Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"...fresh off a stunning victory at Night of Champions, this man, Sami Zayn. Can I get your thoughts on--" 

A roar interrupted Cathy and Karrion Kross came out of nowhere, slamming Sami down, who cried out in pain as his ribs hit solid metal. 

"Say it, Sami!" Karrion screamed, grabbing Sami by the neck and hauling him up. "Say it! Say you're a liar!" 

He whipped Sami from one side to the other and Sami hit a set of steps, the wind knocked out of him as he collapsed again. Karrion immediately pulled him up once more, and as Sami's abdomen hit the hard metal edge of a ring equipment storage bin, he screamed high above all the commotion that was starting.

As Karrion was pushed away by multiple people and there were shouts for a medic, Sami continued to scream in a way that told possibly everyone in the arena that something was very, very wrong. 

"Sami!" Jey was there. "Sami, stay still. Please, you gotta stay still. I called Jimmy, he'll be here, I promise." Sami writhed around in agony, his scream dulling to a persistent cry as his throat started to burn, and three people including Jey tried to hold him down. Bruises, some smaller ones black and purple but most an ugly red, were blooming in wide stripes across his ribcage before their eyes. There was a horrible fiery pain in Sami's right side that was so bad his vision blurred.

The medic took one look at Sami and started screaming at people himself for not calling in the ambulance sooner. Luckily there was one in the bay, and in less than fifteen minutes Sami and Jey were loaded up and ready to go, Sami with a line in through his hand and a cervical collar and oxygen mask on.

"WAIT!" Jimmy was sprinting towards the ambulance.

"One passenger only!" The medic shouted, waving him down. Jimmy took him down spectacularly with a shoulder tackle. He knew he'd pay a fine, but he didn't care. "Can I go or not?" He asked the paramedic, who looked from him to Jey, and finally said "Oh, get in or don't, we have to go!"

Jimmy squeezed in beside her and the ambulance screeched away, the siren on in a foreboding way.

"Please be okay, Sami," Jimmy begged, holding his hand. Jey took his hand on the other side as not to raise suspicions. 

"J-Jimmy.. It hurts!" Sami grunted, and then his eyes rolled into the back of his head. 

"Not any more, it doesn't," the paramedic with them said gently as she pushed something through his IV. "20 mics of fent and 200 of Tylenol on board," she called into the front. "He's got a fever, probably from shock. We want him conscious just in case." In case of what, Jimmy wondered, a cold spike of fear creeping up his back. Sami was just about conscious, his eyes following movements, but a combination of the pain and the drugs had mostly put him out. 

They arrived at the hospital quickly, and for Jey it was Groundhog Day, only these doctors looked much younger, were clumsier in their attempts to take a hand-off from the paramedics.

"Sami Zayn, 40, man vs solid steel multiple times."

"Oh my God, those bruises." Whoever said that sounded horrified.

"Okay let's get the x-ray in here, please-"

"I'm sorry - solid steel?"

"Pipe, stairs, 5x5 container."

"Ouch."

"Received 20 of fentanyl and 200 of Tylenol on route, temp was 103, was screaming before he passed out." 

"Damn, someone messed this guy up."

"Can you help my fucking friend, please?!" Jey yelled, interrupting the running commentary of the interns. 

"Okay, everyone freeze. Hands off." The young doctors parted like curtains for an older one to come through. 

Jey felt a chill go down his spine - it was Groundhog Day. Different city, different hospital, same platinum haired, chalk-skinned doctor. It couldn't possibly be anyone else. Except... Jey felt a little thunk in his stomach. Those golden eyes were black pools now. He supposed he wore contacts, but these eyes, if they were his eyes, were... unsettling. Almost more unnatural than the gold. He didn't instinctively trust this man like Sami had. He felt something deep inside him stir, and faintly remembered a story their dad would tell when he got particularly drunk on large family camping trips, one that always made their mom announce promptly that it was time for bed. The doctor showed no sign of recognising either of them, busy at Sami's chest and abdomen.

"Everyone clear out for x-ray!" The circle widened as a lead apron went over Sami's face and the portable x-ray went off loudly, blue light flashing around the trauma room.

"Multiple breaks-" 

"God, those are almost in a V-" 

"Is that one missing some?" 

"How does he not have any compound fractures?"

"Can we get some Narcan, please?" The doctor asked loudly above the chattering. "These are bad, and I want to see his pain response to measure his sensation until we can get a good look at his spine."

"Yes, Dr. Cullen." 

That was his name; it stuck in Jey's mind, and he resolved to Google him later. 

With the antidote on board, it only took a minute for Sami to awaken with a scream and begin thrashing again, causing Dr. Cullen to jump into action while his interns fluttered around like panicked chickens.

"Okay Sami, Sami, I know you're in pain--"

"Hold him down!" 

"Dude, why is he so strong?" 

"Johnson, do you know anything about the adrenal gland? Are you an idiot? Did you go to medical school to show us all what an idiot you are? This is what I'm competing with?" That came from a barely five-foot woman standing beside the one called Johnson.

"Sami, my name is Dr. Cullen, I think your ribs may have cut you internally. Can you tell me where it hurts?"

Sami howled in pain and suddenly sat up, like an electric charge had gone through him. "S-Sick!" he gasped, and vomited promptly into the cardboard bowl held out for him.

"Um, Dr. Cullen!" one of the medical interns said nervously and loudly. "There's blood in this."

"Not in front of the family, you idiot!" the doctor snapped, causing her face to turn red. "Betadine, chest tube, scalpel."

"W-why?" The intern stammered. "It's just a couple broken ribs, right?"

Sami coughed once, twice, three times, and brought up a shower of blood all over Dr. Cullen's plastic bib, scrubs, and face. 

Things seemed to move in slow motion. Jey saw the doctor's fists clench, his jaw set. "No, Dr. Morris," he said. "It is not just a couple broken ribs. Congratulations, you get to put in the chest tube." He turned and sprinted away - no, that wasn't the right word. The doctor flitted, moving smoother than was humanly possible, but Jey was too concerned about Sami, who had seemingly been left in the hands of children. "I-I-I didn't know someone could spit up that much blood," the intern named Dr. Morris stammered, going white. 

Luckily another attending doctor arrived fast, and Jimmy stopped Jey from seeing whatever happened next by pulling him away outside. 

***

Once outside in the smoking area, they sobbed with their heads together, oblivious to the stares being thrown their way. "He can't die," Jey wept. "He's one of us."

Jimmy swallowed hard, snivelling. "He's not gonna die. We gotta trust that they know what they're doing in there, yknow?"

Jey hiccuped, wiping his eyes. "That's exactly what Sami said to me when you got hurt." He cried harder, thinking of Sami and Jimmy and how he'd been so mean to Sami the last time he saw him. Jimmy was faster to recover, being the more stoic one, and Jey let himself sink into his shoulder while Jimmy rubbed his back lightly. "S'alright, uce. You gotta cry it out." 

It took quite a while for them both to completely stop crying - Jey being so upset kept setting Jimmy off again - and wipe their faces, and it was with red eyes and swollen faces that they trudged back into the hospital to sit and pray for Sami.

Jey tried telling Jimmy about Dr. Cullen, but he just laughed, having last seen the doctor himself through a haze of painkillers and thus remembering nothing. "Careful, uce, you sound like those guys on the forums." Jey sighed, his stomach refusing to settle. He couldn't interpret facial expressions at the best of times, but the look on the doctor's face when that dark blood had sprayed all over him was a complete mystery. 

An hour went by. Jimmy's eyes kept leaking and he had to trek back and forth to the bathroom - they'd long since used up all their tissues. 

Another hour went by. Jey bought himself a Snickers from the vending machine before pondering the repercussions of opening a peanut bar in a hospital and stowing it in his bag with a sigh. Without food, he had nothing to stop himself going online and searching the wild things his mind was telling him.

Three and a half hours in, Dr. Cullen reappeared, wearing a fresh white coat and dark scrubs. Jey leaped to his feet, ready to accuse him of all sorts of things, but Jimmy grabbed his arm, settling him. 

"I'm very sorry about earlier, running off like that." Dr. Cullen said serenely, smiling at them with those inhumanely perfect teeth in that paper-white face. Jey noticed with a jolt that his eyes were golden again - contacts, or something more? "I had already suspected your friend had internal injuries, so when he regurgitated that much blood, I ran as fast as I could to an operating room to scrub for surgery."

"Surgery?" Jimmy piped up, real fear in his eyes. 

"I misdiagnosed, and Sami didn't need a chest tube. Luckily my friend Dr. Page who stepped in recognised that, and didn't put one in like I was going to. There was a tiny shard - the tiniest, it was actually kind of incredible - of rib that luckily, instead of piercing Sami's heart or lung, travelled south and sliced his appendix, which he didn't need anyway, so we took it out. On top of that, he's got quite a few rib breaks and he'll need to keep them immobilised. But... he's going to be fine." Dr. Cullen said. "Sami will be all right. There's a long recovery ahead of him, but he'll be able to compete again once he's cleared. He should be awake soon, if you'd like to see him." 

Jey burst into tears, relief overwhelming him, and Jimmy wasn't far behind, for once letting the hot tears flow freely down his face too. Dr. Cullen nodded, and then he was gone again. They clung to each other a moment longer, and then Jimmy kissed Jey's forehead and wiped his eyes for him. "No more tears, uce," he sniffled, though the tears were still running down his own cheeks. "He's gonna be okay." 

Jey honked into a wad of tissue. "You're crying too, shut up." 

*** 

A nice nurse lead them to Sami's room a short while later. Unlike Jey had most feared, Sami wasn't covered in tubes and wires. He was sitting up in bed, just one line in his arm and a catheter bag peeking out from under the covers. "Sup?" He croaked, and groaned when Jimmy rushed him. "Jim, watch his ribs, uce!" Jey warned him, gently laying an arm across Sami's other side, and Jimmy loosened up. "I love you so much, Sami," Jimmy whimpered, tears suddenly filling his eyes again. He hated crying. 

"Hey, I'm pissing into a bag here. You can't be sad at that." A laugh burst out of Jimmy mid-cry, which set Jey off, and soon Sami was chuckling too. "Oh man, it hurts to laugh!" They all laughed harder, possibly in shock from the whole thing. "No, no!" Sami snorted. "You're gonna make me..." His eyes widened and he moaned quietly. "Damn, there it goes. Fucking catheter is making me fill it up like a pregnant lady." Jey clapped a hand over his mouth to calm himself down, now knowing laughing hurt for Sami, and elbowed Jimmy too. They eventually calmed down, and Jimmy helped Sami sip water while Jey carefully rearranged the blanket to cover up his catheter bag, just to avoid any more embarrassment if he let out more when they were there. 

"I love you too, dear sweet boy," Sami murmured, making heart eyes at Jimmy as they held hands, and Jey thought he might throw up, but he had to endure it because he loved them both. "Kross is going to get what's coming to him."

"Yeah, you bet he is." Jey said darkly.

"No, Jey." Sami took hold of Jey's hand too. "This is something I have to do for myself. When I'm healed, that is. Right now, I doubt I could fight so much as a cold." 

They huddled together, glad to be okay and alive and all loving each other in multiple ways. The road ahead was surely long and bumpy, but they'd ride it out together, the three of them.

"Jimmy," Sami grabbed his wrist suddenly, a new alertness about him - the anesthesia fog must be lifting. "Kross knows about us. That's what he was saying. That's who took the photo in the restaurant. That's who was behind that anonymous fan account - turns out it came from that one, and the media picked it up from there. He's been messing with us from the start." 

***

Sitting there after Sami had taken some of his new med regime and fallen asleep in his hospital bed, Jey punched in his dad's number.

He had to tell someone who would believe him about Dr. Cullen.

Chapter Text

Sami's eyelids were heavy. "Mm.." All around him there was beeping, strange heavy sensations on his ribs, his side. These meds worked, but they were strong. He opened his eyes slowly to see Jimmy asleep in the chair beside his bed, a nurse adjusting his IV to hang a new bag of saline. The room was dark apart from the light spilling across his bed from the open door. Sami flinched as the light was blocked by a figure, then relaxed just a little as he saw it was Rikishi. "Shh," his boyfriend's dad shushed him, nodding towards the sleeping Jimmy. "Jey called me. We'll talk in the morning. Go back to sleep, Sami."

Unable to believe he was obeying his childish orders, Sami closed his eyes again and let a drugged sleep take him.

Sami dreamt vividly, of running through vast forests, and started awake when it switched to a deer, ripped apart by some vicious predator.

The sun was pouring in through the window, and Jimmy was still in the chair, though he was awake and reading a pamphlet entitled Unplanned Pregnancy. 

"I don't think we have to worry about that." Sami murmured, the image of animal viscera dissipating.

"Sami!" Jimmy said, delighted to see him all over again. "How are you feeling?"

Sami shifted. "Sore, I guess." He was definitely stiff, but strangely, there seemed to be no actual pain. Those meds must be really good. "They'll probably make me get up today, huh?"

As if he'd summoned them, Dr. Cullen arrived with two of his interns. "Good morning, Sami. How are we? Wanna get up and walk with me?"

When they'd established that Sami could comfortably stand up and move as far as the bathroom, Jimmy left the room so the nurses could remove his catheter and help him shower. They left him sitting in the chair and when Jimmy came back it was to a brighter Sami, albeit still in a hospital gown. Jimmy leaned down and kissed him. "You're so brave, Sami. Jey has gone crazy and is convinced you have the same doctor as I did back when Gunther tried to decapitate me. Even called our dad over some stupid legend, and he showed up too."

"Jimmy, it is the same doctor." Sami said. "We're a thousand miles away and it's the same doctor. I guess he transferred and we just got lucky, because he seems great." Another question occurred to him. "What legend is Jey talking about?"

Jimmy laughed. "It's stupid. Really, it's just an old scary story."

Sami shrugged. "Hit me. I'm gonna be here all day at least, probably another night too. I love scary stories." 

Jimmy sighed, and then he pulled out his phone, checking a detail or two online. "Okay, so, basically, Dad used to tell us stories whenever we went on camping trips with the Bloodline crew, and there was one that always made all the moms freak out and send us to bed. He'd only tell it after like, his sixth beer, and it was always a huge mess, but it scared us kids to death. You know, I think it scared him too, even if it was just a little bit. Why else would he need to get so drunk to tell it?" Sami leaned forward eagerly.

"The slightly more kid-friendly version goes like this; hundreds of years ago on the Samoan Islands, there was a quartet of travellers who came upon our village. We were a simple group of people, always wanting to help out our fellow man, so the village chief asked them what they wanted, and they said they wanted the tribe's children for their own purposes." A tingle went down Sami's spine. "It turns out they weren't men at all, but something else." 

"What were they?" Sami breathed. 

"Well, that's where it gets complicated, because there are all sorts of dead languages and mistranslations involved, but the name for them that keeps cropping up is The Cold Ones. They're a kind of evil fairy, I suppose? White skin, freezing cold like they're dead, black eyed, blood drinking fairies."

"That sounds more like a vampire," Sami said quizzically, and Jimmy laughed. "Like I said, lots of translations and hundreds of years. Don't use that word in front of my dad. He thinks it's reductive."

"They say they're unnaturally beautiful, and those destined to be drank will be attracted to them."

A shot of the first time he'd seen Dr. Cullen flashed into Sami's mind, how he was taken in by his striking appearance. He shook his head to clear it.

"Okay, who is 'they' anyway?" 

"Dad never said," Jimmy grinned. "You know, they. Every so often a hiker goes missing in some nowhere state and a certain contingent of people freak out and say it's these things. I guess Jey has bought into it too." He hummed as he looked at his phone. "Yeah, listen to this on this website about the original Bloodline tribe:

The chief cast the Cold Ones out, swinging his silver axe and wounding several of them temporarily, for the silver burned like fire. He swore they would never hand over their children - and this is where Dad would get all emotional and bless every Bloodline member and say that it's because of the chief's strength that we're all alive today. The creatures came anyway, in the night. They were better in the dark than the humans, for they needed no light to guide them. They moved like lightning and each hit with the strength of ten men. In a fury of bloodlust they slit the chief's throat and drank from him, taking his soul with them. A curse fell upon the Cold Ones and the Bloodline tribe alike; were they ever to attack one of us again, or vice versa, we would be plunged into a war that would destroy the earth."

"That's so unfair!" Sami gasped, drawn in now. "Sorry, go on."

"The children were saved, but the village was forever torn asunder, and there are gaps in the Bloodline if you go back far enough - those are the ones whose descendants we don't know of. Whole branches are unlabelled - we have pictures, just nothing else."

Jimmy saw his face and laughed. "Calm down, Silly Sami. Like I said, it's just a kids' story - kind of a grisly one, but a kids' story, meant to scare you into behaving." He put on a deep voice. "Get home before dark or the Cold Ones will get you, blah blah blah. There are gaps in every family history, right?" 

"Your Uncle Umaga," came a stern voice from the doorway, "would beat you here and now for disparaging our origin story." 

Jimmy flushed; it was Rikishi, leading Jey. 

"Dad, this is just a legend, you know that!"

"Did you notice, Sami," Jey said, "how Dr. Cullen didn't touch you? Not once. Because he doesn't want you to know he has weird cold dead person hands!"

"Jey, don't be rude."

"You didn't even tell him the cool part, Jimmy. You don't just end with the chief dying, he's a grown man." Jey said, perching himself on Sami's bed beside Jimmy. Sami was, surprisingly, up for a second half.

"After the death of their beloved chief, the tribe decided never again would one of their family members fall prey to the Cold Ones, so they took spiritual journeys-"

"They got really high, he means." Jimmy yelped as Rikishi clipped him around the ear. "Let your brother speak, you've had your turn."

"They took spiritual journeys in order to give themselves a failsafe of sorts. Like a magical tripwire when the tribe was in danger. They became something beyond humans, living twice as long, and they had the power to shapeshift - into wolves."

"Wolves?" Sami repeated, having a harder time believing this part. The murder of an indigenous tribe for their children? Absolutely. That tribe being werewolves murdered by vampires? Less absolute. "Like... like werewolves?" 

"Don't be ridiculous," Rikishi snapped behind them, clearly not liking it any more than "vampires". "Werewolves don't exist. Hollywood nonsense." Jimmy rolled his eyes as soon as his dad wasn't looking his way. 

"They were huge wolves," Jey continued, "each the size of two or three at the size we know them today. And while the tribe never had to use this power, you can't just change yourself spiritually and not get physical repercussions from it. New generations of children started to be born from the ashes of the original tribe, and then, at the age of fifteen, would experience a great surge of energy that made them able to shift at will into their wolf forms, and that brings us to today. Supposedly. I don't know, I didn't turn into a big-ass wolf at WrestleMania, so maybe it skipped a generation." Sami laughed, he couldn't help himself. "No disrespect," he added hastily as Rikishi's eyes flickered in his direction. "I was just laughing at "big-ass wolf", that's all." 

"Yes, my sons often consider themselves comedians," Rikishi said dryly. "The reason you two, and the rest of your generation, wouldn't experience the Surge is because our tribe has been free of danger for many years thanks to our chief's sacrifice. But who knows? If this thing is truly posing itself as a doctor to follow you two, it means they're in our territory, so you may get your chance after all. You two, Jacob, Solo, Tama, everyone who hasn't in the past experienced the Surge." Jimmy shook his head at Sami. "Dad, that would mean you could turn into a wolf too, and you can't. You two are gonna be so embarrassed when he's just a super pale white guy who happens to wear cool contacts sometimes."

"Contacts?" Rikishi asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, his eyes were black yesterday when we came in and now they're golden just like Sami said they were the first time, so he was obviously just wearing blackout contacts."

At that very moment, the man being discussed walked in, bent over his chart. "Who's ready for some..." He raised his head and saw Rikishi, and Sami could swear he saw the barest flicker of shocked recognition on his extremely handsome face before that frozen smile appeared again. "...physical therapy recommendations?"

Everyone stopped and locked eyes for a moment.

"You know what?" Dr. Cullen said after an extremely long silence. "You're doing so well that I was just coming along with your discharge paperwork, but silly me, I forgot to grab it. I'll send one of the interns along with it presently." He turned on his heel in that strangely smooth way, then turned back a moment. 

"You may want to crack the window as far as it goes. There's a smell of..." His nose wrinkled in disgust. "wet dog in here." He glided out, and all three younger men breathed out. There had been a heaviness to the air in the room when they were both in it, and the fact that all three experienced it means it couldn't have been Sami's imagination.

"Let us get out of here as soon as possible, Sami." Rikishi said. 

Sami smiled weakly at him - he still wasn't sure how much of this was the pain meds he was on. "I'll say. Excited to get the rest I need in a slightly more comfortable bed." 

"Yes, I think you'll be very happy in the garage - it stays cool in summer." 

Sami blinked at him; he definitely must've misheard. "I'm sorry, sir," he said politely. "I didn't catch what you said about the hotel."

"What, did you not tell him? James, I gave you one simple thing to do." 

"My name is Jimmy." Rikishi gave a very Jimmy-like eye-roll - or maybe Jimmy got it from him. "You talk about me being old fashioned? You are unprofessional. Case in point - 'Jimmy' sells drugs on the New Jersey turnpike. I gave you a respectable name, and you should use it, James." 

"Dad, give him a break."

Sami squirmed awkwardly as they went back and forth.

"ANYWAY," Rikiski bugled above both his sons. "You and the boys are coming back to San Francisco to stay with me until we know what's happening. Worst case scenario, you take a paid vacation while your ribs heal. You're my son's partner, so I wish to protect you. But I'll ask, Sami, that you're respectful of my house, my rules, and the stories I believe in."

"Yes, sir, Mr. Uso. I'm pretty open-minded, and I can fall asleep anywhere."

"Good answer."

"But you're sure you don't mind me staying in your home so long? They say it could be a whole month until I can lift over fifteen pounds."

"Then the fifteen-pound man you shall be," Rikishi chortled. "I'm sure Jimmy would be more than happy to wait on you, and we have a housekeeper too if you're truly stuck. The important thing is that we're together and safe and away from whatever is happening here." Jimmy nodded emphatically. 

Sami still didn't quite believe their stories, but he wasn't going to go disrespecting their tribal heritage by saying so.

Chapter Text

A nervous looking intern, a new one, arrived shortly with the form for Sami's discharge, which he and Rikishi both signed, and his medication for the next two weeks. They didn't see Dr. Cullen again, and an extremely stiff Sami took his time easing himself into Rikishi's large, immaculately white Jeep. Jimmy had to help him boost up in the end, a pillow strapped to Sami's stomach under his seatbelt to cushion his appendectomy dressing as well as his bruised and broken ribs. They had a four hour drive ahead of them - normally nothing huge, but with the twins' tiny bladders and Sami in a fragile state, Rikishi wasn't expecting a very peaceful trip.

"Sir, I have to ask," Sami said when they were on the road. "Why white? Gotta be tough to keep clean."

Rikishi didn't answer right away, and for a moment Sami thought he was being ignored. "And lo, there came a pale horse, and its rider's name was Death. I like my enemies to know they're in for a hell of a fight." Sami nodded silently to show he'd heard. 

They didn't make bad time, Rikishi thought, considering all the odds stacked against them, and a mere five hours after driving away they were pulling into the outskirts of San Francisco where Rikishi's bungalow sat. There was a porch swing, and a woman about Sami's age sat there, her skin golden and her hair so deeply black it was almost blue. She raised a hand and waved, flashing brilliantly white teeth. 

"Our housekeeper," Rikishi said. "We just call her Aunty out of respect, and you should too. Her mother worked for my parents before me." 

"Does she know about the stuff in the story?" Sami asked.

"She knows some things. Not others. She's a bruja, kind of a Pagan thing. She doesn't like to talk about this stuff either way, so I wouldn't bring it up around her unless absolutely necessary." Sami nodded, suddenly realising how exhausted he was. He let the yawn come - his post-op care had been very specific about not holding in yawns in case he popped a stitch. 

"That's our cue," Jimmy said. "Come on, Sami." They left the car, the twins helping Sami into the house. He was very grateful it was all flat. The housekeeper bowed her head to them as they passed. The back door seemed to serve as the front, and vice versa; it was odd to see someone unlocking a sliding glass door to welcome someone to their home.

"Mrrreow." A big ginger cat wound themself around Sami's legs as they crossed the threshold and he gasped happily. "A cat!" 

"That's Monroe. He'll buy and sell you." Jimmy told him as they slowly made their way towards the back wall, where a purple door sat between two that were red and blue respectively. "Don't give him people food no matter what, it gives him gas." 

"Monroe?"

"He used to be Marilyn. He was too fluffy to tell until he got bigger." 

The place was gloriously untidy, books and knick-knacks and - Sami laughed delightedly - wrestling cassette tapes stacked high on almost every surface. The main open plan living and dining room had a huge TV on one wall, and Sami could easily imagine Rikishi in the large leather armchair, or on the mismatched grey suede couch. 

"I wanna show Sami my room!" Jimmy said, trying to steer his boyfriend towards the red door.

"Not on your own, you won't, and not without the door open."

"Dad! We're grown!"

"Your grown boyfriend is still your boyfriend, and he needs to rest more than you need to get into his pants."

Jimmy groaned and grumbled, but Jey lead the way through the purple door. 

It had obviously once been a garage - the yellow-painted walls were thin and the door was a wooden block, controlled by a panel on the wall. There was a colourful rug on the concrete, though, and a wide twin bed dressed in simple blues. Sami found it very pleasing after the stark whiteness of the hospital.

"I know it isn't much," Rikishi said, appearing behind them. "Just a guest bedroom that you hopefully won't spend much time in because you'll be out exploring the area. I will be keeping an eye out, of course, for your safety."

Sami smiled. "It's fabulous, Mr. Uso. Thank you."

"You're very welcome, young Sami."

"Dad, sit down. Your back."

"Ahh, I just spent five hours sat down! Let me stand a little. You hungry, Sami?" 

Sami shook his head. "Perhaps later, then. Jey, with me." he added, and the two of them departed to Rikishi's home office. 

Jimmy helped Sami undress and put on the thin cotton pyjamas they'd bought on the way. He slid into bed and Jimmy helped him brush out his hair. The brush felt amazing, and they kissed properly for the first time since before the attack, Sami pushing himself up to wrap his arms around Jimmy's neck. He smelled fantastic in the humid evening air as their legs tangled, his own personal musk attracting Sami stronger than usual, and their kissing got a little fiercer. Feral, Sami thought; that was the word for how Jimmy was kissing him as he moved his hips in little ways that made Sami make the most interesting sounds. "Ah.. mm..." 

Sami broke off the kiss, panting. "Sorry, Jimmy," he mumbled, squirming away. "They said I gotta keep my abdomen loose, no tensing if possible. That means no tickles, no orgasms." He squeezed the tent in his pants to discourage it, and thought with a stab of guilt that they were already violating Rikishi's rules. "You smell nice, though. Your sweat." Jimmy flushed and cuddled up to Sami, listening to his breathing get slower and deeper, and when his boyfriend fell asleep once more, he slipped out to his own bedroom to touch himself. 

When Sami awoke in the middle of the night from more vivid forest dreams, he didn't know where he was at first. Moonlight illuminated a clock that looked about as old as him, ticking softly on the wall. Just after two in the morning. 

Dr. Cullen. An old monster story. Now he was in San Francisco, and he still wasn't quite sure how much of all this was true, but he was happy to be away from the hospital and with Jimmy close by. He could hear rain pattering softly on the roof.

His body clamoured in multiple ways and he got up gingerly, sliding his feet into his rubber slides before limping to the door and then out and to the right like they'd pointed out. The bathroom was easy to find, and Sami stepped out into the kitchen after he washed his hands, walking up to the front window by the sink and grabbing a glass to fill with water. He was wide awake now, and sipped the cold water gladly. He wandered to the sliding door to crack it open and breathe the fresh air, wondering how it all looked in the dark.

There was a massive shadow on the porch swing, and Sami screamed, slopping water down his front. The shadow cursed, dropping a freshly lit match, which sizzled on the damp ground. 

Sami's heart rate slowly returned to normal; in the flare of light he'd seen Rikishi's face. 

"Come out here before you wake the boys," Rikishi hissed. Sami stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind him. "Are you..." He sniffed the air. "Sir, may I speak freely?" 

"Yes?" Rikishi said dubiously as he lit another match. 

"Sir, you acted as if cannabis was the devil!"

"I am not in active competition, boy," Rikishi said dangerously. "You be careful what you say under my roof. We agreed." Sami nodded humbly. 

After a moment, Rikishi sighed. "I suppose you're currently out too." He handed a blunt roughly the size of a baby's arm to Sami, who hit it cautiously, not wanting to cough. 

"Jumpy?" Rikishi asked after a moment, nodding at the water spilled down Sami's top. Sami flushed, nodding. "I must apologize. I really didn't mean to scare you, but this is a true story, passed down from generation to generation. If the Cullens stay away now, if we see no more of their kind, all will be well and you can forget you ever heard any of this." 

Sami thought that he would never, ever forget any of this. 

"If they come to get us, however..." There was a faraway look in his eyes. "Well, we won't worry about that until it happens, okay?" 

Sami genuinely did feel better seeing the massive Rikishi show some humanity. "Thank you, sir. That helps." 

"Keesh." Rikishi said, passing him the blunt again. They were both quite high now, Sami more so than him, and Sami felt they were on the precipice of another big conversation, finally one on one.

"Huh?" He asked indistinctly around his exhale.

"Jimmy said young people like you and him and Jey like to have all the details about people. My friends call me Keesh. My favourite colour is orange. I used to smoke cigarettes, but not since this stuff became legal. I absolutely detest liars. Did you lie to me previously, Sami?"

"A little, sir."

"Are you a pothead?"

"Lil bit, sir."

"Thank you for your honesty. So am I. Do you use responsibly?"

"Yes I do."

"Do you resist drug tests?" The blunt went back and forth as their speech did, burning wonderfully slow.

"No sir, but I've never failed one, not ever. I can get the WWE to send you my history." 

"I would appreciate that, blanquito." He wheezed with laughter as Sami looked at him blankly, coughing out his cloud of smoke. "Your nickname, I've decided. Little white boy, because everyone's little next to me."

It took a second, but Sami started to giggle too. "Oh, my ribs," he moaned, massaging them ineffectually.

"Here." Rikishi offered him yet another puff, but Sami shook his head, wanting to take a break, so he hit it again himself. "Don't tell the twins I shared this with you, they'll be wanting one too." Sami grinned, resisting further laughter. "Do they know you smoke at all now?"

"Goodness, no," Rikishi grunted through an exhale. "I'd never hear the end of it. They see me take edibles and think it's Aunty when they smell it. Besides, it's only every once in a while when I'm feeling particularly unsettled or worried."

"I smoked cigarettes too," Sami said suddenly.

"Right up until my ex told me she was pregnant, and then I flushed my last few and never bought them again. I wanted to set a good example."

Rikishi was quiet, and Sami wondered if he had gotten too high and needed help.

"Thank you for sharing that, Sami. Allow me to share something in return. My doctor says that if I'd kept them up I would have dropped dead five, maybe ten years ago. I am very grateful to still be here for my boys, and their boys. That will include you in future if Jimmy is serious about you, which I suspect he is." Sami wondered where he was going with this.

"I'm not the fighter I used to be." Sami's heart dropped into his stomach. "I'm an old man-"

"Hey, you're not that old comparatively these days." The words popped out without Sami even meaning to say them.

"Let me speak!" Rikishi snapped, and Sami stopped looking at his boyfriend's dad as a WWE Hall of Famer, and saw just for a second the deep lines that scored every part of his face, the slight shake in the hand that held the blunt, the exhaustion written across the old body. 

"I'm an old man, and my body is slowing down. The Chief's gift isn't as strong as it once was because of the lack of a threat, and because the tribe is so fractured today. Jacob and Solo fighting seems to have broken the camel's back, so to speak." Rikishi said as he took a big hit. This had to be a joke, Sami thought. A dream. No, not a dream - the ash from the blunt burned where it had dropped onto his hand. If this was all a big joke, Rikishi was keeping a straight face inhumanely well. It had to be true, at least a little bit. 

"I need to know someone will be there to help my boys when I go." Rikishi said into the darkness. "I don't know when it'll be, obviously. Will you be there for them?"

"You know I will." Sami said. He meant it, just like he meant every promise to Jey and every "I love you" to Jimmy. Whatever this was, coincidence or supernatural, he was ready to hang on to his man. 

"I will, sir." He said more formally after a minute. "I'm very glad to hear that, Sami. I think you should try and get some more sleep now. Night time is dangerous, you know." Sami shivered despite the warm, damp air. "Yes, Mr. Uso. What about you?"

"Oh, don't you worry about me," Rikishi said cheerfully, and the hand that wasn't holding the blunt lifted a thick silver knife. "I've been sitting out here most every night since this porch was built in... well, never you mind how many years it's been," he laughed ruefully. "We've established I'm old. Anyway, I've been fine for however many years. Go to bed, blanquito." Sami quite liked having a nickname. 

"Gotcha." Sami's lips were twitching and he concentrated on refilling his glass, not wanting to laugh at a well-meaning Rikishi. 

He fell back asleep quickly once he was in his room, and dreamt uneasily of those rolling trees once more. 

Chapter Text

After a few days of aching and it really hurting to sneeze or hiccup, Sami had settled into a routine at Rikishi's house. He was loving spending so much time with Jimmy, getting to touch him without feeling like there was pressure to have sex within a few snatched hours like there had been before. 

People started to come and go from the very first day, only ever wanting to speak to Rikishi, who mostly kept to his office after that first encounter with Sami. After a while it was always the same few faces staying long into the night. Jimmy and Jey's relationship was more fractured than ever, forced together by a tribal crisis, and Sami could see why they had to be on different brands to maintain a healthy relationship these days. 

Occasionally he would awaken in the night and smell weed, and his stomach would shift uneasily, remembering what Rikishi had said about rarely smoking, "except when I'm worried".

It wasn't until his twelfth full day in the house that anything interesting happened. Sami got up in the morning as usual, went to pee, and when he came out of the bathroom there was a familiar figure searching the fridge with his back to Sami, kinky black hair reaching his shoulders and bouncing as he danced to something in his earbuds. Sami grinned - he was only wearing a t-shirt and briefs. Getting to see his boyfriend in his natural habitat was worth a few broken ribs. 

He snuck up behind him - his legs were fine today, and he was pleased to notice he felt more like himself than he had since the initial attack. He wrapped his arms around Jimmy, one hand slipping downwards to grope his butt and the other fishing under his shirt. "Good morning, cutie. ARGH!"

He toppled backwards, landing painfully as a scream rang out. He greeted Jey with a mutual look of horror. "Oh shit. Oh holy shit." He turned brick red, and Jey wasn't far behind. 

"S-Sami- I- you-" Jey was rarely lost for words. Jimmy and Sami really hadn't been together that long at all, and he'd joked about Sami really being into him, but...

"Accident!" Sami yelped, wanting to get it out of the way. "I thought you were Jimmy." He looked right into Jey's eyes. "That's the truth, uce. I'm sorry. You really do look the same from the back." His blush deepened; they were identical right down to their behinds, apparently.

"Oh my God." Jey whined, attempting to yank his shirt down to cover up his lower body. Sami had seen him in various states of undress before, but it was a little different when he'd just felt him up, however accidentally. "Oh my God!"

"Ssh!" Sami shushed him desperately. "If Jimmy or your dad wake up-" 

Jey was holding a dish towel in front of his crotch. "I know, I get it." He held out a hand and hauled Sami to his feet, who whimpered with pain. "Oh, uce, you okay?" Sami shook his head wordlessly, and Jey herded him back to his room. 

His lower back hurt more than anything else, and Sami turned over onto his belly to try and relieve the strain. 

"I'm sorry, uce," Jey said in a low voice.

"No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snuck up like that when you're already on edge." He reached for the bottle of pain meds, then changed his mind - they made him foggy in a way he didn't like. He grabbed the ibuprofen gel instead. "I thought you were Jimmy. Promise." 

"Can I do anything?" Jey asked. "Water? Another pillow?" 

Sami pushed the tube of gel towards him. "Think you're up to rubbing my back a little?" Jey nodded eagerly, getting up onto the bed beside him. 

Once he'd applied the gel, Jey rested his hands on Sami's lower back. Sami sighed when he started, rubbing a lubricated path down his spine. He got into a rhythm quickly, paying special attention to his lower back.

"Oh," Sami moaned when Jey passed over the sorest spot, low down on the left. "Jey." Jey felt his face heat at the way he said his name. "Feels okay, uce?""

"Feels great," Sami mumbled, then gasped. "Wait. Do that again."

"What, this?" It was a simple enough movement, pressing both his thumbs quickly into the dimple on the left side of his back, but it made Sami moan again.

Jey concentrated on that spot from then on, and between the massage and the effects of the gel, Sami found the pain easing. He sighed happily as his best friend continued, kneading up his spine and even scratching in wide strokes from the nape of his neck all the way to his tailbone. This was pure heaven for Sami, who hadn't been able to scratch his own back at all post surgery. "Forget us being wolves, uce." Jey grinned, raking over his lower back to finish. "I think you might be part dog with how much you're always wanting scratches." A giggle ran through Sami, his eyes closed in bliss.

There was a clatter-clatter-thump from the right wall, and before either of them could move Jimmy was pushing the door open. 

"Sami, I thought I heard-- Oh." He stared at Sami on his belly in front of Jey, his chest bare and his eyes half-closed.

Jey hopped off the bed with a nervous grin. "Just a back rub, uce. He asked. Don't have a cow." 

Their shoulders brushed as he left the room, and Sami blinked up at Jimmy as he came to sit beside him on the bed.

"Did you really ask?" he asked quietly.

"I did, Jimmy. He's my friend." When Jimmy's face hardened, he went on. "Besides, he owed me for knocking me on my ass earlier. I got up, and..."

***

"You did what?"

"I thought he was you," Sami groaned.

"You did what?!" 

"I know!"

"Aha. Ahahaha!" Jimmy sank down onto the bed and laughed himself to tears. 

"You're not mad?" Sami whined, rolling over to press up against him. 

"Not mad," Jimmy gasped, wiping his eyes. "Oh Sami, what am I going to do with you?"

"I mean," Sami said daringly, "I have some suggestions, but I think most of them break the rules."

"Shut up about the rules," Jimmy mumbled against his neck, and for once Sami did.

"Hey," Jey put his head back around the door, thoroughly spoiling things. "Dad wants you up and with him and me in five minutes. Both of you. Hiking attire." 

Jimmy roared in frustration and launched a pillow his way.

When they were both showered and dressed, Sami and Jimmy reluctantly made their way out to the Jeep. "I don't see why we couldn't have taken the Oompa-Loompa," the man who owned the little orange car complained as they set off.

"That eyesore of a vehicle barely fits me, you know that well. The Jeep holds five large people comfortably, seven at a squeeze." 

Rikishi hadn't said where they were driving to, and it wasn't any clearer when they pulled up alongside a copse of trees about an hour later. When the Jeep began to rattle from the terrain underfoot, Jimmy looked smugly at Sami, and Jey said "Dad, slow down, you're gonna fuck up your suspension." so the twins clearly knew where they were going. 

When they parked, Rikishi looked back at Sami. "The tribe has long since provided for themselves," he said, "and that includes hunting for our food." 

"Oh, Dad, no. Us is one thing."

"There are guns and ammo in the trunk. It's up to you whether you come, Sami, but I wouldn't hang around too long making your choice. It's the season for it, and stray bullets aren't uncommon. Of course, they're far from the worst thing you could run into out here." A shot of Sami's dream - the deer ripped apart - flashed into his mind suddenly, and he shuddered.

"I'll come, sir."

"Good choice."

Sami let the twins and Rikishi handle the guns, having never done so himself. They trudged through the woods, Rikishi seeming to know the way as if by magic. Occasionally a rabbit or shrew shot through the undergrowth, too fast to fire at. 

Jey stopped so fast Sami walked into him - then stared with the rest of them.

A buck, his antlers held high, picked his way across the forest floor towards them. Rikishi raised his rifle and aimed. "Steady," he whispered. "Careful now. Come here, you beautiful thing." He squeezed the trigger.

The gun fired, making Sami jump. The bullet found its mark - and then the deer was gone, disappeared. The only evidence it had existed at all was a spatter of dark blood on the nearby leaves. 

"What..." Sami was dumbfounded, but Rikishi let out a growl unlike one he'd ever heard from a human, and crashed through the undergrowth. "Show yourselves! Give me back my deer!" 

Chapter Text

"Where on earth," Sami panted to the twins, who were running as hard as they could to keep up, "are we running to?" 

"Gotta get that deer back, Sami! That's a month of meat!" Jey shouted, and he and Jimmy took a hand each and helped him keep up.

"But who stole it? Poachers? Super-fast poachers?"

"I suppose you could call them that!" Rikishi bellowed over his shoulder; Christ, he hadn't even broken a sweat. 

He skidded to a halt as they came to a clearing, and Jimmy seized Sami around the waist to stop him collapsing from exhaustion. They sat down together at the treeline and Sami huffed and puffed as he got his breath back. "What... the fuck... was all that about?" Rikishi's eyes were searching the trees on the other side. "I'm sorry, Sami. I'm really sorry. This was supposed to be me showing you how our tribe hunts, but I'm afraid it may turn into you learning how we fight." 

"Dad, don't be ridiculous," Jimmy said, and Rikishi stiffened. "Back. Get back!" 

The trio scrambled for higher ground, hiding themselves in the trees. They could still see Rikishi, but the viewpoint meant that whoever was coming couldn't see them.

"Ow!" Sami hissed when Jey grabbed his hair. "The hell?" His hair cascaded down his back as Jey pulled out his hair tie. "Believe me, it's better if they can't tell you're human," he murmured softly. 

Before Sami could question how his hair marked him as human, a branch snapped and Jey put his hand over his own mouth, motioning for the other two to do the same. 

"Carlisle," Rikishi said pleasantly. "Alice. Wonderful to see you again. I was hoping you could perhaps return my dinner." It was Dr. Cullen, and a tiny, raven-haired woman who could only be Alice. Even from here, Sami could see their eyes were once again jet black. 

"Ah. Food shortage back home?" 

"Food shortage everywhere," said Dr. Cullen. "Illegal hunters and trappers. We've been making do with rabbits, but we really need something that can sustain multiple of us. We've been taking turns going hungry."

"Lucky me, I got the two whose turn it is."

"You think we wanted to be here?" the vampire named Alice snapped, her 4ft 10in frame seeming much smaller as she stepped up to get in Rikishi's face. Sami couldn't think of them as fairies, not with everything Jey had shown him online.

There was a wet thud, and Sami's hand tightened over his mouth, willing himself not to vomit - the deer had a massive crater in its stomach, but still had its head, the frozen eyes staring. "Bumfuck California?" Alice shouted as a third vampire joined them, this one with a mop of blond curls and a face and shirt slick with blood. "You think I like having to go to the West Coast so my mate doesn't lose his shit and eat someone because he's STILL the baby in discipline somehow, even though Bella is much younger!" Her voice had risen to a scream, her chest heaving though she did not breathe, and Rikishi's hackles went up. Sami had read the phrase hundreds of times before, but had never before seen someone step into a fight stance like this, their shoulders locking and knees slightly bent, almost bending over as Rikishi jutted his head forward. "Maybe you ought to eat something, little lady."

"It'll be you if you don't watch it!"

Carlisle forced himself between them, and Sami didn't know how to process what he'd just seen - Dr. Cullen, tall and lithe, moving from one side of the clearing to another in seconds and pushing the 350lb Rikishi backwards like he weighed nothing. 

They moved like lightning, and each hit with the strength of ten men. Sami felt goosebumps prickle on his arms. 

"You will bite your tongues!" Carlisle snarled, and both sides fell silent. "This is not why we are here."

"We got a visit," he said with a finality, "from the Volturi. The curse has been activated, and the truce has been broken."

There was a horrible silence in which Sami thought about all the stories he'd read in the past week. 

"Well, don't pin this on us," Rikishi said eventually. "I don't know of a single alive member today who would be so stupid. My sons, they never even experienced the Surge."

Sami saw the doctor's- vampire's- vampire doctor's face twist into something like shame. 

"It was not one of you," he grimaced. "It was one of us."

"Rikishi, do you know of a vampire named Karrion Kross?" 

Sami's mouth fell open, and when he looked around he could see the twins were shocked too. 

"Karrion Kross? My sons work with the guy! You're saying he's one of you, and he hurt one of them?" Both twins shook their heads at Sami, each looking as confused as the other.

"Not them. I believe your son Jimmy has taken a mate?"

Sami's blood ran cold. 

"How on earth do you know that?" Rikishi's hand was inching towards the knife in his belt. 

"You know well what happens when a wolf takes a mate, Rikishi. And you know what happens to that mate, how the laws change. Kross found out and was enraged at the interspecies relationship - he's a real purist, we're lucky he wasn't turned when it was Edward and Bella. He attacked your son's mate, and that broke the rules of the truce. We are at war, people are going to die, Alice has seen your little ginger pet human in her visions."

Sami felt quite faint. Despite his boyfriend reaching for him he slipped, hissing a curse as he tore his forearm open on a jagged branch. Jey grabbed him on the other side to stabilise him, but the damage was done, and blood ran down Sami's arm. 

All three vampires were staring into the woods - the one called Jasper, though recently sated, was obviously hungry for more. 

"Holy..."

"Wow, that smell," Carlisle said, a look in his eyes that Rikishi knew and feared. "Afraid."

"And very, very close," whispered tiny Alice, gripping the arms of her male companions. "We need to leave before they find us. I-I can't... I won't be able to stand it."

"I know this blood," Carlisle said. "And I agree. A singer for sure." He looked right at Rikishi. "We must go to avoid disaster. You tell that boy with the broken ribs and the delicious-smelling blood that we said hi. Hi, and congratulations. He's part of this now whether he wants it or not." It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over Sami, and he looked at Jimmy with a mix of emotions, who put an arm around him. Before he could speak again, a cold wind blew suddenly from behind, stinging his cut arm and tangling his hair around his face.

"Jasper?"

The trio looked back to the clearing, where the bloody-faced vampire was stock still, staring right in their direction, the wind carrying Sami's scent right to him.

"Jasper, no! The imprint!"

A blond blur. Sami expected to be torn apart, not to hear a roar and see Jasper stopped halfway by- Sami's heart leapt into his throat.

A simply colossal charcoal grey wolf was snapping and snarling at the vampire. Sami screamed and ran, finding his voice, but the Usos stayed where they were. "Run!" he shouted. 

Jimmy turned to look at him, and as Sami caught hold of his hand, it was burning like fire. "Jimmy, run!" 

He screamed again when Jimmy disappeared, and a russet-coloured wolf leapt over Sami in his place. About half the size of the grey one, he was still enormous, and Sami rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Jasper slammed a rock-hard fist into the charcoal wolf, and it whimpered, crumpling.

"Jacob!" Rikishi shouted as the grey wolf took off on three legs, the fourth hanging uselessly.

Jimmy - is that really what he was accepting the creature before him was now? - darted forward and sank his teeth into the vampire's outstretched arm, ripping it off. Jasper howled, and Alice and Carlisle grabbed him and departed in a blur. 

The wolf before them shook and dropped to the ground, and in seconds a wheezing, naked Jimmy lay before them. Rikishi ran forward and so did Jey, but Sami stayed frozen. 

"Sami, the bag, the blanket! Bring it!"

Sami's legs moved on autopilot, dragging the camping bag. He was too shocked to be embarrassed over Jimmy's nudity.

Rikishi tore open the bag quickly, finding the emergency blanket and tucking it over Jimmy. "We don't have much time. We have to get you both home and into a bed before it starts."

"Before what starts?" Jey blurted. 

"The Surge, my boy. It's coming for you both, for all the others, and it's not going to be pretty. You see how he's barely breathing? We've never seen this in a grown man before. I have no idea when Jacob got his or how he kept it a secret, but it probably has something to do with his fight with Solo." Rikishi lifted Jimmy into his arms like he was still a baby and nodded at Sami's arm. "We'll take care of that once we're back. This is exactly why I wanted to keep an eye on you three!" He started running again, and Sami and Jey joined hands to follow him.

Chapter Text

When they got back to the bungalow, Aunty ran forward with a cry to help them. Jimmy seemed to be okay, but he was burning up, and Rikishi dismissed Sami's suggestions of ibuprofen and fluids. "I know you're his mate, but you're not one of us - this isn't something that can be fixed by anything Western." He lead the way into the red bedroom, and Sami got a look at where Jimmy spent his downtime. Lots of red, of course, but it was strangely tasteful. His walls were papered with clippings of him, mostly accompanied by Jey. Some were over ten years old, and Sami noticed with a jolt that there was a small section dedicated to him now, the bisexual flag card he'd asked Jimmy out with given pride of place.

Rikishi laid Jimmy gently on his bed. He was barely conscious, his eyes moving beneath his lids as if he were dreaming. "Now Jimmy's gone, your Surge could be any time." He said with his eyes on Jey. "We have to prepare." 

There were four heavy knocks at the door, and Sami jumped. What else could there be now? 

Jey went to answer it and came back with a scowling, bare-chested, bruised Jacob Fatu. His left arm was strapped to his chest, badly broken by Jasper, and he wore nothing but sandals and khaki shorts. "Heard y'all needed some lifting done."

Rikishi looked exasperated. "Jacob, you only have one good arm."

"And that's enough, Chief!" Jacob boomed, flexing his right arm. "I'll heal in a day or so anyways."

Between the two of them - Sami obviously couldn't lift anything, and Rikishi forbid Jey from doing so because of his fragility - they took Jey's bed and squeezed it into Jimmy's room alongside his own. When Jey had his Surge, it would be important he was close to his twin.

Sami held Jimmy's hand and kissed his burning forehead, and he mumbled something Sami couldn't decipher. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Kitchen," Rikishi said softly. "We all need to eat something, and there's nothing we can do for Jimmy now. We just have to look out for Jey." 

They didn't have to wait long. They were all devouring bread and soup, Jacob eating excellently and deftly with one hand, when Jey let out a strangled cry. They all stopped eating and looked at him. "Uce?" Sami asked hesitantly. Jey pushed his chair back as his body tensed uncontrollably, his back arching as he drew a breath and screamed. "D-Dad," he gasped, fear and pain on his face. "Hurts!" He started to shake and Rikishi flew from his chair. "Help me, both of you!" Sami held Jey's chair while Rikishi scooped him up and ran with him to the bed beside Jimmy. Jey reached out weakly, taking his brother's hand, and then his eyes rolled skyward.

"Jey?" Sami whispered. "Is.. is he-"

"Out," Rikishi grunted. "Looks like they both are. Drink?"

"Yes, please." Sami said shakily.

Jacob didn't stay much longer, thoroughly annoying both men when he pulled out a pipe and tobacco pouch. The smell made Sami feel sick nowadays, but the way Rikishi bellowed for him to get out made Sami think there were some cravings involved, and after the day they'd had, who could blame him? Sami reached out bravely and patted his hand. "Stay strong, sir," he said timidly. "How about that drink?"

Rikishi got up to make sure his hands were busy, and after some clattering he pulled out a bottle of clear liquid, the label long since faded. "100% moonshine," he said, knocking back a mouthful with apparent satisfaction and handing the bottle to Sami. "Drink up."

Sami took a big gulp to be polite and choked; the drink burned like nothing he'd ever tasted and there was a second where he was absolutely convinced he had just drank paint thinner. He coughed pathetically, eyes streaming, and Rikishi let out that wheezy, creaky laugh he'd gotten used to. "There you go, some hair on your chest now. Can't buy this anywhere these days, has to be made."

I wonder why, Sami thought sarcastically as he wiped his sweaty face. Unbelievably, though, the alcohol had burned away a little of the fear that had sat like a rock in his stomach since he cut his arm in the woods, making him feel stronger. He fingered the paper strips that acted in place of stitches. Rikishi grabbed two glasses and poured a little into each, setting Sami's before him. 

"Sir..." Sami said tentatively after a moment, as Rikishi sparked up a joint inside. "Not even the smell of weed will wake them, huh?" He joked weakly, almost eating the offered joint. "Sir, if Jimmy and Jey got their Surge..."

"I am the last of the original wolves," Rikishi said softly. "There is hope now my sons have started the change. I thought I was the last of my kind until I met my mate, and then again when the curse fell, and now once more our population booms when threatened - just as the original ancestors intended." It all lined up with the previous stories, and Sami felt ashamed to think he hadn't believed him before. 

"I got my Surge in the ripe old year of 1937 - twelve years old, a very early bloomer by all accounts."

Sami thought he must have misheard him, but if he'd learned anything from the past two weeks, it's that some things were correct the first time around. "1937?" He asked, unable to keep the incredulity out of his voice. "That would make you-"

"One hundred this August." The number sank into Sami's brain surprisingly easily, and he thanked God for drugs and alcohol. He took another restorative sip of his moonshine, finding it went down smoother the more he drank. "It has been a very long, hard life, Sami. I hope to have a good chunk more of it, but I cannot go at all without the peace being restored."

"But, sir-" 

"You may as well call me Chief. For all intents and purposes, the tribe is once more active, and I am the most senior member alive." 

"Chief, what is imprinting?"

"They left out that part of the story, yes. It's not very exciting." 

"The tribe have always held great respect for the ritual of two souls finding each other, but we wolves, we take it a step further. Imprinting is like... the person you love becomes not just your person, but the whole of you too, like a photocopy. Like it's no longer gravity holding you to the earth, it's them." 

A little montage of images began to play in Sami's head as he looked up through the haze in the kitchen. Jimmy knowing his routine down to the hour, Jimmy always being able to tell when he was hungry or sleepy or had to use the bathroom and preparing accordingly, the smell of him, the feral, possessive way he'd been around Jey recently when it came to Sami. The way he looked at Sami with a love so intense it nearly always made him blush. It fit, once again. 

"Chief, did you ever imprint?"

"I did." Rikishi's eyes were vacant; he was watching a mini-movie in his mind too. "Long, boring story." He blinked and looked at Sami once more. "I'll tell you sometime, but not tonight." 

"Prrp." Sami started and then breathed a laugh. Monroe leaped onto his lap, his collar jingling. He settled down and started a low rumble, and Sami stroked him happily, relaxing a good deal more than he had all day. 

"Monroe knows when people are upset," Rikishi remarked, surprising Sami by getting himself a glass of water - he'd never seen the man drink anything non-alcoholic, he realised with a rush of something like pity. 

"You know, he came to us as a human, but one day he annoyed me and I had Aunty turn him into a cat."

"What?!" Sami yelped, caught off guard. 

Rikishi burst out laughing. "Gotcha!" 

All the day's tension drained out of Sami like someone had poked a hole in him - Rikishi was actually teasing him, and his true laugh was even more infectious than Jimmy's. Deep and ridiculous, Sami thought absurdly as he joined in that it sounded like a wild animal being tickled. 

It took them quite a while to get it together, and Rikishi wiped his eyes and mopped his face with a sleeve. "Oh, Sami, I do apologise, I couldn't resist."

"S'okay," Sami wheezed, his ribs nowhere near healed enough to be laughing that much. "I deserved it." He checked his phone and was shocked to see it was almost midnight - he felt as if the whole day had occurred in the span of an hour.

"Time for bed, I think," Rikishi said, almost reading his thoughts in that scary way Jimmy and Jey had inherited. 

"What about you, Chief Uso?"

"Not tonight, Sami." Rikishi had not slept in his own bed since they had been here, Jimmy had whispered during one late-night makeout session - and indeed Sami had woken very early a couple of times and caught him in the leather armchair. Jimmy thought it was because he wanted to be close to them, because his own bedroom was all the way across the house, and protecting his descendants was more important than ever. 

"You're sure? I can set you up with a walkie in case you need anything or-"

"I said no." There was an edge to Rikishi's voice and Sami submitted, knowing it would be disrespectful to continue arguing. Rikishi lowered himself into the armchair and there was a whirr as it reclined, the footrest sliding out. "Get some sleep, Sami."

"Yes, Chief." He switched off the light on the way to his room and saw Monroe's eyes flash as he took a seat on Rikishi's armrest.

For the first time in weeks, Sami didn't lie awake worrying. Occasionally one of the twins let out a cry from the other room, but Sami didn't hear them - he was sleeping, heavy and dreamless. 

Miles away, across the country, Solo was screaming. As his fever had shot up that day, he wasn't cleared to compete and was brought straight to an emergency department instead. The trouble is, no tests showed that anything seemed to be wrong with him - and yet the machines around him screamed companionably, his heart rate climbing as the pain wracked him. 160, 180, 200, and darkness closed in around him.

He wasn't the only one. Soon the ED was full of screams of pain, the ICU doubled up as the Bloodline tribe awoke around the world - but mostly in the locker room. 

Chapter Text

When Sami woke, it was to multiple voices, none of them the twins. He shut his eyes again, disinterested in hearing anyone else, but the voices only got louder.

"A human, Chief Uso! In your house! Eating your food! Learning of us!" A man's voice, high and panicked.

"Edward, it is not that big a deal, we came here to treat the arm. Besides, it's not so long ago that I was the human being freaked out over." This voice was a woman's - warm, with a laugh underlying every word - and Sami decided that if he had to listen to one of them, he'd choose her. 

"And you're sure you can handle it?" There was Rikishi. "I've known Carlisle more than half my life. His discipline is unmatched. The look in his eyes when he smelled the blood... I was afraid for Sami." 

"We ate recently." The woman again. "I can do this. He'll be more comfortable with real stitches in - I can smell him from here as is. He smells wrong, there's going to be an infection. I bet you poured some moonshine onto the wound and called it a day." This was uncomfortably close to the truth - had Rikishi called in another vampire doctor?

There was a sudden knock, and Sami jumped. "Mm?" he called out, still sleepy. 

"Sami, there's someone here who wants to look at your arm." Rikishi called. "Get dressed. I'll make coffee." 

Sami took his time, and when he finally left his room and took his place at the kitchen table, Rikishi put a steaming mug in front of him.

He looked at the couple who had woken him with an aggrieved eye. The man - Edward, she'd called him, gave him a dirty look right back, his hair reminding Sami of Jimmy's fur, and a pair of those golden eyes sitting underneath. 

The woman... Sami's breath caught, and he remembered once again the line about the unnatural beauty of the vampires. From her perfect, silky dark hair to the gold eyes she hid behind curtains of lashes, Sami was drawn in all over again, until Rikishi cleared his throat loudly. 

"This is my son Jimmy's human mate, Sami. Sami, this is Ms Bella--"

"Swan," the woman cut him off, extending an immaculate hand, which Sami shook. He gasped; her skin was cold as ice. "This is my mate, Edward. Cullen." She added his last name with a hesitancy that told Sami she knew what was going on. 

"I think you'll find it's Dr. Swan," Edward said caustically. 

"Oh, that's right! Your father had said." 

"When you live forever, Sami," Bella said, now digging in a red first aid bag, "you have a lot of time to kill. Me, I went to med school so I wouldn't go crazy, because half the people in your class won't ever sleep either. It's kind of companionable." Sami yelped at the sting of an alcohol wipe; he hadn't even noticed her gently removing the paper stitches. "You're being stitched up by the best trauma fellow in the entire PNW."

"You don't sleep?" Sami asked; he wasn't sure what he had expected.

"Nope." Bella examined the wound as she cleaned it, and Sami's stomach lurched as he recognised some of his own muscle from the inside.

"Pretty deep," Bella murmured, her tongue between her teeth as she concentrated. "But small, and mostly clotted now. Five stitches sound okay, Sami?" Sami nodded. "Uh.. stitch away, I guess. Always wanted a cool scar." It was extremely strange being touched by someone so cold - goosebumps erupted wherever she put her fingers.

"You're very lucky that a tree branch scar is all you're getting." Bella said in a low voice, careful not to let Edward hear. She paused her careful work to pull up her own sleeve, and Sami shivered at the bite mark on her wrist. "Is.. Is that..." 

"When I got turned? No." Bella was back stitching again. "Those fade, and that's a story for another day. This is when I was still human, and someone like Karrion Kross didn't like that Edward had picked me as his mate. Edward saved me that night. It sounds like Jimmy saved you too." 

"Jasper..." Sami suddenly felt guilty.

"Fine. Arm intact. You can't kill us that easy." She gave him a brilliant smile and Sami warmed from the inside. "It's nice to meet another human who has no idea what's going on, it really is. You remind me of... well, me." She cut the thread. "All done." Sami examined his arm; he had barely felt the tiny, delicate stitches. 

"They should start to come out on their own in a week," Bella explained, repacking her bag. "If they don't, have Rikishi give me a call - or call me yourself." She dropped a Post-It on the table with a phone number written on it.

"No, you don't wanna spend gas money on coming all the way here," Sami said – and looked confused when all three laughed at him.

"We don't drive, Sami," Bella said. "We run." He had a wild vision of her hair streaming behind her as she took a path directly up a freeway, scattering cars in her wake. "It's no trouble. Really." 

"At least, not for her," Edward mumbled, his arms folded. "Some of us are a little older and would prefer to not have to run clear across three states every time a human has a boo-boo. Excuse me, it stinks in here." He left the house. 

"Forgive Edward," Bella said to Rikishi. "He's.. We're all..."

"I know." Rikishi said with his eyes on Edward's retreating back. "Hungry. Vegetarianism suits you, Bella." 

Bella saw the look on Sami's face and laughed, embarrassment creasing her beautiful face. "Sort of an inside joke. My family drinks only from animals, as do a few others. We're a little outcast, but better for it." Sami wondered just how many kinds of vampire there were out there, and decided he was better off not knowing. 

"Does it hurt?" The childish question had fallen from his lips before he could stop it, and he nodded towards Bella's wrist. 

"Being turned into a vampire? Excruciating. Worse than childbirth, which as it happens I was experiencing at the same time." Sami didn't know what to do with that answer, and Bella left soon after, bidding Sami once more to call her if he needed her. 

But he didn't, his stitches stayed where they were, and three days after the whole business in the woods, Sami rolled over as usual, opened his eyes - and screamed. 

"Ssh," the Greek god above him whispered. "You'll wake the whole street, Silly Sami."

"Jimmy?" 

It certainly looked like Jimmy - the brown eyes, the lopsided grin, the shaggy hair reaching his butt - well, that was certainly new, as were the massive muscles he had gained in every part of him. Sami gasped as Jimmy climbed in with him and the bed groaned under his weight. "Miss me?" That smell, it was the strongest yet, and Sami couldn't stop hot tears spurting as he wrapped himself around Jimmy. 

"Sami, don't cry!" Jimmy laughed shakily, and then laughed for real. "Hey, that tickles! You need to trim your beard!"

"I thought I was never ever going to see you again," came the muffled voice from somewhere below his heart. 

"I'm right here!"

"You're hot," Sami sniffled, stroking his arm - as hot as he'd been the day he'd turned into a giant animal. "What if you're still sick?" 

"It's a wolf thing," came a voice from the doorway. Rikishi was watching them cuddle, okay with it for once. "We run hot because of how much energy we burn transforming." 

Sami thought he would be okay with his boyfriend being a permanent space heater, especially in the winter. 

"Sami, you're beautiful," Jimmy breathed as they roused and wandered out to the kitchen. "Have you always been so beautiful?" Sami laughed, blushing. The sounds, the smells, everything was amplified. He could see every individual strand of hair on Sami's head, hear his heart beating and his stomach gurgling, smell his morning breath from here. He wrinkled his nose at that one. "Sami, you need to brush your teeth bad." Sami wrapped his arms around Jimmy in response, childishly breathing in his face.

"You imprinted." Rikishi said soberly. "You remember anything of the woods?"

Jimmy shook his head. "I remember the deer, and... m-my skin was really itchy and tight and my heart felt like it was gonna explode." He lifted a hand to push his hair back and Sami noticed it; a highlighted streak the same colour as the wolf's fur had appeared in Jimmy's hair. "Sami... I had to protect Sami." 

Rikishi nodded. "It happens to us all. Jey is lucky he kept his cool. You must have imprinted some time after I gave you my blessing. I feel, in a way, responsible for all this."

"No!" Sami said - he had become quite endeared to Rikishi over the past while and couldn't bear him blaming himself. "I'm the one who asked Jimmy out, and decided we should go out in public where Kross took the picture and decided he couldn't handle us--"

"Kross?" Jimmy looked blank. "What does he have to do with all this?" He really didn't remember anything.

***

Solo didn't remember much. A bit of a fever, then blinding pain, then a flash of a doctor's face, then darkness. And then he was fine, discharged without anything seemingly wrong, and the world lit up with smells and colours and sounds as he walked out the automatic doors. He got some strange looks, but figured it was because nobody looks great after three days in a hospital bed. 

Overwhelmed, he finally made it back to his hotel room, and in the honest light of his bathroom mirror he saw himself and screamed, toppling over backwards and landing hard in the bath, almost bent in two by its narrow dimensions. 

Grumbling, he pulled himself up again.

The stranger in the mirror had hair to his very muscular shoulders, dark hair underlaid with blood red. At the sight of the barest strands of bleach blonde at the ends of that hair, Solo gasped - and the stranger's lips moved too. He raised a hand, waved it. It was him! 

"What the fuck?" He asked aloud. There were four knocks at the door, and he sighed, dreading to have to explain to whatever reporter or bellhop why he looked so different - because he didn't know. He didn't think for a second about the number of knocks.

He opened the door and in came a veritable army of hairy, muscle-bound Bloodline members. There was far too many of them to fit in one hotel room.

"The fuck is happening to us?" Tala snarled.

"I woke up," Nia howled, "and my eyebrows had grown out! My eyebrows!" Her already highlighted hair was threaded with silver.

"You know we were out for three days?" Tama.

"They were gonna pull the plug!" Roman.

"I can't afford this, you know!" Tonga.

"OKAY!" Solo was standing on the bed, because there really wasn't room for all of then on the ground. "I think I know what happened. You remember how D–" He couldn't say it. "How Rikishi used to tell that one story when we went camping?" 

There was a general groan.

"Not this again."

"Dude, this story sucks!"

"It always reads like a bad sci-fi sequel." 

"I wouldn't know, I was always sent to bed with the rest of the girls-"

"Would you let that go already? You're gonna hear it now, aren't you?"

"Not if you don't shut up!" Soko shouted over the arguing. 

After a much less smooth retelling than the twins had given, with many interruptions, Solo thought he had convinced them of what was happening. 

He was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sleep some more, sleep away the muscles and the long hair and wake up himself again, but this was him now. 

"Okay so, let's say all this is true," Nia said, helping herself to the minibar. She tossed several small bottles at Solo and he caught them without even thinking - apparently better reflexes came with this new state. He drank them in one, and once it hit his stomach he felt a little better. 

"Let's say this is all true. What do we even do now? The only one who would stand as Chief is your dad" - Solo flinched - "and none of us are exactly on speaking terms with him. We have no true faction, no leader, and nowhere to go. What do you suggest?"

Five pairs of eyes stared at him, and Solo started to panic - she was right. He'd gone from being in charge of them all to possibly facing mutiny, and it wasn't even his fault.

His phone buzzed and he was grateful for the distraction. He pulled it out, and four words made him choke up.

We need to talk.

"Solo?"

"Dude, are you crying?"

"What is it?"

Solo didn't answer any of them. He stared straight into the distance, tears forming and then leaking down his cheeks before he could stop them. There was one place he could go. One place he could always go.

Home to his dad.

Chapter Text

It took them quite a while to explain what they'd learned while the twins were out, and halfway through Jey padded out, easily twice the size he'd been three days previously, and they had to start all over again. Jey's highlights, Sami learned, were a stormy blue-grey, not dissimilar to Jacob's fur colour but much paler, and he suddenly wondered if that was why Jacob dyed his tips. 

When Rikishi was finished his second retelling, Jimmy wandered over to Jey with tears in his eyes, intertwining their fingers. "Sorry, uce. I've been..." Any number of unspoken insults could've filled in the gap.

"Yeah, you have!" Jey said with a sob as they embraced. "But it turns out we're giant wolves and you were undergoing giant wolf puberty, so I think I can forgive you." His body shook as Jimmy laughed with his face hidden. "I love you, uce."

"Love you." 

Sami didn't know if he should move or not, but Jimmy soon beckoned him forward and he slotted neatly between the two. He laughed incredulously; they were at least a head taller than him now, and the way Jimmy kissed him made his head spin.

"Ahem." said Rikishi politely. When Sami and Jimmy only gripped each other more firmly and swayed on the spot, he raised his voice. "Oye! There's a war going on here!" 

They broke apart. "Sorry, Chief," Sami said, blushing. 

"So it's true?" Jimmy said. "We're fighting?" 

"For as long as we need to."

"I wanna help." Sami heard a voice say. When they all stared at him, he realised it had been him. "I wanna fight." He rolled up his sleeve to expose his forearm. "Turn me. I don't care how bad it hurts. I wanna be one of you. Kross can't cry if we're the same species."

There was a sticky silence. 

"Sami, shifters are born, not made," Rikishi said gently. "There is a way - but you have to be on the very verge of death for it to take. It's too dangerous, both for you and the person who turns you." 

"So there's nothing I can do?" Sami said, his voice catching with suppressed tears. "Kross is coming for all of us and I'm just supposed to sit here in my stupid human body and do nothing?"

"We have people, we can arrange round-the-clock protection for you--"

"I don't want protection!" Sami's shout rang out. Monroe hissed and streaked away under a chair, and Aunty came running. The weight of the last two weeks, of surgery and broken ribs and Karrion Kross and goddamn supernatural wars, all came crashing down on Sami. "I am sick and tired of sitting down waiting for things to happen around me!"

"Sami." Rikishi said patiently.

"A fucking vampire doctor stitched my arm up the other day! And I just accepted that, yknow? That's what my life is now."

"Sami." 

"You know what's crazy, is that's not the first vampire doctor I've met in the span of two weeks. Isn't that fucking insane? My friends are giant wolves and my boyfriend is a giant wolf and my enemies are vampires, both of which are real, but apparently some vampires are good? Either way, I am utterly useless!" 

"Sami..."

"Amd you all know more about this than me and you have little inside jokes and I'm just the human clinging to your son and starting a war." It felt like there was a knife between his sore ribs as his breath came in gasps.

"ENOUGH!" There was a growling distortion to Rikishi's voice and Sami saw, for the first time, the shadow of the wolf upon his face. Both twins had their eyes glued to the floor, recognising they were outranked. 

"If your human body could handle it I'd throw you across this kitchen, but you're damaged enough as is. Show some respect. You're lucky it's not so easy to become a wolf, because that kind of disrespect could get you banished back in my day. How dare you raise your voice to your Chief, the father of your mate?" The dressing down was thorough. Sami hated disappointing authority figures, and as much as he tried to stop them his tears spilled over. 

Rikishi softened considerably upon seeing him cry. "You aren't useless, Sami. Just human. I won't have you making such defamatory statements about someone my son has imprinted on. You're special now, whether you like it or not. Kross wants you dead so badly that he's going to slip up and make mistakes, and that's when we'll get him."

There was another short silence, then Rikishi opened his arms a little awkwardly. "May I? You don't have to... I know Jey doesn't like--" He made a surprised noise as Sami practically bounced off his chest. Rikishi stood strong and held him as he sniffled and hiccuped. "Stronger men than you have simply gone insane upon seeing our true forms. If you ask me, your reaction is fairly mild." Sami giggled wetly. "You don't have to be ashamed. The original tribe believed that a person's sensitivity is their strength." It was like being hugged by a perfectly warm brick wall, and Sami began to understand what Jimmy liked so much about deep pressure. 

Jimmy took over the hug quickly. "Jey and I must speak with Jacob," Rikishi said. "I trust you will watch over Jimmy, and vice versa?" 

"Yes, Chief, of course." 

"Good man." The praise made Sami squirm. "You're a good man, Sami Zayn. Above all, remember that." 

The pair left, and Sami and Jimmy found themselves with a near-empty house. Sami felt a tingle of pleasure as Jimmy's lips brushed his neck, arms wrapped around him. "Take me to the bedroom," Sami whispered, suddenly wanting him badly, and squealed as Jimmy lifted him easily.

Chapter Text

Sami giggled as Jimmy laid him gently on the guest bed, then threw himself onto it beside him. They kissed, Sami loving the smell of him - sweat and dirt and smoke, like a wild thing, and Sami enjoyed being pressed up against his hard body - until Jimmy chose to pull himself back. "I-I don't wanna hurt you," he panted. "I'm so much stronger now." He pressed Sami's wrists to the mattress to demonstrate and his boyfriend moaned.

"Well," Sami murmured to him, "I'd like to think there are lots of ways we can do this without you needing to move a muscle. C'mere." He lay down, pulling Jimmy with him, and they lay there, Sami the little spoon.

After a second, Sami slowly moved his hips in a circle, and a gasp from Jimmy told him he had found his mark. "How's that, Jimmy?" he murmured. Jimmy didn't respond, so he circled his hips again, harder. "A-Ah! Good!" 

"Just good?" Sami asked. "I mustn't be doing my job correctly, then." 

"G-great!" Jimmy gasped as Sami pressed back against him. "So great, Sami, so hot." This arousal was like none he'd ever felt, hot in his veins, and his cock felt as if it were on a hair trigger. He suddenly desperately wanted to fill Sami with his come, and the visual image made him so turned on he whimpered into Sami's neck. "Oh, Sami..." Sami thrusted faster.

Sami was hard too, the smell and the sounds and Jimmy's lips on his neck too much to handle. With every thrust he grunted as his tip rubbed against his boxers, and he looked forward to the day he could touch himself again more than ever.

"Yeah?" Sami asked, switching it up by rotating his hips the other way and feeling a little precome dribble onto his back. "What is it, Jimmy? Use your words for me." 

"Feels so fucking good, Sami," Jimmy moaned throatily. "You feel so good against my cock. Wanna be inside you. Wanna fill you up." Sami moaned, red-faced as he rubbed himself against his love as fast as he could. "Mine," he murmured to encourage him. "You're mine, and I'm yours, and you can use me however you like." 

"Gonna- gonna make a mess, Sami," Jimmy gasped, a sudden heat gripping him from the inside. He had never come this fast before and had a feeling that it was going to be violent. He couldn't stop himself from grabbing Sami's hips, almost using him as a toy.

"Yeah, I bet you are," Sami moaned, fighting to keep still so he didn't come as well. "Oh, Jimmy, come for me."

"Sami."

"Jimmy!"

"S-Sami!" He shot hot ropes over his boyfriend's back. Sami felt himself being painted with come and squeezed his eyes shut, knowing he would have many an orgasm to this memory in the future. They held one another, and then Jimmy reached for a towel to clean Sami up. He squealed softly as Sami reached back to repay the favour and brushed his tummy. "Oh, good, you're still ticklish." He wiggled his fingers experimentally.

"Nohoho!" Jimmy thought he might actually be more ticklish now, but there was no way in hell he was going to tell Sami that. His face flushed as Sami rolled over on top of him to tickle him properly. "S-Sami.. Your ribs." 

"It's not mine I'm worried about," Sami whispered, and Jimmy started to laugh uncontrollably as Sami played with his bottom ribs. "S.. S... Sami!" He could barely get a word in through his laughter, and it was really turning Sami on. 

Sami trailed kisses all the way down to Jimmy's belly button, where he gleefully used his tongue, and the bed creaked while Jimmy laughed his hardest yet. 

"Aw, does that tickle, Jimmy?" Sami asked softly, running just one finger across his tummy now. "Is my big strong man so sensitive after transforming? I wonder what would happen if I gave you some of those raspberries you love so much." He was making the most of Jimmy not being able to tickle him back.

Jimmy whimpered. "Don't you dare." 

"Oh, I dare." Sami said, lowering his mouth. The resulting screams had Aunty banging at the door, and Sami had to give Jimmy a break so he could reassure her.

"Just a movie, Aunty!" Jimmy gasped as Sami did interesting things to his neck. "All fine!" 

"You boys keep that TV turned down, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

Sami laughed against Jimmy's lips, and they had a heavy makeout session, tickles forgotten for now. Sami guided Jimmy's hand into his lap quickly. "Wait," Jimmy panted. "You can't come - the muscles -"

"Who says I have to come?" Sami whispered, then shut his eyes as Jimmy stroked him through his boxers. "Oh fuck, okay, stop." He was aching almost instantly after two weeks without contact, and knew right away that he wouldn't stand up to being edged. "Never mind. Sorry." Jimmy kissed him more instead, guiding Sami to climb atop him once more, and Sami rode the little jolts of pleasure that came whenever he moved. "Feels... oh, Jimmy." Sami being so turned on and yet almost medically forbidden to have an orgasm made Jimmy start to get hard all over again. 

They fooled around like that for the rest of the afternoon, ending up naked together under the bedcovers. There was so much more of Jimmy to love now, Sami thought admiringly as he stroked and tickled every inch of him. Jimmy came a second time under his careful ministrations, and as his white-hot orgasm hit him and he thrashed, there was an ominous groaning sound and they both shrieked as the bed collapsed beneath them.

Luckily Aunty saw the funny side even though Jimmy's careful fibs ("Sat down too fast, Aunty. Sorry.") and by the time she had finished fussing over them and making sure they were unharmed by the bed breaking, Rikishi and Jey were arriving home. Sami shook in his boots, but the chief was rather jovial about the entire thing - helped, Sami later found out, by the large quantities of brandy he and Jacob had put away. Sami suspected that he knew they were doing more than watching a movie. 

News reports broke that evening of a strange infection affecting a small group inside the WWE. Triple H looked frazzled as he reported that they were all fine.

"Everyone recovered after three critical days. We're very lucky and we're very grateful to all the hospital staff..." Rikishi muted the sound and looked at all three boys, who looked scared. "It's starting." He said, and departed immediately for his office, not returning until dinner time.

"I got a message," Rikishi said later that night as they ate dinner, "from Carlisle. He says they were all able to feed recently, that they're feeling much stronger. Jasper also extends his apologies for the other day, and hopes you two can meet formally." Sami shivered, remembering how he had stood and waited for death to take him that day. "We'll need them, whether we like it or not. Bella's shield in particular, if Sami's blood is as attractive as it seems to be." 

"Bella's not so bad," Jey said. "She's funny. It's the rest of them I don't like so much - no sense of humour, looking down on us, because being a blood-drinking monster is so much better than eating a little raw meat!" 

"Hey." Rikishi's tone was firm. "None of that. Monster is the word of the enemy, one used to describe the love Jimmy and Sami share."

"But that's what they are," Jimmy piped up, his face falling as Rikishi turned his gaze on him. "And you, James? The other day when an ancient power actived inside of you, and you turned into a gigantic wolf and tore someone's arm off with apparent relish? What were you then, but a monster?" Jimmy kept his eyes firmly fixed on the worn wood of the table. "The word of the enemy." Rikishi said.

"Sorry, Chief." Jimmy said immediately, and Jey parrotted him. "That's better."

The twins still looked put out, and Rikishi sniffed the air. "What.. oh, Jimmy!" 

The smell hit Sami a second later and he coughed and laughed. "Oh my God, what died inside you?"

Jimmy flushed. "That was not me!"

They all looked at Jey instead. "I'm nervous!" the younger twin snapped.

A second passed and they all yelled once more as there was another wave of gas. "Jey!"

"Okay, that one was me." Jimmy said, grinning. "Sorry."

"You should be," Rikishi said, but after a moment his face contorted into a terrible smile. "That was weak." The twins, used to this, screamed and ran, but Sami wasn't so lucky. As the smell overwhelmed him he charged after the twins, choking. 

"I mean no disrespect, Chief," he coughed as he stopped at the sliding door, "but that is truly, truly foul." 

"Dad," came Jey's voice, obviously not worried about disrespect, "you're disgusting!" 

They were all laughing so much that none of them noticed they were being watched from the high trees. Karrion Kross stood downwind so none of them could smell him. Impure, disgusting little dogs messing around with humans, blurring the lines drawn hundreds of years ago. If Kross had been able to vomit, he would have.

He could grab him now, just take off with his Canadian bacon. He'd have pieces of him scattered along the border before they could even catch up.

But if he took him now he'd have to be quick, it would be messy, and Kross liked to savour his catches. His red eyes gleamed in the evening light, and he licked his lips as he thought about punishing the wrongdoers. Not now, but soon.

Very soon.

Chapter Text

There wasn't much to do for a day or more. Sami watered the plants, petted Monroe, smoked with Rikishi when the twins fell asleep, and tried not to think about all the ways he could die that would have them scrambling for something to tell his family.

On the second day since Rikishi had texted Solo, Sami was napping on the couch with Jimmy and Jey when there was an almighty crash and all three startled awake, ready for a fight. The front door was hanging off its hinges, but the destruction ended there - in fact, the only things they could hear were the porch swing creaking gently and someone sobbing. Rikishi's voice drifted in. "It's okay, it's okay." The three got up cautiously and tiptoed to the door.

The Tongas stood around looking awkward, along with Nia and Roman, who was looking like he'd rather be anywhere else than at the beck and call of the Chief he'd disrespected so many times over. All five bore hallmarks of the Surge, and Sami wondered how he was thinking that so casually. 

Rikishi was rocking gently back and forth on the swing, a shaggy head pressed to his chest and making his shirt wet. 

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"You are my son. You better believe you're sorry, but you needn't be." With a hiccup, a red-eyed Solo raised his head.

Jey recognised him instantly, but Solo with long hair was such a shock that it was the blonde tips that identified him to Jimmy. 

"Solo?"

Solo started crying afresh upon seeing his brothers, but Rikishi stopped them from piling onto him. "You have all gained thirty pounds apiece, and then there's me. If you break my grandfather's porch swing, I will build a new one from your bones." The twins knew better than to challenge his hyperbole, but Solo laughed through his tears and got up clumsily. He half raised his arms, not quite daring to hope.

"I'm sorry, uce. It was all stupid, I was stupid too. Jey, I tried to make you betray your twin brother. It was a useless, selfish, stupid thing to do and I couldn't possibly have been more wrong."

"Jimmy..." Jimmy wouldn't look at him - he was, after all, the reason he and Jey still struggled to get along. "I hurt you so bad, and I never even said sorry. I'm saying it now. I hope it's not too late."

