Kahrin sat on the edge of Saoirse's desk, lips pressed in a tight line, staring across the room at Finn who paced back and forth slightly. The worry was rolling off of him and she watched him like she used to watch some of the women in the exercise yard, eyes wide and eyebrow cocked.
"This is bad. It's very very bad. We don't even know what it means." Finn ran his hand back over his head, ruffling his hair as Pounce wove in and out of his legs as if trying to shed on him purposefully.
"I know what it means," Kahrin picked at a carton of leftover laap, sniffling over the ground chicken and heat on her tongue, wishing she'd thought to get more cucumbers. "They're down there, knockin' it around. I know I would be if I was just handed the ticket to the Forbidden Love of all Time."
Carver slammed the microwave door perhaps a bit too hard. "That's my sister, I really don't want to think about that."
"Then don't think about it," Kahrin smirked at him, sticking her chopsticks back into the carton and setting it aside. She lifted an eyebrow at him, tossing a bit of her hair back with a wink. "Think of something else."
His brown eyes glared at her. "You know I live down there, right? How am I supposed to go back down there now?"
Finn stared at first one and then the other. "Is that all you think about? This is important. The Oracles said that he's been released from the fight. The curse is gone, Justice is gone. He's free to live and die as a mortal. We don't know that they are down there … taking advantage of his situation."
"Yeah, buddy. I'm sure they're down there having tea and crackers." Kahrin crossed her legs and pulled down on the pant leg of her leather pants to straighten it.
Anders refilled his mug and then looked at Saoirse, sitting across from him at the little kitchen table. "More tea?" He smiled a bit nervously. This wasn't particularly how he'd wanted them to wind up when he'd gone out to find her. It was, however, where they'd ended up when one of them or the other had the good sense to suggest that possibly it was needing to be discussed.
"Oh, no. I'm … I think I'm sloshing a bit." Four cups in thirty minutes was pretty close to her limit. "So."
"So." There was a pregnant pause before he continued. He hadn't really thought this through. "Look, Saoirse, I'm sorry I kissed you like that." He pursed his lips slightly to the side, then stared into his mug.
"You are?" she looked up from her mug, frowning slightly, trying not to look hurt. "Oh."
"Well, no I mean, not about the kiss itself," he decided to focus on not crushing his mug in his hands while squeezing it in frustration.
She relaxed a bit, "Oh, good, because as kisses go, it was … above average." She ran a finger around the rim of her cup.
"It was incredible. I just … I think that if we rushed into this we'd be asking for trouble." He set the mug on the counter and put his palms flat on the table.
"Right, and what if the Oracles were wrong? I mean, they could be pranksters and-"
"Then we'd be right back where we started."
She nodded firmly. "And we'd be hip deep in "grr... argh" again."
"Exactly. We should wait and see if this whole mortal things takes. I mean, it would be unfair of me to wedge myself into this part of your life if there was some loophole to it all. And it might even be dangerous, because I'm not as strong anymore. I can't fight things like I did before and-"
Saoirse tightened her lips and narrowed her eyes. "Are you going to get out a pie chart? I really do get it. It isn't like I haven't known you for years."
Anders slid his chair around and pulled it up next to her. "It's not that I don't want you. I just need to make sure that you aren't going to get hurt if this goes wrong."
Saoirse pushed back from the table and stood up, circling around the table, her steps measured. "It's a really good thing I haven't spent the last year fantasizing about this exact situation a nonillion times, playing over again and again what it would be like if you became human, because the reality would be a real downer."
"Saoirse, I'm sorry."
"No, no, it's fine." She raked a hand into her hair, catching it against the ponytail on top of her head. "How does the mature plan work? Do I go back to my apartment, you live here with my brother, and you call me when you figure it out?" She waved a hand over her shoulder.
Anders got up and walked over to her, leaning against the fridge. "No, we can stay working here, we have to stay in touch we just don't …"
"Do it literally. I get it." She looked at his hand on the wall, then met his eyes, her face pulled tight. "How about if I go home for a while, and you let me know, OK?" She placed her hand over his and squeezed it slightly, trying to memorize the feel of it being warm.
