Ten minutes later, Aiden was sitting down at the dinning room table, staring down at a hand of five cards. "Um...is this really happening?"

"Okay, I dealt the cards so I'll get the number in my head. Everyone, pick a number from one to ten," Kazuo instructed.

"Six?" Aiden mumbled.

"Two?" Felix tried.

"Eight," Bren sighed heavily, shoulders already slumped in defeat.

"Ten!" Jack declared.

"Well, Felix was the closest with a two to my three." Kazuo pointed to the younger man. "He gets to go first and then we'll go clockwise from there."

"Um...okay," Felix nodded his head slowly.

And just like that, Aiden found himself participating in a game of Go Fish...

At some point, Aiden realized he was honestly having a lot of fun with it. Between the five of them, the conversation never died. They all caught up with one another on what had been going on over the past month and a half.

A short hiccup in Aiden's day came in the appearance of Andrew. He showed up, glancing around, making the other men pause their game. "Anything we can help you with?" Kazuo asked the man evenly.

"Yeah. Is Willow here?" he wondered. "I need to talk to her...Something's come up. It's important," he insisted in a tight voice.

Kazuo glanced behind him to the clock hanging up on the wall, seeing it was only eleven o'clock. "Uh, no. I don't expect the girls will be back until nearly two or three in the afternoon," he explained.

Andrew's face darkened, jaw clenching. "Yeah, right, of course."

Aiden eyed the other man. "Is there a problem?"

The black man blinked, looking at Aiden as if he'd just realized he existed. "What? No...There's no problem. I just forgot all about the little thing she had going on today," he explained. "Well, damn. Can you let her know I dropped by? Like I said, it's important. Oh," he paused, raising a finger to his brow in thought. "I might also not make it to the kid's thing tomorrow. Or, if I do, I'll most likely be late." Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked right back out of the dojo.

Felix watched him leave, brow raised. "Wow. I have to say-and this is bad, coming from me-that that dude is...a douche. 'Where's my woman? Huh? Not here? Well, fuck all of you!'" Felix pretended to have a snippy, stuck up voice. "Aiden, you sure it's okay to not just go ahead and punch his lights out? Shouldn't you be, you know, beating the shit out of him?"

Sighing, Aiden shook his head, picking his hand back up from the top of the table. "No, I shouldn't. Would I like to? Yes, I'd love to. But will I right now? No. I told Willow I'd try to reign in my feelings for her so that it doesn't mess up her life. And if she feels like this guy is worth her time and effort, then I'm not going to stop her. I am, at the very least, letting her know what I think about him though," he admitted.

Felix stared at his older brother in shock. "You know, I'm not sure if that's insanely amazing, or just insanely stupid..."

"Why not both?" Bren offered.

"Yeah, definitely both," Kazuo nodded in agreement. "You should just kick the other guy to the curb. Willow's stubborn, pig-headed, and makes stupid choices because of it. Don't get me wrong. I love my daughter. But, even I'm able to admit she isn't the wisest person out there. She's not stupid...she just...lacks a sense of worth, I suppose you could say?" he murmured uncertainly. "As far as she's concerned, most of the time, she's worth about as much as a plastic fork. I've tried, for so long, to convince her that her ideas are untrue. But it's only helped a little over the years," he sighed in regret.

The four men all fell silent. Even Felix, for once, who was wearing a strange, almost melancholy expression. But after a minute, Bren cleared his throat. "We should probably finish off this game," he reminded the other guys.

The four blinked, slowly coming out of their thoughts, nodding their heads. Just like that, they picked up where they'd left off. Eight games in total later, Aiden rose to his feet, the others doing the same. Bren moved into the kitchen to hunt for leftovers, Felix a few steps behind him. Kazuo got up to get another drink and Jack got up to sit back down in a more comfortable spot, naming the couch. Stretching out a little, Aiden eyed his father, before starting forward. He moved to his father's side, clearing his throat. "Dad, can I talk to you in private?"

Jack turned his head slightly, nodding. "Yeah, sure thing, Aiden." He rose to his feet, following behind as Aiden led the way up the stairs and to his bedroom on the second floor. Once inside, Aiden motioned for him to take a seat on the bed, which he did. "So," Jack glanced around the room briefly before settling his attention on his son. "What were you wanting to talk about?"

"Soul-stones," Aiden answered bluntly.

Jack rose to his feet, jumping up from the bed. "What?"

"I wish to discuss soul-stones with you," Aiden patiently repeated.

"W-why?" Jack slowly lowered back onto the mattress, gut twisting violently.

"It's simple, really. Willow is a half-blood wraith-"

"Gods!" Jack cried out in alarm.

"-and she sucks out and feeds upon the souls of others."

"How the hell did the two of you end up happening then?" Jack asked in a daze.

"Pretty simple. I assume we just didn't kiss each other."

"Kissing? That's how she does it? Damn, that's brutal...and you've fallen in l-love with her...And y-you-!"

"Yes, I want to give her my soul," Aiden confirmed, nodding his head calmly.

Jack's eyes grew wide in fear and disbelief. "Are you fucking serious right now?!" he demanded. But as Jack continued to stare at Aiden, he gulped. "Shit, you are serious..."

"Don't think I've come to this decision lightly. I've done as much research as possible on the subjects of soul-stones, wraiths, soul energy, and the facts about feeding from souls. Unfortunately, soul-stones are nigh but all forgotten in this day and age. From what I can tell, our family is the only one that really even acknowledges their existence. And you, Jack Frost, is the only one who ever seems to use them anymore. With a single soul-stone, maybe two popping up only ever few centuries or so, is it any wonder no one seems to know very much about them? Therefore, I felt I needed to talk to the only expert about them that I could find."

Slowly, closing his eyes for a moment, mind spinning in thought, Jack crossed his arms over his chest. "I see...So, how much of a soul does Willow have to have? The whole soul? If so, that's suicide and I will refuse to tell you anything."

"No," Aiden shook his head. "She only needs to have a tiny fraction of a soul once every five years in order to continue living."

"...And you figure if she takes only what she needs from you, when she needs it, you should be just dandy?" Jack bit his lip, raising a hand to his face. His mind was furiously working and he began to mumble aloud. "I'm assuming she can't just take a small amount of a person's soul through normal means?"

"No, when she feeds normally, she removes the entire soul," Aiden explained.

