The worst part of any hunt was the waiting. After spending a very pleasant afternoon in each other's company, Rhys and Nat had finally turned their minds to business. With Lailah in on their plan, they'd made their way out to Dylan's place, careful not to cross any boundary line the demon-Aurelia might have set to give notice of visitors on the property. Lailah had disregarded that boundary entirely, leaving them waiting in the woods together as she relayed to Rhys' mind exactly what was going on. All demons were accounted for, and there were no traps or alarms set up, allowing the two mortals to creep up to the house itself, knowing well enough how to avoid being seen. And there they waited, in the shadow of the porch, for Lailah's signal that it was safe to proceed. It seemed to take an age, with no sound within the cabin to tell them what was happening, but finally the word came back to them that Aurelia was contained in the basement. It was safe to move on the demons.

Though Rhys had secretly felt anxious about the hunt all afternoon, once they were actually taking action, he pushed all his worries from his mind and got down to business. He'd been doing this most of his life, after all, and he and Natalya and even Lailah to a certain degree had been over the plan again and again. It seemed simple enough on paper, though Rhys knew even the best laid plans tended to go awry when demons were involved. At first, he thought it almost too easy, though it seemed to take forever for him to hear back from the angel. For her part, Lailah seemed to have no problem separating Aurelia from the rest of the group, and once that was done, it was a simple matter of exorcising the demon-possessed humans that were left in Dylan's house. Rhys offered a nod to Nat, silently letting her know it was time for them to do their part, and gestured with a hand to go left while he went right, in hopes of meeting back up where they started.

Natalya nodded back to him, purposely keeping from saying a word, and began to creep left around the house, barefoot in the bracken. Every door, every window she came to found itself blocked with a thick line of salt from the tub in her hand, and she made certain to stay low, beneath the line of the windows. The basement was Lailah's problem; for now, all Rhys and Nat wanted to do was trap the demons inside the house just long enough to do what had to be done. Whether it seemed easy or not, all it would take would be one cry of alarm, and they would have a fight on their hands.

Rhys wasn't crazy about the idea of sending his wife creeping around the house in her bare feet, especially since she was pregnant, but he'd spent a good part of the afternoon trying to talk her out of it and had failed. Once she was on her way, he did the same, skirting the circumference of the house and laying a line of salt against every window and door he encountered. Being taller than Nat, it was a little more awkward trying to scoot beneath some of the lower windows, and he was careful to make sure none of the occupants were anywhere nearby while he poured out the salt. He took his time so he wasn't seen or heard by anyone inside the house, but before long, he had accomplished the task and arrived back at the meeting place to lie in wait for his wife.

It took her a little longer, but she rejoined him in silence, confident that there was no way out on this floor for the demons within, and by the time they thought to try the upstairs windows, it would be too late. She nodded to Rhys, pulling out the obsidian demonstone and handing it to him. This was the bit they hadn't really done before tonight. She fervently hoped it worked.

Rhys took the demonstone from his wife, wrapping his fingers around it to keep it safe, his stomach tied up in knots in anticipation of the next step, which would either prove successful or disastrous. He hoped it was the former. They'd never used it before, but both the Lady and Sir Lionel had seemed confident it would work, but he trusted them both and knew Nat was right. Neither would let them enter a dangerous situation unprepared. For all he knew, the Lady was keeping watch over them right now. He hesitated a moment as if debating something and then snatched a kiss from Natalya both for good luck and just in case things didn't go according to plan.

She kissed him in return, just as fierce, just as fervent, and secretly just as worried that this might not work. But they had to try. Squeezing his hand, she slipped from his side, setting herself beneath an open window into the main room, ready to speak the exorcism with him when the moment was right. It was his choice, but the sooner the better. Preferably before they realized their demonic witch was not with them.

Fortunately, they had the advantage of surprise, and once he had his kiss, he wasted no time in going around to the front of the house and creeping quietly onto the porch. Once there, he tried the door, slowly turning the handle in hopes no one would notice and careful not to disturb the salt that had been poured out to line the front door. Hopefully, none of them were upstairs, or they might have trouble, but there was no way of knowing until he opened the door. Fortunately for them, the door wasn't locked, and Rhys drew a deep breath before pushing it open and tossing the demonstone inside, lobbing it like a grenade to land wherever it might. The beauty of the plan was that if all the demons were on the first floor, the salt that separated him from them would prevent them from attacking.

