Wolfy goes a Courtin'
"Thanks for seeing me."John rubs the back of his neck as Alex stands fidgeting under the tree.
"Yeah," she looks down. "Well, I guess I can't avoid you forever." she gives an awkward laugh, trying to make it a joke. He went through Jody so she didn't have much of an excuse not to.
"I am so sorry about what happened that night. I swear that I didn't take anything intentionally or..."
"John, it's okay." She interrupts him, putting a hand on his arm. "It wasn't your fault. It's just.... it's not going to work out, that's all. I'm sorry."
"You can't give me any more than that?" Just 'it's not going to work out'?" His cheeks turn red at this.
"No. I'm sorry. You're a great guy, but it just doesn't always click, you know." Alex tries again.
"Yeah, well, I just... I thought it had. I thought we clicked." he looks away.
"I'm sorry. I like you and I was just hoping maybe... but no..."
"Okay." John takes a breath. "Okay, I, um, I'll just go now." he backs away a few steps before turning and retreating back towards the parking lot. Alex just leans against the tree and slides down it until she's sitting underneath it on the grass. thye barely even dated and she still feels like crap. She draws up her knees and rests her chin on her arms. It's impossible isn't it? Trying to find a place she fits. It's never going to happen so why does she keep trying? She looks up as a dog starts licking her face, and smiles at it.
"Hey Rhys." What are you doing here?" Alex reaches up and starts to scratch behind his wars. He looks breifly surprised that she recognizes him as he's much smaller thanusual, int he form of a very wolfy looking dog. "It's the eyes." She strokes his nose. "Still skirting public nudity laws I see." She teases. He gives her a doggy grin and licks the tears from her cheeks. "Don't. It's okay. I'm okay. Do you need something?" She wipes her face off with her sleeve. He turns away and goes to a nearby bush where he takes out a large thick envelope. Inside is a card with hearts and flowers with gold embossing. When she opens it, it reads 'Our lives suck. Lets run away together and start our own religion. Clothing optional.' Alex laughs and looks over at him again to see him with a bouqet of roses in his mouth. He waggles his eyebrows, just sitting there waiting for her to take them. "Sorry, Rhys. I'm not into bestiality." She pets him some more and kisses the top of his head. He just rolls his eyes and sits down next to her with a sigh, resting his head in her lap. "Are you okay? How come you're always a wolf or a dog around me? Are you cursed or something?" He just huffs and rolls his eyes again. "I know you're not shy?" This gets a kind of amused snort. "Well, it doesn't matter. You canhang with me anyway. I don't have anything else to do." She scratches behind his ear and leans back against the tree.
"Everything I try to do just... blows up in my face." she continues. "School, counseling, my own apartment, dating. I failed three of my classes. Three. Trying to do four term papers in fourty eight hours that took me weeks to do each what did I expect? Not that my grades were stellar before given all the time I was giving to researching how to help Michael. I was counting on the papers to carry me through. And I'd done it and then it was all just gone. God, though I even had help and everything and I still couldn't..." She rubs her eyes again before Rhys can lick her tears off. 'Why did I leave the damn sd card in the laptop? Why didn't I keep it in my purse or use a cloud server or email them to myself or something." Rhys gives a little whimper and lets her just hold onto him. "I know it's stupid and petty with everything that's going on, but it's my life, you know. I've been trying so hard and for what? What am I doing wrong?" Rhys just gives a sympathetic whimper and picks up the card in his mouth, holding it out to her again. "Ask me again on two legs buddy." Rhys gets up and rears up onto his hind legs, teetering forwards a few steps. "You know what I mean." she shoves him over. He just scrambles back up and pushes her over in return, licking her neck and ears until her phone rings.
"Wait a se.. ahhh.. Uncle!" She pushes him away, grabbing for it. "Hello?"
"Krissy? Krissy, I nee.... elp... hammer... can't... think .... maybe dead!" there's broken whispering amidst static and a very loud thud.
