“Frank! What the hell do you think you're doing in here? Get the fuck out.”

“There's that foul language again, love. And, like I said, should've locked the door.”

He strolled into the room, running his fingers across furniture as he passed as if checking it for dust. A broad smile stretched his lips and a dark, knowing glint shone in his grey eyes; the promise of the demon blackness that could soon bleed to the surface.

“Sooo, lover boy not home then?” he asked, eyebrows arched high on his forehead so they were almost hidden in his dirty, greying hair. The question was redundant though, it was clear he already knew the answer and was simply enjoying that he could tease me with it. He knew something.

“No, so get the hell out.” I demanded, sounding far braver than I felt. My mind flashed back to the last time I'd been in a room alone with Frank. It had not ended well, and I still felt I'd gotten the rough end of the deal; now I worried what might happen this time. Did the demons already have Jesse – despite all I'd done to try and convince myself otherwise – and in that case, was Frank just there for me? Well, I sure wasn't going to go down without a fight.

“Hmm, y'know, I don't think I will. See, I figure this is as much your house as it is mine. What right do you have to be here more than me?”

“Jesse actually invited me to stay with him. He'd never even invite you inside the door.” I spat back, realising how pitiful and childish my retort had sounded. Like he cared about that.

“Well I guess it's lucky I'm not a vampire then. Besides, you so sure he wasn't going to rescind his invitation to you? After all, you did kill his mother.”

I didn't reply. I'd been thinking pretty much the same thing and we'd never had our chance to talk about it since getting back. But, even so, I still felt I had far more right to be there than Frank did. I got the impression that asking him to leave wasn't going to get me anywhere, Frank had no reason to leave and every reason to stay there with me. I cursed him silently for wasting my time – everyone seemed so determined to get in my way today.

“So where is he then?” Frank asked, his lilting tone suggesting that he knew more than he was telling, or maybe I was just hoping that he might know something; anything to stop my brain from running in circles.

“I don't know. Why don't you tell me?”

“Aww, now isn't that sweet that you think I would know something. Unfortunately, love, I know about as much as you do – at least about this matter. Must say I'm somewhat disappointed. I was hoping to convince you to take me up on my offer, but if the meatbag isn't here I suppose I don't have much left in the way of leverage. And I suppose your stubbornness hasn't changed in the short time since we last talked.”

“So...you really don't know where he is?”I frowned, almost not daring to believe the tiny spark of hope that had ignited in my chest. If the demons didn't have him then there was still a chance that we could work this out.

I was beginning to think that we should just abandon everything; his house and job, the home I had to accept I would never be welcomed back to, and just run from it all. Live on the lam, maybe even go abroad – that desert idea didn't seem so bad now. I had to face the facts, as bad as the prospect of eternal exile from Hell sounded, it was probably better than the alternative.

“Am I speaking in a foreign language and not realising? No, love, I've no idea where lover boy is. Though I'm beginning to understand why he'd want to get away from you.”

I ignored Frank's jibe as best I could, casting him the barest of scowls, as I racked my brains. “So where has he gone then? And without his phone or any money?” I spoke mostly to myself, though Frank listened to my ramble with rapt attention.

Another phone suddenly shrilled from out in the hallway, making my physically jump yet again – far too many things were trying to frighten me out of my skin that day, perhaps the demons plan was to give me a heart attack. It was Jesse's landline that was ringing this time. Mine and Frank's eyes turned towards the sound as one.

“Well, your answer might just be calling,” he said with a smirk on his lips, “so do you want to answer it, or shall I?”

I cast him and glare and bumped him with my shoulder as I walked past; he'd showed no inclination of moving, and I wasn't about to ask. In the hallway I searched up and down the wide corridor for the source of the ringing, but I couldn't physically see the phone anywhere. I followed the sound of the incessant ringing, searching quickly as I willed it not to stop before I managed to find the source. Beside the front door it was loudest, and I realised then why I hadn't been able to see the damn thing. It was hanging from the wall, but some genius had hung the coat rack right above it. I dug underneath the folds of leather and polyester until I clutched the black plastic receiver in my hand. The thing was so old it still had a spiral wire connecting the two parts together – Jesse must never actually use the thing, no wonder it was hidden.

“Hello?” I breathed into the phone, the word most definitely a question. A frown creased my brow even as my heart thudded madly; I almost didn't dare to hope that it might be Jesse on the other end of the line.

“Heather?” I was him, and forgetting to use my real name again. I was about to correct him in what had become an automatic reaction to hearing him use that pseudonym, but he cut across me. “I'm at the police station.”

“You...you're what? What the hell are you doing there?”

“I couldn't handle it, I'm sorry I had to say something to someone. They were coming to see me anyway and...I'd have cracked, I just know it. It's just easier this way. I'm not that kind of person, and I need to prove it to myself by not hiding from this.”

I could have screamed at him, I should never have left him alone. “Why? I mean this...nothing was your fault, you...ugh...” I sighed. I couldn't talk to him properly, not over the phone, and especially not if he was ringing from a police station. All the calls were probably recorded, if I said too much not only would I implicate myself in the murders – I was probably already on the radar for harbouring a criminal or something - but I'd inevitably end up revealing forbidden information to yet more people. As good as it had felt to tell Jesse the truth, it was still so deeply ingrained in me to keep that information protected, it was a difficult habit to break. Besides, we'd probably both end up being sent away for psychological evaluation or something. Maybe we could both get away with a plea of diminished responsibility.

