Aegis 3.0

[Wyosch]

"I can be quite convincing.", Jim mentioned, smirking. "I mean - with words." He chuckled, knowing that he had said to be quite convincing before - by threatening people. He wouldn't do that to his sister-in-law.
"Don't worry too much, Mac. As I know her, she'll probably say: 'Not without Mac!'."

"And I was planning on paying either way.", Cole explained, smiling softly at her parents. He raised an eyebrow at Sam's strange facial expression, but just ignored it for now. "It wouldn't have to be a too big apartment, as we'd just share a room like we practically do now as well. A bathroom, living room and kitchen. That'd be all."

Mike listened to Jake talking about his shift, his eyes sparkling.
"That is so cool... man I'm jealous.", he chuckled. "So technically you hate being around other cats? Only cats or in general other male animals?", he asked, lifting his head. "And when did you find out about being a snow leopard?"
He frowned as Jake asked him what it was like to be only human. "Eh well... I don't know how to answer that question... boring, I guess?"

"I'm not going to ruin the surprise!", Dylan protested, smirking. "Yeah, same here. I'll make one for us... if you show me where I can find everything?"
He blushed softly as she said the evening couldn't be bad with him. "I wouldn't be so sure about that.", he chuckled. "Girls usually don't want to hang around me anymore once they find out about my interests and everything."

 

[Scripted Away]

"She wouldn't say it in such a deep voice though", Mac laughed, swatting Jim's shoulder. "And she'd probably cross her arms in that cute way and..."
His voice trailed off as he dreamed about Hunter again. With sparkling eyes, he smiled at him. "I don't know how she does it but I keep falling for her over and over again. She's amazing, isn't she?"

"Nonono, fifty-fifty", Bailey protested, resting her hand on his arm. "I don't want you to pay it all alone, no chance."
Turning to her parents again, she smiled softly. "Do you think you can trust me with this?", she asked with a soft smile. "Have I ever given you a reason to doubt my responsibility?"
They both smirked softly, and Tristan got up to hug her and plant a small kiss on her head. "Come visit us as often as you can, okay? We'll all miss you."
"Dad, it's only about half an hour drive away. I just have to buy a car."
"You can have the old lady and pimp her if you want."
Bailey smiled softly, hugging her father back. "Thanks daddy. I'll take good care of her, I promise."
Sarah meanwhile turned to Emma. "And what do you think about it?"

Jake snorted in amusement of all those curious questions.
"I have no problem with cats or make animals", he explained. "Just male cats. Dunno, it's some kind of rivalry-instinct-thing."
When Mike called it boring to be a human, he raised one eyebrow. "We'll at least you didn't have to hide all your life", he mentioned, but dropped it immediately again. "Oh eh, to answer to your last question- I found out when I was about a few days old, I guess. I mean, I'm shifting as long as i can remember, don't remember any big 'awakening' or so. It was much more of a fuzz when I told my parents on my 14th birthday that I wanted to become a guy. I mean, I've always more of a tomboy, as long as i can remember...wait I believe I still have a photo of me before the surgeries and therapy."
He scrolled through his pictures for a moment, and lastly slid his phone to Mike.
(( https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BxpR_EcCYAAw76L.jpg ))
"But it was hard to find docs who'd do it at that age because many just put it on 'having a phase'. Telling you- shifting is nothing against that."

"Well I'm just as geeky as you, so- perfect match", Lola chuckled as she led him back into the kitchen and showed him the fridge for the milk and the drawer where she kept the chocolate.
"I'm really glad i got the chance to get to know you better", she said with a happy smile.

 

[Wyosch]

Jim chuckled, crossed his arms and made big eyes. "Not without my Mac!", he whined, his voice high - trying to imitate Hunter. "That better?", he asked, laughing.
Smirking softly as Macon was almost drooling, he nodded. "Yeah, she's great.", he replied.
>>But no one can top my baby.<<
"It's so cute when you do that, you know?", he chuckled again. "You look like a hungry baby."

"75-25.", Cole suggested, winking at Bailey. He smiled softly at her, his eyes sparkling. "I still got my car, too, which you can use of course".
He turned to his mother as Bailey asked what she thought of it.
"Eh well...", Emma frowned slightly. "Well- I'm not really in favor of it..."
"What? But Dylan has an appartment in the city too!"
"But he lives there on his own."
"You think we'll be as stupid as Emily and get pregnant? I thought you had a little more trust in me than that.", Cole replied, crossing his arms, leaning back in his chair - a deep frown on his face.

"I find it really brave of you that you did that, you know?", Mike replied, smiling softly. "And what do you mean with having to hide all your life? You mean with HACK?", he whispered, tilting his head.

"Me too.", Dylan replied, already taking out the stuff he needed to make some hot chocolate. "Even though it was actually because I kinda went a bit too far on criticizing you.", he sighed. "I didn't mean it like that."

 

[Scripted Away]

Laughing silently, Mac ruffled Jim's hair all over the place.
"Yeah that was pretty okay, but i still won't kiss you", he giggled.
When Jim commented on his dreaming, he smirked softly, looking at the sky.
"Seriously, sometimes I wonder who of us really was sent from heaven. Jeez I'm so cheesy."
With a lopsided grin, he poked Jim's side. "But you are just the same when you talk about Rey. I can immediately see when you think of her; your face always lights up as if youd forget all your worries for a while."

While Bailey talked silently to Cole, her mother spoke up.
"Why are you worried about Bailey getting pregnant? It's not like she..."
"Mom!", Bailey interrupted her sharply, and her glass of water immediately fell over and spilled all over her.
"...sorry",Bailey sighed, handing her mother a napkin to dry herself and slowly got up.
"Emma, can we talk alone somewhere?", she asked silently, her hands slightly shaking.

Jake nodded in silence. "Yeah. Dad luckily was able to keep them away from us, but it has been ages since we've been to the city the last time. About 8 years for me, and over 15 for Bailey, Elena and Sabrina." Smiling happily, he looked around. "It's still hard to believe how accepting everyone has become. I would've never thought that I could shift in the middle of a crowd one day, with not a single person freaking out."

"No No, it's okay", Lola said with a soft smile, resting her chin on his shoulder as she watched him make the chocolate.
"I was just that hurt be because... y'know... i really like you and eh, I was just scared that you wouldn't want to have anything to do with me..."