"Hello?" Alex looks at the phone. It says 'gambling whoremonger' as the caller id. "Who is..." The phone goes dead. "Crap!" She calls her own phone again. "Hey, Krissy, who's gambling whoremonger?.... oh, I think he's in trouble. he just called... okay, fair point, but still... okay, bye," Alex says to the empty phone and Krissy hangs up. Apparently she's still upset about him not taking Hara back. "She said if Saul's not in enough trouble to call for Hara, he's not in enough trouble for her to abandon a hunt for. Apparently your uncle is guarding him?" Rhys sits up at this, his ears straight in the air, and takes off. "Wait... what's..." the phone starts ringing again. "Saul?" Alex answers the phone warily.
"Huntress, we have your freind and know where you are. If you want this man to stay alive, you will go to the parking lot and enter the black limosine parked there. Do not contact anyone in any way or he will die. You have two minutes." The heavily accented voice states coldly.
"I'm not...."
"Two minutes." he snaps and hangs up.
"Fuck!" She scrambles to her feet and runs tot he parking lot. Sure enough a black limo is pulling into the lot and opens the door as she approaches. "Please don't hurt Saul. This isn't my..." She tries to explain again, but the man inside reaches out and pulls her inside, taking her phone as the door shuts. "You have the..."
"Silence!" he snaps at her and the car starts to drive. Alex reaches for her seatbelt and closes her mouth. "The god in your womb provides you some protection but do not test us." fuck fuck fuck. She buckles herself in and tries to think. Can she pray? She doesn't know anything though. If Saul didn't pray for help there must have been a good reason not to. And they said they'd kill him if she contacted anyone, she can only assume they meant prayer. Well, that's alright. Once she knows where he is, she can call for help. Where the hell did Rhys run off to?
"Uncle... Uncle it's Rhys. Is all well? Your charge is in danger if you are alive and are near you phone call back or I will be forced to inform my brother and I'm not exactly supposed to... Breiddjamme!" Rhys curses, putting his fingers in his hair as he sees Alex pulled into the limo shortly before it pulls off. He starts to run after it but a car driving towards the park smashes into him, brakes squealing.
"Shit!" a woman gets out of the car. "Are you alright? What the hell were you doing?" she goes to him. He gets to his feet and snatches her keys from her hand, getting into the car.
"I am sorry. I will return or replace it." He closes the door and starts the car.
"Hey!" She pulls out a gun. "What the fuck do you think you're doing? Freeze or I'll shoot." Rhys just takes off after the limo. "What the hell just happened?" Jodie straightens up, just absolutely astonished. Nobody in the parrish is ever going to let her live this down. And her cell phone is charging in the car, inside her purse. "Hey! Give me your phone." She holds her hand out to the nearest kid filming the events on his phone and sniggering at the event. After a quick embarassing call to the precinct, she calls her own number.
"I'm sorry, but the woman you are calling has had her car purse and phone stolen. If you have other means of contacting her please do so." He states pleasantly, with the even tones of a recording. Where does she know that accent from?
"Listen you little shit. Bring my car back right now or you will have every damn cop in south dakota on your theiving ass so fast your head will spin. Do you understand me?" She snaps, trying not to let on how incredibly embarrassed she is.
"I am very sorry but my future lover has been abducted by necromancers in a short black limosine and I cannot stop to parlay. Tell Sherrif Jodie Mills I wil return her fostri to her along with your car and it is not your fault."
"I'm Jody Mills!"
"Oh! Sherrif! Hello. I am Fenrisulr Lokisson. You can call me Rhys. My sister is dating your other fostri, Claire. Yes. Alex is with necromancers, or people who smell very much like them. I believe they think she is a different hunter, but to not worry, my aiskling will be returned to you shortly and they will be rent to peices." He sounds oddly cheery.
"What?" Did he refer to Alex as his future lover?
"There is a second hostage and they may have killed my uncle but you need not concern yourself. I will pay for all repairs neccesary to the vehicle. I promise. It was a pleasure meeting you." He hangs up.
"What?" She looks around and sees a phone in the parking lot. She traded phones with Krissy earlier for some reason, something about internet access. That looks like it's that same phone, though it's broken to peices. Alex is no where to be seen.
So it is a police car. It's not black and white or a complete peice of shit like in the movies so he thought it was a security guards or something. Not the best way to meet the future mother in law, but still. once she has Alex back she'll forgive him. The buttons and switches he presses eventually turn on the sirens which makes persuit much easier. The window is open and he can smell blood and burnt flesh in the air as well as magic. Not completed yet but they cannot be allowed to do so. He pretends to ignore the limosine and passes by them moving in front of them, then slams on the breaks, pulling the parking break at the same time. It's easy to absorb the energy of the impact himself, but an old man in black flies through the passengers side windsheild into the back of his car, the limo crumpling on impact, then flipping over the police car to one side.
