The Tiberius J. Swann Education Facility

Who: Sydni and Mikhail
What: Mikhail comes back with a surprise
Where: Their apartment
When: Late evening

Mikhail had left a few hours ago to visit a friend who was visiting the US.  Sydni had spent her evening playing with Molly and cooking a few dishes for the rest of the week.  She had gotten into the habit of cooking a few casseroles at a time so she didn't have to cook.

The brunette expected her husband back any minute.  Little did she know what he'd be bringing with him.

Who: Sydni and Ava
Where: Ava and Charlie's apartment
What: Sydni has a delivery and wants to help
When: Evening

After her message to Ava, Sydni had gone into the city to one of the arts and crafts stores she had found.  She picked up some pieces for jewelry making - fresh water pearls to balance emotions, green malachite beads for healing, a bone carved horse and an amber carved pheonix.  She also picked up some red and white ribbon, guinea hen feathers, and an embroidery hoop.  The horse was for Maggie, but a white horse also had healing medecine, and the pheonix rose from its ashes reborn.  Amber was perfect for the fire bird, because it held the energy of the sun, which included joy.  As she wove the web in her Temple Room, she concentrated on her intentions for the child.  Once the dream catcher was complete, she consecrated it and then wrapped it up securely so it wouldn't burn either Ava or Charlie, if he chose to come.  Using a quill pen, mostly because it was a novelty, she wrote up a story of the dream catcher and taped it to the outside of the box.  Normally she did not do magick without express permission, but dream catchers were accepted symbols of good will anyway.  And it was really her only way to help Maggie - this was her gift to the little girl.

So, on Friday, she went over to Charlie and Ava's to deliver the gift.  She hoped maybe she could help Ava, too, somehow.  It was hard to see the ones you loved suffering, and even if all she could do was share some tea with her and listen, that was fine.  She just wanted to do someting.  Knocking, she heard Cassius's greeting barks.  Maybe they needed someone to take Cassius for walks during the day.  She could do that.

Who: Sydni and Jason
What: Sydni is helping a new lycan
Where: Syd's office
When: Afternoon

Sydni was eager to meet the new student.  She had yet had the opportunity to return the karmic debt she had incurred with the help she'd received from Mikhail.  Really, he had saved her life.  After she had thought she'd killed those people...  Well, she was far from that point.  She'd embraced her lycanthropy, and she was ready to take her place as an elder in this community.  Even if she was young as a lycan, she had life experiences to draw from.  She also had the intrinsic desire to be a leader and mentor to those who needed her.

After lunch, the lycan had returned to her office to catch up on her work.  Between her wedding and Charlie's emergency, she had let things slide.  She was still worried about Charlie and his family, but there wasn't much she could do for him at this point.  It was really up to him.  And even though he hadn't responded to her at Simon's memorial, he had at least been there.  It was so sad that that child had been killed.  Really, he was a young man, but still, Sydni had met him when he had seemed much younger.

Once she realized her appointment had arrived, she looked up and smiled.  "Jason?  Please, have a seat," she gestured.

Who: Sydni and Malakai
Where: School grounds
When: After dark
What: 2 servants of the gods meet

Sydni had much work to do.  She couldn't actually do anything for Charlie.  She knew she wouldn't get through to him, so she did the next best thing: magick.  It had been a while since she'd gone outside for a ritual, but she needed the connection to the earth, the strength of it.  She needed powerful magicks for this.  The brunette had chosen Hermes for this ritual.  She had even gone out and purchased the statue.  She'd donate it to the school worship services later, but she wanted the actual icon for her altar tonight.  Hermes traditionally guided the souls of the dead to Hades, and so she figured he guided Lost Souls.  Charlie was a Lost Soul.  He needed help coming back.

Even though the evening was cool, she was sweating by the time she was done.  Any worker in energy, reiki healing or anything else, can testify to the heat generated with energy work, and that's what she was doing.  She wasn't tired, per se, but she was feeling worn.  Emotionally.  She was almost finished putting her sacred things away in her backpack when she sensed something.  It smelled... not human.  In a rush, the memories of her last outdoor ritual flooded back to her.  Seized with fear, and fierce determination that she would not be a victim again, she grabbed her athame from the bag and turned toward the approaching figure.  It was a sacred item and would have to be destroyed if it shed blood.  But Sydni didn't worry about that right now.

