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The late hour did not quite matter, nor did the fact that it was likely all ready the next day and he still hadn't gone to bed yet. Lafe, however, was comfortable and sleeping and that was all that really mattered to Wren at the moment. He had stepped outside after him and his mother returned to the sitting room and was trying to enjoy the night breeze. It was easy to tell that he had missed this place, missed seeing his parents, but it wasn't something that needed to be said aloud.

If anything, his parents likely realized it without him even having to say a word. Things were all ways like that with his family. No words were ever really needed. It was like that with him and Halo. He let out a sigh as he moved out towards the grass to collapse onto the ground and stretch out to stare at the sky above. Halo was probably coping with the fact her beloved husband had left with little explanation beyond he had to go see his parents and try and get Lafe well.

There was still the small matter of Alejandro who had been taken by the vampires. Wren could still remember the yells that Alejandro had let loose and the whines from Lafe that night. They spoke of a pain that no one at such a young age should experience.

"What was it that you meant to ask earlier?" the voice interrupted his thoughts and Wren tilted his head back to see his mother sitting on the stairs leading up to the porch and the rest of the house. His father wasn't too far behind, but instead of sitting properly, he crouched down behind Cuinn and unfolded his wings so that they slightly enveloped the both of them. Warm arms slid around the dark faerie's torso and tugged him back until he was reclining against the tall demon.

"... it's about Lafe, about how he came to be with me." Wren replied quietly, wriggling his way forward some so that he was closer to his parents and did not have to speak as loudly. Pushing himself up on his elbows, he closed his eyes before he started to speak again. "... and about what happened the night he turned into a fox and hasn't changed back since."

"What is there to tell that you haven't all ready said?" Rabin focused on his son, ignoring the urge to n** at Cuinn's ear and tease the fae. If only because of the reaction that would come from his lover and seeing his son squirm and tell them, most likely, to take it somewhere else if they were feeling frisky.

"A lot, potentially." Shifting and moving into a proper sitting position, Wren pressed his palms flat against the ground and focused on a tree he saw at the edge of the forest that surrounded the house. A small glance to his parents told him they were waiting for him to say whatever it is he had to say. "... when I found Lafe, I thought he was an abandoned," there was an intake of breath from Cuinn, an obvious sign that that particular piece of information was not something he had wanted to hear, "baby, but ... now I think I was suppose to find him. He was between the roots of a tree a little ways off of a path I was walking to clear my thoughts. Lafe was asleep, but he was sniffling a little. At first, I thought it was because he had a cold, but ... after he woke up ... Well, it was nothing but tears the first few days he was with me. He wouldn't stop crying, as if there was something wrong that no one could tell ...

"And then," he paused for a moment, finding Rabin and Cuinn's attention focused on him, "Halo found another baby on the front porch of our house."

"It seems you and your wife attract small children to your home." There was a smirk on his father face and he flicked out his forked tongue at Cuinn's ear when he poked him in the side.

"Shush you, I all ways wanted grandchildren." The fae wriggled at the forked tongue that attacked his ear anyway, but Wren was pointedly trying to ignore them. At least for the fact that it was all ways a little unnerving to see one's parents flirting.

"A bit dusty," Wren continued as if he had not been interrupted, "and looking like he had climbed up the stairs to the porch himself. I wasn't there when she found him, but ... she came and found me to tell me. I was out with Lafe, trying to calm him down enough so that he'd fall asleep. He was all ways crying, right up until Halo arrived with the new baby. That's when things got interesting, for lack of a better word. When Lafe saw the new baby, his crying stopped, and once they were together, they acted as if they had known each other for far longer than the precious few minutes they had.

"That was how Alejandro came to be with us and how he stopped Lafe's crying and made him seem like a totally happy baby." Fingers digging into the soft earth, Wren lifted his head up to look at his parents, only to find a piercing pale blue gaze on him from his mother and a similar stare from his father.

