Rockabye, baby

There had to be something in the water, Felix was certain, because there was no way so many women could end up pregnant. The girl from work, one of the teachers at the school Henrick taught at, even just scattered about the place it seemed everywhere Felix looked, another woman was blossoming. Heck, even Cadence was on her second baby. Even imaginary sperm was potent. They'd been so worried telling Felix about this pregnancy that they'd kept it secret until Cadence couldn't hide the fact anymore. It had only been a few months since the mass murders of hosts that they feared Felix still hadn't fully recovered. Any changes to the routine he'd built up in his recovery would set him back.

It had been a hard, ragged road he'd traveled to get his sanity back. Hearing so many voices all terrified at once had nearly broken the poor man. Henrick had feared the life and glow would never return to Felix's green eyes. But, he was healing. He kept himself in a simple routine that allowed both he and Aiolos to adjust back to normal again. Being confronted by the evil that had hunted them and seeing it vanquished had helped considerably. The threat was gone, Felix could hopefully get back to his old life.

Staring at the back of the pergnant woman stood before him in the queue at the supermarket, Felix sighed heavily. Pregnant women were everywhere, but he was curteous and even helped her pack her shopping, carrying it to her car like a gentleman. She was a year or so younger than Henrick, and actually very sweet that Felix felt that his sudden dislike of pregnant women was unjustified and Sienna was undeserving of it that he went out of his way to help her. She drove off with a smile and a wave to him, and Felix went on his own way.

About two weeks later, Felix came across Sienna again at the same store. With a grin, Felix head over and offered to help her with her shopping once more.

"You really don't have to do this for me, Felix," she said as he pushed her cart along the aisle, leaning on his elbows. "I can do my own shopping."

"Bah, don't be silly. I want to help you. Its my way of apologising for the other day."

She frowned, unsure what he meant by that. As far as she was concerned, Felix had been a gentleman the last time they had met.

He grinned at her, flashing his sly, crooked grin that had captured a certain someone's heart. "I was thinking that there were an awful lot of pregnant women at the moment. I shouldn't have labeled you, you're a really nice person, Sienna."

At that, she sighed and looked down at the buldge at her belly, running her hand over it. "I wouldn't be so sure about that..." But she disclose anything else, and Felix - for once - didn't pry.

They agreed to make the shopping trips together. Sometimes Sienna would drive, and others it would be Felix. They had lunch at the store's cafe, and sat and talked about life, love and many things. Sienna was a single mother with an accidental pregnancy. When she had told the father, he wanted nothing to do with the baby - afterall they'd only been dating for two months. She was in college still, studying to be a marine biologist of all things.

Eventually, they moved on from just shopping trips to hanging out. Sienna had a beautiful singing voice, and she sometimes joined Felix when he was off busking. He gained more tips with a pregnant woman there with him.

But someone was getting worried about their blossoming relationship - Felix's partner.

When Fee came home, grinning, Henrick was stood in the hallway with a frown on his face that quickly wiped the smile from Felix's lips. "What's got your panties in a twist?"

"Are you having sex with her?" He felt bad for acting like this, but with everything Felix had been through, Henrick worried that he was wandering. Felix was never the type to be tied down to one place - even to one person, but he stuck around for Henrick. Maybe after everything that had happened, Felix no longer wanted this life.

"Henrick, she's just a friend..."

"You've been so distant with me. I thought it was just you still getting over the murders and attack, that you needed to branch out again. But if I'm keeping you tied down I need to know." Even at his age, Henrick couldn't help the tears from forming in his eyes. He had longed feared this day; the day when Felix was no longer interested in him. "You're always out with her, I've barely seen you in months."

"You've been working so hard, Henrick, that I didn't want to pull you away from your work. I'll say it again though, Sienna is just a friend. She's having a hard time, so I'm just helping her out. The baby cost her friends, family, everything."

"So, you're not leaving me?"

Moving from his spot, felix wrapped his arms tightly around Henrick. "Remember when I asked you to marry me? I meant everything I said - that I will stay with you forever. I may age a little slower, but the day you day, I'll be right there dying with you. This is one host that isn't going to live on past his loved ones."

"B-But..?"

"When I was in the queue that day, Aiolos picked up on what she was feeling. She needed a friend. How about on your next day off, you come out with us? Sienna's always asking to meet you properly, you're practically all I talk about to her."

