[IC] The Ties that Bind

[Nephriel]

Anna had woken up, gotten dressed in one of her nicer workout outfits, yanking her hair up into a quick ponytail. She didn't worry with make-up, she rarely did anymore, and grabbed a jacket. After downing a bottle of water, the dry mouth and minor headache faded and she pulled her shift Guarding the girl's dorm. She'd kept her mind busy focusing on her duties, avoiding any thought of what she'd have to do later or what had happened last evening. Then, without letting herself think about it, she'd headed to the gym to confront Gunner. She hadn't expected to find him surrounded by four Guardians. She leaned against the wall to watch him fight. He'd gotten better, far better, than he'd been before and he was tearing through the others like it was easy. Granted, they had less experience and hadn't trained with the Elites for three years, so she had to give them that credit. It just served to prove her right... He'd done better, shined brighter, without having her around to slow him down. She pushed away the pain that had been lingering just under the surface along with a suffocating anxiety all day, and waited till the group broke to take a break. One of the other Guardians glanced up and she was surprised to see it was one of their old classmates. He grinned, "Ross, Marks was just handing us our asses. Maybe you can slow him down?" Anna gave a small smile, uncomfortable. "I doubt it, I've been living the quiet life guarding a temporary ward for two years. I'm rusty." He waved her off, "No way, I'm sure you trained in your time away." She had, but she'd done so on her own with only one other Guardian to train with and she'd often handed him his ass but he'd been just as far behind her as these guys were behind Gunner. She shrugged, "Some, look... I need to talk to Guardian Marks. You guys mind?" The guy shrugged, "Sure, but first show us what you've got." Anna shifted awkwardly, fighting with Gunner had always tested her endurance... her speed... her skill. She'd stayed neck and neck with him for years but she knew when she was out classed. She might be able to hold her own longer than they had, fend him off and work defense, but he'd wear her down in no time. "Maybe later..." He laughed, "Suit yourself... Come on guys." As they walked off Anna glanced up at Gunner and pushed a stray strand of hair from her face, "Guardian Marks..." ~*~ Seb groaned and turned his face to hers, "Morning sunshine..." He kissed her and chuckled softly as she groaned and muttered about punches vs. wine. "You're used to taking punches, give you some time and maybe you'll be able to hold your own with wine." He watched her slip from the bed and down some advil and sighed, "I have a class to teach later today..." He wrapped his arms around her, "Is my fiance going to be able to occupy her time till I'm done?" As she asked him about Anna and Gunner, Seb grimaced. "I guess I'll have to get the two of them together somehow and break it to them. I'm not looking forward to it." He got dressed, struggling with his tie as always before he glanced at Serena. "We should grab breakfast in the cafeteria, it'll do you some good."

[tsubasa]

Gunner had walked over to his water bottle and towel when they broke for a break. Gunner decided that he needed to train more than just the students. Any good guardian wouldn't mind, after all, they all wanted to excel it was in their very nature. It was why the four guardians he had been working with kept fighting him no matter how many times he threw them to the mat. He threw his small towel over his shoulder as he squirted some water into his mouth. His body tensed slightly at the sound of Anna's voice but he made no reaction otherwise until she addressed him. He ran the towel over his face and the back of his head, gathering the sweat that had accumulated. He turned to face her, his face as emotionless as a stone, "Ross," He said simply, dropping her title, not so much as an insult to her but because that was what he was most used to calling her. He threw his towel back down on the bench next to his shirt that he had discarded sometime ago and placed his water bottle down beside it. He put his hands into the shorts he was wearing and looked at her, his body rigid and alert, his face empty, "What can I do for you?" ~ Serena sighed and placed her hands on either side of his head when he asked if she'd be able to occupy her time alone without him, "I will find a way to go on without out you for an hour or two." She pressed her lips together when he mentioned having to break it to their friends. She couldn't help but feel a little sting in her eyes. They shouldn't have to break it to their friends, they should celebrate it with them. They should drink champagne and toast to their happy future together. It should be something they want to tell their friends. It shouldn't be something that neither of them really wanted to do. She ran her fingers under her eyes when he stepped away to get dressed and did the same. She knew that Sebastian would be able to tell that she was upset but she didn't want to be visibly upset about it all. Their friends were going through hard times... Of course, it was going to effect them but she didn't want it to dampen their happy times... She walked over to him and untied before retying his tie for him. She tightened it and looked up at him when he mentioned breakfast, "Alright, and make sure that you find time in your schedule to get to the feeders. I don't want you going without on a day that you'll be working with spirit."

[Nephriel]

Anna finally got a good look at him when he turned to face her and felt the familiar flutter in her chest at the sight of him without his shirt... some heat rising to her cheeks. Why did he have to affect her so much? She rubbed the back of her neck, "We need to talk..." Such a lame way to start off this discussion. She knew he wouldn't want to, knew he'd probably try to blow her off again, but she wasn't going to let him... Not this time. She'd run from him, hadn't given him a chance to explain... but nothing was ever going to change if the pattern just kept going. This was it, this was the now or never. Either they faced this, tried to fix it... Or Anna had to find a way to make herself feel whole again. She took a breath, steeling herself and deciding that she WAS doing this. She took on a fighting stance, "Since you refuse to listen, we're going to blow off steam first... You don't have a choice. I don't care if you have to throw me to the mat 50 times, bust my lip, or dislocate my arm... We're doing this... and when we're done, you are GOING to listen." She'd refined her fighting style since she'd last seen him, she wasn't nearly as strong or as skilled as he was anymore but maybe the change in the way she fought would buy her some time. He wouldn't be expecting it... She knew he wouldn't want to fight her when he was angry at her, or at least back when he'd cared he hadn't wanted to... Now, she wasn't sure what he'd do but if he tried to refuse she was going to throw the first punch anyway. ~*~ Seb chuckled softly but his mood sobered when he saw Serena's mood plummet. He slid his arms around her, "It's going to be fine. They can't go on like this forever. Something has to give and when it does they'll move past this... even if it's in opposing directions. Anna adores you, no way would she ever be upset with you or envious... She'll be happy for both of us, I'm sure." As far as Gunner went, he wasn't sure... Marks had been pushing them away for a while now so he wasn't sure what his friend thought. He knew it was probably because Gunner didn't want Seb reading his aura... or his thoughts. "Come on, let's head to class."

