~Chapter Twenty-Seven~
Weapons and Warriors
Sweat was trickling down Rose's brow and back, her lungs were on fire, and every muscle in her body was screaming for a break. But despite the pain and exhaustion, she spun around to face her opponent, Hudson. His long, medieval sword was out, his good eye and golden-blind one was eyeing her carefully, taking in every move she made while thinking of his own to take against her. She clenched the hilt of her own long silver sword-like dagger, which was wielded from her magical abilities, crouched down and continued taking long, deep breaths to calm her nerves.
"Concentrate and breathe lass." Hudson advised, which she was already trying to do, then stepped towards her. She stepped back, anticipating every move of his, while keeping her distance which is what he said was key in sword fighting. They had been training with hand-to-hand sword combat for over an hour now, and if she wasn't feeling exhausted before they started… she really was now. With how much she had to move, crouch, and brace his sword with hers, her entire body was screaming for relief. Rose's leg and arm muscles were jelly, and she didn't know how much longer she could hold up her own sword.
The food she inhaled earlier was threatening to come up. The child no one knew she was pregnant with yet, was giving her hormones that were the true fight of the night, and it was taking everything she had to try not to throw up, or curl up on the gym floor and pass out from exhaustion.
Slash! Rose's mind was refocused on the present when Hudson suddenly lurched forward, swiped his sword in the air, and she quickly forced hers up to protect herself.
"Good, but you were losing focus there for a bit." He said. "Try to concentrate a bit more, don't let your mind wander." He then launched himself at her again, again and again. Once, twice, three times, their metal swords sliced and clanged against each other. Each hit from Hudson's strength made a painful vibration run up her arm from her sword, but she was not giving in.
Rose deflected his sword with hers each time, not leaving her much room to think about anything or let her mind wander, as he told her just now. Her very thin, silver blade was holding up nicely against his thicker one, and was surprisingly strong. Hers was longer, shinier and newer, but Hudson knew his way around weaponry better than she did, and knew every inch of his thousand year old sword. Because of that, if this were a real fight she would already be at a disadvantage by his incredible skill and Gargoyle strength.
Brooklyn and the rest of the Clan were on the edge of the gym training pads, watching and observing Rose and Hudson. The others loudly cheered her on, but her mate remained watchful and serious. He was crouched down with most of his weight resting on his arms, watching each move of theirs very carefully. Occasionally he and the others would yell out some advice, or if she made a mistake (which was almost every time he struck) then they would yell out a better way for her to stand, move or hold her sword.
Goliath, like Brooklyn, remained watching with arms crossed from the corner and was silently watching his mentor and Rose face each other.
Rose felt slightly ridiculous to be watched, and even more ridiculous because she was wearing so much armored protection. Her knees, legs and shin were covered in padding, her arms, wrists, and hands guarded, and her chest and abdomen were covered with a heavy chest piece, then her head was wearing a helmet for safety. As much as she was all about being safe, being in this get-up she could barely move. But to get her mate and Hudson to agree to do this, she was forced to wear it all.
Slash! He came at her again, but this time because her mind wandered and was, yet again, thinking about various things; including her mate, her sword slipped in her hand as Hudson's sword sliced into it, and then slid into her arm guard.
"Ow! Ah...!" She gasped out, inhaled a hiss as pain rushed up her arm where his sword hit, and instantly Brooklyn was in her mind.
You okay babe?!
"Are you alright lass?" Hudson asked immediately, looking remorseful and stopped the exercise to evaluate her. The others hissed in empathetic pain, as if they knew what that felt like, and Rose's face blushed red. Shaking the pain off, she rotated her arm, found the guard did its job at stopping the sword, and nodded at Hudson.
"Yeah, I'm good." Rose said out loud, regarding it to both males. "You didn't get me, I'm not hurt."
"Are yeh getting tired?" He asked gently in his Scottish accent. "We've been at this for over an hour now. Yer movements have become more relaxed and sluggish, which is normal for how long we've been practicing. It's getting close to eleven, should we call it a night so yeh can get some rest?"
Rose exhaled out, not being known to be a quitter, "No, I'm good. I want to keep practicing please," and raised her sword up again, but Hudson didn't raise his.
"Lass, the key to being a good soldier is to know when to pick yer battles." He said patiently. "It does yeh no good if ye are exhausted. Fight too hard for too long, and you'll lose the battle yer fightin'." He paused, watched her for a moment and then said, "Perhaps we should take a break and try this again tomorrow night."
"No." She replied instantly. "Just one more round, Hudson. Please."
Hudson watched her for another moment, as if trying to determine whether best to go for another round of training or push back. He glanced briefly over at Brooklyn, who was watching them both with wary eyes. When he met Hudson's eyes, he shrugged, giving Hudson his permission to keep going if that's what she wished. In his mind, it didn't much matter if he gave his permission or not. The battle of getting his mate to learn how and when to quit something she put her mind to was something he would continue to lose, he was sure of.
"Alright lass." Hudson sighed, turning back to face her. "One more time. After that, we both need rest." When she opened her mouth to argue, he smiled and held up a claw. "We will do this again another time and keep practicing, I promise."
With a small smile, Rose nodded, taking that compromise for now. She rolled her neck, shoulders, stretched her sore arms out and maneuvered her thin sword around in a circle, giving herself the vibe that she was a Jedi from Star Wars. Hearing her thoughts, Brooklyn snorted out loud, but didn't say anything, and she grinned brighter.
Hudson readied himself as well, crouched down and concentrated deeply on her. "Your idea, lass. Your move."
"Was that your way of saying ladies first?" She teased him.
"There is no chivalry in battle, but in training I will always be respectful."
"You always know what to say, Hudson." Rose laughed, but then shot forward.
Hudson easily deflected her sword, and yet again, their metal blades were clinking and clanking loudly. Each hit sent vibrations up her arms once again, but with gritted teeth she kept pushing herself, harder and harder; willing her mind's will-power to be stronger than her body's exhaustion. She had to admit it, for Hudson's old age, he could move. He was strong and was very, very good at fighting- the Clan wasn't kidding when they said that he was the most seasoned and skillful warrior out of them all. She always knew he was strong for his age, but Gargoyle strength was not Human strength. They could keep going and fighting until the end of the battle or their hearts gave out. Whichever happened first.
She had to keep telling herself as they slashed the swords, back and forth, that her ability to keep up with him was either a really good thing, or was terrible. He could be taking it extremely easy on her, and just wasn't telling her that he was. Either way, she felt like she was getting better at repelling and giving strikes with each passing minute. She and Hudson continued to silently fight, swiping at each other with their swords for many minutes. Both were unsure of how much time had truly passed with this round, but it felt like another half-hour had passed.
By now, she was sweating ferociously, panting in ragged breath, and getting extremely tired; but to her relief, so was he.
Over and over again, they dueled, practiced and occasionally he would give her compliments, critiques or areas of warning; all of which she took in to be better. With Kevin back, it was now only a matter of time before she would be faced with him again, and when that time came, she wanted to be ready. He was always much stronger than she physically was… but not in her will-power to survive; that's where she always succeeded in their abusive marriage. Every time he beat, hit, rape or held her down- she always found a way to get back up again, whether physically or mentally. At the time, she was fighting for hope of a new life and for relief from his horrible control. And now, she had gotten all she fought for, and wasn't going to let him come back to rip it away from her.
Panting and dancing around the training pad, Rose grit her teeth in anger at the very thought of her ex-husband. She needed the rage at him to overcome her body, to allow her to win over Hudson's strong stance, to take over the pain in her muscles, and take over how exhausted she was. She gripped her sword tighter and with a scream of rage, she started swiping back at Hudson much harder and quicker than she was before. Thinking of Kevin and willing his memory to flow through her to give her extra strength and adrenaline, she kept pushing against him.
Hudson had been grunting out in effort during their hour-long session, but now, he could feel her using her back-up strength, but it was ill-focused. Raw, enraged, and untamed. As if he could hear what she was thinking to get herself in the mind-frame to be even stronger than him, Hudson suddenly stepped up his game. Using his wings, he jumped up in the air and swiped at her sword; doing heavy up-upheaval swings, trying to knock it out of her hands.
