A/N: Hello all, a thousand apologies for posting this a day later than planned. I had all good intentions of getting this finished before yesterday but I wasn't happy with it and needed one more day. I hope you understand. A bit of respite in this chapter before things kick off again, I hope you all read, review and enjoy! :)

Chapter 32

The evening had been more eventful than Ellie had hoped. She had only been back in London for the better part of five hours and already she was neck deep in problems. While she had been stuck in Lambert's world, things had seemed so much easier. There had been no responsibility, no one looking to her for answers, the most she had to worry about was whether or not people would trust her for being who she was. It had been a nice break from reality, but now she was back in the middle of it with a bump.

Lambert walked quietly beside her, no longer trailing, half dazed like a lost puppy. With every passing second here she could see him becoming more accustomed to the bright lights, loud noises and monstrous amounts of people. His ability to adapt and survive astounded her even now.

After leaving Inferno, Enoch had split off from them to find Hester. It was getting close to 3am by that time and even though she knew Lambert didn't need that much sleep, she was sure he needed a moment to come to terms with everything that had happened. Telling her partner to rendezvous at the sanctuary she had led Lambert away from the club and into a much quieter night time London.

Now they were strolling along the banks of the Thames, like an ordinary couple on a date. The only oddity in this scene was the unsightly dark red stain on her new vest. A peppering of pea sized holes were also torn in the fabric. She zipped up her hoodie to cover the alarming mark, so no one driving by would decided to call an ambulance. It had been a long time since she had been shot and the effect still shocked her. Despite it not having any fatal consequences it always left her feeling shaken and for some reason, took longer to heal than most wounds. That was why she had taken so long to assist her friends in their fight in the club. The physical exertion taken to reform after the shotgun had blasted half her abdomen away, had taken a painful amount of time.

There was no one else walking the streets around them, and only a few cars – mainly taxis – passing by. The unusual peace of the city should've unnerved her, instead Ellie found herself thinking of Kaer Morhen and she felt a sad twinge of longing for its unique remoteness. She hadn't been leading them anywhere in particular, simply letting her feet guide her on a random path, enjoying the night air although it was noticeably marred by exhaust fumes. It had never really bothered her until she had spent all that time in perfectly clear mountain air, now there was a pungent edge to atmosphere that forced her nose to wrinkle.

'This place is huge.' Lambert broke the quiet, his voice soft and distant.

'Yeah.' She replied tentatively. 'I suppose it is.' An unusually awkward silence fell between them. Over the time she had known him, Lambert had always exuded an angry tension, even when he wasn't speaking. It was what gave him his overbearing arrogant quality that most found hard to be around. Now though, he seemed nervous, unsure what to say next. It made Ellie pause and studying him closely in the vibrant orange light.

'You said Novigrad was a big place though.' The witcher's brow furrowed and he looked like he was about to shoot her some hard remark. Instead he glanced up towards the large ferris wheel on the other side of the river, lit up in shades of purple, blue and white.

'It's big, but this is…well, it's another world.' Ellie snorted and looked over at the London eye. A memory of an impossible fortress balanced on the side of a monumental cliff came to mind.

'When I saw Kaer Morhen for the first time, it was truly like I had stepped into a fantasy. I had never seen anything like it.' She leant on the low stone wall next to the path they were on, looking out over the Thames.

'This is a fantasy.' Lambert said after a weighty pause. 'Lights that don't burn out, buildings as tall as mountains, carts that move themselves. How can I not be fucking dreaming? Now I know why you're so weird Blue eyes.' She felt his arm brush against hers as he leant next to her.

'You're the one that's weird witcher.' She said, a smirk in her voice. The awkwardness dissipated a little as they stood there, the weight of his arm pressing reassuringly against hers. The lights of the wheel casting a kaleidoscope of colour onto the dark waters of the river.

'What do you think he's doing? O'Dimm?' Lambert's tone had become ominous, and as she looked over at him Ellie saw an intense glint in his eyes.

