Disclaimer: I do not own or make any inference that I own Being Human UK or any of its characters.

As Annie leaves Lia's room she wonders how she will leave purgatory this time. There are so many doors and it's so quiet, nothing like when she was here before, at that time, the noise and sounds were deafening. Just as she turns a corner she hears and sees a door shaking violently. At first she thought it was someone trying to get out but then she realized that it could be the door that would lead her back to Nina and the hospital. As Annie opened the door she was surprised the shaking stopped and the door opened with ease.

"Annie…you're here."

Annie couldn't see clearly as there was so much light shining in her eyes, but as the light dimmed she could make out that she was in a room and there was a lone figure coming toward her, a male, and the voice sounded so familiar.

"Mitchell?"

A rush of air enveloped Annie and she felt what she thought was a hug. She tried to hold on tightly but the figure moved out of her grasp.

"Mitchell, Annie breathed out, is that you? Did Herrick kill you? What are you doing here?"

"Oooo Annie, I've been here a very long time. Herrick hasn't killed me, well not fully, not yet."

"Mitchell, what's going on? Have you come to save me again?"

"No, not this time, this time, you're going to save me."

"Mitchell, Nina's been stabbed, she's dying in hospital. I have to get back there and help her."

Immediately before Annie's eyes, the room transformed. They are no longer in a room at all, now she and Mitchell are out in the open, sharing a bench, in a park.

"Do you remember this park Annie?"

"Yes, she says as she looks around, it's the park I used to play in when I was younger. What are we doing here?"

"This was the place I first met you."

Annie swung her gaze back around to Mitchell.

"What? Mitchell what are you talking about? I can't be here. Nina, you and George, you need me."

"Don't worry Annie. Time goes very slowly over here. You've only been gone from Nina's side for moments…seconds really."

"Do you remember?" Mitchell prompted.

"No." As Annie responded the park began to fill with people. It was beginning to seem more and more familiar to her. She turned her head to the left of herself and was able to see a small group of girls, all laughing and talking as fast as the other. She could see one who was talking and laughing the most. She had pigtails. Annie recognized that it was herself she was looking at. She was young.

"Do you see her Annie?" Mitchell asked.

"Yes, I think I do. I think that's me. What am I, 9…10 years old?" I remember this day actually. That's our teacher over there, and I'm here with my class-mates. But what does this have to do with you Mitchell, I don't understand."

"I was sitting here on that day. I met you all those years ago."

"You couldn't have. Annie interjected. I would have remembered you."

"That's what I thought as well. That you would have remembered me, but you didn't. And this wasn't even the only time I met you here, but you forgot me all the same."

"What's happening? Oh no, Mitchell, I see us, I mean, I see me. I'm coming over, can this happen, should we leave…?"

Mitchell let out a laugh.

"Calm down Annie. You can't see us.

Annie looked at Mitchell skeptically.

"No, really... You can't see us. You, little you, are coming over to me."

Annie put her hand to her face, "I must be ill. Is this a dream or something? Have I just made up you and Lia and Nina and it all?"

"No, truly, you can't see us. You are coming over to me. I'm sitting on this bench. It's 1997 and you are 10 years old."

"Why am I coming over to you?"

Annie can see herself clearly now. She's standing in front of her and Mitchell and she's speaking but Annie can't hear any words. Little Annie doesn't seem to be able to see Annie at all. She is looking at Mitchell and speaking.

"You're introducing yourself."

"Oh God...I am?"

"Annie, you still don't remember?"

"No, I can't remember this, or meeting you at all. I should…clearly I should, but I don't. Tell me, Mitchell, what am I saying? Why do I look so confused?"

"Oh believe me Annie, confusion is something that I've found never leaves you. You are the most confused…"

Annie punches Mitchell in the arm…

"Oow!" Mitchell exclaims while still laughing.

"Tell me," Annie demands.

"Well, it won't come to any surprise to you that you've always been inquisitive." Mitchell steals a quick glance at Annie, gives her a smile and continues.

"Here, you are coming over to meet me because I look sad."

"Awww Mitchell." Annie for the first time takes Mitchell's hand in her own hand and gently caresses him. She settles back and listens to his voice.

