Once More To Get It Right

by TintedInRose

Blaine, a hopeless vampire pining away for his lost love is ready to give up on this life when fate throws him a second chance. Kurt is just the same lonely boy from Lima, Ohio- the only difference is that he has these strange dreams of a boy with curly hair, golden eyes and... fangs?

35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer – I don't own anything Glee or otherwise recognizable

Hello!
First of all, thanks to all the guys on tumblr who answered my conundrum of whether or not I should split this chapter in half or post this monster you see before you. There was a unanimous decision of just post the beast so apologies if people grow old and die reading my ramblings xD

1-PLEASE pay attention to the TITLES of the line breaks! I don't want people getting lost in here! They will be labelled either NOW or THEN. THEN is scenes that carry on from the last chapter, NOW scenes are set in the present (looks like the future) but jump time. Basically, I wanted to move the story along to come to the last chapters action but a huge time jump was just skipping out too much stuff so hence, the size of the chapter and past and present stuff xD I'm not putting NOW or THEN at the start of every line break however so read in the tense that was the last line break title :)

2-I don't know anything about NY so where things are set take with a pinch of salt because I am clueless and that place is confusing! xD Also, this chap may seem a little klaine light but ive had an influx of requests for my side couples and the last chapter of the story I am really planning to be all klaine most of the time so I wanted to give each couple at least a scene each before the end :)

3-A big, huge thank you to my beta Gloria for being a darling and sifting through this and being a sounding board! Mia too, you know why :D
Silvia my translator graciously said she'll translate my Italian, but I forgot to send her the email with it! So some is google translate atm and some is just in italics until I can fix it. Sorry!

4-And lastly, I LOVE YOU READERS! YOUR KIND WORDS AND MESSAGES AND REVIEWS KEPT ME GOING!

That is all ;)

Warnings – swearing, blood, vampire stuff, smut (kinda… not really) references to violence, violence, mentions of death, actual death (no main characters)

---

Once More To Get It Right

Chapter 35

THEN...

---

"So I'm thinking it's time we got our hands on some proper hardware," David stated to the small group of Blaine, Coop and Wes, punching in the code to the thick metal door in front of them. They heard a loud grating click and then the vampire swung it open for them, lights flickering on systematically at the sign of movement.

What they unveiled was… extensive.

It was an armoury for an army. There was no other way to describe the rows upon rows of gleaming firearms; from handguns to what looked suspiciously like a fucking RPG propped innocently in the corner next to a box labelled 'US ARMY: M67 GRENADES'.

"You always told me to be proactive," David grinned at them in a very Zach-esque maniac way before sauntering inside the monochrome and camouflage kingdom like he had finally found his Mecca.

Blaine and Wes shared a concerned look.

"Not exactly what I had in mind," the leader said a little dryly as he stepped over the threshold gingerly, probably expecting to step on a stray landmine.

"Like you haven't already got enough vices, you want to add gun happy to the list?" Blaine bantered following his friends inside, and so what if he stepped in their exact footsteps, he didn't want to be blown up either! He picked up the nearest weapon; it was a Glock that felt cool and solid in his palm though he knew he could crush the metal in a blink of an eye.

Human weaponry wasn't completely effective against their kind but a well-placed headshot was a well-placed headshot… especially if you hit that spot multiple times. Even a vampire wasn't invulnerable to someone emptying a clip into their head. The explosives were a better option, a direct hit with one of them would be almost impossible to walk away from, but it would have to be a direct hit or something close to that for it to work otherwise they would heal if they or their bloodline was old enough.

"How did you get so much so fast?" Wes asked, keen eyes taking everything in.

"I know a birdie," Cooper's distinct lofty drawl came from behind them. He walked inside, hands shoved lazily into the pockets of his designers slacks, tight shirt tucked into the waistband. "A violent birdie. But a birdie none the less."

"Shifter," Wes stated, picking up on the awful pun.

"A hummingbird if you can believe it," Cooper smirked.

"Compensating," David sang.

"Totally, she has penis envy to the max! I keep telling her she can play with mine for a little while but alas, the woman doth protest!"

Blaine rolled his eyes heavily before something snagged in his mind and they widened. "Paula!"

Cooper chuckled and propped himself against a case of assault rifles jauntily. "You remember her? Nice legs right?"

"I remember her telling you to do one when we were kids," Blaine countered raising his eyebrows. She did have nice legs objectively, the things went up to her ears. She was a huge contrast to her shift, all tall amazon that compacted into the small flitting avian.

"Hey, you were a kid, squirt. I was a very virile adult vampire-"

"Who got told and I think I'm quoting here, 'I wouldn't go near you unless it was to peck your eyes out'," he cut in with a smirk.

"That's foreplay for hummingbirds!"

"You're a little unhinged, bro," David commented as he sighted a sniper rifle.

"Says you," he scoffed with a laugh that had David scowling and turning the sight of the weapon on the elder.

"Maybe we should stop antagonising each other this close to the heavy weaponry?" Wes suggested dryly, arms crossing over his chest as he regarded them like children. David grumbled and put the rifle back down while Cooper just continued to smirk like this was all fun and games.

Blaine turned back to his brother. "How did she get it? We don't need humans breathing down our necks as well and getting caught in the crossfire needlessly."

"Don't worry. No CIA, no Feds or otherwise are gonna get their radar blipped," he assured lazily. "She has government contracts with this fair country's military."

That explained the stamping on some of the boxes and guns.

"So she manufactures and supplies them?" Wes said.

"Pretty much."

"And are the military not going to notice some of their order going missing?" Blaine asked, indicating the insignia.

"It's not that much-"

Wes scoffed.

"-and besides, she can always make them more. She's got it handled, don't stress yourself, Wesley," he chirped cheerfully, putting that condescending spin on his full name just to piss him off.

"I have a hundred guns surrounding me," the vampire deadpanned.

Cooper just laughed off the threat and strode over to Blaine, slinging an arm around his shoulders. "The Anderson bro's are ready to blow some creepy rogue heads off!"

"He's right. You're unhinged," Blaine told him frankly, struggling against his hold, but there was a small smile fighting for room on his face. It was nice to be this close to his brother again, even under such circumstances.

"Again. Says you. Face it squirt, we're all fuck ups in this room," Cooper stated easily and Blaine… had to admit that was a good point.

But not out loud.

He jabbed his brother in the ribs instead.

"How did you get all this past the Council's security?" Wes asked his Second, ignoring the scuffling brothers. "They've got to be searching everything and their cavities coming into here."

"Luna." Everyone except Cooper raised their brows at that and David shrugged. "She's scary as fuck guys."

"She is isn't she," Cooper sighed dreamily.

"What is it with you and attracting psycho woman towards you?" Wes asked.

"Well maybe I'm looking for a change in pace," Cooper shrugged, examining his nails.

Blaine laughed and shook his head. "You're not going to get near Eve so give it up, Coop. Tristan loves that girl and Leon lives to make Tristan happy so he will put a foot through your chest if he has to."

"Or bring the wrath of centuries worth of Italian vampire rage down on you. I swear all those guys are related somehow," David mused.

"You guys are so mean to me… doubting my mad skills," Cooper pouted.

"I think you're underestimating what a vampire would do for their Chosen," Blaine stated back frankly.

Cooper got a contemplative look on his face and hummed instead of firing back with a retort. Blaine frowned at him in thought but left it alone. As much as Cooper was an open book, there were certain things that he kept locked up tight and no amount of force was going to get him to talk before he wanted to.

Still, anything that put a look like that on his face had to be pretty serious.

"Okay. We have guns. How are we going to keep them hidden now that they're here?" Wes asked and there was a telling silence. "Seriously? This has just slipped your mind somehow? They're going to notice if people start practising with machine guns in the corridors!"

"Don't take away my babies!" David cried throwing himself over towards the grenade launchers.

Blaine rolled his eyes and scratched at his neck, wondering if Kurt was having to deal with crazy like this over in Geldian when he wasn't there. "We'll figure something out."

---

Geldian...

---

"Now breathe out again," Elana instructed.

Kurt huffed out a gust of air and his sister glared at him.

"Please take this seriously, Kurt."

"I am!" he protested. "But we've been 'communing' with nature for about five hours now-"

"Two."

"-and Jeff never made me do this for five hours-"

"Two hours."

"-plus all the 'communing' of the past few days! It's all we ever do and I've been doing spells and all sorts of things before now just fine. Why are you taking me back to square one?" he finished his rant with a frustrated scowl, shooing another curious butterfly away from his nose. Because apparently 'communing with nature' was code for being natures bitch and letting all her creatures crawl over you like a post. As it was, whenever he stepped outside he had an army of birds following his every move, he didn't need the insects on top of that!

"To use magic you must first understand it," she lectured him sternly, looking as prim and proper as ever, opposite him with her heavy skirts billowed out across the grass of the south lawn like a magenta cloud. He'd noticed that no little creepy crawlies were attacking her which was completely unfair.

"Jeff's already given me this speech and I've read the books too… mostly." She just glared at him harder. "I'm ready for the advanced course please."

"If you spent more time on concentrating on this rather than fitting it in around your visits with Blaine then maybe you would be further along?" she said snidely and Kurt got his own hackles up.

"Blaine wasn't even here at all yesterday. And maybe you just don't want to admit that you're taking out your frustrations with Wes on me," he countered. If she wanted to get personal then he could go there too.

She grit her teeth and narrowed her eyes on him. "You are ready when I deem so, not when you would like it to be so. Now close your eyes and take a deep breath in again."

"So I can scream louder?"

"Kurt!"

"It's not my fault you're a terrible teacher!" he defended himself.

"Children, you are playing nicely I see?" Darius commented wryly as he approached from the tree line left of them. He had on his 'casual' crown again, cloak nowhere in sight with the sun beating down this hard on them. Kurt himself felt perspiration beading even dressed in a light tee and a pair of knee length shorts he'd managed to fashion out of some old striped jeans he had in the bag Blaine brought over. He was going to name this new line, Fae Chic.

Elana's face actually flushed pink at the rebuke and Kurt smirked at it.

"How is the instruction coming along?" the King asked innocently even though he'd already seen and heard how it was going.

"Kurt simply refuses to listen-"

"Elana's a control freak-"

They both said it at the same time, running all over one another and Darius sighed, holding a hand up to cut them off.

"Maybe you should take a rest for the day. You have been practicing nonstop for many suns," he suggested.

"He should have been practicing for many suns… and probably moons too, you mean," Elana jibed petulantly.

"Well I'm sorry my romantic life is such a burden on you!" Kurt bit out, scowling.

"Your romantic life is a burden on the earth itself," she threw back, pointing.

"Says the bitter spinster who's only jealous because her romantic life consists of weekly visits and a reluctant wrist!"

He wanted to take the words back as soon as he saw Elana flinch and pale and he didn't dare chance a look at Darius for fear he would see realization on his face of what Kurt had carelessly revealed. Stars. He was the worst person on the planet.

"I have no idea what you are babbling about," Elana said stiffly, in full denial mode.

"I don't babble, I am totally articulate," Kurt retorted weakly, trying to divert the conversation and cover his blunder pathetically.

"The nonsense you insist on spouting is indeed the definition of babbling."

Darius watched them jump right back into bickering with a sigh. There was a reason why Clarisse had split these two up when she was schooling them. And as for that not so subtle insult about Elana's supposedly secret visits to New York, well he was hardly ignorant of them, nor was he particularly thrilled either. But seeing her reaction to his overreaction about the bite mark on her wrist before… well, he had been contemplating the matter since then.

He clapped his hands together, the sound reverberating like a thunderclap that definitely got their attention.

"That! Why can't I learn that?" Kurt complained after a beat, gesturing at Darius' hands.

"Because I would be tempted to click my fingers and use its counterpart on your running mouth," Elana threatened.

Kurt rolled his eyes at the threat of electrocution by actual lightning and looked away.

Darius frowned between them. "Why are you both in such tempestuous moods this day?"

Kurt huffed and pulled at the grass near his bare ankle agitatedly. "This magic thing sucks, I can't get the hang of it the way Elana says I should and I'm not seeing Blaine again until tomorrow and I miss home."

Kurt glanced up to see Darius' frown get deeper and… sadder. "You are not enjoying your time with us?"

"No, I am, I am, I promise. It's wonderful here, I love it. I just… all my friends are a million miles and a fae ward away and my dad too. I haven't been able to phone him from here so Blaine's been texting him for me… it's not really the same thing though," he admitted, not really realizing how much that was bothering him until now.

He was isolated here and while getting to know Elana and Darius better, his original birthplace better, was amazing, he felt like a huge part of his life had been taken away from him.

"I understand," Darius said softly and dropped down next to them slowly. "And despite what your sister says, there is not a right way of learning magic. It comes to you as it comes to you."

Elana screwed up her mouth and blew a breath through her nose and Darius gave her a smile. "Elana is very much like me. We are both very focused on the details. You, you are like your mother. You simply… feel it, yes?"

Kurt nodded hastily. There was no better way to explain it.

"Turn what your sister is telling you into something that makes sense to you," Darius suggested like it really was that simple. "It is not something you can rush your way through however."

"There's a war on and I need to be ready," Kurt countered, fingers still twisting in the greenery.

"You cannot use magic for ill intent, Kurt," Darius told him sternly, face gathering storm clouds.

"I know that. And that's not what I want to do. I'm not planning an offensive campaign or anything, I just want to be able to help. To defend my friends and Blaine," he said strongly, full of righteous resolve.

Darius studied that resolve for a moment, picking it up and dissecting its angles, before he nodded and looked to Elana. "Maybe a more advanced approach could be beneficial to you both?"

"Fine," she gritted out and Kurt internally cheered.

"And now you," Darius said to her. "You have been carrying this cloud far longer than Kurt."

She tensed, poker straight. "I do not know what you mean, I am perfectly-"

"We never did finish that conversation we were having in the gardens," the King cut her off.

Elana's eyes widened and she swallowed visibly, her heart probably hammering harder than Kurt's had started to on her behalf. Stars. Wes. He was asking her about Wes and Kurt didn't know how exactly she was going to respond. She seemed to be so scared at the prospect that Darius knew the truth about their connection that night she had come to his room and now she was being forced to face it.

"F-father…" she stuttered to a stop briefly, hands wringing together as she arranged her thoughts. "Father, I am s-"

"If you are going to apologize then cease," he cut her off firmly and waited until she hesitantly held his gaze before grasping her hand in his gently. "Despite my missteps over the years I hope you know for certain that I love you. Without reservation. That should be all that needs to be said on the subject, yes?"

Kurt let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and she blinked what looked to be tears away and averted her face making Kurt's heart ache. He hoped they were somewhat happy tears. Relieved tears. Darius had just removed one of her biggest fears in the matter of a few heart stopping seconds. Three sentences that let her know that he would accept and love her whatever happened, whoever her soulmate was. And now all that was standing in Elana's way was herself and Kurt didn't know what the hell had to be going through her mind right now.

"Now, I think I will take another turn about the paths before I retire inside," Darius mused to himself as he hauled himself up like he hadn't just swooped in and settled all their problems as easy as that. "I will see you both for dinner tonight, hopefully in better spirits."

Kurt and Elana watched him go silently before they locked eyes themselves. Kurt gave her a comforting smile, then, because he simply had to, he said, "I told you so."

He was lucky she didn't click her fingers in retaliation. Instead she began to actually teach him things. Spells and chants, concentrating on the elements he had a natural affinity for, probably to distract herself from her own issues but Kurt had to grudgingly admit that she wasn't as bad a teacher as he first thought.

He was going to be ready.

---

New York...

---

"You were kicked out of the Washington coven and the Council placed you in the Ohio one shortly after Kurt's death, is that correct?" Hunter asked him, pen in hand, eyes directed down to his notepad.

"Can I get some room service in here? A nice little shifter or something?" Sebastian drawled from his cot. He was sprawled on his stomach without his shirt on, because that piece of shit was now ruined, propped up on his elbows with his head lazily held in his hands as he stared at the uptight vampire sitting at his desk like he had a ruler in place of a spine.

Sebastian had been drinking donated human blood out of bags every day since he'd been in here and it was like watered down soup. Hardly any taste but you had to drink a bucket full to even get anything out of it. At least in Ohio he had access to a begrudging wrist every few days, more often than not Dana who he was sure only offered it to him so that she could insult the hell out of him for his allotted five minutes.

"Answer the question, please," Hunter insinuated himself back into his thoughts like the pure annoyance he really was.

They'd done this routine at least twice a day since he woke up here; Hunter and that asshole Brit would walk in all chummy like around lunchtime and wait for the scary Native American vamp, she'd take Kessa to a room and Asshole would take Robert while Hunter settled at his desk in front of him.

They'd never gotten past the first question.

"Preferably someone hot. And someone who has a personality," Sebastian mused to himself, fingers tapping lightly against his cheeks. "Being stuck in here with you is like watching paint dry."

"If you won't cooperate then we have no need of you. You know that right?" Hunter warned him setting his pen down to stare at him finally and Sebastian smirked in triumph.

He had been testing the boundaries over the past few days, had even found himself looking forwards to the shift change when that stupid Brit left and Hunter would come striding in. Same short cropped hair, same expression, same clothes, the only variation was a different shade of beige. He was so boring, so straight laced that it should have drove Sebastian to tears, should have been as stimulating as watching paint dry… yet, he found himself feeling just the opposite. Found himself seeing just how far he needed to push before he got Hunter to snap. Go crazy. Emote even. Anything.

He told himself he was just entertaining himself. He was bored.

"Oh you have need of me… that's why you keep jumping on my merry-go-round, killer," Seb grinned at him unabashedly. "Couldn't get anything off my phone, huh?"

Hunter's eyes narrowed the tiniest amount. "You are not as stupid or incompetent as I first thought."

"Aw shucks."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"Keep going, you're gonna make me swoon."

"This is pointless," Hunter sighed and moved to get up from his chair. Sebastian's grin fell. He was leaving already? They'd not even been at it for three minutes and he at least stayed for fifteen usually.

"Aw, don't be like that. Nobody likes a sore loser," he taunted pushing himself up to sit on his knees.

"And you would know from all the losing you've done in life obviously," Hunter stated like a fact and damn if it didn't fucking sting.

Because yeah, he rarely got to come out on top. Not in his sad excuse for a family. Not in his father's eyes. Not in the Ohio coven. But he'd had a plan to change all that, to finally show everyone who'd ever dismissed him as weak or thought he was a joke just what he could do. That was before he'd slipped up like a moron and let himself get too comfortable. Now here he was, being called out by this vampire with his perfect rulebook and perfect morals and perfect fucking face.

"People have been telling tales about me I see," he managed to say evenly. "If you've already got me figured out why are you asking me pointless questions?"

"It's called fact checking. I don't assume," Hunter said, fingers crossing over his chest as he leaned back in his chair.

Seb laughed. "Don't assume? You've done nothing but since I woke up in here."

"Says the vampire behind bars for conspiring with rogues," Hunter said slowly and Sebastian actually felt a flush rising to his cheeks. "Thad Harwood gave me access to the footage of your time in isolation."

Sebastian worked his jaw. "Have fun watching the show? You know my favourite part was when Zach Kensington was tossing me around like a football," he said fake cheerily.

"His interrogation technique was… interesting," Hunter acknowledged with hardly a batted eye and that riled Seb up even more.

"I see your prison side manner is much better."

"Do you actually expect sympathy from me?" Hunter asked him incredulously, getting up from his seat and walking around the desk. "You chose this path you're on. The bed that you're lying in is completely of your own making."

"Oh I don't know… if I were making my bed there'd be duck down and a naked guy or three," he put in snidely just because... well, because he had fuck all else to say. He was right after all. Infuriatingly, annoyingly right as per usual. Which he'd never fucking admit out loud, to this holier than thou asshole particularly.

"Cute."

"I know I am, killer." He got up from the bed and walked to the bars so he could stare those piercing green eyes down. "I also have all the answers you need… or an all access key card at least."

"You want to negotiate now?" Hunter asked like he didn't really believe it. Smart guy.

"Well the last time I did that I got landed back in a cell so excuse me if I'm not rushing to the confession window," he drawled, tracing a forefinger up the bar.

Hunter was silent for a while and Sebastian peeked up under his lashes to make sure he was still there. Hadn't just walked out silently like he normally did, which was annoying and not to mention rude. He was shocked to see that Hunter was regarding him more intently than he ever had before and Sebastian suddenly felt much more naked than he already was in no shirt and bare feet.

"Why did your father kick you out? You've implied that he's also in league, or at least more sympathetic to the rogue agenda… it's a common goal you share," he said suddenly, blunt and cutting straight to the heart of it for once. It was a deviation from the norm and that excited Sebastian if nothing else.

"No see you've got that all wrong, killer," Sebastian smiled.

"Educate me."

"Nothing in this life is for free," he sang back, keen eyes assessing his opponent.

"And what's the price?"

"How aboooout…" He cocked his head as he drew out the word and thought.

He wasn't going to be released, that much was clear, and anything other than that; like a change of clothes, or a better bed, or a vein to suck on was just going to make him more comfortable in this hell hole. And that just rubbed him the wrong way, he may joke about it, but it felt too much like giving in or rolling over to start padding out this cell like it was going to be home. What he really wanted to do was find a way to get back at his jailor. To shake those perfect walls and see just what he was hiding underneath all that starch, but nothing he had said so far seemed to even dent the surface.

An idea took hold suddenly, reared its head from his subconscious and wouldn't let go.

"A kiss."

Hunter actually seemed a little taken aback and for him to let that show must mean that he was a lot taken aback. High off the feeling of getting this robot to emote Sebastian stepped as close as he could to the bars separating them, a predatory look in his eyes.

"C'mon, killer. You not up to it?" he taunted further. "You've got me at your mercy after all, a little kiss wouldn't hurt you right? I'm awful lonely in here."

Hunter matched his stare and stepped closer, something playing just under the surface that Sebastian couldn't pinpoint but heart actually began to jackrabbit in his chest in response. Shit. He'd said it to fuck with the vampire but… he couldn't possibly want this? This was a kiss for the god's sakes. Nothing ground-breaking. Nothing spectacular. Just a way to rattle his jailor and grab a small piece of control back.

Still… the closer Hunter got, the more Sebastian found himself indeed wanting it. Wanting to feel if those lips were really as soft as they looked. How would the prim and proper Hunter kiss? Stiff? Precise? Hard? Or would he be of those people who threw it all down when it came down to passion? Let it all bleed out and spill over onto his lover; who ate at someone's mouth with licks and nips and rough sucks until they were both fighting to draw breath.

He felt his mouth go dry at the hot thoughts, his own lips parting only-

Hunter stopped just beyond reach and meet his gaze firmly, those unidentified emotions still swirling there, but the most prominent now was a strange kind of resolve.

Sebastian barely had a chance to wonder about that before Hunter's hand darted out and grasped a handful of his hair at the back of his head through the bars. Seb hissed and almost purred at the rough treatment, a shot of electricity shooting down low into his stomach against his will. His own hand came up to grasp the vampire's forearm, feeling coiled strength that made him shiver.

That strong hand held him in place as Hunter leaned in, the seconds feeling like they were dragging into minutes until they were a breath's width apart despite the bars. Sebastian could feel warm puffs of air against his mouth and found himself pushing closer, making his hair tug against Hunter's hold.

He watched as green eyes dropped down to his mouth and his whole body went tight in anticipation.

"As long as you're on that side of the bars, that is never going to happen," was whispered roughly, almost directly against his lips.

Hunter pulled back after delivering that crushing line, his hand releasing its hold and coiling back through the bars. He turned and walked straight out of the room leaving Sebastian's head spinning in anger at being played back at his own game and shit… disappointment?

What the actual fuck.

His knees were weak and his stomach was churning but he was not disappointed. There was no way. That would mean that he actually cared enough about that stick up the ass vampire and just… no. This was a freak momentary lapse, he'd been cooped up in here too fucking long with no one but that bitch Kessa and that idiot Robert to talk too. He was going stir crazy and it was screwing with his head.

He didn't actually want it. He didn't. It was just a physical response, his body responding to touch after so long without anything.

Only… 'On this side of the bars'. Did that really imply what he thought it did? That if he wasn't on the 'other side' then Hunter would want to kiss him? Or was he just looking too far into it?

"No fucking way, Sebastian," he growled to himself, tonguing at his back molar agitatedly. He slammed both palms against the bars, making sure it hurt enough to pull his head back down to earth. This could simply be another ploy to try and get him to play nice and he was not getting sucked in.

Still, he ran his hand over the patch of hair Hunter had grabbed between his fingers and found himself shivering a little.

---

.

---

"Man, don't even think about her. Here." David poured a copious amount of fae alcohol into a tumbler and shoved it into his hand across the bar.

Because yes, level ten in Cooper's self-indulgent skyscraper was an honest to the gods fully functional and stocked bar. The establishment, not just the bar itself like they had in Ohio. David obviously thought it was the best thing ever and had taken up residence as the bartender after they had ripped him away from his 'babies' earlier on today.

It, unlike everything else in the place, wasn't that modern. Apparently Cooper liked his watering holes to be retro, go figure. Maybe that time period held fond memories for him? Wes didn't want to examine the idea too hard regardless of the real reason, getting too close to the ins and outs of Cooper's psyche wasn't high up on his list of fun activities.

A big neon sign that flashed Coop's was set above a wineglass rack over David's head and there was a classic style jukebox in the corner playing Motown classics for the 'patrons' sitting at the high tables and stools. The walls were covered with the late and greats, pictures, signed vinyl's and lyrics creating an expensive but easy-going vibe.

Wes would have rolled his eyes at the excessiveness of it if he hadn't have been otherwise distracted. The stress of the Council being here looking over their shoulders, questioning everything, no matter how many of Cooper's antics kept them occupied, was taking its toll. And of course the main reason for this constant ache that had him scrambled was created by one frustratingly, superior, stupidly beautiful fae princess.

He ran his tongue over his lengthening fangs.

Thinking about her brought on the memory of feeding so strongly his mouth always watered and then closely followed on its heels came the ache and pain she had caused him with her outright denial of their bond.

Weak she had called him. Wrong she had told him he was. Temporary she saw the issue of his feeding from her.

Gods.

He looked down at the sparkling liquid liquorice blankly as Jeff put on record after record of depressingly accurate lyrics.

Where Did Our Love Go, You Can't Hurry Love. It was at Smokey Robinson's, Tracks Of My Tears, that Wes thought the fae was doing it entirely on purpose. Fuck. The imp was definitely doing it on purpose, who was he kidding here?

He seemed to be campaigning to get him and Elana together to make up for his little stunt in the meeting the other day that blew up in his face and nothing he said was going to stop him. He'd recruited Zach and Adam on board with the plan and Wes couldn't even be mad that the blonde had leaked the sensitive information of the identity of his Chosen. Everyone present at that meeting had worked it out more or less. After all, it didn't look like she was going to be anything more than a reluctant blood donor anyway. Not even at the status of a Giver.

"Getting me wasted is your big plan?" Wes asked his Second as he tried to block it all out.

The dark skinned vamp shrugged, the loose material of his vest contouring to his pecks as he began to pour his own. "What better time?"

"Well maybe when we haven't got the Council in the same building as us?" Wes suggested dryly, fingering the rim of the glass.

"They don't give a shit what we do. They're gonna hate us on principle because there's too much bad blood. Besides, they've locked themselves away for now puzzling out this whole rogue dilemma. They'll still be talking it over by the time Polland decides to make his move," David stated honestly, taking a sip and Wes couldn't even deny it.

Still, he didn't drink.

Getting smashed wasn't going to fix anything, it might make him forget temporarily but that hurt would still be there in the morning. The heavy realisation crushing his heart that his Chosen didn't want to be chosen.

You Really Got A Hold Of Me by The Miracles, was next on the list for songs and Wes listened to the lyrics with dawning horror.

I don't like you, but I love you,
Seems that I'm always thinking of you,
Though you treat me badly, I love you madly,
You really got a hold on me

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he muttered under his breath and glanced over his shoulder at Jeff who was avoiding his eye and trying to remain inconspicuous by playing around with Nick's skinny tie. It wasn't working. He was leaning right next to the machine for the love of the god's!

Zach and Adam were at one of the tables nearby, the rest of the place filled up with members of the NY coven, and he could feel their gazes on him, gauging his reaction.

I don't want you, but I need you,
Don't wanna kiss you, but I need to,
Though you do me wrong now, my love is strong now,
You really got a hold on me

"They are the epitome of subtle," David commented, elbows rested on the bar top and Wes turned back to him with an eye roll but didn't comment. A few seconds later Jeff came skipping over, towing Nick by the hand.

"One raspberry mojito please barkeep!" he ordered brightly, hopping up onto the stool. Nick settled himself behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist and coaxing Jeff to lean his weight on them.

It was standard practise for these two but Wes suddenly understood why Blaine had winced and avoided the pair so much while Kurt was gone. It was torture to see them so obviously in love. In sync. The perfect, steady, rock solid Chosen bond people dreamed about.

