Things did indeed look different in the morning light. Perhaps not the situation they were in just yet, but the apartment most certainly. When Rose trudged out of her room, she yawned, and then nearly tripped over the boxes she forgot to move the night before. Pausing, she opened her eyes completely and looked around the living room, and her face contorted into that of disgust. Really, where were they going to go other than here? That didn't stop her from being displeased at the sight in front of her. For a few moments, she just stood there, taking in her surroundings and trying to wake her mind up enough to figure out how to fix the predicament at hand; cleaning this dump up. Making it livable. Making it more like a home they could settle into, not some dingy excuse for a home base.

"Screw this," She murmured, running a hand through her tangled hair, stepping over the boxes. At this point, she didn't care if Lucian was still sleeping. She had to clean, and if she woke him, well…he could get up and help. She was a little miffed at the moment. How did she not see this the night before? And most importantly, why did they think it was a good idea to light candles in such disarray? For the amount of dust still coating the place, Rose was surprised it hadn't lit up like the Fourth of July. Grumbling, she realized they hadn't any cleaning supplies. That would be a store trip. Great. Grabbing a stray piece of paper, Rose scribbled out a note just in case Lucian woke before she got back.

I know you said we needed to stay together until we could access the city, but I'm sure once you get a decent look at this place, you'll figure out where I went. –Rose

The city didn't appear to be in any kind of permanent disarray, aside from the charred roads in the alleyways that showed where burnings took place. Rose had cringed as she walked back to the sleazy side of town with the cleaning supplies. The strangest part was how empty this side of town was. It was like everyone, if anyone did exist in this side of town, knew to stay hidden and lay low. It made her uneasy, like a lot of things had lately. Making sure she wasn't seen, she skirted back into the apartment complex and up the rickety stairs. She came back into the apartment, unfazed by the fact Lucian wasn't up yet, and she'd been gone nearly an hour. She couldn't blame him…it was only nearing 9:30, according to the clock she'd seen on the way home.

The female Lycan didn't spare expenses for her first shopping trip. Setting the bags on the couch (that much was clean..) she pulled out a couple of alarm clocks, a clock for the wall, paper, pens, things that people would need regularly around a living area. Things that weren't packed from when they moved. Since the electricity wasn't rigged to work yet, she bought a few imperishable snacks and some sodas. Beer would have been lovely, but if it wasn't cold it wasn't worth it. Keeping these things separated on the couch, she pulled out the cleaning supplies and got to work…as much as she hated it.

When Lucian did finally get up, he nearly slipped on the wet hardwood floor. What the—looking around, he realized Rose had gone to some serious cleaning. Raising a brow, he watched her as she scrubbed at the floors, and walking carefully to the couch, realized she must've left earlier that morning to purchase supplies.

"…didn't I say something about not leaving alone?" He asked. He didn't sound angry, but more confused and tired than anything as he pushed some things to the side to sit on the couch. Rose didn't spare him an answer, and when Lucian realized this, he turned slightly on the couch to look at her. "Rose?"

"Listen, if you had gotten up when I did and saw just how dirty this place really was, you would have retched." She snapped, her eyes focused on the floor beneath her. Everything was definitely clean, and she may have been tapping into the perfectionist inside of her as she scrubbed at the floors.

"Okay, alright…" What else did he say? Rubbing a hand on his forehead, then through his hair, he looked at the things on the couch next to him. "Ah…maybe we'll be able to get the electricity working somehow." He noted quietly, holding one of the sodas in his hand. Again, no answer. He heaved a sigh and let Rose continue to clean. Obviously, she wouldn't be happy until she was done.

Once the apartment was clean, it was almost one in the afternoon. Rose disappeared after her cleaning was done to shower, then reappeared wearing worn-out jeans and a fitted shirt, drying her hair. Lucian was standing at one of the windows that looked down to the streets below them, and Rose walked up behind him, peeking over his shoulder.

"It's dead, this side of the city." She said, making a face. Lucian nodded, continuing to look out the window.

"Would seem so. How did the rest of the city look?" Honestly, he should have known Rose would have gone out and done something on her own. She wasn't keen on waiting on other people to get things done when she could do them herself. He silently scolded himself for thinking she'd stay put; he knew her better than that.

"Normal, if you ignore the charred reminders of the past on the back roads." She said quietly, looking off to the side. There was a knowing silence that passed between the two Lycans, and Lucian finally broke it.

"Finish drying your hair and let's go." He said simply, grabbing his coat from the back of the couch. Rose glanced over to him, folding the towel she'd had over her arm and then over the back of a dining table chair.

"Go where?" She asked, grabbing her own coat from the back of another one of the chairs. She pulled it on and buttoned a couple of the buttons, running a hand through her hair and shaking loose the tresses, so they didn't look so messy. The once-leader looked up to her with a small grin.

"Well, exploring for a little while. Then as night falls, we have allies to find."

So he planned on being out for a while. Nodding, Rose scurried out of the apartment after him.

The day consisted of familiarizing themselves with their surroundings, until early evening arrived. Apparently, their familiarizing walk had led them to Antigen, and the two paused down the street from it, examining it from afar.

"The source of the problem," Lucian scoffed, his hands tucked into the pockets of his coat. Rose paused not too far behind him, watching silently. The longer they watched, the more things began to unfold. Guards began to brandish guns and people began to get excited over something. Obviously, some sort of uproar was taking place. Out of habit, Lucian swept an arm out in front of Rose and took a step back into a nearby alley with her, and she placed a hand on his arm, her way of telling him she would be fine. Lucian knew in the back of his mind the other Lycan could take care of herself, but he wouldn't have a repeat of what happened to Sonja happen to Rose. Maybe that was why he always took the initiative to try and protect that which didn't need protecting. Either way, he kept his arm there for a few moments as they watched.

There was a silence between them again, and as night fell and the fighting appeared to grow, Lucian finally spoke.

"Selene."

It was as if he knew perfectly what was going on. The only thing he didn't know for sure was if Selene was completely taking care of the problem, or if this was a temporary solution they could work together later to resolve completely.

"Selene?" Rose questioned, looking up to Lucian, who had long since lowered his arm, but insisted they stay hidden in the shadows of the alleyway.

"Yes." He answered simply, and Rose made a bit of a face.

"How are you—"

"I'm sure, Rose."

Well, she couldn't question him.

Selene was silently grateful for David's offer to stay with herself and Eve, helping them to stay under the radar from Antigen, which was going to obviously bounce back as quickly as possible, and to find Michael, who was more than likely looking for her. She didn't waste words as she moved through the back alleyways with David and Eve, assuming they would find somewhere to rest and regroup before beginning to search for Michael again. Right now, Selene had no intentions of worrying about Antigen…at least, not until they posed a direct threat again.

"Outside of town, there's an old cave that leads down into caverns my coven used to use. Similar to where we went before.." David started, and Selene nodded.

"That will do, a vehicle would provide faster transp—"

"Hello, Selene."

Selene stopped abruptly and her hands went for her guns, making sure Eve was behind her. However, when she was able to take in just who was standing in front of her, she had a hard time believing it wasn't a trick of exhaustion.

"…Lucian?"

A/N: So, I had one particular song on repeat while I was writing this chapter, and it was so difficult to transition it to Rose and Lucian running into Selene. Either way, I tend to like to share songs that spark my muse, and I feel like this one will play a part in at least one long chapter eventually. So, feel free to look it up. It's a beautiful song.
"I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You" by Emiliana Torrini