SirensCall

This Fire Burns, Always

In all fairness, James was actually quite glad when his phone rang. He hate pool. So much. However, when he saw who was calling, he grumbled. What did he do now? "Why is Skylar calling me now?" he grumbled. He walked away from the table and sat on a nearby chair. "What's up, Sky?" His eyes traveled around the bar whilst he waited for her to answer.

--

Cass sighed a bit, going to go get everyone drinks. She barely got hers ordered before the bartender told her that someone already paid for her. He pointed over to Victor Moretti. Well, that was a little unexpected, but still she walked over to him. She had to be polite after all. "Um... thank you." she said, "For the drink." His response made her smile and sort of chuckle. "Well thank you for that too. I don't hear that all too often." She found herself taking a seat beside him, against her better judgement, but she knew this could work out in one way or another. "I'm Cassidy, but you can call me Cass." she offered her hand out to him.

What the hell was she doing? Well, if asked, she was helping Dan do what he needed to do. She knew for a fact this guy was high up in the Italian family, but honestly... He was more attractive than his files showed. And quite charming in a weird way. And his cologne. She had to snap herself out of her own thoughts. She was getting a little bit tipsy, and she knew if she wasn't careful it could be bad. But at the same time... How long had it actually been? She had been so caught up in trying to not get found out as an agent and help Dan that she barely had a life outside of it all. That fact alone impacted her sex life too. Sure, on occasion she could get some if she really wanted, but she sort of enjoyed a no strings attached sort of thing.

Then almost always someone caught feelings. Oddly enough it wasn't her usually either, even though it had happened once or twice. Her life just got so chaotic that she couldn't keep up with a relationship. Especially with her cover stories and everything.

--

Nichole sighed a bit, watching James take his phone call and noticing that the redhead hadn't returned yet. "He usually isn't so bad. Guess it's been a bad week for him." Her eyes scanned the bar. "The turn out tonight isn't helping matters any I'm sure." She turned and looked to the bar and noticed that Cass was sitting with Victor. She couldn't help the small smirk that crossed her face. Victor was smart enough to not get caught, but she was still not fully expecting it either. When Dan spoke to her, she gave a gentle nod. "Please. And thank you."

Once Dan walked off she took out her phone and looked through her contacts. She knew someone who could get James a good job. She knew it was slow here lately with things building between the main feelings. Hell, she had even heard that the political hits had slowed to an almost stop. She shot a message to the contact she had on the screen and when they answered her, she put her phone back. She looked to the clock when the thunder cracked loudly outside. Later tonight was definitely going to be fun, that was for sure. It was going to be wet and gross. She rolled her eyes at the thought.

Her phone rang and she answered. "Yes?"

"Just calling to tell you to be careful. The streets are flooding in your neighborhood." It was her father's voice, and she couldn't help the half smile that came across her face.

"Thanks for the heads up. I'll keep an eye on it. Ti amo." she said.

"Ti amo." he said before he hung up. It wasn't long after that she saw Dan heading back over and she saw the bartender flipping over to the news on the smaller TV.

"Oh fun, looks like this storm that was supposed to miss us had other plans." she groaned. She looked to Dan. "Any good at darts?"

Show Me The Truth

Evan had never been so happy to get food before, but apparently not as happy as Bri was. Her and Saul couldn't help but to chuckle at how she was answering, but Evan could understand that she was hungry. She just wanted to take her time with the tacos because they were literally something she could only get once a year. Saul went on talking though. "Yeah, I have been working on some absorption devices. I'm starting small, with rings that can absorb elemental discharge, but seeing as I've managed to get the fire one pretty well down I'm working on other items for it." He went to ask Bri for help with ice when she squeaked a little. He smiled a little at what she said.

"Yes!" Evan smiled. "Two birds one stone. We get to see Aunt Anais AND we get to see Denise get super pissed off." She giggled and Saul chuckled too.

"It'll be nice to see Anais too. I haven't seen her in..." he had to really think about it, but the thought kind of made his face fall. He saw her since the last time he had seen his own mother, but he shook the though from his mind. "I think it's been about seven years. The last time I was staying with Kiara to get supplies for my inventions."

It didn't take long for someone to bump into him, and he looked to the pretty blonde that who was now holding his taco out to him. She apologized to him and he just gave a soft smile. "No, I'm sure it was my fault. I'm sorry. Are you alright?" he asked. It wasn't long after that when he heard her say something about the taco meat and he raised a brow. When she left he listened as Bri and Evan laughed loudly. "What?"

"That was the worst flirting line I think I've heard in my life." Evan wheezed. Saul rolled his eyes a little and it made Evan laugh harder. "She checked you out, Saul. That girl was trying to flirt with you."

Saul waved his other hand and sighed. "Sure she was." he said. He managed to finish his taco and threw his trash in a nearby bin before he felt his phone vibrate. He patted all of his pockets at first and it dawned on him. "Fuck." he mumbled. Evan gave a look.

"What's up?" she asked, and she saw him pull out his phone. "Wait... No really, why are you saying fuck?"

"I lost my wallet. Maybe I left it at home." he said, and Evan sighed.

"Or, or, that girl who very poorly hit on you took it. This is why we've been telling you to keep your wallet where it's not so conspicuous." Evan said, and Saul rolled his eyes before looking at his phone. He stopped in his tracks for a minute.

Hey sweetie. I'm in town. I've got to scope the festival for other angels, but I'd like to meet up with you there. Love you, Mom.

Saul heard some snapping in front of his face and he sighed. "Sorry." he said, opening the back cover of his phone to see he still had his emergency money there. Something he had learned to do after the first time he lost his wallet.

"Who messaged you?" Evan asked, and Saul noticed they were in another line.

"Well, Aunt Anais being here might not be the only thing to piss off Denise." he said, and he opened the message and showed both Bri and Evan. It was no secret that his mother was someone that pissed off Denise. When their dad was drunk one time with them, he even admitted that he wished that things could have turned out differently between he and his mother. And Denise knew it too. Not to mention that she was best friends with Anais, and that basically made it worse. Evan's loud laughter made Saul jump.

"Oh... That would be a fun powder keg. Denise would totally burst a fucking vessel." she said, and she gave a grin.

Saul nodded a bit and then looked to Bri. "And before I forget again, sometime this week when you get time, can you help me with some of my inventions?"

--

The blonde girl with bright blue eyes could never understand what the whole point of these festivals was. It wasn't until she and her traveling companion and friend for the last 10 years had explained it was for meetings for different races that she understood. Sierra wasn't at all bothered by that, she was off the radar and hadn't heard news of her mother for decades now. Though, it made her wonder. The last time she had heard, Sybil had more children after her, and she couldn't help but to wonder if any of them would be in the area. Sierra moved through the crowds easily, helping Temperance scale the areas for more angels. So far the only angels she had seen had been other fallen angels who didn't seem too interested in the whole thing for Heaven. Another good thing about the angels that were after Temperance was that they tended to stick out, and so far she hadn't seen any. Sierra did notice something though, a blonde girl was being followed by a rather pissed off man and she rolled her eyes a little. Gently she tapped the man's temple from behind and watched as he teetered a bit.

