"Look, it's all in the wrist," Willow instructed Aiden sternly. She leaned slightly into him, her hand around his hand and wrist as she adjusted his hold around the red plastic circle. "It's like a Frisbee...sort of," she added a second later. "You just flick your wrist and let go...Yeah, like that! You did it!" Willow praised him, clapping.

Letting out a long sigh, Aiden's head drooped in shame. "You make me feel like I'm a child," he grumbled.

Willow smirked, black eyes glittering in amusement. "You aren't a kid, Aiden. Even a kid wouldn't have had as much trouble with this little game," she shook her head sadly.

The man in the booth let out a nervous chuckle. "Seriously, sir, you didn't need to...I told you that you could just take a prize," he coughed into his fist awkwardly.

Shaking his head, Aiden straightened his spine and glared defiantly at the booth. The assortment of plastic toys and stuffed animals mocked him, grinning in evil humor at his inability to obtain them. Throwing down another dollar bill, he lifted up three more red plastic rings. "No, I shall win this like any other carnival goer. I will win this fair and square," he promised.

Willow glanced behind her shoulder, noticing the crowd they'd attracted. Or, Aiden had attracted, at least. But after spending the last half hour at this ring toss game, Willow had learned something about Aiden, at the very least.

Christ, this man is competitive! I knew he was stubborn, but holy shit!

They'd come up to the ring toss game and Willow had demonstrated how it was played by hooking a perfect win in her first go. Stuff like this had always been easy for her. Hell, easier than shooting a gun and aiming for another living person by leaps and bounds.

Aiden had proceeded to try...and try...and try...

The booth owner is going to go home swamped in so much money tonight, Willow thought tiredly. Aiden had already sunk, what, fifty bucks into the one game by now?

Crazy, crazy man...Crazy family, she reminded herself. Though I guess I can't talk. I've got a god for a father, a daughter who can see into the future, plus two sons who I either had or adopted under very shady circumstances.

Aiden managed to hook two rings and he leaned forward, looking completely exhausted. "...I think I'm done," he breathed out in a long breath.

"Just take whatever prize you want," the booth owner insisted. "You deserve it thrice over, sir."

Aiden glanced at the man, smiling tightly. "Please, what prize is available for two rings?"

"Anything you want," the booth owner insisted.

"Two. Rings," Aiden ground out.

"Hey, that's cute," Willow jumped in, pointing to a black and silver fox plushie. It was about eight inches tall, with its tail which was tipped in silver tucked around it's side and body. It's eyes were closed in happiness, a dark blue pattern of dots on it's silver chest proudly on display.

"I shall take the fox, sir," Aiden said in an oddly formal tone, gaining a eye roll from Willow.

"Fox. Yeah, got it," the man nodded his head quickly. "Now, you two have a nice date and try not to harass anymore booths, you hear?"

Aiden frowned. "I don't know what you mean. Have I not helped your business?"

"Sure, sure. But do you realize what my blood pressure is at right now?" The man shook his head heavily. "Here you go. One fox for the foxy lady who's got this gentleman wrapped around her finger."

Willow took the fox, cradling it to her chest, smirking. "You got it all figured out, huh?" she winked at the middle-aged man.

"Oh, sure, sure. Don't be too hard on the poor fellow. He seems a little special, this one," the man whispered to her.

Willow smiled widely. "Right again. He is a special one," she agreed warmly.

"Why do I feel like you two are conspiring some nefarious plans?" Aiden grumbled, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"Oh, I would never!" Willow swore vehemently.

She turned, moving to Aiden's side as they started away from the booth. A few people clapped lightly, and one kid even tossed Aiden a grin filled with a few missing teeth.

"Dad, if that guy can do it, I won't have any trouble!" the child declared to his father excitedly.

His father let out a long sigh. "I was beginning to think the nut would never be able to toss a ring...Yes, David, you will have no problems with this game, I promise."

Aiden's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Rude!" he muttered in offense.

Willow let out a snort of laughter. "Don't feel bad. No one's perfect, Aiden. Besides, you looked cute, all worked up over some little game," she teased, stiching out her tongue.

"Cute?" he repeated in a begrudging tone of happiness. "Does being cute get a reward?" he begged hopefully.