There was the sound of some commotion and confusion inside the house as the demons took notice, but it was already too late. He recited the words Dylan had taught him as a boy and that he knew by heart. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas..." he started, speaking in perfect Latin.

As the words that were being spoken sank into the surprised demons' minds, chaos erupted, made worse when Nat's voice joined that of her husband's, deepening the compelling power of the exorcism. "Ergo, draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica, adjuramus te ..." The demons screamed, as much in fear as in pain, each seeking their own exit, trying to escape the exorcism and the stone that glowed bright white in their midst. The females, in particular, clawed at the unseen barrier set up by the salt, snarling at Rhys in fury as their companions tried the back door, the windows, anything to get out.

Rhys had been smart enough to bring a flask of holy water along with him, just in case, and liberally doused any of them he felt got too close to the door. Without the salt barrier to keep them safe, he knew they were doomed, but none of these demons seemed bright enough to realize that, or had the power or time to do anything about it. His fingers twitched for his sword, which he could call on at any minute, if he needed it, but he hoped he wouldn't. As much as he hated demons, he felt only sympathy for the poor mortals they'd possessed.

As they reached the last stanza of the Latin incantation, the demons lost their grip on the humans they had possessed. Black smoke erupted from their mouths, their eyes, their noses, their ears, clawing its way to the ceiling only to be enveloped by the bright white light emanating from the obsidian demonstone in their midst. As the humans fell, knocked unconscious by the horrific experience of being dispossessed, what remained of the demons was sucked into the stone, trapped behind a wall they could not penetrate. Silence fell, and slowly the glow faded, leaving the house dark in the growing twilight. Nat peeped over the window sill. "Is it over?"

Rhys watched all this in mingled horror and amazement. Horror at the sight of the demons' souls being sucked from the humans' bodies, whom Lailah would soon return to their homes where they'd awake with no memory or knowledge of what had happened to them. He knew what that felt like and sympathized, but knew it was better for their sanity that way. He gave the room a second and third glance before calling back to Nat, "Yeah, it's over." He didn't have to look very hard to know that was true. The stone, along with the word of the exorcism had done the trick. He felt a flood of relief. Not a single drop of blood had been shed, which was more than he could have said for Lailah's plan.

She moved from the window and up over the porch, resettling her shoes on her feet before stepping over the salt line. "I must confess, I did not think that would work so well," she admitted ruefully. And to be fair, it had been easy. Neither one of them had a hair out of place. But the real work of the evening was below them, trapped in the basement with an angel who may or may not have the patience to keep her hands to herself.

Rhys held out an arm to stop her from stepping inside before him. "After me," he told her. After all, he knew the layout of the house, and they weren't out of danger yet. He wasn't sure what to expect from Aurelia in demon form, but he hoped their plan would work. The hard part would be getting that damn pendant around her neck, but he suspected Lailah would be able to help render the witch helpless, if only temporarily. "Doesn't it seem like it was almost too easy?" he asked, stepping over the salt line, careful still not to disturb it.

Taking his hand in hers, she squeezed gently, trying to be as supportive as she could without suffocating him. "Lead the way, dusha moya," she told him, standing close. This really was almost all in Rhys' hands.

For some reason, he was dreading going down into the basement, unsure what to expect there, other than an angel and a half-blood demon who was probably angry enough to spit nails. "I'd rather not," he replied with a chuckle, the sarcasm covering the deep-seated feeling of dread that was starting to make itself known.

"Then tell me the way, and I will lead," she informed him firmly, refusing to let his sense of dread get in the way now. This had to be done; they had made a commitment to helping his friend, and they could not do that while they were up here. Not to mention the fact that there were six people lying around them who could start coming to at any moment. "This way?" She pointed toward what appeared to be the kitchen, moving in that direction with the gesture.

"I was being sarcastic, Nat!" he exclaimed as he followed after her, through the kitchen toward the back hall where a trap door led to the basement.

"I know you, Rhys Bristol," she reminded him, coming to a halt beside the trap door. "You hide truth behind sarcasm when you are feeling something deeply. You do not want to go down there, but you must. And if I must go first, then I shall."

"It's not because of Aurelia," he pointed out quickly, realizing the truth. It really wasn't about the demons or Aurelia or the hunt. It was something else, something Adam had hinted at the day before - some memory that had affected him so deeply his mind had blocked it. "I need to do this. I'll be fine, Nat."

