Angels of Darkness; the Second Generation--Part two

Kylia opened her mouth to say something before she heard a knock on the door. "Stay here," she said, her voice gaining a sudden confidence as if she was telling one of her children to do something. She pointed at her, reinforcing her statement, then turned and rushed down the stairs and opened the door just slightly. She blinked and opened the door the rest of the way. "James?" She asked, taking a cautious step out. Hopefully it was James, and not another angel from the GWC.


Jarred's brow furrowed and he looked down at her, curiously, confusion filling him. "Love?" He asked, tilting his head slightly. "How...how do you define that?" He'd felt..stirrings towards Lily, though what to call them he had no idea. It was all so new to him still.

James stopped in his tracks and looked up at the sky when he heard her voice. Was there some hilarious prank that the universe was trying to pull on him? Sighing, he turned around. "Hey, Kylia," he murmured.

Skylur's smile widened as she sat down in a chiar and brought her knees up to her chest. "Love is something....unique," she murmured. "It's different for everyone." She chewed on her lip, thinking of how to put it. "They're all you can think about. You want them next to you twenty four seven, and when they're not, all you can do is hope to God that they're okay, that they're not in trouble."

Jarred thought for a long moment, his face almost brooding. He gave a small nod, eyes searching the table. "I understand the feeling," he said softly. "I...get those feelings about Lillith....does this mean I love her?" He asked curiously, eyes going to Skylur's face.


Kylia looked at him before holding her hand out. "Come inside?" She asked, her eyes still watery from before and her cheeks tear stained. She had an almost hollowness to her features, and it was obvious that in her heart, she'd buried Lorrick as if he had died in her arms. In her mind, he no longer existed. He had died.

Skylur nodded. "I'm afraid it does, big brother." She gave his hand a soft squeeze before a doctor came into the waiting room.
"Ms. Bennett?"
She looked up quickly, her heart automatically going into her throat. "Yes?"
The doctor smiled. "Cassanova will be alright. He lost a lot of blood, so he'll have to stay overnight for a few days, but he's not in critical condition any longer."
Skylur stood up quickly, relief flooding through her. "Can I see him?"
The doctor nodded. "Right this way."

James studied the girl that owned his heart, his best friend's wife, before nodding slowly. He took her hand and brought it to his lips, knowing that she was feeling the loss of her husband. "He's not truely dead you know," he murmured.

Kylia's lip quivered at his words, her eyes falling to the ground. "He is no longer the man I married..he may as well be dead," she said through choked back tears. "Come on..let's get you cleaned up..then you can help me with the basement..Carson came here and Jarred...Jarred did his job..." She gave his hand a light squeeze and took him into the kitchen. "I'd take you up to the room to get changed, but Lillith is in there..Lorrick told me you two weren't exactly on good terms."


Jarred stood and followed, his wings some what extended do to how much it hurt to fold them, thanks to the bullet wound he'd gained. He followed Skylur and the doctor into Cass's room.

Cass was laying in the hospital bed, hook up to all sorts of I.V.'s and looking pale and exhausted. His eyes opened when he heard the door though, and relief flooded through him to know Skylur was alright and that she was there with him. He smiled and attempted to sit up, his body screaming at him for being stupid.

James shook his head and leaned against the kitchen counter. "No, I would assume not." His eyes turned sad, but he quickly hid it away. "I've regreted every day since that child was killed. Lorrick was the one who served the final blow, but it was my fault. I should have backed down from the fight before it escilated to such heights." He was staring into space, remembering the way the twins had fought side-by-side, remembering the anguish that took Lilith when she witnessed her sister's death.

Skylur rushed to Cass's side before he sat all the way up. "Are you crazy?" she demanded, pushing gently on his shoulders to get him lie back down. "You were just shot. You need to be lying down, not trying to accomplish the impossible and actually sit." She scowled at him playfully before turning to the doctor. "If...if you would, could you possibly help my brother?" She gave Jarred a look that said he better not argue.

Jarred didn't especially like being tended to by people outside his family. The only other person he didn't mind, was Lillith. He glanced at the doctor, then back to Skylur with an almost nervous fear. He'd been warned by his mother countless times to be careful, since his angelic genes were more...prominent and it would be more likely for him to be taken to the GWC for that reason. Having others tend to him, usually meant going with them to a different room where he wasn't always sure he'd be able to fight his way out, especially being so injured. Even as the blood leaked through his bandage on his shoulder, he was hesitant to leave.


Kylia didn't really respond for a long moment, instead busying herself with having him remove his shirt so she could wash the blood out. She'd worry about the pants and things when she could actually get him changed. "Why were you fighting with them in the first place?" she asked quietly.

