Resurrection

By: Lady Niko (purplesailorsaturn7)

A/N: This is the first published attempt at a sweep fic. Maybe I'll actually

finish this one. Have fun =) Each chapter will be named after a song of some

sort.

Rating: pg-13 for now, some violence, blood, and language... possible

sexuality later

Summary: A year after Hunter is returned to Morgan, things are going fine

between them and their daughter. But some new neighbors and some old

hostilities turn strange when someone returns that shouldn't be there...

CHAPTER 1: Inner Strength

Morgan placed breakfast on the table and returned to the pile of dishes in

the sink. Mondays were always hectic, having to get Moira ready for school,

attending to the various needs of the coven, and still having to find time

to spend with Hunter. Not to mention that now, Killian's wife, Alora, and

her kids were staying with them for a few weeks while Killian was away.

She smiled at Hunter as he came in, looking half asleep. It was times like

these when she would do anything for her muirn beatha dan, anything to make him smile.

"Morning, love," Hunter yawned, giving her a wry smile and sitting at the

table. "Alora." He nodded to the woman who had just stepped in from the

garden, watering can in one hand, and a packet of seeds in the other. The dark-haired woman smiled.

"Good morning, Hunter," Alora slid off her shoes and set down the can, and

laid the seed packet on the counter. "Finished," she said to Morgan, who

smiled. "De-weeded, dug up the dead ones, and planted new ones. By

mid-spring they should be in full bloom."

"Thanks, 'Lora," Morgan replied, drying off her hands on a towel. "Oh,

Hunter, I almost forgot... here's the paper you wanted." She handed him

yesterday's paper, and looked to Alora. "Are the kids up yet?"

Alora shrugged, "Zaira opened her eyes and looked at me when I got up, but

she rolled over and went back to sleep. I haven't heard a peep from the

others, or Moira." At sixteen, Moira, Hunter and Morgan's own daughter,

hated to get up as much as Alora's seven and five year old did.

Morgan sighed, "Looks like I'll have to get Moira up th-" She was

interrupted by a loud curse from Hunter, causing both women to look at him. "What's wrong?" Morgan asked, slightly worried.

"Another bloody one found dead," Hunter muttered. Alora moved to take a look

herself and frowned.



"That's the fifth one this week," Alora stated, slowly. "Are they giving any more information than usual?"

"No," Hunter said, taking a sip of tea. "Just that the same runic carvings

were on her wrists, self-inflicted stabbing, and the cauldron had blown to

pieces. The house was on fire when they got there, but not enough to do much

damage. Not enough time. But nothing on the motive... or if it's tied to the

others."

Morgan sighed, "This is bad.... the coven thinks it's related to a

particular woodbane coven, but we've found no proof. What could drive them

to do this? Surely they have to be up to something." She ran a hand through

her hair, looking exasperated.

"It's beyond me," Alora said, then looked thoughtful. "Wait... I think I can

get us some inside information. I'll let you know this afternoon, after I go

to the store... we're almost out of tea anyway."

The conversation was dropped as Zaira, Alora and Killian's four-year-old

daughter, came running in, launching herself on her mother and crying for

dear life. "Zaira... what?"

"Mummy! Cailin stole her!" Alora sighed, and looked to Morgan. "Remind me to

smack my husband," she said, tiredly. Morgan laughed. She remembered all

those times with Moira when she was young... and Colm. Wanting to forget the

sad feeling they gave her, she cleared her throat, "Hunter, get Moira up,

I'm running late." She looked at her watch. "Bye love."

*******

"Did you know you have new neighbors?" Alora asked over dinner, after

scolding her two youngest for smacking each other.

"Oh?" Morgan asked, curiously. Hunter and Moira looked up.

"Americans," Alora stated. "Two sisters from Tennessee- though how they

decided to come here is beyond me- Juliette and Ella something or the

other."

"How do you know that?" Moira asked.

Alora smiled, "Stopped to ask for directions after being hopelessly lost for

an hour or so."

Hunter laughed, "And you've been here how many times, 'Lora?"

Alora shrugged, grinning, "A lot."

Morgan was thinking of something else. "Did you find anything out about...?"

Alora's smile faded, "Yes, I'll tell you about it later." Morgan nodded and

got up, clearing her plate and helping Cailin to seconds.

Moira offered to take her cousins outside for a bit to catch fireflies, and

glad for the distraction, Alora couldn't thank her enough. Moira laughed,

insisting it would give her time on the phone and still be doing something

useful, so her mother couldn't fuss.

The three adults went into the living room and sat by the fire, silent for a

bit, listening to the sounds of crickets and the children laughing. "I found

out that all of the people found dead were by self inflicted athame wounds,

which you knew, and all belong to a secretive coven called Wolfswane," Alora stated.

Morgan frowned, "Never heard of it."

Alora nodded, "Most people haven't. They keep to themselves, and seem to

only surface once every few decades. Every body found has had the same two

runes carved on their wrists- Inner Strength and Resurrection, but no one

can figure out why..."

"What about the cauldrons?" Hunter asked, suddenly.

Alora looked thoughtful. "One person I talked to said that they all appeared

to be failed spells... except the last one, which they cannot figure out as

to what it does, but it is different from the others."

A/N: The next one will be longer. Please r/r