However, she held on strong and wasn't about to give up. He landed behind her, swiped at her, but she whipped her sword behind her back, met his, did an impressive circle away and then faced him again with her sword raised. Her heart was pounding at a rate that was hard to breathe and catch up with. Hudson could see the rage on her face and knew this was going to get dangerous if he didn't stop their duel. She was no longer fighting in her right-mind.
With a quick step forward he held fast onto his sword, roared loudly- making everyone jolt in shock, including Rose- and with a huge swipe, he slashed at her sword. To Rose's further shock, the intense shock of his hit knocked her long, silver sword right out of her hand, making her cry out in pain. Rose watched her weapon fly across the gym, tip to hilt, until it clattered to the floor. She could have wielded another one with a simple rotation of her wrist, or summon the fallen one back to her; but Hudson took a step towards her with a claw raised up and his sword behind his body.
"Stop."
Rose jerked to make a movement against him and summon a new sword, but stopped at his order. They both were panting, sweating, and the more she stood there the more sure she was going to vomit. Anger for Kevin was swirling in her brain, her dark magic was begging to be set free and to show Hudson what true power looked like, but as she stared into his good eye and golden blind one, with a claw raised up in surrender and his sword behind him, she relaxed.
"You are safe, you are secure, you are in a place of peace, I am not your enemy." He suddenly said, and repeated it over and over again. His voice got softer and calmer as he slowly stepped towards her.
Rose blinked and wasn't sure why he was chanting this, but the more she listened to his soft Scottish voice and listened to his words, she felt them and believed him. She was safe, she was secure, she was in a place of peace, and more importantly he wasn't an enemy, but family.
Thankfully, she didn't have the urge to wield another sword or to keep fighting anymore and Kevin's name slowly faded into the back of her mind. Hudson must have known how she gets lost in battles sometimes, because when she could feel her body again, she shuddered and fell to her knees at Hudson's clawed feet feeling utterly spent, exhausted and emotional. It wasn't very often that she yielded during a fight, training or not, and giving up had never been an option for her.
Rose closed her eyes, panting and tried to hold tears in as she ripped the helmet off her head, letting her long disheveled hair fall in her face. Hudson carefully placed his sword on the ground, not making any noise as he knelt down in front of her. She didn't acknowledge him until his claw touched her back.
"Are ya back with me, lass? He asked gently. He wasn't asking if she was okay, to her pleasant surprise, but was referring to her mindset and if she was back to herself or not.
"Y-yes." She answered shakily. "I'm back."
"Good." He replied. With the sound of scraping leathers and a big thud, she looked up to see that he was sitting, cross legged next to her, giving support and comfort- much different than Puck did when she was last pushed. But this time… it was her that did the pushing, not Hudson.
"Shall we discuss how our lesson went tonight?" He asked lightly, and she nodded silently; wiping tears away. Hudson gave her a small smile, then looked up at the Clan.
"Goliath… you all can go on patrol without me. Rose and I will finish up here."
Goliath nodded at his mentor, turned to the rest of the Clan and ordered gently, "Lexington, Broadway, and Brooklyn come with me. We shall work together in tackling the North and the East part of Manhattan. Angela and Akira, pair up and take all the South side. Bronx and Hudson will stay here and protect the Castle."
Everyone nodded, gave Rose a sympathetic smile but shuffled out of the room. Brooklyn, however, stayed and stared down at Rose with worry. He quickly glanced over to Goliath's awaiting figure by the door, before quickly walking over and crouching down in front of her.
"Are you okay, my love?"
"She'll be alright lad." Hudson answered for Rose, placed a claw on his shoulder and nodded. "She just needs a moment to process things."
"Alright." Brooklyn sighed, then spoke to her again. "I'll be out on patrol for a bit, but you have Bronx to stay with you in your bedroom if you wish. That is… if you're okay staying in the Castle tonight."
"Yeah, it's okay." She said finally looking up into his face, offering him a pained smile. "I planned on staying here since we came so late."
Brooklyn nodded, gently skimmed a talon down her face and then stood up.
"I'll see you later then. I love you."
"I love you too." She replied quietly. Their gazes held each other for a few seconds, and she could feel him give her a hug from their connection, but then he turned and walked away. Rose watched her mate retreating form until he and the others shuffled out.
Once they were alone, Hudson sighed heavily and both of them sat in silence for a few minutes before he thought of what to say to her.
"Ya know lass…" He said thoughtfully. " I've been around for over eleven hundred years, and if yeh can't already tell… I am quite old." He stopped to chuckle at himself, as if that was supposed to be funny. But when she sat there staring at the ground and didn't laugh, he continued. "In those years of being a soldier for my Clan, to also being the Clan leader for over one hundred years… I have seen many battles and endured too many losses, too many deaths, too much blood, carnage and trauma; too much loss and devastation, but I have survived. Why have I survived? I have no idea. There were many personal injuries I've endured, many close calls that should have ended my life or the lives of my Clan Members, but somehow, I've survived."
He paused again and seemed to be talking more to the wall than to her, his face thoughtful and distant. She slowly raised her face, void of any emotions that she was feeling inside of her, to look at him and listen.
"When yer on the battlefield facing your enemies, yeh sometimes have to dig deep into the most secretive and darkest place of your soul to find the strength to make the kill or to beat them so yeh win. And that… my dear… is what I know you and Brooklyn have lived through. The more I hear about yer… past marriage… the more my heart bleeds for you. I can't imagine what you've gone through, but I recognize why you feel the need to dig deep into your past wounds to make you stronger and more capable of fighting. It's what every soldier who knows too much war does automatically and while it's an impressive trait, it can be a great fault to have."
He paused again, then looked down into her face to find that she was watching him carefully and continued, "So, I tell yeh this to let you know that you don't need to reach into that wound base when practicing with me. In fact, I never want you to. Wounds and trials can indeed make us stronger, but the more you open them up to revisit the pain, it's almost like re-breaking a bone that's been trying to heal. It doesn't make you stronger, but in fact, weakens you further. Does that make sense?"
Rose had been listening to him intently and slowly his logic settled deeply into her; she nodded.
"It does make sense. A great deal of sense… actually."
"I am going to train you to fight, lass. But if I do, then I'll need you to not allow you to take yer mind back to that awful place where Kevin used to have you in. That won't help anything and it won't make yeh a better fighter, it'll only make yeh angrier. Especially when you fail at training, which you will… a lot. But that's okay. That's where practice comes in and it'll help yeh get better."
"Okay." Rose said, nodding. "Thank you for the advice, Hudson. I… I really do appreciate you taking the time to help me train in fighting."
"I'm more than happy to help ya lass." He said with a smile, taking her hand. "I'm sorry life has been tough for yeh."
Rose shrugged. "It's alright. I just feel bad for getting you all caught up in all of this mess."
"We are family. That's what we do for each other." He paused and the two of them sat in silence for another couple of minutes. Then he squeezed her hand.
"May I ask you something?"
"Sure." Rose said.
"Why don't you ever quit when in yer 'battle mind-set'? Even in a practice round?"
She blinked at his question, thought about it and then sighed.
"Because… when Kevin would… hurt me… I couldn't quit. I couldn't stop fighting. The moment I did, I would die or he would forever hold me in his control. The moment he first hurt me I knew I wanted out of my marriage but the more violent he got with me and unreasonable, the more desperate I became to keep fighting and to never give up."
"Survival instinct." Hudson said nodding solemnly. "That is why you wanted to keep fighting me when I knocked your sword away. I saw the desperation and true fear in yer eyes at losing."
"Yeah." Rose confided softly. "I don't do it consciously but… yeah, that's the reason. Now that Kevin is back, I know he will want to come and try to tear my new life apart… and I can't let him. I have to fight him, Hudson. I have too much to lose if I don't. I am finally happy and have a family. With you, the Clan, Brooklyn… and…" She paused, thought about her pregnancy and debated telling him, but didn't. Not without Brooklyn knowing first. "I… I can't lose what I've received. It's too precious to me."
