Please Come Home For Christmas

[Ben Isaac Winchester]

The world had narrowed in until the room was its center. All air was sucked out of it, instead replaced by acid; Ben could swear that it was the reason his chest was burning so. How could this be happening? He’d known that Ryder had been devastated when he’d lost Cristine, but…to sell his soul? Good God! At first, Ben couldn’t understand it; the girl wasn’t family, she wasn’t blood. There were thousands of other women in the world that his brother could fall in love with. Why sacrifice his SOUL for this one?

But his heart knew the answer to that, and he let out a feral curse because of it. Damn their family’s genes, he thought with another growl. They loved too damn hard, too damn intensely.

So it really was a no brainer what conclusion he came up with, when Ryder claimed to have no memory of the deal. His eyes closed in resignation when his brother described the ordeal. His jaw clenched so hard, he was afraid his face was about to explode. If not for Chey’s hand on his chest, and her would-be sarcastic words, he would have given in to the urge to launch himself at the younger Winchester brother and deal out some well deserved punishment.

The fool. He sold himself out for…the fool! He had to fix this…he couldn’t lose his baby brother again. Not when things were getting better between them, dammit!

As little Jessie proceeded to do a replay of the exorcist, Simi ran out of the room and Cristine fainted, Ben chose the distractions to lose himself in the crowd behind him. Everyone was focused on the scene in the living room; the woman come to life and her now damned lover. They were gasping in surprise and concern when she went down, twittering about ‘poor Simi’ upstairs; no one was paying any attention to the Hunter grabbing his new gift from the room across the foyer and heading outside like hell hounds were on his heels.

His face was set in grim determination as he made a beeline for the Impala. All of the peace he’d felt inside the James house was gone, now replaced by the single minded need to act. He had to go and find the crossroads demon Ryder had summoned and find out how much time he had. He had to find out who owned his brother’s contract, where they liked to den down…and put two between their black eyes.

He needed to do what Winchesters did best; kill demons. Hell if one of those slimy bastards were going to get his little brother.

He’d rather die himself.

[/blockquote]

[Simone Winchester]

Hope.

It was such a fragile thing.

It was an emotion that Simi had never gone without. Not even through all the hell that Gregg had put her through or the brutal battle that had ended it all. It was the emotion that caused her heart to jump in her throat at the sound of Ryders voice behind her and then died a horrible death as she watching him turn back to his recently returned fiance as she hit the floor in a heap.

In that moment, Simi felt a hatred in her heart so intense that it was probably a miracle that she didn't have her mothers powers. If she had, she had no doubt that the house would have crumbled around their collective ears with the savage emotion whipping through her soul. In that moment, the love she felt for her hunter was over shadowed by the shattering of her heart and the knowledge that he was lost to her because of the woman playing possum on the floor. Simi didn't know how she knew it but some feminine instinct told her that the faint she portrayed was no true faint but a manipulation to keep Ryder by her side.

And it had worked all to well. He'd fallen for it hook, line and sinker even as Simi's own heart broke in a million unrepairable pieces.

Turning on her heel once more, the slender blond fled the room and was up the stairs before she even registered her own movement. The intense need to get the hell away from the scene of the "accident" was over powering and she was not going to allow that witch to see her break apart. That would truly have been the final blow and the young woman had to much of her parents in her to allow that.

Along the way, she was vaguely aware of running into someone but her tears blurred any features. Reaching the safety of her bedroom, she slammed the door behind her and crumbled on to the bed. With her arms wrapped around her middle, she rocked uncontrollably as she fought to keep her emotions from ripping the room apart. Her chest seized with the effort and then sobs ripped out of her in hoarse, choking gasps. No amount of effort could hold the tide once the dam had burst and she was only vaguely aware of her bedroom door opening and then a weight moving the bed beside her.

When strong arms slide around her, she looked up into her fathers worried features and cried even harder. His words barely registered in her realm of pain and she had no words with which to answer him that wouldn't have come out in a torrent of jumbled nonsense.

