Steam clouded the shower and Hope leaned against the wall, loving the way Ryan was touching her.

"Let me do this," he whispered as he kissed his way down her stomach. "Please."

Hope studied his face, the pleading in his dark eyes had her spreading her legs in acquiesce and Ryan hooked one leg over his shoulder, kissing her softly.

"Ryan," Hope moaned, throwing her head back against the shower wall with a thunk.

He chuckled from his place on his knees between her legs, but he continued with shallow flicks of his tongue. It provided just enough pressure to make her writhe, but not enough to ease the ache he ignited in her.

"Damn you." She ground against his face. "You're a terrible tease."

"But the payoff is so worth it."

Hope whined in frustration, and groaned, "You're gonna pay for this later."

"Good," Ryan whispered.

It was then that he gave in to her demands. So that's what he wanted. He wanted to rile her up to the point she had no choice but to punish him later for his antics. Oh, she was definitely going to punish him for this tonight. Brat.

Her thoughts cut off as the coil in her lower belly tightened and all she could think about was the pleasure her lover was bringing her. Suddenly, the wave crested and she lost her footing. Before she hit the floor, Ryan cradled her against him as her body quivered.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled herself up his body and wrapped her legs around his waist. Ryan braced her between his body and the wall as he kissed her, his tongue brushing softly against hers.

As he kissed her, he snapped his hips, drawing a sharp gasp from Hope's lips. Determined to make this as pleasurable for him as she could, Hope clawed at his shoulders, the scent of his blood filling the air of the steam filled shower, and he cried out, rocking into her harder.

"Oh, Hope," Ryan whispered her name like a prayer. "You're amazing."

In response, Hope raked her nails across his chest as she pressed kisses to his neck and jaw.

"Who's the tease now?" Ryan groaned

Catching her lower lip between his teeth, he tugged lightly as he pressed his thumb against her most sensitive place between her legs. Hope arched beneath his touch and she shattered again, with Ryan following right behind her, barely having time to catch his balance on a rail so they didn't end up on the floor.

When she caught her breath, Hope started laughing.

"What?"

"Showers aren't the greatest place to have sex in."

"Only if you can't keep your footing."

"I thought you were terribly clumsy," Hope teased, nipping lightly at his jaw.

"Not like this. Not with you." Ryan caught his lower lip between his teeth and he smiled.

Finally accepting that they needed to leave the shower soon, Hope used magic to turn the water off and pressed soft kisses against his chest.

"I swear, I can't get enough of you," Ryan breathed.

"Good." Hope pressed the pads of her fingers against his lips, loving the feel of his breath against her skin.

Shuffling downstairs caught her attention and she ducked her face against his chest as she giggled.

"What?" Ryan asked, confused, since he couldn't hear what she could.

"There are people in this house who can hear everything we've done."

"Hmm, in that case, we should get dressed," Ryan said as Hope led him towards the bedroom. "Though I will need to raid the closet again, since you seem determined to destroy all my clothing in an effort to get me naked.

Hope slapped his ass for that remark. In response, he laughed as he slung his pants over his shoulder and disappeared into the closet. He emerged a few moments later, and she found herself unable to look away from him as he pulled a dark gray Henley over his head. God, he was beautiful.

"You wanna make them wait even longer?" Ryan teased as he stepped close enough to her that his torso brushed against hers. "I wouldn't mind."

"They've already heard enough of our sex life."

"True."

"Once they're gone, I think I should have my way with you, punish you for just now." Hope stood on tiptoe and kissed him softly, the taste of herself still on his tongue threatening to make her do as he suggested and forget their unwanted visitors.

His grin widened as he said, "Who cares about them? Maybe if I take you to bed again, they'll give up and leave."

"I think you've got it a little confused." Hope caught his lip between her teeth, releasing him slowly, and grinned. "You're the one who's gonna get taken to bed."

"Either way, we end up in the same place."

"You're bad." Hope hit his shoulder, a smile firmly in place.

"What are you going to do about it?" Ryan challenged.

"You know what I'm going to do about it. Come on. We'd better get down there." Hope tugged at his arm, trying to encourage him towards the door.

"It's only rude to make them wait if they were invited." Ryan boxed her in against the wall with his arms.

Hope ducked under his arm, giggling.

"Fine." Ryan gave a long-suffering sigh and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Go. I'll be down in a minute." She added with a whisper, "I'm gonna send a message to Lizzie. I really don't want to deal with these guys without her."

"Fair warning that if I'm going down there alone, I can't be held responsible for anything I might say." He kissed her lips, then headed towards the door.

"Behave."

Ryan smirked. "How should I behave?"

"Just- you know what I mean." Hope threw his torn shirt at him.

"I'm going to pay for this later, aren't I?" He caught the material and grinned.

"Yes."

"That's not much motivation to 'behave.'" He closed the door behind him before she could throw anything else at him and Hope didn't bother trying to suppress her laughter.

