FIVE

The big event came upon them all too quickly. It seemed that before they knew it, they were dressing up in formal wear (black of course) and preparing to walk over to the ball room.

Alex was busy helping an older woman wrestle her hair back into a bun when Diana walked in. Seeing the situation, Diana laughed and went over to relieve Alex of her task.

Glancing over at her Diana stopped and frowned, "Alex, aren't you ready?"

Alex looked down at her usual everyday clothing and laughed nervously, "No, not just yet."

"Well go, get dressed," Diana poked her with the end of the brush, smiling.

Alex gave her thanks to Diana and hurried to her own room to change. Thankfully it was empty; Jack was downstairs taking a roll call.

She pulled out a simple, yet elegant, black gown from her closest and stepped into it quickly. It was traditional of the era, with only a deep scoped back that made it any different.

She put her hair back in a twist and grabbed her shoes, heading downstairs to the hoard of people crammed into the tight entryway.

Diana and the other woman came down behind her, and the three of them lingered on the stairway until it was time to go, not risking being suffocated below.

The air was crisp as it ever was during the winter months, but not unbearable. As they walked they saw that patches of snow still lingered on the pathway from a few nights before, and a stray dog eyed them from the corner as they passed into the building.

The room was as magnificent as ever, a vast ballroom almost as big as the house itself. For some reason this caused Alex's stomach to twist into knots. It made her nervous knowing how many other vampires would be arriving shortly. There would at least be a thousand, if not more. It reminded her how large the community was throughout the world, and it still amazed her that no human had ever found out about a gathering such as this.

Alex stood with Jack at the entryway and greeted each guest as they arrived. Some faces were familiar, and they exchanged friendly hugs and kisses. Some faces were new, and to a point this made Alex very uneasy, knowing that these souls were now trapped forever in this endless life.

Some faces from previous years did not arrive, but Alex tried to keep her mind off of it.

The last group of people to arrive where the ones Alex was most fond of. She smiled warmly as the Scotland clan filed past, but when she saw the regent she smiled broadly.

The man, who appeared to be around thirty-five, laughed upon seeing them.

"Jack! Alex! You two haven't aged a day!" he clasped Jack's hand and gave Alex a warm hug.

"It's a pleasure to see you again Ross," Jack said professionally.

"Same here my boy, same here." Ross looked over at Alex, "How have you been dear? Keeping Jack in his place are we?"

She smiled, "I try my best," she ignored the fact that Jack had frowned at the Scotsman's comment.

"Well, that may be harder after tonight now won't it?" he laughed again and escorted his lady out onto the dance floor.

Alex walked slowly around the perimeter of the room with Jack. Hundreds of dancing and laughing figures swept across the floor, but Alex herself was not in a festive mood.

"He seemed very sure you were going to get the position, didn't he?" she asked stiffly.

Jack shrugged, "Aren't we all? I've done an excellent job of keeping our own little division up; I think I can handle a little more."

She stopped him by stepping in front of him, "A little more? Jack, this is the entire world we're talking about, not a few extra people!" she took a breath, "And who's going to take your place at the house then? Not that you were much help anyway."

He ignored her last sentence, "I suppose you noticed that Donavan was back…" he trailed off.

She stared, "He—he's just a child! He can't help run an entire house!"

"Well, we'll just see about that now, won't we?" he smiled, but it was not a friendly one. It seemed to threaten her, challenging her to defy him.

As he started to pass her she quickly said, "I wonder if they'd still give you the position knowing you're responsible for the murder of several women in the area,"

He paused before turning on her, grabbing her wrist painfully hard, leaning forward he hissed, "If they did find out, it would be all the more tragic for you," stepping back a little he smiled again, same as before, "May I have this dance?"

She didn't respond as he led her out, her mind whirling with many thoughts: Donavan becoming a regent, Jack becoming so much more, his threat, his eyes…

She involuntarily shuddered and felt Jack's grip tighten on her hand. When she looked up the first thing she noticed were his eyes, those soulless black eyes that seemed to bore into her very being. Then her eyes trailed down to his hand, gripped tightly around her hand. She saw his wrist, and the ankh cross that was tattooed on it.