"Was the woeful playlist really necessary, Jeffery?" Wes asked him, staring down at the polished wood.

"I have no idea what you mean. Tell him, Nick."

"Sweetheart, we've talked about this. He knows you're lying," Nick whispered to him. Bright green eyes blinked up at him and he turned to Wes. "He was with me the whole time. No funny business."

"Oh, of course. My mistake," Wes drawled and Jeff grinned.

"You two are precious," David sniped good-naturedly as he mixed the drink expertly.

He'd dabbled in bars over his centuries, even owning one in Ohio at a certain point before he let a pleasant human who worked for him buy him out. It was now a family run business and he'd visited occasionally over the year's incognito and it was still going strong.

"What are crazy and shy guy planning over there?" he asked, fishing out some raspberries from the fridge, nodding towards the back table.

"Hopefully a Zadam wedding or baby. I will accept either," Jeff chirped kicking his legs and playing with the hair on Nick's forearms.

"Okay. That was on me, bro. I shouldn't have fucking asked," David held his hands up to the mistake before pouring crushed ice into the tall glass. The rest went in, along with an orange bendy straw and cocktail stick with some of the raspberries on. David looked at it lovingly for a moment. "Yup. I'm awesome."

"Screw your awesome, give me my drink!" Jeff snorted making grabby hands for it. Nick plucked it up for him.

"Any of you guys heard from Blaine?" Nick asked as Jeff hummed around his straw happily. "He kind of ran into our room earlier, grabbed Jeff's communication rock thingy and I haven't seen him since."

"It's not a rock!" Jeff huffed and Nick smirked at his fair head, leaning in to press an apologetic kiss to his ear, then lower to his cheek. The fae turned into them like a petted cat but didn't release his grip on his straw.

"He's not in Geldian," Wes said. "It's getting some notice that he's hardly ever around so we've decided that he should take a few days to stay here before he makes another trip."

"Blaine always gets to see Kurt and I never do," Jeff said sullenly.

"He got the okay from the head honcho himself and I'm sure he'd let you tag along if you asked nicely," Wes stated, then forced himself to say it to make a point to himself. "Even the sister. They're acting as a magical taxi service if you want a pick up."

There was a beat of silence that told him he didn't pull off the casual tone he was going for.

"She'll come around, Wes," Nick promised, throwing him an encouraging smile.

"Yeah, you're perfect for each other. You both like bossing people around! You'd make an excellent future King!" Jeff chipped in.

Wes felt slightly sick at the mention of that… then a lot sick. Future King of the Fae? His heart began to hammer. He hadn't even considered it. Gods, how had he overlooked it?! Of course anyone who was with her would inherit the throne as well!

"Or royal consort. You know, because I'm not too clear on the whole inner workings. There hasn't ever been a soulmate in the royal family that hasn't been a fae," Jeff rambled on obliviously and the more he talked, the whiter Wes got.

Was this one of the reasons Elana had rejected him? Not fit enough for the throne? Her father would never allow it? That she didn't want to dilute the pure family line with vampire genes and blood? And what about children? There hadn't ever been a recorded hybrid for a vampire and fae. Were they even compatible?

The deeper he fell into the hole, the harder it was the climb out of it.

"Hey man don't look so dumbstruck. Ignore the bigmouth. Who needs affection when you have blind hatred, huh?" David said raising a toast and breaking him out of his head.

"That's from 10 Things I Hate About You!" Jeff cried out around his bendy straw, limbs flailing within the confines of Nick's body. The vampire easily dodged them having had centuries of practise. "You totally watch chick flicks. Nicky, David watches chick flicks and he's been hiding it from us since their creation."

"Apparently. I knew there was a soft teddy bear underneath all that manliness," Nick laughed while David just glared at the fae and put away the mixer.

"No more cocktails for you."

"Nicky," the blonde pouted, turning his head up and batting his lashes.

"I'll make you your cocktails, sweetheart," the vampire promised his Chosen, kissing his temple. The fae cheered and sent a smug look David's way.

"It physically disgusts me how whipped you are by that little terror," David told him seriously. Nick just held his bundle of mischief tighter to his chest, a goofy smile pasted over his lips.

Zach came sauntering over then, red spikes of hair catching the light and glowing like embers. "Hello, darling coven brothers."

"Don't even try it," David warned.

"What?" the red head exclaimed, throwing his arms out. "I haven't even done anything and I'm met with such suspicion."

"Tell that to your shirt after Wes finishes kicking your ass," David smirked, chuckling a little around the rim of Wes's glass. Hey. If he wasn't drinking it then it was just going to waste...

Wes frowned and turned and stilled.

In place of his usual hideous colour clashes Zach had gone for a simpler top. Navy blue with big crimson writing on the front and what it proclaimed threatened to give the leader a coronary;

Save a Coven, Bang a Wes

"It's our campaign slogan. As soon as she sees it boss she'll jump you and then we'll all be happier! No one can resist my persuasive techniques," Zach beamed, stretching the shirt out proudly.

Wes took a calming breath. Don't kill your coven members. Don't kill your coven members…

"Other than pretty much everyone," Nick commented. "And your Chosen."

"For a century," David put in helpfully.

"I was just on my knees for that Chosen an hour ago, so there," he stuck his tongue out, ignoring Adam's gasp of shock from the table as he overheard. "I get results… eventually. But they still count!"

"Oh what a sterling sales pitch. Why haven't I come to you for useless advice sooner?" David exclaimed faux shocked.

"Hey, me and my hunnybunny sexypants are the only Sterling's here bitches," Jeff warned them, just because, and they all stared at him other than Nick who snuggled closer like Jeff had just given the speech that ignited world peace.

"You know… you open your mouth and words come out… but I don't think even you know what they mean," David said in a deadpan.

"What is my life?" Wes asked himself incredulously. "What did I do to deserve this?"

Adam came up behind Zach then, red cheeked and as sheepish as his hulking frame could manage and Wes noted that he had a similar shirt on only the message was different;

Only Just Got Him, Don't Murder My Crazy Chosen Please?

Wes took another deep, very deep, calming breath. "Okay." He blew it all out. "I know this was you, Jeff. Just get rid of them."

The fae shifted his eyes guiltily and filled his mouth with raspberries as he shook his head adamantly.

"Oh look, the witnesses are leaving. No one can save you now," David grinned gleefully as the last of the Cooper's coven filled out of the room leaving only them at the bar. Maybe they sensed the building tension. "I'll lock the door and then no one can escape."

He rushed to do just that in a burst of supernatural speed and Zach rushed to cut him off with a shrieking war cry. They collided in the middle with a loud thump and crashed to the floor in a tangle of limbs.

They all rolled their eyes as the scuffling begun in earnest.

Wes would have broken it up eventually if Elana hadn't chosen that very moment to pop into the room and all thoughts of anything else skittered from his mind.

Gods.

He hated how his heart skipped a few beats and that every vampire in the room could probably hear it and that his breathing stuttered equally tellingly.

All this time spent trying to avoid thinking about her and there she was. Jumping into the room whenever the mood struck and messing him up even more than he already was. He wanted to resent the ever loving hell out of her… he just couldn't. Not truly. He just wasn't fucking wired to hate her and wasn't that the worst part of all; doomed to an eternity of pining and wishing.

The room went silent save for the music playing and all eyes turned from him to her.

Mine.

He shook his head against the demanding vampiric instinct that wanted to force him to go over and grab her. She wasn't. She didn't want to be. He'd just have to get used to the acid feeling burning through his stomach whenever he clapped eyes on her.

Swallowing hard he tried to concentrate on something else… like why she was here.

It hadn't been three full days since the second time she had dropped in to offer her blood, in a goblet this time no less, which spoke volumes about their last encounter. She hadn't stuck around long after the handover and Wes had sat there sipping what he felt like liquid heroine would be like. Addicting, good on the intake but ultimately, so fucking bad for you.

So even while his fangs lengthened now in automatic reaction and his eyes fixed on the vein at her neck hungrily, he knew she wasn't here to give him another pity feeding. Maybe something was wrong? She shouldn't be risking dropping in this way when anyone could be around to catch her and blow the lid off the fae thing, so something had to be majorly wrong, right?

He rose to his feet, heart still thumping hard, and approached as near as he dared to smelled divine. Like ozone and power tempered with something softer, like rose blossoms. "Are Blaine and Kurt okay?"

She seemed distracted and blinked once before the question registered. "Oh, yes. They are quite content."

"The King then?" he pressed on, stepping dangerously closer despite his inner warning bells.

Her frown deepened like she didn't know where these questions were stemming from. "He is equally fine," she answered slowly.

"Then why are you risking being here? The guards may have already spotted you-"

"You do not have to worry about those mechanical filming devices. I have impaired them for the time being. I wonder how you would call them security when they are so easy to disable. Something to look into perhaps?" she informed him casually, leaving him at a loss for words.

It was then that Wes really took a chance to look at her and what he was greeted with nearly took his breath away.

Her hair was down.

No perfect curls in swept styles that were severe or serious or proper; just natural waves that reached past her shoulders in a beautiful waterfall of fall colours. Did she really have that much hair? he thought dumbly, and it was suddenly the biggest tragedy on earth that she hid it all. That she took that softness and tucked it under something harder.

He moved his eyes downwards, following the curve of soft brunette strands, entranced, when he noticed something else too.

Gone were the uptight, formal gowns that let everyone know just who and how untouchable she was. Even the businesswoman styled human clothes Kurt had gotten her to agree to were missing. And in its place was a soft golden summer dress that nipped at her waist then floated down towards her knees. The straps holding it up were thin, no sleeves and an open neck and Wes had never seen so much creamy, beautiful skin on her at once.

She looked young with no make-up. Open with bare feet on show. Vulnerable before him and he didn't know whether or not this was a conscious decision she had made or an accident. That it could be a mistake, something she just overlooked, just didn't sit right. She was meticulous, always thinking everything through a hundred times or more so she could retain as much control as possible over every tiny detail. Which led him logically to the conclusion that she had to have done this on purpose… right?

He didn't want to hope, but there was something sparking inside him anyway.

"Is there somewhere private we could converse?" she asked, breaking through the rising tension, her voice strong. But there was an underlying waver there that gave her away to him, as did the forearm that crossed over her front to grasp her other arm. Appearing this way, without her armour, was obviously affecting her and it made that spark of hope in him grow a little larger.

She held her chin up as she glanced around the room at the gaping faces staring at them, her in particular and her choice of garb. Her eyes lit on Zach, who had found his feet again and then down to his shirt.

Fire sparked in her eyes and Wes wanted to throw the redhead out of the window.

"What. Is. That?" she asked stiffly, jaw hardening.

"The power of free speech!" Zach fist pumped. "I declare Wesley should get laid for the good of the Ohio coven! It is the prophecy and it must be fulfilled otherwise all the bad things will happen."

The shirt was set on fire in the next instant and Zach yelped and dropped and rolled to put it out. Adam growled and ran over to help his Chosen, big, bad caveman Adam threatening to make another appearance, and Wes rushed over to Elana to grasp her elbow and steer her out of the room to prevent bloodshed.

She went along, still fuming, and darted a venomous glare over her shoulder when she heard;

"My precious shirt! I told you the bad things will happen because Wesley has not been laid!"

"Quit squirming, crazy… see there, no more fire," David declared. "So stop acting so dramatic or your lovebunny is gonna Hulk out and destroy New York."

There was a beat of silence before a shriek, "She's ruined it! I don't want a shirt that says Coven Bang Wes!"

"David could wear it," Jeff suggested slyly then laughed as David growled.

"Your rabble are insufferable," Elana declared when they were finally out of earshot… well for her. Wes could still hear the idiots. He shut them out however as he checked hallways for signs of life and moved them along swiftly.

"If I thought the Lemmings wouldn't run off a cliff without me I would have ran away a long time ago," Wes said dryly, darting his head around another corridor.

Elana watched him for a moment before saying, "You know I could transport us to wherever it is you have decided on."

Wes halted and almost blushed. Gods, she turned him stupid, actually, utterly and completely, brain is melting out of my ears kinds of moronic. He cleared his throat and turned to face her. "Right. My room?"

That suggestion seemed to make her uneasy and when the reason why struck him he let go of her elbow and stepped back. Shit. He didn't even realise how close he was pressing to her side. He could hear her flying heartbeat pounding in his ears and he tried desperately to block it out before he was tempted to do something stupid.

She stared up at him like she knew what he was thinking, doe eyes blinking, her heart rate picking up even more and fuck, he didn't realise how much of a difference those heels of hers made. She seemed so tiny next to him now, even though it wasn't more than a few inches, and it was messing with his head. This was the same fae princess that had called him weak, had told him he was mistaken about him claiming her as his Chosen. He couldn't let what she looked like now and his feelings cloud his judgement.

"Your room then. Very well," she agreed after a beat and hesitated a second that cut into Wes before she put her hand on his shirt covered forearm. Her touch burned through the fabric but he could hardly bask because in the next breath the world was tilting and he was squeezed flat then wrung out before he was standing in his darkened room.

She retracted her hand from him hastily and stepped back to put some space between them in the darkness, the lights of New York City at night providing the only visibility, not that he particularly needed it. He ignored how her hasty retreat hurt and shook it off as he moved to the light switch to buy some time for re-establishing his composure.

When he turned back he saw Elana was walking around like she did that first time, bare feet making no noise on the carpet. He watched her wander around for a while longer, taking the opportunity to observe her like this. He didn't know if he'd have the opportunity to again. He inhaled sharply when she stopped in front of the bed where he'd fed from her, standing on the exact spot he'd knelt so desperately.

He hadn't been able to sleep in that bed since.

It was suddenly too much. He couldn't take this strange tension between them and how the uncertainty of her arrival and appearance had him twisted into knots. He couldn't handle the weight of this dying hope inside him.

"Why are you here, Elana?"

His voice seemed to startle her and she turned her head first, then her body reluctantly like she was trying to protect herself still.

"To talk," she said quietly. "It has been pointed out to me that we have never really just… talked."

Wes processed that slowly. Talk? About what? He didn't have it in him to assume anything, if he started down that rabbit hole he didn't know if he could find his way out again.

"We have, the conversations just end up… a certain way," he put diplomatically. Neutrally. Wanting to see where she was going with this before he lay himself out yet again to be stomped on.

She gave him a wry mouth twist but didn't dispute it. Silence descended again and she seemed to twitch under it, agitated but unable to find her way out of all things. And fuck it, he couldn't stand there and ignore her distress no matter how much it might hurt him in the long run. He had no resolve or self-preservation instincts when it came to her apparently, was a glutton for punishment.

"What did you want to talk about then?" Wes furthered cautiously and he watched her fight with herself to spit it out.

"Us."

"Us?" he repeated dumbly, surprised beyond all measure.

"The other day… I apologise for the things I said," she veered off and Wes met her chocolate eyes, finding nothing but earnestness in them. "They were cruel and unfeeling."

"Thank you," he murmured, tucking his hands in his pockets to keep from grabbing her. "I apologise for any offence I may have caused you as well. We weren't ourselves."

He wouldn't say he didn't mean it though.

She looked at him for a second and shook her head, a small laugh bubbling out of her throat but it was hardly happy. "Damn him for being right."

Wes watched her in confusion. "Who?"

"An inquisitive fae that should keep his nose out of others business," she sighed, a shaky hand rising to play anxiously with the ends of her hair.

Wes had the random thought that maybe that was why she always had it up? To repress that telling little habit? It was such a shame…

"It looks nice like that. Your hair I mean… well everything, is lovely. Beautiful," Wes found himself blurting out loud, unable to stop once he'd started.

Her startled reaction had him wanting to punch himself but in the end he thought, screw it. She could know that he found her lovely, what was it going to hurt at this point? It probably wasn't the first time someone had called her beautiful… and that train of thought had him wanting to break something. He cursed internally because he had no real claim on her.

He removed his right hand from his pocket and rubbed the back of his neck, a self-depreciating smile on his lips. "I bet you hear that all the time."

"No," she admitted on a breath, shaking her head as birds took flight in her stomach. She pressed a hand over the area to try and still them but it was no use. She was so closed off that people had stopped approaching her like that long ago, but never had they incited this reaction in her. "Not for a long time."

Wes swallowed and held her intense gaze. "Well you are."

"Thank you," she murmured and he saw the beginnings of a pink blush staining her cheeks. He wanted to curse at the gods for making this unnecessarily hard on him.

"You're uh… welcome." How eloquent of him. "Is that what you came here to say?"

She wrestled with herself again, fingers still tugging at her hair. "Do we ever say what we really wish to?" she asked, flipping it back on him and he took a small step closer.

"Universally or just us?" he asked softly and he had never wanted to know an answer more than right now.

"Us," she said and he took another step forward like they were playing a strange game. One right answer, one step closer.

"Not until recently," he said in the same gentle tone and she blanched in an obvious, you have, I have not, way before meeting his eyes again.

"You are… what I said that day. You are very much the opposite of weak, Wesley Montgomery. That is the truth of it and I…" She took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly. "Whereas I am very much a coward," she admitted brutally raw and honest and Wes felt his heart start to hammer, his chest rising and falling quickly as that little spark of hope began to flare brighter. This couldn't be…?

"Please don't toy with me, Elana," he begged as he closed the rest of the gap between them.

She looked up at him with a distressed expression. "I have spent my life pushing people away. It is the only thing I was really good at and when mother and Kurt were taken from me I… I did not know how to process the pain of it, so I boxed myself away from it. I was scared. So scared of being hurt that deeply by someone else and it worked for a long time."

"I understand that. Why you would want to," Wes said, a little breathless that she was actually opening up to him. "But… forgive me but, you used the past tense, you said it worked…"

He heard her swallow. "It did… and then I saw you again and, things were so different."

She was twisting the strands of hair in her grasp harshly now and he cupped her fist in his palm. Their skin sparked electricity and he gently ran his thumb over her clenched fingers until they released. She let out a shaky gasp of air and the intensity of this one touch, a touch he had resigned himself to never having, nearly sent him to his knees.

"I noticed you before you know," she admitted quietly, looking up at him from under a spider web of natural, long lashes.

Wes let out his own breath in shock. "You did?"

"You used to watch me. They all did, but it was different with you somehow," she told him, glancing down at their hands then up through her lashes once again. "I did not really mind when you did."

That was as good as saying she was flattered and Wes felt a tiny smile tug up the left corner of his mouth.

"The first time I saw you was at Kurt and Blaine's bonding ceremony. You were quite young then," he remembered softly. He'd thought about that day a lot ever since she turned up again, how he'd snuck glances at her the whole day. From the ceremony to the celebrations afterwards.

"We both were," she corrected.

"You had people lining up to talk to you and you looked unreachable, even back then. It's why I couldn't say more than a greeting then, but I think that if I could go back in time knowing what I did now, I'd say something different than what I did," Wes said.

Elana stared at him, a faint furrow between her brows. "What would you say?"

"I'd say that I thought you were beautiful, because you deserve to be told every day. Beautiful not because you are, but because you're strong and elegant and fierce and only want what's best for those you care about," Wes said honestly and he heard Elana swallow, heart actually skipping a beat.

"You think I'm strong?" she asked, like it was truly important to her and her being just seemed to click into place for him in that instant. Why she did what she did, why she said what she said. It was all in an effort to be strong enough. To not let anyone down, to prove her worth.

He smiled incredulously, wanting to laugh at how such a seemingly simple desire had morphed this female into the complex creature before him. "Was there any doubt?"

She flushed and slanted her eyes to the side. "Since we are being honest… you have the ability to make me question it… on occasion."

Wes' stomach flipped. He affected her that much? But was that good or bad? That she hadn't shouted it at him or insulted him after saying it was a good sign if nothing else.

"I don't want to be a weakness," Wes said quietly and her eyes came back to his.

"You are not a weakness. It is strength to look at yourself and see your flaws, you help me to do that when I am being too stubborn." The admission left them in silence and Wes was truly starting to think that this might work out for the first time. Fuck, was this really happening or was he dreaming again?

Elana broke the silence.

"After you left after my brothers joining ceremony I did not really think about my notice of you much afterwards. I had a kingdom to learn to run and I was content enough. Then mother felt Kurt's passing and… you were right. I have been hiding behind my wards while everyone else suffered in my place," she said, voice tight and Wes felt a kindred tightness in his own chest.

"Elana," he said soothingly. Reverently. Like her name was supposed to be spoken. "I don't blame you for it. You lost your mother and brother."

"And I took it out on everyone else," she spat self depreciatingly, tears filling her eyes that he knew she would fight tooth and nail before letting fall. Gods, his Chosen was the strongest woman he had ever met and he was proud of her inner strength.

"Not vindictively," he argued, cupping her hand in both of his and bringing it to his mouth to lay a spontaneous kiss to. She gasped at the touch of lips, lashes fluttering at the softness he knew instinctively she didn't get nearly enough of. Touch starved. "People process grief in different ways. Blaine was hardly any better, when he wasn't feral he refused to even acknowledge anyone else."

"I took it out on you," she whispered, face shamed and he shook his head and smiled.

"I can take it. I would take worse if it meant I'd get a chance to have you," he said with all the conviction in his heart. And there it was. No going back despite his resolution not to let himself prostrate himself on the altar of uncertainty again.

She was worth it. She was meant to be his and that's all he needed to keep coming back for another hit no matter how much it hurt.

Two tears finally fell and she bit her full lips almost bloody before she found a way out from behind all her masks, all her walls and defences while Wes waited in patient agony for her.

She squared her shoulders, lifted her chin like the princess she was. "I am your Chosen. You are my soulmate and I am sorry," she said in a thick voice and he let go of her hands to cup her cheeks, thumbing away the twin streaks of wetness with a blinding smile. He felt her trembling between his hands where he gently framed her head and he was so desperately in love with her he couldn't stand it.

"You got here as fast as you could, and that's perfect timing," he whispered to her, leaning in a fraction and waiting for her to tilt up to indicate that she wanted it. "I'm going to kiss you now, princess."

"I suppose that would be acceptable," she murmured back, splendidly regal to the very last and he didn't want her any other way. He pressed their lips together to seal it with a kiss of unspoken love, forgiveness and a bond that had weathered a storm and came out stronger for it.

Her hands clutched the front of his shirt, a soft noise of what he hoped was happiness escaping her throat and Wes had everything he ever could have wanted in his arms right now and he could hardly believe it was real. The day which had started so miserably was now the best of his life and he never wanted this moment to end.

There was a million things they needed to say, a lifetime of conversations to be had, but right now he'd take this moment of silent peace.

---

NOW...
Hell's Kitchen...

---

Spencer skidded to a halt in front of a large, old, rusty warehouse, Keith and Gerran nearly smashing into his back.

"Warn a vamp, Spence!" Gerran grumbled, rubbing his nose. "I need this face to stay pretty."

"Why? So Vest can slap it again?" Keith snickered and dodged a swipe.

"Fuck you fangless-"

"Shh!" Spencer hissed at them, head cocked as he listened intently for a few seconds. There was the hum of what sounded like whatever machinery lay inside the warehouse and aside from some rats riffling through some garbage and the distant sounds of passing traffic back on the main roads, there wasn't a peep from inside the dilapidated building.

But this is where the trail ended.

He could smell it; that same coopery, rancid scent he had picked up from the bookstore and followed out the back into the alley where the disturbance had first been called in was undeniably strong here making him sure this was the source. Only, the rogues didn't seem to be inside and the trail didn't lead anywhere else.

He walked up and down the side of the building to check but, nope. Nothing.

To say he was confused was an understatement and he was frustrated because this seemed to be a cut and dry case on the surface. One of the local coven members had a small business that had been ransacked by vampires, rogues, before they had hightailed it out there. Simple. Only… the motive for why they had done it was unclear and annoying the fuck out of Spencer.

He just didn't understand what the point was.

They hadn't killed anyone. Stolen money or goods, not that they'd need that anyway, Marcus seemed to be pretty good at providing for his budding army. Which left territory reasons, but the bookstore wasn't in a prime location, it was a hole in the wall. They just trashed the place and left and it didn't make sense.

He understood a war of terror, creating panic, but surely you'd pick a bigger, better target? Not a single out of the way vampire? Something was missing. Something he couldn't see and he wished one of the older coven members were here to walk him through it.

Since Spencer was the best at tracking however he had been sent to check it out, see if he could get a bead on a rogue location to show to the still in denial Council. And where he went, of course Keith and Gerran were close behind. Actually, a lot of the coven was out and about tonight, there had been quite a few reports tonight like there had been for the last few weeks. Sightings of rogue vampires, reports of damaged houses or businesses. Each one had to be checked out, they wouldn't risk overlooking something and someone paying the price no matter how many times Richard Anderson told them it was just hysteria being whipped up.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Keith broke the quiet to ask obnoxiously.

"No. I just led you here for shits and giggles," Spencer said sarcastically, glancing around the darkness surrounding them. It was nearing midnight and there were no lights down here.

"Someone's menstruating."

"Guys. Shut up," Gerran ordered them, looking around himself. "Where would they have gone from here?"

"My moneys on the big old warehouse in front of us," Keith said, scuffing his combat boot against some discarded trash. "Just a guess."

Spencer rolled his eyes. The alley was a dead end other than the warehouse though, and as he'd already checked there wasn't a trail down either direction, so they would have had to have passed through it at least. He looked up… there didn't seem to be an obviously place for them to have scaled.

There was still something about it that just seemed… off.

"I can't hear anyone inside," Spencer said quietly, eyes scanning the rusted, dirty and broken windows in turn for any signs of life.

"We can always check it out? This could still be it. Just because they aren't here now doesn't mean they haven't been," Gerran suggested, locating the nearest entrance with his eyes and gesturing to it.

"Maybe they headed out for Taco Bell?" Keith said and Gerran slapped the back of his head on his way towards the door that was stamped with a big, red, 'Employee's Only Entrance'. Spencer hesitated, casting his eyes through the eerie darkness once more before he followed.

It was after they were all inside that Spencer realised that the machinery he had heard had quite effectively masked the sounds of rogues inside the warehouse, and that they were simply waiting for them.

"Hello, boys. Nice of you to drop in."

---

THEN…

---

"Blaine, you cannot avoid me forever. We have been here for nearing a week and you still treat me like you've never seen me before," Marisol said, following him down the hall from his room towards the elevator.

The vampire gritted his teeth and kept his pace, hoping like hell that his mother would get the message and give up like she normally did. He couldn't deal with her sad eyes right now, the downturn of her mouth or the way she folded herself up like he was the one that was hurting her. He was already on edge this morning; irritable and unsettled and her presence was enough to make him want to scream.

To avoid suspicion it had been decided that now and then Blaine would have to spend a few nights in New York instead of Geldian. There could only be so many explained away glitches in the camera feeds around where Blaine always was before someone who wasn't supposed to caught on to what they were doing. And so, with daytime even harder to disappear for any length of time what with meetings with the Council being every five minutes, Blaine hadn't seen Kurt in around 48 hours now.

Not surprisingly he hated it.

He had gotten so used to being around him all hours of the day again. When Kurt had died he had to train himself out of automatically turning his head to kiss him, or reaching out a touch him, or rolling over in bed to cuddle and whisper sweet nothings into his ear. It had been months since he had gotten him back and all those inbuilt things had filtered back into their new daily routine. Having to stop himself again from doing those things and giving himself away took him to that dark place he didn't want to go back to. That lonely cavern that had slowly been eating at his sanity and had almost completely destroyed him.

He contented himself with the fact that at least Kurt was safe and that did a lot to soothe his ruffled feathers. And being able to talk to him for a few hours last night before Jeff stole the ruby back took a little of the edge off he supposed.

Shaking his head he stopped in front of the silver sliding doors of the elevator and pressed the button to head down.

The gym was on the fifth floor and he had no doubt David, Nick and Adam were there making use of it. David had devised a schedule with Luna to keep both covens in top condition and ready for anything; sparring, weapons training and normal fitness being some of the chief activities. And all of them complied easily, falling into it, knowing how important it was. Blaine's turn wasn't scheduled until later that day, but he had a lot of anxious energy to expel and his friends were always happy to help. David in particular liked sparring with him because he was that much stronger and it pushed them both harder.

He could see Marisol's distorted, crestfallen expression in the polished metal and he let out a sigh through his nose.

"I wish you would stop doing this to both of us," he snapped, slamming his hand against the wall. He was perpetually angry at her, he couldn't help it.

"Stop trying to have a relationship with my son?" she asked quietly.

"If you wanted one you could have had one back then!" he span around a shouted at her, she flinched but stood her ground. "Back when I needed you."

"You're not letting me explain-" Marisol started.

"And I don't want you too," he cut her off, walking backwards into the elevator once the doors opened. He hit the button for the fifth floor. "I want you to leave me alone. You're practiced at that so it shouldn't be too hard."

The doors shut on her devastated expression and he leant his head back against the mirrored wall and closed his eyes. Kurt's words from that first day he was in Geldian came back to him and he rubbed his hand roughly over his face trying to block them out. He didn't want to hear her excuses. He didn't.

