A/N: Sorry guys! This chapter is long overdue, I know, but through no fault of my own my laptop where this story is saved died on me, and I couldn't ressurect it until I had a new charger. Fortunately I hadn't lost the work I'd done on this chapter, otherwise it may never have gotten updated. However, A Stitch In Time is now OFF hiatus and back on the road. So enjoy chapter 11, it's been my second favourite to write so far.
Cara sat up suddenly as she jerked awake. She paid no heed to the sheen of sweat on her skin, or the exhaustion she felt at still being unable to have a restful sleep. She barely heard her breath echoing around the room... Instead her thoughts whirled frantically around in her head, and had she been a more emotional person she may well have been crying. She'd found the damn vampire! Could she not have a single nights sleep with freakish dreams and haunting images… This time of some sort of strange occult gatherings and secret councils in hidden rooms with even scarier traditions and rituals. She felt sick to her stomach, even though a sarcastic voice in the back of her head reminded her she should be thankful she woke up before the sacrifices started. Shakily she stepped out of bed and pulled her dressing gown and slippers on. If she wasn't going to sleep she could do something useful… She could start work on Vincent's identity first of all. Or rather, work on finding a place to start working on his identity…
She sat down at a decrepit and ancient computer and loaded it up.. Uncle Hubert hadn't been entirely trusting of modern technology. Televisions, OK. Fride freezers, fine. Computers, not so much. So she'd have to get this fossil replaced as soon as possible. Her fingers tapped a stacatto rhythm on the computer desk as her machine booted. Hopefully the broadband internet would speed up the monstrocity. It was as she started tapping, username, password, (both of which had been found on a post-it note on the screen) launched the Microsoft Internet browser, typed in the infamous 'Google' adress and started searching that she froze. For some reason, her mind was somewhere else. Specifically downstairs by the kitchen window, which was now smashed. She stood up slowly, senses on high alert. 'How did I know that…' There was no way that she could hear down two flights of stairs and through several solid oak doors. It was impossible… Padding on the carpet. The plush thick carpet that she could barely hear herself walking on. Her footsteps sped up, suddenly making no noise along the wooden floorboards as she sprinted, a shadow dancing almost on air as she followed the now running sounds – She thought she could pick them out.
One, three, five… Six. Six somethings had broken into her house, and they ran on all fours implying some sort of very fast animal. She could hear them sniffing, and growling softly between them, communicating. If she had seen her reflection now, she would have been terrified. Her greeny-blue eyes had narrowed with a silver glint in them, she ran as an assassin would, racing them to a destination that she should not have known but already did. She had the advantage. She was two floors up, and whatever these things were they certainly had problems with stairs. Her hand reached for the brass door knob in front of her and turned it silently, slipping into the pitch black room. She shut the door behind her and turned to the bed.
"Vincent!" She hissed, and blood red eyes snapped open staring right at her. He said nothing, but she thought she saw a glimpse of panic and fear cross his emotionless expression. And anger… She felt a thrill at his fear, the addrenalin in her coursing more violently. She felt the most ludicrous urge to smirk. "There's something in the house. It's heading here." The panic returned again and Vincent Valentine swung out of bed.
"What?" Alexia held up a hand for silence. They were coming up the second flight of stairs… She ghosted over to the bed he had been sleeping in, allowing instinct to take over. Swiftly and silently she banged the top of the wooden head board, and the side fell away. Her hands shot in, not knowing what she was going to find, why there was a secret compartment in a spare bedroom, whether whatever she would find in here would help with the intruders… Just as the monsters reached the top of the stairs and started to seek them out her hands clasped something, cold and metallic and loose. She pulled, and withdrew the two items she had touched. Vincent went to turn on the light to allow her to see, but even though the room was pitch black save for her vampire friends glowing eyes she could already see what she was holding. Two swords, a Japanese katana and an Arabic scimitar. Another part of her brain engaged, instinct and knowledge working together in total harmony. Swords – She could handle swords. Uncle Hubert had taught her swordplay when she would visit, and these two were her particular favourites. The blood coursed through her veins, burning, setting her alight. She had never felt more alive than she did at this moment, being pounded with adrenalin and the thrill of an up and coming fight. For there would be a fight and she knew it. She could smell the blood lust in the air, not from Vincent, but from whatever had caught onto their scent and were at their door now.
"What are you doing?" Vincent hissed. "Are you insane…" His voice trailed off as a howl sounded and the wood off the door started to crack and splinter beneath the claws of the beasts. Vincent took an inadvertant step back, before lowering himself into an aggressive crouch, his lips retreating back over his teeth to reveal perfect wipe, deadly razors. "What are these things?" He hissed as the creatures tore through the door, one red eye visible through a chunk of wood that had just been removed. It locked eyes with the two people in the room, and let out a snarl so deadly it seemed to make the structure of the house quier in fear.
"I don't know." She said in a deadly calm tone. "But they want us." There was a sickening crunch as the door finally gave way and the six decrepit dog like denizens burst into the room, snarling, drooling and foaming at the mouth. Within moments they had their prey circled, their demonic red eyes focused on only one thing. The kill. Cara raised the sword as the first leapt…
