A/N:

Uh, hi.

I'm back I guess.

It's been awhile, hasn't it?

Yeah, I saw all the reviews and nice messages you people left. It was really nice, I didn't deserve any of it, but you guys said them anyway.

So, where have I been?

To tell you the truth, I've just been struggling. When I started writing this story at first, the intention was for it in some way to get out all of the sadness and depression I have built up over the years. I guess in the process, the words I had written were so personal to me, it was too hurt to go back to face them. It hurt.

So I stayed away. I started to work on a complete rewrite of the story from the start.

But even that was too much for me too handle. I've put so much of my heart in this that continuing for the longest time was painful. I knew this story could have been so much better, and I couldn't bring myself to do it.

Except now.

So yeah, this is the next chapter. No promises if I do another one. I can't afford to promise something I never would have been able to keep in the first place.

So you know… Hit the lights.

It's time to return to Nathan, for however short that might be.

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"So, we got someone we'd like you to meet or rather someone who wants to meet you, I should probably be saying…" Crowley paused.

"Okay, who? One of your people?"

"Well, she's not one of MY people. Just someone I picked up recently. Remember the fire?"

"Yeah?"

"You weren't imagining things." Crowley told him. "There was someone with you there."

"Oh." Nathan said in response. "Is she or whoever okay?"

After Nathan finished his sentence, the air in the room got warm, way warmer than normal. The cause of the sudden change in temperature? A girl. She slowly floated into the room, her feet barely touching the ground.

The girl's body was covered in flame-like markings and tattoos, her hair and and limbs a brighter shade of red than her torso, which was a dark orange. The markings reminded him of old tribal tattoos he'd seen before on TV or movies, although it was clear these ones had a different purpose. Her eyes were much like Fenra's, but they also were very different at the same time. While Fenra's burning eyes are ferocious and intimidating, this girls eyes felt soft and subdued. He wasn't sure how to explain the change, it was just the feeling he had when he stared at her.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Crowley said with a grin. "Don't be shy, now."

"Oh…" Nathan said, captivated by the new girl's appearance. She looked at him, giving a sort of empty stare that was odd at the same time charming.

'You… are N-Nathan, correct?" The girl said.

"Uh, yes. That's me. It's… uh, nice to meet you."

The girl quickly bowed her head in gratitude. "You are the one who saved me. Thank you, so very much."

Nathan rubbed his head, embarrassed. "Well, I had help…"

She noticed his bandaged hands. Her blank face suddenly became a deep frown. "I'm sorry…"

Crowley jumped back in. "She was apparently responsible for the fire. Lost control of her power."

She lowered her head in guilt. "It wasn't my fault… I-I got scared, and I lost control…"

Nathan looked back over to Crowley. "What is she?"

"I wasn't sure at first, neither were most at the office when we processed her at first. I had to pull records from old folklore. Apparently, she is an Ignis. Crazy rare."

"Ignis?"

"A fire spirit, or elemental. Most elementals only exist at the strongest point of their sources, like a volcano or deep in the ocean. Our friend here was most likely summoned by a Conjurer. Artificially made."

"A Conjurer? Wait, you mean magic?"

Crowley laughed. "Your homestay is a Hellhound, you met a Dragon recently, and now you're surprised that magic exists?"

Nathan didn't have a good or funny answer for that. "Good point. So, what's going to happen to her? Is she going to be punished or something?"

The girl lowered her head in guilt. She repeated her mantra of "Sorry…" many times over.

Crowley sighed. "It's obvious it was an accident. Deporting her wouldn't do any good, as she has no home to begin with. She'll need a place to stay, until we either find a better place or find the Conjurer that made her. That will take time and resources. Don't even know where to begin looking."

Nathan rolled his eyes, sensing quickly where this was going to go. "And I guess the mansion I'm moving into is a good candidate?"

Crowley grinned. "Thanks for volunteering. I knew you had a big heart after all."

"I-I owe you my life for saving me, mister Nathan."

Nathan turned to the girl again. "You don't owe me anything. Just try to be more careful in the future, okay? For your sake and the people around you. Your very special, remember that."

She quickly bowed her head again, her head bobbing up and down profusely. "Y-yes! I promise to be better!"

