Kenzi sat at the end of the bar at the Dragon, the new human club everybody was talking about. The place was almost full and the noise was a pleasant background for her misery. Between all the bodies around nobody seemed to notice the petite girl. It was late at night and she was tired and hungry. Her hair was a mess, but she was smart enough to enter a public bathroom to fix her face. She looked different without her black mascara, she looked younger, like a teen. She was sitting quietly trying to find the strength to really do something.

She was still shocked at what had happened at the clubhouse and was sure she wasn't going back anytime soon. Bo had really freaked her out and hurt her. The older girl knew she was scared of being locked again in a closet or something similar, and yet, she'd done it.

She knew Bo had been really mad at her, and now she understood why, but even so, she didn't mean to hurt her. It was not her fault to be human, it was not her fault she came across the succubus, and it was not her fault to be who she was. She knew many people hated her energized self, but she couldn't stop it, that was just the way she was.

Maybe it she could change somehow everything could be like it had been before.

She stared at her beer, it had grown warm and it was almost full, she really didn't want to drink tonight. She could stand a lot of alcohol, but knowing she didn't have a place to go back revert her to her old habits. No place to sleep meant no getting drunk. No place to sleep meant steal her food, clothes and name, again.

It had been almost two years since she was pulled from the streets, but that didn't mean she couldn't find her way around again. In her back pocket were already a few hundreds, kindly donated by a couple of wallets that were now in the trashcan on the alley behind the club. As soon as she found herself running away her instincts made her steal to survive, she didn't really notice it until she found herself holding the wallets to her chest. Also, she'd managed to snatch a jacket from a garage sale, although it didn't help with the cold she was feeling.

"Hey there, beautiful." A young man approached her. "Wanna drink?" He handed her one of the drinks he was holding. He was handsome and open, she could tell almost immediately he meant no harm.

She looked into his eyes; they were brown and deep, just like her best friend's were. Instead of feeling the warm she always felt when thinking of her she just felt like throwing up. She smiled sadly at the man and patted his cheek softly. "You're a good man." And with that she simply left.

XxXxX

Lauren watched silently at the path Bo was making in the carpet on the living room. The brunette had forgotten to put something on and was pacing frantically in front the television. She was biting her thumb anxiously and she looked at her phone every three seconds.

The doctor knew she was waiting a call from Dyson. The wolf had been informed of what had happened as soon as Bo's tears had subsided. The succubus broke down a minute after Kenzi had disappeared out of the door and she was certain Dyson's connections could help them find the younger girl.

At first her emotions had gotten the best of her and a big part of herself had wanted the girl gone, but just for a little while. Then, even though she was distressed, she couldn't muster the strength to really go on the streets to pursue the runaway human. She had been too stunned at first and then, just too appalled to know that she was no good on the streets at the moment, and she hated herself for it. Their only option, then, had been Dyson.

Yet , the brunette kept dialing Kenzi's number every few minutes, only to be sent to voicemail. She was frantic and in a near state of panic. She couldn't believe what she'd done to her friend, she just couldn't.

"Bo." Lauren called her from the couch. "Sit down a minute, we'll find her."

The succubus stopped and stared at her. Slumping her shoulders she just did as her lover told her, sitting in the doctor's lap, just needing the contact. Lauren, in return wrapped her arms around her. "I can't believe I did that." She mumbled into the doctor's neck.

"What happened?" Lauren knew Bo was having trouble with almost anyone she knew, and she was certain her possessiveness wasn't helping at all. But Kenzi was always a separate matter. Kenzi could practically get away with murder; she was the spoiled little sister after all.

"I don't know." She said scared. "I've been feeling tense around her, but never like this. Never like this."

"What are you talking about?" Lauren combed her fingers through the dark mane, even though she suspected what was wrong it was only correct to let Bo explain herself.

Bo was silent for almost a minute before just venturing what she was feeling. "Everything is falling apart, and I can't help but think is somehow Kenzi's fault." Seeing Lauren wasn't going to comment, she continued. "Hale and Trick have a problem with her humanity, and Dyson is a pain in the ass because of her."

Lauren blinked, "But Bo, Kenzi is no responsible of being human. And she did make us a favor saving Dyson. Without her help we wouldn't have defeat the Garuda."

The succubus sighed deeply. "Even so, really, how much do we really know about her?" She wanted to justify her actions if only to make her chest hurt a little less. "She could be a serial killer or something and we'd never know. There is not a real reason to trust her." If she could connect with her previous anger, then she was certain the oppressing feeling would ebb away.

