When I opened the ward door to Gabriel's private ward, I was surprised to hear a soft female voice speaking. I recognized the voice, but couldn't place it as I approached the white curtain that was pulled shut hiding Gabriel's bed from view. I grasped the curtain and pulled it open carefully. My heart skipped a beat and sunk into my stomach as my eyes fell on the woman sitting next to Gabriel's bed, across from where I stood. My blood ran cold as my niece's mismatching eyes met mine.

Gabriel was sitting up in the bed, propped by a number of pillows behind his back, and his arms folded over his chest. My heart lifted at the sight of him. His dark brown, grey stained, hair had grown in long enough to cover his eyes, but he constantly brushed it out of the way like an American teen-heart-throb. It had been three days since he shaved, his five o'clock shadow made him look dashing. He was smiling at me, with charming warm brown eyes that reminded me of hot chocolate and Christmas. He had been in St. Mungo's for over a week and a half now and this was the first day I had seen him sitting up.

"Cadence," he smiled at me.

"Hello," I said delicately as my eyes turned back to my niece. "Who's presences are we graced with today?"

"It's me Aunt Cadence," Haiden said very carefully.

I bowed my head as I stepped next to Gabriel's bed. I leaned over him, kissing his forehead as my fingers traced down his tattooed arm. He unfolded his arms, allowing me to take his hand with a squeeze.

"How can we be sure of that?" I whispered.

"It's Haiden," Gabriel replied with a gentle smile. "Divinity and Persephone have not been here at all."

"Are you sure?"

Haiden smiled as she leaned forward, placing her elbows on the bed. "I admire your caution, Aunt Cadence."

I looked at my niece. Haiden Drake was a beautiful young woman made of contradictions, which fit her personality perfectly. Her hair was half blonde and half brown, currently all of it was beautifully curled, but usually the brown hair was wavy while the blonde was pin straight. Her eyes were mismatching, like her fathers, one was brilliant crystal blue and the other dark forest green. At first glance, she was startling; almost frightening, but now I was familiar to the mismatch stare. It no longer unsettled me.

To a stranger or Muggle, Haiden would appear as a schizophrenic who suffered from multiple personality disorder. In truth, Haiden had developed multiple personalities because she was kidnapped when she was a toddler and recondition while being raised by a family of Death Eaters. Voldemort performed experimental spells on her, hoping to extend her life and insure his own survival. While Haiden appeared to be the same age as Carrigan, thirteen, she was really eighteen or nineteen. No one seemed to know for sure how old she was.

By blood, Haiden was also blessed with the ability to foresee. I didn't understand how she had come to exist, but the power of premonitions had been passed down from her father, my half-brother by Voldemort. Supposedly, her mother was a powerful goddess who also provided her with mysterious powers. Because of her strength and powers, Gabriel was destined to be her Guardian, like he was mine. But Divinity, the Death Eater personality within Haiden, had fallen from the path, removed herself, and refused to learn. Despite that, she still shared a strong bond with Gabriel.

It was hard to say how much of Haiden's story was true, which parts were embellished, and which parts were complete fantasy. But, if it truly was Haiden who sat across from me, then she was someone we could trust. When she was kidnapped, Haiden was pushed into the subconscious of her being and Divinity overcame her. For most of her life, Divinity controlled her mind and body and lived life as the rich, spoiled, nasty daughter of a well-off Dark Magic family. When Divinity was in control, her physical appearance was different from Haiden's. Divinity appeared more regal and poised. Haiden always appeared to be more of a free-spirit.

Over the last few months Haiden has been fighting to diminish Divinity's control and regain power of her own body and mind. Divinity is a Death Eater, follower of her grandfather Voldemort, while Haiden is a good-hearted young woman who supports the Order of the Phoenix. Persephone is the identity of the Seer inside of Haiden, who occasionally emerges to warn us of upcoming cataclysmic events.

"Can't blame me," I shrugged. "How'd you get here?"

"I may look young, but I am old enough to know how to Apparate."

"Where do your parents think you are?"

"They think I'm visiting a friend in south London," Haiden shrugged as her fingers pulled at the sleeves of her black blouse. "Which isn't a lie."

Her smile was priceless. It reminded me of her father, Braven. It revealed her perfectly straight white teeth and a bit of her cheeky personality. I couldn't help but smile at her.

