“You heard her wizard” Cash teased “down the hatch, don’t go setting a bad example for the boy.” he added as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall, his eyes dancing happily as he watched the three mortals. “And don’t go giving her any reasons to deny she’s your wife either. She seems to be having a terrible lapse of memory about the marriage. I mean the wedding I can see, everyone was pretty drunk. But the honeymoon? You disappoint me wizard,… I thought for sure you would make it was a trip she would never forget.” he stopped as a pillow hit him in the face.

“And the temper hasn’t improved either” Sirius laughed as he watched Cat grab another pillow, tossing in tauntingly in her hand. “But apparently her aim has.”

“And you’ll find out how good my aim is if you don’t drink that now Sirius Black. I don’t want you doing anymore damage to yourself.” she said, turning to face him. She lifted his chin and looked him in his eyes as she added softly “Siri, you’re skin and bones, you look like hell, I don’t like seeing you like this. Why didn’t you come to me if you needed help, or just someone to look after you for a little while?”

Sirius entwined his fingers in hers, “Because I wasn’t sure what you would say. And its been so long since we’ve….I mean ….” he lowered his head. “I’ve missed you Cat” he whispered as he squeezed her hand “Please tell me you won’t run off again.”

“Drink Sirius.” Cat insisted, refusing to answer his question until she was sure he wouldn’t start coughing again and puncture another lung. Taking the empty goblet from him, she sat it down on the bedside table and sighed deeply as she looked at Sirius and Harry.

“Sirius,” she began gently, “I have every intention of taking Harry to Fernglennis as soon as he feels strong enough. I can’t risk him being here any longer. You know better than anyone what happened this afternoon.” she said as she shook her head sadly “I don’t know who told the Tremere about my plans, but until we know who the spy is….”

“You can’t just take him away Cat.” Sirius insisted “he’s my godson and I have certain rights and responsibilities. And you promised me not more than a few days ago that you would never deny me where Harry was concerned.” he reminded her as he picked up her hand and brought it to his lips. He saw the tears shimmering in her eyes as he tenderly kissed the palm of her hand, pressing her fingers against his cheeks.

“Don’t leave Cat, not now, not when I finally have the chance to talk to you”…

Any further conversation was halted by a voice outside of Cat’s window. ”I’m calling you out MacLeod” a deep, angry voice yelled. “Are you done mourning for your precious son? What about that Methuselah you call family? Do you miss him too?” Gustavas yelled to her as his evil laughter filled the air.

“I’ll show him how dead this Methuselah is.” Cash growled as he headed for the window.

“NO!!” Cat yelled “You’re not strong enough, he almost killed you, you haven’t fully healed yet. He’s calling me out” She continued “He wants me, he’ll get me.”

Cat ignored the please of the boys as she flung open the window and glared hatefully at the wicked Tremere “Sirius, protect Harry, don’t let him out of your sight. Cash, protect them” she turned and fixed Cash with a pointed stare “I will be back. I won’t let him harm my clan again.” Before Cash could even take a step towards her, Cat leaped through the window, her long hair trailing out behind her as she landed daintily on her feet three stories below.

“Looks like I misjudged you MacLeod” Gustavas taunted, “I thought you would be frenzying by now. Or perhaps you didn’t love them as much as I thought.”

“Or perhaps you overestimate your abilities” Cat said evenly, watching every move the Tremere made. “Or more than likely, you under estimate me. A deadly mistake.”

“Deadly, you” Gustavas sneered “I think not.”

“More like you think, not at all.” Cat snapped “So, are you here to try and break me? To see me weep and wail? Well forget it Gussy, you failed, my clan is alive and well, and far beyond the reach of you and your master.”

Gus narrowed his eyes “You lie” he hissed “the poison I used has no cure, death is painful and nearly instantaneous.” his lip began to twitch as he watched her standing there, silent and unmoving. Either she was telling him the truth, or she had become cold and calculating, and therefore infinitely more dangerous. He had been counting on her emotions ruling over her, the grief, the guilt…he needed them to defeat her….

Cash dashed after Angel, only to run into a shield as he hit the window. A string of obscenities flowed from his mouth as he realized Angel had turned her room into a fortress, assuring nothing could get in, but unfortunately, no one could get out either. Cash stared helplessly, a look of horror on his face “She’s going to frenzy” he said softly to no one in particular “either that or he’ll kill her.”…

“Take one step toward this school and you’ll get your wish Tremere” Cat said, her voice laced with anger and determination. She watched as he smiled and then dashed towards her, his claws extended and aiming for her throat.

Instinct took over as Cat took a step to the right and leaned backwards while calling out to her ancestor’s to assist her. No sooner did the thought occur, then she was clothed in a protective chain mail tunic, her long skirt flowing out from under the tightly woven silver links. In her hand was the sword Mac Lir had had made for her when she became of age to join her brothers as a leader of the clan.

