18th March 2014

The living room in the main Benedict house, the one owned by just Karla now, was packed. All the brothers were there, plus the soulfinders and Vivienne, Gracie was clinging to her dad's legs, the babies – Mark, Julien, and Ariadne – were being passed around from one person to another, and Vivienne's boys were sat in a corner playing with toy cars. Karla and Georgie were in and out of the room, handing out cups of tea and coffee and food for people to nibble at.

It had been like this for two days now, since the aftermath of that night. Xav accepted a cup of coffee from Karla, strong the way he liked it, and took a sip straight away. It burned his tongue, but that got no reaction from him. He'd been numb these past two days, not sleeping and body on edge. The net had decided not to have an official trial in court for Ireland, preferring to keep her case private considering her and her father had been on their Most Wanted list for years now. They didn't want any media attention or an uproar from the savant community if they didn't get the outcome they all wanted of Ireland being given the death sentence or life imprisonment.

The Benedicts had been told that the net would be in constant meetings to discuss what to do with Ireland, but that it could take up to a week for a decision to be made. Hazel had driven up to Denver each morning to spend the day in the meetings, acting as Ireland's lawyer to get her the best outcome possible. Xav had thought he'd have to beg Hazel to take the job considering she was picky about these things, but Hazel had been the one to suggest it in the first place – she'd said that Ireland deserved all of their support for killing Oliver to protect them. Nobody in the family knew that Ireland was actually covering for Zed.

Xav looked around the room at his family. He would have fallen apart if it weren't for them and, despite how much Ireland had been helping the family in recent months, he was still surprised how every single one of them wanted the net to let Ireland off with her crimes. She was a part of their family now, it was obvious. He just wished that she were here to see how adored she was.

It was the unknowing, the uncertainty that was getting to them all the most. Gracie, old enough to understand what was going on, looked miserable at the thought of losing one of her aunts – her and Ireland were close now, Ireland having babysat her often and taught her how to dance a little. Uriel was slouched on a chair, Vivienne perched on the armrest; as Xav watched, Viv reached up to gently stroke a hand through Uriel's hair. He didn't know what was going on with the two of them, but he hoped Uri was happy. Zed looked distraught, leaning against the windowsill, hand tapping a rhythm on his leg as he fidgeted.

Xav wondered what Ireland was doing. Was she laid on a hard cot in a dark cell or had they given her some comfort until they made a decision? He knew they were holding her in jail, that when they made their decision she would either leave there or stay there. The thought made him sad, that she could be that uncomfortable while he was spending his nights in a warm bed. Well, not that he slept at all. He missed her presence beside him too much, the bed feeling empty.

He'd been telling himself that she was coming home at the end of the week, that it wouldn't be long until he saw her again, but he didn't believe himself all that much. The net had been lenient and kind with others before, but they could also be brutal and unforgiving. Ireland had a long list of crimes under her name. Were they willing to face the wrath of savants that wanted her to die by letting her go free? Xav doubted it. Still though, he was hopeful. He had to be; it was keeping him going.

When the front door closed with a loud bang, it startled everybody. They stopped moving and went entirely silent. Strangely, even the babies settled down and didn't make a whimper.

Hazel came into the living room a moment later. She was pristinely dressed in a long dark grey high-waisted skirt, heels, and a white shirt tucked into the skirt. She was still carrying extra weight from the pregnancy, but that was clearly the last thing on her mind. Strands of hair were coming loose from her tight up-do and she was flushed red, eyes tired from a long day of negotiations about Ireland's fate.

Victor jumped to his feet and went over to her, taking the briefcase she was holding and putting it on the floor by the sofa. He lifted her hand, brushing her knuckles gently. Xav felt a flare of jealousy that they could have this intimacy with nothing standing in their way.

"Do they have any idea when they're going to make their decision?" Victor asked his fiancée. "Knowing our luck, it won't be until the end of the week. It always takes them longer with cases like this."

Hazel shook her head and looked over at Xav. The sad look in her eyes made him rise to his feet, placing his cup on the coffee table in front of him. "They made their decision, didn't they." His voice sounded flat even to his own ears. "It's not good news."

Hazel sighed. "It's not brilliant, but it could have been much worse. There were some in there that wanted the death sentence for her, due to the amount of people she killed. They were also judging her on her father's crimes too, which wasn't fair and a lot of people saw that."

