Sorry for the long wait for this one, it's been a busy month!

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The housekeeper had led her upstairs and prepared her a hot bath. At first she thought the woman was going to stay and help her to bathe but thankfully she was left alone to scrub away the grime. She breathed a sigh of relief as the woman shut the door behind her. The scars that marked her body told a story that she would rather not tell unless she absolutely had to. She allowed herself to slide down into the tub submerging herself completely under the water. The silence was a welcome change to the bustle of the tavern that had been her and Johnny's home for the last few days. After a few moments she ran out of air and pushed herself back out of the water, taking a strong inhalation of air as she rose and finally the tears came.

She really was all alone now. For the first time in her life she had no one. Everyone she cared for was dead, well, Hal was still alive, but the man he had become seemed so far removed from the man she had called her friend, that really he was as good as dead.

She stayed in the water, arms tightly hugging her knees until the water had gone cold. When she finally emerged from the tub she found that a dress had been left out or her at the foot of the bed. As she was dressing Sarah caught sight of herself in the full length mirror and gasped. She had always been slender but before she had been strong with it. Now she was skin and bones, all hollow cheeks and protruding ribs. She hurriedly fastened the dress and turned her back on the mirror.

Regular glances behind her had confirmed that she wasn't being followed but still her spine tingled with unease. The evening streets were cloaked in dark shadows that even her superior eyesight could not penetrate and she couldn't escape the suspicion, despite the evidence to the contrary, that someone was watching. She chastised herself. She was most probably the most monstrous thing roaming the streets this evening, she shouldn't be running scared. It made her dislike him even more. That some arrogant little upstart could make her worry for her life. He shouldn't have that power over her. She shouldn't let him have that power over her.

She needed a drink, she decided. Not blood. Blood would only heighten her senses. She wanted them dulled. No, alcohol was to be her tipple of choice tonight. Her eyes settled on the doorway of an inn just a little further down the road. As she came closer she could hear raucous shouting from within. Perfect. No one would think to look for her in somewhere like this. Especially not Hal.

Checking behind her once more and still seeing nothing to rouse her suspicion, she slipped through the door. The barman watched her enter with undisguised curiosity. He was a brutish looking man who bore a striking resemblance to a bulldog with his wide upturned nose, heavy brow and shaven head.

'Can I help you ma'am?'

She dropped a few coins onto the bar. 'Ale please.'

He raised a brow but made no move to serve her. 'You don't exactly fit with our usual customers ma'am.'

'Is my money no good for you?'

Ana became aware that the rumble of voices from the surrounding room had dropped and the eyes of at least half the patrons were now on her. Blending in was a useful skill as a vampire. Unfortunately it was not one with which she was blessed. She missed the days when cloaks had been fashionable. It had been easier to disguise her distinctive colouring back then. She had spent her human life in isolated village on the Norwegian coast where the sea breeze had stung her cheeks a vibrant red. Alabaster skin and white blond hair had been the norm there. It wasn't until Wyndham had found her and taken her across the continent that she realised that features that had made her so normal in her home town would make her a curiosity in any other place.

She held his look. Challenged him. He blinked first. 'An ale it is ma'am.'

'Thank you.'

Once she had taken her seat in a shadowed corner of the tavern and her fellow drinkers finally lost interest in her and returned to their previous conversations Ana took a gulp of her drink and finally let herself breathe. Once Hal's door had closed behind her she hadn't been able to get away fast enough. She hoped to god that he couldn't see through her mask as easily as she could see through his.

Her bluff was a simple one really: Hal had to believe that killing her would cause him more trouble than good. This wasn't strictly true. In the scheme of things, she was expendable. That had been made very clear to her before she had left. Hal was the prize. Much to the chagrin of Edgar and many of the other more traditional old ones, Snow could see something in Hal and if she returned to France without him, her only welcome would be a stake to the heart.

Her thoughts were interrupted as a young girl cleared her throat. 'Sorry ma'am, I don't mean to disturb you…'

Ana regarded her. She couldn't have been any older than sixteen and judging by her gaudy dress and the beginnings of a bruise under her right eye, she was almost certainly a whore. 'Not at all, can I help you?'

'I just wanted to say, your hair, it's lovely. So bright. I've never seen anything like it.' She suddenly seemed to catch herself and cast her eyes down to the floor. 'Sorry ma'am, I shouldn't have bothered you. It was a silly thing to say.'