Sierra walked up to the girl who had just seen walk into another guy and head off not long after. She gently looped her arm through hers and whispered. "Stick with me for a few minutes, dear. There's a very pissed off looking guy following you." she said, and soon she turned her head a bit to see the guy still following them. Sierra took her other hand and made a hand motion before she saw him hit the ground where the crowd had broken apart. Sierra let out a long breath and walked a little further with the young woman. "Sorry, I didn't like how that situation felt and would much rather help where I can." she apologized before her phone went off. She looked at her message and smiled a little. "Sorry, been looking for my friend in here and it's hard when a lot of us are blondes." she said, motioning to her own hair. "I'm Sierra by the way. If you want, I can stick around a bit and make sure that guy doesn't try to come after you again."

--

Val was glad when Siddiq brought her to a stand that had those... funnel cakes? Yes, funnel cakes, at it. She was very distracted by how loud everything was around them, and how many people there were. Val had been out in society in limited amounts and it was never this crowded. She felt Siddiq place a hand on her shoulder and he smiled to her. "It's okay, Val." he said, and she nodded. However when they went to step forward she bumped into someone and she saw Siddiq catch her and the plate of the person who she had just bumped into.

"I'm soooooo sorry." Val apologized to the blonde girl as Siddiq handed back her plate. His eyes caught the guy the girl had been walking with and he just smiled a little. He saw Val looking the girl over. "Again, I am so sorry. I'm really bad at this whole crowd thing and..." she started talking fast.

"Val, calm down." he whispered to her. He noticed how the air was changing a little but it stopped and he let out a long sigh. Val still wasn't the best at controlling her magic and reality bending in large crowds, but he couldn't blame her. She didn't have nearly enough experience around people. He could hear her still apologizing to them and he chuckled and patted the top of her head. It got Val to stop. "Sorry about my friend here. This is her first time here and she gets distracted easy because of how many people there are."

Siddiq moved up in the line and shook his head as Val finally moved off of apologizing. He chuckled and ordered her a funnel cake and handed it to her when he got back over. Luckily, they hadn't been too far behind them in the line. "So you eat it with strawberry sauce?" She asked, barely noticing Siddiq slip the plate in her hand and rip a piece off of it.

Well, since they were now engaged in conversation, Siddiq looked at the guy again and smiled. "I'm Siddiq, by the way, and this little klutz here is Val."

Val waved a little and smiled. "Hi. Sorry. I'm really bad at this stuff." She said with a nervous chuckle.

--

Aetulia was not happy with how this meeting was going in ways of tension. These thing had never been free going since Amal came to join the elders, and it was annoying. Before Darius could say anything to Delonna after she made her comment about Valkyrie, she kicked Darius under the table to keep him from saying anything. But Amal's answer made her roll her eyes. "It was in my notes that she needed to be reminded that her next offense would result in third trial." He said but he didn't fully answer the question. Which he never did.

Delonna went on to talk about her crops.and everything amd Darius gave a nod. "Thank you." He said.

It was when the Abyss was brought up she noticed Amal kind of tuned out. The Sentinels and Behemoths both had been under Aetulia's care since Amal became an elder. Foragers had always been under Darius and the Assassins had been under Delonna. She could see Darius visibly tense at the news and she sighed. "If you need me to, I can have Drakstin help you as well as the sentinels." Aetulia said.

"Eileena could meet up with you there as well, she mentioned noticing something off in one of the darker parts." Darius said. This was one of the few things, Aetulia noticed, that tended to put all but Amal on edge.

"Have you found anything out at all?" Amal asked, and Aetulia could hear some commotion outside. She waved her hand and bent reality enough to hide them when someone opened the tent flap. They looked around for a moment before leaving and Aetulia sighed. She saw Darius get up.

"Excuse me. I need to go find Valkyrie and…" He began.

Aetulia motioned for him to sit back down. "She is with Siddiq. She will be fine."

Amal rose a brow. "Anyway…anything else we need to discuss?"

--

The meeting went fairly smooth, Kai thought, but he nodded to Becca. "Of course." It seemed the meeting had been pretty well wrapped up by then and he looked to his watch. "If you guys ever need to get a hold of me. You can with these." He handed them each a small coin. "I have another meeting to get to."

Kai looked to Az as he headed out. Az stuck around for a couple of minutes and gathered up his things before a girl knocked into him at the entrance. He gave her a curious look before he saw her end up caught by Warren. When she said she thought the tent was empty when Becca asked he raised a brow. That was when they heard people outside talking about Sybil.

Warren smirked. "Oh now to have a little fun." He said and he looked to Az. "Might want to move, kid."

Az nodded and headed out. It wasn't a moment later that a few men entered the tent. They looked around and Warren smirked. "Did a girl come running in here?"

Tobias just shook his head, sitting in the chair beside the chair he saw the girl turn into. "This will be a fun exchange." He mumbled.

Warren chuckled. "Nah, but I've got a message for your boss." He said, his eyes going over black. For a moment they all stopped in their tracks and started being each other up. "This is my favorite trick."

Tobias chuckled. "I'm not helping you with clean up this time." He said.

Warren rolled his eyes and watched as they took the fight out of the tent. A few moments later security had taken them off and Warren turned and looked around for the girl. He saw Tobias motion to the chair beside him before standing. "How many people does this bitch have here?" He grumbled as a couple more filed in.

--

Temperance sighed as she walked around the perimeter of the food festival. She pulled up her wavy locks of dark blonde hair, and she sighed a bit. So far no angels were here, but she wouldn't put it past Michael to have them here. Even if angels didn't hold meetings on Earth. She stopped for a moment and texted Sierra to let her know she was going to make one more round before heading in. Then she texted Saul. It had been nearly a decade since she had seen him last, and this time she could tell him she was sticking around longer. So he could see her more.

Okay, mom. Can't wait to see you. Aunt Anais is supposed to be in town too. Love you.

That whole message made her smile and soon she headed into the gates of the festival. She put on her ball cap and pulled her ponytail through the hole in the back before she started looking around. This place had definitely changed since the last one she had been to about 25 years ago. But it was nice, and the bustling crowds were easy for her to hide in. She bumped into someone after being pushed to the side by a woman looking for her purse.

"I'm sorry about that." She apologized, dusting her hand off before offering it to the person who she had accidentally knocked to the ground. "Here let me help you up."

Show Me The Truth

Temperance "Temp" Fredrick

789|FALLEN ANGEL|THE FUGITIVE

"I never fit in when I was in Heaven, and I definitely didn't when I learned too much and had to run for my life and the life of my family."

ADDITIONALLY;;

-Temp is the mother to Saul. She adores all of his siblings though she has only ever met Kiara and Hoyt very briefly. When shw gets letters from him, she gets to hear about all of them though. And when they see each other every ten years, he tells her about them more.

-Temp is on the run from Heaven for learning too much. About ten years ago it was easier to run as she met up with Sierra Tearstone and they help each other and work well together.

-Anais is one of Temp's best friends and has allowed her to stay in her houses while she is on the run. Currently, Temp is staying with Sierra in one of her houses and intends to stay there for a while because she can feel things shifting and she doesn't like it.

Just Give Me A Sign

"I guess so. Still a little weird. Like watching a mother and daughter." Atticus said. He went back to his tea before looking in the bag of muffins had made for him and Kat. There was a good variety in there, that was for sure.