It was the universal symbol of the vampires. Upon becoming one you were imprinted with the mark somewhere on your body. The symbol itself was somewhat like a cross, given its name, but the top stemmed out to form a tear drop shaped oval.

Staring at it she felt very aware of her own mark, on her back, near her right shoulder blade. She knew everyone could see it, but she knew that they wouldn't take notice. It was a common sight after all, in the vampire world. But when Alex looked around the room the only two things she saw were the ankh crosses and gleaming white fangs.

As the next few dances ended, Alex was desperately looking for a way out. Each moment she spent with Jack hurt her more than she would have imagined. She thought about leaving him, and although he might not care so much, it pained her to think about it.

To Alex's surprise, a way out presented itself in the strangest fashion. As Jack turned her round she spotted John walking over. She didn't think anything of it until he touched Jack on the shoulder, causing him to stop and eye the man.

John smiled, "May I cut in?"

Alex stared at John and mouthed, 'what are you doing?'

Jack stiffened, but it was far beyond him to deny John a dance with a woman that was not entirely his.

Jack stepped away without a word, and Alex – who was still in a semi state of shock – was led off by John.

When they were out of earshot of Jack she hissed, "What are you doing? Are you trying to make him suspicious?"

John smiled and leaned his head closer to hers, "He won't suspect."

She opened her mouth to argue but only sighed. Was there really a point in fighting over something that wouldn't matter after tonight?

The thought once again made her stomach clench.

John spoke again, oblivious to her sick worry, "I'm so sorry Alex."

She snapped her head up to look at him, confused. Why had he said that? What had he done to be sorry for? She doubted he was apologizing for making Jack angry, he sounded too remorseful for something as frivolous as that.

"For what?" she asked quietly.

"This," he answered simply.

To her great surprise John bent his head and kissed her softly. When she looked up at him again she was too flabbergasted to speak. Turning to the side she spotted Jack, eyeing them both with an evil look.

She inhaled sharply and pulled away from John. Avoiding his eye she muttered, "I— I have to go," she turned and walked quickly over to Jack, avoiding his gaze also.

"Are quite finished?" he asked coldly.

"Yes, yes I think so." She replied stiffly.

Standing up onto the stage Jack cleared his throat loudly, and when he did so the band stopped playing and everyone turned to him and Alex on the stage.

She could tell by his cold voice that he was more than furious about what had just happened. He would never believe that she had had no part in it at all. On the contrary, he might accuse her of being the one to instigate it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to introduce a highly esteemed man among our kind, Mr. Ross Howard,"

Alex applauded along with the rest as Ross took Jack's place on the stand. Slipping away into the crowd she could faintly hear his speech echoing through the grand room.

The time was drawing closer, the time when she would signal the others to start leaving. When Ross announced the new Eternus Rector, the others would start slipping out the door.

She was stopped halfway across the room by none other than Donavan. Startled, she turned to see him gently gripping her arm. She was gently pulled over to stand beside him and listen to Ross's speech come to an end.

"It gives me great joy to announce your new Eternus Rector: Jack Dawson!"

To Alex's great surprise, the applause that followed tripled that of Ross's. She had had no idea that Jack was this popular among the others of their kind. Actually, she never even knew that he had ever spoken to any of these people.

Jack approached the stand just as she thought he would, shoulders back, a strut in his step. He had known he would get the position, of course he would. Because everyone loved Jack, now didn't they.

If they only knew.

If they only knew that their new Eternus Rector was a murderer…

She paused in her own thought. Now that it occurred to her, she supposed that 90 percent of the people in this room were murderers in their own way. Her own house was the only she knew of that took blood from the already deceased.

But to know that their new leader was behind the frantic and terrified citizens of London, to know that he was driving police mad trying to find him—that would make a mark on his reputation.

A half hour later Alex was back on the dance floor, being held more tightly by Jack than ever before. She believed that she would have a bruise forming after he let go. Once a young man Alex had never seen before approached them, obviously coming to cut in. Jack politely but firmly turned Alex away from the hopeful suitor, and turned his eyes once again back to hers.

Her mind reeled franticly, wondering how she was supposed to slip away now. Out of the corner of her eye she saw John give her the signal that everyone else had left. She knew that

(this isn't going to work)

what they had planned for so long was really happening now, that this was it.

