Homecoming

Dowan breathed a sigh of relief. "Well," Dowan gestured toward the table, "Eat."

(Ooc: I really want Dowan to meet M!S now lol)

Mad Sylas stood, almost to courteously clear the spot where he'd been reclining. As he passed her, he trailed his fingers along the back of Dowan's neck, making the hairs there stand on end. Rose took the seat he had just vacated, staring at her brother. She frowned, perplexed. This wasn't the Sylas she'd grown up with, or the one she'd come to know at the Academy. This Sylas was different. Almost wrongfully so.

Sylas looked over to Kyllic, raising a brow. "So..."

OOC: Later, trust me XD

Kyllic rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed,"You were gone awhile. We were a bit worried, Rose and I." He stared at his plate. Kyllic had changed, too. Gone was the cocky, self assured boy, in place of him was a mature, strong, quiet young man. He took Rose's hand in his. "We were worried our Aradia wouldn't meet her Uncle." He sent a meaningful look to Dowan, as if to say, 'We were worried you weren't going to get to see your own child, we mean'. Kyllic noticed that Rose looked bothered. He would question her later.

Dowan just shook her head sightly at her brother. She had just gotten her husband back, she wasn't ready to have that conversation. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, but from what she wasn't sure of. Right now she was about to have a nervous breakdown. Would their lives always be this dark?

(OOC: I sense a love triangle coming on...kind of like Greed/Ling/Lan Fan? maybe?)

Sylas only nodded and gave a reassuring smile. "Just treat her right, or I'll shred you to pieces." The threat was completely empty, or it would have been, had his other half not chosen that exact moment to burst out laughing, causing Sylas to frown.

Rose continued to study him, saying little. Though, what could she say? Using her soul perception, she cast a quick look at his soul, and desperately tried to hide the shock that nearly passed over her face. His soul was split high down the middle, caught between a dark half an a light half, the two in constant battle for control. Her only relief was that the light half consistently beat the dark down.

"Yeah, like she'd let you." Dowan snorted, half attempting a joke. She was trying to bring light back into the conversation, but it was falling flat. The stare down between Rose and Sylas was a little awkward, and honestly she just wanted alone time with Sylas.

Sylas stood, taking his mostly uneaten plate into the kitchen, calling back into the dining room. "Listen, how about you two come back tomorrow? I'm still tired from travellibg and I just want a little rest."

Rose looked up from her empty plate. She must have eaten it without thinking. Damn pregnancy. "Oh...alright. C'mon Kyllic... Lets head home..."

"Sure thing." Kissing Dowan's fore head, Kyllic lead them out of the house. Dowan breathed a sigh of relief, getting up from the table to clean up everything. Sylas had his back to her, and she sighed, tracing her fingers up and down his arm absentmindedly.

He half smiled, looking back to her. "Go sit down. I'll take care of cleaning up..." it was an honest offer, though in reality it was also an excuse so he could direct his anger at his other self.

Dowan nodded, "Don't take too long." She whispered, kissing him softly.

He returned the kiss, turning his attention to cleaning until she was gone. It was at this point that he grabbed his other self and slammed him against the wall, the only sign of this confrontation being Sylas's own movements. "If you ever make a sound again while I'm around my family, so help us both I'll end it..." Mad Sylas only laughed. "Don't patronize me. We both know you're bluffing..."

"Sylas?" Dowan's uneasy voice traveled from the living room, "Are you okay?"

Sylas cleared his throat a bit. He was about to do something he hated doing, especially to her. Lie. "Yeah, everything's fine. Have a disagreement with the pots and pans..." He turned his attention to his other self and in a flash and trail of sparkles, one of his axes formed from his forearm, straight at his other half's throat.

Mad Sylas smirked a bit. "Funny. But I'm not here. You can't hurt me..."

"No? Then how can I touch you?"

Mad Sylas fell silent, glaring intently at his other self.

Dowan rolled her eyes, "Pots and pans my ass." She walked over slowly, leaning back against the wall. He was keeping secrets from her again.

Sylas voice was still a low whisper, though easy enough for Dowan to hear. "Listen to me. You got your fun... You...You did enough while we...while I was traveling. If you make a single move I don't like, we're going to have a hot time in the old town, understood?"

Mad Sylas grinned. "Don't threaten me. I'll beat you any damn day of the week, and you know it..."

Dowan blinked, was this really happening? As if the darkness never ended. As if having him back was all a dream, because he was always getting chosen to carry it with him.

Was this world really what she wanted for this child?

She could never change him, and to be frank, she loved him just as is. She would never leave his side. But was this the right time to have a child?

Dowan pressed her ear against the wall.

He set Mad Sylas down, his weapon bits vanishing. "Just leave my home and family life alone. Don't touch any of them. Rose, Kyllic, or and especially Dowan. If you do, it's over. Both of us."

Mad Sylas said nothing, simply vanishing in the blink of an eye. Sylas sighed softly, leaning against the island in the center of the kitchen.

"That must have been some argument." Dowan said softly. Her eyes glossed over a little, and she stood across from him, her fingers tracing up and down his arm.

He nodded, taking his glasses and tucking them away. "Dowan...i need you to understand something. He's aware, and he's around me, but he is far from in control. And I swear to you.
.i will never let him take over while I'm around you..."

"It's not that I don't trust you. It's been five years, you are my partner, my everything. It's him, whoever he is, that I don't trust." Dowan shook her head, "Every time you come home your worse off than before. I just want to protect you. But I can't. And I'm not sure I can protect this little nudger either. " Dowan looked away, then back at him, "As much as I want this child to be in our lives, as hard as we've tried, I don't think our line of work is going to be good for him or her. I can raise him, sure, but you are a Death Scythe and your job is to protect the city. I can't raise a child on my own. " She wrapped her arms around, pulling him down to kiss him.

Sylas returned her kiss, picking her up and giving her a quick spin. "Dowan, If you're that worried, I can quit my job at the Academy...be a stay at home dad..."

"Sylas, I appreciate that. But we all know we took an oath when we entered that academy, and I don't think you would be too happy not doing what you think is right." She rubbed her nose against his, "I really want to be selfish and tell you to quit, but I can't. This war isn't over yet, and your needed. I want you to be happy. You are a magnet for darkness." She choked, nestling her head in his neck.

He said nothing, nuzzling her. "Dowan...How about this...I'll be a part time teacher. I'll teach in the mornings, be here in the afternoons. How does that sound?"

"I just want you to be happy." Dowan whispered.

He hugged her tightly. "And I'm not happy unless you're happy..."

"Are you sure?" Dowan asked him, resting her chin on his chest, her eyes pouring into his.