 

[Wyosch]

Jim ran his hand through his hair, trying to get it back in place.
"That's sad. I'd hoped we'd share a deep, passionate kiss now.", he replied, laughing. He smirked softly as Macon told him that his face lit up as well.
"It's true though. She always makes me forget my worries.", he said, poking his brother's side back. "We're both cheesy."

Emma sighed silently as her son kept staring at her with his death glare, and nodded as Bailey asked to talk to her.
Standing up, she gestured to the corner, walking over.
"Okay Bailey, here nobody will hear us."

Mike smiled softly. "Life with HACK wasn't great. And not only for you guys. The entire family on my mom's side was either killed or used for experiments, and I'm pretty sure Aram's and Dylan's car accident wasn't that much of an accident..."

Dylan turned his head to Lola for a moment, smiled softly at her cuddling against his shoulder, before he went on making the hot chocolate.
"Well... it's just, my sister was a model too. She was put under so much pressure and her 'friends' set her under even more pressure... that's one of the reasons why... you've probably heard of her. The famous suicide of Jasmine Anderson..." Dylan sighed. "That's why I kind of have a dislike for models, because they're one of the reasons why she jumped. Though they're probably not all like her 'friends'... you at least aren't."

 

[Scripted Away]

Chuckling, Mac pushed Jim's face away and smiled softly at him. "Jimbo, why don't you go home to Rey? It's really late already, so I bet Rex already put the kids to bed. Take a little break, take some time to reunite with Rey... you've never really had the chance till now. I'll keep an eye on the farm and tell you when the kids get up. And call a psychologist before you pick them up. That way you already have a success to tell them about, to show them you really mean it when you say you'll get better. And I... i gotta go home too. I'll talk to Hunter about hypothetical immortality."
Already starting to gather must around himself, he stretched out his fist. "Brofist-bye?"

Bailey sighed silently as she looked up at Emma, rubbing her arm.
"This is kinda hard for me to talk about...", she confessed. "Nobody knows it, besides my older siblings and parents..."
She averted her gaze to state at the ground, kinda shrinking into herself. "You don't have to worry about the pregnancy-thing happening to me...because i have no uterus... it was removed because I always had my period so badly that I almost bled to death a couple of times. I'm infertile..."
She looked up at Emma again with big eyes, filled with tears; something so unusual for her...nobody had ever seen her cry before. "Please don't tell Cole... i want to tell him personally. And nobody else as well..."
Wiping her tears away, she smiled sadly, but another one ran down her cheek. "I...i need some fresh air...", she whispered, running out into the pouring rain.

Jake nodded, saying nothing. Most of his family had died during the last couple of years, and while they were safe...they were alone now.
"I know that", he said silently. "I'm sorry about your family."
Smiling softly, he gently pushed Mike's shoulder. "But enough of the sad talk! Tell me about your hobbies!"

Lola stared up at Dylan with big eyes, her gaze empty.
After a moment, she bit her lip, closed her eyes and turned her face away.
"Jasmine...", she whispered painfully, holding her hands at her chest. Looking at Dylan again, she hesitated a moment before hugging him tightly and burying her face at his shoulder. "Jassie was my best friend. We did all our photo shoots together...maybe She sometimes talked about Lol. That was her nickname for me. I did everything to protect her from the others...i told Perry to threaten them to fire them but he didn't listen, didn't believe me when i told him ehat they did to her. It was like a part of me died when she jumped down that building...i was there...i was there...but i couldn't save her, I wasn't convincing enough, I..."

 

[Wyosch]

"I already called the psychiatrist. She'd text me saying when I can come. I asked for tomorrow.", Jim explained, smiling sadly. "Thanks for everything, bro." He brofisted Macon, winking. "Good luck with Hunter. Text me how it went, 'kay?"

Emma just stood there, her hand raised to her mouth, shaking her head in disbelief.
"What did you do now?!", Cole yelled, suddenly standing next to her. As he'd seen his girlfriend run out of the building, crying, he'd gotten up and had practically stormed over to his mother.
"Why can't you once show some empathy and don't make everything about you?", he hissed, shaking his head, a deep frown on his face, while running after Bailey.
"Bay, wait!"

Mike chuckled, nodding. "Okay eh well... I've actually not picked any of my old hobbies up yet. Been home for four months already, but it's harder than I thought trying to adjust to life again.", he winked, smirking. "Usually now I just help my parents out and play videogames. Before I went to jail I played football, I loved to go out and photograph stuff, and I randomly pranked people. Oh wait, I still do that - hehe." He chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "And you?"

Dylan's hands shaked slightly as he hugged Lola back, softly patting his back - the blanket falling off to the floor as he wasn't holding onto it anymore.
"It's okay, you couldn't have saved her...", he whispered, sighing upon feeling the lump in his throat. "As I said before, that wasn't the only reason why...", he took a deep breath, a tear rolling down his cheek. "I... I still have her note she left... it was adressed to 'Lol' but none of us knew who exactly that was, as she always only talked about 'Lol' and never 'Lola'."

 

[Scripted Away]

"Promised", Mac said with a soft smile, But instead of misting into the living room, he appeared on the roof, with an ukulele in his hands. He had that song stuck in his head, the one he had written while he had to watch Hunter clean the cat's toilet because she wouldn't let him help because... reasons? Somehow it had turned into a crossover of Hunter and Cinderella, provably because he imagined her being treated like that by her father when she was a kid.
Playing a quick rhythm, he chuckled softly.
"Dressed in rags
You're scoopin' litter from the cats
I thought we had someone for that
But by the looks of things you fired the maid again

Yeah I confess
I know that floor won't clean itself
And you're worried half to death
About the things that just won't matter in the end

Take off those shoes
Looks like you could really use a glass slipper
Yeah I know it's been a pisser
So one strong sipper might suffice

Come on girl, I'm beggin' please
Get off your knees, I got the keys
And I'll pick you up at midnight
In my souped-up pumpkin ride

'Cause you're my Cinderella
We're two birds of a feather
I'll even sing to you acapella
You're so hella good looking tonight
My Cinderella
Whenever you need some shelter
We can stand under my umbrella
Together
Need no fortune teller to say it's forever with you
Oh, I know it's forever with you

