Present day...

Willow shot up from her bed with a sharp gasp. Blinking rapidly, her eyes took in the sight of a bedroom...At first, it wasn't familiar in the slightest. A man's groggy, worried voice broke through her confusion. "H-hey...Honey, are you okay? Did you have a nightmare, love?"

The voice mixed and mingled with her memories until all she could hear was Nick's voice. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry...I-I'll never do it again! P-please..." she begged brokenly.

"What?" The voice was very confused now. As she continued to listen, she began to pick up on the differences. This voice was older, calmer, less panic-inducing to her current state-of-mind.

Blinking, Willow shook her head to try to clear it. Turning her head to the left slightly, she took in the sight of Aiden sitting in a chair beside her bed. "A-Aiden?" she whispered in fear. "I-is it really you?"

Aiden's eyes grew wide in shock before his brow pulled down in a frown. Moving up from the chair he'd been dozing in, he sat down on the edge of the bed. Reaching out, he took hold of her left hand. "Of course it's me, Willow. Why would you think different?"

She closed her eyes, drinking in the sound of that name. Willow. That's right. My name is Willow. And this man isn't Nick, he's...

Very abruptly, she realized several things. First off, Aiden was touching her. Traces of her childhood fear of men came rushing back and she moved her hand out of his grasp. His dark green eyes stared at her in confusion. But she remained silent, mind still spinning.

Second, to be brutally honest, the thought of being touched by someone who could be sexually interested in her filled her with both fear and disgust. Her stomach twisted in her gut and she clumsily rushed to her feet. Holding a hand to cover her mouth, she sprinted out of her room and to the bathroom. She barely had enough time to lift up the toilet lid before releasing the contents of her stomach. Hot tears streaked down her face as her whole body was rocked with the violent convulsions of retching.

Moving quickly, as soon as he realized her goal, Aiden softly knocked on the open bathroom door Willow had simply kicked in during her mad rush. "Is there anything I can do to hel-?"

"S-s-stay...away!" she wheezed through the pain wrecking havoc in her gut. Turning her head, she threw up again. "P-please," she begged. "I c-can't...B-Bri...I..." She struggled to talk through the pain and her illness.

Aiden's face grew closed and guarded, which didn't help her feel any better. But she had no idea how to explain to him exactly all the had happened and changed within her while she was asleep. "Alright," he murmured softly. "I'll go get Bri."

"T-thank..." she turned her head away to be sick again.

Three minutes later, Bri's worried voice came from the doorway. Bri glanced at Aiden, who was standing against the hallway wall connected to the bathroom. His arms were crossed over his chest and his expression was dark, but he merely tilted his head toward the inside of the bathroom. "Willow? Sweetie, what's wrong?" Bri asked as she cautiously entered the bathroom. Kneeling beside her friend, she pulled Willow's curls back from out of her face.

"I...I-I need you to...M-my lower back...I-is there a tattoo?" Willow asked. Her voice sounded so fearful that Aiden had to fight not to shove his way into the bathroom to try and find out what the fuckwas wrong.

Raising an eyebrow, Bri pulled back Willow's shirt. Her gaze took in the sight of her friends back and she started to shake her head. But as her eyes fell on Willow's extreme lower back Bri caught sight of something that made her pause. It was just a hint of light grey, in a shape she couldn't quite make out. Only the very top of the image was visible because of where Willow's jeans reached. "Um...give me a second, I see something, but your jeans are in the way."

"Please...it's important. What is it?" Willow's breath caught in the back of her throat as she waited for the news of what she already knew.

"Um..." Movements a little awkward, Bri pulled back the edge of the jeans, exposing a quick image. "It's a heart and key," she murmured as she lowered her hands. "You never told me you had a tattoo," she mused in surprise. "It's kind of a awkward spot too, like you didn't want anyone to see it."

Willow's response shocked both Bri and Aiden. She began to sob, violently, awfully, her whole body shaking with it. "No...no, no, no...!" Her head fell into her hands as her heart began to break, shattering into millions of pieces...