Hearing that the snowstorm was still a few hours away put Atticus's mind at ease a bit, but still amazed him with it being the beginning of September. Well… close to it. He supposed being as far North as they were it wasn't unheard of and especially not being too far from the mountains either. Some years it took until the end of October but some years they would get flurries early like this. It just meant it would be a cold winter. He would bring his other jacket, he thought, especially since while the cold didn't bother him too much, it might bother Kat. Especially after last night with the rain and cold. He didn't have to worry about getting sick, he did have to worry about her getting sick though.

Once Kat came back down he gave her a soft smile and nodded. "We've got four of them and a couple other kinds." He grabbed his other jacket as they headed out. He noticed Kat pulling her coat closer around her. He wouldn't deny it was cold, but he still held his jacket out to her. "If you need it, I've got this one too."

He nodded a bit about going to the arboretum. He enjoyed it there, oddly enough, and this time of year it was always pretty. All the leaves were beginning to change colors and soon they would be decorating for Halloween. Which was always fun. He actually enjoyed Halloween time around the coven, and it wasn't hard to tell that almost everyone did too. It was one of the few times of the year everyone seemed to get along. "So Kitty, which story do you want me to start with? The one from last night or the one with the hunters?"

--

Lia sipped a bit of her tea concoction before blowing on it some after burning her tongue a little. She needed to remember how hot the tea was sometimes. She sighed a bit and got to making cookoe dough, humming a bit while she did. Of course, the cookie dough needed to chill for a bit before she started baking it, but it surprised her a little more that someone answered her. She looked to Mitch and gave a soft, barely there smile, "Well, which would you prefer this time, I'll make extra of those."

She got out both grape and strawberry jellies and then she started on the base for s'mores pie. She could never quite put her finger on why baking soothed her so much, but something told her it was the repitition in it. Especially when it came to everything she was making now. "Do you want anything else for breakfast?" She asked, looking around at all the muffins. "I mean, I know I've made enough muffins to feed at the very least half the castle, but if you want something else, I don't mind making it."

She could feel her throat getting itchy again and she took another sip of her tea and turned to get the rest of the stuff for s'mores pie. Once she had it finished, she put it in the freezer to set and she pulled out some meat. She decided chili would be good for dinner. She took another sip of tea before a timer went off and she pulled the cookie dough out of the fridge. "Oh, and before I forget," she said to Mitch. "Att asked if I would cancel lessons tomorrow since it's Kat's birthday. Also asked if I would make her a cake, a kind of surprise for her I guess." She said as she placed the first pan of cookies in the oven.

A light cough escaped her and she rolled her eyes a little as she turned to busy herself again.

Still Worth Fighting For

Sal had kind of zoned out for a while during breakfast. He couldn't really help it, and while he hated to admit it, he was still fuzzy after the vision last night. He had seen some vivid images in his dreams but nothing coherent. Times like this he wished he wasn't this type of seer. He hated seeing possible ways the world could end, especially when he couldn't remember them right away. But at the same time, he knew his subconscious would allow him to see more when it was worked through.

When Willow brought up the park, he snapped back. "We will. I know Clary and Cole are off today too, and maybe we could see if some others want to go with. It's always nice to have picnics in the park on days like today. Especially with a group of us." He said. He could feel what Tiffany was getting at, but he also knew that if push came to shove they would be okay. Even if it was just him and Willow. His lessons with Drake and Billie about fighting had been going relatively well, even if it wasn't the best. Willow was strong on her own too, but there was always safety in numbers.

"How is your project coming anyway?" Sal asked.

--

Drake left the Reid house after breakfast, knowing Sal and Willow had plans for the day. And that Sal had stuff there already. So, when he walked into the empty house that was shared between him, Cole, Sal, Billie, and Alex, he was only slightly surprised. He figured Alex would be there at least, knowing Billie was probably still out for her run and that Cole stayed with Clary. He quickly got ready for the day and slung a bag over his arm. His clean gym stuff for when he went back in. It was always nice to have it there after a couple of days off.

When he opened the door to leave, he saw Billie coming in. "Morning." He said.

"Hey. Alex up yet?" She asked and Drake gave a look.

"He's not even home right now." He said. He saw the look on her face and he patted her shoulder. "Good luck B. I'll let you and Joe know about new prospects. I told Jo I'd go into town with her."

He saw Billie take a minute to process what he said before he got a thank you. Billie had been texting and he sighed a bit and headed back over to head out with Jo.

When Jo thanked him, he just smiled. "Of course. It's not a big deal. There is a record store near the gym, and I'm sure we'll run into a liquor store. Unless you were up to going to the one Billie owns, considering we all know it has everything."

They began heading off and Drake looked down to her. "You okay? Last night was pretty rough all around."

---

Once Logan told her what he wanted in his omelete, Cole started making it and smiled. "It was a long night, man. Coffee is necessary." She went back to cooking before thinking a moment. "Fortunately, yeah I'm off. Not sure what we are doing yet though. Probably going to eat and go back to bed for a while. She's probably still going to be tired. She was mumbling in her sleep when I got up."

"Who was doing what?" Clary's voice came out as a yawn. She stretched a bit and gave Logan a sleepy hug. "Morning." After she let go of him, she smelled the air. "Mmmm… smells good."

"Thanks." Cole said before putting some tea in front of Clary and a plate. It wasn't long after she put Logan's plate in front of him.

"When did you come in, Lo?" She asked, taking a sip of her tea before Cole joined them. Clary gave a sleepy smile to Logan when he answered. "Sorry you ended up awake so early, but I do enjoy when we have breakfast together."

Cole couldn't help but smile. She loved how endearing Clary and Logan could be. Especially in the morning before Clary got really hyper. That was endearing too, but since she had become a reaper, Clary's calm just added to it.

"What have you got planned for the day, Logan?" Cole asked after a few minutes.

---

Once the bedroom door opened, Alex and Randa both looked to Garret. Alex just sighed and shook his head. "I don't hate sleep…"

"Could have fooled me. Or is it a vendetta against our doorbell? Speaking of. Babe, I might have melted the damn thing to the point it can't be used." Randa said. What Garret had said next to Alex, though, made him look away. He wanted to say something, but Garret had already walked over to Randa. When he kissed her lips and then her neck, she smiled a little before nodding a bit.

"I really do." She whispered back. She watched him walk back into the bedroom and she looked back over to Alex. "He has a point. Walking away was a jackass move. Leaving things unresolved is unhealthy, doc. And walking away leaves them unresolved."

"I say shit I regret when I get that mad. I didn't want to do that. Not to Jo." He said. "Plus, who would she have told?"

Randa rolled her eyes. "Seriously Al? Is that the whole point that is bothering you? And you blame her for not telling you? Frankly, I don't blame her for not. You get so uptight and you act like the girl can't defend herself. In certain situations, sure it is endearing that you protect her and help her, but it was a fucking hunter. Not like it was a fire being. She has the capabilities to take care of herself, whether or not you want to totally accept that."