[tsubasa]

Gunner didn't move from his position with his hands in his pockets when Anna took a fighting stance. He had no interest in fighting her. He had beaten Serena up pretty badly yesterday by accident because of his anger and he sure as hell wasn't to make the same mistake with Anna, "No," He said simply before he turned and gathered his shirt and towel, "I've been trying to talk for two years, Anna. You aren't even here for us!" His voice started to raise slightly, as he facade started to crack, "Sebastian made you come here and I don't want to talk to you because you are being forced by Sebastian to do it." He moved closer to her, towering over her, "You left me, remember. I don't know why the hell Jace thinks that I broke your heart because I distinctly remember going to your room to explain things to you to find that you packed up your shit and left without so much as a goddamn goodbye. Two years of loving you and caring about and wanting everything in the world for you for you to show me that you could careless," He noticed he was yelling and took a step back and took a deep breath, "You broke my heart.... You broke me. Is that what you wanted to hear? Because I'm tried of tormented by you at night... and I really don't need you here because Sebastian begged you to talk to me." He pulled his shirt on and grabbed his water bottle before he started to walk out of the gym, "Stick by your own goddamn choices. You chose to leave me... So leave me be." ~ Serena leaned into Sebastian as he wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head against his chest, "I just... Want it to be like before... I want them to be friends... for all of us to be friends. This is all just too hard... I hate being happy when they are so sad but I can't help it..." She nodded her head when he said they should head out, "Okay," She nearly whispered. She leaned into him as they walked, not caring what the guardians or other people thought. Right now she needed him more than she wanted to be a proper guardian.

[Nephriel]

Anna felt the sting of his words, she took them in and she owned them. She had never wanted this, never wanted to hurt him. There was something she had to clear up though so when he started to leave she did the only thing she could to stop him. In the span of two seconds she had caught up with him, and using her forward momentum against his opposing one, she caught his arm and yanked him back as she thrust out her hip. With Gunner having been walking away and her speed and light-footedness it wouldn't have been hard to catch him off guard and send him into the backwards tumble that would land him flat on his back on the gym floor. She danced out of his reach before speaking, knowing she had gotten lucky, keeping herself between he and the door. "Sebastian didn't send me, Marks. I came all on my own and it wasn't for him..." She stayed in her fighting stance but didnt attack. Her goal was to keep him in the gym long enough to get him to listen... and she wasn't backing down. "Either you hear me out and we end this pattern now or you go through me if you want to leave... your choice." Until she was sure he was done with her, that this couldnt be fixed, she wasnt going anywhere. ~*~ Seb kissed her cheek, "Don't feel guilty. They did this to themselves and now they have to deal with it." He smiled as they reached the cafeteria. "I promise I'll eat right if you do." He took her through the line grabbing only a few things for himself and making sure Serena filled her plate. "Mr. Lazar?" The voice came from a guardian who handed him a message and walked off. At the sight of the name on the envelope he sighed... "My parents.... that didn't take long."

[tsubasa]

Gunner grunted when he hit the mat and watched as Anna skittered away before he could do anything. He got to his feet and looked at her, "Enough, Anna! I don't want to talk!" He watched her as she took a fighting stance and gave him her proposal. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before he walked up to her. Without even taking a stance to give her any kind of warning, he grabbed her wrists, crossing his arms before he pulled them apart and turned her around. He held her tight enough to prevent her escape but not enough to bruise or cause her harm, "Stop torturing me," He whispered in her ear before he tossed her aside as though she were nothing more than a sack of potatoes. Then he left the gym. ~ Serena was piling up her plate as Sebastian watched her, ensuring that she was eating, when a guardian approached them and gave him a letter. She looked up at him a little confused as he read the name. Her body tensed when he mentioned it being from his parents. She shook her head, "There... There's no way they already know! We haven't even told anyone! It.... it... it has to be about something else, right?" There was enjoy to worry about at this moment. She was hoping that they would at least get the chance to tell their friends before the world turned against them....

[Nephriel]