Who: William (Charlie's dad) and Sydni
When: Monday afternoon
Where: Sydni's apartment
What: telling her what happened (or at least as much as he knows)

William hadn't slept since Maggie was taken or returned. There was far too much to be done. He needed to look after Lewis, Alicia and Maggie until they seemed stable enough to care for themselves. When that seemed possible, he showered and headed over to the school. William had visited the grounds a few times, so he knew his way around. He knew the location of Charlie's apartment and office, and where the main security center was located as well as the director's office. His first stop was to Charlie's apartment, and that had been a difficult trip. Nothing hurt a father more than seeing his child in pain. It didn't matter that Charlie was a grown man, he was still William's first born, and looked just as broken now as he had when he was a little boy watching his mother die. William stayed for a while, not trying to make Charlie talk, but to simply get some sort of reaction out of him. Charlie didn't even tighten his fingers around William's when the man tried to hold his hand. The vampire simply stared at the wall before him. He'd not even showered since returning. His clothes were still covered in blood, now almost brown and crusty.

After spending some time at Charlie's side and taking a moment to talk to Ava and Cassie, William set off to inform the security staff of what had happened. They needed to know that Charlie wouldn't be working for a while. William's next stop was Sydni's apartment. He'd never been there before, but Ava gave him directions. With a tired sigh, he knocked on her door, hoping she was home, and dreading the bad news he had to share. He'd just attending her wedding a few days prior, and this wasn't any way for her to celebrate her honeymoon, but William knew the woman would want to know.

Who: Sydni and Katie
Where: Katie's greenhouse
When: Evening
What: A wedding needs flowers of course!

Sydni had pretty much given up on flowers for her wedding.  Getting the flowers she wanted in the short amount of time she had would have amounted to astronomical costs.  She settled on purchasing only her bouquet and a centerpiece for the head table.  It was really just a sweetheart table since she had decided not to have a bridal party.  She had thought about asking Frankie to be her Maid of Honor, but she knew that Mikhail did not have very many close friends.  Rather than choose someone haphazardly, she decided not to have a bridal party at all.  Instead of flowers, she had purchased battery operated tealights to be hung in little candleholders suspended from the trees near the ritual space.  The effect was rather like a starfield.  It worked better than the flowers for the nighttime ceremony.

On Monday evening, she took a walk around campus with Molly.  She was so happy, she had too much energy to expend, and Molly was more than willing to help her spend it.  Eventually she meandered upon a building she'd never noticed before - a greenhouse.  The flowers inside seemed absolutely brilliant, and Sydni couldn't resist going in.  "Oh," she exclaimed softly, time and again as one flower after the next startled her with its beauty.  Molly seemed intent upon eating them, but a firm 'no' kept the delicate petals safe.

Who: Sydni and Matt
What: New student meets newly rejuvenated teacher
Where: Science classroom
When: After Advanced Science

It was a wonderful day. It was a wonderful, glorious April day in New England, which meant it was cold and muddy outside, but it was still a wonderful day. Every day since Mikhail had come back was a wonderful day. It was also the first day of classes, and probably not every one of her students appreciated her exceptionally chipper mood.

She flitted about her classes in much the same way she had been flitting about her apartment for the past week. The first day of class was always an intro to her. She designed class guidelines with the students. There was one she always made sure made it into the guidelines, but otherwise, it was up to the students to design their own guidelines. Then she'd explain the topics, and discuss which open-ended questions the class would like to see answered. That was usually tough because, for some reason, a lot of students weren't used to thinking like that. The ones who didn't like science couldn't see how what they did like was influenced by science. Into music? Ok, let's look at the physics of sound waves. It usually got going eventually.

And then she'd ended her classes with a bang. Literally. Feeling this happy made her want to explode things. Or maybe it made her want to take risks. In any case, a small chemistry demonstration gave rise to a small, but impressive explosion.

