Crackle

Tavvy had finally fallen asleep from his nightly mares. He had clung to Julian's arm like a vice (strong for his age) begging for Livvy to come back, tears streaming down his pink face as he shivered from another of his night tremors. Julian, exhausted and heavy, had held him, stroking his soft curls and wondering to God how he was going to get through this.

'But why would she hurt Livvy,' he had asked, the innocent sorrow punching Julian in the gut. 'Livvy had never hurt no one, she didn't deserve to die,' he had whimpered. Julian swallowed back hard tears, looking to the thick darkness of night outside the window.

'I don't know why, Tavvy,' he had lied. He knew exactly why. He was the one who was too far to protect Livvy, he was the one who had stood and watched her died, had been naive enough to bring that maniac straight to her. He had failed his duties. He felt a heavy defeat rest it's unbearable weight on his shoulders. All this to protect his family and she had failed. All the scheming and lies, the sacrifices and hardships, all those fell flat before him. He had poured his sweat, blood and tears into this family, and just like that, Death had stolen her, laughing in the face of his efforts.

He was glad that Tavvy was at least getting some sleep. Being the youngest, he needed the rest. He gladly gave up the past nights making sure he was okay; it wasn't like he could sleep anyway.

A quiet tap came at the door. Julian already knew who it was; he could feel her breathing through the wood.

Emma stood in the corridor, illuminated by the glowing lights. Had her hair always been so golden? He thought.

'I heard Tavvy crying, I wanted to check everything was okay.' I want to know if you're okay too.

Julian silently closed the door to Tavvy's room, 'He finally fell asleep,' he sighed. He tried to keep the resonating exhaustion out of his voice, standing up a little straighter. I'm fine

Her heart ached. Julian had grown even slimmer, his shirt a little too lose on his shoulders. Stubble shadowed on his face, making him look more like a middle aged man than a young boy. His hair hung in curls past his ears. She wanted to do nothing more than kiss his pain away, hug him so hard that she enveloped him in her, surrounded and safe in her body. But she couldn't. Not after that night.

Livvy's presence almost overpowered her. She took in the neat bed with it's lilac bed sheets, the pearl hairbrush that she had gifted her on her 14th, her emerald journal lying on strewn paper. Emma choked back a sob as she picked up the hairbrush. She had picked it up at the Black Market one day from a steely eyed witch. Livvy had stared at it in awe. It's smooth chiseled hilt tinted with gold, dotted with opal jewels. 'This looks like it cost a fortune,' she had frowned.

'Not really,' Emma had reassured. 'Just a werewolf's eye.'

Livvy had looked at at her quizzically and Julian gave her a disapproving look.

'What? I outbid her fair and square, and when she came confronting me about it afterwards, I had to do what I had to do.' Julian sighed at her reckless behavior but Livvy giggled.

'Thank you Ems, I'll cherish it forever.' (Totally worth the brutal bite mark).

She had. She'd used it a lot too, with her wisps of her sticking to the brush's teeth. A last living trace of her. Emma placed the brush down gently, feeling lightheaded with sorrow. The funeral was over, she felt empty in her mourning clothes. The flames had engulfed Livvy's body the moment they touched the pyre. Ty had watched with worryingly focused eyes, as if the flames were calling to him. He looked nearly about to run into the flames,climb onto the pyre, vanquish the fire and shake his sister back to life. Luckily, Julian held his shoulder, half in support, half in restraint. Tavvy, too young to watch, had been with Mark and Dru had stood between Emma and Julian, his arm wrapped around her waist, also supporting her weight. She leaned on Julian as if her legs would give out at any second, dried tear streaks refreshed on her face. Emma had placed her arm on the girl's shoulder, trying to support her as well as intimately touch Julian arm. Kit had stood his distance until Emma had motioned him to join them. He stepped up beside Ty, their fingers only barely touching though Ty didn't seem to notice. Helen collpased in her wife's arms, Aline stroking her hair tenderly whispering in hushed tones with a grim look. That was how they watched as Livvy, one of their own, succumbed to the flames.

She walked over to the bed, picking up the purple t shirt. She sat down with it, on the uncomfortably old bed. It felt wrong. Livvy should have slept here last night, the bed should have been warm.

'I didn't think anyone would be able to come in here,' Julian spoke, standing in the door way. He stepped cautiously into the room, regarding the contents of this sacred space.

He walked over to the messy desk, picking up the emerald journal. He ran he thumb along it's paper edges as if it was an ancient artifact. He had taken of his mourning jacket, wearing only the loose white shirt and trousers . She had a sudden urge to trace the dark lines underneath his shirt.

'Ems, do you think this is my fault?' he asked quietly, calmly. Too calm. Calm Julian scared her.

'Of course not! If anyone should be blamed, it should be me. I was the one she threw her weapon to, and even then I couldn't protect her or at least kill that raging bitch.'

Julian mouth pulled into a humorless half smile.

'Jules, please don't feel that way,' she pleaded.

