Ha exactly one month later and I have updated Ice King. Happy Dance! Happy Dance! Now Read and Review you lucky people you.

By the way my next update will Fire and the Furball. Which may be up sometime this weekend, or possibly today. I hit on and idea I like so well see how long it takes me to tweak it.

Read. Review. Enjoy.

“I’m s-sorry. Your what?” I asked, my tone somewhere between shock and hysteria. He had to be joking. It was a really bad joke, but he had to be.

“Granddaughter.” He repeated with a nonchalant shrug. “Though technically speaking there should be a few greats beforehand. It’s probably safer to call me the Progenitor of your line if anything.” He added, continuing on with an explanation that was now falling on deaf ears.

He wasn’t joking.

Granddaughter he’d said. He was my grandfather. Technically my great, great, great… grandfather. He was my family. I had family. I wasn’t alone. I belonged somewhere, with someone. There was deliriously giddy little bubble rising up inside me at the thought of actually having a family. Of not having to wonder anymore, not having to wish and wait. It was a beautiful thing not to feel alone. A delicate, fragile thing, a thing that was quickly and in discriminately shattered when my brain kicked back in and ask one simple little question.

Why hadn’t he come for me?

The Guard knew who I had been. They had seers to figure out who I was and birth records to confirm it. No person on this planet didn’t leave some sort of trail. He would have known where I was. What I was. What had happened to me. Paper or paranormal there was always something for them to find and follow. And once they had it, it would be reported to the higher ups. Witches, to Deporters. Deporters to Slayers. Slayers to Knights. All the way to the way to the Gods.

If he was looking. If he’d cared enough to.

But why would he? Why would an aqua kinetic be of any interest to a God, when he had beings that could become the element itself and all I could was wield it. When I wasn’t the only one who could. Why would I be of any interest to him? Aside from being his so-claimed descendant. How convenient that would be, and how very, very unlikely.

So, no. He wasn’t joking, which meant either he was lying or he was telling the truth. As those two realizations dawned on me I found myself staring at him. Transfixed by the being that sat next to me utterly oblivious to what he had just told me, and what I was about to do to him. For the lie he was telling me now or the two years if not more of neglect he felt inclined to deal me.

Quicker than I had thought it my hand was wrapped around his throat, squeezing and freezing. I’d never really enjoyed my power as weapon before. I’d always seen it more as a necessity, a convenient little trick to be used when I needed it. But as I watched his eyes bulge in shock, and his mouth gapping and gasping like a fish out of water I found myself oddly enjoying the sight. The way his skin became a crystalline white as it froze, and his lips a near purple shade of blue. There was a sort of clam that swept over me. Dangerous in its stillness, and maddening in its silence and then it was gone and I was left with pure, unadulterated, rage.

And it felt good.

“Two years.” I breathed. My voice shuttering as I continued to speak. “You left me alone with her. For two years.” I seethed, tightening my grip as I spoke. It seemed that in my rage my mind had decided him telling me the truth was a better motivation to kill him than the lie would have been. And why not? Sure the lie was new, but the reason behind it was the same. It was always the same.

“I didn’t know.” He squeezed out between a frozen jaw and teeth that were all ready radiating with pain that was far worse than biting directly into spoonful of ice cream. Soon his throat would be nothing but a bulk of frozen meat and bone, and shortly after that he’d be the equivalent of a frozen turkey, with the exception that no one would be having the pleasure of eating him. Though perhaps if I de-thawed him enough the dogs might get a few good chunks off him.

Suddenly I was flying across the room landing against a brick wall and feeling all the air rush out of my lungs in one big whoosh. Followed swiftly by a very sound thud and a dull ache that now covered a great deal of my rear. Shaking my head I tried to clear my vision long enough to see what or who had thrown me at the wall.

Only to find Shateal standing over De’Sonva.

Screaming I got to my feet and charged only to have Shateal grab and stop me. Turning me around as he wrapped an arm around my throat and held my hands behind my back. Placing me in a weak but effective choke hold, one he tightened the more I screamed and struggled to get free.

And the more I tired the more I could hear her in my head. Could feel her slamming against the cage I put her in. Feel the power she could give me. Was offering me. Enough power to break free of Shateal and resume my punishment of De’Sonva.

