The door opened revealing Big Guy, carrying a tray full of coffee cups. He set the tray down on Dr. Magnus's desk and handed the cups to each of us and set a bowl of sugar cubes and a small cup of milk down as well.

I hesitated for a second before reaching over and scooping sugar cube after sugar cube into my cup. I looked up when I felt three sets of eyes on me, Dr. Magnus, Will, and Big Guy looked at each other and began chuckling.

"Sorry," I replied setting the spoon back into the bowl

"Darling, you need to stop apologizing so much."

I grinned a bit and nodded. I took a sip of the tea and my grin widened; I looked up at the Big Guy and nodded.

"It's delicious," I said, "Thank you." I paused. "May I use the bathroom?"

"Of course, it's left down the hall third door on the right."

I set the tea down and quickly left the room. But I didn't head to the bathroom. My goal was to get back to my room, grab my stuff and leave.

"Poor thing." I heard Dr. Magnus say.

"Can we really believe all this?" Will replied, I stopped in my tracks, listening carefully.

"It is not so difficult to comprehend." Magnus answered "Look at me."

"But you're not claiming to be nearly five hundred years old and a kid."

"No, I am not, but he is and I believe him."

"Okay, let's say hypothetically he's telling the truth; he believes he was born in the 16th century." Will argued. I believe? I thought, I don't believe it, I know it. Bloody hell I have lived it! "How is it possible?"

"Henry?"

My ears perked up, Henry was there? Dr. Magnus must have had another entrance into her office.

"We've run every blood test we can think of on him, comparing it to abnormals with similar abilities, but none of them even come close to the healing factor the kid has. Physically as far as we can tell he's twelve years old, at the oldest." Henry paused. "But unfortunately, Doc, there's no way to tell how old he really is, everything about him matches up for an eleven or twelve year old, even his teeth. He even has one baby tooth left and all of his wisdoms."

My tongue instinctively touched the tooth that Henry spoke of, the one thing that should have separated me from my childhood, my constant reminder that I may have stopped aging at thirteen, but my body had begun the process years before.

"From my examination of Trev last night and this morning he had no injuries on him, even signs from last night are gone, no scar no marks. The rate that his body repairs itself is remarkable. Minor wounds repair themselves in seconds and more serious wounds seem to take only minutes to heal on the surface and continue to heal internally."

"How do you explain last night? The machines, you pronounced him dead, he had no vitals."

There was silence as Dr. Magnus contemplated an answer to the Big Guy's question and I found myself wondering as well. I had always just taken what happened to me as it came. I don't know if death is the right description for what occurs. I know I pass out when the wound is serious. I know I don't dream, I don't feel anything.

I don't know if I die in that sense of the word, but my mind puts me on like hibernate mode and I don't remember anything from the time I pass out until I feel numbness leaving my body, slowly allowing me to awake.

"I cannot explain last night." My shoulders sank, Dr. Magnus seemed to be the only one who could have told me anything and she was just as unsure. "I did send some of his blood-work to James of the London Sanctuary. James has a theory of course, but nothing substantial until he has run more tests—that and he would like to meet Trev in person."

"Just out of curiosity Doc, what kind of theory?" Henry asked.

"James and I came to the conclusion that only one other race of abnormal shares some of Trev's unique abilities."

"Are you certain?" I heard Big Guy speak up and I leaned closer to the door straining to hear, I was so close to the door I was surprised that he hadn't smelt me.

"Okay, someone want to enlighten me here?" Will spoke up, sounding more confused than anyone else in that room.

"Thousands of years ago there was an ancient race of abnormal who ruled humanity, ruled is an understatement however, humanity was enslaved by these abnormal and lived in fear of the power their masters held. It took cooperation among humanity and fierce wars against the abnormals, but they were eventually overthrown and weakened enough so to be hunted to near extinction. For the most part the race was annihilated and the survivors were sterilized. Though up until about the 17th century remnants of the race was present in Europe and parts of Asia, before it was completely extinguished with only genetic descendants to remain where the gene stayed dormant and for the most part unnoticed. This race was gifted with unmatchable speed, intelligence, strength, and immortality. Even severe injuries were survivable and would heal with rapid speed. Of course, there has only been one or two documented cases of a descendent with the genetic makeup, for the most part that particular gene has faded with each generation after the first."

"And you think Trev is one of these, that he's a carrier of this gene?"

"Yes, I believe Trev was born with the genetic coding which gives him his abilities, I also think he is closer to the first generation then anyone realizes."

