Will come soon enough? Or will it be too little, too late?

Leah: That felt like it took forever, now we can finally begin our adult lives twin!!

Jeremiah: Yeah, I can’t wait to get out there and start earning money.

Leah: Not sure why you bother with earning money, we’re already rolling in it.

Jeremiah: You don’t understand sis, it’s the satisfaction of knowing that I earned it with my own sweat and tears that makes it worthwhile.

Leah: Sure, and that’s why you’d fit so well in the Business field right?

Jeremiah: Damn right.

Leah: Way to go brother. You could have at least gotten a nice suit.

Jeremiah: This…may complicate things…

Leah: Hehe, let’s hope I fair better than you.

Jeremiah: Mmm. Sure…this outfit is…terrible.

Jeremiah: Horrible!! Tasteless!! I’ll be a laughing stock!! Blubbityblubblubblub!!

Leah: Jeremiah? Is he alright?

Melissa: He’s just a little cuckoo right now honey, give him a few minutes and he’ll be fine. I’ve seen it many, many times before in my life.

Leah: And I win for best matching outfit. Spring is in the air, if I had any idea what that was of course…it would be in the air.

Jeremiah: Bwahhaha!! Penniless Peon!! Me!! Eheheh!!

Jeremiah: We’re poor!! Poverty stricken!! AUUGHHH!! Worthless…idiot head…

Theresa: I was wondering which one of us would crack first, guess big brother won huh?

Leah: Well once the Education system is back up and running no one will ever

have to fear not going to college again. I’ll make sure of it.

Theresa: Sounds great big sis, I bet my kids would love the chance to go to high school and then to college.

Esther: I’m not going freak out like Jeremiah. And I’m definitely overdue for a good outfit.

Theresa: I’ll stay in this robe, so that’s not a problem for me.

Esther: Shut up.

Theresa: Alright here I go!

Esther: Wait for me!! You’re supposed to be my twin here!

Theresa: Adulthood waits for no one, even a twin.

Esther: *grumbles*

Theresa: I win the clothes lottery.

Esther: I still have to check my ticket so don’t get all high and mighty just yet.

Theresa: We’ll see…

Esther: Aww yea!! Looks like I won!! Now this is the outfit of a future Rock Goddess.

Jeremiah: My baby sisters get better clothes than me, I look like a soccer reject

and I NEVER WENT TO COLLEGE!!

Melissa: Honey, maybe we should build a Quiet Room for our son…

A few days later…

Hope: Now’s my chance to get out of this house and on my own. My cousins have already grown up, I hate being the youngest…

Joseph: They grow up so fast…

Margaret: My baby is all ready to have her own babies now!! I’m so proud.

Hope: No one said anything about me having any little brats mom, don’t get your hopes up.

Steven: Just be sure to run any boys by your old man Captain Hero first baby. I need to approve them to see if they’re good enough for my little girl.

Hope: Please don’t…

Joseph: Oh don’t worry Steve, I’ve already set her up with a nice young man who works

as my co-mayor.

Hope: Oh god no…

Joseph: You’ve already met him before, and you liked him. Trust your old uncle kid, I have connections.

Margaret: Woo!! Grandbabies!!

Steven: I second that dear.

Hope: Please stop you three. I’d like to live my life as adult for at least one day before I

die of embarrassment.

Hope: Don’t tell my parents or my uncle okay Cyd…

Cyd: Wouldn’t dream of it. It’s our secret.

Hope: You suddenly look a lot hotter…

Cyd: So do you.

Cyd: I can’t wait to begin our lives together. I’ve already found the perfect lot to build our first home on.

Hope: Oh Cyd!! I can’t wait to see it!!

Cyd: Just get your things and I’ll prepare your parents.

Hope: You’re a peach honey.

Cyd: I have your father's and your uncle’s blessings, so will you marry me?

Hope: Of course!!

Cyd: And I’ll have to thank your great uncle Cain for his connections that got this house up so quickly.