"What does that have to do with Lafe and the night he transformed?" Cuinn's hand rested on Rabin's knee, squeezing it some when he felt fingers tickling against his side. The dark faerie was, in all honesty, totally focused on his son and the information that he was sharing. Something was wrong with Lafe and he wanted to help, if only because the little fox was a part of his family now as far as he was concerned.

... and a child faerie, a pooka no less, was an incredibly precious thing. For one to be ill as Lafe was, it was unacceptable.

"Because," there was a serious tone to Wren's voice, "we later figured out that Alex, Alejandro's nickname, was a vampire."

That piece of information was enough to silence both parents for a few moments, but it was obvious their son was not lying.

"A vampire baby? Is that even possible?" Cuinn tilted his head up to look at his lover, watching him as he shook his head. Rabin wasn't sure himself it even was, as much as he had dealt with vampires in the past.

"Alex ... is like a vampire, but he still lives and breathes so far, but everything else about him, the slow changes we've noticed, they marked him as a vampire. And yet, Lafe and him ..." Hands in his hair, Wren tugged on it a bit, before raising his eyes to look at his parents. This was something that killed him, not the words he was about to say, but the fact that Lafe and Alejandro had been separated. "They were the world to each other. Alex was Lafe's protector, the one Lafe would hide behind when he got scared or when he needed someone to hide behind. Someone to keep him safe. Alex was all ways looking out for Lafe and Lafe was all ways trying to do the same for him and keep close."

"But a vampire and a faerie? Most would argue that that's impossible. Granted, the prejudices are no longer as strong now, but they should be stronger from where you came from and ..." Trailing off, Cuinn lifted his head up to look at Rabin. Both of them knew the stories that were told. Cuinn knew the ones that were told by the fae folk and Rabin knew the ones that were told by the vampires. The vampires stories were more widely known now, if only because the fae were low in number.

"That's what I thought, but it did not seem to matter between Lafe and Alex. I do not think they're even aware of the stories or if they'd even care." There was a smile on Wren's face at the memory of Lafe and Alex a few days before Lafe had gotten sick and before Alex had been sunburned and taken. When they were playing and mock fighting with one another. "I mean, I know the stories myself, from both of you -- but they're hard to remember now besides the fact that the fae and the vampires are at odds with one another because of something that happened a long time ago."

"Tsk, you've forgotten the bed time stories I told you when you were a baby yourself," Cuinn teased his son lightly and continued speaking before he could say something and protest what had been said, "but the short version of the story the fae spread was that the First, the one vampire that sired four different clans, was no different from others and was fascinated by the fae himself. So much, in fact, that he took one as a companion, someone to travel with. Fae, after all, tend to be beautiful beings, so it's not much of a stretch that the First would take one for himself, as tempting as a fae can be.

"The fae was tricked by the First to come along with him, in the long run, by his cunning words, inhuman beauty, and 'underhandedness' that all vampires possess and have likely gained from him. So they traveled together for a time, but eventually the vampire grew tired of the faerie, found that it had served it's purpose, and he then tried to devour the faerie, to absorb it's power.

"Except something happened as the First was slowly draining the faerie of life. As the vampire was slowly killing the faerie, the faerie was slowly killing him in return. They say the inherent goodness of the faerie, the purity only a fae can possess, destroyed the First just as the faerie was entirely drained and died. Eventually, the other fae found out about it, and ... well, you can understand that that one faerie became a hero, or heroine, of sorts. To show that even the oldest of the vampires could not stand up to a good fae. Still, the fact remains that most faeries were, and are, afraid of vampires and knew that they were, at best, considered trinkets to be owned and later food to be eaten." Cuinn smirked faintly once he finished, shaking his head. He, himself, was not afraid of vampires, not when they could easily fall under his sway and not the other way around. Never mind that if something bad truly happen, Rabin would likely be there to put a stop to it.

