One year, but the pain is the same (Morry)

[Lexine Sullivan]

It was raining. It always seemed to rain when you were doing these things. If she remembered correctly it had rained the last time she had been in this horrid place.

If you had told a stranger that there was a small church and graveyard hidden away in this place they probably would have laughed and called you an idiot but she guessed with everything that had gone on since who knew when people had started to try and believe in a 'God'. She had never seen the point in believing in such a thing- of course, she had been sent to church when she had been younger like everyone else in her school but once she had been sent away she had never bothered again...how could anyone believe in a God that allowed things like this to happen? Would who allowed evil beings to rule over the people he supposedly made in his image? No. She was not one for Religion and the only reason she was here of all places was because her parents had been.

Lexi looked up at the black metal gates- now tinging with rust- with a frown. It had been a year but it had gone so quickly! It only felt like yesterday that she had been here...it had gone far too quickly for her liking.

Ignoring the rain that fell hard and fast, casting dark shadows over everything that was not lit by streetlights- she had chosen to come when it was dark mostly because it was the time she was less likely to run into anyone else (and the dead did not count)- she moved forwards and entered the cemetary.

As she moved up the pathway she briefly toyed with the idea that perhaps she should have brought an umbrella before deciding that she didn't care. Pink hair plastered against her face and her black dress clung to the curves of her body as her black heeled pumps clicked solemnly along the wet stones beneath her feet. The white lillies she held in her hand seemed to droop miserably in her hand, the rain pounding against the delicate flesh of the petals.

Finally she stopped and stepped off the pathway, her heels sinking into the wet mud and grass and moved a few rows down until she reached four semi recent gravestones.

Here lies... Started off each before listing the name and some little something about them. 'Beloved mother', 'To young to die' etc. Placing the lillies down in the ground she silently moved to remove the now very dead stalks that littered the ground. She assumed these were Bert since she never came here but then again, the wreaths from a year ago were still there albeit very decrepit and falling apart. Scooping the debris away she moved to the nearest litter bin and deposited it and then moved back to pick the lillies up and began to separate them into three separate bundles.

She placed the bundles onto the graves marked for mother, father and daughter but ignored the one marked son. Once this job was done she sat back on her heels and simply looked at the stones.

Black eyeliner and mascara ran down her face as the rain soaked through to the bone. She shivered but refused to wrap her arms around herself- she deserved no comfort...afterall, she had not been able to save her family and she would forever blame herself for that. She looked to the grave she had left no flowers and a shudder ran through her.

"You bastard...." Her head bowed as the sobs became too much to keep locked away. "You ruined everything!" The soft voice she had started with turned into more of a scream, her voice rising above the rain although only just.

Tears fell from her eyes as she burrowed her head into her knees, her arms finally moving so her fingers could wrap into her tangled and knotted hair and she pulled it as she let out a wordless wail.

It had been a year....She hadn't cried for the funeral, giving most people the impression that she didn't care but she did care. She wanted her family back! She wanted her mummy and daddy...wanted her brother the way he had been before all of the trouble had started...she wanted the family she could barely remember- the family that she watched with envy walking down the streets of her home. But it was all gone. There was nothing left for her now.

Lexi's right hand moved to run down her left arm, feeling the goosebumps but more importantly the scars that littered her pale skin. For this one day she had forgone the jacket she usually wore, opting for a dress that allowed the world to see the marks on her skin (or they would have seen had they been about to see said marks).

"Why did you have to ruin everything?"

She didn't expect an answer. She expected nothing from life and yet when the option to lose it came along she fought back with everything in her. Deep down Lexi had no desire to lose her life and her survival instinct was enough to prove it. But oh how she wished she could be with her parents again....how much she wished to be with someone who could hold her and comfort her and protect her from the world.

[Morrison Whelan]

When Morrison had left his house, he knew it was going to rain, he just hadn’t expected it to start so soon. And yet, he had been prepared for it, dressing in a black leather jacket, thicker than his usual olive colored one, and carrying an umbrella with him. Once he’d arrived at the church, he’d been very glad that he’d been as prepared as he was because it was already drizzling and he was sure it would get much worse before it started to let up. It was just a shame that his flowers would get ruined.

Earlier that day, he’d been in a considerably good mood, despite the few days before it being absolutely shitty. He hadn’t found Lexine when he’d went to her house so he’d brought the Sai to the post office and he hoped that she had been able to get them. Otherwise, she would probably be pretty upset. At least he was sure that he wouldn’t ever see her again, since he was now aware of how to avoid her. That wasn’t what had made him so upset however. Work the past few days had been hell for him; running around getting his backed up paper work filled out and having to work with the threat of suspension hanging over his head for being absent so many days.

Thankfully, he had calmed down since then, with the help of Jeena and Iivan, whose attitude had gotten better since the incident with Mercy. They hadn’t gone out with any of the other wolf’s friends since drinking always got the two down, but talking over a cup or two at the apartment had been a welcome shift back to their normal routine. Morrison was actually glad to have his friend home, even though he was a bit of a home wrecker, and he didn’t have to tend to him anymore, as he was perfectly capable of replacing his own bandages and cleaning his wound.

Leaving his car outside in the church parking lot, the man grew solemn. He visited Meadhbh’s grave every week and brought flowers to it to replace the wilted ones he left the week before. Usually, he just sat by the tombstones, staring at it, for at least an hour before telling his old friend goodbye and leaving her the flowers. He wouldn’t be able to sit today, unless he wanted to get his pants soaked, so he would stay a shorter time, maybe half of an hour. He always return tomorrow when it was dry , or not… He needed to start letting her go, it would be hard, but he didn’t just want to forget her and he couldn’t function when she was on his mind.

The graveyard had been devoid of anyone else as he moved through it, close to the back where the newer graves were. Meadhbh’s tombstone was one of the largest in that section and made of shining white marble, standing out over the grey and granite stones around it. He knew she wouldn’t have liked such a flashy stone, but Morrison liked it and he had been the one paying for it.

The wolf stood in front of the grave, staring at Meadhbh’s name etched into the marble surface, holding the umbrella in one hand, opened over his head, and the small bunch of carnations in the other. For at least 20 minutes, he didn’t move, eyes tracing invisible lines over the date under the name and below that the words “Daughter Friend”. At least she had outlived her mother, by more than a hundred years too. “Hope you’re doing well Mavey,” he whispered to the ground, bending down and placing the bouquet right against the stone. He started to get back up, but decided that he shouldn’t leave these nice flowers out in the rain, so he plucked one out and placed it back down, standing against with the wilted flowers from last week and the rest of the bouquet.