None of it was a bad dream. So, it's all true, it's all real. I was...I was...OH GODS, I HAD A BABY BOY! At the realization, her sobs grew even worse. She couldn't breathe through the pain of it all.

Shooting around the corner, Aiden stared down at Willow. "H-honey, please...tell me what's wrong. How can I he-?"

"You can't help me, Aiden!" she sobbed. "No one can. I'm...I'm..." Her stomach twisted and she turned her head as she retched again. Her body was wracked with dry heaves, since there was nothing left in her stomach to purge. "I was..."

Feeling the onslaught of Willow's emotions, Bri began to sob herself. "A-Aiden...I don't think your presence is helping right now. C-can you go get Kazuo?" she asked as she fought to keep herself calm through the oppressive depression pouring off of Willow.

"I have to see Prophecy! I n-need to h-hold my b-baby!" Willow suddenly cried out. "Oh, gods, my baby!" she gulped.

Aiden didn't need to bother leaving to get Kazuo. The whole family could hear Willow's sobs from downstairs. Face heavy with pain and sorrow, Kazuo brushed past Aiden, who moved out of the way for the broader man. "Did you remember something again?" he questioned very softly. "It's been a really long time since you remembered something..."

"Y-yes," Willow gulped, nodding her head weakly. "D-Dad...it was...it was horrible...I...I was Melody again and..." Her voice faded out into another heartbroken sob.

Murmuring for Bri to excuse him, Kazuo crouched down beside his daughter, who was half-slumped against the tub and half against the toilet. He quietly asked Bri to get him a wet hand towel, who rose to her feet to do so. Rag in hand, he began to clean up Willow's face.
Bri and Aiden watched, speechless. With just the simple touch of her father's hand, suddenly Willow seemed to have returned to being a small child again. Kazuo threw the dirty rag into the tub for now, flushing the mess in the toilet before lifting Willow into his arms. Cradling her like she was five instead of twenty-four, he moved past the other two and started toward his room.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Willow's voice could just barely be heard.

"It's alright, baby girl. You can tell me about what you remembered, but only if you want to. I'm surprised though...I haven't heard the name Melody in a long time..."

What the fuck is going on? Aiden and Bri both thought at the same time. The two slowly looked at one another, both confused. From Kazuo's bedroom, they could hear the low murmur of voices. But neither moved any closer down the hall. Deciding they were no longer needed, the two started back down the stairs.

On his way down, Aiden peeked into Prophecy's bedroom. Surprisingly, she was still fast asleep, her blanket rising and falling with each breath. Glancing back down toward the end of the hall, Aiden slowly closed her door and followed after Bri.

In Kazuo's bedroom, he moved to sit on his bed, Willow trying to fight down that mental breakdown she was going through. But with all she'd remembered...

"D-Dad...I...I have...had a baby boy...H-he'd be about fourteen, maybe fifteen..."

Kazuo grew very still, arms tightening around her in reaction to her words. "What are you talking about, sweetheart?"

"I remember everything, Dad...*E-everything*," she emphasized. "And...and it wasn't just what we thought...Dad, I...I was raised in a miniature cult. S-Shannon? He was the leader, at first. But when I was eight...My oldest c-cousin raped me...Afterwards, I was his...his 'wife'," she spate out. "The night...the night we met? I'd just given birth to a baby boy and they'd taken him away to sell off through the back market...You showed up about ten minutes after they left me alone..."

Speechless, Kazuo could do nothing but shake with the anger and rage that was coursing through him. "Well...you don't have to worry, Willow. I made sure there was nothing left of them to even bury."

Slowly, she nodded, her fingers squeezing around his arms tightly. "I know, Dad...But I..." she swallowed tightly. "It might be a long shot, but I want to try to find him...if I can. I want to try to find my little boy, Dad."

Brown eyes grave, Kazuo nodded. "Don't worry. Between me, Jack, and Aiden, we'll find him, if there's anything to find."

