(Goth)

Panting roughly and unevenly, I sprinted down the dark street, listening to the panting grunts of my pursuers. Why in Hell did I agree to this? I thought as I whipped around a corner, my cloak swishing behind me. Curse my body for being so damn fast, I thought angrily. That was the sole reason Rurik gave me this job. All I had to do was wait for his signal and I could turn around.

Soon there was a high-pitch whistle. The panting grunts behind me paused in confusion and I turned, grinning. As I started sprinting towards them, they looked even more confused. I let out a crazed laugh to spook them. All of their attention turned to me and I grinned madly.

In a flash of green and silver, two of the monsters in the back turned to dust as a dark chuckle rang out through the alley. I stopped moving, standing a dozen feet from the group that had chased me. They turned around in panic as two of their number fell to dust.

With a scream and another chuckle, a monster fell in pain.

"Shoulda stayed at your little operation, fellas!" I called to them giddily. Another fell with a scream as another chuckle rang out.

The dark chuckle materialized next to me in the form of Rurik with his blade covered in dark blood. "He's right, boys," Rurik held up a large sack of gold and jewelry, "Boss won't be too happy with you now, will he?"

Rurik looked down at me with his smirk, and pulled me into a quick kiss, "Good work, Cupcake. Let's leave these poor bastards to their fate, shall we?"

I nodded, and we ran off into darkness, leaving the monsters to bleed and suffer for their poor jobs done.

-------

Once we reached Rurik's home, I got in and immediately turned on him, snarling.

"Next time you tell me to 'just run', would you mind mentioning that I'm being chased?" I snarled at him.

"Thought you'd follow my orders without questioning," he smirked, walking over to the chest of clothes. His pants had gotten torn on the fence we climbed earlier in the job.

"Yeah, I did," I snarled, "Thus why I'm still alive."

"Then why are you so upset? You handled it well. That laugh was a good touch. They never suspected there was anything behind them," he walked over to me, forcing me to look up at him. He gently touched my chin, keeping my head up, but I still snarled at him.

"And that kiss-" I started, but he kissed me lightly again. I pushed him away with a growl, causing him to chuckle.

"Stop it!" I snapped at him. He smirked, dropping his hand.

"Again, thought you were trying to keep continuity," he smirked. The ass.

"Hence why I didn't punch you in the street," I huffed, hugging myself, "But you're pushing it, Rurik." I hated how his touch would stay on me for some time afterward. It annoyingly made me crave more. I could still feel the kiss, and I fought it off. Not the same.

"Don't be so grumpy, Peppermint sweet," he said. I glared at him, and he turned away. He started to change his pants and I found it hard to look away. I finally forced myself away with an audible grunt and I heard him chuckle.

"Like the view, love?" he asked in his snarky attitude and I groaned.

"No," I said forcibly, "It's horrible. Too close."

"Would you prefer it a bit further~?" he flirted. I shook my head, still not looking at him. I heard a small shuffling and let out a little squeak when he grabbed my wrist and forced me to look at him. "Because I'd prefer to be closer~"

My face flushed when I noticed he had no pants on. I had to look in his eyes just to keep from looking down. I swallowed as he stared at me, smirking lightly.

He leaned a bit closer, and my body relaxed as his eyes sparkled. They were so deep, points of russet in darkness. Instead of him gripping my wrist I found myself holding his hand, but I felt too lost to notice. Or care.

He chuckled a bit and wrapped his other arm around my middle. He pulled me into his body and I came back to my senses. I growled and tried to push away, but his grip was too strong. Welp... shit...

"I like this view, sweetness~" he purred, leaning in closer, "Your eyes are just so beautiful~"

His hand trailed down and gripped my ass, causing me to squeak. I went to slap him but his hand whipped up and grabbed mine. Fortunately, it was the one wrapped around me. Unfortunately, he now had both of my hands in an iron grip.

"Careful, love," he said, slightly threateningly, "Don't want to get hurt, do you?"

"Let go of me, Rurik," I growled. Pulling on his grip, I summoned one of my scythes and hid it behind him, "You have the count of three. One..."

"Don't be like that, sweet," he said. He pinched both my wrists and rubbed his thumbs in circular motions. I started to relax against my will.