Sighing deeply, Morrison lifted a hand, burden with flowers, to bid farewell to his friend before turning and starting back toward the parking lot, wiping the back of his hand over his slightly reddened and glistening eyes. He was planning on going home and talking with Iivan, having a little whiskey, when he noticed someone else, knelt down by a grave. That hair was unmistakable, even plastered against the girl’s back.

It was Lexine. He had no idea who she was here to visit, but they must have been very important; he could tell she was sobbing even from here. Slowly, the man walked over to her, mostly out of concern for the fact that she was only wearing a sleeveless black dress in this weather. Not saying anything, he came up beside her, crouching down then lifting the umbrella over her head to shield her from the rain. He didn’t know how she was going to react to seeing him again, when she was so vulnerable, but he had an idea that she wasn’t going to get violent.

[Lexine Sullivan]

Thanks to the rain slamming against the ground she had no idea that she wasn't alone in the graveyard...hadn't even considered the possibility that anyone would see her- these graves were no exactly on the beaten path and one had to actually look for them to find them. Lexi couldn't really remember much of the service, she had been completely out of it.

All she really remembered was the coffins being laid into the ground and the small group of people who had turned up- Lexi herself had never been popular with the people of her estate and always thought that when she went there would be no one but Bert to send her off (providing of course he outlived her). It didn't make her sad, not really...she could live with the thought but every now and then she had a brief pang that she would never have that family unit. But she had made her peace with that a long time ago.

For a moment she thought she had heard something move behind her but she ignored it, thinking it to only be the wind starting to pick up- The rain seemed a little heavier as well and she thought that perhaps she should have brought something with her to at least keep the worst of it off before deciding she was better as she was. She deserved to be punished...to feel this cold sink through her skin was almost as painful as the blade and she embraced it. Lexi welcomed pain, it helped her remember that she was still human.

Another noise and she flinched. Was there something there? She turned her head slightly and her eyes sought out whatever it was in the dark but saw nothing and chalked it up to her imagination. Don't be daft she told herself, there would be no one here at this time of night....only a moron would go out in this weather- or someone who didn't care. Like herself. She turned her head back to the stones and her hands moved to twist into her hair once again as she immersed herself back into the memories that haunted her day and night.

Which was why when the rain suddenly stopped pouring on her she started in surprise and her head snapped around sending droplets of water to fling off the curls that framed her face.

Black panda eyes widened as she realised just who was holding the umbrella over her head and the first thought that ran through her head was 'I look a mess!' before the next thought was 'What the hell is he doing here?'

It never occurred to her that he was here to visit a grave of his own, her mind shot with grief and perhaps a few too many drugs over the last few days. Anything to forget...not that it helped. It wasn't until her eyes moved from his face to the flowers in his hand that she allowed the thought to come to her.

As a wolf she imagined he would have plenty of people to bury over the years but for some reason it had never really sunk in that they would get close to anyone who could die so easily. For a moment or two she wondered who he had been close to and a small trickle of jealousy threaded through her- not jealous of him but of the thought that he had someone to grieve over...and that someone would probably grieve over him if he left this world. Lucky bastard.

A shudder ran through her and Lexi wasn't a hundred percent sure if it were because she were cold or because he was so close to her and since she had told him she would do him bodily harm if he stepped foot near her again she decided it was a combination of both.

"What the..." She shuddered again, "What are you doing here?" She stood up so abruptly she knocked the arm that was holding the umbrella and she stumbled ever so slightly as her heels sunk into the ground just a little more.

As she stumbled she coughed and the one hand moved to cover her mouth and the other automatically moved to grab onto the nearest thing to keep her steady- which unfortunately meant Morrison. Her fingers grabbed onto his jacket until the cough subsided and she came back to reality. She jerked away like she had been scolded and turned away from him but that only made her look at the graves- both options were painful and she closed her eyes for a moment or two, breathing deeply trying to calm herself down.

Now what the hell was she going to do? She had left her Sai at home (she had picked them up earlier that day) so she was unharmed, she was still sick and she looked more vulnerable than when she had been at the bloody hospital.

All of them were bad.

[Morrison Whelan]

Morrison jumped just as Lexine did, wondering What was that? Then he realized that it was just him. He lifted a hand to his cheek, wiping off the drops of water that her hair had flung onto his skin, and looked up at the girl’s face, glancing away when her black ringed eyes met his. The poor girl, out her in the rain, no jacket, crying her eyes out; she looked like an absolute mess. And now she would have to deal with him, not that he was here to give her any trouble.

Who was Mercy here to see? She was so young that he didn’t expect her too have that many dead friends/loved ones. Perhaps her grandparents had died recently or a great aunt or uncle and they’d been really close. But the red of her eyes and the frown on her lips pointed to something traumatic. His eyes drifted away from the human’s feet to the grave she sat in front of. This one held the word ‘father’ and the ones around it, mother, daughter, son, all bearing the same name. The wolf’s heart sunk a little in his chest. They must have been her family and the tombstones looked so new. Oh no… He felt a slight urge to hug her and comfort her but he wasn’t sure if that would be thrown back in his face.

"What the..." Morry looked back up at the girl. "What are you doing here?" He blinked softly, swallowing to make sure his voice worked. “Visiting a friend…” he started lamely, gesturing with the flowers. He broke off as she moved and not expecting her to stand so quickly then, her back bumped into his arm and the umbrella dropped back, letting the rain drench the two again. Rapidly getting to his own feet, he shrugged his jacket closer around his neck and righted the umbrella, holding it over both of them, but more so over Lexine so that she was completely shielded and only one side of him was since he was being careful not to stand too close to her. Unfortunately, this didn’t do much good when the girl stumbled, coughing, and grabbed onto his arms for support, causing his arm to drop and the umbrella to tip away from them.

As with every other time Mercy had come into contact with him, she pulled away fast and turned her eyes away, though that meant she was looking back at the graves. His eyes turned that way as well and he now noticed that only three of the stones had flowers, the one that was bear was the one that said ‘son’. That had to be her brother then… What could he have done that caused the girl to harbor such negative emotions toward him? Morrison had a feeling that this had to do with those scars on her arm, just because she had been as distraught trying to talk about them as she was now, looking at the graves.

