AN: This fic has been finished for quite some time, and I was refraining from uploading the final chapters here just out of spite. What I've decided to do instead is upload the chapters, but cut the NC-17 parts from it and leave a link to the chapter on my personal site instead. An unfortunate inconvenience, but I figured it was better than nothing.


She dreams of bright sunny days and heat coming off the sidewalk in waves. Blurry dreams, fuzzy around the edges where there's a comforting presence beside her, walking with her steps, guiding her down the concrete path with snarling lips and gobbets of flesh between her teeth and blood spurting in her mouth—

She wakes with bile in her throat and barely makes it to the bathroom before her dinner comes back up. Her face is gaunt without glamour covering the bruised-looking skin beneath her eyes.

She thinks maybe she has issues.

Maybe.


The door jangles shut behind Selene and Vivienne and suddenly Blaise can breathe easier. She shakes the tension from her fingers, muscles cramped from her grip on the tall stool, and tells herself to relax. They're gone. And probably never coming back.

Time trickles past second by second. Blaise thinks longingly of the day she spent at the family cemetery, warm sun on her back and the High Lady beneath her feet and silence save the occasional bird. The darkness of the shop around her seems to pull the very marrow from her bones.

The door jingles again, sunlight refracting through the warped glass over worn floorboards. Silver hair and violet eyes, a being so fey she is blinded by her presence.

"Man, am I starving!" Iliana exclaims with a pixie grin. Keller is scowling at Blaise over her shoulder, but the dark haired witch has gotten used to it. Iliana had mentioned her guardians were a little put out with both of them for the girl's disappearing act on Monday, and as a result, they weren't letting her out of their sight.

But the girl has shown up for lunch at the same time for the past four days, always smiling and cajoling until Blaise gives in. Her vacation is almost over, and after the Ostara ceremony, she'll be packed off back home. Blaise isn't sure how she feels about that.

Wordlessly, she gathers her things and closes the shop, resigned to the futility of arguing. Honestly, she has to admit that she likes the company. Iliana is basking in the bright sun while she waits. A black sedan is parked behind Blaise's convertible, containing a stoic Nissa behind the wheel. Keller stalks over to the sedan and climbs in, surprising Blaise. She wonders if Iliana said anything to them.

"What are you in the mood for?" She asks casually as she slides into the convertible. Iliana settles in the passenger seat and shrugs.

"Surprise me."

Blaise rolls her eyes and throws the car into first, letting up on the clutch. The salesman had tried to sell her an automatic, but Blaise figures, if she's going to have a sports car, she's going to do it right. They're off down the deserted road before Nissa can pull out, and she waits patiently for the bodyguards to catch up at the next stop sign.

They should be glad that she's behaving. But then, she's heard about Nissa's driving under pressure and the vampire would probably run her off the road if Blaise tried anything funny. As irritating as the three operatives are, it's reassuring to know they're so protective of Iliana. She doesn't let herself explore why she's interested in the girl's welfare.

Iliana is playing with the radio, flipping from station to station until she finds a top forty one. Blaise's tastes run a little darker than the pop trash coming from her speakers, but it's the last day Iliana will have free before the ceremony preparations keep her too busy to visit. Or maybe Blaise is just getting sentimental in her ripe old age of twenty-two.

They don't bother trying to speak over the wind and the music. She decides to take them to a nice Italian restaurant she knows of, a place not too expensive but still sophisticated.

Nissa pulls into the parking lot beside them and Keller has Iliana's door open before Blaise can turn off the car. The werepanther stays close to the Witch Child's side as they enter the building, looking intimidating in her sunglasses. Nissa stays with the car.

Iliana had confided in her that their fanatical devotion to their duty hadn't eased since they'd been officially assigned as her bodyguards, but she's been able to convince them to limit the numbers occasionally as her own training and powers progressed. Apparently, Iliana is the only one happy with that situation, but the girl has a tendency to get her way if she wants something bad enough.

Blaise has to admit she admires that.

They're nibbling at breadsticks before any actual conversation starts. Iliana is frowning at Keller, who only ordered water.

