Anubis' Family

[K-chan]

AN: Okay, because our lovely Admin requested stories, here's the first one. It's not finished: more chapters should be coming soon. Maybe. It's a Kingdom Hospital fic. Apparently, you don't need to have seen it to get the story, but it probably helps.

Warning: This fic has been labled sweet enough to give cavities.

Chapter One: What's In A Name?


I watched from the shadows as the couple argued, trying my hardest not to laugh. I sympathised with the man, but had to agree with his wife.

Drs Hook and Hook (nee Draper) were trying to name their first child - a small girl, with fluffy brown hair. I hadn't gotten a good look at her - she was only a few hours old, and I hadn't felt right barging in yet. So I waited, biding my time.

I watched as Chris put her daughter into the crib and turned to face her husband. Her chin was raised, and she had crossed her arms over her chest - a sure sign that she was not backing down. James winced at her expression, and I couldn't help letting out a chuckle.

Both doctors turned at the sound, surprised that they'd been overheard. They visibly relaxed when they saw it was just me.

"Anubis," Chris sighed, "can you please convince my husband that we are NOT naming our daughter Wendy?"

I looked at her blankly for a moment, then smirked as I realised. "Wendy Hook?" I asked. "That's bad, even for you." I'd witnessed James' dubious sense of humour many times before, but never thought he'd inflict it on his child.

The man in question just shrugged. "Middle name, then?" He asked, almost pleading. "That's what those are for, after all."

Chris sighed, then nodded. "But that still leaves us trying to think of a first name," she stated, sounding exasperated.

"What would you suggest?" James asked, turning to me.

I shrugged with one shoulder, then walked over to the crib to get a better look at the little bundle of trouble. She was still awake, cooing gently, blue eyes wandering and trying to focus on something. I smiled and lowered my hand to her face, stroking her cheek with my index finger. Hook Jr. grabbed my finger, and started to suck on it.

I laughed as she bit down hard. Her toothless gums were incapable of hurting me, but she already had such a fiery disposition, and a name came to mind.

"Zoe," I said, without turning. The baby gurgled, and started chewing on the finger in her mouth.

"Zoe?" Chris thought for a moment. "What does it mean?"

I smiled down at the child. "It's Greek. It means 'life'."

I could sense the doctors looking at each other, testing the name. I extracted my finger from the little one's mouth and turned, to see them both smiling.

"Well then," James smiled at his wife, then at me. "Zoe Wendy Hook it is."

[K-chan]

"So where's the little bundle?" Anubis said as he stepped through the wall.

James Hook turned and mock-glared at him. "It's called a door. Learn how to use it."

Anubis just shrugged. "Why? It just means further for me to travel, when I can easily step in here."

There was no answer to that, so James pointed him through to the living room, where the party was getting started.

He was greeted warmly by the others, something he was sure he would never grow used to. For centuries his presence had been dreaded by humans, now... this group treated him as a friend. It made him feel more alive than he had for lifetimes.

Elmer Traff handed him a party hat. Anubis looked at it, then at the young man, then repeated the gesture.

"It's a hat. You wear... it... on your... head..." Elmer trailed off as Anubis raised an eyebrow, then handed the hat back.

"Only over your dead body."

"Right." The other man turned and sought out Lona Massingale, while Anubis smiled gently. He then made his way over to greet Chris Hook, the lovely hostess and mother of the reason for the party. She was standing with Nat and Peter Rickman, talking about something James had done.

"Boo." He whispered in her ear, causing her to jump and whirl around.

"Anubis!" She glared at him, while Peter stifled a laugh. Nat nudged her husband, then turned back to the black-clad guardian.

"Are you sure you only look like Paul? Because I'm definately sensing evil vibes from you." She teased gently.

Anubis bowed low, grinning. "That's what we tell everyone, and I'm sticking to it." He then looked around. "Where's the kid?"

Chris nodded towards the sofa, where Sally Druse was holding baby Zoe, and trying to convince Bobby that it was time to settle down and start a family. He was starting to look panicked, so after a laugh, Anubis excused himself from his present company. "I'd better go rescue Bobby from his mother. And give Zoe her present."

He made his way over to Sally, then knelt on the floor next to her, smiling at the baby. "Hello, kid. Been a while, huh?"

