Drew caught sight of the calendar on her fridge.

"Another year, already?" she murmured, putting her cereal bowl in the sink.

She padded off to her bedroom to get ready. She slid into a similar outfit from the day before. This time around, she paused at her dresser, next to her vanity. In an old wooden box, carved with a Celtic cross on top, a place she kept her jewelry she'd accumulated. Her Gran's wedding band was inside.

She'd got it from her case manager when she turned eighteen. She'd gotten a call from their legal department who had been holding onto a few things she was to be given once an adult. It'd been in her Gran's Will. She pulled out the locket she'd splurged on with her first paycheck.

A simple silver chain that dropped between her breasts. The pendant was a silver locket with a photo of her parents on one side, along with her grandparents on the other. The people who created her. Two people she never got to know. She slipped open the locket. A photo of her parents taken a month before the accident. The other her grandparents before her Granddad had passed. She slid it over her head kissing the back before stuffing it in her shirt.

She wanted it close today.

She made her way to the office with her bag she'd prepared the night before. She hurried along in the early dawn. A heaviness in her chest.

Alright. Drew took in the room before her. Her head lamp on, with the larger hand light. This way she was able to see a good half of the room without too much effort. It was a storage room from the looks of it. A few trunks and pieces of decaying furniture. Cobwebs covered them with layers and layers of dust. She was thankful for her dust mask.

She touched her few curls that escaped the hat. She'd have no choice but to shower tonight. Her poor hair, either she needed to wrap it from now on or shave it again. The downsides of her career. Hair care came last.

"How's it looking in there?" Davina popped her head in.

"Cramped and dusty. We've got an old storage room. There's piles of furniture and trunks we'll need these hauled out carefully. Get Max and Justin down here. We need these moved as carefully as possible, who knows what is inside. They are to be dusted off to our best ability in the tent before transporting into one of the labs. Kingston will delegate a spot for each item. I would, but you know how he is with layout." She ordered.

"Right away boss." Davina was out her light following with her.

She bent down to the first box, wiping away layers of dust from the trunk. The wood was beginning to fall apart. What looked to be fabric was in frays barely holding together amongst the dust particles.

She was careful with the metal latches. She flipped them over. She was gentle in lifting the lid, both hands on each side. She eased it back. A nasty squeak echoed out from the back hinges. She peered in side.

Fabrics. She closed the lid once more careful not to allow the dust in. she didn't want to disturb the delicate ecosystem in such a dirty place.

"We have been summoned?" Max called from the entrance.

She stood immediately. "Careful with these, do not disturb the trunks as best you can. I know the entrance is a lot to slip through, but we need to. The furniture that is basically falling a part and decomposing, can be sent to the bins in proper order. However, they are to be searched for hidden compartments."

"Right away Doc," Max nodded once beginning to haul chair after chair.

Drew helped with a trunk bringing it up to a waiting pair of hands to bring it to the rest. She was up a few times when they reached near the back of the room. There a few dust covered chairs remained. They were at least nearly done with this room. She knelt to grab the chair.

She stopped in her tracks.

In the light from her headlamp, she caught sight of a thin string. It was woven between the legs of a few destroyed chaises. She would have missed it if she'd just lifted it and went. Her heart slammed into her chest, she exhaled catching herself. Footfalls stopped behind her.

"Drew?" Justin questioned.

She held her hand up.

"No one else is to enter the room or tunnels. That's it for below today. Nothing further is to leave this area, until it is deemed clear. I'm calling Sir. Turi." Drew ordered.

The sooner they were out the better. She found Max and Justin to be hard workers, and decent guys over all. The issue was they could be clumsy. She didn't need any more explosions jeopardizing the rest of the job site. She steered Davina upstairs along with the others who'd turned around. The few that exited began to talk amongst themselves.

Whispers questioning what had happened. She surfaced shaking off the dust from herself.

"What's wrong?" Azrael called over, making his way over to them.

"Trip wire. It's still in place. We got lucky. I'll call Sir Turi and advise of the halt. Get the specialists in there." She got him up to date while she began digging into her belt.

Azrael didn't hesitate to pull out his own cell and dialing. It wasn't the first trip wire he'd encountered. It was her typing up the progress reports. She'd just earned herself a good five page report to be added from health and safety and more.