He could have found me. Stopped me! Stopped her! He could have taught me some way to control her, and if not control her than something. He was at least a hundred times my age. There had to be something he could have shown me. Told me! Something!

“Let go!” I shouted over and over. Screaming and struggling as best I could despite the pressure he was putting on me.

“He’s a God! You can’t kill him!” Shateal half growled, half shouted at me.

“I don’t care.” I snarled.

“You’ll be no different than her if you do!” I heard him snap back. Those words should have meant something, deep down, and later on I’m sure they would, as often as I’d said them to myself. Used them to keep me from going too far, but right now those words had all the effect of a fading echo. Still there, but lacking in its former strength and glory.

It wasn’t until I felt him push me away. A thrust that sent me staggering some six feet away from him that I finally noticed De’ Sonva was gone. “You want to hurt someone.” Shateal barked. “You start with me.”

“I don’t want you!” I yelled.

“Too bad!” he shouted and charged.

This time I wasn’t going to allow myself to be beaten. I was too mad to simply just stop being so. I wanted to break something, hurt someone, kill anyone. And she was all too willing to help me. Whispering in my head, telling me all the things I wanted to hear and even the things I didn’t. Anything that would keep me mad and help her get lose. But I wasn’t so far gone not to notice. I knew what she wanted and keeping her locked up was satisfying my rage just a little bit. She wanted out, and I didn’t want to lose. Sadly the option of giving her, her previous freedom was no longer expectable. Letting her have temporary rein over my motor functions was not going to happen. Still there had to be some way I could use her. So I listened. I bobbed and weaved, and hit and kicked, bit and yanked. The one thing I wasn’t doing was using my power. The one thing she was screaming at me to do.

Pointing out over and over how he wasn’t holding back. How he was exploiting my every opening. How he was toying with me. And he was. For every one shot I got in he got five, but he never made them until after I did.

“Is this what it is to fight the Ice King?” he quipped, dodging yet another of my punches.

“How could anyone be afraid of you when you can’t even land a decent punch.” He snarled, grabbing my arm and flipping me over his head. A move that would have had me slamming face first into the mat if I hadn’t corrected myself in time, spring off my hands back on to my feet spinning around to kick him in the gut only to have him catch my leg and swipe my other out from under me landing both of us on the mat.

“Pathetic.” He spat, flipping back on to his feet. While I lay on the mat try to regain the breath that had been knocked from my lungs upon landing. “Get up.” He snapped. “I said get up!” he shouted, rising his leg to kick me, only to have his heel hit the mat as I rolled out of the way, twisting on my back quick enough to knock his legs out from under him. Scrambling to me feet and falling flat against the mat as he grabbed my foot, quickly crawling up my body, pinning my arms to my back as he straddled my waist from behind.

“Not a very satisfying fight.” He said next to my ear. “But the positions not too bad.” I added the wicked pleasure in his tone reminding me all too much of another. The memory of which scared me worse than she did. With a mixture of fear and anger I slammed my head back into his face. Rolling out from under him as fell off me groaning onto his back.

Getting to my feet, I could hear her screaming in my head, yelling at me to freeze him. That was it was only way to stop him. To keep him from hurting me. To keep what happened last time I lost to a man from happening again.

So again I listened. And this time when he came in for a punch, I grabbed and I froze, and he screamed and I let go. I let go and stared at a hand that was now black and clawed and frozen solid. Glistening in a combination of obsidian scales and frost, shaking with pain he was making no sound for, save the hissing breath that was escaping through his now clenched teeth. His other hand gripping at his forearm so tightly you’d think he was trying to cut off his own limb, just to escape the present pain he was feeling.

My previous fear and anger forgotten I reached for his hand only to have him jerk it away with a furious growl. Glaring at me with that one emerald green eye, as though he’d like nothing better than to rip me part for what I’d done to him.

“I’ll take it off.” I said quickly. Guilt wrapping around me like a thick wool blanket scratching at the exposed skin of my raw emotions. I’d never used my power like this. Not on an ally and certainly never on just a limb. I used it to kill demons, to kill parasites. I made it quick and final. I never left my victim alive to feel the pain. Not for long. “Please.” I said, staring at him wide eyed and pleading for him to give me his hand.

