Azura took the freshly baked apple pie out of the oven and carefully placed it on top of the stove to let it cool down. The smell of apple and cinnamon filled the entire apartment just as she hoped it would. Cheating a little, she had closed all windows and waved the delicious scent out of the kitchen as much as possible. Lucas had left over an hour ago leaving her hoping Rose would not get home before the pie was done and had covered most of the scents in the place. Right as she had removed her oven mitts the front door opened and her friend stepped in.

"Apple pie?!" Rose stepped inside smelling the air.

By the sound of the short woman's voice, Azura emerged from the kitchen with a wide grin on her face. Rose's jaw almost dropped to the ground at the sight of the thin black-haired woman. She let out a high-pitched scream of joy before rushing over and engulfing her in a tight hug.

"Azu! You're back!" Rose let her go and hopped from the tip of her toes back to her feet while clapping her hands in excitement. "I can't believe you're back! I was not expecting you at all! I'm so happy you're here though! It was so boring here without you. Lucas was just outright in a shitty mood all the time, Sheila is just pregnant so she should be boring and I'll tell her off if she ain't, and Jeff has become so protective and crazy! He's gonna be a great father though with the way he tries to take care of everything already. He's obsessed! Right... That leaves us with Steffen... He's just plain working too much. Thank God for Nina though! She's a lifesaver."

Rose took a deep breather and ushered Azura to the couch. Azura snickered as the blonde just launched off with talking. She had been gone for only two weeks but Rose made it seem like she had been gone forever.

"I thought you would stay away, so why are you back? And you baked an apple pie?!" She took a deep breath again and closed her eyes as the delicious smell hit her nostrils.

"Well, your birthday is tomorrow. So I wanted to surprise you and thank you for letting me stay here before I left. Besides, things got sorted back in Scire sooner than I had imagined. Killian is doing an excellent job together with Zahair so it was just formalities. Pleyvale is my home now and I intend to keep it that way."

Rose smiled happily at first at Azura before that smile fell off her face and she started fidgeting with her fingers, clearly bothered by something.

"What about Lucas, Azu? I mean... what are you guys going to do?" Rose stopped and frowned as she quickly glanced back at the door where she had forgotten the box that Lucas had came to pick up. "Wait... How long have you been here?"

Azura tried her best to hide her smile as her thoughts traveled back to when Lucas was there.

"A few hours... why?" She tried to sound as neutral as possible.

Rose stayed quiet for a moment and observed Azura closely. She frowned and Azura could practically see her puzzling the pieces together slowly. It was amusing to see so Azura leaned back with a slight smug smile on her lips. Suddenly Rose's eyes grew large and she practically lunged for Azura, grabbing her by the shoulder and shaking her back and forth for a short moment.

"He was here! You guys met up and you're still in one piece and so was he when he came back to the climbing hall! So that explains why he took so long! The bastard said he got distracted... Didn't he flip? You're really ok?!" The small woman let go of the taller one and stared at her with shock still visible in her eyes.

"I'm fine! He was here yes. We... talked, nothing happened."

"He didn't... become evil or anything? I mean, he did that two days after you left with me and I was sure he would go and try to kill me. Steffen interfered and gave him quite a shock... literally... in his brain... with white blasting energy. Fuck me, that was amazing. It worked though because when Lucas woke up five hours later he was back to himself again."

"Five hours later?!" Now it was Azura's jaw that hit the floor. "He left out that part! He just said Steffen knocked some sense back into him! Not that Steffen knocked him off his socks for five hours! When I killed the dude he woke up faster! Come on!"

Now it was Rose who giggled as Azura seemed dumbfounded for once.

"Yeah... We had him checked over by Doctor Jensen though. He cleared him, saying everything was fine. No big deal." After Rose was done talking she moved back closer to Azura again and carefully grabbed a few strands of black hair and gently rubbed them between her fingertips. "You took a shower, Azu."

"Yes? Why this sudden change of topic?" She pulled her hair back confused while Rose smelled her fingers.

"You used more shampoo than normal. I can smell it and then there's the scent of apple pie throughout the house..." The blonde got quiet again as she looked around the room as if examining everything thoroughly before turning back to her friend.

Azura smiled sheepishly at Rose when she faced her again. Enjoying watching Rose piecing the bits and pieces together but she knew she was in for some of Rose's unfiltered opinions soon. The green-eyed woman would figure out what happened between her and Lucas sooner or later and if she didn't, Azura would tell her as she decided not to stay here anymore. She would go back home tonight no matter what.

