Tommy watched Maddie eye up the hand of the man who just introduced himself as Richard Travers with trepidation. There was a pause before she put her hand in his and shook it gingerly. Tommy didn't know what to make of her odd behaviour. Since they had entered the building, she had been acting strangely, her ususal confident personality seeming to have vanished as she paced around the grand atrium nervously. He recalled the memory of her telling him about the Watcher's Council, and the men that were a part of it. He also remembered that she herself had never been involved with them as they no longer existed in the future and realised this was probably why she looked so out of her depth.

'Travers?' questioned Maddie, studying Mr Travers as if she were trying to recognise him.

'Yes,' replied Mr Travers, shifting his gaze from side to side in confusion. 'Have we met?'

'No,' she replied, withdrawing her hand away. 'But I've read about watchers with that last name in the watcher diaries.'

Mr Travers didn't immediately reply and began to scrutinise Maddie silently. Tommy had quickly come to realise that this organisation had power unlike those that he was used to in his world. The fact that George had recognised him had shook him to his core. He knew nothing about the watchers or indeed the world of vampires and demons until two weeks ago; but it was clear that these people knew a hell of a lot about him. He knew it from the way George had said'even in the world of monsters and shadows, your name is well-known'and looked at him with reservation. One thing was for sure, Tommy was planning on finding out as much as he could about the Watcher's Council as soon as Maddie had found her way home.

He felt his heart stab in his chest as he thought about her leaving. They had gotten so close over the past couple of days, but now she had never felt so far away from him despite not having left yet. Even that will soon change, and she really wouldn't be there anymore; her time with him nothing but a bittersweet memory.

Tommy watched silently as Mr Travers began to question Maddie about being an alleged slayer and why she had come to the Watcher's Council. She recounted a brief timeline of events, conveniently omitting her activities with Tommy and his family as Mr Travers listened with a stone like expression. These men had obviously encountered the weird and wonderful before as they made no reaction to her retelling of being pulled through a portal. Tommy studied Mr Travers as he listened and had an inkling that the man didn't believe what Maddie was saying.

'So, I was hoping that you would be able to help me get home,' finished Maddie with a sigh. Mr Travers nodded slowly as he took in her words before turning his gaze to Tommy, who met his eyes coldly.

'And what part does he have to play in this story?' asked Mr Travers. Maddie looked back at Tommy briefly then back to him quickly.

'Oh. Tommy has been kind enough to provide me with a place to stay whilst I've been here,' she replied, failing to keep the nervous tone from her voice.

'For two weeks? Why not come to us before now?'

Maddie stuttered as she struggled to answer Mr Travers' question. He was evidently suspicious as to why she had taken so long to get to London. She had made the effort to conceal her and Tommy's business arrangement, but it had left obvious holes in her story. Tommy cleared his throat and took a step forward to join the conversation more formally.

'That would be my fault,' said Tommy in his cool authoritative tone. 'I offered to drive Maddie to London, but I have been indisposed at my home on business until yesterday, so she had to wait until then.'

Tommy knew it was a weak argument, especially for him but he hoped his usual icy demeanour would intimidate Mr Travers enough to believe him. Mr Travers regarded him with a suspicious expression before turning back to Maddie.

'Forgive me Miss…?' faltered Mr Travers.

'Chapman.'

'Forgive me Miss Chapman but you must see why I find this all very hard to believe. Not only are you associated with a gangster, who you claim to have only utilised his hospitality for the last two weeks which leads me to put very little trust in you. But you also must understand that I cannot just believe that you are a slayer based on your word alone.'

Tommy could feel both himself and Maddie bristle at his words. Turns out Tommy's inkling had indeed been correct. He had never had anyone talk about him so indignantly like he wasn't there before. And Maddie was evidently annoyed that this watcher didn't believe a word they were saying.

'How about you base it off me punching you so hard in the face that your head will spin around on your shoulders,' she threatened, folding her arms over her chest.