'I don't know, but whatever it is, it's affecting things here. I need to find a way to talk to Mortimer, he might know more.'

'Who's Hester?' She sighed and shuffled next to Lambert.

'Someone I usually try to avoid. He's a demon who did some bad things but…we came to a mutual understanding so I let him stay here. If anyone will know what's going on in Purgatory right now, he will. He helps demons get out through back doors and illegal routes, if anyone can bypass the block he will.'

'Aren't you meant to stop demons escaping and causing havoc in this world?' She gave him a sharp look.

'And you never made a truce with someone you were meant to be hunting, a certain demon you were paid to kill maybe?'

Lambert narrowed his eyes. 'Yes, but you turned out to be good. Can you trust this Hester? Last thing you need is him running off to O'Dimm and fucking snitching.'

'I have thought of that.' Ellie said defensively. 'Don't have many other options unfortunately. Unless Mortimer just pops into existence in the middle of London.'

'Not likely?'

'He's not left Purgatory for millennia, and I doubt Gaunter is going to let his gaoler get away easily.'

Lambert nodded, resigned. 'Fair enough.' The silence fell again, this time there was a tense note to it; the conversation having rippled the calm water between them. They stayed like that for a while, Ellie lost in her thoughts, anxious about the imbalance her decisions had inevitably caused. Finally, Lambert turned to face her, leaning casually against the wall. His slicked hair and dark attire making him look even more roguish than usual.

'We planning on staying out here all night, 'cos I could use some food Blue eyes. I know that's not high on your list of priorities.'

'Sorry. Yes, we can get food.' She glanced over the river at the round glowing face of Big Ben, the clock visible even from this distance. It proclaimed the time was now 4am. She may not need to eat but she definitely knew of some good places that were open all hours in the city. 'Do you have a preference?'

Lambert gave her an odd look. 'I doubt ale and stew are going to be an option here.'

'You'd be surprised, but I have something else in mind.' She said with a smile, offering her hand to him. He took it and awkwardly threaded his fingers through hers. As she set off in the direction of the Westend she realised with a pang that this was the first time they had done this. Walked along, hand in hand, like a normal couple. She could feel the steady pulse of his heart beating against her wrist.

They left the river behind them and disappeared into the winding streets. A few more cars drove past and she felt the grip on her hand tighten. She smirked up at the witcher.

'It's ok, they won't hurt you. As long as you stay on the pavement.' Lambert glared back.

'You weren't nearly crushed by one of those things.'

'You've faced worst.' Ellie snorted. He narrowed his eyes and contemplated an approaching van.

'Maybe.' He finally conceded. 'At least they don't fly.' Covering her mouth with her free hand, Ellie stifled a chuckle.

'What's so fucking funny?' Lambert snapped.

'We have flying ones too.' She said. Immediately his head flew back to stare at the seamless black above them. One look at his horrified expression sent Ellie into a fit of hysteria. She laughed so hard she could feel the tears pooling at the corner of her eyes.

'Glad to see you're having a good time.' He said sourly. She squeezed his hand as her laughter died away.

'You're doing really well you know.' She said, her voice soft.

'Hmph.' Lambert grunted in response, but she saw the corner of his mouth twitch up. The streets were still quiet, but as they got closer to Piccadilly Circus there were a few more people dotted around. A lot of them were part goers, drifting from one club to the next, staggering slightly and talking loudly with their friends. There were a few homeless people crouched in doorways, bundled up in quilts. Ellie scanned them, recognising some of the faces. Demons and hybrids that were struggling to adapt to human life. One ifrit wrapped in a grubby overcoat glanced up as they past, baring his teeth in a threatening snarl. Ellie just met his stare, a stony expression on her face. She had enough to worry about right now without running after rogue demons. It was likely one of Hester's customers, a runaway from Purgatory.

Taking a side street branching she led Lambert towards a brightly lit up shop front. A neon sign above the door sporting a vibrant blue fish. The smell of batter and oil wafted towards them down the street, and there was a small knot of people stood outside holding paper bags.