Shifting his gaze from the tombstones up to Mercy, the wolf stood silently in place, wondering what to do. She wouldn’t feel comfortable around him, there was no way, but she looked so upset that he wanted to do something that would make her feel better. If only he had a little bit of her trust. With a deep sigh, he lifted the umbrella higher so that he could still see the girl’s face as he moved it over her head. He then carefully stepped in front of her line of vision, blocking the graves from her view. He looked at her for a moment then gently dropped the flowers down by his feet so that he had a free hand to pull of his jacket. He switched hands momentarily to keep the umbrella up, though he made sure to keep Mercy’s head covered, and then held out the leather jacket for her, figuring that she would be freezing. “You should probably get inside,” Morrison said quietly, subdued, still proffering his coat.

[Lexine Sullivan]

Not for the first time she wondered why she even bothered standing here so close to him? She had told herself that she would kill him if he stepped foot near her again but she could not bear to do something so violent in this place- the thought of using violence before her family stopped all thoughts in its tracks. To use such force here would be disrespectful and whilst she did not believe in Religion she did believe in the sanctity of pureness. Which was why she did nothing but try her best not to look at him.

Which didn't help when he moved to stand in her line of site, stopping her from looking at the graves. She eyed him warily before looking in another direction. Just because she was not going to do anything didn't mean she was going to accept him...ignoring him was perfectly fine.

For a moment a flash of white distracted her from other thoughts but it soon vanished and she put it down to a trick of the light filtered through the pouring rain- either that or she was getting really paranoid.

Her thoughts were broken again as she shivered and the man moving caused her eyes to look back at him before she realised what she was doing. What was he doing for that matter? Her eyes didn't leave him as she watched him remove his jacket slowly, dropping his flowers to the ground. What the hell? She blinked slowly as if that would allow her to see what was going on clearly but it only made water run down her face in a similar pattern to tears, yet those had stopped as soon as he had appeared next to her. A weakness was a weakness and she was not willing to share her pain with anyone other than herself.

As he held the coat out to her she eyed it for a brief second, starting to open her mouth to refuse it when another voice cut through the night and her head turned to look at the priest. So that had been the white robes she had seen....he to held an umbrella and was looking at the two of them with an almost unreadable expression on his face.

"Lexi?" He took a step forward and with a start she remembered him being the same priest from when she had been coming here as a child. She had never even realised he was still around! Another had done the service for her parents and she had simply assumed he had passed away.

"Father," Her voice dipped from its usual harsh tone to a slightly softer one, showing him a respect she reserved only for the elders she considered worthy. Her arms seemed to tighten around herself and he looked over the two before taking another step forward.

"Why don't you come inside my child? It is dry and I can offer you both a hot drink and a blanket perhaps?" He ignored the frown on her face as she looked at the man she was with before slowly nodding her acceptance. The elderly priest moved off and she followed right up until she hit the stone pathway, and, leaning down she took one shoe off and the transferred to the other leg and did the same to that foot. Ignoring his look she continued ahead of the two, barefoot and still shivering, her heels dangling from the one hand as she made her way to the rectory.

Pushing open the door she stepped inside, the warmth of the open fire in the sitting room nearly bowling her over. Or maybe it was the memories that assailed her? She placed her shoes next to the door and moved to sink in front of the fire, immediately pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them as if to protect herself.

It had been such a long time but she remembered coming here after Sunday school...playing with the other children and the priest and his wife serving lemonade and cookies....Her mind reeled and she tried to block the thoughts out as she forced herself to remember that God was no longer her shepherd, and never had been.

She didn't even hear the priest lead Morrison into the house.

"Put your umbrella down my boy and I'll get us some drinks. I hope you like tea?" He didn't wait to hear an answer before he limped away slightly after placing his own umbrella into the stand. He returned a moment or two later with two blankets and held one out for the male before wrapping one around Lexi, pleased to note that despite her silence she pulled the item around herself. He then excused himself and made his way back into the kitchen so he could set out a pot and cups onto a tray before digging around for some biscuits or some such.

[Morrison Whelan]

It was easy to tell by the look on Mercy’s face that she didn’t appreciate the offer of his jacket at all and he started to pull it away as she opened her mouth, but both of their attentions were attracted to a man who was walking toward them. Morrison recognized the priest, he’d been the one to preside over Meadhbh’s funeral, yet the two hadn’t talked besides an exchange of condolences and thank you’s. The wolf hadn’t felt much like talking that day, mostly because he’d been pretty drunk and hadn’t trust himself to keep his speech civilized, though he didn’t think the smell on his breath would have made any better of an impression. He wouldn’t have wanted a proper church funeral anyway, but he knew his friend had held on, however loosely, to the religion her mother had taught her.

Lexine must have a longer and more positive relationship with the Father, since he knew her name and the look when he had showed up… Morrison felt a bit insulted that she was so relieved. He was the calmest he’d been in a long time and in this graveyard, he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to be violent or even slightly threatening. He’d thought she’d be more concerned with her grief, that she would want to be comforted more than anything. Though, he supposed he could be glad that she had found a kind and familiar face.

“… I can offer you both a hot drink and a blanket perhaps?"

After stooping to pick up his flowers again, he gently shook the rain drops from them and then followed after the priest, noticing that Lexine had walked ahead to pull off her shoes and then continue on her way. She didn’t look like a girl who was used to heels; they must be painful by now, especially with all this mud under foot. Shaking his head slightly, the wolf glanced down, and fell back a little as he came in line with the priest, feeling just a bit uncomfortable around this older man, not sure how he felt about him, his face was so relaxed.

Morrison looked back up as they moved to the front door, folding his umbrella down before entering then shaking it out on the front steps so that he wouldn’t get the floor all wet. The wolf turned to shut the door, hearing the man say "Put your umbrella down my boy and I'll get us some drinks. I hope you like tea?" Morry nodded softly in response, lip twitching softly in amusement as he turned to see the priest hobbling off. He’d sounded just like his pa, well, almost, Mr. Whelan had never said ‘my boy’, it was always ‘boy this’, ‘boy that’. Either way, he liked to be called that, though he never told anyone, it made him feel just a bit silly because the title made him feel so much younger. At 200 there weren’t many things that would do that anymore.

Looking around him, Morrison absently placed his umbrella inside the stand with the other, then stared toward the fireplace where Lexine sat, shaking off his damp coat. He turned his head, smiling slightly and muttering a quiet thanks as the man came back in, handing him a towel to dry off. Once the Father had walked back away, he stared at the girl’s back for a moment as she held the towel tight to herself before he slowly bowed his head and lifted up the cloth to rub his hair wet. He sat down in one of the soft armchairs around the fireplace, figuring his pants weren’t that wet at all, then leaned forward, dropping the towel from his head, though leaving his hair sticking up at all sorts of weird angles. A hand ran over his hair, doing little to sort out what now looked like a terrible case of bed-head, but he didn’t quite notice, or care. It wasn’t as if he were that vain or anything, not like Iivan.

