Mid-battle the high priestess noticed a Noir aim toward the fledgling with the affinity for air. She tried to get between the two but failed and saw Tilla fall, lifeless to the ground. Kaine shrieked and fell to her knees, eyes full of tears. Anmarie rushed over to try to keep the Noir from attacking Kaine, but Eos got in the way first. He only was bitten, but then easily sliced through its torso. He bent down in the middle of the battle to see what was wrong with Kaine, who was now unconscious on the floor.

Anmarie sighed in relief; she wasn't paying attention to herself and was grabbed from behind by a sick perversion of Siegfried and Sampson. He laughed. "I've got your priestess."

The vampyres closest looked at their priestess in fear, risking injury to see what was happening. Anmarie had a determined look on her face that could only mean one thing: they were to continue fighting and get out no matter what. The few warriors gripped their weapons tighter and continued the onslaught.

"It's been a long time." Sampson stood behind the monster holding the vampyre. Siegfried stood frightened at his side. "Dad."

The creature turned and frowned at his sons, still holding onto Anmarie. "So Siegfried has become a vampyre and now you're helping them, Sampson. Don't you think you've shown me enough disappointment?"

"I've disappointed you?" Sampson was angered and gripped the sword he had borrowed from the House. Anmarie nodded for him to swing, whether her head was there or not.

Not willing to see his priestess murdered, Siegfried tossed Sampson an abandoned firearm. Sampson whipped it toward his surprised father's head and fired a point-blank bullet through his skull. Anmarie squirmed out of the corpse, covered in the Noir's fluid. The Noir hissed in anger and fright, then scampered to safety.

Eos lifted his warrior with his uninjured arm, and draped her carefully over his shoulder. Sampson picked up the limp body of Tilla and motioned for everyone that was still alive to get out.

The sun was almost up when they returned to the House of Night. Circe and Eden turned ashen-faced as they watched the procession bring Tilla and Kaine inside. After laying Kaine on a bed in the infirmary, Eos himself fell, holding his arm and grunting in pain.

Draven managed to happen upon the infirmary, claiming the gift of healing. He proved it, though he was unable to help Eos or Kaine.

With no other fatal injuries, the vampyres and a few fledglings went back to their rooms.

Sampson stayed at Kaine's side as she mumbled. Cleo was taken aside by the high priestess as she made her way out with Draven and Siegfried.

"Wait until night to tell them." Anmarie smiled softly, tenderly, sadly. Cleo nodded.

Cleo found Eden and Circe sitting quietly in the breakfast hall with Kimi, not speaking and stirring soggy cereal. Cleo confirmed their original assumption of Tilla's demise, but informed the trio that Kaine was still breathing.

They burst into the infirmary where Kaine and Eos rested on a pair of beds. Sampson was holding the female's hand tightly but was asleep himself. Eden and Circe half pounced on him to question of their friends' statuses. Sampson knew that Eos wouldn't make it, but he had no clue about Kaine. He was possibly the consort of a vampyre that was dead to the world. The human couldn't bring himself to tell the girls that. He was allowed to remain silent because Draven conveniently walked into the room with a lab coat and a clip board. Kaine's priestess, ex-roommate, and undead friend gawked at him.

"Oh, and Draven is a healer," Cleo commented. "How are they?"

Draven yawned and then shrugged. "It's my first day on the job, how can you expect me to know what I'm doing?"

After being told by Anmarie that there was no change in the problem child or her fledgling boyfriend, they requested to go see Tilla's body.

The four fledglings gathered around Tilla's figure, which lay delicately frostbitten on a soft pine table. A terrible gash ran down her torso, staining the white stripes of her shirt a deep scarlet.

"We're waiting on her parents to decide what to do now." Anmarie explained softly, brushing Tilla's bangs to their familiar position draping her eye. "All parents know the risk of a fledgling passing. But for it to happen so quickly in battle... They were unprepared."

Eden started crying again, finding herself wishing that her roommate would come back like she had. She dismissed this thought; she was all too familiar with the pain of reawakening.