Skylur shook her head quickly when the doctor tried to lead him out of the room. "No. No, keep him in here. Please." The doctor tried to protest, but Skylur could feel Jarred's hesitation, his nervousness, his fear.... Sighing, the doctor shook his head and went into another room himself to get more bandages.

James crossed his arms over his bare chest and hung his head. "I was sent to kill one of their members. Mathew, Lilith, her sister, and her sister's boyfriend found out and came to kill me before I got to them. They would have too, but Lorrick came just in time. He saved my life, but killed Lilith's twin in the process...." James ran his hand over his face, sighing softly. "I never meant for it to happen, but there are some things that you just can't undo."

Kylia nodded thoughtfully as she washed the shirt out in the sink, scrubbing it with Dawn to get all the blood out. She was to use to this kind of thing. She looked from the shirt to him, her eyes searching his. "It's not like you could disobey either," she said softly. She turned back to the shirt and finished it off. She then wrung it out and hung it over the window rod to dry. She glanced at him and looked him over for a moment as if thinking, then turned and disappeared into the laundry room, only to come back with some of Lorrick's clothes. "Here," she said as she handed them to him. "You can use Jarred's room just down the hall to change if you need."



Jarred watched his sister and relaxed as the doctor left. Reluctantly he sat down, his wings still seeming to refuse to close. "I need to go back to Lilith..."


Cass looked between the two with tired eyes as he laid against the bed. He sighed and gave a small frown. "You sure you're ok? You didn't get hurt?" His white bandages now had a few dark stains from his movements, but he didn't seem to care. All he cared about was that she was alright.

James took the shirt and pulled it over his head with a look of gratitude. "Thanks, but I've got nothing else to change into." He sat at the table as he studied Kylia. "Everything's going to be alright, you know that right? It'll work itself out somehow."

Skylur shook her head at Jarred. "She's fine with Mom. You just need to rest for a few minutes, you hear me?" The doctor came back then and started to fix him up.
Skylur turned to Cass and gave a small smile as she took his hand. "I'm fine," she assured him, refusing to show her injuries. She had a nice cut along her hip bone, but it was nothing important. "Stop moving will you?" she murmured, frowning when she saw the dark spots begin to show.

Lilith frowned when Kylia didn't come back into the room. She stood up from the bed and walked down the stairs, wincing slightly at the pain it caused. She only wanted to make sure that Kylia was alright, that nothing had happened to her. Lately, it seemed smart to be more careful than not careful at all. "Ky--" She stopped when she came ot the bottom of the steps, her heart freezing in her chest. Memories came rushing back at full force....Her sister's face the main one. "You son of a bitch," she growled, reaching for the knife she usually kept in her boot. Of course, it wasn't there.

Kylia's eyes looked pained and tightened, though she gave only a small nod in answer. She kept back the tears that threatened to fall and turned, only to find Lilith coming down the hall and standing in the doorway. She looked between the two, swallowing. She debated whether she should leave and let them work it out, but seeing as how the kitchen was full of sharp objects...it probably wasn't the best place to leave them alone. So instead, she stood in way of anything that they might try to get their hands on, and stayed quiet, letting them work things out.



Jarred fidgeted as the doctor worked on him, receiving a few nasty looks from the doctor who was having a hard time working on him with all his moving.


Cass watched her, not really seeming to believe her. "You sure?" He asked, his eyes searching her face. His hand tightened around hers, concern etched into his face.

James held his hands up in the air as he stood from the chair. "I didn't come here to start trouble," he told her, folding his wings tightly against his spine.
Lilith laughed and stepped further into the kitchen. She wasn't stupid. She could see how Kylia was trying to guard all of the knives. No matter. "No trouble? How in the hell can you say that, you bastard?"
James watched the girl, his eyes regretful. "Please. Not here, Lilith."
Growling, Lily dove for a drawer right beneath Kylia's arm and grabbed a knife from inside of it. It wasn't big, but it would work. "Then let's go outside." She had the knife pressed against his ribcage, her face inches from his.
James didn't move to stop her. He deserved whatever she did to him, that much he knew. It was his fault that her only family was taken from her. His eyes flickered to Kylia. He would do the same thing in her shoes. "Fine," he agreed, taking a few steps backwards toward the door.

Skylur gave Jarred a look that said to calm down before bending over to kiss Cass on the forehead, the movment making her wince slightly. "I'm sure," she lied softly. "You just get better, okay?'

Jarred's brow furrowed as he watched his sister press her lips to Cass's head. What was that?....Why did she do that? Was there meaning in the lips pressing to the head? He'd seen his father do it on occasion to his mother, but he never fully understood it, and always brushed it off as his parents being odd. But since they weren't the only ones that did that....His eyes stayed trained on Skylur, no longer noticing the doctor.


Cass relaxed slightly, though noticed her hesitance in moving. "Only if you let the doctor look at you," he said, still concerned. His eyes watched her carefully, obviously not backing down.