Anna gasped as he caught her up simply and she had enough time, being held against him, for her heart to start racing before his words shattered what was left of her hope and he slung her aside like she was nothing... and at this point, to him, she guessed that's what she was. She gathered herself up just as he exited the gym and she sat where she'd landed and rested her head on her knees, her arms wrapped around them. She cried for the better part of ten minutes before the bell for the end of breakfast rang and she gathered herself up. Wiping her eyes she texted a number she hadn't in years... Gunner's. "U win, I'm done, I'll leave u alone..." With that she let out another shaking breath and deleted his number and texted the one she'd been given last night by Rae. "C u later?" She hoped he hadn't changed his mind... Then, she headed down the hall towards her own room. She needed time to get herself straight before she saw anyone, right now she was in pieces. ~*~ Seb shook his head, "With them it's hard to tell how they figured it out... Sometimes I think they're having someone stalk me." He pulled the letter out of the envelope and skimmed it quickly before letting out a relieved breath. "They don't know yet... My father is just disapproving of my having taken my Guardian to an expensive dinner last night." He shrugged, "He'll get over it." He brushed his thumb over her knuckles, "Don't worry... If they do find out it's likely they'll have to address my mother having a heart attack before they come anywhere close to Academy," he teased. "I don't care what they think, Serena. It's you and me... and as soon as Gunner and Anna get their heads out of their asses it'll be us and them too." He sighed as the bell went off and pointed at her food, "You'd better eat that before you go anywhere. You need to keep up your strength up if we're going to be dealing with all this stress." He shook his head, "I'll head to the feeders after class." He kissed her gently and then headed to the class to teach, hoping she took his advice and ate something. ~*~ THREE WEEKS LATER ~*~ Anna leaned against the wall outside Rae's class as she waited for him to get done teaching. She'd no idea why he'd taken a break from working at his father's business to come here and sub-in for Academy. Honestly, he seemed pretty bored doing it so she guessed maybe it was something his father had insisted on before he'd agree to sign over his business... Responsibility test or something. Either way, she was happier than she'd been in a long while. She'd managed to avoid Gunner almost completely lately and the few times she'd seen him she'd done as he'd asked... She left him alone, sticking to pretending that seeing him didn't still drive a knife into her heart... pretending she didn't see him at all. It seemed mutual, his stony silence hadn't changed any since the last time she'd tried to speak with him... If anything it had gotten worse. To make things more complicated Serena and Sebastian seemed determined to get the two of them together and Anna was running out of excuses. Sooner or later, they'd have to be trapped in a room together and they'd both have to act like it was fine... that they were fine, for their friends because Anna wasn't going to let this drag her friends down. Her relationship with Rae was a well kept secret, she was totally professional while they were on campus, but in their free time before curfew they skipped off of the Academy grounds and she let being a Guardian take a back seat. Rae did his best to wow her with all the new things he was introducing her to and he was doing a great job to be honest. They were officially casually dating now, which was probably the most serious any relationship had ever gotten with Rae and they'd still yet to do anything more than make-out which also had to be some kind of record... Anna just couldn't quite bring herself to make that last step and Rae was as patient as ever though she had no idea why. However, despite their being careful, Anna was pretty sure that Gunner had to know by now... but if he did he hadn't said a word... So maybe he didn't? Anna glanced up as the bell rang and entered the room as the students exited, "Hello again, Mr. Costa," she said with a smile. ~*~ Sebastian had gotten absolutely nowhere with Anna and Gunner, the issues between them seemed to have gotten worse if that was possible. Now, they seemed content ignoring each other's existence completely. Plus, Anna's aura had changed... It was dingy grey less of the time and what bothered him was that when she was watching Rae or Guarding him, it flared a little with the light it had had before. Was Anna moving on? He could see she didn't love Rae but she definitely cared about him and... He had to grudgingly admit that apparently he felt something for her too. He'd kept this information away from Serena, he didn't want anything stressing her out and besides... His aura reading had been a little off lately. Everyone else seemed fine, but anytime he looked at Serena it was like having double vision... There was an aura inside her aura. He had no idea what he was looking at but he had noticed she'd been moodier lately... He'd actually had to leave the room once or twice because she'd lost her temper with him and other times he'd had absolutely no idea why she started crying. Maybe it was some kind of split personality or the darkness affecting them both... He wasn't sure but it was throwing him for an absolute loop. He'd even considered talking to Jace, to see what he saw but he didn't trust the guy to be straight with him... and he didn't like him. Seb was currently finishing up his class and he was exhausted. Serena hadn't been sleeping well, she'd been sick with some kind of bug that had her throwing up and running to the bathroom all night this past week. He wasn't sure when the last time he'd fed was because he'd been too worried about leaving her alone, another source of some of their arguments. Thankfully, he'd talked Serena into sleeping in today and he stopped by the feeders before he headed back to their room. He poked his head in like he was walking into a war zone, "Serena?" Best to gauge her mood before conversing.

[tsubasa]

Rae turned to the sound of his name and smiled at Anna, "Guardian Ross, good to see you." He held his hand out in front of him, allowing her to take the lead before he followed. When they reached the car, which was now his own rather than Jace's, he opened the door and allowed her to slide in before following her. The drive rolled out as Rae wrapped his arm around Anna, not even bothering with his seat belt and kissed her, "Can we just spend all days off campus?" He smirked, "I could quit this crummy job and you could move in with me at my place and we'd never have to worry about anyone bothering us." He kissed her again as the car pulled over due to Rae not actually telling them where to go. His guardian just knew that once the two of them were in the car they were to leave quickly, "So, where to today? Ladies choice." ~ The last three weeks had been horrible Serena and she could hardly begin to think how horrible they had been for Sebastian. She had yelled at him one night for not saving a portion of their dinner that she said she didn't want because she wasn't feeling well. Then she was in tears about it an hour later because she felt horrible for yelling at him. Then she just felt horrible in general and had to run to the washroom and vomit. The last little bit had been hard but it was good to know that Sebastian could and would still love her through her random tantrums. Serena was still lying in their bed when Sebastian entered the room. She rolled over and looked at him, smiling slightly, "Hi..." She placed a hand over her face, embarrassed about their argument from the evening prior, and sighed, "I'm sorry, Sebastian... I really don't know what's wrong with me..." She confessed, "I see that you went to the feeders," She said as she sat up and looked at him, "Good... We can't both be looking like garbage." She slowly made her way out of bed and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him, "I've been horrible to you," Tears started to well up in her eyes causing her to sigh, "God dammit.... I thought I was done with the crying." She took a deep breath as her stomach growled which caused a bit of a tearfilled laugh to expel from her, "I haven't eaten today... I've been feeling down right rotten..." She walked into the kitchen of their little apartment and grabbed out an orange and started to peel it. The fridge hardly ever had food in it but Serena wasn't leaving the room much right now, so Sebastian had started to bring things up to her in hopes that she would eat something despite feeling sick, "How was your class?" She asked in a sheepish voice, trying to ignore the wobble in her voice and the churning of her stomach as she forced herself to eat the orange slice.

[Nephriel]

Sebastian wrapped his arms around Serena the moment hers went around him and he could see it was safe. He could see in her aura that she didn't feel well despite the other one fogging hers which seemed happy and content... He blinked a few times but it didn't go away. He could always tell when she was about to throw up though because right before it happened the second aura always turned agitated and upset too. "My class was fine and stop worrying about it, I know you haven't been feeling like yourself lately." As she noted he'd went to the feeder he chuckled softly, "Serena, you couldn't look like garbage if you tried." He kissed the back of her neck as she tried to eat and he eyed that other aura, for now it seemed just as happy and content as it had a moment ago. Apparently, her stomach had a mind...of...its...own. His heart started racing and sweat prickled the back of his neck. "Serena... when is.." He cleared his throat, "How long has it been since..." He rubbed the back of his neck, these were the things men really didn't need to know but what if he was right? He needed to talk to Anna so he shifted the direction of the conversation. "How long has it been since we got you out of this bedroom? I know you're tired but some fresh air might do you good..." Holy hell, if she was pregnant... His heart started racing again. ~*~ Anna walked with him to the vehicle and stepped inside. Once it took off Rae kissed her and she kissed him back, laughing at his words though they made her heart do curious things. "Oh, how I wish. Unfortunately, I wouldn't know what to do with myself with all that spare time. You'd get sick of me sooner or later," she joked before she kissed him again. As he asked her where they should head Anna considered for a moment, "You know what, I have some spending money for once and I need more clothes aside from training gear. Let's drag you shopping at the Mall and force you to wait in lines... and make you eat at the crummy pretzel stands." She smiled, "The horror!" She liked teasing him about his privilege but truth be told she also enjoyed making him try new things, coming off his high horse. "Don't worry, it won't kill you... You might actually like it."

