tsubasa

The Ties that Bind

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."

The Ties that Bind

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.

The Ties that Bind

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."

The Ties that Bind

Name: Abigail Marks Gender: Female Race: Strigoi (once a Dhampir) Age: 42 (looks like she is still in her 20s) Unique Abilities: Abigail is highly skilled in combat despite the fact that she never left the commune to become a Guardian. She did learn from her brother though. Abigail is very goal oriented and when she sets her sights on something she wants, it is very difficult to even try to change her focus to something else. Due to her looks, she finds it easier to compulse males, especially Moroi males, than females. Description: Personality: Abigail was once a very sweet mother. She was more of a breeder than a blood whore. However, she only had one child before she was changed and thus was very attached to him. After her awakening, Abigail became very cruel and sadistic. Background: Abigail was young when she had a a baby boy, Gunner. She had wanted to become a mother so badly and Gunner quickly became her world. She did everything and any for her son until the day that she was attacked by a Strigoi. Believing her to be beautiful, the Strigoi changed her rather than killing her. Abigail became obsessive about her son, who was now in the care of her brother after her disappearance. Late one night, she sneaked into the house to gather her baby boy only to be fought off by her brother. The two fought and her brother being a well trained guardian managed to defeat her. However, unable to kill his sister before her son, he took her outside and asked one of the mother's to watch Gunner and asked her to take care of him if he didn't return. He never did for the moment Abigail regained consciousness she killed him. His body was never found. She knew better than to enter the commune that night. However, when she returned to gather Gunner, he was gone and she had no clue where they had sent him. She promptly took to killing everyone within their old home and set out to find her son. It wasn't until recently as her son started to gain notice from the rest of the world that she's been able to find him and for the first time knows exactly where he is.

The Ties that Bind

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..."

The Ties that Bind

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."

The Ties that Bind

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."

The Ties that Bind

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.

The Ties that Bind

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....

The Ties that Bind

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.