His eyes were watching her delicately, listening to her reasons for fighting, and nodded. "You're precious to us too… that's why we will always fight for you lass. I just ask… that while you're with me, you don't let Kevin anywhere near your mind or safe space. Alright?"
"Okay." Rose smiled. "Deal."
"With that…" he continued gruffly, his face and voice darkening. "If you ever come face to face with Kevin again, and we aren't there to help for any reason… I want you to promise me that you'll fight and never stop fighting. All deals off at that point, you survive and kill him. No other options."
"I will." Rose said with a smile. "Thank you for talking with me, Hudson. Don't tell Puck this, but you're a much better teacher when it comes to sword fighting. You don't transform into Kevin to try to get me out of my comfort zone and push at my dark magic to make me into a monster."
"Yes, well, thank ya lass. I would never push you past a point where ye are uncomfortable. That doesn't teach anyone anything productive."
"I know…" she paused and grinned. "Try telling that to Puck."
"Puck does what he wants and what lies in his best interest by the end of the rope." Hudson said suddenly very seriously. "I don't want yeh to be scared away from his help, but I advise ya to be cautious in how much trust yeh place in him. You may come from two Third Race beings, but yeh weren't raised like one. Although Humans and Gargoyles have their differences in how they view life sometimes, we are all still very similar. The Third Race, however, are farther away than any of us in that regard. They see themselves as superior to us mortals, because they are immortal, or at least live for a couple thousand of years before their energies burn out, and are made of pure magic. They view the worth of others and life of mortals very poorly. That is the same on both sides of Avalon and Hel. Just remember that, lass."
Rose watched him for a moment, contemplating his words and blinked in confusion.
"I thought you guys trusted Puck?"She asked.
"Aye, we do." He answered. "To a point, same as Xanatos. Both have played a huge part in trying to destroy us before, but both have showed a great deal of goodness since then. Both atoning for their wrong doings… but Puck's magic was stripped away from him from Oberon unless he's training or protecting Alexander… and now you, thanks to Titania's allowance. But… I would be wary of letting him get too close to your magical abilities. At the end of this upcoming war, especially if it involves Avalon and Hel, then we can never be too careful in knowing who to trust."
"Are you saying… that I should be careful in trusting Puck because you think…" she paused and chuckled in disbelief. "That he'll turn me over to Hela?"
Hudson looked down into her face seriously and contemplated her question.
"To protect himself and Xanatos' family from her wrath?" He asked her, hummed to himself and then said, "I honestly wouldn't put that type of deviousness past him."
The answer hit Rose in the chest, and made her suddenly nervous. She knew the Clan distrusted Puck to a point… but would he really throw her under to Hela or Kevin if it protected his own self interest?
She had never thought that to be a possibility and his words gave her much to think about.
After Rose and Hudson finished their training and discussion, she ditched the clunky armor in the gym and quickly made her way back to her bedroom. She took a much-needed bath, and then collapsed on her warm bed, falling quickly into a very deep sleep. She vaguely remembered Bronx coming over to rest on the floor on her side, snoring as he too fell asleep, but everything else was distant and felt far away. Exhaustion waved over her, sweeping her into the darkness, and to her relief, Hudson's alarming warning didn't seem to resonate with her about Puck or the Third Race. For the first time in a long time, she finally was claimed by a dreamless and peaceful sleep.
Hours passed by or so she thought, and something moved in her bed, making her stir slightly.
She turned heavily onto her back and her hand was suddenly met with a warm body. Just then, a beautiful scent overwhelmed her sleeping senses, and she knew exactly who was suddenly beside her. Her heart sped up in excitement, heat of desire warmed in between her legs, and she instantly sighed, faced him, and moaned quietly when strong arms wrapped around her body.
Soft lips kissed her head, face, and then her own lips.
Rose moaned again, allowing this good dream to fill her up, and suddenly a low voice chuckled at her soft sounds of pleasure. She could feel Brooklyn's connection flow through her as he laid next to her, holding and kissing her. She didn't know what time it was, or how long she had been asleep, but the moment she felt his presence she instantly molded her body to his, wanting and needing him.
Rose opened her weary eyes and found it was still dark outside. It wasn't pitch black like before, but a deep blue. To her guess, it was in the very early morning, and one or two hours had passed since she fell asleep; and Brooklyn must have just barely returned back from his patrol with the others. Their bedroom door was shut and she didn't know if Bronx was still in there, but didn't care if he was or wasn't. Brooklyn was lying next to her, his body warm and inviting, his scent sexy and erotic, and every inch of him seemed to all around her; beckoning her to him.
Still half-asleep, Rose raised her face up and was instantly met with his lips. It didn't take long for her mouth to open to his to allow their tongues to meet, and a deep groan left his throat. Without thinking about what she was doing, she lifted herself up onto her side, pushed Brooklyn onto his back and slowly crawled on top; straddling over his waist. Brooklyn gasped out another pleasurable moan, raised his claws to her hips and held her to him, as she tossed her long curly hair out of her face and grinded herself over his already hardened and excited groin.
Now she was awake and didn't care that they were moving fast in this moment. Beneath her was her beautiful mate, his face barely showing in the darkness, but she could feel his heat, love, and desire for her. Ever so slowly, she kept moving pleasurably over him; gasping out, and then ran her hand over his rock hard abs and muscular chest to feel more of him.
There were so many sparks between them suddenly, that it was growing increasingly difficult for her not to orgasm right there on top of him. Wanting to speed this up even more, she took her tank top right off, exposing her breasts to him and let the shirt fall to the side. He barely was able to growl any sounds of approval before she collapsed on top of him, kissing his lips and running her fingers through his long hair, over his wings; still pushing her hips over his. Humping, grinding and scooping into him.
With a growl, he suddenly body-rolled himself over her, making her grunt out a breath. He ripped her panties off, then yanked his loincloth off. When she saw him fully naked before her her mouth went dry and a growl ripped through her throat as if she too were a Gargoyle- hungry for her mate.
Rose was still unable to speak just yet, but he seemed to read her body language and responded to her growl. Crushing his lips down to hers, he tasted and kissed her wholly for a few minutes, his tongue and sharp teeth scraping against hers slightly, before he detached and briefly gave love to her neck. But her body was beckoning his like a strong magnet; that it was difficult to play. Forcing himself to not go too fast, he lowered himself down and claimed her sensitive breasts, wanting to please her, and to his pleasure, the first wave of release sensations crashed through her.
Rose arched her body up, gasping and panting, tugging on him to come closer to her, but he kept sucking on her nipple giving her full ecstasy until she finished up. They both remained quiet through this spontaneous onset of passionate love- making, as they weren't alone in the Castle, and neither one of them had said anything yet; but their bodies were the ones silently working magic between them.
Rose was still gasping, moaning and rocking her hips up to him as he detached from her breasts and slowly drew his lips down her abdomen, going lower to another sensitive spot they both loved. This had been their new desired thing for them both as he kissed and licked her body, going lower and lower. To her dismay, he was taking his sweet time in pleasing her again, but she gripped her sheets and focused on breathing.
Using his claws, he spread her legs and ran a gentle claw down her center, making her shudder at his touch. He let out a low hiss at her beauty, then kissed his way from her knees, up her inner thigh, trailing his lips and tongue closer to her hot and slick center.
"Ohhh Brooklyn. Yes, yes!" She finally gasped out in a breath-like plea, her first and only verbal cry, as he claimed her.
Rose quickly grabbed a nearby pillow and buried her face in it, screaming as he did the most erotic things to her. Her body gave a violent shake in a strong climax at what his lips and tongue were doing- but she wanted more. When she stopped screaming, she tossed the pillow away, gasping erratically, and gazed hungrily down at him. His face raised up from in between her legs with a grin, and she couldn't take it anymore. Sitting up, she moved to her knees and slowly crawled over to him, sitting knee to knee. He was still smiling as they crushed their lips and tongues together, kissing and becoming one with each other's mouths. His claws scratching up her back and into her long hair, her extra soft skin against his rougher one.