[tsubasa]

Serena groaned a little at the mention of outside. She didn't want to think about going anywhere that didn't have a bathroom ready and available for her to vomit in. She wasn't in the mood for outside, she was tired, her ears were ringing, and she still felt nauseous. However, she gave in, hoping that made some fresh air would do her some good, "Okay... Alright... Fine." She walked over to the door before she turned away and found her shoes and grabbed a coat. She wrapped her arms around Sebastian's and headed outside. She supposed one good thing was Sebastian seemed to be able to tell when it was she was going to be sick, so at least she'd get some warning. She looked up at him as they started to walk, "Are you alright, Sebastian? You seem... nervous about something?" They didn't make it down the hall before the ringing got louder in Serena's ears. She blinked a few times and looked around noticing that her vision had gone spotty. Then everything went dark and Serena hit the ground, out cold her eyes wide open. ~ Rae looked at her as she explained wanting to make her way to the mall and groaned a little, only for her to tell him that he might enjoy himself while they were there. He looked at her, "I've been to the mall before, Ross," He teased, "I just go to all the high end stores and avoid the pretzels like the plague." He laughed and patted the driver's seat, "To the mall it is," He looked at her, "You want the mall, you, sadly, get the mall."

[Nephriel]

Sebastian had hold of her, thank Vlad... He should have been paying more attention but he'd been so distracted by his own thoughts! As she fell he caught her, dampening her fall as he sank to the floor with her and could see the other aura flickering with panic. "Shit," he was scared to move her but he had to to get her to the infirmary. He lifted her and moved quickly down the hall and kicked open the door to the room and immediately started yelling. Nurses came running and one of them had to pull Sebastian away from her as they swarmed around her. He couldn't heal her, that one thought rose up to haunt him. If he healed her the darkness could just make her worse... He hadn't been feeding enough lately and he'd been trying to ease the sickness since it started. He picked up the phone, scared out of his fucking mind. The first number he called was Gunner and the minute the phone was answered Sebastian didn't even give him time to say hello. "Serena is in the infirmary. I don't know what do do... Gunner I think she's... I think she's pregnant and she just passed out. Get that fucking asshole Jace and get him here anyway you possibly can. I need someone... I need someone to heal her. I can't heal her... Just hurry the fuck up!" He hung up and dialed Anna, the phone rang six fucking times before she answered. "Where the hell are you?" ~*~ Anna was pretty much making out with Rae in the car, they hadn't moved yet, when the phone went off. She groaned, kissed him a few more times then pressed the button on her bluetooth. "Ross..." "Where the hell are you?" Anna's brows furrowed at the tone Seb was using and immediately extracted herself from Rae's grip. "Seb, what's wrong?" "Serena fell, that's what's wrong and neither you or Gunner were anywhere near the fuck by to HELP ME." Anna paled, "Seb, calm down... What happened." "She just fell, she passed out. She hasn't been eating enough and it just keeps coming back up. She's been so tired and I kept insisting she go outside... I should have let her rest! I can't heal her and..." Anna looked at Rae, "Go back to campus... Now." She took a breath, "Seb, I'm on my way alright... Just hold on." "Just GET HERE, Anna!" He hung up and Anna dialed another number, "Jace... I need your help." ~*~ Jace blinked at his phone as he read Anna's name, he'd been on and off the school campus for the past few weeks visiting his brother and this was one of few times he was there. "Angie," he teased in an overly cheerful voice. "Still running with Rae or have you-" "Jace... I need your help." Well, those were words he didn't think he'd ever hear. "With what?" "Sebastian's Guardian fell, he can't heal her. Get there... Now." Jace grimaced, "You know what that's going to do to me don't you?" Anna sneered, "I don't care!" She took a breath, that wasn't exactly true... "Jace... Please, don't make me beg." He chuckled, "But I like it when you-" "I'm not fucking around! I'm serious! This is serious." Jace finally sobered, "Shit... fine. You owe me..." He hung up and started yanking on his clothes, he'd been sleeping in one of the Guest rooms... He hadn't been alone. He lit a cig and then headed towards his door...

[tsubasa]

Gunner sighed when he saw his phone ringing. He pulled it out and begrudgingly answered it, thinking it might be Sebastian trying to convince him to talk to Anna again. However, the moment he answered the phone, without even a chance to say hello, the man on the other end dove straight into telling him to find Jace. Gunner didn't even get a chance to say he understood before Sebastian hung up. Sliding his phone back into his suit pocket, he ran. How much had he missed that Sebastian was thinking that Serena was pregnant. Surely it wasn't that long since neither of them knew and after sometime Serena had to have realized that she was late. He shook his head, he really didn't need to be thinking about that aspect of Serena's life. He spotted Jace and quelled his anger to at least try in convince the guy to go with him, "Infir-" "Calm down, Guard Dog. I know, Anna told me... more or less," Jace said holding up his hand as he continued smoking his cigarette and walking at a leisurely pace. Gunner took a deep breath, "Then you understand the urgency, Jace... Can you get your ass in gear?" Gunner followed him and wrapped his arm around Sebastian the moment he saw him. Gunner wasn't one of such signs of affection anymore, not after Anna that is. However, his friend needed him, after all, there was a reason that he called him. He looked at his friend and sighed, "Hey, everything is going to be fine." ~ Rae looked at her as she suddenly demanded to be taken back to the school. He nodded to his guardian, who promptly turned them around and sped back. As Anna talked to Jace on the phone, Rae tried to figure out where it was they were heading. At the mention of someone falling, Rae leaned forward and instructed his guardian on where to go, "Infirmary. Now." The guardian turned sharply and laid on his horn as he drove over the grass to the infirmary, paying no attention to the fact that that wasn't allowed. Rae didn't care, something had Anna worked up and he could pay for the school's grass later. Rae jumped out of the car the moment it stopped and helped Anna out. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into a hug, "It's going to be okay," He told her before he started to usher her into the infirmary, "Come on." When they got inside, Gunner was already there, his position with Sebastian almost mirroring Rae's with Anna. He cleared his throat and little and dropped his arm. Jace may have enjoyed rubbing his and Anna's relationship into Marks' face but Rae could see from here that Gunner was someone he no longer stood a chance in a fight against, even with fire. A nurse came out of the little hall that contained all the curtained rooms, all of which were empty except for Serena's. So, when she saw all of them, she expected someone to have an injury verse all of them waiting to see one girl. She held up her hands when she came to the conclusion that they were all for Serena, "She's fine," She opened with, "She woke up once we laid her down and let her blood pressure normalize," She looked at Sebastian, "It looks like she was just a little dehydrated and had low blood sugar, so we're giving her some saline. She said she hadn't been eating much due to being ill, so we are running some tests to ensure that everything is okay. She still a little groggy and isn't exactly sure what happened so we have her lying down right now but you can all go in... And not to worry, she and the baby are all right." She looked around to see a lot of surprised faces and realized the couple hadn't told any of their friends yet. However, when she looked at Sebastian, his face nearly matched that of his friends, "Oh... I thought you knew... She told us..." She hesitated before shaking her head, deciding it best of to get involved, "You are free to go in... Just don't overwhelm my patient or I'll kick you all out."

