Aegis 3.0

[Wyosch]

"I'm sorry.", Jim said to Michelle, looking at his beer for a moment. Usually he would've downed that in a second, but he didn't really feel like drinking. That meant he really didn't feel alright.
Flinching for a second, he looked at his beer - or rather what was over of it. Glass of the bottle on the floor, the rest of the beer as well, in his hand just one shard left.
"Oops." Heeling down he started picking up the glass shards, looking up at Michelle. "Adrianna Norris? You aren't talking about Chuck Norris, are you?", he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because that would be... really really strange and... actually would explain one and another."

Emma's eyes were sparkling like diamonds, and her smile was filled with love. "Was it a good first kiss?", she asked, winking, softly drawing circles on Sam's chest with her finger. "You're really cute when you stutter like that. And your cheeks are as red as they could possibly get.", she chuckled silently, before looking up into his bright eyes again and standing up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on his nosetip.

Aaron closed his eyes, the few diamonds on his skin starting to glow in a bright ice blue, before Foxy's wings were covered in a thin ice layer. "I am only dragon here.", he explained, pouting sadly. "I never meet any other dragon."
As Taran came back, he smirked softly. "No need to thank me for that. I like helping." He kneeled down behind Foxy and touched her wing. Good, Aaron had already put the layer over it.
"You will feel this for a moment, but that only means your wings are healing, okay?"
He put two fingers in his brown, creamy substance and let them glide over the cracks in Foxy's wings. The liquid lit up, glowing with a fiery red light, and the cracks were slowly being pulled back together.

Dennis smiled happily. "I love how you don't judge me based on my... earlier experiences.", he mumbled, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer. "I love you so damn much, honey."

 

[Scripted Away]

Michelle supressed a laugh, even if it rather sounded like a snort.
She quickly helped jim Pick up the shards.
"Chuck Norris? Isn't that guy already dead? No, I'm talking about Howard Norris. Alias the guy who trained the guy who became the first Android. Wonder what happened to that boy..."
She frowned for a second, stood up and put the shards away. "Adrianna is his sister. And i honestly don't wanna know what she planned to do with that thing... okay I wanna know. But luckily I could steal it before she could do anything with it."
She crossed her arms, scanning Jim's expression. "So, buddy from the bar, what's up?"

Sam grinned slightly, lifted Emma up and kissed her deeply.
"Answer enough?", he said smirking.
The worlds in his eyes had turned into sunny meadows with thousands of butterflies by now.
"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?", he whispered to her ear.
"What will your kids think of this...?"

Foxy clenched her teeth.
"Ouch...", she grumbled, but then smiled at Aaron again. "Maybe i could ask them to come and visit you some time. Or you guys visit us in Montana. I bet the others would be happy to get to know you."
Turning her head to Taran, she smiled softly. "Would you maybe teach me how to make that stuff? I'm always trying to learn more, and I think that would be really useful knowledge."

"Why should I?", toxic said with a soft smile. "Everyone makes mistakes honey. And who would I be to judge your life? As long as you are fine, I am too. And if you're not fine, I'm there for you."
She gave him a quick kiss on his cheek and smirked. "And i mean, our little one is pretty much of an accident as well."

 

[Wyosch]

"...what?", Jim looked at Michelle for a second, his eyes wide open and concentrated, yet it looked as if he hadn't slept in a long while. "That can't be true. Macon, aka the 'android' is my brother. We don't have another sister. She's probably Howard's daughter. Macon isn't related at all to that scumbag." He threw the shards away as well, frowning. "What do you mean, 'what's up?' - I'm fine.", he mumbled, his hands slightly shaking. His face had an emotionless expression, yet empty and sad eyes. It looked as if he was carrying the weight of the world, and as if just one bad word could make him shatter into a billion pieces. "I'm fine. I'm totally fine, trust me."

Emma bit her lip, blushing, as Sam told her that she was beautiful. "You old charmer.", she replied, winking - frowning as he mentioned her kids. "Well, what should they think?", she asked, raising an eyebrow. "They should be happy for me...for us...right?"

Aaron started hopping around the tree house, giggling. "Yes! Me like! Me like!"
Taran chuckled as he saw the dragon, and then nodded at Foxy. "Sure. It's not as hard as it might seem. Once you learned it, you can dream it.", he winked and stood up. Holding his hand out to Foxy to help her stand up as well, he smiled softly. "And after I taught you how to brew that, I'll fly you to Whittier. We don't want your wings to shatter again."

Dennis akwardly scratched his neck. "Yeah, that's true, but I mean... I wasn't drunk this time.", he chuckled, lifting his shoulders. "There are just many who judge too quickly. Sure, Steph was an accident. Sure, we'd both been drunk and we were forced to get married while we weren't even in love." He rolled his eyes. "But fine...I got you and our little one now."

 

[Scripted Away]

Michelle facepalmed. "Howard's sister", she said. "Adrianna is Howard's younger sister. Should be about 25 or so. I don't know what she wanted to do with that Holy Mug, but I can't imagine it would be something good."
As jim said he's fine, she raised one eyebrow.
"Iiii...gotta drive off now. Just wanted to drop the Sacred Bucket. Watch yourself!"
Ruffling his hair, she made her way out of the house again, but actually only because she knew he'd need his wife with whatever was going on, not her.
It didn't take a minute until Rachel entered the kitchen with a big bowl of brambles. "Bramble-pie tomorrow!", she said smirking and looked out of the window. The sun was slowly starting to set.
"Honey? ", she said, turning around to him and softly wrapping her arms around his waist.
"I asked rex, James and Lucifer to look after the kids tonight. I wanted to take you to a special place. Only if you want of course. I think you might like it."

