Marcus hadn't been sleeping well ever since Equilibrium had called on him and he finally decided to do something about it. He waited until the other inhabitants were fast asleep before he quietly slipped through the door to Arya's bedroom as he needed to talk to her without being overheard. Trying to wake the blonde in a very gentle manner, he sat down on her bed and brushed a stray hair out of her sleeping face.

It was just prior to dawn and they had a long journey ahead of them if she chose to come with him. He needed to find an old friend to get some answers and he couldn't bring Damien along for this one. So he was trying to wake Arya to convince her to come alone with him. "Arya sweetheart, you need to wake up.I need to talk to you," he said quietly and the blonde finally stirred. She was a bit surprised to find him sitting on her bed like that, but gestured for him to get comfortable while murmuring something completely incomprehensible.

"I need to go away for a while to get some answers," he began as he positioned himself so that he was leaning against the headboard and Arya moved to place her head in his lap. Running his fingers absentmindedly through her hair, he went on explaining that this was a trip he couldn't take alone and why he wasn't bringing Damien instead of her. Arya looked up at him when he was done and asked about the girls and Alec.

"Antonette or Damien will have to watch the girls and I'm hoping Alec can stay with Casey as he'd be safe there. James will have to take on your council duties until we get back. If you could talk to the girls and Ana, I will talk to Alec and Damien." He did not imagine his talks would go well with either male actually. Alec had grown quite attached to him and Damien might get the wrong idea if he left with Arya rather than his boyfriend.

Eventually he ended up curled up on top of the covers, fast asleep himself. It wasn't until Arya stirred again that he woke up and left her room, going to get himself showered and dressed anew before talking to Alec. So, once he was dressed in jeans and a casual white shirt, he approached the hybrid's room and knocked three times. It was closer to midday now so hopefully the boy would be in his room and not asleep.


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(I figured it'd be easier to just tag you by name rather than characters since you'll be bringing the npc to good use as well :P)

Alec had come hone late from Caseys. He was curled up in a ball underneath the covers and slept soundly. It was midday the next day and he was still asleep when he heard knocking and cracked openes his eyes, turning over to face the door."Come in." He said. He sat up now, rubbing his eyes and yawned. He did change though when he got home, into underwear and a oversize tanktop.

He knew it was Marcus at the door and wondered what he wanted.

Marcus waited patiently outside the door until he was invited inside. He absolutely loathed that he had to go away and couldn't bring everyone, especially when it came to Damien and Alec. Where they were going was dangerous and even with Arya by his side they might not get out without leaving something precious behind. There were few people left in this world whom Marcus feared, but now they were seeking out one of the few.

Stepping into the room, Marcus sighed slightly. "I need to go away for a little while. I can't say for how long, it might be just a few days, it might be a month... It all depends on whether we find what we're looking for..." He could hear Arya walking about, meaning she was just about to talk to the girls at this point. "You can stay here with Antonette or you can stay with Casey if it's OK with him. It's up to you really, but Arya won't be here either." It was obvious he didn't like this though. There was nothing he'd rather do than bring the hybrid with him, but if he did that he knew there was no way Alec would be able to return to Bitter Springs any time in the near future, if at all.

Everything he was doing, was always with his fledgelings' best interest in mind and right now that included leaving them all behind. "I just need you to understand that we're not leaving because we're tired of the rest of you or anything like that."

When Marcus stepped into the room, he smiled at his maker and got out of bed but stopped short when the man started speaking. He looked confused as to what he was telling him. Why was Marcus leaving them.....he didnt think it was because the man got tired of him but it worried him now when he said he would be gone for awhile.

"What exactly are you looking for?" He asked.

Marcus knew it wouldn't be easy for anyone that they had to leave like that. Hopefully Damien would agree to help Antonette keep the others under control without the necromancer having to use too much magic to control the girls and hopefully Casey could watch over Alec while they were gone.

"I'm looking for some answers about my past, and it's important to me that you're all safe, here, until I get back. I can't find what I'm looking if I'm going to worry about you," he was serious though. Where they were going, if they found who they were looking for, he needed to not have any distractions at all. From what little little he remembered, this man they would be looking for was dangerous or had the potential to be with his resources.

"Will you be OK here until we get back? Without getting in trouble?"

He would worry about Marcus if the man was gone for longer than a week. He didnt care for the idea of his maker going on some quest to find answers, but what could he do? He looked upset but only nodded at the mans question. "I wont." He said.

"Ill see if I can go stay with Casey, how long will you be gone." He asked.

Marcus smiled slightly at Alec. There really was no other way he'd be able to sleep well. He had to find the answers he was looking for or he'd be doomed to many restless nights before he'd finally be able to forget again. Until the next time the distant memories were brought to the forefront of his mind by Alice or the Order. No, he couldn't live like that, not now that he'd had a glimpse of the truth.