"How are you feeling, Gabriel?"

"Like a bomb went off next to me," Gabriel smiled up at me. I rolled my eyes, which made his smile glow more, as I bent my head down and kissed his lips. "I'm doing fine, Cadence. The healers say I should be able to leave by the end of the week."

"Good, Carrigan has been going crazy wanting to see you."

"How is Carrigan?" Haiden whispered.

"Well," I replied.

"I've been having dreams of her."

I raised my eyebrows with curiosity as I took a seat on Gabriel's bed. His hand was still tangled with my mine, resting in my lap.

"What kind of dreams?"

"Persephone believes that Carrigan is under a great deal of stress and the new man in her life is not helping her enough. He needs to do more to help her."

This peeked my interest. "How does he need to help her?"

"I'm not sure," Haiden frowned. "The dreams are hard to hold onto. I just wake up feeling worried every morning."

"How long have you been in control?"

"Divinity finds it easier to take control in the morning, I can shake her off by nightfall."

It was nearing one in the afternoon.

"So what is different about today?"

"Persephone had a vision this morning. Its easy for me to take control after the visions."

"You should start referring to yourself as Persephone," Gabriel said softly as he looked at Haiden. "You had a vision this morning, Haiden. Persephone is not a separate entity. She is you."

Haiden smiled and touched his cheek gently. "Thank you Uncle Gabriel." I raised my eyebrows at the title she gave him. "He explained the wedding band."

I nodded with a smirk while Haiden stood up next to the bed.

"I should be going," she whispered. "The Jasper's will be expecting me soon."

"Be safe," I said gently as I looked up at her. She was about the same height as Carrigan, dressed in fine black clothing. Her pants were fitted with single red lines up the sides. Her blouse tucked in neatly and cuffed just over her hands. She looked older then thirteen, much like Carrigan did.

"I hope that Carrigan and I can become closer this year," Haiden said gently as she looked at me, as if she could read my mind. "I hope that she will begin to trust me, as I have begun to trust myself."

I smiled at her and stood up from the bed. "I hope so too. It will be important for us all to trust each other." I embraced my niece gently. Her arms wrapped around my torso awkwardly, like she didn't know how to hug someone. It wouldn't have surprised me if she was unfamiliar with the affectionate exchange. She pulled away after being in my arms for only a few moments.

"Good bye," she said. "I hope you recover quickly, Gabriel."

"Thank you for coming to visit me, Haiden. Have a good term."

"I will, thank you."

She didn't say another word as she walked away. I waited until she left the ward before I turned to Gabriel.

"You didn't discuss anything—"

"No," Gabriel said shortly. "I did not discuss anything pertaining to the Order with her. I am not a fool, darling."

I smiled meekly as I climbed onto the bed, straddling Gabriel's lap. He raised his eyebrows up at me while smirking. His hands automatically found my hips and teasingly ran up and down my thighs. I leaned forward to kiss his neck gently. My lips barely touched his skin before I whispered in his ear that I loved him.

"Have you found the man in black yet?" asked Gabriel. I sighed as I sat back.

"I guess you're not in the mood," I whispered as I looked down at our laps.

"We need to figure out what Scott was involved in and find the man in black. Why did that bomb go off—"

"Are you even sure that's what it was?" I interrupted.

"Cadence," Gabriel sighed because we had been over the story at least ten times in the last week.

"Doesn't it seem odd that a wizard would place a Muggle weapon in the store room of a magical pub?"

"It all seems odd, but obviously Mitchell was in deep trouble and he was meant to die that night."

"Yes, obviously," I sighed.

"I want to have sex with you," Gabriel whispered. "I want to do many things to you, but not until we're alone and I am healthy enough to do them."

I smirked and nodded my head. "Alright." I climbed off of Gabriel who sighed with mild disappointment.

"You didn't have to get off of me."

I smiled as I laid down on the bed next to him. "Do you think Haiden will be strong enough one day that she is completely in control?"

"Yes," he whispered. "I just hope it's soon. We could use her in the fight against your father."

"I know," I replied.

"Did you take the pregnancy test?"

"Yes," I said very slowly. Gabriel heard the shake in my voice. He moved next to me and turned my cheek to him. I looked up at him with calm eyes. "It was negative."