Anmarie motioned to another small table bearing Tilla's gun safely in its holster, and her yellow choker. "She left her belongings to you, Eden."

Eden shook her head, only sparing the objects a cursory glance. "They belong to Kaine."

Two days passed. Eden found herself often at Kaine's bedside, more time than she spent in the classes that carried on according to protocol. She looked down at the girl… lovingly. This shocked her-sure she had loved the girl before but this was different.

Circe and Kimi stopped in at breakfast, lunch, and dinner on both days. Cleo was dragged during dinner by her roommate.

On the third day, Eden walked into the room and saw Sampson lounged on a chair, asleep. Eos was on his bed, covered in the cold sweat of infection. What she didn't see was Kaine. The small powder room had its door open and the light on. Eden walked in and was hit instantly by the stench of vomit. Kaine was standing in front of the mirror, examining herself, as if expecting something new.

"Are you okay?" Eden asked. She almost cried from joy of her friend being awake.

Kaine turned toward her and smiled weakly. Her green eyes had a blue circle around the pupil. "I feel like crap, actually. And have a sudden need to watch Taboo."

Eden smiled too. Taboo was one of Tilla's favorite TV shows. Was Kaine punishing herself from guilt?

Kaine hobbled into the room and looked at Eos. She hadn't noticed him when she first woke up. She frowned and turned her head sharply from the bed. Eden asked about her status again. The warrioress wiped a tear from her eye and walked over to Sampson.

He awoke at her touch and looked at her disheveled appearance. He instantly bent his head back to make his neck easier for her to access. After being drunk from he rushed to their room to grab her some clothing.

Eden watched her curiously as she sat next to Eos, holding his hand, devoid of emotion. Kaine knew she was being watched but continued looking at the boy she had killed.

"What is it like to be dead?" She didn't look up at Eden. The red fledgling wasn't even sure if she was talking to her with the tone she used. Before she could answer, Kaine smiled, amused at an answer from someone else (It sucks balls!Since I've been dead I've had to take up residence in your sex filled brain. It's worse than hell! Tilla thought at Kaine.)

"I was with Nyx, but she told me I was not supposed to stay with her at that time. I'm sure it can't be bad if it's with Nyx." Eden said. She was a bit confused by her friend's actions. "I figured you would want some of Tilla's things."

"Just the gun."

"Not the necklace?"

"She wants you to have that. Wear it as a memento of her." Kaine smiled to herself. Eden gauged Kaine's unnatural happiness and concluded she would need to be relocated to a ward.

They sat for a short time before Kaine sighed and dropped Eos's hand. She kissed his forehead softly and whispered an apology into his hair.

Kaine walked over to where Eden was standing and looked at the girl tenderly. Eden felt herself blushing as Kaine brushed her cheek. Suddenly a pair of soft lips met hers and was filled with a whirl of emotions, being presented with the two halves of a soul she was made for.

As Kaine backed off with a smug smile, Sampson walked in with the clothes requested by the girl. Eden found herself blushing deeper than she ever had. She gaped at her soul mate, waiting for an explanation.

"Did I miss something?" Sampson asked as Kaine took the clothing and stripped, without consideration for anyone else in the room. She didn't look at Eden or her consort as she made for the door. Before exiting she threw a quick sympathetic glance at Eos.

She was followed by the pair. A smile filled her face as she listened to the hushed conversation they were having. Down the stairs of the infirmary and across the grounds, they stalked her and she said nothing to them.

Eden estimated it to be about the beginning of breakfast and grabbed Kaine's arm before she could reach to open the door to the cafeteria. Sighing, Kaine looked at her.

"Yes?"

"Why the hell did you kiss me?" Eden questioned. She was a bit angered by the lack of explanation earlier.

"You know damn well why I kissed you."

"So you actually kissed her?" Sampson asked skeptically. Eden scoffed at his disbelief in her.

"Why shouldn't kiss my Soul Mate?" Kaine asked nonchalantly. She shrugged. "Same reason I shouldn't drink from my consort?"

