A conversation between demons

Zoe was asleep in Sam's room, her dark red hair splayed across the pillow. This left Amber to clean up the box of ace bandages, pain killers, and duct tape. Anxiously she looked at the clock, it was about one in the morning. But despite the late hour the shapeshifter was not tired. More anxious than anything. Three and a half weeks ago, Sam had disappeared. Leaving no note, no phone number, and no trace.
Zoe had shown up two weeks ago looking for him. When Amber said he had vanished and Zoe had been taking care of her since.

But she had gone for three days to take care of some stuff in the Underworld... and look for Sam. Upon returning with a broken wrist and refusing to go back to the underworld, Zoe had to set the bone her self and now was on a few pain killers. Any normal human would have died from that amount. But Zoe was a demon and she said she was already hell bound anyway.

After clearing the stuff away, Amber settled down on the couch. Her eyes starting to drift closed. Amber looked good, Zoe had taken the time to actually brush her hair and braid it as well as supplying a new pair of clothing.

Sam had just returned to his room after a relaxing shower, he threw on some jeans and a grey thin shirt before looking at his watch to check the time, the real world time that is. It was 1 in the morning which was quite late, but he needed to get home to see Amber and see if she was ok, she probably thought that Sam has run away and left her for good. He took a deep breath as this was the first time he was going to use this new power he had been taught by Sean, he had the ability to move between the two realms now, all he had to do was visualize where he wanted to be and his hand would begin to grow a black aura around it, it caused his hand to look like some kind of demon, it elongated his fingers and gave him some kind of claw, he used this claw to scratch straight down through the air and it caused a scratch in space, Sam was in awe at the fact that the power actually worked first time. Sam approached the portal and looked through it, he could see the real world on the other side and it was the place that he wanted to be.

Sam took a deep breath and stepped through it, he felt the atmosphere shift as he walked into one that was more familiar, a breeze whisped against his skin and he knew it was good to be back home. He had entered an alleyway not too far away from his home and that is exactly where he would be going.

Sam was standing on the roof of the apartment complex he lived in, he was quite sad that his breaths in this realm would not make him feel as powerful, he could actually feel himself becoming slightly weaker by the minute. Sam looked down at the roof directly above his apartment before vanishing into a black smog and returning inside his apartment, just behind the couch. He seemed to have returned to his house quietly as Amber was lying on the couch undisturbed, he sneaked around the edge of the couch to face her and he could see her eyes were closed, she usually sleeps in her cat form so Sam found this quite odd. He crouched down in front of her and shook her shoulder slightly, it seemed to work as he could see her stirring, she slowly opened her eyes and rubbed them as she noticed who was in front of her, she seemed exhausted as she didn't show much excitement to see him, she just extended her arms for a hug and Sam delivered one to her, she yawned before saying "I'm happy you're safe..." she then pushed him away and jabbed him in the chest, one on of his hidden tattoos to be exact "Where have you been for the past 3 weeks!?" she then yelled, as if her energy had come back in a matter of milliseconds, Sam took a step back and rubbed his chest, Sam saw this range of emotions coming but he hoped he could defuse the situation quickly, he didn't expect her to forgive him so soon however.

"I've just been caught up with something that took a lot longer than I thought ok? Now I can tell you are exhausted, but look at me... I'm fine, I'll talk to you more about it tomorrow, but first I'm going to get some sleep back in my bed that I've missed so much." A look of terror shot across Amber's face as Sam stood up and walked around the couch, towards the bedroom.

"Yeah about that..."

Zoe's eyes snapped open upon hearing Amber yelling. There was then the smell... something other worldly... Zoe was out of the bed in a blur, clad is short sleeping shorts and a tank top. Her right hand held her sword and sheath, while her left hand pushed the door open. Her right wrist was wrapped in an ace bandage and splinted.

Due to her brief excursion into the underworld and the battle with the nether dragons, that is what she happened to reek of. Her hair was a mess, her wrist throbbed, and she had not gotten a proper good night's sleep in two weeks, no one in their right mind would go picking a fight with her.

She nearly whacked Sam over the head with the weapon before stopping herself. Zoe gaped at him for a few seconds before going to slap him across the face.

"WHERE WERE YOU!" She demanded before dropping her sword and flinging her arms around his neck, hugging him tight. That was when the smell hit again, Sam reeked of nether and other being's scent was all over him.