"It's better to remove the temptation." He turned her hand over and laced his fingers through hers.
"Right, so I'll just go and …"
It didn't matter who started it because in the next moment her hands were in his hair and she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist and he backed her into the refrigerator kissing her hard. Looping his arms underneath her thighs he lifted her over to the table and laid her down on it, knocking the teapot and mugs to the floor.
Finn put the phone down and looked up at Kahrin and Carver. "Our demon has been spotted. Someone found her in one of the subway tunnels. We need to track her down."
"Great, let's rock and roll," Kahrin hopped down off of the desk and snagged her jacket off of the hook.
"One of us should go get Anders and Saoirse." Finn twiddled his thumbs slightly, looking between the two of them.
"Not it," Kahrin and Carver both said in unison.
"She's my sister, there is no way I want to walk into whatever is going on down there. I should be exempt." Carver crossed his arms over his chest as if that settled it.
Kahrin snorted. "Well, I'm not going down there. Saoirse's been repressed for like, at least the last year. No way I'm breakin' that sock hop up."
Finn's shoulders slumped as he let himself into the lift.
Saoirse laughed and scooted up to the head of the bed, pulling the sheet up around herself and clutching the carton of ice cream. "Am I dreaming? You've been human for like, a minute, and you have crunchy peanut butter on hand and strawberry ice cream in your freezer. The fresh churned kind with real strawberries in it. You are amazing, you know that?"
"I could really go for a sandwich." He took a bite from the spoon she forced into his mouth. "Mmm. Why did you never tell me about chocolate and peanut butter, or ice cream?"
"If you're taste buds couldn't really appreciate it," she took a bite of her own and continued talking around it, "I figured there was no point in breaking your heart over it."
Anders chuckled, running a hand through her hair and brushing some of the red strands from her eyes. "Well, then thank you for sparing me." He scooped into the ice cream with a spoon and dripped some on himself trying to get it to his mouth. "Damn. Looks like my human reflexes aren't as good as my vampire ones were."
Saoirse's eyes twinkled just a bit. "I think they're just perfect." She kissed along his neck, slowing at the mess of ice cream and sucking it up gently, making him laugh from the sensation and throwing her down to tickle her.
With his back against the wall in the kitchen, to safely avert his eyes, Finn cleared his throat loudly. The laughing stopped almost immediately.
"Uh, Anders. If you're not too busy, we um, we have some information on the demon that attacked you."
He heard Anders groan slightly, then get up, and a rustling sound that was hopefully him putting on some pants. "Where?"
Keeping his eyes straight forward and concentrating on the lift in front of him, Finn told him where they'd had it tracked to.
"Then let's go." Anders came into the kitchen pulling on a black t-shirt and grabbing an axe from the cabinet on his way by.
Saoirse came hopping out, pulling her skirt back on. "I'm coming with you," she called before they could get to the lift.
"No," Anders looked at her, his face pulled down. "I'm not strong like I was before. I can't protect you."
"That's why I have to come too. This thing might be the loophole we were afraid of. You need it dead, and I'm going to help." She pulled her hair up, and grabbed a crossbow from the cabinet then dashed into the lift, sliding an arm around his waist.
When the lift hit the office floor and Finn pulled aside the gate Carver already had a greatsword and Kahrin was stretching one arm over her head with the other, bouncing slightly on her toes. "So everyone is all dressed and ready?" She waggled an eyebrow at Saoirse who pressed her lips into a line and shot her a glare.
They weren't long in the subway tunnel when they knew they were going the right way. Carver was decided in his turns, leading the way through the dark. "It's this way."
Kahrin looked at him and raised her eyebrow. "And you know this because …"
"The blood. Whatever it is, it's bleeding." He shrugged, tossing the pommel of the sword in his hand lightly and catching it effortlessly.