"Where the hell is all this soul mate crap coming from all of a sudden?" Eden snapped. Deep down she believed it, but her logic leapt happily in front of the joy her soul had experienced from the kiss.

Kaine counted on her fingers with an expression of deep concentration. It was broken with a sharp smile of amusement (I bet you look really funny from where they're standing!) only temporarily.

Kaine sighed and looked at Eden. "The book from Xia? In my room. I'm sure you've seen it."

"A book from Xia told you that you and me were soul mates? Is that what you're telling me?" Eden said it very slowly, just to make sure Kaine comprehended.

"No, a note in the book said Tilla and I am your soul mate."

Eden gave her a dead pan stare. Again the Vampyre sighed. (Hi Eden! Did you miss me?) "Tilla is in my head… She can't hear you, just so you know."

"Tilla is in your head but can't hear me?"

"No! Are you stupid? You can't hear her."

Sampson looked at Kaine worriedly. He then exchanged a look with Eden and prepared to rush off to look for Anmarie. Kaine stopped this was a tug on his arm.

"And where are we off to?"

"You obviously need help." The human frowned at her. "Witnessing Tilla die obviously did something to your brain."

Kaine rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, really. A bit drained and still slightly nauseous, maybe a little depressed or guilty; but otherwise I feel perfectly fine."

Her two companions replied in way of a disbelieving glance.

"Really, if I went schizo, don't you think it would be for someone I actually cared about? Like maybe after Eos passes have him in my head?" Kaine smiled. (Fine, I see how it is. Watch me not help you grind anymore.) "Just kidding Tilla. You know I love you."

"Eden do I have to kiss you again or will you believe me?" Kaine looked at the door. "Man, am I hungry."

Without waiting for an answer, she strutted into the cafeteria. Kaine grabbed a tray and smiled at the vampyre serving food behind the counter. Eden and Sampson watched her from the door, hoping for her to get her food and walking back to them. She didn't. The vampyre headed straight to the table that all their friends were sitting at. The two sighed and made their way over there.

"Kaine!" Circe and Kimi smiled and hugged her. Cleo smiled at her. "Are you okay?"

Kaine smiled and nodded and started on her food.

"Can we have Kaine?" Eden asked. "There are some nice people in white coats with a long needle with her name on it."

"Where is my sword anyway?"

Eden rolled her eyes and stood impatiently at the lack of being taken seriously.

"Circe, my dear priestess." Kaine looked over at her and her consort. She was looking back at her. "You would believe me about the existence of soul connections, right?"

"Anyone that was in the cafeteria the day you gave me your oath would have to be crazy not to."

Kaine smiled at Eden. "You know what, if you really think it'll convince me, go ahead and kiss me again." Kaine obliged.

"Fine, goddess. I believe you."

"Good. I'm going to go see Anmarie." Kaine kissed her again. "See you later babe!"

Eden then was left to explain the actions of her suddenly crazy friend. Circe managed to convince Kimi, Cleo, and Siegfried, despite not knowing first hand. Just the power of a priestess.

"So now that you and her are soul mates, are you going to start sleeping together?" Kimi asked innocently. Eden twitched.

"She's really good in bed." Siegfried said absently. He blushed after figuring out he had said it aloud.

After breakfast everyone insisted that Eden go to Kaine's room and wait to check on her. Eden sighed and walked to the teachers' dorms.

The next thing Eden knew after walking into Kaine was walking past her, stomach as large a pregnant woman's nine months into pregnancy. She had Sampson by her side. Together they were rushing for the door. Eden was confused.

"Come on! It's time!" He told her. Eden looked at him as if he were daft, which he probably was from spending so much time with Kaine. Poor bastard. She looked over at the calendar and saw that seven months had passed since her last memory. Blacking out for more than a few hours was weird and unhealthy and she just lost seven months!

"Apparently vampyre gestation is shorter than a human's." Kaine said with a smile. She held her bulge with a slight look of pain. Eden sighed heavily and rushed with the two toward the infirmary.

