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Control

Chapter 3: Loss

Sophie's P.O.V

I looked around the surrounding area from my seat on the patio at the side of the B Barry was quite the quaint little town somewhere, where we could live without being noticed, we could live under the radar here without anyone knowing what we are. I sighed as I drummed my fingers against my knee, I knew this was going to happen someday…werewolves don't live forever like we do, they can become ill and old and eventually they leave this world. Vampires however can live for decades, millennia, they can see the turn of over a hundred centuries, watch as their family and friends rot and die. I wasn't in denial like Pearl or even Hal; I knew that this would be the last time that we would be together, the last time Leo would talk about the good old days and listen to all his jazz and swing music. What would happen once he was gone is what frightened me the most, without stability I was sure I would lose control and so would Hal, we'd revert and kill millions of innocent people like before. I pinched the bridge of my nose to stop tears from cascading, images of the countless victims, of all the blood, all the chaos and fear.

"You alrigh'?" a very familiar voice asked, it was Tom. I abruptly got off of my seat and looked around, he had startled me. I'm not too sure why he had startled me, generally I would have sensed that he was there…maybe I wasn't focused enough, it had happened once or twice before, when we met some other supernatural beings back in the day, but it was a rare occasion. If I let my guard down for even one second there was a chance of death, either mine or some innocent person.

"Yes…just contemplating." I replied quietly, I looked over to him as he leaned against the wall. It was rather odd for a werewolf who seemed to hate vampires so much would come to see how one was. "If you don't mind me asking, why do you hate us so much? Aside from the general vampire-werewolf hatred."

"My dad was killed by one. My friends too." He replied anger and sadness mixed into his voice. It made sense, if I was him I'd hate us too, sometimes I wish I had died all the way back when I was a young girl, I wish Hal hadn't come looking for me it that god damn convent that my god-damn father had sent me to. The life of a vampire was long, dark, cruel and un-forgiving.

"I'm sorry." I said, although I knew an apology would never make up for any wrong-doings of a possible 'relative' definitely not in the case of werewolves being murdered. I knew he wasn't convinced by it, but he nodded never the less.

"'bout to go check on Leo, Hal 'n Pearl 're fightin' ov'r suttin', wanna come wit' me?" he asked his grammar was quite appalling, the last person I had heard speak like him, was over two hundred years ago in a small farming village, before Hal or was it Ivan ripped his throat out from sheer irritation. Maybe it was time to visit Leo once more; I'd been trying not to since the little 'ritual' had made him take a turn for the worst.

"Yes, that would be nice." I replied nonchalantly gazing between him and the sky, he nodded before turning round the corner and going into the house, holding the door open for me. As we entered the house I could hear the distinct voice of Hal as he yelled in his condescending tone of voice:

"Are you somehow drunk?"

I shook my head I must ask him later exactly what happened for him to utter that phrase. We headed upstairs to the bedroom in which Leo was tucked up in bed, his wheezing and coughing could be heard from the hallway. Tom knocked before entering, I following in his stead, Leo's face lit up as he saw company. He had never liked being alone, in all the time I knew him he liked the company whether they were strangers, family or friends which made being a barber one of the best jobs for him.

"How are you Leo?" I asked, sitting down at the foot of his bed, Tom sitting on the adjacent bed.

"I'm fine, don't worry Sophie I'm not going to go anywhere." He answered reassuringly holding my hand in his, though his eyes told me even he was scared to die. Something he had always said he was never afraid of, though even those who were no longer alive like the vampires and those who saw death constantly, the werewolves, were always afraid to give up the life they had led whether it was long or incredibly short. Death was final for most and that's what scared everyone.

"I'm sorry this trip didn't go so well." I said smiling slightly before looking towards Tom who seemed somewhat sympathetic to the elderly wolf. We should have known that a tiny new-born couldn't cure Leo so why did we hope?

"It wasn't wasted." He stated a knowing smile appearing on his face. Sometimes he was such a cheeky werewolf, telling us a partial answer, making us guess and then after hours of frustration he would tell us as we gave in. "It was fate that brought us here."

"Leo, you know what I think about fate." I said shaking my head, fate was something I never wanted to believe in, it meant that our whole lives were meant to be as they were and sometimes I wished my life had been completely different. If fate truly existed then Leo was meant to be captured and forced to kill so that he would find us or we would find him. If it truly existed it meant the death of millions of innocent people by my hands. Fate bloodied my hands, bloodied Hal's hands and even young Tom's.

"Someday, you'll believe Sophie I'm sure of it." He said in a cheery tone coughing slightly. I admired his ambition and determination, though I could not see a future where I would believe in fate. "Could you do me a favour?"

"Anything Leo." I replied his cheeky smile still on his face, as he routed through the side cabinet drawer, before revealing a small brown paper package, not bigger than the size of my palm.

"Could you give this to Hal, please?" He asked as he placed the package into my hand and closing my fingers over the crinkling surface. I nodded holding his hand for a second, before standing up and walking over to the door, looking back once more before heading to the stairs. On the way down, I bumped into Pearl quite a good thing as of that moment since she was the last one to see Hal.

