relief comes at a price (R for graphic)

Arabella sat at her vanity in a backless shirt to find some relief. A tattoo in latin in the outline of a spine ran down her spine from her neck to her tailbone. The tattoo now burned and bled like it was running ink. Vitale had put it there in trust with his soul. He knew he was going to die. She trusted him and she couldnt handle it. It was killing her faster. It was like his soul was rotting her from the inside.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. She ran her hands up the sides of her neck and touched the tattoo with her fingers. A lifetime of someone's most intimate thoughts and memories rushed through her head. Her body tensed up and her head jerked back. Blood rushed out of her nose and ears. Her eyes went from blue/green to violet. She fell off of the vanity table and started to sieze as her eyes stayed open and staring blankly.

Araminta showed up with a basket of food and goodies from back home. She wanted to be on good terms with her sister. She let herself into the school since no one was home or so it seemed. She wandered around the foyer but still no one was here. She waited for a while before continuing to explore.

She decided to leave the basket in bella and chris' room so that she wouldnt disturb them. She wandered through the hallways and heard a crash when she was outside of their door. She quickly flung the door open and screamed when she saw her sister. She set the basket down and rushed to her. "bella im sorry i dont know what to do im here. Help! Help someone help us!"She yelled. She wanted to hold her sister but was afraid of hurting her. When she tried to touch her hand the jerking became worse.

Jean had just woken, taken a shower and finished getting dressed when she heard yelling. Dropping the brush her still wet and a bit frizzy from towel drying red hair soon rushed with the woman herself out of her room. Down the hall and into Arabella and Christopher's room. She was going to ask Araminta later how she got in even if she had a feeling she had the codes. She had given them to the Adair triplets the other night when they'd met up. So she figured that was how Araminta got in. She hurried over to Arabella and knelt down. "She is having one of those times from her powers Araminta start by taking deep breaths and calming down. Then grab me a cool damp rag, some tissue and some soapy water." She smiled reassuringly at Araminta. They were getting worse but it should be alright.

She said as she carefully slid her arms beneath Arabella's neck and under her legs. Carefully carrying her to the bed and laying her on it. She placed a hand on Arabella's forehead and used her ability to stop the memories that were assualting her. She wouldn't erase them merely freeze them and cause the assault on Arabella's mind to cease for the moment. "Arabella...its going to be alright sweetie...just relax now alright." Keeping a small forcefield closely to her form in case Arabella reacted on impulse like in the medical bay.

She had spent a lot of time since reuniting with Arabella and the rest of the Adair family. A lot of contemplation as both a friend of the family and the school physician. She hated to even think of it but it might be time to speak with Arabella, all of the Adair family and Christopher about ways to help arabella which included her using one of her abilities she never liked to. The memories and thoughts arabella absorbed were increasingly killing her. It was not her first desire to use an ability which could erase or alter those memories yet she would....if they all agreed. More importantly if Arabella did. She didn't wish her to suffer. Another time though. Her expression betraying none of her thoughts.

(did more research into jeans powers.)

Araminta stayed back and started to cry. She had never seen her sister this bad. It looked like she was dying. She did as told and took a few breaths and ran into the bathroom. It looked so normal with chris and arabella's toiletries. She grabbed a rag and wetted it.

She returned and handed it to her. "I just stopped by with a peace offering and to see if i could mend things and i found her like this. Why are her eyes purple! Theres so much blood, why is she bleeding?!"

Jean pulled her phone from her jeans and sent a text to Christopher. She didn't have Alec's yet or she would have told him as well. Putting her cellphone away she began to send healing energy into Arabella. Slowly...very slowly...to help her body relax and begin to return to normal. She kept her focus between the forcefield thinly around her person and sending the energy. Looking at Araminta as she came back with the rag. Taking it she very gently began to wipe the blood from Arabella's face. Lightly and carefully as her other hand lightly stroked Arabella's hair. "Araminta...please focus on breathing." She said in a kind and soothing tone.

She wasn't sure why Arabella's eyes were purple. It was something she was trying to figure out. "It's a side effect of her gifts Araminta." She could answer why she was bleeding...it was a biproduct of Arabella's gift that was slowly killing her. Or more accurately...certain souls, memories and thoughts were killing her.

Arabella's hand reached out and grabbed the front of jean's shirt. She stared at jean with violet eyes but it was like someone else was in control. "Im giving it to you for safe keeping. You must guard it wisely. Ill be back for it. Let no one have it. Do you understand? DO YOU?" Just like that she gasped for air and fell back on the bed. The siezures stopped and she lay still. Her breathing returned to normal and the bleeding slowed then stopped. She seemed to be resting peacefully. She looked less sick than she did recently.

It had to be one of the most important days of his life, at least career wise, for Chris. He'd stressed over it all the way to the precinct, but it was becoming reality. It was the day which he would be one of the officers taking the detective's exam. Normally, it wasn't for such young officers, but Chris' exemplary arrest record added to his military training and experience gave him a slight step up in the department. He had so much as sat down in the chair outside the office when his phone went off. Reading the text, he knew he had a choice to make: he could either stay and take the exam or miss out possibly forever on the opportunity and go back home.

He really wanted to advance in his job to feel like he was important, but his better nature took control and he stood up, informing his captain that he had family troubles and had to get home. The man looked disappointed, but Chris didn't wait around for a reply and was out the door as quickly as possible. He came to the mansion not long afterward and ran up to their room seeing Jean and Araminta there but his eyes immediately fell to Arabella as he walked into the room.

"What's going on," he asked perplexed, not really sure of what to make of anything other than what he could see which didn't bode well.

