Six weeks passed without incidents, which was, to Ace, unsettling in the beginning. No incidents, to her, meant that something big was one the rise, and her uneasiness was evident to everyone that was around her, Hank, Logan, Ororo and the Professor especially. Ace had this uncomfortable feeling that the bald man could read her thoughts, and she made it a point to keep her thoughts as blank as she could when he was around. That wasn't too much, luckily, and most of the time she spent with Hank, trying to figure out the frequency of her mind, which, the Professor had commented, was apparently different than those of their dimension. She and Hank had established that the hypothesis was true, but exactly where the difference lay they had not been able to establish. Ace didn't really understand all the science talk, but she appreciated spending time with the blue furred man, more than she cared to admit.

The very first thing she had been intent on doing once she recovered was to begin training, without the need for constant vigilance as well as regular brawls and fights, she was getting out of shape, as her brief battle against the demon-possessed Ororo had clearly shown. It was evident that Hank didn't fully endorse the idea of her pushing herself physically right away, but she wouldn't take no for an answer. As such, in the early morning exactly six weeks after her injury, she was up and running, literally. Hank had only allowed it provided she let him run with her, in case she relapsed or felt any pain, and he was jogging along beside her. It was evident, though, that he wasn't really making an effort, and when she asked him why, he simply shrugged.

"Because I can run forty miles per hour." Her gasp of surprise had clearly amused him, and he'd even smirked as she raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay, fair enough. I won't ask you to race me, then." She had to admit that she was getting out of breath, and it was only their second lap around the mansion. He chuckled at her words, moving a little closer. "That would probably be unwise, since you would be sure to lose." His sudden surge of confidence made Ace smile, and she found that she took it like a compliment every time he got even the slightest bit cocky. Usually he was restrained and he sometimes seemed insecure, but once in a while, when she had him under four eyes, she managed to make him feel confident. It was not an easy thing to do, but it really was rewarding.

After their fourth lap around the mansion, Ace had to call it quits, leaning forward, hands against her knees, in an attempt to catch her breath. "Damnit, I'm out of shape." She breathed, ignoring Hank's worried looks. She wasn't in any pain, so there was no reason to fuss about it. "I'll have to do this more often." She mumbled, shooting a glance at Hank and sending him a breathless smile in an attempt to ease his concern. It worked, so far as she could see. "Perhaps, but not today. Judging by your stamina and overall physical performance, you'll need a few days of restitution before your muscle tissue is fully –"

"Hank, I know. I didn't battle vampires without years and years of physical training, you know."

"Right, I do apologise." His words earned him nothing but an amused glance from her. She found it oddly adorable how he constantly sought to ensure her comfort and treat her like she was some kind of lady – she wasn't, she was a hunter. Still, it was nice to have a man around who wasn't constantly sharpening a blade, cleaning a gun or chugging beer. He had style, and she had to admit that she liked that.

It was at that moment Logan decided to pop his head out of the window to the common room, waving his arm. "Hey Ace! You might wanna see this, it looks like your kinda stuff." He shouted. Judging by the urgency in his voice, it was important, so Ace simply shot Hank an apologetic glance, dashed towards the window and jumped in, feet first, surprising a room practically full of mutants, and earning her a glare form the Professor, which she shrugged off.

The news channel was on, the TV flashing increasingly gory images of some bodies found in various states of very, very dead. What really caught the hunter's eyes though, were the bitemarks. Every body, however mutilated, had the same gory bitemarks on the side of the neck. There were only two things that could've caused such a thing.

"What's the moon phase?" She asked Logan, keeping her voice hushed to keep the other mutants from hearing. He looked at her with a vaguely amused look. "What, you think it's some kinda werewolf?" She rolled her eyes at his look, but immediately her expression turned serious as the news presenter continued her ceaseless blabber. 'Rabid dog' my ass, Ace thought.

"Very sharp, Wolverine, now do you know the moon phase or not?"

'It is new tonight'

Ace practically jumped, and she was aware that she let out a very colourful and rather loud swear, which made the nearest heads turn and stare. She glared the professor, who had turned his attention back to the screen. "Bloody hell, I'll never get used to the in-head talk. It's so freaky."