"If I'm not back in a week and you haven't heard anything, something's wrong. I'm taking Arya with me to see a potentially dangerous man, so I cannot make any promises." He smiled sadly at the youngling and sighed. "I have to find Damien, don't get in too much trouble with Casey, OK?" With that, he excused himself and left to go talk to Damien. He had been supposed to go in to the office, so he went to find Damien by his desk.

He already knew his lover was inside when he entered the room. The first thing he did was kiss the man with a fierce passion. It was obvious from that one kiss that he didn't bring good news and he tried to put it off as long as possible. When he finally pulled back, he nuzzled Damien's neck and spoke softly. "I'm leaving you in charge until I get back." He'd dreaded talking to Damien much more than he'd dreaded having to talk to Alec, especially since Damien was more likely to question why his sister was the one to tag along.

Damien was busy in his office, going over some plans when his lover came into the room. He was happy to see him and stood up, being surprised by a kiss that held alot of passion. He kissed back and looked surprised at him. He blinked his eyes eyes at what the man said. "Um okay....where are you going and why?" He asked. Marcus seemed to never invite him along for anything and it did get on his nerves, but he never said anything to his lover about it.

He looked at Marcus."Let me guess Im not invited right?" He said and didnt bother to hide his annoyance.

Damien's response was as expected. He really had been coming and going a lot lately and he never seemed to bring Damien. Then again, he clearly remembers Damien wanting to be left behind when he was seeing friends. "I'm looking for someone. Someone who has some much needed answers, I can't really be more specific as I don't know where I'm going until I get there." He made a point to leave Arya out of it for now, he'd get to that part soon enough.

Leaving Alec was hard enough, but leaving Damien with no promise of when he'd be able to return was worse. It hurt that Damien was so annoyed that he wasn't invited to tag along. "I can't risk you getting caught up in something we can't get out of. And before you get any ideas, the only reason Arya is coming along is so I'll have a bargaining chip if it comes to that. I've traded her for one purpose before, she'll understand if I have to do it again." Of course, he also knew that she probably knew all the secrets this guy could dig up and it he didn't want Damien around that old Vampires anyway.

"Look, the person I'm looking for is ancient, and dangerous. I have more use of you here, where I don't have to worry. I need you to stay and take care of business as usual," he said and stepped closer to the door again. He wouldn't want to be all comfy up with Damien when the vampire was likely to snap if provoked further.

What Marcus was saying didnt surprise him. He knew that he had told Marcus that he didnt want to go anywhere where Marcus was going if it concern old frie ds. But this sounded like a different trip....it was almost like their was a big chance that Marcus wouldnt returned and that scared him.

He said nothing, watching as Marcus stepped away from him as if Damien was going to snap. "You sound like your old self....." He mumbled and shook his head. He walked over to where the other was standing and stopped by the door. "Do what you need to do....." He said and headed into his office.

Marcus really didn't know how to explain to Damien why he couldn't come along on this trip other than the way he had. The only reason he didn't want either Damien or Alec to come along was that he was genuinely afraid of this guy; all he remembered was his face and where he'd seen him last, before that he just remembered being with his maker and siblings. Then he'd been on his own. The gap of time between he'd been with his new family until he was on his own, knowing they had all been killed was gone, and all he had was that face.

What Damien said about him sounding like his old self made him reach out and try to stop Damien from walking into his office, but he couldn't make himself move. He knew that if he reached out to Damien now, he wouldn't be able to leave and that might just drive him into a rage if he couldn't get rested at all. "I'm scared something will go wrong," he whispered quietly. He'd never before admitted to anyone that he was afraid of anything, but this guy did scare him.

Giving in to the temptation, he followed Damien in to his office and held him close for a moment. "If you don't hear from us in a week, it most likely means we're in trouble. There's a travel plan in the top drawer of my desk, just in case, with the hotels we're likely to stay at in the cities we have to visit to find this guy. I promise I'm not up to my old tricks, I just don't want you to be in danger. I love you," he muttered and kissed his lover again before he turned to leave to get the final arrangements in order. The staff knew that Damien would be in charge at the office for a while, but they all thought Arya and Marcus were just going on a business trip. They didn't know that there was a high probability at this point that they wouldn't be returning, and if they did they wouldn't be the people they were when they left.

Damien had thought things were going okay, he thought that Marcus and him could live peacefulky and just be together, but guess things could never be that way. He tried to hold in his sadness and barely heard Marcus come in. He was still when the man hugged him and it did make him feel better of the travel plan. He kissed back and watched the man he love leave. He sat dowm in his desk and started crying.

Meanwhile in Sicily.....

Gabriel was sitting on a large balcony, enjoying a drink when a young woman approached him and sat down. She gave the ancient vampire a smile. "What is it you want, Elizabeth?" He asked, putting down his drink and looked at her. She only giggled. "Come now Gabe, cant a woman simply enjoy a handsomes man company. " She said. He shook his head and looked out to the beach that was in stepping reach.