Tommy had to duck his head down so that the brim of his cap would hide his smirk. Mr Travers also found the humour in the situation and chuckled. George, who had been listening to the conversation silently up until that point, twitched at her threat.

'Anyone can use a spell to imbue themselves with inhuman strength Miss Chapman,' said Mr Travers. 'We will see what we can do to help you but first you must prove beyond reasonable doubt that you are a slayer.'

'And how do I do that?' questioned Maddie impatiently, now evidently irked at being regarded with suspicion.

Mr Travers smiled at her before replying. 'Follow me. Mr Shelby may as well join as you seem to have told him so much about our world that it hardly makes sense to insist that he wait for you here.'

Tommy was now sure he disliked Mr Travers with a passion. He wanted nothing more to pull out his pistol and shoot him for his insolence, but that wouldn't be of any benefit to him and definitely not to Maddie. If he could put up with Alfie Solomons for the past two years, he could withstand the company of this fucker for an hour.

Mr Travers turned and began to walk towards one of the doors linked to the atrium followed by George. Maddie and Tommy exchanged a curious glance before making to follow the two men through the door and down a long corridor. They passed several rooms as they followed Mr Travers down several long narrow corridors where Tommy noticed various other men peering through the open doors to gawp at the strangers who had come to visit. They were all dressed in similar tweed suits like George and Mr Travers. He managed to catch some of them whispering about a girl claiming to be a slayer. News must travel fast around here, he thought. Maddie had evidently heard the whispering too as he saw her cheeks blush and her ears start to flush red. He threw her some doubtful looks when he was sure no one was watching them. He wasn't convinced that these men were going to help her, and he was starting to become nervous as they were led deeper into the bowels of the building. Maddie picked up on his silent message and shrugged defeatedly, silently telling him that she didn't have any option but to trust them.

They were led down a set of stairs to a basement and along yet another corridor to a set of doors. George unlocked them and pushed them open to reveal a large long room. The floor was made of varnished wood and the walls were also made of a similar yet darker wood except for one wall at the far end of the room. It had a number of large heavy looking iron doors lined up along it. They were led into the centre of the room by Mr Travers who turned back to Tommy and Maddie.

'So, you've brought me to an empty room. Now what?' asked Maddie.

'There is only one way for you to prove your claims, Miss Chapman,' said Mr Travers. He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to figure out what was in store for her.

'Why don't you drop the cryptic and get to the point,' she complained. Tommy couldn't really blame her for loosing her patience with these people, they were proving to be rather insufferable.

'Quite a unique way with words…' commented Mr Travers. 'Very well. If you really are a slayer Miss Chapman, then slaying a vampire should be satisfactory proof that you are.'

Maddie raised her eyebrows and scoffed. 'If that's all then let's get it over with.'

Tommy couldn't deny that he was excited at the prospect of watching Maddie fight a vampire. He remembered her scuffle with the one that came through the portal with her and was keen to see more. But it was the middle of the day, didn't vampires only appear at night? Then he looked back at the huge iron doors and now saw that they resembled prison doors.

'I wouldn't be too confident Miss Chapman. This vampire will not be your common or garden variety. It will be older and far more ferocious.'

Maddie's expression remained unperturbed, she smirked as she rolled her eyes, not impressed by the warning that was evidently supposed to scare her. 'No problem Mr Travers,' she said. Tommy could see that her confidence was returning and felt a wash of relief at seeing the old Maddie back.

'Very well. This shall be your arena,' said Mr Travers, holding his arms out to gesture at the large room. 'Mr Shelby and I shall watch you from the observation room on the other side of that wall.'

He pointed to the blank wall behind her and Tommy. Tommy couldn't see how they would be able see through the wall but realised that it must be some sort of magic trick to prevent anyone inside the room from knowing anyone was watching them. He thought of how useful something like that would be in his line of work; being able to spy on his enemies like that without them knowing would save a lot of effort.