With all of his worries melted away, Henrick met the sweet Sienna. The two of them gave her something she'd been needing for a while - friends. At her seventh month, Sienna turned up at their home without warning with something Henrick hadn't expected. Felix was out somewhere, but he invited the woman in. She was still more of Felix's friend than his, but he cared for her all the same. It was jsut as Felix had said - she needed friends to help her out since her original ones couldn't really care much about her - they considered her soiled goods.

She sat at their kitchen table, staring down at the glass of juice in her hands. "I want you two to adopt my baby..."

Henrick proceeded to drop the sandwiches he was bringing to the table on the floor. "You? Wah? Anh?"

Lifting big brown eyes, she looked up at Henrick. "I'm only twenty one, Henrick, I have so much of my life that I don't think I can properly care for the baby. I've mentioned to Felix a lot of times that I was going to put my baby up for adoption, but he was said I should think about it some more, so I have, and I decided I don't want just anyone to have my baby - I want you two."

He sat down opposite her, ignoring the mess on his kitchen floor. "But, Sienna, I'm not sure we're the right choice..."

"Felix said you think about it sometimes, about whether or not you should adopt a baby. Even if he doesn't say it, I know he wants a kid with you."

They sat and talked for hours, and she left just before Felix came home. Once again, Henrick was waiting in the hallway for him. "Sienna came to see me today,"

"That's nice you two are getting along without me," he said with a cheerful grin. They had helped Sienna, but she had helped heal Felix too. The bright, happy glint in his green eyes never faltered anymore. "What did you guys talk about?"

"Back when you first met her - what was she really thinking?"

"You know I don't pry into other people's thoughts."

"She was thinking of giving up her baby, wasn't she?"

Pausing at the fridge he was about to dive into, Felix sighed and stared at the contents. "No, she wasn't going to give it up, she was thinking of how to get rid of it before she would have to deal with giving it up."

"So you changed her mind?"

"So that's what you guys were talking about..." Standing up from the fridge, Felix looked at Henrick. "I managed to convince her not to terminate her baby, but not about keeping it. I've known for a while she's wanted us to have it."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I want us to have it too!" he admitted, slamming the door to the fridge shut. "I just wanted her to say it rather than me pry it out of her like some coniving telepath." With a sigh, he ran his hands through his hair. "I've wanted you and I to start a family together for years now, but I just don't know how to tell you."

Hunted

A.N: The idea of the symbiont and hosts has been brewing long before I 'implanted' one within Felix Almassy. It was originally a concept born from my love of Doctor Who and Torchwood. It was an alien race that lived on a world where they were forced to live within the bodies of lesser creatures. When humans finally arrived, the symbionts found new hosts, and formed a new sub-race of humans to the point where a huge doctrine came about that they could no longer use 'living' humans - despite the fact they were using 'brain dead' humans as hosts - and therefore bred their own kind of human to provide a vessel for the symbiont species. This idea, however, was altered for use on StD, simply because I didn't want Aiolos as an alien. Its an Earth-borne creature that has managed to live in secret within the human world for centuries, millenias even. There is, however, one idea I'd love to combine with both ideas of the Ventari race and the Earth-symbiotes (Har, har, I even gave them names), but instead of enacting it as a plot - mainly because Felix is the only symbiont-possessed host at Delacroix - I'm gonna drabble it instead. It also has the added fun of being future-world x)



It was odd, but for all his "Get out and see the world" ideals, Felix had the TV almost constantly set to one news network or another. Granted, half of the ones he frequently watched were global and if he couldn't be out there in the world, he could at least slob on the couch and watch it. Half the time, the television set was on, but he wasn't even in the room. Annoyed at his partners complte disregard for electricity bills, Henrick went to the set to switch it off when a news report caught his eyes.

"A young man has been found dead, laying in a ditch just off the highway. The body was discovered by passing dogwalkers. There has been no name released of the victim, but police are on extra alert due to the abnormal death of the man as he was found with his back ripped open."

The image that flashed on the screen of the fatal wound made Henrick's heart stop in his chest. Swallowing at the lump in his throat, he forced his lungs to co-operate with him in order to bring his voice to shout out. "Felix!"

"Showering!"

"Felix, get in here now!"