Sam lifted one shoulder. "Dylan surely will be happy for us. And I think Emily as well. I don't know Mike, But he'll surely be happy too. But what about Cole? You said it yourself- he's suffering the hardest, and might feel like you're trying to replace his father", he said softly. "It won't be easy to get him to open up. Are you ready for that?"

As her wings were healed, foxy spread her wings entirely. The warmth had made the colors more intense again, and the sunlight that was shining through the window made her purple butterfly wings shimmer in all shades of blue and purple. "They already feel much better. Thank you." Folding her wings again, so they reached down her entire back and the ground, almost like a shimmering cloak, she walked after Taran. "I really hope you guys come visit me sometime."

Toxic raised one eyebrow, softly taking his hand.
"Is it possible that you might care more about that judging than you wanna admit, Honey?", she asked softly.
"You know, those who judge you aren't worth that you care about their opinion."

 

[Wyosch]

Jim wrapped his arms around Rachel as well, he kissed her forehead and cuddled his forehead in her neck, enjoying her wonderful scent.
"I'd love to accompany you to the special place you want to show me.", he replied, staring into her eyes for a moment. Hers were sparkling so damn beautifully.
"I love you.", he whispered, trying to make his thoughts stop. They were only getting worse, just as the pictures flashing before his eyes. He just couldn't get rid of them.

"Sure, Dylan is suffering the most. And yes, I am replacing his father. Of course. His father was an asshole.", Emma sighed angrily. "But he doesn't know. He just..." She cuddled against Sam's chest, frowning sadly. "I don't know what to do."

"I can't decide wether your wings are green or purple, but I can see they're shimmering like the sun. Beautiful wings for a beautiful woman.", Taran winked, walking into his kitchen.
The tree house was much bigger than it seemed, that was clear by now.

Dennis looked at Toxic, raising an eyebrow. "Could it? I don't know...", he scratched his chin, thinking. "I never really cared about other's opinions but since Steph I kinda do?"

 

[Scripted Away]

"Good!" Rachel grinned softly. A bright flame, and they were gone.
Appearing again in round top, in front of a much too tidy house, on the bonnet of the baby, she smiled softly at Jim, pushing him down just like back then.
"Worth is subjective. And from my subjective point of view, you're worth going through hell for. You might hide it from everyone else, but there's a wonderful, loving young man hidden behind those walls you built up. Someone who would never betray the ones he loves, someone who's hanging on a cliff. You can't pull yourself up. Nobody could. But you don't have to fall into that pit of misery below. I'm here, and I will help you if you let me.", she quoted herself from seven years ago.
"Can you believe it's already been seven years since our night here? You know what? In all those years, I didn't regret this a single second. I thought of it every day for those two years that we were separated. How we watched the stars, how you gently stroked over my back... our first kiss." She pulled her wallet out of the pocket of her jacket and opened a relatively hidden case, pulling an old Polaroid out of it. A younger Rachel and a younger Jim.
"I kept mine all along. Dude I even killed a robber to get my wallet back because it was in there!"

Sam frowned sadly, picked Emma up and sat down on the couch, Emma on his lap. "Hey, it's okay", he said softly, stroking over her back. "I could try to talk to him", he suggested. "And maybe I could try to talk to Emily as well, so you two can make peace before she moves to L.A. with Ash." He softly kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her a bit tighter. "Hey, we're a team now, and I'll help you wherever I Can, okay honey?"

Foxy's left antenna twitched surprised, and she just stood there for a couple of seconds, kinda startled, before she followed Taran into the kitchen. "How did you manage to build such a big house up here? It looked so much smaller from the outside..."

Toxic lifted one shoulder. "I don't know, but the way you spoke about people judging too quickly and everything...it sounded as if it was a site point with you there."

 

[Wyosch]

Jim stared at the polaroid, his eyes going from tired and empty to sparkling and touched.
"You kept it? All along?", he asked, turning to Rachel. "You really did...?" Looking up at Rachel, into her beautiful eyes, he put his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her down into a deep kiss. "I love you.", he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers. "Even if you cheated on me with Mac while we were separated.", he frowned for a moment, then winked and chuckled. Wrapping his arms around her as tightly as possible, he hugged her for a long moment, enjoying every inch of her, enjoying her wonderful scent, her warmth - everything. "God dammit honey, I love you so damn much."
Running his hand through her hair, he stared at her again, a soft smirk on his face. "What did I do to deserve you? Beauty, Kindness, Helpfulness, ... Perfection in person."

Emma nodded, cuddling against his chest. "Thank you sweetie.", she whispered, playing around with a streak of his hair. "Sam?", she looked up at him again, smiling. "Do you wish to continue painting or do you want to cuddle?"

Taran laughed. "It's an illusion.", he explained. "My mom was able to create illusions. So she created one around our house. The house is technically as big as a real stone house. But my mom made it appear smaller.", he winked, opening a drawer and taking out a piece of paper and a pen. "I'll write here what ingredients you need and how to prepare it. I'll show it to you as well, if you want."

Dennis frowned sadly. "I don't know...it's just...people always judge so quickly. I lost many friends because of what happened back then...", he sighed. "I don't know. Guess I'm just scared of losing you, too."