Julian let out a ragged sigh, ignoring her plea. 'You know, at some point, when I truly started feeling the weight of running the Institute and caring for the kids, I wanted to quit. I wanted to tell Diana everything, have her call the Clave to make some type of arrangement. I though I would be able to bargain having each of us pair off at least. Tavvy and Dru, Ty and Livvy... you and me. It was too much, I was 12. I thought too myself, I can't do this, I don't have to commit to this type of reliability, we'll be fine, we'll be fine. But then Diana had told me that it was unlikely we would all be paired up so perfectly, and we would all be separated. Even then, I thought that I could still go and find you all. When I came of age, I would work hard to work my way to running the Institute and we could all be together, just give it a couple of years.'

'But the next day, Ty was having bad dreams and it was becoming normal for me to calm him down, but Livvy got there before I did. That time, it seemed particularly awful for him and I thought that maybe his twin would do a better jobs than me. I overheard them and it was then I knew, I couldn't give them up. Ty was questioning, like he usually does but he was extremely panicky. He had compared me to Dad, saying I wasn't him and that I'd killed him. He couldn't still understand why. How could I have done so to our father? How could they possibly trust me to care for them the way Dad ad Mom did?

'He's our brother,' Livvy had said.

'He loves us, Ty, you and me, Dru and Tavvy. He's been petitioning non-stop to get Mark and Helen back, even if the Clave has the same ability to see reason as Homer had the ability to see at all. You know he wouldn't have killed Dad for no reason. You saw him that day, he wasn't himself. If anything, that should prove to you how much he loves us, doing that to our own father. Don't you think it's hard on him too?' She had gently wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and in his rare indulgences of physical attention, Ty had given in, placing his head on her shoulder..

'We'll be fine. We have Julian. We'll be fine.'

'She was only 11 Emma,' Julian spoke hoarsely. She trusted me so much, I know I couldn't let her down. Let any of them down. I knew then on that I had these kids counting on me, and I couldn't dare not do my best to protect them.'

'But now look at how I've failed' he didn't need to speak. She could read it in his face. He was still running his fingers along the pages, slicing a deep cut that bloomed blood.

Emma stood up attentively. She grabbed his calloused hand, watching blood drip onto the floor.

'Julian stop,' she warned wearily. She touched the bleeding finger before gently kissing his hand.

He watched her with eyes wide and tender, like the sea, blue green and lapping on itself. She could see herself reflected in his widening pupils, seeing her blond curls cascaded around her face. His other hand slowly reached for her cheek, delicately stroking a light thumb along her lips. She couldn't help it. She shuddered at his touch, feeling that hungry fire start low in her stomach. It grew as he moved to run his fingers through her hair, down her spine, holding her hips, not once breaking eye contact. She closed her eyes, lost in his blue green eyes, his sensitive touch.

He took that as a sign to kiss her. She felt his lips, soft and slow at first. But he grew passionate, pushing against her. Hard. She felt him, he wasn't gentle anymore. He wanted this. He wanted her.

A fire spread along his nerves as her fingers tentatively stroked down his spine, igniting his skin. His lips broke from her mouth, though he plunged to her neck, kissing and biting ferociously. Pleasure pulsated deep in her so feverishly she thought she would die. He lifted her in his arms, adrenaline burning away his exhaustion. His senses heightened. Emma, sea- salt and smoke from the fire, apple shampoo, it intoxicated him. Her gold her felt like silk on his skin, and she looked gorgeous. Her huge, warm brown eyes. Her pink lips. He was going mad.

They clashed and bit and kissed in their shared grief. Emma's arms wrapped so tightly around him, it was almost suffocating. But he didn't care The energy seemed to flow in and out of the me both, like surging tides engulfing them. It sparked and swirled, ignited their need for each other, to swallow the other's pain, to take the other in anyway, to love and be loved back. They spoke without words as if their minds were split open for all to see.

I need you

I'm here for you

Where thou diest I will die

You are everything. You are the only thing

Whither thou goest, I'll go

You are all of me

I am yours

Take me

I love you

Then it happened. An electrum shock that struck them both and threw them apart. Had they been hovering? It was like lightening that struck down their spines.

They stood opposite ends of the room, stunned, staring at each other silently. What the ...? Emma suddenly looked wide eyed at Julian's hand, inhaling sharply. Julian looked down. His eyes widened in awe.

Gold electricity crackled along his fingers, as if he held a tiny thunderstorm. It illuminated his face, spreading down to the deep cut. The illumination bled into the cut like angel's anchor, sealing the small wound seamlessly, as if it had never been there.

Emma walked over to him carefully, entranced by the humming bolts. As if on impulse, she touched Julian's hand, and no sooner had they made contact, the air exploded into dazzling fire.

She stared at Julian's new scar; a web a snaking thunderbolts all the way up his hand. It matched the one on her shoulder, like snaking vines. She felt a cool wash of fear from the memory. The curse.

Julian must have felt her fear, because he reached out to touch her. A chaste, simple touch of reassurance, that he understood her fear, that he was there but Emma stepped back hesitantly.

Could a simple touch remain chaste between them?

'Don't.' She warned. It hurt her to step back from Julian. She couldn't stand the sight of the linger of his hand in the air, before it dropped, defeated.

'You're right.' He said guarded, his eyes staring unfocused at the ground. He looked like Ty, with his distant eyes and dark longish hair.

They could already feel it though, the hum of energy in the air. It pulled them close, like a magnet.

It was already happening.