"But if she could just hold a soul in her hand, she wouldn't be forced to do so. Unfortunately, that is impossible to do, with normal means. The only way I know, personally, is the soul-stone. Which...damn it, means that this is your best option to ensure she doesn't kill again. I'm certain you're doing it because of that, aren't you?" Jack glanced to his son.

Nodding once more, Aiden sighed, shifting on his feet a little. "Yes, that is one of the reasons. Another is that, in my heart and soul, she's the one for me. Yet another is because I do not want Prophecy to have to See her mother take the life of another, or to even know that it is happening. Obviously, I can't change what has already come to pass and with her gifts, Prophecy already knows. Still..."

Clearing his throat, Jack gentled his voice. "And you know everything this will mean? You realize that when she dies, so will you? You realize that you will be connected to her in ways you'll never be with another? You realize that she will, to some degree, have power over you?"

Jack felt a strange weary resignation settle over shoulders as he took in Aiden's expression. His son wore a soft smile, a light of tenderness Jack had never seen before in his son's dark green eyes. Aiden let out a soft chuckle. "Yes, I know what it means, but all of that applies to me even without the soul-stone. When Willow dies, so will I. Perhaps not literally, but in ever other sense of the word. I'm already connected to her in ways I'll never be to another. I don't think you realize just how much she means to me. She already has a power over me, Dad. I do my best to keep it under wraps as much as possible, but sometimes I fail," he grinned wryly.

Jack found a shaky smile himself. "I never expected you'd want to take the same path I did..."

"Well, unlike you, I may not get my happily ever after," Aiden sighed. "There's a incantation I have to say, isn't there?"

Jack nodded, looking a little reluctant. He closed his eyes in thought for several seconds before opening them again to stare into his son's. "Yes. You have to say this incantation. Dedique cor meum ut qui tenet mea. Animam meam do tenentem. Verum ego eos faciam. Et ipse det ei vitam ad eam. Make sure you recite this before and while reaching in for your soul. I get the feeling you aren't going to say a word to Willow about this..."

"No, I'm not. She'd just tell me that she couldn't accept it. I'll have to come up with some sort of story to tell her, one she'll believe."

"Aiden...what the hell are you planning?"

Smiling thinly, Aiden shrugged. "Two things. One I want and have no problems doing. The other I don't really want, but I fear I will have to do."

Bright blue eyes narrowing, Jack slowly dipped his head in acknowledgment. "You are the Lord of Winter now. As such, it is at your discretion that things are done in the Frost household. I feel like nothing you have planned I'm going to like. But you are an adult and your choices in life are your own responsibility. If you feel this is the path you must take, I won't stop you. I will even try to support you, as much as I can. But, Aiden?" Jack asked in a tightly tense voice. Dark green eyes lifted to stare steadily into bright blue. "Be absolutely certain. Don't tie your life, your heart, and soul to a woman who isn't unquestionably your everything."

Aiden's face didn't change in the slightest. "Thank you for your concern, but I assure you, I know what I'm doing."

Nodding his head once, Jack rose to his feet. He started out of Aiden's bedroom. As he passed the younger man, he patted the back of Aiden's shoulder for a second before continuing on.

Turning slightly to look over his shoulder, Aiden watched his father leave in silence. At his side, his hands clenches into fists. In his mind, he was already committing the incantation to memory, as well as beginning to come up with a story Willow would believe.

O O O

They stopped in a very large mall outlet first. Shirts, jeans, dresses, shoes. Anything that caught the girls' attention was tried on and debated over whether it should be purchased or not. And all the while, the ladies were keeping up a continuous chatter.

Willow was sitting down, next to Sera, while the two waited for the others to get done trying on their newest outfit ensembles. Prophecy was sitting to Willow's right, holding her hand, happy as a cat with a bowel of cream. Turning her head slightly, she decided to ask a question. Sera had been involved with their conversations, but she also hadn't really brought forward much information about herself. "So, Sera, what do you do for a living, if anything?"

Sera blushed a little. "W-well...I mostly help my mom out with her job and stuff. You know, noblewoman things...Boring stuff, honestly."

"Is that all you do?" Willow couldn't help but frown a little. She doesn't try to make any money on her own?

Sera coughed, looking awkward and uncertain. "I...I also do a little archery on the side, though not as much as I use to as a kid," she added.

From behind the door of one of the changing booths, Nisha sighed heavily. "I don't understand why you always seem so embarrassed about it, sweetie. Just tell Willow what you do."

Willow raised a brow at that. "She does something else?"

Sera slowly raised her hands up to cover her face. "I...u-um...I write books..." she confessed softly.

Blinking, Willow smiled. "Wow, really? That's amazing! Why would you ever be embarrassed by that?"

"It's insanely embarrassing," Sera insisted. "So much so that I write under a pen name."

From behind her own door, Bri let out an intrigued noise. "Oh? What name? Maybe I've heard of you."

Willow watched in amazement as Sera's cheeks flushed a bright red, her head lowering so that her hair, which she'd let out of the bun about an hour ago, hid her from view. "L-Lily Colton," she confessed in a mumble.

Willow blinked rapidly, doing a double take as she stared at Sera. "Wh...S-say that again?"

"Lily Colton," Nisha repeated in a louder voice.

"Lily Colton!" Bri screeched as she rushed out of the changing room. She was wearing the dress she'd taken in, but her shoes were off and the dress looked like she'd just pulled it on, not straightened at all, bunched around her hamstrings. "Are you freaking serious right now? Oh my gosh, I am a huge fan!"

"We own every book you've ever written," Willow explained in a star-struck daze. "I'm particularly fond of your newest series too. I'm impatiently waiting for Book 4 in the Welcome to Death series. I need to know when Cathy's going to get her happily ever after!"

"Forget Cathy. When is Stacie going to realize Mark is the perfect man for her?"

Sera raised a hand to cover her mouth, letting out a tiny snort of laughter. "Oh my gosh, guys...I'm glad you've been enjoying the series so much." She lowered her hand, wearing a smile that was somewhere between embarrassed and brightly happy. "I didn't quite think an idea about a group of people whose job it is to ensure ghosts pass on to their next life or into Heaven would be quite so popular..."

Nisha stepped out in a bright, airy sundress, rolling her eyes. "Sera, that's what you say about ever series you write. At this point, everything you write makes it big."

"Still...I-I can't believe I'm actually meeting my favorite author..." Willow whispered. "H-how do you write three books a year?" she asked suddenly. "Do you have any free time?"

