Fuel

Morrigan finally arrived outside Tex's place. She'd taken more detours than she should have, but she'd needed the time alone. She hadn't expected to want to be alone, but that had been what she needed.

She parked Shane's car next to the other hugely expensive vehicles that were so out of place here and walked up to the door. She wasn't sure what to expect. She'd never been inside a hunter's hideout before. She noticed the salted windows and doubted very much that was all the protection this place had.

"Hey guys, it's Morrigan," she called out. "Someone want to come to the door and let me in?" She felt like a complete moron. "I'd like to keep my head if there are any traps."

Georgina was just heading to the kitchen when she heard Morrigan outside. She grabbed some of the holy water and salt that was in the kitchen right next to the flour and opened the door.
Morrigan raised one eyebrow while scrutinizing Georgie in her denim shorts and a pink shirt.
"Hi Morrigan, nice of you to joing us!" Georgie handed her the holy water drink with a grin.

"What's this?"

"Just holy water and salt. We have to make sure that you're not a shape shifter or demon before you enter this house."

Morrigan pulled a face while choking down the drink that Georgie gave her. "That's disgusting!"

"You'll get used to it." Georgina gave her a wink, then turned around and threw her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "How was your drive? Are you tired?"

"Pretty much exhausted, yes." Morrigan followed her into the house. "Am I the last one who arrived?"

"Yes, I think so." Georgie turned around. "Are you hungry? I can't cook, but Tex makes excellent pancakes."

Morrigan smiled gratefully. "Breakfast wouldn't be bad."

Six hours. A new record. Might almost have been normal if he hadn't been so sleep-deprived to start with.

Elenna.

Holed up in the library. She had chained the door shut, and sat in a dark corner, pretending to read. Her skinny legs stuck out from behind a pile of books. She looked like a child, holding up a huge manuscript in front of her so that it almost covered her entire body.

The book was shaking. And she was squeaking. Trembling. Gasping.

Crying?

It struck Rome to the core: Elenna didn't cry. She got mad. She hit stuff. She hit him. The last time he'd seen her cry was the first time they had met. Rome approached cautiously, nudged down the book, ready to gather her into his arms to--

Blood. There was blood everywhere. Running down her face. She was crying blood. Blood poured, dark and warm, from empty eye sockets that stared up at him and--

Rome jerked awake, slammed by terror and pain as his limbs went in every direction, tangled by blankets. It was dark, but that didn't mean anything. The bed was empty. But someone had been sleeping here. It smelled like Elenna.

Who was gone.

Rome didn't check the clock. He didn't look for clothes to get dressed with. He tugged the blanket free of the bed, wrapped it around him, and padded down the hallway to the library.

The door wasn't chained shut, and that gave him hope, but he discovered her in the classics section, just like in his dream, and he could hear her crying. He rushed across the room and tore the book from her hands, eliciting a shriek from her.

But they were normal tears.

Half-relieved, half-dismayed, Rome dropped to his knees and pulled Elenna into a hug. "Chica, what the hell? Who cries in a library?"

Lenna looked up; she didn’t want anyone to find her and especially him. He was enough worried about her. He looked as if something happened why did he look so relieved? Did something happen?

Oh maybe he had a vision, but about me?

Lenna leaned against him, he was nice warm and she felt more than safe in his arm. Maybe it wasn’t so bad that he found her. He wouldn’t laugh he never did.

“I cry in the library, it is safe here.” Lenna tried to speak clearly but she got a hiccup from the crying not that she stopped. “Rome he is really gone right? Nick left this time really, I don’t feel him around anymore. I know you are here and everyone else but still I lost my whole family. What if I need a kidney, or I dunno. I never wanted him to go, I never wanted him to turn into a monster and he did, because I shot him. Rome I shot my brothers and he turned into a monster anyway. I did nothing right. Everything is wrong, what am I doing here?” Lenna gasped for breath.

Theo came out of the kitchen, a towel over his shoulder, his cane in hand.