"How would you feel-"

"For one thing." Randa started. "Don't get in on that. While I do appreciate when Garret gets protective over me, I also have no reason to think he's going to go off the deep end if I tell him something I was able to handle happened. Obviously Jo was able to handle it. Sure, I get your point on wanting to know, but you overdo. You two work in opposite directions and you would either insist on walking with her all the time or something. And the only other person I expect to get that protective over me is Daylen, and even with him being my brother he doesn't get to your level of protective unless I'm not doing well."

Alex sighed, "But you and Jo are different."

"If you'd give her a fucking chance, you would see she is just as capable. Plus she is a fucking fae! She's not like you or I where our power is as strong as our control over it. She has to learn her things or run the risk of never being able to, or did you nod off during those lessons. Besides, whoever she told, I'm sure if it were concerning enough, would have mentioned it. We may be a big fucking group, but respect is something we have all managed to maintain for each other." Alex fell quiet again and soon Randa heard her phone. She took it from her robe pocket and saw it was Billie.

Please for the love of Lucifer tell me Alex isn't over there.

Randa peered over Alex's glasses at him and sighed before she answered her that he was. She heard Alex's phone ring not a moment later. When he answered it, she saw him motion for his glasses back and he took his legal pad. Randa could hear Billie bitching at him and soon he headed out the door. Randa walked over and locked the door again before seeing Alex head back home and she chuckled. She saw Billie messaged her again.

Try to go back to bed, babe. I'm sorry he woke you guys. I'll make sure he doesn't bother you more today.

Randa just smiled. She took another sip of coffee and headed back into the bedroom. She had heard the shower going, but instead she took off her robe and laid back in bed. "Babe! Hurry up! Dr. Pain in the Ass has already left!" She called.

She was honestly surprised too, but she wouldn't deny how grateful she was for Billie at the moment. When they had been talking at lunch a few days ago about it, she knew Billie could tell how much she had been looking forward to having a day off with Garret. Especially after last night. Randa didn't like to show it, but when shit like that happened it made her worry. Not because the people she cared about couldn't handle it, but because of how out of nowhere it felt.

--

Dahl couldn't help but to smile when she felt Zach's arms around her. "Good morning." She said and she turned and kissed his cheek too. "Mind watching the bacon? I swear I will forever undercook or overcook it. Just happens with bacon though." She chuckled a little. She got out a couple of plates before flipping the French toast. She placed a cup of coffee near Zach before Poppy started barking softly again. Dahl poked her head around to check on her and shook her head. "Her puppy dreams still catch me off guard." She said.

She began plating breakfast as it was ready and set it on the table before getting out a few other things for them. She stretched a bit again and felt part of her back pop and blinked a bit. "I can't believe neither one of us woke up until this morning sleeping on the couch." She said before sitting down with him for breakfast. "This is always nice though. Not often we actually get to sit down for breakfast together."

--

When Billie got back after watching Joe head back to his house, she was not happy to hear that Drake was the only one in the house at the moment. That meant Alex went to go bug the only person he would after something like last night. Randa. She had texted Randa and when she confirmed Alex was in fact over there, she groaned and called him. She was getting his breakfast set up for him when he answered.

"Where are you?" Billie asked and when Alex answered he was at Randa and Garret's she huffed. "Are you brain dead?! Why the fuck are you bothering them before at least 10?! You of all people should understand how they need a day off together!"

"I'm on my way home." He said before hanging up. Billie rolled her eyes and shot Randa another message. Seriously, she loved her brother but he needed to consider other people too. He was a great brother and person over all, but when he starts having issues with things, sometimes it seemed questionable. When he walked in the house, Billie gave him a look. "What?"

"How long have you been over there?" She asked and he groaned.

"About 15-20 minutes." He said and Billie motioned for him to sit down. "I barely slept last night."

"And whose fucking fault is that?" She asked. "Certainly not theirs. I'm honestly surprised Garret didn't deck you." She said.

Alex rolled his eyes. "Talking to you is impossible, especially when it comes to things like last night." He said. "You never seem to take my side on anything when it comes down to it."

"I'm also not exactly picking sides. I just call the shit like I see it, and I can't help when you are definitely more in the wrong." She quipped.

"I just don't get why she never mentioned anything to me and went running to someone else." He said.

"You have got to let that go. Don't you think whoever she told would have told you if it were dire?" She pointed out and Alex rolled his eyes. "You do that because there is a point to it. Especially since she came to me about it."

Alex blinked and saw the look Billie shot him. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.

"Because it was a non issue. It was handled and Jo and I came up with plans if she ever felt she was in enough danger to need help. That hunter wasn't all that great anyway." Billie said, taking a bite of her breakfast. She could see Alex getting mad and she just waited for him to open his mouth.

"How would Logan feel if you did that to him?" He asked.

"Logan also knows that while the protectiveness is appreciated, that something as small as an inexperienced hunter is a non issue for me. He trusts me and my skills, and he knows if I ever need him, I will tell him. I get that you don't like it being hidden from you, but Al, you go off the deep end with her over small stuff. When was the last time you asked her to show you her newest skill?" She asked and Alex looked away. "Exactly the point. I get it. There is wrong on both sides, but how about instead of getting angry about it, you find a way to talk about it. And work shit out."

He took a bite of food and watched Billie a moment. She took off her hoody and he could see the faint scar from where she got shot. He sighed. He didn't really want to fight with her anymore. "Mind coming into town with me in a bit?" He asked, quietly. She had her points, it was true. He and Jo did need to talk it out, but after everything last night and tensions being so high anyway, it wasn't a good time. Timing seemed to be a lot of the problem.

Billie gave a nod. "Yeah. Sure. I've got to go to the store and take the deposit to the drop box anyway. Why?"

"I want to find something to give to Jo so she knows I am sorry. She and I do need to work it out, and I don't think saying sorry will be enough." He said.

"Alright. I just need to wash up and get dressed. I also need to double check that the order for the bar got put together right. Having promoted a new guy to handle deliveries has caused me to reevaluate a few things." She said and he nodded. He gave a nod and his eyes fell to the other scar she had from getting shot. He knew both scars would be gone by the end of the day, but he couldn't help the worry he felt over her even. "I'm fine, Al. A little sore, but fine."

He nodded. "Sorry. Just can't believe how quickly even gunshots heal on you."

She waved a hand and went to cleaning the dishes.

---

Lia woke early the next morning, like she always did, but for once she allowed herself to lay in bed cuddled up to Mitch for just a while longer. He was warm and when she heard movement in the hallway, she moved as carefully as she could so to not wake him. She kissed his temple before grabbing her robe and leaving the bedroom. She gently shut the door behind her and saw Atticus very sleepily heading back into his room. She let out a soft sigh and headed into the kitchen and started both a pot of coffee and a pot for tea. With both things started, she headed to start some laundry before heading back into the kitchen.

Aless was already awake and her head was laying on the counter, and she saw Mal looking through the fridge. "Top shelf, if you're looking for the leftover muffins from yesterday." She said. Aless walked over and hugged Lia before sitting back down.

"Mom. Tell me that the sage is ready now. I have to redo Roland's compounds again." She said and Lia nodded.

"I'll be pruning more later too." She said, "If you need help, let me know."

Aless nodded. She watched as Lia started going on to make more stuff for breakfast and she asked, "So, mom, are we still going to do something for Kat's birthday?"