'So, what are we eating Blue eyes?' Lambert asked.

'Do you like fish?' The witcher's face scrunched up, his lip curling in disgust. She snorted again, pulling him behind her a little quicker. 'You'll like this one, promise.'

Fish and chips had been one of Ellie's favourite things when she was a child. The salty crunch of the chips, golden and nestled in their paper. The flaky white fish surrounded in crisp batter and tangy tartare sauce on the side. Now that she didn't need to eat she only really ate sweet food when she got the chance, but every now and then she missed the steamy smell of unwrapping a freshly cooked bag of chips.

'I can't smell fish.' Lambert said as they neared the takeaway. 'I can only smell hot oil and potato.'

'Good, isn't it.' Ellie said, practically skipping.

'If you say so.' He muttered. She skirted around the party goers stood in the doorway and entered the hot, brightly lit shop. A portly woman was behind the stainless-steel counter and gave them a tired smile as they entered.

'What can I get you?' She asked.

'One cod and two chips please.' Ellie said. The woman nodded and turned her attention to the fryer.

'Right you are. Won't be long dears.' She said, taking a strip of cod dipped in the raw yellow batter and putting it in the oil. Ellie looked over at Lambert who was stood awkwardly in the doorway still. Under the sterile lights and surrounded by grease stained tiles he looked out of place and alien, his modern clothes doing nothing to disguise his obvious otherness. His amber eyes flashed to her, and he gave her a quizzical look.

'You better not be trying to poison me Blue eyes.'

Ellie grinned and shook her head. 'I would never dare. Besides the stuff you shoved down your throat when we were travelling together was far more dangerous than anything here.'

'Do you want salt and vinegar on these?' The woman called over to them, holding a salt shaker over the pile of chips in front of her.

'Yes please.' Ellie said, reaching over to pass her some money. Lambert caught her wrist and turned it to examine the change in her outstretched palm.

'Where did you get this?'

Yanking her hand free, she gave the pound coins to the woman who was giving Lambert an odd look.

'Aliya gave it to me.' When he didn't look enlightened, she sighed heavily. 'The one who gave us these clothes.'

Realisation dawned on his face.' Oh, the dem-' Ellie clapped a hand over his mouth as the woman returned with their food.

'Here you are.' She said, her voice uncertain as she surveyed the weird couple.

'Thanks.' Ellie replied, accepting the paper parcels and tucking them under one arm. Then, still with her hand fixed to the witcher's face, she steered them out of the shop and back onto the street.

The party goers had gone by now, so she tentatively removed her hand once the door had swung shut behind them. 'Watch what you say in front of them. They might think you're crazy, or worse, telling the truth. I've already got enough shit to deal with, without a mass panic.'

'Sorry.' He said, rolling his eyes as if he wasn't sorry at all. 'I'm just used to every peasants and Lord knowing about the horrors that live among them. Not this cloak and dagger nonsense.'

'Evidently.' She huffed, shoving his food at him. 'Come on, follow me.'

She led him through several more streets until they came out in a large open square surrounded by closed shops and restaurants. In the centre was a fountain enclosed in bushes and beds of flowers. A small oasis of green in a concrete and stone world. She made a beeline for the fountain and one of the benches that sat around it. Parking herself she patted the space beside her, and began unwrapping her chips.

Lambert sat next to her, his eyes darting around Leicester square in quiet awe. 'You sure do like your lights here. Lit up like Oxenfurt at Imbaelk.'

'I'd never noticed before.' Ellie mused, putting a chip in her mouth. She shut her eyes momentarily as the familiar and comforting taste washed over her tongue. When she opened them again she saw him watching her, his eyes trained intensely on her face. A hot flush crept up her neck and she averted her gaze. 'People are scared of the dark I guess.'

'In a world where they don't know what's lurking in it?' Lambert said incredulously.

'In a way that probably makes it worse.' She saw him nod imperceptibly in her peripheral, then he began to slowly open his own food.