"Well, well. Looks like you've a party going on in the entry way. I'm Father Theo. I'm a friend of Texas." He said with a smile. The older two of the three looked like children with their hands caught in the cookie jar, the young brunette however looked more than a little bewildered.

"Can I interest anyone in some pancakes? It's Texas' recipe, but I'm handling the flipping right now."

They stared quietly, so he began shooing them into the kitchen.

"Can't have you all starve to death in the foyer. In you go. Sit down and have some juice. I'll have food for you in a minute." He said as he walked back to the stove, leaning heavily on his cane.

Morrigan took Theo's hand when he offered it and looked longlingly at the food. She missed home cooked meals with a passion.

"Sit down," he repeated. "I'll bring it to you."

Morrigan and Georgie headed back to the table and sat down with their fresh squeezed orange juice.

"So, I don't know if Rome or Lenna told you, but I'm heading out tomorow. We've got Shane's service in a few days and I need to go home. I'd like it if you'd join me, I don't have many friends that would understand what my family is going through."

Georgina scrutinized Morrigan with a warm smile. "You can count on me. After all the stuff that happened the last few days I wouldn't let you drive around all alone." She took a sip of the orange juice which was so much better than the sugary stuff you would normally get in one of these plastic containers.
"So, how are you holding up? Attending your brother's funeral must be hard."

Morrigan bit her lip. "It feels like there's a whole part missing, you know..."

Georgie nodded. "It is weird but when I went to my parents' funeral I didn't feel anything, and this strange feeling of emptiness lasted at least two years."

"How old were you?"

"I just turned nine." Georgie's glance briefly met with Father Theo's who listened quietly. "Believe me or not, but I didn't cry. It was like I was too empty for any kind of sad emotions. After I turned eleven I suddenly woke up and just knew that I had to fill my parents' shoes."

"So they were hunters as well?"

"Yes. However, they didn't raise me this way. Neither did my uncle, a former hunter. I went to college and all, was pretty much influenced by him being a public prosecutor, so I got into law school, but I remembered the fact that I didn't feel anything at my parents' funeral and I kind of felt like I owed them..."

"By following their footsteps?"

"Pretty much." Georgie smiled. "You should have seen the look on my uncle's face when I told him I would leave Yale for hunting. That was probably the first time Mr. Public Prosecutor didn't have any words to argue."

Morrigan smiled and drank the rest of her orange juice. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you...ahm, possess anything black? You know, for the service?"

Georgie chuckled. "Yes, there is such a thing as black in my wardrobe. Not much, I have to admit, but at least something."

Caleb could feel his blood burning as he followed the priest into the room, sitting down before anyone got a chance to look him head to toe. He smiled and nodded his thanks as Father Cock Blocker handed him a stack of pancakes he was sure a small child could hide behind. Followed by the mug he kept here - which was more like a pitcher - full of orange juice. He suppressed a groan. Apparently, breakfast was going to take a while.

"Sooo ... Father ... we've never met before but we both know Tex well. You come in as I walk out sorta deal?" Caleb joked.

Aly was famished, but other needs were taking precedent. His hand on her ass as they walked to the kitchen didn't help her condition. It only made the ache stronger. If the man had been anything other than a priest she would have grabbed Cal and ran upstairs with him--or lay down on the dining table and ruin everyone's breakfast.

Aly looked down at herself after smoothing her hair down. She crossed her arms over her chest as she sat down to hide the more obvious signs of her distress. The table hid his very obvious sign.

The pancakes were good and she didn't know anyone really so she kept to herself eating quietly while never taking her mind off her greater hunger.

Okay, she may not be crying blood but now she's hyperventilating. Not good. Rome pulled her as tight against him as his straining muscles and bruised body would allow. "Hey, hey, now. Take it easy, there, chica, I can't understand you when you're crying so hard."

Rome wrapped his hand around the back of her skull and started running his hand through her hair as the sobbing tapered off but the tears still flowed, sending a wet river down his chest. For the first time he felt slightly awkward embracing her in this state of undress, but she didn't seem to notice or mind, so he said nothing.

When she had quieted enough for him to talk, he shifted her to his shoulder so he could look down at her.