"Yes, you need to do this," she agreed gently. "But the motivation for doing it is no longer simply coming to terms with whatever it is that bothers you so about this place. It is a friend who needs you, and you cannot run away from that."

"I have no intention of turning away. I just hope she doesn't hate me when we're done," he said, unsure why he said it, but it was a worry of his. Aurelia hadn't asked for any of this, and he just hoped their plan worked. He leaned over to unlatch the lock that held the door closed and pull it heavily open. It wasn't an easy task in itself. The door hadn't been unlocked or opened in countless years, and it took more than a little effort, but it finally creaked open and Rhys let the door land on the floor with a thud, announcing their arrival to those who were waiting below. "Careful," he warned his wife, not wanting her to trip or fall or otherwise get hurt on her way down the stairs. Though she might be a thief, adapt at climbing in and out of small spaces, she was also seven months pregnant and looking very much the part.

Thankfully, the basement was well illuminated, thanks to Lailah. As soon as they stepped down, they became aware of a quiet growling, a feral, predatory sound that raised the hackles and put one in mind of a monster on the prowl. Nat tightened her grip on Rhys' hand, genuinely wary of what was waiting for them in the devil's trap.

Rhys led the way down the stairs, instincts kicking in as he didn't really remember his surroundings very well. He seemed to recall Dylan telling him never to come down here, and when he did....He felt himself shudder involuntarily at some buried memory he didn't quite recall, forcing his mind to focus on the present and not drift into the past. "Jesus," he whispered as they reached the bottom and he looked over at the woman he'd once considered a friend, trapped like a rat inside the devil's trap Dylan had put there years and years ago.

Aurelia was crouched in the center of the devil's trap, long claws flexing as she growled that low, continuous growl, glaring at Lailah from a face marked with dark tattoos. She was at once the same woman Rhys had known, and yet entirely different.

As for the angel, Lailah stood passively at the edge of the trap, watching her captive with a calm demeanor. She glanced up as Rhys and Nat came into view. "She does not seem conducive to civilized conversation."

"You're an angel. What did you expect' To exchange gossip on what?s going on in heaven?" Rhys remarked, slightly annoyed at the angel's observation and unsure if she was being serious or sarcastic. He assumed it was the former, as he wasn't really sure she was capable of humor. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but there are half a dozen unconscious people upstairs who are going to wake up soon with a lot of questions we can't afford to answer."

"Of course." Lailah inclined her head, pausing to look past him to Natalya. "I am glad you were not harmed, Natalya."

Nat started in surprise, but managed to nod in return before Lailah vanished from sight. She swallowed, wondering what that had been about. She and the angel had never really seen eye to eye. But there was little time to think on that now.

Aurelia's growling ceased the moment the angel disappeared, but her eyes turned to the couple with malevolent distrust. "Let me go."

They weren't even given a chance to say thank you before the angel disappeared again, gone to send the demons' victims home to wonder for the rest of the lives what the hell had happened to them, but better that than knowing the truth. Amnesia was a lifesaver sometimes. If anyone was certain of that, it was Rhys. Now that Lailah was gone, he turned to face the tattoo-faced woman in front of them, glancing at the ceiling momentarily as if to make sure the devil's trap was still there and wasn't going anywhere. "You don't remember me, do you?" he asked, as he glanced back at their prisoner.

A low hiss escaped from between taut lips, those dark eyes studying him for a long moment before the demon tilted her head, curiosity winning out over hostility for now. "Should I?" Her fingers flexed, the vicious claws catching the light in an unnerving fashion. "You know me? You know the witch."

On the back of the trap door was yet another devil's trap, which would keep the demon in the basement, so long as the door was in place and closed. Rhys wasn't thrilled about being trapped down there with her, but he knew things the demon didn't.

"I won't," he told Nat before she closed and locked the door. It was almost completely dark now, and he had to flick open his lighter to find the light switch to illuminate the small space. Once that was done, he returned the lighter to his pocket and gathered up the salt and the holy water and returned to his place in front of the circle. "What's the matter" No more smart remarks?" Thankfully, Adam had had the forethought to keep paying the water and gas and electric, just in case they needed the place sometime, though no one actually lived there.