"Sure," Willow smiled at him before leaning in close and raising up on her tip toes. She pecked his cheek lightly with a kiss, feeling a flash of warmth course through the stone hanging around her neck as she did. A second later the warmth stabilized, staying that way. Blinking, Willow stared down at it, frowning. "You know, I've been meaning to ask you about the artificial soul you gave me. Is it supposed to be so...weirdly life-like?" she inquired softly so he'd be the only one to be able to hear.

Aiden glanced down at Willow, feeling his nerves tighten in a mixture of nervousness about the topic and her appearance. She'd come striding down the stairs of the dojo in silver flats, with a silver string purse for her things, and a mint green dress. It was a high-collar chiffon dress, knee-length, sleeve-less, with the collar wrapping around her throat and back. Her hair had been pulled into a tight weave, with two rows running over the top of her head where a headband would be at. The rest of her hair had been pulled back into a tail to fall down her back, the mass of curls fanning out almost like a second dress behind her. 

Clearing his throat, he shifted nervously, walking beside Willow. "Um, yes. Yes it is...D-don't worry, you haven't broke it or anything," he assured her quickly.

"Oh, good. That was actually going to be my next question, honestly. I just don't understand why it acts up like this as often as it does," Willow mused. She reached up to cup the stone gently in her free hand that wasn't holding the stuffed fox plushy. "You know, sometimes I think the people you hired lied to you. Sometimes I think this little stone really is alive...But that's impossible," she shook her head, laughing shortly under her breath.

"Actually, about that-"

"Next time, I'll take you to a Japanese summer festival," Willow decided, nodding her head firmly.

"I-" Aiden's train of thought came up short, blinking, glancing down into her face. She was smiling softly up at him, her eyes alight in excitement at the ideas running through her head. "J-Japanese summer festival?" he repeated, closing his eyes for half a second.

Wait, she wants to go on another date with me? he whispered in joy and hope.

"Yes!" Willow exclaimed in excitement. "Oh, Aiden, it's beautiful. Going to a shrine, with all the booths lined up. Do you know that the Japanese have some of the weirdest and coolest masks I've ever seen? Have you ever seen a Tengu mask? Honestly, I think Felix would be a perfect fit. The nose of the Tengu is so freaking long, it's like you're wearing a warty dick on your face!" Willow giggled at the image in her mind.

Aiden let out his own snort of laughter. "Oh yes...That fits Felix too well!" he grinned, laughing along with her.

"Plus, who doesn't love wearing a yukata, walking around in some geta, with the lively, fun atmosphere of the festival surrounding you? It's one of the more magical moments of my life, honestly," Willow explained with a happy little smile on her lips, reliving the memories. "I had a job in Japan and it was at during the beginning of July that year. I was lucky enough to be able to attend the local shrine's Tanabata Festival...It was magical, honestly. Oh, have you ever had taiyaki before, Aiden? They are so good, honestly! Crispy batter outside and yummy, gooeyness on the inside," Willow moaned happily. "Damn...Now I want some taiyaki."

"I've never even heard the word before. Tanabata? Taiyaki? What is all of that supposed to be?" Aiden chuckled uncertainly.

"Oh...Taiyaki is a very well-known Japanese pastry. It's made in fish-shaped pans, the batter fried up to sort of fool you. But the inside is filled with red bean paste or custards. It's good, honest. It can just be a little off-putting, since it may make you think there's something fish-flavored inside it with the shape. Tanabata is a yearly festival held in Japan that's actually kind of bitter-sweetly romantic, honestly."

A wistful expression came over Willow's face as she began to retell the tale of the Tanabata Festival. "There was this weaving princess, Orihime. She would weave beautiful cloths for her father, Tentei, the ruler of the sky. She'd weaved so much for her father, who loved her cloths, that she never had any time to leave the loom and meet someone to fall in love with. So, her father, concerned for his daughter, introduced her to this cow herder boy, Hikoboshi. The two met each other and boom, instant love. They were married shortly afterwards and everyone was happy...Except for Tentei, who grew angry. Orihime was so in love, she never weaved Tentei her beautiful cloths anymore. Hikoboshi was so distracted with his wife, he let his cows roam Heaven untethered. Furious, Tentei separated the lovers over the huge river, which was basically the Milky Way. When this happened, Orihime was devastated and pleaded for her father to allow her to see her husband once more. He gave in, but just barely. On the seventh day of the seventh month of every year, they are allowed to see each other again. But first they have to cross the Milky Way on a bridge made up of magpies, which Orihime summoned with her tears on the first year, realizing they were separated by the vastness of the Milky Way."