Don't watch the clock,
I paid some dude to make it stop
But we won't worry 'bout tomorrow
There's no sorrow in this fairy tale I wrote

I gotta say
You still take my breath away
That look reminds me of that day
You scratched your number on that yellow post-it note

And now you're my Cinderella
We're two birds of a feather
I'll even sing to you acapella
You're so hella good looking tonight
My Cinderella
Whenever you need some shelter
We can stand under my umbrella
Together
Need no fortune teller to say it's forever with you
Oh, I know it's forever with you

Check out those stars
I picked 'em up one day on Mars
And you thought I was at the bar
Well okay maybe there's a little truth to that

As I was sayin'
If you squint a certain way
You'll see they kinda spell your name
Just a little
Okay maybe that's a stretch

But you're my Cinderella
We're two birds of a feather
I'll even sing to you acapella
Forever
Or until you've had enough

Cause you're my Cinderella
And I'm your kind of fella
I wanna kiss you there and tell ya
You're so hella good looking tonight
My Cinderella
Whenever you need some shelter
We can stand under my umbrella
Together
Need no fortune teller to say it's forever with you
Oh, I know it's forever with you

Yeah, and I mean forever with you
Oh, I know it's forever with you"

"Cole! Watch out!" Bailey shouted, pushing him out of the way just in time to avoid him getting hit by a huge branch that fell out of a tree.
"I'm dangerous like that!", she said, backing away. "I only bring good luck as long as I'm in a good mood! As soon as my mood turns bad, it reverses and I bring bad luck."
Looking away, she bit her lip, kinda thankful that the rain was hiding her tears. "We will never be a family, Cole. I will never..."

"Maybe you just need a kick in the ass?", Jake suggested with one shoulder lifted, before grinning slightly.
"I make music. Spoons, guitar, singing... I'm also always working on my party barn. Got a bar, running water, electricity and hearing there now, and im about to finish repairing the stage. Big Garret broke it last year. And I usually take care of the few guests and tourists who sometimes come for holidays on our farm. Then also the cows, someone has to take care of them after all, and...
At the dining of his phone, he trailed off.
"Mr.O'brian, good evening, how can i help you?
...
Oh yes, of course. I will gladly teach you and your wife in archery, we have a great parcours for that in our forest, with semi-realistic targets ranging from a bunny over a bird to a bear.
...
Tomorrow at 10 am? Sounds good, I will add it to my schedule.
...
No problem, Mr.O'brian, and please remember to wear long sleeves and firm shoes.
...
Great, I will see you tomorrow then. Bye."
Hanging up again, he smiled awkwardly. "Talking of the tourists. I was just about to add that I do archery too."

Lola sobbed silently, tightening her grip around Dylan.
"I wish she had talked to me about it, but we both were so busy we never got the time to talk anymore", she whispered sadly. When she looked into his face and noticed his red eyes and the tear, she gently wiped it away and cuddled against him tighter. "I actually started studying archeology because of her. Her last words to me were 'run, get out while you still can, this isn't paradise, this is a bomb and its ticking'. And then she just..."

 

[Wyosch]

Jim used his lightnings to travel back home.
He silently entered the house, not wanting to wake Rachel up if she'd sleep.
"Rey?", he whispered, hard enough for someone to hear if they were awake, silent enough to sleep through it.

Hunter had been sitting on the rooftop as well, counting the stars, and when she had heard her favorite voice starting to sing, she crawled up to him - and slipped.
"Motherchucker!", she yelled, holding herself up at the ledge, pulling herself up and crawling towards him again - this time more carefully.
"That was so cute!", she giggled, sitting down next to her favorite person in the entire universe, kissing his cheek. "I actually just wanted to call you. Was worried something happened, as you weren't in Misha's room anymore when I went to check on you two. He's sleeping right now - and you know what? All his toys are floating around him.", she lifted her shoulders, smirking softly. "Telekinesis, maybe?"

Cole was still slightly in shock by himself almost being hit by a branch, but immediately hugged her tightly.
"What do you mean we'll never be a family? Babe, I'll marry you, we'll adopt a kid and we'll be a real family."
He softly turned her around, stroke some hair out of her face and placed a kiss on her forehead.
"...you're infertile, aren't you?", he whispered silently. "I kinda had my suspicions... in the five months that we've known each other you have never had your period..."

Mike smiled softly. "Yeah, maybe I need a kick in the ass.", he mumbled, chuckling.
>>Pervert.<<, he thought to himself, shaking his head.
"So archery hm? You think I can learn that too?"

Dylan gulped, burying his face into Lola's neck.
"She always knew how to make stuff dramatic...", he mumbled, followed by a fake chuckle. "She would never have talked to anyone about it. She was too stubborn. Jas always thought she could fix everything on her own..."

 

[Scripted Away]

"Hey honey you're finally back!", Rachel said with a happy smile, stumbling out of the bathroom with her one hand resting on her baby belly.
"You have no idea how heavy seven months are", she chuckled, hugging him gently. "And he's been kicking all evening. I feel like an inside-out bongo.", she giggled.
Sighing calmly as she buried her face into his neck, she softly stroked over his back and looked up into his eyes after a while. "You know what baby? I love you."

"HUNTEEEER!", Mac cheered happily, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling his nose into her hair with a huge grin. "This night just turned twice as good, with my favorite person right here with me."
Smiling softly as she mentioned Misha's floating toys, he nodded. "Sounds like it. Also telepathy, and a really strong one. I have rarely seen telepaths being able to even access feelings, but Misha can." He softly ran his fingers down her back and kissed her shoulder. "Hey honey? I'm trying to help Jim get over his problems and so on, and as we were talking about growing stronger than ones fears, we kinda started to wonder how you did it? I mean, sure, I showed you the 'I will' trick, but even I am impressed how calm and balanced you have become lately." He gently nuzzled into her hair for a moment, before talking on. "And then we kinda trailed off and talked about immortality..."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier...", Bailey whispered sadly, burying her face into his chest. "I was just so afraid of losing you because of that... even though I knew you'd never leave me because of it. Weird, isn't it?"
Softly holding his hands, she intertwined her fingers with his and sighed silently. "So...yes. everything... down there had to be removed because I bled far too heavily. Almost bled to death a few times..."
Her grip tightening, she looked up into his eyes with pain in hers. "Can we... Go for a walk? I don't want to go back yet..."

