I hope whoever's reading this is enjoying it. ^_^

(-)

"I'm sorry I was distant this afternoon," Pritkin said after we had settled into our reading-and-readying-weapons routine. This time he was sharpening a sword.

I looked up to find him deliberately avoiding looking at me. "That was actually what I wanted. Mircea hates you enough; I didn't want to give him more reasons to find you threatening." I only paused a moment before asking, "Did you have fun?"

That got him to meet my eyes. "I…yes. You were right about children. Especially Jeannie, who seems to find me likeable. They make me feel…normal."

"'Likeable'? Pritkin, she adores you. I wouldn't be surprised if she gets a crush on you when she gets older."

"Because you did with Mircea?"

I sighed, knowing it would come up eventually. That thoughtful look on his face as he watched us meant he was curious. "Yeah, he was my first crush. I was eleven, and he was charming and funny and interesting and, aside from Raph and Eugenie, was the first vampire I wasn't afraid of. He was more human-like than any vamp I had met."

"Who is Eugenie?" he asked.

My eyes burned as my muscles tightened. "She was my governess. She raised me. I loved her, and she loved me." I glared at him, daring him to tell me differently. "She was the one who told me to keep my affinity for ghosts secret from Tony. She taught me to swordfight to defend myself."

His eyebrows went up. "That's where you learned to swordfight? From a vampire?"

"Who else was going to teach me? And, unlike Raph, she didn't pull her punches. She wanted me ready to face something stronger and faster than me." I gave him a meaningful look. I'd managed to beat him. Eugenie would be proud. Of course, he wasn't flat-out trying to kill me, but he hadn't pulled any punches either.

"She taught you well," he said with a small smile. "When you made that bargain for information, I wondered why. And after we sparred, I wondered where you learned to handle a sword like that."

"It was never anything she said, but I think Eugenie couldn't have children even when she was human. Tony acquired her from another Master specifically to have someone to raise me. And however fussy and cranky she could be at times, she never scared me. She protected me from aspects at Tony's court that I would otherwise have been exposed to, simply because no one else there thought it was something a child shouldn't see. And I never doubted that she cared about me, that she loved me." If he tried to say anything demeaning about vampires right now, I'd hit him.

But even Pritkin had more tact than that. He had set down his sword and given me his full attention. "She and Raphael are the reason you defend vampires so staunchly, despite growing up among the most monstrous examples of their species."

I nodded. "No one meets the vamps like Eugenie and Raph. And even if they do, it's when they need to project strength, because they can't afford to be seen as weak. You accused me of defending them as misunderstood creatures, which they are, but not the way you were saying. I'm not saying they're all good people, or even most of them. Most people just don't understand the way they work, the way their world works. Why they are like they are. But it's my world too, so I understand. It's humans that confuse me."

There was a pause before he asked, "Where is she now?" It was said quietly, as though he knew the answer wouldn't be good. I'd been talking about her in the past tense, after all.

"I buried her. The second time I ran away from Tony, he had a feeling that I was up to something, so he tortured her, claiming he thought she knew where I went. But he was just punishing me, hurting someone he knew I loved. I Saw some of it." I shivered a little as tears started falling. It had been a very long time since I'd talked about her. "When I went to find her, Tony had left me the pieces to bury, and so I'd know what I had to look forward to."

"I…" I looked up to see Pritkin looking awkward, that hand on the back of his neck again. His eyes took me in uncomfortably. I wasn't really crying, but the tears hadn't stopped falling. It was probably the source of his discomfort. Then he finally said, "Do you ,um, do you want a hug?"

Even through my tears, I couldn't help but grin. "I'd love that."

He approached me carefully, as if I might get startled and run. Sitting on the edge of the bed next to my legs, he looked uncertain as to how to initiate a hug. I saved him the trouble, sitting up and moving to put my arms around him.

It took a split second for his arms to envelop me, and the tears stopped almost instantly. It was nearly impossible to be upset when he held me like this. I was secure and supported. Precious. And that thrum I had noticed lately when we touched hummed through me. It reminded me a little of the geis, but not as aggressive or artificial. It felt entirely natural, like this was right, this was how it should be. I wondered what it was but didn't want to spoil the moment. Instead, I said, "Thank you."

