As always thanks for the reviews, favs and alerts! To Viv-No it's not that LaCroix is gay is this fanfic it's more of a power thing, I just figure he's the kind of guy who won't resist a challenge because he won't see his reputation being tarnished, particularly if it's a question of his power over someone. Mostly he'll get someone else to do his dirty work i.e Ariadne but when it's a personal challenge i.e a bet that he can't dominate Kent, then he's too proud to ignore it, as one, he thinks he's powerful enough to do it and two, he doesn't want anyone thinking Kent is strong enough to resist and thus potentially stronger than him. He's a complicated fellow lol, I see him more of an asexual, he's just not interested one way or the other, if he has sex it's a show of power rather than lust. I figure his disinterest is why he tells Mercurio that Kindred can't or don't have it when Jeanette and Romero show you that they do, that or didn't want Mercurio trying to bang any Kindred lol.

Kent had left me back to Isaac like a good little vamp and despite my attempts to persuade him to stay with us he had slinked off into the night. So I had spent my morning in a close embrace with Isaac, normally out of character for the Baron I knew it was both a form of affection and restraint. Despite my best efforts to rise early and sneak off, his grip managed to restrain me. It would not have mattered anyway, Alex was close to the door and Romero, as I learned after I arose, was just outside it, once again a guardian to the dead.

I was impatient by the time we were all up, and only a couple of my minds were willing to be fobbed off.

"Well I'm going with you," Alex announced. He was leaning against Isaac's desk with folded arms, a false image of calm I could see the worry in his gentle green eyes.

"Ah but then the mirror might shatter," I murmured, "and déjà vu would be most unwanted. Stay here kind artist and don't fear, I see a promise of fire and treasures to be unlocked. Oh and a bloody crown, undead tyrants rise and fall in the dark night, sever the strings and see the jester dance, it will be a beautiful display."

"You're insane," Ash commented flatly. The handsome dark haired Toreador was trying hard to hide the unease in his icy blue eyes; it had been difficult to sneak past the hunters.

"Dopplegangers distract only briefly," I mused, "don't leave breadcrumbs, distract them with a bigger foe Little Red."

Ash frowned over at me and retorted sardonically, "well of course I will take advice from you."

I grinned at him happily. "Good."

He rolled his eyes and looked at Isaac with displeasure. "Let her go Isaac," he urged, "she wants to go and maybe we can all finally be relieved of her presence."

"I have no presence," I protested, "I am not of the Ventrue clan!"

Alex let out a brief chuckle whilst the Baron scowled. "Ariadne I cannot let you go into the den of the Sabbat," he said seriously, "it's too dangerous."

"Well it's not like she's found it yet," Romero pointed out, "aren't we getting ahead of ourselves?"

"You know as well as I that she has her own way of finding things that she needs to," Isaac reminded him calmly. "If given the chance she will vanish from us and into their clutches and all because that pasty faced sprat has used his mind tricks on her, a coward's manoeuvre of course!"

I reached out to Isaac gently with both hands. "My Baron," I murmured soothingly, "I am Indiana without the whip, this key shall be found, Nazis vanquished and arks not opened, though I am most curious to see if Noah did eat the unicorn, perhaps the bones are still there."

He sighed and gave him a pleading golden look. "I wish I could believe that," he said quietly.

"I don't," I retorted, "I hope that Noah was not so cruel."

He grinned and shook his head sorrowfully. "You have such an interesting way with words, it's beautiful."

"No it's not," Ash was quick to quip.

"Isaac," I said seriously as I pulled back from him, "I have to go now, it hurts my mind not to, there is a painful flashing there, red unlike the usual one, its pleasant and multicoloured like the lights of a disco."

"Well then I will go with you," Isaac spoke up, surprising us all.

"No!" Ash protested, shocking himself more than the rest of us with his haste. He composed himself swiftly and scowled. "You have more important business," he pointed out gruffly, "the hunters Isaac, and the disappearances, maybe they are Sabbat related or maybe it's the Nosferatu," he spat out the clan name hatefully. "And," he glanced at me suspiciously, "well and you know."

"Ah the mirror mistress," I commented brightly, "shifting bloodsucker."

"You've been spying on us!" Ash exclaimed angrily. "I refuse to believe that you just know these things! Reported it back to his highness hmm?" he demanded with an accusing stare.