"I was upset because I had been attempting once again to give up the blood. I had drunk the night before and was upset with myself. I needed to be on my own. So naturally, Mitchell said with some sarcasm, I came to a park that was loaded with bodies, blood, and temptation. I should have been as far away from people as I could get, but the bloodlust was satisfied for the moment and I couldn't bring myself to be on my own. As the day went on, more and more people filled up the park. Couples, guys walking dogs, kids running around and playing, I realized this is exactly the place I needed to be, surrounded by life, by humanity, simply so that I would remember my own."

"And here I come walking right up to a vampire." Annie said

"Well, Mitchell smiled, broken from his reverie; you didn't know I was a vampire. You didn't know I was anything you should fear and run away from."

Looking back at herself as a child, Annie asked Mitchell, "So, what am I saying that's so important that I came all the way over here to interrupt your thoughts."

"You wanted to know why I was sitting on my own and why I was so sad."

"What did you tell me?"

"I couldn't tell you anything at first, as you can see, you're not exactly a speak and wait for a response sort of little girl."

"Now, that, I actually remember. My Teacher was always sending notes home to Mum. Annie can't sit still. Annie can't focus. Annie will not stop talking."

"Anna…"

"Huh? Oh God, I'm doing it now as well."

"No…I mean Yes, you are, but back then you were Anna, not Annie."

"You know, you're right. Only my friends called me Annie. Well, what am I saying?"

"You said, Hello, my name is Anna Clare Sawyer. My friends think you are really handsome. What's your name?" Mitchell looked away from little Anna and over to Annie. He squeezed her hand and gave her a smile because she was trying to hide behind her free hand from embarrassment.

Mitchell looked back to little Anna and continued…

"Before I could respond, you said that you thought I looked sad and you wondered if I had been beaten up."

"I thought you had been beaten up…and they thought you were handsome? Mitchell, what was wrong with me?"

Mitchell didn't look away from Anna when he responded, "Nothing was wrong with you. I responded that my name was John Mitchell and I tried to reassure you that I wasn't sad. I said that I hadn't been beaten up, and told you not to worry."

"So why am I still here speaking and taking up your time?"

"Oh, believe me, I tried to get you to go away, but you were very determined to make me smile. I thought to show you my fangs but then thought better of it."

"Mitchell, you were trying to frighten me?" Annie said aghast.

" Well, Mitchell said sheepishly, You told me that you didn't really think I had been beaten up but that I looked like I was going to cry and you wanted me to smile."

Mitchell looked back to Annie and smiled, "You were very pretty, even back then. You made me wish I was young, that I was one of your class-mates. I wished that I had been born in the same time as you. I thought about all of that and I smiled. Without even realizing it, I was smiling."

Annie saw herself break out into the biggest smile of her own. She didn't even know she could smile that wide and as soon as she smiled she was turning away and running back to her friends. Once there, she looked over again at Mitchell and waved. Before Annie could say another word, the people in the park changed. There were less of them there now. It was still sunny out and she and Mitchell were still sitting on the park bench. She looked over to where she and her friends had been playing only seconds ago, but the little her was gone. She turned to Mitchell but he was looking away, at a bench on his right side. Annie had to peek around him to follow his gaze. He was looking at her, well an older version of her.

"Mitchell, Annie nearly screamed, that's me!"

"Yes," Mitchell said this time wistfully, as if he really was sad this time.

"I remember me this time. I remember this day, but I don't remember you."

"No, you'd grown up by now. You didn't remember me at all."

"Today was my birthday. I had a fuss with my Mum and stormed out of the house. I brought a book here to cool off as I was reading."

"I tried to speak to you, I mean, I did speak to you, but you ignored me. You wouldn't look up. I was so happy after all these years to see you again. I couldn't believe my luck. I called out to you. Anna…Anna, you looked up, but just as quickly you put your head back in the book and before I knew it you slammed the book closed, picked up your jumper and left."

"I remember that." Annie said laughing

"Oh, so it's funny to you that you were so cruel to me?"

