Here is the next chapter as promised…. Sorry I took so long…

Anyway, I'm going to have to postpone the Jesse Chapter until next update because otherwise things will be left unexplained or only half explained….But this is about where it actually starts getting entertaining.

I will be re-working/merging some of the chapters from earlier because I want more readers and I just realized how badly the first few chapters were written…Not the best way to hook an audience. But I seem to be hitting my stride now. I will warn if I actually change anything, otherwise you're not going to be missing anything.

Also, I have two polls on my page going; one has to do with chapter length and the other with a possible second fic…my head keeps filling up with plot ideas that just don't fit in this story at all so I need another fic to vent those ideas and help focus on this one. Since this is where my reviewers are, this is the fic I'll be focusing on though.

Elouisea- yeah…Adam is going to have problems soon…and I kinda pity Warren & Ben for what I'm going to do to them….

gsmith56- glad you like it and here's more…

Mercy put her head down on the table, "We're not getting anywhere and I think I just fried what's left of my brain. I have to work tomorrow anyway so how about calling it a night?" She rolled her head so she could see Jesse, who was trying hard not to fall asleep.

"I have the horrible torture called school tomorrow and then I have an essay due that should have been done last night." Jesse said as she rubbed her head, she already had a headache from all the thinking done today with school and the vampire problem. "So how about meet tomorrow, here, if I'm not grounded and we can come up with some mind-numbingly brilliant idea to deal with everything while you two help me write this essay?"

"Sure, if you two are ready to go home then I can drop you off---" Stefan said before getting cut off by the girls.

"No offense, Stefan," Mercy said, but it's late…"

"For us anyway…" Jesse added.

"And I really don't want to deal with vampire driving when I feel about ready to drop dead of exhaustion…" Mercy said.

"So we'll walk," Jesse finished. But Mercy glared at her, "alright, we'll catch a bus then."

"I could call----" Stefan began again.

"Nope, not a chance, we're busing it." Jesse said before Mercy could even think about it.

"Alright then," Stefan said finally admitting defeat, "you two win but I will walk you to the bus stop and wait with you until it comes." His tone making sure that they wouldn't argue with him. He noticed as Jesse rolled her eyes towards Mercedes, and wondered again at how old-fashioned he must sometimes appear to them.

Ben at least waited until Warren had driven the van down the next street before questioning him. "What the hell just happened? Who dropped dead and what has the Seethe to do with it?" He growled out.

"Somehow the vamps took one of our pack and then severed the connection enough that nobody could find him. He was alive until just recently." Warren took a moment to look over at Ben and noticed just how little control he had over his wolf. "Ben…." He warned, watching the struggle for control.

Jesse watched the bus pull up at the stop. "Well, it's here finally…." Jesse said yawning. "Bye Stefan, nice meeting you properly and all. I think I'm going to be out cold for an entire day after this is over," She said as she pulled out her bus pass and waited for Mercy to stumble into the bus.

"Bye, Stefan…don't forget you promised to help with that van of yours tomorrow," Mercy stated half asleep. "See you later…"

The pair of them collapsed into the nearest seats and tried to stay awake. They still had to transfer over onto another bus later and if they missed their stop it would be annoying.

A few minutes later, Jesse shook Mercy awake. "It's our stop get up," She said half pulling Mercy to her feet. "Come on or we'll miss the transfer."

That got her up on her feet, if they had to spend another moment out in the dark then they had t she might well go insane imagining things going bump in the night that weren't actually there…this time. "How did you manage to stay awake," Mercy yawned which just caused a chain reaction in Jesse.

"School remember? I'm used to staying up to cram for tests or to finish assignments that are due the next day that I should have started days ago." Jesse replied tiredly, "Just another block…the bus runs every five minutes even this late." Jesse said.

Mercy nodded, stumbling along in Jesse's wake. How pathetic they must look right now, Mercy thought. She turned around, or tried anyway, and stumbled. When she looked back up again she met bright red eyes and felt dizziness.

Wulfe lifted the human girl onto his shoulder, sparing a glance for the downed walker. She was unharmed right now; he'd even caught her so that she would not have a concussion when she woke up. They had been so easy, tired as they were, to overwhelm.

"What about the walker?" His companion asked, looking like he wanted to finish the job he had started.

"We cannot harm her because of the truce and we cannot take her with us either, for the same reason. The girl of course is not pack so she is fair game," He explained yet again. He found himself smiling at the thought of how the Alpha might react when he found out his daughter was missing. It would be war and Marsilia would finally be killed; and since Stefan had refused to rejoin the Seethe Wulfe was the most powerful vampire in the Seethe now, aside from Marsilia herself of course. He just hoped the Soldier would not decide to cause complications.

In a few moments Mercedes would wake up and go running to her mate to tell everyone what had happened. He was certain, with his earlier actions, that Marsilia would be blamed. After all, who else would want to devour werewolf except Marsilia? He knew the pack ties would be strong enough to tell the Alpha at least, how his wolf had died.

He had seen the new walker waiting outside the Soldier's house and had watched as they all went inside. He even noted the slightly stunned expression on the new walker's face when she left; which means Stefan must have messed with her mind. He had laughed at that, since the Stefan he had once known would have just killed her to protect his Mistress from a walker with a bit of knowledge. Now, he was practically giving away all their secrets to his coyote. He wondered though, what had happened to their bond, it was broken now but he was not certain if it had something to do with Blackwood or if Stefan was stronger then he thought.