"Of course we are. Though, after last night we may need to figure something else out." She said. She looked to Mal but before the conversation could get into full swing, Lia saw Kat. She went to speak, but felt Kat cling to her. Lia held her close, gently stroking her hair. "Shhh…." She whispered against her hair. "Breathe."

Aless looked to Mal and frowned a bit, watching as Lia tried to calm Kat. If anyone could, it was Lia, but still. "She was mumbling in her sleep but I couldn't make out what she was saying." She whispered back. Still watching her mother and sister.

"Kat, what's wrong?" Lia asked after a few moments and getting Kat to at least breathe normally. When Kat told her what was wrong, she held her closer. "I know how hard that dream must have been on you, but we all made it out safely. You're okay, I'm okay, everyone is okay." She brought Kat's face into her hands and kissed her forehead. "Just breathe."

Lia led her to sit down and made her something small for breakfast. She knew when Kat got like this, she didn't eat much, but she was glad to at least see her eating. She got everyone else some breakfast and saw Kat being turned into a cat not long after they were finished. She gently rubbed behind Kat's left ear before excusing herself to check on the laundry.

--

Atty groaned after he tossed again in bed. He was having trouble sleeping and was kind of glad that Kat had opted to stay in her room with Aless. He didn't know how long he had laid there again, but when he finally dragged himself out of bed he rubbed his face. He got dressed and when he got into the kitchen he saw Mal, Aless, and a cat? It took him only a moment to process it was Kat and he sat near where she was. "Bad night, Kitty?" He whispered to her, gently petting her.

Aless looked over and watched as Atticus just petted Kat. It was endearing to say the least and she smiled a bit before seeing Lia come back in. "Morning." He said and Lia nodded and put his tea in front of him.

"Morning." She said before giving him a plate for breakfast. He smiled, weakly, and just kept petting Kat for a few minutes.

"So do I get literal Kitty cuddles today or are you going to be pouncing on everything?" He chuckled before taking a bite of his food. He was glad that Mal did this for Kat. It helped calm her down better than most anything, and after last night he was glad she could at least have that.

It Has Begun

"What the hell happened to you last night?" Jade's voice came, and Elise just rolled her eyes and groaned.

"I ducked out of that lame ass party early. Had a few drinks with this guy I met there, and the rest is really fuzzy after that." she said, pushing a hand through her hair as she reached for the vial of blood she had on her bedside table. After she sank it's contents, she got up and went for a shower. Luckily she didn't have too bad of a hangover, which was surprising, but what she saw on the bathroom sink was a mask. She picked it up and smiled a little. She barely remembered taking it from... Chris? Yeah, it had to be close to that. "Hell, I wonder if he'll still find Lassie as funny sober."

She laughed to herself and after taking a nice hot shower, she got dressed and looked to Jade. They had to make another blood run to last the daylight hours for the next week or two. At least until they could get themselves a better supply going. With things being the way they were, she knew it would be hard. Especially after what she could hear Jade telling he through the door of the bathroom. She was kind of glad that she and that werewolf had ducked out early now. That attack would not have been good for her. She was getting better at controlling her bloodlust, but all the blood likely would have sent her on a rage.

"So are you going to see that guy again?" Jade asked, and immediately Elise touched her cheek. The last thing she actually remembered was him kissing her cheek. She smiled a little.

"If I can help it, I am." she said. She had had a lot of fun with him, and she would love to have more fun.

--

Arik sighed a bit as he sat with the other betas and their alpha, Beau. Beau had agreed to have a meeting with Kiara, which Arik was glad for. While he had never actually met her until the night before, he could tell that she was for peace like he was. Like the vast majority of the pack was. So many of them had seen hard times from the wars that they were ready for a longer period of peace. He ran his hand through his hair as he half listened to the meeting. He had a few bruises and a nice gash just under his eye from one of the dragons, but he understood why. Things weren't meant to go the way they did, and even he could tell it. But it was all too late before everything was figured out and now even the witch coven was suffering some loss.

"Arik!" Beau's voice came, and Arik looked to him.

"Sorry." he said, "I'll go check and see what's going on. He quickly left the meeting and he saw Kiara and the red-headed angel... Dawn he was sure her name was... coming down the path. He was glad that they found the path, but this was one reason he missed his brother being around. He would have known they were there already, but he knew that Eros had his own things to hand. Plus, he was glad he wasn't there after everything that happened last night. Eros was a hell of lot stronger than most and likely would have been a big target, but he also might have been able to catch what happened earlier. "Good to see you found us." Arik said to Kiara and Dawn.

He could sense the hostility coming from the wolf that passed him and he sighed. "Forgive us, everything is still very fresh. Beau will be glad to see you both made it with little trouble though. We are just over this way. I'll have to poke my head in first to see if they're ready for you." he said. He led them to where he just came from, and when he saw Beau waiting for them he sighed. "Just a moment."

Beau looked to Arik and whispered, "You were there, I trust your judgement on this, just remember that going into this meeting." he said.

Arik gave a gentle nod and held the door for everyone as they went into their meeting. This is one thing he was glad that Beau wasn't sore over, and another reason that while he wished his brother was there, he was glad he wasn't. They would have been butting heads and it could have made things worse. Much worse.

--

The brunette took a deep breath as he walked through the woods, enjoying the smells. Since he had been on earth, he could now understand why people enjoyed it. Minus the humans. They were a huge lot of idiots. He knew that from how Silas had spoke of them, but Zephaniah couldn't believe they were this stupid. He kept amusing the idea that they were stupider than Michael and it made him chuckle to himself a little.

Something caught his attention after a bit though, and his eyes followed the form of a monkey. "I didn't think they were native to this area of the world. A least that's what the books said." he muttered to himself before he saw the monkey come before him. He tilted his head curiously at it when it began furiously chittering at him. "What's going on?" He watched the monkey chitter some more and touch some blood. He sighed a bit and once it had turned his head to face a hunter, an involuntary smirk came over his face.

"Is this what you are so worried about?" he asked, and he looked over the monkey again. "Don't worry, I got this... But if you're not exactly looking to see some blood, I'd close your eyes."

He watched the monkey hesitate only a moment before getting into the tree. He set is pack down and saw the hunter step forward. Z crossed his arms over his chest. "Why are you bugging that creature?" he asked, and the hunter seemed dumbfounded. "Mind lowering your gun too? I'm trying to be some form of civil."

"That creature is an abomination. She should not be here. She is dangerous." the hunter said, and Z let out a haughty chuckle.

He clicked his tongue against his teeth and noticed the hunter kept his gun up. "If you want to see dangerous I promise to change your definition of it." Z heard the gunshot before he flicked his hand and heard the bullet explode between him and the hunter. He threw a white fireball at the hunter and saw him duck. He ran at the hunter and grabbed the hand that had the gun in it and slammed the hunter's arm against a tree. The gun flew out of his hand and Z twisted the hunter's arm up behind his back and slammed him into the tree before releasing him. The hunter managed to tackle him to the ground and hit him in the side before being thrown off of him. Z managed to pick up the gun and he shot the hunter between the eyes. Then one more time through the temple. He had read so many zombie stories in the cells that he firmly believed in a double tap.