 

[Scripted Away]

Rachel laughed softly and kissed his nosetip, before her expression turned slightly sad.
"I thought you had died...", she mumbled, cuddling into his chest.
"I asked my people to keep an eye on you, keep you safe...but one day I got a message that they lost you. I had misunderstood them and thought you had been killed, while actually they just lost track of you." She sighed, looking up into the sky.
"And so I ran away from my grief and into Mac's arms."
She softly cuddled against him again and buried her face in his neck. "You can ask Mac...he said I was talking about bonnets and Texas and my wolf in my sleep."
Looking up into his eyes, she smiled softly and kissed him. "I love you honey. And of course I kept it! I killed to keep it! And every time I felt like giving up, I looked at it and knew that I had something worth carrying on for."

Sam smiled softly and ran his nosetip down her neck.
"Since you suggested cuddling as the last thing, you probably would prefer to do that. Psychology. And I got absolutely no problem with that."
He leaned back, so he was laying on the couch and looked up at Emma. "You know... I find it really...admirable, that you're still able to trust me, after all you went through because you trusted those guys."

Foxy nodded happily. "That would be great, thank You, Taran."
She stood behind him, looking over his shoulder as he was writing, immediately noticing that his handwriting was unusually elegant, compared to many others she had seen. His hands were slender, rather the ones of an artist, but seemed strong at the same time...
She shook her head.
"I eh...kinda forgot what I just wanted to say..."

"Hey, i'm your girlfriend! Would I be that if I'd mind your past, honey? Nope."
Toxic softly hit his shoulder. "Hey, and when Johnny or Joanne is there, we'll go on holiday, alright? On a nice beach... and one day..well..." she blushed slightly, and quickly walked on.

 

[Wyosch]

Jim's expression saddened as well.
"Well, I didn't die.", he mumbled, running his hand through her hair. "When I arrived at Aegis and saw you... my heart literally skipped a beat. I was so happy that I had found you again... but then I saw you and Macon and... yeah well that broke my heart. It was as if you had completely forgotten about me. You know me, I felt betrayed and cheated on. I was only thinking 'I shouldn't have trusted her - she's like everyone else - they all say they'll be there for you but they'll leave all' and well... that explains why I was so harsh and aggressive towards you." His eyes were filled with guilt once again. "I'm so sorry...still."
He stared at the picture again, before running his hand over the bonnet of the car and then through Rachel's hair.
"I took my picture everywhere with me. Which wasn't a good idea. It's gone. Burned when a bomb exploded in the building I had gone back in to save a kid."
He interwhined his fingers with Rachel's, closing his eyes for a moment.
"I'm glad I never gave up."

Emma climbed up on Sam and used him as a mattress. "Well... it's strange, but... you give me a feeling which is so different than my Exes gave me. I know I can trust you. I don't even doubt my intuition. You just give me that feeling of being safe."

Taran smirked, handing her the piece of paper. "No worries. My mom always told me 'If you forgot what you wanted to say, it couldn't have been so important.", winking he opened up another drawer. "Here's where I keep the stuff to brew that. You need a dragon scalp, two fairy tears, about half a liter beer and a spark of your own ability." He chuckled. "Okay, that sounds as if it came out of a bad science-fiction movie."

Dennis grinned, grabbing her hand. "And one day, I'll go down on my knee and I'll ask you to marry me.", he completed her sentence, winking.

 

[Scripted Away]

Rachel hugged him tightly, as if she could ban the bad memories that way.
"Don't apologize", she whispered to his ear. "There's nothing you'd need to apologize for, honey. I...i couldn't believe it. You suddenly were back, although I thought you were dead and...but you seemed so angry at me and...and then Mac asked me if i knew you and when I told him about our past he seemed so sad...i didn't dare to make a move. I'm the one who should apologize."
She softly kissed his cheek and buried her face at his neck. "I'm glad too. And I'm glad you were so loyal. You knew where you would find our hidden camp. After all I had told you that i would hide with others there. But you didn't tell hack. That saved so many lives..."

Sam smiled softly as he stroked over Emma's back.
"I'm glad you feel safe around me", he sighed calmly.
"Hey Emma? What's your favorite dinner? I mean, if you want we could go to supermarket later and have some nice dinner...y'know?"

(Got a sliiight block here X'D)

Toxic blushed slightly and smiled softly at him. "I'd be more than happy to say yes one day", she mumbled softly.
"I just know we'll be a fantastic family, honey."

 

[Wyosch]

Jim smiled sadly. "Y'know, I just...", he sighed, looking up into the night sky. It was just as bright as that night six years ago.
"I felt replaced."
He grabbed her hand and softly squeezed it.
"You're not the one who should apologize. I mean, take Mac and compare him to me. Who wouldn't go for him? He's got the brain, he's got the looks, he's got the perfect personality for a good friend aka a good husband... and then look at me. A broken fighter who looks like a prisoner and who hardly knows how to socialize let alone... how to be a good friend and brother and son and husband and father..."
He looked down to the floor, his eyes as empty as before again, sighing silently.
"And of course I didn't tell. If there's one thing I'm good at - it's being loyal to the ones I care about."

Emma looked up into Sam's eyes, sighing happily.
"I love German food.", she winked, giggling. "Well I actually love everything. You decide."

(I'll help you xD)
After Taran had showed Foxy the exact steps on how to brew the substance, he poured it into a bottle and handed it to her.
"Here." Smiling, he spread his blueish-green wings. "If you want we can leave for Whittier now. I'll fly you."

Dennis' eyes were filled with pride. "I know it too." He softly stroke over her belly, smiling.
"Okay honey, just around the corner and we're there."

