Telepathic speech

'Animal speech'

Warnings for violence and mild gore as well as torture.

The soft sounds of the movie she was supposedly watching floated around the living room as Evie spent her New Year’s babysitting her sister’s two children. She had just put her niece Kayla and her nephew Evan to bed after having let them lift her spirits after all that had happened within the last month. After her break with Jared, she’d returned to her home town, shocking her best friend and room mate with her sudden appearance. She’d had a hard time explaining things to her room mate, but, as always, Maryann knew how to cheer her up. The simple request to teach her best friend how to lose all the weight she had lost was enough to make her more than glad that she’d come home. Even her cats were happy, but they still had cuddled her and tried to comfort her in their own way.

She’d called her sister and had, after explaining once more why she was home, asked if they wanted to go out and she could babysit. Her niece and nephew were always a sure way to calm her down and her sister and brother in law knew that, so they’d agreed. She’d gone over early that evening and they had consoled her as best they could, but she had eventually shooed them out to have some fun. Her sister was due soon and they would lose what precious together time they had as is when that happened, so Evie just wanted to make sure they had some fun. At least one of them should...

Evie smiled as both Beamer and Reggie, her sister’s cats, hopped onto her lap and curled up with her. Sometimes she felt that it was just the little things that helped her the most and being in contact with people who loved her and accepted her had been like a soothing balm after what she’d gone through in Eden. Her smile flickered as she flipped channels again and found a movie with Jared in it. She watched him and felt her chest tighten with pain at his memory before she moved on to a channel that was still playing Christmas music. She had missed this the most and her sister and brother in law had made her promise to let them take her and Maryann out for a belated dinner as a small family since her parents were in Washington State visiting their brother and his family. She had yet to tell her parents that she’d left Eden, not wanting to worry them but she missed her mother the most at the moment.

Shaking off the thoughts, Evie relaxed and closed her eyes a bit. She should really work on her fic that she’d been working on before everything had gone to hell and back, but she just wanted to rest for the moment. Her reverie was broken though when the doorbell rang. Reggie and Beamer looked over, alert and wary as they stared at the shaded window of the door. Smiling slightly, Evie tried to get up and shoo them off. “Come on, guys...let me up,” she whispered fondly.

'Do not answer!' Reggie suddenly said as he hissed and gripped her leg with his claws.

Hissing in pain, Evie sighed and nudged at them. “It’s rude and it’s cold out, guys. Come on,” she ordered in exasperation. Finally, she lifted them off and put them down on the ground before going to the door. She peeked behind the curtain and frowned in disbelief before opening the door. “Max? Max Kuehl? What are you doing here?” she asked in surprise as she smiled at him and he smiled back at her.

“You shouldn’t open the door to people who know what you are,” Max responded darkly and Evie felt fear take her as he sneered at her and noticed the presence of four other black-robed figures. Suddenly, she saw a glint as a knife whipped out and plunged into her right shoulder. Searing pain went through her and she cried out as she gripped his hand and pulled away, only to trip on her shoes at the edge of the doorway. She grabbed her shoulder as she watched him and two of the other people enter the home slowly while she scrambled away. She didn’t move fast enough as Max rushed forward and grabbed her injured shoulder, squeezing it to make her scream in pain. “I can’t believe you were under our noses the *entire*...*time*...*Chosen One*,” he hissed out and grinned evilly, sending shivers of fear course up and down her spine as she stared at him.

“Max...why are you doing this?! We were friends! You dated my sister, for Christ’s sake!” she whimpered, then screamed again as he squeezed her wound viciously. Jared!! Jensen, Jeff!! Help me!! she sent out desperately as pain racketed through her.

“Your darling sister...the freak that can swim underwater without needing scuba gear and her darling husband who can create water from anything. Oh yea...like I’d *ever* want anything to do with you!” Max retorted in disgust before flipping the dagger he held and stabbing it into her belly. He closed his eyes in enjoyment as she sobbed and choked on her scream before curling in as he yanked the dagger out again.

“Max...look who we found,” the female of the trio commented as she came out with Evan and Kayla struggling in her arms futilely as they cried in terror.

“Well, well...more of you Elam spawn,” Max drawled as he smirked down at the panting Evie while standing up.

“Let them go! Don’t touch them!” she cried, then screamed as Max stepped onto her bleeding stomach.

“Aunt Evie!” Kayla wailed as she tried to get free again, then screamed and sobbed harder as she was slapped by the woman.

“Now...here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to tell us where the Elam are hiding, especially where that nest called Eden is, and...we *might* let you die swiftly,” Max said conversationally as he went over to the woman and caressed Kayla’s hair before gripping the curly golden hair when the little girl tried to duck away.

