Having satisfied her needs for the time being she left her private dungeon and sat next to him. He hadn't moved since she'd left him, it was as if he were a wind up toy that had no momentum of his own until he was wound up. She was almost tempted to see if he had a key by which she could wind him to see if that would make him move. If she left him long enough perhaps he would move of his own accord but it had already appeared that independent movement was beyond him. He was nothing more than a statue, an automaton; a thing without will and yet he was human; a creature that had needs; a living, breathing thing that had feelings and that could feel pain. He could talk and once he could laugh. Once he had been physically supreme but now he was wasting away like an un-watered plant. Now he was nothing, he had lost everything that had made him strong that had made him special.

Feeling her stomach grumble she stood up. Walking over to the same wall she had located the bathroom door on she fumbled to find the switch that controlled the food counter she had seen him activate so many times. So far she had had no luck but she was surprised to see hand appear out of nowhere and press a button that had so far been invisible against the white of the wall. She felt herself being pulled out of the way as the counter slid out of the wall and took up a quarter of the floor space on that half of the airship. Looking over her shoulder she could just see his hand resting on it, and beyond that, him.

In his eyes she could see that he knew what she was intending to do for him. Still no smile creased his lips but there was one there, deep inside where he couldn't find it. In her eyes he could see that she understood, that she wanted to help him but that there was something holding her back. Had he been more inclined to talk he would have asked her what it was but for now he felt comfortable in his silence. If he remained silent there was nothing more about his life he could say to her, he said enough already and that he had put her in an awkward position but she was still there. He'd have expected her to have left by now but still she remained. Now that there was a bed going free in his lonely home there was no reason that she should ever have to leave but he couldn't quite bring himself to let anyone except him lie in or on that bed.

His eyes were heavy and yet he refused sleep. Its gentle soothing motions couldn't tempt him to close his eyes, not even for a second. They were still moving, still searching. Right and left they turned in a corridor that seemed to come to no end, a corridor in a building very much similar to the one where the body of a man had been found, the very man that had supplied the murder weapons used in the attacks of a few days ago. Every shadow seemed to hold a secret; every splash of light in the darkness seemed to be a haven from the emptiness all around them. Every sound was amplified to three times its normal volume meaning that every movement made an awful din.

It was then that they heard the footsteps.

Greta paced the living room floor with her fingernails between her teeth. She was alone in the room; Robbie had gone to take a shower in hopes that it would divert his mind from the path his thoughts had begun to take. As yet there had been no news from Ché and she was beginning to get worried. She tried to remember that no news was good news but in this case it wasn't working. More than once she had been tempted to contact the network, an organisation set up by the band of heroes, to see if they could track her errant husband down but she knew their involvement wouldn't be taken well by Ché. She knew how he hated it when they got involved in anything that he did or was going to do. If they found out that Cain was indeed back from the dead, as seemed to be the case, they would ask some very hard questions that she couldn't answer and doubted anyone else would be able to shine light on.

He should have been in the shower right now. He should have stopped thinking, it was something he'd been doing too much of lately. Every thought that passed through his mind opened up an old wound that refused to close. Sometimes he would try to work out who had fathered Robyn if he hadn't but those thoughts always proved the most painful. In his darkest moments he would almost convince himself that both Kit and Robyn were gone forever, that he would never see them again.

He understood why Greta was here, why Ché had been staying over as well. Without their constant presence and watchful eyes he might have given way to his sorrow completely and put his life in danger. Already he had lost one of the most important people in his life and now the second most important had disappeared with her. As for Sportacus; he hadn't seen him for days, no one had. The only person that had had anything to do with him was that vulture Ellen.

Ellen.

That name stirred up more hatred in him than he had ever felt in his life. She had ruined him and destroyed his family. She had been the cause of most of his hurt and the hurt of his…he couldn't say the word anymore, it would be a lie.

Nick stopped walking and held a hand to Kit's chest to stop him moving also as he concentrated. Using his enhanced vision he searched the shadows. His eyes detected movement some distance away, someone was coming towards them. From what he could tell this was no ordinary someone, this was someone very tall and carrying something. He was almost surprised at the pace with which the person was walking but considering the length of strides the person took it seemed very much in place. It was a few more seconds before he could see the person clearly enough to distinguish them as a man and a very well built one at that.

Feeling his hand being pulled away he turned his head to look at Kit who had also caught of the stranger. Studying his companion's face in the shadow he saw recognition there, as if this was someone Kit knew. He was about to ask him if he did indeed know who the man coming towards them was but before he could even draw a breath Kit ran past him and further up the corridor. Having no other choice he followed but stopped short when he saw what or rather who the stranger was carrying.

He had found Robyn.

As soon as his nostrils were touched with the sweet smell of fresh blood he knew that something was wrong. Clamping his jaw he tried to stop his fangs from descending as he took a few steps further to the trio. Only he and the giant man a matter of feet away from him remained silent as Kit realised what had happened and tried to soothe Robyn from her reawakened fears.

She cried loudly, her sobs mingled with his as he took her from Ché's arms. Their agony filled the room and Nick could see the faintest streaks of tears on the giant's cheeks. His own eyes pricked with tears that he couldn't cry as the scene in front of him unfolded. For a moment his eyes met the giant's before he turned away, he felt guilty for not having arrived sooner. If they had come to this place first perhaps they would have saved from Robyn from her terrible fate, in his own guilt he had no idea of the shame felt by the man staring at his back.

They had eaten in silence, there had been no words to say as their mouths had been occupied with the food they savoured. She had watched him while they ate, his pallor had improved and she could see how the fruit had taken effect in him. Emotionally he hadn't changed, he still seemed distant but she was going to soon alter that. Putting her empty plate on the floor she took his from his lap and did the same. A questioning look crossed his face but she kissed it away. Pulling back she could see that it had worked and a completely different look had begun to grow.

Kissing him again she pushed him back so that he lay on the bed with herself on top of him. She pulled his hat off of his head and ran her fingers through his dishevelled hair. His fingers did the same to hers as they searched every inch of her head. As soon as he felt her move her hands from his hair to his clothes he pulled away from the kiss and tried to get up. Ellen understood this sign and stopped what she was doing before standing up and walking over to a window. Darkness had fallen and her eyes stared into its empty blackness. Hearing movement behind her she moved her eyes slightly and saw his image reflected in the glass against the lights inside. She felt him place a hand on her shoulder and turned around.

Cupping Ellen's chin gently in his hand Sportacus smiled weakly, "You didn't do anything wrong. Just give me two minutes and we can start again."

Ellen watched as he turned away and walked into the bathroom. Smiling slightly at this invitation she walked back over to his bed and sat down. True to his word he was two minutes in the bathroom before he returned. He was about to join her on the bed before she held up a finger and stopped him.

"Just let me get a little more comfortable first," She purred.

Sportacus smiled but his smile soon faded into a look of sheer horror as Ellen lifted a hand to her face and pulled what seemed to be a latex mask from her face and saw what had lay beneath it.

Lily.

Sheer terror gripped him as he took an involuntary step back, "I…I don't understand…Ellen? What have you done to her?"

"Don't you get it?" Lily hissed her face red with rage, "I am Ellen, Ellen is me. And I have a score to settle."

END OF PART TWO

To be Continued…