Hope: Yeah, I heard Great Uncle Cain was great back in the day of Architecture.

Cyd: The only thing I regret is that I can’t give you an amazing wedding party.

Hope: It’s okay, there will come a day when that’s possible once more. You’ll see. My cousin’s kids will bring that back.

Cyd: I look forward to it.

******

Eirene: Daddy!! Daddy!! It’s time!! The baby’s coming!!

Hex: Great, and your mother is at work…I don’t know how to do this alone, I freaked out you were born, I was afraid I’d drop you on your head.

Eirene: Not helpful daddy!!

Hex: Sorry, sorry. Umm…push? I don’t know…

Eirene: I trust you enough to hold your grandson, I’m not done yet.

Hex: Wait, what? Oohh…wiggly little thing isn’t he?

Eirene: Hold on to him daddy.

Hex: Please tell me you don’t have four of them in there…

Hex: Is that it? Only two? Oh thank the gods.

Eirene: Twins…that has to be Fate, or irony. I had two once before and instead of one by one I get both at the same time.

Hex: I would say it was Fate. You know how those three love to mess with things.

Eirene: Yes, I do. Clotho especially.

Hex: So what do you want to call them honey?

Eirene: Umm, well that one you have I think I’ll call him Meleager*, and this one here…Lycaon*.

Hex: Naming them after Greek heroes and villains this time? That’s perfect baby, Meleager

and Lycaon it is.

*LYCAON (Lykaon): A king of Arcadia who slaughtered a child as a meal for Zeus and was transformed by the disgusted god into a wolf. (Lycanthropy anyone? Now you know the Greek myth behind the word) ^_ ̂

*MELEAGER (Meleagros): A prince of Calydon who led the heroes in the hunt for the giant Calydonian Boar.

No sense in breaking legacy traditions even if it’s not a legacy anymore right?

Meanwhile back at Angel Base…

Isaiah: MOM!! What?

Eve: I have a limited time to say this so listen well my boy.

the red of darkness; evil will rend asunder a fragile bond of

blood…

Seek the one thought lost and extend the branch of peace, three

shall fall and one will rise.

Isaiah: I don’t understand, what does that mean? Mom?

Eve: You look good boy. How have you been?

Isaiah: Mom, don’t you remember what you just said?

Eve: No. Should I?

Leah: I couldn’t sleep a wink, grandma and grandpa were out haunting all night.

Esther: Can’t we exorcise them or something?

Jeremiah: Where would you suggest we send them?

Esther: I don’t know, away from here.

Shiloh: And you’re sure that’s what Eve said Isaiah?

Isaiah: Of course, I may be old but I’m not crazy.

Komei: You people are weird, why did I come home with Mel again?

Esther: That’s what I’d like to know Caveman, who said you could eat our food anyway?

Shiloh: I’ll talk to the others, Skeet might have some ideas on what Eve meant. I’ll send him by soon.

Isaiah: Thank you Shiloh, I appreciate that.

Downtown, next to a creepy cemetery…

Nos: Keep pushing! You need this agility if you want to be on par with the Fanged! I don’t train losers boy!

David: Yes sir!

Nos: Good! Now push!! Show me a roundhouse kick now!

David: YEEAHH!!

Nos: Awesome power kid!! Great! Again!

David: YEAAGHH!!

Rachel: I want to try that, but he won’t train me on it. Chauvinist pig…

Nos: I heard that.

Rachel: No you didn’t, you heard nothing.

Nos: I hear all girl.

Rachel and David had been spending the last two weeks training down in the “pit” as Drake called it. He had this basement dug out for the equipment and to hide the weapons from prying

eyes that might be looking in the house. Nos had taken to David a lot better than he did to Rachel, she was trained mostly by Ileira on weapons like psis and the hidden blade stakes. She said it was a woman’s best secret weapon after her looks and wile. Rachel also had more dexterity while David had more power, the two worked well as a team together on the hunts that Drake had taken them on in the seedy back alleys of Downtown. The Fanged population downtown had been drastically reduced thanks to their hunting. Drake’s Most Wanted Fanged had yet to show up and he was

getting frustrated. He knew where Fricorith was about three or four weeks ago but since then he had lost track of him.