Crowley put his tinted shades back on. "I hope so, if something like that happens again, I might not be able to cover for you. I have a job to keep after all. Rent doesn't pay itself."

She bowed to Crowley as well. "Of course! T-thank you again!"

He nodded at her response and went back to check his watch. "Gotta get going. My team is still moving their things out of the office. I'll talk to you soon." Crowley rubbed his brow in stress as he walked out of Nathan's driveway, muttering along the way. He didn't catch what he said.

He pulled his car out of their driveway, leaving them alone.

"So, you got a name?"

She paused before responding, as if needing to remember if she actually did have one.

"I-I don't have one." She looked away. "I was only created to serve my master. But, my master is gone... "

Nathan looked around, trying to think for a minute. "Okay, well… What if you did have one? What would it be?"

She looked back to Nathan, her frown gone. "...I get to choose?"

Nathan laughed. "Of course you do! Everyone gets a choice."

"But I'm merely a-"

"Doesn't matter what you are. If you're going to be staying with me for awhile, I at least need something to remember you by besides-"

"E-Ember."

"Huh?"

"Ember. Is… that okay?"

Nathan smiled. "Ember. I like it. It suits you just fine."

Her face blushed, a smile appearing on her face as well. She looked adorable as she smiled. "Thank you."

Nathan held his hand out. "It's nice to meet you, Ember."

She looked at his hand, and back up to his face.

"Is something wrong?"

She held her hands up. "My hands…"

Nathan had forgotten that he was dealing with an Ignis for a second. "O-oh sorry, I forgot."

She smiled again. "It's alright, I should remember my place anyhow."

Nathan frowned. "Well, I guess I'll have to introduce you to the others. Oof, Fenra's not going to be happy…"

"Others?"

Nathan chuckled again. "It's kind of complicated."

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"This is Ember."

"Uh, hello! I-I hope I don't get in the way. I'll try to help at all if I can..."

"It's very nice to meet you Ember. My name is Gwenyvere, but you can call me Gwen."

"Mmm." Fenra grunted, her paws folded across her chest as she stared down at the meek looking Ember.

"Come on, Fenra. Don't be rude."

"..."

"I promise to give you pets later…" I say, tousling her hair to tease her.

"Fine. My name is Fenra." She said after leaning her head into his hand and sighing.

"It's nice to meet you, Fenra. I hope we get along well…"

"Just stay out of my way." He felt Fenra's paws grip his shoulders tight as she growled. "He's mine."

Gwen and Nathan sighed. "Well, so much for that." Fenra left them to go over to Nathan's room, probably pouting or wanting to sniff his clothes again. She did that whenever she was upset.

"Does she not like me staying here? Is she your mate?"

"If Fenra had her way, we wouldn't be moving out of the place at all. And to answer your other question,no. Fenra likes to think so, though. She's my homestay. I'm taking care of her."

"Master is very kind…." Ember says, looking at him rather tenderly.

"Just wait until we move into the estate, milord."

"Oof. Don't remind me."

"I'll go show Ember where she'll stay for the moment. Go see if you can coax Fenra out of my room. At least get her to stop putting bite marks in my shirts."

"I'll try, milord." Gwen said with a bow.

"...I'm not... a burden, am I?"

"Oh, not at all! Fenra's just being grumpy. Follow me." Nathan said and decided to show her around the house to see where she'd be staying.

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"You're not going to make me look for you, are you?" Gwen chimed as she stuck her head into his room, her tone obviously mocking Fenra.

"I'm right here." Fenra said blankly, setting on the bed as she cuddled Nathan's pillow and guarded it close to her chest.

"Oh, good. I thought I'd have to pull you out from under the bed." Gwen walked into the room and straightened out her skirt a little. The only reason Fenra wasn't growling was because if there was any one monster that outclassed a Hellhound, it was a Dragon. It wasn't even a contest.

"Very funny." Fenra pouted, rubbing her cheek against the pillow and her fluffy tail thumping against the bed hard.

"I'm sorry for-" Gwen tried to say before being interrupted.

"Don't. I know what your trying to do." Fenra growled, squeezing the pillow tighter to her bosom.

Gwen sighed, like a mother would when their unruly child was refusing to give an inch. Gwen spoke in a proper and dignified tone, obviously speaking from a more authoritative facet of herself.

