Look who's back (Phae)

[Junpei]

"Mmm and I as well Phaedra, I love you to."

Smiling Junpei bent over and kissed her softly, her head still in his lap he smiled softly pulling back and nuzzled his nose to hers. She was sick but she was still trooper as always, always putting up with his best an worst and him the same with her. They were inseparable and they were a couple made for each other. Smiling even more at that thought Junpei shifted and set her head in his lap so she could look up at him and he could look down at her as they talked.

"Now, as for a house... why don't you rest today, and Ill go look for the time being. If I find something I like I'll take you there tomorrow, that OK? Of course, I won't be leaving, that' why i have Loish, he can survey for me an we can enjoy the day alone ogteher getting you-"

Junpei leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips, a second long and letting kiss.

"- you we can get backup to feeling better and tomorrow we'll go buy a house, our house, our family's house. Sound good?"

He asked as he adjusted her a bit to be more comfortable. That was a nice thought, a happy thought, a though the could hold onto for a long time. They would have their own home, their own sanctuary. Junpei smiled once more, god he was smiling a lot now.

[Phae]

Jun. That was all she needed right now to help chase away her nightmares. They were the ones that kept the black circles under her eyes and the ones that had made her turn into a semi vegetarian because of the memories of THAT place. He bent down and kissed her gently on the lips and she smiled kissing him back. His nose ran along hers a trademark move of his and she loved it. She was starting to feel better now that she wasn't thinking about that class so much.

Then he began to talk about going to look for a house while she rested. Immediatly the thoughts of the dream and the class began to come back through her mind and she began to panic but then the told her he wasn't leaving but instead sending Loish. She lay back down a bit relaxing in his lap once more. He leaned down and kissed her once more and she nodded in response to his question.

"Have Del go with him. She sends me pictures." she said weakly as she turned on her back so she could look up at Jun and still be comfortable. "We communicate now.. me and Del. But it's different than you and Loish."

She thought about how wonderful it would be when they finally got a house and began their family. It was going to be a dream come true for her and Junpei knew it. It was a huge commitment and she couldn't wait. She only hoped he would forget about the mental anguish that Zandra had mentioned. Else she was going to have to show him her new power. The one he had not seen.

[Junpei]

"K."

He said quietly as he pushed open the window behind them, allowing the jhereg to fly out and start looking. Junpei sent a few good ideas into Loish's mind and then let Loish send them onto Del. With any luck they would find something soon and Junpei could tell Phaedra within a few hours.

"Why don't you go back to sleep and get some more rest. With any luck you'll have sweeter dreams this time."

Leaning over Junpei kissed her once more, this time a long and lingering kiss that would let her feel his love pouring threw. He slid down himself and set her in his lap, her back to his stomach, her head under his chin, he leaned down and nuzzled her neck and kissed the back of her neck a few times sweetly.

"Go to sleep love, I'll watch over you."

[Phae]

The window opened and Del followed her older mentor out into the breeze gliding beside him. She had grown quite a bit since him and Jun had been gone and she and Phae were extremely close many times the little Jhereg keeping the redhead sane. Phae felt herself being shifted and she cuddled down into her warm blanket even more now. He had her in his lap and promised to watch over her. She smiled.

"Don't.. don't let.. him get me Jun." she whispered.

It was a clue of course. But would really not mean much to Junpei at the moment. Maybe only make him worry more but nothing else. She closed her blue eyes and leaned into him before she fell asleep again. He small frail near fragile body in his arms to keep and to protect as she began to sleep trying to recover as her brows furrowed and unfurrowed in her dream.

--please.. don't let me walk--

[Junpei]

Junepi smiled as she nuzzled down into him and ignored the statement about some man coming for her. He wouldn't let anyone get a hold of her and he would give his life for that cause. The nice thing about all this was, for once they were truly alone. No jheregs, no visitors, no anyone or anything, just the. Junpei slid down an they were both laying down, Junpei holding Phaedra tightly to his waist he closed the window and put the torches out. In total darkness Junpei nuzzled up to Phaedra an slipped off to sleep with her.

- in mind - Junpei stood in the middle of the same hallway as always, rooms lining either side with no walls and nothing behind them from this view. Walking up Junpei passed by several doors before coming to a familiar one, a solid black door. Pushing the door open Junpei let a look of sadness cross his face as he looked at the still dissolving form of Harlow, only half of his body was visible now, and it wasn't pretty.

"Hello Junpei..."

[Phae]

Phae slept but she sensed him. Junpei in the back of her mind she sensed his distress. If he was asleep she could help him if not he was alone. She woke herself half way so she was no longer actually sleeping but more mediatating. Entering Junpei's mind with her newfound power she entered his dream.

