"It could have happened
lots of ways. But this
is the way it happened.
This is the path we took.
This is our story."

~~Jenny Han

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~Nova~

I hadn't planned on telling that particular secret, one that even Nevada was unaware of. But he had shared a part of himself with me, a part that tortured him daily, and I couldn't have stopped myself even if I had wanted to. That was the funny part though, because I didn't want to. I wanted to tell him everything, from the biggest and darkest moments of my life to the most mundane. And it was absolutely terrifying.

I couldn't face him any longer, panic at such intimacy slowly leaking into my veins and forcing me to close my eyes as if that would make it alright. The illusion helped, blocking out the amber colored orbs that roamed my face, searching for something I couldn't fathom. Part of me wanted to run, to get as far away from what was happening as possible, while the rest of me craved even more. It was intoxicating, suffocating, and also a heady bliss I could feel myself falling into, an addiction that would never be satisfied.

"That doesn't change anything, you know." Robbie's voice was soft, his gaze a caress across my heated skin. 

I felt the bed dip and his muffled steps crossing the room followed by the sound of water running. I grimaced internally, wondering if he was regretting what had just happened between us and questioning if I had just royally fucked up. But when the bed dipped again and a warm, damp cloth brushed across my stomach a small gasp left my mouth and my eyes flew open.

Robbie sat beside me, gently cleaning up the proof of our pleasure left behind on my skin with careful hands and firm touches. I watched his face, wondering why he was convinced he was such a monster when all I saw was someone that cared more than he admitted. Robbie was ruthless, I had no doubt, but he was no monster, no matter how hard he tried to convince me.

"We'll all be killers before all of this is over," Robbie said as he tossed the cloth into the laundry basket near the bathroom door. "Some of us just started a little earlier than others."

I watched in silence, unsure of how to respond, as he slid back up the bed and turned onto his side to face me. One hand propped his head up so he could look down at me, the other lightly tracing the dips and curves of muscle at my hip. A shiver ran down my spine and I bit my lip as my eyes held his.

"Do you regret it?" I asked hesitantly, unable to look away.

Robbie's brow furrowed in confusion and his lips turned down in a small frown. "Killing?"

"No, well maybe, but that wasn't what I was talking about," I admitted with a smile that quickly slipped away. "I meant, do you regret what we did?"

My heart raced, anticipation and fear ratcheting it up to pound in my ears. I did my best to keep my face carefully blank but my expression fell when he looked away. Fear began to win the battle, threatening to engulf my already frazzled state of mind but I forced myself not to flee and to accept what felt like an inevitable end. Robbie was silent for so long I was beginning to think he would never answer.

"No, I don't regret it," he finally said, his voice quiet as he watched his fingers trail over my stomach. "I'm too selfish for that."

Relief swept through me but I didn't let it flood me completely.

"But?" I prompted uneasily.

"But…," Robbie sighed and finally met my eyes again, "that doesn't mean it's a good idea."

Frowning, I replied, "Or maybe you're just thinking too hard about it."

"I'm not good for you, Nova," Robbie told me seriously. "I could break you down before either of us realized what was happening and by then it would be too late."

I studied his face, absorbing his words and then promptly rolled my eyes. "Then, don't be a douchebag."

Robbie scowled, "I'm not joking around, Nova."

"Neither am I," I replied, turning on my side and pulling him closer to me. "Don't lie and don't hide, then we will handle the rest as it comes."

I sounded a lot more confident than I felt when in reality I was shocked I wasn't hyperventilating. 

"You don't know what you're asking," Robbie argued with a shake of his head.

"I do know. I want us to be friends, meaning talk to me when shit gets deep in your head," I whispered, leaning in to leave light kisses on his neck. "When you're scared or angry, when it hurts… or when it feels good, I want to know all of that, too."

Maybe I can do this. Maybe it won't be so hard after all, I thought to myself as I grazed my teeth on the skin at the curve of his neck.

"Friends with benefits?" Robbie asked skeptically, his fingers threading into my hair and his cock growing heavy against my hip. "Sure you can do that?"

Michael's face popped into my head, remembering how we had managed it for so long until he had fallen in love with me. That was still a fact I preferred to ignore. Instead, I smiled against Robbie's neck and hummed in agreement.

"Again? Already?" I asked, looking up in surprise.

Robbie smirked, his face smug. "Vampire stamina, baby."

The endearment rushed over me but my thoughts scattered before I could think too much on it as his mouth met mine. Losing myself in the taste of his kiss and the feel of his muscles under my hands, I pushed him onto his back and aligned my body with his without breaking away. The kiss grew frantic, eager as questing hands moved and aroused flesh ached.

"What. The. Actual. Fuck?!" Dominic's voice boomed from out in the hall.

