Ash's Hideout

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black

Ash picked up on the details of the information the instant they hit her and knew that he had something she could use, though it would be different for her. He dressed her in a similar leather outfit to her other one, only this one had much more sensible heels. He'd also added her weapons and braided her hair. All in a flash of flames that did it instantly.

He couldn't do that often, but there was a need for it now.

He cupped her face to get her to focus on his dark eyes, "Anna... Use my powers. I know it's different for you, but you can do that with me bound to you. I'm a demon of desire. All desires. This servant desires to find this vessel for their master. Use that. Track the desire," he told her, opening that power so that she could gain the knowledge of how to use it instantly.

He didn't hesitate to help her at all, knowing that she needed his help to do this, "Distance doesn't matter either. Even if we're on opposite sides of the planet, you can still use my powers when you need to," he added, knowing that she needed to do this without worrying about him.

He wouldn't be able to keep up with her when she was Hunting, so he would stay here unless she called for him.

He pulled her in for a fierce kiss but finally let her go with a low growl and released her, "Go... Go and hurry back, My Anna..." he told her through his growl. He didn't like it, because she wouldn't be by his side. But he accepted it because she needed to do it....  

[Dameon Black]

Red Gypsy

Anna
Anna was a bit surprised to find herself suddenly wearing a new set of leathers. She noted how similar they were to the set she'd worn before, though she was relieved to find that the boots lacked the heels of the others. She really wasn't sure what she had been thinking when she'd had the leathers made with those heels. They had made moving around far more frustrating than it should have been.

She let out a soft gasp when Ash cupped her face and forced her to focus on his eyes. She licked her lips a bit and gave a nod when he told her to use his powers. "I've never used powers like yours before today, but I'll make use of them now," she said, sorting through the knowledge that she was gaining as he opened his powers to her.

She lost her senses for a moment when he kissed her with such intensity, but she managed to recover quickly as he released her. "I'll go as fast as I can. But if the one I'm looking for is the servant of another god, I'll have to approach things carefully. This city isn't Pandora's domain. That means that another god's servant is within their rights to be here. I won't be able to just attack them unless they prove to be a threat to the Sandman. But I can track their movements and discover who this vessel is. Pandora has made it clear that killing the vessel would only make things more difficult, but I can give them some protections to keep them from the grasp of this servant." She leaned in to place a kiss to his cheek and then vanished into the shadows, leaving him alone in their room.

[Exit]

 

[Red Gypsy]

Red Gypsy

Ash and Anna were in bed and he was enjoying holding her half over him. He knew she liked listening to him breathe so he wasn't complaining at all. But he had to wonder about the offer she'd made Gypsy.

"Are you sure about this Anna? You know what it was like raising the boys. Raising one that's mostly demon wouldn't be any different. And raising what we'd get from Gypsy would be a challenge in and of itself. Wind and Egan are already taking Morrigan's cubs..." he started, keeping his voice quiet for now, not wanting to break the spell of peace their rooms held for them.

In truth, he didn't know why Anna wanted to take on Gypsy's baby. Gypsy was a demon hybrid mated to a Harvester, of all things. The kid would only have a small bit of vampire in it. Gypsy's demon genes alone would be hell on them. Adding Harvester into the mix?

He stretched his neck so that he could place a light kiss to the top of her head, his Mark from her stretching with him. He could have gotten the information directly from her, just as she could him. But he wanted to talk about this one.

He wasn't about to deny her anything she wanted and he'd proven that numerous times over the last six months. Anything she wanted, she got.

He knew she'd been helping keep Gypsy sane while Wind, Egan, and Dancer had been doing the same with Morrigan. Ohvan's death had hit the two of them badly and he worried aobut them on a daily basis. Gypsy had nearly shut down entirely but Ash could feel the rage smouldering under her cold exterior. He knew that Morrigan could feel it as well even though it was never directed towards her. Gypsy was always tender with her and he'd seen it.

But Morrigan giving birth terrified Gypsy more than her own impending birth. He was still trying to piece that together but it didn't really matter for him in the end. There was too much going on with the whole thing to look at one piece of it.

And now Anna had made the offer to take the baby. He didn't know what was going on with that one.

Topping it off, the boys were being very secretive about something. It never turned out good when they started being secretive. It was usually terrifying for him because there was no telling what they were up to. They were almost ready to move out on their own, to be honest. But he found it hard to cut those strings and let them loose...