[Nephriel]

Rae's blasting through the grass at the school would have made her want to kiss him any other time but right now she had too much on her mind. So, as he helped her out of the car they both hurried to the infirmary. This would have also been one of those times that's she'd have worried about seeing Gunner, about Gunner seeing her with Rae, but right now she didn't really give a shit. She was worried about one of her friends. As they entered the room, Rae's arm slipped from her shoulders and she appreciated it. It was less that she wanted to hide things from any of her friends but she didn't need to be starting anything with Gunner right now... There were more important things to worry about. She wanted to go up to Seb and hug him but Gunner's arm around him made her stay back... At least one of them was comforting him and that was good enough. She squeezed Rae's hand nervously, briefly, for comfort when the nurse came out but it seemed like everyone let out a quiet sigh of relief at the same time... Even Jace, whom Anna figured was more relieved for his own sake than Serena's. As news of Serena's pregnancy hit the room, Anna felt an odd twinge of sorrow that she quickly drowned with excitement for her friends. ~*~ Sebastian shook his head as Gunner told him it would be okay, his heart was still racing in his chest and the nurses hadn't told them anything yet. As Gunner put his arm around Seb's shoulder's Seb raked a shaking hand through his hair, "I don't know what happened..." When Anna showed up, Seb saw Rae with her and tried not to grimace. He wished that she'd left the other Moroi outside but it was too late now... As the nurse came in Seb almost collapsed with relief, he looked at Gunner and Anna pointedly. "Don't go anywhere, she's going to want to see you." Anna nodded, no way in hell was she leaving just because Gunner was here. She did, however, turn to Rae. "You don't have to stay here, I might be a while..." She smiled somewhat, "Thank you for getting me here so fast... You should drop by the feeders, I'll text you?" She didn't want this whole thing with Gunner to be anymore awkward and she was pretty sure Rae was uncomfortable standing here with her ex only a short distance away... Hell, she was uncomfortable. So, she was giving him an out. She glanced back at the curtained bed and rubbed her arms, soothing her anxiety as best she could. She didn't say anything to Gunner, she'd said she'd leave him alone... So she was. She moved to the other side of the room and took a seat in one of the chairs scattered about for people waiting to visit. Hopefully Seb didn't take too long or the silence might drive her mad. ~*~ Seb entered the room and moved to the bed and brushed Serena's hair from her face, "Why didn't you tell me you knew?" He sat down in the chair next to the bed, "I thought I was going crazy..." He raked a hand through his hair, "Are you alright? You scared the shit out of me... I hauled Jace here, Anna and Gunner are outside." He took a breath, he was frustrated, but not at her... at himself. He should have known she was too weak to be taking her out of the room, he'd just wanted her to feel better. He put his hand on hers, "They said the baby is alright..." He felt the earlier nervous excitement, "We're having a baby... I'm going to be a father..."

[tsubasa]

Rae stood back, allowing Anna to squeeze his hand a little when she needed it. Ultimately, it looked like everything was a lot better than any of them thought. Dehydration and low blood sugar was hardly something that Jace needed to fix and he could see the relief in the guys eyes. When Anna turned to him and told him that he could go, he looked down at her, "You sure?" He asked quietly, not wanting to leave her alone if she was going to be uncomfortable. Anna had told him a bit about her encounters with Marks for the last short while and he wasn't exactly the guy he wanted to leave her with. However, from the way the Gunner looked at him, he felt like he might make things worse. He nodded his head before kissing her forehead quickly, "Alright... Just... uh... Call me later, okay?" He then looked at Jace and wrapped his arm around his friend's shoulders, "Come along, Jace. Let's get some blood in you," Then the two were gone. ~ Gunner's eyes flickered to Anna at the announcement of Serena's pregnancy. That had always been something that they had talked about when they were in a relationship and something that laid heavily between them. If they were doing this, they weren't having a kid together. They could still have a kid but it probably wasn't going to be Gunner's. He wasn't going to take away her chance to carry a child and he sure as hell was never going to bring another woman into the mix when Anna could have kids. She seemed happy though, which was good. His eyes moved to Rae and he found a bit of sadness in his heart that made him look away. Anna could have kids with Rae... Just like she always wanted. She could be a mother with her husband or boyfriend or whatever being the father... He moved and sat down in on of the chairs and stared at the ground, waiting as Sebastian talked to Serena. ~ Serena looked up at Sebastian when he entered the room. Her hands were fiddling with the blanket that was laid over top of her, she could feel his nerves from the other room and it was making her a little jumpy. When he asked her why she didn't tell him she felt tears welling in her eyes again. She sniffled, "You were so stressed... With your parents and having to tell them that we were engaged, with Anna and Gunner, and you were so busy with classes... I didn't want to put another thing on top of you," She wiped her eyes, "I was going to tell you after you dealt with telling Anna and Gunner... I didn't think it would take this long." She let out a shaky breath when Sebastian told her that the baby was alright. She placed her hand over her face, thankful that everything was okay. She moved her hand that was under his to hold his tightly in her hand. She nodded her head, "We're going to have a baby..." She laughed a little through her tears, "Just one more complication to our lives," She joked. She sighed, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you..." Her eyes glanced toward the curtains before she looked back at Sebastian, "But... Anna and Gunner are in the same room because of all this... Maybe we should tell them all the good news..."