Blaine?

He blinked his eyes back open at Wes' voice in the back of his head and felt himself droop a little. It was always Council related. They'd swanned in and turned the place upside down; inspections, audiences and pointless ceremonies while they ignored what was really going on. Blaine was tired of talking around in circles with them. Arguing with his father that there was a real threat being posed to them.

What's wrong this time?

Your father is requesting we scale back the patrols. Says we're inciting panic amongst the coven when there's no immediate or proven threat

"Fucker!" Blaine barked out loud and slammed the emergency stop button. The whole thing jerked then halted and Blaine looked up to the ceiling, trying to gather the strength from somewhere to push that top button and jump back on that exhausting carousel. He didn't know if he had it in him today.

After a few minutes he heard Thad's gentle, nervous voice come out of the speaker. "Do you need technical support, Blaine?"

Blaine chuffed a small laugh and ran his palm over his left eye, digging the meat of his palm into the delicate area. "I don't know, Thad. Do I?"

"Uhh… are we talking about the same thing?"

Blaine smiled a little and looked at his haggard, beaten down expression in the mirror wearily. "No."

"Okay good. Well… not good. I mean… I don't really know what I mean. I'll just shut up and override the emergency stop so we can get you where you wanna go," he babbled over the intercom.

"Top floor," Blaine mumbled.

"Oh," Thad said and his voice had sudden understanding in it. "Well look at that… the elevator is broke. I'm afraid it's gonna take me like… three hours to fix it. At least. You just hang in there, Blaine."

Blaine's smile got wider and he slanted a glance at the camera in the corner. "I appreciate that, Thad. But I think you'll need to fix it faster, I have to go save Wes from my tyrannical father."

The elevator shuddered back to life and began to move upwards. "Look at that. I underestimated my abilities."

"You are the king of technology," Blaine acknowledged, straightening himself up to get ready to encounter the Council. There was nothing he could do about his casual attire; black tank top, basketball shorts and trainers. He didn't care enough to go back and change, plus his mother might still be hanging around there.

He heard Thad clear his throat a few times, obviously working up to something. "Um… I know it's none of my business… but um… do you want me to possibly... tell me to shut up if this is out of line, but… well, it seemed to work back home and-"

"You have five more stops to get it out, buddy," Blaine said to him, amused, watching the numbers tick upwards.

"Do you want me to have Evelyn waiting for you when you get back?"

Blaine blinked in surprise, and it hit him that ever since they had gotten here they hadn't kept up their sessions. Not one. And while the thought of discussing his family made him want to pitch himself off the roof, they hadn't fully covered them in their sessions so far, he knew that bottling it up and taking all his frustrations out in the gym was just falling back into that old pattern. It didn't work.

Gritting his teeth he nodded once, decisively. "Ask her if she's free for me. I'll visit with her after I'm done here and we can set something up if she's open to it."

"You can count on me," Thad said earnestly and Blaine smiled just as the elevator slid to a stop.

"I know I can." And before he walked out of the doors he said a heartfelt, "Thank you," that left the younger stammering.

What he walked into shattered that small measure of calm Thad had helped him find however. He could hear the familiar shouting as he was checked over by the guards in the foyer, practiced hands running along seams for hidden weapons, and knew the tone for the morning was already set. Once Richard got riled up he went straight on the offensive and nothing Cooper, Wes or he had to say would make it past his thorough dissection unscathed. He took every point, every statement, every comment and pulled them apart, made them defend and prove the simplest of things and as such they lost their weight by the end. It was exhausting fighting with him; Cooper's tenacity was born of Richard, Blaine's stubbornness too and Richard made a point to wield those traits with greater strength over them whenever he could.

He was led into the room, but not announced, the reason why quite clear as he caught sight of the two battling bulls locking horns in the center of the room.

"You are absolutely ridiculous!" Cooper yelled at Richard.

"I'm not the overgrown child in this room!"

"No you're the infant in the overpriced suit," he countered and there was a snort to Blaine's left.

He glanced over and spotted Salvatore suppressing a laugh from his preferred place in the corner of the room, by what looked to be a lavish breakfast buffet. He always kept to the outskirts Blaine had noticed, watching everything unfold with sharp, intelligent eyes.

"How dare you speak to me this way?!" Richard growled, advancing on his brother who was still holding his ground in the middle of the rest of the Council, who was spread out across the huge room, without a hint of fear. "Vampires have died for less."

Blaine's stomach tightened in fear for him. He looked at the rest of the Council and saw everything from blank expressions (Zhang Li), amusement, (Salvatore), complete indifference to anything that was going on (Ophelia), to full on glares (Ajax), and knew he had to get Cooper to stop now before he really did say something he couldn't come back from.

He glanced at Wes out of the corner of his eye, the vampire was standing as out of the way as Salvatore was, and saw that he looked just as worried at Cooper's disrespectful behavior from the pinch around his eyes and mouth.

Still no one had noticed him yet, at least directly, and he was seriously debating whether or not to slip away while he still could, but the sight of his brother's angry face and Wes' strained countenance made him dig his heels in and set himself strong and steady before jumping into the fray.

"Coop," he announced his presence into the room, though he was sure they were all aware he was there on some level.

Cooper simply raised a brow at the threat from Richard and ignored Blaine completely.

"So ready to go back to the Old Laws father? I wonder whose side you're really on. Maybe this is why you refuse to believe the truth about the rogues, covering tracks are you?" he goaded, poked and prodded like only Cooper was able to do.

"How dare you!" Zhang Li snapped at the same time Ajax snarled, "Insolent brat!"

"Blood of my own and this is how you repay me?" Richard spat disgustedly, the disappointment he seemed to always carry for his two offspring blanketing the room.

Cooper sniffed in derision and tousled his hair smoothly. "Says a lot about that blood then doesn't it. Must be tainted somehow, father dearest."

Richard growled sub-vocally and Blaine stepped up to Cooper's shoulder to offer his support against their father like he was the enemy they were fighting against, which was insane, but sadly true right now. It was strange to Blaine that he could actually still remember a time when his father didn't look at him the way he was now; a mixture of disappointment and anger. When he didn't feel like he always had to fight with him. He remembered him smiling once upon a time at silly things laughing with their mother, hugging them. That all seemed like a lifetime and a different person ago and Blaine couldn't pinpoint when it had all suddenly changed or what had sparked it. He figured it must have been a gradual thing, his father pulling away more and more as they got older, being more involved and interested in Council business instead of them. Training and treating them like the coven leaders they were going to be instead of his children and then his obsession with obtaining an Alliance with the Fae was the final nail in the coffin of their relationship.

That was when Blaine realized he truly had lost his father somewhere along the years.

"I tire of this," Zhang Li said with a noticeable sharp edge, placing down his tea cup. "This is not a therapist's office and I tire of mediating like one. You believe that we are here for your amusement somehow? That we will put up with insubordination or disrespect because you have blood ties?"

He rose from his seat, his small stature meaning nothing in the face of the forcefulness of power radiating off of him. It was then that Blaine noticed the diminutive Giver sitting at his feet on a plush, golden pillow. She was oriental in looks, pretty from what he could see of her downcast face, and Blaine guessed by the placement, Zhang Li's personal attendee when he was travelling. He had heard rumors that she was in fact deaf and that's why she was allowed to sit in on Council meetings occasionally. The way that she neither shuddered nor stirred at the shouting surrounding her seemed to back up that supposition.

Zhang Li looked every inch the ancient warrior vampire he was with a Giver at his feet, fang on show and coiled power waiting to be sprung in his wiry frame and Blaine fought not to bare his fangs in response to the very clear threat.

"Do not ever forget who spilled blood so you could even be standing here," Li finished on a fierce hiss, eyes bleeding a little black. "So you will act according to your stations and ours or we will have you replaced, is that clear?"

"Crystal," Blaine said tightly before Cooper could retort with something insulting. Testing a vampire like Zhang Li would only end one way. With them both pushing up daisies and he wasn't quite ready yet to be worm food. "I was summoned?"

Richard cleared his throat and readjusted his tie in a bid to regain some composure. Blaine knew his father well enough to know that he was probably fuming right now at being rebuked and effectively rescued by one of his fellow Council members in the same breath. But the vampire had a lawyer's soul and he brazened it out. "Yes. While we are in the process of deliberating about these rogue rumors-"

"They're more than rumors," Wes cut in, stepping forwards from the wall.

"That is not for you to decide," Zhang Li told him succinctly, returning to his tea as serene as ever. The Giver served him a fresh cup quickly and efficiently and Blaine thought he must have imagined that the vampire got a little softer around the edges at her attention.

"Ah, cut your nephew some slack, Li," Ajax gruffed around a bite of bacon that he was eating with his hands, grease going everywhere. "He's obviously having trouble thinking with that huge spear he's got rammed up his ass. You know the one… you've got the other end after all."

Zhang Li ignored the slight and simply sipped his tea.

"Charming," Salvatore chirped and Ajax boomed out a raucous laugh.

Richard twisted his mouth. "As I was saying… we have been considering for a while now the possibility of attempting to open up communications with the Fae again now things have somewhat… settled."

Blaine's fangs descended fully and he bared them harshly before turning on his heels and stalking for the exit without even giving him the dignity of another word. The heartless bastard didn't deserve it.

Settled?! Fucking settled!

How he could continuously and willfully forget that Kurt was his Chosen was astounding to him, especially since the male had his own. Would he still treat him this way if he knew the pain of losing his mother? Would he even still be around to test the theory or would he have immediately gave in to the absolute agony of pain and taken the Rite to put himself out of his misery?

"Blaine, you've not been dismissed," Zhang Li called to him calmly and under his silent orders the guards in the room moved to block the entrance. Blaine contemplated his chances of challenging the two blank faced, shaven haired guards before he drew up short.

"Just when I think you can't go that little bit lower, father," Cooper whistled in admiration, voice laced in vitriol. "Bravo. Truly."

"Surely you can see that this is unacceptable," Wes added on, impeaching the Council to see reason. "If you wish to strike up communication with the Fae again then so be it, but don't ask it of Blaine."

"He is the logical choice," Zhang Li said. "He was close with the royal family."

"So close that they resealed their borders and we've heard nothing from them since?" Wes pointed out. Which was straying into falsehoods now, but they didn't know that and the point remained the same. Without Kurt, they would have probably never heard from the Fae again.

"I won't do it," Blaine broke in, quiet but strong. He turned and faced the room. "Even if I had the means-" He did. "I still wouldn't."

"Well that is entirely your choice at this point," Salvatore said, finished filling his plate with choice bits of food and walking towards the nearest table and chair, which had been set out specifically for the Council, to eat. "Would you like breakfast, Blaine?"

Completely taken aback, Blaine frowned at him in confusion as a bit of his anger drained away.

He still wasn't sure on just where Salvatore stood in this room. One moment he seemed to delight in being contrary for the sake of it, the next fighting wholeheartedly for the right cause and then others he simply sat back and let the drama unfold around him. Right now, he seemed to be going for a mixture of all three, but it was effective at diffusing the situation and Blaine's rising anger.

"Breakfast!" Ajax spluttered out, pastry flying past his lips and catching in his beard. "The wretch thinks to defy our will and then you offer him food?"

"You forget that we are not all decided yet, so until the last Council member sees fit to cast their vote we are at a stalemate and unable to order Blaine to do anything. And nothing is better at a stalemate than bagels and cream cheese," Salvatore stated smoothly, taking a bite of said food before gesturing over with his free hand. "Come Blaine, eat. I assume you haven't indulged just yet from the look of you. Wesley, you too if you would?"

Meaning Blaine looked like he'd just rolled out of bed. He ran a hand through his loose curls and approached the buffet table, Wes flanking him. If they had to eat bagels and cream cheese to potentially gain Salvatore as an ally in this meeting, because he wasn't going to be foolish and assume a little soft cheese was going to buy him a friend for life here, then he'd eat a thousand with a smile on his face.

This is ridiculous. We're wasting time here, he heard Wes hiss in his head and Blaine sent him a mental nod in agreement.

Unless you want to show our full hand then we're just going to have to keep working at it though, he sent back as he grabbed some sliced cheese.

We tell them and they'll put out the alert to every coven in America and then we've lost the element of surprise

Blaine licked his dry lips, stomach knotting. Assuming we have it in the first place

They were finishing filling their plates when Blaine heard his father again.

"I suppose there is always the fae lad that Nicholas Duval is bound to?" Richard said in an aside to the room.

"He does not seem receptive. You have extended the invitation to him before to join his Chosen in these meetings, yes?" Zhang Li said.

"Yes. But we have not ordered him yet."

"FYI, your whispering skills need some major work," Copper said loudly, jaunting over to his throne to flop down into its confines lazily. "Also, you can't order that fae to do anything. He doesn't fall under your jurisdiction."

"He is a part of one of our covens," Ajax grunted, belching afterwards which Cooper turned his nose up at.

"Loosely," Wes played down, turning with plate in hand. "He is the Chosen of a vampire in one of the covens and stays in residence, but he hasn't sworn fealty to the Council. The Fae King still has full authority over him."

"We'll talk to Nicholas then," Richard said. "Order him to try and-"

Blaine couldn't help but start laughing. Really he couldn't. He walked over to where Salvatore was elegantly eating his fill and sat down opposite him, still chuckling quietly to himself.

"What is so funny?" Richard gritted out and he looked up to see his father's face turning puce with anger.

He never did like being the butt of a joke. It got under his skin like nothing else could.

"That you think Nick could get Jeff to do anything he didn't wanna do." He laughed again, stomach hurting a little at the very absurdity of the idea. "Really. I think you've got that relationship completely backwards."

"Indeed," Salvatore asked curiously, fingers playing with a paper thin slice of smoked salmon. "The fae says jump?"

"And Nick asks how high, how many times and whether or not he would like to see a special trick," Wes said dryly, taking the seat beside Blaine, stiff as a post.

"They're fun to watch," Cooper grinned to himself but his eyes were fixed on the doorway.

At his higher vantage point and central position he could see the foyer area by the elevators perfectly. Blaine followed his eye line and saw the first guard who had greeted him off the elevator earlier walking towards Richard who was the closest Council member.

"Council, forgive the interruption, there is a Zachery Kensington and Adam Fox requesting an audience," the straight-faced guard intoned.

"Yours?" Zhang Li assumed, looking straight at Wes who gritted his teeth. "I seem to remember the Kensington youngling was assigned to the Ohio coven in the hopes that a smaller coven would help settle him after his traumatic experiences. I see that is not the case."

A slight on every level.

"They wouldn't have come if it wasn't urgent, I assure you," Wes managed to get out calmly after a beat, uncle and nephew staring one another down with the same dark eyes.

"Check them over then send them in, let's get it over with," Ajax boomed his command, fingers playing with his coarse beard, crumbs falling into his lap as he disturbed the strands.

The guard bowed his head and left on silent feet.

"My Cloud can do that ninja feet thing too you know," Cooper broke the silence. "My Luna too. They are the wonder twins."

Everyone ignored him and Blaine absently placed food into his mouth in the interim. He didn't taste a single thing as he mechanically chewed and swallowed, eyes fixed on the doorway.

Security checks finished, the guard led the striking duo into the room; Adam looking supremely nervous and Zach serious. The latter was what tripped the alarm in Blaine's mind and he sent the thought to Wes who returned the sentiment.

"Sorry to interrupt Council, but we have urgent news that could not wait," Zach said into the waiting silence, voice steady and even. Blaine noticed his hands were shaking however and he watched as Adam's huge paw engulfed the nearest one in automatic reaction to the distress.

"A mated pair," Ophelia observed, finally deeming to break her silence and Blaine started because he had actually forgotten she was there in the room at all. A specter in green velvet against the panoramic windows. She might as well have been part of the scenery for how well she made herself blend into the background until she wanted to be noticed.

It was her voice however that sent the chill down his spine. It was even more void of life than usual and the reason why was heartrending. The thing that most got her notice, most brought a form of life into her for a short spell was the thing that obvious hurt her the most, that sucked the life right back out again with the reminder of all she had never had and all she had lost.

Blaine winced for her, wanted to cry for her, and watched Adam put his eyes back to the floor and Zach draw himself up proudly under her scrutiny.

"Yes. We informed the Council of our bond around two months ago," Zach said; not disrespectful, not smug in the face of her pain, but proud of his Chosen and not willing to hide it away either.

"We've had a lot of bonds emerging lately," Wes said, his voice carefully neutral and completely missing the strain of late that it made Blaine give him a suspicious look.

Kurt had mentioned last night when they were talking with the rubies that Darius had basically given Elana the green light for her to be with Wes. Had she acted so soon? He couldn't imagine it personally, but he hoped to the gods that she had bitten the bullet for both their sakes.

"Such is the way when war threatens. Chosen's strengthen vampires once the bond has been established and accepted and for whatever reasons known to magic itself, the recorded number bonds always spike in times of peril. We lost just as many to the Rite as blade and fang," Ophelia revealed, the length of her years and wisdom falling down around them.

"War!" Richard spluttered. "One attack is not war."

"And that is for you to decide, Richard?" she asked calmly, verdant eyes moving to him from beneath her dark lashes, the way a teacher would talk down to a five year old. And like a five year old, he didn't have an answer and looked appropriately, if furiously, scolded.

"I love when she does that," Salvatore mumbled under his breath, in the type of fanboy awe Blaine would have never expected from him. But hell, he was in a type a fanboy awe of her too so he couldn't fault him.

She abandoned her post by the window and glided across the floor towards Zach and Adam as if pulled in by their gravity. "What is your urgent news, young ones?"

Adam stared down at her completely wide eyed and in shock, like one of the gods had come down and was now standing before him. "I… We… I-I… Hello."

His whole face colored and Ophelia twitched her head to the left the tiniest increment.

"Hello," she replied and for her, it was almost indulgent.

"Council," Zach addressed her with infinite respect and she turned her fathomless gaze on him. "We've gotten reports from our sources that my… that my family is in New York."

The last was ripped out of his throat through glass and came out raw, angry and bleeding.

"The Kensington's?" Ajax burst out, coming to his huge feet, the huge platter on his lap crashing carelessly to the floor with a clang. "Those lowly swine dare to show their faces again?"

"They haven't been exactly hiding from what we have learned," Zach said, face as tight as his voice. "It's like they want me… us, to know."

"Like they're taunting us?" Cooper asked, his face hardening as he slammed his palms down on the thrones arms. "Well, not in my city!"

The Council shared a few silent looks between each other.

"We will need to discuss this new information privately. This meeting is now adjourned but please send us all the information you have," Ophelia asked Zach, nodded at Adam before she walked back towards her window to stare out again. Like a fisherman's wife on a wharf waiting for her sweetheart to come home to her… only they weren't. Ever.

"So father, are you so sure there isn't a threat anymore?" Blaine asked.

---

.

---

"Nick," Jeff giggled as the vampire kissed up his bare abdomen, nuzzling at his navel like an affectionate kitten. The fae reached down and petted him like he was one, carding his fingers through that slightly sweat dampened hair lazily.

He was still pretty boneless from the mind-blowing sex marathon his honey had just treated him to, the tension of weeks seeping out of him into the soiled, thousand thread count sheets. They hadn't really had any time to relax since getting to the Big Apple so it was decadent to actually have the morning off with nothing to do or nowhere to be until later when Nick was scheduled for training and then a patrol. And with Kurt stuck in Geldian, Jeff had started to go stir crazy without his best guys to keep his rampant mind and insatiable energy focused.

There were the rest of his coven of course and he loved spending time with them, but he knew that at certain point he wore them out with his antics and they traded him off to one another to try and keep up when Nick wasn't around. He was sure they had all collectively breathed a big sigh of relief at Kurt's reappearance for more than just the obvious reasons concerning Blaine and that they loved and missed him. Jeff didn't take it personally, but it didn't help him now that he wasonce more Kurt-less and the stupid Council had made him Nick-less more often than not too.

Meanies.

He was sure he could have wrangled his way into the meetings somehow if he really tried but he was also all too aware that the Council- ergo, Blaine's asshole dad- had a vested interest in trying to get him to come to one of the meetings and Nick and they guys kept fielding him. Jeff wasn't stupid. He knew it was because he was supposedly the only known fae on this side of the barrier and he was sure Richard wanted answers, information, maybe another inside line if that was possible. Jeff was tempted to come to one of the meetings just so he could laugh in his face at just how unlikely that was… and not just because he wanted to magic him into the nearest garbage can.

Nick nipped his side, just below his ribs and brought him back into the now. He looked down and saw those melted chocolate orbs staring back up at him adoringly and poked his tongue out playfully at him, crossing his eyes for good measure.

"Oh very attractive," Nick laughed.

"I know right. I should model," Jeff grinned, pulling his best Tyra Banks face. "I mean, we are in New York and I need something to do with my time now that you and my bestie have left me. Why not become a worldwide supermodel?"

"We haven't left you. I'm literally right between your legs," Nick said in exasperation, pinching at his hip.

"Where you used to be far more often than nowadays," he pointed out with an epic pout, shifting his legs so they fit more securely around Nick's hips. He didn't want him going anywhere.

"I'm sorry this war is screwing with your insatiable appetite, sweetheart," Nick half chided and half laughed.

"It's just rude."

"Mm," Nick hummed, laying his head down on Jeff's sternum and getting comfortable.

"It is!"

"Whatever you say, sweetheart."

Jeff rolled his eyes and huffed, but kept petting Nick's hair, ear and neck in turn. He was so, so contented right now with his sexy honey between his legs and he didn't want him running off. Maybe they could nap together and then wake up and do the sexy dance again? He grinned at his own genius.

"You don't have to be down in the gym until four right?" he asked softly, teasing brunette strands between his finger and thumb.

"Mm. David has some new 'toys' he wants to show us apparently," he murmured, using lazy air quotes with one hand before letting it flop back down to the mattress.

"Can I come? I never get to play with the toys," Jeff whined, scratching behind his ear like he knew his vampire liked.

"Um… okay that's fighting dirty… no don't stop!"

Jeff smirked and carried on his ministrations. He was like an overgrown puppy sometimes. "So can I come?" he urged.

"Well David, he kind of only wanted the coven there."

"Am I not part of the coven?!" Jeff said dangerously, fingers very much stopping giving out nice little scratches.

"No! I mean yes, of course, I just meant the vampires in the coven… you know the ones that will be actually using them on patrols or whatever," he tried to salvage pitifully, leaning his chin on Jeff's chest to look up at him. Jeff's bullshit o'metre was hitting a hundred.

"Try again, fang boy."

"I don't want to," Nick said sadly and Jeff scowled. "Fine! And please don't get upset, okay?"

Jeff made no such promise, simply raised an eyebrow.

"David actually… specifically… said you kind of… weren't allowed anywhere near them," Nick hedged with a slight grimace and Jeff sprang upwards in outrage, forcing Nick to go tumbling to the bed with a sigh of disappointment.

"That… asshole! Why am I the only one banned from his stupid toys?"

Nick sat up opposite him and ruffled his disheveled hair. "I don't know, sweetheart. Your relationship with David has always been a mystery to me."

He threw his hands up. "He's a dick and I'm awesome. Mystery solved!"

"O-kay."

"Are you taking his side?" Jeff gaped at him. "You are. You traitor!"

"Sweetheart-" He reached out for him.

Jeff batted his hands away. "Don't you sweetheart me, mister traitor. Go snuggle on David since you love him so much."

"Okay, nasty." Nick pulled a disgusted face and god damn it, why was he always so gorgeous even when pulling ridiculous faces? Not fair. It was totally hard to stay mad at him when he looked all muscly and naked and beautiful and naked.

"I don't even know what the hell they are but I'm going to find his precious toys and destroy each and every one of them. Probably right in front of his smug, asshole face!" Jeff raged, getting up from bed to do just that.

Nick scrambled up after him and caught him around the waist, pulling him back into him. "First of all… you're naked, so there is no way in hell that I'm letting you out that door. And secondly, I'll steal you a toy to play with okay? You know you're my best guy and I love you."

Jeff screwed his mouth up but turned into the tiny kisses Nick began to lay against his neck. "A good one?"

"The best one."

"Fine," he conceded, leaning into the kisses some more because they were kisses from his Nicky. Duh.

"Sweetheart?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think… maybe a little bit of this anger isn't really directed at David at all?" Nick asked quietly and Jeff clenched his jaw. They'd had this discussion a few times over the past few weeks. Ever since Darius extended the invitation to come back to Geldian and every single time Jeff just wanted to hide himself away.

"Please don't start this again," he beseeched, trying to pull away. Nick held him fast though and turned him around.

"Darling, you've got to deal with it sometime. Darius has invited you personally multiple times, Elana has asked you to attend magic training with Kurt-"

"Which is totally unfair. I was doing fine teaching Kurt wasn't I?" Jeff cut off.

"You don't have to ask that, Jeff. Look how far he's come with your help," Nick reminded him and the blonde nodded. It still stung though, that she basically thought he wasn't good enough to help his best friend. That what he had already done was substandard in some way.

"I know you want to go back," Nick said gently and Jeff met his knowing eyes with sad jade ones of his own, hiding under his fringe for cover. Nick swept his bangs aside and cupped his cheek. "You get this look on your face every time you think about it and I've been seeing that look a hell of a lot lately, sweetheart."

"I can't go back there," Jeff said, voice almost inaudible.

"Because of them?"

They both knew who he was referring to.

"Because of all of them!" Jeff exclaimed, hand flying out for emphasis and eyes watering. "Because I'm the outcast fae that didn't come home. That disappointed his parents. That stayed with the awful vampire even after his best friend and prince was killed by one-"

"You can't know they think that," Nick interrupted firmly and Jeff scoffed, letting his eyes roll away in their pool of tears. His arms came up to cross over his chest protectively but Nick got his arms around his and hugged him anyway. "And letting assumptions keep you from where you wanna be is a waste of time, I know you know that. You've always grabbed life and worn it out from how much you live every moment. Don't run scared from it now, sweetheart."

And that was… exactly what he was doing. Running before anything got the chance to hurt him again. Suring up all the angles to prevent a disaster and he had never been this person. This wary, anxious mess that thought about things before he did them and now that he had started second guessing, it seemed like he was stuck in this vicious, exhausting circle of it.

"I just know they hate me," Jeff dissolved, voice cracking and face crumpling at the thought of his parents, and Nick brought him into his body, tucking that blonde head securely against his shoulder.

"They don't know you sweetheart, how can they hate something they don't know?" he cooed.

"And they don't want to get to know me. They never did. They just wanted me to be this perfect little fae, all shaped and molded out already," Jeff mumbled.

"I know, and like I told them all those years ago when they were glaring at us across the table the first time we met. I wouldn't want you any other way," he hushed soothingly.

"I thought they were going to sprout volcanos all over Geldian and blow their collective tops when you said that," Jeff joked weakly, nosing along his collarbone as Nick rubbed over his back in comforting patterns.

"So let them. Go back if you want to, Jeffery Lazinder Duval Sterling," Nick told him sternly. "Don't let the threat of glares or volcanos stop you from doing what you want to do."

"I'm pretty sure volcanos would kind of hinder me a lit-"

He cut off on a shriek of laughter when Nick's hands found his ticklish sides.

"You know what I mean you adorable terror," Nick chided.

"That I'm more badass than a volcano? You're probably ri-ah! Not there! You know that's my spot!"

Nick laughed and continued to wiggle his fingers into the space just left of the right side of his waist. "It's the only way to make you be serious."

"Okay, okay, okay!" he gave in and Nick ceased, placing a laughing kiss to the crown of Jeff's head.

He held him until the last of Jeff's giggles and shudders subsided.

"You are you know," he said gently. At Jeff's questioning hum he kissed his head again. "More badass than a volcano. And so you, my sweetest love, can do anything you put your mind and heart too okay?"

"Yeah," he sighed, chest filling up warm and full, tummy getting butterflies. Nick always knew just what to say to make everything alright… and what Nick didn't know was that the reason why he was more badass than a volcano, was because of him. Nick made him confident and happy and loved. Made him think he could fly or fall and everything would be fine either way. Made him think that he really could go back to Geldian if only he was by his side. The thought made him clutch Nick's muscled arms. Even relaxed the things were huuge. Okay focus. He untucked his head and met Nick's eyes. "You'd be there with me right? If I ever decided to go back?"

"Is that even a question, sweetheart?" Nick asked, a hint amused.

"More a confirmation," Jeff conceded with a relieved smile that Nick kissed.

He pulled back. "Well I can confirm that I love your crazy, perfect ass so yeah, I'll be there."

"My ass is crazy perfect," Jeff agreed and smiled to the sound of Nick's beautiful laughter as he cupped said perfect area and hauled him back into the sheets.

---

.

---

Thad was standing before the huge bookcase that lined the entirety of one wall in Dante's room… well, their room… at least for the length of their stay in New York.

The thought made a blush rise to his face as he remembered that first night.

