Always a thief(lady/moon)

"it's so cold..." James whispered to Loki. "it's so cold here... she's so cold..." he mumbled, Gabe grimacing a little. James was acting as if they'd strung him up with Cold Iron again. he'd seen that happen before. James had been kidnapped by... well actually he had forgotten who. the man had... fetishes about the Fey and had... lusted over James and so had kidnapped him. thank god that Loki, Gabe and Alex had found James before the kidnapper had raped James, but the Kidnapper had bound him in Cold Iron to make him helpless. he had been much like this and Gabe knew the longer they where there the closer to catatonia James would get. when he heard the screams, James magic flared and he struggled in Gabe's arms. reacting to the sound of his mate in pain. he stared at the Faerie Circle. he'd never seen one before though he knew what they could do. what they where typically used for. James reached for Alex, instantly terrified. he didn't want his brother to be hurt, he couldn't stand the idea of his brother being left behind but Gabe finally growled. "Alex is right. we have to find her and get out. even if the murder comes, he cannot step into the circle without being trapped himself. Alex is perfectly safe for now. it's a way to slow us down, not to hurt us." he hated leaving Alex behind but there was no other choice. they had to find her, and get out as soon as possible.

“I know it is. We’ll warm you two up. We’ll make sure you’re okay.”Loki said struggling to keep his voice from showing how scared he was for his friend, tilting his head slightly as he heard the scream, looking ready to cross the barrier. He wasn’t fae, he wouldn’t be trapped. “No. Go,I can break a circle, I just need space. Find Belladonna.”Alex ordered seeing the look on Loki’s face, knowing that he could probably get him out, but the godling was still out of sorts from being attacked already, alex wasn’t willing to risk him having a negative reaction to breaking it. Glaring at tehm until they were out of the room he sighed softly, settling down to break himself out.

“....Now that we know it’s strung with Faerie traps, we can sense them....”Sith muttered frowning a little as he searched for the magic. While it was hard, oh god it was hard being cut off from everything, he could sense the wild magic that had created the circles under all that death magic. Growling softly as they edged their way slowly around the traps littered on the floor, he tensed a little, twisting his head to look up at the catwalk. “Sith?Is that you?”Belladonna called, whimpering quietly as she tried to stay away from the iron bars that were pressed against her skin, the cage so tiny she could barely sit down in the swinging cage, suspended over them.

James nodded, glad that Loki would be so helpful. he had to find his mate, his mate who was so cold and so scared and so hurt. "i can feel them." James mubled reaching out with what little he could of his powers. "i can feel the traps... let me show you." he mumbled to Gabe who gasped and nearly dropped James. he hadn't realized that James could let others use his power like that. or see through them? Gabe wasn't sure what James was doing, but he could now feel the shimmering edges of the Faerie traps. as soon as he heard her voice he was in motion, pulling things out of his pockets and standing on the startled Gabe's shoulders, flinching when he sat his hands on the cage, a wisp of smoke rising from his now scalded fingers. he ignored it and steadied the cage with one hand while he slowly rotated it so she could see them without having to move. "it's okay." he promised, his voice soft. "we're here. we'll get you out." he promised, examining the lock before nodding. "i can't steady the cage and pick the lock." he warned, looking at Loki. "Sith? can you boost Loki? he won't be burned by the iron." James didn't look like he noticed his hands where still being eaten at by the Iron, like slowly spreading fire that couldn't be seen. he wasn't about to let go of the cage when the slightest shift could push her against the bars and burn her. he was good at ignoring his own pains.

