A/N: Read this note, would you kindly? Its quite important!
Just a heads up, Reviews are being weird again. Guess the review queue is broken. Spread the word! Let the admins know.
They may not display properly on the site at the moment -number still goes up, but they sometimes don't appear- but be assured, I CAN see them via email, and I'll get back to all of you. Looking forward to chatting with you after work~!
I was tempted to hold this back due until the aforementioned glitch was fixed, but a promise is a promise, and with another month comes another update~!
Didn't want to let you guys and gals down.
Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this story...and others. If folks don't like this, it won't be continued. Meaning that if the story itself ain't popular? POOF! Gone. Completely. I'm working two jobs with ever-increasing hours so I barely have time to write; as such, I cannot afford to write something folks don't enjoy. So by all means, speak up! Your voice matter! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustains me. Without them, I cannot write a single word. Simple as that.
So by all means, speak up! Raise your voice! Make yourself heard! Your reviews matter! Really, they do!
Now for your questions, comments, and concerns.
Q: Can we get some more POV's in her besides Naruto's?
A: Funny you sh ould ask that; the upcoming chapter focuses on a LOT of people. Hope you enjoy it~!
Q: Update schedule?
A: Got a few surprises in store. Some old favorites coming down the tube.
Q: Sooo...just how screwed are Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela?
A: Not at all. Naruto essentially flooded their bodies with Kurama's golden chakra. Its going to be...interesting. And remember! Bela's the blond, Cassandra has dark hair, and Daniela's the crazy little redhead. Can't go forgetting that.
Speaking of which, let us not forget how intoxicating his blood is to them.
Q:...what's gonna happen to Lady Dimitrescu?
A: Read and see~!
Alright, I've kept you long enough. Lets pick up where we left off.
As ever, I own no quotes, references, themes, or memes. Not a wit or a one!
Seriously. I mean that. They're tributes to legends far greater than a measly writer like me...
"Love bites, but so do I~!"
~?
Second Bite
The light was warm.
Bela bathed in it; lounged in it, luxuriated in it. Felt it fill her every pore, burn all the darkness and pain away. It felt...good. No, better than good. Every ache, every agony, silenced. All those awful voices in her head, the whispers urging her on, gone. In their place was only silence. She felt warm. So very warm. As though someone had laid her down on soft pillows and left her to bask in the morning sun.
Ah, the sun!
When was the last time she'd seen the sun through anything other than a frosted window? When had she last felt the wind in her hair? There had been a time once, she thought, a dim memory when she was very small; she recalled walking through a field of flowers as a girl, the sun shining down on her, the grass between her bare toes.
Someone had called to her. Who? Who was it?
Try as she might, she couldn't remember their face.
The thought pained her for some reason. She wondered why.
No, that didn't matter right now. Focus. She didn't know what the light was called -and frankly she didn't care- but she knew who it had come from. That odd blond. The one who hadn't shown any fear. He'd given her this. She knew he had. This warm light in her veins, the sparks singing under her skin...it belonged to him...
.
..
...but where had he gone?
She sat up with a grimace, and turned a hand over, watching motes of golden light flit between her fingers. They danced through the air and fell across silken sheets before finally dissolving into her shimmering skin. After a moment's pause she recognized her surroundings; this was undoubtedly one of the servant rooms, all drab and dully and grey. Sunlight poured in from an adjacent window, forcing her to squint against it. Small wonder she felt so warm if such were beating down on
Her mind buzzed with questions. Where was everyone? Her sisters? Mother...?
Laying about here wasn't going to grant her any answers. Time to get up, no matter how much she might wish otherwise. into the bed with a pleased sigh.
She stood on trembling legs with a frustrated sigh, leaning herself on a nearby wall for support. Her body felt strange...yet also wonderful. Like a hole inside her heart had been filled. Never before in her life had she needed something so much and never known until she received it. There was something else beneath it all. It wasn't unpleasant rather, an odd feeling she couldn't quite place. Not painful-far from it. She felt good. Quite wonderful, really.
Still, standing here wasn't going to do her any good.
On a whim she stood and dissolved into a cloud of flies. Rather, she tried. They weren't flies at all, she realized. They'd changed, too. One alighted upon her nose. She squinted at it. Butterflies? No, black butterflies. They danced around her in a storm as she assumed her natural form once form.
