Four months, two weeks, ten days, one hour, and sixteen minutes before Sententia.

Kraken leaned against the door frame. Angrily he thought about the past week. He hadn't gotten any leads on those murders and now another woman had gone missing. Her body had been found two days ago in the harbor. One week and nothing. Not one of his more stellar performances.

Vanya was sleeping. Her ankle was getting better which meant that she'd leave. Irritably he stroked the stubble on his chin. How stupid had he been to let her back into his life? He'd been happy when she woken up even if he didn't show it. Kraken liked the fact she watched him when he came into the room. In some perverse way he had even enjoyed holding her so close when he carried her. He didn't want to let her go.

That was why he didn't take her to the hospital when it opened up again. Kraken was angry at what was happening to him. Once again thoughts that were almost optimistic were creeping in. Before he'd shunned them. Those thoughts were hard to live with. He hated her for affecting him like that. He hated and loved her at the same time.

No matter what she'd leave tomorrow, she'd leave again. Almost angrily he stalked up to her. If memory served him correctly Vanya was a deep sleeper. Good. This way she'd never know. Taking in a deep breath he leaned down and paused just inches from her forehead. Softly he pressed his lips to her forehead.

"What are you doing?"

He jumped back like he'd been burned.

"Nothing, go back to sleep," he said as he turned away to hide his panic.

"You were-"

"I said nothing," he said sharply as he went for the door, "Now go back to sleep."

"Don't you walk away from me!" Vanya yelled as she got up and put her hand on his shoulder. Her ankle really was getting better.

Almost instinctively he grabbed her hand and twisted it behind her back. She cried in pain. Kraken could hardly believe he'd done it. Worse yet he found it difficult to let go without breaking her arm.

"Why did you kiss me?" she muttered.

"I didn't. You must've been dreaming," he said coolly, "Though I can't imagine why you'd do that."

Carefully Vanya turned her head so that she could look at him.

"Don't screw with me. Now why?" she said with an equal measure of ice.

"I didn't," he growled, twisting her arm a little tighter.

At first Vanya winced in pain. Then she looked at him speculatively. Angrily he glared back.

"I wonder," she murmured, a grin creeping onto her face.

"What?" he snapped. Her expression was pissing him off.

"I wonder what would happen if I did this."

His eyes widened as she leaned in and kissed him. His mind blanked. Where was he? What was his name again? When it came back online he realized he was kissing back, rather passionately. Quickly he jerked his head away. Maybe she hadn't noticed. His hopes fell when he saw her smug look.

"So you did," she smiled.

Angrily he released her and shoved away. She tripped over her own busted ankle and dropped to the floor. Kraken was too angry to care.

"Stop the damned games Vanya!" he shouted.

All of the cockiness leeched out of her face.

"I'm not playing," she said seriously.

"What?" he said, getting on his knees to make sure that he'd heard her right.

"I had to know," she said softly.

He didn't say anything as she moved forward and picked up his hand.

"Don't you want this too?" she murmured, "Don't you want there to be an us?"

"Of course I…" started Kraken as he grasped the significance of her words. His voice became harsh again, "You can't change twelve years in twelve minutes."

"I know," Vanya whispered, "but with more time… maybe we can. I…I'm sorry for what happened."

Anger was fast leaving him. He swallowed hard. He didn't want her to go; he wanted her to stay with him and never to leave. She wanted the same thing too. However, after last time he couldn't do this again. Kraken had to have restraint. He heard her sigh.

"I understand," she said, "but I want you to know that I…I…I do love you."

Fuck restraint.

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Rumor sighed as she looked at her hotel room. It was only temporary. She was going to have to get an apartment soon. Oh yes, a job as well. Rumor hadn't had a job in years. Her accumulated allowances were still in her bank account, under the name 'The Rumor', but Allison Hargreeves had very little money to her name at all. She refused to touch her father's money.

She flopped back into a chair. How had it all ended up like this? Everything had gone south in a terribly small amount of time. Idly she glanced over at the photo album she had taken with her. Many of the pictures were of Claire. Some of them though, were of her wedding. She was too sentimental to get rid of them.

She remembered that day. It was hard to forget it really. Back then she realized that that day should've been the one to tell her not to marry Patrick. She'd been blind though. Blind to the fact that she was going from one misery into another.

Patrick had insisted that her family come. Oh, she hadn't wanted to invite them all. Perhaps she would've invited a few of them if the decision had been hers to make. Patrick's family said that they wouldn't pay unless her famous brothers and sisters came though. He'd been just as eager despite her protests. That should've been her first sign.

So she'd invited all of her siblings on the condition that her father wouldn't be invited. Patrick had agreed to that if not anything else for her special day. Rumor had actually liked the idea of Pogo walking her down the aisle. Thinking she had gotten her way, she sent out invitations. God, when she looked back on it now she realized just how stupid she'd been.

Space had tried to warn her. He'd done so when he'd met her downtown to tell her he was coming. He said that Patrick was no good for her and she'd see that soon enough. Angrily she had told him to spare his sermons. Besides, even if they weren't a perfect couple she thought that she had a rock solid reason to marry him. Claire had been on the way then. Not far along enough to show but long enough to know.

On the day of the event everything had started out a tad prickly. Everyone had come, she'd been careful to seat them away from all of the ones that they wanted to kill, but getting them to stay had been tricky. She'd known that Kraken wouldn't stay the whole service. He had told her as much when he said he'd come. Of course, she'd mentioned that Vanya would be coming to the day of. He took off like a shot.

Séance had come, if only for the free food. Pogo had too. He'd looked very nervous when he saw her. She found out why five minutes later when her father came. Patrick had invited him. Rumor had had to choke back rage as he walked her down the aisle. She'd had sympathetic looks from Pogo and Vanya, even if she didn't give a damn what her sister thought.

Sighing she thought of the reception. Someone had talked Vanya into playing the violin. Vanya'd tried to protest but then everyone had gotten in on it. So she'd gone up and played rather well. Afterwards Sir Reginald had said something to her. Soon after Vanya had left and Pogo had gone after her. Other than that the reception passed without incident. Well, she'd heard that Séance had thrown up in the punch after she'd left. That was a different matter all together though.

Angrily she got up and took the photo out of the album. Her lips curled up in a snarl of disgust. She should've just raised Claire alone. It would've been difficult but the results of the shotgun wedding were worse. If it had never happened then she would be with Claire right then. He wouldn't have been able to take her from her.

With fury building in her she started ripping the picture to shreds. Once she was done with that she ripped up all the other pictures of Patrick. Gathering up the bits she ran to the bathroom and flushed them. As she watched the pictures she started crying. Her life was quite like the remnants of the pictures. They had both gone down the toilet.