As she wrote a note asking Lizzie to help her out, Hope listened to the conversation downstairs.

"So you're sleeping with Hope?" Landon demanded.

"Obviously." There was the sound of a couch giving as Ryan made himself comfortable. "Not even you are naive enough to believe that nothing happened last night, considering we were sharing a bed, naked when you barged in on us."

"How long has this been going on?"

"Long enough for it to not be any of your business."

Hope tiptoed towards the stairs, curious now.

"So you just show back up after disappearing to who knows where and she goes for you. I don't understand. What do you have that I don't?"

"I could give you an answer, but you won't like what I have to say. But that is a question you should ask her."

"What is she to you? Do you even care about her?"

"I care, Landon," Ryan growled, growing irritated.

"Why?"

"She's someone that I don't have to be anything other than what I am when I'm with her. She accepts all of me, without fear and without judgment." Ryan exhaled heavily, then added, "She's my salvation. With her, it's the first time I've ever felt free of my nightmares."

"Doesn't sound like she gets much out of it."

"She knows that her darkness doesn't frighten me and she can be herself, truly herself, without feeling like she has to hold back since with me, she doesn't have to be afraid of hurting anyone. And, she also knows that I'll be whatever she needs me to be, and that in me, she will find acceptance, not matter what, though she also knows that I won't placate her if she makes a mistake."

"You are such a child!" His words rang through her mind and she realized that he understood her and how she viewed him better than even she did.

He was being far more open than he probably intended to be, most likely due to his annoyance with Landon and Hope decided it was time to interfere. She came down the stairs then, making sure to step a little harder than she normally would, to make sure they knew she was there.

It surprised her that he was willing to be so candid with his younger brother, especially with an audience, so it was better to cut them off before things got too intense. He might get upset with himself if that carefully cultivated mask of emotionlessness was destroyed before he was ready for it to be and that could lead to him shutting everyone out including her.

When she entered the room, she found Ryan lying across one couch with the students sitting around the room, staring at him. Raf and Landon were upset, while MG and Kaleb seemed more confused.

Raf slid over, to make room for her on the couch between him and Landon, but she made her way over to the couch Ryan lay across. Stopping beside Ryan, she tapped his shoulder to get his attention and he looked up at her, confused.

"Sit up for a second."

Ryan did as she requested and Hope sat down behind him, stretching her legs alongside him as she pulled him against her. Ryan lay back with his head pillowed against her stomach, and he closed his eyes with a contented sigh. Once they were both comfortable, Hope slid one hand beneath the collar of his shirt, tracing patterns against his skin, and stroked his curls with the other.

"Well, this isn't what I was expecting," Kaleb commented, probably in effort to change the subject.

"What were you expecting?"

Hope could hear the smirk in his voice and she tugged on his hair in an effort to remind him to be nice. Ryan caught the hand on his chest and kissed her inner wrist, then returned it to it's original position.

"Wait, this is what you actually look like, isn't it?" Kaleb asked.

"This is the face I had when I first came into existence," Ryan replied, choosing his words carefully.

"Hello! Hope? If you guys are naked this time, I'm leaving!" Lizzie called from the doorway.

"In here! And yes, we're dressed!" Hope replied.

Lizzie entered the room, followed by Josie. Josie looked over at Landon and her face crumpled. If Hope didn't have Ryan lying mostly on top of her, she'd have gone to Josie and given her a hug, if the younger witch would have let her.

"So, according to your note, you were rudely awakened this morning by some unwanted intruders." Lizzie looked at the pair of them lying on the couch. "And judging by the fact that both of you have damp hair, I'm guessing you made them wait for reasons, considering what time they left campus this morning."

"Various reasons." Ryan smirked.

"Trust me, I'm aware."

"You should be, all things considered."

Hope slapped him lightly, but there was no strength behind the hit. There was no sense in being ashamed of enjoying what she and Ryan did to each other. She just didn't want to make it seem like she was rubbing it in that she was happy while Josie was heartbroken over Landon's actions.

"Wow, Hope, I'm beginning to think you were right. The two of you are cursed to have people walk in on you," Lizzie joked.

"Told you." Hope rubbed her cheek against Ryan's hair.

"Is something wrong, Josie?" Ryan asked Josie. Clearly, his time as Vardemus had taught him to care about the dark haired Saltzman.

"I'm fine." Josie tried to smile, but she looked over at Landon and she fought back tears.

"Did you break up with her?" Ryan raised an eyebrow in Landon's direction. "Dick move, little brother."

"Hold on, you're Landon's brother?" Lizzie looked from Hope to Ryan as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"He is," Hope confirmed.

"Half brothers," Landon added mutinously.

"They don't get along," Hope explained when Lizzie seemed more confused than before.

"No kidding," Landon cut in.

"Would it help if I apologized?" Ryan asked, his tone mocking

"Would you mean it?" Landon asked.

"No." This prompted Hope to pull on his hair and Ryan looked up at her, his lips pulled into that infuriating smirk as he said, "But I do promise not to try it again."