The demonic woman smirked, drumming her long nails on the concrete floor, scraping the material with a nasty sound each time those claws touched the ground. "You are planning something. I will be ready for it," she warned him. "I will tear your liver from your body and make you eat it."

"We'll see," Rhys replied coolly. He'd had just about enough of the chit chat and just wanted to get it over with. Hopefully, if anything did go wrong, Lailah would come to the rescue, but he didn't bother to call on her for help just yet. He didn't quite trust the angel to keep her word and not just kill the demon outright.

"Lucky for you, nails on a chalkboard never bothered me much," Rhys remarked off-handedly, as he unscrewed the top of the holy water bottle and stepped away from the stairs, back toward the place where the she-demon was stuck inside the devil's trap. "Any last words?" he asked, a container of salt in one hand, the bottle of holy water in the other.

"Bite me," the demon woman snarled, eying his weapons with very wary eyes. Evidently she knew enough to know that what he had planned was going to hurt. A lot.

"Not with a ten foot pole," he replied, taking no joy in what he had to do, but knowing it had to be done. He just hoped he didn't cause the human part of Aurelia any lasting damage. With the flick of a very practiced wrist, he tossed holy water in the she-demon's face, hoping to temporarily blind her. He was going to have to enter the circle in order to subdue her, but before he did that, he had to distract her.

Whether she had been expecting it or not, there was little the demonic female could do to prevent that splash of holy water into her eyes, staggering back with a shriek of pain as her hands rose to try and protect herself. Where the holy water made contact with her skin, steam rose, hissing and bubbling, further confusing her sight as she lashed out blindly with those long, dangerous claws.

Rhys knew it was those claws that were dangerous, but he didn't have much choice but to get close. He'd just have to take a chance and hope he could stay somehow manage to avoid them. He followed the holy water with a dash of salt, hoping to distract her further before stepping into the circle and swinging a carefully aimed fist at her jaw, in hopes of knocking her unconscious.

He was lucky, and the demon-Aurelia was not used to having to fight with nothing but her claws, preferring to use the powers that had been made null by the devil's trap. Thus, when she caught most of the salt in one palm, she screamed in pain, jerking that hand back to her stomach protectively. Blinking as her sight began to clear, she snarled, pain and fury driving her on, and lunged at him, slashing with one hand.

Her claws caught the fabric of his jacket, tearing the cloth and drawing blood, but the wounds didn't go very deep. He only had two hands and had to drop something in order to swing a fist at her. The canister of salt was what ended up on the floor, but the fist only met with air as she lunged at him, her claws slashing his arm. He hissed in pain as he splashed the last of the holy water in her face before dropping that, too, and lunging forward to try and get his uninjured arm around her neck.

She felt her claws catch fabric and flesh, a vengeful snarl on her face, only to be blinded by a second splash of holy water to her face. Her sight rendered useless, she flailed with both hands toward where she thought he was, catching only air. But air was her main problem by that point, as a strong arm wrapped about her neck, squeezing the air from her throat.

He only wanted to squeeze the air out of her long enough to make her pass out, not to kill her. The demon half of her was strong, but once he got her in a headlock, he wasn't letting go, no matter how much she struggled or how deeply she dragged her claws into his flesh. He pulled her down onto the floor, so that he was behind her and as out of reach of those claws as he could be. The ring he wore on his finger that had been a gift from Nat would take care of the wounds soon enough, but for now, all his strength and will was focused on squeezing the air out of her.

She fought hard, clawing at his arm as black spots danced before her eyes, each breath growing more and more difficult to take as he cut off her supply of oxygen. Demonic she might be, but her body was still human enough to need air in order to function, and slowly but surely she was losing strength. When, finally, her body went limp, she slumped down, her knees buckling, almost dragging Rhys down onto the floor with her in her unconscious state.

Rhys gritted his teeth against the pain as her claws tore into fabric and flesh, knowing the wounds would heal soon enough, if they weren't too serious. He was almost more pissed that she'd ripped his favorite jacket than he was about his torn flesh. She wasn't making it any easier for him, but he was determined, hissing through clenched teeth, "You're gonna owe me big time for this." Words meant for the witch, not the demon.

Once she went limp in his arms, he loosened his hold and lowered her to the floor, careful not to drop her, as he practically collapsed beside her. Cussing quietly to himself, he fumbled in a pocket for the tiger's eye pendant and slipped it over her head, before scooting back out of the circle, just to be on the safe side. He'd find out soon enough whether it would work or not, and if it didn't, he didn't want to be anywhere near those claws of hers again.

