Author note: sorry this is late, but what can I say, my life's been nothing but revision and exams of late so this has unfortunately had to take a backseat, however I'm back now and while I've got a lot of stuff to be doing still I'm going to try and stay up to date with this. A massive thank you to those who review, you inspire me. :)

Chapter fifteen: Dearest enemy

Sixty-six Deild Vale

A slight breeze was toying with the stray strands of hair that usually lay against my mask, as I stood apprehensively across the road from sixty-six Deild Vale. The night was colder than it ought to have been for early September and I shivered underneath my flimsy hooded jacket, though that might have just been my unease making itself known, as if I could forget it. My upper lip curling in disgust at the mere thought of what I was going to have to endure for the next hour, I stared up at the unfamiliar house Adam had ordered me to come to when he text me a few hours ago with the details of my 'visit'. Well, when I say details I mean a time and a place, Adam had yet to share with me what this agonizing hour was going to involve, though I wasn't sure I wanted to know exactly, not if I was going to actually bring myself to go inside. I hadn't allowed myself to think about it ever since he blackmailed me into coming here, but I was prepared for the worst.

Sixty-six Deild Vale was not the house that Adam had grown up in and the one I had spent time at when we were together, no, this house was quite a bit different from the dingy, two bedroom terrace house he had lived in then. This house had at least three bedrooms for a start, also it was detached and looked fairly new, like someone had bought the plot of land here and then built this single house on it for themselves, but managed to still include it in the pre-existing street, hence the address. It didn't look like it belonged here though, even in the dark I could tell that the house was built out of different bricks to the ones around it; the front garden was larger than the others around and it looked as though it cost a fair deal more than the rest of the houses too. The alienation of the house, its thick drawn curtains behind which there was not even the faintest glow of light, not even behind what I had been informed was Adam's bedroom window, and its sheer, unnecessary size made it somewhat imposing.

I wasn't looking forward to going inside, though again that might have just been because of what, or rather who, was waiting for me in there. I had been so happy not half an hour ago, I marvelled internally, thinking about how our suspicions about Jess and Joe had happily been proved false and we'd learnt that the imposters we had been so worried about might actually be able to help us with our latest crisis. How quickly Adam had killed off any joy I might have been feeling though. I couldn't go with my friends on the drop off tonight because of this, I was missing out on the relieved and jovial atmosphere that had built up around them since Jess and Joe explained everything to us and instead I was here about to spend sixty minutes of pure torture with my ex-boyfriend, all because I was being blackmailed. It wasn't as though I wasn't doing this for a good reason, this wasn't some trivial thing, I was putting up with Adam's crap solely because it kept Baxter from finding out the truth about George, a dangerous bit of information which was unfortunately in the hands of my loathsome ex.

I still hated this though, just because there was nothing I wouldn't do to keep George safe didn't mean that I was at all resigned to my fate, nor was I going to let Adam push me around, gone were the days when I would tolerate that. I'd much sooner be with the others, doing my readily accepted duty of helping the poor of Locksdale, I hated coming here while my friends were distributing all the money we'd gathered, I felt like I was shaking my responsibility when really I was just trying to look after another. I had no choice though and so, heaving a heavy sigh, I stepped out into the deserted street and crossed the road to number sixty-six, I noticed the curtain of the right upstairs window twitch, as though falling back into place and reasoned that Adam must have been watching me. I reached the other side of the street, my footsteps silent on the tarmac in my black pumps and hastily I vaulted over the low brick wall that separated Adam's garden from the pavement, even though the gate was obviously new I didn't want to chance that I'd make a noise by opening it. Walking across the freshly planted grass out of pure, unashamed spite, I considered, for a brief moment, knocking on the door despite Adam's instructions not to. I didn't though, I didn't want anyone knowing that I was here not even Adam's mum, who I'd gotten along with just fine when Adam and I were together and who was his only parent. Unfortunately (as though having Adam as a son wasn't unfortunate enough) she was also a compulsive gossip, and I didn't need the whole of the Southside (which despite his new home Adam still lived in) knowing that I, or rather a hooded stranger depending on what I would have worn when she answered, had been visiting her son. Besides I would only have been doing it for the same reason I was trampling the grass. To spite him.

