I do not own Everyday Life With Monster Girls.

Chapter 21: Recovery.

Jack woke up in stages.

He could feel his conscious thoughts pushing against a barrier. Trying to form coherency, trying to interpret what his senses were telling his brain.

The effort would exhaust him and he'd collapse back into the dark.

Then his mind would push again and attain a little more ground. A little more light shone into his world.

He could see others, vague shapes hovering over him, around him. He tried to focus but it was like trying to hear a concert through a brick wall. He knew there was music on the other side but he couldn't breach whatever was keeping it out.

Then he was awake. Blinking and staring at a blank off-white ceiling.

"Hey. You with us now?"

Jack recognized that voice. He hadn't heard it in person in months. He leaned forward on the bed and took stock of the young man sitting in a chair by the window.

He was thin and fairly muscular. Jack knew that was because of the years of track he'd ran while in high school. He'd kept up a running regimen even after college.

He wore a solid blue t-shirt and dark blue jeans. His face was fairly handsome (though Jack had never admitted that, and never will.) His dark hair was cropped at the sides but stood up in the front like a boy band performer's. His light brown eyes also held a modicum of care and kindness and a little bit of adventure. He sported a fine soul patch and thin goatee. He was holding an open copy of Watership Down. He wasn't wearing his ring.

"Isaac?"

"Hey bro." He closed the book and stood up. "Did you see Mom and Dad?"

Jack rattled his head. "Did I..? No ..no." He closed his eyes firmly for a moment. "Wait a minute." His eyes shot back open. "What happened? Was I really that bad?"

He shrugged. "Kinda." He smirked. "I'm testing a bad theory that Matt wanted to try and pitch a script for."

Jack gave a rueful snicker and lowered one eyebrow. "Let me guess, the Ghost Family Keysman."

Isaac raised his eyes and rubbed his chin. "Not a bad title." He grinned and glanced down. "Mind if we use that?"

Jack lifted a finger. "I want royalties."

Isaac squinted at him a moment. Jack narrowed his eyes back. Tense silence pervaded the room.

"Ba ahahaha." They both burst out laughing.

"Hehe. Oh damn it's good to see you man."

Isaac nodded. "Good to see you too."

"Hoo..so is Matt around?" Jack craned his neck about. To his mild surprise he was home in his bedroom. Something about that nagged at the back of his mind.

Isaac shook his head. "Only one of us could get away. You know how entertainment execs are." He waved a hand dismissively. "Love making the most cheerful hopeful forgiving marketable tripe, but inside they're heartless tyrants that should feature as the big bad in some adventure tale."

Jack snickered. "And get impaled on one their own spikes at the end right?"

"I never sent you a copy of that script." Isaac lowered an eyebrow conspiratorially. "Who's your source?"

Jack stuck his chin out dramatically. "It was...your brother!"

Isaac stepped back and flourished a hand over his chest in shock. "No it can't be. Betrayed by my brother for my...other brother."

Jack held out his hand. "Isaac, Matt knows your creative potential. He knows you can write better than him."

Isaac frowned and shook his head in denial. "No. It's not true. He wouldn't betray me. Not to you."

Jack inclined his head. "Search your feelings you know it to be true."

Isaac did his best to channel Mark Hamill. "Nooooo, Nooooo!"

"Isaac, we can destroy bad cinema. Bring quality entertainment to the world." Jack implored with his hand. "Join me, and we can rule Hollywood as Brother and Bro."

Isaac gritted his teeth. "I'll never join you."

Jack breathed in and out slowly. Mechanically. "If you only knew the power of the dark side." He clenched his hand into a fist.

The door clacked and swung open. Syleris stepped in with a tray of food. "Jack you're awake." Her brightened face shifted to weirded out confusion. "What are you two doing?"

The brothers started giggling at being caught.

Jack waved a hand. "Hehe. It's nothing Syleris. Just dorks being dorks."

She stood there a moment. "Oookay."

Isaac nodded at the newcomer and returned to his seat.

"So. You two have met?" Jack asked.

Isaac raised his head at her a moment. "Uh huh." He retrieved his book.

"Yep." Syleris quipped and placed the tray on a bedside table. "He's cool."

Jack snorted and surveyed the meal. His stomach groaned softly and he was going to comment when another thought dawned on him. "Huh."

Syleris tilted her head. "What's up Jack?"

He picked up a spoon and dug it into an unmarked jello cup. "I just realized that you two have a couple things in common."

Isaac raised his head. "How so?"

Jack scooped a chunk of the surprisingly not bland gelatin into his mouth and swallowed it. "Well, you both like to read." He held up his spoon. "And you both like to run."

"Really?" Syleris' eyes lit up and she regarded Jack's brother. "Perhaps you'd like to go for a race while you're here." She produced a confident grin.

Isaac gave her a once over. "Yeah sure, we'll race." Jack and Syleris both perked up. "If I get to use my bicycle."

