Many thanks to those still sticking with this and reviewing, they're much appreciated. This chapter is predominantly a Mitchell/Shannon chapter though a character from 'Sugar and Cyanide' makes a re-appearance. All errors are my own, artistic liberties have been taken here and there. Love to hear your thoughts as always.


Chapter Eleven:

"Ah, there you are. Got a couple of minutes soldier?" Mitchell stops when he hears that voice. He closes his eyes and sighs quietly. He shouldn't be surprised, an event of this magnitude has to have got the vampire jungle drums throbbing. Slowly he turns around.

It's busy again in accident and emergency and the waiting area is rapidly filling up. Mitchell casts them all a wary look before fixing his attention on Herrick's face.

"What do you want?" he demands and Herrick raises a questioning eyebrow.

"Is that how it's going to be is it?" he drawls as he takes a couple of steps towards him. He places his hand on Mitchell's forearm and he glares at him.

"I have nothing to say to you so let go of my arm" Mitchell's voice is low but his intention is clear.

"Oh please, what are you going to do, create a fuss? Actually if you want to lose your job, go right ahead, it'd be a pleasure" he lifts something up but in a manner that only he can see and he sees the silvery flash of handcuffs. Mitchell sighs loudly. Over Herrick's shoulder he sees Shannon re-enter the department. She doesn't see him; instead she walks straight through, intent on changing out of her bloodied clothing. Herrick sees the look and he turns his head.

"The redhead from the pizza restaurant, it's all getting a little hot and bothered there now isn't it?" he grins at him but Mitchell's expression remains stony. Herrick sighs. He releases his hold on him.

"Suit yourself. Actually I'm not here to talk about her but a word of warning, a friend of hers with similarly scary red hair was a witness to your little display of…solidarity before and she did not look happy." Mitchell sighs quietly when he realises that he's talking about Abby.

"That's her problem." He mutters and Herrick regards him speculatively.

"Got them fighting over you again soldier, you never learn do you?" he smirks and Mitchell rolls his eyes.

"I'm not listening to you, not tonight." he hisses at him. Herrick's grin disappears.

"No, not quite the right time is it. Sounds like there was quite the to-do here tonight, anything to do with you by any chance?" he keeps his voice low and he watches how Mitchell's eyes go hot with barely concealed anger.

"Of course not!" he hisses and Herrick regards him.

"Pity. We miss you in our ranks." he sighs. The look Mitchell casts him is distinctly dark.

"I don't have time for this, I have to get back to work." he informs him and takes a step forwards. Herrick reaches for him once more, his hand wraps around his upper arm and stops him in his tracks.

"What do you know about all of this…" he tilts his head towards the other police officers still present. Mitchell casts them a glance over one shoulder before staring into Herrick's eyes.

"Nothing." he mutters defensively.

"Are you sure? Because that certainly isn't a nothing face that I see in front of me." Herrick gently chides. Mitchell glares at him.

"It was a vampire attack. A family of four, husband, wife and two little kids." he informs him in a low tight voice and Herrick's eyes widen very slightly.

"Oh, and you know this because…" he waits.

"Well you're here for a start, you wouldn't be here for a simple… stabbing and…he told me." His eyes slide away from Herrick's face and once more he glances around himself. Herrick pauses as he absorbs what Mitchell has just told him.

"He? Who is this he that you're alluding to and how exactly?" he enquires mildly and Mitchell rolls his eyes.

"Come on…who do you think? The husband." he hisses and watches as the penny drops.

"Oh, you saw his ghost? I thought for a wonderful moment that you had slipped back into old habits and you were just teasing me earlier. Interesting." He grins and then shrugs at the look on Mitchell's face.

"What? I just wanted to be sure that's all." he replies innocently.

"It wasn't me. I wouldn't be here if it was." he replies in a low defensive tone. The grin fades.

"No you wouldn't, you'd be by my side where you should be." he reminds him. Mitchell glares at him once more and Herrick rolls his eyes in response.

"Really Mitchell, that's all you're going to do, glare me down? We both know that this is a complete and utter waste of your time. This state does not suit you. I mean, why bother when you could be by my side again. What do you think your little redhead is going to do when she finds out the truth? Accept with a shrug and open arms? Please." Herrick's eyes narrow.

