Dark Things

(Eliza's a panther remember; Hayden is too. ^.^) Eliza assessed Darren, hesitating as she stepped up alongside Bethany. If she needed to attack Darren to protect Hayden, she would do so. After all, she spent three years training to be able to. James spoke up, looking effortless with one arm holding documents, the other in his pocket, but all with a hint of hostility towards Eliza. "You're not welcome here anymore. Not since you left us all for dead." "I brought back Bethany so she could rule as she should." His eyes twinkled a mere second, raising a hand in the air, snapping two guards at her side, "Regardless, what good would a queen be when she has no one to set right? If it weren't for Darren, we'd all probably be dead. Go on, take her away." Eliza squirmed as her hands became ecased in an amost transparent bind. "Don't bother. Your strength is a waste against that magic bind." He spoke the same words she'd let Darren with. Looking to Darren for help, Eliza willed him to tell James he was over-reacting. *-*-*-*-*-*-* So she had been awake, or at least enough to hear him. "A good sleep?" he asked, sitting up on his side using his elbow.

Lena held him tightly, fearing that he'd get up and leave. She was ready to wake up just yet. "Mhm, you?"
**
Darren felt completely torn. He couldn't stand seeing her there, her eyes pleading with him, being restrained by guards. But...she'd left him. She deserved it. "Take her to the prison, and bring me that cub. It needs to be...disposed of." He bared his teeth at the girl holding the animal.

Bethany's eyes went wide and she backed away before a guard could touch her. "You are not to touch this baby, or Eliza. Let her go," There was power in her voice. She was the rightful queen, and they would soon come to learn that.

(Oopsie, edited. XD)

He cuddled back into the warmness of her body, groaning a little. If she weren't so pregnant, they'd be getting involved in some raunchy business about now. "Yeah, I guess." *-*-*-*-*-*-* Eliza couldn't do anything to help Hayden after being so prepared, all because of some stupid magic. "Darren! I'm sorry, okay? Punish me all you want, but don't you dare hurt your own son, or I swear you will regret it." James was staring at Bethany, taken aback by her tone, recovering considerably fast, "Dear Bethany, you're not queen yet until the papers have been signed nd you're crowned. For now, Darren's still in control." He knew he'd possibly be disposed of his position soon enough when she was queen, but while he could, he'd take advantage of it and take it out on a selfish shifter. Te guards no longer paused, escorting the squirming Eliza away, more correcting to the large prison cells, without another exchange of words from her. Thrown into the poorly-lit, stone-brick cell, Eliza accepted the punishment, but her mind was restless as she thought about Hayden and Bethany. (No worries. ^.^ Easy mistake.)

Bethany would fetch Eliza as soon as the crown was hers, she decided. She didn't need to cause a riot. However, she did hold Hayden tighter. The poor baby probably wanted his mother. "Then let me sign the papers, but the baby stays with me," She could tell by Darren's eys that he was not pleased with that idea.

''The baby is mine, so it will stay with me," he snarled. He looked to James, making sure that it would be okay if he just...you know, plucked the baby out of her arms, stepped on it, something along those lines.
***
Lena could tell Chris' thoughts easily. Could he not be happy cuddling without wanting something more. She sighed softly but let himk hold her in the way he liked.

Chris' mind fell to other, more important things in his eyes, the matter of the vampires. He hoped te shit piece of technology would actually work in his favour today so he'd get some, hopefully, valuable information. "We should get up and get breakfast," he muttered into her hair, still unmoving. It felt... Nice lyng there. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-* James shrugged, secretly enjoying the scene unfolding before them, knowig very well what Darren was considering, "You're still king for the mean-time. While you," gesturing to Bethany, "Will get your things in due time. Why rush?" he grinned. Hayden was growig restless with the absence of his mum, growling low. Grash hadn't liked how things were playing out, especially when Eliza was practically his family now, he wasn't going to stand around and stay silent as he once did. "You may be bitter, Darren, but you'll be surprised to learn how stupid and indecent you're acting. Murder is a felony on these lands remember, and you've already committed one, let's not make it two."

