I sat at the small desk, hunched over my papers before me, squinting in the dim light of the single candle I had managed to save. The quill scratched over the parchment softly as I stopped and looked across the small room at my companions. Tres stood in the far corner leaning against the wall, his eyes shut in the closest the android ever came to actual sleep. I couldn't help but feel a little sad- the last ten years had taken such a toll on my friend- to the point that Tres was beginning to be more human than machine like, even to the point of feeling the effects of the cold climate we now lived in. For so many years Tres had given of himself, and now, after all this time, he was finally reaching his limit. A soft sigh escaped my lips as I looked at my other companion- Leon. He had been pacing for the last hour, and showed no signs of stopping. I knew how much Leon hated being still and not taking action, it reminded him too much of when he was in prison for those long years. Now that he was finally a free man, the last thing he wanted to do was sit inside the prison that their hide out had become recently. He had always been a rash and loud man but since he had received word of the death of his daughter, Missa, Leon had totally given in to his wild side. He had nothing left to live for and to him, his life held little value and it was no great loss if he was killed. I shook my head sadly, my thoughts drifting to the missing member of our group- Hugue. Always the wanderer, he had been gone for almost a week, but I had learned not to worry too much about him. The Sword Dancer would find his way back- he always did, and it always seemed to be just when he was needed the most. Setting the quill down I pushed the chair back and looked at Leon, who was still pacing.

" Leon ... can you stand still for five minutes? You are going to wear a hole in the floor if you keep it up much longer my friend."

Leon stopped and glared at me with those piercing eyes... those eyes that could be so cold and harsh and yet so warm and caring. Those were the eyes of a man haunted by his past and screwed by his future. .

"It's like being in prison all over again, Abel. What do you want me to do? We can't go outside for fear of being seen… Tres isn't exactly a brilliant conversationalist, and there's some strange girl lying on the only bed in the room!" He ran his hands through his long dark hair, leaving it tousled, his voice dropped to almost a whisper. "If I stop pacing, I start thinking." Leon didn't need to tell me who he would be thinking about- it was Missa. Even just thinking her name I knew still tore a hole in his heart. He hadn't seen his daughter in years and his only memories of her were as a baby. Now, he would never see her as a grown woman, happy and healthy. He would never walk her down the aisle when she got married and never hold her children on his lap. Leon slumped against the wall, opposite Tres, and slid to the floor. He put his head in his hands, attempting to hide the tears in his eyes from me. I stood up and walked over to my dear friend friend. Tres looked at Leon with those bright, piercing eyes.

"Status report, Father Leon," he said in his typical fashion.

"Drop dead Tres," Leon muttered under his breath.

"Response not recognized," Tres responded.

Leon glared at Tres. "Stop calling me Father! That was stripped away from me after I was released from prison."

Tres opened his eyes and I could see them glaze over as the computer inside of Tres updated this new information.

"As per request, the title of Father has been deleted in Leon Garcia de Asturias's personal file." Tres spoke in his deep monotone voice, his eyes back to the odd gold color that was normal for him. I watched as Tres leaned against the wall again, seeming to be asleep, but hearing everything around him.

"Its airtight Tres, I'll handle it" I said with a slight smile.

"Affirmative" Tres said as he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes again.

I sat there on the floor next to my friend, having n idea what to say to Leon .For several long minutes I sat there in silence and then grinned as a thought crossed my mind.

"Quite the adventure we had here recently no?"

The last 12 hours had been nothing short of madness. We had finally thought we had caught up to Cain, only to find more death and destruction left in his wake. Another village totally destroyed... no survivors, except for her. I still didn't know how we had found her exactly, though I had attributed it to the fact that it was Leon who had found her. Still refusing to admit the truth about his daughter, it made sense to me that he was more alert and focused don looking for survivors. My main focus was finding my brother, and Tres knew only what he was programmed to know. Whatever the reason was, we had found her and managed to bring her back to the hideout. She was a young girl, looked about 18-19 years of age. She had hair which was an interesting mix of blond, brown, and some silver strands. There was something else about her... something Leon and Tres had no way of knowing now, but I knew… however, now was not the time to discuss it, that time would come soon enough. I glanced over at Leon, hoping to distract him from the pain I knew he must be feeling.

