It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck him. Three perspectives crammed into one, and all focused on that little boy out on a floating structure of ice. Only this time, Verando was trapped behind the veil and it was Alpha and Fenrir at the helm. 

While Alpha had had his fun, hunting and running to his heart's content, Fenrir had enjoyed his time closer to the sun. 

"Can he swim?" Alpha prompts quickly, reluctant to near the water's edge. Verando struggled to get to the forefront, to see what the situation was, and yet his chest felt impossibly tight. It was hard to breath, hard to consider what he might need to do. 

"Who gives a shit? He's a unicorn, he'll figure it out." Fenrir scowls back. 

"That's my child." Verando reminds them both harshly, an internal monologue plunging into the hopelessness that it would involve going across the water to get to him. The thought made his mouth run dry, his skin grow even colder, he would have to swim across that body of water. 

Darius was crying, obviously frightened, calling out to him, and yet his body refused to move. 

His eyes lowered to the edge of the large body of water, the current was thankfully slow today, they hadn't had a good rain in some time. 

"Drown. Don't want to drown." Alpha's voice is hard, and short, commanding them to turn around. 

Fenrir laughs, a sickening chuckle, hovering in the background as Alpha fights to take control of the vessel. It felt like his body was going to split into three."Lycans and their loyalty. Disgusting that it seems to be only surface deep. A little inconvenience and you turn tail and run, good to see that when push comes to shove, you're no better than me."

Darius's voice prompts him again, pulling Verando from the darkness. The weight of the veil was crushing, pushing him back to the depths, encouraging him to give in, sleep, and let the two continue to run this body for a few more blissful hours. How long had it been? Minutes? Hours? Days? It was so hard to tell in the darkness. 

Fenrir must truly hate it in here. 

"Not mine. Can have more." Alpha spits back, making Verando flinch. 

"He is mine." The warlord insists, forcing the wolf's body to plant his feet, refusing to go backward. "He's every bit mine as any of our other children. We have to go get him."

"Want to drown? Go through that again?" Alpha practically snarls back at him, the ice snapping makes him flinch again, another shock to his system. His body jerks, threatening to run, wanting so desperately to run. "Not. Mine." 

"Daddy! Can you see me?" Darius curls into a smaller ball on the ice, causing the corners of the already minimal circle to chip off. "Help me!" 

He was standing there, saying nothing, doing nothing but threatening to back away as if he would leave. His body was rigid, frozen- for moving meant running away from wading into those depths and hoping he'd come out on the other side. Fear was a strange sensation with no heart to respond to it. 

Fenrir rolls his eyes in the background, "Pathetic."

Much as he wished for it to be different, the fear was as much his own as it was Alpha's. Nothing in him wanted to move, to place a single inch of himself in that water, but for Darius, he had to try. A tingling in the back of his mind made him shudder, collectively, the wolf turned his head to look over his shoulder. 

"Someone's messing with your heart." Fenrir proposes. 

"Nic.." Verando murmurs, pushing Alpha down, and forcing him under the veil. "Nic is going to call us back, he thinks we're still rouge." 

Yet the Alpha refuses to yield. 

"Nic. Let him. Go home." The wolf demands sharply. 

"Yeah, let your kid die, we'll be back just in time to find his body." Fenrir spits. 

It was an odd sensation to feel that the end of the planet, the bringer of Ragnarok, was the one forcing this vessel to remain at the water's edge. Fenrir seemed to almost be on his side, considering that Fenrir was also a father, it might make sense that he would feel some sort of pity for the child. 

The tingle expands, feeling more like a buzz, an intention becoming more clear. There was no doubt that they would be summoning him, it was the safest way to get him back, even if it would give away his position, it would get him out of the woods and where they could find him. 

The decision was suddenly very clear.

"Fenrir, take my body and get Darius." Verando demands, if he was to release his hold on Alpha, even more a moment, the wolf would take the opportunity to return home. After all, the wolf did belong to Alpha, whereas the human side belonged to Verando. 

But, in Fenrir's case, he could move freely if permitted to. The call would still summon him, but he would not be held back by fear. 

