---

The night held haunting dreams and restless sleep; each time the creatures of the night made noises outside of the stables, Elias awoke, hand on blade in case of an attack. It wasn't until the sun was coloring the sky a dark blue that he finally fell into slumber.

The sudden, rude awakening of a bucket of water being poured on his head brought him about with a start. He was disoriented and confused, not to mention grump enough to make a gnome seem amiable.

The Grimm bolted to his feet, glowering at the girl near him, reaching for his blade to strike her down. After a moment, her laughing form slumped against the wall as she gasped in pain. Alexis...Elias' expression softened as he identified her, smiling faintly as she groaned at her leg.

The events of the previous night returned to him while Alexis slowly regained her balance. The banquet, the dancing, the fighting... Alexis display of superior combat abilities the night before demanded that Elias stop treating her with such contempt; he wasn't going to be the happiest towards her, but he would show her due respect.

The dreams that he had woken from were of him and Taric, but instead of the horrific nightmares, they were pleasant reminders of successful hunts and dangerous adventures. Elias smiled, his spirits lifted from the night's reminders of his partner.

The Grimm walked over towards Alexis and bent down, throwing her over his shoulder in a single, fluid motion and spinning around, chuckling lightly as he did. The happiness he felt within his bubbled over as he played with her, continuing to spin about the stables. Hundar whinnied in slight alarm, but he ignored it, gently bending over and placing Alexis on a bale of hay.

He plopped down beside her and let loose an easy laugh, surprised at his own amiability. "Well, that was quite a rude awakening."

Alexis had shrieked in surprised laughter when he picked her up and began spinning around the barn. Her heart raced and when he placed her gently down into the hay she felt totally happy, for the first time in months. He joined her in the hay and something in the pit of her stomach lit up like a fire. Attraction. This realization made Alexis blush. She could feel the electricity between them and she turned and looked at him to see if it was noticeable to him too.

Laughing at his remark,"Maggie said that the Grimms can see the creatures real selves under their masks. Is that true?" She said raising up on one elbow and blushing as she looked at him smiling. He looked and sounded happy for the first time since they had met and she was going to speak to him while he was.

She had missed having someone to talk to. She and Maggie had been close and Elinora would goof off with them but after Maggie's death Elinora shut down around Alexis. There was no one to talk to or share anything with except Marcus and he was not accustomed to sharing with his children. He was a good father but he wasn't her confidant.
@December

---

Elias leaned back into the hay, interlacing his fingers behind his head and looking up at the barn's ceiling. He felt utterly exhausted, but he knew it wasn't from any physical ailment. He had been forced to maintain social interaction and pleasantries every single day since he had arrived at the manor. The months leading up to his arrival had been filled with violence, brutality, and bloodshed. The sudden transition from primal beast to respectable gentleman was taxing on Elias, and he wasn't positive how much longer he could sustain the image.

Elias pushed the thoughts aside, not letting the darkness taint the happiness of the morning. Inhaling deeply, he released a long sigh as his body slowly woke up. "There's a reason that my bloodline chose to be Reapers. We Grimms have possessed a wide variety of skills and abilities related to Wesen that we obtain through our inheritance. Some Grimms don't get the gift; We don't know why or how the gift chooses who obtains it, but we know that you have to have Grimm blood in your veins to get it."

Elias rolled onto his side, looking at Alexis with a sleepy expression. "We can sometimes see Wesen through their disguises; we call it a Woge (voh-GAY). When they get agitated or emotional, their disguises slip, and we can see them for what they really are. There are a few other things we can do, but that's the most important one."

Elias frowned and titled his head slightly, his brows furrowing close together. "Why do you ask?"

"My sister Maggie could see them. She used to tease me when we were kids about me not being able to see them. For a while it bugged me that she kept pointing out that I was not Grimm by blood. It really floored her when I would figure out the creature's identity's before her. I can't see it like you do but I have very good instincts."

She tilted her head suspiciously. "What else can you do?" She thought hard about it and nothing else came to mind about Maggie having any other powers. "I don't think Maggie could do anything else and I've never paid any attention to Uncle Marcus having anything else extra."