Drake’s second most wanted Fanged was Cain Angel, but he was still holed up at the Angel Base and was inaccessible to him. That left one Fanged unprotected, Adam

Angel. If Drake targeted Adam it would surely force Fricorith out in the open, and he got to kill two Fanged instead of one. That suited him just fine, the more Fanged he

kills, the better for everyone.

There was already a plan in motion to bring down the Angels, and their training was going very well according to Nos and his report. Ileira has said that Rachel is a natural with weapons, the best she’s ever trained. Drake never left an asset untapped when it

came to hunting the Fanged menace.

The Van Helsing name will be feared once more…Drake was going to make sure of it.

******

“LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!! WHY DO YOU KEEP TORMENTING ME!??”

Lucifer: Sounds like Cori is at it again, this is good. It means it’s finally

working. After all the trouble I went through to find it, it’s about time it paid off.

*crash*

Lucifer: There goes another table, if he wasn’t already suffering I’d make him rebuild all those tables by hand in the searing sunlight. And he wonders why

we took all the breakable things away from him…

Fricorith: DON’T YOU DARE MENTION HER NAME!! I’LL KILL YOU IF YOU TOUCH HER!!

Lucifer: Okay, now that was irritating. Fucking screech monkey, that was a

perfect shot I had going on…

Fricorith: Why won’t you just die and stay dead this time…

“I’m hurt, are you saying you don’t like my company anymore?”

Fricorith: I NEVER liked your company, even when you were alive.

“I’m alive now.”

Fricorith: No you’re not. You’re not real.

“ I am as real as you are Cori my boy.”

Fricorith: No, you’re not. You’re dead, I saw your grave.

“Doesn’t mean I was in it. They bury sandbags for weight remember?”

Fricorith: SHE made sure you died, on that rooftop, broken, powerless, and beaten.

Fricorith: Now THAT was a day I remember gladly. You, dead and gone forever. I even wanted to destroy that urn just to be sure…but he took it away.

That would have been sweet.

“You are vindictive, just like me. That’s why I chose you Cori.”

Fricorith: I AM NOT like you!! I’m not some formless void. I’m real.

“I am no formless void, I’m right here. Right behind you. I have always been behind you, hiding in your dark shadow…”

Fricorith: The light keeps the shadows at bay…she is my light. My Eirene…

“Ah yes, your little goddess bitch. If she’s supposed to be the love of your life

where is she now? Why isn’t she here to save you?”

Fricorith: You have NO RIGHT to mention her!! You demon!! Eirene will find me, she always does.

“How pitiful, you actually believe that. Poor boy, you are so lost without me

aren’t you?”

Fricorith: I DON’T NEED YOU!!

“Why would she? You couldn’t even save your cousin Gvaudoin could you? Pathetic creature…”

Fricorith: That was…she…I tried but the radiation poisoning was too severe…

“ Those are the excuses you tell yourself so you can sleep during the day? That’s

just sad. Some hero you are.”

“Had I been around I could have easily made her a zombie again, just like I did the first time. She would be dead but at the same time not wouldn’t she?

Then you could have the comfort of a rotting corpse you call family, that would have been awesome to see you acting like such a loser.”

Fricorith: Why do you even talk to me? All you do is insult me…

“It’s fun.”

Fricorith: I thought Eirene killed you Xylen, how the hell did you escape ? The Adriels said they sealed you back in your prison… that you’d never get out

again.

Xylen: Well as you can see, I did get out. And I came back to Earth just for you Cori. Because I know you missed your master so much…

Fricorith: No you didn’t.

