A/N: Here's chapter thirty-seven! This chapter features a lot of rather momentous relationship moments, but whether they're good or bad…well, you'll have to read and find out. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs. Also, there are some flames in the second and last scene if you're not a fan.

Anastasia heard the key rumble to the door before it peeped open, "You here?" She heard her boyfriend's voice, too.

She was curled up on the far corner of the couch, tiredly watching the television, perhaps in the midst of a catnap, she looked up attentively when she heard Skelter enter the room.

"Hey." He gave a small smile, "Mind if I sit with you?" She gave a small nod, readjusting how she was laying on the couch, still a bit sleepy, it seemed. He walked over and sat next to her, throwing his keys on the table and wrapping an arm around her shoulders, pulling her a little closer, "You got any sleep lately?"

"…a little…"

"You…" He looked around before he looked back up at her, "Wanna talk about it?"

She did what she could to sit up straight, rubbing her eyes a bit, "Too much shit is going on…" She said, "Why is he coming back?"

"Because he's…running into deep shit and needs Nines to get him out."

"Nines would be stupid to help him."

"Well, Nines is an idiot. But…" He sighed, "We gotta go back." He leaned back on the couch, "I don't want to. I really don't want to, but what other choice do we got?"

"I'm not going back if he's going to be there."

"Nines told me if he does anything bad, he's kickin' him out."

"I'm not taking that risk." She said, "Because the 'bad thing' he'll do, he'll do it to me."

"Not if I keep you safe."

"Because that worked out so well before."

His eyes narrowed, then he sighed and looked away, "I know. I know, I'm…shit at takin' care of you." He gently pulled himself away from her, "But Nines needs us. And now that he's here, he's not gonna let anything happen to you. Neither is Damsel, or even the new guys."

"What the hell happened?" She snapped, getting up and pacing. The sound of her bare feet against the hard floor was all he heard for a while, "You were about to have a fist fight with Nines that last time I saw you, and now it's like they switched you out in the factory for a different person! What the hell changed your mind?"

"I talked with Nines." He said, "And I thought about shit. We don't have time to be fighting with each other when Tremere could come bashing our doors in at any second."

"So just like that, you flip-flop back to his side?"

He sighed, crossing his arms, "Yeah, I guess so." He paused, "Well, what do you want me to do?" He asked, "He saved my life, I owe him somethin'. He's never wronged me yet." He said firmly, "He's…he's gotta be right about this."

"He isn't."

"…how can you be so sure?"

"Because of what Killian did to me! Did to all of us!" She raged, "My Anarch memories of this year can basically be summarized as you and him fighting over me, and him being a major creeper. How can you change your attitude over Killian after one conversation so easily?"

"Because we have two options. Worry about Killian and hope he doesn't fuck us over, or protect yourselves from the Tremere and Sabbat and whoever else is lurkin' in the shadows."

"And those are our only options?"

"You have any others, cause I'll gladly take them up."

"You go have fun with the Anarchs."

"I'm not going without you."

"You have to." She said, "You actually respect Nines."

"And I respect you too."

He could tell how jaded she was when she didn't even smile back. It typically didn't take much for Anastasia to give a big smile to even strangers, "I think I'm going to look for Cadmus. See what I can do about going Camarilla…or at the very least Independent."

"Stasia, stop. You'd hate it there, just thinkin' about it makes me sick." He sighed and held his forehead, "I'll go with you. Wherever you go. I just…need to tell Nines."

She pointed at him and snarled, "Do not tell me to stop like I'm some kind of dog! I'm allowed to do whatever the hell I want!"

"Alright, I get that!" He snapped back, "Didn't you hear the last thing I said? I'm going with you, dammit, we can do whatever the hell you want!"

She finally stopped pacing, her nerves beyond frayed, "Well, I'm not going back…"

He closed his eyes, "What if I kill him? Really kill him?"

She shook his head, "It would ruin whatever sort of friendship you have left with Nines. You thought he wouldn't figure out about Rush, but he did."

"Well, that was the Cam's fault. No one like Killian, no one would figure it out."

"Fine…do whatever you want…"

"Well, I'd be doing it for you…if it wouldn't change anything then I'm not gonna go through all the trouble."

"Then don't."

He sat up and leaned his forearms on his knees, "Maybe I should just head home and let you think."

"Yeah…"

He stood up, "I'm sorry." He said softly.

"It's okay." She said, just as soft, if not also hoarse.

