Everything had fallen dead silent in the kitchen as all eyes fell on Nexus. Nobody knew what to say or how to react to the news, nobody, except for Ben. Overlooking the fact that her parents, both of them, were standing not five feet away, he went to her side, taking her in his arms as she fell forward in a daze. Burying her face in his shoulder as she teared up, he could think of nothing other than how this changed nothing in the way he felt about her. Watching the display, Alec's first instinct to pounce was tested, and it won the fight only to be held back by the somber look on Magnus' face.
"Lollipop," Magnus was more than a little upset by the news himself, and it was quite clear that he was less than happy to have to be the one to tell her, "Dae-Jung is a prisoner of the Seelie Queen, for crimes that include the suspected murder of his wife and their then-to-be born daughter."
She pushed away from Ben only enough to speak without being muffled, "Dae-Jung? Let me guess... Devon Grey was his wife... And I... I'm the daughter. Not the daughter of a Warlock, nor a Shadow Hunter, but a Fey. Still blessed in magic but not cursed for the sins of Lilith. All I am... All that I was... it was a lie."
Upset by the defeatist attitude she was wearing, Bennett shook her shoulders, jerking her back and forth, "No! This isn't a lie! You and me, we are real! You are still the woman I fell in love with, and this changes nothing! Nexus, you're still you. Alec and Magnus are still your parents, Izzy and Clary are still your aunts, Jace and Simon are your uncles, Ash and Max and Stacy are still your best friends and cousins, and I am still yours. Nexus, face it, you're stuck with us."
Magnus gave Ben a searching look, and Alec was keeping his eyes on his beloved daughter, nodding, "He's right. We're still your family, and we love you."
At that point, everyone began to chime in, saying how much that they loved Nexus and that they always would. She knew deep down that she would make it through this somehow, but because of how numb she felt right now, the knowledge that she would be alright seemed nonexistent. Those who knew her best suspected as much, but they hid their doubt behind their faith in the teen.
"I have to take a walk - alone." She looked at Ben as she began strolling towards the door, "I need to clear my head."
Nobody thought that it was a good idea to let her leave by herself, especially Jace, who recalled all too well his own six-hour walk. And yet...
"Get outta here." He shifted his son carefully as to not wake him. Clary would have beat the crap out of him for giving Nexus permission to leave, had he not been holding Stacy in his arms.
Gathering Jace's plan, or at least thinking that he did, Alec concurred with his brother, "She should have some space. Bennett, why don't you come take a walk with Magnus and myself? I'm sure that we have plenty to discuss."
Yelping on the inside, Ben allowed himself to be dragged away by the warlock, casting a last apprehensive look back at Nexus. Her back was already to him though, so he couldn't see her face. But, that was probably for the best, because if he had seen the look on her face, he wouldn't have let her go.
XxX You Think You Love Me XxX
Violets and poppy were blooming at the edge of the prison where Dae-Jung was being held, though it was not by his choice. For that, he could thank the wretched Seelie Queen. Taking a rather fortunate taking to the captive was his guard and son, Kendovich. Natalia Kendovich, the whelp's miserable mother, had been a devoted follower of Dae-Jung's since his migration from his homeland, and through the years, he had only to do one thing to keep her in his service. However, when he had married Devon, Natalia had refused to accept the marriage, and she had continued to pursue her former lover. The only way to keep his wife out of his past affairs was to take a secret mistress, but very soon after the affair began, the blackmailing-harpy from the underworld had become pregnant with his child. Dae-Jung had tried to kill the woman and her unborn baby, but...
Ever eager to please his father, the lanky fey offspring stood with his back firmly to his father's cell, as always, "The spawn of Lilith has began to uncover the trail. Father, shall I - "
He cut the boy off abruptly, which was nothing new, "No. No, I have a different task for you... I think it's time for Nexus to meet her family."
XxX You Think You Love Me XxX
In hindsight, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to out himself like he did to her parents, but it was too late for regrets now. It was the truth, and it was out there. Ben just wished that she had more predictable parents, because between the two of her fathers, he had no idea who the saner one was. Sure, Alec looked normal enough, but that was just a cover for the emotional basket-case that he was. Magnus, on the other hand, appeared just as wild as he was crazy, and that was saying something. Maybe it was all the glitter, but there was something mighty frightening about the warlock, especially when his daughter was involved. But the young werewolf couldn't blame them, because he knew almost as well as they did that Nexus was something important to be protected.
A/N:
And another chapter down! Woo, I'm on fire! Well, not actually, because that would hurt. Like hell. Well, at any rate, I'm finally explaining the whole Dae-Jung having another kid thing, so that's good! And Geez, does Ben have to be so critical of Magnus and Alec? Jerk! Sorry, I tend to get weirder when I'm tired... Um, so Kendovich is the boy's last name, and he doesn't yet have a first name... That's not very good! Well, he'll get one. Or will he? Heh, I'm really tired right now, my apologies. I think that that was all I wanted to say about this chapter... I hope. Oh well!