She shook her head once again, finally releasing her grip on the pendant that had brought her back to herself. "I cannot go back to Rhy'Din," she told him quietly. "Three years have passed. What friends I had will think me dead or not worthy of their friendship any longer. Matthieu is either dead, or he has been cut off from me. I hope the latter, but I will never know." That caused a pang that showed on her face; though she may not have loved her whitelighter in the way he wished she might, she had held him close in her heart nonetheless. She could only hope that she had not killed him while caught in her demonic shift. "You are hurt, Rhys. Surely you did not come here alone, to face me?"

"I can't go back either. I don't want to go back," he told her, but there was no real sadness in his statement. It was just a statement of fact. He was happy here on Earth and in Avalon. He had never belonged in Rhy'Din; he belonged here with Nat and Adam and Gina. The real question was, what were they going to do with Aurelia" "I'm fine, Aurelia," he assured her again, pushing the sleeve of his jacket up to show her that despite the dried blood, there were no wounds to speak of, not even scars. "You're not the only one who knows something about magic." That didn't quite answer her question, and yet in a way, it did. No, he wasn't alone. He paused, frowning thoughtfully at her again. If she was no longer a demon, there was nothing holding her inside the devil's trap. "You're free. You can step out of the circle."

The relief in her eyes was palpable as she took in the lack of injury on his arm, sighing to express that relief even as she smiled wryly at his comment. "No, I cannot," she told him, her voice quiet. "Though the demon is not dominant, it is still there. I would have come to look at your arm for myself if that were not the case, but I fear you will need to release me."

"You know, you're the only demon I've ever been on friendly terms with." He glanced up at the symbols that had been drawn on the ceiling, furrowing his brows a moment in thought. She was asking him to trust her, just like she'd done over three years ago, when he'd gone to her for help. Unlike most demons, he couldn't exorcise it from her. He had to trust that she had it under control again, but what choice did he have" He couldn't keep her here forever. At one point or another, he had to trust her. It was either that or kill her, and if he'd wanted to do that, he would have done it already. He extended a hand to her, palm upwards to lead her from the circle, putting his trust in her, just as he had done once before.

One thing Aurelia had never done was lie to him. She had never tried to fix all his problems, either. She had done what she could and no more, and had never hidden the fact of her maternal lineage from him. Perhaps that was why he found it so much easier to trust her than he should have done. "I am not a demon," she assured him, laying her hand in his to be drawn over the edge of the devil's trap. "It is difficult to explain. We are sisters, in the same body. She is my mother's daughter, I am my father's, but without her, I would die, and without me, she would cease to exist."

"I can't say I'd be sorry to see her go. She's kind of a bitch," he remarked with the hint of a smirk as he lead her from the circle. The hand he'd held out to her bore a ring - three circlets of white, yellow, and red gold linked together to form a band that declared his fidelity to the world at large. "We can talk later. There's someone I want you to meet."

She laughed at his comment on her other half, sharp eyes noting the ring on his finger with a softening smile. So he had found some respite from his nightmares, after all. "She must be a very special woman, to have drawn you into marriage," she mused, speaking her guess aloud. Of course he wouldn't be alone, not if he were married.

He smiled at her assumption, his eyes lighting up at the thought of Natalya, who he knew was probably going nuts upstairs waiting for him - for them. "She is," he agreed, adding no more. There was a story there somewhere waiting to be told, if and when he had the time to tell it. "She's upstairs. Probably going crazy with worry."

It felt good, not to have to focus on the dire circumstances that had reunited her with a friend from the past, but to focus instead upon something vaguely normal, like meeting his now wife. Aurelia's smile relaxed further as she slipped her hand from his, showing no sign of nerves or discomfort. It was enviable how self-assured she was, even now. "Then you should lead the way to reassure her, Rhys."

"We met a few years ago," he explained, as he led the way back up the stairs. "After I got back from Rhy'Din." Of course, there was a lot more to the story than that, but she'd more than likely find out soon enough. Once he reached the top, he rapped a fist on the trap door to let Nat know he was there. "Nat!" he called. "It's me. You can open the door now!"