 

[Scripted Away]

Rachel frowned deeply. Just like back then, she stared up into his eyes, saying "now you listen to me, you idiot." With her typical soft 'You are talking bullshit'-voice, and pushed him down, her fingers softly stroking over his belly under that shirt.
"Wanna know what I see when I look at you? The looks? I always had a soft spot for black hair. And yours is so damn soft! I could play around with it all day.
I see eyes of a blue that I couldn't even closely describe. And it's so beautiful how your eyes sparkle when you're happy. And when you grin, you always slightly wrinkle one side of your nose. So cute! You don't look like a prisoner. Where'd you get that? Marcus?" She rolled her eyes. >>I hate him. Like, really, i wanna kill him all over again.<<
"You look like someone I know. He's... He's amazing. When he's close, I feel as if it isn't the earth's gravity that's holding me anymore, but his. He's like my personal magnet. When I'm down, he knows how to build me up again, and I know I could trust him with everything. He's creative, musical, an amazing cook, brave, selfless, funny, cool. His family loves him. His wife is the happiest woman on earth, his brother found his best friend in him, and so much more. This amazing man forgave His father who had tortured him for 20 years. His kids. You wouldn't believe how much they love him and look up to him. He's my husband, my best friend, my favorite part of me, my heartbeat, my crush. For so many years already. And no Marcus, no Cody, no Mac could ever hold my heart like you do honey."

"Bratkartoffeln!", Sam said smirking. "With...hmmm...oh hell yeah, krustenbraten. We eh, we might have to go to a supermarket in Germany then, I have no idea if they have Krustenbraten here..."

(Mille grazie XD)
Foxy took the bottle, smiling softly.
"Thank you Taran", she said.
She ran her fingers over his wings for a moment, trying to find out what was different about them.
"I really wonder how your wings are doing that...", she mumbled thoughtfully.

Toxic smirked excitedly, but her gaze was still locked to Dennis' face.
A few more steps and...
...she ran against the next streetlamp.
Rubbing her forehead, she giggled. "I should really stop staring at you while walking."

 

[Wyosch]

Jim usually loved the touch of Rachel's delicate fingers on his abs, but this time... he hardly felt it. Having tensed his muscles so much - as if he was under attack - his skin was numb.
"I...", he closed his eyes, trying to hold back some tears.
>>Since when have you become so weak?<<
He didn't really seem to process what Rachel had just told him.
"But they're... they didn't... they're better."
Opening his eyes again, his expression again tired and empty, he turned to Rachel, softly stroking over her cheek with his thumb. "You deserve so much better than... than this monster...", a tear rolled down his cheek as he said the last word with a broken crack in his voice. "I've hurt you before... I'm jealous and I annoy you and..." He just carefully pressed his forehead against her chest, as if he was a small kid which was searching comfort and protection from the big bad world.
"I see the faces of those I hurt, I hear their screams over and over again, those terrified eyes... I hear every true thing Marcus and Mac and all the others have told me. I'm a bad guy, a demon who almost killed his own son... They're all right. I'm a monster." His voice clearly showed that Jim was on the verge of breaking down. He felt so weak. He was shaking.
"...how could anyone love someone like me?", he asked, as silently as possible, afraid of the answer even if he believed to know it.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Sweetie, we're not going to buy plane tickets to fly over to Germany and back just to buy meat.", she looked at Sam, smiling akwardly. "I won't be able to pay for that."

((You're welcome XD))
Taran turned his head to Foxy, raising an eyebrow, still smiling.
"What do you mean?", he asked, taking a look at his wings as well. God, how he hated being colorblind. He didn't even know if his wings were green-blueish or purple-yellowish...

Dennis started laughing. "How did you not see that thing?", he asked. "Okay but I could've warned you as well... hadn't I been staring at you too.", winking he gave her a kiss on her forehead. "You ok though, honey?"

 

[Scripted Away]

Rachel Held her breath. She was shocked. What had Just happened? Jim seemed to be at least halfway okay just a minute ago!
As he pushed his head into her chest, she softly stroked through his hair to calm him down a bit. Had she ever seen him that broken down before? Not that she was aware of.
"Honey...", She whispered, completely thrown over by that sudden outburst. Her voice was higher than usual, and a bit more silent. Scared.
"...wha... where does that suddenly come from?"
A breakdown like that... Rachel slowly was starting to doubt that she could help him with that. That seemed like something he'd need a professional for. A psychologist.
She softly wiped his tears away, forcing back her own. It hurt to see him that desperate, but she knew she needed to be strong for him right now.
But she honestly had no idea what to say. For the first time in years, She was absolutely speechless.
"I..."
Staring at the ground right in front of her, She tried to calm down and push the fear and pain away that were building up inside her.
"You...Why should you think about yourself like that? ", She whispered. "A monster? They're better? Jim! You are my reason to live! You are what keeps my heart beating! You are the reason why I carried on for those years when we were separated! You are the man who saved so many! You jumped on grenades to save your unit! You gave your own life to save me. You wanted to sacrifice the only good thing of your childhood to bring violet back to life! You jumped into the lake to save Kai! You carried me all the way to the hidden outpost, although I was burning! You forgave your worst enemy!
A musician, brilliant mechanician, songwriter, best friend, role model, racer, idiot, casino-owner-enemy, comedian, pillow, blanket, gentleman, lifeboat, bodyguard.
You are Cody's friend, You are Michelle's friend, You are Phil damn Collins' friend, you are Steve's and Hunter's brother in law, You are Jack's, Athena's and macons big brother, You are the father of six amazing children, You are my husband."
She softly stroked over his cheek and looked deep into his eyes, hers filled with love.
"And after all that you are wondering how we all can love you? I will tell you how:
Entirely and endlessly."

