This is my first story that breaks from the show; it's something I do not generally enjoy reading when others do it so why did I do it? It's hard to say. What I do know is that I was devastated when Aidan went to a blood prostitute. I want to see what would have happened if he didn't go. So this is my take on it.

P.S This is also my first Season 2 writing- the jury is still out on if I am enjoying it yet. I think I have seen too many previews; the joy of Season 1 for me was all the surprises (I never saw the BBC show)

Disclaimer: Like everyone here I do not claim to own anything. I don't claim ownership of the characters, the show, or anything else.

I am not a writer but this show may have turned me into one. Please don't make me beg for reviews. Oh damn see I just did it. Please review good or bad, I can take it …make me a better writer

The room was in complete darkness, heavy curtains block all light but when his eyes fluttered open for an instant it was if he was looking straight into the sun. An earthy scent filled the room and he called out weekly, "Josh."

"I'm here." The voice filled his ears and his heart with joy.

"Where am I?" blind he struggled to get his bearings.

"Home, your home." Josh placed a reassuring hand on his friends shoulder.

"How…how long was I…" he reached an arm out to find support.

"To long…" moving to sit on the edge of the bed he carefully cradled Aiden's withered body and pulled him close for a gentle hug, "far too long."

Careful not to disturb the IV Josh reached to the bedside table and pick up the knife. He made a precision slit in a blood bag "Here drink." placed it to Aidan's lips "I need you to get well" he gently stroked Aiden's hair as he weekly lapped at the blood. "Welcome back, I missed you."

Days later and countless bags of blood, they sat together in the living room. Aidan was looking almost himself again. Josh started in amazement at his old friend, as he did his best to answer his endless questions.

"…and Sally?"

"She missed you so much; she visited your grave every day until she moved on."

"Yes." He whispered searching in the cobwebs of his memory "I remember now, I heard her voice through the darkness. She kept me company; I missed it when she was gone." Josh was stunned that his friend could recall anything at all from his time underground.

"Nora?"

Josh bit his lip as tears welled up in his eyes, "Gone to rest."

"Josh, I am so sorry?" Aidan felt Josh's pain radiate off of him from across the room.

"She helped me prepare for your retune," Josh's tears flowed freely but silent. "She wanted to see you again."

It hurt him to see Josh's suffer. He rose from the chair to sit beside him on the couch. He placed a reassuring arm around Josh's shoulder and it reminded there, as the silence that followed lingered. For a long time they both just sat taking comfort in each other, together lost in their own thoughts.

Finally, Aidan shifted position and ventured "So why now? Why am I here now, why did you unearth me?"

"I had to. I am the last one alive who knew where to find you." Josh felt old and exhausted as he tried to make Aidan comprehend. "I am going Aidan soon; I don't know how long much longer I have. I couldn't just leave you to be forgotten." Josh made a familiar face that Aidan hadn't realized how much he has missed until now. "Besides I really missed you…and I need your help.

"No, NO!" he practically shouted in anger at the thought of losing what he had just found. "You can't go ... to where?" he barked.

"Above? Beyond? Who knows?" Josh did his best imitation of Sally, he smiled as he explained, "It's okay," he took Aidan's hand and gave it a small squeeze, "I going home to Nora and Sally too, I hope."

"...Why?"

Standing up to pace the room a bit before landing in the chair opposite the couch. "Come on Aidan you should know better than anyone that we can't all live forever." Josh smiled with more than a hint of tease in his voice "You understand you've seen the wolf, you know how it can make you strong and break you at the same time. I am done, I am just done I doubt my body will make it through the next full moon."

Aidan was surprised as saw Josh as he really was, for the first time since he was brought back. Josh looked very old and week and weary from life more so than the number of years that had past. Tears started to form in Aidan's eyes but never got the chance.

Just than the front door opened and a young child came bursting into the room and ran straight into Josh's arms. Tussling the child's hair Josh proudly introduced him "Aiden this is my son Ian." Aidan jaw almost dropped to the floor "He has been anxious to meet you. Haven't you Ian?" The precocious child nodded an enthusiastic yes, as a smile lit up his face.

Josh continued "I need you to look after him for me," swallowing hard he finished "when I am gone."

Aiden shook his head disbelief trying desperately to absorb the news. The young child looked like the perfect combination of two. He had Josh's stunningly large expressive eyes and Nora's sunny blond hair and perfect lips.

As week and dull as they were Aidan senses knew the answer before he asked the question, "Is he?"

"Yes." Josh answered with a bizarre mixture of pride and dread. "He is, and that's why you're the only one who can raise him. You're the only one I trust."

"You trust me, with your child?" Josh emphatically nodded yes. "How can you be sure? How do you know I won't …won't …," the thought was too terrible to finish.

"I just know," reassured Josh calmly. Hugging his child close, before patting him on the back and shooing him into the kitchen.

Terrified of his own nature he stuttered "How can you know… when I don't even know?"

His voice barely a whisper "I know because, before…"Josh stopped remembering the pain of those days…"before we ..we.." he couldn't continue so he started again. "When you were sick and suffering at your most desperate you refused everything. You forsake all blood. You were willing to die rather than to take life, any life… no matter what we did, no matter what we tried, you never broke and you never gave up fighting."

"Aiden, I know you can do this, you're the only one who can." Tears welling up in his eyes again "You'll be there for him during his life, his entire life. You can help him understand, guide him, and teach him to accept himself like you did for me. You can make sure he doesn't forget, who he is, where he comes from and most of all who loved him."

Aidan he was never so sad and full of joy at the same time before. His best friend was dying, but had given him a third chance at life and his most precious gift to look after. Aidan never he could have imagined, when he first found a wolf cornered and alone in an ally, that it would turn out that that the man he saved would be the one to truly save him.