"No, Annie said soberly. I mean, not really. I had just had a fuss with Mum and she had a habit of calling me Anna when she was angry and it irked me so much. Of course she knew this, so all afternoon she was calling me Anna, Anna, Anna, and I just couldn't take it anymore. I remember looking up when I heard my name called, but it was a male voice so I quickly went back to reading. I thought the person was calling to someone else with the same name. I was going to try and stay in the park but when he called out again, I couldn't stand it, so I slammed the book closed and left."

"Ooo, Mitchell, I'm so sorry. I wasn't really ignoring you. I wish so badly that I had recognized you. I would have loved speaking to you again."

"Well, I followed you. You never turned around. You and your family lived only a small way from the park. This is how I discovered it was your birthday. You were 17 years old. You arrived home to find a banner on your front door and you began running the rest of the way to the house and slammed the door behind you. I looked through the window and you were hugging your mother and a sister I believe. Once again, without my knowing it, I was smiling. I vowed that I would return to the park every-day until I saw you again, but I couldn't come for another six months. I waited every-day but you never returned. I went to your house and found that you and your family had moved away. The next time I met you, you were a ghost. I couldn't believe my eyes.

There you were living in the house I'd just rented with my friend George. We knew we shouldn't be able to afford an entire house on our pay, and then we knew why. Annie, I'm so sorry."

"You weren't to know Mitchell; even I didn't know Owen my fiancé would kill me."

"If I had known, I would have got to him before he could have done that to you. I was off blood once again by that time and my senses weren't as strong as they normally are. Had I known you were being hurt in any way, I would have come for you."

"I know Mitchell, I know…"

Annie gave Mitchell a tight hug and began to cry. "Mitchell, you've been lying, feeding and killing again. You've gotten so dark. Do you know about what's going on? I'm, so afraid for you Mitchell. I don't think I can help you anymore."

"Yes, I know what's going on. I tried to get to you the first time you were trapped in purgatory. I tried to reach you, but just as I got to my door. Mitchell, your Mitchell was there and I was too late. If I had opened the door while he was in the hall, I would have been absorbed. I'm the last remaining bit of Mitchell's soul. I wanted to tell you then that he was responsible for the Box Tunnel killings so that you and George could help him, but Lia got to him first. You were so happy to see him. He saved you. He was able to take you away."

"I wish so badly you had been able to tell me, but now…"

"I know, now you will have to do something that is 10 times worse than what I would have asked you originally."

"What is it Mitchell?"

"Annie, I need to die. That Mitchell living with you is nothing but a shell. I'm fading more and more rapidly with each day. If he is to remain alive, the bloodlust will consume him totally. There won't be anything left of me when he finally is staked. I am his way to redemption. If I am no more, he will never have any chance to ask for forgiveness for all the killing he has committed.

There's only a small portion of humanity left in Mitchell now and when that is gone, so will I. Annie, you are the love of my long life. I want to be here when you walk through your door for good. I want us to be together, but that can't happen while Mitchell is on earth. The Old Ones are coming. Herrick will soon be gone and the old ones will take possession of Mitchell. He will be their attack dog. He will be nothing but a killing and occasional recruiting machine. "

"Oh, Mitchell No…" Annie sobbed as she turned away

"I need you to go back to the house, and I need you to use all your strength and power to convince George that I am unredeemable…"

"No, Mitchell, I don't think I can…"

"I need you to convince George to stake me. Please Annie. I need you to be strong." I think you know it's the right thing to do. I don't even think Mitchell has enough strength to resist. Please allow him…me, to use the last bit of good in us to request this end. Please Annie, you can do it. Promise me."

Annie was crying so much, she hadn't realized they were back in purgatory, back in the original room. Mitchell pulled her into a hug, lifted up her chin and gave her a loving kiss. He whispered something in her ear and told her that she was to repeat it to Nina as soon as she got back to the hospital.

"Go on darling. Save us all. I'll be here when you return."

Annie walked through the door back into the emergency room and it was as if time had stood still. She did what Mitchell asked and Nina was revived. Then she prepared herself to carry forth with the rest. It would be difficult but she was strong and she would save them all, most especially Mitchell.

The End