"You are much more than all of this humanity Mitchell; you are way above it so why are you wasting your time?"

"I'm not wasting my time." he grinds out.

"And we're back to the redhead again. She will never accept you; you can't possibly think that you'll have a happy ever after with her? Chances are she'll run screaming in the opposite direction the moment she realises you're not exactly Joe Public." Mitchell wrenches his arm out of Herrick's grasp.

"I'm not having this discussion with you now, not here." He glances around again. He flicks a final glare his way before he heads towards his cleaning trolley.


Shannon changes out of her bloodied scrubs and dumps them into the nearest receptacle. She's tired, so tired and her shift isn't even half way over yet. She leans up against her locker and closes her eyes. She remembers the howl of the ambulance siren, the surge of adrenaline as the doors burst open and the sheer volume of blood. It seemed to drench every single surface. She had seen that little girl, so still and so pale and without thinking had just scooped her up and ran into the department but it was too late. It was too late for all of them. She sighs and opens her eyes and rubs her hands over her face. Mitchell had come to look for her, to see if she was okay. It touches her that he would do this. The kiss came from left field but they were alone, as far as she's aware no one saw them and she needed that little bit of contact, that little bit of something…normal.

She turns her head when she hears the door squeak open and she straightens up. She feels a dart of fear frisson through her. She listens.

"Shannon?" she sags with relief when she hears Abby's voice and she watches as she appears.

"You okay?" she asks her and Shannon slowly nods.

"I had to change. Is everything okay?" she frowns when she sees the expression on her face. She seems irritated, pissed off if that little furrow between her eyebrows is anything to go by.

"When were you going to tell me that you're dating the porter?" Abby demands and Shannon straightens up.

"What?"

"I saw you with him outside. You know I should've realised, he was looking for you before."

"He's just a friend Abby." she sighs tiredly. She watches how her eyes widen speculatively.

"Oh really, and do you kiss all your friends like that?" she drawls and Shannon feels heat flood her face.

"Abby…"

"For fuck's sake Shannon, he's a porter!" she exclaims and Shannon's eyes widen.

"So? We've had this discussion before and it seems that the only person who has a problem with that fact is you! I don't care, he's a nice guy." she defends.

"He is weird! There is something severely off about him!" Abby retaliates and Shannon rolls her eyes.

"Every bloke who doesn't fit your criteria of what defines a so called normal man is weird to you Abby. There are men who are doctors, lawyers and policemen who are sociopaths, some who are psychopaths in training; Christ knows we've come across a few of them in this line of work. So Mitchell is a porter, I like him and I really don't care what you think about him." she hisses back at her. Abby glares at her and she opens her mouth but Shannon throws up a hand and shakes her head.

"No, no you don't get to tell me what you think I should do. You don't know him. He's quiet, he's pretty shy and he keeps to himself, if that makes him weird by your exacting standards then so be it." She drops her hand and walks away. As she emerges from the locker room she keeps on walking and waits for the anger to cool down.


His shift is over. Every muscle aches and he has the beginning of a headache. He hasn't seen Shannon since earlier in their shift and to be honest he didn't really expect to despite her promise. His thoughts have been occupied by the events of earlier; the vampire attack, the ghost of the husband and also Herrick's reappearance. Herrick almost always put him in a bad mood.

He changes into his street clothes and his steps are slow and tired as he leaves the locker room. He lifts his head and pauses when he sees Shannon waiting by the door. His eyes widen slightly.

"Hey, you waiting for me?" she looks at him and her answering smile is tired.

"Oh no, I'm waiting for the other porter I'm seeing, what do you think?" the mild teasing makes him smile.

"Okay, I think I need to know his name so I can sort him out." He responds. She moves beside him and links her arms through his. She briefly rests her head against his shoulder.

"Ummm….let me think, his name is…Mitchell. Incidentally is that your first name or your second name?" she looks at him.

"It's my second name." he replies.

"Oh? So what is your first name or is it a state secret?" he glances at her.

"Or is it so bad that it's too embarrassing?" she lowers her voice to a conspiratorial whisper and he chuckles despite his exhaustion.

"No, it's not embarrassing, it's just that I've pretty much always gone by my second name." he tells her with a shrug.

"So…"

"What?" she rolls her eyes.

