Browsing through pages of recent activity on the network, I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for. A job to keep me occupied, something suspicious to grab my attention and possibly drag me to my doom or maybe I'm determined to go back to my normal life, well, normal for me. It's all the same thing really, over and over. A vampire coven has been recruiting in nothing that resembles free will. A few teen witches are trying to gain some street cred after watching too many episodes of Charmed, and are summoning demons no one should be summoning.

Staying with Paytah had been a great idea, to start off with. Three days of hiding in another realm, off the radar and free of everything; until my groupies found me. Mum had fussed, Dad had been contemplating letting me stay there long term and Zane was on his side. No one had a clue what was going on, but their little intervention got me 'home' to the Academy and being back here is worse than anything else.

Jordan said something about getting on with life, that the worst was behind us now. I wish I could say he was right, but I can't bring myself to believe that.

"If you want to get back out there, come with me." Zane offered, glancing at the laptop screen before sitting beside me.

"No, I don't really play well with others."

He laughed. "You're not so bad, kiddo. Logan can come along, you already know Penny and the others are no where near as bad as her. I shouldn't say that, she tries hard and I do admire that."

"I'm glad to hear it. You finished slacking off around here then?"

"Leaving in the morning. You have until five am to make up your mind."

"As if I'm getting up that early." I scoff.

"Just, look after yourself. If you're in trouble, or need us, just say the word. Even if it's just to talk, we always used to do that and lately you've really closed up on me." He reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze. He was right. Since the last near apocalyptic event happened, we haven't been quite the same. "You may be a pain in my ass, but I wouldn't change that for the world!"

"I love you too, old man." I couldn't let us get too sentimental.

We hug and for the briefest of seconds I remember the Zane I first met. How was this man that psychopath? As proof of how messed up our lives are, I actually smile at the memory of being kidnapped by him and Chris.

It really was a simpler time back then.

Zane leaves and I go back to the Network. I've got a few unread emails from the Council, more importantly, Ailin, but I ignore them. No one was impressed with Logan and I for our disappearing act, especially V and since we were in another realm, locating us had proven rather difficult for everyone to start off with.

I glance over the news pages, not interested in tech updates or council politics, and it's a picture of some kind of sword collection that gets my attention at the bottom of the page. Well, not the swords, but the fact Drew, Nigel and Tom stood beside the glass case that contained them. The brothers were loaning some family heirloom to a museum to aid in their exhibit of fifteenth century weaponry. Their claim to have an original piece from Vlad the Impalers reign had been verified by historians and a bunch of other stuff I didn't really care about.

The fact there was going to be a gathering for opening night of the exhibit did get my attention and after researching that a little more, my family had a few finds my grandfather had given years before being included too. It wasn't anything new, our families used these kind of things as a source of income and was where my families money had been coming from for years.

"A party?" Logan asked doubtfully, coming into my room with Alfie. "You're after Tom aren't you?"

"No. Maybe." I confessed.

"I get it, I do, but how about you focus on the actual monsters and not your nemesis. Did Zane talk to you?"

"Yes, I'm not going with him. I think we should pick up a couple of these cases though. I am so done with the hiding out thing. If someone wants to start something, I'll finish it. Again. In the meantime, I'm just going to carry on like normal."

"What did you have in mind then?" He leans on Alfie, who is already frowning at the mention of us leaving.

We can't take him with us, it's not practical so I'm surprised when he doesn't start to beg to come too, or demand we stay. Alfie just sits there, listening silently and occasionally looking at my computer screen.

"There was a bit of shifter trouble near where Oz is, maybe check that out?" I suggest, making Logan frown.

"When was this logged? When we left everything was fine."

I had forgot about Logan and the others being back in that area, and quickly checked the date. It was only added yesterday.

"Apparently some wolf shifters are trying to push the boundaries again and have been terrorising some civilians in town. The report says they tried to stop it before anything happened, but the pack are being hostile."

"Seem simple enough." He answers. "But that's what worries me. What if it's some kind of trap for you since you didn't go out there the first time we headed that way?"

"You can't get paranoid like this, it'll drive you insane. It's probably nothing." Though I was more focused on trying to convince myself that.