Their scents were driving both of them wild with desire. Rose moaned against his lips then crawled and straddled over his waist. Gasping in each other's faces, Brooklyn's body was trembling, a sweat building on each of them, and his moans of pleasure got louder as she reached a hand down and ran her fingers along the wonderfully swollen and aroused length of him.
She played and teased him before she ran her own lips and tongue down his chest, abdomen and then down to his own sensitive spot. The moment her tongue reached him, a louder growl tore from his lips, his claws stabbed out into the sides of the bed, and then he grabbed onto her to force her into her back. Rose pushed him away, keeping that control there, and gave him one last taste before rising back up, meeting his excited eyes with her own burning ones. She slowly opened her hips and legs, slid onto his waist and pressed her slick and wet center into his large erection.
She pushed and pushed and pushed; gasping and exhaling as she did so, and he remained still to allow her to do so at her own comfort. But after feeling how wet she was, he felt his own world spinning.
"Ohhhh… baby." He moaned, lighting placing his claws around her round backside, pulling her further into him, her body driving him mad. "Ohhh Rose… I need you."
"I need you too." She whispered, running her tongue into his mouth and slowly eased herself in and out over him, making him nearly pass out from pleasure. "I love you."
"Rose… I… " he panted, gritting his sharp teeth, unable to think anymore. "Please…"
But he didn't need to beg her twice.
"Then take me." She breathed, as she continued to thrust herself over him. "To the wall, to the floor, on the ceiling… I don't care. Just. Take. Me… Now!"
And he did just that.
Rose gasped out a cry as he pushed them both forward with incredible speed and strength, crushed his body and lips to hers, and then slid them both down to the hard ground, and she was thankful for it. Ever since the cliffs, she desired the harder ground that allowed their rougher but more passionate sex to be more pleasurable. They liked feeling more of each other without a soft mattress.
Brooklyn usually started out slow and gentle to make sure she was feeling good, but they were past that now.
Digging his claws into the stone floor next to her head, he kissed her lips and rocked himself inside her. Faster and faster he went, pushing harder and harder until she felt him hit her perfect spot, the right amount of friction and with just the right amount of speed and strength. She barely got her legs and arms around him before she felt herself begin to shatter again.
Brooklyn's rapid breathing and panting increased, his humping intensifying, and then both of their worlds burst into color and stars collided. Her body arched up, toes curled in and muscles spasmed as she climaxed. She dug her nails into his skin and gasped ragged cries of his name, sending him off with her. Luckily for them, he didn't roar this time, but seemed to have all of the air punched from his lungs. His entire body heaved greatly into hers, trembled, shook and pumped all of him in her, giving giant gasps of exhalation, pumped himself again, before exhaling again.
Then, he collapsed on top of her, and she held him close as they both gasped and panted in each other's arms.
Minutes passed and they still hadn't moved. Now that she was fully awake, she was vaguely aware of how sore her body was from training with Hudson, and now that they jumped each other with incredible sex, she knew that she would be even more sore by the morning, but it was worth it. Brooklyn slowly raised his face up to gaze into her eyes and when they locked onto each other, they suddenly burst out laughing, not believing how intensely incredible, fast, erotic and beautiful that all was. He carefully pulled out from her, both of them moaning as he did so. He then scooped her up into his arms, moved onto the soft bed, and collapsed next to her, instantly wanting to cuddle.
Still laughing, she snuggled close to his naked body, happier than anything. He wrapped both wings around them, his arms sliding around her naked and smooth body tightly. Their legs intertwined and bodies meshed like a pretzel together as they both calmed down, breathing deeply from their sexual work out.
He gazed deeply into her eyes, leaned forward and kept kissing her lips softly, but wholly.
"I love you. That was... incredible! You're incredible. You are so damn gorgeous, every..." he kissed her neck, then moved lower. "Part..." kissed the base of her chest. "Of you." Then he raised his lips back up to hers and kissed her again, holding her naked body incredibly tight against his. "I didn't mean for that to happen, but hey, you'll get no complaints from me."
Rose laughed against his lips, and they kissed passionately for a few minutes, kissing, tasting and touching each other again- savoring every moment they had of this.
"Hmmm... me neither. But, good morning to you too, my horny but sexy husband." Rose breathed through his kisses and he detached, lying his head down on her pillow, chuckling.
"I would say that I'm sorry… but I'm really not."
"What even happened just now?" She teased. "I remember being asleep, and then I felt you. All of you, and I couldn't stop."
Brooklyn chuckled again, kissed her forehead and held her close.
"It's close to three in the morning right now, and I just barely came back from patrol. I knew you would be asleep, so I came in here, sent Bronx away, shut our door and then laid next to you. I gave you a few kisses and was trying to snuggle you, but then you moved into me and started it all. And when you started touching and kissing me, and I felt your heat, and smelled your mating scent… who was I to say no to sex? So, I just went with it."
This time Rose burst out laughing and playfully hit his chest.
"Nuh-uh! I did not start that! Your body was all over mine first… and then your scent…"
"Hmmm… yes, I know how that feels. You're beautiful..." Brooklyn hummed, kissing her lips deeply again while running his claws over her naked breasts and abdomen, making her inhale shakily. His touch sent shivers up her body and her breasts suddenly reacted, making him smile as he gently touched her nipples with his talon. "The same thing happened to me too. You smelled so good to me, I guess we both started it. Our bodies know when we are near each other."
"Yeah." Rose sighed, snuggling closer to him. "And you claimed every part of me. Ohhh… Brook… I love it when you do that."
"You love it when I do what?... When I do… this?" He teased, lowering his mouth to her hard nipples, sucked on them, then placed his claw in between her legs again, and she hissed out a laugh.
"Ohhh… all of it babe." She then collapsed a hand on his shoulders, and felt her body shutting down again in exhaustion, despite his erotic teasing. "Cruel beast, I'm too tired to go again."
Brooklyn laughed out loud now, raised his mouth from her breasts, stopped touching her, and instead pulled her close; kissing her forehead.
"The truth was that I was actually hoping to ask you how it went with Hudson." He said softly, running a claw tenderly through her hair, as she closed her eyes. He then kissed the tip of her nose. "I wanted to make sure that you were okay."
"You're sweet, thank you. It went well." Rose whispered. "I'm really sore, probably have some gnarly bruises somewhere, but I'm good."
Brooklyn collected her hands in his claw and then kissed the top of her palm. "And how did your chat go with him? What did you two talk about?"
"He..." she yawned, and snuggled closer to him, still with eyes shut. "He was talking through some of the psychology of what I do when I'm in 'fight' mode. I have a really hard time yielding or backing down. And I think he understands that because Gargoyles fight until they win or they die... or at least that's what you told me."
Brooklyn nodded, made a non-verbal agreement hum, and she continued telling him what happened.
"So... he kind of explained his history of seeing horrible things, and how he gets himself out of that mind-frame. He said that he also doesn't want me to think about Kevin, to further along my adrenaline or rage to be stronger than him. He said... and I quote, 're-breaking a bone to feel the pain doesn't make you stronger, but weakens you,' and he was right. I often pull Kevin back in my mind to help me fight... but... that only makes me weaker," she yawned again and her voice got quieter. "He's right... and you're right. I shouldn't let Kevin define me anymore, and I'm glad for that lesson. He's a great teacher."
"The best of us." Brooklyn agreed, smiling; seeing that she was again back in delirium and her eyes closed, he knew they would have to talk about this later. "Well, I'm glad it went well, Rose. I always worry for you fighting, but you did really well. I'm proud of you."
"Thank you." She whispered, her body growing heavy in his arms. "Sorry... I'm... really... tired."
"Sleep then, my beautiful love." He whispered, kissing her lips briefly. "I love you so much, we'll pick this back up tomorrow night."