Jack snorted but Syleris leaned forward. "Challenge accepted."

Isaac blinked several times. "Wait..you're serious."

Jack giggled. "Don't underestimate my girls' capabilities man. She'll crush you."

Isaac blinked again. "Um, maybe some other time."

Syleris grinned wider. "Suit yourself." She glanced down at Jack and her grin started to fade. "Um..speaking of us girls..." Jack looked up at her as he sipped on a water bottle.

"Actually, yeah. Where are the others?" He asked.

She swallowed. "Can I talk to you privately about that?"

Jack blinked and glanced over at his brother. "Uh yeah. Sure, if you want."

Isaac stood back up and crossed the room. He nodded as he opened the door. "Good to see you back with us Jack."

"Good to be back." He acknowledged and focused on the unsettled looking harpy. "Syleris? Something wrong?"

She looked over her shoulder to make sure they were alone. Then she dove onto the bed and embraced him with her wings.

"Oh Jack, I'm so sorry I wasn't there." She bawled. "You needed me and I was asleep and I didn't even know. And I wanted to help, but they already caught the creep that took you and they brought you back here and I was just-" She sniffed.

"Hey hey. Hold on there." Jack tried to reassure her and patted her back.. "It's alright, Syleris. I'll be fine see?" He lifted the spoon that she almost knocked out of his hand.

She sniffed again. "You aren't..mad at us?"

Jack narrowed his eyes in confusion. "No. I'm not mad at any of you." He blinked a couple times and thought back to that night. "I'm... still kinda freaked out..." He paused as more details began to fill in his memory. "Okay, a lot of freaked out." He stared ahead at the wall unfocused. She clutched him tighter.

"Very...freaked out." He put down his spoon and slipped his hand under his shirt collar. Two patches of gauze were taped on his shoulder. The pain was gone but he could still remember feeling something sharp gouging into his flesh. "Yeah, this is gonna take me a while to process."

She unburied her face from his chest and looked at him with teary eyes. He smiled a bit and wiped them off with his thumb. "But I'm glad I have good friends like you looking after me."

She smiled back. "I'm so glad to hear that from you." She glanced down. "I overheard one of the agents say that, most hosts try to get out of the program when something like this happens to them."

Jack hummed. "Yeah I can see that." He nodded lightly. "But I'm not dropping the program, Syleris." Her face brightened up. "I won't leave you, so long as you don't leave me. Okay?"

She smiled a little more. "Yeah. I can do that." She stood back up and wiped her face dry.

"Where are the others?" He asked.

She brushed off her tears and held up a wing-hand "Tetra's still recovering upstairs and-"

Jack leaned forward suddenly. "Wait she's sick? How'd she get sick?"

Syleris rolled her eyes. "She went all 'hero of justice' on the creep that took you."

Jack cocked his head. "Tetra fought her? Wasn't she going to...?" He narrowed his eyes. "Turn herself in?"

The harpy shrugged. "That creep changed her mind. Or she lied."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Did she bite Tetra too?"

"No." Syleris shook her head. "Tetra told Kuro to use her freeze aura on both of them while they fought."

He choked in disbelief. "Th-that's crazy! She could've died." He looked down at his lap. "And Kuro would've blamed herself for the rest of her life." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "What the hell was she thinking?"

"I'm pretty sure 'thinking' wasn't part of the process." Syleris noted. "She asked Kuro about why she remembered feeling cold."

"She's talking? She's awake?" He started to get out of the bed. Syleris stepped forward and firmly placed her wing-hands on his shoulders.

"Stay here Jack. She's sleeping now." The harpy explained. "She got a wicked case of hypothermia and possibly an infection." Jack struggled against her pin but couldn't make any headway against her strength.

"Stay here Jack." She implored. "Professor Holden says he's done everything he can for her already."

He grimaced and made one more futile attempt. She inclined her head and gave him a serious look.

Exhaustion started to set in again and he closed his eyes. He breathed out slowly and leaned back onto the pillow. "Okay, okay."

She held her arms there a moment more and then dropped them. "Believe me Jack, I know you want to help." She placed a wing-hand on her chest. "I'm the wannabe medical student and I only understood half the lingo he used." She shook her head. "I'm not nearly confident enough to treat her with my half knowledge." She pointed right at him. "Can you really say you can help her right now?"

He shook his head slowly. "No." He raised his hand to his brow and wiped away some dampness. "Oi. I'm.." He shook his head. "kinda tired already."

The harpy nodded. "That'll happen for at least a little while more." Jack looked at her intently. "Your body is still unbalanced from the venom. And the antivenom treatments aren't exactly pleasant either." He lowered his eyebrows and stared at the foot of his bed unfocused.

"Stay here Jack. Rest up." She folded her arms. "That's the best thing you can do for her right now."

He took a heavy breath and let it out. "How's Dawn and Kuro?"