"You're probably right." Logan sighed, moving so he now sat behind me on the bed.

Instantly his hands were on shoulders, with his thumbs pressing in towards my spine in slow circles as he started to give me a massage. It felt so good, my muscles tense and tingling as the pressure increased slightly. There was so stopping the small moan of bliss leaving me as the laptop was forgotten. I couldn't help but get a little excited as he shifted slightly, leaning in closer to his mouth was against my ear. A shiver ran up my spine as he kissed my neck before he whispered my name.

"Logan." I answered, hopefully just as seductively though from how good his hands felt, I know it was more like a grunt.

"Your parents sent me in here to bring you out." Not quite the romantic sentiment I was expecting. "They're worried about you, and have arranged for you to see someone. A therapist."

"What?" Yup, total mood killer. His hands drop to my waist and I lean back to look at him. "A therapist? Are you fucking serious?"

Logan nods. "I kind of agree with them. You've gone through a lot, so why not just give it a go. Get some shit off your shoulders. You do have a lot of tension in there and-"

"You should touch me now and tell me how much tension I have." I snap.

"Do this for them, please. It'll be for like what, an hour or so. It'll make them happy, you might even like it, and then we can pack up and head out to see what's going on with Oz now."

He says it all so it sounds completely reasonable, but I don't want to talk to a stranger. Probably light fae too, and the likely outcome will be me wanting to ram her head against the wall. Therapy! Of all the things they could have come up with, I get, therapy.

"Fine. One hour, no more and then we're leaving." I decide.

Logan kisses me, clearly happy with the outcome and getting up, I scratch under Alfie's chin before following Logan out to the kitchen. My parents are standing there like they're being given a death sentence and as Logan nods, both instantly relax. It makes the night easier, they're happy I'm doing what they want and I'm just thankful Mums backed off with her fussing.

That is until ten o'clock the following morning when I come in from my run and I find out I have fifteen minutes until my therapist arrives. Of course I make her wait, it will give her a starting to point so really I'm actually getting prepared for our session and no one even knows it.

"Thank you for doing this sweetheart, Dr. Hamsley is in your fathers office when you're ready. I think she'll be able to help you deal with everything. I can't lose you again, not like last time when you just, left." Mum gives me a hug as she shuts up before she starts to cry.

Now I just feel a total bitch and possibly like the worst daughter in the world. I don't look at Dad, and shrug Logan away as he goes to take my hand and guide me to the office - as if I don't know where it is.

Walking in, I'm surprised to find a normal, everyday human sitting on the chair Dad has in front of his desk. She's moved it to face the two seater lounge in the corner and offers me a cautious smile as I enter, motioning for me to sit down in her make do room.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Elise, I'm Doctor Hamsley, but you may call me Sarah." Without looking at me again, she opens her notebook; fountain pen in hand and writes something down.

"Okay. Sarah?" I sit. "So whats the deal, you gonna ask me about my childhood, try and sort out where I started going wrong in life?"

I wish she'd kept focused on page because I don't like the way she looks at me. Her gaze is to, steady and I find myself unable to look away - waiting for her to blink. She doesn't and after hours of arguing with my parents, I'm good at making sure I'm not the one to blink first. Maybe she isn't so human as I thought.

"No, Elise. That's not it all." Her tone is as unnerving as her pale blue eyes.

"How did my parents find you?" I question.

She laughs. "You're awfully suspicious aren't you?"

"Are you with the Council?"

"Yes, I am with the council. Do you have a problem with them sending me?"

"Maybe we should start with my issues with authority." I lean back in the chair, unable to get a read on her. She isn't a demon, none of the signs are there; unless she is doing something to cloak herself. Relying on all my senses isn't working right now, because they're not. Either way, I decide to play along.

"If you like." Sarah nods, the movement jerky enough to make me wonder if she is a robot. I'm too paranoid. "I'm not here to interrogate you Elise, I want you to feel safe with me. Anything you tell me won't leave this room, and even the President will not be given access to my notes on our session today."

