Chapter Sixteen

It was strange to say I was returning to Hell, when I never remembered being there in the first place.

Even worse when I realized that literally nothing there was familiar to me. We teleported to the gates, and the soldiers there greeted us like long lost friends, and I didn't recognize them. We walked along a path that was supposed to be familiar to me, but it was all foreign soil to me. We ended up teleported halfway through to a beautifully lit city. It wasn't bright white and prestine like the Land of Dreams, but rather modern and glitzy. The streets were lined with trees on either side, some green and some pink with cherry blossoms.

And just beyond the city, seated on a hill that over looked both city and the huge black ocean beyond it, was Lucifer's palace. It was gigantic. White and sleek, modern and nearly six stories high, glinting in the sunlight like a pearl on the hill. It was absolutely beautiful.

"Wow." I commented, stunned.

"You said it." Akin agreed, staring at the palace, but he looked more nervous, afraid, than he did appear excited earlier when we left. Hannibal stood right behind me, eyeing the place warily. It was obvious that both of them were uncomfortable being here, and sadly, I shared their sentiment.

This place was my home. It was supposed to be familiar, cozy, comforting, but all I could think was how huge and strange it was. The palace, the city, the ocean, everything around me was new. While I was awed, at the same time, I was afraid. I wasn't sure why either. This was my home, my family was waiting here.

Jaques led the way to the front gates, tall and foreboding, to be honest. The guards there greeted us cheerfully. Akin and I just waved awkwardly while Raven and Jaques gave friendly greetings before we went inside and didn't even walk the stairs to the front door. We teleported as a group to the front door before Jaques opened the door inside.

I was instantly assaulted by the scents of creamy vanilla, a hint of leather, and an ocean breeze that passed through the windows that were open with long billowing gold curtains. Golden drapes lined the large main lobby; everything inside was white. The walls, the marbled floors, and the intriciately designed ceiling with golden Biblical images. A wide hallway opened up to the left, and to the right was a curved row of white leather seats near open windows. And straight ahead were two hallways, narrow and open with several doors along the walls in between ancient paintings and statuettes on pedestals.

"Come on," Jaques said when he noticed that Akin and I were distracted by the size of the place, "Your stuff was automatically sent to your rooms when you passed the gates. We should go see Lucifer before we do anything else." Akin just nodded numbly, but he didn't step forward at first. Not until Hannibal came to stand beside him, reaching out to touch his fingers delicately. Akin snapped out of his stupor to give Hannibal a nervous smile. He took Hannibal's hand in his tightly before our group moved on down the hallway.

"Is none of this familiar to you?" Raven asked, noticing my stare. I swallowed tightly and just shook my head. He looked downhearted. He had no idea. Even worse, the only memory I had of this place was that small projection room, where a meeting had been rudely disrupted by a horrid video of Raven's torture. My stomach churned at that single bitter memory and I shook my head to keep it from mind.

"Hades told me I'd never remember." I admitted quietly. Raven appeared distressed at the thought, but Akin, ever the optimist, refused to let that get us down.

"Oh well," Akin offered with a warm smile, "It kinda sucks, but hey! I don't know this place either. Now we can make some new memories, yeah?" I gave him a smile, relieved that he was here with me so I wasn't panicking on my own. Beside me, Stanton took me by the hand and gave me a reassuring squeeze.

Jaques took us down a long hallway and up a couple flights of stairs before we approached a pair of large doors at the end of yet another hallway. They were made entirely of gold with a very unfriendly looking pair of skulls that made the door knobs. Jaques walked in and we entered a strange throne room. It was white and gold like the rest of the palace, but a large pentagram with a lightning bolt cutting through it imprinted on the floor, matching the one that sat behind a large white throne. And wrapped around one of the arms of the throne was a long thick albino snake that hissed upon our entrance.

"Oh, shut up, St. John." Jaques snapped at him. The snake lowered its head, but seemed to almost glare up at Jaques as if to say "no you". Akin made a sound of joy as he approached the snake.

"Oh gosh, it's so cute!" He exclaimed. The snake cocked its head as if it understood him, and Jaques made a rude noise.

"Don't encourage him. He already thinks he owns have the palace. Do you have any idea how traumatizing it was as a kid to wake up and have this guy trying to sneak into bed with you?" He demanded, folding his arms over his chest. Akin pouted and reached out to the snake, making both Raven and Jaques visibly tense. Much to our relief, the snake didn't snap at Akin at all. If anything, it trembled in delight as Akin stroked him under the jaw.

"Aw, aren't you a cutie?" He crooned. The snake nuzzled his palm and started to slide up Akin's arm when a sudden pulse of power shot through the room. The snake withdrew sharply and coiled up on the throne as we turned to the source of the power. Standing behind us in front of the doors was an incredibly beautiful, angelic man. He was tall, maybe even as tall as Hades, with curly golden hair and piercing blue eyes. He wore an entirely white leather ensemble, even his leather boots.

"Father," Jaques greeted him almost instantaneously with a short bow, "We brought Alaric back... And Akin." Lucifer blinked, looking caught off guard until he looked back and forth between Akin and I. He seemed to be at a loss for words.

But what hurt the most was that I didn't recognize him at all. He was my father, and yet, I felt that I'd never seen him before. Would the old me have run to him for a hug, or bowed the same way Jaques had, or something completely different? I wasn't sure what to do. Thankfully, I wasn't the only one because Akin suddenly looked incredibly uncomfortable, and for the short time I've known him, I've never known him to be timid. We just stood there awkwardly while Lucifer stared back at us before he spoke in a low voice.

"Everyone, but Akin and Alaric, please leave." He commanded gently. Jaques and Raven exchanged wary glances before leaving the room. Hannibal wasn't ready to move. He stayed rooted in place behind Akin, his eyes downcast, but his stance firm. Stanton gave me a questioning stare and I just gave him a nod that said it was all right. He reluctantly left. Akin looked at Hannibal reassuringly.

"It's okay, pumpkin, I'll be fine." He assured. Hannibal didn't look at all convinced. He didn't budge. Akin smiled at that, then turned to face him and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek before patting him there.

"Calm down, sweetheart. Go wait outside." He ordered sweetly. Hannibal clenched his teeth, but refused to disobey his master, so he left the room. Akin watched him go tentatively, then turned to face Lucifer, who was looking us up and down. It made me nervous. Had we done something to offend him? Should we not have come home? I wasn't sure what to say.

"Uhm," Akin said after a moment, breaking the awkward stretch of silence, "Hi?" Lucifer blinked and met his eyes. I instantly saw the sorrow in those blue celestial eyes as he seemd to try and rein in some kind of restraint.

"Hello, again," He added warmly, offering him a smile, "I suppose this time you'll remain here?" Akin nodded slowly, twiddling his fingers a bit nervously as he returned Lucifer's smile.

"Uh, yeah, actually. Kind of this whole big danger-to-the-realms sorta thing happening in Hades right now, and I figured it was about time I paid my family a visit... if that's okay," He added quickly, looking around uneasily, "If you don't want me here, that's totally fine. I just ask that Hannibal stays here at least, because--"

"Calm down," Lucifer told him gently, chuckling good-naturedly, making Akin visibly relax, "I'm happy you're here, Akin. This visit is long overdue."

"I'll say," Akin agreed cheerfully, then paused to avert his eyes, "Though, it'd be kinda nice to know why you never bothered with me in the first place." Lucifer winced, clenching and unclenching his fists for a moment.

"It was your mother's decision. Admittedly, I was rather cruel at the time we met. I didn't tell her who I was. When she found out, she was devastated. What made her situation more dangerous was the fact that she was pregnant with you. She was afraid my enemies would hunt you down and hurt you. So she left and told me never to contact you. It was her last request before she died and I intended to keep it that way. She wanted you to stay safe, and far away from any trouble that might follow me." He explained. He sounded incredibly hurt by Akin's mother. Even Akin grimaced, rubbing at his arm.

"Yeah, she was super overprotective. You should've seen her when I actually managed to get into school. Holy crap, she was all over me like white on rice," He exclaimed, making Lucifer smile and Akin blushed, "Uh, but yeah... I'm really sorry she asked that of you. Unfortunately, now she's gone and I'm free to make my own decisions. And my decision is to stay here with my family." Lucifer looked so relieved by that and smiled gently.

"And we would be happy to have you here." He replied. Akin beamed. Lucifer glanced over at me and his smile withered. I hesitated. Should I leave? Did I not belong here? Talk about a quick change in atmosphere.

"Ohh," Akin said slowly, moving toward the door, "I think I'll just leave you two alone for your talk." Lucifer nodded and we watched Akin step outside before he shut the door. Lucifer turned back to me before approaching me. I held my breath as he stood in front of me, tall enough so that I had to tilt my head back to take in the full size of him. I swallowed tightly. He reached toward me and I instinctively flinched. Lucifer snapped his hand back like I'd slapped him and instantly I felt guilty as Lucifer clenched his teeth.

"You don't remember me." He stated. I shook my head.

"I'm sorry." I added quietly. Lucifer looked agonized by that. If anything, he looked like he wanted to weep. He reached out again, more slowly this time, and cupped my face in his hands, warm and soft, his fingers long and stroking my cheeks.

"Alaric, I'm so sorry," He breathed in pain, "I should've worked harder. I should've done more research. I didn't mean to do this to you." I blinked past the tears that threatened to well in my eyes as I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"I-It's not your fault. You didn't do it. I was the one who was pushing myself..." My voice trailed as Lucifer shook his head and pulled me close so he could embrace me tightly. I gasped quietly at how fierce his hug was. It really felt like the kind of hug a father would give his son. It felt... nice. I hugged him back, relieved that he hadn't rejected me. I don't know why, but I just felt that rejection deep in my soul the whole way here. Maybe that was why I was scared.

"I'm so sorry," Lucifer whispered, cradling me, "I'm so sorry I put you through this. I should've been more careful. From now on, I won't take my eyes off you." I smiled at that as we broke apart and Lucifer studied my face, swallowing hard as he ran his fingers through my hair as if interested in the color. I wasn't sure what my hair color was before it was white, but I suppose it didn't really matter anymore.

"Hades couldn't give you back your memories?" He asked after a moment. I shook my head.

"He tried, but he couldn't. I think he was more angry about it than I was."

"He's always angry."

"He was nice," I said, making Lucifer arch a brow skeptically, "Mostly. For him, I guess... He didn't hurt me on purpose. He did the tests as quickly as possible so the pain didn't last. I think he's just hurt and that's why he lashes out, but no one else seems to think so. They think he's evil." Lucifer's eyes flickered with something indistinguishable as he stroked my cheeks, studying my face.

"No one is evil, Alaric. Everyone is the way they are for a reason. I'm thankful for Hades's assistance... But please, please never go back to his realm again, Alaric. Please." He pleaded. I nodded and Lucifer breathed a sigh of relief, hugging me tightly again before he stepped back and took a deep breath.

"Well, let your brothers show you to your rooms. Once you're settled in, we can discuss the business with the Titans." He said. My eyes widened in surprise.

"You know?" I asked. Lucifer looked at me grimly.

"I'm not omnipotent, but I have connections that have informed me of the dangers. While I have no doubt the Titans will make their base in Hades, I also have no doubt that they were spread their reign to other realms, including ours. We must be prepared for when this happens." I didn't like the way he said when as if he was sure that the Titans would escape and walk a path of destruction, but I didn't comment. I gave him a nod and he gave me a kiss on each cheek before sending me out to my brothers.

"This place is so neat," Akin was saying enthusiastically, "I can't wait to see our room! They have locks, right? Cuz, like, you guys are great and all, but I'd really like my privacy with Hannibal." Hannibal didn't even twitch at Akin's comment. Jaques appeared disgusted and Raven nodded, not the least bit disturbed.

"Yes. Since Alaric's here, we'll show you guys to your rooms. Jaques, you can go let the others know that Akin and Alaric are here. I've got them." He said. Jaques was hesitant, but reluctantly left with a mutter about needing security cameras. Akin blew a raspberry at him just before he vanished.

"He's such a prude." He stated. Raven shrugged helplessly.

"Might as well get used to it. He does this to all of us, even Thorn and Thorn takes no bullshit from anyone." He responded. Akin appeared amused by that. Stanton sighed, rubbing at his temples before turning to me.

"Think you'll be okay for a little bit?" He asked. I looked at him sadly.

"Why? Where are you going?" I asked, sensing that finalizing tone. Stanton gave me a reassuring smile and kissed me on the forehead.

"I won't be gone for long. I just have to contact the other Death gods and set up a UP meeting. I'll be back before dark." He promised. I gave him a nod before he vanished. Raven was visibly relieved that he was gone before he led us up another flight of stairs to where the bedrooms were. We went to Akin's room first, the fourth door down the hallway that was heavily designed with gold geometric lines on the white wood. We opened the door to reveal a luxerious room, like a suite in a hotel. The bed was a huge canopy bed made of dark wood with long white silks hanging around it with white modern nighstands on either side, a love seat, a sofa, and an arm chair surrounding a coffee table in front of a fire place, and across from the bed was a large television, and beside that was the door to a large master bathroom with a separate tub and shower case and two sinks at a long marble counter.