Sera laughed outright. "Yeah, I do. I spend roughly a month for each book locked away writing furiously. Then I spent another week or two going back and editing, adding the finishing touches. After that, I send the manuscript to my editor, who usually takes another week to go through and catch any mistakes I may have missed. And then it's sent off to the publisher and the presses are started. Usually after that, I take a month or two away from writing to help Mom, or go somewhere on a vacation for awhile. But I'm always thinking about writing. I'll let ideas shake around in my head until I have something strong enough to make a book. Then it's just a process of rinse and repeat," Sera explained smoothly.

Willow slumped back against the chair. "Wow..."

"Aunt Sera, you're so cool!" Prophecy beamed. "Your next series even gets turned into a movie...!"

Sera blinked, lurching back. "What? Wow...Wait, no I don't like that. They always get the movies wrong..."

"Nope," Prophecy assured her. "You're there for the entire process giving the okay. And the director is a big fan of yours. She says she wants everything to be so close to the book, their glued at the hip. It's...It gets really popular in the Human World, your most popular yet in the Human World. The Other Realm is different though. It sells twice as much there."

Sera's jaw had dropped at this point, staring at the little girl. "Holy..."

Laughing, Willow reached out her arm to wrap around Prophecy's shoulders. "Don't worry; you'll get use to it...eventually. Also, just because Prophecy says it doesn't mean the future is set in stone. It honestly depends on your choices, the choices of your opponents, and the condition of will power. Even if you just think it in your head, the choices you make in your heart can affect the future."

"W-well," Sera murmured in a daze.

Shaking her head a little, Willow peered at Sera curiously. "Also, I've been wondering, but what's up with you and Bren?"

Sera snapped out of her daze, frowning a little. "What do you mean? He's my best friend, kind of like my older brother."

Bri, who'd been working on straightening her dress, closed her eyes, biting her lip. Holy shit...There has to be one hell of a story behind all this then...

When she'd been around the two together, she'd noticed a few things that seemed off. Bren usually talked to everyone easily, looking them in the eye while talking to them. But with Sera, he seemed strangely, almost defensively distant. He rarely looked her in the eyes. Hell, he barely looked directly at her. Bri had observed that he had a habit of looking at Sera out of the corner of his eyes. So, curious, Bri'd turned on the magic switch inside herself to read the emotions of those around her.

And, holy shit, this Bren guy was a mess!

The best analogy Bri'd been able to think up of the emotions she was getting off this guy was a tea kettle on a stove pot. He was filled with this bizarre, twisted, almost obsessive...love? Well, sort of. If you thought of it as love, you had to think of it as the crazy sort. The kind that built a shrine in their room, with articles of clothing and possessions of the one they loved enshrined. The kind you called the cops over and had restraining orders pulled up in defense against. The type that led to someone getting killed over. And that 'love' was the boiling water in the tea kettle.

The 'lid' was Bren's will power and restraint. His almost stiff formality mixed with a tame, friendly affection. These feelings he used to hide and hold back the obsession, to keep it-mostly-in check. But he couldn't stop small amounts of it from leaking through, turning into 'steam'.

But holding up all of these mixed, intense feelings were even more. The 'body' of the kettle was made up of a strange bitterness, resignation, rage, and weariness. In fact, there were even layers of an almost suicidal determination, a twisted humor about everything going on inside his own heart.

Bri had never come across a man like this before. And, to be perfectly honestly, she was more than a little scared of Bren now. Especially when he wore a warm, calm smile. Because behind that smile, she could sense the boiling hate, the anger, the laughter in his mind.

He doesn't seem crazy on the outside, she thought in her mind. He seems like a good guy. But there's a darkness in his heart, one that's been there for a long time now.

"So how long have you known him?" Bri wondered, figuring that should be an innocent enough question.

Sera's brow puckered a little as she thought back. "Hmm...Since I was about Prophecy's age. He pulled me out of the sea and saved me from drowning," she explained.

Willow's eyes widened. "Wow, so he was your very own knight in shining armor, huh? That must have been terrifying to go through," she murmured sadly.

Sera nodded slowly. "From what I can remember, it is still a bit scary. I'm still slightly scared to be in the ocean, but don't worry," she smiled at Prophecy.

"I can handle swimming pools just fine...But, yeah, I suppose Bren was kind of like that for me. A few months after that, his father unfortunately passed away. As a result of my dad feeling like he owed Bren a life debt and because our fathers had started to become friends before he died, my dad took Bren in. And ever since he's lived with and worked for my family. We grew up together as childhood friends," she smiled. Then, clearing her throat, she gave Willow a side-long glance. "But enough about me. What about you and my brother? When did things get so...comfortable?" Sera inquired with a mischievous grin.

Feeling a faint blush come on upon being reminded of the way Aiden had been acting towards her all morning, Willow struggled to fight it off. "Nothing crazy happened. He just...he just started acting silly all of a sudden," she tried to divert the other women's attention. "He's a man. You know how they get sometimes," she rolled her eyes.

Bri smirked. "Uh-huh. Sure, girl, sure. He was flinging a certain four-letter word around like it was completely normal to do so. Hell, he even tried to kiss you!"

Willow raised her hands to her face, trying to hide as she could no longer fight the fierce blush filling her cheeks. Abruptly, Aiden's dark green gaze, filled with an intensity that had made her feel like she was completely naked popped up in her head. As it did, Bri began to laugh. "Oh, girl, he got you so bad..." Her trouble-maker of a friend gasped out through her chuckles.

"Bri, s-shut up!" Willow hissed. "You can't judge. What about you? What's your love life been like lately?"

Bri's grin widened. "Thankfully, I have been living the happy, exciting, fun-filled life of sexy single woman." She turned her brown gaze to Nisha, who'd been strangely quiet since Bren had been brought up. "What about you, Nisha?"

Grey eyes filled with humor, Nisha smiled widely. "Why me? I'm happily married, girls. If you've forgotten with all the excitement, the handsome, bright blue-eyed man is my husband. And I have to say it's been a good twenty-seven years together."

"I want to go look at swimsuits now," Prophecy broke in, aptly changing the subject. "Can we go, please? It's already noon and I want to make sure to pick out one for tomorrow."

Willow glanced down at her daughter. "Sure, sweetie," she nodded as she ran her fingers through a few of the girl's stray curls. "Let's just put these back, the ones we don't want. Then we'll head to the swimsuit section of the store," Willow promised as she rose to her feet. The others quickly went back into the changing booths to get out of the outfits they'd been trying on.