There was barely any delay between his knock and the sound of the bolt and lock being undone. Of course, there was something of a delay as the seven-month-pregnant woman struggled to lift the trap door, but that was to be expected. "Is everything all right?" Nat asked, before the door was open all the way, peering down into the darkened basement with worried eyes. "Rhys?" Her eyes widened as she noted the woman standing behind her husband - unmarked and apparently no longer demonic, wearing the pendant that had been blessed specifically for that purpose.

Rhys helped as much as he could with the door, but he didn't want to chance crushing his wife. He wished there'd been another way, but it couldn't have been helped. In the end, he'd banished Nat from the basement to handle things himself anyway. "Everything's fine. Step back so I can get the door," he instructed his wife, not wanting her to end up going into early labor from straining at the heavy door.

The tell-tale tap of those inappropriate high heels backing away from the trap door was all the answer he needed to take over the movement of the door. Aurelia stayed back, too, allowing him to open the trap door in his own time.

The door was heavy, but with a little effort, he managed to push it open, emerging at last from the dank and musty basement. It was hard to hide the fact that his jacket was torn and bloodied, but he seemed to be all in one piece. He turned to offer Aurelia a hand up the stairs, more a gentleman than he gave himself credit for.

"Thank you." This was the first thing Natalya heard from the woman they had gone to all this trouble to save, and just the mere fact that it was politely said in a soft, warm voice soothed a little of her anxiety. No demon could fake that amount of pure human manners so convincingly. She offered her hand to the other woman as Aurelia stepped up out of the basement, and the two women looked at one another for a long moment. Nat was expecting to feel the sting of her habitual jealousy at any moment, but the longer she looked into Aurelia's eyes, the less she realized she needed to feel jealous. There was nothing to be jealous of. She smiled, a little shyly, grateful when Rhys joined them and she could hide a little behind his shoulder.

"Then you must be glad you do not need to worry about getting your wife pregnant for a while yet," Aurelia teased them gently, but it was clear that she wanted to be alone. Something was weighing heavily on her, something she couldn't fully deal with until they were safely gone. They did not deserve to watch her fall apart and painstakingly put herself back together again through the night.

Rhys was smart enough to know it was going to be a difficult night for her, and his heart went out to her, but in the end, there was nothing he could do, but listen when she was ready to talk. "Oh, I don't think we mind practicing a little," Rhys remarked with a smile, realizing how the tables had been turned. The last time he'd seen her, she'd been the one with a partner, and he'd been alone. Or so it had seemed. "Aurelia," he started, his voice softening. Though they didn't know each other well, Nat had been right - she had been the one person in Rhy'Din he'd regretted leaving behind. "It's good to have you back."

For just a moment, Aurelia's expression was heart-breakingly vulnerable, the faintest suspicion of tears shining in her dark eyes before she drew herself swiftly back under control. "There is no way I can ever repay you this debt," she said, just as softly. "But I swear to you both that I will try."

Rhys glanced at Nat for a moment before looking back at Aurelia. "You already helped me once. You don't owe us anything, but if you want, we'll keep you in mind for future babysitting services," he teased.

Nat snorted softly, thinking this was perhaps a little premature but refraining from making any comment. Instead, she squeezed Rhys' hand, giving him a gentle tug toward the door, recognizing all the little signs of a woman who needed to be alone, and soon. "Come, milaya," she encouraged gently. "You promised Aurelia you would feed me."

Rhys frowned a little, feeling a little guilty about leaving her behind, sensing the emotions that were threatening just below the surface, though he understood her need to be alone, at least for a little while. "Okay," Rhys replied, reluctantly relenting. "We'll see you in the morning," he promised again, letting Nat lead him away whenever she was ready.

The witch nodded, watching them walk away. It wasn't until the door was closed behind them, until she had listened to their footsteps fade away into the night, that she let go of the tight grip she held on her emotions, falling to her knees in a silent, sobbing wreck, grieving for all those she had lost, all those she had killed. Those tears lasted deep into the night and would, in some manner, stay in her heart until the day she died. But as the night began to lighten, promising a new dawn, slowly Aurelia Dupuis began to pick herself up, piecing herself back together again. Whatever had been taken from her was now gone for good. She had a new life to forge, here and now, and she would not dishonor the lost by running from it. And she never knew that through the long, agonizing night, an angel watched over her, to honor the man who had brought her back to herself.

((Well, not every hunt can be incredibly in-depth, confusing, and painful, can it' :grin: Many, many thanks to Rhys' player for being awesome!))