Her eyes fell. "Dawn's not handling it well."

Jack twitched an eyebrow. "Handling what well?"

Syleris pressed her lips together. "What she almost did to Tetra."

"Oh." Jack blinked. "Yeah."

Syleris shook her head. "I'll try to drag them away from Tetra's door and make them come see you. Ask her about that yourself."

He nodded. "Alright, umm...how's Sula?"

The harpy frowned. "She's...I don't know what's up with her. She's all mopey and weird." She glanced around. "Don't tell anybody else this but...I think she left the house a few times without letting any of the agency folks know."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "That... is weird." He shook his head, "Why would she risk getting into that kind of trouble?"

She shrugged.

"If you see her," Jack asked. "tell her I want to talk to her too okay?" The harpy nodded. "Is Isaac still out there?"

She smirked. "Probably." She turned toward the door. "I'll let him in and go find Dawn and Sula." She raised a wing-hand. "Oh and Professor Holden will want to know that you're awake. I'll give him a call."

He smiled. "Thanks Syleris." She nodded and left the room.

Isaac reentered and passed by Jack's dresser. He carefully picked up the family photograph and examined it a moment. "Found it, huh?"

Jack shook his head lightly. "Not me, but the crew that...that." He trailed off.

Isaac returned to his seat."So." He lifted his head at Jack. "When did you join the Exchange, and why didn't you tell us about the house?"

He dipped his head. "That's a long story."

Isaac folded his arms and crossed a foot over his knee. "I didn't get a return flight ticket yet."

Jack sighed and started from the beginning. "Remember that werewolf I told you about, at the place I used to work at?"


Dawn's eyes were dull as she entered the room. She only opened the door part-way. She could only manage to do that much.

The harpy sighed and pushed it open the rest of the way and gave her a little nudge.

"C'mon." Syleris coaxed. "I didn't drag you down here just to wimp out now."

Dawn plodded into the room and stood there staring at the ground.

"I'll leave you two be." An unfamiliar voice said from right ahead of her.

She blinked and looked up. A thin young man in a blue t-shirt and jeans got up from his chair. He nodded at Dawn as he passed her and went out the door.

"Sure you don't wanna race?" Syleris asked him slyly. "I'll give you a five second head start." The door closed on whatever response he was going to give. Dawn just stared ahead.

Jack didn't say anything. He got up from the bed, approached and hugged her. She stiffened and frowned, but didn't try to get out.

"Dawn, Kuro." He whispered. "Thank you. Thank you for coming after me."

She shut her eyes tight. "You... probably shouldn't."

"And why shouldn't I?"

She gritted her teeth. "Because...because..." Something wet ran down her cheeks. She shook her head. "I..almost...I almost ki-"

Jack hugged her tighter. "Hey, hey no." He patted her back. "Don't dwell on that. Don't think about it." He stepped back once and faced her.

She sniffed. "But Jack. I was so... so angry." She clenched her hands.

"Hey," He inclined his head. "Anger isn't a bad thing."

She blinked a few times. "It isn't?"

He placed a hand on her cheek and wiped away a tear. "No." He shook his head. "Anger is just an emotion, like any other." He dipped his head a degree. "It's what you do with it that's important."

I told you.

Dawn frowned and made a fist again. "But I...I."

"I know Dawn." He said quietly. "Syleris told me."

She shook her head. "I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have-"

We both did it.

She shut her eyes.

"Dawn." Jack leaned back and sat on his bed. "I don't know what to tell you to make you feel better." He snorted. "Actually it's kind of a good thing that you don't."

She rattled her head and looked at him confused. "Huh?"

He chuckled and held up a hand. "Well if you felt nothing, or gods..happy about it, I would be very worried." He smiled. "But you don't." He nodded at her. "And that tells me, that you're not a bad person."

She sucked in a breath through her nose and let it out.

Alright. I'll try to stop crying.

Want to swap now?

She took another slow breath.

Yes.

The conversion took slightly longer than usual. Dawn might not have admitted it, but she felt afraid to let go. To risk letting Kuro out again. To risk...

The switch completed and Dawn was no longer in control.

I'm sorry.

It's alright child. I'm not upset.

"Hello Kuro." Jack greeted.

"Hello Jack." She nodded. "It is good to see you well."

He nodded back. "Well enough." He paused a moment. His head dipped kinda low and his eyes fluttered.

Kuro raised an arm forward in alarm. "Jack!"

He stopped himself and gripped the bed. He rattled his head a second and then leaned back. "Okay." He exhaled. "Maybe not so well."

Kuro put a hand on his shoulder. "Lie down Jack."

He put a hand on his forehead. "Yeah, yeah." He pushed himself back on the bed and reclined. He stared at the ceiling a few moments.

"I feel kinda awkward asking this but...will Dawn be alright?"

Kuro smirked. "I believe so." She glanced down. "She's never seen me...in action."