"Pearl, have you seen Hal?" I asked politely, she looked rather annoyed at the mention of his name, when they fought boy did they fight.

"Probably outside brooding." She snipped as she continued to march up to Leo's room. I stopped for a minute as to whether I should ask Pearl what had happened, but she had gone before I had the chance to. As I finally stepped off of the last step, Annie appeared looking frustrated as well.

"Sorry about her, she can be over the top sometimes, especially when it comes to Leo." I said Pearl was someone who could easily get on someone's nerves simply look at Hal and her, though she could be great company when she wanted to be, sneaking you into places and when she was with Leo she was more than nice. Though I'm sure that was Leo's influence rather than her nature. Once she crossed over life would be a lot quieter, and I'm sure her time was coming soon. She would surely cross with Leo.

"No, erm…I'm sorry about the ceremony failing." She apologised, she had been affected more by the failure of whatever she had planned, most likely because she believed Eve could save Leo and the fact she didn't and he nearly died. Sure, Hal Pearl and I were affected by Leo's turn for the worst but we had been sceptical of whether the baby could save him, after all she was just a baby.

"It's alright, I don't think anything can save him, saviour or not." I reassured was anyone ever convinced by me anymore? She nodded as the cries of the baby started, she opened her mouth to say sorry but I cut her off, "Go see to her, I'll be outside." She disappeared; the cries began to quieten down, as I opened the door and ventured outside to see if Pearl was correct in her assumption that Hal was somewhere outside. She was right.

"Hal, Leo wanted me to give you this." I said, holding the small package out for him to take, he placed the domino he had been idly spinning between his fingers, in his pocket. He accepted the parcel before putting it inside one of his other pockets, what was odd was that he didn't open it. "Not opening it?"

"No, not until…it's not urgent." He replied, looking up at the sky he would take Leo's passing badly, he'd become slightly distant if anyone brought Leo up in a conversation.

"Hmm, what were you talking about when you uttered the phrase: '…are you somehow drunk…'?" I asked biting back a laugh at the hilarity of the thought of those words passing out of his mouth.

"Annie asking us to stay here." He replied coldly, it wasn't a totally mad idea, I don't think I could face going back to south-end without him…

"Is it such a bad idea?" I asked his eyebrows raised, as he looked at me as if I had just told him that we could be unvamped, he began shaking his head and biting his lip.

"Not you too." He muttered I put my hands on my hips, why did he not want to stay here.

"What's so wrong about here?"

"Let's see, oh yes here he comes."

Hal's P.O.V

"I'm goin' to the shop wanna come?" Tom asked, I scoffed was he really asking me to come with him? Had he lost some brain cells since the last time we 'talked', we didn't like each other, so why should I go with him?

"I'd love to but I've made plans to sit in and self-harm." I replied sarcastically to which I received a light tap on the elbow which nearly made me drop the domino I had in my hand. I looked down to my left to see Sophie shaking her head slightly.

"Hal, be nice." She whispered sending a smile over to Tom, for a vampire she sure had a dead heart of gold, not many vampires would smile or even be civil to werewolves they were below us.

"Why should I?" I hissed which received a glare, one that had made countless victims' blood run cold. I'd been on the receiving end of it many a time, it never did scare me.

"He asked you politely." She stated snippily, stepping further down the path hands on her hips and shaking her head in frustration.

"Fine." I conceded, I would be civil for her sake, but being nice to this…this Neanderthal, was not something I was about to start doing.

"You're a dickhead." Tom abruptly stated, I scoffed as Sophie turned round, moving my hand as to gesture that Tom had just insulted me, she simply shook her head.

"If you say so," I stated, flipping the domino round once more.

"Well that blows my argument out of the water." Sophie murmured, shaking her head. She knew something I didn't I just knew it, something about this young pup, something that convinced her that we should be nice to him. How can you be nice to someone who hates you so much?

"Have we finished flirting, because I'd like to go inside now?" I asked, moving up the path towards the door as he moved down towards the gate, leaving Sophie in between the both of us.

"Wait a sec, do you know what this is?" Tom asked, holding up a wrinkled scrap of paper, a very old scrap of paper depicting a ring.

"It's a ring tom, as in jewellery. Jewellery is a term given to personal dress ornaments such as rings, watches bracelets." I replied, before being hit on the shoulder by Sophie. "Ow what was that for?"

"For being a petulant child, god!" She replied shaking her head, she could be extremely volatile when she wanted to be.

"I know what it is Hal, but why does Leo want it?" Tom asked, why had Leo asked for this ring? And why had he asked Tom and not Sophie or I? He barely knew Tom and Tom barely knew him so why was he doing this for him?

"What?" Sophie and I questioned in unison, we looked at each other utterly confused as this new revelation.

"Leo calls me into his room stuffs this into my hand and says he wants it or one like it." Tom answered, it still made no sense he could have simply asked us to get it…it wasn't one of his hair-brain schemes again was it?