Sitting up she asked him, "Does it bother you that I am adopted and still fight like the rest of the Grimm's?" When he didn't answer her right away she said, "Okay then I challenge you. Whoever gets the most in the next 30 days wins." She gave him a wry smile. "Unless of course you are afraid of me beating you."
@December

---

Elias gave a knowing smile. "Isn't there some saying about how a magician never reveals all his tricks?"

Her next question gave him pause. Her heritage did bring a certain amount of doubt to his mind. Regardless of her talents, having a Grimm's powers were invaluable, and without them she would always be at a disadvantage.

A small smile broke across his face as she proposed her challenge. "I don't think you know exactly what you're getting yourself into, Alexis. I would advise caution." Elias rose to his feet, stretching briefly before turning back to Alexis. "Thirty days, most kills? It's a deal. May the best hunter win."

Alexis stood up and shook his hand on it. Feeling like starting early she took off back to grab her gear. She was ready to go out and hunt. She already knew where there were a couple of them. Tricky part is since they were already hunting in pairs she had to kill it before he did while he was there with her. She grinned to herself. This was going to be fun.

Catching back up with him a few minutes later she grinned. "Are you ready to go?" She told the stable boy what to tell her father and they started out on horseback. He on Hundar and she on Merle.
@December

---

As Alexis went to get ready, Elias quickly climbed the side of the house and slid through his open window, changing clothes and grabbing his weapons. He unlocked his bedroom door and quickly went back out to the stables where he led Hundar out of his pen and saddled him.

Once Alexis arrived, the pair took off across the plain and into the woods, on the hunt. Elias' senses were highly sharpened as he kept an eye out for any kind of creature that would be a Wesen.

The forest wasn't too dense, however the winding paths, rolling hills, and heavy foliage obstructed their view for more than about twenty feet. The wildlife darted through the underbrush around the pair, fleeing from the sudden disruptance in the quiet forest. From foxes to frogs, the diverse creatures were noted carefully by Elias. While most of the creatures he saw were rather useless to him aside from basic food purposes, there were a few that had ties to Wesen and that made them valuable.

After almost an hour of travelling, the pair paused in a clearing. Elias guided Hundar into turning around to face Alexis and Merle, raising an eyebrow at her. "Where to?"

@Wick

Alexis smirked at him and she knew were there were many creatures in the area and where they lived. There were some that rarely turned human that actually lived in the woods. "This way" She said taking the lead and heading into the forest. After about thirty minutes into the woods she started going more slowly.

Alexis stopped her horse for a moment and closed her eyes. She could envision the creature in her mind and she could sense which direction to go and she headed towards the left. "The wesen creatures live out here." She followed her instincts and soon she was able to almost see them. Getting off and leaving Merle she signalled he do the same.

It didn't take long before the hair on her neck stood up and she went into a predatory fighting stance. "I know you are here. Come out come out wherever you are." She taunted softly.
@December

---

The Grimm followed Alexis silently, trusting in Hundar's training to keep them undetected. Despite his immense size, he was able to walk silently, stepping around any conspicuous objects that would cause noise. The forest was quiet, any sounds of wildlife muted by the dense surrounding foliage.

As the two dismounted and slowly prowled through the woods, Elias sniffed softly, catching the fleeting scent of a creature near them. He was unable to properly identify it, but the Wesen presence was unmistakable.

"I know you are here. Come out come out wherever you are." Alexis voice was soft and deadly, the predatory note clearly showing through. Elias' face became like stone, his jaw clenching tightly as he pulled out his scythe, the chain clinking softly as he readied himself, preparing for the fight.

As Alexis prowled forward, Elias silently slipped away, plunging sideways into the forest to loop around. As he went, the faint smell of honeysuckle and alluring aromas reached the Grimm's nostrils, detectable only due to his enhanced senses. The color of the forest shifted slightly, turning the greens to browns and the yellows to reds. Whether the forest was physically changing appearance or the bloodlust was altering his vision, Elias was unsure. But the change was evident, and very real.

A soft trill resounded through the forest, floating towards the pair on the gentle breeze. Elias' muscles tightened as he felt a deep unease in the pit of his stomach. There was hardly a creature that scared Elias throughout all of Wesenkind, however the magical presence of the creatures was one that Elias had felt rarely, and it always signified trouble.