He rummaged the hunter's body and took what ammo he had and the gun. He tucked it in his pack before he looked up for the monkey. "You can come on down now." he told her. He had to remember the hunter identified her as a female. He felt something warm on his side. He sighed when he saw the blood and he lifted his shirt to see the wound was already almost closed. That was a plus at least. Once the monkey was before him again, he rummaged through his pack again and showed it some bandages. "I have these if you need them. I could get them on you and you could stick with me a while if you wanted. I promise you won't have to deal with anyone like that with me."

"I can't promise I know where the hell I'm going though." he added. He knew he would eventually need to track down Billie and Alex. But he hadn't the slightest idea where exactly to start, and while he was a damn good tracker, he did need a trail to pick up on them from, so for now, he would wander.

Save Me|Save Yourself|Save Us All

Clary couldn't help the excited bouncing, but she had managed to calm herself a little when Heather pointed it out. "Yeah, but honestly, Morgan is a really awesome teacher. He finds me wandering the halls at night sometimes and has tea with me. We did coffee one time, and he regretted that for two days." she laughed a little, but soon it was time for them to head to gym. When Heather brought up Cole, Clary blushed a little and looked to the ground. "Thanks, I mean... We just really met, but I really like her. She's so... calm." she smiled a little. "You know, not typically what I go for. Remember the last girl was more high strung than even me."

Once they got ready for class, Clary frowned a little when she noticed that Logan wasn't in the gym. She missed out on all of his high! She knew he was probably passed out back in their dorm and she would just go bring him some lunch after class. However, her attention turned towards Devin, and she stood a bit closer to Heather when she saw what was going on. "That girl knows how to put a point across." she whispered to her. It wasn't long before Long assigned partners, and while Clary was a little sad that she wasn't with Cole or Heather, her face immediately lit up when she saw her partner. Ryan came over, pulling her long locks of brunette hair up into a ponytail and she smiled to Clary. Clary hugged her a bit and squealed. "Ryan! I didn't know you were coming back!"

"Well, yeah, I got in late last night. Was supposed to have been in two days ago, but flights got delayed, you know." she smiled. Ryan waved a little to Heather. "Heya! I'm Ryan. Nice to meet you."

Clary bounced a little bit. "This was my partner in Realms last year." she told Heather. "Oh! We have to catch up! We just have to!"

"Then let's do the laps. Stretch first and then we'll do the laps." Ryan said with a laugh.

Clary smiled. "Okay! Let's stretch!"

---

Miles kind of shrugged when she brought up Sunday. "I wish I could have, but this was sort of an abrupt turn of events, you know? Would have loved to have been here for that though. But I really appreciate you offering to show me around. That will help so much, I can't thank you enough." he told her, and he sort of chuckled when she said she hadn't been to Buckingham Palace. "It's beautiful. You should make time to go and see it. I'd offer to go with you, but that might sound weird." he said.

Three and a half years. That stuck with him. So she would know a lot of the ropes around here, even the ones that the teachers wouldn't, so she would be a good person to stick around. Then when she asked him if he was transferring, he blinked a minute. That took him off guard. "It's my first time in a school like this. I've been to school, sure, but in Heaven things are way different."

IT wasn't long after that when Professor Kane came in. He waved to Iris as she left and he listened to Kane for a moment, nodding when she asked if he was the angel student. So she would be his adviser, he was pretty sure Aren had that in some of his paperwork so he wouldn't forget it, but he was glad she said it to him because it would make it easier to remember. She asked him if he had any questions, and his mind went blank. "I do have one right off the top of my head. How many other angels, or angel breeds are in the school?"

He had a feeling that if there were others, there weren't many if at all, but there was also a part of him that wanted to know that he wasn't alone. When this assignment came to him, he had to admit he was a little confused by it, but Michael wanted eyes here for some reason. Reasons he could guess at, considering there had been a lot of talks about Hell lately, but why he would put him here... That was what he wanted to understand. "What questions do you have for me?"

--

Randa and Billie both sort of snickered at the display TIffany gave. They would definitely need to talk to her, but it could wait until after they stretched. "So, we sparring?" Randa asked, and Billie nodded.

"Yeah. We do good sparring together." Billie said, and she began helping Randa stretch out. She could see Maggie coming over to them, but a red head stopped her and was talking to her. She raised a brow a little.

Maggie smiled to Willow and nodded. "Sure. My partner isn't back in school yet." she said, "I'm Maggie by the way, what's your name?" she asked. Her eyes had followed the gesture up to Jo and she nodded. "So, what did you want to do? I know my sister and Billie are going to end up sparring. They always do." she motioned her head over to Randa and Billie. "And that's generally where me and Erin would end up too."

She saw Randa looking over and waved at her, only to see her wave back. It was a minute later that she felt a hand on her shoulder and she jumped a bit. "Shit! Joe! Don't do that!" Maggie said to see him chuckle.

"Sorry Mags, just figured I'd say hi." he said, and he moved close to her ear. "And to tell you if you don't put a leash on that thing you're shacking up with, I'm going to knock him out."

"Oh come on! Nathan is better than most of the guys I've dated." Maggie said a bit loudly and covered her mouth after she did. "But what's he doing?"

"He keeps looking at me funny." Joe said, patting her should. "But I'll catch up with you later."

"Okay." Maggie said with a small wave, and she looked to Willow. "Sorry about that."

--

Colten sighed a bit as he got into gym class, barely paying attention to anything going on around him. He ran his fingers through his hair and heard a few girls giggle as he walked passed them. He shrugged a bit and when he finally caught eyes with someone he knew, he smiled and waved to her. Randa. They had dated for a while, and while they broke up, they were still good friends. She took care of him and he did the same for her when she needed it. It wasn't long after Kajun came up to him and he smiled. "Hey. Man, you wanna lift weights?" he asked him. It wasn't long after that, the guy near them asked to join them.

Considering his alternative, Colten just nodded. "By all means, man. I wouldn't wish that on anyone." Colten said, a small growl in the back of his throat. It quickly left and he rolled his eyes at what Kajun said. When Zach asked him how much he benched, he just chuckled, "About 450 for reps. I can do more in single lifts though." Colten was taken a little off guard by Kajun's purring and he turned to see the girls. When Cole caught sight she waved and Colten waved back. They were talking to Drake and Sal now, and he decided he wouldn't call them over. But when they got over to the weights, and he sat on the bench he about jumped out of his skin when he saw Randa there. "Damnit Miranda!"

She chuckled and leaned on the bar before he laid back. "Hey. Good to see you too." she said. "Just wanted to ask a favor, if your buddies don't mind." she said, waving a little to Zach and Kajun. "If Maggie and her partner end up over here, will you make sure Maggie doesn't hurt herself like she did the last time... and..." Randa's eyes were watching somewhere else, and she patted his shoulder when she looked back at him. "Sorry, Beatrice was hardcore eyeballing you, so I figured I'd get her off your back before she wanted you to get her on hers."

Colten rolled his eyes a little and nodded. "Thanks Randa. You and Billie aren't going to lift?"

"Nah, we're going to spar. But I would more than happily sit pretty on the bar for you." she winked, and soon Billie walked over.

"Baaaabbbee..." she whined. "Let's go."

