in the crosspiece. Yes, it was exactly as he remembered it, having spent much time dodging it after it was first forged. It would act like a normal blade on humans, merely slicing their bodies, although it was immune to spells and could deflect almost all the most powerful castings. The edge also stayed eternally razor-sharp, and a competent swordsman like Gourry would be able to behead a man with a flick of his wrist. The sword was actually a beautiful weapon, perfectly balanced, and Gourry had obviously taken care of it. If Gourry knew how to siphon magical power with the amurium embedded in the blade and store the energy in the jewel, he would be in serious trouble. The sword itself was capable of absorbing and recasting any spell thrown at it. For Xellos, however, the greatest danger the blade posed for him was the same as it had been when he was still a Monster. Scundabran, unlike any other blade in the world, actually caused damage to astral bodies. The larger the astral form, the more damage it would do. That's why the ability of the sword wouldn't kill humans on the astral plane but was absolutely deadly to Monsters, especially powerful Monsters like himself. Unfortunately, even though he was mostly human, Xellos' astral body was still enormous, and if he was even so much as nicked by the blade, he could die.

That, of course, was why he needed to see Scundabran close-up. He remembered that the blade had runes engraved upon it, runes that no one could understand but him. However, a thousand years had passed since he had seen the blade, and he couldn't recall just which runes the sword possessed. A quick scan of the blade told him all he needed to know, and he carefully replaced Scundabran and hurried down the hall to the bathroom.

He bathed, then produced a needle from his satchel and stood in front of the mirror, examining his own abdomen. After reading Scundabran's runes, Xellos knew what he had to write in order to counteract the sword's magical properties. Hopefully by the time he was finished, Scundabran, to him, would be nothing more than an ordinary blade, albeit a sharp one. He could still die if he played his cards wrong. This scheme of his would be the ultimate test of Lina's loyalty to him, and he thought it was extremely fortunate that Gourry's wife was such an exceptional healer. Hopefully the two women would be able to save his hide. If they didn't, he still won. His hatred for Gourry ran so deep that he would willingly die just to have Lina hate Gourry as much as he did. It would be worth it.

Holding as still as he could, he chose a spot on his abdomen and began to carve runes into his flesh with the needle, being very careful. He had to be certain to draw the counter-rune for every etching on Scundabran and get them in the right order. The needle stung and trickles of blood ran down his stomach, but even so it didn't take him long to do. When he was finished he had a long, vertical line of runes running down the left side of his stomach. They were perfect. He took a dark cloth and dabbed away the blood, smiling at himself in the mirror. Oh yes, this would do quite nicely.

He stayed in the bathroom until he heard the normal noises of the house take over. Heavy footsteps went to the end of the hall, then walked past again moments later. If he wasn't mistaken, and he was very rarely wrong, that would be Gourry strapping on his trusty, valuable sword. After the footsteps faded, Xellos dressed and slipped back downstairs, making a big show of cuddling and playing with his children. Lina and Sylphiel were seated at the table, chatting about something, perhaps Sairaag, when he slid into the seat next to his wife. Gourry stalked through the room at that moment, his blue eyes weary as he glanced at Lina, and the glance was not lost on Xellos. He chose that very second to lean into Lina and tug on her earlobe with his teeth before he kissed her tenderly behind her jaw. Lina blushed and swatted at him, growling unintelligibly, but when he kissed her on the cheek she couldn't help but smile. Gourry's face darkened in anger and he swiftly walked to the other end of the room.

Xellos grinned at his wife and quickly surveyed the room. Sylphiel still sat across from them, waiting for her tea to heat up, and the girls were making shapes out of paper at the other end of the table. Lecia kept pulling bits of paper out of Gorran's mouth as he sat in the high chair, and the room was peaceful except for Lina's anxiety and Gourry's dark mood. Yes, the stage was set. It was time for the game to begin.

"You have beautiful training grounds outside, Mister Gourry," Xellos said brightly. "Might I have a tour?"

Gourry turned around and stared at him, jaw slightly slack and his eyes blank. "What?" he asked hollowly.

"Mister Xellos would like you to show him where you train your students," Sylphiel volunteered. "Why don't you do it, Gourry dear? That way Miss Lina and I can have a little girl time to ourselves."

Xellos grinned as Lina shot him an evil glare at the mention of "girl time." He shrugged and slowly stood. "What do you say?" he asked.

"Uh, sure," Gourry muttered. "This way."

"Have fun," Sylphiel twittered, and Xellos followed Gourry out of the house.

They walked around a few rings and posts sticking out of the ground, making a few circuits of several practice areas. Gourry was uncommunicative and sullen, forcing Xellos to pry answers out of him. When they reached the weapons racks, Gourry opened a locked shed and began to bring out blades. They were real swords, although some appeared dull with use and abuse. "Gotta set these out in case some of the students want to get in extra practice," he grumbled.

Xellos took a sword and took a few swings. He didn't care for using a sword, but he could, if he had to. Broadswords, however, weren't his style. If he absolutely had to choose a blade, a rapier was what he preferred. Give him his staff any old day, though. "I used to not be bad with a sword," he said nonchalantly.

"Oh?" Gourry grunted, arranging the weapons on the racks.

"Yes, but I haven't had the opportunity to practice in a long time."

He watched Gourry carefully, studying the set of the man's shoulders. His golden head turned slightly to the side. "That's too bad," he said tonelessly.

It took every ounce of willpower Xellos had not to burst into giggles. The situation was perfect, just perfect! "I suppose so," he sighed. "I'd really be embarrassed if I had to face somebody with a blade. I'm probably not any good anymore." Xellos paused, uncertain if he should treat Gourry like he was as stupid as Xellos thought he was.

"That so?" Gourry asked, his shoulders squaring a bit.

His response made Xellos feel a bit more confident. "Yes. I simply haven't had the opportunity to spar in at least several hundred years. It was something I was never exemplary at, anyway. In fact, I often had to hide the fact. Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be to have people find out that I, the general-priest of a dark lord, wasn't a master of the blade?"

Gourry slowly turned around, his blue eyes glittering slightly. Oh yes, the blonde was well on his way to being provoked. He recognized the look in the tall man's eyes. "You wanna spar?" Gourry asked. "I could probably give you a few pointers."

Xellos chuckled and shook his head. "Oh heavens, no," he replied. "You'd squash me like a bug. Besides, you look tired. You shouldn't spar when you're so tired."

Gourry frowned slightly. "Do I really look that tired?" he mumbled, scratching his ear. "I really didn't sleep well last night."

Xellos swallowed his glee. Honestly, it was as if Gourry was following a script, the opportunities were so perfect! "I'm very sorry," he said earnestly. "You see, Lina was upset last night when she came to the room, and I felt it necessary to comfort her. I hope the bed didn't make enough noise to keep you up."

Gourry's eyes narrowed and his face tightened. "Hmph," he grunted.

Xellos laughed, the sound sparkling through the clear morning air. "We really did try to keep it down, since the house seemed asleep, but you must know how Lina gets when she's being made love to." He paused to sigh, letting a faraway look slip into his eyes. "Oh, doesn't she have the loveliest scent to her when she's carried away by passion?" he murmured. "The slow way she opens her thighs and slips an ankle over my shoulder...."

Gourry's stare became hard, his eyes almost gray with anger. "I'm not too tired to spar, I promise," he said sharply.

Xellos raised his eyebrows, as if the proposition was unexpected. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Gourry growled, hands flexing.

"Very well, then," Xellos replied, deliberately reaching for a wooden practice tool. "Lina will be relieved to know that we didn't keep you awake."

"No, use this," Gourry said sternly, taking a weapon from the rack and pressing it into Xellos' hands.

Xellos hefted the sword. "Oh, okay," he said, forcing a slight quiver into his voice.

Gourry walked a few paces into the grassy practice ring and leveled a wrathful glare at Xellos. "Any time you're ready," he said softly.

"All right," Xellos chortled, and stepped into the ring.

He deliberately let his first few strikes be clumsy, whining about his stinging hands as Gourry batted his blade away. Let the swordsman believe that he didn't know what he was doing. Make him feel confident and comfortable. After a few more failed attacks, Xellos dropped the tip of his sword, giving Gourry an opening to attack. The tall man pressed forward with a cry, Scundabran shining in the sun as it sailed through the air. Xellos laughed aloud and parried the slash easily, dancing out of the way. Gourry growled deep in his throat and tried again but was thwarted by Xellos at every turn.

"Lina always said that you were the best swordsman she knew," Xellos said with a pout. "She said it was the only thing you were truly good at. Yet you can't even touch me."

"Shut up," Gourry hissed, attacking once more.

Xellos blocked the next few strikes and thrusted, getting his hips behind the movement. Gourry twisted out of the way, but not before the tip of Xellos' blade tore a tiny strip out of his shirt. "Does that count as first blood?" he asked innocently.

"I'm through toying with you," Gourry hissed, and attacked in earnest.

Xellos was surprised at the sudden power behind the blonde's strikes, and he suddenly wondered if he had been foolish to goad him into a duel. Gourry truly was a superior swordsman, and Xellos hadn't been lying when he admitted to his weakness with a blade. He clenched his teeth and desperately engaged Gourry, defending strike after strike. It wasn't long before sweat poured down his face and back, his arms aching with the unusual exertion of wielding a sword. He uttered a battle cry of his own and recklessly charged Gourry, only to have his attack knocked aside. Scundabran swung in a wide arc, forcing Xellos to jump back out of the way. Even then he had not been quick enough; blood trickled down from a hairline slash across his chest.

"THAT counts as first blood," Gourry growled.

Xellos couldn't help but feel satisfied. Gourry was normally such a relaxed, easygoing fellow, but over the years Xellos had come to understand the depth of the swordsman's feeling for Lina. He was very rarely angry, but he could become a temperamental monster when Lina was involved. "What a glorious victory it must be for you to finally score a point on me," he said softly, a quiet smile on his face. "You must be proud to make me bleed, especially after Lina discarded you for me. After all, it's me she married, my children she bore, me for whom she spreads her legs every night and invites me to share her, body and soul."

"Shut up," Gourry snapped, raising Scundabran and lunging forward.

Xellos grunted with the force of his clumsy parry, knocking Scundabran aside but unable to keep his arm from getting cut. Again, the wound was not deep, but it bled and stung. "Enjoy this while you can," Xellos chuckled, amethyst eyes hard. Gourry might be able to draw his body's blood, but Xellos could draw heart's blood. "I'll soon take her away forever. Does it hurt to know that the woman you handed your soul to wed another? Do you wonder every day what it would be like to dandle her children on your knee?"

"Shut up!" Gourry roared, slashing recklessly.

Xellos was almost knocked down by the force of Gourry's blow, staggering back and desperately trying to regain his balance. It was almost time to try his luck. "Oh, but surely you remember the glory of taking her rosy nipple into your mouth, to feel her scream your name, as she now screams mine, as you move above her. You must miss the feeling of her creamy thighs around your waist, of her eyes looking into your soul. Of course, she's my wife and will be forever. I doubted her once, but no more. Not after she rejected you of her own free will. She tossed you aside like so much garbage, and that's what you are to her now: refuse."

Gourry bellowed and moved forward, but even in his rage he did not move so quickly that Xellos could not have blocked it. His gentle nature prevailed even in his mindless anger, allowing Xellos a chance. Xellos, however, locked Gourry's eyes with his and smiled coldly. He opened the position of his blade, moving it out of the way instead of blocking with it. Gourry's eyes flew open wide as he gasped, blood spraying up between them as Scundabran neatly pierced Xellos' abdomen. "Oh gods," Gourry gurgled as Xellos continued to smile, then reached forward and grabbed Gourry's wrists. With a grunt he pulled himself further onto the blade, ignoring the screaming pain inside of him. Blood ran down his stomach and thighs, and as he looked into Gourry's shocked countenance he saw that the swordsman's face was splattered with blood. He coughed in agony, more of his life's fluid dribbling down his chin, and then he felt searing alarm shooting through the ring at him. Lina had felt his pain and was racing to him.

Xellos wanted to hurt Gourry one last time with his sharp words, but his body hurt so badly that he couldn't even breathe. He gurgled and clutched at Gourry's bloody hands, struggling to stay conscious. "Xellos!" he heard Lina scream, and just barely managed to turn his head. He knew what it was she would see: her husband, impaled on the sword of her jealous ex-lover. Gourry had been sullen and moody all morning, and as such it was believable that he would stab Xellos in a fit of anger, jealousy, and pain. Lina would believe it, and that's all that would matter.

He blinked rapidly, trying to stay awake as Lina dashed across the grass, glaring at Gourry. "How could you?" she screamed. "How could do you this?"

Xellos groaned and tried to push himself off the sword, his hands on Gourry's wrists, and he knew it would appear that he had been trying to do that all along. "I love you, Lina," he managed to rasp, and saw Lina's ruby eyes fill with tears.

"I love you, Xellos," she said, then glared at Gourry. The tall man's eyes were filled with pain, his heart shattering as he heard Lina say those irretrievable words. Gourry's hands opened and he released the sword, letting Xellos crumple to the ground. Lina followed his falling body and scrambled on top of him, yanking the sword out and tossing it aside. "Stay with me," she said to Xellos.

"Daddy!" he heard someone shriek, and he knew it was Lecia. Oh, it couldn't be more perfect than this. Gourry's soft heart would be equally pierced when he heard a daughter's cry for her father. Lecia trotted over, face streaked with tears. She glared at Gourry, little face warped with anger. "Why did you hurt my daddy?"

"I-I'm sorry," Gourry stammered, blue eyes wide with confusion. "I didn't mean to."

"Lecia," Xellos gurgled, then began to cough up more blood.

"Sylphiel!" Lina screamed. "Get out here, now! Please!"

Xellos felt his body grow cold, but it was worth it. Lina glared at Gourry with unadulterated hate. It was perfect, absolutely perfect. The runes he had carved on his body had done the trick, rendering Scundabran's magical abilities useless on him, and Gourry's blade had gone through his flesh in the exact place the runes had been carved. All evidence of his plan had already been destroyed.

"Lina, I'm sorry, it was an accident," Gourry pleaded, reaching down a hand.

"Shut up!" she bellowed, slapping his hand aside. "Get out of my sight, you bastard! How could you try to kill him, Gourry? How could you try to kill my husband?"

"Lina, I'm-"

"Shut your goddamn mouth! I hate you! I never want to see you again! You're not the Gourry I knew. The Gourry I loved would have never done this. Get out of my sight!"

"Miss Lina, what-" Sylphiel began, appearing at the fringes of his vision, then clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh dear gods!"

"Save him," Lina pleaded, pressing her hands over the wound in Xellos' side, his blood gushing up through her fingers.

"Lina," Xellos gasped, his lips feeling numb. He couldn't feel his fingers or toes, couldn't hardly think straight....

