The impact of the ground was never felt by Penelope. Instead too strong arms were firmly wrapped around her waist and as she opened her eyes, she felt them water at the cloud of dust surrounding her. As her vision began to clear she became more aware of her situation and let out a relived sob when she realised she wasn't dead. Instead she was in the arms of Claude and two glowing golden eyes met her own. He appeared to have taken off his glasses and he was showing genuine concern.

"You didn't think I would let you fall did you?" Claude asked, his eyes searching over her body quickly as though he was trying to see if she was harmed. His eyes landed on her cheek which was still tinged with red from the slap she and received from Leonard and she watched as his teeth appeared to get sharper and his eye glowed. Penelope continued to sob and wrapped her own trembling hands around his shoulders. He seemed to push back his anger and held her tightly against him, gently rubbing soothing circles against her back to calm her down the best he could. She was still breathless from the fall and Claude had never moved so fast in his entire existence as he had in those moments. She only took a few minutes to finally regain her senses and she gave a sharp gasp at their position.

The floor beneath them was a crater and the once perfect tiles were scattered around the entrance hall. It looked as though an explosion had occurred and Penelope tried to shakily inspect Claude for any damage. He shooed her hands away though and slowly placed his arm under her legs, allowing him better access to then lift her up. In one smooth motion he then proceeded to lift her up and jumped rather gracefully out of the crater. She glanced back at the damage done to the floor and wondered how on earth that would be resolved but decided it was not worth worrying about at the present moment. She was still very much in shock at being pushed and nearly killed. Yet she was trying her hardest to get over what had just happened.

"I will leave you here and I will deal with your cousin". He stated and walked over to the dark red chairs, placing her in one carefully. Yet the minute she touched the chair she was out of it and gave Claude a pointed look. She may have still been trembling but her mind was starting to clear from her initial fear she had been consumed by before.

"I don't want him dead Claude, I want to talk to him". Her voice trembled and she sounded slightly breathless but her voice still held some authority. Claude looked like he was debating whether or not to argue but he seemed to consider how much time there was to get to Leonard without him getting away.

"You better hold on tightly then" He murmured and she was suddenly swept off her feet. Already predicting Claude's next move, Penelope took a deep breath and a small squeak when he jumped high. His feet landed on one of the bannisters with a loud slamming noise but as soon as he touched it, he was off again as he jumped further up. Within a blink of an eye she was back where she had been originally and felt a bit sick when she observed how far she had fallen. When she looked away a glint of bright green caught her attention from the corner of her eye and down the final corridor laid the cravat Leonard had been wearing. It was already obvious that he couldn't have gone in any other direction and Claude was already making his way down the corridor.

"You can put me down now Claude". She said and was thankful when her feet made contact with the ground. She felt as though she never wanted to leave the ground again after being off it for so long. Down the corridor were four doors and one final one right at the end which was wide open showing a staircase that appeared to go quite high. Penelope could only guess it was to the roof. Although she suspected as much that Leonard had made his way to the roof, she decided that the other rooms still needed checking in case it was a distraction.

"Claude quickly check the rooms whilst I head to the roof. It won't take you long since you are faster than me. In fact, by the time I reach the top I expect to have you right behind me". As she spoke, she bent down and retrieved the fallen cravat. It was still warm to touch. Claude in response bowed low but just before he went to flash away, a hand halted him in his tracks.

"Thank you for saving me". She whispered and he gave her a small smile in response and in a blink disappeared from her sights. Shen then made her way down the corridor, the temperature dropping dramatically as the night air had leaked through the door, causing her to rub her arms in an attempt to stay warm. Behind her the sound of Claude opening doors broke some of the ominous tension which was building as she began to ascend the stairs, dropping the cravat behind her.

The stairs creaked under her weight and the icy wind stung her pale face. She was tempted to run up them but he legs still felt wobbly from her near death experience and she also didn't want to alert Leonard to her presence. When she finally reached the top, she was surprised how light it was outside as the glow of the sunrise painted the marble like manor in an array of beautiful deep reds and oranges. The roof itself was flat and large, yet its simplicity meant that Penelope spotted the figure, or rather silhouette of Leonard straight away.

She went to step forward and almost jumped a mile when a voice came from behind her.

"I do believe he is on the roof". Claude joked yet she could hear him fighting back a growl. She wasn't surprised Claude was angry at the young man, after all he had just tried to kill her. She herself should have been just as angry but instead she felt more pity towards him. However, she was reminded that he was in fact responsible for a lot of awful events and just the thought of Lord Davis rekindled her anger. Yet she did not want him to die, after all he was literally the only family she had left. She turned her head ever so slightly and gave Claude a sideways glance.

"I want you to let me try and talk to him. So please can you refrain from killing him?" She asked in a hushed voice. Claude gave what sounded like a displeased grunt but offered no indication that he would ignore her.