"For what?" he asked, sounding honestly puzzled. I loved that I could feel his words.

"For listening. For holding me. For caring." I knew I shouldn't, but I couldn't help but tuck my face into his neck, head resting on his shoulder. He was twisted at what had to be an uncomfortable angle, but he didn't let go.

And I don't know why I said it, but I did. "It's a good thing Mircea decided not to stay."

Those strong arms released me as Pritkin pulled back to meet my eyes. "Why?"

I felt embarrassed, but I said, "He knew I was uncomfortable with the idea of having sex with him."

The green of Pritkin's eyes shrank a little, but the pupils weren't inhumanly wide…yet. "Oh." He not-so-subtly scooted farther away from me. "I meant why it was a good thing."

"Because he says I'm covered in your scent, and that's just from hanging out in your room the past few days. "This-" I gestured between us, "would not make him happy."

And I saw a flicker of satisfaction cross Pritkin's expression. "I don't care if he's happy."

"I do," I said. "He's important to me, Pritkin. Family."

A pained look crossed Pritkin's face, and he closed his eyes. When he opened them to look at me, he said, "If he finds out who and what I am, it immediately becomes a question of which of us lives. Because I've starved myself for centuries to avoid going to Hell. I'm not going to let anyone turn Earth into my own personal one."

My stomach dropped, and I felt a little dizzy. I knew that, but hearing it stated so plainly hurt. I didn't want to choose between Pritkin and Mircea. Especially since I already knew my choice, and I felt guilty.

"If I find out he knows, I'll tell you right away." I couldn't look at him. This was betraying Mircea, but it would save Pritkin. Because he wasn't wrong about his life becoming Hell if the supernatural world found out that Merlin was still walking around. Pritkin was intensely private and didn't want attention, let alone fame.

A callused hand lifted my chin so I would meet his eyes. They were warm, and his expression was soft and sad, despite the little smile. It took my breath away. "I'm not going to make you choose and compromise yourself. I can handle it on my own."

And the split-second rush of gratitude his words gave me was quickly overtaken by annoyance. I grabbed his wrist and held on tight as I slid my other hand into his. Glaring, I said, "That isn't how teams work, Pritkin. When one person is in trouble, the other person pitches in. That doesn't change depending on which person needs help." Squeezing both hand and wrist, I said, "You've always had my back, and I'm damn sure going to have yours. You aren't making me do anything. I've chosen."

That thrumming energy was back stronger than ever as I was pulled back into his arms, ear almost deafened by his heartbeat when my head was pressed against his chest. He was breathing faster and seemed to almost be clutching me close for support.

I realized that the idea of exposure scared him more than he was letting on. And my choosing him was calming the racing heartbeat and quick breathing. "You aren't alone in this anymore. You don't have to do things by yourself." He squeezed me tighter for a moment when I wrapped my arms around him. "I know who and what you are, and it doesn't really matter. You're still Pritkin. There was just more of you to find than I realized. Your past is part of you; you aren't ruled by it."

"Do you know that no one else calls me that?" His voice was a little breathless.

"Really?" It seemed hard to believe. It just…fit. Pritkin.

"Anyone who knows me on a more personal level calls me by my given name. And everyone else in the Corps would call me by my rank. Your vampires call me 'the mage' or 'Mage Pritkin'. And now I have a litter of children that call me 'Mr. Pritkin'."

It only took a second for me to automatically reply, "Good," and snuggle into his chest. And enjoy the rumble of his chuckle under my face a moment later.

And I felt it needed to be said: "If the day ever comes when your personal Hell is unleashed on Earth, you'll still have me to help you deal with it. I'll send the most obnoxious people to live with the dinosaurs and see if that sets an example."

His heartbeat ramped up again, and he hugged me tighter before letting me go with a sigh. "I need to sharpen that sword."

I heard what he didn't say: this was too close. It made him want things from me that he couldn't have. It was getting dangerous.

As I was left sitting alone on his bed, I said, "Thanks for the hug. I definitely feel better now."

He paused, poised to scrape his sword on the whetstone. Those green eyes met mine briefly before he started sharpening the sword again. "Me too," he said, and I think he was hoping the scraping would cover it. It didn't.

I crawled back up to the head of his bed and picked up my book again. Even if this was the closest I could get to him, I would take it. Being allowed to know John Pritkin even that intimately was a privilege I never thought I'd have.