Emgering, wet and with a towel hastily pulled around his waist, Felix looked none too impressed that his shower had been cut short. "If you wanted to join me, you could have just snuck in..."

Henrick couldn't look at him, eyes focused on the screen as the news continued on, making the killing into a serial murder, bringing up the death of a young woman that had also died in a similar maner. "Is there any record of you?"

"I have a birth certificate, a school diploma, a civial partnership..." Felic ranted off in reply, brows furrowing in confusion "What's wrong?"

Finally turning from the screen, Henrick glared at the twenty seven year old. "Is there any record of you AND Aiolos!?"

Saunting over to where Henrick stood, smelling of minty soap, his green eyes went to the screen that Henrick couldn't keep his eyes off. "Its a murder..."

"Its two murders, Felix. Two people, with the same wound - in their backs."

Arms folded at his chest, and he shrugged. "So...?"

Reaching up, Henrick traced his fingers over the markings of the tribal serpent on Felix's back. "The wounds were right there."

"It doesn't mean anything, Hen."

Narrowing his eyes, Henrick looked up into those green eyes he could forever bury himself within. "What if someone is targeting people like you?"

"The only people who know about the symbiotes are the people with one, and those they trust. Remember the guy who gave me his? My grandfather? No one but me knew. Its not something the whole world knows about."

"But what if a host is going around killing others?"

Felix tilted his head to the side, looking like the whole thing didn't matter. "Non-violent by nature. If we went around commiting crimes it would bring attention to us. I don't want some cooky scientist turning up at my door wanting to disect me, or Aiolos. Symbionts don't just up and choose violent or murderous people as hosts. Its a coincidence, Henrick, nothing more." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Henrick's head. "Now, how about you come with me back to the shower?"

-

But nothing could keep him from keeping an eye on the news for more information about the two murders. For a few months theres was silence, then three more turned up dead within the space of two weeks. When the third one was announced, Felix began acting...Weird.

Weirder for his usual self, anyway.

He was having nightmares, and sometimes he couldn't sleep at all. One day Henrick caught him passed out in the kitchen from exhaustion. Worry set in, but no matter what Henrick tried to do to get information out of him, the older male just kept everything locked up. Even for someone that was immune to disease, keeping his problems and worries locked up couldn't be good for Felix.

"I can't get anything out of him," Henrick admitted to Gethin who had turned up at their apartment when he too had noticed a change in his closest friend. Cadence had a hospital appointment, which left the poor 'Imaginary friend' looking after Kimberly. The little girl stared at him with wide, curious topaz eyes as he slumped on the couch next to them. "I turn the news off when he's around, and I've stopped talking about it, thinking that might be it, but I just don't know. Confronting him isn't working, and neither is keeping quiet."

Gethin hummed in thought, eyes looking down at the little girl sitting on his lap, her attention now focused on the pull strings of her father's steel grey hoodie. "And you're now certain that the people that have been killed are hosts?"

"The wounds are practically identical, and all in the same place. Someone - or something - is hunting them down."

"But I thought without the symbiont, they'd still survive? Felix lives because he can't live without Aiolos. Others can live for years on afterwards after the creature has moved on."

Another heavy sigh, and Henrick thumped the back of his head against the cushions of the sofa, staring up at the ceiling. "I thought so too, but I guess the violence of the situation is killing them..."

"It because they're being ripped out..." came a weak voice from the doorway. Felix slumped against the doorframe, dark circles clearly visible under his eyes.

"Uncle Fee doesn't look so good," announced little Kimberly. She was quickly admonished by her father patting her head.

Rising from his spot, Henrick rushed over to his other half, arms reaching out support him as he slumped in from outside. "What's going on, Felix?" he asked as he lowered the older man into a seat. "How do you know?"

"Because they're screaming in my head," he replied weakly, slumping his head against the seat. "All of them."

"All?"

Felix nodded. "They have a psychic connection with one another. Low level telepathy thats only really short range. Aiolos has always kept secrets, he doesn't share everything with me. But the deaths...Violent, horrific..."

Henrick looked to Gethin and the four year old on his lap "Maybe Kimberly shouldn't hear this..."

With a nod, Gethin rose from the sofa, talking sweet little things to his daughter as he carried her into the spare bedroom. A few moments later, he returned and Felix began talking again.