Jack tilted his head down. "I can't imagine."

She prodded at him with her forehead. "I could help with that."

Jack closed his eyes and snorted. "Yeah, no thanks."

Kuro let her smile slip away and her eyes drooped toward the floor. "All jesting aside Jack...I can't quite believe I did what I did. Tetra's request notwithstanding."

"I think you'll have to settle that with her." He commented. And then turned his head. "How is she?"

"In and out of consciousness. Her memory's a little fuzzy as well." Kuro reported. "That professor Holden is confident she'll recover and her face shouldn't sport too nasty a scar."

Jack blinked and leaned forward. "Scar? What scar?"

Kuro grimaced and closed her eyes. "Before I..subdued them, they fought." She glanced up at Jack. "Marian used her claws."

Jack's expression tightened. "How..how bad was it?"

"Could have been worse." She dipped her head. "MON arrived and got her warmed up and tended to in a few minutes."

Jack took that in and stared back at the ceiling for half a minute. "Why did this even happen?"

Kuro glowered. "I think you need to ask Tetra that."

A knock on the door interrupted whatever he was going to ask next.

Jack cleared his throat. "Come in."

Agent Smythe stepped through the doorway. He regarded host and guest for a moment. "How are you feeling Mr. Keysman?"

He took a moment to evaluate that question. "Physically? Tired. Emotionally...?" He faced the far wall unfocused. "Confused."

Smythe nodded sagely. "About what I expected."

Jack glanced back over at him. "What was she even trying to accomplish? It didn't make sense."

Smythe held up a hand and retrieved a small electronic device with his other out of his suit pocket. "Why don't you start at the beginning Mr. Keysman." He set the small black device on the small table by the bed and pressed a red button.

The agent cocked his head at Kuro. "If you could give your host and myself some privacy miss Kuro."

She closed her eyes and nodded. Jack started to recall the end of the dinner from the other night as she exited the room.


"Are you certain about this?"

Sula kept her eyes closed and spoke into the receiver end of her smartphone.

"No Mama. I don't know. I don't know what I should do."

A pause.

"Have you told your host any of this?"

She sniffed. "I think he's still sleeping."

The woman half a planet away sighed. "Sula dear. Don't decide anything like this without thinking about it first. You don't want to do something you'll regret."

She gritted her teeth. "That's the thing Mama. I think I'll regret whatever decision I make. I... I don't want to leave and I don't want to wait around forever for a host again but I-."

"Sula...listen." Mama Daphne compelled. The lamia sniffed and clamped her mouth shut.

"Whatever you decide dear, we'll always love you."

Sula clenched her eyes. She took a slow breath. "I know that mama."

"We miss you Sula. We all miss you."

She nodded. "Uh huh."

"And it's not the end of the world if you fall in love with another man."

Her eyes shot open. "But how can I do that?" She almost screeched. "How can I do that to Yatsudo and John and Joseph and-

"Sula!" The voice on the other end commanded.

She grimaced as a tear ran down her cheek. "I love them too."

"That's the beauty of our tribe dear." Daphne stated. "We echidnas are so powerful and dangerous that only the most perceptive and kind men would see past all that and love us anyways."

Sula blinked a couple times. "I don't...what does that..?"

Daphne sighed. "What I mean, is that they knew this would happen."

She blinked rapidly. "Wh-what?"

"When you announced you wanted to leave and join the other humans exchange program, we discussed what that would actually entail." She explained. "What traits the man who would be your host would have."

"I..I still don't." Sula stammered.

"Your host would have to be almost exactly like our husbands, dear. Don't you see that?"

She almost dropped the phone. Her eyes widened and her breath caught.

How had she not seen it before? Jack's kindness, patience, generosity and compassion were almost exactly like her husbands. There they all were. All the things that she loved about her husbands, Jack, to some degree, possessed as well.

"Mama I..." She whispered.

"We were disappointed when you couldn't get a host right away dear," Daphne explained. "but not at all surprised." A beat. "We were afraid that you wouldn't find anyone to host you at all. That you'd return home bitter and angry. That you would give up on your dreams."

Sula shook her head. "But if you were afraid of that then why...?"

"We let you go Sula, because you were always the most sure of yourself. The one daughter of ours that knew exactly what she wanted and possessed the will to achieve it. The daughter that wanted adventure, that wanted to travel and see things her tribe had never seen before."

"Oh, mama..."

"And the Exchange was the best chance for you." Sula picked up more than a hint of bittersweet happiness from the other end. "Don't you see? We let you go, knowing that you might fall in love with another man, knowing that you'd be gone for months or even years, knowing that you might return home changed, because we love you."

Sula practically collapsed on herself. Her coiled tail just barely supported her torso.

"Oh goddess, I wish I could be there with you right now, dear." Daphne whimpered. "I wish I could hold you right now."

"Mama." Sula blubbered into the phone. "I love you mama, I love you all."