Zoe just gurgled. Sally started to hand her to Anubis, who held up his hands. "Just a minute. Gotta give her the present first." He pulled a wrapped box from inside his jacket, then handed it to Zoe.

The little girl promptly put the gift in her mouth and started to chew. Anubis laughed. "Not like that, baby girl. Here." He helped her to unwrap it, to reveal a small jewellery box. Inside was a white-gold ankh on a silver chain, which he slipped over Zoe's head.

Sally gasped. "Anubis, you can't-"

"Why not?" He looked at the old lady, and something in his eyes told her not to argue. Anubis might currently look like a human teenager, but in reality he was far older and more powerful than she could fully comprehend.

He smiled when he saw there would be no more comments. "It won't harm her. Trust me." At her doubtful look, he laughed, then took the child in his arms. "I wouldn't hurt a child." Zoe patted his face with her small hands, making him laugh again.

"But it will scare her," Sally worried, as James and Chris walked over to see what the fuss was about.

"No, it will help her to not be afraid," Anubis corrected. He sighed, and explained to the girl's parents. "This particular necklace will allow Zoe to see into the spirit world. In time, she will learn to pass through the Old Kingdom as though she were a ghost, and she will be able to sense ghosts - giving her a sixth sense, if you will. If they wish her to, she will also see them. It will be a great help to her."

"And also a hindrance!" Sally exclaimed. "How many children can say that they see ghosts? How many children can pass through Swedenborgian Space at will?"

"How many children have an ancient Egyptian deity as a guardian?" Anubis asked gently.

The others all froze. They hadn't thought about that. Zoe had been marked as different from other children the minute Anubis had walked into her life. All they could do now was help her grow up as normally as she could.

Seemingly sensing that her parents were worried, Zoe smacked Anubis on the face - not very hard - and babbled as if to say 'Bad Anubis!'. The deity laughed, then handed her back to her mother. "Here - she seems to be upset with me."

Anubis then bowed to the room in general, turned, and was gone.

"I really hate him sometimes," Chris sighed ruefully, a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

[K-chan]

The first time she cried during the night, I was terrified.

I finally understood exactly how the men taking their children to the ER at three in the morning felt. It was as if Zoe held my heart in her little hands, and every time she cried, she squeezed. Even though I knew that she was just hungry, or that her diaper needed changing, it still felt as though someone was ripping my insides out.

After my first night of dad-duty, I was a wreck. Anubis visited me while I was in the cafeteria, and I'm sure he was laughing at me, only he wouldn't do so in front of me. He sat on the table, feet on the seat next to me, as I sat with my head in my hands.

"I can't help it. When she cries, I just want to protect her. To drive away all the bad things in the world to keep her safe." I greatfully accepted the coffee Anubis pushed towards me, not caring that it burnt my throat. "Lying awake and listening to her cry is worse than being up all night operating."

"That's because when you're operating, it's not your daughter on the table," Anubis gently stated.

I nodded. There were some surgeons who could operate on their family members. I wasn't one of them. I couldn't stand the thought of it being Chris or little Zoe on the operating table, and pushed the thoughts from my mind.

"Thing is, when I checked on her I couldn't find anything wrong. She refused the bottle, her diaper was clean, I couldn't feel anything when I tested her for colic..." I trailed off, staring at my coffee. "I think she just wanted someone to be there for her. I tried, but I can't stay with her all night. She'll never learn to be alone at night if I give in every time."

Anubis grunted. "James, we all know she'll have you wrapped around her little finger in no time. Don't fight it - you're her slave now." He quirked one of his strange smiles at me, and I knew it was true. I couldn't refuse her anything, and I knew that would never change.

"But still... I can't bear to hear her cry, but she has to learn to be alone at night..."

Anubis held up his hand. "Leave it to me."

That night, I didn't hear her cry at all. I got up at the right time to feed her, and found her sleeping peacefully, hand through the bars of the crib, tangled in the fur of...

"Anubis," I sighed, "I don't think that's going to fix the problem."

Anubis lifted his head and looked at me, then lay down again, apparently ignoring me. I shrugged and picked Zoe up, fed her, then put her back. She was asleep again within minutes of patting Anubis' furry form.

It was the same the next night.

And the next.