[Nephriel]

He shook his head, "Not a complication, Beautiful. I can't think of a damn thing more perfect than having a child with the woman I love... with the woman I plan to marry." He kissed the back of her hand gently, "As for worrying about me, don't... I'm only nervous because I don't want to turn into my father." As she mentioned Anna and Gunner he smiled, "You did succeed in getting them here... that's for sure. Let me go get them before they bolt..." He stood and moved back to the curtain, "Anna, Gunner... Both of you, in here now." He didn't give them a chance to argue, he slipped back behind the curtain before either of them could say a thing. ~*~ Anna had seen Gunner taking in she and Rae and despite their separation she wasn't thick enough to be unable to read the slight pain behind his eyes. Did he think she was with Rae for kids? There had been a time when Anna had wanted more than anything to be able to have a child, but it wasn't in the stars for she and Gunner. Dhampirs couldn't interbreed, either you were with a Moroi or that was that... but Anna had loved Gunner. She'd loved Gunner so much so that she'd given up the dream of having a child because she'd wanted to be with him, had been happy with him. She knew Gunner would have been a wonderful father, but unless they adopted... Either way, children with Rae wasn't going to happen. They hadn't even made it into bed with each other yet, something that surprised Anna... Despite his rep, Rae had patience. Maybe he understood her heart was still tied up. She ran a hand through her hair, it was yet another thing she felt guilty over. Rae was good to her and even if their relationship was casual, she had a feeling that it could be more if she'd let it... but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't make that next step. Sure, they'd come close... very close... once or twice but Anna had tested Rae's self control to the max and they'd ended up either watching movies and throwing popcorn at each other or snuggling on the bed. It wasn't that she wasn't attracted either, obviously she was, but... Gunner always found a way to sneak into her thoughts at just the wrong time. She heard the curtain part and glanced up just as Seb stepped out. As he ordered them both into the room, Anna glanced hesitantly at Gunner. She was about to say he could go in first if he wanted when Sebastian disappeared back into the room, making it clear he wasn't taking no for an answer this time. Anna sighed and stood up before she walked into the room. ~*~ Sebastian was waiting there, setting by Serena's bed when the two finally dragged themselves into the room. "This isn't exactly how we wanted the two of you to find out that Serena was pregnant but since you've both been avoiding us like the plague this apparently was the only way... We shouldn't have to be terrified for someone's life for the two of you to be around us. You're supposed to be our friends and whatever it is going on between the two of you you need to suck it up." He glanced at Serena, "Especially now, my family is going to give Serena and I hell over this. We need the two of you... Serena needs the two of you. Her pregnancy combined with the threat of my darkness spilling onto her... We need your help. Can you two stop being children long enough to worry about someone other than yourselves?" Anna flinched, Sebastian's words... though fueled by anger were pretty much true. Neither she nor Gunner had been their for their friends for the past month and if they had been maybe Serena wouldn't have gotten so ill because they could have helped take care of their friends... That's what they were supposed to do... It's what Seb and Serena would have done for them. They'd been so busy drowning in their own issues that they hadn't been paying attention to what their friends were going through. "I'm sorry Seb," she said as she glanced at Gunner. "I'll be here from now on... No matter what, I promise." Seb sighed, "Gunner? We need the two of you, both of you, you two have been my best friends for years... There is no one else I'd want to be there when Serena and I get married." Anna's eyes went wide, she noticed the ring on Serena's finger and despite another stab of pain in her chest she went to her friend's side and squeezed her hand lightly. "I'm so happy for you! It's about time..." She leaned down and hugged her lightly before stepping back, "Finally, someone tames Sebastian... You keep him on a tight leash, okay?" She ran a hand through her hair and smiled brightly, she was so happy for Seb... for Serena... but she had to swallow the knot that threatened to rise in her throat. This was no time to cry about lost causes... She was here for her friends.

[tsubasa]

Serena shook her head when Sebastian confessed to not wanting to become his father, "You are too kind and sweet to ever become like him and I wouldn't let you anyways. I love you too much to let you change so drastically." She let him go and collect Gunner and Anna as she sat up a little, not wanting to be lying down when they came in. She rested her hands on her lap and waited. ~ Gunner's attention was caught when the curtains were opened. He looked to Sebastian and stood when he basically ordered them to go into the little room. He didn't even look at Anna before he walked in, Sebastian wasn't letting them take turns visiting. He put his hands into his pockets and offered Serena a small smile. He stood still, his body tense (the only sign he was distressed), as Sebastian lectured them. When Sebastian asked them if they could stop being children, he sighed, "I'll be there for you and Serena as long as you need me," he said, his voice a little stern when he clarified who exactly it was he was going to be there for. He held his hand out to Sebastian, "Congratulations." ~ Serena remained quiet through Sebastian's lecture. She was still a little too tired to get jump in on the lecture, besides, Sebastian seemed to have it under control. She offered both of her friends a soft smile when Sebastian gave them the news about their marriage. When Anna came to her side, she wrapped the arm that wasn't attached to the IV and hugged her. She laughed when Anna told her to keep him on a short leash. She tapped her head, "That's what the bond is for." She caught Anna's hand and looked up at her, "Thank you," she said softly. She didn't need Sebastian's ability to see auras to know that this was all a little hard for Anna, "We'll have to do a girls' day soon," she told her, knowing she needed to talk or else she might hold it all in and Serena new that wasn't a good idea, "Go off campus and see a movie or something."