"Of course you can learn it too, you have two working arms and hands after all", Jake chuckled, smirking at Mike lopsidedly. "If you want you can join my archery lesson with the O'brians at 10am. I'll have my longbows, shortbows and crossbow out. Still haaaave..."
He looked at his watch, his eyes widening. "5 hours? It's 5am? Holy cow and I still have to set up the targets and restring all six bows..."

Lola just shook her head sadly and cuddled against Dylan some more, sighing silently. "...yeah I remember how stubborn she was", she mumbled. "Always tried to play the hero. I wish she had swallowed her pride that one time..."

 

[Wyosch]

Jim wrapped his arms around the beautiful woman, resting one hand on her belly as well, looking down into her eyes.
"I love you more.", he mumbled, sighing happily. He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying her closeness, her scent, her warmth...
4 months no talking to her.
4 months not seeing her.
4 months not kissing nor touching her.
4 months too long gone.
"I missed you.", he whispered, smiling softly. "I'm glad you're back and well."
He kissed her forehead, pulling her closer.
"Kids are still at Rex's ranch... something got a little out of hand there... I'll pick them up tomorrow morning... excepting Raven..."

Hunter cuddled against Macon's chest, peacefully closing her eyes.
"I'm kinda worried about Misha. He shows such strong abilities, but what if he can't handle them yet? He's still so small...", she mumbled, grabbing Macon's hand and intertwining their fingers.
"Well, it starts with your trick. Instead of thinking 'What if', think 'I will'. That's really difficult at the start, but if you really want to succeed, you will. Another thing: accept the past. Accept that you can't change anything about it, and that your past made you the person you are today, which leads me to the third point: acceptance of yourself. That probably was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Especially when you're really insecure about yourself, always thinking you're not good enough - it's tough. But once you start to realize that all those people around you aren't around you because they have to, but because they love you - you slowly start questioning if your worries really are necessary. Not good enough? Wrong: good enough for your family and friends. Not pretty? Wrong: Your husband thinks you're the most beautiful thing on earth, and your kids think you're a princess - and we all know there aren't any ugly princesses.", she winked, smiling softly. "Sure, I still sometimes have days where I think I'm still not good enough and that nobody loves me, but then I see your and the kids' faces, and I immediately know again that I'm loved. And how I got over all my fears and phobias? Well, stand taller. Afraid of the dark? Try to stay outside in night for five minutes. Next day, try ten minutes, day after 15 minutes, and so on. It needs practice. Without practice, you won't succeed."
Hunter ruffled Macon's hair, kissing his cheek. "I hope that answer wasn't too long.", she giggled, tilting her head as he mentioned immortality. "You mean because Rey and Jim both are immortal now?"

Cole softly put his finger under her chin, lifting her head up so she'd look into his warm eyes.
"Baby, I will never leave you. Not even when you'd look like a zombie and you'd probably want to eat my brain.", he winked, smiling softly. "It's okay, honey. Really. I'm glad it was all removed else you'd be dead by now. And I'm really proud of you that you told me."
He ran his fingers through her wet hair, kissing her forehead.
"Sure, let's go for a walk."

Mike chuckled. "I didn't know it was already that late, whoa. And I can help you with setting everything up, so you still got some time to relax.", he winked, looking over at Sam.
"You heard anything of Dylan yet?"

Dylan sighed sadly, biting his lip.
"She would've never have.", he replied, quickly pushing Lola away from him and turning to the stove with the milk, taking it off.
"We almost had lava chocolate milk.", he chuckled, turning back to Lola. "I'm sorry I brought up all those memories of Jasmine again."

 

[Scripted Away]

Rachel gently nuzzled her face into his chest and kissed his neck as her fingers gently ran over his back.
"I missed you too", she whispered softly. "It was like i was trapped in a dark place for four months and had no chance to escape, no chance to tell you I'm still there...i really got angry at myself at some points!", she chuckled.
As she looked up into his eyes, she smiled sadly.
"Yeah i already had such a weird gut feeling", she sighed. "Don't worry honey, I'll go and talk to her tomorrow morning. We will get this fixed- together. And then..."
Grinning slightly, she held up a bunch of tickets for a flight to Hawaii. "We will finally have our holidays on Hawaii. Who knows, maybe ash and Emily want to come too."

Mac grinned softly, hugging her tightly.
"I'm really proud of you, honey", he mumbled happily. "And impressed how determined and boldly you did it. You're a really amazing person. I don't know, sometimes i wanna marry you all over again", he giggled, and then sniled calmingly.
"What if he can't handle them? Eh-eh: we will help him to handle them." He winked, and nodded at her question.
"Yeah kinda. We were discussing the advantages and disadvantages of immortality. You know, on one hand, I found it kinda scary to imagine living forever. Doesn't it kind of...kill the motivation to do anything, because you have plenty of time to delay everything? On the other hand though it would be fascinating to see what the world will be in a hundred, a thousand, a million years. Also- no losing teeth because of age", he chuckled, lifting his shoulders. "Quite a hard to answer question, if you ask me. But I'm curious; what do you think about it?"

Bailey smiled sadly, cuddling against Cole as she walked with him.
"It's just...i don't know, I hate the thought of never really having kids. It just...hurts to imagine..."
She frowned slightly, stopped walking abruptly and stared blankly into the air in front of her.
"Isn't your aunt's brother-in-law that pretty popular inventor and scientist?"

"Wait a second..."
While Sam's eyes gained a soft blue color, Jake used the time to answer to Mike.
"Really? That'd be great. Should we go in a few hours, like, in around two, or now already? I'm totally fine with both."
Dylan is with Lola", Sam announced suddenly. "They're having hot chocolate together. And no this isn't a metaphor."

"No no it's fine", Lola said with a soft smile and got two cups out of a nearby shelf.
"You want the cup with 'No coffee no mercy' or 'best off cupped'?", she chuckled, holding both of the cups up.

 

[Wyosch]

Jim's eyes widened as Rachel held up the tickets, a soft smirk on his face.
"The kids will love it!", his eyes sparkled softly as he kissed her forehead.
"Oh honey what did I deserve you with...?", he mumbled, closing his eyes for a moment as he rested his chin on her head.
Looking back into her beautiful, magical eyes, he sighed deeply.
"There's one thing I need to tell you, and you won't like it."