I broke away, my head whipping towards the door in confusion. Surely he had no idea what we were doing. I quickly chastised myself because I didn't care what he thought of us. I started to turn back to Robbie but the slam of the door followed by Nevada's muffled voice drew my attention. Sighing, I looked back at Robbie regretfully. 

"It's alright. Let's go see what someone else's gossip is." Robbie suddenly grinned, stealing my already labored breath. "You know you want to."

I forced a glare before kissing him hard and fast, pressing my erection against his teasingly and drawing out a hiss from his lips. With a smirk, I rolled away and pulled on my clothes, tucking myself into the band of my shorts in an attempt to hide the raging hard on I currently sported.

"Fucking tease," he growled as he pulled his jeans back on and followed me to the door while tucking himself in. "You'll pay for that later."

"Promise?" I asked innocently before pulling open the door and stepping out into the hall.

He rolled his eyes but I barely noticed as I took in Nevada's pale face and swollen lips as she leaned against the wall. August stood, body locked as he stared at the closed door of Dominic and Alana's room as if he could force it open with sheer thought. I glanced back at Robbie who shrugged, just as confused as I was.

When I looked back, Nevada was looking at me with tears in her eyes as she whispered, "Dominic saw us."

"Join the club," I muttered but engulfed her in a hug nonetheless. "Don't sweat it, baby sis. He'll get over it."

She pulled away and looked up at me. "It's not that simple, Nova."

With a lingering look at August, who remained staring at the closed bedroom door, Nevada turned away and disappeared into her room. I scrubbed a hand over my face in mild exasperation and looked at Robbie. He was fighting a smile, his lips twitching at the corners which earned him a glare. 

"Stop being an asshat and get your maker to get away from the door," I ordered with a roll of my eyes. "Silent stalking won't help."

Robbie grabbed my hips and pulled me towards him, placing a quick kiss on my lips. "It's not so bad. Dominic just can't see you two as anything but babies, not yet. It'll be fine."

With that, he released me and approached August, his movements cautious as if facing down a feral cat. I watched for a moment as he murmured something too quiet for me to hear that August merely replied with a growl. Hoping Robbie could handle the situation, I knocked on Nevada's door before letting myself inside.

She was curled on the bed, her knees drawn up as she lay on her side and stared at the wall. She didn't bother to look up or speak as I walked in and perched beside her on the bed.

"It could have been worse," I told her, knowing it wasn't what she wanted to hear. "I mean, what did he see anyway? Were you fucking in the hall?"

Nevada scowled, "No. We were just kissing but it wasn't supposed to happen like that."

"Meaning?"

"I promised August I would let him deal with Dominic, tell him when he was ready or whatever," she answered, sounding bleak. "They're best friends and I didn't want to cause problems for them."

"Robbie made a good point a moment ago," I informed her, although it sounded a bit reluctant even to my own ears. "Dominic missed watching us grow up, hell he didn't even get to see me as a baby. Robbie pointed out the fact that Dominic is probably struggling to see us any differently."

Nevada looked thoughtful for a moment before scrunching up her eyebrows and looking me over. "Since when do you call him 'Robbie'? And where is your shirt?"

I looked down at my bare chest and smirked before the rest of her words sunk in causing me to grow still. I hadn't even realized I had started doing that, even in my head. He had always been just Hatter unless circumstances warranted different. The panic I had felt not long ago threatened to surface again but I squashed it down.

"My shirt is… well, I'm not sure to be honest," I finally said, my voice a bit strained. "As for Robbie… "

I shrugged, unsure of how to answer. Nevada only groaned and covered her face with her hand.

"Why did we drink last night? That's the reason for the weirdness today, it's got to be." She peaked at me through her fingers. "I'm sorry, I should have checked on you earlier. Are you holding up okay?"

My pleasant mood darkened considerably and I looked away as my hands clenched into fists with my elbows resting on my knees. I didn't want to think about the events of last night, or the ones leading up to it. 

"I'm fine," I forced out, my eyes trained on the floor.

"I doubt that but I won't push, not yet. You need time to process. I get it," Nevada stretched out and nudged me with one socked foot. "I talked to Alana earlier and she mentioned that Hatter found your mom but let her go?"

I shrugged, "No idea. I didn't exactly press for information because I'm not sure it matters. She made her choice and it wasn't me which isn't all that surprising."

"You're not even curious what she could have said to him that convinced him to let her go, and unharmed at that?" Nevada asked in disbelief. 

"Nope, my mother does what she does for all kinds of reasons." I shrugged again, struggling to keep my nonchalance. "It doesn't matter what she said to him because it was most likely a lie. It's what she does and that's not going to change. We're better off without worrying about her."