'What about him?' asked Tommy, indicating to George who was stood there silently.

'George will be going back to his duties,' said Mr Travers. 'Excuse us a moment.'

Mr Travers walked with George to the doors of the room, speaking to him in hushed tones, leaving Maddie and Tommy to watch them suspiciously. George nodded to Mr Travers before leaving the room at a brisk pace.

'What do you reckon that was about?' asked Tommy in a whisper to Maddie as Mr Travers walked back to them.

'Dunno, but I don't trust them,' she whispered back. Tommy agreed with her. He couldn't quite place why, but Mr Travers didn't come across as trustworthy to him.

'If you are ready Miss Chapman, Mr Shelby and I can get in position in the observation room,' said Mr Travers when he returned. She nodded before turning to Tommy.

'Could you hold on to these for me?' she asked, handing Tommy her bag which she had kept hung on her shoulder since they left Ada's house. She also removed her coat, handing that to him as well. He was glad that he wasn't in the company of his family, they would find great enjoyment in seeing him do Frances' job. He grabbed her hand with his free one once she had handed him her things. He gave her an encouraging smile and squeeze of the hand, which she returned with a blush and a confident grin.

Tommy had followed Mr Travers out of the room when Maddie called to them just before he was about to shut the door.

'Don't I get a weapon?' she called.

'All in good time,' replied Mr Travers with a knowing smile as he closed the doors and locked them, shutting Maddie inside. Tommy hoped that he wasn't expecting her to fight a vampire unarmed; that hardly seemed fair.

Mr Travers walked around a corner through a narrow corridor with Tommy close behind. They went into a room that was directly next to the one Maddie was in. It must have mainly functioned as a storeroom as Tommy spotted the many pieces of equipment stored in there. Amongst them were items including several punching bags, leather crash mats and other gymnastics type equipment. Did the watchers also train or was this all for the current slayer? He then realised that the current slayer hadn't been discussed during any of their earlier conversations and wondered who she might be. Was she anything like Maddie? Tommy dismissed this thought as he realised that there wasn't anyone like Maddie.

They approached the wall that was shared with the large wooden room and Tommy saw that he could see straight through it as if there were a large window set into the wall. He stared at it impressed as he dropped Maddie's belongings neatly by his feet. He saw her in the room he had just been in, looking around the room curiously, no doubt in search of a weapon. He then turned to Mr Travers in anticipation for whatever was about to happen who was stood in front of a microphone that had no wire attached to it and a set of levers that were sat on a plinth next to it. He watched Maddie with amusement as he leaned forward and spoke into the microphone.

'Are you ready Miss Chapman?'

Maddie swivelled around, searching for the source of the voice. Tommy suspected that this was also magic as he didn't remember seeing any speakers in the room.

'As I'll ever be,' she replied, giving her head a little shake when she couldn't find where his voice was coming from.

'Then you may choose your weapon,' said Mr Travers as he pulled one of the levers next to him. The wall opposite them in the room where Maddie stood started to rise, groaning and clunking noisily to reveal another wall behind. She turned to watch the wall move and Tommy felt his eyebrows rise as he saw what was behind the fake wall.

The entire wall was decorated with weapons. Every kind of weapon you could think of, excluding ballistic firearms. Tommy recalled Maddie telling him that guns were useless against vampires, but he hadn't realised how… well… medieval a slayer's arsenal was. There was every type of weapon imaginable; swords; axes; knives and spears of various sizes, quarterstaffs, stakes as well as ranged weapons. He spotted several different styles of bow, including crossbows. Then his eyes landed on some wooden crosses, some of which had sharpened points. Next to them was a shelf lined with bottles of water with crucifixes on them. Holy water? Tommy realised he was still pitifully unversed on what could harm a vampire despite all the time he had spent with a slayer, an expert vampire killer. He now understood why Maddie had been so restless and bored staying at his home. Was this what her training room at home looked like? It was no wonder that she had been so eager to be outside and fighting when these were the sorts of toys she was used to killing time with. Tommy felt a modicum of guilt at being mad at her for sneaking out that night she went to the graveyard; she had probably felt like a bird trapped in a cage.

