This is something that was rattling around in my head getting bigger and bigger as it went along until I finally relented and wrote it all down. And no, I still don't think it's done. At the moment there are over 88 thousand words in this and a lot of carpal tunnel to boot. But I reached a logical stopping point and after reading it, re-reading it, and so on, I think it's ready to see the light of day.

So I always wanted to know some more of Ash's history and who his true love is. Of course I'm not satisfied to wait until next year (?) before we find out so I drew my own conclusions.

Title: Monsters And Gods

Rating: M because there's some cussing and some smut in it (hey Ash is sex on legs, there's gotta be smut right?)

Genre: A little of everything. Mainly, humor, romance, drama, supernatural and ...yeah everything.

Spoilers: Nope not really

Characters: A bunch of the folk from the Dark Hunter universe and a few OCs thrown in for good measure.

General Disclaimer: I do not own the Dark Hunters, Acheron Parthenopaeus (who really can own a god?), or any of the characters and places in this story. I'm just playing with them for a bit, I'll give them back when I'm done. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and while I will never in this lifetime be as good fo a writer as Sherrilyn Kenyon is, I'd certainly like to be. I mean no harm from this work Ms. Kenyon and if I offend I shall remove this.

General Note: There's really not a time line for this. Okay there is but it won't make sense if I explain it. Pretend the events in Dark Side of the Moon didn't all happen (you'll know which ones I'm talking about if you've read it) and just go with it.

"You're kidding me right?"

The man behind the big sprawling desk glanced up from the folder he had in his hands and looked over the top of his glasses at the tall woman on the other side of the cluttered work surface. "Do I look like I am kidding?"

She was simply stunned. Jim Gresham had been threatening to send her off on her own for months but she didn't think he really meant it. She started to blurt out what she thought about this development but stopped as she noticed the beginning of the glare that was coming over the top of his glasses at her. He'd been talking to her off and on about how she had to think before she spoke. She couldn't help it though, she'd come from a family of people that spoke their mind and didn't care what anyone else thought of it. She'd made the mistake of blurting out how she felt about the director of the program's boss once and almost gotten herself booted out for it and ever since then Jim had been giving her the "death glare" when she was in danger of stepping over the line. He certainly didn't want to lose someone as talented as she was so he was trying to teach her to think things through first.

Clamping her jaw shut again she rolled her eyes as she eased herself down into the green leather chair behind her. She thought about what he'd just said to her as he went back to reading the folder he held. When he finished he closed it and flipped it across the desk at her. "So?"

She picked up the folder and flipped through the first few pages in it. "I guess I don't have much choice in this do I?"

"Alicia, when are you going to figure out that you always have a choice?" He pulled his glasses off and tossed them on top of the other papers on the desk. "You of all people should know that I wouldn't have told Steven that you'd come down if I didn't think that you were the person for the job. You and I both know that no one else knows the cats like you do. There is no better person for this." He smiled at her gently to reassure her. They'd worked together for several years now and he'd become not only her mentor but a good friend too.

"But it's hot down there!"

He chuckled at her whine, "Alicia, you know they do have air conditioning these days right?"

She huffed and blew a stray wisp of hair out of her eyes, "Jim, you know that I live up north for a reason don't you? I hate the heat." She shuddered in revulsion of the idea of being in the humid heat of New Orleans in the summer. "Can't it wait until winter?"

"You are a pain in my ass you know that? Your plane leaves at 7:30 tomorrow morning. Go home and pack." Alicia tried to look pathetic and failed miserably eliciting a guffaw from Jim as he pointed at the door of his office. "Get out of here you twit."

She rose from the chair and picked her bag up from the floor, shoving the folder into the top of it. "I'll get you for this you know. You're gonna pay for this one old man." She glanced back over her shoulder to see him sitting back down behind the ever-expanding pile of work and laughing at her as she shuffled out of the door. He knew that she wasn't at all mad at him for the assignment but it was a game they played with each other, much to many of the other student's chagrin, and it was one of the things they loved about working together. Jim knew that Alicia would do anything he asked of her. Hell most of the time she was doing what he wanted before he even knew he wanted her to do it. But they still played their game, he pretended to be mad at her and she pretended to hate his orders and they both got a laugh out of the looks they got for it.