Nevada remained quiet, watching me as if she thought I was going to burst into tears or start screaming. That wasn't going to happen though because I had meant what I had told her. No matter how much I loved my mother, she would always put herself before anyone else. She would lie, cheat, steal, and murder if it suited her interests and she was good at it. Edith Dumont was as dangerous an ally as she was an enemy no matter how much she meant to me.

"I don't want to talk about her anymore, Nev. She's gone and you're avoiding," I admonished playfully. "Tell me what I've missed."

Nevada rolled her eyes dramatically but smiled, "Dominic tried to cook earlier."

"Tried?"

"Yeah, he apparently can't cook but seemed unwilling to ask for help." Nevada eyed me curiously. "I wonder why he didn't want to go to you?"

I grimaced. "Probably because he walked in my room while I was still passed out earlier and found Robbie in my bed."

Nevada's eyebrows shot up into her hairline.

"Really?"

"It wasn't a big deal," I defended. "I drank too much, got all emotional and he stayed with me. It's Dominic's fault for not knocking."

"No wonder he seemed overwhelmed when seeing me and August," Nevada buried her face in her hands as her cheeks heated with embarrassment. "Both kids in one day? Now feel so bad!"

I laughed, "Yeah, I think we'll give him gray hair before this war is over."

"Think he'll accept hair dye? It seems the least we could do." Nevada tapped her lip as if deeply considering the options. "Green maybe? No, definitely purple!"

"Or red maybe, although it would end up turning pink," I joked but sobered a minute later. "You know, Robbie told me earlier that we will all end up killers before all of this mess is over with. Do you think we'll be able to do that without destroying everything we are now?"

I was already damaged, already a killer but Nevada didn't know that and it was part of what made me who I was. But there would be people, races of all kinds that would be innocent and only misguided in their trust, that would lose their lives. Many would be at our hands no matter how hard we tried to avoid it. Death was inevitable, the trick was staying alive and sane for as long as possible.

"There's not another option but to come out whole on the other side," Nevada answered solemnly. "To do that, the six of us will have to find a way to function together and not as separate individuals on the same side. With everything happening around here, behind closed doors, I think we've got a long way to go."

The memory of Robbie's face masked in lust and desire played in my head and I couldn't help the smug feeling that bloomed in my chest. "I don't think everything needs to be out in the open. While I'm not against voyeurism, I think some would prefer if something remained behind closed doors."

Nevada's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Oh gods, Nova! Do I even want to know?"

"Probably not," I replied with a grin, "but I think Robbie and I have come to an understanding, a mutual benefits kind of thing."

"That's good," she told me with unexpected warmth and her emerald eyes burning into mine yet somehow soft. "It's good that you're happy."

"I wouldn't go that far," I argued halfheartedly, and I knew the tips of my ears had turned pink. "It is progress though so I'll take it."

"Progress is good. Now if I could just figure out what the hell is going on with my… whatever shit this is, we'll be set." She glanced at me, a glint in her eye that made me wary. "Maybe some distraction would help Dominic get past this hiccup."

I snorted, "I'm not sure that's a hiccup but more of a small mountain, but what did you have in mind?"

"Help him make some cake thing for Alana," she replied with forced cheerfulness while ignoring my jab. "We need to move past the parental drama, he can't cook without destroying the kitchen, and Alana is grieving. Win-win if you ask me, and your compromising position is less catastrophic than mine."

"Sure, use me as a distraction," I retorted dryly. "Fine, we can make a television show, or have our own channel on YouTube, 'Baking With Dad'. We'd be famous!"

"Sarcasm is unbecoming, I'm being serious," Nevada scolded playfully. "Besides, I'm not sure any of us are ready for the 'D' word."

"I can think of a 'D' word I'm ready for," I smirked, refusing to think too hard on the alternative word. "Maybe someday, if we live long enough. Until then, I'll take the other 'D' all day long."

Nevada shoved me playfully with her foot, "Shut up, asshole."

A knock sounded on the door followed by August standing in the doorway. 

"I'll be out the rest of the night, patrolling the property and Hatter is in the tower on watch." August's eyes never left Nevada but he didn't mention the events from the hallway. "It would be best to stay inside and get some rest. Training starts back tomorrow."

With a last look at Nevada, he nodded to me and closed the door behind him. She frowned, disappointed etching her features but it was gone with a sigh and a shake of her head.

"Movie night in the living room? Maybe the parentals will venture out sometime," Nevada suggested with barely masked frustration as she hopped up from the bed. "You're making dinner."

Following her out of the room, I didn't bother to argue. One thing was for sure, there was a lot of tedious drama still to come and I was almost hopeful for a little evil to get in the way. It definitely seemed like an easier battle than the psychological shit still in store for us.

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A/N: Another chapter (yay!). I know this one is a bit of a filler but I hope you enjoyed it all the same.

Thanks for reading!❣

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~SM~