There was just one problem. She was still so very...hungry.
It gnawed at her, stronger than ever before; twisting her stomach into awful cramps.
As though sensing that very pain, her bedroom door creaked open. Her eyes flitted towards it at once.
The man of the hour stepped in, carrying a tray of food.
"Hey!" Naruto beamed at her, all sunshine and smiles. "You're finally awake! I was just about to check in your sisters and...oi. Why're ya looking at me like that?"
The food on his tray held no appeal for Bela. Not at all. But he did.
Well, there was only one thing for it, then.
Bela jumped him.
(.0.0.0.)
Why was it so dark?!
Cassandra flailed in the shadows of her mind, raging against the absence of light. She couldn't see anything. Not a thing. Nothing at all. Only darkness, all encompassing, crushing down around her. She huddled against it, tucking her knees into her chest to hide She hated the dark. Hate, hate, hated it! She couldn't even rightly say why she loathed it son, only that she did. It stirred a nameless, primordial fear in her, one she could scarcely remember; a faded recollection she'd once been told. Monsters lived in the dark. Horrible creatures, teeth gone sharp and eyes glowing red.
She clutched her head with a whimper.
But she was a monster too, wasn't she? All those people. All those lives.
She'd been blind it before, drunk on blood and madness. Now her eyes were open. She wished they'd stayed shut! In the absence of her insanity, the voices came, gnawing at her, laughing at her, dragging her down for her every sin.
Monster...
Murderer...
Madwoman...
What had that blasted boy done to her?! Her head hurt! It hurt, it hurt, it huuuuurt...!
"Oh, jeez." she hear a familiar voice from on high. "You alright in there? Sorry, didn't realize Kurama's chakra would do this to you. Guess everybody's different."
A golden hand broke through the darkness of her thoughts and settled upon Cassandra's head.
"Its alright, now. I'm here."
She blinked up at him. Saw him for the first time, through eyes unclouded by blood.
Her heart kicked in her chest, somersaulted beneath her breast , performed a merry little backflip and stuck the landing.
The blond man-thing smile at her, red eyes crinkling just so. "You look hungry. Wanna bite to eat?"
For all fairness, Cassandra tried to speak. She just failed miserably. In the end, she nodded.
"Great." he bit his finger and held it out to her. "Here. Hope this helps."
Her eyes widened. "For me...?"
"Well, I couldn't get Bela to eat solid food, so I'm thinking this'll have to do for now.
Oh. Ohh. Ohhh dear indeed. Was this what love at first sight felt like? Danieal was always harping on about it. She wanted more. Needed more. Her fingers curled around his. She didn't want to go back to the darkness, to that place that made her feel small, sad, and alone. Some of that fear must've shown through; because his face softened and his fingers tightened around hers.
Cassandra didn't know where this wild road would take her.
Only one thing was certain.
She was smitten.
(.0.0.0.)
"Achoo~!"
"I told ya you'd catch a cold."
Daniela shivered under the blanket. "Not listening to you."
"C'mon, now." a hand nudged her back. "You won't find any heat this way. That thing's way too thin."
The redhead poked her head out the cover and gave him a baleful glare. "This is all your fault. You did this to me, didn't you?"
Bright blue eyes beamed back her, pure in both innocence as much as intent. Her prince charming neither confirmed nor denied the deed. Pah! He was responsible for her sorry state. Daniela just knew it. Still, the cup of cocoa in his hands did look very warm...and it smelled so very nice.
Naruto waved it before her face with intent. "I know you want some...
An arm darted out, caught the mug, reeled it in, and allowed her drink to deeply. He just smiled at her.
Daniela licked her lips quickly. She still felt hungry. It gnawed at her, deeper somehow. The cocoa hadn't slaked her thirst; it only serve to sharpen it.
"Mind if I have a bite, instead."
A blond brow quirked. "You're not talking about food, are you?"
She grinned. "Nope."
His entire demeanor changed in an instant. He looked fit to fight if it came to that; while simultaneously ready to bolt if she threw the covers aside gave chase. Such a curious contrast. Her was her Prince, after all. He had changed her, strengthened her, so it was only fitting he took responsibility, no?
She lunged and he swatted her hard on the flank for it.
"That was mean!" She recoiled with a yelp, clutching her hindquarters. "What did you do that for?!"
