Quickening breath, the sound was immediately audible to any who might be close enough. It was obvious to Kruger since it was his own. He looked at the object Marcus had projected and knew it at once.

So much time he'd spent discovering the object he beheld. There along its edge was the waving lines, the symbol for water. Deeply carved into the side was the musical scale with the embossed B note. If he were to believe the image before him, the crystalline interior of the bath glowed with its own light.

That hadn't been in any of the lore he'd uncovered, though he had suspected it might be the case. His work with the substance woven through his hidden forge had let him see what was possible. It could even be a similar structure. So close, he'd been so close for so long.

"That... Do you even understand what you have?" His body trembled with want, and fear. Want of the item and the knowledge he would gain. That fear knowing that the cost would be great, and painful. He wanted it, all of it and knew there would be a price to pay. There was always a price. Was Annabeth to be the newest scar he must bear?

It smiled a bit. ?Could I ever use it as it was intended? Hardly. Do I understand the powers and energies that flow through it? Only the tiniest fractional part. Do I know what it was once used for? What it could be used for again when returned to it's former companions, and with the proper smith at it's helm?

"I'll even make it a bit easier. Make sure the Caldwell knows, she may visit here whenever she chooses. She may work here, play here, but she must return home.? The last word slipped from it?s lips heavily.

?And she must think about the future. If she does not wish to be my companion, she must bring about another generation. She is the last, and she can NOT be the last.? There was actual pain in it?s voice at this point.

?If you wish to join her there as well, I would have no disagreement. I will let that be between you and her. But she has tried to sever her ties to the Caldwell Land, and I -- I can't allow that.? It was obviously controlling it's words even though his emotional state is higher than it has been the entire meeting.

One chance, one... Desire was sparked deeply into his core. It burned hotter than the memory of the branding iron as it was laid to his cheek and peeled away flesh and innocence. Kruger staggered backwards under the weight of his want, the words of the entity before him echoing through him as though he were hollow.

All of it was just a shadow of what he knew would come. A pale visage to the sweet agony that would be granted him. In his head he could feel the anvil and forge calling to their brother, they pleaded with him to take the offer. What was being asked wasn't so terrible, was it? One bit of freedom, the tiniest fraction in a world immense with possibilities.
His hands went to the sides of his head, crushing his palms against his ears as Kruger tried desperately to drown out the voices, all of the voices.

Nothing helped, there was no shutting out the cries for reunion. He pulled his left hand from his head and shoved it roughly into his pocket. He felt it then, that note he'd not stopped carrying.

Kruger didn't need to read the words, he knew them by heart. He could hear her voice saying them when he first found the note. He could hear that voice now too. There is a light here always and the light can come to the darkness as well. It was fitting, it was sweet... it was needed right in that moment.

Something else edged its way through the cacophony that occupied his mind. Kruger looked up, though he seemed to be staring right through Marcus.

"Zero, one, one, two, three... five, eight, thirteen." Numbers, added quickly the spoken added to the previous to get the next. For months they'd plagued him, blocked out everything and nearly driven him mad until he understood them. Now they pushed again, hard and just as completely.

Would Marcus understand what was going on inside the smith? The simple Fibonacci sequence allowed him to see things that most people simply over looked. They had unlocked formulas, and now so many of those were bubbling to the surface. The sum of all he knew fought against this earnest need of that coveted item.

"No..." The recital had stopped, and Kruger's angry gaze turned ominously towards Marcus.

"You ask too much of me." He let out a scoff, if this man had only known the things Kruger would do for the information he was offering. He'd hurt, maim... he'd kill... but never someone close. Never one who'd found their way inside to him, the real him. "Had you come to me just a few short months ago... not now. Not evermore."

The spell was broken, if it was a spell. Kruger would deny himself for Annabeth's sake. Even as he spoke those words, he felt the loss of that knowledge he'd have gained. He hated the feeling, hated himself for it as well. He wouldn't give her up though, not to some strange kind of slavery, no matter how much the chain glittered.

It frowned. Then continued in a soft even tone. ?Then I must find another way to convince her. Good day, Mr. Kruger." In an instant it disappeared.

It wasn't much of a comment, but it was ominous. Whatever plans for work he'd had, they were gone now. Maybe he should be kicking himself for asking for an emergency. If there were time he might even do that, but Kruger didn't have it anymore.

Now he was on his way to Annabeth's, running the entire way. There was no zigzagging to his route, unless he had no other choice. Kruger pushed his way through building lobbies, took alleyways, jumped fences until he'd made his way to Annabeth's new house.

