Author Note: Thanks goes to danicrouch860, Metalgrl29, and Leasha Ambrose for the wonderful reviews. I appreciate all the encouragement you've been giving me. I was real hesitant in writing this; but I'm glad that I did. Onto the next chapter and as always let me know what you think.

"Strangers waiting

Up and down the boulevard

Their shadows searching

In the night

Streetlight people

Livin' just to find emotion

Hidin' somewhere in the night

Don't stop believin'

Hold onto that feelin'

Streetlight people

Don't stop believin'

Hold on

Streetlight people

Don't stop believin'

Hold onto that feelin'"

'Don't stop Believin' by: Journey

Chapter 10:

"Finn, I really think we should talk about last night." Becky stated falling down into the cushion of the sofa.

"What's to talk about? I came just in time to get her home to vomit her brains out." He replied pulling a leg up against his chest in the oversized chair next the mantle that housed several nicknacks that held value to them personally.

"I don't think that's what she means." Dean interjected passing through the room to get to the kitchen for his morning coffee.

Eight thirty in the morning and they were all up as if they hadn't spent all night out trying to make Ayva feel less cooped up now that she didn't have a job to go back to. The woman in question was still sleeping soundly in her bed. A bed that Finn had slept in next to her. He tried to hide the smile when thinking about it.

He had awoken nearly an hour before the present time and she was still snuggled up against him, face still buried into his chest. A smile was the only thing he could do until the realization that it was reality and that he wasn't dreaming. She really was in his arms and everything about it was perfect., just like she was.

Finn hadn't wanted to leave the comfort of that room; but knew that he needed to. There was other things that needed to be addressed with the others. Aluxia being one of them. There was no way that she would stay silent for too much longer. If the demons coming after Ayva at her own home was any kind of indication. "Then what do you mean?" He asked remembering that Becky was trying to talk to him.

"There was a woman there last night and she was definitely a Nephilim. It was the same one that took over at Ayva's place of work. That can't just be a coincidence..."

"Well that changes things, doesn't it..."

"Finn, if the Nephilims know of her to...then they will try and turn her against us..."

"I know..."

Learning of the Nephilim's movements, he thought maybe Ayva would be better suited to learn from them instead him. They were her own kind after all and maybe she'd about who her father was without someone telling her. "Finn...what are you thinking?" Becky asked.

"That maybe she'd be better off going with them..."

"Are you crazy! They will corrupt her. She'd have no free will. She'd have no say in who she befriends or even falls in love with...we can't do that to her."

"It's really not up to us. If she wants to go with them...then we won't stop her from doing so. That's the beauty of free will, Becky."

She lowered her head, understanding that he was right. Eventually, Ayva was going to learn who Sera was and the curiosity about where she came from was going to come right along with it. Fiddling with her fingers, she looked across the room to see the agony on Finn's face. She couldn't image what he was going through. What he must be feeling, after learning about the Nephilims involvement. "Aluxia isn't going to stay quiet much longer either...she's going to make a move soon...I can feel it." He stated leaning forward with his chin resting on the palms of his hands.

"I don't know what to do...all I want to do is protect her." Becky said standing up from the couch.

"And we will...regardless of what she decides to do in the end." Finn replied trying not the think of the day she decides to go with her own kind.

Becky walked out of the room wanting to be alone. Her best friend was the center of a pending war and little did she know that she was the key that would make or break a side. Aluxia will no doubt try to sway her to their side, because they could use her healing abilities. The Nephilims and Angels would want her because of who she is, nothing more.

Finn understood the need for wanting to be alone. He didn't know how he was going to handle her no longer being around if that was her decision in the end. Without thinking, he shimmered upstairs into her room. She was still sound asleep with the blankets up to her neck. To him, there was no better image that her sleeping. Clearly, she was an angel with the way the sun sparkled against the skin of her exposed arm.

Closing the distance between them, he hesitantly traced a line down her cheek with the back of his hand. He mentally pleaded with himself not get emotionally attached to her; but no matter how much he fought against her, the more she wormed her way into his heart. "Ayva...I am so sorry all of this happening to you. This is all because of me..." He whispered lowering his head in shame.

"It pains me to do this. It really does. You were always my favorite. Why couldn't you just have been happy with what you had?" A feminine voice asked.

Ayva felt like she was in a hazy dream; but knew that it wasn't. She opened her eyes to find herself as an invisible spectator. She could see Finn struggling to get to his feet. The woman in front of him was dangerously beautiful. Long ebony hair that was perfectly kept and hazel eyes that were tinted red. By the way she looked at him, it was Aluxia. The woman who had broken Finn to pieces.

"I saw something better...freedom..."

"Tch."

She tossed him back into a wooden loading crate. Looking out at the carnage, two of her men were dead; but five of Finn's followers were gone much to her liking. Aluxia held her hand out, capturing the man who held a blade in attempts to kill another of her men. Squeezing her hand, he cried out in pain clawing at his throat.