Shaking, she fell into Jack's arms without warning, causing him to step back in surprise. Several people around them stopped and whispered to each other as they watched her.

Jack grabbed her arm and supported her, "Alex? Alex are you alright?"

Groggily, she looked up at him, "I—I don't feel so well—" she tried to stand and made great show of not being able to do it.

"We should get you back," he said seriously.

She shook her head, "No, no you have to stay here. You're the host after all."

"I'll take her,"

Both of them turned their heads and saw John standing beside them, a concerned look on his face.

"I'm perfectly capable of—" Jack started.

"Jack please, you need to stay. I'll go with John," she said weakly.

Jack hesitated, and she could see his muscles tense. Her stomach flopped as she thought he would come to realize how bad at acting they both were.

He didn't relax his posture as he replied coldly, "Fine, take her back to the house John. Make sure she lies down."

He handed her off to John and walked quickly away. Alex felt her heart reach out to Jack, and for the last time she wished to tell him how much she really cared.

John led her through the group of people, supporting her with his arm. She tried her best to appear weak and lifeless, but it was hard when her mind was franticly constructing terrible scenarios in which their plan fell to pieces in a matter of minutes.

People she didn't know eyed her curiously and whispered among themselves as she passed. It made her terribly aware of herself, and she mentally cursed them. Who were they to cast judgment upon her? They who were newborns in this world. They were the ones who embraced this life, and considered it an honor above all. They would soon come to learn what it was really like to live the rest of eternity in the dark.

Halfway down the block the rest of the party waited for them, relieved to see that Alex and John had made it out without any trouble. Together they made their way down the street in silence, all afraid that if they spoke they would be found out.

Alex in particular kept silent, but not for the same reason. It was terribly awkward, having to walk with John. She thought back on what had happened at the gala and tried to make sense of it. It had come to her out of nowhere, and she wasn't sure what to make of it. As far as she knew, there had never been any signs that John had harbored any feelings for her. After all, she had only known him for the past ten years.

But her thoughts were broken by John's hand on her arm. She felt her muscles tense immediately at his touch. She raised her head and saw that he was leading her up the stairs to the front door. She had become so lost in her own thoughts that she had become oblivious to the rest of the world.


After the door was safely closed the others rushed to their respective rooms to gather their things. They couldn't waste any time dawdling about the house, for there was a chance any other could arrive to check on Alex or one of the other residents.

Alex mechanically packed her things without much thought, each item a new memory of her life here. From her clothing to her journal she felt overwhelmed with emotions.

There was one item she had neglected to pack, and she hesitated to do so. Kneeling in front of the small safe that she had pulled out from behind the dresser, she turned the combination slowly.

Inside there were few things, but of them she wanted only one. She plucked from the bottom a necklace, one with a tear drop shaped diamond at the end. Clasping it around her neck she tried to ignore the other items: the jagged ended knife that Jack prized, his most valuable papers, and a stack of money bounded in twine.

She paused, and then collected half of the stack. She didn't know how much money the others were bringing, but it was better to have more than less.

A sound from downstairs caused her to turn her head, eyes narrowing suspiciously. The sound continued, and she could tell that it was footsteps, belonging to at least four or five people.

She would have assumed it to be one of the other residents, or someone from the gala, but it was they way they moved about the house floor that made her think otherwise. They were trying to remain silent, and in the process only became louder and more noticeable.

Not taking her eyes off the door, Alex slowly wrapped her hand around the handle of Jack's knife. She made her way to the door softly; unlike the intruders she knew how to keep quiet.

Looking down the hall towards the stairs she saw nothing, and turned to look the other way.

She was grabbed from behind quickly and violently. A hand wrapped around her mouth and prevented her from crying out. She struggled to cut her captor, but couldn't get at them.

There was more than one of them; they must have been hiding in one of the neighboring rooms when she had looked for them.

The one holding her bent down and whispered in her ear, "Don't make a sound, or I'll kill every one of you," it was a man who spoke to her. She guessed that they were likely all men—human men.

She tensed, trying to find a loophole out of his request. As she was lead down the hall she spotted a door ajar, with a bag placed outside.

