Hunters and the Hunted

"I'm sorry, I can't help but feel worried."
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Scareth watched his daughter. "Come on, let's show you your room."
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"Somehow I don't trust you to et her contact him." Sirius sighed. "Fine."

"Normal reaction. Can't fault you for it."

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Lucy yawned softly, wriggling herself further into him.

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"Excellent! Glad we've come to an agreement." Death clapped his hands together gently and stood. "Off you trot, I'll sort Faye out."

Sirius disappeared looking for Tuesday.
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Scareth brought her to a door down the hall and he opened the door to the nursery which was white with pink blankets and a few pink teddy bears.
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She nodded.

Tuesday was in Alarick's room, hands on his neck as she gently rolled his head around, ignoring his winces.

"I don't know what happened. Blacked out in the hallway and woke up. Jesus mom, I'm fine. Stop it."

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Lucy was blinking blearily by this point, struggling to keep his eyes open.

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Cain kissed her forehead gently.

"Tuesday he is fine." Sirius told her. "Us three and Rosco need to talk."
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Scareth carefully lay her in her bed and pulled a blanket over her.
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She moved to kiss his lips.

"What about? And it isn't fine. I'm at least eighty, ninety percent sure Alarick was dead for about six seconds."

"I passed out! It happens when you get tired, or harassed or, or - " Alarick twitched violently, before he looked around with confusion, trying to get to his feet.

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Lucy whimpered at losing skin contact, but gripped weakly at her blanket, peering at him.

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Cain kissed her back gently, fingers tangling carefully in her hair.

He gently moved his hand down one side of her face. "It's ok, I'm still here."
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"No you did actually die." He told them what had happened and what was going to happen with Faye.
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Scarlet matched her kiss to his. Cain, when you're infront, can Ian still hear and feel this?

Lucy sent him another mismatched set of images, but they were blurrier because she was tired.

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"She's gone already, she isn't anywhere." Alarick was on the brink of a panic attack. Tuesday was just grimacing at her lap, fingers twisted tightly together.

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Cain broke the kiss slowly. "Only if he concentrates. S'too hard to focus on you for him, cause my presence is bigger than his when I'm in front."

"Tell me in the morning, it's late." He kissed her forehead. "Get some sleep."
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Sirius knealt infront of Alarick. "Easy Alarick."
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She nodded. "Ok...So now that you're infront what do you feel like doing?"

Lucy yawned softly before blinking slowly.

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"She isn't anywhere though! This isn't even like when you took her out, it's like she was never there." Alarick ducked to have his head between his knees, trying to control his breathing.

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"I can't go outside because I have the tendency to accidentally terrorise small children and give heart attacks to woodland animals," Cain muttered. "Nothing much I can do. Can't wreak havoc here or cause mass murder without catching someone's attention."

"So we will stay in the house."

Hayden soon toddled to them.
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"Come on now, get some sleep."
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"Alarick you need to relax."

"Unfortunately, I'm quite a boring creature. Were it the old days, I'd've fetched you a head or two, spinal columns attached. Though, some don't appreciate our wooing methods." He glanced to Hayden.

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Lucy closed her eyes after a moment, unable to keep them open.

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"I can't, she's gone!"

"Well believe it or not, she is still alive so please calm down." He looked at Tuesday. "You had best go over to Scareth's place, Death killed Aria and now he is close to a mental breakdown."
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Scareth watched his daughter and true to Sirius' words he didn't look like he could keep it together.
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Hayden soon moved to hug Ian/Cain's leg. "Hello daddy."

Scarlet looked at Cain wanting to know how he would react to that.

"Yeah, yeah. I-I'll go. She got through the birth so easy though, I - there weren't any complications unless...internal bleeding perhaps? I didn't see Death there..." Tuesday shook her her head and disappeared, arriving at Scareth's, standing quietly in the corner as she watched him. After a moment, she murmured, "Have you named her yet?"

Lucy had curled up and started to sleep, sucking on the side of her fist.

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"I don't know what I'm supposed to do about it. Oh, if you agreed to this, Rosco is going to absolutely hate you."