Ana smiled. 'Not at all. Thank you.' She dug around in her coin purse and held out a handful to the girl who eagerly took it. 'Find yourself some lodgings for the night. Get some hearty food in you.'

The girl's eyes lit up. 'That's very kind of you ma'am. Thank you.'

'It's quite alright. Look after yourself.' The girl curtsied and scurried away, probably unable to believe her luck. Ana returned to her drink.

The girl reminded her of a friend she had had over a century ago. She had been a whore too and had let Ana feed off her, for payment of course. Over time, she had become one of Ana's closest confidants. Then one day she had stopped by the brothel to find that the girl had been beaten to death by one of her punters. Ana had always understood the danger her faced by her friend and had known that she could have easily given her the means to leave that life forever, and yet she had never bothered to extend her help that far. Selfishness was a ubiquitous trait amongst vampires and she was as guilty of it as any of the others. She took another gulp of her drink and shifted in her seat in an attempt to make herself comfortable.

She had seen Hal's knuckles whiten as he'd gripped the table. He had been so very close to snapping. Dealing with Hal on her own turf had been one thing, she had had some degree of control over him. Dealing with him in his own territory was another thing entirely. He was volatile. Dangerously so. That much had been clear from the start. He had already got away with killing one of Wyndham's men and wasn't as though Snow would care if she died. He had a fondness for her, well, as much of a fondness as a man like Snow could hold, but Snow didn't see the potential in her that he evidently saw in Hal. If she returned to France without Hal, her only welcome would be a stake to the heart.

An awkward silence hung heavily in Albert Western's drawing room. His eyes were darting around the room looking everywhere but at Sarah. It looked like he felt as lost in this whole situation as she did. Johnny had spoken about Albert frequently, mainly mocking the man's pomposity and his keen nose for profit. Thinking back, Johnny hadn't had much positive to say about him really. But that was then and this was now. Now Johnny was dead and Albert looked like he might be the only person around who was looking out for her.

'Is there anything I can get you? A bite to eat perhaps?'

She shook her head. She knew she should eat but frankly, the thought of food make her feel sick.

'It's Sarah. Isn't it?'

She nodded.

'Please treat this house as if it were your home. I promised our friend that I would look after you, and I take promises very seriously.'

'He spoke well of you.' She offered. 'It's very kind of you to do this. Thank you.'

'There's no need to thank me my dear.'

The awkward silence descended again and Sarah waited for the inevitable difficult questions. Albert didn't disappoint. He cleared his throat. 'I don't mean to pry. But there are questions I must ask. This Yorke. Who is he?'

'Hal is…' she paused wondering how much she should tell him. The supernatural world that she had found herself exposed to was vicious and cruel. She wouldn't wish the knowledge that she had on anyone. 'I really don't know who he is anymore. I used to think that he was a good man, or at least that he wished to be a good man, but now I find myself wondering if I ever knew him it all.'

Albert widened his eyes in surprise. 'You knew him well then?' he deduced.

'He was different back then.' She quickly countered. She didn't want to be tarred with the same brush as Hal. 'I knew that he had done some terrible things in the past but I never really allowed myself to wonder what he was capable of. It was easier not to think about the things he might have done or that he might do again.' She admitted.

Albert didn't speak for a moment and Sarah began to panic that he might change his mind about helping her and cast her back out onto the street. She hated this. Being utterly at someone else's mercy. She had had autonomy for almost her entire adult life. She had run her household by herself whilst caring for a centuries old vampire and her dying sister for God's sake. And for what? Now she was completely alone and reliant on the kindness of strangers. She wondered if she would ever feel the freedom of being that powerful animal prowling under the bright light of the full moon again. That thought caught her by surprise. She had never thought she would come to look upon her curse with fondness. Funny how things happen.

Albert finally spoke with a tremor that he was futilely attempting to disguise. 'What's happened here? I understand that you're afraid. I certainly am.' He confessed. 'But I need to know what's going on. What are we up against? I need to know so I can help keep you safe.'

We. Maybe she wasn't as alone as she had thought. Though of course, Albert didn't know the truth. He still thought she was human. Who knew what he would do if she found out what she really was. 'How much did Johnny tell you?