Finn crawled out of the debris, stumbling to his feet. He stumbled, obviously having vision issues. His head lifted up the second the snap of a neck cracking and the slumping sound of a body falling to the ground could be heard. "No!" He screamed trying desperately to get back to his feet. The echo of her heels against the pavement got closer. Blood rolled into his eyes, burning them. "I think I'm going to let you three live for the time being. Eventually you will lead me to the Nephilim, so until then...stay alive my sweet prince..."

Ayva wanted to cry out to him. The scene before her was horrifying. Was this something from the past or something that was to come? Either way, Aluxia was deplorable. Emotionless. And someone that needed to be dealt with if peace was to ever be achieved. It also made her think about what Finn ever saw in her. Tears stung the corners of her eyes as she struggled to escape the scenery in front of her. Six men lay dead on the pavement. Half-demons like Finn. Like Damien. When it came right down to it, Aluxia was after her.

Bolting upright, Ayva saw that she was inside her own room. The sun was shinning through the open blinds of the far window. Looking around, her bed was empty. Finn was nowhere to be seen and it made her think that maybe she dreamed that to. That he really hadn't shown up and held her in his arms all night.

Once the adrenaline settled, the throbbing pain in her head returned. Groaning, she rolled out of bed picking up her phone from the nightstand. "11:30, that's it...ugh..." She sighed tucking the device into the pocket of her jean shorts from the night before. Opening the door, she stepped out into the hallway. There wasn't a sound to be heard, even from the downstairs. She found that odd. At least one person was always up or around. Treading lightly down the flight of stairs, she turned the corner and entered the living room. No one there either.

She made her way into the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee that was still warm into a travel mug. Taking the first sip, she savored the flavor a little longer than necessary. The dream that she had was still freshly on her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about it and what it all meant. "Did Aluxia really do all that already?" She asked herself aloud.

Ayva took her mug and walked back upstairs to change. A walk was something she needed and going to her favorite place in the world would do wonders. Once inside her room, she swapped clothes with a simple hunter green tank top and a pair of ripped jeans. She pulled her hair into a messy ponytail and grabbed her phone from her bed.

It didn't take her long to get to the park from the house. Taking a deep breath, she remembered that she hadn't been there in two weeks. Aluxia's immoral smile wouldn't leave her head. The way she enjoyed taking that man's life would never be okay with her.

"Ayva!" A voice called, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Sera?"

"Hey, what are you doing up here?"

"I needed a walk to clear my head. What are you doing here?"

"A project; but it's not working out as well as I had hoped."

Sera handed Ayva several printed images. She could see the haziness within the colors. The flowers weren't the center of attention. Sera awaited an answer, knowing that she wouldn't resist giving advice. "Well there is a couple things I would fix..."

"Okay..."

"If the flowers are the target, you need to make them the center of attention. Stand closer and use a different lens...one with less haziness."

"Thank you...I'll go do that now. I appreciate your help."

"No problem. I'm happy to help."

Sera smiled and took back the images before walking away down the path, keeping note that Ayva shifted and continued on in the opposite direction towards the clearing in the woods. She had to thank the half-demons for training her up to this point. There was no doubt that she was strong and one day she will be one of the most powerful creatures in existence. "When Becky said the Nephilims were involved, I didn't know she meant you." Finn's voice sounded behind her.

A smile curved her lips before turning around to face him. His arms were crossed over his chest in an irritated stature. He had cloaked himself to follow Ayva; but instead he had found Sera Castello. "Why hello Finn, so good to see you again." She greeted was a fake enthusiasm.

"Don't give me that. Why are you here?" He asked.

"Can't a girl have a normal job?"

"Not Ayva's job, which you clearly took away from her..."

"Don't be cynical. She still has a job, just not at the moment."

He was getting irritated with her. He was really hoping that he'd never see her again after the last time they saw each other. Sera Castello was manipulative and played by her own set of rules. You just never know what side she's actually on. Only that it's the one that benefits her the most. "Look, I can understand your skepticism of me. I'm not here to sway her away from you guys. I just want to make sure she doesn't join Aluxia."

"Something we agree on...for once..."

"You say that like its a bad thing. Ayva is going to be the strongest Nephilim ever to appear in history. The angels aren't going to like that at all. They may try to eliminate her, because Aluxia could sway her to her cause."

"I'd die before I let that happen."

"Spoken like a true mated man."

"What are you talking about?"

Finn had absolutely no clue what she was talking about. He was not mated to anyone. It made him think about what Sera really knew about Ayva. Since she was a Nephilim herself, maybe she knew things that he did not. He looked at her with narrowed eyes. Her smile faded and quickly turned serious. "You do know that Damien wasn't really her soul mate, right?" She asked.

"What kind of nonsense are you spewing now?"

"It's not nonsense! It's the truth. Why do you think he didn't bring her around that often? He knew all along that he wasn't her intended."

"How would he know that?"

"He asked the witch Rowana. The same witch you keep tucked away for your personal use."

