In that split second before Fury was clear headed after time travelling Star was already plucked from his arms, Fury blinked and watched Sasha cradling Star to his chest cross to the couch where he sat and simply held her.

"You heal fast," Vane said and Fury observed that while he's clothes were still torn and stained with dry blood his skin was smooth and uninjured. Sasha didn't respond but shook his head while keeping Star in such a tight hold she could do nothing but simply hold him back, she rubbed his back whispering soothingly to him. Fury looked over his shoulder and his eyes found Charisma's, standing next to her was Blaze, he walked over to them.

"I'm surprised he let you heal him," Fury muttered leaning down to kiss Charisma.

"He wasn't going to, but we told him if he was needed to fight if we couldn't get Star back he wouldn't be any use."

"Ah."

Fury hugged Charisma to him whilst watching Sasha over her head, the wolf was pale and shaking as he whispered to his mate, Fury looked at Blaze and raised an eyebrow.

"When they let you out?"

"Since they realised they needed my ass," Blaze grinned, "what can I say I'm indispensable."

"Speaking of," Charisma pinned her sister with a gimlet stare, "I'm taking you back to the sanctuary."

"No!"

Fury laughed and looked down at Charisma who was still moulded warm to his side, she turned her precious face up to him and blew him a small kiss.

"See you later, my wolf," she said extracting herself with obvious reluctance from his side, Fury gripped her chin firmly in his hand and pressed his lips firmly to hers, his tongue sweeping in to tease hers, sweetly, briefly. He pulled back to give her a steely look.

"Come straight back."

"Will do, baby."

Without looking away from him, her sultry eyes promises midnight wickedness for him she flashed herself and Blaze back to Sanctuary. Fury felt a slight tightness in his skin, a tautness that would not let up until she was at his side once more.

Charisma parked her whining sister at Sanctuary and was about to flash herself directly back to Fury's side, she bit her lip .. Surely he wouldn't miss her for a few more minutes yet. Charisma flashed herself to Liza's doll store and pushed open the door to get inside.

She bit her lip as she examined the dainty dolls she would be soon buying for own little one, if it were a girl of course. If it were a boy … Daydreams filled Charisma's head until she was oblivious to Liza watching her from behind the counter or a dark haired wolf watching her from behind the glass at the window.

Dare curled his lip at the pretty blonde woman in the store, she was looking at a doll in a frilly pink dress that had hair long and curly like her own. She reeked of Fury. His brother was mated. Drawing a dagger from the sheath at his waist he held the blade so it was discreetly hidden by his wrist and made his way inside the shop, his eyes never leaving the blonde woman. His mind playing over and over how he planned to kill her and send her body back to Fury.

"Hello, my lady."

Charisma looked round in surprise at being addressed by such a deep voice, she stared up at the man in front of her and knew instantly who he was and what his intentions were in seeking her out. That alone made her blood boil, plastering a simpering, I'm-a-helpless-female-with-no-brains-look on her face she smiled up at him, for he had a good few inches on her.

"Hi."

"You're a little old for dolls if you don't mind my saying so," he teased in such a charming manner that it put Charisma's teeth on edge. He would be almost likable if he wasn't such a bastard.

"I'm not looking for me, silly wolf," she said sweetly and noted how his eyes widened in shock, her grin turned wicked. How stupid that he thought he could hide his scent in the presence of a goddess. Charisma caught the shifting of his stance, the subtle flick of his wrist that pulled forth the concealed blade, she let him lunge and flashed herself outside the store. She watched him spin stupidly, blindly on the spot before tapping on the window and waving like an eager child, Dare ran to the door but on the threshold realised the street was empty.

Charisma crept up behind him, thoroughly enjoying herself, and laughed lightly Dare roared and spun on his heel slashing with the blade. Charisma hopped and skipped backwards, her powers surging slightly, the chimes and tinkles of music boxes began to play while ballerina dolls whirled on their platforms.

"You bitch!" Dare snarled, sweat leaking from his brow, Charisma laughed mockingly, before opening her arms in a bring-it-on sign.

Fury tried not to pace, Charisma had only been gone five minutes, yet he couldn't shake a feeling that something was up.

"Fury, sit down," Fang groused from the sofa, Fury ignored him.

"Fang's right, brother," Vane muttered, wrestling with Quinn for the remote, "she's a big girl and a goddess. I think she can take care of herself. Give - the - control- to - daddy!"

Bride came into the room and took the remote from both of them and flicked the T.V off, she past Vane a glare before turning her eyes to Fury.

"Just go find her, okay. Your driving us nuts."

Fury did a one shoulder sort of shrug before zoning in on Charisma and flashing himself out of Vane's house, he appeared in an alley across the road from Liza's doll shop. The moment he stepped out into the sunlight he fixed his eyes on his mate through the window and almost fainted. She was fighting. With Dare! He gave a yelp and flashed himself in daylight to the store and rushed inside. His frantic mind not registering that his mate was kicking the male wolf's ass.

Charisma looked up from flooring Dare once more to see Fury rushing through the door, his face thunderous and savage.

