A Chill

[Lovely]

March 1, 2009
11:40 p.m.


Venge had resorted to tucking his beak beneath his wing. The girls were fine, he insisted, burrowing his face and nestling down in the chair in the corner to rest his eyes a while before his next excursion for supplies before day-break.

Iain wasn't hearing any of it, however, pacing an indentation into the tiles as he scuffed back and forth. His cuticle was beginning to bleed where he'd nipped at it repeatedly and now tucked the sore thumb into a fist he folded under his arm. "Easy to say, but where are they?" He didn't dare voice the worry... what if they'd been caught this time?

Venge peeked open an eye and glared at his friend. "On their way. Stop pacing. You're making it colder in here," he muttered, fluffing his feathers out to blanket himself before huddling down to nap.

Al was what she would call dead tired by the time her key hit the lock of the apartment she had been sharing with Venge.. and Iain and Dakota for the past few months. They'd truly become quite a neat little family of four with visits to and from Venge's sister Raven. It had been a long time since Aless had felt the kind of belonging and caring as she did now with Venge and thier friends. Her brother's death had taken that from her before and she hadn't thought she'd ever find it again. Tired and barely on her feet, she found herself smiling as she turned the door handle and then stepped into the two bedroom apartment. The mobile clinic had started at 8am but she and some of the others, including Dak, had been working since 5am to get everything loaded and set up before they started seeing people. Al rubbed at her eyes with one hand while trying to pull her key from the lock with her other, being a healer took even more out of her on days like this and she just wanted her honey, her pillow, and to curl up with Venge to fall asleep.

Iain's hand was on the door before she'd taken another step, ready to catch her from falling but only because she blocked his path of looking out for Dak. He helped with the key and looked to the landing beyond the door. "Where is she?" He wasn't mad, but increasingly concerned. The key scraped his chewed fingertip and he shook out the sudden sting as he handed her the key and leaned out the door, frowning when he didn't see the other girl.

Venge lifted his head at the sound of voices and rustled a little against the cold air from the open door. "Ask question after you close the door, hah?" He reached out his partly winged arm for Aless to fall into.

Aless brushed her fingers over his as he handed her the keys and he'd feel relief from the sting and scrape, as well as his chewing on his finger, by the time he finished shaking it out. "She was going on the next transport.. should only be maybe ten minutes if that." Aless answered Iain as she snuggled herself against Venge's chest, letting him wrap around her as she nearly fell asleep standing up.

"You didn't take the same one?" His tone was sharper than he'd intended as he looked at his fingers. The healing still took some getting used to. He looked to the landing again and listened a moment, hearing nothing then closing the door, letting a shudder warm him and his nerves. He turned to the other two and his eyes rolled. "Could you wait until you're in your room? Go. Insufferable... Look, I'm about to go looking for her. She needs rest, but you don't have any excuses," he said about Aless and pointing to Venge as an unwilling volunteer for a possible rescue.

[Lovely]

Venge kissed Aless' neck as she curled beside him. "I have a perfectly good excuse. She's cold and needs warming. She said ten minutes," he said, mocking his friend and taking the first suggestion. "I'm all for 'go' and getting in the other room. Far too chilly out here."

"Mmm." Aless smiled for a moment, simply soaking in Venge's warmth and affection, it was so nice to come home to him. She peeked out at Iain, letting her arms slide around Venge's waist. "Now you know how we feel when you two go off for supplies in the middle of the night." She half hmphed at him but understood his worry. "She was still helping with a few things and made me go on this transport because she knew how exhausted I was."

"If she knew, why did she chance letting you come home alone?" He was confused as much as he was worried. Something had to have happened. "Fine," he said, slipping his coat from the hook and getting only one sleeve on his arm before he started putting on his boots. "Get her in and warm and get some rest. Don't leave until I'm back."

"Haste and waste mean anything to you? Take a nap. She's fine, I'm telling you," Venge chuckled and put his hand on Iain's shoulder to slow him down. "Makes no sense to lose your focus and quality sleep time before our run later. Unless you thing we can make it until the next shipment which might not be for another two weeks."