"The last one to die...The girl, she'd been close to the previous murder. Her symbiont had picked it up, and before she was killed, it sent out a warning." He curled up on the seat, bury his head into his hands. Henrick had never seen Felix look so broken. "And now they need to keep in contact with one another. Its our problem, we're going to deal with it."

"We?" Henrick choked out.

"Any and every host and symbiote. To keep up to date on the information, they need to increase their telepathy world wide..." Curling up into a tighter ball, Felix pressed his head into his knees. "Its too loud in my own head."

part two - MECHANIC

Finding a place that would loan a group of teens a vehicle wasn't too much of a feat, and Henrick wondered why Felix didn't bother himself. Cadence was old enough to drive, although whether or not she was legally allowed to was under scrutiny. But, they found a local place within the town itself where they could procure themselves a jeep.

Convincing Sam to let them borrow it, however, took a little more persuasion, and Henrick was starting to notice just why the guy had chosen the "smarter and more intelligent sounding" of the group to go and get them their needed transport, because Sam would never, in a million years, allow someone like Felix anywhere near one of his cars.

Samson Porter was - without a doubt - sexy. He stood there with grease and oil stains covering both his white tanktop, and the exposed skin of his arms. Henrick gulped hard, focing that lump that formed in his mouth to leave him and allow him to focus on the task at hand. He hand his own boyfriend who was already a few years older than him, he didn't need to go looking at even older men. Brown eyes of the mechanic looked down at the fifteen year old, waiting to hear what he wanted to say.

"It's summer..." Henrick mumbled, forcing himself to speak. "Nice beach weather, and car. Yes, car"

"You look a bit too young to be driving."

"Ah, yes, not me, Fee - I mean, my friend is driving. Sent me, to, uhm..."

Sam's eyes drifted from Henrick to the plant that sat on the counter, and a smile curled ever so slightly at one corner of his mouth. Henrick gave him a confused look - that was mixed with all the other emotions he was currently feeling and probably made him look insane - and mumbled a few more things, still unable to get the right words out. Why couldn't Felix come and do this instead?

"So you and your friends are going to the beach, and want to borrow one of my cars?" Sam asked, getting out the words Henrick couldn't seem to say. He smiled lightly when Henrick relaxed considerably and nodded. "I'm not sure, I'd need to see this friend of your's, and his driving license. Why didn't he come instead of sending a messenger?"

Because Felix enjoys the suffering of other humans? "I-I...don't really know."

Sam let out a chuckle. "What sort of car do you guys need?"

"Felix wants a jeep."

Sam appeared to think about this for a bit, then turned to look at the area behind him where there sat a dismantled motorbicycle. He appeared to be looking for someone who was obviously not there. Turning back to Henrick, he informed him that he'd be right back and slipped off. From his spot in the reception area, Henrick could hear voices; one of which was distinctly Sam's and another he didn't recognise. After a few moments, Sam returned.

"We've got one that you can borrow, but you can't have the keys until I meet with this friend of yours."

Single forever

"So, you're still single?"

"Yes."

"You've never even been married and ended up getting a divorce?"

"Nope."

"Engaged?"

"Twice."

"So, let me get this straight, you're extremely good looking - for your age - you own several resturants, one of which is practically world famous and your work at, and you're a great cook?"

"That sounds like me."

"Then why the hell did those engagements never end in marriage?"

Christian sighed and shook his head. His nephew was visiting, and along with him came Kasper. Kasper was an interesting individual, but more than that, he just couldn't understand why Dawson's uncle had never settled down with someone. His twin sister had found someone, his other siblings had someone in their lives. He was alone, and very single. They were in Christian's lounge, the television on, and Kasper had decided to ask questions during the commercial break when Dawson retreated to the bathroom.

"They always said I was too focused on my resturant, or something along those lines," Christian explained with a sigh. "I then just guessed that settling down just wasn't my thing. It was nearly three, another one before those two, but well, family issues happened instead." He couldn't exactly tell someone about his mother and her fight against cancer. It still loomed over their heads till this very day. One day it could all end drastically for them. His brother-in-law already had the death of his grandmother, his mother was in a care home due to a stroke that placed her unable to look after herself. If the woman that was more than a mother to him went too he'd be devastated. Christian doubted how the rest of the family would hold if the rock that held them together vanished from beneath their feet. Maybe he just didn't want anyone else getting into their family anymore.