Evie stared at them as she gasped for air and clutched her stomach and shoulder. She suddenly grunted as she pushed the woman, forcing her to let the kids drop, then rolled herself to catch the kids and scuttle away as best she could. But she wasn’t fast enough and screamed in agony as she was stabbed in the side and pulled back before falling with the kids. Her hair was seized and yanked, forcing her head back so she was looking into Max’s amused face. “Did you think you could get away? The more you struggle...the faster the poison spreads,” he whispered evilly and she shuddered at the malicious glee on his face.

“Poison...” she managed and he nodded amiably before twisting the knife in her side, causing her to groan in pain.

“Oh yes...slow as long as you don’t exert yourself. You wouldn’t want me to put this into these two beautiful children, would you?” he asked sweetly and she swallowed hard as she looked down at her terrified niece and nephew. “I used this very knife on Alex when I slit his throat at *your* awakening gathering. I loved it,” he growled out as he nuzzled her neck. He pulled the dagger from her side roughly and caressed the bloody tip along her cheek. “Now...tell us what we want to know,” he murmured encouragingly.

Shaking and gasping for air, Evie tried to get her senses under control. She had to get the kids to safety somehow...that was all that mattered. Suddenly, Max snarled and shouted as he dropped her and backed up, batting at the two cats that were attacking him ferociously. Evie grabbed Evan and Kayla as Beamer and Reggie got away from the furious Faithful, but she couldn’t move far as she got dizzy from the blood loss.

The sound of shattering glass and the gurgle of a man’s throat being cut were all the warning any of them got as several figures suddenly appeared and started attacking the Faithful. Eliza appeared at Evie’s side and grabbed her, but Evie shook her head and gave her the children. Nodding in understanding, Eliza vanished with the children as the fighting grew in the small duplex. The woman was fighting Evie’s brother in law and Jeff and Jensen could be seen fighting the other robed Faithful through the open door. Jared was fighting Max, his eyes flaring with his rage.

Woozy, Evie stood up as she clutched at her wounds while she watched the battle and saw Max brandish the dagger that was covered in her blood. He slashed at Jared and Jared was backed up against the wall, but, before Max could sink it into Jared, she rushed in and took the hit, gasping as she felt it hit and sink into one of her lungs. She glared at Max and spat in his face before grabbing the dagger from his hand and plunging it into his chest. She collapsed slowly to the side as she heard Jared’s cries and felt his arms catch her and try to stop her bleeding. She looked up in a fog as she was jostled onto her back in his hold and blinked tiredly at Jared. She felt so cold and leaned into his warm hand.

“Stay with me, Evie...you have to stay with me...” Jared whispered tearfully as he cupped her face. “Jeff!!” he screamed roughly and sobbed as he tried to stop her bleeding.

“P-Poison,” Evie managed and choked as blood bubbled in her mouth while her lungs filled with fluids.

“Oh Gaia...don’t move...shh,” Jared sobbed out as he held her up, trying to help her breathe. “Evie...Evie I’m so sorry...”

She smiled weakly at him. “G-Guess I should t-tell you that you’re a-an awesome k-kisser, Jared,” she whispered as she began to tremble.

“So are you...stay with me...” Jared whispered as he smiled through his tears at her. He looked up as Jeff knelt next to them and began checking her. “Jeff, she’s been poisoned,” he said as he rocked her.

“Her injuries are extensive,” Jeff murmured grimly as he moved his hand over her. He hissed as he felt his hand burn a bit and wiped it on his robe, getting the poison off. “Need a fuckin’ antidote,” he swore as he looked around. He blinked as a bloody vial was put in front of him and looked into Jensen’s grim face.

“The asshole with the dagger had it on him...I relieved him of it,” Jensen explained darkly and Evie chuckled before coughing a bit.

“The...kids...” she whispered as she looked up at Jared again before obediently taking the antidote.

“Safe.” The simple reply seemed to ease her worry and struggle as her eyes closed and she grew limp. Jared clutched her to him and let out a guttural scream of anguish that was drowned out by the approaching sirens. They couldn’t lose her...not now!

He was dragged away from her body as the EMTs came in and began working on her while the police questioned them on what had happened as well as examining the dead bodies of the five Faithful that had come that night. Jared felt numb as he watched the paramedics roll Evie into the ambulance and drive off before he was told that they were going to the hospital. Jeff and Andrea, Evie’s brother in law and sister, told them to go clean up and that they’d keep them informed. The children had been taken over to his parents’ place, so they were safe for the moment. But their relief on that luck was overshadowed by the possibility of losing Evie.

After checking into a local hotel, Jared, Jensen, and Jeff went to their room and took turns cleaning the blood and grime from them as well as the memories of the one they loved cut open and bleeding to death. While Jared finished showering and went to wait with his lovers for word from Evie’s family, he felt that his world had just fallen into shadows. As he snuggled into Jeff’s hold and cried softly with his lovers, he vowed to make things better no matter what it took.

TBC