"Two..." I growled, trying to fight the calm coming over me. He added more pressure, smirking as my body started relaxing. He let go of one of my hands and his hand flashed to my spine, rubbing the first vertebra in my neck.

"Thr-ahh..." my body went limp and I fell into his arms. The scythe vanished as he hugged me close, lifting me slightly and putting me on the bed. Shivering a bit I glared at him, crossing my arms as he stared down at me.

"Sorry, love," he said, shrugging, "But you need rest after all that running."

I said nothing, just rolled on my side and moved to the far side of the bed. He moved around and eventually sat on the edge of the bed. With all that shuffling I hoped he put some damn pants on.

He grunted slightly as he laid down on the other side of the bed. I couldn't help but glance over at him. Yes, he had pants on. But he took off his shirt. Blushing, I looked away again. He rolled over and then a hand started rubbing my back between my shoulder blades. I tried to shy away from his touch but it failed.

"Why are you doing this to me, Rurik?" I asked him softly, gripping the sheets. I hated how relentless he was. But I hated how his touch made me feel more.

"You need to relax," he said.

This time I turned over, glaring at him. Just to get his hands off my back.

"But I'm not Cupcake, and you're not my Palette," I told him flatly, "Why are you trying so hard?"

He looked away at this. He didn't answer and turned to stare at the ceiling. His reaction confused me. He actually seemed... uncertain.

Then he smirked and broke whatever sympathy I might've had, "Because you're going to be the greatest prize," he said, looking over at me. My glare strengthened, my hand gripping the sheets as I looked down.

"I'm no prize, Rurik," I said quietly, "I'm not worth your attention."

His hand gripped my chin and pulled my gaze up. He looked angry at my response.

"Don't say that," he growled. He let go of me but continued to stare at me, "You are more precious to me than any gold or jewel we stole. I don't care that you're not Cupcake. You deserve more than this world, and I'm sick of seeing you so angry. I just want to make you happy, make you feel good."

He turned away, going onto his side with his back to me. I stared at him silently, surprised by that reaction. It was his first little snap he's had like this, in private. It was also the first time he was laying down with his back to me.

Seeing him hurt like that, I felt bad. "I'm...sorry," I apologized softly, turning away from him. We laid like that, apart from each other. Me, trying to keep myself from his addict- annoying touch, and him upset over my response. It was a new feeling from him.

After a while, I felt myself grow sleepy. While still conscious enough to make decisions, I turned over and, steeling myself, hugged Rurik from behind. I settled into that position, letting myself relax to sleep. I felt Rurik tense up beneath my grip as I fell asleep.

"Sorry..." I muttered again sleepily. Being this close, without seeing his face, it felt like I was next to Palette again. I forgot the difference as my mind drifted off.

----------

I woke up a few hours later. My head now rested on Rurik's chest and his arm was around me as he stared up at the ceiling. He noticed me awake and grinned down at me.

"Enjoy your nap, Peppermint love?" he asked.

Just to surprise and annoy him, I snuggled into his chest some more and nodded. He stiffened a bit at my reaction, and I thought, that's a win for me. He went silent for a while as I laid on his chest, thinking of Palette.

His smirk tainted his voice, "What happened to no touching?" I looked up at him, pouting a bit with a little smirk of my own.

"Don't get too excited," I told him, "Some places are still off-limits."

"Like...where?" he asked slyly.

"Do you really wanna find out?"

"Hmm... sort of," he leaned closer to my face, "I enjoy pushing limits~"

I rolled my eyes and sat up. He sat up with me, grinning. Ignoring him, I scooted to the edge of the bed. He slid up next to me, pushing himself with his hands. He brought his hands forward, 'accidentally' brushing on my rear as he did. I glared at him but he just grinned.

"Whoops," he said without a trace of apology.

Groaning, I stood up and stretched. The hem of my shirt rose up a bit and I hurriedly pulled it down, glad that Rurik sat behind me and couldn't see through the cloak on my back.

Walking over to the bathroom, I went inside and shut the door, feeling mildly nauseous. I fought back the morning sickness. So far, I had been good about keeping it from Rurik. Eating very little helped.

Heat started to warm my body and I felt a little annoyed. Oh, great, I thought sarcastically, a damn mood swing and a hot flash! Wonderful! The trifecta of shitty things to happen right now is complete.