Elias opened his mouth to shout a warning to Alexis, however the wind immediately tore through the trees, ripping the voice from his throat and tossing it aside. Elias sank his scythe into a tree beside him and clung onto it for dear life, barely able to keep his footing in the harsh gales billowing through the trees. The soft trill that had been echoing through the forest became a piercing shriek, combining with the scream of the wind to produce an unearthly wail that ran chills down Elias spine.

A primal growl tore its way out of the hunter's chest, however it was barely audible over the noise. The shrieks of the creatures increased tendfold as the first of the woodlands sprites appeared.

Elias ears began to ache at the piercing noises, however he ignored it, searching for the nearest moving thing. A vague flick of motion out of the corner of his eye signaled that Alexis was still on her feet and fighting against the wind, however he ignored it as he ripped his scythe from the tree and charged the Spriggan, his blade slashing out in an arc against the creature.

The sprite raised its arm, summoning leaves, branches, and roots to its aid as the forest itself lashed out against Elias, ensnaring his blade mid-air and attempting to yank it from his grasp. Leaping forward with the scythe, the Grimm kept his grasp on his weapon, sailing over the knot of wood and plants that held his scythe and kicking the Spriggan in the chest.

With a single, fluid motion, Elias sliced through the bonds that held his weapon and cleaved a good chunk of bark off of the Spriggan, shouting over his shoulder to Alexis in a brutal scream as more trills began resounding from the woods around them.

"Spriggan pod! They have magic!"

@Wick

Alexis felt the wind picking up and she sensed the Spriggan just before she heard Elias who was closer to them. She heard his yell "Spriggan pod! They have magic!"


Alexis tilted her head in his direction just as a large male wesen jumped out at her. With the wind behind her it knocked her off balance just a little and it made her first swing miss and she had to switch to defensive fighting in an instant. Ducking claws and teeth she ran up the wesen's body kicking him in the face and flipping him backwards as she flipped back into place. His roar as he raged became louder and louder.

Alexis barely had time to keep track of Elias. He seemed to be in a rage himself. She and the wesen were perfectly matched in their fight. Alexis was beginning to wonder who would tire first. He was fueled by rage whereas she was instincts and skill which tended to win over rage unless it was blind rage. Eyes on the wesen and ears trying to keep track of Elias she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. This concerned her more than she realized because this put her in the middle of Elias and his spriggan pod and she was fighting a wesen and possibly another coming at her. She looked up in time to see someone she knew. Brody? What was he doing here? She ducked as the wesen too was distracted. Slamming her sword into the wesen she twisted it and shoved it up into the heart.

Pulling back sharply as he fell to the ground she turned in a circle looking for the next attacker. Brody had disappeared and she was staring at more spriggan approaching. Elias seemed to be in a very consuming fight.@December

---

The screeching wails of the wind fused with the shrill cries of the Spriggan pod, driving wave after wave of chills down Elias' spine.

The once-calm forest had turned from light greens and soft browns to bloody reds and void-like blacks. The Grimm's pupils dilated until they consumed most of his iris, leaving a narrow line of blue around a circle of pure black. Every detail was enhanced, every movement tracked and identified within milliseconds.

The sounds of the forest faded away, replaced by the sound of rushing blood and labored breaths. Every muscle, tendon, and ligament in his body screamed with the ache to unleash its potential, to ravage and rend anything that dare stray too far close to it. The wit and intelligence of man faded away, replaced by the primal brutality of a savage.

Elias lashed out with his chain, grinning with sadistic glee as it wrapped itself around the outstretched arm of his opponent. Elias mustered all of his strength and yanked on the chain, dragging the poor creature towards its end. Several roots exploded from the ground to stop Elias' blow, however his arm moved far too quickly, cleaving the Spriggan's forearm clean off.

A piercing wail traveled through the forest as the creature wailed in pain, calling out for aid. It levitated off of the ground and drifted away at an incredible pace, dodging through the trees away from the hunter. Elias growled and sprinted after it, quickly overtaking the wounded creature.