Feel free to move, he wanted to move. He'd even stood up to do just that, but movement didn't come. At least not to his legs. His hand went to his disheveled hair and pushed it back. The run had left it wet, and no amount of finger coming would straighten the finger length curls.

"That fits, at least his clothes. They were from a long time ago. He seems upset that you're the last of your family. Wanted to know my intentions toward you. I'll be honest, at first I thought he was just a reporter for some gossip rag or other."

Kruger looked at his hands for several heartbeats trying to figure out why that question had rattled him to begin with. What he came up with was simple.

"I don't have a problem with people assuming things normally, so long as it's only about me. He said more things, some quite presumptuous."

He shook his head trying to clear it of the offers made by the spirit. "Why doesn't he want you here?"

?From what my friend Izumi told me today, and this just depends on how honest it was with her last night, it's tied to the land and to my family line. From what I've been able to piece together, he and another spirit both helped Jesse Caldwell, my ancestor, when he first arrived.

"I'm not sure if Jesse knew or not, but at some point Marcus's companion left him, became human, I think, and married Jesse. She's the woman I mentioned that they couldn't find any records for before she married Jesse.

?Marcus continued to help, and at some point he got it in his head that because his companion had left to grow the family, some member of the family would return the favor and become his companion. As for why he doesn't want me here. From what he was saying to Izumi last night, he's tied to the land, and to my family.

"I think some of his power might come from the connection somehow. He feels I've betrayed a covenant or somethin', one I didn't even know about.?

She moved to him and put a hand on his shoulder, needing the contact.

"No, it's not just you he wants." Things had started to piece themselves together for him based on what Marcus had said. "Or what I mean is it doesn't have to be."

Kruger watched her move her hand, understood that she meant to touch him, but somehow still managed to be surprised when it happened. It was strange that this seemed so much more powerful than the embrace he'd given her earlier. He'd said she was dangerous once. That was still true, if not the way he once thought.

"I told you about the item he offered to give me information about." Kruger looked into her eyes, a brief glance before refocusing elsewhere, the part of her hair was a good place to start, maybe the curve of her eyebrow?

"I didn't tell you everything, not because I was intentionally hiding things. Mostly because I thought they were deliberately focused on something else."

He closed his eyes, took a breath and opened them to look at her once more. This time he managed to keep his eyes steady.

"He simply said that you should continue the line, that you could come here to work, to act. But you should return there. He said... He said you should think about the future. That if you did not wish to be his companion you should bring about another generation. He even suggested that I could join you... there."

He managed to get the last out, if a little rushed. He wasn't embarrassed by the words. He might be intimidated by the implications of it. Was Marcus reflecting Kruger's desires or hers? Was it all a test, an attempt to push the smith the last few steps to doing Marcus' bidding? Too many questions. There were always questions! Why couldn't he stop asking?

?There has to be a bit more than just continuing the line. I could do that here and Rhydin, and any of my children could go back home to take up where I left off. I know Jenn would be willing to sell back a few acres to me or my children.? That said, however, she looked into his eyes or tried to since he was determined not to.

?There are a lot worse men he could have tried to give me to. If I were his to give.? Her voice grew even softer as she continued, ?Kruger, I probably would have been tempted too.?

"You're not a commodity to be traded by anyone. Odd how he doesn't know that. I do..." He nodded as he said it, though it was only in part to what he was saying. The rest felt more like affirmation of what she'd said. "You're better than that. In the end, I knew that. I..."

"It was difficult to let it go Annabeth. All of it. I've searched for so long. I did it though, let go of everything I could have wanted. It seemed too simple. In my experience, nothing is simple. To respond though..."

His own tone softened a bit. "There are a lot better, you deserve better. I'm a mess, I'm the gift that Eregor gave you. Comedy and tragedy rolled into one chaotic bundle. No one really deserves that."

?Kruger, that's so close to how I see myself it isn't even close to funny. As to what I deserve, I think I'm old enough to choose for myself.? She leaned to put a chaste kiss on his cheek. Then almost as an afterthought, ?That bath though, it sounds, familiar.?

"What about the wards, do you want to keep her out?" Could they be certain that she was who she appeared to be? Too many questions and not enough answers.

"What do you want to do? I can go out the back and see if there is a way to stop whatever the one back there is doing." He was prepared to do just that, except that it would mean leaving Annabeth on her own. If the two out front weren't what they appeared to be, then the one out back was a distraction meant to lure Kruger away.

