Satin Bruises

"Haven?" Jean-Claude questioned, still behind his desk. The reaction from the two women was not what he would have expected over a stray were-lion in his territory. Reilly whimpered, and Raleigh pulled her sister in closer to her body, almost too protectively.

"I need to get Conner," Reilly immediately squeaked. Pulling free of her sister, she bolted to the door, only pausing to snatch her keys out of her coat pocket. Jean-Claude looked astonished, and turned to Raleigh for an explanation, but the twin was already out the door behind her sister. Feeling very much like he had missed something, Jean-Claude regarded the open door for a moment. He settled back into his chair, and stared at the computer screen before him, uncomprehendingly.

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Across town, Reilly burst into the tiny apartment that she shared with her sister. On the sofa, looking very confused were Jason, Nathaniel, and Micah. On Micah's left, stuffed almost between two of the cushions, was Conner. Feeling her heart rate settle for the first time in twenty minutes, Reilly moved forward, snatched her son out of the sofa, and nearly squeezed the life out of him in relief.

"Mama!" He squawked. "You're hurting me!" Reilly let go, startled.

"I'm sorry honey," she said, brushing his too long bangs out of his face.

"He's fine Reilly, did you think that the guys would let anything happen to him?" Raleigh asked, stepping into the still open door. Reilly shook her head.

"It wasn't a rational thought process, Leigh. I just needed to see him. Honey, get your PSP, you're coming back to work with me," she said, as Conner tore off down the hall. "And get your homework, too!" She called as an afterthought.

"Oh Rie, really? He's going to be bored to tears sitting around the clubs while you do your rounds," Raleigh said, coming across the room to a very confused Micah.

"I'm re-warding the circus tonight too, he can help me with the magic setup. He likes the spell work," Reilly answered, checking her watch, and suddenly realizing what the whole thing would have looked like to Jean-Claude. Reilly winced. Conner tore back across the living room, a Transformer clutched in one hand. The weres and Raleigh looked at the boy, then at each other.

"Reilly, we'll take Conner," Raleigh said. "We'll go ahead to the Circus. I'll re-ward everything and he'll help me."

"But I..."

"Let us take him," Micah interjected. "Short of the Apocalypse, he'll be protected from everything."

"I would really rather..."

"Conner, where would you like to go?" Nathaniel asked, scooping the tiny boy up into his arms. The boy snuggled against Nathaniel's chest. He played with his little toy a bit, eying his mother.

"It's okay baby," Reilly whispered, moving his hair out of his eyes. "Go where you want."

"I kind of want to go with Micah and Jason and Nathaniel," he mumbled. Reilly kissed his forehead and smiled. She took him from Nathaniel and handed him to Raleigh. Chest feeling tight, Reilly smiled.

"Take him to the car, let me talk to the boys."

Without a moment's hesitation, Raleigh took her nephew down to the car. Reilly shut the door and looked at them.

"What I am about to say doesn't leave the room. Understood?" The weres nodded in unison.

"The man who fathered Conner has found out about him. He is not going to get near him under ANY circumstances."

"Well, who is he?" Nathaniel asked timidly.

"Haven," Reilly answered, voice sharp.

"Haven?" Micah asked back, confused. "The lion?" Reilly nodded.

"We were in high school together," she said. Her tone did not welcome questions. Nathaniel and Jason exchanged a look, and Reilly left, heels clicking agitatedly on the concrete of the hallway. All the way back to the club she was restless, thinking about her son. She re-entered the office, and resumed working, too consumed with her baby to wonder at the look Jean-Claude was giving her.

"Where is the boy?" He asked, neutrally. Reilly jumped.

"My sister talked me out of hovering obsessively over him all night," Reilly responded wryly. Jean-Claude raised an eyebrow, putting his hand over hers where she sorted through the papers on his desk. Reilly stilled, looking up at him.

"I believe you owe me an explanation," Jean-Claude said, not unkindly. He gently tucked a lock of her hair back behind her ear. Reilly dropped her eyes.

"Haven is Conner's father," she said simply. She could feel her face getting hot where she blushed, shamefacedly. Jean-Claude regarded her steadily.

"I think it is not just a conflict between two ex-lovers that has you so upset," he said, turning her eyes back up to him. Terror, indignation, and tears all welled up in Reilly's eyes so quickly that Jean-Claude was quite startled.

"We aren't ex-lovers. We aren't ex anything. He is the father of my son. That is the only way I will refer to him. We went to the same high school. He will not hurt my son. He won't. Oh god," Reilly panted, hiding her face in her hands. Her chest felt tight, and her heart was pounding frantically against her ribs. Her muscles ached for her to run, just like they had that day. She bit her lip, and tasted blood. Jean-Claude pulled her into him, his body rigid.

"How old were you?" Jean-Claude asked, voice cold and sharp as ice. Reilly started trembling, and threw her arms around Jean-Claude, trying to steady herself.

"Seventeen," she whispered, trying to force back the flashbacks. He hissed over her, hands tightening around her shoulders.

"You need to show me," he said firmly. Slowly, he knelt in front of her, and took her face between his hands. Reilly closed her eyes, still shivering uncontrollably.

"Please," she said, trying to turn her head away. Jean-Claude held her fast.

"I need to see exactly how much he will suffer," Jean-Claude said, voice gone soft and deadly. The devil probably sounded like that, Reilly mused. She pressed her hand against his and tried to control her breathing. Taking a gasping breath, she looked into Jean-Claude's eyes, and all of her will couldn't keep the flashback from surfacing.

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Reilly and Raleigh, seventeen years old and attending a Catholic school, walked into the girls bathroom. They were typical teenage girls applying their make up and gossiping. The bathroom door squeaked open, the twins eyes flicked towards the noise through the reflection in the mirror. To the surprise of the girls, two boys slid into the room. Raleigh recognized them from her Honors Literature class.

"Haven, Merlot, dude...this is the girls bathroom," she laughed. "Retards."

"Yeah...we know," Haven huffed huskily. Suddenly, the atmosphere turned awkward. Raleigh felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach as the taller boy eyed her sister, an animal lurking behind the blue. Reilly shifted uneasily underneath Haven's gaze. Raleigh started shoving her make-up back into her purse, Reilly followed suit. Merlot quickly snatched Raleigh up, hand over her mouth, and dragged her into a bathroom stall, kicking the door shut and locking it. He smashed her head against the door and she lost consciousness. When Reilly moved to save her sister, Haven set upon her. He dragged her by her hair into another stall.

In the stall, he pressed a knife to her throat. He told her if she screamed, he would slice her throat to ribbons, then he would have to take Raleigh.

"Either way, one of you is putting out," he growled as he tore her shirt off. She whimpered slightly, trying to stay quiet. As the boy worked her underwear down her thighs, trying to keep the knife at her throat, Reilly tried to work up some sort of magic, but she couldn't stay calm enough to remember the incantation. In the stall next to them, Raleigh had come around.

"Keep that one quiet," Haven snapped, dropping his pants. "She's the one we have to worry about." Reilly let out a keening sound, a trapped animal in the bathroom stall. From the other side of the wood, she heard Raleigh's grunt. Panting with satisfaction, Haven finished, and threw Reilly's bleeding form to the tiles. The two boys left, and Raleigh slammed out of the stall with enough force to rip it from its hinges. Shocked, hurt, and terrified, Reilly held still as her sister inspected her, crying the whole time.

Raleigh lifted her sister to her feet and clung to her tightly. She could feel her own tears, tears of regret for not being able to protect her sister.

"We need to find a teacher," she whispered.