Sam laughed softly, sat up, softly pushed Emma off his lap and walked a few steps into the room. He cracked his knuckles and All of a sudden, a bright light rose from his chest and he slowly took his true form.
>>come here <<
His voice suddenly seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. >>I'm everywhere at the same time in my true form. Like a portal. Just step into the light, I'll bring you to Germany."

"Changing to stand this cold", Foxy explained smiling. "It's fascinating! The color change...i wonder if that's just a side effect or the reason..."
While she was still thinking, She ran her fingers over his wing, until something came up in her mind.
"Hey, does your colorblindness disturb you? I...i could maybe heal it."

"Totally fine", toxic laughed, linking arms with Dennis. "You are just too handsome for me. That's your fault, Mr Davis!"

 

[Wyosch]

Jim shifted into his wolf form so he could curl up on Rachel's lap. Hiding his face under his paw, he sniffed silently.
"I want to... I want to believe it but that voice in my head keeps saying it's all just a lie and pretend and I...", by now his voice had cracked again. "I'm sorry I'm such a mess and that you gotta put up with this..." , he looked up at Rachel with big, sad puppy eyes. He had heard the change in her voice. She was scared.
"I didn't mean to scare you...", he whispered, a small tear rolling down his cheek.
Suddenly flinching, his pupils widening and all the muscles in his body tensing - until they relaxed again and his heartbeat normalized. >>Whoa calm down.<<
"I mean... my past has haunted me for my entire life, and it probably will remain doing that forever... but... I thought I had changed." Shifting into his human form again, his face buried in Rachel's neck.
"John died because of me. I wasn't able to bring Violet back. I broke the promise I had made to Cody." He shivered. "I'm... I'm not someone worthy of the friends and family I have..."
He frowned painfully, his heart wrenching in pain, his eyes slowly filling with tears.
"I just want y'all to be happy and to get what you deserve in life."
He gasped for air, closing his eyes. He felt the overwhelming feeling again.
"I ruin everything. See, I'm already ruining something. We just wanted to have a great night out because of your birthday and our anniversary and now it's all 'bout the whining, stupid, pathetic kid in the back of the class again." His voice had loudened with every word.
"Sorry."

Emma's eyes widened in surprise.
"What. The. Hell?", she stared around for a moment, then concentrated on the light and carefully took some steps closer. "Is this really safe?", she asked, stretching out her hand to touch the strange light which should be a portal. "This is quite confusing. Didn't you say you were an unicorn?"

Taran turned around to Foxy with big eyes. "Wait. You could fix that?", he asked, Bilbo and Aaron curiously walking up to Foxy as well.
"Fix color? That's possible?", the dragon asked, tilting its head.
"I never knew that.", Taran mumbled thoughtfully. "You...you could? You really could?"
>>I'd finally be able to see my wings in their true color...<<

Dennis was still chuckling. "It's in the family.", he replied, winking. Looking up into the sky for a moment, he sighed happily. "I wonder what our little one will look like."

 

[Scripted Away]

"Shhh shhh shhh...", Rachel whispered softly. She cupped his face and looked deep into his eyes, wiping his tears away once more.
"I want you to take a deep breath, okay my love?", she said calmly, taking a deep breath as well, hoping Jim would do so too.
"You can't keep the whole world in balance, Jim. John is an adult, grown-up man, and he made his decision. And you still can keep your promise! The grale is here, You can bring violet back! But you can only do it if you believe in yourself.
I know I do."
She softly kissed his forehead, before staring into his eyes again.
"What do you think what life I deserve? ", she asked softly.
"Married to Mac? Kids with him? Honey, If I were married to Macon, that would mean i'd be married to a man I don't love. That would mean i wouldn't be happy. You don't see it, but the only way for me to live the life I dream of is to live this life, just as it is. With you and our wonderful Kids, because you are the one I love, you are the one who makes me happy. So when I'm so happy with you...what should there be to put up with? I'm happy, Jim. And i wouldn't want any other man as my husband."
She ran her hand through his hair and kissed him gently.
"Hey...i keep wondering why of all those girls you could have had you chose me, but I see you're happy with me, and that's enough for me to know."
Holding him in a tight hug, she petted his back.
"Do you want to tell me a bit more about that boy, Honey? I'd like to get to know him."

A soft chuckling filled the room. >>I am. And this is my real appearance.<<
The soft glow grew, until nothing more than white light was visible, and as it vanished, and Sam's human appearance showed up again, his arms softly wrapped around Emma from behind, the scene wasn't his house anymore, but a garden, behind a huge house with a tower in Germany. His and Rachel's childhood home.
"This is where I grew up", he mumbled.

Foxy lifted her shoulders.
"I can control nature, and you are nature. So I should theoretically be able to fix you."
She looked at Bilbo and Aaron and smiled softly.
Turning to Taran again, she rolled her shoulders once.
"Bow down a But so you're at my height."

"Maybe my ex-green hair!", toxic said with an exited grin.
"Do you think it'll be a demon or an Anom?"

 

[Wyosch]

Jim took a deep breath, staring into Rachel's eyes.
>>Find the blue dot.<<
"I just...", he sighed, slightly bending his back, making him smaller - making him look vulnerable.
"I sometimes can't decide between reality and my mind anymore and I believe the things my mind tells me and that's all just fucked up." Grabbing Rachel's hand and staring at her wedding ring, he took another deep breath and closed his eyes for a second. "It's stupid, I know. I keep wondering how you can put up with those silly problems. I mean, ain't it always the same?"
Turning away, he sighed once more.
"At the age of just 3 his father told him he was a mistake
said that if he had it his way, he wouldn’t be here today
he resented him, despised him, blamed him for everything
couldn’t even look him in the eyes without being filled with rage
he would tell him that he was the reason his mother had died
that he's the reason he's a single dad with no future and of course he’s the one to blame
and he reminded him of this fact every single day.

