A/N okay this is a little late I am adding the note now a couple hours after I posted. Anyway George Lane, St. Alban's Road, and Sainsbury's are all real places in Woodford-Green, London. Just thought it would be interesting to note.

*-*-*-*-*

Dylan walked up George Lane as she left the underground station to the top of the hill. She hadn't eaten any breakfast causing her stomach to growl loudly. For a moment she considered stopping by the Sainsbury's on the left and see if they had any Pop Tarts but then she felt the pressure in her head again. He was trying to get in and she didn't know how long she could keep him out. She wasn't even sure how she shut him out the last time only remembered that she felt him prodding and then suddenly a curse echoed in her head and he was then gone.

Continuing down the street she paused for a moment on the overpass and watched the traffic on the motorway before going on. "Dylan, you can do this. He will kill again if you don't stop him," she said to herself out loud trying to encourage herself to go on. Then silently she added, "If he doesn't kill you first."

The walk was cold the wind picked up and the sky took on a pre-snow silvery quality. Grumbling she said, "Forget about him killing you, you are going to freeze to death first. I'd kill to be in California." Then she spotted the sign that read, "St. Alban's Road." Turning down it she was surprised that all the houses seemed to be single family type homes in Victorian style. Cartusu hadn't given her a number and just by looking at the clean friendly houses she couldn't determine behind which walls he lived. Reluctantly she opened her mind.

"I'm here Cartusu!" she called.

Cartusu rolled off the couch with a start. He had fallen asleep and her call had woken him up. That shouldn't have happened. He should only have been able to contact her not the other way around. Their connection was strong and it excited him. In all his incarnations he had never had a challenge. "A power of wills Dylan, this is what it will come down to." Then he opened his mind and found hers.

The force in which he answered her almost brought her to her knees but he told her where he was. Pulling the suitcase behind her another half a lock she found the house. It was painted a drab pale grey color but its ugliness was hidden behind several large holly bushes. The door had a row of four doorbells and Dylan ran her finger down the list, Hill, Norman, one with no name on it, and Marsh. With an outstretched finger she pressed the one without a name and a moment later the downstairs door released with a buzzing sound and a small click.

Dylan pushed open the door and stepped inside. Starting up the stairs she lifted her eyes to the second floor landing where Cartusu looked down on her with cold, hard eyes. "So I take it you aren't going to help me bring this up," she said sarcastically.

"I am going to help you just not with that," he said. "Plus you don't have to bring that up here."

"Well I'm not going to leave my suitcase out in the hall," she called to him as he disappeared back into his apartment and proceeded to bring it up the stairs.

He came back out and said, "You don't listen well do you? Take it back down." As she stood there confused he turned and locked the door to the flat behind him. Then he revealed a suitcase of his own. "Now to the airport."

"What? Why am I here?"

"We needed to leave a clue or two for your friends. Plus if we went directly to the airport it would be too easy and they would be behind us too soon. We wouldn't want that now would we?" he asked looking into her eyes. What pretty eyes she had. Slowly she felt her mind begin to fog again and she shook her head. Inside she was yelling, "Stop! Get out." Why had she come?

"You came because you want to know the truth and I can give it to you. You came because you know no matter how much Natalie and Alex love you they wouldn't understand and try to stop you from finding out what I want to give you. Now if you are a good girl I will ease up." Slowly he released her but not all the way. "You will be good won't you?" She didn't say a word. "Fine I will take that as a yes because I am a kind man."

Dylan snorted. He just looked at her. "Fine," she finally said, "so where are we going once we reach the airport?"

"Los Angeles."

*-*-*-*-*

The assassin stood waiting on the dock, smoking a cigarette, waiting for the ferry when a young boy of about seven years old ran up to him. Panting he called, "Mr. Anthony, Mr. Anthony." The assassin turned and watched the boy as he paused placing his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath a second then started running towards him again. When he reached the Thin Man he held out a business sized envelope. "This is for you Mr. Anthony."

The Thin Man cocked an eyebrow in question. "I didn't tell the police nuttin'. The man told me not to. He said that I need to give this to you. I would have 'fore but.." he let what he was saying drift off when he saw the curious look the man gave him. Reaching out his lifted the boy's tie and saw that the medallion was gone. Quickly he wrote a note, "Where is your charm?"

"Oh? The guy who gave me the letter took it. I told him it was mine. From the nuns," he panted between sentences. "But he just laughed."

"Took it?" he wrote.

"Uh huh," the boy replied.

Timmy, his name was Timmy the Thin Man remembered. Mother Superior had mentioned the boy in passing, something about him having a bright future. She had told him he had a bright future too despite his unwillingness to speak. He didn't like the idea of the boy being susceptible to the Brotherhood but there wasn't anything he could do about it. Had he had his own medallion he would have gladly given it to Timmy but it was taken a year ago by the angel. Lost in thoughts about her he pulled her hair out of his pocket.

"Mr. Anthony?" called Timmy. When the Thin Man didn't answer he tugged on his suit jacket to get his attention.