All in all, it seemed like a good start to the semester. She was cleaning up after her Advanced Science when she noticed a new student hanging around, taking his time packing up to leave. "Ummm.... I know, I know..." Pressing her hand to her forehead, she tried to remember the student's name. "Matt!" she suddenly cried. "Can I help you?"

Who: Mikhail & Sydni
When: Mid-Morning
Where: The Apartment
What: Mikhail returns, glad to be back, not realizing more than a few days have passed. Sydni is ecstatic.
Rating: PG-13 (When the date-bomb is dropped, he WILL be pissed.)

Climbing out of the taxi that dropped him off, Mikhail actually had a smile on his face. America was his home now and the flight he had spent sleeping on from Moscow to Boston had been filled with good dreams. Honestly, the old man couldn't remember the last time he'd had a decent dream that didn't revolve around being a werewolf or just a night terror in general. This dream had Sydni and Molly. They were playing in the yard of a house--he assumed it was their married life house--while he was working on his car. It was an old fashioned desire, sure, but the man had been born in the 20s! He was going to be a little old fashioned.

That aside, he shouldered his duffel bag and hurried into the building out of the cold. Ugh, a slushy mix of rain and snow. How unpleasant. But who really cared? He was back! Walking down the halls with that smile on his face, he actually waved at a coworker. The woman looked back at him, a little shocked, then waved with a smile in return. There it was, just ahead, their door! Mikhail pulled out his keys and unlocked the door, dropping the bag with something of a throw.

"SYDNI!" he called loudly into the apartment, clearly sounding glad. "I am back!"

Who:  Sydni and Charlie
What: Playdate for the puppies
When: Sunday evening
Where: Charlie's apartment

It took Sydni a bit to get over to Charlie's, seeing as she hadn't bothered getting dressed that morning.  She had hoped that her time out on the ocean would have helped, and it did, for a few days, but it didn't last.  And it had begun to show.  She didn't sleep well at night, and didn't do much during the day.  If she didn't have class, she stayed in her apartment sipping wine that didn't dull her pain and watching movies that she didn't even remember.  Luckily (or unluckily), the brunette could hide her pains pretty well in her professional life.  Her classes weren't suffering, except that perhaps she was a bit slower in returning papers, and a bit shorter in her comments.  Molly was looking a wreck, too.  Sydni took her out for one good walk a day, but that wasn't enough play time for the energetic young dog.  She had taken to moping around all day, much like her human.

A 5 minute shower to look presentable, and Sydni grabbed up Molly's leash and walked her down to Charlie's.  She didn't really need the leash, but the brunette knew that dogs could unnerve other people, so it was more for others' peace of mind.  Knocking on the door, Sydni had every intention of dropping the pup off and returning to her apartment to... do more of nothing.

Who: Duncan and Sydni
What: Duncan returns Sydni's dog, Molly
When: Er?
Where: Duncan's apt


Duncan had actually loved having Molly over. The halfbreed adored dogs, and, thankfully, they generally liked him back. He had spent the last few nights playing hours of fetch, and teaching her commands she didn't know yet. The thought had occurred to him that Sydni might not have appreciated this, but he couldn't help himself. Molly was one smart puppy, and so damned adorable. His plan was to test the waters; if Sydni's reaction to one learned command was unpleasant, Duncan wouldn't mention the other two.

His phone buzzed when Sydni replied to his email, vibrating hard on his counter top. "Er?" he said, looking up from dinner. He reached around the fridge for his cell, then smiled after reading. "You're going home," he said, looking down at the dog near his feet. Molly wouldn't come into the kitchen when Duncan had pots and pans out (one had fallen once, and scared her), but when he had exited to grab his phone she'd ran over.

Then the doorbell rang, and Molly was already there. She could obviously smell Sydni through the door, and was going nuts scratching at it. Duncan's laughter filtered through, and when he opened his door wide enough, the dog squeezed out to attack Sydni's ankles. "Guess she's happy to see you," he said, smiling down at the little pretty werewolf.