(-)

When I met him in the gym, the kids were already there. Everyone looked over as I entered, and I felt like I was late, even though I knew I was on time. And, surprisingly, I wasn't looking at Drill-Instructor Pritkin like I expected. I guess because of the kids, it was toned down to Serious-Business Pritkin. Which I could live with. I didn't expect to be very good at magic, and I doubted his normal harsh trainer methods would help. The one piece of magic I knew had taken months to get the hang of.

"I probably don't need to say this, but I will anyway. No magic where norms can see. Especially this spell, which will linger after casting." Once Pritkin had a nod from all of us, he proceeded to demonstrate using his fingertip to write on the air, trailing a glowing light to shape the words. They were in a different language, the one he often took notes in, the one I was pretty sure was Welsh, perhaps a very old version of it.

The children looked thrilled, and I smiled, because that was exactly the kind of harmless spell that would appeal to a kid. If Tami and Astrid didn't live in the same rooms as the kids, I had a feeling the walls would be covered in doodles and magical graffiti.

After some basic instruction, he set us to practicing. When Pritkin was knelt down trying to show Jeannie something, Jesse let out a whoop. There was a J in the air in front of him, glowing a fiery red.

Pritkin smiled slightly and said, "Very good. Now see if you can finish writing your name." He hadn't actually told us what to write, but it was probably the right guess. If I ever managed to get even a P out, I'd claim I was spelling my last name. Definitely not the name of our teacher.

I switched to trying a C just in case. I could always practice other things later, besides which a C was easier to write. As the kids managed to at least get a line or smear of color, it became clear that, since no one had been concentrating on color, it seemed to manifest based on their Misfit magic.

Alfred had a sort of trembling silver, I assumed that represented his telekinesis. Alice, while possessing other skills/problems, usually manifested her magic in keeping doors open, which would explain why hers was a glowing mahogany shade. And Lee had a creamy white, like aged bone, which was fitting for a necromancer.

I was admiring their work when body heat and that familiar smell of gunpowder and magic was suddenly behind me. "Having trouble?" It was said in the sort of smug tone he would never have used on the children.

"No, I've got the whole alphabet over here; it's great," I said, ignoring his teasing.

"You're getting in your way," he said, tone a bit more serious.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Something I've noticed with your Pythia powers as well. You can do all kinds of things, including some no one realized were possible. But they mainly happen in a crisis. But if you can do it then, you can do it anytime. I think it's just that in a crisis, you forget to tell yourself that you can't do something, that you're unqualified or unskilled. You just reach for your power and connect."

He pulled my right hand back to us, and that feeling thrummed between us at the contact. He adjusted my fist and pointer finger, saying, "Just forget about your doubt. You can do anything you want. I've seen you do things I would have sworn impossible, and I'm not just talking about your magic." When he said those words with that pleasant connection humming between us, I believed it.

Even when he removed himself and the hum died away, I still had that feeling. This was natural. "Try again," he said, and I felt him take a step back, to my disappointment.

Still, I held out my finger. It would write on the air. There was no reason it wouldn't. I wanted to do it, so I would. And I wrote a C that hovered in front of me. And even as I grinned, I was pleased at the color.

It was hard to describe. It wasn't white, but it was light and glittering, and seemed to have soft colors floating through. It was much brighter than the kids had been, almost stunning, but I assumed that was because I was an adult. "Is that what time looks like?" I asked.

"I don't think so," Pritkin said, and I turned to see his face looking puzzled. "That is…strange."

I frowned, looking back at my letter. Before either of us could say anything else, Jesse said, "Wow, that's really pretty, Cassie."

Looking over, I was glad someone was praising me for what I thought was a pretty big achievement. "Thanks." And the rest of the kids were oohing and ahhing over it too. I might be the big kid in class, but it still felt pretty good.

What didn't feel good was the way Pritkin looked at me. He was intently interested, eyes moving between me and the glittering bright letter, but also slightly concerned.

There wasn't any time for that when Jeannie came up to him and grabbed his pantleg. "Show me what you showed her!" And the look she gave me made it clear that, while almost-six was still pretty young for a crush, she liked having Pritkin's attention on her.