O O O

By nine in the morning the next day, the whole Frost-Chester family was ready to go. The guys were already changed and hanging out around the edge of the giant, heated pool connected to a very large and very expensive hotel. Jack had pulled some strings-and threatened to freeze some people's asses-if his granddaughter's birthday didn't get to go off without every one of her wishes coming true. There were other guests-actual guests, honestly-of the hotel that were using the pool, but Jack had insisted that his group be allowed admittance. And, since this hotel was a very special chain that was connected to the Other Realm, the manager was unable to refuse the powerful man-even if he'd passed on his formal post to his son.

Willow had been more than a little worried about how spoiled Prophecy was going to end up with a family like this. Between Aiden, Kazuo, Jack, and Bren, the little girl already had her own personal gang at this point. So, while the men waited next to some of the lounge chairs, the women were getting changed. Prophecy was the first to come out, sporting a white, top-edged frilled one piece that had pink, blue, and green spring-time designs covering the swimsuit.

Right behind her, laughing at how excited Prophecy was getting was Nisha. She was wearing a dark crimson, one-shoulder, ruched two-piece swimsuit. Her grey eyes were alight with laughter as she gave Jack a little wink as her husband smiled warmly at seeing her. He was wearing a pair of black swim shorts, reaching to a few inches above his knee. She moved to his side, slipping her arm through his, as Prophecy moved to Aiden's side. "Wait until you see Mommy," Prophecy giggled with a evil little smirk on her face.

Aiden, wearing a pair of cobalt blue swim shorts, closed his eyes for a second, before glancing down at his trouble maker of a little girl. "Am I going to die of a heart attack?" he asked softly.

Her smile grew. "Maaaaybe..."

Shaking her head, Bri started out of the changing room. "Girl, you can't stay in here forever."

Willow shook her head furiously. "I still can't believe I let the four of you talk to me into buying this...Even Prophecy! I feel...B-Bri, seriously, this is too much skin...A-Aiden is out there," she choked out, her arms crossed tightly over her body.

Bri smirked. "Yeah, so what? You don't care what he thinks about you, right? You don't have any sort of feelings for him and it doesn't matter to you what he thinks, right? I know you've worn bathing suits just as bad-if not worse-as this one before. It's nothing new to you. If you really can't get past your...fear, then just imagine you're on a job. Be confident, be sexy, and be in control."

Before Willow could say anything more in protest, Bri started out, wearing a wide smile as she took in the sight of their group. She flipped her hair over her shoulder, taking in the gazes of many of the men, and not just those from the group she'd come with. She also felt the eyes of some of the other men who'd come to the pool for some fun. Damn, they're all a bunch of perverts. But still, I look fucking good! she told herself, squaring her shoulders as she did. She'd chosen a blue ombre bandeau bikini. The top fit snugly against her breasts, the bottom starting at her hips. The bottom was a solid dark blue color, but along the top it had a streak of the same ombre effect as the bikini top.

Kazuo, wearing a pair of dark green cameo shorts, cleared his throat. "Bri, I hope you know I see you as a strange half-daughter. And I'm more than a little irritated at how much skin you're showing. You couldn't have chosen something less...uh, revealing?" he demanded as he swept his hand out to indicate her entire outfit, what little there was.

She flashed a white smile. "Of course not, Kazuo. Besides, you can be all overprotective dad all you want with Willow. But leave me out of it, okay?" The Asian man shot her a dark glare, narrowing his eyes.

Felix took in the sight of Bri's dark body, which was contrasted by the bright colors of her bikini. He barely stopped himself from licking his lips, tightening his left hand into a fist, where he had his arms crossed over his chest. The more I see, the more I wanna bang, he thought. His dark blue eyes were freely ogling Bri, but he honestly couldn't help himself. Too bad she's got such a shit personality, he thought with a sigh. But almost as soon as he thought it, he shrugged. Well, it's not like I've ever really cared what sort of personality a chick's had before anyway.

He had been firmly stopped by the other guys when he'd tried to come with a speedo on. "No one needs to see all of your junk hanging out, especially not Prophecy!" Aiden and Jack had nearly yelled at him simultaneously. So, instead, he'd bought a pair of red and black striped swim shorts, annoyed that he couldn't show the ladies just what they'd be in for if they offered. But after a few seconds of thought, even he'd realized maybe it wouldn't be a good idea for Prophecy to see him like he normally was. Maybe it would give her the wrong idea about what guys were suppose to wear or something...Honestly, he didn't even know anymore.

"Sera, get Willow out here, even if you have to drag her out!" Bri ordered in annoyance.

Wearing a icy blue criss-crossed halter top bikini, Sera grinned wickedly. "You heard the lady," she giggled, grabbing hold of Willow's arm tightly.

Willow glared at the older woman. "You can act like this only because your bikini covers a hell of a lot more skin than mine!" she hissed. Sera's top fully covered her breasts, expect for a tear drop revealing of the valley between her breasts. Her bottom also covered at least a little more than Willow's as well, being nearly fully solid, expect for a slit cut horizontally along the sides.

Sighing, Sera started forward. "Don't argue. I'm stronger than you are and I'll drag you if I have to. It's Prophecy's birthday and we're supposed to be having fun, remember?" Sera gentled her voice a little. "And, like Bri said...If you really don't care what Aiden's going to think or how he feels about you, then what's stopping you from going out there like you're the Queen of the Pool?"

Somehow, hearing it from the usually much quieter Sera seemed to help it sink into Willow's mind. I don't care what he thinks, she reminded herself. They're right. What should it matter how I look? I've seen myself in the mirror. I know I'm going to kill with this bikini...Swallowing tightly, she nodded. "...Okay," she forced a stronger, confident tone in her voice. "Let's go out there and make some men drop their jaws."

"That's the spirit!" Sera giggled, but she didn't release her hold on Willow's arm. The two went around the corner leading out of the changing room. Willow straightened her spine, letting that mask of confidence she wore on a job fall over her. She was a woman who didn't shrink back in embarrassment. She didn't slouch, she didn't show anything but her best in public. With that firmly in mind, her gaze took in first Felix's face, which was alight with a appreciation of her body. Kazuo looked thunderous, glaring daggers at Bri, who was sticking her tongue out at him. Jack had a similar-though a little less crazy-look on his face, bright blue eyes flying between Sera and Willow back and forth.