"I simply came to inform you that Master Nathan has requested that you… come out and speak with him."

Fenra whined, sniffing the pillow more. "But Pet's with that...thing. I don't want her here. She'll just take him away from me, like everyone else will. Make her go away."

Gwen sighed, sitting down on the bed gently next to her. Fenra growled of course, but did nothing as she knew it wasn't scaring her.

"Do you know how long dragons live for?"

Fenra grunted. "Long enough to annoy me."

Gwen disregarded Fenra's jab as she continued. "Thousands of years. Do you want to know how old I am?"

Fenra nibbled on the pillow more. "No. But your going to tell me anyway."

"I'm over a thousand years old. And do you know what I've missed the most across the centuries?"

Fenra shook the pillow in her mouth, her tail thumping in annoyance. "Treasure?"

"People. Not just people, but… Love. Do you want to know how many times I've loved and lost?"

Fenra was going to make a snide comment, but her last part seemed to finally get through to her. "Enough to not be able to forget?"

Oh, you have no idea. And do you know why I'm telling you this?"

Fenra thought for a moment, before shaking her head. "No."

"Because I understand how it feels. That jealousy. You want so much for them to be yours, you'd do anything and push past everyone to have your way." Gwen turned to Fenra to look into her red eyes.

Fenra growled. Then she whined as she hugged the pillow tighter. "He's mine. My Nathan. He's kept me safe, even when I hurt him."

"So, you are afraid he'll be taken from you?"

Fenra hesitated a bit before nodding slowly, her tail thumping lessening a bit. Gwen nodded, sighing as she knew all too well the feelings Fenra had stirring inside her.

"Well, do you think Nathan feels the same about you?"

When Fenra heard this, she whined loudly as she buried her face into the pillow. She thought about the date he took her on, and how they kissed after she treated his scratches.

"Even if he doesn't, he's still mine. I won't let anyone have him. Nobody will hurt my Nathan."

Gwen slowly reached a clawed hand around Fenra's back, rubbing gently. Fenra growled at first, but eventually relented.

"I understand how you feel now. I had heard how attached Hellhounds get, and seeing it firsthand has me a little envious. I'm sure Nathan likes you too. I've seen how he looks at you."

The words seemed to appease Fenra, as her tail started to wag again and her grip on the pillow lessened. "You think so? But what about the Ignis? The way he smiled at her..."

Gwen chuckled. "They just barely met, honey. Nathan is just being a good host. If you feel so strongly about it, why not go to him and get down to the bottom of it?"

Fenra seemed to like this idea. "I'll do that."

Fenra stood up slowly, still clutching his pillow as she looked back over to Gwen.

"Uh, t-thanks." She quickly said before leaving his room to go to her Nathan so he could comfort her insecurities.

Gwen smiled as she left, seemingly satisfied that she and Fenra had finally made some progress together.

She looked around the room for a moment, and sighed as she got up. The room was a mess, likely Fenra's doing. She started to pick up after the hound, humming happily as she did so. She picked up one of Nathan's shirts, this one having a few holes in the chest from Fenra's fangs.

"My, she does have quite the fangs."

Gwen giggled, showing hers in the process. "Mine are still bigger though~"

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Ember looked around at everything curiously in the house, it likely being her first time seeing most of all of it. She behaved herself, not touching anything and always following her master's side as they walked together.

That's what he was, right? Her master? He must be, Ember thought. Even if not, she didn't seem to mind. His kindness alone made her feel content enough to not question it.

"You alright, Ember?" Nathan looked behind him, checking up on the curious Ignis.

"O-oh yes Master! Sorry."

Master is kind. And handsome.

She smiled to herself as he showed her back to the living room.

"Well, that pretty much covers all of the rooms. We'll be readjusting a lot during the move though. Now, about where you'll sleep…"

Ember looked at Nathan curiously. "Sleep, Master?"

"Yeah, you do sleep right?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so… Is that bad?"

"Uh, no. Don't see how it could-"

He was interrupted by very loud whining from right next to him, looking over he saw Fenra. Her ears and tail were drooped, and she hid her face from him behind the well-loved pillow she was holding. "Nathan…"

Ember looked curiously, wondering what the big kitty wanted.

"Uh, we'll finish this up later." Nathan said, turning to Ember. Ember seemed to get the message, quickly moving away from sight and leaving them to be by themselves.