With another sigh, Morrison leaned back in the chair, soaking in the warmth of the fire through his thankfully dry t-shirt. He watched Mercy’s back again, sort of wishing her hair wasn’t so soaked; it had looked nice all curled, but now it was just limp and sad, despite its bright color. His hair didn’t look any better, but he was a guy so it didn’t matter so much, did it?

The wolf turned his eyes to the priest as he entered the room to hand both he and Mercy a cup of tea before setting the plate, laden with biscuits, he had the cups resting on, on the small table in the room. He eyed the treats for a moment then slowly got to his feet and moved over to the older man, holding out his right hand for him to shake. “I don’t think you ever got my name,” he said, trying to smile a little, “Morrison Whelan.”

[Lexine Sullivan]

Lexi accepted her tea with only a small nod of thanks before her attention was back to staring into the fire. She didn't mean to be so rude but the last time she had been here she had said and done things she would probably go to hell for- not that she believed in any of it anyway. She was also more interested in trying to squash her feelings down, not wanting to grieve now that she was surrounded by the two males...her grief was her own and she didn't want to share it with anyone, not even herself if she had to admit to it.

She was only slightly aware that Morrison had stood up and moved to the priest but the priest himself smiled, causing rather deep laugh lines to appear around his face, masking the wrinkles that appeared over time.

He took the offered hand and shook it with his own. "A pleasure to meet you again, I recognise you from a service do I not? If you do not remember I am Father Timothy." He released the hand and moved to sit in the armchair opposite the one the other had occupied and took a sip of his tea before reaching for the biscuits and taking one. A little treat didn't harm anyone and besides, he was old! It would make no matter now. "Do you know Lexi?" He nodded towards the girl who was currently still sitting there but at her name she stiffened and stood.

"Excuse me for a moment," Her voice was soft and she all but ran out of the room and towards the stairs. She knew there was a bathroom up there and headed there, opening the door and then closing it softly behind her thankful to get out of the room. Moving to the mirror she looked at herself before turning the tap on, grabbed some soap and proceeded to wash her face clean of the dark makeup.

Father Timothy watched her leave with a sad expression on his face. "That girl is one of my lost flock I'm afraid," He commented but not to anyone in particular. although the next words were aimed at Morrison. "She didn't even cry at the funeral...I'm rather afraid she was under some sort of mind altering substance. A sad business." He shook his head.

Lexi, who had just finished her clean up and had dried her hair a little so that it was a little less scary (and brushed it as well) had removed her black dress in the bathroom leaving her in the matching black underwear set so she could dry a little quicker. Wrapping the towel around her shoulders to keep the chill of her, gathered the dress and moved towards the stairs, pausing as she heard the Father talk.

"A tragic thing to happen in our community," He was still saying, "Something to do with gangs I believe but its never really been confirmed." His eyes moved to flicker to the hallway as if checking to see she were still gone and looked back at Morrison, taking another gulp of tea. "She found them...I'm afraid she's bottled it all up inside..." He was broken off by the reappearance of the girl whose look at him made him go quiet as she moved back into the room.

Placing the dress next to the fire to help it dry out, she moved the towel so it left her shoulders bare but covered her arms and sat with her back to the fire. The priest averted his eyes out of respect.

Lexi had always been proud of her body and as long as her arms were covered she didn't care too much about letting the world see the rest of it- the scars that were on her legs and back were very faint, caused only by her fighting so they didn't bother her very much- viewing them as battle scars, unlike the ones of her arms that repulsed her completely. Now, thanks to the fire her hair was starting to dry and she felt the first few curls next to her neck come into being as it dried. Lexi's hair was naturally curly and whilst she enjoyed it she did prefer to have it straight and tied up but since she had nothing to do either of those things right now had to live with it.

Had it not been the hard look in her eyes and the frown that played over her pink lips she almost looked human. With no makeup and now curling hair as it dried she looked fresh faced and innocent...until you remembered the scars and everything else.

She reached for her tea and took a long drink, allowing the still very hot liquid to burn down her throat, warming her a little as it did so.

"Thank you," It had been so quite Timothy almost missed it but he replied with a kindly old smile.

"Not a problem child, I couldn't leave you both in the rain to freeze to death." Despite his question from earlier his eyes did move from the male to the female, wondering if perhaps there was more to the two of them meeting in the rain but she way she held herself and the way she pointedly tried to ignore Morrison proved him wrong. Ah, such a shame. He didn't understand the young people anymore...things had been a lot easier when he had been younger...well, to a certain extent anyway.

[Morrison Whelan]

Morrison couldn’t help but smile a little at the expression on the priests face, he was just glad to see a kind face today. "A pleasure to meet you again, I recognise you from a service do I not? If you do not remember I am Father Timothy." He smiled a bit wider at this, squeezing the man’s hand softly and then pulling away to sit back down as Father Timothy took a seat as well. He’d have to remember his face, and his name. If he ever needed a safe place in the area, he was sure he could find protection here. Most of the time, he actually steered away from churches since many had turned against the supernaturals, calling them demons and what not. That was the sort of attention he didn’t need, or appreciate, and so religion had become a moot point with him. If more people were like this establishment, he might be persuaded otherwise. It was even their acceptance of his kind that had encouraged him to have Meadhbh buried there.

The wolf’s eyes shifted to the biscuits again as the priest took one, but he didn’t want one himself. While they looked very tempting and delicious, he didn’t think his stomach, feeling tight and bunched, would handle it. Yet, he only turned his eyes away when the Father asked: "Do you know Lexi?" Morrison glanced over at the girl, shrugging softly, and was going to reply when the girl stood, making him figure that she didn’t want to be talked about. As she excused herself, he shifted his eyes to the ground, lifting his mug up to take a small sip of his tea. He wasn’t a huge fan of the drink, but he didn’t want to seem rude.