"Wow," Akin breathed, walking inside and doing a complete 360 to look around the room,"This place is gigantic. It's like a suite." Great minds think alike, I thought with a smile as I watched Akin explore the room curiously and Hannibal just stood near the door, watching him. Raven looked at Hannibal.

"You guys can share this room, just don't tell Jaques. Let him find out on his own." He said. Hannibal nodded.

"Thank you." He said. Raven smiled, then looked over at Akin, who had jumped back on the bed.

"We'll leave you guys alone to explore. This floor is our floor, as in this is where the family sleeps. There's a kitchen just down the hall. If you go further down, there's a living room, entertainment lounge, and a hot tub on the balcony. First floor is mostly just visitor rooms, second floor is mostly offices, third floor is more offices and Lucifer's throne room, a few meeting rooms. Our floor is the fourth. Fifth and sixth floors aren't really for wandering around. Just more boring stuff, offices and whatever." Raven explained. Akin nodded, flashing him a smile.

"Thanks, Rave." He said. Raven nodded and we started to leave as Akin called Hannibal over to the bed. Raven locked his door on the way out and I glanced at him, lifting a brow.

"Are you friends with Hannibal?" I asked, noticing that Raven seemed oddly at ease around the towering hybrid god. Raven nodded as he led me three doors down the hallway.

"Yeah. It's kind of a long story, but to sum it up, Hannibal and I have a lot in common. I'm actually kind of glad he's here. I haven't spoken to him in person since..." He didn't finish. I understood and just nodded before Raven opened the door to my room. My eyes widened as I came inside to look around. It definitely put Cerberus's guest room to shame.

White marble floor with a white plush carpet spreading out around the bed, a four poster bed heavily designed in shades of blue with two dark wood nightstands on either side, each with a lamp. A few personal belongings I didn't recognize were scattered across the tops; a couple of books on Roman history, a bottle of lotion, a wrist watch, and chapstick. Across from the bed were a couple of armchairs set up in front of a large flat screen. There were two windows spaced out on either side of a pair of doors that led out to a balcony where a chair was set up, an exercise mat, and a stereo. The windows were open so I could hear the sound of ocean waves washing over the side of the cliff. There was a walk-in closet just around the corner from the bathroom, an elegantly designed bathroom with a tub and shower case, and a messy countertop near the sink. Hair brushes, a straightener, a half-empty bag of Doritos, a night light shaped like ocean waves, toothpaste, a couple of toothbrushes.

"I wasn't very clean, was I?" I asked, walking over to the one of the nightstands and picking up a bottle of lubrication. I blushed and dropped it in the drawer. Raven smirked, leaning on the corner of the short hallway that led to the bedroom door.

"Not really. It drove Thorn insane. You used to draw on the walls of your room and we had to paint over them a few times." He answered. I looked at him curiously, sitting on the bed.

"You didn't use magic to fix it?" I asked. Raven shook his head.

"That would be a waste of magic. While we have a lot of it, we prefer to save it for more important things... Like, you know, rampaging Titans." He offered. I smiled uneasily at that, then looked around the room, my smile fading before I met Raven's eyes.

"I don't remember any of this stuff." I said quietly. Raven's eyes flickered sadly and he pushed off the wall, coming over to sit beside me on the bed.

"I know. To be honest, when I first came home, it all felt kind of foreign to me too. The worst part is that I actually remembered it. I just couldn't get the cozy feeling back. Even now, I still feel like I'm dreaming, so I can't tell you that it'll pass. It's like Akin said; it's time to make some new memories." He explained gently. I nibbled at my bottom lip, looking around the room again and spreading my hand out across the blue silk throw blanket that was gradiently designed from dark blue to light blue. I swallowed hard, trying to pick up on something familiar, but to no avail. I looked over at Raven.

"Is my favorite color blue?" I asked. Raven nodded.

"You like the ocean. Well, not that ocean," Raven admitted, cocking his head toward the balcony, "That one is black as coal. But other oceans. You liked walking along the beach. You played in the sand a lot when you were a kid."

"What else?" I asked hopefully. Raven smiled, but it was tinged with sorrow.