"Yeah, I remember bits of that from when I was a kid and you would tell me, but the vampire's version of the story is ... different, if I remember correctly. Then again, they've both bastardized each other in their legends of the First and the Faerie, but still ..." Wren shook his head and tilted it back to look at the sky above him. At the fringes, at the edge of his sight, he could see dawn peeking over the tree tops. It was, obviously, soon to be morning. The time when all the vampires that still existed would be heading somewhere to hide for the day.

"The vampire's version is a bit different. Only in that the faerie that the First became enamored with was likely similar to your mother," Rabin smirked himself as Cuinn batted at him for his words, but then once again nipped at his lover's ear to still his movements. "The First was seduced by the faerie and they traveled together for some time. The faerie made sure that the First was wrapped up entirely. Tricked and enamored with all the wiles that the fae can possess. Eventually, the faerie grew tired of the game that was being played with the First and killed him, but before the First truly died, he managed to hit the fae with a blow that it would not survive, so the faerie too died." It was a rather blunt version of the story that Rabin told, but it was how he was. Longer explanations were best from Cuinn, not himself. The same with stories.

"... so, mum," Wren had his head tilted to the side, lips quirked in a grin, and a mischievous glint in his eyes despite the somber mood he was in, "does this mean you were the one that seduced the First?" He just wasn't expecting to suddenly be blown over by a gust of wind as his father beat his wings to stir up wind that wasn't quite natural.

"Hardly!" The laughter that fell from Cuinn's lips was musical and he latched onto his lover to still his movements, least their son end up all the way in the forest. "I'm not nearly old enough. The First lived ages ago, just as that faerie did."

"And what do the stories of The First and the Faerie have anything to do with Lafe and Alejandro?" Rabin gave his son a glare as he scooted back to where he had been sitting at. If Rabin was a little possessive of Cuinn, it most certainly could not be helped. Even in theory, or in the past, he would not share -- not if he could help it.

"Nothing, I don't think, besides satisfying my own curiousity to remember the stories." Lifting his head up, Wren smiled sadly. "That and Alex was kidnapped." A hand was held up to silence his parents's comments. "Now, seeing Lafe as you have, you can imagine the impact it had on him, to lose Alex who was the world to him. Halo and me, we woke up the cries of Alex as he was being taken by two vampires. I was preparing to go after them, only to have one of them point out Lafe ... and by then, he had all ready been sick for a while. He was a fox when I found him crumpled on the floor and I've no idea what made him change, but he was no longer in his other form, that of a toddling child." Staring at his hands, Wren raised his eyes to look up at his parents with that sad smile still on his face.

"The only information I have, as we were unable to track the kidnappers, is that one of them said he was Haas, third child of the First. They took Alex with them because they claimed he needed to be with his own kind, that we were unfit to bare such an honor." He gave a shrug of his shoulders, clearly showing he was unsure what sort of honor the vampires had meant.

"Haas is the name of one of The First's children, so it is likely him that you met. The fact that he came to claim a the baby says something, but if it was truly a vampire child, then it was likely something very precious to them -- a baby vampire that is living and breathing and still growing ..." It went by unspoken with Rabin's words that such a thing did not, normally, exist for the vampires.

"Your actually probably lucky no faeries have discovered that you had Lafe, in the same regard. He's a treasure, as most fae children are, and if they thought for a moment you weren't taking care of him, they'd snatch him from you -- and as he is, they're likely to think such a thing." Cuinn spoke up, rubbing his fingers along Rabin's arm absently as he thought about the little fox that was curled in his son's bed asleep at the moment. Honestly, he was tempted himself, but he knew that his son was looking after Lafe as best he could. If he wasn't, he wouldn't have come to them like he had.

"That's something that doesn't need to happen," Wren murmured, pushing himself up to stand. "Lafe does not need to have everything stable in his life completely shattered. Alejandro being taken was hard enough on him." A yawn escaped Wren's lips and he stretched his arms above his head, his delicate looking but strong wings doing the same as they appeared on his back.