"Me? You trust me to go get him? Why the hell would I do that?" The beast snarls. 

 That was a good question, but not one he had time to delve into. "I don't trust you, but you have two sons and every opportunity you get to come to the surface, you look for them. The sun and the moon, you haven't forgotten that you have children. Even if Darius is the unicorn, you're the only thing keeping us here." Admitting that he might have been reluctant to get in the water was a hard pill to swallow, but having Darius die was unthinkable. 

Alpha pulls against the mental restraint. Darius's hands and knees begin to sink under the water and Verando shoves the vessel forward, pressing one paw into the water's edge despite how Alpha lashes out against him. 

"Fenrir, you have to go. Now." Verando demands, making the King of Chaos hesitate. 

_________________________________________________

I stare at the group, waiting patiently as they explain to my shambling form exactly what they had decided to do. Scrambling into my underwear, narrowly managing to yank on a shirt, I resist the urge to let my wolf leap off the balcony and race after him. 

While my husband was selfish and inexcusably idiotic at times, he was correct in that Alpha might find the need to defend himself against my wolf if I were to try and hunt him down. The creature was always looking for an excuse to get out, this would be the perfect time to attempt to insert myself. 

But, did he have to do it while I was having such a good more? After such an incredible night? Running a hand roughly through my hair, I storm down the stairs to step out the back door and onto the rear patio. Shielding my eyes in the early afternoon sun, I'm shocked they waited as long as they did to wake me. 

"Did you truly think he would just come back? Why on earth did you take the chain off?"

"He needed space to run, the chain is very restricting to the wolf," Adriam explains slowly, lacking emotion, knowing I was beyond upset and needing no help. "He said he needed to make sure the lycan side of him was still in control."

The words made me hesitate, pushing my anger to the side for only a moment to attempt to empathize with the man who was having an identity crisis. "God damn it Verando...." I murmur, gripping the pendant around my neck, still feeling that pounding heartbeat in my palm. "The kids are safe?"

"They're with Stefan at his cottage," Adriam tells me, frowning. 

I curse, gripping my hair with both hands as I pace. "So they're out there, with him, with Fenrir- Gods- How could you do this?" It's Adriam I'm yelling at now, but it's not the French man I'm upset with. He must sense that, for he meets me with an empathetic expression as he folds his arms over his chest. 

"It's nor his fault, Nicolas," Tomas interjects. "It's these secrets, he ain't been the same since all the secrets and the changes."

I knew why, but did Tomas? Judging by Victor and Adriam's expressions, the answer was no. So Verando had decided to keep Tomas out of the loop, but the reasoning behind that baffled me for I thought Tomas was one of his best friends. 

"Verando has.. been under a lot of stress." I explain the best I can, feeling the tremble in my hands, the wolf fighting to be free of this mortal body to go look for my life partner in those damned woods. "He's not... thinking clearly.. at times. Which is why we should be vetting requests like this with much more thought than just blindly obeying him-"

Victor pulls his lips into a thin line, clearing his throat. "You tell him no, then you can say these things. Verando always has reason behind strange requests." 

Adriam touches the man's arm as if somehow I'm the irrational one who needs to be reasoned with when my husband was loose on our property with our children in the hands of a peaceful Strigoi. 

I could call Anubis, possibly, but that seems far-fetched and beyond my abilities. Perhaps Tiberius though the man seemed reluctant after almost dying at the hands of my husband's ability. Any of the people who would be willing or able to help were standing around me, with Legardo decidedly separated from us and placed firmly in the living room. 

Legardo, the only voice of reason, was only willing to go into those woods if it meant putting a bullet in any creature that dared venture toward us. After what had happened, the Alpha look-alike had adopted a no-tolerance policy for Death on the prowl. 

Touching the pendant on my neck, I sigh softly. I didn't have to tell them how. "I can call him back."

Adriam raises an eyebrow. "Last time he destroyed your house."

"Better our home, better us, than thousands of unsuspecting people or worse.. my children."

"Speak for self." Victor spits, only to grunt as Adriam elbows him. It would appear Victor was siding with Legardo on this one, it seemed the group was faltering in their willingness to follow my warlord on these self-destructive excursions. 

