(AJ's POV)
When AJ woke up the next morning, she was in her bed, again.

I've got to stop getting myself into things that hurt me. First he bites me and I pass out, next I take on my best friend's would-be boyfriend and get throw under a pile of bricks. Geez, I need to learn.

Her cell phone keep buzzing, and she found about ten texts from Charlotte, the girl had gone on a rant about how she had ended her game with Gabe upon discovering he had helped with Amelia's disappearance, how Charlotte had vowed to help find her from that moment she'd been hung up on.

Reaching to rub her shoulders, AJ found herself covered in a thick cloak obviously meant to keep the wearer warm. Turning on her side with a grimace, she finds something soft tucked under her arm, something furry and almost – then she realizes they smell faintly of someone, normally these objects never leave him. She closes her eyes, smiling.

"William." She breathes in relief, realizing why the energy of the room is so calm and comforting. A soft knock at the door causes her to sit up, then the, "You called, love?" just beyond it caused her to giggle.

"Come in. And since when do you come when I call?"

William smiled, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead, relieved to find her body temperature had returned to normal.

(flashback, right after the landlord left with the lycan and his friends)
He knows he should leave, but he can't. Turning to look at the wall that had collapsed, he notices the boys are already moving bricks and rubble. A few minutes later, they all stare at the unconscious girl, skin streaked with blood and dust from the impact.

"We can't leave her like this." He says, bending to pick her up into his arms, not surprised at one's gasp.

"You know what she is, William. You're really going to allow yourself to care for-" Brendon started as William headed into AJ's room, setting her down on her bed, the others following.

"She is my partner in the game; I cannot allow her to die. I know she won't, but that doesn't mean I'll stand to see her injured. She's freezing; I'd think if she were even half lycan her body temperature would have risen to allow her to heal faster." He pointed out, hand on her forehead.

"She's probably just in shock from the fight. I don't think she expected things to escalate as quickly as they did." Carden added.

"True, but still…here, put this around her." William shrugged off the dark grey cloak he often wore in the winter over his jacket, knowing it would help to warm her.

"But you nev-"

"She needs it more than I do now."

And with that, he pulled the covers back up around her, leaned down and kissed her forehead, and left with the others, shutting the door to her room.
(Flashback over)

"The game has ended, at least for me. And I think you know my choice, Adeline." William explained.
It had happened the minute he'd put his cloak around her, for a moment, she wasn't there. Or at least, he thought she wasn't. Panic immediately welled up and he went to say something, but the moment he went to open his mouth, there she was, so innocent and unmoving before him. And from then, William knew which future he'd chosen, the one with her, for the moment of panic hadn't been something he'd felt for three hundred years, since the morning he opened his eyes and found his heart stopped beating, that he didn't need to breath.

"R-Really?!"

Hazel eyes widened before slender arms wound around his neck, pulling him into a kiss so full of understanding and amazement his head began to hurt as he read her thoughts.
When she pulled away, she asked, "But what about the objects? You have your hat, but Amelia-"

"This isn't part of the game anymore, dearest. She waged war when she and that demon of hers startled one of my men, and now I'll do whatever I have to fix things. And besides, the lycan and his friends are helping her."

"You mean the one that had the audacity to assume I was sleeping with you?" AJ growled, still mad she'd been beaten by a lycan some one hundred years her elder.

"And your other friend, Lottie or something like that's with her too. She betrayed Gabe and ended their game as soon as she found out what we did, rather, right after she found you."

AJ shrugged, "I wouldn't've put that past her. But…William….if you've made your choice, does that mean-" he smiled, silently getting up and walking around to the other side of the bed, climbing in and laying beside her, his lips just brushing the side of her neck where he'd already bit her, knowing what she meant.

"Of course. But you've not fully healed, I don't want to prolong any discontent," he protested, smirking slightly at her whine of disappointment.

"But Will-" he put a finger against her lips, laughing softly when she only batted her eyelashes and pouted.

"My, someone's impatient. Not right now, my dear, but I promise, that imprint will be created. Perhaps if you're feeling better tomorrow, I'll see." He smiled, one hand taking her chin between his forefinger and thumb as he pulled her into a gentle kiss.

"But for now, rest. I'll bring you some blood later, but now I have work to attend to," he explained, getting up.

Her hand was on his wrist before he could turn around.

