Emily led Victor and Victoria over to a small concealed area behind an alleyway just a few blocks away from the pub. It seemed to be set up as sort of a living area, with what Victor assumed was a coffin-shaped settee against the wall.

"This is where I live," Emily revealed to them. "Well, sleep mostly. This is, in theory, the parlor," she informed them while walking over to a door at the foot of the settee that Victor hadn't noticed before. She pushed it open to reveal a small room equipped with a bed, a small bureau, and a vanity table. Victor peeked into the room to get a full view and was immediately impressed by its eerie sort of charm. Somehow, in spite of the cobwebs in every corner and cracks in the somewhat crude walls, Emily had managed to give the room a cozy welcoming touch.

"And this is my bedroom," she announced, interrupting his thoughts. Victor smiled and looked down at Victoria to take in her reaction.

"It's lovely," he heard her remark, obviously surprised at the quaint little set up that Emily created for herself. Emily beamed at them both.

"Thank you," she replied sincerely. "Well, you two are welcome to stay in here, and I can sleep on the settee.

"Oh, we don't want to put you out," Victoria began to say, but Emily shook her head to silence her arguments.

"It's no trouble, really," she insisted. "I usually just come here and sleep on the settee for a few hours before heading out again anyway. I hardly ever use the bedroom. I think it deserves a break from its neglection." Victor smiled gratefully.

"Thank you Emily, this would be wonderful," he assured her.

"My pleasure," she replied with a smile. Another moment passed where the two gazed at each other fondly, causing Victoria to feel somewhat out of place again. She discreetly left Victor's side and sat down tiredly on the settee. Taking the hint, Emily cleared her throat.

"Well, I know how tired you both are, so I'll just…" she began to say, but cut off when she caught sight of the bed. "Oh dear," she said in annoyance.

"What is it," Victor asked, concerned. Emily turned to face him and sighed.

"I just realized that I forgot to replace the sheets after I had them washed a couple of nights ago," she explained as she waved her hand toward the bed for emphasis. Victor looked past her into the bedroom and noticed for the first time that the bed indeed only consisted of pillows and a mattress, and no sheets. Emily sighed once more.

"If you'll excuse me," she told them, "I'm sure Mrs. Plum has them waiting for me." She took a few steps to leave, but Victor put his hand gently on her arm to stop her.

"Oh please, allow me," he pleaded with her.

"Oh no, Victor," she said, waving her hands in protest, "that's alright. I'll get them. It's my fault for not remembering earlier anyway." She began to walk away again, but Victor stopped her once more.

"Oh please Emily," he insisted. "It would only take me but a minute. And besides, you've done so much for us already. It would be the least I could do."

"Oh Victor, that really isn't necessary…" she tried to argue with him, but he would hear nothing more against the matter.

"I will return momentarily," he told both her and Victoria. And with that, he turned and headed back to the pub to retrieve the linen.

As the ladies watched Victor walk away, both became nervously aware that they were alone together for the first time. Emily could feel her nerves tense up as she smiled at Victoria wanly and took a seat next to her on the settee. An awkward silence followed. Both tried to make themselves seem occupied, Victoria toying unnecessarily with her fingernails and Emily picking hanging pieces of fabric off her dress, but the fidgeting only seemed to add to the obvious tension that had fallen between them. Suddenly, Victoria spoke up.

"It's very kind of you to take us in like this," she said, desperately attempting to alleviate the tension.

"Oh, it's my pleasure. I'm glad I can be of help," Emily replied. Not knowing what else to say, Victoria smiled graciously in response and returned her attention to her fingernails. Emily sighed quietly and resumed picking at the fabric on her dress, knowing perfectly well the cause of the awkward silence between them. It was because neither of them wanted to bring up the topic that desperately needed clearing up: Victor. She knew that there were some unresolved issues between the two of them, especially on her part, and up until now, she had desperately tried to deny it. But considering how long the uncomfortable quietness stretched between them, she couldn't hide from it any longer.

I suppose I do owe her an apology, Emily admitted to herself, thinking back to her attitude towards the night they first saw each other, and the other rude things she said behind her back, calling her "little miss living" and whatnot. Plus there was the enormous fact that she did try to steal away the girl's fiancée, even if it was unintentional. Emily sighed once more. Yes, an apology was indeed in order. But how did she go about it.

Well, might as well just throw it out there, Emily resolved. After all, anything was better then the tense silence they seemed to be stuck in. She girded her loins and opened her mouth to speak.

"Victoria, I…" she began, but at the exact same moment, Victoria had decided to speak as well.

"Emily, I…" she had said simultaneously. Both immediately stopped mid-sentence and laughed awkwardly. Another moment of silence passed between them, neither of them not knowing whether to let the other talk or to continue. Emily rolled her eyes, realizing there were about to slip into their previous awkward slump, and decided to take the first step.

"Victoria, I just…" Emily began, but Victoria interrupted her.

