well, i've been writing this story for well over 6 monthes and thought it would be time to share it with my friends on here. Its like supernatural but not supernatural, so let me know what ya think. It takes place in canada as well, in british columbia/alberta(provinces above washington and montana) My friends like it, so i thought i'd give it a shot...

DEVIL'S EYES

Chapter One

The small coffee shop wasn't very full when Paul Fisher and Sam Collins entered. The two cousins sat down at a booth, sinking back into the cheesy plastic seats. Both were hagard looking and unshaved, as if they had been pulling more than their fair share of all nighters. Sam's long shaggy brown hair was a mess, while Paul's was competing for next best thing to an electrocution.

"Coffee?" asked the blonde waitress, snapping her gum. The two young men nodded and she filled their mugs. Once she had left, Paul pulled out the paper they had been looking at moments before.

"Can't you just put that away for a moment?" groaned Sam, running his hand ovver his stubbled face. At 22, he was very good looking, with jagged features and tall build, and soft blue green gray eyes that gave him a thoughtful look.

Paul gave him a dirty look, glaring at his younger cousin with his own amber brown eyes. Paul was two years older than his cousin, but at least 4 inches shorter than Sams 6'4 height. His hair was also shorter, and although it was sticking up all over the place presently, was normally curly and kept close to his head.

"You know we have to find her sooner or later, Sam, so lets make it sooner, not later." he said, tapping the picture fo a young woman with curly tresses. Her name was Andromeda Archer. Sam sighed and sipped his coffee, cringing inwardly. Whether it was from the coffee or the woman was hard to tell.

When they left half an hour later, Sam was still in a bad mood. Even though he knew it was nescessary, it didn't make it any easier. It had all really started 20 years ago, when Sam had come to live with his father's brother's family. Sam's parents had been killed in a car crash when he was barely 2 years old. So baby Sam had gone to live with his uncle, aunt, and 4 year old cousin Paul.

The boys were closer than most siblings and did almost everything together. But it soon became apparent that there was something odd about Sam. He barely had any friends besides Paul and the other kids were wary of him. He would be a charming boy one minute and an absolutely evil monster the next. He could hurt someone without touching them and weird things happened to fire and electricity when he was moody.

Desperate to find out what was wrong with his cousin, Paul, now fourteen, joined a witch cult. Much to his horror and surprise, Paul discovered that Sam was being possessed and probably had been for a while. After studying up on how to release demons from thier human hosts, Paul drove the spirit out of Sams mind. Right before it disapeared though, the demon made a pact that it would return to finish off Paul and take over Sam again. Shaken, the two boys kept an eye out for strange anomalies in their life and learnt all they could about the supernatural, but gradually they forgot about the demon's dire warning. Until a year ago, when the two had come home from university to find Paul's parents dead on the floor, a dark message written in their blood on the wall.

"The time has come for what was started to be finished, Sam and Paul.

Keep your eyes open, your ears alert, because I'm watching you and I'm

going to kill you"

Since then, they'd been roaming the province of British Columbia, searching for help and fighting force against the demon. They'd had many close calls, with a near re-possession of Sam, and a freak accident that had nearly killed both men. Along the way, they'd met some very interesting characters, one of whom had reffered them to the young woman they were about to visit.

A cool drizzle was starting to force its way into the jackets of the two cousins as they made their way into Sam's '84 chevy silverado. They were just ambling their way up the dirty street when Paul slammed on Sam's brake foot.

"F*ck! What the hell'd you do that for?!" swore Sam, rubbing his now very painful foot. Paul pointed across the street at a young woman entering the convenience store. Her hair was dark copper and very curly. She turned her head and looked at the truck before entering. Only then did Sam recagnize her; it was Andromeda Archer. Still seething over his foot, he parked the truck and they got out.

"Okay, let me do the talking," said Paul, squishing his way across the muddy street.

"Fine, but try not to scare her." grumbled Sam, flipping a lock of wet hair out of his eyes. He knew he needed a shower, shave and hair cut, but he would have to wait.

The bell above the door dinged as they entered; the store was warm and friendly looking, but not very crowded. Paul made his way up one of the aisles, Sam following. Andromeda was looking at the dairy, taking out a two litre bottle of 1%.

"Hey," said Paul, coming up beside her. She looked up, giving him a small smile.

"Hi," she murmered in a soft voice. She turned to leave, but Paul spoke up again.

"Miss Archer,wait. My name is Paul Fisher and this is my cousin Sam Collins. Can we talk?" Andromeda looked back, surprised and slightly suspicious.

"We don't mean any harm-" began Sam. She locked eyes with him for a bare second, but Sam was jolted; her eyes were odd coloured, one pale leaf green, the other light gold brown. Then her face bloomed with panic.

"Sare unta sempre! Carr osk tanna mira!" she hissed, backing away and running. Paul and Sam tried to move, but couldn't; they were frozen in place. Only once she exited the store were they able to move again. Sprinting down the aisle, they yanked open the door and looked down the street. But it was too late; the woman was gone.

"Damn," swore Paul softly,"She was a witch."

"What tipped you off, the chantment?" growled Sam, but he was disapointed as well. Stepping into the street, they looked around again before totally admitting defeat. They trudged up to Sams truck and got in. Sam started the vehicle and once more they made their way up the street.

***

Sam emerged from the bathroom, clean and smooth faced. Paul was sitting on his bed, reading something on his laptop, already showered and shaved.

"Find anything?" asked Sam, running a large hand through his still-wet long hair. Paul grunted.

"I found our witch's address, but it would be pointless to see her now," he said, gesturing to the dark window, "We'll have to wait till tomorrow." Sam nodded, scratching at the shaving nick on his neck. He would be fine with that; he'd be able to get a good nights sleep before talking to someone who was obviously terrified of him. The two cousins ate out in the hotel's resteraunt before hitting the sack at 11:30 pm.

Sam was tired as hell, but he couldn't get the woman's face out of his head. Why was she so scared of him? He turned over, sighing softly and closing his gray eyes. The last thing he saw before drifting into blackness were Andromeda's amazing eyes.

so thats chapter one... please comment, i like comments, and i'll put up chapter two if people like it. and i have no idea if the spell Andromeda used was real, so please don't hurt me. :rolleyes: until later, warriorgrrrl

hmmmm...well, i like this, please continue! :D something new! :P me likey! :skip:

Thankyou!! I was hoping someone would read it, all my friends liked it and i knew that the people on here would like it too, so i put it up. Thank you, and here is chapter 2.


Chapter Two

It was close to 6:30 when the two men left their room. They'd argued over what time they should leave, Paul saying that the sooner they found Andromeda the better, while Sam argued that they should wait because the last thing they needed was a very angry witch on their hands. After coming to grudging compromise, they were now in Sam's truck at 6:38. He turned the ignition and the engine coughed to life. Paul immedietly changed the radio channel when he heard "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by that band that was so popular with kids these days; he could never remember what they were called.

Sam flicked his eyes disaprovingly at his cousin. He liked the song. Paul shrugged and settled back in the ragged seat. They pulled out of the parking lot and started up the mountain road. The place where Andromeda lived wa supposedly well out of town, so it would be handy in case things decided to get ugly. Both men were silent as they drove up the increasingly rocky road. As tough as Sam's truck was, it was just about got stuck numerous times. They were finally forced to pull over as the road narrowed to a small path and they had to go on foot.

Paul's scalp prickled as he got out of the passenger side. Something was wrong. He cast a look at his younger cousin. Sam was pale and he looked as if he could see something Paul couldn't. Sam swallowed hard and looked at Paul before walking ahead. Paul followed.

The path narrowed to a very small foot path where Paul was forced to walk behind Sam. Slippery tree roots and pebbles dotted the way. They were walking for maybe 10 minutes when they trail opened to a small clearing with some buildings at the end. Then they saw the cabin.

"Oh no," said Sam, running towards the loose door.

"Sam, no, Sam!" called Paul, running after his cousin.

Sam forced his way past the broken door into the room beyond. Shelves were tipped over, their contents laying broken on the floor. The table and its two chairs were in pieces on the floor, and beyond it all lay Andromeda's body. Her hair was falling out of its thick braid and wisping around her pale face. Sam crouched down beside her, removing the rubble that was sprawled around and praying she was still alive.

"Andromeda, Miss Archer?" murmered Sam, patting her cheek and checking for a pulse. Relief flowed through him as he felt a faint but steady beat.

"Sam, what the hell d'you think you're doing?" gasped Paul as he forced his way into the cabin. He glowered at his cousin. "Don't you know how dangerous that was? You know the demon was here and still you-"

"Paul, shut up." snapped Sam, "Andromeda's alive so we should worry about her now instead of what happened to her before, understand?" Sam gave a seering look at Paul and turned back to Andromeda. Paul swore under his breath and fought the urge to punch Sam. When they'd been kids, Paul had always been the leader, keeping Sam in line voluntarily or by force by way of fighting. Until the day came that Sam was stronger and a lot taller, and Paul had had the shit kicked out to him. Now they were more or less equals.

Andromeda shifted and coughed. Anger at Sam evaporated, and Paul also knelt down beside the woman. She coughed again and opened her eyes. First confusion then fear filled her gaze.

"No,no, get away." she choked, trying to get away from the cousins. Sam reached out and took her hand gently.

"We don't mean any harm. We just want to talk about what happened to you." he said softly, looking her in the eye. She bared her teeth in a feral snarl, preparing a vile curse on the tip of her tongue. Paul put his hand over her mouth.

"Now, now, lady witch, none of that from you. Sam and I mean no harm, even though he looks like a bear. He's perfectly tame." Paul paused. "Most of the time." Uncertain humour glimmered in her eyes and she relaxed. Her gaze flicked from Paul to Sam. Sam was jolted once more by the penetrating stare and this time his heart pounded a little faster as well. Their eyes lingered together for a moment before she turned her head back to Paul.

"I've been expecting you, Mr. Fisher and Mr. Collins, although I hoped that you would not come." said Andromeda in a low musical voice. She sat up a little straighter and shifted her gaze back to Sam. She raised her hand and laid a long thin finger on Sam's face. Sam let out a loud yell as ice fire raced its way from her fingers into his blood stream. His heart rate exploded and beads of sweat slid down his forehead. Shaking and panting heavily he looked up at Andromeda and Paul. She looked worried but knowing, while Paul's face was ashen and wary.

"I thought you were the one Koris inhabitted; I can see now I was right." she murmered gazing at Sam with sympathetic eyes.