Using the sword to deflect his blow, Cat narrowed her eyes at the monster. She was tired of having to fight just to be able to walk amongst humans, to show her face in the light of day. She was sick to death of the constant struggle to keep her clan alive and well in an age when their kind had either been forgotten or destroyed by man. Pulling on all of the anger and pain with in her heart, Cat attacked the Tremere, showering him with blow after blow from the razor sharp edge of her sword. Even though Gustavas was nearly a full foot taller than her, she noted with satisfaction she had landed several good blows, wounding the vampyre and slowing his reflexes to the point that she actually had a chance to beat him. Taking a huge chance, Cat left herself open to his attack, praying he would take the bait and give her a clean shot at his heart……

The look on Gustavas’s face was pure evil and hatred as he stared down at her. How dare she make this so difficult! She barely came to his chest, wasn’t even half a century old and yet every confrontation with her was nothing but one nasty surprise after another. Gustavas wiped at the droplets of blood as he sweated under her relentless attacks, he had to find a weakness, if he could tire her out or make her angry enough she would make a mistake and he would finally destroy her.

Seeing her movements become sluggish, he waited until he saw his opening. Gustavas smirked as he dove at her throat, hoping he would be able to tear her head off of her body, but not before listening to her painful and terrified screams of course…. Just as he was certain he had her, his face twisted into a horrific mask of pain. He screamed from his soul as he felt the burning in his chest, the sword had pierce him, and he realized too late, it was no ordinary sword.

Stumbling backwards, Gus clutched at his chest, it hurt like the devil, but she had missed his heart. “You’ll pay for that MacLeod” he hissed “and so will the school” he added as he mumbled an ancient spell, forming a large ball of energy in front of him.

Cat grimaced as soon as she plunged the blade into Gustavas’s chest, she had missed and she knew it. She tried to strike again as the Tremere stumbled backwards, only to be deflected by a growing sphere of energy that the vampyre had summoned. She studied the orb, it was a ghastly green color with orange crackles and bursts of energy flowing around it. She watched the insane smile widen on the Tremere’s lips as he pushed the orb towards her.

“Here are your choices MacLeod.” Gustavas grinned “Move out of its way and the school and everyone in it will be destroyed. Stand in its way and you will die horrifically” he explained as he sent the orb straight at MacLeod. He watched with absolute joy as the orb grew in size, melting the ground beneath it as it moved steadily towards the school.

Cat swallowed hard, trying to rid herself of the lump in her throat. She had never seen anything like this, the power of the orb was immense, so much so that it was burning and singeing the very ground as it hovered its way to the castle. She had to think fast, she couldn’t allow the students to be harmed, especially considering the first thing it would hit was the area her room was in, the room holding Harry, Sirius and Cash. She held her sword in front of her and spoke a spell of her own, she prayed Mac Lir’s smith had done his job well when he created the sword for her. It should be strong enough to handle the spell, after all, the steel and silver had been mixed with her own blood when it was created, it was bound to her and her will…….

Cash cringed as a small whimper escaped his lips, he had seen this before, and the results had always been horrible. He closed his eyes and turned his head as he imagined his dear child caught in the orb, a wave of nausea passed over him as he pictured her body being burnt and torn apart by the energy of the orb. He had to get out there, he had to save her and stop Gustavas from harming his clan any further…

Cat blinked away her tears as she though of leaving Harry without a mother, but Sirius would watch over him, and Cash would see to it that Sirius and Harry got to Fernglennis, they would be safe there. Not even Voldemort would dare to attack the clans stronghold, Harry would grow up and grow strong in the protective embrace of the clan, just as he should have been allowed to from the beginning. Cat made up her mind that it would end today, one way or another. She felt the energy from her own spell course through her body as a sudden wind whipped around her, flaring her long red tresses up around her to resemble a flaming halo.

She plunged her sword into the orb as it grew closer to her, screaming with the pain as her energy fought against the dark magic of the orb. Cat felt as if every nerve in her body was on fire, she would have sworn she was burning from the inside out if it weren’t for the look of absolute loathing on the Tremere’s face. She could tell by his response that she was holding her own, but to be honest, she didn’t think she would be able to keep the sphere at bay much longer…..

Gus roared in anger as he watched in disbelief. How could she be doing this? It just wasn’t possible, not even for the Sidhe. He knew he would have to take drastic measures if he wanted to destroy her tonight. He scowled as he darted around the orb and knocked the sword from her hand. He paused to enjoy the look of shock and terror on her face, only to feel her hand wrap around his wrist and hold him fast. He glowered at her as he tried to pull out of her grasp, he struck her violently across her face, causing a trail of blood to flow from her lip and drip onto the chain mail, but still she wouldn’t let go. Gus turned to see the orb moving ever closer to them, he knew he had to get away from it and fast. As immortal as his blood was, it was also highly combustible, there would be no way he would survive contact with the sphere.