Gabriel relaxed back in the hospital bed.

"Then the prophecy has not come true."

"The summer is not over."

"There is less then a month left. And I think you have proven yourself." Before I can speak again, Gabriel continued with a stern look in his eyes. "What did the Ministry conclude from the explosion?"

"That it was an accident," I replied. "They're not too worried about it. They don't believe that it is in relation to my father at all. In fact, the Minister blames Dumbledore. He's arguing that it is another attempt for Dumbledore to seize the Ministry from him."

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "That is not surprising to me."

"Do you think the man in black is related to my father somehow?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if Mitchell was involved with your father," Gabriel responded as his fingers stroked my hair. "But why would Voldemort want him dead?"

"And why don't we know who this man in black is?"

"We should consider the possibility that Mitchell was involved with something worse then your father."

"What could be worse then being a Death Eater?"

"I don't know," Gabriel shrugged. "But whatever it is, it killed Mitchell so it must be pretty bad. Who has been assigned to the case?"

"Athena," I said coldly. "Scrimgeour would not let me on it."

"Of course. Mitchell was your partner."

"But I was there, I saw what happened—and if Athena is on the case then you will be too when you return to work. How is it fair that you get to investigate the explosion that nearly killed you, but I don't?"

"Because Mitchell wasn't my partner. It doesn't matter that I almost died."

"It's not fair."

Gabriel laughed before stealing a gentle kiss from my lips. "You're adorable when you act like a child," he said sarcastically. I made a face at him before climbing out of the bed.

"If that's how you're going to be," I said.

"Would you get back into bed, you impossible woman?"

I smiled at Gabriel as his hand grabbed mine and pulled me back into the bed. He wrapped his muscular arms around my body and held me tightly to his chest. I couldn't help but laugh as he masterfully kissed my neck and collar bone.

"I like when you're childish," he whispered in my ear. "It keeps me young."

"Ha," I replied. "Maybe if you didn't treat me like a child, I wouldn't act like one. I'm your wife now, Gabriel, not your charge."

Gabriel sat back and stared at me with his dark, make-you-melt eyes. I bit my bottom lip with sexual frustration as he stared at me. His stare stirred so many emotions inside of me that I felt as if my body was on fire. Heat was rising between our bodies. I wanted nothing more then to strip down and kiss him all over—but I had to restrain myself.

"You are my wife," he whispered as she stroked my hair back. He was smiling as he continued to look at me. "When all of this is over, and we defeat your father, we're going to go anywhere we want to. We'll go on our honeymoon."

I beamed. "We don't have to go anywhere."

"Yes," he responded. "We do. It will be nice to have a vacation."

"Carrigan will want to come with us."

"Won't be much of a honeymoon," Gabriel smirked.

"I'd want her to come," I said. "She needs a vacation too."

Gabriel looked at me closely. "Is she still having those nightmares?"

"Yes."

"Benjamin can't think of a way to help her?"

"No," I sighed.

"Maybe he isn't her Guardian after all. Like Haiden said, he's not doing enough."

"You know just as well as I do that he is her Guardian."

"No I don't. Cadence, we still don't know enough about him. Even Sirius doesn't trust him."

"You and Sirius don't trust him because he's rolling around half naked with Carrigan for hours every day."

"Really? You had to go there?" Gabriel scorned.

"Gabriel, it's the way he talks about her," I said as I sat up on the bed to look at him. "He's only loyal to her. She's all he has. Those are the same things you said to me."

"I said those things because I didn't want to say I love you and hurt you more."

I rolled my eyes. "Maybe that's how you rationalized saying those things, but it's possible you said them because you're my Guardian."

Gabriel didn't say anything right away. "I still think we should be careful."

"I agree," I responded. "But some would say it's hard for us to be careful when we let him know where headquarters is."

"My point…" Gabriel growled. "I think you trust too easily."

"So does Carrigan," I responded. "But doesn't it say something that she trusts him?"

"She's thirteen…"

"She has better intuition then I do," I retorted. "And she is one of the most cautious young women we know—"

"Alright, I see your point," Gabriel said quickly. "I'll let it go."

"Thank you," I said as I laid back down.

"But, just keep in mind that Haiden has a point too."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine. I'll keep it in mind."