She hit call on Aro's contact as she turned and headed back to the tent. She was already covered in sweat, with dust clinging into crevasses she didn't want to discuss. She glanced over to the side where some of the hands were dusting off the pieces with some value. Five trunks and a bunch of chairs and broken tables. She'd bet under the layers of dirt some of the fabric could be restored or cleaned.

She forced herself to turn away. She faced Moira who shot her a look. She waved her off. She didn't have time to explain how she was ogling the craftsmanship of the pieces.

"Ciao, Amore mio." Aro answered after two rings.

He practically purred his greeting.

"Hi," she clambered. "The dig is on hold again."

She heard some adjustment in the background. "Ah, that is disappointing. Tell me the cause."

"What else," she snorted. "Trip wire in a storage room. Oddest place. Who puts a trip wire in with a bunch of broken tables and chairs? It wasn't even at the front. It was buried in the back."

"Not all rooms are just rooms, Doctor. An entrance may be the back of a room." He reminded.

"If there is a hidden entrance." She took off the safety hat handing it over to Moira who was holding her hand out. "It's utterly ridiculous."

"What my family was thinking at the time was safety. So, they had a little fun." She could hear his smile.

She rolled her eyes. "Your family is delaying our efforts. You're lucky, we just removed enough to keep the hands busy for the week anyways. Labelling and sorting. Fun stuff. All for you to review and decide what to do with it."

"My decisions on a lot of it, would surprise you."

She paused. "Why?"

"While you may have passion for each item there, cara mio, I find it merely to be objects to be returned to the garbage."

She froze. "These are your family's belongings."

"Stored away in a basement. Not of much value, if it was. It would be in a vault."

She let a deep sigh go. Rich people. "Still, protocol calls for your decisions on these things. That's what the contract we all signed said. Whether that be to an auction house or to a museum. Also, I wouldn't suggest a garbage, it's not good for the planet when you can recycle. Despite what you might think, you can't buy another planet."

"Maybe one day," He chuckled. "I have a meeting now. We shall talk soon."

He disconnected. She pulled her phone away disconnecting. She checked the time before pocketing the thing. Her stomach growling reminding her it was time for lunch.

"Thank you for returning these, you can have them when given all clear." Moira commented taking her walkie.

"It will be a bit. Darn rich people and alarms." Drew shook her head. "See you later,"

She made her way back towards her office. She slid her necklace out from her shirt pulling the pendant close. She traced the details of the warmed metal. Floral patterns swirled around the heart.

Aro's words, replayed in her head. 'Objects to return to the garbage.'

She really needed to remind herself. Not everyone had her desire to discover the past. Not everyone saw old items as a connection to their family. These were seen as broken items to be gotten rid of. It's why they were buried down underground, left to be forgotten by the world.

She reached her office, quick to enter and shut the door. She let the building sting in her eyes over flow.

Not everyone fought constantly to feel some sort of connection to their family. It wasn't selfish for Aro not to care about every little table or trunk of items. He came from a rich family. Things were not important. He could replace it in a blink of an eye. Even with something better she bet. He had a home full of much more, and vaults. She reminded herself. He had the important stuff. He didn't need to desperately cling to something, to feel like he belonged.

She wiped her tears with the palms of her hands. She'd inherited the money from her Gran's apartment, and the money from her parents' home which had been sold soon after they died. She only had a few things from them. Limited pictures. She envied the technology she had now. Her cell phone even her canon camera wasn't limited to a few photos. She could capture whatever she wanted to. See the memories she had.

Her grandma had died long before they ever had a digital camera. She'd bought her first one in two thousand she was eighteen and had saved for it. She'd filled so many albums and memory cards just trying to capture as many moments as she could. Her parents had two albums between them of their childhood photos and relationship.

Her stomach growled. She really needed to clean off and get food. She pushed off her desk and grabbed her ID. She made her way to the gym showers

Drew finished making her large mug of coffee in her travel mug. She capped it. She needed to thank Aro for the Espresso machine that was right beside the coffee machines. Meant she could have extra shots if needed. She'd be living on Caffeine for a long time. Today was no different.