The doctor smiled. She wasn't Kenzi's favorite person, and she knew it, but she was fond of the younger human. "We know enough about her. We know she is really energetic. We know she like wigs and shoes, especially expensive shoes. We also know she is always half starved and have a really sweet tooth. Even if she was a serial killer, which I highly doubt, we know she loves you and makes you complete."

Bo blinked at Lauren. "You say that because you don't live with her." The blonde didn't know as much as she did, she wasn't aware of Vex, or Nate, or the girl's bad habit to procrastinate, or her bad timing, her non-existent manners, or Kenzi's intense fear of being trapped in small spaces.

"Then tell me."

XxXxX

Kenzi walked down the street with her hands buried deep in the 'borrowed' jacket. Her arm throbbed with each step she took and she was beyond tired. The sun was already up and the city was starting the day. She was in a part of the city one shouldn't go alone, at least not until it was midday. She just didn't care. Her feet carried her around without her really noticing it.

She knew she needed to stop and sleep at some point, but she had yet to find a decent place to crash. She had passed a decent park, a more or less clean alley and what appeared to be an abandoned mattress in the back of a store, but neither of those options were what she wanted. She wanted her bed, in her home, surrounded by her things and clothes.

'But they are no longer your bed, your home or your things, are they?' She stopped walking and looking at her left she saw something that made her smile a little, even though the sight didn't really help her mood.

There, standing next to her was a man in his late tweenties. He was wearing a pair of used jeans and a leather jacket, just like the last time she saw him. His image was pale and she could easily see the people walking just through his body without batting an eye. His long dark hair was pulled back in a thigh ponytail and his once blue eyes looked at her honestly. A small smile also graced his lips, a little shy but really comforting.

'Bo told you not to steal, and she bought you all those things. They are hers, not yours.' Kenzi couldn't deny that. The older girl did tell her not to steal, so she tried not to, and she did buy her all the things she needed or wanted. Bo rarely told her 'no' if she wanted to do or have something. Most of the time she thought Bo was trying to be the mature and responsible one and that made her the one to spoil her rotten. But after last night, she didn't know anymore.

Her arm felt warmer as a yawn almost split her face in two. She really needed to sleep. She wonderer for a second if she could go to Trick's and ask for a place to stay but that was ruled out immediately. Her relationship with the old Fae was still to be decided, and there was always the chance that he now hated her for keeping Bo away.

Dyson was also out of the question. The wolf would want to know what happened and would call the succubus as soon as she stepped inside his loft. Hale was a big no-no too, he was having problems with her father because of her after all.

'You do cause a lot of trouble around, don't ya?' His words were spoken softly, almost whispered, even though they both knew nobody but her would hear him. She nodded. She had been always a problem magnet and she couldn't learn to behave. No matter how much her stepfather punished her, or how much her Mama told her to make things easier, she was always getting into trouble, or causing them.

She blinked back the tears her yawn had formed and really looked at where she was. She was in a small alley with several graffiti adorning the walls and trash littered around, but just in front of her was a small abandoned car. It was easy to see the car had been there less than a week because, even though it was missing the tires and the motor, it wasn't as dusty as other cars she'd live in.

Smiling softly to herself she made her way to the backseat, where the door was already broken in. The seats were not as fancy as she'd have thought and that explained why they were still there, but they looked really comfy. The man let loose a low whistle in appreciation but made no comment.

Sighing and telling herself she'd done this several times in the past, she climbed into the seat and closed the doors, making sure two of the windows were cracked just barely open. She locked the doors and made herself as comfortable as she could.

"I missed you…" She said to the man that silently sat on the front seat. He looked back and nodded before disappearing in the silence.

Kenzi smile again and closed her eyes. Her arm started itching and pulsing and she had to move around a lot until she found the perfect position. In seconds she was sleep.

XxXxX

Little Sasha was playing in the garden. Their new house had a really big garden where she and Nika could play all day long. Sometimes even Dima and Yura would stop by on their way home. Her two older cousins, along with her brother, were her heroes. The three were really older than her, but they loved her and treated her like a little pearl.