"Koris?" asked Sam, still shaking. Andromeda's face twisted in hatred as she started to explain.

"The demon that is pursuing you, the one that possessed you as a child, and the one that destroyed my cabin last night." she growled, her eyes burning green and brown fire. Then she shook herself.

"The stars told me I would meet you two and another woman and we had the power together to end Koris forever." Paul and Sam exchanged a look.

"Theres only two of us." said Paul.

"What do you mean, another woman?" Sam said, peering curiously at Andromeda.

"You mean you haven't met her yet?" asked Andromeda surprisedly, "Well then, we must be meeting her very soon because the sign said that we would all be together in the coming month." Sam and Paul exchanged glances. If what she said was true, than she was a divinator as well as a witch.

"Do you know where we can find her?" asked Paul, tilting his head to the side.

"No," Andromeda admitted, "But if we wait, I might be able to get another dream or vision telling me." She paused. "If you let me come." Sam and Paul exchanged a glance before looking at the woman.

"Of course you can come!" exclaimed Paul, relieved at finding an ally at last.

"We'd be glad to have you." said Sam, helping her stand up. Andromeda gave him a soft smile, warmth glowing in her odd coloured eyes. For some reason, Sam got the feeling that she was important to them and their mission. But underneath it all, he sensed that she would be even more important to him. Something deep down connected between them as he returned the smile.

Paul frowned inwardly at the sparkle in his cousin's eyes. This was not the time for something between them to interfere with the job they were trying to do. He cleared his throat.

"Um, sorry to crash the party, but we should probably leave." Andromeda jumped a little, then started gathering an armful of tattered books and filling a canvas bag with herbs and vials of liquids.

"Do we really need all that?" asked Paul anxiously, ready to hit the road.


"If you happen to get yourself busted up, and we probably will, you're going to need medicine and whatnot." said Andromeda amusedly. She struggled to lift up her armload of books and bag, puffing a little. Sam rushed over and took the books.

"Thanks Sam." Andromeda murmered. Sam grinned, something he didn't do that often anymore.

The three made their way out of Andromeda's house and started down the trail. She cast one last forlorn look at the cabin before it disapeared for good. A warm hand touched her shoulder.

"I'm really sorry." murmered Sam, giving her a sympathetic look. She gave a wane smile.

"What's done is done. I have no need to grieve over what happened." she said. With that, she turned and followed Paul. Sam stood still, pondering her words. A sudden cold shiver slithered down his spine, making him jump a little. As he ran to catch up with the others, a pair of inhuman black eyes followed him.


Sorry it was so short(chapter 3 will be too, but they get longer after that.) I'll post 3 ASAP, and happy reading! :)

Ok! Chapter 3 is another short one, but after it, the ball gets rolling and the chapters get looooong. So here we go! And please comment, I love to hear what you guys think of it!

Chapter Three

Sams breath came out in puffs as he crawled out of the tent. It was 3 days later, and so far they'd just been trying to put as much distance between town and them.

It was close to evening; Sam had just lain down for a nap as the many late nights and early mornings were catching up with him. Paul and Andromeda were sitting by the small fire, sipping yesterdays coffee. He walked over and filled his own tin mug. The bitter taste made him shiver and cough. Disgusting crap. Swallowing thickly, he ran his hand over his face, 3 days worth of growth prickling his hand, and considered what was left of the coffee.

To hell with it, he thought and chucked the remaining liquid over his shoulder. Paul was reading a report on something while Andromeda stared into the flames, lost in thought. A thin howl threaded its way into the clearing.

Andromeda's head snapped in the direction of the sound. Paul and Sam looked at her, curious. She stood up.

"I'll be right back," she said, walking into the woods and disapearing.

"Hey, come back!" called Sam, twisting around. Paul caught his arm.

"Let her be Sammy." murmered Paul. Sam looked once more at the spot where the woman had disapeared before turning back to the fire and pulling out a small book filled with information on creatures of the supernatural. He was just settling in to reading about gollems when a tremendously loud and terrifying howl seared through the clearing. Both men jumped to high heaven.

"Whatthef***-?" exclaimed Paul, clenching his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. Answering howls were now surrounding them, making them quake a little. Sam gripped the silver knife he kept on his person at all times. If it really was a werewolf...

Silence fell, save the low crooning howl that had quieted the others. The cousins held their breath, waiting for something to happen. A stick cracked and Sam leapt up, knife in hand. Andromeda stepped out into the clearing.

"What the-" he started. Andromeda ran towards him grinning ear to ear, eyes sparkling, and threw her arms around him. Sams face turned the same colour of her hair and he cast an uncomfortable glance at Paul. Paul was looking at him through half closed eyes, brow furrowed in annoyance.

"I've had a sign! I know where we can find her!" cried Andromeda, letting go of Sam and looking at both guys.

"The other woman?" asked Paul, coming to his senses first. "Where? Where is she?" Sam took Andromeda's shoulders and shook her slightly.

"How do we find this girl?" he said, staring deep into her eyes. A sly smile crept over her mouth.

"Did any of you hear me say 'woman'?" she murmered mischieviously.

"No..."

"Well, you did say 'she', so..."

Andromeda's smile widened.

"Our new friend isn't entirely human and she doesn't take kindly to strangers. I would advise you both learn as much as possible on this creature here and hope she will cooperate with us..." She picked up Sams creature book and flipped to a section near the back, then handed it back to him.

"Werewolves... she's a werewolf?" he asked incredulously. Paul snatched the book from his cousin's hands.

"It's hard enough as it is to kill those bastards without getting bitten. Do you have any idea at how hard this is going to be to capture one alive? " said Paul, raising an eyebrow. A dangerous gleam entered Andromeda's eyes.

"Either we find her, or Sam becomes the demon from hell and you end up torn into little strips and fried in garlic butter. You can choose now Mr. Fisher, but I wouldn't hesitate." she growled, copper hair bristling. She truly was terrifying. Paul swallowed, smoothing back his curly dark brown hair.

"Okay, okay, okay, don't chew my head off." muttered Paul, "Where do we find her?"

"Her name is Patricia Baker and she lives near Bruderheim, Alberta..."

***

Like i said, this one was short, but its all in the plan. Enjoy! I'll try to have chapter 4 up in about a week, cause thats when things get interesting.

Chapter 4 is up and running. Here we go again, and please leave comments!!

Chapter Four

The wolf panted hard, saliva dripping from her jaws. Those three god damned humans had been following her two hours now. Effin bastards. Two males and a young female. Actually, they were all young, with the woman being nineteen and the oldest man about twenty five. The wolf paused to gather information on her predators. The oldest male was the second strongest of the three, the strongest being the other male whose scent was similar. Older male also smelt of pride and leadership, and of car oil and woodsmoke. The female was different, her scent quiet and subtle, of spices, nuts, and pinetrees. She was also a "shimmer", a person who worked magic.

The wolf turned her silvery head into the direction of the wind. The younger male was harder to read. Pain and loss came off of this one in waves, but beneath it came a strong sense of bravery and determination. This one was a fighter. Smells of coffee, soil, and clear mountain air were also detectable. Then the wolf's eyes snapped open. There was darkness in this one, and death. The wolf growled, licking her muzzle nervously. Though she sensed it wasn't coming directly from the man, she knew that the shadow in him had been placed their by a powerful being. And that he should be avoided; the shadow was growing stronger. She whined, choosing a direction to go.

She hadn't gone more than twenty meters when the younger male leapt out of the bushes beside her, a wire net in his hands.

"Paul, Andromeda, help!" he shouted, running after the wolf. Brush crunched wildly behind her, and the red headed shimmer ran out behind the male. The wolf snarled and lashed out with her forepaw, striking the man into a birch tree and winding him painfully. The female yelled something angirly and prepared to throw what looked like silver fire at the wolf. The male gasped something out though, and she stopped.

The wolf growled with pleasure and prepared to run off again. So intent was she that she didn't discover the trap until it was too late. The silver wire net fell from the trees, encasing the frantic wolf. She let out a howl of outrage, preparing to bite through the wire. Something clicked above her head. She turned her golden eyes upward and stared down the barrel of a gun.

"Either change now, bitch, or I'm gonna blow your head off. It's your choice." murmured Paul viciously. The wolf glared at him with all her loathing. Then she spasmed, and Patricia Baker's golden eyes scorched the air around Pauls face.

"Thank you." he said, pocketing the gun.

"Aw, f*** off, shit head," Patricia spat, her mass of blonde streaked black hair snarling almost as bad as her. Sam and Andromeda ran up to Paul.

"You okay, Sammy?" asked Paul, looking at his younger cousin.

"Yeah." panted Sam, clutching his pounding side. Andromeda touched his side in concern. Sam shook his head. "Later."

"Now, we're gonna let you out, but you have to promise us that you're not gonna kill us." stated Paul. Patricia spat out a line of salty language, but grudgingly accepted. Sam and Andromeda pulled the net off and Patricia stood up. Sam noticed with dark amusement that Paul was looking Patricia with the same interest he, Sam, knew he shared with Andromeda. Though it was understandable. Patricia was on the shorter side and more heavily built than Andromeda. She was wiry and strong, and with her amazing gold eyes and crazy hair, she looked almost stunning. Almost.

"Hey pinky, stop staring." she snapped at Paul. Paul flinched and opened his mouth to retort, but Sam motioned sharply to get him to shut up. Glaring at Sam, Paul closed his mouth and cracked a knuckle, still glowering at Patricia.

"Sam, can we get some air, please?" asked Andromeda. Sam looked at her. She seemed a bit pale and nervous. He shrugged.

"Sure." The pair slipped away just as Patricia hurled another insult at Paul. They walked side by side, their hands brushing sometimes, making them jump a little, out of embaressment more than anything. The woods gradually thinned out to a shallow cliff over looking a hollow. The sun was only just setting, and streaks of orange and pink bled into the sky. They looked at the scene, taking in its deep beauty.

"I want to thank you, Sam, for taking me in and letting me come along." murmured Andromeda, "It's nice to know that someone wants... wants to have me around." Sam glanced at her, and saw she looking at him with her amazing eyes. He cleared his throat.

"Well, Paul agreed that you should have come with us and-" he said, but Andromeda cut him off.

"Sam, you know Paul only wanted me to come because I was a necessity; only you cared for me in a regular way."

Sam was silent for a minute, pondering a reply.