Loki snorted a little at gabe’s reaction. “I don’t know how he does it, but it’s creepy right?”Loki muttered to gabe, amused as he gasped, wincing a little as james scampered up before they could stop him. Wincing a little as he watched the spoke coming up. He knew this was going to be bad. “W-who?”Belladonna stuttered staring at her mate, looking utterly surprised and startled at the sight of him, even as she trembled, holding still as he kept the cage from swaying. “Yes, I will.Hold on, godling.”Sith said even as he crouched a little, knowing they had to hurry, knowing they’d never convince James to switch places with gabe until belladonna was out. Lifting Loki effortlessly he held the other’s ankles, holding the god steady as the thief’s little fingers quickly started to undo the lock. “Okay, james let go. I got her.”Loki ordered reacthing in, smiling slightly, “Come on belladonna, down you go.”he soothed, knowing he was unbalancing sith some, but trusting the fae lord to keep them both from falling as he helped belladonna out of the cage, easing them both back to the ground, even as the sound of gunfire hit them. Turning his head as he stared at the darkness, seeing the muzzle fire and the snap of a faerie trap being released, knowing Alex was in trouble, and free now. Not liking it even as he heard teh roar of a cat, heard sith’s cursing as he ran towards alex. Already suspecting what they’d find, a hellcat or something from faerie, trusting gabe and james to look after belladonna.

"it is creepy." Gabe agreed before wincing as he realized James was hurting himself and didn't even seam to realize it. the Death Magic was affecting him too badly, and being so close to his hurting mate wasn't helping in the least. "it's okay. my name is James Byrne, i'm here to help." he promised, smiling at her. "i know it hurts, it will only be a little while longer." he promised her. "we'll get you home." he assured her knowing Sith, Gabe and Loki all wanted to protest, but he was too week to lift anyone with all the death magic and him barely even started on recovery after loosing himself to the Wild. he was going to be lucky if he didn't go into a three day coma after this. "i'll let go when she's out." James said stubbornly. "i don't want her to get burned by the Iron, she's already been hurt as it is." he admitted, gasping at the sound of gunfire. "Alex!" James gasped, sliding free of Gabe's hold. it was like holding water when James was determined about something. James was nearly to the door when the last of his strength gave out and he collapsed, too exhausted to continue anymore. instead he called out to the beast he had heard roaring, begging it to 'please! not my brother! please! don't hurt him!'

“H-hello.”Belladonna stuttered eyes wide and scared as she watched him. “Fine. But you are going to be doctored as soon as we’re done here.”Loki growled annoyed as belladonna stumbled slightly, nearly falling as loki tried to grab ahold of james. “Get these two out of here. I’ll get alex.”Sith ordered, and between one step and the next changing into a huge sabertooth tiger. By the time loki and gabe got out to the car with the other two, Sith was carrying alex out to the car, both looking like they’d been slapped in the face with huge claws, which was exactly what had happened. Its a good thing the sidhe didn’t have to worry about scarring alot, otherwise the glimpse of bone that showed through across alex’s cheek would be worrying. Getting them into the car sith sighed quietly. “Go. Nothing’s left here.....it probably needs looked over. But these three need out of here.”Sith said looking worried as he eyed the building. Wondering what it is about the building that was truly annoying him, but not able to put his finger on it.

"yeah, whatever. it doesn't hurt." James promised, though that probobly wasn't a good thing. "i've got him. you tender to the poor girl." Gabe ordered Loki. he was well aware she wouldn't appreciate having a Demon around, particularly one as big as him. he picked up James, cradling him and carried him out to the car, smiling at Belladonna, wondering how bad off she was going to be. "shit. Lord Sith, are you alright!?" Gabe asked, wincing as he realized Alex was hurt. "Loki. drive." he ordered the man even as he settled in the back seat and pulled down the middle of the back seat and hauled a large first aid kit out of the trunk and started carefully tending to wounds, starting with Alex then turning to Sith before gently offering a hand to Belladonna. "are you harmed?" he asked softly. "James would never forgive me if you where hurt and i fixed him first." he admitted with a small smile at her. "we're going to your father, he'll be able to give you real medical aid, all i can do is offer a bit of pain relief to be honest."

