Chapter Seven!!! Yes!! Truth be told, I feel kind of bad. I've written fourteen chappies on this story and typed seven but I've only written six on To Fly With Broken Wings and typed four. I need another computer and two more arms!! Between all of this I have a research project on some dead fogey to do and unpacking from my trip to Georgia this weekend! I'm betwixed, I tell you!

Chapter Seven- Welcome Back

Everything was warm and fuzzy. Dark and safe. Except that tapping. Julien was so hungry. And the tapping continued, sharp and steady. With every tap, a pang went through his head, as if everything were too loud. Too close. He tried to reach for something to throw at it but he couldn't move. Abuzzing noise caught his attention, making his ears twitch. What was that fucking tapping?! His eyes were heavy and unwilling to open. Ugh…hunger. It made his teeth ache. The buzzing noise was breaking up into parts and he slowly realized that it was someone speaking, and that his blanket was stroking his thigh. Finally, he opened his eyes.

Snape stood nearby, writing something on a clipboard(strange, ain't it?). The tapping came from a table by the window where his father sat, clicking a pen. The lycanthropes, some wolf, most leopard, lay in a big naked puppy pile with him in the center. Julien was curled in between Jason and Nathaniel who were both fast asleep. Cherry's head rested on his thigh and Zane was stretched above him. The others were pooled on or around them. Jamil lay at the foot of the bed, using Cherry's stomache as a pillow. Her hand was curled in Julien's hair lovingly. It had been Nathaniel who was stroking his thigh in his sleep. It must have been about eleven o'clock. The shifters didn't usually get up till about noon.

He let out an irritated groan, making the two men in the room look up.

"We really must stop meeting like this, Julien." Snape said stoically. The tapping had stopped and Edward had walked to the edge of the bed. The man that the vampires named Death pinned him with a steely gaze.

"You are such an idiot. You should never turn your back on an enemy. Ever."

Julien's ears were pressed to his head. He'd never gotten scolded by Edward before. The man offered him a hand up and he took it silently, suddenly aware that he was naked. Julien stared at the floor, his ears still lying back. A hand touched his cheek.

"Don't ever do that to me again, alright?"

Edward's voice was strangely soft. He had been worried.

"Alright. I'm sorry. You were right it was a stupid thing to do."

His apology lightened the mood and Ted Forrester smiled back at him.

"You are grounded though. I want a whole round in the shooting range, three hand-to-hands and four hours of tendious strategy practice. Understand?"

"Oui…"

Julien looked at the dark man that was checking him over for injuries not yet healed.

"Have you been my doctor this whole time, Monsieur Snape?" He asked after giving him a stunning smile.

The teen crossed to a deep mahogany dresser to pull out a pair of drawstring black pants. They hung loose around his thin, muscular frame but somehow accented his hips and bare stomache.

"Your beloved Asher firecalled me after your incident. Jean-Claude has asked me to stay on as your personal physician, without Dumbledore's knowledge, of course, and I agreed. I won't live here at the Circus, however, I will spend a great deal of time baby-sitting you it seems."

Julien felt a pang of fear thrill through him at the thought of his foolishness.

"And…my baby?"

Snape gave him a small reassuring smile.

"Your child is perfectly fine. The blade would have only harmed the fetus if you had died. Remember, it is growing in your magic, not your boby at this stage. Later you will have to be extremely cautious, though. During the last three months of your pregnancy, you will need rest most of the day."He said.

Julien could have cried with relief. He'd been so scared that he had lost his baby. He smiled at his new doctor. He was alive. His lovers…His smile faded and his ears drooped.

"Where are Jean-Claude and Asher?"

Edward smiled.

"They are still dead to the world, pardon the pun."

Julien sighed and walked out of the room. The halls were empty except for the people who guarded the Circus during the day. They nodded to him as he walked past toward the coffin room. He had woken in their bedroom, so they must have taken their coffin. Jean-Claude had been right and he'd been stupid not to listen. But he hadn't listen because, on some level, Julien resented his humanity. Everyone he knew wasn't human. Even Anita wasn't completely human. So naturally, he felt like the odd one. The ugly duckling. He felt left out. All of his leopards, the wolves and the vampires he had made friends with were so careful of him. Even though he was a wizard, they acted as if he were made of glass. No matter what he did and how tough or powerful he became, he was still only…human.

The big oak doors came into view and he pushed them open. Several coffins were lined up in the room. About 200 of them. They were all different types and sizes. Willy McCoy's coffin, a bright neon orange spectacle sat to the right about ten spaces. Damien's coffin that he kept at the Circus, just in case, was black as pitch and tall instead of wide. Gretchen's coffin, which was now permanantly unoccupied, was white and dainty. Julien had killed her himself. A huge sarcophagus sat near the front. It belonged to Belle Morte when she visited. It made a great decoy for whenever someone tried to break in and kill the Master. It didn't take long for Julien to find Jean-Claude and Asher's coffin. They had bought a new one, big enough for the three of them to sleep in comfortably, after Julien had taken to sleeping with them during the day.