Anmarie was already there with a mask and gloves. Draven stood nervously beside her. In a flash Kaine was in a hospital gown and her legs were on stirrups. Eden felt immense pain and looked down and saw Kaine squeezing it with all her Vampyre strength. She would definitely have to talk to Anmarie about this blacking out later.

She also saw Draven on the floor unconscious, a shoe print, matching Anmarie's pumps, showed he had been kicked out of the way. Sampson was on the only side of Kaine. He wiped the sweat from her forehead like a sibling would. Kaine herself looked very pained, though that can be expected from child birth.

"Come on Kaine. You're doing so well!" Anmarie said in an awkward tone, from under Kaine's gown. "I can see her head. Or her head."

Eden twitched as Kaine squeezed her hand harder.

In a several minutes (or a few hours; I do not claim to be an expert on child birth since I have never done it.) Kaine was holding a beautiful baby girl. Anmarie and finally dragged Draven up to a bed to try to slap him awake.

"What are you going to name her?" Sampson asked, looking down at the mother and child. She smiled.

"Tilla. Tilla Capulet." Kaine replied. Eden frowned and wondered how insistent Tilla was being up there.

"Capulet? Why my last name?" The human replied. "You know she can't be mine."

"Sampson. Meet your baby sister."

"You mean she's that thing's?"

"Your father's yes."

"Can I hold her?" Sampson's face was filled with a range of emotions.

"She's beautiful just like her mother." Eden found herself saying. She bent down and kissed the new mother. Anmarie interrupted them with a clearing of her throat.

"Are two just going to ignore the mark on her forehead?"

"Of course not Anmarie. We'll deal with it, but right now let's just be happy about this new addition to the world."

Anmarie nodded and turned to look at the stampede rushing into the room. Circe and Kimi were fighting for the lead. Cleo and Siegfried followed a bit slower, and less aggressively.

All four rushed to Kaine to ask her if she was okay.

"Just fine. But I will definitely not be that again." Kaine smiled. "Damn you guys and being infertile."

They all laughed. She looked at Siegfried. "Why don't you go say hi to your new sister Sieg?"

"You mean it isn't mine?" Siegfried said, in a very mocking tone. As he went over to Sampson, Cleo followed him.

"You named her after me right?" Kimi and Circe said in unison.

"No. I named her after Tilla."

"I'm going to hound you forever for not naming her after me you know?" Kimi said, offended.

"You, I can hide from."

They laughed again. "So, how does Eden feel about being the other mom by default?" Circe asked.

"No one said anything about me taking care of the thing." Eden said in a defensive tone. She looked at Kaine and groaned. "I'm fine as long as I don't have to deal with boy problems or anything involving life."

"I was thinking more along the lines of picking up her up from daycare for beating up all the other kids."

"Do you want me dead?"

Eden suddenly found herself in the cafeteria, surrounded by fledglings. She looked around and saw someone familiar. Great now I'm going back in time.

It was Kaine. Her mark was still only that of a fledgling. When did she have her hair curly while she was a fledging?

"I can't believe Mom had you come baby sit me on my first day." It clicked

"Tilla."

"I know, I know. Don't argue with her right now. If you and Sampson don't knock that shit off I may explode."

Eden frowned. Last time she remembered seeing this child she had a normal mark. Geez no wonder Kaine was apparently unable to be argued with.

"I still don't believe you that she's losing it because she can't talk to the voice in her head." She sighed angrily. "After sixteen years I would think she'd be glad to get rid of it. It seems damn right annoying."

"Don't talk about her like that!" Eden found herself with her hand in the follow through of a bitch slap. Who had she defended? Kaine? No. The child was not saying anything against her mother other than normal teenager angst. Tilla, then. But the real Tilla was dead, long dead apparently.

"How dare you?" the fledgling threw her tray down and rushed off.

Eden looked around again. No one had a face. Just the marks on their foreheads.

"None of this is real." Eden started laughing hysterically. "Just a cruel trick!"

