Deep Rooted
Chapter One: Offshoot

For so long the depth of loneliness was all she knew but when she discovered the gentle flame of growing love, the hectic life of the Fae got in the way. The only solution presented was the capture of a certain human that might just be the key to unlocking secrets of past, present and possibly future disasters, both human and Fae alike.

"You can't be serious!" she demanded, her sharp gaze piercing my very soul. I looked down at my feet, unable to look at her in such a state.

"You know I am," I murmured, rubbing my arm. Never before had I felt so shy, so distressed, but seeing the woman I loved lying in bed hooked up to machines killed me. What hurt worse was knowing it was my own doing that landed her there.

"Tamsin, so help me, if you go, I swear I'll-"

"You'll what?" I snapped, cutting her off. I looked at her once more, glaring at her as I took a slow step forward, motioning to her body. "Kick me with that leg in a cast? Or wait, maybe you'll punch me with that hand that has three broken fingers and a dislocated wrist? How about tackling me and messing your ribs up even more?"

She huffed, straining herself to turn away from me and look out the window. I made sure she got a room with a clear view of the sky, knowing full well how she felt about being in enclosed spaces for too long.

"You can't go," she whispered after a moment. She turned to meet my gaze, her dark eyes shining with unshed tears. "Please, don't go."

It took every ounce of willpower within in me to look away and walk out, ignoring the pleas that followed me.

"I'm doing this for you," I breathed out, wiping at a few tears that fell down my cheeks. I felt so strange, unaccustomed to the painful clenching on my heart and sting in my eyes. I'd spent lifetimes without so much as shedding a single, sincere tear.

Walking out of the Light Fae complex, I ran into Kenzi who I hadn't seen in what felt like ages. She smiled warmly at me, sweeping me into a hug that I only barely hesitated to return. Her head rested on my shoulder as we held one another, breaking apart after a few seconds.

"How's she doing?" she asked softly, tilting her head to the side.

"She's awake and currently mad at me." I sounded almost as upset and frustrated as I felt.

"What'd you do this time, Tam Tam?" Kenzi teased.

I glanced away, fidgeting under her stare. When I met her gaze, she looked a little shocked and very worried.

"Oh shit, what'd you do?" she pressed more seriously.

"I'm going back," I replied.

"And apologizing for whatever you… wait, not going back to her, are you? Going back to… seriously?" she shrieked.

I winced, nodding slowly.

"No wonder she's pissed; I'm pissed!" She clenched and unclenched her jaw, scowling at me. "The dark have done nothing but screw over our family! They're the reasons she's in there in the first place!"

"Damn it, Kenzi, I am dark!" I roared, lashing out.

"The moment you became part of the family you lost that title to us. You're seriously gonna go back and abandon us, abandon her after all that just happened?" She shook her head, wiping angrily at her eyes. "Well, fuck you and fuck them too!"

She stormed off, leaving me standing there alone with a heavier heart than before.

My journey to meet with the Morrigan was spent reconsidering my decision, but in the end, I had to do what I had to do. She was the only one who could help me with the mess I found myself so deep in, only one who could possibly help save the woman who was my own Valhalla and keep her safe.

"And so, the prodigal daughter has returned." Evony was sat in her desk seat, looking at me with a predatory smile.

"You set me up," I stated, keeping my voice calm, neutral.

Her smile grew more feral as she shrugged and stood up. "And why, darling, would I do that?"

"Because I love her." My response came from somewhere deep within me, a place that had remained dormant for centuries, waiting for the perfect woman.

"Love?" she scoffed, dropping the pleasant façade.

"Yes."

She narrowed her dark eyes at me, taking a slow, purposeful step forward. "You, my dear Valkyrie, could never know true love."

Her words sliced through me, leaving me breathless and weak in the knees but I did my best to give nothing away. She voiced my darkest fear, the thing that whispered to me in the night, keeping me up and distracted. The words I fought so passionately and often, resonated within me, opening myself to her manipulation and she could feel it.

"You know I'm right," she smirked, circling me.

"You're wrong." Even, calm and hinting at a smirk of my own.

"Am I?"

"Let me go, end this and let me go," I replied, sighing. Keeping up charades with the woman was always so exhausting and the mind games didn't really help. "This could end badly for all of us, don't be unreasonable. You're the fucking Morrigan for crying out loud."

"And you're supposed to be a fucking professional," she snapped, standing directly in front of me. "A Valkyrja is supposed to do what she is told and be done with it. It was supposed to be your last fucking assignment and you'd be done but you couldn't because 'you're in love'."

"You didn't tell me!" I exclaimed, feeling my abilities simmering just beneath the surface.

"Would you have even considered if you knew?" She watched me, searching my face as she stepped back. "We all know how sentimental that human doctor gets certain Fae."

"Her name is Lauren," I ground out.

"I know. And I know you're as lost as the succubitch was and look where that landed her." She shook her head, moving back to her desk and leaning against it, crossing her arms.

"It was her brother," I argued, running a hand through my hair.

"And he was the target. He was a threat that needed to be taken care of." Her face was pinched in a sour expression. "A fucking human threat…" She sounded annoyed, frustrated even.

"A man, a brother, missing his sister, Evony, you of all people shoul-"

"Don't."

I stopped myself from going on, meeting her intense gaze for a moment before shaking off the burning feeling that began within me. It was always the same with the two of us, holding one thing or another over each other's head, yet not going all the way in the end. I always kept my powers at bay and so had she.

"He was the cause of three Fae deaths."

"He was looking for L-"

"My family. He killed them."

I stared at her, open mouthed and speechless. She kept her gaze averted, her hands gripping at her biceps, almost completely hiding the way they shook.

"We were going to take him so long ago, but we found his sister instead and used her for the cure. He was who we wanted but we couldn't find him then… then we finally got a hit."

"Your family."

She nodded. "Your doctor was never supposed to be there. That man was never supposed to be identified as anything other than a human target."

"Now all the Fae are saying Lauren is a threat too, aren't they? Because they're related?" Again she nodded.

"It doesn't help that she was found alongside him."

I thought back to how I first found them on my own, huddled close, arms wrapped protectively around one another. "That means the ones who attacked her were…"

"Doing so on the Ash's orders."

A/N: The idea for this story just sort of kept nagging at my mind. I'm sorry for those of you waiting on my other stories, I've been working on them too. The thing is, this one wouldn't let me move on until I wrote it down so here it is. I'm not sure how long this one will be, but it'll probably be somewhat short... I hope. Anyway, tell me what ya think, yeah?