"What else did he say?" I questioned.

"Take Hal with you. Then Pearl came in and he hid under the covers." He replied, putting on an imitation of Leo's voice, it wasn't the greatest imitation. However it brought a quiet giggle out of Sophie, I frowned down at her which made her shrug her shoulders.

"What? It was a good impression." She said biting back a small laugh, I looked over at Tom who had a small smile on his face, however once he saw my frown the smile instantly faded.

"Why didn't he just ask me, you barely know him?" I asked it was his turn to scoff now.

"Well it involves going to the shop and you're not exactly a people person are you?" he stated, my frown deepened creasing my forehead. A moment of silence passed between the three of us.

"You don't think this is intended to help us bond, do you? Some random quest he's made that will bring us together." I asked shifting my weight between my feet, Tom and Sophie both shook their heads.

"Neh, look at the state of that picture. How many years has he been carrying it around? Must mean something to him." Tom concluded it made some sense at least…a dying wish.

"Since he met Pearl…" Sophie whispered looking at the paper in Tom's before looking up me, seeing my confusion. "What? I thought you knew."

"No, he never mentioned it," I replied, she nodded in a sort of agreement. "Right, well we shall retrieve this ring if that is what he wants."

"Yeah but we won't start likin' each other 'cause you are a dickhead." Tom stated heading for the gate.

"You are a Neanderthal." I replied, making Sophie roll her eyes at the both of us.

"Men, why can't you just get along?" she muttered to herself, drawing confused looks from both Tom and I.

"What was that?" I asked her eyes darted between Tom and I, before she shook her head.

"Nothing." She said, pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation.

"Exactly now are you coming the shop then or what?" Tom asked, as he opened the gate and turned towards us.

"Mind if I 'tag' along, after all jewellery shopping is my calling." Sophie asked, I scoffed at her question, any opportunity to shop she'd grab like she always had. Running me out of pocket with all her shopping sprees. She turned towards me pointing her finger in my direction. "Don't give me that look; the last time you took me shopping it was during the war, the Boer war."

"Fine." I muttered in defeat making her smile reappear as she grabbed my arm and guided me down the path where tom had already began to walk down the hill towards the town. It took us only a few minutes before we arrived at the first shop, a small pawn shop on the high-street.

"Here we are." Tom announced looking at the paper before surveying the shop window for the ring.

"Why are you so bothered?" I asked looking at Tom surely there was a reason why he would help some man who he barely knew.

"What?" he asked, looking toward me for a brief moment before surveying the window once more.

"I mean I know why Sophie and I are here, but why are you going to all this trouble to help an old sick man you barely know?" I questioned, Sophie elbowed me in the side slightly as she was drawn into the conversation.

"People can be nice and help people they don't know." She stated before returning to looking at the window display.

"I quite like him actually even if he has got seriously bad judgement when he comes to picking his mates." He replied in a matter of fact way, I shook my head, he was so ignorant.

"The fact that you are so young, so narrow minded is really staggering. Some of us do bad things occasionally that's true." I said my irritation growing in my voice which I received a tap on the shoulder for though I chose to ignore it hoping that the jewellery would distract her.

"Hal, what did I sa…oh they're lovely…" she muttered, my 'prayers' had been answered, thank the lord we were near jewellery.

"Yeah occasionally." Tom said sarcastically agreeing with me, he definitely hated us with some form of deep twisted anger.

"So do werewolves, so do humans for that matter, I don't understand why you hate vampires so much." I said, Sophie now grabbed my arm, jewellery no longer a distraction, something I had said had sparked something, I saw it in Tom's eyes.

"Hal!" she reprimanded, though I was more focused on Tom.

"It's alright. Well let's see, egotistical, predatory, they often have stupid haircuts, oh and there's another one…oh yeah they killed my dad Hal!" he replied, if I had have known I wouldn't have said what I said; it was one thing to insult someone another to insult family or memories of family. Tom shook his head, the ring wasn't here and we all wanted to get it quickly so we did not have to spend the most time with each other. We arrived at a second pawn shop, a smaller shop in a side street and in the window was the ring we were looking for.

"That's the one there." Tom announced putting the piece of paper into a pocket before entering the shop. It was rather crowded inside furniture crowded both side of the small shop with brick-a-brack cluttering the place. The least amount of time we spent here, the happier I would be. "Wonder if they do rubber tubing in here…"

"What?" I asked, why did he want rubber tubing? We had come for a ring not some silly home errand.

"Why do you need rubber tubing?" Sophie asked, looking over some of the shabby furniture.
"Thinkin' 'bout buildin' a swimmin' pool in the backyard, could use some for the…for the water jets." He replied, looking round the place before he walked over to the gentleman behind the counter. I closed the door to the shop brushing my hands on my coat as I took my hands away from the grubby handle.

"Fascinating, please hurry." I said, walking to join Sophie who was surveying the left wall, where some paintings hung.