By age 11 he’d seen it all - drug addiction, violence, sexual abuse,
he tried to shut it all out as best as he could, but no matter how hard he’d try, it was no good
cos you see the problems kept growing, and just when he thought he’d seen enough -
he’d entered high school
under the false impression that this would be his fresh start, a chance to finally be himself, who knew kids could be so cruel
They’d beat him, shamed him, spat in his food.
Mocked him, chased him, but somehow he’d make it through.
He was no longer living at this point, just struggling to survive,
but with no one to turn to what else could he do?

Wasn’t long till the teachers labelled him a problem child,
said he was disruptive, an inconvenience, that if he didn’t settle down he’d be kicked out.
didn’t even try to understand him, he wanted to push it all out but how?
he couldn’t fight it anymore, he’d put up with it for too long
He no longer cared, he was getting angry now
Problems at school, the streets, at home,
where the fuck was he supposed to go?
By this point his emotions took over,
he was angry, violent, abusive - he’d completely lost control,
He was done caring about anything, he didn’t give a shit anymore.

By age 16 he was walking in the bad footsteps,
lost and consumed by self hate,
took drugs to block out the thoughts in his head, anything to numb the pain,
desperately wanting to get away, escape to a better place,
a place where he could call home, a place where he felt safe,
safe to face another day but that doesn’t happen in the real world, see there is no light at the end of the tunnel,
not for people in this place.

Cos you see he wasn’t a bad kid, he was just scared.
Left to fight this world on his own,
desperately wanting someone to care.
Wasn’t long till he gave in to it, he’d became someone he hated
No longer wanted to fight it anymore,
he’d accepted it, this was his fate..."
Jim turned back to Rachel, tears rolling down his eyes. He felt so weak. So ashamed of himself.
"That kid I talked 'bout wrote this when he was 17."
Biting his lip, he looked down.
"I think you already know it... You're married to him."

Emma blinked a few times, before noticing she really was somewhere else now.
"This is so confusing...yet so cool.", she admitted, giggling. "Now...show me around! I wanna see everything! Tell me about it!" Her eyes were sparkling excitingly. The first time she'd left the States in years! And it felt great.

Taran chuckled and went down on his heels. "This good?", he asked, looking up at Foxy.
"If you are able to fix my colorblindless I'll give you the tightest hug ever.", he said, winking.
Aaron nodded. "Taran hugs are tight. Full of love. Me like hugs."
"I like you too, Aaron."

Dennis frowned thoughtfully. "Well...I'm only a class 1. It's quite un-probable that the baby will be a demon. I'd say it'll either be human or anom."

 

[Scripted Away]

Rachel made her wings appear and softly wrapped them around Jim like a comfortable, warm blanket.
At the same time, she made her light creatures rearrange everything in the house.
"Come...", she said silently and gently lead him through the entrance door of his childhood home. The house, that had been basically empty and far too tidy, now looked absolutely beautiful from the inside. A soft, golden light filled the rooms, a fire was crackling in a fireplace that was made of something that looked like it had come straight out of heaven. A big, super comfortable couch, one of those you could lie on, stood in front of it, and beside the military photos in the showcase stood pictures of everyone of their family now. Nothing of the old furniture was gone though, it was perfectly integrated into the new look of the house.
Even Jim's old guitar that had been wrecked stood there, leaning against the wall right beside the one Macon had made for him.
"You can't erase the past honey", she said softly. "But you can make it shine in a new light." She softly kissed his cheek and took off her jacket, purposefully dropping it to the ground instead of putting it away tidily.
Out of a drawer , she took a picture of Jim's brother Jack. Within a few seconds, it was cupped by a beautiful golden and black frame and she put it on a shelf.
Then she returned to Jim and softly pulled him with her on the couch, where she just cuddled against him and held his hand.
"I don't mind helping you with your problems, my lone wolf. You wouldn't mind helping me with mine. So why should I?"
She gently kissed him and caressed his cheek.
"Don't be ashamed of your past honey. You could have told me all this those six years ago; I still would have fallen for you head over heels.
You know... love is a strange thing;
Sometimes it's wild and hot and sometimes it's soft and gentle.
Sometimes it's hope and sometimes it's despair.
Sometimes it can save us and sometimes it can destroy us.
But despite all those opposites:
It never judges, and it never demands repayment. It's just there, and all it ever wants is to be felt.
So don't think I'm sick of you or anything. How could I ever be sick of my reason to live?
I love you Jim. With all your flaws and mistakes and problems and your past.
With all the smiles and laughs and nights and all the trust you gifted me."

Sam smiled awkwardly.
"I eh...i honestly can't remember much. It's all very blurry. Oh but, here!"
He pointed at a nearby apple tree.
"When I was a little boy, mom used to carry me out of my wheelchair and to that tree, and she told me so many stories, all day long. And she picked the apples and made Apple sauce from them. Pancakes with Apple sauce and cinnamon...
Rachel once climbed into that tree when she was playing fetch with Jasper, and then she fell down. But she was so busy with running away from Jas that she didn't even notice she had broken her arm!"

