Leaving Ruby and her soon to be lucky man, Kyle, alone Keith climbed the stairs calmly and quietly without a single sound; co-conspirators who kept his presence a secret as he climbed them. The cat would chase the red mouse later. Tamara and Wick were already gone, dead, never to return and Keith prided himself at that. He'd been the one to get rid of them, the pretty girls who thought they were better than everyone else. He'd done that, he'd made their hearts stop. It didn't matter where these girls ran to inside the house, it would ultimately end up being their Samarra.

Keith looked up to the camera that watched over the west hallway and smiled through his clown mask. This evenings show was all for him, no one else got to see the entertainment, the bloodshed, the death and trauma. It was all for him. The first door he came to was Aurora's but quickly he found the room dark and vacant, not to worry though, Keith knew she'd just be next door. Slowly he made the few steps to Mulan's room and he grinned knowing the pair would be next. His mind screamed as he gripped the door handle in a vice-like grip, the blade hung heavy in his other hand, drops of Tamara's blood dripped from the silver blade and strands of her long hair clung to the hilt like some sick decoration. Nottingham knew that by the end of the night he would have a mosaic of red on that blade, a trophy, a glorious reminder of his crimson artwork.

The door handle finally turned slowly allowing him entrance to the room, after a quick glance down the long hall of bedrooms just behind him, Mulan's bedroom was simple compared to the others, a little smaller as well. She didn't seem like the sort to indulge in things just because she could, no, Mulan wasn't a frivolous women who lived for nothing more than acquiring possessions as some of the others did; Cruella being chiefly amongst them. The walls were painted in a dark green that matched the linens of her bed up against the east wall, a painting hung above the bed in a large white frame and it took Nottingham a second to realize what it was, a Samurai with his sword unsheathed. Quite the little warrior, isn't she? Mulan herself stood in the middle of the room with her back to him and her headphones in playing some tune he couldn't make out. The gorgeous woman moved around on her pink yoga mat, stretching her body like he'd seen her do on so many occasions before via the cameras; it was even more beautiful to witness in person. That mat would make such a nice canvas for her blood. No pretty Princess though, no pretty Princess at all; shame.

Suddenly the door he'd just entered through swung open fully and Princess entered with a bowl of fruit in her hand. Oh this day really was a treat! Keith didn't even remember thinking he just leapt into action determined to remain the one in control, his blade-less hand shot out and grabbed Princess by the throat pushing the door shut again with his hip uncaring as to the fruit bowl which crashed to the floor and landed on the cowhide rug almost soundlessly. By the time Mulan had turned around and pulled her headphones free of her ears to she what the sudden bumps were pretty Aurora had her back pinned to his chest and his large sweaty hand clamped down around her fragile throat.

"Say one word and I snap her neck." Keith sneered through his mask which left it distorted but fully understandable.

He could see the fear in Mulan's rich brown eyes, knew that if she'd had a fighting chance she'd probably win; he'd seen her and that security guard, Robin, sparing like there was about to be another crusade. Still, this was better he decided, Princess Aurora could be used against her warrior wannabe girlfriend. Nottingham could feel the porcelain skinned woman all but hyperventilating against his body, for a moment he thought her heart might give out; that would have been boring and inflicted far too little pain though.

"Aurora, it's going to be alight." Mulan tried to calm her, Keith had never heard Princess' real name before and he had to admit it suited her; certainly explained why The House of Scarlet had named her Princess.

"Aurora?" He began as he took a lungful of her floral perfume. "Why that's a beautiful name. It'll look lovely on your headstone."

Aurora's breath hitched and Nottingham felt a sinister grin pull itself onto his lips. Mulan looked from the blade at Aurora's throat to her beloved's eyes then back again, Mulan was just as afraid as Aurora only she refused to show it. Seemed she didn't know her eyes gave her away when it came to matters of the heart.

"Jamie-" Aurora started but a squeeze to her throat silenced anything she was going to say.

Jamie, another pretty name to go on a headstone. Maybe they could be buried side by side. Keith honestly didn't care what their real names were, if he did that would make them people and all Nottingham wanted them to be was dead. Besides, he'd gotten into The House of Scarlet's systems, if he'd wanted their real names he could have found out really quite easily.

"Be a princess would you, darling?" He teased Aurora. "There's something in my back left pocket, grab it would you? Oh, and don't try anything or I'll gut you like a pig."

Aurora obeyed and slipped her shaking hand back into his left pocket to retrieve whatever it was he needed, her hand hit cold mental and when she pulled her hand back she found two pairs of silver handcuffs.

