Alec wore the darkness around him like a second skin. He was perfectly at home, skulking about the shadows of New York, following a handful of vampires as they searched for Maureen. More bodies had been found, and so Raphael and his most trusted comrades, and of course Alec, were scoping out the scenes. So far there had been little indication of where Maureen could be hiding, although a pattern with victims was starting to emerge. They were all centered around a few blocks in a neighborhood that wasn't particularly desirable, which allowed for many abandoned spaces that could comfortably house a deranged fledging.

"This is useless, we can't track her down on scent alone," a vampire Alec didn't recognize said.

"This is vampire business. It stays within the clan," Lucy said, her voice more serious than usual.

Alec glanced over at Raphael, who wore a concerned expression. It wasn't very noticeable, but Alec could make out the slight furrow of his brow, and downturn of his lips.

"Do you think we can find her?" Alec asked once he had made his way over to Raphael.

"I do not know. We may need to use other connections. Perhaps a warlock; a tracking spell would ease this process greatly."

Raphael noticed the way Alec flinched at the mention of a warlock, and it didn't take him long to figure out why.

"It will not be Magnus. He has proven himself to be untrustworthy and unreliable, although I should have already recognized those traits. There are many other warlocks within this city, and I am sure that a reasonable enough price will prevent them from revealing any information to the High Warlock."

Alec nodded, not admitting his relief out loud, but suspecting that Raphael could sense it anyway.

"Magnus said that you owed him a favour. When I first left Dumort with him. What did he mean by that?"

"You are a very observant young vampire," Raphael stated.

Alec heard the coldness in his tone, and looked down at his feet, realising he may have pushed too far. Raphael watched the display with curiosity. He was noticing how much concern Alec had for others, even though as a newborn selfish desires should be overwhelming him. Perhaps it came with being the eldest sibling, as Raphael himself had been the eldest of six, and had always carried a responsibility similar to Alec.

"When I was first turned, Magnus assisted me with my readjustment. After that however we had little to do with each other, and our views have always clashed."

Alec appeared startled by the explanation, as he not expected Raphael to actually answer his question.

"Oh, okay," Alec said, but Raphael could tell that the boy was thanking him for revealing the truth, in his own shy way.

"I thought perhaps he would remember how to take care of a newborn vampire. Clearly I was wrong," Raphael added after a moment, and he then turned from Alec and towards another vampire.

Lucy, assisted by two other vampires, had found an old warehouse space that seemed as if it had recently been inhabited. The blood stains, and claw marks, pointed towards the resident as not being a typical mundane.

"Whoever was here must have only left very recently," Lucy said as she surveyed the room.

After a few more moments of searching the place, the cluster of vampires started to move off, with Alec trailing behind them. He was still receiving a few odd glances from the other vampires; a mixture of contempt, jealousy, and curiosity. As Alec once again stepped out into the street he saw a flash of movement from the corner of his eye, which went unnoticed by the other vampires. Alec turned, and saw another movement, although it was too fast to determine what exactly he'd seen. Alec darted toward the alley behind the warehouse, where the strange sight had occurred, and saw the back of a young girl, heading into an almost completely hidden old house. The structure was barely still standing, and its state of decay meant that it had been overlooked as completely unusable by the other vampires, but Alec recognized the young vampire entering it as none other than Maureen. Alec stepped back, and went to run back to the main street, to call the other vampires, but before he made it back to the safety of the group a strong vice like grip help him, one hand clamping over his mouth, whilst the other pulled him back into the hidden alley.

Alec fought against the strong hold, and eventually managed to break free, but by the time he did he had already been dragged into the building, and Maureen was standing in front of the only visible exit.

"I thought I killed you," Maureen said as she looked at Alec. "I'm usually very good at that," she added, and then giggled.

Alec snarled back at her, a sound that he had never made before, but had heard slip from the lips of vampires. He had always wondered why they made such strange and animalistic sounds at times, and he now discovered it was part of his nature.

"That's not very nice!" Maureen said as she pouted at Alec.

"You're insane," Alec replied as his eyes searched for any other way out.

"Looking to leave already? You only just got here! And there are some things I want to discuss with you," Maureen said as she noticed Alec's behaviour.

"I'd much prefer to do some catching up in a place which isn't such a death trap."

"Did my Simon turn you?" Marueen asked, ignoring Alec's words.

"Your Simon?"

"He is always so helpful!"

"Helpful? What are you on about?"

"Oh, I didn't mean to drain you that night. Well, I did, but it turned out I still needed you."

"You what?" Alec said.

"You know where the Book of White is, and I really need to find that book," Maureen said with a grin.

"Why does a vampire need a spell book?" Alec asked, voicing his confusion.

"Oh I don't need a spell!"

"Then who…Sebastian," Alec said bitterly.

"He said the warlock has it, but finding said warlock, and then wherever he has decided to hide the book…Well it's a lot of work, and it is so much easier asking you instead!"

Alec glared at Maureen as she gleefully revealed her little plan.

"What makes you think I would ever help you, or Sebastian, find the Book of White?"

"Because if you don't I will make you endure so much pain you'll do anything to stop me," Maureen said, her casual tone not changing.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Alec said softly, and he then lunged at Maureen.

Alec made impact with Maureen at full force, throwing the other vampire back. Maureen looked at him in complete shock, not used to having such a powerful opponent. She scrambled to her feet, but Alec was quicker, and once again knocked her down, the fall causing the floorboards around both vampires to crack under the pressure. Maureen, being more familiar with her surroundings, realised how little strength the floor had, and so she threw herself away from the crumbling area, and to a safer part of the building. It took Alec a moment to comprehend her action, and by the time he did, it was too late. Even as Alec started to run towards safety, the floor caved in, and the force of the ground under him shattering caused Alec to be dragged down with the ruble. The collapse lead to Alec being buried under a pile of debris made up of heavy concrete and old wooden floorboards. Alec slowly opened his eyes, his head ringing, and above him he saw Maureen peeking over the edge of the story above him.

"You are so clumsy!" She said, and once again giggled.

Alec struggled to free himself from the ruble, but it was extremely heavy, and Alec could feel blood trickling down his neck from a head wound he had sustained on the way down.

"Oh well, I'll just have to torture Magnus until he tells me where the book is. Bye-bye then!"

With that Maureen turned on her heal and all but skipped out of the building.