"No, I don't think I should leave you." He didn't really want to anyway, but the reasons had less to do with what was coming.

She was full of her own questions as well. And a lot of them mirrored his. ?I don't want you to leave me either.?

There was a short pause as she started to form a plan. ?All right here are my thoughts. You can see him. If he's on the opposite side of the fence, I'll let them through to the front door. If he's on this side they're just going to have to be outside for now.

"If I do let them through to the door, we're going to go down and talk to them. Kruger, do you know how to use a pistol?"


"I know how... Do you think a pistol will help?" He wasn't so sure, unless of course Marcus was far more solid than Kruger expected.

Possibilities.. Annabeth had said something about Marcus trying to become a physical being, perhaps he'd already succeeded?

"What do you know about the man that he used to be? I know you said he was tied to the family farm but, that doesn't make him the farmer he appeared to be."

The symbols had the stench of magic about them. Was it possible that Marcus had been a practitioner of the craft? He turned to look at Annabeth, was she offering him a pistol? That she owned one would definitely raise her higher in his esteem... and also make her more dangerous.

?I have no idea, but it's got some iron in it, and when dealing with the supernatural iron's not a bad thing to have with you. Whether even that will hurt him, I have no freakin' clue.? She took a deep breath before answering his question.

?I'm not entirely sure, but from what I can tell, he never was a man. He's a spirit being. I'm guessing he used his powers to help my ancestor start the farm.?

She moved to his side of the room to see where the spirit was. She relaxed a little seeing it was on the other side of the gate. She could let the women in the gate.

?I have one in my nightstand by my bed. I haven't really felt the need to carry it in town yet, but having one at home makes me feel better. I've got a shotgun in the library too, but the pistol's closer.? She watched Marcus for a little longer the aura giving her chills.

?All right, I'm letting them in as far as the door. Anything to say before I do??

"Iron, what kind of bullets are you using?" Somehow even in the midst of this, he still managed to pull out that mask she would be all too familiar with. Maybe she understood that he would need it for this?

"All right, lead the way, we'll finish this one way..." He'd been about to say the rest, but realized there was only one way he wanted this to end. If Kruger could he'd make it happen. What would it cost? It didn't matter at this point, this was exactly the kind of situation he would interfere in.

?I meant the gun itself. The steel has iron in it. Hey, it's not great, but I have to work with what I've got. The bullets, well, except for the silver one I keep in every magazine -? She winked at him; he wasn't the only one needing at least some mask tonight.

Then she let him down the stairs, a short detour into the bedroom got the Walther P-38 into their hands. She handed it to him, she wanted her hands free, but she wasn't quite sure why.

There was a lot of instinct going on here. Then they made their way down the hall. They could hear footsteps on the front porch. Did that mean they were solid, or just that they could imitate footfalls? Annabeth waited next to the door and let Kruger get where he wanted to be.

Kruger stopped short at the door to Annabeth's room. He couldn?t bring himself to follow, his hand rose and grasped the frame. He watched as she went to the nightstand and produced the pistol. Took it when she handed it over masking whatever hesitations he had as well as he could. Trouble was that she already understood him enough that he was sure his best efforts at hiding would never be good enough again.

Kruger was, if anything, the kind of guy that would put himself out there in the center of the room to be the first thing seen. He meant to be intimidating, to command attention away from the person he meant to protect no matter what. That pre-battle gleam was in his eye as she opened the door and let in the two women.

She wouldn't allow them in just yet. When they were at the door, Annabeth called through the door. ?Ether.?

Less than a moment later a voice sounding a great deal like Annabeth's if perhaps a touch deeper answered back, ?Kill da Wabbit.?

Anyone could see some of the tension seep out of Annabeth's frame. At that point she opened the door, but stepped behind it to let Kruger be visible.

Either he really knew how to shoot, or he watched a lot of detective shows. The pistol came up in both hands, left arm bent slightly more than the right as Kruger lined up the sights on whatever was coming through the door.

"Welcome, feel free to come right in... Just one thing, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain." It didn't have to make sense for Kruger to say it in these circumstances. Fact was that if it confused enough that would might give him a heartbeats worth of an advantage.

"You might not believe this, but we are so glad you're here." And there it was, the quick grin and the face that would get him through this confrontation, no matter what happened.

He shot a glance to Annabeth and winked. It was probably a good thing that her mother really was dead, or she might just die from shock.