Eden opened her eyes at the touch of another. Tilla's face was hanging over hers. It was cold. The undead fledgling hugged her Vampyre soul mate tightly, almost tearing up. "We're out of fire wood."

At that Eden looked around and remembered the log cabin she was in and what actually had happened. She swung her legs off the couch and yawned. "Can't you do it?"

"I heard a wolf howl. I don't want to get eaten." Eden shook her head slightly. There were no wolves near Cove Forest(which is an actual forest!), much less in it.

"But you're okay with me getting eaten?"

"Exactly. And if you get attacked you'll have Baghera."

"Because my house cat would do more against a wolf than your fox."

"I'm glad we're on the same page here! More and more proof we belong together."

Eden, despite her efforts to stay inside, found herself in the middle of the woods, although familiar, scary and dangerous. Tilla's winning argument was that her soul mate would burst into flames if she waited till daybreak. This would leave dear Tilla alone. In the woods.

She could see perfectly fine too. With the light of the moon and everything, there was really nothing for her to fear. Plus, as a red fledgling her senses were heighted, plus as Tilla slowly got better from isolation and only occasional contact from funny accented humans; she had slowly gone mad. And there was the whole thing about being the established top of the food chain.

"The fudge was that dream about?" Eden said crazily to herself. She thought for a second, looking at the ground for any good kindling. "Why did I say fudge? I'm not a kid anymore." She looked over herself and restated that. "I'm not a kid in mind or spirit! Plus I'm alone in the middle of the woods! The birdies are not expecting me to be 'polite.'"

She stopped walking and stamped her foot on the cold forest floor. As if having turrets, she screamed, "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!"

On this particular night, our dear fledgling was acting even madder than usual, no doubt on account of her awfully confusing and crackfic-worthy dream that was interrupted. There's also the being a fledging for the past twenty-five years with very little change to looks would not do one's mental facilities any good, I would imagine. So all in all, our poor little child of Nyx is muttering to herself, wandering through the woods.

This dream was brought to you by the letter "M." A familiar but implacable female voice said in her head. At this she yelled up at the almost full moon.

"It isn't almost full, it was full just yesterday. It's now on its way to being a new moon, again." Eden continued her search for wood. Somewhere earlier she had picked up a very bad fake British accent for no reason. "I hate new moons. I hate the moon. They're so mean to me. The Goddesses, they've been leaving us alone. I must thank them for not coming to us."

She growled. "I hate the Moirae too! Can't I get some choice in my life?" At seeing a nice piece of a large fallen tree branch her eyes sparkled and she smiled for a second before continuing her insane, but well justified rant. "I love Tilla and I loved Kaine, but must my entire live revolve around them?"

"I'm the hand puppet, or guard dog depending on the situation, of the love child of Nyx and Xia! How do two goddesses produce a mortal! How the fudge do two females produce anything but nasty arse yuri!" She sighed in frustration. "There I go using fudge again!"

"FUCK! ASS! SHIT! BITCH! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!"

"I'm calm. I am perfectly calm." She smiled, very similarly to many crazed supervillians, such as The Joker, Santa, Your Mom, and Mojo Jojo. "No one knows where we are, Tilla is getting better and I'm okay with staying a fledgling. I probably only have one life left after my first run in with a bear, but I'll be fine. It's been almost fourteen years without any close calls with death."

Several more minutes of her ranting similarly to this passed without really having any bigger problem than her general loss of sanity. (Stay in school kids. Even if you're in your forties, wait until you look like you're ready to leave school. Don't wanna turn out like Eden hmm?) As she got onto her theory of Osama Bin Laden, Darth Vader, and Voldemort having an evil-dead-guys yacht club she sensed something unfamiliar and just plan odd. She dropped her wood pile onto her toes which she would complain loudly about later when her life might not be in danger. Let's be honest, she's paranoid and completely bonkers, it's probably just some migrated species of squirrel that she hadn't encountered before. She thought it was something so she stood battle ready, as the thing got closer and closer. Conveniently she was in a clearing.