Who: Sydni and Charlie
What: Sydni's journey has a quick end
Where: Charlie's apartment
When: Early morning

Sydni felt...  She  didn't know what she felt.  She felt dead.  That was the closest description.  She had spent part of the night as a crazy women.  At least, that's what the airport authorities must have thought.  Security had refused her passport.  It had been flagged for some reason (the reason being her father she discovered later), and the brunette would at one moment plead and cry, and the next scream and argue.  Finally, they simply kicked her out.  She could not get to Mikhail.

The other part of the night she had spent aimlessly wandering the streets of Boston.  Not the safest undertaking, not in the state she was in.  She couldn't remember where she'd been, just that she'd ended up on the docks eventually.  The ringing of her phone had snapped her out of her stupor.  Her father calling to check on her.  Suddenly, all the pieces came together.  "I hate you and I never want to talk to you again!" she'd screamed into the phone.  After hanging up and sobbing for a few moments, she'd called back, "I love you, Dad, but I can't talk to right now.  Leave me alone," she'd said stiffly.  Losing someone meant that you said I love you, even when you were pissed off.

Finally, as dawn approached, the scientist made it back to the school.  Totally defeated, she made her way to her apartment.  Suddenly, she remembered something.  Molly.  She had to get Molly.  Turning toward Charlie's apartment, she went to pick up the pup.  Knocking lightly, she felt as if everything.  every movement, every breath, was just too much damn trouble.  It was too much trouble to live right now.

Who: Sydni and Charlie
What: Sydni's search begins
When: Evening
Where: Charlie's apartment

Sydni had spent the past nearly 48 hours searching for flights to Russia, and arguing with the Russian embassy in the US and the US embassy in Russia.  She certainly hadn't won any brownie points on either front, and quite possibly made her mission more difficult.  Between those arguments, she had argued with a variety of airlines and hotels, as well as fielded calls from her parents.   Mostly, her father forbidding her from going to Russia.  So, aside from panicking for 48 hours, she had been arguing for 48 hours.  She was frazzled, tired, on the verge of a breakdown, and just beginning her search.  In a word, she looked like crap.

She would be boarding her plane in a few hours, and shehad to find some place for Molly to stay.  The brunette had a nagging feeling that she might not return from this trip.  Something had gone terribly wrong, and she was willingly throwing herself into the middle of it.  And while she had gone round and round about it, she kept coming back to one person: Charlie.  Charlie had been with her when she found Molly, and he would love her.  Even if he hated Sydni.  It was that reasoning that brought her to his door, with a dog leash in one hand, and a fishbowl in the other.

Soon as the door opened, Sydni began, "Don't slam the door.  I'm leaving and I need you to watch Molly and Henry.  You may hate me, but you love Molly, and Henry's a good fish."  She didn't add that she needed him to watch Molly because she didn't know when she was returning, or even if.

Who: Sydni (and Mikhail, via phone)
What: Her world collapses
When: Early morning
Where: Sydni's apartment

With Tad's disappearance and recovery, Sydni had had a pretty tiring week.  That was why when the phone rang in the middle of the night, it took a great deal of fumbling around before she could even get her arm to operate properly.  A mumbled and confused, "Hello?" was the only greeting she could muster.

"Sydni..."  It took a minute, but the brunette knew that voice.  It was odd, but it was her generic ring tone, not the one she had designated for her fiance.  "Mikhail?  What time is it?"  Not that it mattered, he was still in Russia.  Or on his plane.

At first, only heavy breathing answered her question, then a labored, "Sydni, love you..."

By now, the lycan was wide awake, panic forcing her on.  "Mikhail?  Mikhail?  What's going on?  Are you ok?"  But there was nothing on the other line.  There had been a click, and then nothing.  The line was dead.  Beginning to cry, the scientist scrambled out of bed and started dialing for her parents.  She was pacing, and then she made a beeline to her computer.  Russia.  She had to get to Russia.

Who: Sydni and Duncan
What: Damsels need rescuing
Where: Sydni's apartment
When: Late

Since Mikhail had left, Sydni had been working on his safe return. Magickally, anyway. She had created a spell that was designed to be worked a little each night until Mikhail returned. She knew it would bring him home to her safely. Each night, she burned a light blue candle for his safe return, letting it burn to all as she slept. She took the proper precautions, using a fire safe stand, etc., but the best laid plans of mice and men...