"You're right; I really am glad you came. You've changed my life, Andromeda. If you ask Paul, I haven't been this happy in years. You've come to mean a lot-" more than you think, he thought "-to me in these past few days." he said quietly, facing her directly. Her gaze was soft as she looked back.

"Sam..." she whispered. Sam bent down and touched his mouth to hers in a second of impulsiveness. He held it for five seconds and let go. Andromeda looked at him through half closed eyes.

"Did I say you could stop?" she purred slyly.

"You liked that?" said Sam, slightly surprised. She smiled slightly and Sam pounced at the oppertunity to kiss her again, only this time, it was much more aggresive. Sam hadn't kissed a girl like this in years, and he was thoroughly wired to the passion and electricity that flowed between him and Andromeda.

It was not so for Andromeda.

Darkness had filled her head the minute Sam got past her lips. Fear raced through her veins, and she knew she was getting a vision. Black fire swirled around as she raced towards screaming. Sam's screaming. Terror ripped up her spine; oh God, what had happened? But she couldn't find him. Sams yells of anguish were filled with unbelievable pain and horror. Slowly, they faded to harsh sobs and then whispers of a million voices. Just as she raced towards the light, she heard a baby crying...

Andromeda dragged her thoughts out of the vision, as if struggling through a bog. She snapped open her eyes and found herself staring at Sam's long dark eyelashes. Only when he bit her lower lip did she come to her senses completely.

A hard hand pushed against Sams chest and thrust him away. Panting a little, he looked at Andromeda, surprised.

"Andi, whats wrong?" he asked, looking at the pale girl with confusion. She panted heavily, but not from the kiss.

"I shoudn't have- oh God, what did I do?" she gasped, twisting a handful of her copper hair. Sam reached out to touch her cheek, but she slapped hard at his hand.

"Go away Sam, you shouldn't have done that!" she snarled.

Anger and confusion wormed its way into Sam's voice.


"I shouldn't have? You wanted me to!" he retorted, grabbing her shoulders.

"Let go of me!" she cried, this time back handing Sam in the mouth. Sam spun from the impact, tasting blood; he'd bitten the inside of his lip. Wiping his bloody mouth, he glared at Andromeda. She was still pale and shaky, but he no longer cared.

"Fine." he growled cooly, "Be that way. I don't know what the hell I ever saw in you." He stalked away.

"Sam wait-" Andromeda called out, but the older man didn't reply. Andromeda stared at his retreating back but remained still. A chill spring wind wreathed its way across her skin. She shivered, but it wasn't from the wind; the memory of her vision still burned in her head. Some great pain was coming at Sam, one that may just cause him to lose his mind. And the baby... it was going to affect them all more then they would ever know...


***
Chapter Five will be up next sunday, and things get pretty hyped up. Its probablly my favourite out of part one, and its the longest. Enjoy and please comment!

Its Sunday!!!! And that means new chapter!! This one is long and gets the plot in motion. Let me know what you think!


Chapter Five

Sam stalked noisely into the clearing where Paul and Patricia stood. Both were smoldering at each other, but Paul shut up the moment he saw his younger cousin's grim features.

"Hey Sammy, whats wrong?" he asked, reaching out to take his arm. Sam shook him off.

"f*** off Paul." Sam spat, staring down icily at his cousin. Paul held up his arm and let Sam stomp the rest of the way to where Paul had moved his truck. A crashing of undergrowth announced Andromeda's return. The red haired woman looked around before turning to Paul.

"Wheres Sam?" she asked sharply, staring deep into Pauls brown eyes with her own odd coloured ones.

"Over there..." he trailed off, pointing at Sams back. Andromeda brushed past him and went to Sam. Wondering what on earth had happened, Paul turned his attention back to the werewolf. She looked just as bewildered as he did, but kept her mouth shut. Paul just started walking back when the sound of hot voices erupted behind him.

"Sam, look I'm sorry-" Andromeda said.

"Sorry?!" he spat back, "After all I've done for you, you should be!"

"If you'll just let me explain-" she tried again.

"Explain?" Sam laughed harshly. "You don't have to!" Andromeda paled "And you know what? I don't want to hear it, so go cry yourself asleep with Paul. He's been making goo goo eyes at you too, Miss Archer!" Paul stared He'd not seen Sam this angry in years. Andromeda looked like she was going to cry.

"Sam, what happened was a mistake... we shouldn't have let it happen." she murmered, so quietly, Paul almost didn't catch it. Looking at Sam, she held tight to the necklace she wore.

"So I was a mistake? Another one of your petty little mistakes?" The bitterness in Sams voice made Paul shiver. Sam went on. "It seems thats all I am; a mistake." He paused, and Paul saw deep age old hatred not directed entirely at Andromeda. "I wish I'd never met you, girl. You're an over-sensitive crying, whining, lost bitch who needs an older man to look after her. Well guess what honey, you're gonna have to look else where, 'cause I ain't gonna be him." A shocked silence gripped the clearing.

"You know what Sam?" said Andromeda quite calmly, "I think you're the one whose lost and crying, not me." She walked away from the older man, leaving him speechless. Sam whirled around and punched the door of his truck. Paul ran towards him, grabbing Sam's arm as he wound up for another swing.

"Hey dude, come on, thats our truck!" he exclaimed, establishing a rock hard grip on Sam's wrist. Sam strained against Paul's grasp, nearly breaking it, but stopped. Panting heavily, he shot a look of pure venom at Paul.

"What'd you do that for?" he snarled, voice rising.

"What, its not obvious?" exclaimed Paul incredulously. Sam looked at him angirly. "To stop you from killing our truck, thats what!" Sam muttered something foul under his breath. Paul swung Sam around and looked up at his younger cousin. Sams gray eyes were flaming with anger, and blood was trailing out of the corner of his mouth.

"Dude what happened to you?" Paul asked, gesturing to Sams mouth.

"Nothing." growled Sam, looking away.

"No seriously dude-" repeated Paul, pointing to Sams mouth with his index finger. Sam hit Paul's hand away.

"I said nothing!" he shouted, fury spilling off of him in waves. Paul held up his arms in surrender. Sam scowled at Paul and walked back to where Patricia and Andromeda were sitting. Andromeda reached out to Sam, but he shook her off. She bowed her copper head and Patricia walked over to her. Paul ran a hand over his hair; this truly had been the most bizarre day.

Sighing heavily, Paul went over to the two women. Andromeda's eyes were bright with unspilt tears. Patricia was whispering words of comfort into the other woman's ear and led her to a fallen log. Paul looked at them for a minute before going back to the truck and getting some matches for a fire. Sam was no where to be seen, and that wasn't necesarily a bad thing; he needed to blow of some serious steam.

Matches in hand, he cleared a spot from some old leaves and looked at the two women.

"Could you two ladies get some fire wood?" asked Paul pointedly. Andromeda nodded, and both were about to leave when a loud woody thunk sounded behind Paul. Sam was standing over a large pile of sticks and branches, anger still radiating off of him.

"Already got some." he stated unnecasarily, glaring at everyone. After a moment, he turned around and walked back into the forest. Andromeda looked at him mournfully, but stayed put. Wondering what the hell was really going on here, Paul turned his attention back to the still unprepared fire.

Sam stomped off until he'd gone almost a kilometer. The trees's shadows darkened the area around him as the evening progressed. He leaned his full 6'4 frame against a tree and stared at the sky and its coming stars. Anger at Andromeda, the world, and himself bubbled steadily for a moment before erupting once more into full blown volcanic rage. The innocent tree behind him took the brunt of the beating as Sam took out his fustration and anger.

Stupid f***ing idiots, stupid demon, stupid girl, stupid ass of a cousin, stupid, stupid STUPID- The yell of rage that escaped Sam was barely human and he slid to the base of the tree, shaking a little and crying even less. Really f***ing stupid- he hadn't cried in years, even when uncle Danny and aunt Leanne died, he didn't cry. And here he was with tears sliding down his face. Stupid!

Sam looked at his knuckles and laughed harshly; what the tree had recieved was nothing compared to his hands. Both of his hands were bloody and bruised with wood splinters sticking out of the scrapes and cuts. Oh, they were going to hurt tomorrow... Chuckling rather insanely to himself, he looked once more at the sky. Life was really f***ing perfect right now... not. He couldn't wait to see what happened next.

"Well, well. Sam Collins, it has been a while." spoke a sleek voice from the shadows. Sam's head snapped down to the direction of the voice. A dark figure stepped out and Sams blood froze.

"What has it been, ten years?" the figure laughed and looked at the younger man with inhuman glittering black eyes. "Well, I must say, you've certainly grown up since I say you last. And a lot more powerful. All the better for me, Sammy." The demon grinned, revealing pointed teeth in a mouth of pitch black. Sam swallowed thickly as he looked up at Koris. This was as stupid as things got. The demon was tall, almost as tall as Sam, but barely human looking. His skin was pale enough to see the shadows coursing underneath, his hair as black as his eyes. That in itself was frightening enough, but the eyes more than anything, were what caused Sam's blood to freeze. Those eyes had seen the true depths of Hell, of death. Black pitiless orbs that had once looked through Sam's child eyes.

"What are you doing here?" asked Sam, his gray eyes dancing with fear. The demon smiled again.

"You already know, Sammy. Your time is fast approaching, so lets put you to the test..." Koris jerked his hand upward and Sam was lifted to his feet. Thrusting the man against the tree behind him, Koris walked over and lifted a single bony finger to Sam's chest. Sam watched in horror as the demon's nail extended and ripped his shirt down over his heart. Goose bumps rippled over Sam's skin as the cool night air hit him.

"Now, lets see how well you've gotten come along." Koris dug in his claw and dragged across Sam's skin, causing a line of blood to trickle out. Sam gasped in pain, but refused to yell. He looked at the demon, who was studying Sam's blood between his fingers. A snarling hiss escaped his mouth and he hit Sam hard in the mouth. Sam tasted blood for the second time that night.

Koris yanked back Sam's head and thrust his hand under Sam's nose.

"This," he spat, "is pathetic. I expected better from you, Sam. But now I can see now the only way for us to succeed is for me to help you along." Koris snarled and dug in his claw into Sam's chest. This time, the pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. He screamed in agony for a solid minute as fiery ice raced through his skeleton, seering the marrow. He broke off, gasping for air and trembling hard. Shaking, he looked down and fought the bile that rose in his throat. A dark red x had been carved on the spot just below his collar bone. Thin veins of black spriraled away from the x.

"Oh God... what did you do?"whispered Sam, his back still pressed against the tree. Koris bared his feral teeth.