“I got it.”Loki said nodding a little, well aware of the others thoughts, looking after belladonna as tehy carried them outside. Looking her over even as they walked, though for the most part she seemed mostly in shock, and pained from where she leaned against the bars, but mostly unharmed. “I am fine. I will heal, the Grimalkin’s inflincted wounds will heal soon.”Sith said, though he looked alex over worriedly, for once the worry showing on his face as he studied the prince. Because for him, no cat could truly harm him, at least not permanently, though the could force him to heal nearly humanly slow if the wounds were posioned, and a Grimalkin, a hellcat was a creature of the darkling throng. He wouldn’t put it past whoever coaxed a darkling to help him kill, to have made sure to get poisoned claws for the beast. While for him, the poison wouldn’t be dangerous. But if Alex leaned to far towards Oberon’s nature, then it might be. Though he didn’t know how to share that with Gabe, all he could hope for was that Cernunnos would know how to clean the wound well enough to not lose him. “Leave the bandage open, if it’s poisoned, it needs to breath and air will slow it if it can bleed out instead of being absorbed..”Sith said softly quietly, hoping james wouldn’t hear as he looked at gabe. “N-no. I will heal. The burns hurt but...I think I am well. Pain relief would be well though.”Belladonna said stuttering a little looking shocky and upset as she watched alex as he drifted, mostly past out, worried about her rescuers, and knowing that by the reckless speed loki was getting them home at, that he was more worried then he was saying.

"Grimalkin?" Gabe asked, the name sounding familiar though he wasn't sure what it was. "okay. no bandages." he agreed. "here. this should help though." he admitted, carefully using a spray bottle to soak the wounds which burned like hellfire for a moment before going blessedly numb. "James got it from some sort of sprite or something. being who he is, wildlife based creatures love him, and if he asks nice and bribes them with milk, honey and bread they'll make him healing oils like this one." Gabe admitted before carefully spraying Aex as well. "it won't hep with venom, but if it's a plant based poison this should slow the effects and the spread." he admitted, pulling out another bottle, this one full of brown liquid and very gently dabbed it on her Iron Burns. there was pain when he touched the wounds, but they numbed quickly and once he was satisfied he'd done all he could he turned his attention to James who had come out of his own head long enough to feel the pain and was now in shock and staring at the roof of the car. "oh James you shouldn't even be out of bed..." Gabe scolded, carefully spraying James hands, the man whimpering. "she needed me. she was so cold.... i'm still so cold." "i know. it's okay." Gabe promised. "you'll be warmer after some sleep, okay?" "Okay..."

“Hellcat. Think....a huge housecat with a even worse attitude then most cats, and claws as big as your hand. Nasty son of a bitch, and not something that’s just hanging around. Someone went looking for it.”Sith made a face before nodding, sighing softly as the wounds went numb, wincing a little at the small hurt sound Alex made. “Ah, that’s awesome. Gotta love sprites.”Sith said snickering a little before nodding. “It’s not natural for a grimalkin, so yes, it’s probably plant based.”Sith muttered. “T-thanks.”Belladonna stuttered wincing a ltitle at the burn before sighing softly as they went numb, closing her eyes. Exhausted now. “No he really shouldn’t, but we’re there. We’ll get him to bed soon.”Loki said as he parked, getting out and gently easing Alex out of Gabe’s lap, holding him gently as the other’s got out, looking vaguely amused that sith was carrying belladonna. “It says something about our losses, that we’re carrying three out of six inside...”The trickster frowned slightly, joking because he was upset and worried.

"so it's from Hell?" Gab asked, looking curious. he had never been there. he had been raised human and so had less knowledge even than the boys did about the Fey or Demons. though he had researched, it was hard to tell what was real and what was mythology. "Summoned and then controlled. whoever this is can speak to cats?" Gabe mused before smiling a little at James. "James has a way with anything that isn't human." he admitted. "when i first met him, i hated him almost instantly. and yet my pets, two cats a dog and three snakes, crawled all over him as if he was their master instead of me." he admitted, shaking his head. "i've seen rabid animals let him feed them medication and watched trees heal at his touch and pixies, sprites, elemental, everything just flocks to him." Gabe admitted before smiling a little at Belladonna. "you'll be okay now. hopefully you haven't got Iron Poisoning, i've heard it sucks." it wasn't deadly unless you didn't get treatment and even then it had to be a bad case. it was like an infection of a sort. a fever caused by over exposure to Iron. James likely had it, if only because he was so weak to begin with and had been burned so badly but Gabe was pretty sure he would be fine. "that's a terrible joke. your not allowed to speak anymore." Gabe informed Loki, holding the once again sleeping James while Loki carried Alex. Cernunnos was waiting for them with a 'witch doctor' in tow. human medicine didn't usually work too well on the fey, natural remedies where best. "on the beds." the doctor ordered kindly. "we'll take care of those nasty claw wounds first." she said, grabbing Sith's chin before he could leave. "ah. numbed. very good."