They lapsed into silence as the witcher tentatively ate. The faintest tint of grey light was starting to leak into the flat black sky above, and Ellie could hear the city begin to wake up. She glanced back at her companion and choked down a laugh as she caught him with half a fish hanging out of his mouth.

'How's the food?' She asked, doing her best to control the warble in it.

Lambert finished his mouthful in serval enthusiastic chews. 'Really fucking good. Whoever thought of frying fish and potatoes like this was a scholar and a hero.'

'Told you.' She said smugly.

'Sure…would be better with an ale though.' He muttered, cramming another handful of chips into his mouth.

'Everything's better with ale with you.' Ellie countered. He polished off his fish supper in record time, chasing the scraps around the crumpled paper then throwing a disappointed look at his empty lap when they had gone too. Glancing once more at the sky, Ellie could now see it was a pale robin egg blue, a few high floating clouds were edged with pink and orange.

'Think we'd better rest before going to find Enoch.' She mused. When she was met with silence she looked over at the witcher. He was staring at the sky too, a small furrow on his brow.

'The sky looks the same here.' He said, his voice faraway. She could see the tell-tale signs of his exhaustion now and she hopped up putting their empty wrappers in the bin.

'Let's get you somewhere to sleep.' He lowered his gaze from the dawn sky to her, and her gut clenched at the look in his eyes.

'Just sleep?' The suggestion in his tone sent a thrill through her, and it was only then she realised how tense she was. The stress of the last day and the transition between worlds had taken its toll on both of them. Swivelling her head, she orientated herself and took his hand quickly.

'We'll see.' She said and began towing him behind her again.

The hotel was cheap and rundown, but it had a bed and it was near the sanctuary if they needed to make a quick escape. Almost as soon as they were through the door Lambert caged her against the wall, his hands planted on either side of head.

'Aren't you tired?' Ellie asked, fumbling with the lock on the door as his eyes burned into her.

'Not enough to stop.' He replied huskily. Before she could protest anymore he silenced her with his mouth, and pretty soon she forgot why she'd been trying to protest in the first place. She could feel the tension leaving her even as he ran his hands through her hair and sent a jolt of electricity up her spine. She answered by gripping his leather jacket and forcefully pushing it off his shoulders. Understanding what she wanted, he released his hold on her and shrugged the rest of the way out of it, placing it on the floor.

The careful way he laid the jacket down made her hesitate in confusion. Lambert wasn't usually one for being considered when it came to the heat of the moment. As she was mulling over his sudden change of habit, he stepped forwards and continued kissing her into distraction. Slowly they made their way towards the bed, a cramped queen size affair as if they cared at all right now, and Ellie's hands found their way to the hem of his shirt.

Pulling it free from his jeans she pushed it up, exposing his abdomen. The pale skin littered with his collection of scars shivered slightly as she ran a hand up to his chest. This time he ripped the garment over his head and flung it in a crumpled mess to the corner of the room. If she were thinking straight she might have questioned him on it, she might have checked his jacket to see what had made him place it down so carefully, she might have found the thing hidden in the inner lining; but instead she could only concentrate on him.

They fell backwards onto the bed, Ellie on top, releasing a cacophony of squeaks and groans from the old springs. Lambert paused to press a hand experimentally on the mattress. 'I could get used to this world. Even the beds are better.'

Ellie was too busy unbuckling his jeans to counter his statement, and by the time she had got them off he had forgotten about the bed and was dealing with her own clothes. Even with the unfamiliar modern fastenings he managed to undress her impressively fast. As she sat above him, straddling his waist, he stared up at her with dark amber eyes. A moment of silent tension settled between them as his expression became serious and he took her wrist in a gentle but firm grip. She could feel her stomach roiling as he just looked at her, his eyes fixed to her face. Then he brought her hand to his face and placed a featherlight kiss on the brand burnt into her skin, right over where her pulse should be.

'Don't you ever try to run from me again.' He said in a low voice. The bass of it vibrating through her thighs, the weight of his words resonating in her chest.