Eventually, we all grew used to it. It became routine, even. After we'd put Zoe down, we'd turn off the light, leave the room, and then Anubis would enter and curl up next to her crib. It continued until Zoe was three, and sleeping in her own bed. Then he'd often come and curl up at the end of her bed, but some nights he wouldn't come. Zoe grew used to his absenses, and by the time she was five, she was sleeping alone most nights.

When she could tell different colours apart, her favourite was black. She said it was the colour Antubis always wore. It was also the colour of night, of darkness. I asked her once if she was afraid of the dark, and she said, in that clear childish voice, "Why would I be afraid? Antubis comes in the dark. He keeps me safe."

[K-chan]

"You're unbelievable."

Anubis cringed. True, he was the guardian of death, thousands of years old, able to rip out a person's heart with his bare hands.

So why was he afraid of a doctor?

Chris Hook was glaring at him, arms folded across her chest, looking like she would happily strangle him if she could get away with it. Anubis shrugged inside. She was a scary lady, that's all there was to it.

"I'm sorry - I didn't think-"

"Exactly! You didn't think! If you had THOUGHT, you would have realised that an ANTEATER is not a suitable pet for a six-year-old! And that showing up in the playground on her first day of school was NOT the best way to help her make friends! How could you be so stupid? You're thousands of years old - surely you know what children are like by now! But no - you decide that what Zoe needs on her first day is to be labelled a FREAK!"

Anubis had been backing away from Chris as she stalked forward. As she yelled the last word, he tripped over the coffee table and landed sprawled on the floor. He was now terrified. Screw demons - mothers were the scariest creatures in the universe.

At that moment, Zoe skipped in. "Antubis, can you come to school again tomorrow? The other kids think having an anteater for a pet's really neat!"

Anubis swallowed hard, then looked from Zoe to Chris, who was looking murderous. "I will if your mother doesn't kill me first."

[K-chan]

When Paul is bored, it means trouble for us all.

I have half-memories of when Mary was trapped between, and Paul would try to take her from me to torment her in an effort to keep himself amused. Only half-memories, because we changed the past, so she was never trapped, but I still remember it. Just like the humans remember parts of what we did. They really are remarkable creatures, humans.

But I digress.

Zoe was seven when I taught her to phase. Soon she was wandering through the Old Kingdom frequently, but I warned her that she should only enter when I was with her. She agreed, and I left it at that. If only I'd known that Paul was watching the lesson.

He bided his time patiently, I'll give him that. I'd never have thought that Paul could be patient. But it wasn't until after Zoe's eighth birthday that he struck.

Paul was bored, wandering about in the new kingdom, playing tricks on those mortals who couldn't see him, avoiding those who could. It was then that he found Zoe alone in the children's ward.

She'd had her tonsils out a few days before, and was resting in bed. The other children were sleeping, but Zoe never slept during the day. She just wasn't built for it.

He slipped into her room, and stalked over to her bed.

Two hours later, I walked in with James. We both froze when we saw her empty bed. While he ran to check all the places she might have gone, I shifted to anteater form, hoping to track her by her scent.

Hanging in the air, silvery green, was the smell of saline and blood, mixed with decay. Paul.

I let out a roar that shook the hospital, then charged into the Old Kingdom. Beneath the anger was fear. I found myself praying to the higher God. 'Please let her be safe, please let her be safe, please let her be safe, please...'

I launched myself into the Pain Room, where I found Gottreich 'experimenting' on something. I saw it wasn't Zoe, so I bared my teeth and growled at him, then turned and took off again. A faint smell in the air made me smile later - I hadn't thought ghosts could do that. I guess I scared him more than I thought.

There was nothing in the Tank Room either, and I was getting very scared. I headed to the old locker rooms, when I stopped in my tracks. I was still for a moment, then heard it again. A giggle. Zoe. I turned and ran in the direction of her laugh, relief washing through me.

When I nudged the doors to the room open, a strange sight greeted me. In the middle of the floor, Zoe and Paul sat opposite each other, legs crossed, hands outstretched and palms down, fingertips touching. Zoe then quickly moved as if to slap Paul's hand, but he moved too quickly and she didn't even brush him. She tried again, this time hitting him. He pulled a face, at which she laughed, then he attempted to hit her hands. I watched, amazed, until the pair noticed me.

