A/N Here's your next instalment guys. Thank you for your patience! I know this is taking a lot longer than advertised, but I'm trying to finish another piece of writing that I'm trying to get published. Hope you enjoy this anyway :)

Chapter 9

Tim's Sacrifice

Tim and Daisy lay snuggled together afterwards. Daisy's head was on his chest, his arms wrapped around her. She was dosing, blissfully content and practically purring with happiness, listening to his heart thump slowly beneath her cheek. She stroked her fingers absent mindedly over the soft skin of his abdomen. Daisy had loved and lusted after Tim Bisley in equal measure for quite some time. He had filled her dreams and daydreams with erotic scenarios the nature of which she would never reveal to another living soul. The glorious reality of sexual intimacy with him had exceeded even her detailed fantasies however. He was forceful, enthusiastic and energetic in bed, but also delightfully tender and considerate when it was called for. He had perfectly balanced playfulness and humour with intensity and passion, and he had been decidedly thorough in his dedication to satisfying her. He was the most desirable man she had ever met and the best lover she had had the pleasure of enjoying. She was dramatically and hopelessly and completely in love with him, and now found herself compelled to at least try and tell him how strongly she felt.

"Tim?"

"Hmmm?"

"That was... so lovely. Amazing."

"Thanks, always nice to get good reviews."

She smacked him lightly, to which he deliberately overreacted for comic effect.

"Stop taking the piss. I was trying to tell you something." She protested, settling back onto his chest again, somewhat crestfallen that he had broken the mood, albeit unintentionally.

"Sorry. What did you want to say?" He looked down at her, stretching his head away awkwardly so he could focus on her when she was so close. Embarrassed now, Daisy avoided his eye.

"Er... can I stay in here with you tonight?" These were not the words she had planned, but the moment had passed and she had lost her nerve.

Tim's expression grew suddenly serious. He shifted up onto his side to face her, gently dislodging her from his chest and propped himself up on one elbow.

"Dais... I would love that, really I would but I... I have to help Mike." He looked genuinely pained. "I can't stay here when he's... suffering. He doesn't even know that we've got a rescue plan for him, he must be miserable."

"Yes, of course. You have to go to him." Daisy paused, not sure how to express her fears, worried he might think she lacked faith in him. Desperate for his reassurance, she took a risk, hoping he would understand her and how to comfort her. Just as he had always done.

"It's just... I'm so scared, Tim. This whole thing is so crazy and I don't want... anything to go wrong."

"It won't. I promise. Everything's going to be fine." He said sincerely, stroking his hand slowly up and down her arm as he spoke.

"But what if it does? I might never see you again and..." Tim stopped her speech with a finger over her lips.

"Shhh, it's alright. Nothing's going to go wrong. I'm going to help Mike, then you're going to save us both with the potion."

"And James' friend, Henry?"

Tim did a pretend grimace.

"Ok, yes! And James' friend, Henry. I'll find him and get him to the meeting point too. Listen to me, ok? Here's what's going to happen, I'm going to eat the biscuits and... change... and those guys were here in no time to collect Mike, so they'll come and get me too. You'll have to hide though, we can't have them seeing you." Tim broke off and swallowed hard, looking down. "When I eat those biscuits, Daisy, you have to lock yourself in your room, or in here ok? No matter what happens."

"Why?"

Tim looked back up at her again, his expression serious and seeming distressed at what he was about to say.

"Because... I might... hurt you. Mike almost didn't know who I was and I can't take that risk with you."

Daisy swallowed, tears rising in her eyes, but she nodded firmly.

"I know you'd never hurt me, not as yourself, but I understand. Can I stay in here? I'd prefer it."

"Course you can."

Tim gave her a long, tender kiss.

"I'm sorry, Dais. I'm going to have to go."

She watched him get up and pull his clothes on. When he was ready, he fished the key to his room out of a bowl of coins on his desk and handed it to her.

"Don't come out until they've taken me away, ok? They'll probably, you know, beat me up a bit but don't worry, I'll be fine." He winked at her, which he knew she loved, and then gave her one last kiss before he left the room. On the other side of the door, he paused.

"Daisy?"

"Yes?" She called back from his bed.

"Lock the door behind me. Do it now, before I..."

Daisy scrambled out of his bed and went to the door. She inserted the key and turned it, hearing the lock click into place. Tears were suddenly threatening to overflow her eyes again.

"Is it done?" Tim asked, his voice pitched a little higher then normal.

"Yes." She managed to croak back. There was a silence, Tim resting his forehead and the palms of his hands against the door on one side, Daisy shaking with the effort of controlling her emotions on the other.

"Dais?" Tim whispered through the door. She held her breath to stop her sobs and listen to him. "I love you."

Her face crumpled as she gave in to crying.

"I love you too, Tim." She wept, placing her own hands on her side of the door in an attempt to feel closer to him. Tim squeezed his eyes tight shut for a second, building the strength to rip himself away from the piece of wood that connected them. Then he forced himself over to the table and picked up the first biscuit from the basket.

Daisy found she could not remember clearly everything that happened after that. She watched him eat the biscuits through the keyhole. When he started to change, that's when it got a bit fuzzy. She did retain one particularly distressing visual, though. The image of the beautiful blue draining from the irises of Tim's eyes was something she did not think she would ever forget. She had always thought his eyes extremely expressive and seeing the life fading out of them was truly horrific. She also remembered her abject terror at what happened to him when the collectors came for him. She moved away from the door, unable to watch them beating the man she loved into submission. She crawled onto his bed, hugging her knees to her chest, sobbing silently with her hand clamped over her mouth to prevent herself from making a noise. When the flat finally fell silent, she stayed frozen to the same spot for a long time afterwards, too petrified to move. Eventually, she built up the courage and slowly slipped off Tim's bed, crept to the door, and checked through the keyhole that they had really gone. The flat was empty and deathly quiet. Aware she was now truly alone, she curled up on the floor of Tim's bedroom and cried uncontrollably, clutching one of his discarded t shirts and breathing in the comforting smell of him, trying to tell herself that everything was going to be alright, just as he had said. After a time, her tears dried and she knew it was time to toughen up. There was work to be done. She had to get the spell right, she had to get the potion right. She had to get to the right place at exactly the right time and do exactly the right thing. Tim was counting on her. She would not let him down.