"Before you say anything, Emily, I, uh, j-just wanted to…to…" Victoria sighed, obviously frustrated with herself for not being able to get the words out. She took a deep breath. "I just wanted to thank you," she said quickly.

"Thank me," Emily asked incredulously, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "Whatever for?"

"For what you did that night at the church," Victoria explained, "for saving my life as well as Victor's."

"Oh, you don't have to thank me for saving Victor's life," Emily assured her quickly. "Anyone would have done the same. And, if I recall correctly, it was Scraps who saved your life," she added with a smile, referring to the moment when Scraps bit Barkis in the leg, allowing Victoria to break away from his hold on her. Victoria smiled at the rather amusing memory as well before continuing.

"Well, I didn't mean literally," she tried to explain. "I was referring to when you stopped Victor from, well, sacrificing himself. When you gave up your dreams to fulfill mine." Victoria looked down at her hands again, tears beginning to shine in her eyes.

"I don't know what I would have done if I had truly lost Victor," she admitted. "And I know you loved him very much, probably as much as I do, so I can imagine how hard it was for you to give him up." Emily now felt her own eyes brimming with tears, recalling the pain she felt the moment she forced herself to tell Victor he wasn't hers.

"So I just wanted you to know how appreciative I am that you gave him up for me," Victoria continued. "I assure you, I will never forget it."

Emily smiled a warm, watery smile. "Thank you, Victoria," she said, deeply touched by her words and amazed at the girl's humble kindness towards her even after she nearly married her husband. She could see why Victor loved her so.

"What were you going to say," Victoria asked, quickly wiping away a few tears that had spilled over her eyes. Emily smiled sheepishly.

"Well, I was just going to apologize for almost stealing away Victor," she admitted, laughing at now how ridiculous it sounded. Victoria laughed as well.

"You needn't apologize for anything. It was a simple, natural mistake. Well…not quite natural, but you know what I mean," she replied. Emily giggled.

"I know," she admitted. "But I still felt terrible. If I would have known how much he obviously loved you, I never would have…" Emily trailed off, not know what else to say. Victoria smiled tenderly and patted her arm in a comforting manner.

"You had no reason to feel terrible, I assure you," she said. "Besides, things turned out for the best. Had it not been for you're appearance, Victor and I would more than likely be dead, and Barkis would still be alive, claiming more innocent lives." Victoria's eyes noticeably clouded over at the mention of Barkis' name, and Emily's heart swelled with pity and concern.

"I'll help catch him, Victoria," Emily assured her. "I won't let anything happen to you or to Victor."

"I know you won't," Victoria replied with a grateful smile. "And I thank you for that. And I also promise you that he will not get away with what he did to you, or to any other girl he might have tricked." Emily beamed at this vow, touched by her kind words.

"So...friends," she questioned with a hopeful smile. Victoria giggled at her companion's child-like inquiry and nodded.

"The dearest," she replied. And with that, Emily embraced her tightly, marveling how they who were once jealous rivals became the good friends in a single evening. She reveled in that fact for a moment, glad that they had finally worked out their differences, when she spotted Victor rounding the corner. She pulled away from Victoria and stood up.

"Oh Victor, you're back," she said. Victoria turned around in confusion and immediately stood up when she caught sight of him.

"Yes, I'm sorry I took so long. I had a hard time convincing Mrs. Plum that I wasn't stealing these," he explained with a bemused smile. He tossed them on the bed and joined the ladies' sides.

"So, did you two find anything to talk about while I was away," he inquired nonchalantly. Emily and Victoria exchanged glances, both silently agreeing to keep their new found bond a secret. After all, they didn't want Victor to know that there had been any friction between them in the first place.

"Oh, a few things," Emily replied vaguely.

"Really, like what…" Victor began to inquire, but Victoria interrupted him.

"Come Victor, let's go to bed. I'm quite tired," she told him as she began to pull him away towards the bedroom. "Good night, Emily," she called back.

"Yes, good night," Victor said in a rush as he was being pulled away. Emily smiled.

"Good night," Emily called back before the door shut. She then lay down on the settee and closed her eyes, happy to have found such a dear friend.

Sorry I took so long with this update, but it took me days to finally get this chapter up to standards. I have come to realize I am very fickle when it comes to my stories. A few days ago, I was very excited about writing this particular chapter and couldn't wait to start it, but once I finally got the opportunity, I lost interest and my excitement shifted to the later chapters and some oneshots I plan to write. This in turn, causes me a great deal of writer's block, a delay in my updates, and uncomplete satisfaction with my new chapters! Grrr! Is that ever frustrating! Anyway, so yeah, I just thought you all should know the reason behind the slow updates, and it give me an excuse in case you don't like this chapter! Whoo hoo! Boy, this thing is long! Sorry, it's very late at night and I'm kinda out of it! Anyway, hope you like this chapter anyway and, as always, reviews are greatly appreciated! Also, I don't blame you if you don't read this author's note, it is quite long! Sorry, I'll end this riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight...NOW: D