Sarah frowned as she threw herself onto the bed of the hotel she was currently staying in. She could feel the headache building in her skull, pounding and jabbing behind her eyes through to her temples. Quickly, she smoothed the lines of her face as even that small motion made the pain worse.

Closing her eyes, she drifted half awake, half asleep as the pain kept her from truly sleeping. She wasn't sure what was going on, the only time she'd ever been affected by anything this badly was when she and Toby were still bonded… At that thought, she felt tears building and sliding down her face, dangling from her lashes like miniature crystals.

She felt lost, as if she had no place to go. Nor was she sure that the feelings were completely hers either… It was like there was a duality to her emotions, as if they were being reflected back at and to her from someone else. Groaning, she rolled over and prayed for blessed darkness to take her away from her thoughts and the pain in her head and heart.

With a sigh, she let the darkness of sleep sweep her away. A sudden pounding made her jerk from the deep sleep she'd fallen into. Slipping out of bed and to her feet, she jogged the five or so feet from the bed to the hotel's door. Looking into the little peephole all she saw was a mass of hair standing on end as whoever had been pounding on the door took a break and was leaning their head against the door.

She could feel them as if they were right next to her, their energy was that strong, creeping through the cracks between the frame and the floor. It felt malevolent, as unwelcome as Karen would be in all her undead glory. Sarah shuddered and pulled away from the door, backing up until she hit the bed. Of which she scrambled over as quickly as she could, huddling against the wall.

She had a feeling she was safe so long as she didn't open the door… Which was bowing under the weight of the power being thrown at it from the other side, she could see that she would be in even more danger just huddling on the floor than if she were getting her ass moving… Now!

Standing, she could see exactly what stood in the doorway of her room. The remains of the door were still floating to the ground, wood chips and shards littered the once pristine carpet. Trying to look through the gloom of the shattered door, she was able to make out a man, his hair no longer standing up on end, but falling around his shoulders.

She managed a shaky snarl of "Who are you?" Before his laughter broke through her forced bravado.

"Who am I…? Who are you to radiate such pure power…? There is no one else in this realm who tastes of power like you do…" The man murmured in response to her, his eyes far away. Without even seeming to pay attention, he stepped aside as she tried to throw her magic at him.

"Ah dearling, that won't work on me…" With laughter in his eyes and the quirk of his lips, he danced around the small room, avoiding the bed with an unnatural grace. Letting loose a laugh as she tried once more to send her magic at him, he was taken by surprise as she launched herself over the bed.

As she launched herself at him, she let herself loosen the control she held on her other form, claws in place of her nails, she raked him as he moved just a tad too slow to avoid her. His eyes wide, he darted to the side to dodge another swipe from her wickedly sharp claws. "You must truly be powerful if you have another form."

"I don't care how powerful I am, I just want to know what the hell you're doing invading my room!" She kept batting at him with her claws, almost as if she was just playing with him by letting him escape by the skin of his teeth. He could see it too, so with a snarl he let his magic loose, it was so strong it was a visible aura around him, strands of grey and black surrounding him, gyrating in the air around his body with strands reaching towards her.

With a squeak that almost made the man across from her laugh once more, she slowly moved backwards to the window, which she promptly threw herself out of. Laughter spilled from her parted lips, exhilaration coursing through her body as the adrenaline from the encounter with the man in her room pounded through her body as well.

Peering through the shattered window, he shook his head. Such daring from one as young as she was, he could smell it on her, the power that wafted off her like a perfume was as young and innocent as any sidhe before their hundreth or more year. He watched as her lithe form landed in a crouch, just by observing her, he could see that her other form was more than likely some sort of feline. In fact, he had a bet that it would be an ancient creature, the power… Well there was only one creature who could create a sidhe from nothing.

Grumbling, he slid out the window himself. His form was a smidgeon to large and bulky to fit comfortably, but there was nothing to be done about that. With a grunt, he finally managed to shove his body through the window, ignoring the way the glass snagged and caught at his clothing and skin.

Once he'd landed, he sniffed at the air, a moue of distaste forming, as he scented not only the tantalizing scent of the girl, but also the myriad of scents from the modern world. Fumes from a bus, exhaust from cars, even rotting garbage from the sewers. Following at a leisurely pace, he let his mind wander. Why would the Labyrinth have created a human and sidhe hybrid…? What was the use? The sidhe were a well established race by this point in time, seeing as he was once a god of the sidhe.

Not that the Labyrinth ever cared for what he or the others thought. Perhaps if she was back to creating things, he should name her as she truly was, Danu. Mother of the sidhe… Wife of Dagda. With a sigh he returned to the present. Perhaps he would introduce the pretty little morsel to Dagda… He would have an even better idea of just what Danu was up to than anyone else… So he hoped at least.

Seeing Sarah just ahead, he jogged to catch up to her, smothering his power so that she wouldn't know it was him before he had reached her. When he had reached her, he grabbed her around the waist and they shimmered briefly before they were gone, leaving the street barren of any evidence of their presence.

As they arrived, Sarah was spitting fire and yowling. Arawn couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh as she raked her nails, no claws, down his chest. "Oh you are truly beautiful… Too bad I have a feeling that the Labyrinth has a plan for you. A plan that doesn't include me sadly…" Letting her go, she stumbled and fell on her rear-end.

"Tell me who the hell you are… And where the fucking hell am I now!"

"Who I am… I am… I am Arawn, King of the Underworld."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!"

"No dearling, I am not. However, I have someone I'd like you to meet… And just call me Arawn. I haven't been a true King for many, many years…" With that he spun on his heel and led her into the house that they had arrived in front of. Sarah was too upset to take notice of any of the surroundings.

"Who do you bring to see this old man Arawn?" A deep voice boomed from a room deeper in the house, echoing strangely with a duality of accent and deepness.

"Someone who the Labyrinth has played with, she is mortal turned sidhe. Do you have any idea of what the Mother is planning?" Arawn questioned the man before them.

"I haven't a clue," The man said before his gaze turned to Sarah. He glanced once more at Arawn, a quick flicker of his eyelids told him that they would discuss things later. Once Sarah wasn't around, there was something afoot that would require their attention in the Underground once more. "So have you ever heard a first hand account of the defeat of Balor…?"

Sarah quirked a brow, "I haven't… However, I want to know who you are before you tell me any stories. I don't want to be stuck here forever only to find that once I'm able to escape that a hundred or more years have passed."

The man let loose a belly laugh, his dark eyes dancing with amusement, "I am Dagda, husband of Danu, mother of the sidhe." Sarah's eyes widened, before she fell back against the wall.

"Well then Father," The honorific fell from her lips without conscious thought, "Feed me and then tell me your tales of old."

A/N – Before the A/N I was at just over 1.5k in words. Anyway. I took some creative license because well shrugs I could. Dagda and Danu – Sources say their either married or mother & son, either way. So just so you guy's don't bitch at me :P