Skulduggery Pleasant Fan-fiction- Love Amongst The Cain (Sequel to The Cradle Of Magic)

On the brink of everything.

-Raven

Damien Blackwood. As names went his was pretty expansive. I knew him and had since birth, he was more of a second father to me than anyone else. He could be trusted and in these times that was all that seemed to matter. At the age of twelve my father left my mother and got himself killed on the front line; they said he fought for his country and protected his friends with his life and that his death was the reason Damien still took breath. From that day on he vowed to shelter both Dex and I from harm until the day he too saw his last light.
Although in this case, his head was rested on the desk with a cold mug of tea in hand and lightly snoring as the screen flickered monochrome.
I rolled my shoulders and clung to my woollen jumper getting from my office chair and moving to him stroking his dark and silken hair softly.
He groaned a little and shifted in his seat, moving his hand away from his face and muttering slightly.
Smiling, I crouched to his side and placing a hand to his warmed cheek.
"Damien. Damien?" I whispered softly, tilting my head to my shoulder.
His startled eyes flicked open and his expression bore one of shock and worry, moving his head erect and ready. He coughed a little and rubbed his eye.
"Oh god Blaze don't do that." His face changed to one of warm and welcoming attributes and he smiled, lines of his coming age forming on his face. He lent back and closed his eyes placing his arms behind his neck.
"The time?"
I took his tea, to which had now formed a thin layer of cream on the surface, and rubbed his shoulder. "One sixteen. Still nothing."
He groaned and moved his head to a side, letting me rub the stress from his neck and plant a kiss on his cheek.
"You should sleep, Raven." He looked up as I shook my head and the computer mouse, watching the monitor flick back to life.
"I can't sleep, Ireland's in danger if it's security isn't tight. We need to fix our problem. Only then can we sleep."
There was a long pause, the hum of monitors and the soft click of keys filling the silence.
"People say you look more like your mother. I would disagree." He spoke quietly to my back.
I turned and watched him, a small smile forming on my lips. Bowing my head I moved away from the screen and sat on the edge of his lap, kissing his cheek.
"And people would say that you were the most favourable General TLOUS had. I would agree." He smiled and shook his head modestly, pulling me close to his chest and resting his chin on my head.
"And I would disagree. For that would be you."
I giggled and rested my head back upon his hard abdomen, closing my eyes and sighing softly. He found my ear and spoke gently next to the skin of my neck.
"I always wanted a daughter. I did, but what did I get? A boy."
I smiled and furrowed my brow playfully, "Don't be like that. You've got me..."
"I'm joking." He grinned and kissed my nose once more before the open of a door and the noise of loafers on wood.
"Anythin... Oh."
I looked up and smiled at Corrival Deuce as he too gave a warm grin and offered a mug of some sort of warm substance.
I moved from Damien's lap and took the coffee to my chest, lightly sipping the liquid black, "Thank you. No, nothing. There's a hacker for sure but we can't trace his coordinates. I think we'll have to try later in the morning after a light rejuvenation, my brain refuses to cooperate. "
He chuckled warmly and patted my shoulder. "Sleep. If Ireland goes to war, though, they are not blaming me. I made the coffee."
I smiled and stretched a little, waving to both men and leaving the room, heading to my bunk.
War he had said.
And how right he would be.
But little did any of us know how soon he would be right.

***
-Dexter

I typed angrily against the keys, feeling the pain build inside me as the time ticked on. I could not be there. I could not save her freedom, despite being a witness.
I loved her and I could not save her. For the second time.
The work soon became irrelevant as the clock at the side of the screen ticked by, the seconds getting closer together and the minutes getting faster. I would do anything to see her, to hold her. I had lost her once and I could not lose her again.
The door opened behind me. I turned and watched the well built english man stir his tea at the frame of the door. He tilted his head and sipped the hot brew before advancing forward and placing a hand on the back of the chair.
"They wouldn't let me, either, mate. I'm sorry."
I sighed deeply and rubbed the back of my neck, weakening the cramp and concentrating on the screen.
"I don't know what you-" I mumbled softly, clicking on an opened email and scanning it.
"Oh shut up, Vex. Just shut up. Rue and I have watched you for the last month.
You miss her, we get that. You might never get to see her again and we understand that's killing you. Just..."
Jack Havoc furrowed his brow and took control of the mouse, scrolling down the anonymous email to a link hidden beneath a document.
He paused before clicking and the page was filled with a news article from a mortal paper in Italy.
My eyes widened and I scanned the picture keenly, picking up a familiar face.
I quickly translated the subtitle 'Man killed in mountains. Remains of his daughter and himself found. Killers anonymous and currently loose. '
"RUE!" I yelled through the doorway, the sound echoing into the kitchen where my partner's feet were heard quickly pacing to the door and into the room.
"Wha- Oh sh*t."
He joined the two of us and scrolled down the news letter to which had been scanned in. "Sh*t. That's Jardan."
"That's what I thought. But why?" I mumbled, scanning the Italian and shaking my head. "Sh*t..."
Havoc straightened up and cracked his knuckles.
"Sh*t indeed. Dexter it looks like we have just the case to get over your girlfriend troubles."
I shot him a glare and Rue pouted.
"So we're not doing the get smashed regime?"
"No."
"Italy it is then."
Even further away from my Bliv.