Their reactions were very different. Paul bared his fangs and made that hissing/growling noise that means he's angry, then stood and walked away. Zoe, however, squealed, jumped up, then huggle-attacked me. This I was used to - it was her usual greeting. She then sat on my back as I carried her back to the children's ward, where her father could take care of the discipline. I was just relieved that she was safe.

Apparently, my little Zoe could control the Bad Boy. I kept that piece of information in mind for a long time.

[K-chan]

From the moment Christine Hook waved goodbye to her daughter, Zoe started counting down the hours until school would let out. Antubis was picking her up, since both her parents were working the afternoon shift, and she was eager to let him spoil her. Again.

***
"So how was it today?"
"Horrible. The day lasted forever!"
"Heh. It was only seven hours, baby girl."
"Like I said - forever."
***

7 hours
The first lesson of the day was spelling. Zoe hated it. It wasn't that she was bad at spelling - quite the opposite. Hanging around a group of adults had left her with a vocabulary larger than most of her schoolmates, and she was able to spell most of the things she could say. Therin lay the problem. She was bored, and her teacher refused to let her go ahead of the rest. So Zoe usually spent the lesson writing stories that would have resulted in her being sent to the school psychologist if her teacher ever bothered reading them.

***
"Did you tell the teacher about the new words Paul taught you?"
"No - I think they were rude words."
"Good girl."
"Can we get icecream?"
"...Am I going to be in trouble with your parents again?"
***

6 hours
Maths was just as bad. Anubis had taught her how to add and subtract using the hospital patients as examples. Her father had had words to him after that, but it had stayed in her mind. After she finished the problems, she spent the rest of the lesson making patterns in her book.

***
"Maths must have been interesting, at least."
"No, we're still doing adding four or more numbers together. It's silly."
"What did you do instead?"
"I made a pretty pattern in my book."
"Well, that's math-related, I suppose."
"Mmhmm. I want chocolate flavour, please."
"Of course."
***

5 hours
Recess was better. Peter had given her some chalk, and she made up some new hopscotch patterns with some of the other girls.

***
"That must have been fun."
"It was, but then one of the mean teachers took away the chalk. He said we shouldn't draw on the pavement."
"Poor baby."
"Stop making fun!"
"All right, all right. Here, wipe your mouth."
"Thankyou."
***

4 and a half hours
After recess was art. This was Zoe's favourite class, even though she wasn't very good at it. The teacher was called Mrs Savage, and she was nice to the kids - she encouraged them to draw whatever was in their heads. Zoe's pictures rarely came out the way she wanted them to, but Mrs Savage never discouraged her.

***
"She's the one who told Amelia's parents she was a whiny brat, right?"
"That's her."
"I like her too."
"I knew you would. Can we go to the park now?"
"Anything for my princess."
***

3 and a half hours
Before lunch was Physical Education. This was another of Zoe's not-so-strong points, but she didn't mind the class. They played some fun games, and anyway, it was only half an hour. Today they played soccer, and Zoe was a goalie. Two goals went past her, but she managed to block the other two.

***
"Do you like soccer?"
"It's okay. It was more that Amelia was on the other team."
"Ah. That explains it."
"Yeah. We kicked their a-"
"Zoe! Don't repeat words Paul teaches you. Especially not where your parents can hear."
"All right. We won by three."
"That's better."
***

3 hours
Lunch wasn't too good. Amelia and her friends were angry that Zoe's team won, and since Zoe had blocked the only kick Amelia had, she was in the firing line. Every time Zoe tried to go to the drinking fountain, the other girls blocked her and sent her away, or splashed her with water. It wasn't much, but it annoyed Zoe. Eventually she managed to beg a drink from one of the older kids, a nice girl who always looked out for the younger ones.

***
"You want Paul to scare them? I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
"No thanks, it's okay."
"You're sure? I don't like it when they pick on you."
"They're just a bunch of stupid girls. And it was just water."
"I still don't like it."
***

2 hours
Music was after lunch, and Zoe cheered up. They were using the bangy sticks, as she called them. Depending on how the sticks were banged together, they made different sounds. She liked to rub the sticks so that it sounded like the screams Paul could coax from the pipes in the Old Kingdom.

