They emerged from the beach and onto the street as the clouds broke. Nyx looked at her brother. The water ran off his blond hair as he pushed it out of his eyes.

"I think we better head back," he said, raising his voice to be heard over the rain and crashing waves.

She wanted to refuse. Angel was still out there somewhere. Lightning flashed and Nyx gasped, catching the words in her throat. Thunder boomed. In this weather, there was nothing they could do no matter how long they stayed out.

"Ok, we'll go home," she sighed. They hurried toward the cabin. Rain soaked her to the skin. It ran down her face, hiding her tears. She inhaled shuddering breaths. They followed the street up the gently sloping hill. Fighting against the storm made it that much steeper. The wind blasted rain full in their face.

Lightning lit the sky. Nyx grabbed her brother's hand. Her chest tightened. Alistair squeezed her fingers and offered a reassuring smile, but his green eyes were dark with worry. The expression did not suit him.

When they finally reached the cabin, Kismet was already inside. She slumped on the couch, cradling the red guitar in her lap. The orange lava-lamp light cast her in a tangerine glow. The guitar radiated a thin, pale blue light around its edges in the darkness.

"You found him?" Nyx asked, peeling her boots off in the porch. Hope wedged through the hard ball of tension in her chest.

"I'm sorry," Kismet said, softly. "I asked him to come back with me, but he wouldn't."

Nyx's stomach dropped. The delicate strands of hope so recently woven in her heart severed, leaving her disoriented and sick.

They joined Kismet on the couch. The siblings squashed her between them. The cushion grew damp as Nyx's hair and clothing dripped. Kismet must be getting wet too, but if she noticed, she didn't seem to care.

"He's leaving the island," said Kismet.

"Where the hell is he gonna go?" Alistair asked.

"He said he had one more thing to do before he leaves," she explained. "He's supposed to come back here, but who knows."

The room spun. Nyx gripped the arm of the sofa, her fingernails dug into the frayed fabric to keep steady.

How can he leave after everything? I'm on his side. We could get through this if he'd only talk to me. Do I mean nothing to him?

"I mean, he can't go far. He's broke," said Alistair. "There's lots of places to stay on the mainland I suppose, but that won't last -"

"He's going to fight Carl," said Nyx. Her jaw clenched so hard pain zinged through her temples. She shot up and headed for the door.

Alistair went after her. She stooped to pull on her soaked boots. The wet leather wouldn't co-operate and she cursed.

"Nyx, please, look outside, you can't go out there," he said. As if to prove his point, another round of thunder shook the cabin.

Kismet joined them in the porch. She shook all over, her hazel eyes glazed and distant. "Maybe we should wait."

"We can't afford to wait," Nyx snapped. She sat on the floor, fighting with her shoes and tried not to scream. "We have to stop him before he reveals his powers -"

Alistair's heavy hand on her shoulder silenced her. She looked up at her brother with wide, wild eyes.

"Go dry off and get comfy," he said gently. "I'll make coffee, or would you rather coco?"

"Coco please," she muttered, hanging her head. Alistair must be hurting too, yet here he was, caring for her instead. When Nyx stood up, she wrapped her arms around him. Alistair was just as damp as she was, but warm and solid. He embraced her, kissing the top of her head. "Thank you," she muttered.

Nyx did as he asked, moving like molasses as she went to the washroom and dried off. She didn't bother to change into fresh street clothes, opting for pajamas instead. She gave Alistair an outfit Angel had left behind. The t-shirt and jeans were a bit too small for him, but would have to do for now.

They nursed their hot chocolate. Alistair lounged on the couch, taking up most of the space. Kismet was squeezed into the corner, barely lucid. She stared off, snapping back to reality at a moment's notice.

"You holding up alright?" Alistair asked her.

Kismet nodded, then seemed to catch herself. "Actually, no," she said. "I'm having a hard time managing things right now. My head is quite loud at the moment."

"What do you need?" Nyx asked. She rested her cigarette in the ashtray on the side table. Helping Kismet would be a welcome distraction.

"I dunno," she said. Kismet blinked, her eyelids heavy and slow.

"How about a bath?" Nyx suggested and Kismet agreed. "I'll run one for you."

