(A/N: So uh, first of all huge apologies for the gigantic delay. A mixture of feeling inspired and computer issues delayed the shit out of this. Depending on what can be done about my laptop, I'll be switching to full prose updates instead of the usual screenshotted ones for the forseeable - my laptop with all my Sims shit on it spontaneously died, can't currently afford a new one and my housemate's one can't run Sims. Switching to prose is better than not updating at all, and when I can, I'll redo the prose updates properly and fix the links in the index. Thanks for understanding!)
The drive to Devil's Port had been long and uncomfortable, and resultantly, Nalini felt quite irritable by the time she saw the familiar sights - and smelt the familiar scents - of the city. A feeling that had only been exacerbated by the need to keep Zaryn and Evijan up to date with what had been going on to lead them to their current position. Though she had glossed over the details of Miles' past atrocities, not wanting to upset or trigger Edward. And besides, it was not her place to do so.
'Jesus,' Evijan declared, once the vampire had finished. 'Aunt Nal, how the fuck d'you keep gettin' tangled up with these kinda nutters?'
'By being an interfering cunt,' she bluntly replied.
'She, um… got involved with someone with a lot of baggage, past and ongoing,' Edward said.
'Both are equally as true,' Nalini stated, as a huge stately mansion was visible through the car windows. 'Anyway, from what I've been told, this is the place. We'd better park as close as we can to the house, because quite frankly, we all stand out like sore fucking thumbs.'
'Dunno what you mean, I blend in beautifully,' Evijan grinned.
'Aside from being a six foot tall dragon hybrid with hot pink hair.'
'Shit, are you sayin' that's a tail behind me?! I was thinkin' it was a big, spiky reverse cock,' Evijan retorted.
'Oh, shut up.'
‘Oof, no thanks. I prefer my cocks not to be spiky,' Anstine said.
'I'd say the same, if I was remotely interested in cock,' Evijan agreed.
'...Anyway, my point is, we don't want to be noticed by anyone on Abraxas' side. A simple description would give us away in an instant,' Nalini sighed.
'Sure, but without actually followin' us, no fucker here's gonna know where me and Zar come from,' Evijan pointed out. 'Hell, they'll probably take one look at me and think of Dragon Valley.'
‘True, but that doesn't mean we should draw unwanted attenti-'
'- Come to think of it, I'm amazed Mum's never been to Dragon Valley, she'd be fuckin' spoilt for choice,' the hybrid added. Nalini and Zaryn both groaned, the former resting her forehead on the steering wheel in exasperation.
'I'm gonna enjoy working with you,' Anstine said, bursting out laughing, as Edward didn't know quite how to respond.
'Aunty Eva probably never went to Dragon Valley so she wouldn't end up with another half dragon kid,' Zaryn teased, as Evijan held a hand up for Anstine to high five. He reached over and gladly did so.
'You set the curtains on fire once, and never live it down!'
'...That sounds nightmarish,' Edward remarked, looking out of the window at the manor. 'Anyway.'
'Alright, serious face now,' the fairy giggled. 'Yeah, this has to be the one. God, who the fuck needs a house this big? If I didn't know otherwise, I'd say he'd have to be compensating.'
'What, d'you mean he has a giant -?' Evijan began.
'Okay, Evijan and Zaryn, you'll be watching the front door,' Nalini swiftly interrupted. 'Don't make enemies, but at the same time, don't let anyone inside.'
'Got it,' Zaryn nodded.
'Loud and clear,' Evijan added.
'Edward, if she's willing, try and talk to Annalise,' Nalini continued. 'Anstine and I will be helping take bags and shit out.'
'I'll do my best,' Edward promised.
'I know you will,' she replied, giving him a smile, before climbing out of the car. She had a cautious look around; there were still plenty of people on the pavements, but nobody seemed to be paying any attention to Abraxas' manor, to her relief. Still, she was slightly concerned that would change once the others began to follow suit, rethinking whether it had been such a good idea to get Evijan involved in the first place. Too late for that now.
The vampire strode toward the front door, daughter and niece keeping up behind her, Evijan actually taking measures to try and stay as out of sight as possible. Nalini rang the doorbell and waited, as Evijan leant up against the wall beside the door.
'Fuckin' stinks here,' she remarked.
'It's a feature of the city in general,' Nalini replied.
'Yet we keep ending up back here,' Anstine said.