It had been pure emotion that had made him say yes to Dante when he had put his all into convincing him to stay with him. He had been drunk on the caresses and chaste kisses and pretty words he kept flowing through most of the plane ride, their bond only hours old, and it had overridden every self-conscious excuse he could have thought up.

It was a different matter entirely when they had gotten to the room and Thad was faced with that huge, silk lined, the thing was silk lined, California king. His eyes had grown to the size of dinner plates and he'd thought all at once; oh my god we're going to share a bed. Dante will be in bed next to me. Does he wear clothes to bed? Don't think about that, don't think about that. Great now I can't stop thinking about that and I'm gonna die because there is going to be so much skin and I wonder who else he's had in this bed? Are they still in the coven? Will I have to meet them? Oh gods-

He was on the verge of hyperventilating when Dante had stepped up behind him and bent down to lay a kiss to the very top of his head. Their height difference was insanely obviously when he did things like that and even though he had always hated when people called or implied he was small, he couldn't help but like the way Dante could wrap him up and then some if he wanted to.

Then proceeded the very awkward conversation about sleeping arrangements. Dante didn't want to pressure him or assume anything, Thad felt silly and young and they talked themselves in pointless circles for a while until Dante suggested he take the couch until things were more settled between them. His logic was reasonable. He was older so didn't need to sleep nearly so often and he also kept odd hours working as the coven Doctor.

Thad had still protested though and moved towards the couch himself only to have Dante pick him up and deposit him gently on the bed. He chucked him under the chin, smoothed his thumb over his jaw before pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead and withdrawing with a softly murmured phrase in Italian that sounded like a 'sweet dreams'. Well okay, maybe Thad had hoped it was a sweet dreams because he was a lame, lame nerd who wanted someone to say that to him like he was a co-star in a romcom.

The arrangement had stuck no matter how many times Thad had offered up the bed for a switch. He didn't need to sleep every night either technically so Dante could at least have a turn but the doctor, who should know better, he thought sulkily, was as stubborn as... Keith's skull was thick.

He found that sharing a space… a space that screamed Dante entirely, was very intimate indeed regardless of any mattress, duvet sharing. They showered and dressed in each other's vicinity, though Thad was very careful to lock himself away for both. Dante was a little more liberal with clothes much to Thad's distressing delight. Olive skin and muscles for miles and Thad had walked into furniture, smashed lamps and various other objects from staring so when he should have been concentrating on what he was doing or where he was going.

It was all terribly embarrassing.

And if that wasn't bad enough, the Italian heard the weird, awful noises he made when he slept. The half formed sentences and random words his friends had informed him gleefully that he did while deep in dreamland. They joked that his robot brain didn't have an off button, Dante had simply met his gaze from the sofa in the morning and called him 'adorable,' with a smile. Thad had hid under the pillow until Dante pulled him out by his ankle.

Also the obligatory conversation and touching that came from sharing a space was always there. Not that he minded talking or touching Dante! It was quite the opposite. He found the real problem was that he didn't get enough time with him. Either he was called away to help Elliott or Dante was off playing doctor and Thad was feeling unbearably clingy in the wake of this Chosen bombshell and the way he was constantly surrounded with the Dante fan club.

Gods.

He hated them. And he hated that he hated them. That he let this irrational thing get so under his skin, but he'd seen the way they'd all looked at him when Dante was introducing him around the coven. The really? that was on the tips of their tongues that resonated against too many vulnerable spots inside him. Then there was all the barely concealed disappointed looks that the doctor was suddenly off the market, the heart eyes and batted lashes and obvious innuendos.

If he heard the lines; 'Aw, does this mean our physicals are over?', or 'Should have had you check me over sooner, doctor,' once more he was going online and destroying credit history, rinsing bank accounts, signing people up for a lifetimes supply of the most pointless things. Like Suduko toilet paper so they can be both dumb and uncomfortable, or even an invisible unicorn off of amazon and let them sit there in and work out why they were getting disappointingly empty boxes every day.

They didn't know what kind of geek they were dealing with.

He was pulled from his head full of nefarious plans by the door opening and he turned towards the gorgeous sound of Dante's laugh. Dreamy sigh… only…

"I'm off shift, Abby. Have Kale look you over, he's no me but I assure you he's competent," the doctor joked from the doorway, muscles rippling under his pale yellow shirt as he held onto the frame.

"You can't spare five minutes, doctor?" she practically purred and Thad's stomach rolled at her obviously confident flirting. Dante shook his head and Thad had never felt so relieved. He also wanted desperately to look like he was doing something instead of eavesdropping but he couldn't move his feet.

"Afraid not. I've got a date with a certain kitten of mine."

Right. The kitten that's too scared to share a bed with you. The kitten that didn't know when a date actually was one. The kitten that was so insecure and inexperienced he couldn't do more than kiss. Gods. It wasn't even that he didn't want to! He just got so caught up in his head. All the, am I doing this right? Should I put my hand here? Shit, don't make noises like that he'll hear. Why am I such a loser?

I bet they knew what they were doing.

That was the one that always made him rear back and close himself off or shut things down before they got past kissing.

Thad missed whatever goodbyes they exchanged, he was only brought back around when he felt large hands massaging his shoulders and a nose pressed into his hair. He wanted to push back into his touch but that cold, awful, jealous, insecure monster collapsing his lungs wouldn't let him.

"Hello you," Dante murmured into the dark strands and Thad blinked his eyes a few times to try and focus but all he could think about was that Abby. Was she beautiful? Probably. A long legged blonde immediately came to mind to taunt him. Lovely blue eyes, full red mouth, fucking Marilyn Monroe.

He felt a little sick.

"You're tense, kitten," the doctor hummed, thumbs digging into his trap muscles and making his knees feel like jelly on the first push against tight knots. He ducked his head down to press his mouth against the younger's ear, the first hot exhale as he spoke tracking shivers down his spine. "I missed you today."

Thad grabbed those words like a safety blanket and answered honestly, "Me too." So much.

Dante gave a happy hum, the vibration running down to Thad's toes. "How do things go in cyber world?"

"Fine when I left. There was a, uh, malfunction with the elevator this morning that I may or may not have had something to do with. Elliott will let me know if he needs me for anything else," Thad murmured back, relaxing despite himself under Dante's clever fingers that were taking the stress of a nine hour stint in front of the monitors away.

"Elliott," Dante huffed and Thad furrowed his brow. It wasn't the first time he'd scoffed, growled or wrinkled his nose at the mention of him.

"What's wrong with him? He's your coven brother," he said.

"Nothing. He just gets to see you more than I do right now and that puts him in my bad books," Dante answered innocently, but Thad had a feeling there was something he was leaving out.

Dante and Elliott couldn't have history… right? His stomach rolled completely over at the thought that his newfound friend could have been near his Chosen in that way. Confident, gorgeous, intelligent, unique Elliott who liked the same music as Thad and got all his geeky references and could code just as well as him. He basically was him without all the social and personal anxieties and wasn't that just a kick in the gut.

"I'm glad we could finally get our schedules to match up. We've got that thing with Wes tonight but the rest of the day and night is ours," Dante carried on happily oblivious and Thad swallowed over the lump in his throat.

Just don't think about it. Put it away. He's yours now, he chanted over in his mind desperately. He didn't want to be this person.

"You didn't have to pull a double shift," Thad admonished softly.

Dante shrugged and kissed under his ear gently. Thad arched into it without even realising, eyes fluttering shut. "Those blockhead Council guards have been turning my practise upside down for days so I had to be there to make sure they didn't do any irreparable damage."

Thad nodded. "One of them demanded access to the server when they first got here last week. I set him up in a separate room and have been monitoring him monitoring us, throwing him a glitch here and there, cycling video footage for Blaine and all that. He hasn't noticed yet."

Dante chuckled, warmth, sweet breath fanning across his neck. "Of course not. You're far too clever for your own good, kitten. I think you'd be able to take over the world with a tablet and unlimited Wi-Fi if you wanted to."

Thad flushed. "Not the world."

Dante laughed again and ceased his massage, removing his hands to press his chest against Thad's back fully. Thad opened his eyes in time to see one of those hands come around to gently coax his chin around, fingers spanning his jaw easily. He locked eyes with those entrancing dark orbs and exhaled shakily when he saw how close their faces were. Close, closer still… and then Thad broke away all of a sudden like a skittish colt.

The look on Dante's face was more than surprise or confusion, there was hurt there too and Thad felt awful. "S-sorry."

It was the only thing he could manage to get out over the roaring in his head.

"What's wrong?" Dante asked concernedly.

He shook his head, averting his eyes. "Nothing."

Dante cautiously grasped for his hand and Thad blinked down at their joined fingers. "Thad, please don't shut me out. You've been acting edgy for a few days now and I thought it was just the transition, but now I'm thinking it's something else. Talk to me."

He was the worst vampire on the planet. He'd told Dante he was fine with this, that he understood he had a past and wouldn't hold it against him. This constant obsessing over the who's and why's was the exact opposite of forgetting about it though.

"Was she…?" he found himself blurting before cutting himself off short. He looked down at his feet and curled in on himself.

"Was who what?" Dante pressed on hesitantly.

"I'm sorry. Just forget about it, I'm being stupid." Thad disconnected their hands and walked towards the bedroom hastily, heading for the bathroom to lock himself away before he gave himself away even more obviously. Gods, he wished he didn't have such a loose tongue.

Dante caught him by the elbow and spun him back around. "I think we've established a thousand times over you're not stupid in the least and that I can never forget a single thing about you. So let's try again, kitten."

'I can never forget a single thing about you.' It melted in his heart and made him weak.

C'mon, Thad. Don't be a baby. Just ask. Ask and then you can move on. "That person at the door earlier…" he trailed off and bit his lip anxiously.

"Abby. She's a Giver, a shifter I believe," Dante supplied easily enough, like it was inconsequential, eyes shifting back and forth between his trying to figure him out.

"Have you known her long?" Thad asked, cringing as he did so because he was so transparent he might as well have been made of glass.

Dante finally seemed to get it. "Thad," he said in this tone and the younger vampire shied away, throwing his hands up to his face and pacing around in a tight little circle.

"I'm sorry. I just… I can't help it. I look at all of them and they're all judging me and I wonder which ones have had you that way. They're all so beautiful and I'm so… me." He closed his eyes and carried on his babbling. "I don't want to, I promise. I wasn't lying when I said I could move past it, but being here is so different. I wasn't expecting it to be like this."

Dante gathered him into his arms to still his restless movements, palm cupping the back of his neck and the other spanning the small of his back. "You don't have to apologise. I'm not mad, kitten, and you're perfect. I told you. You're everything, they have nothing on you. If I could take those things back I would do it in a heartbeat," he said fiercely.

His fingers tightened in the sides of Dante's shirt, his forehead pressing against the space over his heart. "I don't hold it against you. I don't. I understand why… I just... my brain doesn't switch off you know and I go a little crazy."

"You've been thinking about this since we got here?" the doctor asked quietly, fingertips curling a little in the dip behind his ear.

Thad shook his head. "Just when we met everyone," he mumbled into his shirt, inhaling the scent of antiseptic and sandalwood greedily.

"Come here," Dante encouraged moving them to the bed and getting Thad to sit on his lap of all places. He flushed head to toe but he couldn't help the pleasant little flip in his stomach from the position. The doctor's arm wrapped around his hips, pulling him into a snugger fit and he felt small and safe and secure, the anxious tension from before draining out of him slowly.

Lips pressed to his shoulder, branding through the thin cotton. "I've never been with anyone in my coven, Giver or otherwise. I used to look for people who were just passing through New York."

The declaration unknotted a thousand snarled threads in his body.

"Like Dana," he forced himself to say.

Almost black eyes blinked up at him intensely. "I never wanted any of them to stay and they didn't want to either. It was momentary. Insignificant really in the grand scheme of things since we were both waiting for somebody else."

Thad nodded. They'd been through this and he felt horrible to keep bringing it up like he was throwing it in his face, but there were a few things he just needed to know before he could lay it to rest. He'd been fooling himself when he thought that the less he knew about it the better off he'd be. The uncertainty was the worst part.

He twisted his hands in his lap as he mulled it all over, "Did you and Elliott ever..?"

Dante's brows nearly flew off his forehead. "Me and Elliott?!"

His tone made the notion seem ridiculous and Thad flushed. "It's just… you seem to be this certain way when you talk about him so I thought that maybe… you know. He could have been an exception or something?" His cheeks got even redder and Dante's large palms cupped them tenderly.

"No vampire's but you remember? You're my only exception."

His tummy exploded with butterflies. "Oh."

Dante smiled lovingly at him and pecked him on the forehead and nose, because even though Thad was sitting on his lap the doctor was still just that tiny bit taller than him.

"And if you want to know the truth, the reason I'm a certain way when I talk about Elliott is because the little bastard is a flirting fiend that has taken a rather big liking to you my perfect little intelligent one," he said grudgingly, mouth twisting in a now familiar expression.

Thad's face must have betrayed his incredulity. "No," he denied. "People don't flirt with me. That's just-"

"Kitten, I was flirting with you so hard from the moment I met you I was gonna give myself an aneurism from it," he stated frankly, carding his fingers through his hair.

"You were?" he squeaked.

Dante half laughed and half sighed his exasperation. "You are hopeless."

Thad cleared his throat and shrugged one shoulder coyly, looking up from under his lashes. "Hopeless is a strong word. A little socially awkward maybe?" he offered with a little joking smile and Dante burst out laughing.

"That or my flirting skills suck majorly."

"Well… I didn't want to mention it…"

Dante gave him an affronted little gasp and Thad bit his lip to keep in his giggles.

"Okay, you got me," Dante sighed, flinging himself backward on the bed and pulling Thad with him. The younger squeaked but managed to twist his body enough to get his forearms under him on either side of the doctor's shoulders. He felt hot all over, body pressed flush to his Chosen's and the feel of hands coming up to frame just above his bum. His heart thumped madly and he glanced up into Dante's knowing but gentle eyes.

"I got you?" Thad asked breathlessly.

"Uh huh, in more ways than one," he murmured and Thad felt a happy jolt inside him at the declaration. "I suck at flirting with you. You make me stupid, tongue tied and unsure and I am also jealous of Elliott because he's a smooth bitch and I hate his guts for that," Dante admitted, brutally honest.

Wow. He had no idea. "Oh… well… I like the way you talk to me," he admitted shyly.

Dante lit up, thumbs curling around and finding his hipbones under his shirt. "Yeah?"

He nodded, bringing his arms up to rest them on Dante's chest and his chin on top of them.

"Elliott just makes me laugh… you make me… something else," he murmured, deferring at the end but he knew his face and eyes said it all. You make me feel; excited, happy, loved, safe, scared in the best and most terrifying ways.

"And are you feeling better now that I'm just as jealous and insecure as you are?" Dante asked gently, smoothing his hand up his back.

"Honestly. Yes," Thad said, mouth twitching upwards. He moved his arms and buried his head in Dante's chest again. It was comforting to know that his Chosen wasn't this smooth operator. That he had confidence problems sometimes and jealous thoughts too. "I'm sorry for being a jealous brat."

"You are the furthest thing from a brat there could be," Dante denied, rolling his head to the side so he could peer down at his face better. "If you're unsure about anything then you can talk to me though. I know being faced with my past isn't exactly fun for you, I don't hold your reactions against you."

"It's not that I think you're going to run away," Thad said softly, tracing a small star over Dante's ribs with the side of his finger. "It's just sometimes I question why you want to stay with me."

"There's no question. Thad Harwood, you are my Chosen, my reason for being born onto this earth. Why would I have any doubts as to why I would want to spend the rest of this and any coming life with you?" Dante said gently, steel underlying his words.

It was exactly what he needed to hear. "I might need you to repeat that… from time to time," he admitted self-consciously.

"Of course, kitten. At least once a day I'll tell you how amazing and perfect I find you," Dante promised and Thad buried his burning face in his shirt feeling lighter.

Those magic hands continued the manipulation of knots on his back again as a soft silence settled like clouds around them. Thad was practically purring by the end of it, completely lax on top of him and Dante took the opportunity to roll them so he was on top.

"Now that's sorted and you're nice and loose…" he husked cheekily, slotting their legs together and towering over him.

Thad lost all the breath in his lungs, an excited thrum humming through his blood as he was pinned down swiftly. The doctor bent lower, tousled hair falling over his forehead artfully and Thad couldn't tear his eyes away from this gorgeous creature that actually wanted him. Who was actually his.

"Can I kiss you now? I've been dying to for twenty hours straight," Dante begged, nuzzling their noses together and Thad wet his lower lip unconsciously. The doctor groaned. "Teasing little kitten."

"Yes, please," Thad said shyly, more like whined in actuality which was embarrassing as all hell, and Dante smiled to his eyes.

"So polite."

It was still clumsy and unsure when their lips met. Thad's fault he knew, not that Dante seemed to mind too much as he effortlessly corrected the placement and pressure, using his hand to guide Thad's jaw. It was heady and exciting and terrifying. Kissing Dante was always like doing something death defying. Scary anticipation at first but once he was actually into it the thrill had him wanting to do it again and again and again and again…

It seemed to occur to him in the very back of his mind, that part that he couldn't seem to ever switch off completely, that the way Dante kissed him was somewhat of a statement all of itself. All Thad's fears about not being good enough, not being experienced enough, rose and were answered just as swiftly in the total contentment he could feel rolling off Dante in waves. There was no pressure or expectation in the way Dante's lips curled around his, simply a satisfaction, like Thad's mouth was something to be mapped out and explored and cherished without any suggestion of more in sight.

It created a warmth that spread through Thad's limbs like honey, slow and thick, and instead of thinking himself into a hole of despair and ending this prematurely like he usually did, Thad suddenly wanted to spend hours kissing. Wanted this intense heat to last forever and their lips to never part so they would become the opposite of clumsy. So they'd know each other as well as Nick and Jeff or Kurt and Blaine.

And in the end they might well have.

Hours wiled away lying on that huge bed, daylight fading around them of darkening gold into black, Dante's leg trapped between Thad's and their mouths barely parting, even as they talked and laughed between the kisses. Their fingers touched, finding and marking favorite paths to travel, until they became weighted as their mouths got swollen and sore. Too heavy to do anything more than tuck themselves up against a chest, or the arch of a cheekbone, thread into hair, or rest at the small of a back.

Thad was drunk on his caresses; torn between so excited he couldn't keep still and so content he could have fallen asleep to the touch of those full lips on his.

"Will you… mmm… will you stay here… with me… tonight?" he found himself asking spontaneously as they came up for air, getting the words out around pecks of lips and little sighs and hums. And maybe it was the oxygen deprivation, or maybe it was because the desire for it was so big, or maybe it was both, but he didn't want to take it back once the request was out there.

Dante pulled back properly and looked down on him, lips shiny and red, hair mused and Thad had a revelation of that was me. I did that, which flipped his world on its axis.

"In bed?" Dante clarified, eyes dark and intense.

"To sleep," Thad tacked on shyly, a little unsure as his boldness caught up to him and his brain began to come back online enough to register it.

Dante smiled wide, bye brain function again, and he looked so damn beautiful it hurt. What was air right now?

"I'd love that. You have no idea how hard it's been to keep from crawling in next to you all this time," he rumbled.

Thad flushed self-consciously and flexed his fingers where they were resting around Dante's neck and shoulder. "I'm weird when I sleep."

Dante chuckled and kissed his lips again, a lingering catch of mouths. "You're adorable. My adorable little kitten," he mumbled and then they lost themselves again.

---

.

---

"Are you sure this room is secure?" Blaine asked Thad for the hundredth time and the small vampire smiled nervously at him before looking to Elliott who was clicking away at his laptop.

"We've got it handled. The Council's security won't know anything's amiss," Elliott promised chirpily, studded shirt pushed up to his elbows and revealing a few tattoos of varying designs around his wrists and forearms.

Blaine sat back with a sigh in his seat, right leg bouncing with anxiousness as he surveyed the room.

A select few had gathered in one of the large conference rooms on the second floor, the monochrome styled space airy and state of the art. All the lower levels were designed like this, posed as normal offices in order to cover for the coven. The outside of the huge skyscraper said Anderson Industries and Cooper had in fact set up a legitimate business that made the coven money, only, they didn't have employees to fill up the empty chairs and flick on the disused computers. Elliott mostly run the whole thing by himself with a little help here and there from others when needed, a lot of the actual work or production being outsourced to other locations filled with actual workers. He'd taken Cooper's vision and poorly executed start up when he'd joined the coven and turned it into a thriving, successful force to be reckoned with.

"Aw I love my geek squad," Cooper grinned, primping himself in one of the mirrors near the head of the table. The vain idiot had them installed everywhere, even places he rarely ever stepped into.

"And I've got the terrible threesome causing some trouble on level eighteen to keep them occupied enough," David threw in from his seat opposite Blaine. Wes gave him a look from next to him which he shrugged at. "You asked me to take care of it. I did."

"Not at the risk of something exploding," Wes sighed, leaning his elbow on the table and rubbing at his temple.

David rolled his eyes heavily. "Why are you so grumpy? Mr My Bitch Princess Chosen Has Finally Deemed To Speak To Me."

Wes gnashed his teeth at him while Cooper laughed delightedly at the show.

"Can Kurt come back yet?" Jeff whined, squirming in his chair like a bored five year old. He had the fist sized ruby in his lap ready to contact his best friend, guarding it fiercely much to Blaine's annoyance. He'd used it as a bargaining chip to get himself invited to this meeting and he wasn't letting go of it anytime soon.

It was stressful, phones didn't work past the wards in Geldian so without that ruby he had no way of talking to Kurt and Jeff was hoarding it like it was treasure. Gods, that was probably accurate the way he was feeling right now. This morning had been the straw that had broken the camel's back and he just wanted to hold his Chosen and take a breath.

He wanted the Council gone. He wanted Kurt here. He wanted Jeremiah, Marcus and all those elitist rogue scum dead.

In that order.

"You're fine to let him know he can come now," Thad said fiddling with the last of some wires in the corner, heading back to the table and his laptop that was in-between Elliott and Dante. Before he could sit down between them he was pulled onto Dante's lap. He yelped a little and Dante smiled guilelessly up at him, completely satisfied with the position.

"Um…"

Dante's arms tightened and he relaxed back into his chair like he was getting comfy for the long haul. "Don't let me stop you from doing your thing, kitten. Just forget I'm here."

The look on Thad's red face screamed: how?!

"Just pull the computer over and deal with it," Cooper instructed, spinning the chair at the head of the table around so he could seat himself. "Dante's got it into his head to be sickeningly loved up today."

"Call Kurt," Blaine said to Jeff as the banter continued around his head and the blonde eagerly grasped the precious stone between his hands.

"Come home, Dorothy. Your boo is just a tin vampire because you took his heart with you when you went away!"

"Tin man? More like scarecrow. No brains," Cooper snickered and Blaine didn't even think about it before he launched a glass at his head. Cooper ducked it with a laugh and Blaine growled. He wasn't in the fucking mood.

The fae prince popped into view a second later with Elana in tow and the room went silent for a second or two.

They were a vision together and everyone was struck dumb in the face of their ethereal beauty.

"Hey, guys," Kurt smiled obliviously at them, heading straight for Blaine to lean down and give him a kiss. When the vampire didn't press back he pulled away with a frown. "What's up, sweetie?"

Blaine's hands automatically found Kurt's hips and he set him back a step to rise onto his own feet and look him from head to toe.

Gods.

Gone were the modern, human clothes and in their place were fine fae garments in white and silver that clung and flowed over his body like a waterfall. The most striking thing however was the flower crown on his head. The confession of that night under their tree in Gedian came back to him.

'I miss the flowers'

And damn, he had. Seeing them now told him just how much. It seemed a silly thing to miss, an inconsequential detail, but the innocence and purity they represented seemed to sooth his jagged soul and ease the ever present tension in him. Blaine was forcibly brought back to their very first meeting, how happy and carefree they had both been then.

Kurt had never looked more like the fae prince he once was until that moment; with the smell of flowers and sunshine clinging to his skin, magic running like electricity in his blood and bringing a healthy noticeable glow to his complexion like he'd been dipped in diamond dust.

Jeff let out a long wolf whistle and Kurt seemed to catch on to what had them all so entranced finally. He flushed, hand going up towards the flowers. "Oh, I was just playing around before Jeff called and I didn't want to wait and get changed again… someone can go grab me a change of clothes from upstairs-"

"No!" Blaine burst out and Kurt raised a brow at him. It was Blaine's turn to flush, but he was smiling too. "You look beautiful."

Kurt went warm inside and dropped his hand back to Blaine's shoulder. "You think? I know you said about the flowers… I was trying them out..?"

He seemed to be slightly embarrassed at getting caught at it and Blaine never wanted that.

"The flowers are my favourite part," Blaine admitted sincerely, letting his admiration and reverence show all over his face. He raised his own hand and traced feather-light over the petals of each flower; orange, white, pink, blue.

"I thought it would feel weird," Kurt admitted softly, leaning into his touch. "I'm not that person anymore, but I am at the same time."

"Don't think so hard about it," Cooper chipped in drolly. "If you like it then wear it. If you wanna do something, do it. It's not like old Kurt is a different entity altogether and you'll be copying him or trying to be him or whatever it is you're worried about."

"I find it disconcerting that you are capable of giving the same advice as me," Elana said dryly as she approached Wesley, steps cautious under her heavy, rich skirts. She was dressed in striking green and white today, hair pinned half up, half down in a way that made her slightly more approachable.

The room knew it for what it was. A concession. An effort on her part. Compromise. For Wes, her soulmate.

And said vampire looked torn between what he wanted to do in the face of her. Embrace. Hold back. In the end he got to his feet and pulled out the chair next to him for her to sit in. The princess accepted the offer with a soft, "Thank you."

Wes practically beamed from ear to ear as he seated her… if his facial muscles could do that sort of thing that is. The gentle smile that formed across his lips instead was the equivalent.

"How has today been?" Kurt asked quietly to Blaine, bringing his attention back around.

"Lonely without you but quiet mostly. The Council have been in talks most of the day," Blaine explained, moving his hand to play with the flowers hooked over one pointed ear idly. "I missed you. So much."

"I missed you too," Kurt returned softly, leaning into the touch. "I may have been driving Darius and Elana a little crazy."

Blaine bit back a smile. "You? Crazy? No."

Kurt giggled softly and slapped a hand at his chest in rebuke. "Like you've been the epitome of well-adjusted, Mr Mopey Pants."

"Jeff told you?" he sighed.

Kurt gave him a look that said everything. "Of course he told me."

"Yeah. Stupid question I get it. Your bond knows no bounds and all that junk."

"Aww, are you jealous?" Kurt teased, eyes sparkling with mischief and humour as he played with the fabric of his shirt over his sternum, plucking it between his fingers almost coyly.

Blaine pouted. "I have to steal that damn gem thing from his clutches every time I want to speak to you! I literally think he's going to bite me sometimes."

Kurt snorted another giggle because he could totally see that happening.

"And I love you for risking your fingers to talk to me," he cooed. "But you knew going in that you'd have to timeshare me with that crazy blonde."

Blaine gave a dramatic sigh and cupped the back of the fae's neck gently, thumb resting just behind his ear. "But it's different when I can't see you whenever I want. When I can't touch you or hear your voice." He leaned in. "Kiss you."

Their lips met again feather light and that's the time Jeff chose to come rushing over, gathering Kurt up to himself with a happy little squeal of excitement.

"You're finally back! My world has been so empty and cold without you!"

"Hey!" Nick exclaimed, mega pouting to the extreme. It didn't have the same effect as the other way around at all.

"Nicky's been abandoning me too… to hang out with David," Jeff said mournfully and now David was the one pouting and scowling.

"I missed you too, blondie. Learning magic has not been the same at all," he shuddered and Jeff preened.

They chatted back and forth for a while, everyone in the room getting settled in again with the newcomers and catching up on things from both Geldian and New York. Nick coaxed Jeff back to his seat eventually and Blaine sighed happily at having Kurt's full attention on him once more.

"So David's really taking this training thing seriously, huh?" Kurt mused. "With the guns and the schedules and the Fight Club attitude."

"Yeah. We need to be ready though, so you can't be too proactive," Blaine said and Kurt nodded resignedly.

"It's why I've gotten Elana to show me a lot of defensive spells lately…" He looked towards where David was sitting staring tensely into his glass. "I'm worried about him though. He doesn't smile anymore," he observed sadly in a whisper the room's collective supernatural hearing wouldn't pick up.

"I know," Blaine sighed. "The only thing we can do is be there for him. Wes and I have tried talking to him about it all but it's hard to stage an intervention when there's an impending war on the horizon."

Kurt nodded and returned to his normal volume. "The sooner this is over the better."

"Mmm," Blaine hummed in wholehearted agreement. "There was something I wanted to talk to you about too while we're on the subject of getting this war over and done with. I was thinking about starting to go out on the patrols with the others to check on the out of house coven members. We've had a few reports of disturbances lately, more and more in the last few days. And I know back in Ohio you weren't very comfortable with it but I thought we could discuss it again now that circumstances have changed?"