Rhys grimaces and exits the car, ripping open the back door of the limo. the driver is dead and a man in the back is half impaled by a hot iron. As he expected, Alex has her seatbelt on, though her arm has symbols seared into the flesh. She didn't scream. Ever since she ripped her hand open on his fang to banish the army of reapers, she has just impressed him more and more. She's unconcious. The seatbelt tears off easily and after reaching over to snap a few necks just to be on the safe sidem Rhys removes her from the car, carrying her over to the grass on the side of the road.
"Alex... Alex, kjaerlighet. Speak to me." He pleads, gently patting her cheek. This is far beyond the rules but it is an emergency situation and he's sure they'll understand. If they forgive him for the car accident. How was he supposed to know it would flip that way. They weren't even going anywhere near as fast as they do on the autoban.
"W-what?" she mutters, breifly opening her eyes." ... know you.." her tone is one of recognition.
"I'm so sorry. This was not very well thought out." Rhys apologizes and kisses her. "Run away with me?"
"Sure why not." she immediately passes out again. At least it sounded like 'sure why not'. He's not fluent in severe concussion. other police sirens are starting to close in and given he just stole a police car and almost killed the sherrif's adopted daughter in an acceident it's not a very good time to be a man. Discretion is the better part of valor after all. He moves back to the car away from any gawking eyes and turns back into a jamthund, staying close to her side until the emt's chase him away.
"What? Oh my god!" Claire exclaims. "No. I'm coming home right now. Is that dog still there?... Let him know I am so telling his damn sister. And his father! That... reckless asshole!... Right. Right. I'll be ther tonight at the latest." Krissy looks up as Claire starts packing her bags.
"What? What happened?"
"There's been an... incident. Alex is in the hospital. Something about necromancers and that idiot Rhys decided the best way to save her was to cause a major car accident. That was an hour ago and she still hasn't regained consciousness yet, so we're leaving. Now."
"We can't just leave in the middle of a hunt. People are dying, Claire." Krissy stands up, taking her clothes back as Claire takes them off the hangers. "I just pressed those."
"Abusive assholes who who'd kill pregnant women! So forgive me if I'd rather go to my sister who's possiblyl dying and be with her, instead of trying to save potential murderers."
"You're being unprofessional." Krissy protests. Claire just stops shoving her clothes in and turns back to look at her.
"Excuse me? I'm being unproffessional? Who got drunk off her ass at BiCUD leaving me to go after lethe alone?"
"I can't believe you're bringing that up!" Krissy blushes.
"I can't believe it took me this long. You just... you flirt like a man. You look like you took cues on being an FBI agent from Miss Congeniality 2 and not Silence of the Damn Lambs like you should... you don't do anything the way you're supposed to..."
"You mean I don't do things like a Winchester." Krissy retorts. "Excuse me if I'm not trying to be some little Sam and Dean with vagina clones."
"They're the best, Krissy. They're what ever hunter should aspire to be." Claire points out. "How many times have they saved the world?"
"How many times have they endangered it? We aren't them, Claire. Not even slightly. If that's your standard anyways, why the fuck are you leaving? Would Dean leave in the middle of a hunt? Would he?"
"If Sam was hurt and dying, he'd burn down a fucking redwood forest to get to him. I think leaving a hunt with victims who quite frankly deserve what they get is pretty par for the course." Claire raises her voice.
"She is not your GODDAMN SISTER!" Krissy yells right back. "And there is nothing you can do for her, Claire. You're not a doctor. You're a hunter."
"Listen Kristiana. I'm going to go and sit by my sister Alex's bedside until she is safe and sound and there is nothing you can do about it." Claire tries to stare her partner down. "You can't stop me, Krissy. All you can do is come along or stay behind."
"I'm not abandoning these people, so you can go moon after a straight girl who's never going to fuck you." Krissy says flatly. Claire slaps her across the face. "Ow."
"You're lucky you're pregnant, you ignorant bitch."