She was singing off key and dancing around. She had just gotten back from school. Nika was still in classes, and the older boy had already planned hanging out with his best friend Nate. Nate, their neighbor, was cute and she really liked him. He was funny and played the guitar, Nika played the drums, so they spent more afternoons playing together. Sometimes they would let her tag along, Nika teaching her how to play, or Nate showing her his favorite video games. The boys were a little more than ten years older than her, but sometimes they'd dress up with her and play doctor or house, a couple of times they had even let her paint their faces with Nate's mom's make up. They were stupid, and sometimes smelly, but she was happy around them, when she was allowed.

Today was not a day they wanted her along, but that was fine. She may was little, but she understood most of the time the boys wanted to do something fun only older boys got to do. Like playing those complex and scary video games, or reading those strange magazines, the ones with the pretty girls on them.

She was alone in the house and that was fine with her, she was happy. Her Mama was shopping with some friends she had made just after her marriage, little over a year ago, and that man was working to make all the money her mother liked spending. Both were supposed to go back little after the sun had gone down, and by that time she was supposed to have done her homework and have gotten a bath with Nika. She still got time for that.

"What are you doing?" A stern voice came from right behind her. She turned around and there he stood, still dressed for work. He was wearing that same scowl he always had for her.

"Just dancing…" She said in a little voice, her eyes lowered just to avoid his scary face. He was really tall, taller than any person she knew, and she was very little, the littlest of her class and the youngest of her whole family.

"I can't hear you brat, speak up."

"I sai' I'm just dancing." She spoke louder and clearer, hopping to just got past his enquiry and to be left alone.

The man snarled, angry beyond reason. "Don't use that tone with me, you ungrateful brat!" He marched to where she was and grabbed by the arm, lifting her to stand on her toes. "You'll learn how to speak to your elders real soon if you don't want to see my belt!"

Sasha trembled with fear. The belt was a close acquaintance of hers, almost as known as her small closet. After she had discovered her Mama and he in bed he had started to lock her on her closet for hours, and, when he was really mad, started beating her with his belt or just hand. Unfortunately for her neither her Mama nor Nika were around each time something like that happened. Her Mama was always out, and Nika spent most his free time at Nate's, so she was left alone more often than not. "I'm sorry, sir." She said with tears in her eyes.

His nostrils widened with each breath he took. He looked down at her for almost ten minutes pulling her and hurting her enough to make her understand he was in charge. She tried to keep still and didn't cry, even if her arm was getting sore, but she couldn't go on forever. When she started struggling he smiled, a smile that was so terrifying it almost made her piss herself. Glancing at his watch he said in a too sweet voice. "Maybe it's time for your next obedience lesson."

And with that, he half dragged, half carried her insides the house.

XxXxX

Kenzi woke up with a start. Sweat poured down her face and the clothes she was wearing were stuck to her body, soaked in her fear. Her chest hurt and she was having trouble breathing, almost as if she had asthma. She sat up in the little backseat, trying to get more oxygen to her lungs. One of her hands went to her face and discovered the trail of tears she had left on her sleep.

The air was too thick, too hot to feel any better, so she opened the door and climbed out the car, just resting against the trunk of it. It was chilly and the contrast of her heated skin with it made her shiver, but it also calmed her down. She now could feel her arm pulsating and burning, like it had never done before, it felt just like hot chili pepper was cursing through her veins. The late evening air helped her control her breathing again and she started feeling better, but it didn't last long.

Almost as soon as she gained control of her body, a new, yet very familiar, pain made itself known. There was again that pain that made it uncomfortable to sit still very long, the same pain that sometimes woke her up when she was little, the same pain that made it impossible to run, and sometimes even walk, the same pain she had tried so hard to forget. Her legs gave out when the meaning behind it really sunk in; sliding down the side of the car she simply shook as new tears started burning her skin.

'This can't be. This is so not happening!' She thought. She looked down at where her legs met and started sobbing harder, closing her eyes to erase the image planted in her head so many times. 'No. No. No. NO!' She screamed in her head, shaking it trying to make sense of things.

Because her pants, where her legs met, were soaked, just like they had been many times before. A bloody patch poured out her center covering the top part of her legs and making her realize why the pain was so real.

XxXxX

Lauren have managed to put some clothes on Bo, and it was a good thing, because almost two minutes after she'd combed the brunette hair in a loose ponytail Dyson had come in. The wolf and the succubus were now discussing what had needed to be done to find the runaway human. Dyson had spent the last several hours trying to find her essence, but it had grown to faint to really track. Apparently Kenzi could run fast and for a long time. Also, the detective had been trying to find her all over the city, with no luck so far.