Kurt bit his lip. His immediate reaction was a huge, fat, resounding no. He didn't want Blaine out there risking being attacked by whatever was lurking around New York's back alleys. But as he detached himself from that irrational, overprotective, inbuilt response, he worked the concept over in his mind. Blaine was strong now. He'd been going to therapy and regularly feeding. In fact, he was probably stronger than all his coven brothers physically and he wanted Blaine to be actively doing something instead of being stuck inside dwelling over all the, if's, but's and maybe's. Especially now that being inside meant dealing with the Council and a certain father and mother he didn't want to talk to.

"I think… that's a good idea."

Even as he said it he was aware of how far they'd come in such a short space of time. He remembered the argument that followed him finding out about Blaine training with David to go on patrols in Ohio and though that was largely about Blaine hiding it from him, another part of it was fear for his soulmates safety.

The vampire was surprised, it was written all over his face and Kurt rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to chain you up, Blaine. I'm not thrilled about the potential danger you're going to put yourself in but I know you can handle yourself. It's hard, but the simple and terrifying fact is… we're at war. I'm coming to terms with it after all the crazy shit that has happened over the last few months and I don't want to leave us crippled just because I'm scared and selfish."

"Spoken like true royalty," Elana approved, overhearing their conversation and gracing him with a rare smile.

Blaine shook his head, his own loving smile in place. "No. That's just, Kurt."

"No need to sweet talk me, honey. I already agreed," Kurt cheeked, tugging playfully at the collar of his polo. "But if you come back with one hair out of place then I will murder you myself," Kurt finished pleasantly, pecking him on the cheek before taking a seat at the table elegantly.

Cooper sighed dreamily, cheeks smooshed between his palms. "Why weren't you my Chosen, Kurtie-kins?"

Blaine growled at his brother threateningly as he took the seat besides Kurt with less grace; he was more concerned with getting as close as possible and staking ownership over his pretty Chosen.

"You couldn't handle me, Coop," Kurt winked at him, familiar with the routine by now.

"But it'd be so fun to try," Cooper pouted, snaking a knowing glance at his brother to see just how much he was getting to him.

Blaine flipped him the bird and the elder threw his head back and laughed.

The door opened and in walked Vest, another pair of killer heels on that appeared ready to stomp on someone. She had on another fifties style outfit, red chiffon poking out of the bottom of a black baby doll dress and hair done up in rolls.

"You summoned oh tedious one?" her smoky voice rasped sarcastically.

Wes slanted the New York leader a confused frown. "I wasn't aware we had invited anyone other than who we discussed?"

They already had too many people in this room as it was, any more was pushing the line of suspicious and gave them more chance of being caught out.

"She has information we need," Cooper dismissed the concern like he did most things. "In fact, my darling little brother and his pretty little imp would very much like to hear her theories on a few things."

Blaine frowned first at his brother then Kurt, who had an equal look of confusion and interest on his face.

Vest snorted and propped herself up against the wall nearest to the metal bookcase in the far left corner. "Theories are for stupid people. I know what I'm talking about."

"What do you know?" Blaine turned in his seat to ask her.

"And about what?" Kurt tacked on.

"Hoo-kay," Zach trilled, breaking the moment as soon as he walked through the doors and saw them all gathered there. "Secret meeting is secret." Cloud followed him in and he thumbed at the silent vampire. "And this one nearly got his head taken off for creeping on my honey and me. I mean I get it, we're hot, but knock first dudes."

"He wouldn't have been sent to get you if you remembered where you were supposed to be," David snarked.

Zach shrugged carelessly and sprawled down in the nearest chair, a glare of mismatching patterns and colours as he propped his feet up on the desk and tipped the chair back onto two legs. He looked at them all expectantly and half the room rolled their eyes.

"How quaint," Elana said dryly, she still hadn't forgiven him for the t-shirt incident, and looked to Wes. "And why is this one here?"

"Unfortunately, despite appearances and popular opinion, he has a pretty good brain underneath that awful hair," the leader informed her.

"Hey! My hair is spectacular and unique!" Zach defended, hands defending his fiery spikes.

"You look like an old brush someone left out with the paint still on and it dried all weird," David pitched in with a smirk.

"That was such a five year old response," Nick laughed.

"Oh yeah? And what do I look like then?" Vest said to David challengingly, twirling a perfectly manicured nail around her own locks of red and David snapped his mouth closed. He'd had one too many run in with her and Jinx to be comfortable around her at all, not to mention this witch seemed to radiate 'BADASS' like it was the name of the perfume she wore and he was sick of always catching the brunt.

"Redhead's rule!" Zach cheered holding his hand out for a high five that she ignored.

"What do you know?" Blaine asked Vest again and the witch turned her attention back to him, pushing off the wall and stepping forwards to lay her hands on the table. Her eyes locked on Kurt in that same eerie way as when he first met her.

"You wanna know how Jeremiah killed you right? How he was able to cancel out your magic," she said as blunt and straight forwards as her personality seemed to be.

"Yes," Kurt whispered.

"We surmised it was through the use of magic. An outside source or he allied with someone with access to it," David told her, scratching at his ear. "We couldn't ever find proof or an outsider though."

"He had help," Vest said certainly. "But they didn't cast the spell themselves, Jeremiah definitely did that on his own. They only helped him get the power to do it."

"How do you know?" Blaine asked.

"Because a witch or wizard can't, with a capital C, bind a fae's powers. It's impossible," Vest said frankly.

"Which brings about the same question," Elana pressed, eyes keen and slightly narrowed.

"Witches don't have the most sparkling reputation," Vest drawled wryly. "Oh, not as bad as these fangy bastards but definitely not the sterling, pristine, passive past of the fae."

"Your insinuation is that witches have tried to bind a fae's powers before," Elana picked out.

"Bind. Sap. Drain. You name it, they've tried it," she ticked off her manicured fingers.

"How lovely," Kurt said, bristling with Elana on their people's behalf.

"Don't feel bad, we've tried it with almost every magical race, sugar," she shrugged carelessly.

"It's impossible for a vampire to use magic. Everyone knows that," Wes countered getting back to the point. "Jeremiah couldn't have done it."

"Almost impossible," she corrected archly. "There's a big difference there."

"Our history books say otherwise. All the lore-"

"Is wrong," she cut off. "I just told you. The only other race with access to magic like the fae's is a witch or wizard and we can't bind their powers. We're not strong enough for one. But most importantly, even pooling our power the magic revolts against such a thing. We've tried for centuries to get around it some way and nothing has ever worked."

Wes frowned as he assimilated that. "So you're saying magic has a kind of inbuilt protection for other magic users?"

"Of a kind. Magic has strict guidelines all of its own. Not even the fae have discovered all its wonders," Elana told him.

"Like you for example," Vest said, eyes back on Kurt.

He shifted. "What about me?"

"Well by all accounts you should be dead."

Blaine was out of his seat and snarling at her in a blink of an eye. Kurt grasped onto his arm to keep him by his side.

"She's not threatening me, sweetie," he reassured.

"You've never actually wondered why your mothers spell worked when a thousand others of the same never have?" Vest continued, never wavering even in the face of Blaine's fangs.

"Of course I have!" Kurt spat at her, getting angry and defensive. He hated talking about this, the guilt he carried for the act ate at him.

"Kurt," Jeff said his name soothingly, throwing him a comforting smile. Kurt swallowed and sat back in his seat, trying to take deep breaths in.

"Our mother was very powerful," Elana said, quietly proud of her instead of bragging.

"And that had a lot to do with it yes," Vest acknowledged, tipping her head. "But I assure you other powerful beings have tried the same over the years. I'm sure King Darius considered it once or twice after both his son and soulmate were gone."

Elana hitched a telling breath that told the room everything.

"So you're saying that magic itself allowed the spell to work?" Blaine asked, out of his depth.

Vest nodded. "Magic was violated the day Jeremiah used it for such evil intent. It allowed Clarisse to fix a wrong, but magic like that can never be without sacrifice. Energy for energy as it has always been."

"We have had our best teachers working on this problem and none have been able to provide an answer. What makes you so sure you have it?" Elana questioned bluntly.

"Because you're not looking at it the right way. You're looking for a spell or a chant or an ingredient or an amount of power," Vest told her. "And it's none of those things. It isn't tangible."

"You're implying that someone who doesn't naturally have magic can get around those guidelines or rules or whatever?" Nick surmised hesitantly. "That because they don't have natural ties to the magic they can somehow cheat it."

Vest side glanced at him. "Not without severe consequences. It will always find a way to restore the balance somehow."

That made Blaine feel a little better about never finding Jeremiah. At least he didn't get away as free as he thought he had.

"You don't cheat magic," Elana intoned and the room grew eerily silent at her statement.

"It makes sense. I always thought he had someone to help him perform the magic part, but if he did it himself then it might also explain why we were never able to find any evidence of Jeremiah out and about since then," Jeff suggested. "If something happened to him for abusing magic?"

"Would it have killed him?" Blaine asked.

Vest exchanged a look with Elana and shrugged. "I really have no idea what might have happened to him, but mark my words there would have been a serious backlash."

"Jeremiah didn't kill Kurt with magic though… just stripped his powers so he could do it himself," Cooper mused out loud. "So if magic's an eye for an eye kinda girl then I doubt the bastard's dead."

"Can we stop talking about people killing me please?" Kurt asked, rubbing at his temple. "Or people being dead in general. Speculation isn't going to get anyone anywhere."

Blaine reacted instantly to his distress and wrapped an arm around his waist, pressing a kiss to the back of his massaging hand. He didn't like the talk either, it set his teeth on edge and made him want to carry Kurt out of the room like the words alone could hurt him.

"He's right. We should concentrate on the facts we have and move from there," Wes agreed and Blaine sent him a mental thanks. "It seems we have another unknown player that's been thrown into the ring."

"It was a witch or wizard," Vest said. "Unless you know of a psychopathic fae that's gone off the range?"

"No, we have everyone accounted for in Geldian," Elana said surely, then narrowed her brown eyes. "And I would appreciate you not casting blame in their direction again without evidence."

Vest rolled her own eyes.

"So to sum up. We have established that some unknown witch or wizard helped Jeremiah get access to magic so he could strip Kurt's powers and… um… get him out of the way, but that magic turned around on him and has possibly left him… indisposed?" Nick said, looking around the room to see if there was something he missed.

"Well done, sugarplum," Jeff praised him, running a hand through the back of his hair in reward for being so very clever.

Blaine rolled his eyes at the way Nick sat up straighter under it, he would have been wagging his tail if he had one like a dog.

"I can put some more feelers out into the witch community and see if I get a bite," Vest offered. "But I've been looking into this for a while and I've never turned anything concrete up. Whoever did this isn't bragging about it… which is weird for a witch. We love to lord shit over each other."

"Why did you start looking into it?" Blaine asked curiously.

Vest's eyes cut to Cooper for a second. "It was a joint enterprise. What I forgot to mention before was that I have been approached before by an individual wanting to harness magic. They wanted my help and I of course declined, but my interest was pricked and I did a little research into the subject before Prince Kurt's death. Cooper approached me after his contacts had turned up nothing about the location of Jeremiah, the trails all running into dead ends and I reopened my research and began to collect what information I could. It's been a long half a century, witches and wizards do not give up their secrets easily, but I gave my full report of what I'd found to Cooper last night and he insisted I be the one to report it to you two, too."

"See. Isn't she smart," Cooper grinned, giving Vest a wink.

Blaine was knocked a bit through a loop. Having that awful night explained to him, the details so much clearer now was… surreal. He didn't know what to think and a look at Kurt's tight expression told him that his Chosen was having a hard time processing as well.

"Thank you Vest for your input," Wes said to her, inclining his head and she buffed her lipstick nonchalantly.

Gerran came crashing into the room at that moment, nearly falling over himself to stop himself from crashing into the table. "Uh, hi boss," he said sheepishly.

"What part of secret meeting is not computing with you people?" Wes sighed, running a hand over his short hair agitatedly.

"Would you like me to remove him from the room for you?" Elana asked pleasantly, like she was offering her soulmate a boon and he actually smiled at her happily.

"Their relationship is strange," Kurt whispered to Blaine.

"Look around this table and tell me whose isn't, beautiful," Blaine snorted back.

"Touché."

"We may have created a slight problem on level eighteen," Gerran cringed.

"What kind of problem?" Cooper asked dangerously, his fingers resting in a steeple. "If you've ruined my precious skyscraper I will make sure you die a thousand deaths."

"I didn't notice any disturbance," Elliott frowned over at Thad for confirmation. The younger hummed in agreement and there was the sound of tapping as Thad pulled the feed up on the smart screen at the far end of the room.

"Uhhh… our bad?" Thad grimaced and Elliott laughed out loud, leaning back in his chair and throwing his arms behind his head.

Everyone in the room's jaws dropped.

"Are those...?" Blaine asked faintly.

Gerran hung his head. "Yes."

"And are they-" Kurt asked, pointing to the corner of the display.

Gerran cringed. "Yup."

Jeff tilted his head to the side. "And is Keith-"

"Yes, okay!"

Wes got that red, constipated look on his face he always did when he was at the end of his rope with them. Blaine recognised it because he'd been incurring the wrath of it since he was a youngling.

"What. The. F-"

"Now don't be hasty," David tried to intervene. Swearing Wes was a step from murder-y Wes. "I asked them to make a distraction. And as you can see," he waved towards the screen. "It's very…

"Distracting," Nick leaned forwards to chip in for solidarity's sake.

"Thank you."

Nick tapped a fist to his chest twice and nodded his head making David want to run his head into a wall.

"Nicky, you're not in a gang," Jeff whispered to him. Nick pouted and Jeff couldn't have that so he sucked that pout into his mouth.

"Always with the sex, Jeff?" Kurt asked his friend exasperatedly.

"I am going to beat all of your heads into this table," Wes told the room icily. "Why can't we have a serious meeting? For once. Is that too much to ask?! There's a war on for the god's sakes!"

Zach made a protesting noise. "Now I find that unfair. I haven't even done anything… today," he tacked on because that was a pretty important fact.

"I have a bad feeling that my little apprentice was involved in this whole fiasco," Vest drawled as she watched the drama on the screen unfold further, making David snort rudely.

"Fiasco? I swear that headcase is the cause for freak floods and hurricanes," he corrected her without preamble.

She rolled her eyes. "That was one time. And stop being so sore, she fell on you once and singed your eyebrows with a stray fireball. They look just as horrible as ever so no harm done, sugar."

"She turned every drink I picked up into flowers for two days!"

"Gave that liver a rest though," Blaine said snidely.

David pointed at him. "Oh don't you jump on me again, Cujo! Save the intervention for a different day."

Vest turned back to Gerran and gave him an arch, you-lie-to-me-and-I'll-make-sure-no-one-finds-where-I-put-your-body, look. And the vampire looked struck dumb in the face of her… like he'd not seen her before this moment and was only now taking the time to appreciate her vivid beauty and how much her murderous aura did it for him.

"Hi, you're Vest right? I'm Gerran and I'm totally into what you have going on, I may actually love you. I feel honesty is one of my better qualities," he grinned at her, all straight white teeth framing the hint of dimples.

"Oh for the god's sakes," Blaine sighed, though he was smiling despite himself. Gerran was quite charming when he wanted to be.

Vest cocked a scathing brow and looked him head to toe, making sure to keep the disinterest on her face to let him know she found nothing special about him in particular. It didn't phase Gerran in the least. In fact, the challenge of it seemed to only ignite his interest further.

"Not going to happen, pretty boy," she told him frankly, leaning back against the table.

"You think I'm pretty and I think you're hot as hell. That sounds like something's happening to me," he quipped, taking a step closer.

She rolled her eyes and shoved him backwards with one heeled foot.

"Is there audio for this?" Dante asked idly, peering over Thad's shoulder to look at the laptop instead of the projection. The little vampire tapped a few keys and then-

"Ahhhhhh! Get it OFF ME!" Keith screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Just hold still!" Spencer called after him. "Jinx, c'mon you gotta do something!"

"Oh botheration, fine let me try-"

"NO! No more trying. She just makes it worse! Why in hell did we ask a witch named Jinx to help us, are we mother fucking brain damaged?" Keith wailed hysterically. "And where the fuck did Gerran run off to. I hate him. He's a fucking cowardly bitchlamp! I am going to so haunt his ass when I die."

"Language," Jinx sang.

"Fuck my language. I'm going to die and it's your fault!"

"You're not going to die," Spencer consoled.

"Look at me! LOOK AT THIS THING! How am I not going to die, Spence?! And you're not having my Xbox when I go either, you're going to have to get all those achievements yourself."

"Everything's going to be fine," Jinx chirped at him. "I'll just-"

"Nooooooo!"

Jeff had detached his mouth from Nick's and was cackling at this point, gleefully bouncing his toes on the floor, elbows hitched on the table to allow him to lean closer as he watched the chaos unfold. Blaine looked to the side to see that Kurt had sucked in his lips to keep from giggling too and he shook his head in fond exasperation.

Those two just couldn't help themselves.

"I'm so happy this is all recording," Elliott grinned.

"My precious building!" Cooper cried out, horrified face between his palms. "Cloud. I'm going to need you to hold me."

"No."

"But your job is my personal happiness and safety," he pouted.

Cloud rolled his eyes in the most disdainful way imaginable.

"Can we please just all shut up and sort this out before Jeff and Kurt start getting ideas," Wes sighed, face smothered in his palms.

"Too late," they chimed together.

"Maybe you should turn… that," Elana waved a vague hand in the direction of the projection. "Off?"

"Yes, your majesty, sorry," Thad squeaked, hastily cutting the feed off. Dante smothered a laugh into the back of his neck and Elana hid her ghost of a smile behind an elegant hand.

"I'll sort it," Vest huffed, heading for the door. Gerran followed on her heels like a puppy, laying on hand on her back when he caught up. She stopped immediately and glanced down at his arm pointedly. "If you don't want daisies sprouting in that special place between your legs then I suggest you remove your hand," she said sweetly.

"Ouch," Zach hissed, cupping himself in sympathy.

Gerran still wasn't deterred however, he removed his hand and flourished and arm forward for her to proceed him.

"Beauty before age."

"You're a moron," she said simply and flounced off, red curls bouncing. Gerran span back to them and gave them two thumbs up and a mouthed, "She wants me," before hurrying after her.

"He's going to get eaten alive," Blaine said into the silence.

"He was a good soul," Nick said solemnly, hand on his heart.

"Cloud. If you're not going to cuddle me to ease my pain then could you be a darling and fetch Hunter for me? Also get Luna to help out on eighteen, tell her to tell them that if it isn't spotless by the time I get there then she's allowed to pick the punishment for them," Cooper rattled off with a winning smile.

"Fine. She will like that," Cloud said monotonously, moving for the door.

"That's because she's the best kind of sadistic bitch there is," Cooper crowed like a proud, deranged mama.

---

NOW…
Hamptons…

---

"Nick."

"What is it now, Trent?" the vampire sighed. As if the constant crinkling of various wrappers from foodstuffs he'd brought along in his tac vest wasn't enough, he seemed to insist on talking through the food he was shoving into his mouth.

"That Luna is scaring the hell out of me," he admitted, eyes searching for her from the bush they were crouched in.

They'd driven here but parked out of the way and continued on foot until they had found the address they needed and a suitable position. She had ordered them to stay put while she checked out the anonymous tip they had gotten earlier on tonight about the whereabouts of a few rogues. They didn't know whether it was phony or not so Luna, as joint head of security, had volunteered to check it out herself.

Unfortunately there had been a lot of calls in again tonight and most of the vampires they could spare without completely weakening home base, where they were supposed to be helping protect the Council, had already been sent out in groups. That landed him, Trent and Dante on the team as backup if things went south.

"That's her job," Dante grinned at him, white teeth shining despite the deep cover and nightfall. He was entirely too chipper for a six foot billion male shoved in a bush with two other, not scrawny by any means, vampires. "Cooper recruited her because she makes vampires young and old pee their pants."

"Cloud I can deal with. He's just vaguely creepy, you know? But her! I feel like every time she looks at me she wants to eat me," Trent babbled through a mouthful of chocolate.

"Maybe you should just offer her one of the five thousand chocolate bars you have on your person and she'd stop looking so hungry," Nick suggested absently as he stared intently at the cabin Luna had snuck up to ten minutes ago.

Dante smothered his laugh in his hand.

"Something's wrong," Nick said suddenly, and it wasn't the gun that was digging into his hip. "I can't hear anything."

"That's because she doesn't make any sound when she moves!" Trent exclaimed. "She's scary!"

Nick smacked him in the head.

"No, he's right. If there was someone in there then we'd have heard something by now," Dante agreed. "Maybe one of us should check on her?"

"Meaning me," Nick rolled his eyes.

"The only field experience I have is medical," Dante defended lightly with a winning smile. "I'm happy to give it a go if you'd rather not, my friend."

Nick gave him a wry smile back. "No, it's fine. Thad would trash my credit rating if I let you go."

"Hey! You didn't ask me!" Trent said, offended.

Nick looked at him frankly and inclined his head. "Okay, off you go then."

Trent stalled, looking sheepish. "Uhhh… no. I'll get the next one, it's cool. Go get em, bro. Hoo-ra and all that."

"That's what I thought," Nick grumbled with a shake of his head. He was missing out on snuggles with his Chosen for this bullshit.

He was just about to get up when Luna dropped down next to them and Trent screamed.

"Shut up!" Nick hissed at him.

Luna rolled her eyes under the intricate paint designs on her face. "He can scream. It's empty."

"They went out?" Dante asked, pushing up to his knees. "Shall we camp here and wait for them to get back then?"

"You'll be waiting a long time," she said, rising to her feet. They followed her up. "There was never anyone there to begin with. It's a holiday home that hasn't been rented out for a while."

"How do you know?" Trent asked.

She gave him a look that he shrank away from… behind Nick. Thanks, buddy. "There were documents."

"So it was a false lead," Nick surmised, adjusting the holster he had on. "Why the hell would someone send us all the way here to the ass end of nowhere?"

Dante laughed. "It's hardly the end of… nowhere…" he trailed off, laughter fading into a frown.

"What is it?" Nick asked.

"What if the reason was to get us all the way out here?" Dante asked uneasily, dark eyes glancing around the darkness and dense greenery surrounding them.

"Why though?" Trent asked. "A trap?"

"No, they would have sprung it by now, right?" Dante disagreed, still hyper alert.

"It was to get us out of the way," Nick said, stomach feeling like someone had dropped a lead brick on it.

"Away from the Council," Luna hissed and sprinted for the car, the others close on her heels, hearts hammering in their throats as they reached for their phones to call it in hoping they weren't too late.

---

THEN…

---

"Have you managed to get anything out of our dear and honoured guests?" Cooper asked his head of security once he'd sat down. "Hiding their presence and identities from the Council is starting to become a chore and I'd like to be rid of at least one of them. Kessa maybe? She whines an awful lot."

Hunter didn't outwardly react, just simply said, "Robert is next to useless. He was an underling with a point to prove, he didn't have access to any information that could be useful to us. Kessa also has exhausted her usefulness some time back. There's nothing new to be learnt from her so I'd suggest contacting a local pack to come pick her up like we planned."

Cooper clapped his hands together. "Wonderful!"

"Where did Robert come from though?" Blaine asked Hunter.

"From what I could understand Marcus Polland has gotten some of his more trusted elite to go out and recruit younger vampires to their cause. They gather them into groups and then place them within the territories of those not sympathetic to their… ideals," Hunter explained calmly, posture never faltering, eyes never wavering from each and every one of them. "Robert was part of the group they were building up in Ohio."

"But the younger they are the weaker they are. Why go for the youth?" Dante asked.

"Not if you make up for that strength in sheer numbers," Zach argued.

Blaine shook his head, fingers tugging at his loose curls as he thought it over. "This feels like more than that. He's been playing the long game far too patiently for it to be as simple as that."

Wes met his eye across the table and nodded. "Like indoctrinating the younger generation to follow the Old Laws again?"

"That's a fucking scary thought to lull me into dreamland," Cooper said, breathing out a sigh as the idea settled into all of them.

And it was.

There wasn't too many vampires born into each new generation seeing as the eternal life thing meant reproducing wasn't a huge priority. So if Marcus and his cohorts played things rights, targeted the right people and sidled up to the rest, they could very well be looking at another overturning of their way of life. A reverse to all that had come before and with that came the threat of disharmony with all the other supernatural races they had worked so long and hard to make peace with. Blaine was sure that the shifters and witches and wizards that they had preyed upon so easily before wouldn't just sit there and take it again if they lost to the rogues.

Which sparked a stirring of an idea he made a point to remember to talk to Wes, Coop and David separately about.

"Has Sebastian said anything?" Kurt asked, the conversation around Blaine still continuing on and Hunter shifted for the first time, looking almost affected. It was strange.

"He's been less… cooperative."

"Tell me about it," Zach snorted, still reclining dangerously on his chair. "I can take another crack at him if you want?"

Hunter slanted him a glance and it looked hostile. Even stranger. Other than Cloud, and possibly Ophelia, Blaine had never seen a more stone-faced vampire in his life. Zach had dedicated his life to trying to get the vampire to crack a smile, working tirelessly at it whenever they saw one another. And here it seemed he effortlessly produced the opposite reaction with a throwaway comment about Sebastian of all people.

"I don't think beating him is going to serve any purpose," Hunter said tightly.

"It'd make me feel better," Zach shrugged, an edge creeping into his voice to match swords with Hunter's.

"Zach," Blaine admonished gently.

"What? Like the asshole didn't have it coming to him?" Zach spat back. "He was going to sell us out to the highest bidder. Kurt too!"

"He didn't though," Kurt pointed out quietly and got a few glares and shocked looks. Hunter himself, simply looked intrigued at his perspective. The fae held his hands up. "I think it's worth saying at least. I'm not defending the idiot, I don't even like him, but painting him redder than he is I don't agree with."

"Screw that, the intention was there all along and he fucking admitted to it! The only reason Polland and his bunch of jackals don't know about you right now is because the fangless moron messed up and got caught by Blaine!" Zach argued heatedly, chair legs hitting the floor with a thump when he tucked his legs in to lean across the table.

Blaine gave a sub vocal growl and rose up from his chair to match the angry redhead. "Calm. Down."

Ever since they'd heard the Kensington's had been spotted in New York Zach had been wired. Outwardly he was as jovial and carefree as ever, but inside was a different matter entirely. News of them being in such proximity to not only himself, but his coven and his Chosen, was dredging up memories he had left behind him. Old feelings of betrayal and hurt and right now Sebastian was in the firing line for taking out his frustrations.

And Hunter seemed to have taken up the mantle of putting himself in front of Sebastian for reasons Blaine couldn't even fathom.

The redhead clucked his tongue but shut up and did as he was told. He slung his arms behind his neck, head tilted towards the ceiling so he could calm down. Blaine wished Adam was here, the only time he had seen the crazy fool serene was when he was around.

"You were saying?" Cooper asked his head of security, getting them back on track.

"I'm making progress. We've built a rapport," Hunter said neutrally. Only… there was something there in his voice. Some underlying thing that he was holding back.

"Well I'm glad you're bro's now and everything, but we're kinda running out of time here," David snidely put in.

"A few more days and I should have the information we need," Hunter promised, ignoring the jibe like he did most everything else.

Except Sebastian apparently.

"And what makes you so sure you can get it when we couldn't?" the dark skinned vampire questioned bluntly.

Hunter met his gaze squarely. "Because he's my Chosen."

And there it was, the piece that was missing that clicked the rest into place. The room flew into uproar and Hunter took in the spectacle calmly.

"What the hell, Hunter! You didn't think this was an important piece of information you should have told me?!" Cooper raged at him. "How long have you known?"

"No wonder you were up my fucking ass for beating on him!" Zach exclaimed.

"You can't interrogate him anymore," Wes said. "You're compromised."

"Under fucking statement of the century!" David hissed, slamming his hand down on the table. Dante tucked Thad closer to him in response to the anger and Blaine and Nick did the same with their Chosen's. Elana wouldn't let herself be moved for anything.

"I'm not compromised. I'm perfectly in control of my faculties I assure you," Hunter cut across them all.

"That sounds very familiar and I assure you, you are not as in control as you would like to think," Elana stated prim and frankly, like she wasn't admitting to a roomful of people that she had it bad for Wesley Montgomery.

And what a way to announce it too.

The room stuttered a bit over that before the attention was back on Hunter again and Blaine had to guess that the clever fae had done it with that exact intention. A public announcement she didn't have to deal with the repercussions of. Blaine took a moment to observe his friend and the way he glanced at the princess, a secret, surprised smile hiding in his eyes at her acknowledgement of their bond.

"Hunter," Cooper said, claiming what felt like all the air and attention in the room, serious voice well in place letting everyone know the eldest vampire in the room wasn't messing around. "How long have you known?"