"Mm, I'm kinda sore. Could you make us breakfast?" Lena asked with a hopeful smile, their fights from last night forgotten.
**
Bethany nodded quickly at her brothers words, and she was very relived to see Darren's eyes become less feral. "I...I'm sorry," he murmured, looking down at the ground. The thought of murdering his child...he had only been entertaining it to sate his anger. He could never do it, and Eliza...she meant too much to him. "Can I hold him? I'm...going to go see Eliza."

Bethany's eyes widened. Just a moment ago, he'd wanted to kill Hayden. Slowly, she let her powers reach out to his mind, sensing that he really was telling the truth. With a slight nod, she passed the pup over to him.

Chris still, speaking a moment later, "I don't know how to cook." The words sounded as if they had been strangleds, not you." Hayden wasn't sure how to react to the stranger who held him. Bethany had given him freely, so he must be nice. At least the purr in greeing resembled that. *-*-*-*-*-*-* Clueless and exhausted as to what to do in her situation, Eliza lay on a wooden shelf-makeshift bed, curling up. She took full responsibilty of her actions. James was right; she hd left them for dead, even her own 'pack'. Even Darren. At least she was sure of his hatred for her. But if he refleced one ounce of that ns, not you." Hayden wasn't sure how to react to the stranger who held him. Bethany had given him freely, so he must be nice. At least the purr in greeing resembled that. *-*-*-*-*-*-* Clueless and exhausted as to what to do in her situation, Eliza lay on a wooden shelf-makeshift bed, curling up. She took full responsibilty of her actions. James was right; she hd left them for dead, even her own 'pack'. Even Darren. At least she was sure of his hatred for her. But if he refleced one ounce of that near anyone besides her, he would wish he was dead man, regardless of her feelings for him.

(Whooooa. O.O)

(Argh! My nin. is pissing me off. -.- Sorries. xx) --Chris' post cont. (end)-- ...strangled from him. He was admitting to something he couldn't succeed at. *-*-*-*-* -----James/Grash's post cont. (beginning)---- James didn't approve of Darren's sudden change of heart. Or the way he was showing affection for some rodent he only just met. "Why?" he began, sharply, "All she's ever done was kick you down." Grash was quick to speak in Darren's defence, "Who do you think you are, James? You're just some pathetic second-in-command. Darren's the king, he makes te decisions, not you.".... (Less confusing? :/)

"I--but, why didn't you tell em that before?" Lena would never have felt like he was mean for making her cook if he'd only told her that he actually couldn't.
***
Darren cradled the child as carefully as he could. It was basically like holding a puppy. He completely ignored the two men as he balanced the panther and headed off towards the dungeons. He needed to let her out, and then...they would talk. it would hurt him to be near her, but they needed to talk, at least for the sake of the baby.
***
Bethany gave James a glare once Darren was gone. "You are going to be very much fired once I'm in command," she promised him.

Chris shrugged, hating the fact they were still talking about it. "So what? Lots of people can't," he grumbled, sitting up. He thought she was mocking him. *-*-*-*-*-*-* "Why, you'll drown without my help," James replied, not caring that he was now showing his annoyance. "No, I used to help out Enzo's dad before you came along; I'll make sure Bethany is fine, which she'll more than do." Grash flashed him a sy grin, "Well, the papers? We don't have all day." *-*-*-*-*-* She heard the footsteps before she turned to see who it was, falling flat on the cold ground with shock. Who ever she expected, Darren was the last person. Hayden? No way, Bethany wouldn't, unless he hurt her... "Why?" Why was he there, why Hayden, just why?

"Chris, I know it's okay, but you should have told me. Come on, I'll teach you how to make breakfast," Lena was excited at the idea and it shined through in her face as she scrambled out of bed as fast as her pregnant body would allow her to.
**
Darren unlocked the door slowly, before setting down the panther so he could go to his mother. "Because...I'm an idiot. I shouldn't...treat you like that. I won't hurt the child, or you,"
**
Bethany nodded, agreeing with her brother. "I won't have mean or rude people as part of my court. Now, get me those papers."