Elias tackled the creature to the ground, pinning it by its chest and lifting his scythe high above his head. In a single, brutal motion, he cleaved the Spriggan's head clean in half, burying his blade into the earth. Wind and green energy swirled around him, ruffling his hair and clothing as the Spriggan's spirit departed from its body, flowing into the plants and trees surrounding Elias and flowing back into the heart of the forest.

The blood red sunlight shone harshly through the leaves, illuminating the form of three other Spriggans emerging from the woods. The path was obstructed by two obstacles: a Wesen, and a woman.

Ripping his scythe from the ground, the hunter broke into a sprint towards the pod of Spriggans, his form hunched low to the ground. The movement of his body was unnatural and animalistic, removing any notion that the creature controlling Elias body' was human.

As Alexis blade pierced the Wesen, Elias reached the pair. His path was the most direct route to the Spriggans, and he would remove anything in his path. Elias barreled straight past Alexis, his shoulder clipping her side and sending her form spinning off to the side, flying a short distance before landing on the twisted roots of a tree.

As the Spriggans flew towards the Grimm, he leaped, sailing over twenty feet before intercepting the first Spriggan mid air.

The new trio of Spriggans were much more coordinated than the previous, lone creature, allowing them to easily intercept and ensnare Elias. The sprites weaved in and out of his range, bringing roots forth from the earth to bind his body to the ground. Creatures from all directions swarmed the Grimm, plunging their various teeth, claws, and barbs into his body.

Hornets swarmed him, filling his chest and back with enough venom to kill an owl. He roared with rage, ripping at the vines, however for each plant he uprooted, another filled its place, pinning him to the earth as the swarm devoured his skin.

The Spriggans worked quickly, covering his eyes with leaves and ripping at his skin and clothes with thorns, tearing him apart. Rage boiled within his chest as the world melded into a solid crimson. An unearthly howl of anger and pain broke through his throat, echoing through the woods and imprinting itself in the mind of every living creature around.

Elias ripped his arm free from the roots and threw his scythe with all of the force he could muster, impaling it into the shoulder of the largest Spriggan. The swarm of hornets, obviously being controlled by the wounded Spriggan, broke form, darting away from the thrashing form on the forest flood.

Elias' body continued to rage, rolling around in the sea of roots and leaves as he attempted to free himself from the magical grasp of the forest spirits.

@Wick

Alexis had looked up to see the Spriggan group running towards her as the wesen dropped to the ground dead. The next second she was flying through the air and landed on a tree root that was impaled through her side. Alexis moved and it hurt so badly she stopped. Searing pain pulsed and her adrenaline rush dulled the pain enough that she stood up and yanked it out. The scream was ripped from her lips. Her mind whirled. She had to stop the bleeding or she would die. She looked around and couldn't find anything. Knowing she needed fire she recalled her father's lesson on how to start a quick fire. Once it was started she whimpered as she took her dagger and heated it up with the fire. She looked up at Elias and saw that he was in their trap. Not spending a second to think she laid the blade against her skin and screamed in pain as her delicate flesh melted together saving her life's blood from the forest floor. She had to save him. She couldn't lose another partner.

Elias had gone blind with rage. He hadn't even recognized her and now he was caught in the vines of several spriggan. Shoving the pain as far back in her mind as she could, Alexis charged into the group. They immediately shrunk back from the fire as she closed in on them. She had to get them away from Elias and she needed to calm him down. The first Spriggan she lit ablaze and it screamed as it burst into flames. The injured one dropped from Elias' blow and she blocked a hit and then kicked the last one and set it ablaze. It's screams alerting all in the forest that it was dying. With the forest burning around them Alexis dropped her torch and started breaking vines that were holding Elias down. He was stung and hurt badly.

Alexis could hear her heart pounding in her chest as she broke the last of the vines setting Elias free. She was going to get weak soon and she knew she didn't have much time left before she passed out. She put her fingers between her lips and whistled for Merle. He and Hundar trotted over to them and she got Merle to move down as if he were on his knees. She and her father had gone to a lot of trouble to teach Merle to be her rescuer if the need arose. She struggled to push Elias onto the horse's back and then she sat down a moment trying to catch her breath. The pain was starting to sharpen again and she took a deep breath and climbed up on Hundar. Tying the horses together she told Merle, "Home. Take us home." Merle led them out of the forest and headed them back to the ranch.