I backed away from the door now and stopped when I hit the wall, could this be correct? Could I be a descendent of the ancient race Dr. Magnus had spoke of, the one that had enslaved humanity? What kind of monsters had my ancestors been, how had they come to be…?

"The abnormal goes by many names, but are most well known by a single name, one that has many connotations in today's world…Vampires, Sanguine Vampiris."

I felt my stomach drop as my body sunk to the floor, my stomach began to twist into knots and I felt like I was going to be sick. I wanted answers, but this wasn't the answer I wanted. I'm not a monster…a freak maybe, definitely a thief, but I'm not a monster.

My mind told me to run, run away from this, but my legs buckled underneath me and I fell against the wall. I slid down the wall to the floor trying to wrap my head around all of this.

A vampire…for one thing did I didn't believe in them, ghosts, vampires, things that go bump in the night, I didn't believe in any of it. Heck, before coming to this place I didn't believe in any of the stuff I had seen in the last 24 hours, and now not only was I learning the last thing I expected to be real was actually real, but not only that, but I was one, or at least the descendent of one.

Wait…Dr. Magnus had said I was closer to the first generation then anyone realized, my god…my father, I never knew anything about him, bloody hell, was he a vampire?

My stomach felt queasy and I covered my head with my hands, I couldn't stay here, I had to leave this place. I'd pickpocket enough money, buy enough supplies and disappear into the wilderness. I can rebuild my cabin, I had it in the middle of nowhere a hundred years ago, no one ever found me. Then I can do that again hide for the next hundred years.

But I had to stand up, I had to move and I couldn't…I couldn't stand, heck, I could barely breathe, my chest was tight, was this what a heart attack felt like, or a panic attack, was that what I was experiencing, was that even physically possibly for me?

I started breathing heavy, hyperventilating, when I felt a hand on my shoulder. In any other place I wouldn't have been afraid, but in this place, who knew what was grabbing me. Needless to say I was very surprised when I looked up and saw Ashley kneeling at my side.

"Are you okay Trev?"

I raised an eyebrow in suspicion, after all, Ashley had been tailing me since I woke up here, she obviously didn't trust me, but the look on her face was general concern.

"Define okay?" She looked at the closed office door and back down at me

"I'm guessing you heard something you didn't like?"

"More like wasn't expecting." I mumbled. Ashley sighed and stood up, to my surprise she held out her hand.

"Come on, kid, let's talk."

Against my better judgment, I accepted her hand, she pulled me up and headed down the hall, sighing, I followed her, away from the talk of vampires and ancient abnormals.

She led me to the roof, one of many parts of the sanctuary I had yet to explore. She walked right to the stone wall and sat down leaning against a gargoyle. I was much more timid to do so, I was still suspicious of Ashley Magnus, and pretty sure she wanted to toss me off the roof. Even though I knew I would survive, a fall like that would hurt like hell.

"Come on, I'm not going to throw you off, I promise." Ashley spoke up, a genuine smile on her face.

"Right," I answered softly.

I took a deep breath, trust must work both ways. I slowly walked over to her and sat down against the gargoyle across from her. I couldn't help as my eyes shifted and stared in amazement. It was New City, it was just getting dusk so the lights on the buildings across the bay were just beginning to turn on. It was the most beautiful sight I had seen in a long time.

"I guess you and I kind of got off on the wrong foot, huh?" Ashley said bringing me back to reality.

I shrugged, her words not mine.

"I suppose."

"Kid, I usually don't admit stuff like this and if you tell Henry or Biggie you'll regret it, but you scared the hell out of me." I shrugged again.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to." I paused. "Look, I didn't get a chance to say thank you, you saved my life…and not the way you think." I took another deep breath.

"Are you really six hundred years old?"

Now I grinned.

"Naw, I'm only about four hundred and ninety or so, maybe five hundred. To be honest I don't know." I paused and looked out at the city. "Is your mom really 157 years old?" Ashley nodded. "Don't take this the wrong way, but what does that make you?"

Now Ashley laughed.

"Not even close to that. I'll let my mom explain it."

I nodded and sighed.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Go for it."

"Did you figure out who shot me? Just out of curiosity."

"We have a good idea." Ashley paused. "You don't remember anything?" I pulled my knees closer to my chest and didn't answer her "Trev?"

"Who are they?"

"You really like answering questions with questions, huh?"

"It gets me my answers." I replied, "Usually."

"About a month ago we had a run in with a group called the Cabal." My stomach dropped and my mind flashed, 'You are far too valuable to let go, you belong to the Cabal you have always belonged to the Cabal.' "We raided this tomb in Scotland and found three powerful ghouls that they had been keeping on ice for hundreds of years. The Cabal attacked here at the Sanctuary and in order to stop the attack the sisters went back to the Cabal."