Jey and Jimmy looked at each other, then at him. Solo's heart started to thump hard, and this time it was extra humiliating because he knew they could all hear it. 

"You had me at "I was stupid", personally," Jimmy said with a grin. 

"Yeah, that part got me on board too. I think he should say it again."

"Shut up!" Solo was crying again, or maybe laughing - he was struggling to tell himself because Jimmy and Jey had hugged him as hard as they could. "I was stupid, is that what you want to hear?" 

"Yes!" Jimmy said, kissing the top of his head. 

"I think I literally said that," Jey added. "He's dumb now too. Too much time hanging with MFT." 

Solo was trapped between his big brothers and was enjoying it far too much - MFT weren't a very touchy group. He took the teasing happily as long as it meant the twins were hugging him, but as usual Jey got twitchy fast. 

"But I don't understand what happened to the door," Sami said, rather enjoying the mixed looks of shock, disgust and pure confusion their visitors gave him. "Hi. I'm the human Jimmy imprinted on. Surprise." 

"I was getting to that." Rikishi said quietly.

"But what happened to the door?"

"I was convinced," Solo piped up, refusing to let Jimmy go, "that Dad wouldn't want me back."

"And I said," Roman cut in, "that if he didn't wanna answer the door we'd break it down."

"And then he was slow to answer-"

"I am a hundred years old." Rikishi protested.

"He was slow to answer and Nia got ahead of herself."

"Which Nia does."

"I'm right here!"

"All of that to say," Solo finished, "Nia broke the door, and Nia is gonna fix it. What's for dinner?" The last part popped out automatically and he covered his mouth, looking around. "Sorry - I mean - we'll go - there's a diner down the road and we can all run pretty good now."

Rikishi rolled his eyes. "Get inside, all of you, before I change my mind." There was a stampede, and he shouted after them "Everyone fixes the door before anyone eats, you hear me?" Sami trailed in the rear, grinning. "I heard you, Chief." He held out his arm and Rikishi gladly accepted the hand up. But he was smiling, and for the first time Sami noticed he had come out without his walking stick. As his tribe got stronger, so did he. Sami felt a rush of affection towards him - he really cared so much about them all. He wondered how he could have misjudged him so badly. 

Of course, Rikishi felt the exact same way.

There was far too much post-Surge Bloodline to fit in one small home and they ended up outside where they started, eating rice and black beans off of paper plates. Solo got weepy again, the simple food bringing back memories, and Jimmy ended up practically attached to him to comfort him. Sami sat down with Jey instead. "Meet me inside?" Jey murmured, and Sami nodded. 

He was expecting a conversation, something not for their dad's ears, or another more delicate matter. It was certainly delicate - Jey grabbed him and kissed him as soon as he they were alone. "What are you doing?" Sami hissed, squirming away. "I told you, the other day was an accident. I'm with Jimmy, and he imprinted. You know what he'll do if he finds out?" 

"Polyamory is pretty common in wolves. Are you seriously telling me you don't feel this too?" Sami blushed. "I can hear your heartbeat, and I think you feel it." 

"I can't," Sami sighed. "I won't hurt Jimmy like that." He took a step back and collided with something hard, warm, and musky. He gasped as Jimmy kissed the back of his neck. "You don't have to," his mate whispered. "You can have us both, if you want. I'll still be your life partner, and Jey will still be your best friend, we'll just... both touch you. If you want," he reiterated. "You can say no, you can say no whenever you need to and we'll end it."

"I want." Sami breathed, and moaned as they each took a side of his neck. He kissed Jimmy, then Jey, then Jimmy again, and they were all thoroughly hot and bothered within a few seconds. "I wanna make you come in front of him," Jimmy whispered, "so he knows who's in charge." Sami's knees almost buckled from arousal. "My ribs," he whimpered, aware he was hard. 

"Couple more days, Sami. That's all. Then you can come." Jey reached for his waistband and Jimmy smacked his hand away before Sami could stop hin more gently. "Hey. That's my mate you're touching without asking. My asexual mate, who needed forever to even let me touch him." 

"Jimmy, it's okay, he didn't know," Sami said, rubbing his arm, but it actually turned him on to see Jimmy be so protective and jealous. "Besides, it seems like you've been waiting to prove that I'm yours, so you should have the honour of my first post-surgical orgasm." he whispered in Jimmy's ear, making his love blush brightly. "But feel free to keep fighting over me, it's hot." 

Jey tickled his side and Sami squealed, backing up - and collided with Jimmy, who grabbed his arms and exposed his sides further. "Nohoho!" He realised that this meant that there would always be someone to tickle him and someone to hold him down, and he was very lucky that they weren't in a position to do anything major right now. Damn it if it wasn't hot though; he was half hard from all the dirty talk. He had always been turned on more by talk than touch, and both of the twins seemed to understand that beautifully.

"W-We're gonna get caught!" Sami giggled, not able to hold it in. 

"Mm. You're right." Jey licked Sami's neck. "God, you do taste good. No wonder Kross wants to eat you so bad." 

It was like a brick had been dropped into Sami's stomach. All the fear and anxiety came rushing back, and Sami stepped back, pressing into Jimmy for comfort. 

"You don't just say shit like that," Jimmy snarled, his arm around Sami protectively. 

"Uh, sorry uce, it slipped out-"

"Not to the person who's actually at risk of being eaten. Not ever. Say you're sorry."

"I'm sorry, Sami." Jey's eyes were soulful, not a hint of laughter in them - he meant it. "I love you." Sami felt his heart skip a beat at the omission of the uce.

"I love you too." 

"Okay," Jimmy looped an arm around either of their necks. "They're actually gonna get suspicious if we don't go back out there."

They hugged for a moment longer, and then went back out into the sunshine as if nothing had happened.

But it had, and they knew it had.

After multiple extremely sobering conversations with the new arrivals, Sami tossed and turned that night, acutely aware of the grunts and snores in the main room - somehow Solo had convinced Rikishi to let him and all the tribe to stay the night, and there were huge sleeping forms everywhere. His mind was whirring with everything they'd discussed today - war, help from the Cullens, him and Jimmy, why nobody had seen Kross at all. He felt more useless than ever.

Sami couldn't stand it any longer. He slipped out of his own bed and eased his door open, stepping carefully in the dark. He found Jey's room and climbed into bed with him. "Couldn't resist, could you?" Jey said sleepily.

"Jey," Sami whispered, "I need to know how to become a wolf." 

Chapter Text

Day fifteen in his new world. Jimmy and him had formed a much deeper bond than anything the old one could've given them. It was terrifying and wonderful and he never wanted to go back. 

Rikishi had left for the day, Aunty in tow. Grocery day, he had said, but they were wearing long pants in the heat of summer and Sami spotted him stowing his silver knife away before they left. The twins and Sami were left alone, for the first time since Sami admitted to feeling things for both of them, and they had big plans. 

"Okay," Sami said, sitting cross-legged on Jey's bed. "Go through it one more time for me."

"Sami, you really don't have to do this." That was Jimmy.

"I know, I want to do it. A failsafe, right? Just in case. If you guys are fast enough I won't need it." 

"It's a little like a blood brother ritual," Jey said. "It doesn't hurt except for the cut, and you use a super sharp knife so even that barely hurts. You cut Jimmy's left chest and he'll cut yours, and you drink. The idea is that you're taking power from each other's hearts."

"D-Drink?" Sami said.

"I told you it was extreme, didn't I? You don't have to actively drink - some people embrace the wolf and lick it away. As long as you're exchanging blood and saliva." 

"And that'll be it?" Sami asked. "I'll be a wolf like you all?"

"No," Jimmy said. "Not unless someone pushed you to the brink of death, and I'm not going to let that happen. We're not going to let that happen. But you'd have... symptoms. A newfound appreciation for raw meat, you might find your stamina is better, that your vision and hearing have improved."

"Where did you learn all of this, anyway?"

"Oh!" Jey scrabbled beneath the bed and pulled out a thick book bound in soft purple leather. "Borrowed this from Dad the night we woke up from our Surge. Thought we might as well go back to the source." He flipped it open, and Sami gasped softly in wonder. The book was an almost entirely handwritten diary, almost an encyclopedia of the tribe. There were newspaper clippings and photos attached here and there, but most of it was in a familiar slanting print.

"Rikishi?" Sami asked.

"His father, and his father before him, and we'd be here all day if I kept going, but yes, he's taken it up too. Flip to the back."

Sami took his time, marvelling at the newness of the pages despite the book obviously being several hundred years old. "Is there some special wolf spell protecting this book from aging too?"

"Yeah, the magical combination of keeping it wrapped in cellophane and stored in a safe." Jey snorted.

Sami smiled as he reached the back pages. The writing was much fresher, the ink bold on the pages. Rikishi had talked about them all experiencing the Surge, and he'd sketched Jimmy's wolf form too, a crumbling arm clutched in his jaws. But when Jimmy reached out and unfolded the paper taped in beside the sketch, Sami thought his heart might stop.

It was a family tree, and all the way at the bottom, the 32-year-old Jimmy Uso was linked with a brand new Sami Zayn. 

"Now it's official," Jimmy said softly, stroking the page lightly. "You're part of our history."

"Let's do it." Sami said suddenly. "I want to be a wolf in theory, even if it never happens in practice."  

After they had gotten set up with towels in case there was a mess, Jey did the honours, helping them make a small nick in both their chests and then helping to guide their heads to each others' wounds. Sami didn't exactly appreciate the taste of blood, but he had to admit the cold sting of the blade followed by the warmth of Jimmy's tongue had him breathing a little heavy. They broke away, iron in both mouths. "Is that it?" Sami asked Jey. "Is it done?" 

"See for yourself," Jey said, nodding at their chests. Sami looked down, and the chest wounds appeared to be clotting already. "We're a part of each other now," Jimmy breathed. He and Sami kissed sloppily, starting to moan. Sami stretched himself out on the bed and Jimmy joined him. 

"In my bed? Really?"

"You can pick holes," Jimmy told him, "or you can sit there and watch." He started to kiss Sami's neck, and when he was good and worked up he gently rubbed across his thigh. "You wanna touch yourself, Sami? Show my brother who makes you feel so good?"

"Mm!" Sami was desperate for contact and moaned when he gripped his own cock. Jey bit his lip at the sight of it, starting to get hard too. "Pretty," he whispered, then blushed when they looked at him. "Your cock. It's pretty." 

He was desperate for Sami too, but they seemed to only have eyes for each other tonight. Sami gasped as he experimented with a little squeeze, and Jimmy leaned in close. "Wanna show Jey what happens when I and only I tickle you?" Sami nodded, grabbing Jimmy's hand and placing it on his hip, a squealing giggle erupting when Jimmy started to poke and squeeze. "Jimmyehehe!" His hand was a blur on his leaking cock. 

"Oh good boy, Sami," Jimmy crooned, looking right at an erect Jey, who couldn't help but palm himself, the soft denim feeling better than he thought on his cock. "Fffuck - look away, won't you?" Jey gasped. "You're killing my boner."

Jimmy laughed, nibbling along Sami's shoulder and making him laugh harder. "Who do you belong to, hey?"

"Jimmy!"

"One more time," he soothed, not stopping the tickles for a second. "Tell me one more time whose you are and you can come."

"I'm coming."

"Not until you tell me, you're not."

"I'm coming!" 

"You're such a good boy. Just say my name."

"J-Jimmy U--so-ohh!" Jimmy kissed Sami while he came, meeting Jey's eye ever so briefly as if to say, I told you so. He stroked his mate's face. "Okay?"

"Best first post-surgical orgasm in history," Sami gasped, his cock still twitching and leaking. This was a new sensation for him, and he had a hazy memory of admitting to Jey - shitfaced, obviously - that he liked to be watched having an orgasm, on the rare occasion it happened. 

There was a shaky breath from the end of the bed, and they looked up to see a very turned on Jey, squeezing himself in his jeans to ease the ache.

"Would you get out already so I can think about Sami and not also see my brother?" he snapped.

Jimmy laughed. "No problem, uce. Now you know your place." He growled and grabbed Sami, who laughed as Jimmy picked him up and charged out of Jey's room to his own. 

As he popped the buttons on his jeans, Jey took himself in hand and thought about how Sami's lips matched the head of his cock, and how much he'd like to have either of those inside him.

Chapter Text

Sami did indeed feel some of the symptoms Jimmy had described creep up on him over the next week. He felt his muscles ache, a little like growing pains, and he started to like his meat much rarer.

However, as the twins had warned him, he wasn't a shifter, not yet, and hopefully not ever because of the massive cost to him and his mate. 

So when Sami woke up on day five with a rolling tummy, he was reminded very sharply of that fact. Rikishi was in the main bathroom and he had to rush outside, shuddering as spiders scuttled across the outhouse floor.

He guessed going hardcore into an ancient magical ritual would do this to a human, but he lived with people who were more than human now, his new family for life, and it was easy to forget he wasn't one of them. He vomited again and again, trying to keep it as quiet as possible. 

Sami staggered weakly back to the house and collapsed onto the couch. "Oh," he moaned weakly; the cool fabric felt nice on his skin. 

"Eat something funny?"

Sami jumped out of his skin, and the very motion made him have to smother another dry-retch. 

Rikishi was standing over him, looking more like a disappointed father than Sami had ever seen him. 

They obviously hadn't told him about undergoing the ritual for fear that he would wipe all three of them off the face of the earth, but Sami hadn't had any trouble concealing his symptoms until today. He guessed the stress of hiding this on top of everything else had exacerbated things. 

He cleared his throat, pushing his hair off his sweaty face and sitting up. "No, Chief. Just woke up and felt a little funny is all."

"Hmm." Rikishi said, pressing a massive hand to Sami's forehead unexpectedly. Sami was still startled by the wolves' high body temperature every time. "You do feel a little warm. Maybe you should stay behind today."

"Chief!" Sami protested. "Today is huge!"

The Cullens thought they'd found Kross's trail. He'd killed two locals in the three weeks Sami had been here, and each day he felt a flicker of fear as Rikishi opened the newspaper, just in case. They were all meeting today, and the Cullens had confirmed this last night, saying they were all still safely sated. He looked at Rikishi beseechingly now.

"Chief, can I speak freely?"

"Fine, go ahead."

"It's not like I can get anyone sick. The Cullens are literally dead-" Rikishi's lips twitched almost imperceptibly; Sami hadn't quite made him laugh properly yet but he thought he got a little closer each day. "And tribal members don't get sick, right?" It was true, Rikishi thought; the heat of their cores killed everything off before it could infect them. 

"Okay," he said. "But you ride with one of the vampires." Sami cocked his head and he sighed. "Carlisle insisted I start using the word. That's not important, what's important is that you don't throw up in my car." He walked over to the kitchen area, flipping the switch on a brand new electric kettle, incongruous with all the old things. "Amazon," Rikishi said. "I'm a hundred-year-old shapeshifter, and yesterday I used my personal telephone to buy a kettle and have it arrive in twelve hours. What a time to be alive." Sami had the wild desire to laugh; what a time, indeed. "Smoke?" he added. "Settle your stomach."

"Chief, you're a genius."

"Shut up, boy. I know." 

They made their way outside. 

The weed did indeed help, and by the time the twins awoke Sami thought he was better. 

They quickly determined Alice and Jasper would drive Sami, and soon they were flying along in Alice's tiny yellow car, and every time the car turned Sami's stomach did too, but he was okay. 

"I'm very sorry our last meeting went so poorly, Sami," Jasper shouted over the roar of the engine. "I'm normally much better at this. You're what we call a singer - Bella was the same. You have what's like... oh, I couldn't even tell you the human equivalent!"

"A really, really good piece of cake." Alice said, her eyes on the road. "And when you smell it all you can do is think about it, and until you taste it you won't be satisfied. Your blood is very specific and very attractive to vampires."

Oh. He was a piece of cake. Sami shut his eyes tightly and willed he wouldn't disgrace himself by being sick now.

They ended up all sitting together in a field of flowers, the two families mingling - the floral scent covered Sami's blood the best. It was a warm, heavy day with a sky hung with clouds. The sun broke through suddenly, blasting them all. Sami pushed his hair back over his shoulder, lifting his pale face gratefully to bask in the sunlight for the first time in days.

"Hey, Sami." Bella's voice. "Check this out."

Sami looked - and looked again, and then looked some more, and tears formed in his eyes. Bella, and Edward beside her, and the other Cullens, were all sparkling wherever the sunlight hit them.

"It's like diamonds," Sami breathed. "You're beautiful." A tear spilled down his cheek and he felt Jimmy reach out to brush it away. 

Edward smirked, and Bella laughed out loud. "Yeah, we get that a lot." 

He heard a gasp. Alice was rooted to the spot, sparkling like all the rest. But her eyes were vacant, and her fingers were twitching.

"Alice," Carlisle said. "Edward - the tablet." 

Edward was beside them in a blur, thrusting a digital pen and tablet into Alice's hands, which started drawing seemingly independently of her body. 

"It was easier than carrying paper and charcoal," Bella whispered, seeing Sami's face. 

"Punishing him," Alice gasped. "Human filth." Her gestures got wilder. 

"Screens. Cameras. So many. So many!" Jasper massaged her shoulders. "Keep it steady, Alice. Keep hold of the vision." 

After a moment Alice stiffened, gasped, then blinked. "What happened?" Her hands fell to her sides and Edward caught the tablet and pen deftly. 

"This mean anything to you?" He turned the screen so Sami and the tribe could see. The hasty, black and white sketch looked almost like...

"So, Kross wants to kill me in the NXT training centre?"

"Sami," Rikishi warned him. They'd had an awkward conversation about how Sami joking about his death upset him.

"Sorry, Chief. But that's what that is. Kevin and I spent 300 hours here, we counted." He felt a sudden surge of guilt; he hadn't thought of any of his human friends for a single second since this had all started. 

That made him think about how he was still human, and how he'd undertaken such a dangerous ritual, one that put Jimmy in danger too, and how real it all was suddenly, and his stomach did somersaults. No. Not right now. 

"We'll keep an eye on the place," Carlisle said; he'd stayed standing throughout, and indeed Sami couldn't imagine him sitting down with them. "We'll send updates regularly. Sami, you smell strange. Are you feeling okay?"

Sami let the casual tone of the remark wash over him, and just nodded. 

"Hang in there, little human boy," Rosalie said; she was by far the most radiant of the family, and indeed she had the sharpest tongue. Sami thought he was a little bit in love with her, and he suspected he wasn't the first. "This too shall pass, right?" Sami laughed shakily. 

"Let's go, blanquito," Rikishi said. "Bed for you when we're home, I think." Sami nodded again, weakly. 

"You do smell different," Jimmy whispered nasally as they rode home, Rikishi taking it very slowly and carefully. "I'm full of pollen, though. Can't tell what's wro-uhh- achoo!" He muffled a sneeze in his elbow, and Sami grinned. "Bless you. You'll feel better at home." He flushed - he hadn't called it that out loud before, but Jimmy was smiling sweetly at him.

Jimmy did feel better once they were back, and Sami felt his stomach settling a little too. His heart raced; was this the ritual taking effect, strengthening each other through their imprint? 

Rikishi settled into his armchair, Jimmy and Jey perching on the armrests like they were still little and Sami on the couch. "You want to go to bed, Sami?" Sami shook his head. "No, Chief. I'm good now. Thank you for asking." he lied determinedly. He felt silly tears fill his eyes and was instantly furious at himself. He had seemingly cried every day since he got here, but it was usually in the night, into his pillow, more than a few times into Jimmy's chest, once into Jey's. Never in front of the chief, not since the day the twins awoke. Never ever. 

"It's all too much sometimes, isn't it?" Rikishi asked softly. Instantly there was a squeak of springs and the twins were either side of him. "S'alright, Sami. You can be sad." 

"Yeah, uce, sensitivity is strong, right."

"Strength, Jeyson. Strength."

"It's Jey!" he yelped, flushing.

"Jeyson?" Sami whispered. He started to shake.

"Come on, Sami. Please don't cry any more, my love."

Sami snorted. 

"Wait," Jimmy asked. "Are you laughing or crying?"

Sami shook his head, not quite knowing himself. 

"A name given in our tribe," Rikishi began, "is a sacred gift from my father, and his father before him–"

"Dad! You signed the deed when I was 18, I'm Jey for years now." 

Rikishi sighed. "I suppose so. Such silly names."

Sami wiped his eyes, resting his head on Jimmy's shoulder. 

Rikishi got up, and with incredible flexibility he squatted in front of Sami, only grunting a little.

"Look, Sami. We don't know what's going to happen when they find Kross, but they will find him. You're going to be okay. There's been no ritual, so you'll both be fine no matter what."

Sami felt his stomach roll once more, guilt firing up inside him. "Chief," he said hesitantly, "what if we did the ritual anyway? I really would like to be one of you, and Jimmy and I have talked about it--"

"Absolutely not," Rikishi snapped. "You know what happens to the one who turns their partner, Jimmy." 

Sami turned to Jimmy slowly, who looked thoroughly like a small boy who'd been caught red-handed.

"What happens?" Sami asked faintly.

"Well, if you don't get there in time, and your human partner does actually die, their heart stops, their brain function stops? They take a part of you." He paused, grimaced, as if the next part was too much for even him to tell. "Not just grieving. Not just being alone forever, though you will be, Jimmy. Your partner takes the most important part. They rip your soul from your fucking body." Rikishi rarely swore, and Sami felt the vomit rise in his throat. 

"You wander for the rest of your short human life, not feeling much of anything for anyone, especially not love. And then you die." Rikishi croaked. He cleared his throat. "Ahem! Of course, we don't have to worry about any of that, because we're going to keep on top of this and find Kross before anything happens."

Sami's thoughts were racing, saliva filling his mouth. He had doomed Jimmy - he didn't care about himself, but he was taking the chief's son with him.

He opened his mouth to say something encouraging and threw up, all over Rikishi's bent knees, boots, the couch, and his own lap.

Chapter Text

"How could you be so stupid? You didn't think for a second? The mind boggles!"

All three of them were crying, sitting at the kitchen table while Rikishi screamed at them. Sami's hair was wet; Rikishi had banished him to the shower immediately and he'd spent a long time in there, embarrassed. He'd thrown up all over himself, Rikishi, and the couch and rug too. He knew he was never going to live it down.

The purple leather diary lay open in front of them - Aunty had mistakenly found it while tidying up and returned it to Rikishi. 

"I didn't know," Sami croaked. "They didn't tell me." He was furious with Jimmy, and had moved his chair to the other side of the table, a little detail that broke Jimmy's heart. 

"And you didn't think to ask? Perhaps you're better matched than I thought." Rikishi's voice was cold, and Sami's eyes watered newly. "Stop crying, all of you. You've done this now, and it can't be undone."

"He's right, Dad!" Jimmy whimpered as Rikishi whirled to face him, expecting a blow. "He is, he's right. We didn't tell him. It's as much our fault as it is his." He tried catching Sami's eye but the redhead stared determinedly at a spot above his head.

"I knew that much," Rikishi growled. "You're not just stupid, you're suicidal. You have insulted the tribe, you have insulted your species, and you have insulted me." 

"I'm sorry, Dad!" Jey burst out.

"Yeah, sorry, Dad," Jimmy sniffled.

"Sorry, Chief," Sami said, with a hiccup.

"Well, sorry doesn't unlink your souls, does it?" He started rambling in Spanish and walked to the sliding door behind them, stepping outside and coming back with the smoke box that only Sami knew was his.

"Dad, you really want Aunty to light up right damn now?" 

"It's not for Aunty. I sent her home." Rikishi said, pulling a blunt and lighter from the box. He put it between his lips and lit it, inhaling deeply.

"Dad!" Jimmy and Jey were flabbergasted. "Your lungs!"

"Never you mind my lungs," Rikishi said, exhaling with relief. "Idiots who link their souls to their partner's and the idiots who perform the ritual to do so can't tell me what to do with my body." He held out the blunt and Sami gladly accepted it. "Sami?" Jimmy said, eyes wide. "You knew?"

"Guess you're not the only one who can keep things hidden," Sami jabbed at him, and felt a guilty sense of satisfaction when Jimmy's face fell.

"Caught me night one, senses and red hair like a fox." Rikishi said with the blunt in his mouth again. "We had a nice talk. I thought we were on the same page!" He hesitated before offering it to Jey, who almost snatched it, inhaling deeply.

"We are, I promise," Sami said. "This is just... I have to do this. You don't understand how useless I was feeling, you're not human." Jimmy shook his head no to smoking, so Sami took it back. "Chief," he added guiltily. "Please let me have my bodily autonomy here, okay? I'm gonna do whatever you need to help make the best possible outcome happen." He took a big hit before he passed it back to Rikishi.

"The best possible outcome would be you getting out and never returning," Rikishi snapped. "But that's not an option, because Jimmy has imprinted, and you're being hunted by Karrion Kross, you both are." 

None of them spoke for a long few moments, continuing to pass the blunt around despite the tense situation, and it helped - they all stopped crying and sat up straight, though Sami still couldn't look at his boyfriend. Jey was sitting between them. Sami put his hand on his thigh under the table and he smiled weakly.

"We will protect you as planned." Rikishi's eyes were boring a hole through Sami. "You will sleep in my bedroom, away from my sons, and them away from you. I can't allow you to be alone together if this is what you're doing."

All three went bright red, thinking about what else they'd been doing when alone as a trio. Thankfully, Rikishi seemed to take it as general shame. "Yes, may well you all be ashamed! I trusted you, Sami."

Sami let out a fresh sob and covered his mouth in humiliation.

"Get out of my sight." He said gruffly, letting up a little - he was surprised at how easily Sami's tears softened him. The trio got, Jimmy and Jey to their bedrooms and Sami, with a sniffle, off to the right and down the hall. 

The bed was big enough for three, Sami thought with a pang of loneliness as he curled up in the centre. He wished he'd looked at Jimmy.

His phone rang and he jumped, sighing at himself. Rikishi couldn't stop them from talking on the phone, after all. He resolved to apologise to Jimmy, tell him he loved him, promise all sorts of things.

Raising his phone, however, his heart sank once more. The display read Kevin Owens. 

Time to face the music. Sami answered it. "Hey, Owens."

"Sami, where are you?" Kevin was breathing hard as if he was running. 

"I'm so sorry, I've had to be out with my ribs, you know? They took my appendix out too! Wait until you hear this shit--"

"They're after me, Sami!"

Sami's blood ran cold. "What?" he said.

"Sami, where are you? They're after me!" There was a thump; he was running, Sami realised. 

"Help me! Please, anybody, help me!"

"Kevin?"

There was a horrible cracking sound and a scream, and then an entirely different voice came onto the line.

"Kevin can't come to the phone right now."

"Kross!" Sami snarled. "What have you done with Kevin?"

"Oh, he's fine." Another crack, another scream. "Two - sorry, three broken fingers, but fine. When I'm done with his fingers I'll move onto his wrists, and then his lower arms, and so on, until you get here to stop me. If you bring the Cullens, he dies. If you bring the wolves, he dies. If you call the police - if you try to trick me - if I think you're in any way setting me up - he dies. Got it?"

"Got it." Sami whispered, tears once more running down his cheeks.

"Tick-tock, Sami." The call disconnected.

Sami let out a long, shuddering breath, then he wiped his eyes and got to work planning. He had no weapons but his fists, and hoped he could hold Kross off long enough at least for Kevin to escape and send help. He couldn't tell Jimmy, or anyone. 

Shortly afterwards, Sami slipped out of Rikishi's bedroom window and left the property. I love you, he thought as he passed Jimmy's bedroom window. Please forgive me for this. He buried the urge to knock and kept walking, up the path towards the main road. 

He was going to need a lift to the city.

Chapter Text

Sami happened to be able to flag down a cab, so he rode to the training centre without having to risk his life in one more way getting into a car with a regular driver. The driver kept trying to make small talk and Sami answered on autopilot, his eyes on his phone the whole way in case Kross called him again. Jimmy and Jey kept texting him, and he was wholly relieved to see they didn't seem to realise he was gone. It broke his heart not to answer them, but he knew if he said anything they'd try to sneak over to him, and then they'd find out. 

He hadn't even gotten to kiss Jey properly or see him get off, and as for Jimmy... His mom's ring was back home in Montreal. If they survived this, maybe Jimmy would say yes. He didn't know how it worked for wolves getting married, but he wanted to ask about it. And maybe him and Jey could go on a date every now and then, if Jimmy was okay with it. He was still high from earlier, and it was making him more optimistic than he should have been. He wondered what the twins were doing, banished to their individual rooms, and silently willed the driver to go faster. 

***

Jey was breathing hard into his pillow, but not from crying or rage - although he had been angry, furious, at himself, at his dad, at Sami for freezing Jimmy out, and decided he needed to hard reset his emotions. He hadn't gotten to get off in the end the other day - Jimmy had gotten into his head and he kept going soft imagining Sami with his brother, especially when Jimmy's moans drifted clear across two rooms. If it had been Sami, maybe he could've gotten on board, but it hadn't. 

He already had music playing at a low volume and Jey turned it up a little, just to cover any sounds he might let out. Jey took himself in hand inside his boxers, stroking slowly and then faster. He paused to apply a little lube, and let out a shuddering gasp as he resumed stroking his cock. "Mm, Sami..." He wished Sami was in his own room to hear him - their headboards shared a wall. "That feels good." It got him hard quickly, and he pushed his boxers down just enough to let his cock out. 

Jey was a very sensual guy when it came to sex. On top of that, his feet were incredibly sensitive. "God, you have no idea what you do to me," he whispered, stroking faster. "Fuuuck, Sami. Wish you were here messing up my feet." It had been ages since a sexual partner had tickled him; he'd made his way through pretty much the whole of the Judgement Day in the past and only Damian and Finn were okay with it - Dom would regularly get his sides when inside him, but that was as far as he went. The bedsprings started to creak rhythmically as he fucked into his hand, imagining Sami pulling out a feather the next time Jey was barefoot around him. 

He knew he would never measure up to what Jimmy was for him-- His hand froze and he sighed. Ugh, stop thinking about Jimmy, idiot! Think about Sami. 

Sami touching his feet so carefully and yet so intensely, oblivious to him being about to come in his pants. Sami cuddling up to him. Sami tickling him with his face pressed into the mat, the way Jey was pathetically ticklish in response to a little poke to the underarm, and Sami knew it and didn't care and tortured him. "Mm!" He was feeling good again. He bent a leg a little for a different angle and had to put a hand over his mouth to moan properly.

He paused to rub a little lube onto his stomach, edging himself accidentally with a gasp, then turned over so he could rub against the bed. He buried his moan in the pillow as he thrusted, imagining Sami behind him. "Ah, Sami, you're so good at this!" The lube felt amazing and Jey's eyes rolled back as his hips moved. "S-Sami!" The sheet was old and worn and slightly scratchy, and it made for the perfect amount of friction. "Please, fuck me!" He thrusted faster and faster. He knew Sami probably wouldn't be up for this, but anything could happen in his fantasies. "You feel so good inside me, Sami. Ah!!" He bit the pillow so he wouldn't be loud as his pleasure peaked for the first time since his Surge. Little lights popped behind his eyes and he pumped into the sheets, almost screaming from a regular old bed humping orgasm.

So now he was breathing heavily, face down on the bed. He'd never be Sami's true love, but he thought he might be in lust with him. 

***

Rikishi did what he always did when alone and troubled - he smoked, and he wrote. He had taped in a close up picture of Sami's scabbing chest wound, and one of the scar where Jimmy had healed in a day comparatively.

My son Jimmy and his mate Sami have undergone the Bloodline ritual behind my back. I can tell the boy hopes to be one of us, despite the massive cost. If we fail to protect him, Jimmy will pay the price. I cannot stop it now, I can only grit my teeth and make sure that does not happen.

Sami and Jimmy are mated for life, making it my duty to protect him like my own. Solo has come home, and can help, but will he? He and Sami have never been on the best of terms. I must pray he will see past their rivalry and embrace their brotherhood. His heart is good, but easily corrupted, not so pure as Jacob Fatu's.

Yesterday I was officially appointed Chief after a long and ardous day of looking for Kross myself - fruitless, as with the previous fourteen days' hunting. We have, however, successfully retrieved the original silver axe, to be used in times of war.

So today, I am signing off very proudly your

Chief Uso the Second 

2025

No sooner had he raised his pen from the page than there was an urgent knocking at the door. Rikishi got up with a groan, wondering what anyone could possibly want at this hour that they couldn't just call him about.

He was surprised when Bella, Alice and Carlisle burst in. "Keesh," Bella said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. Maybe it was because she had most recently been a human, but Bella was always better at breaking bad news than the rest, especially when fear crept into the brown eyes at her next words. 

"Alice had a vision about Sami."

"Two, actually!" Alice burst out. "Come on, I'll explain on the way."

"You best explain now!" Rikishi roared, all out of patience. Jimmy and Jey came running from their rooms. "What's going on?" 

Alice pulled at her fingers, looking helpless. 

"Sometimes I have two visions back to back, showing a split future," she explained. "This time, it seems to be Sami's future."

"The first was Sami at the place I sketched before. He was bleeding, really bleeding. Kross had drank his fill, but he was bleeding out too fast for the venom to spread. Bella was trying to help, but it.. it wasn't--" Her voice shook. "Sami died. He just... died."

Jimmy let out a whimper, and Rikishi felt his stomach lurch.

"So I grabbed both Carlisle and Bella because two doctors are better than one, and we came right here because I think Kross is going to kidnap Sami, or lure him there, or something." 

"You said there was another vision," Rikishi said. "What was that one?"

Alice grimaced. "Whoever oversees the wolves won't be so happy, but the second one ends happily for you. You get to Sami in time, he becomes a shifter, you all are free to be whatever you want to be." 

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Jimmy yelped. 

"Shouldn't Sami be out here by now?" Jey said suddenly, turning towards the corridor that lead to Rikishi's room. "He's not a heavy sleeper even if he fell asleep, and vampires knock loud."

"Yeah, I've been texting him but there's been no reply. You, uce?"

"No. Jimmy, I thought we said you were going to sneak out and check on him."

"We agreed it was you! You useless-"

"I'll go." Bella said, and in a blur she was gone. There was a pause, and she was back, dismay twisting her face. "He's gone. Kross must have gotten to him already." 

Jimmy seized Jey by the collar, furious. Rikishi got up, but Bella was of course faster and forced them apart, holding each back impressively with one hand. 

"Do not dare to split now," Rikishi snarled at the twins, who looked suitably like cuffed wolf cubs. "That is what Kross wants, us apart and weak instead of fighting as one."

"I'm sorry, Jey." He didn't sound as if he meant it.

"Whatever." 

Bella let them go and they didn't go for each other, a good sign. "Let's go," Rikishi said, grabbing his keys. "Let's get Sami, okay?" He told them, suddenly tender. "We're gonna rescue Sami." He put an arm around each of them and allowed them a few minutes for a hug if they wanted one. Both gladly accepted - Jey didn't get his dislike of prolonged touch from nowhere, so hugs from their dad were one of life's rarer joys. "Oh, my dear boys," Rikishi sighed. "You are too young for all this, by a long chalk." For once he felt his own eyes water; even the Chief had to be deathly afraid sometimes, especially when a war that had haunted him for all his hundred years was on the brink of reignition.

He allowed himself a full half a minute to break down. His sons supported him on either side while his chest heaved, and his shoulders shook, and big heavy tears splashed into the carpet. Then he roused himself, clearing his throat loudly and wiping a hand roughly across his face. "Time to go."

The group of six left the house together, Rikishi checking the trunk of the Jeep thoroughly to make sure it was well stocked with weapons. The Cullens had driven, wanting to conserve their physical energy for whatever was coming, and now they pulled away in a screech of tires. 

The Usos weren't long following them, and they hoped they weren't too late.

Chapter Text

Sami stepped into the training centre, his footsteps echoing in the dark. "Kevin?"

He had bade the taxi driver to tell nobody of his fare and not come back, giving him everything in his wallet as an incentive.

His heart thudded loudly, and he knew he'd have no chance of hiding from Kross, wherever he was now. "Kevin? Come on, I need you to say something, dude."

"Sami!" The voice came from the double doors leading to the training ring, and Sami ran. "Sami! Sami! Sami, help me!"

He burst out onto the stage, his chest heaving as he stood at the top of the ramp. No Kevin. His ribs already burning, he limped down to the ring. No Kevin, not even sitting down on the floor by the ring like he would back in the day. 

"Sami, help me!" Kevin's voice was distorted this time. Sami whirled.

"Sami, help me!"

The voice came not from Kevin, but from a phone that Karrion Kross held out. 

"Amazing what you can do with technology these days, you know." Kross said, weighing the phone in his hand.

Sami's heart pounded again. "He was never here, was he?"

"Now he gets it." Kross was looking Sami up and down like he was his next meal, and a single, terrified tear ran down his cheek as he realised that he was.

"Do you know what I could've done with this technology in the 80s?" Kross laughed now. "Dahmer would've looked like a pussy compared to me. Okay, more of a pussy." Sami leant over and vomited, his body not able to take the pain and the fear. "You smell wrong. What did those revolting animals do to you?" Kross was gripping Sami's wrist, inhaling his scent deeply. "Pathetic, fragile little human playing with his pet doggies - or are you their pet? It's hard to tell these days. What are they going to do when they find you in pieces? I suppose not much, because I'm going to eat them too." He laughed again in that sick way. 

Sami lifted his own phone in his other hand and smashed it into Kross's face. The phone shattered, but it also seemed to stun Kross, who let go of Sami.

With a wheeze, Sami ran once more, sprinting back up the ramp and backstage.

Kross caught him right at the screening area, just like in Alice's vision. He grabbed Sami's wrist again and pulled, and Sami roared as his shoulder came out of its socket. The force flung him across the room and he smashed into a wall of monitors, glass and filament raining down on him. He moaned, glass crunching and cutting into his palms and knees as he tried to get up.

"Stay down, Sami." Kross was beside him again. "After all, you're bleeding." He grabbed Sami's bad arm - he shrieked with pain - and licked the blood off his palm. "You taste as delicious as you smell. This is going to be fun." He grabbed a large shard of glass off the ground and jabbed it into Sami's abdomen, tearing open his surgical scar. Sami screamed again, and his voice broke on a sob. His blood immediately began pumping from the wound. Internal bleeding - severe drop in blood pressure - shock - death. The faster he could stop any of those steps, the better. Sami pressed his good hand to the slice in his side, feeling dizzy when blood oozed between his fingers with no sign of slowing.

His scream was high-pitched this time as Kross sank his fangs into the wrist of the arm he'd already mangled and drank greedily. Sami felt, rather than heard, the bones in his wrist splinter. 

If he thought before hurt, it was nothing compared to what hit him then. Fire, he thought wildly as Kross drained him. He has filled me with gas, and lit me on fire. The indescribable burn spread outwards and Sami convulsed with agony, unable to speak, unable to even think, only able to scream. "AAAAAAAAAAAGH!" His screams echoed off the low ceiling.

"Good," Kross hissed. "Turn for me. Join my army. Destroy those worthless animals."

A burning hot, scarred hand came down on his shoulder. 

"Get away from my son-in-law," Rikishi said. He seized Kross around the neck and yanked him off of Sami, who continued to shake and scream uncontrollably. He flung Kross backwards and he landed on his feet, snarling. He came at Rikishi - and was knocked sideways by a stormy blue wolf. 

"Well done, Jey!" Rikishi roared. The blue wolf snapped his jaws as close as he possibly could to Kross's face while being held off, distracting him while the Cullens ran in. Alice helped Jey with Kross while Bella and Carlisle skidded into kneeling positions beside Sami, as Rikishi did. 

"Open abdominal wound," Bella muttered under her breath, and through a fog of pain and blood loss she appeared to Sami to have a golden halo of light around her. "Dislocated shoulder. More than one broken bone. He's already been bleeding for a while. Carlisle - the scissors." 

Kross screamed in anguish and pain as Alice and Jey grabbed an arm each and pulled as hard as they could. With a rumble, a russet and bright red wolf joined them to tear him apart. He didn't stand a chance, not against so many, with so much fresh tribal rage in their hearts. But he got a lick in, or two, or three - two of the toes on Jey's front paw were mangled, and Solo cried out as his ribs were crushed.

Bella cut Sami's shirt open to expose the damage. "Right along his appendectomy scar. We might be okay internally, but if he doesn't stop bleeding..." She didn't say any more, just balled up Sami's ruined shirt and pressed it down hard on the wound, and he thought he was going to pass out. "FuuUUUCK!" Sami didn't know he could speak; the word ripped from him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Sami! I know this hurts, but we have to stop the bleeding!" She raised her head, and for once she looked scared. "Carlisle - the venom - his blood -" 

"Can't risk it," Carlisle said bitterly. "He's lost too much already. If the drinker were to lose control, he'd die."

"He's dying now! Please, Carlisle, not another one. Not one more human dies for us."

"I will do it." Rikishi said.

"No."

"Yes!"

"You'll be poisoned, Chief-"

"Yes, I am!" He bellowed. "I am his Chief, and I will do this, as is my duty to protect him like any other member." 

"You'll die. It won't be compatible with your tribal blood."

"I should hope not." Rikishi said with a banal finality. He carefully, tenderly manipulated Sami's dislocated arm until he had access to the bite, and closed his mouth over it, sucking out the venom. It hurt as much as anything else tonight, and Sami started to jerk and writhe, his eyes rolling back into his head.

"He's seizing!" Bella shouted, holding Sami's head up to protect his neck.

After a few minutes of sucking and spitting venom, Rikishi made an awful choking wheezing sound and toppled backwards. "Clean! He's - He's clean! I gotta... I gotta sit down. I..." He passed out himself, and he would've hit his head were it not for Carlisle catching him.

As flame flared behind them, a sheet-wrapped Jimmy came running. "Dad!" 

Carlisle was checking him out. "No pulse, I'm calling in the calvary." He pressed a button on his phone and threw it down beside him as he started chest compressions. The phone squawked. "Dr. Cullen!" He shouted. "At the NXT training centre on the highway! Male, 70s, possible poisoning. I'm currently performing compressions, but he has no pulse as of-" he checked his watch "-55 seconds of working on him. We have another male, 40s, bleeding profusely from a lower abdominal wound with a dislocated shoulder and multiple breaks, being treated by Dr. Swan. Barely conscious. You better send everyone you got - it's bad!" The phone beeped, disconnecting whoever he'd called. 

"Jimmy, come here!"

A scared looking but dry eyed Jimmy came running to Sami's side. 

"Hold his hand." Bella told him urgently. "You're linked. Hold his hand, and it could help save him."

Jimmy gripped Sami's hand, lifting the other one to rest it on his face. Sami's trembling gaze found his. "I love you, Sami Zayn." he whispered. "Stay with me."

"Jimmy, can I get you to check his pupils for me?"

Sami moaned and shut his eyes against the light, but his pupils had contracted normally, and Bella breathed a sigh of relief.

"Stay awake, Sami," he heard distantly. Sami couldn't care less who it was, he was just so tired. His tummy had stopped hurting, and his bite as well. He knew in the back of his mind that this was a terribly bad sign, that he was going into shock and should be rushed to a hospital as soon as possible. But he couldn't speak, he couldn't move, he just wanted to sleep. He felt wonderfully warm too - Jimmy's hand on his face was a perfectly normal temperature now. He wondered if this was what dying felt like, and then wondered why he'd been so afraid of it.

"Sami. Stay with me, baby. Sami!" 

He heard Rikishi's ribs break sickeningly. 

Solo staggered over, holding his own ribs. "Dad," he said stupidly, and spat up blood. Jey was worse, wandering around holding a blood-soaked rag to his hand and muttering, the back of his head gushing blood too. 

That view was the last thing Sami remembered - that, and how as his own blood puddled on the floor, it made for a beautifully reflective surface to see the burning husk of Kross behind him. The smell of fire and the sound of approaching sirens.

"Sami, we have to get your heart rate down, or--"

And then blissful darkness.

Chapter Text

Darkness. The smell of disinfectant. Voices.

 "I really need him to wake up. He's all I've got."

"I'm gonna let that one slide because I'm worried about you, even though I'm the one who lost fingers."

"Lost, past tense. They put em back on, stop being dramatic."

A white light, just like people talked about. Blindingly bright, but somehow Sami couldn't make it go away. He must be dead. He had to be. There was no pain, and he felt as if he were floating. A tear ran down his face; this meant he had failed, and Jimmy was going to die, and they wouldn't even be together. 

He blinked away his tears, and blinked again, and fuzzy lines appeared in the whiteness. He squeezed his eyes shut, and when he opened them again the lines were sharper.

Ceiling tiles, his brain said. But that was stupid, because the afterlife didn't have ceilings. As a matter of fact, the afterlife didn't have brains. He kept on blinking. He shouldn't have to blink if he was dead either. He tried to speak, and discovered he had vocal cords and a mouth. "Gurg..rrgh..." He had a throat too, and there was something very uncomfortable poking into it, making him salivate and stopping him talking. 

"Sami?" Jimmy's face poked into Sami's field of vision and his heart leapt; had he died so soon? "Sami!" Jimmy raised his voice. "He's awake! Come quick!" He reached above Sami's head and a piercing alarm started blaring. 

There were voices, voices all around him, and hands too.

And then things went black again temporarily, and then with a raw pain, an uncomfortable plastic tube was being gently pulled from his throat, and his bed was being raised so he sat up.

A nurse guided a straw to his lips, and he drank thirstily.

"Sami." Dr. Cullen came in. "You know who I am?" 

"Ca- Car--"

"Don't try to talk, Sami. You've been on a ventilator, your throat will be sore for a little while. Just nod or shake your head." He pointed at Jimmy. "You know who that is?"

Sami nodded, looking at Jimmy. I'm so sorry, his eyes said. I love you, Sami's said back.

"I've been given privileges to carry out your post-op care." he said. "You remember what happened?"

Sami started to nod, then he shook his head. A pause, and then he nodded again. "Not sure?" Sami nodded. "I don't blame you." His eyes flickered to the nurse feeding Sami water. "You took quite a spill. Tripped over a loose lead in the tech hub, went over a barricade, landed on concrete. Shattered your wrist, you tore open your previous surgical incision, your shoulder was dislocated. Smashed a screen or six on your way down - they spent hours picking glass out of you on the OR. You lost a lot of blood - more than half your volume, in fact. But I have a hunch you'll be back on your feet in no time." He was smiling as he stepped closer. "Okay, squeeze my hand..."

The exam took quite a while, but Carlisle, as well as the hospital's own doctor who had operated on Sami and came in to give a second opinion, were both happy with his neurological function, and soon he was sitting up, eating a cup of pudding and listening to Jimmy and Jey chatter. He cleared his throat, cleared it again.

"Jim-ee." 

Jimmy beamed at him. "Sami. I love you, I love you." He grabbed Sami's hand and kissed it, and Jey flung an arm across his legs, sniffling. "H-hey, Sami. I thought.. God, don't do that to us, uce." 

"I'm sorry." Sami said to Jey with a great effort. "Wasn't nice to you."

Jimmy flung himself onto Sami too. "You idiot! I almost killed us both, and you're sorry for being angry about it?" 

With every second, the chafing in Sami's throat seemed to get better, and then it was gone. He blinked in astonishment, wondering if he'd imagined it being there in the first place or not. 

"Did it work?" Sami asked, staring at his arms - they were definitely more muscular than they'd been before. "How long was I out?" Jimmy had stubble, something he'd never seen before. "Three days, just like the rest of us." He passed Sami his phone with the front camera turned on. "See for yourself."

Sami gasped in wonder. His red hair and beard were streaked with brightest gold.

"Luckily you didn't have to feel the Surge start, because you'd passed out from blood loss, apparently." Jey said, and yelped when Jimmy elbowed him sharply. "What? I don't remember, I got hit in the head, I'm just giving him a play-by-play as people gave it to me." 

Sami's hand went to his side. It hurt, but not nearly as much as he expected. 

"You'll feel better in a few days," Jimmy said softly. "The worse the injury is, the longer it takes, but it's much faster than a human would heal."

A human. Sami was no longer a human. He sighed happily - they were wolves together now, just like he had wanted so badly. "God, I love you." Jimmy blushed - he couldn't hear it enough.

"Hey, what about me?" Jey joked. For a second Sami thought he was making a crude gesture, but then he realised Jey was showing him the scars where his index and middle fingers had been reattached and healed easily. "Kross bit my damn fingers off and clocked me so hard my skull caved in. Solo was in a bad way too - he got all his ribs broken, all 12, and they've had to use a lot of metal in rebuilding, so I'd be careful with elbowing him from now on."

Sami laughed - then caught sight of his wrist and froze. It was mostly in a cast, but there was a scar not unlike the one Bella sported. This one was messier, as if the teeth had been ripped out of him.

"I was bitten." A shadow of the pain flashed into his mind and he whimpered. "I was bitten. Why aren't I dead, or a vampire?" 

"Dad saved you," Jey said. "Got Kross off of you. Sucked the venom out. Cleaned your blood. Saved your life."

"Yeah, where is Rikishi?" Sami asked. "Why isn't he huddled round my sickbed telling me how he's gonna kill me when I'm strong enough?" He grinned at the twins.

Jimmy and Jey exchanged a glance, and Sami's face fell. "Okay, what is it? I almost died, don't you fucking dare not tell me. Jey?"

Jey just blew his nose loudly. 

"Jimmy. Please tell me."

"He hasn't woken up yet," his mate said, with an air of getting the worst over with. "He finished getting the venom out of you, and he made this horrible sound, and-" His voice broke.

"Carlisle did CPR," Jey helped him out, though tear tracks still shone on his face. "He got him back, but then he stopped breathing again. They got him onto a ventilator and detoxed quickly, but, um.." His voice shook too. "I think he's just really old, even for one of us, and maybe even though we're all back together, the tribe's magic isn't enough yet. Now you're awake, he'll probably wake up too." He smiled bravely at Sami.

"Yeah," Sami said, reaching out to stroke his hair, scratch his head a little to comfort him. "Yeah, I bet he will. Any minute now."

Jey leaned in to press his lips against Sami's. This was no dirty, animalistic kiss; this was tender, loving, desperate for comfort, and Sami responded in kind, leaning forward to encourage him and tugging his hair. This was a kiss with Jey that made him desperately want another and another. He lifted his good arm and beckoned Jimmy close too, and he broke the kiss with Jey to kiss his great love. "I love you, I love you." Jimmy told him between kisses, slowly scratching up and down his arm like he knew Sami liked. "I'm gonna do so many things to you when we're both healed, just you wait."

"Mmm, you can start by doing that faster." He sighed as Jimmy obeyed him.

Jey was busy at Sami's neck, making him squirm with pleasure - God, he was so much more sensitive now. 

After all the pain, the fear, the ridiculous things he'd come to accept and what a different world he lived in now, there was only one question on his mind. He was a wolf now too, and absolutely nobody could object.

"Jimmy?" he murmured, feeling a tingle of pleasure as Jey ran a finger down the slope of his back, drawing shapes.

"Mm? What is it, my love?"

"Will you marry me?" 

***

Four weeks later, Sami strolled down the hospital corridor, a bunch of flowers in one hand and a book in the other.

It was about the time when a human would get their post-op checkup, so he'd hung around the hospital the past couple days to be seen there, but Carlisle was adept at faking medical records.

He turned the corner for the long term intensive care cubicles, and started down the long corridor.

He eventually reached door 100, and sighed - sometimes the universe was painfully poetic.

He slid the glass door open and pulled back the curtain, stepping inside. "Hi." he said.

Silence. Well, the heart monitor beeped, the ventilator hissed, and the IV dripped, but Rikishi didn't answer him - he couldn't. 

"I brought you fresh flowers," Sami said, taking out the old, wilting bunch and putting the new one into the vase on his bedside table. "Don't ask me what kind, I don't know." He put the book down on the bed - Pet Sematary, Stephen King. It may have seemed an odd choice to an outsider, but the doctors had run tests while he and the twins took turns reading to Rikishi, and his brain activity seemed to peak with horror stories. There were many more tests, and now they were hopeful that the trio talking and reading to him would slowly bring him out of this catatonic state - with a brainwave monitor permanently beside him now so there was some method of communication, however shaky.

Sami sat. "Jey and Jimmy are sorry they can't be here," he said. "Compassionate leave is only so long. Which seems counterproductive, right? Like, the compassionate thing to do would be to give them more than a month off when their dad is--" He broke off before he could describe his chief in any negative way; the tests had made it clear Rikishi could hear them, even if he couldn't respond. "I'm ranting, I'll stop. Anyway. They're going crazy because one of them is supposed to be interim Chief, and they keep fighting and putting me in the middle, and Solo is insisting it should be him, but he's third in line if anything. They're all... upset, you know? Every day since I got home. Over you not feeling so good. I wish you were here to--" He faltered, and Rikishi's blood pressure climbed on the monitor. "Sorry, Chief. I misspoke. What I meant to say was, I wish you were awake to slap some sense into all of them and remind them who the chief actually is." The twins might've broken their sourpuss faces and laughed at that if they'd been there, Sami thought. Rikishi seemed to enjoy it when they laughed around him.

"Personally, I don't think anyone should be appointed. Nobody is gonna measure up to you. We gotta keep the faith that you're gonna open those eyes." He couldn't help hoping that he would open them any moment, Sami's encouragement suddenly getting through to him. Rikishi stayed still, his eyes closed, moving furiously beneath their lids.

Sami sighed. "All right. It's okay, Chief, take your time. Where did Jey leave off yesterday?" He found the bookmark. "Oh, here we go." He started to read out loud.

"It was about one o'clock in the afternoon when Church came crawling back like the cat in the nursery rhyme..."

***

That night, Sami crept into bed with Jey, starting to kiss him. "You're so cute, Jey." Jey got hard embarrassingly fast - he had been fantastising about getting Sami into bed for a while - and protested in a whisper when Sami opened his bedside drawer. "You're far too horny to not have something special in here. Aha!" He held up a purple silicone vibrator and Jey went a beautiful shade of red. "You want this, Jey? Huh?" Jey nodded, unable to speak. He mewled when Sami turned the vibe on and pressed it against his erection, lifting his hips to try and get more area covered. "Wait, wait," Jey gasped. Sami lifted the vibrator. "Are you sure you wanna do this?"

"Does this look like someone who's unsure?" Sami leaned in and suckled on his neck and he moaned. "No, I just... are you sure you wanna do this? I don't wanna manipulate you, or something."

Sami pulled back. "Okay, what are you asking me? You're terrible at subtlety."

Jey flushed. "I just thought... yknow, I thought asexual people didn't..." 

"Wow." Sami said, getting up. "Way to ruin the mood. Google it, okay?"

"Sami, wait. I was just-"

"No thanks. I'm good."

He would've flounced out were it not late at night. Annoyed, he tiptoed back to his own room. A rare moment where he wanted to touch someone, and Jey had ruined it with it his clumsy literal thinking.

Chapter Text

Carlisle knocked on the glass partition, and Sami beckoned him inside. 

"I've got news," he said softly, "and you won't like it."

It was Sunday, and Sami and Solo and the twins plus Jacob and Nia were sat by Rikishi's bedside. With Carlisle coming in, there wasn't room to swing a cat, but they had all wanted to be there for the results of the latest block of tests.

Bella had long since returned to Forks with the rest of the vampires, and texted Sami every day with encouraging words, but Carlisle had time to actually come back and forth to liaise with the human doctors.

Sami's heart sank. "He's not improving?"

"Oh, he's improving," Carlisle said. "But only at a normal rate."

Sami frowned, trying to work out why that was a bad thing, but Jey swore softly behind him, and Solo let out a low sob.

"His potassium is sky high," Carlisle continued. "His pancreatic function is lower than we'd like, his liver too. He keeps developing bedsores that aren't getting better within a day. Fundamentally, he shows every sign of being..."

"Human." Sami finished. He hadn't even known he was going to speak, the word just came to him.

"Flying colours, Sami." Jimmy said dully, squeezing his dad's hand. "That means he's not going to get better, doesn't it?"

"Come on, uce, stay positive."

"I am so sick of staying positive!" Jimmy said shrilly. "Carlisle. Is our dad going to get better? Will we ever talk to him again?" Carlisle looked sad. 

"It looks like the venom entering his system completely wiped out his healing factor. Health wise, he's more his age than he's ever been. The doctors in charge of his care think it would be best to keep him in an induced coma for now. He's going to need a new liver - from another human," he hastened to add, seeing six suddenly hopeful faces. "He's at the top of the transplant list, so we just have to hope. In times of war, hope is our best weapon." He walked over to the bedside, patted Rikishi's shoulder. "Hang in there, Chief Uso. We're taking care of you." Sami was touched by the display of affection, but he supposed it came with the territory.

"Don't you let my dad die." Solo said, puffing his chest out. "You do whatever it takes, just get him back talking and leading us."

"I promise you, Solo. All of you. I'll do everything I can."

"Good."

***

Somehow, the very next evening, things went horribly wrong.

All the boys were away again, it was only Carlisle watching over their Chief when he awoke - and immediately took a turn for the worse.

Rikishi jerked, a strangled gasp issuing from him. His heart rate shot up on the monitor and his blood pressure dropped sharply. 

By the time Carlisle turned, he was seizing again and again, harsh syllables coming out over the ventilator as he convulsed. "Guh-guh-guh-guh..." His eyes were open for the first time in a month, staring straight at Carlisle.

"Chief." Carlisle held him steady. "I have you, okay? Your boys are alive. Sami is alive. You're alive too, and we're gonna keep you that way. Stay with me."

"Guh-guh-guh..." That same horrible choking stammering, and his heart rate raised further.

There was no liver for him, and his skin was starting to yellow. Carlisle knew they were out of time.

He wanted to keep his promise. He had to call all the tribe back, get them on flights. But before he could even finish that thought, Rikishi stopped seizing. He let out a death rattle and his eyes rolled into his head.

The monitor flatlined.

Carlisle leapt into action, slamming his hand onto a button on the wall to set off a code blue alarm and dropping Rikishi's bed down flat to start compressions, a painfully familiar scene. "Not now, don't you dare do this now!" The room was suddenly full of scrubs. "Give me epi and prep the paddles, please!" He shouted, determinedly compressing his friend's heart. "Come on, Chief."

"Epi in!"

"Okay, charge to 200, please! Let's get the tube in!" He squeezed the ventilator bag firmly twice, then returned to compressions.

"Charged. Clear."

"Clear!" 

The shock arched Rikishi's back, and there was a pause.

"No change."

"Charge again!" Carlisle resumed compressions.

"Charging... clear."

"Clear!" 

The shock, the pause.

"No change."

"Another round of epi, charge to 400!"

"Dr. Cullen--"

"Charge! To! Four hundred!" 

"...charging." 

"You will not do this!" Carlisle screamed at Rikishi. "You will not abandon your tribe! You will not leave your sons!"

"Clear."

"Clear!"

After what seemed like a million years, another attending doctor's voice cut through the fog.

"How long has he been down?" A nurse answered him.

"Thirty minutes."

"Epi?"

"Six rounds."

"Dr. Cullen." He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Dr. Cullen, he has no pupillary response." "No!" He snarled, and shook it off. "If I stop compressions-"

"Dr. Cullen, he's gone. If you stop, all you do is give us room to call it. Stop." 

"He can't be gone! His sons are across the country - they're not here yet - they're-" his voice weakened, and his compressions slowly did too. He looked up at the clock. 

"Time of death, 11:11. Nobody touches him, you hear? Excuse me." 

He swept from the room.

All he'd been able to handle telling the boys on the phone was that he wasn't doing well, and that they should come straight from the airport, which they did.

"What aren't you telling us, Carlisle?" Jey said as they walked tensely to their dad's room - what used to be their dad's room, Carlisle thought with a wave of sorrow. "He's sick," he managed. 

"Yeah, no shit!" Solo said.

"There has to be a reason you made us get on an express flight!"

"We deserve to know!" 

They all started talking at once, and Carlisle was in no mood for it.

"Hey! HEY! This is a hospital. There are sick people here. Shut up, all of you." Several of them looked scandalised at a vampire telling them what to do, but quietened nonetheless.

Carlisle stopped outside the door to room 100. "Please know," he said, fighting to keep his voice steady, "that knowing your father, taking care of him, knowing all of you, has been the greatest privilege of all my six hundred years." He bowed his head. "I am so very sorry."

"Sorry about what?" Jimmy asked, but Sami was more intuitive and sobbed as he ran inside, the rest following him.

There was a long, painful silence. 

"Well?" came Jey's voice. "What's up with him that you had to take him away?"

Carlisle poked his head through the curtain - Rikishi was gone, and the instruments - the ventilator, his IV - lay here and there across the room. Had they disobeyed him and already moved the body? He was furious - but no, the bed wasn't stripped - in fact, one corner was messily pulled back as if Rikishi's body had simply gotten up and left. The lamp was knocked askew too, and the bed remote lay on the ground, its batteries knocked out.

"Really?" Jey said. "You scared the shit out of all of us, and he's just being taken for more tests?"

"No- he-" How could Carlisle tell them now?

"He's missing. We have to find him. He can't have gotten far, come on." He lead the charge out of the room. He raised his head and inhaled, but Rikishi's blood was plain ordinary, and the hospital was a kaleidoscope of blood. They'd just have to track him down the old fashioned way.

After searching the entire hospital twice, they had to concede Rikishi was no longer there. Carlisle stayed behind and promised to keep an eye out, to call if he turned up somewhere. 

"Yeah, like we hold so much stock in your promises," Jimmy mumbled as they left, piling into the Oompa-Loompa - Sami thought Jimmy's reunion with his beloved car was the only thing that stopped him from going over the edge. 

When they arrived home the white Jeep seemed especially lonely, and they hurried in, not wanting to think too much about where Rikishi might be. 

They came into the empty house. Jey had let Aunty know to take some time off after Rikishi's second week on the ventilator - there was enough of them to be doing the chores that they didn't need her, especially as their dinner conversation these days would've greatly upset her. 

Indeed they were eating dinner after the sun had gone down, sharing the couch and the floor, when there was a rattle at the door. They all stopped eating and looked up, and Jey gripped the silver knife that Rikishi had previously slept with.

"Who's there?"

A shadow, huge and imposing. The doorknob turned, and they all pressed closer together instinctively.

"I am Jey Uso, son of Chief Uso the Second, and I asked, who's there?" Nia growled low in her throat, which started Jacob off. 

A large, sandy-haired stranger let himself into the house using Rikishi's keys - Sami recognised the silver wolf keychain. His back was to them, and an ice-cold fear gripped him - had this man hurt Rikishi?

"Mreow?" Monroe appeared out of nowhere as he usually did and leapt up onto the man's shoulders with a jingle of bells. 

It was the cat's familiarity more than anything that made him recognise the man who turned to greet them. There were gasps, murmurs from the Bloodline crew. Only Jimmy seemed to still have his voice.

"Dad?" 

"I believe I have some explaining to do." said a fifty-year-old Rikishi. 

Chapter Text

"I don't understand."

"Yes, Nia, that's the point of me explaining it, which if you'd quiet down-"

"No, I don't understand at all."

They were all sat around the outdoor firepit with cups of moonshine - Rikishi had all but insisted based on the fact half of them looked like they were about to faint upon realising who he was.

Nia gestured accusingly with her cup. She had started drinking long before Rikishi had arrived home looking a good forty years younger than he already did, and to tell the truth she was quite out of it. "The bloodsucker-"

"Do not use that word!"

"The vampire, then. He told us you were human again, that the venom from Kross nearly killed you. How can you be sitting here a wolf, with what looks like a whole new life before you?"

Rikishi smiled tightly. "It did kill me, Nia." He looked around at the rest of them, his eyes lingering on his three sons. "I died. Or at least, I heard Dr. Cullen pronounce me dead, somehow. And then I was up and walking, I tore out my IV, everything, and I knew I had to get out of there, get back to you all. I managed to steal some clothes and eventually passed out in an alley--"

"Dad! Are you okay? Did you hit your head?" Solo burst out.

"Quiet. I woke up on some nice lady's couch. Told her I'd taken one too many pills and slipped on my way home, and she believed me - this is California. When I got to the mirror, I was this. I look forty, right?"

"Thirty." Sami said immediately, and Jey muttered "kiss-ass".

"Whatever age, I was freaked out. I got up and out of there, but it was already dark, and eventually I hitched a ride here." He got up and went inside, returning with his much-missed smoke box and a familiar piece of purple leather. Flicking through the frontmost pages, he shook his head. "I suppose it's not in here because none of them stayed alive long enough to write about it. I shall be the first."

He took his time rolling a fat blunt, putting love into his first smoke in a month. When he had lit it and inhaled deeply, he passed it across to the nearest person, Jacob, and began to tell his story as he wrote it and the tribe passed the smoke around.

"I believe I have discovered a second ancient failsafe of the tribe.

Should the Chief ever be incapacitated by the venom of the Cold Ones, his body will shut down to protect him. As with a snake shedding its skin, he will be lethargic, almost dead, for some time, but will awaken half his previous age, and looking as if he is in his prime." He smirked a little to himself writing that, wondering if it was too vain. "It is unclear whether or not this can happen again - I, personally, would like to avoid it at all costs.

With a new lease on life

Chief Uso the Second

2025"

He looked up from the page and took the blunt as it came back to him, tapping the ash into a metal dish beside him. "So? Any questions?"

They all tried to speak at once and Rikishi whistled shrilly. "No! One at a time. I can move a lot faster now, and so help me I will individually slap you all. Take turns." There were general mutters of agreement. 

He pointed at Sami, sitting with his sons, who jumped. "Sami. You look nervous. Why do you look nervous?" There were chuckles, derisive whistles from the circle. 

Sami's eyes darted around, and he intertwined his fingers with Jimmy's. 

"Chief," he began, trying to ignore the jeers. "We - Jimmy and I - were waiting until you felt better to talk to you about this."

"Talk to me about what?"

"Uce, he's blowing this." he heard Solo whisper.

"We wanna get married!" Jimmy blurted, having an indelicate habit of telling the truth loudly and crudely.

"No!" Sami yelped. "I mean, yes, but--" he buried his face in his hands. "Let me start again." He looked Rikishi right in the eye.

"Chief Uso, I'd like your permission to propose to Jimmy for real. I love him, and he loves me, and I'm a wolf now, and I almost died, and- and--" Sami was losing control, tears streaking his face. He closed his eyes and cried, for his own near death, for the hours he thought Rikishi was dead, for how awful the past month had really been, and most painfully of all how he hadn't heard a single thing from his assorted extended family in Canada. Not even a text wondering how his ribs were doing, not even when he'd gone back to Montreal to get the ring.

Jimmy cuddled him, and Jey too, but the floodgates had finally opened and the physical contact only made him wail.

He felt two strong hands grip his shoulders and squeeze. It grounded him, and gradually his howling breakdown became sniffles and sobs. "Nobody would've missed me," he sniffed. "Nobody would've known I died."

"I would've." Rikishi said, holding him and letting him cry into his massive tummy. "These idiots would've too." Sami giggled wetly. "Come here, Sami. That's an order." As Sami stood to hug him, he was delighted to notice that he could squeeze Rikishi back with just as much force now. The twins joined them, and Rikishi released Sami to grab them instead, making them protest.

"I dunno," Jey said, and he had that mischievous glint in his eye that Sami knew meant he was in the mood to provoke someone. "Is there anything you could do to prove you're really our dad?" He stretched his arms above his head casually. There was only one form of affection Rikishi really engaged with enthusiastically, and that was...

"Well," Rikishi said, his arms drifting to wrap around the waists of an already happily squirming Jey and a blissfully unaware Jimmy, "I remember you don't like hugs, and physical contact was thin on the ground, but there is one thing I used to do that you boys particularly enjoyed." He winked at Sami, who giggled again.

He pounced and both twins absolutely lost it, definitely more ticklish since their Surge. They laughed almost in unison, unable to break their Chief's grip from how weak the tickles made them. "AHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Oh, you boys are both still so ticklish," Rikishi teased them. "I don't know if you're convinced I'm your dad yet, but I'm having fun." 

"DAHAHAHAHAD!"

"STAHAHAHAHAP!" 

He released Jimmy and Jey upon them managing to get a word out each, and they both glared at him, residual giggles trickling out. 

"The answer is yes, by the way." Rikishi told Sami, whose mouth fell open. "Yes, you can ask Jimmy to marry you." 

"I..." Sami made a split second decision and dropped to one knee in front of Jimmy, who was still grinning and massaging his tummy. His breath caught in his throat. "Sami..."

"Shut up." Sami told him, to general cheers. "I get to talk now. I love you, Jimmy Uso. We are giant wolves together, and our friends are vampires, and I love you." Hands shaking, he pulled out a silver ring with a deep red stone set into it.

"This was my mom's. Red's your favourite colour, right?" 

Jimmy threw himself at Sami and they collided heavily, rolling over and over. The tribe cheered and laughed, watching them.

"Wait!" Sami giggled, holding the ring aloft as Jimmy tried to snatch it. "You have to let me ask!"

"James Uso, let him ask!" Rikishi thundered, the effect lessened slightly by the blunt in his mouth. "We shall have to attempt to contact what remains of the Council anyway. Let us at least have a record saying we did this properly." Jimmy was on his feet again, wiping his eyes.

Sami steadily got back to his kneeling position, pausing to wipe away a tear of his own.

"Jimmy Uso, will you marry me?"

Jimmy reached his hand out to have the ring slid on.

"Sami Zayn, yes, yes, of course I will."

"Yay!" Jey cheered behind them, leading the applause. "Sami asked him right after he woke up, Dad! But we had to wait for you to wake up and ask you about it, Jimmy said--"

"And Jimmy was right," Rikishi told him, and Jimmy grinned smugly, Sami attached to him. "Thank you for waiting, Sami. Truly." Sami raised two fingers in a salute. "It's the rules, right, Chief?"

Rikishi broke and smiled broadly. "Yes." He called to them, finding himself elbowed out of the way by the entire tribe wanting to touch and hug the newly engaged couple. "Yes, it is."

Chapter Text

When Jey woke up the morning after Jimmy and Sami got engaged, the morning after his dad had returned from the dead, he wasn't all that surprised to find Sami in bed with him. "Good morning, future Mr. Uso." Sami rolled over, giggling. "I talked to Jimmy last night."

"And?" Jey asked, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He stretched and squeaked as Sami poked his underarm. "H-hey!"

"Couldn't resist," Sami grinned. "I talked to Jimmy, and we're okay. I can keep seeing you." He shifted, showing Jey his massive erection. "Every morning, recently, and Jimmy's not always in the mood. I'm usually not either, obviously, but..." He gasped as he gripped himself. "Something about that conversation just made me want you, and now."

With that he lifted a blue craft feather, sleek and stiff. "I thought you might like to celebrate. I'm long overdue to tickle some particular words out of you." Jey blushed, leaning in to kiss him. They fumbled around for a moment or two, and Jey was easily made hard by Sami kissing his neck and rubbing his thighs, eager after so long fantasising about him. "Sami. Oh, Sami. Oh, I've been waiting for this!" He gasped, already lost in his ecstasy.

"Yeah? Moan for me, Jey." Sami threw a leg over Jey's hip and pulled him in to rub their erections together, and Jey moaned obediently. "Wait, wait!" He gasped as Sami grazed his teeth against his jaw.

Sami sat up, and couldn't resist rolling his eyes. The last time Jey had interrupted his kisses he'd annoyed him so much he'd walked away.

"I just wanted to say sorry for last time." Jey said. "I looked it up like you said, and people on this one forum said that lots of asexuals like to make other people feel good, but don't like to be touched. I'm sorry, Sami." He looked upset.

"Applogy accepted, now kiss me." Jey giggled, but held him off. "I just woke up - I -" He wouldn't meet Sami's eye. "I haven't come in a month. If you keep ordering me around and touching me like you are..."

"Oh." Sami put his leg over Jey's hip once again, smirking. "You're kinky, aren't you? Like being tickled, like being told what to do. I bet you're even getting off on me talking to you like this." He ran the blue feather across Jey's face, ears and neck as he spoke, making him snort and squirm. "You think you can hold off for a little while so I can tickle you some more?" Jey nodded shakily, and Sami moved down to the end of the bed, grabbing Jey's ankles. Jey squealed as Sami used his newfound strength to pull him closer, and his cock throbbed when Sami wielded the feather like in his fantasies. 

He started off lightly, brushing the feather back and forth across Jey's soles. His laughter started quiet, but as Sami's tickles got fiercer he was unable to stop himself cackling, squeezing his cock between his legs to stop himself coming as much as for pleasure. "S-SamieheheHEHEHEHE!" Jey's feet had been very ticklish as a human, so as a wolf they were exponentially so and it drove him crazy in the best possible way. Jey reached inside his waistband to touch himself and blushed when he realised he'd already leaked precome heavily, and Sami was absolutely merciless. He twirled the feather and began to scratch at the stems of Jey's toes with its quill, and it totally ruined him. "S-S-Sami! AHAHAHAHA! I'm gonna.. I'm.. I'm!!" His own precome was his lube, and the intense tickling, touching himself for the first time in front of Sami, it all felt so good-

"Hands off," Sami said suddenly, not ceasing his tickling.

"H-huh?" Jey whimpered, his orgasm continuing to build.

"Hands. Off." Sami reached a long arm over and slapped Jey's hand away. He gasped, teetering on the edge, and fisted his hands in his hair to regain control. "You don't get to come so fast, not when you've apparently been waiting for this for so long." He kept tickling him. "Okay, touch yourself some more, Jey. Go slow and do as I tell you."

Jey was only too happy to obey, alternating between humping an open hand and squeezing himself while lifting his hips.

"Okay," Sami told him. "Tell me just how pathetic you are. Tickles don't stop until I hear it."

"Please don't edge me again!" His best friend whimpered. "It's been days, please. I need to come, Sami. I can't hold it back much longer, I'm pathetic." Those weren't exactly the words he was looking for, but nonetheless his submission turned Sami on, so different from Jimmy, always dominant in bed. He couldn't decide which he liked more, and was glad he didn't have to.

"Jey Uso is gonna come," Sami sang, racing the feather up and down his soles as Jey used his vibrator on his clothed tip. "Jey is gonna come just because I said so. Gonna come because you're just too ticklish, aren't you, Jey? Aren't you?" The teasing was far, far too much, and Jey pushed himself violently over the edge.

"Ah!" Jey's hips stuttered and he shot come hotly into his underwear. "Mm, mmm, Sami," he whimpered, holding eye contact as Sami kept tickling while his orgasm wracked him. "Oh, look at you," Sami cooed. "Nearly came right through your underwear, huh?" He was starting to really enjoy the aspects of sex where he wasn't touched, by him or anyone. He thought he might like to listen to both Usos moan at once, but didn't know how it would work.

An aftershock hit the more sensitive twin at his words. "I.. ah..." In a rare moment, Jey was speechless with pleasure, and it satisfied Sami hugely. "Pretty, pretty boy," Sami murmured, climbing off the bed and kissing the top of Jey's head. "Was that good? Everything you hoped for, huh?"

Jey blushed. "S-so much more."

"Good." He kissed his lips this time, reaching in to tickle his tummy, and Jey moaned and giggled. 

"I'm gonna go before anyone wakes up and sees me leave, okay? I love you. You look so hot." He left Jey lying there in his mess, and he looked forward greatly to the next time Sami came to visit.

*** 

"There is no Council."

"What?!"

At the sound of general outrage, Sami snapped out of his doze, lifting his head from Jimmy's shoulder. It was a hot, muggy day out, and Sami felt like joining Monroe, who had flopped onto the kitchen floor. It was the five of them - him, the three Uso boys, and Rikishi, who may as well have counted as two people.

"There is no Council." Rikishi repeated. "If there was one, I would be on it, Umaga-" He raised his eyes to the ceiling briefly. "A few others from around the country. After that business in Forks with the Immortal Child imprinting, many of them resigned and there were never suitable replacements." He sighed loudly, wringing his hands. "To be honest, I don't blame them, that was altogether sticky." Jimmy and Jey had told Sami of Renesmee and Jacob Black long before now, but he was still horrified to be reminded. "Sticky" did not begin to cover it, even taking into account tribal customs. 

"So what does that mean?" Jey asked loudly. "Are we going to build a new one? Won't that take a while?"

"No, there..." Rikishi looked chastened. "I don't think there are enough elders left. You're all doing an excellent job repopulating-" There were general grunts of embarrassment; Jimmy whispered "Dad, inappropriate!" 

"The point is, for now, the Council is defunct, and will be until we have six senior tribal members. This means, at least from our side, we have nothing to worry about when it comes to the ritual, or the curse, not any more." He bit his lip, nerves flickering in his eyes in a rare moment. "The Volturi still aren't very happy, especially since we killed Kross without consulting them. Carlisle is trying to talk them through it, and they seem to believe him about everything after reading his mind, but... not happy." 

"When can we get married?" Jimmy burst out, squeezing Sami's hand. 

"I'd like to do things properly, find a non-human officiant--"

"Emmet." Sami said, and blushed as they all looked at him. "Emmet Cullen is ordained."

Rikishi snorted loudly. "Emmet Cullen will eat rocks if you pay him enough! When we find the right person, you can get married. Same day, if you like."

"With respect, Chief," Sami said, "I think I should have a say in who conducts my wedding. I would like it to be Emmet."

"Yeah, Emmet's nice!" Jimmy chimed in.

"How do you know about this anyway?"

"Oh," Sami said. "Bella told me." 

"You and Bella Swan have had time enough alone to have in depth conversations about her siblings?"

Sami held up his phone, slightly embarrassed - Bella had arrived with a new one when he'd been in the hospital after he smashed his on Kross's face, and her number was already in it. "We text."

"You text." Rikishi's face was unreadable.

"Chief, do you want to find someone or not?" That was Solo, exasperated. "Give it a rest! You're about to be a worse bridezilla than either of these two."

That made Rikishi stop and chuckle at himself - he had been noticeably more easy-going since he had arrived home a new man, and Sami wondered with a pang how much of his previous gloomy personality had been pain or worry about his aging body or him simply missing Solo.

"Listen," Rikishi said. "If it's Emmet you want, have him, but if he tries to fist-bump anyone during the ceremony, I'm walking out."

Everyone giggled at that.

Rikishi took a phone call a short while later and returned ashen-faced.

"Chief?" Sami said, being the first to notice - with his Surge had come an incredible sense of smell, so even without looking up he could smell the nerves in the air. "Who was on the phone?"

"Ah.." Rikishi seemed to be fumbling, a state Sami had never seen him in before. "That was Carlisle. The Volturi want me to go with him to Volterra and explain my side of what happened with Kross. They say it's just routine, but I don't trust them."

From what Bella had told Sami - and that wasn't a lot - he thought Rikishi was right to be wary. "I'll go with you." He said immediately, and Jimmy grabbed his wrist. "Sami, no." 

"I'm the one who started all this!" He argued. "Chief, I'd like to go with you. I'm the human who got imprinted on and got turned into a wolf and I'm the reason you had to kill Kross." 

"Sami, no."

"James." Rikishi said dangerously. "He is your mate, not your possession." Jimmy climbed down sulkily and let go of Sami, who cuddled back into him to reassure him. "I love you, Jimmy, but this is something I need to do." Their lips brushed. 

"I am amenable to that," Rikishi said quietly. "We leave tomorrow afternoon."

"Dad's afraid of flying." Jey told Sami late that night. It was muffled because he was under the covers kissing up and down Sami's legs. "That's why he was so chill with you coming." He and Jimmy had been working on Sami with foreplay for a good hour, wanting him to have the easiest orgasm possible - he'd been struggling recently. "Hey, speaking of coming..."

Sami laughed, then moaned, then sighed happily at Jey's lips drifting up to his thighs. "God, I'm going to miss you. Both of you." Jimmy's arms wrapped around him from behind, and he rocked back happily onto Jimmy's cock. "Mm! And you're sure I can't convince you to stay?" His fiancé murmured. "F-fuck, slow down, you'll wreck my edge." Sami started to rotate his hips the way he wanted. "Sorry, cutie. But I can't stay here when there's stuff to be resolved that involves me. You know me, I'd just be stuck on it." 

"Maybe." Jimmy kissed his neck, starting to nibble while he deliberately pressed his leaking cock against Sami's butt. "Ugh, Jimmy! Don't you stop." Jimmy grinned at his bossy nature. "Oh, that feels nice, doesn't it, Sami?" he murmured. "You like being touched by us both while in those lovely tight boxers? You're so sexy." Sami thrust his hips forward and almost choked on his own pleasure. "Y-Yeah!" 

"And do you wanna come, Sami?" Sami nodded breathlessly, his hips moving faster and faster - he couldn't help it, it felt so nice to have the fabric brushing his tip, precome leaking through. "T-Think you're finally ready, huh?" Jimmy sounded close himself, and Sami just had to tease him about it. "What about you, cutie?" He gave Jimmy's pierced, cruelly edged cock a little extra attention. "Are you close?"

"So close," Jimmy groaned. "Can't stand it. Oh, Sami, you feel so good." With that he whimpered, spurting over his mate's back. Sami moaned at the glazing, then squeaked as Jey nibbled his thigh. "J-Jey! That tickles!" Jey blew a raspberry instead. "Plehehease!" He started to laugh desperately as Jey both kept up his efforts and Jimmy tickled his sides. "Nohohoho! JimmEEHEHEHEE! JeHEY! I'm gonna... I-I'm gonNAHAHAHA!" His laughter became laugh-moans, and Sami came, making a beautiful sticky mess in his underwear.

All three breathed hard for a while - Jey had a painfully long refractory period and wouldn't have been able to come again if he wanted, but the smell of Sami's come hung in the air, and he would remember that smell the next morning in the company of his own hand. 

Jey was the one to get up from under the covers to get tissues and a towel, tossing both in the direction of Jimmy. "Fact you could come around me is kinda gross, uce."

"Shut up," Jimmy panted, throwing a pillow at Jey - at this stage, it was one of the ways they communicated. "Your job is done. Leave us be - unless you want to watch me clean my fiancé up with my tongue."

Jey might have loved to see that - if it wasn't his brother doing it. He grinned and sat down on the bed to kiss Sami goodnight. "Have a good flight, uce. Think calming thoughts if Dad starts."