Hunter giggled, nodding. "Told you I still sometimes have my moments.", she winked, listening closely as Macon talked about immortality.
"Well, it's quite difficult to take a side. On the positive hand, you won't die no matter the accident or whatsoever, you'll get to see how technology and science and everything will develop, you get to help lots of people in your life... however, on the negative side - you'll lose everyone you care about, which will result in you locking yourself away from people. Rachel and Jim were lucky, they're both immortal, so they'll get to stay together forever. What's with their kids though? Their family, friends? Will they use their power to make them immortal too, or will they watch them die? They'll break down... That's actually the biggest negative side I see. Losing your family because they're not immortal as well."

"Eh yeah. Rachel's husband's brother is a famous doctor and inventor. Why?", Cole asked, raising an eyebrow at his girlfriend. It hurt to see her this sad. What quite freaked him out right now was that staring into emptiness of her. "Everything okay babe?"

"So they're really just having hot chocolate?", Mike asked, not sure if that 'isn't a metaphor' thing was used as a metaphor right now or if it was just the truth.
He turned to Jake, smiling softly. "Well, I have no idea how long it'll take to set all that up, so you get to decide that."

"No coffee no mercy - as it's true.", Dylan replied, winking. "But you can have it too. Pick. I don't mind, really. As long as the hot chocolate is good."

 

[Scripted Away]

Rachel smiled sorrowfully, gently took Jim's strong hands and led him to the couch. Sitting down beside him with her legs pulled up, knees resting on his thigh, she looked up into his eyes with hers softly glowing.
"Okay honey, tell me what's wrong. Whatever it is- you and Me together, we will find a solution for everything. After all we're gods. Man that sounds weird...but whatever. I'm all ears, my line wolf."

"On the other hand- don't we experience that in one lifetime already?", Mac mentioned, watching the stars as he was thinking hard. "Isn't life a constant state of holding on and letting go? Ross Copperman even wrote a song about it."
He carefully watched Hunter from the corner of his eye, a slight sorrow starting to grow inside him.
"And you get to know so many different, amazing people. I think...i don't know, of course it's sad to see your children go, but A lot of that sadness might fade, knowing they had a full and happy life, and went in peace. And they're still there as ghosts..."

"Yeeaaahhh I guess...", she mumbled thoughtfully, took out her phone and dialed quickly.
"Ash?"
As it was turned on speaker, his voice was clearly audible.
"Bailey? Hey, haven heard from you in weeks. How's it going?"
"Eh...are You you running or so? You sound a bit breathless."
"Just a run along the beach. What's up?"
"You were bred, weren't you?"
"Um...my human shift, yeah. Why?"
"How?"
"What?"
"How??"
"Err...mom's little finger and a blood sample from dad, just as Kai. And an incubator, I guess. Artificial womb, if you wanna call it like that."
"Anything left of that technology since back had been destroyed?"
"...if somebody still knows something about it, it'll probably be Mac, maybe dad."
"Okay thank you ash. Tell Emily hi from me."
"I will. Bye."
"Bye ash."
Turning to Cole again, she furrowed her eyebrows determinedly. "I think I found the solution for the far future."

"Just hot chocolate", Sam chuckled, leaning back in his chair.
"Well, there's no time like the present", Jake said smirking, slightly pushing his chair back. "The earlier everything is set up, the more time i have to prepare the lesson." With a snap of his fingers, he changed his outfit And smirked at Mike. "Ready to go."

Smirking, Lola handed Dylan the 'no coffee no mercy' cup and gently poked his side. "Not a morning person, hmm?"
After filling the hot chocolate into the cups, she dropped down on the couch and let out a long sigh. "I'm really looking forward to our marvel evening."

 

[Wyosch]

Jim leaned back in the couch, stretching his arms out on the ledge, sighing.
"Well... I've had my suspicions about it for a while now, and with you in coma and what happened with Raven - I know it for sure now. It's back. Not James, this time. Worse.", he turned to Rachel, a sorrowful expression in his eyes. "Edward."

Hunter lifted her shoulders, cuddling against Macon's chest.
"I know what you mean. It's just kinda strange if you think about it. Yeah, it'd be cool, yeah you could live forever... but you'd see your children grow up, have their own lives and then you'd see them die. Even if they'd still be there as ghosts, that's not the same.", she sighed silently. "Though there would always be possibilities on how to make them immortal to, if they'd accept to."
She looked up at Macon, raising an eyebrow. "How come you're suddenly that interested in immortality?"

Cole stared at her, slightly confused.
"Eh... you need to explain now because I don't know what you mean. You want to make human shifts for dogs?"

Mike stared at Jake for a moment, nodding.
"Okay that was cool.", he winked, turning to Sam.
"I'll be off to Jake's then."
He smiled sadly. "And you should maybe check up on mom."

Dylan sat down on the couch as well, enjoying the scent of the hot chocolate.
"Nope, not a morning person at all. Though, I of course need to get up early for school.", he smirked loopsidedly, running his hand through his - finally dry - hair.
"Yeah, me too. And I hope my idea'll work."

 

[Scripted Away]

Rachel nodded slowly at what him told her, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.
"I already guessed it. It's like I could feel his darkness.but you know what honey?"
She softly kissed his cheek and stroked over his shoulder, smiling faithfully.
"I know you can get rid of him. You don't see it yet, but you're far stronger than you think. You just need to find a way to that strength, and together we'll find it. I'm always there to help you honey."

Mac lifted his shoulders, looking away.
"I have been chosen. Uriel doesn't look like it, but he's old, very old, and his decisions and attitude doesn't fit into this time. And he doesn't want to do this job anymore. And since I'm the next one in the ranks...he asked me to take his place. First angel, leader of them all. And immortal. I don't have to accept, but..."
He sighed silently, gently stroking a streak of hair behind her ear. "But I won't do it if you don't want to be immortal too, and I won't try to force you or so, so please don't feel pushed into making a decision."

Bailey rolled her eyes and looked at Cole as if he had lost his mind.
"Why in all worlds...? No, of course not." She sighed silently. "Hacl was able to create human beings from DNA. So i bet Macon should be able to create them too. That way we could really have kids one day, even with me being infertile."