How could she tell him that she felt like a complete fool for once again giving her heart over to someone who'd trampled it into the dirt? That nothing was ever going to be all right again and she was quiet sure she might die from the pain of it? That even knowing that the person responsible for her pain was innocent did not stop her from wanting to head right back down those stairs and kill her again, only this time in a way that would assure her that she'd stay dead?

God, she'd never felt this much grief. Not even Gregg had touched her on this level.

It seemed as if the world were ending and her heart had been savagely ripped out by the only other man she'd ever love. At the moment, she was in to much pain to make excuse for him. To much pain to feel anything but raw horror and agony. Fuck diplomacy.. Fuck being logical... Fuck understanding. She couldn't bring herself to feel it as she gave into the tide of emotions.

In that moment, all she wanted to do was have a good cry and rip something apart. With that the thought of doing something or someone physical harm, the little blond launched herself away from her father and lashed out with a blast of power that sent her lamp and books bashing against the bedroom wall. With a wail of pain escaping her lips, she struck out again and her bookcase careened across the room and she took grim satisfaction in watching it break into a million pieces. Her eyes fairly glimmered with an inhuman light as her temper tantrum thrumbed through the room and her voice came out in a heart wrenching snarl.

"Damn you, Ryder... DAMN YOU!!"

Then, realizing what she'd said, she started to sob once more. Like he really needed her to curse him. He'd done a fine job of damning himself all on his own. Hell, he'd damned them all to a lifetime of pain and an even longer eternity of bitter disillusionment. How could he have been so stupid? After everything they'd ever been taught? After the hell his own father and uncle had gone through.

By the time she was finished crying, she found she was laughing in what was definitely a hysterical manner. With sapphire eyes lite up with to many emotions to seperate, she found herself staring at her father as she choked out her explaination.

"Looks like i've gone and done it again, Papa....." she said with a hollow snort, her body shaking with the effort to rein in the powers threatening to overcome her. "Looks like I've misjudged another man...... I swear... I will never EVER give my heart to another..... First Gregg and his inability to accept me for who I am .. and now Ryder and his love for a dead woman that was so strong that he made a deal for her soul...... Doesn't it just figure...."

[tristianjames]

Alright, so when Tristian had shouldered his way into Simi’s bedroom, he really hadn’t been expecting this. He was in shock as he watched his daughter break down and cry, before yanking herself out of his arms to wreak havoc on her room. What the hell had happened in the past hour to make her so distraught? Had it something to do with the angry voices downstairs? Or the soft thud of a body hitting the wood? He’d thought that it was merely the children having some fun in the living room.

Damn, some being with extra-sensory powers he was. If the house exploded, would he still think everything was alright? GOD.

When her bookcase flew across the room, the vampire was on his feet and facing his daughter. He’d seen Lexi react this violently in the past, and his presence seemed to soothe her. Would it be the same with Simi? He was reluctant to get too close to her, in the off chance that she needed space to get her powers under control. Call him selfish, but the thought of getting beaned by the bedroom wall made him stay right where he was, even though the urge to hold her was almost too hard to withstand.

Ryder’s name seemed to rip itself out of her lips, and he tensed. Had her boyfriend done something to make her so angry? His lips pulled back in a snarl, as normal teeth turned to their sharper side. He hadn’t gotten to have his special ‘conversation’ with the middle Winchester boy just yet; perhaps now was the perfect time to correct that mistake. But he’d thought that Simi and Ryder were so happy together. What the HELL could have happened in one freaking night to destroy all of that?!

”Simi, honey, come here,” He murmured once the room stopped shaking and those soulful eyes returned to his face. Without waiting for her to move, or allowing himself to wonder if her powers were under control, he gathered her up in his arms and held her close. He hurt, seeing her pain. Just as he always had, he wanted to take it all away.

A sharp intake of breath sounded as he pulled back to look down at her sharply. ”Ryder sold his soul? And he chose NOW to tell you?” Incredulously, he shook his head. ”The bastard. Just give me the word, baby, and I’ll kill him slowly.”