Annabeth could probably use her mother as a mirror. The only major differences were the eye shape and hair color. As she stepped into her daughter?s home she deadpanned, ?Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.? She came all the way through, letting the next woman follow.

Annabeth knew what Kruger was doing, and she didn't argue. Partially because it kept them from seeing her grab the knife in the drawer of the hall table, if she needed to. More truthfully though, she was drawing a feeling of security from him.

Dorothea's words had caused her to tense, but Kruger's assertion had reassured her, but they also spurred her to vow that he wouldn't die if she had any say in things.

Kruger listened to Dorothea, he understood some of what she was saying. At least he understood the land, or perhaps it was simply the earth. He had his own affinity, it had been stronger once. Strong enough once to have felt the metal in the knife that Annabeth was going after. That bond now only had the same strength in one place.

"I can understand his obsession. It tells me he was lying earlier. A ruse to get my aid. Once he had it, possibly he'd do away with me."

It was good information, if Marcus' obsession were indeed that strong, everything it said would be suspect.

"It's out there now, trying to get in. This thing that waits and watches, except I don't think it's waiting anymore. It's coming, tonight if it can. The wards are in place, but no ward is impenetrable. They've all got weaknesses."

Even his own, he knew that. It would be the things he didn't think of that would destroy them. "Is there more either of you can do to help?"

Just then a loud crack indicated another ward falling. The three ladies all looked up and then Dorothea looked at him.

?He might have been lying or he might have been telling the truth, the thing is I'm not even sure it knows the difference anymore.

"It will try to drag Annabeth over to it's plane of existence, at least long enough to take her home. But that's also the only place you'll be able to deal with it. The only place you're going to be able to destroy it.

?I can help you cross over if you're willing, but I know you don't entirely trust me. Once you get there though, you could use any weapon, even the one in your hands, but you must target what seems to be the head.

"Attack that until the aura that you see and feel disappear. If you want, I can try to get it to cross over to this side, but I'm not sure if it will even listen to me anymore.?

Kruger considered it, "No, bringing it here would put too many at risk. I'll go to him, that is the way these things are done isn't it?"

That seemed to be the way for him at least. If there were no other choice Kruger would have agreed to have Marcus manifest here. It wouldn't have been ideal by any means.

He couldn't help wondering what he would find there, or if he would be lost in the end. Better him than her, and that thought might have escaped his control to find a place in his expression.

It was short lived though, gone almost as soon as it appeared.

"Whenever you're ready." How many wards did the house have left? He needed to end this before it was too late.

Annabeth looked toward the back of the house. ?We need to hurry, one more and he'll be in the house.?

Dorothea nodded and then looked at them. She closed her eyes and then held out her hand. ?Touch, and pass over. My last gift."

He should argue, protest that it was too dangerous for her to go. He should stop her, carry her off and lock her away. He should do anything but what he found himself doing.

Kruger took Annabeth's hand tightly, hoping that her mother would stop what was about to happen. That she would demand that Annabeth stay and let him go. She should let him go.

He reached out, the movement seemed to take forever, time slowing down so that it felt like minutes, hours between heartbeats. When he thought it would never happen, his hand made contact with Dorothea, and everything that he knew to be solid in front of him changed.

The moment Jessica saw it she did cry out, ?Annabeth!? By then, though, it was to late. They were both gone.

((This piece starts right at the moment Annabeth looses her voice. It would have been too difficult to play so I wrote it up afterward to fit in. It sheds some light on what Marcus was doing to her, and what she was seeing during and just after the attack.))

From the moment her voice disappeared she realized she?d made a mistake. It had occurred to her while Dorothea gave her explanation to call Andu. She?d waited though. It would be better to wait until they were on the same plane as Marcus, she told herself, it would make Andu?s crossing easier.

She hadn?t expected the crossing to be so disorienting, or that they?d be outside where Marcus could see them. Even so, she waited, almost instinctively searching for the most dramatic moment. Yet, when the cue came, she couldn?t utter her lines.

That had barely even begun to cross her mind, however, when she saw Marcus raise his hands toward her. She raised her own hands defensively, as two black waves shot their way across the distance between them. The lower wave slipped by her hands, but was blocked just before it reached her body, the higher wave she held back, even if it was a struggle.

Stop fighting.

No.

You?re alone. No one to help you.

You?re wrong.

Who? Your friend with the gun? He pretends to help you, and he brings you right to me. Your other friends don?t even know you?re in trouble. Oh or is it your god that you think will protect you.

Annabeth refused to take the bait, and focused instead on keeping those waves from hitting her.