Sam nodded at Mike, and got up as well. "I was monitoring Bailey and Cole till now, but you're right. Have fun buddy."
Then he went over to Emma and gently wrapped his arms around her waist. "Honey...?", he asked carefully.

Jake put one hand on Mike's shoulder and teleported right into his room. "I'll just quickly get the bows and then we can get the targets from the first floor. One second."
He disappeared into a small room that was connected to the main room of his barn roof apartment, and soon came back with a couple of bows.
"Okay, this is mine and these are the bows for newbies. Gotta restring the practise bows at the beginning of the lesson, but we can take care of yours already, if you want. A few minutes less delay during the lesson, you know? C'mon here, pick your favorite of these.", he said, putting his bow and quiver around his shoulders."

"Oh man, you keep making me curious about that idea", Lola chuckled, gently shoving her shoulder against his. "Oh hey, I have another question:
Iron man or ant man?"

 

[Wyosch]

"Thank you, honey.", Jim kissed Rachel's forehead, smiling happily as he stared into her magnificent eyes for a moment. "And you know what? I think I'll quickly call the shrink again. Maybe she forgot to ring me back? Or maybe I'm just hella nervous.", he gulped, smirking akwardly. "Will you accompany when I can see her tomorrow?"

Hunter stared at Macon for a moment, not really believing what he had just said. Uriel? Immortal?
She lastly just raised her eyebrow in a confused way.
"W- wait what?", she stuttered, playing around with the ring on her finger. "That's- that's quite a lot to- I need some fresh air."
Yes, she knew she was outside at the moment.
Yes, she knew that was just a stupid excuse, but she needed to take her time and process this all - on her own.
"I-I'll see you later, honey.", she mumbled, even if it was more to assure herself that he'd still be there when she'd come back, and shifted into her dragon shift, flying up high into the sky.

Cole kept looking at his girlfriend for a long moment, and after a while of silence, he smiled happily, his eyes sparkling.
"You want to have kids with me?", he asked, by now grinning widely. "I know I shouldn't be grinning at this serious topic but I just can't help it."

Emma sighed sadly. "I didn't mean to make her cry. She just burst out in tears and I didn't even say anything yet...", she whispered, turning around to her fiancé and hugging him tightly.

Mike grinned happily. "You can teleport too? Man that's so awesome! My little sister is able to do that as well.", he took a look at the bows, thinking. "I'll take the dark brown one. That one stands out from the rest.", he winked. "Okay and what now?"

"Iron man of course!", Dylan replied, laughing. "Though Ant Man is okay.", he winked, smirking. "Another question?"

 

[Scripted Away]

Just when Rachel was about to answer, someone rang the doorbell.
"Wait a second honey", she said, kissed his forehead and went to open the door.
A few seconds later, she came back, accompanied by an elderly lady.
"I saw the lights on, so I supposed someone was awake here", she explained to Rachel, before turning to Jim. "Ah, and you must be Mr.Davis. I got your message, and since I was about to visit this legendary small village anyway, I thought I could as well pay yippy a personal visit. Nice to meet you, I'm Mayrose Merryweather, but please, just May is enough."
She held out her hand to Jim with a soft smile, her smile and eyes as bright, wake and lively as the one of a child. "I hope I didn't come untimely."

Mac moaned silently, facepalming with both hands at once as Hunter flew off.
"Perfect, Gale, you're subtle as an anvil! Now you scared her. Awesome." Sighing, he shifted into his Dragon form as well and curled up around the house, his head resting on his tail and cuddling against the house as if it was a teddy bear.
Sighing sadly once more, he stared into the sky. "What should I do now? Luna I need your help..."
In Rachel's house, she suddenly started to change. "Someone calling for luna", she explained, and teleported to Mac. "You called and here I am."
"This will take some time to get used to you being Luna..."
"So what's wrong noodle?"
"I don't want to force Hunter to become immortal, but i also cant stay mortal and leave my brother all alone...anf now i told Hunter and she ran away..."
"Ah noodle...", Rachel sighed, gently cuddling against the dragons fluffy cheek. "It's Okay, just give her some time..."

Upon noticing what she had said, Bailey blushed slightly and buried her face at Cole's chest with a soft smile. "A lifetime with you wouldn't be enough...but let's start with forever", she mumbled softly. "I love you. You're the only one i ever had such overwhelmingly strong feelings for and...i don't know...this sounds cheesy, but maybe we're meant to be." She stood up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek and slowly wandered further to his lips. "So yes, not yet of course, but someday..."

Sam hugged her tightly, gently stroking over her back. "I know honey. I think she had just kept it bottled up for too long, and talking about it finally made her feelings about it burst out. It's not your fault. I'll talk to Cole when he comes back, Okay?" He gently kissed her forehead. "Mike and Jake left already, but the rest is still there. Do you want to come back to the table or need a break honey?"

Jake chuckled softly, lifting one shoulder. "Most anoms can teleport", he explained smirking and went over to a shelf to get some more equipment. After putting it on, he turned back to Mike, holding up both his hands.
((http://www.traditional-archery.com....15/02/New-ArmGuard-New-PullingBack-Black-.jpg))
These are special gloves and arm guards. Pulling back the string gets very painful after a while if you do it without gloves, and when it snaps back it happens to graze the lower part of your aiming arm, which isn't pleasant as well, so do you will at first need these too. Of course i have three more pairs. One second."
He took out another pair and quickly helped Mike to put them on, smiling slightly as he held his hand to put the glove and protector on. "Okay, the first thing you need to know is that archer's strength plus bow's strength plus tension of the string defines how far the arrow will fly."
He took his bow and pulled back the string like pro. "The string is so right tight that you can pull it back easy enough to do it several times, but not too wobbly of course. Mine has a tension of around 310 pounds, but eh- dont take that as an example, the normal tension is far less. My arms are just stronger because of the regular hard work here. Well and To restring your bow to the right tension, you'll need to pull and tell Me how easy or hard it's going. When pulling, make sure your aiming arm is fully stretched out, your hand on the handle, pulling fingers in the middle of the string and pull all the way till your fingers touch your cheekbone. See?"
He slowly released the string again and smiled at Mike. "Your turn. When you need help, just tell me."

"Nope, now it's your turn again! ", Lola chuckled, pulling up her legs on the couch.