Sami still hadn't been put into a stressful enough situation to kick off his first shift which would allow him to do so at will, and since he found out about it 24 hours earlier Rikishi had been badgering him about forcing it rather than waiting for something to happen. "It's not healthy, Sami, you have too much extra energy and it's going nowhere," and Sami had listened patiently, but if he kept it up for the flight tomorrow Sami might just shift on the plane from his father-in-law raising his blood pressure - wouldn't that be the cherry on top of everything? 

He kissed Jey back gratefully, and then his best friend waved at him and left for his own room. 

Jey was once again grateful for their headboards sharing a wall as he stripped and got into bed, drifting off to the sound of Sami moaning. 

Chapter Text

Tuscany. Marble buildings, a balmy 27 degrees Celsius, and a language that neither of them spoke. Luckily Carlisle was with them, and he had plenty.

The plane ride had been mercifully uneventful - Carlisle had prescribed something for Rikishi, so he slept most of the way. Sami sat between a snoring Rikishi and Carlisle reading endless medical journals, and had dozed a little himself despite the discomfort of economy class. They had arrived grumpy and jetlagged, except of course for Carlisle, and agreed it would be best to go straight ahead instead of stopping to rest - there would be time enough for rest when their lives weren't at stake. 

The sun was strong, the air much heavier than they were used to and it made the heat feel doubled, like wearing a blanket. Carlisle pulled a wide-brimmed baseball cap down over his face as soon as they left the airport, a windbreaker collar turned up. "It isn't safe to travel any further together," he said in a low voice as a car pulled up, black with tinted windows. "I could be spotted by humans."

Sami would've mistaken it for any other car if he was human, but as a member of the tribe he could almost smell the power coming off of it. His flesh crawled.

The door slid open smoothly, and it seemed to be taken as read that they should get in.

"I'll meet you in the square," Carlisle said. "I promise." Then he was gone, and Sami's boosted eyesight just caught him whisking around a corner some hundred metres away.

They got into the car. The driver didn't speak for the entirety of the trip - an hour, maybe more - and Sami didn't dare to speak either. He was distracted, anyway; the scenery was beautiful, and they saw more brown stone the closer they got to the gorgeous city.

As the greenery sprawled out before them, Sami could see why the court of the vampires chose to reside here. This place was mysterious by nature, big enough that an unsuspecting lost tourist could easily be snatched and brought back to the city. 

The car stopped only a little way into the city, and the driver grunted, muttering something in Italian. "Scusi. Pedestrian. You walk from here." 

Sami and Rikishi hopped out, both of their muscles protesting after the drive immediately following the plane ride. Sami suddenly wanted nothing more than a comfortable bed and Jimmy's arms.

"It's very important, Sami," Rikishi told him as they ambled down the narrow streets, "that you clear your mind in case Aro and Jane should try and get inside it. No thoughts of home, of Jimmy."

"Like Edward with his mind reading?"

"Much, much more dangerous. They can make you see things that aren't there, feel whatever they like - pure pleasure, agony off the scale, whatever - and they take a kind of sick sport in it. Be prepared, is all I'm saying. It's not all physical, either. They can bring up memories that hurt just as much."

"Do the people in the city know - about vampires, about the Vol--"

"For God's sake, keep your voice down!"

"Sorry. I'm guessing that's a yes?"

Rikishi looked frustrated. "Many of them suspect, a few claim to have proof but never do. Every year they hold the festival of St. Marcus here - the saint who supposedly drove vampires from the city. Ah - there's Carlisle now." 

Carlisle waved from the stretching shadows of a towering building. Despite the sticky heat that day and his body temperature now being a constant steady 100F, Sami shivered as he stepped into its shadow too. It was more than a shadow - it was like the building sucked in all light. Carlisle and Rikishi grasped each other's forearms in some archaic greeting, before the head of the Cullen family knocked on the heavy wooden doors and lead the way inside. 

There was no guide, and the only light inside was flickering and yellow and came from exquisite chandeliers. Carlisle seemed to know the way. 

After what seemed like endless twists and turns, they ended up in a large open room, this one's ceiling impossibly high to have a chandelier fixed to it, and yet it did.

There were only three people in the room, and Sami could smell that they were all vampires - an acrid, slightly sweet smell that reminded Sami of BO. It was different from the milder, vaguely woody scent of the vegetarians he'd met, and Sami wondered with a sick fascination if he was smelling rotting human flesh.

"Ah," said the one in the center, spreading his arms wide and opening his mouth in a twisted expression of glee. "Carlisle. Chief Uso, the first in nearly a century." 

"Aro." Rikishi grunted, and Carlisle inclined his head politely.

When the vampire called Aro's eyes fell on Sami, his revolting grin widened. "You brought a guest! Sami, is it?"

Sami gulped and jumped when Rikishi prodded him. "He expects you to answer him," his chief hissed. Sami stepped forward, trying his best to avoid the ruby red eyes. "Yes, sir."

"Cat got your tongue? Although I hear you're more into dogs these days. Hee-hee-hee." The laugh was emotionless.

"No, sir. I can speak fine." 

"Wonderful!" Sami felt a breeze and suddenly the vampire was beside them. He grasped arms with Carlisle, then with Rikishi. "I want to know, dear Chief, your side of what happened here."

Sami opened his mouth to explain but Carlisle shook his head so imperceptibly Sami almost missed it, and closed his mouth again. He got the feeling that speaking out of turn wasn't the move. 

"It began when my son Jimmy fell in love with a wonderful human." Sami felt himself blushing - underneath the obstinance and the power there was a little strain of pride in Rikishi's voice, and affection for his father-in-law gushed up inside him.

"Ah-ah," Aro said, interrupting him. "I don't want to hear you tell it. I just want to know." Sami frowned, wondering what he was implying.

Rikishi sighed. "If you must." He held out his forearm again and Aro grasped it just like before, but the difference was this time Rikishi's eyes rolled back and he drooped, his knees bending. Sami was alarmed, but Carlisle remained calm - this must be the mind-reading Rikishi had told him about. He wished he'd been given a heads up on how disturbing it looked. 

When he was finished Aro released Rikishi, who gasped and heaved as if coming up from deep water. "Now you," he said.

He approached Sami, who was suddenly very afraid, remembering the last time he'd been around a man-eating vampire. It wasn't like he could run - even if he made it out of the room, which he doubted he would, those corridors all looked the same. He would be quickly cornered and probably eaten for his insolence, and there would be nothing anyone could do.

"It's all right, Sami." Rikishi said behind Aro, his voice ragged - he had seen panic blossom in Sami's eyes. "It doesn't hurt, it just feels a little... strange." 

Aro lifted a hand to cup Sami's face, and he felt Rikishi rush to his side as his knees buckled.

It felt like he'd stepped through a curtain of freezing cold water, and Sami was blinded by a flood of memories. 

The heat rising inside him as Jimmy's lips brushed his cheek for the first time. How the butterflies fluttered in his tummy as he rushed around getting ready for their first date. How Kross had started stalking him early on in their relationship, always dropping malicious hints about Sami being a liar. Kross taking a photo and putting it out there, meeting Rikishi, confessing his love for Jimmy, the first time he'd touched himself as Jimmy watched... No, Sami's thoughts suddenly fought through the flood. No, you don't get to watch that, that's private-- 

"Nothing is private," he heard Aro's high voice hiss. "Not from me." Then he was lost again, remembering the burn of Kross rupturing his appendix with a steel pipe, the way the hair on the back of his neck stood up while Jimmy told him of the Cold Ones, Kross's breath hot on his neck, the smell of the blood pouring from his own stomach, the feeling of Jimmy's come hitting his back—

No!

With a similar gasp and heave to Rikishi, Sami opened his eyes, his bodily warmth returning. 

Aro was on the floor beside him, looking as if he'd fallen over in a heap. "How dare you?" He snarled, on his feet before Sami could so much as draw a breath. Rikishi looked terrified. "S-Sami, you... You fought off his telepathy." His chief said in a whisper, looking older than Sami had ever seen him. 

"My apologies, Aro! Sami is a newborn, his instincts are not quite what they should be, and he knows not when to fall in line." His immediate submission scared Sami more than anything. 

"You didn't need to see any of that," Sami said shakily. "It wasn't relevant."

"I will see what I wish." Aro said in that same hiss, and he gripped Sami's face once more.

His late night whispering session with Jey. He and Jimmy performing the ritual so in case he got hurt, just in case, he'd have something to fall back on.

Sami's eyes watered as Aro dug his nails into his cheek, and memories he'd buried in a fog of painkillers and pain itself resurfaced under the vampire's hand. The way Kevin hit him at Elimination Chamber, like he really wanted him to hurt. All the bitter words he'd exchanged with all the Usos while Rikishi had been comatose. The feeling of his flesh tearing, his bones breaking, the venom reaching his bloodstream. The pain of it all, pain he'd never felt before. Someone was screaming distantly.

"Enough." Sami dry heaved, and sagged into Rikishi's arms. This time it was Carlisle who had spoken. "We agreed, Aro. Nothing past his limit, and I think screaming constitutes a limit." Sami blinked rapidly, slowly coming back to himself - he had been the one who had screamed, and it wasn't in his memory. "Mrrnm... Chief," Sami mumbled.

"You've scrambled him like an an egg. How am I supposed to bring this back to my sons?"

"Do quiet down, mutt." Sami felt Rikishi shiver. "He will recover. I have everything I need. You will hear no more on the matter - from us, at least. Hee-hee." That emotionless giggle again. "Others may not be so forgiving," he almost sang, waving a finger at them. "Heed the warning, or rue the day you didn't." 

"Is that a threat?" Rikishi growled, pushing an unsteady Sami behind him. "I may be ageing, but I have a fresh body, and I can fight as well as any vampire. Try me."

"Jane..." Aro said casually, and the vampire with the golden hair was next to him, her hand shooting out and grabbing Rikishi's face to make him meet her eyes. "Pain." 

Rikishi was on the floor, howling and thrashing. Carlisle looked helpless, and Sami's heart thudded faster and faster.

"Pain." Jane said insistently, and Rikishi spat blood, gurgling on it. "Stop!" Carlisle said then. "Respectfully. You could kill him through choking on that. I am a doctor, let me help." Aro seemed to be considering, while Rikishi continued to writhe, and the Chief of the Bloodline sobbed, high and panicked. The sound was the last straw for Sami, who leapt forward. 

His skin was prickling all over, and it felt as if he was slowly being compressed. An ache at his tailbone, his jaw, and then-

Aro laughed delightedly as the golden wolf appeared before him, and Carlisle rushed forward. "Sami! Stop!" He restrained the baying, struggling animal with some difficulty - he didn't want to hurt him. "Stop! Breathe, Sami. You don't stand a chance. You know you don't. We have to help the Chief!"

His arms around Sami, hard as the marble beneath their feet, helped to ground him. Carlisle went further - desperate times. "You can't marry Jimmy if you're dead."

And then he was gasping and sweating in Carlisle's arms, human and naked as the day he was born. Carlisle removed his coat, helping Sami put it on quickly before he could be lucid enough to be embarrassed. Jane was staring at them, having broken the contact with Rikishi, who continued to cry on the floor. Carlisle rushed over to turn him on his side and he retched, blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth. 

After examining him, Carlisle let out a sigh of relief, helping Rikishi up off the floor. "You bit your tongue badly, Chief. That's why the bleeding and why you feel like you can't speak." 

Rikishi let out a groan. 

"Leave us," Aro said, "and do not dare show your faces here again in any form. If you do..."

He didnt have to finish. Sami and Carlisle left as fast as they could, supporting a trembling Rikishi. The Chief was stronger once they were out of the shadow of the building, and it was early enough still that there was nobody around to catch Sami's bare feet or Rikishi's tear-stained face. 

***

When they got back to the hotel, Carlisle didn't stay ("This is something you have to lean on each other for. Not vampire business.") and Sami listened closely as Rikishi showered, worried at any moment he would hear a pained noise or a thump. There had been a miscommunication with booking and they were in a double room instead of two singles, which oddly worked out - there was one double bed which fit Rikishi well, and one twin bed that Sami would be comfortable in with his long limbs. 

When Rikishi emerged, dressed and towelling his hair, Sami let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. "Feeling better, Chief?"

"Perfectly well as always, Sami." Though he'd bitten his tongue badly, Rikishi was back to normal - the hour's drive back to their airport hotel and the hour showering had been enough for it to heal. He settled himself on the double bed and eyed Sami. "Bed, Sami. We go back tomorrow morning."

"Chief, the Volturi-" 

"Are of no matter to either of us now. Be happy for that."

"They hurt you."

"Ah, I'm fine. Stop fussing, blanquito; you're worse than Aunty."

"You were crying."

"Sami." His voice was still. "Enough." Sami recognised the danger sign and bowed his head in submission. "Yes, Chief. Sorry, Chief." 

"To bed with both of us. Early start." As Sami climbed into bed, Rikishi snapped the light off, and that was the last either man said until morning. 

Chapter Text

When Sami woke the next morning, his first thought was of Rikishi. He rolled over, prepared for the worst, and instead smiled at the sight of his future father-in-law flat on his back, snoring like a warthog. Sami slipped silently out of bed and into the bathroom.

Getting a good look at himself in the full-length bathroom mirror, Sami saw bruises - wide, yellowing stripes across his ribs. That must be where Carlisle had grabbed him in his wolf form. He realised that he was aching from head to toe, and when the warm spray of the shower hit his tired muscles from all directions, Sami couldn't help moaning with relief. He clapped a hand over his mouth, conscious of who he was sharing a room with. The shower really helped, though, and he could feel his body returning to normal. 

When he padded back to the room Rikishi was sitting up, already fully dressed and eating breakfast with his reading glasses perched on his head. "There you are, Sami. Hurry, the car is coming in twenty minutes." He thrust a plate at Sami. "Croissant?" Sami took one and poured himself a cup of coffee from the pot on the room service tray - luckily it was cool enough to gulp.

When Sami had changed clothes they left for the airport, and Sami saw Rikishi slip something under his tongue before they went through security - probably another of Carlisle's little white pills.

By the time the plane left the ground Rikishi was snoring again.

The Chief was groggy when they touched down, and Sami was very glad that he'd arranged a lift on his phone while they waited for their bags.

The journey home seemed to take no time at all, and a yawning Rikishi fumbled with his keys. "Mother--" He was still stiff from yesterday's torture and his fingers shook.

"Let me, Chief," Sami said, fitting the key deftly into the lock and turning it smoothly. 

Jimmy and Jey were sitting on the couch munching cereal, and cheered with their mouths full when the door opened. "Dad! You're alive!"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Rikishi shot a suspicious look at Sami, who squirmed and stowed his phone away in his pocket. He sat down heavily between his sons. "Oh, my dear boys. Please tell me you ate something other than cereal while we were gone." 

"I cooked, Chief!" Jacob emerged from seemingly nowhere, but actually under the kitchen table. "I dropped a tomato," he explained, seeing their faces and holding up the fruit. "They ate hot food, I swear. Good to see you're okay, Chief."

"Thank you, Jacob." Rikishi groaned, closing his eyes. In minutes he was asleep again. 

The twins got up carefully. "I think he's out for the night," Jey said cautiously. "We can talk."

Sami walked over to hug Jacob, and then he and the twins retired to the guest room. 

"...and then I felt all prickly, and then I was just, a wolf. I don't know how to explain it." Jimmy and Jey nodded, familiar with the sensation of transforming. 

They were all sitting on the bed, bare-chested and cuddling after what felt like weeks apart - this imprinting was strong stuff, Sami thought.

"Carlisle stopped me from trying to go for Aro. Said some stuff that turned me back." Sami pressed his face into Jimmy's chest. "I thought he was gonna die, Jimmy." 

Jey wrapped his arms around them both. "He didn't, though, uce. You're both okay."

"Is Chief really okay, though? He cried, Jey. Sobbed like a baby. I can't imagine the amount of pain he'd have to be put through for that to happen." 

Jimmy rubbed Sami's arm soothingly. "We'll keep an eye out for any lasting effects, right? I'm sure he'll be just fine. You, however," He started to massage Sami's shoulders. "are seriously knotted up." Sami moaned happily. "Yeah, is that good? My poor achy Sami. Get in here, Jey." 

Between Jey's feather-light kisses and Jimmy's firm massage, Sami found himself melting. "Oh, Jey. Jimmy. That feels so nice." He twitched as Jimmy ran his fingers up his back. 

"Oh, that tickles, huh?" Jimmy murmured against his neck. Sami shook his head no, but he blushed, and when Jimmy dragged his fingers back down more lightly a giggle worked its way out. "I think it is. I think light touches really tickle my Sexy Sami." He wiggled his fingers and Sami couldn't stop a laugh escaping. "Good boy, laugh for me." He started using both hands and Sami covered his mouth to muffle his laughter. "Right there? Is that the right spot?" Sami blushed furiously - he'd learned he absolutely loved to be teased.

Jimmy happily tickled his fiancé's worries away, and Sami felt himself getting quite damp between the legs when Jey grabbed his hands to keep him from fighting back. He squirmed, and Jey was the first to spot it.

"Oh, Sami," he said softly, drawing tickly circles on Sami's palms and loving how his laughter fractured and shook. "You're wet for us." 

"Mm!" Sami moaned high in the back of his throat, and he did something totally unexpected, lifting his socked foot and rubbing it over Jey's crotch. Jey froze, biting his lip. "Again?" Sami panted, and Jey nodded enthusiastically, pushing his hips into the second stroke. Sami used the other foot too, expertly cupping and stroking the outline of Jey's hardening cock, and he made a strangled sound and dropped Sami's hands. "Holy fuck, Sami."

"Hey," Jimmy's voice rumbled in his ear. "What about me?" He lifted Sami's arm and kissed his way down it, turning it to suckle on his wrist - and suddenly Sami caught sight of his bite scar and he wasn't in his bedroom flanked by his lovers, he was in his own head.

Kross biting into his wrist, the blood spurting, the unimaginable pain. A scream not unlike the one he'd uttered that night broke at the top of his throat and came out as a whimper. 

"Sami. Sami, my love?"

The joy, the pure bloodlust on Kross's face as he drank. The cold feeling and gentle lapping sound of his blood pouring out. The way his whole self burned as the vampire venom set in.

A blow across his face.

"Sami, wake up!" 

Sami opened his eyes - when had he closed them? - one side of his face stinging. Jey was sitting in front of him, looking spooked, and Jimmy's arms were tight around him. "Sorry, uce," Jey said shakily. "Couldn't think of another way to try and snap you out of it. You were crying and moaning like someone was hurting you." 

"Kross," Sami said, wiping his face and surprised to find it was wet. "Kross was hurting me."

After he'd sniffled the whole thing to the twins they enveloped him in hugs again.

"You know," Jey said. "When Jimmy came back after being attacked by Gunther, I got scared to train with him in case I hurt him. I started flinching away from sparring with him, and I became a worse wrestler as a result." 

"I had to tickle it out of him," Jimmy cut in, and Sami laughed. "But he finally told me he was just afraid of hurting me again - I think he literally said "I don't want to break you". And I told him I wouldn't break, and I didn't. You'll get better, Sami. You won't always have flashbacks when you see the scar." He kissed Sami's neck, who turned his head to give him a watery smile. 

"And for now," Jey said, suddenly producing a pretty purple chiffon scarf from a drawer, "you can hide it with this." He wrapped the scarf around Sami's bite scar, tying it in a neat bow. "Purple again, that okay?"

"Yeah." Sami said. "Purple's cool. Where did you get this? It's pretty." He stroked the soft material.

The twins exchanged a look, then Jey said "Mom." Sami's stomach twisted; no matter how gently he had prodded, neither of the twins would open up about their mother. He assumed privately that she was dead, traumatically somehow.

"This is all her old stuff, actually," Jimmy said, waving a hand at the bed, the set of drawers, the ancient wrestling posters on the wall. He looked sad as he said it.

"Jimmy, hush." Jey said, his eyes on the floor.

"After she left-"

"Jimmy!"

"He's part of the family, Jey!" For once Jimmy was fierce. "I get to talk about these things around him now." He looked at Sami. "After she left, Dad had a long talk with us about how we could keep whatever we wanted of hers, but not in our own bedrooms, because he wanted to see as little as possible of it. We moved the stuff that was in the best shape in here, and down the line it became a guest room and the stuff stayed. Notice how Dad never crosses the threshold? Like it's haunted."

Sami felt a flood of pity. He had judged Rikishi harshly over his intense line of questioning with regard to Sami's relationship with his ex, but the man had reason enough to be so thorough, of course he had. He resolved to apologise to Rikishi as soon as he could. 

"We were seven, and Solo was four, and she just left, and she never said why," Jey said suddenly, a story that had been bottled up for two decades suddenly uncorking all at once. "Not then. Not now. We don't even know if she's still alive. Do not," his voice turned serious, and he gripped Sami's knee, "mention her to my dad, especially not now." Sami thought of the faraway look in Rikishi's eyes when asked if he had ever imprinted, and felt that same heavy pity again. "I won't." He promised. Jey looked sad, and he stroked his arm soothingly. "Thank you for telling me, Jey." That made him smile, and Sami was glad for it. Both Usos snuggled into him, all of them a little emotional.

The door banged open, cold air sweeping in. All three men yelped, scattering, ready for a fight; Jey leaped up, skidded on a discarded candy wrapper and went flying across the room, smacking his head off the wall. 

"I'm sorry to break up this cosy little gathering." Rikishi said coldly. "I'm sure you're having a nice conversation. It's just that there is a large pile of dirty laundry that I was under the impression you three were going to get done."

"Oh!" Sami gasped, going pink. "Yes, we will, sorry-" 

The three of them scrambled to find their clothes and Rikishi tutted loudly. "Be quick." He left, shutting the door behind him.

"Do you think he heard us telling the story?" Jimmy asked.

"Boys! Now!" came the bellow.

"I think he did." Sami gulped. 

Jey moaned, massaging his head.

They expected to be admonished by Rikishi that evening, but when he saw the scarf tied around Sami's wrist he went pale and hurried off, and when he returned a good twenty minutes later he was stoned and didn't say anything at all as he helped sort the laundry. 

Chapter Text

A few days passed, then a week, then two. Sami switched to a black scarf to be slightly more discreet, but something strange happened. Rikishi began sleeping in his bed again instead of watching over the house. This should've been a good sign, but when he spoke to Sami now it was with none of the brightness he used with his sons, and they stopped smoking together after the first night - Rikishi was stiff and closed off, and not for lack of trying, Sami couldn't talk to him at all. 

"It's like he's triggered," Sami murmured to Jimmy that night in bed. He didn't go a night now without one or the other of the twins in his bed, sometimes both. They hadn't had sex again, though; his libido had calmed down significantly now he'd transformed, and he was glad for it. He had been feeling overwhelmed by the constant erections which turned painful if he didn't get off, and getting off when he wasn't in the mood was more of a chore than anything. "Wouldn't talk even when I got him high. Of course, I can't take the scarf off because I can't look at that scar without being triggered either. It's a mess." He said miserably, cuddling Jimmy. 

"He'll come round," Jimmy soothed. Sami still looked worried, but all Jimmy had to do was stroke his neck lightly and he squeaked, a grin spreading across his face. "H-hey, that's not fair," he grumbled. "Let me be upset."

"No." Jimmy wiggled his fingers and he laughed. "Mm, that sound. Make it some more for me, sexy Sami."

"Noho!" Sami tried to push him away and squealed as Jimmy pinned his wrists to make a very ticklish meal of him, his teeth gleaming in the half-light. His fiancé's lips and tongue and teeth tickled far more than they reasonably should.

"Ssh," Jimmy teased, licking his Adam's apple. "You'll wake Dad." 

But indeed there was no rousing Rikishi the next morning, and all three Uso boys tried. Solo finally returned looking harassed. "He's not coming, and said we should all put our guns somewhere physically impossible." 

"Maybe I should stay behind?" Sami asked. "Just in case?"

"No way." Jey said. "He might not be up for seeing just you right now, and besides, it's your first hunting day as a member of the tribe. We need your sense of smell. If anyone stays, it should be me."

"We're all going," Jimmy said, "and that's that. Dad will be okay, he owns a phone, if he really needs us we'll come back. Get in the Oompa-Loompa before I have to carry your ass in there like after Mania." Sami had to laugh at that, and it seemed to soothe Jimmy. 

They bounced off in the tiny orange car, and after an hour of the boys whooping and hyping him up, Sami felt cheered up and excited to hunt.

If he thought suburban life was brighter after the Surge, the woods were like the sun. Sami started sneezing when they left the car, and the boys chuckled at him, Jimmy counting his sneezes out loud and cheering when he hit ten. "Man, fuck you guys," Sami laughed nasally, taking the offered tissue from Solo. He blew his nose three times and felt much better. "You'll get used to it," his brother-in-law grinned, punching his shoulder, and Sami felt a flicker of kinship with Solo for the first time ever. "The smells, I mean. You should have adjusted next time." Sami was glad to hear it.

He'd been getting better with a rifle, but as they trained it had turned out he was much handier with a bow, so that was what he carried, and he felt rather like a cartoon Robin Hood as he took up the rear spot in the party, a quiver of arrows over his shoulder. In other words - pretty cool. 

Jimmy held his hand as they walked to lead him, and the sharp vision, the vivid browns and greens, it was all overwhelming. "Concentrate, Sami. Let the smells come and go as you pass them. Say them out loud if it helps."

Sami breathed deeply. "Tree. Different tree. Dog. Squirrel. F-flowers.. ahem..." His breath hitched in a very recognisable way.

"Bless you." Jimmy said prematurely before one little gaspy sneeze fought out of Sami. "Come on. What else?"

"Poop - oh, gross! Definitely human. Then, uh... Over here there's..." Sami's footsteps stopped and Jimmy expected to hear him sneeze again, but there was silence, and Jimmy turned to see him stood still, his head turned. 

"Boys." Jimmy said, and Jey, Solo, and Jacob, who had turned up to lead, all stopped. "What is it, Sami?"

"Blood." his life partner whispered. His eyes were huge and darting around. "Human, I think. Smells... weird." He tried not to be sick - the smell was overwhelming.

Jimmy stepped closer and wrapped an arm around Sami. "Sami, you're sensitive right now because you transformed recently and this is your first time out in the woods since. I can smell it too. It'll be someone out hunting just like us, having a nosebleed or on their period. Breathe."

Sami breathed, and allowed the smell to fade into all the rest. Jimmy smiled at him. 

After that close call, Jimmy insisted he take the rear, Sami in front of him instead. Jey gave him a piece of rabbit pelt to sniff to ground him, and Sami actually quite liked the muddy, musky scent of it. It gave him something to seek out in the rainbow of new smells.

"Let's go, Sami!" Jimmy cheered him as he caught his fifth rabbit for them. It felt really good to be useful and do something physical for the first time since his Surge - his body was in peak physical position at all times now, and he missed a good workout. Sami gloried in getting dirty and sweaty, kneeling in the leaves with his bow to mask his scent. They shot only the five rabbits that day, but also took out a particularly annoying and particularly fat squirrel, which would be gamey but not inedible. They were happy, and Sami felt at least a ton lighter as they headed home. 

They were all glad to see Rikishi sitting up at the kitchen table when they traipsed into the house. He shook his head at them tracking mud in but said nothing, gnawing at a chicken wing. There were joint roaches in the ashtray but Sami suspected the red eyes were for an entirely different reason; Carlisle was sitting across from him. "Hi, Sami. Nice to see you getting out." Sami grinned at him - he felt too bolstered to be brought down by the sadness he could sense in the room. "Are you feeling better, Chief?" he dared to ask.

Rikishi cleared his throat, then he looked Sami right in the eye for the first time in fourteen long days. "Yes I am, Sami. Thank you for asking. Carlisle and I have had a nice talk." His eyes flickered to the scarf tied around Sami's wrist, and he gave him a small, approving nod. "I hope you feel better soon too."

Relief flooded Sami, and he felt his eyes watering. Carlisle looked awkward, and when Sami blinked he was gone. Rikishi sniffled a little too, and stood to pat Sami heavily on the shoulder. 

"All right, that's it." That was Jacob, and he and Solo walked over and grabbed Rikishi's arms, holding them out. He struggled, but one shifter on each arm was more than enough to keep him in place. "Chief, you have to smile again, and Solo said you have a secret."

"What? Jacob, get off of me!" Rikishi's voice was rough, raw. "I'm tired. Let me go to bed." 

"Go back to bed, you mean. No. You gotta cheer up."

"What secret?" Sami asked, but Jimmy and Jey grinned, walking over too. They took turns prodding and massaging different spots on their dad's ribs and tummy, and he didn't react. Well, he didn't laugh - he surely huffed and grunted and squirmed. "You're dead. All of you are dead. You're all groundED!" His voice turned high pitched when they tried his armpits. Sami grinned; he couldn't believe someone who could be so cold and unyielding was ticklish, and he definitely was ticklish, no matter how he flexed his muscles and held his breath in an attempt not to show it.

"Firstly, we're grown," Jimmy said, and Rikishi was breathing hard now a weak spot had been exposed. "You can't ground us. Secondly, I think you're rather outnumbered when it comes to killing us. Get over here, Sami, tickle his underarms. I think we can get him laughing if we all team up and Jacob and Solo keep holding him." 

"Oh, this is your thing," Sami said awkwardly. "I don't wanna touch him if he really doesn't want it anyway." 

But Rikishi looked the same way Jey did when he desperately needed cheering up, and Sami stopped talking and walked over.

"All right, Chief, no more Mr Nice Sami." All three started tickling him for real and Rikishi screamed.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sami could've sworn he felt the floor shake with his volcanic laughter, and he couldn't help giggling too, infected by it. "BahahHAHAHASTARDS! You're all dehehehead!" 

"I don't think you can kill us while we're tickling you, Chief," Jacob said daringly, deciding it was worth the risk of his chief taking his revenge in future - tickling had been a family bonding tactic in the Bloodline for at least as long as Rikishi had been alive, and a good group tickle always begot revenge. Jacob decided to go all the way and moved his head back and forth to brush the ends of his braids off his cousin's upper arm, next to his armpit. This shouldn't really have tickled, but Rikishi was so far gone that he laughed anyway, and Jacob looked pleased with himself. "You're even worse than your sons, you know."

They all collectively tickled their Chief until he cried and then eased off, quickly stepping back before he could recover and get any of them back. Rikishi downright giggled, sinking back into the chair and wiping his eyes. "I hate you all." He lied blatantly, and had the humility to not protest when they hugged him. He reached up to pat Sami's wrist in particular, just to reassure him. 

For once, absolutely everyone slept soundly in their beds. 

Of course, it's always just as things are going good that they go bad.

Seth coughed loudly and grossly as he awoke, the taste of iron in his mouth. He sat against the wall on a bare concrete floor, and his lips were ice cold when he licked them. He wasn't chained up, but he couldn't imagine summoning the energy to move - he was far too hungry. His whole body thrummed with it, and all he could think about was a meal.

The last thing he remembered was being drunk, really drunk, and this attractive twink wearing red contacts - Caius, he had shouted over the bass - leading him to a club basement. After that, blank except for the pain, the worst one he'd ever felt. He reached for his injured knee, expecting it to have been hurt further, but when he prodded the heavy packing there was no stab of pain like he'd come to expect from touching the knee. There was no pain at all, in fact. 

The door creaked open heavily and someone walked in, taking their sweet time getting to him. 

"Good evening," said a high, cold voice. "Seth, Caius said you were called. How are you feeling?"

Seth looked up - his head felt heavy on his neck - and saw another pair of red eyes in a pale face, this one framed by curtains of black hair.

"Oh, is this a sex cult?" he sighed quietly. "Of course I'd be drawn into a sex cult."

The man grabbed him by the face and Seth remembered. The one called Caius turning on him, pushing him up against the door the minute it shut. Seth was excited until the teeth sank into his shoulder and the pain started, then it consumed everything. Seth screamed now at the memory and his captor released him. His stomach squirmed and ached.

"What did you do to me?" He moaned. "Why am I s-so..."

"Remain calm, newborn." Aro said. "We needed one of your company for our side. We will find you someone to eat."

Chapter Text

"Sami."

Howling voices. A flash of... Seth's briefcase? Red eyes. 

"Sami, wake up, my love."

Not howling, screaming. Blood on the carpet. Blood on the fridge. Blood everywhere. Who was the barely stirring body? 

Sami gasped as if plunged into cold water and opened his eyes with a great effort.

He flinched back; Jimmy was there in bed, staring straight at him. "Sorry, Sami," he whispered, stroking his hair. "You were tossing and turning. Nightmares again?"

Sami nodded sadly; they'd come back only just recently, with seemingly no cause, and it was always the same; people in WWE who wanted to hurt him having been turned into vampires, an anonymous victim, and blood, so much blood. He didn't know if they were turning or simply killing the people on the floor, who always conveniently had fallen in a shadow so Sami couldn't make them out. This time the vampire was Seth, but last time it was Karrion Kross, magically back from the dead. When he'd awoken alone and in a cold sweat from that one, his two loves had seemed a million miles from his bed, and he was scared to move in case the dream had been real and Kross was coming back for him. He called Bella in a panic, who assured him that couldn't happen, and when he asked her if he was sure, she passed the phone to Emmet, who made stupid jokes until Sami was muffling his laughter under the blankets, and then to Carlisle, who talked him softly back to sleep by reciting from one of the hundreds of articles he read per day.

Now the nightmare was back, but so was Jimmy, whose hand was warm on his. He leaned in and kissed him, desperate to feel something other than cold fear, and Jimmy happily kissed him back.

Jimmy's hands went to his ribs and he spluttered. "Oh, don't! Please don't!"

"You're all healed, Sami," his fiancé said, tickling him again more lightly. "I can do whatever I like to these very ticklish ribs." His voice was low, seductive. 

"Please!" he snorted. "I gotta piss. You know light tickles are so much worse."

"Sorry," Jimmy grinned. "Forgot." 

"No you didn't."

"No, I didn't. Get up and go pee, you lazy thing. It's your last day here." 

He was right, Sami realised as he washed his hands; his ribs were all healed up, his injuries from Kross were now only mental thanks to his Surge, and the Volturi hadn't condemned them all to death for killing a vampire. It was time for them all to return to work, him included. 

When he came back from the bathroom he dived for Jimmy. "What would you have done if I couldn't handle it and wet the bed, huh?"

Jimmy's cheeks pinked a little. Oh, Sami thought; perhaps Jey wasn't the only one with a more secret kink. He tucked that idea away in his brain for another time, because there was no way he was getting turned on after having that horrible nightmare again. He tangled his hands in Jimmy's hair and leaned in to kiss him. Back to the WWE, back to no PDA and acting like he couldn't hear and smell absolutely everything going on. His stomach lurched and he wondered why he was so nervous - this was what he loved doing. At least, he had... before. The human world, even one with a career in professional wrestling, suddenly seemed a lot greyer after you'd seen giant wolves and been chased down by vampires.

Jimmy seemed to read his mind, as always. "I know." He said. "It's not gonna be the same. But you still have me, and Jey, and the rest of the tribe now too to lean on." Sami sniffled against his chest. "Oh, my Sami. So emotional."

"Shut up." 

The screaming.

The briefcase. 

The blood.

A writhing victim - but this time there was the gleaming of moonlight off the top of a bald head.

"Sir?"

Sami's eyes flew open.

"I'm sorry for startling you." said the plane steward who had woken him. "We're landing soon. Can you please return your seat to the upr-"

"Mmn-yeah," Sami mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "Sorry." He felt identical pats on his shoulders as he popped his seat back up and rebuckled his seatbelt, stretching his legs out.

They were in business class. Rikishi had insisted on paying for it, saying he'd be offended if Sami turned him down. Sami had to admit it was nice to wake up from a plane ride nap without aching all over. 

He got through security and baggage in a daze, and by the time their car pulled away from the airport Sami was about ready for bed again, but their day was only beginning. They all still had back-to-work statements to sign, then preparing for their first week back as a trio. 

They arrived for the meeting quickly, and Sami's stomach gave a little thunk as he caught sight of himself in a mirror; was his hair too shaggy, were the gold highlights too obvious? 

"Jimmy. Jey." The familiar figure of Nick Aldis, and Sami felt ridiculous tears well up in his eyes at the sight of some glimpse of his previous life. "Sami. Loving the new look." Sami blinked hard and nodded. "Adam shouldn't be long. Shall we go in?"

SmackDown's general manager lead the way into the office. 

***

Jimmy gained momentum on him suddenly, and Sami went flying into the corner. He landed wrong, and all the breath was knocked out of him, but in a way he was glad that was still possible. It made everything feel just a little more normal. 

The meeting had been an in and out process, and after some coffee and stretching Sami was feeling like getting back in the ring. 

Something wasn't right, but Sami couldnt put his finger on what it was. He got in there anyway, and went back and forth with one Uso while the other played referee, switching over when they got tired.

"You can't whip for shit," he teased Jimmy, who hurtled after him and collided heavily with the corner himself as Sami got out of the way. "Can't move for shit eithER! Ehehe, stop!" Jimmy had grabbed him in a waist lock and was tickling him. "R-Rehehef!" 

"Jimmy, no tickling," Jey said, though he was grinning. Sami continued to snort and beg. "Come on, one! Two!" Jimmy let Sami go and pushed him into the ropes, but Sami got momentum and clotheslined him spectacularly. He lay on the canvas and laughed. "Okay, I deserved that." 

"Yeah, you did." Jey helped him up. "Continue." 

Sami growled at Jimmy playfully and his fiancé growled back-

"Shit!" Sami gasped, suddenly realising what was bothering him. "The ring! You're still wearing it!" 

"Oh." Jimmy paled and worked his engagement ring off his finger, slipping it into his pocket. "At least nobody saw it who didn't know about us. Man, good thing you remembered. Now..." He and Sami began to circle each other. "Let's see what else you remember."

After that minor heart attack Sami was okay. After more than the expected month out he was rusty in the ring, but he was happy to have something to work towards; he'd secretly been worried wrestling would pose no challenge to him after his Surge. 

After more than an hour in the ring together, they were all suitably tired out and sticky with sweat and decided the best thing would be to hit the showers and go straight to bed together. 

"Oh, you're still here." Adam Pearce was standing by one of the tech desks, peering at something on a stack of paperwork. "Jimmy, shouldn't you be off with the SmackDown folks by now?" Sami and Jimmy linked their hands together. "I see. At least tell me beforehand if you're gonna be coming onto Raw this week."

"Yuh," Jimmy grunted, nonverbal with tiredness, and Adam left. 

When they got back to the twins' room, Sami felt his eyes well up again. "I don't want you to leave," he murmured, clinging to Jimmy. "I wish we were all on the same brand. Who knows how far apart we'll be this time next week?" 

He felt the bed creak as Jey settled in behind him. "The good news is," Jey whispered, "I'll be there while he can't be." He kissed Sami's neck, then Jimmy did, then both of them, for the first time since Sami had confessed to liking Jey too. 

Tingles raced through Sami's body, and he closed his eyes; they always knew how to make him feel better.

"He's dead for sure." The voice faded in through the blackness. 

"He is not dead, I stopped."

"Yeah, like you stopped with me?"

"You were my first, you didn't count. I was thirsty. Hungry. Whatever."

"I almost died!"

"Yeah, and then you turned, so technically..."

"Will both of you shut up? He's awake!" 

Paul opened his eyes. He was sat on a bare concrete floor in what looked like a basement, and he remembered absolutely nothing.

God, his stomach. A pain he couldn't place sat right in his abdomen.

Looking down at him were Seth, Bron and Bronson. All three of them were red-eyed - like, literally, they had red eyes. This must be some stupid new gimmick they were involving him in.

"Oh, for God's sake. What now?" Paul croaked. "What could I have possibly done to-- ugh!" He grabbed his stomach as it squirmed. 

"Looks like you're hungry already," Seth smirked. "Arise, my Wise Man reborn. Let's go feed."

Paul looked up into the moonlight, and his irises reflected the night's blood moon. Feeling younger and stronger than he had in years, The Oracle arose. 

Chapter Text

The hot water hit the crown of Sami's head and cascaded down his body. As if that wasn't nice enough after a workout, he sighed happily as Jey's hands slipped up his back. "Jey," he purred. Hearing his name encouraged his lover, who pumped body wash into his hand and wrapped his arms around Sami, soaping him up. His body was wonderfully solid now, and Sami knew Jey was thinking the same. 

It had been a few weeks since they returned to work. Karrion Kross was dead, and he should be happy, but he'd been beaten up again this week in the ring, his ribs continually targeted. Though his skin was now thicker and he healed faster, it still didn't feel good having someone stomp on your ribcage repeatedly. He wondered if it made a difference that he was a rare turned shifter, and added it to the million questions he still had for Rikishi when he next saw him. He knew homesickness was inevitable when travelling, but he didn't expect his fiancé's dad's place would become any kind of home in the first place. He missed waking and sleeping whenever he liked. He missed hunting for his food and learning about his fiancé's family. He missed the snatched private conversations with Rikishi over a smoke. He even missed the mattress on the floor - they still hadn't found a new bedframe that fitted Sami's limbs, which had extended even further following his Surge.

Sami was getting used to pretending to be human and holding back his true strength in the ring. Bella had told him about her troubles re-learning her human clumsiness, and he was glad that wolves didn't seem to gain any of that unnatural grace. In fact, Jey almost slipped when he tried to turn to kiss Sami, and Sami giggled against his lips. "Careful now, if we have to call the medic from here it'll be very hard to explain."

"Well," Jey breathed, "why don't we make it harder to fall, then?" He pressed Sami against the wall, starting to guide him down to the floor. He was firming up just at the thought of lying on the shower floor and having Sami all to himself under the warm spray. Jimmy was away, and Sami was his to do with what he wished. 

It was a good thing, in the end, that they weren't actually human. It meant they could hear the group coming long before they otherwise would have, and they grabbed their clothes and ran for the other side of the lockers, still dripping wet.

They knew the voices right away. 

"It's a beautiful Monday Night Rollins, boys. How are we doing?"

"These contacts are arse."

"I concur, Bronson."

"Seth made us vampires and you're still finding ways to complain. Amazing. Can't you guys be happy?

Sami peeked through a gap in the lockers. Paul was blinking hard as he removed first one green contact, then the other. He grabbed Jey's hand, trying to keep his heart rate under control before one of them heard it. 

"Well, you have to buy better ones, I feel as if I'm going blind." Paul said, depositing his contacts into Seth's outstretched hand. Bron and Bronson were there too, and by the way they were squinting, not to mention the smell of them, Sami guessed there was no longer a human among the stable. He shivered; this quartet bore an eerie resemblance to how he'd imagined the one in the original Bloodline legend. Red eyes, their pallor dead, their movements unnaturally fluid, and Sami knew if one of them grabbed him they'd be ice cold. 

"So we're vampires now, but why? What does Aro want?"

"I dunno." Seth shrugged. "Said something about "a war long dormant" and "the redhead will determine the swing of victory" but I was kind of eating Bronson at the time-"

"Oh, nice to know you have such fond memories-"

"So I wasn't 100% listening. He'll say it again, he never fucking stops talking - worse than you, Paul. I'd lock myself away too if I had to hear a thousand years of that." 

"And the Usos are part of the Bloodline? For real?" Bron asked.

"For real. I wonder if Sami... Sami..." Seth had a faraway look on his face.

"What?"

"You having a vision, boss? They said we could get powers."

"The redhead." Seth said, a look of horrible understanding dawning on his handsome face. "That's who Aro meant. Ha!" He bounced up and down in glee. "Brave bold Sami Zayn, dancing with wolves now. You think they... yknow? As a wolf?" All four laughed sleazily, and Sami felt Jey shake with rage beside him. He grabbed his hand, shaking his head at him quickly, and his heart broke to see angry tears in his best friend's eyes. Jey blinked and they spilled over, dripping to the floor and splashing on the tiles.

"Which one do you think he's fucking, Bron?" Seth was asking now. "Jimmy? Jey? Both? I bet he makes them kiss." More laughter, but only from three this time. "Bron? Sup?" 

Sami pressed his eye to their peephole again - and froze. Bron wasn't looking right at them, but he may have well have been - the scarlet-eyed newborn was even more terrifying than in his human form, and his expression was pure animalistic hunger. 

"Dog," he grunted. "Stinks of em in here."

Seth stopped, sniffed. "Hey, I smell it too. Wise Man? Reed?"

The other two confirmed, and soon all four were stood still and looking at the lockers behind which the naked couple were concealed. 

"Do we have ourselves some eavesdroppers?" Paul bellowed, walking over to the first bathroom stall - thankfully nowhere near them - and kicking it open with a bang. "Little doggies chasing their tails?" The second door banged. "I don't usually eat out of my species these days, but I've always wanted to try dog." The third door. "I've heard it's quite. the. experience." 

The final stall door slammed open, empty. Paul cursed, spinning on his heel. "Where are you?" he bellowed. "I can smell you!"

Jey and Sami were moving as fast and yet as quietly as they could to slip out the door at the other end, far away from him. They thanked everything for the lingering scents that haunted the locker room, both good and bad; Paul's confusion had saved them.

They rushed into Sami's dressing room and leaned against the door, gasping for breath. Luckily it was late, so nobody had caught them in the halls with their clothes stuck to their wet bodies. 

"This is Jimmy, leave a message." 

"Damn you!" Sami almost threw his phone. "You call me back, Jimmy Uso. We have vampires on Raw - vampires on Raw, Jimmy!" He rang off. "Your dad, Jey?" Jey's own phone was dead so he was using one of the ancient phones wired into the venue's dressing rooms.

"This is Chief Rikishi Solo Uso of the Bloodline tribe, to whom am I speaking?"

"Dad!" Jey shouted through the crappy landline. "They're vampires, Paul Heyman's crew are vampires and they're working for Aro!"

Static.

"Dad? Can you hear me? Talk to me, Jimmy isn't answering Sami's calls and I'm worried! Sami's been having these dreams--" Sami elbowed him sharply; that was a conversation he and Rikishi had to have one on one. 

"I hear you loud and clear, my son. Jimmy will be asleep on a bus somewhere with no idea any of this is happening, you'll see. Sami would know if he'd been hurt. The imprint, Jey." Jey's eyes filled up all over again hearing his dad's voice. He squeezed Sami's hand. "Sami's with me. We're safe for now but they came within ten feet, Dad." His voice trembled. "The way they smelled..." Sami squeezed his hand back, nuzzling into the crook of his lover's neck. He knew all about it. 

"I know, Jey. Sit tight. I'll get on a plane."

"Dad, you hate planes." 

"I know I hate planes." Silence, and Jey started to worry that the call had dropped. "Dad?"

"Would you come back to me?" His dad was almost begging, and that scared Jey. "It would feel safer, I think, for all of us. I know you just got back, and it would be a real pain in the ass to get back here from where you are this week..."

Jey covered the phone's mouthpiece with his hand. "Sami, would you like to go home again?" He hadn't meant to put it like that, it slipped out in the emotion and the panic, but Sami gave him a big smile and nodded. Jey put the phone back to his ear. "We're coming, Chief. Be safe, okay? Stay inside."

"Mi hijo, I have to smoke some time!" came the distant complaint from the phone as Jey hung up, and Sami laughed into his skin. "He's all right, he picked up!" Jey said in a choked sort of way, and Sami kissed him full on the mouth. "God, I love you." He put his hand over his mouth - apparently fear made him stupid, but Sami kissed him again. "I love you too, Jey. Let's go get Jimmy. Let's go home."

"Yeah," Jey said, rubbing his back gently. "Let's go home." 

Chapter Text

Rikishi met them at the airport. The original plan was for Jimmy to collect his car from where he'd left it, but he'd been tremendously sick on the plane to California, spending seemingly half the trip with a bag to his mouth, and that wasn't exactly conducive to driving. Sami felt awful for him, but all he could do was rub his back, hand him water, and grimace apologetically at other passengers. Jimmy tried to be as quiet as possible as his stomach contracted again and again, tears running down his cheeks. Thankfully they were given no grief about it. Jimmy had been just fine until they'd met up after their connecting flights and Sami had told him all that had happened. He'd rushed to the bathroom and returned looking awful, his skin greenish and clammy. The anxiety must have hit his stomach, and Sami felt partially responsible. Of course, they were bonded, so a combination of that and the guilt had Sami's stomach shifting all flight too. 

"Dad," Jimmy moaned, staggering into Rikishi's arms. His dad caught him, his nose wrinkling, and caught Sami's eye, who mouthed "He's been sick."

"All right, Jimmy. You're on solid ground now. Home and bed for all of you soon." He patted Sami's shoulder, then Jey's, with his free hand. "All right, Usos, off we go again."

Sami beamed at being called an Uso.

In the back seat, Sami quickly found himself the only one awake.

"Twins are out," Rikishi said, catching his eye in the mirror. 

"Yeah."

"Sami, may I ask you a question?"

"Anything, Chief." 

"Are you sleeping with Jey?"

Sami almost choked. 

"I- hmm..." A hundred possible ways to answer raced through his head. 

"I just want to know. I don't have a problem with it, it's part of our culture. I just need to amend the family tree if you're all going to be together." 

Sami breathed a laugh, and decided modest and safe for work was the best route. "We're not... sleeping together, as such. Except in the literal sense, we do that a lot." 

"But you love Jey as much as you love Jimmy, correct?"

"I do. It's different, though." He struggled to explain his sexuality to other queer people, let alone a hundred year old shapeshifter who just so happened to also be his father in law. "I don't... do that. Sex. At all, really. I don't care for it."

"Oh." Rikishi had gone red, and there was a silence Sami prayed would be broken by a car accident or something equally distracting. "So you just..."

"We kiss. We talk about how much we like each other. We communicate about how far I'd like to go. I promise, I would never hurt either of them. I love them."

"Good." Rikishi sounded relieved at the slight change of subject at the end. "That's my priority." He seized the chance to control the conversation. "You want to talk about these dreams Jey mentioned?"

"Not right now, Chief."

"This one of those things you're gonna need a smoke in your hand to talk about?"

"Mhm."

"Right you are." Rikishi put his foot down on the accelerator. 

When they got home, the twins wrapped their arms around Sami sleepily. They tried to fit through the doorframe still attached to him and got stuck fast, causing a lot of groaning and giggling from all three. Rikishi poked Jimmy and Jey in some strategic places and the pile of men fell apart in the threshold, squealing. "Dad!"

"Hey, tickles are as effective a method as any for getting people to move." Rikishi jabbed at Sami's side to demonstrate and he shrieked, leaping aside. "C-Chief!" 

"Welcome to the family, Sami." Sami had to smile at that. 

Jimmy and Jey ended up not making it further than the couch, falling asleep again still intertwined. 

"Mon," Rikishi said, inclining his head back outside. "Let's talk." Sami followed him gladly, grabbing some snacks on the way.

Sami breathed deeply as he watched the Chief roll a blunt for them. He found the ritual almost as soothing as the weed these days, the way the old fingers worked deftly to grasp the flavoured hemp wrap - blackberry today, the Chief's favourite - and pinch and roll, not a hint of shakiness or arthritis to them. Every day, Sami was amazed by the ancient tribal magic that wove through the house, kept Rikishi young, made anything planted flourish. He was startled from his thoughts by the tapping of the roach on the smoke box, then the flick and hiss of the lighter. Rikishi let out a long, satisfied exhale and passed the blunt to Sami. He held it for a while, taking multiple hits; he wanted to be good and high when he explained this. Rikishi tsked and took it off him after the third massive hit ("your tolerance, Sami!") but that was more than enough after a couple weeks going without. Coughing, scarlet-eyed - he shuddered as he remembered the red eyes of Bron Breakker - Sami gulped from his water glass and began.

"I've been having strange dreams recently. Recurring, I guess? It's always someone turning someone else. First it was Kross, then Rollins, twice--"

"Hold on. Seth Rollins is a vampire?" 

"Him, Paul Heyman, all his little gang. Aro must've... I don't know what he did. Anyway, the dreams are always someone turned. I never know who it is. Heyman I guessed, I saw the light shining on his head, but apart from that I have no idea. The blood, Chief." Ash flew as Sami's hand holding the blunt shook. "There's always so much blood."

"They come every night?"

"Mhm. Every night since we met Aro, at least."

"They stopped at all since we met the Volturi?"

"No, Chief." 

"Visions, Sami. Not dreams."

"W-what?" Sami squawked. 

"You are prophetic," His Chief said around a cloud. He held up his fingers and ticked things off. "Are you completely immersed in them?"

"Yes, but-"

"Are you seeing the things that happen in them come true?"

"Yes," said Sami, "usually soon after, but surely-"

"Are they treated with any conventional methods or have they kept up no matter what?" Rikishi cut firmly across him.

"They've... kept up, but Chief-"

"You are having visions of the near future." Rikishi leaned back in his chair. "Aro must be getting too old and decrepit, spent too long walled up in that city. He needs a younger proxy to build his army, and Seth's perfect. This is a good thing, Sami," he added - Sami had been looking more and more perturbed throughout the conversation. "They don't know that we have this information. If we can find a way to manipulate your visions--"

"No." Rikishi was stopped by Sami's tone and the tears running down his face. "I don't want to manipulate them. I don't want to use them. I want them to stop. They're awful. You don't have to smell the blood or hear them scream. I'm sorry, Chief, but no. I just want to sleep through the night again." Sami wept openly next to his Chief, exhaustion and jetlag and the fear of the past 24 hours all compounding, and felt an arm wrap around his shoulders. He tried to throw it off, but Rikishi's pressure remained firm, and he cried and cried until he felt he had nothing left in him. 

When he had cried all his tears and his throat was like sandpaper, Rikishi gently helped Sami sip water, then handed him a comically oversized handkerchief. It almost would've fitted over his entire face, and Sami couldn't help giggling into it as he blew his nose. 

"My grandfather gave me that as a boy." Rikishi said softly. "Good for extra big cries, he said, and it made me laugh just like you did. It's yours now, if you like." Sami's mouth lifted at the corners as he dabbed at his eyes. 

"Sami, I'm awfully sorry. I got ahead of myself. You are not my weapon. Of course we'll find a way to stop them. I'm sure Carlisle has research on tribal prophets, and I have plenty of books." Sami sniffled, nodding. 

"Hey, what's going on?" Jimmy said sleepily, wandering outside and planting himself on Sami's lap. "Why you crying, Sami?"

"It's nothing, Jimmy," Sami said, taking his hand and kissing it. 

"Sami is having visions, and we're going to stop them." Rikishi said.

"Oh. Okay." Jimmy yawned widely. "That's good. You cry a lot in your sleep, Sami. It's sad." Sami flushed - he hadn't realised the twins had noticed his dreams, visions, whatever. 

There was a short silence wherein Sami took another big hit of the blunt and kissed Jimmy, blowing it into his freshly wakened mouth. The wake and bake high was dizzying in a good way, and Jimmy leaned his forehead against Sami's. "Mmm, my Sami. Don't cry." He twisted a lock of Sami's hair around his fingers. "You shouldn't be smoking, Dad," he added, and Rikishi squinted at him through the haze. "You want this or not?"

"I want it." Jimmy said immediately, and Rikishi wheezed with laughter as he passed over the blunt.

"How are you feeling, my son?" Rikishi asked after Jimmy had taken a few hits and moved to the porch swing beside Sami, their fingers tangled loosely. "Stomach still ill?" 

"No, Dad." Jimmy reached tentatively for the bag of jerky on the table, and Rikishi nodded approvingly. "Yes, eat, please. I think you'll find you feel a little better now that Sami has gotten the burden of the visions off his chest."

Sami sniffed. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you anything sooner, Jimmy. I made you sick. J-Jimmy! Noho!" Jimmy had started to tickle his palm. "Behe seriouhus!"

"I am being serious," Jimmy said, rubbing his nose against Sami's cheek as he pulled him close. "Your business is your business, and you didn't make me sick, our silly imprint did, and I'm so glad we had it, because it let you know I was okay. Now smile for me, or I'll tickle you some more." Sami smiled weakly at him, kissing him, and Rikishi's heart felt cold in his chest; the young lovers looked eerily like him and--

"Time for bed." He declared, catching Sami yawning. 

"Chief, it's eight thirty."

"Bed, Sami. You too, Jimmy. Don't wake Jey."

"I'm forty-one!" 

"You're jetlagged is what you are. Go to bed." There was no arguing with him, and Sami was tired, so he let a sleepy Jimmy lead him away to his room, and he sighed happily as he collapsed onto his mattress, which had started to smell of salt and dirt and musk, the smell he had come to associate with the tribe. 

Just before he fell asleep, a cold fear gripped him - what if he had the dreams again? He'd seen quite enough of people being bitten and turned into bloodthirsty slaves to Seth and Paul. 

But Jimmy's hand was stroking his arm just the way he liked him to, and his head was heavy on Sami's chest, and he couldn't help it, he was falling asleep...

Chapter Text

Just the blood this time.

So much of it.

Blood, and a smug, grating voice he recognised as Paul Heyman's. 

"Stop squirming, Logan! We've severed your spinal cord, you couldn't get away if you wanted to. Don't worry, you won't be paralyzed for long." 

Sami awoke with a wheezing sob, Jimmy flopped beind him and snoring. As he shifted his legs, his heart sank. He'd always sweated hard during his nightmares, but he had a horrible feeling this time was different, and a quick squeeze between the legs confirmed his worst fears: he'd wet the bed. He started to cry, tears streaking his bright red face, and Jimmy awoke with a start. "Sami?" He squirmed a little. "The bed... did I..." Sami cried harder.

"Oh, Sami." Jimmy stroked his arm, but he was inconsolable. There was a tremble and a thump from the next room and Jey ran in. "Is Sami okay?" Sami curled up, wanting to hide his accident, but the dark stain had spread across far more of the sheet than he could cover.

"Oh, man. Uce, it's okay. Dad's asleep, so I can get clean sheets and put the old ones in to wash. Jimmy can help you clean up."

"The mattress," Sami hiccupped, but Jey shook his head. "Rubber sheet underneath, like on all our beds. Dad's no idiot, he knows our drunk friends who stay over sometimes can't hold their pee. Just because you're scared and not drunk doesn't mean it stops working. Come on, you must be getting cold." 

Sami was getting cold, and itchy too; the urine had dried unpleasantly on his skin.

Jimmy ran him a hot bath while Jey stripped the mattress, and Sami was relieved to see that he'd been telling the truth and that there was a rubber sheet protecting it from his bedwetting. Jimmy helped him get into the bath and washed him gently but thoroughly, cleaning the cold stickiness off his skin. 

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Jimmy asked as he soaped Sami's back. The warm water and calming repetitive movements had stopped Sami crying, but as Jimmy gently washed the tearstains from his mate's face he felt it would be embarrassing for him for a while. 

"Mm-mm." Sami shook his head. He was still exhausted. "Logan Paul is gonna be a vampire, though. I saw Paul Heyman turning him."

"Oh." Jimmy said. Then, "We could try and stop them." 

"We couldn't. There's too many of them."

"There's more of us!" Jimmy argued as he helped Sami out of the bath and wrapped him in a fluffy towel. Sami's head hurt from talking already. "We can gang up-"

"Keep it down, your dad will hear."

"I am keeping it down. There's me, there's you, there's everyone in the Bloodline."

"Jimmy, stop. Not now." 

"If we take them by surprise-"

"I said not now!" Sami felt awful seeing Jimmy react to his hiss, but he couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice. 

Four knocks on the door, and they froze. Clearly they weren't being as quiet as they thought. 

"I am an old man," came Rikishi's voice, "and it is four o'clock in the morning. What's the problem?"

"We're fine, Dad!" 

"I just caught Jey at the washing machine, so clearly you aren't. Which one of you was it? I want to help. Please." His voice was tender, but Sami just wanted to go back to bed. He stumbled to the door, the towel wrapped firmly around him, and fell into Rikishi's arms, snuffling. Rikishi heard "Logan Paul" and then a lot of unintelligible crying. "It's alright, Sami. Cry it out, there you go." Sami didn't actually cry that much, but it felt really good just to have a parental figure holding him. 

"So you had another vision," Rikishi said gently after they'd all moved to the couch, and Sami nodded. "Logan Paul?" Another nod. "No great loss there, but that's worrying - vampirism is spreading to not only the best of the roster but seemingly anyone who's there to slake their newborn thirst. Then of course that means there's another newborn with that same uncontrollable thirst, and on and on it goes. We must stop them."

"And then I woke up and the bed was wet." Sami said quietly. 

"You must've been scared, I don't blame you. It's okay, Sami. That mattress is protected, and there are about a hundred beds' worth of sheets tucked away for when accidents happen." Ridiculously, Sami felt his eyes watering again at how understanding he was being. He snuggled between Jimmy and Jey on the couch, his hair still damp. The first streaks of pink were starting to appear on the horizon.

"I'd say you could use some real sleep, Sami." Rikishi said gently as he admired the start of the sunrise himself. "If my sons can decide which of them will get to sleep beside you, that is." 

Sami looked between the twins, and both of them looked back at him hopefully. 

"Look, if you get bad backs from all sharing one twin mattress, I won't be rubbing 'em," Rikishi grumbled. 

The twins' backs did ache in the morning, but they didn't care, because Sami slept through the rest of the night. In fact he slept in late, finally emerging shortly before noon with his hair a bird's nest, his pyjamas rumpled, but looking better rested than he had since returning to work at the WWE. 

The house was full again; Solo and Jacob sat on the carpet playing cards with Jey, and Nia's long legs peeked over one arm of the couch, with Roman sat away from them all at the kitchen table, ashing a joint into a mug. Only Jimmy was conspicuously absent, and the three on the carpet cheered when they saw him. The air was thick with the glorious smells of weed and cooking meat, and Sami felt properly hungry for the first time in days. 

"Where's Jimmy?" he asked immediately. 

"Jimmy is outside barbecuing," came his love's voice through the open front door. "and it's about to be ready, so put on some pants." There was a stampede towards the door as there always was, and Sami trailed back to get his pants, knowing there was no point trying to push in front of all of them to get to the food. 

Pulling his sweatpants up, he frowned when they slipped down his hips. Surely they'd fitted perfectly yesterday - they'd all gotten some new clothes when they Surged.

Sami felt his heart stir when he emerged outside. Jimmy was stood over a coal grill, looking utterly domestic as he flipped burgers, and Rikishi was in a chair behind him, smoking as usual. "Sami! Good morning - or should I say good afternoon?" Sami blushed, but the Chief's tone was light, and he patted the camping chair next to him. "You look better rested." 

"I am, Chief. Thank you." Jimmy deposited a napkin-wrapped hotdog into his hand and he bit into it immediately, the smell of warm bread and grilled meat too much to resist. It was fantastic, but anything would've been after his stomach had been in knots for days. 

Rikishi nodded approvingly at him. "It's this house, you know. The land we live on. It's--"

"Magic." Sami said as he swallowed. He paused, wondering if that word would upset Rikishi the way "vampires" used to, but it made him smile instead. "If you like. The ancestors called it a great blessing in return for all the suffering we'd endured." 

"I'm very sorry about last night, Chief," Sami said humbly, his eyes on his food. 

"Save your apologies for the things you do wrong, Sami." Rikishi patted his back. "Just change and wash up a little quieter in future, yes?" Sami giggled. "Yes, Chief."

A great weight had lifted off his shoulders, and he devoured two hotdogs and two burgers before flopping backwards into his chair, which broke. With a shriek, and much laughter from his found family, Jimmy caught Sami before he could hit the ground. "You're so clumsy." 

"Shut up." Sami kissed him.

Chapter Text

As the days went by, Carlisle appeared in the house frequently, always with a pat on Sami's shoulder and some comforting words. He kept having visions, and the perpetrator kept changing, but he still never saw victims. He wet the bed twice more in as many weeks. He was always embarrassed by it no matter how many comforting words his lovers tried to offer, and when he woke up wet for a fourth time he locked himself in the bathroom and refused all help. He shook with humiliation as he washed himself quickly, and couldn't be coaxed out even by threats to break the door down. Eventually, wrapped in a towel and sitting on the edge of the bath, Sami started to doze off again.

"Sami, let me in." No, he groaned in his head - he was dreaming again, and in his mind's eye he could see Bron, making snarling and slurping noises.

"Sami Zayn!" Four loud pounding noises. "You open this door right now!"

Go away. Whoever you are, go away. He was right on the precipice of seeing the victim's face. If he could just get beyond the edge of sleep--

There was a loud splintering sound. Sami's eyes jerked open and he almost toppled backwards as the door opened, missing its handle - it and a sizeable chunk of the door around it. It was Jey, and he seized the front of Sami's towel to stop him from falling. Sami collapsed on top of him and they lay there, groaning. "Sorry, Sami. Had to make sure you weren't hurting yourself." Jey cradled Sami against his chest, massaging his scalp. "New rule. We don't lock doors."

"But-"

"Say it, Sami. You've been through enough. I don't want you to be- be attacked in the bathroom with the door locked, or something." 

Jey's hand felt so nice in his hair that Sami didn't even point out that the bathroom had no windows. "We don't lock doors." he mumbled.

"Well, we certainly won't be locking this one any more!" They both started guiltily, but Rikishi was surprisingly chipper for six in the morning. "Clean this up, boys. I'll make some coffee."

"Yes, Dad."

"Sorry, Chief."

"Now that," Rikishi chuckled, "is the appropriate time to apologise." 

Sami looked at Jey after he left. "What's got him in such a good mood?"

"Well, he's a hundred year old man whose physique gets younger by the day-"

"Yeah, apart from that."

"Well," Jey dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Me and Jimmy and Solo, we think he's seeing someone. He's the happiest he's been since Mom left, he's encouraging us to cook when usually he'd take over everything, and he keeps going out late at night and getting very flustered when we mention it." Sami grinned. "Do you know who it is?"

"Uh-uh. I had a couple ideas, but I don't think they're really plausible. There just aren't that many female wolves left out there."

"How do you know it's a lady?" 

"Ssh! He'll hear you! Come on, we can take our coffee to go. Let's get you into Jimmy's bed, you always sleep better with him." 

After they had shared a cup of coffee on the couch, Jey turned out to be right, as usual - Jimmy murmured sleepily in delight when Sami climbed into bed with him, and by the time Jimmy's arms closed around his fiancé, Sami was asleep again. Jey gave Jimmy's head a good massage too and his brother melted. "S'nice, uce. Scratch a little?" Jey rolled his eyes. "Don't push it." 

***

When Sami got up later that morning and shuffled out to a full living room including Carlisle, his sweatpants fell around his ankles. Most of them laughed at him - even Carlisle couldn't hide a smile - but Jey had gone very pale. 

"Jey?" Rikishi asked, after he had stopped laughing and a blushing Sami had pulled his pants up, tying them as tightly as he could. "What is it, my son?" 

"How long have your clothes been loose, Sami?" Jey asked, now flipping through the purple diary. 

"Uhhh, not long?" Sami said hesitantly. "In fact, I'd swear they fit perfectly a day or two ago."

"Uh-oh." Rikishi, cottoning on.

"Uh-oh? What's uh-oh?" Sami asked, suddenly afraid. He ran his hand through his beard as he always did when anxious, and to his surprise a few golden strands came out, shining in the sunlight. Jey yelped.

"Oh, I get it now." Solo grimaced from the couch. 

"Get what? What are you not telling me?"

Jey leapt up, pointing at Sami dramatically. "The detransformation has begun!" 

"The detransformation?" For a second Sami almost laughed, almost said something along the lines of "that can't be real", then thought better considering the conversation they were having. 

"You read it, Dad!" Jey was pushing the lilac leather volume towards the Chief. "You always read it best." Rikishi looked a little smug for a moment before he lapsed back into seriousness. "Sami, there's a footnote we didn't talk about in transforming." 

Jimmy was stood over his dad's shoulder reading, and after a moment he let out a little squeak and turned red. "Yeah, we could've done with knowing about this one!" 

Sami was frustrated. "Tell me!"

"Ahem." With an air of embarrassment, Rikishi began to read.

Becoming a shapeshifter, a member of our great Bloodline, is possible only temporarily, and degradation begins quickly. For permanent transformation, the one being transformed must be married to their mate within a quarter-year and consumate the marriage, or detransformation will envelop them, and soon they will be no more than human again.

Rikishi looked up, a flush on his own cheeks now. "So you see, after what you have told me about yourself, it may be difficult to consumate the marriage as it says you must."

"Consumate the... oh!" Sami turned red too. 

They all shuffled their feet awkwardly. 

"So," Sami said finally, "if Jimmy and I don't get married and have sex-"

"Ah, tch!" Rikishi flinched as if burned, putting his hands over his ears.

"Sorry, Chief. If we don't consumate our marriage before this month ends... I'm not gonna be a wolf any more?" 

The Chief nodded glumly at him. "And I believe you recall how painful it was becoming one the first time. You cannot do that again." He pointed at Jey. "How on this green earth did you know about this and the other two didn't?"

"Internet." Jey said immediately. Rikishi grumbled in Spanish - Sami's was still weak, but he thought he heard "motherfucking internet" and something about the walls. 

"You can't rip it out of the walls these days, Dad, it's in the air."

"Que pendejo, I know! I was speaking, ah... metaphysically."

"Metaphorically, Chief?" 

"That one."

"I don't wanna freak you all out," Jimmy said, a joint now firmly clamped between his teeth, "but doesn't the month end in like, two days?" 

"That's right!" Sami gasped, turning to clasp his hands. "What are we gonna do?" 

"We are going to marry you, of course!" Rikishi boomed, getting to his feet. He moved swiftly for such a massive man. "Carlisle, can you get Emmet here within a day?"

"Chief, please, you know how fast we are." There was an amused glint in Carlisle's eye. He laid a hand on Rikishi's arm and when Sami blinked he was gone, the door hanging ajar slightly.

"Usos!" Their Chief bellowed, and the three boys shoved their way to standing in front of him. "You're on clothing duty. Get stuff a little smaller for Sami - we don't know how far this will go in a short amount of time." 

"Yes, Chief!" Solo squeaked, and he and the twins sprinted for the door. 

"I can go, try on some things," Sami said, but Rikishi shook his head. 

"You, dear Sami, are going to get a whole lot better at Spanish before this wedding. Come." 

The remainder of the tribe taking up the house laughed and cheered as he lead Sami outside to the table they normally smoked at, preparing to lock into language lessons. 

Chapter Text

The next twelve hours were nothing short of insane. Jimmy sent him pictures of suits and tuxes with his own feedback attached, and Sami rejected or shortlisted them. They often disagreed - for example, Jimmy liked the idea of pale pink, but Sami protested heavily at the idea of it clashing with his hair, though Jimmy then argued that it would remind them of their first date, and Sami groaned with frustration. Rikishi insisted Sami show him how to use the voice clip feature in the messaging app, and he spent several minutes shouting about "colour theory, Jimmy!" and how he would never forgive him if he made an embarrassment of his tribe. Sami grinned, remembering Solo's joke about Rikishi being a bridezilla. 

In the end they settled on greens, Jimmy in a forest colour that made his skin glow and Sami in a pale olive green that emphasised both his red hair and the gold in it without being too garish. At least, he hoped it wouldn't be - the boys were several hours away and he wouldn't know how it looked until he tried it on. 

Carlisle had gotten a message to them to say he was bringing the gang, whatever that meant, to the wedding.

"That means he'll be bringing most of the family," Rikishi said. "Jasper will probably decline because there's gonna be humans there-"

"There is?" Sami asked, and he nodded. "I've invited your friend Ron, and your friend Kevin, at least." Sami felt his eyes fill up ridiculously; he had missed them both so much. "Not that you can tell them anything beyond normal wedding things, but I thought you'd like them here." Sami hugged him as hard as he could. "Hey now, no tears, it's too early." Rikishi dabbed at his own eyes as they sat down together. "Save it for the wedding. Anyway, Carlisle will of course be there. Emmet will be there to officiate like you wanted, which means Rosalie too. Bella and Edward. Sami, don't make that face! You like Bella."

He loved Bella, she'd been his rock when he was getting back on his feet after Kross tried to kill him. Bella wasn't the issue.

"You still resent Edward?"

"She was seventeen, Chief. I can't look past that."

"You know well that where Bella goes, Edward follows."

"I suppose." Sami sighed. "Who else, then?"

"Jacob, Solo, Jey, obviously. Alice wants to come do your hair, but I insisted Nia come too - I don't trust anyone outside the Bloodline with our hair, you know?"

"Mhm. So that's..." Sami struggled to count in his head. 

"So far, all together, about fifteen people. Quite enough to fill up the house and eat a lot of food." He grabbed his son-in-law's shoulder. "Sami, you get to be excited now. We've caught your detransformation in time, and you're getting married. Be excited, my son." Sami beamed at that, and Rikishi beamed back at him. "That's the smile I've been waiting on, good man," he said, patting Sami's shoulder. 

Sami's phone buzzed. He glanced at it and laughed: running man emoji, top hat emoji, party emoji. 

"What's so funny?"

Sami knew he wouldn't understand. "Nothing. Emmet's on his way." 

Sami waited tensely for the next few hours, sleepwalking through more very quick wedding choices. Food wasn't necessary for half the guests but the other half would surely get through more than their fair share, so they'd probably just end up ordering pizza or something. That's what they did at his cousins' weddings, because they were always so massive. They all ate meat apart from Nia, so that was easy enough to accommodate.

Not for the first time today, he thought about calling his family, but it was too much to explain even before telling them anything supernatural. He ached nonetheless at the idea of getting married without anyone knowing.

"–fake flowers," he heard Rikishi say, and brought his attention back. "Otherwise it'll be a big mess, there's that many of us allergic to pollen and bees, not to mention the strain of keeping them alive."

"Mm. And they'll be easier to get on short notice." 

"So, roses or tulips?"

"Both?" 

"An excellent choice."

When he heard the silver Volvo and the battered pickup truck draw up outside, Sami couldn't stop himself from racing to greet his friends. "Bella!"

He'd forgotten how hard she was; he gasped as he collided with her marble-like form and she hugged him back just as tightly. "Sami. How are you?" Sami gave her a weak smile. "Been better, but certaintly been worse." Over her shoulder, Edward wore his usual grimace, but at least he didn't say anything. 

"Sami." Alice extended a tiny elfin hand and Sami shook it. "Let me reintroduce myself. I hear you've been having visions, just like me! I'm sure we'll find other things in common too." Sami shot a look at Rikishi - how many people had he told? - but Alice seemed genuine. Rosalie waved her fingers at them, and Sami squealed as a massive bear of a man picked him up and spun him in a hug. 

"Emmet Cullen, you put down my son-in-law before you break him!"

"Sorry, Chief!" Of course this could be nobody but Emmet; dark-haired, bulging with muscles, a face that always looked like it was dying to laugh. Sami had an instant crush on him. 

He released Sami clumsily. "Nice to meet you, Sami. I'm your minister." He held up his hand to high-five Sami, who heard Rikishi suck his teeth in the background and giggled. He high-fived Emmet obediently.

Indeed Kevin wasn't long getting there either, and when his airport driver pulled up he flung himself from the car despite the collar on his neck and grabbed Sami. Sami breathed hard into Kevin's shoulder. He felt tears well up in his eyes, and wetness on his neck told him they were mutual. "Let me look at you," Kevin sniffled, laughing as he cupped Sami's face. "Congratulations, bro. I knew you two were meant for each other. Thanks for inviting me." 

Sami grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the crowd, shoving a beer into his fist. "Alice, this is my best man Kevin - or, at least, I hope he will be." Kevin grabbed him in a hug that would've cracked a rib were he human. "Of course I will." He looked down at his clothes - jeans, a hoodie, his cervical collar. "Shit - I didn't bring anything fancy with me, just a regular old suit." 

"Buddy, you could be naked," Sami laughed, just happy to have him there. "Don't be, though. You'll upstage me." 

They stood there and laughed with beers in their hands, and for a few minutes things almost felt like they had before.

"Hey, I hear there's meant to be a thunderstorm later," Sami heard Emmet say to Rikishi as he lead the way into the house. "Maybe a good old wolves and vampires baseball game?" 

"Not near the house."

"Of course."

"...Perhaps."

"Woo! Thanks, Chief!"

"I said perhaps. Ask me again after the ceremony and a glass of wine or six." 

Speaking of which... Sami dialled Ron for the sixth time that day, and listened to the sixth rendition of his answering machine.

"My name is Ron Killings. 

If this is John Cena, fuck you.

If this is a reporter, you should know to hit me up elsewhere, I hate phone interviews.

If this is the Usos, leave a message, uce, I'm not here."

"Ron, I swear to God." Sami said into the phone. "Jimmy's dad invited you, so I know you're coming. Where are you? This is our wedding, uce!" He rang off and tucked his phone away, frustrated. Kevin had been texting him throughout his journey all the way from Canada, and he felt another pang, because that meant it would've been easy for his family to text him all this time.

As it happened, Ron wasn't far away. In fact, he was in the accessible bathroom at San Francisco airport, watching his phone ring and letting it go to voicemail. He knew he couldn't ignore Sami's calls forever, and stood with a sigh. He had to be there for his family, no matter how sensitive he was right now. No matter how much blood was pumping just outside that door.

With a light touch, he began to place dark brown contacts over his newly red eyes. 

Chapter Text

It was midnight before they finished preparations. Luckily Sami looked very handsome in the olive tuxedo, and it wasn't too long or short. He and Jimmy stared at each other in their outfits, drinking in the shapes of their bodies, until Rikishi cleared his throat loudly. "I do believe it's supposed to be bad luck for the couple to see each other in dress before the wedding."

"Well, we could be out of dress if it helps." Sami turned red at Jimmy's quip. "I'm kidding, Sami." 

"Bed, separately." Rikishi said decisively.

"Aw, Chief!"

"C'mon, Dad!" 

"Separately!" the Chief thundered. "Big day tomorrow." 

Reluctantly, they sloped off to their separate rooms - but it wasn't as if they could sleep. There were connecting air vents beside both their beds, and Sami got a terribly mischievous idea. As an asexual person, he was cursed with as short a refractory period as Jey's was long, so he wouldn't have to hold off in order to come tomorrow night. He thought about the way Jimmy's eyes had lingered on the material clinging to his thighs, and groaned, wrapping a hand around his cock eagerly. "Oh, Jimmy." He was loud enough so his fiancé could hear through the vent, but nobody else. There was a little gasp on the other side, and then a creak of springs. 

"That's it," Sami sighed, stroking slowly and then faster. "Touch me, Jimmy." He grabbed the blue feather he'd used on Jey and ran it down his own shaft, making him jump and have to stifle a moan. "Shit, that tickles. Don't stop."

"Sami," he heard Jimmy moan faintly, and pleasure wracked him in turn. "Mm, right there. Just like the first time you ever touched me, remember? Ah, that's the spot." Sami was enjoying touching himself almost as much as he was enjoying torturing Jimmy. "You still there, my love?"

"Mm!" Jimmy panted. "Touchin' myself."

"I should hope so, cutie." Sami could hear a buzzing noise and suspected he was doing more than outer play, which didn't do much to stop his building arousal.

"Mm, keep on talking like that."

"Like what? Calling you a cutie? Telling you I love that you're touching yourself? That in less than 24 hours you're gonna be inside me-eee-" Sami's tease broke on a moan and he realised his own words were turning him on, his hand moving impossibly fast. "Jimmy. Can't wait for you to fuck me." The filth fell from his lips in a desperate attempt to make his fiancé come before him. "Don't you make a sound!" he warned him at the last possible second. There was a whine, then a gasp, then silence except for the buzzing and the bed creaking rapidly - Jimmy must have stuffed a fist in his mouth. He was so good and obedient that Sami couldn't handle it and came too, biting down on his t-shirt even as he used the hem to catch his mess. "Mmm, Jimmy! My Jimmy!"

"Mr. Uso," came the sleepy, satisfied murmur through the vent. "It's Mr. Uso as of tomorrow, for both of us. Isn't that cool?"

They both fell asleep in their messes, and Sami didn't have a single vision, not even a regular dream.

Kevin woke Sami at nine the next morning, and had him into the shower (albeit blearily) by 9:15, leaving plenty of time to shepherd Jimmy and Jey out the door to have Jimmy shower at the gym after working out his nervous energy - it wouldn't do to destroy his tux by bursting out of it mid ceremony. 

Kevin helped him towel his hair and get into athletic shorts and a t-shirt for now, and they approached the living area.

Rikishi was flitting around, more nervous than Sami had ever seen him, even before flying. Carlisle sat perched on a chair, and tiny Alice stood on a second, hunting through the kitchen cupboards. "Chief, please stop throwing yourself around, someone will be hurt!" she said.

"You are a guest in my house, you will not stand there on my chair on my son's wedding day and lecture me about my style of moving."

"I have to stand on the chair, I'm four foot ten and most of this house takes sugar in their coffee." Her voice was rising. "I volunteered to make the coffee, ergo I need the sugar, ergo I have to stand on a chair to reach it."

"That sounds like a you problem." 

"It is a you problem, because you keep the sugar on the top shelf!"

"Morning." Sami said casually, and they all froze into statues, forcing their faces into smiles for the sake of the day.

"Morning, Sami!" Alice's smile was far too bright, her voice too chipper, but Sami knew she was trying. "Coffee?"

They drank coffee and Rikishi rolled for them all, and Carlisle and Alice wrinkled their noses at the scents but put up with them. "Okay, Sami!" Alice said brightly. "Before Jimmy comes back you have to decide - silver or gold?" 

She laid two Congratulations! place settings on the table in front of him, and Sami inhaled deeply, suddenly elsewhere.

Everything was fuzzy, except for the blood, the shuddery breathing, and a hand clutching a place setting.

A blood-splattered gold place setting.

Sami almost choked and pitched forward, coming back to himself.

"Is that what I look like?" Alice said with apparent interest. 

"Alice," he gasped, "you said we can change the outcome of a vision by changing small parts, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"Silver."

"What did you see?" Rikishi cut in.

Sami shook his head. "Not today, okay? Silver." 

Alice nodded and took the gold away, to Sami's relief. Whatever, whoever that was, he had done his part to prevent it happening. 

