Capricorns and Devil Horns

Butterfly Angel Wings

"What? Why did you come here first?"

"Whose Viv?" Jamie questioned.

"My ex." Morgan told him, "Keep up, Sweetheart."

"Morgan. Why aren't you at Viv's?" I asked again.

"She can hold herself. She's immune, so to speak. As are you, My Dear. Perks of your "condition". I needed backup. I can sedate her but I need someone to hold her down."

"I'll come." Jamie offered before I could even open my mouth, "Nora, will you get the kids ready for school and take them if I'm not back in time? I want to be of as much help to Officer Sterner as possible."

And they both left before I could protest. Morgan and Jamie. Jamie and Morgan. And little ol' me, lumbered with the kids while the big strong men went off to get their hands dirty like it was the 1950s.

I couldn't not get the kids to school, though, so woke them up after making myself a coffee. Struggling to get two kiddies ready for school, making sure they had everything they needed in their little bookbags, helped distract me from what was going on half an hour down the road. I didn't have time to ponder if Morgan could've been wrong about Vivienne's "immunity" or if they would both come back in one piece. I didn't wonder whether or not Morgan would be able to sedate Hannah for long enough. I didn't even consider the idea that she may have been able to over-power the three of them. No, I just got the kids washed and dressed, gave them some toast, and held their hands as we walked down to their school. A twenty minute walk became a forty minute walk with their little legs and constant questions. Are you going to pick us up from school today as well? Is that police officer that lives in your house your husband? Where's my daddy? Everything was answered with a "come on, hurry up" or a "how about we play I Spy?".

The walk back to the flat was when everything hit me. I was tempted to take a left instead of a right and start making my way down to Viv's, but I told myself that the boys were probably already back at the apartment.

They weren't.

At least, they weren't when I opened the door. Before I'd even had time to take my coat off, Morgan burst through the open door behind me, two bodies slumped over his shoulder, one with a mass of flame-red hair dangling to the ground.

"Oh my God."

"She hurt Jamie badly. He may die if I don't heal him quickly. I've sedated Hannah for as long as I possibly could. I need you to take her into my room and tie her to the chair in there with the rope in the bottom of the wardrobe. Do you understand?"

"How am I supposed to car-"

"Drag her by her hair for all I care. No time to waste. I would've gotten here sooner but at least four people got suspicious about me carrying two bodies and I had to wipe their minds a little."

He shrugged Hannah off onto the sofa, from where I pulled her by the arm in the direction of Morgan's room. Thank God I didn't have any stairs.. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Morgan carefully lay him down onto the sofa.

I tried not to get distracted and carried Hannah into his room the best I could. Being 4"11 wasn't useful for many things, and carrying 5 foot something friends was certainly not one of those things. She slumped back onto the chair by the bed, looking as though there was not an ounce of energy in her. I tied her hands around the back and her legs to the chair legs, praying that my 4 months at Cubs had paid off with my knot tying skills. I'd just secured the knots when the door creaked open and Morgan stood there, not an ounce of expression on his face.

"He's gone."

I stared back, wordless.

"Nora, I tried. Hannah lunged for Viv and he just flew at her and she knocked him back against the wall. He hit his head so hard, Nora... And as soon as I got here I tried to heal him. But it-it was too late..."