Immediately she shoved him away, a low growl rising in the back of her throat. A single word issued from her mouth. "Titan."

But this was Sam! He wouldn't... or would he? She couldn't help the shift, but she managed to keep the human aspect. Claws dug into her palms and drops of blood rolling down her fingers and spattering onto the floor. Several different looks flashed across her face, anger... sadness... and... was it fear?

She forced her claws to retreat back into her fingers with a groan of pain.

"Yeah about what?..." he asked Amber cautiously, she didn't need to answer though as the issue became clear, a tired looking Zoe was standing in front of him, she looked pretty beaten up too. "Zo-" SMACK, he couldn't even say her name for the first time in 3 weeks before she had slapped him across the mouth, "Well I guess I kinda deserved tha-" again he was cut off, this time by Zoe leaping forward and wrapping her arms around him with a hug, she was displaying the same emotions that Amber was, the moment didn't last too long though as Zoe had pushed him away, was this a third emotion in the cycle Sam did not know about? Then she said it... Titan, and with some disgust too, at least he didn't have to explain the whole story to her know, the hard part was over it seemed.

"Look Zoe... I can explain everything ok? I'm so so sorry that I haven't been here for the past few weeks, and I can understand that both of you are angry, but I haven't abandoned you, see? I'm here now... and yes... I am a Titan, but I didn't know it until it was already too late, but I'm ok with it, and I'm just the same as I left... trust me" had a sincere look on his face, he truly felt bad about everything, but he hoped it could all be fixed now.

Zoe bared her fangs, backing away. Clearly not wanting to be anywhere near him. She wanted to believe him... she truly did.
But, "You left! You didn't think!"
She shot back, the back of her bare pale legs bumping against the bed. Zoe cursed in her head. Sam was between her and the door. At his approaching form, Zoe trembled. Her last run in with a titan had not been a pretty one.

"You left, I came here and I found Amber crying in your room! You abandoned her Sam! Not me!" Her voice broke at the end of the sentence and she tried to get around Sam. Zoe how ever did not succeed so she poked him hard in the chest, her jaw working furiously.

In reality, Zoe was trying to hide her panicky emotions from Sam. Her hurt, her fear, her loss... it had felt like loosing Aiden again... Zoe hadn't been there to stop it.

Her blue eyes stared hard at him, demanding with a hint of pain.

"I know I wasn't thinking, I was angry, it was a complete lack of judgement, but I planned on coming back here as quickly as I could, but I was stuck in the Abyss for 3 weeks and I wasn't allowed out to come back, I really missed you... both of you" Sam noticed that Zoe had been backing away from him all this time, as if she was afraid that he was different and was going to lash out at her, but he wouldn't hurt her, ever. Sam was slowly walking towards her, to prove that he wasn't going to do anything to harm her, but she still wouldn't listen.

"I already said I'm sorry ok? There was nothing I could do, with every passing day I was worried about Amber and I just wanted to break out and come back here, but I couldn't... I know I abandoned her, but it wasn't intentional." Sam was using a quieter voice than Zoe was, she was clearly mad at him, but Sam just wanted her to calm down so they could talk. She clearly didn't want to be in the situation she was in right now, Sam felt like some kind of monster that killed anything it touched, but he was still the exact same guy, just with a few more tattoos, Zoe tried to get around him, but she couldn't so she resorted to poking him hard in the chest, maybe that was his best way to fix this, just let her beat him up until she loses all of her anger and then talk it out, although Sam didn't think he had the time for that.

"Look Zoe... there's no going back to the past now, I can change what has happened, I already said that I am so sorry for leaving you two like this... just... tell me what I can do to make you trust me again." Sam would do anything he could to earn her trust back, but judging on the look of her face, it would need to be something momentous.

Zoe was breathing hard through her nose, her hand stung from were her claws had sunk in, still bleeding faintly. Sam... poor Sam...
"Why-why were you mad?" There... she was trying. Her fingers drifted to the splint around her right wrist, itching underneath the duct tape absentmindedly. Zoe was trying to control the fight or flight instinct. It was very much flight.

She listened for a few minutes before asking a very hesitant question, "Can I see the markings?"
Zoe knew about the Titan tattoo markings, marks on another's body that branded them to that species. In spite of her pounding fear that Sam should have been able to smell, Zoe was curious to how they turned out.