"Not in the condition he's in currently, no." Nuzzling his head against Cuinn's absently, Rabin went still as he listened intently to the sound of paws on the floor. Wordlessly he let Cuinn know he was about to move and said nothing to his son as he was suddenly moving from the porch stairs to just inside the front door of the house. A second later he came out of the darkness with a squirming and near shrieking fox kit held by the scruff of his neck, dangling and squirming. "... someone must be feeling better to be out of bed and sneaking about," he commented, ignoring the near horrified look on Wren's face and the look he was receiving from Cuinn.

"Put him down!" Wren was all ready starting to move forward, but was stopped by his mother holding up a hand. "... or just hand him to me," he said weakly, knowing he was overruled by his parents. It didn't make him happy, but if his father was planning something, it had better not involve terrorizing Lafe anymore than what he was all ready doing now.

The squirming and wriggling Lafe was doing eventually slowed to a halt and so did the shrieking as he tired out far too quickly. All Lafe had wanted to do was find Wren and curl up with him. He had felt like he had enough strength to do that and getting out of the bed and through the door hadn't been too tough on him. Following his nose and ears to where he smelled and heard Wren wasn't too hard either, but getting caught by the larger one from earlier was.

Lafe let out a pathetic mewl that was ignored by Rabin and stilled entirely. His silver-blue eyes focused on the blue eyes of the one sitting on the steps. He knew Wren was a few steps away, but was obviously being held back by the one he was looking at now. There was something in those blue eyes that was trying to figure him out and Lafe twisted his head another direction. As if he did not want the person to know things. Instinctively, he was keeping himself hidden.

Cuinn, however, was merely trying to let his concern reflect in his eyes, but the little fox had obviously misinterpreted the look in his eyes for something more. Then again, in the position Lafe was in, he was likely to confuse anything and everything.

And then, all of the sudden, Lafe felt warmth flooding his body. At least, it felt like warmth and whatever chill there had been to the air was pushed away. He made another small noise, eyes sliding shut as he focused on the feeling and tried to figure it out. This was something he wasn't use too, but it was -- as he realized -- making him feel better. He was starting to feel like he had energy again!

Rabin abruptly set Lafe down, however, after another minute of letting his healing power wash over the little fox. If the pooka could retain his own energy and recharge like he thought he needed to, then perhaps it would help him get better. Giving Cuinn a small nod, the dark faerie smiled warmly at his lover and moved to let his son get passed him to reach Lafe.

"If I didn't know you better, I'd say you're trying to give him a heart attack," Wren muttered under his breath as he crouched down to let Lafe come to him. The fox all most immediately crawled up into his arms and tried to burrow his way back under Wren's shirt to hide. He couldn't quite do that at the moment, particularly when Wren came to his feet, but he made do with curling himself up as small as possible and using his tail to hide his face from the two in front of him.

"You know your father better than that," Cuinn chided softly as he stood up himself. Walking over to his son, he brushed a hand along Lafe's fur, regardless of the fact that the fox was shaking in Wren's arms at the gesture. A quiet whine escaped as it became obvious he wasn't stopping any time soon. "Shh, little darling, I'm not going to hurt you," the words were spoken in an old language used by the faeries and Cuinn smiled faintly when he saw Lafe's ears perk up and a hint of silver blue eyes peering at him.

"My suggestion is to take him and yourself to bed," Rabin spoke as he came up to put a hand on Cuinn's shoulder, stopping the petting his lover was doing inadvertently. "I've just healed him some and sleeping, in his condition, is best right after healing. You're likely tired yourself, traveling as much and as far as you had." It was a rare moment of Rabin showing paternal concern for his son and for the faerie that he was looking after. He tilted his head back towards the house and watched as his son nodded his head slowly in agreement.