Kasper shuffled on the sofa. "Dazzy's grandmother's caner, right?"

"Dawson told you then?"

Kasper shook his head. "Alastar. I asked why everyone practically treated Madeline like she was fragile, even if she acts like some kind of warrior. He told me about it, and about his other grandmother dying. Is the family cursed or something?"

Christian chuckled. "And your family isn't?"

With a shrug of one shoulder, Kasper agreed. "I suppose having a werewolf would affect things a little." He stared down at his hands. "We don't even know if the virus has affected my Dad and I like it has with Vincent. He's never going to die." He looked up, unsureness in his blue eyes. "What if I can't ever die? What will happened to Dazzy?"

"For a cursed family, we're a strong one. Dawson will survive."

Kasper shrugged again, and looked back to the television set. Behind them, Dawson returned. "What're you two talking about?"

"Why your uncle is single."

part one - WHEELS

Henrick had his nose buried in a book that he was so far engrossed within that the sudden THUD upon the cafeteria table took him by shock that he practically yelp out loud. The book he'd been holding flew out of his hands, only to be caught by another pair that belong to the creator of the disturbance. More specifically, the disturber had pounced on the cafeteria table and was now crouched in a frog-like position, holding the book in one hand. curse Felix and his super human reflexes. He tried to narrow his eyes in annoyance at his boyfriend, but movement at both the older male's sides stopped him from frowning and isntead he just looked confused that made Cadence laugh softly.

"Overkill much, Felix?" Gethin asked from the other side of the male.

Felix had friends beyond Henrick. He was the reason Gethin had found sanctuary at Delacroix. Had it not been for him, then the two childhood friends may never been reunited together. For an ex-asylum inmate and an imaginary friend, they were both much more normal than Felix.

Felix flicked his head, moving the strands of hair from his eyes. He was in need of a hair cut, but one didn't seem to be forthcoming on the horizon. He clicked his tongue in reply to Geth while he focused on skimming through the book. "Is this a romance novel?" Felix asked. He took a deep breath as if to read it out loud, but Cadence snatched it away from him and took over reading it for Henrick, a smug smile on her face.

Meanwhile, Henrick stared up at the male that was still perched on the tabletop, arms folding at his chest while he awaited explaination for being rudely interrupted.

"I've had an idea!" Felix began, moving to the edge of the table, closer to Henrick. Legs swung down over the side, either side of Henrick, encaging him within the long, lanky limbs. He leaned forwards, pressing his nose to Henrick's. "And I need your help."

"Judging by you dragging Gethin and Cadence along, its not a completely insane idea."

"I'm insane," Cadence chirrped up from behind the book.

"And I'm imaginary," Gethin added with a crooked grin.

Oh God, they were in on Felix's dastardly plan.

He looked back to Felix, feeling the older boy's breath washing over his face. Being fifteen with hormones rushing like mad through his body, he was doing his all to keep his blush from flourishing like wild fire over his face. It was summer, and Felix was wearing less and less clothes each day. Today his white shcool shirt was unfastened, revealing and expanse of smooth chest. "What's your idea?"

"I need a car."

"What on Earth for?"

"Well, as awesome as Cadence's power was with Gethin, I don't think she can cope with creating us a car," Felix explained.

Cadence shook her head, eyes still focused on the stolen book. "You make it sound like I've tried."

Ignoring her comment, Felix leaned on his elbows, resting them on his legs. "Its beautiful weather, and we want to go off and enjoy some of the French summer. Just be thankful I'm not asking for a fake driving license."

"No, Caddy can create those," Gethin chuckled.

"Yes, because fake I.D.s are my speciality, after imaginary friends."

Gethin laughed and leaned over, vanishing behind Felix's body and out of Henrick's view. He reappeared at his other side, whispering something into Cadence's ear that amde her laugh, and then he stole a small kiss from her. Henrick had to admit that for such an odd couple, they certainly worked well together.

Looking back to Felix, he waited for an explaination to come fourth. When nothing came from the older male's lips, he found himself asking why he needed a car.

"If I told you that, then it would ruin the surprise. You just use those books smarts and such to get us a vehicle. Perferably something like a jeep. I'll sign all the papers and whatnot when you get them, we just need wheels."