Chris hadn't expected that reaction from her. "Uh, okay....." He climbed out of bed, following after the excited Lena. Maybe it was another mood swing. *-*-*-*-*-*-* Eliza blinked, startled by his words. "Darren," she breathed, sitting up and catching Hayden in her arms, holding him asif he'd been lost to you. "I'm sorry." It was the first thing she thought of, besides for the 'I love you' she refused to say yet, only because rejection from him was still a high factor. *-*-*-*-* James glared at both siblings a moment longer before he stormed his way to get the filings. Not to worry, he thought, everything would soon come in to play. Everything. (Did you read that characters won't shut up topic? There's a hint of what James is talking about. ;D)

(Ouu, noo. O.O But I will. >.>)

Lena started pulling things our of the cupboards, planning on teaching him how to make all the breakfast foods that she could make, which was a whole lot. "Okay, let's start with eggs! Oh, wait...no, not eggs. The smell makes me sick," She rubbed her big belly and crinkled her nose. "We'll make bacon and sausage and hash browns first,"
***
Darren looked towards the floor. He couldn't even stand to look at her. "Sorry doesn't even cut it, Eliza. You could have told me that you didn't want me, instead of running away. At least I would have been able to see my child," But he didn't consider the boy his child anymore. He was Eliza's. He didn't even know that he had a father in Darren. "Now, leave. It's what you wanted, so go."
***
Bethany looked at Grash slowly. "Um...is it just me, or is James about to plot something? He seems like a plotter, and he obviously doesn't like me," It kind of worried her. Her first day back and she already had enemies.

(xD I saw your reply. Poor Lena, she heard his 'bitch' comment. ;P Uh, what are hash browns? O.o) Chris remained confused and not so interested as she scurried around the kitchen, making use of the pans and food he had no idea how to use. "What if I set the place on fire?" It was a possibility. *-*-*-*-* "I know," she began, rising to her feet with her head making a nodding motion, "But I didn't want to leave you." Eliza frowned, wondering how to put it into context. "I couldn't risk the chance that you were going to get rid of our baby, Hayden. That's his name." Hayden, hearing his name growled, too young at three years old to fully comprehend that Darren was the man Eliza had whispered to him before he'd fall asleep, and with such a short attention span, went back to playing with the strands of Eliza's hair. "I knew what it feels like to be abused, I wasn't going to let those feelings touch Hayden. And then I couldn't rule. It's difficult enough controlling a pack, but warlocks too? With a baby on the way, the death of Lina, my confused feelings for- It was too much." She got it all, or most, out. What she realised too was he had cared about the baby then and hadn't some hidden agenda behind it as she had thought; he just wanted his baby. "Hayden looks so much like you and he knows his daddy is extremely busy." Her voice had dropped to a whisper, cooing Hayden, whom only shifted in her arms, his eyes wide adding, "And he's really, really, really strong. Mammy said so."

Grash shrugged, lacking the patience to care about some warlock that once replaced him, "What can he do that we can't? He's nothing compared to you, don't worry about it. He probably wants you to get so worked up over it."

(Haha, they're pan fries, Like pieces of potato cut into like cubes then booked in the oven, so they look like mini fries. XD)

Lena shook her head at him. "Nuh uh, I could put it out," But with her watching him, she was sure that he wouldn't make a mess of things. "Now, cut the potatoes into smaller pieces. These aren't wedges, they're supposed to be almost squares."
***
Darren couldn't look at her for longer than a second. His chest was hurting as she spoke. Hadn't he told her that he wanted the child? "Why didn't you believe me?" he asked, voice rough. "And Hayden...what does he look like in human form,"
**
Bethany still felt a little...weird about everything. She had a bad feeling that something was going to go wrong. "What do we do now, Grash?"

(Lol! We call them potato cubes. xD) He awkwardly sliced and diced the raw potatoes, all the while not so confident in his movements. "Is that right?" Chris asked, holding a handful of the, what he assumed, cubes. *-*-*-*-*-* "I already told you I was going through a lot; I was confused, and I just didn't really think you meant any of it. Darren, I have trust issues." Hayden wiggled and squirmed so much she let him stand on his two feet. "Mammy said he can't change into a pant-" He struggled with the word, giving up and continuing, "Daddy looks like... me." Eliza wished his young brain would put two-and-two together. *-*-*-*-* "I suppose we should hurry James up since he seems to have fallen down a well with the delay we're experiencing," Grash suggested, taking hold of Bethany's small hand in his larger one, making their way to the room James had headed to. "Do you remember much of this place?"