"But I don't want regular blood. I want yours. It makes me crazy, remember?" she asked, almost sounding like a small child, but he could see the lust practically swirling in her irises as he nodded.

"Fine. We might as well create that imprint now if that's where things are heading," he sighed in agreement.

But the truth was, he didn't mind, so he added, "And you might as well leave this place behind. I'm sure you'll find the mansion more enjoyable than this excuse for living arrangements, seeing as there's such limited space."

And with a grin, she nodded.

(Charlotte's POV)
After having been hung up on, she had made up her mind. If Gabe had been one of the ones to help kidnap Amelia, she was done playing the game with him.

Coming home a few days after running into Gabe again and returning his cell phone, she was surprised to see someone standing outside on her porch.

"Lottie! God, am I glad to see you! Is AJ with you?" Amelia called, running up only to wrap the blonde vampire into a hug.

"Uh, no…I haven't seen her in a few days, why?"

"You wouldn't believe the stuff that's happened to me. You know how AJ's playing the game with the leader of the Dandies, right? Well, they kidnapped me."

"I knew about that, AJ called me to tell me you were missing, and then-" Lottie paused, unsure how to word what had happened.

"Then what? Something's telling me that pause isn't a good thing."

"They almost got her, too. By the time I went over to your place to see if she was okay, I found her passed out in her bedroom."

"That doesn't sound so different from normal." Amelia laughed as Charlotte led her inside; both girls headed into her kitchen for some blood, well, in Amelia's case, peach iced tea.

"Yeah, but…she had more bite marks. And this time they were her neck."

Amelia almost choked on her drink.

"Wait, you're telling me-"

"He got to her before I did. And if he's anything like most of the vampires I've known, she's probably wrapped around his finger. All I'm saying is that I think she's in trouble, simply by playing the game with him."

Amelia nodded, "Yeah, and we both know the Dandies are bad. I mean, not as bad as some, but…they kidnapped me, but were new enough to let me leave, but they smashed my phone so I can't get a hold of anyone. Can I see your phone?" Amelia asked, and Lottie handed her the old Samsung Brightside.

Amelia punched a few numbers, and then held it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Seb, it's Amelia. I'm calling from a friend's phone. I'm okay now."

"Oh thank goodness, my Lady, I thought you were-"

"The Dandies let me go, after I startled the youngest one pretty badly. I'm with one of AJ's other friends. Do you guys know what happened to her?"

Amelia put the phone down on the counter, clicking the speakerphone option on.

Both girls heard one of Seb's friends laugh in the background.

"Know what happened to her? Do we ever!"

Amelia looked at Charlotte, the blonde nodded, "Go on."

"So, as soon as your call got dropped, we flew out to Chicago. By the time we got to your apartment, we found AJ. She was fine, but….she wasn't alone, I'll just say that." Seb said, growling slightly.

"Well, who else was there?"

There was a long pause, like nobody wanted to say it. Finally one of Seb's friends spoke.

"Beckett."

Charlotte gasped, Amelia only sighed, "I knew it. I had a feeling she was getting herself into trouble the minute I found his hat in her closet. I just knew it."

"Yeah, but that's not the worst part."

"There's more?" Charlotte wondered.

"As soon as we tried finding out what happened to you, Beckett started in saying we had no business saying what we'd been saying, partly because I'd gone off on AJ about that fact she was with him. Then, we got into it. I managed to blind the bastard, but then AJ actually started fighting me, like she was trying to protect him."

Amelia nodded, "And?"

"Then Beckett's goons showed up and just as we thought we were done for, this wizard showed up and pretty much set Beckett's sorry ass in his place!" Chuck added.

"That's Bob, he's my landlord. He's awesome." Amelia said smiling.

"Well, we're with him now. We're figuring we're going to take the Dandies down once and for all. This city's had enough of them. Are you guys in if we have to fight?"

Amelia nodded, Charlotte pumped her fist, "Hell yes! Time to get revenge on my sorry would be ex-boyfriend!" She yelled, knowing Gabe often hung out with them.

"We're in, guys. Could you meet us somewhere?"

"Well, I'm not sure if we could, but- hang on."

There was a short pause. Everything was quiet until a loud pop sounded from Charlotte's living room. Both girls ran to see what had happened.

Standing in the middle of her living room, twirling his wand between his fingers as though it was a drumstick, stood Bob Bryar.