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"Operation: Steal Adon's alarm clock.  Kukuku..." Kirandin chuckled to herself as she crept into Adon's bedroom.  She allowed herself to look at her brother's sleeping form for only a few moments (sights that beautiful are hard to resist) before continuing her mission.  Unconsciously she held her breath as she slowly unplugged the mechanism and darted out of the room with it.  She oh-so-quietly shut his door before chucking the battered thing in the trash.

~~~~~~~~

Kirandin had lunch on the table waiting when Adon finally stumbled out of his room.

"Kira?"

"Yes, Adon dearest?"

"What time is it?"

"Um...2:30, I believe."

"You do realize that school lets out at 3:00, right?"

Kirandin grinned in the face of her brother's wrath.  "Don't worry!  It's all good!  I called up your boss--he's a little off, ain't he?--and told him that you were sick.  He seemed very put out, but I told him to shove it and to take better care of his teachers in the future.  Now aren't you proud of me?"

He collapsed into a chair at the table and looked down at his happy face grilled cheese.  "Oh yes, Kira.  So proud.  If you lose me this job, I'll have your head," he stated flatly.

Her smile dimmed slightly.  "Because you can watch over Natalie better this way?" she asked softly.

He nodded stiffly in return.  "Yes.  For the past ten years, that's what I've based my life around, and I don't intend to stop just because she now knows I'm doing it.  If anything, that might make my job easier."

Kirandin bowed her head to stare pensively into her coffee cup.  "Adon...don't you think that it would help her more if you got to the bottom of this mess?  You don't know what it's like back home...  We don't...didn't...know what to believe..." she murmured, turning the mug 'round in her hands.

Adon gave a long-suffering sigh.  "Let me guess--Denali told you all that I did it?" he asked, sounding far too tired to be a man who'd just woken up from a sixteen-hour nap.

She shook her head dismally.  "No, Adon.  She was in shock when we found them.  She was just sitting there staring at Alia.  We couldn't budge her from that room, and we couldn't get her to talk, not for such awhile.  Her first words...they were, 'Where's Adon?'  When we told her that we didn't know, she sobbed.  Sobbed and grieved until we started to worry that she might be mad.  Over the years, she stopped crying--but she stopped talking, too.  She's always so silent--god, it's all we can do to get her to eat.  I don't know how to tell you this, but the general consensus is that you're the culprit--but the accusation didn't come from Denali," she answered, keeping her eyes away from his.

Adon was quiet.  Then, without responding, he started on his sandwich.

Kirandin gave him a despairing look.  "Adon, come on!  You have to go back and face her!  Didn't you say that you'd keep her from reaching her goal?  The best way I know to do that is to take the Keys from her and let the rest of the community know what really happened!  Things can't go on like this..." she pleaded, taking the sandwich from him and setting it down on his plate.

He sighed heavily.  "Even if I did want to go deal with this, what would I do with Natalia?  I'm not leaving her here on her own," he protested.

At this she actually grinned a devilish little grin.  "I say that we tell Sam about the problem and get him a shotgun.  I'm willing to bet that that would take care of the protection issue," she offered.

Adon just stared at her for a moment before adopting a thoughtful look.  "Actually, Kira, something along those lines might not be a bad idea, to be honest.  I got the impression from him that he'd listen to anything, no matter how harebrained, if it concerned his sister's safety..." he mused out loud.

Kirandin nodded.  "And that is why I took the liberty of inviting him for dinner."

...

"You what?"

She nodded again, looking extremely proud of herself.  "I invited them both to dinner.  You'd be surprised how often those poor kids need to eat by themselves...oh wait.  You wouldn't, Mr. I stalk fourteen-year-olds.  Anyway, Sam seemed acquiescent enough, so they'll be over at seven.  Say, can you cook?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several hours later, Adon could be found in the kitchen simmering a pot of something red.

"Whatcha makin'?" Kirandin asked interestedly from the table.

He stirred the pot lazily and took a break from the odd tune he was humming to answer her question.  "Tomato sauce, Kira.  I'm making eggplant parmagiana for dinner," he responded with a little smile thrown over his shoulder.

"Hn.  Well, whatever that is, you sure seem to be enjoying yourself," she observed.  For the past half an hour, he'd puttered around in his kitchen, getting out ingredients and preparing them very precisely.  All the while, he'd had an odd half-smile firmly seated on his face and he'd been humming, which all in all was very un-Adon like.

He gave the pot one final stir before turning around so he could properly talk to her.  "Eggplant parmagiana is basically thinly sliced eggplant which is then lightly breaded and fried, then covered in cheese and tomato sauce.  When I worked at an Italian restaurant a few years ago, I discovered that it was one of my favorites," he explained lightly.

"When you worked at an Italian restaurant...you worked for awhile at a pet shop...you're teaching Natalie now...  Damn, Adon--you've been busy," Kirandin commented, tracing the white plumes of steam wafting up from the boiling water on the stove with her eyes.

He noticed her gaze.  "It's traditionally served over pasta.  And yes, I have.  I try to change jobs as frequently as possible...I don't really like making deep connections with the humans.  In fact, I think that this job at Natalia's school will make my forty-ninth job.  One more until fifty," he remarked, turning back to his pot and the eggplant.

"Fifty?  But you've only been here for ten years!  I guess 'they' were right when they said 'Once bitten, twice shy'..." she muttered, turning her gaze down to the table.

Adon went very still at the stove.  "Thrice or more even, depending on how deep the bite was," he said softly.

All Kirandin could do was watch helplessly as he went back to stirring his pot.

~~~~

Sam was sitting at the kitchen table waiting for her when she got home.  Trying not to be too intimidated by the odd greeting, Natalie simply dropped her bookbag at the front door and came to sit with him.  "Hi..." she said uncertainly, wondering at his strange behaviour.

He nodded his response.  He traced her face with his eyes contemplatively, but didn't voice his pondering.

The room was quiet but for the ticking of the old blue clock above their refrigerator.  Natalie had an inkling about the reason for the awkward silence, but didn't know what to do about it.  However, there was only so much of that she could take.  "Sam, when are you ever going to apply for college?" she blurted, desperate for some way to get him to talk normally to her.

To her intense relief, he gave her that exasperated smile that he seemed to reserve especially for her.  "When I can, Natalie.  You and me both know that Mom and Dad aren't ever going to be home enough to take care of you...at the very least, I want to wait until you're old enough to fend for yourself.  Besides, they work this much because we need the money...  I'm no genius, Nat.  I'm not going to get a scholarship, and Mom and Dad can't afford to help me out.  In other words, I'm going to have to work pretty hard myself in order to afford college, and since I can't leave you alone, I can only work during the day," he explained patiently for what must have been the hundredth time.

She pouted back at him.  "You can leave me alone for a few hours.  It's not like anything's gonna happen to me," she protested.  Nothing he could help with, anyway.

Sam met this statement with a raised eyebrow.  "Somehow I doubt that," he responded.  "Speaking of which...was your Mr. Smith in school today?"

She blinked.  "Speaking of which? What does that have to do with...?" she started, but then shook her head.  Back to the question.  "Anyway, he wasn't.  Our sub told us that he was sick.  After seeing him last night, I'm really not surprised..."

The other eyebrow went up.  "Really?  Odd, considering his sister invited us over for dinner tonight," he said lightly, leaning back in his chair.

Natalie blinked again, feeling rather owlish as she did so.  "Kira did?  Weird.  She was being all...mother hen-ny last night..."

Sam nodded.  "She did.  She also told me that, if we didn't intend to show up, then she would come here (now that she knows where we live) and drag us over by force," he continued, his voice as neutral as if threats like that had been normal in their lives.

Natalie went silent for a moment.  Finally, she stood and said, "Well, I guess that I should probably change for dinner, then."

~~~~~

When Kirandin opened the door that evening, she was her normal, scrappy self.  "Hello Walkers!  Come in, come in!  This'll be great--I got Adon to cook and everything!" she divulged gleefully.  She stepped back from the doorway to reveal a changed apartment.  Plastic sheeting coated the carpets and furniture, and blue masking tape covered not just the windows, but also anywhere else that Kirandin had apparently deemed it necessary.

"Renovating?" Sam asked casually, stepping into the apartment.  His expression didn't change, but his eyes swept around the room, taking in every minute detail that he could, from the coffee cup on the little table next to the couch (which had been haphazardly coated by plastic as well) to the tiny kitten trying to loose her claws from the unknown substance covering her carpet.

Kirandin bobbed her head up and down like an excited child.  "Yup!  I got bored while Adon was cooking dinner--God, that man is anal!--so I started bugging him about his nakie apartment.  He really is losing his touch...it only took three hours to convince him to let me paint.  It took less time to convince the landlord, though.  Heh.  His wife has a crush on Adon, y'know.  She was there when I asked...she seemed to like the idea of some color in his life, and what she said, he said.  Whipped," she finished, using a few breaths less than Natalie thought was really needed.

"Where is....um, Mr. Smith?" Natalie asked, trying to peek around for him furtively.

"Kitchen," his voice returned, floating out from the room on their left.  "My hands are full, so just come on in."

As they did, it became apparent why the meal had taken more than three hours to cook.  Some of it had obviously been simple, like the spaghetti spiraling and looping around in its bowl, but the homemade bread to go with it all had obviously consumed much more time.  Adon set down a covered dish, then pulled back.  He turned to them, slipping off his oven mitts and smiling.  "Sorry for the short notice, Mr. Walker, but Kirandin didn't tell me, either.  Not until I woke up this morning, anyway..." he told him, his smile dimming into a slight frown at the memory.

Natalie looked at the little table, laden to bursting, with wide eyes.  "Holy...did you really make all this?" she asked, flabbergasted.

He shrugged in return and sank down into a well-worn chair at the table.  "A man's got to have some hobbies."

"That don't involve schoolgirls," Kirandin finished chipperly.

Sam gave her an odd look at that, but did not comment.  Instead he sat down in the chair opposite Adon at the table and surveyed the table.  "Vegetarian or just coincidence?" he asked mildly.

"Vegetarian," Adon responded, some admiration in his voice, "Very observant of you.  Don't worry, though.  I use wheat pasta, so there's a suitable amount of protein in this meal."

"Well, I wasn't really too worried about that...  We can go one meal without nutrients, and besides, if you're cooking, then we have no right to criticize what you cook," Sam said with a shrug.

Kirandin, who had seated herself by this point, beckoned to the nervous girl by the doorway.  "Come on, Natalie.  You know by now that we don't bite!" she exclaimed.

Natalie allowed herself to be lured over, but remained tense as she sat.  Why was it exactly that she was the only one that got the awkwardness of this situation?  Adon and Sam wore matching poker faces, though Sam's was relaxed where Adon's was dignified, and Kirandin was nearly bouncing out of her chair in her excitement.  She watched them all warily, very much aware that Kirandin (probably) wouldn't have invited them over without some ulterior motive, and knowing her, it could be very detrimental to their health--physically and emotionally.

Ignoring Natalie's discomfort, Adon ladled her out a generous portion, and then proceeded to do the same for the rest of the guests--permanent or otherwise.  If he was unhappy about the setup his little sister had created, he did not let it show on his blank face.  Like a good host, he even waited for everyone else to start before he began.

Not taking her eyes off of him the whole time, Natalie started to eat.  Somehow she wasn't surprised when it tasted even better than it looked.  She was willing to bet that he knew how to do a lot more than he let on, and that cooking was probably the tamest of his skills.  Despite this the quality of the meal, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was going on behind the scenes that she didn't know about, and even though she wanted to figure this out, she merely waited for someone else to begin the conversation.  The silence compelled her to.

A clearing of the throat caused all eyes to shift to Kirandin.  "So," she drawled, twirling her spaghetti in time with her speech, "I s'pose you're all wondering why I gathered you here today..."  She looked around at them expectantly, waiting for them to agree.

Sam quirked a brow.  "You sound like a detective from a cheesy murder movie," he said flatly.

Kirandin grinned.  "Really?  That's just what I was going for!  Y'see, while Adon was zonked out earlier, I went next door to where this nice old lady lives, and introduced myself!  She invited me in for tea and cookies, lovable old dame that she was, and I ended up watching this cool TV movie with her and--"

Adon sighed, knowing that he'd have to deal with that 'lovable old dame' the next day.  "Get on with it, Kira."

Kirandin frowned, but gave a brief nod and continued as before. "I have a very good reason for asking you two over," she said, the barest pout in her tone.

"I gathered," Sam replied dryly.

She nodded, not sensing the sarcasm.  "Yes.  Basically, Adon and I are demons, and he's been playin' guardian angel for Natalie for years and years and years but now he needs to go home and kick his childhood friend-slash-bitter enemy's butt, so we need you to keep a very close watch over her.  'Kay?" she asked, looking around the table earnestly.

Adon immediately choked, though if it was on his food or from shock was unknown.  Sam didn't reply for a few moments, preferring to see the man next to him's face turn purple.  Natalie just watched the whole exchange with eyes wider than was probably good for them.

After Adon seemed to be all right, Sam let his gaze drift over to Kirandin.  "Demons, huh?" he asked, a mixture of matter-of-fact interest and mild amusement apparent in his voice.

Kirandin took a large bite of bread and chewed as she nodded her confirmation.  She swallowed hard, and then continued, "Yeah, demons.  You humans have the wrong idea about us, though.  We have wings and tails and claws, and we live for a long, long time, but that's about all that you got right.  We're not bad.  Not all of us, anyway.  'Course, we got our bad apples, but so do you."

She doesn't get that this is strange at all, Natalie thought somewhat wildly.  She waited for the outburst that would swiftly be coming.  She knew very well that her brother didn't particularly like being jerked around, and this would definitely qualify as being jerked around.

Said outburst never came.  Sam calmly dipped a bit of bread into his sauce and then shifted politely inquiring eyes to Adon's face.  "Playing guardian angel?  Now whatever possessed a demon to do something like that?" he asked.

Adon let out a somewhat shuddery breath and glared at his sister.  "I had no choice.  There was a very good chance that she'd be killed if I didn't.  ...I'm assuming that you believe her?" he asked testily.

Sam shrugged a bit, not seeming too concerned.  "Well, belief or disbelief hasn't been decided on quite yet.  It can't hurt to listen to your story, though.  Now, I've got to ask--a good chance that Nat would be killed?  This wouldn't have anything to do with your interference, now would it?  Because if it did, then I would be angry."

Finally feeling the need to speak up, Natalie cut off Adon and said, "He fell into our backyard and got hurt, Sam.  He didn't ask for help, but I gave it either way."  When Sam turned his steady gaze onto her, she stood her ground.  She was telling the truth, and she'd have him know it.  After a few moments, he broke eye contact with her so he could shift his focus to Adon.  Though his face was still mild and unassuming, his eyes had sharpened, and she knew that she'd convinced him.

"So this is your story to tell, too, I see..." he mused, sitting back in his chair.  "Okay, talk.  Don't leave anything out.  If you've got my sister believing it, which you obviously do, then I definitely need to hear you out."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"And so," Adon concluded, "I need to go back home to finish this.  I see no other choice."

"So let me get this straight," Sam started with a frown, steepling his fingers, "You managed to get a homicidal demon who seems to have major issues after my sister, and now you're leaving her?  Besides that, you said that this Key thing was zapping your strength.  What's it doing to Natalie?"  His entire face was serious and thoughtful by this point.

Adon sighed.  "If you would prefer that I wait until Denali is emotionally stable enough to attack your sister, I can do that.  I find that this is a better option.  As for the Key...I don't think that she knows that it's holding her back, but it most likely is to some degree.  Judging by how well adjusted she is, I'd say that she must be pretty hardy in her own right.  Also, I think that giving my Key to her might have bound her to me just a bit.  I always seem to know what, where, and how she's doing, and that same thing seems to plague her.  Besides that, I think that it might want to return to my subconscious...sometimes I definitely feel a sort of pull..." he said slowly.  "Though that's all just conjecture."

Natalie massaged her chest almost unconsciously for what seemed the millionth time.  "That would explain a lot..." she said softly.  At her brother's questioning glance, she elaborated.  "When I first...um, when I first really met him about a week ago, I thought that I was going insane...  I felt like I already knew him, inside and out, and nothing he said or did surprised me down deep.  There was a little spot inside of me that wanted to see him as much as possible, even just to hear his voice.  It was like I'd known him for years, and that he was very important to me.  Even now that it's been explained...it's still unnerving..." she explained, her voice dwindling to almost nothing.  She looked up at both men to see their reactions and was hard pressed to say who looked more disturbed by this.

Sam let out a long breath and looked over sideways at Adon.  "So why don't you just ask for it back?  I'm sure she'd give it up willingly," he said, not needing to look to his sister for confirmation on that point.

Adon still looked a little aghast at what Natalie had told him, but was still firm in his answer.  "Because I would not dare go back to Denali with a Key in my possession.  If she were to gain that, then all would be lost."

"And if you managed to kill Denali?" Sam pressed.

"It would depend on how I killed her," Adon answered heavily, "If I were to take her Key from her, she would die and I could receive Natalia's Key.  If I were to merely kill her, then her Key would go to whomever she intends it to.  We have a sort of last will and testament in our minds, you see.  The Key would go to whom we decided to entrust it."

Sam, Natalie thought firmly.  I don't know if you can hear me, Key, but go to Sam if they can't protect me.  Don't go to Denali or Adon or Kirandin.  Sam can take care of you, and he's willing, too, she continued, hoping that this was how you made a last will and testament in your subconscious.  She'd never exactly tried before.

She felt Adon's gaze on her, and she knew that he understood what she was doing.  He said nothing however, and simply continued, "I don't know exactly what I plan to do once I get home...I just know that something needs to be done.  Obviously, Denali is plotting something.  Even if she wasn't, I don't want Natalia to have to live with this burden any longer."

Sam sighed at this statement.  "Well, I guess I can't argue with that...  When are you two leaving?" he asked resignedly.

Kirandin looked over at Adon, then shrugged.  "As soon as the dishes are cleared, I s'pose," she said slowly, finally serious about the situation.  Apparently, not even Kirandin could laugh in the face of a homicidal demon that was very close to gaining immeasurable power.

Adon nodded his acquiescence and stood to begin clearing the table in stony silence.  It was understandable, really.  He'd be facing a world that he had not visited in nearly ten years that was out for his blood.  That wasn't exactly something that most people would look forward to.

Natalie continued to stare down her plate even after it had been cleared, keeping her eyes trained to the area it had inhabited.  She wasn't afraid per se...not really.  She was a little worried for the demons' sakes, and she felt a little disconcerted at Adon's departure...but it wouldn't change her life any.  As far as she could see, Adon had never needed to protect her during his stay, so she didn't think that she'd be in much danger without him.  Unless, of course, his leaving her worked as a catalyst...but she didn't like to think like that.  Optimism was all she had.

"So..." Kirandin said conversationally, obviously covering up her nervousness with chatter.

"So?" Sam asked, helping her right along with that endeavor.

She struggled with a topic for a few moments.  "So...so is there anything else I can do before we leave?" she finally summoned up.

Sam thought for a moment before giving her a slight smile that suggested danger to Natalie.  Then again, she was well tuned to his moods.  "Well, you did say something about demons having claws, wings, and tails...  Pardon me for being curious...?"

Kirandin brightened right up at this.  "Oh, just wait!  They're so cool!  I really don't know how you humans survive without them," she muttered, concentrating for a second.  In just a few moments, she was displaying leathery black wings that were slightly more petite than Adon’s, but just as strong.  Her long, dark tail flicked around a little anxiously as she waited for their reaction.  "Well?"

When Natalie looked over at her brother, she had to suppress a giggle.  He looked as surprised as she'd ever seen him, and that included the time when their parents had taken a week off last year just so he'd have a little break.  He cleared his throat lightly and shook his head in order to clear the awe from his eyes.  "...that wasn't something I ever expected to see..." he murmured, visually tracing the delicate bones in her wings.

Kirandin beamed like she'd been given the best compliment in the world.  "I knew that I'd be able to provoke a real reaction out of you at some point!" she exclaimed, the little cackle in her voice scaring Natalie a little.

By the time Adon had come back, Sam had gotten over his initial shock enough to start examining Kirandin's wings and tail in full.  When Adon saw this, he merely quirked an eyebrow and inquired whether she was about ready to go.  Thankfully for them all, he didn't seem to be quite as overprotective as Sam.  Of course, if questioned, he would have just pointed out that she was stronger, smarter, and had claws.  There was no need to worry.

"So how do you people 'go home', anyway?" Sam asked offhandedly after Kirandin had put her wings back.

Kirandin took the question.  "Y'see, first we--oh no, something's burning!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening.

Of course, when they looked towards the kitchen, they all realized that Adon had not been careless enough to leave the oven on, and when they looked back, she was gone.

Adon sighed.  "What she means is, it's something that humans just can't do.  At least she didn't treat you to her favorite--'Look, it's a distraction!'.  I suppose that means that she respects your intelligence..." he said.

“Good to know,” Sam said, looking calm, as opposed to Natalie, who looked a bit dazed.

Instead of immediately leaving like Kirandin, Adon paused for a moment and turned his attention to Natalie.  The expression he wore was unusually serious, and more than a little worried.  “Natalia, I don’t know what will happen while I’m gone, but I don’t want you to worry too much about it.  I’ll be keeping those who wish to hurt you in our world, and your brother will be watching out just in case…speaking of which, Sam…” he began, switching to her brother, “Keep a very sharp eye out.  Demons are not bad to look at…don’t be expecting a monster.”

For once, Sam seemed to take Adon’s words directly to heart.  “Don’t worry.  I got into that habit a long time ago,” he assured him.

“I’m sure,” Adon agreed, knowing that Sam probably had.  It would explain the open hostility.  Then, stepping back just a little bit from the two siblings, he gave Natalie a comforting smile.  “It’ll be all right, Natalia…and this is goodbye for the both of us, since Kirandin didn’t wait around long enough for her own.  We’ll come back to tell you if we’re successful.”

And then he was gone.

Though the restless feeling inside of her eased just a little bit, Natalie wasn’t sure…but she thought that she already missed them.

Description
"Operation: Steal Adon's alarm clock.  Kukuku..." Kirandin chuckled to herself as she crept into Adon's bedroom.  She allowed herself to look at her brother's sleeping form for only a few moments (sights that beautiful are hard to resist) before continuing her mission.  Unconsciously she held her breath as she slowly unplugged the mechanism and darted out of the room with it.  She oh-so-quietly shut his door before chucking the battered thing in the trash.

~~~~~~~~

Kirandin had lunch on the table waiting when Adon finally stumbled out of his room.

"Kira?"

"Yes, Adon dearest?"

"What time is it?"

"Um...2:30, I believe."

"You do realize that school lets out at 3:00, right?"

Kirandin grinned in the face of her brother's wrath.  "Don't worry!  It's all good!  I called up your boss--he's a little off, ain't he?--and told him that you were sick.  He seemed very put out, but I told him to shove it and to take better care of his teachers in the future.  Now aren't you proud of me?"

He collapsed into a chair at the table and looked down at his happy face grilled cheese.  "Oh yes, Kira.  So proud.  If you lose me this job, I'll have your head," he stated flatly.

Her smile dimmed slightly.  "Because you can watch over Natalie better this way?" she asked softly.

He nodded stiffly in return.  "Yes.  For the past ten years, that's what I've based my life around, and I don't intend to stop just because she now knows I'm doing it.  If anything, that might make my job easier."

Kirandin bowed her head to stare pensively into her coffee cup.  "Adon...don't you think that it would help her more if you got to the bottom of this mess?  You don't know what it's like back home...  We don't...didn't...know what to believe..." she murmured, turning the mug 'round in her hands.

Adon gave a long-suffering sigh.  "Let me guess--Denali told you all that I did it?" he asked, sounding far too tired to be a man who'd just woken up from a sixteen-hour nap.

She shook her head dismally.  "No, Adon.  She was in shock when we found them.  She was just sitting there staring at Alia.  We couldn't budge her from that room, and we couldn't get her to talk, not for such awhile.  Her first words...they were, 'Where's Adon?'  When we told her that we didn't know, she sobbed.  Sobbed and grieved until we started to worry that she might be mad.  Over the years, she stopped crying--but she stopped talking, too.  She's always so silent--god, it's all we can do to get her to eat.  I don't know how to tell you this, but the general consensus is that you're the culprit--but the accusation didn't come from Denali," she answered, keeping her eyes away from his.

Adon was quiet.  Then, without responding, he started on his sandwich.

Kirandin gave him a despairing look.  "Adon, come on!  You have to go back and face her!  Didn't you say that you'd keep her from reaching her goal?  The best way I know to do that is to take the Keys from her and let the rest of the community know what really happened!  Things can't go on like this..." she pleaded, taking the sandwich from him and setting it down on his plate.

He sighed heavily.  "Even if I did want to go deal with this, what would I do with Natalia?  I'm not leaving her here on her own," he protested.

At this she actually grinned a devilish little grin.  "I say that we tell Sam about the problem and get him a shotgun.  I'm willing to bet that that would take care of the protection issue," she offered.

Adon just stared at her for a moment before adopting a thoughtful look.  "Actually, Kira, something along those lines might not be a bad idea, to be honest.  I got the impression from him that he'd listen to anything, no matter how harebrained, if it concerned his sister's safety..." he mused out loud.

Kirandin nodded.  "And that is why I took the liberty of inviting him for dinner."

...

"You what?"

She nodded again, looking extremely proud of herself.  "I invited them both to dinner.  You'd be surprised how often those poor kids need to eat by themselves...oh wait.  You wouldn't, Mr. I stalk fourteen-year-olds.  Anyway, Sam seemed acquiescent enough, so they'll be over at seven.  Say, can you cook?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several hours later, Adon could be found in the kitchen simmering a pot of something red.

"Whatcha makin'?" Kirandin asked interestedly from the table.

He stirred the pot lazily and took a break from the odd tune he was humming to answer her question.  "Tomato sauce, Kira.  I'm making eggplant parmagiana for dinner," he responded with a little smile thrown over his shoulder.

"Hn.  Well, whatever that is, you sure seem to be enjoying yourself," she observed.  For the past half an hour, he'd puttered around in his kitchen, getting out ingredients and preparing them very precisely.  All the while, he'd had an odd half-smile firmly seated on his face and he'd been humming, which all in all was very un-Adon like.

He gave the pot one final stir before turning around so he could properly talk to her.  "Eggplant parmagiana is basically thinly sliced eggplant which is then lightly breaded and fried, then covered in cheese and tomato sauce.  When I worked at an Italian restaurant a few years ago, I discovered that it was one of my favorites," he explained lightly.

"When you worked at an Italian restaurant...you worked for awhile at a pet shop...you're teaching Natalie now...  Damn, Adon--you've been busy," Kirandin commented, tracing the white plumes of steam wafting up from the boiling water on the stove with her eyes.

He noticed her gaze.  "It's traditionally served over pasta.  And yes, I have.  I try to change jobs as frequently as possible...I don't really like making deep connections with the humans.  In fact, I think that this job at Natalia's school will make my forty-ninth job.  One more until fifty," he remarked, turning back to his pot and the eggplant.

"Fifty?  But you've only been here for ten years!  I guess 'they' were right when they said 'Once bitten, twice shy'..." she muttered, turning her gaze down to the table.

Adon went very still at the stove.  "Thrice or more even, depending on how deep the bite was," he said softly.

All Kirandin could do was watch helplessly as he went back to stirring his pot.

~~~~

Sam was sitting at the kitchen table waiting for her when she got home.  Trying not to be too intimidated by the odd greeting, Natalie simply dropped her bookbag at the front door and came to sit with him.  "Hi..." she said uncertainly, wondering at his strange behaviour.

He nodded his response.  He traced her face with his eyes contemplatively, but didn't voice his pondering.

The room was quiet but for the ticking of the old blue clock above their refrigerator.  Natalie had an inkling about the reason for the awkward silence, but didn't know what to do about it.  However, there was only so much of that she could take.  "Sam, when are you ever going to apply for college?" she blurted, desperate for some way to get him to talk normally to her.

To her intense relief, he gave her that exasperated smile that he seemed to reserve especially for her.  "When I can, Natalie.  You and me both know that Mom and Dad aren't ever going to be home enough to take care of you...at the very least, I want to wait until you're old enough to fend for yourself.  Besides, they work this much because we need the money...  I'm no genius, Nat.  I'm not going to get a scholarship, and Mom and Dad can't afford to help me out.  In other words, I'm going to have to work pretty hard myself in order to afford college, and since I can't leave you alone, I can only work during the day," he explained patiently for what must have been the hundredth time.

She pouted back at him.  "You can leave me alone for a few hours.  It's not like anything's gonna happen to me," she protested.  Nothing he could help with, anyway.

Sam met this statement with a raised eyebrow.  "Somehow I doubt that," he responded.  "Speaking of which...was your Mr. Smith in school today?"

She blinked.  "Speaking of which? What does that have to do with...?" she started, but then shook her head.  Back to the question.  "Anyway, he wasn't.  Our sub told us that he was sick.  After seeing him last night, I'm really not surprised..."

The other eyebrow went up.  "Really?  Odd, considering his sister invited us over for dinner tonight," he said lightly, leaning back in his chair.

Natalie blinked again, feeling rather owlish as she did so.  "Kira did?  Weird.  She was being all...mother hen-ny last night..."

Sam nodded.  "She did.  She also told me that, if we didn't intend to show up, then she would come here (now that she knows where we live) and drag us over by force," he continued, his voice as neutral as if threats like that had been normal in their lives.

Natalie went silent for a moment.  Finally, she stood and said, "Well, I guess that I should probably change for dinner, then."

~~~~~

When Kirandin opened the door that evening, she was her normal, scrappy self.  "Hello Walkers!  Come in, come in!  This'll be great--I got Adon to cook and everything!" she divulged gleefully.  She stepped back from the doorway to reveal a changed apartment.  Plastic sheeting coated the carpets and furniture, and blue masking tape covered not just the windows, but also anywhere else that Kirandin had apparently deemed it necessary.

"Renovating?" Sam asked casually, stepping into the apartment.  His expression didn't change, but his eyes swept around the room, taking in every minute detail that he could, from the coffee cup on the little table next to the couch (which had been haphazardly coated by plastic as well) to the tiny kitten trying to loose her claws from the unknown substance covering her carpet.

Kirandin bobbed her head up and down like an excited child.  "Yup!  I got bored while Adon was cooking dinner--God, that man is anal!--so I started bugging him about his nakie apartment.  He really is losing his touch...it only took three hours to convince him to let me paint.  It took less time to convince the landlord, though.  Heh.  His wife has a crush on Adon, y'know.  She was there when I asked...she seemed to like the idea of some color in his life, and what she said, he said.  Whipped," she finished, using a few breaths less than Natalie thought was really needed.

"Where is....um, Mr. Smith?" Natalie asked, trying to peek around for him furtively.

"Kitchen," his voice returned, floating out from the room on their left.  "My hands are full, so just come on in."

As they did, it became apparent why the meal had taken more than three hours to cook.  Some of it had obviously been simple, like the spaghetti spiraling and looping around in its bowl, but the homemade bread to go with it all had obviously consumed much more time.  Adon set down a covered dish, then pulled back.  He turned to them, slipping off his oven mitts and smiling.  "Sorry for the short notice, Mr. Walker, but Kirandin didn't tell me, either.  Not until I woke up this morning, anyway..." he told him, his smile dimming into a slight frown at the memory.

Natalie looked at the little table, laden to bursting, with wide eyes.  "Holy...did you really make all this?" she asked, flabbergasted.

He shrugged in return and sank down into a well-worn chair at the table.  "A man's got to have some hobbies."

"That don't involve schoolgirls," Kirandin finished chipperly.

Sam gave her an odd look at that, but did not comment.  Instead he sat down in the chair opposite Adon at the table and surveyed the table.  "Vegetarian or just coincidence?" he asked mildly.

"Vegetarian," Adon responded, some admiration in his voice, "Very observant of you.  Don't worry, though.  I use wheat pasta, so there's a suitable amount of protein in this meal."

"Well, I wasn't really too worried about that...  We can go one meal without nutrients, and besides, if you're cooking, then we have no right to criticize what you cook," Sam said with a shrug.

Kirandin, who had seated herself by this point, beckoned to the nervous girl by the doorway.  "Come on, Natalie.  You know by now that we don't bite!" she exclaimed.

Natalie allowed herself to be lured over, but remained tense as she sat.  Why was it exactly that she was the only one that got the awkwardness of this situation?  Adon and Sam wore matching poker faces, though Sam's was relaxed where Adon's was dignified, and Kirandin was nearly bouncing out of her chair in her excitement.  She watched them all warily, very much aware that Kirandin (probably) wouldn't have invited them over without some ulterior motive, and knowing her, it could be very detrimental to their health--physically and emotionally.

Ignoring Natalie's discomfort, Adon ladled her out a generous portion, and then proceeded to do the same for the rest of the guests--permanent or otherwise.  If he was unhappy about the setup his little sister had created, he did not let it show on his blank face.  Like a good host, he even waited for everyone else to start before he began.

Not taking her eyes off of him the whole time, Natalie started to eat.  Somehow she wasn't surprised when it tasted even better than it looked.  She was willing to bet that he knew how to do a lot more than he let on, and that cooking was probably the tamest of his skills.  Despite this the quality of the meal, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was going on behind the scenes that she didn't know about, and even though she wanted to figure this out, she merely waited for someone else to begin the conversation.  The silence compelled her to.

A clearing of the throat caused all eyes to shift to Kirandin.  "So," she drawled, twirling her spaghetti in time with her speech, "I s'pose you're all wondering why I gathered you here today..."  She looked around at them expectantly, waiting for them to agree.

Sam quirked a brow.  "You sound like a detective from a cheesy murder movie," he said flatly.

Kirandin grinned.  "Really?  That's just what I was going for!  Y'see, while Adon was zonked out earlier, I went next door to where this nice old lady lives, and introduced myself!  She invited me in for tea and cookies, lovable old dame that she was, and I ended up watching this cool TV movie with her and--"

Adon sighed, knowing that he'd have to deal with that 'lovable old dame' the next day.  "Get on with it, Kira."

Kirandin frowned, but gave a brief nod and continued as before. "I have a very good reason for asking you two over," she said, the barest pout in her tone.

"I gathered," Sam replied dryly.

She nodded, not sensing the sarcasm.  "Yes.  Basically, Adon and I are demons, and he's been playin' guardian angel for Natalie for years and years and years but now he needs to go home and kick his childhood friend-slash-bitter enemy's butt, so we need you to keep a very close watch over her.  'Kay?" she asked, looking around the table earnestly.

Adon immediately choked, though if it was on his food or from shock was unknown.  Sam didn't reply for a few moments, preferring to see the man next to him's face turn purple.  Natalie just watched the whole exchange with eyes wider than was probably good for them.

After Adon seemed to be all right, Sam let his gaze drift over to Kirandin.  "Demons, huh?" he asked, a mixture of matter-of-fact interest and mild amusement apparent in his voice.

Kirandin took a large bite of bread and chewed as she nodded her confirmation.  She swallowed hard, and then continued, "Yeah, demons.  You humans have the wrong idea about us, though.  We have wings and tails and claws, and we live for a long, long time, but that's about all that you got right.  We're not bad.  Not all of us, anyway.  'Course, we got our bad apples, but so do you."

She doesn't get that this is strange at all, Natalie thought somewhat wildly.  She waited for the outburst that would swiftly be coming.  She knew very well that her brother didn't particularly like being jerked around, and this would definitely qualify as being jerked around.

Said outburst never came.  Sam calmly dipped a bit of bread into his sauce and then shifted politely inquiring eyes to Adon's face.  "Playing guardian angel?  Now whatever possessed a demon to do something like that?" he asked.

Adon let out a somewhat shuddery breath and glared at his sister.  "I had no choice.  There was a very good chance that she'd be killed if I didn't.  ...I'm assuming that you believe her?" he asked testily.

Sam shrugged a bit, not seeming too concerned.  "Well, belief or disbelief hasn't been decided on quite yet.  It can't hurt to listen to your story, though.  Now, I've got to ask--a good chance that Nat would be killed?  This wouldn't have anything to do with your interference, now would it?  Because if it did, then I would be angry."

Finally feeling the need to speak up, Natalie cut off Adon and said, "He fell into our backyard and got hurt, Sam.  He didn't ask for help, but I gave it either way."  When Sam turned his steady gaze onto her, she stood her ground.  She was telling the truth, and she'd have him know it.  After a few moments, he broke eye contact with her so he could shift his focus to Adon.  Though his face was still mild and unassuming, his eyes had sharpened, and she knew that she'd convinced him.

"So this is your story to tell, too, I see..." he mused, sitting back in his chair.  "Okay, talk.  Don't leave anything out.  If you've got my sister believing it, which you obviously do, then I definitely need to hear you out."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"And so," Adon concluded, "I need to go back home to finish this.  I see no other choice."

"So let me get this straight," Sam started with a frown, steepling his fingers, "You managed to get a homicidal demon who seems to have major issues after my sister, and now you're leaving her?  Besides that, you said that this Key thing was zapping your strength.  What's it doing to Natalie?"  His entire face was serious and thoughtful by this point.

Adon sighed.  "If you would prefer that I wait until Denali is emotionally stable enough to attack your sister, I can do that.  I find that this is a better option.  As for the Key...I don't think that she knows that it's holding her back, but it most likely is to some degree.  Judging by how well adjusted she is, I'd say that she must be pretty hardy in her own right.  Also, I think that giving my Key to her might have bound her to me just a bit.  I always seem to know what, where, and how she's doing, and that same thing seems to plague her.  Besides that, I think that it might want to return to my subconscious...sometimes I definitely feel a sort of pull..." he said slowly.  "Though that's all just conjecture."

Natalie massaged her chest almost unconsciously for what seemed the millionth time.  "That would explain a lot..." she said softly.  At her brother's questioning glance, she elaborated.  "When I first...um, when I first really met him about a week ago, I thought that I was going insane...  I felt like I already knew him, inside and out, and nothing he said or did surprised me down deep.  There was a little spot inside of me that wanted to see him as much as possible, even just to hear his voice.  It was like I'd known him for years, and that he was very important to me.  Even now that it's been explained...it's still unnerving..." she explained, her voice dwindling to almost nothing.  She looked up at both men to see their reactions and was hard pressed to say who looked more disturbed by this.

Sam let out a long breath and looked over sideways at Adon.  "So why don't you just ask for it back?  I'm sure she'd give it up willingly," he said, not needing to look to his sister for confirmation on that point.