He held his arms out for a goodbye-hug and she ran towards his arms, giving him an endearing hug. He held her back warmly before gently breaking away, "I'll see you, alright?"

She gave a faint nod, when the door closed behind him, tears leaked down her cheeks. She weakly smiled to herself in the reflection in the window, gradually putting her hands over her face and crying.

"The library should be right around the corner." Miranda said, "Strauss wants us to investigate it and see if any Sabbat reclaimed it as a possible base."

"The hell would they want with a library?" Ferrum grumbled, "I don't get it."

"I haven't a clue." She said, "Cadmus told me that Andrei's forces had a claim to the building, so Strauss is worried that his successor is reoccupying the space."

"Guess that makes sense…" He muttered, "I never went in any libraries, I was always doing actual work…"

"Actual work?" She asked with a smile.

"Yeah…helping Andrei with whatever the hell he was doing. All the stuff that keeps me up when I think about it."

Her smile faded as she faced ahead, facing the library that was looming over them, "It all must have been, rather gruesome…"

"Yeah." He said slowly, "Want me to go in first?"

"We can go in together." She smiled.

"Right." He turned to the door and pulled one of the handles opened, his fists bared.

She half-drew her sword once she heard the hissing and growled all around the old building, "Shall I take the right side of the building while you take the left?"

"Yeah, good plan." He nodded before they split up. The second he was approached, he started punching them around, flaring up Fortitude to defend their blows. As the fight got a bit more heated, he used Protean and started tearing into them with his claws.

Miranda armed herself with a similar green glow on her side of the library, cutting down the opposing vampires with her cursed blade with ridiculous ease. It wasn't long before the library grew silent.

The silence broke, "Did we get 'em all?" She heard Ferrum's voice.

She ran a hand through her hair, sheathing her blade, "It sounds like it."

"Huh…" He joined back with her, "Works nicely, then. The two of us."

"Mmm-hmm, we do." She wrapped her arms around him, giving him an intimate kiss.

He held onto her closely, sliding his fingers through her hair, "Should we go tell the Prince we cleared the place?" He asked quietly.

"Perhaps." She said, her eyes fixed on a large wooden table, which looked in fairly good condition given how the rest of the building looked.

He turned and started walking towards the door, pausing and turning when he didn't hear her follow. "Got somethin' on your mind?"

She ran up and clung to him again, kissing him over and over again and hugging him so hard that her chest was pressed up against his, as a result her breasts were nearly splaying out of her kimono, "Ferrum…" She whispered.

His eyes widened as he caught her and did his best to keep up with the kisses. He was grinning afterwards, "That table, huh?"

She looked surprised, "I'm…surprised you know what I'm referring to…"

"Well…I don't know what the hell I'm doing, but I'm not clueless." She giggled, excited by his agreement, she kissed him even harder, running her fingers through his hair. "I just think…" He said between the heated kisses, slowly walking towards the door, "We should do this somewhere that smells a little nicer…"

"I'm not sure I can wait that long…" She bit her lip, "But…perhaps you have a point…"

He scooped her up, "I'll try'n be fast." He started out the door and ran towards the side of the road, flagging down a taxi and practically throwing her inside before he got in too.

Her smile was a combination of hunger and glee as the taxi started driving off, "I want you so badly…" She whispered, "Forgive me for being so…forward…I've…I've just never felt this way before…I've…had my way with others…but…for this, I'm excited down to my core…"

He scooped her up into his lap and rubbed his fingers over her lower back, "Is it something I did?"

"I think it's because of the…connection we have…I never had a bond like this with anyone else…that's why this feels so…real…"

"Ah ha…" He kissed her lips gently, "I'll do what I can for ya."

"You'll do great, I'm sure."

He snickered as the taxi stopped, reaching in his back pocket to throw out some bills before he got out of the car with her, kissing her as they more or less waddled to the red tower.

She sighed, feeling up his chest as they kept stumbling up the stairs to her quarters, once she opened and shut the door behind them, she pulled her kimono off, pulling Ferrum down to the floor with her kissing him madly. He grunted as they hit the ground, "The bed…?" He asked.

"Mmm…perhaps…" She sounded half-impatient, half-willing.

He got up as quickly as he could, draping her up over his shoulder and giving her rear a good smack as he ran up the stairs. She grunted, biting her lip and letting out a pleasurable groan as she was more or less thrown on the bed. She reached down and took her socks off, laying back on the bed with her legs spread. He could tell she was already drenched for him.