And while he knelt down to help her again, I worked on the rest of my name. After I'd done it once, it was easy enough to do again. I'd still save doing the instructor's name for a more private setting.

(-)

I shifted into his room that night, ready to be pinned down and scolded for alarming him, but he was in the chair, waiting. I knew he was waiting, because he wasn't working on anything. Clearly he wanted this conversation too.

"What was up with you and my letter?" I asked, still irrationally irritated he hadn't even said, "Good job," or anything.

He waited a moment to reply. "Most mages have a standard white glow of power when they cast that spell. It's one reason I thought the kids would like it; it speaks to the nature of their magic. Outcast children with odd abilities would have more unique hues." Pritkin drew a P in the air, and it was bright red, bordering on pink. "Mine speaks to my nature as well. I'm half-incubus, so I have a color that represents passion and lust." It was the first time he'd ever said it so matter-of-factly, no anger or shame.

"You," he nodded for me to draw my C, so I did, "have something I've never seen before." He got up to look closer. "The nature expressed here is unique."

"Well, yeah, you've never had a Pythia do it before."

Pritkin shook his head. "The Pythia's power is a mantle bestowed on you. It isn't your nature. I'd expected a ghostly greyish-blue or something that represented your innate connection to spirits. This," he gestured at my C, "is something else entirely."

"What are you trying to say?" I asked, because he was making his way to a point here, I knew it.

He sighed. "How sure are you that both your parents were human?"

After a stunned second, I said, "All the vamps said my dad was human, and they're pretty good at sussing out humans from other supernatural beings. No one really said much about my mom. Ever."

"So she's the one to look into," Pritkin said, turning back to his chair.

"Wait," I said, putting a hand on his arm. The thrumming started up again, and when he gave me a startled glance after looking where our skin touched, I realized he was feeling it too. "Do you feel that?"

"Feel what?" he asked, and it was almost convincing.

I put a hand to the side of his face and slid it down till it rested on the back of his neck. It got a slight shudder. "You feel it," I accused.

"Perhaps," he said, voice tight.

Realizing that this contact was tempting him, I let go. "Why didn't you say anything? Is this an incubus thing?"

He hastily beat a retreat back to the table. "It might be. I'm not sure. Another thing I'm looking into."

"And what do you expect me to do while you're looking into things?"

Now I got some classic Pritkin. "Get stronger. We'll be training twice as hard tomorrow to make up for missing today. And we'll be trying out some of your Pythia abilities. You can summon them at will, if you'll get out of your way."

I groaned. "Twice as hard? I'm still not sure you don't want me dead."

Rolling his eyes, he said, "You can take it." After a pause, he said, "If you practice that spell, do it where the vampires can't see it. Until we know more about that color, I don't want anyone else knowing about it."

"Okay," I said. "I'll do that if you tell me what you wrote today. It was Welsh, right?"

"Yes." That was all I got.

"And it said…?"

"Nothing important." The fact that he refused to tell was telling. And he'd flicked a meaningful glance at me when he was writing it.

I smiled a little. "It isn't often you lie to my face; it must have been pretty important after all."

That got a startled glance before those green eyes looked elsewhere. "It isn't of any consequence; forget it."

Okay, it was really important, but I could tell it was time to stop pushing. But now I was extremely curious. Our words had still been there when we left. Maybe if I could copy his down and find a way to translate…

And as long as we were lying to each other… "Forgotten. Goodnight," I said, and shifted down to the gym.

Of course, the words had all disappeared. Except my name, glowing just as brilliantly as ever, the only source of light in the room. I looked to where his words had been. There had been three of them, so it wasn't anything complex. I guess I would never know.

(-)

"He wants me dead," I said, still panting when I got into the suite after training. He'd pushed me off a freaking cliff. How was that training?

"Then I'll have to kill him," Mircea said, sitting on the sofa. Raph was there too, giving me a warm smile.

I hadn't expected them to be here. "Uh, hi." And I was suddenly aware that I was sweaty, smelly, dusty, and a little scraped up from Pritkin's insane idea of what constituted "training".

"The mage threatened you?" Mircea asked, looking a little eager. And, no, I was not getting into this.

"Mostly with excessive cardio." And some freefalling.

"Mia stella, don't let him push you too hard," Raph said, frowning in concern.