"Nothing is wrong, Elenna, you understand me? Nothing. You're here because we need you. All of us. The whole world, Lennie, you hear me? You save the world, one supernatural S-O-B at a time. You save--" Rome choked on the word, wondering how saptastic he wanted to be, before deciding he should be honest with her: "you save me. You know, like, all the time. There isn't a day goes by that I don't thank God that since he's fresh out of angels upstairs that he sent me you instead. You're..." Rome stopped. Enough with the touchy-feely crap. "And that's why I'm here, too, okay? That's why Nick didn't actually kill me, even though he wanted to. You know he talked to me before he went, right?"

Elenna sniffled and sat up a little. "What?"

Rome took a deep breath. "Nick and me...argued, when I was...possessed, if you want to call it that. We hated each other's guts--his memory be damned, I still hate the bastard--but we both wanted the same thing: we both wanted you safe and looked after and happy. He was just going about it the completely bass-ackwards way, and that's what I told him. But that's why he let you go, because he loved you. Even in his psycho twisted ghost-brain he loved you, you were the most important thing to him. And even though he hated me, I think that's why he let me go. So I could look after you. Or, you know, he just died before he got the chance, I don't know, but that's what I'm taking it as. Not that I wasn't going to look after you, anyways."

"But, Rome, I--"

"No, buts, chica, you're the only one in this whole mess who wasn't a complete douchenozzle, so don't you dare try to apologize for something. You did the right thing. You always have."

Rome chuckled into her hair.

"Well, except maybe for getting mixed up with me in the first place."

She laughed a little at that, and Rome continued to hold her as the silence lengthened. He wrapped the blanket around both of them and shifted her to a more comfortable position that wasn't against the broken bone.

"Rome," she said forlornly. "I'm an orphan now."

"The hell you are, kiddo. You're an honorary Remington, now. And, seriously, if you're worried about kidneys, you know I'd sell my soul in a heartbeat to get you one if you needed it, right?" Rome winked.

Elenna hit him, only pulling the punch at the last second, remembering his injuries, but it still hurt. "You shouldn't joke about that, Rome!"

"Why not?" He laughed. "Anyway, it's not like I was using it."

Lenna smiled a bit. She didn’t felt any different than a few moments ago, but she also knew that her life not really had changed. Nick was dead since over 5 years, she was since 5 years an orphan. She felt still like crying, but somehow Rome made her stop. She wiped the tears from her cheeks.

“Selling your soul is not funny as far as I know. Making a deal with a demon might get you what you want but the cost is never worth it. Because it means you go to hell, really to hell. And I rather die as getting a kidney you paid for with spending eternity in hell. So don’t you dare to sell your soul for me or anyone or anything!”

Lenna leaned against Rome’s shoulder.

“Wait did you just say I’m a Remington now? That is weird, it sounds um weird when you sit half naked next to me.” Lenna grinned. “Are you sure you are ready for a little sister? They sometimes take all the attention from the big brother and I know how much you enjoy the spotlight. And no matter how much little sisters try they always make you worry about them. At least that’s what... Nick said once to me, when he wanted me to stop learning how to ride a bike. Just because I looked after the first couple of times worse then I look now. I miss him, so much.”

After taking a deep breath Lenna managed to smile over the memory of Nick standing in the kitchen making her breakfast the first time in their new apartment. He looked scared of being really responsible for her, but mostly relieved to know she wasn’t in some stranger’s house.

“But thanks for telling me he wasn’t insane and just wanted me dead. It looked like it a lot. Hey Rome how awkward does it sound when I say I’m really glad to have you.”

"Considering the massive chick-flick moment we just had, not awkward at all," Rome laughed, diffusing the sweetness of the sentiment with humor before he could think about it. "Plus, you're currently in the arms of a gorgeous half-naked specimen of the male species, and I think I know about twelve pornos that start off like this, but don't get any ideas, because if you're my sister now, that's just gross."