"We need to do something!" Bo exclaimed. She was seated between the doctor and the Fae, both trying to calm her down somehow and silently giving her their support.

After explaining everything she knew of the girl to Lauren she'd come to the conclusion that it didn't matter if Kenzi was a private person or if she was a serial murderer. She was her little sister and she loved her, just as Kenzi loved her. Talking to Lauren had the side effect to make her understand she had been stupid and irrational. Her own fear of the girl casting her away like she did Nate and Vex clouded her judgment and made her see things where there were none to see.

"I've already put out a BOLO for her." Dyson informed them tiredly. "But, I hate to say this, we have nothing to go with. All the files we have on her are filled with lies."

The doctor blinked. "What do you mean?"

Dyson looked at the two women. They were sitting close together, their thighs touching and Bo's hand was on Lauren's knee. It didn't make him feel possessive, strange enough; he was just concerned for both them and Kenzi. "I mean that we know nothing of the girl." He said gravely. "There are at least six rap sheets this tick," he held his thumb and index almost an inch apart to show them, "of Kenzi. All of them with fake names, fake addresses and fake birthdates. Heck, even in the photos she's wearing wigs!" He rubbed his face with his hands. "They are all based on movie characters, actors or books. It's frustrating."

Lauren frowned, just as Bo did. "But," said the doctor. "Kenzi is not a common name, maybe if you check the births records?"

"I have. There are one dozen Kenzis in the city. None of them match her description and all of them are too old or too young to be our Kenzi."

"Maybe she wasn't born here." Bo mussed.

"I think she did." Dyson answered them. "When she got poisoned by the feet-soup she escaped to a graveyard not far from here. She told me she used to go there often when she was a kid. But, I also check school records, there was no Kenzi registered at the time she was supposed to attend."

Bo groaned. The girl had to make their lives difficult, even when she was not around. She started feeling her anger revive and that startled her. "Lauren, I'm getting mad at Kenzi again." She said in a small voice. A part of her told her to just forget the brat and stop being so preoccupied she was gone. It was the same kind of feeling she'd felt when she attacked the girl, it was irrational and raw. Almost like if it wasn't hers.

Lauren stared at her. They had already discussed her anger and it had been labeled stupid. Bo was supposed to be scared, anxious and desperate, not angry. "Why?"

"She is making us concerned; she's making you edgy and Dyson powerless, maybe it'd better if we left her alone." Her voice lacked the warm it always held when talking about Kenzi and both Dyson and Lauren felt it. Her eyes were turning blue and her body started to shake with anger.

"Bo…" Dyson whispered, what was happening with her?

"The stupid brat escaped, let's her leave."

Lauren recognized that line of thought. It was the same that had made Bo lock Kenzi in the dresser. She had listened at everything Bo had said, even though the succubus didn't know. She kind of understood it, but it didn't make it right. "Bo, calm down and listen to yourself." She grabbed Bo by her arm to make her look at her eyes. "You are doing it again."

The succubus blinked and her eyes turned brown again. "Oh, God, what is happening to me?!" she shot from the couch and started pacing again. "I- I don't understand! I need talk to her." She grabbed her phone and dialed Kenzi's. Just like the hundred times before, it rang for half a minute before going to voicemail. "Dammit! She's still not answering!" She dialed again.

Dyson looked at her before hearing a faint noise. Looking down he soon found the source of it. "Bo, she won't answer you." Reaching down under the couch he held up a buzzing purple phone. "She left it here."

Bo disconnected the call and groaned. "Great! She can't talk to us even if she wanted to." She was ready to pull her hair anytime now.

"Bo, Bo, calm down." Lauren got up and grabbed the succubus by the arms. "Calm down. We'll figure it out."

Dyson looked at them and for the second time in that afternoon without feeling more than concern for their state of mind. He could smell how Bo relaxed at the contact and how Lauren's fear subside.

"I'm calm, I'm calm." The brunette smiled at the doctor. "I'm calm." They sat again in the couch, Bo still in the middle.

Dyson also got up and got a glass of water for each of the females. Giving them he sat again, this time in the chair to give them more space. "Do you always feel this angry at Kenzi?" He asked without preamble.

Bo sipped her water, trying to sort her thoughts. "Sometimes, sure, but I've never feel like this." She said after a while. "It's almost like she is a pain in the ass. Well, she is always a pain in the ass, but it never bothered me, you know? She's like a little girl making noise all the time, but cute nonetheless. She's also noisy and rude, and doesn't do as I say. Sometimes I really want to put her over my knee, especially when she's done something stupid. She makes me mad all the time." Tears gathered in her eyes. "But I love her. She is my little sister."