Nathan turned to Fenra again, and heard her whine loudly again.

"What's up, Fuzzy?"

Fenra lowered the pillow, showing her very needy expression on her face. The pillow looked a little damp. It seemed like she was crying a bit.

"Oh no, what's wrong? Did something happen?" Nathan said, taking Fenra's paws into his hands and looking them over carefully. When he looked up to meet her gaze once again, he saw her sniffling a little.

"C-cuddles." She said, clutching the pillow tight.

"Cuddles?"

She took one of his bandaged hands, and brought it to her face, rubbing hard against it. She was shaking a little, whining as well. "P-please?"

Nathan chuckled, holding his arms out with a warm smile. "Oh come here, you big baby."

Fenra barked happily, practically jumping into his arms and tackling him to the ground as she rubbed her head against his cheeks and licked his hands and cheeks profusely. The wind was knocked out of him as he hit the ground, but he didn't care as he rubbed and gave his Hellhound the proper affection and cuddles she deserved. Her tail thumped on the ground and his legs, a loud noise being produced from it.

"E-easy there, Fuzzy! I'm here, I'm here. It's okay."

Fenra continued this for a while, rubbing her face and nose all over his and barking happily. Fenra definitely needed his cuddles, and what she wanted Nathan would try his best to provide, despite how broken he was. She needed him, and he would soon see just how much he needed her comfort in the coming weeks, as new friends were introduced, new bonds were made, and progress towards Recovery would be made.

"N-never leave me."

Fenra now hugged him tightly, licking at the mark on his neck gently as he petted her and ran his hands through her silky smooth hair and tail. Her big, soft chest mushed against his, her thighs wrapped tightly around one of his legs as she rubbed herself against him.

"I said I wouldn't. I'm still here. What did I promise you when we first met?"

Fenra looked him in the eyes, licking his nose gently. He could feel the warmth from her chest, her beating heart practically radiating love and affection in its purest form. The look she gave him was practically haunting. She trusted him so much, the desire to protect him and their bond on such a high display.

"I'm not going anywhere. So don't you go anywhere, okay?"

Fenra nodded, kissing his cheek shyly as she rested herself against him. "...Okay."

"Good."

They stayed like that for as long as Fenra needed, Nathan more than willing to give her the petting and hugs she wanted. Her heart was a fragile and loving one, one he'd go to any length to protect and cherish. He may have failed Emily in the past, but with Fenra he had hope. He could do better this time, he could love her the way he should have to Emily. He could be happy. So could she.

Or maybe he was just kidding himself.

Maybe it wouldn't be enough. Maybe he'd only let her down due to how broken and screwed up he was.

His fear remained, no matter how much loving kisses and licks Fenra would give him. No matter how much affection he could give her, he'd never be able to reciprocate it all properly. He'd fail her, maybe not today but eventually someday.

Ember and Gwen watched quietly from the hallway, knowing not to interrupt their moment. Gwen had a smile on her face, getting to witness such affection had reminded her of all those she had loved and lost in her time. All the hands she shared, beds, and also hugs and proclamations of love. It all came back to her at once. Ember's face was blank still, not having experienced enough in her short existence to understand the tenderness and affection that she saw. She stayed quiet though, it seemed like the right thing to do.

Just when things seemed to be wrapping up, The front door opened and a very awkward looking Crowley looking down at the two of them. He cleared his throat.

"Hey, I can to check up on-"

He looked down to see them on the ground together.

"Oh- oh wow. Uh… Hey. Uh, you alive under all that fluff?"

Nathan chuckled, looking up at Crowley. Fenra didn't seem to care, nuzzling his chest as they shared awkward glances.

"Uh…"

"She wanted cuddles."

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A/N: Yeah, I know your disappointed. So many months have passed since the last chapter, and all you got is this?

Well, blame me I guess. I'm the guy who just couldn't deliver.

Guess that's what I'll always be.

Will the story continue after this? Will I, even?

Who know, honestly. I had originally planned to kill myself once I had finished writing the story and posting it. In the end, Nathan would get to move on, and I'd be able to maybe in some way help him recover, even if I ended up being just like him in the end.

So, yeah. Keep your friends close, and Monsters closer I guess.

See you around. Or not.

-F