Yeah, dad, probably not the best thing to say. With a curse, he hugged her close again, murmuring soothing words into the top of her head. His own mind was whirring with ideas; with plans. His daughter was in love with the Winchester; he could feel it was true. That probably meant that he’d have to help the stupid young man…even if every instinct in his body screamed that he should die for making Simi cry. ”Tell me everything, Simi.”

[/blockquote]

[Simone Winchester]

There is nothing in the world like a fathers love to make a girl feel comforted on some small level. To know that with one single word, there was someone who loved you enough that they would willingly commit murder for any trespasses done unto you.

As Simi stood cradled in her daddy's arms, she felt as if he were the only thing keeping her from shattering in a million pieces. She also knew that he wasn't completely joking about his willingness to kill the young Winchester either. On some level, instinct told her that if the older man thought that was truly what would make her happy... He would carry out the sentence post haste.

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you looked at it, Simi knew that was something she could never allow.

No matter how badly Ry had fucked up, she still loved him and he had enough to deal with without fending off her protective father. The good lord knew his own family wasn't going to be taking any of this any better than she had and she didn't envy Ryders confrontation with Dean.

Besides which, she also didn't want anyone attempting to stake her father. That would be the icing on the cake and she didn't think she could handle any more this evening without losing it.

"Oh Papa..... I don't even know where to start..Ry and I were playing outside, having a grand time and suddenly.. There she was! This Cristine from his past... He doesn't remember making the deal.. but he must have when he was deep in his cups... Shes no vampire for sure... When we first discovered each other again... he was pretty ripped up.. He told me that night we get stuck in the snow that he'd attempted to make a deal a few times but he could go through with it... but I also know he was very seldom sober in those days...." she choked out, a weird sense of calm descending. "he was so very devastated by her loss..... Not only her lose but that of their baby and the fact that he'd been the one to have to kill her... He felt as if he should have died instead of her..... So I .. I guess I can understand what happened...."

Brushing at the tears on her face, the little blond looked up at her father sadly.

"I mean... Its not like Ry and I knew that first night that we were going to fall in love... After all, we were childhood playmates and the last thing either one of us envisioned was that we'd be head over heels for each other.... For heavens sake... Do you remember how I used to pester him as a child?? Its amazing he didn't murder me then..."

Then, stepping back, she rubbed her hands up and down her arms as she shuddered and gave a small sigh.

"Papa... I can't stay here... I've got to.. I've got to get out of here... I can't stand all the company right now... I need some time to think.. to figure out what I"m going to do.... Would you mind covering for me? With Mama and the others?? I love them but I'm just not in the... festive mood anymore....."

As she waited for his reply, Simi turned to her bag that was still unpacked and was thankful she hadn't yet had time to put everything away.

"I.. I think maybe I'll go over to Tessa's... I'm sure they are having their own christmas but Uncle Curse won't mind me crashing the party I'm sure....."

[Ryder James Winchester]

If Ryder had been in his right mind, he might have been able to tell Cristine’s faint was just an act, but as it were, there were so many things happening all at once, his mind was fried like the rice he was so fond of at that little Chinese restaurant down the block from his and Simi’s little attic apartment. Usually he was an excellent judge of character. The man had always been the quiet, thoughtful one in the young Winchester bunch; able to see past people’s smiles and words in order to read their true intentions. Of course, seeing as how Cristine’s character had been altered so intensely before her ‘death’ and then ‘rising’, he didn’t know if the odd feeling he was getting in the pit of his stomach was from the mere fact that she was back, that she wasn’t acting exactly like her old self, or that though he had invited in on himself, the woman was ruining the best thing he’d ever had. His miracle.

One would think that seeing a dead woman raised from the grave was a miracle, but being in their line of work, it wasn’t all that special. And it should have been special. Given that Ryder had traded his soul for her return, he should feel something; anything, but the emptiness in those unfathomable grey-blue eyes was unmistakable. It was mechanical. His spirit had shut itself down so not to feel the enormous pressure that was weighing on his chest.