"Sisters?"

"Something to do with King Arthur and Mor—"

"Morgana LeFey?" I interrupted.

"Yeah how did you know?"

I grinned and shrugged.

"Who doesn't know the King Arthur, Merlin, and Morgana LeFey story. I remember hearing about the Moragan once, witches with unbelievable power to kill armies of men in a single thought. They were legends, folktales I'd hear." I paused. "Merlin's story was always a favorite of mine. After I lost everything, a part of me wondered if I really did possess magic like everyone believed, it would make my life easier. At first it was a thought of revenge, but then maybe I could use it to help them understand, maybe be accepted again." I put my head down. "Maybe my mother would love me again."

Ashley didn't say anything for a minute, she just looked out at New City. She seemed to hesitate for a second before she reached over and patted my shoulder once.

"I can't imagine that." I looked at her and she was actually smiling at me. "Look, my mom's going to say the same thing, but you know you can stay here for as long as you want, right?"

"Yeah, I appreciate it, but I don't stay places long. The longer you stay somewhere the easier it is to be tracked."

Now Ashley looked at me oddly.

"Tracked? You mean like last night." I didn't answer "Kid come on, you know you're safe here, right?" She paused. "I mean you've seen the defenses Henry has."

"No one is ever truly safe, anywhere. Even in their own home. Evil has a way of finding you, ignorance, death, cruelty, hatred, pain. You figure that out when you've been around a long time, after the first hundred years you still have a flicker of faith that there is a such thing as a safe place, I mean Dr. Magnus probably knows that much."

"And after?"

I put my head down.

"Right around the one hundred and ninety mark you start feeling less safe and more alone, you brush it off as loneliness and still hold out the hope that maybe you'll feel like you did when you were a kid. And by the time you're two hundred you've become a bitter recluse like myself. I haven't felt completely safe and home in over four hundred years and being here in this place isn't going to change that. A few days are all I feel safe with." I lowered my voice staring out at the city lights, wondering if I had said too much.

"You know about the Cabal, you know it was them who were following you, don't you?" I didn't say anything for a second before I nodded. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I…I wasn't planning on staying here…I figured let your mom study me then in a few days I will be gone, and I won't bring them to you guys. I can hide myself, especially now that I know they're after me."

"So when they were chasing you-"

"I kind of made them a little angry."

Ashley put up her hand.

"Five hundred years you've been on your own right?"

"Yeah, for the most part."

"How about just giving home a try, maybe it won't be as bad as you think."

"And just forget about my arch nemesis?"

Ashley hopped off the stone ledge and held out her hand. I eyed it suspiciously.

"Let's see what my mom has to say, I think we might have an answer for even that."

XXXX

"I don't know how they got me. I'm not trusting; I wouldn't have just gone with someone," I explained. Ashley had dragged me back to Dr. Magnus's office, Will, Big Guy, Henry, Dr. Magnus and Ashley were all listening intently. I stood in front of the fire. I wasn't keen on telling this story, but Ashley kept nodding, encouraging me. "They must have drugged me with something, 'cause the next thing I know I was in lab."

"And you don't remember how you got there?" The Big Guy asked I shook my head

"I've been remember flashes since yesterday, hazy and scattered. They must have given me less of whatever I was drugged with. My healing ability also works with things in my bloodstream, it takes a strong dose to really affect me and as soon as it's taken away, my body starts to heal itself from the inside. They laxed on their security too, it was really easy for me to escape. I didn't get very far though…managed to knock one of the scientist guys out first." I paused and looked into the fire.

"Trev?" Magnus asked

"There was a lady…I don't remember why exactly, but the sound of her heels on the tile floor made my blood run cold. When I was nabbed again after my escape attempt she came up to me, looked me square in the face and told me I was their property now, that I was too valuable to lose, and that that was my home now." I looked down at my hands. "Look I'm sorry I wasn't truthful when you first asked me. I don't trust easy for obvious reasons and I didn't want to put you in danger."

"Danger?" Henry asked.

"These people were angry when I escaped the first time and all I did then was knock one of their doctors unconscious. The second escape? I killed two of their own and managed to get away. I don't know why me, I don't know if they know about my healing ability, or worse, my real age, but they wanted me for a reason, and I'm afraid they won't stop until they get me back." I reached into my pocket and felt the tag I had ripped off my backpack. I don't know why I kept it, something inside me told me not to lose it. "This was on my bag when I found it." I handed it to Dr. Magnus, she studied it for a moment reading the abbreviations carefully.