"In… your… dreams…" She teased weakly, but was already falling deeply asleep again, completely comfortable and safe against his body. He smiled and kissed her again, whispering,"Well good thing that you are my dream, Rose. A dream that has come true. I love you."
"I love you too." She mumbled, and then went silent. He smiled at her and went to rest his head down on her pillow, when she suddenly spoke again, but in a mumble he could barely hear.
"Brooklyn?"
"Yeah?" He asked softly, leaning his ear down to her mouth so he could better hear her.
"Thank you."
He blinked in confusion at her random words of gratitude, and chuckled. "For what, my love?"
"For being such a wonderful husband and mate to me. You take such good care of me, are so selfless, kind, and passionate. You make feel so safe, happy, cherished and truly loved. Thank you for never giving up on me... I love you so much."
Brooklyn now blinked away tears, raised his face to look down into hers and saw that she had fallen back asleep; exhaustion claiming her once again. He began breathing deeply, trying to force down a sob of joy, and let the tears fall down his face. His heart melted at her words, seeing her sweet, beautiful and calm face made him come undone. She was the most beautiful woman in the entire world; and those simple words, coming straight from her heart, was enough to make him fall even more in love with her.
Kissing her once more on her lips, he then whispered, "Oh, Rose. You're welcome, my beautiful wife. You have my heart and soul... for all eternity. But it is I that should thank you for loving me like you do, as well, and for all you do for me. Thank you for the gift of your love, it's something I deeply cherish. I treasure you... all of you."
He then closed his eyes, kissed her forehead as he rested his head down, and held her naked body tightly against his so there was no space between his or hers. Her scent was in his nostrils, relaxing him, their limbs intertwined, making him feel safe, and he was also in his own happy and safe place. Her warm and naked body, soft breathing, and steady beating heart instantly lulled him into a deep sleep of his own; dreaming of Rose and how lucky he was to have her.
Rose woke up when bright sunlight beat into her bedroom, heating the room up to uncomfortable levels. She felt incredibly groggy, stretched her exhausted and sore body out and gasped in pain. Every limb felt like she had dead lifted weights and was punched all over her body, especially on her right arm which was the one she fought Hudson with.
As she came to, she turned around and saw that she was naked as well. She blinked, looked around her bed some more, and found that it had been torn apart. Pillows thrown, sheets and blankets all disheveled and coming off the mattress. She then saw her stone mate on the floor, in the corner of their room and remembered what happened with a big smile. Their passionate and magical night somehow felt like a dream, until she moved.
She was now sore everywhere, and not just in her limbs. It was not a dream, but an amazing reality.
Brooklyn had come to bed with her sometime in the early morning hours, but instead of just sleeping with her, they made incredibly passionate love all while she was half-asleep. They jumped each other's bones and took to claiming every delicious inch of each other, more rough and aggressive than she was used to, but wasn't complaining because it was amazing. The love she felt for him and how he felt when they were one was beyond words of how beautiful it was. But like every good thing, she was reaping the consequences of it; especially already being pregnant.
Sitting up, she groaned out and had the worst headache. The room was spinning, her hair was somehow defying gravity in a messy curly disaster and she felt like she had been through the ringer. Rose slipped out of bed, stumbled into her bathroom to relieve herself, then would try to tame her hair, brush her teeth and get dressed; all without throwing up.
Her nausea was extra prevalent this morning, and the spinning from her headache wasn't helping. She made it to the toilet to relieve herself, freshened her body up, got dressed in jean shorts and a casual black tank top, brushed her hair out and pulled it up into a messy bun, but when she tried to brush her teeth; she hit her gag reflex and was suddenly vomiting in her sink, unable to move to the toilet.
Minutes passed and when she finally finished, she was thoroughly grossed out. Groaning, she quickly cleaned the sink, tried to brush again but only made it a little bit before she had to stop. She quickly washed her face and then walked out to tend to her bedroom. Rose pulled out a fan from her closet, plugged it in, and had it going while she attempted to pull all the sheets off the bed, but she was already sweating. It was going to be a very hot day, she could feel it, even in this cooler Castle. A heat wave was upon them and the humidity of New York was terrible, making it even worse.
She finally got her bed made with fresh sheets, made it look nice and then walked over to Brooklyn's stone form. He looked peaceful and happy, and she couldn't help but smile at him.
"Thanks for last night." She said to him, kissing his beak. "I officially can't move, but it's okay." If he were there, she could imagine his laugh and it made her smile even brighter. "I love you Brooklyn, more than anything. I'll see you tonight… and maybe then I'll finally be able to tell you my secret."
With another smile, she kissed him again then turned from him and left her bedroom.
Rose barely could keep food down at breakfast, but tried to eat something. Seeing how nauseous she was, Xanatos and Owen agreed to do their training on a different day. One where she wasn't throwing up so much and when her body wasn't already broken.
With it being so hot, Rose could only lie on the couch sipping water and ginger ale; with a fan pointed to her body. It took her everything to swallow her prenatal pills and not throw up, but she managed. By early noon, Xanatos called Doctor Sato for her, who ended up visiting her and to her great joy, he had brought her anti-nausea prescription with him.
"Bless you." She said weakly, as he sat down next to her, and she instantly took one. Xanatos, Fox and Owen were standing around, looking nervous over Rose's condition, but they didn't know the news yet. No one did except for her and Doctor Sato.
"You're welcome." He said with a smile. "I left you a message on your home phone, but when you didn't answer, I figured I would try here. So since it's my day off, and Xanatos said that you're here and are really ill, I thought I would come take a walk and visit you."
"I'm so glad you came and brought gifts. What a gentlemen." She said, holding up her prescription bag.
"Me too." He laughed. "No offense, but you kinda look like hell."
"That's such a nice thing to say to a patient." She teased, but didn't care, and he chuckled again.
"Yeah, well I know you can handle it." He said, then got a bit more serious. "Take those once a day, they should help with your nausea and vomiting. If not, call me back and I'll try something else." Rose nodded, and he then turned to Xanatos. "If you guys will give us some privacy, Rose and I need to discuss some things."
"No, it's okay." Rose said suddenly, and Xanatos looked over at Owen and Fox, who both looked confused. "They… they can hear. Everyone's going to find out eventually."
"Find what out?" Xanatos asked.
"You'll see." Rose said with a smile, then turned back to face the doctor, allowing him to continue. He nodded at her decision and got straight to the point.
"So… I take it that you ended up taking a pregnancy test then?" He asked, and Xanatos, Fox and Owen all let out audible gasps. Rose and him ignored them and again, she nodded.
"And?" He asked.
"It was positive." She said softly, unable to hide her smile, and to her shock, he too smiled.
"What?!" Fox cried out, placing her hands over her mouth. "Rose, you're pregnant?!"
"Yes." Rose said, grinning and beaming brightly. "I am. Or at least that's what the at-home test said." She turned back to Doctor Sato, who nodded and grinned.
"Good to hear that it worked. Yes, your urine tests also came back as positive for the HCG hormone. Blood work is clean and looks good. You are healthy, and are just dealing with the not-so-fun part of pregnancy." He paused, reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing it. "Congratulations Rose. You and Brooklyn are going to be parents."
"Thank you so much, Doctor Sato."
"Wow… the first ever Human, Third Race, and Gargoyle Hybrid." Xanatos suddenly said, musing and turning to smile at Owen. "How interesting is that?! If Rose does make it to birth without complications, then she'll give life to the very first of its kind. Hmmm." He paused, almost as if he realized that he was speaking out loud and clapped his hands together, grinning his white smile at her. "Well… my congratulations to you and Brooklyn, Rose."
Rose's heart pounded at his words, and slowly she glanced over at the multi-billionaire and couldn't help feel that he, again, was scheming with this spark of juicy news. When she glanced over at Owen, she felt another punch in her stomach as Owen was staring at her. His eyes wide and he was insanely pale; as if the news terrified him. Making her feel even more uneasy and scared.
Hudson's words oozed in and out of her mind.