There she stood in her uniform the one she fought in. Okay that would work. Her sword at her side as she appeared just down the hall from Junpei. She ran up to him seeing the color drain fron his face she looked up at him and quickly slammed the door shut.

"No! You can't go in there. Think of me. Think of our family. Think of how much you hate that thing. Look into my eyes Junpei, look into them and see our future. See us and out children. You turned Harlow away so that you could be here for us well damnit you have to wake up! Wake up now!" she said as she blocked him from the door standing her ground strongly.

She was dreamwalking and he would not know that right now in the least. But he would probably figure it out when they woke if anything harmed her she would be harmed in the real world. She looked up at him with a fire in her eyes that said she would stab his dream self if he even tried.

[Junpei]

Junpei stood on the threshold of the door when Harlow suddenly became angry. He damn near walked, if he could have, he lacked feet now. He growled instead and raised his hand. Junpei's eyes tracked the hand and he moved, blocking the way for a running Phaedra. Harlow let loose a dark arrow, a spell that fired off a pure dark arrow. Junpei took the hit right in the shoulder, the left side. In the real world Junpei would cough up a bit of blood, Harlow was making this physical now.

Phaedra slammed the door shut as Junpei blinked at the wound. The arrow dissolved as Phaedra told him to wake up.He looked down at her and nodded, his shoulder bled out and more blood leaked out of Junpei's mouth back in his physical plain. He dissolved in front of Phaedra and in the real world he suddenly woke up and coughed. About 1 ounce of blood followed and he had to roll to the side to avoid splashing it over Phaedra.

He slid her off him an hit the floor of the room, on hands and knees he let the last of the blood leave his mouth and he looked down at about 2 ounces of red fluid sat on the floor before him. He gulped down some blood and swayed a bit.

"Phaed.."

He passed out.

[Phae]

"NOOOO!" she screamed.

Damnit! Stupid ass was gonna die. He was SOOO NOT attacking her lover in his sleep. She woke with a gasp she was still so tired having had to dream walk instead of sleep. She ran over to Junpei and rolled him over on his back.

"This is going to hurt like hell okay." she said as she pulled his shirt from last night off the floor and tore it into strips. She hadn't been a swordswoman all her life without knowing how to tend and dress a wound. She applied a lot of pressure as she wrapped his shoulder stopping the blood flow. The arrow was not there any longer that was good but she still was worried.

She kissed his lips before she placed her hand on his head. Gods to pull this whole thing off was going to cost her. She took a deep breath and fed him her mana. Going into a slight trance she waited for him to dream.

...Come on Junpei dream for me love.. I can help you but you have to dream..

[Junpei]

Junpei groaned unconsciously as his wound was dressed and pressure came on it. In his mind he was surrounded by pure blackness, his sight was brought to nothing. He tried to move but he was apparently floating, all he could see was himself. A feint glow from his left shoulder told him someone was giving him mana. Only person knew how to.. OH GOD NO!

"PHAEDRA STOP NOW! HONEY YOU CAN'T! YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS! NO NO NO!"

His screams hit deaf ears and he cried out once more, screaming her name in the darkness. His shoulder started to glow brighter as she fed him more mana. He sobbed.

"No.. stop.. Phaedra stop.. stop please, god help her... oh god Phaedra please stop..."

A small prick of light appeared ahead of him. and he jumped at it. He was in and he was back in the hallway. Harlow's door was open again the ghastly voice of a half dead Harlow filled the hallway.

"She was a fool Junpei, she started feeding you mana and I STOLE it from her. Have fun at the funeral..."

For a moment Harlow as laughing, the next he was shocked and stunned to find a very mad and very angelic Junpei grabbing him about the throat. Junpei could tell Phaedra was back in his dream, she was dream walking it seemed, he had only read about it. The feral growl that Junpei let loose had Harlow's eyes widening as far as they could go. This man was PISSED at the being in front of him.

Junpei lowered his head and his bangs hid his eyes as he began to slowly crush Harlow's neck, Harlow tried to scream but Junpei's strong hand crushed down harder. The voice that followed was not Junpei's, it was that of a husband and future father protecting his family and his wife.

"Touch her, in ANY way, and I'll kill you. That's what I said months ago. You laid a single FINGER on her and I would FUCKING kill you Harlow. Well you just tried to KILL her! You think I'll let you live now? FUCK no! You're a dead man Harlow, enjoy eternity in HELL!"

Screaming Junpei's hand crushed on Harlow's throat and the fallen angel went limp in his hand. The cold dead eyes of Harlow stared out into the hallway as his body dissolved in Junpei's hand.

Junpei let the corpse go and turned, by the time Harlow hit the floor Junpei was closing the door and sealing it.

"Thank you.. Phaedra."

He said as he turned to face her, he knew she was there, she probably saw how damn protective he could be, going so far as to kill a man to keep her and his future safe.