Today was proving to be a bit tough. It wasn't just from the labor of hauling many things up and down those stares. She rubbed her back. She really needed to make sure she stretched and prepared for heavy lifting.

"Dr. Danvers, how was your second day back in the field?" Marcus Turi stood hands in his trouser pockets.

"Sore from hauling all day, but I'm quite happy. Being back in the field is nice, even if we're cut off for a little while. Trip wire." She smiled. "I just don't miss not being able to get my coffee early like I was. A lack of direct source is annoying."

She turned seeing Marcus' nose wrinkle up.

She chuckled. "Not a fan?"

"I've never been one for caffeine." He replied as if he'd smelt sewage.

"I owe my PhDs to this stuff. I used to survive my all-nighters with coffee mixed with red bull. The crash sucks though. Exam season was survived with sugar, caffeine, and I'm ready to go. The issue is it's gotten to the point I need a lot of it now. On rare occasions I'd chew coffee beans, it did a lot for me too. Those are for extreme measures though." She rattled off making her way back towards her office.

He followed her. She saw the grimace at her words from the side. "How is the impact to your body? Surely doing that is unhealthy?"

"Never said I wouldn't paid for it in a few decades. The future is never guaranteed so I enjoy my coffee."

"What makes you say you won't live a long life?" Marcus stopped right before her door brow arched.

"The future is never certain. Death can greet us at any time." She replied briskly.

Flashes of Gran's face flickered in her mind. The woman who raised her. She had watched such a mighty woman, vanish before her eyes. Grey hair short curls that'd been lost to chemo in her last few months of life. Her dark brown skin had gone from a healthy glow to sallow in months the disease took over. She'd been in her early seventies.

Death followed her family in the early years. Age was a privilege. Her parents smiling faces sat upon her heart. She never got to know them, after that night. They had been driving to her mother's Christmas party. The roads were wet with fresh frozen rain. Gran had told them to skip the party. Her gut told her something was wrong. They'd still gone.

Her parents were young and naïve. They were twenty-eight years old freshly hired out of university. They were going to party, despite being new parents. It'd be the first and last time they ignored Gran's plea. They didn't see the black ice when they crashed with the other car. Three lives were lost that day.

Drew shook her head forcing a smile. The familiar sting in the corner of her eyes. Now wasn't the time for memories. She needed to get some work done.

Marcus slid his finger under her chin not allowing her to look away. "Words from experience."

Drew's cheeks burned. "Uh… yeah…"

"Do you wish to discuss it?"

"It happened a long time ago. September twenty-ninth is just a hard day for me."

"We do not need to work hard today if you would like sometime. I am sure my brother will understand."

"No. I need the distraction."

"Have a good night, Davina." Drew waved as she closed her flat's door.

She hung her bag and keys up. The silence of the flat became increasingly loud. She slipped off her boots putting them together on the matt.

She slid her top off and kicked off her pants. She made her way towards her bathroom, stripping out of her dirtied clothes. She tossed them in the hamper right outside the door. She was quick to flip on the lights and shut the door.

Drew hopped into her shower and turned the hot water on as high as she could tolerate. She scrubbed her scalp as best she could. The conditioner was applied as she soaped herself up with her loofa and lavender body soap. She scrubbed at the caked-on dirt that had stuck to her neck and collar. She'd tried her best to get it off earlier in the gym change room. The issue was she'd been in a rush, she hadn't realized dirt remained.

She sniffed. A hiccup erupted from her lips. Tears pricked in her eyes.

The running water she allowed to fall over her face, washing the tears off. The day crashed down around her. The sobs ripped from her. She let it take over.

She began to tremble. The world bleary through the tears and water.

September twenty ninth. The day her Gran died.

Drew pushed the door open to their one-bedroom condo. She'd ran up the five floors with her backpack. The school day long ended. She hung up her coat and put her shoes in the closet.

"Gran, I'm home! I've got to go to the library this weekend, I need to get a for my English class reading assignment. Saturdays you usually feel better in the afternoon. I will head over to the pharmacy for your recent order…" She rattled off.

Drew made her way inside to the living room. The nurse usually set her Gran up on the recliner in the afternoons until she got home.