"Get away from him!" he roared so ferociously that Charisma backed off automatically before she could remind herself that she took orders from no one. Fury marched into the room, his stride enormous, pure feral anger and intent to kill radiating from his skin, he was like the werewolf of legend. The beast was there in him distorting his handsome face so he looked neither wolf nor man but a hybrid of both. Fury stooped to catch a panting and thoroughly exhausted but not entirely roughed up Dare by the scruff of the neck, Fury glanced over his brother's face, a good few well-aimed jabs had caught him in the face but it wasn't a modicum of what he deserved.

"You come here," Fury growled, his voice gravely and hateful, "you dare to threaten my mate! I am going to rip your throat out and watch you drowned!"

Dare just laughed at him, and Charisma literally felt Fury's rage intensify until the room was suffocated wit it.

"You may kill me, Fury. But our family will never stop. You and your animal brother Fang and his mate, your freak brother Vane and his mate and mutant pup. Your whore, your sister, her mate! You'll never be safe! You'll -"

Fury cut him off by raining blows on him, Dare's body buckled under the relentless assault, it was all Fury could do to stay human. He felt his fangs elongated, knew that in his wolf form he was even more deadly and he would be unstoppable. Dare was most certainly going to die today, in the middle of this store, he knew it for certain.

Fury pulled his fist back, before he could let another concrete punch fly he felt a warm hand circle his wrist. Not even reaching all the way round the thickness of it Charisma's hand was so dainty neck to his, so soft and un-callused, such a contrast to Fury's clenched fist stained with blood. It seemed wrong that she should have to witness such an act, Fury stopped briefly and without looking at her told her to leave.

"I can't let him live and I don't want you to see me as an animal," he panted, the adrenaline pumping through him making him shake. Charisma stepped closer to him and stood on tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek, her precious, beloved Fury.

"Let me do this, my lovely wolf," Charisma whispered, "Death is a release not a punishment. To live is sometimes worse when you have nothing to live for."

Fury let out a shaky breath and pulled Charisma to him and buried his face in her neck, he needed then her cleanliness, her kindness, her light. He needed to bask in it and let it force back the centuries of loneliness and pain he had endured by those who should have loved him, needed her to wash away the blood from his skin and ease the weariness in his bones.

He was tired of being hunted, of being a hunter, he needed rest ….

Charisma let Fury step back from her and she fixed her eyes upon Dare who was laying heaving and bloody on the floor. His mangled face was unrecognisable as it had swelled from the pummelling it had been given, still the stupid arrogant wolf was able to spit out one last mocking comment.

"You are so weak you would have your woman finish me, Fury? Do you not have it in you to kill?"

Charisma smiled at him and she leant down so that he was looking through swollen eyes at her face.

"Big mistake little wolf, goddesses don't like their loved ones hurt. You should have been more careful who you tried to kill."

Dare's eyes flickered and Charisma rose above him, calling on her limited powers she summoned them to the forefront to deliver her curse.

"You, Dare son of Marcus and Bryani, Blood of Lykos in your veins shall never more know peace for the insult you have delivered unto myself and my mate. As you have hurt the flesh of your brother that pain shall rain down upon your flesh. As you have spilt the blood of your brother so to shall your blood be spilt. Where you have cast out your blood so to must your blood cast you out. You raised your hand to strike against your brother once, now you too shall feel the raining pain of hate on your body and soul. Only when you have a pure heart may your suffering be ended. So say I, Charisma, Goddess of all natural things, so it will come to pass."

Her speech ended on a echoing, ominous note laden with power and purpose, Fury shivered and with a flash Dare was cast from the room, the air cleared and Charisma turned to him, her smile shy and a little uncertain. He pulled her swiftly into his embrace and kissed her temple.

"Are you okay?" he whispered in to her hair, "is the baby okay?"

"We're fine." She waited a heartbeat, then, "that's the first time I've ever cursed anyone."

Fury felt his breath leave him, "you did good."

Charisma snuggled closer. "Thank you."

"What did you do to him?" Fury asked suddenly. Charisma raised her head slowly from his hard chest and pursed her lips as if thinking how to answer then shook her head.

"You don't need to know now, love."

Fury nodded and kissed her.

"When I saw you in here. With him, I freaked."

Charisma laughed. "You don't have to protect me all the time, you know."

Fury tightened his hold on her. "Yes I do. You're my heart and my life. I know we're not bonded but I don't need that to know that without you, its not a matter of can't getting on with living. Its that I refuse to do so, I won't live without you. Not without you."

Charisma sniffed daintily. "Well, in that case I think you better take me home and put me to bed so you can keep an eye on me. You know," she added briskly, "in case I need protecting."

Fury laughed and bent his head to kiss her again when the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them drew their attention. Fury turned to see Liza standing by her back door looking angry.

"She looks pissed," he hissed to Charisma.

"Your damn right I'm pissed, dog boy!" she snapped, wagging her finger in his face and throwing a dirty look at Charisma who hide her face and her smile in Fury's shoulder. "You coming in here, messing up my waxed floor, treating my store like some heavy weight boxing ring. You do it again and I'll book you an appointment with Dr. McTierney and see how you like that!"

Liza stopped her rant when the floor magically cleaned itself, she shot a half irritated half amused look at Fury who grinned winningly.

"Later Liza, got my girl to look after now."

Liza stared at the empty air after Fury had flashed him and his pretty mate away, she sighed, all things considered this was just another normal, actually quite boring day at the office. Who knew running a doll store could be so exciting.