Xylen: Well you got me; I didn’t come back for you. Lucifer made me an incredible deal that I just couldn’t pass up. A chance to kill some angels. I’ve always wanted a mounted Archangel’s head on my trophy wall. I think I’ll start with the weakest one, what’s his

name again, Raphael? Yeah, that was it.

Fricorith: You can try, Archangels don’t go down that easily.

Xylen: They will when I get my claws on them. They don’t know what I can do, I’m an alien evil remember?

Xylen: And of course breaking you all over again is just a pleasant bonus. You were always my favourite plaything Cori.

Fricorith: You aren’t real, you can’t actually do anything.

Xylen: Can’t I?

Fricorith: No. You can’t. Eirene is too powerful this time, she has her parents by her side.

Xylen: You think she’s the only one I can go after?

Fricorith: No…not…

Xylen: Oh yes, you were so hell bent on protecting your woman from me that you didn’t even care about your little protégé Adam Angel did you?

Fricorith: You will never get near him!

******

Yuki: I’m glad you came…I was afraid you didn’t want to see me anymore.

Isaiah: Yuki, I told you…I have a wife and four kids at home, I can’t just leave them.

Yuki: I am not asking you to, I just…though it was time you knew.

Isaiah: Knew what?

Rachel: What is it kaa-chan?

Yuki: Rachel…I want you to meet your father. Isaiah Angel.

Rachel: My what?

Isaiah: You mean she’s my…how? When?

Yuki: Rachel and her twin brother David were born just before your two older twins Jeremiah and Leah…

Isaiah: She, you look so much like me…but you have my mother’s hair.

Rachel: Kaa-chan you told me my father wasn’t around anymore. You never said he was still living here.

Yuki: I didn’t tell you I’ve known all along where he was, I wanted him to avoid dealing with the scandal while he was working his way up the Law career path, it would have

ruined him.

Isaiah: You should have told me anyway, they are my children too. I would have liked to be part of their lives Yuki.

Yuki: I’m sorry, I thought I was protecting your image and your reputation.

Isaiah: What about your image and reputation?

Yuki: Mine were already ruined and stained long before I ever met you my love…

Rachel: We did fine without you around, uncle Drake was there for us.

Isaiah: But he isn’t your flesh and blood, I am. You have four other siblings, an aunt and uncle, even a cousin. They would have loved to get to know you two.

Rachel: Yeah right, we’d be the bastard children, daddy’s little mistake, that they would

scorn and snub when you weren’t around, we know how that works.

Isaiah: You don’t even know them, how can you judge them so harshly like that?

Yuki: David, I’d like you to meet—

David: I know who he is mom, and I couldn’t give a shit! I will not associate myself or my sister with Fanged lovers like them! They are the reason why we

haven’t completely destroyed those abominations yet!

Isaiah: Fanged? What?

David: Get lost old man, I don’t want to get to know you, I don’t need you, and I definitely won’t stand for the way you’re trying to worm your way into my sister’s head!

Isaiah: I am still your father whether you like it or not, and I wasn’t aware that you spoke

for Rachel. I’d like to hear it from her own mouth about whether or not she chooses to get to know her family, your family.

David: My family is here!! And it will NEVER include an abomination like a Fanged.

Yuki: Isaiah…are you alright? I am so sorry for David’s behaviour.

Isaiah: I’m fine, and it’s alright. I wasn’t expecting a warm welcome after just meeting him ten minutes ago. He doesn’t know me, I was never told about his birth and that kind of

thing can really hurt a child you know?

Yuki: If I could take it all back…I would have told you right away, as soon as I knew…

Isaiah: I don’t blame you either Yuki. I’m upset and shocked of course but I don’t hate you for it. You must have had your reasons for not telling me, and that’s fine if you don’t

want to tell me what they are. I’m old, but at least I know about them now.

Yuki: My love…

Isaiah: Rachel seems to be a little more open-minded, tell her that if she wants to meet the other side of her family someday she’s more than welcome to. I’ll tell Theresa about her

as well.

