Nephriel

The Ties that Bind

Seb sighed and slipped into the bed next to Serena, kissing her brow. "I know... but with Anna running around with Rae and Gunner so dead set on pushing her as far away as he can, I don't know how much help I can be."

He rubbed the back of his neck, "And I still don't like Rae, there's something off about him. I can see he cares in his own way but it's... it's almost like he changes from heart beat to heart beat."

He shook his head, "Anna knows how to punish herself... that's for sure." It seemed like anytime something went wrong between she and Gunner, Anna became determined to destroy herself. It wasn't something she did knowingly, more like a series of bad choices she couldn't see she was making. Then again, Rae could be charming... Seb had run on the playing field for quite some time himself, he'd been Rae's biggest 'competition' as it were. However, there had always been a huge difference... Seb had never cheated, he'd always made it clear that he wasn't looking for anything 'more' out of any of the girls he was with. He always picked the ones that wouldn't get attached... Until Anya... until Serena.

He wrapped an arm around Serena, rested a hand on her belly. "Get some sleep... Then, when you get up it's time to see if the nurses can do anything about your nausea so you can eat."

~*~

Anna watched Gunner walk past, she wasn't surprised to see he paid her no mind. Instead of letting it get to her, she headed to the gym. There were a few Dhampir students there practicing after class and Anna picked a punching bag and went to town. She needed to expend some anger before she could do much else.

~*~

Kat moved to her door and opened it when James knocked to find Rae Costa at her door. With a small smile, she stepped aside and pushed the door further open. "Welcome, Mr. Costa... it's a pleasure to meet you, call me Kat."

Her formal tone matched the movement of her hands to put her long hair back into it's bun. She hadn't expected him so soon. "I'm apologize if James interrupted anything..."

She moved to the small cabinet in the room, opened it and poured them both a glass of wine before she passed him his. "I believed it would be a good idea for us to get to know one another..." She took a sip of her drink and smiled alluringly over her glass, "If we're to be married."

Kat was trained in a great many things, seduction wasn't so hard if you knew what your intended target was looking for... Though she'd only just met Rae, she hadn't missed the way his eyes had raked over her. The way his expression had changed the minute he'd seen her. It was easy, if you knew what to look for, to see he was a player... but Kat had invented the game.

She wasn't promiscuous... but she knew exactly how to get what she wanted and how to keep the boys playing along.

"Can I get you anything? James was kind enough to have the minifridge stocked before I got here... I hope you don't mind if I eat. It was a long drive."

The Ties that Bind

Anna resisted the strong urge to roll her eyes at Gunner as he pointedly clarified something that didn't need clarification, unless he was trying to hurt her. Which, since she'd only done exactly what he'd told her to do the last time they'd seen each other, wasn't fair. She bristled, and Sebastian's keen eyes caught the change in her aura. His eyebrows went up and she let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd taken to go off on Gunner... Serena didn't need that right now, SHE didn't need that right now. So, she took a breath and smiled. "Actually... that sounds pretty perfect. I could use SOMEONE to talk to," she said. The words were kind, sweet even, but that last bit she couldn't help turning into a bit of a stab at Gunner. She'd always had a semi-short fuse and her friends knew it. "As soon as you're feeling up to it, then. Get some food in you and we'll see what we can do about getting you away from Seb for five seconds." Sebastian gave a dry laugh, "I'm pretty sure you wouldn't let anything happen to Serena..." He glanced between the two, "I, we, love you both... I guess you can go now." Anna smiled, hugged Sebastian and kissed Serena's cheek, turned and almost ran into Gunner's chest... She froze up a moment at his nearness and then sidestepped awkwardly and out of the little room. She stopped and leaned against the wall once she was outside the infirmary and took a breath as she looked down at the phone in her hand. She knew she'd told Rae she'd text him right after but right now she needed some time to herself... She heard the door open a moment later and cursed, she'd expected Gunner to stay and talk to Seb and Serena for a bit... She tensed and glared pointedly at her phone, trying not to see him... but her temper was still there... just below the surface and her irritation was showing on her face. ~*~ Katerina Voda's car pulled to a stop on the campus grounds and she sighed softly, she'd been taught at home by the best teachers money could buy so she'd never really gotten to know many other Moroi her own age aside from those 'appropriate' for associating with a royal at court when she'd gone with her parents once she'd gotten older. Her parents had given her the news of her potential 'engagement' just days before they'd sent her off to be with her future fiance. Costa's parents had told her they'd sent him a letter two weeks ago letting him know she was coming but they'd said their son was... unpredictable and they weren't sure if he'd gotten the letter... Kat wondered why they hadn't simply called but Mr. Costa had said something about his son being a bit angry over his father assigning him to the academy as a teacher to prove his reliability. However, they'd begun to see that though Rae had a mind for business, maybe he'd never be as reliable as they'd like... and in came Kat. The Princess of the Voda family, one well known for her social graces and her 'devotion' to her royal duties. Kat wondered if any of them actually knew that underneath it all she found social gatherings and courtly discussions utterly boring but knew she played her part too well to worry. As her personal Guardian and driver opened the door for her to get out she slipped from the car and brushed off her white slim dress, it made the red of her lips stand out beautifully. "Thank you James..." She'd pulled her hair into a messy bun that looked oddly perfect on her and had done her make-up lightly but for her lips and eyeliner, and her nails were neatly manicured... How else would someone expect the heir of a line to look? James led her into the school, carrying her bags and placed them just inside her door. After he'd done so, he excused himself and headed off to alert her future fiance know she was here. Kat tugged one of the two 'chopsticks' from her hair and let it cascade about her shoulders. It was long, easily reaching the curve of her lower back, and it was a natural multitude of colors ranging from brown and blonde to gold. She ran her fingers through it, relishing the feel of having it down, and let it fall messily around her like curtains.

The Ties that Bind

Name: Katerina Voda Gender: Female Race: Moroi Age: 21 Guardian: James Element: Water Unique Abilities: It rains when she's upset... She's not very good at controlling her element. Description: In private: In public: Personality: Calm, collected, polite, guarded, intelligent... but that's only the face she puts on. Underneath it she is passionate, stubborn, playful, and kind hearted. She craves adventure and a break from the mundane life of whats expected. Background: Kat has always taken care of herself. With parents that were basically never around because of courtly duties, Kat became independent early. She threw herself into her studies but for all her careful reading and practice, she had never been able to control her element well... It's too closely tied to her emotions rather than her sometimes overly clinical mind. When Kat was sixteen, her parents started taking a role in her life again. They trained her up to be the perfect socialite, perfect for the court... perfect heir to head of the family name. She adopted the role easily along with everything else her parents wanted her to be... She learned several instruments, she can sing, dance, paint, draw... The last two aren't her parent's favorite, a daughter covered in charcoal and pain isn't exactly the image they want getting out into the Royal world of the Moroi. Kat has been surrounded by Dhampir guardians since she was born, she has always found them too cold and business like for her taste but she supposed that was part of the role they played... much as she played her own role. When her family broke the news about their plans to wed her off to the prince of the Costas, Kat accepted this too... Despite her seeming to accept her role perfectly, Kat holds a deep passion for her drawing and painting. She spends hours reading, escaping the confines of what's expected of her... but all of that is well hidden behind the face of the 'perfect' princess.

The Ties that Bind

Ooooh nooooo! Abigail looks like she's gonna be trouble.

The Ties that Bind

He shook his head, "Not a complication, Beautiful. I can't think of a damn thing more perfect than having a child with the woman I love... with the woman I plan to marry." He kissed the back of her hand gently, "As for worrying about me, don't... I'm only nervous because I don't want to turn into my father." As she mentioned Anna and Gunner he smiled, "You did succeed in getting them here... that's for sure. Let me go get them before they bolt..." He stood and moved back to the curtain, "Anna, Gunner... Both of you, in here now." He didn't give them a chance to argue, he slipped back behind the curtain before either of them could say a thing. ~*~ Anna had seen Gunner taking in she and Rae and despite their separation she wasn't thick enough to be unable to read the slight pain behind his eyes. Did he think she was with Rae for kids? There had been a time when Anna had wanted more than anything to be able to have a child, but it wasn't in the stars for she and Gunner. Dhampirs couldn't interbreed, either you were with a Moroi or that was that... but Anna had loved Gunner. She'd loved Gunner so much so that she'd given up the dream of having a child because she'd wanted to be with him, had been happy with him. She knew Gunner would have been a wonderful father, but unless they adopted... Either way, children with Rae wasn't going to happen. They hadn't even made it into bed with each other yet, something that surprised Anna... Despite his rep, Rae had patience. Maybe he understood her heart was still tied up. She ran a hand through her hair, it was yet another thing she felt guilty over. Rae was good to her and even if their relationship was casual, she had a feeling that it could be more if she'd let it... but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't make that next step. Sure, they'd come close... very close... once or twice but Anna had tested Rae's self control to the max and they'd ended up either watching movies and throwing popcorn at each other or snuggling on the bed. It wasn't that she wasn't attracted either, obviously she was, but... Gunner always found a way to sneak into her thoughts at just the wrong time. She heard the curtain part and glanced up just as Seb stepped out. As he ordered them both into the room, Anna glanced hesitantly at Gunner. She was about to say he could go in first if he wanted when Sebastian disappeared back into the room, making it clear he wasn't taking no for an answer this time. Anna sighed and stood up before she walked into the room. ~*~ Sebastian was waiting there, setting by Serena's bed when the two finally dragged themselves into the room. "This isn't exactly how we wanted the two of you to find out that Serena was pregnant but since you've both been avoiding us like the plague this apparently was the only way... We shouldn't have to be terrified for someone's life for the two of you to be around us. You're supposed to be our friends and whatever it is going on between the two of you you need to suck it up." He glanced at Serena, "Especially now, my family is going to give Serena and I hell over this. We need the two of you... Serena needs the two of you. Her pregnancy combined with the threat of my darkness spilling onto her... We need your help. Can you two stop being children long enough to worry about someone other than yourselves?" Anna flinched, Sebastian's words... though fueled by anger were pretty much true. Neither she nor Gunner had been their for their friends for the past month and if they had been maybe Serena wouldn't have gotten so ill because they could have helped take care of their friends... That's what they were supposed to do... It's what Seb and Serena would have done for them. They'd been so busy drowning in their own issues that they hadn't been paying attention to what their friends were going through. "I'm sorry Seb," she said as she glanced at Gunner. "I'll be here from now on... No matter what, I promise." Seb sighed, "Gunner? We need the two of you, both of you, you two have been my best friends for years... There is no one else I'd want to be there when Serena and I get married." Anna's eyes went wide, she noticed the ring on Serena's finger and despite another stab of pain in her chest she went to her friend's side and squeezed her hand lightly. "I'm so happy for you! It's about time..." She leaned down and hugged her lightly before stepping back, "Finally, someone tames Sebastian... You keep him on a tight leash, okay?" She ran a hand through her hair and smiled brightly, she was so happy for Seb... for Serena... but she had to swallow the knot that threatened to rise in her throat. This was no time to cry about lost causes... She was here for her friends.

The Ties that Bind

Rae's blasting through the grass at the school would have made her want to kiss him any other time but right now she had too much on her mind. So, as he helped her out of the car they both hurried to the infirmary. This would have also been one of those times that's she'd have worried about seeing Gunner, about Gunner seeing her with Rae, but right now she didn't really give a shit. She was worried about one of her friends. As they entered the room, Rae's arm slipped from her shoulders and she appreciated it. It was less that she wanted to hide things from any of her friends but she didn't need to be starting anything with Gunner right now... There were more important things to worry about. She wanted to go up to Seb and hug him but Gunner's arm around him made her stay back... At least one of them was comforting him and that was good enough. She squeezed Rae's hand nervously, briefly, for comfort when the nurse came out but it seemed like everyone let out a quiet sigh of relief at the same time... Even Jace, whom Anna figured was more relieved for his own sake than Serena's. As news of Serena's pregnancy hit the room, Anna felt an odd twinge of sorrow that she quickly drowned with excitement for her friends. ~*~ Sebastian shook his head as Gunner told him it would be okay, his heart was still racing in his chest and the nurses hadn't told them anything yet. As Gunner put his arm around Seb's shoulder's Seb raked a shaking hand through his hair, "I don't know what happened..." When Anna showed up, Seb saw Rae with her and tried not to grimace. He wished that she'd left the other Moroi outside but it was too late now... As the nurse came in Seb almost collapsed with relief, he looked at Gunner and Anna pointedly. "Don't go anywhere, she's going to want to see you." Anna nodded, no way in hell was she leaving just because Gunner was here. She did, however, turn to Rae. "You don't have to stay here, I might be a while..." She smiled somewhat, "Thank you for getting me here so fast... You should drop by the feeders, I'll text you?" She didn't want this whole thing with Gunner to be anymore awkward and she was pretty sure Rae was uncomfortable standing here with her ex only a short distance away... Hell, she was uncomfortable. So, she was giving him an out. She glanced back at the curtained bed and rubbed her arms, soothing her anxiety as best she could. She didn't say anything to Gunner, she'd said she'd leave him alone... So she was. She moved to the other side of the room and took a seat in one of the chairs scattered about for people waiting to visit. Hopefully Seb didn't take too long or the silence might drive her mad. ~*~ Seb entered the room and moved to the bed and brushed Serena's hair from her face, "Why didn't you tell me you knew?" He sat down in the chair next to the bed, "I thought I was going crazy..." He raked a hand through his hair, "Are you alright? You scared the shit out of me... I hauled Jace here, Anna and Gunner are outside." He took a breath, he was frustrated, but not at her... at himself. He should have known she was too weak to be taking her out of the room, he'd just wanted her to feel better. He put his hand on hers, "They said the baby is alright..." He felt the earlier nervous excitement, "We're having a baby... I'm going to be a father..."

The Ties that Bind

Sebastian had hold of her, thank Vlad... He should have been paying more attention but he'd been so distracted by his own thoughts! As she fell he caught her, dampening her fall as he sank to the floor with her and could see the other aura flickering with panic. "Shit," he was scared to move her but he had to to get her to the infirmary. He lifted her and moved quickly down the hall and kicked open the door to the room and immediately started yelling. Nurses came running and one of them had to pull Sebastian away from her as they swarmed around her. He couldn't heal her, that one thought rose up to haunt him. If he healed her the darkness could just make her worse... He hadn't been feeding enough lately and he'd been trying to ease the sickness since it started. He picked up the phone, scared out of his fucking mind. The first number he called was Gunner and the minute the phone was answered Sebastian didn't even give him time to say hello. "Serena is in the infirmary. I don't know what do do... Gunner I think she's... I think she's pregnant and she just passed out. Get that fucking asshole Jace and get him here anyway you possibly can. I need someone... I need someone to heal her. I can't heal her... Just hurry the fuck up!" He hung up and dialed Anna, the phone rang six fucking times before she answered. "Where the hell are you?" ~*~ Anna was pretty much making out with Rae in the car, they hadn't moved yet, when the phone went off. She groaned, kissed him a few more times then pressed the button on her bluetooth. "Ross..." "Where the hell are you?" Anna's brows furrowed at the tone Seb was using and immediately extracted herself from Rae's grip. "Seb, what's wrong?" "Serena fell, that's what's wrong and neither you or Gunner were anywhere near the fuck by to HELP ME." Anna paled, "Seb, calm down... What happened." "She just fell, she passed out. She hasn't been eating enough and it just keeps coming back up. She's been so tired and I kept insisting she go outside... I should have let her rest! I can't heal her and..." Anna looked at Rae, "Go back to campus... Now." She took a breath, "Seb, I'm on my way alright... Just hold on." "Just GET HERE, Anna!" He hung up and Anna dialed another number, "Jace... I need your help." ~*~ Jace blinked at his phone as he read Anna's name, he'd been on and off the school campus for the past few weeks visiting his brother and this was one of few times he was there. "Angie," he teased in an overly cheerful voice. "Still running with Rae or have you-" "Jace... I need your help." Well, those were words he didn't think he'd ever hear. "With what?" "Sebastian's Guardian fell, he can't heal her. Get there... Now." Jace grimaced, "You know what that's going to do to me don't you?" Anna sneered, "I don't care!" She took a breath, that wasn't exactly true... "Jace... Please, don't make me beg." He chuckled, "But I like it when you-" "I'm not fucking around! I'm serious! This is serious." Jace finally sobered, "Shit... fine. You owe me..." He hung up and started yanking on his clothes, he'd been sleeping in one of the Guest rooms... He hadn't been alone. He lit a cig and then headed towards his door...

The Ties that Bind

Sebastian wrapped his arms around Serena the moment hers went around him and he could see it was safe. He could see in her aura that she didn't feel well despite the other one fogging hers which seemed happy and content... He blinked a few times but it didn't go away. He could always tell when she was about to throw up though because right before it happened the second aura always turned agitated and upset too. "My class was fine and stop worrying about it, I know you haven't been feeling like yourself lately." As she noted he'd went to the feeder he chuckled softly, "Serena, you couldn't look like garbage if you tried." He kissed the back of her neck as she tried to eat and he eyed that other aura, for now it seemed just as happy and content as it had a moment ago. Apparently, her stomach had a mind...of...its...own. His heart started racing and sweat prickled the back of his neck. "Serena... when is.." He cleared his throat, "How long has it been since..." He rubbed the back of his neck, these were the things men really didn't need to know but what if he was right? He needed to talk to Anna so he shifted the direction of the conversation. "How long has it been since we got you out of this bedroom? I know you're tired but some fresh air might do you good..." Holy hell, if she was pregnant... His heart started racing again. ~*~ Anna walked with him to the vehicle and stepped inside. Once it took off Rae kissed her and she kissed him back, laughing at his words though they made her heart do curious things. "Oh, how I wish. Unfortunately, I wouldn't know what to do with myself with all that spare time. You'd get sick of me sooner or later," she joked before she kissed him again. As he asked her where they should head Anna considered for a moment, "You know what, I have some spending money for once and I need more clothes aside from training gear. Let's drag you shopping at the Mall and force you to wait in lines... and make you eat at the crummy pretzel stands." She smiled, "The horror!" She liked teasing him about his privilege but truth be told she also enjoyed making him try new things, coming off his high horse. "Don't worry, it won't kill you... You might actually like it."