"Because you tried to bite me!" He warded a golden hand between them with intent. "I'll spank you again if you misbehave."
She stamped a foot. "But I'm hungry!"
"And I've told you, you can't just pounce on people!"
Daniela bowed her head, hunched her shoulders, and fell into a fearsome pout.
"Will ya stop that?' he looked away with a long-suffering sigh. "I ain't your meal ticket."
"Pleeeaaase?" She clasped both hands before her face. "There! I asked nicely!" His hand rose in warning, ready to spank her again, and she sputtered. "...sorry, daddy."
"Da...?" he choked. "No, no, call me anything but that.
Why? Daniela didn't much understand is invitation. Mother was Mother. Father was Father. It was a title, nothing more. And she wanted him so badly.
People were confusing. This really was harder than her novels made it out to be. It had been so much easier when she was blood drunk; when all her cares boiled down to where her next meal would come from. But now Daniela felt a curious twinge between her breasts when she thought of those meals. It felt like...guilt. All those lives she'd ended. She'd once savored their screams...now they would haunt her dreams.
NO! She shoved that ugly away. Don't think about that. Focus on something else-anything else!
In the end her thoughts circled back to Naruto.
He was different! He healed. He could take it. He wouldn't die, so she didn't have to feel guilty, right? In her heart of hearts, she wanted to be loved. To have love, give love, and share love in return. Alright, maybe she was a little rough about it, but still! What was wrong with that? Love was love. You didn't have to understand it. You just had to feel it. And she felt it now. She wanted to believe that was love; that he loved her in return. She needed to believe that was the case. Because if wasn't...
...then why was he here? Why help her, if not for love? That was always how her books went.
Perhaps sensing her anguish, his face twisted. ...fine, fine. If it means that much to you...here"
As she looked on he took his right palm between his teeth, bit down with a grunt, and pulled it away. She saw the blood beading between his fingers. Dark. Red. Brimming with power. Her mouth went dry. Unbidden, she found herself scooting closer. Licking her lips.
"Can I...?"
"Gently." he held it out his bloody palm. "No biting my hand."
Golden eyes flitted to his palm. To his face. Back to his palm again. It was tempting, it really was, she but found her gaze drawn elsewhere. Rather, to the cut on his lip. His eyes flitted to hers. He made no move to retreat from her; not even when she reached up to cup his face instead. She tilted head head to the right, seeking a better angle, mouth brushing his.
"May I bit these instead?"
His expression went flat. "Why?"
"Silly boy. Haven't you ever been kissed before?"
Naruto opened his mouth to reply, no doubt intending to refute her outright.
Daniela didn't give him the chance to answer. She surged into his arms kissed him; the result was immediate. His hands slammed down on her hips, rooting her in place. It only emboldened her. She made a pleased noise and pressed herself flush against him. He tried to pull away but she chased him with her lips, pushing him down to the bed, all but mounting him. It felt...rather nice, really.
"Hey!" He grunted in surprise. "What're you...?"
"Shhhh." she pressed her lips to his, muffling his protest. "Just lay back and let me repay you...
Yes this warmed her in a new way, stirred a different sort of hunger in her soul. More. She needed more, and so strove her lips against his until finally, he yielded to his lust and began to reciprocate in kind. Not enough. More. She needed more. She bit his lip and tasted blood; it drove her into a frenzy. Had to get closer. She flung both arms round his neck and snuggled in, all but draping herself over him in her haste to get at him. His own rose in return, not to push her aside as she first feared but to stroke her scalp, run through her hair. It wasn't savage, or even cruel, but kind.
Someone had done for her, once. She couldn't remember their name. It filled her with sorrow.
Her eyes snapped open. A startled tear ran down her cheek.
"You really don't have to force yourself, ya know...
"Who said anything about being forced?" she pushed him back down, biting his lip hard enough to bruise. "I want this."
Yes, she wanted more...!
A door slammed open behind her.
"Aha!" a familiar voice cried. "Now you're the one sneaking a snack!"
(.0.0.0.)
Alcina woke slowly.
It wasn't a pleasant process by any means; her jaw ached something terrible and her head was full of cobwebs, her world a swaying raft at sea. Someone had laid her out on the floor, and her hat beside her head. Just as well, too; because he had a ghastly welt on her skull. Where was she? What happened...?
