To all the ones who thought they knew me best a test to prove your prowess
Who was mine in '99 I want last names and current status
To all the ones who hated me the most, a toast you really had me going for second
I was nervous, boy, am I the poster girl
For some suburban sickness
Better keep a healthy distance
Now its up to you know what to do
It's pretty dirty business
-Dirty Business by The Dresden Dolls-

Chapter One

"Will you be back soon Mr. Konstantin?"

Josef looked at the woman sitting behind the desk in the building lobby. He sighed. "I'm not sure..."

"What do you want me to tell your calls?"

"Just take a message, I'll call them when I get back."

He stepped out of the building into the cool night air, immediately his senses were attacked by millions of different smells. Oil, food, gum, cigarettes, alcohol, they were all normal smells for LA. But the further he walked down the street the stronger a certain smell got. It was a smell he was used to.

Blood, and lots of it.

He followed the smell all the way to a dark alley. He walked further in and saw a girl laying on the ground. He couldn't see the blood, due to the dark and dampness of the alley. But when he knelt down he felt it seep into the knee of his pants.

"Shit..."

The girl's heart was beating, but it was faint. She's going to be dead within minutes. There was nothing he could do for her, except maybe call the cops, but that meant he would have to stick around and tell them how he found her and such, and frankly, he didn't have the time for that.

He stood up and started to walk away. Then, out of no where, the girls hand shot out and grabbed his ankle.

"Help me..."

He looked back down to the girl in shock, where was she getting the strength to speak much less move?

Josef knelt back down and rolled her over on her back so he could see the full damage of what had been done. He could see at least three stab wounds in her stomach, and one in her chest. She was almost naked, her bra being the only thing left on her. He took off his coat and wrapped it around her, then he picked her up.

Where was he supposed to take her? If he took her back to the office, then someone would see, and his house was to far away, he would never make it in time.

Mick, his apartment wasn't far from here, and he could make it to Mick's apartment without anyone seeing him. It would be hard, and he would have to run, but he could do it.

-Ten Minutes Later-

Mick St. John was in his office when he hear his apartment door open. Figuring it was either Beth or Josef he didn't move. They would find him in there soon enough. Then he smelt it, fresh blood.

He jumped out of his chair and ran into his living room. He saw his best friend leaning over a body that was lying on his couch.

"Josef, what the hell?"

Josef was to busy applying pressure to the chest wound to really pay attention to Mick. Mick walked over to stand next the couch.

Josef never looked up from the girl. "I called the doctor on the way over here, she'll be here soon..."

Mick noticed that Josef had no towel or anything against her chest , he quickly grabbed a few small towels out of the kitchen and brought them back to him.

"Thanks."

Less then five minutes later there was a sharp knock on the door. Mick opened it and a petite brunette walked in. She was followed by three other women. Mick knew Josef had a doctor on call for his freshies, but leave it to Josef to choose a doctor that looked like she had just stepped out of Playboy.

"We need to get her in a bed, so I can try to stop the bleeding."

Mick nodded and told them to follow him. He had a bed upstairs for when Beth spent the night. He was sure Beth wouldn't mind them using her bed to save the girls life.

Josef and Mick waited downstairs while the doctor and her nurses worked on the girl.

"Where the hell did you find her?"

Josef stopped pacing and looked at Mick. "In an alley, I was walking around, getting some air, and I smelt it. I swear, I don't know where she got the strength to grab my leg, but if she wouldn't have grabbed me I would have left her there."

Mick nodded. "Is that why it's affecting you like this?"

"Like what?"

"You're pacing...you only pace when something bothers you, so I'm guessing this random girls will to live must be affecting you."

Josef shook his head. "It's not affecting me." He fell back onto the couch, thinking maybe if he stopped pacing he would prove his point.

Mick narrowed his eyes at him. "So it wouldn't bother you if she died?"

Josef quickly shook his head. "Nope."

"Right..."

Josef glared at him. "What are you getting at?"

Mick smirked. "Something about her caught your attention, other wise you would have just left her there."

"Mick...she grabbed my leg, she spoke to me, I couldn't just leave her..."

Mick shook his head. "No, the sad thing is that you would have. But something about her got to you, so you helped, and now, you're worried she wont make it. Don't argue with me, because I know when you're lying."

"I don't even know her name..."

"So?"

Josef sighed. "So how can I become attached to someone I don't even have a name for?"

"You will when she wakes up..."

Josef leaned back on the couch. "If she wakes up...If..."