Foxy chuckled softly at Taran and Aaron's conversation and gently placed her hands on his cheeks.
"Hold still", she said silently, staring right into his eyes without even blinking. A soft pink glow surrounded her as she tried to fix him.
After quite a while, she gently closed his eyes with her hand.
"You might get some headaches if it worked", she explained. "Your brain still has to get used to the change. Now...open your eyes. I hope it worked."

"Whatever it will be", Toxic said with a soft smile. "It will be absolutely perfect, just like his or her daddy."
She smirked gently, lowering her gaze.
"It's such an amazing feeling...So close. That hug changed my life."

 

[Wyosch]

Jim stared blankly at the changes. This now didn't seem like the house of his youth.
It was too warm. Too cozy. Too... to much like home.
It just felt wrong.
How come he was even annoyed by Rachel's jacket lying on the floor instead of tidily hanging in the closet?
No, he didn't need everything to be super tidy. He usually just dropped his jacket to the floor as well.
Why did it annoy him here now that much?
"You have no idea how strange this feels for me.", he mumbled, turning back to Rachel, staring into her magnetizing eyes. He lifted his hand and put it on the back of her neck, pulling her into a deep kiss.
"I'm sorry I broke down again. I guess I had just kept too much bottled up again, as usual."
He leaned his forehead against Rachel's, closing his eyes and just concentrating on her wonderful scent and warmth.
"Thank you, honey. For everything."

Emma giggled. "Your sister sounds like a person with whom you can have a good laugh with.", she smiled softly. "My brother and I always used to prank everyone in the entire neighborhood. That was fun."

Taran was actually scared of opening his eyes. What if it hadn't worked?
The curiosity won.
He opened his eyes and immediately closed them again.
"God damn...", he gasped, opening them again, his jaw dropping. It was as if he had been blind his entire life but now he was finally able to see.
He blinked a couple of times, staring at Foxy with big eyes.
"You're even more gorgeous with your real colors!"

Dennis kissed her forehead, smirking softly. "It didn't only change everything for you.", he whispered, sighing happily.
Upon seeing the pink building popping up in the distance, he frowned sadly.
"Don't you think it's sad that houses like these even have to exist?"

 

[Scripted Away]

"Shh..."
Rachel softly pushed her finger against his lips and smiled at him.
"Don't apologize for that honey. Everything's fine. And I'm sorry if i made you feel uncomfortable here. I just wanted to show you that your past is a part of you, but it doesn't mean that you can't live your life."
She softly kissed his cheek and cuddled against him, stroking over his chest.
"I love you. And I don't mind being there for you. In good times as in bad times, that's what I swore, right?"
Intertwining her fingers with his, she kissed him once more.
"Now honey, what should we do to lift your mood up? Ohh! What if we do what we did after our wedding? A nice dinner for two? Or we could watch a film or go somewhere or cuddle... whatever makes you the happiest honey."

"Depends", Sam chuckled, lifting his shoulders while he softly pulled Emma with him through the back door.
The interior was... well... intimidating. Red velvet carpets on the stairs, entrance hall, antique shelves and everything...a glass ceiling. Weird enough, the sky you saw through it was a different one than the actual sky. But it looked totally real. Right now, it showed a night sky, so it was pretty dark inside.
Sam looked up.
"Mittagssone", he said, and the sky immediately went to bright and sunny.
"Okay eh...dont...get lost. This house is a half labyrinth with all the rooms and corridors and everything."

Foxy blushed slightly and ran her hand through her hair.
"Hey, didn't you say I get a hug?", she chuckled, spreading her arms.
It was weird, but since she had come here, the pain of her guilt of Zaine dying for her had disappeared into the background...
But still! She loved him...and his death was her fault. She couldn't owe him so much...

Toxic tilted her head as she looked at the house and sighed silently.
"There's so much wrong about the world", she mumbled silently.
"Sure, the war is over, but there's still so much broken..."
Looking up at Dennis, she smiled softly. "I'm just glad not everything's broken."

 

[Wyosch]

Jim smirked softly as Rachel ran her fingers over his chest. He wasn't tensed anymore, so he felt the exciting tingling in his body with every touch of her's.
"Well... I'd love a nice dinner for two.", he sighed happily, giving Rachel a kiss on her forehead. "And then I'm gonna give you your birthday present and your anniversary gift.", he winked, tightly wrapping his arms around her and giving her a tight hug. "Honey...I love you."

Emma turned her head to the ceiling, and then to Sam, her eyes sparkling. "That's so cool.", he admitted, giggling silently. "And don't worry about me getting lost. I won't get lost when I am right by your side, will I?"

Taran smirked, nodded and wrapped his arms around Foxy, hugging her tightly - slightly lifting her up from the ground as he bent his back to hug her even tighter.
Putting her down on the floor again, he let go of her and winked. "That hug good enough?", he asked, chuckling.
Aaron walked up to Taran, frowning. "Something wrong."
"What's wrong?"
"Something changed."
"Details, Aaron. What changed?"
"The colors."
"Are you talking about my colors or your colors?"
"My colors."
Taran raised an eyebrow. "Well, explain."
"It was blue, reddish-orange and yellow at first, but now it is bright yellow and slightly turning pink."
"Ehm... okay."

Dennis smiled softly. "Yeah, not everything's broken." He kissed her cheek and walked on.
"But what can we do to fix it all? Try to fix small things and not everything at once. That's how the world will heal."

 

[Scripted Away]

"I Love you too", Rachel said with a Happy grin, smirking as she noticed that Jim seemed to be enjoying her touch again. "So what should we cook? Salmon again? Spare ribs? Chili- and i mean the food!" Giggling evil, she winked at him. "Either way we'll have to go groceries shopping at first. I doubt there's something in the fridge here."