Willow noticed that Bren seemed to only have eyes for Sera. For a split second-a very intense one at that-his blue-green eyes had almost looked terrifying. For that small space of time, he'd looked very nearly deranged, taking in the sight of Sera. But it only lasted for a heartbeat. After that heartbeat, he blinked and his gaze was filled with a polite interest, a distance, as his eyes took in both Sera and Willow. He was wearing the most clothes out of everyone else in their party, which actually surprised Willow. He was wearing a full, shoulder-covering dark brown swim shirt. The only skin it revealed was his arms. Likewise, he was wearing a long pair of swim trunks that even reached to his knees, with were brightly colored. The short had an almost cameo design with light grey, white, pink, blue, and brown; the colors were all splashed together in a dizzying array.

But it was Aiden's gaze that Willow found her own being drawn to. She even gulped, feeling her 'confident woman' mask almost slip. Prophecy was standing to Aiden's right, beaming at her aunt and mother as she waved wildly. Aiden's hands were crossed over his chest, but she could see the tightening of the muscles of his arms as he clenched his fists. His green eyes were nearly black, his jaw clenched tight, and his complexion very pale.

Aiden felt his lust trying to roar to life, rising up to consume him, as he took in Willow. I shouldn't have ever let this happen. I should have either argued with the swimming idea or forbidden the women to wear bikinis. Even as he thought it, he knew it was a pointless thought. There was no way anything he said would have made any of the women not want to look and feel good in what they were wearing. And, to be honest, he didn't want to tell them what to wear. But seeing Willow in something so revealing...something so tantalizing, made him want her all the more. And it also pissed him off to no end, knowing that all the other men at this pool were doing the same thing, thinking the same things he was. He barely swallowed back a guttural growl at the rage that thought sent shooting down his spine. They even try it and I'll...

She was wearing a pale, rose pink top, which wrapped around and pushed up her breasts slightly. Thankfully, it wasn't strapless like Bri's but, somehow, the straps it did have made it seem all the more tantalizing to Aiden. A black strap to the far side of each breast started, crossing over each other, and then wrapping around her neck to hold up the top. The bottom part of the bikini almost seemed worse, in his opinion. In all honesty, it was very nearly a fucking thong! Starting at as low as her hips it could go and still be considered on her hips, two black straps held onto the pink covering. And the covering was barely there, in Aiden's opinion. The top of it started at where her dark pubic hairs would be, which he was trying not to think about. If he thought about that, he'd have to think about how much he wanted to play his fingers through those curls, to circle the pad of his thumb along the sensitive nub of her, to slip a finger into her wet folds.

Despite his best efforts, a very low, tiny growl rumbled from out of his chest. At his left, Bren raised a hand and clamped it onto his shoulder in an almost friendly manner. "Aiden," the taller man leaned down to whisper into his ear. "Calm down. Don't go all crazy here, in front of all these people, in public. The fewer problems today the better, right? This is about having fun all together and helping Prophecy feel like her family is happy and complete, remember?"

Instantly, the taunt, hot feeling in his stomach, the heating of his blood, stopped. Closing his eyes to banish the sight of Willow's body, he jerked his head in a nod. "You're right. Thank you," he murmured very quietly to Bren. The older man just squeezed his shoulder once before lowering his hand.

A damn heart attack indeed, Aiden thought wryly. This is going to prove to be a real test of my willpower, he muttered wearily.

O O O

Despite Aiden's initial worries, the rest of the day went without a hitch. Kazuo, oddly enough, paid for a big dinner at a Japanese restaurant for the whole group. It was nearly nine by the time they got back to the dojo, had a few slices of the two cakes, and Prophecy had gotten to open her presents. Jack and Nisha's present was much simpler than Willow had feared.

It was a simple dress that was made from a white shirt top. The top had a picture of a thin black cat with a curly tail that held another, tinier cat atop it. A blue skirt that reached two inches above Prophecy's knees was sewed to the bottom of the shirt. In fact, if Willow didn't know better, she'd almost say the present was homemade. But, no matter how it was gained, Prophecy absolutely adored it. The way the cats were drawn almost had a Tim Burton feel to them. But if anything, Prophecy liked the present more simply for that reason.

Aiden had bought her a brand new set of the entire A Series of Unfortunate Events books series. Willow had found some herself last year. But when a accident happened, which involved Prophecy getting very upset, for once, the girl had destroyed most of the library of books Willow had bought for her. It had happened just a week ago and Willow had been pretty damn terrified the entire time. But she'd done her best to stay calm for Prophecy. Aiden hadn't blinked an eye, letting the girl know that she wasn't going to get her way. Prophecy had wanted to stay up until nearly two in the morning to finish the last two movies of the Harry Potter series.

Earlier that day the five of them, Kazuo and Bren included, had sat down for the marathon of movies. But at 8:30 p.m. Willow had declared it was bed time for the girl, who had very quickly started protesting. After being carried up to her room by a firm-faced Aiden, kicking and screaming in sleepy anger, the whole situation had resulted in her fit of magic. And it had been bad enough that it ended up ruining a good portion of most of the girl's room. Willow had replaced most of her essentials, but she had yet to repurchase the books Prophecy had been devastated to loose.

Kazuo's gift was a Blu-ray copy of the new Goosebumps movie. Bri bought her a Kiki's Delivery Service themed backpack and Bren a new pair of Transformers sneakers. Sera hadn't had a whole lot of time to figure out what to get Prophecy, so instead she'd insisted that she buy all of the outfits, shoes, and the swimsuit the girl had picked out yesterday. Willow and Prophecy had thanked her aunt profusely.

Felix on the other hand...He'd thrust a cat-themed birthday card in her hand, with a hundred dollar bill in it. Prophecy had glanced between the card and them him, before sighing. Then she smiled and thanked him. "Thank you for the card and money, Uncle Felix. Also, thank you for trying," she nodded.

His dark blue eyes narrowed. "Hey, kid! You make it sound like my gift is horrible or something."

The girl shook her head. "Nope. I like the cats on the card and the message inside is funny," she assured him. "I don't need the money right now, but I'll put it aside for an emergency," she explained. Felix blinked, looking more than a little startled that Prophecy wasn't ecstatic to receive cold, hard cash. But he slowly returned to his seat on the couch, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting slightly.

Clearing her throat, Willow slowly pulled the thin, flat, purple and white polka dot paper wrapped present from her lap. Rising from her feet, she moved to Prophecy's seat at the head of the dinning room table, offering the present. The rest of the family fell quiet, waiting to see what Willow was going to give for a birthday present.