Lauren hugged the woman to her own body and caressed her hair. "But when did the anger start becoming a problem?" Dyson asked again.

"Shortly after Vex disappeared." She murmured.

Lauren frowned. "Are you sure it wasn't before that?"

It was Dyson's turn to frown. "What do you mean?"

Lauren looked between the two Faes. "Well, I mean that Bo had been really tense around Kenzi for a while now. Sometimes I saw a look of annoyance when Kenzi talked or did something imprudent. Especially, a-uhm…" She stopped right there, not wanting to make things awkward.

"Say it." Bo was really curious of what she had to say. She hadn't notice her behavior and that worried her.

Lauren cleared her throat. "Especially after the Dal's incident." She grimaced, almost expecting something to blow up. "I didn't want to pry in your life, Bo, I simply thought you two where having a sisterly fight and I leaved it at it. If I'd known something like this was going on, I'd ask sooner." She smiled sadly, "I'm sorry."

Surprisingly enough the one who answered wasn't Bo. "It's not your fault." Dyson said calmly while the succubus stared at her lover. "It does smell Fae to me."

Bo shook her head, trying to stop overanalyzing things. So Lauren noticed the change but didn't want to say a thing out of respect. Had anyone else notice it? "What do you mean Fae?"

Dyson looked at Bo directly. "You love Kenzi like I have never seen a Fae love a human in a non-sexual way. If something is making you feel different, it could only be Fae. What do you exactly feel?"

Bo closed her eyes. If this was somehow Fae then there was some serious ass kicking due, delivered by a really annoyed succubus. She thought for a moment, trying to put her feeling into words. "It's just really faint at first. It usually starts when I hear her voice. There is this part of me that wonders why she is still here, why I keep her around. I can ignore that for the most part, but if she tries to speak to me, then I feel this anger building up." She opened her eyes, they were dancing with tears. "Last night, for a moment I felt good hurting her. It was like all the love I had for her turned into this gut-wrenching anger and, and I hate her." Tears were running down her cheeks. "I hated her more than I've ever hated anyone, and it felt good!"

"That's not something Bo would feel about Kenzi." Lauren said holding Bo's hand and caressing her fingers.

Dyson nodded. "I know. That's why I think this is Fae related."

"But- but how?" Bo sobbed. "We'd been out of business since the Garuda! The only contact she'd made with Fae is you and me."

"Are you trying to tell me Kenzi, energizer-bunny Kenzi, had been sitting still for almost two months now?" Lauren asked perplexed.

"Yeah, well, for a while she and Vex expended most days in here playing video games and just talking, but he's been gone for some weeks now." She explained, and then it hit her. "Dammit! It has to be Vex."

Dyson tilted his head to the side, not really understanding. "What are you talking about?"

"Kenzi owed the Morrigan a favor for a while until not too long ago. Kenzi got a tape of him doing some kinky things for her in order to pay her debt." Lauren explained as she recalled what Bo had told her not too long ago. "Vex was furious."

The wolf nodded. "That makes sense. Maybe it really was him." Then frowned. "But even so, how could he possibly do it?"

Bo jumped to her feet, determined to end things as sooner as possible. "Just one way to find out: the Carpe Noctem."

XxXxX

Kenzi had managed to clean her face and tame her hair a little. She had put the jacket around her waist to cover the blood on her jeans, but it didn't help with the uncomfortable sensation she was feeling. Besides the pain her arm was causing her, now it hurt to walk, so she was making a really slow pace.

She had gotten far from the car she had spent the day off and was trying to decide what to do. She needed clothes, but going back to the clubhouse was out of the question. She had money, enough to buy a pair of jeans and some shirts if she felt like actually buying, but she also needed someplace to clean herself up. She was feeling icky and smelly. And confused, really confused.

Her upper legs were covered with blood and her center hurt beyond reason. She knew her period wasn't due anytime soon, and she had always been regular, so that could not be. Also the pain was familiar to her, but there was no possible reason why it was there. She knew she had been alone in the car, the locks were down and she knew any noise would have woken her up. Even though Bo liked to say she was a heavy sleeper, it was not really the case. Before meeting Bo every little noise would startle her awake. The succubus was the one to make her feel safe enough to actually sleep.