Even the gentle hand on his cheek did not rouse the hunter from the wintery chasm he had fallen into, and when Cristine wrapped her arms around his neck in what should have been a loving embrace, Ryder couldn’t help but shudder in aversion. He wanted Simi in his arms. Oh god, what had he done?

Inhaling deeply and holding it in so his visage would stay impassive, Ryder tugged Cris’ hands lightly from around his neck and slid an arm under hers in order to help the woman to stand. “Don’t worry Cris, we’ll figure this out. Everythings gon' be okay.” The middle Winchester whispered low in order to reassure her, but he hardly recognized his voice. He sure as hell didn’t believe the words that were falling from his lips.
Moving her to the couch, Ryder reached for a glass of ice water that was sitting on the coffee table and placed it in her pale palms. “Drink this. It’ll make you feel better.”

Sure it would. Just like he would wake up and all this would be a goddamn nightmare.

“Are you hurting anywhere?” He asked, and his blank gaze dropped to her stomach, and only then did a spark of concern light them. “The baby?”

Cristine clung to the glass as if it were the Holy Grail, taking short, ladylike sips until she shook her head in response to Ryder’s question. The chocolate haired ‘wonder’ smiled gently and laid a hand on his shoulder, and for a moment he remembered how that smile used to take his breath away. This time, it did not.
She assured him the baby was just fine, and that she was feeling much better now, but tired, very tired. Ryder felt a pang of grief when he realized that he would not be sleeping next to his blonde witch tonight. Would he ever be able to again?
The pang was short lived, and the monster barrenness that had taken residence inside of him reared its head once again to staunch the emotion. Ry needed to think clearly for he didn’t have much time. Tonight he would take Cristine some place safe and try to figure out where to go from here. He was bound for hell, but surprisingly enough, he felt as though he was already there.

Turning to the closest person to him and his risen bride-to-be, Ryder asked if they could keep an eye on her for a moment while he went up to make sure Simi was okay. The hunter didn’t miss the look of shock that ghosted across his fiancée’s visage, but he ignored it for the moment to do what he felt was necessary. He had dropped a bomb on Simi, and needed to make sure she was okay. That she understood he hadn’t done this to hurt her. That he still loved her…

Bounding up the stairs two and three at a time, Ryder heard a commotion from the room and a vice clenched his heart. The fear he’d felt for Simi the night they had faced off with Gregg was a visceral pain in his stomach, the phantom agony returned now as he approached the closed door and heard not the words that the blonde woman spoke, but the pain within them.

Ryder didn’t knock. He didn’t want to give her time to hide away all the emotion that she was releasing; for the coldness in her eyes earlier had frozen him to the core.
Instead he pushed open the door and faced her and the male, lips parted as he tried to find his breath. Merely seeing the witch in tears had knocked the wind from him.

“Simi…I…I need to talk to you. Please.” Ryder’s eyes begged for just a moment. One more moment wouldn’t sustain him forever, but it would do for now.

[Simone Winchester]

No sooner had Simi's last words slipped out than the sound of the door opening behind her had her whirling around to face the still breathtakingly beloved face of her Ryder. Oh yes, in her mind, he was still hers in every way that truly mattered. She couldn't bring herself to think of him in any other manner, no matter that the woman below wore his ring or that all the hopes and dreams she cherished for the pair of them lay in ruin on the ground. To give up that claim would make the moment all to real and she was sure she'd never recover.

Besides that, the agony in his cobalt eyes told her exactly how painful this was for him and if there was one thing she would never do.. It was heap any more hurt upon his already bowed shoulders. How could she when she loved him so dearly?

Even now with the living dead girl between them, it was obvious to her that their emotions and feelings were real. It made her want nothing more to cast herself into his arms and beg him to tell her it was all some sort of misunderstanding. That he hadn't REALLY sold his soul to bring Cristine back and this was just some sort of sick joke.

Unfortunately, though, she could see the truth in his eyes and knew that would not happen. That didn't keep her feet from taking her forward a few paces before she realized what she as doing, however. With his words ringing in the air between them, Simi felt her fathers presence and knew that he was a hairs breath from tossing the younger man out of the room and probably out of the house so she had to diffuse the situation fast.