Cat grinned as if she had lost her mind, he may have broken her spell, but she wasn’t going to abandon the school, it’s students, or her clan. She locked her hand around his wrist, refusing to let go of it even as he beat her. She stared the vampyre in his cold blue eyes “It ends now.” she said calmly, “We will both die here, tonight. You will never harm my son or my clan ever again.” Cat stood there unflinching as Gustavas ranted and struck at her, she didn’t care anymore, nothing was more important to her than her family, her clan was everything to her, they were her life. She felt her heart break as she realized she would never be able to see them again, she would never be able to tell them how much she loved them, she would never see Harry grow up and become a father, or see him take his rightful place among their clan, she would never hold her grandchildren or sing her own children to sleep.

Cat’s body went numb from the pain and stress, but her mind was racing a mile a minute. She knew she could trust her clan to take Harry away and protect him, and knowing Cash as she did, there was little doubt he would take Sirius also, if only to give Harry one parent. But what of the school? With her gone the coalition would fall apart, she was the only one they all trusted, the Nosferatu would go back into their underground haven’s, the Garou to the wilds, and the Gangrel back to their clannish ways. She grew terribly angry when she realized this is exactly what the Tremere and Voldemort wanted, they wanted the coalition to crumble and fail, it would make their tasks so much easier if there was no one left to defend the light. As she was staring into Gustavas’s eyes, something occurred to her, he no longer looked angry and smug, he no longer looked intimidating, he simply looked worried, he kept turning his head to see the orb growing nearer as his attacks against her became more frantic……

Gustavas struggled against her iron like grasp, how could she have so much strength, so was so small, he could snap her in two like a twig, but he couldn’t break her hold on him. He looked down at her feet to see how she was remaining so immobile, despite his vicious pummeling. He felt his stomach tighten as the energy flowing off the orb breezed passed her long skirts, pushing them aside to reveal her feet which were wrapped in the roots of trees. It seemed the very Earth was assisting her, giving her its strength and support in her fight against him. Gustavas quickly looked up to the sky to see the lightening dancing from cloud to cloud in the night sky. It seemed the Sidhe still had their connections to the DeDannan, something he hadn’t counted on. “Still think your family will save you?” he asked, hoping to shake her faith.

“Nope” she replied simply “They can’t, there isn’t time enough.” she was in complete acceptance of her fate, she loved and was loved, she would die incomplete, but happy, she knew someone would rise to take her place, just as she had risen to take her mother’s.

Gustavas swore a blue streak as the power emanating from orb burnt his skin and the hem of the Angel’s skirt. He watched as she faced him with a surreal calm, the fact that her skirt had begun to smolder wasn’t even phasing her. “Your son will be left alone and helpless,” he told her, attempting to break her concentration and her grip. “He will become easy prey for us.”

“His father will take care of him if I go, as will my clan. You are without hope Tremere, I will gladly surrender my life to protect those I love. Can you say the same?” Cat asked, already knowing the answer.

“Curse you bean sidhe” he raged as he dispelled the orb to save his own life. “Your victory will be short lived.” he assured her as he landed several blows on her face.

Pain and anger raged inside of Cat, she was tired of the constant fighting, of worrying when the next attack would happen. She shut her eyes tightly and wished with all her heart for this to end, she wanted to live in peace with her clan. She wanted to settle down and have a family of her own, she wanted to see the smiles on her children’s faces, dry their tears, help them learn. But as long as threats like Gustavas lurked in the shadows, she knew she would never be able to fulfill her dreams.

“It still ends tonight. I intend to bring you to justice.” Cat replied as she returned his blows, all the while refusing to let go of his wrist. Calling out to the spirits of the Earth “You refused to allow him into your womb the night he died, aid me now in destroying him.” she knew they would help her against the Tremere, his clan was a blasphemy to the Earth, to the very ground. She watched with satisfaction as roots shot up out of the ground, entangling his arms and legs, imprisoning him in a cell of living wood.

Gus growled as he tore at the roots, “It won’t be that easy to destroy me girl.” he gnashed. “I have powers you can’t even imagine.” he told her as he grinned evilly, “But I hardly need to resort to that, when I can so easily do this.” he said as he pulled his hand towards himself and bit into her wrist, smiling as her blood poured from the gaping punctures and onto the ground.

Cat shrieked as the vampyre torn through her flesh the pain was incredible as it seared through her veins. With tears in her eyes, she called out to Mac Lir and the Morrigan to come to her rescue, to give her the strength to vanquish her foe. She immediately felt the wind and rain surge around them, Mac Lir had heard her cry. She sighed as she felt her strength returning to her with every drop of rain that cascaded over her body, washing her blood deep into the Earth. “Morrigan, please, I need your help too. I can’t do this without you.” Cat reiterated as Gustavas attempted to bite her once more.