As to making her trust him again... that would take time and lots of it. She thought about it while tracing one of the markings with a finger.
"Are you going to go back?" She asked finally, her fingers lingering on a spot were a scar had been. They had gone and he looked so much better for it... The tattoos however would take a little bit to get used to.

Sam let out a slight sigh before reminiscing "I was mad because Aurora came here, you know the woman who promised me immortality? She gave me a vial to drink, so I did and nothing happened, I was mad because I had waited so long for this opportunity just to have it fail, I stormed out of my own house and walked around to try to calm down when this other guy promised me immortality, for real this time... I guess it was a poor decision because I was mad, but I accepted it and I didn't know it would make me what I am until it was too late..." He made it sound like he was some kind of horrible, unlovable monster, but he wasn't any different from before.

Sam nodded when she asked to see the markings, the confirmation of what she believed. He lifted his shirt off to show her the markings over his left shoulder, he had some on his arms aswell as some on his back too, the more important thing was that his scars were gone, Sam hoped that Zoe would feel at least a little bit happy for him in that respect. He could feel her finger running down his back, it could it tingle as she traced one of his tattoos.

He put his shirt back on and turned back to Zoe "I guess I have to, although I'll try to talk with the one who made me this way, perhaps i can be an exception to them, I will try my best to stay here with you because I swear, that is what I want" Sam extended his arms and he was going to put them on Zoe's shoulders before he stopped and thought about what he was doing, he then slowly pulled his arms back when he realized it could make her feel uncomfortable. "Zoe you might think I am a completely different person, but believe me, the only thing that is different about me are these tattoo's, I still love you just the same as I had three weeks ago and-..."

Woops... It wasn't until a few seconds later when he realized he said what he did, the pair of them haven't really talked about their feelings towards each other, mainly because they haven't been around each other very long for it to happen, but Sam had let slip how he felt by accident, but maybe it was for the best.

Zoe sighed, a deep old woman sigh. Anger often caused a misleading in judgment… and Sam had paid dearly for it. Every time Zoe touched a tattoo it seemed to flicker in color and that in itself was curious. Then suddenly Sam turned around and commanded her undivided attention.
Zoe stared at him very intently, trying to figure out what he was saying –“ I still love you just the same as I had three weeks ago and-..."

He froze, as he seemed to realize what he had said. Zoe’s jaw dropped, did he just say that?

“Did you just say that?” Zoe whispered, her mouth going dry. “That, you love me?”

She wasn’t sure how to react. Unbidden her mind flicked back to those moments, on the roof, outside the storage unit, at the pool… the stupid chocolate… How did Zoe feel about Sam? She closed her eyes for a moment comparing emotions.
“Okay then,” Zoe heard herself say finally. “I can live with that.”
She sounded... dare she say happy?

Sam felt like the dumbest man on the planet in his brain, he just wanted to close himself into a closet and bang his head against the wall in embarrassment. If he would have carried on talking then she might not have even realized what he said, but he stopped mid sentence and that drew the attention that he probably didn't want. He could tell that she realized it too because her face changed dramatically, her jaw dropped as she tried to process the information she had just received.

She repeated back to him what he said and his face grew slightly red, he bit his bottom lip and nodded slightly, still not backing away from what he said. There were only two answers really, she either did or didn't feel the same way. He heard the one answer he wanted though, to his surprise. She didn't exactly say it back to him like he would have hoped for, but it was a start, at least she didn't completely reject him and she sounded quite pleased when she said it, causing Sam to smile.

But what now? Did she still trust him? Did she still like him even though he was a Titan? So many questions that he still wanted to ask her, but he was just too exhausted to ask them all, he just wanted to sleep. He looked her over once again and noticed that she had a lot of injuries, ranging from scratches to something more severe, he wanted to step forward and help her, but he was afraid that she still didn't trust him, he peered over her shoulder to his bed before saying "The bed is big enough for both of us, why don't we just sleep and then talk tomorrow, ok?"

Zoe flushed slightly as well, her cheeks and ears turned red. Naturally Zoe was a little hesitant when saying the L-word. She had to be sure. Defiantly there was attraction to Sam but she would not put love to it quite yet.