Kylia frowned, eyes tightening. Please don't hurt him...he's all I've got.. She thought, but didn't say anything. She watched carefully, prepared to intervene if necessary.

Skylur felt a full wave of confusion hit her. She turned to Jarred and smiled softly. "I love him," she mouthed to him so that Cass couldn't hear. She turned back to him, sitting in a chair that was next to his bed. "Honestly, Cass. I'm fine. Promise." There was no need for the doctor to look at her. THat would only take the attention away from Cass and Jarred and they needed it more than she did.

Tears began to form in Lilith's eyes as her sister's face kept popping up in her mind.... Her smile, her red hair, so much like her own. The way her eyes were just like hers, only opposite. She pushed the thoughts back as they crept to the last time she saw her.... Blood stained hair, making it redder than it should have been, the way her limbs were twisted at odd angles.... Anger built inside of her as she pushed the knife in further without realizing it.
Pain began flashing through James as blood pooled on his shirt. "Outside, Lilith," he said through clenched teeth. Every inch of him was wanting to fight back, to take out the danger, but he held back. He deserved this. He knew he did. He glanced at Kylia, hating that she was seeing this, as he walked outside, Lilith keeping right up.



T

Kylia watched them leave and she bit her lip. "Stay towards the front of the house," she told them, as odd as it seemed. But Rachel, her first born, was buried in the back and she didn't want them tumbling all over her. It wasn't like she could stop the fight anyway. She just hoped that it came out with both of them alive, Jarred wouldn't forgive either of them if Lilith died, and she wouldn't be able to function at all if James died.


Jarred blinked, his brow still furrowed. So if you loved someone....you put your lips on them?...That was an...odd concept. He looked at the doctor as if asking him if he understood, but the doctor was to busy finishing off his work to really notice. When he was done he stood and sighed.

"Look, he's done with Jarred, let him look at you," Cass said stubbornly as Jarred stood as well and rolled his shoulders slightly, pain shooting through the shoulder that had been grazed by the bullet.

Don't you just hate it when everything you write just disappears? Gah.

Skylur began to protest, but the doctor was already standing next to her. He must have heard Cass's comment. "Will you please lift your shirt, miss?" She stared up at him with narrowed eyes for a few moments before standing, her shirtlifted enough to show the cut on her hip. It was worse than she had origanally thought. Now that her adrenaline was wearing down, pain began to register, showing her just how bad it really was. Skylur scowled down at Cass as the doctor began to clean it.

James was out on the front lawn with Lilith still pressing the knife into his chest. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you now?"
James studied the girl, his heart heavy. "I can't."
This surprised her, but it quickly went away. Of course he would say that. It was to throw her off so that she'd end up sparing his life. But she wasn't stupid. She wouldn't fall for his tricks.
"She was only 16," she said suddenly, the knife beginning to waver. "My sister had never even killed an angel. She didn't like the life we had. She hated the thought of killing someone, even if that someone was inhuman." Tears began pooling in her eyes. "It should have been me. You should have killed me, not her."
James merely watched Lilith. He watched the girl whose heart had been ripped out and crudely placed back into her chest. A sudden pain laced through his chest, hot as fire, as Lily brought the knife up and back down into his flesh. She drug it from the top of his chest to his belly button, tearing skin and just knicking muscle. It wasn't enough to kill him by any means, but it was enough to bring him to his knees.
Lily threw the knife to the side before running. She wasn't sure where she would go, but she had to get away from the house of angels.

Kylia was quickly by James' side as soon as Lilith had dropped the knife. She caught him so he wouldn't fall over and used her body for him to lean on as she stripped herself of her shirt. "Are you alright?" She asked quietly as she put the shirt to his chest, staunching the blood as best she could.


Jarred shifted, pacing slightly. He looked at Cass and Skylur, trying to convince himself he needed to stay, but his mind kept wandering back to Lilith.


Cass watched her, brow furrowed, though his eyes started to droop. His energy was now spent, and he was quickly falling asleep.

James nodded, wincing slightly as she pressed her shirt to his chest. He averted his eyes from her half naked body, focusing on the ocean. "I'll be fine," he muttered, trying his best to straighten up. The movement caused his blood to flow faster, staining his jeans and Lorrick's shirt.

Skylur looked over to her brother, sencing his uneasiness. "Go to her, Jar," she said as the doctor began to wrap a bandage around her torso. "She needs you. We're fine here. Go make sure she's alright." She gave him a reassuring smile before turning back to Cass. "I'll be right here when you wake up, kay?" she promised, sitting back down when the doctor was finished.