Mama Daphne sniffed. "I know dear, I know you do."

"Mama?"

Daphne swallowed "Yes dear?"

"Can I talk to...is anyone there with you?"

"Yes. Of course dear."

Sula heard some shuffling and someone else's muffled voice on the other end. Then abruptly:

"Sulie?"

With one word Joseph conveyed longing, loss, happiness, just about all the emotions that might be appropriate for a conversation like this.

Her breath caught and tears started streaming again.

"Sulie? You there?"

"Y-yes." She managed between sobs. "I'm here."

"Sulie. I love you. We all love you."

Her whole body wracked with her crying.

"We love you Sula!" Another voice shouted above the phone. "We love you Sula!" Another one said. And another, and another.

She recognized her 'favorite' husbands voices. The one's she spent the most time with. That she shared her most intimate thoughts and desires with.

"I-I-I m-miss you all so m-much." She blubbered again.

"And we miss you Sulie." Joseph's calm confidence, even a world away, helped ease her heart and mind. Much like Jack's did, that other night in the gym.

"We'll always love you Sulie. We are not jealous. That's not how we work." A beat. "This Jack sounds like a great guy Sulie. We're happy that you found someone over there."

"R-really? You're not angry that I-I.."

"Sulie, your mothers' greatest fear was that no one would take you in. But we knew better. We knew that someone would see you as the beautiful woman we see you as."

"Joey..."

"Please Sulie. Let this Jack take you wherever you want to go. See the world with him like you wanted."

She pressed her lips together. "I will Joey. Thank you."

"And when you can. Please come home and bring Jack. We'd all like to meet him. To meet the man that you risked yourself for."

She nodded. "Uh huh. I can do that."

The shuffling sound of a phone changing hands prefaced Daphne's return.

"Sula dear?"

The lamia took a contented breath. "I'm here mama."

"Feel like your going to stay now? That you'll tell him how you feel?"

She nodded. "Yes mama." She smiled. "Thank you so much."

"Good. Talk to you later dear."

The call disconnected and Sula pocketed her phone.

"Okay." She breathed. The lamia took a minute to calm herself and attempt to dry off her t-shirt. She opened the door to one of the spare rooms and entered the hallway.

"There you are." Syleris appeared right at her side. "I've been looking all over for you." The harpy glared at her housemate.

"Oh. Sorry." Sula stated. "I had a lot on my mind and I...needed to be alone for a bit."

Syleris frowned. "Well next time tell someone that you wanna duck out." She held a severe gaze. "I was about to tell agent Smythe that you might have left the house."

Sula sucked in a sharp breath. "I-I wasn't gone that long."

The harpy shook her head. "Whatever." She motioned down the hall with her wing. "Come on. Jack's up and he wants to talk to you."

The lamia's face brightened. "He is? Oh that's great."

Syleris gave her an odd look. "You seem to be doing better."

Sula closed her eyes and dipped her head a bit. "Yeah I...had a lot to think about." She lifted her head and faced forward confidently. "But now I know what I should do."

The harpy raised an eyebrow. "I think he just wants to thank you." She examined her housemate up and down. "If your going to do something else better keep it short."

Sula blinked a couple times. "What, why? You said he's awake."

The harpy raised a wing hand. "Yeah, he is now." She motioned her thumb as she made her next point. "That venom's out of his system, but he's gonna need to rest some more before he's a hundred percent."

Sula dipped her head. "Oh, right." She knew that from her studies. How could she forget?

"Humans don't just shake off that much crap and bounce back." The medical student explained. "From what I've been able to glean from Professor Holden, it seems that the antivenom treatments did their work but it drained a lot of energy."

"Right." Sula dropped her chin a bit. "I suppose...I can wait."

The harpy narrowed her eyes. "Wait for what?"

She shook her head. "Nevermind." The lamia slithered forward and approached the stairs.


"...and then I woke up here." Jack finished.

Agent Smythe scribbled more details on a large legal pad. "I see."

The agent continued making notes while Jack laid there. He stared at the ceiling and tried to think of anything he might have missed in his account.

"Alright, Mr. Keysman you've been patient and very cooperative." Smythe dotted a last sentence he wrote with a period and placed the pad on the table. "You may ask your questions..." He reached over to the black device and clicked off its recording function. "..now."

"First.." Jack turned his head toward him. "How long was I out?"

"A full day and this morning." Smythe answered. "Most arachne venom types are not lethal on their own. But you were subjected to a massive amount." He leaned forward and placed his hands together. "From what Professor Holden could tell, your body's immune system did it's job. But in doing so burned off more than an average amount of calories." He glanced down at the floor. "When our paramedics picked you up, you had a temperature of one hundred and five."

"Oh, damn." Jack breathed.

"Fortunately for you," He continued. "they had the correct antidote in the ambulance."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Is there something special about M-Marian's?"

Smythe noted his hesitation to use his abductor's name but didn't comment. "Arachne venom tends to vary between each subspecies." He explained. "but there are exceptions. Depending on the region they originate from some arachne might have traits that are closer to a separate subspecies than what's commonly found among their own." He lifted a finger. "In Marian's case, her venom behaves closer to a typical large breed arachne's paralytic venom."

Jack nodded lightly. "And that put me out for a day and a half..." He mused. "Who's been taking care of the girls?" He took in a sharp breath. "Oh and they left the house without me." He blurted.

Smythe smirked. "They are more than capable of feeding and clothing themselves Mr. Keysman." He shifted his legs and adjusted his seating. "As for leaving the house..." He inclined his head. "They responded to an emergency involving their host and did their best to...stay within your proximity."

Jack thought about the specific wording for a moment and then snorted. "You mean that, since they came after me they actually were within the law the whole time?"

Smythe nodded lightly. "As long as give your permission."

Jack blinked.

"Do you give your homestays permission to leave the house to accompany you two nights ago?"

Jack tilted his head. "Um...yes."

Smythe grinned satisfactorily. "Excellent."

Jack rattled his head. "I...wait. I can just give my permission ex post facto and.." He made an exploding gesture with his hand. "poof, no violation occurred."

Smythe tilted his head side to side. "I hadn't filed the reports on their infractions yet." He smirked again. "The current situation has monopolized my work-time." He rubbed a finger on his chin. "I might make a game of destroying those inaccurate reports."

Jack snorted again. Then he dipped his head in thought for a moment.

"But if I've been out..." He turned his head back to the agent. "Someone needed to be there for them legally right?"

Smythe lifted a hand. "Technically no. You and your homestays have not left the premises since we brought you all back here." He lifted a finger. "But I had a MON agent in the house at all hours. If your guests wished to visit elsewhere without you, they could accompany them." He placed his hand back down. "None have expressed any indication that they wanted to leave."

Jack blinked. "At all hours...were you afraid something else was going to happen?"

"One of my host's was attacked Mr. Keysman." Smythe eyed him intently. "Two of my guests are injured." He inclined his head forward. "Security is of utmost importance."

Jack lowered an eyebrow. "But you caught her right? M-Marian?"

Smythe closed his eyes. "Yes, she is currently confined to a secure location while she recovers."

"Secure location?"

The agent merely stared ahead silently. Jack sucked in a breath and let it out. "What'll happen to her?"

"Deportation." Smythe answered.

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Have you talked with her?"

"Interrogations are Agent Magnus' responsibility." He commented. "If anything relevant comes out of that, I will pass it along."

Jack grimaced and faced upward. "It didn't make sense."

"Perhaps not to us humans." Smythe posited.

He looked back at him. "No. I told you what Dawn said to her right? She totally called her out. Kidnapping me to protect me...like, what the hell?"

"I'd point out that Dawn was born human as well.." Smythe remarked. "but you are correct. Mrs. Peri and miss Kuro both expressed their perplexity at Marian's methodology against her stated objective." He raised a finger. "The full moon's effects not withstanding."

"Had she taken that pill?" Jack asked.

Smythe nodded. "Her host, Mr Tucker, assured me that he saw his guest take it."

A little sadness settled onto Jack. "How's he doing?"

The agent closed his eyes briefly. "Not well." He hunched forward as he elaborated. "Marian was a sure thing." He waved a hand. "She was rowdy and quite the handful at first." He smirked lightly. "As I'm beginning to suspect all arachne are." He continued. "But eventually she accepted Mr. Tucker's kindness as genuine. She in turn aided her host and sold her silk to the local lab. She got along amicably with their neighbors. Even spun clothes for the local children. She got invited to a few community events as well." He sighed. "Almost a year's worth of progress, gone."

Jack waited a moment before asking: "You think he'll stick with the homestay program?"

The agent dipped his head low and grimaced briefly, then brought it back up "I have no idea Mr. Keysman. Mr. Tucker..Henry, just lost his best friend." Jack blinked.

Smythe gritted his teeth and growled. "And the explanation for why she has to be expelled is so unsatisfactory as to be insulting."

Jack closed his eyes briefly and nodded. "You know him well?"

Smythe lifted his eyes and stared directly into Jack's "I know all of my hosts Mr. Keysman. And their guests and as many of their neighbors that I have spare time to visit with."

Holy crap.

Jack hadn't given much thought to the dedication the man in his room had given to the Cause. He knew Smythe was a professional, but he never imagined the lengths the agent went to for his responsibilities.

Then another detail struck Jack.

"How...?" He began to say. "How did she even know where to find me?"

Smythe was silent a moment. "Because I told her."

Jack's eyes flared out indignantly. "You did?"