[Nephriel]

Anna resisted the strong urge to roll her eyes at Gunner as he pointedly clarified something that didn't need clarification, unless he was trying to hurt her. Which, since she'd only done exactly what he'd told her to do the last time they'd seen each other, wasn't fair. She bristled, and Sebastian's keen eyes caught the change in her aura. His eyebrows went up and she let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd taken to go off on Gunner... Serena didn't need that right now, SHE didn't need that right now. So, she took a breath and smiled. "Actually... that sounds pretty perfect. I could use SOMEONE to talk to," she said. The words were kind, sweet even, but that last bit she couldn't help turning into a bit of a stab at Gunner. She'd always had a semi-short fuse and her friends knew it. "As soon as you're feeling up to it, then. Get some food in you and we'll see what we can do about getting you away from Seb for five seconds." Sebastian gave a dry laugh, "I'm pretty sure you wouldn't let anything happen to Serena..." He glanced between the two, "I, we, love you both... I guess you can go now." Anna smiled, hugged Sebastian and kissed Serena's cheek, turned and almost ran into Gunner's chest... She froze up a moment at his nearness and then sidestepped awkwardly and out of the little room. She stopped and leaned against the wall once she was outside the infirmary and took a breath as she looked down at the phone in her hand. She knew she'd told Rae she'd text him right after but right now she needed some time to herself... She heard the door open a moment later and cursed, she'd expected Gunner to stay and talk to Seb and Serena for a bit... She tensed and glared pointedly at her phone, trying not to see him... but her temper was still there... just below the surface and her irritation was showing on her face. ~*~ Katerina Voda's car pulled to a stop on the campus grounds and she sighed softly, she'd been taught at home by the best teachers money could buy so she'd never really gotten to know many other Moroi her own age aside from those 'appropriate' for associating with a royal at court when she'd gone with her parents once she'd gotten older. Her parents had given her the news of her potential 'engagement' just days before they'd sent her off to be with her future fiance. Costa's parents had told her they'd sent him a letter two weeks ago letting him know she was coming but they'd said their son was... unpredictable and they weren't sure if he'd gotten the letter... Kat wondered why they hadn't simply called but Mr. Costa had said something about his son being a bit angry over his father assigning him to the academy as a teacher to prove his reliability. However, they'd begun to see that though Rae had a mind for business, maybe he'd never be as reliable as they'd like... and in came Kat. The Princess of the Voda family, one well known for her social graces and her 'devotion' to her royal duties. Kat wondered if any of them actually knew that underneath it all she found social gatherings and courtly discussions utterly boring but knew she played her part too well to worry. As her personal Guardian and driver opened the door for her to get out she slipped from the car and brushed off her white slim dress, it made the red of her lips stand out beautifully. "Thank you James..." She'd pulled her hair into a messy bun that looked oddly perfect on her and had done her make-up lightly but for her lips and eyeliner, and her nails were neatly manicured... How else would someone expect the heir of a line to look? James led her into the school, carrying her bags and placed them just inside her door. After he'd done so, he excused himself and headed off to alert her future fiance know she was here. Kat tugged one of the two 'chopsticks' from her hair and let it cascade about her shoulders. It was long, easily reaching the curve of her lower back, and it was a natural multitude of colors ranging from brown and blonde to gold. She ran her fingers through it, relishing the feel of having it down, and let it fall messily around her like curtains.

[tsubasa]

Gunner ignored Anna's little jab and looked at Serena, taking in what she looked like healthy. Sure, he already knew but he wanted to be sure to make sure so that he could pick up on the smallest of changes with her. When Sebastian freed them to go, he was about to turn and leave when Anna nearly ran straight into him. He looked down at her, his heart hurting as she walked around him. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and say he had been stupid but that didn't fix the hole she had ripped in his heart two years ago... Not to mention, he wasn't the one who had left, he shouldn't have to say he was stupid. Noticing he had just been standing there saying nothing, he looked up at his two friends, "Feel better, Serena," He nodded his head before he followed Anna out of the room. He walked outside to see her staring intently as her phone. He so badly wanted to tease her to tell her that no matter how much she stared at it, it wasn't going to blow up. But he told her to stay away. This time he was pushing her away... but he had reason to. He wasn't the bad guy. He walked passed her and headed to his room. ~ Rae looked up from his book that he was reading into a little more to help with his lessons when there was a knock at his door. Expecting the loud knock to belong to Anna, he hopped up quickly and opened the door. However, it wasn't Anna. In fact, the man he was looking at was nothing like Anna. He was large, tall (although shorter than Rae, poor Dhampirs with no height), and looked at like bit like a square... He rose an eyebrow as he leaned his arm against the door frame, "Can I help you?" "Your fiancée has arrived and wished for me to inform you of her presence of the grounds," The guardian said with perfect formality. Rae rested his arm against his head and groaned at the mention of fiancée. He had gotten the letter last week and had chose to ignore it, hoping that would make it go away. He hadn't told his parents about his involvement with Anna and well, he wasn't going to tell her about all of this. Straightening, he sighed, "Alright... Take me to her," He said as he pulled out his phone and checked that Anna hadn't texted him. He followed James to Katherina's room and walked in behind the man. Rae had walked in with the intention to tell her he had a girlfriend and couldn't exactly have a fiancée due to that but when he laid his eyes upon her... well... Rae had no intention to marry Anna. She was a Dhampir and he was a Royal. No matter what backward thinking her friend Sebastian had with getting his Guardian pregnant and dating her... Rae was not going to be doing the same. He looked at Katherine, maybe she'd put out... Looking her over he could tell she wasn't the type of girl who would fall in with Anna's little circle and Anna hardly interacted with Moroi other than himself and Sebastian as well as Jace when she was forced two. If he played it right... These girls would never even cross paths to know that he was making out with both of them. He held out his hand to her, "Katherina Voda... Rae Costa... It's nice to meet you." ~ Serena accidentally slipped into Sebastian's head at some point. She didn't know why... Maybe this whole pregnancy thing was going to mess up their bond to. There wasn't exactly anyone they could ask... Queen Lissa told them about the few bonds she knew of and none of them had had children that she knew of. Luckily, everyone was so transfixed on Gunner and Anna, they didn't notice her space out look. She watched their auras as Sebastian did. She could see the anger, sadness, and, annoyingly, love. They both still loved each other and were too goddamn stubborn to admit it. Once the two left, she slid back into her own head and looked up at Sebastian, "Lie down," She told him, pulling onto the side of the bed that didn't have her IV lying on it. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed, "You have to show them that they still care... you know that, right?" Even though she had told him that they had to let them fix things themselves, a part of her knew that they had to at least get the ball rolling.