"After my first conversation with him," Hunter answered honestly and there was another rumble across the room as the muscles in Cooper's jaw clenched.

"And you didn't think it prudent to inform me?"

A muscle in Hunter's cheek twitched from how hard he was trying to stay emotionless. "Chosen regulations as laid down by the Council state that-"

"Fuck what the Council says! You know better!" he shouted, slamming his palm down so hard he cracked the table.

Hunter flinched but didn't waver. "I can handle it. It isn't a problem so I didn't raise it."

"It is a problem that you didn't raise it," Wes countered coolly. "That speaks for itself on the issue of whether your judgement has been affected I think."

Hunter shook his head.

He wasn't compromised. He was sure of it. He would have let Sebastian out of his cell by now or made some kind of concession to him from the hundreds he annoyed him with every day if he was. The first moment he realised what that bratty, self-involved vampire really was to him he'd held it together, hadn't given anything away right up until he excused himself to see Cooper even though he hadn't gone directly there. He'd had to stop off at his quarters and simply breathed for a few quiet moments, reasoning out just what this development meant for him and how he should handle it. And he had done just that. Stuck to his principals and hadn't been swayed from his duties.

If he was compromised he would have kissed Sebastian earlier wouldn't he?

Which was hard. He didn't realise just how hard until he was right in his space, smelling sweat and something that was pure Sebastian that seemed to draw him dangerously closer. He'd felt soft hair beneath his fingers and hadn't wanted to let go. And if he was being honest with himself, truly honest… he should have just walked away. He shouldn't have even entertained him, definitely shouldn't have touched him, and assuredly shouldn't have hinted that he had a form of interest in the prisoner.

Hunter was… compromised.

It was a more startling realisation than when he had walked into the cellblock a week ago to find Sebastian passed out on a cot and realised, he's mine. He's mine and I can't have him, won't have him, not like this. Which put things in a whole new perspective for him. Was the reason he was questioning Sebastian so relentlessly because he wanted answers, or because he wanted Seb to say something that would absolve him? That would put them on the same team so his iron principals wouldn't prevent him from claiming what was his?

He suddenly wasn't so sure.

"I'm reassigning you," Cooper stated frankly. "You go near him again Hunter and you'll be cellmates, are we clear?"

"Coop," Blaine admonished. "That's a bit extreme."

He hated Sebastian but he knew what it was like to be without your Chosen all too keenly for the punishment not to resonate a strange, sympathetic chord with him.

"No, Hunters a good little soldier. He'll fall in line under orders," David drawled and Hunter gave him a burning green glare but kept his mouth shut because... well because it was true. Hunter had never in his life disobeyed a direct order… and he'd never found himself so desperately wanting to and that truly frightened him into submission.

"I think you're missing an opportunity here," Kurt said, and like before, all eyes turned to him. "Sebastian has never really been interested in helping us before, but Hunter's the reason to. Wouldn't he want to help his Chosen?"

"Sebastian doesn't believe in Chosen's," Blaine said softly to him, squeezing his waist. "Why do think he was so relentless with his pursuit of me?"

Kurt twisted his mouth up at the reminder and Hunter twitched involuntarily before he got a hold of himself. The whole room took notice and he felt their pitying stares on the sides of his face.

"So we make him believe it," Kurt said strongly. "Or rather, Hunter does if he's okay with that?"

The head of security was surprised that the fae prince was actually asking him. Everyone had already written his opinion off even though this was his bond. It made him want to break something but he held on tight to the rest of his control because he knew deep down that they weren't doing it to spite him, they were doing it because it was necessary.

"He's a prisoner," Hunter stated. As much a reminder for himself as everyone else.

"He sounds like a bratty child trying to get his own way," Elana refuted. "My brother is right in that he has done no real harm to anyone despite his intentions however."

"This is ridiculous!" David growled looking towards the leaders. "You can't be seriously considering this? Blaine, c'mon. You were ready to kill him in Ohio and now you're all for reforming the criminal?"

"You're underestimating the power of a Chosen bond," Blaine found himself saying, surprising even himself. Jesus. Was he really on board with this?

"And it won't just be affecting Hunter," Jeff said. "Seb's probably spitting feathers right now."

"May I be excused," Hunter found himself asking abruptly, sick of being talked about, about his bond and Chosen being bashed so thoroughly. He knew the reasons why, understood them, but he also recognised the rising, irrational urge in him to defend both with his life and he wouldn't have that. "I would like a few moments to collect myself before I… inform Adam and Luna of the change in schedule."

Cooper waved a hand. "Go… and Hunter?"

The vampire turned his head around from his way halfway to the door, body coiled. "Yes?"

"Congratulations on your bond," he said sincerely.

Some of the tension abated and Hunter inclined his head before he left the room silently.

"You let him out and I'm not going to be held responsible for my actions," Zach threatened in his wake which got Wes, Cooper and Blaine all standing up and glaring down at him.

"Stop, Zach," Blaine warned.

"No!" he said defiantly. "This is a fucking joke, Blaine, and you know it!"

"You will do as you're told whatever our decision, Kensington, and you'll do it with a fucking smile on your face if we ask it of you," Cooper spat at him. All traces of humour had long since fled him and left behind were sharp, angry eyes in a hard face he usually reserved for his father.

"And when he turns us all in for his own benefit? Am I just going to be sitting there in the naughty corner playing nice?" Zach retorted insolently, sarcasm heavy like a cloud.

"No one said we were thinking of suspending Sebastian imprisonment. You're jumping to your own conclusions," Wes said calmly, retaking his seat. "But I think a time out for you would be beneficial, you're obviously too close to this situation to think clearly. I'll come and speak to you later, but for now, stay confined to your room."

Zach growled like a caged tiger as he forced his chair back, tipping it over before stalking out of the room without another word.

Wes sighed after the door had slammed but no one said anything else for a few moments.

It was Nick who cleared his throat and said, "I don't think I'm comfortable with having my Chosen walking around with him if you do let Sebastian free. Plus, how would you explain his sudden presence to the Council? Hell, he'd be a risk to them as well."

"We're not letting Sebastian go free," Blaine said surely. "We wouldn't be able to trust him."

"Then what are we discussing here?" Dante asked.

"Whether we should let Hunter interact with him to see if that loosens his tongue? I could give him a few pointers on a few tricks I've learned over the years that definitely loosens tongues," Elliott suggested, tongue in cheek.

"Vulgar," Elana huffed under her breath and Elliott had the grace to look the tiniest part shamefaced in the face of the princess, not much though.

"This isn't James Bond, we're not whoring out Hunter for information," Wes dismissed.

"It's not whoring if its consensual, mind altering sex and Sebastian just happens to be so orgasm happy that he spills his guts," Jeff pointed out cheerily.

"But you're all suggesting we use their bond to manipulate Sebastian into helping us?" Kurt said in disgust and shook his head vehemently. "No. We can't do that."

"You just suggested it!" David exclaimed, face incredulous.

"No, I meant we should try and help Hunter with his bond because then Sebastian would want to help us because of Hunter. I'm not suggesting forcing him to help us by extorting their bond somehow!" Kurt said.

"Isn't that the same thing?" David drawled, bored.

"No! It'll be his choice," Kurt spat. "We all may not like him but that doesn't give us the right to violate something that precious. Whether he recognises it that way or not," he tacked on the end when he saw David opening his mouth again.

"So you're saying we should what? Give him Chosen 101 and hope he has a miraculous change of heart and becomes all accommodating, shitting sunshine and rainbows and trailing after Hunter like a puppy?" David mocked.

"You're an asshole," Kurt chirped, flipping him the bird. "But essentially? Yes. It wouldn't hurt to try at least."

Cooper pursed his lips, considering. "I suppose it doesn't hurt to try. We're not losing anything."

"Except someone's valuable time," David muttered.

"Maybe we can ask Evelyn to talk to him? She's helped me a lot," Blaine suggested, ignoring him. He felt Kurt's hand squeeze his under the table and smile internally at the silent show of support at him talking about his therapist so openly.

Wes and Cooper exchanged nods. "Talk to her and see if she's open to it and we'll move on from there," Cooper decided.

"I still think this is pointless," David announced.

"Stop being such a gloomy gloom face," Jeff told him. "The power of optimism knows no bounds!"

---

.

---

"Little brother," Salvatore grinned as soon as Leon opened the door to him.

He had forgone his suit jacket and had opened a few of the buttons of his light pink shirt, rolling up the sleeves over his muscled, olive-toned forearms for good measure. This was off duty Salvatore at his finest and it had an uncanny resemblance to Leon's every day wear. The only difference was that Leon had on a green shirt and darker slacks. Oh, and nicer taste in shoes of course.

Leon pulled him into a hearty embrace, slapping him on the back happily before setting him back. He was the younger of them but he relished being just that inch taller than his sibling.

"The Council has finally let you go?" he asked as he let him into the room eagerly.

He had been considering heading down to the gym for a spell to let off some steam, but the opportunity to talk to his brother properly, not that short formal introduction he'd had to give him as an esteemed member of the Council, knocked that straight out of his head. They had been locked up on their high security floor for near on over a week doing what Council members did, Leon wasn't entirely certain since Salvatore was forbidden to divulge, and he personally hadn't been invited to any of the many meetings they had called in and amongst those days. It was a shame. He hardly ever got to see Salvatore anymore, it was even less than he saw his family in Italy, so the opportunity to actually spend some time with vampire he had idolized as a youngling was a happy surprise.

"I escaped their nefarious clutches, yes. And just in time too! I thought my head was going to explode if I heard another minute of Richard Anderson's whining. Cristo. You would never guess that I was the youngest Council member in that room," he confirmed with a roll of his eyes.

"The Anderson's family reunion has been a little… how do they say it? Una cagna?"

Salvatore snorted a laugh, green eyes dancing in amusement from under his heavy brows. "I think that is an understatement. Merda tempest forse?"

Leon chuckled. "That unbearable?"

"You have no idea," he sighed, completely put upon. Leon noticed that Salvatore was glancing around interestedly as he talked, purpose in his footfalls, and he didn't think it was the décor he was intent on.

He closed the door and leant back against it, arms crossing over his chest. "May I help you locate something, brother?"

Salvatore threw him a white toothed grin over his shoulder that was every bit as charming as Leon's. Their madre said it ran in the family, said they got it from their padre and that's how he reeled her in, how she knew that he was her Chosen. Leon loved hearing the story of how they met even to this day and his mother loved telling it; so it came to be that it was usually just the two of them left in the room when she started in on it, the others flitting away with a fond scoff at the hopeless romantics. Her face was always just as animated as the first time she revealed it and Leon was just as rapt as the first time he heard it.

"Just searching for the elusive keeper of my younger brother's heart," Salvatore said casually, flipping up the bedcover to peek under the bed.

Leon felt said heart skip a beat and he knew Salvatore had heard it from the way he smirked at him from the corner of his eye.

"You'll not find my heart under the bed, I assure you," is all he said in return, neither confirming nor denying his suspicions just like always.

Salvatore hummed as he straightened up and sat himself down on the edge of it, giving up the chase for now. "So where is the darling Tristan? I hardly got to speak a word to him at that horrible party Cooper threw for us. Those things are always so boring and formal… though the penis balloons were certainly an entertaining touch."

Cooper certainly thought so and the look of outrage on Richard's face made the whole thing entirely worth it to him no doubt. Even the risk of disrespecting some of the most powerful vampires in the world in the process.

"He's visiting with one of the Giver's, our friend Evelyn," Leon informed him.

And thank god because his silly, beautiful Chosen just may have hidden under the bed if he knew Salvatore was coming. He was always incredibly awkward around Leon's family the rare times they had met. Not because he disliked them, but because he was desperate for them to like him and scared they were going to guess the truth about the true nature of their relationship and disapprove of him or some such nonsense that was unfathomable.

Leon had tried many times to talk him around, to tell him that his madre thought he was stunning and the sweetest thing, that she wanted to fatten him up with her cooking and never let him leave her house. That his padre had a deep respect for him for how strong he was in the wake of the tragedy of his family. How all his brothers and sisters, Salvatore included, loved him simply because he made Leon so very happy.

"Still feeding every day is he? How old is the little biter now? I forget he's so young, it feels like you've had him by your side forever," Salvatore mused, leaning back on his hands casually and making himself as comfortable as he could.

Little biter was a nickname Salvatore laughingly gave Tristan after Leon had called him up worried about all the chunks Tristan was taking out of him when he was younger. It had been an intense phase in their relationship where Leon was truly at a loss at what to do. Tristan was just around the corner from reaching his majority and the only person he'd wanted to bite was him, not any of the Giver's Leon had tried on him, and it wasn't just for feeding either. Tristan had a tendency to bite him possessively almost, like he was staking a claim. Leon hadn't known at the time that it had been jealousy fueling those bites, possessive feelings making him bare his tiny fangs and draw blood with real hunger for his blood adding to the powder keg given the fact that they were Chosen's. Tristan had recognized that from the very start even though he didn't properly understand what he was feeling.

And Leon didn't correct Salvatore on the assumption that Tristan was feeding instead of eating a human lunch, which would simply compound the issue and start his brother on his needling about their relationship again.

"He'll reach his two hundred and sixty second birthday in September."

Salvatore groaned dramatically. "Makes me feel so old."

"That is because you are," Leon grinned at him, raising a brow and Salvatore gnashed his fangs at him playfully.

"Cheeky younglings and their insubordinate ways. I begged madre to whoop that out of you," he told him, crossing his ankles one over the other.

"She would never. I am her favorite," he reminded him with a smug smile that Salvatore rolled his eyes at.

"Because you suck up to her fussing over you. Oh madre si prega di pizzicare di nuovo le guance! Oh madre ho solo piace quando mi danno abbastanza cibo per un esercito in una porzione e si aspettano me per mangiare tutto! Oh madre, si prega di pianificare la vita il mio futuro dei bambini per me perché la tua destra come nonna mia trionfi come padre naturalmente," he fake batted his eyelashes and made kissy faces that were entirely juvenile at the end.

Leon cupped a hand over his ear. "È che la gelosia che sento o sono piccoli piccoli violini?"

Salvatore made an amused, exasperated sound and waved him off, a smile teasing at the corners of his mouth. He looked around the room again a hummed in consideration. "This room doesn't seem to suit your needs."

Leon looked around himself and didn't really see anything wrong exactly. The guest quarters in Cooper's coven were extremely nice and fully functional, but he guessed they lacked the entertaining space the permanent quarters no doubt had. With just a large bedroom and on-suite, Leon didn't have that many options other than the bed or the single chair in the corner to sit as well.

He did just that, resting his arms on the rests lazily and shrugged. "It's perfectly acceptable."

"It's small."

Leon frowned and looked at the high ceilings, large king size bed and ample floor space alongside all the other furnishings. "Not particularly."

"It's a single room," Salvatore pressed, coming to his feet in a single graceful movement. He walked over to the desk in the corner and picked up one of Tristan's charcoal pencils. He twirled in between his fingers before grasping up a book of Leon's favorite poems that Tristan had started sketching on the inside cover of. He opened it and flipped it around. "Seems to me like there's two people living in here," he smirked triumphantly.

"Salvatore," Leon warned, sitting up, because he couldn't deny it. The whole room was a mixture of the two of them, clear evidence set out everywhere you could see; like his ribbons mixed in with the hair ties and elasticated headbands Tristan preferred, and the different sized shoes lined up in front of the wardrobe. The spare pieces of jewelry Tristan carried with him in their ornate box and the row of canvasses leant against the bookcase where Leon had lined up his volumes of favorite poets.

"And I specifically remember you asking my opinion on this little item for a certain little biter's coming of age," he continued un-phased, picking up the handcrafted music box that sat pride of place on the desk in his free hand.

It was a stunning piece; carved, dark wood with a rose and vine design. Tristan loved it so much it was where he had gotten half the idea for his tattoos from. The tiny latch on the front was burnished brass in a leaf shape and the inside was lined with silk the same midnight blue of his tesoro's eyes. And when opened it played a gorgeous little melody and span a delicate pair of sparrows around in a coy dance.

Salvatore handled the gift extremely carefully, like he could feel how loved and cherished the object was simply by holding it. He set the book down so he was able to brush a finger over the engraving etched into the top.

"This… this is new however," Salvatore murmured. "E son come d'amor baci baciati / Gl'incontri di due cori amanti amati," he read out loud and gave Leon a pointed look. "Guarini, if I'm not mistaken."

"It is," he confirmed, face softening involuntarily as he remembered the wondrous, hopeful look on Tristan's face when he had read the same words. He had been practicing his Italian for a while under Leon's steady tutelage but he had still asked him to confirm the words, just in case he was mistaken.

Leon had happily gave them to him as easily as that delicate box, the equivalent of his heart… it still was. He'd gifted it to Tristan's keeping that day, the start of their relationship as Chosen's, and he never wanted it back.

Salvatore set the music box down and gave him a small, encouraging smile. "Come, little brother. This has gone on long enough has it not? I mean, he's family already! You know madre already calls him 'her Leon's prezioso piccolo fiore'. You know we all know the truth even if no one actually says it out loud."

Leon flushed, a pleased warmth creeping into his chest but he pushed the feeling aside forcefully, unwilling to let it tempt him into betraying Tristan's trust in such a way. "It is… complicated."

"That is what you always say," Salvatore sighed, throwing his hands up. "But fine. Have it your way. You can continue to pretend and we shall all go along with it and act surprised when you finally say it out loud."

It didn't sound like he was giving up in the least. Leon decided a subject change was in order.

"What is the Council's verdict on the situation with the rogues?"

Salvatore gave him a look and clucked his tongue at him disapprovingly. "You know better than to try and ferret information out of me, little brother."

"I find it disconcerting that some action hasn't been taken already. This leads me to the conclusion that the Council does not believe the threat big enough, si?" he pressed relentlessly.

"There is… speculation," the vampire said neutrally, leaning back against the desk. "A decision is yet to be made either way."

"You have facts!" Leon burst out. "How can there be speculation about that?"

"Even facts can change if you put them in a different context," he stated calmly.

"Sal, you know we speak true. You must-"

"Leon. You know I can't discuss this with you," Salvatore said, cutting off the beginning of his rant with his serious tone before it got out of hand. When Italian tempers were pricked they generally exploded soon after.

With the wind taken out of his sails Leon slumped downwards and cupped his mouth in his hand. It was at that moment that the door opened and in stepped Tristan. His hair was pulled into a messy bun on top of his head, strands of black and a few red falling to frame his face in the loveliest way. He hadn't noticed Salvatore presence yet, his eyes were glancing down at the book Evelyn had obviously loaned to him, lashes creating beautiful crescent smudges on his high cheekbones.

"Speak of the devil," Salvatore declared loudly and smiled, shooting Leon a smug, you're really not fooling anyone, look.

Those lashes flicked up at once, framing wide, panicked eyes.

"No devil, brother. Quite the opposite," Leon found himself defending, rising from his chair gracefully and moving to Tristan's side of the room in response to his Chosen's rising panic.

"Sal- I mean, Council," Tristan stuttered, clutching the book closer to himself like a shield.

"You know you can call me by my given name when we are in private, little biter," Salvatore admonished him playfully. "Besides, that whole one entity Council business gets old fast. You start to forget you have your own name after so much of it and let me tell you, I do not want the same name as Richard Anderson," he complained seriously.

"O-okay," Tristan agreed quietly, shooting a pleading glance at Leon to somehow save him. Leon sent him a reassuring smile back and repressed the urge to take his hand or slip soothing fingers into his hair.

"So… what brings you to my brother's room?" Salvatore asked innocently, eyebrows raised in such a way that Leon wanted to shave them off his face.

Tristan paled, then colored bright pink. "Um… well I was just here to… uh…" He gave another panicked look at Leon, mind scrambling for a plausible excuse. He looked down. "This book! He wanted to read this… book," he trailed off awkwardly.

"Oh si. That book," Leon confirmed quickly. "I was very much looking forwards to reading… um… that particular book."

"That book," Salvatore joined in with an amused smile. He slid his mirthful gaze to Leon's warning one. "Of course. I was just about to ask my brother to accompany me to lunch to catch up. Would you like to join us?"

"I wouldn't want to impose," Tristan said hastily, scrambling for the nearest excuse and Leon couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Not in Tristan, never in him, but at the situation. He always had this selfish urge to show Tristan off, especially to his family, and no matter how many years passed, that urge was never going to abate. He'd trained himself to ignore it however, it wasn't preventing him from being happy after all, but giving in to it would because that would make Tristan unhappy.

Salvatore waved a hand. "If it was an imposition then I would not have asked. Why, you're practically family after all and I'm sure my brother would love to have you there as much as I. Si?"

Leon bit his tongue against chastising his brother for being so very obvious in his comments. He met Tristan's gaze with his own and saw a hint of sadness lingering there in the midnight depths, some frustration too in the way he bit at his lip ring. His little one was fighting with something and Leon felt discontented that he couldn't do anything to help him right now. He felt like the boundaries and rules they lived so contently by usually suddenly rising up to choke him and he just wanted to push them all off and pull Tristan into his arms.

He hoped his troubles didn't color his voice when he responded, "Of course I would, but Tristan just had lunch with Evelyn so it's perfectly fine. Another time perhaps."

The wounded, guilty way Tristan was looking at him now said that he had not succeeded in his efforts.

"I… I didn't actually have lunch with Eve. We got distracted talking," Tristan stuttered, pink still riding his sharp cheekbones.

And now Leon was the one feeling guilty. He did not ever want to pressure Tristan into doing anything that he was uncomfortable with just because he sensed it was what Leon wanted.

"So you can come! Wonderful!" Salvatore crowed, making his way to the door. "Let us go commandeer the helicopter then before someone else snatches it up. Trying to make arrangements to travel on the ground takes forever. I'd rather just sneak out."

"Sal," Leon admonished.

He threw him another charming grin. "Don't worry about your big brother. I have it handled. Now get ready quickly and meet me on the roof. I'll make our reservations."

As soon as he was out of sight Leon moved to Tristan's side and cupped his chin to force his gaze upwards. "Tell me now, truthfully. Do you wish to accompany us, tesoro? And spare no thought for what you think I may prefer."

"How can I do that when it colors every action I take?" Tristan said quietly, miserably.

He wanted to make Leon happy, so much so it stole the breath right out of him and put ants under his skin. It made him want to be reckless all of a sudden. Agree to anything.

"I would not have you be so self-sacrificing-"

"No you'd rather you be self-sacrificing instead," Tristan interrupted him bluntly. "You always…" He sighed in frustration, closing his eyes briefly. "Let me be the one this time. Please."

"Tristan-"

"Please."

The desperation in his voice must have sold it and Leon sighed deeply before bowing his head shallowly. "As you wish, tesoro. Thank you."

Tristan felt the words like they were lashed into his back and barely resisted a wince. Don't thank me for acting like a normal Chosen.

"We need to get ready," Tristan deflected, face averted as he headed for the wardrobe to grab a simple, black, slim-fit button down that he liked to roll the cuffs up on. He didn't own too many fancy clothes and the ones he did have had been left in Ohio, but he hoped jeans and a shirt would be good enough for a late lunch with Salvatore.

He heard another sigh from Leon behind him as he pulled the shirt off its hanger and as he passed by Tristan felt the gentle pressure of lips on the side of his head. He closed his eyes, feeling the sting of ridiculous tears threatening as his heart swelled with too much emotion.

Gods, he missed the days when he was oblivious. When he thought this was enough to satisfy the both of them, but he had been watching Leon grow more discontented and restless with the status quo day by day since his attack and now he felt like they were at a crossroads. The choice seemed impossible to Tristan. Keep chugging along like usual, hiding and denying their love until maybe they became so disillusioned and caught up in the lie that it became impossible to escape from? Or finally stepping out from their little bubble and risking the unknown he was so terrified of? Leon was never going to forcibly pull him one way or the other, no matter how hard he craved for some direction, so it came down to him to pick their course no matter how terrifying the prospects.

With Leon's happiness in mind it just reignited his resolve to do this for him.

Salvatore was waiting for them with arms crossed and a smug smile on his face as he leaned back against the helicopter, the pair of aviators perched on his head was the only change to his dress. Tristan watched Leon glance around for a moment before his expression hardened.

"Where is your guard? And the pilot?" he demanded.

Salvatore smirked and flipped the shades down over his eyes, it was chilly on the roof but the sky was relatively clear today so the sun was quite bright. "You're looking at the pilot and I'm looking at my guard."

"Cristo," Leon swore. "Salvatore are you out of your mind? After everything we've told you about the rogues you would be so needlessly reckless?"

Salvatore waved him off almost airily and Tristan was left shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably. He didn't feel like it was his place to get involved even though part of him was itching to back Leon up.

The Council member opened the door to the aircraft and stepped up. "I won't discuss the matter further. Now climb in, we've got reservations and we don't want to be late."

Leon swore again under his breath and ran a hand through his hair, looking around like there was an answer to his vexing brother written in the sky somewhere or hanging on the side of a skyscraper.

"You know he'll go with or without us just to make his point," Tristan said lowly, voice covered by the startup of the propellers overhead.

"And this is the vampire that is partly responsible for deciding the fate of the vampire race." Leon shook his head in bewilderment.

"Hurry up would you," Salvatore yelled at them, deft fingers flicking switches.

Seeing no alternative, they climbed aboard and strapped in.

The helicopter ride was relatively short, something to be said for this mode of transportation with the lack of traffic he could see crawling along beneath them. All packed together like ants steadily moving along one after the other until he couldn't observe their steady progress anymore because they were touching down.

"Mr Giuliani," the smartly dressed hostess greeted over the roar of the propellers as they disembarked and headed down the metal steps of the helipad. Her chignon seemed to be holding out remarkably well against the wind speed and she had a professionally polite smile on her ruby lips as she extended her hand forwards to shake Salvatore's. "Welcome to the Four Seasons, we've arranged everything to your specifications. I'm Kate."

"Wonderful! Apologies for the lack of notice but it wasn't planned for me to be in the area so soon," he returned smoothly, playing the foreign business mogul to perfection.

"We're happy to accommodate," Kate smiled and Tristan could tell from the way her heart skipped that she wasn't at all. This had probably caused her considerable stress and she probably wished she could tip them and their fancy helicopter off the side of the building.

She led them into a separate dining area which was superbly furnished and impeccably decorated in rich colors with golden accents. A lunch for three had been set up next to the panoramic windows, the view of Manhattan spectacular in the distance.

"I hope this is acceptable?" Kate asked Salvatore and he grinned charmingly at her.

"Ah, you have outdone yourself, Katie," he exclaimed and she actually blushed prettily at all that Italian, handsome praise aimed at her.

"If you'd like to join me downstairs you can meet the chef and discuss the menu and wine selection?" she pressed on, a little more warmly now. She did shoot a skeptical glance at Tristan, eyes moving over his hair, piercings and then down towards his sleeve. "And any other drink selections you may have."

She thinks I'm too young. Or a delinquent she doesn't want drinking in her hotel. Tristan wasn't even surprised, he'd had a lot of it over the years after all.

"Certainly," Salvatore chirped and Leon finally cut in.

"Salvatore, I don't think it is wise for you to go off by yourself," he said lowly in Italian. "You've dismissed your personal guard and not told anyone else where we are."

"If you're so worried then you go down there then," Salvatore drawled in English, bored. He directed his gaze back towards the hostess and rolled his eyes playfully, leaning in conspiratorially to say, "He gets very touchy about what he eats, it's why I requested meeting with the chef in the first place."

She seemed a little flustered at the close proximity until he pulled back. She cleared her throat, hand raising to her high collar like she was hot all of a sudden. "O-of course. This way then, please?"

She indicated the door behind her and began to move that way herself, fanning herself with her hand when she thought no one was looking.

Leon frowned at the lie that he was a picky eater and gave Salvatore a glare. Salvatore smiled innocently back at him, all airs and graces like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth and Leon sighed, resigned to his fate. He darted a quick glance at Tristan to make sure he was fine before following the hostess through the door and down into the lower part of the hotel's restaurant.

Tristan felt his heart begin to race as he watched Leon's retreating back and he peeked up at Salvatore to find he was grinning, almost laughing.

"You knew he would offer to go," he found himself accusing softly.

Salvatore turned that grin on him, eyes sparkling as he sat down in his chair getting comfortable. The resemblance between him and Leon when he used that smile was uncanny and made his heart skip a beat in instinctive response. "Well of course. My brother is quite predictable, he's always had this incredible overprotective streak. I think you're quite familiar with it?"

Tristan couldn't help the pinking of his cheeks so it was useless to deny the observation. He took the seat opposite his Chosen's brother cautiously; he'd never been left alone with him before, he'd always had Leon as a buffer so this sudden one on one time was unnerving. Especially because he felt like Salvatore was fishing for something, it was subtle, yet Tristan could feel him jabbing and prodding and pushing him exactly where he wanted him with every innocent statement that seemed to be veiling a double meaning.

Mouth dry, he used his tongue to worry at his lip piercing.