Rikishi offered him the blunt and Sami took it gratefully, despite it being ten in the morning. They were going to need it, if that vision was any indication. He checked his phone for the first time this morning - a cute gym selfie of the twins from Jey, a short paragraph of absolute filth from Jimmy that turned his face red, and finally a text from Ron. Don't worry, uce. I'll be there. Sami felt a weight lift off him knowing he would have one more family member there. 

Nia came in, looking awake and focused despite the early hour and clutching a brush and comb set and a bottle of detangler spray. "Let's work, Alice."

That afternoon, Sami stood tensely at the sliding doors, Kevin beside him. "Don't let me walk too fast," he whispered as Alice gave them their cue and Kevin took his arm.

"You know I always hold you back," Kevin whispered back to him, and Sami had to fight the laugh that rose in him. 

They started to walk, not too fast, down the aisle that separated the motley crew of wedding guests. Ron wasn't there, and Sami's heart ached under all his happiness, but he was holding out hope he'd show up afterwards. He would've never expected the audience at his wedding to be that of vampires and shapeshifting wolves, but here he was. 

When they reached the end where Jimmy and Jey were standing, there was a sigh of appreciation from the assembled guests - Jimmy and Sami looked wonderful together at the top of the aisle. Jimmy was wearing his usual cornrows and double braid, but they were tied with dark green hair elastics this time. Sami's hair was too, his in a loose French braid but retaining its bushiness. Their ties matched each other's suits, and the whole effect was really very attractive. Rikishi felt extremely proud of what they'd been able to pull off in less than two days. 

Sami turned and kissed Kevin on the forehead, the two of them chuckling as he brushed a tear off his human friend's cheek. "Don't you dare cry, Owens, you'll get me going." 

"I'm not crying." Kevin lied badly, his face hidden in his pocket square. "The pollen, it's crazy here. Marriage pollen."

"Yeah, okay." Jimmy was in a similar state with Jey, holding their foreheads together, and Emmet stood between the two pairs. "Okay, you all have got to be happier! It's a wedding!" he shouted, to much tearful laughter from both the couple and the guests. 

They eventually settled to where it was just Sami and Jimmy stood in front of Emmet, holding hands. Aware they'd had to write their speeches in mere hours without referencing their life as wolves, Sami began. 

"If you'd told me a year ago that I'd be married today, I would've asked to who." More giggles. "Jimmy has been in my life forever, but it was only very recently he entered my heart too. He understood me when other people shied away, and I have a whole other family now." He turned to Jimmy. "I don't want to go on too long, because you know I can." Jimmy laughed, blinking hard. "So I just wanted to tell you one more little thing: I love you today, I love you tomorrow, I love you forever." There were delighted gasps, cheers, and Jimmy's tears promptly spilled over. "Your dad helped me tell you that." Jimmy looked over at Rikishi, whose eyes sparkled with unshed tears too. Carlisle, sitting beside him, squeezed the top of his arm quicker than a naked eye could see.

"Sami," Jimmy sniffled, and there was yet more laughter - such a wonderful sound - as tissues were passed to the front for him. "I want nothing more than to be with you. I spend all day looking forward to seeing you. I don't think any amount of time together would ever be enough for me, but let's start with forever."

Sami couldn't contain himself and kissed him, and there was a burst of applause.

"Okay, okay!" Emmet forced them apart, laughing. "Let me finish it. Jimmy, do you take Sami to be your husband forever?"

"I do."

"And you, Sami? Same question?"

"I do." 

"Then by the power of whatever state originally did it," Emmet shouted. "I now pronounce you married as shit! Viva la apocalypse!" 

Rikishi was less than impressed with the ending. Even so, he couldn't stop himself from applauding and blinking back those tears when Jimmy grabbed Sami and kissed him. In the split second of everyone being distracted, Carlisle's hand lingered on Rikishi's arm.

Sami felt a high that had nothing to do with weed when they were pronounced married, throwing his arms around Jimmy as they kissed and feeling their tears blend on their faces. 

*** 

When Sami and Jimmy were finally able to break away from everyone wanting to congratulate them and shove a slice of pizza into their mouths, Sami's phone started buzzing, and he looked at Ron's name on the screen with a mixture of relief and frustration.

"What's up?" He asked when they'd gotten outside, his free hand tangled in one of Jimmy's, who was lighting a fresh joint. "We're smoking and eating without you, uce." 

"I can see you." 

"Well, I can't see you," Sami laughed, letting Jimmy put the joint to his lips. 

"Walk down to the treeline."

"Ron, what is this?" Sami began to walk obediently. "I swear if this is some big joke, or a part of some silly wedding present..."

"It's not. Keep walking, please."

"Where are we going?" Jimmy murmured to his husband. Husband. He loved that.

"It's Ron," Sami answered. "He's being weird."

"I promise I'll explain everything, uce. You're almost there."

Sami and Jimmy stepped just behind the trees, where the bright California sunshine was drowned in shadow. 

"Okay," Sami said into the phone, turning in a circle. "You're kind of creeping me out now. I know that was your thing for a while, but it isn't great on my wedding day."

"Sami." Ron's voice, not on the phone but from beside him, and he jumped a mile.

When he spun, Jimmy clutching his arm, Ron wasn't as near as he'd sounded. "You scared the shit out of me!" he half laughed.

Ron smiled widely, and something stirred in Sami's brain when he did. He held out the joint to Ron, who shook his head no to it, another bad sign.

"Hey, did you get your teeth done?"

"Hmm?" Ron asked. "Oh. No, not lately. Anyway," he flashed those teeth again, "Congratulations, uce." He nodded at Sami and Jimmy. Jimmy raised his arms and stepped forward to hug him, but Ron took a half step back. "No hugs, uce. Sorry. Congrats, is all."

"Sami's right, you're acting weird," Jimmy said. "Tell us, what's going on? Come to the house, have a drink and a smoke like old times. Dad will wanna see you."

Ron looked upset. "I can't," he said.

"What, you came all the way here and you don't have time to actually join in?"

"He can't go into the sunlight." Sami said, throwing an educated guess into the void. "He'd sparkle if he did. Ron must've been one of the people in my visions. He won't hug you because he'd be ice cold, and if he took out his contacts his eyes would be red. He's standing with the wind blowing into his face so we can't smell him, but I know what you are." he said, his eyes on Ron.

"Say it, uce," Ron said. "Out loud. Make it real."

"Vampire." Sami's breath stuttered.

"Very good."

"Seth got you."

"Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed got me, I'll have you know." 

"Oh, Ron!" Sami's eyes filled with tears. 

Ron moved to stand beside him in a blur, and his hand was as cold as Sami expected when he gripped his upper arm to comfort him. "I'm still the same guy, Sami. Just dead."

"Have you eaten yet, even?" Sami squeezed his stonelike shoulder in return, laughing shakily at his little joke. Under the smells of iron and rotting meat, Ron did still smell just a little like his old self.

"Of course I have. I wouldn't be able to handle the smell of Owens in there otherwise."

"Wait." Jimmy interrupted. "How long have you been here?"

"I watched the entire ceremony from here, but I arrived last night. I wanted to say hi sooner-- hey!" Jimmy had flung himself at Ron, hitting his chest and arms ineffectually. "You - missed - my - wedding - Ron - Killings!" He punctuated his words with blows, and Ron stood there and took it. "I know, Jimmy. I'm sorry." Jimmy breathed heavily against his marble chest, tears spilling, and Sami took him in his arms. "There are more than enough wolves and vampires here, Ron. One more wouldn't have made a difference. Don't cry, Jim."

"Well, I didn't know that!" Ron almost laughed. "You stink, by the way."

"You stink!" Suddenly they were all laughing, and it was like nothing had changed. 

"Come inside," Jimmy said, holding Ron's freezing hand tenderly. "Say hi."

"Your dad's the Chief now. Things are different." Ron looked at Sami. "There's gonna be a war. We're on different sides, or we're supposed to be. I'm surely not following the call of some Dracula ass dude holed up in a castle. There is one thing I'll be doing as a vampire, though." He smiled widely. "I'm gonna eat John Cena. He's my singer, and I'm gonna tear him to pieces."

"Hey, you huge gays!" Sami and Jimmy spun to see Kevin making his way towards them. "Did you sneak off to make out?"

"No- I-" Sami turned back to address Ron's disconcerting words, but he was gone, so he just gave Kevin a cheesy smile. "You caught us." 

"Well, you're wanted back in the house," Kevin laughed, gesturing with his head. "There's cake and alcohol and more weed and your dad wants to make a speech." 

"No," Jimmy laughed and groaned - his dad tended to talk and talk when he was stone cold sober, let alone when he was at a wedding. "I suppose I should've expected it." 

They traipsed back towards the house, and Sami tried not to worry too much about what Ron had said. After all, they were married now, and tonight would be wonderful. Nothing could possibly go wrong from here.

Chapter Text

Rikishi had drank more than his allotted share of the bought wine and champagne, but he was the father of the groom and had paid for it, so nobody really minded. He gave a lengthy speech in which he repeated many of the things he had thought in the past, but not said aloud, and spoke Spanish beautifully as always, reciting a poem Sami dimly recognised as being about your children growing up. He hadn't lost a lick despite first being raised bilingual almost a hundred years ago. While it was all beautiful, people started to fidget at the twenty-minute mark, even the ones who were crying. 

"So, whilst I wish Jimmy and Sami the ability to grow old together, however long that may take them-" Fuck, Rikishi was truly drunk, even with his advanced metabolism.

"Dad, we'll have grown old by the time you finish this speech if you don't wrap it up!" Jimmy shouted, saving all their necks and causing a wave of laughter and applause when Rikishi laughed and nodded, getting down unsteadily from the chair he had climbed atop to speak. 

As it turned out, they didn't need to be all that subtle around Kevin any more, because as the only human at the party, he was as drunk as a skunk trying to keep up with Rikishi. Emmet was such a himbo he passed for a little drunk all the time, and it turned out that Rosalie was an excellent actor, careful to only place her falsely clumsy hands on clothed parts of Kevin as she giggled and hiccuped very convincingly. Sami had a shrewd feeling that there was a vibe between the three of them, even if the vampires couldn't properly be intoxicated.

Some wedding guests had spilled outside and Sami and Jimmy joined them. Someone had put music on and Sami slung his long arms around Jimmy's neck, falling into step with him. They found themselves with a chance to talk alone for the first time all day. 

"How are you?" Sami murmured. "Overwhelmed?"

"A little, I guess." Jimmy said, grateful he had asked. "Wanna get out of these clothes soon." Sami giggled. "In all possible ways, my lovely husband." He kissed Sami's forehead. "Dad said he's kicking everyone including him out for the night once we're danced out, because apparently being on the land is important." He took Sami by the hand and twirled him. "Are you nervous, my love?" 

"Mm." Sami said. "I'm not so much as I would be normally, because it's with you. My husband, who I love and trust. I'm excited." Their lips met, and the few hanging around outside stopped their conversation to clap. Jimmy rolled his eyes, already tired of people, and Sami laughed and kissed him again.

It took Rikishi quite a while to get everyone to leave. Kevin went into a car with Emmet and Rosalie, and Sami thought he knew what might happen next.

"My, my," the Chief said, a little unsteady on his feet. "The vampires do certainly know how to party." Suddenly Carlisle was over his shoulder, supporting him. "Come, Chief Uso. Let us away, you need a drink of water and quite a lot of sleep." 

He lead Rikishi down the path, and Sami watched them go. They looked good together, and then Sami realised with a sort of drunken clarity that they might actually be together. He grinned, realising neither of the twins had put it together yet.

He was going to enjoy keeping this particular secret. 

***

The second they were alone Jimmy took Sami in his arms, kissing him with such love that Sami melted, and yet such fervour that it turned him on immediately. "Hi, my husband."

"Hi, my husband," Sami sighed back.

"That was a mean trick you pulled last night," Jimmy breathed as he pushed Sami up against the wall to kiss and hump him. "You made me come all over myself, you know. Even gave myself a facial." Sami let out an indistinct moan. "Yeah, you like that? Maybe you can give me the facial tonight, huh?" Sami moaned louder. He bit down hard on Jimmy's neck, and his husband yelped with a mixture of pain and pleasure and immediately returned the gesture, making Sami grip him so tightly he would surely have bruises.

"This feels really fucking good," Jimmy moaned after they'd been rubbing their cocks together for a minute or two, sharing pain and pleasure through pinches and nips, "but it wasn't quite what I had in mind for our wedding night." He broke the contact and Sami whimpered and squirmed; there was a clatter as family photos fell off the wall he was pinned to. 

Jimmy rolled his eyes at the timing and lifted Sami, making him squeal. "Come on, Sami Uso. Let's give the ancestors a show." 

Sami had privately wondered about being distracted by the hundreds of brightly covered magazine clippings Jimmy had up in his bedroom, but he needn't have worried. They left a trail of clothes across the house, and Sami gasped delightedly as an absolutely gorgeous naked Jimmy stood before him, muscle bound and smelling strongly of musk and all his. "Oh, yes!" He dived at his husband and let himself be pinned to the large double bed. 

Sami was left just in his underwear, and he gasped and flinched when Jimmy made to straddle him. "What is it, Sexy Sami? Did I hurt you?" 

"N-no," Sami panted. "It's just.. I got you a wedding present, is all."

"Wedding present?" Sami guided Jimmy's hand down to his cock. This would've been enough of a present, but Sami shut his eyes, then gasped, and Jimmy did too, because he'd felt a hot burst of wetness under his hand. "S-Sami..."

"I haven't gone since before dinner," Sami breathed, now openly squirming around. "Don't know how much longer I can hold it in." Jimmy moaned as he felt Sami leak again. "Oh, Sami. My Sami. You're so good." He kissed his husband, starting to rub his damp cock and taking a moment to stroke over where his bladder bulged out, making him whine. "Seems you're not gonna last long. Guess I better make the most of it, huh?"

He began strategically tickling Sami, focusing on his sides and ribs. Every time Sami laughed he leaked more piss, his overly full bladder sending little pleasurable jolts to his brain when he did. He really had to go, and yet he was enjoying holding it for Jimmy. 

"Nohoho!" he squealed as he leaked particular badly. "No raspberries!"

"Oh, these poor sides," Jimmy murmured, keeping his mouth on Sami's tummy as a dark stain started to become apparent underneath him. "These poor ticklish sides." He knew well that light touches set Sami's nerves on fire, and after less than another minute of feather-light tickles, Sami emptied his bladder all at once with a giggly moan, flooding the sheet as his piss pooled on the rubber covering underneath. 

"You're such a mess," Jimmy teased him as they lay there together in his pee. 

"Shut up, you're into it." 

"Yes, I am." He reached up and grabbed Sami's waistband, stripping off his sodden underwear. "Did it feel good to wet yourself like that, Sami? Were you so desperate for me?" This time he did climb astride his now naked husband, and Sami moaned into his mouth. "Felt so good, cutie. Loved pissing my pants in front of you." Jimmy couldn't help but moan at that in return, turning red. "God, you're so hot." Their mouths met, and Sami was well and truly hard now. 

"Condoms," Jimmy gasped. "In the nightstand. Don't wanna make a mess inside you." 

Sami chewed on his lip. "What if I want you to?"

Jimmy's eyes went dark. "No kidding?"

"No kidding. Fill me up, cutie."

"Oh, fuck, Sami." Sami giggled as Jimmy's beard tickled his neck when he clenched against him. "This is unfair, you're gonna make me come before I'm even inside you. Have a heart." 

"Well then," Sami whispered, "you'd better get inside me, hadn't you?" 

Jimmy reached over his shoulder to get into the nightstand and came out with a bottle of lube. Climbing off of Sami, he licked a wide stripe across his husband's waistline, which made him squeal happily. "You're so ticklish, Sami. It's hot." Sami flushed.

Jimmy kissed his way down Sami's legs, pausing every now and then to tickle his feet or the backs of his knees, and his cock jumped every time. "Plehehease!" Sami was rocking back and forth in his laughter, his cock desperate for stimulation. He could've touched himself, his hands were free, but he was too busy grabbing at the pillow.

Jimmy locked Sami's ankles and spent a good ten minutes simply torturing his immobilised soles and toes. "JimmEEHEHEHEHEHEEHEE!" Sami held onto the pillow valiantly but his hips moved fast, and Jimmy moaned at the sound of his husband's cock slapping against his stomach. 

There was a sudden tearing sound and the pillow ripped in half, tiny feathers flying everywhere - Sami hadn't thought about how his increased strength would factor into sex. He grabbed the headboard instead, which was at least wooden, though it creaked and made splintering noises too.

Jimmy wasn't discouraged by his bedroom being destroyed - in fact, it was kind of egging him on. There were tears of laughter in Sami's eyes before he stopped, but there was also precome beading at his tip, and Jimmy knew he'd made the right choice in leading with tickles so Sami would have the best time possible.

He tickled lightly up the backs of Sami's thighs, memorising the way his giggles jumped and broke the higher he got, and squirted a little lube onto two fingers. "Cold," he murmured as a warning, and placed the fingers at the crease of Sami's thighs, massaging inwards in circles. Sami moaned, and when Jimmy got to his hole he found him tensing a little. "Okay?" he murmured.

Sami was chewing the inside of his cheek, and he looked nervous, but he was still hard. "Okay."

Jimmy gently slid one finger across his hole, then both, and Sami gasped. They stayed there for a moment and then Sami nodded, and Jimmy started to enter him with a finger. 

"Mm!" Sami gasped, unsure if he liked the sensation or not. There was no pain, it was just... strange.

"I've got you," Jimmy reassured him, stroking his thigh with his free hand. He wasn't as tight as Jimmy had expected, and a moment later he added the second finger. He made a little circle inside Sami, and he cried out. "Okay, Sami?"

"Again," Sami panted, "please." 

Jimmy obediently circled his fingers again and pleasure shot through Sami's cock. "W-what the fuck is that?" He couldn't believe how good it felt.

"Well," Jimmy said tenderly, moving his fingers deliberately inside him. "You've never done this before, so let me show you around. Right here is why it felt so good when your bladder was full." He tapped on a particular spot.

"Oh!" Jimmy grinned.

"Over here, this one-" Sami squealed with laughter, kicking his legs, and Jimmy grinned, moving his fingers back and forth happily to torture him just a little more. "This one is a tickle spot, apparently. That feels good, huh, Sami?" He made eye contact as he tickled him from the inside again and Sami choked out a moan through his giggles.

"And this," he whispered, brushing off that little bundle of nerves that made Sami cry out the way he did before, "this here is the prostate." He rested there for a brief second, and Sami clenched around his fingers. He'd heard lots of talk about prostate stimulation, but secretly he thought it couldn't really be that good. 

How wrong he'd been. He struggled not to come now, his legs trembling where he rested them on Jimmy's shoulders. Jimmy could feel him throbbing from the inside, and it turned him on too. He took his fingers out carefully, not wanting to push Sami over the edge too quickly, and scooted back up to kiss him. "Still okay?"

"Mm!" Sami moaned against his lips. "So okay. I wanna come." 

"I know you do, sexy," Jimmy murmured as they rubbed their leaking cocks together. "So do I, but there's one more step."

"Get inside me, then!" Sami whined impatiently, kissing him again.

They fumbled around for a few moments, cocks in hands. It had been a while since Jimmy had done this too, but Sami made a very good study, and when Jimmy pushed into Sami he cried out beautifully and tightened around Jimmy's cock, who almost ruined it by coming there and then. The cold metal of the piercing in his foreskin felt amazing for both of them - it tickled Sami inside and made Jimmy expontentially more sensitive. It was exactly like the first time Sami had sucked Jimmy off, but this time the metal was deep inside him and felt so much better. "Fuck.. Sami..." They moaned together, and Jimmy took a moment to simply bury his face in Sami's neck to regain control. "You're so good."

"So show me," Sami panted. "Show me how good I am. Move, cutie." 

Jimmy moved, pulling out a little and then pushing back in, and they moaned together again, and then laughed, their lips brushing. He went out, in, out, then in again, and before he knew it they were in a slow rhythm. "You're so good," he whispered to his husband. "So hot, so sexy." He sped up a little, and Sami got wide-eyed with pleasure. "J-Jimmy! Hah... fuck me." Being fucked by his life mate felt indescribably good, and he knew that was only because he loved and trusted Jimmy so much. He could barely speak, but he kissed Jimmy every chance he got. He could certainly laugh, though; the tickle spot inside him seemed especially sensitive, and Jimmy didn't help by going after his sides.

Jimmy was lost on top of his husband, thrusting ceaselessly as he tickled Sami inside and out, and memories replayed in his head. The first time Sami's lips met his. The day he admitted to liking to be tickled and Sami immediately found his worst spot. Sami sucking him off, licking his tip like it was a delicious lollipop. Fuck. He had to squeeze his eyes shut to avoid coming, yet again. The headboard thumped against the wall and the drywall started to crumble long before his thrusts became irregular.

"Jimmy, please," Sami panted at last.

"Please what?" Jimmy asked, knowing talking was tough for his husband as he adjusted his angle to brush Sami's prostate as often as possible.

"Please, can I come? Please, cutie, please, please can I come? Please can I.. can I--" Sami was starting to tremble while he let out a stream of begging, that cold pleasure pulsing in his hole and spreading through his cock. The pulsing felt just as good for Jimmy, but he was still able to talk Sami right over the edge. 

"Yes, Sexy Sami. Come for me." His breathing was ragged. "I'm gonna come inside you, Sami. Gonna fill you up like you wanted. I'm so fucking... I'm so.. I'm!!" 

A direct prostate hit was too much and Sami came. His hole tensed again and again as he laughed through his tidal wave of an orgasm, and that forced Jimmy over the edge too, Sami squeezing his cock mercilessly and yet involuntarily. He painted Sami's insides, pulling out clumsily halfway through to glaze his tummy and thighs. "S-S-Sami!" It seemed to be all he could say. "Sami!" With perfect timing, he posed on his elbows in front of his husband's erupting cock.

"Jimmy!" Sami mirrored him in a high pitched squeak, and a well aimed burst of come splattered Jimmy's face. He felt like he couldn't stop coming, and was so happy that he'd been able to have sex with someone he loved that he didn't mind. Jimmy climbed back up to kiss him, and they tasted themselves on each others' mouths. 

"Mm, I love you, husband," Sami managed to say.

"I love you, husband." Jimmy groped for tissues to clean them both up, but Sami stopped him. "Let me." He cleaned the come thoroughly off them both. He knew he'd need a shower too, obviously - he was already leaking Jimmy's come from the inside - but right now he wanted to just lie there, and so lie there they did. 

"You got come everywhere," Jimmy complained.

"Look who's talking."

They shook with tired laughter. 

"I'd say," Sami giggled, "marriage well and truly consumated."

"I think they heard us consumating it a couple miles away."

Jimmy looked around then. Holes in the drywall, a destroyed pillow, a splintered headboard, bruises forming on both him and Sami from biting and grabbing each other.

"I think I fucked you so good that you destroyed my room."

"I don't think that can go in the journal."

That set them off again. Sami loved Jimmy's laugh, loved how easy it was to laugh with him, and tickled his tummy to hear it some more. "H-hey! Nohoho! No more tickles!" 

"No more?" Sami asked him. "Dear husband, we have only just begun."

An oversensitive Jimmy let out a shrieking half-moan, half-laugh as Sami flipped them over to torture him with raspberries.

There wouldn't be another person in the house until the next morning. Sami thought he'd see how many orgasms he could tickle out of Jimmy before then - and make him count them while he did. 

Chapter Text

"Mm... mmm!" Jimmy was going to come yet again.

"Count for me," Sami breathed, "or I ruin it. You know the rules." 

"S-S-Seven!" Having been milked dry hours ago, Jimmy's cock simply gave a pathetic sort of twitch with his seventh orgasm of the night. Morning, Sami thought - the golden rays of dawn had long since begun to filter in through the curtains. It was their first official day as husbands. Sami rubbed his suddenly tickly nose and a feather came away - in fact, when he looked around there were feathers everywhere from the multiple pillows they'd ended up bursting overnight. The headboard was in pieces, there were multiple large holes in the wall and the mattress sagged in a way that suggested they'd broken more than one spring. 

He thought seven was as good a number as any, and finally stopped tickling Jimmy, helping him remove the vibrator he'd begged for around the time of orgasm number four. He flopped down next to his mate, kissing him. "Good morning, husband."

"Good morning, husband," Jimmy panted. "Man, I didn't think we'd go all night." 

"Mmm. I'm tired."

"You're tired?"

Their giggles were interrupted by the clattering of the sliding doors being unlocked. 

"I'm coming in!" said Aunty's voice. "Your father sent me ahead to help you clean up after the wedding. You better be decent!" Then a gasp. Sami gathered Rikishi had filled her in on everything that had happened - the non-supernatural parts, at least. Still, if she already suspected some things, the state the house was in wouldn't help. The boys scrambled to dress, Sami eventually pulling on a pair of Jimmy's pyjama bottoms as his own were goodness knows where.

"My goodness!" Aunty, darker and broader after her time away, threw her arms around the two of them in turn. "I thought you were supposed to be too old for growth spurts. Congratulations, I heard all about the ceremony." She shrieked suddenly and Sami spun, thinking of vampire assasins and visions coming true - but she had only seen past the open door behind them. 

"What on earth did you do? I know it was your wedding night, but really! Did you burst pillows? Your father is going to kill you. Are those holes in the wall? You're going to be dead before you can enjoy your marriage, you stupid boys. This will all come out of your inheritance, you know." There was a fondness to her ranting, and Jimmy grinned at Sami. "Best to let her go on." he murmured, and so they did.

They finally got everything cleaned up and decided it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission in regard to destroying the room. Packing up the leftover pizza from the fridge, they headed out, hugging and kissing Aunty before they went their separate ways. "Thanks for not telling Chief about the bedroom, Aunty."

"Hey, I still might!" 

"And for helping us clean up. And for coming to see us again." She hugged them back just as hard. "Look after yourselves, please. If you need anything, anything at all-"

"We have your number," Jimmy finished, clasping her hands in his. He slipped his key into his pocket and he and Sami took off, strolling down towards the forest. 

They ended up sitting underneath a fallen tree for shade, eating pizza by slipping their hands into the box rather than opening it, just to keep the bugs out. Solo had been right; instead of blundering around sneezing, Sami could sit around in the forest now and let the scents pass him. He took in the shafts of sunlight, a beetle scuttling up the trunk of a tree, the feeling of Jimmy scratching his back gently and let his mind wander on how many species of insect there could possibly be just around them - it sounded as if there were thousands, but the sound wasn't unpleasant, just high pitched and musical. Neither of them had slept at all for obvious reasons the previous night, and with the soft insect song, the calming scent of fir trees, and the pleasant scratching sensation, Sami found himself dozing off.

That golden place setting again, still soaked in blood.

"Hey!" Jimmy was tickling him with a blade of grass. "Am I boring you?" Sami snorted, righting himself. "Mm, I'm sorry," he mumbled, lolling against his husband. "M'sleepy. Your fault." They giggled together.

"I have a few different ways I could wake you up," Jimmy murmured, pressing his lips just below Sami's ear and making him gasp. Unbelievably, Sami felt a stirring between his legs. "Y-yeah?" he whispered, letting Jimmy unbutton his shirt to kiss lower. 

"Yeah," Jimmy said, and promptly blew a raspberry on his neck. Sami squealed, rolling over and over. Jimmy happily chased him, and it was certainly hard to fall asleep with a lap full of Jimmy tickling everywhere he could reach. Sami flailed his arms and legs, knowing he could overpower Jimmy but not wanting to. 

Jimmy's tickles got slower and slower, lighter and lighter, and of course that meant Sami laughed harder. Jimmy's fingers stilled on his waist suddenly, and his husband swallowed the last of his helpless laughter.

Making out in the forest was an unbelievable turn-on, with the smell of dirt, grass, Jimmy's sweat as he lay on top of him. "Well, Mr. Uso," Sami whispered in disbelief as he felt a hard length poke into his thigh. "Just what do we have here?"

They spent quite a bit fooling around in the dirt in various states of undress, ending up in a naked tangle. Jimmy couldn't move, couldn't fight Sami off, couldn't do anything but laugh because his husband had affixed his mouth firmly over his belly button. "S-Sami - don't - aha!" Sami drew letters with his tongue. Jimmy thought he was just writing gibberish, but after the fifth or sixth time he realised it was Sami and Jimmy, over and over again, and the Ms tickled particularly badly. They both ran out of breath eventually and lay there panting, Sami happily inhaling Jimmy's scent the way he had the very first time a sexual thought for him had crossed his mind. 

"You remember when I got to smell you for the first time?" he reminisced. "I was tickling you right here." Jimmy's legs kicked as he scratched gently at his side with one finger. "H-hehey!"

"Exactly. You reacted exactly the same then, and it was just as adorable. Then I put my face in your tummy to try and give you a break, and you laughed some more because it turned out it's your worst spot-"

"Your beard didn't help!" 

"I'm sure it didn't, cutie. Let me finish. You just smelled so good, I couldn't stop sniffing your tummy and I loved the way I tickled you every time I moved. I think that was one of the first times you really turned me on." Jimmy's face was wonderfully red. "Come here, Sami Uso." Jimmy growled, throwing himself at him. 

They were extremely dirty and dusty and aching from the muscle contractions of the previous night's orgasms when they decided to head back. They washed off in a nearby stream and Sami gasped as he felt Jimmy's fingers dip just inside of him to help him clean out fully, and then curl. "Too much?" Jimmy murmured, and for the first time in a while Sami nodded, thoroughly sexed out. The fingers withdrew immediately and Jimmy instead started to massage Sami's lower back, making him moan for a different reason. 

"We could go home, you know. Do this in bed."

"Mmm, bed sounds good." 

"Oh, my sleepy husband. Let's go home." 

He hefted Sami over one shoulder, making him squeal happily just like he had the day before. 

They were five minutes down the trail before something occurred to Sami. "Wait!"

"What is it, my love?"

"Weren't we wearing clothes on the way here?"

A naked Jimmy froze, then giggles started to shake him, and he broke into a run as he turned back the other way with Sami still in his arms.

That near miss had certainly made them more alert, but it was still with heavy eyelids that they approached the house.

"Oh, good," Jimmy sighed, seeing the Jeep parked outside. "We can go to bed, Dad can watch the house, Jey is probably home too for cuddles, it's gonna be great."

Neither of them gave any thought to the things that usually go on at weddings.

"Dad, we're home," Jimmy yawned as they walked in through the unlocked sliding door.

An ear-splitting shriek answered him, and Sami, standing in the doorway, just about saw a pale blur whip out of the back door. Rikishi mercifully stood in front of the couch so all below his waist was hidden from view, but it was obvious that firstly he was naked, and secondly the activity he'd just been in the middle of. His face flamed. "Boys - you're back so soon - I -" His mouth opened and closed like a fish. There was no chance of hiding who his partner was either; Carlisle's coat with his name embroidered on it had been left behind on the floor. 

"Dad?! You - I -"

"C-Chief..."

"Dad!" Jey suddenly burst into the house. "Ron is a vampire!"

He stopped and looked around, from Sami, to Jimmy, to finally his red-faced father, who had grabbed the white coat to cover his manhood. "What's going on?"

Chapter Text

Rikishi broke the silence first. "You said who is a vampire?"

"Uh..." Jey was trying very hard to look anywhere except at his dad. "Ron. As in Killings?"

After a moment he added, "Dad, why are you naked?"

"He's sleeping with Dr Cullen!" Jimmy shrieked. 

"Jimmy," Sami hissed, horrified.

"Have some respect, Jimmy!" Rikishi barked, his face flaming anew.

"All right, Dad!" Jey cheered, surprising all of them. "What?" he added when they all stared at him, Jimmy with genuine shock. "He's been lonely, you know he has."

"I will thank you to not speak of me like I'm not here," Rikishi grumbled, but a reluctant smile was tugging at his lips. 

"Dad, this is totally gross! Sami, back me up here." But his husband was shrugging. 

"I think it's kind of nice," Sami whispered. "If you don't mind me saying so, Chief, Jey is right." He fixed his eyes on a point above Rikishi's head. If there was any silver lining to seeing his father-in-law practically butt naked, it was that nothing he'd do now could ever be this embarrassing. 

Rikishi seemed bolstered by a second positive opinion. "Ah, I suppose so. Perhaps I have been a little lonely. He's a very nice man, Jimmy, and I thought you shared that opinion."

"Ew! Don't try to relate to me when you're sleeping with him! You didn't care how nice Sami was when you first met him." Jimmy was in dangerous territory now and Sami could tell.

"Not only am I your father, I am your Chief. Even if we were human back then, I still held authority over you, and it goes double now. The same rules do not apply, and you know this well."

"Isn't he your doctor? Doesn't that break some sort of rules?"

"Actually, no," said a cool voice behind him, and Sami started to find Carlisle had appeared behind him, fully dressed. "I was Sami's doctor." He looked as embarrassed as Rikishi did. "I thought I left my lab coat here, and my spare is at home in Forks. I'm sorry to interrupt."

"You..." Jimmy made to seize him, but with a whisper of air Carlisle was across the room. "You do not want to try and hurt me, Jimmy. I'm much stronger than I look, and besides, we want to work on reestablishing the truce as soon as possible. That means no inter-species violence." 

"You know, that's the other thing," Jimmy complained. "I'm pretty sure not even the Chief is allowed to mix species like you are." 

"The Volturi don't have a problem unless you breed," Carlisle pointed out helpfully. "And, like you and Sami, we don't have that to worry about."

"Gross!"

"Jimmy, you are such a hypocrite, I swear. You just got married to a human."

"That's different, Jey. Just because nobody is into you-"

"Excuse me?" Jey's voice was heated.

"Will you all not kill each other while I put some goddamn underwear on?" Rikishi barked with the white coat still tied around his broad hips. When they all mumbled in agreement, he shuffled off to his bedroom to get changed while nobody talked - at least, not with their mouths. Jimmy and Jey had a furious argument through looks alone, and Sami squirmed between his old friend and his new husband, not wanting to pick a side. 

"Okay," Rikishi said finally, returning in fresh clothes. "I'm not arguing about this. So you caught us. Big deal. Honestly, I'm astounded Sami didn't clock it before now, you definitely found a husband smarter than you." Carlisle folded his coat carefully and tucked it under his arm.

"What do you mean, before now? How long has this been going on?" Jimmy demanded to know. 

Rikishi looked sideways at Carlisle, who looked sheepish and held up his fingers as if to count on them. "It's probably been on and off for forty years or so."

"Oh my God," Jimmy said, sounding horrified. "Wait, what about the time you got back with Mom?"

"Bite your tongue, Jimmy-"

"The two times you got back with Mom?"

"Shut your trap!" Rikishi's eyes were suddenly overly bright, his back stiff, and before he knew it Jimmy saw stars as he slapped him once, twice, before being tugged away by a combination of Sami and Carlisle. "Get off of my husband!" Sami was suddenly standing in front of Jimmy, snarling.

"You dare challenge your Chief?" Rikishi's voice was low.

"For my husband? My mate? I dare." Sami drew himself up to his full height in front of his father-in-law, and for a second you could've heard a pin drop as everyone watching held their breath; if either of the two transformed now, the house would be destroyed, let alone both of them. 

None of them were expecting Rikishi to let out a submissive noise, a pitiful sob, and take two steps backwards to collapse into a chair. Sami, shaking after the confrontation, felt Jimmy grip his shoulders from behind, and patted his hand to reassure him. He'd won the challenge, but Rikishi's trembling shoulders were nothing to celebrate. 

Sami stepped forward to pat Rikishi's back. "I'm very sorry I challenged you, Chief. Are you all right?" 

Rikishi slowly raised his head and wiped his eyes with a sleeve. "I am now, Sami. Thank you for stepping up for your mate. I wouldn't have expected any different." He held his arms out. "Jimmy? I'm so sorry I hit you." 

Jimmy's face was still reddened, tears of pain and shock in his eyes, but he came forward eagerly for a hug, planting himself childishly in the Chief's lap. "S'okay, Dad. I would've hit me too." Rikishi's lips twitched. "Finally, he recognises this." He patted Jimmy's back. "Be off with you. You weren't very nice to your brother either, you know." Jey sniffed in the background, and Sami put his arm around him. Jimmy enveloped Jey and planted a big wet kiss on his cheek. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he gabbled, and Jey couldn't hide his smile in time. "Get off of me," he grumbled, but he gave his brother a quick squeeze back to let him know all was well. 

"Well," Alice said from the doorway, making them all jump. "I'd say we could all use a cup of... something," she self-corrected hastily, seeing Rikishi's red eyes. "I just came back to see if you'd seen the gold place setting anywhere, because we can still use it if there's another wedding."

There was a little thunk in Sami's stomach. "The gold place setting is missing?" he said faintly.

"Yeah, it was crazy yesterday, so it probably ended up in the wrong purse by mistake, and I was just wondering if you guys had seen it. Anyway," She swept over to the kettle and switched it on. "It doesn't seem to be here, so I'll make your drinks and be on my way."

They got so distracted by Alice showing off some of the ridiculous photos she'd gotten the night before that Sami forgot to say anything about his recent visions, and soon she had left again and they were all sitting around outside with a blunt between the four of them - Carlisle didn't smoke, obviously - and three strong cups of tea, plus one moonshine. Rikishi took a huge blunt hit and exhaled before starting to speak. 

"I would never cheat on anyone. Myself and Carlisle like each other a great deal, but we're both loyal men." He reached over to lay his hand over Carlisle's and Sami couldn't help but smile; they were very like him and Jimmy. "The reason we've been on and off is because I have been with your mother and Carlisle has been with Esme." The name rang a bell, and Sami remembered a pretty brunette standing by Carlisle's shoulder in family photos Bella had shown him. "Esme? Is she..."

"Oh, very much alive!" Carlisle chuckled. "My wife performs rescue missions on human trafficking victims. She's gone for years at a time sometimes. You understand how it could get lonely." Sami's heart ached to think of being away from Jimmy for a whole year. "We both see other people, it's not just me, she sees a human in South Africa when she's there and another vampire right here in the US, and everyone's happy. Your Chief and I, we're especially happy right now because despite the war brewing, we've found each other as more than friends for the first time in-"

"Eighteen years," Rikishi finished his sentence, squeezing his hand. "I haven't been this happy since Solo was born."

Jimmy made a vomit noise. "Okay, I reserve the right to think my dad kissing someone is gross!" he protested when everyone shouted him down. 

"Sami, I was dreadfully impolite when first meeting you." Rikishi said. "I projected my own troubles onto you and asked horribly personal questions that I had no business asking. I'm very sorry." Sami felt his eyes water ridiculously. "It's okay, Chief," he managed around the sudden lump in his throat. "Thanks for saying sorry, but you had to protect Jimmy, right?" 

"I did, and I thank you for recognising that."

"I'm going to go," Carlisle said, standing with the unnaturally fluid movements he shared with all vampires. "I think Esme and I need to tell our brood about this too, ahead of what has happened and what is going to happen." He reached out, brushed his fingers over Rikishi's cheek. "Be safe."

"Be safe." Rikishi whispered, and then Carlisle was gone. 

Before all the excitement, Jimmy and Sami had already been tired, and now a yawn crept up on Sami as it always did, and he hated yawning in front of Rikishi, because...

"Bed." The Chief said predictably, but for once Sami wasn't in the mood to argue. "Yes, Chief," he murmured. He and Jimmy started to wander off to Jimmy's bed, then he stopped to lay a hand on Rikishi's shoulder. "Thank you for telling us about you and Carlisle, Chief. Sorry we made you cry."

"Oh, it wasn't you, young Sami. It was just..." Rikishi paused, and shrugged. "The circumstances, you know?" Sami did know, and he nodded solemnly before letting Jimmy lead him off. 

"This should all be fixable," Jimmy murmured to Sami as he pulled the curtains to create some semblance of darkness in the room. "Especially the pillows and drywall. Don't be worrying about it, because personally, it's the hottest thing I've ever seen. I'm not saying you ever have to have sex again, but I'd like to see just how far this Surge strength goes." He let out a squeak as Sami pinned him playfully, then snuggled into his chest. "Goodnight, husband."

Jimmy stroked his hair. "Goodnight, husband. Sleep well." Sami barely registered the words before sleep took him.

Sami woke some hours later and rolled onto his side, stretching. So sleepy, but feeling a little clearer. He must have been woken by the chink of light coming from the bedroom door - it was never normally ajar. There were voices out in the living area, and Sami strained to listen.

"I'm very sorry again that I slapped you. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Dad." Sami's heart lifted; it was Jimmy and Rikishi making up in private. "I'm sorry that I brought Mom up like that. Are you okay? You got all tense." 

"Ahh, I'm fine. Just brought up some things."

"Dad..."

"I'm fine, Jimmy! Shoulders hurt like hell after planning a wedding in two days is all. I promise, I'm all right." 

"Can I rub your shoulders at least?" Sami grinned into the pillow, but the grunt that followed seemed agreeable.

"You may, for a short time." There was another grunt, then a strange noise that could've been a moan, then Jimmy's laughter. "Feels good, Chief?" 

"It is acceptable." 

"Y'know, I'll take that. That's high praise from you." Rikishi made the same subdued little humming sounds that Jimmy did during massages, and Sami wondered if it was odd to find it adorable. 

"Hrmmmm," he heard after a minute or two. "You may continue."

"More than acceptable?" There was laughter in Jimmy's voice. 

"Don't push your luck."

"You seem way more tense on the left side. I get that too, and I think Solo as well. Does it run in the family or something?"

"Must do." The domestic chatter was soothing Sami back to sleep, and he opened his eyes wide in an attempt to stay awake. "Any sign of that place setting?"

"Mm-mm. I can't think of where it could've gone. Oh well. Nothing special. We didn't even end up using the gold." Sami's stomach squirmed as he thought of the recurring vision. He couldn't keep it to himself - secrets in this world were how people got killed. 

"Mm, that's enough, now. Thank you. I do feel a little better." Now knowing he wouldn't be interrupting anything, Sami sat up.

The day's respite had been wonderful, but there was a war brewing, and he'd be damned if he'd do anything to make it worse.

Chapter Text

"It keeps coming back?"

"Yes."

"And you don't know who the victim is?"

"No."

"Of course, it could be changing, you couldn't tell just by their hand."

"Mhm."

They were all sitting at the kitchen table - Sami, the twins, and Rikishi, and Sami had just told them of his vision of the gold place setting. After Rikishi had heard it he insisted they wake Jey so he could hear it too, and now he was clutching a cup of coffee and rubbing his eyes, even though it was still only early evening - the wedding had thrown off every one of their sleep schedules. 

"It just won't stop," Sami said miserably. "It's always so visceral." Jimmy rubbed his back. "I'm sure it'll stop soon, love."

"Yeah? When? When someone else dies or is turned?" Sami challenged him. "That's the only time it changes, is when there's someone new about to be attacked." Jimmy's arm went around him tightly, and Sami felt his anger cool just a little. "Sorry. Shouldn't be yelling at you." Jimmy kissed his shoulder. "We just got married, you're allowed to yell at your husband once in a while." 

"Is there a limit on that?" Jimmy laughed, rubbing his cheek against Sami's. "I think if there was we'd both be in trouble."

A rap at the wooden back door - visitors usually didn't know to come to the sliding doors, it was how they sorted out people they knew from outsiders. Two knocks, harsh and short, and then three more. Not a Bloodline member, then. 

"Who is it?" Rikishi called sharply. "Identify yourself!" 

The bell rang, and he got up, grumbling. "If this is a telemarketer, you have five seconds to get off my property, and then I get my gun. One... Two... Thr–" From where they were sitting, Sami and the twins could see the Chief go slack-jawed as he pulled the door open. 

"What are you doing here?"

"Got an invite to the wedding." 

"We didn't send invites. Also, it was yesterday. Where did you get that?"

"I don't know, my fucking mailbox? Sorry I wanted to show up, I guess. Shit." The voice was one Sami knew, one they all knew, and they all rushed to confirm what they were hearing.

John Cena stood in the doorway, the missing sample place setting clutched in his fist.

"So, are you gonna invite me in or what?" 

"So you got this sent to you by mail-"

"Express, I think. Some kid came running up to me, said I had to get this. I didn't have anything better to do."

"And then when you got here-"

"I spent half a day trying to find my way to this shithole suburb, next question?"

"Would you let me finish a goddamned sentence?!" 

They were all sat outside - Rikishi refused to let John enter the house - with their usual drinks, the golden place setting on the table in front of them. That Congratulations! seemed taunting now. Sami reached out to turn it over and read it again, but the words didn't make any more sense. 

You are cordially invited to the wedding of Sami Zayn and Jimmy Uso. Refreshments to be had after. Then the home address and today's date. 

"Any chance of those refreshments?" John asked hopefully, and Sami had a terrible feeling that the vampires were involved in this.

"Jey, get the gun." Rikishi said immediately, and John lifted his hands. "Okay, sorry, kidding." He sniffed and stood. "I gotta take a piss." Rikishi grunted, inclining his head towards the house. "Outhouse or bushes. You do not go inside." 

"Yeah, yeah." John disappeared around the side of the house, and Sami leant across the table. "Chief, Ron said something at the wedding."

"Ron was at the wedding?"

"Yes, sorry- look, it's not important! He was already a vampire then, and he said something to me and Jimmy."

"I'm gonna eat John Cena," Jimmy recited solemnly. "He's my singer." 

All they could hear for a moment was the cricket song. Then Rikishi said "Well, shit." It seemed to sum up all their thoughts well, as everyone nodded. 

"We have to find Ron," he said then. "If he lead John here, he'll be lurking. Call him." 

"No need, Chief." 

Four heads turned. Ron was strolling across the grass, hands in his pockets, looking awkward. He looked stronger than he had yesterday, more focused, but if anything this only spelled terrible trouble for John Cena. He stopped a ways away from them and shuffled his feet. "I'm sorry I didn't come say hi, Chief. This is..." He gestured at himself. "I didn't know how you'd react." 

Rikishi leapt from his chair. "This is how I'd react," he declared, walking forward and wrapping Ron in a hug, who squawked in surprise. "Chief- You're- Ugh!" His nose wrinkled. "Have you always smelled this bad?" Rikishi laughed heartily as he released his friend. "And you, Ron Killings, have never been so cold or hard to hug." He knuckled at an eye, and Sami thought Ron would've cried too if he'd been able to. 

"You'll be our man on the inside?" Rikishi asked Ron. "They won't be expecting you, they'll be watching the Cullens instead."

Ron sprang into a salute. "At your service, Chief Uso."

"That outhouse is disgusting! I should've just used the bushes. I swear, we're headed back to the caves." John's voice drifted from around the corner; he was on the phone. Sami looked at Ron, whose tongue had darted out to run over his lips when he heard the voice. "Ron, go," Rikishi said. "I know what you are, and I know what he is to you, and I'm telling you to leave." Ron seemed rooted to the spot, and as the voice got closer Rikishi gave him a less-than-gentle shove. "Go!" 

"Well, I've finally found a group of people with worse hygiene than WWE fans, and that's the Bloodline." John came around the corner and everyone tensed, but when Sami turned his head Ron was gone. 

"Yeah? Why don't you leave if you don't like it here?" Jimmy said venomously, his arm protectively around Sami.

"Yeah, buzz off, Fruity Pebbles." Jey added, a hand on Sami's thigh under the table. "We were fine without you." 

"Yeah, you shit-fucker!" Sami shouted, stringing together the first two swear words that came to mind.

"Jeez-us, none of you can take a joke! Keesh, are you gonna let your kids talk to me like this?"

Rikishi stood up again. "Not only am I going to let them, John Cena, but I have a fine shotgun, and if you ever - ever! - step foot beyond this property line again, I will gladly use it on you. I am not your friend, and you will not call me Keesh." 

John stepped back, his hands raised once more. "All right, big man. I'm going. I could report you for threatening me like that, you know?"

"To who?" The twins and Rikishi chorused together, and then laughed as an angry blush bloomed on John's face and he stormed off, muttering. "The fuck is there to do in San Francisco anyway?" 

After he'd disappeared over the horizon and they'd all stopped shaking, Rikishi looked at Sami. "You shit-fucker?" he said, a little incredulously. 

"I was under pressure!"

They all sat and laughed until their throats were raw, but Sami couldn't stop his gaze drifting back to the golden cardboard in front of them. Now they had it back - and free of blood - would the events of the visions still come to pass, or had he saved yet another victim? 

It wasn't until they were lolling around watching TV that evening that they started to smell the blood. Rikishi smelled it first, but ignored it; they were close enough to the forests around that he always smelled it, and it could've been any small animal caught in a trap or fallen victim to prey that was bleeding. 

However, when Jimmy and Jey and then Sami all lifted their heads and looked towards the back door where the smell was drifting from, Rikishi muted the sound on the TV. "We all smell that?" He asked, and all three nodded. "Okay, don't panic. Could be anything - someone walking by with a bloody nose, even." But his voice wavered, and Sami got the feeling he was saying that more for himself than for them. There was a shick as he lifted his silver knife and advanced towards the door, everyone following him with their guards up. 

He stepped outside cautiously and moved slowly in the direction of the smell of blood, which got stronger and stronger. "Be very careful," he murmured. "We don't know what we're--" The grass squished beneath his feet, and Rikishi stopped suddenly. 

It was blood, bright red, mixing with the green grass and brown dirt and making a grotesque mud. Rikishi's gaze went from the bloody grass to the trail of blood, and then they followed it around the next corner. 

A feebly stirring John Cena lay in the grass, his formerly purple shirt now stained mostly brown by his own blood. Occasionally a hand or a foot twitched, but otherwise he was still except for his little gasps of pain. The blood poured freely from the wound in his chest, making a little bubbling sound as it left him, and Ron was crouched next to him, lapping up the blood like a cat. Gulping it, really - it was all over his chin and chest and spattered his face as he licked.

"Ron," Jimmy said, horrified. Ron looked up, raised a blood-soaked hand. "In my defense," he said, licking his fingers. "I was left unsupervised." 

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Rikishi and Jimmy raced to Ron, but it was only when Jey joined them that they finally managed to move Ron off his moaning prey. Sami pulled off his shirt as he ran with his phone in hand, dialling Carlisle. He balled it up and pressed it to John's wound, who sat up and screamed with pain. "I know, dude! I know. Stay with me, John."

"Sami, what is it?" said the phone. 

"Help us!" Sami screamed. "Our friend is a newborn vampire and he's turned on his singer, help us!"

"I'll be there as fast as I can." The call disconnected. God, there was so much blood. Sami felt slightly faint just looking, and wondered if this was how he had looked after being attacked. 

'As fast as I can' was apparently exactly six minutes, because Sami counted them all - he was using Rikishi's watch to track John's pulse anyway, and he couldn't help it. His thirst slaked, Ron had stopped struggling and simply sat watching with interest as John bled out despite Sami's best efforts. 

Carlisle arrived and dropped to one knee next to John, immediately pulling off his own jacket and pressing it onto the wound as well. "Okay, we need to get Bella here. Alice, too." Sami got busy calling them too.

"Can't we suck out the venom like with Sami?" Jey asked, and Carlisle looked grave.

"Too late. Far too late. He'll be a vampire for sure, but he won't be anything if we don't stop this bleeding. Not like the ER would understand the reason he's screaming."

"What do you mean, the reason he's-"

John's eyes flew open and he started to scream in a high-pitched, agonised tone. Sami knew that scream, had let out that scream himself.

"Okay, sorry I asked!" Jimmy shouted over the din. 

Carlisle scooped John up like he weighed nothing. "Keesh, please," he said, his eyes soft. "I can't run him back to the hospital anyway. He'll bleed out long before we make it. Would you really rather someone die than become a vampire?"

"In my house, yes." Rikishi said. Then, "Oh, get him inside before I change my mind!" 

Carlisle ran into the house with John in his arms, clearing off the kitchen table to lay him flat on it. "I need something to disinfect with and something to stitch with, fast." 

"Uhhh, I have moonshine and some needles and thread Bella left behind when she sewed Sami up."

"It'll do." Carlisle's tongue poked from between his lips in concentration. "Come on, John, you can't give up on us now, we've gotten blood all over the Chief's table."

"You better be joking." Rikishi said over his shoulder.

"We'll see." He raised his head. "Is that Bella already? Good. We won't need the moonshine," he said to Rikishi, who instead determinedly knocked back a mouthful from the bottle. 

"Uhh, I didn't hear anything," Sami said, and was reminded of just how keen vampire senses were, for a second later there was a rattling at the door and it was indeed Bella, her hair wild, clutching her first aid bag. "Is all that blood out there from the same guy? Carlisle, he's-"

"I know!" Carlisle said. "Just get over here and help hold pressure. If we can support him through the transition, he'll heal on his own and he'll live." John's screams had dulled to whimpers, but his eyelids twitched and fluttered as if he were asleep.

"And you said it's too late to turn him back?" Sami asked, feeling helpless. He hated John, but he didn't want him to die. 

Bella shook her head. "Sami, we're having trouble even keeping him alive long enough to be a vampire." She hurried to Carlisle's side and pressed on the gauze they had exchanged for their clothes, popping the top on the bottle of betadine she'd brought. John howled at the fresh pressure, but rather than soothing him, Bella simply crammed a wad of gauze into his mouth to silence him. "Let's see how fast I can stitch. I hope it's faster than he can lose blood." 

"You hope?" Sami asked, his voice cracking. 

"If there isn't enough blood, the venom can't circulate, and he'll die despite all our efforts." Carlisle said, slightly muffled as he was holding the spare package of gauze in his mouth for Bella. "We just have to hope." 

Sami collapsed into a chair, and Rikishi patted him on the back. "You should probably take a shower," he said to Ron, who was dripping blood steadily onto the hardwood floor. 

"I'm sorry, uce," Ron said. "I was so hungry, I just..."

"I know you couldn't help yourself. You are forgiven, at least by us. If John survives, he may have a different view. Go shower."

"Yes, Chief." Ron breezed past them all and Rikishi added "Human speed in the house, please!" - he had showered everything in blood droplets. Rikishi sighed. "I may as well clean this up while everyone else is busy."

Sami slumped there miserably while Carlisle and Bella talked in low voices, occasionally passing each other an instrument. Most of the terms they used were unintelligible, which didn't help him feeling useless. At least John had passed out so he wasn't screaming or crying any more, and Sami felt comforted by the slight rise and fall that remained in his chest. 

He curled his long legs into the chair he was sitting in, and sighed softly as he felt Jimmy start to rub his shoulders. "You can fall asleep, Sami. We got this." 

"Mm." Sami shook his head. "Think I'll stay awake a while. I'm too worried about him."

"Well then," and there was an unholy screech as Jimmy dragged two more chairs over. "Me and Jey can stay awake with you, even if we think you're crazy for being worried about this chump."

It was only later that Sami realised the significance of the place setting. Refreshments to be had after. If Ron meant that to imply John was the refreshment, that was clever in a really twisted way.

He held hands with the two men he loved and waited as the night stretched out ahead of them.

Chapter Text

The night seemed to go on forever. Sami drank endless coffee and cuddled up between the twins, who kept him awake talking to him. He couldn't help staring at the crumpled golden place setting - Jimmy had found it out in the yard, messed up and sprayed with droplets of blood, just like in his vision. Rikishi didn't sit down the whole night, making the coffee and watching closely while Bella stitched and Carlisle stemmed the bleeding. 

The sky outside had turned the pale grey of imminent dawn when Bella sighed and put down her needle and thread. "That's the best I can do. Sami, you're gonna wanna watch this, you'll probably never get to see it again." 

Sami hurried to her side and the twins followed him, everyone gathering around to watch while the vampire venom finally had a chance to work. Out of the corner of his eye, Sami saw Rikishi slip his hand into Carlisle's. 

As they watched, John's hair seemed to gain a new lustre, darkening and thickening. His skin stretched tight over his face, ridding it of the lines that had appeared in the last few years, and there was a crunching sound as his nose, broken and healed years previously, realigned itself. "Watch," Bella whispered, and pointed at the gash Ron had given him. Easily a foot long, clotted with dark blood and puckered with ugly black thread, Sami's mouth fell open as it began to shrink and fade. Within a minute or two it looked as if nothing had happened - with the exception of everything around John being soaked in his blood - and Sami knew that when he opened his eyes, whether it be hours or days later, they would be the same colour. 

"Pretty amazing, right?" Bella said. "He'll be okay. I mean, he'll be a vampire, and that's gonna take some explaining. But he'll be okay." Sami could've cried with relief, but he was too tired. 

"So what happens now?" said Rikishi. 

"Now," Carlisle said, standing and helping Bella repack her bag, "we go, with him, and we try to convince him to join our side when he wakes. If we can stop this new chain of man-eating newborns in its tracks, we'll be halfway to winning this war before it even gets underway. You, however," He pointed at Rikishi and then gestured at the others. "You all should get some sleep. I'd say you more than need it. Ron," he said, and Sami turned; he'd forgotten Ron was still there. After showering and borrowing clothes he'd been skulking around the house, frequently coming to stare at John.

"You can come too, if you want. We can show you a different way to eat, or at least get you some food from a bloodbank instead of a person. Get you contacts to match your old eyes. That sort of thing. You could go back to a semblance of your old life."

Ron licked his lips reflexively, and when he spoke his voice was shaky. "That sounds cool. Thanks, I guess." Jimmy thumped him on the shoulder and then winced. "Proud of you, uce!...ow." He kept forgetting his friend was rock solid now, but at least it made Ron laugh. 

After lots of hugging all round (Jey had to be practically prised off Ron) the group of four departed. Carlisle was carrying John the way he had the night before, but thankfully this time there was no blood pouring everywhere. It had begun to rain heavily in the night, and the entire yard was waterlogged, but at least they wouldn't have to worry about cleaning up all the blood. Rikishi stepped out into the rain with them, standing as close to Carlisle as John's prone body would allow. "You'll let us know when you're back safely, Carlisle?"

"I always do." Carlisle replied. A breeze blew Rikishi's damp hair off his face as they left, and he shuffled back to the house. "Okay, boys," he sighed. "Time we cleaned this place up before bed." Sami tried to make him go to bed, leave them to clean up, but he wouldn't hear of it. "I was a boy when we got this table, I'll damn well be a part of its cleaning!"

Luckily the wood didn't seem to be all that porous, and cat litter helped absorb the moisture after they'd scrubbed out most of the stains. They were all wet up to their elbows after, their wrists aching, but feeling they'd done an incredible job on the table for how exhausted they all were. 

Rikishi yawned, which made them all yawn in then. "Bed, Chief," Sami said, and the look Rikishi gave him was absolutely worth any later punishment he'd get. "You're quite right, Sami. We should all be going to bed." 

And so they all did, the twins sharing Jimmy's double bed with Sami. Sami worried at first - he had started sleeping alone since the accidents had started, and he'd had a lot of coffee to drink that night. What if this was the bedwetting that broke the camel's back and they hated him?

"Go to sleep, Sami," Jey mumbled, stroking his arm. Jimmy was already out on his other side, snoring like a jackhammer. "If you even can, with that going on." Sami smiled to himself, and let himself fall asleep. 

Sami had a dreamless, visionless sleep, and when he startled awake late in the afternoon in an empty bed and felt around in a panic, he was relieved to find the sheets perfectly dry. 

He switched his pyjamas for sweatpants and wandered out to the bathroom, wondering where the others were. 

He didn't have to wonder for long. When Sami came out of the bathroom he could see three heads over the top of the couch. "Afternoon, Sami," Rikishi said, a little sleepily. He sat between Jimmy and Jey, scratching their backs with a hand under each of their t-shirts, and Sami smiled at the sight. "What are you..." 

"They insisted they were itchy," Rikishi said. "I think they're being big affectionate idiots who can't just ask their dad for a back scratch to comfort them after they've had a big scare." 

"What if it's both?" Jey asked, his head dropping onto Rikishi's shoulder. 

"What, you both just happened to get an itch at the same time, and you couldn't help each other out?" 

"We're twins! It's like, feelings osmosis or something, we always feel things at the same time."

"Yeah, okay. Can I stop, then? It's been over five minutes, and you can't possibly still be itchy." 

"Mmm," came the mumbled assent, and Rikishi withdrew his arms, putting them around the twins' necks instead. "I love you, boys. You did very well yesterday - as did you, Sami. You should all be proud of yourselves." Sami was proud, a little nugget of gold shining amongst all the worry inside him. "You know, maybe you ought to consider a career in medicine - if this war goes awry and you don't wish to return to wrestling, that is."

Sami looked at him, a little stunned. "But... I'm too old," he said. "Aren't med students all really young? I can't keep up with them."

"Normally I'd agree, but Sami, you're a wolf now. You'll age a lot slower and feel a lot younger than humans your age, and I really think you could do it. Talk to Bella." A spark of curiosity, just the tiniest one, flared up in Sami, and he decided he would absolutely talk to Bella about med school. 

There was a sudden loud beeping and they all jumped. 

"Just my phone," Rikishi chuckled, taking it out to check a text.

"Dad! We told you to get a less disruptive ringtone!"

"Chief... my heart."

"Sorry, sorry." His brow furrowed as he read the screen. "It's Carlisle. They're home safe and Cena is awake. Hungry, shouting his head off and blaming everyone but himself, but awake. Ron seems to be doing well too, survived his first night detoxing from human blood." There was a tripled sigh of relief. 

"So now what?" Sami asked, squeezing onto the arm of the couch beside Jimmy. 

"Now," Rikishi got up, freeing space up considerably for Sami to sit. He grabbed the purple journal and a new slim black notepad Sami had never seen. "Now, Sami, we prepare to go to war." 

Chapter Text

"Okay, we're these figures here."

"Why can't we be these ones over here instead?"

"Because we just can't, those are the vampires, Aro and the rest. We're these figures here."

"Those ones are ugly."

"Oh, for fu-"

"Sami, language, there is a minor present." 

They were all sitting around the kitchen table battle planning; Rikishi, Sami and the twins, plus Carlisle, Bella, Edward, and-

"Chief, I hardly count as a minor," said the young woman sitting on the kitchen counter, running a hand through her closely cropped dark hair. Being an integral part of the last fight between wolves and vampires, she tagged along not only to meet Sami, but to help them out any way she could.

"You're fourteen years old, Renesmee." Sami's stomach squirmed as he realised it was technically true, though she looked as if she were in her mid twenties - just like her mom. "I don't care how old you may look, or how adult your duties may be, my boys will watch their mouths around you." 

He nodded towards the map spread out in front of them. "You were saying, Sami?" 

"Look, forget who's what piece of plastic," Sami said, sweeping all the figures off the map and instead using his fingers to pinpoint. "I think if the newborn den is here, we could approach here from beyond the river, it would confuse their senses of sound and smell." 

"That could work," Rikishi agreed, taking off his reading glasses and rubbing his eyes before putting them back on. "Certainly could work. If that's where the den is, of course. We have a man on the inside for now, but I think Ron might be choosing vegetarianism and then we'll be cut off. I think we should send him out there to scout."

"I'm not so sure," Edward said. "Your friend has been, shall we say, struggling." 

"Struggling?" It was now over three weeks since Ron had been taken in by the Cullens. He hadn't indicated anything untoward in his updates, but then again, he was never the type to want to worry anyone even when he was human.

"He escaped." Carlisle said, unable to quite meet Rikishi's eye. "I'll be damned if we know how, but he escaped one morning when he was doing really well, and you see, our place in Forks is right in the woods. There was this hiker..." Rikishi groaned, closing his eyes. "Oh, he didn't."

"Was." Carlisle said grimly. "So he's back to square one, chained up in our panic room having hallucinations from human blood withdrawal. He'll be all right, but it's going to be quite the ride, and going through it for the second time in less than a month? I wouldn't wish it on anybody. The long and short of it is, he can't go anywhere for a while, certainly not out into the wilderness. I'm sorry, Keesh."  

"Damn you!" Rikishi cried, thumping the table. "We don't have time for a setback. We need to find and attack the vampires before they come for us!" He was shaking with adrenaline, and Monroe materialized to leap into his lap. He petted the fluffy ginger ears, feeling his heart rate slowing, and felt Carlisle's hand on his shoulder. "Okay, I need to be out of this house before I fucking explode."

Nobody thought it was the time to bring up his language. "That's a great idea, Dad," Jey said quickly. "Let's all go!" 

"Where exactly would you have us all go?" his Chief asked incredulously, but Jey grinned.

***

There was a loud crash and they all cheered for Rikishi as he took out all ten pins. "Let's go, Chief!" Sami said, slapping him on the shoulder as he walked back to them, and indeed Rikishi looked pleased with himself. Jey had dragged them all to an arcade, thinking the bright lights and music would suit Rikishi, who hadn't been outside in some time, too busy planning for battle. It turned out he was right; Rikishi had paid for four hours upfront and was actively participating with them all instead of skulking by the slot machines.

"Thank you," Sami murmured to Jey while Bella took her turn bowling. "This was a wonderful idea." Jey smiled, slipping his hand into Sami's. They sat and ate chicken fingers and onion rings and listened to the wonderful sounds of pins crashing and arcade music playing.

Something kept bothering Rikishi over the course of the evening, however. Whenever a server approached him specifically with something he'd ordered, their eyes would turn oddly vacant, and they would say only one thing: "Boom boom, Chief Uso." Then they would return to normal and seemingly have no memory of what just had happened. Rikishi wondered if it was some silly prank, if the manager had recognised him and was making some stupid reference he'd long forgotten. He was able to push it to the back of his mind, though. It's not like the phrase was worrying, just confusing. Besides, he had a bowling game to win.

"No!" he roared as Sami hit a strike, and Sami laughed and clapped his hands. There were only three points between them now. Everyone else was happy to trail behind and simply watch Rikishi and Sami battle it out.

In the end it was Rikishi who just snatched it, crowing triumphantly when Sami's last two pins refused to topple. "Nice job, old man," Sami conceded.

"Old man?" Rikishi took a step forward, and Sami one back, and then another. "I'll old man you!" He started chasing Sami with a smile on his face, who laughed and ran for the exit.

They burst out into the cool evening air, just the two of them, and Rikishi caught him around the waist easily, Sami squirming in his arms to no effect. "Are you ticklish, Sami?" Sami flushed, and then started giggling when Rikishi tickled his sides. "Nohoho! ChieheHEHEHEHEF!"" 

"No, you're not? You're not ticklish? I don't know if I believe that." He tickled his sides again and Sami snorted, half-falling against him - how was he so ticklish even through clothes? There were snickers behind him, and when he looked around Jimmy and Jey had come out to watch. "Jehehey! H-hehehelp!" 

"Not a chance," Jey grinned. "Rite of passage, Sami. He'd just get me if I came over there." Sami laughed harder when Rikishi tried his ribs. "You seem very ticklish, Sami. I used to play a game with those two as teens where if I got angry with them, I'd put that energy somewhere productive and start tickling them instead, and that usually ended whatever argument we were having. They didn't mind so much because they like being tickled. What about you, Sami?" Sami snorted and blushed, giving him the tiniest nod. "Good to know." He gave his side another quick tickle and then let him go altogether. "That'll teach you to call me old, huh?"

"Y-yes, Chief." Sami giggled, having staggered over to Jimmy. "Learned my lesson." 

"I should hope so. Let's go back in, it's cold and they'll be wondering where we got to." 

They drifted around the arcade for the rest of their paid time, and when Rikishi did eventually end up sitting in front of a slot machine, the others joined him. For the last hour it was just their little family, since the Cullens had to head out, and Sami sat with Rikishi and laughed at Jimmy and Jey in furious competition on a dance game.

As they were leaving, Rikishi much less stressed, he remembered again the strange phrase people with blank faces had repeated all night. It had to be some reference he didn't remember. He'd look it up when they got back.

When the Jeep pulled into the driveway, they were surprised and displeased to see the headlights illuminating Paul Heyman, sitting on the porch swing like he owned the place. They all jumped out before Rikishi could even stop the car, their fists raised. "What the fuck are you doing here, vampire?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Paul said, getting up. "Whoa. So this is the famous brand new Sami Uso?" He wheezed with laughter. "I didn't think you could look any stupider!" Sami snarled and lunged, but Jimmy held him back. 

"What do you want, Heyman?" Rikishi asked tiredly, locking the car, and Paul's grin widened in a slimy sort of delight. "Ah! Just the man I was hoping to see! Did you get my message tonight? I'm still pretty new to possessing people, but I think it got through a few times."

"What message?" Jimmy said, but a cold feeling was creeping up Rikishi's spine. 

Paul leaned in close and whispered it one more time. 

"Boom boom, Chief Uso." 

There was a colossal explosion and Rikishi threw himself at the three boys to attempt to shield them as the house his ancestors built, the house that everything that happened in, the house that had been the Bloodline base for so many years erupted into flames, its windows shattering with a roar. 

Flames crackled, shadows danced across the lawn, and smoke began to drift northwards on the wind. The Usos didn't see any of it; they'd all been knocked unconscious by the blast.

The four men lay motionless while their home burned. 

Chapter Text

Sami wheezed, choked, coughed. But he was breathing, he was alive. He inhaled a ragged breath full of smoke and coughed again, but his lungs were working even so. His legs were trapped under Rikishi, who Sami checked on before even attempting to free himself. Thankfully, he had a pulse, strong and present, and so did the other two, who lay face down. Dragging himself out from under the Chief, he stood and wiped his burning eyes, staring at the flaming house. Rikishi had a massive bruise on his forehead from being struck by debris, blood trickling into his hair, but he'd probably saved Sami and the twins from much worse. This would all have to go into the journal.

The journal. There were hundreds of years of history in there. If it got burnt up... In the heat and the panic and the pain, Sami was suddenly a wolf, and through his sharpened senses he could smell that the fire had already enveloped the kitchen area. He didn't have much time. 

He held his breath and pushed through the sliding doors, their glass blown out by the fire. His massive front half almost got caught and the doorframe buckled and bent beneath him, making it easier to get in the door. This wasted precious air, and he positively sprinted through the house. He could feel patches of his fur burning away, didn't want to think about how that translated to his human form, and how much it would hurt when the adrenaline wore off. 

The journal was where it usually was these days, on the coffee table in front of the couch. As the ceiling caved in behind him, Sami snatched the journal from the flames licking at the table and ran with all his might with it in his mouth, though he was limping badly on one of his back legs and didn't want to take a look back to see how bad it was. He could hear sirens wailing in the distance as he burst outside, dropping the smouldering journal on the wet grass as he gasped. Oh, good, he thought. Someone called the fire department. 

Then his knees buckled.

When Sami woke he was on an extremely comfortable sofa in what looked like a large, spacious living room. There was a glass coffee table in front of him, and the journal sat on it. The edges were charred, but apart from that it was untouched, and Sami breathed a sigh of relief. Where he was, that was another question entirely. "Jimmy?" He called out hesitantly. "Jey? Chief?" He tried to get up. "Oof!" His right leg was in a cast to the knee.

"Sami." Carlisle came in. "You're awake."

"Carlisle! The vampires, they did something to the house, it exploded! I had to save the journal, and I did, see! Where's Jimmy? Are the others okay? What happened to the house?"

"Sami, Sami, slow down." Carlisle gently but firmly pushed Sami back onto his cushions. "They're all here, being treated for minor stuff. Sedated, because they have some burns that need cleaning."

"Where's "here", and how did you even find us?" Sami demanded. 

"I smelled the smoke," Carlisle said simply. "I knew someone was in trouble, and the closer I got to your house the more I hoped it wouldn't be all of you, but it was. I called the authorities and decided I couldn't risk the newborns finding you at the local hospital, so I had you med-evaced here to Forks–"

"Forks?!" Sami yelped, sitting bolt upright. "We're in Washington?"

"Yes, at the trauma clinic Bella opened when she became trauma chief at the local hospital. She hated all the paperwork and just wanted to heal people, so she left and went independent." He gestured around them. "Welcome to the Billy Black Memorial Clinic. The staff and patients are mostly humans, of course, but when a group of wolves come in, we don't turn them away. You broke your leg quite badly," he motioned to the cast, "and you're going to be off it for a month or so, even with your increased healing. The tribe will have to wait on you. You also have some superficial burns on your hands and face, and I'm sorry to say you've singed away some of that hair, but I'm not worried. You'll all heal." He smiled at Sami, who smiled weakly back. "Oh, we also found an orange cat sniffing your unconscious bodies and shouting for all it was worth-"

"Monroe!" Sami gasped, feeling guilty for forgetting about the loveable ginger lump that he'd lived with for months now. 

"Monroe," Carlisle smiled, "is at our house just down the street. He'll go home with you when you do." 

That soothed Sami. "When can I get up? I wanna see Jimmy."

Carlisle's smile wavered just for a second, and a deep, primal feeling that something was wrong awakened in Sami. "Carlisle, you tell me what's wrong with my husband this second or so help me..." He was too exhausted to think of a threat.

"Jimmy was unfortunately caught full in the face with burning debris when the blast went off. He's... not going to look the same, Sami, even with surgery. Plastics are looking at him now, but facial skin is so delicate, there's just no way of telling until he's healed a little." Hot tears poured down Sami's cheeks and he let out a little stuttery sob. "Can- can I-"

Carlisle looked a little awkward at his tears. "He's in a sterile environment right now, Sami. Burns like his are so susceptible to infection. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to wait until he's debrided and wrapped up in the ICU." Sami's chest started to heave as he cried. It made his head ache, but he didn't care.

He didn't know when Carlisle left and Bella came in, looking so different in her scrubs, but when she did she immediately handed him a box of tissues. "Thanks," Sami hiccuped, and Bella sat with him and let him cry on her.

"Jimmy's surgery is about halfway done," she said softly, patting his back. "I'm very optimistic."

"Shouldn't you be in there too?" Sami sniffled.

"My friend Mark has been working on Jimmy until now, he's in Plastics but he was originally trained in burns, so he's just the guy for this. He led the team that debrided Jimmy's burns and washed them out, and he's made a special model in 3D out of pictures of Jimmy for us to work off. I'm going to scrub now to go in with him and repair all the damage I can while Mark rebuilds his face. I promise you, Sami, he's in the best hands possible." She squeezed his hand. "Would you like to see the others, in the meantime? Rikishi got a nasty head wound but his CT is fine, and Jey just has bumps and grazes but we're keeping them both in anyway for observation. They've both been asking for you too, and they know about Jimmy. I'm sure they'd like to see you." Sami nodded, and soon he was being wheeled along the corridor by an orderly. All of the rooms seemed to be the same; large sofa-bed contraptions, a living area style setup, but otherwise with all the hallmarks of a hospital, with IV poles and blood pressure monitors everywhere. 

He arrived at Rikishi's room and his father-in-law was sitting up against his cushions, his head heavily bandaged. Jey was next to him, sporting a nasty-looking black eye but otherwise unharmed. "Sami!" Jey positively flew at him, and they cried together. Sami wheeled himself over to clasp Rikishi's hand, and indeed his eyes shone with tears too when Sami took the journal from his lap and placed it gently on the table. "Oh, Sami," he gasped, squeezing Sami's hand. "You saved our history. I don't care about anything else if this is safe and you all are safe." 

"I wouldn't have been around to save it if you hadn't jumped in front of us," Sami said. "I broke my leg, you hit your head, I burnt off a bunch of my hair going back into the house for the journal–"

"And don't you ever do that again, young man!"

"Sorry, Chief. The point is, you protected all of us from much worse."

"Well." Rikishi's voice was sober. "Not all of you." His lip was trembling, his chest heaving. "Carlisle came and told us and I wanted to see him but they don't.. He wasn't..." Two big fat tears worked their way out of his eyes and Rikishi made a sound like a dog in pain. It took Sami a second to realise it had been a sob. The Chief of the Bloodline sat on a couch in a trauma clinic and cried loudly, for his home, for his sons, for the upcoming war, but most of all because he had failed to protect his heir. Tears poured down his face and dripped heavily onto the couch.

"This is not your fault, Dad!" Jey said, and Sami nodded. "He's right. You did the best you could, and Jimmy will say the same, I know he will." He and Jey held his hands on opposite sides. "Lean on our strength, Chief. It's in us, not just the land. We'll rebuild." Rikishi took strength from both their words and their presence, and with a few deep breaths he was able to wipe his eyes and come back to himself. "Sami. You brave, brave man. I am so blessed by you loving my sons."

They all held hands and waited for news of Jimmy. 

It was about six more hours, as it turned out, before Bella came into the room. All three of them were asleep, but Rikishi opened one eye at once, years of being on high alert making him a light sleeper. Bella mouthed "Jimmy" at him and he pawed roughly at Sami and Jey, who awoke blearily. 

"Jimmy's out of surgery," Bella said, smiling at them, "and I believe it went very well. He still won't be the Jimmy who woke up yesterday morning, but he'll be as close as we could get, accommodating for the scarring.

"Scarring?" Sami asked, his imagination running wild. 

"On his face. His healing factor started fighting us about halfway through when we used a bone saw - gotta break some eggs to make an omelette, you know - and it was really hard to piece his skin back together neatly when it was trying to heal itself all wrong. So yes, there will be some scarring, some bruising, a little swelling. But if you all support him through this, he's gonna come out the exact same person on the inside. That I can promise you." 

"When can we see him?" Sami asked eagerly, and Bella smiled. "Whenever you want. I can't promise he'll wake up while you're there, and he'll be heavily bandaged, but follow me." 

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Sami asked, wheeling himself out of the room at top speed. "Let's go get my husband!" 

Chapter Text

Rikishi ended up needing a wheelchair too, so it was a while before they were all able to head off to Jimmy's room in the ICU. However, it worked out well for them, because Jimmy was awake. A nurse was helping him drink water, but most of his face was obscured by thick white gauze. Sami started crying and Jimmy looked up with his good eye. "Sam-ee," he rasped, then swallowed a mouthful of water and tried again. "Don't cry, you'll make me cry, and then my face will fall off or something, I guess? At least nobody can accuse me of being two-dimensional." There was a twitch of the bandages that could've been a smile.

Jey burst into tears. "You idiot!" He flung himself down by Jimmy's bedside, sobbing. Jimmy reached out to take his brother's hand, letting him cry. "You're so emotional, Jey. I'm going to have to start carrying a handkerchief like you're my Victorian lady friend."

Jey snorted through his tears, and Jimmy shook with a laugh too. "Hi Dad," he mumbled at Rikishi, who wheeled himself over and took his other hand. "Jimmy, my dear boy. Can you ever forgive me? I couldn't protect you."

"Dad, you did protect me," Jimmy croaked. "Bella showed me pictures. There was so much shrapnel that would've just torn right through me, through all of us, if you hadn't jumped at us when you did. You saved us. And you, Sami Uso," he said, fixing his unobscured eye on Sami, "are going to get a severe talking to when I'm well enough to cry, because we do not run into burning buildings!"

Sami laughed, wiping his eyes. "I had to get the journal. I was a wolf!"

"Yeah, and I'm very proud of you. Don't do it again, silly Sami." The use of his old nickname melted his heart. "I really want to kiss you right now. When can I kiss him, Bella?"

"Well," Bella walked over and checked Jimmy's bandages, peeking underneath. "He's doing as well as someone with an increased healing factor can be. At this rate, we can start unwrapping him tomorrow and take the adhesive bandages on his wounds off for good in a few days. How do you feel, Jimmy?" She pressed a little button on his IV pole.

"Mm." Jimmy mumbled. "Sore. Itchy. Did I hurt my leg? It feels..." 

"Sami hurt his leg, and you're imprinted, so if it feels a little heavy, that's why."

"Mmm, I'm gonna give him so many blowjobs to help him forget." Sami almost choked, and Bella laughed out loud. "That's what we call a morphine thought. That was out loud, Jimmy," she added.

"Was it? I feel like my voice is really loud right now." Everyone laughed at that, their tension easing a little. "Sami, you look really pretty. You're all fuzzy." More laughter. Jey backed away from the bed so Sami could wheel himself up and hold Jimmy's hand.

"I have rounds," Bella said, stripping off her gloves and throwing them away. "but I'll be back. You know where your rooms are, and you can stay here with Jimmy as long as you like." She grabbed a fresh pair of gloves and left. 

Rikishi was the first to leave; as much as he didn't want to, Carlisle wanted to get a repeat head CT every twelve hours to be absolutely sure nothing was wrong, and Rikishi couldn't see any point in arguing - he wanted to be around for his boys. Jey left soon after, simply to give Jimmy and Sami some privacy, and the husbands were left alone together at last. "Oh, Jimmy," Sami said, rubbing his hand. "I thought I'd lost you."

"Nope, still here. I do seem to be floating, though. Is that the morphine?"

Sami laughed. "That's the morphine. Can I do anything for you? More water?"

"Hmm, there's a few things I can think of. Not sure I can get hard right now, though." Sami went pink. "Jimmy!" His husband was insatiable. "Can you scratch my nose? Been driving me crazy, and I'm not sure my arms work right now." 

"Now that," Sami grinned, "that I can do." 

He sat peacefully and scratched the tip of Jimmy's nose where it poked out from the bandages. He wished he could climb into bed with Jimmy, but his cast was too heavy. Besides, he didn't want to risk upsetting the dressings on Jimmy's burns. 

"If I wake up tomorrow and they take the bandages off," Jimmy whispered some time later, when the sun outside had sunk below the horizon. "and I'm not pretty any more, will you still love me?" 

Sami almost laughed again, but Jimmy's singular eye was sober and his lips were trembling. "Jimmy." He squeezed his husband's hand. "You are always beautiful, no matter what. In sickness and in health, remember?" Jimmy nodded, quivering. "Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?" He nodded shakily at his morphine pump. 

Sami pressed the button several times in succession. "Always." 

***

Sami found it extremely frustrating waiting a full 24 hours to see his husband's face, but there was nothing he could do. He spent two hours in rehab the next day and ended up soaked in sweat, wondering how it could be so hard to take one little step with a leg that had worked perfectly fine before just being in a cast. The rehab therapist was a shifter too, and Sami was a little surprised, but of course there were untracked descendants and other tribes all over the world. Sami learned a lot that morning about his healing factor, that no matter how exhausted he was, standing and walking right away was important to make sure his leg healed correctly. 