"Your first name…will you tell me?" she asks. He sighs.

"Alright, it's John."

"But you prefer Mitchell." It isn't a question and he nods.

"I do." They emerge into the early morning light. He looks at her once more and he sees the smudgy dark shadows below her eyes and he's reminded of the shift they've just completed and of what she's gone through.

"Let's get you home." he tells her and she smiles and just nods.

"Okay." She agrees and he raises an eyebrow and she frowns at him.

"Really? It's just that earlier got the impression that earlier I wasn't good enough for you." his tone is mildly reproachful and she pauses.

"I've never given you that impression Mitchell." She breathes.

"Yeah you did. When I kissed you before." he reminds her and she sighs and her shoulders slump.

"I'm sorry. You caught me off guard that's all and we're not supposed to do things like that, it's not the done thing." She watches as his eyes slowly widen.

"Oh…I didn't know." she shrugs.

"I've never been a fan of convention anyway." She looks up at him and she smiles and he feels the effect of it down to the pit of his stomach. She stands on tiptoe and kisses him. He reaches for her with his other hand and holds on tightly. People are milling around them, entering and leaving the building but they ignore them. He lets himself enjoy the experience, lets himself accept how it makes him feel. He feels the other side of him stir but it's brief. Maybe it will get easier for him to do this. Time will tell.


He drives her home. The sky lightens to a pinky blue and it promises to be a beautiful day. He turns on the radio but keeps it low and he sneaks a look at her. She's snuggled down in the seat with her arms folded and the back of her head touching the back of the seat. Her eyes are closed. She's asleep.

He slows down as he enters her street. There are vehicles everywhere, police cars and vans and acres of blue and white police tape flutters in the early morning breeze. He manages to find a parking space in front of her building and he frowns as he kills the engine and the radio switches off. He turns his head as Shannon stirs. He watches her eyes flutter open, take in her surroundings and then widen marginally as self-awareness dawns. She sits up in her seat and scrubs at her face.

"Oh God I didn't mean to fall asleep, I'm so sorry." she apologises.

"It's okay," he dips his head towards the comings and goings outside "something happened last night." He comments. Shannon turns her attention towards the groups of police personnel and she frowns.

"Looks serious, I wonder what happened?" She opens the car door and climbs out. Mitchell does likewise but he stays beside the car as Shannon heads towards the melee and she pauses beside a police officer. He watches as they converse for a moment and an uncomfortable feeling pools in the pit of his stomach as he watches as she turns her head towards him. Her face is white; her eyes are wide with shock. He walks towards her and reaches for her as she returns to him, holding her steady as she lifts stunned eyes to his.

"What?" he demands. He does not like how white she has gone.

"Shannon?" he enquires as her mouth opens but no sound comes out of it. She inhales noisily.

"Mitchell…that family…the Fishers…they live…lived in my street, three doors away." She gasps and Mitchell's head snaps up. He slides an arm across her shoulder and draws her up against him. He turns his attention to the police officers, the forensic people in their pristine white hooded suits going in and out of the property. He turns his head to Shannon's building which sure enough is only three houses away. His mouth goes dry and he turns his head and he looks up and down the street. Apart from the police and forensic presence, nothing else seems to be out of the ordinary. A chill sparkles down his spine.

A vampire attack only three doors away from Shannon's front door? He remembers the vampire outside of the women's locker room.

We've been looking for you mate.

What was that vamp's name? He struggles for a moment to remember. Then it comes to him.

It was Jimmy. He looks back down at Shannon. She moves away from him.

"I didn't recognise them…there was so much blood." She looks at him.

"Oh God Mitchell…" she breathes. Her eyes fill with tears and she knuckles them away.

"Come on, let's get you inside. You're absolutely shattered and all of this won't do you any good." He keeps a proprietorial hand between her shoulder blades and he walks with her to her front door. He stands with her as she hunts for her keys but his gaze is sharp as he watches everything that is going on.

Something is up, he's almost sure of it now.


He returns his attention to her as she finds her keys and lets herself in. He follows her inside and every sense is on alert. He listens and he watches. Nothing moves, everything seems to be as it should.

He watches her unlock the door to her flat and open the door. She turns to look at him.

"Do you want to stay over?" she asks him and he looks into her eyes. Every part of him is screaming at him to accept but after a pause he shakes his head.