"You had sex with him." Rose got up from the couch and pointed her finger at Azura as if she was punishing her.

Her green eyes had deepened in color it seemed and even though she was much smaller than Azura, Rose now towered over her with a temper which was actually quite scary.

"I can't believe you slept with him, Azu! You guys are supposed to be on a break! And you did it in my house! I'm so going to kill him... and you! What if he had another breakdown, Azu! What if he flipped out again and tried to kill you?! You could have gotten hurt. He could have gotten hurt! You both could have been stupid enough to accidentally kill each other if he switched to his other self! I can't believe how stupid you've been! You were on a break, a break! You know what that means, Azura? That's the end of a relationship and not because you guys don't care for each other but because you guys will kill each other and in the process, who knows who else gets hurt!"

Rose was practically fuming by now. A state Azura had not seen her in often. As Rose, again, prodded her finger into her chest, she had enough. Grabbing her wrist, she pushed her back as she got off the couch herself, making herself taller than her friend again. She let go of her friend immediately after. She had expected Rose to have a go at her but she had not expected her to become this pissed off. It, in turn, managed to piss her off as well and Azura tried her best to not let the situation spiral out of control. The fiery vortex inside was growing and wanted a release. She took a couple of deep breaths as she focused on her heartbeat to try and calm it down a little.

"He didn't switch, Rose! He did not attack me and he felt nothing of the sort. He was in complete control and he knew it. If he wasn't sure about himself, he would have left the moment he saw me and I would have seen it as well." She tried to keep her cool while speaking and sometimes had to stop and swallow as she felt excess saliva pool in her mouth again. It was a clear giveaway she was angry, which was something she didn't need right now.

"I've missed him, Rose... You have no idea how bad I've missed him. I love him for crying out loud! So when he was here and actually told me he missed and loved me, I knew staying apart from each other was wrong!" Desperation found its way through the anger and was taking over. Azura could feel the tears forming behind her eyes and her voice was about to break on her.

"I need him... You have no idea what he does to me. He keeps me sane and grounded and makes sure I don't lose myself. His last 'attack' was almost two weeks ago... What if whatever Steffen did to him was the final push to kill whatever it was that messed him up, Rose. I want to believe that. And if it isn't... I can handle him. You guys can handle him. Jeff and Sheila are around the corner. Lucas and me, we are willing to take the risk." She slumped back on the couch as she felt actual tears run down her cheek.

"I know I'm selfish but without him, I know I'll die. I know I'll go insane. I know I won't be able to come back after the Phoenix takes over. And if being with him makes those feelings go away, even by a little, I'm going for it. I need him to keep me grounded. I don't expect you to understand but Lucas has been a light in my darkness; guiding me through the deepest and darkest thoughts in my head. He's given me a purpose, something to look forward to... A future despite knowing there most likely ain't one. It's just the idea of hope that keeps me going and Lucas is the source I can't live without."

Rose stared at Azura in shock and eventually sat back down on the couch as well looking equally as defeated. For a few minutes, nothing was said between them and only their breathing was proof there were two people present in the room.

"God, that apple pie smells good." Rose broke the silence and glanced over at Azura. When their gazes met, both women burst out laughing. Rose crawled her way over to Azura to give her another tight hug. She hugged her back and closed her eyes, happy Rose was the bigger one to get over their little dispute.

"It does smell good, doesn't it. Happy early birthday, Rose."

The women let each other go and Azura made that her cue to get up and get them both a big slice. She grabbed a can of whipped cream and returned to the living room to find Rose had grabbed a bottle of red wine and two glasses.

"How the hell am I supposed to drive home after drinking that?" She pointed at the glasses which Rose had filled to the brim with wine.

"You get to walk. Consider it punishment for not thinking straight about this whole thing. Be glad I'm letting you go eventually. The apple pie did that and the whipped cream. You can pick up the car tomorrow... If you're still alive"

Rose took the can of whipped cream and completely covered her pie in it before passing the can to Azura who proceeded to do the same thing.

"There can never be enough whipped cream!" Azura exclaimed as she held the can up like a newborn Simba from the Lion King.

"Amen to that, Azu! I'm glad we at least agree on that very important and life-changing topic." Rose smiled and took one big bite off the whipped cream followed by a fork of apple pie which she managed to dig out from underneath it.