Be cautious, lass…
She had heard enough about Xanatos and Owen's past and their partnerships with the insane Genetic Physicist, Doctor Sevarius to be wary of them slightly. The Mutate Clan; Talon, Maggie, Claw and Fang were an experiment to him, and Xanatos funded the whole project. The four humans were turned into Gargoyles to prove that DNA could mesh between different species, and it ended up with bad blood. Talon, being Elisa's younger brother Derek, ended up being a very personal attack for Elisa and the Clan.
Protection of her unborn child suddenly rose up inside of her, and she automatically placed a hand over her stomach. This was now putting him and Owen automatically in the back of her mind of people to watch and be cautious of.
"Thank you." She put on the best smile she could for them, but still felt extremely nervous. Could she really trust them? Or did she just dig herself a huge hole by allowing them to know the news of her pregnancy to a hybrid child?
She was planning on telling Brooklyn and the Clan tonight, and didn't see any reason why Xanatos, Fox and Owen couldn't know, as she figured that they would eventually find out, but part of her was worried that she made a mistake. Could Xanatos use this rare gift to take on and see it as only a business transaction? Or was she wrong about him, yet again?
So far, he hadn't shown any animosity towards her and had only been a help to her and Brooklyn. But his past of screwing over the Clan was still so fresh in the past, and no one was perfect in not ever making mistakes again, or choosing wrong paths. Had he truly learned his lesson or would he revert back to his old self? To make this worse, since Owen did everything Xanatos asked and was completely joined to his will, would he be danger to her as well? If Xanatos ordered Owen to, would he turn her over to Hela to protect the Xanatos family? To protect himself? To sell out her child to them as payment for his survival?
Many questions flowed through her mind, and Doctor Sato's voice suddenly brought her back to the present.
"Well, now that things are in full swing here and it's official. I would like to try and understand more of what kind of a pregnancy this will be and if this fetus will be more Human or more Gargoyle." He said, straightening his glasses, speaking to her in a serious tone. "It's important we take strides now and I'll monitor your growth every week. For now, I would like to get an ultrasound on you, really fast, while I'm here. If we can head to the infirmary, that would be best."
"Oh, that would be swell!" Xanatos said, clapping his hands together. "You could use the infirmary if you'd like, there's an ultrasound machine in-"
"No, that's alright." Rose interrupted, turning to face him with a smile. "I'll just make an appointment with Doctor Sato when he's not off work." She turned to the doctor and then said, "You go and enjoy your day off. We'll meet together soon."
"Are you sure?" He asked. "It's really not a big deal. We can do this while I'm-"
"I would actually really like to tell Brooklyn first and the Clan, and then have their support during it, if that's alright." Rose said, lying slightly.
The truth was she did want them around, but didn't want Xanatos hanging over her shoulder as he was doing now. It was obvious to her that he was trying to soak up as much information as he could. She felt bad for being suspicious as he truly hadn't done anything but good for her, but there was something in his dark brown eyes that lit up at the news of her pregnancy. But it wasn't a good light, it was a look of greed and control. One she often saw in Kevin. And although she had a hard time trusting others and was working on that, she wasn't going to risk anything with what was going on with Hela, Kevin and the Draugr. Not with her unborn child involved.
Doctor Sato nodded and smiled at her, seeming alright with her decision, but Xanatos looked disappointed and Rose smirked to herself. She wouldn't say that he was untrustworthy, but there was still a slight feeling, deep inside of her, that wasn't sure just yet. And for now, she would rather play it safe.
"Alright. Well… how about I come next Thursday night?" Doctor Sato asked. "You said you work Monday and Wednesday at the hospital?"
"Yes, but just during the day. I'm off by seven those nights. But Thursday works for me."
"Perfect, I'll see you then." Doctor Sato said, standing up and seeing himself out. "Say around… eight?"
"That works for me."
"Good. Well, let me know if that medication works. Keep taking pre-natal vitamins, drinking water, and getting rest. I'll see you all soon."
"Goodbye Doctor, thank you for coming." Xanatos said, watching him leave towards the elevators. He then turned and smiled down at Rose. "Well… congratulations again, Rose. What a shocking and exciting turn of events! It must be your Third Race lineage that's made you conceiving a child with a Gargoyle possible. It's truly a scientific miracle, one I'm sure another… er… doctor I know, would be extremely intrigued by."
Rose watched him carefully as Fox came over and hugged her tightly.
"I'm so happy for you and Brooklyn!" She exclaimed, and Rose could barely hug her back as Xanatos stared at her and she at him. She knew what doctor he was talking about, and it wasn't a good sign. If he blabbed to Doctor Sevarius about her, they would have even more issues on their hands. They didn't need another madman through into her hellish nightmare of issues.
If Xanatos could tell that she was wary of him, he seemed cool and calm, but there was something else swirling in his brain. To Rose, it seemed like a plan and a shady scheme, and the very thought of that made her blood boil.
"Yes, happy news indeed." Owen said in his monotone voice, looking over at Xanatos. But he did not smile, instead he still looked terrified of this news.
But why was he scared? What didn't she know?
From Xanatos' eyes staring her down and Owen's sudden, obvious, uncertainty, she felt unsafe. And more than anything, she wanted to run from them and into Brooklyn's safe arms.
Run… and never look back.
Hours passed by and daylight turned into dusk, and Rose was in her bedroom writing a note to Brooklyn. It was almost seven in the evening and soon she would be leaving to babysit Katie at Emily's apartment, meaning that she wouldn't be there when he woke up at nightfall. Because he often worried for her, she wanted him to know where she was before leaving the Castle. He had been at Emily's place once, but she wrote her address down at the bottom of her note, just in case he needed it.
She placed her note and brief words of love on the bed, hoping he would see it, and was about to make her way across the room when a knock was heard on her door. She paused from walking, stared at the closed door. Her magic warned her of another magical being behind there, which could only mean that it was one person, and he wasn't someone she wanted to necessarily talk to right now.
Sighing, she closed her eyes and allowed it, perhaps he could explain to her a few things that were still reeling around in her mind.
"Come in." She called out, and instantly the door opened.
Her guess was right as Owen came through, smiled at her and then shut it behind her. "Good evening Rose. How are you doing?"
"I'm… good." She answered, being careful and wondering why he was visiting her.
"Are you feeling any better than you were earlier? Are your anti-nausea pills working for you?"
Rose stared at him with an inscrutable expression as she raised an eyebrow at him. "Um… yes, they are working. Why do you ask?"
"Just making polite conversation." Owen said in a lightly monotone voice, but she sensed the master of trickery and manipulation under his Human form, and her eyebrow raised up even more.
"Okay…" She said slowly, staying where she was. "Thank you for asking, but um, is that all you've come for? Not to seem rude, or that I'm not happy to see you, it's just that I've got to get going. I'm babysitting my niece tonight."
"Oh... right. Well, then I won't take up any more of your time then with pointless chatter." He said, walking towards her. "I have come to speak with you privately."
"About?" She asked a bit coolly.
"I was surprised to hear about your pregnancy, Rose. It's wonderful news indeed, but yet such an incredibly rare thing to happen, especially with a Gargoyle and a half-Human."
"Yeah, well, it's not rare to me." She said softly. "I always knew Brooklyn and I were destined to be different. And this gift is what happens when two people truly love each other. We've been gifted with a product of our love and soul bond."
Owen laughed and it shocked her to see emotion come from his face. "Yes, well, that's not what I was meaning, but I'm glad you feel that way about it."
"How else should I feel about my own pregnancy?" She asked carefully.
"Nervous and possibly as terrified as I feel for you." He answered bluntly, making her blood boil even more.
"What are you getting at then?" Rose suddenly asked him coldly, tired of his games. But before he could answer her, she cut to the chase. "Look, let's be real with each other here, okay, Owen? I know of Xanatos' past with Doctor Sevarius and all of his deplorable experimentation on Humans, turning them into Gargoyle mutates. Whatever his screwed up fascination with doing that is, it's beyond my understanding, but I refuse to become an experiment of his. Care to tell him that for me, and if he argues with you, give him the middle finger for me, okay?"