"I can -"

"No, no, rest," Nyx insisted and hurried off. She took the opportunity to be meticulous, adding bubbles, bombs and candles. Kismet thanked her profusely, then sealed herself inside the washroom like a sacred tomb.

"Fucking Angel," Alistair muttered when Nyx returned, shaking his head. "I wish I could say I can't believe this, but this is right on brand. What are you gonna do when he gets here?"

Nyx took her cigarette from the ashtray and relit it. "We're done." The words were so final. They sat like heavy stones in her mouth. "I can't do it anymore."

"I love Grub, I really do, and I'm sure he'll be a great boyfriend to someone someday, but he's not that right now."

"You think he can change?"

"He's too stubborn. Chaos is in his veins. He can't help it."

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"I'm sick of being collateral damage," she said, exhaling a thick plume of smoke.

Kismet joined them after her bath, feeling more grounded. They all tried to stay up to wait, but the night dragged on, with no sign of Angelus.

Nyx slouched in the armchair, finishing another cigarette. She'd been chain smoking all night. Three o'clock flashed on the VCR beneath the television. Her hand shook as her knee bounced. Despite their best efforts, Alistair and Kismet had fallen asleep together on the couch. Kismet cuddled against him beneath a blanket, his arm lazily tossed over her.

The thunder had stopped, but rain continued to lash against the cabin walls. A soft thump upstairs caught her attention. The sound of the window sliding shut. Her heart squeezed. Sweat formed on her palms.

She steeled herself and got up, swallowing the rage bubbling to the surface. Nyx crept up the narrow stairs, gliding her hand along the wall in the darkness.

Angelus stood in front of her bedroom window with a trash bag wrapped tight around a small thick bundle. Rain ran off his body, dripping from his long black hair onto the floor. His jeans were soaked through. Large black wings rounded over his head, water trailing over his feathers. Faint blue light glowed from within his body. Blood stained his knuckles crimson. Angel's eyes were distant, but sharp as broken quartz.

Pain twisted the knife in her stomach. Tears burned her throat and eyes. She wanted to embrace him, slap him, hug him, scream, beg him to stay, make him leave, but she wouldn't. A million words rushed to the surface, but they all caught in her mouth. Her heart was, and always had been, in his hands no matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise.

"Here," he said, and held out the bundled up trash bag. "You can have half. Maybe Kismet can get set up somewhere too."

"Fuck you," she spat. "You think I want your money?"

Angel didn't argue. Instead, he reached in the bag and pulled out a thick stack of one hundred dollar bills. Despite herself, Nyx's eyes widened. She'd never seen so much cash in one place. That was far more than she'd make in a year working at the market. He tossed the wad on the bed.

"Do you ever fucking listen to me?" she exclaimed. Fury made her voice shrill. "I said I don't want it!"

"You'll change your mind."

Nyx grabbed the stack. It clung together by the mercy of two rubber bands. She tossed it at Angel and it bounced off his bare chest with a soft thump. He didn't move to take it.

Thoughtless in her fury, she shoved him. Surprise more than force made him stumble back a step.

"Why are you doing this?" she screamed. "All I've ever done is love you!" she stopped for a moment, clenching her jaw as realization crept in. "That's it, isn't it? That's the problem. You really hate yourself that much." Nyx was so close to him now. His back was against the wall. The warmth of his light contrasted the boiling wrath writhing under her own skin.

"I warned you," he growled, but there was little bite. His blue eyes fixed on hers, desperation clouding the edges.

"This is what you want, isn't it?" she said, her voice soft, nearly a whisper. "You want me to hate you? Well, like it or not, I'll love you until the day we die."

Angel was so still. His skin slick with rain. She felt his careful breathing, the familiar rise and fall of his chest.

Nyx pulled away, but he stopped her, gently taking her arms, his eyes swimming with tears.

"I'm so sorry," he said, embracing her. Angel tightened his grip, clinging to her. "I've dug myself such a hole, I have to go. I don't have a choice."

"Why'd you do it?" Nyx asked, knitting her brow in bewilderment. She got out of the embrace and stepped away. "I truly don't get it. You were upset, of course, and I'd understand running off to be alone, but to uproot everything and light a match behind you? What the hell are you thinking?"

"I can't stay here anymore. Maybe I was scared I'd chicken out."

"What made you think you had to leave in the first place?"

"How can I stay knowing everything was a lie?"