"It's okay," Lina reassured him, grabbing his hand and rubbing it, as if to try and restore warmth. Lecia was on the ground, holding his head and sobbing.

"Resurrection," Sylphiel intoned, eyes closed, and Xellos winced as white light surrounded him. Searing pain traveled through his side as organs began to heal, and it soon became too much for his mortal mind to bear.

"Hang on," Lina whispered, and he was only able to give her hand a reassuring squeeze before everything went black.

Lina choked back her feelings as she felt him squeeze her hand, his eyes sliding shut and his body going limp. "Sylphiel?" she asked tightly.

"Just a few more moments," the other woman said, sweat beginning to trickle down her face.

"Let me know when I can cast Recovery and take over for you," Lina said gently. She tensed as she felt a large hand on her shoulder and she shrugged it off, her self-control beginning to drain away.

"Lina, I'm sorry, it was an accident," Gourry said, blue eyes wounded as he looked down at her.

Lina smacked his hand away, jumping to her feet abruptly. "Don't you give me that!" she shouted. "You should have known that you're a better swordsman than him. What the hell were you thinking, asking him to spar with you?"

"He could have said no," Gourry frowned.

"No he couldn't have, not with his pride!" Lina screamed, giving Gourry a shove. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I didn't do it on purpose, Lina," Gourry said, brow furrowed. "We were sparring just fine, and he made like he was gonna block, so I thought it was safe to thrust. Next thing I know he drops the tip and it just slid...."

"I don't want to hear it!" Lina raged. She was so angry, so very angry, and she hurt at the same time. Gourry was stupid, yes, but he usually had sense. Was he really so jealous of Xellos? And what was Xellos thinking to actually spar with Gourry? Even if she wasn't in love with Gourry anymore, she still did love him as a friend, and yet he had betrayed that love. He had hurt the man she married. Hadn't Gourry thought about her feelings at all? Didn't he realize how much it would hurt her if he tried to take his anger out on her Xellos?

"Lina, I'm sorry," Gourry insisted. "It wasn't like you think."

Lina stood still, back rigid, and stared up into his eyes. He sighed and looked down at her, hands at his sides, and she found she could barely stand the sight of him. His face sagged a bit with sorrow and he reached out to her again. Something inside of her cracked as she watched his hand come toward her, and she lashed out with all her fury, punching him right in the jaw. He yelped and she felt a satisfying crunch as her fist connected, her blow knocking him to the ground. "Fuck you," she hissed, kicking him for good measure. "You're lucky I don't blow you away right here and now."

"But, Lina," Gourry mumbled, holding his jaw and wincing. "You gotta understand. You're my best friend, and I-"

"Shut up, you piece of shit," Lina snarled, her body shaking violently as rage crashed through her. "I'm not your friend anymore."

"But, Lina," Gourry protested as he tried to sit up, wincing as he moved his jaw too much.

Lina kicked him again, this time right in the chest, and sent him sprawling. The damn bastard, she hoped she had broken his ribs. "Sylphiel!" Lina bellowed. "Is it time?"

"Yes," Sylphiel panted, her hands still hovering above Xellos' chest.

Lina knelt beside her husband, placing her fingers over the gash in his side. "Recovery," she said, pouring everything she had into the spell. She had known from the outset that he would survive such a wound, especially with Sylphiel present. A part of her knew that Gourry most likely wasn't to blame, considering Xellos' nature, but she didn't care. Gourry's love for her and their friendship should have superseded any sort of damage he had felt at the taunts she knew Xellos must have delivered. She'd have a talk with her husband later, but regardless of what had happened, Gourry's actions were unforgivable. If he would stab someone she cared about then he was no longer the man that she had fallen in love with.

"Oh, Gourry!" Sylphiel cried, obviously weak as she went to her husband. "Did Lina beat you up?"

"Yeah," Gourry grumbled.

"I'm so sorry," his wife cooed. "You did try to kill her husband, though."

"I didn't try to kill him!" Gourry protested, then groaned. "It was an accident!"

"Hush, darling," Sylphiel murmured. "Give me a moment to rest and then I'll fix you up, okay?"

"You don't believe me, either?

"Dear, you were very angry and sullen this morning."

"Fine," Gourry growled.

Lina stopped listening to the exchange, focusing only on Xellos' face. His features were contorted slightly by pain, and Lecia, still cradling his head, kept trying to smooth out his eyebrows. "Is he okay, Mommy?" the little girl whispered.

"He'll be fine," Lina replied tersely, feeling exhaustion steal over her. "See? The bleeding stopped."

"His skin's still funny, though," Lecia muttered.

"I know. We'll try to fix that later, when we're a little more rested."

"Okay," the child breathed, eyes wide. "Daddy gets hurt a lot."

"He brings it on himself," Lina growled, realizing that she didn't have the power to keep healing him and still get him into the house. She would have preferred to get the hell out of there and stay at an inn, but Xellos' condition wouldn't permit that. Grunting, she grabbed his arm and slung it over her shoulder. "Cast your float spell," she ordered Lecia. "Cast it on your father so I can lift him. Don't use up too much strength, though. He doesn't have to float, just has to be light enough for me to get him to bed, you understand?"

"Yes, Mommy," Lecia said obediently. She raised her hands, palms toward her father. "Levitation."

Lina nodded as Xellos became lighter, glancing at Sylphiel healing Gourry's wounds. She was tempted to drop her burden and try to break his jaw again, but she knew such action would only make things worse. Sylphiel turned and saw her lugging Xellos all by herself and moved to help. Lina shook her head. "Tend to your husband," she said sharply. "I'm taking him up to our room."

"But, how will you manage, Miss Lina?" Sylphiel asked, hands clasped against her chest.

"Lecia's casting Levitation," she explained, moving closer to the door. "We'll be fine."

"Hurry, Mommy," Lecia said between clenched teeth.

"Right," Lina agreed, and picked up the pace.

It only took them a few minutes to get him situated in bed, Lina stripping him of all his clothes and throwing them on the floor. She ordered Lecia to find some towels, sitting on the bed and resting until her daughter returned. Slowly she cleaned the blood off of Xellos' torso, pleased to see that the wound had closed. It was still nasty, though, and lumps of knotted scar tissue marred his perfect skin. "Eww," Lecia breathed.

"Most of that will go away in a little while, when I'm strong enough to cast the spell again," Lina explained.

"Does it hurt him?" she asked.

Lina shook her head. "Probably not. He's unconscious from the strength of Sylphiel's spell. I guess his Monster parts don't take well to white magic. Now, go find your brother and take care of him, okay?"

"Okay," Lecia replied with a nod, dashing out of the room.

"Dammit," Lina muttered, looking down at Xellos. His head was turned to the side, his hair sticking to his clammy cheek. She wasn't quite certain, but his sensual mouth seemed to be curled ever so slightly in a smile. That was odd, but Xellos often had a very twisted sense of what was amusing. Some sick part of him probably thought it was fun to be run through with a sword.

Now that she had a little time to collect herself, she realized that she felt nauseated. It hurt that Gourry had betrayed her friendship so, and she knew she'd never quite be able to forgive him. Anger filled her, displacing the love she had once felt for the swordsman, and she thought that they couldn't get out of the house too soon for her liking. The whole situation was just a mess.

She had sat for quite some time, she realized as she glanced out the window. The sun's position had changed, and she realized she felt good enough to try the recovery spell again. Gathering her concentration, Lina cast the spell with all her might, watching his flesh smooth and heal beneath her touch. When she was finished a hairline scar ran along the side of his abdomen, the only mark on his otherwise-flawless skin. Damn that Gourry, he had marked her man for life. Every time she saw Xellos naked she would be reminded of his brutal actions.

"I'd say you were an angel sent to guide me heavenward, but we both know that's not where I'll go when I die," she heard a smooth voice say, and she looked down to see Xellos smiling at her, amethyst eyes twinkling.

"Hey, you careless bastard," Lina muttered. "Bout damn time your lazy ass woke up."

"I apologize for the delay," Xellos said with a smile. "I'm feeling much better, though."

"Do you think you could walk back into town?"

Xellos blinked at her for a moment. "I suppose so. Why do you ask?"

"Because we're leaving. Right now."

"What? Don't you think that's a bit rude?"

"Rude shmood. I don't care. I'm not going to stay in this house one moment longer."

"But what about Mister Gourry? Won't that hurt his feelings?"

"Who gives a rat's ass about his feelings?" Lina spat, gathering up Xellos' clothes.

"I thought he was your friend."

"Why do you care? You hate Gourry!"

"Now, dearest, I-"

"Shut up. Don't even try to pretend. You probably goaded him into fighting in the first place, or worse."

"But-"

"I'm not finished talking! Even if you DID do something like that, it doesn't excuse him for falling right into your trap. If he really cared about me then he wouldn't have even considered such a thing. End of story."

Xellos sat up and reached out, taking her hand. "I'm sorry, dearest," he murmured. "I didn't want you to be hurt."

"Well, as long as I love, I'll hurt," she said, wiping her eyes quickly. She knew that if she dwelt on what she had lost that day she would completely lose control.

"I don't like being the cause of your pain. I want only to cause you pleasure."

"Then you had better treat me like gold for the next few days," she growled.

Xellos smiled and executed and oddly graceful bow from his sitting position. "Will the rest of your life suffice?"

She couldn't help but feel her own face stretch in a smile. "For now," she said gruffly. "We can negotiate later."

Xellos slid out of bed and made a great show of stretching his naked body in front of her. "Oh, all right," he said with a wink.

Her smile broadened in spite of herself. Damn him, how did he always manage to make her smile? "Get dressed. I'm going to get the children."

"Very well," he replied, grinning, and accepted his pants from her.

She pecked him on the cheek in a rare moment of tenderness and stomped down the stairs, bearing down on her children. "Do you have everything?" she demanded of her daughter."We're leaving."

Lecia blinked up from where she was playing with yarn, Gorran sitting between her legs. "I think so, Mommy. Did Daddy get my books?"

"I'll check. Does Gorran have everything?"

Lecia laughed and rubbed noses with her brother, then looked back up at Lina. "I think he does," she replied.

"Good," Lina said, leaning down and gathering up the baby boy. He squirmed and fussed, reaching toward his sister.

Lecia got up and patted the child's head. "It's okay, I'm coming too."

"Go make sure you have all your stuff. I'm going to get the cloaks. Tell your dad to finish packing and meet me at the door."

"Okay," Lecia replied and scurried off to do her mother's bidding.

Lina could hear Gourry and Sylphiel in the kitchen, talking in low, tight tones. Their girls were sitting in the parlor, where she stood, playing with dolls and tea sets. She felt sad for a moment about bringing strife into such a peaceful home, but then decided that Gourry had brought it upon himself. Damn men and their jealousy. The little voice in the back of her head reminded her that she acted poorly under jealousy as well, but she chose to ignore it.

"I'm ready," Xellos said, shouldering his leather satchel and gripping his staff, Lecia trotting down the stairs behind him.

Lina nodded once. "Let's get the hell out of here," she growled. "Thanks for everything, Sylphiel!" she shouted into the house.

Sylphiel appeared almost immediately. "What? Where are you going?"

"We're staying in town tonight and will leave in the morning. Thanks for the food and bed."

"But you don't have to leave! Please, stay the night. At least give Mister Xellos some time to rest."

"He'll be fine. Really, we won't impose on you any longer."

"It's no imposition, Miss Lina! I'm very sorry for everything that happened today, and dear Gourry is, too. Please stay."

Lina shook her head gravely. "Apologies won't erase the scar in Xellos' side," she grumbled. "We really should go."

Sylphiel nodded, eyes welling up with tears. "It was good to see you again. Please be careful."

Lina grunted as Sylphiel threw her arms around her, squeezing her. She awkwardly patted the other woman's back, still holding Gorran in her arms. "Yeah, you, too. Take care."

Xellos kissed Sylphiel's hand and said good bye as Lecia executed a little bow. Gorran gurgled and made waving motions, then Lina turned abruptly and led them down the path to the road. "Lina!" she heard shouted behind her, ignoring the familiar voice. Xellos stepped aside as heavy footsteps neared, a slight frown on his face. "Lina," Gourry panted, looking at her with clouded blue eyes. "Please forgive me. I can't stand to think of you leaving here angry with me."

Lina regarded him coldly. "And?"

"I'm sorry. Please, come back to the house, and I'll make you see, I promise."

Make her see what? That he was an ass? "Here's my answer," Lina said calmly, and slapped him across the face. She glanced at her family, then at Gourry's stricken face, his eyes swollen with unshed tears. "Let's go," she ordered her family, and took off down the road.

They stayed that night on the fringes of Seyruun, eating at an inn of questionable quality in order to be nearer the edge of the city. Lina held Lecia to her tightly as Gorran cuddled up to Xellos, and soon the children were fast asleep, safe between their parents. Xellos gazed at Lina for the longest time, his amethyst eyes unreadable, then reached across their offspring and laced his fingers with hers. "I'm sorry that went so poorly," Xellos murmured.

"Me, too," she sighed. "I lost one of my best friends today."

"Do you think you'll ever speak to him again?"

Lina thought that an odd question, but she was too exhausted in body and mind to wonder about it for too long. "Not unless I have to," she replied.

Xellos nodded against his pillow. "I'm sorry to bring it up," he muttered. He was silent a moment, dark gaze studying her face, then his mouth curved with a smile. "Well, by the time we get back, our house should be absolutely lovely."

Lina felt her anger drain away just the slightest bit. "Yeah, you're right. It's going to be nice to stay put for a while after all this visiting."

"Yes, a place of our own," he murmured, bringing her hand up to his lips and kissing it. "Dream well."

"I'll try," Lina promised, but the anger and hurt gnawing at her heart let her know it would most likely be impossible.

"That's all I ask," he said gently, and watched her until she closed her eyes.

The next morning Xellos did his best to stand straight as they walked down the dusty road, the city and its outlying communities disappearing behind them. Pain still lanced down his side, a line of fire beneath the pale scar, but he couldn't let Lina or the children see it. Lina was trudging along valiantly, Gorran strapped to her back, and Lecia trotted alongside her, casting glances back at him every once in a while. "Are you okay, Daddy?" Lecia asked after several hours, dark eyes clouded with worry.

"I'm fine, little one," he replied brightly. "Don't worry your pretty little head about me."

Lecia's eyes narrowed and her mouth pressed into a thin line. "Mommy, Daddy's lying again," she said, tugging on the corner of Lina's cloak.

Lina sighed and stopped in the road, not turning around. She stood for several moments, simply staring forward as horses, wanderers, and carts passed them in the opposite direction, the dust swirling around their ankles in the wind made by their passage. "We'll stop and rest up there," she finally said, moving forward without a backward glance.

"But, Mommy," Lecia began, face screwing up in a scowl.

"Hush," Lina snapped. "Your dad's a grown man. If he can't go any farther, well, he'll just have to sit down, won't he?"