"How are we doing?" Bella asked, coming in just after Sami had been able to shower, with Jey's help. Sami thought about his answer; his burns were much better overnight and would probably be gone in a day or so, but his leg remained stubbornly broken and would be for some time. "Tired." He said truthfully, and Bella nodded. "Not too tired for the big reveal, I hope?" 

Sami's heart glowed at the idea of sinking into Jimmy's arms again. "Not at all." 

They all gathered in Jimmy's room and Sami clasped his hands as the bandages were removed and his face gently washed to remove the adhesive dressings. "Your eye is gonna feel a little strange and dry because it's been covered for a couple days, so I'm gonna put some drops in." he heard Bella say softly, a tiny bottle between her fingers. 

"This is weird," Jimmy said, blinking first one eye by itself and then the affected one. "Will I always be fuzzy in this eye?" Bella nodded. "I'm sorry. It'll improve, but I think you were under the debris for too long."

When she stepped back from Jimmy's face, a wave of relief washed over Sami; his imagination had kept him awake half the night, picturing his perfect Jimmy mangled beyond recognition. It wasn't nearly that bad.

A thick pink line ran from Jimmy's hairline to the bridge of his nose and then suddenly splintered and branched out, creating a broken mini-map on one side of his face. It looked almost like a bolt of lightning had hit him, actually, including a bright streak having appeared in his left eye where the scar broke, like his pupil had been shot through. It would doubtless draw stares and maybe comments - but to Sami it was a war wound, and it was beautiful because it was on Jimmy. Apart from that and some swelling making him a little pink and shiny, he looked the same.

"Am I a monster?" Jimmy asked, and Sami realised he still hadn't seen himself. "No!" He passed Jimmy a mirror. "See? You're still you, you just have a scar now where they put you back together."

"Yeah, uce, scars are cool!"

"You look very distinguished, Jimmy."

Jimmy looked for so long that Sami started to get worried he was upset beyond words, but then the corners of his mouth lifted in that smile Sami loved so much. "People will be able to tell us apart now," he said. 

"Yeah, they will!" Jey laughed, tears in his eyes as he hugged and kissed his big brother. 

Sami cupped Jimmy's face, kissing him. Their lips meeting was like coming home, and Sami whined contentedly, wishing once more he could drag himself up beside his husband. "Can't we sleep together?" He begged Bella, who looked sympathetic but shook her head. "Too big an infection risk. We'll have to re-dress Jimmy's face later too. The good news is, you all seem to be doing okay, and you can probably be discharged tomorrow. Then you can go--" She stopped. Where were they going to go?

"You can stay at our place a couple days." She corrected. "Nobody will care, we have beds, and you'll get to see Ron if you'd like." Sami's heart lifted; he would like to see Ron, especially after all the trauma. "Let's not think any further ahead than that, just for now." She patted Sami's shoulder and left the room. The four men huddled together, relief mixing with apprehension. What awaited them back in San Francisco, and who? 

Paul stepped over the threshold of the smouldering house, or what remained of a threshold. Broken glass crunched beneath his feet and smoke still swirled through the air. 

Most of the front of the house had been taken out in the blast, the metal frame of the sliding doors just about remaining in place. Most things were smoke damaged or plainly burnt black, and the rafters were clearly visible in several spots, shafts of grey daylight making spotlights on the floor. 

Paul lead the way through the house, stopping to turn in a wide circle. "The Bloodline's base has fallen," he said gleefully. "Take all you wish." 

Bron didn't have to be told twice, and kicked in Jimmy's bedroom door at the same time as Bronson took down Jey's. They rampaged through the place, tearing out any undamaged possessions and leaving whatever they didn't want on the floor, so when Paul shouted "OUCH!" there was quite a scramble to pick their way across the mess they'd made. 

"It burned me!" Paul complained, sucking on his hand. In a leather weapons pouch lying open on Rikishi's bed was a silver axe.

"Well, that would be because it's silver," Seth said, "you fucking idiot. Leave it alone."

"But Seth, this is exactly the kind of stuff we want to show Aro! Take their weapons away, you know? Especially when it comes to silver." He examined his hand; there were fading blisters on his palm, but what surprised him most was just how much it stung - he'd quickly gotten used to being virtually impenetrable. The silver seemed to delay his healing somewhat too, and he didn't like to imagine it taking off a limb and the extra time it would take to regenerate it. In short, he decided he was going to give it a wide berth in future.

"Leave it, Paul." Seth said, instead picking up a family photo which lay on the floor still in its frame. It was a very young Jimmy and Jey each wearing one of their dad's ring boots. Rikishi was in the middle, having been caught mid-laugh. "Adorable." Seth threw the frame back down so hard it shattered. "Those two have no idea what's coming. I'm going to bathe in their father's blood." He kissed Paul viciously. Bron and Bronson clamoured to join them, and in almost a parallel to the hospital room in Forks, they stood and kissed and touched each other atop the ruins of their enemy's home.

Chapter Text

Emmet was the one to pick all four of them up the next day, in his red Jeep Wrangler that endeared Rikishi to him just a little more. 

That morning, Sami was pleasantly surprised to find his physical therapy was much easier than the day before. His cast was still heavy and hot, but there was a glimmer of hope in his increased healing factor. 

"Ah–!" Bella slapped Jimmy's hand away as she pressed the elevator button for them. "Don't. Scratch. You wanna make it scar worse?" Jimmy grumbled, rubbing his face. He'd been weaned off the morphine the previous evening in preparation for discharge, and was unusually bad-tempered. "Whatever. What did you say about the meds again? The pink ones twice a day-"

"-with food, and plenty of it," Bella finished. "The yellow ones every other day. Three weeks, and you'll be okay." She thrust a large paper bag at Jey, who was easily the one in the best shape. "All of your prescriptions are in here, and the aftercare instructions for Jimmy's face and Sami's leg. Luckily I won't exactly be far away in the next few days if you have questions or anything is wrong." 

People stared when they walked through the lobby. Jimmy still had adhesive bandages covering the worst of the fresh scarring, but it was those if anything that drew attention. Jimmy stared them all down right back, until they either looked away or dropped their gaze in embarrassment. Sami couldn't have been prouder as his husband pushed him towards the exit, clutching his crutches. 

"Ooh," Rikishi shivered as they all climbed into the red Jeep.

"You good, Chief?" Emmet asked, lazily adjusting his mirrors. 

"It's August and I feel as if I need a jacket."

"Welcome to Forks!" Emmet whooped, and they squealed out of the parking lot. 

Emmet was a wild driver, and it just so happened that a common side effect of antibiotics was happening to Jimmy. Luckily the Cullen house was only a few minutes away. He could make it. They stopped suddenly, too suddenly, and the seatbelt pressed into Jimmy's stomach. Then–

"Sorry, Emmet," Jimmy said weakly as Emmet hosed down the car. 

"It needed to be washed anyway. Least you thought to stick your head out the window. It's all good, Big Jim." Emmet fistbumped him, making him smile.

Emmet would've happily carried Sami into the house, but Jey insisted, elbowing Jimmy out of the way on the basis of his depth perception being off. The house was light and airy, bright paintings on the white-washed walls and massive windows across almost the whole front. Sami blinked, and tried not to think about vampire stereotypes. 

"Not what you expected?" As they reached the second landing where a huge kitchen was, Rosalie was standing there chopping vegetables. "Spaghetti," she said, nodding to where she'd put Jasper and Alice to work too. "We bought food. Thought you'd be hungry." The place smelled amazing, and Sami was very eager after three days of insipid hospital food. Jey put Sami down and he moved well on his crutches, sliding onto a low kitchen chair. "So you were expecting, what? Black walls, coffins?" Sami flushed, and she laughed. "Daylight isn't poison, Sami. Carlisle wanted this to be somewhere we didn't have to hide." She slid a steaming bowl towards him, and then another, and he passed them on. "Eat before you do anything else, Bella already drilled it into us." She rolled her eyes at Sami. "She somehow became even bossier as a doctor." 

Food obscured the rest of Sami's thoughts for a minute, and the clinking and chewing noises told him the others felt the same. Anything would've been wonderful after 72 hours of fluids and oatmeal, and good, hot, home-cooked food was almost orgasmic. 

"Holy shit." Jimmy said, speaking for all of them. Sami looked at him and almost choked laughing; Jimmy's bandages had been splattered orange because he was eating with so much enthusiasm. Rikishi grabbed a napkin and tried to wipe at Jimmy's face. "You are no neater than you were as a toddler, Jimmy Uso! What am I going to do with you, hey?" 

"Dad, quit it." Jimmy squirmed out of his reach, not in the mood for games. "My face hurts. Where do we sleep?" 

"Jimmy, don't be rude," Sami chided him gently, but he had been wondering that himself. "Just, if you don't have beds..." He said hesitantly, looking at Alice, who smiled. "Just because we didn't have them three days ago doesn't mean we can't get them. We have no problems with money or resources, and we definitely have way too many rooms. You'll all sleep on this floor. I thought you and Jimmy would like to share - newlyweds and everything. You've got a king bed in there." Sami breathed heavily, willing himself not to start crying again at her kindness.

"Newlyweds!" Jimmy murmured, putting his hand in Sami's. Clearly, he loved the notion. 

"The same goes for you, Rikishi," Alice said. "King bed, just in case you wanted to have anyone there." She was delicate about it, but Jimmy's gaze darkened.

"Mraw." With a croaky meow, Monroe leaped onto Rikishi's shoulder, and he let out a roar of delight. "Hi, you big ginger bastard! You scared us!" Monroe purred loudly, thrilled to be back with his family.

"Jey, your dad said you always preferred a double bed, so that's what we got you." Alice continued. "We have toothbrushes, toothpaste, pyjamas if you want 'em. Vampires aren't exactly clock followers, so you can sleep and wake whenever you want." 

"I want to right now," Jimmy mumbled, squeezing Sami's hand. "Painkillers too." Alice tried to smile especially at him, but he ignored her. "Okay, let's get you set up and your dressings changed to get rid of that spaghetti sauce-"

"No!" Jimmy growled, getting up. "I'll do it myself. Just show me the bedroom." Sami was a little taken aback - Jimmy had never sounded more like Rikishi when he was in a dreadfully bad mood. He rubbed Jimmy's knuckles with his thumb, but even that couldn't get a smile from him. He tugged at his hand. "Jim, I'm on one leg, remember? Don't run away." He yelped as Jimmy picked him up none too gently and followed Alice. "H-hey, Jimmy! Watch the leg!" 

Sami sighed happily despite everything when they were alone in the room, decorated in oranges and reds. They had an ensuite bathroom too, so they wouldn't even have to leave if they didn't want to. Grabbing the bag of supplies, Sami sat next to Jimmy and helped him take first his painkiller, then his antibiotic. "Come here," Sami said, wrapping his arms around his husband. "Why are you so grumpy, hey? I know you're hurting because they took you off the morphine, but not even the food cheered you up?" He tore open a wound cleansing wipe and began to clean around the edges of Jimmy's bandages, dissolving the adhesive like Bella had showed him. As he eased the final bandage off and gave Jimmy's sticky face a gentle wash with warm water, two huge tears rolled down Jimmy's cheeks and splashed into his lap. 

"Jimmy," Sami soothed, kissing both of his cheeks in turn. "Don't cry. What is it?" 

"H-Hurts!" Bella had talked a little about nerve pain, but Jimmy hadn't thought it would be quite so bad. Little lightning bolts of pain shot through the path of his scar, never lasting long enough to react to but exhausting and draining him over time. Sami held him through the wave. "Painkillers should kick in soon, and tomorrow you'll feel less shitty from morphine withdrawal. You're gonna be okay, Jimmy." He held his husband as he wept, lying down with him. "Ssssh." 

"But, ugh, it's not just that!" Jimmy sat up, swiping roughly at his face, and Sami grabbed his hand to stop him opening any scabbing. "My face itches, and everything hurts, and-" He shut his eyes tightly. "Our house, Sami." He whispered, and Sami held him tighter. "They came for our house, where are we going to live?" 

"We'll find somewhere," Sami murmured. "Rebuild, you know. You can't take the magic out of the land with a couple home-made bombs, I'm sure it's not that easy." 

"Nothing is ever that easy," Jimmy said miserably, laying back down.

Sami wished he could've grabbed his face and kissed him, but he had to make do with stroking a little firmer on the fresh bandages he put on Jimmy's face. He helped him dry his eyes and dab his nose. "That's nice," Jimmy said. "Like you're scratching me." His eyelids were heavy after everything, and the firm touches were putting him right to sleep. 

"Go to sleep," Sami whispered. "I'll stay." 

When Jimmy was snoring, Sami grabbed his crutches and left as stealthily as he could. 

Chapter Text

"Sami." He couldn't see Rikishi when he reentered the kitchen, but he could hear him. "Out here. You come and see what these guys got us!" Sami took the door at the back of the kitchen, and came out onto a huge balcony. Rikishi was sitting there with Carlisle, who waved. "How are you feeling, Sami?" 

"Better," Sami said, "thank you, Dr. Cullen." 

"So formal. Sami, you were discharged from my care long ago, you can go back to calling me Carlisle." It just sounded wrong to Sami's ears, but his eyes were suddenly completely distracted; Rikishi had what easily looked like an ounce of weed in a bright, graphic package on the table in front of him. "Chief," he said. "Far be it for me to doubt your ability to find a dispensary wherever you are, but where the hell did you get all that?" There were several tubes of pre-rolls too, and edibles as well. 

"I was unsure how much was enough for a few days, so I kind of got... more than enough." Carlisle said. "It took no more than a couple hours to go to Seattle for it. I know Chief Uso uses it, but you all seem to enjoy it, so I wanted you to not have to go without." Sami raced, as much as his crutches would allow him, to sit by Rikishi, who had lit up a preroll rather than bother to roll normally. When Rikishi passed it to Sami, he put an arm around his shoulders. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, Chief. Jimmy's asleep, so we can hang out." 

"No you're not fine. You're not, I'm not, neither of the twins are fine." 

"Okay, so I'm not fine." Sami said, exhaling. It tasted like strawberries, and prerolls always reminded him of Jimmy and Jey. "They took our - your - the Bloodline's house." Rikishi was staring into the middle distance, and Sami suspected it was more than him being high; he was remembering the pictures Bella and Carlisle had showed them the morning after. 

Rikishi hadn't cried or shown any sign of being upset until the pictures came to his beloved porch swing, the chains having melted and left the seat sitting sadly on the porch, just a piece of wood again. At that moment Rikishi had gone very red and attempted to get out bed, insisting he needed to go home. When he'd been fought on it by orderlies and eventually Bella and Carlisle themselves, he'd burst out crying and hid himself from everyone under the covers. They hadn't talked about it, and Sami wasn't going to push him; this was Rikishi's thing to go through, no matter how much he and Sami had become close. 

"We will rebuild," Rikishi said now. "The tribe's magic cannot be shaken by one pathetic bomb. It is in us, Sami." 

Sami smiled at him. It felt wonderful to smile. "That's exactly what I said to Jimmy earlier." 

"And you've yet to have another vision?" Sami jumped; he hadn't smoked in a few days for the first time in a while, and he was so high he'd forgotten Carlisle was there. "Mm. Yeah. They'll probably come back, right?" 

"Unfortunately, I'd say so," Carlisle said. "It's frustrating that your visions seem to be so clouded as to who the victim will be, because we could use them. Maybe you could take some lessons from Alice in sharpening your focus." Sami didn't even want to think about how much work that would be on top of already healing a broken leg. He groaned, letting his head fall onto Rikishi's broad shoulder, and Rikishi laughed as he patted him on the head. 

"What smells so good? Oh, shit!" Jey had padded out in socks and boxers, wearing a Chicago Bulls shirt two sizes too big. "That's so much weed, why didn't you call me?"

"Where on earth have you been?" Rikishi asked, but it was fond as he handed the preroll to Jey.

"Emmet's room," Jey said.

"Oh, Jey, you didn't. We've been here five minutes."

Jey cracked up laughing. After a moment Rikishi joined in, and how could Sami possibly resist at that point? 

"No!" Jey giggled. "We were playing intense dance based video games and okay, maybe we were wrestling a little homoerotically, and I got really sweaty, so he gave me a shirt and I took my pants off. That's it."

"I should hope that's it." Rikishi said grumpily. "You have Sami to think of." 

Jey wished he could sit on Sami's lap, or vice versa, but he bent to kiss him anyway. Sami actually enjoyed how promiscuous Jey was, but it also felt good to know that he wouldn't sleep with just anyone. Jey parked himself firmly on top of Rikishi instead, who grunted and laughed. "Jey, you're not at all light." 

"I'm gonna leave you all to talk," Carlisle said. "Jey, you can take my seat." But Jey didn't move when there was a free chair, and Rikishi sighed. "All right, you can stay a minute." 

"Another?" Rikishi asked Sami, gesturing to the preroll variety. Sami nodded weakly, and his eyes fell on a grape flavor. He made eye contact with Jey. "Hey. Remember Backlash?" 

"Up to a point." Jey giggled. He ripped open the plastic and Sami tossed him the lighter. 

"Chief," Sami said when they were about halfway through their second smoke. "I really am so sorry about the porch swing. We can rebuild it like everything else." Quiet. "Chief?" He looked up. "Ah."

"Ssh," Jey grinned, climbing off the snoring Rikishi gingerly and planted himself in the spare seat instead. "Indica, then." 

"Must be." Sami took one more puff and put the smoke out for now, leaving the other half in the ashtray for now. "You wanna go to bed too?" Jey shook his head. "I might close my eyes right here, though. Just for a minute. This is nice." 

"Yeah," Sami said, settling back against his own chair and hearing rain starting to patter against the beige balcony awning. "Just a minute." He knew closing his eyes would be a trap, and closed them anyway.

The foursome slurping and kissing in their smouldering house. 

The red eyes. 

The briefcase was gone, and Paul knelt on the floor, licking blood hungrily off the World Heavyweight Championship.

"Help me." A voice. That was new.

A twitching foot. Come on, go further. What else? 

A foot clad in a white fringe boot. 

"Help me! Someone! Papí!"

"Sami." 

Sami toppled off the chair, and strong arms caught him. Bella heaved him back into his seat. "A vision?" Sami nodded, bleary-eyed. The shadows seemed so much longer than they had been a minute ago. "What time is it?" Rikishi and Jey were stirring too.

"It's not late, don't worry. Wanted to let you sleep, but you froze up. Was it the same?"

"No!" Sami burst out - he didn't know how long they had, how long he'd been asleep, especially with time differences. "No, it's not the same. I know who the victim is this time!"

"What?!" Rikishi leapt to his feet, all trace of sleepiness gone. "Who is it?"

"Chief," Sami said, scooting forward in his chair. "We need to get a protective eye on Dominik Mysterio." 

Chapter Text

Rikishi spent a long time on the phone that evening, most of it with a smoke in his hand. Carlisle banished everyone but the two of them off the balcony and Sami strained to read their lips while he and the twins - they'd woken Jimmy - sat on a couch inside.

Rikishi finally came inside. "Well, Dominik is in protective custody," he sighed, "which means he's hiding out at his dad's place."

"Is Rey pissed?"

"He's not not pissed, and it took me a minute to explain the damn thing because they're all human of course, but I think we're okay for now, they just know there's a threat to Dom. Rey is a superstitious guy and the house is practically themed around silver, so they have weapons too if they really need them." Sami breathed a sigh of relief, feeling tears come to his eyes. He'd finally been useful, finally controlled a vision. He felt Jimmy and Jey hugging him and wrapped his arms tightly around them.

"Would you shut up?" This came from Edward, who as always was hovering behind Bella. When they all looked at him, he pointed at Sami. "His thoughts are deafening. All this self-pity? There's a war on, and you're a part of it whether you like it or not. Your family needs you. Man up. I'm useless, I was finally useful, why is this happening to me? Makes me sick." Sami moved so quickly that Jimmy had to grab him so he wouldn't try and stand on his bad leg. "Edward," Bella said warningly. "We had a conversation about you outing a person's thoughts without their consent, remember?" Her mate rolled his eyes but complied. "Sami, I am your doctor and your friend, I would appreciate you not eating Edward. I recognise he was unkind." Sami grumbled, Jimmy's arm curling protectively around him once more. "You're not useless, my Sami." Sami tried to believe it for him, squeezing his hand. 

"The big thing is the house," Rikishi said. "Seems like those Heyman assholes came through and took anything that wasn't nailed down. We have the journal, though, and that," he paused to grip Sami's shoulder. "That is priceless, and I will forever owe you." Sami felt warm; maybe they really didn't think he was useless, not even a little bit. 

"So when you say "anything that's not nailed down" you mean..." Jey trailed off.

"Stuff is missing that they definitely took just to get in my head. My walking sticks. Pictures of us. The shoes you wore at the Rumble–"

"What?" Jey was incensed. 

"That's not the half of it, unfortunately," Carlisle said. "While you were all sleeping I had Alice and Jasper make the trip back so they could fully check on the house before renovations begin, and they found it ransacked. Keesh, I'm sorry, but I personally think it would be much safer for you all to stay here for a while rather than trying to rush this."

"Seconded." Bella said immediately. Rikishi looked exasperated. "I cannot stay here! This is Quileute land. If we hunt here we would be disrespecting them." 

"But you don't need to hunt, Chief." Carlisle said. "If you really want to, you can use our hunting grounds, but you'll have no shortage of food here. Not coddling you," he said quickly as Rikishi squinted at him. "I know you can take care of yourself, et cetera. But this seems the best option, wouldn't you agree? Logically?" 

Rikishi spent a long time thinking, but eventually he nodded. "Logically, it seems the soundest way. But I'm not happy," he added, just so they all knew. Carlisle patted his shoulder. "We'll get your house back to even better than it was, Chief. It'll take a week or two, but what else are we going to do when we don't sleep? You all focus on healing. You're under our protection while in Forks." Rikishi rubbed tired tears from his eyes. "Did they take-" He heaved a sigh of relief when Carlisle heaved a leather pouch onto the table. "There's vampire venom on it," Carlisle said. "One of them must've tried to pick it up, but they didn't have the wherewithal to try not touching it directly. Thankfully." Rikishi undid the straps and weighed the axe in his hand, testing the blade to make sure it was as sharp as always. "Only takes in that which makes it stronger," he said softly. 

"Huh?" Jey asked, but Sami had been sitting up with the journal on his sleepless nights before all this happened, and he understood and gasped softly. "T-The venom-!" He was so excited he could barely speak. 

"That's right, Sami." Rikishi said. "This axe is solid silver. It repels all dust and dirt, stays sharp and beautiful at all times. It is porous to nothing. It takes on only that which strengthens it." He looked with satisfaction at his tribal weapon. "I believe it may hurt just a little more now when finding its mark." He tucked the axe away again in its pouch. "I shall sleep with it as always. Thank you." With his weapon, his journal and his boys all safe, Rikishi finally felt a little safer himself, and breathed easier. Carlisle bent over and brushed the top of Rikishi's head with his lips.

There was a sudden distant clang and everyone except Carlisle looked up. Another, louder. It seemed to be coming from far beneath them. "Oh, deary me," Sami heard the doctor sigh under his breath. "Here we go again." 

A violent crash - Sami swore all three stories shook. "Why didn't you tell me they were coming?!" Thudding on the stairs, and Jimmy's face cleared for the first time in days as Ron, hair grown out, feet bare, eyes golden, appeared around the corner. In an instant he was latched onto Jey, who struggled to breathe in his grasp but endured it for him. "R-Ron!" Jimmy joined them and Sami smiled watching them from the couch.

Rosalie was just behind him, her perfect hair messed up and blood splattered across her top. "He broke the door again, just because I mentioned Sami!" She threw her hands up. "Why you bother still getting him blood on its own, I don't know. He just spills it everywhere. Cena was under control in a day! He needs to go out and hunt for himself, it's time." She threw a bloodstained aluminium bowl into the sink with a clatter.

"I can still lap you, Snow White," Ron hissed.

"Try it!"

"All right." Carlisle put his hands up. "We're not fighting, not now or at any time. We need each other. But she's right, Ron. Your eyes have turned golden. You can't stay living in the basement. You'll go out to hunt the next time I do, so I can keep an eye on you." 

"For the record, I live in the crawlspace, so I can get around via the walls," Ron grumbled, tugging his hood over his eyes. "Not the basement." They'd all moved back to the couch so Sami could hug him too, and he half lay across all three of them. "We missed you, Ron," Sami said, stroking his cool hand. "You didn't answer any of our texts." 

"Well, pardon me for being a little busy becoming a vampire that didn't thirst for the blood of my friends." For the first time in days Jimmy was laughing, and Ron smiled too. "I missed you too, uce." Sami's heart glowed at the sound of Jimmy laughing again, but his face scrunched when he thought Sami wasn't looking and he knew it must have hurt. 

"You look cool, Jim. Oh - sorry." Jimmy had flinched away from Ron's fingers when he reached to touch the dressings around his scar. "Hurts?"

"Yeah. No. I don't wanna talk about it. Just--" He grabbed Ron's hand and put it back on his face. "The cold is good." He shut his eyes.

"Am your ice bag now, uce?" 

"Hmmmm," Jimmy said, true relief on his face for the first time since they'd left the hospital. 

"We have an ice maker," Carlisle said, gesturing. "Or I can get some cool packs from the freezer downstairs. It'll help with the itching and the swelling."

"Mm-mm. Ice melts eventually This is good." He felt a quiver through the cold fingers on his face; Ron was laughing again. Sami tried not to feel jealous - after all, it wasn't like he had a built-in cooling system. He knew Jimmy was loyal. 

"Hey," Ron grinned at Sami. "Sign your cast?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" 

A few days passed. Sami went from strength to strength in his studying with Alice, and renovations began on rebuilding the home Rikishi loved so much. He became rather emotional when it came time to blueprint the rooms themselves - what was once a garage had become a spare room haunted with his heartbreak. Everything was too smoke damaged to recover from it, so in a way he'd been saved from throwing it out himself. He took a deep breath. "No," he said to Carlisle, the concept maps spread out in front of them in bed. "Yes to the full guesthouse for anyone to stay in as they wish. No to a spare room which holds only ghosts. Jimmy and Sami are mates, they will want their own bedroom now." 

"As you wish," Carlisle murmured, kissing him. Rikishi kissed him back, grateful to be alone with his boyfriend again.

There were three distinct pounds on the adjoining wall, and they both laughed; Edward telling them to keep their thoughts down. 

Across the house, Bella looked longingly at the joint Sami was sharing with Jimmy and Jey on the balcony. "I could smoke that whole ounce and barely get a buzz." She said bitterly. "I mean, I'm a vampire, so there's that, but I wish I'd known it would be such a trade-off." 

"Hey, Bella?" Sami asked nervously.

"What's up, Sami? You too high? Your leg hurting?"

"No, nothing like that." Sami took a deep breath. "How do I get into med school?" 

Chapter Text

Sami dripped with sweat. "Come on," Bella encouraged him. "You gonna let one little broken leg stop you from getting back to work?" 

Sami gritted his teeth. "N-No!" He made it to the end of the balance bars and put his weight fully on his right leg for the first time in a month, and it didn't buckle. "Yes!" He raised a shaky fist. "I did it! I walked!" Jimmy whooped, and Sami squealed as he picked him up and danced with him. "Jimmy, put me down!" he yelped, his head brushing the ceiling. "I can walk, I can dance with you regularly again." 

"We can do lots of other things too," Jimmy whispered, and Sami dug him in the ribs. 

"Yes, you can be intimate if you like now," Bella said matter-of-factly, and Sami laughed as Jimmy went very red. "You forget I have no choice but to hear you. We hear snow landing, for crying out loud." She scribbled something onto a chart. "The good news is that you both look fantastic. Jimmy, your scarring has gotten less raw, and you said your pain is much better too?" Jimmy nodded. "Still sometimes pops up, especially if it's gonna rain." 

"Well, lucky for you, you're staying in the rainiest town in these continental United States," Bella laughed. "You should do fine once you're back home."

"Oh, tell her the other thing!" Sami said excitedly, clasping Jimmy's hand. But at least to Bella, Jimmy didn't seem to be matching his level of excitement; his feet were shuffling, his eyes darting about. "What's the other thing?" Bella asked, and Sami couldn't contain himself. "Jimmy's bad eye is better!" He bounced up and down, relishing in being able to do that again. 

"Really?" said Bella in surprise. "So no more blurred vision or dark spots or floaters?"

"Nope." Jimmy said. "Definitely none of that. It all just... went away one morning when I woke up. I guess I was lucky." 

"Well, this is great!" Bella said. "Would you mind if I took a scan just to check?"

"What's there to check?" Jimmy said, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. "I'm here telling you it fixed itself, shouldn't that be enough?" 

Bella shrugged. "Guess so. I'd like to take one more look at your scar, though." She looked at Sami, and he nodded. "I wanted to go shower anyway. Wash off the cast gunk, yknow?" Bella smiled at him and he took off, his walking stick clicking against the floor like a third footstep. Bella felt bad for fibbing, but she had to get Jimmy on his own. She shut the consultation room door again, leaning against it. "Look at me." 

Jimmy's head lifted, but his left eye swivelled only because it was muscle memory.

"So you can't see out of it at all?" Bella asked. "Not even a little bit?"

Jimmy shook his head sadly. "Don't tell Sami." 

Bella crossed her heart. "Doctor-patient confidentiality. It looks like you still have full range of motion in the eye socket and everything. The damage to your eye itself must have been too great. I'm so sorry, Jimmy." 

Jimmy smiled at her, that golden streak in his bad eye making it sparkle. "I'm already used to having a bad eye, dude. I'll get around it, you know I will."

"I don't think you can call your doctor 'dude'."

"Why not?"

"Because..." She couldn't think of a reason, and instead simply swatted at him. "Get out of here. I'll see you both tonight if I don't have back-to-back surgeries again." 

Jimmy grinned, slipping out to find where Sami had gone. 

It was weird being at war, especially when you normally worked with half of the other side. It had been rather a cold war so far, and Sami was relieved for this. Ron lived in the Cullens' house when he wasn't at work, but he came back and forth to tell them news of the vampires. John was acting like a human, getting spray tans to cover up his pallor and all, and he wouldn't speak to Ron when there weren't cameras around. Dom was still in hiding, and it was making Seth and his crew nervous. They'd turned JD and Finn in his place, and they were even more formidable as vampires. 

"You excited to go home, Chief?" Sami asked as they ate that night. Monroe made an unhappy sound from the floor - he hated flying as much as his master did. "Very excited, Sami," Rikishi said, "even if someone hasn't been very forthcoming with actually showing us what it looks like." He shot a look across the table to Carlisle, who laughed. "You'll like it, I promise. It's mostly the same, just a little newer now and with slightly bigger rooms." Both of the twins looked sad. "Of course, nothing can replace what you lost, but I'm hoping you'll take the opportunity to make some new memories instead." He stood. "I suppose you'll want to get to bed. Your flight is early." 

Jey and Jimmy both followed Sami into the king-size bed after that. They had a lot to celebrate, after all, and it had been far, far too long since Sami had kissed either of them for more than a second. He liked kissing much more than anything else, and tonight he wasn't about to waste a second. He peppered kisses all over Jimmy's face, loving his little gasps - obviously the scarring itself was numb, but the skin directly around it seemed to have become incredibly sensitive. "You're so handsome, I love you," he murmured to his husband. "So handsome." Jimmy was blushing and breathing hard, and it aroused Sami to see him taken apart by a few compliments after so long simply not being in the mood.

"What about me?" Jey asked, kissing Sami's shoulderblade. "I'm his twin, aren't I handsome?" 

"Mm." Sami turned his head to kiss him too. It was nibbling just under his ear that made Jey crumble. "Oh, fuck, Sami," he whispered, going red too. 

"Close your eyes, both of you."

"Huh?"

"I want to touch you both," Sami said, "and I don't want you bickering, or looking at each other, or interfering in each other's orgasms. Close your eyes, and love me, both of you." 

Both twins shut their eyes obediently. Jimmy had of course become better at feeling around blindly lately, and he wrapped an arm tightly around Sami. "Hi, Sami. I love you."

"I love you." They kissed, and Sami started to moan. "J-Jey..." Jey was gently rubbing along his leg. "Ugh, please." He rubbed the inside of Jey's thigh in kind, and the younger of his two lovers gasped. "Oh, Sami." He didn't dare question whether Sami was sure, not this time. 

"You want tickles, Sami?" Jimmy was on his neck again. "Where should I tickle you, huh? Show me where you want it." Sami giggled and flushed, taking Jimmy's hands. After a moment he lifted his own arms, placing Jimmy's hands on the top of his ribcage. Jimmy stroked very lightly at the edge of his underarm and Sami squeaked. "Mm, j-just like thahat!" While Jimmy's tickles slowly got more intense and Jey rubbed his inner thigh, Sami put a hand out to either side. 

"Oh!" The twins gasped in unison, and Sami moaned aloud. "Yeah, is that good?" He had a cock in either hand, and was interested to see that Jey was bigger when in direct comparison - though it wasn't a fair competition when they were both hard. Sami was too, but getting off himself wasn't the goal. Every time Jimmy tickled him hs grip tightened around their cocks momentarily as he laughed, which luckily Jey seemed to like as much as Jimmy. He was proud of himself when he managed to work their cocks in different rhythms to make both happy. The twins both thought they'd be put off by the presence of the other, but it was so much better with their eyes closed. They just had to focus on Sami's breathing, tune out the other's moans, and concentrate on the hands on their cocks, hands that were warm and strong and slick and felt so good-- 

"Oh, Sami," Jey moaned after less than five minutes. "I'm gonna come. Sami, please, I'm gonna come." 

"That's it, Jey," Sami soothed. "Come for me. Jimmy, how you doing, huh?" He massaged his husband's tip, flicking at his piercing with a thumb. "Sss--shit!" Jimmy gasped in response, pleasure hot at the base of his cock. "Sami! My Sami! Com-ing!"

Just like in his fantasies, they both moaned at the same time as they spilled over Sami's hands, Jimmy shaky and vocal and Jey whimpery. "Ah! Ah! Ah!" Jimmy got high pitched, as he always did after a long time without coming. Sami swallowed his moans, guiding Jey's hand into his lap. "J-Jimmy, please."

"Yeah," Jimmy panted, starting to tickle him. "You're the boss of both of us, Sami." From the slapping sounds he was guessing Jey was touching Sami, because both of his husband's arms were around his neck. "Ehehehehehe! Plehehease!" Sami snorted. 

"You always say please," Jimmy breathed into his neck, "but you never say what you're begging for." He ran his devious fingers right up into Sami's underarms and back down. "You know what I think you're begging for, hmm? You really wanna know?"

"W-What?" Sami moaned, so close. 

"Raspberries." He blew a huge one on Sami's neck and it must have surprised him, because he came. The giggles wracked his body as they both started tickling him through it, and even after they stopped he was laughing into Jimmy's neck. "Mm, my ticklish husband," Jimmy teased him. 

"My ticklish boyfriend," Jey murmured, kissing Sami's ear.

"You're both way worse than me!" he protested. 

"Prove it." 

Sami laughed and groaned. "You could've asked me that twenty minutes ago and I would've proved it splendidly. Another time." He reached out his arms to Jimmy. "Take me to get cleaned up, I can't walk," he whined.

"You can walk fine, I watched you earlier."

"Not with the orgasm you just gave me," Sami whispered, and they all giggled. "I love you so much, my husband."

"You two are gross," Jey mumbled lazily, and Jimmy took great joy in throwing a pillow at him. 

Chapter Text

Colours.

A tangle of shapes.

Blood.

A voice. "Sami." 

Sami's eyes opened. A call light dinged softly, a newspaper rustled, someone coughed. Carlisle had sent them home to San Francisco first class ("A wedding present, we never did get you anything") and it was extremely peaceful in their individual cubicles, though he kept his privacy dividers firmly open so he could make sure the twins on either side of him were okay throughout the flight. 

"Sorry. Had to wake you." Rikishi's speech was a little slurred. He was sitting behind and to the left of him. If Sami reclined his seat he could just about see him. They must be near landing, because his plane ride sedative was so well dosed he only ever began to rouse shortly before they landed. "You were... moving. A lot. Vision?" Sami nodded. "Anyone we know?" Sami shook his head. "Mm. Good." The Chief let his eyes close again and Sami yawned and stretched, unfolding himself from the ridiculous position he'd fallen asleep in. His heart thudded with anticipation as to what the new house would be like, but his mind was too sleepy to linger on it for long. Right now his only question was if he could have a cup of coffee, which of course was with him in seconds. He sipped slowly, enjoying the quiet and watching the slowly stretching beam of golden sunlight peeking beneath the window shades, casting a dappled shadow onto Jimmy's sleeping face.

The seatbelt sign came on as he came back from the bathroom and he buckled himself in, closing his eyes again for as long as he could.

"No. No. No. No." Rikishi pointed at Jey, Jimmy, Sami, and finally in turn at Solo, who had turned up to get them home safely. "No." He jerked his thumb at himself. 

The Jeep had been destroyed in the fire, and they hadn't gotten a new one yet, which left them with one unfortunate transport option.

"Come on, Dad, it's an hour!" 

"An hour in California weather, in airport traffic. Five people in that tiny orange monstrosity? No. We may as well take an Uber for all the space we'll have." 

But the Uber prices were eye-watering, and besides, Solo had already driven there. 

"I can't believe I agreed to this," Rikishi sighed. They were in the Oompa-Loompa, which was what everyone called Jimmy's car. Two doors, violently orange outside, dark green inside, and with a capacity that rivalled clown cars, Rikishi loathed the thing with almost as much passion as Jimmy loved it. He took up most of the back seat now with Monroe's carrier on his lap. Sami was on Jimmy's lap beside him, hemmed in. Jey took shotgun because of his motion sickness. 

"Okay, everyone buckled up?" Solo asked. There were various moans and grumbles, and Rikishi rolled his window down as far as it would go. "Home we go!" 

"Hey, Sami." Jimmy said as they hit the highway, and Sami had the distinct feeling there were about to be shenanigans. "Buckle it up..." He sang.

Sami grinned and joined in with him. "Buckle it up...

Jey joined in. "Buckle it up or you'll DIE!" They screamed the last part and then laughed. 

Rikishi sighed heavily, but he couldn't be truly grumpy, not when they were going home. 

They all got quieter the further they drove, and by the time they took the last turning, the only sound was five hearts hammering in their chests. 

There were gasps of delight, sighs of relief; although it was brand new, it was indeed the same lovely house it had always been from outside. They were so excited Solo could barely park, but soon they were standing in front of the new sliding doors. There was the new bigger porch swing, looking beautifully varnished, and painted a dark orange, with chains Carlisle had said were specially reinforced. Rikishi slid a gleaming key into the lock and turned it, smoothly as silk. 

It wasn't 100% the same - but Rikishi liked it better. He had been determined not to, but he did. 

The house was painted a soft blue-grey, a colour that reminded Sami of Jey's fur. It made the place look bigger and it seemed brighter than when it was all different colours. There was the suede couch, yellow now. The recliner - somehow Carlisle had found one with cat damage on it - was still brown leather, and Rikishi was very grateful to Carlisle respecting his routine and order in keeping a lot of it the same. The organised chaos was wonderful, with an old bookshelf now holding the few books they'd managed to recover and other, new books and tapes stacked everywhere. Sami picked one up and smiled. Introductory Human Biology. Bella was staying on his back about applying to med school. He tucked the book under his arm.

The kitchen was mostly the same, but most of the appliances were orange too now, lending a pleasing effect as they sat against the neat grey paint. 

Pictures were everywhere. Not just Rikishi and the twins, but the rest of the Bloodline too, and Sami as well - with Jimmy at their wedding, asleep at the kitchen table, and Sami laughed as he realised they'd gone to the trouble of printing out the terrible Instagram photo which outed him and Jimmy. There was one large collage of all of them hung above the new oak kitchen table, and Rikishi sighed as he rested his hand on it. "It's magnificent," he said, an air of sadness about him. It was, it just wasn't the same. "They fixed it. They really did."

"Look!" Jimmy's shout drew his attention back. "Jimmy. Inside voice, please."

"Sorry, Chief! But look!" Jimmy was dragging Sami towards two doors painted messily and uniquely rainbow, one labelled Jimmy and Sami and the other Jey. "Your room must be where it used to be, Dad!" Rikishi thought he would soon run out of blessings to count for finding a man like Carlisle. 

There were very few of their original newspaper clippings able to be saved. They knew that, had already cried their tears over it, but it was still a shock to see how many more photographs of recent events there were than before. The king-sized bed was purple, and Jimmy wasted no time throwing himself onto it. There was still a section of his wall - their wall - dedicated to just Sami, and Jimmy let out a shaky sob as he noticed the bisexual flag card, the edges blackened. "They saved it," he whispered, and Sami leapt into bed with him, kissing him. 

Jey's room was much the same only decorated in his favourite blues, and he blushed when he looked at the mirror - someone had put a very suggestive picture of Sami in a heart-shaped frame. "Alice." he grumbled to himself, smiling.

When they had explored every inch of their new-old house and its two bathrooms with functioning doors, Rikishi let the way back outside. There was a guesthouse in the back now, a little double room and a bathroom, and they would never again have a shortage of sleeping spots - the couch in the living area pulled out into a double too. 

They all watched as Rikishi sat on the new porch swing with a sigh, settling in. It creaked a little, as if it were welcoming him. "Well?" He said to the four apprehensive faces before him. "Come sit. One of you get my new smoke box out of the house."

"Not it."

"Not it."

"Not it." 

"Oh, fine." Sami stumped off into the house and came back soon after. They sat and Rikishi rolled with the supplies Alice and Jasper had kindly run back here for them; even with a month of four people using it daily there was a ridiculous amount of weed left over, and it wasn't like the vampires would use it. Nobody was in the mood for a big emotional conversation, and so they simply sat and swung and got high. 

It was starting to get dark before they all finally retired inside to eat. Rikishi made cheese and crackers and hot chocolate for all of them, but Sami could tell he was fading fast, and nobody was surprised when he took his seat in the recliner, Monroe already on the arm of it, and promptly fell asleep. 

"Aw, man. Dad. Dad, wake up, you'll hurt your back." Jey whispered, and Sami elbowed him. "Let him sleep for tonight. He'll complain plenty tomorrow and we'll know he's okay." Jey giggled. "Night, uce. Love you." He kissed Sami's cheek, and Sami cupped his face and kissed him full on the mouth. "Love you, Jey. Goodnight." 

Sami thought Jimmy would want to christen their new bed right away, but he just wanted to wrap himself around Sami, fitting their bodies together. Sami wanted to ask him how he liked the room, but he was too sleepy to form the words. 

All the Bloodline slept soundly that night. Nobody stirred, not even when a curse cut through the still night air. 

Paul hopped on one foot at the boundary of the house, part of his shoe burned away. The other three were laughing at him, but they looked worried. 

"What, we can't even go onto the property now?" Seth demanded. It wasn't a fluke. Cleverly, Carlisle had gotten the help of the Quileute tribe here - they had mixed silver dust with dirt and wildflower seeds and sown a ring around the house, as well as interlaying the doors, roof, and windows with silver in case the ring enchantment ever failed. It meant Carlisle himself would face burns getting onto the property, but he didn't mind; he was starting to get a horrible feeling of deja vu about this whole war, and as damned as he may be, he refused to let Rikishi go down with him like the chief of legend. 

Bron and Bronson were prowling up and down at the invisible line, snarling like rabid dogs. "I wanna eat 'em so bad, Seth," Bron moaned. "When can I eat 'em? Especially Sami, that is some prime rib that I never got to really punish while he was human. You see what I did to Adam Pearce? He was a great guy. Was."

"Calm down." Paul said. "And for the record, we are supposed to be on the down low." 

"Anyone could die climbing stairs. It could've been a heart attack for all they know."

"Except," Paul said. "heart attacks don't usually cause people to lose their heads." His three charges laughed cruelly. "Keep your patience, and keep your kills discreet. We will find another way to the Chief." 

Chapter Text

Being home again was wonderful. The weather, the porch swing, the food. There was a depressing lack of ethnic food in Forks, and though the Cullens tried their best, nothing would beat home. For a solid week all they did was order in spicy, greasy food and lay around the house enjoying not having to wear as much clothing again. 

But all was not roses for the tribe, as they got messages every single day with updates. Adam Pearce - dead. Johnny Gargano - dead. Nick Aldis - missing. Wade Barrett - missing. LA Knight - missing. Tomaso Ciampa - missing, thought to be dead. WWE were scrambling to explain all the losses, with the exception of Adam Pearce, who had been very publically and very horribly found murdered on the stairs of a hotel. The tribe knew that those listed as missing were probably vampires, and each new addition broke their hearts as good men were turned into vampires for the sake of evil. What was more frustrating was that Sami's visions now absolutely refused to clear - they were all through a blurred, muddy lens like the one he'd had on the plane. He wondered if there was something that he was doing wrong, but when he voiced this to the twins one night in bed they shouted him down - literally. 

"You'll wake Chief," Sami laughed, and Jey raised a hand and tapped on the wall. "Soundproofing, uce. He won't hear a thing. Now, back to how you're being silly. I bet this is just a blip and you'll get another cool power soon! We still don't really know how turned shifters develop powers, it's all learning for us."

"Besides," Jimmy added, picking up one of the books that now seemed to permanently sit beside the bed. "Your brain is probably getting full with all this important stuff." He opened it at random and read. "A diagram of typical human vas- vac- vascalur-"

"Vasculature?" Sami asked.

"Say it again?"

"Vasculature." 

"God bless you."

They all giggled. 

"But that's what I mean!" his husband said, putting the book back. "You're so busy learning how to pronounce words like that one that your brain doesn't have time for visions. Maybe you'll be extra good at medicine, like Carlisle and Bella!" Sami grinned - Jimmy's optimism and positivity was adorable. He tried not to feel so bad - after all, only one vision had even shown them a victim. Maybe now he could sleep more soundly.

He didn't. For the next week, Sami was tormented with nothing but a confusing assault of colours and screams every time he fell asleep. He stopped wanting to sleep and started just sitting up, drinking dangerous amounts of energy drinks and coffee. Eventually, worried sick, Rikishi called in reinforcements. 

"Go away," Sami mumbled when there was a knock on the bedroom door for the umpteenth time that day. His hair was a bird's nest and he was clutching his favourite mug. Jimmy and Jey and Rikishi and everyone else just couldn't understand he didn't want to sleep, because if he slept, he'd see that vision again, the vision that wasn't anything and yet left him feeling so much. He felt his eyelids getting heavy and dug his nails into his palms to rouse himself, taking a gulp from his coffee. He'd usually play music loudly to really keep his eyes open, but he wasn't quite at that stage yet.

The door opened. "Ouch–" A gasping Bella stood in the threshold, cradling one hand in the other. "You see, Sami? You don't answer the door and I have to touch silver." 

"B-Bella!" Sami felt a great wave of shame wash over him at the sight of her, and he started crying. Bella snapped a glove over her healing hand. "Can we come in and look at you, Sami?" Sami took a deep, shuddering breath and nodded. 

Carlisle followed her in, the bag he took on home visits in his hand. "Hi, Sami. Lovely to see you again. I hear you haven't been sleeping so well?" Sami cried harder, and Carlisle knelt in front of him. "Can you tell us why?" 

Sami snuffled into his t-shirt. "V-Vision," he hiccupped. "Same one, nothing but colours and shapes all the time. It doesn't help. I want it to stop. I want it to stop so badly. There's so much blood." As he spoke, Carlisle shone a light into his eyes, checked his ears, felt his glands. When he was done explaining Sami opened his mouth obediently to let Carlisle see his throat.

"Well, there's nothing physically wrong with you apart from the fact you are very, very tired," Carlisle said softly. "This isn't safe, Sami. I can give you something to help you sleep or we can arrange to put you into an induced sleep in hospital so your body and brain can recover‐"

"No!" Sami shrieked in terror; what if it didn't put him out and instead he was just trapped in the vision until the meds wore off? "No meds!" He scrambled away from Carlisle and Bella until he was almost pressed up against the opposite wall, dizzy with fear and tiredness, his fight-or-flight in full effect. Every time Carlisle tried to move he became convinced he was going to sedate him and shrieked like a wild animal. Jimmy and Jey came running in, and Rikishi wasn't far behind. "What's wrong with Sami?"

"He's really not doing well," Bella told them, her eyes on the sobbing redhead. "This kind of sleep deprivation only goes one way if we can't get some rest into him." Jimmy felt a cold fear at her words. 

"I don't understand it," Rikishi said softly, not wanting to scare this more feral version of Sami. "It's like his third eye has been blinded or something."

Blinded. Something dawned on Bella.

"Jimmy. Tell him about your eye. Tell him you lied to him."

"What?" Jimmy hissed. "When he's like this?"

"He won't get any better!" Bella's voice shook. "You're imprinted. You can't lie to him, not truly. His body knows something is wrong, that's why he's not able to have a full vision and he's torturing himself over it, don't you see?" She gripped him by the shoulders. "Jimmy, tell him." 

Jimmy leapt over the bed. "Sami!" He grabbed his trembling husband. "Sami, look at me. Look at me right here, Sami." He wrapped himself firmly around Sami until they were entangled, their eyes meeting. It broke Jimmy's heart to see how unfocused and afraid his mate's were. 

"I lied to you," Jimmy said slowly, enunciating every word. "I told you my eye was getting better when it was getting worse. I can't see out of it at all now. I lied to you, and I'm so so so sorry." He held the eye contact with Sami, whose pupils steadily shrank as he breathed hard. He kept shooting suspicious looks at Carlisle, but at least he wasn't screaming any more.

"You lied to me?" Sami asked. 

"Yes, and I'm sorry again."

"You lied to me about losing an eye."

"...Yes?" Jimmy said hesitantly, slowly unfolding himself from the bed. 

"You lied to your husband about losing an eye!" Sami sprang forward, his fear turned to anger. 

"You - complete - prick - Jimmy - Uso!"

"Ah! Ow! Sami! Gerroff-" Sami was hitting every inch of Jimmy he could. "You - tell - me - this - after - weeks - and - weeks - oh, what's the point!" With a sob, he launched himself off the bed and ran outside, where they all followed him.

Jimmy tried to grab his shoulder but he shook it off. "No! We settle this like the tribal members we are." He tore off his shirt and blurred into the golden wolf, and Jimmy had no choice but to comply - Sami looked like he wanted to tear him apart. They circled each other, the russet-coloured wolf huffing and snorting at the golden one, who pawed at the ground and shook his ears as if to charge. 

"Both of you stop this silliness at once!" Carlisle barked, but Rikishi gripped his arm. "Let them figure this out." 

However, it didn't look as if they were doing any figuring out any time soon. Sami's thoughts were racing, he was just so angry - he'd been suffering for weeks for Jimmy's selfishness, and right now he genuinely wanted to hurt him. He stopped, stretching his back legs out in preparation for a jump. 

"When's the right time to actually step in here?" Carlisle whispered to Rikishi.

"I'd say..." Rikishi took a long hit off the joint he was holding, and then gave it to Carlisle to hold, stripping off his own shirt. "Now." 

As Sami prepared to launch himself, snarling, at his mate, he felt a distinct tug at the back of his neck. He pulled, pulled again, but he was stuck on something. He struggled to see because of the angle, unable to quite turn his head. 

A gigantic wolf, fur white as snow, had cuffed Sami and was holding his scruff in its teeth. 

"Dad?" Jey was amazed by his size. The wolf turned a shining brown eye on him, and it could have been his own. 

"Sami, Rikishi is holding you by the scruff," Carlisle called. "He doesn't look ready to let go any time soon, so I would take some deep breaths and hope he does the same. Jey, some pants for your dad and the boys?" 

"Oh! Right!" Jey raced back into the house.

"Breathe, Sami. Rikishi. Jimmy. Breathe, the three of you. Look -" he demonstrated inhaling and then exhaling slowly, like he feigned every day. "In. Out. That's it. Together. In. Out." The trio of wolves breathed deeply in unison, and soon Sami felt that familiar prickling all over, and then he had opposable thumbs again. He wouldn't raise his eyes, knowing Rikishi would be naked next to him. "Sami." Jimmy was trying to wrap himself around him again, and Sami let him. They kissed, dirt and mud and tears mixing on their faces. "I'm so sorry, Sami."

"You're sorry? I almost attacked you!" 

"I lied to you about my eye!"

"Don't remind me." 

They stayed there cuddling until Rikishi had made himself decent. "Here," he said gruffly, tossing them their own clothes. "Family meeting. Now." 

They all sat in a circle on the ground, Carlisle and Bella staying some distance away. "Jimmy," said Rikishi. "I understand you not wanting to disappoint Sami, but why on earth would you not tell me? Tell Jey?" Jimmy's left tear duct still worked just fine, because he started to cry too. "I just wanted to pretend it wasn't real. That I'd wake up one day and I'd be able to see again." Rikishi cradled Jimmy against his chest. "But you can't see, and it is real, Jimmy. We can get you an eye patch to protect it from the sun, but you're going to have to come to terms with it." Jimmy wept against his dad's chest. He felt Jey take one hand and Sami the other. "O-okay," he mumbled, scooting back and wiping his eyes. "I'll try." Sami fished out the enormous handkerchief Rikishi had gifted him - he was so glad he'd had it on him when the house blew. "Here." He passed it to Jimmy, who giggled in astonishment. "I didn't know we still had this thing!" 

"I gifted it to Sami shortly before the wedding." Rikishi said. "Yet another way in which your mate has saved our most precious things." He stood. "Let us away. I think we all need a nice strong smoke." Sami felt, for lack of a better word, unblocked. 

"These are for you," Bella said to Sami later, as they sat on the porch swing while the others ate dinner inside. Sami was so tired the idea of food made him nauseous, so Bella suggested coming outside with her to smoke. He offered the joint to Bella, who looked to be seriously considering it but shook her head. "Would be a waste." She pushed a pad of paper and a pack of coloring pencils into his hands. "Alice started out with something like these. Now things are clear between you and Jimmy, you could have your restrained vision at any time, and I wanted you to be prepared. We are at war." 

At the last word, Sami froze up. "Sami?" Bella asked. His eyes were vacant, his mouth hanging open. "Oh, shit." She grabbed Sami's hands, pushing pencils and paper into it. "Draw it for me, Sami. What do you see?" Sami's breath came in gasps, his lungs burned, and Bella struggled to slide a new piece of paper in front of him in time as he filled page after page. When he was done he heaved a massive, wheezing breath and Bella caught him as he pitched forward. "Sami. You're okay. I've got you." Sami was shaking all over, his teeth chattering. "Get out here!" she bellowed, and everyone came running. "Sami had his vision." Jimmy swept Sami into his arms. "Sami, what are you so scared of?" But Bella was bending down to retrieve his discarded pages, and her face was grim. 

They weren't exactly the most artistic rendering, but it was obvious - the battlefield. There were a few immediately recognisable faces, but mostly it was just concentrated on the violence, blood spattering the deadened trees and pooling on the frozen ground where Sami had taken great liberty with the red pencil.

"Winter, Sami?" Jimmy asked his trembling boyfriend. "Is this in winter?" Sami nodded. "So we have time. This is good, Sami." Sami let out a howl of anguish and shook his head. "No, it's not good?" 

Carlisle, standing over Bella's shoulder, let out a choked sound, and Jey started to cry. 

"What are all of you so upset about?" Jimmy demanded. "Show me!" 

Bella put the last picture down on the table and Jimmy's protests were silenced at last as he took in the drawing of Rikishi's severed head, his eyes glassy, a trickle of blood coming from the corner of his mouth.

Chapter Text

"It is of no matter."

"Dad--"

"This is not a Dad moment."

"Chief, then!"

They were sitting around the kitchen table in a familiar circle - Bella, Carlisle, Jey and Rikishi. They could hear gentle splashing sounds; Jimmy had taken Sami to the main bathroom for a long bath to untangle his hair and relax him before finally getting him to bed. Sami was nonverbal, clingy and upset, but nobody expected any different after a week of sleep deprivation, a lot of shocking news at once and then an enormous vision.

Sami's vision drawings lay in front of them. Rikishi seemed remarkably unaffected by the sight of his own severed head laid out in graphite.

"It is of no matter." He said again, infuriatingly serene. "Sami is okay. You are all okay. This is one possible future out of many, and we can work to avoid it."

"Chief, they want to cut off your head!" Jey cried. Rikishi beckoned him forward for a hug. "It wouldn't be the first time, and it will not be the last. We'll figure this out, Jey. Knowing it's in winter, that gives us at most a few months before this clash is meant to happen, so we have to start planning." He squeezed the top of Jey's arm. "We can't afford to fall apart now." Jey sniffled and wiped his eyes. "Yes, Chief."

"Of course, this could be Forks," Carlisle said, picking up a drawing at random. "That would give us less time."

"No, look here," Bella said, lifting a second to the light. "That's out there." She pointed to the drawing, then out the window. "See? This could be that crooked signpost beyond the boundary that brings you to the highway, it keeps leaning further because people keep hitting it. It's frozen, but there's no snow, not even on the tops of the trees. It's August, I'd say we have until the start of November, sooner if they figure out how to breach the ring we sowed. They're all too young and delicate to just step into it like us." A fall leaf fluttered past the window and she sighed.

"They will never, ever cross this threshold again." Rikishi said, shooting a look up above the sink, where the silver axe sat in its brackets. "Not while I live, and I very much intend to keep living despite what a vision may or may not say. Outside the house? Come at me." He laughed darkly, rubbing his hands together. 

"This isn't funny, Chief." 

"What isn't funny is what I'll have to do to them, Carlisle." Rikishi said soberly. "I very much hope you will not be there to see it."

"You can't seriously expect me to leave you to fight alone."

"Why not? It's how our tribe has always fought."

"The original Chief didn't have a vampire lover who wishes to see him survive."

"That we know of."

"Stay out of this, Jey." Carlisle and Rikishi said together. 

***

As their Chief and his boyfriend bickered like an old married couple outside, Jimmy and Sami sat in the massive bath in the new bathroom, which had been prettily painted turquoise. Jimmy wrung out a cloth, soaping Sami's back and shoulders in tight circles. "Too hard?" Sami shook his head, playing with the milky water which sat up to their chests. It had a jasmine-scented bath bomb and a handful of epsom salts shaken into it, and Bella had run it extra hot for his shock. It felt good to be bathed after not washing himself for a week, but he had gone nonverbal almost immediately and was unable to vocalise any feelings, good or bad.

Jimmy pushed Sami's matted hair off his face, holding it back. "Wet," he murmured as a warning, and tipped a jug of warm water over the back of Sami's head. He did it again and again until his hair was saturated, as knotted as it was. He squeezed a large amount of clarifying shampoo into his hand and worked it into Sami's scalp, working up a lather before pulling it down through his hair. He let it sit a few minutes before grabbing the showerhead, and Sami tipped his head back and closed his eyes as Jimmy rinsed the shampoo out. 

Jimmy was a little disappointed to find that his hair was no less knotted after the second round of shampoo, but he supposed it was inevitable; Sami's hair texture was much closer to his own these days, and with a stab of guilt Jimmy realised he hadn't taught him a single thing about caring for it. "Okay, Sami." He stroked his husband's shoulder. "Time to get out, okay?" He dried himself first and then helped Sami out, helping him into a fluffy towelling robe and slippers. Sami whined with contentment as Jimmy took him in his arms. "Yeah, that feels nice, hm?" Jimmy said tenderly, rubbing his back. "It's not over, though. Gotta take care of this hair." Tears gathered in the corner of Sami's eyes and Jimmy kissed them away. "Hey, none of that. It's only gonna hurt a little, and you'll have me and Jey and Chief and everyone to lean on if you need. And Nia's coming too, you know she used to be a hairdresser. We'll get you back to your shaggy old self." Sami gave him a wobbly smile and let him lead him out to the living area. He was so very tired, but a few more hours wouldn't matter at this point, especially when his hair needed to be dealt with.

Everyone was happy to see him, but weren't loud to help keep from overstimulating him all over again. He sat in a kitchen chair - the hard oak felt nice on his back - and shut his eyes when Jimmy squeezed and massaged his shoulders. 

"We got you, uce," Jey said, sweeping Sami's damp hair over his shoulders and making him let out a little yelp when he caught his fingers. "Oh, I'm sorry. Damn, this is really something." 

"Nia." Carlisle said suddenly, and went to the door before the doorbell could disturb the comfortable silence. He came back at normal speed with Nia, who was clutching the same tools she had brought to the wedding. Apart from a flicker of surprise, she didn't react to the state of Sami's hair, other than warning Jey and Jimmy to keep out of her way. She tucked a green towel around Sami's shoulders and it made him smile - his favourite colour. 

Jey and Jimmy took up small bottles - warm water and conditioner - and started to spray Sami's hair. Nia handed them a rat-tail comb each, and they started to comb it through very slowly. They encountered resistance immediately and Sami whimpered. "Sorry, sorry, Sami." Nia murmured, more tender than either of the twins had ever seen her. She sprayed detangler spray liberally while the twins picked with the ends of their combs, and soon the first knots undid and they were able to move the combs through Sami's roots. "You okay, Sami?" Nia asked, and Sami nodded, shivering as cold water dripped on his ear. "All right. This might take a little longer than I was anticipating, so I'm going to just go in with the spray and the brush and see if I can work from the ends up at the same time." 

She did exactly as she promised, and after the longest hour of Sami's life and many caught baby hairs, his hair was dripping with product but thoroughly detangled and his scalp felt better than it had in weeks. "Okay," Nia said softly. "I'll let Jimmy wash your hair out, and then we can see what needs to be cut."

Soon Sami was back in the same chair with a new towel around his shoulders, and little clippings fell to the floor around his feet as Nia brushed out his damp hair while she cut it. His hair felt a whole lot lighter now it was clean and untangled and they hadn't lost very much in doing so. Jimmy sat holding his hand, occasionally kissing it and returning Sami's looks of love. "You're so handsome, Sami. My beautiful husband, I love you so much." Eventually Nia put down her scissors. "It looks good, and not too different. It'll grow back, of course, but now you can hopefully keep it tidier. Keep using the products we did today, and you'll be okay." She swept the towel from around Sami's shoulders, letting the extra hair fall to the floor. "I'm gonna dry your hair now, okay?" She looked over her shoulder. "Can someone clean this hair up while I do that?"

It was Carlisle who got up, being the fastest among them, and had the kitchen swept and the trimmings thrown into the trash in moments. 

Nia switched on the hairdryer, and the blast of warm air made Sami drowsy. He leaned his head against Jimmy's chest. "Jimmy, can you agitate his hair a little bit so it can dry properly?" Sami hummed delightedly when Jimmy started to scratch his scalp, messing his hair up so the air could get to every strand. He pressed against Jimmy's fingers, a word forming. "Bed." 

"I know, Sami." Jimmy murmured. "Soon." He couldn't help sniffing the top of Sami's head. "If it's any consolation, you smell incredible." Sami clung tighter to him. 

When Sami's hair was dry and brushed - something else he enjoyed massively - Nia tied it up loosely with a green silk ribbon, left over from the wedding. "You look nice, Sami." She prodded his shoulder. "Don't you make me take that back within a week, you hear?" Sami grinned at her, and she grinned back, crossing over to the table where the others sat to put her scissors down. "Look what you did to my pants, Sami!" She brushed her thighs down and tiny gold and orange hairs went flying everywhere, dancing like dust in the sunlight. The whole table chuckled, and Sami blushed, but he was enjoying being teased in a sisterly way - he'd never had a sister.

"HAHCHOO!" A massive sneeze made them all jump. Jey looked at Jimmy, who looked at Sami, but all of their faces were only puzzled. There was a stuttery little gasp. "Ah.. ah... A-AHCHOO! AHCHOO! Ugh..." 

"Bless you, Chief." Carlisle said brightly. They all turned to look at Rikishi, who was nuzzling into a tissue.

"Oh, would you all stop looking at me?" He snapped. "Sami's hair got up my nose. Reason I don't go to a barber." Everyone giggled at that, including Sami. Rikishi sighed rather nasally. "Well, at least it's cheered him up." He blew his nose. Sami cuddled into Jimmy, who lifted him from the chair and carried him away. "Everyone say goodnight to Sami, we're gonna go sleep for a few days." There was a chorus of "goodnights" and then Jimmy opened their bedroom door and stepped inside. 

"Here we are, my Sami," Jimmy murmured, helping his husband into fresh underwear and into bed. "Close your eyes, it's bedtime." 

Sami shut his eyes obediently, relieved to be alone with his husband, and felt Jimmy climb in behind him. "Stay with me?" he murmured, sleep closing in. He felt Jimmy's lips brush his ear.

"Always."

Beyond the silvery boundaries, Paul stood out of sight. "You're sure?" 

"I doubt Aro appointed you as his advisor to ask people if they're sure." Paul was standing with Bronson, who sniffed and scuffed the toe of his boot on the ground. "They have to come out some time. Cross the line to get supplies. We just have to wait them out." 

Paul thought for a moment. "If they don't come out by tomorrow evening, I'm sending Bron out to join you. Intimidation in numbers."

"Excellent idea."

Chapter Text

For the first ten hours Jimmy happily slept beside Sami, but after that he started to get squirmy; Jey was the big sleeper among the two and Jimmy was happy with five or six hours. He tried to distract himself back to sleep for another hour, but eventually gave in to his awake brain and crept out of bed, closing the door as quietly as he could. 

Apart from a change of clothes, everyone who was sitting around the table looked exactly like they had yesterday, the purple diary in Rikishi's hands. "Ah! Jimmy. Is Sami awake?" Jimmy shook his head. "I couldn't sleep any more. What are we looking at?" He sat down next to Jey, humming when his brother scratched his back in greeting. An awkwardness hung over the table, as if he'd interrupted something.

Rikishi fixed Jimmy with a look that was part worried, part embarrassed. "Jimmy, this is going to be a very personal question." 

Jimmy turned pink almost on instinct. "Oh, not again! What else could possibly be in that old book?"

"It's not something we thought would apply," Rikishi said, colour coming to his own cheeks. "It still might not, I just have a question. Do you feel the desire to breed with Sami?"

"Dad!" Jimmy yelped, his face flaming.

"I told you it was personal!" Rikishi snapped in a strangled voice. "It's important. I know you love him very much and you would do anything for him and would never want to hurt him, and you two are imprinted. The tribal magic doesn't care about gender or ability to actually carry the fruits of procreation - it only gives the urge to carry on the tribe. Do you feel that way about Sami?" Rikishi's voice was steady but he absolutely refused to meet Jimmy's eye.

Jimmy's heart thumped. He couldn't say that he did. "W-What does this mean?" he croaked.

"Well, it might not mean anything," Rikishi said, finally forcing himself to look at his oldest son. "You're with Sami, of course. If you were single I'd encourage you to go forth and multiply, find a broodmate, but you're married to your soulmate. Jacob is certainly doing a good enough job on his own, so you're probably fine." 

Four knocks at the door. Rikishi made to get up but Jimmy was faster. "Let me get it, I need to leave this room."

But he didn't get that far. Sweeping the sliding door covering back.and opening it, he froze in surprise. "I- what are you doing here? You okay? He okay?" 

Naomi stepped into the house, the WWE Women's Championship slung over her shoulder. She was human, as far as everyone could tell; he guessed sharing blood via a child wasn't enough to have given her a Surge. Jimmy felt a great warmth in his stomach when he looked at her, the neon yellow highlights in her hair, her perfectly plucked eyebrows, the way her waist had stayed the same size for years - and the curves of it, for that matter. He was instantly attracted to her all over again, and shook himself. 

"Hey, sir, Mr. Uso," Naomi waved. "Your son is fine, Jimmy." She brushed his cheek with her lips, and heat radiated from the spot she touched. "I wanted to see you is all. Can we go somewhere, please? Talk?"

"Aw, haha," Jimmy grinned non-commitantly, slinging an arm around his ex's shoulders. This house was a supernatural time bomb. He stuck his tongue out at his dad behind her back; Rikishi had been pointing frantically from him to Naomi to the passage he'd been reading in the diary. He was married to Sami, nothing would happen - not that he could exactly give Naomi that excuse. "You wanna go for a walk? I can show you the forest." 

"I thought you'd never ask," Naomi sighed happily, taking his hand. 

They took the long way, so neither of them noticed Bron Breakker positioned at the edge of the silver boundary, prowling.

*** 

"Mm..." Sami turned over, and his hand found its way between his legs. "Nooo, not now." He was so comfortable. But his leg had started to shake independently. "Oh, fine." He thrashed his way out of bed, missing the en suite in their guest room in Forks. Jimmy wasn't in bed any more, but when he checked the clock he wasn't worried - he'd been asleep almost thirteen hours.

He rushed to the bathroom, giving the crowd at the kitchen table a wave. It was only when he emerged again and rubbed his eyes that he realised the shaggy figure was Jey, not Jimmy.

"Jimmy's just gone out," Rikishi said. "I'm sure he'll be back soon. Go back to bed, Sami. You need the rest." Sami yawned massively. "Okay, Chief. Night." He was relieved to see his voice seemed to have returned, however monosyllabic.

"You want me to get into bed with you?" Jey offered. Sami's eyes watered and he nodded, and Jey followed him back to bed. They cuddled for a while, and then Jey stroked Sami's arm until he fell back asleep. 

***

"Come on, slowpoke!" Naomi cackled. She was surprisingly quick for a human, leaping deftly over fallen trees and stepping daintily over puddles. Jimmy burned with need for her, and it was getting so much harder to push it all down. They had so much history together, a child together, she'd been his rock in the past. Sami had another love, why couldn't he? 

He was trying so hard to rationalise being attracted to Naomi that he didn't notice she'd stopped dead, and she squealed as he bumped into her. "Jimmy! Still so clumsy." Her tone was fond and she spun round to face him. "It's beautiful out here." She said softly. "You know, I've been thinking a lot lately about our relationship and what went wrong. The past few days, I've just felt this... pull. Something attracting me to you. I found Ron and asked where you were, and he said your dad's place in Cali, so..." She spread her arms wide. "Here I am, baby." 

She was very close. Jimmy could see each individual eyelash. As he caught a whiff of her scent he felt an ache between his legs. He tried pushing his knees together to discourage it, but it had quite the opposite effect and a little burst of pleasure made him shiver.

This was so terribly wrong, but Jimmy wasn't in control any more. It was primal. Like Naomi had said, something was attracting them to each other. He leaned in. "That championship looks great on you," he whispered, reaching out to rest a hand on Naomi's waist. "You look great."

"Hey now, Jimmy." Naomi whispered back. "Proceed with caution." She leapt at Jimmy, and the belt pressing into his stomach knocked the wind out of him when they landed amongst the grass, but neither cared, because they were kissing furiously. 

"Oh," Naomi cooed, feeling a familiar hardness underneath her. "You gonna remind me why they call you Big Jim?" Jimmy groaned beneath her, tugging at her waistband at the same time as she unzipped his jeans. It was unstoppable, and Naomi moaned so loudly it echoed a little when Jimmy entered her. "You're so big," she gasped, clenching in a way that made him shout. "God, Jimmy, I missed you." Jimmy moaned into her hair. All sex was good, but Naomi was hot and slick around his cock, and she seemed to like this as much as he did, the belt still firmly around her waist as she rode his cock.

Inevitably Naomi began to shiver. "Jimmy... oh!" She wrapped her legs around her old flame. "I can't... I'm gonna... Jimmy!" 

Boom. Naomi came, and Jimmy didn't stand a chance with her clenching around him. "N-Naom-i!" He spilled deep inside her, whimpering in pleasure. Thunder rumbled above them as they lay there, and Jimmy threw himself on top of Naomi to shield her as the heavens suddenly opened.

***

A particularly big thunderclap woke Sami again. Jey was gone, and his heart was pounding. He looked at the clock - wow, 17 hours in total spent in bed - then wrapped a blanket around himself and shuffled out of the bedroom. 

It was busy; Jey and Bella flitted around reinforcing the windows. "What's going on?" Sami asked sleepily. 

"Evening, Sami." Rikishi patted the chair next to him and Sami took it, looking at Carlisle gratefully when he had coffee in an instant. "Hell of a storm is rolling in, so we're sheltering in place. You hear it out there?" Sami stopped to listen, and could hear rain hammering the roof. Jey came over to hug him, and him being alone was conspicuous in itself. "Jimmy?" he asked, and tried not to be afraid when Jey shook his head. "I'm sure he'll be back before it gets bad, uce. They probably got distracted is all."

"They?" Sami asked. Jey looked embarrassed, and from the coughs and shuffles around him Sami gathered he'd let something slip that he wasn't supposed to. 

Before he could question Jey further, the door slid open and a gust scattered droplets everywhere. "Shut that door!" Rikishi bellowed. 

A sodden Jimmy stepped inside, Naomi following him in a much drier state. Sami sighed with relief and went to hug his husband. "You had me worried sick, Jimmy Uso!" His eyes swivelled to Naomi, and Jimmy and he had a wordless conversation before he smiled. "What's up, Naomi? How's everyone at work? How's the family?"

"Fine," Naomi said shortly, heaving her belt from one shoulder to the other. "I just came to speak to Jimmy and catch up a little. In fact, my Uber should be here soon." She frowned at her phone. "That's weird, he cancelled." 

She opened the rain-flecked door to look outside - and yelled as the wind firmly slid it shut again. The wind howled, thunder rumbled ominously, and the rain changed direction, starting to pound the windows.

"I don't think anyone is going anywhere," Rikishi said darkly. 

"Hey. HEY!" Rikishi yelled - all the kids including Sami had begun squabbling the second he'd condemned Naomi to staying here, and he could see it was quickly going to come to blows if he didn't step in. He wasn't stupid, and even apart from that, regaining his tribal power had given him a strange ability to sense people's auras. Jimmy's was bright red and Naomi's sunshine yellow, but since they came back from their walk together both their auras had run a little, a thin streak each stretching out towards the other as if intending to meet. Something must have happened between them, and it was no coincidence that she'd shown up right as they'd been talking about broodmates vs soulmates. He had to stop anyone from finding out or there would surely be carnage that would destroy his new house.

"Sir, I can't stay here!" Naomi protested. "I gotta get back to work. This belt doesn't just defend itself!" 

"Oh, like you're so important just because you cashed in a briefcase."

"Raagh!" Naomi lunged at Jey and there was a great commotion as everyone kept them separate. 

"LISTEN!" Rikishi bellowed, shutting them all up. "Jey, stop bitching because she has a belt and you don't. Naomi, my dear, I'm sorry. You see that wind? I don't think even the Jeep would get through that weather. Nobody is leaving. Oh, speaking of which." He inclined his head towards the two vampires. "Naomi, Dr Bella Swan and Dr Carlisle Cullen. Carlisle is my boyfriend-" Carlisle's face lit up at that. "And Bella is a family friend and mentor of Sami, who..." He looked at Sami. "Forgive me, Sami. Do you want to say it?"

Sami nodded. "I'm gonna be a doctor!" he said, the words sounding strange in his mouth. Naomi grinned. "I'll be. You of all people. It beats getting kicked around by Kross, I guess." She pointed at Bella. "I've heard of you. You sewed that guy's ear back on and he didn't even have a scar." Bella looked a little startled, then laughed. "Yes, that was me. I suppose my work has made it online, then." 

"Of course, all of this is confidential and doesn't leave this room," Rikishi said, and Naomi nodded quickly. "I know the drill, sir. Remember?" Rikishi smiled to himself; he had all but forgotten everything of their human lives. "Of course, I'm sorry. Anyway." He stood. "We have a very comfortable couch that pulls out, or we could see if the wind dies down a little and I can escort you myself to our guesthouse. Your choice. But that's after dinner! Boys, we have a lady in the house for the first time in months, get her something decent to eat."

"Um, hello?" Bella said in the back, raising her hand. "Where was this fuss over me?"

"You are not a lady." Rikishi replied to much laughter, which got louder when she flipped him off.

They ate canned mac and cheese in the end, but it turned out that was just fine by Naomi's standards, who ate her own and had seconds. Jimmy felt an old fondness watching her devour the food, and got the strangest urge to change her, to find a way to make humans into wolves easily, for the sake of the tribe. His body was urging him to climb atop her once more and... multiply, just as his dad had said. 

"Mm, Mr Uso," Sami murmured later; the wind had indeed died down a little and Naomi had chosen the guesthouse, so after a quick communal blunt she had retired to the little building behind the house. Now the Usos were sitting inside separately but together, multiple joints lit. Sami and Jimmy were sharing a beanbag, and Jimmy let out a little whine when Sami brushed his concealed erection. "Am I that attractive just sitting here?" 

Jimmy couldn't possibly tell him the truth, that his body wanted his ex so badly he was constantly hard, so instead he just shrugged. "Sexy Sami, right?" 

Sami mouthed at his neck. "You just wait. I've been thinking about the wedding present I gave you," he breathed, and Jimmy shivered as he remembered Sami guessing he was into bladder control and filling up secretly for him on their wedding night. "Pretty sure it's your turn." Jimmy went very red. "We'll have to pick a good day for it, but I'm excited. Are you?" Jimmy nodded, nuzzling into him. He was excited at the idea, but he was also feeling so guilty, and dwarfing all of that was the heat, the burning desire to give Naomi more children and officially continue the Bloodline tribe. He played along the rest of the night, and managed to fool Sami, but his mind was thoroughly elsewhere.

In bed, Sami fell asleep quickly, still not fully rested. Despite the tiring day, Jimmy continued to toss and turn. What was he going to do? The erection just wouldn't let up either.

He couldn't stand it. Sitting up slowly, he carefully eased his wedding ring, then his engagement ring off his finger, gently laying them on the bedside table. He couldn't wear them while he had sex with someone else... again.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered as he slipped out of his marital bed and padded towards the back of the house.

Chapter Text

Jimmy had cheated on Sami. He had cheated, and Sami had no idea... yet. If Jimmy had learned anything, it was that their bond wouldn't allow them to keep things from one another for long. Sami was going to hate him.

"Jimmy?"

Broken from his thoughts, Jimmy looked up. "I'm sorry, what?" 

"What do you think?" his dad asked, gesturing at the whiteboard they'd set up. When Jimmy further looked blank, Rikishi sighed. "Do I really have to go through it again?"

They had a full house again. Naomi had left as early as she could and Jimmy couldn't quite bring himself to look anyone in the eye when they said goodbye, so now it was just the house's usual inhabitants plus Solo, who had burst in while they were eating breakfast, panting and looking afraid for the first time in Sami's memory. "Vampires," He had gasped. "At the silver boundary. Breakker to the north, Reed to the northeast. Barely got past them." Indeed he was nursing a nasty scrape on his arm.

"As I said before," Rikishi rolled his eyes in Jimmy's direction, "One vampire lurking around is problem enough, but two is troubling. They've got to be planning something. If they're here and here," Rikishi indicated two red dots on the rudimentary area map he'd drawn up, "We'll have to leave in other directions now. Use the back door for coming and going as much as possible, that sort of thing. What do you think, Jimmy? You are my heir, I wish to know your thoughts."

"Uhh," Jimmy had no idea how to answer. "I'm fine with that, I guess."

"Excellent! To my office!" Rikishi swept off, but came right back. "That means you, Jimmy!" Jimmy leapt out of his seat and scurried after his dad.

Jimmy hadn't been in his dad's office in a while, especially not since the fire. It was little more than a box room, and Jimmy always wondered how Rikishi squeezed himself behind the overflowing desk. "You got a new painting," he commented weakly, and there was indeed a large drawing of four wolves, coloured in oil pastels. No - one wolf, a big white one, and three cubs that were russet, bright red and blue-grey. Jimmy smiled ear-to-ear; he couldn't stop himself.

"Apparently Alice is a pretty keen artist," his dad said. "She knew we lost a lot of pictures, so she wanted to draw something." Jimmy half-laughed, scrubbing at an eye, and Rikishi put his arm around him. "Dad, why do they want us so badly?" 

"Jimmy," Rikishi said solemnly. "This does not leave this room. Not to Jey. Not even to Sami. You hear?"

"Yes, Chief." Jimmy was burning with curiosity. 

Rikishi sat down, and his hand shook when he lifted it to remove his reading glasses. "Jimmy, I have not been entirely truthful about why your mother left, about why we never worked when trying again." Jimmy's stomach twisted. 

"The whole truth is that your mother had been a target of the vampires for some time. One child with a shifter was bad enough, but three, and all of them inheriting my gifts? They considered human women to be their property, and had been threatening us for some time. Ada laughed it off, but it didn't get any better, and soon we had to get her an escort to do so much as get the mail. It put strain on our relationship, of course. It wasn't like we could talk to you about what was going on - you were so little." Rikishi sighed, cupping Jimmy's face suddenly. "You're still little." His eyes were soft, and Jimmy got a whiff of sherry, which he hadn't realised they even had. 

"Dad, are you drunk?" 

"No matter if I am. This needs to be said." Rikishi went on. 

"They came so quickly, Jimmy. I couldn't do a single thing." Jimmy's heart thumped. "Did they - Is she -"

"She's still alive, as far as I know - though only in the most technical sense. They grabbed her right from our bed." Rikishi's voice cracked. "All my weapons were in the safe - Ada always insisted because of you boys. I tried to fight them with my bare hands, but they grabbed her and they said if I made another move they'd go and turn you as well. They sliced her throat and then they turned her." 

"You couldn't suck out the venom?" Jimmy asked, his voice sober despite the tears glittering on his face, tears which had spilled over before he knew they were even coming.