Face filled with a curious excitement, Prophecy carefully tore off the paper. She revealed a large, yellow envelope, like for reports and things, which was unmarked. Frowning, the girl flipped the envelope to the back, bending the metal pieces so that she could open it. Flicking open the top, she reached in and pulled out a stack of white papers that were stapled together. Lowering the envelope onto the table, she turned the stack, which had been facing with the back toward her, so that she could read what it said. And as she did, her eyes filled with an amazed, shocked light. Very slowly, very carefully, she lowered the papers onto the envelope.

Turning in her chair, she stared up at her mother, blue eyes shinning. "Is...is it r-real? C-can I?" she whispered in disbelief.

Tears filling her eyes and falling down her cheeks, Willow stepped forward and pulled Prophecy into her arms. She couldn't hold back the small hiccup of a sob that slipped past her lips, but she only squeezed tighter her daughter in response. "Yes..." she whispered as firmly as she could. "Yes...We just have to fill out this form and wait two weeks for everything to be finalized."

Prophecy turned her head to peek under her mother's arms to stare at her father in amazement, who was sitting down to Willow's right. "D-Dad...I can...I can go to school!"

Stunned, Aiden blinked at the two for three seconds. Then, unable to stop the happy thrill running throughout his heart, he shot to his feet and took the two into his arms. "Oh gods, I'm so happy for you, sweetheart!" he burst out. "You'll have so much fun," he promised. "There will be tons of other kid's your age that you'll get to meet and you'll make lots of friends, I promise."

Prophecy directed her voice towards Bri, but she couldn't look at her godmother from the hold her parents had on her. "That's why you bought me the backpack! You knew, Auntie Bri!" she half-accused.

Bri smiled softly. "You're mom only told me the day before yesterday and I made sure to buy it for you. I'm so glad, sweetie. You'll finally get to ride on a school bus."

"I can bring home school books and complain I don't want to do my homework. I can have Dad and Mommy help me study. And Pawpaw can help me get better at pushup and crunches for P.E. And I get a locker to put my stuff in...A-and I can get in trouble and have to stay for detention!" At this point, Prophecy was so excited, she was nearly jumping up and down in her parents' arms.

"Um...let's not do that, okay, honey?" Willow swallowed. "It's not a good thing to get in trouble and get detention."

"But I can do it now!" Prophecy insisted.

"Alright, silly goose," Aiden chuckled. He shifted his hold on Willow and Prophecy to lift the girl into his arms. "I think you've had a little too much excitement for the day. It is definitely bedtime for this little girl."

She glared up at her father, puffing her cheeks out in irritation. "No, not little. I'm eight now, Dad!" she reminded him through narrow eyes.

Laughing, he bowed his head. "Yes, I'm sorry, honey. You really aren't little anymore..."

"I'm almost ten," she insisted. "So I shouldn't have to go to bed now."

Willow shook her head. "Nope. If you're still in the single digits, bed time is eight o'clock. Today was a special day, since it was your birthday, love," she leaned up to kiss Prophecy's cheek. "Now make sure to get your kisses and hugs before we head up to tuck you in for the night."

Pushing out her lip in a pout, Prophecy glared at her parents. But after a few seconds, when it was evident they weren't going to give in, she sighed. Climbing down from Aiden's arms, she moved around the room, kissing everyone's cheeks and getting hugs. She came to Felix and held her hands out to receive her love.

He shook his head firmly. "Why? Why must I participate in this ritual?"

She smiled thinly, a evil glint in her eyes. "If you don't, I'll tell you how you get your life ruined," she warned him.

Felix's eyes narrowed right back. "Now, look here, kid," he growled. "I don't like you..."

She smiled, this one a bit more genuine. "Well, even though you're a jerk-face Uncle Felix, I still love you."

Willow's sharp voice cut through Felix's blink of surprise at being insulted by a eight-year-old. "Prophecy! We do not call people a 'jerk-face'!"

Sticking her tongue out at Felix, Prophecy bounded forward. Before he could do much more than catch her against him on instinct, she'd kissed his cheek and squeezed him in a brief hug. As he let out an annoyed huff at being tricked, she pulled back and flew over to Nisha. "Grandma, can you tuck me? I want to hear about...I want to hear about your grandma, about Nana, from when she was alive."

Nisha's grey eyes clouded with residual sadness for a moment before she smiled gently. "I'd love to, sweetie," she murmured as she rose to her feet. She leaned down to kiss Jack on the lips briefly, before reaching her hand out to take hold of Prophecy's. "Now, what would you like to hear about Nana?"

"Was she really the best at making chocolate chip cookies? Dad says so, but I think Mommy's are really good."

Nisha let out a warm, happy laugh at the fond memory. "Nana wasn't just the best, she was the only one who could make them perfectly. Hers were just a little crispy at the very edges, with a soft, warm center. And she added her secret ingredient to make them even more special," Nisha explained as the two started up the stairs. "I learned how to make cookies from her, but she told me I could never tell anyone else the secret ingredient until I was a grandma myself. And then I could only tell it to my granddaughter."

Prophecy's excited gasp reached even down the stairs. "Really?! So does that mean I can learn it?!"

Willow smiled. "I think you ruined my chocolate chip cookies," she chuckled at Aiden.

He turned his head slightly, grinning widely. "What, me? Nah," he batted his hand at her, wearing a innocent, disbelieving expression. "I'd never be so brazen as to ruin your chocolate chip cookies!" he pressed a hand to his chest in shock. "In fact," he stage-whispered, "I think yours are better than Mom's."

Jack threw back his head and laughed at that. "Oh man, you better hope your mother never hears that."

"Dead man walking," Felix nodded his head firmly, hands behind his head as he leaned back against the couch.

"I'll recite a beautiful poem at your funeral," Sera reached up to wipe a tear from her eye.

"And I'll make sure they don't put you in any stupid-looking suite because Felix told them to," Bren promised fiercely.

Aiden chuckled nervously. "H-hey, guys...it was just a joke."

"Oh, so now you're saying you actually don't like Willow's cookies?" Bri continued the teasing, voice derisive. "Boy, you got a lot to learn."

"I'm ashamed of you," Kazuo crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head sadly.

"Uh...you shouldn't do that?" Jack attempted weakly.

The others all blinked, staring at him, before the lot of them began to laugh all at once. "Weak!" Kazuo cried through his chuckles.