 

[Wyosch]

Jim stood up from the couch, and shook the woman's hand.
"Nice to meet you, ma'am. I'm Jim Davis, but just call me Jim.", he introduced himself, smiling softly. "Don't worry, you didn't untimely. Please, take a seat. Can I offer you anything do drink or eat?"

Hunter had flown over to the lake, and had shifted into her harpy form as she landed on her favorite tree.
"Immortal?", she mumbled to herself, shaking her head, while she pulled up her knees and hugged them.
"You need someone to talk to, little sis?", a young man said, and Hunter smiled softly as she saw her brother standing there.
"I see you still didn't come out of your emo-phase.", Hunter giggled, the feathers on her arms shaking.
"Did you?"
"You know me."
Draco winked, walking up to the tree and leaning against it, while his sister was sitting on the branch above him.
"So... what's wrong?"
"Macon told me Uriel wants him to become the leader of the angels."
"...and?"
"That means immortality."
Draco crossed his arms, nodding.
"And you're scared because that means he'll live and you'll die?"
"What? No. He said that he wouldn't do it if I didn't want to become immortal as well."
"Gurl, who doesn't want to become immortal?"
"Maybe I do? If I... I'll see my own kids grow up and I'll see them die... all my friends and rest of family too... and they might still be ghosts afterwards but... but still..."
Draco looked up at the harpy in the tree, frowning sadly.
"You're scared again, aren't you?"
"...maybe..."

Cole tightly wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her passionately.
"I love you, honey. And I don't ever want to imagine a life without you.", he chuckled. "That sounded like the beginning of a marriage proposal."

"Thank you. I think he sometimes listens better to you than to me.", Emma replied, smiling sadly. "We can go back, it's fine."

Mike stared at Jake for a moment, completely clueless.
"I eh... can you show me again? I was kinda distracted for a while there."
>>Man keep yourself together.<<

Dylan thought for a while, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. "Okay, I got one.", he winked. "Who is the true king of Asgard? Loki? Or Thor?"

 

[Scripted Away]

"No no thank you, it's fine", Mayrose said with a soft smile, taking a seat on the couch opposite of Jim's. "In the message you left on my answering machine you sounded somewhat nervous, especially when you mentioned to be hoping to be able to be 'fixed'." Smiling softly, she rested her hands on her knees. "From what you've told me there, we will have a lot of work to do, but you aren't the first one with those problems and I've had worse cases already, so yippy don't need to worry. We will get you back on track, Jim."

"Aren't we a bit young to marry?", Bailey giggled, but pulled a ring off her ringfinger and put it on his pinkie. Winking at him, she giggled softly. "Yes, i do." And kissed him. "Okay, now you're my husband. Hmmm, Cole Grigio or Bailey Anderson?"

Sam nodded and gently led her back to the table, his arm gently wrapped around her waist.
"So Sammy, you gotta tell me how you met", Tristan said smirking. "Last time I saw you you were this gawky, scared, immature boy-man with the build of the chopstick, and just a year later i meet you again and you're...completely different. You look like Chris Hemsworth."
"Whyyy keeps everybody saying i look like him?"
"Because you do, idjit."
Sam chuckled softly, wrapping his arm around Emma's shoulders. He looked at her with sparkling eyes for a moment, before answering Tristan's question. "I saved her life and she saved my soul"; he sighed happily.
"You old cheeseball."

Jake raised one eyebrow, picked up the bow Mike had chosen, placed it in his hand and wrapped his hand around it to tighten his grip. Then he took Mike's other hand and placed it on the string, his hand on Mike's, and pulled it back lightly. "Pull like this...", he mumbled, kind of hugging him from behind like that. "Okay? I'll let go of the pulling hand now, and you gotta pull on your own. Just tell me how hard or easy it's going and i will adjust the tension.", he explained, let go of Mike's pulling hand but still kept his hand wrapped around his aiming hand to support him a bit. "Just pull whenever you're ready", he said, still standing close behind him to help aiming. "And try to calm your breath and heartbeat down, it makes your aiming arm shake."

"Thor", Lola said slowly. "But I'm still sympathizing with Loki far more. Thor makes a better king, but Loki will always stay my favorite of the two. But i think he'd be a great king too. He's damn clever."

 

[Wyosch]

Jim nodded at the elderly woman, running his hand through his hair.
"Yes, I- I'm honestly terrified of telling you how I feel and what's going on inside of my head, as it's always been used against me, but for the sake of my family...", he sighed. "What you don't all do for love."
His arms crossed, his back straight and his head lifted, he looked at the door for a moment before back at the woman.
"Eh... so... how do these things work?"

"Bailey Anderson sounds great.", Cole chuckled, kissing her softly. "So, my wife, where do you wish to spend our honeymoon? We can go anywhere you want."

Emma softly hit Sam's shoulder, smirking.
"Well not really. You saved my life from some burglars - and you saved me from self-destruction, just like you saved my kids.", she sighed happily, turning to Bailey's parents.
"They all see him like their father, it's so satisfying to see them that happy and trusting, after all they've been through."

Mike looked at his aiming arm - shaking.
Mhm, and why would that be?
Gulping, he turned his gaze at his hand, Jake's on top of it.
Oh god.
"Ehm eh okay, and I gotta pull now?", he asked, frowning. That sounded slightly sexual.

Dylan nodded.
"Yep, you're right.", he winked. "I found it heartbreaking when Odin told Loki that his birthright was to die. That was so sad."

 

[Scripted Away]

Smiling calmly, Mayrose shook her head. "I can calm you in this point- of course just saying it won't prove anything, but I'm completely trustworthy. And I'd be glad if you opened up to me and gave yourself a chance to learn to trust me."
When he sat there like a soldier, she tilted her head with a soft smile.
"Well, it works differently with every patient of course, as every person is unique and requires different help, but to say the very basic: we will be aiming to help you access your resources in times of stress and strengthen your confidence. Both-sided trust of course is essential to reach this goal, so we will be working on that at first."

Bailey grinned happily as she hugged Cole tightly and cuddled against him.
"What about Italy, Greece or Spain?", she suggested smiling. "Or Paris, the city of love. Austria is beautiful as well. We have a small house on a mountain there."