After all, the last thing they needed was a feud between the Winchesters and the James. It'd end worse that the Hatfield's and McCoys.

With a quick wipe of her cheeks, the fragile looking young seraph faced the hunter squarely and lifted her chin. A mirade of emotions gleamed in her sapphire depths but it was only resignation that rang in her voice as she finally spoke.

"Ry..... I .. I don't think that's a good idea right now....Theres really nothing to say... You have a fiance and a baby on the way down there.... And you sold your soul for that miracle to happen.... I .. I can't DO this right now.... I love you....I know you didn't do this on purpose and that you didn't have any intentions of hurting me.... but you did..... you are..... This isn't going to go away either....." she said softly, defeat and disillusionment in every note. "We can't just pretend this hasn't happened and I can't be the other woman....Right now, I know you.. You'll say anything to try to make this better because your a good man and thats just who you are... but...I'm not so good though..... I don't want to hear it right now and I don't want to hear promises you might or might not be able to keep when the dust finally settles......You need to figure out just what it is what you truly want before you say or do anything more....."

Rubbing her hands up and down her arms in a vain attempt to warm herself, Simi forced herself to say the next words. A brittle smile played over her lips as she took in his face and commited his features as if to memory.

"No matter what happens, Ry... I'll always love you and I'll always be your friend.... but... right now though... Right now, I think you should leave....... "

That said, the little blond turned away to hide the pain that those words had cost her and allowed her father to take the reins.

[Makayla Rose Rhys - Damara]

Christmas was always a big thing for their family and their family was getting bigger and bigger with every passing year. Kayla didn’t even know what to get most of the family and friends for Christmas. She got most of them gift cards or gift cards and small things. She had stopped over Tameryn’s and Kellen’s before she came to see if they had needed any help they didn’t so she decided to head back to her place for a little bit and dwell on the things that have been going on in her life. Life was getting a little hectic and complicated, and she didn’t know what she should do. Makayla has actually been going out on a few hunts with friends.

It was odd for her in a way. Yes, she was raised as a hunter going to the academy, made her own way in the fashion world, and performing. The family was a talented lot. She didn’t choose the path of continuously hunting like some had, but it was fun tagging along on some hunts in which she is going to be surrounded by hunters tonight at her auntie lexi’s and could only imagine the drama’s that are going to unfold. Drama seems to find them no matter what day of the year it is. Drama never seems to take a holiday. Christmas was always some disaster or another. She was half expecting her momma to show up and telling them, she is preggers. It was why Kayla was being Kayla and was being fashionably late to the holiday dramas if Tams needed help she would have been there with them.

She had taken a shower and gotten re-dressed and ready to head over to her aunts house. It was a few hr drive, but hey what can she say… She is always the one fashionably late. She is Kayla after all. The car was packed up with all the goodies. She had to make sure she got everything. Like hell she was driving back to get something. Sure she could probably teleport to her house or there, but she didn’t want to do that. Kayla drove the few hour drive to her aunts and had no idea about the drama she was about to drive up into. She was shocked no one tried to contact her and get her there quicker because she surely would gotten herself into the mix of things. She still could depending how bad things were.

She had pulled in and parked behind the Impala just in time to see Benjamin going out to it, but she was blocking his car so he couldn’t go anywhere and he surely wouldn’t want to hit his baby. Therefore, he was stuck. She shimmied her ass out of the drivers’ seat. “ What Benjamin did you get a tracker on your phone that I was coming and came out here to give me a big kiss?” she knew that wasn’t the case, but had to make a smartass comment about it. Something was up she could tell by the rabid dog look on his face that something was up, but what? So she decided to test the water even more. Would he have a go at her?