Lecia shot Xellos a dark look. "Okay," she finally agreed, and Xellos thought for a moment that she was going to fall back and walk beside him as worry flickered across her face, but then she raised her nose in the air and skipped down the road in front of Lina. Well, his daughter was certainly turning out to be a rather mercurial person.

They walked along in silence for quite some time, then Lina veered off the road onto a small path. Lecia giggled and ran ahead, whooping and smacking at bushes with her open hands. Gorran began to make a whining sound, and with a sigh Lina unstrapped him and held him in front of her so that he could see what was going on and perhaps swat at some branches himself. Xellos grunted softly as he stepped in a hole, the jarring motion sending fresh red fingers of pain up through his body. "Just a bit more," Lina growled back at him, then turned from even the small path and pushed her way through the bushes. Xellos ducked as branches sprung back into place after her passage, holding his staff in front of him as he maneuvered through the underbrush after her.

On the other side of the bushes was a small, secluded meadow, the grasses soft and green as they bent under a gentle breeze. "My, my," he whispered, a bit surprised at the lush beauty of his surroundings.

"Like it?" Lina asked, finally turning to him. "I thought this might be a good place to get away from the traffic for a bit."

"It's just lovely," he replied, turning slowly and leaning heavily upon his staff, hoping Lina wouldn't notice. "How did you find this place?"

Lina's expression hardened slightly. "Oh, I ran across it a while back. You know, when I was wandering with Amelia and the others. We came this way quite often."

"I can imagine. Miss Amelia must have made frequent visits to her dear father," Xellos said with a smile.

"Yeah, well, it sorta became a second home to us all," she muttered, putting Gorran down in the grass. Lecia immediately bounded over and took his hands, pulling him up and letting him walk between her legs.

Xellos sighed. It was so very difficult to suppress his glee at the success of his plan, but he honestly did not like to see Lina so upset. She was doing her best to hide her suffering from him, but he could feel it through the rings nonetheless. He found that the two of them were becoming very finely-tuned to one another, and as such she would have had to be unconscious or not wearing the ring at all for him to not feel anything at all from her. "Lina?" he asked tentatively, reaching out a gloved hand.

She turned on him, eyes blazing. "What the hell happened yesterday, Xellos?" she snapped, brow furrowed.

Xellos took a step back. He hadn't expected her to react to him with anger. Well, Lina's unpredictability was, after all, one of the reasons he had always fancied her. It wasn't anything he couldn't deal with. "I don't know, dearest," he said. "I couldn't tell you what was going on inside of his head."

"Cut the crap," she said sharply, putting her hands on her hips. "Gourry was upset, sure, but he's not inherently violent. I know you encouraged him."

"He's the one that stabbed me," Xellos replied coldly.

"I know that, and I hate him for it. But I know you weren't blameless. What did you say?"

Xellos studied her for a moment, trying to ascertain where her limits were. Perhaps a tried and true method would diffuse the situation. "That's a se-" he began.

"If you finish that sentence I will leave you right here and now," she interrupted angrily, an odd, tense edge to her voice. "I didn't save you just to have you withhold things from me."

He took a deep breath and fully opened his eyes, fixing her with his most sincere gaze. "As you wish," he said softly, letting himself deflate. He put a hand to the ache in his side and shuffled over to a stump, sitting down carefully. "I did goad him on. I was jealous of his history with you, of his closeness, and so I fear I was a bit brutal in my comments."

"What did you say?"

"What else but what I knew would hurt him the most?" Xellos replied, hiding his eyes in the shadows of his bangs. He could keep the satisfied smile from his face but not from his eyes. "I simply let him know just how intimate we are, how he could never have you again. That you willingly joined your life with mine."

Lina's features tightened and he saw her eyes roil with conflicting emotions. "I ought to slap you to within an inch of your life," she growled. "Unfortunately, you just got back from there."

Xellos looked up at her, letting his honest grief come to the surface. She didn't have to know that it was actually grief that she was hurting and not caused by the situation in the least. "I'm sorry," he said.

Lina locked eyes with his, and he could feel her searching him with all her senses, looking for artifice. Because his feelings were genuine, however, he knew she would find none. "Me, too," she murmured, turning her face away.

"Please, dearest, don't cry," he said gently, reaching out and taking her hand in his. His thumb ran along the ridge of her gloved knuckles, and he heard her sigh.

"I'm not," she mumbled, glancing at him. "So, how are you doing? Why are you in pain? Weren't my spells strong enough? Weren't Sylphiel's?"

Xellos smiled and pressed the back of her hand to his lips, closing his eyes. Releasing her, he looked up into her eyes. "No, it's not that."

"Then what?"

"It's because I was wounded with Scundabran," he explained. "The way the runes work..."

Lina's eyes flickered with curiosity, an emotion very native to her face. "Oh?" she said, greed stealing over her features.

"Certainly. It is a magic weapon, after all." He wasn't about to tell her how carefully he had to shield his astral form in order for it not to be destroyed by the sword's magic. In truth he was surprised he had survived at all.

"How do the runes work?"

"They give the blade eternal and unnatural sharpness," he began, carefully sifting through what he knew of the sword. He was extremely fortunate that the elven priest of old hadn't been nearly as competent a swordsman as Gourry or he might have ended up destroyed. "It also can store energy and spells by absorbing such things through the amurium veins in its blade. I imagine that's what I'm feeling the side effects of, and why the healing spells weren't adequate. Besides, my dear, I'm not fully human. Who knows what sort of effect white magic has on my Monster essence?"

Lina narrowed her eyes. "And that's all?"

"That I can think of, yes," he replied, and it was the truth. It was all he could think of to explain why the wound hadn't healed. His weakness, however, was not caused by the wound in his side but by the wound in his astral form.

"Here," she said, and he let loose a shudder as she pulled up his shirt and traced his abdominal muscles with her fingers. Removing a glove, she drew her touch along the white scar marring his flawless flesh, the skin between her eyebrows furrowing as she did so. "I don't think I'll ever forgive him for ruining your perfect body," she growled.

"Oh, come now. It works the same as it did before. Besides, it's not even a very big scar."

"Still, I wish it wasn't there. It'll always remind me."

"I know," he replied, hoping he was hiding his relish. "However, I wouldn't have scarred if I was a Monster."

Her face became even more grave and she nodded. "Is that your fruitcake way of trying to tell me it'll all be okay?" she asked with a sigh.

He smiled and reached out to her, running his thumb along the full curve of her lower lip. "I suppose so," he murmured, and kissed her.

"Recovery," she whispered against his lips, and he clenched his jaw as he felt the pain of her healing spell lance through him once more. As the magic subsided, however, he found that the pain in his side really was a bit better.

"Thank you," he said, breaking the kiss.

"Hey, who will make sure I'm fed if something happens to you?" she asked with a wink. Her demeanor was still a bit forced, but he was pleased to see that she was making an effort to seem like her old self. For the first time it occurred to him to wonder if he hadn't damaged his beloved permanently by causing her heart to be hurt so.

"Nothing's going to happen to me," he chuckled, standing up and making sure to show no sign of his weakness. "Lecia, Gorran, come along. It's time to go," he called.

Lecia gently helped Gorran toddle over to them, beaming up at her parents. "He's getting good," she said with a grin.

"Da," Gorran squealed.

"That's right," Xellos cooed, picking up his son and kissing the unruly copper curls on top of his head.

"Let's go home," Lina said, and took his hand.



"Here we are," Xellos said, leaning down and opening the gate for his wife and daughter, Gorran safely cradled in the crook of his arm.

"Yaay! Home!" Lecia squealed, racing up to the door of the house. She growled as she yanked on the door handle, throwing her entire weight into the motion, but the door did not yield. "Hey!" she shouted, turning around and scowling at her parents.

"Oh, sorry," Xellos chuckled, handing Gorran to Lina, then reaching into his satchel and pulling out a key. "Try this, little one."

"Okay," Lecia grumbled, snatching the key out of his hand. Trotting up to the door, she fiddled with the key until there was a click, and the door swung open. The little girl darted inside, pigtails whipping about, and even outside Xellos could hear her small footsteps thumping against the hardwood floors.

"They did a nice job, looks like," Lina commented, bouncing Gorran slightly.

"Very," Xellos agreed, then stepped forward smoothly and gathered her and their son up in his arms.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Lina shrieked, body instantly tensing.

Xellos walked up to the house and nudged the front door further open with the toe of his boot, then carried her inside, careful not to let her head hit the door. "Taking you over the threshold, as is human custom," he replied. "After all, you're my wife now, and this is our first home."

"No it isn't," she protested as he gently set her down. "We've had several places before."

"Not as a married couple, and most certainly not our entire family. This is the first house we've ever shared with Gorran."

"It's still a stupid custom," Lina growled, straightening her tunic with her free hand.

"Be that as it may, we're home now," Xellos said with a grin, then turned to see how the repairs to their home had gone in their absence.

The walls and floors had been redone, with a fresh coat of paint in each room. The stairs were whole and sturdy, and the furniture he had ordered here and there had arrived. Windows had been cleaned and the fireplaces re-bricked. All in all, he was very pleased with the result.

"It's nice," Lina said with a sigh, setting Gorran down on the floor and plopping into one of the overstuffed chairs by the fireplace in the living room.

Xellos let his leather satchel slide to the ground and leaned his staff against the wall. Looking around, he closed his eyes and inhaled. Yes, it was nice. It was nice to have his own house. It was nice to have something that was his at all. Nothing had ever really belonged to him when he was a Monster. He didn't own his children or Lina, of course, but he owned the house, and it was his to do what he liked with. It was a good feeling.

"Right?" Lina asked, looking at him askance.

"Pardon?" Xellos replied, feeling his reverie fade.

"We should let Filia know she doesn't need to take care of the house anymore, right?"

"Oh, of course."

Lina nodded. "Okay. I'll take Lecia over. She'll want to see Val anyway, I suspect. You see to Gorran and the house."

"Very well," Xellos said, lifting Gorran off of the floor and snuggling the baby's downy curls.

"Dada!" Gorran said, a note of whining in his voice.

"Shh, it's okay. Let's go look at your room," he murmured. "Have fun at Filia's, dearest," he said to Lina. "I'll see you later, I suppose."

"Mommy, did you see the yard?" Lecia asked, scrambling into the room, panting.

"No, but we can look at it when we get back."

"Where are we going?"

"Over to Filia's to tell her we're home."

Lecia's face brightened even further, if that was possible. "Is Val going to be there?"

"I assume so," Lina replied.

"Then let's go!" Lecia demanded, taking her mother by the hand.

"I guess we're leaving right now," Lina said over her shoulder. "Bye."

"Say good-bye to Mama," Xellos cooed to Gorran, who blinked at his mother and sister. "Say bye-bye."

Gorran took one look at the retreating forms of his mother and sister and his face screwed up into a frightened scowl. "Noooooo!" he wailed, stretching out his chubby arms.

"Hush, hush," Xellos murmured gently, bouncing the boy. "They'll be back." He glanced up to see if Lina was returning to the house in full battle mode, called home by the cries of their youngest, but she merely shot him a scowl as Lecia dragged her down the road. He let out a sigh of relief and stuck a gloved finger in the crying child's mouth, surprising Gorran sufficiently to cease his wailing for a moment. Wiggling the finger around, Gorran gurgled and wrapped his fists around it, trying to pull it out. Xellos took the opportunity to dash to the kitchen, fetch a pacifier, coat it with honey, and pop it into Gorran's mouth in place of the finger. Gorran struggled for a moment, then sighed, apparently lulled into complacency by the sugar flowing into his mouth. Xellos chuckled at his son and shook his head. Gorran was definitely an Inverse; nothing calmed him down like food.

After waiting a few moments to make certain Gorran wasn't going to have a relapse, Xellos finally wandered out into the yard. A smile spread across his face as he saw that modifications had been made exactly to his specifications. The pond had been re-rocked and was now absolutely perfect for serving as an artificial hot spring. Numerous flowering bushes had been planted, and he noticed that a large pedestal had been placed over where he had buried the books on runic magic. Hopefully the books would never see the light of day again. After the incident at Gourry's, Lina hadn't spoken once about the swordsman, nor of the runic sword, Scundabran. Such silence was a happy bonus for Xellos. He hadn't anticipated that his scheme to drive a permanent wedge between Lina and Gourry would also put Lina's questions about runic magic to rest. If she wasn't asking questions, his children wouldn't know to ask such questions either, and thus his family was safe. Safe from that threat, at least. There were still others to be dealt with.

He piddled around in the yard for a while, repeating the names of shrubs and trees to Gorran, even though he knew the boy couldn't pronounce them, let alone recognize and remember them. More time must have passed than the was aware of, for the next thing he knew, dirt and leaves were flying everywhere as a large, winged beast set down on the other side of the wall. Goodness, how Val had grown! His dragon size was at least a third again bigger than it had been, and if he wasn't mistaken, that was Lecia and Lina riding on his back. Good, the boy was getting stronger. In just a few more years Xellos would be able to discuss his plans with him.

When the three entered the yard, however, Val appeared to be an ordinary boy. He was getting tall, and his hair was getting a little long, but other than his pointed ears and golden, slitted eyes, he looked like any other lanky child his age. Lecia was, of course, dragging him into the yard by a wrist, and his eyes were full of adoration and physical discomfort. "Lecia, I think you're hurting him," Xellos remarked, setting Gorran down and letting him waddle across the grass.

"Hey, your dad's talking to you," Lina said sharply, and Lecia scowled at Xellos and released Val's wrist.

"No, it didn't hurt," Val muttered bravely, but his hand gently rubbed his wrist anyway.

"I'm sure you've become very strong," Xellos said with a smile. "How have you been? How's your mother?"

"I'm good," Val said, glancing around the garden. "Mom's good. Do you like the house?"

"Very much," Xellos replied. "My compliments to you and your mother. I'm assuming you were the one that picked out that pedestal?"

Val's eyes brightened. "Yeah!" he exclaimed, going over to it. "Do you like it?"

"It's my favorite thing in the whole yard," Xellos smiled. Val didn't need to know the reason why it was his favorite object.

"Good," Val grinned, running his hand over the smooth stone, fingers tracing the curves of the statue. It was a sculpture of a maiden riding on a dragon's back. Xellos wondered if the boy knew what it meant.

"I think it's tacky," Lina muttered underneath her breath.

"Oh, come now," Xellos whispered back. "He's just a boy. We can always get rid of it later, but just look how proud he is of it."

Lina snorted, but her glance traveled over to where Val was explaining to Lecia how he had decided upon that particular pedestal and statue. A smile flickered over his lips. For all her bravado and gruffness, Lina had a tender heart. Lecia, for her part, seemed exceedingly bored by Val's explanation, and soon she had him engaged in a game. Gorran tottered after them, trying to keep up, but it was no use. "Go pick him up before he starts to cry," Lina ordered.