"Yeah, you're right." Moving slowly up the steps past his parents, Wren turned to look over his shoulder at them with a small smile. "... just try to not do anything else like that to Lafe. I don't think he's quite able to handle stuff like this at the moment." Wren's fingers were stroking along Lafe's fur and the little fox was once again curled up so that he could try and hide himself against his guardian. "Good night, though, mum and dad. Thanks for ... helping Lafe." It was with a tired smile that Wren finally disappeared off with Lafe towards his room so that they could both sleep.


Lafe let out a tiny yawn as he turned around a few times on the soft bed that Wren had claimed for them. There were many strange scents here, but in this place the scent of Wren and of nature were strongest and they were soothing. For the first time since Alex had disappeared, been taken, he was actually starting to feel better. Something that the big scary one had done probably had something to do with it, but he wouldn't acknowledge that right now.

Not when he could cling to the comfort that Wren was offering him. He let out a small bark as Wren shifted away from him and let out another yawn as the demon moved back to the position he had been in. The demon was a poor substitute for Alex, but Wren was all he could depend on now that the other was gone. Now that he was truly conscious, it was unnerving and terrifying to find himself completely devoid of Alex. Not only was he gone from his side, but the other's presence in his mind that was all ways there was now gone.

A whimper escaped from his throat without him realizing and Wren shifted to curl up around him a bit more, as if sealing him in his protection. Lafe nuzzled against Wren's warm chest, but it wasn't quite the same as the cool presence that Alex provided when he curled up with him. It wasn't even the same when Wren was looking out for him, but it was all he had when he felt insecure and unable to defend himself.

That's what the ones that had taken Alex had proved. That he was not strong and that without someone there to protect him, he was defenseless. Never mind that when it fell to him to protect Alejandro in return, he had failed him. He was not strong enough. Lafe let out another whimper, curling closer to Wren and trying to let his mind drift away from the thoughts he did not like. Alex wasn't here to push them from his mind and help him go to sleep, but there were no unbidden images or other things that were popping up as well.

At least he wasn't as hot as he had been and he felt much better, but without Alex around it seemed entirely too pointless.


"Something needs to be done," Cuinn murmured quietly to his lover as they stood in the doorway of their son's room, watching him all ready asleep and the pooka slowly following suit.

"The little one's dependency on our son and the fact that he's only catering to him?" It was much more of a statement than a question. Rabin slid his arm around Cuinn, his blue-green eyes watching as Wren shifted his position in bed to curl up around Lafe more. His son was sheltering the little fox from the rest of the room, the rest of the world, and it was obvious the pooka was soaking it up.

"It won't do him any good to be forever dependant on others for protection and comfort. He needs to stand on his own four feet, as he is now." Lips turned up in an amused smiled, Cuinn tilted his head to look up at Rabin. There was a serious glint to his eyes, despite the look on his face. "Lafe can't be forever clinging to someone else ..."

"Then we'll do something, but Wren will have to be held back. He'll try and coddle the little one, where he needs to be on his own." Tugging on Cuinn some, Rabin started to lead the dark faerie away from their son's room where he slept soundly with the little fox. Their conversation continued on for a time, both of them thinking and calculating just what they could do to help Lafe.

To make him depend on himself more instead of having to watch him cling to Wren as if he was the only life line he had in his life with Alejandro gone.

"I'm still angry with you," Wren muttered under his breath, pushing the toe of his boot against the ground and raising his head to stare up at his father. "Don't care if he came back all right. I don't like the fact that mother and you planned that sort of thing without any of my input." The demon faerie was standing with his arms crossed and a petulant look on his face as he watched his mother with Lafe. His father was to his side and ignored the urge to roll his eyes, another trait he had the feeling he probably picked up from his son.

Rabin wasn't sure if his son had made him soft or driven him insane. It was one or the other, or a mixture of both. Cuinn, he knew, had surely started the process, but he could not begrudge his lover that. Generally, such a lover was meant to change him and he personally thought it was for the better, except for those rare days when it seemed for the worse -- but those days had long since passed and had been in the first days of their being together.