"He cares about the people he loves," he said neutrally, shunting the focus off of him personally and shining it on everyone so he could hide beneath Salvatore's notice.

Salvatore wasn't so easily deceived however and his dark eyes pinned him to the chair like a butterfly on a board. "Yes, he does."

There was something in the way he said it that spiked his heart rate. Something knowing, like the way he'd emphasized his presence in 'his brother's' room that got Tristan's heart racing double time then too.

Maybe agreeing to this was a mistake? he thought, feeling a little lightheaded. An impulsive, rash, desperate gesture that he wanted to be one hundred percent okay with, to react normally about, but couldn't quite reach that level of levelheadedness or calm to be truly effective. He was a neurotic mess, he wasn't unaware that any human shrink would think his head was candyland but… but… Leon was so happy being here, to finally be out with him and his brother (despite how said brother was acting out) that he gritted his teeth and told himself to suck it up.

He could do this.

Salvatore was admittedly a little scary, but he had always been kind to him whenever they had crossed paths so he could manage ten minutes alone with him.

He could.

Ripping his eyes away he glanced down at the polished silverware nervously, tongue pressing against his lip ring harder and wishing he could get up the courage to raise his hands and let his hair down to hide behind. He should have let it down when he had the chance but his head was so caught up that he hadn't even thought about it.

Feeling the silence about to swallow him whole he, astonishingly, found himself to be the one to break it. "It's an honorable trait."

Salvatore chuckled, fingers drumming once on the polished finish of the table. It might as well have been shots from a gun for how Tristan jumped at them. "My brother is nothing if not honorable. Frustratingly so sometimes. He is much more so than I, do you not agree?"

Tristan snapped his head up at the question. "I… you are very honorable too," he stuttered, feeling wrong-footed once again. "I didn't mean to suggest-"

"You can't have failed to notice I designed for us to have some alone time," Salvatore cut in smoothly, eyes assessing his reaction which was to lean backwards as far as his chair would let him. "That is hardly the definition of honorable."

"I…" He shut his mouth with an audible click. He didn't know what to say, his fight or flight reflex urging him to head for the door that Leon exited by.

Salvatore smiled disarmingly, Leon's smile, but Tristan was too far into his own head for it to be effective now. "But I have some redeeming qualities, dear Tristan. Don't think so ill of me so soon. I always hold my hands up to my lies or mistakes eventually and so now I have unburdened myself to you, we no longer have any secrets between us," he said pointedly and Tristan swallowed down on the rising panic he felt creeping up on him as realization crashed into him with the force of a ten foot wave.

He knows.

There were too many hints to ignore, too many unsubtle pointed remarks to dismiss. He felt physically ill, his whole stomach turning over on itself and bile rising to the back of his throat.

He knows, he knows, he knows.

A roaring started up in his ears, white noise and star fire bursting in front of his eyes.

How could he know? What had he done to tip him off? And for how long? Did all of Leon's family know? Elle guessed straight away, a distant cousin they had never met before. Oh gods, he thought as he swayed dangerously in his chair, gripping the table to keep from falling out of it. He was definitely going to be sick.

Salvatore grabbed his napkin and shook it out to place on his lap like he hadn't just blown the roof off of Tristan's world.

"Did Leon ever tell you the story of how he came to be in America?" he asked, seemingly jumping topic, and Tristan's mind was hurtling too fast to answer or to keep track of the web Salvatore was effortlessly weaving around him. "I can only guess he did, he tells you everything I imagine."

Again, nothing but heaved breaths made it past his lips. He was paralyzed.

Salvatore kept going, unperturbed. "Madre, I need to find myself he said. I need to find my reason, my purpose, I cannot languish here. Madre wrote me to tell me and I told her he was being dramatic. All that poetry that he reads I think. It was a month later when she wrote me again to threaten me that if I let any harm befall her piccolo that she would, well, she would not be seeing any grandchildren from this particular son."

Tristan actually found himself wanting to laugh, it was exactly the kind of thing he could imagine Leon's beautiful, fierce mother threatening, but maybe that was the hysteria setting in.

"The whole family thought he was going a little crazy… until he wrote to say he'd found you," he emphasized with an all too knowing smile. "A few of us had our suspicions straight away. I think madre always knew. Mother's intuition perhaps?"

Tristan reared up from his chair, shaky legs threatening to send him straight to the ground. It was one step too far.

"I… I- please… I need… Leon…" he barely got out over panted breathes, hand pressing against his sternum. He was on the verge of hyperventilating, the mad thump of his heart and jerk of his lungs battering at his chest.

Salvatore jumped out of his chair and rounded the table in seconds. The closer he got the more Tristan backed away until he was hitting glass, cowering against it and the devastating truths spilling from those lips.

Salvatore kept a foot of space between them, palms up and facing outwards. "I'm not telling you this to make you uncomfortable, Tristan," he explained gently. "I'm telling you this because you are a part of my family. You don't have to hide from us."

"But why? W-why are you doing this?" Tristan asked miserably, a tear falling hot and fast over his cheek. They could have kept on pretending couldn't they?

"Because you were never going to," Salvatore said simply, not unkindly. In fact there was so much compassion in his voice and caring in his smile that Tristan nearly choked on it.

You were never going to.

For all his resolve, for all his false bravery, Tristan had never heard truer words spoken and more tears fell at his failure because even now he couldn't say it. Couldn't confirm or admit it. Hadn't he just been thinking the very same after all? He was wondering why they couldn't have gone on pretending and he was disgusted by his own willful selfishness. He was a wretched, ruined shadow that had been eaten up and scarred too badly by the fire that had consumed his innocence and youth.

Sal relentlessly continued, like a bullet train straight into Tristan's heart. "And Leon was never going to betray your trust like that. So you would have kept going for the gods only know how long because you couldn't see another way out and Leon wasn't going to force your hand," he narrated and Tristan could see it all playing out before his eyes.

The guilt he would feel, the frustration and hatred for himself festering as he watched the vampire he loved grow into less the more and more Tristan forced him to hide himself in the dark with him.

"I can see how trapped you both feel." Tristan flinched but had nowhere to go when Salvatore laid a gentle hand on his arm. "I just want to let you know that we've known about you two for a long time and the world hasn't ended."

Then why did it feel like it just had?

"Don't cry, little biter," Salvatore soothed, squeezing his bicep. "This is a good thing, I promise."

Tristan shook his head, a whine trapped raw and restless in the back of his throat, salt water falling to the ground between them.

"Come sit. Please. Leon will back soon and he will think I am hurting you when that is the furthest thing from my mind."

Tristan allowed himself to be led over to the table and seated feeling numb all over. Salvatore retook his own chair and sighed, a hand rubbing over his neck, irritated.

"I know it is not really my place to interfere and I beg your forgiveness for overstepping but it had to be done, do you not see that, Tristan? You're not happy. Not really. Not as you should be," Salvatore told him passionately. "And frankly, I've been quite looking forwards to calling you brother for some time now. You have quite thwarted me."

Tristan jerked at that, eyes refocusing. "You have?" he asked inaudibly, completely shocked.

"Do not ever doubt the affections of the Giuliani clan in regards to yourself," Salvatore chuckled and Tristan found himself flushing. He could hardly find it within him to believe it fully though.

The idea of family had been centered singularly and exclusively around Leon for so long that sometimes he even had a hard time bonding with his coven, let alone Leon's family. But here Salvatore was, telling him in no uncertain terms that he was already accepted and welcomed into the fold which Leon had always tried to tell him himself. And just like with those times, it felt like there had to be a mistake here somewhere but… at the same time, he couldn't doubt the sincerity he heard in that tone. Salvatore had nothing to gain by lying to him.

Shuddering Tristan grasped his napkin up and buried his face in it to escape for a few moments, the material soaking up his waning tears. This was all too much. Overwhelming. He felt blown open, his parts scattered all over the floor for anybody's scrutiny.

"You know, I hadn't actually planned to tell you like this. But with the immediate future still up in the air, it's good to be proactive about these things," Sal admitted and Tristan removed his face from the linen to give Salvatore a flat look, because seriously, he wasn't talking about joining a gym or something!

The elder laughed delightedly.

"There he is!" he crowed, eyes lit up and smile lines deepening around his mouth. "You know, I remember you being a little terror when you were younger, I wondered where that kid had disappeared to. Hearing about all the bratty ways you threw temper tantrums was the highlight of my week once upon a time, you had Leon wrapped around your little fingers and himself in knots from the very start. It was quite humorous."

Tristan ducked his head and actually felt himself begin to relax again as Salvatore's easy humor and easygoing nature ate up the tension and distress. He was so like Leon at times and then so very not, but it was enough to settle his frayed nerves for now.

"But seriously, little biter. I know you probably don't want to talk to me, but I am available if the need should ever arise in the future. You should think about what I said though, you have a whole slew of people waiting for you patiently when you feel like you're ready," he informed him softly.

"It's not like I don't want to tell people," Tristan found himself admitting hoarsely and Salvatore indicated for him to continue. "I'm scared about what will happen after I do. When others know who you love it's easier to hurt you."

Salvatore was the first, other than Leon of course, he had ever told that to.

"When friends know who you love they know who to defend and celebrate and fight for, for you," Salvatore countered. "There's good and bad to everything in life Tristan. Don't stop the bad from letting you experience the good."

Tristan met Salvatore's eyes once more before the door reopened and Leon stepped inside, still looking frustrated with his brother. Tristan had only had a few instances where he had felt such relief before at the sight of him. His hands itched to sink into that silky braid or wrap around Leon's strong, familiar fingers but he stayed glued to the spot, even more conscious of his actions then he ever had been if that was even possible.

"There is only one way up here, but multiple entrances on the lower levels," Leon said as he approached, headed straight for Tristan's side.

"Of course there is. It's a hotel," Salvatore drawled like nothing was amiss and Tristan twitched guiltily. Did he tell Leon about this conversation? Keeping it from him seemed wrong, but he didn't know if he could get his mouth to form the right words to admit anything.

"Let's just forget our troubles and enjoy a nice meal, hm? Everything else can wait," Salvatore suggested and Tristan locked eyes with him, seeing the pointed hint there that he decided to follow until his head stopped reeling.

Making sure there was no excess moisture on his face he pasted a small, private smile on his lips for his Chosen and discreetly grasped two of Leon's fingers under the table.

---

.

---

Zach slammed the door on his way into their joint room and Adam jerked up onto his knees from where he was doing push-ups on the floor in surprise. He glanced at the clock on the wall quickly to see if time had just passed him by, but nope, it'd only been a little over an hour since Cloud had barged his way into their room while they were mid… well… the whole memory made his cheeks flush, he'd just say that.

Turning his mind back to the matter at hand he had to wonder why Zach was back so soon. Surely they weren't done already? There was few and far opportunities for everyone to get together without attracting the notice of the Council so there was a lot to get through he imagined. More than an hour's worth at least.

"Zach?" he questioned hesitantly, brow furrowing as he watched his Chosen pace back and forth from window to door over and over in clear agitation. When it was clear he wasn't going to get an answer he ventured a little further. "What are you doing back here so soon?"

Zach snorted and ran a hand through his fiery hair. "I've been sent to my room because I was a bad boy. Is that okay with you? Gods!" was bit out, sarcasm like a living thing writhing around the words and Adam flinched away from it instinctively, completely shocked.

Zach had never talked to him like that before.

Swallowing over the hurt he felt Adam came to his feet and grabbed the towel he'd set aside to collect the sweat that had accumulated on his bare torso. He turned away from Zach, who wasn't even paying him the least bit of mind regardless and licked his dry lips while running the soft material over his neck.

He doesn't mean it, he thought sternly to himself, refusing to sink back into that insecure rut he'd been stuck in since he'd met Zach what seemed like a lifetime ago.

Whatever had happened to get him so upset wasn't Adam's fault so it was a bit of a kick in the gut to have it taken out on him. But really, could he blame him for being on edge after the news they had gotten in the early hours of this morning? Now he knew the real story behind Zach's past he understood why Zach had been acting more erratic than was typical; one minute sombre, the next nearly foaming at the mouth and then there was the almost desperate, aggressive way he would suddenly latch onto Adam and tumble them to bed like he wanted to merge them into one being.

Adam just tried to roll with the moment, tried to be whatever Zach needed him to be in that instance because he needed to help him in some way and the god's knew he wasn't any good at words. Apparently in this case he wanted Adam to disappear or shut up. So he decided to do both even though it rent a hole in his stomach and put painful pressure on his heart.

Throwing the towel down on the bed he grabbed his grey Henley from the chair in the corner and pulled it over his head, shaggy hair falling into his eyes until he batted the damp strands away. Maybe he could head to the gym to finish his workout then shower. Give Zach some time to himself to work whatever he needed to off.

He walked towards the door and grasped the handle.

"Where are you going?"

If anything, Zach sounded more upset than ever.

Adam glanced over his shoulder and haunted blue eyes caught and held his prisoner. His face had drained of its angry red colour and left behind a stark whiteness that made his beautiful constellation of freckles stand out in sharp relief. He looked suddenly terrified and it made Adam's hurting heart clench.

"Just to the gym. You seemed like you wanted some space," he said quietly, like anything louder would set Zach off again and it wasn't fear for himself that had him reacting this way. He knew Zach would never hurt him intentionally, like he knew the earth was round. No, Adam was more afraid that this fury he could see boiling under Zach's skin would hurt his Chosen, like he would self-implode.

It seemed cruelly unfair that these monsters Zach had put to bed years ago were now crawling back out from under his bed to terrorise him again.

"Not from you," Zach denied instantly looking like he was caught between the urge to come forwards and keep his distance.

"But before-"

"I might be sick of everyone in the world but it's never going to include you," Zach told him and Adam felt the rush of relief cursing through his bloodstream like a drug.

He chanced a step forwards, eyeing Zach's twitching body for a place to start to try and comfort him. His clenching fists? His locked shoulders? His coiled leg muscles? His tense, ticking jawline? He wanted to put hands all over him and soothe the pain there.

"What do you need then?" Adam asked softly.

"I need… for you not to go anywhere. Nowhere I can't see you. Not today," he gritted out, eyes closing.

Not today. Not when he knew that his psycho family was out there somewhere ready to tear him down and destroy everything he loved at the smallest opportunity.

Adam closed the rest of the space between them and slipped a large hand under Zach's arm and onto his waist. "I'm right here," he promised.

Zach leaned forwards and pushed his face into Adam's neck and the younger cupped the back of his neck gently, feeling useless. If he knew where the Kensington's were he'd bring Zach their heads on a platter, the dark thoughts registering as nothing but right, as retribution that was deserved for his Chosen.

"I'm not going anywhere without you," he continued honestly. It was all he could offer of himself, he wasn't good at words or fancy gestures, he was just him and that's what he always gave Zach. One hundred percent of himself whether it be love or sincerity or his shy blushes or smiles. "Wanna tell me what's wrong?"

"I flipped out at everyone in the meeting. Turns out that Hunter is Seb's Chosen and there was a discussion about using that to get Seb to talk and I just couldn't handle the thought of one more threat walking around freely. Wes sent me away," Zach mumbled into his skin, voice heavy with self-deprecation.

Adam blinked.

Sebastian had a Chosen?

The very thought of it was surreal, but then again, why should it be? Yes Sebastian was… misguided, but he was a vampire wasn't he? Chosen's were part of the package deal after all. He supposed why there was such a disconnect with the idea was because most of the rogues laughed off the idea of Chosen's, didn't want or look for them, so imagining them with one was strange to say the least.

But Hunter of all vampires?

He seemed so closed off, so cold almost. He was undoubtedly a reliable and honourable vampire to have gained such esteem and position in the New York coven, butthe two didn't seem to fit at all. But then again, the same could be said for him and Zach couldn't it? He, so shy and quiet and Zach, who was the definition of crazy and loud.

"I'm sure he understands why you reacted that way given the circumstances," Adam reassured him, thumb massaging the base of Zach's spine. They were kind of rocking side to side in a gentle sort of dance that seemed to get Zach to melt against him.

He was getting better at initiating contact between them ever since things had gotten properly physical with them. It was hard to feel the same self-consciousness of before when he knew what it felt like to have Zach's lips and tongue all over his body. Those pale eyes had inspected every inch of him and Adam had seen nothing but love and reverence in them and in return he had tentatively, then ravenously explored Zach too.

"I need to hold it together better than this," Zach argued, face pushing closer. "I'm giving them what they want by breaking down at the thought of them."

His family.

"You're allowed a day to assimilate, Zach," Adam admonished. "You're not a machine and what they did to you… like I said, I'm sure everyone understands that you need a little time."

"I don't want to take time. I bet they sit there and laugh when they think about me, why should I give them the satisfaction of doing anything but the same?" Zach asked, voice filled with hate.

"Because you're a better person then they are," Adam said simply and Zach froze in his arms. "And that's why we all love you and that's why you're going to beat them."

"You're biased, babe."

"I'm right," Adam argued softly.

"I want you to be," Zach admitted and Adam kissed his forehead, a strange wave of self-confidence filling him in response to Zach's vulnerability.

"Trust me."

---

.

---

The meeting had been going for some three hours now and they were still in full swing of things even though Blaine was getting a little exhausted and itching for some alone time with Kurt. He held it together though because it was so difficult to arrange a time and secure place to meet up, so it wasn't anybody's fault that the number of things on the agenda to discuss was extensive.

They'd rehashed training schedules and patrols, Elana had filled them in on news from Geldian, Dante had updated them on everything that was going on in medical and they soon found themselves on the subject of Marcus Polland and his forces.

"Sorry boys and girls but we have no idea what we're up against here," David said, swiping his bottom lip with his tongue. Blaine could tell he was itching for a shot of something and it made him frown all over again.

"I can bring up a list of every vampire in the US. They're all registered in the Council's main server," Elliott said, fingers already flying like he'd hacked into the highly restricted database a hundred times before.

"Which would be like looking for a needle in a stack of needles. We have no idea who's rogue and who's not," Kurt pointed out, biting absently at the corner of his thumb as his mind worked everything over. No doubt looking for one of his usual ingenious solutions, but coming up frustratingly blank if the deepening furrow between his brows was any indication.

"Do you not keep track of these rogues?" Elana asked tartly. "I would think that would be common sense."

"We do have the old lists," Wes confirmed. "Known rogues were written down and put on the server too. We could look at possible associations," he suggested for lack of anything else.

"Which would be a huge waste of time because we're still just guessing," Cooper dismissed with a wave of his hand.

"Plus you're forgetting that not all rogues will be from this country. Polland could have recruited from other countries," Nick said smartly.

"Well that's just dandy. I'll just cast a net around the whole planet shall I?" David snorted sarcastically, throwing his arms behind his head and leaning back on them in clear agitation.

"There's got to be a way to narrow this down," Blaine murmured as he paced the length of the table over and over, mind ticking over as he listened to each and every one of them. There had to be something they were missing. Something obvious. The amount of rogues they were suspecting Marcus had recruited had to leave a trail somewhere. "Elliott, pull up that list of living vampires in the US and put it on the wall."

Thad hopped up and headed for the smart board on the wall, calibrating it to Elliott's laptop as well as his quickly and efficiently, like he was an extension of Elliott, just in time for the hundreds of names that were now staring back at them in black and white.

Blaine ceased his pacing and frowned at the board. Thad scooted away to retake his seat on Dante's lap while Kurt got up from his chair and leant into Blaine's side slightly, not crowding him, just a warm presence that reminded him why he needed to figure this out so badly.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"That the answer is staring me right in the face," Blaine responded, not taking his eyes away from those damning, heavy block letters. It could be any one of these names. Any one of them could be lurking in the shadows to destroy them all and he'd never know it.

The thought itself was chilling.

"Those letters in the next row… they're which coven they're in, right? NY is New York… OH is Ohio?" Kurt wondered out loud.

And just like that, the last tumbler fell into place.

"Shit… that's it." He looked over his shoulder at Elliott, heart racing with hope. "Bring up the list of coven inductees in the last hundred years. Thad, can you isolate which ones asked for special request placing's in territories not their own? Leave out the ones that moved from one to another, Marcus seems to be targeting the younger generation so we'll look for those first from first inductions."

"Gods… do you really think it would be that simple?" David asked incredulously.

Lithe fingers tapped out a steady, intelligent beat for a few minutes then names began to highlight in red.

"Add known rogues," Blaine instructed.

More red names winked into existence, making everyone feel uneasy.

"Wipe that and bring up a map of territories," Cooper instructed, getting up from his own chair. "Add the red names to the map, I wanna see where they're localised."

The screen flicked over like turning a page in a book and a flat spread of all fifty states was facing them. Red dots began to pop up with little beeps, too many to count in some territories and those were the ones everyone was staring at.

Washington.

Chicago.

Texas.

Colorado

Nevada

California

The list went on, but those were the ones that stood out to Blaine because those territories were big. Important. Significant.

"Shit…" David breathed, hands rubbing over his buzz cut harshly. "He has vampires in basically every major territory. How the fuck did he manage to get vampires in every major territory?"

"It's not every one," Wes said, mouth twisting.

"Basically everywhere but here," Cooper chirped, tone light but eyes grim. "I feel special right now. Go team Coop!"

"I don't think now is the time for cheering, asshole," Dante pointed out dryly.

"He's in it for the small victories. It's not the most terrible attitude to have with all the shit that's being flung at us on the regular," Nick countered ruefully with a sheepish head tilt and shrug.

Cooper beamed at him like he wanted to have his children and Dante rolled his eyes. "Don't encourage him, friend. I beg you."

Cloud made a grunting sound in the corner that sounded like wholehearted agreement.

"Maybe we should get back to the matter at hand?" Elana cut in crisply, all condescending eyebrows and badass no nonsense attitude that speared straight through any further attempts at levity.

"They hardly have anyone in California," Wes pointed out and it fell short by a mile at comforting anyone.

"Oh… was that supposed to be channelling Jeff's famous optimism oh fearless leader mine?" David snorted.

"Your sarcasm is hardly conductive," Elana bit at him from around Wes, dark eyes shooting daggers his way for undermining her soulmate.

"And your presence here is not conductive but you don't see me bitching about it," David snapped right back, making Wes growl low in his throat in warning.

Blaine sighed internally as he watched the two continue to glare at each other silently. It seemed like those two were not going to be getting along anytime soon, Chosen One of his best friend or not, and it was obviously playing havoc with Wes' instincts. Blaine knew all too well how things like lifelong friendship or brotherhood that you cherished got utterly trumped by a Chosen bond, it wasn't even a conscious choice.

But David was too busy holding a grudge for how this female had treated his friend to care or notice that if it came down to a fight of tug of war over Wes, he'd inevitably lose it.

"D. You know better so shut it," Blaine told him, heading off any further arguments hopefully as his feet took him right up to the board so he could study it closer. Kurt followed like they were attached by a string and linked their fingers almost absently as he stared at the board too.

"Can you bring up the dates of when each person was inducted?" the fae asked, titling his head to say it over his shoulder but his blue eyes remaining fixed.

"I won't be able to put them on the board properly without stacking the info on top of each other," Thad said.

One long finger tapped the board over California. "Were these the latest ones?"

Keys tapped behind them and Thad and Elliott conferred quietly for a few seconds.

"Sure is, handsome," Elliott confirmed.

"Those could just be normal inductions then," Kurt said, looking at Blaine for confirmation.

"Or Marcus didn't have enough time to place all his people," Cooper countered, then rubbed a hand over his neck. "Okay. I think we should operate under the assumption that all these covens are hostile."

"That is a big assumption. Perhaps you are cutting off potential allies?" Elana pointed out.

"Probably, but we can't risk it," Wes said.

"So we blacklist these covens for now. And given the evidence gleaned from Robert we know that with the coven's that aren't sympathetic to the rogue cause, Marcus builds secret covens inside that specific territory ready to overthrow them. Or use them to cause problems and herd them into larger territories like here," Blaine summarized grimly, feeling more and more like they didn't stand a chance.

Marcus had been building this campaign for years. Decades. Maybe centuries and they were racing to catch up, yet at the same time, not get trampled on when they eventually did.

"Is it okay to say we're fucked?" David asked with his eyebrows raised. "Because we are royally, truly, bent over the desk, fucked."

"Now, now. Let's not lose our heads," Cooper said calmly.

"Uh… sorry, boss, but it sounds like that's exactly what we are going to be doing. We might as well drop our pants and take it with some dignity," Elliott chipped in with that dark bit of humour.

"Are we informing the Council of our findings?" Dante asked the more pertinent question that was lurking at the back of all of their minds.

The room quieted.

The doctor continued, "I mean, now that we have some kind of scale as to what we're fighting against… we're outmatched boys and girls and we can't mobilize without their say so."

"We still don't know whether the Council is one hundred percent on our side," Blaine said, hands in his hair. "Plus, if they put the alert out then Marcus is going to hear about it and we'll lose the element of surprise."

"If we even have that. We have no idea what Marcus knows," Wes tacked on. "The Kensington's reportedly being in the city doesn't bode exactly well."

"Not so optimistic anymore?" Jeff joked weakly, sinking into Nick's side.

With a muffled curse Cooper began to pace like Blaine had, mind turning things over and they all watched him in suspense for the final verdict. "Blaine, Wes and I will continue to work on the Council without giving everything away. If it looks like we're not getting anywhere then we'll consider showing our hand," Cooper decided.

"This seems like an unwise cause of action," Elana said crisply. "Your combined covens cannot hope to overcome… that, alone." She gestured towards the board.

"I actually agree with the ice princess," David said begrudgingly, leaning forwards on his elbows. "No amount of training or weaponry other than a nuclear warhead is going to make a jot a difference if they're throwing ten to one odds at us. We need back up, this is getting too serious for us not to say anything. We're going to get vampires killed and it'll all be on us, we need to think about that."

"It's all I've been thinking about," Blaine snapped loudly then shook his head and sighed. "Sorry."

"Don't apologise, bro. If anyone has the right here, ya know," David shook off. "But I'm not taking back what I said, about it getting fucking serious now. We can't play act at this shit."

"It wasn't serious before?" Blaine asked humourlessly, rubbing a tired hand over his jawline. "It's never not been, David. And I understand where you're coming from but you haven't been in those Council meetings, they may not all be in consensus but the feeling we've been getting is that they don't believe the threat is anything to be concerned about. An isolated incident."

"But they don't know all the information," Thad pointed out quietly, wide innocent eyes looking between the leaders. "If they knew then maybe they would change their minds?"

"I have a hard time believing Richard would turn on Marcus. Cooper said they've been close friends for centuries and I know for sure that my uncle would oppose me just for spite. It would be our word against theirs and we have nothing concrete that links the two," Wes said.

"We have Robert," Kurt said.

"Who they could say was lying or trying to frame Polland. He has too much influence for them to believe a wet behind the ears vampire like Robert over a vampire that's never had a spot on his record before. A vampire that was in their eyes, integral in fighting on our side in the civil war. He's spilled rogue blood, probably without even batting an eye," Cooper informed them.

"But isn't finally putting some kind of mark on his record worth it? When it comes time for Polland to make his move then the seed will already be planted," Dante said.

"Which takes us back to the original point. We tell the Council, they'll contact Polland, either to bring him in for questioning or to inform him about the rumours going around about him. Either way, he knows we know and we set this fucker off before schedule and we can't afford that. No, this is the way we proceed until something changes," Cooper said, voice final.

"Let's hope that isn't too late," Nick said.

---

NOW…

---

"Blaine-"

"I know, beautiful. I know. But we may not get another chance at this. I have to go," Blaine explained to his Chosen, frustrated beyond all measure. He was sat propped up against the headboard, Kurt's pillow in his lap and the ruby he'd pried from Jeff's fingers held loosely in his hands on top of that.

"You've been trying to get them to sit down for a meeting with you for days and they choose this night to do it? The one night we were going to get to spend together this week?" Kurt ranted, completely pissed.

Blaine winced. "Well I'm sure they didn't do it on purpose-"

The ruby in his hand pulsed a brilliant, crimson red. "I'm damn sure they did! I have half a mind to come over there and give those mutts and witches a piece of my mind!"

"Wizards and shifters will be there too," Blaine chipped in helpfully, the corner of his mouth tugging up.

"And they won't get away with it either!"

Blaine found himself laughing. "You're sexy when you're threatening world domination, you know."

He heard Kurt sniff haughtily. "It's not world domination. It's just letting everyone who inhabits the world know that no one is allowed to interrupt Kurt and Blaine time. That's not unreasonable."

Blaine's heart fluttered and he smiled dreamily into nothing. "I love you."

"Then hurry up with the negotiations and get your cute butt to see me tonight," Kurt ordered, a royal proclamation that Blaine was more than willing to follow if he possibly could.

"I wanna see your cute butt tonight," Blaine countered because yes, he was severely sexually frustrated as well as heartsick with Kurt gone and he wasn't above begging for it.

The knock on the door prevented whatever reply Kurt was going to give as Blaine fumbled the precious stone and dropped it to the bedspread.