The Ties that Bind

Anna gasped as he caught her up simply and she had enough time, being held against him, for her heart to start racing before his words shattered what was left of her hope and he slung her aside like she was nothing... and at this point, to him, she guessed that's what she was. She gathered herself up just as he exited the gym and she sat where she'd landed and rested her head on her knees, her arms wrapped around them. She cried for the better part of ten minutes before the bell for the end of breakfast rang and she gathered herself up. Wiping her eyes she texted a number she hadn't in years... Gunner's. "U win, I'm done, I'll leave u alone..." With that she let out another shaking breath and deleted his number and texted the one she'd been given last night by Rae. "C u later?" She hoped he hadn't changed his mind... Then, she headed down the hall towards her own room. She needed time to get herself straight before she saw anyone, right now she was in pieces. ~*~ Seb shook his head, "With them it's hard to tell how they figured it out... Sometimes I think they're having someone stalk me." He pulled the letter out of the envelope and skimmed it quickly before letting out a relieved breath. "They don't know yet... My father is just disapproving of my having taken my Guardian to an expensive dinner last night." He shrugged, "He'll get over it." He brushed his thumb over her knuckles, "Don't worry... If they do find out it's likely they'll have to address my mother having a heart attack before they come anywhere close to Academy," he teased. "I don't care what they think, Serena. It's you and me... and as soon as Gunner and Anna get their heads out of their asses it'll be us and them too." He sighed as the bell went off and pointed at her food, "You'd better eat that before you go anywhere. You need to keep up your strength up if we're going to be dealing with all this stress." He shook his head, "I'll head to the feeders after class." He kissed her gently and then headed to the class to teach, hoping she took his advice and ate something. ~*~ THREE WEEKS LATER ~*~ Anna leaned against the wall outside Rae's class as she waited for him to get done teaching. She'd no idea why he'd taken a break from working at his father's business to come here and sub-in for Academy. Honestly, he seemed pretty bored doing it so she guessed maybe it was something his father had insisted on before he'd agree to sign over his business... Responsibility test or something. Either way, she was happier than she'd been in a long while. She'd managed to avoid Gunner almost completely lately and the few times she'd seen him she'd done as he'd asked... She left him alone, sticking to pretending that seeing him didn't still drive a knife into her heart... pretending she didn't see him at all. It seemed mutual, his stony silence hadn't changed any since the last time she'd tried to speak with him... If anything it had gotten worse. To make things more complicated Serena and Sebastian seemed determined to get the two of them together and Anna was running out of excuses. Sooner or later, they'd have to be trapped in a room together and they'd both have to act like it was fine... that they were fine, for their friends because Anna wasn't going to let this drag her friends down. Her relationship with Rae was a well kept secret, she was totally professional while they were on campus, but in their free time before curfew they skipped off of the Academy grounds and she let being a Guardian take a back seat. Rae did his best to wow her with all the new things he was introducing her to and he was doing a great job to be honest. They were officially casually dating now, which was probably the most serious any relationship had ever gotten with Rae and they'd still yet to do anything more than make-out which also had to be some kind of record... Anna just couldn't quite bring herself to make that last step and Rae was as patient as ever though she had no idea why. However, despite their being careful, Anna was pretty sure that Gunner had to know by now... but if he did he hadn't said a word... So maybe he didn't? Anna glanced up as the bell rang and entered the room as the students exited, "Hello again, Mr. Costa," she said with a smile. ~*~ Sebastian had gotten absolutely nowhere with Anna and Gunner, the issues between them seemed to have gotten worse if that was possible. Now, they seemed content ignoring each other's existence completely. Plus, Anna's aura had changed... It was dingy grey less of the time and what bothered him was that when she was watching Rae or Guarding him, it flared a little with the light it had had before. Was Anna moving on? He could see she didn't love Rae but she definitely cared about him and... He had to grudgingly admit that apparently he felt something for her too. He'd kept this information away from Serena, he didn't want anything stressing her out and besides... His aura reading had been a little off lately. Everyone else seemed fine, but anytime he looked at Serena it was like having double vision... There was an aura inside her aura. He had no idea what he was looking at but he had noticed she'd been moodier lately... He'd actually had to leave the room once or twice because she'd lost her temper with him and other times he'd had absolutely no idea why she started crying. Maybe it was some kind of split personality or the darkness affecting them both... He wasn't sure but it was throwing him for an absolute loop. He'd even considered talking to Jace, to see what he saw but he didn't trust the guy to be straight with him... and he didn't like him. Seb was currently finishing up his class and he was exhausted. Serena hadn't been sleeping well, she'd been sick with some kind of bug that had her throwing up and running to the bathroom all night this past week. He wasn't sure when the last time he'd fed was because he'd been too worried about leaving her alone, another source of some of their arguments. Thankfully, he'd talked Serena into sleeping in today and he stopped by the feeders before he headed back to their room. He poked his head in like he was walking into a war zone, "Serena?" Best to gauge her mood before conversing.

The Ties that Bind

Anna felt the sting of his words, she took them in and she owned them. She had never wanted this, never wanted to hurt him. There was something she had to clear up though so when he started to leave she did the only thing she could to stop him. In the span of two seconds she had caught up with him, and using her forward momentum against his opposing one, she caught his arm and yanked him back as she thrust out her hip. With Gunner having been walking away and her speed and light-footedness it wouldn't have been hard to catch him off guard and send him into the backwards tumble that would land him flat on his back on the gym floor. She danced out of his reach before speaking, knowing she had gotten lucky, keeping herself between he and the door. "Sebastian didn't send me, Marks. I came all on my own and it wasn't for him..." She stayed in her fighting stance but didnt attack. Her goal was to keep him in the gym long enough to get him to listen... and she wasn't backing down. "Either you hear me out and we end this pattern now or you go through me if you want to leave... your choice." Until she was sure he was done with her, that this couldnt be fixed, she wasnt going anywhere. ~*~ Seb kissed her cheek, "Don't feel guilty. They did this to themselves and now they have to deal with it." He smiled as they reached the cafeteria. "I promise I'll eat right if you do." He took her through the line grabbing only a few things for himself and making sure Serena filled her plate. "Mr. Lazar?" The voice came from a guardian who handed him a message and walked off. At the sight of the name on the envelope he sighed... "My parents.... that didn't take long."