“Yes, and while they make a home in the unseelie courts when they’re not bound, they’re not....fae. They come to us, because it feels like home. At least, as close to home as some get once they’re turned loose from whatever summoned them. It’s rare, usually whatever summons them, usually kills them after.....and yes. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say the killer had a talent for cats.”sith frowned looking annoyed at the idea, before snickering. “I’m sure. It’s a little disturbing really, to see even the worst off animals treating some like that. They do it to cernunnos to.”Sith made a face. “I-I don’t think so. Just hurts. Being clothed kept it from being worse.”Belladonna said. Loki rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything, cradling alex carefully, before looking at the doctor and wild lord as he eased them onto the beds. “Hey, hey this will heal. It was a cat, take care of them first.”Sith said, looking ready to squirm away from the doctor as he watched belladonna nearly pas out. It seemed now that she was somewhere safe, she was utterly exhausted.

Gabe nodded because, being honest, he felt more comfortable with the Unseelie himself. he couldn't stay there though, not after what they had done to him and his family. he could not stay there because they would kill Alex in a heartbeat. "Yes well, Cernunnos is a God. James is half fey and half human." Gabe pointed out. "He should have that kind of power." at least, he shouldn't if he was actually half human. "shush." the doctor ordered Sith, smacking his unhurt cheek. "i am the doctor. you will do as i say." she stated with a sniff, gripping his chin still as she picked up thick paste made from plants and started lathering it onto his wounds. a good thing it had already been numbed or that would have hurt like hell. as it was his face was now throbbing as the hot paste pulled the poison out of the wounds. "Leave it on, half hour, then take a shower." the Doctor ordered, letting him free and repeating the actions on Alex before focusing on Belladonna, being much, much gentler with her. that was nothing compared to how tenderly she treated James, who was mumbling deliriously now about being cold. "Tsk. Fever already." the Doctor huffed, carefully tending his hands, almost burned to the bone. she was gentler with people who where really hurt. well, so long as it wasn't from their own stupidity. she had never had patience for people who hurt themselves because of their own idiocy. she had lectured Belladonna the entire time when she'd set the little girls leg, for taking a DARE of all things to jump from a tree or something equally dumb. James had done the damage himself, but she was tender with him ebcause she knew what having a mate in danger could do to a persons thinking process, not to mention he had been Wild not even a day ago and that fucked a person up too. Cernunnos had never seen her so gentle with someone before, it was cute.

“hey!no smacking allowed.”Sith whined, looking very cat like as he wrinkled his nose and sulked at being made hold still to be doctored. Even if he really couldn’t feel it, it was obvious the man was sulking at being held still. “I will.”Sith muttered kissing her cheek before retreating to his own rooms, not liking being around others when he was hurt. “Thanks....girl okay?”Alex muttered stirring when the woman doctored his cheek, blinking slowly. “He’ll be okay?”Alex said twisting to look at james, shifting as if he was going to get up. “Hey, lay still. No moving. I’ll watch over him, just lay back and recover. And even as good as you are, that poison and cut is going to take time to heal.”Loki said pushing alex back into the bed with a gentle hand on his chest. He might look slender and slight, but there was power in that body, more then enough to keep a injured fae on the bed. He might be weaker when the boys were at top game with him still trapped in a humans body, but when they were hurt, it leveled the playing field.