"Elizabeth.....my looks have never been what made you interested in me." He added and looked at her.

She just sigh." Ive got word that Marcus is looking for you...." She said now in a softer voice. . Gabe shift his attention to her and just chuckled. "So....guess he finalky wants answers." He said softly.

It really did pain him to have to leave Damien like that, but he would never forgive himself if something were to happen to Damien because Marcus couldn't leave him behind. He would've taken Damien with him if he'd known for sure that he'd be able to return without a scratch. Whenever anything ever happened to his lover that he could have prevented, Marcus beat himself up over it for weeks at end.

Arya had finished up her talks with the girls faster than Marcus had been able to get home from the office, so she took care of the packing. They would be able to buy whatever they needed where they were going, but it looked less conspicuous at a public airport if they at least checked in one bag for a stay overseas, even if it was labeled 'business trip' in their itineraries. They traveled first class to London, where they stayed the night at Marcus's place, asking about among the older vampires in town before they were pointed toward her favorite place in the world.

Texting Damien, Marcus let him know they had safely arrived in London, but that what they were looking for was further south and they were leaving as soon as there was a flight available to take them to Rome. He didn't think they'd find Gabriel there, but they ran into some old friends of Marcus' and were unable to really move on for a few days as they kept getting dragged along to social events, regardless of how busy they were. Eventually, after going through all the gossip channels, he found someone who'd heard of this golden haired angel they were looking for, their week was almost up by the time they finally made it to the island of Sicily. He made a mental note that vampires really did gossip too much and made it easy to find the old ones if one knew what to look for and he really didn't like that. Texting his lover again, he just pressed send when Arya grabbed his phone and crushed it in her hands. "You think you want him to know where you are, but if things go south, you know he'll try to save you and what will you do then? He can't know we went off the travel plan Marcus or you'll put him in danger.." It seemed she had sense enough to understand why she was the one coming along after all.

Gabriel knew Marcus was in Sicily, he had even caught glimpse of the man a couple of times but didnt let his scent be known. Eluzabeth had walked into his home, giving him some documents before giving him the gossip. Marcus being here had cause quite a stir so he pretty much knew everything the man was doing.

"Sir, we caught this two seems they know Marcus." A heavily muscular man said and had both Alec and Damien in his grasp, dropping them to Gabriels feet.

Damien glared up at the vampire while Alec looked alittle more fearful. Gabriel stood up then, walking over where the two were. Damien and Alec both were bound by a special material that could restrain a vampire. He bent down on one knee, looing at Damien first before looking to Alec and something seem to snap inside Gabriel when he picked Alec up by his arm and loked at him more closely.

"A hybrid.....what on earth would Marcus do with this boy.." He said softly and pushed Alec back on the ground. "Take them to the dungeon....oh and Elizabeth dear, how about you go and find Marcus, give him a helping hand on my whereabouts." He added. Elizabeth only nodded and headed out into the streets, tracking down where Marcus was. When she finally foubd him, she watched him and the blonde hair woman for a moment before approaching them.

"Gabriel expected you would have found him by now." Elizabeth said.

Marcus's quest for answers had him taking shortcuts and not thinking straight at the moment as he just wanted to go home to Damien, so it was a good thing Arya was there to shock him until he couldn't move so she could take care of the talking. The blonde had temporarily paralyzed Marcus and was leaning over a vampire she'd tied to a chair, zapping him whenever he told her a lie until she got the truth that she wanted to hear from him. Smirking, she let him go and stopped the current she'd been sending through Marcus to keep him from talking or moving. She couldn't help but smirk at his reaction when he was free though.

It was a good thing they were out of sight for most people, as the moment Marcus could move, he was trying to choke the blonde, making her giggle before she used her own strength to remove his hands from her neck. "You trained me better than that, Marcus. Just trust me," she said quietly and rubbed gently at her neck when she observed a woman approaching them. What on earth did she want?

"Well, you can tell this Gabriel character that he didn't exactly give us a lot to go on, miss, but we're on our way there now." Arya didn't know this character, or Gabriel, so she didn't have the common sense to be afraid, despite the fact that Marcus so obviously was worried about what he'd want in return for some answers. For what was probably the first time ever during their many, many years together, Arya was leading Marcus. She was the one with the answers and a way forward as he didn't seem half his usual self. The closer they'd gotten to an answer, the more restless her maker had gotten and the shorter fused. So she was completely ignoring this lady who'd obvious come to get them where they needed to go and led Marcus there herself.

Marcus knew that Arya's attitude towards this woman could possibly get them in trouble once they reached their destination, but he couldn't do anything about it. Arya hated condescending people, he'd beaten it into her that she had to rise about it, so naturally she didn't even think twice about it. Marcus, however, tightened his grip on her arm until the point of almost breaking it, making sure she didn't speak out of turn again.