"Reminds me of…hmm, when was it?" she mused, looking over at me and smiling, before grabbing my hand as she walked around a little.

"London 1899." I replied, thinking back to the time we were looking after Hettie, quite the handful for…hmm a two hundred and something year old vampire who looked like a child of eight. If she was still alive she'd be about four hundred now, how time flies when your immortal.

"Yeah, with…" she continued, her smile growing more as her eyes glazed over, thinking about the countless centuries we had been alive.

"Hettie." I finished, she nodded in agreement, 'our little family' she'd called it once, back before we had met Leo and left our old selves behind in a dingy cellar.
"Yeah and a…" she continued, as she turned towards me obviously bored of the small shop already.

"Rabbit." I finished, once more Hettie could be so fickle back then, finding new obsessions constantly at that time it was a small stuffed white rabbit she named Arthur.

"Good old times," she whispered, placing her hands on my chest and lowering her head down, I placed my hands on her hips bringing her closer and resting my chin atop her head. We were interrupted by Tom starting his conversation with the shopkeeper.

"Hiya mate just enquiring about the ring…" he began to say before his eyes drifted towards the wall were a mounted wolf's head stood out like a sore thumb.

"That's…barbaric…" Sophie gasped, I held onto her hand as she turned away from the hunting trophy towards Tom and then the shopkeeper.

"That's not for sale. Hey don't touch that. It's not for sale." The man stated as Tom went over to it, feeling the fur run through his fingers as he traced the head with his hand.

"What's it for?" he asked the anger rising within him, obviously disgusted that someone would hang the head of a dead wolf in their shop.

"Tom…" Sophie whispered, I squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"Decoration and it cost me a bloody fortune so get your hands off it. Ill not ask again." The man answered, his anger was also rising, and sooner or later one of them would throw the first punch.

"Decoration?" Tom asked, disgusted as he turned glaring at the man.

"Is he deaf or thick or both?" the man asked, turning towards us scoffing as he did so. If I was my former self his throat would have ripped out along with most of his internal organs and his blood would decorate all his shop items.

"Excuse me, how dare…" Sophie hissed trying to go for the man, before I pulled her behind, more like yanking her behind me to save the man and her soul.

"Calm down." I whispered, she gritted her teeth, "It's an old hunting trophy Tom that's all."

"I know what it is Hal." Tom hissed, it was never a good idea to mess with an angry werewolf…well if you didn't want there to be a blood bath.

"It's probably ancient." I said, trying to calm him down however it back fired the statement seemed to get him more riled up.

"Is that supposed to make a difference? What kind of person buys a thing like this? Who'd want it? It's an animal a proud noble majestic animal." He asked, walking over to the man, who was now also walking over towards Tom.

"Listen to David fucking Attenborough." The man sneered, making Sophie try once more to lunge at him, making me once again yank her back.

"Calm down." I hissed, staring into her eyes to make sure she got the picture; we didn't want this to get messy.

"His head shouldn't be on a stick, in a filthy backstreet pawn shop." Tom yelled, the man's eyes lit up in anger he didn't like his shop being degraded in such a way.

"Tom, Sophie let's just leave." I suggested calmly, though Tom was no way inclined to leave just yet.

"I'm not in the mood for this, just piss off, out go on." The shopkeeper hissed Tom shook his head.

"I'm not going till you take it down." He stated, pointing behind him at the wolf while glaring at the man.

"Or you'll do what exactly? Bloody tree hugging, guardian reading, soya milk drinking, bicycle riding, aluminium collecting fuckwit." The man yelled enraged, Sophie was getting increasingly hard to keep from lunging at this human scum. "This is my shop, what I choose to hang on these walls is my business. And that is staying put, so clear off."

"No." Tom said as he went for the wolf, the man lunged at him wrestling him to the ground. "Get off me."

"Shit. Get back Sophie." I said, directing her towards the door as the two men wrestled around on the floor.

"Hal! He's got me in a Heimlich Nelson; I've never come across it." Tom said with some difficulty as he was unable to move properly as the man held is limbs down.

"Hal help him out!" Sophie said, I looked at her as she pointed down towards them, what exactly did she want me to do?

"Well gentlemen, I'm going to have to split this up." I stated as Tom managed to get the upper hand and punch the man. I grabbed him pulling him back off the man.

"Christ." Sophie whispered, spotting the blood that now adorned the man's lip. Everything seemed to go slowly as I focused solely on the blood that I had not tasted in fifty five long years.

"He's completely mental." The man stated, Tom took hold of me turning me round to face Sophie who was now trying to concentrate on the Welsh flag rather than the blood.

"Do it now, both of you. You people have no self-control." Tom said as I shook him off. I regained control finally; it wasn't the loss of control that would have sent me over.

"I wasn't the one punching him. You alright?" I asked, Sophie as she turned her gazed back into the shop. She nodded, unclenching and clenching her hands.

"Yes, fine." She replied, as she finally settled down.

"He punched me first." Tom retaliated, I shook my head if we carried this on it would be like a school yard scuffle.