Although Maddie had his back to them, Tommy could picture the excited face she must be making at the sight of the weapons as she quickly scurried over to the wall to inspect them. She started at one end, next to the bottles of holy water and began to walk her way along the wall, running her fingers over some of the weapons as she passed them. Maddie stopped and picked up a small crossbow which she weighed in her hands and looked down the sights before shaking her head, returning it and carrying on. She did the same for some of the other weapons, swinging them around to test their weight before putting them back. When she reached the end where the swords were, she turned to look back down the wall again, pausing in thought. Eventually, she started walking purposefully back to the axe section and picked up a heavy looking silver battle-axe with a long handle and a sharpened pommel which must have doubled as a stake. Two weapons in one, good choice, thought Tommy.

Maddie walked back to the centre of the room with her axe and looked toward where she guessed Tommy and Mr Travers were stood behind the blank wall.

'Fine choice,' said Mr Travers into the microphone, pushing the lever back so the weapon wall was re-concealed once again by the fake one. Then without warning, he pulled one of the other levers and one of the large iron doors clunked and swung open slowly. Maddie whipped round to face it, raising her axe and adopting a fighting stance.

There was a silence as they awaited whatever was behind the iron doors to emerge. Tommy felt his muscles tense as he watched unblinkingly for Maddie's foe to appear. Then a figure emerged from the doorway and he swallowed silently. The thing was huge and monstrous, its face was contorted like the vampire that Tommy saw when Maddie crashed into his office. Its eyes were so yellow that he could see the colour of them from where he stood. It must have been nearly double her height and he was reminded of Hercules although he was sure that this enemy wouldn't be as easy to defeat as he had been. It also wore what looked like a straight jacket although it had been ripped apart, so its arms were free. He wondered how the watchers had come to capture this creature, but the thought was pushed from his mind when the vampire bared its fangs at Maddie.

Maddie looked upon the creature with some surprise although she stood her ground when it began to march towards her, its footsteps banging on the wooden floor. Tommy admitted if he saw this monster outside in the middle of the night, he would run for his life. Maddie however, actually walked towards it, matching its pace until they met after a few steps. She went to swing the axe at the vampire's head, but he blocked it, halting the blade's course in mid-air as she continued to hold onto the handle. His heart jumped into his mouth; seeing her stood against the giant monster made him question whether someone as small as her could overpower something like that. Indeed, that's how Tommy felt for pretty much the rest of the fight.

The vampire punched Maddie in the side followed by a kick to her chest causing her to stumble backwards and fall on her backside, dropping the axe on the floor. Without hesitation she jumped back to her feet and approached the vampire without picking up her axe. She closed back in on it and landed several fast punches to its gut and face, dodging any swipes it made at her, until it was forced to step backwards from the force of her hits. She swivelled and attempted to swing her leg up to plant a kick to the vampire's chest, but she was stopped by her skirt. She had worn a long, form fitting skirt that day and Tommy realised that she couldn't get her legs more than hip width apart. She stumbled again and looked down at her skirt in irritation. The vampire noticed her failed kick and laughed at her as it began to advance again.

Maddie quickly bent over and grasped the hem of her skirt at the side and proceeded to tear a large slit up the side of it all the way to her hip, freeing her legs from the confinement. As she straightened up again, the vampire reached her and punched her in the face once before grasping her neck and lifting her off her feet. Tommy took a step forward before he could stop himself, narrowly stopping himself from shouting Maddie's name. She clawed at the vampire's arm as she kicked her legs frantically in mid-air. The beast smiled at her as she struggled. He glanced to the side to look at Mr Travers who was stood with his hands behind his back as he watched, an unimpressed look on his face. Tommy clenched his teeth at the sight of him, before turning back to face the scene on the other side of the window.