"Handcuffs?" Aurora questioned herself quietly, her voice shook more than her hands did.

"Throw a pair at lover girl over there, will you?" He asked it as a question but both girls knew it was no such thing.

Aurora did as instructed and tossed a pair of silver cuffs to Mulan's feet where they landed with a short, dense thud. The dark-haired woman peered down to the silvery metal then back up to Aurora and the masked man. She knew what he wanted but there was no way in hell she would just do it, she needed to make him ask, give her longer to think of a way to help Aurora. That didn't happen though, if Mulan ran at him or screamed out for someone Aurora would likely be dead before she hit the floor. If this masked assailant was in the building then Graham, Robin and Will were already gone, Gold had taken Belle out for dinner and Victor had done the same with Jefferson. Anyone who would have had the brute strength to pin this guy down was either dead already or absent. Mulan's heart broke, how many of them had he already killed? Were her friends lying in pools of blood in the bedrooms around her or were she and Aurora the first? Mulan hated being helpless, but for Aurora's sake she had no choice.

"Cuff one hand to the foot of your bed." When Mulan made no attempt to move Keith increased the pressure on Aurora's throat from his knife letting just a little cut appear. "Now!"

Mulan had no other choice, if she screamed both Aurora and she would be dead before anyone got there, that was if anyone was still alive to come running. She couldn't charge him, couldn't scream, couldn't even run since he blocked the door. Following his commands was her only option, and so she did. She knelt down and cuffed the silver handcuffs to her heavy wooden bed frame then the other to her wrist.

"Good girl." He praised quietly. "Now you, same as her."

Keith walked Aurora over to the bed with a tight grip which forced her up onto her tiptoes and pushed her so she knelt as soon as they were close enough; Nottingham still behind her with the blade at her neck. Aurora could feel her pulse pressed against the knife's sharp edge as she obeyed his command but the blade fell away and was replaced by his strong hand holding her in place. Three sets of eyes watched the knife make its way over to Mulan's soft wrist and slash it, a long, deep vertical line that leaked crimson as if it were a newborn stream.

"Your girlfriend is going to bleed out slowly and you're going to watch, little bitch." He snarled.

In seconds he had Aurora top ripped from her body, crammed into her mouth and tied, Mulan's shirt followed quickly behind. He didn't want them screaming out for help; no, no, couldn't have that. The blade danced down Aurora's trembling body until it came to a halt below her navel. The pain was sharp and instant, burned through her body and spilt out onto the dark floor. Never before had such agony surged through her body, such an endless fire under her skin, was this what it felt like to die? With a single burst of strength from her suffering body Aurora screamed loud and long; all for naught though since the makeshift gag dampening the noise and left it as little more than a kitten's meow.

"Would you two keep it down please, I need my- Oh my God!" Seemed a kitten could still be heard.

Tink froze at the sight before her, eyes wide. It was like someone had pushed pause for a moment, not a single person moved they just looked at one another and then Tink was gone. If it had been a cartoon there would have been a Tinker Bell shaped smoke cloud left behind. Keith sneered beneath his mask and took off after her, racing down the hallway leaving Mulan and the pretty Princess to die a slow and painful death as their blood mixed together on the ground; they'd always wanted to be together and Keith wouldn't stop them.

Tinker bell raced down the hall towards the main stairs and the front door, her legs hurt as they pounded into the floor, bare feet bruising more with each step and then her feet stopped touching the floor. Keith had her in his arms with a hand over her mouth as he lifted her into the air, before she had a chance to so much as try to scream he threw her over railing and down to the large living room below. The blond landed with a heavy thud that made the house shake. There was no other noise as he watched her, no coughing or cries of pain, just that of bones braking on impact. He'd always wanted to do that, ever since that little party the girls had set up. Gold had gotten their mattresses all taken down for them so they could all jump over the railing and bounce at the bottom. It had been a bit of fun for them years ago but Keith still remembered it, remembered their laughing and the way Wick had teased Baby when she'd gotten scared of the height. He'd not exactly wanted it to all go wrong and injure one of the girls, not back then, but the idea had filled his mind savagely.

"Three more little whores down." Keith smiled to himself as he walked away pleased Ruby had moved herself and her date.

Because I could not stop for Death
He kindly stopped for me
The Carriage held but just Ourselves
And Immortality. We slowly drove - He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility.

Because I Could Not Stop For Death by Emily Dickinson