"I'd better not but thanks for the invitation." In truth if he did stay he doubts neither of them will get much sleep. He frowns slightly.

"Will you be okay?" he asks instead. She shrugs listlessly.

"I will be. I suppose I'm just knackered after the night we've had and then finding out they lived so close to me." she tries to smile but doesn't quite make it.

"Get some sleep, you'll feel better for it. Do you want me to pick you up later?" he watches as she slowly shakes her head.

"I really don't mind." he tacks on and he hears her sigh.

"I know you don't but I'll be okay I promise."

"Then I'll see you at work tonight?" She nods. His eyes scan her face.

"Go inside." He tells her and she nods once more. He watches her go in and the door clicks closed. He exhales and turns on his heel. He begins to walk away.

"Mitchell?" as he turns, she approaches him. He pauses and waits. She stops in front of him and stands on tiptoe. Her kiss makes him blink in surprise.

"Thank you." she whispers and he frowns at her.

"What for?" Her smile is mysterious and she shrugs.

"Just…thanks." Dumbfounded, he watches her go back into her flat. This time he waits til he hears the twist of the lock.


He emerges into the early morning sunshine and he casts the police a distinctly suspicious look as he slips through the gate. He sees a group of them a few feet away and he recognises one of them who turns and gives him a long look. It makes the hairs on the back of his neck prickle.

Herrick.

He gets back into his car and he starts the engine. It sounds loud in the early morning bustle. He drives away.


"I thought you said the man was a legend?"

"Once upon a time he was. He was everything and more." As the car drives past he turns his head away. All it will take is a glimpse and the gig so to speak will be up. He doesn't know how good his memory is and he doesn't want to take the risk. It's been seventy-five years since their one and only meeting. Maybe he won't remember him but he hopes that he will.

"Once upon a time maybe. He works in a hospital now, cleaning up other people's shit and sick and whatnot. If he was someone to be feared what the fuck is he doing in a place like that?" the scorn in his companion's voice grates on his nerves.

"He wants to be human I suppose. It's easy to forget sometimes."

"Why would he want to do that? Is he touched in the head or something?" He turns his head sharply and he glares at him this time.

"I don't know Jimmy; did the punch in the face feel like he was losing touch with his facilities? Rumour has it he knocked you clean off your feet." His voice is chilly, the sarcasm plain. The jab hits its mark as Jimmy bristles in his seat.

"He didn't."

"Back in the day if John Mitchell had struck you then you wouldn't be getting up in a hurry, he was a cold vicious bastard by all accounts." his eyes harden. He turns his head to stare out of the car window and he watches the police officers dispassionately.

"You know Mitchell isn't an idiot, he will figure this out."

"How do you know, considering you just met him the once?" Jimmy asks and he sighs impatiently.

"His reputation you fool, how many times do I need to remind you of it?" he retorts crossly.

"Word gets around, vampires like to talk and they like to brag. Mitchell never had to, his reputation preceded him. Vampires talked about him. I've heard the stories and I know them to be true. When he's at his best, he's magnificent which is why it's hard to stomach all of this…sobriety, but then again I suppose it will make it easier to play with him." he shrugs almost restlessly. He indicates the mess of police and forensic people milling around.

"Eleanor will have her work cut out for her if her contacts can successfully explain this away. I'm surprised the press haven't caught wind of it." He hasn't seen a single reporter and that's unusual.

"That will be Herrick's doing." Jimmy explains and he looks at him again.

"Herrick's here?" Jimmy nods.

"Didn't you know? He's a copper, sees a lot, hears a lot and hides much more and he's also Mitchell's sire so in a way he keeps tabs on him and he doesn't like that, apparently he never has done." Jimmy grins. He sighs. Now that he can understand. Why doesn't Mitchell do what he did and be done with it? He straightens up in his seat.

"We're done here; I think I've seen all that I need to. Let's go." His eyes take in the rows of flats and houses. Young Oliver was right on the money. He's seen the redhead peek out of her window and watch Mitchell walk down the path to his car so he knows exactly where she is. Jimmy has already informed him of her occupation. It's going to be fun and he wonders how receptive she'll be to his charms.

More to the point how will Mitchell react?

Donovan Flynn can't wait to find out.