Saints protect her now
come angels of the lord,
come angels of the lord.

"Why did you get so much peanut butter?" Vanya asked as she took out five jars roughly a week later.

"I thought it was a no-brainer," Rumor signed.

The blank look that Vanya gave her told her that it wasn't. Rolling her eyes Rumor signed;

"You're pregnant. You'll start wanting peanut butter; believe me. That and the chocolate and pickles I got."

Doubtfully Vanya looked at the jars as she put them away. Séance poked his head around the corner. His face scrunched up when he saw the peanut butter jars.

"Ugh, peanuts that are butter," he said, "That's disgusting you know. Butter should come from cows."

"Nice to see you too Klaus," Vanya replied

"It's wrong to eat peanuts that have been degraded like those have," stated Séance loftily.

"Whatever," Rumor wrote, "It's not like it's for you."

"Yeah, well just keep that stuff off of Monsieur," he said distastefully.

"Jesus Klaus," wrote Rumor.

"I'm just saying…" Séance started before he trailed off.

A deep frown came across his face. He scratched his head.

"How many people are there in this room?" he asked.

"Excuse me?" Vanya said, looking as though she was worried about her brother.

"Is .05 hiding in one of the cabinets?" he said, looking around the floor as if to catch his brother in the act.

"No," said Vanya in disgust.

"Is your midget here somewhere?" he asked Rumor.

"Her name is Claire," Rumor wrote irritably, "And no, she isn't. Why do you ask?"

Once more Séance frowned. Sighing absently Vanya began stacking the jars in the cupboards.

"It's like I'm feeling that there's three of you in this room," he said.

Out of the corner of her eye Rumor saw Vanya freeze. Séance's slightly psychic powers had often revealed things that no one wanted to know.

"Might just be the fact that I haven't slept in a week, but there you go," he sighed, "In any case, spill a drop of anything in the living room and you will wake up as bald as a bunny."

"Bunnies aren't bald," wrote Rumor.

"That's what you think," he said mysteriously as he walked out of the room.

As soon as he was gone Rumor could hear Vanya start to take deep breaths, betraying the fact that she hadn't been breathing when Séance was there.

"I don't think I can do this much longer," whispered Vanya.

"Have you told-?" Rumor started to sign.

"No," Vanya snapped.

Her hand slid up to rest on her stomach. She bit her lip and looked back up at her sister.

"I'm going to have to soon though," she murmured.

.

.

.

"Another victim?" Space asked.

"That makes four," remarked .05.

"Happened last night. Lupo had to release this name to the public," Kraken said, "The press found it before the police this time. They found her on Turnstile Lane."

"Same M.O?" asked Spaceboy as he typed in the new coordinates.

"Exactly the same," Kraken replied, "However, my guy at the morgue says that this time the intestines were just left in a pile by the corpse. Rather sloppily he heard."

"If this guy is removing organs then the intestines would be obstructive," said .05 thoughtfully, "They always clog up the visual field. Removing them isn't demented, it's actually downright logical. It probably doesn't mean anything; he just wants them out of the way."

Spaceboy stopped typing and swiveled around in his chair. Kraken stopped and both brothers turned to give .05 an appraising look.

"You learn these things when you're a time assassin," he shrugged.

"I wouldn't know," said Space as he continued typing, "But doesn't it mean that whoever this is wanted the organs? Perhaps that was the motivation. Some sort of dealer?"

"Checked on that," said Kraken dryly, "Nothing new in the market."

"Well," said Spaceboy, "The computer shows that these attacks all happened in a three mile radius of each other. Only three or four buildings are near each scene. This guy must frequent one of them."

The brothers looked over Space's shoulder and took note of them.

"Hmmm," said .05 thoughtfully, "Maybe we should pay a visit to your friend at the hospital soon? Tomorrow night perhaps? The game is on tonight."

Space and Kraken agreed. As they did so Séance came in grumpily.

"I think I preferred it when our sisters wanted to rip each other's faces off," he complained, "Now they team up on everything. Before the day is out I just know that my poor Monsieur will be smeared with peanut butter."

"Indeed," sighed .05, "Truly this is the first sign of the apocalypse. She's your girlfriend Kraken, what do you say?"

.05 knew perfectly well how things were with him and Vanya. So the look Kraken shot him was pure hatred.

"She's in this with Rumor," mused .05, "Here's my advice. When women plot something together, find out what it is. And fast."