***
"How did the teacher react to that?"
"She thought it was neat. She hadn't thought about trying it."
"Hmm. I'm not so sure you should be spending so much time hanging around Paul."
"Tough. He's my friend too."
"That's what I'm afraid of."
***

1 hour
The last lesson of the day was reading. Zoe liked this class - the teacher let her bring books from home to read. She was currently reading a translation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. She needed help with a lot of the names, but other than that she was enjoying it. Plenty of fighting and tactical stuff.

***
"Paul says that everyone in it is gay."
"Does he really?"
"Yeah."

"Antubis?"
"Yes Zoe?"
"What does gay mean?"
"...I'm gonna get in trouble for this..."
***

0 hours
As soon as the bell went, Zoe threw her book into her bag and ran out of the door. Leaning against the wall surrounding the school was Anubis. She ran up to him and jumped, letting him catch her and swing her into a hug.

"Hello, baby girl. So how was it today?"

[K-chan]

I remember the day it ended. My mum gave me 'the Talk', all about how my body was going to change, and how I was going to start thinking differently. I didn't want to listen - I didn't want things to change - but Mum wasn't going to be put off.

When I finally escaped, I went in search of Anubis. He always had time for me, even if he was the guardian of the dead. After all, he was the one that named me, even if most people call me by my middle name. I'm sure that's Dad's doing, but I don't mind. It just makes it that bit more special when Anubis calls me Zoe.

I found him down near the kitchens, playing with Blondi. It was a strange sight, though by now I was mostly used to his playful streak.

Apparently it had come as something of a shock to my parents that Anubis was actually very playful - I think it was hanging around with a young girl for over a century that woke up his inner child, and he's not letting go now.

He looked up from his game with the dog and saw me. He got that strange twinkle in his eyes that he often gets around me, and smiled. It hit me then - he was hot. The guardian of death - my best friend - was damn sexy.

His smile faltered when I didn't give him my usual greeting of pounce-huggle, then he shrugged and stood, smile back in place. He half-turned, silently asking if I wanted to walk for a while. I fell easily into step beside him, as usual.

But we didn't talk constantly, the way we used to. And he didn't drape his arm around my shoulders like he always did. And I didn't tell him that I was scared and confused, as I had always confided in him before. I think he knew anyway, and was trying to give me space to work everything out.

Our silent journey took us outside, to one of the small gardens. Anubis turned to me and spoke for the first time, saying that he needed to go back to work. I nodded and looked at the ground, until I felt his hand on my chin, raising my gaze to meet his.

He surprised me then, by leaning down and kissing me on the cheek, just before he disappeared. I brushed the place his lips had touched with my fingers and stood there, trying to work out what had just happened, but unable to wipe the smile from my face.

That day was the end of my childhood. But it was the beginning of something else, and I'll never regret the swap.

[K-chan]

(All together now: Aaaaaawwwwwww...)


From the moment she woke up on Saturday, Zoe knew that it was going to be a bad day.

It was the middle of August, and the heat had been stifling for days. On this particular day, the humidity was almost unbearable, and when she looked out of her window, Zoe could see the storm clouds hanging heavy and threatening.

"Great," she muttered as she crawled out of bed and headed for the shower. It was the day of her birthday party - she had turned sixteen on Thursday - and her parents had planned an outdoor party for her. Over her objections, her entire class had been invited. It was a nightmare, as she had already complained to her two best friends.

When she'd complained to Anubis, he'd just smiled and hugged her, as he'd been doing a lot recently. Zoe was very confused by him currently. She found him attractive - hell, she had done for the past three years! - and was very sure he felt the same about her. She'd actually had a crush on him for a long time, but she could never tell how he felt. Whenever she thought she was close to figuring it out, he did something that made her change her mind completely. It probably didn't help that he was an immortal deity... or that he was her unofficial second godfather.

Paul had been much more comforting, asking if she wanted him to spike the drinks and ensure a real party. She'd declined, but it still made her feel better. He'd simply shrugged and asked if he was invited.

Zoe didn't deny that Paul was just as sexy as (if not more so than) Anubis, but for some reason, he'd always been more of a big brother to her. He had joked that he would claim her first child for himself, which had sparked the play-fight that lead to Zoe working out how to fling light beams.