Rurik knocked on the door and I held in an annoyed grunt. "You okay in there, Peppermint sweet?" he asked.

"J-just washing my face, Rurik," I answered him.

"Making yourself all pretty for me?"

"Shut up!" I snapped, annoyed. I bit my tongue, don't let him know.

A pause, then footsteps receded from the door. Letting out a sigh I wished my problems would go away. Sighing again, fighting off the annoyed feeling, I left the bathroom.

I hugged myself, more to try and rub the hot flash away than anything. Rurik was making something in the part of the room he called the kitchen, which was really a cabinet with a sink next to the fireplace.

He was currently crouched over the meager fireplace, poking at something in a pot. I walked up behind him, still hugging myself.

"Throwing together a little stew for us," Rurik said without looking up, "We need energy after yesterday. Those bastards chased you farther than I expected."

"Why did you steal from them again?" I asked, sitting on the floor to watch him.

"Who said I was stealing?" Rurik smirked at me, before going back to his cooking, "I made a deal with their boss a while ago. He called me on it because those idiots had betrayed him. So, he paid me for a job well done."

"You were going to kill them anyway?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. Those first two I dusted were the first betrayers. The others I wounded were the co-conspirators. The ones I left untouched actually did nothing."

"But what took you so long if you handled who you needed in the group that chased me?" I felt more annoyed at the thought.

"I had a few more to take care of at the base, and it took me longer than expected," he sounded apologetic and a bit angry with himself, "One of the bastards tried to fight back."

"So, you're an assassin," I stated flatly, trying to contain the mood swing anger.

"Only when it suits me," Rurik shrugged, "I prefer thievery."

I went silent, looking between my legs. This conversation might turn too sour if we continued in my current state. Taking deep breaths, I closed my eyes and thought of Palette. His smile, his relentless snuggling, his bright eyes every time he saw my belly.

For some reason, it made me angrier to think of his soft looks every time he saw me. I jerked my head, trying to get rid of the feeling. NO. He is nice, he's allowed to be soft. He's going to be a father...with me...

A small red tear fell into my lap. If I ever get home... His face slowly became washed away as I cried silently. My hand made its way onto my belly, and I bit back a sob. Not here, not now. I am going to go home. I am going to be with him again.

The past three days have felt like an eternity. The only distraction has been the job last night and my constant vigilance to keep Rurik at bay. What changed?

Last night. Last night changed it all. I glanced up at Rurik, looking at him through a slight red haze. He was now dishing out the steaming stew into two bowls. I looked down, wiping my eyes so he wouldn't see the tears.

He looks so much like Palette...it's torture to tell him no... He handed me a bowl and sat down wordlessly across from me. I ate without a word, still looking down. Glancing up every now and then, he looked expressionless as he ate. I could barely taste the stew as I fought off fresh tears.

My bowl clanked on the floor as I dropped it. Both my hands went to my mouth as I fought off my sorrow. Palette... Rurik... the same... A choked-out sob escaped into my grip. My body shook as I held them in.

"Peppermint, are you okay?"

I shook my head violently and another choked sob escaped. I stood up, still holding myself close. Rurik stood up as well, and all I saw was him in a watery red haze. He took a step forward and I stepped back, shaking my head.

"Don't," I said shakily.

"Goth, what's wrong?"

I snapped, letting out my sobs and running. I just ran out the door, away from him, away from the emotions, away. My cloak flowed behind me as I ran blindly down the streets. I pushed past people, not caring who I ran into. I heard grunts of annoyance and the occasional callback but I kept running.

THEY ARE THE SAME! My mind shouted as I let out panting sobs.

"Cupcake, come back!" I heard Rurik behind me, running in his heavy boots. I just ran faster, turning down alleys. He couldn't keep up with me, not forever.

"Leave me alone!" I screamed.

Eventually, the sound of his boots faded away as I lost him in a maze of alleyways. Soon after, I had to stop. Bending over and panting, I tried to recover myself. My soul pounded as I took deep breaths.

I jumped at a voice behind me, "Hey."

I whipped around, looking for a source. Nothing.

"Come here," said the voice. It was almost familiar.

"Wh-who's there?" I demanded, sticking my hand in my pocket to grip my knife.

"An old friend," the voice said. I whipped around. Dark alleys surrounded me.