Xellos nodded and collected his son, tilting the child onto his back, pulling up his shirt, and blowing air into his navel. Gorran squealed and kicked, and soon was so engrossed in his father's game that he was no longer upset by being left out of the older children's games. "All better?" he asked his son, and the baby giggled.

"I guess so," Lina chuckled. "Good job."

"Thank you, dearest."

Lina watched the children play for a while more, and as the autumn sun began to set, she leaned her head on his shoulder, her arm snaking around his waist. "Welcome home," she murmured.

"Welcome home," he echoed, and called the children inside.

"Moooommmmm!" Gorran shouted from the kitchen door, unruly head of curls appearing briefly. "Where are the plums?"

Lina bared her teeth at her son before turning back to her book and her tea. "Ask your father!" she snapped, irritated that her studying had been interrupted.

Gorran appeared outside and stalked across the yard to where Xellos was kneeling over a bed of shrubs, fiddling with the soil. "Dad! Plums!" the boy shouted.

Lina's snarl turned to a smile as she watched her son move across the yard. How long had they lived in that house? Long enough for Gorran to turn ten, and what a splendid boy he was turning out to be. Okay, so he had his father's propensity for secrecy, and was far more subtle in his dealings than Lecia. Still, he was a fine-looking child, with long, thin limbs and shoulders that hinted at eventual broadness. His build was more muscular than either of his parents, apparently taking after his grandfather. He might not end up being as tall as Xellos, either, but he would definitely have his father's wide shoulders and narrow hips.

Xellos sighed and stood up, brushing off the knees of his black trousers. He turned towards Gorran, his bottomless amethyst eyes hidden in the shadows of his bangs. "If you need something you'll just have to ask nicely," Xellos said calmly, folding his arms over his chest.

Lina's smile widened at the sight of Xellos. He had aged magnificently, the silver hairs only having grown more numerous over the years. His hair was still mostly dark, however, and was just as glossy as it always had been. Xellos' body hadn't changed in the least, either. His skin was still flawless and a pleasure to touch, and his wiry musculature had remained in place. No middle-aged paunch for her husband, no sir. Of course, it would be hard to have a belly when one did as much chasing of children as Xellos did. Gorran and Lecia had been hyperactive throughout their entire childhood, and were still, to a large extent.

"Fine," Gorran grumbled, rolling his amethyst eyes. "Dad, will you tell me where the plums are?"

"Please," Xellos added, looking down at his son.

"Will you please tell me where the plums are?" Gorran repeated, running a hand through his unruly copper hair and exposing the two moles on his forehead for a split second.

"The fresh or the canned?" Xellos asked, long, shapely index finger tapping on his narrow biceps.

"Canned, please," Gorran replied.

"We're out of them, I'm afraid."

Gorran's forehead wrinkled. "Um, then the fresh?"

"We don't have those either. They're out of season."

Lina had to suppress a chuckle as a vein stood out at Gorran's temple. "Huh? How come? You told me to get the plums ready!"

"And how long have you been looking?"

"An hour."

"And why did it take you that long?" Xellos asked, brushing his bangs back so that Lina could see he had a dark eyebrow raised.

Gorran's cheeks flushed. "I, uh, I..."

"You were goofing off," a smooth voice said from the doorway, and Lina glanced up to see Lecia emerge from the house. Lina had already taught the girl everything she knew, and Lecia always hungered for more. Well, Lina had taught her almost everything she knew. Hopefully her children had no idea she could cast the Ragna Blade and the Giga Slave.

"I was not!" Gorran protested, stamping his foot as his face turned the color of a beet.

"Were too," Lecia grinned, her eyes flickering as she tossed her dark, glossy hair over her shoulder.

"Mom!" Gorran pleaded, but Lina shook her head.

"No, if you were doing other things you should come clean with your father," she replied.

"See?" Lecia said, sticking out her tongue at her brother.

"Stop it!" Gorran growled, scowling. "Stop it right now or I'll make you stop!"

"I'd like to see you try," Lecia giggled, stepping nimbly out of the way of his punch.

"My, my, just like his mother," she heard a silky voice say beside her, and she looked up to see Xellos gazing down at her. Affection welled up in heart much against her wishes. Even after all the years they had been together, Xellos still managed to stir her. "Strange, though. They were always so close when they were younger."

"They still are," Lina grunted. "Lecia's just a teenager now. They like to assert their authority whenever possible."

A grin spread across Xellos' face. "Ah yes, I recall how their mother was at that age," he replied, moving out of the path of her swing.

"Shut up," she growled.

Xellos' grin widened, if that was possible. "Just like his mother," he repeated.

Lina shook her head and scowled, watching the children have it out. Lecia remained just out of reach, taunting Gorran with everything, apparently, that she could think of. Gorran's punches were controlled, but lacked the qualities necessary to actually connect with his sister, such as reach. Snarling, the boy reached out and plucked a long stick from a pile Xellos had constructed from his pruning, and much to Lina's surprise, lashed out and struck his sister across the back of the calves. Gorran's speed and agility was unbelievable, and his handling of the stick showed great promise. Startled, she looked up at Xellos, noting the unreadable, but intense, expression on his face.

"I see he has promise," Xellos said neutrally.

"Hell, if he can do that with a stick..." Lina muttered.

"Then what might he eventually be able to do with a sword?" Xellos asked her, annoying her by reading her mind.

"Mom!" came Gorran's startled cry, and Lina looked back at them to see Gorran suspended in the air, Lecia calmly rotating her brother's body above the ground. Her face was set and cold, and she recognized the danger in that look from having seen it on Xellos' face.

"Put him down, Lecia," Xellos said gently, and suddenly the ice in the girl's expression melted away. She seemed almost startled as she looked at her brother, quickly setting him down.

"Sorry, Gorran," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He scowled at her and shrugged off her hand. "I don't care, I can take it," he growled.

Lina studied Lecia carefully, then glanced at Xellos. "She's still part Monster," she whispered.

His face became grim and he nodded once. "She always will be. Gorran is, too, by the way."

"Not like she is."

Xellos pursed his lips. "No."

Lecia sighed and turned to her parents. "Dad, why did you tell Gorran to get the plums ready if you knew we didn't have any?"

"Yeah!" Gorran cried, stepping closer to his sister. The siblings had banded together once again, their brief skirmish forgotten. Lina couldn't help but be proud of them. No matter how much they fought, Lina knew that neither of them loved anyone else as much as they loved the other. The brother and sister were extremely close. Uncannily close, actually. Sometimes it seemed to her as if they could read one another's minds. She wondered if it had anything to do with their enlarged astral forms, the remnants of their father's Monster legacy.

Xellos smiled and held up his index finger. "That's a secret!" he chirped, then took off running as both children darted after him.

"Not fair!" Lecia cried.

"Yeah, not fair!" Gorran echoed, making a grab for the back of Xellos' shirt and failing.

The three began to laugh as they fell into a wrestling match, but Lina still felt troubled. Why would Xellos ask Gorran to prepare something they didn't have the ingredients for? That sort of absent-mindedness was very unlike him. Besides, Xellos had been after them all the entire week to clean up and get things ready for Amelia and Zelgadis' visit. The timing of his game with Gorran seemed very odd.

Her musings were soon forgotten, though as a dark shadow passed over them, circling. Lecia disentangled herself from the males and stood staring at the sky, shading her eyes with a hand. "I'm coming!" she cried, and lifted into the air.

"Hi, Val!" Gorran shouted, also standing and waving a hand.

Val dipped his black, feathery wings in answer, slowing his circling until Lecia levitated onto his back, and then the two began to veer away.

"Have her home by dark!" Xellos shouted, then shook his head as the two disappeared.

Lina chuckled. Val was obviously crazy about their daughter, and that made Xellos extremely uncomfortable. Although he never had been an eighteen-year-old boy, he still seemed to know what they were like, and he didn't approve. He didn't approve in the least, even though he liked Val well enough. "It's okay, Xellos," she said, finally deciding that her research was a lost cause and closing her book. "He'll take good care of her."

"Huh?" Gorran asked, eyes wide and confused.

"You'll understand when you're older," Lina chuckled.

"You guys always say that," Gorran growled, and stalked back into the house.

"We'd better get to work," Lina said to Xellos, who was still standing and staring off into the sky. "Amelia and Zel get here tomorrow, if all goes according to plan."

"I'll come inside in a moment," he muttered, and she gathered up her things, folded up her chair, and left him standing out in the yard.


Val had Lecia home by supper, then joined them for their meal after Xellos was satisfied that Filia wouldn't miss her son. He made certain everyone was seated, then began the serving process, pleased with the good manners of his children. Lina, on the other hand, hadn't changed in the least over the past decade. She piled food on her plate with a ravenous gleam in her eyes, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly in anticipation. The meal commenced when Lina dove into her food with both hands, shoveling as quickly as possible, and the others politely took up their flatware. Over the years they had become used to Lina's table manners, and her atrocious eating habits no longer surprised or bothered any of them.

Xellos smiled as he took a bite of his roast, pleased with how it turned out. "So, Val, how goes your studies?"

Val's golden eyes flickered to him from across the table, where he sat next to Lecia. He swallowed his food and brushed his short, sea-foam green hair out of his face, then smiled gently. Val had grown up to be a stable, peaceful, gentle young man, so very different than the tortured soul they had encountered during the Darkstar incident. Xellos mused that perhaps Filia was good for something, after all.

"They've been going very well, sir, but Mother thinks that I've learned all she can teach me."

"Ah, that's a shame. I suppose she didn't finish her own training, which makes it rather difficult to help you complete yours."

Val paused, seeming to weigh Xellos' words. "That's true, but the sort of knowledge she would like me to have doesn't necessarily revolve around being part of a temple. She seems to want something different. In fact, she even tried to contact the other groups of golden dragons living across the sea, the followers of the Air and Earth Dragon Kings, but it has been years and no one has answered."

Xellos nodded his understanding but kept his mouth shut. He knew that the other groups of golden dragons would never respond. He had killed them over a decade ago. True, the loss of knowledge was perhaps lamentable, but he couldn't say with any honesty that he regretted it in the least. It seemed he still had a touch of Monster sentiment in him, after all.

"So what are you going to do?" Gorran asked, wiping his mouth on a napkin.

Val shrugged and smiled at the boy. "Mother will probably end up sending me north, up to the Kataart Mountains. There's someone there called Milgasia who could possibly teach me."

Xellos laughed. "Of course. Milgasia's a wise fellow."

"Do you know him?" Lecia asked.

"Ah, yes. He and I have met on several occasions. In fact, your mother and her friends know him as well. I'm sure he'll be able to teach you something, Val. He's been around for quite some time and has lived through a lot."

"But what happened to the other dragons, I wonder?" Lecia mused. "Isn't it odd that almost an entire race could vanish without a trace?"

Xellos swallowed as Lina ignored her food long enough to cast him a level glance. Never letting his composure waver, Xellos smiled at his daughter and shrugged. "Little one, sometimes the world just changes. The dragons never were very numerous after the War of the Monster's fall, and so it's possible they've just been dying out. I've felt for a long time that the age of Gods and Monsters has been ending."

"But what will it be like, once they're gone?" Gorran asked, brow furrowed. "Does that mean there will be no more dragons?"

"I suspect it's the age of humans that's coming, love," Xellos replied solemnly. "It wouldn't surprise me if in the next thousand years, only two or three dragons are left to tell the tales of old." He paused for a moment, looking at Val, who was glancing with worry at Lecia. "I also don't know what will become of the Dark Lords. I suspect they're gearing up for something large and final, and a few of them will perish as well. Thus humans will grow in power, and multiply rapidly as is their fashion. Who knows what the fate of the world in human hands will be?"

"But magicians live longer, right?" Gorran blurted suddenly, eyes flickering with worry. "You and Mom will live longer than other people, right?"

Xellos glanced at Lina and laughed. "Yes, love, we will. Your mother, I suspect, will live several hundred years at the very least, for she is at least as powerful as the great Rezo the Red Priest. As for me, there's really no telling. I might live a few hundred years, I might live a few thousand. It's hard to say, for there's never been a creature like me on the face of the planet before."

Val narrowed his eyes slightly. "Are you really so different? Mother and Lecia have told me things, but. . . ."

"Yes," Lina said suddenly, surprising them by momentarily forgetting her meal. "He is. He has a heart, but don't let that fool you. He bleeds, but he's still alien. Don't you forget that."

Lecia's face was startled and she gripped the table with white fingers. "What? Why are you saying that?"

Lina's face was grim, her eyes boring straight into Xellos. "Because it comes with consequences, dangerous ones. There was a price for your father's humanity, and we're still waiting to see when its collection will occur."

Xellos sat perfectly still, hands frozen in mid-motion as he stared at Lina. She was agitated and worried. Did she sense something he couldn't?

"Daddy?" Gorran squeaked, pulling him out of his dark thoughts.

Xellos turned to his son and smiled, reaching out and smoothing a hand over the shining curls. "Don't worry, love," he murmured. "Everything will turn out fine."

As he washed the dishes from supper, however, he wondered how "fine" it would be. He had almost forgotten about the pledge Lina had made to Xellas, and it worried him. True, they had been left in peace for years, but how long could that possibly last? Their lives had been simple for so lmany years, and he found he didn't want that to change. He had loved settling into their little house. Then, when Lina's wanderlust had overcome her, he stayed with the children while she traveled for a few months at a time. A couple of years later she had even taken a temporary teaching position at a university a few days' travel north. Her research had taken her here and there, but never for more than a few months at a time. He, for his part, had been content to stay at home and care for the children, teaching them everything he could. They had been happy, they had been at peace, something he had never known as a Monster. He did not want that disrupted at any price.

"You're going to break something," Lina said sharply from his side, snatching the dish out of his hand. "Pay attention."

Xellos looked down at the soapy water, thinking how pale and corpselike his water-wrinkled fingers looked as they rested beneath the surface of the liquid. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

"Hey," she snapped, setting down the dish and pushing his shoulders so that he faced her. "What's the matter?"

He fixed her fiery eyes with his, searching their depths. "Do you feel something I can't?" he whispered.

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean all that business about having to pay the price for my humanity. Do you feel that she's coming?"

Lina's face went grave. "No, I don't feel anything. I can't tell the future, and you know it."

"Then why? Why did you say that?"

She scowled. "You're really flipping out on me, Xellos. Calm down. I only said it because I thought it odd that we've been safe for so long. We haven't been attacked in almost ten years, but I'm sure that Dynast and Dolphin still want your head on a stick, and I know Xellas won't go forever without collecting, too. Don't you think it's strange?"

He sighed and leaned against the edge of the counter, his palms resting on the surface behind him. "Yes, I suppose it is strange, but you have to remember that Monsters have no sense of time. They don't live in the stream of time and so they don't think about it. Ten years to them is like seconds or minutes are to us. Besides, if being human has taught me one thing, it's that you don't ignore good fortune. I'm happy they've left us alone for as long as they have."

"Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm not upset about it!" Lina replied sharply. "It just gives me a bad feeling. . . ."

Xellos didn't want to think about Monsters. He didn't want to think about battle or danger. He just wanted to think about the happiness of his little family, and he knew exactly what would take their minds off of everything. "I'd rather you have good feelings," he purred, reaching out and pushing her hair away from her neck. She took a breath, rolled her eyes, and began to protest when he leaned forward and placed warm lips on the side of her throat. Her words melted into sighs as he kissed her, and when her arms wrapped around his neck he swept her up into his arms and took her to their room.

They stood on the balcony afterward, Lina pressed against Xellos' chest, the blanket around his shoulders covering her body as well. The stars were out in force, since the moon was new and not present to compete with them, and the pair gazed up at the sky in contentment and wonder. Xellos felt the remnants of physical pleasure still coursing through his veins, but beneath it was the far sweeter, deeper pleasure of being in love with Lina. Leaning down, he nuzzled her ear and kissed her cheek. "Have you been happy with me these past ten years, beloved?" he whispered.

Lina twisted in his arms and gazed up at him, ruby eyes dark in the starlight. "Yes," she replied. "I didn't think I could ever be happy in a domestic situation, but I guess the strain of my younger years tired me out, as much as I loved it. Besides, you and the kids are all such nutcases that there's never been a boring moment, and if I get the itch to travel, I just do it. What's not to be happy about?"

"I didn't know, that's why I asked," he murmured, kissing her cheek again and closing his eyes at the silky feel of her skin beneath his lips.

Lina chuckled and gripped his forearms tighter where they were wrapped around her chest. "Silly man," she muttered. "I love you. Isn't that enough?"

Xellos smiled into the fiery cascade of her hair. "You've grown less selfish as you have become older," he remarked. "And the fact that you love me, and I love you, is more than enough to keep my heart full."

"Since you've had one, you mean."

"Of course."

They were silent for some time, just listening to one another breathe and feeling the other's warmth as they watched the stars above their home. Xellos rested his chin on Lina's head, reflecting on his first full decade as a human being, or a mostly human being, and wondering what would happen. He no longer felt death creeping through his veins, nor was he as acutely aware of the black nothingness that comprised most of his soul. Nothing ached or hurt, and although he never forgot the power that was at his disposal, he did tend to forget that he had ever been anything but human, except when he was reminded of danger. How odd the workings of the human mind were.

Finally Lina broke his reverie by speaking once more, her slender body shifting against his. "I'm going to increase the barriers after Amelia and Zel leave."

"I already have."

She completely turned around in his arms, palms resting flat against his chest. "What? How come I can't sense it?"

"Because it's not your brand of magic," he said carefully. He had kept runic magic from his family for almost ten years, and he intended to continue to do so.

She narrowed her eyes, and even in the darkness he could see the sparks igniting in their depths. "Oh? Is it some weird brand of Monster sorcery?"

Xellos tilted his head. "You could say that, yes."

Lina seemed for a moment as if she would demand that he teach it to her, but then she merely shrugged and leaned her head against his chest, closing her eyes as her fingers gently stroked his skin. "Whatever," she muttered.

Xellos looked up at the sky, pleased that disaster was averted. Still, their discussions had made him worry. It was true that ten years were like seconds to the Lords, but it was odd that an attempt, even a minor one, hadn't been made on his life in that time. He feared that something big was brewing, and would hit at any moment. "We should rest," he said, gentle tone belying his worry. "We don't want to be worn out for tomorrow."

"That's right," Lina agreed, letting him usher her back inside. As soon as he closed the balcony doors she rushed naked from the cover of the blanket and flung herself into the large bed, pulling the covers up to her neck. "I look forward to seeing them. They haven't visited in six years."

Xellos nodded, smiling, and spread the blanket back on the bed before crawling in next to her and wrapping his bare limbs around hers.

"True, beloved. It will be fun to see them again, I'm sure. Now go to sleep and dream well."

"You, too, Xellos," she replied, and kissed him on the cheek before snuggling in and dropping off.

The next day dawned with much excitement. Gorran was out of bed early, dashing into the room and pouncing on the bed. Xellos opened his eyes and smiled as Lina was instantly awake, growling and limbs flailing.

"Dad, get up!" Gorran urged. "They're going to be here today!"

"I know, love," Xellos chuckled, sitting up and snagging the child around his waist, drawing him near. He cooed at the boy and began to snuggle him, making Gorran squirm and squeal.

"Stoppit, Dad!" Gorran chortled. "I'm way too old for that sort of thing!"

Xellos sighed and instead pinned his son, shaking his head sadly. "Alas, it is a sad day when one's children deny affection." He studied Gorran for a moment, taking in the boy's rosy cheeks and large amethyst eyes. "I hope you never feel the sting of such rejection," he murmured, giving his child his best wounded expression.

Gorran started to laugh, but the sound trailed off as his forehead wrinkled. "Dad? Are you okay?" he asked tentatively.

"Cripes, Xellos," Lina growled, her head buried under her pillow. "Do you have to start messing with the kids so early?"

Xellos chuckled and tousled Gorran's curls. "Force of habit," he replied. "Is your sister up?"

Gorran rolled out of Xellos' lap and curled up against Lina's form. "I dunno. I think she's in the bathroom."

"Dammit, now I have to pee," Lina groaned, still hidden by her pillow.

Xellos grinned and reached down, fingering a fiery tendril of hair from where it streamed beneath the cover of her pillow. "Go outside," he offered.

Lina sat up and scowled at him, ruby gaze crackling with wrath. "What?" she hissed, hands curling into balls as she gripped the sheets.

Oh, Lina was so much fun in the mornings! Her grumpiness was such a delight, and Lecia was much the same way. Xellos' smile widened as he took in the rumpled sight of his wife. He just couldn't help but antagonize them. Such reactions were far too good to let go to waste. "Never mind," he said brightly. "I'm sure she's just getting ready for the day. I imagine she'll be out shortly."

"Yeah, probably," Gorran muttered.

Xellos slid out of bed and into a pair of trousers, yawning and scratching behind his head. He had been human for over a decade and yet waking up was still a delight to him. Simple pleasures made being mortal worth living for, he supposed. Shifting his glance to the bed, he realized two of those pleasures, although they were rarely simple, were looking at him expectantly. Two coppery heads were turned towards him, and two pairs of hungry eyes were focused right on him. "Gorran, would you like to help me make breakfast?"

Gorran's stomach gurgled, betraying him, but he narrowed his eyes and pursed his mouth for a moment. "Do I have to cook?"

"I'll let you eat some of the batter," Xellos replied, raising his eyebrows.

Gorran seemed to consider for a moment. "Okay," he agreed, slipping off of the high mattress to stand on the rug next to Xellos.

"Let's hurry before your mother and sister get cranky," Xellos murmured, putting a hand in between Gorran's shoulder blades and giving him a gentle push.

Gorran glanced over his shoulder, eyes wide with apprehension. "Yeah, we had better hurry," the boy agreed, shuddering. Most likely he was picturing his mother and sister ravenous. The thought was terrifying, and one that Xellos was far too familiar with.

Lina's enthusiasm for the day seemed to grow at the mention of breakfast, and she shouted her preferred menu at him until he was almost at the bottom of the stairs. Lecia was still in the bathroom, apparently primping. Xellos snorted. Silly custom, primping. His daughter was so lovely she certainly didn't need it. He supposed that's what came of letting her spend so much time over at Filia's though. It wasn't that Xellos wasn't a supporter of proper hygiene, but the dragon seemed to give it far too much consideration, and he wasn't pleased to see such a custom rub off on his precious daughter.

"She's probably trying to look pretty for Amelia and Zel," Gorran told Xellos knowingly. "She does that for Val sometimes, too."

Xellos raised an eyebrow. "Does she, now?" he muttered. As if he needed another reason to feel anxiety over his daughter's relationship with the dragon boy.

"Yeah," Gorran replied, continuing to chatter on, but his words were lost on Xellos, who was already deep in thought. Worry for his daughter invaded his brain, only to be accompanied by concern for the menu when Amelia and Zel arrived. Had he remembered to launder the guest linens? Was there enough ale for everyone? Did he have extra bath towels for Zel's brood? Should he discuss his concerns with Amelia and Zel?

"Daddy?" Gorran said sharply, tugging on his arm.

Xellos was startled out of his increasingly dark thoughts and stared down at his son. "Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

Xellos forced a smile onto his face, thrusting away the growing feelings of unease in the pit of his abdomen. He was glad Lina's friends were coming to visit, but he couldn't help but feel there was something on the horizon. "I'm fine, love," he told Gorran. "I'm just trying to remember what else I need to do before our company arrives."

Gorran studied him carefully as they entered the kitchen. "Okay," the boy finally replied. "You need to put extra blueberries in the pancakes this morning."

Xellos looked down at Gorran and began to laugh. The boy was the spitting image of his mother. He even shared her attitudes about food, but that came as no surprise. "As you wish," he chuckled, and set about fixing breakfast.


Lina stopped shouting orders as soon as she heard Xellos hit the creaky bottom step of the stairs, realizing he was going to fix whatever he wanted to, and she would most likely eat whatever he made. Oh well, it wasn't as if she ever disliked what he cooked, that was for certain. She groaned and stretched, taking advantage of being alone in the spacious, comfy bed, then threw off the covers and stood. There was sudden, immediate pressure in her bladder and she pranced down the hall to the bathroom, concentrating very hard on her muscular control.

When she got there, however, the door was closed and locked. The sound of humming and running water came from the other side. "Open up!" Lina said, pounding on the door with the side of her fist.

The noise made by bottles tipping over came to Lina's ears through the wood, followed by some hissed curses. "Mom!" Lecia moaned from the other side of the barrier. "Go away! I'm getting ready!"

"I have to pee," Lina growled. "Get out of there now. You can have the room back in a minute."

"But, Mom!" Lecia whined from the other side, her voice accompanied by the sound of drawers opening and closing.

Lina felt a spasm low in her abdomen and knew she couldn't hold out much longer. She knew she wasn't particularly old yet, but she noticed that her bladder's capacity had seemingly decreased in the past few years. Damn her daughter for making her notice her age! "GET OUT!" Lina screeched, giving the door a good kick.

"NO!" Lecia shouted. "You can't make me!"

"Oh yeah?" Lina bellowed, feeling her anger bubble up within her. She hoped it was anger, at least. A spell teetered at the tip of her tongue, but the sharp impulses traveling up from her bladder made it too difficult to concentrate on shaping the words and summon the magic. Perhaps she would have to use Xellos' technique and resort to wit rather than force.

"Yeah!" Lecia responded, an odd note of triumph in her voice.

Lina laughed, the sound chilly. "Fine, then," she said softly, knowing her daughter would just barely be able to hear her. "Take all the time you need. I know exactly where to relieve myself."

There was silence on the other side of the door. Lina smirked and began to dance down the hall to Lecia's room. She'd show that brat of hers, oh yes. More stunned silence followed her down the corridor, and she knew Lecia was wondering where her mother had found to relieve herself. There was the sharp sound of the bathroom doorknob being shaken, then a bang as the door swung wide. "No!" Lecia squeaked, eyes wide as she appeared in the hallway.

"Then let me have the bathroom," Lina grated between clenched teeth. Every second had suddenly become precious. "Let me have it or, so help me, I'll pee all over your sheets."

Lecia's eyes widened even further in shock, then the blood drained from her face and she backed out of the bathroom. Lina smiled, smug, and shuffled into the bathroom, slamming the door on her daughter and rushing to the toilet. She could hear Lecia's footsteps pattering down the hall as the girl cried, "Dad! Mom threatened to pee on my bed!"

"And I would have, too," Lina muttered to herself, still smirking. She wished she could have heard Xellos' response, and Gorran's comments as well, but she satisfied herself with pulling her trousers back on and washing her hands. Yawning, she made her way downstairs, to where Gorran was slicing fruit under Xellos' direction. "What's to eat?" she asked, pulling out a chair.

"Finally," Lecia said dramatically, rolling her eyes and moving to leave the room.

"Ah-ah-ah," Xellos clucked, shaking his head without turning away from the stove. "Stay put, little one."

Lecia scowled. "What? Why?"

Xellos turned around, letting the spatula hang at his side as he put his other hand on his hip. "You've done enough primping. I think you put enough scented oil in your hair to kill an ox."

Gorran collapsed into a fit of giggles and Lina felt a moment's anxiety as he allowed the knife to pass perilously close to his fingertips. "Hee hee! You're going to have an ox for a boyfriend!" the boy snickered.

"Shut up," Lecia snapped, amethyst eyes blazing.

"He'll be Oxy McOx to us, but you'll have to call him 'sir'," Gorran laughed. "Then you can get married and have lots of ox babies."

"Gorran," Lina growled, but knew her warning would go unheeded.

"An ox baby would be better than you," Lecia hissed, eyes narrowing.

Gorran stared at his sister, his face slowly hardening with anger. His pale skin flushed and the full curves of his mouth flattened into a line. "Nuh-uh," he growled. "I'm way better than some stupid boy you're trying to impress."

Lina took a breath and prepared to intervene, but Xellos smoothly worked his way between them, setting his spatula down on the counter and walking over to Lecia. She was already almost Lina's height, her body just beginning to show curves, the barest swell of developing breasts beneath her tunic. Her eyes watched Xellos warily, their amethyst depths closed as he came over and ran a long-fingered hand over her mane of dark, glossy hair. "Who's the boy?" he asked gently, stroking her head and working out a few tangles in her tresses. "You don't oil your hair this much for Val. Is there someone you'd like to tell us about?"

Lina smiled as Lecia blushed and nervously ran her hand through her bangs. "No," she muttered, looking away.

Gorran opened his mouth to say something, but Lina caught his eye and shook her head, scowling. She knew her son would just make the situation tense once more. It was better to just sit back and let Xellos work his peculiar brand of manipulative magic.

"Oh? Well, I'm flattered you love your father enough to want to look your best for him in front of company," Xellos said with a smile that would have melted Lina's heart, if she hadn't known it was all part of whatever plan he was hatching in that skull of his.

Lecia smiled weakly in return and her blushed deepened. Ah, Xellos seemed to have hit closer to the mark. "Thanks," she mumbled.

Xellos' eyes suddenly flew wide and he took a step back, gently grasping her shoulders and holding her out at arms' length. "Oh, no," he said, clearing a few stray strands of hair out of her way. "You don't have a crush on Mister Zelgadis, do you?"

"What?" Gorran blurted, eyes as wide as his father's. Lina suppressed a chuckle as she looked at the three of them. Three pairs of identical eyes were all staring at one another with an equal degree of wideness.

"No, Daddy!" Lecia protested. "It's..."

Xellos let out a sigh and pulled her into an embrace, gently rubbing her shoulders with his thumbs. "What is it?" he asked softly.