Your god who pretends to love you, then takes everything away from you. Your god who doesn?t even bother to show up to help you. Who leaves you here to fight on your own.

Images of her family bombard her mind. Her father she never knew, her grandparents, her mother, all dead long before their time. Then pictures of Kruger laughing at her. Times at the Shanachie when she thought he was laughing with her, suddenly seemed more twisted and ominous. Then the trip into the sewers. Pieces of the dialog echoed in a loop, focusing on the fearful and the ominous.

No.

No? That seems to be your favorite word. He doesn?t love you, you know. He?s using you. He wants what I can give him. He?s much smarter than I gave him credit.

The waves pushed back harder against her hands; she worked hard just to breathe properly. What if he wasn?t lying what if he was right. Was what he wanted really such a big deal?

It was slavery.

Was it?

Her hands slipped; they were falling.

Oh God, help me please!

The briefest light pulsed about her, about the same time that the first bullet cracked. The waves cascaded around her no longer focused. Now the images and sounds rushed at her like a film montage on high speed. It was all she could see all she could hear.

?Annabeth snap out of it darlin?.?

The waves broke at the sound of his voice. The bullets, the noes, every word he had said standing over Marcus penetrated her mind. She saw him standing in front of her, and relief saturated her soul.

~Kruger.~ Her lips gave the word shape but there was no sound to give it flesh. Was it gone for good? The thought formed about the same moment as the world shifted around her once more they were back in their reality. She almost wasn?t sure though what exactly reality meant anymore.

A frown wasn't the worst thing he'd ever seen, still it pierced with the finality of a coffin nail. She was echoing what he'd just said, and why not? It hadn't been his first instinct though. Should he feel guilty that his first one had him kissing her instead of making sure she was okay? If he didn't now, he would later.

He looked at the message on the phone. "She's sent a message to someone. I had just said the same thing to her before you came around the corner."

Suddenly conscious of their position, Kruger released Annabeth, he managed a small smile for the nickname that her mother used. He was certain there was a story behind that particular name.

Kruger moved, more of a pivot than anything else. He stayed close, but gave enough room for Jessica to get to her daughter without having to climb over him in the process.

The song signifying the return text had him looking from mother to daughter. They were very similar, but as closely as they resembled one another there were enough differences to tell them apart.

Jessica moved a bit closer and at that point smiled a bit. Her daughter at least was able to move, and reason.

Annabeth hugged her mother tightly before she moved back and leaned against Kruger. She may look like she had it together, but she knew Kruger could see beneath at least some of that. She was shook as her grandparents used to say. ~Maybe go inside?~

Nodding at the question, his arm found its way around her offering support. He'd carry her if she needed it. It wouldn't be the first time he'd done that, though this time he wasn't merely trying to prevent her from wading through the sewers.

"Let's go inside, you can wait for the doctor in there. Maybe collect yourself a little before the doc comes." He wasn't familiar with the name he'd seen flash across the screen with the text.

Kruger let Jessica lead the way, mostly so he could say a few words to Annabeth. "I'll stay for as long as you need me." That could be as little as a few hours or all night. It didn't matter much to him, he'd been set to stay up all night anyway.

She nodded and gave his hand a squeeze. They made their way inside and not much longer the doorbell rang. Jessica went to get the door, and soon, escorted a woman in her mid-forties into the library where Annabeth and Kruger were waiting. She was obviously of native American descent.

"All right, which one of you want to tell me what happened so I know how to best help?

Kruger looked to Annabeth, not for her to begin, rather he was looking for permission to tell everything he knew. "That would have to be me at this point since Annabeth's not able to voice it for herself." Unless she would prefer to write it so that she could add anything that Kruger hadn't felt because he wasn't her.

Annabeth nodded to Kruger, then looked to Rillian. ~He and my mother have my permission to be here. Anything I need to add I'll do here.~
Jessica looked around, "Actually, why don't I make some coffee. I think we all might need some."

Rillian nodded to them all and sat down to wait, while she started taking Annabeth's vitals.

Kruger was still feeling a little over protective. He separated from Annabeth, but stayed close. "We encountered a planar being of some sort, it wasn't able to fully manifest itself here, though it managed to cross over a few times. It had an... obsession for Annabeth."

He wasn't going to go into too many details over that particular part. If the doctor wanted to know more she'd need to ask.

"However, in order to break whatever chain was linking it to her, we crossed over and confronted it. I don't know what he did, or how he did it, but he managed to assault her, stealing her voice and.. there seemed like more he... it was trying to accomplish."