Fricorith: Adam!! I’m so glad your safe!!

Adam: Well hello to you too Cori, I thought someone was breaking in when I heard the door lock turning. Where the hell have you been for the last six weeks?

Fricorith: It’s a long, long story. I had to get back here to see if you were alright.

Adam: Why wouldn’t I be?

Fricorith: I—I oh no…

Adam: What?

Xylen: I did tell you didn’t I Cori? You can’t protect him…I’m definitely real…

Adam: Holy hell man!! Where did you come from? And who are you?

Fricorith: Xylen!! YOU SON OF A BITCH!!

Adam: Who’s Xylen?

Xylen: Brings back memories doesn’t it? Or rather the lack there of…

Xylen: HAHAHA!! I love my job!

Adam: Cackling green freaks and pale ass blond dudes are so not my thing. I’m out of here.

Fricorith: Wait, you can see and hear him?

Adam: Uhh, yeah. What’s up with you?

Xylen: Going somewhere?

Adam: What the hell freak? Get away from me!!

Fricorith: GET BACK INSIDE ADAM!! THE SUN!!

Adam: Fuck that!! I’m getting out of here.

Xylen: Do me a favour, and cluck like chicken.

Adam: What? Bwack!! Bwack!! Bwack!! What the hell am I doing?

Xylen: I love it when their minds go to mush, it amuses me so.

Xylen: Looks like my little chicken is getting fried…

Adam: What’s that smell?

Xylen: Aww, that’s no fun. He’s burning up too fast…I wanted to enjoy this a little more.

Fricorith: ADAM!! OH GODS NO!! ADDAAMM!! LET ME DOWN FROM

HERE YOU FREAK!!

Xylen: One down…that should get the attention of those Archangels.

Fricorith: Adam!! Oh no!! This is all my fault!! I swore to Eve that I would protect her brother, I failed!! The spell on the door…I couldn’t break it!! I let

him die!!

Fricorith: It should have been me…I let Gvaudoin die, I let Adam die…they were innocent. I should have been the one who died…I deserve it for letting

Xylen near them both.

******

Eve: You’re new in town right?

Fricorith: Yes…you could say that…

Eve: Well I’m glad to meet you. Welcome to Angel’s Haven. I’m Eve Angel.

Fricorith: Fricorith.

Adam: You’ve become my best friend Cori but I hardly know anything about you.

Fricorith: You won’t let this go will you?

Adam: Nope. I’m stubborn like that.

Fricorith: Fine…what do you want to know?

“They were all innocent…until I killed them. I am the one who should be the

pile of ash scattered in the frigid, winter wind…not him…”

Ani-Mei: No one here knows you, this is your chance to start over, free from Xylen, free from evil. Take it.

Fricorith: What if I don’t deserve the chance?

Ani-Mei: Everyone deserves a second chance at a good life Cori, even you. You mustn’t forget that

you too were a victim.

Fricorith: That doesn’t absolve me from what I did to get here…nothing ever will.

Erica: We’re bound together by a powerful Blood Tie. He’s my master and I will find him again. He needs me…I have to tell him he’s not alone anymore, and I don’t hate

him anymore for what he did to me.

Theia: You’re family too Fricorith. We will protect you if those demons try to hurt you.

Fricorith: How can you say that so easily? I’m a liability, a danger to you and my child…

Theia: Eirene’s goddess powers may be blocked but she’s still a powerful white witch, so

is Hex. And don’t forget I’m still a legacy heiress too.

Eirene: I love you baby, don’t forget that.

Fricorith: And I love you too, more than you’ll ever know…

******

Danava: It’s time Cain my pet…

Cain: For what?

Danava: For the beginning of the end…

Beware the red of darkness; evil will rend asunder a fragile

bond of blood…

Seek the one thought lost and extend the branch of peace,

three shall fall and one will rise…

If peace ever hopes to return to the world.

Next time on Where Angels Fear to Tread: