Disclaimer: None of the Benedicts/the Savant World belong to me – all rights to Joss Stirling : )

I want to say a big Thank You to sevenofdiamonds7 for letting me 'borrow/mention' her made up soulfinders Saffron and Rogue (+Samuel) for Uriel and Victor respectively :) The stories 'Rescuing Rogue' and 'Sunny Saffron' are amazing - please go and check them out - but only after reading this chapter first ;)

Chapter Three

"Ugh, you won't believe the day I've had" I start rambling the moment I close the door and toss my bag and shoes into the corner. "First, Patricia spilt her coffee all over my keyboard and then the new designs came in and – What is that?"

I followed the smell of freshly-cooked lasagne to the kitchen where Xav is leaning against the dishwasher, checking his phone. At least I think it's Xav because the man standing in our kitchen has got …

"What is what?" He asks innocently and puts his phone to pull me into a kiss. Xav's kisses always knock me off my feet but even this one can't distract me from the things I've just seen...

"The hair…" I just say and give his forehead a little poke as if to check whether this is not a dream. Because where there used to be long, sexy, brown hair, there is now … short, sexier, brown hair.

"Felt like a change" Xav shrugs and pulls me in for a kiss again. I back away again, unable to keep my eyes off of his head.

"C'mon, darlin', it's just a haircut."

Ha! Xav is insecure about whether I'll like it. Normally, he would boast about it and shove it in my face, but …

"You wanna know what I think?" I ask and grin up at him.

"No, actually I just want to give my beautiful and sexy soulfinder a welcome-home-kiss" He answers and steals a quick kiss before I begin to stare at him again.

I have no idea why I'm doing it but his hair is sooo fascinating. With his long hair, he looked like some kind of rogue pirate or troubadour, wild and free. Now, he resembles, I dunno, some mysterious spy or police officer. And I have to admit, the haircut has set free a ton of butterflies and sparks in my stomach.

"Talking of sexy", I say and press myself closer to him. "That haircut is just beyond –"

"Yes! I knew it!" He yells and I groan. I should have known, making him a compliment would be so bad for him.

"I was about to say that that haircut is beyond – ridiculous" I know even as I say it that my attempt at taking back the compliment is laughable.

"Yeah yeah whatever, Cupcake" Xav laughs and slings his arm around my shoulder, "I know I'm irresistible."

"Not as irresistible as that lasagne. Mmmh, it smells delicious" I ignore his comment, knowing that whatever I say will be turned into an ego-booster for him, and bend down to get the lasagne out of the oven.

"We should start ranking the Benedict brothers according to their hairstyle", I say, making the women of the Benedict family giggle. The whole family has come out for Easter and the apartment is bursting at the seams. The others reacted similarly to Xav's new haircut as I did and teased him for a while, though Xav being Xav gave back as good as he got. I still haven't given my full approval – though the new haircut is insanely hot, I don't want him to get even more of a confidence boost than he already does every day from his female co-workers and patients. Xav nudges my foot under the table and eyes me suspiciously.

Rogue laughs and bounces Samuel up and down on her knee.

"Well, go on, Crystal. Who is your favourite haircut brother?"

"Yves…" Yves looks quite embarrassed as Phee ruffles his hair adoringly. "Trace…" I say and wink at Diamond. "Uriel…", Xav smirks at me and reaches up to fix his own hair while Saffron gives Uriel a kiss on the cheek. "Victor…" Vic laughs and bends down to high-five baby Samuel. "Will" Will grins widely while Xav's grin is slowly fading. This is the moment: Zed and Xav are staring at each other so intently, you would think this is a game of poker and not a competition about who's got the best hair.

You wouldn't dare, Cupcake. Xav's voice is slightly tense but he tries to cover it up with a jokingly warning voice.

Call me Cupcake again and I would.

C'mon, Beauty. I can't lose to Zed in the hair department.

We'll see about that, won't we, Kermit?

"Zed, then Xav" I say aloud and smirk at Xav as Zed high-fives Sky.

I'll make you regret that, Beauty.

C'mon, Xav, I bet Androcles didn't have a 'women-throw-themselves-at-his-feet' hairstyle.

Xav just glares at me and stands up to get Saffron another glass of water.

He still seems to be pissed when I climb into bed that evening and doesn't even put down his textbook to start 'our evening activities' as he usually puts it.

"Since when do you care what anyone thinks about you?" I ask and a small part of me wonders whether I've gotten myself in more trouble than before with that question

"Since you're my soulfinder and I value the opinion of the girl I love, okay?" I've never seen Xav outright angry at me, except for that time in Venice.

"Sorry" I say in a small voice and reach up to stroke his hair. I realize that today's dinner antics went too far. He grumbles and puts his textbook on the bedside table.

"Yeah, well. Whatever."

"Besides. I was just kidding" I say and turn on my side to face him. "I think that your hairstyle is incredibly hot and makes you look very … desirable"

Xav lets out a sudden laugh at my choice of words and flips us over so that he's hovering over me.

"Now that's the 'sorry' I was looking for!" He says and captures my lips in a passionate kiss. Boy, this is definitely the upside of fighting so often.

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