"I don't have friends," I said, more confidently than I felt. I started to back up into a wall, gripping my knife tightly in my pocket.

"No, you don't," the voice chuckled darkly and I felt a cold presence behind me. I turned just as a cold hand grabbed the back of my cloak, "Just a boyfriend."

Suddenly, I was forced into a wall roughly, the cold hand wrapping around my neck as I was pinned. Panic set in as a dark hooded face reared up in front of me, melting out of the darkness like-like-like Reaper would.

"Miss me, brother?" chuckled the cold voice. The hood fell back to reveal Raven with a cold, merciless grin on his face.

"R-Raven!" I said, shocked, "Wh-what are you d-doing?"

"Making good on my promise," he said roughly, his voice still bone-chillingly cold.

"Pr-promise?" I asked, confused. This other Goth hasn't talked to Raven in years. Why? Because of this promise?

Raven growled angrily and forced me higher up the wall, "The promise I made you last time I spoke to you," he growled, "Remember?"

I could do nothing, unsure about what he was talking about. His grip tightened on my throat and I choked a bit.

"Gods, you're so stupid," Raven growled coldly, "Did that son of bitch boyfriend of yours fuck you so hard you forgot my promise?"

With the pressure on my throat, I could barely speak. I just made a rasping, gagging sound in reply. He loosened his grip enough for me to speak, "Well?"

"Raven, I-" he cut me off by putting a knife at my chin.

"Even if you don't remember, I do," he said roughly, "and you're going to suffer for being his little slut."

He flicked his wrist and I gasped as a scratch welled on my cheek. "You've been so careful. Don't think I haven't noticed. But now, you're going to tell me where that bastard is," Raven said, "I will make you tell me so I can make full on my promise."

I shook my head. As much as Rurik annoyed me recently, he was still Palette somewhere and this blood-thirsty Raven would get nowhere near him. Raven growled and brought the knife down. He stabbed it into my arm and I inhaled sharply.

"Go on, scream! Scream for him!" Raven commanded but I shook my head again. He twisted the knife and I bit my tongue to keep from crying out.

"No," I growled through the pain. Raven grunted and pulled the knife out. The wound stung and I panted but stared Raven down in refusal. He stabbed the knife into my ribs next and I let out a little cry, biting it off as much as I could.

He twisted it back and forth, "Scream!" he demanded again, "Call for him, you little slut!"

"No!" I refused again, gasping in the pain as tears fell. I struggled against his grip, bringing my good arm up to pull at his hand.

A slight red glow lit up his knife and Raven looked down. As he twisted the knife, the shirt had torn up and wrapped around the knife, revealing the glow of my belly. My eyes widened as he looked up in anger, pulling out the knife again. He slashed it down through my shirt, dragging it across my ribs slightly as he revealed my full ecto-belly.

Growling in fury, Raven looked up at me. He stabbed the knife through my shoulder, pinning me to the wall as it pierced through my shoulder blade. I let out a small cry of pain, still trying to keep quiet and deny him. He let go of my neck and I fell slightly, tugging on the knife as he stepped back to glare at my ecto-belly with the soul floating in it.

"First you let that son of a bitch fuck you like a whore, and now you're going to give him a bastard child?!" he growled angrily, "You dirty little slut! You're nothing but his toy and tool!"

"You're wrong," I spat, "I'm his lover."

Growling like a wild animal, Raven pulled out another knife and came close to me. I froze as the cold tip was placed on my belly, panting hard in panic at the sadistic grin on Raven's face.

"Don't," I said quietly, glancing down at the knife. The grin widened as Raven chuckled darkly. He added a little pressure and I cried out, "Please, don't!" I begged him.

Tears fell freely down my face, "Please, Raven..." I begged him as he held the knife.

Raven just chuckled darkly, pulling back the knife. He was about to thrust into my belly and I screamed, thrashing around. Something tackled Raven from the side as I screamed.

The two figures rolled to the ground, fighting and thrashing around. With my good arm, I pulled the knife out of my shoulder and looked at the fighting pair.

Rurik, with a snarl on his face, rolled on the ground with Raven. I picked up the nearest object, a splintered piece of wood, and approached the pair as Raven pinned Rurik on the ground, grinning triumphantly. He held up the knife and was about to bring it down as I swung the board at his skull. It hit him, shattering the board, and he fell over with a grunt.