"She begged me not to." Rikishi said, crying now too. "She lay there turning and she begged me to let her, to save myself from the venom. I'll just go away, she said. I'll hide. They won't see me. Our boys need you. That's why I couldn't let Sami go through that. I wasn't going to have you lose a partner the way I did. Knowing now what I do, that I would've come back nonetheless..." Rikishi let out a little sob and Jimmy flung himself at him to hug him. "You made the right choice, Chief." Hearing that seemed to strengthen Rikishi. "Ada became a vampire, and I told you she had just left - what else could I tell you, really? Sometimes we sent letters, and of course we tried again, but, um..." He couldn't finish, but Jimmy understood; thirsting for your husband's blood wasn't exactly conducive to a healthy, long relationship. "So we stopped speaking, and I lost my mate. I hoped that would be considered punishment enough, but after the whole business with you and Sami it appears they've come back to try and take away the fruits of my and Ada's love - they see you as something dirty. They must have started turning people close to you to try and get to you, but we were too clever, so they took out the house hoping we'd go with it. I'm so, so sorry, my dear son. I have doomed you all." Jimmy hugged him tighter. "We'll get through this, Dad. There's more of us now, we're stronger and smarter. But you have to tell the others. Knowledge is power, and if we all know, they can't take any of us by surprise." Rikishi wiped his face and nodded. "You are right, of course. We shall tell them together. But first," He turned an intense gaze on his oldest son and Jimmy turned red. "We're going to swap secrets. Did you sleep with Naomi?" When Jimmy's ex had left that morning their auras were even closer, the barest hint of orange where they had started to meet.

Jimmy crumbled immediately. "Twice," he whispered. Rikishi shook his head at him and Jimmy whimpered. "If I'm telling the boys, you're telling Sami. Did you use a condom?"

"Dad!" 

"Did you - use - a condom?"

"I.. yes. No. I-I don't know! The first time was spontaneous in the woods, so I didn't exactly have any on me. The second time... I'd have to ask her. It was like all I could think about was repopulating, even though the population isn't in any danger. I didn't mean it, Dad. I didn't want to hurt Sami." 

"I know you didn't, but you have," Rikishi said grimly. "Come. Let us face the music. I'll talk first, and you can tell Sami about the rest when you're alone. Nobody's business except you two." Jimmy was grateful for that.

"Hey, Dad?" Jimmy asked as they left. "Why did you ask if I wore a condom with Naomi?"

"Well, apart from the obvious, we as a species are extremely fertile. Throw in the supernatural element and you've got a practically guaranteed accelerated wolf pregnancy."

"How fast is "accelerated" exactly?"

Naomi sat in the locker room, tapping her foot nervously. She ran her fingers across the title she'd worked so hard for, and said a silent prayer. This was ridiculous, the only person she'd had sex with in months was Jimmy, and that was yesterday - certainly too fast to be pregnant. But like with her previous pregnancies, she couldn't shake the tiredness from her bones, and she was suddenly turning her nose up at her favourite chicken salad, so she'd stolen a pregnancy test from Medical.

She couldn't stand it any longer and jumped up, snatching the little white stick off the sink.

"What... the fuck?" Naomi whispered as a second blue line crept onto the test.

Chapter Text

All the Usos were sat around the kitchen table, their eyes red and puffy, Rikishi included. Solo was crying silently and Jey loudly, in great gulps and hiccups. Rikishi had tried to reach out and touch them several times while he spoke, but they flinched away each time, and now it was Jimmy who held them. Sami sat by Rikishi, occasionally giving him an awkward pat on the shoulder, but he was as surprised by the Chief's story as the rest of them.

"I'm so, so sorry, my sons. I have let you down." Rikishi dropped his gaze, so ashamed he was unable to meet any of their eyes.

Jimmy nudged Jey and Solo, giving them a comforting squeeze. Jey gave a great sniff. "Go on," Jimmy whispered.

"You did your best, Dad," Jey said. "You were only one guy, you lost your village. Uncle Umaga had just died too. What were you supposed to do, with nobody to lean on?" Rikishi's eyes watered anew at the mention of his twin, but his mouth was smiling. 

"Yeah," Solo said, his voice croaky from crying. He sat up and reached his hand out to Rikishi, who clasped it. "You're our Chief. You have to make decisions for all of us sometimes." He squeezed his dad's hand, and was suddenly struck by a burst of bravado. "My name is Solo Sikoa," he declared shakily, "and I as your son forgive your sins, Chief Uso." His dad looked at him quizzically, but he nudged Jey beside him, who sat up a little straighter. "My name is Jey Uso," his brother said, "and I as your son forgive your sins." 

"My name is Jimmy Uso." Jimmy cottoned on. "As your oldest son and your heir, I forgive your sins." Rikishi was crying again, grateful tears rolling down his face. 

"My name is Sami Uso." Sami said quietly beside him, and Jimmy felt another red-hot stab of guilt. "I am not your son, but I love them all very much, and that includes you. I forgive your sins, Chief Uso." Rikishi reached out to grasp his arm in affection. For a moment they all simply held each other, and the power of the Bloodline thrummed between them, stronger than ever. 

Rikishi sniffled. "My boys. My men. Thank you all for listening, for believing in me. I will weather this storm with you all. We will show them who the Bloodline are, once and for all. Let us get something to drink." He got up to look for the moonshine. After giving his brothers another quick hug, Jimmy walked over to Sami, wrapping his arms around his seated husband. Sami looked up at him in adoration, and it only hurt more.

"We need to talk." Jimmy whispered.

They sat facing each other on the bed, drinks between them. 

"So?" Sami asked. "What's up? Are you pregnant?" He joked. "I promise I won't be a deadbeat dad."

Jimmy burst into tears. 

"Hey," Sami said, caught off guard. Jimmy wasn't a crier, he was even surprised when he had cried during their wedding. "What is it, my love?" He wrapped his arms around his husband, and he smelled just like he had on their wedding night. Jimmy cried harder, wrenching himself away from that scent. "Ugh." He swiped a hand roughly across his face. "No! I can't cry. You deserve more than my tears, Sami. More than all of me, in fact." 

 "Okay, now you're worrying me." Sami said, the ghost of a smile still playing at his lips. "Are you dying? Am I dying?"

"Worse." Jimmy whispered. "I–" The words caught in his throat. "I cheated on you, Sami."

The pink hues disappeared from Sami's skin as he turned paper-white. "What?" he whispered. 

"I cheated on you. Dad was telling me about this thing, it's in the journal. The desire to breed, to carry on the Bloodline, it burned inside me. Naomi felt it too, she felt attracted to me all over again, so she came to talk to me about it and I... we... I kissed her, and then we had sex in the forest. It was like I wasn't in control - but I was, Sami," he hastened to add. "I was, and I did it again. I left this bed that night and I left my wedding ring right here," he tapped the bedside table, "and I went to the guesthouse and we had sex again. I am so so so so sorry!"

Sami sat still, his face white and pinched.

"Sami?" 

His husband didn't reply. 

"Sami, please say something." 

"We are not two months married." Sami whispered.

"I know, Sami. I'm sorry. She was beautiful like I'd never noticed - almost like you looked after I woke up from my Surge. Her body was just... calling to mine. You wouldn't understand, you don't like people that way." It was the wrong thing to say; angry red patches appeared on Sami's chalk-white cheeks. "Excuse me?" His husband said slowly, getting up. 

"No, Sami," Jimmy tried to walk it back. "That's not what I meant."

"I had sex with you!" Sami shrieked, not caring who heard. "I trusted you with my body! You cheated on me. You cheated on me twice, and now you're having the audacity to try and relate to my asexuality to excuse yourself, Jimmy Uso? Well," Sami snarled, and Jimmy's heart broke to see him taking his wedding ring off. "I guess I didn't marry the person I thought I did."

"Sami, no, wait, we can work this out–"

"I hope you and Naomi have a wonderful life together," Sami said, though it was indistinct because he was crying so hard as he flung a few things into a small bag; the pad and pencils Bella had gifted him, a couple of medical books, a few clothes. "Breed and have lots of babies. Continue the tribe's legacy. Be useful." He slammed his wedding ring down onto the bedside table, and Jimmy was weeping now too. "Sami, please don't, please stay, Sami, I love you, please, we can fix this–" He kept up a steady stream of begging as Sami packed and flung his bag over his shoulder. Sami ignored him. 

"Sami!" Sami swept out of the room. He ignored everyone's startled faces at the sight of him with a bag packed. "Chief, it has been the greatest privilege knowing you, but your son is a pig." He grasped hands with Rikishi, planted a kiss on the top of Jey's head and made for the door. 

"Sami!" Jimmy shouted, but Rikishi restrained him from following. "You want a repeat of last time?"

The others began to shout as well.

"Sami, what's wrong?"

"What did Jimmy do?" Sami kept walking, his abilities making his strides longer and faster.

"Sami Uso!" Rikishi bellowed, and it echoed impressively out the door and across the stretch of land. Sami stopped dead. 

"You come back into this house right now and we'll all talk." When Sami didn't move, he repeated himself. "Right now, Sami! I agree Jimmy has been a pig, and he will be suitably punished, but, my boy," Rikishi's voice grew soft. "It is not safe out there. Please come inside." They stood there in silence, the only sounds being Sami crying and his breath heaving. 

"Get him as far away from me as possible," Sami sniffed, and Rikishi nodded. "Jimmy, you heard the man." Jimmy went back into the house and stood in a corner, feeling as if his heart were crumbling into tiny pieces. 

Rikishi lead a hiccuping Sami back inside. He sat shakily between Rikishi and Jey, who took his hand and kissed it, shooting a murderous look at Jimmy. 

"You, Jimmy Uso," Sami said bitterly, looking directly at Jimmy, "are going to tell everyone what you just told me, including the stupid attempt you made at making me understand by trying to scapegoat my sexuality." Jimmy's face burned bright red and he bowed his head. He had to do this if there was any hope of reconciling.

Lifting his tearstained face to look at his family, his husband, his Sami who no longer wanted to be his, he began to retell his shameful story.

Chapter Text

Jey gently rocked a red-eyed Sami back and forth, shushing him softly.

"...and I'm so sorry. I know I can say it a million times and it won't matter. I want to make it better, I just don't know how." Jimmy finished, sniffling.

There was a long silence in which his heart thumped and his family gave him looks of disgust.

"The couch." Sami said.

"Huh?" Jimmy was shocked he was speaking directly to him. 

"You sleep on the couch." Sami said. "I take our bed. You win me back the long and tough way - take me on dates, woo me, make me fall in love all over again. That's how you can start making it better." Jimmy's heart broke at the idea that Sami had fallen out of love with him. 

"I was going to yell at you, Jimmy," Rikishi said, "but I think Sami covered everything." He bustled around refreshing their drinks. "I'll start making up the couch." He walked over and pressed a button on the couch, and there was a whirr and a clunk as it unfolded. 

"Dad, no, let me," Jimmy said, and Rikishi stood back. "You know what? Yes. How poetic that you should make your own bed to lie in." He returned to the table to clink glasses with the others. "Sami, how are you?"

Sami sniffled into his massive handkerchief and shrugged. "I know." Rikishi said. "He shouldn't have done it, no matter how many biological excuses he may have. I hope you can eventually forgive him, because I'm very fond of you - but right now please feel whatever you need to, and I will be there for you." Sami leaned over to accept his hug, and felt a little better. "Take me to bed," he whispered to Jey, who lifted him up, cuddling him close. "All right, Sami. Let's go cuddle." He started to carry Sami away.

"Only want you, Jey," Sami said over Jey's shoulder, his eyes locked with Jimmy for the first time since he had learned the truth. "You're better."

"Okay, Sami," Jey said, kissing his boyfriend on the forehead once they were back in he and Jimmy's room. "We can do whatever you want to distract you. Video games, snacks, sex, we got it all." He was sobered by Sami crying afresh. 

"I want... I want... oh, I don't know!" Sami cried, and then scrubbed at his face with the handkerchief. "Ugh! I want to stop crying, that's what I want." He nestled into Jey's arms. "Make me stop crying. Please." 

Oh. Even Jey got the hint there. Sami sniffled, then grinned, then started to shake with suppressed laughter as Jey tickled him more and more intensely. He burst out laughing when Jey slipped his hands under Sami's shirt and gave the spaces between his ribs a good scratch, one by one. He did cheer-up tickles better than anybody. To his surprise Sami felt a slight stirring between his legs, and he struggled not to moan when Jey slowed down his tickles, stroking ever so lightly on those terribly sensitive ribs. "Better?" Jey murmured, and Sami giggled, nodding. "Good." He withdrew his hands, kissing Sami's cheek. "How about a massage? I know you love 'em, and you need to relax right this minute."

"Hmmm," Sami said, lolling across Jey's legs. "It depends where you're thinking of." 

"Who says I have to pick a spot?" Jey asked, and Sami shut his eyes when his fingers dragged down his arm. "Come here, sit up a little."

They got situated to where Sami was sitting between Jey's knees. "This poor scalp," Jey said, and Sami sighed as he started exactly there. "Been through a lot recently. You must've been itchy, all matted like that." He scratched, hard, and Sami gasped. "Too hard?"

"N-no!" Sami squeaked, loving the deep pressure, then hummed when Jey walked his fingers down the back of his head to his neck and started massaging firmly there. Sami groaned and grunted happily as he kneaded and palpated his shoulders before moving on to his back. "Oh!" he gasped when Jey scratched the top of his spine with the perfect pressure. Jey kept scratching at each notch in his spine, and Sami kept saying it. "Oh, oh, oh!" As Jey worked over his back, scratching and rubbing, Sami felt his stress melting away. "Jey, that is fantastic." he moaned. "This was a great idea." 

"I'm not done," Jey murmured. He rubbed Sami's lower back and around his waist, careful to avoid brushing his cock - it wouldn't do to have Sami thinking he was trying to initiate sex at a time like this - then patted his thigh. "Get up and turn, I wanna rub your feet." Sami shuffled around until he was backwards, his feet in Jey's lap, and his eyelids fluttered when Jey started to rub his feet. "You love foot rubs, huh?" Jey teased him, and Sami was too blissed out to even tell him to shut up, a deep calm spreading through him. 

"I'm sorry Jimmy did that," Jey said after a while. Sami blinked hard to stop himself from crying again. "Are you actually gonna try again? I support whatever path you take," he said hastily. "Just want to know." 

"I'm mad at him," Sami said. "I'm really, really mad at him, Jey. But I can't just throw away our marriage for the sake of him cheating, because I also love him so much. He's just gonna have to work extra hard to regain my trust."

"Well," Jey said. "Just tell me how your dates go, and if he fucks up again, I can beat him up." He smiled when Sami giggled weakly. 

"Hey, Jey?" 

"Mm?" 

"I think I figured out how I wanna distract myself." 

"Oh?" Jey looked up - and Sami had a big, fluffy pink feather. "Sami," he began, a grin tugging at his lips instinctively - feathers were a huge weakness. "We can talk about this."

"No more talking." Sami pounced and Jey's squeals were swallowed up by the soundproofing.

Outside, Jimmy burned for his husband - his imprint with Sami meant he sometimes sensed particularly dramatic mood shifts, and when he felt Sami's twinge of arousal he ached to be the one causing it. He sprawled on the couch after he'd made it up with sheets, refusing to let anyone else sit down and trying not to think about what Jey was doing to Sami in there. Surely Sami wouldn't give it up to just anyone, it took a very long time for him to even trust Jimmy - but he was upset, and he might take any form of comfort. Jimmy curled into a ball and yanked his hood over his eyes to hide from the world. 

His family was so busy shooting glares his way that everyone jumped when there were four knocks on the door. "I'll get it," Jimmy said hastily, eager to look at something other than sheets for a moment or two. He was startled when he pulled the shades; it was Naomi. She waved nervously through the door, and Jimmy heard Rikishi groan and Solo murmur "what, did she come back for more?" Then a thud, a grunt of pain, and Rikishi hissing, "Don't you dare lash out at that woman. On the list of blameable people, she is at the bottom." Jimmy was grateful for this, for his dad demanding respect be given to Naomi no matter what he himself had done. 

He let Naomi in. "Hey, Jimmy." She looked around the room. "Can we talk in private?"

"Uhh, sure?" Jimmy said hesitantly. 

"My office," said Rikishi, shooting Jimmy a meaningful glance. Naomi put down the bag she was carrying and followed Jimmy. That scent was stronger than ever, but Jimmy felt none of his previous urges - at least not nearly as strongly. He wanted Sami, and only Sami. 

Naomi perched herself nervously on the desk. Rikishi would've killed her were he present, but Jimmy didn't think this was the right time to mention that. "So?" he asked as she swung her legs gently. "What is it? What's got you running back so fast?"

Naomi sighed. "When I got back, I ordered a big old chicken salad wrap. It arrived, I took one bite, and threw up. I thought the chicken was off, but then I started feeling really tired..." Her eyes were huge. "Jimmy, I don't know how this is possible, but I'm pregnant." She fished in her pocket and handed him the positive test.

Jimmy's mouth opened and closed silently as he looked at the two blue lines, and the reality of what he'd done began to sink in.

"Are you sure?" He asked eventually. "Just, I know these tests can throw false positives." It was the wrong question; two red spots flared on Naomi's cheekbones.

"Am I sure?" she shrieked. "Am I–" She leapt from the desk and left the room suddenly, Jimmy following her. 

She stopped dead. Everyone in the living area was trying very hard to pretend they hadn't been listening in, but there was a new person, a tall white woman with dark buzzed hair and quick, mysterious brown eyes. Naomi ignored her, going over to the backpack she'd brought. 

"Your son," she said to Rikishi through gritted teeth as she dug around, finally pulling out a tied plastic grocery bag, "is a pig."

"Yes, I've heard a lot of that recently," Rikishi sighed as Jimmy emerged. "What has he done now?"

"Your son has gotten me pregnant," she ignored the jaws dropping, "and now he wants to know if I'm sure I'm pregnant." She ripped open the bag and upturned it.

No less than ten more positive pregnancy tests clattered onto the table. "Does it look like I'm unsure?!" Her screech brought Jey and Sami running, hand in hand. "What's going on?" Sami looked at Jimmy, at Naomi's hand protectively on her stomach, at the tests on the table, and it clicked.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence, and Rikishi got up to seize Naomi as all Jimmy said was "Oh." He held the struggling woman back. "Naomi, he's not worth it," he whispered urgently - her hitting Jimmy would almost certainly give away that he wasn't human, and break her hand into the bargain. Naomi shook in his arms, and two huge tears slid down her face. "You're so stupid!" she sobbed, while Rikishi patted her back and the woman from before rushed around making her a cup of tea. "Here." Naomi gripped the cup with a sniffle, taking a shaky sip. "Thanks..." She said begrudgingly, looking the woman up and down. "Renesmee," she supplied helpfully. Stupid-ass name, Naomi thought, but kept it to herself for once. She flinched as Renesmee reached out and rested her hand on Naomi's belly. "You've definitely got a baby in there."

"So?" Naomi asked, perturbed by this cold-handed stranger touching her.

"No," Renesmee said. "Not a baby." She raised those strange eyes to look at the rest of them. "More than one." There were gasps. 

"Oh God." Jimmy said, summing it up. 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Naomi shouted, standing up. She pointed at Renesmee. "Right now, you tell me how you know that, who the fuck you exactly are, and how I got pregnant so fast in the first place."

"Naomi," Rikishi tried to cajole her. 

"Right now!" 

"All right!" Rikishi thundered above them all. He closed his eyes and sighed. "All right. Naomi, sit down, please. I'm going to call the others. Renesmee, some coffee?" The switch clicked on the kettle and Naomi started; she swore the woman had been next to her and now she was across the room in an instant. 

"There's an old legend in my family," Rikishi began, "telling of the original Bloodline tribe, and the night four men came to visit."

As the night stretched out ahead of them, Jimmy ached for Sami, and wished he could go back in time.

Chapter Text

When Rikishi at last finished his tale, including all the updates with Sami being turned, him dying and being reborn, and the vampires hunting down the tribe as revenge for what they saw as sacrilegious - shifters taking humans as mates - Naomi sat there, shell-shocked. She had long since cried away all her makeup and now sat carefully reapplying it despite her hands shaking. "So you're telling me," she said slowly as she peeled off her old false lashes and applied glue to a new pair. "He's a wolf," he pointed to Jimmy, "and he's married to Sami who used to be human but is now a wolf too, and you're all wolves, except for you," she pointed at Renesmee, "you're half-human, half-vampire, and they done got their panties in a twist about that too, I bet." Renesmee laughed, a pleasant sound like tinkling glass. "They did." 

"Oh, and by the way, vampires are real! And now," Naomi carefully pressed the false lashes onto her lashline one by one, holding them there. "Now I'm pregnant with a bunch of little wolf cubs, and I'm gonna get really pregnant really fast and Jimmy cheated with me and," her voice cracked. "I can't even have a joint to deal with all this?" 

"We could try edibles," Rikishi suggested. "I'd have to talk to Carlisle. I don't think it would be safe to terminate, Naomi. It's not a normal pregnancy, we don't know how fast they'll grow. You could be hurt." Naomi's lip trembled and she looked straight up, willing herself not to start bawling again. "What am I going to do?" 

"You'll stay here." Rikishi said at once. "There are vampires beginning to patrol the perimeter of our security measures, it's not safe for you to leave now, they'd tear you apart the second they smelled you were pregnant." He said it so casually that Naomi laughed, although it was humourless. "Carlisle will ensure you get the best prenatal care, and we can arrange for people to escort you to appointments to hide your scent. We take care of our own, Naomi." He patted her hand gently and she had to smile, even with her eyes still sparkling with tears. "Mr. Uso–"

"You might as well call me Chief, you're carrying members of my tribe."

"Chief," Naomi said. "Thank you." Jimmy shuffled closer and laid a hand on her arm, and took it as a good sign that she didn't throw it off. "Naomi, I'm a loyal man. I gotta make this up to Sami, I love Sami. We're imprinted, we're soulmates. But I love you too, I really do, and I want you to stay here too. I have to stay on the couch–"

"Good," Naomi said, firmly on Team Sami after hearing the whole story. 

"But I can be a good baby daddy from the couch, I swear! And when you let me back into our bed, Sami," he said, looking mournfully at his husband, who finally met his gaze, the brown eyes losing some of the hardness they'd gained over the last day. "When you let me back in, I will never hurt you again. I promise."

Sami nodded once, stiffly. "For better or worse." He said. "Just because we're at for worse right now, doesn't mean it'll be forever." Jimmy could've cried with relief, but he was all out of tears. 

"I dunno if I can take nine months of this shit," Jey mumbled three days later. Nia, Jacob and Roman had arrived and been filled in. Now he, Sami, Solo, Roman and Jacob cuddled in a pile on the king-sized purple bed, while Jimmy sat in Nia's arms in a chair across the room and she stroked his hair - Sami agreed to have him in the room but refused to let him on the bed, making him watch while he was cuddled and massaged by multiple people who weren't him. 

In the guesthouse, Naomi was just waking. Her eyes opened, and the nausea hit at once. She staggered from the bed - she was sure she wasn't this off balance getting into it last night - and barely made it to the toilet, heaving again and again, tears pouring down her face. 

When she felt as if there was nothing left in her, she sat back on her heels and wiped her face, gasping. 

After brushing her teeth clumsily, she shoved her swollen - swollen? - feet into her slippers and shuffled across the room, past the full length mirror, opening the door to the main house.

After a moment she shuffled back - more of a waddle, really - as fast as she could to stare at her figure in the mirror.

"Silly Jey," Nia said. "It's a supernatural pregnancy, it's accelerated."

"Everyone keeps saying that!" Solo complained. "What the hell is 'accelerated'?" He imitated Nia in a high-pitched voice.

At the sight of her massive stomach, Naomi let out a blood curdling scream which rang clearly through the house.

"Oh." Solo said. 

By the time they all untangled themselves and got out to the living area, Rikishi was comforting a sobbing Naomi. "J-Jimmy, I'm- I-I'm fat!" she gasped. 

"You are not fat," Jimmy soothed, kneeling down next to her, taking her hand. 

"I am fat! I'm huge!" She looked at least six months pregnant, and it was quite disconcerting to see. "Chief, what's happening?" Rikishi hugged her until she stopped crying so hard. "You're very pregnant is what's happening. We're going to get in the Jeep, and I'm going to drive us to the hospital, and Carlisle will scan your stomach and tell us how far along you are." He said firmly. "It will be all right, Naomi."

"I'm going too," Jimmy said at once, and Rikishi nodded approvingly. "The rest of you stay, we'll call you with any news. Quickly now." They moved fast, packing a small bag with a few essentials in case Naomi was admitted. 

"Wait." Sami said as they were about to leave. He walked forward and grabbed Jimmy's face in his hands. "You take care of her, Jimmy Uso." He kissed his disgraced husband's forehead. "Good luck." He gave Naomi a hug too, and then they were gone. 

"Well," Jacob said, leaning heavily on the counter. "Anyone else need a drink after seeing that?" There was a general clamour of agreement.

"So," Carlisle said tinnily over the phone later - Rikishi had video called them. "From the outside, Naomi, you're just fine, which is good. I've examined you and your pregnancy is progressing nicely and your body is doing well considering the increased speed. I'd say you're about five months along, which means we could have days or weeks before you're ready to deliver. This is going to be cold." he added, and squirted gel onto Naomi's stomach. 

"I don't think I'll ever, ever, ever be ready to deliver," she said shakily. Jimmy squeezed her hand.

"You'll have me there," Carlisle said kindly. "Bella, Dr Swan, will be there too - she's a trauma surgeon. Jimmy will of course be there. We'll have midwives too. You have this, Naomi. Your body is designed to do this." Naomi took a deep breath and nodded. "Show me my babies." 

Carlisle smiled and placed the ultrasound wand on her stomach, moving it around. After a moment a thrumming sound started, and his smile widened. "There's one," he said, and Rikishi rushed over to point the phone at the monitor. There was indeed a small, stirring black-and-white blob on the screen.

Naomi blinked hard. "That's my baby?" she whispered. 

"That's one of them," Carlisle said. "That's their heartbeat. And if Renesmee was right, we should have... a-ha!" A second heartbeat thrummed in time with the first, and another little blob became visible.

"Wow," Jimmy whispered, "Twins."

"Three full generations of twins!" Rikishi whooped, unable to stop himself. "The cousins are going to go wild!" 

Carlisle was frowning. "Wait," he said. "Not twins."

Everyone stopped. "What's wrong?" Jimmy asked, a hand protectively on Naomi's hip. "Is something wrong with one of them?"

Carlisle's face cleared. "Congratulations, Naomi," he said. "Jimmy. Indeed, congratulations, Chief. You're having triplets." A third heartbeat, a third squirming little thing in her tummy.

"Because they're so developed, you can find out the sexes, if you'd like," Carlisle said forging firmly ahead over the shocked faces in the room and undoubtedly back home.

"Yes," Naomi said after a moment, at the same time as Jimmy said "no." They stared at each other.

"It doesn't matter." Jimmy said.

"What about choosing names?" Naomi replied, staring daggers at him. "How are we supposed to pick good names if we don't know the sexes?" 

"There are tons of nice gender neutral names."

"I don't like any of em." 

"Come on, we could name one after Jey, that's pretty neutral."

"We're not doing that."

"These are my kids too!"

"And whose fault is that?"

"All right!" Carlisle said loudly. "Jimmy, out. Naomi can find out herself. Does anyone at home have any problem with finding out?" There was a chorus of "nos" and Jimmy scowled. "Fine." He left the room after kissing Naomi's hand. 

"Three healthy babies!" Rikishi boomed as they arrived home. Naomi looked a little less terrified - Carlisle's bedside manner was excellent and he was extremely nice. She could see why Rikishi liked him so much. 

Sami stood up and came to kiss Naomi's cheek and then Jimmy's. "Congratulations," he said softly, and Naomi flung her arms around him. "Uncle Sami?" she whispered, and Sami laughed, tears in his eyes. "Yeah. That sounds good." It felt like nothing could be wrong at the moment - the arrival of babies in wartime made things feel less doomed. 

"Bed rest, Carlisle said," said Jimmy gently. "We could have days or weeks before we have to rush you back. Let's get you set up and comfy, Naomi." He felt a stab of guilt even feeling affectionate towards her. 

As he turned to leave, Sami stopped him again, this time grabbing his hand. He didn't say anything, but he squeezed Jimmy's hand hard and held eye contact, and he understood; they were imprinted, after all. It's okay. It's not okay, but it's okay.

"Bron, Bronson, what's the news?" Seth walked up to the two massive vampires, Paul in tow. 

"Fuck all." Bronson grunted, and Bron nodded. "What he said. They came out a couple times but that Rikishi, he drives like a maniac, and we're not supposed to be seen by them, so it's not like we can stop him."

"Well, good news," Paul said. "We brought you a couple reinforcements."

Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins were behind him, red-eyed. Bronson clapped his hands. "Our Visionary, you spoil us." 

"Pick a spot, boys," Seth said, and Montez and Angelo spread out. "This is where you live now, watching the Bloodline. Aro thinks they're up to something, and I think he's right."

"What about the secret weapon, boss?" Bron asked.

"Never you mind the secret weapon. We don't need him yet. You four will do, and we'll add more if we need. What's important is you getting actual results instead of just standing around. You saw what happened to Nick Aldis when he refused to follow Aro's orders. He's a pile of ash in some garden now." Bron and Bronson shivered; they were really very afraid of the old vampire. "Yes, boss."

"Good!" Seth said, and promptly pushed Bron into the silver barrier, laughing at his roar of pain before he regained his balance. "There's your receipt. Do better. Get me some fucking results." There was a rush of air and Seth and Paul were gone.

Chapter Text

Naomi was doing well. Her morning sickness still took a lot out of her, but Jimmy was always there to wipe her face and rub her back. Somehow, two weeks passed, and she didn't give birth. Jimmy remained confined to the couch while other members of the Bloodline cuddled Sami to sleep in his stead, and one night Sami found himself the only one awake alongside Rikishi for the first time in a long time. 

"Evening, Sami," Rikishi greeted him. He sat on the porch swing in darkness, just like the very first night Sami had awoken and come across him. "Smoke?" Sami stepped out and sat beside him, taking the blunt. "How are you doing?" 

Sami lifted his shoulders in a shrug, and exhaled. "Jimmy's doing all the right stuff, but we haven't gotten to go on a date yet because he's so busy with Naomi." 

Rikishi nodded. "All a little much, hey? You must need cheering up badly. Push Jimmy to take you out when he wakes up, you know he needs a push. He'll be distracted with the babies, but he loves you." 

Sami shrugged again. "Yeah, really wouldn't mind being cheered up. Especially by him taking me out." He exhaled again, handing the blunt back. 

"Would you like a hug?" 

"Yes, please." Sami turned and they wrapped their arms around each other, Rikishi's arms around Sami's waist. They lingered a second, and Sami started to chuckle as Rikishi prodded his sides. "C-Chief!"

"What's up, Sami?" Rikishi asked playfully, grinning over his shoulder. 

"That - ehe! That tickles!" 

"Well, I'm tickling you, so I should hope so."

"S-Stohohop thahat!" Sami giggled, but he was having fun - since he'd officially joined the family Rikishi had been downright mischievous in showing affection and Sami loved it, it really made him feel included.

"Oh, all right." Rikishi withdrew. "Cheered up a little?" Sami nodded grudgingly, smiling ear-to-ear. "I mean it. Go get Jimmy the second you wake up and tell him to take you out."

Sami nodded and yawned. "Think I'll go back to bed. Thanks for the smoke and the advice."

"You're very welcome, blanquito." Sami hadn't heard his nickname in a while, and it filled him with something like strength. He smiled to himself, and paused as he passed a snoring Jimmy on the sofa-bed. He tugged his blanket over his chest more securely and bent to brush Jimmy's forehead with his lips. Jimmy sighed and turned over, and Sami felt a wave of affection. As hard as he tried, he couldn't not love him with every cell in his body. Stupid imprint. 

He was still thinking about Jimmy when he drifted off to sleep. 

A writhing figure, but this time it was different, as if Sami was watching from the sidelines. The Volturi stood above them. 

"Jane, let her speak." Aro said silkily. Jane lifted her gaze from the shaking form.

"Please!" the woman on the floor gasped. She had caramel-coloured skin and bright red eyes under her dark bangs.  

"Please, not my boys. They're innocent in all this."

"Wrong!" Caius snapped. "They, and their cousins, have done irreparable damage with their breeding, and one of them is a turned human! They must be punished!"

"Caius," Aro said. "This is not your business." He snapped his fingers and Caius flew backwards, hitting the wall with a thud and a groan.

"However," Aro continued. "He isn't incorrect. Your sins have set off a chain of events that will only end in war, Adaline. Your last husband made sure of that."

Sami screamed as he awoke, thrashing and catching himself up in the covers.

"Sami!" Someone was grabbing at him and Sami flailed, still half in the vision. "Get away from me!" 

"Sami! Sami! It's me! Calm down, it's me! It's Jimmy!" His husband was untangling him gently, grabbing his flailing fists. Sami plunged a hand between his legs and was beyond relieved to discover he was perfectly dry. "You can go now," he said dully. "Sorry I woke you." 

Jimmy's face fell a little. "Sami, come on. I'm your husband. Let me hold you for a while." 

Sami wanted to push him away, say something cruel about how he had cheated, tell him to get Jey instead - but he'd already woken one person, and he had the feeling Rikishi would want to hear about this vision before he told anyone else. 

He turned over and snuggled down. "Five minutes, and we go out today. Somewhere quiet, so you don't miss a word when I'm yelling at you. It's time you started repenting."

The bed creaked as Jimmy lay down next to him and snaked an arm across his chest. "Deal." 

Sami fell back asleep hating how good it felt to be held by Jimmy again.

So that's what they did that afternoon, they grabbed food from a local diner and walked until the trees swallowed them up. Occasionally their hands brushed on the walk, but Jimmy was too nervous to try and take his hand, and Sami was too irritated to offer his. Naomi had gone for a nap with people taking turns watching over her - Bella had practically moved in, which meant Edward too, and Carlisle came as well. "You're about ready to pop," he had said that morning as he checked Naomi's blood pressure. "Bella and I will have to go and hunt to make sure our strength is up for your delivery." 

So now Jimmy was making the most of a snatched hour or two with Sami before he became a father again. They sat on a fallen tree and ate their burgers and fries, and for a moment things were almost normal. "So?" Jimmy said with his mouth full, a move that Sami normally found endearing but today intensely irritated him. "Talk. Yell at me. Whatever you needed."

"I love you," Sami said after a moment. "I love you so much it hurts. I never thought I'd find someone like you or feel this way about anyone, let alone want to be married to them. You were the first person to treat me like I wasn't broken or weird for not liking sex, and you're my everything." His voice wavered.

"But?" Jimmy prompted him gently. 

"But I am so mad at you," Sami said with a little sob. "I'm so, so mad at you and so in love with you and you're just gonna have to be okay with both of those things being true, because otherwise I can't do this any longer." Tears were running down his face into his beard.

"I'm okay with it." Jimmy said quietly, and opened his arms a little. Sami nestled into his chest, sniffling. "I love you, my Sami." His heart ached to see his engagement ring hanging around Sami's neck - he'd given it back willingly, but hadn't expected his husband to start wearing it around like he did. Another part of his punishment, he supposed. 

"I love you, my Jimmy," Sami said back eventually, reaching up to gently trace the lines of his facial scarring. 

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

"Please." Jimmy murmured into his hair. "Please let me back into bed with you. I can't sleep right without you." Sami almost weakened - Jimmy's arms felt so good around him. He squirmed away. "Two weeks on the couch, and you think you can climb back into bed on our first date? I don't think so." Jimmy deflated visibly, and Sami felt a vindictive satisfaction from it. 

However, that night, Jimmy thought he'd changed his mind. Sami crept out to where he was lying awake, climbing in with him and snaking an arm under the covers. "Hi, Jimmy," he whispered, kissing Jimmy's neck while he played with his waistband. "Ah, mm, hi," Jimmy moaned back, excited and horny and grateful - he had been too ashamed to do so much as touch himself since Sami found out about the cheating. "That, uh... hmm! That feels good, Sami." Sami was touching his cock very gently, and little sparks of pleasure shot down towards his balls. "W-wow," he stammered - he'd done denial before, but never for this long. It kind of felt like he had to pee, which was exactly the sensation he'd read about in extended denial - his orgasm was going to be huge.

"Okay?" Sami hummed, moving his hand faster.

"Yeah," Jimmy breathed. "F-fuck, yes, so okay." Sami kept on speeding up, until his hand was a blur in Jimmy's pants. "How's that feel, Jimmy?" The sensation of needing to pee intensified exponentially, making him squirm. 

"Fireworks," Jimmy gasped, and indeed there were little lights starting to pop behind his eyes, pleasure burning at the top of his cock; he was very close. "S-Sami, fireworks. I'm--"

Sami stopped abruptly and Jimmy whined loudly. The edge felt amazing until it disappeared, and then he was just unsatisfied. 

"That," Sami breathed in his ear, "is what cheaters get. No orgasms, not one, and those hands stay where they are, you hear me?" Jimmy could've cried. As Sami left, Jimmy flopped back onto the couch with a disappointed whimper. On top of everything else, he was now being denied so much as his own hand. His cock throbbed unhappily as he turned over to try and go back to sleep.

At the edge of the silver ring, things had degraded. Aro was getting more and more upset with every day that passed without Rikishi's head in front of him, and had insisted Seth and Paul stand guard themselves with the others. Paul kept having to call in reinforcements, so now there were no less than thirty vampires spread out around the edge of the ring, surrounding the property. They were lucky there was such a booming tag division in the WWE, because most of them came in pairs and could switch out when needed. The New Day had been particularly useful in turning people, known for their agility even as humans, and had supplied most of the current circle themselves - but there were more waiting in the wings if they needed.

"What news of The Bride?" Bronson asked. "Aro's last message spoke of a woman who he was bringing to fight alongside us at the final battle."

"Mind your own business. We cannot afford to wait, Seth." Paul said, brushing Bronson off as if he was a particularly annoying mosquito. "We need to bring the secret weapon in now. This circle must be breached, and soon."

Seth rolled his eyes. "Fine. Get him."

Paul put two fingers in his mouth and let out a piercing whistle. It echoed across the ground and faded. Then there was a rumble and a great giant of a man appeared next to them. 

Seven foot four, scarlet-eyed, stoic, Omos the vampire towered above his allies. "Mr Rollins," he grunted. "Mr Heyman. Is it time?" His hands were massive, like dinner plates.

"It's time." Paul confirmed. He turned around and bellowed so that even those far away at the other end could hear. "It's time! We're going to start digging. This will not be fun or painless, but the protection can only be sowed so deeply. We must break this circle and take the Chief alive." He emphasised the last word. "If you find yourself taking too much damage, switch out until you can recover enough to go back in." He swept his arms wide. "Begin!" 

Bron was the first to kneel in the dirt, doglike as always, and started clawing up great handfuls of dirt and flowers. His hands quickly started to smoke and he started to grit his teeth with pain, but he dug on. The rest followed his lead, some having the brains to take up pointed rocks to dig with, and soon the air was filled with cries of pain and the acrid smell of burning flesh, but they were starting to dig their way inside the Bloodline's guard. 

Chapter Text

Inside the house, nobody had any idea how expontentially the number of lookouts had grown - the pregnancy kept them all distracted.

It wasn't for another week when Carlisle went out to hunt in advance of the birth that he came back only thirty minutes later, his eyes huge and blood smeared around his mouth. "Keesh," he said. "Keesh, they're everywhere. Resting now, however temporarily, because it's so sunny out and there's so many of them they'd be seen from a mile. Vampires, a whole army of them, trying to dig into the silver barrier. I spent forever trying to get around them, and finally managed to find a fox to eat, but it was messy and they're going to find the body. Bella and Edward - they must know, they went out earlier to feed - had definitely been around too, and probably faced similar problems." 

To speak of the devil, the door opened and Bella and Edward came in. "Carlisle," Edward said. "Chief Uso. There's-"

"Vampires," Carlisle said. "We know. You two feed okay?" Bella nodded. "Beaver den a little ways away, but we ended up getting a good look at some of the guards Aro has brought on board. Their hands are just crumbling and burning away upon contact with the silver, and they're regenerating, but slowly. That gives us more time." She went to wash her hands. "Jimmy, come." 

Once Carlisle, Bella and Jimmy were washed and gloved, they walked out to the guesthouse where Naomi was in bed, Rikishi scurrying behind them with one of the two cups of tea she was allowed a day.

Naomi looked exhausted. Her hair was fried and her stomach was so large she could no longer wash herself properly, so Bella had been taking care of her. "How are you, Naomi?" Carlisle asked kindly. "Eating okay? Drinking water, using the bathroom?"

"Have to go every five minutes," Naomi grumbled. "but yeah, I'm okay. Oof!" She grabbed for her stomach. "These kicks are getting to be too much. There's three of you, I get it!" She called down to her stomach. 

"Could be any day now," Carlisle said softly. "Have you thought about names?"

"Well, I have," Naomi said. "Jimmy didn't want to know the sexes, so I haven't been able to discuss it with him at all." She shot him a look, which Jimmy resisted returning. Carlisle seemed to realise he'd put a foot wrong and hurried on to check her blood pressure, Naomi occasionally grunting as another kick hit her.

"Normally we'd take you for a final pre-delivery scan," Bella said, "but you're very fragile, and your three little guys - gender neutral," she added hastily upon seeing Jimmy's face, "seem kicky and wriggly and active, so I'm not worried about them so much as I am about keeping you safe until you go into labor." She patted Naomi's hand and she smiled, exhausted as she was. 

Sami was hovering in the doorway, and Naomi beckoned him forward. He let out a little squawk when she snatched his hand, laying it gently on her stomach. "What are you-"

There was a little thump against his hand from the inside, like Naomi's tummy was a drum being beat, and Sami jumped. "Oh!" Two more little drumbeats followed the first, and Sami felt his eyes watering. "Okay, you're not allowed to cry," Naomi said, her lips turning downwards, "because I can't control myself right now, and I'll cry too." Sami gave a hearty sniff to get himself under control and then giggled wetly, stepping back. "We need to talk," he whispered to Rikishi. "Just us two."

"He did what?!" Crash.

"Chief, please, you'll hurt yourself." Smash.

"Oh, it's not me I'm thinking of hurting. That crusty old pervert, taking her for his own! Turning her wasn't bad enough!" The sound of breaking glass, and then a suitcase zipping. 

Jimmy, Jey, and Solo were all pressed against Rikishi's bedroom door, listening as Sami laid out his vision, while Nia, Roman and Jacob stood behind them, too big for the door to take their weight. Sami was in there with him.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm going to get Ada." 

"Chief, you can't leave! The vampires-"

"To fuck with the vampires! I shall take my axe with me."

"But Chief, you can't just go to Tuscany! This is what Aro wants." 

"So he'll get it. What of it?" Rikishi suddenly yanked the door open, and the eavesdroppers fell inwards in a pile. "Good, now everyone knows and I don't have to explain. I'm leaving." 

He didn't get far before Carlisle was there. "You can't leave."

"You are not my mate!" Rikishi shouted, and Carlisle looked deflated. "Adaline is my mate, and she needs me!" 

Then Jimmy was there, laying a hand on his dad's arm. "Dad. Naomi needs you. We need you. What if they got in while you were gone?" 

Rikishi stood in the middle of everyone, struggling to make the right choice. If they attacked the house they would certainly hurt the boys and then Ada would kill him for choosing her over them after everything, especially after they hadn't spoken in 20 years. He dropped his suitcase and stood, breathing hard.

"Someone clean the mess up in there," Carlisle said quickly, and Solo and Jacob hurried to do just that.

"I'm sorry," Sami heard Rikishi murmur to Carlisle, and Carlisle brushed his forehead with his lips. "Nothing to be sorry for, my dear." Tears threatened Sami again; he ached to be in their place with Jimmy, who looked similarly put out across the hall. 

They all decided to eat dinner in the guesthouse that evening, and had gotten all the way to dessert when Naomi gave a little gasp. "Ooh, ooh, Jimmy, bathroom!" 

"You gonna throw up?" 

"Uh-uh!" Naomi was wriggling around on the bed. "Quick, quick, quick!" Jimmy raced to help her out of bed and to the bathroom, but they were only halfway there when Naomi froze and there was a loud splattering sound. Naomi began to cry. "Oh no, oh no..." She sobbed, turning bright red as a puddle spread around her on the wooden floor, yellowish fluid soaking through her white cotton pyjamas and streaming down her legs. Everyone in the room shuffled their feet awkwardly, unsure where to look.

"Naomi, it's all right," Rikishi ventured. "You're very pregnant, accidents happen."

"Then why do I still feel like I need to go?" she wailed, humiliated. 

"Because that's not urine," said Carlisle, and they all turned to look at him; he had entered silently. "Congratulations, Naomi. Your water has broken." 

"What?!" Naomi shrieked - and then howled as a contraction hit her. "Holy fuuUUUCK!" Her knees buckled and Jimmy grabbed her despite her sodden lower half. "I've got you, Naomi. We'll get to the hospital right away - right?'" he asked, looking up at Carlisle and then Bella, who had come running in hearing Naomi scream.

"Yes, yes," said Carlisle, jumping into action, "I just want to examine you first, Naomi." He raised his voice. "Everyone who is not a doctor or made these babies, get out of this goddamn room!" Everyone, even Rikishi, scattered at his authoritative tones as Jimmy laid Naomi on the bed. Bella cut up the side of Naomi's pyjamas and peeled them off, exposing her soaked maternity underwear that was now beginning to stain pink. "Okay, we have a little blood down here, Carlisle."

"Heard, Bella." Carlisle was taking off his coat to lay it over her chest as a blanket, because she had started to shiver. "Naomi, just focus on the things you're feeling, okay? We can't have you going into shock, because that's not good for you or the babies."

"The things I'm feeAAAAAARGH!" She clung to Jimmy's hand with a vice grip. He hissed but endured it, knowing it must be nothing compared to what she was feeling.

"Exactly," Carlisle encouraged her. He leant down to examine Naomi and Jimmy saw his eyes widen just a little. "Okay, you are four centimetres dilated." Carlisle said. 

"I'm what?!" Naomi yelped.

"Can't we do anything to stop it?" Jimmy asked. "Protect her from all this pain, get her to the hospital where they can drug her up?"

"Oh, now he cares about protection!" Naomi roared. 

Rikishi came running back, white-faced - and immediately turned his back when he saw Naomi's knees open on the bed. 

"What's wrong, Keesh?" Carlisle asked, his eyes on the clock above the bed.

"I went to go start the car, and I did, but," Rikishi looked afraid. "We have a situation outside."

"We have a situation inside!" Naomi shrieked. She clutched at Jimmy. "Don't go." 

"I'll go." Carlisle said. He nodded at Bella, who took over. "Still four centimetres, Naomi. We're okay. You're okay."

"I don't feel okay," Naomi sobbed. "I feel like I'm about to shit out all my intestines." 

"Well, during labor with multiple babies, some people do experience..." 

"Oh my God! I'm gonna poop?" 

Outside, Carlisle had hefted Rikishi off his feet despite his size and run with him to a copse of trees about a hundred metres from the silver boundary. Great lumps were taken out of the ground and holes dug, so craters now pitted the area. Rikishi shook with anger, as much for the aesthetics of the land as for who was doing it.

Seth Rollins and his crew stood at the boundary, and there were numerous others too. They made a hard line around the circle, all pressing together at the front where Bron was clawing away at the ground, slobbering. "I smelled a human, Seth! I really did! A lady! A pregnant lady!" 

"Calm down, Bron," Seth said, grabbing Bron and forcing him back. "I smell her too. She's bleeding, which means she's already ours. No use in withering away - we'll need you when we break this line." He raised his voice. "Break time is over! We have to stop them bringing any more little freaks into this world!" 

Rikishi clung to Carlisle's hand, afraid for them all as they sped back inside.

"We do, it seems," Carlisle said to Edward in a low voice, "have a situation. They know Naomi is here and they want the babies. I don't think we can move her now." 

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" came the wail from inside. Carlisle ran back in. 

"What is the holdup?" Naomi whimpered. "I want drugs. I want all the drugs! You get me out of this bed, Jimmy Uso!" 

Carlisle and Bella exchanged glances. 

"Naomi, I don't think that's going to happen." Carlisle said gently.

"What?!" shrieked Naomi, yelling as another contraction hit.

"You're six centimetres dilated." Bella said, rushing to get towels and blankets as Carlisle once again took his place at the end of the bed. "Your contractions are less than five minutes apart. You've given birth before, Naomi. You know there's a point of no return." 

"But w-what about the meds and the midwives and- and-" Naomi was sobbing and the fluid was starting to rush freely from between her legs. "I know," Bella said. "I really know." She grabbed Naomi's other hand and squeezed. "Here I am. You can hold me as tightly as you like and I won't break." 

Naomi gripped her hand back just as tightly, and felt strengthened when she didn't even wince. 

As the night dragged on and the enemy salivated on their doorstep, Naomi prepared to give birth in her new world.

Chapter Text

The clock struck one a.m. softly in the hall, its single strike swallowed up by a scream.

"Breathe," Bella said, and Naomi thrashed in bed. "Breathe, Naomi. You'll put the babies at risk otherwise."

"Oh, I can't do this!" Naomi sobbed. "It hurts too much, please, we have to go to the hospital." But even apart from the encroaching vampires they hadn't told her about, it had started to pour outside once more; monsoon season was on the way, and the rain was hammering so hard against the roof they often had to shout. There was no way out.

"Naomi, you're fully effaced and dilated," Carlisle said. "I'm sorry, I really am, but there's absolutely nowhere we can go from here. The only way out is through."

"They always fucking say that!" she cried, and Jimmy yelped as she crushed his hand. "Ohhh, I need to push!" 

"Wait. Naomi." Carlisle's voice was different suddenly. "Don't push. Not one bit. Not yet."

"What's wrong?" Naomi asked. "Don't you tell me nothing!"

"Er... Bella?" Carlisle said, and Bella left Naomi's side. "Wait, don't go!" she wailed.

"I'm right here," Bella promised, busy between her legs where Carlisle was. "Okay, the first baby is slightly crooked - they're not breech," she rushed to reassure Naomi. "Just a little wonky. We can turn them, but I won't lie, it's going to hurt like hell."

"I'm getting used to iIIIEEEEERGH!" Naomi found herself cut off by the strongest contraction yet. "Jesus fuck!" She panted. "Okay, do it, do it, just get these things outta me!" 

Bella placed one hand on either side of where the baby's head bulged out in her lower abdomen, and pressed smoothly. Naomi roared - it was every bit as bad as she'd feared - but it was over fast, and then Bella was holding her hand again. "Okay, it's done, it's finished! Breathe. It's time." 

Naomi was suddenly gripped by a cold fear. "What if I can't deal with it?" she sobbed. "What kind of world am I bringing these kids into?" 

Jimmy gripped her hand. "You have a village now in the tribe," he whispered. "And even if you didn't have one, you'd be one all on your own, because that's how strong you are. You're amazing, Naomi."

They stared into each other's eyes - and then Naomi's face screwed up in pain.

"Okay, we're crowning," Carlisle said. "Push, Naomi! Push!"

She screamed her loudest yet as with a cry, the first of her triplets entered the world. She gasped for breath, hanging onto Jimmy and Bella. 

"It's a girl," Carlisle told her, wrapping the first baby in a towel and passing her to Bella to cut the cord. 

"A girl," Jimmy whispered, his eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "My family has all boys, we don't know a thing about girls."

"Well, you're gonna learn now!" Naomi laughed tearfully - and gasped as she was hit with a fresh contraction. "Time to push again," Carlisle said, blood on his coat and determination on his face. "Bella, can you help?"

"Yeah." Bella placed the first baby into the first of several cots they'd hastily constructed. They were hardly more than plastic totes stuffed with blankets, but they'd keep the babies secure and warm while they weren't being held.

"Aaaaaaaaargh!" Somehow pushing out the second baby hurt more than the first, but she did push them out, warm and pink and with a healthy set of lungs. 

"Another girl!" Bella cried, rubbing down and wrapping up their second screaming daughter. "Now, the deliveries often speed up with multiple children, so don't be surprised if..." With one almighty push, Naomi and Jimmy's third little girl slid out of her and directly into Carlisle's hands, and after cutting the cord he held her aloft triumphantly. "This one is going to be a troublemaker, I can tell." 

The room was full of baby gurgles and Naomi crying softly. "You did it, it's over," Bella praised her, handing her youngest triplet to her. Jimmy stroked her hair. "You did so well," he whispered. 

"Oh, you better believe it!" Naomi whimpered triumphantly, clumsily kissing her daughter on the head. 

"Well?" Jimmy asked. "What are they called?

"You are so impatient!" Naomi laughed. She pointed to the baby on her chest. "This one is Naomi too. I decided right away the one with the most troublesome energy would be Naomi Junior." Jimmy laughed. "The middle kid is Robin-"

"Hey, you came around to the gender neutral names!"

"Her birth certificate will say Robinette," she said grumpily. "But yes, I suppose Robin isn't so bad."

"What about the oldest one?" Naomi smiled. "Jimmy Uso, meet your oldest daughter, Adaline." Jimmy's breath caught as Bella placed his oldest daughter in his arms, her eyes wide open and looking right at him. "That's my mom's name," he whispered, and two big fat tears rolled down his face and splashed onto hers. She began to wriggle and cry in his arms and he clucked his tongue softly, rocking her.

"I know," Naomi smiled. "Your dad told me, when I asked after finding out we were having girls. Jim, I can't believe we did this. I'm so... I feel..." Her head lolled back. "Yeah, go to sleep," Jimmy soothed her. "You deserve to rest." But she wasn't limp as if she was simply tired; her body was going floppy. "Naomi?" He clutched at her hand, handing baby Adaline off to Carlisle to put her down. 

"Jimmy... I'm--" Her eyelids were drooping, her speech slurring. "S...Something's wrong." Bella was on alert too, her nostrils flaring. She hurried down to the bottom of the bed and clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh my– Carlisle!" Carlisle was beside her in an instant, and began grabbing gauze and packing it between Naomi's legs. "Jimmy, keep her awake and talking."

"What's wrong?" Jimmy asked.

"Awake and talking, Jimmy!" Carlisle said, a note of panic creeping into his voice when he immediately had to change out the gauze. 

"Talk to me, Naomi," Jimmy encouraged his exhausted broodmate. "Tell me about our girls. I know you probably have a ten-year plan already laid out for all of them." He shook her arm gently. "Well," Naomi mumbled with a significant effort, "they have to go to a good school."

"Of course."

"And eat good - no eating candy 24/7. And take baths together to save on water. And always be kind. You have to make sure our girls are kind." 

"Hey," Jimmy soothed, "don't talk like you won't be there. You're gonna make a great girl mom." 

"Carlisle, she's hemorrhaging," he heard Bella whisper, and squeezed his eyes shut. "Carlisle? We need to get her out of here, I don't think I can stop this."

"I don't think I will, Jimmy," Naomi sniffled. "I'm so cold." 

Jimmy rushed to tuck another blanket around her, rubbing her arms to generate heat. "There, see? You should warm up soon. Stay with us, Naomi. Stay with me." There was a huge lump in his throat.

"Jimmy," Carlisle said, "I need you to step out." 

"I'm not going anywhere!" Jimmy sobbed. 

"Jimmy." Rikishi's hand on his shoulder. "Come with me. Please."

"No!" He wailed, tears soaking into the blankets as he laid his head on Naomi's stomach. "You can all go, I'm staying." 

"You be a good boy," Naomi whispered, stroking his face. "A good dad. Or I'll come back and haunt you." She chuckled at her own joke, coughed; a little blood dribbled from her lips. 

"Naomi, please." Jimmy whispered tearfully, and a wet heat dripping onto his shoulder told him Rikishi was crying too. Jimmy's eyes found Naomi's, so big in her ashen face, but then something in hers seemed to vanish. 

"No." Jimmy said. Naomi's hand slackened in his. "No. No!" He looked at Carlisle, who for once looked at a loss. "Save her!" 

"Jimmy," Rikishi tried to soothe him a little. "Not everyone wants--"

"I don't care!" Jimmy screamed. "She's right here and you can save her, so do it! Turn her!" Rikishi looked helpless. "Carlisle, please." His voice cracked. "Carlisle?"

"I-I'm sorry," Carlisle whispered, staring at the blood on his hands, his coat, still pouring from Naomi. "I'm sorry, I can't." He sprinted from the room.

It was Bella who moved first in the end, sweeping forward to cradle Naomi's head in her arms where she lay lifeless on the bed. "Awake anew, Naomi," she whispered, and bit down on her neck, the pure, addictive taste of human blood flooding her mouth.

***

"Everyone stop!" Seth's shout cut through the grunting and the low hum of conversation outside the circle. "Make way." The vampires parted as if by magic.

Seth and Paul strode to the front, where Bron was standing obediently. His hands were regenerated after a long break, and he tossed his head in the direction of the pitted, lumpy ground. "You've made a gap?" Seth said excitedly, and he stepped forward, tapping with the toe of his shoe. When he made it all the way past the boundary without feeling the burn of the silver, he turned and spread his arms wide. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to open season. The most important of you - you know who you are - come through here with me, single file; it wouldn't do to have any of you burned. The rest of you stay and keep widening the way in."

Seth turned and strode in the direction he knew the house was in, and vampires started to squeeze through behind him, one by one.

The venom bubbled through Naomi's system, and it burned like fire. She screamed and screamed and screamed some more - but her lips didn't move, no sound came out. Her body lay there paralysed while Jimmy delivered chest compressions to keep the blood pumping, and her mind was tortured by the agony.

And then blissfully, everything went black. 

Chapter Text

Pain.

Unimaginable pain.

And then nothing at all. Naomi wondered if she was in purgatory.

But soon there were voices, muffled at first and then clearer.

"–stained the bed, we'll have to replace the entire thing." Rikishi's voice somewhere above her head.

"Dad, is that really what we should be focused on?" One of the twins - from context clues she thought it was probably Jimmy.

"Good point, I'm sorry. I'm just–"

"Nervous. We know. I'm sure she'll wake up."

"Again, I do apologise for disappearing." Carlisle's voice now. "That much fresh human blood... it has truly been a while, and I feared I would be a danger to your daughters."

"Speaking of which... do we think Naomi will react normally to them?"

"Normally?" Jimmy sounded scandalised. "She's their mother, Dad. What exactly do you think she's going to do?" 

"I-" 

Naomi opened her scarlet eyes and drank in the kaleidoscope the world had become. Dust motes drifting in the light, the smell of stale blood - her own - dried underneath her, the sound of her family's hearts pumping all around her.

"Good morning, Naomi." Carlisle said, gently but firmly cutting off Rikishi and Jimmy's squabbling. "We were getting worried about you." 

Naomi sat up - someone had washed her and put her into a long, flowing brown dress that almost blended with her skin tone. Her hair, previously drained of nutrients from pregnancy, was thick and bouncy, and she felt new and refreshed, as if she hadn't ever been pregnant, let alone given birth in the past 24 hours. She touched her stomach, flat and painless. She remembered pain, a baby's cry, then more pain, then nothing. "What happened?" she asked, looking around. Jimmy rushed to her side, and an overwhelming stink of dirt and sweat made her cough. "Oh my God, what is that smell?" 

"That's me," Jimmy grinned apologetically. "It's a wolf thing."

"Naomi, you lost a lot of blood," Carlisle said. "You weren't doing very well, so we had to... Bella, she had to..." He handed Naomi a mirror, and she gasped at her own red glare. "What did you do to me?"

"You're a vampire," he said gently. "We'll get you started on animal blood right away so you don't feel you have to drink from humans."

"I'm a-- what?!" Naomi shrieked. "What about my babies? Where are they? Did I hurt them?"

Jimmy grabbed her hands and squeezed them. "Naomi, Robin and Adaline are all okay. All human, and all very, very loud," he chuckled tearfully, and Naomi sniffled a little. "You stink." Jimmy laughed harder. "How do you think you smell to me?" 

They held each other despite the stark difference in temperature, glad to have the company. 

Rikishi put his hand on Jimmy's shoulder. "I would love to say that we should all get some rest, wake up later to celebrate the girls, but Naomi, I'm afraid we have bigger problems. Aro has turned seemingly half of the WWE to take us down. He wants to stop the Bloodline continuing, and that means taking the children."

"Oh, hell no." Naomi said, leaping from the bed. She was agile, sleek, limber like she hadn't been as a human. "Not my babies, not now, not ever." The floor, cool under her bare feet, thrummed with the emotions of everyone in the house. 

"I'm so glad you think so," Rikishi said, "because I completely agree, and I think everyone else will too." 

"Hold on." Carlisle said. "She needs to eat first, or that cat of yours won't be safe. Bella?" Bella came forward from the corner, a metal straw stuck into a blood bag in her hand. "For the new mom?" she smiled. 

Before Naomi would've been squeamish around blood, at least a little grossed out, but now a wave of hunger washed over her at the sight of it. She snatched the bag, practically biting the top off the straw as she glugged from it. "Mm... mmm..." Jimmy looked away; the little sounds of satisfaction were making him feel rather ill. Naomi dropped the bag and wiped her mouth, a new strength coming over her. "Take me to my babies, and then take me to the people who want them, so I can fuck them up."

"Congratulations, Naomi," Carlisle smiled, putting a hand on her arm. "You did very well. We'll still have to take your girls to the hospital to get their tests, but they seem perfect." 

They walked with her back to the house, where the babies sat in various peoples' arms. "Yes, yes, it's your Auntie Nia, and you're the cutest little Naomi I ever did see!" Unable to believe Nia's voice could go so high-pitched, Jimmy took a peek - and shouted with laughter. Someone had affixed a label to his daughter's forehead with "Naomi" printed on it.

Her namesake was less amused. "Who the fuck labelled my children?" 

"I think," Sami said, cradling a babbling Robin (according to her label), "he's in the bathroom. I don't actually think it's a bad idea... temporarily, at least," he said hastily, seeing her expression. "We kept mixing them up." He let out a little yelp as a tiny, flailing fist caught in his hair.

The toilet flushed, and Naomi prepared to give Jey a severe talking to. 

However, Jey wasn't expecting to exit the bathroom, meet a pair of red eyes, and have his whole world explode. 

Suddenly he could see it all laid out in front of him. Kissing Naomi, being the supernatural power couple the war needed, her choosing him over Jimmy, like it had always been so simple, like it was meant to be. He fell to his knees on the carpet, staring up at his soulmate.

"What's wrong with you?" Naomi squinted at him.

"Jey has finally imprinted." Rikishi said behind her. "On you."

"Uh, Dad?" Jimmy was at the sliding doors.

"Not now, Jimmy-"

"Yes, now!" The shout drew everyone's attention. Reluctantly, Rikishi walked over.

"Chief Rikishi Uso of the Bloodline!" Seth bellowed, a small group with him. "We know you're in there, and we know you've made more little wolves! You bring them out right now, hand them over along with yourself, and nobody has to get hurt. Aro doesn't have to go anywhere, and I'm sure if you're very compliant he'll even kill you quickly. Come on out. You won't even have to fly, we'll run you there."

"He must still think the children are mine," Rikishi whispered, his sons huddled against him. "That I have taken a new mate. That's good, it'll keep you all safer." 

"You cannot be thinking of going out there." Carlisle protested. 

"And what choice have I?" Rikishi asked, taking his silver axe from its brackets above the sink. "They won't get in here, not ever again." 

"Dad," Jimmy choked, his eyes swimming. "Don't let them take my daughters." 

Rikishi wrapped an arm around him. "Never ever. I need you all to protect them while I'm gone." 

"You are not going out there alone!"

"The hell I'm not, Carlisle."

"We'll all go!" Sami said loudly, and they all looked at him. "I mean, Jimmy should stay, and Naomi too, but the rest of us should go help the Chief!" 

"Sami," Rikishi said, "this isn't a bunch of us versus one vampire like it was with Kross."

"And I'm not a human like I was with Kross!" Sami yelled back, taking up one of Rikishi's silver knives. "We have to do this together, or not at all. I don't care what my vision said, we know we can change the future. Please, Chief."

"We won't wait forever!" Paul shouted outside. "Bron will huff, and puff, and we'll blow your house down - again!" There was a derisive cackle, repeated tenfold by the group with him. Taking another look outside, Rikishi shuddered to see the giant Omos among his closest soldiers. 

"Okay," he said. "Those that wish to fight can start preparing to fight. The rest of you, start looking for a way out of the circle with these babies. I don't care where you take them so long as they're safe." He snatched his shotgun from Solo's hands, who had run to get it, and sprinted outside. 

"Out you come, Chief," Seth said in a sing-song voice, checking a watch he wasn't wearing. "I'm going to count to ten, and then I'm calling Aro! One! Two! Thr–"

A flash of gunfire, a bang, and a scream of agony. Omos was cut down to size as his lower half was blasted away, thrashing in the dirt as he sizzled, silver embedded in him. It would take at least a full day to regenerate that much, maybe more. Seth, dumbfounded, looked in the direction of the blast.

Rikishi took aim once more. "You can call Aro, you can call whoever you want. You aren't getting these children. Come any closer," he added; Bron had lunged, "and I'll take out the rest of your not-so-giant, and then it's rock paper scissors for who I shoot next." 

Seth and Paul glared at him, trying to work out how serious he was, then took a large step back. "You'll change your mind," Paul shouted, "when he comes here and gets you himself! This will not be swift or merciful, Uso!"

"I'm counting on it!" Rikishi bellowed, and slammed the door so hard the house shook. He turned to see an army of family ready for the fight, and smiled gratefully at them. Naomi was among them, her eyes darting about. "I'm ready to fight for my kids, Chief. You can't make me leave with them." She jerked her head towards Bella, Edward and Carlisle, each of whom was holding a baby. 

"All right," Rikishi sighed. "The more the merrier, I suppose!" He flicked the safety on his gun and set it down. "Someone who's not busy, roll us all a joint. It looks like it's going to be a siege." 

Naomi sat down shyly next to Jey. "Did your dad say that you... imprinted? On me?"

"What?" Sami asked incredulously behind them. "What did you say?"

Chapter Text

"Okay, this is not the time for any of this!" Rikishi shouted above the noise in the room. "Christ, why can we not have a woman here without you all going insane?" 

Naomi was sprawled between Jimmy and Jey on the couch, with Sami perched on the arm. Rikishi stood in front of them, arms folded, while other members of the Bloodline were dotted around, mostly keeping one eye outside as more and more vampires gathered and they waited for the Volturi to arrive. The triplets slept in the arms of Bella, Edward and Carlisle, who hovered, ready to take off at a moment's notice. They were all very well behaved as far as babies went, barely a cry since they were born.

"I never wanted any of this," Naomi sniffed, and Jimmy put his arm around her. She looked at Rikishi. "Chief, you're the only one I still trust here. You lay it out for us." Rikishi sighed deeply. "Fine." He picked up the purple diary, flipping through it to the correct part and taking up a pen to scribble in the margins. 

"Imprinting is something our species does, it's a unique bond. When you became a vampire, Naomi, you became a whole other being than you were as a human. The last lingering vestiges of your soul must have attracted Jey's." He stopped, shaking his head. "To be honest, Jey, I had forgotten you had yet to imprint. So now Jey is bonded to you, Naomi, and will be your protector."

Naomi squirmed a little, overwhelmed by it all. "Does he have to be?" Jimmy snorted beside her.

"I know this all seems like a lot of attention." Rikishi said softly. "The good news is, you being imprinted upon means you can't be touched by the ones out there. It's our most absolute law." He pointed at Jimmy. "Jimmy imprinted on Sami, who is also seeing Jey, so I quite forgot that he hadn't imprinted in the end. Now Jimmy and Sami are married, Jey is imprinted on you, you are Jimmy's broodmate, he cheated with you." Naomi's head hurt - a few weeks ago she'd been single and now she was somehow a mom of triplets caught in a love...square. "I kind of feel like I need a drink." 

Rikishi's lips turned up at the corners. "Being a vampire means it won't really do anything, but I suppose there's no harm in enjoying the taste. We could all do with one, I'd say. We have at least a day before we have to worry about Aro, he's incredibly old and travelling is difficult for him."

So that was what they did, they sat around and drank. Sami found the moonshine worked the same way tonight as it had the first night he'd tried it - its kick burned away some of the fear flickering in his stomach. Rikishi was utterly besotted with his new granddaughters, and after more than a few glasses kept saying "she looks just like her daddy!" no matter which baby he held, and wheezing with laughter at his own joke. 

"All right, Dad," Jimmy eventually said softly. "I think you've had enough." 

"Enough does not exist," Rikishi croaked. "They are on our doorstep, Jimmy." Sami took baby Naomi off his lap swiftly, sensing a change in mood. 

"They took your mother, and now they're coming for you," he hiccuped. Sami hadn't seen him so intoxicated since the wedding. "So I drink, in hopes I will sleep through it all. In hopes I will not have to see another family member die bloodily." He drained his glass and refilled it - Sami had reached out to take the bottle away but quickly thought better at the look he gave him. 

"That's bullshit." A chill settled over the room, and everyone looked around to see who'd had the balls to challenge a drunken Rikishi.

Naomi sat with her arms folded. "You think I don't want to drink myself into a stupor? Forget about these babies and vampires and wolves and all this? But I can't, because I'm a fucking vampire and it doesn't work on me!" She pounded the table and the glasses rattled. "You almost died, you almost lost your sons, you did lose your wife. You have a new chance at life, a chance to send these fuckers packing once and for all. Why don't you take it, instead of sitting on your ass like a shelter dog waiting to be put down?" Sami gave a little gasp.

As Naomi ranted, Rikishi had seemingly shrunk smaller and smaller, and now he started to shake, hiding his face in his hands.

Naomi was a little startled. "Oh, uh..." She looked helplessly at the others. "Chief, I didn't mean to make you cry." Rikishi gave a hearty sniff, tears running down his face.

"Come on, Dad, I'm sure she didn't mean it." Jimmy said, and Rikishi snorted loudly. 

"Yes she did, my son, and how right she is! A shelter dog waiting to be put down!" Rikishi was laughing, not crying. As usual Jimmy couldn't help but laugh along, and that infected everyone else. 

"Naomi," Rikishi started, and she looked nervous. "One hundred years walking this earth and not one person has spoken to me like you just did!" He giggled, wiping his eyes. "And how sorely I needed it!" He let out a wobbly hiccup. "We will conquer them. It's a terrible, terrible thing they're trying to do. Just awful." He was rambling now; drunken Rikishi came in stages, and Sami and the twins, having not drunk nearly as much as their Chief, thought they knew what the next one was.

"...terrible," Rikishi grunted. His eyes slid closed, his head dropped onto his chest, and he began to snore. Jey stood up and stretched. "Wild horses couldn't wake him now. I think we should all get some rest too." 

"Y-y-yeah," Sami gave a huge, shuddering yawn. "sounds good." He patted Naomi on the shoulder. "Congratulations again, Naomi." The newborn vampire smiled at him and he couldn't help smiling back. "The girls are gonna love their Uncle Sami." Sami's smile became a grin at that, pride flooding him. 

"Hey." Naomi's voice stopped them as Jey started to lead him away to bed. "Take this one with you too." They turned and Jimmy was looking as surprised as they are. "No, Naomi, I wanna sit up with you and the girls," he protested. 

"You sitting up with me was how we got here! Let me talk to other vampires while you sleep, and maybe if you're very, very sorry and Sami is feeling very, very merciful, you won't sleep alone tonight." She poked his tummy until he jumped up, grumbling, and looked at Sami beseechingly. 

"My Sami." Jimmy said. "My wonderful husband. I love you so much. I'm so, so sorry I cheated on you and made you feel unworthy. I miss you so much. Please can we try again? Sleep in our bed together? Tomorrow... I don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow, so can't we pretend tonight that everything is okay?"

Sami made him wait five agonising seconds before he walked forward and hugged Jimmy. "Yes, we can," he murmured. Jimmy breathed in his wonderful scent, trying not to cry. "But the dates keep up." 

"Of course," Jimmy promised, kissing his cheek. Neither of them liked to say it aloud, but the thought hung in both of their minds that they might not survive long enough to go on any more makeup dates.

After bidding goodnight to Naomi, the triplets and the Cullens, Jimmy and Jey cuddled up with Sami in the purple bed. Jimmy was a wonderful weight at his back that Sami hadn't realised he missed until it returned. 

New life and death battled each other now, and as Sami shut his eyes between the two men he loved, he knew it was only a matter of time until the Volturi were with them. 

Chapter Text

Sami woke first the next morning, the morning that could be their last but wouldn't be, not if they had anything to say about it. He lay between Jimmy and Jey and listened to the old sounds; their breathing, their hearts beating, the birds outside. And the new sounds; shouting and laughing outside, and inside the splutter, hiccup and wail of a baby starting to cry. 

"I'm up!" Jimmy yelped, promptly hitting his head and collapsing back onto the bed. He groaned, and Sami rubbed his head. "I'm not up." That spark in Jimmy's bad eye seemed to dance when he smiled up at Sami, and years later Sami would still remember that specific smile on that specific morning. "I love you, Sami."

Sami kissed his forehead. "I love you too, Jimmy."

"And me?" Jey mumbled into the pillow, and Sami wound himself around his boyfriend, nuzzling his neck. "And you." They all snuggled together, savouring what could be their last time in the same bed - though of course none of them said so. But Jey was noticeably distracted, and when a second baby cried when the first had been silenced, he slunk out of bed and went to the kitchen, leaving the husbands alone. "He wants to check on Naomi," Jimmy murmured, and Sami nodded. 

"I don't want to get up." Sami said at last. "Because when we get up I have to be mad at you all over again and we have to get ready to face whatever's out there and everything is going to be..." He didn't finish, but Jimmy understood and held him a little tighter. 

They couldn't ignore their bodies forever, so it was with heavy hearts that they walked to the bathroom and then out into the living area, still holding hands. Jey was there on the couch with Naomi while she fed one of her daughters, but she kept him at arm's length, so Jey looked rather like a watchdog crouched at the opposite end. 

"Ohh.." Sami's eyes followed the groan. Rikishi was slumped over the kitchen table, his white hair drooping over his face. Carlisle sat next to him patiently, occasionally patting his back and looking as if he was trying very hard not to smile at his boyfriend's expense. 

"Too much moonshine, Chief?" Sami asked softly as he sat down next to him. 

"Not about the amount, as such," Carlisle said, passing him a cup of coffee. "More like he drank and drank and hoped he would sleep through the battle, but forgot his high metabolism would burn it off and now has the mother of all hangovers. He'll be okay in another hour or so, but right now he's..." Rikishi rushed for the sink suddenly. "this." Sami winced, knowing exactly how he felt. Rikishi coughed weakly, pawing at the faucet to turn it on, and Carlisle stood to give his back another sympathetic pat. "Breakfast, Sami?" 

Nobody expected to be able to eat much of anything, too worried for their lives, but all their heads popped up at the sound and smell of bacon sizzling, and even Rikishi had the colour come back to his cheeks when he took a tentative bite. They all ate together, and Sami struggled not to cry when he looked around. Carlisle and Rikishi were holding hands, Naomi was letting Jey sit next to her, and the triplets were here and there, being adored by other members of the tribe or just sleeping peacefully. 

Sami let out a loud sniffle. Jimmy looked up. "What's up, Sami?" 

"Give me your hand," his husband sniffed. "Your left hand, don't argue." He yanked at the chain around his neck and it broke, releasing Jimmy's engagement ring. 

"Sami, you don't have to-"

"I said don't argue!" Sami put the ring on Jimmy's finger. "It's silver, you need it. Whatever else is... oh, would you just get over here?" He hugged Jimmy hard and his husband nuzzled into his flaming ginger hair. Sami ran his fingers over the scarring that had forever changed his Jimmy, and his heartache turned to anger. "We have to stop them." he said. "I don't want to wait until Aro gets here, Chief. I want to pick up one of those knives and run out to them and... and..." He couldn't think of a punishment severe enough for the people who wanted to hurt his loves.

"I know, Sami." Rikishi said - he had started feeling much more himself, and now gripped the top of Sami's arm. "I really know." Sami leant on him. 

It seemed like all they could do that day was watch, watch as vampires assembled, chatting, laughing. A few of them were stupid enough or bored enough to try the doors and windows and quickly fell away, screeching as their hands were burned.

"Yes, and I have more for anyone who wants it!" Rikishi roared, rattling the windows at them. 

However, as evening started to fall with no word from the Volturi, even Rikishi started to get twitchy. Where were they? Why hadn't they tried further to take the house? What could they possibly be planning? 

There was a thud against the sliding door - probably a rock thrown at it. Then Seth's voice said "Last chance, Chief! Come out right now and we'll take it easy on you." Everyone waited tensely, clutching their weapons. Rikishi didn't make a move. 

"Okay, have it your way then!" Another voice replaced Seth's.

"Chief Rikishi Solo Uso of the Bloodline tribe!" High, reedy, they recognised Caius. "You have committed multiple crimes against the supernatural by breeding with a human, and you are to be executed. You've lead us a merry dance over the last forty years, but we've got you now. Come out, with your new contributions, and death will be swift for them." Rikishi clutched his axe and looked around. "I don't know about any of you, but I'm not going anywhere." Everyone nodded and continued tensely holding their weapons at the ready. 

"We aren't going to give you another chance, Chief Uso!" Aro's sing-song voice now, and through the window shades Sami could just make out him prancing around on the lawn. "You come out right this moment!"

Still nobody moved.

"Keesh..." Rikishi went white. This voice was a woman's, but Sami didn't recognise it. "Keesh, come out. Please. He doesn't want the boys, just you and- and the little ones." Jimmy, Jey and Solo had turned pale too.

"Ada?" Rikishi whispered. He took a step towards the sliding door. "My Ada?"

"I don't know what he'll do if you don't come out here. I know the doors and windows are silver, but..." She didn't have to finish. "Come out here, and the boys will be safe. That much I can promise." 

Rikishi shook with fear, half of him wanting to stay and half of him wanting to go. It was Sami who spoke first. "Together," he said, "or not at all. That's what we do, right?" 

Rikishi nodded, a new strength flooding him at the words. "That's what we do. Carlisle." He walked across the room and kissed Carlisle full on the mouth. "You'll make sure the babies are safe?" 

"Always," Carlisle replied, kissing him back just as passionately. "Naomi? Last chance. Are you coming with the babies or are you staying to fight?" Naomi struggled, hand-in-hand with Jey. "I can't feed them," she said, "and they're the best things I ever made. I'm not letting them become food for those things out there. Together, or not at all." She squeezed Jey's hand. Carlisle nodded, and Naomi shut her eyes so she didn't have to watch them go. When she opened them again the Cullens were gone, with her daughters.

Rikishi pulled the shades on the sliding door and opened it. "I'm coming out, okay?" he shouted. "Don't do anything. I'm coming out." 

"Rikishi." said his ex-wife, stood by Aro, who had an arm around her waist.

"Adaline." Rikishi said back.

For a second they stood and stared, aching for each other.

"Come forth, Chief Uso!" Aro declared, and a hooded executioner lifted a huge black two-handed axe, the evening light glinting off its blade. "Your punishment awaits!"

Rikishi stepped forward, holding eye contact with his old enemy. 

"Look at you," Aro stopped to sneer. "All alone against us. Where is your tribe now?" Something whistled by Rikishi's ear - and then Caius let out a gasp and staggered back, a silver arrow embedded in his shoulder. 

"We're right here, you bag of bones!" Sami shrieked as he lead the charge outside, his bow slung over his shoulder. Aro laughed delightedly. "It's your little pet again! Sami, wasn't it? I shall enjoy killing you." 

"He is my husband, and you won't do a single thing!" Jimmy thundered, his fists raised. "And if you want to take my dad out for breeding with humans, you'll just have to take me out too, because those babies are mine!" 

"And mine." Naomi joined him, and they all thoroughly enjoyed the looks of shock and disgust on the Volturi's faces. 

"No," Aro snarled. "Not another generation of them! This can't be!" 

"And you will never, ever," Jey bellowed, "ever get your filthy hands on them!" He knew that the longer they kept them talking before they attacked, the further away his nieces would get from harm. 

Aro looked at them, and then around at the assembled vampires. "Ha-ha-ha," he giggled. Caius began to chuckle cruelly next to him, and soon the entire assembled army were laughing at them. 

"I'm sorry," Paul laughed, wiping away a non-existent tear. "I just... What do you have, ten people?" He performed a quick headcount. "Ten people against our army. What chance do you have?" 

"Actually..." The crowd parted to reveal Kit Wilson - and John Cena holding either side of his head. The Bloodline were delighted to see him. "Actually, Paul," he said, "I think you'll find they have twelve." He twisted and pulled and Paul roared with rage as Kit's head came off, crumbling. John was gone before anyone could get him back. 

Deciding this was as good a time as any, Rikishi lifted his axe above his head and bellowed "Charge!" 

Chapter Text

"Charge!" 

At his command the tribe ran forward as one. Sami kept to the rear with his bow, and Jimmy and Jey strode out ahead arm in arm, but Naomi lapped all of them. She tore across the ground, her hair streaming behind her and her feet thudding on the ground. Logan Paul laughed at the sight of her approaching. "I'm going to eat those children in one bite each," he hissed, circling her. "Breakfast, lunch and dinner." Naomi let out an animalistic roar and launched herself at him. 

Sami blinked; one second Logan had been there and then it was just Naomi, some wisps of cloth, and a cloud of dust. It would occur to him much later that Naomi had simply vaporised the other vampire, crushed him to powder for threatening her children within arm's reach, but for now Paul's shout of "No!" was meaningless to him. He threw himself forward to avoid a vicious right hook, and was momentarily stunned by the scarlet eyes of LA Knight. LA seemed as surprised to see Sami as Sami was to see him, and quickly moved on to find someone else to fight. 

"Scum! Filth! Pathetic creatures of the night, approaching the house of my forefathers!" Roman truly came into his own, holding a silver knife in either hand, hacking and slashing and stabbing for all he was worth. When they began to overwhelm him even then, four or five of them trying to pile onto him at once, he transformed into a huge blue-black wolf, and even in the heat of battle Sami was amazed by his size. When he threw his head back and roared, Sami felt the ground shake. Roman flung himself into a knot of vampires, and tore off limbs with apparent relish. 

As Sami flung his fists and feet, locked in a fierce back and forth with Finn Balor, he couldn't help but wonder if John had miscounted. He was still there, simply picking up and throwing vampires as far as he could away from the house, but he only made eleven people, and they were still outnumbered at least two to one. Who was the twelfth? 

He slipped in the mud, went down hard, and then Finn was on top of him, trying to bite his throat as Sami struggled to hold him off. 