"It's Alfred," she replied, her voice almost inaudiblle.

"But I thought you liked Val!" Gorran said with a scowl. "What about Val?"

"Val's my friend," Lecia said, but her blush deepened and her protestation lacked real heat. Lina rolled her eyes, remembering what it was like to experience the onset of hormones.

"Do you like Alfred, little one?" Xellos asked gently, tucking a lock of Lecia's hair behind her ear.

"I don't know. I haven't seen him in years. But I thought, just in case..."

Gorran was about to give his input once more, but Lina had heard enough. All this talk was preventing her from being fed. "Dammit, Lecia, you don't have to primp for men. Do you want them to like you for who you are, or do you want them to like the facade you build for them?" she snapped.

"Mom," Lecia said.

"I think you're spending too much time with Filia," Lina declared. "No more of this scented hair oil and cosmetic stuff. It's crap, and you don't need it."

Lecia's eyebrows plunged slightly. "But Mom, didn't you ever put on a face for Dad?"

Xellos laughed out loud. "Oh, heavens, no. Your mother never did anything silly like that. She was always the genuine article, and that's why everyone would have given their lives for her. It's the personality, the heart and mind that people are going to be attracted to. The surface details just get in the way."

"Huh," Gorran said, blinking at his parents.

"Food, Xellos," Lina grated, scowling. Now that her bladder was empty and she'd had some time to relax she found that she wanted breakfast more than ever.

"Right away, dearest," he replied. "Now, Lecia, go upstairs and wash all that scent out of your hair. Amelia, Zelgadis, and their children will think you're lovely without such things. By the time you come down I'll have pancakes for you, okay?"

Lecia stared at the floor for a few moments, eyes obscured by her thick, curly eyelashes. It almost hurt Lina to see her daughter so crestfallen, but she was too hungry to worry about that. She watched Xellos move back to the stove, taking in every single one of his movements. Dimly she was aware that Gorran had moved away, but she didn't turn to see where he was going until she was certain Xellos had started cooking again.

"I'm sorry, Lecia," Gorran said. "I think your hair looks real pretty and shiny with that stuff in it."

Lecia looked down at her little brother, a faint smile curving her full lips. She reached out and pulled him close to her, hugging him briefly. "Thanks," she said.

Gorran closed his eyes and leaned into his sister, squeezing hard. "You're pretty anyway, though," he muttered.

Lecia laughed gently, the sound starting deep in her torso. "Thanks," she repeated, then released him with a sigh. "I'll be right back," she muttered, and trudged out of the room.

Gorran took his place at the cutting board once more, his eyes watching his sister with concern as she left. "Don't you guys think Lecia's pretty?" he asked, looking from Lina to Xellos and back again.

"Of course we do," Xellos answered for both of them.

Lina nodded. She did think Lecia was pretty. Lecia was beautiful, in fact. Lina decided that was the whole problem, turning the situation over in her mind. Then Xellos served breakfast, and that was the end of that.

"MOOOOOMM!" Gorran screamed, tearing around the corner of the house.

"Not so loud, Gorran! You don't want them to hear us in the next town!" Lecia hissed, hot on the boy's trail.

Xellos looked up from where he was fixing the edging of one of the flower beds as the children spilled into the back yard, panting. Lina scowled at them from her chair, her book obscuring most of her face from his view. "What?" she snapped.

Gorran was too out of breath to answer, coughing when he opened his mouth to speak. Lecia smacked him on the back to clear his chest, then answered for him. "Miss Amelia and Mister Zelgadis are only a few minutes away."

Lina raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

Lecia shrugged. "We looked."

Xellos felt his hands flex involuntarily around his trowel. Turning slowly, he met Lina's gaze. He knew she wanted him to explain, but right then didn't seem appropriate. How to tell Lina that as their children grew, their Monster heritage seemed to rise to the surface? He felt apprehension grip him and wondered in what other ways his children might not be human. Once glance at Lina told him that he didn't need to tell her. Her stony gaze indicated she already knew and understood, for better or for worse.

"Well, then," he said, standing. "You had best get ready. Don't forget to be on your best behavior."

The two children nodded and headed toward the house. As they left, Xellos saw Lecia poke Gorran in the ribs and ask, "What did Dad promise you?"

"A dagger. You?"

"A new spell book."

"Nice," Gorran muttered, and the children disappeared.

Lina stood and walked over to him, putting her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest. "And?" she asked.

"It's only going to get worse, the older they get," Xellos said, feeling suddenly solemn.

Lina scowled and smacked him on the arm. "No, I mean what do I get for being on my best behavior?"

Xellos felt a grin spread across his face. "How about a night of unbridled passion?" he murmured. "I'll even let you spank me."

Lina blushed and smacked him harder. "You mean you wouldn't give that to me anyway?" she growled, eyes sparkling.

Xellos fixed her with an open-eyed gaze and sighed. "There's nothing I can give you. You're already the smartest, most beautiful, and most talented and powerful woman I know. What are mere jewels and coins next to gifts such as that?"

"Oh, gross," Lina moaned, but he could tell by the pink stains on her cheeks that she was pleased. "Don't get all mushy on me."

"I apologize," he murmured, and bent to kiss her.

He must have kissed her longer than he intended to, for soon her fingers were tangled in his hair and his hands had wandered down to her rear. A young voice cut across his awareness and he nearly tripped as he jumped away from Lina, startled. "Don't worry, they make out all the time," Gorran said, and Xellos looked up to see eight people filing out of the house.

"I see," came a mature, masculine voice, and Zelgadis stepped out of the house into the yard.

"Miss Lina!" Amelia cried, bounding across the grass to embrace Lina. Lina blushed and patted Amelia awkwardly, then sighed as Amelia threw herself on Xellos. "Hello, Mister Xellos," she said, hugging him tightly.

"Hello, Miss Amelia," he replied, patiently waiting until her fit of affection was over. "How are you?"

"I'm doing fine, thank you," she said, releasing him. "And you?"

"Things couldn't be better," Xellos murmured, giving Zelgadis an open-eyed glance. Zelgadis narrowed his eyes slightly, but otherwise didn't react.

"Wow, your kids got big!" Lina said, examining the four children. "How are you doing, Alfred?"

The oldest boy was a male version of Amelia. He had the same unfortunate hair as the rest of the family, and it was as dark as night. His skin was fair and deeply blue eyes looked out from under his heavy bangs. He executed a little bow and smiled at her, white teeth peeking out from between red lips. Xellos was of the opinion that Alfred would never be tall like his grandfather, instead taking after Zelgadis. He would probably end up being the same height as Lecia. Human inheritance of traits was endlessly fascinating to him.

"I'm very well, thank you," Alfred replied, his eyes flickering quickly over the family, and he blushed as his gaze rested for a moment on Lecia.

"Are your studies going well?" Xellos asked, moving to stand where the rest of them were gathered.

"He finds statecraft quite interesting," Zelgadis answered, putting a hand on Alfred's shoulder.

"Thank goodness someone does," their next oldest child, a girl, said. Her light green eyes looked at her parents defiantly, her pink lips pulled into a line. Xellos smiled at her, but she only raised her eyebrows and tossed her mouse-brown hair.

"Now, now," Amelia said, her voice taking on a hard edge Xellos had never heard before. "Behave, Celdra."

"Sorry," the girl mumbled.

Zelgadis looked about, a slight scowl on his face. "Rodimus?" he said.

"Where's Rodimus?" Amelia echoed.

Xellos quickly scanned the yard and saw a boy of about twelve discarding clothes as quickly as he could. The boy had brown hair, again in the style of both his parents, and light, quick blue eyes. Xellos knew that Rodimus would grow up to look exactly like Zelgadis would have, had he been allowed to remain human. A wide grin was stretched across the boy's pointed face as he shucked clothes with abandon, then jumped into the pond.

"There he is," Xellos muttered, glancing at the boy's parents.

"Roddy!" Amelia said sharply. "Please get out of that water right now."

"But, Mom!" the boy whined. "I was all dusty!"

"Do you feel better now?" Zel asked.

Rodimus considered. "Yeah, I think so."

"Then get out."

Xellos chuckled and fetched a towel for the child, noticing as he returned that his children were standing apart from everyone else. He thought for a moment to call them over, then decided to let them observe for as long as they liked. "Here," he said, handing Rodimus the towel.

"Thanks, Mister Xellos," Rodimus replied, his head immediately disappearing into the terrycloth folds.

"Honestly, he can be such a trial," Amelia sighed, but a smile was on her face.

Xellos nodded, casting a glance at Lina. She shook her head back at him, the corner of her mouth turned up slightly. Both of their children were more than capable of being holy terrors. "Where's your youngest?" he asked Amelia, remembering that the last time he had seen the girl was many years ago.

"There," Zelgadis said, pointing. The girl was crouched at the bottom of the dragon pedestal that everyone thought was so tacky, the one that Val had picked out. Xellos noted with some alarm that she seemed to be staring at the spot on the pedestal where he had written some runes. No one should be able to see the runes, however....

"Kerra, please come here," Amelia said, hands on her hips.

"Okay," the child replied, immediately walking over, her eyes still trained on the pedestal.

"Say hello," Zelgadis instructed sternly, but his features were soft and there was a smile on his face. Xellos smiled as well. It seemed that the youngest girl-child had finally softened Zel's stone demeanor.

"Hello," Kerra said, looking up at Lina and Xellos. Her eyes were wide and almost a blue-violet, and raven-black hair cascaded down her shoulders and back.

"Wow, she looks a lot like Naga," Lina breathed.

Kerra turned to her mother and pulled on her tunic. "Who's Naga?"

"She means your aunt Gracia," Amelia explained with an embarrassed smile.

"The one with the scary laugh?" Kerra asked.

"You don't have any other aunts," Zelgadis reminded her.

Lina perked up. "You mean you've seen her?"

Amelia laughed, the sound a bit nervous. "Yes. She dropped in last year for Kerra's birthday. Caused a bit of a stir."

Xellos glanced at Lina, who was paling and grinning at the same time. He had never met Naga, but he had heard quite a bit about her from Lina. She sounded rather...unique. "Well, it was probably good to see her again, anyway," Xellos said smoothly. "Why don't we let the children entertain themselves outside while we get refreshments?"

Amelia smiled and nodded. "That would be lovely," she said. "The roads are quite dusty this time of year."

"Lecia, Gorran, please see to it that our guests are having fun," Xellos instructed his children. Lecia nodded, a strange, pinched look of disappointment on her face. He followed her gaze to Alfred, who was staring at her, his cheeks stained pink.

"Sure, Dad," Gorran replied, his eyes also fixed on Alfred, but his look was cool.

"Thank you," he said slowly, thinking that perhaps the situation warranted watching. He dismissed it for the moment, however, and followed the other adults inside, Lina in the lead. Zelgadis was walking right ahead of him, and he reached out and gently nudged the chimera's elbow. Zelgadis glanced over his shoulder, his eyes questioning, but he did not speak.

"I need to talk to you and Amelia, alone," he whispered, knowing Zel's superior hearing would be able to pick up his words. "I'll meet you in the road at sunrise tomorrow."

Zelgadis nodded silently and kept walking. Xellos let loose a relieved sigh. Perhaps everything would be all right, after all.


Xellos watched Lina intently as he quietly slid out of bed, alert for any indication she might stir and awake. Lina, however, simply continued to breathe in the deep, relaxed manner of slumber, and he was able to slip away undetected. He left through the doors to the balcony, latching them silently, and flew over the top of the house, setting down in the front yard. Amelia and Zel were already in the road, standing close together and holding hands, heads bent towards one another. Zelgadis raised a hand and traced the curve of Amelia's cheek with his thumb, hand cupping her jaw, and there was no mistaking the look of tenderness on his face. Xellos smiled to himself and considered embarrassing them with an abrupt entrance, then decided against it. He was trying to enlist their help, after all.

"Good morning," he said softly, and to his surprise, Zelgadis didn't pull away from Amelia or blush in the slightest. Instead he smiled down at his wife softly and squeezed her hand. Xellos' mouth remained curled in a smile. It seemed as if Zelgadis and Amelia had finally grown into their love.

Amelia looked up at Xellos with her sparkling blue eyes, full mouth drawn together a bit. "What's wrong, Mister Xellos?" she asked.

"What makes you think something's wrong?" Xellos countered lightly.

"You don't like us well enough to want to simply spend time with us," she replied.

"Miss Amelia!" he gasped, pretending to be wounded.

Her dark eyebrows drew together slightly. "It's not that I think you don't like us. I think you respect us to a degree, but please don't pretend that affection exists where it doesn't. We know you only care for Lina and your children."

"And that's good enough for us. They're the ones that matter," Zelgadis added.

Xellos blinked at them both for a moment. It seemed that the two mortals in front of him had matured quite a bit in the years that had passed since he had seen them last. "Well, I stand by my position that nothing's wrong."

Zelgadis leveled a cool gaze at him. "Yet, you mean."

Xellos grinned and held up his index finger. "Bingo!" he chortled.

"That's partly why we came to visit," Amelia said. "Things have been getting strange. Not bad, just strange. There haven't been attack by any sort of beasts or Monsters in a while, but people have been reporting seeing more of them."

Zelgadis nodded. "They've been sighted in droves, all moving through the kingdoms in one of two directions: west or north."

Xellos felt a chill run the length of his spine, his flesh constricing with fear. Fear was one of his most sharply-honed emotions, since it was one of the few he had been capable of feeling during his millenia of being a Monster. "How odd," he muttered, eyeing Amelia and Zel. "So you came to see me, not Lina."

Amelia pressed her lips together and nodded. "We wanted to see Lina and the rest of you anyway, but I admit that the sightings moved our trip a bit ahead of schedule."

"We were hoping you'd have some idea as to what was going on," Zelgadis muttered.

"I'm not a Monster anymore. I'm not privy to their maneuvers," Xellos replied.

"No one said you were," Zelgadis said sharply, then sighed. "Listen, we just thought that you were best prepared out of all of us to make an educated guess. When you asked me to meet you here this morning, I figured you probably knew something."

Xellos shook his head, his eyes wandering to the rosy glow of the rising sun. "I don't know anything, not for sure."

"Then why call us out here?" Amelia asked.

"Something's coming," Xellos intoned. "My family hasn't been attacked for a long, long time. We're overdue."

"And you think it will be something big," Amelia murmured.

"I feel it in my bones," Xellos whispered.

"What does the master of schemes want us to do about it?" Zel asked.

Xellos paused, the palms of his hands cold and slightly damp. His fear really did run deep. It was as if he could almost feel danger in the very breeze. "Help me," he said, voice slightly rough. "I don't want to lose them. I love them."

A heavy silence hung among them for several long moments. "What can we do?" Amelia asked.

"We'll do whatever we can," Zelgadis said softly.