"So what's the verdict then?" It was Trace that asked her this, Gracie now asleep against his leg.

"They haven't given her the death sentence, thank God. Nor have they given her life imprisonment. They felt that it wouldn't be justified considering the circumstances: she didn't commit the crimes under her own free will, and she did redeem herself by killing Oliver Hawk. But a lot of people in the savant community have been affected by what Ireland's done, families grieving for those she's killed. They had to punish her in some way, even if Oliver was controlling her."

Xav's fists clenched at his sides and he spoke through clenched teeth. "Exactly, he was controlling her. She didn't want to kill those people."

"That's what I told them," Hazel replied, sounding just as tired as she looked. "The net only have our word on that though, and for all they know she could have ended up like that regardless due to her upbringing."

"What's going to happen to her?" He asked in a whisper. "What are they doing to her?"

"She's been sentenced to twenty-two months in jail, followed by four months of community service when she's released. No chance of early release, even with good behaviour. They usually wouldn't give her visitation rights, but they always make an exception for soulfinders so you'll get to see her every Saturday. Starting this week. The rest of us won't get to see her though.

"Xav, this is a good outcome when you think of how bad it could have been. She'll be taken care of, and she's in the same prison as Evan so at least she'll see her brother. And at least you'll still get to see her."

"Yeah, once a week," Xav scoffed, feeling tears spring to his eyes. She wasn't coming home, she wasn't coming home, she wasn't coming home... Almost two years until she would be here again. It wasn't fair, it wasn't right. Why couldn't he have a happy ending like his brothers had had with their soulfinders? After everything they had been through, he and Ireland deserved a happy ending more than anybody. Even in death, Oliver Hawk was ruining Xav's life.

"I appreciate you trying to console me," he continued talking to Hazel, "but you don't know what it's like to know your soulfinder is all alone in a horrible cell." His eyes flashed over to Zed's and he glared hatefully at his younger brother. He knew that Ireland had chosen to do this, but he couldn't get rid of the part of him that blamed Zed.

"I'm sorry," Zed crooned, voice broken. "Really, I am. If I thought it would make a difference, I'd go down the net headquarters and tell them the truth myself. This is torturing me, Xav. I don't blame you for hating me."

"Hating you?" Blue echoed, looking back and forth between Zed and Xav. Her eyes landed on Zed and she reached out to him, but he stepped to the side to avoid her touch. Blue dropped her hand, looking devastated. "I don't understand. Zed, this wasn't your fault."

"It was," Zed answered her, looking at the floor and refusing to meet anyone's eyes. "I was the one who killed Oliver."

There was a sudden smashing sound. Karla had dropped her cup, the tea now soaking into the carpet. "What?" She gasped. "Zed... You did what?!"

Xav answered his mom. "Zed shot Oliver. Ireland said she'd take the blame to protect him 'cause he was just a kid and had his life ahead of him. Zed, I shouldn't blame you. The net would have caught up with her eventually and they probably went easier on her for killing her dad anyway. But I just... I need to be angry at somebody and right now, you and Ireland are the only ones I'm angry at for what went down that night. And myself obviously, for letting her cover for you."

"I don't regret killing Oliver," Zed said defiantly, looking at everyone but Blue. "He killed dad; he deserved to die in return for that. I shouldn't have let Ireland go down for it though. I should have just ignored her orders and told the truth."

He pushed himself off the windowsill and left the room. After a moment of stony silence, Blue ran after Zed.

Xav was aware of Karla sitting on a chair, burying her head in her hands. "Oh, my babies..." She sobbed. "What has happened to our family? Torn apart by losing my Saul, Ireland being sent to prison. And now Zed, no longer innocent in the world... My poor babies, I've failed in protecting you..."

Georgie, whom had always been like a true daughter to Karla, went over and dropped to her knees in front of the older woman. She wrapped her arms around Karla, pulling her against her chest. "Shh, Karla. No, you haven't failed. Everything will be okay. We'll all take care of each other, of Zed. Shh."

Xav couldn't stand the sight of seeing his mother break down again. She had been starting to get back to normal, had been cooking again now that Ireland wasn't here to do it all. She'd been laughing with them last week and it had been so normal and wonderful. Now here she was, crying again. It made his heart come so much closer to shattering into pieces.

