The apartment in which Sarah Whitley resided was unremarkable in every sense of the word. Josef had done this on purpose; it allowed for people to come and go without drawing attention from civilians because it was extravagant or large. Instead of the beautiful building that he would have preferred, and that he believed Sarah deserved, Josef had bought a modest two-bedroom house in the middle of a neighbourhood that was polite, but not overly friendly. Every fifteen years or so he liked to sell the house and move her to another city, because he was careful like that. He didn't want people asking any questions.

Mick empathised with Josef; whilst they hadn't known one another at the time he had met Sarah, they had become friends by the time he tried to turn her. Coraline had met the human girl once or twice - she had been very good at making friends, and she certainly knew how to work a room. At the time of course, Mick had had no idea that both Coraline and Josef were vampires, but Sarah knew. And Sarah wanted that life, to have forever with Josef. Being in love with her, he had given her what she desired, even though he'd harboured doubts. They wanted to spend eternity with one another. Mick wished sometimes that he loved Coraline half as much, but she had tricked him and he never had fully gotten over it.

After the incident, Josef lost himself for a while, and only Coraline could talk any kind of sense into him. He would pass the days in a haze of drinking and partying, and on several occasions a call to the Cleaners was required, but Coraline was always there with him, to make sure he didn't do something stupid or dangerous. Mick still felt bad that he wasn't as helpful as he should have been, but he had been newly turned and couldn't control himself, let alone a vampire that was four centuries old.

Those days were something neither man liked to talk about. It wasn't that Josef wanted to forget what had happened to Sarah, it was simply that he couldn't deal with it. If there was one thing Josef hated it was weakness, especially in himself. And Sarah made him weak, confused. Mick had gone with him to visit only twice, and in that time he had never seen Josef as lost for words, or look so small.

As they headed up the street, Josef did a careful sweep of the people that were around. He had a perfect memory, and made a mental note of every face he did not recognise. Initially, there was nobody in particular that stood out, but as far as he was concerned, everyone was a suspect. Wordlessly, Josef knocked twice on the window pane of the door, and stood back to wait. Within seconds, the door was open, and the pair were being ushered inside by a very frazzled looking Harriet.

"What are you answering the door for?" Josef snapped. "I could have been anyone, and you'd be lying on the floor with your head on backwards right now." He pushed past her into hallway before she even had a chance to respond. Mick followed behind, offering his quick apologies for Josef's rudeness. Harriet waved them away with half a smile; she knew how temperamental her employer could be. He was only worried.

"Mr. Kostan, I saw you walking up the street. No-one has been here since I sent everyone away. Just Sarah and I." She told him as she too followed him down the corridor.

"So you say nobody suspicious has been around?" Mick asked, turning his back on Josef to give him some privacy. He took Harriet by the arm and led her into the kitchen so they could talk.

"No, everything has been normal. What is this about, anyway? We were worried when he called, he sounded very upset." He was touched to see that concern was etched on the older woman's face. Harriet may have looked innocent, with her thin silvery hair pinned carefully on the back of her head, but Mick knew that she was aware of what they were. She was paid enough to keep their secret. Josef had kept her in his employ for over twenty years; she proved herself to be trustworthy, and as such had gained his respect. Mick knew that he could tell her what was going on and it would go no further. Her pale green eyes held more than just secrets.

"Someone threatened Sarah." He replied, slowly, unsure how much he should leave for Josef to explain himself. "We're not sure who it is yet, but we're going to find out."

"That is why he is here? To make sure she is okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just going to check the place over; we've been catching the same scent all over the place." Harriet nodded, and proceeded to lead him upstairs. They looked in on Josef as they passed Sarah's room - he sat at her bedside holding her hand against his forehead, talking so quietly that even Mick's highly sensitive hearing could not pick up the words. Clearly he did not want to be disturbed.

Harriet was the only person who lived in the house with Sarah, and over the years she had made it her own. The last time Josef had moved her location, Harriet had gone with them. There wasn't much in the way of personal belongings; she had no husband or children to speak of. A sister lived in Texas somewhere, but they had fallen out of contact years ago. The furniture was minimalist, and tasteful, and it gave nothing away about its inhabitants. Harriet had been doing this job for a long time.