His eyes stayed down turned as he listened to Mercy’s feet disappeared up the stairs and then a door close as she stopped. He didn’t hear the priest speaking at first until his voice became a little louder and the words were obviously directed at Morrison. The wolf looked up, straightening his back to sit back against the chair. "She didn't even cry at the funeral...I'm rather afraid she was under some sort of mind altering substance. A sad business." Morry’s eyes dropped for a second and he sighed, figuring that she would definitely have been high on something, noticing, even in his short time around her, that she was absolutely terrible at dealing with her grief. Poor thing though, she’d lost a lot…

Again, Morrison’s attention was diverted a moment later when he heard Lexine’s footsteps at the top of the staircase. He listened to her, though he kept his eyes on the priest, not saying anything, despite being pretty sure that the girl could hear the Father talking. Mercy started down the steps and his focus was back on the human as he said: “I'm afraid she's bottled it all up inside..." Unfortunately, it was clear that she was holding her feelings back and he wouldn’t want to be around when she eventually let it all out. Though it might be fun to watch her…

Morrison let his head turn to see Lexine as she came back into the room and was slightly surprised that she was walking around in towel that wasn’t pulled too tight around her front. He kept his eyes on her however, unlike the priest who looked away at her sitting down in front of the fire. She sure was a skinny creature, but he could tell she had some muscle, enough at least that she could hold her own in a good fight. And he supposed that she might just fight, sometimes, noticing the faint scars on the skin of her torso and legs. He also couldn’t help but note that she her undergarments matched; she’d put in quite a bit of effort to look nice for her family. The man almost smiled a bit at this thought, but even in his head, it seemed to be in poor taste and his lips only twitched, eyes shifting to the girl’s own.

At the girl’s thanks, Morry glanced to Father Timothy, giving him a slight smile of thanks as well then taking a drink of his tea. "Not a problem child, I couldn't leave you both in the rain to freeze to death." The wolf made a small “Mmm…” of agreement. He hadn’t thought it too cold outside, but he supposed he was just used to it and it would have been freezing for Mercy, in only that dress, so he was pretty glad that the priest had come to get them. Though, he would have eventually coaxed the girl inside, it just wouldn’t be so clam now as it was.

A hush now fell over their small group and Morrison relaxed into the chair, for once, and watched the priest for a second as he looked to Lexine and then back to the wolf. He could tell what the human was thinking and he sort of wished it were true. The girl, however, was trying her best to ignore him, though he couldn’t blame her for it. If it had been up to him, he wouldn’t have every seen her again, but as it had turned out they’d bumped into each other at possibly one of the worst places and Morry couldn’t have just left her alone, she’d looked miserable! He supposed he’d have to work hard at gaining her trust. She needed a friend and he knew he could be a good one when he actually cared about a person and wasn’t fearful of having them cut his throat open when he saw them.

The wolf twisted his cup around in his hand then glanced between Father Timothy and Lexine. “How long have you two know each other?” he asked, sounding casual, though he noticed his voice was sounding husky, a bit emotional. Damn crying… Oh well, he was sure neither would comment and tears weren’t currently streaming down his face, so he’d be fine. He was actually more concerned about Mercy anyway, and he’d wanted to ask if she had a ride home, but he would let her dry off a bit more before mentioning anything about leaving. Though that could take a while and they needed something to keep any conversation from getting too heavy. Church had seemed a safe topic to him. No one could have a bad experience with such kind, religious company, could they?

[Lexine Sullivan]

Lexi might have been trying her best to ignore both men but even she wasn't oblivious to the looks she was getting from the both of them. As soon as she had come back down Morrison had been staring at her and she really really hoped that it wasn't because she was half naked in front of him and she watched as Timothy looked between herself and the wolf. Oh hell no. He did not think they were together did he? She turned her stare to him and turned it up into a slight glare as if asking him to even try it.

Despite her glare she really was glad to start feeling the heat work its magic on her wet hair and body, feeling the damp starting to disappear from her underwear and her hair starting to dry against her back. At least she was less likely to make her 'cold' worse than what it already was. After the incident at the hospital she was just hoping it would go on its own not particularly wanting to get involved with a doctor again anytime soon...that and the ones she did deign to visit were not exactly professionals. She was better off looking after herself (cheaper to).

“How long have you two know each other?”

Lexi visibly cringed, not even bothering to hide it as her mind flashed back to the last time she had been here.

"God does not exit old man!" A younger Lexi was stood in the rain at the door of the rectory as a slightly younger Timothy received her. "Don't preach something that is a lie...how dare you try and convince me in someone who loves us!" She thrust her arm into his face as if to prove her point. "God is a fucking lie and tell me he gives a crap!"

That had been when she had been sent away....apparantely the behavior of her brother had not been the only reason- although it was bloody great one. She would never forgive her parents for that no matter how much she loved and missed them. Once they had realised it hadn't been her fault for her brother's attitude they had tried to fix it but they could never fix the betrayal she had felt.

And she could never fix how she had acted towards the man in the room. The next time she had seen him was at the funeral and she most certainly had not been in her right mind then. She was starting to wish she wasn't now either, at least then she wouldn't have to remember such a painful thing.

Timothy answered with a smile, although he to had been remembering that particular incident. And, like so many others he to had believed that she was a cutter, that she had been sent away because of her behaviour...it wasn't until much later that he also assumed that it had been her involvement in gangs that led to the death of her parents. Not that he would ever admit it. As a man of God he had learned to look for the best in people and he was determined to bring Lexi back into his flock. If she allowed him to that is.

All of this only took a moment or two to think about before the priest answered. "Oh we've known each other since she was yey high," He lifted his hand to just below his knee, a kindly smile still on his face, "But we parted on less than jovial terms..." He looked at the girl and noticed her glare had turned into an icy one. "But we forgive and forget, there are things greater than holding grudges."

Lexi didn't agree at all. She liked holding her grudges, it allowed her to stay angry at the world but most importantly it reminded her why she was like this. It kept her going when nothing else would. And if she lost her anger she was terrified of having to face up the the fact she was an emotional wreck and was it her fault if she wanted to prevent that?

Timothy sighed and looked back at Morrison, since Lexi was intent of glaring a hole into his head. "How long have you two known each other?" To be honest from what he knew of the girl the concept she might have a friend was a little out there....however, if he listened to the gossip (which he really shouldn't being what he was), Lexi was considered 'one of those girls' and worried about her relationship with the man sitting across from him. He rather hoped that she wasn't one to sell things for money but since she had never actually denied the rumors one had to admit she didn't have a promising case. "Are you together?" He phrased it as politely as possible, trying not to hint at anything in particular.

Lexi looked ill at the very thought.

[Morrison Whelan]

Morrison sunk down into his chair at the look that crossed Lexine’s face. Was there anything that didn’t remind this girl about something traumatic that had happened in her life? He supposed not… Unless he was just really good at digging out those bad memories without even knowing it because it seemed that every time he opened his mouth, tragedy evoking words would come out. Unless of course, she was just being all melodramatic. He lifted his cup again to keep the slight leer on his lips hidden until his expression flattened out again. Honestly, he was becoming a bit tired of Mercy’s constant state of anger and pain, but if that was how she really was then she needed help, a therapist maybe… Not that she would ever consent to seeing a shrink.