"Ash enough," Isaac scorned, "Ariadne can be trusted." He looked at me with a frown, very much displeased with my impatience. "Ming Xiao," he explained, "she rules in Chinatown, and though I am loathe to make any kind of arrangement with her I must consider the possibility that the fop in Downtown might be contemplating it. The Kuei-Jin could be powerful foes, although equally they could be treacherous allies."

"Just like you," Ash sneered at me bluntly.

"Hush now firespawn," I remarked brightly, "I shall bring you a treat from the den of the Sabbat, a peace offering."

"Oh joy, I bet it's a finger," Ash grumbled.

I turned then for the door but of course Isaac was blocking it, an unfair advantage to have such speed. "I want to go with you," he said firmly, "well not want; rather I don't want you to go at all but if you have to."

"I do," I said, "but you cannot Baron, you must play politics with the princess, a battle for territory and bloody tiaras, ah but the crown already has an owner. Barter with the eastern mistress before the jester, treachery is thick in friendship but an enemy's enemy is still a friend."

"She's right Isaac," Alex spoke up, "you don't know when Ming Xiao will arrive here, you have to be here. Let me go with you Ariadne," he pleaded.

"No Alex," Isaac protested, perhaps guessing that I could not dissuade him without barbed truths, "I need you here, the Kuei-Jin are tricky and powerful, I need as many of you on guard as possible, particularly when we have hunters and disappearances to deal with as well."

I nodded enthusiastically as Alex frowned and looked like he was going to argue. "Aid the Baron, his quest is much more important," I urged, "for me my pretty redhead."

He sighed in typical Toreador fashion, clenched his teeth and snapped, "so no one is going to go with you?" He looked at Isaac in despair. "This isn't right, it's not her fault she's being Dominated, if she finds their den and goes to it alone she won't come back."

"Now artist I can be sneaky," I assured, "they won't even know. I will use Obfuscate and welcome the legion, I promise."

He shook his head bitterly. "I won't let you go."

"You will," Isaac commented sternly, "that is an order Alex." I knew he feared the switch of minds like I, perhaps Xander was gone but perhaps his fellow Sabbat knew a trigger word, it was a risk I could not endure. I almost lost sweet Alex once; I would not see it happen again.

The door knocked behind Isaac and he stepped away from it to grant moody eyed Kent entry. "Oh good I'm not too late," he commented dryly as he gave me a wary look. "Still planning on your suicidal trip to hell?" he asked sarcastically.

I nodded with a grin. "Yes, a rollercoaster to the depths of depravity to find the key!"

He shook his head scornfully and then flickered a serious grey gaze at Isaac. "I'll go with her," he offered flatly, "Abbey is dead, what else can they harm me with now?"

"They could just harm you," Romero spoke up stonily. He had been purposely silent, caught up in his own memories still I supposed. "Or your Ghoul, you know, the redhead cowering upstairs?"

"I did wonder where she was," I mused, "thought the fey had taken her."

"She can stay here, right?" Kent looked once again to the Baron for confirmation.

Isaac nodded quickly. "Of course, but Kent, no one expects you to do this, not after all you suffered with them."

The dark haired Toreador waved away the Baron's concern. "If the idiot has to go she can't go alone."

"I could," I said stubbornly, not eager to see Kent forced to confront his fears. "Better I do that than with the plagued Toreador, help the Baron with his visitors poet," I suggested, "and let me tread the devil's road alone."

"The devil, no they're worse than devils," Kent muttered. "Malk, you're not going alone and that is final." He sounded so firm then I almost shuddered.

"Why poet?" I demanded.

"Why indeed?" Romero echoed dryly.

"You think she's as much of a pain as the rest of us," Ash reminded him, "don't be an idiot and walk to your death with her."

Kent shook his head. "Because I've been there, been caught up in the mind games and all the rest of it, it's too hard doing it alone."

"That's not the only reason," Isaac spoke up, his golden gaze was studying Kent deeply.

"The mad pony lover," I mused, "oh dear Kent, the number man said-"

"Yeah I know," he cut me off heatedly with a sharp glower, "you're not her, not even close but...well shit you do remind me of her, and I hate you for it but..."

"But you couldn't save her so now you have to save Ariadne," Isaac finished for him.