I glanced up once more at Adam's window, feeling slightly nauseous and more than just a little bit mad at how I was being forced to go in there, I looked for the wooden bench Adam had said would be here. I spotted it under the ground floor window at the left hand side of the house (on my right hand side) and so taking a leisurely walk over to it, I dragged it across the grass and up against the side of the brick front porch. Glancing over my shoulder once more to check that no one was looking I paused in the shadows cast by the new building, spotting no nosy neighbours peeking out from between their blinds I stood on the bench. Finding I was too short to reach the pouch roof from there I placed one foot on the arm of the bench and the other on the bench back. This did the trick and grabbing onto the tiled roof I pulled myself up quietly, the only sound I made being a slight grunt as the top of the triangular porch roof jabbed my stomach as I pulled myself onto it. Blowing more of the hair that had escaped from my pony tail out of my face, I brought myself up into a crouch and pulled my mask off in a sudden flash of hot irritation before stuffing it in my pocket. Shuffling forward as much as I dared I grabbed hold of the drain pipe for support and reached out for the right hand side bedroom window. However just as my fingertips were centimetres from the glass the curtains were thrown open, I snatched my hand away as the shadowy figure I assumed was Adam appeared behind the window and slowly slid it open. He didn't say a word and, sitting back against the porch roof, having pushed myself back against it instinctively, I watched as he turned and walked back into the room.

I paused for a second, unwilling to enter, a million emotions rushing through me as I sat there, anger, revulsion, confusion and apprehension amongst them. I wondered why Adam hadn't said anything to me, it wasn't like him not to taunt me when he could and I was willing to bet I had looked a right picture reaching for the window with my hair half out of its bobble and my face red and angry, prime jibe material if I did say so myself. It wasn't even like he was bothered about being heard or not, I was the one who had the most to lose by being found here, namely George, so his silence confused me. Deciding that he was waiting for me to get inside I remained where I was for another second, just to piss him off (I didn't want to be here), before grudgingly climbing through the window. Landing on the soft, un-trodden carpet of Adam's room I glanced around, it was definitely bigger than his old one, more spacious and less cramped. There was a large double bed at one end of the room which was obviously replacing his old single one, a wardrobe at the other end along with a laptop perched atop a wooden (not pressboard like mine) writing desk. There were other things in here as well, random odds and ends that fitted into any normal bedroom, like a DVD rack, a TV and nightstands, however most of these things I had never seen before. I couldn't tell what colour the walls or carpet were because of the dark, but I was guessing they were the traditional white and beige that most new houses had when you first bought them, since neither Adam nor his mum were any good at decorating.

Looks like the Devil pays well, I thought with revulsion as I stared into the room, because that was obviously how he was able to afford all this, his mum was a barmaid at the Swallows (which come to think of it would be where she was now, so maybe not knocking on the door had more to do with the neighbours than anything else) and there was no way she could afford a house like this on her income. The boy who had sold his soul to Baxter however, would probably be in favour with said devil well enough to have this house bought for himself and his mother. But why? I thought suspiciously, what had Adam done to deserve this in Baxter's eyes? Or more importantly, what was he going to do to deserve it? My breathing picked up then and I tensed, anger building I turned to find Adam, thinking all the while that if this was a trap he would be very, very sorry. Wasn't it bad enough that I had to obey the scumbag's every wish; did he really have to line his own pocket by turning me in too? Of course he could Robin; I thought in answer to my own internal question, he's prepared to do it to George. As I narrowed my eyes at him Adam crossed the room and closed the window I had just climbed through and drew the thick curtains, causing me to stiffen even more as they eclipsed any light that might have been seeping into the room from the street, and then even with my advanced eyesight I found myself struggling to see.

"You're late," he said in a clipped tone that despite being said in his own voice sounded so un-Adamish it was unreal.

"Am I?" I asked sarcastically as I sensed him walk past me into the room again "sorry, I had something more important to be doing." I added in a biting tone, that was only a half truth really, since while I hadn't been in any hurry to get here and the goings on at Sherwood had been infinitely more important than spending an evening with Adam (though not more so than George's life). The main reason I was a bit late here was because I didn't have my phone on me since whilst on a job it was too much of a liability, nor did I have a watch because they kept getting broken when things got a little bit violent. Since I had had no way of telling how I was for time since I had left Sherwood, it wasn't really any surprise that I was late getting here.

Adam snorted "Not more important than what I've got to say," he said, his voice coming from across the room, and at that it was my turn to snort, even if I was still edgy about the situation.

"I doubt that," I retorted sharply fingers ready to snatch a arrow from my quiver and pull my bow from my back when Adam flicked his desk light on, not opting for the large main light. All set to defend myself should this be an ambush I was ready to spring when my eyes adjusted to the sudden light. Adam was still alone though and stood across the room with his back to me, both his hands were gripping the light brown wooden desk so it liked like he was unarmed, that aside if I hadn't known Adam better I would have said he looked troubled, or at least tired. His shoulders were slumped as he held on tightly to the desk and though I couldn't see his face the mood his stance gave off was not his usual smug one. This really wasn't like him, I thought not quite sure to make of him but not about to take it as a sign of weakness, it could just be a ploy to make me feel sorry for him, since he never acted like this.

Seeming to remember he had an audience Adam turned around and I felt my eyes widen in shock, Adam's cheek was a shocking deep purple with bruising too fresh to be a result of my outburst Sunday night, his nose wasn't even swollen any more from where I'd punched him so obviously this new bruise wasn't my fault. No someone else had done this, and really it could have been any number of people since Adam wasn't exactly a lovable sort of person. Oddly I was suddenly reminded of Marin in my 'dream' or whatever that was, where he had been beaten up by Guy for helping me get away, though I wasn't sure why I should think of that.

Deciding that I didn't care if someone had punched or slapped or otherwise harmed Adam, though a part of me told me that I ought to care, I tried to ignore his horrible bruising, a task that was made easier when I thought about the awful handprints he had left around my neck the other week. That thought, however, did not do wonders for my anger.

"You managed to get away from your following them?" Adam asked coldly and scowled at him for his comment and unusual frosty attitude (thought I wasn't sure which I preferred, him being like this or him being his usual arrogant self).

"They're my friends, not my following," I said in an unamused tone as folded my arms across my chest, absentmindedly remembering how George used to call my 'friends' at Locksdale Upper my following, he had been right to call them that since they hadn't cared about me or my situation, they had only wanted to experience rebellion and I supposed that I had known that all along really. "And yes, otherwise I wouldn't be here."

Adam pulled a sarcastic face that didn't last as long as it usually would have done and crossed the room to sit on the edge of his bed, while he did that I frowned in frustration, thinking about what I had had to do to get away from Sherwood. In order to get out of going on the drop off (something that I didn't really want to get out of) I had had to feign illness, I had had to act sick for the time leading up to our leaving until Mark had asked me if I was alright. At which point I'd given my usual speech about being fine and not being unwell and from there the others had insisted that I stay in if I really wasn't well, since I didn't look good and they didn't want a repeat of the other month when I'd been bedridden for a day for refusing to admit that I was ill. I'd made a bit of a fuss over it but I think I gave in too easily because I caught George giving me funny looks as they left, even though he had hugged me before hand and told me to get well soon. I don't think he bought my act, he knows me too well by now and while the others might think that I've found a bit of sense since a few months, back George knew better. However he didn't say anything, he just made it plain that he knew something was wrong, but just not what I was saying was and left me to it, trusting that whatever I had to do was important and that I would tell him later. I really didn't deserve him, I thought guiltily as I shifted subtly on my feet, he trusted me so much and here I was standing in my ex's bedroom in the middle of the night, it didn't really matter that I was under duress, I was still here.