Sera continued on down the path, intending to actually do some work despite knowing that he would follow her wanting more answers. She couldn't help but think about the past and how they came to meet each other. Knowing he was a half-demon and an enemy of the angels, she couldn't find a reason to hate him. In fact, it was actually the opposite. She liked him a lot, because he fought for what he believed in and not what others told him to.

"And your point would be what exactly?" Finn asked trying to understand the things she was telling him.

"Oh please...you think I'm blind. I see how you look at her. Your eyes spark at the mere mention of her name."

Sera held the camera up closer to a set of violets. Pushing the shutter, the photo was taken and the smile returned to her pale lips. Finn couldn't even form a coherent thought. If what she told him was indeed true, then what did that mean for him? He could never explain the connection he felt with Ayva and maybe that was the reason. "You don't seriously think I'm going to believe any of this..."

"Believe what you want; but she is your soul mate. Always has been...always will be. That is why I'm here...to make sure your jealous ex lover doesn't have her way with Ayva. I never could understand what you saw in the bitch."

Ignoring her, he retreated into his own mind. He frantically denied the idea of that being the truth. Comprehending the idea that he was intended for such a pure, selfless angel like Ayva Bradly was completely absurd. All the deplorable things he had done in the past stained his hands red with blood and would never come clean even with her purity.

Sera took pity on him, realizing that he was struggling with the truth. She knew about all the humans he's killed or rather the humans Aluxia made him kill and everyday it ate him alive with guilt. "How am I supposed to tell her something like that?" He whispered.

"You don't...you let her learn it on her own. Telling her would be exactly what that demon bitch wants."

Of course, it was one more thing he was going to have to keep a secret from her. It was tearing him up inside to keep them from her; but it was things she just wasn't ready to hear yet. If she asked, then he would tell.

Sera closed her eyes and listened to the breeze that flowed through her long brown hair. The sound of soft sobs echoed through her ears. She instantly recognized them belonging to Ayva. The heartbreaking sounds caught her in the chest. Out of all her one hundred twenty-three years of age, she never found someone that could make her feel human emotions like she was right that moment. "She's crying...go to her...she needs you..." She muttered, looking away from him.

"Sera..."

"Go on, I'm not going anywhere. There is a war coming and I'm choosing her."

"Thank you..."

Finn vanished in a split second, reappearing behind Ayva. She was on her knees surrounded by over a dozen tigerlillies. Sunlight beamed down through the trees just to shine on her, reflecting what looked like wings on the ground. The clearing was quiet absent her cries. He took a step in her direction, immediately alerting her to his presence. Swiftly turning her head around, her eyes met his. Locking together for a moment before returning to look away.

He continued to walk closer to her until he could sit down behind her. Reaching out hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around her. He didn't know what he could say to make whatever it was okay again. The pounding of his heart left his ears buzzing with the unfamiliar sensations. "Shhh...Ayva...it's okay..." He soothed.

"I saw her...I saw her kill them...your friends..."

"Aluxia has killed a lot people."

"She enjoyed killing him and you were helpless to stop her..." She continued to cry.

Finn knew that she must have seen a memory of his. Sleeping next to her gave her mind the opening it needed to see whatever it wanted to. The things he wanted to keep a secret could easily be let out of the bag if her mind willed it enough. Ayva turned while still in his embrace. She had to look at him. The pain that was behind his eyes. The pain that he went through that day still remained. "How could she? How could she do that to you?"

"She didn't care about me. She used me and I was too blind to see it."

He pulled her onto his lap, holding her even closer than before. She rested her head against the crook of his neck, feeling the bristles of his facial hair on her forehead. The sound of his beating heart was comforting. How it occasionally skipped a beat made her smile. "I am sorry that you had to see that. You shouldn't have to see the past."

"It's your past...good or bad I want to know about it. I want to know you..."

Smiling at her words, the woman in his arms continued to surprise him. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes clean of the stray tears. His arms around her was exactly what she needed and it amazed her how much better she felt with him being near. Pulling away from his chest, she looked into his eyes once more. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah...thank you. We should probably get back before Becky comes looking for us." She replied.

"Do you want to walk or do you want me to take you?"

"Walk with me...please..."

He agreed and they started out of the clearing with her slightly trailing behind. She looked back only once, remembering. There was something about the connection between them that seemed so natural. Damien's voice reminded her there was a reason. "You know that I've been watching over you this whole time. I know that he has wormed his way in, so don't push him away now."

She rushed to catch up with him, discreetly lacing her fingers through his. Watching his reaction, his eyes widened for a moment before shrinking back to normal; but when his fingers curled over her own hand, his smile was worth the effort. They walked hand in hand the rest of the way back to the house. Ayva wasn't about to stop believing that something good could come of their connection. "Finn..." She said stopping outside the front door.

"Yeah..."

"Thank you...for everything."

"You're welcome..."

He let go of her hand to walk inside the house. She knew that he was still hurting after everything that happened to him in the past. It was a good thing that she was a patient person and wasn't willing to give up on him. With a smile, she walked into the house after him.