Quinn groaned into her hands against the kitchen counter. 

I pushed a fresh cup against her elbow whilst I typed.

"What are you writing–on a weekend?" Quinn murmured, pulling one of her hands away to take a long sip.

"I'm agreeing to meet with Vanguard Security next week." I murmured, formatting the email.

She raised an eyebrow at me but remained silent. I finished my response and sent it to their head recruiter before closing the lid and looking at her.

"Now I have a purpose outside of Paragon." I drawled, bringing my hands together and placing my jaw on them.

Quinn smiled slowly.

"And what purpose do the immortals have for you?" She asked, calmly.

Ah. She had not forgotten. In fact, she was waiting on asking the right question. How very Quinn Adams... I hadn't realised my hands had become fists until she spoke again.

"Fletcher, I know there's something going on."

"Isn't there always?" I said, with humour that didn't reach my eyes.

She waited. I breathed slowly.

"I have to make a choice. One that will condemn three lives, and there is nothing I can do to stop it."

She carefully lowered her coffee as she gauged my reaction.

"What does that mean?" She asked low.

I sighed heavily. "It means I will turn three mortals into monsters and I have until the Summer Solstice to do it."

She drew in a quick breath but I didn't meet her eyes. I was too much of a coward for that. I couldn't lie to her about this, but it didn't mean I wish she hadn't asked me so directly... 

"This–is because you're an Elder now?" She asked in a quiet voice. Unsure.

I nodded, watching the morning sun cut through her curtains.

"I... don't know what to say."

This time I did chuckle with true humour.

"You and me both, Adams. I'm not ready to turn them... let alone train them–"

"You what?" She cut in, "–train them to do what?"

I gestured to myself unceremoniously. She scanned my face for a long moment that started to drive me slightly insane when I listened to the clock tick away in her hallway.

"Can you please tell me what you're thinking?" I demanded.

She moved off her stool and went for the fridge, shaking her head as she did. She wore an oversized t-shirt with her University logo on it that made me wonder what adventures it had been through to earn a few holes in it.

"They just can't leave you the fuck alone..." She muttered, routing through it to find a yoghurt pot. She drew out a spoon and leant against the counter as she thought about my words. "–and how the hell are you supposed to choose?"

"Who I change?" I asked.

She sank in a spoonful and nodded in exasperation. "Your guy took you-out of a war zone." She said around a mouthful, making me smirk. My guy, was one of the most powerful Elders Paragon had ever known. "That's not funny, Fletcher!"

"My apologies." I conceded, "-the spoon was giving your words added intimidation." 

She glared at me, setting it down all together and bracing her arms back against the cool granite behind her.

"I'd offer you me but you wouldn't take me–"

"Don't even finish that idea." I dismissed, in agreement. 

"You might consider the positives of it..." She hedged. 

My body froze and my eyes returned to hers slowly.

"The positives?" I uttered.

Quinn rebalanced her weight on her feet, immediately on edge by the way the air seemed to charge between us.

"I'm not training these immortals for a courtroom. Quinn." I growled, "–your purpose would be to become a weapon in every sense-no more than a tool. You think I would do that to you?" I demanded, hearing the growl in my voice grow. Her adrenaline spiked.

"I think you've considered it before." She answered, without any hesitation in her voice.

I stared at her and felt my anger snubbed out like a candle. In a single, simple sentence that held no doubt in it at all. Of course I had. But that didn't mean I was about to tear her world apart with bloodlust.

This time it was me that placed my head in my hands. It was me that felt the overwhelming and crushing responsibility placed upon me from a power higher than myself–one that controlled me. There was too much expected, too much to lose, if I made one move wrong my entire world would implode and take my heart with it. I felt, for the second time this week, the hot trails of tears flowing down my face. I was just human. Had I lost the right to that too? I was coming apart.

"Fletcher..." She whispered, running her hands around my waist from behind, "Fletch..." she murmured, sounding as pained as I imagined I looked. She kissed my temple, before setting her jaw against my shoulder that was hunched in defeat. 