"Hey!" the man, yelled as we all shifted our attention back to him, in the time we had regained our control he had the chance to find a fire arm. Not lethal to Sophie or I but a shot to the heart or head could kill Tom instantly.

"Oh holy hell." Sophie muttered shaking her head; she knew the final resort of humans was fire power.

"Tut tut tut, what do you think you are doing?" I asked in a condescending tone, I could get us out of this, using words not violence.

"What does it look like?" the stated, pointing the weapon dangerously close to Tom's head.

"Well it looks like you are pointing a fire arm at us." I stated, staring the man dead in the eye. He wasn't a killer, his hands were shaking, his heart racing, he wouldn't pull the trigger.

"You picked on the wrong man today." The man stated trying to act tough, and failing miserably in my eyes.

"So it would seem. You should probably get on with it." I said, Tom's eyes shifted towards me, he of course didn't trust me, I wouldn't trust me.

"Can we hurry this up? I'd like to get back to Leo." Sophie chimed in, her voice dripping with hatred and venom, it reminded me of when she would get jealous of the women I would seduce and feed off of.

"Don't worry we shan't be much longer." I reassured, receiving a conniving smile from her, she knew what I was doing.

"What?" Tom asked sounding rather shocked or maybe scared, if we let this man carry on and shoot Tom he would be dead within minutes.

"What?" The man asked also, it would seem a strange demand for someone to ask for their assailant to hurry the hell up.

"Oh you haven't done this before, it's ok. Just breathe I'll take you through it." I said edging forward keeping my voice calm and low, unnerving the man.
"Just shut up." The man yelled, it was working like a charm.

"Yeah Hal shut up!" Tom added, obviously wanting to get out of here with his head intact.
"Right now you're heart…" I continued, glancing back at Sophie allowing her to chime in.

"Is racing…" she added in a sort of tone that you would expect someone who was half asleep to sound like.

"Feels like it's swollen. It's beating so fast; you're worried it might burst right through your chest." I continued, his eyes darted between me and Tom, missing Sophie completely as she lounged against the door.

"Wouldn't that make such a bloody mess…" she stated dreamily obviously imagining the horrific sight if she was allowed to rip his heart out.

"You're weighted, like you've been welded to the spot, your hands are sweating, spasming." I continued edging closer to him, his fear increasing he would cave soon.

"Fear coursing through your veins." Sophie almost cackled, if it didn't sound like she was finishing a joke.

"And you don't know whether you'll be able to hold on to that thing for much longer, let alone fire it. Oh but this is perfectly normal, you see everything in your body is telling you to fight this. Killing is the most difficult thing in the world, which is why when you do it, there is nothing more exhilarating." I continued the man was now visibly shaking.

"Pure adrenaline." Sophie added.

"You played god and it makes you feel powerful, invincible."

"Don't even think about it." The man stated his voice shaking, giving away his fear.

"That feeling won't last, soon you'll realise that even if you get away with it, you never really get away with it." I continued, thinking about all of my countless victims their faces as they realised what was to become of them. Their screams echoing in my head.

"My conscience will cope." The man said, trying to reassure himself.

"Really? Even with his face haunting your every waking second?" Sophie asked, the man's eyes darted now towards her before settling on Tom.

"No, you'll think you'll walk away from something like this unscathed, but it is impossible. It all clings to you, the mess you made of him. The scars you placed on him," I stated, glancing back at Sophie whose eyes had glazed over once more.

"The…blood…"

"The blood you bathed him in sticks to you. Stains you. Do it. It won't be the last time you see his face, you'll see him first thing in the morning, last thing at night. And he'll be with you while you dream." I stated finally coming close to the man that I could I feel his breath as it came out in quick bursts. "End his life and he'll invade yours."

"The way I see it, there's only two ways you could know those things: either you're a man of god, or you're speaking from experience." The man said a smirk found its place on my face; I was no man of god.

"I'm not a man of god." I replied the man looked shocked, he knew I was a killer.

"Far from it." Sophie added she knew that fact more than most; after all I'd converted her inside the walls of a convent. We left the shop after the man finally lowered his weapon and scuttled off to whatever little hole he could find. Unnoticed by him and the others I took the ring, he wouldn't miss it.

"Dya think he'd of done it?" Tom asked, it was a possibility there was the survival instincts in us all especially in humans when they were in danger they fought back, no matter the amount of fear, there was a good chance of him firing.

"I don't know." I replied, honestly as we began our journey back to the B&B.

"No, I don't think so, he wasn't a killer." Sophie answered; her eyes cast upwards looking at the sky.

"But, whatever thanks." Tom said, and he sounded like he meant it even if he hated us.

"You're very welcome." I exclaimed rather loudly making people look towards us weirdly.

"You didn't have to exclaim that jeez." Sophie muttered, rubbing her ears to show her discomfort.

"Forgot the ring." Tom sighed as he began to turn round and walk back, although it wasn't honourable, that man didn't deserve our money.

"Did we?" I asked bringing forth my hand that the ring was on.