The vampire suddenly threw Maddie away from him; she flew across the room several feet and landed with a crash, tumbling across the floor before settling on her stomach. She lifted her weight onto her elbows, her hair covering her face as she kept her head bowed. Then she suddenly whipped her head up and Tommy saw her furious expression. She looked to the side and at the vampire that was walking slowly towards her. She brought herself to her feet again, facing off with it unafraid.

'Okay, now you've pissed me off,' she growled.

Maddie sprinted toward the vampire and tackled it at full speed as it clawed at her back. They landed on the floor and she began to pummel the beast's face with her fists as she straddled its vast body. The vamp managed to grab her wrists and throw her off and over its head, but she rolled out of it and came to stand before the vamp did. She roundhouse kicked the vamp's head from behind causing it to fall forward onto its front. Then Maddie grabbed the vamp's jacket, lifted it up, and with a grunt threw the vamp towards the wall that Tommy was stood behind. The vamp hit the wall in a comical fashion right in front of Mr Travers who smiled as the vamp fell to its knees.

This proved to piss the vamp off because it growled angrily as it stood back up and turned around to Maddie. However, she had retrieved the axe in the meantime and had begun to march toward the vamp with a dangerous glint in her eye. She and the vampire brawled for what felt like a long time to Tommy. His heart thudding violently in his chest as he watched the woman that he'd grown to care so much for come close to being killed by this walking nightmare. The vamp managed to grab her around her body at one point, pinning her arms to her sides as it brought its fangs towards her neck. Thankfully, Maddie threw her head back and headbutted the vamp before it could sink its teeth into her, causing it to drop her so she could pick the axe back up again. Her face conveyed that she'd had just about enough of this fight.

She walked up to the vamp as it held its face in its hand in pain from her headbutt. She kicked it in the stomach with what looked like full force, making it bend over in yet more pain. And like an executioner, Maddie lifted the axe above her head before plunging it down onto the vampire's neck, grunting loudly as she did so. The blade sliced through the flesh of the vamp's neck like a knife through butter. Its head separated from its body and rolled across the floor before it and the vamp's body disintegrated into dust.

Tommy sucked in much needed air through his nose. He didn't realise that he'd been holding his breath for most of the fight and had to blink to stop himself feeling dizzy. That was one of the most amazing things he had ever witnessed and found that he still couldn't quite believe his eyes when he saw the vampire turn to dust. He looked over to Mr Travers who stepped up to the microphone and began to clap slowly into it. Maddie, whose hair hung over her face in sweaty tangled knots, looked up through her hair to glare in their direction. Tommy personally wouldn't have wanted to be Mr Travers in that moment.

'Bravo Miss Chapman, bravo,' congratulated Mr Travers, sounding infuriatingly patronising as he smiled at Maddie. She threw down the axe on the floor with a clatter as she continued to stare at the wall, catching her breath.

Just then a man holding a large book entered the observation room, approaching Mr Travers to whisper something into his ear. Tommy eyed them as they mumbled to each other, trying to catch what they were saying without success.

'Fuck you,' Maddie spat after a minute's pause, the patronising tone of Mr Travers' voice evidently not missed by her. She turned and stormed toward the doors before wrenching them open, pulling them clean off their hinges before disappearing through the doorway.

'Quite a mouth on that girl,' muttered Mr Travers disapprovingly.

Tommy turned to give Mr Travers a venomous look. He now realised why he didn't trust him. He got the vibe that watchers didn't hold women in particularly high regard, despite the slayer, the protector of the world, being one. He was baffled by the audacity and stupidity of it and felt glad to know that this institution would no longer be standing in another eighty or so years. Maddie soon barged into the room, looking ready to level a city. He realised that he had never seen her angry before. Not truly angry. It was an emotion that didn't seem compatible with her ususal personality.