She paused, and watched as Owen's eyes grew large at her words.
"Whoever in the world said that he… ?" He asked slowly, but she cut him off again.
"I am thankful for all that Xanatos has done for myself and Brooklyn, but I saw the wheels turning in his head the moment I announced my pregnancy. I get it. I'm a Third Race, being with a Human body who's carrying a Gargoyle's child. I know how much that mix must appeal to him, especially with my magical capabilities, and probably wants to duplicate it on innocent Humans... but I won't let that happen." She stepped closer to him, eyeing him with disdain, and continued in a cold voice. "I don't know what you and he are planning or scheming, Owen, but I won't stand for it. Not with everything else going on with Hela and Kevin. Got it?"
"Rose... I..."
"I trusted you guys to help me, but now that I'm getting warning signs that he, as well as you, are wanting to use me for all that I am, and for what I am carrying inside of me, I want nothing to do with it anymore. Nor do I think the Clan would be okay with it either. So, I suggest, if you wish to keep having a good relationship with the Clan, then you'll not dare screw around with me, my family, mate, and my unborn child. You will not win."
Owen's lightning bright blue eyes widened at her words and, for once, he looked positively stunned. But it lasted a moment, before his face went back to bored; but she could feel the anger within him.
"Wow… that's quite the detailed accusation against Mr. Xanatos and myself Rose, especially when he and I have not planned anything of the sort against you and the Clan."
"You'll have to do better than that to explain yourself… Puck." Rose whispered.
"I shouldn't have to explain myself." He said coldly. "Not when all you've said is a complete web of lies." Rose blinked at his sudden anger, never seen him expressing emotions like he was, but she stayed quiet as he continued to come back at her.
"What have we done to make you think that we are being shady and untrustworthy?" He asked a bit sharply. "And… forgive me, but you'll have to do better than body language and an exchange of 'looks' that you think we've given each other. I know you can read minds now… but unless you've done that on me, which you didn't, then you don't know what Mr. Xanatos and I were actually thinking."
"Okay, enlighten me then." Rose said while crossing her arms over her chest. "When I announced my pregnancy, Xanatos looked like I was a shiny new price for his collection, and you looked… scared. And I take it that you were scared of what he could do to me. So, forgive me, but I felt unsafe and like I shouldn't have told you guys."
Owen's face was not hiding behind his mask anymore, and looked downright irritated and in disbelief at her.
"For your information, dearie, Mr. Xanatos and I have been working really hard in trying to protect you and the Clan by trying to find ways to communicate with Avalon and with Titania. This whole time, we've been trying to find out the real reasons behind all that's happening, to prevent Hel from entering our home, the mortal world, and from hurting all of us; including the Clan and you. Xanatos has been building more security measures, more weapons based on the black market technology that the Quarrymen had in January, to step up his collection of weaponry and the proper effectiveness to protect all of us from future dangers and threats."
Rose stared at him, her arms still crossed over her chest and contemplated his words with her eyes still narrowed at him.
'Okay…" She said quietly. "I'll take that explanation for now… but what about this pregnancy then? Hmm? Why do you and him care so much about it?"
"First of all, because it is the first of its kind, Rose, and we are truly happy for you and Brooklyn. It's an unheard of thing and nothing short of a miracle for a Human to carry a Gargoyle's child. But while it's a miracle, it's a dangerous thing, for many reasons. Reasons I'll get to later… but to further explain myself on your next accusation about us, yes, you're right to a point. In the past Mr. Xanatos and I have pushed boundaries, crossed lines and enjoyed the villain life-style. But that was then and this is now; times have changed.
Now that young Alexander is here in our lives, Mr. Xanatos' priorities have changed slightly and he wishes to do right by his son and wife. Yes, he's dipped his feet in unclean waters while doing business in the past, as has Fox, but he's gained some pretty powerful allies that have been useful and informative when needed. He would not have those allies if he didn't cross those lines, Rose, so he ultimately does what he needs to protect his home and his family, while still maintaining his business. But his shift has ultimately been for good, and so has mine." He paused and then shook his head.
"When I first saw you enter this home with Brooklyn, I didn't suspect anything different about you. I thought I felt some magic within you, but I ignored it because you were so… Human. But then when your magic awakened, it was truly an explosion of power and I knew who you were. I suspected your parents and feared for you, and since around November I have been reaching out to Avalon, trying to gain this information. After Lady Titania left and told me to train you, I haven't heard from her since, and I just know that something terrible is happening to Avalon, Rose. Something powerful and dangerous is rising from Hel and I truly believe that you are the key to this oncoming war."
"Oncoming... war?" Rose asked, fear settling in her soul, giving her goosebumps on her arms. That was not the answer she was expecting from this conversation, and suddenly a serious shift was felt.
"Yes." Owen said quietly. "That is why I'm here talking to you now, Rose. I've had a... vision of sorts, and with your pregnancy, things have gotten even more complicated."
"What... vision did you have?" She asked, uncrossing her arms and stepping closer to him.
"A war of all of our freedoms is coming; a war upon all magical and mortal beings." He explained quietly. "This war will come to the mortal world, and has already tested itself out. I am sure of that because of the signs from Hel with the Draugr and Hela's presence. Titania has suspected it too... and with Avalon in silence now, without word from her… I fear Hel has succeeded in conquering it's first and strongest opponent; Avalon. Oberon was the only thing standing in his brother's way in stopping them, Hela and Demetrius, to have the ability to move across the board and take over the rest of the Earth. That's why I have trained you Rose and need to keep training you. You've grown significantly in your powers since your wedding, but now that you are pregnant with a rare species, the first of its kind most likely… I am worried and… terrified, quite frankly, for you and the future of us all. Xanatos is also worried, but we are also hopeful that possibly this child, as well as you, will be how we win… or…"
"It could be the reason I lose.." She guessed quietly, and he silently nodded.
"Precisely." He mumbled. "The reason we all will lose. There's just a lot more at risk now that you are that much more vulnerable. So I wish to train with you more. Are you free for a quick hour training session to start?"
Rose stayed silent and stared at him through narrowed eyes, but she could sense his urgency. Her magic wasn't giving her any reason not to believe him, nor did she sense any deception from him; and the truth was she did have the hour to spare before she had to be over at Emily's house. Hudson told her to be cautious, but in reality, him and Xanatos haven't given her any reason not to trust them, yet. The stunt he, as Puck, pulled when he transformed into Kevin was cruel, but necessary as she now realized. And when she looked at the reality of it… could she have learned that about herself in any other way?
If a war was coming for all the world, with Hela and Kevin leading the charge… she wanted to be ready for them, and wanted to be as powerful as she could to try to beat her parents and her ex-husband. If she had their powers then she would fight. Which would give her family, and this world, a fighting chance to protect all the souls here… and that was perhaps that's why Xanatos was eyeing her so carefully. He specialized in weapons and technology and possibly saw her as a powerful weapon to help them win.
Sighing, she ran a hand through her pulled up hair. "Alright, yeah, I guess I do have some time before I have to babysit."
"Good." Owen said, turning around and walked away with her following after him. "Stay dressed as you are. Let's go." They walked down the hallway quickly, heading towards the elevators to head down to the building's large gymnasium where they had had all of their training sessions.
"What are you going to be teaching me that can't wait until later?" Rose asked him after a few minutes, when they were standing in silence in the elevators.
He turned his head and looked at her from the side of his face.
"I'm going to teach you the basic art of shape-shifting, how to transport through the earth plane with the use of portals, sharpening your mind-reading, and more defensive magic. You performed strong defensive and shield magic against the Draugr, which is almost unheard of. But it was effective. So, I had the thought that if we can somehow… extend your shield to more than just you and Brooklyn… you could protect more people and more territory. At least that's my hope, but it will be difficult and grueling for you, especially being pregnant. We'll have to be careful as we don't want to hurt you or the child, but this magic should be something that could help us out a great deal. It should also feel natural and easy enough for you- it'll just be much… bigger and cover more ground than you're used to."