She touched one hand to her face. Tasted drying blood on her lips.
Not her blood. She knew this taste. This delectable aroma, and its owner.
Memories rushed back, and with them came unyielding rage. "That wretched little...!
A butterfly – as black as night – flew by her nose, both startling her and cutting her rant short before it could get off the ground. That lone insect was soon joined by countless others, each rushing around her, swarming, tickling her face. Butterflies? Her daughters could change themselves into a swarm of flies, not butterflies. What manner of madness was this? Perhaps she'd given herself a concussion, unlikely as it might sound.
Even as she reached out to touch the swarm, it eluded her; shot out the door, swirled once in the hall, then banked left.
"Mother~!" a familiar voice -Bela?- crooned from the corridor. "Father awaits you on the balcony. Hurry~!"
Alcina's very blood set itself ablaze. Father?!
These girls had no Father, as they well knew. She was their Mother, as as Mother Miranda was hers. No more, no less. For them to call someone -anyone!- such a title...no. She couldn't stand it. Couldn't accept it. Couldn't tolerate it. He...whoever this "Father" was, he would have to die. Simple as that. And if it was that wretched little man-thing at work...
She knelt to retrieve her hat straightened it out, laid it atop her head.
Calm. She willed the word at herself. Those of House Dimitrescu did not comport themselves in such a manner. She would calmly follow her daughter, calmly find this "Father" fellow, and calmly...slowly...deliberately, slice him into little red chunks. And if she took a little wicked pleasure in such an act, who was to know.
Trudging after the swarm of butterflies -and really, how had that come about?- she stalked after her daughter.
Sure enough, she found them there on the balcony...with him.
Her girls looked healthier. Pale, yes, but not nearly so; there was a lively luster to their pallid faces...and she could see why.
Because that wretched man-thing was here.
Bela reappeared behind him in a cloud of black butterflies and all but draped her arms around him, even going for as to wantonly press her breasts against his back. The debauchery didn't end there. Cassandra clung to his left arm while Daniela all but dominated the right, holding his limb between her breats. She didn't miss the way they looked at him. Didn't much like it either. Even if he did look rather resigned to it.
Anger sparked. She bulled forward. "Get away from that man-thing at once!"
Her daughters hissed at her.
Actually hissed!
At her!
"Mother, no!"
"Don't touch him!"
"You're not allowed to hurt Father!"
The words struck Alcina like a physical blow.
She loved her daughters. Loved them more than life itself. To see them look at her in such a way, to have them turn upon her...
She could feel herself crumbling, falling apart, the ramshackle raft of her sanity shattering into splinters with each passing moment. Beneath her lay a sea of rageful madness in which she might drown at any moment. He had already taken her ambition, all of her dignity, and her pride. What more did he want from her?!
"Just calm down." Perhaps sensing that very thought, he smiled at her. "I want to help."
"Help?!"
With those few fateful words, Alcina finally lost herself, and her control with it.
She stomped forward, arms swinging at her sides. "Girls! Off!"
Naruto sighed. "Listen to your mother."
Her daughters were quick to obey, not her, but him. It only stoked the flames of her rage yet further. "You dare command them?!"
"I meant what I said." he didn't flinch. "I'm just trying to help."
She leaned down, leering at him.
"My daughters taken, my pride in shambles, my dress, ruined!" Her forehead pressed to his in a vicious snarl. "If this is what you call help, then I shudder to think what you consider harm! No!" she swept a hand before her, fingers elongating into cruel claws. "I will have none of your heeeeeeelp?!"
Her words piqued into a rather unladylike yelp as the infuriating man-thing reached past her claws, caught her by the wrist, and reeled her into his arms.
Into.
His.
Arms.
Alcina's heart gave a girlish flutter as she realized what he'd just done. Rather, the manner in which he was holding her. Princess carry. How he managed it she had no idea. She was several sizes larger than him, yet he here he was, cradling her towering form as though she were some blushing bride. Her daughters cooed and her brain fizzled. Heat hit her pale cheeks. There had been a time once, before all this, when she'd given some thought to such things Before mother Miranda. Before she became...this. She'd never thought to experience the like since.
Her captor looked down at her, eyes sharper than any knife and said:
"Ready to give up?"
The spell shattered, the moment broke, and she thrashed free. "No! Never!"