"No.. Adam, it's fine.. I.. I get it." I falter through, how many more times could we ask them for help? They had spent so long trying to find us, often I wondered if they regretted it, nothing had been the same since Fenrir came into the picture, and now-

I exhale slowly, forcing the thought to the back of my mind. "If you all want to leave..."

Tomas shakes his head, patting me on the back, and offering me a small smile. "We're in this for the long haul. We are just concerned. For him. For you. For the kids."

Collectively they eye my cuff and I know what they must be thinking, that I've lost my mind to want to bring any more of this man's children into this world. Placing my hand protectively over the band, I frown, I could accept their judgment. 

"He didn't give up on me when I was lost." I remind them, refusing to allow myself to be dragged into the depths of uncertainty. Just like them, I trusted that there was a plan, a method to the madness. 

Even if I couldn't see it. 

"Everyone stand back. I'm going to call him." It was decided, I couldn't just let him roam wild, as many times as it took I would call him back here. I had his heart, he had to listen to me, at least that was the rule defined by Anubis. 

As the group moves back towards the porch and I stride out into the grass, barefoot, dressed in my boxer briefs and his oversized t-shirt, the whole situation almost felt laughable. Briefly, I consider how it would feel to be reaped, to be killed, and then have to watch him take my soul to the underworld. I can't help but chuckle. 

I had no soul, Anubis owned it. 

So I would die then, and sit in a vile for the rest of eternity. 

Wrapping my fingers around the pendant, I take a long, slow breath. 

"Come."

I would never get used to the sensation, as if the world moved to meet the man in question. The tremble, the backlash of one of the most powerful beings to exist being forced to my feet, Death at my command. It was as if reality couldn't believe my audacity, everything went black for only a split second. 

When the world blinks, my eyes refocus, and I see Verando before me. Sitting in the grass, soaking wet, he clutched a drenched Darius in his arms. The child was pale, unmoving, Verando's light gaze met the doctor who stood frozen on the patio steps. 

"Adam!" He yells, desperate, as the French man races across the grass quicker than I can comprehend. As quickly as he's acknowledged, Verando drops the boy, recoiling back from him.

 I'm shocked to see, somehow, he's still wearing his boxer briefs. 

Adriam drops to his knees beside the child as Verando paces, on the verge of losing it as he tries to figure out what to do with his hands. Gripping his hair or resting them on his hips, his expression contorted into anguish. I'm torn between him and my child but opt to dop to my knees as Adriam listens for a heartbeat. 

The world stands still, almost in slow motion, I hear the boy cough once. 

Adriam sighs in relief. "He's breathing. Probably a little waterlogged... exhausted. His fingers-" He touches the boy's palm, "He was using?"

"Ice." Verando manages, "He was.. in the lake... on a sheet.. of ice." 

Once more we fall silent. Darius was using magic? My magic? 

Verando.. saved him?

"Don't look at me! Help him!" Verando snaps, harshly, as Adriam collects the child in his arms. Darius's teeth start to chatter, he whimpers once at the movement and Verando almost reaches for him but quickly stops himself. His hands, his arms, and his body even, seem to tremble from the adrenaline and possibly the shock of it all. 

"He's cold. We need to get him dry and warm him up. I need to get a temperature... keep an eye on his oxygen, if it dips too low, we'll have to take him to the hospital." Adriam explains, gesturing to Tomas to go to my husband before nudging me to get up. 

Stefan trudges out of the woods, a screaming Xavier on one hip, we collectively flinch at the shrill shriek of the child. 

"Oh thank god.. you found him." Stefan manages, in various states of disorganized as he releases Xavier to allow him to run to me. 

"Darius got lost?" I manage, gathering Xavier, and holding him tightly in my arms as he clings to me. 

"He slipped off, we were playing by the creek by my cottage, and he was gone! I couldn't find him.. is.. is Adriam carrying Darius?" His red gaze flicks to Verando and then back to me. "Is Darius alright? Don't tell me-" 

I raise my hand quickly, worn thin, trying to piece together the timeline. It truly happened, Darius was alone, and nobody would have heard him. It would have taken us possibly hours to discover where he'd gone. "He's fine. Darius is going to be fine. He made some ice and got onto the lake, Randy.. saved him."