"You didn't…sneaky…" Sophie said a smile appearing once more on her face.
"Remind you of anything?

"Vienna 1780, the locket.

Sophie's P.O.V

We arrived back at the house, Tom and Hal gave the ring to Leo before they left him to talk to Pearl alone. We were sat downstairs when Annie panicked voice sounded.

"Hal! Sophie! It's Leo, get up here!"

"No!" I exclaimed, clasping Hal's hand as we ran up the stairs and into Leo's room where Pearl was knelt by his side, crying as he began to fall into eternal sleep.

"Hal, stop him, make him stop." Pearl pleaded tears in her eyes, Hal and I knelt on the other side of Leo.

"Leo, please." Hal pleaded, there was no point, he was dying this was it his final moment here with us. It brought tears to my eyes.

"There's no point trying to stop it." Leo wheezed Tom and Annie were stood in the doorway although they didn't know Leo very well; it was still something no one ever wanted to see.

"Leo…" I whispered holding onto Hal's arm as tears began to fall.

"We've had the most amazing life together…"

"No, Eve was going to save you that's why we came here. We'll try again another ceremony." Hal pleaded, I'd never seen him so distraught, it made a lump form in my throat.

"Hal…"

"Hal, Sophie, it's alright." We looked over from the bed to the far wall, where Leo's ghost stood. Beside him two doors appeared, I looked over at Pearl who looked shocked at their existence.

"I don't understand, it's here it's ours." She said, I knew she would leave us as well, however it felt as though we'd be alone in this world.

"You told him you loved him that was your unfinished business." Annie explained Hal was more distraught.

"You're both leaving us." He stated or more like cried, in all the years I'd known him he'd never gotten this emotional.

"I'm sorry; I wasn't expecting this to happen." Leo apologised, Pearl shook her head.

"I'll stay, I can stay." She said, one of the first extremely nice things she'd ever done for me or Hal.

"No, Pearl. That's your door." Annie stated I nodded, if she didn't go she may never cross over.

"There may not be another opportunity Pearl, go." I explained, she nodded standing up and coming round to us, hugging the both of us as we too stood up. I grasped Hal's hand tighter as if I'd let go and he'd leave me too.

"I'll be fine." Hal said, Pearl nodded as she took Leo's hand.

"We'll be fine." I corrected squeezing Hal's hand.

"We can't leave them on their own." Pearl stated, I shook my head breathing heavily as tears continue to fall.

"We won't be on our own, we'll be here." Hal reassured, though I was sure he didn't believe that after all he hated the idea of staying here.

"Together." I added.

"Promise me, you'll look after them Annie." Leo asked turning to Annie, she nodded smiling in a remorseful way.

"Go." Hal said his voice shaking as he wrapped an arm around me, Pearl wiped away some tears as she took hold of Leo's hand.

"Are you sure?" she asked, I nodded whether we were ready or not was not going to stop them from leaving us.

"Yes."

"Go, both of you please just go." Hal pleaded in a low voice as he grasped me closer to him, his eyes squeezing shut.

"You were the best friends I ever had." Leo said smiling, as he and Pearl started to walk towards their door.

"Leo I'll never forget you." Hal said, Annie had now come to stand by us placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"Nor will I." I whispered as the finally crossed over, we stayed in the room for a while longer simply in silence contemplating the road ahead. Whether we'd be able to cope with a man who had changed us so much, or whether we'd fall back into routine and kill millions once again. Annie then brought us into another room, our room for the rest of our time here, a double room overlooking the road. I sat down on the small window ledge and looked out of the window watching the people walk up and down the street. Hal stood stoic by the door; Annie came in with sheets for the bed.

"So how do you like your new room?" she asked as she placed them down onto the bed, looking between the two of us for some form of answer.

"You don't actually have to go through with this you know." Hal replied coldly as he glared holes into the carpet.

"Oh no Hal, you are staying with us I made a promise and if it's one thing I take very seriously its promises I made to disembodied spirits it's looking after someone." She said placing a hand on his shoulder before retracting it quickly after all he did not like people he wasn't familiar with.

"Thanks Annie." I said moving from my seat towards the pair.

"You'd have said anything to get Pearl and Leo through their door." Hal all but growled at her, I could understand that he was angry he'd just lost a good friend, but there was no need to go so low.

"Hal…"

"No Hal don't be stupid this is your home now, ok, we're going to be very happy here the six of us." She said as she held the handle of the door as she was about to go about her other jobs in the house.

"God, Annie yours is even better than mine." Hal mused causing Annie to stop her eyebrows raised in confusion; even I was confused at what he was trying to get at.

"My what?" she asked looking over at me to see if I knew what he was going on about however I simply shrugged my shoulders slightly as to not annoy Hal but to show Annie I had no clue.

"Your mask." He stated, she smiled politely as she stood there for a minute, possibly thinking of a reply to what Hal had just said, however she could not think of a reply. She left shortly after leaving us both in an uncomfortable silence, Hal was still upset and when he was upset he could get angry. It was sometimes better to leave him be.

