"Was that your first..." Roan whispered, unable to bring his voice much above the sound of the water.  Even a creature such as he had started to sob soundlessly, the tears of relief and fear and so many mixed, mended and newly torn things slipping down his cheeks no matter how hard he tried to stop them.
        Shadow gazed into his eyes, comfortably for once; her own filled with the same tears that caught flutters of moonlight.  It was odd.  So odd to stand in front of someone with tears in her eyes but void of shame.  She placed her head against his chest again for only a few seconds.  She needed this stillness, this absolutely solid, absolutely real thing in front of her to keep her upright; her reality had just shattered to bits.  Her voice trembled, confused and unsure.  "Yeah... yours?"
        He shivered with her words, closing his eyes.  When he opened them again, he surprised the hell out of both of them with an uneasy but sincere smile.  There was a... a life to his heart that he would never have believed could have been there at any time.  "Yes..."  He had never experienced such tenderness--at least that he could remember. He supposed his mother had shown him a wonderful world of maternal caring before the horrible things happened, but he couldn't remember.  Or perhaps he was programmed to forget.
        "It figures..." she whispered softly as she wiped away the last of the tears with the back of her hand.  "I had to come to another freaking universe just to find someone... close."  The words stung her; she knew better than to believe something like this could happen.  And to her, of all people.  But she couldn't deny it.  Hard as she tried, she could not get herself to merely deny it.
        "Lucky me."  He joked lightly, dropping his hands slowly to rest on her waist, just... to gaze at her, to assure himself this was not a near death illusion or a cruel trick.  What the fuck had happened?  And... did he even care?  He actually, literally felt... healed.  Whole.  For once... unafraid.  And this bitch... this girl... this... this, what he wanted without knowing it; what he had without having to beg for it, bleed for it...
        "Am I your possession now?" she tried so hard to joke, removing as many tears as she could manage with one sweep of the back of her hand.
        The pain-stricken shriek on the opposite shore startled them, and they both snapped their attention over to the figure across the bridge.  At first, Shadow's heart raced, wondering just what the hell would dare interrupt her first truly relaxed moment.  It was as the figure was walking swiftly in the other direction that she saw the unconscious, nervous motion of Evyn's hand running through his hair that gave the form away.
        Roan noticed instantly.  Part of him still fucking hated that boy... but that same part of him knew how close he was to this creature in his arms.  It was... a difficult rift.  One he would need to rethink, perhaps.  Especially if they were to continue to travel onward together.
        "Not going to be a peaceful night after all." Shadow commented as her heart sank, watching the figure storm toward the fire.  She sighed and turned back to Roan, letting her hands lightly fall down his sides, just reassuring herself he was there, solid.  Something had clicked, something had been set perfectly into place inside of her, only to establish chaos... but she wasn't worried a bit.  Didn't they always say love conquered all or some bullshit like that?  What a thought.  Love.  Normally she'd have made a series of rude gestures and sounds in such a situation, were someone else talking about this.  Hell, she was still tempted to do so.  Unreal.
        "Should we go over and offer our wrists?" he asked quietly, not even certain if he meant it as a joke or not.
        "Fun childhood you must have had."  She commented quietly.  In truth, she was rather pondering the same thing.  "I think I better go alone...  Not that I like you staying here, but... it's just a cold swim away."  She found herself grinning softly.
        "If you insist."  He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead down to rest against hers.  He didn't know why he'd done it, but... it'd seemed... right.  It felt good.  Like animals that nuzzle one another.  Animals he rarely saw but always wondered about.
        "Don't worry, I bet Sandy would offer company."  She smiled, looking over to where she'd seen the horse back up and disappear.  That damn animal had known all along, hadn't she?
        On that command, Roan watched the horse trot over from the other side of the bridge and right to him.  No questions, no fear.
        Shadow took a deep, less than calming breath, and set across the other bridge.  This... this was going to be interesting. 

        The walk across the bridge was an eternity.  But not long enough--not hardly long enough to calm any fears.  What had just occurred had severely unsettled her, too.  She wanted to be able to discuss it with the other "witnesses" so she could make sense of it.  But this... was like explaining herself.  She... would hate this, she knew.