"That's perfect," Lena assured, watching him cook as she rubbed her belly. "You have to keep stirring them up a bit every few minutes, so everything gets cooked," she told him, watching as he put the pan in the oven.
***
Darren tore his eyes away from Eliza and looked down at the little boy standing there, talking about his father, who he didn't seem to know was him. "I know you have trust issues, Eliza. That's why I wanted you to trust me so badly. It's obvious you don't, so you should just go. Once you find a place, tell me. I want to see Hayden again." And he wanted to see her, but he wasn't going to admit it.
***
"I remember everything," Bethany said with a breathless smile, her eyes travelling over the walls. She'd missed this place. "I'm...so sorry that I left. I really did miss you when I was gone."

"Why can't they cook without stiring? I don't get it!" he said, sighing dramatically as he caught a utensil and poked the cubes. Was he even doing this right? *-*-*-*-* Eliza hung her head to look at the ground, the glossy black mane falling to cover her crushed expression. It didn't really surprise her that he didn't want her; she grew up getting that all her life, why would that suddenly change now? When she had looked back up, her facial expression was far from the truth, a wide smile plastered to her face. "Of course!" she exclaimed with fake enthusiasm. Kneeling down to Hayden's height, Eliza pat his head, tugging on his shirt to loudly whisper, "Aren't you going to say hi to daddy?" The little boy looked at her with amused confusion, instantly converting to shock, his jaw open comically wide, "You-Daddy? But he's tall! I'm too small to be like him." Eliza half-smiled, "Don't be silly, you're still growing."

Grash silently fought with his thoughts, unable to hold back any longer, "What I can't figure out is why you left...." It puzzled him since he had found out she'd gone, and now seemed as perfect a moment to ask.

"Close the oven, and then leave them for a bit, and then turn them. Just shake them around. It makes sure that every part of the potato is cooked," Lena walked up behind him and rubbed his back soothingly.
***
Darren became terrified as the little boy looked back at him. "I--Uh--Hi...Hi, Hayden," What was he supposed to say? He felt so...angry. Why couldn't she have been there with him to raise their child? He...he hated her for it. Looking at the little boy that was his, but yet...not, it made him feel so much fury towards her.
***
Bethany had been dreading that question. "I...was hiding," she admitted softly, playing with her finger as they walked. "Their was someone I had to hide from, but...it's alright. Eliza and I took care of it,"

Chris did as she said, leaning into her soothing touch. "This isn't so difficult," he stated, actually smiling at her. "Are you sure you don't want to sit down?" Great, now she was making him into a softy. "Because I can handle anything." There, just Chris and his ego. *-*-*-*-* "Why didn't you tell me?" Grash asked, letting the anger show on his face. The anger was for whoever Bethany spoke of and for her to keep him in the dark for so long. "Who was it? How'd you deal with it?"

He blinked, cracking into a widespread grin next, "Hi. Mammy always told me bedtime stories about my da - you." He seemed pleased with himself, going on to ask, talking a mile-a-second, with an expression only to be described as amazed, "Were you ever scared fighting bad people? Did you really save mammy? Will I be big like you when I grow up?" Eliza died just a little when she saw the anger hidden in Darren's eyes. Nevertheless, she kept that fake happy smile plastered on her face. Like she'd tell him anything about her feelings. Yeah right. "Come on, Hayden." She had gotten to her feet again, taking the boy's hand in hers and, regrettably, closing the distance between the and Darren, only because he stood at the door. "But I don't want to!" Hayden whined, jumping up and down and trying to get free. "We need to find Bethany, sweetie." At least she knew that would get him reluctant. "Do you mind?" she asked Darren, not helping the coldness that seeped through her voice.

Darren tore his eyes away from Hayden, working hard to not glare at Eliza. "...No, go ahead," Oh yes, he minded, and he wanted to keep his son--and to some degree her--with him. But he didn't have a right to, and Eliza didn't want to stay. He moved aside to let them by, feeling torn by all his emotions.
***
Lena smiled and waddled over a chair. "Okay, but make sure you don' burn anything," She smiled lovingly at him as she lovered herself into the rocking chair and curled up.
***
(Post with Bethany later! GTG!<3!!)