Adam sighed as he got comfy on his bed before looking back up at me and smirking before tapping the spot on the bed next to him in an obvious invitation, I pulled a repulsed face and he laughed. That was more like Adam, I thought.

"So you're going to stand up for the next hour?" he asked me, brown eyes questioning but with a slight harshness and a sense of seriousness behind them, I shrugged.

"Maybe," I said thinking how I hated lying to my friends, especially over something like this, however, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I would lie to them again if it would keep them or George safe.

Adam snorted and looked away, an unusual silence fell between us then, it wasn't awkward because there was far too much animosity and tension in the air between us for that, an equal measure of which was coming from Adam also, since he looked bothered by something. The silence was unusual because either Adam or I always had some biting comment or insult to throw at the other whenever we usually talked; it was odd that we didn't.

I watched in confusion as Adam just sat there, all evidence that he had been laughing just a moment ago gone. Adam stayed as he was, sat on the end of his double bed, resting his head in his hands and a deep pensive expression on his face (which needless to say was very out of character for him) as though he was trying to decide on something and was torn between two options, he sat like that for a good five minutes, trying my patience immensely. Why was I even here? I asked myself angrily, why did he have to torture me first why couldn't he just tell me to do whatever task he'd called me to do and I'd either do as commanded or tell him to shove it and go home, I had drawn a line that I wouldn't cross no matter what, I'd keep George safe from his father myself if I had to, I wouldn't do anything Adam asked me to. Still he sat there though, glaring at the floor while I did the same to him, just thinking.

Deciding that Adam wasn't going to start talking again any time soon, his own internal debate seemed too fierce to give out just yet, I found my own mind drifting. Oddly enough though it didn't stop at how Jess and Joe had been telling the imposters how to be successful thieves by copying us, or how said imposters might actually be able to help us, instead it drifted on to something, or rather someone, else I had been considering a lot lately. Grace. While I had yet to meet to woman properly (in this time) aside from the time we met at George's dad's ball in the summer, I couldn't shake the really bad feeling I had about her. Something wasn't right about her, the way she glared at me whilst at college, her sudden need to be educated in Locksdale even though she was Nottingham born and bred, that early morning meeting she was having on the Southside this morning, not to mention the fact that in the 'past' she was the form the true Gisborne took in my dreams, or whatever they were. She was the real problem in Nottingham when I was back there, the puppet master so to speak, pulling the strings here and there to give herself power, and though with each passing day I got more and more confused about what on Earth that vision, dream, experience, whatever, had been when I was back in Nottingham in the time of my ancestor, I was sure there was more to her than everyone thought. She was a key part in this story, I just knew it, and from that I had earlier resolved to keep an eye on her, and maybe voice my concerns as to which character she was playing.

I had decided, in-between leaving college and George returning home later that day, that Grace couldn't be left to do as she pleased, someone, namely me, had to keep an eye on her and figure out just what she was up to. Because she was up to something, of that I was sure, I wasn't just being some jealous girlfriend trying to find faults with the woman who wanted my boyfriend and was currently living in his old house, I honestly thought there was something sinister about her. And that line of thought inevitably led me back to Adam, who in the 'past' had been one of the people working with Grace to bring about my downfall and the downfall of the King, was that the case now? I wondered looking at the still thoughtful boy across the room from me, despite me not knowing exactly what my experience in Nottingham was a lot of things from there seemed to be working their way into my life here, could it be true that he was working with her? No, I thought suddenly and almost laughing at myself for thinking it, Adam was a working-class employee of Baxter, a stuck up rich kid like Grace would have no time for his ideas and probably no need for his help, they were from two very different social circles, it wasn't possible.

"As fun as it is being here Adam," I drawled sarcastically, anxious to get out of here and set my plans for watching Grace into motion, though it was unlikely I would have the time tonight "is there a particular reason why I'm here?" I asked and he looked up at me, obviously irritated that I'd interrupted his musings; I didn't care though and punctuated my words with a sharp look.

