A/N: I know, it's a really quick update, but my mind wouldn't let me sleep until I got this chapter done. I was so excited to write this, and I'm excited to see your reactions! Well... Read...?

Anyhoo, enjoy^^

...

Aerius came into the living quarters and sat across the table from me. I knew that he had just eaten; from where I sat I could see the slightly purplish color of his eyes.

"What did you do to Arquen?" he asked in a curious voice tinted with authority.

I stared him down, biting hard into a pear. "Did you read the note?"

"No."

"Read it, and you'll know." I said calmly. The staring contest continued for a moment before he opened the neatly folded paper.

"It looks like I wrote it." he mumbled curiously.

"I know. It took me an entire day to write."

His eyes came up to mine. "You spent a whole day writing one letter?"

I smiled. "Stop asking questions and just read the damn thing."

He rolled his eyes and I watched as he skimmed through the letter. There was a devious grin beginning to cross his face, whether he knew it or not. He looked up at me and opened his mouth to say something...

But that's when Arquen decided to walk up behind his chair. He closed his eyes, sighing, and his teeth found each other with an audible click.

"Oh, good, you've read it," she sang, sending me a glare in the process. "What do you think?"

He looked at me with a conspirator's smile and answered, "I think it's a great idea."

She looked utterly flabbergasted. "Wh... What?"

"It's perfect," he reiterated, looking up at her. "I can handle the Sanctuary just fine. Domitius will be my Silencer when he has enough experience, and Ri'Baadat doesn't have one of his own. You're highly qualified for the position."

"But the Night Mother appointed me as your guide," she just about whined, her bottom lip protruding slightly in a pout. "What happened to that?"

"What happened to the fifth tenet," I mumbled, loud enough for them to hear. Aerius looked at me like I was a genius, and Arquen looked at me like she was going to kill me.

"I was convinced that he was the traitor. The whole Hand, or what was left of it," she added with a quick look at Aerius, "agreed with me."

A rather pissed look came over the Listener. "And you were so excited to do so that you couldn't wait for his Silencer to arrive with evidence against the psychotic impostor."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Face it, Arquen," he snarled, narrowing his eyes to enraged slits. "You knew he wasn't the traitor at all. Bellamont was outwardly insane. You just wanted Lucien out of the way so you would be made Listener."

She said nothing.

I looked between the two of them, slightly scared but thoroughly intrigued. It looked like a fight could break out at any moment.

After almost two minutes of utter silence Aerius chuckled. "I knew it. I want you gone by morning," he told her, walking back to the table.

"No."

This made him stop in his tracks. "What?"

"Third tenet," I said under my breath.

"I'm not going anywhere, Aerius," she finalized, crossing her arms. "Wrath of Sithis be damned, this job was ordained to me by the Night Mother herself. I'm not going to leave on account of a vampire Listener who's out to avenge his dead lover."

In one quick, fluid motion, his hand flew up and back across her cheek. I winced at the resounding CRACK and she fell back on her ass. He moved to stand over her, looking like the very form of death, and picked her up by the front of her robe.

"Don't. You. Ever. Speak of me like that again," he hissed through his teeth, sending shivers down my spine with every word he spoke. My eyes were the size of plates, and I didn't even notice when the pear slid out of my hand.

"You were made my servant and guide because the Night Mother thought you useful, but now you are simply a thorn in my side. I do not need you to be here, nor do I want it. So do as I say and leave, or I won't leave your judgment to the Wrath of Sithis."

With that he let her go, and she fell back to the ground. He ghosted around the corner and I followed. In the main hall Rasei paced across the red carpet. He opened his mouth to speak, but I warned him how it would end with a look, and he just walked away. I followed Aerius down to his quarters. He perched himself on the very edge of the stone block he called a bed, elbows on his knees and chin on his fists.

"Aerius...?" I murmured, reaching up to push his hood away. His eyes seemed even more red than usual.

"I swear to Sithis I'll hurt that woman," he growled, his eyes focusing on something beside my head.

"Don't think about it," I said calmly, pulling his arms away. Once the space was free of obstruction I put my arms around his shoulders and pulled him into the softest, sweetest kiss I could administer.

I felt him loosen under my forearms, felt the tension in him flow away as he sighed against my tongue. Arquen was only a name, the Sanctuary just some far away place that we had never heard of.

There was me, and him, and that was good enough for us.

...

"Listener! Listener, can you hear me?"

I blinked a few times, trying to focus my vision. I was going to get up, but there was a warm body curled into mine, and I really didn't want to leave the comfortable heat...

Honestly, being Listener was so annoying sometimes.

Nevertheless I leaned down a little. "Domitius, wake up," I murmured. He moaned in protest, but his bright blue eyes opened and he blinked at me.

I stood from the stone and brushed off my robes - had I fallen asleep in them? - so I at least looked somewhat presentable for whoever was waking me. But I couldn't stop the humongous yawn that bubbled up my throat when I opened the door for Arya. "Yes?"

"Um, I'm sorry to wake you," she said rather awkwardly, "But I think something is wrong with Arquen."

Ugh, it was too early to be hearing that name. That is, my biological clock thought as much. "Why do you think that?"

"She won't answer her door, Listener."

I sighed, muttered, "maybe she's sleeping," under my breath, and left my room with her. I heard Domitius get up and walk behind me as we went up the stairs to Arquen's room.

Arya knocked on the door with a shout of, "Arquen, can you hear me?"

When she got no answer she looked at me hopelessly. With a sigh I crouched down and picked the lock (beating my own record time in the process) and it opened with a heavy thunk. Arya took one step in, gasped, then ran back out.

Domitius and I locked eyes for a moment, and we both went inside.

Arquen was dead, laying haphazardly on the floor with blood pooling around her. Her elven dagger lay inches from her pale fingers, and there was a bit of ectoplasm on the blade.

"We told her," Domitius mumbled, "She disobeyed the Tenets."

"The Wrath of Sithis..." it was out of my mouth before I even knew it. There were footsteps behind me - the entire Sanctuary was crowded into the doorway. I turned to them. "Everyone can see the result of disobeying the Tenets. The Wrath of Sithis spares no one. Now move; we need to get the body out of here."

The only thing I was sorry for was the fact that Ri'Baadat wouldn't be getting a Silencer now.

...

A/N: MWAHAHAH Arquen's finally met her end. And Aerius doesn't feel bad in the slightest X3

For those of you who are less savvy with the Tenets, here they are:

1. Never dishonor the Night Mother. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis.

2. Never betray the Dark Brotherhood or its secrets. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis.

3. Never disobey or refuse to carry out an order from a Dark Brotherhood superior. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis.

4. Never steal the possessions of a Dark Brother or Sister. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis.

5. Never kill a Dark Brother or Sister. To do so is to invoke th Wrath of Sithis.

And through the PC system, I believe there is another:

6. Never kill yourself. To do so is to invoke the Wrath of Sithis.