The TV was on low. The green recliner sat back.

"Gran?"

She rounded the chair.

Gran was sat eyes close. Her headscarf still covered her head. She was dressed in her one of her many tracksuits, a quilt draped over her legs. The TV tray in front of her held her glasses and the remote. A few pill bottles of her prescriptions she required to take.

"Gran, it's almost four. I'm home, I was going to make alfredo today."

Drew rounded touching Gran's head. She pulled away immediately.

"You're burning." She gasped. "Gran, wake up."

She pushed gently on Gran's shoulder. She merely moved further sideways slumping.

"Gran!" She pried open one eye.

Nothing.

She ran to the house phone, dialing 9-1-1.

"Nine-one-one –"

"My Gran, she won't wake up. She's burning up. Please send an ambulance. She's got cancer. She can't get sick. The doctor said." Drew cried.

"Aro?" Drew rasped opening the door to her flat. "What are you doing here?"

"When you called you sounded so heart broken, and you were crying," he lifted his cell phone.

She wiped her sore cheeks on the back of her hand. Aro stepped in handing over an initialed handkerchief. He closed the door behind him. She took it, giving a tight smile. She dabbed at her cheeks. The cool cotton felt nice upon her puffy raw cheeks. She'd been crying for the past few hours.

"Thanks," she sniffed. "You didn't need to come by, I know it's late on a work night."

Aro cupped her cheek, pulling her close to him.

She leant into his ice-cold touch. She sighed turning to press back against him, nesting under his chin. She breathed in his scent. His free hand fell to her waist, causing goosebumps to erupt along her waistband of her shorts.

"I know I did not need to. I wanted to." He whispered turning her head a bit. His cool lips pressed below her jaw trailing down her exposed neck.

"Thank you," she whispered. "It's been a tough day."

"Marcus said you were a bit down today. Do you wish to talk about it?" He offered.

She took his hand from her hip interlinking their fingers, she guided them both over to the living room. She let go to grab the quilt off the back of the couch she'd left there. She wrapped it around herself sitting. Aro kept close settling on the couch beside her. She leant over leaning over into his side.

He was still in his suit from work. She didn't frankly care about the dry cleaning it'd need from them snuggled up on her couch. She let her eyes fall shut. Aro pulled her closer into him.

"I'm not normally like this. So emotional. It's been fifteen years. You'd think it be just another day." Drew whispered.

"You do not need to explain yourself, if you do not want to." He assured her.

She shook her head. "I know…"

"Only when you are ready." He ran a hand over her side giving a little squeeze.

"September 29th, 1994 is the day my grandma died. She'd been in the hospital for four days. She'd gotten a flu bug. Something that shouldn't kill a person. She always got her flu shot. So did I. She had stage four breast cancer, though. Her chances of survival were slim apparently. I didn't know the stage until she was gone. If I had. Maybe I would've prepared better. I would've been more cautious with who I was around. She'd fallen into a deep sleep, with a high fever. She never woke up. I remained by her side that week. Until the doctor said they were pulling the cord she was brain dead." Drew began.

"You were only a child. Do not blame yourself." Aro soothed. "Cancer is not a kind disease. Where were your parents?"

"Died when I was less than a month old." She sat up a bit straighter, Aro's hand fell to her waist. "I –I don't mean to just trauma dump. I'm not looking for pity or anything. I honestly thought I was over it. September 29th is a hard day for me. I usually try and take the day off. Sort of a memorial to her. I only buried her recently."

Aro slid a finger under her chin, turning her towards him. "Do not be afraid to confide this in me. Death isn't always grieved for a short amount of time. It can come in bursts. Especially in such a case of yours."

"Are you sure I've only known you a few weeks?" Drew cracked a grin, with a laugh. A small sob in her words "We are still mostly strangers. I don't get this innate desire to trust you that I have. Am I crazy?"

Aro offered a soft smile, running a finger over her cheek. She shuddered, heat rushing to her cheeks. "You are the definition of sane. Sometimes we meet people who just connect with our souls."

"Thank you Aro, for listening to me." She curled up into his side.

A/N: I will be doing updates between this and IM alternating weeks. Just so I can keep on a schedule. As always thank you for reading :)