“Once that mark turns black, you’ll know the time has come. Until then, Mr. Collins-” The demon let out a battish shriek and vaporized into the night. Sam slumped to the base of the tree once the demon had evaporated, the spell holding him gone with Koris.



Sam looked down and pulled back the torn cloth. He swallowed thickly and moaned; oh, this was very bad… He struggled to sit up properly, but fell back with a yowl of pain, trying not to puke.



“Sammy!” cried a voice. It was Paul. Three flashlight beams were twisting through the woods.

“Over here!” Sam called, clutching the mark on his chest. There was a crunching of underbrush and Paul, Andromeda and Patricia rushed over, crouching down beside him.



“What happened?” asked Paul sharply, taking Sam’s pale, sweat soaked head in his hands.



“He came Paul, he came.” shuddered Sam, staring at his cousin. Paul was confused.



“Who came-” he inquired, looking at Sam with dark curiosity.



“The demon Paul, the demon! Koris was here!” shouted Sam, shaking Paul bodily. He fell back though, groaning and clutching his chest. Andromeda pushed past Paul and lifted the bloody strip of Sam’s torn shirt.



“Oh my God… Paul?” shrilled Andromeda, her face paling at the mark.



“Oh shit-he did this?” swore Paul, touching it. Sam let out a pained yell and struggled away.



“He’s been Marked,” said a husky voice solemnly. All three looked at Patricia. The enemy they had hunted that evening had vanished, replaced by an ally they couldn’t be without.



“What does that mean?” Paul’s deep voice shook with anxiety as he asked the question.



“The demon has tainted him as one of his own. You could call it an infection of, well… evil. As time passes, that mark will darken, which means that it will be easier to possess him. Once it turns black, Koris will return and…” explained Patricia uncertainly.



“And what, WHAT?! Sam becomes Koris, he dies, he’s destroyed, what?!” snarled Paul, standing up and facing the shorter woman, baring his own teeth. Patricia narrowed her golden eyes.



“Sam becomes one with Koris, and together they’re going to finish Koris’s work; destroy your family,” sighed Patricia, “ ‘cause your family is the strongest defence against him. Especially Sam, but he can use his… power either way, as Koris is trying to prove.” Everyone stared at her.



“Look, I only know it because Koris Marked one of my cousins some four years ago… I heard him mention someone called the Fishers and a boy named Sam Collins… then he killed my cousin because he was too weak to carry out whatever it was he wanted to do.”



“Fine. So that’s what’s happening. Nice to know Sammy’s probably gonna kill me!” exclaimed Paul. Andromeda fidgeted at Paul’s comment and looked away, shooting furtive glances at Sam.



Patricia shoved her nose up to Paul’s, growling deep in her throat, teeth lengthening in anger.



“Guys! Can we please get Sam back to the truck? I want to see what I can do to clean up his… Mark.” said Andromeda. Sam moaned in pain and twisted at the base of the tree. Paul and Patricia shut up and looked at the younger man. Bending down, he took Sam’s right arm over his shoulder and hoisted him up. Andromeda went to go under his left, but he protested.



“No, not you.” he said menacingly, glaring at her. Andromeda scowled angrily and let Patricia take Sam. Together, Paul and the werewolf dragged Sam’s limp body back to the truck. Andromeda remained for a minute in the clearing, looking at the moon. Despite the rough way Sam had been treating her earlier that evening, Andromeda couldn’t ignore the growing feelings for him.



Please help me Earth Mother, she thought, show me what I must do.



She turned and followed her companions.



Next chapter will be up next Sunday. Until then, happy reading!

This chapter is the start of a new section, as i have them going in 5 chapter incriments. This is the beginning of part 2, enjoy!


Chapter Six

The radio in Sam’s truck was loud, but it couldn’t hide the tension crackling in the cab. The past days had been high strung and salty. No one was speaking with everyone. Sam was refusing to talk to Andromeda, Paul and Patricia fought constantly, and the copper headed witch avoided Sam all the time except to change his dressings.


Paul lifted his hand to change the radio dial.


“Don’t touch it.” snapped Sam.


“Whatcha gonna do about it?” retorted Paul.


“Do you want to walk?” Sam spat, facing his cousin.


“Do you want my fist in your face?” yelled Paul, sticking his hand up Sam’s head. Sam swore explosively and swerved on the slippery BC road.


“Will you guys cut it out?!” screamed Patricia, “We’ve got enough trouble without you two having a lovers spat!” Silence fell in the truck. And so it remained for the next two hours until everyone got out to make camp.


Sam’s feet hit the ground with a thump as he stepped out of the truck. The cool rush of damp mountain air was comforting and he ran his hands through his long dark hair, stretching luxuriously. Pain lanced up his right arm though, as he stretched too far and the Mark burned him. He winced reluctantly at the pain and tried to hide it.


“Are you okay?” asked Andromeda, her green and brown eyes glinting with concern. “I only just changed your bandages, and I don’t want to do it again right away.” Sam glared at her.


“I’m fine.” he said moodily. Andromeda narrowed her odd coloured eyes.


“Are you sure, because-” she repeated again, but she only provoked Sam further.


“What part of ‘fine’ do you not get?” he snapped, towering over her. Anger at Sam’s stubbornness got the best of her and she returned the biting comment.


“Well, fine then, if you want to be in growing agony all the time, that’s perfect with me because I don’t have to help you Sam Collins, I’m just doing it because I considered you a friend, but if you’re gonna treat me like this then I don’t need you.” She inhaled deeply and stared back at Sam.


“Um, hate to interrupt the quarrelling couple, but could you guys make yourselves useful or something? Because we want a place to sleep, food, and fire, before it gets dark out.” said Paul, pushing between them with some tent poles.


“I’ll get the fire wood.” growled Sam.


“I’m going to find some herbs; this place is full of them.” stated Andromeda, walking away into the woods. Sam glared at her back for a moment, than followed her.


A thin mist was webbing through the underbrush around Sam’s feet as he searched for good deadfall to burn. Damn weather... He kicked moodily at a bush, enjoying the crunch as it broke. A dull anger had been growing steadily in his gut since the night he’d kissed Andromeda, at her as much as himself. Maybe he shouldn’t have pushed her so strongly... Sam shook himself; she deserved it. Lost in thought, he just about missed the large amount of fallen branches at his feet.


Some good luck at last, he thought, grinning to himself.


Andromeda kept an eye on Sam as she cut through some mosses off an aspen tree. She sighed, turning away from him and pocketing the moss in a leather bag. Despite the fact that Sam was acting like the world’s biggest jerk, she felt sorry for him. He was under more pressure than any of them, he hadn’t been eating or sleeping properly for days, and he was more distant to everyone. She really wanted to help him, she really did, but she didn’t know how.


Andromeda looked back up at Sam. A beautiful woman in a white dress and copper hair was standing behind him, reaching out for his shoulder. The woman faced her and Andromeda’s entire body went cold: it was her. She smiled softly at her original counterpart and turned Sam around. The man stared at her with joyful surprise and grief, wrapping her in a massive hug, refusing to let go.


“I love you Andi,” murmured Sam, kissing her softly. The Andromeda shadow ran her fingers through Sam’s shaggy brown hair.


“I know Sammy, I know... I love you so much, I’m sorry.” she whispered. The shadow started to fade, causing Sam to panic.


“No, Andi, no-no no, no, no, no, no, oh please, no no no!” he cried, his voice rising to an agonizing scream. He kept on yelling, falling to the ground and burying his face in his hands and sobbing.


“NO!” he screamed, yelling at the sky. Andromeda’s breathing came in shallow gasps as the scene before her continued to unfold. Sam was still lying on the ground, shaking, as the wind whipped up the fog. But it wasn’t the wind... it was whispers, the voices of a thousand souls. Her breathing stopped as she heard what they were saying: Sebastian. It had been her favourite since childhood.


The shadow of herself reappeared, holding a baby. Her baby. Sam’s baby. Their son. She could see the dark brown hair, already thick like Sam’s, waving around his tiny face. The baby turned its head and Andromeda saw he had her eyes. Pride and love filled her as she looked at her first-born. But it still didn’t explain why her shadow had left Sam if they were going to have a family.


A dark figure walked over to the shadow Andromeda and tapped her lightly on the shoulder. The shadow turned, and Andromeda saw it was Patricia, the werewolf. Her gold eyes were soft as she whispered something in the shadow’s ear. Regret glimmered in her eyes for a moment, than she surrendered her son to Patricia’s arms. She kissed the baby’s forehead and disappeared. Patricia looked at the child in her arms and then at the real Andromeda.


“I’m sorry your mother couldn’t be here, ‘Basha, but at least your father is.” she whispered; then she too disappeared, leaving only the sound of a crying infant. Andromeda staggered against the tree.


“Andromeda?” called Sam, looking at the swaying girl. “Are you okay?” She was pale as ash, her eyes glassy and distant, swinging dizzily on the spot. She found Sam’s face, staggered a little, and passed out.


“Andi!” yelled Sam, dropping his armload of wood and running over to her. He slipped on the damp foliage and went down hard on his knee, nearly crushing Andromeda’s pale hand. He slapped her pale face, trying to get her to wake up, but got no response.


“C’mon, Andromeda, c’mon.” he growled, shaking her. She remained limp as a rag for a minute before starting to twitch.


“Andi?” said Sam, searching her face for a response. She twitched again, and then again and again. Sam’s mouth tasted foul as she started to seizure.


“Oh shit.” he muttered, scooping up the woman as best he could, “Help!” Running as hard as he could, he carried Andromeda’s spazzing body back to where Patricia and Paul were.


Both were sitting on the tailgate of the Silverado, shivering a little in the damp spring night. Patricia perked up her head.


“What was that?” she asked snappily, staring in the direction that Sam and Andromeda had gone.


“Heard something go bump in the night, wolfie?” teased Paul acidly.


“Shut up, dick head; something’s wrong.” said Patricia huskily, getting off the tailgate. This time Paul listened too. And heard the faint cry for help.


“That’s Sam.” he whispered. Simultaneously, they both took off into the woods in the direction of Sam’s yells.


“Sam?” called Paul, looking around.


“Paul, quick!” responded Sam frantically, running out in front of them.


“I think she had a vision or something and then she just starting seizuring,” he gasped, explaining to both of them. Andromeda was no better after Sam’s reckless run through the woods and was still twitching violently.