The Doctor scowled at him. "i changed your diapers." she informed him. "you will do as i say." she stated again before smiling at the kiss tot he cheek. he was a good boy, even if he was an idiot. "Girl will be fine." the Doctor promised. "Belladonna is strong. she'll be fine." she promised before moving on to James, sighing a little. "he be very sick. too much, yes. but he will be fine." she promised Alex. "you won't be, if you don't rest. poison is a bad thing. will kill you slow. you need to sleep, give time for the plants t work." she admitted. "now, lay still, sleep if you can." she ordered before returning her attention to James, feeding him some kind of cold brother. he tried to protest of course, but he didn't have the strength to actually fight back.

"I have no recollection of a such events."sith said smiling as he left."okay...I'm restjng..."Alex muttered. Closing his eyes as he gave himself over to the pain that he was in, falling asleep.

The next day alex frowned a little as he turned his head, wincing at the pain it caused, looking for gabe. Looking ready to get up even if he had no business trying to go to work, it wouldn't keep him from doing so."gqbe?"he called sitting up sloely, wondering if he was delusional or not, since gabe rarely left his side when he was hurt...maybe he was still dreaming?

Gabe moved into the room as soon as Alex spoke. Alex was now laying on a soft bed and Gabe smiled at him. "hey. good morning. how are you feeling?" he asked softly. "i was just with James. the fever got him pretty good. he puked up all over himself and i had to carry him to the bathroom." he explained. "Loki is bathing him at the moment. he's pretty delirious." he admitted. "The doctor, her name is Luna by the way, she says he'll be fine." Gabe promised Alex, gently examining the marks on his face. "she said you might get sick too if we couldn't get all the poison out, but that it wouldn't be any worse than having a stomach bug." he admitted. "you need to stay in bed for now because moving around will make you sicker as the poison travels through your system." he admitted, sitting next to the other. "this is all pretty fucked up. Belladonna hasn't woken up yet either. i think Lord Cernunnos is about to have an Aneurysm."

Alex blinked slowly, looking up at him with a quiet smile. “Sick. Like I ate something bad. My face feels weird to.”He muttered though he did resist the urge to reach up and touch the wounds he knew were there. Wincing a little at the idea of james being sick.”But he’ll be fine?You’re sure?”He said more worried about the others then himself. Before relaxing, he knew just how sick james could be with iron poisoning, but he knew the other would be okay. With time. “Good to know I’m not going to die for this case. That would put me in a bad mood.”He muttered relaxing, deciding that it was better to just give in, instead of making gabe force him back to bed, shifting to rest his head against the other’s arm softly,sighing quietly. “I’m sure she’s just tired and exhausted. She’ll be okay......and yea, this is fucked up. did you call it in, send someone out to search the warehouse?Killer's probably long gone, but we might get something..."

Gabe nodded. "that's to be expected." he admitted, sitting down next to his life mate. "you know we're going to have to tell them now. they probobly already suspect, being that the found us naked in bed together." he admitted, gently taking the others hand. "it's dangerous, but i think we can trust your twin brother and your oldest friend with the secrete right?" he asked with a smile. "i'm very sure he'll be fine. he's already recovering." he promised before snorting at the other. "a very bad mood." he agreed, smiling as Alex relaxed. good, it would have sucked having to manhandle his lover. "yes. our people are swarming the house." he promised. "they'll find anything thy can and we have people out there lifting the traps and the death magic too so we can go back and investigate again ourselves once they're done clearing the place. it will take a few days, so until then you have to rest, okay?"

“....Well, we could just tell James he’s delusional. I mean, they both were pretty out of it.”Alex said half hearted, because the only reason he’d really not told the other was because he had been utterly afraid of how james would react, and of putting gabe in even more danger then he already was by being his partner on most cases. Sighing softly. “Yea....I’m sure we can.”he said before relaxing, knowing james would be fine. This would be okay. “Good.....and if you insist. And only if you lay down with me.”Alex said, while he knew he should talk to his people, find out what they knew, he was feeling to sick and tired to get up and get moving. Simply just wanting to sleep and be held really.