Aiden stared down at her. "Wow...that is kind of bittersweet," he agreed slowly.

"Yeah," Willow sighed heavily, glancing up at him shyly. "I know. I'm a sucker for romance. During the festival, it's common practice to write a wish down on a piece of paper and hang it on a tree. And the festival isn't always held on July seventh. It varies by region and things, it's just part of the story to be the seventh month and seventh day. Also, Orihime is represented by the star Vega, while Hikoshi is the star Altair. It's also believed that if it rains on Tanabata, the magpies won't be able to arrive and the two will have to wait until the next year. Do you understand how sad that is? You finally find the one person you love and the Heavens flip you a big middle-finger and force you to only be able to see them for one day a year?"

Aiden smiled softly. "No...I wouldn't say you're a sucker for romance," he shook his head with a goofy little grin. "More like you just drown underneath it all."

"Haha. Real funny," Willow glared at Aiden, elbowing him in the side as they passed by a Strength-Test attraction. "You don't have to be a jerk about my problems."

"Problems?" Aiden repeated, frowning. "Not at all. If anything, it's just another thing about you that I love. You aren't afraid of getting sappy on me," he grinned.

Rolling her eyes, Willow pulled the stuffed fox closer. The sudden rise and pounding of her heart in her chest belied the cool exterior she was trying to keep up. I feel like I'm sixteen again...Minus the horror of killing my date from a first kiss...The thought helped sober her up a little. Her fingers dug into the softness of the fox, feeling her heart calm down, her happiness drooping at the memories.

"Aiden...Why do you love me?" she whispered.

As soon as the words were past her lips, she wished she could call them back.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! There's no reason to ask him something like that!

"I love you because despite all of your flaws, I can see how hard you work to be the amazing person that you are. You aren't perfect and you tend to have a short fuse. But you're also hard-working and a very loyal person, once someone manages to get past all your walls and locked doors. Still, once someone is in your inner circle, you care for them with a ferocity that time and distance has no sway over. You tend to try to do too many things on your own, but when you do honestly feel ready to admit that you need help, you have no shame about it. You ask for help and you get your goals done. You're more accepting, in your own way, than I would have ever expected. More importantly..."

 He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts, catching his breath, before continuing. "You don't treat me any different, Willow. You don't care that as far as our society is concerned, I'm way out of your league. To you, I'm just a man. To you, if I'm being a idiot, you aren't afraid to set me straight...Do you know how hard that is to find for someone like me? I've lived my entire life told that great things will be expected of me and that I can do no wrong, since I will be the Lord of Winter. Yet...Here you are, teasing me over not being able to play some simple game even a child could accomplish, but never loosing your patience with me, no matter how many times I failed. You still stood by me the entire time, trying to teach me, to show me. You treated me like anyone else you know and that's something I cherish. I can be myself with you, Willow. I can be Aiden Frost. Not the Lord of Winter. Thank you," he murmured quietly, finishing his speech.

Willow's face blew up in embarrassment. She raised the fox up to her face, hiding behind it. "G-geez...You make it sound like I'm doing something...a-amazing," she whispered.

"You are," Aiden smiled, leaning his head down, close to hers. "You're being yourself, Willow Chester. You're being the woman I love, even now, when your cheeks are starting to turn pink." He smirked, seeing the pink grow a little more evident against her dark skin at his words. Reaching out, he gently pushed down the plushy, until he could see her face. Her eyes darted around, refusing to look him in the face, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. Seeing the invitation, Aiden slowly pressed his lips against hers. 

Her lips were soft, her warm breath escaping out and moving over his skin. He felt a flare of need to turn the kiss into more, but instead let it stay innocent. Pulling back, he brushed his lips over the bridge of her nose and up to her forehead before moving away. Willow let out low breath, blowing the air up to push a few stray strands of her hair out of her eyes. "What was that for, tease?" she muttered.

"No reason, I just felt like it," Aiden answered calmly.

Willow's black eyes narrowed to slits, but secretly she was pleased. If Aiden had tried to turn it into something more, she might have kicked him in the shin. She wasn't quite ready to have a full make-out session with him yet. But the sneaky, clever man seemed to be able to tell, so Willow guessed it was all for the best. Shaking her head, she moved to walk beside him, instead of a few steps behind him.

They stopped off at a few more attractions. Aiden proved he could got head-to-head with 

Willow at the bumper cars. The music blared from the speakers, the darkness of the growing hour light up with all the bright, colorful lights surrounding everywhere as the fair kicked off into high-gear with the nighttime crowd. Willow let loose, acting like a teenager, feeling younger than she'd ever felt in a long time.

Tonight she had no kids to watch and worry about, monitoring that none of them were lost in the press of the crowds or let loose an accidental flare of magic. Tonight was just her and Aiden, acting like a pair of idiots, if some of the looks she'd caught others giving them were any judge. But after the last few months they'd had, especially her, what did it matter? She needed this. She needed at least one day where she could let loose and not care, when she could feel safe in the company she kept.

That's right. Safe.

Secure. Comfortable. 

Somehow, amazingly, miraculously, that's how she felt around Aiden.

Willow had always figured she'd be bored by safe. Her life had been filled with so much drama, so much high-gear strife and tension. Wouldn't safe just seem boring, like it was constantly running in slow motion to her?

No...not in the slightest. It was like a breath of air after drowning in the ocean. The moment when you realized you were no longer in danger, no longer on the verge of death, fighting for your life. She could relax...She could breathe...She could heal.

Hadn't someone said that laughter was the best medicine? That love could heal all ails?

Was that what she was feeling in this moment? Was she feeling love?

Honestly, Willow wasn't sure. She thought...maybe. Just...just maybe.

This warmth, the happy flare of light in her heart when she saw Aiden's smile, heard his laughter. When she'd look at him and realize that he was feeling the same thing as her in this moment. A heady shock that they were both free. Both of them could just be their selves and not have to worry about scorn or rejection from the other.

The night continued on, until around nine at night, when full darkness fell so that the only way to see was from all the lights all over the fairgrounds. They'd just finished some cotton candy; the light, sweet, fluffy clouds dissolving in a mass of sugar on their tongues in just a few minutes with them sharing one stick. Finding a trash can to throw away the bare plastic stick, Willow glanced up and realized they were standing close to the Ferris Wheel. "Well...it's mandatory," Willow murmured.

Frowning, Aiden followed her gaze with his own. He took in the sight of the giant, slowly spinning wheel with hundreds of bright lights. White, yellow, red, green, and blue lights covered the surface of the metal frame, making it visible from everywhere on the fairgrounds. "What's that?"

"A Ferris Wheel. A cliche," Willow explained. "But it's still a fun cliche, so who cares?"

"Um...okay," Aiden murmured uncertainly. "As you are the expert on human fairs, I will defer to you one this occasion."

Turning, Willow frowned at him. "Haven't you ever ridden on a Ferris Wheel before?"

Shaking his head, Aiden shrugged. "I lived in the Human World as a boy, but Nana didn't get to take me to a lot of the...normal human childhood events. I suppose that means that a Ferris Wheel is another of these? I sort of very vaguely remember the shape and look of it though, so perhaps I saw it on TV as a child?" he theorized. 

"That means we have to go up on this ride then!" Willow insisted firmly. Reaching out, she took hold of his hand and dragged him to wait in the line. While they waited, Willow explained a little more to him about the cliches of the Ferris Wheel. After they'd finished that topic, they moved on to wondering what greasy, over-priced carnival food they should buy next. Willow voted for funnel cake, but Aiden wanted some caramel apples.

It was at that point that their turn to get on the Ferris Wheel came. Still holding the fox, which was too big to fit into Willow's purse, she got into the small carriage first, Aiden a few seconds behind her. Once in the Ferris Wheel, they had to wait for the other passengers to be loaded up and during that time, Aiden was trying to adjust to the strange feeling of being raised higher and higher up in the air.

Willow smiled. "Have you never been flying either?" she asked, honestly surprised.

Aiden slowly nodded. "Not really, no. I've had similar experiences with the use of magic through the Realm, but I've never been on a Human World plane. I'd merely travel from Gate to Gate in the World through the use of cars and other ground travel with Bren and my father," Aiden explained. 

Willow placed the fox in her lap, as well as her purse, letting out a long breath. "Phew...getting to sit will be a nice break. I made sure to wear flats, but still...Between yesterday and today, all this walking is killing my feet!" Lifting her left leg up slightly, she slipped her foot out of her shoe and began to rub her toes and the soles of her feet.

Aiden was careful to not let his eyes travel along the line of her dress, which had fallen back enough to allow him to see her thighs. Willow seemed so lost in the comfortable air between them that she'd forgotten all about the outfit she was wearing...Closing his eyes, he begged for patience. No longer able to see the tempting sight that was the beautiful woman across from him, his mind began to play with what he swore to himself he'd do.

He was going to tell Willow about the soul-stone and what it technically made their relationship. What it meant for him and her...What all of it meant and why he'd done it.

Damn...Today's been fun. Hopefully she won't try to throw me out of this carriage. It would be impossible for me not to show off my magic while saving my life...

Clearing his throat, Aiden opened his eyes and started to speak.

"The world's so beautiful from up here, don't you think?" Willow's words cut him off. Both of her shoes were off and the little fox was resting on the far opposite side of the seat from her. She was leaning against the window to his left, staring out at the rest of the fair below them, as they slowly rose higher and higher with the loading of more riders. The carriage rocked gently with the movements of the breeze, their bodies, and the turning mechanisms of the ride. 

Staring at Willow, before slowly moving his gaze toward where she was looking and taking in all the lights, Aiden nodded. "Yes..." he agreed quietly.

She turned her head to smile at him, the lights of the world below reflecting off the glass and casting her face half in shadow and half in light. Her black eye in the light sparkled, as if winking at himin the light. An odd silence fell over them both as the continued to simply stare at one another. The tension in the carriage was thick, palpable, like it was a living organism itself. Black clashed with dark green and then Aiden felt the almost painful tugging at his entire being.

Calling him...She wanted him...

Rising to his feet, unable to resist the call of her desires the even she might not be aware of, Aiden moved to lean against the window himself. Willow's lips parted and that was all the invitation Aiden needed. Lowering his lips to hers, he brushed them gently along the softness of her lips. One hand braced himself against the window, holding himself off of being completely on top of her. The other moved to cup her right cheek, brushing his thumb over her cheek slowly. 

Willow froze for only half a second before pressing her own lips against his. Her tongue flicked out and very slowly ran over the surface of his upper and lower lip. Aiden groaned, his tongue flicking out to taste hers for half a second before pressing his lips a little harder, applying a tiny bit more pressure.

The call kept pulling him deeper and deeper into the lust-filled haze as her fingers buried themselves in his hair and began to play with the platinum strands. She let out a small panting breath, tilting her head to the side to give him better access before opening her mouth to invite him in. 

His tongue slipped inside, playing with hers, feeding on the taste of her...He could still taste a few remains of the sugary sweetness from the cotton candy earlier on her tongue. Her body pushed off of the window a little, pressing closer to him, her right hand moving down to wrap around his middle and hold him close. 

"Willow..." he whispered in need, wishing that reality could be put on pause for a time. He just...He just wanted to be with her. For a while, he just wanted it to be the two of them and only them. Selfish? Perhaps...But it couldn't be any more selfish than wishing that Willow would want the same as well. "Willow, please," he begged, though at this point he wasn't sure what he was pleading for exactly.

"A-Aiden...y-you can't...you have to stop k-kis-aaah," Willow moaned as she gave in a small bit to the amount of need she was feeling. Aiden deepened the kiss, not a lot, but just enough to make the swirling need start to pool in her center. The buzz of her body getting ready to make this into something a lot more involved than a kiss shot through her veins, electrifying her nerve endings. He was taking it slow...but that was okay. Honestly, the attraction she'd been feeling for him had been like a slow burn anyway. One that she knew was fast approaching the boiling point...

This is about the point that things go south, right? Both Willow and Aiden thought this at the same time. This was the point when Willow's magic to pull at the soul of her lover would activate and they'd experience that dizzying, breath-snatching sensation slamming into them. 

But it didn't come. 

What came instead was the rising crescendo of their heartbeats. The small space of the enclosed carriage began to grow warmer with the body heat they both kicked off, even with Aiden's unique abilities. Their breaths came out in heavier and hotter pants as the kisses grew more and more frenzied. Willow wrapped her arms completely around Aiden, while he backed away from the window and stumbled back until he sat down in the seat he'd left behind earlier. Sitting in his lap, Willow swept her tongue deep into his mouth, exploring every inch, drinking in his groans, moans, and pants encouraging her to continue with her assault. For just a few precious moments, Willow didn't care about the why she wasn't sucking out Aiden soul with this passionate kiss. All she cared about was enjoying it to the fullest.