“C’mon, we’d better get her back to the truck.” exclaimed Patricia, picking up Andromeda’s jumping feet. Together, she and Sam carried Andromeda’s body back to their camping spot, Paul leading. Andromeda’s seizures had subsided once they had arrived, and little by little, they ceased all together.


“Do you think she’s okay?” said Sam, worry making his voice unsteady.


“I thought you didn’t care about her,” stated Paul, casting a bleak yet mischievous glance at his cousin. Sam bristled.


“Of course I care about her! She’s all I have!” he spat, “Don’t you ever say I don’t care!” Paul recoiled under Sam’s angry reply. Shutting one’s mouth might be a good thing right now.


“ ‘lo…?” croaked Andromeda, her eyes fluttering open.


“Andi?” queried Sam, looking at her.


“Sam?” she moaned, “Oh Sam, thank god!” With strength that she shouldn’t have had, Andromeda grabbed Sam neck and hugged him as hard as she could. Sam remained still for a moment, then hugged her back just as hard.


“What happened?” he asked, looking deeply into her oddly coloured eyes. A flash of fear deepened them for a second before disappearing. Sam caught the flash though and his senses sharpened.


“What’s wrong? What did you see?” he demanded edgily. Andromeda looked at him mournfully but she couldn’t tell him what she’d seen. It was still too close.


“I can’t tell you Sammy, not now,” she whispered, touching her forehead to Sam’s and clutching a fistful of his dark hair. Sam’s eyes darkened for a minute, but he didn’t let go. Sighing softly, Andromeda let herself lean back in his hands and fall asleep. The other three looked at her still form, lost in thought.


“What should we do with her?” asked Sam stupidly. Paul and Patricia gave a ‘duh’ look.


“Put her in bed; what else would we do?” said Patricia, raising an eyebrow. Sam shrugged embarrassedly. Patricia rolled her head and lifted Andromeda’s limp body, carrying her to one of the two tents. Sam and Paul stood up, looking into the forest.


“Dude, what happened to you two? You were like best friends when we first met her, then you were ready to kill her, and now it looks like your bosom buds again. WTF?” exclaimed Paul quietly.


“Did you ever think to mind your own business Paul?” said Sam, dangerously quiet.


“Look, dude, I’m just worried about you; you haven’t been this touchy since the demon possessed you as a kid. I half expect you to fry us in our beds now!” confessed Paul, looking up at his younger cousin.


“Paul, you’re just gonna have to get over the fact that I’m no longer the little kid you protected when you were young. I can take care of myself now. I don’t need you babysitting me anymore, I haven’t for a while,” Sam said finally, “What goes on between me and Andromeda stays with us.”


The light went off in Paul’s head.


“She kissed you the night Koris came, didn’t she?” probed Paul, looking closely at Sam’s reaction. The younger man’s jaw stiffened and the muscles in his face tightened, then he nodded. Paul snapped his fingers.


“I knew it!” he hissed excitedly, “That’s why you’ve been acting like a starving vampire! Sam, you sly, sly dog!”


“Could you lay off?” snapped Sam, glaring at his cousin.


“Yeah, sure,” soothed Paul, hitting Sam’s shoulder in a friendly way. The two men were silent for a moment as the mood took a more solemn tone.


“I want you to know Sammy… I’m gonna be by your side all the way through this, and I’m gonna do all I can to stop Koris from taking over you again.” Paul said determinedly, but depression was evident in his voice.



“It might not be enough Paul. If something happens to me, do what you gotta do,” sighed Sam, turning his face to the stars, “Do what you can Paul, but you probably won’t be able to change my fate. And if worst comes to worst, keep your head and do what needs to be done.” He turned to look down at Paul. Paul looked back, painful wisdom brightening his eyes.


“I know Sammy,” he whispered, and he sniffed at his running nose, but it wasn’t from the cold damp weather. Building stress and forbidding at what the future might hold for his family was beginning to take its tole on Paul Fisher.


He shook himself, clearing his throat.


“Look at us, acting like a coupla saps over something that probably won’t happen. Now, I don’t know about you, Sorry Sam, but I want to get some sleep. Whatever comes, we’ll be able to tackle it.” With that, Paul turned and walked into the other tent. Sam watched his cousin leave, then looked at the waxing moon again.


I really hope so, Paul, I really hope so. But what if it's not enough? Sam thought bleakly. It was past midnight before he finally went to bed.


Next post November will be Monday, November 12 on account of me being in Jasper. Until then, happy reading! And please comment!

This chapter is kinda short and sweet. No extreme action, but that's for next post. However, its necessary for this chapter to be told other wise the story doesn't really make sense. So read, enjoy, and comment!

Chapter Seven






Sam yawned widely, covering his mouth. The bristly hairs covering his jaw prickled his hand and he grimaced. Why was it he never had enough time to shave? He was the first one up again; his damn nightmares had been keeping him up for the past week and a half now, and now it was finally taking its tole on him: he had lost weight, his hair, which was usually sleek and thick, was now limp and dull, and new lines creassed his face.


Sitting down on a fallen log, he cast a long look at the tent in which Andromeda and Patricia were sleeping. Andromeda had been acting more distant as well, especially to him. She seemed scared of him again. Sam sighed, still staring at the tent. Maybe he should just talk to her. God knew he wanted to.


“Sam?” chimed a husky voice. Sam whipped around, alarmed, but then relaxed when he saw it was only Patricia. The golden eyed werewolf sat down beside him on the log.


“What are you doing up so early?” she asked, surprised.


“Couldn’t sleep,” he grunted. Patricia looked at him, humour glimmering in her golden eyes.


“Wouldn’t happen to be over a certain young red headed girl, would it?” she asked playfully, poking Sam in the ribs. Sam blushed furiously, looking away. Patricia chuckled to herself. Then she saw the look on Sam’s face.


“Sam, if you’re that worried over her, just talk to her. You might not believe me, but she’s worried sick over you,” burst out Patricia, taking Sam’s hand. He jumped at her touch, surprised to find her touch so rough. He looked at her for a moment, drinking the golden glow of the older woman’s eyes.


“Thanks, I think I will,” he said, standing up and walking towards the store of fire wood, “But only if you talk to Paul; I know for a fact that he wants to get to know you a lot better,” he added, grinning at Patricia’s blossoming red face. She huffed and stalked out the camp again. Sam shook his head, the moment’s burst of light heartedness gone, and the cold depression sweeping in again.


Striking a match, he lit the kindling and stared into the hot orange flames, lost in his thoughts again. He absently touched the x-shaped scar over is heart, which had been slowly but steadily darkening.


“Sammy, what-it’s like seven AM. How long have you been up?” mumbled Paul, stumbling out of the tent in nothing but a pair of dirty jeans, his worn pair of hiking boots, and holding a shirt. His short curly hair was in disarray and he had pronounced five o’clock shadow. He scratched at the hair on his chest as he sat down beside Sam, yawning widely.


“Paul,” said Sam, slightly exasperatedly, “Patricia already left, so there’s no need to show off your hair growth to me.” Paul’s expression fell and he pulled on the gray turtleneck he had carried out. He got up again, mumbling something about being cold and walking back to the tent to get his leather jacket.


“Yeah, and Paul,” Sam added mischievously, “I think she likes her men a little more furry, if you get my drift.” Paul, already short of temper over the fact that the werewolf was gone, snapped with all the menace of a rabid dog.


“And I’m sure your lady witch friend prefers her men without the extras like demons and death omens floating over their heads, if you get my drift.” Sam’s hackles rose, and he stood up to his full 6’4 height, squaring broad shoulders and glaring down at Paul. His cousin stared back defiantly, but a shiver of uneasiness ran over his skin. Sam was 4 inches taller and at least 30 pounds heavier of solid muscle. If they really did fight, Paul would be screwed to hell in 5 seconds. But pride, as always, got the best of him and he pushed his nose up to Sam’s.


“You wanna go Sammy boy?” he murmured quietly, narrowing his brown eyes dangerously.


“Bring it on, Paulie; it would do me great pleasure to kick your ass again,” replied Sam just as smoothly, slyly insulting Paul with the childhood nickname he so heartily despised. The tension was already at an igniting point, and Sam’s insult lit Paul’s temper to an explosion. Mustering all the strength he could, he slammed a right hook into Sam’s face, sending him staggering.


Sam touched his nose with his fingers, narrowing his eyes at the blood smearing his fingers. He rolled up his sleeves.


“You asked for it, bitch,” he swore quietly, than retaliated with all his force, swinging his fists and connecting with Paul’s body. Paul swore explosively and returned fire, and so it went.


Andromeda looked on with amused dismay, not bothering to interrupt the fight. She ran her hands down the red sweater she was wearing, calming the shivers that made her hair stand on end.


“Whoa; what the hell is happening here?” asked a surprised husky voice. Andromeda turned her head to look at Patricia.


“Male PMS’ing I think. Ten bucks says Sam wins,” Andromeda sighed. Patricia gave her a wolfish smile.


“I guess I bet on Paul then, but as much as I like him, I know he’s gonna lose,” she paused, “Biggest pair of idiots I ever knew, and that’s saying something.” They watched the sparring for a few more minutes.


Something cold prickled Andromeda’s scalp and she looked around warily.


“Something wrong?” asked Patricia, raising an eyebrow. The wolf picked up on everything.


“I have to tell you something,” hesitated Andromeda, “But you have to promise me not to tell anyone, especially Sam.”


“Well, that shouldn’t be too hard,” scoffed Patricia, rolling her eyes.


“Promise?” insisted her friend, gripping her arm hard. Patricia hesitated, than nodded. Andromeda looked at the warring cousins, than gestured for Patricia to follow her. They walked in silence until they were well out of earshot of the camp.


“Remember the vision I had a while back?” started Andromeda, at first not looking Patricia in the eye.


“What, your spazzy one? Of course I do. And the fact that you didn’t tell us about it too,” replied Patricia, running her fingers through her blonde streaked black hair, “Andi, what’s goin’ on?”


“I’m going to tell you what I saw, and what I want to prepare you for when it happens,” murmured Andromeda. A sudden worm of uneasiness wriggled in Patricia’s stomach at Andromeda’s serious tone. Patricia braced herself and listened to Andromeda’s explanation. Her eyes widened at what was going to befall all of them, but most of all, Sam. He didn’t seem like the most stable person, and when stuff like this happened to other people, it sometimes drove them over the edge.


Patricia let herself fall against a tree, exhaling her breath with a loud “woof”. She scratched at an itchy spot behind her left ear and looked at the younger woman.