Randa rolled her eyes a bit. "In her defense, Billie, Beatrice was hardcore staring over here, and you know how Randa gets with that one." Ez's voice came with a chuckle.

"Hey." Billie said, and she waved to Cole a bit. "Nice to see you back." Billie said.

"It's good to be back." Ez said. Her eyes flicked over to Kajun and she smiled a bit when she heard the purring. "But I figured I'd come over and say hi. I haven't seen you in a while."

Randa sighed a bit, watching Billie and Ez just stand there talking for a minute and once Colten started lifting the weight on his bar, Randa hopped up on it and looked down at him. "Too heavy for you yet?"

"I'm not maxed out, Randa. Plus you're light anyway. Get tired of standing?" he asked her and she nodded.

--

Alex came out of Long's office after their talk. He was to completely avoid Devin while in class, and he rolled his eyes a little and met up with Justin who was also in need of a partner. "Hey man, ready to go?" Alex asked, and he looked over to where the weights were and saw a crowd of girls around a few of them. He recognized the one as Colten. He had dated Randa for a while, and he saw her sitting on his weight bar at the moment. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Come on, let's go run laps."

"Sounds good to me." Justin said. He heard the whistle blow.

"Ladies! Get to your activities!" Long shouted. "Lively! Office now!"

Alex's eyes watched as Devin went into Long's office and he rolled his eyes. "I swear I'm going to kill him one day." he said, and Justin shrugged.

"As long as you let Billie record it, I don't think anyone will care." Justin said.

--

It wasn't long after Long blew the whistle and told everyone to get to it a second time that Billie and Randa finally made their way over to the mats set up for sparring. Billie was stretching a little more when Randa tapped her arm. "There's Tiffany. Why don't we go over and say hi?"

Billie nodded and soon she and Randa walked over to Tiffany. Billie was quiet for a moment, but Randa broke the ice. "So, I'm Randa and this is Billie, and I just have to say, I'm sorry that you had to stop. Watching that piece of shit get a taste of his own medicine was nice."

Billie nodded. "Yeah. It really was." she agreed. "You guys want to spar with us? Its usually easier to do in bigger groups."

Please Stay

A post has appeared.... ha ha.

I'll do more with Marcus next post. I feel like it might just be easier to combine the posts for now. ha ha.

Please Stay

"Yeah... What she said." Ryan gave a faint sort of chuckle when Katie spoke to Charlie. However, it wasn't long before they were all at the Cauldron and holy shit was it crowded. Ryan had known it to be crowded on Friday nights, but tonight was... there was no comparison to how busy it was with all of Falmouth there. As she followed behind Katie, Charlie not far behind her, she carefully avoided the people Katie had elbowed. When they got to Hannah, Ryan could only shake her head and chuckle lightly at Katie.

"I'll take-" she began and Charlie took to ordering for them both.

"Firewhiskey. Please. Both of us." he said, and when she shot him a look, he just grinned. "You know you wanted it."

"I expect this from Katie." she said. When they got their drinks, she looked at the Firewhiskey. Luckily, one of Katie's teammates had come up and she had introduced them. She could only chuckle at their antics, and she nodded. "I am. Thank you, I do try with him."

Charlie's laugh roared when he and Pucey were talking. "Someone had to kick your asses then. Dragons been kicking mine ever since. Been taking a bit of break though. Had some things to help with." he said. It wasn't long after that the doors opened again and in came Marcus Flint. No one really looked over, but Ryan had out of habit. Charlie's head turned too and he nudged Katie's shoulder. "Look, the cat dragged in your favorite person." He teased.

Ryan rolled her eyes and finally took a sip of her drink and she blinked her eyes a bit and looked at it again. "That's stronger than I remember." she muttered to herself. It did help take the edge off of being around so many people. She truly wasn't used to it. Even when she was younger she tended to avoid crowds... But Katie had always had a knack of dragging her right into them. It was all good and well for now. However, Ryan knew she needed to keep herself level-headed. She didn't drink often, and she couldn't remember what she got like if she were to get properly trashed.

She spoke, "Katie, is this supposed to be this strong?" she chuckled a little. She motioned her drink at Katie, and she sighed. She had to remember to have a good time, Katie might kick her ass if she didn't.

Still Worth Fighting For

Kyp looked to Tara and nodded when she said Tali would appreciate it. Hell, if all he had to do was check some traffic cameras to give someone some solace, he'd take that little bit of time out of his day anytime. "Well, Serg is fingerprinting. I'm going to gather what valuables I can and label them so when we contact next of kin, we can at least return some of their stuff. As hard as it can get, at least they can have something of theirs." he said, running his hand over his face and he went over to the car and grabbed out some gloves and ziploc bags.

"And be sure you let someone know you made it home tonight." Kyp said, "All of us who hunt with Rhi are at her house tonight, but just tell Eli or someone to tell Rhi so we know." he leaned down a little and whispered by her ear. "Serg is a huge worry wart after shit like this goes sideways." he chuckled and handed her some gloves and he began at the body whose head had been exploded and he shook his head. "So unnecessary...

--

Wes couldn't help the small chuckle that came when Eli asked what he did when it came to Chester. "I waited until after Serg came to pick up Rhi, followed him out, had his head almost inside the fan motor of the piece of shit he drives. Told him he tries anything again, he's going to end up with a wrench in a place he wouldn't appreciate. Then wake up in the wrong part of a demolition derby." He shook his head. "Still waiting to see Rhi shove the .22 she always carries down his throat and threaten to make him shit bullets."

Wes raised a brow at the small conversation between Eli and Taylor and he just looked confused. "I don't even want to ask, I guess." He said, and when Rhi came back, she just chuckled at Taylor's comment.

"I also half expected the meeting to be at the office." she said, and she covered Wes's ears very poorly, "He doesn't do so well in doctor's offices." she whispered loudly.

Wes shook his head when Rhi moved her hands. "Wrong. I don't do well with hospitals." he shuddered involuntarily. "Regular doctor's offices aren't so... I don't even know."

Rhi shook her head a little. She leaned over and whispered something to Wes who just turned a faint shade of pink. "That's what I thought." she said, and Wes rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, you want to stay a little longer or you ready to head out?" Wes asked.

"If you're ready, I am. I know you just got back into town and probably want to crash." Rhi said, and she looked to Eli and Taylor. "See you tomorrow. Might not be there as early as usual. Got to tune up Serg's bike and help Wes tune up his truck too."

"She can get to the back spark plugs. Smaller hands and all." Wes said with a laugh. "Nice meeting you guys."

With that Wes waved and Rhi did too as they went to head out.

--

Sal woke up to the bed empty, and he sat up and rubbed his eyes a little bit. He turned a bit and blinked before he turned his head from side to side before he noticed the faint aura of the symbol Willow had put on the inside of her door for him so he could see it when he needed to leave the room and she wasn't in there with him or he just didn't want to wake her. He carefully stood and walked to the door. It took him a moment to find the door knob before he got the door opened and he started following the scent of breakfast. He felt a hand on his should and he heard Drake chuckle. "Morning." he said.

"Morning Drake." he said, and when they got into the kitchen, Drake made sure Sal got to sitting down before he got some water and sat down himself. He looked at the clock and shook his head. "Shit, I missed the morning run. Oh well, I'll go later this afternoon." he said.