Anthony looked at the boy. "Mr. Anthony, do you really have to leave?"

He didn't say anything he just looked out into the strait between the island and the mainland watching the water and the boat pull up. The boy kept his eyes on the Thin Man waiting for a reply that never came. Without looking back the assassin stepped with his cane onto the deck of the boat. Moving to the bow away from the tourists leaving the island, he opened the envelope. Inside written in Romanian was:

"Hello Circus Boy, I know you are alive and it won't be long before the Teacher does as well. He thinks you are the successor, his protégé, but he is wrong. I am. Until you are gone I will know no rest."

He knew who it was from and it didn't matter. He had no desire to be involved in the Brotherhood or assume control of it any more than he wanted to be what he was. Inwardly he smirked at the cruelness of life and thought maybe it was best that the boy didn't have the medallion anymore. Before he stepped onto the boat he saw that the boy's aura was a faded orange color; something he had noticed about the child in the past. He knew what the color meant, the boy hadn't long to live. Sad as it was it was life and he couldn't help the boy and didn't want to. Why should he take away from the child the one gift he wished so much to have the ability to only live once?

*-*-*-*-*

The Teacher sat cross legged on the floor, eyes closed, finger tips together meditating. He did this on a regular basis the why of which he explained to his students as, "necessary for harmonious success between mind and body." If anyone who didn't know him were to come into the room they would have seen a quiet boy of approximately fourteen years of age sitting there. Currently he was meditating not only to bring his mind and body closer together but to draw The Brotherhood together as well. He couldn't understand what he had done wrong. How The Brotherhood which knew no dissent within for hundreds of years was suddenly split into two factions. On top of that Florescu was missing.

"I must be getting old," he thought to himself and laughed. He was getting old? There he was within his new form, that of a fourteen year old boy and he thought he was old. Trying to center himself and his thoughts once more he focused on the candle in front of him. It wasn't working. Damn Clement! The man had come to him six months before and told the Teacher that he had re-read the prophecy and that he was to take the Teacher's place upon the end of the last incarnation. Promptly correcting him the Teacher smiled and informed him that his successor was Anthony. Of course the other man reacted in outrage fuming on and on about how he would claim the title. How the fact that Anthony's mother Sakia had married a mortal and that should have negated any claim he might have had to the title.

Of course six months ago he had only thought that Clement was alone in his belief that he was the successor but three months ago he was disturbed to learn that the man's claims had caused a riff in The Brotherhood. It appeared that many believed that Clement should assume his place as Teacher after his final incarnation and that although many others didn't exactly believe that he was the prophesized one they had assumed that Anthony was dead and for the continuity of The Brotherhood Clement should be given the place of Teacher. Still there were others who believed that only the mute son of Romanian circus performers could hold the place. Unfortunately he didn't know where Anthony was and was unable to locate him until two days ago. He had sent Josef out to find him, verify that it was indeed the silent assassin and if possible bring him back into the fold. He could have stretched his mind to check himself but as in the legends churches and holy places were forbidden to the Brotherhood. It was Anthony's half-breed status that allowed him to go where the others couldn't.

A pounding at the door woke him from his thoughts. "I have returned, Master," stated the man who entered and knelt at the Teacher's feet.

"Stand," commanded the Teacher then he looked the man over he could see the muddy gray aura pouring off of him. "You disgust me!" he spat. "Look at you cowering like one of them. You screwed up and you thought I wouldn't know about it."

"I did what I was told."

"Josef you did not do as you were told. You were told to find Anthony!"

"But Master, I did."

"Are you trying to deny that you set the fire? The fire on the island? I should have known you would try to feed. "

Joseph nervously shifted his weight from side to side. He was damned if he told the Teacher, his Master, that he didn't and if he told him that he did then he would have to reveal who had him do it. Then the other would be angry. He could only wonder about which of the two would give him the worst fate. "I did it."

"Why?" asked the man in the teen-boy's body.

"Clement. He.he made me do it."

The Teacher clicked his tongue making a "tsk-tsk" sound. He had sent Josef thinking that while he had no self-control when it came to feeding he was at least loyal. Turning his back to Joseph he waved the man off and told him, "You may go."

His release came as a shock. He expected to be killed on the spot. "Sir, I do bring news." He hoped that it would please the Teacher. "Anthony has protected the nuns and the children."

The Teacher turned back around, eyes blazing. "How?" he demanded.

"They are armed with the medallion of the mother," he said and held out the medallion, dangling it with a handkerchief wrapped around the chain which he tore from the small boy's neck when he gave him the note.

"You expect me to believe that the nuns accepted the pagan symbol?"

"They have and I believe they think it is their Virgin Mary."

"Leave," said the Teacher softly. Joseph wasted no time. Quickly he scampered out the door leaving the Teacher alone in thought again. "Protect them Anthony but can you protect yourself?" Now he needed to find the other rogue member Florescu and bring him back in to the fold as well.