Author's Note: And Shadow is back! Well technically he was never gone but you know what I mean.


"What happened to you?" Holly remarked as Shadow was escorted back into cell block at gun point, clutching his head.

"Two hours interrogation by one of their stronger psychics. Now please someone either give me a paracetamol or a bullet." He answered, only half-joking.

"I think Hair-trigger's been hoarding painkiller's again, be back in a minute." Holly rushed off.

"Hair-trigger?" Rashel asked incredulously. "That's someone's name?"

"Not a name as such, Cat, you'll find more pseudonyms than names in here. But you'd know all about that wouldn't you... Redfern?"

Quinn's glare spoke a thousand words.

"I'm not criticising, John, you're using the power that comes with the name. Which is why you're in here. You decided to spar in the political ring only to find that someone's been changing all the rules." Shadow said calmly.

Holly came hurrying back with two paracetamol which Shadow accepted gratefully.

"Rashel? Could I have a word in private please?" Shadow asked, gripping her elbow and gently pulling her away from the others.

Once alone he turned to her, his expression earnest and hopeful.

"I'm afraid I have some rather personal questions for you. How did you first react when you found your soulmate?"

Rashel thought for a minute. "At the time? Irrationally, I allowed a lethal vampire to escape when I could have finished him off quite easily. Why?"

"I- I may have found my soulmate." The last thing Shadow had expected was for Rashel to pull him into a hug.

"Congratulations! Who is it?"

"The Rose." Shadow said bleakly, not surprised but slightly annoyed when Rashel recoiled at the announcement.

"I'm sorry Shadow but she's still the enemy even if you are soulmates."

"I know. Which is why I've got to be the one who kills her."

The look of disgust on Rashel's face spoke volumes.

"I'm not going to enjoy it, but it has to be done and the fact I know and she doesn't gives me the edge that means I'm the only person who can kill her. It's got to be me." Shadow explained, apparently unconcerned that he was discussing the cold-blooded murder of the one person on the planet his soul was bound to.

"You'll go insane." Rashel warned.

Shadow smiled bleakly. "I've been insane for a long time, my dear Cat. And I will not have my mind dictated to by a freak occurrence of telepathobiology."

"Is that what this is about? Control?"

Shadow's laughed was utterly humourless. "Do I look so shallow? I only ever kill because killing is the only way to remove her sort of killer from the face of the planet. They can't be imprisoned, they can't be rehabilitated, they're like a rabid animal, you feel sorry for them but the amount of damage they would do leaves you no choice but to put them down. Don't think I'm going to do this lightly, I hate killing but I will be saving more lives by doing this than I have taken in my entire career. That woman is a cold-blooded, megalomaniacal sociopath. So no this isn't about control."

Shadow walked away briskly, leaving a slightly shellshocked Rashel to her thoughts, calmly he walked up to Holly.

"We escape in seven days, make sure everyone is ready."

Author's Note: An extremely short chapter I know, this is because the next chapter will be a mega-fight scene so expect over 2000 words.