He was pretty much kidding. He thought. Maybe. Okay, Rome Remington wasn't going to say no to anyone who wanted to sleep with him, but on a certain level, yes, that was just wrong. This was Elenna he was talking about.

Rome took a breath. "And I'm really glad to have you, too," he said, pulling her in against his chest again so he wouldn't have to look at her, in case he bared his heart a little too much. "I don't care if little sisters are annoying and stress me out. There's no possible way you could be more annoying than a twin brother."

She chuckled a little at that.

"Okay, help me up. I'm starving, and I think I smell pancakes. I don't know why, since I think it's dinnertime, but..."

"Rome," Elenna giggled. "That's breakfast time for hunters."

Caleb wrote:"Sooo ... Father ... we've never met before but we both know Tex well. You come in as I walk out sorta deal?" Caleb joked.

"Ah, you must be Caleb then." Theo said as he set a plate in front of the young brunette. "No, I've just moved to Protection about a week ago. I've been away for a few years on...business, but I've known Texas since she wasn't much older than..." He looked at the young hunter.

"Morrigan." She said between mouthfuls.

Theo smiled. "...than Morrigan."

The door leading to the library creaked open, and Rome & Elenna came into the kitchen. They both had red, puffy eyes, but also smiles.

"Looks like we're gonna need more pancakes." Theo said as he moved back to the stove. The pan hissed as fresh butter hit hot metal. "How'd you sleep Romulus?" The old man asked, his eyes never leaving the cooking batter.

"Like the dead, Padre," Rome replied, grinning at the Father gratefully, although he knew the older man would recognize that even if he had slept peacefully, it had only been for a few short hours. Apparently long enough for the rest of the world to catch up, as the team sat around the table eagerly scarfing down pancakes.

Except for Caleb and Aly. God, had they?--were they?--ha! Rome almost snorted orange juice out his nose, but no one else seemed to be noticing. And he wasn't a complete dillweed, so he didn't actually say anything, though when he had half a chance he flashed Caleb a wide grin and a juvenile thumbs-up. Well done, you two, he said internally.

"So, cowboys and girls, what's the haps? Everyone back? Anyone heard from Danila yet? Can I have pecans in my pancakes?" The questions rolled so quickly off his tongue that no one had a chance to answer, if anyone had even displayed the inclination.

He surveyed the room, briefly. Caleb, Aly, here but wishing they were doing the horizontal fandango, check. Lenna, getting pancakes, as if she suddenly realized she was hungry. Lily sat on the counter, reading the newspaper, her pancakes half-eaten and getting cold beside her. Georgie, looking fresh and clean and not a hair out of place: he gave her a quick hug and a, "Sorry for ditching you in Columbus, G, we just wanted to get gone, you know? Sans Christina Aguilera," accompanied by as much of a wink he could manage with one eye still puffy.

He plopped down across from Morrigan, who was looking glum--with good reason--I mean, did anyone have any reason to be happy today, seriously, what the hell?--and made sure she was looking at him before asking, "How ya holding up? You need us to drive you anywhere?"

"I'm heading out in the morning. The funeral's going to be at the family cemetery out on the ranch. I wouldn't mind the company if anyone's feeling up for another long drive."

Rome nodded as he continued to eat. "In case you haven't noticed, we do a hell of a lot of driving."

She smiled and looked out at his new Ferrari. "You probably can't even feel the road in that thing."

"Not really."

"So, I understand if you're not up to it. I just met you guys and feel like I'm asking way too much of you."

Rome snorted. "No way, dudette, you kidding me? You know the drill, and you're handy with a gun. You're part of the crew." He took a mouthfull of pancakes and pondered a moment. Quieter, "Way I see it--" he swallowed the pancakes and lowered his voice, "--you're a nice girl who just lost her brother. And just in case it isn't painfully obvious, you're not exactly alone in that around here. Birds of a feather, right?" He glanced at Elenna when he said this, but, come to think of it, he could have been looking at Aly or Lily or--himself.

"You never told me what happened to your brother," Morrigan said quietly, sympathetically.

Rome huffed. "Yeah, I guess I lost him, too."

"I'm sorry. How did it happen?"