"And you're zoning out on me when I'm attempting to pitch a fit. ******** lovely." Scowling, Wren jerked his head and looked up at the sky.

"Deal with it," Rabin finally spoke to Wren, resting a hand on his son's shoulder and squeezing. "You'll get over it and don't bother arguing with me that you won't. What we did was the right thing and he was never in any danger in the first place. You know that and if you doubt that, then you really have no faith in us as your parents." And if Wren did, had, doubted them then it went by unspoken that Rabin would've been disappointed in his son. Instead, Rabin's lips quirked up into a smirk when Wren briefly glanced at him, his eyes clearly reflecting the fact that he knew his parents were right.

He just did not like their methods. Never mind every child's urge to deny their parents. Particularly when they were right. Shaking his head slightly, Rabin turned his attention back to his lover and the little one that was crouched beside him.

"Now, I know my son likes to think he's looking after you," Cuinn smiled at Lafe's snort, "but do me a favor and keep an eye on him. He's a bit high strung at times, but I think that's because of his father's side of the family." Reaching forward with his hand, Cuinn tentatively rested his hand against the fox's neck and scratched lightly. Since bringing the fox out of the forest, he had practically attached himself to Cuinn. Not that he was constantly in his lap, no. Lafe had been beside the other faerie, merely listening to him as whispered to him in that language.

Lafe had shown a stubborn streak that could not be stopped. After the initial comfort he had taken from Cuinn, he had accepted little else. He had snapped at being picked up and was only content to walk beside Cuinn when they went back to the house. Never mind he wasn't even letting Wren coddle him anymore. The moments of soaking up Wren's attention as a replacement for Alejandro seemed to be over. Though it was quite easy to see that he fox still missed him, which brought to mind what Cuinn was about to do.

"Listen," Cuinn leaned down to murmur into Lafe's ear, one hand coming up as if to scratch it lightly, "I know you miss Alejandro, but so long as you believe in him, he will all ways be with you. He'll come back to you, as I'm sure the two of you share a bond that is stronger than mere friendship." Nimble fingers slid along Lafe's ear and when they pulled away two silver ear cuffs were left in their wake. "I've given you two of these, and when he comes back, you should give one to him -- they're for the both of you."

Lafe let out a uncertain noise, but he understood all the same. It was a gift of sorts and for the first time in days, he could sense a path in front of him, a path that dealt strictly with the ear cuffs and where they would go.

And then Lafe's mind was off of the possibilities of the future ahead of him, but rather the feel of a bracelet being slid around his wrist. It was made of woven wood and the pieces were interlocked and weaved together. A jewel graced the bracelet and it glimmered in the dying sunlight as Lafe peered at it briefly, before raising his head to look at Cuinn with uncertainty. What exactly was this?

"It's a way for you to get a hold of me, should you need me. It's a puzzle and when the time's right, you'll know exactly how to solve it." Cuinn grinned mischievously before lowering his head down and nuzzling his cheek against Lafe's. "... but when you see me again, call me grandmum," there was a serious glint to the dark faerie's eyes, "you may not be Wren's true son, but you are family to me. My precious grandson, all right?" Instead of a vocal response, Cuinn felt Lafe nuzzle back against him and he smiled widely. It was then that the dark faerie leaned in one more time and whispered quietly into Lafe's ears. It was a blessing, one that was as old as it was powerful, and it was for both Lafe and Alejandro.

"Good," he said, finished and finally speaking in a normal tongue and not the language that was spoken among the faeries. "Now, you should go to Wren, before my darling flutterer pitches too much of a fit." With a soft laugh and a nudge of his hand against Lafe's body, his fingers briefly straying against the slightly discolored fur on his right side, he watched as the fox picked himself up and trotted over to where Wren was at. Just as the man leaned down to pick him up, he let out a threatening growl.