Sal spoke. "I don't think Billie will say anything. It was a long night." he said, and Drake nodded a bit.

"This is true." Drake said, and he smiled to Willow when breakfast was served. "Thanks Will."

They had all been eating when Jo came down, and he looked her over. She seemed hungover, but then again she had a rougher night than most of them did. She spoke to him, and he nodded. "Of course. You don't mind if we stop by the gym while we're out though, do you? I've got to see if any of the potential clients I had actually decided to sign up. That and I told Joe I would look at the sign ups for the boxing classes Billie coaches. Since he helps her out."

Sal tilted his head. "And can you see if I left my other walking stick there? I think I did yesterday when I went with you."

"Sure, no problem." Drake said. He then looked over to Tiffany and placed a kiss to the top of her head when he went to put his plate in the sink.

--

The alarm going off made Billie open her eyes and slap her hand against it. Run time was coming too early today, and when Logan pulled her closer to him, she let herself get comfortable for a little longer. About fifteen minutes later, Billie heard the alarm go off again and groaned, but she sighed. If she started getting lazy about it now, it would become a habit, and she was sure Randa wasn't going to be available later for a run. This had been the first day in weeks she and Garret had been off together, and she could only imagine how long they'd be lazing around in bed. She carefully slipped out of bed and pulled on her track pants and pulled on her sports bra. She pulled a hoody on over it and pulled her hair up into a ponytail before she put on her shoes and looked over to Logan. She smiled and kissed his cheek before she grabbed her phone and earbuds.

The air was crisp this morning and she was instantly glad she opted for a hoody. She turned and locked the door behind her and began stretching on the front porch. Drake nor Cole was up and outside yet, and she looked around. Alex would probably pitch a fit that she was going running alone again, but it wasn't too long after that she saw Joe coming out of the house in his shorts, hoody, and running shoes. She waved him over and he rubbed his side a little. "Didn't think anyone else would be up for the run this morning."

Joe chuckled, sleepily. "I rolled off my bed this morning. Figure since I was up, I'd go for a run. Probably try to catch a little more sleep when I get back, considering I work the later shift tonight."

Billie nodded. "One of these days we need to get you some bouncers that can actually do their job. Bring them to the boxing classes. That will thin out the weak ones quick." she chuckled, and he nodded. When they finished stretching they started on their run. It was quite a route, they headed up a few blocks and ran around the huge park nearby. After lapping it a few times, Billie looked to Joe. "Want to get some breakfast?"

Joe nodded. "Please. I'm going to bring something back for Hoyt and Rose too."

"Don't worry, I'm going to bring back the hangover breakfast for Alex too." Billie said, and Joe shook his head.

"That bad?" he asked, and Billie nodded as they headed across the street to a small diner that had just barely opened.

--

Ding dong! The noise was faint, but it assaulted Randa's ears. She groaned and turned over before she heard it again. "Go away." she mumbled before the third time it rang. Her eyes opened and she got herself out of bed. She looked on the floor and grabbed her underwear and bra before she pulled on her robe and shuffled to the door. The doorbell rang again. "For fuck's sake, keep your panties on! I'm coming!" She growled when she left the bedroom. She looked at the clock on the stove and groaned again. It was just barely eight! She heard the doorbell one more time, and she opened the door and her left hand covered the doorbell and when she moved it, she saw it melted.

After she melted the door bell, she looked up and saw Alex standing there and she shook her head. "You know Garret's gonna bitch you out something fierce when he decides to get out of bed right? I did all the proper steps to reschedule my appointment." Randa whined, and she saw he had a box of doughnuts in one hand with two cups of coffee balanced on it and his legal pad in the other.

"I brought you breakfast, and coffee. Plus this isn't a you session, this is a me session. I could barely sleep last night, and I need to talk it out..." Alex said, and Randa motioned for him to come in.

"It couldn't have waited until at least 10?" she asked, motioning to the couch for him to sit down. He handed her a coffee and set down the doughnuts. "Garret and I haven't had a day off together in weeks, Al, we didn't plan on getting up until noon."

"I'm sorry..." he said, and he watched as she reached her hand out and he placed his glasses in her hand. She put them on and then he handed her his legal pad.

"And you're going to have to deal with a robe because I plan on going back to bed after this, and you freak out anytime I'm in just my underwear around you." Randa said, and she clicked the pen and looked to the legal pad before she looked to Alex. "So, I'm guessing this has something to do with you and Jo?"

He nodded. "Good guess."

"We could hear you two arguing last night. You'd have had to be deaf to not hear that shit." Randa said. "You ever think that maybe, just maybe you are smothering her with how protective you can be?"

"I can't help that, Randa." he said, and Randa shot him a look.

"And I'm the virgin Mary. You can give me a better reason than that." Randa said, and Alex groaned. "Hey, you woke me up. You're getting absolutely no filter this morning, Al. Not to mention, I'm not stopping Garret when he bitches you out either."

Alex sighed and he watched her sip on her coffee and he got up and turned on their coffee pot and he saw her get a doughnut. "I just... she's so important to me, and..."

"Does she know how you feel?" Randa asked.

"Yeah. Last night, despite it all, was the first time we told each other we loved each other." he said, and Randa shook her head.

"Then why the fuck are you stressing?" Randa asked. It was at that moment she quieted a little, hearing movement from the bedroom. "Hold that thought, Al."

--

Dahl felt a nudge against her foot, and she opened her eyes slightly and saw Poppy gently nudging her foot. "Oh hey, Pop. You need to go out girl?" she yawned, and she heard the hound whine quietly. She blinked a bit and looked at saw she and Zach had fallen asleep on the couch last night. She saw the TV was off, and she grabbed Poppy's leash and put it on her before she walked her a bit outside. Once Poppy was done, they went back into Zach's house and Poppy laid back down. Dahl smiled a little and covered Zach up a little more with the blanket they had been using. She kissed his temple and began cleaning up what was left from last night. When she was done she looked through the cabinets and started making some coffee and breakfast for them.

She was hoping it would be a nice surprise for him when he woke up, considering they didn't get to eat breakfast together a lot. She had an early shift, and she was usually leaving when he was just waking up. She filled the sink with water so she could wash dishes as she went, and soon she heard Poppy softly bark, and she moved to check on her. She chuckled. She was having a puppy dream. "That still scares me." she mumbled to herself.

--

Cole woke up fairly early, and she smiled to see Clary still sleeping when she got up. She stretched a bit and turned off the TV and pulled the blanket over Clary a bit better so she wouldn't get too cold. After she washed her face and hands, she headed back down into the kitchen and began making some breakfast and coffee. Omelets, hashbrowns, bacon, and sausage. She heard the door open and close before she heard Logan's voice and she smiled to him. "Morning." she greeted. "I've got omelets, hashbrowns, bacon and sausage. If you don't like omelets I can make you something else, but if you do, just gotta know what you want in it. I don't think I've made omelets here in a while."

Cole placed a cup of coffee in front of Logan and took a sip of her own. She took a pouch out of her pocket and emptied it into her coffee and took another sip. "Morning Glory coffee goes hard in the morning." she smiled.