He left the room, then left the house. He didn't know where he was going. Maybe just walking around would calm him down. Maybe he'd go to his dad's grave to have someone to talk to that wouldn't reply with a ton of bullshit. He didn't know.

He just had to get out of that house and away from any reminders that Ireland was no longer there and wouldn't be for a long time.

By the time Blue got out of the Benedicts house, Zed was pacing back and forth at the bottom of the gravel driveway. Her heart pounded in her chest and she didn't know what to do. She had only gotten through to him about his grief for Saul last week, meaning their relationship was better but still on rocky ground. She had thought things would finally be good again, but this just threw a spanner in the works.

"Zed!" She shouted his name, the house's front door closing behind her with a quiet click. She fast walked down the driveway to meet him. When he ignored her and kept pacing, she moved to stand in front of him, blocking his way. She put her hands on his chest. "Zed, talk to me."

"There's nothing to say," he said in despair, looking at the ground. Still refusing to meet her eyes. "You heard what I said back there. I wasn't lying. You know I followed Xav and Ireland, well when I got there they having a stand-off with him. Oliver was just stood there, wasn't doing anything, but he was going on about how much he enjoyed killing my dad, and I just... I didn't even think. I just shot him."

Blue didn't even ask how on Earth he had got a gun. She'd already chastised him for following Xav that night, for putting himself in such danger without even telling her of his plans. Of course she would have stopped him, but that wasn't the point. She'd been woken in the middle of the night by a phone call from Victor, telling her something had happened with Zed. All the worst possibilities ran through her mind first, like maybe he'd got himself into a fight and something had gone horribly wrong and he was dead. A quick check with her soulfinder bond let her know that he was still alive, but she'd still been worried as hell. When Vick picked her up a half hour later to take her to the police station, she'd still been in her pyjamas and couldn't bring herself to care.

She'd been terrified then, but that was nothing compared to knowing the truth. If Zed had told the truth, he may not have been here with her right now. She'd thought he'd been upset the past two days about Ireland, but it seemed something much more extreme was torturing his mind.

"It's okay," she whispered, the words leaving her mouth without her even thinking about them first. "It's not like he was an innocent." She paused. "Okay, it's not okay that you killed someone, but nobody blames you really. Xav will come around. If it was Ireland's idea for her to take the blame then that was her choice and you have accept and be grateful for what she did for you. There's no point in both of you going to prison.

"Don't go back to your old ways. Didn't we go through all this last week? Ireland did this so you could have a life, Zed. Don't ruin that."

He didn't answer her. God, why wasn't he answering her?

Blue jumped when a crack of thunder rumbled across the sky. They'd been promised a storm for weeks now and the dark clouds that had appeared this morning had indicated today would be the day. Within a matter of seconds, the rain started. It wasn't a light drizzle with a slow build-up, but an instant heavy showering. Zed and Blue, both with just t-shirts and jeans on, became drenched almost straight away but still neither of them moved.

Behind her she heard a car starting. She turned her head long enough to see Xav behind the wheel as he left, before she turned back to Zed. "We should get inside," she shouted over the rain. "Zed, come on."

He looked back at his house, shaking his head. "I'm not ready to face them yet."

"Fine, then come to mine!" Without waiting for his reply, she darted across the small pathway that separated the two houses. She felt a sense of relief when she reached the doorstep and felt Zed's presence right behind her. After unlocking the door, they both entered the house and she locked it behind her. Her dad and sisters were out all day at a history museum, so the house was quiet and empty. It was warm and dry though, so it felt like a haven.

They kicked their shoes off in the hallway and Blue led Zed upstairs. "Go into my room, I won't be a minute."

He followed her orders silently as she went to the landing cupboard and grabbed a few towels. When she went back into her bedroom, Zed was sat on the edge of her bed, smoothing a hand over her purple silk duvet cover. "Here," he looked up just in time to catch the towel.

They didn't talk for a minute whilst they dried themselves off. Blue took her hair out of its ponytail and wrung it dry with the towel. When the towels were finally discarded on the floor, Zed spoke at last.