"Shit." He picked it back up quickly and caught the end of, "-you did not just hang up on me via this stupid rock you fangy asshole!"

"I just dropped it," Blain hastily explained. "Someone's at the door and it startled me."

Kurt huffed, but seemed to accept it. "Startled the big, bad vampire? Your ears must be going in your old age."

He rolled his eyes, but his mouth quirked. "You're the one sleeping with this old vampire so what does that say about you, smartass, huh?"

"That I have a daddy complex?"

Blaine burst out laughing, wide eyed and completely shocked.

"Okay, no, no, no, ew. Forget I ever said that. Geez, I've been talking to Jeff too much, he's infected my brain. I need a lobotomy," Kurt backtracked like crazy.

The door was knocked again and Blaine glared daggers at it.

"Mr Andersooooon," Elliott's voice pierced through the wood separating them and the vampire sighed to himself, head thumping back against the wall.

"Ugh, can't I just get five minutes without someone needing me for something," he complained.

Kurt sighed too. "Apparently it's time for you to go."

"I'll try and make it back for tonight."

"You better, or I'm starting without you," Kurt taunted saucily before the connection dropped and Blaine was left half hard and groaning.

"Why did my Chosen have to be such a tease?" he muttered to the universe for the hundredth millionth time.

Adjusting himself in his black cargo pants he rolled off the bed leaving the ruby where it was and padded towards the door and his combat boots lying there beside it. Throwing it open revealed Elliott's grinning face, black eyeliner thicker than usual and BDU's customised with an array of shiny things Blaine didn't really understand. Kurt probably would have loved it.

"Hey, boss," the younger greeted, all gleaming white teeth. "Sorry to uh… interrupt."

The fucker was smirking.

"Sure you are," Blaine deadpanned and Elliott laughed.

"Hey, I get it. If I had a Chosen that looked like that and a freaking prince to boot then I wouldn't want to leave his sweet, sweet presence either."

"You are treading on seriously thin ice right now," Blaine warned him, a slight growl edging his tone. This asshole needed to check who he was flirting with… or about… or whatever. He just needed to stop.

Elliott threw him a sloppy salute. "Roger, roger. Angry Chosen's threatening me is becoming like, my thing."

Ignoring him, Blaine bent down and began to pull his boots on. He looked forwards whilst absently tying his first lace to see that Elliott was wearing a pair of New Rocks; the bottoms a high platform and the toes steel capped. Blaine didn't know if this was simply fashion or if the vampire was really hoping to do some major damage with them.

Shaking his head he redirected. "Where are the others?"

"The Adam's are down on the ground floor. Which is going to get confusing, I can already tell. I was campaigning to get Keith on our team of epic, he may not be the brightest bulb but damn does this superficial bitch think he's sexy. Have you seen his face? But apparently he and his friends have this co-dependent thing going on?" Elliott rambled on, just filling the air with words and switching tracks faster than a freight train. He clicked his fingers suddenly. "We should give one of them a nickname!"

"Who, Keith?"

"No Adam. But I can think of a few nicknames for dear Keith of course… how about we start with-"

"Why couldn't I have had Thad again?" Blaine found himself asking mournfully, interrupting what was sure to be a brain bleach inducing list, as he laced his second boot.

"That little cutie isn't meant for field ops and you know it. So he'll be the Oracle in the tower and I'll be the handsome tech support on the ground," Elliott grinned.

"Wonderful."

The ride down the elevator was punctuated with more of Elliott's cheerful, inane chatter and Blaine's petulant, unimpressed silence in the face of it. Blaine blew a huge sigh of relief when the doors finally slid open, only to almost want to suck it back in when he heard-

"I don't care if I'm not authorised, get me Anderson right now or I'll-"

His blood turned to ice, and a shudder crept down his spine.

"Burt," Blaine cut him off and the human's eye locked on him with laser focus that made him feel two feet tall. Shit. He forgot how Kurt's dad was scary as all get out… and just what in the hell was he doing here!

"Where's my boy, Anderson?" Burt raged at him straight off the bat, raising all kinds of hell like only a Hummel could do. Blaine noticed the raggedy duffel by his feet and swallowed heavily when he noticed those worn boots coming towards him.

His eyes flicked up just in time to see the hand reaching for his collar.

The guards by the elevator bristled, the Council stationed ones even more so, but Blaine held up a hand to stay them sending a quick heads up to Wes in his head that they had a situation here.

"Elliott, Adam, Adam. Why don't you explain to the security this… misunderstanding, while I welcome our guest properly," he managed to order calmly and the three jumped to do his bidding.

He turned his attention back to Burt who was still burning holes through his head.

"He's fine. I promise. You think I'd be standing here right now if he wasn't?" he started quietly, all too aware of the prying eyes and ears fixed on them. "Why don't we step over there and we can talk?"

Burt grunted but released his hold on his collar after a second of debate and followed him to the door stiffly. He was a man ready to tear the world apart and Blaine knew he had to tread carefully here.

"Spill it, Anderson. I know something aint right. All those texts and not a single phone call? He won't pick up when I ask him to? That's not my son! I want to see him right now," he growled, jabbing him in the chest with his finger.

"I'm afraid that's impossible," he stressed pointedly, trying to get his meaning across without giving the game away. "He's not here right now, but he's completely safe."

Burt's brow furrowed underneath his garage cap as he processed just what Blaine was saying to him. A Council guard approached from behind in the time it took for him to assimilate it.

"Is there a problem?" he asked blankly.

Burt switched his gaze to the newcomer, entirely unimpressed at the sight of what he knew to be a vampire. Blaine's respect and fear of the man grew tenfold. "Yeah there's a problem, this joker here-"

"Will inform you of where you need to go and how long you will have to wait and get someone to escort you personally," Blaine cut off, pleading with his eyes at the human. Burt didn't understand the politics going on here, the precarious subterfuge that he was now embroiled in.

Burt grumbled a few choice curses, and wow he knew a lot of them, but eventually nodded his grudging assent. Anything to get him closer to seeing Kurt he knew, he wasn't doing it for Blaine's benefit so he wasn't going to feel relieved just yet.

"No unauthorised visitors can go inside," the guard, damn Blaine really needed to learn their names, told him.

"Well I'm authorising it."

"You can't-"

There was the ding of the elevator and the slide of doors and out stepped Cooper in all his pompous glory. He planned these entrances. He just had to. No one had that good timing.

"Just great," Burt growled under his breath, not even bothering to hide his dislike of the eldest Anderson now that Carole or Kurt weren't around to reprimand him.

"Burt!" Cooper cried, grinning a mile wide. "I see you finally accepted my invitation to visit me in my lonely castle. Just splendid. Isn't it splendid, Thing One?"

The guard frowned at being so disrespectfully addressed but didn't speak out, he was decidedly lower on the food chain after all.

"Awesome. So, I'll take over from here. Blainer's, you and this band of merry men have a job to do, yes?" the New York leader asked rhetorically.

"I wasn't informed of any more people going out of the building," Thing One said suspiciously.

"It's my territory, I've had another report of a disturbance so I'm sending my best and brightest. I don't need to run my territory by you now do I?" he stated icily and the guard was dutifully chastised.

"What about the visitor?" he valiantly tried to find a footing.

Cooper waved it off. "Is my personal, special guest. I'm sure the paperwork simply got lost along the grapevine."

"Coven Leader Anderson, I am responsible for the safety of the Council, I can't-"

"I will vouch for my friend. That's all you need. On my head be it and all that. Do you really think I would let something happen to our beloved Council while under my roof? My own father among them?" he sealed the deal skilfully with a dramatic hand on his heart and an expression that would solve world hunger and that was that.

Burt picked up his bag, unhappy but one step closer to his son, and followed Cooper towards the elevator. He threw one last look at Blaine over his shoulder, hard and determined. "Me and you, we're not done, kid."

"I know," Blaine sighed miserably, much to Cooper's delighted amusement.

"This is awesome. You should have visited sooner," he crowed to Burt who looked like he wished he could have gotten his shotgun past security at the airport.

The doors closed on the spectacle and Blaine motioned to his team to follow him. When they got outside and the rush of New York traffic was muffling their words Elliott started laughing, sounding like he had painfully been holding it in for an age. "In-laws, huh?"

Blaine ignored him all the way to their destination in lower Manhattan and then there was a telling, tense silence that blanketed everyone, including Elliott, as they waited for their 'guests' to arrive.

It hadn't been hard for Blaine to convince Coop and Wes about his plan to improve their chances in this war, his little brainwave in their meeting locking pieces in place one after the other over the days that followed until he had a whole puzzle. He was surprised however at the readiness of his intended guests to meeting him; he thought he would have to jump through hoops, do the trials of Hercules, prostrate himself on his knees and beg before they deemed to give an audience with him. It gave him the inkling that maybe they knew more than he had first suspected.

"Shouldn't political talks take place somewhere cushier and less… homeless chic?" Elliott asked dryly, kicking at a discarded, rusty can and sending it sprawling into the cracked far wall of the abandoned building. He had his mobile equipment that he had hauled here on his back set up and humming along on a table that looked a second from collapse in the corner. He'd already set up wireless sensors on all the access points and camera's feeding straight to Thad had been dotted around the area in strategic points.

"Now you're making me think that we should have set out some nibbles, you know, a nice little spread to help things along. A few cucumber sandwiches could go a long way," Brit Adam quipped back, the two New York vampires slipping easily into banter between themselves.

Blaine watched them with a detached expression, remaining pressed up against the strip of wall next to the boarded up windows. There was a single gap in the rotting plywood that gave Blaine a perfect view of the path leading towards the house.

He'd picked this particular building on purpose. It had one easily accessible entrance, the rest boarded up in some way that would create noise to get through making it not worth the hassle.

"I've been wondering all night why you guys picked us to come along for this," his Adam's voice broke into his military musings. He redirected his gaze up towards the hulking teddy bear and managed a half smile for him.

"And you think you have the answer?"

"You could have taken any one of us. Zach, Leon, David, they're all better choices. Older. Stronger, definitely. More experienced for sure," he explained his thought process out loud.

"And your conclusion?" Blaine pressed, eyes shrewd on one of the youngest members of his coven.

"We make up numbers but none of us are particularly that old, strong or experienced barring the other Adam I think. We're kind of non-threatening in a still, we'll put up a hell of a fight and it'd be too much hassle to deal with us way?"

Blaine did smile then at being sussed out so on the nose. "You've been hiding that brain under all those muscles haven't you," he accused teasingly.

Adam blushed bright red and ducked his head bashfully. "It's not… I mean I just put two and two together. I can count to four."

"No higher? I don't believe you," Blaine pressed. "We both know you're the brains of your bond."

"Zach is…"

"Zach?"

Adam laughed. "Yes. That."

Blaine got a little more serious. "And how is he right now? I haven't really seen him since the meeting."

"Honestly… I don't know," Adam admitted, face pained. "One minute he's fine, then the next he's angry and then all he wants to do is… " He blushed furiously and leaned in to whisper, "Stay in bed."

Blaine gave him an understanding smile. "I was exactly the same… still am sometimes, with Kurt. I got him back and didn't want to let him out of my sight and the rest of the time I was trying to pretend to myself everything was hunky dory when it was far from it."

Adam absorbed the information like a sponge and nodded along. "I caught him on the phone the other day to my mother arranging a visit like everything was normal."

"I take it he's never talked to your mother before?"

"Not without me there. I woke up and he was perched on the end of the bed having a bonding session with her… which I don't mind," he added quickly. "He never really had a proper mother you know, so I'm glad he feels comfortable enough to talk to mine and the gods know the more people she has to smother the more she likes it. I just…"

"Don't think that's what it was about," Blaine finished for him and Adam nodded miserably.

"He's erratic."

"Which for Zach is like-"

"Atomic levels of insane," Adam finished for him this time. "I'm scared he's going to get himself hurt but I don't want him to feel like I'm trying to undermine him either by talking to Wes about possibly taking him off rotation. I don't even know if I'm just being overprotective or something. Blowing it out of proportion because of our bond?"

"It's hard to distinguish sometimes what's rational and what the bond is doing to you, but the feeling beneath it is always true. You're worried for Zach and the bond may be emphasising your reactions to this feeling but it isn't manufacturing the reasons why," he explained. He felt like he could talk about this subject in his sleep by this point. He had hit every up and down of a bond that was thinkable. "Have you tried to talk to him about what you're feeling?"

"He has ways of… distracting me," Adam flushed again, averting his blue eyes and Blaine snorted in mild amusement.

"Try, try again they always say."

He would have had a bit more fun making Adam squirm if not for the whistle Elliott made. He snapped his head to the side.

"They're heeree."

"Without all the lame horror movie pizazz please," Brit Adam chirped, stationing himself by the stairs just in time for the door to swing open.

A trail of stiff, twitchy shifters, growling werewolves and unimpressed witches and pompous wizards strode through the front door all keeping a wary distance from one another. Guards eyeing up threats and assessing the room for strategic advantages immediately.

"If we make it through this without one fight starting then I will eat my sexy fucking boots," Elliott said in an aside to them and Blaine set his weight firmly as all eyes, hostile or not, flicked over to him.

I hope you like the taste of metal and leather, Elliott.

---

Upper East Side...

---

"Please, Zach. No more."

"…and his smile guys. He has the best smile. And the best hair. Did you know he likes it pulled? It's fucking hot and-"

David groaned heavily and mimed putting a gun in his mouth to Leon and Tristan who were walking closely together behind him with just enough distance between them to appear casual to anyone who didn't know them.

They were all dressed similarly tonight, all in black BDU style clothing for practicality purposes. Leon's suits wouldn't hold up well if shit went down and the asshole still managed to look suave in military gear somehow anyway.

"I think it is very sweet that Zachery likes to exalt about his Chosen One's perfections," Leon grinned at him, not sympathetic in the least, and David rolled his eyes.

"That's because you're as much of a pansy as he is," he grumbled.

A tiny, tinny rumble sounded in the air at that comment, like a cub's first growl, and the foursome stopped dead in their tracks. Zach's monologue cut short as three of them turned to the smallest, blushing fourth.

He just growled at me, David thought incredulously as he stared in shock at that angular face. He actually just growled at me.

It was unheard of. In fact, the only time he could ever remember Tristan growling was when Leon had been on that gurney, poisoned, and Nick and David had the job of tearing the desperate vampire away so Jeff could work on him. Which was freaking understandable given those circumstances. But to growl at a throwaway comment like that? He couldn't count the number of times he'd insulted the Italian before this moment, he did it to everyone so regularly that it just got lost at a certain point. But never, had Tristan even so much as batted an eyelid at it. Never had he gave himself and their true connection away so easily.

He had to wonder at what the hell was going on, but a look at a startled, almost delighted Leon told him that this was new for him too. He glanced back at the youngest and saw that Tristan's cheeks were a deep red, midnight blue eyes wide and shocked like he wasn't even sure if that sound had really come out of his mouth.

"You growled at me," David found himself voicing out loud, bewildered.

Tristan's lips parted, the hoop in his bottom lip catching the moonlight, but no other sound was forthcoming. Instead he ducked his head and hid behind his fall of hair, turning into Leon but not completely, like he couldn't decide whether he wanted to comfort more than the risk of exposing himself further.

Leon made a comforting sound in his throat regardless and took the choice away from him, smoothing a large palm over those midnight and coloured strands of hair, pulling him into his chest. He leant down and whispered something in Italian.

"Do not fret, tesoro, we are among friends."

"I haven't done something like that since I was a child," Tristan whispered back quietly and David twisted his mouth because he had no fucking clue what they were saying.

He hoped Tristan wasn't freaking too bad though. After all these years together he really hoped he knew the coven had his back until death parted them. Hell, they were even going along with this whole ridiculous, 'we know you're together but we're going to pretend we don't', thing.

"And I must admit to selfishly missing the sound," Leon murmured back, rubbing the pad of his thumb over the sharp arch of his cheekbone and taking the hair that he was hiding behind with it to hook behind his ear. Opening him up again, slow and gently, like sunlight on a budding flower.

David was so caught up in watching the two of them that he was jolted back into reality when Zach spotted a shadow moving along the shrubbery lining the lawn and bolted straight for it, tackling it to the ground even as it tried to run. They crashed and rolled, Zach getting a good grip on its arms behind it before pulling them both to their feet to meet the other three that had come running after him.

"Why are you running little mouse?" the redhead asked the vampire.

He was male, with short brown hair and a boy next door face and Zach could tell he was quite young. They all were, which made this harder sometimes.

"Good eye, Kensington," David approved, peering down at their quarry.

"Easy as pie," Zach grinned at them.

David rolled his eyes and scanned around the surrounding area. Nothing else seemed to be moving or amiss. "Go check inside with Elle and we'll deal with this one outside. No need to disturb her family any more than necessary," he instructed Leon and Tristan.

"Very well," Leon inclined his head and headed that way, Tristan grasping two of Leon's fingers when he thought they couldn't see them any longer.

"Now. First things first. Who are you? And why are you disturbing this poor families evening?" David asked casually.

The vampire snorted. "They're traitors. Just like you."

"Traitors is a strong word," David pouted, hand to his chest in offense.

"A dramatic word. I like it," Zach grinned wider.

"You didn't answer my first question." Silence. "How many of you are there here?"

Again, they didn't get an answer.

"Who sent you?" David growled in his face and Zach yanked his arms back harder when all the vampire did was struggle, jaw locked.

"You're all going to die you know. It doesn't matter what you do. We're going to carve out a new world," was spat in place of answers, brown eyes alight with fanatical fire.

"Answer the vampire," the redhead hissed into his ear. "Or I'm gonna carve out a new world straight into your back. I'm thinking something like out of Star Wars. Get all those painful little details in there you know, because if you don't have the details then you might as well not even bother."

The rogue began to laugh. A disconcerting, awful sound that spoke of just how far gone he was. Zach and David exchanged a look over his head, a silent conversation taking place. He wouldn't be giving them any information, not like Robert had. He was too far gone, too badly entrenched in whatever lies and delusions Polland was feeding all these younglings.

"We'll see if you're laughing when I rip your head from your shoulders," Zach taunted him again to see if something rattled him.

"I will die with honour and purpose."

"You will die in delusion and shame, a dishonour to your family and line."

"And you'd know all about that, Kensington," the vampire smirked over his shoulder and Zach worked his jaw, tonguing at his left fang in agitation. "Such a disappointment you must have been, I'd wager from the very moment you were born. Did they lock you away in the cellar when visitors were around to avoid the shame you bring them just by breathing?"

Red hot rage began to boil in his blood. "Not exactly," he responded tightly, going for nonplussed but falling short.

"Oh, that's right. They tried to beat the unworthiness out of you… mummy, daddy and big brother too. Must have been a family sport. Shame it obviously had to opposite effect-"

Zach let out a roar and yanked the vampire around to fit his hands around his neck. They fell to the soft earth and still the vampire laughed and laughed and laughed.

"Zach, let him go! Zach!"

He was ignored.

"You know nothing about me or my family," Zach spat at him, noses almost touching.

"Oh I'd say that I know quite a lot about you and your family," the vampire countered hoarsely, something gleeful alongside the madness in his eyes. "In fact, they asked me to give you a message."

Zach lost all the breath in his lungs, heart stuttering to a complete stop as he flinched back a fraction. It couldn't be… they couldn't be…

"They look forward to meeting you and your Chosen very soon."

He went cold all over. "No."

Another laugh. "They even left you a little present. For old time's sake."

There was a sudden, deafening explosion from the house, the lower east wing lighting up like a firework and exploding outwards in a shower of red, orange and black. Zach ducked his head and shook with the force of it as his slow mind comprehended just what they had just walked into.

A trap.

This was a trap and this vampire under him was on a suicide run... all to send a message to him.

"Leon and Tristan," David murmured dumbly from his sprawl on his ass the explosion had knocked him down to, just staring for a few short seconds. "Leon! Tristan!" he then shouted at the top of his lungs, scrambling up and running full speed towards the house that was sure to collapse any second as the parts that hadn't been damaged by the initial explosion were consumed by flames that seemed to spread like wildfire.

Zach stared at it in horror, that horrible, wretched laugh in his ears. Those words ringing in his head.

'…you and your Chosen…'

"Where are they?" he demanded, screamed it with his teeth bared into the rogues face. He smashed his head into the ground with force. "Where are they?!"

"Watching you. Always watching," he smirked around the pain and Zach swallowed hard, fighting against the urge to look around him now like he would be able to glimpse hunting eyes in the darkness. The vampire saw his discomfort and grinned. All bloodied fangs and teeth. "Did you think you got away? That they would just leave you be? A stain on an otherwise perfect lineage. No. You need to be wiped. Out."

He'd strangled the life out of the vampire under him before he could even register that his hands had tightened, or that the laugh had stopped, that the light of madness had died in those eyes.

He left the body where it was and sprinted for the now ruined building.

---

.

---

"What do you mean my dad is there?" Kurt practically shouted at the useless rock in his hand. It really didn't seem to get across what he wanted it to, ever.

"Don't shoot the mega foxy messenger," Jeff whined. "Cooper wasn't even going to tell you!"

"Send him home. Book him a flight and send him home," he ordered. The thought of his dad, his vulnerable, very much human and breakable father, in New York was enough to make him want to have a panic attack or throw up, or both.

"He kind of. Won't."

"Don't tell me a skyscraper full of vampires and stars knows what else can't get one human on a flight back to Ohio!"

There was silence.

"Jeff!"

"You said don't tell you that!" he defended himself and Kurt pinched at the bridge of his nose, feeling a roaring headache coming on.

"This is ridiculous."

"Your dad is mega scary… he threatened to scalp Cooper and I think Cloud actually smiled, Kurt. Cloud is friends with your dad."

Kurt shook his head, too numb to really appreciate the humour in that. "I'm coming over there."

"Now don't be hasty. We haven't got all the secu-"

"You guys say you can't deal with my dad, so I'm coming over there," he cut off firmly, getting off his bed and striding out of his room in the direction of Elana's. "He's obviously there because of me."

"It seems Blaine's texting skills need a little bit of work. I told him he should have let me but he's so bossy and possessive. I touched your phone to take some selfies to surprise you with and I thought he was going to chew my arm off!" Jeff grumbled

Kurt rolled his eyes. "You guys are as bad as each other."

"You were mine first! He forgets that and needs to be reminded," Jeff stated highhandedly.

Kurt just hummed and knocked on Elana's door. It was opened shortly after and the princess raised an eyebrow at his presence.

"Lost?"

"Funny. I need to go back to New York," he said bluntly. No use prevaricating around the issue.

"Yes, that is a very humorous statement. Goodnight," she said moving to close the door. Kurt's hand shot out and stopped it.

"Elana, please. My dad has turned up there and they can't get him to leave and he just, can't be there right now. It's too dangerous," he begged, eyes wide with the depth of his fear.

She paused and those dark eyes assessed him for a moment. "You realise the reason you are here is because it is dangerous for you also."

"He's my dad," Kurt said like that's all he needed to say, and in his head it was.

"Father would not allow it," she continued to throw up obstacles.

"Which is why I'm here." Kurt continued to climb over them.

She closed her eyes and sighed, then opened the door wider. "I can collect your father and take him back to his home. Father will know I have crossed the barrier but he will not fret if I am only gone a few moments."

"He'll just be on the next flight back to New York," Kurt argued, it was the most logical course of action but it would be only delaying the same problem. "He's there to see me and he won't go until he does."

And a selfish part of him was longing to see him too. It had felt like so long since they had last spoken and he was climbing out of his skin at the opportunity to get to hug him again. To feel safe like only his dad could make him feel.

Elana set her jaw. "This is beyond careless, I do not know why I am even considering-" she muttered to herself before sighing in exasperation. She pointed sternly at him. "One hour. We go, we get him, we take him home and then we are back here. No visits with friends or soulmates."

"Soulmates. Plural," Kurt picked out with a huge, smug grin that Elana completely ignored. She simply grasped his forearm and then they were squeezing through a tube and appearing in front of a ranting Jeff.

"-rude to ignore me when I'm talking to you! Our love is in serious jeopardy right now and it's like you can't even be bothered to make the eff- Kurt! You do love me after all, I knew it!" he squealed, throwing the ruby he was holding to one side to jump on him.

Kurt pocketed his own ruby to grasp his friend back with a little chuckle. "Of course I do, though I have no idea why."

"It's part of my charm," Jeff informed him blithely.

Elana cleared her throat pointedly and Kurt stepped back from a now pouting blonde.

"Where is he?"

"Big bad is in your room. Cooper thought it might calm him down. It didn't calm him down," Jeff explained for him just in case the implication wasn't clear and Kurt's heart kicked up a beat. His dad was next door to them.

"Well, the faster we complete this task, the sooner we can be home and the less risk we are taking," Elana said crisply and led the charge out of the room in her sweeping skirts.

"My spidey senses are tingly," Jeff told Kurt, watching after her.

"Yeah, that's a train wreck waiting to happen," Kurt confirmed and hurried after her like a bat out of hell.

"His sister?!" they heard Burt exclaim as they came up behind her in the doorway.

"He told you about me did he not?" she asked archly.

"Yeah…" His dad let that trail off like he was in disbelief that this family he had told him about was in fact real. Kurt couldn't stand there in the background any longer. He pushed past Elana and into the room fully and he and his dad finally locked eyes.

"Hey, dad."

"Kurt." And it was like the weight of the world just dropped off his dad's shoulders at seeing him which made him feel an extra, special kind of guilty and worried about the stress he had caused him.

The fae licked his dry lips. "I know you're mad at me but can we hug first?"

His dad's face softened further and he held his arms out. "Get over here."

Kurt hurried across the room and buried himself in his dad's chest where he always ended up when things got really bad and he needed a safe haven. "I missed you."

"I'm going to go back to being downright pissed at you in a few minutes. But I missed you too, kid," Burt said into the top of his head, arms holding him tighter.

"Oh shit," Jeff breathed and Kurt glanced over his shoulder curiously. The blonde was staring down at his phone looking pale and slightly sick.

Kurt drew back from his dad a little, feeling an icy curl of dread twist its way into his stomach. "What's wrong? Jeff? What's going on? Is it Nick? Blaine?"

"We… we need to go," Jeff said faintly.

"Jeffery?" Elana pressed. "Why do we need to go?"

"We need to go," Jeff said again and he had started to shake. "We need to go."

"What's going on?" Burt asked, sounding tense again. His hand tightened on Kurt like he was ready to bolt with him.

"They're here."

Kurt lost all the breath in his lungs.

"Who?" Kurt asked inaudibly.

"I don't, I- I-"

"Jeff!"

"I don't know," Jeff exclaimed fearfully, arms curling around himself. "Thad says he's spotted Sebastian's dad being let into the elevators."

"The Washington coven is here," Kurt said in disbelief, that ice in his gut spreading up his spine.

"I think, I mean, how can we know who else is here? They might not be in the building but that doesn't mean they're not here," Jeff said, getting a little hysterical at the prospect. "And what if all those disturbances tonight was Marcus? What if tonight's the night, Kurt? What if Nick and Blaine are out there-"

"We need to leave," Elana cut him off strongly. "Right this instant."

"What the hell is going on?" Burt burst out. "No one's going anywhere with my son until they tell me!"

"We can't go," Kurt said. "We can't just leave everyone and hide away."

"Kurt, do not be obstinate!" Elana growled.

Kurt ignored her. "I need you to take my dad-"

"Oh no you don't. I'm not going anywhere," Burt interrupted him.

"Dad, please," Kurt begged.

"Sorry son but I'm not leaving without you. Now tell me what's going on so I can help or I'm dragging you back to Lima by your hair," Burt told him stubbornly and Kurt held his gaze only to sigh in defeat. He could push the issue and convince Elana to send him back but it was like he told her before, Burt was only going to hop on the next flight back and who knows what he would be walking blind into then. At least like this he was within Kurt's sight.

"What are we supposed to do?" Jeff asked quietly.

"We need to warn the Council for starters. It's time to let the cats out of the bag."

---

Translations:

Madre – Mother

Oh madre si prega di pizzicare di nuovo le guance! Oh madre ho solo piace quando mi danno abbastanza cibo per un esercito in una porzione e si aspettano me per mangiare tutto! Oh madre, si prega di pianificare la vita il mio futuro dei bambini per me perché la tua destra come nonna mia trionfi come padre naturalmente - Oh mother please pinch my cheeks again! Oh mother I just love when you give me enough food for an army in one helping and expect me to eat it all! Oh mother, please plan my future children's lives out for me because your right as grandmother trumps mine as father of course.

È che la gelosia che sento o sono piccoli piccoli violini? – Is that jealousy I'm hearing or tiny little violins?

E son come d'amor baci baciati / Gl'incontri di due cori amanti amati – Kisses, when given in love, are, so to speak, the meeting together of two loving hearts (Guarini)

prezioso piccolo fiore –Precious little flower

---

Okay! If you survived then cookies for you and i'll see you for the next one... probably last one! ;)

Please Review!
Xx