[Phae]

Phae was swaying bodily as she both fed him mana and began to walk his dream. Her body was trembling softly as she fought to stay up. She had to do this. Had to save the love of her life that was all that mattered anymore was saving him. Suddenly she was there in the dream and she looked around

Junpei was cusing out Harlow and crushing his neck. Her eyes went wide as she began to walk over but her image was indeed shaky. She unsheated her sword and when Harlow fell to the ground she sliced his head off and then with her fire spell she burnt it casting it away from his body so that never could the little bastard come back.

Junpei held her close thanking her for whatever she had done because honestly she didn't have a clue. She began to shift her image like a tv show losing signal. She looked up at him as her body twitched.

"Ju..jun...jun.... I... lo-love.. y..y..you. Ne...never fo..forget." she said her voice even sounding shaky as suddenly she disappeared.

In the real world Phae collapsed in the pool of Junpei's blood her body limp and still naked from last night. She had not gotten dressed and she was barely breathing. But all that mattered was that Junpei was indeed safe.

[Junpei]

"PHAEDRA!"

Junpei's eyes snapped open as Phaedra collapsed over him and into his blood. He picked her up and grabbed a black tee shirt next to them, one he had left out two nights ago. He slipped it over her naked frame and covered her up. He then pulled her up into his arms and set her in his lap as he ran a hand threw her hair. God what had he done? He had actually let Harlow get one final victory before death took him away forever. Junpei almost growled, but instead a whimper came out as he stood up with Phaedra in his arms.

Walking into the bathroom Junpei set Phaedra in their tub/shower and turned on the water. He didn't set her in the water yet, just let the water warm. Finally it got warm enough and he put in the stopper. Taking the shirt off her he set her in the warm water that filled the tub. He was trying to wake her and the best way to do that would be to get her comfortable and then talk her back to him. She had lost a lot of mana, Zandra couldn't fix that.

Suddenly an idea hit him an he jumped from the tub to the medicine cabinet. He threw it open, almost breaking a hinge, and grabbed a mana inhaler. Running back to the tub he slipped din with her, sitting over her waist he put the inhaler to her mouth and pushed down, he kept these for JUST this instance. The raw mana would fill her lungs fast an she would surely wake up from either the burning or the raw energy now pulsing threw her body. Throwing the inhaler to the side he picked up her head and patted her cheek.

"Come on Phae, wake up."

[Phae]

Phae lay in the dark. She wasn't cold but oddly warm for some reason. She couldn't think at all. Her mind just wouldn't work. She breathed heavily each drag of her lungs seemed to take so long as weak as she was. Suddenly her lungs burned but she made no physical movement as the mana flowed through her system.

She coughed softly but she didn't wake. What Junpei didn't know was that in the point system in her body she had maybe half a mana left. Now with the sudden influx she was at mabye five or eight but not high enough for consciousness. She heard his words but could not respond as she lay in the water still as limp as ever.

[Junpei]

"God damnit Phaedra, don't do this to me, not no, not when we're so close."

Scrambling out of the tub Junpei let the water drip around him and grabbed the inhaler. He put it back to her lips and pushed in another blast, her lungs once more would fill. Raw mana filling her up and hopefully bringing her back to consciousness.

"Phaedra, wake up."

He once again patted her cheek and leaned down, kissing her deeply he close his eyes tight.

Wake up for me, for our future, for our children Phaedra. Please!

He pulled back and rubbed his nose against hers, that familiar act that always made her smile.

"Please, wake up..."

[Phae]

Another burst of mana and her breathing seemed to be so deep and ragged as she exhaled. Slowly she began to wake she felt his nose against her face and heard more of his words. She smiled at the nose and she coughed softly.

"..shouldn't.. use the Lord's name.. in vain.." she whispered as her eyes opened very heavily.

She coughed several time and was still very weak but now at least she could breath and her eyes opened. She smiled weakly at him and looked up at him unable to move much more than that.

"Jun.." she whispered a smile on her face. "..I'm glad you're okay.." she whispered again as her eyes closed again.

[Junpei]

"At this point I think I owe him a few favors."

Smiling back down at his lover Junpei kissed her forehead and then slipped down into the tub with her. He slipped around behind her, totally ignoring the fact that he was still in boxers and she was naked, and placed his hands around her midrift. His nose nuzzled into her neck an he smiled, she was safe again.

He let them just sit there, her recovering him recovering, and he didn't notice as Zandra healed him from the inside. She was one of his bonds now, Junpei wondered what would become of himself. After all this Harlow was gone and Junpei was free, his soul intact an his magic restored.The strips fell off in the water and Junpei dropped them out, then slipped the arm back around Phaedra.

"You scared me there, don't do it again love, now that Harlow is gone, we're safe again."