I knew Leon was thinking about the other day and what had happened. The three of us had gotten a tip about Cain hiding in a village about three miles from where we were. Although Leon and I were tired, we picked up the pace and made it to the village quickly. We smelled the smoke before we arrived there. Leon was the first to make it, followed by Tres and brought up the rear. The smell of smoke was everywhere, even though the village had been burnt to the ground hours or maybe even days ago. Charred remains of houses littered the grounds and I could see charred bodies of people and animals strewn about. The smell was awful as Leon and I covered our mouths and noses, but it still wasn't enough to block out the smell. Tres drew his guns, unaffected by the carnage.

"Father Abel." I looked at Tres as his eyes became gray and internal computer assessed the damage. Tres announced in his deep voice. "Damage report. No life forms detected. Loss of property at 100." Tres started walking through the main road of the village. "Report revised. One life form detected, but cannot assess where." Leon tore off through the rubble.

I gave chased after Leon , trying to catch up with the man as he tore through the rubble in his search. When I caught up, Leon was kneeling on the ground, a limp almost lifeless body in his arms. It was a young girl. My heart sank, even if she was still alive it was doubtful she would last much longer- night was coming and the temperatures would drop drastically- as they always did now when the little sun that shone was blotted out.

That was then... now we were sitting in our small safe house. I took a deep breath and leaned back against the wall, my head lolling to one side slightly. I knew what I was about to ask would be hard on Leon , but it had to be asked.

"Leon... the girl we found tonight… she, she reminds you of someone doesn't she?"

Leon 's eyes flashed for a moment then he looked down at his hand silently.

"She reminds you of Missa, doesn't she?"

Leon stared in front of him, his eyes unfocused. "I don't remember much about Missa. She was just a toddler when I was put in prison. I guess this girl would look like Missa, grown up."

He dropped his head back onto the wall, rolling it to the side to meet my eyes…such pain, in those dark eyes.

"Hey Abel, do ya remember those kids we met on that little island?"

I thought he could see a ghost of a smile on Leon 's face. "Oh yes… I remember them."

Both of us were quiet for a bit, each lost in our own memories. Leon was the first to break the silence.

"I wished when Missa was grown, she would find someone like that kid, Peter. He wanted to protect the girl he loved. I wanted Missa to find a love like that."

Slowly I nodded in agreement and put a hand on my friend's shoulder and then stood, the long silver hair falling over my shoulder as I stood.

"Get some sleep my friend. I will take the first watch tonight."

Leon nodded gratefully. I knew he was exhausted, though he would never let me know that- he still had his pride, even if he really didn't have anything worth living for anymore. I walked back over to the desk and pulled the chair out and sat down. Tres was still where he had been before, leaning against the wall. Leon watched the one man he actually respected and looked up to as I bent back over the papers and continued writing.

Leon looked over at the girl lying on the bad. She was breathing normally now. There were a few hours where it was questionable whether or not she would pull through and make it. Her lungs were filled with smoke and she had real trouble breathing when we first found her. She regained consciousness for a few minutes as we brought her back to the hideout, but she was still so out of it she had no idea what was going on. Leon wouldn't let anyone else touch her and he cleaned her up as best he could. She was wearing a simple blue dress with a black cloak covering her. He took off her cloak and covered her with it, a strange look coming over his face. He watched her for a minute or two, the same way a father would watch over his child while they slept. I remember watching this silent interaction between the two in wonder. A little while later, Leon 's eyes were beginning to close and I watched as he laid down on the hard cold floor in front of her bed. As he drifted to sleep, one arm bent under his head, he muttered something he probably didn't think anyone else heard.

"I'll protect her… with my life."