"I--what? No, my bad. I mean, I lost him. Like, literally, as in misplaced. He ran off, I don't know."

Morrigan knit her brow. "How did that happen?"

Rome frowned. "He lost me."

Before this could get any more awkward, Rome took another oafishly large bite of pancakes and glugged down a glass of milk. "So. We leaving in the morning? I won't bother unpacking the car, then." He winked at Morrigan and raised his voice to the rest of the group. "Me and Mor are headed out come daybreak. Raise your hand if you're not sick of driving yet," he added with a sarcastic grin.

"I already assured Morrigan I'd come with her", Georgie replied with a smile. "So count me in." Her gaze passed from the Ferrari outside to Rome, and she raised one eyebrow. "You couldn't have spent your money more wisely, I assume?" The sarcasm in her voice was unmistakable.

Rome flashed a perky grin at her. "Look at it this way; if I wouldn't have bought Vera- that's her name, by the way- you would constantly have to fight with me about who's driving your car, and not to mention the fact you would have to deal with Lenna's and my music..." He winked at Elenna who nodded supporting.

"All right, you got me." Georgie sighed, then looked at the cars. "You seriously called that huge swanky hell of a car Vera?" She looked from Rome to Morrigan. "Maybe you should reconsider your joining of this group, Morrigan, because let's face it; having him around..." Georgie's gaze passed from the other girl back to Rome, "gets you only into trouble."

Morrigan chuckled. "I think I can cope with that."

Georgie smiled. "You've already got the right hunter attitude."

Lenna munched her pancakes, she wasn’t exactly hungry but she knew she needed to eat and she didn’t want anyone to worry about her.

Great another funeral.

“I’m coming too, if that is okay.” Lenna looked guilty at Morrigan. She wasn’t really sure of Morrigan wanted her at the funeral.

I wonder if I can…

“Rome could I… I mean do you think… can I drive?”

"Of course you can drive," Rome said gratefully. The newness had already worn off, and he longed for the twelve-car garage back in his life of luxury pre-Andre. "Anyway, I'm thinking of changing its name. If she's Italian, Vera is stupid. How about, I dunno, Beatrice? As in, Dante's Beatr--"

Silence interrupted him. He glared around the table at the people giving him skeptical looks. "What? I do know how to read!"

"Right," Elenna laughed. "I just didn't think you actually did."

"Shut up," Rome replied, grinning, as he plucked a grape off the center of the table and threw it at her nose. "Okay, so us four? We'll take Mor's soccer-mom-mobile and the Ferrari, unless you wanna take the Audi, too, G? Anyone else coming? Where do you even live, Mor?"

"I'm all in," Caleb answered, shrugging his heavy shoulders, "We need another respectable machine in the convoy to make up for that new electric razor."

As he finished, Caleb indicated the Ferrari with a derisive grin. Part of him wanted to see just how that "electric razor" would perform if he got a chance to really open it up, but the rest of him loved his truck. He'd wanted a big truck for as long as he could remember, and had taken his on from a comrade who'd retired from Hunting to raise his family. Just up and left the business - something Caleb had never thought possible.

Then came the mental self-derision. He hadn't considered how much free time with Aly he'd just given up. He shot her an apologetic glance and resigned to still not being able to stand up with everyone else still in the room.

"Wait a minute!" Georgina looked from Rome to Elenna, and back to Rome. "Are you seriously going to let a tiny 19-year old girl drive your Ferrari? Do you know how freaking irresposible that is?!"

"Hey!" Elenna cried in protest. "I'm not tiny. And if I want to drive the Ferrari, then I'm going to drive the Ferrari, got it?"

Georgie ignored her, she still focused on Rome. "Hello? Are you serious? There is one word that comes to my mind when I think of Lenna sitting behind the steering wheel of your car: danger!"

Rome grinned. "Relax, G, she's one hell of a driver."
Elenna couldn't resist but smiling cheekily at Georgie.