The black varnished wood was cool under his hand as he pushed it open. Baby blue silk lined the inside of the box and his beloveds were sleeping under a soft sheet. Even in death, they were beautiful beyond compare. The black hair curled on the pillow, mingling with the straighter gold of Asher's gorgeous locks. Aswell of love filled his heart. Julien crawled into the casket, pulling the coffin shut. Snuggling up between them, he let himself drift into their minds through the link. He pushed his presence against theirs, comforting and consoling them. In sleep, Jean-Claude and Asher stirred, wrapping their arms around him. With that one small comfort, Julien fell back asleep.

O o O

Jean-Claude opened his eyes, taking the first breath of the night. His hunger simmered just under the surface, spiking when the smell of living blood reached him. Julien. A thrill of anger rushed through him and he tightened his grip on the child snuggled against him. A whimper sounded through the dark of their coffin and he felt Asher stir, brought out of his sleep by Julien's pain. The red haired vampire opened the lid just enough to let some light in.

"Jean-Claude…" The teenager whispered painfully in waking.

He let go quickly, giving his best blank face. Asher watched silently, ready to jump in if an argument broke out. Julien didn't avert his eyes but stared his lover down.

"I'm sorry. You were right, I was wrong. I shouldn't have gone. I am human. Despite everything I' ve done, I'm still…different."

This last was said with such a mix of sadness, regret and longing that it almost hurt to hear such a sound come from a usually happy child. Jean-Claude could have kicked himself right then. Done anything to erase the hurt from those beautiful, young eyes. They had had no idea that Julien still despised his humanity. He'd kept his feelings shut off on the matter so tightly that not even they would have been able to read them, even with the bond. It was disheartening to say the least.

Jean-Claude just couldn't bring himself to be mad at him any more.

"Mon bebe, you are different. You are as different from us as night and day. But the night and the day would not be what they are without one another. We love you for all of your faults perfections and complications." He said, running his pale hands through Julien's long hair. Asher nuzzled him gently. He often forgot that Julien was still so young. Sometimes though, looking into his eyes, Asher could see a much older, harder person peeking out of those vermillion orbs. Julien came with the insecurities of an average teenager but had the sociopathic tendencies and experience of the assasssin he was. It made for some…complications. They had tried to put Julien in school long ago, but he had a slight disagreement with another boy. The bully ended up having an "accident" involving a large two hundred pound weight, his head and something he described as a 'dark shadow with red eyes'. Every time he was questioned about the shadow, the boy would fall into insane hysterics. They managed to work through it all, though.

Julien shook his head, smiling sadly.

"I know but still, Jean-Claude. I'm just human. I may be as good of a killer as my father and just as feared but I cannot bench press a small truck. The things I hunt can. I can't heal in seconds or survive a bullet to the chest. I am only human…"

Asher hugged him from behind lovingly.

"We love you human, Julien. You may not be able to do these things but you can cast spells that do them for you. Being human is an advantage, not a curse. You fit in here regardless, no matter what happened in your past."

Julien tensed at the mention of his long forgotten past. Well, at least he had tried to forget. In fact, he had broken down into hysterics when an Obliviate charm failed to work. The tension eased at Asher's assurances , though. He'd never told Jean-Claude or Asher what had happened. He hadn't told anyone. Not even Richard, who had been the one to find him, bloody and unconcious. He felt somewhat cheered, though. They weren't mad at him anymore. Everything was going to be alright.

"Come one. You two need to feed and I want to watch everyone work tonight." He said happily.

Julien finished pushing the lid open, and crawled out, pointedly ignoring the amused looks the vampires were sharing. Asher stood first, his hair falling in a golden curtain that Julien just had to touch. He heard the doors open and froze. All he could see was Asher's sparkling eyes turn into confusion and concern.

It smelled so good all of the sudden. Like lavender and warm cream. His previous hunger chose that time to resurface and Jean-Claude's voice sounded distant and far away. Like he was standing afew halls down instead of directly next to him.

" Mon ami? Are you not well?"

He recognised that scent. It smelled of wolf. Jason.

"Hey Juls. What are you-?"

The werewolf cut himself off when he saw the Nimir-Raj. Julien looked on his friend and only saw him as food. He could almost taste the pulse under his skin. He knew that if he desired, that pulse would be his and, oh, how he desired it. He knew that Jason would submit eagerly. He was food. Prey. Blood. Flesh.

He wasn't sure how it happened but, one minute he was on the floor beside Asher and the next, he was trying to eat Jason's throat out. He felt his kitty fangs pierce his skin and a gush of hot blood poured into his mouth. Julien moaned softly. It was like sex. Liquid ecstacy that blanked hi smind to everything but the feel of it sliding down his throat. Strong hands jerked him back causing him to come to his senses in a rush that left him dizzy. Jason was on the floor, cltching his neck and panting. He had a hungry, pre-orgasm look in his eyes. Julien licked his lips with apleasurable shudder. The lycanthropes blood lit his veins on fire and soothed his hunger all at once. Asher and Jean-Claude were looking at him with shock, bewilderment and fear. He understood why. He had just attacked their pomme de sang out of no where and tried to eat him. He understood why but it still hurt him to see those looks in their eyes. He shuddered, apparating away from them. He couldn't bare to see those looks.