I think about this for a few minutes; keenly taking in the tense way she sits there in the chair. Her feet are crossed at the ankles, shoulders back and head held stiffly upright. I wonder if she could actually slouch if she wanted to. Then again, the tight fit of her her black skirt and jacket could be the cause of her perfect posture or even the harsh way her blonde hair has been pulled back into a small bun at the top of her head. If I messed up her hair, would all of her become undone?

I doubt it, but she is too perfect. What instincts I do have intact, are telling me to be cautious; oddly enough, it's the same kind of feeling I had when I had been with Sobek. Even more terrifying than that, it was like when I had been in the Sirens cave with Cain, when he was in his pirate costume. It's an empty kind of sensation, something that you could overlook if you weren't actually looking for it.

"I'm scared." I finally tell her, surprised how truthful I was actually being straight up. "I've been used as a sacrifice, nearly turned into a vampire, been kidnapped, had my dreams and mind taken over more times than I can count, not forgetting all my near death experiences. Oh and then there was that time I actually did die too!"

"I heard about that, it was quite a miracle. The magic used must have been something extraordinary." She writes something down.

"It was. Completely out of this world. If only I knew where Cain was now to thank him."

Her eyebrows arch slightly, her pen pausing before carrying on. Since every movie I've ever seen has the patient laying down on a sofa when speaking to a therapist, I think understand why. Sitting up and dealing with this, stuff, is hard. So I do what they do, swinging my legs over the armrest, I put a cushion behind my head to get comfortable; like I'm in for a long chat with my new confidant.

"I think about it all the time you know." I sighed a little too dramatically.

"About, Cain?" Sarah questions.

"Yeah, and that night too. Dying does that to a person I guess. It makes you reflect. Why did he save me that night? What makes me so special?" What did make me so special? Maybe I was getting more into this than I thought. "I'm not like the other Hunters. He told me so, they all tell me."

Sarah nods along like she's really listening, like she cares and we're already mid-breakthrough.

"Who tells you this? Do you not believe them?"

"Everyone. My teachers when I was in school, my parents of course, but I think they're just being sarcastic. I've made friends with shifters and vampires and demons; they say I'm special. I wish I could believe them, but, never mind." I drop my forearm over my eyes, blocking out some painful memory.

She takes the hook completely.

"Please Elise, don't feel embarrassed about sharing your thoughts with me. I hold no judgement."

"I know, but I've never really spoken about it."

"You should. You can't keep it all bottled up inside. You're parents were worried, the Council are worried. To them, you are unpredictable and that also makes you reckless, dangerous even. Cain is not a good person, nothing he has done in the course of history has been of a benefit to the rest of us, so the fact he brought you back to life worries them. You really haven't seen him since?"

"No, but I've had a few dreams. Do you think, he did something to me when he brought me back?" I look at her worried.

"I don't know Elise. You're disappearing act worried them all, even when you were in recovery, not everyone was privy to your whereabouts and there are some on the council who fear you. I'm here to put them at ease. Now, what did you say about dreams?" Again she writes something down.

"I'm always fighting in them. Monsters I've never seen before, creatures I didn't even know existed. A friend died last year, sacrificed himself for me." I pause, noting again how she tensed at odd little bits of information I was feeding her. "I can never save him. Sometimes I, I kill Cain too. I feel horrible because of it! He saved my life and I dream of ending his!"

I don't stop my tears, because part of that is true. I'm always fighting something, it's horrible and bloody and the people I care about are always just out reach. I never get to save them. Cain on the other hand, has been included for entertainment purposes only. When I look at Sarah, her eyes are wide with interest, eating it all up and the faintest curve of a smile has appeared.

"Maybe it's just your subconscious trying to tell you what the right thing to do is. He may have done this one, generous act, in giving you life, but have you considered the millions he has taken over the centuries?"

"You mean, it's okay that I dream about, killing him?" I ask doubtfully.

"Yes. Maybe it's the fates way of preparing you for a battle that has yet come?"

"The Fates?" Swallowing nervously, I sat back up. "I don't believe in that."

The smile vanished as she looked at me once more. It felt like she wasn't actually look at me, but through me; like she could see something I couldn't. I didn't like it at all.