He swallowed hard, a bit daunted, "So…guess we kinda…skipped over that foreplay part, eh?" He pulled his shirt off and crawled into the bed on top of her.

"No, no, we can play with each other…I…I just really like you. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." He looked over her body like a buffet, not sure where to start or what limits there were. "…uh…"

She crossed her legs, "Is there something wrong? Am I going too fast?"

"I just don't know where to start…what you like er what'll piss you off…"

"Nothing will anger me, my mind is very open." She smiled, "Do what your primal instincts are telling you, I promise I won't get cross."

His eyes flickered to her breasts and she swore that if he wasn't a vampire, she would've seen beads of sweat on his forehead. Eventually he slowly reached out and held both of them. It didn't take much time from there for him to dive in and start suckling on them.

She groaned a bit louder, humping anything nearby her, luckily it was his chest and abdomen that took the grinding. She wrapped both her hands around his head and pushed him down a bit further as he sucked her breasts. He let out a gravelly sigh and slowly ran his hands down her back, holding her hips as she continued her movements, "God, your skin's like…like satin…"

"Do you like it?" She chuckled.

"Course I like it…" He snickered, "What kinda question's that, princess?"

She sighed quietly and closed her eyes, holding his rear with one hand and rubbing at his lower abdomen with the other, "Feels so good…just…the anticipation…"

He snickered and rubbed his hands along her waist, muttering something about how tiny it was before he pulled her head close and started kissing and biting at her neck.

She cried out, "This reminds me of our first date in Hallowbrook…"

He stiffened up and moved away, "Miranda…I…." He choked up, "I'm sorry…"

"No, it's okay." She said, "It was a joke."

"Right…sometimes…" He licked her chest a few times, "I wonder what I did to deserve ya…"

"You're brave and sweet, that's what you did."

He snickered and kissed her lips again, rubbing a hand over her stomach, "So…uh…how does this work exactly?"

"How does what work?"

"How do I uh…" He seemed a bit flustered, "Get it in working order…you know…"

"The same way you use your blood to power up your muscles in time of dire strength." She explained, "You need to physically move the blood down to your lower section."

"Ah ha…" He kissed her neck before he pulled his pants and underwear off, letting the blood rush through his system before he sighed, "Already better…"

"Just a little bit more…" She begged quietly, "I need to make up for lost time, if you know what I mean…" She started trying to rub her sex against him again. He put his hands on her breasts and gently rubbed over them, his thumbs circling over her nipples. He then moved in and kept licking at them, rubbing his length against her womanhood.

She gave a seductive groan, "Steadman…" She moaned softly.

That was it for poor Ferrum. The grip on her hips was relentless and bruising as he slid all the way in. An ecstatic grin grew onto her face as she felt the penetration begin, she screamed with a smile, one that grew as the force from Ferrum's brute strength increased. He paused for a moment as he listened to her before he pulled out and started creating more of a rhythm.

She spread her legs as wide as they could go, giving one exasperated sigh after another. Her eyes grew wider as the penetration not only showed no signs of stopping, but got deeper.

Ferrum would have stopped if he saw that she was practically passed out, but since his eyes were practically glazed over with lust, he only kept going. She followed his lead as best as she could, giving a few more exhausted sighs until her head crashed back on the pillow, with a small pool of drool coming out of her mouth.

He panted a few times and pulled out, his eyes quickly snapping back into it with a worried expression, "Miranda…? You alright…?" He laid next to her. She swallowed hard and closed her mouth, reaching her arms out for a hug. He held onto her and pet her hair, "I didn't mean to uh…kill ya…" She kissed his forehead, presumably going off into a state of sleep as she clung to him lightly.

He chuckled softly and held onto her, closing his eyes and thanking his lucky stars for the perfect girlfriend.

It wasn't the rejection that stung. She wasn't a teenage girl, and Beckett wasn't some jock who would tell the other kids in school to throw rotten food at her during lunch tomorrow. Though, she wouldn't be surprised if a vampire in this community would try and destroy her reputation from something like that, but she was sure Beckett wouldn't. He simply didn't care enough.

Her tub nearly overflowed, she wasn't paying much attention to it. She cut the water as quickly as she could and let her hair fall loose down her shoulders before she got in and closed her eyes.

As a historian, she liked to find the cause and effect behind things. It was simply the art of discovery, of learning. So of course, she delved into her own mind for answers.