She shook her head. "N-no...I don't think it would be right to involve the Frosts in my problems."

Frowning, Kazuo stared down at her. "What are you talking about? They're family. It doesn't matter if it's blood or marriage or nothing at all. Those you care for are your family. That's how it works, honey," he reminded her of the mantra he'd used on her a lot when she was growing up.

"Dad...I mean it," she had to clear her throat to make her voice come out firmly. Being in Kazuo's broad arms, no matter how old she got, had the strange, magical effect to turn her into a little girl again. A little girl who knew nothing could hurt her, as long as she's was in her father's arms. She closed her eyes, resting her head against his upper chest and shoulder, absorbing the steadfastness he seemed to radiate off of him. "This has nothing to do with Aiden or his family. I don't want to inconvenience them by asking for favors all the time. They're royals for gods sake, one of the freaking Great Houses! How could I possibly ask them to take time out of their busy, much more important schedules to bother with me?"

Kazuo frowned darkly. "Willow...The Frosts are nothing like most of the other royals. Well...maybe not Felix, but he's the odd duck out. Besides, it may irk me a little, but Aiden does care for you. He's not going to mind helping you try to find out information about a long-lost son. And if he does mind, he's not worthy of you," Kazuo growled.

"No, it's the exact opposite, Dad. I'm not good enough for him...I can't...Dad, I can't be with someone. I can't hold a relationship. We've already seen that with Andrew," she sighed.

"Andrew was an asshole to you and he was also human. Of course it didn't work out. Aiden's different though. And I honestly think you should give the man a chance to come to his own decisions on what's 'good enough' for him."

Willow shook her head once, firmly, and Kazuo let out an irritated groan. "Gaaah, this stubbornness is going to be your downfall one of these days!" he grumbled darkly. "Fine...I won't breathe a word of this to the others."

Leaning up, she pressed her lips to his cheek for a chaste kiss. "Thank you so much, Dad," she sighed in relief. Hugging him tight, she let out a squeak as he returned her hug, harder than she did.

"I love you. You know that, don't you? Stubborn stupidity and all," he murmured fiercely. "I love you so much, baby girl..."

Pulling away, just a little, Willow blushed. "I know, Dad. You tell me every time you think it."

A slow grin began to spread across his face. "What? Not every time! Just one out of every hundred," he teased.

"Dad!" she grumbled, throwing out an air of embarrassed annoyance. But in her heart, she was really happy by his words.

Very slowly, he began to loosen his hold from around her. "Seems like you've calmed down a lot more. How are you feeling, besides that?" he asked quietly.

Lowering her gaze from his, she sucked in a shaky breath. "Better...But I don't...Dad, I'm nowhere near okay. Far from it, honestly. I remembered everything...All of what's been missing from the bits and pieces since my birthday as Willow," she whispered.

Upon coming back to life the first time after her brutal beating, she'd had no memories of anything before waking up in Kazuo's arms. Very slowly, over the course of the last sixteen years, pieces of her memories had come back in brief fits and bursts. But this time...this time all the puzzle pieces had fallen into place, revealing to her exactly what her life had been as a child and the atrocious crimes that had been committed against her.

His eyes looked old and weary as he let out a long breath. "Well, you have me, and you have Prophecy. Bri's here too, as well as Aiden and his family. We'll all be here, supporting you and cheering you on from the sidelines. Alright?"

Slowly, she nodded. "Yeah...I know, Dad. Thank you."

"Well, it's about midnight now. I think it would be best if you go ahead and go to bed. Want me to tuck you in?" he teased lightly.

She nodded her head again. "Yeah, actually, I would."

He blinked, taken aback. "Uh...what?"

She flashed a grin. It was a little shaky, but not as bad as she feared. Sticking her tongue out at him, she rose to her feet. She looked a little pale and wobbly, but after a second, she straightened and steadied out. "I'm just kidding. I'll see you in the morning, Dad. 'Night," she smiled briefly before turning on her heel and leaving his room.