        As her footfalls could be heard, Taerlyn looked up with a questioning expression.  Evyn was sitting flat on the ground, atop one leg with the other spread out next to the fire, looking down.  His fists were clenched tightly, and Shadow worried about what he may decide to say or do.  Civilly, she sat down in the open space so that the three of them were pretty much evenly spread around the fire, and simply waited.
        He shook his head, but didn't try to speak.  Taerlyn caught Shadow's attention, mouthing, "Should I go?" with wide eyes.  Shadow swallowed, nodded softly, and Ter took her leave.  Again, it was all in earshot--but Shadow had counted on that.
        As soon as his sister had disappeared from his field of vision, Evyn glared up through the fire.  "He's bewitched you!" he cried.
        Thinking of the best way to handle the situation, she started out on her normal route; inspire fear.  "Do not make me hit you, Evyn."  She said quite seriously.  It was a... "calming threat".
        "I'm bigger than you are."  He warned seriously, completely without any other retort.
        She had no idea where to begin.  It was as if all of her instincts had left her to fend for herself, empty and alone.  "I appreciate the concern."  Her voice was softer and serious, but her gaze did not falter  "And I do, believe me."
        "Are you saying I have no reason to worry about that monster convincing you he's not a monster?" he was nearly hysterical, not bothering a bit to keep his voice down.
        She scooted toward him, softly grabbing his mildly failing hands and holding them--an act that normally would have shut him up by simple shock.  "Evyn... dear, dear Evyn..." her voice held the mere possibility of more venom than a million worm monsters; not that she would have ever used such force against him, but perhaps just knowing it was there would make him listen.  "I don't want to convince you not to be watching closely..."
        He yanked his hands from hers and was immediately sorry.  Shadow's expression changed to a stone stare, her entire manner to an attack.  "Didn't I ask you not to make me hit you?" her voice, regardless of being deadly calm, sliced through his throat, honed like a blade.  As he nodded, anger still vastly apparent on his face, she spoke again in a voice a little more normal.  "I ask not to convince you.  I ask only that you take a... relatively neutral, watching stance."
        "You know what he could do to you!  To all of us!" he shouted, finding his own vicious energy.
        "Yes."  She spoke softly and with all truth.  "That's why it is important that you watch your back.  It's always been important to look out for these things, but of course especially now.  Right or wrong, my senses are a little weaker than usual."  She glanced over to Roan across the lake, and saw him sitting at the edge of the little island, his chin in his hand, Sandy laying beside him.  Something about the scene made her want to smile, but she supposed it would probably just cause more harm at the moment than good.  That damn horse knew all the while...  She looked back at Evyn and waited for him to speak.
        "You wanted him dead not so long ago.  You know that.  And he wanted you the same way so many times.  He tied us up and held your own knife to your throat!  He tried to tear you open more than once!" he was yelling so loud his voice had changed and become something of a screaming primate.
        She waited with utter patience and made certain he was completely done before she spoke again, slowly.  Maybe now wasn't a good time to bring up how close love and hate really were...  "Old habits, maybe..."
        "And it will happen again!  Monsters don't learn!  You've seen them, you've killed them--they've almost killed you!  Monsters just don't learn!  They are monsters for a reason!  Heartless, wretched things, and he's the-- the leadership of such life!"  He held his hands out to her, shaking in anger, and she glanced down to see the drying blood on his palms.
        "Evyn..." her voice was soft and sincere, but it didn't make his anger waver.  "I didn't do this on purpose..."  She had no idea where she was going with that sentence.  She didn't know what to say then, wasn't sure how to solve the situation.  Those words hadn't been what she'd planned... but they were true.
        "But he did."  He growled with all the ferocity that Roan had ever mustered.  "He did.  He wants it this way."
        "You think so?" she was genuinely curious.
        "I know so.  And so do you, I think."
        "I ask no forgiveness, and I'd never expect any..." her thoughts ran through to her mouth uncertainly.
        "And none I'll give him."  He stated.
        Slowly, she tried to figure out a way to explain.  Her mind was raging, but her tongue couldn't keep up, wouldn't have been able to find a language to express it.  "Something happened last night..."
        Before she could continue, he grasped her hands and snarled through gritted teeth, "He didn't do anything to you, did he?"