@December

---

The darkness was indistinguishable from the shadows in his own mind.

Elias eyes slowly opened, however no light flooded in. The only thing he could clearly sense was the pain. The immense, scalding pain.

The hunter let out a soft moan and shifted slightly, trying to move his arms. The skin across his torso reacted immediately, screaming in protest as agony shot through him. What was a soft, quiet moan erupted into a sharp inhalation as Elias struggled to cope with the pain.

Steeling himself, the Grimm forced himself into a sitting position, letting out a silent scream. Now in a sitting position, Elias was able to discern his surroundings with much greater ease. The sunset- sunrise?- was just now beginning to illuminate the sky outside the window with hints of indigo and violet. Elias slowly looked around, becoming aware that he was in a special room.

He had not previously encountered this space before; it was similar to his quarters, however where a dresser normally would have gone instead existed a cabinet filled with various medical supplies and healing salves.

His mind was slow and sluggish, taking a great amount of time to fully process and come to terms with his current situation. By the time he had identified that he was in some sort of surgical room in the Grimm's estate, the sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon, illuminating the room with slanting rays of golden red sunlight.

The new illumination reflected off of his skin, revealing a glistening look. Elias frowned and gently touched his bare chest, wincing slightly at the pain as he did. A clear salve had been lathered over his entire body, most likely for the seemingly hundreds of bee stings he had received.

The events in the forest were a messy blur to him, filled only with violence, brutality, and bloodlust. Elias growled softly and gently slid off of the bunk he had been resting on. Friction burns and bark scrapes covered the majority of his arms and legs, clearly indicating where the Spriggans' magic had restrained him.

The hunter's muscles screamed in protest as he stood, leaning against the wall for support as waves of nausea and dizziness overcame him. Slowly making his way around the outskirts of the room, Elias managed to make his way to the door. Before he opened it, he grabbed a pair of breeches off of a nearby table and slid them onto his bare form, gasping in pain as the soft cloth slid over his butchered skin.

The fact that he was immodestly dressed was of little concern to Elias as he pushed open the door and stepped into the hall, still leaning heavily on the wall for support. The man slowly made his way down the corridor, his voice making weak, hoarse noises each time his body bumped into a new surface.

After what seemed like hours, Elias made his way into the nearest sitting area and gently draped himself across the arm of a couch, far too exhausted to exclaim about the pain that flared through his side as his skin touched the bare leather.

Once he had sufficiently stabilized himself upon the furniture, Elias gasped in relief and lay there silently, wishing for sleep to over take his half-clothed form.

Alexis woke up in her own bed. Her lady's maid was in there and she ran to get the doctor. Alexis had awoken from the searing heat of her injury. Her mother came in and put her hand on her forehead. She looked very worried and upset about Alexis.

"Elias?" Alexis coughed out barely.

"What happened out there? That horse saved your lives. What did he do climb up into a hornet's nest? He is covered in enough stings to have killed anyone twice his size! He is incredibly lucky. And you! How did you get a hole in your side and who cauterized it shut? The doctor said you would have bled to death if it hadn't been."

Alexis decided not to tell anyone that Elias was responsible for the injury to her side. "Mom we were fighting a swarm of Spriggan and a wesen. I took 3 down and Elias took 2 down. Hey look I'm winning!" She said this last part with a smile.

Alexis started to sit up and her mother pushed her back down. "No! Where do you think you are going?"

"I need to check on Elias." She struggled to get up as the pain in her side screamed at her.

"No you aren't. The doctor had to open you back up and repair the damage inside. You are staying in bed."
@December

---

The faint sounds of voices squabbling drifted through the halls and fell on Elias' ears, however his disoriented mind pushed them aside and focused on staying awake.

The man groaned again and forced himself up, ignoring the screaming agony of his skin and moving off down the hall, still leaving heavily on the oaken structure to provide support for himself. The savage that had possessed Elias in the forest was completely gone, replaced by the weary, heavy-hearted veteran who's only concern was making sure he hadn't gotten that girl killed.

The voices became more and more clear as Elias made his way into the west wing of the estate, which contained the Grimm's living quarters. Elinora's voice came drifting from down the hall, ordering around Alexis.