Finn grabbed his fingers and yanked them back and Sami screeched - it felt like he'd broken every single one. He turned his head - Jimmy, Jey and Solo were all battling Caius, who danced and weaved around them, cackling as he dodged their punches. "Jimmy," he croaked, but it was swallowed up in the sounds of battle. "Jimmy!" His left hand was useless now and he could feel himself sinking further into the mud as he struggled to hold Finn back. Was this it? Was he going to go down like this, useless again? Tears formed in Sami's eyes as he started to lose the battle. 

And then Finn was gone. Sami choked and coughed, lifting his head from the mud. 

"Up you come, uce!" Ron grabbed Sami's good hand and hauled him up. In his other hand he held Finn by the scruff. "Ron," Sami gasped, cradling his injured hand. "You came."

"You called for a Jimmy. Ain't say which one." Ron started to fight Finn in his stead. "I told you I wasn't gonna be like you," Ron snarled, his golden eyes a welcome contrast against Finn's scarlet ones. "I guess now I'm gonna have to show you." They clashed, teeth bared. 

There was a terrible scream behind them and Sami almost slipped again as he turned to look. His stomach lurched.

They had taken Rikishi's arm. Blood pumped from between Caius' fingers where he gripped the ragged edges of his sleeve, tying it off tightly and making Rikishi scream again. "Stop crying," he snarled. "You'll heal." His right arm lay before them, the fingers curled around the silver axe. Obviously he had tried something stupid and the consequences had come for him. Rikishi continued to cry with agony, only being held up by Caius now, and he let their Chief fall to his knees just to do it. 

The sounds of battle all around them slowly ceased as everyone realised what had happened and gathered to watch him be humiliated and executed. Roman was still shifted but limping badly, his breaths shallow as if it hurt, and Sami didn't want to think about what that would mean for his human body.

"Dad!" 

"DAD!" 

"You get away from him!" 

Jey, Jimmy and Solo all screamed as a wall of vampires held them back. Jimmy closed his eyes. If he could just concentrate, clear his mind, he'd be able to shift. 

"If you shift," Bronson Reed breathed into his ear, noticing his body temperature rising, "I will gut Sami in front of you." Jimmy shook; he knew he wasn't bluffing. He tried to signal to Jey with his eyes, but Jey was busy feeling humiliated as well - the cold, all-consuming fear he felt when he saw Rikishi's arm on the ground had made him wet himself. 

"Don't move." Aro told Sami. "Look at all of you!" he shouted, and gestured. Rikishi was one-armed, Sami had at least three badly broken fingers, Roman was flagging. The newborn vampires were just too strong, too fast, and they didn't even bleed. 

"Now will you accept you cannot beat us?" He flashed that creepy smile at Naomi, who tried to lunge, but the two who were holding her placed a hand either side of her head threateningly, and she subdued herself. "We will inherit the earth, take it back from all of you."

Rikishi raised his head. Tears were still dripping down his face but he'd bitten hard on the inside of his cheeks to stop himself speaking his pain. He met Sami's eyes. 

"And you, Adaline?" The boys' mom closed her eyes. "Did I not keep my promise? Did I not leave your boys alive?" 

"Yes." she whispered, eyes still closed. "Thank you. I'm very grateful." 

"And now, Chief Uso, we come to the end." Aro patted Rikishi on the head in a condescending way. "Such a pretty head. Shame it has to come off, really!" he giggled. The massive, hooded executioner stepped forth.

Sami started to cry too. This couldn't be it. 

Rikishi made an urgent grunting sound and Aro kicked him in the ribs, but it had gotten Sami's attention, and now Rikishi casually slid his eyes downwards. Sami followed his eyes to his remaining left hand. Rikishi lifted one finger, then a second. Sami's eyes widened. Wait a moment. Feel it out.

Sami looked at the axe on the ground, the fingers of Rikishi's dead arm slackened on it. He looked around at the circle they were trapped in. He looked at the empty space between them. He started to have an idea. He would die if he didn't make it, but he was probably going to die anyway. He looked at Rikishi, who curled a third finger towards his palm. We will need a third.

Sami Uso of the Bloodline concentrated and shakily breathed into the warm night air. "John." His lips barely moved. "John, I have an idea." He wasn't sure just how good John's hearing was now, if he was even still around or he had just done a drive-by, but he had to try.

"Chief Rikishi Solo Uso of the Bloodline Tribe!" Aro declared, patting Rikishi on the head once more as Sami continued to move his lips imperceptibly. "You will thusly be executed for your previous crimes, plus those you committed when resisting arrest! Do you have any last words?"

"Fuck him up, Dad!"

"Get him!" 

"Silence!" Aro snapped at the twins, who wheezed as their captors squeezed them. "This is not about you. Any last words, Chief?"

Rikishi was serene, not afraid or upset despite the shakes of pain and shock wracking him. 

"I would like to say I have no regrets!" Rikishi bellowed, and his sons cheered before another constriction stopped them. "I am in love with a vampire–" There were sounds of disgust. "and my son-in-law is a turned member of our tribe! You can take whatever you want, but you will never have our children!" 

"What's to stop us now?" Aro sneered. "Is that all you have to say after all this, that we're never going to take your children? You will be dead in a moment, Chief Uso, and then we do as we damn well wish. I wish I could say it's been a pleasure, but..." He didn't finish, simpering at him sickeningly as he stepped back to allow room for the executioner. 

"WAIT!" Rikishi was feigning panic - at least Sami hoped he was feigning. "One more thing! Please! Just one word!" 

"Oh, all right." Aro agreed. "One more word, and then the axe swings. Just because I'm feeling generous." 

Sami locked eyes with Jimmy, who understood immediately, then stared right at his Chief, knowing they had one chance. He watched his one remaining hand curl into a fist.

"Now." Rikishi said.

Sami exploded out of the spot he was in at the same time as Jimmy lifted his head and smashed the back of it into Bronson's nose, who was stunned and let go of him. 

Sami had never run so hard in his life. A burning in his side told him he'd probably broken some ribs again, but there was no time to think of the pain. He got to the silver axe and snatched it, shuddering as he brushed the disembodied arm, and then immediately wheeled around and began sprinting for Aro, who looked confused at the speed everything was happening.

Fifty metres.

Come on, John.

Thirty metres.

We can't do this without you.

Ten. 

With a blur of movement, John appeared before Sami, crouched into position perfectly. 

Sami's feet left the ground. He stepped from the base of John's leg to his back, and using his neck as an anchor point Sami leapt. 

No, Sami flew - at least it seemed that way. His good hand wrapped firmly around the handle of the axe while he braced it against his other arm. He went over, over, over, cleared Rikishi, cleared the executioner. He didn't clear Aro. He didn't want to. 

Years later, Jimmy would still claim to have seen moonlight glinting beautifully off the silver axe as Sami swung his arms in a wide arc. He took Aro's head off, colliding painfully with his body and going down.

Aro's head thudded to the ground and rolled to a stop, and the shocked silence rang out. "You..." gasped Caius. "You - he -" 

There was a sudden red-gold flare of flame and the newborn vampires shrieked at the sight, peeling away from the crowd.

Ron knelt by Aro's head, holding a can of hairspray and a lighter and spraying for all he was worth. "Die!" he roared. "I can't get high or drunk no more, so you die! You tried to hurt my friends, so now I hurt you!" 

Sami clung tight to Aro's body, hauling it up to get the same treatment later. No use in them taking a piece with them and him coming back.

The Bloodline stood battered, bruised and indeed bloody, but they'd just killed the leader of the leaders, and now the vampires, young and old, stood at odds. 

"Run, you idiots!" Caius screamed. "They're not going to stop, run!" He took off himself, leaving the oldest vampires to be Seth and Paul, who quickly panicked. 

As the vampires fled, some of them the worse for wear, only Adaline was left. 

"Mom." Jimmy croaked. 

"My boys!" she shouted, racing towards them. "My sons!"

She caught all three of her sons in a vice grip, squeezing them as they cried. She kissed their foreheads one by one, looked at their faces. "You've grown up." 

"Ada..." Rikishi's voice was weak, pleading. "Ada, you shouldn't stay. You know well what I am to you." 

Bella and Carlisle weren't there, so Sami had to be the doctor this time. He helped Rikishi get into a sitting position on the ground, bracing behind him. "I've got you, Chief. Stay awake." He looked up. "Naomi, be my nurse?"

Naomi was by his side in an instant. "What can I do?"

"Just pass me things as I ask. Can you be here, Naomi? All the blood..." 

"Sami." The scarlet eyes found the brown. "He's my family. I wouldn't hurt him. I've got this."

Adaline darted forward and Sami flinched - but she only knelt by her ex-husband, taking his left hand. "My dear Keesh, you've gotten yourself into a mess." Rikishi laughed wheezily. "Y-yeah, seems like it!" 

Sami was encouraged to find the blood at Rikishi's sleeve was thickening and drying, but it still steadily dripped, and he looked awfully pale. Sami had to prevent shock. "Okay, one of you go for help!" He shouted, grabbing Rikishi around the waist and squeezing him. He grunted with pain. "Sami, what-"

"Deep pressure. Have to stop you going into shock, Chief! You feel my arms around you?"

"Yes," Rikishi said, and his voice was definitely steadier. "Yes, Sami, I feel your arms. I'm with you." 

Adaline leaned down and planted a cold kiss on Rikishi's forehead. "I will go for help." she said. "Goodbye for another lifetime, my love." She let the boys hug her again before taking off. 

"The Cullens!" Sami shouted after her. "Edward will read your mind, he'll know you're good!" Jimmy was on the phone to 911, and screamed loudly in pure frustration, putting the speaker on.

"Thank you for calling 911. Due to a large block fire in the city, we are experiencing an unexpected call volume. There are.. 16.. emergencies ahead of you. Please hold." Jimmy threw his phone as far as he could, but then regretted it because he had to chase after it. 

"Hold on, Chief," Sami said, not liking the laboured sound Rikishi's breathing had taken on. 

"I got it!" Solo came running out of the house with the first-aid kit. 

"You aren't gonna make my day and tell me there's a needle and thread in there, are you?" Sami asked, and Solo shook his head sadly after upturning it on the ground. Bandages, alcohol wipes, scissors, gauze, betadine, an EpiPen. Nothing special, certainly nothing that would reattach Rikishi's arm. Sami decided to use what he could and cut his shirt open, exposing his stump. It had been a traumatic amputation and Sami felt rather sick; this was certainly one way to get experience in traumatic injuries. 

Rikishi started to scream seeing his own arm, his legs kicking, and Sami jumped into action. "I need you to hold him down!" Sami shouted at the twins and Solo. "The more he panics about it the faster he bleeds out. Okay Chief, Chief," he raised his voice as Rikishi's sons guided him to lie down flat and he continued to freak out. Sami grabbed the bloodstained shirt and draped it over his face. "It's gone! Chief, I'm covering your face, it's gone, you don't have to look at it any more." Rikishi's screams dulled to sobs, and revved back to a roar when Sami wrapped a hand in gauze and grabbed his stump. "This is the best I can do for now," he said. "Holding pressure and keeping you comfortable. Hurry up, Adaline. Please." 

"I'm going after her." Naomi said, getting up. 

"Actually, Naomi, would you please get the smoke box and the bottle of moonshine from the house?" Sami asked, relieved to see that the blood seemed to be slowing. "I think the Chief could do with a painkiller, and it's not like we can have him swallow pills and wait for them to kick in." Naomi was only gone moments. Taking Jey's shirt from him, he wrapped it tightly around where his hand was to hide the ragged flesh and the gleam of bone. "Sit up, come on." Rikishi snivelled as they helped him sit back up to drink from the bottle. He coughed and choked, but there was no blood, and the drink brought a little colour back his face. "Mrrm, that's the stuff." He took a big gulp, then another, and then leaned his head back against Sami's chest. "That feels a little better. Sami, I feel very much like I could go to sleep." 

"No, you absolutely cannot go to sleep," Sami told him. "Stay awake!" He slapped Rikishi lightly across the face and he grunted, opening his eyes wider. "All right, all right." There was a a shaky flick and hiss, and Jey held the blunt to his dad's lips. "Yeah, inhale, there you go." Rikishi exhaled heavily. "My wonderful men, all of you. No better to lead than you. Make sure we continue, if I can't." 

"You're gonna be fine," Jimmy sniffled, taking a hit himself, and for once Sami agreed - but the arm was another story. He's been reading about amputations and what affected them, and he was pretty sure a traumatic amputation laying on the hot, dirty ground for an hour didn't fit the criteria for being reattached. 

"Rikishi!" It was Carlisle, alone. "If we can just get that arm reattached..."

"We're on hold!" Jimmy wailed. 

"I didn't say at the hospital. Hang up the phone, Bella is coming too."

"My babies?" Naomi asked.

"Safe, I promise you. The Volturi?"

"Dead." Sami said, and watched Carlisle's eyes widen. "At least, Aro is. I cut his head off."

"Good for you, Sami." Carlisle scooped Rikishi up off the ground, and his boyfriend moaned and clung to him with his one remaining hand. "Car...lisle. You came back. Am I dying?" 

"No, you damn well aren't." Carlisle stopped to grab the amputated arm.

Then, flanked by all the Bloodline, he sprinted for the house. There was no time to waste. 

Chapter Text

"Ow, ow, ow," Sami whimpered quietly as Carlisle tried to spread out his broken fingers "Ow–" He bit down on his lower lip to avoid shouting.

"Grade four hand trauma," Sami heard him murmur. Not something that a bag of ice would fix, then. His hand shook where it sat on the table, intermittently tingling and burning, and he did shout when Carlisle pressed on his palm. "Okay, yeah," Carlisle said gently. "The shockwave from having your fingers broken can't have helped the rest of your hand. How's the pain?"

Rikishi was subdued across the room, barely a cry as Bella stitched his arm back on expertly. His healing factor helped, so that before Bella was finished she could see the torn skin starting to knit itself together. 

When she placed the final stitch and the arm started to brighten up as its blood flow returned, Bella was beyond relieved. She'd been apprehensive about the chances of the arm healing, but now she missed her lung function, because this was exactly the kind of situation that called for a big sigh of relief. 

"Sami, did you hear me? Pain, 1-10." 

"L-Like a..." Sami's hand spasmed and his face clenched. "a seven, I think. Goes up to eight when you mess with it." 

"I'm afraid I shall have to mess with it," Carlisle said, "and now. If you heal wrong I'll have to break your fingers again." Sami decided he didn't want to take that particular chance, but he couldn't stop tears spilling out when Carlisle manipulated his hand again. "I'm very sorry, Sami. I'll be as gentle as possible." 

"My Sami." Jimmy was next to him. "You did so well. Here, painkiller." The bottle made a soft thud on the table and Sami drank greedily despite the burn of the alcohol, probably halving what was in the bottle. It seemed to sink into his bones gradually, or maybe it had just hit his stomach instead, but the pain dulled, and he leaned his head against Jimmy. "My Jimmy... it hurts." His voice broke on the word and Jimmy held him tighter. "I know it does. Dr. Cullen just wants the best outcome, right?"

"R-Right," Sami sniffled, loving the feeling of being held by his husband again. He breathed in his scent and cried again, any residual anger after the infidelity melting away... for now. He was sure it would be a different story tomorrow, when he was sore and hungover and drained from the heat of battle. He still couldn't quite believe they'd won an ancient war today, much less so that he'd been the one to cut off the head of the millennia-old vampire leading the opposition. Just six months ago he was an average human making a living in sports. Now, here he sat, a husband, a fighter, a member of the Bloodline tribe, and he was applying to med school...

"Oh!" Sami gasped.

"Sorry, sorry," Carlisle murmured.

"No, it's not that, I just–" Sami's lower lip trembled. Carlisle waited patiently, as did Jimmy.

"I can't be a doctor with one hand," he whispered.

"First of all, that's not true," Carlisle said, his eyes on Bella, who had pulled out several sheets of what appeared to Sami to be oddly stiff bandages from her medical bag. "I know plenty of disabled doctors. Secondly, we're going to put your hand in a cast to help it heal right, and I don't think you'll have any lasting damage. If anything, very minimal - maybe some muscle spasms and nerve damage like Jimmy. I'm sorry we don't have any morphine, Sami, it's very hard to get cleanly without leaving a record." He added, nodding at the bottle on the table. "I obviously don't condone using substances to dull the pain, but it's what we have in the field." Sami took another long slug.

"My first on-call trauma, huh?" he joked weakly, and Carlisle laughed out loud. "Sense of humour is firmly intact. Do you want to go into trauma like Bella? Or you could go into emergency medicine like me, or there's hundreds of other specialities." When Sami looked panicked, he reassured him "but you're a long way off from that. Most people find their speciality during their residency." Bella had brought over a bowl of warm water and now she began wetting Sami's skin a little at a time, saturating the strips of bandages in the bowl as she did so, and when they were wet she began laying them over his hand, wrapping firmly on all sides. It was a strange sensation as the cast hardened, but with it there was relief - if his hand couldn't move it couldn't hurt. "We're done." She said, patting Sami's arm, who jerked; he had almost gone to sleep from the combination of the alcohol and the soothing repetitive movements. He examined his hand, which now looked like he was wearing a white boxing glove. "I have to keep this on?"

"For a couple days, at least." Bella said, getting up to wash her hands - they were covered in plaster. 

Sami's hand immediately began to itch under the cast, but he knew that was psychosomatic and tried to push it from his mind. "Mmm, Jimmy." He held Jimmy's hand with his uninjured right one. "Take me to bed." 

"Rikishi will sleep," Bella said, nodding towards their unconscious Chief. "Probably for the rest of the night. You two go, we'll watch him - but I will say I think Jey is already in your room." 

Sami had never heard better news.

Jey was indeed there, a cut under his eye that had swelled it shut and bruises on his ribs, but he had an ice bag in either hand and was icing his injuries. "What's up, uce?"

"Look at us!" Sami laughed shakily. "Come on, Jimmy, where are your war wounds? 

"Well," Jimmy said, and for the first time Sami noticed his mouth was puffy - a swollen lip? "Now that you mention it." He sat back and opened his mouth wide, grinning ruefully at them.

"Jimmy! You've lost your front teeth!" Sami gasped, and Jimmy laughed wheezily. "Yeah, Woods got me in the face. I'll get em to fix me up."

"Actually..." Sami grinned. "Am I crazy, because I think it's kind of handsome." 

"I think that may be the 100 proof moonshine taking effect," Jimmy grinned again. "But I appreciate that." Sami tugged gently on his beard to pull him into a kiss, then leaned over to kiss Jey too. "We're alive. We should be celebrating, but..."

"All I wanna do is sleep," Jimmy mumbled, speaking all of their thoughts aloud. "Celebrate tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Sami yawned, sleep closing in around him. "Tomorrow."

Just before he fell asleep, Sami wondered if he would go by Dr. Uso or Dr. Zayn.

Chapter Text

When Sami awoke, his first thought was that he hadn't had a single dream - at least, not any he could remember - for the first night in months. He opened his eyes wide, looking at the ceiling, which had cleverly been painted with little red-brown and golden wolves chasing each other - one of Alice's personal touches on the rebuild - and smiled. He stretched out luxuriously between the two men he loved the most, and--

"Ouch." He had forgotten about his hand, which throbbed underneath its cast - and his head hurt too from the alcohol last night, but he hoped some coffee would help. He wondered what time it was.

A none-too-gentle tap came at the door and Sami started, still on edge. "Whuzit?" Jimmy mumbled. Sami drew a line down his back and watched his muscles ripple in response.

"It's ten thirty," Edward called through the door. "There's food and coffee in the kitchen. I am not your maid."

Jimmy snorted a laugh and then groaned; it hurt his exposed gums. "Okay, m'up already."

Sami reached out and pushed Jey's hair off his face gently, and the eye that wasn't swollen fluttered open. "Sami." he whispered. "We beat them all up." 

"Yeah, we did," Sami said, kissing him on the forehead. "Time to get up." 

"But I'm so comfy." 

Jimmy grabbed hold of his foot with malicious intent and Jey squealed, rolling over on top of Sami. "Sami, h-help!" 

"Sure, I'll help," Sami grinned, wrapping his arms around Jey and keeping him there while he kissed his neck. Jey was long overdue for some tickles, after all the fear and the pain and the exhaustion. "Get him, Jimmy." 

"NOHOHO!" 

When they finally all padded out to the kitchen, Carlisle was sitting reading a newspaper. Someone had cleaned all the blood off the floor and table. 

"Morning, boys." All three of them almost hurt their necks turning their heads so fast. 

Rikishi was sitting up at the table, a healthy glow on his cheeks and his right arm in a sling, but very much attached and working properly. He laughed and cried as the twins rushed him, and laughed some more when Sami awkwardly reached between them to pat his shoulder with his non-dominant hand. "Missed you, Chief." He squawked as Rikishi pulled him in tightly with one arm and hugged him, hard. "I missed you as well, Sami." He felt as young and strong as ever, but upon sleeping he'd had horrible nightmares of his arm withering away to nothing overnight. He shivered, and when nobody was looking, dumped some liquor into his coffee. A couple drops wouldn't hurt, and it might help him sleep better tonight. The nightmares had to be temporary - after all, they'd won a war they never should've even been dragged into. He could rest now.

The mail slot in the back door banged and everyone jumped. They wondered how long it would be before they stopped being on edge. 

"I've got it!" Solo said, scrambling off the couch; the rest of them hadn't noticed he was awake, looking adoringly at his dad. 

He came back with three envelopes. "Electric bill," he said, and everyone groaned. "A letter from Triple H - ooh, Dad, you're probably in for it! - and a letter for Sami Uso?" 

Sami's head snapped up. The only thing he was waiting on was...

"Give me that!" Suddenly Bella was there, holding the cream-coloured envelope aloft. She held it out of Sami's reach and laughed when he tried to snatch it. "I just had to make sure you were as excited about this as I am."

Sami was worried suddenly - what if his old Biochemistry undergrad wasn't enough, even with the letter of recommendation from Bella? He'd have to wait another whole year to apply elsewhere. "I can't open it." He looked at Bella desperately, who rolled her eyes at him but pulled out the letter and began to read, clearing her throat dramatically. "A-hem!"

Dear Mr Uso, 

I am writing to let you know that I received your application for the medical school of the University of California, San Francisco. Indeed your past experience is impressive, and your essay showed great grit and determination. 

Furthermore, I have heard great things of Dr Bella Swan, and was delighted when she reached out to give a reference for you.

As such, I am ecstatic to offer you a place in our advanced three-year program for the upcoming academic year. 

Please find enclosed your list of books for your first year, and recommendations for sources of pre-worn scrubs - we value sustainability at UCSF.

I will assume my offer is accepted, and await your arrival on Monday.

Bella stopped reading. "Then it's just the program overseers' signatures and a list of fancy doctors who went to USCF." Sami was shaking in Jimmy's arms, a happy tear snaking down his face that Jimmy kissed away. "I got in?"

"You got in." Bella smiled.

"He got in!" Jey leapt to his feet, pulled Jimmy up too, and started doing some kind of war dance with him to a chant of "He got in, he got in, he got in..." 

"Now you've started them off." Rikishi grinned. Solo walked over and joined in. "Will you be needing a lift to school on Monday, Sami?" That sounded nice, Sami thought.

"He got in, he got in, he got in..."

"Quiet, you lot!" Carlisle said, but fondly. "Sami, Bella and I will go get your things, I understand there's quite a lot these days. Don't worry about money - we owe you far more than we can give you." 

"He got in (yeet!), he got in (yeet!), he got in (yeet!)..."

Sami's eyes watered again. "Thank you, Carlisle. But..." He looked around. "Where did Roman get to?"

Carlisle looked harassed. "Unfortunately with all the excitement we lost sight of Roman. He crawled into the guesthouse and passed out, which meant his broken leg and sternum healed wrongly. It wasn't pretty, Sami. I'm glad we went to the trouble of soundproofing in the rebuild. I had to rebreak fourteen bones and set them - again, no morphine, his body would've burnt it off with all the stress even if we had it. He's resting now, but I'm sure he'll be awake later, feeling a little better and excited to hear your news." Sami nodded solemnly.

"HE GOT IN, HE GOT IN, HE GOT IN..." 

"CAN IT!" Rikishi roared. 

***

"Be good, Sami!" Rikishi bellowed out the window of the Jeep. Sami's ears turned scarlet; did he want the whole campus to hear him? It was bad enough he'd insisted on driving Sami right up to the door.

"Wait, Sami." Jimmy hung out of the window, tugging at his hand. "You forgot something."

Sami turned back. "What is it?" He had triple-checked everything he'd brought. 

"This." Jimmy whispered, kissing him. Warmth flooded Sami and he kissed his husband back eagerly. He stepped back, savouring the taste. "I love you. I'll see you at--"

"Four thirty!" Jimmy and Jey chorused as Sami walked away, his stomach doing flips. Just before he got out of range, Sami's enhanced senses picked up a whiff of strong alcohol, but he supposed in medical school that wasn't uncommon.

Neither of the twins, still waving madly at Sami, noticed Rikishi patting his pocket to reassure himself he still had his hip flask.

"Good morning." said the woman in the white coat in front of them. She had a London accent, with ringlets of dirty blonde hair and dark, clever eyes that stared through any interrupters.

There were a few mumbles. They were in a morgue, a shrouded body before them, and several of the students had neglected to bring jackets on what promised to be a scorching day, so there were some shivers. Sami was glad of his built-in space heater.

"Now, that just won't do." The doctor said, looking around at them all; Sami wished he was shorter, less conspicuous. "You want to be doctors, you have to be ready to speak up, to shout above your competition. So I'm going to try again; good morning, and welcome to your first day of medical school."

"Good morning!" the group said loudly.

"Much better. I'm Dr. Ely. You're going to be seeing a lot of me in the next three years, so get used to seeing my happy smiling face every morning." She pointed at her expression, which hadn't changed, and there was a ripple of laughter. "I will work you like warhorses. You will love me, you will hate me, I will be your worst enemy and your best friend, you will work insane hours and you'll be expected to do my dirty work on medical rotations. But dear God above, I will shape you into excellent doctors. If anyone has a problem with any of the above, you can leave right now. Exit stage right, you do not belong in my class." 

Nobody moved, they were all rapt.

"Good!" She swept over to the shrouded table. "Now... hands up who's seen a human organ before?" 

One or two hands in the large group went up, and Dr. Ely nodded like she hadn't been expecting any different. Sami liked her, she was blunt and bossy and could obviously hold the attention of large groups despite her small stature - Sami wondered if she was even five feet tall.

"If that's all.." Dr. Ely looked around. "Welcome to your first autopsy." 

She yanked the sheet off the body and there were gasps; someone fainted behind Sami and someone else laughed cruelly. Dr. Ely sighed. "Leave him there, he'll be all right."

The body was pitted with glass shards in every inch, glittering in a way that rather reminded Sami of vampire flesh were it not for the viscera. It wasn't the worst thing Sami had seen, but in this particular moment he was very glad they were a corpse so they wouldn't suffer any more.

"Afro-American male, 42, average in every way except for the fact he was found resembling a human chandelier. Does anyone want to take a wild guess at the cause of death?" Dr. Ely spread her arms wide, to a few shuffled feet and coughs. "Well, come on, people! Speak!" she barked. "What killed this man?"

"Dude, death by a thousand cuts." He heard someone whisper.

"Excuse me?" The student who had whispered flushed. "Name?" 

"Cade. Bruce Cade."

"Mr. Cade, do you have a theory?" 

"Um... death by a thousand cuts?" This time the laugh was huge. 

"No." Dr Ely said. "Good guess. But this man's COD has nothing to do with his injuries."

"So what's--" She turned those eyes on Sami and he quailed. After a moment he raised his hand. She nodded at him.

"Um, Sami Uso. I was just wondering what the cause of death is, if not from the glass?" 

"Well, Mr. Uso," Dr. Ely said, pulling down a stack of clipboards, "that is what you will figure out. I want you to get into teams of four but work on the autopsy as a whole unit. Help each other cut and stitch, show off techniques, ask some goddamn questions, you paid enough to be here. The first team to figure it out gets to be my medical assistance team on a live person later today."

She snapped on a pair of gloves. "Hands up, who wants to hold a brain?"

Sami flung his hand up, and he was one of many, all suddenly clamouring to look and touch and weigh the body's organs in their hands.

If this was the first day, he thought he was going to be just fine.

Chapter Text

That first day in medical school was the longest and shortest nine hours of Sami's life. 

He ended up in a ragtag group; the one called Cade had beelined for him, and he was arrogant, competitive, but with an extremely silly side to him that had everyone rolling. The third member was the man who had fainted - Reg. Tall, gangly, green-haired, Irish Reg who had roused full of apologies from his fainting, mumbling about skipped breakfasts and too much coffee, and Sami instantly took a liking to him. The last member of his team was Terri, a bottle blonde from Liverpool who looked more like a model than a medical student - but her tiny, quick stitches held better than anyone else's and she was methodical and took her time examining the body in a way that made Sami feel she was one to watch. He tried to copy from watching her, but he felt huge and bumbling compared to her speed. 

She saw Sami watching and laughed, but not unkindly. "Both of my parents are surgeons, I was practising a running whip stitch on my teddy bears." Knowing she'd had years to practise made Sami feel a little better, and when he was the one allowed to crack the chest, the organs inside finally threw him a softball. 

"Double hemopneumothorax!" 

"Ding ding ding!" Dr. Ely shouted, clapping her hands. "Well done. He went through a plate-glass window."

"But I thought you said-"

"A seventh-floor plate glass window. He hit the ground and his chest just-" She gestured, and there were some groans of disgust. "Very good going, Mr. Uso, and I saw you getting to know your teammates too, which is exactly what I like to see. You better get comfortable in your groups," she said, "because that is where you will stay for the remainder of the year. Surprise." 

Sami looked at Bruce, Reg and Terri, and decided he could stand being stuck as a part of this particular group. 

"Now," Dr. Ely clapped her hands again, "When we do grunt work as doctors, we call it "scut" and we usually pass it off to students like yourselves. In residency, scut could be emptying bedpans, it could be doing rectal exams, maybe even putting in or removing catheters. Today, it's completing our autopsy, making sure the organs are all correctly stored and the body is closed properly for embalming, and cleaning each and every instrument afterwards. That's what all of you," she gestured around at everyone who wasn't in Sami's team, "will spend your afternoons doing today. Be quicker, work smarter, maybe next time it'll be you getting to leave the morgue." Despite only having met her two hours ago everyone badly wanted her approval, and Sami's team basked in it. 

"Well?" she added, and Sami looked up; his teammates were already beside her. "You waiting on an invite in the mail, Mr. Uso?" 

Sami laughed, his face flushing as he joined his group of new allies. 

Sami hadn't forgotten about Jimmy being so good, as he reassured his husband that night in bed. "So good, not touching yourself like I asked while I was mad at you," he purred, and Jimmy squirmed against him, so touch starved. Sami reached out and tickled his tummy until he was breathless with laughter and had made a big sticky spot against Sami's thigh. "You must want it so badly."

"I do!" Jimmy whimpered, wriggling against him. "Please, Sami, I'm so sorry, please touch me!" 

"Ssssh," Sami whispered, and Jimmy had to choke back a loud cry when Sami's hand wrapped around his cock. "That feel good?"

"Mmm!" Jimmy was speaking into the pillow so he wouldn't scream. It was just like the night Sami had cruelly edged him, only even more time had passed since he'd had an orgasm. 

"Faster? Slower?" Sami asked, kissing below his ear. 

"Faster," Jimmy gasped. "Oh Sami, faster, tighter." He began to buck his hips, gripping the pillow as he fucked upwards into Sami's clenched fist, and that tugging in his balls and pressure in his cock hit him just like it had that night. "Fireworks!" There were the bright lights. "Sam-eeeeeee!"

His orgasm was so big it took his voice. He shook in Sami's arms for at least a full minute, and at one point his exploding brain wondered why they didn't do this every single time.

Jimmy ached all over the next day, but he didn't mind.

***

Sami's days were a rollercoaster of coffee, notes, and bodies. So many bodies. At first he would write about them in his notes, about the names they gave the cadavers to humanise them as they learned the steps of an autopsy, but there just wasn't time as they moved onto learning how to draw blood with minimal pain, practising on dummies that cried and bled very realistically if you stuck them wrongly - that was a class none of them would soon forget, but it helped, because now they'd never take real blood improperly. 

Sami grew awfully close with Reg out of all his teammates, but they all spent a lot of time together. Of course, Sami absolutely hated never being able to invite them back to the house or tell them anything real about his life, but the other three seemed perfectly happy to hang out in the stairwells with him during downtime. Sami started to develop calluses from the constant writing at speed, and every day he practiced printing Dr. Sami Uso at the top of his notes, for when the day came. The routine was comforting, and before Sami knew it an entire year had passed and he was suddenly a second-year student. 

As fast as that year went by for Sami, it dragged in equal measure for Rikishi. He was lucky Sami was far too tired to notice he hardly ever slept now. 

The days bled into each other under a haze of alcohol, and when Rikishi raised his eyes to the calendar, he realised several months had gone by without it being flipped to a new page. He looked at the clock on the wall. The twins had gone to a movie and Sami was taking extra classes tonight, but what mattered to him was the time. Twenty-four hours sober, he thought. 

Slowly, surely, he raised his right hand to examine it, flexed the fingers, moved his wrist. Nothing so far.

As a tremor began in his reattached arm, Rikishi swore and burst into tears. He hiccuped and gulped, big fat tears splashing onto the floor, and gripped his newly delivered bottle, taking a hearty swig, then another. The tears lessened, the alcohol warmed his chest, and then the shaking in his arm stopped. He swiped at his eyes, huffing wet breaths, then got up to grab his hip flask to refill it. It had been way too close this time and he had been sober more out of lack of availability; by the time Jacob arrived clutching the fresh moonshine he was shaking all over and pouring with sweat, but managed to feign a terrible hangover. The only problem with the alcohol helping his shakes (surely brought on by PTSD) was the effects, he was always fuzzy and slower these days and lately he hadn't been going out for fear he would crash the car. His sons thankfully noticed nothing, they were too busy loving on Sami after each long day. They trusted Rikishi to be fine, and he was... he had thought he was.

Looking around at the bottles that littered the trash and the rings on the table from tonight's multiple rounds, he had to admit it looked bad. He just had to keep up the charade up around Sami, drink a fifth of moonshine a day to keep his shakes under control, and stay sober before driving. He'd hidden a lot more from a lot smarter. 

It was only three things. 

"Sami." 

Clutching his new travel bag, Sami turned to Rikishi. "Chief! You made it!" 

Rikishi's face was flushed, but it was terribly warm in here. Sami had asked if he'd like to come to his first year graduation with the twins, and he was happy to, but with everyone else's families coming too there was a solid five hundred people in the auditorium and it was like a furnace. Everyone was grateful to spill outside onto the concourse of the local hospital they'd hosted the graduation in, taking lungfuls of cool air. 

"Hey, hug time," he just about heard over someone's Bluetooth speaker. Then Rikishi was enveloping him clumsily. "I'm proud of you, Sami." At first Sami reacted with fondness, but he started to grow suspicious the longer the hug went on. "You okay, Chief?" 

"So proud of you." 

Sami was suddenly hit with a wave of that same stink he'd smelt on his first day, pure alcohol. 

He wriggled his way out of Rikishi's grip and stepped back several paces. The smell lessened. It was coming from him; his pores. Now Sami looked at him properly, his eyes were bloodshot, his face stubbled and jowly. The moonshine was so strong it had eventually suppressed his appetite as well as his shakes and nightmares, and he'd lost a staggering-looking fifty pounds in the year that had elapsed.

"Come here." Sami said, guiding him over to a bench away from prying eyes.

"Chief, are you hungover?" Sami asked, mildly annoyed.

"Nope. Hic!"

"Are you drunk?" Sami hissed, concern turning to fury. 

"So what if I am a little bit?"

"You dro-" Sami stopped and lowered his voice. "You fucking drove here, Chief!" 

"I was careful. I'm always careful."

"How many times has this happened?"

"Sami, you don't understand, I need it." Sami leapt to his feet at that, his face as red as his hair. "Don't move, don't do anything, I'm gonna find the twins and we're gonna have a goddamn intervention right here." He grabbed hold of a gangly man about Sami's own age with neon green hair and about a thousand piercings. "Reg, Reggie, meet Chief Uso. Can you bring him down to the ED and get him sobered up, please?" 

Reg held out his hand to Rikishi. "Howiya?" The word was soft and musical - he thought it was a word. "Huh?" He mumbled.

The young man laughed. "Erm, sorry, I'm from Ireland." He licked his lips and enunciated more clearly. "I was just saying like, how are you? It's how we say hi in Dublin."

Rikishi extended two fingers and shook with him. "Nice to meet you." Thankfully the alcohol seemed to make him more agreeable, so he went back into the hospital arm-in-arm with Sami's classmate. "Pardon me, Reggie. Would you mind if I used the bathroom first?"

"Course," Reg said. "Let me just find the way to the ER from the front desk, because I've never been." 

Rikishi went into the bathroom - and came out the second Reg had stepped away. Nobody noticed him leaving again.

His escape event was fruitless - Sami was standing outside, his arms folded. Rikishi groaned at the sight of him. "Leave me alone, I'm not hurting anyone." 

"Except your liver." Sami said pointedly, and Reg came running out behind Rikishi, panting. "Red, I'm so sorry, I only took my eyes off him for a second."

"All good," Sami said cheerfully, answering to a nickname unfamiliar to Rikishi's ears. "He's going back."

Realising he really was caught, Rikishi shuffled his way back inside gloomily, preparing to be forcibly sobered up and talked at for hours. 

***

Rikishi sat in his hospital bed, arms folded and glaring at Sami and the twins. They all glared right back.

They'd admitted him when Sami had run to find Dr. Ely immediately after sending Rikishi to the ER. She caught hold of him in a surprisingly strong grip seeing him race towards her. "Mr. Uso, no running, do not embarrass me."

"Sorry, Dr. Ely," Sami panted. "It's just... I..." 

Her face softened. "What is it? Is someone hurt? You know you can come to me with anything."

The kindness was too much for Sami, and the weight of the situation came crashing down upon him. He made a pitiful sobbing noise.

"Oh.. o-okay," Dr. Ely said awkwardly but gently, manuvering him to sit down on a nearby bench. "It's all right." Sami let out a great shuddering gasp as his shoulders shook, but no other sound came out. She gripped his shoulder. "May I call you by your first name?"

The tiniest of nods. 

"Sami, breathe." she said, and demonstrated. She grabbed his hand, squeezing it, and breathed with him. Slowly his sobs began to get less violent, his breathing more regular. He sat up and wiped his eyes. Well, that was embarrassing.

"I'm so sorry," he mumbled, flushing. "S'my father-in-law. Turns out he's an alcoholic, and I didn't even notice." He let out a loud hiccup. "Call myself a med student."

Dr. Ely breathed a laugh, patting his shoulder. "Sami, you are five seconds out of your first year. I have residents who still can't spot someone seeking a high. Your father-in-law, is he here?" She offered him a tissue.

Sami blew his nose. "Y-yeah, we're sending him to the ER to sober up. I gotta find my husband and his brother, um..." Another tear trickled down his cheek. "He drove here with them. While drunk. He put my husband in danger like that." 

Dr. Ely gripped his shoulder now, lending him strength. "You must be furious with him, and you should be. He owes you a serious apology. But right now, he needs your help. Our help. I'll get him admitted to a room and call a rehab, okay?"

Her simple niceties made tears threaten again, and Sami nodded, his throat full of a lump. 

So now they were in a stalemate, all refusing to be the one who spoke first, all furious at each other - there had been bitter words and tears exchanged in the family room, but the boys decided they needed to present as a united front against Rikishi.

In the end they were saved from speaking, because Dr. Ely herself swept in, an intern behind her. "Right! Mr. Rikishi Uso-"

"Chief." Rikishi said, stone-faced.

"I'm sorry?"

"My father is the leader of our tribe," Jimmy jumped in to explain. "He prefers to be addressed by "Chief" rather than "Mr."

"Oh!" Dr. Ely tapped something on the screen of her tablet. "My apologies, I'll make a note of that so nobody gets it wrong again." Rikishi felt himself soften just a little bit at the instant apology and correction. 

"Chief Rikishi Uso," Dr. Ely began again, "61, admitted into the ER for inebriation and dehydration, moved to a room while awaiting transfer in the next day or two to rehab for alcoholism." 

"Might wanna say that a little louder," Rikishi snarled. "Think a couple people down on the street didn't hear it." 

She smiled at him. "Chief, I understand you're not feeling so grateful right now, but if we can dry you out and keep you dried out, the changes in your health will be massive. Many alcoholics find they regret ever beginning to drink in the first place."

"I am not an alcoholic!" Rikishi snapped, and raised his right arm. "You see this? This arm was reattached, and now every day it shakes! I can't drive, I can't read, I can't even dress myself with how bad it is! The booze helps." This was all new to his sons and Sami, who gaped at him, Sami feeling even guiltier now. 

"I just... I need it," he finished lamely, and his body was suddenly crying out for a drink. "Every 24 hours, at least."

"But it's not every 24 hours, is it, Chief?" 

For the first time in his memory, Sami watched Rikishi squirm, his face turning red under her interrogative gaze. "Your blood alcohol tells us that. How long do you go without a drink, really?" she demanded.

Rikishi cleared his throat, not meeting anyone's eye. "An hour," he said, swallowing heavily. "Maybe two."

"So you must be starting to get cravings now. You also have a UTI, did you know that?" Rikishi's flush darkened. "I guess you did. We're putting you on strong antibiotics and upping your fluids. You could've died, Chief." She was trembling ever so slightly; Sami had never seen her angry with a patient before. "We will figure out the arm, but we can't figure it out without seeing the symptoms. Page Neuro," she told her intern, "and tell me when the shaking starts again." 

Sami ran out after her. "Dr. Ely!" 

She looked exhausted. "What is it, Mr. Uso?" The familiarity was gone and they were back to being student and teacher again, which Sami was thankful for because it meant he could talk to her as someone wanting to be a doctor.

"I just think," Sami hesitated, then restarted his sentence. "You paged Neuro. I think you should be paging Psych, I think it's PTSD."

She smiled tiredly at him. "Quick off the mark as always, Mr. Uso. That's certainly a strong possibility, but I didn't think your father-in-law would take very kindly to Psych being mentioned in front of him - he's a man of a certain age and he's already cagey about even admitting his addiction." Sami wondered how she would react if she knew Rikishi was much, much older than he seemed. 

"So you already called them?"

"I already called them," she smiled. "Now please, Mr. Uso, I will see you as your teacher after the summer. Right now I am Chief Uso's doctor. Concentrate on your father-in-law, but try and get some study in while you can. That's all." She turned and walked away.  

Two days later, Dr. Ely knocked on the open door. "Ssssh," Rikishi hissed - the boys were asleep together on the cot they'd scrounged up. 

"May I come in?" she mouthed, and took his grunt as an affirmative. 

"Chief Uso, I have good news and bad news," she said softly. "They're both the same; there isn't anything wrong with you physically. No concussion, no nerve damage, no breaks, no tumours." They'd tried all sorts of paralytics and nerve blocks but nothing could stop his shakes.

"So you haven't found the right test yet?" Rikishi said stubbornly.

"We've done all the tests, Chief."

He folded his arms, a common gesture from him these days. "Invent new ones, then. I can wait." 

Dr. Ely sighed. "Chief Uso, what I'm trying to say is that it isn't your body that's the problem."

"I'm not crazy!" Sami jerked awake at his shrill shout. He dug his elbows into the twins' sides and they grunted, blinking awake too.

"I didn't say you were. Post-traumatic stress disorder may be a mental illness, but it's very real and millions of people just like you battle with it every day."

Rikishi was quiet. "Well, I don't want to have it." 

"We can help you. I would still recommend rehab-"

"I am not moving into some facility!" 

"Thirty days, Chief." Sami was sitting up now. It was the first he'd spoken to Rikishi since he'd found him drunk. 

"What?"

"Thirty days in rehab." Sami said. "That's the bare minimum, and if you're doing well, if you're seeing your therapy through, after that thirty days you can come home and talk to us and then maybe I'll forgive you for risking three lives. Thirty days, because if you don't you could lose the rest of your family." Jimmy sniffled into his husband's shoulder and Jey wouldn't look at his dad, but it was clear they agreed. "We love you so much, Chief, and we just want you to feel better. You can beat this like you beat everything else." Sami stood and walked over, holding out his hand. "Thirty days."

Rikishi raised his good hand, and they shook on it. 

***

The door buzzed and Rikishi didn't react. It was a normal part of the soundtrack at the Lily Clinic. It had a colourful name, and it wasn't as drab in contrast as he had imagined. Even the food wasn't terrible. 

He looked at his arm, lying still. It only shook when he had a flashback now. And at night, but they were hoping continuing with outpatient therapy would help with that. He'd come to realise he had never fully grieved having to part with Adaline, and seeing her in the final battle had brought up all sorts of things. Not even to mention the fact he had to admit he'd been dependent on alcohol long before the shakes began.

They'd agreed early on that the boys wouldn't visit, they'd only get upset. He talked to them, though; they took turns calling him on Saturday mornings, the only time contact with the outside world was allowed. It stung most of all that he missed the twins' birthday, and he lay awake that night, giving into the tears that had hurt his throat all day.

Of course, there was a bright spot. Carlisle had shown up on his fifteenth night. When Rikishi sobbed apologies in his arms Carlisle had waved them off and kissed him. Carlisle's hand stroking his arm and then his chest through the kiss made something hot swell in his stomach; it had been months since they'd been together and Rikishi was suddenly desperate for something entirely different to alcohol. "Stay," he murmured. "Get into bed with me, leave before the morning. Please."

"Well," Carlisle had whispered, and one hand fitted neatly over Rikishi's mouth, muffling his cry perfectly when the other darted downwards and squeezed. "Are you grateful for me coming to surprise you?" Another squeeze, and this time a moan pushed against the hand over his boyfriend's mouth. "It certainly feels like you're grateful." 

"Oh, Dr. Cullen," Rikishi sighed, nestling into him and encouraging his hand. "I'm glad you're here. I have a dreadful ache between my legs, and I fear you're the only one who can cure it."

Nobody heard a thing that night - but for the first time in fifteen days, Rikishi felt something other than self-hatred. 

Drying out was hell. Rikishi vomited and shook for days on end, he had blinding headaches, and most humiliating of all, he had to wear disposable underwear, because he was too sick to leave his bed in the infirmary. He never wanted to go through that again.

"Chief Uso?" 

Rikishi looked up at the nurse who had called him. "What is it?" 

"It's time, your sons are here."

Oh, that was right. He was getting out today, as they called it here. 

He sloped down the corridor. "So, what happens now?" he asked, just to fill the silence.

"Now, you find a nearby AA meeting, you go once a week at the barest minimum, and you live your life alcohol free - a very long one, I should hope." Rikishi was determined to be as sullen as he was upon first arriving, but his mouth smiled all by itself. The door to the lobby buzzed too, and he stepped in, waving bye to the nurse. 

The person at the desk passed him a clear packet - his phone, wallet and keys had been confiscated upon arrival, but now he had them back. 

The lobby was empty, and for a moment the voice in his head sneered See? You let them all down. They hate you, and they should.

And then Sami was pushing open the door, "They said fifteen minutes, so I'm going in after fifteen minutes!" and Jey and Jimmy were behind him, and then his arms were full of his tribe. There were tears dripping onto his shoulder that could've been any one of them. Rikishi rubbed the closest back soothingly. "I'm so sorry," he croaked, the tears suddenly back in his throat.

"Good to have you back, Chief," said Sami's voice from somewhere around his middle. "I told you. You've done the work, you're much better." Sami's eyes were soft. "We love you. Wanna go home?"

This, understandably, opened the floodgates. They bundled Rikishi outside and into the Jeep so he could cry in private, and he was very glad they'd brought his car instead of Jimmy's. 

Jimmy sat in the back seat with him and squeezed his hand, and at last Rikishi let out a great shuddering gasp and wiped his eyes. 

He was finally going home.

"Hi." Rikishi said awkwardly, standing from his chair in the circle. "I'm Keesh, and, um... I'm an alcoholic." 

"Hi, Keesh." the group chorused. 

"I've never done this before..." He twisted his fingers. "I don't know where to start."

"Just tell us what brought you here," offered a man to his left. "Start there."

"Well," Rikishi began, "I had been drinking to stave off a physical response I was having to PTSD. I thought I was fine... until I wasn't." There were some chuckles, some knowing nods. "I drove drunk to my son-in-law's graduation with my boys in the car." It felt really good to say it, and there were no gasps of horror, no judgement, only those same empathetic nods. "Nothing happened, but my son-in-law, he's in med school so he figured it out. I went to rehab for thirty days-" Now there were some groans, but they were sympathetic. "Yeah," he said, feeling emboldened by the support. "It was awful, and I felt even worse because I knew I put myself there." 

"...Keesh, is it?" asked the man in the white collar who lead the group. "If I may offer a different perspective? Addiction is a disease that has you firmly in its grasp. You are not 100% in control." This made Rikishi feel better, stab fingers at his eyes to stem the wetness gathering at the corners.

"So today," Rikishi said, "I'm out of Lily, and one week sober." 

Everyone applauded and he turned over the plastic chip he was handed in his fingers. This was real, physical proof that he was getting better, something to show his boys. 

He tucked it into his pocket with his One Day chip - he was going to make a keychain when he had enough. 

The first month back home was almost as exhausting as the time he'd spent in rehab. His relationship with Sami stayed frosty, even though Rikishi tried to probe into his mental state every day. He hoped he'd be able to thaw him out soon, because it wasn't doing anything to help his cravings for a drink. The twins had tried talking to Sami, but it was very clear that he wanted an apology from nobody but Rikishi, and he still hadn't been able to force himself to give one. Somewhere in his addict brain, a tiny little voice still said "You did what you had to, they're being dramatic."

He had a sudden spark of inspiration - not about Sami, but about the cravings. His resolve hadn't lasted long, and he had exhausted all his old hiding spots in the first few days. The boys had done an incredible job clearing out all hidden alcohol, and he would've been impressed if he wasn't so desperate. There was one more, so well hidden even he'd forgotten about it until now.

Rikishi crept towards the airing cupboard. He had to be quiet - it sat right between the boys' bedrooms. 

He opened the door slowly, wincing when it squeaked, and reached inside. Now he had a younger body, this should be no problem, but the weight loss had done nothing to shrink his bulk and he'd never get any taller either. His side pressed firmly against the door, Rikishi went up on his tiptoes and reached behind the hot water heater. Just a little further...

"Rikishi Uso!" 

Carlisle's stern voice pulling out his full name made him jump and stumble - he'd grown unused to the light tread of the vampires. "C-Carlisle! What are you doing here?" 

"I could ask you the same question. What are you doing fumbling in there?" Carlisle folded his arms and looked at Rikishi, who blushed to the tips of his ears. 

"I was just–"

"Looking for a drink?" Carlisle answered, quirking an eyebrow, and Rikishi felt his cheeks positively blaze. 

Of course, the boys heard the commotion, and all three came out of Jey's room, Sami looking bedraggled, Jimmy embarrassed and Jey with a strange purple mark on his neck. "What's going on?" 

"I think he might have one more hiding spot," Carlisle said. "He was pawing around up there."

"Oh, behind the water heater, yeah," Sami said so casually that Rikishi almost fell over. "That was one of the first places I checked - the clinic gave us a list of common places."

That fucking clinic. Rikishi clenched his fists. He wished he'd never gone to that stupid place. If he could go back in time he would make it so the boys drove themselves to the ceremony. No, if he could go back in time he wouldn't get so endeared to Sami fucking Zayn - Uso, he reminded himself. He was an Uso now, and that was part of the problem. Sami Uso who never gave up on anyone. Sami Uso who was always so fucking kind and sweet and the perfect man for both the twins and the perfect foster son. Sami Uso who cared, really cared, to the point of finding and dumping the alcohol he had hidden even from himself. He hated him for walking into his life and taking down his walls, wished he'd never showed up to confront Sami over his intentions with Jimmy - a million years ago now. The need for a drink throbbed behind his eyes, dried his throat, and panic started to rise in his chest. He'd never had a panic attack before going to that wretched place. Never wished he was dead before going through withdrawal, now it popped into his head all the time. 

He opened his mouth to say some of this, or all of it, he was sort of winging it. However, at the very last moment he flicked his eyes upwards and they locked with Sami's, and the pity in the redhead's eyes made equal parts sadness and rage boil inside him. 

Carlisle passed him a handkerchief silently, and Rikishi looked at him, puzzled, before something dripped onto his hand and his inhale broke and stuttered. His body was crying before he was, but he quickly caught up. Rikishi howled, his shoulders heaving. "I'm s- I'm so-- I'm sor--"

"Breathe." Carlisle was behind him, but suddenly Sami was filling his vision. "Chief, breathe. You're hyperventilating."

Rikishi practically squeaked with exertion as his chest moved so rapidly it was as if it might burst. He could hear his heartbeat and breathing loud in his ears, but in contrast his vision had started to blur.

"He's having a panic attack, let's sit him down," he heard Sami's voice say, strangely echoey, and then he was being half-dragged to the couch. A great number of arms wrapped around him and held tight, and it gave him a feeling to anchor himself to as the waves of the panic attack crashed over him.

The twins and Sami plus Carlisle clung as hard as they could, and Rikishi's breathing began to slow just a little. They held on. "Breathe with us, Chief. Match our heartbeats, just like before, remember? In. Out. In. Out." Rikishi remembered, and his vision started to clear as he took long, precious breaths in through his nose and blew them out his mouth. Carlisle stroked his hair and it felt nice, his scalp tingling where it was touched.

After a very long five minutes of breathing and grounding himself, Rikishi gave a great sniffle and wiped his eyes, sitting up. Now or never. 

"I'm so sorry." He said, looking right at Sami. "I drove drunk with your husband and your boyfriend in the car, but most importantly they're my sons." Two extra tears trickled out of the corners of his eyes, as if he'd been hit once more by what he had risked. "I'm so sorry, boys." He knew the twins had already forgiven him, but it still made him feel warm inside when they didn't budge from their positions. "I know sorry isn't enough, Sami, but I hope it's a start, along with me having done rehab and the meetings..." He was well aware he sounded pathetic and his ears burned.

At first it seemed as if Sami would stay stiff and cold, but then he turned, prodding Jey so he wriggled over and left a gap Sami could clamber into. "You're our Chief. You did a bad thing, but you're sorry and you did better, you're getting help... so I accept your apology. And I really am sorry we had to throw it all away. It's for your own good."

Rikishi nodded, his mouth turning up at the corners even with how sad he still was. 

"If you need a distraction," Carlisle said, "I made cookies earlier." 

The response from the twins was instant. "Cookies?" Jimmy squeaked, leaping up and running over to the plate on the side. Jey followed him, and Sami laughed. He gave Rikishi's shoulder a pat to doubly reassure him that all was okay, and then he got up and joined the boys. Rikishi shook his head. "Not hungry." 

Carlisle bent over the back of the couch, and Rikishi couldn't stop himself turning to jelly when the vampire dug his thumbs into either side of his spine, and squeezed and massaged his shoulders. "I think I can find some other way to distract you from your cravings." His hand went down, down, down, and then it was in his pants, the icy fingers rubbing the spot where his thigh met his ass. 

"O-Oh," Rikishi managed, and then, remembering where they were, he hissed "The boys."

"Distracted," Carlisle whispered. "And anyway, I'm just giving you a back rub, right?" His other hand was working overtime on his knots and Rikishi couldn't tell which sensation he wanted him to continue more. 

"Yeah," he breathed, sensing things would get awkward fast if that hand didn't leave his pants. "Just a back rub."

"Did you know," Carlisle murmured, "there are spots on the feet that can elicit quite a strong reaction between one's legs?" 

Rikishi's mouth was dry. "I-I did not," he mumbled, the colour beginning to creep up his face.

Carlisle kissed his ear, removing the hand that made it so hard to concentrate. "Well, next time we're alone, I'll rub your feet instead and watch the fireworks." Rikishi shivered from head to toe. 

And then the boys were back and Carlisle was stepping away, slithering onto the couch beside him, where they innocently held hands for the rest of the night - but Carlisle had a smirk on his face and Rikishi knew he could hear his heart thudding. 

Chapter Text

TWO.

"Excuse me, sorry!"

YEARS.

"Really sorry, I have to get through!" 

LATER.

"Come on, so much for modern technology!" 

Checking his new pager desperately, Sami raced for the stairs instead of waiting on the ridiculously slow elevator. 

"Morning, Dr. Uso!" someone shouted, but Sami didn't look up. Gasping, wishing he hadn't eaten so much breakfast, he rounded the last flight of stairs.

"You will spend seven years here," he heard a familiar voice saying, but his attention was taken up by the fact his shoe had come untied at some point, and he'd noticed far too late. Five steps from the bottom, Sami tripped over his own feet and went flying down the remaining steps, landing hard. "Oh my God... ow." 

There was a burst of laughter from the other interns, and then a familiar London accent. "Trust you to make an entrance, Dr. Uso. Are you all right?" 

Sami squirmed on the ground, moved his fingers and toes. He seemed to be okay, and took the hand up. "Yes, Dr. Ely," he said, blushing. "I'm sorry. I'll be more careful. And less late."

"See that you are. Now!" She strode to the front. "As I was saying. You will spend seven years here. Two as an intern, then provided you pass your exams you will continue here as residents of your chosen specialities." She looked around. "Does anyone already know what kind of medicine they want to be in?" Sami put his hand up, then took it back, then awkwardly raised it halfway, and he wasn't the only one. 

Dr. Ely laughed. "You have plenty of time - speaking of which." She consulted her watch. "Let's continue the tour. Dr Uso," she added, and Sami's head jerked; he had been looking around at the others in the group. "I mentioned this earlier, before you were here. As the head of this year's intern class, I have one rule, and only one rule; keep up." 

Before Sami could ask what she meant, she took off at what could be described as a very brisk walk. Sami was very glad he wasn't human, because most of his classmates were lagging behind after the first ten minutes. "I've got a stitch already," hissed a twenty-a-day voice to his left, and he was delighted to see Terri from his medical school there. A familiar face, finally.

"Didn't know being a doctor would involve so much fuckin' cardio!" Sami's spirits lifted higher as Cade bumped into his right shoulder - he had started going by his last name only in their second year. "You look good in white, Sam."

"Sam-i", Sami emphasised, rolling his eyes. He hated his name being shortened. "Look, it says it right here." He stroked the embroidery on his white coat proudly. The twins were insisting on holding a "white coat party" back at the house after Sami's shift today, despite his protests that he would be too tired. 

It had been an uneventful two years. Rikishi kept up with his meetings, and he still slipped here and there, but he was doing very well at the moment. They didn't keep alcohol in the house any more, so Sami had no idea how they were going to throw a party - smoking weed was thirsty work. For that matter, he was surprised Rikishi had agreed to a gang of young barely-doctors invading his house. They had Aunty back permanently, so that was something. She lived in the guesthouse now, after Rikishi had invited her over to sit down and tell her everything - and she wasn't nearly as surprised as they expected.

Jey and Naomi were still together, but the attraction was clearly heavily one-sided - Sami could feel him pining across a room, even when he himself was kissing Jey. Jimmy saw the triplets often, and brought them home sometimes. Best of all, he and Jimmy had just celebrated their third wedding anniversary. Jimmy promised him three orgasms - and he certainly delivered. Sami wondered if they would ever have kids of their own with a surrogate. He ached for them if he was really honest with himself, wanted a family with Jimmy so badly it hurt. But he was scared too. None of them had forgotten the months long feud that had almost killed Rikishi, left Jimmy scarred for life, and--

"Nnh!" Sami's left hand spasmed, just like it did whenever he thought about that final night, lying in the mud and waiting to die. 

"Earth to Sami." A hairy, black-nailed hand was snapping its fingers in front of his face.

"You didn't say you matched here!" Reg yelled happily, and all four of them hugged. 

"I'm sorry, dude, I've been busy–"

"All right!" Dr. Ely shouted, standing at a large set of double doors. Everyone quietened at once.

"We're going to go into the ER now," she said. "Here's what will not happen. You will not laugh, or stare, or comment on any patients' appearance. You will not make jokes. You will not so much as take a temperature without me or another attending doctor beside you. Are we clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Sami called, used to this. 

"All right, then." She pushed open one of the doors. "Go. Be free. But do not–"

"embarrass me," the foursome chanted under their breaths as the group scurried to the emergency room. 

Sami's first thought was that someone had made a terrible mistake. All these people couldn't possibly be waiting to be seen. People coughed open-mouthed, seemingly unsupervised children chased each other and crawled over and under chairs, someone had come in with their trumpet and was playing it badly, and a woman with a bloodied bandage around her head was weeping silently. Sami completely forgot his earlier promises and stared around the waiting room, his mouth open.

"Uso." Dr. Ely handed Sami a tablet. "Bed four, come with me. And fix your face, you're not at the zoo."

"But there's- That woman, she's bleeding- and that cough really doesn't sound right." Sami was starting to panic.

"Dr. Uso." Dr. Ely fixed him with a pull-it-together look. "Bed. Four." She squeezed his arm, and Sami took a deep breath, and nodded, and closed his mouth, pulling his mask up over it hastily when he heard the coughing start again. "Bed four." He glanced at the tablet. "31 year old male with--" The words died in his throat. "Oh, come on." he sighed under his breath. He'd expected scut, but on the first day?

"Excuse me?" Clearly, Dr. Ely wasn't in the mood for joking around or back talk this morning. 

Sami grimaced. "Nothing. 31 year old male presenting with abdominal pain, later found to have an obstruction in his rectal passage. Refused enema after MRI, so..."

"So we do a digital exam to see if we can get it out without resorting to surgery." Dr. Ely said chirpily.

"By "us" you mean me, and by "it", you mean..."

"I believe it's a shampoo bottle."

"...Great." 

***

"Sami!" 

Twelve hours later, Sami staggered out of the hospital and directly into Jimmy's arms. He had been puked on, peed on, and seen enough swollen glands to last him a lifetime, and this was only day one. 

A tiny part of him wanted to run screaming at the idea of seven years of this, but it was vastly overshadowed by how good he felt, because between all the screaming children and the belligerent drunks, there had been the little girl who high-fived everyone in the room twice, and the man who wept and hugged Sami when his wife was revived, and even a woman who had screamed in his face about the wait came over and shook his hand and said she was sorry, and Sami took it with grace, because that's what you did as a doctor. There was a great fire burning inside of him - he hadn't been sure until he got to practise medicine, but he knew now that he truly loved it and would fight like hell to stay a doctor. 

His phone buzzed - an email from Bella, likely asking how his first day went. He'd reply later. Now he just wanted to spend some quality time with his family. 

"Party's been pushed to tomorrow," Jimmy whispered in the back of the Jeep. "Jey said you probably wanted to rest, plus the plan kind of worked out that way anyway." It was fantastic news for Sami; he didn't have to go back for another two days. 

"Oh! I forgot to thank you." Rikishi said as he unlocked the sliding doors. 

"Thank me?" Sami was puzzled. 

"For the hotel room." Rikishi said. "You and Jimmy got me a whole spa thing for tomorrow night? He said it was your idea."

"Oh!" Sami quickly caught on. So this was how the twins were planning to host a party in their dad's house; without him having any idea it was happening. "Yes! Sorry, I'm..." He tapped the side of his head to demonstrate. "First day as a doctor. Brain melting from head." 

Rikishi laughed, and Sami instantly felt guilty for fibbing. "Let's get you something to eat and I'll roll for us all."

"Ahh," Sami half-moaned as Jey squeezed his feet tightly. "That hurt?" Jey murmured. Sami shook his head emphatically. His feet throbbed as if he had walked miles in the tightest boots, instead of walking from one side of the ED to the other in memory foam shoes. The twins had pressed for him to come right to he and Jimmy's room immediately after eating for some TLC after his long day, and he was glad he'd agreed. "Oh, yes," he groaned as Jey drove his knuckles into his instep. "That's the spot." He didn't like to say it, but Jey pulled ahead of Jimmy when it came to massages and he seemed to be putting extra love into this one. He giggled softly when Jey brushed his toes with his lips, kissing the side of his foot. "That tickles. What, you got a foot fetish? Is that your big secret kink you still haven't told me about?" He was teasing, but Jey swallowed hard, his cheeks pinking. Oh, my. Sami was extremely sorry that he was too tired to explore this right now.

"Dr. Sami Uso." Sami shivered at Jimmy nibbling his earlobe as Sami curled up to be his little spoon. "We're both so proud of you." A throb under his ass - Jimmy was excited, and Sami suddenly was too, but he was also so, so sleepy. "Tomorrow?" he asked, trying not to wriggle and encourage his husband's erection. 

"Tomorrow," Jimmy said, stroking his arm in that old familiar way. 

Sami gasped softly, then huffed a laugh - Jey had recently grown out his facial hair and he was taking great pleasure in tickling Sami's inner thighs with it, nuzzling his clothed cock. "Eeeehee!" Sami squealed, his thighs shaking from the effort of keeping his legs open. "J-Jehey! It's be-eheHEHE- bedtime!" Every time he tried to speak Jey moved his head enthusiastically from side to side, and it had turned out Sami's inner thighs were a death spot like his upper ribs, so he was flailing and snorting and trying his best not to kick Jey or crush his head, and all the time he was loving it. Jey kept hitting his cock just a little every time, and "just a little" very quickly built to a lot of heat in Sami's gut.

"Yeah, it's bedtime," Jimmy whispered, and his hand found Sami's nipple and pinched. He was humping Sami; Sami didn't know when he had started, but wow, that felt good, Jimmy's hard cock rubbing against his hole with only a few thin layers between them. "And we're in bed." He pinched the other nipple and Sami stiffened. "Jimmy, I'm–" It had been months since Sami had been in the mood, close to a year even, and he suddenly very much regretted not touching himself for maintenance reasons, because he was about to come from almost nothing. 

"God, yes, come for me," Jimmy groaned, humping faster with his face buried in Sami's shoulder, and Sami felt his come leak onto his back. He reached around and stroked Sami through his pyjamas, who locked eyes with a masturbating Jey.

"Jey," he mouthed, and then his mouth fell open in pleasure. His name being the last thing Sami said before coming was too much for Jey, and he spilled over his fist while Sami whimpered in Jimmy's arms. 

Jey insisted on doing the walk of shame afterwards so they wouldn't be caught - the one thing they hadn't let on to Aunty about was the fact Sami was with both brothers. She was still human and still had her human biases, and Jimmy had been feeling a little left out recently anyway, so it all worked out for Jey not to stay the night in their room any more. 

Sami slept peacefully his first night of internship - that was, until his pager went off at 2am.

Chapter Text

There had been a multi-car pile up, and though Sami was sent back home after a couple of hours, he thought he definitely wanted to go into trauma. Or ortho. Or burns. Actually, his head hurt when he tried to think further than his husband's arms and bed. 

Jimmy nuzzled into his neck to wake him that afternoon, and Sami was almost happier to see the coffee he was holding. "Good morning, Dr. Uso." Sami yawned hugely, sniffed the cup, took a sip. "Good afternoon, husband." His whole body ached, and he felt a memory of last night's pleasure when Jimmy ran his fingers over his inner thigh. "Dad is leaving soon," Jimmy murmured. "Totally fell for it. He's real pleased with himself, and it was worth the money to make sure he's kept busy. He was so confident that he sent Aunty away too, said he'd make us take care of the chores." Sami's stomach squirmed - he didn't like lying to Rikishi. Still, it was just a party. They were going to hide away anything suspicious or breakable, so it was simply an oddly decorated but regular human bungalow. What could possibly happen?

"Okie-dokie," Sami said later that evening. "I think we're ready." They had pushed the couch way back to create a large open space where people could dance or stand to talk. "Snacks!" Jey said, picking up a bag. "Cheese balls, gummy worms, pretzels, chips and guac, lots and lots of junk food in the fridge and freezer to be cooked, but we'll probably end up ordering pizza again anyway..." The kitchen area was lined with bottles, and Jimmy walked along them, checking each one for its seal and keeping count aloud. "Two handles of vodka. Black tequila, white tequila. Vanilla rum. Juices - orange, apple, cranberry. Pre-mixed cocktails, 24. Wine coolers, eighteen - do you think that's enough?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Enough? Guys, how many people did you invite?" Sami said nervously. "This seems like a lot for a little gathering." 

"Well, I invited your friends from medical school," Jimmy said, "and they asked if they could invite others from your intern class, and I said yes, as long as they contributed to the snacks and the drinks. A couple of people, that's all." 

The doorbell rang and Sami went to pull the shades, sliding the door back. 

"Hey, Sami!" Tiny Terri threw her arms around him. "What a cool door! Thanks for the invite!" She beamed at him, parking a gleaming bottle on the side. "I thought we well earned a bit of luxury. Champagne, Dr. Uso?"

"Don't mind if I do, Dr. Hook," Sami giggled as she popped the cork and they all sipped. Not the real thing, but as close as they could get in California. The door went again and Sami sensed this would be the theme of the night, but he was happy to see Cade and Reggie balancing a case of beer between them. He looked further - and his mouth fell open. 

"A couple of people?" He said faintly to Jimmy - there were at least fifty people streaming into the house, plonking their drinks wherever they fit. The house was immediately full of laughter and chatter and music. "A couple of people?"

"Okay, so maybe it got a little out of hand!" Jimmy hissed. "Look, it's a party - for you. The more the merrier, right?" He rubbed Sami's shoulders, who was never able to resist a massage, and shut his eyes. "Mmm. All right, then. But we have to turn away any more."

"We will." Jimmy promised, kissing his neck. "Now," he lead Sami over to where someone had put on music. "Dance with me, husband. It's been far too long." 

Sami put his arms around Jimmy's neck and kissed him fiercely as they danced, and he loved his husband so much it almost hurt. 

"Sami," Cade was pushing a drink into his hand. "Drink up! After all," he raised his voice, "We're doctors! We're gonna save people!" 

A great cheer went up and Sami laughed, taking a big sip of the drink he'd been handed. Cade was right; it was about time he let loose a little. He looked over an army of white coats, and felt proud.

***

"Mm. Hah. Oh, my." Rikishi was severely embarrassed at all the sounds that had been forced from him, but he'd never had a professional foot massage before and didn't realise it would feel so fantastic, like all the tension in his body was being pulled out of his soles. He almost didn't want to put weight on them afterwards, fearing his legs may go from underneath him. Somehow he made it back to his room, and when he blinked he had woken from the most blissful nap of his entire life. He yawned, blinking at his phone - it had been a long nap, almost two hours. He was getting hungry, and with a groan climbed out of bed to get to his overnight bag. The years of alcohol abuse had affected his stomach badly, and he took daily meds to prevent extra acid entering his throat.

"Hmm." They weren't in his medication bag. He looked again, examining every box in case he'd misread or mislabelled them, even though he never would've done that. He dug through the main part of the bag, eventually upturning it onto the bed and rooting through its contents with his hands. "Damn it." He'd forgotten them. He could risk it, but if he had an acid reflux attack it would completely ruin the rest of his night. He'd have to go back. He was only a half hour's drive from the house - it was inconvenient, but by far the better option. 

After a quick conversation with the front desk to make sure they understood he wasn't checking out, Rikishi walked out to the Jeep and started it. He hoped he wouldn't disturb the boys too much coming back early. 

***

"Smoke that bong!"

"Smoke that bong!"

Everyone screamed and cheered as Terri emerged from a cloud. "I did a drug!" She gasped, her voice croakier than ever as someone handed her a fresh drink to wash it down with. Sami laughed - his nerves had evaporated after his second drink. Someone had taken a massive soup pot, poured different alcohols in, and people were serving themselves generously with a ladle. It mostly tasted like apple juice, which Sami had a feeling was going to come back to haunt them all, but after the third cup his thoughts and feelings all started to become a little blurred around the edges. 

The music was turned back up again and Sami found himself in Jimmy's arms on the dance floor again. He gasped as Jimmy grabbed his hips and pulled them together. "J-Jimmy... someone will see."

"So what if they do?" Jimmy growled, and Sami whimpered when he bit down on his neck. "You're my husband. Mine. Why shouldn't they see?" He cupped Sami's ass, pulling him higher against him. 

"Ah," Sami moaned - liquor always did things to his libido and right now he could feel the heat of Jimmy through both their pants. His gasp was swallowed up by the music as another erection brushed against his ass.

"See what you do to us, Dr. Uso?" Jey purred behind him, and Sami didn't know whether to move backwards or forwards, just that holy shit, it felt good. "Both of us are completely under your spell."

If it was just them Sami would've stayed there until they all came undone, probably collapsing in a musky heap afterwards, but they were surrounded by people, people that Sami would have to work around and look in the eye for the next seven years. There seemed to be a lot more of them than earlier this evening, and Sami wondered in passing how people had continued to get in.

Besides, he had another pressing urge after two wine coolers and three mystery drinks. Jimmy and Jey made equal disappointed noises when he pushed them away. "Have to pee," he shouted over the music, kissing their hands in turn. "I'll be right back." 

It really wasn't a bad party, Sami thought drunkenly as he left the bathroom and wandered to the kitchen counter to seek out snacks. Nothing had been broken, nobody had gotten into Rikishi's office (locked, of course.) and there was no vomit in the sink.

He quite forgot about Jey and Jimmy, especially when he realised there was an unopened bag of cheese balls. He walked to the sliding door with it under his arm, craving the fresh air that filtered in, and stepped outside to the wonderful smells of weed and wood smoke. Someone had gotten the fire pit going, and they were roasting marshmallows. 

"Hey, Sami! Great party!" Cade was far too loud, far too cross-faded, but Sami was too. "Thanks," he laughed. "Wasn't exactly my idea." 

"C'mere." Cade wound their fingers together and yanked him into the circle. Sami started to feel a little strange; maybe he should've limited his drinks. "Nice, isn't it?" The fire was nice, actually - it was a cold evening.

Then Cade was in his personal space, lips messily meeting Sami's in a beer-scented clash of teeth. Sami let out a surprised noise and stepped back, Cade stumbling along with him. "Whoa," he began, holding up his hands. "Dude. Married. My husband is literally inside." 

Cade flushed. "I know you are - I just thought - I saw you with his twin, and so I thought you were, you know, open. I've liked you since that very first day in med school." 

Sami was frustrated and drunk and starting to feel ill. "We are," he tried to explain, not sure how to deal with the revelation of Cade having been pining for him. "It's just - we're part of an indigenous tribe. It's... there's different customs, you know? Tribal members can have open marriages with other tribal members, but when it comes to outsiders... anyway, I think two is quite enough, I can barely handle it!"

Cade seemed to realise he had spoken out of turn, and held his hands up humbly. "Oh, God. Totally my mistake. I'm so sorry, I'm..." He searched for an appropriate word. "...drunk." 

Sami laughed, and then Cade laughed, and then they were just friends again. "So am I, and we should be! We're fresh doctors!" He pulled his white coat around him more securely, then tugged at Cade's too. "Come on, let's go inside and party some more, and you can actually meet my husband." They would definitely have to talk about that whole "liked-you-since-day-one" thing when their brains were less addled with alcohol, but that would clearly not be any time soon - as they reappeared amongst the pounding bass, coloured lights and couples necking, Sami saw Jey had found a funnel and a length of rubber tubing.

"No, no, Jey, funnelling beer is disgusting," Sami tried to protest, but it was drowned out by the cheers as Jey went first, and Jimmy happily tipped an entire bottle of beer into the funnel for him. "Seriously, this is how people get sick!" But a wave of giggles overtook Sami watching Jey gulp down the beer and any further protests died in his laughter as Jimmy tried to help him and unceremoniously spilled beer over both of their faces.

When they'd all stopped laughing quite so hard, Jimmy clumsily pushed the end of the tube into Sami's hand. "Your turn, Dr. Uso." He lifted a fifth of vodka. "Not beer, see?"

"I really shouldn't." Sami said - his laughter had just been replaced by nausea. 

"Come on, Sami, everyone's doing it!" Jimmy begged. "Sami, Sami, Sami..." Others took up the chant quickly. 

"Sami! Sami! Sami! Sami!" chanted fifty plus white coats, and Sami gave in, clamping the tubing between his teeth while they all erupted into roars of encouragement. Sami gasped for air, his eyes streaming and his stomach rolling, but he'd done it, he'd finished what was in the funnel.

"What the fuck?!" came the bellow from outside, and everyone froze. 

The back door burst open and Rikishi ran in. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" The air was suddenly full of screams, oh-shit-the-host's-dad-is-home screams, and people scrambling to their feet. 

Jey grabbed the remainder of the fifth from Jimmy's hand and smashed it on the ground. "SCATTER!" he yelled, and everyone ran in different directions. Mostly they tore out through the sliding doors, some pausing to shout a thanks to the boys. 

When the trio had ensured everyone was out they looked back. Rikishi was coming for them, madder than they'd ever seen him, and that was saying something. Without hesitation they took off after Sami's classmates, all holding hands as they ran. 

"Sorry, Sami," Jey wheezed. "Didn't know he'd be back early."

"Yeah, sorry, Sami!" Jimmy gasped.

"Are you serious?" Sami asked. Tears of laughter were running down his face. "This is the most fun I've had in years! We have to do this again!" They clutched each other and laughed.

"USOS!" came the shout behind them.

One second Sami was laughing with his two loves, the next there were screams of disgust from the stragglers as he turned into what could only be described as a human fountain. Suddenly he was down on his hands and knees vomiting copiously over the welcome mat. He thought he recognised some of the snacks he'd had earlier, but most of it was liquid, acidic and stinking. He slumped back onto his haunches when he felt he was finally empty, panting. Poor Jey was a sympathetic vomiter and was laying halfway in a bush, gagging. 

Rikishi stepped over Sami, bag in hand. "You know what? This is not my problem. You broke the rules, so you clean up after yourselves. I'm going back to my spa night. One single thing is out of place tomorrow morning, and it'll be your heads."

The trio watched open-mouthed as he climbed back into the Jeep with his meds retrieved and sped off. Sami coughed, spat, coughed again. Jimmy patted his back, drunker than either of them put together. "Come on, my love, and my silly brother. Let's get this house back together, and then we can have a nice bath. And pizza." 

"Don't talk about food." Jey moaned, his face hidden in the grass. 

With difficulty, Sami hauled himself up and clung to Jimmy, who pushed his husband's hair off his sweaty face. "I'm a doctor," Sami mumbled drunkenly. "I should be helping you guys." A great wave of nausea hit him and he swayed. "Okay, maybe not." 

Jimmy put one arm around Sami and the other around Jey, and they staggered into the house together to reap what they'd sown. 

Chapter Text

"Hey. Wake up." 

"Mm." Sami mumbled, pawing at his face. It was too early, and too bright; God, his head. He certainly was getting too old to drink like he had last night, and supposed Dr. Ely would lecture them all when they came in hungover that evening. He could feel the twins stirring beside him.

"Wake up!"

A cushion hit him and Sami snorted, jerking his head up. 

He and the twins had fallen asleep on the couch after spending most of the night cleaning up after their house party. Sami had to stop twice more to throw up, and he was surprised there was anything left in him now to give him such a hangover. Considering they were all drunk, they managed to clean up pretty well, and fell asleep in a pile as dawn was breaking.

Sami blinked awake, looking up at Rikishi through a haze of pain, and quickly tented his fingers over his eyes to shield them from the sun; Rikishi had opened all the shades full blast. "Good morning!" their Chief bellowed, and Jimmy rolled right off the couch, landing hard. "Ow..." 

"Hungover? I should think so!" Rikishi's volume didn't waver, and Sami thought it had to be deliberate. "Wakey wakey! I have a list of chores for you to get through, since you must be bored. After all, you have the time on your hands to throw parties!" Sami's face burned; this was much worse than being yelled at. "Time is it?" He mumbled.

"Time to get up off my damn couch, Sami Uso!"

"Can you whisper?" Jey moaned, peeking through his fingers at his unimpressed dad.

"Not really!" The shout made them all nauseous, and Sami suddenly darted forward, a hand over his mouth. "B-bathroom!" A bucket was dropped at his feet and Sami fell desperately to his knees as his stomach upended itself for what felt like the millionth time. He gripped the hard plastic with a sick kind of gratitude, knowing he definitely wouldn't have made it to the toilet.

"I took the liberty of buying buckets," Rikishi said over his head, and Sami could hear the disgust in his voice, "because what happened to my welcome mat will not happen to my rug. Jey," he added, and dropped another bucket - Jey was suddenly clutching at his stomach. "In here, quickly." 

Clearly Jey was not faring any better this time as he choked into the bucket beside Sami, and between his bouts of retching Sami felt just a hint of satisfaction that he'd been right about the beer funnel being unsanitary. 

"Well, I feel fine," Jimmy said defiantly, standing up unsteadily. "I'd do it again."

Rikishi dropped the third bucket and stared him down, tossing napkins to the other two boys. "Is that so?" 

Jimmy burped, tried to smother it, burped again. "That's so."

"Breakfast, then?" Rikishi said jovially, half turning towards the stove with a knowing smirk on his face. "Bacon, sausage, eggs–"

Jimmy pitched forward and Rikishi chuckled, leaning over to pat his back lightly. "There we go, get it up, you'll be too busy later to throw up." He honestly wasn't nearly as mad now; this was enough punishment, and they'd done it to themselves. "I had a whole angry speech, but I think washing the car is going to be quite enough - it's going to be hot out today."

Jimmy whimpered into his bucket, taking the offered napkin. 

They did indeed wash the car. And the windows. And swept and mopped the floors. And vacuumed everything they could. Sami tackled the laundry while Jimmy washed the glasses that had been used last night, grateful to find nothing had been chipped or broken, and Jey took time to sort out all the plastic cups into the recycling, because people seemed to have stopped recycling as the drink flowed and everything was mixed together.

When there seemed to be nothing left to do, the trio leaned on each other, exhausted. It was now late afternoon, and the idea of going back to the hospital for his shift in a mere three hours seemed mountainous to Sami. At least they'd all stopped puking. As Sami patted his stomach, he realised he was actually kind of hungry. 