I shook my head and waved my hands outwards in protest. "No poet, I am not the mortal sibling in need of rescue, I am the Malk you hate, remember? I cause you trouble and grief; you will not dance into danger to do Sebastian's business. No favours for him, he's a Camarilla, you help me, and you betray the cause."

Kent's grey eyes filled for a moment with guilt and confusion. "Fuck you Malk," he said bluntly, "none of your mental shit, I'm going and that's it, though I'm bringing several explosives and a large fucking gun."

"Well goodbye then Kent," Ash commented pityingly, "looks like she's wormed her way into you then. The Malk will see us all destroyed one by one."

"I am no worm," I protested, "I have limbs, see!" I shook out my legs and waggled my hands before the grumpy Toreador. "The worm is in the lady by the sea, crafty worm."

"Ash enough," Isaac hissed angrily.

Ash glowered at him. "It's true Isaac!" he exclaimed passionately. "Even if you don't want to see it, and V.V agrees! She corrupts everyone she touches; she made you think she loved you before she slept with your Ghoul!" I glanced at Romero in time to see him stare at the floor awkwardly. "Then somehow she worked her way back, and now she's even won Kent over." He turned his hateful blue eyes on Kent. "You hated her Kent! She annoyed you as much as everyone else!"

"He never hated her," Alex pointed out quietly. I turned to him and saw him looking at Kent with grateful green eyes.

"No, I never hated her," Kent admitted grudgingly, "considered her a pain up the ass yes, and I still do, look Ash nothing has changed, she still annoys the fuck out of me but come on, where's the honour in letting her go to her death like this? At least if she has some help there's a chance."

"A chance for the Sabbat to have two victims instead of one," Ash argued.

"I know what they're capable of Ash," Kent said coldly with a glare, "better than you."

"Then why?" Ash practically wailed as he shook his hands in a downwards gesture.

As they argued I crept closer and closer to the door, when the Toreadors' eyes were on each other I slipped out and Ofuscated. The door was forced open almost immediately and Isaac, Alex and Kent appeared in a blur. They looked around wildly before cursing, and only Alex's green eyes seemed to linger on the spot where I was hidden. My beloved mad sire said nothing though, perhaps he did not sense me or perhaps he supported my decision to go to the Sabbat alone the latter was unlikely though.

"She can't be far!" Isaac exclaimed before he hurried up the alleyway.

Alex followed after him whilst Kent looked about suspiciously once more before hurrying on. Only when the three were gone from sight did I take the opportunity to sneak forward. I could not bear the guilt of Kent facing his nightmares again; his undead blood would no more be on my hands than Alex's. Even as I knew I had to do this mission I also knew it was a foolish one most likely to end in torture and destruction. Kent and Romero's dark tales had had more affect upon several of my psyches than they realised, it just was not enough to break the spell the Prince had me under. How ironic that the prince had cast the spell, perhaps what I needed then was a witch to free me. Too bad the only ones in Hollywood were phoney costume wearers or hags who despised my fanged kind.

I am the legion, the many voices upon the web, hear the glass rattles break upon mother's shoes. Do not cry over the carmine milk, embrace the fire and find the buttered bodies in the shed. The voices, sweet and of varying tone and gender, who could say which one spoke truth and which said the damning lie? Behind which door was the key and which held death?

Follow the trail of broken bodies and babbling witnesses. Go to where the sordid shit flows, find the bloody trail there. I contemplated who might know anything and considered that going to the dregs of Hollywood was a good start, off to the smut peddler then; perhaps he had heard some dark rumours. I reached the bin of sin that promised adult Xs inside, made me wonder what the prejudice against non-capitals was but I had no time to quibble. I went inside to a filthy looking room with racks of glossy magazines and thin cased DVDs all promising tales without plot and plenty of nudity. I was intrigued by the ones that offered costumes as well and briefly contemplated substituting my police outfit for a Girl Scout costume before I reached the balding, sweaty, brown eyed keeper of the sin. He knew of filth, but would he know of the debauchery that the Sabbat offered? Hmm, how to query without breaking some masks?"

"Evening darling," he drawled at me happily, "what can I do to you?"

"I seek a den of depravity," I announced brightly.

"Well you've come to the right place," he answered calmly with a nod.

I leaned as close to him as I dared, fearing coming into contact with something sticky and unpleasant. "Men who mould weird shapes," I murmured.