"Sorry, your compliance really isn't a factor here." he took up a strange stance, beckoning with one hand. "Now pipe down and let me help."
She lashed out at him and he caught her hand with liquid ease. Gold light sparked up his arms and into hers. She clawed at it with her free hand, only for him to catch that one, too. They growled. Grappled. He grinned at her! Grinned! Wholly at his ease; as if this were some schoolyard brawl, not a duel to the death!
"Last chance." he said. "Put the claws away.
Absurd! She was taller than him, stronger than him, heads and shoulders above him! Yet it was he who took a step forward now, and she who fell back. Another step. Two. Three. Four! Five! For all her fire and fury Alcina found herself pushed up against a wall. The plaster heaved and cracked as slammed her into it. Damn him. Damn his smirk-damnitall to hell! If this continued she'd be left with no choice but to transform. She loathed that ugly hideous guiseandohhhthefloorwasrathercoldagainsthercheek...
Dazed as she was, Alcina hadn't even seen the blow that felled her. But she did see him standing over he now, smile.
"Pick her up, girls."
Her daughters complied.
No. Nay. Surely they wouldn't...?
That moment of inattention cost her dearly.
Daniela seized her left arm. Cassandra, her right. Together they hoisted her upright with an effort. Bela grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her head back, forcing her to arch her neck lest it be broken. She could have broken free at any time, of course. But she couldn't. She didn't dare. She absolutely did not dare struggle for fear of harming them.
"So." The infuriating man-thing crouched before her. "Are ya done?"
"Save your speeches, child." she scowled at him. "I have no need of them. I've existed long enough to know when its over. Know this. In the end, you and I are not so different." he didn't even try to object to her words, blasted bastard that he was. "We both fight to protect what we hold dear. That pursuit only leads to one thing."
"To peace." He nodded once.
"Ha! Alcina scoffed. Naive fool. "Peace, you say? No. It only brings pain. Kill me, and be done with it. I would rather perish than live without my children." She closed her eyes and braced for the killing blow...one that never came. Opened them again now, only to find him looming over her. "Well?! Waiting will get you nowhere! Finish it!
...I'm not gonna do that."
Even now he wanted to demean her?!
"You've already taken everything from me!" she howled! "I have nothing left to give!"
"You're wrong!" he grabbed her by the chin, glaring bloody red daggers at her. "You have plenty. But I don't want anything from you. I just want to help...
(.0.0.0.)
Naruto knew he shouldn't feel pity for a monster.
For all her flowery words, Lady Dimitrescu had tried to kill him time and again. Although he had spared her, it was clear she would try again the second he turned his back given the opportunity. He couldn't afford to have an enemy like that at his flank. Common sense dictated that he deal with her here and now.
.
..
...Naruto had never been one for common sense.
Alcina looked so sad. Like she was about to burst into tears, ya know?
Of course she'd be upset. No one wanted to lose their daughters, and no parent, their children.
Daniela gave him a silent nudge. After a moment's pause he turned to find Cassandra and Bela looking to him as well. There was such expectation in their eyes. No doubt they wanted him to do for her as he had for them. Easier said than done, that. Lady Dimitrescu was in a league of her own. Weaker than him perhaps, but she wouldn't be so easily swayed by a bit of kindness and affection.
Nevertheless, his heart went out to her. No mother she be without their children.
...aw, hell. This better not come back to bite me...
He blew out a sigh. Let her go."
Bela and the girls were all too happy to comply. Alcina slammed down to a knee with a snarl and righted herself quickly. In a matter of moments, she towered over him once more. Her skin almost seemed to writhe, as though she were on the verge of transforming into some furious, hideous creature.
Best nip that in the bud while he could. "Why don't we talk?"
Alcina eyed him with cold fire in her eyes, and unbidden, he fond himself reminded of a peculiar moment in his childhood. He'd once found a wounded hawk on the roof of his apartment; a proud, noble creature, untamed by man. It had scowled an' shrieked and screamed at him when he tried to come near, even tried to claw his eyes out.
Lady Dimitrescu looked ready -and willing!- to do the same if he took one more step toward her.
So he didn't. He did what he'd done back then. He sat right where he was and didn't dare move; if only because he didn't want to startle her into waited for her to come to him.
A moment passed. Then another. Another still.