"You'd better not. Because that means you're being Daddy Dearest's good little minion again." Hope flicked his nose and kissed his forehead.

"Was this morning really necessary?" Raf cut in, his emotions finally getting the best of him.

"You're the ones who barged into my bedroom, knowing I had company, and I'm entitled to do what I want, with whichever willing partner I want to in there, regardless of who it is."

"So you jumped from Landon straight to sleeping with his brother?" Raf asked, that undercurrent of rage in his voice growing stronger.

"Who I sleep with is none of your business, especially since I'm not sleeping with you."

Ryan rubbed Hope's forearm in an effort to calm her so she wouldn't jump off the couch. Whether is was because he didn't want to move, or because he knew she would be upset with herself later if she hurt anyone, Hope wasn't sure, but she was thankful he did it.

"Awfully judgy coming from someone who moved on pretty quick after his girlfriend died who he claimed to love with his whole heart, and in less time than Hope did, I might add," Lizzie snapped. "Don't look at me like that, Hope. You know he did."

Rafael's mouth tightened, but he fell silent in the face of Lizzie's accusation.

"So, if he's related to Landon, is he a phoenix too?" MG asked.

"His name's Ryan and you can ask him yourself," Hope said, a soft smile playing around her lips as she traced one finger down the side of Ryan's face from his eyebrow to his stubble roughened jaw.

"So, are you?"

"No, though in the centuries I've been alive, I haven't found anything that can kill me." He looked up at Hope, his lips curled up just a little. "However, all things considered, I'd say Hope is the only one who can end my life."

"Fortunately for you, I like you too much to do that." She kissed his forehead. With him being created from Malivore, it was entirely possible that he was right. She was his weakness too, though in more ways than one.

Kaleb stood up then, and grabbed MG's arm. "Come on. I think we've heard enough and Hope doesn't need to explain herself. If she trusts him enough that she'd sleep with him, we've got no business butting into her life, even if she's sleeping with a former Triad agent."

Hope raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged as if to say 'What?' in response.

"Okay," MG relented. "Just be careful, alright? You're the founding member of the avengers' squad and we care about you."

"Thanks, and yes, I am being careful." Hope smiled at them and the two vampires flashed away.

Hope closed her eyes and leaned against the back of the couch as she twisted Ryan's curls around her fingers.

"You're going to make my hair completely unmanageable," Ryan murmured.

"It's already unmanageable unless you use half a bottle of hair gel."

"It doesn't take half a bottle, and I don't use gel. I use styling paste."

"Hmm. But you look better with messy hair. Bed head is definitely your best look."

"God, you two are disgustingly sweet," Lizzie faked a gag.

"So, you're going to just forget everything that happened with me?" Landon cut in, as if he could no longer bear to watch her with his brother.

Hope looked up at him, brow raised as she retorted, "When I gave you the chance to get answers, you walked away, so I don't owe you anything, especially not when it comes to Ryan."

"Did you even think about how I'd feel about this?" Landon jumped to his feet. "How could you be so selfish?"

Ryan braced himself on his elbows so he could look at his younger brother full in the face and he scoffed.

"You haven't even consider why I did what I did! I jumped into the pit to try to save you, and then I stayed quiet about who I really was when I came back because I didn't want to interfere if people were moving on and were happy. How is that selfish?"

"Yet, as soon as I remember, you go for my jackass brother, who tried to kill me, I might add!"

"You're still alive, so I don't see why you're still upset about that." Ryan shrugged and closed his eyes.

Hope was so angry at this point that she didn't even bother scolding Ryan for his comment.

"Like that makes it any better!"

"You'd made it clear you didn't want anything to do with me, Landon. Not to mention that associating with you would hurt Josie even more than you already did, and she's my friend, so I definitely won't do that to her. As for Lizzie, she will side with her sister because that's was family is supposed to do, so I had no one. Then Ryan was there and suddenly I didn't feel so alone anymore."

"You could have told me!" Raf stood up.

"You told me we couldn't be friends." Hope took a deep breath, trying to calm herself a bit. "Now, I want both of you out of my house and don't come back."

The two boys stood up, scowling, but did as she demanded.

"Wow," Lizzie breathed once they were gone.

"You wanted me and Landon to be happy?" Josie asked, fighting tears.

"Yes."

"Okay." Josie nodded, tears trickling down her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, Josie."

"I know." Josie sniffed and rubbed her eyes. "It's gonna take time, but I'd like to be your friend again, eventually."

"Take your time. I'll be here."

"I've, um, I've got some homework to finish," Josie said, in a lame excuse to leave without seeming rude.

"See you around." This wasn't how it was supposed to be between them. They'd known each other too long to be torn apart by a guy, but things seemed headed that way and Hope hated it.

"We can meet at The Grill after school tomorrow, if you want," Lizzie said as she followed Josie towards the door.

"Sounds good."

With a quick wave, the twins left, and the closing door felt almost like a death knell.