"I understand your fears, Owen, I do, and I'm willing to train with you before I go and babysit. But… why can't this wait until later?"
Owen slowed down his walking and she saw him tense up slightly. He cleared his throat and kept his face blank.
"Because I feel that the war is coming sooner than we all may think. The forces of Hel are strengthening, and we all need to be ready for when they come. It could be tonight… it could be tomorrow, next week, next month… or even next year. I don't know. Time moves differently in Avalon and Hel. One hour there is one day here. So wherever their preparations are at in Hel, the Death Gods of Hel are coming soon. I normally can see more of the future, but it's blurry and unforeseeable, which makes me feel even more nervous about it."
"So… let's just say that your gut-feeling is right, and that Hel is coming for all of us soon in a war... for me." Rose said, thinking out loud. "Do you think that my powers are the key to us winning the war?"
"As Hela and Demetrius' child… yes, I do believe that." He said quietly. "Unless they get a hold on you first."
"And if Hela and all of Hel do get a hold of me? Then what'll happen?" She asked quietly, not wanting to know the answer.
Owen tensed up again, and an eerie silence passed between them for a few seconds. Then he slowly turned his head and she saw true fear in his eyes.
"If they get a hold of you and your powers, they could become unstoppable, and you would become their weapon against us. Willingly or unwillingly… if you can control minds, then so can they, and they will control yours to do their bidding. If they do use you as that type of a weapon, then I fear that you will not survive, your child will not survive… and all of the mortal world will be in Hel's mercy. Death of mortal souls gives Hel more power, so if they come to the mortal world after taking over Avalon…" He remained silent for a moment and Rose felt a cold dread in her soul. She didn't realize how terrifying this all really was. But surely this was just speculation… right? But she wasn't sure as he saw the terror in his eyes.
"You seem to be sure about all this, Puck. It's as if you've seen it in our future." She asked quietly, using his real name, then stopped. Fear slamming into her; she forgot he could see futures. "H- have you seen it? The future? Was that the vision you had?"
"Glimpses of it, yes." He whispered.
"And what of the world have you seen? What happens?!"
He turned to face her and had empty eyes, sending more cold fear into her. "I don't see the specifics, but I'll tell you this. I hear the screaming of every man, woman and child on this Earth, both mortal and magical beings in the near future. The noise fills every corner and is the most unbearable thing to behold… but then there's nothing but silence and darkness."
"Which means what?" Rose asked in great fear, her whole body trembling.
"It could mean a lot of things." He said honestly. "And I truly don't know what's going to happen, but I sense death in this future, Rose. I sense a void of emptiness in this entire world."
More fear shot through her, sending nausea through her entire system. This wasn't the conversation she was planning on having, and his fear was making her own unbearable.
"Does Xanatos know about this?"
"I've told him a little bit, but he's sensed that something is coming ever since Hela created that storm. He's been working day in and day out in securing the weapons off the black market to protect this home, and has been planning for such a scenario." He said. "But, no. I haven't said anything of this specific future to anyone except for you. It's a new vision I've had this morning, right before you announced your pregnancy to us, and nor does the Clan know yet. After I train with you, I'm going to try to contact Titania again, and then I'm hoping to sit down and chat with them. Depending on if you tell them about your pregnancy or not."
They walked slowly down the hallway towards the gymnasium, and Rose then stopped, thinking about all that he entrusted in her, making her feel horribly bad for her lack of trust in him. If something this terrible was coming, then they all had to be unified and not at war amongst themselves.
"I will tell them… and we can talk to them about all this as well. But until we do, I appreciate your honesty with me and I'm sorry for assuming the worst out of you and Xanatos. That was wrong of me."
"You're forgiven, thank you for the apology." He said with a small smile, but still looked scared.
"You're welcome." She said. "So… back to your vision. What do you think it all means? What is Hela and Demetrius planning to do, do you think?"
He turned to face her, his blue eyes were full of fear, and for the first time in Owen's face, she could see Puck- who had a good heart and love for his home and people- show through in great concern.
"Honestly? There's only one thing it could mean that I can think of. And I hope to the Gods that I'm wrong. But with your parents being Gods of Death… my idea only makes sense with how much unsettled chaos I've been feeling in my one and only magical tie to Avalon."
"Your idea being what?" She asked quietly, and he froze, placed his hand on the door frame and stared at her; his face numb, pale and terrified.
"Death to all life… if your parents somehow found a way to unleashing the powers of Hel, setting it free from Avalon's control, it would be the end of life, and the Death Gods will win. Forever immortal, forever in control, forever in charge of creation. But it would be a creation of death."
Rose also paled and felt horribly nauseous. She came from these Gods, and they were this powerful? It was unthinkable… gut wrenching.
"How?" She choked out, and he understood what all she was asking.
"I don't know the details, but that is what I suspect. Whatever happens, I feel like you are a key to a lot of it." He whispered. "So, if we don't train you to fight against them… then we will all be destroyed in a world-wide annihilation on all magical and mortal realms."
Rose continued to stare at him in horror and couldn't feel her body. She didn't know how much time passed between them as she thought about all that he had shared with her. How would Brooklyn react to her pregnancy now, knowing they all could potential cease to exist? Would it even matter to worry about her future if this was the future Puck saw? If so, how could they fight? What part could she possibly play in all of this, and what difference could she make against the powers of Hel?
Her mind continued to feed her with fear, but then something snapped inside of her. The natural state of her took over her fear and controlled her mind frame. No matter what, she would fight for her mate, her family, and now her unborn child. She would do as Hudson asked, and what she promised, to fight and never stop fighting. This was now bigger than Kevin… he was merely a chess piece in the giant game played by Hel; by her parents.
Rose set her jaw firm and straightened up.
"You truly think that I have the powers that Hel need to make this future happen? And that I'm somehow a key to their success?" She asked him firmly.
"I do." Owen said seriously, and she stayed silent.
She then took a deep breath, rolled her shoulders back and resolve entered her entire being, fueling her powers. She knew what she needed to do, and if she was the key to winning then she would fight, no matter what.
"Let's make sure they don't get me then." She whispered fiercely. "I'll be a weapon for you all if that's what it takes, and if that's what I am. I will fight against this future, for you, my family, mate and my unborn child."
At her new mindset to fight, Owen smiled, took his large glasses off then pocketed them in his shirt. He then spun in a bright circle of bright white magic and transformed into a white-haired, whimsical elf.
Puck then grinned his sharp smile back at her. "Attah girl! That's what I needed to hear and see! Your warrior heart, powers of being a daughter of death, all willingly given to my training and teachings is how I'm sure we will win. With you on our side, fighting with the rest of Avalon and all the Gargoyles, our success is something that I can sincerely hope for; making winning this war a reality."
"Let's get to work then." Rose whispered. "Anything to secure a bright future for us all, magical and mortals alike. We'll fight and show Hel what we are made of and give our world a future again. Anything to give my unborn child a chance at a good life."
"Good plan." Puck repeated, grinning brightly. He then let her pass by him to enter the gym, but then turned to her and walked besides her. "You know… don't take this the wrong way or let it go to your head, but last time I told you that you reminded me of Hela… I don't regret saying it. I still am gonna stick by it."
"Oh yeah?" Rose teased. "Should I be flattered by that slightly offensive comment?"
"Well… yes actually, I think you should be flattered."
Rose snorted. "How so?"
"Because like her, when you set your mind to doing something; you are downright terrifying, radiate power, demand respect and attention, and are a true force to be reckoned with; especially amongst the rest of us Third Race beings. I have a feeling no one will see you coming, and you'll be the reason we all get our butts kicked into gear."
She stared at her elven teacher and couldn't help but grin at him. She scared him? Him being an extremely powerful master of trickery and mischief? The thought amused her, but slowly pride settled into her heart, and a part of her already knew that truth. Deep within her, the strength that kept her fighting against Kevin for so long was truly a power she's always had. That power was what made her the warrior her mate and Clan saw her to be. Brooklyn's true equal.
"Good." Rose whispered with a grin. "Let's keep it that way."