"Please, please just..." Her whisper seemed to hang in the air near my skin. Just what, Quinn? 

"Tell me what–I should do." My voice broke, making her grip on me tighten. 

But how could I ask that of her? She was still working out her own life, her own career, with far fewer resources and experience–yet she felt more in control every day than any immortal I had met. What gave her such an edge? She was perfect–

"I have no idea, Fletcher." She admitted near my face, moving her hand around to the side of my jaw. She turned me slowly to face her. I showed the weakness all over my features, the face that was unbreakable, yet so very fragile in this moment... She didn't care. She took the other side of my face and ran her thumbs across my cheekbones, clearing away my tears. 

I swallowed, and met a set of burning green eyes. Eyes that were so alive and rich in their depth, a colour you could get lost in as deeply as the jungle.

"I can't tell you what to do... But I really wish I could. I wish this was easier–normal even." She shook her head before me, "–Everything about us is completely crazy." She said honestly, shaking some vibrancy back into my bones. "You've flown us around the world in the last few months to get away from an ancient order of sociopaths–and my coworker had the audacity to complain about his complicated relationship last night. To me!" She blurted, exasperated and out of breath.

I started shaking.

Not from the tears but from the laugh that she had dragged deep out of me. Quinn shook my face again with a grin.

"Amber won't text him back because he came home drunk last week. I'm supposed to empathise with that, Fletcher! Could you give me something to work with?" She demanded, leaning forward and kissing my forehead as she giggled against me.

"I think our last domestic was over an ancient immortal crashing the party and endangering every mortal's life, including your own. Does that count?" I mumbled, turning in the stool and dipping my head into the gap between her shoulder and neck. She wound her arms around me tightly and nodded.

"Thank god it's the weekend." She muttered, hugging me closer.

I inhaled all of her scent that wrapped itself around me as closely as she did. Save for the faint burn in my throat, I was enveloped in the comfort and warmth of her. I relaxed into her hold and she didn't loosen it. I hoped she never would. I wasn't ready to face the world.

I felt her nails graze the base of my skull and I breathed out slowly. She knew exactly how to take away all of my raging thoughts and then some. But I would have to face it eventually.

"I'm going to look for them while I work for Vanguard." I finally spoke, after what felt like a lifetime of welcome silence with her.

She couldn't hide the tension that went through her body but she nodded, drawing back so we could face each other again. I held our hands as I spoke out my thoughts.

"It's the right kind of work that might present... opportunities and the right kind of mortals. But I want to do it right. As Cordius–my mentor, did." I corrected, seeing the curious look she gave me.

"What did he do differently?" She asked, glancing at our interlocked hands.

"He gave them a choice. A chance." I whispered, thinking of my body on the edge of death before the immortal rush brought me back from the edge. "I won't take any lives... I'll save them from death if they wish. It's why my mentor had the best." I finished, nodding to myself. 

"I'm not on the edge of death... but immortality with you sounds acceptable." She smirked.

I glared.

"Oh, relax. It's not like I can make you."

"Thank every god living or dead." I agreed.

"I'll try not to be offended..."

"Playing the victim won't work either." I deadpanned.

She grinned shamelessly. Then rose away from my stool and went to finish her unattended yoghurt. I watched her suspiciously as those thoughtful eyes worked up something else. I was about to ask when she muttered.

"Not like you're the only Elder in town..."

I moved faster than she could move her spoon and took her weight off the ground with one arm. She screamed wildly, followed by a laugh over my shoulder. 

"Your yoghurt is this close to going out the window, Lawyer."

"That's okay, half of it is down your shoulder." She quipped, making me check. There was no such stain. I smirked and moved across her living room to dump her on her sofa.

"You can sit there and think about what you've done." I said, turning back to my stool and laptop.

She put the spoon back into her mouth slowly before pulling it out and blowing me a kiss. I rolled my eyes and opened the screen once more. I needed to know a lot more about Vanguard's current clients and operations. They were now much more involved with immortal affairs than they would ever realise. The idea of one or any of my coworkers becoming a part of my immortal bloodline was something indeed. 

I had better choose wisely.