'If I have any control over the situation, I would very much like this to be my only visit,' Edward said, wrinkling his nose.
'Fingers crossed,' Nalini said, as the front door opened, revealing Annalise's tired, frightened face.
'Oh, thank God,' she muttered, relaxing a little when she noticed Nalini, along with a few other vaguely familiar faces, and stood to the side to allow them to enter. 'Come in.'
'How're you holding up?' Nalini questioned, as the group strode through the door.
'Not great,' she admitted. 'I'm pretty exhausted but can barely sleep.'
'Baby? Nerves? Both?'
'Definitely both.'
'No wonder, your baby can't even be two weeks old yet,' Edward sympathised. 'I'm Edward, by the way.'
'Nice to meet you…' Annalise wearily nodded.
'I brought Edward here because he's got experience in counselling,' Nalini explained, 'so if you feel comfortable with it, you're more than welcome to get any of the emotional baggage off your chest with him while the rest of us start loading luggage into the van.'
'Oh. Right, okay,' she replied.
'Should we sit down?' Edward suggested.
'Um, yeah, sure,' Annalise said.
'We'll keep an eye on things out here, let you know if anything happens,' Zaryn announced.
'Thank you, sweetheart,' Nalini smiled. 'Right, where should Anstine and I go to help with the luggage?'
'Um, upstairs, on the second floor,' Annalise replied, 'the boys are still packing at the moment, there's… a lot they don't want to leave behind.'
'Understandable,' the vampire said, setting off toward the staircase.
'The dining room's probably the closest place to sit down,' Annalise then added to Edward, and showed him the way.
'How is baby, anyway?' he asked, following her. 'Sleeping?'
'For now, thank God, but it won't surprise me if she wakes up for a feed or a change before we're ready to go,' Annalise replied, entering the dining room. She pulled a chair out and flopped down into it. 'She's called Hope.'
'Ahh, that's a nice name,' Edward said, taking a seat nearby. 'I have a child, too. I know how difficult newborns can be.'
'It's a lot worse with an asshole husband bringing in his friends, who disrupt everybody's sleep,' Annalise tetchily replied, rubbing her eyes. 'And then gets himself hospitalised, the stupid idiot.'
'I'm glad you've got the chance to leave him behind, then,' the vampire told her.
'Me too. I'd say I should've done it a long time ago, but then Hope wouldn't have been born,' she sighed. '...So, what are we meant to be doing here, exactly? Just talking? I know Nalini suggested therapy, but…'
'You can say as much or as little as you want,' Edward replied. 'It sounds as though you've had to keep a lot to yourself for too long.'
'Yeah… You were at Indigo's wedding, right? You all look familiar, except the green haired girl,' Annalise then commented.
'That's right,' he nodded. 'Nalini wanted to cover all of our bases when planning on getting you out of here.'
'I suppose I'm at a bit of a loss for what to say. I'm run down and exhausted, and desperate to get out of here. Abraxas must've been lying to me - I don't actually know why he was attacked by those, um, people. And I can't really ask him about it, either…'
'...Abraxas went after one of their own, and they retaliated,' Edward said, a little tensely. 'It's too long of a story to get into all of the details, but that's a very condensed version.'
'...W-What d'you mean he "went after" one of them? How? Why?' she stammered, her eyes growing wide.
'From what we can piece together, he sent one of his allies to spy on someone who is one of Tate's enemies,' Edward explained. 'But he was caught in the act and dropped Abraxas' name, which is why they came here.'
'One of his allies…. Annalise murmured. 'Who? One of Saul's thugs? Saul himself?'
'I'm afraid I don't know that much,' he said.
'...What was the end plan? Was Abraxas going to hurt this enemy of Tate's…?' she softly questioned, chewing on her bottom lip.
'It was a bit more than that,' Edward admitted, looking at her carefully, not wanting to spook her.
'...Really hurt him, o-or…?' She swallowed hard, the horrible feeling that she had married a man ready and willing to kill creeping over her.
'...Take him out. Permanently. He's a dangerous man, which is exactly why we're getting you out of the crossfire,' he vowed, feeling his own heart rate speed up.
'Oh my God,' Annalise muttered, holding her hands to her face. 'I married a man that is ready to kill at a moment's notice… Being cruel to his kids is one thing - a-and not a good thing, I mean, God, I've b-barely been able to look him in the eye since Indigo told me all of that stuff, but… murder?'