She cocked her wrist and flung the knife to the ground, just outside the door. The men found nothing suspicious in this action, taking it as a sign that she surrendered.

John jumped a little as the knife landed in his doorway. Curious, he walked over and pulled it from the wooden plank, where it had become lodged.

He did not recognize the blade, and went into the hallway, meaning to find the owner. But as he bent his head out of the door pane he was alarmed to see Alex being led around the corner by three strange men. In the second before she turned the corner their eyes met, and he knew something wasn't right. They had been wild and terrified, more likely for the others and not herself.

The others on the floor were unaware of what was going on, and John didn't plan on telling them. They were safest where they were at the moment. Once the vagrants had been taken care of he would alert the others to leave.

He followed silently but quickly down the hall, pausing at the corner to glance around it. They were stopped atop the staircase, two of the men were holding Alex's arms while another who stood in front of her had his hand over her mouth.

All three were of middle age, probably around thirty-five to forty. The one standing in front of Alex had long, stringy gray hair, and each was wearing a black trench coat.

"If you scream, I will kill you, do you understand?" the gray haired man asked sharply. Alex nodded her agreement and the man let go of her mouth.

She glared up at him, "Who are you and what do you want?" she demanded as softly as she could manage.

The man made no move to answer her question, but instead asked his own, "Are you Alexandra Kent?"

She froze; the name was almost alien to her. She hadn't been called that in over a hundred years, and she tried to figure out how they knew it.

"What do you want?" she asked again.

Once more he ignored her, "You know, your grandfather was extremely worried when you didn't return,"

She eyed him suspiciously, not ready to jump into anything, "What are you talking about?"

He chuckled briefly, "Surely you don't think he would have reported you missing? After all, he did care about you so much," he added almost sarcastically, "Who would have thought that we'd find you right here in London—a hundred years later."

She didn't respond and he took this as a cue to continue his monologue, "I took the liberty of picking up your file shortly after the first murder in the Jack the Ripper serial killing. Can you imagine my surprise when I discover that the handwriting on a letter you had written was an exact match to the Jack the Ripper letters?"

Her muscles tensed and the men holding her arms picked up on it and gave the gray haired man two sinister smiles. The gray haired man – who she assumed was the leader of this little excursion – grinned smugly at her.

"Yes—I know what you are, Alex," he ran a finger down her bare arm and she tried to pull away. He frowned and gripped it tightly, pulling her closer to his face, "I know there are more in this house, and let me assure you: they will be taken care of."

She sighed, "Yes, I suppose you will. Rotten luck, you coming on the one night I insist we all be here,"

He smiled, "So this is all of you, is it?"

"Sadly," she replied. If she was going to die, the least she could do is make sure the other residents wouldn't be harmed by her mistake.

"Do you know what's going to happen next?" he asked as he pulled out a long, jagged knife, silver most likely.

"Yes," she replied without feeling. It was almost as if she had wanted this all along, yet not at the cost of so many other lives.

When John saw the knife he reacted immediately, even if it wasn't the wisest of choices.

"Alex!"

All turned to see John starting toward them.

"John, stop!" Alex cried out, only to have her mouth clamped shut again.

The gray haired man grinned, "We meet again," as John lunged for him he was tossed to the side as if he weighed but an ounce.

The man who held her became distracted by the fight, and she took this chance to fight back herself.

She opened her mouth slightly and nipped the hand of her captor. He screamed in fright (possibly afraid that he would become a vampire from even such a small scratch).

When he let go of her she kicked out a leg and sent him and the other man tumbling down the stairs. But as they fell one grabbed her leg and pulled her down also.

She grabbed the banister and held on tightly as the man fought to drag her down. Above her John was fighting with the older man, she could hear but not see, and she prayed that John was winning.

Down the other hallway she heard several screams and her stomach clenched. Of course, there must have been a dozen or so men that entered the house. They must have found the others—

She felt sick as she heard thuds, sounds that could only come from a fallen body.

In her anger she kicked away the man who held her down and rushed up the stairs to John's aid. She spotted the knife, which John must have dropped in the struggle, and lunged for it, only to be beaten there by another man in a coat. He sliced at her and she recoiled quickly. When he stumbled she twisted his arm and took possession of the weapon, tossing him over the railing to the floor below.