"She.. I.. I don't know.. because she knew you guys would be here and I'd be taken care of.. ask her when she gets here! Sheesh.." Aless floudered through her answer with a sigh, obviously beyond exhausted and starting to get cranky from low blood sugar as well. She pushed away from Venge to let him deal with Iain as she dropped her over stuffed sack on the chair and stumbled to the kitchen for her honey bottle. "By the way I have a bag full of 'extra' stuff from the clinic today." She grumbled over her shoulder.

Venge dropped his hand with a sigh, reverting to plain flesh and following her to the kitchen, stopping to pick up the bag and put it in Iain's hands. "Do her the courtesy, would you?" He turned away expecting he would take care of the supplies like his own.

Iain felt his wind knocked out a little as the bag was nearly thrown against his chest. He grasped hold of it and finished slipping his coat on. He dug out a few things they could use almost immediately and some others that would carry a nice price if sold. "Thank you," he called back to the other room, inspecting a small bottle of solution he seemed quite pleased to have received.

"You're welcome." She called back softly, turning with the honey bottle in her hand and finding Venge behind her. Aless smiled despite feeling less than chipper and being somewhat annoyed with Iain, she'd forgive him within minutes as she wasn't one to carry ill feelings for long. "Hi." She reached with her free hand, hoping to reel Venge in closer. "How long has he been like this?"

"Since he was born?" Venge whispered and chuckled, reaching out for her hand and the honey, trying to help her and tease her at the same time. "An hour... at least. Said he got some chill he can't shake. You know us and intuition... never take it lightly myself, but come on. She's a careful girl and does this all the time." He snatched away the bottle and poured some over his fingertip, waving it in front of her. "Here. You need something after your long day, hm?"

"Mmm.. " She was tired but Venge was hard to resist and she leaned toward him to lick the honey from his finger. She brought herself closer to him, resting her head agaist his shoulder a moment. "It's sweet that he's worried.. he's usually so... him." She didn't have the right words to describe Iain, he was just different from her. "Didn't he tell you to get me to bed? I don't normally take orders from him but I think I might on this." She hoped Iain's chill was nothing serious and decided Venge would be the best distraction to keep her from worrying for the next five minutes till Dakota got home.

[Lovely]

Iain set the pack down and watched the shadows at the kitchen doorway a moment before shaking his head and grabbing his own keys. He considered taking some of the clinic treasures, but left the pack as it was. "I'll take care of it when I get back.... Don't wait up," he muttered, knowing they weren't listening to him anyway. He needed the cool air to think, regardless. Pacing on the front walk and down the block six or seven times might use up the anxious energy buzzing through him. He let himself out and relocked the door.

The air was quite a bit cooler than he'd realized and he shrank down into the collar of his coat. Maybe Dak was too tired to notice the chilly night. Did Dakota have her coat? He chuckled and thought back - she scarcely cared if she'd remembered her unmentionables if she knew they'd meet up later, let alone a coat if he was going to warm her up later, right? He chuckled to himself then listened carefully to the sounds on the street. Had it been ten minutes? Maybe the transport was late, or maybe he was too hyper and it simply hadn't come yet. He went down toward the drop-off to meet her. The walk would help, and seeing her would make him a little less crazy.

What he would find when he approached the drop off wasn't likely to make him less crazy. The transport had dropped Dakota off and the vehicle sat where it had stopped, all those who had been inside had valid passes to be out this late but that mattered little to the patrol. Two of passengers had been shot and taken to be processed along with the driver who had been beaten badly, none of them would make it to the patrol HQ or to recieve medical attention. They were carted off and that left Dakota with three men from the patrol, no names had been called in or logged since this was just an excuse for the patrol to have a little fun. Screams and shots fired in the night were common so no one came to investigate as the men attacked the petite girl. By the time Iain arrived Dak was badly injured and barely conscious, her blood was smeared on the three men and splattered in the alley where they'd dragged her. It had all happened so fast that she didn't have a chance to defend herself though she tried to now, struggling as much as she could but it was three against one and she'd been knocked out for part of the attack. One of the men stepped back, laughing and Dak glared at him through the haze of red from the blood running down her face. She fought her body's urge to slip into the blissful darkness that passing out would cause and focused on the men who hurt and taunted her. Her arm had been broken and she couldn't use it to fight them off but now that she was semi-conscious she chose to use other methods. The man who stood back from the others started to sweat and his gun dropped from his hands as he started to shake before literally starting to melt to the ground. The other two were too focused on getting a piece of Dak to notice the third man's quiet but gruesome demise.