"I'm sorry." Krissy sighs. "I didn't mean that."
"I am sick of everyone thinking that just because I'm bi, I'm some kind of sex crazed whore, lusting after everybody. You know I don't feel that way about Alex. She's my freind, and yes, she is absolutely positively my sister. I love Hela not the least because she understands that. And I thought you did, too."
"I do. I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm moody as hell. I understand. I do.. I... here." Krissy takes a shakey breath, and tosses her the keys to the car.
"Well, you are pregnant." Claire gives her partner a hug. "Come with me. We can come back when she's okay."
"Just get the car back to Jo, okay? I'll.... wait for back up and make my own way back when I'm done here." Krissy rubs Claire's back. "Do I really flirt like a man?"
"Worse. You are constantly flirting with every one who even looks at you sideways. You even flirt with inanimate objects, you hussy. I'll call Garth on the way and see if there's anyone around to back you up." Claire gives her a squeeze before letting go, and takes money out of her wallet and puts it on the table.
"I feel so dirty." Krissy puts her hand to her chest, looking away.
"Oh, Shut up."
"And don't come back in that damn wagon, get a decent car even if you have to steal one." Krissy demands.
"Dean is fixing it!"
"I don't care, that hunk of junk is more of a hazard to my little jelly bean than any monster." Krissy flops down on the bed and takes out the little stuffed bear.
"I'll be back soon. Don't do anything reckless, remember it's not just your life right now." Claire reminds her and walks out. Krissy just rolls her eyes.
"Sure, tell me to be careful but not let Hara back. Why would a pregnant hunter need an angel who can heal her anyways.Sure she took Hara in to help Alex but to keep us safe? Noooo." She scowls at the bear until she feels incredibly foolish. "God, I'm so fucking grrrr," Krissy shakes it and lets her arms fall down on the bed beside her as she stares up at the ceiling. "I miss you, Hara. Please try to find a vessel. Be all sad and lonely and weepy if you can. No one with a heart can resist you, you little woobie. As soon as I pop this baby out you are coming with me, do you hear me? Oh, yeah, Saul called. He's in trouble I think so maybe he'll let you back in. I was kind of cranky and brushed him off. So check on him, maybe? I don't know. I wish you were here. I'll get back to the abyss as soon as I can. I won't let the fledglings watch me give birth but seeing how the baby grows might be nice for them." Krissy gives a sigh and just lies there trying to think, her eyes growing heavier and heavier.
There's a knock on the door that wakes her from a sound sleep almost before she realizes she slept at all. That's the worst thing so far, the sleepiness. She doesn't get morning sickness but she does get exhausted.
"Hold on." She gets to her feet and walks over to open it, in her now wrinkled suit. Krissy is not looking forwards to ironing it again. It's not fair, really, just because Claire can't iron worth crap why does she have to do it all? "What can I... Nat?" She blinks.
"Claire called me. She said you needed assistance, or an assistant." Thanatos says a bit haltingly.
"That...interfering brat!" Krissy fumes and opens the door all the way. "This is because of that comment about Alex. I knew she accepted my apology to fast. Alright, come in." She waves him in. After all, who couldn't use a god on their side. Especially against another god."
"How are you?" He asks, gently closing the door behind him.
"Fine."
"You're soliciting other pantheons? I accept your affiliation with christianity because of Harahel, but really Krissy?" Nat walks over to the bed. "I can protect you and our child if you need protection."
"What are you talking about?" She rubs her eyes. He picks up the stuffed bear and rips it's head off. "Hey! That's our jellybean's bear."
"Our what?" He frowns and fishes out a small brass medallion from it's stomach. "Egyptians? Really? Just because the entrance to Hades is in Carthage now, doesn't mean we're on good terms. Bastet? Really? I thought you preferred dogs." He sounds mildly hurt as he examines it.
"I didn't know that was in there. So, this Bastet. She turns into a lioness?"
"Yes. And you cannot shoot her with any of these bullets." He motions to the ammunition spread out on the other bed for inventory.
"Actually, I was thinking of asking her nicely to stop killing people." Krissy stretches out a little.
"That isn't funny. It.. it is a joke." Thanatos looks at her, unsure. "Isn't it?"
