{oOo}

On the fifth day of being stalked, her alarms rang loud enough to wake her from sleep, only to look up at Bile's face. Naturally, she reacted as any sane person would ever do. She screamed bloody murder and went after him with a... large mallet of crystal.

Dodging the first two blows, he was felled by the third. 'That... did not go as planned,' Bile mused, as he rubbed his bruises later. Who knew that women could be so violent?

Fulgrim dreamt. That, in itself was nothing odd. He was in his chambers, but they were odd, wrong. There were no pictures, only horizons painted on the ceiling. Two different beds, a heavy desk… And books, so many books, quite a lot of them on navigation, ship construction and similar things.

He faced himself, but he was wrong too. His armor was simpler, less ornate. The sword at his side was not Fireblade. The other Fulgrim had his hair tied into a simple braid and looked somehow… tired? Older?

They looked at each other-

Then the alarms rang and Fulgrim woke up instantly. The memories of the dream scattered, as he grabbed his sword. There was nothing here, so the alarm must have rung—

Ah. Beryl.

Several seconds later, Beryl was treated to the sight of Fulgrim's bare chest. So was Fabius Bile.

"What is going on here?"

"There was a pervert in my room when I woke up." Beryl said flatly, visor gone, hair loose and mussed. She slipped back to attention, back straight, giant mallet still in hand. "To be precise, I know I locked the door, and when I woke up, Bile was leaning over me with a scissors."

"Then I screamed and hit him." Into a wall, she did not say.

Beryl could be forgiven for assuming that Bile was a pervert, because the nightclothes she was wearing were certainly not regulation. However, it took a supreme amount of effort to keep her eyes on the wall, and not on her master's bare chest. Really, really, gorgeous bare chest.

Bile would have hidden the evidence; a stolen keycard, but Beryl had her foot on top of it. And incidentally on top of some of Bile's fingers to boot.

Fulgrim blinked, then brushed his hand through his hair. A pervert. He was woken up by a damn pervert. Then his eyes fell on said pervert. To say he was not amused, was like saying that Angron was peevish.

"Chief Apothecary, what are you doing here?" he asked.

His Chief Apothecary was a pervert. He could bet none of his brothers had to ever deal with something like that. Bile was a very good Aphothecary, but… Fulgrim felt the urge to bang his head against the nearest flat surface. This was so nightmarishly embarrassing.

Bile flushed. "I was merely going to take a DNA sample!" he snapped.

Beryl frowned. Her eyes were vibrantly purple and filled with a rage fit for Angron. "Leaning over my bed, while I was asleep, in clothing I did not intend to ever be seen out in." Her voice is a hiss, much like the steam making its way from a geyser vent. "I caught him with this keycard, which is firstly, not mine, and secondly, not supposed to be in his possession, am I correct, my lord?"

"It would enable the betterment of the geneseed!" Bile protested.

"Geneseeds come from males. " Beryl's hands clearly twitched as her grip changed, tightened on the mallet handle. "I am very much female. My lord, may I please hit him? Please?"

Her clothing was indeed something that most wouldn't even have considered appearing out in public in, being as it was a man's shirt, with the top two buttons unbuttoned. She wore shorts which had clearly been an afterthought, if the way the pervert in question was positioned as if to take a peek with the slightest move of the head... which Bile did now while trying to crane his head enough to meet Fulgrim's gaze. Beryl turned redder and thanked the gods she'd worn the shorts so quickly.

Bloody Warp. Bloody fucking Warp on rollerskates. His Chief Aphothecary was indeed a pervert and couldn't think of a good excuse. Fulgrim wasn't sure if he should cry or laugh, or be angry. The last option won in the end, because the other two were too embarrassing.

Bile suddenly found himself gripped by the throat and raised effortlessly in the air. "Don't lie, Bile," Fulgrim hissed. "You have overstepped your bounds by far. She is under my care—what made you think it was a good idea to sneak up here in the middle of the night? You. Have. Disgraced. Me."

He looked at Beryl. She was upset. Therefore, he was not going to growl at her and point out it was his Legion and she was not going to discipline his men.

Oh, yes, Angry Fulgrim was scary. Was also damn hot, though Beryl focused to squashing those Slaaneshi tendencies. I am one with my sword, she reminded herself. My libido is not supposed to send me after him until we know each other.

No. Breath.

Babiesbabiesbabies...

NO. Breath!

Bile wheezed .Flailed. "She's ... special. Psyker. Needed samples. Muscle would have been best. Blood. Bone. Wasn't cooperating when I asked. Avoids...Avoids me like plague."

Beryl folded her arms, eyes narrowed, waiting for the beatdown, either hers or his.

"Ex..Experiment. Would have shown you. Have... New geneseeds in the lab. "

Geneseeds tainted by xeno genes, Beryl would have bet her spare pair of brassieres on it. She might actually win.

It was the wrong answer. Fulgrim did not take well to being kept in the dark. Fabius Bile flew through the door and stopped on the wall only because it was reinforced. His body made rather a dent though. It also damaged irreparably several priceless artworks.

"I don't need a Chief Aphothecary who won't listen to orders," Fulgrim growled, emerging through the broken door. "Take him from my sight."

The last words were directed at the Phoenix Guard, who had also arrived at the scene of alarm. The Marines silently followed their master's orders.

For a moment, Fulgrim stood motionless, watching them depart. Then he looked at Beryl. "Father entrusted your safety to me," he said tonelessly. "From today, you will be staying in my chambers."

He was not going to fail.

Beryl winced at the sound of precious artifacts breaking as she did up the two buttons on her shirt. Only when she was sure that no one would be seeing down her cleavage did she bow to her master, in gratitude. "Thank you, my lord."

{oOo}