Paimon,Eve,Haures were sitting in the living room,simply staring at each other. Or to be more precise,Eve and Haures were waiting for Paimon's shock to subside so they would hear his opinion on their plan.Haures had instructed Eve not to talk and let him handle it. Eventually,Paimon lifted his head and looked once at Eve's direction and one at his brother's.

-It is madness.

-I know, brother,but it could prove successful.

-I had no idea we were this desparate.

-It is not desparation. Despite my constant disagreement with Eve about her way of handling the situation,I must admit she was right to pinpoint that this plan proved to be too passive. We are simply waiting on Angelica to stir things up but the clock is ticking and we haven't seen any noticeable changes so far.

-So we will mendle with the space time continuum because you have grown too tired of waiting?

Eve couldn't hold her tongue any longer and decided it was time to participate in this conversation.

-Paimon,up until now we failed to deal with the root of our problem,Fate.We have been occuping ourselves with what she causes. But by doing that we dont solve the problem,we learn to live with it.

-I agree but we need to face her here and now,not go into the past and trying to take advantage of her young and naive self in hope that she makes a mistake so severe that will be her downfall in the present. Im sorry to say this so blunt but I am not coming.

-This conversation is not about asking you to come with us.

Eve and Paimon turned to Haures with surprise on their faces after they heard what he said.

-After me and Eve alter the past,we will need to take advantage of the changes immediately so we will probably need to transport from the past directly to Eve's palace and as you can imagine my presence will demonstrate in the most clear way the Shadows'support towards the old Queen.If you were to accompany her instead of me,our credibility would be questioned and many would speculate that you are trying to present your personal favoritism towards Eve as our people's way of thinking.In truth,we are not asking your permission or your opinion,we are simply announcing it to you.

Eve was astonished. Haures was usually very respectful towards his older brother and always valued his opinion. She was sensing a rift in their relationship and now its the worst time for it to happen.

-You are? Well then let me announce you that you are not setting foot out if this palace for one very obvious reason.

-Thanos? We already thought of that. We are taking him with us.

Eve nearly dropped her cup of tea,listening to this new information. Paimon turned to her in shock, obviously believing that she knew of this and approved it. Eve was quick to defend herself.

-I swear to you,Paimon,I had no idea. This is my first time hearing it.Haures,have you thought what you said? We cant take a baby with us. Its too dangerous.This was a very violent and unpredictable time.Even with our disguises, nothing quarantees our safety,much less a baby which will undoubtedly make us more visible than we need to be.

-I have thought of everything,Eve,and trust me , I am much more nervous than I appear to be and I am certainly considering a milion things that could go wrong.But what else can be done? Thanos at the moment can only be fed by my energy. He can survive a few days with milk but we could be gone for weeks and I am not taking any chances.

-Thats why I am suggesting that I accompany Eve to this "journey" and you stay here with our little brother. How does that sound?

That question was directed to Haures,so Eve decided to stay silent and let him answer but she heard no reply. A dead silence suddenly filled the room and the only thing that was heard was the wood slowly crumbling down to ashes in the fireplace. Suddenly,Haures turned his head slowly towards Eve and spoke with a calm voice that is was obviously used to hide the bitterness and anger.

-Eve,would you be a darling and go find the map of my old castle? I redecorated it eons ago and with time I have forgotten how it used to be. You will a book in the same sector from which you took Charlus's diary.

She answered positively with a nod of her head and soon she had exited the room making her way towards the library. Now,Haures was alone in the room with Paimon and his eyes left left his for even a second.

-Haures,stop staring at me like that. What I proposed is completely.....

-Selfish.

-No,its reasonable. On the other hand what you are suggesting derives from your pride and anger.

-No,it derives from my lack of faith in you.You are right. Me staying here and you traveling to the past with Eve would be the best solution. Unfortunately,I dont trust you will ensure our interests. Also,we must not forget that despite having the same goal as her,our priorities differ. She wants to become Queen again,so she can get her home and family bsck,we want Fate removed from the throne because with her in authority we are in danger of losing our benefits and generally finding ourselves in a disadvantaged situation. Do you understand that?

-Of course. It was clear from the start.

-I doubt it. To put it simply,I think you are more likely to act more as her bodyguard and less as a diplomat.

-You have no right to offend me in that way,when you yourself are acting like an angry child putting our brother in harm's way.

-Over the course of the past year,I was the only one who didn't put Thanos in danger and thus I trust only muself not to do it. Unfortunately,I cant say your record is as clean as mine.

-We are putting our family matters first in a time of a great crisis.That demonstrates immature behaviour from the both of us.We dont have time to solve these matters now so I am proposing a truce. Let me come with you and Eve and after our main problem is no more,we will sort out our personal mess.

Haures look towards Paimon didnt change, indicating that he wasnt impressed by his brother's attempt to make peace between them

-...I would still prefer if you stayed here.Someone has to be left in charge of the Shadows

-You have given them enough work for at least a month.Besides,they will be able to manage themsey for a couple days.You cant avoid it. I am coming with you. The only difference lies in your willingness to accept it.

Haures sighed deeply,a sign of defeat,and nodded without saying anything more.Around that time,Eve came back with the maps and some other old documents.Paimon stood up and headed towards her direction,smiling broadly.

-Excellent.We leave at dawn.

After that Paimon exited the room and Eve was left staring at Haures, puzzled,and he understood the reason behind her confusion.

-Yes. He is coming with us too.

After that,he turned to leave too but Eve grabbed strongly his forearm.

-Listen,Haures. I am not as stupid as you think I am. Its obvious something is going on between you and Paimon. I want to make sure that it will not affect your judgement during our mission.

Despite Eve's strong hold,Haures managed to free himself quite easily,he turned his head to her and his eyes held a dangerous,glowing light,one that it was not from the reflection of the fire in his eyes but was a sign that his soul had traveled to his eyes. She felt like she couldn't move and at the moment,she was truly afraid of him. Eve rarely felt fear when dealing with Haures. She respected him but she was not afraid of him.

-Listen and listen carefully. You shall not comment on our family's problems ever again. We are working together because our problems have the same source. But dont get too comfortable. We are not friends. And truth be told,you should be aware of most of my family problems because you created most,if not all of them.

He left the room without even waiting her reply and she was simply left standing her,trying to make her way to the armchair so she could sit down and relax. The dominating sound of the fire in the fireplace and the elegant dance of the flames on the wood as if they were celebrating the defeat of their greatest enemy managed to sooth her nerves and put her to sleep.

She was woken the next day by someone gently poking her. The polite and almost hesitant touch gave her the impression that she would see Paimon when she opened her eyes. But much to her surprise,it was Haures who was towering over her, obviously displeased that he had to wake up his guest who had fallen asleep on his armchair.

-Stop looking at me like that and get ready. We are leaving in ten minutes.