"Travis. Abn. Imm S vm." She read it aloud.

"I don't know how they knew that was my name and I can't figure out the letters."

Dr. Magnus wrote the words down on a piece of paper and handed it to Henry

"I can run an anagram type search, different word puzzlers see if I can find figure it out." Henry suggested

"Actually, I think it's easier then we think; we may be over thinking this." Will spoke up as he took the tag from Henry. He held it up for everyone to see "Abn? Who's to say that isn't short hand for Abnormal?"

I felt my stomach drop as I followed it to the couch in between Dr. Magnus and Ashley.

"Imm," I stuttered, "Immortal, they think I'm immortal."

Will exchanged a glance with Dr. Magnus.

"Right." He said handing the tag back to Dr. Magnus

"But what about the S vm?" I paused "Wait, if I'm an abnormal, you said I was a vampire right, what did you call them, a sesame vampire?"

"Sanguine Vampiris," she corrected.

"S vm." Henry replied amazed, "Makes sense."

Dr. Magnus nodded at her techie before looking back at me.

"And Trev you have to understand if this is the case you are only half, you have human genes as well as vampire."

"So I'm a blood sucking mutt as well as a freak?" I replied running my hands through my hair. I felt sick.

"No Trev, that is not true, you are not a blood sucking mutt nor are you a freak." Magnus reprimanded gently. "You are an abnormal and that is not something to be ashamed of regardless of what your genes have to say." She paused and took my hand, I flinched at first, but let her hold it. "In the morning you and I will spend some time in the library, I have a few items in there that might be of interest to you."

I nodded, not really sure if her offer was something I wanted to take or not. At this point, my brain was in overload, it along with the rest of my body was exhausted and I just wanted to sleep, I didn't care where, my body was shutting down.

"Magnus," the Big Guy gruffed, "he's exhausted."

"Or stunned," Ashley replied she leaned over and looked me straight in the eyes, "Trev, are you okay."

I didn't answer her, I felt like I had left my body, my exhausted and worn down body, and was watching from afar. I've never felt this sensation before and I wondered for a moment, was it really because I was tired or was it in fact my comfort level, did I feel ultimately safe here, did I trust Dr. Magnus and the others to the point where I was actually falling asleep in front of them?

As if to answer this question, I felt hairy hands under my arms as the big guy lifted me up. He swung me onto his back, and positioned me so my arms were securely under his neck. And instead of fighting him or struggling like I normally would've done, I let him. Quickly I blinked, my mind waking up for a brief moment. I looked at Dr. Magnus and she smiled gently at me as the Big Guy started to carry me to the office door.

"Wait," I called softly, he looked at me and grunted, "I can walk, thank you though." Giving me a small smile Biggie lowered me to the floor and patted my shoulder. I looked at the group before me, taking a deep breath. I've never been as truthful with anyone as I was about to be with them and I had no idea why I felt so comfortable. Why this sanctuary place truly felt like home. "I've gone by a lot of names in my lifetime, one name that works in one century or one place doesn't necessarily work in another. I've gone through so many sometimes I forget what my real name is."

"It's not Trev?" Will asked and I shook my head.

"No it's not. Sometimes I have to say it aloud, just to remind myself what it was, what my…my mother named me, I can honestly tell you I don't know if I ever had a last name—a real one I mean, but—" I paused, "it's Tavish, my real name is Tavish."

Magnus smiled warmly at me, she exchanged a look with the others, stood up and didn't hesitate to hug me tight. I was stunned for a moment. It's been centuries since I was last hugged like this. I didn't know, didn't remember at first how to react and slowly I returned the hug.

"Get some sleep Tavish, you and I will spend tomorrow together." She paused, "and please remember, you are safe here, no matter what the Cabal threatens we will protect you."

I felt like a knife had stabbed me through the heart, and I can honestly say I have felt that. How valuable was I to the Cabal, who would they take out to get to me? Ashley said that they attacked the Sanctuary to get to the three women. Would they attack to get me, was I really putting the Sanctuary in danger by staying here?

"Bed, now!" The Big Guy rumbled lifting me up, this was also something I wasn't used to. I mean being my size you get used to being manhandled and picked up, but usually when that happened I'm getting thrown out of something or thrown into something. But Biggie was gentle as he lifted me up and carried me down the hall.

A/N: This chapter is double feature because it was so long I had to split it, but the two chapters tie into each other. I hope you all enjoyed!