I kept watch as the slow hours passed that night. It was nights like these I wished for my old priest robes for extra protection against the cold nights. They had been long discarded however, because they drew far too much attention- and unwanted attention at that. All of us had traded in the traditional clothes we had worn for so long for more 'common' garbs. Leon 's new outfit consisted of black pants, a simple shirt and a black leather jacket. Tres, due to some programming glitch or make up, could not comprehend wearing anything other than what he had always worn, so he still wore his robes but had been convinced to wear a black clock over it to conceal it from wandering eyes. I looked at myself and shook my head; I was wearing a blue shirt, faded pants, and a black cloak, which was now draped over my shoulders. A shiver ran down my spin as I pulled the cloak tighter around my shoulders. My eyes drifted back to Leon, still lying on the cold wooden floor by the bed. It was then that I realized he did not have anything over than his jacket on. Standing quietly I walked over, knelt down, and covered my dear friend with my cloak. As I stood slowly, my eyes fell on the girl we had found as she still slept.

"Leon…" I whispered softly and then made my way back to the desk and sat down, fighting off the sleep that was starting to take hold of me. At exactly the determined hour Tres woke and turned to Abel.

"Father Nightroad. It is my time for guard duty."

A smile spread across my face as I fought back a yawn and looked at our android friend.

"Very well Tres, thank you."

Tres walked over and stood in front of the door, the one entrance into their hideout. I glanced over one last time at Leon lying on the floor beside the bed as I folded his arms on the small desk and was soon asleep.

Tres performed a scan of the area; soft clicking could be heard coming from the machine. Finding nothing, he switched from search mode to guard mode. Anything heavier than 20 pounds would alert the russet haired android. His ears were programmed to hear a higher or lower pitch than any other human, and any sound out of the ordinary would alert him, too. His guns were in his holster; his hands on the black grips, ready to draw at any moment. Tres called up past data, you couldn't call them memories, of past missions with Father Abel Nightroad. He scanned through visual and audio files, looking for past mistakes on Father Nightroad's part. Tres had been programmed specifically to mesh with Abel's personality and going over past data, Tres could see patterns of behavior. This helped him determine the best way to protect Father Nightroad. He closed the data on Father Nightroad and brought up the data on Leon de Asturias. There wasn't much. He had asked Father Nightroad for data on Leon but Abel had stories to tell, instead of information. Tres put the data in and came to the conclusion that Leon was a dangerous man. Tres had put an alert on Leon 's file, automatically filing away any new information on Leon . Tres went into search mode. He searched every 30 minutes. His eyes went gray again and if the other occupants of the room had been awake, they would have heard the soft clicking again. Seeing and hearing nothing, Tres went back to guard mode. If he had been a real man, he would have relaxed at not finding anything out of the ordinary.

The night passed slowly, Tres' watch was uneventful. Exactly 5 hours after he had started his watch he stepped away from the door and walked over to where Leon was laying on the floor by the bed, his left hand gripping the corner of the blanket the trailed down to the floor. Tres looked at the man for a moment- puzzled- he had never witnessed this kind of behavior in Leon before. He filed away the new data and visual scan for future analysis. Dropping to one knee, Tres reached out a hand and laid it on Leon 's shoulder- the flesh of his fingers cold from the lifeless metal and wires that made up his true form. Leon groaned, he had been awake for a little while but didn't want to get up. The android gave his shoulder a gentle shake.

" Leon . Status report." Leon muttered something unrecognizable under his breath.

"That is not a recognized response. Status Report."

Leon lifted his head and forced his eyes open.

"I'm awake Tres, thanks."

"Affirmative."

Tres made his way back towards his spot in the corner, stopping to perform a quick check on Father Abel, filing away any new information. As he leaned back against the wall his eyes fell on the mystery girl who was still asleep in the bed. He had a file for her of course but there was little information he could file away other than the basics that even the two humans would know- he would have to wait to find out about her. Leon groaned as he staggered to his feet and stretched, his back popping loudly as he did so. He looked over at Tres who was beginning the standby process he went into and then to Abel who was snoring softly at the desk.