"Dad, honestly, you could have done so much better," Sera wheezed.

"I'm ashamed to be related to you," Felix shook his head sadly.

"All of you, just please shut up!" Jack and Aiden said both at once.

Forty minutes later, Nisha had come back down and the adults were all drinking a little alcohol that Kazuo had stashed in a locked box on one of the topmost shelves of the pantry. The men had pulled out a fighting game, trying to execute complicated combos on the controllers through the buzz of the alcohol in their systems.

To Kazuo's surprise, Sera was right there with them, kicking a shocking amount of ass with a bow-wielding character. Nisha wasn't joining, exactly. But she was egging Sera on, cheering and tossing occasional words of advice, which Kazuo found to actually be working. At the dinning room table Bri and Willow were chatting softly. The sound of a knock at the door made them all pause.

"Anyone order pizza?" Bren asked.

Everyone shook their heads, but Willow rose to her feet. "I'll get it," she called out. "It's probably just some delivery guy that got the wrong address. We have a few of those every know and again," she explained.

Going to the door, she opened it up, shocked to find Andrew was staring at her in the face. "A-Andrew?" she started in confusion. But her confusion was quickly replaced with anger. "Where the hell have you been? You said you were going to be here for Prophecy's birthday and it's nearly ten at night now."

Andrew's face tightened in irritation, dark eyes flashing. "The fuck? I told the guys to tell you. I had something come up that was more important than some fucking six-year-old kid!"

Willow paled before the alcohol made her anger rise to new heights. "A fucking six-year-old?" she repeated in disbelief. "That fucking kid is my daughter, you douche bag! How dare you call her something so awful! How dare you stand here at my door in the middle of the night and talk to me like this!" At this point, Willow had forgotten all about the Frosts and about anything else but how pissed off she'd been feeling toward Andrew for the past two weeks. She'd been bottling it up and now, with the help of two cans of beer, it was hitting her full force.

But Andrew himself didn't even seem to realize they had an audience. His face was smoothing out into a pleading expression, but his dark eyes were sparking with his own rage. "Look, Willow," he raised his hands up to show her that he was harmless. "I think you just need to calm down, alright? I think you need to take some time to chill out," he told her in a mostly even voice.

Chill out. You need to chill out.

Willow blinked, swaying a little against the open door. "W-what?!" she demanded in a uncertain, pissed voice. "What the fuck did you just tell me? I will not calm down. I'm tired of your bullshit! I'm tired of feeling like I'm the only one bothering to make an attempt in this damn 'relationship'!" she hissed.

"Willow, just chill out," he stared at her like she'd suddenly grown snakes in her hair.

"Stop fucking telling me what to do!" she half-shouted. Something in the back of her mind told her that she needed to leave. She needed to shut the door in his face, back away, and lock herself up in her room. But she was too far gone now. There was no way she was going to let him get away with his behavior anymore. Even if that meant she ended up lowering herself to how he acted herself, mostly as a result of the alcohol.

"Why are you even trying to date me? You don't like my music, you don't like my outfits, and you don't even like my fucking hair. If you have such a damn problem, if this is your 'love', then get off my front porch and leave. You say you care, but all you're looking for is a woman to fit your perfect ideals. And then, as soon as you realized I didn't, you want to change everything about me. Is it because you don't like kids? Is that why you don't even try to get to know Prophecy? Is that why you look at her like she's a insect you really want to squash but just can't? Is that why she tells me that she doesn't like you?"

Andrew's jaw clenched. "Will you shut the fuck up, you stupid little bitch?" he snarled. "Do you realize how hard it's been for me, how much trouble I've had? First, you already have a kid. Then, the father of that kid is living with you? Yeah, right. Like you aren't sleeping with him! I know you are! You've been sleeping with him this entire time, behind my damn back. You like him better. You're always smiling or laughing when he's around-" he began.

"And did you ever think it's because I don't like you at all? Did you ever think it's because being around you makes me depressed?" she interrupted.

"Shut up and listen to what I tell you, you damn woman!" Andrew snarled, making Willow blink. "When I tell you to chill the fuck out, you will do as you're told, do you hear me? You aren't dating that other man, you're dating me! You belong to me. You're mine and mine alone! You can't just take six fucking years of my life and then tell me that you don't want me anymore. You can't be that bitch. So chill out and do as you're told. Get rid of Aiden and his fucking Brady Bunch, white-assed little shits of a family tomorrow morning."

Reaching out, Willow slapped Andrew across the face, hard enough to send him reeling back. "You won't ever talk about the Frosts like that again, do you hear me?!" she yelled. "They are good fucking people and you are just a lowly worm."

A rage that was beyond anything before filled Andrew's face. "Did you just slap me?" he demanded in a harsh, ragged voice. "I'm going to fucking choke you, you bitch!" he growled. "I should have just done this from the start, showed you who's the one in charge..."

Seeing that dark light in his eyes, the words he was saying...Willow stepped back, shaking her head. "N-no, get away..." she meant to yell at him. But instead it came out faint. Chill out. Chill out. Chill out.

The words kept repeating, circling in the back of her mind. At first, she'd been able to push back the fear. She'd been able to hold it at bay with her anger and a little of bravery from the buzz of the beer. But now, seeing his expression, hearing his words...all of it was coming back with a ferocity she hadn't felt in years. Letting out a soft whimper, she stumbled back, collapsing as her knees gave out a foot away from the bottom of the stairs. She let out another small sob of terror before thankfully passing out into the darkness.

Pausing at where Willow's body was crumpled up at the floor, Andrew lifted his leg back to kick at her limp body. "Fucking bitch," he muttered. "You should just do what you're told. That's what you're for, anyway."

Before he let the momentum in his leg go to slam into Willow's side, the very sudden chill of approaching danger made him freeze and look up. Kazuo, her stupid-ass 'step-brother'-who Andrew knewshe was fucking as well-was standing right next to him. "The hell?" Andrew muttered in surprise.

"You hurt my daughter and I will tear you limb from limb," Kazuo said in a very strangely detached voice. "I've put up with your presence merely because Willow wanted to try with you. But I think it's very obvious now how much this little fling is done and over with."

"The hell it is!" Andrew yelled. "And what the fuck you mean, saying 'daughter'?" He blinked, seeing a very sudden movement. Looking down, he found Aiden was very gently cradling Willow to his chest. "Hey, motherfucker, let go of my woman!" Aiden very slowly lifted his face to the other man. Andrew paled, blinking rapidly and frowning in confusion. H-has he always had such pale skin? And...i-is that a weird tattoo? It keeps...keeps fading in and out.