The chill in the air was forgotten the moment he saw the vehicle sitting quietly at the stop. He felt the anxiety turning and bubbling into a rapidly building rage. Why didn't they listen to him? Why didn't he listen to his hunch and come earlier the moment he thought there could be trouble? Iain raced to the vehicle to find the marks and remains of the scuffle and display. Where is she!? He shouted in his mind, being cautious of remaining patrol he didn't immediately see. He tried to listen to the street again over the rapid pounding of his agitation. Seeing the blood smear trail, his heart pounded down to his ankles as he followed it to the alley to see the puddling mess flow to the concrete. "Dakota!!!" Mistake number two, he sighed the moment the sound left his mouth and he tore after the men grabbing after her. The second resounding squeal blasted off the walls of the alley, eminating from Iain's shout that transformed from the sound of Dakota's name into a wave of sonic destruction. The puddled mess of human remains splintered further into a garish spray over the three remaining as he scrambled to Dak. He could apologize to her later while helping her wash the gore away. He was fast on his feet and quick to run after the dropped gun if he grappled it in time before the two attackers left realized what was happening. He dove for the gun, tucking into a tumble behind them.

[Lovely]

Dak was fighing to stay conscious as it was and using her powers in such a way was draining, everything became more blurry and she felt something splatter over her. She didn't know what it was and it was probably better that way, she blinked and saw something she thought was the third man standing behind them again. The other two were saying something but she was fading in and out and the words were garbled, she felt one of them move away or thought she did, maybe they just changed positions. She was in terrible pain and when her broken arm was jarred she couldn't hold back the scream. Dakota had no idea Iain was really there, when she glimpsed him she thought she was imagining him.

They were so focused on Dakota perhaps they hadn't noticed their friend having his 'meltdown'. Iain's attention rose from the crouch he'd landed in and he let loose a round from the gun. He had to be sure they weren't running away and reporting to HQ this time. The first of them fell, but the other he'd grazed since he hovered so close to Dakota. He turned in the shock and sudden pain, thinking their own man had gunned them and here his friend was dead because of it. Complete horror took the color from his guarded face when he saw Iain instead and the barrel of the gun far too close. Iain waited just for that moment and truly felt he could laugh as the patrol leader shuddered backward from the spray of ammunition. It was a short burst, but enough to leave both men on the ground and Dakota in serious need of medical attention. He had to disrupt the evidence, obscure it enough to delay any trace back to himself or to her. Blood with blood, it would be difficult for investigations to discover who was involved, but it could happen. He wasn't waiting to give a report himself, though. A gurgle became a hum, then a staccato burst like a petulant child proving a point to a sibling, the sound splitting the carcasses into more splattering granules over the alley walls and ground. A second burst left the bits little more than the smear the trail from the van had been, soaking into the pavement and drying into a coarse brown layer. He disabled the gun he held and retrieved the other two and any other debris large enough to identify. He slipped off his jacket and tucked them into it as a make-shift satchel, tying the sleeves and slinging it over his shoulder before scooping Dakota carefully from the ground. It was going to be a rough walk, but he couldn't leave her here alone.

Dakota heard the shots but didn't fully understand what was going on, for a few minutes she thought she had been shot but couldn't feel it - was she that far gone? She had realized somewhere in the attack that she wasn't meant to survive it, they wouldn't hurt her and leave her alive to tell anyone what they had done. She would be another nameless victim who was disposed of.. "Iain." She whispered his name, a soft plea from her lips as a few tears slipped down her cheeks. She would never see him again, never feel his kiss.. her disappearing into thin air would make him crazy - she remembered how he'd been the morning she'd left before he woke up.. this would be so much worse. They'd moved in together with Aless and Venge, for Dak to just not come home.. her chest ached to think how Iain might be hurt by this, that thought hurt more than any of her physical injuries. Dakota moaned as she was lifted, the pain opened her eyes and she saw Iain's face. A weak but loving smile found it's way to her bruised and bloodied face before her eyes closed and she passed out again.