“So when whatever happens to you, you want me to take yours and Sam’s kid?” she said, “You realize you and Sam actually have to get it on though, right, ‘cause babies don’t get delivered by the stork. Also, where are you and Sam gonna be?” A sad despairing look shadowed Andromeda’s face.


“I don’t know about Sam, but I think my… disappearance may mean that I-I won’t be there,” she murmured quietly, twisting her thick red hair absently. Patricia caught the unspoken message.


“You think you’re gonna die?!?” she exclaimed, “Hell no! I won’t let you!”


“But if something happens, you promise you’ll take care of them, of Sam and Sebastian?” persisted Andromeda, gripping her friend’s shoulders. Patricia nodded.


Relief flowed through Andromeda’s blood, relaxing her tense body.


“Okay, thank you,” she said, “Now, do you suppose we should head back and separate King Kong from Godzilla?”


“If they haven’t already killed each other,” laughed Patricia, walking along side Andromeda. In fact Godzilla and King Kong were flopped on the ground, too tired to fight on, when they arrived back.

I know it was an abrupt ending, but i didn't want it to be really really long, because a LOT of stuff happens after this, and im gonna have one heck of a time splitting things up. But it will get heavier and a lot more darker(but not for a little bit still.) Until next sunday, i leave a paw mark. Ciao!

Long chapter today... had me writing all night... so now i'm tired and a bit moody. But hopefully this was worth it. Here you go!




Chapter Eight




Sam lay on his back, his head resting on a log, dried blood caking his nose and mouth. Both his fists were bruised and bloody, and any exposed skin was covered in bruises and cuts. One leg of his pants was burnt and sooty, implying that he had stepped in the fire.


Paul was no better; one eye was swollen shut and a large cut swung across his right brow. Blood still dripped from a split lower lip and one finger was so swollen it could only have been broken. His pants were torn and bloody, and both young men were in dire need of a shower. Paul spat out a wad of bloody saliva, sighing heavily. Sam struggled to sit up, wincing slightly.


“Well, well. Have you two learned to keep your hands to yourselves, or do we have to send you to time out?” teased Andromeda, her and Patricia grinning.


“Aw, shut up,” moaned Sam and Paul, glaring at both of them. Still smiling, Andromeda and Patricia hoisted the two men to their feet and moved them to the truck.


“I’ll drive,” mumbled Sam, trying to limp his way to the driver’s seat. Andromeda stopped him.


“In your dreams, Sam. I’m driving. Now where are your keys?” she said, holding back his swaying body. Giving her a poisonous look, he fished out the keys from his pocket, handing them to Andromeda. Andromeda smiled, lending out an arm to help Sam into the cab. Scowling, he ignored her arm and clambered in, blood from his nose dripping onto the seat. He collapsed on the seat beside Patricia, who was sitting between him and Paul. The trip into the nearby town of Nordegg was quiet.


Andromeda pulled the Silverado into the town’s medical centre, and the four companions got out.


“Hello, ma’am?” said Patricia, “My husband and hers got into a quadding accident, could your doctor take a look at them please?” The little receptionist stared at the two odd couples, gaping.


“O-okay, your names please?” she asked, regaining her composure slightly and ruffling some papers.


“Er- my name is Joanna Armstrong and this is Billy, and she’s Lacy and that’s her hubby Trigger Hunter,” lied Patricia, linking arms with Paul and patting his hand. The receptionist nodded and scribbled down their names.


“Dr. Patterson will be with you shortly,” she said, motioning to the waiting room.


“Trigger?” growled Sam, “You couldn’t come up with a better name?”


“Look, Sammy-cakes, it was the best I could think up of, and if you don’t shut up, you’ll be Melville Twinkles next time.” Retorted Patricia glaring at him menacingly. Sam scowled and sunk back into his seat. Screw them all…


“Billy Armstrong and… Trigger Hunter?” called the female doctor, her blue eyes curious. Paul and Sam stood up slowly, looking very sorry indeed, and followed her into the examination room.


“Sit on the table please,” she said motioning to the metal examination counter. Sam and Paul obeyed. The young doctor stood in front of them, her small hands deep in the white coat she was wearing. She couldn’t have been much older than Sam, with a short choppy haircut and black-rimmed glasses. She raised an eyebrow.


“You guys got into a quadding accident?” she said sceptically.


“Ummm… Yes?” answered Paul, giving her a ‘duh’ expression.


“It was his fault,” said Sam, pointing at his cousin, “We were gonna hit a squirrel, and he just couldn’t, so he hit the brakes and we went flying.” Paul shot Sam a poisonous glare, but nodded.


“I love squirrels; I just can’t bear to hurt them,” Paul said through gritted teeth. The doctor gave them a still suspicious glance and turned around.


“Remove your shirts,” she ordered, fetching down some gauze, thread, and disinfectant.


“What?” stammered the cousins, staring at her.


“I need to make sure you don’t have any broken ribs. Now remove them, or I will,” she growled. Sam and Paul exchanged glances, than took off their shirts. Dr. Patterson started prodding Paul’s chest, asking him if anything hurt. Paul winced a little, but said no. When she came to Sam, she stared curiously at his dark red scar.


“How on earth did you get that?” she asked, reaching up to touch it.


“Don’t,” he growled, brushing away her hand and giving her a warning look. She frowned at him, but didn’t go to touch it again. After she determined that neither had any broken ribs, she went on to bandaging up cuts and stitching any larger lacerations, along with setting Paul’s finger.


“Well,” said Dr. Patterson, examining her handiwork, “I think you two are ready to hit the road.” Sam and Paul stood up slowly, still stiff. A bandage wrapped around Paul’s head, covering up the stitches that held his cut shut. A long black line snaked down Sam’s cheek, closing a long cut. The swelling on Paul’s eye was going down and he was able to see a little, but it had also turned a pretty shade of purple.


“Thanks a lot, doc,” said Paul, shaking her hand. She shrugged and led them out to where Andromeda and Patricia were waiting.


“So they’re all fixed up, ready to roll?” exclaimed Patricia, standing up and looking at the two men.


“Yeah, just keep an eye on that one,” she replied, jerking her thumb over to Sam, “He has a nasty cut that looks like it could become infected.” Everyone cast uneasy looks at Sam, but he wouldn’t meet anyone’s eyes but the doctor’s.


“I can tell you know something I don’t but I won’t press you,” she said, “Now since you are all fixed up, you can go and party it out or whatever you do. I’ll see you later.” With that, she turned her back and strolled away, not looking back.


“I hope we don’t see her later,” Sam muttered darkly. Andromeda nodded, unconsciously leaning against Sam’s warm shoulder. The small group remained in silence for a moment.


“Well,” said Paul, breaking the ice, “I want a beer. Anyone with me?” Patricia’s head perked up and she ran her tongue over unusually sharp teeth.


“Fine by me,” she exclaimed, “I could do with something to drink.” She and Paul started walking out, arguing over which brand was best. Sam and Andromeda stood side by side for a moment, looking at the quarrelling couple. They were laughing and pushing each other around, acting like kids. Sam felt sad, watching his cousin acting so carefree and happy with the woman he liked. Why couldn’t he, Sam, be like that with Andromeda? The sudden need to be close to her again overwhelmed him and he put his arm around her shoulders lightly.


“Sam…” she murmured quietly, but he placed a long finger over her mouth.


“Can’t we just get this over and done with? I’m tired of avoiding you and seeing you only when to clean this goddamn mark,” Sam took a deep breath, “I want us to be together again, Andi, I want us to be us.” Andromeda looked up at him with wide eyes.


“I thought you didn’t want that Sam… I’m so glad you do, I’ve missed your company so much,” she whispered, so quietly Sam almost missed it. But he caught it and happiness filled his body, making him feel weightless. He smiled lightly.


“Buy you a drink?” he asked, tilting his head.


“It would be my pleasure, Sam,” she answered, returning the soft smile. They walked out the medical clinic hand in hand to the truck, both of them glowing on the inside, darkness of the future to come forgotten. Paul raised his eyebrows at their sudden renewed friendliness.


“I thought you two were over,” he commented.


“You may as well get in as much happiness as you can, ‘cause you never know what tomorrow might bring,” Sam replied, squeezing Andromeda’s hand. Paul looked a little unsure, but Patricia seemed quite thoughtful.


“Good point,” she said, and grabbed Paul’s coat collar, kissing him fiercely. Paul’s eyes went wider then dinner plates at the werewolf’s aggressive attack on his mouth. When she finally let go, both her and Paul were breathing heavily. She slapped his shoulder playfully, grinning like an idiot.


“Well, if I die now, at least I’ll know what I’ll be missing. And believe me, I know I’ll miss it a lot,” she said stoutly before turning and marching to the passenger side. Paul’s mouth was still hanging open. Sam and Andromeda burst out laughing.


“What just happened?!” exploded Paul, still utterly dumbstruck.


“The girl you like, likes you back, Paul, so she sucked the living spit out of you, literally,” Sam chuckled. Paul growled something under his breath, his face beat red from embarrassment. Andromeda smiled again, then kissed Sam on the cheek before getting into the truck as well. The two cousins stood in silence for a moment, looking at the low sun.


“So was she a good kisser?” Sam asked curiously. Paul whistled through his teeth.


“Hell yeah,” sighed Paul loudly. He looked at the taller man.


“Sam, about this morning… I shouldn’t have snapped the way I did. I’m sorry, dude.”


“It was my fault, Paul, I had it coming,” Sam replied quickly, then paused. “I’m sorry too.”


“Jeez, what happened to the little brat I baby-sat?” exclaimed Paul, hitting Sam lightly.


“He grew up to baby-sit his short brat,” Sam said teasingly and putting Paul in a playful headlock. A sudden loud honk echoed through the parking lot and they jumped.


“Hey boys! You promised us a drink!” Patricia shouted, “Now is that gonna happen today or next year?” Sam and Paul grinned at each other before clambering into the Silverado.


Hope you all liked it!! Let me know what you think of it so far and if you have any ideas... But i got most of it planned out, so you may just have to wait and see... hehe

Very cool. I really liked it.

thank you! its super long now, so i hope you like reading long stories... :)

alright, its been a while, but i've been busy too. So here you all go, chapter nine. Enjoy!




Chapter Nine




The bar was a familiar one to the cousins, Stormy Peak Tavern, and wasn’t far down the street, known for great roadhouse connections, gossip and beer. The company of four entered together and took their seats at the counter. A young man in ragged blue jeans and a black t-shirt from behind the counter came over to them.