Picking up her green skirts, she walked carefully towards the figure of Leonard and felt her breath catch in her throat when she realised he was stood right on the edge of the building. She had absolutely no idea what she would do with him when she talked him down. She could never forgive him for causing her life to be a living hell but she somehow believed that he could perhaps redeem himself in society. She did feel though that he had to pay for his crimes of the murder of Lord Davis even if he commanded it. She approached him, making sure to stay well away from the side herself and started to speak.

"You can always find redemption Leonard. You don't have to do anything silly". As she spoke the tall man, turned around and he raised an eyebrow at her. His once calm exterior looked as though it was breaking and she could see the defeat in his eyes.

"You have done some truly terrible things. Lord Davis did not deserve what happened to him yet you are still family. I cannot forgive you Leonard but I do not wish for your death as you have wished for mine". He let out a sharp bark of laughter at her words and Penelope could only flinch in response.

"I..I do not think t..there is anything to redeem m..my dear. As for Lord Davis I e…enjoyed killing him m..myself. He was o..obnoxious and I disliked his b..behaviour towards you". It was then Penelope's turn to laugh at his words.

"His behaviour? This is rich coming from you. You who have slapped me, tried to kill me, pushed me, shoved me, grabbed me. You cannot think yourself better than him?" She asked, her voice tinged with disgust. The revelation that he had directly killed the poor Lord caused what pity she had felt for the man to slowly disappear. She could only stare at him as though he was mad and his next words seemed to only prove her point further.

"H..he wouldn't have loved you. He d..didn't deserve you. Yet ironically you are with a d..demon who also d..does not l..love you. My d..dear cousin what terrible decisions you make". He ranted, his arms flailing as he spoke and his body swaying dangerously. Penelope felt herself moving forward ever so slightly to grab him if he was to fall and tried to ignore his mocking words. In her eyes he was totally misguided and she was sure he needed help. She was about to speak again when Leonard's eyes appeared to have flickered up behind her and he grinned.

"Speak o..of the devil and h..he will appear".

Claude in return gave the deluded man a bored look and raised one black eyebrow wondering how long they would spend talking to the man. Penelope decided enough was enough and tried to coax him down.

"It doesn't have to end like this Leonard". Leonard slowly shifted his pale eyes to her own and he gave her an almost pitying glance that confused her.

"I..if you are trying to seek justice dear c..cousin for those who have d..died I am afraid you will be waiting eternity". As he spoke, he stepped back a little more, the heels of his shiny shoes completely off the edge so he was now balancing dangerously. She went to move forwards but Claude's arm stopped her and she released a breath when Leonard moved forwards again.

"W..would you like to know how I..I got into this m..manor?" He asked with a grin. He did not wait for her response as he continued talking. "I befriended him. H..he was very trusting, e..even invited me to his m..manor. In fact the day y..you spent with h..him at the park he had to leave as h..he was meeting me. Or so h..he thought he was. You bumped into me r..remember, I can still recall w..what you smelt like". Penelope scrunched her nose up at his words and felt Claude's arm grasp her tighter as though he was trying very hard not to lunge at the young man.

"I..I arrived late at his manor, t..thankful he had already w..written you an invitation. It couldn't h..have been b..better planned even i..if I tried". He laughed and Penelope started to realise that he was taunting her on purpose. He wanted a reaction, he wanted her to push him. But she would not give him the satisfaction. Even with all this new information she still didn't wish for him to be dead. If he was to die she would be the last of her family and that thought was rather scary. However insane he may have been, he was still related.

"Come down Leonard". She whispered, her voice laced with obvious exhaustion. The minute the words came out of her mouth she saw the last bit of sanity in Leonard crack. His usually pale non blinking eyes, blinked rapidly as though he was confused and he tilted his head to study her.

"There is a storm coming Penelope. You better prepare yourself". For the first time Leonard did not stutter and with those words he went limp, his body falling backwards. Like when she had fallen the whole scene slowed down, his body illuminated by the ever rising sun. The warm colours of the sky making his silhouette look as though it had been painted.

Penelope cried out, her body moving forward managing to break free from Claude's tight hold. She had no idea where the sudden burst of power came from but she did not have time to think about it. She felt her hands collide with the cold stone as she looked over the edge of the roof and before she could see the now lifeless body of Leonard a hand had clamped itself over her eyes. She let out a strangled sob and collapsed to the ground. It was finally over; she was free of immediate danger yet to gain such freedom cost so many lives.

His last words echoed in her head and she batted Claude's hand away from her eyes, turning her head so she could not see the result on the ground below. She could only stare into the sunset, the colours which had once looked soothing suddenly looked ominous and she felt deeply unnerved. She felt a hand tilt her chin up and her eyes met gold.

"What did he mean?" She asked desperately.

"He was insane Penelope. His words meant nothing". Claude replied and gently pulled her against him. She didn't know how long they stayed in that position but she felt her body giving up as it longed for sleep. The day had taken such a toll on her and the last though she had before her mind went blank was that she was finally free to live her life with no more fear of her imminent demise.