Julian had been packing a small bag. He had been thinking what would be wiser to take on his trip with Emma around the globe. He had easily discarded wet paints, but couldn't decide between pencils or aquarels. He shrugged his shoulders and turned around, Ty had just opened the door and was looking tired.

'Hey Jules'

'Is there anything wrong, Ty?' Ty schrugged his head and got a little closer.

'I just wanted to say goodnight.' Julian turned towards the window and saw the blackened surface of the ocean.

'I hadn't noticed it was this late' Ty's lips curved upwards.

'When you're in here you never do.' Ty turned around, preparing to leave and muttered 'Good night Jules.' And he was gone.

Julian started then to think about Ty. He would soon leave to the scholomace and do what he most wanted to do. Or so hoped Julian. A brief image of Thule's Livvy crossed his mind and he hoped that she was fine. Then Dru, and then Tavvy. Helen didn't need for him to worry, Aline already did, and so his mind swifted to Mark. He had been in New York for the past two weeks and seemed to be doing fine. He sent fire messages and promissed to go back and celebrate Tavvy's ninth birthday. And finally, Emma crossed his mind. She had been sitting in the beach with Tavvy, sometimes glancing towards his window. Even from that afar, Julian could feel their connection. Not the parabatai one, but the sensation of needing to be close to her. She had then turned around, taken Tavvy in her arms and spun him around in the air. He couldn't and could hear them at the same time. Then Dru had appeared on the sand, talked for a while and the three of them had gone back to the institute when the sun had started to set. That had been almost three hours ago, and Julian was mostly sure of where he would find them.

He went out of the studio, locked it and turned right in the corridor. A few doors away it started to smell like popcorn. A bit burnt, like Tavvy liked, others with caramel for Dru, and plain salty for Emma.

The door was open barelly a crack, but it was enough for Julian to see. In the L shaped couch were Emma, Dru and Tavvy. Dru was splattered on the longest side with popcorn all around her and with a long pijama with the words: the purge. Then Emma was curled on the corner with her head tilted back against the wall with a very sleepy Tavvy on her lap, belly and chest. Tavvy was sound asleep, and Emma looked far gone as well.

Julian felt a pang of guilt. He should have been there with his siblings. It was his final night for a very long time, but he had been absorved by his studio.

He opened the door and sat next to Dru. She half opened her eyes and smiled. 'Go to bed, Dru, it's late.' She only smiled again, caught his shoulders between her hands and hugged him. 'You're the best brother anybody could have asked for, Jules' said she before climbing down the sofa and making her way towards her room. Then Julian turned towards Emma. She had draped an arm around Tavvy and was caressing his curls. Julian knew her better than anybody else, and so he knew she was a bit awake. He came closer and sat next to her. He wished he could draw her there and then: her hair flowing out of her braid, lips parted, cheecks and neck flushed, the neck of her T-shirt lowering dangerously low... and her loving demeanur towards Tavvy. He knew many people thought that she had been somehow adopted by the Blackthorns, but Julian knew best. She was a Blackthorn, or at least he hoped she someday would.

'Em' he called and her head fell on his shoulder. She sighed against his neck and his flesh stood up.

'They wanted to see a movie and I couldn't deny them' she smiled and bent down to kiss Tavvy on the head. Julian swelled a bit more with love. 'I'm sorry about the kitchen, I'll clean it before we leave.' Julian shrugged his shoulders, in that moment he couldn't have cared less for the kitchen.

'Jules?' Said a little voice then, and Tavvy turned his face from Emma's chest to look him in the eye. Julian smiled a bit to himself, he knew what it was to sleep against those.

'Hello, there, Tavs.' He answered and held out his arms. Tavvy clinged more onto Emma and yawned.

'Can Emma and you put me to bed tonight?' he asked and Emma swayed him slightly. With all the care she could she stood up with Tavvy secure in her arms, switched him to her hip and offered Julian her other hand. He took it and the three of them strode towards Tavvy's room. Julian had painted it multiple times depending on what Tavvy wanted. Now it just reflected Tavvy's life. Emma put him in bed and draped his blankets securelly over him. Tavvy was already sleep when Emma stood up from the bed. Julian was waiting next to the door, he could hear Emma approach and once she was out of the room he closed the door. She then stretched her back, arms out, tummy out and feet on her tiptoes. Her shirt had ridden up and Julian saw the last but remaining marks from the fight in the Fields. He felt a pang but as Emma turned to look at him and smiled, all of it was gone. She was there and she wouldn't leave him for as long as he could protect, love and cherish her. Unless she asked him otherwise.

'Now' he said offering her his hand 'let me put you to bed.' And he meant it, she was almost asleep when he had entered the room, but now her eyes looked bright brown. She took his hand, put it on her hip and clung to his neck. He could see what she was up to, and he couldn't wait to see where it took them.