'Very little. I think he was in shock when he saw what that Yorke fellow had done to his family.'

'Hal is…' she stopped. How to say this without sounding utterly mad? 'He's part of a group who kidnap men and force them to fight each other to the death.' She watched as Albert's mouth fell open in horror. 'Johnny's brother was kidnapped, and eventually ended up in the hands of Hal and his men. Eventually he committed suicide.' Albert had turned a pallid grey and beads of sweat were forming on his brow. She paused but he nodded for her to go on and she continued her sorry story about how Johnny had killed many of Hal's men before being lured into a final confrontation.

'And now? Is he a danger to you? Will you being here put my wife and I in danger?'

'I don't think so. I imagine that represent a part of his past that he would rather not revisit.'

He nodded, apparently satisfied by her answer. 'I certainly hope you're right.' He reached out and squeezed her hand, his palm was warm and soft. Comforting. The look on his face suggested that he thought the gesture was a futile one, and it probably was in the scheme of things. But it meant that someone was still looking out for her and right now that meant the world.

She smiled.

She didn't usually like to be alone. Silence inevitably led to thoughts that she would rather not entertain. But tonight, for a change, she was happy to be in her own company. It had been a busy few days and truth be told, she was in need of a break.

Her most recent embroidery project sat on the table mocking her. It was the most difficult design she'd tried yet, and thus far it had defeated her. She idly fingered the necklace that Hal had bought her earlier today. It was heavy round her neck, not exactly a piece of jewellery you could forget you were wearing, but it was beautiful. She wished she could see what it looked like on her. She wished she could see what Hal could see. A few months ago she would have been showing it off to all of her friends, but now most of them were dead and the ones that remained had been sorely neglected. She had enjoyed their company, but once Hal had returned her priorities had shifted and now when she did bump into them at various dinners and parties the conversation was stunted and awkward. She wasn't one of them anymore. She was happier now Hal was here: life had felt empty and disjointed when he hadn't been around, but it didn't stop her missing the relaxed conversations she had had with her friends. Hal was many things, but he wasn't always easy company.

The embroidery caught her eye again. She knelt down and picked it up. Maybe tonight would be the night when she finally cracked it. A knock on the door made her jump and she dropped the frame. She wondered who would be at her door at this time of night. Hal perhaps? But no, he was going to be tied up in a meeting all evening and anyway, when had Hal ever knocked? She briefly entertained the idea of ignoring the knocking and just hoping that whoever it was would just go away but her curiosity won out. Surely whoever it was would be more interesting than getting defeated by that bloody embroidery again.

Ana was in her doorway, her hair slick with rain. Emilia stood, mouth agape wondering what the hell Ana wanted now.

Ana cleared her throat. 'It's rather cold out here…' she prompted.

'Of course.' Emilia stuttered. 'Sorry, I wasn't expecting company, I must have forgotten my manners.' She stepped aside to let Ana enter. 'Please. Come in.'

'Don't apologise on my account. I just wanted to see how you were.'

That instantly made Emilia wary. Ana didn't seem the sort of woman to engage idle chatter.

'That's a lovely necklace you're wearing.'

'Hal got it for me.' She didn't take her eyes off her guest. She shouldn't have let her in. Hal would be furious if he found out they had spoken.

Ana signed. 'Of course he did.'

'And what's that supposed to mean?'

'Just that you seem to be very reliant on him. You should be careful.'

'Who are you to say that? You don't even know me.'

'Perhaps not but I've known men like Hal. It doesn't tend to end well for those that get close to them.'

'You've known Edgar Wyndham for your entire life and you're still here.'

'Wyndham's not like Hal. He's cold and yes, he can be cruel but he doesn't tend to have the violent outbursts that Hal does. At least not to those he cares for.' She walked through into the lounge and sat in Emilia's chair. 'I must confess that I do have an ulterior motive for being here.'

Emilia couldn't say she was surprised. She was quickly learning that older vampires rarely did anything without an ulterior motive.

'If you think that I'm an easy way to get to Hal you're wrong. The last person who tried that was Angus Fraser, and look what happened to him.' Ana didn't need to know that Emilia had been an unwilling participant in that whole affair.

'I'm not planning on using you to get to Hal. At least not in the way you think.'

'What do you mean?'