“What’ll it be?” he asked in a light voice, brushing his long bangs out of his eyes and looking at them with pale icy blue eyes.


“I’ll have a kokenee,” said Paul.


“Rum and coke for me,” answered Sam.


“Heineken,” Patricia growled, licking her lips and grinning.


“White Russian, please,” murmured Andromeda. The kid nodded, his eyes lingering on Sam and Paul with curiosity, and turned away to fix their drinks.


“Oh hey, and dude, we’d like to speak to your, eh, old man too, okay?” Paul added. The kid looked back to give him an odd look before walking away and disappearing into a small room.


“Do you know that boy?” asked Andromeda quietly; pointing in the direction of the room he’d disappeared into.


“His name’s Ben Sanders. His father Ian runs the place, and it was Ian’s brother Aaron who referred us to you. Their younger brother Jonathan mentored us when we were kids. So we all know each other more or less,” explained Sam, looking at Andromeda and Patricia. Ben returned a few minutes later with his father, a well built man with gray streaked black hair and a long red scar running across his crooked nose. A thin beard covered his face and intense icy blue eyes looked down at the group with surprise and pleasure.


“Ian,” Paul said warmly, shaking hands with the older man.


“Paul, it’s been a while,” replied Ian. He turned to the other three. His smile widened as his eyes fell on the tall figure of Sam, and he gave a courteous nod to the two women.


“Samual Collins.” he said with a hint of pride, “You must have grown at least three inches since I saw you last.”


“It’s good to see you too, Ian,” said Sam. He gestured toward Andromeda and Patricia. “Ian, Ben, this is Andromeda and Patricia. They’re… helping us out right now.” Ian raised his brow at Sam’s hesitation. He looked suspiciously at the two cousins.


“You guys wouldn’t come here without a reason. What’s goin’ on?” Ian stated. Paul and Sam looked at each other before speaking.


“Something’s happened,” muttered Paul quietly, “But we need to talk in private.” Ian narrowed his eyes but led them back into the office he had come from. He had his son fetch their drinks and few more chairs, made sure they were all comfortable, then started asking questions.


“What’s going on, Paul?” he asked, his deep voice serious.


“You’ve heard of a demon called Koris, right?” Paul started. Ben and Ian’s eyes darkened and they nodded. “Well, we have too. Some of us… better then others.”


“That’s right,” Ian remembered, “He possessed you for a while there back when you were a kid, didn’t he, Sam?” Sam nodded grimly as Paul pressed on.


“I’m not sure if Aaron told you, but he killed my parents just over a year ago. And… he sorta made a pact with us at the same time.”


Ian murmured a word of sympathy to Paul before the younger man continued on.


“A few weeks ago, he showed up again and confronted Sammy here…” Paul took a deep breath, “Sam’s been Marked. Koris plan’s to use Sam’s strengths to kill off our family because apparently we’re one of the strongest lines of hunters in a long time, Sam being the most powerful.” Ben looked a little confused, but Ian understood the gravity of the situation, and he looked at Sam with new eyes.


“Can I see this Mark?” he asked quietly, looking at Sam with dark curiosity. Sam hesitated, then shrugged off his jacket and pulled his shirt over the top of his shaggy head. Lean muscle slid underneath his pale skin, giving him a hardened yet sleek appearance.


Ian’s icy eyes fixed themselves on the dark red x on Sam’s upper chest, worry cutting lines in his face.


“There’s no cure for that, but you can slow it down with certain elixirs and spells. I have the recipes, so I can give them to you if you want,” muttered Ian, studying the scar.


“You have treatment?” exclaimed Andromeda, “Yes, yes! We’ll take it!” Ian looked at her carefully, his penetrating icy eyes making her uncomfortable. Ben spoke up.


“You’re a witch, aren’t you?” he asked, excitement building in his own icy blue gaze, “Just like Mom? Do you have visions too?” Ian glared at his son.


“Ben, sit down before you hurt yourself,” Ian snapped, “Actually, before you do that, get those directions for the for the elixir and spells.” Ben scowled at his father, then left. Ian sighed.


“Hasn’t been the same since his mother was killed. But enough bad news on my behalf,” he said quietly, “Lets hear more about yours.” Paul and Sam started explaining, filling in Ian and the women about the past year. When Ben came back in, he didn’t say anything but listened as well. Ian whistled under his breath when they finished.


“That’s quite the tale, boys,” said Ian, “No wonder you look like you’ve aged twenty years when you came in. Looks like this demon treatment could be the good news you’ve been needing.”


“Ian, have you heard about anyone with this kind of situation before?” Sam asked, looking almost desperate. The older man thought a moment before answering.


“Well, I heard talk that the Winchester boys down south were having a similar problem. And a werewolf called Tom was killed under these kind of circumstances, what, nearly five years ago. I don’t know what happened to the Winchesters yet though; no word on the outcome thus far.”


Patricia flinched when she heard the werewolf’s name, avoiding everyone’s eyes. Paul looked at her, curiosity, understanding, and sympathy dawning on him. It was her cousin, the one she’d told him about.


Disappointment and defeat shadowed Sam’s face as he heard Ian’s stories. By the sound of it, there were not happy endings. He rubbed his face, the scruff on his jaw and cheeks feeling like sandpaper to his hands. For once, shaving wasn’t on his mind. Ian looked at Sam, sympathy building up. The poor kid had been through hell, and now this.


“I wish there was more we could do to help you out, but I don’t think we can,” Ian murmured, looking at the group. Ben lit up though, and turned to his father.


“What about the old hunting cabin out in the back woods?” he asked, “They could stay there if they wanted to, instead of constantly moving around,” he looked hastily at them. “If you want to.” Ian looked thoughtful.


“Well, boys, its up to you. If you want, I’ll give you the keys to it right now if you do want it,” he said. Sam and Paul looked at each other. Their decision was instantaneous.


“Hell yeah! We’ll take it,” exclaimed Paul, looking slightly relieved. Ian grinned lopsidedly, standing up and walking to the door.


“Well, I’ll show it to you now if you want. You okay for driving Sam your truck, or do you want Ben to?” Ian looked pointedly at Sam’s many bruises.


“I’m good; you just lead the way.” Sam replied, standing up as well. Ian nodded and they left.


I haven't left you any cliffy's yet, but do expect them. Should be arriving within the next 2 to 3 chapters. Until then, please comment and have fun!

New chapter guys! Now this one... its a doozy... and its dirty, as sexually dirty. But, it had to happen, for reasons you will all see later... And without further ado, here it is...




Chapter Ten


The road to Ian’s cabin was covered in leaf mould and new grass shoots, making the drive a little shaky. But when they arrived, the drive had been well worth it; the cabin was secluded, well away from other people, and small enough to be cozy but large enough to be comfortable. Ian gave them a quick tour of it, showed them the very old disused out house and woodpile, gave them instructions and left with Ben. By now, evening was slowly approaching, so they had a quick supper of beans and toast before planning out the rest of the night and the visit in general. This included Patricia’s voicing over the soon to be full moon.


“If it’s alright with you guys, I’d like to put on my fur tonight and check out the territory. That way, I’ll be able to seek out hiding places and what not.”


“Fine by me,” said Paul, looking at his cousin and the witch. They nodded.


“Sam and I are going to stay here too,” Andromeda burst out, “We can clean up and… so forth.” Paul raised his eyebrows at her and Sam. Shaking his head, he grinned and said they could.


“Well, I’m off to get our stuff from the camp, so I’ll see y’all later,” sighed Paul, standing up and leaving. There was a low growl of mechanics as he started the truck and drove off. Once he’d left, Patricia got to her feet, stretching so that her knuckles popped. When she looked at Sam and Andromeda, her teeth were feral and her ears pointed.


“Okay,” she said, “I’m off. You guys have fun.” Winking at them, she took off running through the door, changing into her wolf form as she went. The two left behind exchanged looks and started cleaning up. Sam was rinsing off plates when Andromeda cleared her throat from the door.


“What?” asked Sam, looking up.


“Lets go for a walk,” she said, her voice slightly hard edged.


“In a minute. I have to finish cleaning the dishes-“ Sam said, turning away, but the hard edge in Andromeda’s voice reached the point of steel.


“Now,” she growled, digging her hands into the blanket she was holding. Sam gave her a surprised glance, than turned off the tap. The younger woman started walking, and he followed. They walked for nearly twenty minutes, not speaking until they reached a small clearing. There, she stopped, laying out the blankets.


“Andi…?” asked Sam suspiciously. Like a tensed spring, Andromeda snapped, slamming Sam bodily against an old birch. Sam suddenly felt nervous; something was going on here… As if to confirm it, Andromeda pulled hard at his belt, fighting the leather out of the buckle, then grabbing at his shirt.


“Whoa, whoa, whoa; what are you doing?!” he exclaimed as she finally succeeded in getting his belt off and had started fumbling with the zipper of his jeans. She swung flaming eyes up his face, crackling with intensity.


“Stop fooling yourself Sam. Destiny brought us together for this and we will see it through,” she snarled, yanking her off her red sweater and glaring at him as goose bumps pebbled her bare skin. Unease swam in Sam’s gut at her hinting explanation, and he stared wide-eyed at Andromeda’s body. She stepped in closer this time so that they were touching and ran her fingertips down his chest.


“You know you want me Sam; you always have,” she whispered, “Now let go.” She kissed him lightly, but something wild had broken within Sam and he returned it, hard and ferocious. Andromeda breathed hard, her hands working Sam’s muscled back as his shirt came off at last and he bit her lip. They at last fell onto the ground, locked in each other’s embrace. Sam’s calm serious demeanour had disappeared, leaving something untamed and lusting in his place, starved for fighting companionship and love. Now he had it, and he revelled in it. Sam was barely aware of what he was doing as he pressed himself against her, kissing her as hard as he could while she kissed back, her necklace biting into them. The moon rose slowly but the night did not cool, and for the two on the forest floor, it never would again.


The wolf was strolling through the trees, sniffing the damp summer air when she heard a commotion in the bush. She paused, taking a better reading of the smells and blinked in surprise. She could detect faint traces of Sam and Andromeda, but they were back in the cabin… right? She licked her lips, curious to see what was going on. She pushed her way through two Saskatoon bushes and froze. Heat rose through her fur as she stared at the scene in front of her. Sam and Andromeda were definitely not at the cabin. A moan of pleasure that escaped from Andromeda as Sam bit her neck brought the wolf back to her senses. Still fighting hot embarrassment, she backed up slowly, then turned and ran as hard as she could. She had done a lot more than her fair share of exploring tonight.