The agent nodded. "You might recall Mr. Keysman, that Tetra expressed interest at earning an income." Jack glared but nodded curtly. "I told you that I would get details on how arachne silk is prepared for delivery." Jack nodded again. "Therefore I sojourned to Mr. Tucker's residence and asked to observe and record Marian's method."

"She showed me and inquired why I wanted to know." Smythe sighed. "I informed her that Tetra was staying in a local residence."

"You didn't give her my address did you?" Jack asked.

"No Mr. Keysman." The agent shook his head. "But this location is not what I would call conspicuous."

Jack dipped his chin. "Oh, right." He furrowed his eyebrows and craned his head toward the window.

"How did she get in?"

The agent frowned and crossed his arms. "That's still being investigated."

Jack glanced back over to him. "What?"

Smythe breathed in and out once. "Agent Serilla is confident she'll find out how, but the implications of her evidence are...not encouraging."

Jack lowered his eyebrows. "You're being a little too evasive Agent Smythe."

He closed his eyes and nodded. "The security on your window is the same system on Mr. Tucker's windows." He raised his head and met Jack's eyes. "We think she studied how to disable it at her residence."

Jack blinked a few times. "That...can't have been easy, or quick."

Smythe nodded lightly. "Exactly, Mr. Keysman. We believe she learned how to disable it there and applied that solution, or a variation to your window."

"But..she couldn't have done that in less than a day, could she?"

Smythe shook his head. "Agent Serilla's current theory is that she knew how to disable security around a window well before I informed her of Tetra's presence."

Jack felt something shift in the pit of his stomach. "She...planned on breaking into a host's house?"

The agent frowned. "We don't know that for certain."

"But that's the only explanation right?" Jack retorted. "Why else would she-"

Smythe lifted a hand. "We don't know that for certain, Mr. Keysman." He repeated. "It is only a theory at the moment."

Jack pressed his lips together and closed his eyes and breathed in and out slowly. He took a moment to reorder his thoughts in context with the information Smythe provided.

"Tetra..." He opened his eyes. "Do you know if it's true?"

"About her mother?" Smythe clarified. "No Mr Keysman. I have never met the woman."

"Did you ask her yet?"

Smythe shook his head. "When she was awake Professor Holden asked her several questions about the other night. He was trying to evaluate her mental state. Not interrogate her." He swallowed. "It's not unusual for liminals to not remember all their actions on full moon nights and Tetra suffered some extreme trauma."

Jack's eyes wavered with concern. "I know I keep asking everybody this but.. h-how is she?"

The agent smiled a bit. "Professor Holden is confident she'll make a full recovery soon. Physically and mentally."

Relief and exhaustion settled onto Jack simultaneously. He leaned back onto his bed and closed his eyes. "Good...good. That's...good."

Smythe nodded and stood up. "I'll let you rest Mr. Keysman. Thank you for speaking with me."

The agent was about to open the door when Jack remembered something else. "Oh wait." He turned toward him and lifted an arm. "If you see Sula out there..."

Smythe nodded. "Of course Mr. Keysman." He turned the handle and opened the door. Right outside in the hallway stood the lamia in question.

"Oh, agent Smythe. I didn't realize you were here." She looked into the room. "Jack!"

He smiled tiredly and propped himself on his elbows. "My hero."

She giggled and flowed into the room. "How are you Jack?"

"Really, really tired." He answered. "But better than I was, thanks to you."

The agent left silently and closed the door. Sula closed her eyes and smiled bashfully. "That's great to hear Jack."

He dipped his head involuntarily and snapped it back up. He blinked several times to refocus. Sleep was calling on him hard. "Gah..sorry."

She grabbed part of his blanket and helped him tuck in. "It's alright Jack. You get your rest."

"Yeah, rest sounds nice." He was about to close his eyes and slip into slumberland when he noticed something off about her expression. She was still smiling but..not. "Sula? Something wrong?"

She pressed her lips together and her hands clasped over each other nervously. "I.. need to tell you something Jack."

He leaned his head forward as much as he could. "Okay, what is it?"

She closed her eyes a second and breathed out once. Then she drew closer and leaned down over him.

"Sula what're you.."

Their lips met.

Tetra's kiss had a melting effect on him. Like he was submerging into a soft pillow. And it had a hint of chocolate.

Sula's kiss kicked like really good spicy salsa.

His body was electrified. Whatever fatigue he was enduring vanished the instant contact was made. She pressed in and practically pinned him by his head. He tried to lift his arms and push her off but they were covered by the blanket.

She backed off suddenly and kept a sweet smile on her face.

"S-Sula! What're you doing?" Jack exclaimed. "You're married, why are you..?"

She slipped a finger over his lips. "Shh, shh, shh. Rest now Jack." She replaced her hand to her side and started to turn away. "We'll talk later."

His eyes bugged out incredulously. "Talk later! How the hell am I supposed to re-aast.." A yawn interrupted his protest. He gritted his teeth and tried to glare. The spike in energy he got from her dissipated in seconds.