Abel's face was relaxed in sleep. His long silver hair was free from the black ribbon he used to tie it back. It was now so long, it almost touched the floor. Leon made his way to the tiny window… dawn was beginning to break as the horizon started to change into various shades of dark blues and purples. He rested his head on the cool glass, his breathing fogging up the window pane underneath his nose. He scratched his chin, fingers going over the new facial growth. He didn't know how long he would be able to stay holed up like this. Leon Garcia de Asturias was known as a man of action and he loved every minute of it- he despised being forced into one place and hated not being able to take action when he felt it was time to move. His mind drifted to the first time he laid eyes on Sister Esther. He was freed from prison to look for them and he and Esther had literally run into each other. He saved her from a group of vampires that were determined to rape and kill her. That was the start of their friendship. She was so adorable, with her bright red hair and big eyes. Leon thought back to another time when he had been in battle and had been shot. The large cross he wore around his neck had saved his life. Leon smiled, thinking of the promise he made Esther give- that she would go on a date with him. He never did get his date with Esther...

Turning from the window he looked at the young girl laying on the bed. Walking over, he watched her for a moment and pulled the thin blanket back up around her. Her breathing was easier but she was starting to stir slightly in her sleep, her fingers gripping the blanket slightly. Now and then she would moan softly in her sleep, as if she was trying to make herself wake up. Leon sat down carefully on the edge of the bed and gently put the back of his hand against her forehead. She wasn't hot which was good. He stared at her as she laid there, her eyes slowly fluttering open as she stared at the ceiling through blurry confused eyes.

"Where... where am I?" She muttered half to herself, half out loud.

"You're safe." Leon spoke in a soft voice, husky and deep, still rough from sleep. The girl blinked her eyes a few times and rubbed them. She opened them, focusing on the large man sitting on her bed. She gave a little cry, pulling the blanket up around her neck and tried to sit up. She fell back on the bed, alarmed at how weak she was. She was trembling, not knowing what this man wanted.

"My name is Leon Garcia de Asturias, but you can call me Leon. My friends and I found you after the attack on your village. You're safe with us, I promise." He wanted to pull her to him, like a father comforting a child, but he made no move towards her. His heart ached, seeing the fear in her eyes and he felt so weak and useless, being unable to comfort her. He wondered if she thought they were the ones that attacked and burned her home.

She looked at Leon and saw the compassion in his eyes and she relaxed slightly 'If they really wanted me dead they would have left me there... we are way beyond the stage of taking captives for bartering...even someone, like me." She smiled slightly at Leon as she started to relax and her eyes drifted across the room, seeing Tres "asleep" and Abel still snoring softly at the nearby desk. Leon smiled back gently as he saw her relaxing and he breathed a small sigh of relief.

"That is Father Tres and Father Abel" he said as he pointed to his companions. "Now you know our names... what is yours?"

"Sasha." Her voice was rough from the smoke and it hurt to talk. "May I have some water?" Leon got up from the bed and poured her some water from a canteen. The water wasn't the best, a little stale tasting from sitting in a metal container, but it was refreshing to Sasha. She handed the glass back to Leon and asked for more. He poured the rest of the water into the glass and handed it to her. She drained the glass. Leon took the glass from her, set it on the table where Abel was sleeping and sat back down at the foot of her bed.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

Sasha pushed herself up slightly so she wasn't laying totally flat on the bed anymore and looked at Leon then down at her hands as she fiddled with the folds in the blanket. "I don't remember how long ago it was…one day, two, maybe more... our village was attacked. They told us that we were traitors because we were helping to hide a crusnik in our village. But that was nonsense! Why would we hide a crusnik in our village when we..." Sasha's voice trailed off, dreading what she was going to have to reveal.

"Because what?" Leon asked softly.

Sasha swallowed hard and closed her eyes. "Why would we hide a crusnik when we... were all Methuselah's ourselves."

She heard the breath catch in Leon 's throat and she turned her head away. She knew she wouldn't be able to hide it from them and they would have eventually found out.