"I've not decided yet," he said sitting up straight before pushing himself to his feet and walking towards me, my lip curled as he came to a stop right before me, there was barely an inch between us both but I refused, on principal, to step back and stood firm with a defiant expression on my face. Adam caught sight of my look and smirked.

"Why?" he asked leaning in towards my face so that his warm breath fanned across my face and I cringed "you anxious to get started?"

I didn't even dignify that with a response, I caught the implied meaning and let out a "ugh" noise of disgust and cast my gaze away from him, not before I saw his smirk widen though.

"I think maybe you are, Robin love," He said as he pulled back away from me and I turned slowly to look at him again, scowling "you just like deluding yourself." With that he took a step back and his expression became serious again.

"In your dreams," I retorted quickly and Adam shook his head.

"It's reality, if I tell you that's what's going to happen." He said in a tone that started off calm but intensified as he spoke.

"Now who's deluding themselves?" I asked brusquely and Adam replied without a second thought.

"Still you," he answered almost as sharply as I had and my glare intensified.

"Alright then, since there's no point to me actually being here. Why don't you tell me why I'm deluding myself, oh great all-knowing one?" I said my voice dripping with heavy sarcasm and irritation.

Adam didn't miss a beat, and sounding as though he very much wanted to tell me how I was kidding myself shot back "You think that you can stop Mr. Baxter," he told me and I was as quick with my response as he had been.

"I can't, not on my own. But my friends and I, and whoever else wants to help us, can," I said and Adam rolled his eyes "I'm not saying it will be easy, but I know we can do it."

"It's impossible, the Baxters have owned this town for a century, and don't you think that other people have tried to stop them? All of them failed and so will you; you're living in a fairytale if you think otherwise." Adam retorted bluntly.

"You don't know anything about what were doing or what we know, we aren't going to fail, I wont let us." I sent back, not even the slightest bit ruffled by what he had said, it was going to take a lot more than a few words from the cheat to shake my faith in what we were doing, what did he know?

"I might not, but I know a lot about what you're up against. You. Are. Deluding yourself." He said, emphasising the last sentence and leaning towards me once more.

"Yeah well, we'll see whose right about that one then wont we." I snapped and Adam nodded solemnly, brown hair bobbing as he did so, though he was smirking at me as though he thought I was stupid. "If that's all you've got then you're wrong, I'm not living a delusion." I said thinking that would end the discussion and that he would have no response, but this was Adam so of course he did.

"Oh I'm far from done," Adam half said half laughed though there was no humour in his voice "how about this one? You think that you can help everyone, the poor, your family, your friends, George and any one else that asks you to help them, when you can't, you're not super woman." He concluded dryly.

"We can and we are doing, I haven't failed anyone yet and I'm not going to," I replied trying not to think of Andrew Kennedy "and we're going to give help to anyone who asks for it." I said wondering why Adam had ordered me here just so he could tell me how stupid I was, was this it or did he have some other torture lined up for after our argument? He'd said though that he had something to tell me, why did he have to force me here to tell me something?

Adam shook his head "you can't do everything." He said in an almost reproachful tone which, needless to say, I did not appreciate.

"I'm not trying to," I told him yet again thinking he didn't know anything about me or my life now, who was he to tell me this?

"Yeah," Adam scoffed "alright then."

"I'm not trying to do everything," I insisted "just everything that is asked of me and I KNOW that I can do it." Adam shot me a doubtful but still mocking look and I rolled my eyes "Next," I called not giving him a chance to say anything else.

"You think that you can keep me in line," he said brown eyes glistening wickedly as he turned to me, trying to look dangerous. To anyone else I supposed that he would have, that crooked smile in place on his dark face as he stood tall in the barely lit room, he should have looked frightening. He didn't scare me though, not any more and I met his gaze easily.

"I can," I said forcefully.