She ground her hips against the press of his growing erection against the material of her thong, feeling a wave of pleasure shoot over her at just the simple sensation. Aiden let out a low growl, his fingernails at the back of her head and cupping her left breast growing longer and sharper. Blinking, Willow woke up a little from the daze of the need coursing through both of them. Aiden's hair was completely white now, reaching to just past his shoulder blades. His skin was very nearly completely white, his fingers having turned into something closer to claws than digits. A small aura of cold was coming off his body, but even as close as she was to him, Willow barely felt it. 

What she did feel though was the heat coming from her chest, a few inches above where Aiden's hand was currently carefully playing with her nipple through the layers of her dress and bra. Glancing down, she gasped. The jewel was glowing, but it was darker than before, turning closer to black than it's deep blue and inner red color as before. It was letting off so much heat that it made Willow feel warm enough to start removing clothes. 

Pushing back and away, panting, she fell back to the other seat across from Aiden. "S-see? This is what I'm talking about!" she gasped out, trying to calm down. She reached up to start to touch it and it made her fingers burn. "Aah!" she cried out, hissing, shaking her fingers in reaction to the pain. "Mother fucker!"

Aiden struggled to gain some control over himself. So close...so fucking close...He thought wildly as Willow first moved away from him. Some animalistic part of him just wanted to hike up her dress skirt and slid into her here and now...

But that was thinking just like the animals who'd raised her...

He couldn't be like those bastards.

He refused to be...Not unless Willow specifically told him that she wanted him to play it rough...

Those thoughts began to pull him down from the lust-filled high, helped by Willow's confusion and panic, followed by her pain at touching the soul-stone. She didn't realize it was only reaction to his emotions...His incredibly strong desire to keep kissing her, touching her, until he'd banished the thought of any other's touch before him. He didn't want the act of kissing her to make her recall bad memories with anyone else...Even if they brought up bad memories with him, at least they'd just be with him.

Am I being a controlling prick? he questioned in a moment of internal panic. No time for that, Aiden, he reminded himself heavily. It's finally show time. Finally confession time to all of your sins...

"Don't touch it until after we calm down some more...it's going to stay hot until then...Don't worry though, I'm trying to get myself under control," he assured her quickly. Running his fingers through his hair messily, he sucked in a deep breath. Yes, just start shit-deep into this mess...Oh, whatever. What does it matter anymore anyway? There's no real way to make this any better. Just face it and move on.

"What?" Willow frowned, thoroughly confused. "What does it matter about us? A-also," she murmured, just remembering, "how was I able to kiss you like that without stealing your soul?"

"It's pretty simple, Willow," Aiden sighed heavily, eyes beginning to return to normal, as was his hair and skin color. "There's no soul in my body for you to steal, hence your magic can't affect me in that way," he explained.

Blinking, Willow stared at him, uncomprehending. "What?"

"I said," Aiden repeated as calmly as he could manage. He spoke slowly, careful to enunciate each word. "There is no soul in my body, so you can't steal it. I'm a soulless vessel, though I do have one tied to me...It's just been given a physical form," he coughed awkwardly.

Willow stared at him for almost a full minute, her shocked brain trying to process the sounds coming out of his mouth in that moment. She raised her hands up in a sign for him to stop, shaking her head slowly. "...So, let me get this straight here. You don't have a soul. It's gone, completely out of your body," she pointed a finger at him which shook slightly. "Instead it's been give a physi-Oh!" she realized, eyes jerking down to the stone around her neck. Gently, her eyes wide in disbelief, she cupped it in her hands, glancing back up at him. "This? This is your soul?" she whispered in amazement. "...It's beautiful..."

"Correct-and thank you," Aiden smiled nervously.

"B-but...but why?!" she demanded, shocked.

"I wanted to do it for you. This way, you no longer have to live by killing others," he started to explain.

"Yes, but now I'm killing you!" she hissed in horror.

"Technically, but it doesn't matter-"

"Doesn't matter?! Aiden, how can you say that? Of course it matters! You can't just...You can't seriously be okay with me slowly killing you!"

"Willow, I'm going to die when you do anyway. It doesn't matter to me if you kill me in order to live. The longer you live, the longer I do," Aiden confessed in a large exhale. 