"I wanted to tell you so bad, you more than anyone. Xav told me not to though, said that it wasn't worth the hassle and what if somebody told the net the truth and I got in trouble as well? So I went along with it but it just made me feel worse.

"I'm so sorry that I've messed everything up, Blue. Again. All I ever seem to do is make you sad these days... Maybe it'd just be best if I left your life for good. You wouldn't have to worry about me then."

A rush of anger swept over her and she knelt in front of him, one hand on his knee and the other reaching up to cup his cheek. She lifted his head to force him to finally meet her eyes; she felt her heart breaking at the sorrow in his beautiful eyes.

"I'm going to forgive you for saying that," she said stubbornly. "As long as you never, ever say that again. We're soulfinders, Zed. We can't be apart, stop being stupid. Besides, we live next to each other and tons of classes at school together so you wouldn't exactly be out of my life for good, would you?

"I understand that this is praying on your mind, that you can't stop thinking about it – I think that's pretty justified, to be honest. But don't push me away, not again, because I couldn't handle that. And you couldn't either – you need me. It's going to take time, but we'll get past this."

"I keep having nightmares of seeing him drop dead," he crowed.

"Oh, Zed. Next time that happens, phone me or talk to me telepathically okay? Or even climb across the tree and into my room. I don't care if you wake me up, just let me know so that you're not on your own and I can help you calm down. Please?"

He nodded and tilted his head into her touch. "I'll definitely do that. Man, I don't deserve you."

Blue stood up, a smile on her face. "No, you don't. So you better remember to appreciate me, mister."

Zed chuckled and wiped his face with his hands before placing them back on the bed. He looked up at her, a dark look in his eyes. "Nice bra, by the way."

Blue looked down and realised her white t-shirt had become see-through from the rain, revealing her light pink lace bra. It was the sexiest bra she owned and rarely ever wore it; of course today would be the day she did. Rolling her eyes, she resisted the urge to cover her chest. "Nice subject change."

"Hm. Anything to stop me having to talk about fucking Oliver Hawk for a moment longer. So come on, think of something else to talk about. Anything. Please," he begged her, desperation on his face. She could tell that he did really need a subject change, otherwise he may just break down in front of her again and she'd never reach him this time.

Moving slowly, with a shy expression on her face, she straddled his hips, settling herself on his lap. Immediately, Zed's hands went to her hips to steady her. So far in their relationship, they'd had some pretty heavy make-out sessions but hadn't gone further – occasionally because she stopped them out of fear, but most of the time because family members were in whichever house they were in. But they had the house to themselves now, and she wasn't afraid of having sex for the first time.

"Blue," he whispered her name. "Blue, what are you doing?"

Whispering too, as if speaking louder would ruin the moment, she answered. "Taking both of our minds of everything else going on."

She pressed her lips against his; he responded quickly, their mouths moulding together. One of his hands slid up her back as they kissed, tangling itself in her wet hair. Blue's arms wrapped around his neck, clinging onto him. She couldn't get enough of him, didn't want to ever stop kissing him. Their tongues slid together and Zed groaned. The sound made an unfamiliar warmth spread through her body and she whimpered.

She felt Zed's fingertips tugging at the hem of her t-shirt. She broke the kiss and pulled back enough to pull the top off herself, flinging it onto the floor somewhere behind her. Zed's eyes went to her chest before meeting her eyes again. "We're gonna be okay," he said determinedly, like there was no other option for their future. "I'll always make you happy and I'll never keep anything from you again. We'll be okay."

"I know," she gave him a sweet smile. "I love you, Zed."

"I love you too," he replied before pulling her close again, their lips pressing together. Blue melted in his hold and let out a giggle when he suddenly shifted them so she was laid on the bed with him holding his weight above her. He pressed a kiss against her collarbone, then looked at her flushed face. "Are you sure you want this? Because we don't have to do anything you're not ready for."

"I've never been more sure of anything else in my life."

Author's note: I wasn't going to leave the Zed/Blue scene in, but I wanted to resolve that little issue and just leave the chapter off in a happier way.

So, what do you think of Ireland's sentencing? It's looking pretty grim for her and Xav, hmm? Well the bio did say it wasn't a traditional happily ever after love story ;) Leave reviews, let me know what you think :)

A hint about the next chapter: Xav visits Ireland in prison.