Sam smirked, wrapping one arm around her waist. "Just don't freak out when you see a Brazilian woman in the mirror. Aurora is one of the few who can enter that world, and she says our big mirrors here are especially comfortable."

"A fantastic hug", foxy said with a smirked, and then thought about what Aaron had said.
"...can you maybe see feelings?", she asked curiously. "What you just said reminds me of my friend Sarlena. She can see feelings, that's why I ask. Wonder what happened to her and her boyfriend..." she thought of the harpy for a while, until she snapped back into the here and now because a hand landed on her shoulder from behind. Gasping, she span around and immediately calmed down.
"Geez, Macon! Don't scare me like that!"
The angel chuckled softly and lifted his hands as if he was being threatened with a gun. "Sorry, sorry. We're Were you seeking for me? Had a gut feeling you were."
"Eh...yeah...y'know, Zaine had an idea and..."
Smirking, Mac crossed his arms.
"Yup."
"...heh?"
"Yes. He's on his way. I mean it'll take about an hour more or So, but yes. Gabriel still owes me one."
"You...?"
"Yup."
"Whoa..." Foxy ran her hand through her hair, staring at the wall for a moment. Honestly she had expected to be happier, more thrilled about something like that, but honestly she was just overwhelmed, without that happily nervous tingling in her chest she normally felt when thinking of Zaine. "That's...whoa."

"Be the best we can and teach our children the right ways", Toxic said nodding. "Show them what loyalty and honesty means...by being loyal and honest. Gotta be good role models...and do our very best. Guess that's all we normalos can do about it."

 

[Wyosch]

Jim frowned slightly. "...do we gotta eat here?", he asked, still feeling uncomfortable in this house. Sure, everything was lightened up and he got the message Rachel wanted to teach him - but this didn't feel right. This house was only filled with bad, horrible memories, and nothing could make those vanish. No matter what Jim looked at, everything reminded him of those years he'd been abused, physically and mentally.
"There's also a lovely restaurant in Austin, and that guy still owes me one so we can get a table for two there... if you want?"
He gulped, smiling softly. "But we could also eat here... as long as it's not in the house..."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "A woman... in a mirror?", she asked. "How crazier can this get?"

Taran put a hand on Foxy's shoulder, smirking. "Hey, that's good news, isn't it?", he asked - while the dragon frowned again.
"Colors are changing."
"Of course they are, Foxy is happy now and there's another person in the room now."
Taran turned to the angel and stretched out his hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm Taran."

Dennis nodded. "Exactly." He kissed her cheek and walked up to the door of the pink house once they had arrived.
Taking a deep breath, he knocked.
"You'll really like the house. It's beautiful."

 

[Scripted Away]

"Of course not", Rachel said with a soft smile and immediately teleported home.
Now on the meadow in front of their house, she gently kissed his forehead and stroked over his cheek.
"We can go wherever you want, honey. I'm fine with everything, as long as I don't gotta eat marzipan."
A proud sparkling filled her eyes and she hugged him tightly.
"I'm so proud of you", she mumbled softly. "So, so proud of you."

Sam chuckled silently,lifting his shoulders. "Well, we had some problems with vengeful spirits and in the past here. Our cousin..." He shook his head and sighed. "That isn't a topic for a nice evening for two."

Foxy lightly touched Taran's hand on her shoulder with her hand and frowned.
"I...i guess...", she mumbled, confused about herself. Sure, she was glad her debt would finally be payed, but at the same time she felt as if she would lose something if he came back...
"I eh..."
Mac shook Taran's hand, smirking. "I know. Nice to meet you. I'm Macon or just Mac." Looking at foxy, he nodded knowingly.
"Foxy", he said softly. "Was the love you felt maybe just guilt about his death...?"
Foxy span around to him with big eyes.
"I..." she looked to the ground. "I honestly don't know what to think or believe anymore...i thought I would be over the moon but...in fact I'm just relieved, Sure, but also kinda...sorrowful?"

Toxic smiled softly at Dennis, waiting for the door be opened. "I hope I won't ki..." she shook her head and chuckled. "Ahh, I'm so used to being dangerous!"

 

[Wyosch]

Jim softly wrapped his arm around her waist, looking at her with big puppy eyes.
"Why are you proud of me?", he asked, raising an eyebrow. He hadn't done anything to be proud of. Or was she proud because he had almost had a breakdown?
"Hey, what if I cook?", he suggested. "And I know a perfect place where we can eat."

Emma put her hand on his shoulder, frowning sorrowfully.
"You can tell me if you want. I don't mind.", she smiled, standing up on her tiptoes and giving him a kiss on his cheek. "I'll listen to whatever you have to say."

Taran and Aaron looked at eachother for a moment, then the fairy frowned for a second and the dragon backed off.
"You two need a second to talk about it all? It mustn't be nice talking about stuff like that with strangers around.", he suggested, smiling akwardly.

An elderly lady (http://i5.asn.im/tragic-year-old-dorothy-griffiths-left-unattended-ten-minutes-_spfq.jpg) opened the door, smiling.
"Dennis Davis, young lad, how have you been? What brings ya here on a sunny day like this? Who is this wonderful company of yours?", she asked - talking with a Southern accent, excitedly stretching out her hand to Toxic. "My name is Dorothy McSmithson, but just call me Mrs Dory."
Dennis smirked, turning to the old woman. "I'm doing great, how have you been Ma'am?", he replied. "And well we were in the neighborhood so we thought why not visit 'Dory's home'? And this is my girlfriend, Toxic."