[Lovely]

Leaving the scene had to be quick before the rest of the patrol came looking. He couldn't carry her and run like this, though, not without risking killing them both, or simply not getting far, not going the blocks he needed to take her to get her home. She was already unconscious and his thoughts swam with worry of how deeply she might slip. He got her into the van that was still expected at the checkpoint. Someone would be looking for that and the late patrol soon enough. He set her as gently as he could in one of the seats, then collected anything else from the scene he could find to keep the patrol's dogs off their trail as long as possible.

The ones who'd taken the riders from the bus had only wanted the passengers and had left the bus mostly alone, save for the cleaning it would need, not that it would matter when he was done with it and Dakota was back at home. He couldn't keep the van parked out front or anywhere near the building. Venge got Dak resting while Aless geared up her mojo to help the healing start. Iain then sent the van not far from where the scuffle had been, letting it drive itself and succumb to the sonic melting of its tires, causing to roll it end over side over end, coming to rest on the panel door, bursting into flames. The scene would keep the street sweepers busy while they tended to Dak.

He was drained when he'd returned, but tried not to show much of the fatigue. He was hoarse from the use of his voice he'd kept silent too long. He'd returned in a fit of worry and determination almost as though he'd been the one with wings, fluttering madly to get to her side, though shuffling through his things for a bottle of something, anything, that would calm him down a little and take the sting away that he'd forgotten. He sipped at the bottle as he tried to catch his breath, standing at Dakota's side and trying to will her awake.

Aless had been exhausted when she came home from a very long day of using her gifts for those who had lined up at the mobile clinic, she'd been getting herself settled in bed with Venge when Iain came back with a badly injured Dakota. Putting aside her own needs she'd given Dak everything she had left and dug deeper to find more, healing the other girl until she nearly collapsed herself. Aless made a surprising discovery which lead to some confusion and much excitement in the small group, Dak remained unconscious through it all and had yet to learn of the news which directly effected her.

Once Aless had run out of steam and Dak was in condition to be moved and could rest on her own for awhile, they carefully moved her to the bedroom and the bed she and Iain shared. She was still in poor shape but better than she'd been and wasn't in any immediate danger, wounds were bandaged and her broken arm splinted to hold it steady until Al was rested enough to work on healing her more. Dak's eyes opened once or twice and she made a few slight sounds of pain as she was moved and settled as comfortably as she could be in the bed, there was room for Iain to lay with her if he wanted to.

Al stumbled off to collapse into her own bed, her eyes closed and she was out before her head hit the pillow, she never even pulled the covers up or took off her slippers. She would be out cold for hours to come as her own body recharged but she was relieved that Dak pieced back together enough for now.

[Lovely]

Venge insisted Aless sleep, pulling up the cover as much as he could around her without disturbing her and laying a wing around her to keep her warm. The news was alarming and exciting, but his own worry was on Aless having drained herself too far, and anger on himself for not paying more heed to Iain's anxiety. "Thought ravens were the harbinger of doom," he teased, though Aless was not awake enough to hear him at the moment.

He couldn't sit still with the news. Every time her eyes twitched, he stopped, nearly sure he'd stop breathing, himself, waiting to see if she was awake. The bottle was nearly empty and his throat was still raw, partly from the shouting match with Venge and the gripping strangle-hold he'd been put in when the scotch had started to tip his reason the wrong way, even though he'd been told his worry about the patrol had been unfounded. They hadn't done as much to her as he'd feared, but they'd done enough that he couldn't celebrate with her yet. He capped the rest of the bottle and set it aside, laying beside her to wait. He watched her eyes between longer blinks himself. He refused to fall asleep until he was sure she was going to be okay.