She looked to her right and saw John being pinned down by three men. From behind she was grabbed again and her hands pulled sharply behind her. She tried to struggle but only found her arm being singed by the silver knife the man held.

She screamed involuntarily from the pain and felt her legs collapse beneath her.

John turned his head and saw what was happening and fought to free himself.

"You liars! You promised she wouldn't be hurt, you swore!"

Alex tilted her head and listened, confused. The man in the white coat laughed again, the hollow sound seemed alien in the current situation.

The man noted her look and the corners of his mouth turned up in a sinister smile. Looking from both captives he spoke, "I suppose she has no idea how we found her, right Michael?"

"If you say so boss," the man holding John responded hollowly.

"I can only imagine you came upon me out of pure luck, which I'm surprised you possess in any matter at all."

He ignored her comment, "Your friend John here traded information of your location, in exchange for the safe keeping of his – previous wife and son."

John fought against his restrainer, "You swore you wouldn't hurt her! You monsters!" he turned to Alex, eyes wild with panic, "He said they wanted to talk, you have to believe me!"

Alex was stunned, not sure what was happening. If John had remained silent she would have thought nothing of the man's explanation. But since he had spoken out in his defense, it only proved his guilt.

"Ah, that I did. But you see young man, you never said anything about hurting the others."

He jumped again in an attempt to attack the older man, who still remained nameless in Alex's mind.

Alex's eyes met with John's, and for a brief moment she hoped to find a lie buried beneath his gaze. She wanted what they said to be a lie, she wanted so desperately for it to be some sort of elaborate scheme. She wished as each second went by that Jack and the others would burst through the door and rescue them from this fate, one that would otherwise not be escaped.

"Alex—" he choked out, "I'm sorry,"

For a moment time seemed to stand still. In the downstairs corridor the clock chimed the three o'clock hour. The ominous sound echoed through the now quiet house. The only living souls stood now on the second floor landing, two held capture by the others. But there two were no longer fighting on the same side. In those few words they had become enemies, one who betrayed, and the other who had been the object of said act.

Both cloaked men seemed to take a sense of accomplishment from the silence. Not only did they assume they had captured Jack the Ripper, but they had succeeded in ridding London of its vampire population, not counting the two who would soon face their own demise.

Mouth dry and fists clenched, Alex was rendered motionless at the discovery that one of her own – a brother – had sold her to these men. He had called them monsters, but it seemed to her that the real monster was held on the floor before her.

"I can't believe it," she said without a real feeling, "All this time, you were just—waiting to hand me over."

"Alex, no—" he started to protest.

"It's too late for that now," she replied solemnly, "you are now responsible for the death's of more than twenty-five people tonight, including our own," she turned her head to look at the man.

He could see that she understood, and for a moment his guard was let down. But he quickly regained it. Although he wasn't used to having victims so readily accept their fate, it was a convenience nonetheless.

"Congratulations," she whispered to the man as he pushed her back against the hall wall.

"For what?" he asked, almost confused.

"You finally found us. After all these years, you finally found us all." If she was going to die, she would make sure that the rest of her "family" would not have to bear the burden of their loose ends. She needed to rid the house of these vermin.

"I'm glad you feel that way," he turned to his henchman, then back to her, "Anything else you'd like to say to the traitor?"

"No," was her simple reply.

He shrugged, "Very well then." He nodded to the other man (whom he had called Michael).

The man pulled out a long stake – silver no less – and thrust it through John's heart.

She turned her head at the last minute and listened as his dieing voice carried out from his lips. When it had become silent she was surprised to find that tears were forming in her eyes.

I won't cry over a traitor. She told herself, but it was hard to prevent it. Whether or not she wanted to acknowledge what he had done, they had been friends, even if only in falsehood.

"I regret nothing," her final words left her mouth just as the stake entered her chest.

The world slowly faded to black, colors blurring into one seamless patch of darkness. Time was nonexistent now, with seconds feeling like hours, and the other way around. Life seemed all the more peaceful now.

The last piece of the puzzle lay in plain sight of any who dared pass. If found it would reveal once and for all the true nature of this act.

If one only cared to look.