'This is a longstanding feud going on between two men about as bad as each other. Abraxas has chosen to involve himself in it,' Edward sighed. 'I'm sorry, Annalise.'
'Let's not waste any more time talking,' she decided, her expression hardening. 'I - I don't want to risk any of Abraxas' friends coming to "check up" on me, the - the sooner we're out of here, the better.'
She got out of her seat again, looking worse for wear, rubbing her temples.
'Evijan and Zaryn are keeping watch for that reason,' Edward said, getting up and going over to her. 'Nalini and Anstine will be going as fast as possible. I don't want you overworking yourself.'
'Yeah, but… We - we should make the most of the time we've got, right? To get out,' Annalise countered. As much as she tried to push the thoughts out of her head, she could not help but dwell on the new information Edward had told her. She compared it to what Indigo had told her in the past, about Abraxas' violence, and it seemed almost insane. No, she could not deny that he was certainly capable of violence, but killing? Could she really believe that? 'If… if he was prepared to kill this man for Tate, then… W-Wouldn't that mean he's… used to it…?'
'I shouldn't have told you that yet, I'm sorry,' Edward frowned. 'I think the best way you can help is by resting and not lugging about heavy things. You're not healed yet, you don't want to risk injuring yourself. That'd be no good for Hope.'
'I suppose you're right,' she conceded, half reluctant and half grateful. As much as she wanted the answers, part of her was very aware that once she knew, she would not forget. 'I'd better go and get her.'
'You've been immensely brave,' Edward told her. 'You're doing the right thing, despite how difficult and terrifying it is. And she won't remember any of it.'
'I'm so glad for that. I just wish the boys wouldn't, either. They've not been themselves, and who can blame them? Just because they don't like their dad doesn't mean they were willing to be witnesses to a brutal assault like that,' she lamented. 'Sam especially's become so clingy with me, like he's afraid of what'll happen if I'm not in sight. I'm amazed he hasn't come running for me already.'
'That's no surprise,' he said sadly. 'Something like that needs some time and care to recover from.'
'Yeah. A-And a fresh start might help. Therapy and a new place. Somewhere that isn't this stinkhole of a city,' Annalise decided. 'Okay. I'm - I'm gonna grab Hope, supervise the boys' packing, and then we can leave. For good.'
'Good,' Edward said, finally smiling. 'I can come with you, if you like.'
'Yeah, okay,' she nodded. Exiting the dining room, she went upstairs, going to find the boys. Nalini was in the room with them, holding a bag, and turned when she heard footsteps.
'Everything okay?' the vampire questioned. To her surprise, Annalise answered her by flinging her arms around the other woman in a hug. Staring over Annalise's shoulder, Nalini gave Edward a "what the fuck?" expression, awkwardly hugging her back.
'It will be,' he said, looking back at her with a half-smile.
'Good, good,' she replied, waiting to be released.
'Sorry,' Annalise muttered, breaking away and looking down. 'It's… I'm just grateful for all the help you've given us.'
'Don't worry about it, it's fine,' Nalini told her. 'I suppose you haven't really had a whole lot of adult affection.'
'I won't mention what Abraxas thinks of being "affectionate",' Annalise replied, pulling a face, 'not in front of innocent ears.'
'...I can guess,' the vampire blinked.
'I'll, uh, just get Hope,' she decided, heading off again. Nalini muttered "nasty" under her breath as she left.
'All the same, aren't they?' Edward said distastefully.
'Quite,' she agreed, deciding not to say much more in front of the kids. When Annalise returned, she had a small bundle in her arms. 'How's Hope holding up?'
'Fine, thanks. And won't remember any of this,' Annalise replied, cooing at the infant. 'Will you? No, you won't. Lucky mite.'
'I think I'm done,' Samhain announced, looking over at his mother from the mountain of bags that had been piled up.
'She's beautiful,' Edward smiled, looking at Hope.
'Thanks,' Annalise smiled back, as Samhain dragged his bags over. Nalini held a hand out to take some of them off him, and he eagerly passed them over. 'What about the rest of you boys, much more to do?'
'Oh yeah, shit, we forgot to grab the wine,' Parry muttered to Auren.
'You're not stealing your father's alcohol,' Annalise scolded.
'It's not like he can drink it from hospital, is it?' Parry retorted.
'Or deserves to,' Auren added.
'I know, kids, I agree, but I'm not letting any of you touch booze until you're older,' Annalise sighed.