When she finished musing about her friends, she was finished in the bathroom, and got dressed. She headed downstairs, where her parents were just arriving home. It was a mystery to them all why they were always rostered on the night shift together, but since Anubis was around to guard Zoe if there were any problems, they went along with it. They gave Zoe a hug and kiss each, then headed to their bedroom to get a few hours sleep before the party.

Peter and Natalie Rickman arrived shortly after, Nat carrying a basket filled with party decorations. She and Zoe smiled at each other - both had known full well that the Hooks wouldn't have time to decorate the back yard, so had arranged earlier in the week to do it themselves. Peter was sent into the yard with Zoe, while Nat stayed inside and started fixing the food.

Zoe had always liked her godfather. Peter had been in a serious accident when her parents were still just colleagues, and her father had been his doctor. That was how they had met - Peter had also been the key to getting the rest of the group to interact with each other, and for Anubis to enter the group. He'd been comatose for several weeks, unable to speak, but still conscious. He'd learned to listen then - and still knew when to keep his mouth shut. Whenever Zoe needed a living person's advice and didn't want to go to her dad, she went to Peter or Natalie.

The two worked in silence, making the yard look presentable. There wasn't much they could do about the dry grass, and the flowers were definately not looking their best, but with some streamers and tinsel, it slowly became festive. They covered the shed in posters of various random things they had found, then set up a table near the house for the food and drinks.

By the time it was all set up, Zoe's parents had woken and were helping Nat inside. Despite it only just being noon, the sky was dark with clouds, and James suggested that they put up the christmas lights as well. Zoe just shrugged and went along with it.

Two hours later she stood by the food table, fake smile plastered on her face as she tried to be nice to Amelia and her cronies.

"Thankyou for coming, Amelia."

"I only came because my mom made me. You know, it's almost sad. You had to get your parents to invite people for your party. It's because you're a freak. No one in school wants to be here - we only came because your parents are doctors, which means they have influence in the town. If it wasn't for that, the only people at this party would be you and your parent's weird friends." Amelia smirked at Zoe, knowing that she was hitting a raw nerve. Usually Zoe was fine with the lack of friends her own age, but every once in a while (like now) it hurt that other kids thought she was abnormal.

"I see," Zoe said calmly, tears pricking her eyes. "Well if that's the way you feel, you can piss off." She turned and walked into the house, head held high, refusing to let the tears fall where her parents could see. Once she stepped out the front door, however, she let go, and ran. She didn't care where she was going, she just wanted to get away from the party, and the people. She was sobbing by the time she realised her feet were taking her to the one place she'd always felt safe: Kingdom Hospital. As she saw the hospital looming above her, the storm broke, and the rain fell down, mingling with the tears on her face.

She collapsed in one of the gardens, underneath a tree, too tired and upset to care that she was getting wet and muddy. She curled up and cried, until she felt a hand on the back of her neck.

She looked up to see Anubis crouching next to her, obviously worried. He actually looked scared, and it hit Zoe that he must think she'd been hurt. When she saw that he cared that much, she threw herself at him, like she did as a child, and let him hold her until the sobs left her.

Anubis was taken by surprise when she hugged him, but knew better than to say anything. He quickly checked to make sure she wasn't physically hurt, then sat down properly, pulling her onto his lap. He held her until she could be coherant again, then smiled at her.

"Tell me."

At first she shook her head, still tucked into his shoulder, but he kept on gently pushing until it all came out - her frustrations, her lonliness, her sadness. He just listened until the words ran out, still holding her close.

"She's wrong, Zoe. You're not a freak. You're an intelligent girl, and very mature for your age. I'll agree that your parent's friends are weird, but that's a reflection on them, not you. If she's going to judge you by what your parents do, then she's not only a shallow bitch, but also very stupid."

Zoe looked up at Anubis in astonishment. That was the first time she'd ever heard him swear. It was enough to shock her back into rational thought... which made her blush. She was in the lap of the guy she'd had a crush on for three years, and his face was mere inches from hers.

Suddenly, the gap was gone, and so was rational thought.

When he pulled away, Anubis couldn't help but grin at the look on Zoe's face. "Happy birthday, love."

Zoe grinned back. She'd been wrong - this was the most wonderful day of her life.

