O'Conner's School for the Light challenged

[The Madame Red]

"I had everyone go to the Swiss Mountain castle for safe measures," she toyed with her crown as she sat on her amber throne, "I stayed behind to wait for you."

She looked up at Conrad, "I spoke with a few human allies of mine as well. You went without me."

Anya stood as she held her crown firmly in her hand as she approached him, "My allies will be helping me peacefully. They will negotiate on my part as long as I don't start anymore wars. Which I don't plan to. The first one was the only point I needed to cross. Also."

Standing in front of Conrad, she looked up at him and added, "Alexei's betrothed will be joining the court soon to meet him and us. Be on your best behavior."




Oscar was exhausted. The last thing he wanted to do was go anywhere. As long as Anya and her people were safe was the first priority before he returned to Emma's. Her people and her family were safe too. Good. Entering his room with her, Oscar went beneath the sheets to wake Emma in a lustrous way. Kissing her neck, Oscar gently suck his fangs into her, "You're not sleeping just yet, my love."  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Conrad sighed and pulled Anya into his arms. "Two things here, one, I've handled it. With some minor conditions, and two, I thought we agreed three girls would be presented to Alexei." He gave that adorable pout before nuzzling her neck. "I will only be on my best behaviour if there are three girls there to meet him." He teased. "And if Alexei doesn't like any of them, he can choose his own woman. Besides he's natural born if when he comes of age his heart doesn't beat for the girl he picked it'll be wasted. It's why arranged marriages never work."


Emma had rolled over when Oscar entered. She felt the bed move and opened her eyes a little ready to snuggle but then she felt lips on her neck followed by fangs and she was surrounded by Oscar. She gave a moan her hands slipping into the most intimate of places and she whispered in his ear. "Can I help that your wonderful dancing skills tired me out a little." She licked the shell of his ear. "But I'm awake now, and this nightie is so restricting. . ."  

[The Madame Red]

"Then the first will arrive," Anya gazed up at Conrad, her eyes in a manner of a challenge to better her husband, "And pray tell what are those conditions? Besides, this is not your court to protect. I have our family and my people under the safest of measures."

She snaked her hand behind his neck, grasping his hair as she pulled herself up to where they were eye-level. Anya kissed along his neck before thrusting him against the nearest wall. Punching a hole in her amber wall close to Conrad's head, Anya used her grip on the wall to help hoist herself up to kiss Conrad's neck as her other hand went up his shirt to feel her hardened skin against her metallic flesh.




"Then i'll tear it off," Oscar's claws dug into her fabric nightgown before tossing it to the side before pinning her roughly against the mattress, "You look better wearing nothing on. Except, you can wear my clothes sometimes."

Oscar threw the sheets off the bed. He liked to look at her from all angles anyways.  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Conrad's eyes chowed the same challenge. "I'm not protecting my court I'm protecting my family. As a husband should." He let her push him around. But then, he turned them pressing her against the wall. "These conditions have become more strict than before all things considered." He growled soft in her ear. "There will be a meeting with the UN again in three days. They want me to bring you. They. . . want to put you on trial. I'll get the punishment but you have to answer for the deaths of the people that got involved in the war. Emma isn't so lucky. They've already judged her guilty. When they find the opportunity they're going to put her away. Unless you, can convince them otherwise."


Emma watched as the most hideous night dress she had ever laid eyes on was thrown away in pieces. She blushed. "You look better without wearing a shirt." She countered licking her lips. "You only want me to wear your clothes so you can take me in them." She teased moving to give him a complete view of herself. then without warning she flipped them using her combined strength and made the first movements for the wedding night.  

[The Madame Red]

In a contortion-like movement, Anya lifted her high-heeled foot and kicked Conrad away from her with ease. Dusting herself off, Anya turned to Conrad, "I have already sent grieving flowers, money, and other offerings in sign of my guilt, sorrow, and shame. If you had noticed, Katya has been doing community service for the mortals as well as their errand-person and their maid. Also, as part of the punishment I had originally received, I have given up the a prize territory and given it to the mortals for their use."

She looked around her amber castle, "I have also given them this."

Her fingers traced the beautiful amber, the jewel of her home country, "Of course, I have another being built in the colder Swiss Mountains to replicate this one. But this is the original, only the Tsar's home can match this."

Anya turned to Conrad, "Have Katya convince them. It would be silly to trust my word since I am simply her ally, of course I would say something to try and convince them. But if it came from Katya, who hates you and Emma with a passion, would be more convincing."  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Conrad gave a heavy sigh. "This is the United Nations ruling Anya, you can buy off the corporate people but I have the UN connections. They want you. You are the queen not her. They won't listen to her. But fine, fine! If you want to pass this up they'll do the same to you as they are to Emma. I guess I'll have parent on my own." He strode out of the castle before he said something that would make them fight more. He walked into the sun his skin blistering already but he didn't care. He needed to breathe. He'd already fixed the problem the rest was formality. Well except for Emma. But he'd talked them out of killing her. Community service in the form of mass babysitting was her punishment.