"I-what?" Willow blinked, staring at him like he'd just grown four more heads. "H-how...?"

"Have you ever heard of something called a soul-stone before?" Aiden asked in a heavy, tired voice. When she slowly shook her head, confused, he sighed. "Yes, I figured as much, honestly. It's not very common nowadays and nearly lost to history here in the Human World. Basically, I ripped my soul out of my body, gave it a physical form, and gifted it to you."

"What the hell does that mean then?" Willow asked, voice starting to grow heated in angry with her confusion. "Is that suppose to be some sort of ultimate love or that sort of bullshit?"

"...Yes, that is exactly what it is," Aiden admitted awkwardly. "In fact, so much so that the exchanging of a soul-stone is seen as the most personal and binding form of...of..." His voice broke, struggling to say the one word he really need to say here.

"...Form of what, Aiden?" Willow bit out harshly. Her black eyes were narrow, already guessing just what he was having problems saying.

"...Of marriage," he finally whispered, unable to look up into her face.

Willow let out a low, shaking laugh. "Oh...Oh, that is just sweet. That's just...You know, you really do have the perfect timing, Aiden!" she half-yelled at him. "Our first date alone together and you're telling me that we're married? At least according to your fucked-up rules?" she demanded.

"...Yes," Aiden lifted his head slowly, fighting not to break under the anger in her voice. She has a right to be angry. I was a dumb ass, doing what I did...This is my just desserts, he reminded himself sternly. "I want to say that I'm sorry for this. I honestly...I was stupid. I thought you would never accept a gift that would be able to make your life better from me," he explained quietly. "You turned away every hand I stretched out to help, spurned nearly every attempt I made to get closer to you. I thought that the only way to ensure that your life would be at least a little easier was to do this. I had...I had planned to marry Christine and do exactly what I told you...But my plans didn't work out."

"So you were going to do something as stupid as you told me your uncle did?" Willow cut him with the blunt truth.

"I..." Raising a hand to run over his face, Aiden nodded slowly. "I was," he admitted darkly. "Something I knew was stupid but I talked myself into believe I was doing something different. Like I said, I was being stupid and I never should have gone about this in this manner. I should have come to you, face-to-face like this and told you upfront that I had a way to help you. But I was a coward...a naive fool that thought I could manage to pull it all off. I've come to realize that I did something I wish I could take back and redo...But I can't. Once the soul-stone has been removed and given, it can never return."

Blinking, Willow stared at him in silence for what felt like an eternity to Aiden's frayed nerves. Neither of them moved or said a single word, sitting in the tense silence like two statues.

Willow wrapped her arms around her body, sucking in a few deep breaths. She fought to remain calm. "Okay, so here's the deal. I don't like this. I don't like any of this. I was forced into a 'marriage' before, one that I had no control and no choice in. And, to be brutally honest, Aiden, you've done something very similar here."

"Yes," he admitted in a heartbroken breath, sounding closer to a sob than Willow could remember ever hearing from Aiden before. "I know..."

"I'm not okay with any of this, do you understand?" Willow growled, staring into his eyes. "Obviously I don't mean as much to you as you say, if you're willing to completely ignore my own wishes in a matter as grave as this. Don't you understand how fucking twisted and selfish that is?"

"Yes," Aiden repeated, voice brittle. He didn't know what else to say. Every word Willow was saying was the truth. It was hitting him full in that face and it was all he could do not to break down right then and there. He didn't want her to think that he was trying to garner her sympathy. If anything, he was so angry at himself, at the choices and mistakes he'd made that he just wanted to cry.

How could I have ever been so stupid? What part of anything about Willow would ever make me think it would be okay to go behind her back like this? Even if I wasn't in my right mind...This is...

"Aiden...I understand that you're sorry. I get it. Trust me, I do. But that still doesn't excuse this. And that doesn't mean I'm going to forgive you at the drop of a hat. But even so, I..."

Swallowing, Willow closed her eyes, having her own internal battle. "Aiden, even so, I have my own confession to make. I..." Clearing her throat, she squeezed her left hand into a fist, trying to find the strength in her heart. "I know this whole situation is really fucked up and all twisted around...Nothing about this has gone the way that I feel like it should have...But even so, I've started to notice that I have feelings for you. Well, to be honest, I think I've had feelings for you for quite awhile now, but I just wasn't certain. I was so lost and I didn't really know the difference between up or down. Now though...Before this, things were starting to calm down and I actually had some time to hold up in my own head and think."