'Hal is on very thin ice right now. If he's not extremely careful, he's going to ruin everything for himself.'

'Isn't that what you want? You've made no secrets about your feelings towards him. Don't pretend you wouldn't be happy to see him fail.'

'What I want isn't important. I was sent here to do a job. Snow has invested a lot of time in Hal and therefore I must invest a lot of time in Hal. You see, Snow doesn't like it when his investments go awry.'

Emilia gulped.'You're talking about Sarah aren't you?'

'The dog?' Ana nodded. 'So you're in on it too then? Hmm.' Emilia noted that Ana didn't seem all that surprised. 'If he doesn't kill her he's as good as finished. I may not like him but he has the potential to be one of the best, or one of the worst depending on your perspective. It would be such a shame to waste that potential for a dog.'

'You want me to persuade him to kill her?' Emilia was sickened by the thought of it.

'If he needs a push you're in the best position to give him it. You're the closest person to him.'

'I think you're over estimating my influence over him.'

'If Hal falls out of favour with Snow things will change for you too. You won't be the darling of London anymore, that's for certain.'

'You think that's what I care about?'

'I can't see why else you'd still be with him.' She shrugged. 'I should probably tell you that when someone falls out of Snow's favour their life expectancy tends to drop catastrophically. Maybe that will change your position.'

Emilia shook her head. 'God, our world is horrid isn't it?'

'Human life can be just as terrible.'

'Mine wasn't. I was loved. I never wanted for anything. If someone had told me back then that all of this would be the consequence of me taking the hand of a handsome man at a ball I wouldn't have believed them. Not in a thousand years.'

'Life is a bit of a bastard like that. But then, if we knew what was going to happen next, where would be the fun in that?'

'You have a rather perverse idea of what constitutes fun.'

Ana grinned conspiratorially. 'I'm a vampire, what do you expect?'

The jest broke the tension and Emilia felt herself soften towards her visitor. 'Did Wyndham give you a choice?' The question caught her by surprise, she hadn't even been aware of the thought before it passed her lips.

Ana looked at her blankly. 'What do you mean?'

'Before he recruited you, did he give you a choice?'

'Yes and no. He told me that if I went with him he would show me things beyond my wildest dreams so I said yes. Though I admit I didn't understand what he was really offering at the time.'

'If you had known, would you still have said yes?'

'I don't regret my decision if that's what you're asking. You weren't given a choice were you?'

She was a little put out that Ana seemed to know so much about her, but she supposed that the other woman was just being thorough in her job. 'No. I wasn't. I was Hal's captive for months. Eventually I chose to slit my wrists rather than endure any more of his hospitality. He found me and turned me. There was nothing I wanted less than this life.'

'And yet you're still by his side. His ever loyal companion.'

Emilia blushed. The irony of her situation was not lost on her. 'We don't chose who we fall in love with.'

'But we can chose to walk away from them. It's hard, but it can be done. He'll kill you one day. You know that don't you?'

Emilia abruptly turned away from her guest and stared into the fire, her eyes pricking with tears. She felt Ana's hand on her shoulder and she knew she should push the other woman away, but she didn't.

'I was reminded earlier of a girl I used to know. I knew she was in danger and yet I never lifted a finger to help her, even though it would have been so easy for me to do so.'

'I don't need anybody to save me.'

'Things could be different for you. You are what you are there's no changing that. But things could be different.'

'You mean leave if I left Hal.'

'You've managed without him before. For a nearly a decade if my sources are correct.'

'And it felt like I was drowning for the whole time. I need him.'

'But your world didn't end, did it? You kept going. It would be different this time. Once all this is over and I can return to the continent, you should come with me. I could show you some wonderful things.'

'Hal said that too. Mainly he showed me brutalised corpses.'

'I'm not Hal.'

'But you're one of them aren't you? An Old One? You have Snow's ear. That doesn't suggest to me that you're any better than him.'

'I'm not an Old One Emilia and I have no desire to commit the sort of acts that would earn me that title. I was born into their society, and yes, I am able move comfortably within it. I do what I have to to survive, as do you. Your own ledger is far from clean.'

'Am I interrupting something?' Hal's voice rang out across the room. Both women turned to see him lounging against the doorway into the lounge, a hip flask hanging loosely from his hand.