DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE HOLLOWS.

RPOV

"What do I think?" Al laughed without humor. "That you are royally screwed, is what I think."

I stared at him, hoping he'll explain what was going on in that head of his. "Care to elaborate?"

"I believe that you, your elf, and I are cursed." He sat on one of his chairs. "But it's you that has the bad end of it." I blinked at him, and he sighed. "Trent and I aren't in any harm. Only you. If either he or I dream of you getting hurt, you will get hurt. If we dream of you being killed, you will be killed."

I stared at him, dumbfounded. "But you had a dream that you had sex with me."

He licked his lips, saying, "Yes, I did."

"So, how does that equate for me being in danger?"

Al looked at me, as if I hadn't thought of something. "Yes, itchy witch, you're not in danger when Trent or I dream-fuck you."

"So?" I asked, feeling stupid.

"Do you really believe that in my dream, I'll remember to use protection?" He said, and I paled.

"Wait!" I whispered, "Did you use . . . protection . . . last time?"

Looking at his knuckles, he said, "No. I didn't."

Full on panicking, I stood quickly and ignored the pain in my hip. Oh shit! What if Al got me . . . Ah! "Al!" I reached for him, pulling him to his feet. "Please tell me you have a contraception amulet!"

He shook his head. "Does it look like I have been having sex with demonesses lately? Besides you?"

I gaped at him, "We did not have sex, Al! You just dreamt that we did!"

"Which is why you enjoyed yourself, yes?" A smear of red ever after coated him, and then vansihed, leaving him in his normal green velvet. "Rachel, a simple contraception amulet won't hold off a demonic pregnancy."

"Then what can?" I yelled at his face, "please, tell me there's something."

"Of course, but why?" He asked, confused. "If you do indeed have gotten pregnant, the baby will be the first demon born in five millenium. You being pregnant would be a good thing. Every demon in existance would protect you and the baby. Whether it's mine or not."

I felt like throwing up. "Al! I can't have a baby!"

Al's eyes met mine. "You might be right. With your stupidity, she'll end up dying before she turns a year."

Affronted, I snarled, "Go turn yourself. You'll be the daddy. Why didn't you save her?" What was I saying?

"Because you'll end up killing me before I have a chance to see my child." Al rubbed his forehead. "Besides, I don't remember the contraception curse. I haven't made one in . . ." he tilted his head to side, looking at the ceiling, "Damn my dame, I think it was in my third millenium."

I glanced at his books, "Don't you have it written down somewhere?"

"Itchy witch, I didn't need to write it down. It's fairly simple."

"And yet, you can't remember it!" Oh God, I was going to start hyperventilating.

"You should sit, itchy witch." Al said, touching my shoulder and nudging me down, "You look ill."

I slapped his hand away. I didn't want to sit, damn it. Why the hell wouldn't Al write down the stupid curse?

"Because the demonesses were all but gone, and it was decided that if one of Newt's demon familiars could manage impregnating her, she'd want to be rid of it and so all contraception curses were destroyed." he answered. Clearing I had said it out loud.

"But Newt never did get pregnant. So she must have rememebered herself." I said, feeling a sense of relief.

"No, she doesn't. It was discovered after Newt killed Minias that Newt had cut out all of her ovaries when she had realized what we had planned. And then she cursed herself to keep the ovaries from growing back whenever she reset her clock."

Damn . . . Maybe I should have done that? "So, then no one knows how to make a contraceptive curse?"

"We've forgotten how to. I'm sorry, itchy witch." Al whispered, looking at me with pity. "Perhaps Trent has a book in his little hut."

"Trent," I groaned. If he has something, he'll give it to me. I don't think he wants demons to be born right now. Especially since I made him swear to keep the Rosewood babies alive.

"You need to warn your elf to not fall asleep. He dreamt that Ku'Sox went after you, and he might dream up something more grusome."

"Okay."