Xellos forced himself to smile at Amelia. "What, no speech on how love will conquer all?"

She stared up at him with steel in her eyes. "It depends on how strong and clever the people who feel love are," she said calmly. "Love is an incredible force, but it must be used properly. Love in and of itself isn't enough."

Xellos studied her, his dark eyes taking in every feature. "You've grown up," he said, mouth twitching up at the corners.

"That's what happens to humans," Zel said, but his smile showed his pride in his wife.

"I know," Xellos muttered.

"So what do you think is coming?" Zel asked, his hand tightening on Amelia's.

Xellos took a deep breath through his nostrils, feeling the cool, damp air of early morning fill his body. "I think that Dynast and Dolphin are gearing up for something big. They might not attack right away with all their power, but something's on the way. I just know it."

"But it's been ten years," Amelia protested.

"Ten years is like a blink of an eye to a Monster," Xellos explained. "They have forever to practice patience."

"So you think you'll be attacked, and soon. What can we do?" Zel said, glancing at his wife.

Xellos took another breath, holding it for a moment before releasing it. He didn't want to do what he knew he had to. "I want to send Gorran with you to Seyruun," he said. "I want you to teach him your magic. I think he could be an incredible white magician."

Zel's mouth curved into a wry smile. "I think having a trickster priest and a priest of Ciephied in the same house sounds like a terrible idea."

Amelia smiled as well for a split second, then her smile fell. "What about Lecia?"

Xellos' face hardened. He was having a difficult time keeping up his mask around these friends of Lina. "She's just barely human. Her powers of black magic are even greater than Lina's, if you can believe it. She'll be just fine. Gorran, however, doesn't have any flair at all for black magic. He does fairly well with shamanism, though. Still, Lina's disappointed, although she won't admit it."

"We'll be more than happy to teach him," Amelia said, suddenly reaching out and putting her hands on Xellos' arm. "I'll even get Sylphiel to help."

"I appreciate it," Xellos murmured, and surprised himself by meaning it. He owed these people a debt. It was an odd sensation.

"Our pleasure," Amelia replied with a grin. "Now, let's get inside and have some patented Seyruun griddle cakes."

"Sounds lovely," Xellos chuckled, and led the two others back into the house.

Xellos leaned back, feeling painfully full. Zelgadis and Amelia had shown an unexpected affinity for the running of a household, and the two of them had fixed an enormous supper on the eve of their departure. It was common, of course, for Lina to eat herself sick, but it was an unusual situation for Xellos. Lina was groaning slightly in the chair next to him, her fingers laced across her distended belly, and Zelgadis was smiling at her with gentle affection. Xellos watched as Lina grinned back, then let her gaze include Amelia. The three of them seemed very happy, and a warm feeling spread through his chest as he realized just how pleased Lina was to have her friends near.

"Great food, guys," Lina said with a sigh, patting her stomach. "I didn't know you guys could cook!"

"Well, it's hard to get away from our duties, but when we do, we seem to have less to occupy our time, now that the children are older," Amelia explained. "Their lessons take up some of it, of course, but even then they're doing mostly independent study."

Zelgadis nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. "It was an unexpected pleasure, learning how to cook well, and we have quite a bit of fun doing it," he added.

"I suppose all of your alchemy studies helped you become a chef," Amelia chuckled, gazing into her tea.

Lina and Xellos nodded, too full to respond. Silence saturated the room for a moment, but it was a comfortable, contented silence. For the most part, Xellos amended. He noticed that Gorran kept stealing glances at Zel's youngest daughter, and Alfred was unabashedly staring at Lecia, who would flash a brief smile at him every so often, her cheeks faintly flushed.

"Do you ever miss our adventures?" Lina asked, a wistful look on her face.

Zelgadis laughed. "Who could possibly miss being dragged all around the world by you, with endless cold, filthy nights, and mortal danger?"

Lina smiled, but her attitude remained nostalgaic. "No, really."

"Of course," he replied, expression serious.

"I actually think about them quite often," Amelia admitted, stirring her tea idly with a finger. "I'm constantly wondering how things might have turned out differently, or about the details we maybe didn't notice."

"I think that's only natural," Xellos said.

Amelia nodded, and there was a brief silence once more. "I always wondered if Mister Zangulus wore that awful hat when he made love to Miss Martina," she muttered with a half-smile.

"Amelia!" Zelgadis gasped, staring wide-eyed at his wife.

"He just never seemed to take it off," Amelia giggled, and Lina joined in.

"He did always wear the thing, didn't he?" Lina chortled, and soon even Zel was laughing.

After the mirth subsided, Xellos saw that the children were put to bed and then joined the other adults in the sitting room. Amelia and Zel occupied the loveseat, his arm draped over her shoulders, and Lina sat in one of the armchairs. He took the other armchair, and as soon as he sat down, Lina rose and went to him, snuggling into his lap. "My, what brought this on?" Xellos murmured, wrapping his arms around her slight body.

"We were just talking about our families, and how things might have turned out otherwise," Zel explained.

"I never thought I'd say it, but I'm pleased with the way things are," Lina said. "I mean, who would have thought I'd be happy I had kids? A husband? A cozy life?"

"Well, it's not surprising, when you consider the alternative," Amelia replied. "You've always been a passionate person, and so it's no wonder you love so deeply."

"Still..." Lina muttered, leaning her head against Xellos' chest and closing her eyes.

Zelgadis smiled. "I think it's time for bed. I don't think I can handle a mushy Lina. Insane Lina's fine with me, as is destructive, angry Lina, or even hungry Lina, but soft, emotional Lina is just too alien for me."

Amelia laughed. "I agree. Besides, we have to get up tomorrow and pack."

"Very well," Xellos said. "Make yourselves comfortable and we'll see you in the morning."

Amelia paused at the door and turned. "Aren't you retiring as well?"

Lina glanced up at Xellos and he felt his heart warm as she smiled. "No, I think we'll just sit here for a while," she replied.

Xellos grinned in return, happy that the years had taught her to read him so well, and that her heart was willing.

Xellos awoke slowly, enjoying the warm, syrupy feeling in his abdomen. It amazed him that he could still feel that way just because of waking up beside Lina, especially after so many years. Then again, in the span of his existence, a dozen or so years really wasn't so long. He inhaled deeply and shut his eyes, reveling in the warmth Lina was creating on the other side of the mattress, her toes gently touching his calf, as if she couldn't bear not to be in contact with him, even in sleep. He smiled and turned to her, gently tracing silky red strands of her hair across the pillow. The color reminded him of the dawn beginning to lighten the sky outside. Lina was his beginning, Lina was his dawn.

It also comforted him to know that somewhere within the house his children slept safely, and that his wife's friends were close at hand. He enjoyed that feeling. It was subtle and human, and was something he hadn't been able to feel as a Monster. Sometimes it seemed to him like he learned something new about his mortality every day, and, to his surprise, he treasured the knowledge. He remembered thinking how awful it would be to be mortal, and yet he rejoiced in the fact. Someday he would die, but he had left a mark upon the world. His mark wouldn't just be the destruction of a forgotten race, nor the faceless evil in myth and legend, but blood passed down from human to human for all time. Besides, someday Lina would die. When that day came, he no longer wanted to live. His family was his life. Existence was nothing to him without them.

With those thoughts in his head, he carefully stole out of bed and dressed, slipping out of the room and down to the kitchen. He could hear Amelia and Zelgadis beginning to stir in the guest room, knowing that it would be hours before they were ready to depart. Even though their children were old enough to look after themselves for the most part, getting children of any age ready for a journey was time-consuming. He couldn't imagine trying to synchronize the schedules and needs of six people. Then again, Amelia and Zel had dealt with the wants and needs of other people their whole lives. He had only had an eternity of dealing with taking orders. It hadn't mattered what anyone else wanted or needed.

True to his hypothesis, it was a couple of hours before everyone was even ready for breakfast. All six children had been bathed as well as Zel and Amelia. Lina came down in her pajamas and was sitting at the opposite end of the table, yawning, as he began to serve everyone. The kitchen was full of random conversations, one of which was a rather halting succession of words coming from Alfred. The boy was addressing Lecia, who giggled at him and blinked slowly in a disturbingly seductive fashion. Xellos felt alarm streak through him momentarily as he fought the urge to strangle the boy. Was Alfred actually trying to court Lecia? He caught Lina's warning glance and realized his cheeks were flushed with disbelief. There was no reason to worry, he told himself. Alfred was Amelia's son, and as such would have far too much honor to actually lay his hands on Lecia. Besides, it seemed the boy was exceedingly shy to begin with.

Putting himself at ease, he sat down across from Lina and began to eat his own breakfast. He was halfway through before he noticed that his son was acting strangely as well. Gorran was far too young to be interested in girls, wasn't he? Xellos didn't know when human boys began to become adults, since he had never been a boy. Still, Gorran was definitely staring at Zel's youngest daughter. The child's amethyst eyes were wide and unblinking, his red, full lips parted as his jaw began to hang open. Kerra, for her part, kept shooting Gorran puzzled looks, although she smiled once or twice. Xellos looked up at Lina, trying to discern if she was seeing something he wasn't. She caught his gaze and glanced at her son, then looked at Xellos and shook her head. He wasn't quite sure what exactly she meant, but he was fairly certain he didn't have to worry. Yet.

Breakfast finished up without a fuss, with all four of Amelia's children helping clean up. "If only my little ones were so helpful!" Xellos exclaimed as Alfred helped him wash. Celdra dried as Rodimus and Kerra put the dishes away. Lecia and Gorran lounged with Lina by the hearth, watching.

"We're helpful in other ways, Daddy," Lecia said with a lazy grin.

Xellos put soapy hands to his hips and raised an eyebrow at his daughter. "Oh? How so?"

"We keep you endlessly entertained," she drawled, her smile turning wolfish.

"Yeah, Daddy, you'd be bored without us!" Gorran chortled, beaming.

Xellos shook his head. "As if your mother didn't keep me busy enough. How much catastrophe can one man take?"

"Apparently a lot," Zel said with the faintest of smiles. "Okay, time to get packed, children."

"Thank you for helping," Xellos said to the children as they began to file out of the room. He dried his hands on a towel and set it aside, watching Amelia sip her tea and glance at Lina.

"Hey, our kids can be well-behaved, too," Lina growled. "Xellos is just indulgent."

"And we all can guess how involved you are in their discipline," Zelgadis sighed.

Xellos quickly dropped a pan on the floor as a diversion. Zelgadis might have grown up, but he still liked to rile up Lina. Everyone jumped at the sharp clanging, pretending they hadn't noticed a thing as he set the pan back up on the counter. "Shall we wait in the garden?" he asked brightly.

"Certainly," Amelia said with a smile.

He nodded. He hadn't liked Amelia much at first, and not even later, when he and Lina had visited her after spending time with Lina's parents. She was always so optimistic and justice-crazy. She seemed to have settled down well, however, and was now his committed partner in mollifying everyone. He never thought she would have been as useful as she had proved herself to be.

As he led everyone into the garden to wait for the children, he had an alarming thought. Did he actually like Lina's friends? Had his defenses come down somewhere along the line? He watched Amelia and Zelgadis seat themselves, Lina sprawling across a chaise lounge in her pajamas, and he realized that he did. Zelgadis and Amelia were interesting, at the very least. They were useful as well. Yes, he liked them.

They engaged in small talk, enjoying the sun of the morning. Amelia discussed some new policies Seyruun had introduced, and Zelgadis talked about his chemistry research. He had more or less given up on ever finding a cure, but he was looking for ways to erase the small marks of a golem heritage that had shown up in his children. At that moment the six children poured out of the house. "Here, Alfred," Zel called. Alfred came over immediately.

"Yes, Father?"

"Pull up your shirt. Show Xellos your ribs."

Alfred shot a glance at Lecia, who was watching him intently.

"Oh, I think I understand what you mean," Xellos began, hoping that the others saw his actions as having compassion for Alfred and his dignity instead of the desire to hide the young man's body from his daughter's eyes.

"Do it, Freddy," Zel said.

Alfred nodded and untucked his shirt, revealing a surprisingly muscular abdomen. Sure enough, there was a small patch of stone on his left side, about eight inches down from his armpit. "Is that enough, Father?"

"Yes, thank you," Zel replied.

"Oh, you have stone, just like your dad!" Lecia exclaimed. "I have marks, too."

Xellos felt alarm race through his veins, his knuckles turning white on the arms of his chair as he glanced at Lina.

"Her brow furrowed.Oh you do, do you?" she growled. "Where?"

"Here," Lecia said, brushing aside her thick, glossy bangs. Sure enough, a dark design was on her skin on her temple and above her eyebrow, a marking almost like a tattoo.

"Where did that come from?" Lina demanded.Did you take a visit to the docks on one of your little trips with Val?"

"No, it just showed up," Lecia insisted.

"Tell me the truth!" Lina snapped.

"I AM!" Lecia yelled back.

"Mommy, she's not lying," Gorran pleaded.

Lina looked at Xellos, but he had gone cold and numb in his chair. He knew exactly what the marking reminded him of. "Well?" Lina demanded.

"It just grew, Mommy!" Gorran said, going over to the side of her chair.

"Miss Lina, please calm down," Amelia said, reaching out a hand.

"I'm not going to calm down! No daughter of mine is going to go out and deface her body!" Lina ranted.

"But, Mommy," Gorran insisted, voice breaking.

"Shut up!" Lina shouted, springing from her chair. "Lecia, tell me the truth!"

Xellos saw that Lecia was gearing up to do battle with her mother. He managed to catch her eye and stared at her levelly. The situation was becoming clearer to him by the minute.

Lecia shuddered under his gaze and seemed to shrink, the fire leaving her eyes. "Mom, I'm telling you the truth," she murmured, taking a step away from Xellos.

Lina narrowed her eyes at the cold fear in Lecia's voice and turned her glare to Xellos. He met her glare and remained cool, giving away nothing. "It's a secret, isn't it," she muttered, so quietly that only he could hear her clearly.

"What is it?" Zelgadis asked, his gaze piercing.

"Are you okay?" Alfred asked, going over to Lecia and putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Lecia said, sharing an odd look with her brother. "You didn't meet Grandma."

"No," Gorran replied, his expression oddly wise for such a young boy.

"Xellos, is there something we should know?" Zelgadis demanded.

Xellos felt the familiar benign mask slide over his features. "Oh no, everything's just fine," he said.

"Now you need to tell me the truth," Zel said sternly. "You've dragged my family into this, too-"

"What?" Lina asked sharply. "What did he do?"

"Nothing. He just said that he might need backup someday," Zelgadis growled. "Tell me the whole story."

"He said what?" Lina grated. "So I'm not enough backup, eh?"

"Please, dearest, it wasn't like that," Xellos pleaded.

"Get down!" Gorran screamed suddenly, but it was Alfred who acted.

"Balus Wall!" the young man shouted.