"Hal…do you want anything? I'm going downstairs if you do." I asked as I passed him on my way to the door, his gaze shifted round the room.

"No, I'm fine." He replied quietly as he focused his sight on me, though I could see he was not telling me something.

"…Are you sure?" I asked once more as I stepped into the corridor.

"Yes, just…I just need some time alone." He answered, I nodded as I walked out of his sight and down the stairs, no one was downstairs, I thought it best at least I could at least contemplate without anyone asking about my wellbeing. I went to the kitchen where I stood for a while looking out into the yard. It wasn't exactly the biggest yard but it wasn't small, Tom sure had his work cut out if he wanted to build a pool in it. I was there for a long time, not noticing anything not even the sound of small pitter pattering on a surface. I ventured back upstairs to see if Hal was alright, however when I arrived he was not in our room. This wasn't good…

"Hal…? Hal? Christ!" I yelled looking through all the open doors to see if he was just looking around, I went back downstairs looking everywhere, before spotting the fallen dominoes…he'd gone. "Annie! Tom! Did anyone…knock…over the…god no…Annie!"

Annie and Tom came downstairs something had happened before he disappeared…this wasn't good at all.

"I was protecting Eve." Tom explained, Hal had ventured up to the nursery and when Tom found him, it looked as though he was about to kill the baby, after that he'd gone.

"Where is he now?" Annie asked, bouncing the baby up and down slowly to calm her down. I shook my head, if he'd lost control everyone was in danger of some serious blood loss.

"I don't know and I don't care." Tom stated, I glared at him for a moment before returning to my thoughts of all the bad things that could happen. I walked over to the front door grabbing my coat and ushering the two of them out the door.

"Gone, this is not good, he's losing it. He could butcher…Christ a massacre…damn it. We have to find him right now!" I stated as I began running, one place I could think he could have gone to was the pawn shop, if he wanted to start somewhere venting his rage on someone who had threatened him was a good start…well bad but he was likely to be there.

"He had some blood on his face." Tom explained to Annie, he also knew why I had picked to investigate the shop first.

"That doesn't matter right now; if we don't get here there'll be a lot more blood!"

Hal's P.O.V

The dominoes swirled round in my head each one clicking against the other, as I pictured them I could feel myself spiralling out of control. I ran back to that grubby shop, if anyone deserved my wrath it was this little insignificant human who was violent anyway, the world would be a better place without him. I opened the door to the shop stepping inside where the man was sat doing so menial task.

"We're closing in five." He said as he placed what he was doing on the table in front of him. "If you're thinking of buying, make it quick, 'cause…what the hell do you want? Piss off."

I closed my eyes to welcome my demon they clouded over into their ebony state as my fangs petruded. The man backed away in fear, like the countless others did.

"Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed, as he ran to the counter to get his gun, though it was futile a bullet couldn't stop me.

"Not quite." I said menacingly as I approached the quivering man; he brought the shotgun out once more aiming for me.

"I'll shoot this time, I mean it." He said his voice shaking slightly even if he didn't want to admit it, he was scared to his very core.

"Go on then right through the heart, it won't stop me; it won't even slow me down." I replied coldly, grabbing him by his throat trapping him between the counter and myself. He tried to escape as I brought myself closer to him, however he would never be able to break away from my grasp.

"My god!" he whispered in horror as it finally sank in that he would die right here. Those words took me back to the very first victims, back in the good old days.
"Yes, I'd forgotten how the others always did that too, they all called for their god, funny he never came." I sneered grinning slightly so that he could see more of my fangs, he began to struggle more. "Count backwards from ten, before you know it will be all over."

"No please, please god no…" he pleaded as he shook violently.

"I'll start you off, ten." I said, the man carried on counting, by now Hal, Annie with the baby and Sophie had arrived to stop me from being what I had always been.

"Hal! Is this how you repay Leo?" She asked angrily, she was going to open the door so that Tom and Sophie could help her save this vile man.

"Shut up!" I yelled in frustration, the man looked at me confused, of course he couldn't see her. "Not you count."

"Nine."

"Hal, stop this." Sophie pleaded with me; she out of all of them should know how this feels how it feels to be so angry you lose it.

"Get away from him." Tom growled, knowing him for the little time I did, he would simply stake me and be done with it, though he would then have to deal with Sophie.

"Why are you doing this?" Annie questioned, though she had lived with a vampire she seemed to know the least about what kind of people we are.

"I need to vent and I don't like him much, now leave all of you." I replied coldly, the man was still quivering, but now even my resolve was wavering I don't know whether to kill him now and face the consequences or just leave him, less hassle but I would still have this built up emotion that would surely drive me crazy.

"You promised Leo." Annie stated I closed my eyes briefly I hurt more than I could have imagined to lose him even if he was a wolf; he was probably the nicest person I had met. I'd chained him in a basement and made him kill people and yet he forgave me and helped me change my ways.

"I don't care." I ground out.