"You can eat, you know…" She reminds the girl with a smile. Keller's eyes flick to Blaise before responding.

"I'd rather not have any distractions while on duty."

Iliana shrugs, it obviously being an old argument between them, and turns to Blaise. "Will you be there this weekend?"

"I haven't decided," she responds with a pleasant smile. Unfortunately, Iliana has developed an uncanny knack for reading her in the past four days, maybe from her experience with the glowering company she keeps.

"You should come," the girl says firmly. "I've never done this before and I need all the support I can get.

"I'm sure you'll have more than enough groupies present to satisfy you," Blaise drawls as she waves the request off. "I do have a business to run."

"And the only ones shopping on Saturday will be the ones that are unwelcome elsewhere," Keller snaps before Iliana can respond. Blaise's connections to the Night World obviously rankle the bodyguard.

"True," Blaise accedes, mild as milk. The arrival of their entrees prevents Keller from retaliating.

"Well," Iliana says after the waiter leaves, forestalling further confrontation. "If I won't see you on Saturday, then when else can I before we leave?"

Blaise ignores Keller's glower and lifts one shoulder elegantly as she cuts her pasta. "You know where to find me."

Iliana looks frustrated for a moment and gives a sigh, but then her expression brightens. "I guess we'll just have to drop in unexpected."

"I'll be sure to wear my surprised face," Blaise deadpans. Iliana giggles, and the sound isn't as annoying as Blaise first thought. Just very… melodic.

"So Winnie made my robes, but I have no idea what to do with my hair," Iliana says suddenly, changing topics, and Blaise is beginning to realize that her babbling about mundane things is her way of diffusing tension. Or ignoring it. The dark haired witch gives a crooked smile and just goes with it.

The rest of lunch is spent on idle chatter, with Iliana doing most of the talking since Keller is pouting (oh, beg pardon—"ignoring distractions") and Blaise is mulling over the earlier invitation. The offer is tempting and she's not sure if she wants to attend or not.

If she were to go to the ceremony, the only people she'd be willing to speak with would be Hannah and Iliana. Of course, Thea might be there, but Blaise doesn't know if she's up to seeing her cousin again just yet. Since the Witch Child is guest of honor, the ceremony will be full of local and visiting witches alike, making it much larger than the ceremonies of her youth. Chaotic crowds and plenty of staring people.

She decides against going, even though she misses the feeling that comes from a large group of witches gathering. Once Selene and Vivienne relay their conversation with her this morning to the rest of the Night World, her official severance from Circle Twilight will be common knowledge. But she knows that she'll be regarded suspiciously by her sister witches on both sides for quite some time.

It's a choice that took her some time to reach, but she knew she made the right decision when the two Circle Twilight members showed up in her shop, asking her for information. Blaise is many things, but she will never stoop to being a spy, some ordinary pawn in someone else's game. That isn't her style.

When it's time to leave, Keller tries to hustle Iliana off to the waiting sedan.

"I want to go back to the shop with Blaise," Iliana states, a pout forming. The werepanther nearly growls, and Blaise wisely stays out of the conversation.

"You have to meet with Mother Cybele in less than an hour."

"Which I can still be on time for even if I go to the shop. She hasn't shown me her workroom yet."

Blaise can't prevent her eyebrow from arching. Oh, really?

Keller looks put upon. "Fine. We can spare twenty minutes at the shop. No more."

"Good." Iliana is all smiles. "You and Nissa can go get lunch since you didn't eat anything, and pick me up there."

The werepanther looks dumbstruck. "You don't really think—"

"We're going straight to the shop, which has more wards on it than my house. I'll be fine." As Iliana speaks, she's getting into Blaise's car. "We'll see you in twenty."

Slipping in, Blaise starts the engine and is pulling out before Keller can think of another argument. Of course, nothing is stopping them from following the convertible if they want to, but Blaise doesn't think they will. Iliana wants something from her, and she has to admit, she is curious to find out what.

Iliana amuses herself on the ride back by making her hair flare wildly all over the place. Blaise suppresses a grin and drives faster.