While Iain lay beside her, she began to stir and wake, blinking slowly and heavily as she tried to move only to cry out softly from the pain that was still present and told her that she was still alive... Somehow she was still alive and... in her room? She tried to remember how she'd gotten here or what had happened but the last thing she could recall was laying in the alley and thinking she saw... "Iain?!" Her cry wasn't loud but as he was right next to her, he'd hear the alarm in her tone.

Was it the scotch or did she speak out? He found his own eyes had been getting heavy while he'd waited and that he'd closed them too long. He rose up with a jolt, afraid that there was something more, that the patrol had found them. "No! Dakota?! What?" He huffed out the brief delerium as he looked over to see her trying to move. His tone softened. "Dak? Dak..."

As he rose up the movement was registered and he came into view for a moment as he jolted and fussed. Her head rolled to the side and she smiled weakly to see he was there beside her, the pain let her know she wasn't dreaming him. "Were you really there.. in the alley?" She asked him quietly, trying to lift her arm but it felt heavy and stiff.

"Yes?" Was he supposed to tell her or was it too much in her condition? He settled down and reached out to stroke her hair, but was afraid to touch her, not wanting to cause her more pain."Yeah... I was really there. How do you feel?"

"I feel... pretty shitty actually but I guess that's better than.." Her words trailed off and her eyes closed for a moment, she couldn't hide the tears that slipped free and ran back into her hair. "You.. you saved me." The admission was soft, it was a thank you though she didn't utter those words.

Saved? Had he? He stroked the tears from her cheek instead. "I had to," he admitted. Why? How could he explain why and have it sound less than silly? "I.. I'm sorry... I didn't meet you at the stop tonight. I could ... should have done more. Those dicks.. just ... I'm glad you made it home. So... are you, um... Are you hungry at all? Sandwich? Pickles?"

[Lovely]

She felt his fingers against her cheek and it made the tears come a little harder for a minute or two as she warred with knowing he'd seen something of her attack and that he'd come for her. "If you had been there to meet me.. you wouldn't have been able to come rescue me. They would have done far worse.. I should have done more sooner but.. it all happened so fast." She apologised in a trembling voice, feeling guilty for getting hurt, for worrying and upsetting him.. for all the trouble it must have caused for thier little family. "I'm not hungry.. thirsty.. why are you offering me pickles? Do we even have pickles?" She chuckled a little at that and it helped her to stop crying, some. Her 'good' arm shifted and her fingers sought his to lace into.

"Fast? Yeah. So, I don't know why. I just thought... you know, that being.. in your condition that you might be hungry. I'll get you some pickles," he said, beginning to smile as his tone took on an insistent level once she seemed eager to have some. His fingers laced with hers. "Don't cry, okay? You should be happy now."

She was still a little too rattled to be able to put together his true meaning when he said 'in your condition' and the offer of pickles, to be anything other than odd and accurate. The more they discussed pickles, the more she wanted them. "I am... grateful to be alive, here, with you.. but it's a little hard to be happy. I feel.. well alot better than I should considering the number they did on me.. but I know Aless must have worn herself ragged to get me like this.. I don't even remember anything since being in the alley.. I thought I'd never see you again. My heart was breaking in that moment... Don't freak out on me for saying this.. I - I love you, Iain."

Her words made his heart skip. Did she mean that? He hadn't thought about the rest. What if he'd done something wrong? He could've been killed, himself, and she'd still have been right. His color faded a little as he thought about that, knowing what he did now. The picture was now so much bigger than just pickpocketing and stealing supplies. "I'm grateful, more than you could imagine. I'm... not freaking out now. Back there, seeing what they were doing? -That- freaked me out."

Dakota hadn't realized that she was hoping he'd say it back to her.. until he didn't. She swore he even went a little pale thinking about it, despite the fact that he said he wasn't freaking out over it. Maybe it was just him thinking about what he'd seen but even so, he didn't seem to be able to look at her the same. "I'm sorry you had to see what they did.. I wish you hadn't.. I wish they hadn't.. I'm sorry.. I'm sorry.." She apologised again, feeling awful and like she'd been weak, like she should have fought harder and done something sooner even though she'd been knocked out. "One minute it was just a routine check, we all had passes.. and then I was on the ground.. one of them had hit me.. I was bleeding and I couldn't see and they were already on me.. I tried to fight.." The tears stung her eyes and she tried to turn her face away to hide them, he'd asked her not to cry and she couldn't even do that for him.