Finally he did, and I slowly, carefully wrapped my hands around his frozen limb. Feeling how far my ice had gone. I’d frozen him straight to the bone. He most of been in agony and yet he wasn’t making a sound, just clenching his teeth and breathing loudly through them, obviously trying to distract him-self from the pain.

“Draconian pride.” I heard her whisper, approval coating her words like honey. She was impressed. Something I had never accomplished, though I never expected to. Still it was unsettling to feel her admiration for him. It was bad enough that I knew she liked him, but like, I could live with. Like, could keep her easily contained, there was little motivation to escape just for like. But if like become more. I was screwed.

“Why did I listen to you!” I snapped at her.

“You were angry. You wanted to win. We won. Stop complaining.” She stated, short and sweet and always matter-of-fact.

“I shouldn’t have listened to you. I shouldn’t have froze him.” I bit.

“You froze his arm. He’ll live.” She remarked none too impressed with my debating skills.

“He’s Draco!”

“And what am I chopped Spleen! “ she snapped.

“What?” I snipped. Utterly confused for all of a few seconds before I figured out what she had meant. “Liver.” I corrected.

And this time she was the one to be over shot. “What?”

“It’s Liver not Spleen. Chopped Liver.”

“Can’t you do this quicker?” Shateal hissed, pulling me out of my useless blame session with her. Shaking my head I released his arm. I hadn’t even started to remove the ice, too caught up yelling at her I’d completely forgotten what I was supposed to be doing for him.

“Not unless you can grow a new hand. I do it too fast, and it’ll pretty much be the same as dropping a frozen marble into boiling water.” I replied evenly. “Don’t try to move it.” I stated when I noticed his fingers twitch slightly. “And don’t try to heat your hand with your fire.”

“Torture many people this way?” he seethed. I wasn’t surprised by his comment, or the harshness of his tone. He was in pain. It was seldom a person ever became nice when they were hurting. I wasn’t going to begrudge him for it though. I knew firsthand how badly this hurt, and his being Draco probably made it twenty times worse. “She most of found this useful.” He added sharply.

“No. It’s not hers.” I replied in the same steady tone. “Go sit on the couch.”

“What.”

“Go sit down. It’s going to take some time to de-thaw your arm.” I explained and turned for the kitchen in search of a bowl big enough for his arm.

“How long could it take?” he barked from the training area, following me into the kitchen, when I didn’t reply. “What are you looking for?” he asked, sounding beyond annoyed with me as he watched me go from cabinet to cabinet.

“A bowl. Something big enough to put your arm in. And I don’t know. It took about an hour when I froze my toe. So longer than that.” I remarked, opening another cabinet as he walked behind me to a cabinet on my right and pulled out a large metal mixing bowl.

“Now what?” he asked handing it to me.

“Couch.” I pointed. Following him out to the living room as he sat down and I sat Indian style next to him. Placing the bowl in my lap and filling it with frigid water. I needed the temperature to be nearly the same as his arm. Not really a hard task to accomplish, when all I had to do was slow the molecules in the water down enough to match, or just shy of it.

“Put your arm in.” I instructed, inwardly wincing when he hissed at the contact of the icy water against his skin, what little he had that wasn’t frozen.

“Why did you freeze your toe?” he asked, sounding less annoyed and far more reserved, though the heavy breathing was still there.

“I wasn’t born in the Guard remember.” I replied as I slide my hands into the water and wrapped them both around his arm. Closing my eyes I concentrated on the molecules I was trying to remove. “I didn’t have the benefit of someone telling me this was normal.” I added, as I began removing the crystals.

“It happened during your wakening then?” he asked, still reserved but sounding oddly interested. It was hard to tell on voice alone.

“No. Thank God.” I shook my head. Remembering how much it had hurt to freeze just that one toe. My skin had felt like it was on fire and when I’d quickly started to remove the ice it had felt like I was ripping my toe off. For what seemed like an eternity (and was only an hour and ten or so minutes) I’d sat in the bathroom alone, crying as I slowly de-thawed my toe. “Just woke up one and day and suddenly anything with a H2O molecule was mine to toy with. Couple of months after that I was able to form it. Liquid, solid, gas. Any which way. I could do it.” I smiled faintly at the memory.