“Come on Benjamin wipe that look off your face. I promise I am not going to stick more pads on your baby.” had that been why he had that pissed off look on his face. She half-expected Dean to want to kill her seeing as it was at one time his baby. She had no idea about Ryder’s deal or Cris being back or how what was going on was hurting her family as well. She would be out for blood herself if she knew. She walked closer to Ben knowing he could implode on her, but she still got closer. She wasn’t scared of Ben he damn well knows if he hits her she will hit him back, and her daddy is inside so that isn’t a wise move at all. She was unaware of the drama and horrors going on inside.

-I hope this works jay <3 I am gonna make it prettier later.

[tristianjames]

Well, wasn’t this the moment Tristian had been dreading ever since he’d heard about Simi’s little ‘relationship’ with the Winchester boy? At first, he’d been quite put out that he’d never gotten the chance to put the fear of God into his daughter’s potential suitor, but had chalked it up to his own, slightly moronic need to keep his family safe. But now…now, when Ryder pushed open the door without even a knock, the elder James wanted to fix that initial mistake.

And rearrange the poor hunter’s face. Maybe his vampire-strength would actually come in handy for something useful?

Before Ryder’s sudden appearance, he’d held Simi tight in his arms, listening to her story with growing dread. Right when she’d mentioned Cristine, he knew that something terrible had to have gone down; a man that Simi had been willing to give her heart to could not be some kind of low down cheater. And when the conversation turned to souls, the vampire had to bite back a stream of curses. He’d known the Winchester family for a very long time through his wife, and it seemed that things had not changed so much over the years. Was it too much to ask for future generations to grow a freaking brain? Gah, Simi had to go and fall in love with one of THOSE lunkheads!

But, as he thought more about it, he realized that he could sympathize with Ryder. If he’d ever lost Lexi…the thought burned a hole in his gut, as he placed a tender kiss on the top of his daughter’s head. He’d sacrificed his own being for his family, when they’d thought him dead. He’d given up his name, his identity and any chance to be really happy, in order to keep them safe. Could he fault Ryder for selling his soul for the woman he thought he’d loved.

Hell yes, Tristian thought vehemently, once again resisting the urge to curse. Because that woman should have been his Simi. Who could not love the little blond firebrand?

So, it was with narrowed eyes that he turned to face the younger man. Thank God that Simi stepped in, or he just might have thrown the poor kid face first into the foyer. Understanding or not; someone had just made his baby cry…and THAT did not fly with him, no matter the reasons.

Hearing the depth of emotion in his daughter’s voice, he visibly tensed. Deep breaths, James; he schooled himself. Deep, calming breaths. If Simi reacted angrily to Ryder’s plea, he’d follow suit and make the kid bleed a little. But, of course, she did the exactly opposite, much to his raising blood pressure’s dismay.

When Simi turned away, Tristian moved to stand in front of her. He didn’t exactly think that Mr. Puppy Face over there was going to try anything stupid, but it made him feel better.
”I think you need to go downstairs, Ryder,” He said softly, crossing his arms over his chest. ”I’m sure that the two of you can talk at a later date. Simi will call you when she’s ready.”

Glancing at her over his shoulder, he nodded toward an empty bag on her bed. ”Get your things, baby. I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”

[/blockquote]

[Ben Isaac Winchester]

Goddamn, but the cold felt good on his face. Once outside, Ben took a minute to stand on the porch and turn his face up to the frigid wind. It was definitely a cool Christmas, with little puffs of snow falling from the sky and the trees around the house. He'd been so damn anxious about being surrounded by such happiness...right then, it struck him as hilarioius. He'd actually thought that the normality of the holiday would string him out, because of all the crap he faced every day.

He should've known that something would go wrong. They always fucking did, around him.

...And awesome, now he was sounding like an emo, brooding fool. GAH, he hated holidays! He hated Christmas! BAH FRIGGIN HUMBUG!

It was in this mindset that Ben found himself stomping toward his Impala. The sleek car practically shined in the moonlight, and ever so slowly, he could feel himself relax. Maybe if he could dissociate what just happened, forget that it was his brother who was now damned and pretend that it was just some random civilian, he could do this. He could give away the frustration, anger, hurt and sadness roiling in his chest, and bask in the wonder that was numbness. His boots crunched on the frozen ground, and his fingers twitched for the cool, familiar weight of his gun. Yeah, that's what he'd do. He'd get on the road and go into Hunting mode. He was going after a demon who'd harmed someone. He could play all of this cool.