Sula giggled, turned off the light and slipped out the door.

Jack tried to lean over and fall out of the sheets, but his no-energy body wouldn't make the effort.

"godammit." He grumbled and settled back onto the pillow.

"How the hell am I supposed ...What the hell is she thinking? I can't...I can't..." Heavy eyelids brought a familiar darkness on his world. "Oh godz help me."


The hammock Tetra laid in wasn't one she'd made herself. The local hospital wasn't equipped to handle a liminal her size so MON brought her back to her room. Agent Serilla provided the suspension of threads she was currently residing on.

The worst part was the boredom. She was too exhausted to do anything other than eat and sleep. The human doctor, Professor Holden, gave her a shot of..something to help deal with the grogginess. Her roommates would drop by and assure her that Jack was okay.

Agent Smythe tried to interview her, but she wasn't in any shape physically yet to be very helpful. Her sleepiness made recalling details difficult at best and the only things she could remember clearly were feeling terror, anger, terror again, relief, rage and cold. Bitter biting cold.

When Dawn visited, Tetra asked about that and the poor girl nearly collapsed on the spot. She bawled her eyes out and apologized profusely for a whole minute. Tetra tried to calm her down but was still too weak to try and get through so she called for Syleris and Sula to take her out of the room.

After that, she fell asleep again.

A knock on the door woke her up and she checked the digital clock. Ten forty-seven PM.

"Tetra?" A male voice she recognized just barely got through her door. Her eyes sprang up and she propped her torso on her elbows.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?" His voice answered. "May I come in?"

"Yes, of course." She answered.

The door opened and Jack stood there barefoot and wearing light pajama pants and t-shirt. He looked much better than the last time she saw him.

...last time I saw him...

Her eyes widened as it all flooded back: His empty room. The chase, the bitch.

Jack was helpless, hurt, maybe dying in her arms.

Sula.

The fight, the pain...and then the cold cold darkness.

She sucked in a breath and leaned over her hammock "Jack!"

He held up his hands and power-walked toward her. "Don't get up." He reached out and grasped her hand. The warmth from his arm felt strong and reassuring. "They told me you needed rest."

His head dipped briefly and his eyes fluttered. "Ugh. I.. still need rest too."

"Jack." She pivoted her body and wrapped her other arm around his back and drew him in. "I'm so glad you're alright."

He smiled lightly and embraced her. "I'm here. I'm here."

"I thought I'd lost you." She said breathlessly. They held each other for a few moments. Then Jack's shoulders slumped a bit. Tetra opened her eyes. "Jack? You alright?"

He shook his head. "No." His face crumpled as tears started leaking from his eyes. "Tetra. I..I need you to do something for me." His voice cracked.

She drew back to look at him. His whole being looked vulnerable, raw, like a broken stick about to splinter to pieces. "Anything Jack. I'll do anything."

He closed his eyes and dipped his head submissively. He turned around in place and presented his back to her. She blinked several times. "Jack I..I don't know...?"

"Please Tetra."

At that moment, she understood. She clambered off her hammock and wrapped him in her arms and pedipalps. She held him tight and closed her eyes. "I've got you Jack. You're safe now."

He started shaking in her grip. He wasn't trying to get out, he was weeping. "Oh gods, Tetra. I thought I was going to die." His tone lost all strength. "I..I couldn't move and I was going to fall and..and...she..."

Tetra pressed her lips to the back of his neck. "Shh, shh, shh." She cooed. "It's alright now Jack. I've got you. You're safe with me."

He gripped her arms and let the waterworks out. He cried as silently as he could. She wanted to cry as well. But she couldn't. Not yet.

She had to be strong for him. She had to be his guardian. His protector. His keeper.

She had to assure him, that as long as she held him, nothing would harm him. Nothing would come between them.

"You're mine Jack." She murmured just below a growl. "You're mine."

He nodded. "Yes...yes...thank you." What little energy he had left had finally been expended. His grip loosened and she could feel the exhaustion come over him.

She pivoted her body again and extended a leg toward the open door and closed it. She adjusted her grip and held him in a bridal carry. She laid him on the hammock and then mounted it. She settled down beside him, pulled the blankets over themselves and held his head in her arms.

"I-I don't think I can sleep in my bed." He moaned. "I can see her...see her climbing through my window." More tears leaked out and dripped onto the floor through the hammock. "I dreamed it was happening again and I-"

Tetra squeezed him tightly and placed a claw to his lips. "Don't speak Jack." The arachne stated. "She can't hurt you anymore." She promised.

No one ever will.

Even as she said it in her head she knew that she couldn't protect him from everything. But goddess damn it, she was going to try. For the man that accepted her as a good person, as a good arachne...she would do anything.

Only after she was sure he was fully asleep, did she allow herself to express her own relief. Her tears dropped to the floor below and mixed with his in the darkness.

Thanks for reading.