Lilith didn't know where she was going, and she didn't care. She just had to be away from everyone and everything. If she could get away from her own thoughts, she would. Her lungs began to burn, but she kept running, refusing to stop. Maybe if she kept going, everything else would fall away and disappear. Maybe it would all make sence again. After another ten minutes, the pain in her side was gone, and her body was numb. She found a cave off the shore of the beach. It was dark, damp, and issolated. Absolutely perfect. She sat in the deepest part of it, barely able to see her own hand in front of her face. This was where she would stay until she was sure no one was looking for her any longer. Including Jarred. The thought of him tore at her heart, which only made things worse. Growling, she found a sharp rock on the floor of the cave and drug the edge across the palm of her hand, bringing blood to the surface. The pain was enough to erase her thoughts away, at least for the moment.

Jarred looked a little torn but gave a small nod. He quickly left the hospital and started back towards the house, flying as fast as his sore wings would carry him. He got there just as he saw Lilith running away and his eyes stayed on her, ignoring everything else. He followed her and watched her go inside the cave. He then sat outside of it, and waited for her to come out.


Kylia frowned at the blood as it flowed faster and she sighed. "Come on, lets get you inside.." She helped him into the house, keeping the shirt on his wound, ignoring the fact that it was quickly soaking through to her hand. "I may have to stitch this," she muttered once they were inside. She made him lay down and put lots of gauze on the area to soak up some of the blood before she began to clean it out and determine how deep it was. She didn't seem to mind not having a shirt around him, after all, he was the one who had helped her give birth to both of her children. She kept quiet though, her ring no longer on her finger, having taken it off when James and Lilith had gone outside.


Cass watched her, his eyes fighting to stay open. He took her hand in his and gave it a tight squeeze, not letting it go. Part of him really hated hospitals, the other part just really hated not being able to keep an eye on Skylur. It wasn't long before his eyes had closed, and he'd fallen asleep.

Lily laid on her side and curled into a ball. She finally let the tears fall from her eyes, making streaks down her face where they washed away the dirt. After a few moments she fell asleep, wishing that it would be the last time she ever had to have her eyes open again.

James closed his eyes as she cleaned out the gash. The pain that the alcohol caused was worse than the acutal blade itself. He knew it was wrong to be in Lorrick's house with his wife only in her bra, but he couldn't bring himself to walk away. If he went to the GWC, they could have him fixed up in no time, but the concept of leaving Kylia on her own knotted up his stomach. So, instead, he lay still and bit his tongue so he wouldn't give any sound of pain.

Skylur watched as he fell asleep, his feelings of protectiveness ebbing off into calm and peace. Sighing softly, she rested her head on his matress, only meaning to close her eyes for a moment. Instead, she drifted off into a light sleep, her hand still clutching Cass's.

Kylia continued to clean him up, deciding it was probably best if she stitched it. She did her best to make quick work of it, her hands steady despite the turmoil boiling inside her. When she was done with the stitching and the bandaging she took a deep breath and stood. "There's clothes up in my room you can wear, you know where they are." She gave a small nod then turned and went to the kitchen where she cleaned herself up then searched the laundry room for a shirt before going outside. She went to the small cemetery that had been built just for Rachel. It wasn't much, just a little garden fence around a stone tablet and bed of flowers, but it was enough. She then sat beside it and pulled her knees to her chest, staring off into the timber behind it with a blank expression on her face.

James went up to her room and pulled on a new pair of clothes, the fact that they were Lorrick's not getting past him. He found Kylia outside next to Jarred's twin's grave. He stood a few feet away, studying her. "You took off your wedding band." It was a mere statement, but the fact took him by slight surprise.

"Yes," Kylia said with a small nod, her voice quivering just slightly. "I did." She didn't look at him, her eyes still on the timber. "I told you..he's dead...you and I both know he won't come back...and if he does...it won't be because he loves us and misses us...it'll be to take the kids..." She swallowed hard, her shaky hand reaching over and giving the grave stone a loving rub. "A man can only go through that so many times before he's completely lost.."

James turned his gaze to the ocean, his mind moving a million miles a minute. So much had changed in so little time. "May I?" he asked, gesturing toward the spot next to her on the ground.

Kylia hesitated a moment before giving a small nod. "Of course," she murmured, her one hand staying on the grave while she cross her legs in front of her. She looked down at her lap, her face holding a few more tears, her eyes watery though clear with conviction. "You told me once, that no matter what Lorrick keeps his promises," she said softly. "He always promised that if he ever left..he'd come back...but he never said how..." She swallowed, her voice coated in tears. "Promise me you'll do all you can to help protect Sky and Jarred.....please?"





Jarred waited and waited, but Lilith never came out. He took a deep breath before plunging inside the cave after her and finally finding her. He frowned and sat down beside her, unsure of what to do. It wasn't often he had to deal with these sort of things, it was usually his mother that took care of Skylur and her emotions.