Georgina sighed. "I hope you'll get dragged to hell for your irresponsibility, Remington", she replied with a sarcastic grin. She knew that Rome would never let Elenna get hurt, so she had to trust him, but just the thought of that little brunette driving this huge thing...

She looked at Elenna . "Don't you even think about driving like a maniac Nascar driver, Elenna Fee!"

Lenna rolled her eyes. "Yes, mom!", and then whispered "Like I'm going to listen to you..."

"Hey, I've heard that!"

With her new friends in tow, Morrigan knew that no matter what awaited her at Shane's funeral, things would be okay in the end. Sure, her life was going to change in big ways, but a part of her had known it was coming for a long time.

"You guys ready? This Colorado girl's got an unfortunate place to be."

She headed outside and started for the car, it was a long road ahead. She'd better start driving.

"'Irresponsible' is my middle name." Rome grinned at Georgie, who rolled her eyes. Then he turned back to Morrigan:

"Yeah, we're ready," he said, half-standing and hurriedly shoving more pancakes in his mouth. He reached across the table for the coffee pot, but a dark wooden cane struck from out of nowhere like a snake: "Ow! Shhh...what the hel...ck was that for, Padre?" Rome stuck his offended knuckles in his mouth.

"Why don't we take it easy on the caffiene, Romulus?"

"Okay, yeesh. You know, normal people just ask..."

"Would you have listened?"

"No," chimed practically everyone who sat around the table, in unison, as if this had been rehearsed.

"Yeah, well, screw you very much," he replied, pretending to be offended at the chorus of chuckles that ensued. "I'm gonna go get packed." He stood up, looked down at himself. "And, you know, dressed." He dumped the blanket unceremoniously onto Caleb's lap. "Put that in the laundry for me, would ya?" he asked, with a sly wink that was only for Caleb--and, okay, for the sake of human decency and the fact that there was a priest in the room and for his own personal ohmygod am I really the only one seeing this? amusement.

His own half-nakedness in the middle of the kitchen, however, was not a problem.

Without waiting for a reply Rome grabbed an apple off the counter, took a large bite out of it, and, chewing as obnoxiously as possible, darted back upstairs to his room.

Aly was lost in her own world as the conversation went on around her. She quietly ate trying to concentrate on bringing herself down. It was working, unfortunately.

She looked at Caleb, exasperated, as Rome tossed him the blanket and the others left.

"Now?" She groaned and fell forward until her head rattled the table.

"Sorry--I wasn't..."

"Thinking?"

"No."

"We should support her, regardless. I know how it feels to lose a sibling. I'm still hunting for my sister's murderer--at least she gets closure."

He nodded as he stood, keeping the blanket strategically positioned as they walked to their rooms to grab their things. He pressed her against the wall for a deep kiss before releasing her.

"You do know you're torturing yourself, right? Give me time and I'll come down--you're going to have to revert to more desperate measures."

She winked at him as they headed back downstairs back in their suits for the drive to the funeral.

Lenna looked from the door Rome just disappeared and back to Caleb something was going on here, something she didn't get.

Whatever. I'm going to drive Ve... Bea.. the Ferrari. That will be fun. I wonder how fast Rome lets me drive. If the police cars can catch up?

Lenna finished her orange juice, she wasn't really hungry and left half of the pancakes on her plate.

She went upstairs to get dressed and ready to leave. She was quickly dressed, repacked her bags and realised that none of her curse boxes where in her bags. She wasn't sure if they were in still in the Ferrari. She tried to remember if Rome mentioned anything about them. A knock made her look up.

"Lenna how are you? I still think you shouldn't drive."

Lenna looked at the blond girl at the door.

"I'm fine and I can drive. Hey do you know where the two curse boxes are in which I kept personal things?"

Now it was Georgie's turn to look uncomfortable.

"Lenna listen we thought that they might worked as your brothers remains so we burned them, I'm so sorry."

Lenna went pale but when she spoke her voice was steady.

"Oh well yeah it could have worked. That is okay, don't worry I'm fine."

Lenna took her bag and went outside to sit on the porch to wait for Rome.

I guess it's better not have all the stuff so I can forget the pain.