Remembering who cool I had felt to have such an awesome gift, remembering how being a wallflower hadn’t seemed so bad when I’d had a secret to keep. Something I thought no one else had.

“You weren’t afraid of it?” he questioned.

“No,” I shook my head. “A little weirded out, but not afraid. I thought it was cool.” I shrugged.

“Then why did you freeze your toe?”

“To see if I could. Froze my hair a couple of times. Never really felt anything. So I thought if I can do hair why not a limb.” I replied with a bitter shrug.

“You didn’t know hair is dead?”

“Not until after.” I replied opening my eyes, to find him lounging on the couch, his left ankle resting on his right knee, leaning comfortably all the way back into the couch, his left arm draped over the back, while he sat staring directly at me. As if he wasn’t any pain. As if there had never been any pain. And I didn’t know whether he was just putting on a show now or if he’d been putting one on the whole time. I hadn’t really looked at him after I’d gone into the kitchen to get the bowl. I felt too guilty. Go figure. The man pisses me off to no end and I feel guilty about freezing his arm.

“How’s it feel.” I asked as he pulled it from the water flexing his fingers as he moved them back and forth, fisting and un-fisting. The Black claws and scales receding into pink flesh and short rounded nails.

“Tingly.” He replied rubbing his hand as if to rub away the sensation. “Why were you trying so hard to kill De’ Sonva?”

“I don’t really want to talk about that.” I said looking down at the bowl in my hands. Still uncertain of how I was supposed to feel about what De’ Sonva had told me. Was I supposed to believe him? That he was my grandfather. That he hadn’t known about me. For some reason it didn’t seem hard to believe, but then if a thing was too good to be true it generally was.

“Very well. You used her when we were fighting.” he said instead, oddly ceding to my wishes to change the subject.

“I listened.” I nodded, skimming my fingers across the frigid surface of the water.

“Is that why you froze me?” again I nodded. “Is that why you didn’t when you woke up in my bed?” I shook my head, remembering how scared I’d been waking up next to him completely naked. The worst thoughts had been flying through my head. The only reason I hadn’t froze him was because I’d been too scared to remember that I could. “If I asked why you didn’t would you tell me?” again I shook my head, my fingers still skimming the surface of the water. “What will you tell me?” he asked.

“I think we had this conversation before.” I replied evenly.

“And I still want to know you.” He stated, cupping my chin making me look at him. “We need to put some ice on that cheek.” He added, before I could reply, gently running his thumb across my left cheek. One of the many places he had struck me, and one of the many places I would most likely be sporting a bruise on tomorrow.

Rolling my eyes I pushed his hand away. “I’ll live.” I bit getting up with the bowl heading for the kitchen to dump it.

“I’m sure you will. With all the fights you’ve been in. I imagine you’re quite the fighter when you’re motivated. You were certainly doing well enough on the floor.” He added as he followed me into the kitchen, leaning back against the counter next to me as I dumped the water into the sink. “And you did catch De’ Sonva off guard.” He smirked.

While I cast a look of total astonishment at him. What was he talking about? Quite the fighter? Doing well enough on the floor? I was getting my ass handed to me. Sure I hadn’t done as bad as I had the first time, when I hadn’t been using her at all. But I still wasn’t doing as well as I could if I gave her the reins. Besides, he might not have been holding back on moves but he certainly had been on strength. And here he was spouting false praise about how well I’d been doing? What was wrong with him? Why was he acting all friendly like we were buddies. “What are you doing?” I asked, utterly confused and completely suspicious of his motives.

“Talking to you.” He shrugged, as though it were obvious.

“Yeah. Why?”

“Don’t friends talk?” he asked, seemingly at a loss for else to say.

“We’re not friends Shateal. We have never been friends.” I bit, shaking my head.

“Then why did you tell about your toe?” He asked with a confused shrug.

“Because I froze your arm and I felt guilt about it.” I snapped, “Besides you asked.” I added pulling a towel from the counter to dry out the bowl.

“Why would you feel guilty if we’re not friends?” he questioned, a knowing smile coiling on his lips.

“Because I’ve never frozen anyone I wasn’t aiming to kill. Much less and ally.” I barked tossing the towel back onto the counter. “And yes I said ally. We fight on the same side for the same reasons. But that doesn’t make us friends, Shateal.” I added turning to leave once I had finished, stopping when he grabbed my arm and turned me back around.