"So this is it fifty five years down the drain?" Sophie asked annoyed, why they couldn't leave me to it, turn a blind eye for once.

"Shut up!" I growled.

"He devoted his whole life to helping you and Sophie." Annie said trying to convince me to stop; she sure knew what could be a potential weakness however my anger was too great.

"He should have known we can't change, this is what I am." I stated, as the words left my mouth, I felt a stake press into my back. Tom.

"And this is what I am you kill him and I'll kill you." He said calmly, but I wasn't afraid of death.

"You stake him and you'll deal with me." Sophie growled, she was extremely protective and jealous when it came down to me.

"Ok, ok." I said lifting my arms up and stepping away from the man who ran away and straight out of the shop, most likely to get the police. I took the opportunity to grab his shotgun and swiftly turned around and pointed it directly at Tom's heart. "School boy error tom. Well? I'm waiting make your move."

"Christ…this is all I need." Sophie mumbled, shaking her head and crossing her arms.

"Stop this both of you." Annie said as she rocked Eve, who was being very calm even with all the raised voices.

"Annie go home, don't wan' eve seein' this." Tom stated as he held the stake over my heart. It was a deadlock, if I pulled the trigger he would stake me, I'd certainly be dead however there was a bigger chance of Tom surviving.

"Well she's not going anywhere." Annie said firmly annoying both myself and the young pup.

"For god's sake take the baby and leave." I yelled shifting slightly as the wood brushed by chest.

"Oh, you think you're men do you? Huh? You think you're big and brave? You are dancing around your pain, both of you are." Annie asked shrilly, her high voice was as annoying as Pearl's had been.

"She's right." Sophie added, sure I didn't confront my pain head on, but that could be said for both Annie and Tom, they had skirted round their friends and family dying for much longer than Sophie or I had. This was a way of getting rid of all my emotions.

"Facing it head on, now that takes real courage, now I'm not judging you because I've done it myself. I've needed a god, so I created one. But tom you're right Eve is not a god and my friends have not died in some great glorious master plan, they just died. And it hurts it really hurts, but I can't avoid feeling this pain any longer because avoiding it leads to this."

"Hal, Tom stop this." Sophie said after Annie's little emotional tirade, though she was right, it did hurt to lose such a close friend and killing Tom or that man would not make it go away.

"So if you want to kill each other, you'll be taking a step further away from the man your father and your friend wanted you to be." Annie said her voice calming down, Tom and I lowered our weapons, he placing the stake back in his pocket and I placing the gun on the counter. "Now can we please go home?"

"Hal, don't worry, we'll be fine I promise." Sophie said reassuringly as she pulled me into a hug, Tom and Annie left the shop, after a couple of seconds we followed them.

"Thank you."

Tom, Sophie and I sat on the sofa, while Annie was busy making tea in the kitchen, according to Tom she continuously made tea, it was her 'quirk'. Annie came in a couple of minutes later carrying a several mugs of tea.

"Milk no sugar, black with sugar and black with a splash of water." She said, handing each of us ours, before she sat down as well.

"Thanks." We all said, each taking a sip. Her tea was really good, better than Pearl's criticism of it being anaemic.

"And I went for a herbal, kiwi and strawberry, it's been that sort of day." She said smiling, she was trying to make a conversation start, I doubted it would go anywhere, but Sophie surprises me sometimes.

"Someone once offered me something like that…" she mused, I doubt everyone would like to know that when she was offered this tea that she ended up ripping out the person's stomach, stating that they had no taste if they believed herbal tea was tea.

"And what did you do?" I asked, hinting that the story was not something to discuss this early on in our new home or ever.

"Oh yeah…oh never mind it didn't end well…for him anyway." She said drawing confused looks from both Tom and Annie. There was silence once more before Annie started talking once more.

"You know I was just thinking if it wasn't for Eve, Leo wouldn't have come here, so he wouldn't have probably told Pearl how he felt, which means she wouldn't have been able to crossover." She explained her logic wasn't flawed, but it wasn't about Leo or Pearl that had brought us here, it was about Sophie, the saviour and I.

"I suppose so." I replied.

"And you know it's what brought us four together. So she's been responsible for quite a few miraculous things you know even if she isn't a saviour." Annie mused, in my eyes she was the saviour, she would do it, she would rid the world of all vampires, and I wanted it to happen.

"I'm still hoping she is." I said, both Annie and Tom looked shocked, after all it wasn't every day that a vampire wanted someone to end their existence.

"Yeah" Sophie agreed drinking more of her tea.

"What?" Annie questioned.

"I want it to be true; I want her to kill us all."

"Such a nice thought isn't it?"


Author's notes:

Hi! Hope you enjoyed. And sorry it took me awhile to write, again it was editing etc. Hmm can't wait till next Sunday's episode evil Hal is coming back! Yay! Even if he is adorable as a good guy and his and Tom's friendship is so cute, he still makes one sexy evil vampire! Erm Ohh and thanks again for reviews and support! ^_^ Ciao!