Alicia really was excited about this assignment, even if it did mean going to New Orleans in the summertime. She specialized in the big cats and getting to work with them on her own was the sign that Jim thought she was ready that she'd been waiting for. He finally thought that he could send her out on her own and the approval that gave her made her glow with pride.

When she entered into the veterinary program at first she thought she just wanted to be a basic vet but when she got the chance to sit in on a surgery at the local zoo and help out caring for the recovering panther she knew that exotic animals were her one true love. Since then she'd spent a great deal of time at the zoo, getting to know the habits of the big cats that she'd fallen in love with. When the director of the zoo invited her to help out with their care she jumped at the chance and she soon found that she had an affinity for the big felines that no one could match. She simply felt comfortable around them and the affection that they showed her in return turned more than a few heads. More than once she'd made the staff and visitors to the zoo panic when she blatantly walked into one of the habitats and sat down to let the enormous cats rub against her and play with her like she was one of their own. When people asked her how she did that without getting an arm chewed off she simply explained that she respected them so they in turn respected her.

Reaching the end of the hallway behind the classrooms she turned right and reached for her sunglasses before leaving the building and walking across the campus to her small apartment. She jogged up the stairs and knocked on her neighbor's door softly. When the tiny Italian woman cracked the door and peered out at her she grinned down towards the steely eye in the opening. "Ciao ava!"

"Ciao bella!" came the response as the woman opened the door and motioned for Alicia to enter. "What brings you home so early?"

"Going out of town for a few days and I was wondering if you could watch the place for me?" she said as she pecked the woman on the cheek and followed her nose towards the kitchen where several sauces were bubbling on the stove.

"Of course I will. Where are you going?"

Alicia reached for the spoon beside the biggest pot and stirred the sauce as she let the delicious scent waft up on the steam. "Jim's sending me to New Orleans. Something's wrong with their tigers and he seems to think that I can figure it out."

"He's learning." The older woman said as she reached into a cupboard and pulled out two plates. "He knows now that if anyone can make them better it is you."

"Oh I wouldn't say that Sophia. Jim could probably do a better job than I can. Here, let me get that," she said as she took the plates out of the woman's hands and began putting pasta on them. When she'd finished making them plates she carried them to the small table in the corner where Sophia was waiting with two glasses of Chianti. They ate and chatted and sipped at the Chianti that Sophia kept refilling along with the plates of pasta. Alicia didn't eat this much usually but she knew that the woman took great pride in her cooking and she constantly told the younger woman that she was too skinny so Alicia humored her. Once they'd finished the meal and washed the dishes they settled into the deeply cushioned sofa and talked about news and gossip.

Alicia had moved into the tiny apartment across the hall from Sophia two years ago and the two women had become friends quickly. Alicia often went back home to visit her family and Sophia was always happy to help out by watching her apartment and getting her mail. "So when are you going back to Italy to visit?" Alicia asked for the millionth time.

The older woman sighed and smoothed invisible wrinkles out of her skirt. "Someday maybe. Not so soon. I will go when it is time. Now it is not the time. Why do you pester me?"

Alicia laughed, "I'm not pestering you ava. I just want you to be happy. I know that going home will make you happy." Alicia patted the other woman on the knee to reassure her. "Well I have to go pack. I'll bring you something nice from New Orleans okay?"

"Will you bring me a handsome man?"

"Of course! But only if he can fit in my suitcase." The two women laughed at that as Sophia help the door open for Alicia. "You take care of yourself ava. No wild parties you hear?"

"I promise. You be good too child." Sophia patted Alicia's back and gave her a tight hug.

"I'll do what I can with what I have to work with. Is that okay?" Sophia nodded and her eyes twinkled. "Fino ad allora ava."