"You exercised a lot. You were always running to the training center. And if you weren't there, you were exercising here. The weird thing is, for someone who put a lot of emphasis on taking care of your body, you always ate the worst garbage."

"Like what?

"Taco Bell was your favorite. I have no idea why. You liked ordering their mega package and eating all the tacos your self, then you'd turn around and go for a run on the beach. You liked milkshakes too."

"What flavor?"

"Chocolate."

"What about Marvel," I asked, making Raven look at me curiously, "Akin mentioned something about me liking Marvel comics. What are those?" Raven blinked, then laughed quietly.

"Oh yeah. You had an obsession. You have almost every issue. There're probably in your closet. You set it up so your favorites were on display in cases. The rest all neatly set up in shelves." He responded. I nodded thoughtfully and got up from the bed, heading over to the closet and folding open the doors before I found a light switch just inside on a small wall. I flipped it on and sure enough, a long string of lights flashed on over head and along the walls of the closet were display cases with brightly colored comic books, all resting on bookshelves that were jam packed with comics. I almost laughed at that. I went along the shelves until I found one of the first copies and picked it up, flipping open to the first page to read the cheesy scrawling in bubbles, the glitzy costumes the super heroes wore.

No wonder I liked this stuff.

It was neat!

I flipped through it for a little while before emerging with the book to read it later. Raven was still sitting on the bed, watching me. I turned the lights off and shut the closet behind me as I made my way back over to the bed.

"What else did I like?" I asked. Raven cocked his head thoughtfully.

"Well, aside from the personal hobbies, you liked to follow us around. Especially when you were a kid," He paused and laughed as he remembered something, "There was this time you followed Thorn and I to some huge meeting in Portius to hire in new soldiers and you got lost in the building. It took us hours to find you and when we did, you were trying to fit into the uniforms, but you were just way too tiny." I smiled at that, looking down at myself and trying to imagine being so small. I definitely wasn't small now. I was almost six foot, almost two hundred pounds of muscle. And a child? I couldn't imagine myself as a cute little cherub running around causing mischief. And it made me ache inside.

I couldn't remember my childhood. I couldn't remember what Raven was talking about.

A sudden burst of pain exploded in my chest at being unable to remember all of these things. It hurt so much. These people knew so much about me, and I knew nothing.

"It's all right, Alaric," Raven said gently, making me look up at him to see him smiling at me, "Well, it will be. I know it hurts right now. And I can't promise things will get better, you can try. I can try." I smiled gratefully.

We hung around in my room for a while, just talking about anything and everything. It felt so wonderful to talk to someone who knew so much about me. This must be why I was so desperate to go to Hades and bring Akin back, I realized. I liked feeling like this. I liked having someone to talk to, someone who could help me, and someone who understood me. This was what it was like to have family. Someone there to support you.

Raven told me everything he could about myself. All the memories he had of me. When I was a toddler, I'd apparently had trouble walking. Raven said that my muscles had developed a bit slowly, and my coordination skills even slower, but I'd managed to make it with his help and Lucifer's. By the time I'd learned how to run, it was all I did. According to Raven, I would run all over the house and draw on everything I could get my hands on. I stole towels and tied it around my neck to run around like Superman, jumped off dangerous things to pretend I could fly, played pretend that I was a super hero and fighting villains and saving damsels. It was enough to have us laughing.

All too soon, our time together ended as Raven was called into work to help train new soldiers. I gave him a solemn nod before he left and I was alone in a room I still couldn't recognize. No matter how much I walked around and touched everything, it was foreign. It made my stomach hurt and my heart ache.

I eventually went to shower in the bathroom, managed to find a towel in what seemed like an endless cabinet of washclothes, but hardly any towels. I went to the walk-in closet and found a pair of pajama pants and a tank top to sleep in. I paused at the dresser that was sitting just beside the outside of the walk-in closet. Inside were more pants and shirts than there were in the closet, and after some digging, I found the panty stash Stanton had told me about.

I bit my bottom lip, taking out a pair of lacy blue panties with bows on the side and a heart shape in the back that dipped down in between my cheeks. I blushed, hesitating with them before I decided to take the risk. I wiggled myself into them and paused, looking down at them, amazed at how nice they felt against my skin, soft lace cradling me.