And now Anna wanted to add another one to the house...  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Anna
Anna was enjoying just laying with Ash, relaxing and listening to his breathing. After everything she'd experienced over the last few years, simply hearing his breathing helped to ground her and remind her that it was all real, that she really did have a life she hadn't realized that she wanted before. Things did have a tendency to get hectic, but being here in the peace of their rooms always made her think about just how happy she was now.

She heard his question and let out a soft sigh. She smiled at his kiss to the top of her head and then shifted a bit to look at his face. "I'm sure about it," she said softly. "I know that it won't be easy for us, but I think that this is the right thing to do. Wind and Egan are taking Morrigan's cubs, but they're not prepared for a baby like Gypsy's. They'll already have their hands full with just Morrigan's cubs, and they're only going to be half demon. And I promised myself that I would do whatever I needed to do to help Gypsy. I owe Kedar a lot, so I want to do everything that I can to help his granddaughter. And even without taking that into account, I've grown to care for her quite a bit. I want to make sure that her baby is raised in the best possible environment, even if she's not really involved."

She shifted a bit and raised up a bit to be more comfortable. "There is something else, too. I love the boys, and I would like to give them a sibling. But I've known for centuries that I can't have children. It never really bothered me before, but now I've built this life with you. I helped to raise the boys, but I didn't get a chance to actually do it as their mother. I was their bodyguard and trainer for most of their lives. I didn't allow myself to acknowledge the feelings that they had developed for me until you made me fully open up. You've all made me want to try to be better. I want to see if I can be a mother, even if I can't carry the child myself. And this may be the only way you and I get to really raise a child together as a couple."

 

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Ash pulled her in close and simply held her for a moment. In truth, she'd been the boys mother from the time they were barely able to walk, not just a bodyguard or teacher. The boys had both tried to tell her that. But Ash knew what she was saying and simply accepted it.

"Then I guess we'd better get up and get dressed to go check on Gypsy and start thinking about names. While we're gone, I'll put the boys onto setting up a nursery. They're old enough now to be left unsupervised. And you and I have both taught them how to protect themselves. Of course, after your last 'example' I don't think anyone will be trying to harm a single hair on their heads..." he said simply, giving her a bit of a tease in the process.

In truth, he loved how ruthless she could be and how protective she was of the boys. He also loved the fact that she wasn't afraid to put him on his a** when she felt like it.

While raising Gypsy's baby wouldn't be easy, it would mean alot to Anna and he gave her everything she wanted...  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Anna
Anna enjoyed being held close to Ash, allowing herself to relax for a bit. She knew that she likely wouldn't be getting much relaxation time once they took on Gypsy's child, so she figured that she should enjoy getting to relax for this moment. She heard him say that they should get up and get dressed. "We should, but I'm enjoying laying here for the moment," she said. "We can get dressed and head out soon. I'm really comfortable right now." She let out a soft laugh when he mentioned that no one would be trying to harm the boys after her last example. "Good. That means that I'm doing my job right. I may not have given birth to them, but I've truly come to view myself as their mother. I won't let anyone harm them. It does help a lot that I'm one of the most lethal assassins around."

She heard a bit of a commotion coming from outside of their rooms and got out of bed with a soft sigh. Shadows wrapped around her as she moved toward the door, dressing her in the fighting leathers that she knew he loved seeing her in. She reached the door just as a knock was heard. She opened the door, looking a bit surprised to see a very frustrated Egan standing there.

"Morrigan and Gypsy are in labor," Egan said, definitely sounding a bit exasperated. "Morrigan is cooperating, but Gypsy is being a pain as usual. She's just standing and watching Morrigan and growling when anyone tells her that she needs to get on the bed as well. I'm not sure how much longer Dancer will be able to keep his patience with her at this rate."

Anna turned back to look at Ash after she heard what Egan had to say. "It sounds like we really need to hurry over there. Gypsy is going to cause herself far more pain than necessary by being stubborn. You'll probably have to get a bit forceful with her to get her to listen."

 

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Ash heard the news and got out of bed, dressing with a flash of flames in the process. He looked at Anna, "Go get the boys started on moving into their own rooms and resetting the nursery. They should be able to do that without issue. You can rearrange anything in there when we get back," he told her simply then looked at Egan as she left to do just that.

He could tell that Egan was a bit more stressed than usual and shook his head over it, "Hey, we're taking on one baby... You're taking on several. Again. First Bethany's cubs, now Morrigan's. At least Wind knows what he's doing with them by now. Anna's going into it cold turkey. We'll get Gypsy set. That'll help Morrigan as well," he assured him softly then moved into the hallway to wait for Anna to return.

When she got back, he simply took her hand and put his other hand on Egan's shoulder, easily transporting them all to Sanctuary.  