Adon still looked a little aghast at what Natalie had told him, but was still firm in his answer.  "Because I would not dare go back to Denali with a Key in my possession.  If she were to gain that, then all would be lost."

"And if you managed to kill Denali?" Sam pressed.

"It would depend on how I killed her," Adon answered heavily, "If I were to take her Key from her, she would die and I could receive Natalia's Key.  If I were to merely kill her, then her Key would go to whomever she intends it to.  We have a sort of last will and testament in our minds, you see.  The Key would go to whom we decided to entrust it."

Sam, Natalie thought firmly.  I don't know if you can hear me, Key, but go to Sam if they can't protect me.  Don't go to Denali or Adon or Kirandin.  Sam can take care of you, and he's willing, too, she continued, hoping that this was how you made a last will and testament in your subconscious.  She'd never exactly tried before.

She felt Adon's gaze on her, and she knew that he understood what she was doing.  He said nothing however, and simply continued, "I don't know exactly what I plan to do once I get home...I just know that something needs to be done.  Obviously, Denali is plotting something.  Even if she wasn't, I don't want Natalia to have to live with this burden any longer."

Sam sighed at this statement.  "Well, I guess I can't argue with that...  When are you two leaving?" he asked resignedly.

Kirandin looked over at Adon, then shrugged.  "As soon as the dishes are cleared, I s'pose," she said slowly, finally serious about the situation.  Apparently, not even Kirandin could laugh in the face of a homicidal demon that was very close to gaining immeasurable power.

Adon nodded his acquiescence and stood to begin clearing the table in stony silence.  It was understandable, really.  He'd be facing a world that he had not visited in nearly ten years that was out for his blood.  That wasn't exactly something that most people would look forward to.

Natalie continued to stare down her plate even after it had been cleared, keeping her eyes trained to the area it had inhabited.  She wasn't afraid per se...not really.  She was a little worried for the demons' sakes, and she felt a little disconcerted at Adon's departure...but it wouldn't change her life any.  As far as she could see, Adon had never needed to protect her during his stay, so she didn't think that she'd be in much danger without him.  Unless, of course, his leaving her worked as a catalyst...but she didn't like to think like that.  Optimism was all she had.

"So..." Kirandin said conversationally, obviously covering up her nervousness with chatter.

"So?" Sam asked, helping her right along with that endeavor.

She struggled with a topic for a few moments.  "So...so is there anything else I can do before we leave?" she finally summoned up.

Sam thought for a moment before giving her a slight smile that suggested danger to Natalie.  Then again, she was well tuned to his moods.  "Well, you did say something about demons having claws, wings, and tails...  Pardon me for being curious...?"

Kirandin brightened right up at this.  "Oh, just wait!  They're so cool!  I really don't know how you humans survive without them," she muttered, concentrating for a second.  In just a few moments, she was displaying leathery black wings that were slightly more petite than Adon’s, but just as strong.  Her long, dark tail flicked around a little anxiously as she waited for their reaction.  "Well?"

When Natalie looked over at her brother, she had to suppress a giggle.  He looked as surprised as she'd ever seen him, and that included the time when their parents had taken a week off last year just so he'd have a little break.  He cleared his throat lightly and shook his head in order to clear the awe from his eyes.  "...that wasn't something I ever expected to see..." he murmured, visually tracing the delicate bones in her wings.

Kirandin beamed like she'd been given the best compliment in the world.  "I knew that I'd be able to provoke a real reaction out of you at some point!" she exclaimed, the little cackle in her voice scaring Natalie a little.

By the time Adon had come back, Sam had gotten over his initial shock enough to start examining Kirandin's wings and tail in full.  When Adon saw this, he merely quirked an eyebrow and inquired whether she was about ready to go.  Thankfully for them all, he didn't seem to be quite as overprotective as Sam.  Of course, if questioned, he would have just pointed out that she was stronger, smarter, and had claws.  There was no need to worry.

"So how do you people 'go home', anyway?" Sam asked offhandedly after Kirandin had put her wings back.

Kirandin took the question.  "Y'see, first we--oh no, something's burning!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening.

Of course, when they looked towards the kitchen, they all realized that Adon had not been careless enough to leave the oven on, and when they looked back, she was gone.

Adon sighed.  "What she means is, it's something that humans just can't do.  At least she didn't treat you to her favorite--'Look, it's a distraction!'.  I suppose that means that she respects your intelligence..." he said.

“Good to know,” Sam said, looking calm, as opposed to Natalie, who looked a bit dazed.

Instead of immediately leaving like Kirandin, Adon paused for a moment and turned his attention to Natalie.  The expression he wore was unusually serious, and more than a little worried.  “Natalia, I don’t know what will happen while I’m gone, but I don’t want you to worry too much about it.  I’ll be keeping those who wish to hurt you in our world, and your brother will be watching out just in case…speaking of which, Sam…” he began, switching to her brother, “Keep a very sharp eye out.  Demons are not bad to look at…don’t be expecting a monster.”

For once, Sam seemed to take Adon’s words directly to heart.  “Don’t worry.  I got into that habit a long time ago,” he assured him.

“I’m sure,” Adon agreed, knowing that Sam probably had.  It would explain the open hostility.  Then, stepping back just a little bit from the two siblings, he gave Natalie a comforting smile.  “It’ll be all right, Natalia…and this is goodbye for the both of us, since Kirandin didn’t wait around long enough for her own.  We’ll come back to tell you if we’re successful.”

And then he was gone.

Though the restless feeling inside of her eased just a little bit, Natalie wasn’t sure…but she thought that she already missed them.