“Perhaps I would like to be your friend.” He stated, looking deadly serious as he said it.

“No you don’t.” I shook my head. “You want information I have. Information that is killing you not to have. And that will be completely useless to you once you have it. And you think the only way to get it is to be my friend.” I replied, pealing his hand off my arm.

“And am I wrong to think that?” he asked, eyes steady and unreadable.

“No you’re not.” I shook my head. “But I don’t have friends. And you better than anyone else should know why.”

“Than maybe, because I know why. We should be friends.” He offered, without a smile or smirk. No trace of ulterior motive anywhere on his face or in his body language.

“No.” I shook my head.

“Why? What are you so afraid of? You can’t hurt me. You most certainly can’t kill me. Why shouldn’t we be friends” He asked utterly dumbfounded my refusal.

Because it’s not you I’m worried about hurting. It’s me. Was what I wanted to say. Was the real reason I kept refusing him. Shateal as a friend was a highly appealing thought. He wasn’t afraid of me. He couldn’t be hurt by me. Not even killed. But the problem wasn’t with him it was with me. What if I was right and the minute he knew what he wanted to know and found the information worthless he’d stop being my friend and start being the asshole dragon I’d met when I first got here. What if it wasn’t information he wanted what if it was her? It wouldn’t be the first time I’d been doped into believing a man wanted me only to have access to her. Matter-of-fact it was more likely the reason for his interest in me than anything else. One way or another it always came down to her. And she was the primary reason I had no friends.

“Because we can’t.” I replied.

“Because of her?” Was his angry question. “You think I’m just like every other man that’s ever shown an interest in you. You think I want her.” He stated, seeming to hate the idea the more he thought about it.

“Don’t you?” I asked with solemn shrug.

“No. I want you.” There was no if, ands, or buts in his tone. It was straight forward confirmation. One I really wanted to believe.

“No you—“ I began only to have Shateal grab me and kiss me. It was so out of the blue that for a moment I actually melted into it. Into him. Until I felt her stir and realized why he was kissing me, with a groan I pushed him away.

“Don’t. Don’t kiss me wanting her. I’m not her.” I breathed, staring hard at his shoulder. Breathing hard, trying to figure what I’d done to warrant a kiss. Or rather what she’d done without my knowing.

“Gods. You are unbelievable!” He half growled, half snapped at the ceiling, releasing me as he rubbed his hands over his face as if he were rousing himself from a bad dream. “Is it really so hard to believe that someone wants you. That I want you?” he bit, eyes drilling into me like a laser. “I get it. I really do. You were a wallflower that no one noticed. Now all of a sudden your center stage and everyone can see you. Only problem is you don’t know if it’s really you they’re seeing.” he snapped. “Believe it or not your story isn’t new. And there is someone in this world who can see you?”

“Oh and you’re automatically him!” I snapped back. “You know it’s almost comical how many times I’ve heard that. You and me together baby. We’ll rule the world.” I replied in blatant mockery.

“I don’t want the world. I just want you.” He seethed.

“Oh please. What makes you any different from any other guy?” I yelled. “What makes this” I waved between the two of us. “any different? Either you want her, or you want her power –“

“I just. Want. You!” he shouted and kissed me again. Only this time, he wouldn’t let me push him away, and after while I didn’t want to.

What the hell is wrong with you? He’s straight! He’s male! And He’s Draco! In no possible way will this end well! My common sense screamed.

I knew he didn’t want me. I wasn’t that stupid. I knew this wouldn’t end well. It never did. But just for the time being would it really hurt so much to just let me pretend he did want me and this would end well. After all the crap I’d dealt with was it really so much to ask for just a couple of hours where I could lie to myself? Where my life was something else. Something possibly normal.

I really wanted to believe it was. The lie was so much nicer than the reality. And it’s not like I was expecting anything afterwards.

Besides he felt really good, just kissing me and holding me all warm and hard, and comfortable. And I liked how he made me feel. Wanted and seen and sparkling all the way down to my toes. So what if I wasn’t the only girl he’d ever made feel like this. He was making me feel like this and that was all that mattered.

For that I stopped fighting him and started kissing him back.