I held out my good hand for a shocked looking Rurik and pulled him up, running away as fast as I could. I held my bad arm close to my body as I ran, feeling the blood trail down my bones.

"Run while you can!" Raven called back, "I will make good on that promise, you whore! Just you wait!"

His voice spurred me on faster as I dragged Rurik behind me, sobbing in pain and fear. Black spots appeared in my vision and I started stumbling but I forced myself forwards, needing to escape Raven.

Gods, I was such a fool! Why'd I run? I ran right into his trap!

I tripped over something and fell to the ground hard. I tried to scramble to my feet but my body refused to respond. Through my blurry vision, Rurik's face swam into view. Strong arms wrapped around me and lifted me up, throwing me over his shoulder.

Pain laced through my entire body as he ran, and I found myself blacking out.

"Go to... Doc's... please..." I managed to get out before darkness consumed me.

---------

Groggily, I groaned, blinking my way out of the darkness. I felt something cold on my belly and thought wildly the knife!

"No, no, no! My baby!" I screamed, trying to sit up but I couldn't. Something held me down. I screamed more, incoherent, panicked thoughts running through my mind, "My baby! NO! No, no, no! My baby!" I struggled against what held me down, my mind fuzzy with panic as I screamed.

"Goth, calm down, calm down!" called a familiar voice. I continued screaming wildly in fear, pulling at the bonds on my wrists and legs.

Something warm pinched the second vertebra in my neck and rubbed it. My body went limp against my will as my mind cooled down. Looking around wildly in panic, unable to move, I saw Rurik's face hovering over me in concern.

"My baby..." I panted, "My baby... is it...?"

"It's fine, healthy, undamaged," Rurik said calmly, "Raven didn't pierce your ecto-body. The baby is fine."

I sighed in relief, relaxing, "Thank you..." I panted, looking into his eyes. He gave a weak, faltering smile. He stroked my skull as I panted, recovering from my panic fit. Slowly feeling returned and I could move my head to look down at my hands. Cushioned restraints were buckled on my wrists. Something silver and shiny, attached to a blue cable that led to a buzzing machine, was attached to my ecto-belly. That was the source of the cold feeling. Glancing at the buzzing machine, I saw it was keeping track of a steady rhythm, a pulse, the soul-beat of my baby. I smiled softly at seeing the machine. It was the first time I've been attached to one, and seeing the steady beat of the life inside me calmed me down further.

"Sorry about the restraints," Rurik said once I had calmed down. I looked down at them, curious.

"Why are they on me?" I asked him.

"You passed out while I carried you, but as soon as Doc tried to attach the monitor to you, you started thrashing about in hysteria. Magic came off you in waves so the restraints and a sedative were the only things to get you calm enough to monitor the baby and heal your wounds," he explained. I nodded, sighing softly. Looking around, I noticed Doc wasn't with us.

"Where is Doc?" I asked. Rurik glanced behind him, into a room I couldn't see.

"He used a lot of magic to heal you," Rurik said, still stroking my skull. It was like a calming motion for him, "It wore him out so much, he even asked for some of my energy."

"That would explain the lack of pain in my shoulder and ribs," I said with a slight smile. He chuckled a bit, sounded tired.

"Actually, that's because of the numbing agent he used," he chuckled, "Your shoulder is bandaged and your ribs are too, but your arm is healed and your ribs aren't broken."

I chuckled too, smiling at him. I moved my head into his touch, relieved to be near him since the encounter. He looked surprised but continued stroking calmly. After a time, I got tired of laying down.

"Can you take the restraints off? I want to sit up," I asked him. He nodded, moving to unbuckle my hands. He undid the first one and leaned over to the next one. While he was leaning over me I wrapped my arm over his neck and pulled him into a kiss. I pulled away with a light blush and a sigh, leaning back as he returned to unbuckling. A small blush graced his features, the first I've seen on his face since I've met him.

"What was that for?" he asked, a slight hitch in his voice.

"It was a thank you for saving me and my baby," I told him as my other wrist came undone. I sat up, rubbing them. He began working on the ones on my legs, avoiding my eye. Being able to see my legs fully, I was glad I was still wearing pants. At least I could have some dignity as I sat before him, shirtless with a monitor attached to my belly.