        "No."  She said firmly.  "No, I swear, he didn't do anything."  She waited for him to be ready to listen to her, leaving her hands in his.  "I had the most horrible nightmare of my life last night.  I went to the stream we camped by to cool off and... I guess I just panicked for a little while.  He had followed me..." she waited for the rage in his eyes to pass, "And saw me dive into the water.  He had every chance to keep me there, to kill me or try to get whatever he wanted out of me.  Instead, he... ugh."  She lifted her hands to grasp her head for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain.  She wasn't even sure what had happened, exactly.  "He was there with me.  He kept me company.  I pushed him into the water and...  I saw a creature I had never seen before..."
        Evyn's expression hadn't changed a bit.  He looked as though he wanted badly to say something, but didn't interrupt.  He was perfectly willing to hear what she wanted to say, as she wanted to tell it.  If having a little sister taught one anything, it was to shut up and listen once in a while.
        She tried to put those memories into words.  "I saw something woven within me, in him... and I saw myself...  I had fun with him, and I saw beyond a doubt that he was having fun too.  He looked so... alive...  And he smiled.  He smiled... and those eyes... and it was like a curtain was lifted..."  She finally sighed and tossed her hands weakly in the air.  "I don't think I can explain it.  Certainly not without sounding like a fucking moron."
        "You trust him?" he was still bordering on hysterical.  "I know very well you're not that ignorant.  You've proven you're not that ignorant.  What is it?  What has he done to you?"
        "I think he..."  Dare she think such an awful thing?  Let alone admit to it?  "He's made me fall in love with him..."  She sighed again and shook her head.  The words sounded so... strange coming out of her mouth.  Even though they were truth, they were real, they just sounded so... odd...  She certainly didn't blame him for not believing her.  What I carry in my heart/ Brings us so close or so far apart...
        He was quiet for a long time.  His rage had forced a silent calm to overtake him, and he discovered that it wasn't the most uncomfortable thing he had ever lived through.  "Why don't we ask Ter?"
        "Don't drag her into this now..." she pleaded quietly.
        "No, it's her business too, isn't it?" he shouted, indicating to his sister to come over.  With a wince and a sense of dread, she started to join them.
        "Of course it is."  Shadow answered.  "I don't want her to feel like she's in the middle of things."
        "Too late, huh?"  Taerlyn joked bitterly.  It was true that she was a little concerned over her brother's reaction, but also completely understanding of it.
        Shadow looked up at her, sorry.  Well, straight to the point seemed better than anything else.  "What do you think?  Really."
        The younger girl thought for a minute, looking over to the island at that demon boy, now fully engaged in giving Sandy a back rub.  "I think... you know what you're doing...  I guess that's about it."
        With a burning swallow, their leader (in questionable job security) nodded.  She made as if to say something, but simply shook her head slowly.  She could not have said anything at that moment to make the situation any better for any of them.
        "I guess... we owe you the benefit of the doubt."  Taerlyn stated quietly, her eyes meeting Evyn's.  He opened his mouth to yell again, but couldn't bring himself to.
        Shadow pressed a hand against her forehead and stood up.  This... would make things a lot more difficult.  For a long time.  She nodded to Taerlyn (who nodded back), nodded to Evyn (who was looking past her instead of at her), and walked back across the bridge.
        Having watched the whole thing (and heard a great deal of it), Roan knew it hadn't gone all that well.  He looked on somberly as she walked behind Sandy, behind him, and sat rather limply at his side.
        She looked over and sighed softly.  "And so it always seems to go."  She turned her attention over to the shore, Evyn having disappeared somewhere off in the trees with one of the old swords (Sandy had dropped off the equipment earlier, when she was "giving the two a little space"). I guess he was just wrong to trust me.
        Roan swallowed hard and looked at her until she met his eyes.  He appeared so much like a timid little boy that she wasn't certain if it was really him at first.  Maybe it was just the departure of the hatred that shone in those eyes.  Or maybe it was the uncertain fear lingering so close to the surface.  "I've never... loved before..." he said softly.
        "No kidding."  She tried desperately to joke, but her effort failed when she pictured Evyn walking away from the bridge just moments before.  "Me either."  She added, looking down into the water.  The reflection gazing back up at her in that instant may have been the little girl she was meant to be but never was; but it disappeared in a ripple to show what she had really become.  Just a freak in a Guns N' Roses shirt, that's lil' ol me... is this what they call a lust for life?  Where are the "liquor and drugs"?