A quick scan of the upper floor told Mick that the rogue vampire had not been in these rooms. Harriet herself had been crossed off of the suspect list; she was human, and smelt of lavender. It was comforting rather than harsh, like the stranger's. They headed back down to the ground floor, creating noise so that Josef would not be startled by their return.

However, Josef appeared not to have heard them; he continued to sit at Sarah's bedside, holding her hand, eyes shut. Sarah's chestnut curls billowed out across the pillow behind her head, and for obvious reasons, she looked much the same as she did last time Mick had been here with Josef. Her eyes remained closed, and she looked as if she were merely sleeping, like she could wake up at any moment. Mick wondered how many times Josef had hoped for that to happen. But, after sixty years, Sarah was still entrapped in this infinite slumber, not yet dead, but not truly alive, either. Her nails were manicured and carefully painted a deep fuchsia; they were both her favourite flower and her favourite colour, he could remember Coraline telling him so once. Josef certainly made sure she was cared for, out of respect for her memory, but Mick also supposed his friend was attempting to make up for the tragedy. He noticed that Josef was breathing deeply, inhaling her scent. When he did the same, he could taste the unnatural tang in the air. The rogue vampire had been here. Harriet noticed as much in Mick's face.

"They have been in here?" She asked, her voice rising an octave as she spoke.

"Yes." Josef hissed before Mick could answer her politely. "And the question remains; what were you doing, Harriet, while a dangerous, murdering vampire was walking around and taking pictures of your charge?" He finally turned to look at her then, his dark brown eyes flashing as they revealed the hot, bubbling anger that was simmering just beneath the surface of Josef's composure. Deathly quiet, he continued. "What, exactly, am I paying you for, if you cannot do the one thing in your job description and keep her safe?"

"Mr. Kostan, I have no excuses. I can only promise that it will not happen again," Harriet began. After two decades in his service, she reckoned she knew how to placate him. "I have been working for you for years now, and nothing like this has

ever happened before. How can I fix something I did not know was wrong?"

Josef flew across the room in an instant, shoving the older woman against the door. His eyes had shifted into the ghostly grey they turned when vampires revealed their true, monstrous nature, and his fangs were bared, hovering less than an inch away from the base of the small woman's throat. She did not cry out, nor did she try to get away; resistance was futile when the predator was an enraged vampire. Mick moved to pull Josef back, but the look he received was less than welcoming. This was Josef's problem, and it was not Mick's place to get involved.

"You're lucky that she's still alive, Harriet." Josef whispered. "Because you certainly wouldn't be right now if she weren't."

"I know," She gasped, "I am so sorry Mr. Kostan. Please, just let me go." Josef held her there for a moment, just to point out that he could, before settling her roughly back on her feet. Grabbing his jacket from the chair beside Sarah's bed, he kissed her tenderly on the temple before striding quickly out of the room. Mick allowed him to walk away, and he stood silent until the front door slammed.

Harriet was still leaning against the wall of Sarah's room, fingers gently probing the flesh of her neck in an attempt to stop the bruises from forming. Mick knew what she was not badly hurt, but he felt bad for her all the same. He imagined that at times, this place would drive her insane; the same four walls, day in, day out, with no-one to talk to. But Harriet was a strong woman, and good at her job.

"Put some ice on it." He told her, gesturing to her throat. "It'll help with the swelling." She nodded, and moved on into the kitchen.

"I know he is just upset." She muttered, rummaging around in the freezer. "He did not mean to hurt me." Mick could not agree with her; he had seen Josef kill many people for less than Sarah. He leant casually against the doorframe as Harriet sat herself heavily in one of the dining room chairs.

"You're lucky that he trusts you. Once I leave, don't let anyone in until Josef calls again. I'm going to assume that you'll be seeing some new faces around here. But if you know anything -" Mick looked imploringly into Harriet's moss green eyes, searching for the slightest hint of deception. He found none. "- please call me."

"I will, Mr St. John. Thank you."

Mick headed back into the hallway, and grabbed the door handle before turning back to the older woman.

"Lock the door as soon as I leave. I'll make sure Josef calls you. He won't be angry forever."

Hey,

Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed so far.

Please keep reviewing.

Charlotte.