Adam laughed "well let me rephrase that, you think you can stop me telling Baxter lover boy's little secret." He reiterated and I froze, my stomach plummeting in dread and my eyes going wide, a smug smile formed on Adam's face which I would have happily wiped away thanks to the protective rage that had built up at his words.

"I can!" I exclaimed and this time I took a threatening step towards Adam, like I had before he didn't move back, he just stood there and smirked "you promised that if I did whatever you asked then you wouldn't show Baxter those pictures. That's what we agreed on! If you go back on your word Adam I swear I'll…."

"You'll what Robin?" Adam asked his smug face inches from my own "you're quick to threaten people but you never actually say what you're going to do, you're full of empty threats so forgive me if I'm not very frightened of you."

Feeling my face start to turn a furious red colour I balled my hands into fists and paused a second before retorting "If you tell Baxter the truth about George, after you promised me that you wouldn't, I will hunt you down, come at you in the middle of the night and make you regret the moment you were ever born." I hissed, venom and my fierce protectiveness coating every single syllable, too frightened for words at what he was implying.

Adam smirked "empty threat," he commented before reaching up with the intention of tucking a strand of escaped hair behind my ear, I jerked away from his touch, glaring at him all the while, he was wrong, that wasn't an empty threat, he didn't know what I would do for George "and keep your hair on, I wont be going back on our agreement, not yet anyway."

I gritted my teeth as he turned and walked away from me, hardly reassured by his claim that he wouldn't be telling Baxter George's secret, I didn't trust Adam, not even in the slightest. However, I couldn't chance it and so in an attempt to keep him in a none grassing frame of mind I held my tongue and only glowered at him. "Is that all?" I asked my fiery rage clear as day in my tone, I half expected him to laugh but he didn't, he just turned back to me with a serious expression on his face and said,

"No, you're kidding yourself in one more way," he paused, but only for long enough to lock his hard gaze with mine before adding "you think that all of this is going to end in a happily ever after with you and George, and that is the biggest lie that you tell yourself."

"What?" I asked somewhat surprised by what he had just said, feeling my anger start to lift in wake of my confusion, or rather, my anger simply went someplace else for a while until I needed to call on it again. I felt myself frown at him and twisted my expression into a defiant one, even though I could feel my stomach start to plummet at Adam's words.

"You and George," Adam clarified "you aren't going to get a happily ever after, or whatever you're looking for, it's not possible."

"I never said I was expecting a happy ending," I said a little defensively even though my heart and stomach were both still in a confusing free fall, why should it matter so much what he said, what did he know about George and me?

Adam scoffed "you don't have to say it, you might pride yourself on not being one of those stereotypical girls Robin, but its obvious that's what you want from this, when the end comes you want it all to end happily with you and George riding off into the sunset, and I can tell you right now that that isn't going to happen." Adam told me, his gaze going distant towards the end of his little speech, as though he was thinking about something else.

"It's going to end with Baxter being punished for his crimes and Locksdale liberated from his dictatorship," and with Richard Baxter safely getting into the Prime Minster slot, I added internally since I didn't want Adam to know what we knew "anything else is irrelevant."

Adam raised an eyebrow at that "That's not going to happen either, there's no court, or law enforcement agency in the country that would dare take on Baxter, he'll never be punished and thank God for that since I like not being in prison." Adam said and I rolled my eyes, it was true that getting Baxter sent down would get a number of his employees sent down as well, probably Adam included, not that I'd complain about that "I'm not stupid you know, any idiot can see that George is not irrelevant to you, its why you're here now and you cant lie to me and say that you don't care how this ends for the both of you."

"And so what if I do?" I asked defensively "what's wrong with me wanting this to end well for me and George?"

"It won't happen," Adam said dryly looking away from me and adopting that thoughtful expression again, looking like he was thinking about whatever he had been earlier.

"Alright," I said folding my arms and cocking my hips, not about to leave this alone "and you know that, how?" I challenged, hating that he had said that to me, that my cheating ex was telling me how my current relationship was going to end.