Once my legs were free I swung them over the edge, sitting on the metal table Doc had. I motioned for Rurik to sit beside me. He complied, and I leaned on him, just glad to be near his comforting presence. I closed my eyes with a sigh.

"I thought you hated being this close to me," I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Just shut up and wrap your arm around me already," I told him. He did, pulling me next to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and heaved myself onto his lap, grunting at the surprising difficulty. He wrapped both his arms around me to keep me up as I leaned on his shoulder. Soft tears started to fall onto his shoulder. Relief washed over me, along with emotional release. I hugged him close, crying into his shoulder as I recovered from recent events.

He hugged back wordlessly, cradling me as I curled up on him. After a moment or two of weeping, I looked up at his face. He wore no expression, just stared off into nothing.

"You're being so quiet, Rurik..." I whispered, sitting up a bit. His eyes flashed to mine, coming back into focus from his thoughts, "It's not like you."

He tried to smirk, but it looked a little broken, "S-since when do you c-care so much for me, love?" he asked, the hitch still in his voice. I pouted at him, then looked down at my belly. I saw his head dip down as well, staring at it.

"I'm sorry I hid it from you," I told him softly, "I was afraid of how you would react."

He didn't respond, just kept on staring at the little white heart in the red magic. I sighed, mildly annoyed at his silence. Grabbing his hand gently, I placed it on my belly, over the soul. He looked up into my eyes, surprise on his face.

"It's not exactly yours, but it's close enough," I told him. He opened his mouth to speak but just gaped for a few moments before closing it and looking down at my belly again.

He stared at it in silence as his face went through a few expressions. "I-" he stopped, working his mouth around the words as I held his hand on my belly, "I never thought..."

He sighed forcefully and looked up at me, "I never thought that he would want a family with me."

"Well..." I cocked my head little, "This wasn't completely planned," I admitted. He looked down at my belly again, but I cupped his face and forced his eyes back up, "But if you want a family, it's worth talking about. My Palette, although this was a bit of a surprise, is perfectly okay with our baby."

Rurik went silent again. His hand still rested on my belly, and I let him keep it there. I wanted him to get used to this. If he even considered wanting a family with Cupcake, he'd have to. And I wanted him to believe in that option.

Suddenly, he lifted me off of his lap and put me back onto the table, standing. He left me alone in the room, sort of rushing to leave. I felt a bit upset but sighed and laid down.

Should've known he'd react like that... I thought, a bit bitter. I hugged myself and rolled onto my side. The table was cold and unforgiving, exactly like the Raven that attacked me.

Guess that's a look at what would happen if Raven hated Palette more than he loved me...I thought, slightly amused but mostly fearful. But it isn't a Raven I ever want to meet again.

Something was tossed over my bare chest and I jumped a bit, turning around. Rurik had thrown a blanket over me, covering me up. I looked at him, confused, but he said nothing before vanishing again.

Feeling a little lonely, I grabbed the edge of the blanket and shrugged it up, trying to warm my body. Now that I was conscious, the cold of the table bit into my bones. Oh, what I'd do for a hot flash now...wait did I seriously just think that?

I began to drift off to sleep, exhausted, when I felt strong arms scoop me up bridal style and carry me somewhere. I looked up to see Doc carrying me somewhere.

"Doc? Where are we going?" I asked him. I heard some shuffling and saw Rurik following us with the monitor. It had wheels that squeaked loudly.

Doc looked exhausted, so I was surprised he could carry me at all.

"Doc, answer me," I demanded. He looked down, flashing me a toothy grin.

"Need to put you somewhere safe and out of sight," he said, "I've got customers and I can't let them see you like this. Or else they might go after you in a bad way, just to get at Rurik."

"You treat his enemies?" I felt mildly afraid.

"I treat anyone who pays well," Doc said, "except Rurik. He was my first customer and is my only ally. He doesn't need to pay."

"What about me?" I asked him. He grinned down some more.

"Last I checked, you were Rurik's sole possession," he said slyly and I blushed, glancing at Rurik. "'More precious than gold,' last I heard," Doc added with a wink. I glared at Rurik.

"You told him that?!" I said, my voice a higher pitch than I would've wanted.

Rurik chuckled, looking at me with his signature smirk, "Guess I talk in my sleep, too."

"Asshole," I muttered, crossing my arms and looking away.