Yawning tiredly, Gabrielle walked from the couch of the living room to the window, slowly drawing aside the curtains on the afternoon daylight. Although she was tired and remarkably overwhelmed, she couldn't sleep. The stairs creaked softly, alerting her to someone descending and just by the footfalls, she could tell it was Edge. Most likely, he'd finally woken up and discovered Gabrielle not beside him. He didn't even need to try using mental powers anymore; he could tell by instinct where she was. She turned around, seeing him at the doorway and starting to approach.

"You all alone?" He looked slowly around the room as he walked towards her.

"Yeah. I sat up with Matt for a while but he was tired so he's sleeping now. I let him have my room." Edge nodded, wrapping his hand around hers and pulling her onto the couch.

"Reassure me that everything's gonna be fine and you're not going to run away with Matt?" She shook her head vigorously, almost laughing at the idea.

"God no! I swear I must have been drunk that one time…Because I definitely have standards, which he does not come close to meeting."

"Ouch!" Edge exclaimed, laughing slightly. "I'd hate to see how you talk about me when I'm not around." She shrugged, and he continued. "But at least I have no competition." Gabrielle sighed without emotion, nodding and curling up in his lap. Edge began to speak again but she quieted him, instead whispering, "Listen," and pointing to the room directly overhead. Curiously, Edge tilted his head upwards, then brought his gaze down to meet hers, eyes wide with question. The sounds that floated down were those only expressed during sex, and in the voices of his brother and Jeff. Gabrielle nodded at him.

"I ran into them earlier, right on the kitchen table."

"Damn...I thought Christian was over all that." Gabrielle frowned again.

"How come no one ever told me about what he used to be like? Fucking everything with a pulse?" Edge shrugged, kissing her forehead.

"Because, who cares? It's just Jeff. How much harm can he do?"

Christian groaned one last time, rolling off of Jeff and staring at the ceiling.

"Jesus, it's been so long. I swear I forgot how different it is." Jeff chuckled slightly with agreement stretching languidly.

"You’re all sweaty. I’m not sleeping here if you’re going to stink up the bed." Christian grinned back, sitting up.

"Alright, care to join me? We need to christen the bathroom." Jeff rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"We just christened the bed, isn’t that good enough? Maybe later." Christian shrugged, walking into his bathroom for a shower. The second Jeff heard the loud spray of water, the bedroom door flung open, and he was faced with a very angry looking Matt.

"You’re not my brother." Matt told him pointedly, standing in the doorway. Jeff sat up, stretching his arms above his head, smiling at Matt.

"Sure I am. Don’t I look like the same old Jeff?" Matt blinked but lost none of his composure.

"You may look like him, but I can tell. You’re not him. I would have felt my brother be reborn. You’re just someone else using his body." Jeff grinned widely, looking down over his naked body approvingly.

"And what a body it is! Christian seems to enjoy it." He added in a low voice, glancing in the direction of the bathroom. "You ought to try me out one day. I have no reservations." Matt narrowed his eyes in disgust at Jeff's suggestive comments.

"We’ll find you out, whoever the fuck you are. You might have Christian, but the rest of this house is still sane."

"Not for long." Jeff shot back. "Besides, Edge hates you. Always has, always will. Doesn't look like your dear Gabby’s gonna help much either." he paused, pouting mockingly. "And whatever happened to that chick you travelled around with? Melissa?" Matt looked away, his gaze fixed where Jeff couldn’t see the raw emotion in his eyes. Laughing, Jeff rolled over on the bed to face Matt. "Face it, big brother, the better man always wins. And I’ll be waiting in case you change your mind. My offer still stands." Matt turned away quickly, slamming the door behind him. Jeff smiled with smug satisfaction for a moment before rising to join his new lover in the shower.

It was noon; thus already the time for Kael to begin the day’s drinking binge. He travelled the stuffy decrepit alleys, practically devoid of sunlight until he spotted the familiar back door of the bar he frequented. It was always deserted around noon, and he took to the farthest stool, glancing around. This afternoon, he wasn’t alone. At the opposite end of the bar was a young woman dishevelled from whatever activities she indulged in the night previous. Even in the dim light, he could see her tired face; a great deal of makeup smudged around her bloodshot eyes, accentuating the dark circles from too much to drink and not enough time to sleep. As he continued to stare, she looked up in his direction and smiled weakly. For some reason, he smiled back the best he could while he was sober. Something else propelled him off his stool and over to her, sensing the aphrodisiac of helplessness. Standing behind her, he noticed a few red welts on her bare skin, barely covered by her long red hair, braided at the roots. He sighed, taking to the stool beside her, knowing he’d either hate himself while he devoured her later, or have the time of his life if he kept her alive. Though something told him, she wasn’t alive to begin with.