'So, we've now established that I'm a slayer. Maybe we can get to the matter of getting me home,' she huffed as she brushed the hair from her face with her hand. Tommy went to stand next to her, staring down the two men with his cold stare in the hope it would help coax the information they needed out of them.

Mr Travers and the new man looked at each other momentarily and Mr Travers tilted his head towards Maddie in a direction for the other man to speak. He looked over to Maddie nervously, grasping his book to his chest like a shield.

'Er, well you see, that is a problem Miss. There is no way to open a time portal,' the man stuttered. 'It simply isn't possible.'

Tommy whipped his gaze to Maddie and watched as the colour drained from her face. She stared at the two men and swallowed before speaking.

'You're lying,' she said. 'It must be possible. How the hell else would I have gotten here?'

'Time travel has never been recorded in any of the tomes we have in our possession,' explained the man. 'It has only ever been observed in certain demon races but the ability to perform that kind of magic isn't known to any witch or warlock.'

Tommy watched as Maddie tried to think of the words to protest but failed, her chest beginning to rise and fall rapidly in panic and shock.

'I'm sorry Miss Chapman but there is nothing we can do for you,' said Mr Travers.

Tommy put his hand on her shoulder as she began to shake her head frantically at them, her eyes glossing over. The two men simply stared at her emotionlessly as she began to crack at the seams.

'No. No I can't be stuck here...'

She pressed her hands to her face and breathed rapidly as Tommy turned to address the two men.

'What about the books that aren't in your possession?' asked Tommy, scowling at them for their evident lack of tact or empathy. They looked back at him and a look of realisation crossed their faces as they cottoned on to what he was asking.

'We can get in contact with the overseas headquarters, but they only possess the same information we have Mr Shelby,' said Mr Travers shaking his head.

'Well what about other resources? Contacts? A place like this must have friends in high and low places.'

Tommy was determined that these watchers weren't going to get the better of him or Maddie. Mr Travers dismissed the other man with a wave of his hand who scurried out hastily before he addressed Tommy again.

'I can assure you both. The fact that you are here Miss Chapman is a phenomenon that we will be investigating thoroughly, and we will do our best to find out what we can. But I wouldn't hold out much hope.'

Tommy sighed and rubbed Maddie's arm as she continued to keep her face in her hands silently.

'Well if you find anything you can contact me at the Shelby Company Offices in Small Heath,' stated Tommy before turning to speak to Maddie softly. 'Let's get out of here, eh?'

She removed her face from her hands and looked up at him, her eyes bloodshot from the effort of holding back tears. She nodded and he turned to pick up her bag and coat before placing his hand on her back and ushering her towards the door, eager to remove himself and her from Mr Travers' presence without even thanking him.

Tommy guided Maddie through the building the way they came, thankful for his good memory allowing him to navigate the hallways easily. Once back in the atrium he spotted George and ordered him to let them out with a dangerous tone in his voice. George fumbled for the keys and clumsily opened the large wooden doors and they quickly stepped out and onto the street, luckily not walking into anyone walking along the pavement. Tommy marched himself and Maddie the short distance to where the car was parked, ushering her in before he began to drive them both back to Ada's house.

Tommy looked over at Maddie with concern as he drove the route back to Ada's. She hadn't spoken at all since they left the Watcher's Council and was now staring out of the car window blankly, her eyes glassy and hollow. She sat with her left leg folded up on the seat as it protruded through the large slit in her skirt, resting her chin on her knee. Maddie's blouse was also ripped in several places where the vampire's claws had shredded the fabric. He also noticed yet another set of battle wounds in the forms of scratches and bruises blooming all over her body. Her neck had a distinctive hand shaped bruise imprinted all the way around it from where the huge vampire almost choked her. When he had walked Maddie back to the car, passers-by had thrown her odd looks when they noticed her dishevelled state; although she had been oblivious to them as she stared down at the pavement as she marched along.

