Thankyou to the lovely miss Electric Phantom and the lovely Nimara for your reviews!

Sorry my chapters have been so short, but I can't seem to write too much in a chapter a lot of the time. …

Chapter 4

After he had been told of Sophie's attack, Lumiere could only find one person to blame…himself. However, Babette insisted otherwise "It was not your fault Lumiere…."

"Oui, it was. I even told her what our plan was for protection! I am such a fool!" interrupted the Frenchman.

The maid shook her head "No, you are being absurd. Anyone could have spoken to her about it. She fooled everyone, even me for a minute" she responded.

Lumiere interjected "But you realised it and was able to help Sophie."

Babette smiled slightly and touched his hand gently "It was not your fault Lumiere. Sophie is safe now, and that is all that matters" she said.

The young man nodded "Oui…and we need to keep it that way" he added.

The maid sighed "Oui, but that means telling the castle about her" she continued.

"Mon Dieu, that is going to be difficult" commented Lumiere.

Suddenly, the thought of Sophie was pushed from Babette's mind. Instead, she thought of the man sitting beside her, and all that she had put him through. She sighed once again "He does not deserve that. But, he does deserve to know more about who I really am" she muttered. Getting an idea, the maid stood "Lumiere, veins, I need to show you something" she said, and walked away. The Frenchman, although a little confused, followed her.

They walked down a long corridor in complete silence, until Babette suddenly dragged him into the nearest open room. Looking around, the young man saw that it was the dining room, and wondered if it had been a deliberate choice because of its slightly dim lighting.

Babette stood a short way in front of him with her back to him, and, to his surprise and her embarrassment, began undoing the laces of her bodice. She let it slip down to her wrists, where she caught it in her hands. She wore no chemise, so her back were bare to his view. The maid turned her head just enough to see his expression, and resisted smiled "Do not get too excited…" she teased "This is not what you think." Then, she turned back and continued facing the wall.

Lumiere, although he was unsure why, stepped closer tentatively. That was when he saw them. Displayed on her back like three beautiful pieces of art…were three tattoos. The first one, and one of the smallest, sat just below her left shoulder blade, where the wrap of her uniform usually covered. It was drawn in black ink, and it depicted what looked like a silver stake with a ball of what he could only assume was meant to be light, and the tip.

The second, which was in exactly the same place on her right, but slightly larger, showed something entirely different. It showed the outline of a leaf that was fashioned in such a way that it looked as though it floated in the breeze.

The last, which was quite large, sat at her lower back and ended just above her skirt. It was a religious cross with a fancy design on the tips, and a heart in the centre.

Astonished, Lumiere could only stare at the markings as he softly and gently ran his fingers over them. He felt Babette stiffen slightly as his unexpected touch, but then relax. The Frenchman asked softly "Why do you have these?"

"It is important for Maya to show their loyalty to their race. Some simply choose to wear necklaces or bracelets with these items on them, but some, like me, chose to have them represented like this" answered Babette, not meeting his gaze.

"But…why? I mean, getting these would have hurt you" asked Lumiere.

The maid cringed at the memory of the excruciating pain of reviving her tattoos, but quickly regained her composure. She answered, turning her head to him "This way, they will always be with me, and they receive an even deeper meaning for me."

Lumiere continued to run his hands over her bare back in wonder, but then something else took over. It was something he had felt before around her…lust. Simply touching even a bared section of her body and hearing her voice caused the lust to arise in him at an alarming rate. He breathed slowly, attempting to calm himself down, before finally taking his hands away and closing his eyes. If he did not touch her or look at her, he would not lose control.

Babette herself had been rather enjoying the feel of his soft, warm hands, and his gentle voice…

She shook her head "No" she thought sternly, stopping herself. But, despite her attempts, something inside her, something that had been locked up for so long, uncaged itself. It was a feeling of…love. The maid sighed "No, love is impossible for me" she muttered. However, something inside of her insisted otherwise. Babette, satisfied to have shown him what he needed to see, put her bodice back on before turning to Lumiere "So…now you know everything" she said.

"Well, not everything" replied the Frenchman with a lazy grin.

Babette rolled her eyes at his joke "Very funny" she commented.

"Merci beaucoup, I was hoping for that" answered Lumiere.

All of a sudden, the silence was broken by Sophie's terrified scream. Acting quickly, Lumiere and Babette immediately ran to find her.

When they did find Sophie, they also found a very unpleasant sight…The Zemya. There were about eleven of them, all paying attention only to the girl.

Babette snarled and bared her fangs "GET AWAY FROM HER!" she yelled. The group of Zemya turned to the maid, and a few of them ran at her. However, their attack was put to a stop when they were thrown back by both Babette's magic and her supernatural strength. Her eyes darted around, trying to keep an eye on both Sophie and Lumiere, however this proved impossible.

When she turned around, she saw Lumiere…with a Zemya holding him. It was a male that was probably twice his size and had far more visible muscle. The Frenchman struggled in his grip, but then suddenly plunged something into his chest…a silver stake. The Zemya screamed in pain and released him, dying quickly.

Lumiere glanced at Babette and a small smile formed on his lips "I kept this just in case we needed it, and it looks like it was a good idea" he said.

All of a sudden, a bright light accompanied by a powerful force entered the room, emanating from where Sophie stood. With her advanced eyesight, Babette could see past the light. She saw that Sophie's irises glowed silver, and she held what looked like two balls of light in her hands. The young girl snarled at the Zemya, her own fangs visible, and she suddenly thrust her hands into the ground. Then, as if the floor was breaking, long cracks of what looked like fire began to form on the floor, but they only harmed the Zemya and did no damage to the castle. When the fire cracks even passed a Zemya, the evil vampire would burst into flames and then disappear…dead.

When all of the Zemya vanished, the light disappeared and Sophie's eyes returned to normal. Babette stared at the young girl "I do not remember The Drancina being able to do that" she thought.

Sophie looked at the two shocked people in front of her and smiled slightly "See, I can look after myself perfectly" she said.

Lumiere inquired "How did they even find us?"

Babette saw Sophie's expression become nervous, and asked "Do you have something to tell us?"

The teenager sighed "Jacqueline, she told them…she told them to kill…" she was unable to finish her sentence.

"She told them to kill you?" inquired Babette. However, that was not the answer. After all she had learnt about Sophie's importance, it surprised her when her guess was incorrect. But, that surprise was soon replaced by fear when Sophie replied

"No, they were told to kill you Babette. Now, they will stop at nothing to make sure that you're dead. I'm not the one who needs to protection now…it's you."