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Ash finally brought himself and Anna back home with the new baby girl. They appeared in the front hall in a flash of flames and the scent of brimstone. Once he'd made sure that little Ember was still sleeping, he let Anna move on into the house.

He'd throught that they would still have to do some arranging in the nursery, but the boys had surprised them. They'd decorated the nursery perfectly, even taking into account that they were bringing home a girl. Still, they'd gone with softer tones for the new baby, and even added a perfectly comfortable chair for rocking the new baby.

They met them at the top of the stairs. Torrent was over the moon, "She's adorable, Mom! I hope she likes the blankets I picked out for her," he said softly while gently cooing at the sleeping baby.

Saber finally rolled his eyes and pulled his brother out of the way and offered a soft smile as e looked at the baby, "She's beautiful, Mom. What did you two decide to name her? Was there any problem with Gypsy?" he asked the sensible questions and remained more calm.

In truth, Saber was turning out to be the perfect heir to Grann's seat on the council. He was turning out to be calm, slow to anger, and very talented in everything that Anna had taught him over the years. Torrent still had a little bit to go before he was ready to take Alice's old seat on the council. He was just not quite mature enough yet.

The attack on Saber had matured him early for a demon and it showed. Of course, it was also the day that both boys had started calling Anna 'Mom'...

And they had the surprise of the nursery for Anna to see now...  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Anna
Anna smiled down at baby Ember as Ash brought them into the front hall. She stretched a bit to place a kiss on his lips before she moved into the house. She smiled as she caught sight of Saber and Torrent, happy to see the boys that had become her sons. One of the happiest days of her life was when they had started calling her 'Mom', making it clear that they truly had become a family.

She moved up the stairs and paused to let them see the baby girl that she was holding. "I'm sure that she'll love the blankets you picked, Torrent," she said, glad to see that the boys were so excited about their new sister. She had to suppress a bit of a laugh when Saber pulled Torrent out of the way so he could look at the baby. "She is beautiful, isn't she?" She looked back to Ash when Saber asked the baby's name and then offered her son a smile. "Her name is Ember, named after your father's sister."

She thought of the best way to answer his question about if there were any problems with Gypsy. "You know how Gypsy is. She's incredibly stubborn, especially when something is going on with Morrigan. It took Ash and Egan together to get her to cooperate, and she only got on the bed once Morrigan got off of the bed to drag her that way. And then I had to hold Morrigan down while Ash got Gypsy's baby out via c-section. Things got pretty intense. But everything is fine now, and everyone is resting and recovering."

 

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

The boys gave a nod, Torrent getting goofy over the baby again briefly before his brother pulled him away once more, "The nursery is ready for her, as is the smaller set-up in your rooms that you wanted. We also arranged for a wet nurse from the pack for her, so you won't have to worry about feeding her. She's a fox female from the pack who apparently has milk to spare, according to Griz," Saber told them softly then finished pulling his brother out of the way so that they could get the baby settled.

The Fox female was waiting for them in the nursery so that little Ember could be fed.

Honestly? Having a wet nurse was one of the things that had saved the boys after Alice had died giving birth to them, so it wasn't something that bothered Ash. And Anna'd had close contact with the wolf female back when the boys were babies, so Ash wasn't expecting any conflict now.

He gave the boys a grateful nod as he gestured for Anna to go on down the hallway, "Thank you boys... You'll have to start taking your Seats on the Council in the next few sessions, get the old buzzards used to you being there," he told them simply, silently telling them that he thought they were ready for the responsibility. In truth, he felt that Torrent needed a little more growing up to do. But Saber was more than mature enough for the responsibility of the Seat.  

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black

Several days after they arrived home with Ember, a message runner from one of the vampires ran up to the door and knocked until someone let him in. He passed a note over that had to be given to Ash urgently.

The note was given to Ash who gave a frown as he read it then passed it over to Anna, "Apparently someone just took out ten members of the Council at once, leaving behind evidence of their crimes... I've been 'asked' to come take a look at it..." he explained to her, raising one eyebrow at her.

While he knew she hadn't done it, he had to wonder if she might know someone else that had an interest in taking out all ten council members....

He held up a hand and raised one eyebrow at her, "I know it wasn't you, Anna. You've been taking of Ember. But do you want to tag along in case you can figure out who did do it?" he asked her, knowing that she'd appreciate his knowledge of her assassin skills.

Besides, there was also the fact that at least some of the dead idiots had prices on their heads and they'd have to contact the right people to get the payouts taken care of. If they could figure out who had killed them all, that person was going to be getting a very fat paycheck...