"Growl at me all you want, Lafe, but I have to carry you through when we leave -- you're just going to have to deal with it." This time, it was Wren who rolled his eyes and he couldn't help it. Perhaps it was good to see Lafe no longer clinging to him for attention, but he did not like this new ... independence. Lafe seemed too young for it and his parents had, seemingly, broken him of it. Wren still wasn't sure if it'd last or not, but one could never tell.

Lafe let out a sigh and padded towards Wren to let the demon faerie pick him up, except Rabin stepped in front of him and made him pause. While Lafe shared a bond with Cuinn now, because of what they were, he still felt uneasy because of the demon. He made a small noise of confusion before Rabin shook his head at him and turned towards Wren.

"Before you go, I need to tell you something." Leaning in, Rabin whispered something into Wren's ear and pulled back after he was finished. There was a wide-eyed look on his son's face and he suddenly raked a hand through his hair nervously.

"You serious?" he asked, quietly, glancing towards his mother who had to know what information his father just shared with him and then briefly towards Lafe, as if it somehow impacted him.

"Yes, I am. I am not sure whether or not it means anything. It could be coincidence, but all things considered -- and with how you say Haas reacted, I'd consider it." With a shrug of his shoulders, Rabin took a step back just in time for Cuinn to practically pounce on his son and give him a firm hug.

"You had better come see again -- and I want to meet your wife!" Cuinn was holding Wren's face in his hands, their foreheads touching. "I also want to see your other children, besides the pictures of them. I'm sure that your grandfather would be pleased to see Mael; he looks like he takes after the family, even if he isn't blood related." Wren's arms slowly went around his mother, just as his did, and they hugged each other tightly before pulling back.

"I'll see what I can manage, but I'll do my best," Wren quickly added at the end when it looked like his mother was about to say something. Smiling at Cuinn, Wren leaned in to kiss his mother on the cheek, but just as he did so, Cuinn snatched up the glasses that he wore. It was all too easy to see the sudden change to Wren's eyes once the glasses were gone. He had spelled the glasses to hide the features of his eyes that marked him as something much more than human.

"You don't need these." There was a smile on Cuinn's face that left no room for argument and Wren bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from arguing. He really did need them to see! ... his mother, however, would just argue that he was completely mental to the point that he believed he needed them to see when his vision was beyond perfect.

The sad fact was that it was likely true.

"Fine," muttering, Wren finally leaned down to scoop up Lafe in his arms. Grumbling, Lafe squirmed until he found himself a comfortable spot to rest for the trip home -- however long that took. He didn't exactly remember the trip that brought them to this strange place.

"... love you," Wren murmured, "and I'll miss you." Smiling faintly, watching as Lafe made a noise as if saying goodbye himself, he turned around and freed one hand to raise it in the air. All ready he was whispering a small prayer and then speaking the words of the spell that would grant him passage through time and dimensions.

It didn't take long, but eventually the portal was opened and he stepped through with one final look at his parents. Cuinn was leaning against Rabin, smiling at his son ( thought there were a suspicious glitter to his eyes ), while his lover merely looked at his son as if he could read he thoughts. Wren could, he thought. He knew that his father was silently telling him to take care of himself and watch out for his own -- for his family.

With a small smile, Wren stepped through the portal and when he came out on the other end, he was in the backyard of his own home.

He took a deep breath and then let out a sigh as his fingers rubbed at Lafe's ears absently. "It's good to be home, isn't it?" he asked Lafe, receiving a bark in response that he thought was agreement.


"That's pretty much everything." Wren's head is tilted against Halo's shoulder and his arm is wrapped around her waist, just like her arm is wrapped around his shoulder. It feels good to be home, to be able to press up against his wife like this and soak up her presence, he realized. "Still not sure what made him sick, but he seems mostly healthy aside from still getting tired easily and needing to eat up and build up everything that he lost while being sick."