Andromeda stared at the coming stars, breathing heavily as she remained in a locked embrace with Sam. The shadows of her vision came again, blurring her eyes and causing her to tangle her fingers reflexedly in Sam’s shaggy hairs. Soon, everything would be changed, but it was not soon yet. The stars swam until she saw the ground and then only warm darkness.


***

Paul arrived back at the cabin nearly two hours later, finding Patricia sitting at the table with a mug of hot chocolate. She was lost in thought, but she looked at him, her face turning bright red.


“What’s going on? Where’s Sam?” he asked suspiciously, taking off his jacket and sitting down.


“He’s… out,” Patricia answered slowly, playing with stray lock of black and blonde hair, “I made you hot chocolate,” she added, pushing over another mug. Paul sipped slowly, savouring the sweet rich taste.


“Paul?” Patricia spoke up suddenly.


“Mm?” he mumbled, his mouth still on the mug in his hands.


“When was the last time Sam had sex?” she asked, her golden eyes looking at him closely. Paul choked on his mouthful of hot chocolate, spluttering like beached whale.


“What?!” he gasped, staring at her, “What, are you suddenly horny for him too?”


“No, no!” she backtracked quickly, “Just curious, because his form is quite aggressive and… yeah.” Paul stared at her.


“And you know this how?” he growled.


“Did you notice who else is missing?” Patricia shot back, waving her arms around the cabin. Paul at last noticed the only other person missing in action; Andromeda. Understanding hit him like a rock in the head.


“You mean, him and-her?” he said in a strangled voice. Patricia’s face reddened again.


“I kinda walked in on them out back…” she explained sheepishly, not looking Paul in the eye.


“Shit…” exhaled Paul running his hands over his dark curly hair.


“Yah,” agreed Patricia. Swigging off the rest of her hot chocolate, she stood up and bid Paul good night before disappearing into one of the bedrooms. Paul remained in the chair for nearly two hours, waiting for them to return, but he finally had to admit defeat and went to sleep as well.

Please comment!! Let me all know what you think! ;)

Ok, its been a while I know. But putting this from scribbler to computer is damn hard. So for those of you who have read, I'm sorry. But, its a good one, and you get your first cliffy. So, onward...[B]


Chapter Eleven


The sun was barely touching the sky when Andromeda awoke. She lay still for a moment, thinking about the past night.


Did I really do that? she thought, slightly in awe at her own fiery attitude last night. The ghost of Sam’s mouth on hers made her blush, but in a pleasant way. She turned her head, looking at Sam’s own close sleeping form. His arm was still hooked around her waist from when they had finally fallen asleep. His body was lean and tough, but the numerous criss-crossing of scars across his muscles showed he had had a tough life.


Moving slowly, Andromeda uncurled his arm and stood up, shivering in the cool dawn air. She dressed hurriedly, sometimes having to hunt down a piece of clothing from where it had been tossed during the night. Andromeda folded Sam’s clothes and put them beside his still sleeping body. She kissed him gently, smiling at his soft murmur, then started walking away into the bush.


Sam woke with a start, the damp mountain air making him shiver. He groaned, flopping onto his back. When he looked to his side, he was surprised to see that Andromeda was gone.


“Andi?” he called softly, but got no response. Slightly puzzled, Sam stood up and stretched to his full extent. Rubbing his arms, he noticed some new scratches where Andromeda had raked her nails over her his skin. Suddenly self-conscious that he was standing in nothing but his skin, he grabbed the blanket, wrapping it around his waist.


“Andi?” he called again. Once he got silence, he hurriedly changed into yesterday’s rumpled clothes and started walking back. Sudden itching on his chest made him stop and take his shirt off again, thinking that maybe he’d been bitten by a tick. What he saw made his breathing catch and his heart stop.


“Holy shit… Oh my god,” he swore, than started running as hard as he could.


“Paul, Andromeda, Patricia!” he shouted, sprinting recklessly through the woods. He burst into the clearing, sweating and hair in total disarray. Paul strolled out of the cabin, raising his eyebrows at his cousin.


“What’s all the shouting about, Mr. Hot and Heavy?” growled Paul. Sam felt slightly crestfallen at his cousin’s cool reception but refused to be taken down.


“My Mark! The scar’s lighter, Paul, it’s bright red, not dark!” exclaimed Sam, bending down slightly so Paul could see better. Paul brushed his fingers over the slightly raised x scar, his eyes expanding to twice their size.


“Holy mother,” he whispered, “What did she do to you?” Sam’s face reddened.


“I think it’s what we did,” he murmured.


“Well, hell, dude, get her to do it more often if its gonna keep that thing from turning black!” cried Paul wrapping his cousin in a massive bear hug and laughing.


“We are the champions!” he shouted gleefully. Patricia, drawn outside by the noise, looked at them with disbelief.


“Okay…” she said, “What’s going on?”


“Sam’s Mark faded a whole bunch last night!” explained Paul ecstatically. Patricia grinned widely.


“Koris sure as hell won’t be happy,” she said, laughing deep in her throat.


“Nope,” Sam agreed, looking around. “Where’s Andromeda?”


“She’s not with you?” asked Paul curiously


“I thought she was with you, ‘cause, you said… you know…”


“I’m right here,” murmured a soft voice, and the red headed witch stepped out behind them, looking a little pale.


“Andi, my Mark-” began Sam.


“I know, Sam, I saw it already…” she said, touching the x lightly with her fingertips. Sam felt electrified as her fingers glided over his skin.


“That’s great news though,” Andromeda added, looking up at him and smiling, “bit less to worry about.” Sam grinned back, but something distant in Andromeda’s eyes made him wary; she would normally have been happier, but she wasn’t.


“Alright, party’s over. Breakfast is ready, so lets eat,” Patricia interrupted, giving the couple an amused look. She and Paul went in, but Sam and Andromeda stayed out for moment. An awkward silence filled the clearing as thoughts of the previous night filtered in.


“So… how are you feeling?” Sam said at last, looking down at his girlfriend. Yeah, I suppose I can call her my girlfriend after last night, he thought.


“I’m fine, Sam, you didn’t hurt me… although, I didn’t expect you to be so rough. You don’t seem like that kind of person, but I was wrong,” Andromeda glanced up at him, her odd coloured eyes shimmering in the early morning light. Sam ran his hand over his thick shaggy hair, feeling a little embarrassed.


“I could say the same about you… you really are full of surprises,” he murmured, and they both laughed softly, grinning at each other sheepishly.


“Yo saps!” called Paul, “Breakfast! And Sam, you need to take your meds.” Sam and Andromeda exchanged a look, than went in. The delicious smell of pancakes, bacon, and sausages enveloped them as they stepped into the small cabin. Patricia was already attacking the meat and barely touching the cakes.


“Keep my strength up,” she mumbled through a mouthful of sausage, before swigging everything down with a gulp of beer, “Moon’s tonight.” Sam sat down and stated eating hungrily, swallowing whole.


“Hungry?” Paul commented, chewing exaggeratingly slow. Sam glared at him.


“You would be too, if you’d been very active during the night. Need I remind you of your infamous partying in university?” Sam snapped back.


“Shutting up,” said Paul, busying himself with some bacon. Sam went on eating, but slowed down a little. He picked up the glass beside his plate and looked at the black liquid inside suspiciously.


“That’s your potion/medicine thing; drink it compliantly or it’s going down the hard way,” Patricia muttered, her golden eyes boring into Sam’s storm gray ones. Sam looked back, then at the glass. He took a small mouthful.


It had barely touched his tongue when he spat it out just as fast. “Holy hell!” he choked, “What the hell is in here?!”


“Lots of stuff; stank the place up this morning when I made it. Now drink it,” growled Patricia menacingly, but her eyes glimmered with humour. Gulping, Sam swallowed the rest of glass, trying hard not to puke. His stomach still protested, flopping like a fish out of water and causing him to gag.


“How often do I need to drink that crap?” he said in a strangled voice.


“Twice a day,” Andromeda answered, chewing delicately at her breakfast. Sam stared at her, then sighed heavily and continued finish his food.


The day passed uneventfully, with the usual duties of cleaning and cooking, keeping the four friends busy. Patricia ran and stretched constantly, acting like a child three times as young. Her excuse was that she didn’t want to pull anything during the night. Sam and Andromeda kept doing their work together, but at the same time, avoiding each other. Paul felt like the only sane one around.


They had supper around four so Patricia would have plenty of time to run in her wolfskin.


Patricia tore at her very rare steak, swallowing chunks of meat nearly whole.


“Well, I’m off,” she mumbled in her husky voice, leaping up and stalking to the door, “I should be back tomorrow morning.” Then she was gone, running into the woods and changing as she did.


Paul, Sam, and Andromeda stood in the doorway, watching her quickly disappearing figure.


“So… anyone want to play ‘Life’?” Paul asked, breaking the silence.


“Sure,” answered Sam, slinking his arm around Andromeda’s waist.


“And, uh, keep everything G-rated, okay? You guys making out on the couch is the last thing I want to see tonight.”


“Yeah, whatever,” scoffed Sam, laughing as he walked inside.


“I mean it, dude, if you two start swapping spit, I swear…”


The night was fun, full of good-natured joking and talking. Andromeda won two straight games, each time ending up with a ton of cash and son she called Sebastian. During their next game, Sam won by a long shot. A disgruntled Paul finally quit and suggested they play some poker.


“Yeah right! The only poker you like outside of money making is strip poker,” Sam commented, raising his eyebrows at Paul and taking a drink from his beer bottle.


“Why not?” said Andromeda, drawing out a case of cards. Sam choked and Paul stared; neither had actually intended to go into a game of strip poker.


“Well, are we playing or not?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. Both men jumped and cleared the table off. Andromeda dealt the cards and they started to play. Almost instantly, it became obvious that it was not Paul’s night. He was soon down to socks and boxers, while Sam had only lost his shirt and Andromeda her sweater. Paul had just lost again and was about to take off one of his socks when Patricia burst in, still partly in her wolf form. She was panting heavily and white as a ghost. All three leaped to their feet.


“What’s wrong?” Paul asked sharply, running over to her. She sagged against the door, coughing.


“Someone saw me.”


So yes, thats the end. Please comment!! The page so freakin long!!! Its actually starting to scare me!!! Semi joke, but please comment. I wanna know what you all think.