Sydni awoke because Molly was crying and digging at her. The pup knew better than that. In her sleep induced stupor, the brunette wondered what was burning, until she realized, she smelled smoke. Bolting upright, she began coughing, even as Molly's cries were interrupted by coughs. Crouching down, the lycan grabbed the dog by the collar and practically dragged her by the Temple Room, the source of the fire. Molly did not want to go that way, but a forceful yank dragged the dog past the fire and they were both headed out the door. Why hadn't the fire alarms... Damn. They kept going off when Sydni baked. She mustn't have turned them back on last time.

Out in the hall, Sydni quickly checked on Molly and was about to go warn someone, when she remembered Henry. The little fish all alone in the Temple Room, about to become boiled fish. The scientist considered only a moment before groaning and running back into the apartment, slamming the door behind her. The thought of that little fish left to its own end made her stomach turn. She had to at least try. And the fire wasn't that bad...

At least, it hadn't been 10 seconds ago. But now it had caught the curtains and various other cloth adornments, and was spreading wildly. Sydni spotted her little fish, still swimming, and dashed over to it, catching it up, and turning to leave, when a heap of flaming wall hanging crumpled in front of her. Fuck.

In the hall, Molly was barking like mad, and had even taken to hurling herself at the door in an effort to get to her human. Anyone with any sense would know the dog needed assistance.

Who: Ciri and Sydni (with possible appearances of Tad and Onyx)
When: mid-afternoon
Where: the Kelleys' apartment
What: Getting to know each other.

Ciri looked around the apartment, with Tad talking to a few people and looking so happy, and she was elated. Stopping by one person here and there to ensure they were all right, as well as checking the refreshments, she carried the baby monitor with her. All the noise from the party might wake Onyx before it was time for his feeding, although she also missed him and peeked into the room every so often.

She hoped that the party gave her a chance to get to know the guests like it would for Tad, depending on whether she managed to stay still for a little while. Calvin seemed to be having a good time too and she looked at him with a smile on her face before turning to the other people. A dark haired woman was not far away from her Ciri recognized as Sydni, and although they barely knew each other she wanted to start a conversation.

"Hi!" she said as enthusiastically as always. "How are you doing? May I get you something to eat or drink?" The aftereffects of staying up late with a baby showed a little in her eyes, but she managed to maintain her energy and cheerfulness. So far, so good.

Who: Blake and Sydni
Where: The library
When: Saturday 2nd
What: A random encounter

In light of his recent idea, Blake had been spending most of his time in the library buried in books. Never had he thought that classes being cancelled would provide him so much pleasure. He normally loved teaching but now he was using this time for something much more beneficial.

Since the mess with Roger he had felt an overwhelming need to make it up to Ric. A simple comment that Ric forgave him wasn't enough. He had o show him gratitude. Standing at the top of a ladder Blake was reaching high into the magic sections of the shelf, not quite being able to reach the book he wanted. Having several books cradled in his arms already the thin demon attempted to grab it with the ends of his fingers - only to dislodge some books overhead and send them bouncing onto his head.

"Ow... ow... damnit.." he winced, trying not to lose his balance.

Who: Sydni and Davia
What: Sydni's checking in on her friend
When: Day time
Where: Davia's office

When things fell apart in her life, Sydni liked to do one thing - avoid them by looking after someone else's problems.  In truth, she was very concerned about Davia.  The blond had gone really batshit when she lost her memory and she worried that those new memories would add to Davia's already heavy load.  Charlie had really fucked up when it came to Davia.  It disappointed Sydni, because she knew he could be better than that if he tried.

Making her way to Davia's office, since she didn't know where her new apartment was, the brunette prepared herself to help her friend.  Davia was stubborn and tended to shrug things off as if they meant nothing.  Or she went the opposite way and totally indulged in whatever passion stormed through her.  Taking a deep breath, she knocked.  "Davia?  It's Sydni."