Quietly, she fingered the makeshift splint. To be honest, she was quite surprised he had not asked her what had happened. But he did look like how she felt, battered and worn. Talking tomorrow rather than talking today appealed to her pounding brain, but…

“Are you sure? I can always go sleep on the couch…” She trailed off, picking at the bandage around her right wrist again. At his exasperated look he gave her Zoe glared at him.

“No! You are not going to sleep on the couch!” With that she moved back over to the side of the bed that she had vacated less than fifteen minutes ago, pulling her bad wrist to her chest.

Sam sighed after Zoe clearly knew what he was thinking, she looked hurt from whatever it was that happened to her and he thought that she would need the bed more, all Sam was, was exhausted. "Fine, I won't sleep on the couch" he said, he didn't see why being so nice was such a bad thing, there are plenty of guys out there that treat women like dirt and the fact that Sam acted differently to that made him stand out.

He watched as Zoe crawled back into his bed and moved to the other side, allowing room for Sam to be able to slide in, before he did though, he returned back to the living area to check on Amber. He walked in and saw her in cat form on her small little bed, he tilted his head in amusement as he had not seen her do this for the past 3 weeks, it certainly did feel good to be back considering, but he didn't like the fact that he could end up going back to the Abyss and being told that he won't be able to stay in the real world. After watching Amber for a minute or so, Sam ventured back to his bedroom and quietly closed the door whilst watching Zoe for any movement, he then took his shirt off and dropped it onto the floor before sliding into his side of the bed and feeling the familiarity of where he was give him a good night sleep.

Zoe's eyes had drifted closed but they opened when he closed the door. She laid curled on her side facing the door and she offered him a brief, tentative smile before letting her eyes close again as sleep claimed her.

Her breathing was soft throughout the night. When she woke her wrist throbbed faintly with pain and Zoe made a soft noise of discomfort. It looked to be mid morning, upon checking her cellphone she saw it was nine am.

Then she seemed to remember were she was. Zoe swiveled her head around, checking to see if Sam was there or if he had slunk way in the night. But he was there, his blanket pulled up around him. Sam looked so relaxed in his sleep... but being relaxed was only a temporary state of being. Carefully she adjusted her position and her pillow.

Sam had a good nights sleep, the fact that he was back in his own house helped him with this and the fact that his bed wasn't as hard as a rock like the other one he had helped too. Sam had found an extremely comfortable and warm position during his sleep and he had stayed in that position all night, he felt nicely snuggled up and warm as his eyes slowly lifted to reveal Zoe's sleeping face, she looked very calm and looked like she couldn't hurt a fly, although that wasn't true as Sam's face was hurt when she slapped him last night.

Sam adjusted himself so he was laying on his back and staring at the ceiling, he pulled his arms out of his cocoon that he had made for himself and rubbed his eyes to remove any sleep that was annoying him, he then gave Zoe one more look as he slowly slid out of bed and stood up, stretching his back as he did so, it still felt weird for him to do this with his scars gone, but he wasn't going to complain.

Sam leaned over to the window as he saw the sun beaming in through it, he looked outside to see birds flying by and chirping with glee and the one look outside his window showed him more colour than he saw in his entire stint in the Abyss. He looked around his room one last time before leaving it and was delighted to see that it was still as dirty as he left it, although he didn't exactly expect Zoe or Amber to clean it for him. He walked through his apartment as if he had never left, he noticed Amber stirring on her bed before he entered the kitchen to make himself some coffee.

Zoe woke up when the door clicked shut it appears that Sam was up already. Carefully she made her way to the door. Kicking stray jeans and shirts into a pile as she went. Generally she would have cleaned it all up by now. But Zoe had decided that she would give Sam a month to show back up. Before she boxed all of his stuff up that is and took over the rent for the place.

Zoe opened the door and stepped into the hall way. Stifling a yawn and running her left hand through her hair removing most of the tangles. The cat trotted over to her and rubbed against her legs before scampering off to do who knows what. Zoe wandered into the kitchen and opening the cupboard in hunt for her pain pills for her wrist. Finding it she began the complicated process of opening the bottle left handed. Generally it involved trapping it between the counter and her hip. Her brow wrinkled in concentration before she got it open. Then she grabbed two and a glass of water. Zoe then proceeded to swallow them down as well as half the water. Placing the clean glass back onto the counter she put the lid back on, putting it back on the shelf.