"There!" Amelia shouted as Celdra and Rodimus moved to aid their brother.

Xellos felt a cold lump settle in his stomach as he turned and looked at where Amelia was pointing. He couldn't see much, but he could sense a huge force moving on the astral plane. It was a Monster, it had to be, but why now?

"Gorran!" he shouted, running to his son.

"Daddy, what's that?" Gorran said, shivering against Xellos' chest.

"Gorran, love, how did you know it was there?"

"I can feel it, it feels like emptiness," Gorran shuddered, closing his eyes.

Damn it, there was the Monster's influence in his son again. Why had he hoped that his children would be completely human? "That's okay," Xellos said, holding the boy tightly in his arms.

"How far away is it?" Zelgadis said loudly.

"About a mile," Lecia replied, shading her eyes.It's closing in fast."

"Get away from the house," Lina ordered, rolling up the sleeves of her pajamas, which actually consisted of leggings and one of Xellos' old shirts. "We'll need space to fight this one, and I do NOT want my house reduced to ash."

"Ah, the hazards of wedding a Monster," Xellos said lightly, but he could tell Lina was not amused by his comment, unless it was possible he was misinterpreting the look of death she sent him.

"Amelia, Lecia, get the kids out of here. Zel and I will cover you. Xellos, take care of Gorran, dammit!"

Xellos nodded, his eyes slowly opening. He knelt and put his hands on his son's shoulders. "Gorran, look at me," he said softly, catching the attention of the eyes that were identical to his own.

"Yeah?" the boy replied quietly.

"Have you seen any wolves recently?"

The boy's eyes narrowed slightly. "No," he replied after a pause.

"They don't have to be real wolves. Have you seen any in your dreams, maybe?"

"Maybe," Gorran said, brow furrowing.

"Xellos, go! It's closing in!" Lina ordered.

"Stay right here," Xellos told Gorran, the tone of his voice brooking no disobedience. He dashed to the corner of the stone wall, quickly tracing some runes, and then he repeated the process at each corner of the yard.

"Here it comes!" shouted Zelgadis, and everyone braced for impact as a hail of bright lights descended upon them.

"Don't stop moving!" Xellos called out over the roaring of magical energy bursting upon his barrier.Amelia, Lecia, get everyone away from here and into the fields!"

"What was that?" Lina screamed after him, but he shook his head and returned to his son.

"Daddy, what did you do? It wasn't like Mommy's magic," Gorran said, wrapping his fingers in Xellos' cloak.

"Don't think about it right now," Xellos ordered, hoping the boy would never think about it again. "Tell me about the wolf."

"I think I saw a great big one in my dreams a few nights ago."

"How long ago?"

"I don't remember very well."

"Gorran, it's okay. Just try."

The child's eyebrows came together in the center and he chewed on his lower lip. "I think three or four days ago."

"Did it do anything? Say anything?"

Gorran shook his head vehemently. "It seemed like it was sorry for me, and it seemed like it was grinning at the same time."

Xellos closed his eyes for a split second. It was too late, it seemed. He wondered if it had all been for nothing. "That's okay, love. Everything will be okay."

"What's happening, Daddy?" Gorran asked, but Xellos merely scooped him up into his arms. Lina and Zelgadis were helping Amelia herd the children out from underneath the barrier and away from the house. He took a deep breath and concentrated, summoning his staff to his side, and took off after them. Gorran's small arms wrapped around his neck, the child's damp breathing hot on his neck, and Xellos did his best to crystallize that feeling of reality, that feeling of closeness, onto his brain forever. His family was all that mattered and was all that had ever mattered.

"Please," he whispered. "You can have me. Just save my family."

You were mine all along, came the reply.

"Damn it!" Xellos cried into the magical gale, the winds whipping violently around him. "You were watching us the whole time!"

"Who?" Gorran asked, voice high-pitched with panic.

"Daddy!" Lecia screamed, running toward him at full speed.

"No!" Xellos shouted. "Go back to your mother!"

"I'm going to help you!" she replied, eyes burning, and he realized how much like her mother she looked.

Xellos wondered for a split-second what she meant, then turned just in time to bat aside the fiery ball meant to take his life.

"I found you, Beast Priest," a voice rumbled over the winds.

"You took your time," Xellos replied, forcing down his dread. "How long has it been? Ten years?"

"Who is that?" Lecia asked, drawing even with him.

"Nobody," Xellos said with a cold smile.

"How is this for a nobody?" the voice rumbled again, and the sky began to darken with clouds.

Xellos dropped his charade of nonchalance and quickly pressed Gorran into the arms of his sister. "Take him to your mother. Both of you stay with her, no matter what."

"But what will you do?" Lecia asked, taking Gorran from him. She was tall for her age, but Gorran still looked large in her arms. It seemed too heavy a burden for her to have.

"Never mind. Just go."

Lecia's smooth, pale brow plunged in a fierce scowl. "I can help you. This thing can't beat all of us."

"I'm not sure about that," Xellos grated, slightly annoyed at the distraction she was causing him. "You might be able to help, little one, but Gorran can't. I trust you to take care of him until this is over."

"Lecia?" Gorran asked, his arms tightening around her slender neck. His large, amethyst eyes were full of fear and welling tears.

Xellos' gut twisted at the fear his son was feeling, but he was also thankful for it. Gorran's distress, after all, was most likely the only thing able to touch Lecia's heart through the wall of stubbornness she had inherited from her mother. "Okay," she said, and scrambled away with the boy, making towards Amelia.

She had barely arrived at the sorceress' side when all hell seemingly broke loose. Xellos shielded his eyes as blazing spears of light rained down on him, chunks of earth sailing through the air and landing heavily on his barrier. The power behind the attack was incredible; it was as if the Monster generals of old had been reborn. Back when the world was young he would have been able to best such a creature as floated in the ether above him presently, but as a mortal there was precious little hope. Lina's Giga Slave would work, but he would not see such a thing done just for his life.

"Zel, Amelia, aim for the source of those lights with everything you've got!" he heard Lina scream. "Celdra, Roddy, Alfred, keep up that barrier!"

"Elemekia lance!" he heard a young voice cry, and his concentration was nearly broken as he recognized it as Gorran's. Energy crackled through the air, and he was surprised that a human so young and inexperienced could cast such a powerful spell. Of course, it had no effect whatsoever on his opponent.

Xellos scowled, closing his eyes and searching on the astral plane, cold horror slowly overtaking him as he realized that he didn't recognize the thing that had him in its sights. He didn't know what it was at all. It was new. New Monsters hadn't been made from their masters since before the War of the Monster's Fall. The full impact of what was going on hit him like an airborne boulder, and his eyes snapped wide as he desperately searched. There was nothing to attack, only vapor, and as he scanned the air he heard his daughter scream.

He whipped around, his spell wavering, just in time to see Lecia scratching at her throat. No fear shone in her eyes, only rage and murderous intent. No one would make a fool of her, no one would lord power over his beautiful, strong, arrogant daughter. She growled a spell, one he didn't recognize as human, and crumpled to the ground, panting. The air sizzled with pain and anger, and Xellos knew she had been successful.

"Xellos, what the hell are you doing?" he heard Zelgadis call, and he turned his head to smile his typical smile at the chimera.

It was suddenly very clear to him what he had to do. Things would only get worse and end with the deaths of the people he loved if he continued along his present course. He was fortunate to have become human, he decided. He was extremely fortunate to have found love, to have had children, and to have found friendship. Even Zelgadis, odd, quiet Zelgadis, felt like a friend. No Monster had even been blessed with friendship. "I know you'll know what to do," Xellos cried out in return, and dropped his barrier. The air around him quivered, as if the Monster had faltered with surprise, and he quickly slid the ring off of his left hand, dropping it on the ground.

"Xellos?" Lina shouted, her ruby-colored eyes suddenly desperate as she stared at him, her mouth hanging slightly open. He felt her shield slip away as her eyes bored into him, all her awareness reaching for his. Amelia gasped and quickly stepped in, covering Lina with her own barrier.

Xellos, for his part, nearly fell to the ground and scrabbled for his own ring. He felt barren, dried out, without the soft fuzz of Lina's presence at the corner of his mind. Their souls had been with one another constantly for years on end, and she was himself. He needed nothing else so long as she was with him, and yet now a piece of her was gone from him, leaving an aching gap deep in his chest. "Lina," he whispered, his eyes suddenly filling up with tears. His children were his, but they were their own people, and would have their own lives someday. Lina, on the other hand, was his life, and he knew he was hers. "I love you," he mouthed to her, and knew she didn't need the ring to feel his words. She let loose a cry and tried to run to him, but Zelgadis was in the way, clutching at her.

"What are you doing??" Zelgadis screamed, his blue eyes dancing with confused anger.

Xellos couldn't bear to look at him. A decade and a half ago he wouldn't have hesitated. He felt, however, that his story was coming to an end. It was time to decide. It was time to make things right and absolve himself. The thought made him feel better; the battle, this final battle, was to be an absolution of sorts. "I'm coming!" he shouted to the airy Monster around him, the thing he was beginning to sense was full of Dynast's ice crystals and Dolphin's mist, and phased off of the physical plane.

Gorran was aware of himself, truly aware of himself as an individual person, for the first time as he watched his father disappear. Fear raced through his small chest, fear of the unknown, fear of his own confusion. He only wanted his father, his strange, gentle, dangerous father, the man who was both so much warmer and so much colder than his mother. He loved his mother, she was always there for him, trying to teach him, listening to him, but he knew he didn't have her whole existence, he didn't own her like he owned his father. Lecia was the same way- she loved him, he trusted her, she treasured him, he admired her, but she was her own. His father was his, and when he was with him, he felt like no one existed for his father but him.

"Daddy!" Gorran screamed, but his cry went unheeded. The awful, chilly wind had stopped, and bits of grass and dirt were falling to the ground. Mommy was on the ground, her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking. Miss Amelia was next to her, rubbing her back and hair, with Mister Zelgadis crouching next to both of them. Was Mommy crying? He looked up to ask Lecia, but her face was hard and cold, with tears running down her smooth cheeks. Gorran still held onto her, Lecia's slender arms clutching him to her, her fingers slowly tightening on his skin so that they began to hurt.

"Where's Daddy?" he whispered to his sister, afraid.

"Gone," Lecia choked, her body starting to quiver.

"Where?"

"Away. He went to fight the bad thing."

Gorran scowled and considered this. If Daddy was gone, he had a reason. But Mommy and Lecia wouldn't be crying unless he was dead. Daddy wasn't dead, though. He just knew it. "When will he be back?"

"He won't be back," Lina snapped, raising her head. He had never seen tears on his mother's face before, not that he could remember. Her tears frightened him almost more than Xellos' absence.

"Why?"

"Because he's a damn fool," Lina sobbed, crumpling back onto herself, seeming a strange mix of despair and anger.

"He is not, and he will so be back!" Gorran growled. "He loves us, and he'll be back."

Twisting, he freed himself from Lecia's grasp and ran over to his mother, grabbing her cheeks between the palms of his hands. He stared her straight in the eyes, searching, although he was too young to know what he was looking for. "Daddy will come back, you just gotta believe," Gorran whispered to her.

"He's not coming back, Gorran," Lina said, the sadness overtaking her anger.

"Why do you tell me that?"

"Because," she muttered, and Miss Amelia patted her shoulder.

Gorran shook his head. Didn't these people trust Daddy at all? What was wrong with them? Scowling, he walked over to the last place he had seen his father and stared at the dirt. He hoped that by staring long enough, and wishing long enough, he could bring his father back. Tears began to come to his eyes and he wiped them away, impatient. He didn't have time to cry. He had to find his father. A movement at the edges of his vision attracted his attention, and he saw the pretty girl, Kerra. He didn't know why, but he liked being around her. She was nice and a good friend. And she was strong. He could feel it.

Kerra glanced at him with her blue eyes, her dark, straight hair falling about her shoulders. She closed the small distance between them and pressed something into his hand. "Here," she whispered, her voice reminding him of the birds in the hedge that sang in the morning. "Your papa dropped this."

Gorran stared down at his palm and saw the ring, the strange ring that his father had always worn. His wedding ring, he had called it. He said it symbolized his love for Gorran's mother, and that he wanted to be with them forever. It was odd, but he could have sworn it was warmer than normal. "He's not dead, you know," Gorran told Kerra, suddenly closest friends.

She looked at him levelly. "I know."

"He'll come back."

"I believe you."

Those words meant everything to him, and he regained some of his courage. He curled his fingers around the ring and dropped it into his pocket. Mommy would make him give it up, he just knew it. Daddy's ring was his now, and he never wanted to give it up. Never ever. "Thank you," he said to Kerra.

"You're welcome," she said, and smiled.

He stood by her in silence as he watched Lecia and Lina cling to one another, his sister glancing over at him every so often. Kerra's parents conferred in low voices as the other three children looked on. Alfred went over to Lecia and tried to hold her, but she just pushed him away and cried harder. Lina was no longer crying, but she had an odd, hollowed-out look to her. Gorran didn't like the way Alfred kept trying to touch his sister. He was upset that Celdra and Roddy didn't make Alfred leave Lecia alone.

"I think you should all come home with us," Miss Amelia finally said.

"No," Lina said abruptly. "No."

"You can't wait here, Lina," Zelgadis said gently.

"If he comes back, he'll come back here," Lina growled.

"He'll find you wherever you are," Amelia replied.

"Take the children with you. I'm staying here. I need to be alone."

"But for how long?" Zelgadis asked.

Lina eyed her children. It made Gorran's skin crawl. It was like now that Daddy had disappeared she didn't want them anymore. "Lecia's old enough to do as she likes. She can come back whenever she's ready. Gorran needs to go with you. You can train him until I come to get him. He's better at white magic, and that's not something I can teach him."

Fear overtook him again so suddenly that he felt like he was on the rolling sea, being pulled up, then down. "No, don't leave us!" Gorran said, wanting to grab his mother and cling to her but not daring to.

"I'm not, you're leaving me behind. Just go with them. I'll catch up soon."

Gorran felt hopelessness wash through him and it felt like death to his young soul. He looked at his sister for help, but her eyes were focused on something far away. It seemed there was nothing he could do. He felt a hand slip into his and he looked over at Kerra. Her small smile made him feel a little better. He wouldn't be totally alone.

"It's okay, Gorran," Roddy said. "It's fun in Seyruun. They've put in some new things since you were there last. And we'll have fights with wooden swords. It'll be fun, okay?"

Gorran studied the older boy. He had always wanted to used a sword, but nobody would ever teach him, telling him to focus on his spells. It sounded fun, actually. "Okay," he quietly consented.

Everyone stood in silence for several moments, staring at the ground.Finally Zelgadis raised his head and took a deep breath of the wind, the air still slightly chilly and damp from the presence of the Monster. "It was over so quickly," he muttered, and gripped his wife's hand, looking off into the distance.