'Too bad it ended really soon, don't you think?' A man, in his early thirties said from her left. His dark hair was cut short and a silver chain connected his lower lip to his ear, were an assortment of several piercings marred his skin. He was right. Her life with Bo had had ended for a while now, ever since the Garuda she had known something was different between them, but she hadn't want to admit it.

"This sucks." She said into the air. She had lost her family really soon, almost two years since she was pulled out of the streets she was back to them. Maybe this was her destiny, to be a street urchin and to just live a miserable life. If it was so, her arm and center were a really nice gift. Both hurt terribly.

She closed her eyes, trying to fight back the pain as she kept going; unfortunately closing one's eyes meant to reference at to where one is going. She tripped on something and face planted on the path, a really soft path. With a grimace she managed to look up and was perplexed at what she saw.

There, no more than a yard away was her Babka's grave. The long ago white marble was now grey and in desperate need to be scrubbed. The soft grass that once had been splayed out in front of it was now yellow and tall. The small pot where she used to put flowers on was smashed, only the base remained. Her Babka's name was still there, in its original script, but due the dirt it was hard to read.

The only thing that made the grave stood out was the small circle Kenzi herself had done with small river rocks on top of the dirt, it was originally meant to be the cleanest place she could kneel for hours to be with her Babka, but some of the rocks where missing, giving the whole scene a sense of dread and pain. She couldn't help but sneeze at all the dust and dirt lying around and she wondered exactly how many years had passed.

XxXxX

"Babka! Babka!" Little Sasha yelled when she crossed the door. The elderly woman was waiting inside just for her. She was already on one knee and had her arms opened. The seven-years-old girl tackled her to the ground, hugging her fiercely.

"Sasha! Kak dela?" Her voice held a hint of a laugh. The little girl was always so energetic.

"I'm good Babka." Said the little girl answering the question. She got up and helped her Babka to her feet.

"Ya nee paneemayoo." The woman said with a smile.

Little Sasha frowned. "Of course you understand me, Babka! You've live here longer than I!"

The woman laughed. "I know, my darling, I know." Her accent was thick, thicker than any person she knew. "But you need to practice your language."

"I practice enough with Nika, Dima and Yura." The girl pouted.

The older woman smiled. "It's never enough."

XxXxX

Kneeling Kenzi looked around and wasn't surprised to notice she had ended in her old hang out place. Just a few yards to the left was the small bench sometimes she had slept on, to the right, passing a long row of graves was a trash can, from where she would hunt something to dine when she couldn't steal anything in the market.

'Seven years.' The older man pointed out. 'It had been seven years since the last time you've spent more than a night in this place.' Putting a hand on the dirt near her knees she could almost feel the warm her Babka's hugs always had given her. Closing her eyes she could hear the laughter that had always carried on her Babka's house, hers and her cousins. Her Babka had always had children at her house, but she had been special.

Kenzi had been the only girl in the whole family, and her Babka loved because of that. Also, she had been the youngest by several years. That had given her preferences in the house, like her own bedroom. The boys were prohibited to enter, even when she was not around, and more often than not they respected her and her space. Kenzi smiled, everybody in her father's side of the family had loved her deeply, but sometimes even the love from ones could not possibly help with the hate of others.

She was the youngest, she was the cutest, and she was the girl. Even though they did care for her they treated her like a doll most of the time, like a dumb doll. She had no opinion, she had no voice. And every adult always thought she was really imaginative and that she was scared of things that didn't exist and couldn't possibly happen. To the date, her aunts and most of her cousins thought she was half neurotic and saw things where they were none.

She closed her eyes and her hand formed into a fist, grabbing the loose dirt on it firmly. They couldn't understand why she ran away. Nobody believed her when she told them, years after it all begun, so she had to escape, there hadn't been other way around. A tear ran down her cheek. There hadn't been other way around.

She didn't need to see to know, because she felt it. She knew there were arms around her torso, hugging her silently, giving her support, yet not really touching her. She also didn't need to look to know the man she had been talking to wasn't the one hugging; the arms were more feminine and older, and certainly wider.

"Babka…" She whispered brokenly. The arms, in return, just hugged tighter.

XxXxX

No Second Chances
Don't knock on my door
There won't be any answer
I won't be here no more...

This house we had together
Might still be in its place
But the rest of this is much too hard to face,
There'll be No Second Chance...

No Second Chance (Blackmore's Night, 1997)