"Did she react how we predicted?" Cameron asked putting out his cigarette.

"Exactly. I let her push me around. Always have because I know she'll take the kids. Just like Evelyn did. I have absolutely no say no matter what I do." Conrad growled rubbing the healing gel with a sunblocker on his skin.

"What will you have us do?" Cameron asked popping in a piece of gum.

"Don't hurt my family." Conrad replied.

"So, what? Go a head with the order as long as your wife and children are safe? What about Emma and her's?"

"Go talk to her. Make an agreement with her. Like I said she's stable now. Oh, and remove their contacts with the human world. We both know the UN has more power than corporate meat sacks anyway."

"Yay!" Cameron said sarcastically. "More work. You know you owe me overtime."

"Already wired into your account. I'm going to find somewhere to have a swim. Don't wait up." Conrad waited until the human left before crouching against a rock. He hated being so submissive.  

[The Madame Red]

"Oh how you pain me," Anya groaned as she watched Conrad leave once again.

She feared he'd just take their children and leave or have Emma do it for him. Let him sulk. For so long she had let him push her around, tell her what to do and dictate what she would and would not do.

"How does it feel now, Conrad?" she growled beneath her breath as she pulled on her normal shawl, "How does it feel to be under-minded at every turn?"

Anya followed Conrad's scent though the sun scorched her beneath her shawl. It took some time, but she had heard what he had said and, once again, her anger and heart broke at the same time. Approaching him calmly, Anya took his hand and placed it against her chest, "Do you feel my heart beat?"

Dumb question, of course he did. She felt her heart beat whenever he was around. Anya placed her hand against his chest to feel nothing. After waiting a few moments, her eyes dismayed, "You once said that your kind loved for a lifetime, right? You have no heart beat, and i'm standing right here. Why kill off my friends? Because they want to help me and that I have already been through a trial, but you were at Emma's declaring me a false queen."

The sun was making her skin flush a different shade of pink. Anya stuck to the shade, noticing Conrad's flawless skin though he stood in the sun. How lucky he was to be a natural born, oh how lucky. Her gaze fell to the water, "You have so little faith in me that it's like you are waiting for me to fail so you can take everything that I have."  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Conrad sighed. "I'm not waiting for you to fail. I'm waiting for you to listen to me." He pulled her into the shade of a huge tree. "I have more faith that you realise. I just don't like when you make decisions about us about our family like my mind is made up! He took off the bullet proof vest to reveal his heart beating. "It's been beating my love, but when dealing with humans you take precautions. I wasn't at Emma's trial. They'd found her guilty, found you guilty. They were going to drag you into the sun, my blood can only protect you for so long. They were going to make me watch. Your friends?" He handed her a file. "Have been meeting with the people trying to kill us off and paying them to do it." He pressed her ear to his chest. "Listen to the heart that beats only for you, loves only you, wants to protect you and our family. I am doing what I am to protect you. Let me. Let me give the UN those three days, then we can go together, and if you want, declare whatever you want, war, peace, supreme ruling after killing them all. . . Whatever you want. I just want you safe. That's all I ever do anything for, to keep you safe."  

[The Madame Red]

"You don't think I have papers as well!?" Anya pushed herself out of his grasp as she pulled out the trial papers from her bag, "These are the papers that gave me permission to be Queen. I had to ask for permission by those mortals to be a monarch! And these papers are the ones I had personally made and had approved stating my guilt and the punishments I had already told you had been placed. And these papers stating that I am free of trials and that the punishments were filled. As for my friends, they are too close to the CEO's to be paying them off. You should be looking to your own old allies to see that they're the ones killing off more mortals and their own kind."

She pulled the shawl closer to her as she glared up at Conrad, "And let them draw Emma into the sun. If you weren't so blind you would have seen it has little to no effect on her. Because the lycan side is stronger than her vampire side, it counteracts with her vampiric blood to gave a natural shield to the sun."

Crossing her arms, Anya stood firmly, "You keep telling me to listen but you're so unwilling to even consider that, for once, I have already solved the problem. Why else do you think I was confused when I received a letter saying that the mortals wanted my head? This is most likely a trap or something along those lines."  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Conrad took the papers from her and read them. He handed them back. "Fine, I submit." He said. "You are capable at looking after yourself. What was I thinking?" He refused to let her see he wanted to cry. His heart laboured in his chest. "I feel unneeded." He brushed hair from her face. "I was trying to calm things down with the governments. But you seem to be able to calm things quicker than I so I'll let you handle this stuff from now on. It's obvious I've been living under a rock most of my rule."  

[The Madame Red]

Anya tore the papers, letting the pieces scatter to the ground, "You wouldn't be more pleased unless I follow your whim. Fine. I'll go to your unneeded trial and play along. We have been together this long and... I don't want to argue about this. This is too old of an argument to bring up. I am going to my castle in the Swiss Mountains, will you be joining me or not?"