"What's the moon phase then, Scully?" Logan's gruff voice brought her back to reality, and his little hint to the TV show was almost like a breath of familiarity. A lot of hunters did that. She sighed and shook her head. "It's new. So it's not a werewolf, it's a vampire."

"That's bad?" Logan crossed his arms and kept his eyes on her face, ignoring the TV screen, and the others in the room, completely. She nodded. "Yeah, with this many victims, it's building up a nest. There's gotta be at least five of those bloodsucking bastards out there now." Her eyes briefly returned to the screen, skimming the headline. "Salem. An old haunt. I better go research."

He took a step towards her when she moved to head for the door. "Hey, kid, tell me if you need any help." She caught his eyes and noticed his smirk. She recognised that expression, she'd seen it on a lot of her own kind. "Don't wanna miss out on the party? Fine, I'll let you know." With that, she hurried out of the room, ignoring the fact that the majority of the mutants in there were staring at her uninhibitedly.

Once she got down to the lab, Hank was there, of course. He didn't look at her when she entered, instead keeping his eyes glued to the computer screen, where some kind of complicated chemical formula was streaming past his vision. "What's the news?" He asked, and she was strangely relieved to hear that he sounded perfectly content, not the least bit annoyed or withdrawn. She wasn't sure what caused it, but he sometimes seemed that way when she'd spent time with Logan, even though there was absolutely nothing to get withdrawn about.

"Vampires in Salem, Massachusetts. They're nesting" The shortness of her reply, and the urgency of her tone, made him pause whatever he was staring at, and he looked up at her instead, removing his glasses in the same fluid motion. "That is bad, I presume?" She nodded hurrying over to 'her side' of the lab, which had become stuffed with everything supernatural, and everything she could find bout the supernatural, over the course of the past three months. It briefly occurred to her that he hadn't been too keen to share in the beginning, but he didn't mind the least now. "Very, very bad. They're turning more humans every night. I need to get there as quick as I possibly can. The sooner I kill the sons of bitches, the god damn better."

Hank pressed the power button on his screen, making it go black, and stood up, eyeing her with some anticipation. "Can I be of any assistance?" She paused rummaging through the books and looked at him, her head slightly tilted. Her hesitation was not doubt in his strength, or his bravery, or his determination, but rather an acknowledgement of his decency, his morals, his very correct ethics.

"Can you rip a person's head off without hesitation?" She asked, crossing her arms as she turned to gaze at him, unblinkingly. He hesitated, which she had foreseen, but not for the reasons she had thought. He looked as though a particularly nasty memory was resurfacing in his mind, one that he would rather had stayed forgotten, buried deep within his subconscious, never to be seen.

"Yes. I am fully capable of that. I have… done so before." His sudden coldness made her want to go to him, wrap her arms around him and persuade the Hank she knew to come out again, but she knew she shouldn't. This kind of mentality, this kind of emotional control, this coldness, even if it was temporary, was what she needed of a hunter.

"Good, I don't need any hesitating." She said, turning back to the old, dusty volume of a renaissance legendarium which she had just opened. "We need wooden stakes, small and sharp enough to pierce flesh and muscle, and really, really sharp knives." She didn't need to turn back at him to notice how he mentally noted her requests and left the room without another word.

Silently, she blamed herself. This was selfish. It wouldn't be good for him, she shouldn't be dragging him into this. Logan was more than enough, and judging by how similar she and him were, he had beheaded people plenty of times before. Hank… He was different, he was sensitive. He wasn't a hunter by nature or choice, the coldness he had in him was only there because of the way he had been treated. Because of his insecurity. Because of how he looked, because he was different. But she wanted him to come, she wanted him to be with her. She wanted to feel safe, and he was safety. She was bringing him along for her own sake, and a part of her blamed her for that. It was the part of her that waited with bated breath for him to touch her, brush against her shoulder, the part of her that nearly blushed when he spoke to her.

And that part also wanted to fight beside him.

"There's just nothing for it, old girl. You've gone soft for the furball." She mumbled to herself, while leafing through the old parchment pages.