I snorted. "He says if I'm going to be running for my life, I may as well be able to run fast enough to live."

Mircea smiled. "An admirable sentiment, but if he's going to tire you out completely, you would be weak if someone were to attack you now."

A not-unmerited point. "I'll point that out before our next session. In the meantime, I need to shower." I retreated to my room, grabbed some clothes, and headed into the bathroom.

The hot water felt heavenly on my aching body, and I knew Pritkin was probably in his own shower thinking the same thing. Except instead of aches, he would just be a little tired. Bastard. Training with a half-incubus might not be as unfair as training with a vampire, but he still sucked with his awesome stamina and fitness.

Those muscles…those hands…his eyes…I wondered if he masturbated in the shower. I still didn't know if he did at all. I got the feeling incubi didn't need to and wouldn't like it. They enjoyed having a passionate partner. But he was half-human too. So maybe…

I snapped myself out of it. I needed to calm down before I went out there to face Mircea. At least I could excuse myself quickly with the reason of needing a nap. I wondered what he wanted.

When I got out, I got dressed. I'd compromised with Sal on my casual wardrobe. If I was seeing anyone other than her, the Misfits, Pritkin, Francoise, or Marko, I wouldn't wear jeans and a t-shirt. So I got one of the dresses, a light blue short-sleeved summery thing with a full skirt that went down to mid-thigh, put it on with some tight shorts (I insisted that it was better than looking completely unladylike when someone tried to kill me and my dress rode up), and the secure, comfortable flats I'd had to sneak into our pile of purchases. I was pretty sure she saw them, but she let me have my way anyway. Probably since they were fairly cute and a designer label.

She had faced the fact that elegant wasn't ever going to be my thing, and that tough wasn't going to work, so she was going for delicate or cute now. It was easier for my kewpie doll self to pull off, and she said that if I used it to offset the constant presence of a weapon like my bracelet or a gun, it might make people wonder if I was secretly dangerous. All in all, I thought it was the best strategy we had. After all, it worked for some very small and delicate-looking master vampires. Of course, it was true for them, so they could back it up.

After drying my hair a bit more, no one could say I looked indecent or scraggly. I passed over the make-up on the dresser. It was Mircea and Raph; they knew what I looked like.

Out in the living room, it was satisfying to see the pleased surprise in their expressions. "Dulceata, you look beautiful."

I smiled before flopping into the armchair, ruining any kind of illusion I was a lady. "I look passable. You wouldn't believe the fight I had to have to get even this level of casual dress."

Raph's smile was warm and familiar, and I was glad to see him. "Mia stella, you are always lovely, but this outfit suits you."

Looking down at myself, I said. "Really? I'm pretty sure that jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers good for running for my life suit me best. Given how often people try to kill me, I find that very fashionable."

The men exchanged a glance. "That is one thing we wanted to speak about," Mircea said. "I thought it would be best for you to join me at home. Raph will be there, and I could introduce you to the rest of the family."

That wasn't anything I'd expected. And, yeah, I'd kind of wondered what the rest of the family was like. But even as I entertained the notion, a few things came up to shoot it down. One: I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to have even this level of casual dress if I was at Mircea's estate. Two: a vampire estate immediately made me feel claustrophobic as I thought of my childhood at Tony's. And, the important one, three: I was certain Pritkin wasn't invited.

"You would be safe with us," Raph said, and he looked earnest. "Vegas just has too much happening to keep you protected."

I was pretty sure Raph was here because he genuinely wanted me to be safe and sound at Mircea's, because he cared about me. That was Raph. He didn't lie to me or deceive me. If Mircea told him to, I'd probably see through it, because he was a terrible liar.

Mircea had brought him along as incentive, and to make the whole thing sound totally about my safety. And, yes, he probably genuinely wanted my safety as well, but having me at his house would put me solidly under his control. And I'd sworn I wouldn't let myself and my Gift be used like that again.

"That sounds nice, but I'll stay here," I said. It had been phrased politely, not a direct command, but we'd see how long that lasted. Why did he pick now for this showdown? I wanted a nap. And, actually, that was probably it. Marco knew my schedule with Pritkin, so he could have told them I'd be wiped out if they showed up right after training.

"Cassie, if anything were to happen to you-" Mircea began.