A few minutes later, Willow had gathered a bundle of blankets and pillows. Carrying the load, she put it down on the floor of Prophecy's room. She was able to think a little clearer now, but she still wanted to be as close to her daughter as possible. In the back of her mind, she kept seeing the image of the only other baby she'd ever held in her life.

...Five minutes...Just five minutes had been all she'd been allowed to have with her little boy. Five minutes to hold him close, to remember the feel of his skin, the strange sensation of him feeding from her breast for the only time he ever would. She could remember the way he'd smelled, the black color of his eyes, exactly like her own. He'd even had a little scar right at the top of his temple, on the left side. She had a vague sense of the memory because she'd been worried that Jason had hurt the baby while helping with her delivery.

Swallowing down a sob, she laid out her blankets and pillows on the floor at the foot of Prophecy's bed. She didn't want to wake up Prophecy by getting in the bed with her daughter. But she also wanted to be as close by as possible. Curling up in her blankets on the floor, she closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep.

But the voices of the Foli family kept her company all night long. Every time she'd start to fall asleep, she'd hear Shannon's voice telling her to stop lazing around. Jason would snicker and taunt that she might not want to let herself fall asleep, in case he decided to come in and 'play' with Prophecy. Darvey chuckled, kicking out at her in her mind, telling her she was finally where she belonged. Lying flat on her back on the floor.

And Nick...the memory of Nick's hands running over her body, his voice whispering in her ear, the touch of his lips on her skin.

Rushing to her feet, she ran back to the bathroom, dry heaving once more for several minutes. When she finally began to calm down, she slowly dragged herself back to her makeshift bed. Throughout the rest of the night, she had to make several more trips to the bathroom to rid herself of what little to nothing was in her stomach. Each time, she felt both her mental and physical exhaustion pulling at her more and more, before passing back out into sleep.

O O O

Aiden sucked in a deep, nervous breath. Today was the day. The day after Prophecy's birthday, Jack had pulled him to the side and let him know that he was going to have to return to the Other Realm with the rest of his family. He hated to have to agree, but by the weary look and lines of exhaustion on his father's face, he could tell the last two months of keeping up his old post had worn him out completely. So now, it was the last day Aiden would have to 'stay' in the Human World.

He planned to work out a schedule to begin coming over on the weekends, but he suspected it might take two to three weeks to get everything set up and ready for the major change in his normal routine. He'd made sure to explain this to both Willow and Prophecy. Prophecy had been sad, but understanding. Willow had been...distant.

Ever since the night of Prophecy's birthday, she'd changed. And not just around him. Her manner hand changed around everyone, even Kazuo and Prophecy-though only very slightly with those two. She seemed to have drawn into her shell, both literally and figuratively. Instead of her normal, comfortable, sleepwear that would show off a good portion of her body and curves, she was wearing baggy, thick clothing. Aiden had grown use to seeing patches of skin on her body in the mornings while she made breakfast. But now she came down in baggy, three sizes too big sweaters and sweat pants. It was like she was trying to cover every inch of skin she could.

She was also very careful of making sure she didn't brush against or touch any of the men. One time, she accidentally ran into Bren coming around a corner. Almost instantly, her face had tightened up into a stiff mask and a look of fear and disgust had flashed over her features before she'd covered it up.

Aiden had no idea what the hell had happened, but whatever it was, he couldn't figure out how to approach Willow to inquire about it. She seemed very determined to avoid him as much as possible over the past week and it had been very frustrating to see her dodge him again and again. Now though...Now Aiden needed to have a serious talk with her and she was going to have to stay and listen.
Knocking on her bedroom door, where she'd been spending more time than usual in, he waited for her to open the door.

It slowly creaked open and she peeked out at him. Her eyes grew guarded. "Y-yes?" she asked quietly.