"Ahem." Rikishi said. "One more thing." Their hearts sank - what could they possibly have forgotten?

But when they turned around, Rikishi was sitting at the kitchen table, a large carafe of coffee and a rack of toast before him. "Eat up, you'll feel better, and then we'll talk a little." He motioned with his head to the stove. "Scrambled eggs in the pan, if you want." None of them had even noticed him darting about cooking. They fell on the food, the black coffee and dry toast doing wonders for their aching stomachs, and when Sami was brave enough to try the eggs, they were just right. 

"Well?" Rikishi asked, looking at them expectantly as they sat with full bellies, all feeling much better. "Does anyone have anything they'd like to say?"

A blush bloomed on Jey's face - the ringleader. He nudged Jimmy, who got equally flustered and nudged him back, but as always it was Sami who broke first, unable to stand the silence.

"Sorry." He said quietly, his eyes on the wood grain. 

"What was that?" Rikishi asked, cupping his ear. Sami went the reddest of all of them. "I'm sorry we had a party here without your permission, Chief," he said louder. "Not that you would've given us permission."

"You're damn right I wouldn't have. Anything could've happened, any of them could've been rogue vampires. How could you be so stupid, Sami?" Rikishi's voice was more sorrowful than anything and Sami felt his eyes start to water in a stupidly predictable move from his body. In the three years since the war, he'd suffered the occasional nightmare and of course his hand reminded him of that night when he thought of it, but if he hadn't witnessed it all himself, Sami would've been able to convince himself he dreamed it - even Jimmy's scarring was less alarming after multiple years using scar cream. He hadn't thought about any kind of attack in a year or more, and he suddenly realised Rikishi was angry because he was jealous of that. Sami had started to let his guard down so easily after such a traumatic time, while he knew for a fact Rikishi himself still sometimes woke up crying.

All of this swimming in his hungover brain, Sami couldn't bring himself to argue or wipe away his tears. Jimmy hugged him close. "Chief, don't blame Sami. We talked him into it, and way more people came than he wanted. It's our fault. We're sorry, okay?"

"No shit it's your fault!" Rikishi snorted. Then, seeing tears drip down Sami's face afresh, he softened just a little. "Come on, I'm not that scary, right? You should be used to me ranting by now." He leaned over to pat Sami's elbow, hesitated for a moment, unsure how to treat these particular tears. He tried a little joke. "Please cease becoming a human waterfall, it's becoming far too frequent." It worked; Sami snorted with laughter, mortified when stuff flew out of his nose. "Sami Uso!" Rikishi said, as fond as he was appalled. "You have a handkerchief, do you not?" Sami fished for it, giggling unsurely, and blew his nose. "There you go. Now, what do you say?" 

"I'm very sorry, Chief," Sami said in a wobbly voice, and Jimmy kissed away a stray tear. "I'll be more cautious about who I let into our circle." He felt like he was failing all his authority figures lately, and tears threatened once more at the very idea. 

"Thank you all for apologising." Rikishi held his arms out, and they all scurried into a group hug. "Indeed so much could have happened. But it didn't, so this time you are forgiven." He laughed as he tried to close his arms around them. "I swear you've all gotten bigger." 

"Maybe you've gotten smaller."

"Don't push it." 

"Sorry." 

Emergency medicine suited Sami, even when he was waiting out in the cold for ambulances after the sun went down or before it came up. He started to be the first to volunteer for work in the ER, and even picked up extra shifts there when he wasn't lucky with getting scheduled there. 

He didn't see Cade for a solid week after the party. The evening after when they'd been back on shift, Cade kept saying the same thing to everyone: "Man, I was so drunk. I don't remember a thing." Nobody, including Sami, believed him, but they could all tell he was embarrassed about how he'd behaved - kissing Sami in front of about twenty people - and wanted to forget it. Sami hadn't told Jimmy about the kiss, and he didn't plan to. It didn't mean anything. 

So Sami assumed that not seeing Cade was him keeping his distance out of embarrassment, and he respected that. However, it was not to be.

"...a monster," Sami heard Cade's voice say just before he entered the skills lab, and he ducked back out, wanting to listen as badly as he didn't want to make things awkward. "I felt sick just looking at him, you know? But at the same time I kinda wanted to laugh because it's like, cartoonish." Sami's brow furrowed; Cade shouldn't be talking this way about a patient, no matter if they could hear or not. He wondered whether he should confront him first or go straight to Dr. Ely.

"I don't see what Uso sees in him." What? Sami pressed tighter against the wall. "I kiss him, and I've only liked him for three fuckin' years, by the way! And he pushes me away to go back to that.. that gargoyle. Look, you weren't there, let me draw it." There was a short silence, a rustle of paper, then a harsh, mocking laugh. Sami was paralysed with horror. "That, only worse. And you want to know the worst part? He has a completely unblemished brother, a perfect face, and Uso is dating him too!" There were a few disgusted groans. "Yeah, it's "part of their culture" or whatever. Why he picked the ugly one to marry I'll never understand." 

Sami wasn't paralysed any more, but he was completely not in control of his body. Sprinting towards Cade, he smashed into him and the both of them went ass over tit into a desk, which moved with an ugly screeching sound. 

Someone screamed. "Stop it!" Someone else shouted. Cade raised his head. "Oh, look who turned up," he snarled. "Hear that, did you? Your freak husband." He lifted a fist, and before Sami could think about what was going to happen he had smashed it into Sami's nose.

There was a sickening crunch - but not from Sami's face. Cade howled, one hand cradling the other, and it was Sami's turn. His fist flew into Cade's chin once, snapping his head back. Twice, and a tooth flew out. Three times, and his eyes rolled in his head.

"Stop it!" Someone was tugging at Sami's arm, but there was a red mist in his vision and a ringing in his ears, and his brain was chanting he called Jimmy ugly, he called my Jimmy a freak. His fist was going numb and growing strangely wet.

"Someone get security!" 

Chapter Text

"Sami!"

He was being pushed off a mangled Cade, and his moaning body was being dragged from the room, and Sami had to follow him, had to end this-

"DOCTOR USO!" Dr. Ely was filling his field of vision, angrier than he had ever seen her. He realised he was being restrained; multiple members of security and some of his fellow doctors were holding him back. "What is the meaning of all this?!" 

"Yeah, they're on their way," he heard someone mutter. He lifted his hand and was startled to see it slick with blood. He tried to move his fingers and a pained sound tore from him - broken, just like it had been all those years ago. 

"Get him out of here," Dr. Ely said. "Bring him to Radiology and Ortho for that hand, then to my office." 

As Sami was bundled out of the room, a hand slipped into his good one. Terri sniffed furiously, her face puffy and her mascara smeared all over her face. "You're not blameless," she said. "What you did... the state of his nose... but what he was saying was horrible, Sami. Really horrible. I'd have lost it as well."

"Yeah," Sami croaked, realising he could speak. "Yeah, it was." 

She sat with him while his hand was manipulated and set, and didn't tease him when he cried silently throughout it, and when he was left waiting for the consequences she sat with him through that as well. "It might not be all bad," she whispered. "There were witnesses for what he said." Sami just closed his eyes, a lone tear trickling down his cheek.

Apparently grown adults with medical degrees were no better than teenagers in high school, because as Terri was forced to go back to rounds and went back and forth to Sami, she relayed the rumours.

"Uso went insane out of nowhere!"

"He screamed all sorts of things!"

"He punched Dr. Ely right in the face!"

"He attacked Cade and he's in critical condition in the ICU!"

Sami winced at some things, laughed at others, but he couldn't stop that horrid guilty burning in the pit of his stomach. A couple of times he thought he heard mention of the police and it turned to an ice cold fear, but nobody came to get him. He wondered if this was part of it, getting him worked up and anxious so he would be more likely to talk to them when they finally came. 

"Dr. Uso to Dr. Ely's office, Dr. Uso, please, come to Dr. Ely's office." The intercom squawked and Sami swallowed hard, his legs feeling like cement blocks as he stood and walked. People in the halls looked away when he met their gaze, but he could feel their eyes on his back, and whispers followed him the whole way.

"There's that Uso."

"Cade broke his hand punching him, you know. Genetic freak or something." 

"You think he's on steroids?" The whisperers seemed to not mind that Sami could hear every word. Perhaps they were hoping he'd lose it on them, give them more to gossip about. He set his jaw and kept walking. 

Sami's hand shook as he knocked. "Enter." Dr. Ely already sounded exhausted, and her face twisted into something like pity when she saw who it was. The suffocating weight on Sami's chest lightened just a little when he noticed she was alone, no police or security in the room. "Sit down, Dr. Uso." Sami sat gratefully - his legs were shaking. 

"Is Dr. Cade okay?" he asked in a small voice.

Dr. Ely ran a hand through her hair. "No, Sami, he is not. His right orbital socket is shattered, and his left is fractured. His nose will never be the same again. He has lost two teeth, and has a hairline crack in his jaw. You are extraordinarily lucky that he is alive, because you slammed his head into the ground hard enough to rattle his brain. He hasn't woken up yet." Her voice was cold, and Sami trembled. "Is- is he-"

"As far as I can see, he's going to be all right." Sami breathed a shaky sigh of relief. "With an extremely long and painful recovery ahead of him, I might add. I'm not going to ask how he broke his hand punching you," she said, looking at him beadily, and Sami felt a blush spread over his face, "because I can't think of an explanation that would satisfy me, and I don't like that."

"Am I fired?" Sami dared to ask. He would have quite the stain on his record now, and he was just barely a doctor.

"You are suspended," Dr. Ely said with a sigh, shuffling some papers, "until such time that Dr. Cade decides what course of action to take against you. Then, it will depend on what happens. Of course, he is suspended too," she added, and Sami gaped at her. "But- he's- he can't even get out of bed-"

"And I am sympathetic. Once you are cleared to return to work, you will both be suspended," she said simply. "Not only did he technically throw the first punch, but several of your classmates were eager to let me know you had been severely provoked. We do not speak like that in this hospital, not about anyone." 

"The police..." Sami ventured.

"They were called, of course. They'll want a statement from you, but I told them there was no point in questioning anyone until Dr. Cade is awake. They got tired of waiting, so they left." She pushed a card across the desk to Sami. "The SFPD would very much like to speak to you, Sami. Tread carefully when they do. And for God's sake, get a lawyer before you're assigned one of those shit-for-brains public defenders." Sami had never heard her swear before. He picked up the card - the front desk of the local police station - and shivered. There was a knock on the door. "Enter!" Dr. Ely pinched the bridge of her nose as if fighting off a headache, and Sami didn't blame her. 

A nurse came in. "Dr. Ely, Dr. Cade is awake. Also, Dr. Uso's family are here..." His eyes flickered over Sami and back. 

"Where is he?" Rikishi's voice boomed from behind him, and relief flooded Sami - he didn't sound at all angry. 

"I tried to tell them to wait," the nurse said, but his father-in-law is quite the character."

Sami swore he saw Dr. Ely's mouth twitch. "He certainly is. It's all right, Ash," she said with a wave of her hand. "Let them in." 

"Sami!" Jimmy came in and caught Sami up in his arms, and Sami started to cry, stroking his scarred face. "Jimmy, I'm sorry. I messed up." he blubbered. Jimmy caught hold of his injured left hand and pressed a light kiss to the cast.

"Um..." Sami looked over. Rikishi was hovering awkwardly, as if he were shy around Dr. Ely. "What happened, Doc? The message just said something happened and Sami's being suspended, so we all came to get him."

"There was a fight." Dr. Ely said. "Dr. Cade said some rather unsavoury things - I believe about your family - and Dr. Uso was defending your honour. However, Dr. Cade was beaten badly, and there will undoubtedly be legal consequences. For now, they are both suspended from work pending their recovery from injury, and the only reason Dr. Uso is not currently in police custody is that I convinced them he wasn't a flight risk or likely to go back to finish the job." Sami sniffled behind them, Jimmy still attached to him. "Do not make a liar of me, Dr. Uso. Go home. Rest that hand. Do not show your face on this campus without being told to. Your lawyer will facilitate communication with Dr. Cade."

"My lawyer has not two weeks ago retired!" Rikishi protested. "What are we to do?" 

"Get a new one?" Dr. Ely suggested, with an air that suggested the conversation was over. Sami watched the larger-than-life man shrink somewhat, a blush spreading over his cheeks. "I- Well, if you-"

"Was there something else?" she asked.

"...No." Sami bit the inside of his cheek to fight a sudden desperate laugh - up was down, left was right, and Rikishi was getting flustered around a woman who only came up to his waist. "Come along, then, Sami." 

They were all quiet on the drive home, Sami taking the chance to cling to Jimmy. He could've so easily been in a freezing cold jail cell by now, but when he thought back over it all, he wouldn't do a single thing different. He burned with rage all over again remembering how cruel Cade had been, and suddenly realised how lucky he was that he hadn't shifted. He reached forward and took Jey's hand. 

"What happened, blanquito?" Rikishi asked when they were home.

Sami hadn't heard his old nickname in two years, and tears threatened at the sound of it. "Nothing." He sloped off to get the smoke box.

"Hey, Sami Uso, you answer me properly!" he barked, and Sami turned on his heel, sighing. "Nothing happened, Chief. He was being an asshole, so I set him straight. That's all. Can we please not talk about it?" Rikishi nodded, but looked meaningfully at Jimmy.

"What did he say?" Jimmy murmured that night in bed, kissing all of Sami's most sensitive spots. "Why did you have to hurt him so bad?"

"Ahh- You c-can't do that to my neck and think it'll soften me up to talk about this," Sami gasped, but lifted his chin to allow Jimmy access anyway. "Cade was saying horrible things about you. I'm not telling you any of the details, okay? Just that."

"Oh." Jimmy's lips left his neck. 

"Was it my face?" he said quietly after a moment. "Was he talking about my face?" 

Sami didn't say anything, but Jimmy could feel him trembling. "Oh, Sami." He kissed Sami again, nuzzled against his cheek. "You shouldn't have done that. People will talk, people always talk."

"He k-kissed me," Sami stuttered, and Jimmy froze. "He what?"

"Outside. At the party. He thought we were open, he apologised after, it didn't mean anything. At least... it didn't to me." Jimmy relaxed against him. "Never mind. You did the right thing. What a fucking... a fucking..."

"Incel." Sami mumbled, and Jimmy laughed. "Yeah, I guess so. Never met one in real life." 

"Me either."

Sami still felt guilty - Cade had been his friend. He'd told him all sorts of things, and Sami's stomach turned suddenly - would he spread Sami's secrets around the hospital now?

As quietly as he could, Sami slipped out of bed and hurried to the bathroom to be sick. As far as he could thankfully tell, he disturbed nobody. 

However, the next morning was an entirely different story. Sami awoke with a yelp to a hammering at the wooden back door. Jimmy shouted and rolled over out of bed. 

When they got their bearings and got out of the room, Rikishi was approaching the door with his baseball bat. "All right already!" 

He wrenched the door open - and immediately plastered a smile on his face, casually laying the bat down by the door. "Officers. Nice of you to drop by." Sami's blood ran cold. "Is this the residence of Sami Uso?" He heard a deep voice grunt.

"I believe he's in bed," Rikishi said, and with the arm that was out of view he made desperate shooing gestures. "He has a broken hand, you know. Been advised to rest up. I can certainly go get him." Sami moved as quickly and quietly as he could back to the bedroom, yanking on a pair of pants and a hoodie. 

"Sami?" Rikishi was knocking gently on the bedroom door. "Sami, are you awake? There are some police officers here looking for you." His voice was different than it usually was, his words chosen more deliberately; Rikishi didn't at all trust the police and Sami knew he'd only let them in at all out of obligation. 

"I'll be out in a second," Sami called, trying to stop his voice from shaking. 

When he came out, he felt no less afraid at the fact the officers were young and naive-looking. 

"Mr. Uso-" one of them started to say.

"Doctor." Sami said. It had left his mouth before he knew it; he hadn't meant to be disrespectful. "Sorry. Just- I'm a doctor. I worked very hard for that title."

"Yeah, you should be so lucky after this," his partner snarled. 

"Dr. Sami Uso," the first cop said. "Dr. Cade has awoken, and I'm afraid he intends to press charges. Therefore, I must place you under arrest for the attempted murder of one Bruce Cade."

"Attempted murder?!" Sami yelped - that was a hell of a step up from being suspended from work. He hadn't been trying to kill Cade... had he? He'd been so angry.

"Now, hold on," Rikishi began, but the officer was taking out his cuffs. "Turn around, please. I'm afraid if you don't, I'll have to add resisting arrest to the charges." Sami whimpered and spun on the spot. The officer pulled his wrists together and he felt the handcuffs click closed, cold against his skin. "Dr. Sami Uso, you are under arrest for attempted murder. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say or do may be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?"

Sami couldn't believe this was happening. He shut his eyes tightly, willing this to all be some silly nightmare, the stress of the ER getting to him. 

"Dr. Uso." The cop tugged on the handcuffs and Sami gasped as they cut painfully into his skin. "I need an answer. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?" 

Sami looked at Jimmy numbly. "I do." He said. Rikishi had his phone pressed to his ear and was mouthing a whole string of things, but Sami turned his head away. He didn't want any part in whatever scheme he was planning.

The swooshing sound of the sliding door. Heels on the linoleum. "I'm here! I'm here! I'm sorry, traffic was a nightmare!" 

Rosalie Hale-Cullen appeared in the living room, a sensible black business suit hugging her figure and her slender fingers wrapped around a briefcase. She looked for all the world like a human lawyer in an awful rush, but Sami knew every loose thread and hair out of place was deliberate. Even the way her chest heaved as if she'd been running was carefully rehearsed for when she needed it.

"And you are..." The cop who'd handcuffed Sami asked. His partner seemed to be slightly in a daze at the sight of her. 

"Oh, how rude of me!" Rosalie glided forward. "Rosalie Hale-Cullen, lawyer, family friend." She handed over her card. 

"Well, Miz Hale-Cullen-"

"Mrs." she said silkily, and the cop looked like he was very tired of being corrected. "Mrs, then. You're gonna have to follow us to the station, because there's nothing that can get Dr. Uso out of handcuffs tonight."

"We'll see about that." she said sweetly, following them out. 

"You hang in there, Sami," Rikishi called, hugging Jey and Jimmy to him. "We'll get you out of there."

Miserably, Sami allowed himself to be guided into the back of the cop car, Rosalie patting his knee as she got in beside him. "They're not wrong, Sami. We'll figure this out."

Sami didn't listen, staring miserably out the window. How was he supposed to recover from this?

Chapter Text

Sami ended up in a lockup overnight, despite all of Rosalie's eyelash batting and thinly veiled attempts at bribery (which, of course, she hotly denied when confronted.) The only bright spot was that he was the only one there, so when he had to give in and use the revolting toilet, there were no eyes on him. Still, it was dank and uncomfortable, and the air conditioning in the station kept kicking up dust, making him sneeze in big gaspy fits and interrupting him dozing off. They'd taken everything he owned, of course, given him a limp set of grey clothes that smelled reassuringly freshly laundered but looked like they'd been worn and washed at least a million times. Prison clothing, he thought, and shook his head to clear it. 

Somehow he fell asleep sitting up on the bench - when he tried the thin bed it had sagged almost to the floor, its springs shot - and awoke to the smell of smoke. His thoughts full of exploding houses and fires, Sami staggered to his feet half asleep, and struggled for a moment to know where he was. 

"Man, you were so asleep I thought you was dead," grunted the cop who'd brought him in last night. "Would've been a hell of a lot more paperwork, so thanks for being alive." He was smoking indoors, something Sami hadn't seen in a good thirty years, and for the first time in six years his resolve was suddenly weakening.

"Could you put that out, please?" he mumbled, nodding towards the cigarette.

The cop laughed. "What, you trying to quit?" 

Sami shook his head. "I did quit, years ago - but you know how it is when you're under stress." 

"Oh yeah, I'm sure it's real stressful beating the shit outta your coworkers," the cop sneered, and took another drag on his cigarette. "Request not granted. In fact, I'm feeling generous. You want one?" He produced a weathered pack. "I'll even light it for you." His eyes were gleaming. "Come on. You know, if you go to prison you'll end up smoking again anyway to deal with it. You won't get as nic-sick if you get a head start." 

Sami swallowed, his mouth dry and his brain in overdrive. He really did want a cigarette. He hadn't craved one this badly since he first quit. It would be so easy to reach through the bars and pluck one from its foil packaging, purse his lips to keep it upright while it was lit. Would he really go to prison? 

"Good morning!" Rosalie breezed in, raindrops on her jacket and clinging to her hair, and carrying two coffees. Sami was immensely glad to see her. "I believe you got some mail overnight." 

"I got six separate emails," the cop complained, "all from important people vouching for him. And of course, you paid bail in cash, so I'm not eager to keep him." He took a key from his pocket. "You have the paperwork for him?" Rosalie waved a manila envelope. "Good." He let Sami out of the cell and then retrieved the plastic bag holding his belongings from under his desk. They made him change and give the grey outfit back, and Sami wondered if it was the only one they had.

"Conditions of your bail," the cop said. "You will not contact Mr. Cade in any way. You will not step foot onto hospital grounds without a permit. You will remain under house arrest, pending an ankle bracelet fitting prior to your trial. Sign here if you understand." Sami signed his name numbly - this was very different to a contract signing. 

"We'll fix this," Rosalie told him as they drove home in her little black Toyota. "If we need to pay him off, we will." Sami's head spun at the idea of paying off someone he had beat up so badly they wanted to charge him with attempted murder.

When they got home, the twins threw their arms around him, and Rosalie let out an affronted squawk when Rikishi hugged her. "Get off me, you great dirty animal!" 

He laughed and released her. "You came through for us, so I hug you no matter how bad you smell." 

"Whatever." But she was smiling. 

The waiting was torture, no matter how Sami tried to distract himself. He didn't want to watch cartoons, or draw, or lie there kissing Jimmy and Jey for hours on end. He didn't want to come outside and smoke with Rikishi. He didn't want to be him.

An entire week seemed to go by in the blink of an eye, and then two. Terri and Reg kept him updated as to Cade's condition. He's going into nose surgery. Surgery was a success. Jaw surgery. Surgery was a success. He ate solid food today. His stitches came out today. The little texts stopped Sami from going completely insane, but only just, and when Rikishi arrived home after grocery shopping on one particularly rainy afternoon, Jey was hiccuping with tears, flouncing off to his room, and Sami was standing with his arms crossed, shouting "For goodness' sake, Jey, don't be such a baby!" 

"Hey, hey, hey," Rikishi said, rushing to put the groceries down and run after Jey, but his door had slammed and Rikishi knew from experience that he wouldn't open it again before he was ready. "I was only gone an hour. What happened?" 

"Nothing." Sami mumbled.

"Sami Uso–"

"Jey was trying to cheer him up," Jimmy said from the couch, surprising Rikishi. "Cracking jokes, saying stupid shit. Sami wasn't in the mood, and so Jey tried tickling him..." Rikishi sighed, he could see what had happened now. "And you weren't wanting to be tickled, Sami? And I'm guessing you shook him off and said some not very nice things, which is why he's crying." He was spot on, and Sami's lower lip wobbled. "Shouldn't have come at me," he mumbled, trying to shake off the guilty feeling creeping up the back of his neck. 

"No, he shouldn't have," Rikishi agreed, "but you know well that words can hit as hard as fists. I think you both need to apologise to each other - and then we can talk about how you've been acting recently." Sami dropped his head, but they all could see him blush. "Yes, Chief." 

He sidled up to Jey's door, tapping lightly. "Jey? It's Sami. I wanna apologise, gorgeous boy." There was an indistinct collection of wet noises and mumbles from beyond the door, but they were all well-versed in upset-Jey-speak. "I know I wasn't nice. I'm sorry. I've been very grumpy lately. This thing with Cade. Can you please come out so I can hug you?" 

Everyone held their breath for a moment, even Rikishi. Then Jey unlocked the door and flung himself at Sami, mumbling something new. "I know, I know. Just ask first, all right? You know I love our tickle fights - but not when I'm grumpy." He gave Jey's side a couple pokes to demonstrate and he twitched away, chuckling weakly. "You can get me back for that when we know what's gonna happen to me, okay? Okay." He kissed Jey's forehead, and Jey kissed his, and Rikishi nodded approvingly. "You both want to come sit?" He phrased it as a question, but he was their Chief; they knew he wasn't asking. They sat. "What's wrong with you, Sami? You barely leave your room now, you're grouchy, you're uncooperative, and if I may be so impolite, you smell."

"I don't want to go to prison," Sami whispered.

"But you might," Rikishi said, "and closing yourself off won't do you any favors there - in fact, it's more likely to make you a target. Even if it didn't, do you really think detaching yourself from your family early will make you miss us less when you're in there, or us miss you less?" Sami let out a small, choked sound and shut his eyes. "Come here." He almost fell into Rikishi's embrace, comforted by the familiar warmth. Rikishi patted his back heavily. 

The back door banged and they all started. "For goodness' sake," Rikishi roared, "can you not read?!" 

They had began putting up signs after Sami was arrested. At first they were polite - "please use sliding door", "no soliciting," but as news broke of the fight and reporters started to show up every day, Rikishi had taken over. Now most of the signs said things like "absolutely NO press", "trespassers will be SHOT", and the latest simply said "GO AWAY" in big bold letters. Sami was just grateful he didn't have to deal with it himself.

Whoever it was knocked at the door again and Rikishi let out a roar. "You know, I'm going to start shooting first, and asking questions later." 

At the door was a skinny man in a grey suit. "Dr. Sami Uso?" he asked, looking around. Sami raised his hand shakily, and the man retrieved a sheet of paper from inside his jacket. "A court summons, to speak on the charge of attempted murder, and enter your plea." Sami gulped, taking the sheet, and Rikishi took great pleasure in slamming the door in the man's face. 

Sami took a deep breath, reading the sheet three times. "Two days. In two days I plead guilty, and then it's up to the judge." 

"You are not pleading guilty," Jimmy argued. "You weren't trying to kill him, you lost control. He's exaggerating to get you in more trouble." He hugged Sami to him. 

It was a subdued dinner that night. Rosalie returned from a long day at the local library, wielding a large amount of books, and Sami pushed his food around his plate wearily as she talked at them all incessantly. He hadn't told anyone about the cigarette cravings that had arisen that day in jail, but they hadn't gone away, and every new legal term pushed him a little closer to buying a pack. "All I know, Sami," Rosalie said with a sigh, "is he must have a hell of a lawyer, because I can't find a way around this summons, and I still think your best option is to plead not guilty and go to trial with your best face on."

Everyone could see that while Sami had opened up a little, he was in no state for sitting up debating strategies for winning his trial. Jimmy and Jey took him to bed together and kissed him all over, and Sami finally let himself melt under their lips. 

"We could run away," Jimmy murmured in the early hours of the morning. Jey was snoring beside them and Sami played with a lock of his hair gently. "Jey too?"

"Jey too. Just take off. The Cullens could give us new identities, they'd never find us." Sami had to admit it was tempting, but he had worked so hard to be a doctor, to be an Uso. He couldn't bear losing all of that. He squeezed Jimmy's hand and shook his head. "I love you so much, Jimmy Uso, but I can't run away with you." He leaned in and kissed Jimmy as if he had never kissed him before, drawing moans and memories of their wedding day from both of them. They groped and tickled and laughed into each other's mouths, and fell asleep tangled - at least Jimmy did. Sami lay awake, his heart thudding. He couldn't run away. But he couldn't stay and watch Jimmy's heart break seeing his husband go through a criminal trial. 

He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Jey's forehead, whose brow furrowed, his eyes blinking open. "S-Sami?" he yawned. Sami shushed him, stroking his brow. "Just wanted to say I love you. Go back to sleep."

"Oh, okay. Love you." Jey mumbled. Their lips met messily and Jey's hand reached to rub his thigh fondly, sleepy fingers wandering. God, Sami was going to miss him being such a horndog. 

When he was sure both of them were asleep, Sami wriggled out of bed, avoiding the sprawled bodies of his twin loves. 

He was going to turn himself in.

Chapter Text

The clock ticking infuriatingly on the wall told Sami he'd already wasted far too much time here and he still wasn't in jail.

Sami's plan to get to the police station via hitchhiking quickly fell apart - it turned out that in the modern age most people weren't eager to stop their cars and give a stranger a lift. Most gave him the finger instead, so Sami ended up walking the whole way. The soles of his feet burning, Sami resolved that when he came out of prison, he would finally learn to drive. 

He tried pacing in front of the police station when he arrived, just to calm his jangling nerves, but he was immediately spotted by... whatever this was on the night shift. 

"So you killed someone?" The cop repeated slowly.

"No, I hurt someone bad enough he almost died. He's in the hospital." 

"Oh. Well, he's gonna have to make that report, you can't press charges on yourself." 

"I--" Sami resisted the urge to tear his hair out. "He did make the report. Cade, Bruce Cade, for goodness sake, his big puffy face has only been all over the news! I'm Dr. Sami Uso, I beat him!"

"Sir, you're gonna have to calm down or I'll have to place you under arrest." 

"That's what I want you to do!" Sami thought for a moment about simply punching him, at least getting himself locked up for the night until he could talk to someone more intelligent. However, time was of the essence here. There were only a certain amount of hours left before one of the twins awoke and found him missing. 

"Look," he almost pleaded, leaning against the counter. "Would you just look up the case? I don't know the case number, or whatever."

The cop sighed like he was being hugely inconvenienced, instead of standing around in an empty station with someone having to beg to be incarcerated for a crime they committed. "What were the names again?"

"Sami Uso, U-S-O--"

"And Dr. Bruce Cade, C-A-D-E," came a terrifyingly familiar voice behind him. Sami spun, almost falling over. Cade was leaning heavily on a cane, his face yellow and purple with aging bruising. "This is a turn-up, isn't it?" Sami wasn't sure whether to put his fists up or not, and Cade laughed, showing the gaps where Sami had knocked out his teeth. 

"There's nothin' there," the cop mumbled awkwardly, and Sami barely contained a snarky reply about there being nothing there in his head either.

"I dropped the charges, Uso." Cade said. "Not for you," he added as Sami stared at him open-mouthed. "Don't you think for one second it was for you. It was for me. I'm gonna focus on being a better doctor than you, and I can't do that with a trial hanging over my head and that freak's face all over the news. I'll be seeing you - after our suspensions are up, that is."

Before Sami could say or do anything further, the man in the grey suit from earlier came out of the bathroom - Cade's lawyer? 

"Come along, Bruce," he said, with a contemptuous little nod to Sami. "Your father awaits." Ah - Cade's father's lawyer. Sami wondered how he'd fallen for his facade, when he was so clearly just another shallow young man who could afford to fail his boards, had the money to simply transfer to another program. He shuddered to think of the fact Cade was on track to become a doctor, wondered if there was any hope for him recovering from his bigotry. "I hope you're not going into Peds," he said finally, to Cade's retreating back. "Kids can't take cruelty like yours." 

"Nah," Cade smirked, "Plastics. Learn to do what they obviously couldn't do for your husband - yknow, make him whole again?" Sami shook with rage, but he couldn't do anything where they were. He knew his Jimmy was beautiful, and that's what he concentrated on so he wouldn't shift there and then. He couldn't believe he'd been considering leaving him for jail, for the sake of... that.

The phone on the desk rang loudly and both Sami and the useless cop jumped before the latter scrambled to answer it. "Uh, h-hello?" He listened intently. "Yeah. Yeah." He squinted at Sami. "Uh-huh. Redhead? Looks like hell? He's here." He winced and held the phone away from his ear, and Sami knew then exactly who was on the other end and that he was shouting, and grinned to himself despite everything.

"He just showed up here, I dunno!" The cop was saying now. "Well, he ain't been charged, so you can come get him whenever. We don't babysit." He looked at Sami again. "Your family, I guess. You wanna talk to em before I hang this up?" Sami shook his head - if he heard Rikishi's disappointed tone he'd start crying and embarrass himself. "All right. You have a safe drive, now, sir. Yeah, you too. Uh-huh." He put the phone down. "Whoever that was sure knows a lot of ways to tell me to go fuck myself." A laugh burst from Sami, relieved beyond belief. It was the first time he'd laughed in days, and he fastened a hand firmly over his mouth to stop it. It was going to be all right. His family were coming to get him. 

When they showed up Sami went to them. He mumbled a goodbye to the cop, who grunted, not looking up from his phone. "San Francisco's finest," he said as he got into the Jeep, "won't arrest a man who actually committed a crime." Suddenly he was unable to speak because Jimmy and Jey were squeezing him so hard. "Guys - can't breathe-"

"Don't you ever," Rikishi said, and Sami was astounded to see he was shaking, "run away like that again, Sami Uso. Do you remember nothing of that night with Kross?" The inside of Sami's wrist seemed to be tingling. "How were we supposed to know you were safe?" His Chief's voice cracked. "We'll call Rosalie, we'll get this all squared away. You will not be pleading guilty." 

"You don't have to," Sami said, still unsure how to feel about this particular outcome. "Cade dropped the charges." 

"What?!" Jimmy, Jey and Rikishi all spoke together.

"Look, can we just go home? I'll explain better then." Sami's head was throbbing from the fluorescent lights. He was happy, he supposed - but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

He explained quickly when they were home, giving them the spark notes - failed hitchhiking, idiot police, and Cade appearing and declaring he'd dropped the charges. There were cries of delight, sighs of relief; Jimmy clutched Sami's hand so hard it went numb, and he was suddenly glad he hadn't mentioned the full conversation in the station. Goodness knows what they might do. 

"Well," Rikishi said, patting his shoulder, "now you just have to wait out this suspension, which should give you plenty of time to study up." 

There was a glancing blow to the top of his head and Sami cried out. "You nearly killed your Chief," Aunty said furiously, stalking over to the kettle and switching it on. "Running away like that!" Sami rubbed his head, knowing he'd gotten away easily. He ran a finger over the scarring on the inside of his wrist, and felt guilty that he hadn't even stopped to think about that night almost four years ago.

When they were all sitting around drinking tea, there was a polite rapping at the sliding door. They kept the shades pulled now to stop looky-loos, and those people rarely knocked politely. It was for these reasons Sami got up and went to the door, freezing for a second when he pulled the shades. "It's..." He trailed off and opened the door. "Uhh. Come in."

Dr. Ely stepped inside, looking around. "Hello again, everyone. May we speak privately, Dr. Uso? Perhaps outside?" She seemed uncharacteristically unsure of herself. Sami looked over his shoulder at Rikishi, who shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

Unsure what awaited him, Sami stepped outside to talk to his mentor.

Chapter Text

Sami stepped outside to speak to Dr. Ely away from other ears. It was a clear, crisp night, and their breath fogged in the porch light. "Nice night," he commented feebly, and sat down on the porch swing. "You want to sit?"

"I'm fine, thank you." She seemed to be hesitating. "I received a call from the SFPD an hour or so ago, informing me that the charges had been dropped. I suppose I should congratulate you. You are of course still suspended - the legal matter has nothing to do with this." Sami nodded numbly; he hadn't expected any different. "Is that all?" Sami asked - he was tired and sore from sitting on a bench all night, and he wanted to finish his tea and go to bed. "Dr. Ely," he added hastily - no reason to add disrespect to his long list of misdemeanors at the hospital. 

"No, actually." Dr. Ely said, tenting her fingers under her chin. "I spoke with Dr. Cade Senior as well. He and I have agreed that Dr. Cade Junior would be happier in another program." Sami's heart lifted just a little. "He will remain with us for his intern exams, but I trust you and he can stay out of each other's way for the duration of the semester?" 

"I can, at least," Sami said. "Thank you."

"That's the other thing - Dr. Uso, you are a wonderful student and so far you're shaping up to be a very good doctor, but you're disorganised, you keep being late, forgetting your paperwork... you need to get your meds under control."

Sami frowned at her. "Meds?" He'd been on antidepressants since he was seventeen, they were well titrated and had no effect on his punctuality or ability to prepare. He couldn't explain why he had trouble with this stuff, just like he couldn't explain why the fluorescent lighting in the police station and in grocery stores always gave him such a headache or why he had to cover his ears when sirens went by. Dr. Ely was talking again, so he pulled his attention back with great effort.

"For your ADHD," she was saying. "And honestly, my dear, not to overstep? I'm thinking you may be autistic as well."

Sami blinked at her. Then he laughed. "Dr. Ely, no offense, but I think you have me mixed up with someone else. There are no meds, I'm not... I mean, my husband Jimmy has ADHD and autism, and we're nothing alike." 

Dr. Ely put a hand over her mouth. "Oh, dear. It appears I have spoken out of turn. You're undiagnosed. Um..." She looked around. "If we were at the hospital I'd have resources for you, pamphlets and such. The only reason I'm saying so is you're really struggling, Dr. Uso, and your mock exam grades are reflecting that. You're showing very obvious symptoms of AuDHD, I'm frankly very surprised you weren't diagnosed as a child."

Something hot seemed to be sitting in Sami's throat. Yes, something was stuck in his throat, that must be why his eyes were suddenly watering. A lot of puzzle pieces from as early as childhood were suddenly slotting into place. 

"Look, um..." Dr. Ely scribbled on a card, then passed it to him. "That's our head of Psych. Personal friend of mine, and a psychologist by trade. If you want to know more about this, maybe want to be tested, they're the best I can recommend." Sami slipped it into his pocket. As soon as he got back to work, he'd go in person. 

He couldn't stop his hands from shaking slightly as he came inside - Dr. Ely declined to stay for tea. 

"What did she want?" Jimmy asked, his mouth full of peanut butter sandwich. 

"Jimmy! Swallow first, you pig," Sami laughed shakily. "Nothing. Just telling me she knows the charges are dropped. Oh, and Cade is switching hospitals after the intern exams."

Everyone cheered at that, and for a while Sami quite forgot about neurodivergency and missed diagnoses and Cade. 

But that night he once again lay awake, this time on his phone. AuDHD. He hit search and was immediately overwhelmed, just clicking on the first link that wasn't an ad. 

A portmanteau name for an adult or child who suffers with both autism and ADHD. Symptoms may include:

Strong aversion to certain sounds, smells, textures and/or tastes. Check.

Dislike of eye contact. Check.

Chronic forgetfulness. Check.

Self soothing through repetitive bodily movements. Check. Sami realised he was, at that very moment, tugging on his beard, and stopped himself. 

Poor concentration. Check.

Intense interests, often spanning decades. Sami thought about that very first day of medical school, how a spark felt lit inside him in a way he hadn't felt since he'd last wrestled. Check. 

His heart thudding, Sami couldn't resist any longer. He rolled over and prodded Jimmy awake. "Hmm?" his husband murmured, his eyes closed. 

"Jimmy, do you think I could be autistic?"

"Oh Sami, it's too late for jokes," Jimmy mumbled. Sami prodded him again and he groaned, opening his eyes properly. "Oh, what is it?"

"I'm serious!" Sami hissed. "Dr. Ely said some stuff earlier - that I needed to "fix my meds" before I came back, and she wasn't talking about the little green ones. She thinks I have "AuDHD" - like you, I guess."

Jimmy blinked at him. "I thought you knew." 

Sami started to feel embarrassed, especially by the way Jimmy was smirking now.

"Stop it!" Jimmy's smile faded as Sami cried out. "Stop smiling like you figured out something huge, because apparently everyone knew except me!" Sami's voice broke and he ducked under the covers. 

"Hey." Jimmy rested his hand on the quivering lump that he knew was Sami's back. "This is not a bad thing. If you can get medicated it'll be good for you, right?" 

Sami sniffled, muffled slightly. "I guess. I'm just... sad. I just never thought... I mean, how did nobody see it? Why did nobody tell me?"  

"Honestly," Jimmy sighed, "I just don't think our generation got enough attention, even taking away everything with the tribe for us. Jey and I were diagnosed right after each other, sure, but it's not like we wrre toddlers or anything. We were deep into our teens before anyone wondered if the fact we didn't want to eat anything but dinosaur nuggets was indicative of something deeper." Sami snorted under the covers and Jimmy grinned. "There's my favourite sound. Been a while since I heard it." Sami was glad his face was hidden so Jimmy couldn't see him blush. 

When he felt his cheeks cooling, he lifted the covers away, wiping his eyes. "She gave me a number for a person in Psych. Said they could assess me. I was gonna go in person when I got back to work. You know, phone calls..." Jimmy nodded. "Why don't we smoke tomorrow and then call them together? The sooner you see them, the better you'll feel, right?"

Sami nodded, holding his hand. "Thanks, Jimmy," he murmured, resting his damp cheek against Jimmy's.

"For what?"

"For loving me." Upon hearing this, Jimmy threw Sami down and kissed him until he was breathless. Sami fell asleep underneath him, inhaling his love's scent. 

The next morning was wonderful. Jey crept into them with cups of coffee, which nearly blew out of his nose when Sami asked him the same question he'd asked Jimmy. With a quick look at his twin, he realised he was serious, and Sami got teary all over again retelling last night. 

"What's wrong now?" Rikishi asked, when they all came to breakfast red-eyed.

Sami giggled. "Nothing, Chief. I'm autistic is all."

"I knew this." Rikishi grunted. "Why are you upset about this now?"

"Dad! He's undiagnosed!" Jimmy hissed.

"Oh. So you're going to get diagnosed now that it's obvious to you?"

Jimmy glanced at Sami, afraid his dad's bluntness would hurt, but it had quite the opposite effect. Sami went into a fit of giggles, burying his head in his arms. "Chief, have you ever been assessed for autism?" he asked, muffled.

"Me? No! I couldn't be." Now Sami understood why the twins had found his own reaction so funny. "Hey, Chief? Maybe you could make a phone call on my behalf?"

"Why are you smiling like that?"

Sami tried to stifle his grin. "No reason." 

Rikishi spent a good ten minutes on the phone, not saying much except "Yes, I understand," and "Sure." He hung up, humming to himself. "Very nice guy. Said he can fit you in right away, would do anything for an intern of Dr. Ely's, and we were all welcome to come along. You be okay with that?"

Sami nodded, his heartbeat quickening. Now they just had to pick a date, and hope Rikishi wouldn't realise they would also be assessing him. 

Later the afternoon, Sami found himself alone with his Chief for the first time in... well, he couldn't remember the last time it was just them. Jimmy was out at the gym, and Jey was doing laundry. There wasn't a sound except for their breathing and paper rustling as Sami checked his study notes or Rikishi wrote something down.

As they sat apart, Sami couldn't help but notice Rikishi behaving rather strangely. He stretched his arms above his head, then stretched them out to the side, then rotated them in place as if exercising. He lifted his arms up and rolled his shoulders, his shoulderblades poking out one by one. "Your back hurt, Chief?"

Rikishi started, as if unaware Sami had been watching him. "Ah... no." Sami took the no as read and went back to his studying, but after a moment he heard Rikishi swear under his breath. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched him reaching over and then under both shoulders, grabbing as if to grasp something invisible, then withdrawing his arms with frustration and doing that shoulder rolling thing again, wriggling where he sat. He lifted a paper or two of his own, peering underneath them as if looking for something, then resumed his squirming. Sami breathed a laugh, realising just what was wrong with him.

"Chief, is your back itching?" Sami asked, holding in further laughter. Rikishi flushed anyway. "Sorry for disturbing you, Sami. Yes, my back itches. Normally I have a back scratcher within reach, but they all seem to have disappeared. No matter. It'll pass in a moment. Jey got the wrong damn laundry soap is all, and I did the laundry without my reading glasses, or I would've been safe. Irritates my skin." He gave another wriggle against his chair. Sami empathised - he had seen Rikishi scratching this week, now he thought back. "Can I do anything? Help you look for the back scratcher, or..." The words help you scratch died on his lips - he may have seen Sami as a son, but they didn't have the level of physical closeness he'd gained with the twins the past few years. Rikishi shook his head. "Just have to not think about it." 

"Not think about what?" Jey came in, and Rikishi pointed at him. "Finally." He jerked his thumb behind him. "My back itches something awful, Jey. Help your Chief out - this is your fault." 

Jey grinned at Sami. "Yes, sir." Knowing he hated to be touched for too long, he raked roughly and swiftly over Rikishi's whole back, who soon gave a great sigh of relief. "Much better, Jey. Thank you." 

"He's thanking me, it must be bad- oof!" Jey happily took the elbow in the ribs for the opportunity to make fun of Rikishi. Sami smiled to himself, trying not to cry - he had come so close to losing all of this. 

***

"So, I'd like to start you on fifteen milligrams of Adderall, and we'll meet again in a week to talk about titration, but of course you can also come to me any time at the hospital, or call me, or course - any of you."

Sami felt as if he'd been in that room for at least a year, going through every little moment from his life. He looked at the clock on the wall automatically, then remembered it wasn't there - Rikishi loathed ticking clocks and was visibly uncomfortable until the psychologist had asked if he'd like it removed. He dug out his phone instead, and wasn't surprised to see it had been three full hours since they'd arrived. He felt strangely light, and like things made a whole lot more sense, and Rikishi looked as if he felt the same. He was excited to go home, and thankful to the doctor who had just changed his life, but he was also looking forward to filling the prescription and seeing what effect it had on his work.

He suddenly realised he was verbalising none of this - another thing he'd learned was a symptom. "Uh, thank you, Doctor..." He squirmed; he had forgotten their name immediately.

"Pawne. Rebecca Pawne, they/them." his savior smiled. "Hope to see you around the hospital again soon, Dr. Uso." Sami smiled back and Jimmy hugged him, so proud of his husband.

His life wasn't over, it was beginning.

Chapter Text

Sami passed his intern exams, along with hundreds of thousands of other people all over the country, of course. It was announced shortly after that this year's intern class was the highest scoring in decades. 

"I knew you could do it," Jimmy told him, and Sami squealed softly when he and Jey covered his flushed face in kisses in full view of everyone. "Hey, that makes one of us!" Sami was quickly tugged away by Terri and Reg, who pulled him into a hug they all struggled with due to the height inconsistencies. Sami knew it wasn't all roses, though - a solid fifth of their class had failed. Twenty people who were stuck repeating their intern year while the rest of them moved on to being second year residents - their bosses. 

Suddenly someone shoulder checked him, hard. Terri and Reg supported him so he didn't fall, but it shook him up. Sami looked around for the culprit, and saw only the back of Dr Bruce Cade Senior. He supposed he had his reasons for hating Sami, however warped they may be.

Cade had not passed his intern exams. Sami didn't care whether he had or not, but he'd heard two other people gossiping about it in the intern locker rooms when he went to collect his first real white coat, with the M.D. embroidered after his name. He pulled it out of his bag again now to look at it, still not quite believing he'd come this far. Nobody could take this away from him now, not bullies or suspensions or supernatural wars. He was a whole doctor, he was on ADHD medication, and he was going to specialize in trauma. 

He supposed Cade would go on to repeat his intern year at some other hospital - he hoped.

"Suppose this is it, then!" came a loud, swaggering voice behind him, as if he had been speaking aloud and summoned it. Sami turned around and only stared silently at Cade, who stuck his hand out. "No hard feelings?"

Sami was incensed, wanted to do so many things - but Jimmy's hand was warm in his, and that was all that mattered. "I wanted to say I'm sorry," Sami said, and Cade's lips pulled back in a sneer. "For you, I mean. If I had a father like that, I'd fail out too."

The Usos and his friends hooted with laughter behind him and the smile quickly disappeared from Cade's face. "You'll regret that, Uso," he said, clenching his fists.

"Bruce!" came the venomous hiss from the front, and Cade scurried onwards to join his dad. Sami felt like something considerably heavy had just lifted off his chest. 

"Well done, Sami," Rikishi said softly, patting his back. "For both the exams, and for dealing so well with him. I'm very proud of you." Sami ducked his head, but Rikishi still saw the tears in his eyes. "All right. Come here, you're okay." 

Sami stood there as his whole family, new and old, hugged him. He was looking forward more than ever to tomorrow.

"Guess we've a hell of a first quarter ahead of us," Reg said, and Sami's phone dinged with a message he forwarded - a new dangerous strain of influenza was sweeping the country. Sami got a sick feeling in his stomach reading about how patients were losing fluid faster than it could be replenished, and because it was a viral infection, meds would do nothing. Those that worked - Tylenol for the fever, Ibuprofen for the inflammation - were quickly becoming scarce in hospitals with how infectious it had become. "All right," Sami said, walking over and sanitising his hands immediately at the nearest dispenser. "My family has, uhh-" How was he to explain this? "We keep up with our vaccines, and we have really incredible immune systems. Everyone else won't be so lucky, though." With regret, Sami stepped backwards away from his friends. "Social distancing. If it's that infectious, we should try and stay apart. Nobody feels sick?" Everyone in the group shook their heads. "There's that, at least. I don't think we have any cases here yet, or they would've had the... the yellow suits..." He trailed off dejectedly as several people in those very same yellow plastic suits trooped out of the entrance to the ER. "I think we'd better get going before we're all forced to quarantine here." 

"To the Jimmobile!" 

"Oh Jimmy, you didn't."

"I did!"

"I had the sense to take a cab here because I didn't want to drive. Why on earth didn't you take my car?"

"It's ugly."

"My car is ugly?! You drive a clown car!"

Sami laughed as Jimmy and Rikishi's arguing drifted back to him. 

***

"Phew." Sami slid the door closed behind him, throwing his mask into the trash, and happily went into Jimmy's arms. "Mmm, you smell like muffins."

"You smell like disinfectant," Jimmy replied, and Sami giggled. "Better that than puke, believe me." He clung tightly to him suddenly. 

"Long day?" Jimmy asked. "Really, really long day," he mumbled, tired tears forming in his eyes. It had been a long month, if Sami was honest. Lots of patients lost, not enough discharged, too many still in beds.

"How are your patients?" Rikishi asked, setting steaming plates down on the table; he had started cooking for everyone recently after Aunty had gone away again - being human, she was at risk of being exposed to the "new flu" as they'd begun calling it shorthand in the hospital. 

Sami sat down wearily, his stomach growling, and put his head onto Jimmy's chest when he sat next to him. "No better." he sighed. "Well, we discharged 223, but she's 82, she'll be back." It was an extraordinarily stressful time to be a new resident, as Dr. Ely never wasted an opportunity to remind them. Each of them were put in charge of four patients at a time, to attempt to lighten the burden on the attending doctors - they would never normally get this many patients to themselves in their second year. In this way it was a double-edged sword, because they were getting far more experience, and it was more varied; but people were dying, and even then as Sami glanced at his pager he saw another one had coded. He knew he should turn around and go back to the hospital, but he was too tired, too sore, too hungry, and an irritating tickle suddenly rose in his throat to join the myriad of uncomfortable sensations. "A-achoo!" Sami barely managed to catch his sneeze in his elbow. "Ah... Achnx!" It was the type of sneeze that clogged his nose instead of clearing it, the kind that only started up when he was getting sick. A sneeze hadn't rocked him like that since he woke up a shifter. "S-Sorry, ugh..." He rubbed a knuckle under his nose, and the itch receded somewhat. "Gets stuffy under the masks, dusty. Sometimes I forget we don't get sick. Psychosomatic, I guess."

"Mm." Rikishi said, and the briefness of his reply troubled Sami. "What do you mean, "mm"? You know something I don't?"

"Well," Rikishi said with a sigh, and his shoulders slumped. "Well. I hate to keep bringing this up, but you are turned, not born. We don't know you can't get sick. We don't know you can, either!" He said hastily as Sami started to look mad. "Just, with this thing... if you get it, you might be able to pass it to us, and that's a recipe for disaster if I ever saw one." Sami thought about trying to explain to Dr. Ely why his whole family were suddenly so sick at the same time, why their fevers wouldn't come down, and shuddered. "I'll be careful. More careful."

But Jimmy and Jey were very persuasive over the next week, not taking "hand stuff only" for an answer and being extremely generous with their own mouths. "Ah, oh," Sami moaned about five days after that first sneeze. "Y-you cheeky little... ehe!" Jimmy had produced his favourite feather tickler when Sami had protested yet again about them being too close. "Come on, this is at least a foot of extra distance," Jimmy had teased him, twirling the stick in his hand before jabbing it forward, and Sami had snorted when the feathers poked at his ribs, and the rest was history. Now Sami's legs shook - all of him did, because he was tensed with laughter - but those delicate, desperately tickly feathers were sliding in and out of his inner thighs, and Sami was going to come, he knew he was, and he whined as Jimmy poked the wet spot at his tip. He loved coming in boxers, it felt wonderful rutting into the fabric, and now his erection braced and twitched while his husband tortured those sensitive spots between his legs. "J-Jimmehehehehee!" 

As Sami drifted off in their sleepy afterglow, he thought that the ache in his throat had to be from the air being dry. After all, what was the alternative?

"Achoo-achoo-achoo!" Sami gasped a hailstorm of sneezes into his handkerchief, trying to be discreet. It didn't work. 

"God bless you, Dr. Uso." Dr. Ely swooped down on him. "How long have you been sneezing like this?" 

"Snxxxxt. Not long." Sami blew his nose noisily. "Just a sniffle, Dr. Ely. I can work." 

She gave him a suspicious sweeping look. "You take two aspirin and double mask, and suit up." she told him tiredly. "We can't afford to lose anyone else. It better be just a sniffle." 

"Ah- hnn." Sami just about smothered another sneeze. "And get something for the sneezing, for God's sake. We have enough of that. There are nasal sprays in the pharmacy. Stay out of the OR." She shook her head at him and walked away, while his fellow residents gave him a wide berth. 

If he was truly honest, Sami felt awful. His throat burned and he swayed a little; his balance was off. But he still hoped, perhaps a little stupidly, that he was just burnt out and feeling unusually sneezy, maybe from dust particles in the masks like he'd suggested to Rikishi. This theory lasted until the late afternoon, when Sami clocked out for lunch and his knees decided to buckle in the middle of the cafeteria, spilling soup everywhere. Other residents clustered around as Sami's vision went in and out. 

"Sami!"

"Sami, can you hear us?"

"Someone page Dr. Ely!"

Chapter Text

Sami seemed to be moving away from the voices, falling down a very dark and very long tunnel. Someone was gently tapping on his face. 

"Come on now, Sami. Come back to us." Suddenly a terrible smell entered his subconscious. Sami startled awake and sat up so fast his entire world tilted. "Bag," he heard someone say, and then he was upturning his stomach into one of the disposable vomit bags they kept on hand. "Yeah, that's inevitable." Sami rested his face in his hands. "Ugh... what happened?" He seemed to have been put in a standard hospital bed.

"Terribly sorry about that, Dr. Uso," Dr. Ely said, and Sami noticed a small green bottle in her hand. "Desperate times call for, well... ammonium carbonate."

"Smelling salts?" Sami asked, trying not to feel like an elderly lady who'd fainted. 

"You hit your head when you passed out, and we need you awake to perform a neuro exam and possibly send you to CT if we're not happy with the exam. Not to mention, falling asleep after a head injury is dangerous." 

His neuro exam was fine, and they determined he'd be okay without a CT. "What was it you said? Just a sniffle?" Dr. Ely asked him pointedly as she signed his discharge paperwork, and Sami felt himself blushing. "You could've gotten a great deal of people very sick, Dr. Uso."

"I promise I didn't know how sick I was," Sami sniffed, his nose starting to sting from the constant wiping. "It's... I haven't been sick in nearly four years. This flu must be really something." 

"It is," Dr. Ely said. "and it will continue to be until our immune systems get used to this particular strain." She was scribbling on a prescription pad and tore it off to give to Sami, who squinted at it. "Oh, Dr Ely, no, I can't take away from the Tylenol. That's for patients."

"You are currently a patient, Sami." She said simply, and she wasn't wrong. "Go home, rest up, take fluids. I threw in some ondansetron for the vomiting. If it starts coming out the other end-" Sami grimaced - he still hated hearing another doctor be matter-of-fact about his bodily functions. "-then I want you to switch to clear or amber fluids only so you can monitor if you're bleeding. Got that?" Sami nodded, his face burning and his gaze firmly on his shoes. "I'll get you a cab." 

Everyone was happy to see Sami home early, if surprised. "Turns out I can get sick," he sighed nasally. "I'm gonna stay in the guesthouse until I'm better, okay? Snf." He trudged past them with his medication bag in hand. Rikishi got busy warming some soup on the stove for everyone, and when Sami had changed into his pyjamas he stood away from them all with a mask on, his eyes red-rimmed and his nose quivering. "Come on, you have to take the mask off to eat." Rikishi said gently. "We have a whole box of them." Sami obeyed with a swallow, taking his mask off and throwing it away before sitting down to eat cautiously. He inhaled deeply, and the rich tomato scent tickled his nose. "ACHOO!" He just about managed to turn his head, his ears ringing. His head was starting to hurt like hell - a standout symptom he'd seen in patients all week - and it ached just to blink.

"Bless you," Jimmy and Jey said together and Sami moaned, pressing his face into his hands. After ensuring he wasn't about to sneeze again, Sami started to eat. The soup was warm and comforting in his stomach and made him feel less shivery, and of course it was delicious too. He tucked his feet up under him when the bowl was empty, suddenly sleepy. 

"Let's get you into a bath and to bed," he heard Jimmy say, and he sighed when those familiar fingers dug into his scalp and then his neck. "Jimmy, no, I'll get you sick," he moaned. "I'll get you all sick." He blew his nose for the umpteenth time, wishing it would do something to relieve his itching sinuses. 

"Well, you get into your own bath, then," Jey said softly, rubbing his thumb over Sami's knuckles, "and into bed by yourself, but let us help you. With masks and gloves on, silly." He added when Sami turned an aggrieved but watery eye on him. "I'll run the bath, and Jimmy and Dad can make up the guest bed with the electric blanket and as many pillows as we can find." Sami started to sniffle again, but this time he was just overwhelmed by how willingly and immediately everyone was taking care of him, even with the risk of contagion.

So that was what happened. Jey ran him a bath with eucalyptus oil for his sinuses and Sami lay in it as long as he could stand to, the heat seeping into his skin and warming his sore muscles. He thanked the inventor of the heated towel rack as he slipped his freshly laundered pyjamas on.

When he emerged from the bathroom he squealed in surprise; Rikishi had come out of nowhere and thrown a heavy fur rug around his shoulders. "Rabbit fur," he said, slightly muffled through his mask. "If we can keep you nice and warm externally, it should help burn this virus out faster. You should go to bed, Sami. I've put a glass of cold water and your bag of medicine by the guest bed." Tears leaked out of Sami's eyes when he closed them, and Rikishi's tone turned gentle. "None of that, now. You deserve comfort too. Heaven knows I took care of sick twins enough times! You'll feel better after some rest." Sami hoped he was right. He didn't bother pointing out that heat treatment would do nothing, as he had already been infected, so the virus was clearly happy to thrive in nearly one hundred degrees.

Jey and Jimmy captured him in a huge hug and lead him out to the guesthouse, despite his protests. "It's only a minute, Sami," Jimmy told him, pressing his lips to his husband's temple. "I don't think we can get sick off of you, anyway. You've been sneezing for days, and I feel fine." Sami still refused to let them kiss his face, but he let them sit on the edge of the bed until he fell asleep. Only a minute.

A few days seemed to go by in a sneezy, nauseous blur, but Sami could tell they were still taking care of him - the water glass on his bed was never empty or stagnant, and he always had fresh tissues and clean blankets no matter how many sickened tears he cried or how many times he missed while throwing up into the bucket by his bed, which always reappeared fresh and disinfected. Once or twice he thought he felt a hand stroking his arm, blotting away the sweat on his forehead, but both times it was gone when he opened his eyes. He mostly woke up to take meds and use the bathroom, which thankfully he had no trouble getting to, and on the tenth day since Sami started to sneeze, he woke up feeling... fine. No nausea. No pounding headache. Not even that familiar tickle. 

"Sorry," Jey winced, setting a cup of tea down beside him. "Didn't mean to wake you."

"Jey!" Sami quite forgot himself and pulled Jey into bed with him, who laughed. "Someone's feeling better!" 

Sami nuzzled into his neck, making him inhale hard. "So much better. Thank you all for taking care of me. I'm so glad you're not sick."

"Is he awake?" Rikishi came in, also looking reassuringly healthy. "Ah, so you are! Long time no see, Sami. Breakfast?" 

Sami took his time stretching and flopping around, enjoying burying an unblocked face in some of Jey's more delicate spots and making him laugh loudly enough that the bed shook, but his renewed hunger finally won out over his desire for mischief and he trailed out holding hands with Jey. 

"Cereal?" Rikishi asked, setting multiple boxes on the table. "Toast? Protein shake? Or I can cook something." It seemed he had prepared for multiple levels of hunger. Sami played it safe and stuck to the cereal at first, but when that stayed down he begged for a bacon sandwich and Rikishi couldn't say no. He licked his greasy fingers after, his stomach feeling sated after being so empty from the flu. Something was still wrong, though.

"Where's Jimmy?" Sami said suddenly - that was it! His husband was conspicuously absent. His brain was still slow to start up, but he figured that would go away in a day or two. "The smell of bacon always brings him running. Is he still in bed?" He glanced at the clock - nearly six in the evening, so he couldn't just be sleeping in.

"I heard him coughing early on this morning," Rikishi said. "Figured he had a dry throat, put the humidifier on. Not a peep since."

"He didn't want to get up." Jey shrugged. "I tried." 

Sami got up and padded towards he and Jimmy's bedroom. Opening the door, he breathed shallowly; the air was thick with the smells of vomit and sweat. "Jimmy?" The lump under the covers stirred very slightly as he stepped softly towards the bed. "Jimmy, time to get up, my love. I'm so much better, and you can't have caught anything from me, you simply can't have. You were only next to me for a minute. Just one tiny minute. The others were much more exposed." 

He sat down next to him. "Jimmy?" His love didn't answer. Peeling the covers away from his sticky, prone form, he gasped. Jimmy's lips were cracked and dry, and he moaned through them when Sami touched his clammy face, inhaling through equally dry and painful nostrils. His whole body had turned ashen as if he had sweated out the pigment in his skin, and his gaze was wide and unfocused. "Sami..." he mumbled, his eyes darting around. "Don't feel good." Sami could see a bucket on the other side of the bed now. Jimmy shook with fever where he lay in his sweat-drenched sheets, and Sami suddenly became aware of a third strong smell. "I wet the bed," Jimmy whispered, tears dribbling down his face. "Couldn't get up, head hurt too bad. Tried calling for you, for Dad, nobody came. Couldn't hold it." Sami helped him sit up, suddenly wanting to tear the walls down and rip out the soundproofing. Most of all he felt guilty - everyone was so busy looking after him, they'd missed Jimmy falling very ill very fast. "Of course you couldn't, it's okay," he soothed Jimmy. "I'm gonna get you something for your fever-"

But he didn't get to even finish the sentence, because Jimmy lunged for the bucket again. Sami patted his back. "There you go, you'll be... Jimmy, breathe. Breathe, youre gonna aspirate. Jimmy!" Jimmy couldn't stop vomiting, not even to take a breath, and Sami ran for the door, knowing an ambulance would take too long. 

"Chief! Start the car, we have to get him to the hospital!" 

Chapter Text

Sami ran in through the automatic doors of the ER, vomit streaking his scrubs amd a gasping Jimmy in his arms. "37-year-old male, sudden onset influenza symptoms, showed signs of aspirating vomit on the way," he babbled as nurses rushed to help him and get Jimmy onto a gurney. "Airway is clear, but he keeps saying he feels like he can't b-breathe..." Huge tears were forming at the corners of his eyes and rolling down his cheeks, and his own breath was starting to come out in gasps.

"Dr. Uso." Dr. Ely was suddenly there. "You look better. What is it? You can tell me." She took hold of his arms. "Feel me touching you, Doctor. Feel my hands on you." Sami found himself breathing a little easier.

"It's my husband, I got him sick and he's really bad and I don't know what to do." He said all in a rush. He couldn't even tell her that the fact Jimmy was sick was extra dangerous because it obviously lived quite happily in a warm environment.

"Sami." Muffled by masks, gloved and gowned, Sami had never been so happy to see Terri and Reg surrounding Jimmy. "We've got him." 

Jimmy promptly sat up and vomited onto Reg, who sighed. "Okay, Jimmy. Get it up, that's the best thing." Sami was just glad to see him moving and burst into fresh sobs.

"What you are going to do is go to the family room," Dr. Ely said, steering him out of triage by the forearms, "because right now you are family, Sami, and we use first names with family. You can't be his doctor, and you know why." She smiled sadly over his shoulder and Sami guessed Rikishi and Jey had arrived inside. "You can all go to the family area outside, but please keep your masks on - wouldn't do to have the rest of you getting it." 

"Outside?" Rikishi asked. "But he's inside. Can't we stay with him?" 

Another sad smile. "Too close quarters in there. I think he'll be okay, Chief Uso. You did the right thing bringing him in, and because of you he should be just fine." 

Rikishi cleared his throat, his eyes overly bright. "Call me Rikishi, if you insist on our first names."

For a moment, it seemed as if her smile turned dazzling. "That's a nice name. All right, I will. Rikishi, I can't make promises, I'm only a doctor. I can say that Jimmy is young and fit, and while he seems to have been hit particularly hard, I am optimistic. We'll run a full panel of tests - with your permission, of course," she said, looking at Sami. "At the moment Jimmy is too feverish to give consent. You're his husband, so it's up to you."

Oh. So this was why Jimmy had gotten so upset when they had gone to sign a power of attorney document; he didn't like imagining a scenario where he'd have to use it.

"Do all the tests." he said. "CBC, chest CT, a full allergy and blood panel, I want to make sure you don't treat him with anything he's allergic to." 

"Bananas." Rikishi said suddenly. "Blows up like a balloon." Sami wondered why he didn't know this, but that thought was immediately knocked aside by a much bigger, much scarier one. "Dr. Ely," he said, and he watched the exact same thought dawn on his mentor's face. "Banana allergies can be a prerequisite to trouble with-"

"Latex." Dr. Ely said grimly, and all the Usos jumped out of their skin as she turned and bellowed. "HANDS OFF! EVERYONE OFF THE PATIENT! LATEX ALLERGY!" The crowd around Jimmy parted, everyone holding their gloved hands up. Dr. Ely walked over, checked over Jimmy. "Okay, no reactions thus far. Everyone switch out, latex-free gloves only, and someone get an allergy sign on this bed. We can't have any mistakes, especially not here." Sami felt like the relief was going to flatten him - an allergy complication was the last thing they needed. 

"Come," Rikishi said gently, a hand on Sami's elbow. "You're still weak, you need to sit down and eat something." 

"There's a cart outside with the family area," Dr. Ely said. "Coffee. Pastries. Or there's the cafeteria on the third floor." Sami let himself be led outside numbly. There were few others there at this time of night, mostly singular people waiting for news of a loved one. They gave nervous nods as they approached, and Sami was glad for the lack of attention they drew as they shared a bench. Sami nibbled the croissant he was handed. He almost felt guilty for eating even more at a time like this, but his stomach was almost digesting itself after three days of nothing but water, and the bread helped soak up some of the worry gnawing at him. Jey rubbed his arm while he ate, and as he brushed the crumbs from his lap Sami started to feel a little spark of hope. He'd gotten Jimmy to the best place possible, and his friends were overseeing his care because he couldn't. Suddenly it dawned on him just how tired he still was. He'd done more standing in the last two hours than he had in multiple days, and now he let his head loll onto Rikishi's arm, who gave him a pat. "Take a nap, Sami. You're still not 100%." 

Sami tried to lift his head, embarrassed, tried to tell him he'd find an on-call room, but Jey was tugging at his legs, encouraging Sami to use him as a footrest, and Rikishi's shoulder was wonderfully solid and warm at his back, and with every breath Sami slid deeper into sleep. 

He dreamed of snow. Pure, fluffy, freezing cold white snowdrifts, a blizzard's worth of flakes catching in his hair and beard and melting down his neck to make him shiver as he sprinted through the streets. Throwing snowballs, making a stockpile of big ones, and they hurt too - Sami often came home covered in bruises as a child. Finally coming inside, his cold fingers tingling where they wrapped around a steaming mug. He seemed to be moving swiftly from one dream-scene to another - he was a child in one and fully grown in the next, and there was no predicting what age he'd be next. He missed Canada and its months of snowfall, even when he had to get up in the dark and the cold to shovel snow just so he could drive for groceries. He really had to take Jimmy soon, take them all to experience a real Canadian winter with no risk of hypothermia from their high body temperatures. He'd love to see Rikishi all bundled up, Jimmy and Jey red-eared from the sharp morning air. Showing them how to make frozen maple syrup and all of them finding out just how good it felt to warm up after getting truly cold and shivery in the snow. It would be just perfect. Maybe some of the Cullens would show up too, since they were already cold. That would be nice, he'd been too busy to do more than email with Bella.

At once the floor seemed to go from beneath him, and he fell face-first into a suffocating white pile.

Sami woke with his face resting against the cool metal of the bench. That explained the cold weather dreams. He moaned, rubbing his eyes, and sat up slowly. Where were the others? How long had he been asleep? His nostrils twitched as the smell of smoke filtered back to him, and he turned his head.

"Sorry," said the woman standing a few feet away, cigarette in hand. "Wind changed, I'll move."  

"No, uh-" Sami couldn't stand it any more. "Could I grab one of those off you, actually?" 

She looked him up and down. "All right." She had an accent - it came out more as "aw-roight," and Sami suddenly knew those green eyes, usually obscured by water-stained glasses. 

"Terri said her sister was here." Sami said, and he cautiously reached out and took a cigarette. He ran it under his nose, inhaling deeply, and his every cell begged him to light it.

"You gonna light that or just smell it?" The not-so-strange stranger asked, and Sami shut his eyes. "I don't know," he admitted. "I quit years ago, but..." 

"Yeah, me too." She held out her hand and Sami shook it. "Claire Hook. You're Sami? Terri talks about your red hair. Never would've pegged you for a smoker. Me, I'm going on a year back on 'em." She cleared her throat, spat. "God, sorry. Clearly the picture of health here." It was a relief to laugh, and Claire laughed too, showing missing back teeth. "You?"

"I'm a brand new doctor, I just got over this flu," Sami said, "and now my husband has it. I don't know what's gonna happen, he... we don't get sick. Certainly nothing like this, so..." He lifted the cigarette. "I've been thinking about having one of these for weeks now, I just haven't been able to bring myself to buy them." 

"You're sure you want to light it?" Claire asked, twirling the lighter in her fingers. "You don't have to, you know. Don't follow me into hell." 

"I'm not sure of anything right now," Sami groaned, his face in his hands. "I'm sorry, you're a total stranger and I'm unloading my cigarette woes onto you." 

"S'no trouble," Claire mumbled, pinching off the filter and dropping it into the trash. "You can keep that one. Smoke it or throw it away, it turns out they're a lot cheaper across the pond. Five dollars for twenty? What a country!" Sami tucked the cigarette into his pocket for now - if he kept looking at it he would almost certainly light it. 

"Sami." Sami jumped a mile at Rikishi's voice; how much had they seen? But Rikishi was only pushing a protein bar into his hand. "Eat. You have to get your strength back up." Jey was behind him, showing recent signs of crying. Claire looked awkward and mouthed "see you later?" before walking back into the ER behind them, and Sami was extremely grateful that Terri had inherited her tact. Or maybe it was the other way around - he'd never asked who was the older sister. 

"Where were you?" Sami asked, heart still thudding. "Is... is Jimmy-"

"Stable." Rikishi said, and Sami let out a shaky sigh of relief, grabbing Jey in a hug and kissing his puffy face until he gave him a weak smile. "Unfortunately, still very ill. This virus, Sami..." Rikishi looked scared. "I'm not sure the ancestors ever encountered anything like this, and because of our high body temperature, they're struggling to get any meds to work on him." A cold stab of fear hit Sami. "He has to be okay," he whispered in a croak. "He can't get taken out by a germ." He buried his head in his arms, wanting to fall back asleep, to go back to the dreams of Canada and home and bringing Jimmy there to experience real cold-

Sami's head shot up so fast his vision blurred. "Cold." He whispered, his thoughts going a mile a minute.

"I can get a blanket-"

"No!" Sami leapt up. "I need to talk to Dr. Ely!" 

Chapter Text

As it happened, Dr. Ely had gone back to her own office, and she cried out in surprise when Sami burst in. "Dr. Ely!"

"Dr. Uso!" She looked unimpressed. "Don't just burst in here! What if I had been with a grieving parent or giving a presentation?"

"I'm very sorry, Dr. Ely," Sami babbled. "I just had to come and talk to you about Jimmy. I had an idea how we can get his fever down."

She looked at him with a mixture of pity and scepticism. "Dr. Uso, we've been through this. You're not Jimmy's doctor, you can't be." 

Running feet, and then Jey and Rikishi were behind him. "You're going to want to hear him out, Doc," Rikishi said. "He never acts out like this unless he has a really, really good idea. He saved my life," he added when she continued to look sceptical. "More than once, as a matter of fact. You really ought to let him speak."

Panting, the same nurse from previous times he'd been in here appeared around the door. "I'm so sorry, Dr. Ely! Mr. Uso is so much faster than he looks! The younger one pointed out my shoe was untied, and when I bent to tie it they simply ran past!" 

Dr. Ely sighed, waving her hand to dismiss them. "You are going to cause Nurse Ash an injury. Please cease barging into my office. Bearing that in mind for the future... Dr. Uso, what is this idea of yours?" 

"Cold." Sami said. "We kill this thing with cold, since it's thriving in heat. And not cold packs, or Popsicles, or crushed ice. Not an ice bath. We're gonna need to get him - and everyone else - really cold to kill this virus." He looked into Dr. Ely's eyes.

"No!" She said, his idea dawning on her.

"Yes." 

"No way!"

"Come on, Dr. Ely--"

"We cannot break out a two hundred thousand dollar piece of equipment for your husband alone!"

"But it wouldn't be just for him!" Sami seemed to be begging. "I'm a graduate biochemist. If it works for him, we can apply the same principles to larger areas and treat more people at a time. I'll put all my power into it, I promise. Please, Dr. Ely. I don't know what else we can do. Take a chance and maybe save my husband, or don't, and we'll never know if it could've worked."

She buried her face in her hands. "Why, why did I agree to teach the second-years, they're all so damn young and smart and know everything! We have protocols for a reason!"

"I'm sorry," Rikishi said, "but for those of us who aren't doctors, what is he talking about?" 

She lifted a weary face. "He wants to use the cryotherapy chamber on your son experimentally."

"Cryo--"

"He is immersed in a full-body gel, cooled by liquid nitrogen to a temperature of as low as negative two hundred degrees Fahrenheit." Dr. Ely said. "Commonly used in muscle recovery, joint injuries, and to decrease inflammation. It has certainly never been used to lower a temperature with a virus." She shook her head at Sami. "I can't think how you came up with this, Dr. Uso, and again, you are not his doctor, so this is not an official recommendation. Why do you expect this to work?"

"I don't," Sami sighed. "But it's the most extreme treatment I can think of, and if we're gonna stop this thing in its tracks, we need extreme. Otherwise..." He let his words trail off; his silence was loud enough.

Dr. Ely sighed. "All right." She said.

"All right?" Sami asked, not quite believing his ears.

"All right. I'll make the call downstairs. But you keep this discreet, you hear me? Not a word to anyone, not even your friends. If this doesn't work or goes south, we don't want to have to take back any promises." 

"But if it works..." Sami asked, not daring to hope just yet.

"If it works, we could have found this virus's weakness, and a whole lot of people are going to live who wouldn't have. But let's concentrate on your husband for now, okay? Let's call him Patient Zero for the cure."

"What can I do?" Sami asked, flooded with a renewed energy, and her expression turned pitying again. He sighed. "Family room?" 

"Afraid so." 

"Can I at least go in with him?"

"Of course." She tapped something on her pager. "I'll have someone come and get you when he's being wheeled down. I do apologise, Chief Uso," she said, inclining her head towards Rikishi in an imitation of a bow. "You've all been here too long already, and it's not over by a long stretch. Have you eaten?" Sami knew he wouldn't have, and shook his head quickly at her. "Why don't you all stay here a minute? It can be rather noisy in the cafeteria. I'll get them to send up tea and coffee, and some sandwiches. It's the British way - when in doubt, put the kettle on." 

She insisted they all social distance, but they did end up staying, and Sami found the bland hospital food rather comforting as he nibbled on endless cheese sandwiches and clung to his coffee cup like a lifeline. 

"Oh." Dr. Ely said, glancing at her pager after a short while, when they'd all eaten. "That was quicker than expected. They're ready for you downstairs, Dr. Uso. Second basement, you'll probably meet them in the elevator. Good luck." Sami rose, and she looked chastened when the other two made to follow. "I'm afraid it's next of kin only. I'm so sorry. If you'd like you can stay here while Jimmy is treated, it shouldn't take too long. We can..." She gestured vaguely. "chat."

At the look of abject horror on Rikishi's face at the idea of small talk Sami had to bite back a sudden fierce laugh, but it felt good to know that he could still find small things funny when his world was crumbling around him. After suiting up for protection he stepped into the elevator and pressed the B2 button, wondering just what other secrets this hospital could have. One of the lights on the ceiling was going out, thrumming constantly, and it seemed to be keeping time with Sami's thoughts. Jimmy-Jimmy-Jimmy-Jimmy. 

Where was he? What if he passed out and hit his head and they couldn't wake him? What if his throat tore from the vomiting and he needed emergency surgery? What if--

With a low beep, the doors opened, and a bed was wheeled in to join the trip down.

"Jimmy," Sami breathed. His eyes were glassy, he was wearing an oxygen mask, and his hair was bedraggled from sweat, but to Sami he was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, because the monitor next to him kept on beeping, telling everyone he was alive and fighting. He reached out with a gloved hand and took Jimmy's. "We're gonna fix this, my love. At least, we're gonna try." Jimmy whined something, muffled under the mask. "Don't try to talk. Just blink for me, okay? Once for yes, twice for no. You want something?" 

A blink, and he was pawing at the mask. Sami helped him take it down slightly, and saw his lips were dry again from the oxygen. "Oh. You want water?"

A blink, looking relieved that he'd been understood. "He's thirsty," he said, looking between the orderlies wheeling the bed. "Can he have a drink before he goes into the chamber?"

They had to wait another agonising few minutes calling to get approval, but soon Sami had a cup of water and a sponge stick in hand, which he held to Jimmy's lips to wet them and let him suck on it, which he did greedily. Sami stroked his hair, remembering how badly his own head and throat had hurt. "You can have as much as you want. Slow down, or you'll be sick again. There's plenty more." 

When Jimmy had drank his fill Sami carefully patted his face dry - there could be absolutely no moisture on the body going into a cryotherapy chamber, or they ran the risk of freezer burn or even frostbite. His skin burned with fever even through Sami's gloves, and he hoped this would work. "Okay, cutie. Time to suit up."

He let the orderlies dress Jimmy in his gel padded suit and focused on putting on a second pair of scrubs and gloves over the first - it wouldn't exactly be room temperature in there. 

Even expecting it, Sami still shivered and hugged his elbows when they stepped inside the chilled containment room. Jimmy actually began to steam slightly as the cold air hit his boiling skin, and Sami thanked everything that everyone's breath was fogging up and the humans didn't notice the extra. 

Jimmy looked relieved to have the oxygen mask taken off. He would likely explain it away as being a sensory thing, but Sami knew why; the last time he'd worn one had been after the explosion that had irreparably scarred his poor face. Sami ached to run his fingers over the scarring like he always did to soothe Jimmy - but if this worked, he'd have plenty more opportunities to do that. 

Jimmy gasped loudly when the chamber closed over, his body seizing up and his eyes wide as a cloud of steam released. "S.. Sami!" he panted, suddenly seeming alert. Sami took his foil-wrapped hand. "What is it, Jimmy? Only talk if you need to, use your eyes otherwise." 

Jimmy's lips were trembling, his teeth chattering with the cold. After a few moments to get control of his mouth, he said, "It's c..c...cold in here!"

Sami stared at him. Then he started to laugh, resting his forehead on Jimmy's hand. "Yeah, it is! You feeling it?"

"Y-Yeah!" Jimmy shivered. "F-Feels..."

"Good?" Sami asked, and Jimmy nodded, shutting his eyes. "Was w-way too hot. Like my brain was m-melting. C-couldn't t-think. Didn't know whether I was coming or g-uh!-oing." Little spasms of cold had started to run through him, and Sami took this as a good sign.

"Well, we didn't know either," Sami laughed, switching the hand he held Jimmy's with so he could wipe his eyes. "For a second there, I thought... well, never mind." He watched the goosebumps prickle on the slivers of Jimmy that were exposed; an inch of wrist and ankle, his neck, up his jaw, the most beautiful goosebumps he'd ever seen. "When you're better, I'll take you to where I grew up, where it's cold all the time." 

"Noooo. I hate the c-cold." Jimmy's eyelids were fluttering, and Sami glanced at one of the techs outside. Can he fall asleep? A shake of the head, so Sami put a hand on Jimmy's face. "Hey, Jim, stay awake. I bet you'll like it when you're there." Jimmy blinked alert at the heat of his hand. "I can show you the national parks, and we can make a giant snowman - my friends and I used to have contests! You're gonna get to see so much, but first you have to get better, and to do that you have to stay awake, okay? Just a few more minutes in here."

"Okay." Jimmy said, and he definitely looked more alert. "I'm w-w-'wake. I'm with you."

Sami could've laid down and sobbed with relief. Instead he held Jimmy's hand tighter as they waited to see if his temperature would stay down. In his mind, if he could get Jimmy cold enough to kill off this persistent virus, his healing factor would kick in and take care of the rest. 

"It's c-cold, Sami."

"You said that." Sami murmured, smiling. 

"Did I? Well, s'true. I'm really, really t-t-tired, Sami."

"I know. Just a moment longer, my love. Why don't you tell me the first thing you're gonna eat when you're feeling better?" Jimmy shivered sharply, his nose and ears gradually becoming pink. "I-Ice cream!" 

Sami laughed again. "Was that a joke? Are you feeling well enough to make jokes?"

As the timer went off, Jimmy's trembling lips stretched into a grin. "Y-Y-Yeah!"