Who: Ava and Sydni
What: Another apology to check off the list...
When: Evening
Where: Out of doors, school grounds

Sydni needed out.  Things were getting no better.  At least Mikhail still believed her to be a decent person.  Everyone else thought her a bitch, and rightfully so.  Her hand was bandaged, but it still hurt.  She didn't want to go to the infirmary and have to explain anything, but Mikhail had managed to convince her to let him tend to her.  That was last night.  She'd made sure to dry her tears before returning home.  She didn't need her fiance confronting Charlie right now.  She should just stay home so she didn't have to see anyone.  Most of whom she needed to apologize to.

The Californian had forgotten that going for a relaxing walk here was different from going for a relaxing walk at home.  Here, the relaxation was short lived as ice cold wind blasted through her body.  Keeping her head down, she didn't notice the person sitting on the front steps until she was almost on top of her.  Stopping dead, she gasped, "Ava...  I'm sorry.  I mean for interrupting."  Pausing for moment, she then babbled on, "And for last week.  For what I said.  I'm sorry."  There, she'd said it.  Now for more projectiles and angry ghosts.  Heh.

Who:  Charlie and Sydni
What: Attempted apology
Where: Charlie's Office
When: Evening

Sydni felt like Hell. It had been two days since the spell had ended, and she could only think of all the relationships she'd ruined.  She'd been seething in her office like she had been for the past week when the anger just left her on Tuesday.  Her office was a wreck.  She had a busted desktop, and a busted laptop, both results of conversations with Charlie.  Charlie...  Oh.  <i>Fuck</i>.  What the fuck had she done?!  Immediately the brunette clapped her hand over her mouth.  She'd said the most... <i>hateful</i>, truly hateful, things to him.  Her mind was in overdrive as she flew out of her office, straight to her apartment.  She'd left there the week before knowing how terrible she was being, knowing she could end things with her fiance with her serious attitude problem.  Charlie didn't have that buffer.  Nor did Ava.  Or Davia.  Or Peyton.  Fuck, the list was growing by the second.

Knowing that Charlie would have a shitload to deal with the day of, Sydni stayed away.  Actually, she was busy trying to patch things up with Mikhail.  It was the next day that she stayed away to give Charlie his space.  And she was scared.  Scared shitless that he'd hate her.  Forever.  She could have sent him an online message.  Or one over the phone.  But Sydni wasn't a coward.  She manned up and went over there in person.  Knocking on the door, she braced herself.  She knew how he scary he could be when he was pissed off.  And she was prepping for a terror.

Who: Charlie and Sydni
When: Tuesday noon
Where: the cafeteria
What: probably arguing ;)

Charlie was a vampire. He knew this now. He accepted it. Though it was still freaking him out. He wasn't able to go outside during the day. He couldn't survive on normal food, just blood. He was going to live forever and look exactly as he did right now. It was all a bit much to absorb. At least he had Ava though, and she was going through the same thing as him. They could rely on one another for support as they adjusted to this crazy new life, because everything was new to him. He had no past, and he might never get his memories back. Charlie was trying very hard to keep looking forward, and since he didn't remember his past, he didn't mourn it. It was hard to be sad about things you couldn't remember.

He talked to his father and brother in the morning, having finally answered the phone. The damn thing had been on silent the whole time, and it took him a while to figure out how to change the settings. The discussion had involved some yelling, by all three men, but when they calmed down, they offered Charlie support and promised to visit him the next day. They seemed concerned about his bloodlust (which was a new term to him), and Charlie understood. He didn't think he was a danger to anyone, but he felt it was still a good idea to take caution.

That's why he had decided to finally leave his apartment. The supply of blood in the fridge was running low, now that there were three hungry vampires living together. Ana moved in the night before, needing the comfort of her twin sister. It was odd to Charlie how the memory loss in Ana made her act like a child. Charlie and Ava were completely normal other than the blank memories. They seemed to retain their adult personalities. So they were having to be the adults that cared for Ana. Charlie found the role of 'parent' surprisingly easy. He learned from his brother that it came from helping care for his niece for so many years. Charlie would have made a good dad, he decided, and was sad that he and Ava would never have children together.

As he loaded bags of blood into the duffel he brought to the cafeteria, he noticed some strange looks from people. Did they recognize him? He didn't know who any of them were. He tried to be polite and smile, saying hello to those who said it to him first. He hoped they weren't insulted by his lack of recognition.