Tommy wanted to say something to Maddie to make her feel better; to choose words that would somehow fix the situation, but he kept coming up short. Now that the initial shock and adrenaline of the news that she was stuck in 1924 had worn off, he couldn't help but feel a sense of selfish joy that she was still there. She had been so convinced that the watchers would be able to get her home that the possibility that they wouldn't have the means to do it didn't even occur to him, and evidently not to Maddie. Despite this happiness, Tommy decided he would still help her look for a way home; explore every avenue to find her answers. He couldn't bear to see her like this, emotionless and empty like he was most of the time. He yearned to see her smile again and an idea began to grow in his brain, thinking about the training room in the Watcher's Council. If she couldn't go home, then maybe he could bring a bit of home to her. In a manner of speaking anyway.

After spending most of the journey silently trying to think of words to say, Tommy finally spoke. 'You don't have to worry about finding a place to stay Maddie. You can live at Arrow House for as long as you want.'

Maddie finally moved and turned to him giving him a weak smile.

'Thank you,' she said, barely louder than a whisper.

It was as if the life had been drained from her. The reality of knowing that she will likely never see her home or her friends again sucking all vitality from her body. Tommy wanted to follow and say to her that it would be alright, that she could create a new life for herself here. A new start. A new beginning. But even he knew that she probably didn't want to hear that right now, and he let silence fall between them again.

Tommy pulled his car up outside of Ada's house and he got out first, retrieving Maddie's bag and coat from the back seat as she slowly got out of the car. They went up the steps and he banged on the front door with his fist. The sun had set during the drive back and a night-time chill had begun to permeate the air, causing his breath to create a fog in front of his face as he waited for Ada to open the door. When she did, she smiled at him widely.

'How'd it- Maddie?' she exclaimed as she spotted Maddie stood behind him and started to flit her eyes between the two of them in confusion. 'What happened?'

Tommy walked in without a word, walking past Ada without answering as she looked at him with a creased brow. He threw the things he was holding onto the floor before taking his cap off and running his hands through his hair and taking his cigarettes out of his pocket. Ada turned to Maddie and on seeing the look on her face grabbed her gently by the arms and looked her in the eye.

'What's going on?' she said softly to Maddie, brushing a strand of her hair away from her face gently. She stayed silent for a few seconds before taking in a breath to speak.

'They said they can't do it. That there's no way to get me home.'

Ada studied Maddie's face in disbelief before turning her head round to Tommy who nodded his conformation.

'Oh Maddie, I-I'm sorry,' said Ada, pulling her into a hug. Tommy saw Maddie squeeze her eyes shut as she rested her head on Ada's shoulder and he feared that she might burst into tears. But instead she pulled away from Ada abruptly and looked between her and Tommy then at her coat that was on the floor.

'I'm sorry I – I need to be alone for a while,' she stuttered, snatching up her coat and pulling it on before making to head back out of the door which had been left open.

'Maddie wait-,' called Tommy after her, following her out of the door. Ada attempted to grab his arm as he passed to stop him, but he shook her off. His sister called after him to leave Maddie be as he tore down the steps after her, throwing his cigarette away in the bushes.

He chased after her, calling to her as she began to run along the dark empty street toward the iron fence that lined the park at the end of the road. She ignored him and ran straight for the fence and he thought he was going to catch up with her once she got there. But instead of stopping she jumped and launched herself over the fence. She somersaulted over it, clearing the spikes by almost a foot and landed on her feet on the other side before disappearing into the darkness of the unlit park.

'Maddie!' Tommy yelled after her, skidding to a halt by the fence. He caught the hem of her skirt vanish into the shadows and he sighed in defeat. He knew it was no use trying to find her now, if she wanted to be alone then there was nothing Tommy could do about it.

He turned and walked back to the house reluctantly and was met by Ada at the door. She regarded him with her arms folded over her chest, shaking her head at him as he trudged back into the house before shutting the door behind him.