"Right," Kahrin said, looking at him. "That really never stops being weird. Just so you know."
A rat squeaked by and Kahrin jumped suddenly, pulling her stake up, ready to strike.
"You can bring down vampires and hellbeasts, but a rat scares you?" Saoirse snorted.
"Shut up, Red," Kahrin snapped, still gripping the wooden weapon in her hand.
"Why did you even bring that?" Carver asked, using a finger to lower her hand. "We're not fighting vampires."
Kahrin glared at him, and it had almost become an affectionate look from her. "Because I know how to use it. And it travels better than your fightin' sword, Liquid Lunch."
Carver stopped where the tunnel split and ventured off to a sewer access. "Anders, which way did it go? I can't tell."
Reflexively taking a deep whiff, Anders nearly doubled over from the stench of filth and what was possibly blood. "I … I don't know. Oh, the smell …"
Saoirse ran a hand over his back and tried to help him stand upright. "It's all right. It takes getting used to." She glanced up at Carver and Kahrin and pointed down the sewer. "Why don't you two go that way, while Finn and Anders and I will continue on up the subway here?"
Carver nodded once, firmly, and Kahrin gave Saoirse a mocking salute before she turned on her wide-heeled boot and strode down the left part of the tunnel. Carver shrugged at his sister and then took off after her, catching up easily with his long stride.
They weren't long in the subway tunnel when Finn thought he heard the hissing of something ahead. "I do not believe we are alone. Whatever that is sounds injured." He pulled his gun out of his jeans as he crept along, close to, but not touching the wall.
Anders hefted his axe in his hands, frowning slightly at how heavy it felt in his hands. Had it always been this heavy? He stood clear of Saoirse and gave it a practice swing to test his strength. He was weaker, there was no mistaking that.
Maybe it was because he was distracted by his self-described wimpy arms, or maybe it was because none of them had his keen vampire senses any longer, but the demon seemed to leap out of nowhere, and with a blast of magic she flung Finn against the wall. After the impact he seemed to shake himself off and let a round go into the demon's shoulder.
Anders swung at her, and she ducked under it easily, laughing despite the still-open wound in her middle from the day before. She stared at him intently as if she was reading something inside him and he lashed out again in a wide arc with the axe, which she dodged easily. "You are unwilling to make the trade. Fascinating."
Saoirse managed to get one arrow nocked into her crossbow and raised it up to sight. The arrow flew true and lodged itself in the demon's neck. She let out a shrill shriek, whipping around and glaring at Saoirse, and swung her hand out, sending the red head back against the wall with a resounding thud.
It was enough to distract Anders, his head whipping around just in time to see her head crack against the wall, and enough of an opening that the demon kicked the axe from his grasp and began landing blows against him, some of which he blocked, and some which he was too slow to avoid.
Finn fired off two more rounds, and the demon finally turned and went after him, allowing Anders time to get up and jump on her back. As she swiped at Finn with slightly clawed hands, Anders grabbed her head and twisted it hard, the sound of bone crunching and snapping making him nauseous.
Anders crouched down slowly and stiffly besides Saoirse, already feeling the aches and bruises from the battle. She made an effort to sit up, wincing and clearly dizzy. A dribble of blood came from her ear.
"You're hurt," Anders frowned at her.
"It's … not that bad. I've had worse. You've given me worse," she tried to smile but the dizziness was obvious. She took Finn's hand and accepted his help up off of the floor, grabbing her forehead when she was upright. "I'm fine. Really, stop looking at me like I'm going to fall over dead."
She'd had worse headaches lately. This was nothing.
Anders watched her walk ahead of them slightly, rubbing at his injured shoulder and walking alongside Finn with a noticeable limp. "I need to see the oracles again," he said just for Finn's ears.
Finn gave him a puzzled look. "The Oracles? Anders, they aren't going to like being-"
"Make it happen, Finn." He looked ahead as Saoirse paused, getting her bearings again, and continued walking. "I think I just found the loophole."