"Wow." I jumped, making a weird yelping sound as I whirled around to see Stanton standing at my balcony window, his eyes locked on the panties. I held my breath, watching him come inside, closing the balcony doors behind him. He looked incredibly sexy with his blonde hair whipped out of his face by the wind outside, his black eyes glinting hungrily in the gentle glow from the lamps. He wore a long black leather jacket over jeans and a v-neck, his scythe necklace dangling at the dip in his shirt collar, his boots thumping as he made his way toward me.

"Hi." I breathed at last, pressing myself back against the dresser and staring up at him. He stared back at me, eyes intense. He moved his hands forward, his fingertips brushing the skin of my hips, making my breath hitch. Goosebumps crept across my skin as Stanton took me by the hips and jerked me against his hard body. I moaned low in my throat before Stanton reached up to cup my face, kissing me deeply.

He slipped his hand around my waist, dipping two fingers into the heart hole on the back of my panties, stroking the small of my back with his thumb. I trembled against him, purring contently at the feel of his skin on mine. He pulled me close, grinding his hips up against mine. My legs threatened to give out on me in response to the way his tongue stroked mine skillfully. I pushed against him, slowly leading him toward the bed until he was sitting down and I was in his lap, kissing him hungrily as he clutched at the globes of my ass, groping me tenderly.

My body erupted with heat, my groin tightening and heart racing. Stanton's lips felt so hot and smooth against mine, the rich scent of sandalwood and leather invading my senses.

"I like the blue ones." Stanton breathed, breaking our lips apart so we could breath, his thumbs finding the lacy bands that cradled my cheeks. I blushed and Stanton smirked, rubbing his nose against mine.

"How do you feel?" He murmured against my lips. I moaned as he pressed his fingers into my cheeks, kneading my ass provocatively.

"So good." I purred. Stanton chuckled at that and captured my lips again. A moment later, he was flinging me onto the bed and hovering over top of me, cupping me between the legs and massaging me gently. I moaned, tilting my head back against the pillows as he descended upon my throat with wet suckles that he trailed down to my nipples. His teeth scraped the sensitive tight flesh before he took his teeth and gently pulled, making me whimper low in my throat in pleasure.

God, he was so perfect. Why had I been so scared of dating him before? He obviously loved me as much as I loved him, right? There was more to this than just sex, and that's what made it infinitely better. I wasn't just allowed to have Stanton's body; I could have his heart too. The idea of it thrilled me as I dug my fingers into his back, massaging him as he stroked and kissed me senseless.

He pulled my legs up on either side of his waist, but he didn't take the panties off. He just squeezed lube onto his fingers, pulling the thin band of lace aside before he touched me intimately and I moaned, clenching my fists in the sheets. Stanton smirked, digging his fingers deep inside me, making my legs tremble.

It was a hundred times better when he finally plunged himself deep inside me. I loved feeling him inside me, having him lean over me, breathing hard as he thrust his hips against me. I cried out in euphoria, clutching him to me desperately as I arched my back to take him in deeper. My whole body quivered as I buried my nose against Stanton's throat, inhaling the deep scent of him, his sweat wetting my nose.

"Stanton," I panted helplessly, "I love you so much." Stanton hesitated for a split second, which concerned me, until he started to pound into me harder, making me cry out.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to tell me that, like this..." His voice trailed as he continued to piston against me and I gasped each time, voice hoarse as I struggled to find words to express how wonderful it felt. But I could hear Stanton's unspoken words.

Say it again.

"I love you, Stanton," I moaned, kissing at his throat and shoulder, then tilted my head back so I could kiss him hungrily on the mouth, listening to him growl in pleasure, "I love you so much. Stanton... Uhhn, Stanton... Stanton..." Stanton groaned and kissed me deeply, thrusting his hips in so hard that I finally came, crying out against his lips.

"I love you, Alaric," He panted against my lips, "Come for me." I whimpered helplessly as my body shuddered in release, soaking my panties and my vision momentarily going white as Stanton grunted and finally came inside me. We collapsed to the bed a moment later, breathing hard. Stanton wrapped himself around me instinctively, burying his face against the back of my neck.

He didn't speak. He didn't need to now. We just laid in bed for a while in silence. I laced my fingers with his, resting our hands over my chest together. I listened to him breath against me, his body warm and comforting.

But as we laid there in silence, I felt a strange nervousness in the pit of my stomach. It had nothing to do with my relationship with Stanton, not really. I didn't doubt Stanton's feelings for me, or mine for him.

It was the churning nervousness that something was going to go wrong. Something dangerous.

And it had Titans written all over it.