I'm sorry for the gap in updates. I've had internet issues that have only just been resolved. For those who are also reading HIT, which I know I left on a cliffhanger, it will be updated next, and by Thursday at the very latest, it'll go up this weekend if I can manage it.

The wind howled, echoing eerily as it whipped around the ruins of the keep. Henri stared up at it, the place he had called home for his mortal life, the place where he'd once been so happy. His eyes slid to the nearby graveyard, where Eloise had been laid to rest so long ago, the graveyard that he had always protected, unwilling to let her resting place be disturbed. A small unhappy smile played about his lips, the ruins of the keep and cemetery were considered haunted. The story of the noble man who'd sold his soul in an effort to save his wife's life was still told by the villagers, along with an added ending. They said that he'd become a demon, that anyone who approached the keep was attacked. There had even been a spate of attacks around the ruins, which some had blamed on him, or rather the 'demon.'

He had ignored the rumours, dismissing the attacks as those committed by a human. Had he thought about it however, really thought about the type of attacks and the pattern they'd followed then maybe he wouldn't be standing here tonight. Maybe this would have all been over by now. Henri shook his head, the maybes were of little importance now. He could no longer change what had happened in the past, he could however change the future.

The hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end, and he listened to the footsteps behind him draw closer - footsteps that a mortal would be unable to hear. Cocking his head to one side, he spoke lowly, "It's been a long time, Arnaud."

He almost didn't recognise the voice that answered, it was so cold and lifeless. "Two weeks shy of eight hundred years."

"And you still roam this place."

"It was my home."

"But you don't care about it enough to leave the locals in peace." Henri finally turned to face his old friend, shocked at the transformation in him. Henri knew himself that he hadn't really changed, but Arnaud, Arnaud looked like a completely different person. His face was hard, a mask of pure hatred and his eyes were devoid of any glimmer of feeling.

Arnaud gave a cold smirk. "They should know better than to come up here by now," he replied.

Henri shook his head sadly. "You cannot be happy like this."

The smirk turned into a near snarl, his teeth gleaming stark white in the darkness of the night. "What do you care? You gave me no choice but to resort to this, you abandoned me to die!"

"I thought you were dead, but," Henri acknowledged ashamedly. "We were like brothers and I should never have left you there."

"No," Arnaud replied shortly. "You shouldn't have."

"However," Henri continued. "It was your choice to sell your soul, no-one forced you into it."

"I had no choice! I did not want to die!"

"You'd rather be this." Henri waved his hand at him. "What sort of life do you have?"

"The kind where I get everything I want."

Henri gave a snort of disgust, "Fine. I really didn't come here to argue with you."

"Then why are you here?"

"I want to offer a truce." He shook his head sadly. "This has gone on long enough."

Arnaud gave him an eerie grin. "Last I heard you wanted to rip me limb from limb."

"That was years ago and I was angry, you tricked me."

"You deserved it."

"But Eloise didn't," Henri replied sharply. His face fell and he let out a low sigh. "We were once friends, surely after so long we can put everything to one side and move forward?"

Letting out a snort of humourless laughter, Arnaud replied, "Funny how this offer of a truce has coincided with you finding Eloise again."

"I want to put this behind us."

"But I don't!" he snapped back. "You still have what you want, her!"

"You just said this life gave you everything you wanted."

"It's not enough," he answered simply. "I want you to suffer."

"Then punish me, not her."

"No, nothing will hurt you as much as losing her. Did you know that if she dies as an immortal she won't be re-born?"

Henri felt his fists clench by his sides. He forced himself to reply evenly, "I did know that, yes."

Arnaud's face twisted in a malicious grin. "So I'm not backing down, and you don't want to lose Jennifer. What are you going to do?"

"Don't do this," he whispered hoarsely. "I don't want to have to kill you."

"I have no such qualms about killing you," Arnaud told him.

"Then at least I'll have Jenny in the after-life -"

He let out a snort of laughter, interrupting him. "You think I'll let her die and join you? Oh no, you'll go without her either way. So." He eyed his adversary carefully. "What are you going to do?"

Henri replied heavily, "If I have to kill you to save her then there's really no contest."

Arnaud's lip curled into a heavy snarl. "I knew it," he whispered harshly. "You haven't changed."

"You aren't giving me a choice. I've offered a truce, it's up to you whether or not you take it."

"I'll never make peace with you. If I can I'll kill her in front of you." He paced menacingly around Henri as he spoke. "So I'm going to ask you again, what are you going to do?"