The wolf looked to the priest as he spoke, preferring that kind smile over Lexine’s scowl. "But we parted on less than jovial terms..." By less than jovial, Morry assumed that he meant absolutely hostile, judging by the girl’s reaction to him. Oh, what had he gotten himself into? "But we forgive and forget, there are things greater than holding grudges." He could almost hear Mercy huff in anger and glanced over at her, expecting to see little trails of smoke trailing from her nostrils. She wasn’t any sort of fire breathing creature however, and her gaze was anything but hot, it was downright frigid. Morrison sighed quietly, trying his best to ignore the sound of her heavy breathing.

"How long have you two known each other?" He came back to attention at this, looking to Father Timothy, twisting his mug again between his palms. “A very short time,” he said, a bit uncomfortably. "Are you together?” He almost laughed a little, but a small smile only showed on his lips. “Not in any way,” he said, looking over at Lexine, expecting a glare. “I don’t think she likes me much.” The look that she gave him was instead one of ‘I’m going to be sick.’ which didn’t seem particularly fair to him. He was a nice enough guy. She was just being racist…

Morrison turned to look back at the priest, sick of being stared at that way Mercy looked at him and hoping that he wouldn’t be asked anything more about how they’d met. For one, it would make him sound like a scumbag, and two, he didn’t want to lessen the other man’s view of Lexine any more than it was. And he didn’t want to explain Iivan; that man was just more trouble than he was worth half the time.

Not wanting to get into any of this right now, he decided that it was time to change the subject. “Did you know Meadhbh, Father?” he asked, “you know, before she…” He stopped himself and waved a hand to say ‘You know what I mean.’ because he sure wasn’t going to say it aloud, lest he starting crying. “I know she went to church when she was younger, but then she stopped going.” That had been when she’d become a werewolf and then her family had begun to die, at least things had gotten better for her eventually. “I’m just not sure if she went back, she never mentioned anything.” He glanced down at the flowers he’d dropped at his feet then looked back up. “I was just wondering, since you would have been the closest congregation that would accept her.” Talking to a priest about church-going when he’d been only a few times in his life; what was he thinking? At least he was pretty sure that Father Timothy wouldn’t comment on it, he was too reserved and gentle a man.

((Bleh, is so short))

[Lexine Sullivan]

“Did you know Meadhbh, Father?”

Timothy thought back trying to remember the girl but his memory wasn't what it had been and all he could really recall was a blonde woman and the funeral service. He found himself ashamed of this but he couldn't help but feel like he was letting the boy before him down. Slowly he shook his head, "I'm afraid I cannot remember her very well, I'm an old man and many people have passed through this church," He seemed to think that this was not what the man was hoping to hear. "But I have not always been here....I took several years to help elsewhere in the country and another priest took over, it may be she came here then."

Lexi had watched Timothy as he spoke and was convinced that he was genuinely upset at not giving the answers that were wanted. She might not have been coming here and she might have said things she really did regret but he was a good man and if the wolf said anything against him she would bash his head in.

Honestly she had no idea where people got the idea she had 'anger issues'.

However, she turned her attention to the wolf and watched as the grief flashed through his eyes and listened as his voice cracked. If she was surprised to witness this she made no move to show it. She was well aware that other people were entitled to grief and she would never use that against someone. She had a heart, deep down locked aware in the dark recesses of her soul but she had one!

"You don't have to come back to still have the lord in your heart," Her voice was so soft Timothy was unsure she had even spoken to start with but the guilt in her voice was unmistakable. "No matter where you go or what you do God forgives your sins and welcomes you into the kingdom of heaven." Or she hoped he did.

Nothing she could say would ever get rid of the guilt she carried. The things she had said to him the last time she had really seen him, the people she fought at night and the people she killed. Even what had happened to her family. She knew that her brother would go to hell but she now also knew that she was going right in behind him. Another reason she hated the supernatural- apart from the fact they destroyed the rest of her life- was that she knew she was a monster just the same as them.

Timothy had no idea Lexi still held to the beliefs she had once had. He had thought she had tossed it aside long before her family had passed on, and that their murder was the pinnacle of proving her right. To hear her speak like this now was a surprise- a welcome surprise but still he couldn't fault her words.

"Very true," He agreed, "God loves all of us." And just to bring a bit of soppy romance movie stuff to it all the next part was spoken directly to the girl, "And he forgives us."

Lexi almost choked on her tea. To confess your sins to a priest was to bear yourself to the lord but she had done neither. Not recently anyway. To hear that she was forgiven was...she didn't know what it was! She had intentionally avoided confession all these years because she believed she could never be forgiven.

"I'll get more tea," She was on her feet and out of the room before Timothy could tell her the pot was still full on the table.

Slipping into the kitchen she had to learn over the sink as she fought the bile that wanted to rise up. She moved back from the sink and picked up the kettle, moving on autopilot as she filled it up and then switched it on. It was only after she had done it all that her knees gave out and she had to sink down into a chair.

"Oh God..." She pulled the towel from around her shoulders and placed it onto the top of the table as her shoulders shook in silent sobs.

Timothy looked towards the kitchen and then back to Morrison. "I think perhaps she needed to hear that more than she let on." He seemed to consider something before nodding to himself and getting up. "If you excuse me I shall just go and make sure that everything is secure in the church, I shall just be a moment or two. Would you mind making sure she is alright?" He really did care for the girl, she was simply lost and maybe this man before him could help her sort out the issues she seemed to have. Telling her he forgave her for the words she had spoken to him was only the start- he guessed there was years of things she needed to forgive herself for before the healing the process was complete.

With that he hobbled off and picked his brolly up on the way out. He just had to make sure that everything was locked up and safe.

[Morrison Whelan]

Morrison’s head dipped a little, eyes dropping down as the priest said that he hadn’t known or couldn’t remember Meadhbh. He wasn’t sure why this upset him so much, the other wolf hadn’t been one to make close relationships with anyone that she didn’t see often, but he had sort of wished someone else had remembered the girl. He supposed that he would have found it comforting to reminisce about her with someone who wouldn’t be broken down into tears at the thought of her; it was easier to smile and laugh then. “I understand,” the wolf nodded softly, looking back up with a soft sigh and a smile. It came to him then that Father Timothy could have easily not have even been at the church when Meadhbh was there, he may not have even been born yet. Such a strange thought, considering how old he was. Humans baffled him at times that they could age so fast. He glanced at Lexine a second, thinking that she could be grey haired and wrinkled in only 40 more years.