They enjoyed the pie and their wine while catching up on the latest news around the city. They avoided the subject Lucas completely for a while until they finished their second glass of wine which, again, had been filled to the rim by Rose. Azura didn't mind it though. It felt good to just have a simple girl night without any worries and with every drop, she could feel herself getting more intoxicated and relaxed. By the amount of giggling Rose was doing, Azura could tell the same went for her.

As soon as she placed her second empty glass down on the side table Rose turned to Azura with a very serious look on her face.

"So, Lucas actually said he loves you?" She poured both of them more wine until the bottle was empty.

"Yes, he did." Azura downed a big gulp of wine not happy Rose brought back the topic of Lucas.

"Remind me tomorrow I'm going to kill him. He deserves it. But I'm actually really happy for you guys! I mean.. for Lucas to openly express he loves you is a big thing. I once used to think that guy was not even capable of expressing emotions."

"He did what?! And Azzy?! You're back!"

Both women swirled their heads around when they heardSteffen's voice. He stood in the doorway, key still in his hand as he watched both women scramble up from the couch. Rose ran over to him and gave him a big kiss as she threw herself around his neck. She quickly let him go again and he stepped forward, closing the door behind him before he grabbed Azura and pulled her in for a hug. Once he let go, she lashed out and smacked him across the cheek with her flat hand and straight after planted a fleeting kiss on the same cheek.

"What the hell was that for?" Steffen rubbed his reddening cheek as Azura just chuckled at his baffled face.

"The first because you knocked out Lucas for five hours and the second for protecting Rose against him. I couldn't decide which I found more important so I decided to do both." Rose snickered softly while Steffen just shook his head at both women.

"So... I assume you're staying here again, Azzy?" While speaking, Steffen took off his coat and tossed it over a chair.

"Nope. I'm going home eventually. Besides... I couldn't sleep here even if I wanted to."

Both Rose and Steffen raise an eyebrow at her. She had been staying in their spare bedroom before with no problem. Azura just motioned for them to follow as she opened the door to the guest room.

The mattress was lined up against the wall and all the bed linen had been taken off. The bed still stood, but the bottom on one side had snapped in two and parts hung on the floor The other side still seemed fine but as Azura placed her foot against the frame and pushed, the whole bed wobbled like it was about to fall apart any moment. Rose simply buried her face in her hand as she took a deep sigh and Steffen stifled a laugh at the sight of it.

"What happened?!" He asked.

"Lucas happened." Azura flashed him a guilty smile. "We'll buy you guys a new bed."

"Damn bastard," Steffen muttered to himself. "He just upped his score by one..."

"Did I just hear you right? 'upped' his score?" Rose moved closer to her boyfriend, hands in her hips as one eyebrow raised itself.

"We used to have this competition. No biggie." He shrugged but meanwhile tried to catch Azura's attention to divert Rose's attention elsewhere.

"What kind of competition, Steffy-boy?" Azura teased, not giving him the satisfaction to change the subject.

"Yeah!" The shortest of the three chimed in. "What competition? Are you keeping secrets from me?"

The male facepalmed, knowing he stood no chance against two women. "We once started a competition who could fuck someone in the other's place the most. Well, it started out with who could fuck the most women in the other's bed as in college, we didn't have our own rooms."

"Oh my God," Azura shook her head as she tried to stifle a laugh. "How often have you caught each other?

"Too often. Some images I don't wish to see again. Same goes for him, I bet. Drinks anyone?"

"So who won?! What's the score? Can't leave us gals hanging here, ya know." As Rose ushered them out she couldn't help but ask.

"Bro code. Can't share. All I can say is that it never officially ended." He took a bow, a huge grin plastered on his face.

It was well past midnight when Azura finally left the couple alone. She had a few hours of sobering up a little as that bottle of wine was the only one Rose had in her house. Still not sober enough to drive though. Azura had just packed some clothes and had decided to come back for the rest tomorrow. She quickly made her way across the deserted streets to Lucas's house; or her home. It was her home as well now.

twenty-five minutes later she put the keys in the lock and she opened the door as silently as possible. She had no idea if Lucas was still up or if he was already in bed. In case of the latter, she did not want to wake him. The moment she stepped inside she had her answer. Lucas had gotten up from the couch and the big lively sparkle in his eyes betrayed how happy he was to see her. Azura felt her heart flutter at seeing him, tossed the door shut, and took off her shoes and coat as quickly as possible.

There was no restraint this time, nothing holding her back.

Azura crashed into his arms and basked in his hold.