Jean felt the sudden grip on her shirt. She felt bad to text Christopher right now but it was important. As much as she wished she could wait it wouldn't. She looked to Araminta. "Text your sisters. Have them come here." She instructed. Staring at those violet eyes. Still focusing on healing energy into Arabella and freezing the memories and emotiosn that were coming from someone else. She tensed a bit and watched her. She saw how the mere freezing of the foreign memories were having a good effect on Arabella. Biting her lower lip as this just cemented her thoughts on what had to be done...but only if everyone especially Arabella agreed.

She looked up at Christopher. "I'm so sorry...I know today was something important. I need you to get Alec here as well please. It's important...for a way to help Arabella. I know she will need you when she wakes." She said softly. "This one was much worse than any of her other ones Christopher." She said to him telepathically. Looking at him apologetically. Lightly stroking Arabella's hair still. She put the rag on the nightstand. Her eyes searching her as she lifted her up gently. Looking down the back of her shirt to see the fading markings as Arabella looked healthier than she had in awhile. She could erase souls but she knew the next best thing.

Ari felt someone holding her and woke up slowly. She squirmed in jean's arms and pushed her away. "Bloody hell get off of me what are you doing!"She scooted away from her and looked around the room. She glared at araminta and then her face fell when she looked at chris. She looked at the clock then back at him. "What are you doing here!You have an exam today!"

She hopped off of the bed with more energy than she had in a long time. She went over to the vanity and looked at her back in the mirror. The tattoo was gone. She glared back at everyone. "I didnt need anyone's help i knew what i was doing! I cant believe you guys called him today! Today was a big day for him!"

"You never needed anyone's help did you arabella."She recovered quickly from her shock and smoothed her clothes. She picked up the basket she dropped on the floor and placed it on a table. After a quick glance to make sure it was in tact she noddef to them all. "Enjoy the basket. It has some of your favorites in it."She said with a look of hurt and left the room.

"Oh real good come back araminta. You and the rest of the trio have been in your own world since the womb so dont even start with me! She grabbed the basket and tossed it at her sister as she was leaving."Spare me! You dont know what my favorites are! You dont know shit about me! All you know is how to ruin lives!Is it convenient to be sisters now araminta?Now that our parents are dead and our brother is gay who else do you have!"

Chris waved a hand calmly at Ari when she mentioned his exam. Yeah, it was important to him but it wasn't as if it was the most important thing in the world and he could always apply to take it again next time around. He looked over at Jean then shook his head. "It's okay, Ari. It's important - but not as much as you are. Detective exams are held every few months so it's not that big a loss. I'm glad Jean texted me."

It didn't take a genius to see how hurt Araminta was just by her facial expressions and when Arabella lashed out, throwing the basket when he sister left, the young man cast a glance over to his girlfriend. "Arabella... come on - she's trying. She knows she messed up the first day she came here, is it alright to at least give her and your sisters a chance? Hell, I will. At least she's reaching out, babe. That's all I'm saying."

Ari ran her fingers through her hair and let out a frustrated growl. "You cannot drop everything and come running everytime i have a hiccup. You have hopes and dreams too baby. I wont let you give them up or put them on hold for me. As for my sister shes had almost 17 years to get to know me. Why is it so important now!" She sat down on the edge of the bed and let out a sigh. She already felt loads better since releasing vitale's soul. She felt like a jackass for ruining chris' big day. She let her hair fall down around her face to hide it.

"I'm only doing this for us in the first place so we can finally get a nice place and not have to stress over finances. So yeah, I'll drop everything and come running because you're the only thing that matters to me. Don't like it? Tough. You're stuck with that part of me forever, babe." He smirked at her with a little wink to play off the teasing joke, though he had been serious about her being all that mattered to him. He had no family to speak of anymore; they were either dead by his hand or hated him beyond comparison. Arabella, Alec, and potentially the trio were all he had and he didn't want to lose that or for her to lose what she had and shook his head stubbornly at her words about her sister.

"It's important because she's here now with your other sisters and she is trying to make amends," he explained and pushed the hair back out of her face gently with his hand. "At least give it a try? If my brother walked through that door and wanted my forgiveness like she wants yours, I'd give it to him even after everything that's happened - he's my brother and I love him. You can't sit there and tell me that you don't love your sisters."

Ari looked up at him and scowled again. " This isnt funny Chris. You gave up alot today and i was perfectly fine. I-im more than fine. I.... i finally said goodbye. I finally let Vitale's soul go. I didnt tell you the whole truth before. He didnt give me part of his soul..... he gave me all of it to hold onto. He said he was coming back for it. I tried to hold on but it was killing me." She stood up and turned around. She had been wearing a backless shirt that day. Her back was now clear of tattoos minus the crow feather on her shoulder.

"I've given up a lot most days of my life, it's not anything new to me. I'm not afraid to wait and I can prioritize." He listened to the rest and nodded in understanding. "It's a tall order asking for someone to hold onto to your entire soul like that, but for what it's worth, I think you made the right choice." Chris knew how bad she'd gotten lately and considering that Vitale had been dead from the moment he gave up what made him alive, it was illogical to take Arabella down with him. Seeing her back almost clear save for one tattoo was different.

The mutant moved behind her and reached up, gently running his hands along her shoulders in a massaging motion before kissing her neck. "Seeing less tattoos on your body will take some getting used to." He chuckled a little, happy that she was doing better more than anything.

Ari calmed down a bit when chris reassured her. She asked him so many times to trust her. She needed to be able to give him the same courtesy. " Vitale was my professor and my friend. He was teaching me how to better control my powers."


She picked at her nails until she felt his hands on her shoulders. how she craved those hands. She tipped her head back to look up at him and smiled at him flirtatiously "I still got a few tats up my sleeve. Maybe i got some new ones. You will just have to find them.".