"i really don't think that would work."Gabe admitted with a chuckle. "we could try though, it could be fun." he admitted, he was never insulted that Alex wanted them kept a secret. as dangerous as their lives where, he was glad to have the protection between them. "i will lay down with you." he agreed, slipping into the bed. "i think Sith and Loki can get James back into bed easily enough." he admitted, holding the other and humming an old song that had no words.

“no, I don’t think so, but we should try.”alex smiled a little. Glad that gabe never got upset with him for hiding. Never thought he was a coward for it. “Good.”Alex smiled happily, settling back to sleep.

Alex smiled as he leaned against gabe a little, wrapping a arm around his waist. “Hey James. How you feeling?”He asked, looking his sibling over. While he knew they all have been delirious for the last few days, he knwe they all were recovering, even if no one had wandered to see each other, gabe and loki and cernunnos had made sure they all knew how each other was doing. And while his face ached, badly, the poison was mostly out, and while he was still weak, and it’d be awhile before he was allowed anywhere back near his case, for the moment, he was okay. Or at least as okay as you could expect. Leaning against gabe more then he usually would simply because he wasn’t sure his legs were up to holding him.

Gabe smiled at his lover and James groaned a little. "i feel like shit." he admitted sluggishly. he was doped up on plants but he was very much improved. too weak to get out of bed, or even sit up on his own but he was coherent and more importantly, he was no longer lost in the dream world. he wasn't hallucinating anymore and he wasn't feverish either. "how are you feeling? any better? have you heard anything about Belladonna?" he asked, fussing because he was feeling well enough to remember his brother had been hurt and that Belladonna, his mate, had been too.

"Belladonna. my beautiful Nightshade." Cernunnos said, smiling at her. "are you feeling better?" he asked, bringing her breakfast because he was her precious daughter and he was worried about her. "whatever is wrong?" he asked, stroking her hair. "i wish you would tell me."

“So I can tell.”Alex said smiling slightly as he sat down, closing his eyes for a moment, resting before steadying some. “My face hurts, and I feel weaker then normal. I mean, I’m usually the weak one in this group, but I don’t feel steady.”Alex sighed softly, gesturing to his face. “These are deep and hurting, but they’re healing. At least according to Gabe, I haven’t looked, don’t want to see scars.”he said before smiling slightly. “She is awake and recovering. Quiet, and seems to be recovering from the iron sickness. But...whatever she saw, seems to have upset her greatly. Not that I blame her, but...”Alex shrugged because he was worried about her.

“Father.”She said smiling quietly, looking up at him as she took the tray, biting her lip as she looked at him. “I am feeling better.”She said, “Steadier.”She said as she sighed quietly, eating. Thinking it over, before...”....The two sidhe who saved me with Sith. Who are they?”

James smiled a little and nodded. "yeah, my hands hurt a lot too." he admitted. "i didn't even notice i was hurting myself." he admitted. "it's the Death magic. it didn't affect you nearly ike it affected me, but the death magic sucks energy out of people. your body hasn't had time to regain it's strength because it's trying to heal too. we'll be down for a few more days but we're alive and we're going to be fine and that's what matters." he admitted before grimacing. "....in the dreams, she begged for help... and she was... she was betrayed, i think." he admitted. "i think it was someone she knew. someone she trusted. maybe even loved."

Cernunnos smiled a little at her. "i am glad my love." he admitted, kissing her forehead. "you really worried me..." he admitted. "i should have known you'd be a sucker for danger when you jumped off of that cliff on a dare." he admitted with a smile before nodding as if he wasn't surprised by the topic change or the subject at all. "They are Gabriel Bloodsbane, whom i think you might remember. we tendered to him when you where around eight years old. you used to sneak into his room and tell him fanciful stories." he admitted with a smile. "the other is Detective Alex Monroe, here investigating a slew of odd murders. one i think that the Dark Queen has instigated." he admitted. "then there is Loki, the Odinson. ancient Norse God trapped in human for,m." he admitted, saving James for last becase he knew it would annoy his daughter. "then it is James Byrne. he is Detective Monroe's Twin. i am unsure how they came to have different last names."