Disclaimer: The moose flies at midnight! I warn you and warn you now. This is a short chapter. I repeat. This is a short chapter. Purpose: to fill the gap between the next and last chapters.

Rose collapsed to the floor as she was thrown onto the circular rug like a feeble rag doll. Ned locked the heavy chamber door behind him. After the secure sound of the padlock locking into place, he turned towards his next dinner. She looked so helpless, so weak, and so delicious as she managed to sit up and rub her head with her delicate hands. Several strands of rich brown hair fell over her right eye as she stared at him. She was afraid. Just a little fear was the perfect spice to any meal. Ned advanced towards her.

"My dear, sweet Rose," he inched closer with each word, "I am afraid that our time together is nearly at an end."

Rose strained as she tried to crawl backwards on the floor. But the pain in her hand shot through her whole arm like a brigade of needles was immediately struck into her wrist. She cringed with each dose of pressure put on it. Unfortunately, it didn't help her escape Ned's great hunger any faster. He still approached her, looked almost more like a starving sly tiger than a man. All Ned could do was watch her as she struggled.

He raised his hand up and flicked his wrist. Then, some phenomenal amount of energy restricted Rose's ankles from moving, then her legs, her midriff, and farther. It was like a giant invisible boa constrictor was wrapping itself around her body, only instead of becoming locked into position, she became limp. Rose felt the unpleasant burn of the Ned's spell take her arms captive. It the end, she felt like every bone in her body from the shoulders down had decided to spontaneously die on her. Ned couldn't have been happier with his magical manipulative abilities when he was starving. Rose merely laid there on the cold rough rug, fighting to force her limbs to move. If only they would obey.

Ned held his hand in the air. All weight and gravity seemed to leave Rose's body as suddenly; she slowly levitated into the air. She smoothly rose up from the uncomfortable floor and into the air. It felt as though someone was holding her up by her shoulders and lifting her up. She was raised until her bare feet were only inches from the ground. Rose looked up at Ned. Her eyes were burning with a combination of hate, sadness, and tears that rolled down her cheeks.

He walked up her, only inches remained between them. Ned brought his fingers under Rose's chin to tilt her head up a bit so he could look directly into her eyes. The two gazes clashed violently. Rose wanted nothing more than to kill this bastard right here and now. She had never felt such rage before. It coursed through her veins as if her very blood was molten. Ned had taken away something her heart kept most precious. Johnny was now dead, and Squee was missing. Wait, what happened to Squee?

"Now, before I drink," Ned leaned in and closed the little space between him and Rose.

Her eyes widened fearfully as she felt his chapped lips upon her own. It was a passionate kiss, but it completely lacked passion. Rose couldn't believe that Ned had the nerve to kiss her like this after all he put her through. A slight stinging manifested where he wasn't very careful with his fangs. If Rose had the ability, she would beat Ned to a bloody pulp, but being immobile didn't help very much. She could feel his tongue smoothly glide along her lower lip to collect the beading drop of blood before it rolled down her chin.

He backed away and licked his lips, "Delicious."

Ned's next smile was absolutely sinister. His fangs gleamed white with a hungry lust for blood of the deepest red. A spike of his crimson red hair fell over one of his deep thirsty eyes. Just by smiling, Ned appeared to be more of a demon than anything else. The only thing that scared Rose more at the moment was the fact that he took a step closer.

"And now," he stood before her and grabbed her arms roughly, "I'll end this."

Rose clenched her eyes shut and awaited Ned's fangs to bury deeply into her neck, but it never came. All that she heard was the high ring of a dagger making its claim. She opened one eye. Ned was frozen where he stood, a look of shock on his face. His labored breathing was failing him as he stood there. A tiny amount of blood sputtered from the center of Ned's abdomen. With a sudden gasp, he dropped to his knees and doubled over, clutching his stomach. When he fell over onto his side, twitching slightly, a small boy clutching a crimson coated dagger in his tiny hand. His eyes were wide with disbelief of the sinful deed he had just committed. It was Squee.

"Rosie," Tears began beading in the eyes of the little one, "I'm sorry. I didn't want to kill him. But he was going to hurt you. I, I, I didn't w, want him to hurt you."

Not only Squee had eyes that were brimmed with tears. It spite of all that has happened to the two of them, they couldn't be happier just to see each other in safety's hands. But it didn't last long.

"Nice try, little Squee," Ned's blank stare shifted towards the small child, "But not good enough."

Like a marionette puppet being lifted off the floor by its strings, Ned rose off the cold stone ground of his room. A large crimson stain was spreading from the point of where Squee had driven his dagger through him. But unfortunately, it did not aid in Squee's attempt to kill him. He still stood strong, even with blood flowing from his body.

"I may be brutal, but I have a soft spot for children," Ned limped towards them, "I will make sure his death is nice and quick, but horribly agonizing!"

Rose wrapped her arms protectively around Squee. It was the embrace of a mother guarding her child. The only real mother Squee ever had. He had to protect her. He had to protect his Rosie. Squee wrung himself free from Rose's arms. He launched himself at Ned. To Squee, Ned wasn't an enemy. He was the embodiment of every single thing he hated. Being taunted and picked on, his house, his life, his parents, and someone who dared to hurt Rose. With as much strength as his small body would allow, he threw himself at Ned and took him to the hard stone floor.

"Get off of me!" Ned shouted as he hit the floor, "You disgusting little ground weasel!"

Squee brought his blood stained dagger into the air over the struggling Ned. With a final glare into his eyes, he sent the blade straight into Ned's heart.

It is over…

Ned gasped. But each breath he drew never made it to his lungs. Dark blood slowly began to stream from the center of his chest. The look in his eyes softly began to fade.

It is finished…

Ned had the true appearance of a dying man. One with a last wish, with a lost hope, with…relief. With much perserverence, he slowly raised his hand and reached out for Rose, no where close enough to touch her.

His vision faded into darkness, "I'm coming Xiao. I'm almost there."

It is done…

His head rested back onto the floor, his chest fell and did not rise, and his hand dropped limply to the stone. His pale skin became white and his eyes peacefully closed. Ned was finally dead.

The Maiden of Light: I told you so! I told you it would be short. The only point of this chapter was to connect the last one and the next one. Well, school started, so I was a little slowed and my mother is a computer hog, but she needs it for work. Read, Review, and research for more humorous actions that begin with an R.