Yeah, and flying elephants were going to shoot out of his ass. But hell, he could hope! And...he could friggin double hope that Kayla hadn't just pulled her sleek as car behind the Impala, thus boxing him in the driveway! Could the fucking night get any fucking worse?! FUUUUCK!

With the sudden urge to tilt back his head and scream, the hunter stomped towards the now grinning woman. The familiar crack of her sarcasm cut at his already testy mood, and he couldn't help but bare his teeth at her in frustration.

"I don't have time for your shit, Kay. Move your fucking car before I plow through the damn thing! I have to get out of here...something's gone down with Ryder, and I need to leave. So get outta my goddamn way!"

[/blockquote]

[Ryder James Winchester]

Downstairs, Ryder swore he felt nothing. He’d pushed his emotions so deep down it was hard to determine whether he really -didn’t- feel anything when Cris had kissed him, or when he had told his family about the deal, or even pondering how long he had left before the hell hounds came and dragged his ass down into the pit. He’d done it in order to deal with what he’d done. To man up and try to keep a clear head though it was swimming a sea of misery. Emotion never got you anywhere but drunk and making deals with demons…now did it?

But Simi’s words; whether it was the truth in them, the sheer pain in her unfathomable eyes, or the fact that all he wanted to do was kiss that crystalline tear from her cheek and tell her he’d already figured out what he truly wanted, those words felt like a sword to his chest.
And not just your average running through. It was a jagged, rusty sword that started just at his rib cage and flayed him right down the center of his torso. Not only did his heart fall out of his chest; eviscerated, his other insides went with the still pounding, though broken organ to land in a pile at his feet.

All he could do was stare at her, his mouth agape, screaming inside though no sound escaped those parted lips. He couldn’t argue with her rationale, after all, he had without even remembering it made her the other woman, although in his mind there was no other woman but her. After all she’d been through; Gregg and the others that had stolen her virtue, she had trusted him. Given herself to him completely. Had let him act the hero though she had been the bravest of them all. Her knight in shining armor had turned out to be nothing more than a coward. The armor was made of lies and the horse a drooling black hellhound with glowing fire for eyes.

Without thinking, Ryder reached out for her, but quickly drew the hand back as Tristian stepped in front of the angel. Ryder scowled, covetous that the elder male was the one able to comfort the woman, but dared not confess this. He was the cause of those tears. He was the cause of her ache. Who was he to keep his seraph from the relief of that pain?

Nodding stoically, the hunter clenched his jaw and turned away. What else could he do now but give the woman he loved what she wanted? He took two steps to the door, and then clung to the jamb to keep from turning back around and making it harder on them all.

“Simi…you’re still my angel.” He said emotionlessly; staring at the white drywall before him. “You’re the only one that was able to save me before…and that won’t ever change.”

With that Ryder went back down stairs in a miasma of confusion, grief and anger. Damn him. Damn him to hell. He belonged there. He would own his fiery home and take all the torture he deserved.
The place was filled with quiet whispers, and the young hunter didn’t fail to notice the different looks he was getting from the others. Anger, shame, awkwardness…each of them another slice of the metaphorical sword still hanging from his torso.

Without a word to any of them, he went to the couch and lifted Cris gently by the arm. “We’ve got to go. I think I’ve got some explaining to do and this isn’t the place to do it.”
Turbulent blue-grey eyes drifted from one shocked face to the other, but none of them could sway him. “I need to give her some space, and figure out what the hell is going on.” Ryder said by way of an explanation to all of them, hoping at least some would understand where he was coming from.

Helping Cris to the door, he picked up the duffle he had dropped earlier and gave them one last, forlorn look. “I’ll figure out a way to make this right. For all of you…” The hunter’s words were simple, but the promise in it was powerful. And he meant it. He would make this right, even if it meant giving his life in order to do it.