From the trees came a boy. (One for Eden. Zero for Creager. Sucks when an author loses to her characters ) He looked tired and out of breath. He only stopped upon seeing the big scary vampyre. "Why the hell are you following me?" She yelled across the two meters they were apart. She followed this with an impressive growl/hiss thing in the back of her throat.

"I wasn't… I mean…"

"What was that?" Eden took a cautious step or two closer. "What the hell are you supposed to be? What kind of respectable vampyre has a target on their forehead?"

Again the boy stumbled in fear and confusion.

"I told them not to follow me. I told them to leave us alone." Eden looked around and sniffed. She smealt nothing except nature, herself, and the boy. She yelled to the tree tops. "I know you can hear me Xia! Nyx! I'm not doing your bidding anymore. Nor yours Lachesis, Clotho, Atropos!"

Eden looked at the boy again. She overlapped familiar features onto his face and hissed. "Get out or I'll kill you. Or your damned consort! Maybe a mate or priestess? Whatever the hell it takes to get you away from us!"

The boy made no moves to attack or defend. Only shock from his previous experience and current verbal thrashings filled his mind.

"Come out Goddesses! One of you! I know that you're fucking there!" Eden covered her mouth. "I'm among people! Fudge!" She laughed and repeated the word several times before being interrupted.

From the trees, nearer the boy than Eden came a large wolf with a gorgeously soft fur, the color of moonlight. It looked at the boy. The boy shuttered away. The wolf then gazed at the fledging vampyre.

"Eden, be still." It said in a beautiful feminine voice though an unmoving jaw.

"I made it clear that I wanted to be left quite alone." Eden said, glaring at the perfect vision of a woodland animal. "Though I'd rather it be you than any of your sisters, Luna."

"I do not come on a social visit. Blame others."

"What the fuck would they send you here for?" Eden laughed. "There I go with my swearing again."

"Your choice has come and he stands before you."

The boy stared at the wolf with an even more frightened countenance than before.

"Is there a decapitate-and-put-skull-on-stake-as-example option?"

The wolf looked at her seriously (because all of a wolf's expressions aren't serious. Does it seem like I comment in this more than I have in all of my other stories put together to anyone else, or is it just me?) "Would that get anyone anywhere?"

Eden sighed and crossed her arms. She had a mini temper-tantrum inside her head before glaring at the wolf again. "Say I would pick which ever choice is good and change-y –is change-y even a word? – what would I have to do? All of this being hypothetical of course."

"Of course." With that the wolf goddess changed into her less BA but still awesome human form. Much more comparable to her fellow moon goddesses while in a similar form as them. That day Luna had her color set to a lovely baby blue, not that that is relevant, but it's hard to keep up with Luna and Xia's wardrobe changes on any given day. "Help him. He's one of mine now."

"Do I get any equipment to do this with?"

Luna pulled a book out of a bag hanging to her side. She handed it to the fledgling vampyre and smiled. "One book and your natural charisma."

"What in the world made them want me to train something I don't know how to be myself!"

"Ever train a dog?"

"Yeah. I had one while I was human."

"Basically the same thing."

"Why did Xia have to go and start a war with them anyway?"

Luna stared at Eden until she frowned and shook her head in defeat.

"You have one month. I may check back on him then. Might not."

"Why one month?" Eden asked, annoyed at lack of directions. At least Luna was blunt about her lack of information. Unlike the riddles Nyx dished out and the mind rapes Xia gifted.

Luna was already back in her wolf form. She winked and ran away, shrinking rapidly into the forest.

Eden looked at the book. It was leather bound with a leather strap tied to a metal ring as a clasp. She flipped it over to the front. Two closed eyelids, that looked filled with eyes, were above the title. "How to be a Werewolf in a World of Vampyres and a Mirror or Two."

"Ah fudge…"

The first part, Eden's dream, was just something I did to relieve my boreom. I do a lot of that kind of stuff. Then I added the other part to make it a dream. It was just supposed to be the Alternative ending to "Kaine." Anyway, hoped you liked it! Now I have to figure out how I'm going to do the six different story lines... Reveiw please! Pretty please?