"You did fight," he said, confused why she was upset. "Dak, one of them was out of commission big time before I turned the corner. You couldn't do all that alone. I don't blame you. I was just supposed to be there, that's all. The second Aless came back without you? I shouldn't have waited. I shouldn't have listened to Venge, letting him tell me you were okay. I love you too much and... and I almost lost you."

[Lovely]

His words turned her teary gaze back to him though she had to blink several times before she could see him beyong the blur of wet lashes. He was blaming himself just as she was doing to herself and it made her realize that neither of them were to blame for this. "Shhh.." She lifted her hand, keeping it clasped with his but extending one finger against his lips to shush him. "You couldn't have known.. Venge couldn't have known.. none of us could. It's not your fault. I should have left with Aless but she was so tired, she was swaying on her feet and I made her go ahead.. I stayed and the patrol picked the transport at random, it could have easily been the one she was on." She closed her eyes for a moment, holding tight to his hand before she opened her eyes again to hold his gaze. "You didn't lose me.. and we're here together.. that's what is important. That's what we need to hold onto.. it's just a little hard for me - I'm all broken and stuff, you might have to remind me if I get all weepy again. I'm trying not to but I don't feel myself.. I'm all emotional. I guess you get like that when you're busted up.." She shrugged and winced at how it shifted her arm, she might need to be reminded not to move too much, as well.

"Weepy is okay. I can manage with weepy, though.. I guess it's supposed to be like that, right? Weepy and .. not yourself, I mean completely yourself, anymore? Oh, careful. Don't move much. Aless... she um... Yeah, she's exhausted and has to rest a while. She's been going non-stop since we got here and like double-speed since she told us."

At first she thought she understood what he meant and that he was talking about how she'd feel after the attack but it was like she was missing something though she couldn't pinpoint what that was. Dak went over his words in her head several times as she studied his expression, there was something she wasn't getting. "Double speed since she told you.. what? I.." She bit at her lower lip. "Is there something wrong with me.. I mean besides the obvious.. like something big... or serious?"

He chuckled a little. "You... she... You didn't know and she didn't either until she started to heal everything? Dak, you're.. well there's not a thing wrong with you that I can see. Either one of you." His eyebrows rose as he looked deeper, looking for understanding. He didn't want to scare her, either.

Oh yeah, that cleared everything right up! Dak chuckled softly at how she was more confused now than before. "Ohhkay.. um.. I'm not sure I know now.." She admitted, watching the way he looked at her and wondering just how freaked out he'd been.. maybe he was losing it. "Do you think maybe you could tell me what 'it' is.. that we didn't know before but now we do.. or you do and what it has to do with Aless healing me? Also... how jealous should I really be about you checking out Aless?"

He shushed her like she had him. "Don't be jealous of Aless. I meant -you- two. She said you're... that we should really get some pickles. 'It' is our little... whoever it will be," he said, turning a little pale again and shaking his head. Maybe it was just the scotch. He was glad he was laying down.

Dakote was left staring at him silently for what felt like a very long time as his words sank in and finally made sense, then had to sink in all over again. She gasped softly not believing it for a few seconds and then knowing it was true by how he paled and now everything about how he'd been acting and the things he'd said were clear. He wasn't losing it, he didn't hate her for what happened with the patrol.. she was!! Her mouth moved trying to form the words before they actually came out, her voice was soft with shock. "Are you saying.. what I think you are? I'm... I'm... pregnant?" She whispered the word as if saying it louder might cause some sort of riot.

"I believe you're saying it, so I don't have to. Aless believes you are. Now, she's been dead on her feet, so maybe she could be wrong. I'm... hoping she's right," he said, settling back to his pillow before he fell onto it.