Hunters and the Hunted

Scarlet made a sign with her hands to tell him 'one minute' and she answered her phone. "Hello?"
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"Then can you seal him up?" She asked him.
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"I missed you to, we both did."

"I...Scarlet we can't..." Ian's voice was shaky on the phone. "Cain is really twitchy and I can't get him to calm its...there's something big and he's angry and violent and I keep blacking out so..." It was silent except for breathing and then he sounded much calmer, Cain obviously having come forward. "I'm afraid we're going to cause harm to Hayden should you not return soon. 'tis too close to Rakin rising and our instincts are responding. Knock the boy unconscious if you must to bring him here, but if you're not back soon, there won't be a home for you to return to." He let out a shaky breath. "We need you, Scarlet."

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"If that is what you want me to do. I would have to wait until the point of entry before I could seal him, but I will do so if it is your wish. Mine would be the tightest seals available anyway."

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"I'm really sorry."

"Death can't you do it sooner? If I speed it up, can you do it now?"
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"I will try my best, I promise. Tell Hayden that he is working a case and trust me willl be safe."
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"It's ok."

"Alarick is expecting Rakin in three days time. If he gets in sooner then Alarick won't be prepared and there would be nothing I could do if Alarick's mind and soul is destroyed by sudden entry. The nicest thing to do would be to completely obliterate the body. I assume that's the less desirable option." Death closed his eyes. "They're already planning on putting seals on him now, another of the Ancient's. I suppose I should go and stop him. I'll return shortly." He kissed her forehead and disappeared.

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"Approaching Hayden is too dangerous. We're already finding it hard to keep in English, we won't recognise the boy should he enter our space. It's not going to kill Alarick if you break his neck and bring him here, just do it. We'll feel better for putting seals on him." Cain fell silent for a moment before he started hissing and spitting profanities at someone, Death talking calmly in the background.

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Aria fell silent, still holding tightly onto the covers.

He gently rubbed her arm.
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Jess nodded and watched him leave.
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She looked at Alarick. "I'm sorry." She suddenly knocked him unconscious and made them both appear where Cain/Ian and Death were and the minute she saw Death she raised an eyebrow. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Aria moved her arm enough so she could take hold of his hand gently.

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"I'm stopping this one from doing anything foolish." Death was stood on Cain, who was trapped on his stomach on the floor, Death's foot pressed on the back of his neck. "Such as putting inadequate seals on a body too small to hold them. It would have killed the boy - he forgets that Alarick isn't a demon. I'm simply here because it will make Jessica happy if I intervene in these matters."

Cain was bristling and snarling, clearly on the edge of some brink and in danger of falling off.

"Cain stop." Scarlet told him and she looked at Death. "I'm not going to ask why you care so much about Jess." She looked at Alarick's body.
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He held her hand gently.

Cain immediately relaxed and Death snorted.

"Just like a dog, isn't he. More a lover than a pet." Death lifted his foot and stepped back. "I do not have the primitive feelings you call 'love' for Jessica. My affections are more true." He peered at Alarick. "Either keep him here or take him home. I will return in three days to place the seals. Keep your dog on a short leash and away from others. There are pressing times for him." Death gave a humourless smile. "Keep him entertained."

Cain was on his feet and snarling, but decided not to attack Death or to even move at all.

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Aria pulled his hand up to kiss it, before moving it gently to press it to her cheek.

Scarlet looked at Cain/Ian. "Bedroom, now." She soon caught sight of Hayden. "Hayden, go and work a case for me." She watched him toddle off, before she looked at Death. "Aww, didn't know you had feelings."
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She smiled slightly.

Cain twitched violently, eyes not leaving Death for a long moment before the need to follow orders overtook instincts and he turned on his heel, walking towards the bedroom. In a for of anger as he left, he threw the coffee table over.

"Everything and everyone feels. I'm just choosing to acknowledge them for the first time in..." he actually hesitated before continuing, "in a very long time. Eons."

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"I'm not sure I can quite yet fall asleep...i-is it okay if I have a bath?" Aria sounded hesitant in asking.

"Yeah, do you want me to go and run it for you since you have Lucy?"
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Scarlet looked at him. "I know. Sirius told me all about you, it is nice to finally meet you in person by the way, I just wish that it was under better circumstances."

"If you don't mind..." Aria turned to comb her fingers through Lucy's hair, watching her with a tender expression of heartfelt adoration.