[Nephriel]

Seb sighed and slipped into the bed next to Serena, kissing her brow. "I know... but with Anna running around with Rae and Gunner so dead set on pushing her as far away as he can, I don't know how much help I can be."

He rubbed the back of his neck, "And I still don't like Rae, there's something off about him. I can see he cares in his own way but it's... it's almost like he changes from heart beat to heart beat."

He shook his head, "Anna knows how to punish herself... that's for sure." It seemed like anytime something went wrong between she and Gunner, Anna became determined to destroy herself. It wasn't something she did knowingly, more like a series of bad choices she couldn't see she was making. Then again, Rae could be charming... Seb had run on the playing field for quite some time himself, he'd been Rae's biggest 'competition' as it were. However, there had always been a huge difference... Seb had never cheated, he'd always made it clear that he wasn't looking for anything 'more' out of any of the girls he was with. He always picked the ones that wouldn't get attached... Until Anya... until Serena.

He wrapped an arm around Serena, rested a hand on her belly. "Get some sleep... Then, when you get up it's time to see if the nurses can do anything about your nausea so you can eat."

~*~

Anna watched Gunner walk past, she wasn't surprised to see he paid her no mind. Instead of letting it get to her, she headed to the gym. There were a few Dhampir students there practicing after class and Anna picked a punching bag and went to town. She needed to expend some anger before she could do much else.

~*~

Kat moved to her door and opened it when James knocked to find Rae Costa at her door. With a small smile, she stepped aside and pushed the door further open. "Welcome, Mr. Costa... it's a pleasure to meet you, call me Kat."

Her formal tone matched the movement of her hands to put her long hair back into it's bun. She hadn't expected him so soon. "I'm apologize if James interrupted anything..."

She moved to the small cabinet in the room, opened it and poured them both a glass of wine before she passed him his. "I believed it would be a good idea for us to get to know one another..." She took a sip of her drink and smiled alluringly over her glass, "If we're to be married."

Kat was trained in a great many things, seduction wasn't so hard if you knew what your intended target was looking for... Though she'd only just met Rae, she hadn't missed the way his eyes had raked over her. The way his expression had changed the minute he'd seen her. It was easy, if you knew what to look for, to see he was a player... but Kat had invented the game.

She wasn't promiscuous... but she knew exactly how to get what she wanted and how to keep the boys playing along.

"Can I get you anything? James was kind enough to have the minifridge stocked before I got here... I hope you don't mind if I eat. It was a long drive."

[tsubasa]

Serena looked up at Sebastian, "Then you need to knock some sense into their heads... They know that you can see more than any of us... you're the only person that they might actually listen to when you say they still love each other," She sighed, "I saw how bright their auras were glowing... They still are meant for each other and we both know it..." She snuggled against him, "Just lock them into a room until they make up or make out."

When he told her to get some sleep she nodded, "Okay," She said quietly, "But you're not allowed to leave," She joked a little, "It isn't the time together I was hoping for but... it will have to do."

She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Soon, she let sleep wash over her and whisk her away, everything in their life was still going to shit but at least they had their love and, soon, their baby.
~
Rae followed Katherina into her room and nodded his head in thanks when she handed him a glass of wine, "Not to worry. I was just doing some reading for my class tomorrow."

He took a sip of his wine as she spoke about them getting to know each other. He smiled, his eyes flicking to James, "I normally don't like being watched when getting... acquainted with a lady. Maybe you guardian should take a stroll, you are more than safe here," He rose his eyebrows a little, "I don't mind you eating at all," He took a seat on the couch and leaned back into it, "We could always call up a feeder as well if you want to have a bit of blood. Perks of being a teacher, I suppose."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1 Month Later ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gunner wouldn't say that he was stalking Rae but he sure as hell was keeping a close eye on the guy. It wasn't because he knew that the guy was dating Anna, he wasn't that kind of guy. It was the Moroi woman that he had started hanging out with that was putting Gunner on edge. He'd been watching them but the two had been maybe a little friendlier than normal people might be together but he hadn't seen anything that might suggest that Rae was doing anything wrong.

However, that changed today. As Gunner was sitting on a bench, eating his apple by Rae's classroom, he watched as the two said their goodbyes. He got the idea from Serena and Sebastian, who (if the girl was feeling up to it and walked him to class) would steal a kiss at the door. That seemed to be Rae and this woman's ritual as well because sure enough, they kissed. It wasn't a polite kiss either, after all they didn't really have to hide their relationship since Rae had been brushing his and Anna's under the rug. Basically, the two were making out before Rae finally parted with her and walked into class.

Gunner was fuming as he threw his apple into the garbage and headed to Sebastian's room.

He didn't bother knocking when he got there, knowing they were both in as Sebastian didn't have class and the man had texted him earlier, saying that Serena wasn't feeling well again and to be ready if needed. He ran his hands through his hair and started pacing as a very confused Serena sat up on the couch a little. She had been keeping her food down more but the pregnancy was still weighing on her, making some days worse than others. Whether with her mood or health. Anna, Gunner, and Sebastian really had been great, some one was almost always with her, which was perfect because at the times she was low and Sebastian's darkness was leaking into her, she feared what she might do if she were alone. Serena placed her hand on Sebastain's knee, her eyes spaced out as she looked over Gunner's fluctuating aura and spoke, "Gunner... What's wrong?"

"He's cheating on her! That's what's wrong," In his anger, he dropped all walls he had built up for the last two years, getting as close to the man he had been two years ago than he had in a long time, "And I had to come here because I don't know what else to do other than drive my fist into the guy's face.... But he'll spin that... say I'm jealous and making things up... But I saw them! They were practically trying to suck of each other's faces. That asshole doesn't get to do that to Anna. No one gets to do that," He turned and punched the wall, sending his fist through it, which seemed to let the anger seep out of him a little. He pulled his hand out and looked at his two friends as Serena returned to her own head, "I can't do anything, Sebastian... But... Maybe you and Serena can... Please... Just... Punch him in the face for me."