The wolf started to look away but turned right back to girl when she spoke, so soft he was sure the priest wouldn’t be able to hear her. "No matter where you go or what you do God forgives your sins and welcomes you into the kingdom of heaven." He couldn’t identify with her words, having never been to church once, not even for Christmas, but he understood the tone in here voice. She felt as if she’d betrayed herself… and others. He had no clue as to what had happened that she should be so guilty about, though he could guess that she felt she had wronged Father Timothy in someway.

That same man spoke now, but Morrison kept his eyes on the girl, surprised by what he saw on her face. "God loves all of us and he forgives us." She was either appalled or overwhelmed by these words because she choked and immediately rose to her feet. "I'll get more tea," The priest had looked about to tell her that wasn’t needed, that the pot was clearly still on the table, but she was already gone, into the kitchen. Morrison frowned, scooting forward in his chair in case something was wrong and looked over the older (looking) man, brow creasing in confusion.

"I think perhaps she needed to hear that more than she let on." He didn’t think this really answered anything, yet he didn’t pursue it, not wanting to get into a deep religious conversation or anything so that he wouldn’t let on that he knew absolutely nothing on the subject. “…Would you mind making sure she is alright?" The wolf stared at Father Timothy for a moment before nodding again slowly and getting to his feet. “Sure,” He smiled to the Father then watched him walk out of the room before dropping to a crouch beside the chair he’d been sitting in to pick up his flowers. Morrison placed them gently on the cushion, next to his jacket, then slowly made his way over to the kitchen. He wasn’t sure what to do if he found Mercy broken down and crying. He could handle grief pretty well, being very familiar with it by now, but he was afraid that if he made any advances to comfort her, she would freak out and try grabbing his neck. Perhaps he’d just have to risk it.

He did find what he had feared when he entered the kitchen; Lexine bent over in a chair sobbing her eyes out. Morrison’s heart sunk a little, out of pity and concern, not over fear of what he was going to do in this situation. Not trying to keep his presence unknown, but staying silent, he moved over to the girl and knelt down beside her. For a second, he just watched her, waiting for her to notice him and hoping she wouldn’t react negatively to him. He then slowly curled his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a gentle hug, feeling the shaking of her body that he crying caused.

[Lexine Sullivan]

Lexi hadn't heard Morrison come into the kitchen and was unaware he was even there until his arms wrapped around her shoulders in an awkward hug thanks to the way she was sitting.

For a moment or two her body stiffened at the touch, her prejudices ruling in her mind for a moment or two before her need for a little comfort over rode everything else. Finally her body relaxed and she slowly shuffled in the seat so she could slip down and join him on the floor. Sitting on her bum she moved her arms so that they now wrapped around his waist and the slightly hysterical thought she had was that she was glad she was somewhat dry now but was starting to regret taking her dress off before she forced the thought back down.

As she moved her head to hide into his neck her fingers clenched into his shirt, wrinkling it beneath her fingertips, not that she really noticed what she was doing as the sobs turning into more of a dry heave as she forced herself to try and calm down, not wanting to make this harder for either of them.

Calm down.

She needed to calm down. She was being overly stupid to get this emotional over such a thing but she still couldn't help feeling like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It had been a good few years since she had spoken to Father Timothy but the memory of her words were one of many that haunted her as she slept and even when she was awake. And this today would probably haunt her as well...getting so close to someone who was the same species as the people who had destroyed everything she had held dear...but a part of her was being selfish.

She had not been held in so long she had almost forgotten what it felt like. Sure, Bert had tried more often than not but she had always shrugged it off, not wanting to get close to him just in case something happened to either of them. She had avoided social interaction because it meant she could avoid connections with people and she couldn't bear the thought of being alone once those connections were broken. So feeling warm arms wrapped around her slightly chilled body was a somewhat welcome feeling, if slightly tainted by the fact he was a wolf and she was a human. A very breakable and useless human.

Closing her eyes she discreetly inhaled his scent, although it was somewhat diminished thanks to the wet weather and gathering every ounce of courage she had left rested her head on his shoulder, her face still wet with tears although she had managed to stop them through sheer will power. She was nothing if stubborn!

She let out a soft sigh, her breath skimming over his skin thanks to her lips practically touching it. "At the hospital," She started, her voice shaky and unsure why she was bothering. She didn't have to tell him this! It was her secret! Her family's shame that she now had to bear...how could he understand how she felt? She knew full well that she wasn't the first person to lose their family but she was also aware that the way she had lost hers was very rare. She took another breath. "You asked about my scars..."

Lexi opened her eyes and shifted so she could look at the one arms before using the other to run a finger over the marks lightly. This time her voice shook, not from cold but from sheer terror of revealing such a secret. A secret she had kept ever since the first time the knife touched her skin...a secret she had planned to take with her to her early grave.

"My brother," Another pause. How was she going to say this? She barely knew him and yet here she was wrapped in his arms, practically naked and sitting on the kitchen floor that belonged to a priest! If she wasn't going to hell for murder she was surely going for this....A cough racked through her body and she mentally told her cold to get the hell away from her already (bearing in mind she had no idea that it was not a cold).

"When I was younger my brother did this to me," Despite trying to keep the tears at bay she couldn't stop the lone one than ran down her face and the hand that had been tracing the scars stopped its movements and wrapped around her wrist in a tight grip as if she were trying to hide the things- or at least the worst of them anyway.

If he hadn't been holding her her body would have curled in on itself, as if protecting her from the world. The memories were still fresh and even though it had started when she had been so very little the memory of what happened would never leave her. She was damaged beyond repair, broken hearted and trying to destroy what was left of her soul through drug abuse and fighting. But it didn't get rid of the guilt...or the deep gutting pain of betrayal caused by one of the people who was meant to protect her.

"He destroyed everything...he took away everything." Her innocence, her sanity, her family...

[Morrison Whelan]

Lexine’s reaction to his embrace was expected but he kept his arms in place, holding her loosely if she wanted to move away. She did move, yet only to join the man on the floor. Morrison shifted so he sat flat on the ground and crossed his legs before pulling the girl in. Her skin felt cold under his hands, almost clammy, not getting the chance to dry off completely with her still damp undergarments on. He rubbed his hands softly over her skin, warming her up and being very glad that his own shirt was totally dry, though Mercy was getting the front of his shirt and his shoulder a bit wet.