"I dunno." Krissy shrugs, arms still extended up above her head. "I'd really hate to kill her for protecting pregnant women from abusive assholes."
"What happens between a man and his wife is their own business. She has no right to interfere regardless of what is happening." Thanatos shakes his head.
"Are you kidding me? If you're not allowed to do it to a stranger, it shouldn't be okay to do it to someone you love and no it is not their own business!"
"I'm kidding. I can make unfunny jokes, too, you see." Nat gives a small smile as Krissy punches his shoulder. "Why must you hunt her at all if you approve of her work? Why risk your lives hunting one you agree with?"
"So no one else does and either gets killed or kills her."
"You are a strange hunter, Krissy Chambers." Thanatos takes out Krissy's sewing kit. "Can we talk a little before we resume the hunt?" He sits down and starts stitching the head back onto the stuffed animal.
"Do we have to?" She wrinkles her nose. He doesn't say anything, he just looks sad. "Alright, we can talk some more. Oh, but first do you want to see pictures?"
"Of what?"
"Of Chrysander of course." Krissy takes the sonogram out of her pockets. the strip has held up surprisingly well for being handled so roughly and so often.
"But, he is still in your womb." He gives her a confused look.
"It's called a sonogram or ultrasound or whichever. They bounce sound off things like sonar and it makes a picture. Look, see, he's the little blob that looks like a jellybean. Isn't he cute?" She points him out. Thanatos just stares at it and places his hand gently over her abdomen.
"Thank you." There's so much raw emotion in his voice, Krissy can't meet his eyes.
"Do you like the name? Harahel suggested it. He was stuck on the thought of my having a Krissy junior but didn't want to offend you by naming your son anything 'of christ' and honestly Chrysander kind of stuck."
"I think Chrysander is a wonderful name. You know it's gender?"
"Rye said it was the right building blocks for a boy so would probably be a boy, so yeah. You're going to have a son."
"If only I could have a wife as well."
"No, Nat. And... I want Josephine and Aiden to raise him. They have a home, a peaceful normal life. We could still be a part of his life but he wouldn't have to be freighted around from place to place. or trapped underground. He would be with good people who would never exploit or abuse him, ones capable of protecting themselves whatever his abilities are. Our parents were killed by the same assholes. We hunted together, trained together. I trust them." Krissy looks at him. " That... that's what I want for him."
"I don't want him in Hades either, it's no place for children. But I don't know your freinds. I would like to meet them at least."
"Of course. They want to meet you, too. Though, they know how we met so it'll kind of be an uphill battle for them to like you." Krissy confesses.
"I was just trying to help my brother. I meant you no harm at all." He flushes.
"I understand. So, how do we kill Bastet? You know, in case asking nicely doesn't work." Krissy changes the subject. Talking about that always makes her uncomfortable. She doesn't remember it herself, she just knows what he told her about it.
"I don't know. If we knew how to kill egyptian gods, there wouldn't be any left to hunt tonight." He replies testily.
"Fair enough." Krissy closes her eyes and clasps her hands together.
"What are you doing?"
"Praying."
"Right in front of me?" He sounds mildly offended.
"I'm your lover not your worshipper, deal with it. And it's the only way I can talk to Hara, too." she silently prays the question to Harahel.
"Are you?" Thanatos leans closer. "Are you still my lover?"
"If... if you think it would be enough. I don't know. Doesn't seem fair to you. You love me, and I don't love you. I'd just be using you." She shrugs loosing her train of thought.
"You think you could never love me, never want to be with me."
"I don't know." She replies truthfully.
"Until you do either way... why should we part company? I can wait until you know." He kisses her cheek.
"That's a change from the man who proposed to me at our first meeting." Krissy gives a smile.
"You remember?" Thanatos looks almost hopeful.
"No, your brother told me."
" That brat. Well, what can I say? I was smitten. But I don't want to loose what I have because I can't wait patiently for more. I'll take what you ahve to offer, Kristiana."
"That would be a knuckle sandwich if you keep calling me Kristiana." She raises a and fist. He smiles and kisses her knuckles.
"May I be with you the next time they take these pictures?" He nods to the sonograms.
"Yes." She smiles at him and takes his hand. "Thank you for not being an asshole about all this."
"Thank you for bearing my child."