"The only reason you are alive is because I don't like to kill. But trust me, Andrew, I am so close to the breaking point right now, I'd do it. Just say one more word," Aiden almost begged in an oddly calm, soft voice. "Please, just one more word, and I'll send you to Hell, where you belong."

Andrew opened his mouth to tell the fool off, but Kazuo's voice made him return his attention to the other man. "I am completely serious when I say this. More serious than I've been in a very long time, Andrew," the man promised quietly. His brown eyes were flashing, filled with a slumbering, deadly wrath. "If you ever come near my family again, I will slaughter you. I will utterly and completely destroy you. There will be nothing left for them to find. There will be nothing left of the man once known as Andrew Yale. I will wipe all memory of your existence. I will destroy every shred of evidence that you ever lived. I will truly obliterate you."

Gulping, Andrew paused. He took in the other man, eyeing him uncertainly. Yeah...there was something about him...Something about him that put an abrupt and true fear of death in Andrew. Very slowly, he lowered his leg back down and started backing toward the door. He spat in their direction on the way out. "She's just a slut and a cunt. It's not like she was worth much more than a good time anyway." He couldn't resist but throw out that last taunt as he slammed the door shut.

Kazuo let out a roar, starting for the door to go after him. Jack appeared, pale, white-haired, demon-eyed, and filled with power, holding him back. Similarly, Felix did the same to Aiden, Sera at his other side, the two holding down their older brother. They held his hands behind his back, a hand each on a shoulder, making him to let go of Willow. Then, having to use their combined powers to hold down his fury, they shoved his face toward the ground, forcing him to bend forward.

"Kazuo, Aiden, both of you need to calm down. I know. Trust me, I know! You don't think I don't want to go out there and kill that little bitch either? You don't think I'm not angry over what he just said to her, about her, about all of us? You don't think I don't want to get even and kill him? But that's not going to help this situation in the slightest. So, both of you pull your heads out of your asses and let's focus on the real victim here. Look at Willow!"

Both froze, slowly shifting as much as their captors would allow them to look at Willow's limp, pale, body. Even unconscious, it was obvious that she was still in whatever distress that had been great enough to make her faint. Letting out a quiet sob, Kazuo jerked his arms out of Jack's punishing hold, the other man releasing him.

Collapsing to his knees, he cupped Willow's cheeks. "I'm sorry, baby girl. I should have stepped in sooner, but I felt you really did need to say those things to Andrew. You needed to get it all out...I just never...I should have realized. When he started saying..." Leaning closer, Kazuo brushed his lips over her forehead.

Sera and Felix slowly released their hold on Aiden, stepping back. Closing his eyes tightly in pain, Aiden reached out and gathered Willow into his arms, pressing his head against hers for a brief second. "I'm going to take her up to her room for the night," he said to the rest of the family.

The others stayed silent, watching him as he went up the stairs. As soon as he was gone, Jack helped his quietly crying friend to find a seat on the living room couch. Bren shut down the game system and TV. Bri and Felix began to clean up the dishes and beer cans, pouring what was left of them down the sink. Nisha quietly asked Kazuo if he would be okay with her staying over the night. Bri said she would as well, and the others-even Felix-all quickly followed suit. Kazuo merely shrugged, not caring what anyone did in that moment. He was too lost in old memories, one he'd rather forget.

Upstairs, Aiden gently lowered Willow down into her bed. He left her door cracked and moved back out into the hall to Prophecy's room. He was amazed Prophecy hadn't come storming down the stairs, ready to defend her mother as fiercely as he and Kazuo had. Even if she hadn't Seen this particular turn of events, he figured all the yelling and shouting would have woken her up. So, he softly moved into her room. With the light pouring through the open door from the hallway, he found the answer.

After Nisha had left her for the night, Prophecy must have snuck out of bed and into the bathroom. She had a bottle of Benadryl beside her bed, along with a little spoon she must have smuggled from the kitchen when no one was looking. Frowning, Aiden shook his head. "Honey, you know that's dangerous," he sighed at her sleeping form as he took the bottle. "Just how long have you known this was going to happen?"

Leaving Prophecy's room, closing the door behind him, he returned the medicine to the bathroom cabinet. Then he returned to Willow's room. Leaving the door open to allow light in, he moved to the side of the bed, shifting Willow's body so that she could sleep much more comfortably than how he'd left her earlier. Once he felt like she wouldn't wake up with a stiff neck and a bad back ache, he leaned down and kissed her forehead, her closed eyelids. He was mildly surprised to find that she wasn't reacting at all or waking up.

Letting out a soft breath, he turned to leave. But Willow's hand clenched around his. He'd been holding her hand as he leaned over her, trying to let her know that she wasn't alone...She had someone by her side, wherever she was. And he got the feeling she was going to need someone with her. With what little she'd told him about her past, Aiden had a sixth sense that why she'd passed out had to do with that dark time in her life.

Stopping, he turned back to her, sitting back down on the edge of the bed. "Don't worry, honey, I won't leave you. I'll stay right here, for as long as you need me." Leaning down, he brushed some of her dark curls from her face; feeling like his heart was going to burst, staring down at her.

"How can I love you so much?" he whispered. "How did you steal my heart so completely? You and Prophecy...the both of you...I-I..." he breathed shakily. "You're everything I've ever wanted, ever hoped for, every dared to dream about. The two of you...how could I go on living if anything happened to the both of you?" he begged her. "Do you know how? If you do...Gods, Willow, you have to tell me...because I honestly have no idea."

He raised her hand in his to his cheek. "I love you, honey. I love you...I'll be right here. I'll be here, helping you fight your demons. I wish I could be with you, on the front lines. But supporting each other is just as important and I'm going to give you my all in this fight, love," he promised fiercely.

He watched, feeling a trace of happy relief, as the deep lines of tension that had been marring Willow's face up to that point began to clear...just a little. But a little was at least something. "I'll be right here, honey," he repeated, kissing the back of her hand. "Right here with you every step of the way." It was going to be a long night, he knew that. But he was going to cherish every damn second of sleep he didn't get. Every one was another moment with Willow. Another heartbeat by her side, feeling her warmth, hearing her breathe. It was his whole world in this little period of bittersweet peace.