One second sooner. If I had called him any sooner, we would have been too late and Darius might have died. Could Verando have negotiated for him back? My husband would have been the one to explain to our child that he couldn't come home, that he'd died. 

Did he already make a deal? 

"Nic, I'm so sorry. Oh god.. Darius. I'm so sorry, Nic." Stefan clutches his own throat, horrified, emotion welling in those large eyes as I touch his arm. I can't bring myself to be upset with him, I can't feel, can't think, and I'm on the verge of numbness as I clutch Xavier. 

"Fenrir." Verando finally manages. "Fenrir saved him."

The evening passes in a blur, Darius seems more exhausted than injured or harmed. While he was quite powerful, using had been hard on him and it was likely his little body burned out trying to stay afloat for as long as he did. 

While I can see him, and reason that he's alright, it feels like a horrible dream that I can't wake up from. 

We almost lost him, my child, my sweet Darius. 

While we damned him, if it wasn't for Verando's escape he might not be here. 

Verando kept his distance, none of us expected anything less, while he was attentive and lingered as close as he dared, there were no attempts made to get anywhere near the unicorn. It was as if he was worried his presence might cause the boy to take a turn for the worst, and I was at peace with his decision. 

I wasn't sure my own motherly heart could take the thought of an accidental touch. 

Xavier goes to bed early, while Stefan and Adriam hover around Darius on the couch. Adriam uses his body heat, holding the sniffling child and taking his temperature as often as the thermometer could read it back to him, his little finger clamped into the pulse monitor. 

Legardo stands guard with Victor, I find myself adrift as my husband leaves for the fourth time to smoke. We all watch him as he leaves, closing the front door behind him, he'd barely said a word since we'd brought Darius into the house. 

"He saved Darius?" Legardo demands as if somehow he didn't believe it. 

"He said Fenrir did," I respond, my voice low, I press my nose into the collar of the shirt, pulling in a slow inhale. "But yes. Verando... got in the lake.. and saved Darius."

Once more silence overcomes us. My husband could hardly shower at times, let alone jump into an open body of water and swim, possibly submerge, to save our child. "Bet yer all feelin' like a bunch a bitches!" Tomas snorts. "Countin' out Randal fer a crazy one, only ta find he saved the day."

The door opens, and Verando frowns at the scene, pulling his eyebrows down in irritation. "I am a lycan, in case anyone forgot, so there's no point in waiting for me to leave if you're going to talk about it. I didn't save anyone, Fenrir did."

"Just take the credit, for the love." Tomas rolls his eyes heavily. "Why on earth would Fenrir help us? Let alone Darius?"

Verando considers this for a moment, somber in his expression. "I don't know. Alpha refused, he remembers the torture just as well as I do." Exhaling, he runs a still shaky hand through his hair, moving to the large cabinet beside the fireplace to grab the bottle of brandy and pour himself a drink. 

Swallowing it, he wrinkles his nose as he stares into the glass.  "I asked Fenrir for help and he did. I didn't save anyone, if it were only Alpha and I, Darius would be dead."

Darius lifts his head, and Adriam clutches the boy a little tighter. "Verando." he seethes through his teeth. 

"Daddy." The small boy stretches out his fingers, making my warlord exhale as he walks stiffly over to the couch, extending one finger to allow the child to clutch the end of it. "Who's Fenrir?" His childlike voice struggles with Norse pronunciation.

"A wolf, just like me." He explains, keeping his voice soft. 

Darius grows quiet for a moment, I almost wonder if he'd fallen asleep, yet his hand still clutched Verando's finger. "I went under the water, it was so cold. Did you see my ice?" 

"I did." Verando exhales, forcing a small smile that doesn't touch his eyes. 

"You pulled me up. I grabbed your hand." Darius yawns, letting go of the man's finger to cuddle back against Adriam's chest. "I didn't see any 'woof's."