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Cain crouched down, ruffling Hayden's hair and grinning widely. "Hey there tyke. How are you doing?" Hayden might have been able to notice the difference by the fact Cain had a darker aura about him, and his pupils were thinned out.

"Lucy." He whispered, geently soothing his daughters cheek.
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"I'm ok." He smiled, either not noticing the differences or not paying attention to them. "My wings have come through." He nodded to two tiny black wings in his back.
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"I know he will."

"Any significance, or do you just like it?" Tuesday came a little closer. "Is she doing okay?" When she was next to him, she rest a gentle hand on the side of his arm.

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"Wow, aren't you growing fast." Cain picked Hayden up, straightening from his crouch as he did so, holding him close. "Aww, aren't they cute little things," he was obviously teasing him to be playful. Cain loved children just as much, if not more, than Ian.

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"Why did you agree to it? I-Is there nothing you could do? I thought you were this all powerful thing that nobody fucks with and then all of a sudden you concede to this random person calling themselves Death? It's not as if it's Death itself, right? Right...?" Alarick looked up to Sirius, looking conflicted.

"I used to be friends with someone called Lucy...We drifted apart." He moved away from Tuesday by half a step, though he was shaking.
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Scarlet smiled, watching ad she managed to find a way to speak directly to Ian. "Cain's not as bad as you think."

Hayden giggled.
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"Even someone likes me doesn't fuck with someone like Death Alarick. Trust me I never wanted your sister to go, you're my son and daughter, but if I didn't then all of you would have suffered. And yes it was actually Death himself."

"Scareth, please," Tuesday said softly. "Try to be strong. If you need to, you can move back in with us for a short while." She opened her arms in silent invitation, if he wanted a hug. "You and Lucy will be fine. We'll look after you. We'll do everything we can."

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"He's a dick when he wants to be, but he loves all three of you, just as much as I do."

Cain twitched at hearing the edges of the conversation, but focused his attention on Hayden to give them privacy, tickling just behind his wings gently.

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"What does he want with Faye? Why did he have to take her? It isn't fair..."

"I now it's not fair Alarick, but we have to get used to this now."
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Hayden burst into a fit of laughter.

"We all have our moments when we are dicks." She reminded him, meaning more about herself than him.
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"Lucy can, I'm staying here."

"And how long will it be? A month, two? Longer? Never?"

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"Oh, so you are ticklish there, are you?" Cain held Hayden close with one arm, tickling him more avidly with his free hand.

"It's hard to see fault in you Scarlet."

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"It won't be good for you to be separated from her Scareth. She needs you at this stage."

"She will be home in a year."
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"Trust me, I have my faults."

Hayden couldn;t stop laughing.
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"Yeah and I can't do anything." Scareth told her. "I feel like I want to kill her, but I don't. She is better off away from me, with you and dad."

"Far too long. I'll probably break way before then, my mind is too empty."

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"All of which I refuse to see because to me, they're what makes you."

"What did you want to do today, huh? Those little things aren't going to get you off the ground, so you can't try flying yet."

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"Stay with her Scareth. Talk to her, let her talk back, show her what Aria looks like, tell her what a beautiful mother she has, so she doesn't grow up lost. I know you, better than most. You can do this."

"I'm not like you and dad, I can't do this." He got up and looked at her. "She's better off with people who can look after her."
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"It's the best that Death would give."
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"We could go and see Rachel." Hayden suggested.

"Neither do you, by the way I have something to tell you."

"What, and you think I was ready to have children? She's better off with her father. I can't do anything for her Scareth. Without you she will wither and die. She's a psychic, she needs you. If you're going to act like this, I will snap her neck right now and avoid the suffering."

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"What am I supposed to do?" Alarick rubbed the back of his head. "I can't exactly ask anyone else to take her place."

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"Well, we'll have to wait a little until your mother's finished, unless she comes with us."

"What is it you wanted to say?"

Hayden nodded.

"I'm pregnant."
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"If you went through with your plans with Alex and Kai to go out drinking tonight, then you might meet a nice girl. She could be a substitute until Faye comes back."
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"Yeah she really needs someone who is out of control."