"Why don't you wear make-up like your mother? Your face is like a platter, it must look bright and promising to seem appealing." Her father held her shoulder firmly, "And you must seem appealing."

"Oh, must I? For your status to be upheld?"

"Of course not." He straightened up, "Because you are my only heir. And I will not have my blood appear…less than satisfactory. You have a body of excellence, you just need to fill in the gaps, my dear."

Maybe her family pressured her into her, well, higher self-esteem. But what about everyone else? She sunk in deeper, letting her knees peek out of the suds as her face was submerged in the water.

Her husband's face came to mind. Like it was glued to the back of her eyelids, that devilish grin. The pain in her stomach where she once stabbed herself. He hurt her, sure, but what did he have to do with this?

Unless…I recognize anyone else as a better suitor…unless I'm searching for others, many, many others to erase him from my past? I can't still feel oppressed by him, can I? Is that why I crave the touch of those who are sophisticated and gentle…?

Sophisticated and gentle. She remembered Rainy. Rainy, the beautiful girl who I can share a bed with whenever I desire. But why don't I desire her for life? She opened her eyes and watched flames dance on red candles she had lit on the edge of the tub, It must be because of Raven…For some reason, I can't fathom a life with Rainy without thoughts of Raven in the back of my mind…like I'm…borrowing Rainy.

But Rainy certainly didn't feel that way. Even at the mere suggestion of opening their relationship, Rainy seemed horrified. All I want is someone I can stitch over the scar he left on my heart…Rainy is like a bandage that will peel off when she grows bored of me, because I'm not the woman she loves…

She briefly thought of Pisha. Immediate warmth tugged at her heart, but it left a bitter taste in the back of her mouth. Even if she was with Pisha, would she really be happy? Pisha had made it clear she would never love Phaedra, even her name, or lack thereof, made it very clear how devoted she was to her previous lover. Pisha would see Phaedra as a replacement, and a poor one, at that.

Maybe it was the fear of living alone that made her just so attracted to everyone. Or the fear that she didn't have much time left to find the right person.

There was a light knock on her bathroom door, one that could only belong to one person. Her eyes peeked open and she gasped as her face surfaced, "Rainy?" She asked.

"Hello." She said, her quiet voice nearly impossible to hear from the other side, "I just wanted to let you know that I'm here."

"Yes…thank you. I'll be right out." She stood up and brushed the bubbles from shoulders, "Just a moment."

"Take your time."

It was only a handful of seconds before Phaedra got out of the bathroom in her robe, smiling warmly at Rainy, "Hello dear." She leaned in to kiss her cheek.

She answered her with a hug, "Hi."

Phaedra held her close, inhaling deeply, "How have you been? No run-ins with any…unpleasant Kindred?"

She closed her eyes and rested her head on Phaedra's shoulder, rubbing her stomach, "I'm fine. I don't like living in Chinatown though. I…I feel like a Kuei-Jin is going to knife me from behind and kill me…but…I don't think they're here anymore…"

"…did you want me to ask Strauss if you could move in here?"

She shook her head quickly, "That man in the suit will kill me…"

"What if I confront Strauss?"

"…I don't know…it wouldn't be right…because I'm not part of the Camarilla…I should stay with my sire…"

"Alright…if you're ever in threat, then you're more than welcome to stay in my room with your sire." She gently broke the hug.

"I know." She smiled, "Did you want to sit down somewhere?"

Phaedra nodded and sat on the couch, "Forgive me, my mind has been a bit scattered."

"Scattered?" Rainy asked, sitting beside her.

She shook her head and smiled, "Just a busy day. And the Sabbat are still after me."

She took Phaedra's hands and kissed them, "Remember to call me on your cell phone if you need help."

Phaedra smiled, "I'd nearly forgotten." She embraced her, "How is your sire?"

"She's fine." She hugged her back, "She likes to read in periods of momentary peace…or when we're well-hidden."

"Mmm, I'm sure that must be very relaxing. I've found myself doing quite a bit of reading when…avoiding the streets."

She nodded, getting a bit closer to her ear, "You should lie down, you look exhausted…"

"Would you…help me relax…?"

She smiled and lightly touched her forehead against Phaedra's, putting a hand on Phaedra's lips and curving them up to a smile, "Of course."

