Godric pov:
We arrived in quick time, and entered in through the back to avoid the crowd. Ashlin's anger was thick in the air, and while I was not certain why she was angry, I was glad it was not directed towards me. Ashlin led the way, and entered before we could. When we did catch up to her, she was holding the Shifter up against the wall with her forearm. Pam paid little mind to the scene, instead looking at her nails, and the children were huddled together on the leather sofa.
"You idiotic dog! You are lucky I don't do worse to you!" She spoke in a harsh whisper, not wanting to scare the children more than they already were.
Eric placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke to her gently. " Älskare (lover), I will take him to my booth in the bar and speak with him there. You should give Pam a break from babysitting duty.
Ashlin huffed, but relinquished her hold on the Shifter, who dropped to his feat with a few harsh coughs. Eric placed a light kiss on her temple before bringing the Shifter out, Pam following behind them.
She turned back to the children, a concerned smile resting on her face, and they seemed to relax with her. "Are you two weirdos okay?
Their faces seemed to light up for Ashlin, and she held out her arms for the nervous children, who eagerly ran into her hold. She crouched down with them, holding them tightly against her.
"There's somethin' wrong with mama!" The small boy pulled back, speaking quickly.
The girl kept her hands around Ashlin, but spoke when her brother finished. "She had black eyes, Ash! And she was acting funny!"
Ashlin kissed the tops of the children's heads. "Alright. How about we sit down and do something fun, okay? Let the grown-ups take care of things, okay my little weirdos?"
The children nodded vigorously, jumping back onto the couch and my angel took a seat on the floor in front of them. I stayed to the side, waiting to see if my angel needed anything, but it seemed that the children's attention had turned to me. My angel laughed when she noticed their stares, though I was utterly confused.
"Are you a Vampire?" The little boy asked me, causing another set of giggles to come from my angel as she answered him in affirmative.
I looked at her and raised an eyebrow. Usually it was harder for humans to determine whether we were a Vampire or not if it was not broadcasted.
"Don't be so surprised. Children can be very perceptive. And you don't really act like anyone they have seen before."
I nodded, moving to sit down beside my angel, making the children jump slightly.
"Colby, Lisa, this is Godric. Godric, this is Colby and Lisa." Ashlin gestured between the few of us.
"Can we see your fangs?" The little boy named Colby asked me excitedly, bouncing in his seat.
The little girl tensed up again, and I looked to my angel questionably. My angel smiled soothingly at me.
"It is your choice. They are just curious. Innocent childish curiosity, they don't have any bad intentions."
I let my fangs drop. I watched and waited for their reactions, but they did nothing but stare in awe. I listened to their excited whispering, and my angel's 'I told you so.' I retracted my fangs with a smile on my face.
Eric walked back into the office sometime later, the Shifter following behind him.
"We have developed a plan, I will explain back at the house. We will act tomorrow night, the sooner we can get rid of the maenad, the better off we can be."
"Eric?" I asked my childe, "What about the children?"
"We should leave them with Lafayette, he is far enough away, and he isn't a stranger."
"That is a wonderful idea, min lilla sol (my little sun). Shifter, you will bring these children to Lafayette's home. Eric will follow along as precaution." I did not trust this Shifter, and Ashlin's reactions only served to cement that.
Eric gave a curt nod. The Shifter, on the other hand, was quiet and angry.
"I will meet you two back at the house, if that is alright with you, Master?"
I did not comment on Eric's formality, I knew what he was doing. I had not required him to call me such, but he does in situations where the power I held needed to be apparent. I gave him a nod, and he tossed me the keys to his car. Ashlin said her farewells to the children, and we departed.
"Are you alright, min sol (my sun)?" I asked her as we walked back into the sitting room of the house for the second time tonight.
"Yes, no, I don't know. I'm worried about everything at the moment, I think." She sat down on the couch with a sigh.
I sat down next to her and she let her head fall on my shoulder. "Is there anything I can do?"
She shrugged as best she could in her position. "Do you have any idea what the plan is?"
"I might." At her insistent look, I continued. "One of the forms that Dionysus is said to take is that of a bull. Eric might have convinced the Shifter to take such a form, so that the maenad would be weakened and finally able to be killed. She would let her guard down if she thought her god was finally here to take her away."
"That is the base of my plan, yes." Eric came in, leaning over the back of the couch at Ashlin's shoulder.
"Will everything be alright?" She asked him, not bothering to turn her head.
"Yes, it should be. We have made plans, and we can only hope things go accordingly."
She brought her head off my shoulder, and leaned back against the couch, but before she could say anything, a yawn had her opening her jaw. It had been a long and busy night.
"It seems like it's time for bed, min lilla sol (my little sun)."
Eric grinned, picking up on my train of thought. He leaned over the top of the couch and brought Ashlin up into his arms, carrying her towards his bedroom.
"Hey, I have legs, I can walk. But," She spoke, burying her head into Eric's shoulder, "This is nice too."
Eric let out a small chuckle that I mirrored. It gave us both joy when she allowed us to care for her.
He placed her down when we reached the bedroom, allowing her to prepare herself for bed. Eric tossed me a pair of sleep pants, and I pulled them on after I undressed. While I normally slept nude, and so did Eric, neither one of us wished to make our angel uncomfortable. Ashlin came back from the bathroom in one of Eric's shirts, and climbed into bed.
Eric and I followed suit on either side of her. She curled against my chest and Eric molded himself to the back of her form. I reveled in the closeness, allowing me to feel the warmth of her body, and breath in her intoxicating scent.
It was such a pleasant way to fall into day rest, my mates by my side.