The next evening, Erol was able to act like everything was normal. He picked on me, joked with me and even got mad at me exactly as he had since the day I met him. To everyone else it was just another day. But when our eyes met all I could hear was his promise to me and all I could feel was the heat that had been between us. The question was, did this negate my feelings for Jordan? I honestly didn't know and I felt guilty even thinking about it. After all, Jordan begged me to ask him to stay. Not only did he leave because I made him but he left to take care of those in need. I felt like a horrible bitch even THINKING about Erol. So I decided not to. This proved to be easier said than done.

"Mari?" Desmond snapped. "Did you hear me?" I shook my head. I wasn't going to lie, I wasn't paying attention at all. This was no time for bluffing and hoping I understood. We were preparing for battle. "What kind of weapons should we gather?"

I sighed. "Whatever you can get. Anything from guns to hand to hand weapons. Although, I strongly emphasize the hand to hand weapons. Guns can easily be tracked and attract attention. Attention is the last thing we need." Despite Desmond's training as a Son of Erebus he seemed to defer to me in all matters involving warfare. Much to my chagrin, I was the only one who had actually been in battle.

Yay me.

It was my idea to fight the Baggers and bring down the whole operation, still I was reluctant. If nothing else, I didn't want to be in charge. Imagine it for yourself. Taking on a large army with only a few untrained fighters at your disposal. The chances are not only grim they are unthinkable. Now put yourself in the highest ranking position. You are in charge. The lives and deaths of these people rest squarely in your hands. How psyched would you be to take this on? Yeah, that's what I thought.

I thought this was the most scared I'd feel, but later I'd realize that…

Wait. I'm getting ahead of myself.

Halloween was a few days away. It was not only a particularly spiritual day, in many religions the day when the veil between realms was at its thinnest, but also the day when my most psychically inclined warriors came home. I hoped I would feel more sure of myself with them at my side. If I couldn't feel stronger, more confident, there wasn't a snowball's chance in Houston we were going to make it. Focus was key to building our army and it was the one thing I was short of. Isn't it just like lady luck to bring personal problems to the surface just as nationwide problems are underway?

"Mari, you need to get your head together," Desmond sighed. He didn't sound angry, like I would have been in his position, he just sounded disappointed in me. His disappointment cut deeper than any knife.

I stuck my fingers in my hair and pulled it back. "I know, I know. I'm sorry."

He closed his books on ancient battles. He seemed to draw most of his knowledge from the Romans. He was going over training and battle strategies with me. "What's wrong? Fighting was kind of your idea."

"It was, and I stand by it," I sighed. "It's just…things feel off right now." It was true. Jordan, Jason and Daydream run off to answer some distress call, David appears from thin air, someone manages to get the best of Erol in a fight not to mention the fact that Liam wasn't so talkative lately and I often caught him just sitting and watching all of us. These things individually meant nothing but all at the same time these things meant something was wrong. If not wrong then something was getting ready to go down.

"You just feel out of it without Daydream don't you?" Desmond said with a grin. "I mean, you constantly sought her opinion and advice. You spend as much time with her as I do." I smiled at the poor shmuck who was so lost without his girlfriend. I was always amazed at how such a powerful and strong willed vamp was so helpless when his love was away. But he wasn't wrong. I did rely an awful lot on Daydream and her cryptic wisdom.

Desmond excused himself to double check the arsenal they already had and see what we still needed. Feeling lonely I roamed the tunnels. I thought about Erol and Jordan but mostly about Daydream. I began sifting through every prophetess type thing she'd said to me, looking for something relevant. I knew I wouldn't find anything but it made me feel like I was being productive.

I turned into the tunnel that led to the showers, hoping warm water would soothe my troubled mind. The tunnel seemed empty until I saw the rustle of blonde hair. "Liam?" I called into the dark.

There was a chuckle. "Yes, lovely Mari. It is I." There was a strange air to his voice.

"I'm sorry, did I interrupt your solitude?" I chuckled, trying desperately to hide my nerves and quell the voice inside me shouting GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE YOU IDIOT!

"Not at all my dear," he sighed in that silky smooth tone of his. "In fact I was just thinking about you. Pondering something really." I couldn't tell you how it happened. I couldn't track his movement, he was like a blur. He looked like a high speed pin ball, bouncing off of a wall to pounce on me. He was incredibly fast and incredibly strong. He pressed down on my collar bone, pinning me to the stone floor, with one hand. With the other hand he dragged his nail across my wrist. I winced as his nail actually cut into my wrist, drawing blood. "I wanted to know how much power your blood really holds."

As he began to drink my blood, a strange sensation filled every part of my body. It wasn't the natural pleasure and it wasn't the understandable pain.

It was wrong. My blood was being violated. My energy was being stolen from me. I tried to cry out but it came out as a strange sounding moan.

No one could help me.

No one was going to try.