Kruger's brows went slightly up and inward worried over what else Marcus might have been doing. angry that he'd not struck first and never given Marcus the chance to try." His hand went to his forehead, fingers massaging it lightly.

"It looked as though he were choking her, but his hands were nowhere near her. Whatever energies it commanded were used against Annabeth."

He looked from the doctor to the patient. The seats in the library looked like they might be comfortable, Kruger couldn't bring himself to use them though. He was still wary and wired. He slipped behind and to the side of Annabeth, putting a hand on her shoulder, another sign of that protective urge out of him.

Rillian nodded as she listened, and then pulled out something that looked like it was from Star Wars or Star Trek. "Diagnostic tool, it'll help me determine a few things. Other things, I'll have to be more ritualistic about. You're all right with that Annabeth?"

Annabeth nodded and waited as Rillian used the tool. Several minutes later she set the tool down. "Elevated adrenaline levels, but that's understandable." She mutters some medical jargon that Annabeth couldn't really follow, then a question. "You've been using your birth control regularly, yes?"

Annabeth gave a nod and then looked up at Kruger and held her hand out for him.

Jessica brought in the coffee on a tray. It had taken her a little while to figure out where everything was, so she wasn't done quite as soon as she wanted. Rillian started putting things away, and took a cup of the steaming liquid.

"Annabeth, I think the best that you can do right now, is to try to rest tonight, but then try to get back to your normal routine. The more relaxed and comfortable you are, the more healing will happen. Don't be surprised if you start getting hit by depression. The will damage will play into that. When it hits try to make yourself do things you enjoy.

?Don't try to make yourself happy, but don't allow yourself to fall into a pit. This isn't like clinical depression, so I'm not going to prescribe anything. But if you let yourself wallow, it might shift the chemical balances.

?I'm probably throwing a lot at you right now, so I'm going to shut up a bit. You have my number if you need me, and I want to see you in two weeks if your voice isn't back by then, to see if there's a least been any progress. Let me know if you want to come see me or have me come here."

Annabeth nodded and shook Rillian's hand before she snatched her own cup of coffee.

He didn't snatch a cup, but he did take one from the tray. "You sure you want to drink that? She did say try to rest tonight." The comment came with a grin. It had been produced by the way Annabeth had gone after her cup.

"We'll make sure she manages to get rest, even if that means she needs to sleep in for half the day tomorrow." He wasn't exactly sure how to guarantee that it would be so. Tying her to the bed seemed a little extreme. The best he figured he could manage was to simply let her fall asleep on her own and see what happened.

"Thank you for coming by Doctor." He was grateful for her presence and the speed with which she'd managed to get here.

"Thank you for making coffee, Mrs. Caldwell. There was a time when he lived on the stuff. That had been quite some time ago. now it was more or less something he indulged once in a while.

"Of course." She couldn't remember his name at the moment, her focus had been on Annabeth when introductions had been made. "And I think Annabeth knows that I made decaf. Since it was all she had at the moment."

Annabeth finger gunned her mother, and stuck her tongue out at Kruger. ~Tell mom what's going on, Rillian?~

"Of course. And the two women head into the parlor to talk, leaving Kruger and Annabeth in the library.

She took a long drink of her coffee then sat it down along with her cell phone, before turning all her attention to Kruger. She mouths the words slowly. ~Stay here tonight?~

There, he managed to chuckle at having a tongue stuck out at him. He was mildly surprised by the asking.

Part of him figured she would want to spend her night with her mother, maybe catch up in a way that hadn't been possible for the last year. His eyes flitted from Annabeth to the parlor and back before he smiled and nodded silently.

"Of course I'll stay. Those wards are down, I may still be of some kind of use tonight." All the news hadn't been good, some had only left more questions. There had been enough that Kruger finally felt able to settle into a seat on the couch.

He sat all the way to the left, then looked to Annabeth, patted the seat next to him. "Why not take a seat and start that relaxing and resting?"

She nodded and sat next to him, before leaning against him. She figured that she would talk to her mother, but she felt she needed strength with her mother. With Kruger she could rest against him and be small and vulnerable.:: ~I love you.~ She tested out the words again.

Kruger set the cup aside, putting his arm around her shoulders. He took a deep breath, letting it slowly out while she leaned into him. He may not be certain of why things had begun this way, but he was glad they'd ended with her leaning on him.

"I love you, Annabeth." He kissed her hair, and leaned his forehead on the side of her head wondering where things would go from here.