"I'll need to figure things out, so go back to your church." Al handed me my scarring mirror, tapped a line, then he dropped me off in my graveyard, my socks quickly getting damp.

The sun was just barely leaking through, and I wondered what time it was. I needed to get some sleep. I think I could because Al had said that I was the one in trouble. I walked around the graves, heading for the church. The kitchen light was still on. Pixies came to me, asking if I was okay. A few sat on my shoulders while the others went to tell their father.

I went up the stairs with my hip flaming. Trent pushed the backdoor open, almost knocking into me. He smiled and took my scrying mirror, asking, "Are you okay?"

I gave him a weak smile. "No." I slipped past him and went inside the living room. Jenks met me halfways, told his children to do a perimeter check, then took their place at my shoulders. I skipped going into the kitchen and instead went into my room.

"Rache, what did Al tell you?" Jenks questioned, flying to my dresser.

Avoiding to tell them what Al told me, I asked, "Where's Bis?"

"Sleeping." Trent said from behind me. "What happened, Rachel?"

"Umm," I went to my underwear drawer, grabbing a pair of socks, "Al said that him, you, and I are cursed." I sat on my bed and pulled my dirty socks off, then put the clean ones on.

"What?" Trent exclaimed, "How can we be cursed?"

"He says that you two aren't in any harm," I murmured. Trent's terrified expression turned to one of pure relief.

"But what about you, Rache?" Jenks said, flying to sit on Trent's shoulder.

I grimaced, "They are. Not me." Trent's face shifted back to terrified. "Apparently, whoever cursed us wasn't aiming for you two, just me. Whatever you guys dream something happening to me, it actually happens to me."

"Like with your hip." Jenks put in, "Al doing you . . . ? Holy crap, Rache! You had sex with Al!"

Trent came closer to me and took my hand. "What if we dreamt that you were killed?"

"I'd die." I said flatly. "And I did not have sex with Al!" I shrieked at Jenks.

Trent froze, his face paling. "Please tell me it was oral."

I looked at him, a bit shocked. What does he know of oral sex? "Ah, no." I finally said, my face flaming.

"The Goddess help me," he whispered.

Jenks flew to me, shedding black dust. "Rache! He might get you pregnant! We need to get you a contraception charm!"

"I'll go get one," Trent volunteered.

"No."

"What do you mean no?" Trent asked, incredulous.

"Al said that they won't work in a demonic pregnancy," I whispered, "He said we need a contraception curse, and they destroyed them all when they were trying to get Newt pregnant."

"Perhaps I have a book with the information," Trent said. "I need to leave." He looked me in the eyes, adding, "You should come with me."

"You should, Rache." Jenks said, backing him up.

"Okay. Just let me change." I turned to my closet as Trent and Jenks left, closing the door behind them. I put on some jean shorts, wincing in agony when my stitches pulled. I opted to wear a maroon deep v-neck shirt and put my favorite boots on. My hoop earrings went on my ears, my hair went in a high pony tail, and I put make-up on. I wanted to look nice in front of Trent, so sue me. With a sexy guy like that, a girl has gotta keep up.

I exited my room, and upon hearing Trent's voice in the sanctuary, and went there. He stood by Kisten's pool table, holding my purse. "I'm ready." I announced, grinning as Trent sheepishly handed me my purse.

His eyes traveled down my body, pausing for a few seconds as he took in my legs, then went back up to my face. "You look nice." he complimented me, smiling himself.

Jenks buzzed his wings. "Are you gonna leave, or are you going to keep checking each other out?" Trent and I continued smiling at each other, then we walked to the door. Trent held it open for me, and he closed it softly.

We went down the steps, on the sidwalk, and fished his keys out of his pocket. After hearing a beep, Trent turned to me. "You look breathtaking, Rachel," he said, leaning in to kiss my cheek. My jaw dropped, and he open my door for me. Smiling at him, I gently eased myself into his car.