Oscar woke, pulling Emma close to his body as he took a long whiff of her hair. God she smelled beautiful with his scent mixed with hers. Maybe he was wrong, he would love to have a baby with this woman. He felt his heart thud against his chest and against her skin. Oscar turned Emma over, kissing her softly in her sleep as to not wake her. He rested his head against the pillow as he closed his eyes once again. If he could just lay there all night and hold her like this...well, nothing would get done.  

[Hikari_Mamo]

"What? I'm acknowledging that you know more than I, yes sarcasm was dripping from my words but I meant it." He sighed. Maybe he should just not move, not speak unless she wanted it. "I will go with you. I will tell my contacts whatever needs to be said to keep them happy."

Conrad stopped her again with a sigh. "When. . . when this crap with the humans is over, I want to run something by you. . . It's really important and unlike my mother, I want you to have a say." He pulled his adorable half smile hoping to melt her heart a little. "I want to talk about it as equal partners. As husband and wife not queen and consort."

Emma mewed a little in her sleep, eyes partially opening and she rolled over toward him snuggling close. "Mine." She breathed in her sleep settling back down as she held him a little bit closer. She felt lips on hers and pretended to stay asleep. "Mine she breathed again settling down her body working to replace some of the blood he took. Though she took some back. But she figured he'd need the blood to replace what he lost from the clawing she gave his back.  

[The Madame Red]

"Sarcasm, by itself, does not mean anything sentimental. It's only a form of a joke based on the situation," Anya stated as she began to walk away before remaining in the burning sun, "I already agreed to whatever you want. Just let me know when to leave and you can watch our children. Don't get too excited if I'm found guilty by your 'group'."

Anya took a step further before balling up her fist, "And why wait until after all this mortal war to want to talk about something? You want to talk about something on equal terms? I fail to see how we were ever equal on our topsy-turvy equilibrium, but if you feel its that important, why not just say it now while we're both being quite honest with each other."




"It's time to waken," Oscar gently pull them out of the bed, carrying her to their bathroom where he drew them a nice hot bath together.

Slipping them carefully in the tub, he had Emma placed against hi chest as the water lapped at their skin. His breath hit her ear as he whispered, "You don't need to pretend you're asleep, my love. I am perfectly aware of your sleeping habits and the spell you have wrapped around me to keep me enraptured with you."

His arms tightened around her softly as he rested his head on her shoulders as he took in her intoxicating scent. Oscar breathed, "I could make love to you all day and night. There's only one thing that could make this moment better."

Oscar placed a hand on her lower abdomen, "If you were carrying my child."  

[Hikari_Mamo]

Conrad sighed. He wasn't going to win. "Forget it. It was a stupid idea. I don't know if it would even work either."



Emma woke when he pulled her out of bed. It was so warm she didn't want to leave but then he slipped them in the nice warm bath and she forgave him. She rested her head on his shoulder too and smiled hooked on every word he spoke. Emma blushed a little. He wanted babies now? Naught a week ago he said he wanted to wait, that hey wren't ready~ Her mind went into melt down before she blurted. "We'll have to wait for it to heal though." She bit her lip. "I mean, I heal faster than any supernatural I know but sometimes it still hurts there. Like if I sit wrong. Once I don't feel any pain at that point we can try." She moved so she was facing him. "It shouldn't take too long for my body to completely heal, I'll need to eat and drink a bit more so my body can replace the blood I lost from the gunshot and your appetite." She grinned pressing a kiss to his nose. "So, maybe in a week or two? I know Nyssa gave us a month off. She said she'd call if she needed help. We do need a honeymoon after all." She leaned forward and kissed him deeply. "I love you Oscar."  

[The Madame Red]

"Whenever you're ready, my love," Oscar smiled as he returned the kiss.

All he wanted was Emma to be happy. That was his source of happiness. Hell, he'd do anything just to see her smile. Oscar pulled Emma close once again before bathing her and himself. Once finished, he got out first and handed Emma a towel, "We ought to take our honeymoon somewhere else where no one would hear us. Wouldn't want to scare the children with screams and howls and the blood."




"Fine, be that way," Anya sighed as she turned and continue to walk further away, "I wouldn't know what would work with you anymore, anyways."

He didn't need her anymore. It seemed like the only thing that was keeping them together were the children. Anya didn't want to hold them from Conrad and it was apparent that he didn't want to lose them so it was the very last little glue that kept them together. She loved him and she knew he loved her, but that apparently wasn't enough to fix all the problems between them.

"You know what," Anya stopped walking before turning to Conrad, "You can go back to the new castle. Play with your children and have your new title as my equal King. My people are your people, they love you as they love me. Have Katya step down and remain part of the court. I will catch up when I can."

Anya walked passed Conrad before giving his arm a light squeeze. She lingered for a moment before continue walking passed him.