"End this," he replied honestly. "I meant it when I said this had gone on for too long." Henri watched as Arnaud's eyes gleamed with malicious joy at the thought of a fight, and yet he stood still, waiting to see if his old friend would make the first move.

He did.

Arnaud threw himself forward, the weight of him knocking Henri to the ground and cracking his ribs. Henri slammed his fist into his shoulder in retaliation, feeling the bone splinter against his clenched fist and sending him flying in the opposite direction. Henri got unsteadily to his feet, drawing in a deep breath as his ribs healed. He waited until Arnaud got to his feet, his face glowing in hatred. Henri stared at him plaintively, saying once more, "Let's stop this madness, you won't win this, you never did win a fight against me."

"Those were nothing but toy fights between stupid boys," he sneered in reply. "Now either fight me or let me kill you."

Sighing heavily, Henri replied, "Pistols or hand to hand combat?"

"Pistols are the cowards way out. You'll fight me like a man."

"Fine," he sighed heavily. But again he waited for Arnaud to make the first move. As he charged at him, Henri braced himself, and grabbed his arm. He pulled it with all his strength and whirled Arnaud around as he did so. He felt it loosen and tear away, and he was left holding the arm as his former friend stumbled to the ground. Henri let the arm drop and looked up to see Arnaud panting heavily, supporting himself on the one arm still attached. As the errant arm attempted to crawl back to him, Henri pushed his foot down onto the knuckles, trapping it. His eyes trained on Arnaud's pain twisted face, and he pulled the glittering silver pistol out of his jacket. He levelled it at Arnaud's heart. "I have no aspiration to rip you from limb to limb, and I'm going to give you one last chance, accept my truce."

"I'd rather burn in Hell for all eternity than forgive you and watch you enjoy your happily ever after."

"After all the sins you've committed Hell's exactly where you're going." Henri met Arnaud's eyes and finally saw the man he'd considered a brother was no longer in there. He had to do this to save Jenny, and finally the guilt over the mistakes of his past began to ease. He was not responsible for his former friends decisions, the monster he'd become had been the result of his own decisions. His finger squeezed the trigger, the silver bullet flying free of the weapon with a crack.

The moment the bullet pierced the flesh of Arnaud's heart he disintegrated. His flesh turning instantly into dust and blowing into the wind. Henri stared first at the empty space left behind and then down at the arm under his foot. It was no longer flexing and struggling against the weight that had pinned it to the ground, now it merely lay limp and lifeless. His face contorting slightly in grief for the man that Arnaud had once been, he picked up the limb - surprised at the weight of it.

Holding it by his side, Henri made his way towards the cemetery. He walked through it, briefly noting the graves of those he'd known in the past, those he'd watched grow old and pass on. Eventually he reached the plaque he'd had placed in Arnaud's memory after he'd returned from the crusades. After being tricked by him he'd considered ripping it apart with his bare hands but something had stopped him, now he knew why. He dug into the dirt with his bare hands until he had a sizable hole, placing the arm into the ground he scooped the dirt over it, packing it in tightly. Once he was done, he stared at the stone. It was crumbled and the writing carved into it was faded and covered with moss so that it was barely legible; nothing like Eloise's. Over the years he'd attended it and maintained it as well as the passing years would allow him to.

Normally he would go to Eloise's grave now and lie beside it, talking to her as if she were still here, drawing some comfort from the fact that she's come back to him eventually. But now he had her back and he had no need of the little comfort the cold stone had offered him. Getting easily to his feet, he walked away, resisting the urge to look back. Instead he stared ahead, down the hill at the few remaining twinkling light's of the village only a few miles away. They would never know what had happened here tonight, or that the quiet threat that had once surrounded them was gone for good.

Abby frowned, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. Swallowing heavily she swivelled around on her chair and stared around the empty lab, on seeing nothing was there she shook her head. She was being ridiculous, she was letting all the drama of the last few days get to her. This was her lab, she was safe and more importantly she was alone.

Henri watched as the black haired girl's eyes darted nervously around the room, resting safe in knowledge that even if she was one of the few mortals who could sense his presence, she would never be able to see him.

Waiting until she'd turned back to her work. Henri reached his hand through the locked drawer of her desk and felt around for the necklace, tucking it under the sleeve of his jacket and drawing it out slowly. It was time for a new start, and hopefully this necklace would come to symbolize the joining of his past and a happy future with Jenny.

With one last glance in the young girl's direction, Henri faded into the darkness of the lab and disappeared once more.