"Er...well I give you men who turn into weird shapes," he offered, "we've got the Three with the Acrobats, Sex Night at the Circus, and Double Jointed Fantasies."

I shook my head impatiently; the stench of sweat, smoke and smuggled booze drifting up from below was beginning to nauseate me. Down in the basement were many secrets, a yawning chimera, a dancer with a sword, a fat lonely man and a cheating husband. "No, I seek the beings of torture, and relic hunters, do you know of either?"

He was beginning to sweat, had yet to get the air conditioning fixed, and my question was unnerving but my ample breasts had him unwilling to turn me away. "No," he answered, "but look I've got India Jones and the Temple of Dominatrixes, does that interest you?"

I frowned, pulled back and glanced pointedly at the door. "I must seek another for information," I said mournfully, "what I seek is dark and painful, and all too public, an art of making monsters, a collection of murderers and jealous relic guards."

"Alright, alright," he protested reluctantly, "though really babe, I think you're asking for the wrong thing. You're a little weird, I dig it, but you're too cute for the dark stuff? I mean if S and M is what tempts you-"

"No thanks," I interrupted, "I have the graveyard guardian to play with. Just tell me what you know of a den of blood thirsting psychos."

"Graveyard guardian?" he queried dubiously. "Do you mean the old graveyard with the dead stars? Are you shacking up with the groundskeeper? Man, didn't think he'd score someone like you, he's always ringing here for one of my girls."

"Yes, yes," I muttered impatiently even as I planned to query Romero of his fancy for dancers. Couldn't be envious though, Kent would call me hypocrite and Isaac would turn green eyed himself. "Now, what do you know of anything strange, unusual and horrifying in the holly woods? Perhaps unnatural," I dared to suggest. Wasn't smashing masks if he spotted supernatural of his own accord, I wasn't telling him, just helping with the memory banks. Ah if only he had a pet elephant I could converse with, they had such good memories.

"Well okay but you didn't hear this from me cupcake," Flynn answered reluctantly, "there's this footage going around...a tape or tapes...it's real creepy, can't be sure if it's fake or a genuine snuff film but when I say creepy I mean creepy. Look I don't much about it, and few are willing to talk about it, seems people who get involved with it tend to vanish if you know what I mean."

"Ah into the well with the long haired girl!" I guessed.

"Um...no wrong movie, I think. Look, the company handing out is called Deathmask Productions, personally I've never heard of them and I couldn't tell you if they're distributing the thing or not. Anyway, I've heard...well there are weird creatures of this film, they look real but they don't look natural and they chase this girl and the thing is, well where they chase her... A customer of mine, well until he chose that Vesuvius dive over this much cheaper place, he said he'd watched it and that the place in the video looks like old house up on the hill. He can't be sure like, never seen the inside but the outside was recognisable enough, he says the garden the girl ran through was a dead ringer."

"Speak quicker smut pedlar," I urged, with just a hint of crimson force to my words, "tell me of the house on the hill." Ah too many bad things were wont to happen on big houses on hills, never much going wrong in apartments was there? Strange things to be certain, I'd seen a llama wandering into one, but not necessarily wrong.

"The house on King's Way," he explained as his eyes glazed over and he trembled just a little, "it's big, used to belong to some hotshot celebrity, been abandoned now for years, private and big, you can't miss it."

I nodded enthusiastically. "Well it will be a good place to start, many thanks sweaty man of sin."

He gave me a dazed smile. I turned and headed back out into Hollywood's glittering streets of false promises, and starting skipping to where I knew a familiar yellow cab would be waiting. It was alone, away from the other taxis waiting near clubs for patrons, discreetly parked close to dear Slater's shop and empty, all ready just for me. I bounced up the window and the shady eyed driver queried, "where to?"

"On to the crowned master's way," I commanded before I hopped into the backseat. I grinned nervously when I caught him glimpsing at me in the mirror. Mad, human shaping Sabbat? No problem. A cabbie with sunglasses? Horrifying.

As we pulled out of the main district I thought I saw a worried Kent darting past, he paused and looked up as the taxi drove past but I did not think he spotted me. I did not risk looking back but instead hunched down and sank my head forward and between my knees. Ostrich tactic, if I couldn't see him he couldn't see me.