“What exactly did you say?” There, that was a nice simple question. It revealed nothing and yet asked everything. I just hoped he was still thinking straight enough to not say something stupid.

“I told them what I did. How all this was my fault. That after what they admitted they'd both done to Jen I just snapped.”

But it wasn't your fault, it was mine. The thought was killing me. He'd killed Eric only because I'd coaxed him into it, and it had been me who'd killed Maura, and now he'd gone and turned himself in and protected me in the process – or at least left me out of the big picture – I couldn't just leave him in there to face the consequences. Not to mention when the case went to court they'd be digging up evidence and details, asking questions that Jesse would not be able to explain away; like where the bodies were for one.

I sighed. “So what's happening? Have you been charged?”

“I confessed. With no evidence to say otherwise of course they've charged me.” He sounded as if he was beginning to lose his patience and I felt I should probably stop my questioning. But I still couldn't really comprehend what was happening. Not to mention I started fretting about what in the hell I was going to do now. Living on the lam alone did not appeal in the slightest.

“Okay, so are you being released on bail?”

“No.” His tone then softened and the despair started to creep back in as the magnitude of his situation seemed to dawn on him. “I'm being held on remand until the case goes to trial.”

“What! Why?”

“Apparently they're concerned for my mental stability. I suppose I kind of ran through a whole host of emotions and outbursts while they questioned me, and my confession of killing in a fit of rage didn't exactly help any. As there isn't any family about to hand me into their care, they're transferring me to a prison so they can keep an eye on me. I think they're worried about what I might do if they let me out.”

So there wasn't even a chance that we could run. I turned around and leaned against the wall, frowning against the haze my headache had thrown over my eyes. Could things possibly get any worse?

“Shit,” I cursed again, “so what are we going to do?”

“Nothing, Heather. This has just got to run its course. Just let it go, and let me do what I need to.”

Not a chance in hell!

I felt a pair of eyes watching me intently; I'd almost forgotten that Frank was still in the house. He lurked just around the door frame to the living room, a smirk twisting his lips and an eager glint sparkling in his eyes that were now tar pit black. It was then that a crazy idea hit me. It was really stupid, not to mention completely insane to even consider it, but maybe, just maybe there was a way that I could get Jesse out of there, find out the information that I wanted about the demons and give Frank just a little taste of what he wanted from me all at the same time. Stupid, stupid plan, but it was the only one it had.

“Can I at least come and see you, I mean you have all my things still locked in your car.” I'd presumed Jesse's car was gone, he must have driven himself into the local town and gone to make his confession.

The other end of the line was quiet for a moment, strangely muffled as if Jesse had placed his hand over the mouthpiece, he must have been enquiring about my request.

“Tomorrow. They're moving me this afternoon, to the prison I mean so you'll have to come there to see me. But my stuff'll have to be picked up from the police station and, well, Heather you don't drive so you can't exactly come get the car. Um...call Nick or one of the other guys, my phone is still there, and have them come pick it up for me, then you can have your stuff.”

“Yeah, sure, okay. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then.”

“Yeah, I guess. Look, I'm sorry for just abandoning you like this but...well...” His words trailed off, and he didn't really sound very sorry, they were just the sort of things you say to people in this kind of situation. “Look, you can stay at mine until you figure things out. I'm guessing there will be somewhere you have to go, stuff you gotta do and that so...” Words failed him yet again and I felt my heart sink. He really didn't want to have anything more to do with me and would go get himself thrown in prison just to get away. Well I wasn't about to give him that luxury.

“Thanks,” I think, “I suppose I'll see you tomorrow then. Take care.”

“Yeah, bye.” He didn't sound particularly enthused with the idea, and his short goodbye was the end of the conversation as he set the receiver down and the line went dead.

I dug back under the pile of coats to hang the phone back on the hook and then looked up at Frank. He chuckled, a dark and sinister bubbling of noise that rose gradually in volume as he minced his way down the hall.

“Sooo, lover boy went and turned himself in, did he? Poor, pathetic human, couldn't handle the feel of blood on his hands. Buuut now, this leaves us in somewhat of a predicament, doesn't it? If he's locked up, where does that leave us concerning our little deal? Seems to me you've got nothing left to offer, nothing that I want anyway. So tell me why I shouldn't just drag your scrawny arse down to Hell and feed you to the hounds?”

Yes, it really was a stupid plan, but it was my only option when Frank put things like that. Jesse might not be too pleased with the idea, but this went beyond just being about him. We were in this together, and whether he realised it or not whatever he decided to do affected me too. He might be safer locked away at her majesty's pleasure, but I wasn't. It was horrible to admit, but I needed him if I was going to get anywhere, or I may as well give up now – it certainly made me appreciate the joys of working alone, as lonely as the existence had been. What the hell, I was going to go for it, like I'd already thought earlier, things couldn't possibly get any worse.

I looked up into Franks black eyes and smiled sweetly. “Because I've got a better idea.”