'She'll be back when she's ready Tommy,' she sighed.

'Yeah,' he mumbled, running his hand through his hair before removing his coat and going into the living room for a much-needed drink. He helped himself to a full glass of whiskey and flumped onto the sofa with a huff. He pulled his cigarettes out of his pocket and lit a new one.

'Are you going to tell me what that was all about?' asked Ada, joining Tommy in the living room and pouring herself her own drink.

Tommy recounted the events of the afternoon and what the watchers had told Maddie. Ada sighed as she listened to the story and shook her head in disgust when he'd finished.

'Well they sound like cheerful men,' she said sarcastically, sitting back into her chair.

Tommy sipped at his drink silently as Ada looked at him expectantly. She no doubt expected him to come out with a plan of how to solve Maddie's problem. But this wasn't his area of expertise; magic and dimensions and impossible stuff like that were completely foreign to him. Maddie was stuck here. Indefinitely it looked like. And he, despite trying his hardest, couldn't make himself feel regret for being glad that she hadn't left. He also had the distinct feeling that they hadn't seen the last of the watchers. Now that they knew that another slayer existed, he was certain they would try to use Maddie for their own ends sooner rather than later.

'So, what's going to happen?' asked Ada when it was clear Tommy wasn't going to speak.

'She'll stay with me for as long as she needs. I'll find her a place in the company, so she has something to keep her going,' he replied after pausing for thought.

'I'm sorry Tommy but shouldn't that be up to her?' questioned Ada.

He admitted that it was a little presumptuous of him to think that Maddie would go back to living at Arrow House rather finding her own way, even if she had seemed to have agreed to that in the car. He knew it would be hard for her to establish herself in society without any money, possessions or a home to call her own. Tommy could provide Maddie with that security, and he hoped that she would see that as well. But he mostly wanted her to stay because there was now a new chance for them to act on whatever it was that had been developing between them.

Tommy got up without gracing Ada with a reply and went out into the hall to her telephone. He asked the operator to put him through to Arthur's address and waited for his brother to pick up the phone.

'Arthur Shelby,' he answered, the line crackling before he spoke.

'Arthur, It's Tommy.'

'Tom? How did it go? Did Maddie get home alright?' Arthur asked.

'No,' said Tommy simply.

'Wha- what do you mean Tom?'

'She's still here brother, they don't know how to get her home,' said Tommy. Arthur went silent on the other side of the line and Tommy took the opportunity to continue before he could speak again. 'Arthur listen, I've got a job for you.'

Tommy gave his instructions to Arthur, explaining every detail thoroughly. He wanted to make Maddie feel better, and to feel like she would always be welcome amongst his family so he wanted to make sure his brother would carry out his plan to the letter.

'Get John, Finn, Isiah, even Michael on this Arthur. Start tonight and get it done by tomorrow when we get back. I'll make some calls in the morning to get anything else we need delivered to the house,' he finished.

'Okay Tom… but will you please tell me what's going on.'

'Just get it done.'

Tommy hung up the phone with a sigh and looked over at the front door. He hoped Maddie would return soon, he didn't like the idea of her being out in the freezing cold by herself. His fear would be unjustified under normal circumstances, but she wasn't feeling herself. She had just endured a pretty rough fight followed by a shittier piece of news and he was concerned that something might happen to her. Part of him worried that she may disappear entirely and would never be seen again. Tommy swallowed the thought away and went back into the living room and saw that Ada had settled down to read a book. She looked up at him with a disapproving expression, but he ignored her and went over to the window to peek out of the curtains.

'Are you going to stand there all night?' huffed Ada after Tommy had stood at the window for a good ten minutes, watching the goings on of the street outside.

Even he admitted that staring out the window for hours would be ridiculous, so he sat in the chair nearest the window, picking up that day's paper which he hadn't read yet. He settled in to await Maddie's return, knowing that he wasn't going to be able to sleep until she did.