"I don't think that's why you're running," said Nyx. "You're scared of the conversations you'd need to have if you stayed."

"What is there to say?" he snapped. His jaw twitched. "No one gave a shit about me, and they still don't. Granted, most of them tried harder than Julian to care about me, but there was always this feeling. I dunno, like I didn't belong. Just kinda tolerated. You, Alistair and Cassie were the only ones to ever be genuinely nice to me."

"Mom and Dad -"

"If not for being friends with you guys, I don't think they would have given me the time of day. They don't even like Julian that much. No one does. There's just this bond between all of them because they came here together, but no one wants to admit it's worn thin."

Exhausted, Nyx sat on the edge of her bed. It was true. Ember's capture had torn a rift between them, but no one ever said it out loud. Angel was surely a reminder of her, The Old Academy and Ivy all rolled into one.

He sat next to her on the bed.

"Come with me," he said.

"What?" she gasped.

"Sure? Why not?" he said, scooching closer. Angel draped his arm around her, soaking her shirt with rain water. "Just you and me."

The warmth and comfort of his embrace was too much. The temptation to give in ripped her apart from the inside.

"You're on the run, Angel," she said. "I could sit here and list excuses all day, but the truth is, I don't want to live like that." The even deeper truth was that she didn't believe she could hold his attention that long. For now, while the novelty was in full effect, she had no doubt everything would be quite wonderful. Then sooner or later, his eyes would wander, something or someone else was bound to take his fancy, and she'd wake up and realize she'd left everything for nothing. "I wasn't joking when I outlined my conditions. We're over."

"C'mon, you don't mean that," he said, jostling her shoulder. A quake of concern trembled in his voice.

The lump in her throat burned. She couldn't bear to look at him so she studied the mandalas on her pillow cases, the birds on her duvet cover, anything but his glorious face. His eyes alone would kill her if she dared.

"What did you think would happen? You wanted to leave Angel. You weren't even going to say good-bye. You think I'd be here pinning away?"

"Well no, but -"

"Then what?" she snapped, shaking her head. "People are going to be after you now, and not just Ivy. You'll never get to be still again. Not for long, anyway. You knew exactly what you were doing when you ran off to fight Carl."

"Maybe I don't want to live a life where I hide my abilities?" Angel retracted his arm, his body tensing. "Why is that never an option?"

"You can do whatever you like, but actions always have consequences. It's too late to think about it now, the ball is already rolling. The best you can hope for is that Ivy is interested in helping you."

"I'd never work with her," he said.

"Alice knew you'd say something like that," she sighed. "If you had come and talked, maybe we could have figured something out. Why can't you trust us to help you? Have we ever let you down?"

"I don't deserve it. I fuck everything up."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is! I don't know why I do this shit," he put his head in his hands, burying his face in frustration. "I get so angry, and in my head about it. It all seems like a great idea at the time. Then it's like I come to my senses hours or even a day or so later, and I've destroyed everything." Angel looked at her with imploring eyes. "What the fuck is wrong with me?"

"There's nothing wrong with you," she said. "All I've ever wanted was for you to see that. I'm sorry no one helped you sooner, and now -" her voice broke and she couldn't continue. Finally, Nyx looked up at him. "Will you stay tonight?"

He glanced at her. "You want me to?"

Nyx nodded. The pressure in her chest was too much to bear. Only last night, they were dancing by the fire. She'd give anything to go back. He peeled off his wet jeans and pulled his wings inside. The blue light had diminished, barely visible.

They crawled into bed. It was so normal. Just like always. Nyx wrapped her arms around his waist, nestling in with no mind to the rain still drying on his skin. Angel put his arm around her, letting her head rest on his chest, idly playing with her hair.

How can he feel the same when everything has changed?

"Will you sing me something?" she asked.

"Ok."

The song was a familiar ballad. One they'd played together many times before. His voice was low and deep. It mesmerized her how it could resonate yet remain so light and elegant at the same time. The way he varied his range with ease captivated her. She could listen to him for hours.

She would give anything for Angel to stay this version of himself. This version emerged in his trickster smile and gentle kisses, the way he played with her hair even after she'd fallen asleep, but that version was fleeting and tangible as steam.

Nyx fell asleep before Angel was finished, and when she woke up, he was gone.