When they're safely in the shop, Blaise turns to her with her hands on her hips.

"So. I haven't shown you my workroom?" Her tone is on the edge of dangerous.

"Well, you haven't." Iliana beams and walks past her. "Where is it?"

"In the back." Blaise glances at her, then leads the way with a rueful sigh.

She stands at the edge of the workbench as Iliana pokes around the table's contents and looks through the jars on the shelves. The girl seems relaxed and genuinely curious.

"This is so cool. It's like something out of a movie…"

"Thank you."

The sarcasm is brushed away with a pale hand, and Iliana stops in the middle of the room, turning to face her. "So," she says, breaking off.

Blaise shifts her weight back on her heels and regards the girl patiently. Iliana wanders to the workbench, absently picking up a stone Blaise has been grinding.

"I'm gonna be gone for, like, almost two months before I can see you again…" She continues quietly as she rolls the stone between her fingers. It begins to give off a faint glow and she frowns, carefully putting it back down.

"I'll be back for Hannah's ball, though." She starts fiddling with a piece of wire, avoiding Blaise's gaze. "It's right after my graduation, and I'll be getting in that morning. But I'll be there."

Blaise nods and comes forward to stand with her hands resting lightly on the scarred work area.

"So, can I call you?" Iliana asks quietly. Blaise shrugs.

"I'm sure you know how to use a phone."

Stamping her foot, Iliana glares. "That's not what I meant."

"I know." Blaise gives a ruthless smile. Her heart rate is beginning to pick up, because this isn't the interest of a new friend. This isn't even the interest of a sister witch. This is… something more than she expected.

They stand silently, Iliana nudging a pair of pliers with her finger. "Do you want me to call you?"

She says it so quietly, so miserably, that Blaise can't keep up the cold pretense. The older woman looks away, cheeks flushed. "If you want to; it's your life."

"I want to." The blonde's responding smile is overwhelming. She moves closer to where Blaise is standing, leaning in. "I'll miss you."

There's a moment where Blaise wants to take everything back, rewind to that day Iliana asked her out for coffee and say no. But she doesn't want to, not really. She doesn't regret anything.

The kiss is sweet, a gentle pressure on her lips. Her pulse is beating wildly in her neck and she's holding her breath. The chastest kiss she's ever been given, yet no one has ever made her feel like this before. Like witch fire is burning in her veins and she's drunk on blueberry wine and she's free-falling all at once. Her lips part involuntarily, inviting and commanding, and Iliana presses closer, twining her arms around Blaise's shoulders. Her tongue swipes the inside of Blaise's lips, teasing and making her gasp. Blaise's hands shoot out, clenching the slim waist in front of her. Her eyes drift shut.

They sway for a moment, hips bumping the workbench until they rest against the counter, unmindful of time. Just the slide of lips and the feel of warm skin under her fingertips.

They break apart, gasping for air. Blaise opens her eyes, staring down into Iliana's violet ones. If she were with a man, she would have some suave comment, something to make him want her desperately and give her everything he was. If she were with a man, though, she wouldn't feel this way.

She can feel Iliana's breath on her face. It's tainted with the coffee from dessert, and she can't bring herself to care.

"You should come on Saturday," Iliana whispers.

Reluctantly, Blaise shakes her head. "You'll be fine. You're the Witch Child. If all else fails, just stand up there and look pretty."

Iliana laughs like she's supposed to, and leans her head on Blaise's shoulder. They stand in the quiet of the shop until the door bells jingle.

"I'll call," Iliana says, breaking away. The loss of her warmth gives Blaise goose bumps. Footsteps down the hall, deliberately loud, and Keller appears in the doorway.

"Time to go," she announces shortly, and promptly spins on her heel to march back the way she came.

Iliana gives Blaise a happy smile, one that she has to mirror, and with another quick peck on the lips, the Witch Child leaves her standing in the middle of her workroom.

Blaise doesn't know what this feeling is, spreading through her limbs. She doesn't understand it, but for once she doesn't question it, either.