Her lips grazed his and all his body trembled. Emma was pure fire against him, and he was willing to let her thaw him. He encircled her and caressed her back, pulling at the bow that tied her hair and moaning when it let the threads loose.

'Put me to bed, Julian' she said against his ear and it was all he needed.

He caught her hips and pulled her against him. Emma encircled his hips against hers and he almost fell to his knees. She was radiating heat, and while he kissed her neck, Julian strode towards her bedroom. Emma opened the door and Julian kicked it shut. He knew everything on Emma's room. He had easily memorized how many steps there were from her door to her bed. Three. And three steps he took. He let her fall onto the mattress and climbed on top of her.

Emma's hair was splayed on her pillows, her chest rose fast, her lips were swollen, her cheecks flushed and her legs slightly parted.

'By the Angel, Emma' he muttered. 'I wish I could paint you right now' she smiled.

'I have a better idea about what you can do with those hands' she called and stretched her arms towards him. He then fell on top of her, all limbs, lips and hands. Emma lifted her leg and pushed him by the calves towards her.

'Em' he moaned and she raised her hands. He knew what she wanted, and he wasn't complaining. He took the hem of her shirt and pulled it upwards... and almost died. She had not been wearing a bra, and the pink nipples welcomed him. He threw the shirt away and dove. He caught her right breast in his hands and pushed himself from her with his other hand so as not to squash her. Julian caressed her breasts and Emma started writhing under him. He knew what she wanted. She curled her fingers in his hair and brought his head down. She gasped even before his mouth curled around her nipple. He bit, licked, lapped and twisted. He was loosing his mind, and so was her.

'Julian' she called him, and he held onto her hips. He turned them around. With Emma now on top of him, he could appreciate her. The swift curve of her back and hips, the way she held back her hair and the way she rocked slowly. 'I think, dear Julian, that you are heavily overdressed' and she pulled his shirt up. He was thankful it came out easily, for Emma was not afraid of tearing his clothes apart. She then bent down to kiss him, her lips were already wet. He welcomed her small bites on his lips and caressed her firm ass. Emma gasped and let him grind her against him. She took down her hands and groaned when his belt didn't budge.

'Let me help you, Em' he roughly said, but she had finally taken the buckle off and was pushing his jeans down. And so he let her. Emma could get strong and demanding, not that he complained, and when she looked up at him with her brown orbs, he knew what she wanted.

Once again he held onto her hips, rolled them and tore her legs apart. He kissed his way down and pulled at her pijama pants with his teeth. She helped him get them off and opened her legs. Julian could both smell and see her, but he didn't want to rush things anymore. He pushed her knees further apart with his shoulders and held her hips with his hands.

'God, Jules' moaned Emma knowingly. She curled her fingers into Julian's hair and pushed him against herself once his tongue tried her. Julian had been nervous and scared the first time he had gone down on her, but Emma had taught him everything about it, and he himself had learnt what she wouldn't tell. He kissed his inner legs and blew the blond hair over her entrance. Emma was writhing already when Julian started licking, biting and lapping at her skin. 'Jules!' She tried pulling him from his place, but he knew better. He slowly pushed one finger into her and was welcomed with an agonizing loud moan. He himself was painfully hard, but he couldn't and wouldn't let himself go first than her. He found once again her clitoris and blew cold air to it and she bucked.

'Hold the horses, Em' he laughed and she grunted angrily, but they both knew she wasn't mad.

'Please, Jules... I want you' she called and he could not deny her. He got onto his knees and accepted her mouth against his. She moaned and got hold of his hips. 'Do you want me to?' She asked while caressing his back. Maybe another day, but he knew that if Emma caught hold of his member, he would not be able to hold back. And so he shrugged his head. 'Then lemme make you wild' she pushed him off of her and straddled him.

Julian was dizzy with excitement and hormones, Emma put her hands on his chest and rubbed her hot wet flesh against his. 'Emma!' He called her. And she bent down to kiss him. They kissed fiercefully and she let herself slide onto him. They both moaned high and anguished. It was always like this, they couldn't hold it back and they were not scared anymore.

Emma rocked her hips back and forth the way she would when riding a horse, and Julian's mind disconnected from the world. He put his hands on her hips and followed her rythm. She would sometimes switch movements or rythm and Julian was right there for her.

'Jules' she moaned. 'Come here?' She asked and he bent upwards, sitting now. He held onto her shoulders and pulled her down against him.

'God, Emma'

'I have been called a goddess' she laughed and so did he, but soon their lips found each-other and kept fighting, grinding.

Julian then felt her walls start to clamp against him, and he knew what was about to happen, Emma was growing heavy in his arms and so he started to rock harder, to push into her, holding her by the shoulders. In a moment he had caught her hair and was lapping and biting her neck. 'Em... Emm- Emma!' He was close. And so was she.

'Let go Jules' she caught his face between her hands and looked him right in the eye. Brown and blue. 'Let us burn'

And they were both set on fire.