Naruto's mind began to race. He'd have to use his silver tongue as he'd never used it before. Every word would have to be carefully weighed, considered, measured even. Gods, this was gonna be hard. If he said so much as one wrong thing she'd fly at him, which would set her daughters right off, and then there would be no fixing this. Silence stretched between them unto eterity, a rigid tableau he didn't dare break first for fear of what might happen.
At long last, Alcina spoke. "Say your piece, man-thing. But be quick about it."
"Naruto." He corrected her calmly. "I have a name. Na~ru~to."
"Tch." she clicked her tongue angrily. "So you do."
"Alright." He couldn't let her take the offensive here. If she did, he'd never get it back. "You love your daughters, don't you?"
Bela hummed and cuddled closer.
Alcina's head inclined a stiff, jerky nod. "I do."
He offered his hand. "Then why not let me help you as I've helped them...?"
Her face furrowed in thinly concealed anger, leashed by the thinnest cord. "What do you propose...?"
Shit. She'd called him out on it; now he actually had to think of something. "Well, they're clearly fond of my blood, and you got drunk on it earlier...
A demure brow arched. "I can neither confirm nor deny such a thing."
Kurama chortled in the back of his head. "She definitely did."
"No more hurting people." Naruto barreled on, ignoring his partner's crass commentary. "If you can't live on anything but blood, then I'll find a way to fix that. And if I can't...well." his tongue betrayed him. "Then you can rely on me. Take my blood. I've got plenty to go around despite certain someones," he cast a baleful glare at her girls, "Trying to suck me dry.
Alcina reared back, eyes wide. "Is that a proposal?"
"Eh? Wait, I didn't mean it like-
Bela and the girls absolutely erupted, drowing him out.
"Oooh!"
"Yes, please!"
"Say yes, Mother!"
Well, their love for her was certainly undiminished...
She took a step forward. Glowered pale golden daggers at him.
"I will not let you change me overmuch. This is for my daughters. Nothing more."
Silly, silly Dimitrescu. She'd already begun to change. She just hadn't realized it yet.
In even entertaining his proposal to begin with, she'd proven she had the capacity to be better.
He'd fix this place, help these people, even if he had to drag them kicking and screaming every step of the way.
A/N: Aaaand scene.
So? Should this be a story? Yay or nay!
Naruto's really too nice for his own good, ya know?
To clarify for those who've forgotten, Bela's the blond, Cassandra has midnight hair, and we all know Daniela's the redhead.
Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this story...and others. If folks don't like this, it won't be continued. Meaning that if the story itself ain't popular? POOF! Gone. Completely. I'm working two jobs with ever-increasing hours so I barely have time to write; as such, I cannot afford to write something folks don't enjoy. So by all means, speak up! Your voice matter! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustains me. Without them, I cannot write a single word. Simple as that.
So by all means, speak up! Raise your voice! Make yourself heard! Your reviews matter!
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review Would You Kindly?
And enjoy the previews!
Potential ones at that.
(Previews)
Alcina peered over his shoulder. "What ARE you doing?"
"Making something." He held it up for her. "See?"
Her eyes widened.
"Clothes!"
Naruto blinked, somewhat flabbergasted by the sudden remark. "Eh?"
"We need to find you proper clothes. No consort of mine will walk about in such rags."
Consort? Was this her way of saying she cared? Awwww...
"Ouch!" Stop with the biting!"
"Never~!"
The doll laughed at her. "Awwww, is someone jealous?"
Donna walked a little faster.
"What kinds fish is that?!"
Miranda considered him for a long moment. "Curious...
A most curious experiment indeed.
An idea was born.
"Outside?!" The world escaped her in a startled yelp. "I can go outside now?!"
"Well, yeah. You're not really affected by the cold anymore so-
She scurried past him.
She danced into him, hips swaying in sensual invitation. Undulating. He didn't seem to get the hint, silly boy that he was.
"I know monsters."
"The hell's that supposed to mean?"
Heisenberg tipped his hat and walked away. "From one to another, good luck."
"Love? Fear? Pain? What are such things to eternity?" Miranda tutted softly. "I WILL have my daughter returned to me, boy. "And you will help me. One way or another."
He took three step forward. Glared at her. "Make me."
"Dear boy, I intend to." She touched a hand to her stomach. "Even if the matter in which you...help, has yet to be determined."
R&R~!