[K-chan]

I lay in my tank, thinking. The flea-bag was pissing me off again, and to make matters worse, he probably didn't even realise how he was doing it.

What annoyed me so much was seeing him happy. He'd been in a damnably cheerful mood ever since Zoe's party - the one I'd been forbidden to attend. Afterward, I'd asked Zoe what happened, if it was as bad as she'd expected it to be. She'd just gotten a strange look on her face, a whistful sort of smile, before saying that it was worse and better.

I'd told her she'd been hanging around Anubis too long - she was picking up his roundabout way of answering. She'd blushed and changed the subject.

When I'd asked Anubis about it later, he said that the party had been bad for her, but afterwards it was better. I glared and walked away. I wasn't in the mood to play silly buggers.

Two days had passed, with Anubis being cheerful, and Zoe being... well, Zoe. She was strange to begin with, but since the party she'd seemed more confidant, more comfortable with who she was. At school, she'd even slapped one of the bitches who liked tormenting her.

A chuckle died on my lips as I realised. Anubis and Zoe. Together. Even as my mind tried to deny it, I feared that it was true. I growled - if he hurt her, I was going to torture him.

I shoved the lid off the tank and leapt out, shaking myself a bit before pulling my clothes on. I couldn't wait long enough to dry off - I needed to talk to James. I had to know if Zoe had mentioned anything to her father.

James jumped as I walked through the wall of his office, causing me to smirk. I loved freaking out the mortals. Even if Zoe had managed to calm my more... fun... tendencies, she'd never tried to stop me scaring people.

James sighed and rubbed his eyes. "What do you want, Paul?"

I shrugged, then walked over and looked at the stuff on his desk. I picked up a letter-opener, playing with it. When I saw James raise an eyebrow, I threw it point-first into the wood of the desk. It made a satisfying noise, standing straight up.

"Zoe."

James looked confused. "What about Zoe?"

"Has she said anything to you about... men?"

James shook his head. "No, thankfully. She's told me emphatically that she's not interested in any of the boys at school."

I sighed. "That's not what I asked."

The other man looked at me for a moment, comprehension dawning. "She's seeing someone?"

I shrugged. "I think so. But I don't know." I picked up the letter-opener again, putting it back where it belonged. "I wanted to know if she'd said anything to you."

James frowned. "No. But she's been cheerful ever since her party, even though she ran out halfway through it." I was momentarily hurt. She hadn't mentioned that to me. "Anubis found her, brought her back."

I cocked my head to one side. James realised what he'd just said, and covered his eyes with a hand. "I don't believe it..."

I sighed. "Believe it, mate. She's hooked up with the god of anteaters." I grinned. "But don't worry. If he ever hurts her..." I took a couple of 'surgical' instruments out of my pocket and bore my fangs "...he'll live long enough to regret it. I promise."

[K-chan]

Zoe sat under a tree in the hospital garden, leaning against Anubis. She was meant to be writing a letter to her grandmother, but kept getting distracted by said Death Guardian.

"Anubis, if you don't let me finish this, I'll-"

"You'll what?" He asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement. He enjoyed annoying her.

"I'll tell mum exactly what happened last night."

At that, Anubis paled. Chris was scary. And if she knew what the two had been doing in the Old Kindom... "I'll be good."

"Thankyou," Zoe smiled in triumph, then returned to the letter. She was almost finished anyway. She wrote in silence for a few minutes, as Anubis played with her hair, then signed her name. "There, all done."

"Finally," Anubis muttered, pulling her closer. She grinned and pushed back, playfullness getting the better of her. It soon degenerated into a wrestling match, the pair rolling on the grass away from the tree. Just when Anubis thought he had her pinned, she flipped him over and sat on his stomach, laughing. He lay down, defeated.

"How do you always win?" He asked, exasperated.

"Easy. You never use your full strength. You don't want to hurt me." She smiled down at him. "I, however, have no qualms about using all my tricks against you."

Anubis nodded. "That would do it." He reached up and pulled her face down to kiss her. While she was thus distracted, he phased them both to the Old Kingdom again. When she realised where they were, she hit him on the shoulder.

"Honestly, you have a one-track mind at times."

Anubis just grinned at her. "True. But it's a fun track."

Zoe couldn't argue with that.

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