'That stuff's not worth it. Take it from me,' Anstine declared, flying back into the room and touching down again. 'How much is left?'
'I think I've just about got everything, too,' Nehemiah agreed.
'And you boys?' Annalise questioned the twins. 'Without including any alcohol!'
'Ugh, but it's such a waste to leave it for that gorilla brained ball-ache,' was what came out of Parry's mouth, and Nalini accidentally let loose a snigger.
'Can we at least put dish soap in it or something?' Auren asked, and Annalise groaned.
'No.'
'Fine, then I guess we're done,' Parry tutted.
'With a bit of luck, he'll come back and try to drown his sorrows, drink it too fast and end up choking on it,' Anstine said, and Edward did his best to look disapproving. '...Or something.'
'We'll keep our fingers crossed,' Auren told him seriously.
'If we had a dog, we could've let it pee in it, and let Dad drink dog pee,' Parry added.
'Okay, kids, let's not waste time thinking of revenge plots,' Annalise cringed.
'If you want to give your bags to Edward and Anstine, then we can start making an actual move out of here,' Nalini instructed, trying to keep a straight face. 'And for what it's worth, Annalise, my niece had similar ideas about her mother at that age.'
'Did she grow out of it?'
'...Admittedly no, but Evijan's… unique, shall we say.'
'As I'm sure you'll find out,' Edward laughed, taking a couple of bags.
'Let's just think of this as a fun little road trip,' Anstine said. 'One where we can say goodbye to Devil's Port and its permanent pee smell, and hopefully drive past some actual nice sights.'
'God, yeah, it smells like Nem's room sometimes,' Auren announced, to his other brother's irritation.
'I've stopped using pee bottles, shut up!'
'And not a moment too soon,' Annalise sighed, wishing she had a hand free to facepalm.
'Aren't children wonderful?' Nalini laughed, as the last of the bags were bundled onto the adults.
'I know,' Anstine snorted. 'I'm looking forward to adopting with Tony one day.'
'And you'll be the "cool" dad?' Edward said.
'You know it.'
'Lucky child,' Nalini joked. 'Okay, well if we're all ready, let's get the hell out of here.'
'My bags are already by the front door, I didn't need to pack a whole lot, just Hope's stuff,' Annalise said.
'Okay, good to know,' Nalini replied, and started back down the stairs again, the rest of the group trailing behind her. Opening the front door, she checked up on Zaryn and Evijan. 'Any troubles?'
'Some dude yelled at me to get my tits out, so I dropped my trousers and mooned him,' Evijan replied.
'...I sincerely hope you're joking.'
'I am,' the hybrid grinned.
'For God's sake.'
'Shame,' Anstine snorted. 'If someone had done that, I could've got mine out instead.'
'Yours....?' Edward asked, reluctantly.
'Hey, they're both worth showing off and it'd put the creeps off. Win-win.'
'Pfft, those ain't even a B cup. Trust me, I'm a titty connoisseur,' Evijan laughed.
'Evijan, watch your language,' Nalini scolded.
'Booby connoisseur.'
'Pain in the backside.'
'Now that's just rude, Aunt Nal.'
'Does being pierced count for anything?' Anstine asked.
'It means you lack common sense?' Nalini jokingly answered, piling bags into the back of the minibus rented specifically for rescuing Annalise. She was grateful to have gone with the larger option, instead of a smaller van, not wanting to risk lacking space for anyone or anything.
'See what I mean? Rude,' Evijan grinned.
'Yeah, I'm wounded!' Anstine laughed. 'I mean sure, it hurt, and it was impulse, but no regrets.'
'Will you get the other done?' Parry questioned, as Nalini took Annalise's bags, peering up at the fairy curiously.
'Maybe one day,' he replied, loading some more bags into the van. 'Or maybe I'll stay uneven.'
'Sometimes I kinda feel like I wanna get somethin' done, but ehhh. I dunno what,' Evijan mused. 'Plus it'd be awkward to have a facial piercin' around a buncha grabby kids.'
'Ouch,' Zaryn winced, 'that'd be a quick way to lose a piercing.'
'Well, that's nightmarish, thank you girls,' Nalini snorted. Once all the bags were loaded into the minibus, Nalini ushered the rest inside, climbing into the driver's seat. Then, after checking that everyone was seatbelted up and secure, began to drive away.
Away from Abraxas, away from Devil's Port, and for a fresh, less traumatic start.
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