"No! Where do you think you are going?" A faint reply occurred, however Elias couldn't make out the words. "No, you aren't. The doctor had to open you back up and repair the damage inside. You are staying in bed."

Elias gently leaned himself against the open doorway to the room, letting his hands hang at his sides as his shoulder supported him. His skin was glistened softly in the morning rays and the flickering candlelight, casting an odd sheen across his body. His stings were slowly shrinking, however a small, discolored bump still existed in every location that a barb had entered his skin. Irritated, red skin accentuated the areas around the maroon scabs from the bark scrapes, making his injuries obvious at just a glance.

Elias worked up the strength to speak, ignoring the raw pain in his throat from his brutal screaming. "Elinora's right, Alexis."

The Grimm stood in the doorway, unapologetic half-naked. The notion that he was probably ill-dressed crossed his mind for the first time; up until that point, his only concern had been ensuring Alexis was still alive. Now that her safety was confirmed, the wounded man could worry about other, more trivial matters.

After briefly considering crossing his arms, Elias gave a weak smirk and let his upper limbs hang at his sides, providing a clear view of his entire torso. Despite periods of mourning and near death experiences, something things never changed when it came to Elias. He was consistently confident, never willing to turn down a good fight, and always confident about his body, even when it had been roughed up a little.

"But I guess that makes me a hypocrite for suggesting you follow the rules."

Alexis and her mother's attention turned to him as soon as he uttered his first words. Her mother was shocked and ran over to him. He looked like he might fall down at any moment. "What are you doing out of bed?" Elinora glanced at Alexis who was smiling at Elias.

"You look like hell, Elias. Come and lay down. The bed is huge and I'm on the edge so you aren't going to bother me at all as long as you stay on your side."

Elinora nodded, reluctantly at first and she refused to let him leave the room. "I agree, up into bed with you before you fall down." Alexis yanked the covers back on her right side and taunted him a little.

"Come on, we're cousins, get in. I insist. Besides, the doctor is coming in every so often to check on me."
@December

---

Elias raised an eyebrow at the proposition. While he was certainly distracted, he wasn't so blind as to not be able to realize Alexis was closely observing his body. While they weren't technically cousins, it was a still odd; they had no former relations and shared no blood, but she was the daughter of his aunt and uncle, and the sister of his cousin.

Elias allowed Elinora to steady him as he approached the bed, attempting to not put too much weight on the older woman. Her touch aggravated the skin that she touched, causing Elias to give a brief, sharp inhalation that he attempted to mask.

The Grimm less than gracefully deposited himself on the bed, allowing himself to sink deep into the covers and enjoy the soft embrace of the fabrics. The skin on his back and the sides of his arms protested, but he was far too exhausted to care, instead releasing a soft sigh and allowing his tense muscles to relax.

Elinora's form appeared over him, mouthing words and checking him over, however she was muted and distant, as if speaking through a thin flayer of water. Eyelids fluttered and struggled to force themselves open as weights heavier than the world itself pulled them shut. Elias' bare chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, syncing with his heartbeat. The cloth beneath him seemed to consume him, slowly pulling him deeper and deeper into a rest.

A sharp pain shot through his shoulder as Elinora shook him from his restful state.

"Elias, stay with me. You need to make sure your skin doesn't try to the covers..." She continued on for a moment with dull words and undesired instructions. "...Elias! Move, son, or you're going to regret it."

A soft growl emanated from the man's chest as he forced himself awake to shift positions as she desired, rolling onto his side so that the stings on his back wouldn't become glued to the sheets by the healing salve.

When he opened his eyes, he was face to face with Alexis, mere inches from her eyes. "Are you going to make me stay awake, too?" Elias gave a small chuckle and rolled his eyes, snuggling deeper into the sheets.

Elinora attempted to place the covers over his legs, but he grunted and kicked them off, peering over his shoulder at her. "It's too hot for those."

His speech patterns were drastically different; they lacked their usual poise, replaced by a childish immaturity and drowsy contentedness.

@Wick

Alexis watched as Elias walked and stumbled to the bed and lay down. Elinora made him lay on his side so he wouldn't stick to the sheets. She was a little overbearing but in this case she was right. It would have really hurt him if he had the sheets sticking to his injuries. Alexis could tell he was in a lot of pain but the fact that he could sleep was really the best way to heal.