"Our kids", Sam said with a soft smile, resting his cheek on her head. "And I did nothing special, I was just there. I don't know, it didn't feel as if I was becoming a part of a new family...it felt like coming home."
He gently kissed her cheek and looked into her eyes for a moment, before smirking at Tristan. "I'm glad you got out though. Thought they had killed you. How'd you do it?"
"It has its pros too, to shift into a moth. Nobody sees you getting away. And a few months later, I met Pauline."
Smirking, Sam nodded, turning to Emma again. "He was captured too. We spent about five years in the same cage, before he disappeared one day."

Jake let go of Mike's hand, took a step back and raised one eyebrow, looking at him.
"Mike are you Okay?", he asked slightly worried. "You're totally absent since we're here. And yes, just pull, ain't that complicated..."

"Odin", Lola grunted, maybe a bit too angrily. "I never liked him. He's an asshole."
She pouted slightly as she thought about something else. "And another weird thing is the relationship between Thor and Jane: he's basically immortal, while she is a human. Aging far faster than him. I wonder what they'll do about that problem."

 

[Wyosch]

Jim listened closely, nodding. She didn't look threatening. She actually looked quite nice.
"Sounds like a plan.", he mumbled, and ran his hand through his hair again, going back into his crossed arms-position.
"So ehm... are you familiar with anoms?"

After talking to her brother for a moment, Hunter said goodbye to him and shifted back into her dragon form, flying up in the sky. She still didn't really like the idea of being immortal, but she'd do it for him - under one condition.
As she arrived at their house, seeing Macon curled up around it in his dragon form, Rachel with white hair standing next to him, she landed, tilting her huge dragon head to the side.
"Is everything okay?"

Emma smiled softly at Tristan. "Wasn't it weird when you discovered you could turn into a moth?", she asked, wondering what that would be like. Though she couldn't imagine at all what it would be like, figuring out you could turn into an animal. Does one also behave like on then in human form? She knew from her own fiancé that he sometimes let his cat behavior come through. She'd also heard from canine-like shifters that some sometimes behaved like their shifts, like growling when angry. Though that of course varied from person to person.

Mike sighed, nodding. "I'm fine.", he replied, turning away from Jake and looking down at the bow, pulling. "It's going quite easy, so I don't think much adjustment needs to be made."

"I don't get the people who sympathize with Odin. He's an asshole, not caring a single bit about his kids. Sure, about Thor because that one showed more promise and is physically stronger, but just because Loki is adopted and his physical strength isn't as high as Thor's - though Loki is actually much stronger than his brother. He's very intelligent and his magic skills are perfected - doesn't mean that you need to treat your son like that. I mean, he did adopt him, so... yeah." Dylan smiled, taking another sip. "I honestly am not the biggest fan of Jane. I'm probably the minority, but it would've been much more interesting if Thor would have ended up with a crush on that girl with the black hair. From Asgard as well, a friend of him. Man, I keep forgetting her name.... oh well. You know who I mean?"

 

[Scripted Away]

"Oh Yes, my husband was a shapeshifter", Mayrose said with a soft smile, nodding.
"He sadly died two years ago, but in over fourty years of marriage with a shapeshifting demon, I got to know them pretty good. He was a wolf shifter, and a great man. Brave, strong, gentle...but let's stop talking about me. This is about you."
She smiled softly, stroking her grey hair behind her ear, her deep blue eyes sparkling gently. "Why did you ask, if i may ask?"

"He fell asleep", Rachel chuckled softly, slowly turning normal again while she stroked over the dragon's cheek.
"I believe he's just very sorry for putting you in a situation like that", she explained. "And i guess he's afraid. Afraid he'll have to choose between his brother and his wife."

"Oh hell yeah!", Tristan laughed, swatting Sam's shoulder over the table.
Laughing, Sam hit him back.
"I vaguely rememer him shaking me awake, with big big eyes. And i mean big. He had the eyes of a moth. So damn scary."
"Oh yeah, you almost scratched my face off."
"Instincts, man!" Chuckling and purring at the same time, Sam rested his chin on his palm for a moment, happily sighing as he looked up into the sky and yawned.
When he looked at Emma, he grinned excitedly. "Only two more days, honey!"

"Yeeeah well it may no be too easy as well", Jake explained and gently pushed Mike's elbow up a bit.
"Try to keep your arm straight, like this. And pull a bit further."
He smirked, nodding.
"Good. Keep your back straight and shoulders back, and make sure your front foot points in the same direction as your arm; that makes it easier to aim."
Grinning slightly, he strokeda streak of hair out of Mike's face.
"And make sure your haur doesn't fall into your face and blocks your view. See that can there on the shelf? Try to hit it."

"Sif?", Lola asked, leaning her head against Dylan's shoulder. "I wanted Loki and Sif to come together. I don't know, i think Loki would be an amazing boyfriend, husband and father. I think he's be caring, funny, protective... I'd love to see him together with someone. He deserves to be happy after everything he has been through."
Looking up into Dylan's eyes, she gently stroked over his cheek for a moment. "You mentioned an accident and losing your legs and mind. Maybe...do you want to tell me about It?"

 

[Wyosch]

"Eh well... because I'm a shapeshifter too. Wolf- and demonshifter as well, and eh... that makes it easier for you to understand my past.", Jim explained, now slightly leaning back in the couch. "How did your husband die? If I may ask."

Hunter sighed sadly, shifting human again.
"He doesn't need to choose. I'll do it." She played around with a streak of her blue hair, looking down to the floor.
"Rachel... are you never scared Jim will leave you for somebody else?", she asked silently, looking up at her best friend. "I'm... I'm kinda scared of that when we're both immortal... I mean... there are so many beautiful women on earth and with him being immortal he could just..."

Emma giggled as Sam and Tristan explained how it was for them. She looked at Sam for a moment, sighing happily.
"Are you excited?", she asked, a loving smile on her face, her eyes sparkling.

Mike nodded concentratedly, though he wasn't concentrating on the bow as much as Jake probably thought.
Gulping, he aimed at the can and let go of the arrow.
About one foot away from the can, the arrow landed.
"How was that?"

"That's true.", Dylan replied, smiling softly as Lola leaned against his naked shoulder. Her skin was soft...
"About my accident...?", he repeated, sighing.
"Well... I don't know if you've met my little brother, Cole?"