"Because I know," he said simply, frowning at the carpet as he took up his internal dilemma again.

"Because you know," I repeated in cold disbelief "well then, it must be true then, if YOU know. Never mind those of us who are actually in the relationship, if you say it wont last then surely it wont last, because you are the relationship expert after all."

"Shut up, Robin." Adam warned in a voice that was supposed to be dangerous but just sounded tired.

"No," I said defiantly "I'm not, if I'm going to stand here for the next forty-five minutes or however long I've got left stuck in here, while you tell me, for no good reason, that my relationship is doomed then I'm going to say whatever I bloody well want to!"

Turning to face me angrily, apparently giving up on staring holes in the floor, Adam snapped "you should take what I've said as I warning and chuck the pampered prince, you'd be doing you're self a favour if you did, Baxter's are all the same."

"Oh, and you'd know that because you've been out with one as well have you?" I asked scornfully and Adam's gaze narrowed.

"I've done my research," he said in a tone that was so angry and so sure that it had me actually stopping to consider what he was saying "if you were smart you'd get out now before history repeats itself, this is out of my hands now and its out of yours too, but you could still change one thing by getting wise and dumping him."

"And why would I do that?" I asked harshly "I love him."

Adam rolled his eyes "Loving him doesn't mean anything, he's still a Baxter, he's still got his fathers genes in him, history will only repeat its self if you don't get out now." He said seeming frustrated though there was no more indecision or contemplation in his eyes, he had made his choice.

"He's nothing like his father, George is his own person, we aren't clones of our parents." I protested sternly though Adam looked unconvinced and I continued "George is good and kind, he wants to help people, he wants to liberate the town and do good in the world, he's nothing like his father!"

"And you don't think that Baxter wasn't always a cold, money grabbing businessman, you don't think that maybe he was like that once too?" Adam asked, his brown eyes alight with intensity as he turned to stare at me.

"No, I don't." I said confidently, speaking the truth, Baxter could never have been good or even just ordinary, he was nothing but pure evil and Adam didn't know what he was talking about.

"You're narrow-minded then," Adam said simply and I blanched, that was something that no one had ever accused me of being before "Baxter was like George once and look at him now, anything can change over time so if you were smart you'd get out now, and keep as far away from Baxter Jr as you can."

"You weren't there, Adam, there's no way for you to know what Baxter used to be like." I said for some reason feeling frightened by the way that this conversation was going, but not about to back down now.

"Like I said, I've done my research," he told me before adding "and it's not pretty, if history…"

"…Repeats it's self I'll be sorry, I know," I snapped cutting across him "you keep saying that but you never say what you mean by it."

"Are you really so blind that you cant see the similarities?" Adam asked and instantly I felt offended, well, obviously I am Adam, that or I don't have the time to sit around and make up stories like you do all day, I thought huffily but didn't get a chance to say it aloud as Adam was already speaking "you're situation is almost exactly the same as hers was and look how she ended up."

"The same as whose?" I asked dryly tiring of Adam's half answered and feeling like an outsider in a group of friends who were talking about someone that I didn't know, why couldn't he just talk straight?

Adam paused, frowned and looked like he was thinking hard, weighing up his options and trying to decide what to say. That caught my attention; he looked like the answer to my question was something he didn't think that he should tell me. And then he decided, I knew that because a determined and somewhat hard look crossed Adam's face before he said,

"George's mum's, your life is like George's mum's," I blinked, shocked by the comparison and totally speechless, however Adam didn't seem to need a response and carried on "you've grown up on the Southside and so did she, as you probably know she died there too in an accident." Adam said and I remembered George telling me about his mum's car accident on the Southside "you're a do gooder," Adam said as though it were a bad thing "and so was she, always volunteering and stuff, and not to mention the most important likeness, you both dated a Baxter."