"Alexis, let him sleep but don't let him roll onto his back." Elinora commented. "I'll send the doctor up in a few moments to check on him. You stay down and don't move around either. I can't believe the two of you." She said as she closed the door behind her.

When the door closed she rolled onto her good side and lay face to face with Elias. "No, I'm not going to keep you awake. You need to sleep as do I....and no, I didn't tell them that you did this to me." With that she put her hand under her pillow and closed her eyes.

Sometime later in her sleep she reached out and took Elias' hand in hers. When she went to roll to the injured side she whimpered and cried out from the pain and she squeezed her hand around his subconsciously. When she woke up from the pain her bandage was red and her lady's maid went to get the doctor."Elias?" she murmured only half awake.
@December

---

"No, I'm not going to keep you awake. You need to sleep as do I....and no, I didn't tell them that you did this to me."

Elias eyebrows furrowed at her comment, but she had already closed her eyes, leaving him alone to wonder at her comment.

The events in the forest were completely hazy to him; the last thing he remembered was moving on foot, side by side with Alexis, and then catching a whiff of Wesen scent...

A chill ran down Elias spine, reminding him of the darkness inside. Ever since Taric's death, he had kept losing time. In the night, he would wake up in the woods, covered in blood with scythe in hand. Sometimes he found the body, sometimes he didn't. But each time, it was a Wesen; he could at least take comfort in that.

The only surefire way to trigger the bloodlust was to battle Wesen. Elias was uncertain of why it existed. Perhaps it was a defense mechanism to cope with Taric's death. Whatever the reason, it was a threat to anyone around him, and for the first time, himself.

The troubled thoughts carried Elias into a deep sleep, only disturbed by the gasps and grasp of Alexis. His eyes slowly opened, fighting against a thin crust that had sealed his lids together. When he could see, he noted the blood on Alexis bandage.

Elias grunted in pain as he propped himself up on his elbow, shaking Alexis shoulder gently. "Alexis. Alexis! Wake up!"

He held her still as she awoke, gasping in pain, her hand still grasping his tightly.

"Alexis, you tore your stitches. Lie still, the doctor's coming." Elias gently slid his hand out from her grasp, warily eyeing her. The fact that they had somehow ended up holding hands in their sleep was slightly disconcerting. Had she grabbed his hand intentionally? If so, what did that mean?

Elias pushed the thoughts aside and glanced over his shoulder as the doctor entered the room, giving a quick command telling Elias to lie back. Elias ignored him and motioned towards her wound. "She tore them in her sleep."

@Wick

Alexis gasped in pain when she went to move and she heard "Lie still, the doctor's coming." She noticed that Elias let go of her hand. She didn't remember taking his hand in hers but then again that was something she had stopped doing a long time ago.

The doctor took care of her wound and re stitched the opening and Alexis kept her eyes on Elias the entire time. She knew he was watching the doctor work on the wound. The entire time she had a death grip on her blankets. "I think I'd rather fight a grizzly bear than have a doctor stitch me with a needle through the raw meat of my body. Why does it just really, really hurt? It didn't hurt that much when I was injured!" She wiped the tears from her eyes as he kept poking her with the needle.

After the doctor left Alexis closed her eyes but she could feel him staring at her. She opened her mouth to say something then closed it. She looked around the room and then she forced herself to roll onto her uninjured side so she could look at him.

"You should have told me that you were going into blind rages. I could have been prepared. You don't remember anything do you? You threw me into the nearest object as you went passed me. It just so happened to have been a broken tree, I was impaled on a branch. I had to remove it by myself or die, so I took it out. I almost passed out but luckily I didn't. I knew I was losing too much blood so I made a quick fire and held my breath and cauterized it. I will never forget that kind of pain." The look in her eyes showed a memory that was embedded deeply within her. She wiped the tears away.

"After I got myself together I fought the last of the spriggan and set them on fire. By that time you had gotten yourself caught and stung a couple thousand times. You almost killed me and instead of leaving you there I saved your butt and brought us both home." She rolled back onto her back and then remembered, "Oh and including the Wesen I killed the score is 3 kills to me 2 to you."
@December