Morrison was incredibly glad that he wasn’t awkward when it came to people crying around him. He’d gotten plenty uncomfortable consoling lately and it had only made him feel worse in the end, making him a bit embarrassed at times. This girl was in good hands then. He could usually tell what a person needed to make them feel better and if what that was wasn’t too unreasonable, then sure, he’d do it. What Mercy seemed to need was simply someone to be held by and to listen; he could do that.

As Lexine tried to calm down, her breath becoming irregular and hiccup-y, Morrison curled a hand softly into the girl’s hair, cradling her head under his chin. He still had no idea why she was so upset to where she had such a hard time to get herself back under control, seeming to have such a great control over her own emotions, at least she had when he’d seen her early. Or perhaps he underestimated her, perhaps she was just as susceptible to a painful emotion as anyone else her age was. Not that this mattered. What mattered now was that she was vulnerable and needed someone there.

Now that Mercy started to lift her head, Morrison moved his hand from her hair, placing with his other hand against her back, between her shoulder blades. His shoulders dropped a little and he leaned forward so that she could comfortably rest her chin on him, not caring if he got a bit of a crick in his back. She could have sat on his shoulders like this and he wouldn’t have minded it; whatever helped, he served to please. At the soft breath that ran over his neck, he tensed a little, having enjoyed that in a way he shouldn’t have, but as she started talking, the trembling in her voice kept him focused on her grief.

"At the hospital,"

The wolf waited, knowing what was coming. She had tried to tell him about the scars that day when the OldMan had showed up. Now, there was, thankfully, no OldMan to disturb them, or even the priest. She desperately needed to get this off her chest, whatever it was. "You asked about my scars..." Morrison squeezed the girl for a moment, reassuring her and feeling her own arms tighten and shift a bit around him. "My brother," She paused and he feared that she had decided to continue to keep these secrets bottled up when she coughed roughly, startling the man into holding her tighter and then relaxing. He could faintly smell blood on her breath, though he didn’t mention it, despite being rather worried by it. She would shrug it off as her ‘cold’ anyway.

"When I was younger my brother did this to me,"

The man let out a soft, sad, sigh, and pulled Lexine a little closer. That was a terrible thing to do to such a young girl, how could you even think of doing that, especially your sister? He understood now why she despised her brother and why losing her family had been so painful for her. Yet he had no idea what to say to her that would help, this was so far out of his realm of knowledge, having lost his own family in comparably mundane ways.

"He destroyed everything...he took away everything."

Morrison’s eyes shut, keeping tears of sympathy at bay. The pain in her voice cut his heart deep and he couldn’t stop his tired self from slipping a little in the strong composure he held up. “Oh Lexy,” he sighed again, lifting a hand to stroke her hair while the other stayed in place, fingers needing her skin slowly. For a few long moments, he held her in place, comforting her with his hands and reeling his own emotions back in. Usually, he wasn’t so easily swayed to tears, but Meadhbh’s passing seemed to have changed him, and most people would have seen that as a very good thing.

After what felt like a couple of minutes, the wolf slowly coaxed Mercy to sit back, placing his hands gently on her shoulders to move her. Once he could see her face, he raised his hands to her cheeks, tilting her head so that she would look at him. He stared at her for a second or two before whispering slowly, “Don’t let your brother destroy you,” His eyes gazed right back into hers, a thumb trailing under her bottom lashes to wipe away the tears still clinging to her skin. “Okay?”

[Lexine Sullivan]

Despite telling him part of the truth, or at the very least a very small amount of it she didn't feel any better in the least but she guessed telling someone had to be better than keeping it to herself, bottled up only for it to blow up at a later date.... But she still didn't feel any better. Ok. Maybe just a tiny little bit but not nearly enough to convince her that what she was doing was the correct thing.

How could she think about trusting him? He wasn't like her at all. Not even the same species! She doubted he was even the age he appeared! Which was a little bit gross if she thought too much into it since she was sitting in his lap in her underwear...she really hoped Father Timothy didn't come back yet or she was going to be damned ever more than she already was! She mentally cursed herself at thinking she could get through this...she wasn't strong enough to rake up the memories of the past and since she spent most of her time trying to repress them this was turning into a very painful thing and she wasn't sure she could actually go through with it.

As Morrison shifted his body she had no choice but to be moved along with him and she was thankful that her hair covered most of the blush that spread across her cheeks as her body brushed against his before she was moved away so he could look at her. She forced that blush to vanish, not wanting to give the wrong impression of how she felt about this predicament....or to make light of the situation she found herself in.

As his hands moved to cup her face, forcing her to look up his eyes captured her own and she swallowed lightly. He had really rather intense eyes...but old. That was enough to tell her that she really shouldn't be here. She should not be sitting in the arms of someone she hated as a general rule, should not be allowing him to touch her skin with his warm hands and most certainly should not be allowing him to comfort her like this. It was wrong! So very very wrong.

And sometimes she was fed up with herself for trying to hate something like this. Yeah, the supernatural were the cause of her tragic life but this man was trying to help her. The problem was that she was being very racist and the fact that her life had been ruined was what was stopping her from trying to move on with it- she couldn't forget the past no matter how hard she tried...and short of getting into a drug induced coma those memories and the pain that came with them would always be lurking in her mind.

His thumbs moved and she blinked as she felt the hard skin run over her eyelashes collecting the salty tears as they did so. Against her will her eyes fluttered slightly and slowly drifted closed at the touch, liking it more than she should have done but not willing to admit it. He most certainly was not supposed to handle her so tenderly! He made her feel like she was made of glass and she wasn't sure how to take that. It might have only been a year since that day but even before then she had always remained the strong one...the one who could not and would not break under pressure- not when the doctors were pressing for answers or when the neighbors called her things behind her back and even to her face.

This man was destroying everything she was now. He got under her skin and she wasn't sure if she could handle that.

“Don’t let your brother destroy you,”

Her eyes opened at his words and she stared right back at him, her own a whirl of different emotions. Pain. Anger. Self loathing. He couldn't understand how she felt. Those words served nothing to her. Her brother had destroyed everything about her, slowly and calculated. He had enjoyed tearing her innocence from her and even to the end refused to apologise for it. Lexi was no fool. Despite everything he had always enjoyed the power he had held over her....and she had never been able to fight back.

"Its too late for that," Her voice was soft but the firm belief in her words was obvious. She really did believe that it was too late for herself...Her brother had taken what made her normal and now she simply seemed to cling to life and she didn't know why. She should have followed her family the first chance she had gotten...it wasn't like she had to suffer at all, it was easy enough to get the right drugs for the job. She would have simply drifted to sleep.

So why was she sitting on a kitchen floor, held by one of the creatures she had sworn to destroy if she ever came across one?