"At least your father healing him helped," Halo finally speaks, though it's easy to see that she's bothered by the fact that there's still no real reason why Lafe got sick -- let alone had there been any clues as to where Alejandro was and why he was taken. There was, Wren realized, still one piece of information he needed to share with his wife, but first he wanted to put Lafe to bed.

"Well, there's one more thing, besides those stories I told you that my parents refreshed in my memory. It's something about the First." Reluctantly squirming away from his wife, Wren pushed himself up and stretched out. Lafe was, actually, in an arm chair. He was curled up and dozing lightly, though he had been nosing through his tarot cards. It seemed that he had missed playing with them while he had been ill and was trying to make up for the fact. "But let me put Lafe to bed first, all right?"

Smiling at her husband, Halo nods her head and leans back to relax while she watches the man move about the living room and go to pick up Lafe. It's all most stunning to see the changes in Lafe. To see him no longer sickly and obviously doing better, but never mind the change in his presence. The fact that the fox now has faith in himself is obvious, particularly in the way he snarls at Wren half-heartedly for picking him up and taking him to bed.

"Deal," the demon murmurs and chuckles when the fox merely snuggles up as if he was going to sleep in the man's arms -- albeit it begrudgingly.

Wren was a little wary about putting Lafe to bed in the crib that he had shared with Alejandro, but the fox immediately snuggled up to Alex's drake and let himself drift off. With a smile on his face, Wren turned off the light and left the room. He certain things would get better now. That Lafe's health would continue to get better and that they'd eventually find Alejandro.

But even as Lafe slept, he felt that heaviness settle back over his body. That same feeling that had overcome him and made him so ill the first time around. He was asleep, though, and his mind said that it was a dream and nothing more.

Moonlight glinted off of the cold iron blade in it's hiding place.

It was more than a dream. It was still there and it still could harm.

The pouch Lafe had woken up to being beside him was hidden away carefully in his bed. He knew that it contained a set of tarot cards. He also knew that they would serve him much better than the ones that Wren had given him. It was just there that he knew these things and he was beginning to realize that he knew a lot of things without even trying. Things came to him, knowledge came to him, and it was about time that he started to acknowledge that.

He was growing up.

There was also the matter of something else being in the bag, the smell of earth permeating the pouch -- but he honestly could not be bothered. Somehow, having the soil in there, it was a comfort and he knew not why.

Lafe had also managed to find Alex's special box and hide it away with his tarot cards. He wanted to cart it around, since he couldn't carry the drake plushie around, but it was too big for him as he was and too complicated as well. Eventually, when he took his other form he could do something about it, but now he wouldn't worry about it. Now he would just keep it hidden and safe so that he could give it back to Alex when he got back.

Alex.

Alex would be back, he knew it. Not only because of the fact Cuinn assured him of it, but something told him that he'd back. It was a small consolation and it barely made the empty feeling in his chest go away, but it was something. He still missed his protector. Missed the one that would let him hide underneath his cloak because the world was a place he wasn't quite ready for.

He wanted Alejandro back, but when he came back he wouldn't have to hide behind him anymore. Not when he could try and stand up for himself. It made him stronger. It made him more worthy to be around Alejandro. If he could stand up for himself then he could stand up beside Alejandro and protect him if it came to that.

... even if he wasn't that strong, at least he would try. He couldn't hide behind others anymore. He was a grown fox! A little bit grown, at least, even though he still felt quite small.

Letting out a grumble, still feeling sick and tired, Lafe pushed himself up from the grass and made his way up the front steps onto the porch where Halo and Wren were on the swing. Padding his way over, he curled up on a small pillow that had been laid out especially for him. He folded his paws and rested his head on them and looked up at the sky. There was a ways to go before everything would get better, before he would get entirely better.

The ache was there and he missed Alejandro dearly, but he would deal. He would make it until the other came back and they saw each other again.

And perhaps, wherever Alex was, he was looking at the same stars.