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"I'm sure he has. This may be the first time you've met me, but I've seen you many times before." Death bowed shallowly. "T'was unexpected, the intensity of what I have for Jessica. I do not wish to explain it to an outsider who has no need of the knowledge. To keep some semblance of politeness, 'tis nice to meet you. The circumstances could, undoubtedly, be much better."

"I've seen your versions." She nudged Alarick with her foot. "Do you want to take him with you for the three days and the send him back when he has the seals?"
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Scareth kissed her forehead before he walked to the bathroom and started to fill the bath.

"Keeping him with me would be inadvisable. Where I stay is closer to the Veil than anywhere else, Rakin would find Alarick like a moth drawn to light. 'Tis better if he stays with you or with his parents. Cain is becoming impatient. There's a seventy six percent chance he's going to leave in the next eight minutes and cause mass slaughter at the nearest town. Would you like me to wake Ian up before I leave? I can also fix some of the broken seals, so Cain isn't as forward and so the two aren't in danger of merging in the near future."

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Aria smiled softly at him before she carried on brushing her fingers through Lucy's hair, touching her fingertips against her cheek.

"If it won't backfire in the long run, then I suggest you do please." Scarlet made Alarick appear back where she had first found him and she looked at the stairs. "Cain, come down."
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He came back after a few minutes.

"Leaving the seals will eventually result in the loss of Ian and the full return of Cainen's power. If you wish Cain to be able to defend himself, I can make changes to the seals. Ian will not die or be lost, but Cain will regain a considerable amount of his ability. Unless you're afraid of the amount of power he could potentially wield."

Cain relaxed noticeably at seeing Scarlet, though he hissed at Death's words, "I'd never harm her with my power, I'm not a monster."

"I do not want to clean up after you if you decide to raze half of the America's simply because you're bored, Cain. I'm asking Scarlet her opinion because she knows you a little better than I do these days and so she should be the judge of whether or not you should be allowed power and whether or not Ian should stay."

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Aria looked up at him. She'd gently moved Lucy so she wasn't lying on her as much. Aria was now sat at the edge of the bed, having waited for Scareth to come back.

Scarlet looked at Cain and she walked to him. "Just make it as it was before Death, so they both have equal control." As she said it she moved some hair out of Cain/Ian's face.
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Scareth walked to her.

"I cannot make it as it was before, otherwise Cain would be go back into hibernation. I can, however, clean up the current seals and prevent further disintegration while implementing all of the lost complex seals."

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Aria slowly stood, if a little shakily. "W-Will you be staying here with Lucy, o-or joining me?" she asked quietly, watching her feet.

"Whichever you want me to do."
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Scarlet looked at Cain. "That will be fine." She told Death.

"Will Lucy b-be fine on her own? S-She came back upset b-but I..." Aria shuffled, swallowing quietly as she fisted her hands at her sides. "I'm a-afraid of being on my o-own."

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"You're going to need to hold him still or give him an explicit instruction to not move. If I think he's going to hurt me, I will remove a limb."

Scarlet made Cain look at her. "Cain, baby you have to keep really still ok." She said it as an order..
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"Don't worry, she will be fine."

Cain watched her quietly and nodded with a sigh before flinching violently as Death moved to rest a hand on his shoulder. Cain very nearly whipped around to attack Death but registered Scarlet's words and simply whined, before letting his head fall to her shoulder, hands moving to hold onto her hips.

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"T-Then if you could be w-with me in the bathroom t-then..."

"Your wish is my command darling." He kissed her forehead.
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Scarlet gently moved a hand down his face. "It's ok."

Aria smiled weakly. "T-Thank you..." She kissed his cheek in return before she walked towards the bathroom slowly.

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There was a suddenly loud crackle and a smell close to burning flesh at the same time Cain sank his teeth into her shoulder completely out of shock and the startle of pain. Two seconds later, before he'd even managed to apologise, there was another crackle followed by another and another. Seventeen of them later, Cain was a trembling mess against Scarlet, gasping harshly against the skin of her neck as his fingers clenched and unclenched against her sides, undoubtedly leaving bruises. His back was bleeding freely and the room stank of burnt skin.

Death stepped back, wiping his hands clean on the remains of Cain's shirt, the back of which he'd torn off to reach the skin of his back easier. Quite unsympathetic to Cain's pain, he deadpanned, "I'll be leaving now. I will return in three days to deal with Alarick." And then promptly disappeared.

"I really hate that guy." Scarlet muttered as Death left, before she made him look at her. "It's ok now, I'm sorry you had to go through that." She gently moved a hand down his face.
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He walked into the bathroom with her.