"Can I come in? I need to talk to you before I leave. It's important, Willow...Really important," he pressed. She visibility gulped, looking very worried for several seconds. He felt a nerve in his temper spark at that, but he kept it in check. After another tense moment, she nodded stiffly before slowly opening the door to allow him entrance.

Inside, he moved to stand further in, by the bed. Willow stood against the door, arms wrapped around herself. "What's up?" she asked nervously.

Closing his eyes for several seconds, Aiden reached into his pocket, pulling out a beautiful piece of jewelry. The stone was a brilliant blue sapphire, roughly cut in a octagon. It was attached to a silver chain, welded together with a clasp of silver on top of the main stone. Across the clasp was small rubies and sapphires, along with even smaller diamonds. The gemstone was beautiful by itself, but it was also incredibly unique.

Running through the blue of the stone were faint, thin streaks of pale blue, marring the purity of the stone, but adding a touch of mystery to it as well. But even stranger than the light blue streaks, was the small ruby resting inside the main sapphire itself. It was only about a fourth of the size of the sapphire, but you could still see shades of the brilliant red peeking through the blue, turning into a dark crimson color, like blood.

Willow's eyes went as round as saucers as she stared at the necklace in Aiden's hand. "W-what...is that?" she stuttered in a faint voice.

"It's a very special stone that I had manufactured, specifically for you," he explained after clearing his throat.

"M-manufactured?" she repeated in confusion. "H-how? Why...?"

"It was pretty challenging to do, and I have to say I think only someone in a position like mine I the world could even manage it. But I had a alchemist and an enchanter work together on this project. I had them craft a artificial soul, Willow."

Her eyes were still wide as she continued to stare, transfixed, at the stone. "A-artificial soul?"

He nodded. "That's right. I'm giving it to you for two reasons. First off, you need soul energy to survive. Second, I don't want Prophecy to have to deal with the fact that her mother kills others to survive. Using this, as long as you only take how much you need and only when you need it...There should be enough soul energy in this stone to keep you alive for the rest of your natural life," he explained, clearing his throat again.

She blinked, her gaze lifting up to his. She shook her head. "I...n-no, I couldn't! It must have been so expensive! I can't just...just take something this...a-amazing," she breathed shakily. "H-how much? How much was it? I'll pay you back, every cent," she promised.

Well, he thought wryly. At least she isn't refusing my 'gift' outright. "The price isn't important, I assure you."

"No," she shook her head, showing the first real spark of steel Aiden had seen in nearly a weak. "I won't accept something like this without some sort of payment," she insisted.

Thinking about it for a moment, Aiden slowly moved closer to her. It bothered him that her body began to tense up and she looked very uncomfortable, but she didn't give any ground. Reaching out with his free hand, he took hold of one of hers. Placing the stone in her hand, he covered it with his own. Hiding a shudder at the bizarre sensation of her touch against the soul-stone, he forced himself to calm down and stay composed.

"Alright then. If you really wish to offer me compensation, then I request two things from you. First, I want your solemn vow that you will never kill another person. Second, I would like one kiss."

Her eyes widened again as she stared up at him in surprise. "A promise and a kiss?" she gasped. "That's it?!"

"Trust me, it would be equal compensation to me with the cost of that stone," Aiden reassured her.

She remained quiet for several seconds, brow creased in thought. When her expression finally cleared up, her gaze remained steady on his. "Alright. I promise, I will never kill anyone again. I will only take the bare minimum I require, from this stone," she swore. Rising up on her tip toes, she very slowly pressed her lips to his.

For half a second, Aiden felt a spark of electricity shoot throughout his entire body. He swallowed in reaction, hiding his want to make the quick kiss into more as she lowered back down.

"Thank you," he murmured. "I wanted to make sure to give this to you before I left. I will see you in a few weeks time," he promised. Pausing for just a second as he started out of her bedroom door, he glanced over his shoulder. "I love you, Willow." Leaving that as his parting words, he continued to walk out.

Cradling the necklace in her hands gently, Willow stared after him.