"Yeah, but having three things in common with the woman doesn't mean that I'm going to have the same life as her, I'm not going to marry George and suddenly he'll turn into a tight fisted, murderous tyrant!" I said as though Adam was crazy; however I was somewhat stunned to find that the look on his face showed that was exactly what he was thinking. "You're mad." I added taking a step away from him.

"I didn't mean it that literally!" Adam exclaimed in an exasperated voice "I only meant that like you George's mum once thought that Baxter was an okay guy, she wouldn't have married him otherwise since by all accounts she was a saint. So who's to say George won't change?"

"So this is you trying to warm me off George because he might hurt me?" I asked in disbelief, even though I still scoffed audibly at the very idea "hate to break it to you Adam, but you can't really say anything about anyone hurting me."

"I'm just trying to get you to see the truth," Adam said with an impassive shrug, as though he couldn't have cared less "George's mum believed that a Baxter could change, that he could be different from the rest of them and look where she ended up."

Shooting a reproachful look I said "you aren't seriously suggesting that George's mum dying in a car accident was somehow a result of her marrying a Baxter?"

"I'm not saying anything of the kind; I just want to know why you think George is different from all the other Baxters?" Adam asked that fierce intensity back in his eyes as he stared at me and waited for my response.

"I've already told you why," I said standing tall and looking down on Adam from halfway across the room "he's a good guy and he cares about people."

"But what about all his responsibilities, all the businesses and property that he'll be left when Baxter dies or moves onto bigger things, what will he do with that? It's surprising what a sudden windfall can do to a person." Adam asked and I eyed him suspiciously, what did he mean if Baxter moved onto bigger things? Did he know something about Baxter's plans?

I didn't say anything about it though, I was only responded to his question with as much conviction in my voice as I could muster "George will sell them, keep what he needs to live and then give the money back to the poor." However when I finished Adam was looking at me in a doubtful sought of way that made me feel like a naive child "he will." I insisted and Adam rolled his eyes.

"You're living in cloud cuckoo land," Adam told me "no one in their right mind would do that, the world is too selfish a place for that to happen and you and I both know it. Everyone looks out for number one."

I bristled "I don't know if you've heard, Adam," I said angrily "but taking from the rich and giving to the poor is sought of what we do."

"Maybe," Adam hedged "but it isn't what a Baxter does, which is what George is after all."

"George is different," I insisted, wondering how many more times I would have to defend George's character tonight "I don't care if you don't believe that he is, I know him better than you do and I say he's nothing like his father and he wont ever be like him!" I said, fast getting to the point of shouted due to all my frustration at Adam, why was he telling me all this and why did he think that he knew what was going to happen any more than I did?

"Well lets ask his mother about that one," Adam muttered before callously adding in a way that made me feel sick "or as we cant how about we ask someone who knows better than anyone else how a Baxter can change, your….." Adam didn't finish his sentence though, at least not at an audible level as he muttered something incomprehensible and then fell silent, seeming to realise that he had said too much.

Something about what he said struck me though and suddenly I had the intense and furious desire to know what he had been about to say, somehow I knew that it was important and that I wasn't going to like whatever he had been about to say. I had to know though, something deep inside me had me desperate to know.

"What did you say?" I asked, slightly shocked to find as much anger in my voice as there was, but unable and unwilling to suppress it.

"You don't want me to finish that sentence." Adam said somewhat threateningly, his brown eyes impossibly cold as he looked at me.

"I do, Adam, tell me what you just said." I commanded, unwilling and unable to let this slide, he had to tell me, I had to hear what he had said.

"You won't like it," he responded looking away from me and sound careless.

Gritting my teeth I replied with "I know."

Adam seemed to deliberate about this for a few moments, once more he was looking at the carpet, his brown eyes hard as stones but troubled, I sensed that he was warring with himself over if he should tell me the truth or not, he looked as though he really wanted to, but something was holding him back. Whatever that was I prayed it wasn't strong enough to keep him from telling me and waited, terrified but expectantly as Adam turned back to me, his decision made.

"I said, that if you want to ask someone about how much a Baxter can change, then you ought to ask your mum."