She opened her mouth, as if to answer, but the words got stuck in her throat. Mercifully Lambert wasn't in the mood for anymore talking, and in one deft movement he flipped them both over and pressed his bare skin against her own. Ellie was quite happy to forget the world for a little while and lose herself in the feel of his mouth and hands on her.

It was a cemetery. She knew it was a cemetery because rows and rows of headstones lined the path she was walking down. It was dark above her, but it didn't feel like night, and it was foggy but the air didn't feel cold.

She knew she had to meet someone here, it was a feeling of certainty in her gut that kept pulling her forward, but she didn't know who that someone was and more importantly, she didn't recall how she'd got here. The hotel room and Lambert had been the last thing she remembered, then she had been stood in front of the wrought iron gates with a pressing need to enter.

Moving through the fog she looked around her. She was alone. No footsteps behind her, no scent to indicate there was anyone but her and the dead nearby. Where was Lambert? Had she left him in the hotel? Was he back at the sanctuary? Had they gone there and met Enoch? Is that who she was meant to meet? Or was it Hester?

Yes, that must be it. It was Hester for certain. Only someone as shifty as him would ask her to meet in a cemetery. And yet…there was a wrongness to that thought, as if it didn't fit the puzzle she was forming in her head.

She had no idea how long she had been walking. All the headstones looked the same, there were no defining landmarks, no statues or trees to mark she was at a different point. Only slabs of granite and endless fog. Suddenly she felt a presence with her, but it wasn't one she recognised. Not the comforting warmth of Lambert, nor the familiar mass of Enoch, not even the creepy tingle signalling it was Hester or another demon. This felt dark and intangible, like a shadow. Not evil per se, just not there. Like a ghost.

Her feet kept moving forward despite this sudden change in atmosphere, it still felt right. However, the further on she walked the more she felt the shadow around her. The light didn't change and the fog didn't clear but she could feel eyes watching her. Sometimes from behind, sometimes from just off the path but always there. Her instincts told her to stop and pinpoint where it was coming from, but the minute she tried to prevent her feet from moving she realised she had no control over them. In fact, instead of stopping they began to speed up so she was moving at a brisk walk. The more she tried to stop herself the faster she went, until she was sprinting through the fog, the headstones a dark blur in her periphery.

She was about to panic when she recognised what this felt like. It was nearly identical to the ritual Triss and Yen had performed on her in Kaer Morhen. Only they weren't here. So, who was it?

A figure appeared in the fog in front of her. A blot of ink on the milky white haze. It looked vaguely human shaped and grew at an alarming rate as Ellie continued to sprint towards it. A horrible thought entered her mind. Could it be O'Dimm? This was completely in the remits of his power; higher demons were dangerous, and mercifully rare thank Purgatory.

She attempted one last time to resist the compulsion to move, she wouldn't let him take her without a fight at the very least. Although she wasn't sure what she could do against him considering her current predicament. Nevertheless, she gritted her teeth and braced herself as she reached the shadow figure, their face still obscured by the fog.

Her whole body came to an abrupt stop making her bones rattled uncomfortably. An eerie silence settled around her and she half expected her mouth to be forced shut but it opened at her command.

'Who are you?' She spat. Her limbs were still disobeying her orders.

'An old friend.' Said a smooth and shockingly familiar voice. Her legs and arms came free and she took a reflexively step back as the figure moved towards her. The fog parted and an old man, dressed in a black, pinstriped suit stepped into view. He smiled at Ellie, the thin moustache above his lip bending with it. His translucent hair caught the tiny bit of light there was so it seemed to glow and his bottomless black eyes creased at the corners as he took her in.

'Come meet me Eleanor. We have many things to discuss. You'll know where.' Mortimer, the mayor of Purgatory and the most powerful higher demon she knew said, in his fatherly and warm tone. But Ellie felt no warmth, only ice, creeping like a dead finger up her spine. Before she could ask him anything, the fog consumed Mortimer's form once more and her with it, blinding and suffocating her.

She woke up with a loud gasp, jolting Lambert from his sleep beside her.