Phaedra laughed and put her hands around Rainy's waist, tickling her briefly before standing up, "Let's go to the bedroom." Rainy giggled as she was tickled, standing up and following Phaedra across the room, her heels clicking against the floor as she did so. Phaedra shed her robe as they entered, "There we are, dear. Mmm, I already feel liberated."

Her eyes widened, she reached back and took her heels off, "Did you want to talk about something?"

"…I just feel like a game bird…"

"Because of all the Kindred after you."

She nodded, "I'm just about starving myself to stay off the streets…"

"Aw…Phaedra…" She took a few steps forward and grabbed her hands, "Maybe you could leave the city with Raven and I…I…I know that I'm hunted just as much as you are…"

She pondered it only for a few seconds, "I can't leave the Camarilla…that would be entirely disrespectful…"

She nodded, slowly taking her blazer off, "Just lay down and let me take care of you…" Phaedra closed her eyes and didn't bother arguing, she just melted into her mattress and listened to the shuffling of Rainy undressing. She felt Rainy's naked body embrace her own as Rainy kissed her over and over again, giving her a squeeze occasionally. Phaedra combed her fingers through Rainy's hair and held her face as they kissed, slowly entwining her legs around Rainy's.

After kissing her lips, Rainy crawled back, kissing her chest adoringly while rubbing her stomach. Phaedra's hands roamed down Rainy's back, gently grazing across her shoulder blades with a feather-like touch.

She gave a shameless, yet quiet groan at the feeling of Phaedra's sharp nails gliding against her shoulder blades. "Oh dear…" She covered her mouth, "I'm more aroused than you are…let me try to balance that…" She reached down and massaged Phaedra's hips.

Phaedra grit her teeth, "Oh, no, no…if you need…if you need to, please…"

"Need to what…?"

"Be released…"

"…I suppose…the last time I came, it was all over you…I was really surprised…"

"So was I, but I loved every second…"

Rainy smiled, going back a bit further and kissing her stomach, as before she was increasingly merciless on her belly-button, sucking on it and letting her tongue slither in and out of it. She groaned a fair volume, her legs and lower body shaking as she kept sucking.

Phaedra gripped the sheets tightly and let her head roll to the side as she sighed Rainy's name, before she asked, "Rainy….what's your name…? What's your real name…?"

Her response was touching her quite articulately, fingering her even better than last time given the fact that she knew Phaedra's body so well.

Phaedra tensed just momentarily before she melted into Rainy's hands quite literally. She let her cry of pleasure pierce the silence in the air and fill Rainy's ears like an award. She kissed her inner thigh, muttering quietly that she hoped this was helping Phaedra relax. She reached in slightly deeper, licking her inner thigh over and over again and trying to give her the best masturbation she could have.

Phaedra wasn't exactly sure if she reached a notable climax, instead she seemed to just soar above the world, like a sort of orgasmic bird. When she came crashing back into reality, she still felt like her womanhood was on fire, and Rainy was throwing in coals with each lick to her inner thigh.

"Want more?" She smiled seductively, giving her lower abdomen a pronounced lick.

She let out a deep groan that shuddered throughout the room, "I don't know if I can handle it…" She said with all honesty.

"Okay." She crawled up so that they were face to face and gave her a hug, "Is anything sore that you would like me to rub?"

She just held Rainy's face before she leaned in to kiss her lips, "You're the most affectionate girl I've ever met…"

She smiled, "Not many people say that. To them, I'm just the quiet girl…"

"Shh…" She kissed her neck, "Did you want some…?"

"Um…it's not necessary…"

"Rainy…"

"You need rest." She kissed her cheek.

"And you need attention." She sat up.

"I'm perfectly fine."

"Then you'll come back tomorrow for me to treat?"

She looked away, "I don't know about tomorrow…it…depends on what Raven has planned…"

"Then as soon as you can…?"

She nodded, "Of course. Or you could call me, if you need me."

"Yes, yes, of course…" Phaedra laid back, her eyes growing weary before she held Rainy close and reveled in the feeling, knowing it wouldn't last long.

Rainy started to give her a relaxing rub, around her shoulders and the base of her neck, and her stomach occasionally when she could, "Just relax and get some sleep."

Phaedra sighed and closed her eyes, "I can't thank you enough…" Her voice was quiet and exhausted, like she was half asleep already.

"I'll watch over you, you sleep as long as you need to."

Phaedra watched the smile in Rainy's eyes until she too drifted off, with a smile on her face.

A/N: Heh heh, and yet, the madness ensues….thanks for reading! Let us know what you thought with a review!