"I have Marco and a whole team of master vampire security guards, and I have Pritkin. Piling on more vampires can be done here, and I'm pretty sure you weren't suggesting Pritkin tag along."

Raph winced. "The mage does not do well with vampires. No one would be happy with him there."

Smiling, I said, "I was just using you as an argument for vampires being people, Raph. I told him that being a vampire didn't mean you had no personality or individual value. He actually shut up for a few seconds to think about it."

That startled the artist. "Me?"

"Yeah. You and Eugenie were the first vampires I wasn't afraid of. You were kind to me when there was nothing in it for you." I smiled at him. "You're my friend. He seemed to understand that, at least." I was trying to side-track us a bit, because I didn't want to get right to the end where Mircea finally attempted to force the issue.

Mircea saw through it. "That is nice, but we have mages on the estate as well."

I gave him a dubious look. "Are they fully-trained Silver Circle war-mages?"

That got me a displeased look. "No. But he isn't needed when you have the family to protect you."

And I realized this was as much about getting me away from Pritkin as it was my safety. "I'll come if he comes with me. He's been my partner through most of this, and I won't abandon him." Now we'd see which motive was stronger.

"He can't come, dulceata," Mircea said firmly.

There we had it. "Then I'll stay here as well. I've lived at a vampire's court before, and even if yours is better than Tony's, I still prefer freedom." If we were going to throw down, it was now.

"We don't wish to imprison you, Cassie," Raph said. Maybe he didn't.

"Yeah, just control where I go, who I see, how I dress, and what I do with my power. Sounds like freedom to me."

Mircea's expression was growing more stern as mine grew more stubborn. "You aren't safe here with both Circles after you, ready to attack you when you least expect it."

"So clearly the solution is to remove the guy who can deal with all the nuances of fighting powerful and well-trained mages." I finally said it: "This is about him, not my safety. You're proving that my safety is less important than getting rid of him."

There was a silence for a few moments. "He can't be trusted. And I don't like things I don't trust being near what I hold most precious."

And that settled it. "'What you hold most precious'? I'm a who, Mircea. Not a possession. Not a servant. If you want me to leave here, I will, but I'm not going with you. Just tell me to get out; I'll find somewhere else to go."

Raph looked worried. "Mia stella, no one wants you to leave us."

"When he's acting like this he does," I said, glaring at Mircea. "After the way Tony used me, I swore I'd never let my Gift be abused like that again. No one is controlling me, no one is locking me up, and no one is telling me who I should be!" Yeah, I was yelling, but at least with my blood pumping with anger, I wasn't in danger of falling asleep.

Challenging a master vampire to a showdown in front of his servants isn't likely to end well. Bowing to my will would make him lose face, and no master likes that. "Cassandra, you're not a servant, but you are coming with us where it's safe."

That pissed me off. "Say it again, Mircea. If you want me to leave, just say it again."

We were staring each other down, and his eyes were getting brighter. Raph was sitting and staring between us, horrified. I knew Marco was lurking nearby, waiting for the order to grab me. So I didn't wait. I smiled sadly at Raph. "Bye." And I shifted.

(-)

I landed in Pritkin's room with an unclear grasp on which way was up. "Cassie!" he said, but I hit the floor before he got to me. "What happened?"

"They want to take me away," I said, and I knew I was losing consciousness. "Mircea wants to take me and leave you behind."

Pritkin's jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed. And he said what I'd known he would: "You aren't going anywhere you don't want to." He met my eyes while they still had some ability to focus. "Do you want to leave?"

It hadn't been an idle threat. We had an exit strategy in place. I had a bag packed and stashed in his room, and another in the kitchen in case we couldn't get in here. I'd given him a third one that he'd put at whatever place he'd prepared for us to go.

But if we left, the vamps had no reason to house and protect the Misfits. And I didn't want those kids left out in the open, easy targets for the Circle's mages. "Only if we have to," I said. And then I passed out.

(-)

So, I know Cassie doesn't care even that much about clothes, but I kind of wanted her wearing something nice when she popped in on Pritkin. Just to surprise him. The whole passing out after saying she's going to be kidnapped thing was probably more surprising.

Well, hopefully this is some good drama. Review, if it tickles your fancy. I hope you're enjoying this.