        The boy at her side softly ran a hand through Sandy's bangs and gazed over toward the fire; Taerlyn was sitting next to it, staring far off and away.  He had no idea where to go next, or even what was going on all around him.  Chaos, then order, then chaos...  And he still didn't know what happened, or what this change was, or how he ought to behave.  He felt free in a way he never had before, but... naked.  Exposed and open.  In a sense, bleeding like a wound.
        "It figures I'd fall in love on One Tree Hill."  Shadow whispered.
        Her words were so soft that he wasn't sure if he'd really heard them.  But he didn't have much of a chance to respond; the instant her voice disappeared into the breeze, a loud crash of fallen wood had come from the trees on the shore.  Sandy raised her head and neighed softly.  Shadow was absolutely certain it had been Evyn in a rage, chopping or pushing down an old tree, or perhaps even worse.  She nodded to the horse, and the steed gracefully kicked herself from the ground and trotted across the bridge, off into the forest to see what was going on.
        Roan looked at the girl beside him in a new light as she stared out into the forest in something of a cringe.  With a deep breath and a nervous swallow, he softly wrapped an arm around her and tried for the first time in his life to bring her comfort.  It was awkward, but... heartfelt.  Instinct of a different sort.
        Still so unused to allowing herself to be touched, she was stiff for a few seconds before she let herself relax and return the soft embrace.  For a moment she felt she would cry again, something so freeing about the tears she had released moments before--freeing, but also... shedding.  Like skin.  Like exposing your weak spots for just a moment.  It was scary as hell.  But the longer she held on, the longer she listened to his heartbeat, the stronger she felt.
        It was a foreign feeling to Roan as well; a true... tenderness, so out of reach.  He'd never even really thought it possible, but as his head swam with distant energy, he could not deny that it made him feel so... "Complete..." he whispered.
        She took a moment to still the tears building in her eyes, to demand them to stop and release their hold.  She had never been held, and she had no idea just how much she was missing.  She could really get addicted.  The warmth, not just from the heat of their bodies together, was absolutely incredible; powerful but calming all at the same time.  It was almost too much for her to take, the feeling suddenly overcoming her.  It was... love, and it seemed more than anything to be true... but whether or not she could let herself believe that, she wasn't sure.  She pulled away just enough to see those eyes, those gorgeous black eyes, somehow having broken away from the cold ones that once laid in their place.  They gleamed back at her with similar thoughts swimming in them, and she prayed that she would never wake up from the dream. 

        Taerlyn watched the two of them across the lake closely, not meaning to intrude but needing to look for signs of... anything.  A single thing, right or wrong would do to ease her mind.  What she saw across the water made her uneasy, but... she honestly couldn't separate her personal feelings from her deep down intuition.  They did seem... to belong this way, in some sense.  She saw it roughly along the lines of two creatures with a million insane things floating and spinning around them, but when they were together like that--completed as they seemed to be--all of the things floating around just seemed to merge and steady... and the thought sent shivers down her back.  Indeed Roan looked so different... but so did Shadow, in her way.  She hadn't seen what Evyn had herself, but watching where she was, she saw something she felt just as worrisome.  In the end, she admitted to herself, she supposed Shadow usually knew what she was doing, and could only hope it was the right thing.
        Interrupting her observations, Evyn came storming back, sword at his side.  He didn't so much as look at her as he sat by the fire and glared into it.  His thoughts were completely still--sunken, really--with nothing but a pounding rage.  He quite obviously had no desire to talk about it, and she decided it was time to go to bed and leave her brother to his thoughts.  She glimpsed Sandy from just behind the tree line in the shadows and signaled her over with a gentle hand.  The horse glanced at Roan and Shadow for several seconds, then seemed to decide to join Taerlyn in sleep.  Silently they laid side by side without a word or a glance from Evyn and fell away into much needed deep sleep.
        The boy himself merely glared at the fire for a great many minutes, though it seemed longer.  Quite suddenly he lifted, yanked his boots off, somewhat violently unstrapped the armor, and laid down.  He wasn't certain he would be able to sleep, but anything was better than to stay awake and think.