Aiden froze, eyes glued to her face, unable to breathe. He couldn't think...couldn't believe that the words coming from Willow's mouth existed. He couldn't...hear...

"What I've discovered is both incredibly simple and also incredibly complex. Aiden, I'm falling in love with you. It's happening. I don't know how to stop it and I'm not even sure I'd want to. I also hate to admit it, but I do understand how you felt like you couldn't talk to me about this whole...whole freaking mess!" she grumbled.

"T-tried..." Aiden managed to get out through numb lips. The soul-stone around her neck glowed in a warm, soft pink light, letting off a strange lightening against her face and upper body. "I tried...but it was after the whole fiasco with Andrew and you pushed me away...I didn't know how to reach out to you," he coughed to clear his throat.

Smiling bitterly, Willow nodded. "Yeah...yeah...I get it." She let out a broken laugh. "Aiden...Can we just...can we just ignore this? Well, I mean the soul-stone. I'm not forgiving you for tricking me, lying to me, and ignoring my wishes. That's going to take quite awhile longer for me to forgive. But I don't...I don't want this mistake to screw up everything. We've just...we've just started, Aiden. Even if I couldn't stand your guts when we started out...I don't want to loose this yet. I don't want to give it up before it really begins."

"I don't either," Aiden agreed firmly, afraid to say anything else as he waited for what judgement Willow would bring down upon his head for his crimes.

"Can you swear, and I mean swear," she told him sternly, "that you won't lie to me anymore? That if it's something that concerns the both of us or our families or our daughter that you'll come to me and we will talk about it?" 

"Yes!" Aiden breathed out. "Completely. If you want me to write it down in blood, I will," he said seriously. 

"Whoa...back up, drama queen," Willow raised her hands up, shaking her head. "You don't need to go that far. Besides, actions, not words, right?"

"Right," he nodded, wearing a soft smile. "Willow, thank you. I was honestly expecting you to throw me out of the ride."

She raised a single eyebrow, arching it in thought. "Hmm...that's still a possibility," she admitted. 

"What?" he asked, growing still in fear. "Wait...you aren't serious, right?"

"Am I?" she asked, head tilting to the side, wearing a sweet smile. 

"...I don't know and it's scaring me," Aiden whispered.

"Good. You should be scared. Make one more mistake like this and you'll loose me. Then I will have complete and utter full reason to blast 'Single Ladies' throughout my house," Willow told him calmly. She leaned back against her seat, straightening her appearance a little more as they made their last loop through the air. 

"'Single Ladies'?" Aiden repeated uncertainly.

"If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it," Willow sang, shaking her head and hair out to the beat of the song in her head. "Mmm, best 'break up and forget about you song ever'," she nodded her head firmly.

Aiden raised a brow slowly, confused. "Does it count that I di-?"

"Shhhhh," Willow raised a finger to her lips, glaring at him. "No. No, you haven't." She raised her hands up, back of her palms facing him. "I see no rings here, do you?" she asked, lowering her hands and staring at him. "Nope. That's how it's going to stay until I feel like taking you as my wife, Aiden Frost."

"Wait, wha-?"

"Yes, you heard me right," Willow nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm wearing the pants now, kid."

"I am completely confus-"

"Time to get off," Willow announced, rising to her feet. Unable to find any words to that, Aiden followed her after she gathered up her shoes, purse, and fox plushy. Once the carriage came to a complete stop, she opened the door and stepped out onto the ground, the tall man a few steps behind her. Glancing at her phone after pulling it out of her purse, she realized it was 9:46 p.m. and she had twelve missed calls. She'd put her phone on silent, not vibrate on accident, not realizing. "What the hell?" she muttered, pulling up her phone and calling the last number to call her. "Dad? What's going on?"

"Fucking finally you answer your phone!" Raja growled, before he took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry. It's been a crazy last few hours and none of have been able to reach you."

"What happened?" Willow demanded, feeling her stomach drop out from under her. "Dad? Tell me!" she hissed furiously.

"Willow? What's wrong?" Aiden asked worriedly, leaning in close to her. Her face was pale, her hands squeezing the phone tightly in fear. Her eyes darted up to his and he could see the pure and unfiltered panic flare to life a second after the low murmur of the other voice on the phone.

"...Prophecy's missing."