"Each to their own." Sarah answered, completely flat. "You've come across a great many evil in your time Elise. It's no wonder you feel so, lost. I sense that about you, that you're just looking for a place to belong. You tried to be human, normal, and it didn't work for you. You're not like the other Hunters, so you find it hard to fit in amongst them. I don't think you have a problem with authority at all, it's just because you're better than them. You know they are beneath you, so why conform to their rules when they should be following yours?"

I wonder how many therapists tell their patients that.

"What other choice do I have?" For a moment she looked thoughtful, like she was actually weighing up my options. "Life is tough, but so am I. Even if my fate, if you want to call it that, is sealed."

Getting up, I walked around Dad's office pausing at his desk before sitting up on it in that way I know he hates. Sarah turned, again her movements stiff like she had to force them to happen in just the right way.

"Why do you say that, Elise?" She asks curiously. "Nothing is set in stone until it actually happens."

"You doctor, have a point. So the Council is scared me?"

"Concerned would be a better word." Sarah corrects.

"So, if I was to oh I don't know, kill you, that would be sending the wrong message to them about me?"

The woman didn't even flinch at that.

"Am I really that bad to be around?" She laughed.

"Who sent you?"

"The Council. President Ailin requested me personally."

"What are you then?" I demanded.

"What am I? I'm a human!" She stands, turning to face me completely now. "Elise, I'm not sure what you're doing right now, but I advise you against it."

"Sarah, if you're human, then I'm Alfies birth-mum and I'm never going to have to have that, you're adopted chat with him."

This confuses her completely. It was supposed to, because when he does appear in the room, his spike covered tail circling her waist to hold her in place; she never saw it coming. One of the few bonuses of having a telepathic link to your snake demon; instant backup.

Logan and my parents were right behind him, opening the door so hard it slammed against the wall. This little stunt was likely to send them onto the sofa of a therapist and I couldn't stop my rage from growing. What gave these, creatures, the right to come into our home, our safe place, and ruin it?

I already knew how crap my parents were going to feel once this was done. They let her in, they left me alone with her. Logan did too, and Alfie and Annipe. I hated it, because I felt so responsible for them all. Hell, what do you know, maybe I do need to talk to someone.

Despite her predicament, Sarah doesn't seem phased by it at all. She barely looks at the defensive stance my parents have either side of Alfie, guns raised and ready. Logan comes to stand by me, and Annipe hovers by the doorway, glaring at the woman in Alfie's hold. I'm kind of proud of them all though, except for Alfie, none of them had to believe me when I told him what to do. Alfie telling them to get armed and into the office now, could seem like phoning in a fake bomb scare of the day of a big exam. Yet here they all are, trusting me.

"Let's try this again. What are you, and who sent you?" I demand.

"You're making a mistake." Sarah warned; finally true emotion sounding in her voice. She was pissed off.

"No, I don't think I am. I have had it with your kind screwing up my life. I meant what I said, I'm not like the others and that was your only warning. Tell that to your Council!"

"You'll die!" She hissed, daring to struggle against Alfie.

"Been there, done that." I shrug, trying to make out like it doesn't bother me at all. "Besides, when you have someone like Cain on your side, I like my chances. Do you?"

Her mouth dropped in disbelief, as she froze. "You lied?"

"About everything, yeah."

"How did you know?" Sarah gasped. "You shouldn't be able to tell!"

"I didn't lie completely. I am special. Tell your Council to leave me alone, otherwise they will regret it."

I had a horrible feeling this was really going to bite me in the ass, but talking before thinking was a habit of mine I wasn't ready to break. Besides, the look of fear on her face was worth every second of it - at least until she fainted and just as the weapons were lowered, we all felt the shift in the room as the woman in Alfie's hold changed.

Gone was the nothing, and back in it's place was the light fae I was meant to see. Dad instructed Alfie to put her down on the sofa, and after a quick once over, he deemed her as fine. Logan called Sonia who came instantly to Sarah's aid - if that was even her name and we went into the kitchen where Logan and I proceeded to tell my parents everything. Well, almost everything.

"So, Cain is still here?" Dad asked.

"He's, around." I nodded.

"And you're, cursed?" Mum frowned into her coffee.

"I guess, but I'm not going down without a fight."

Dad reached over and patted my back. "No, you won't. None of us will, and that is why those fuckers better not come back."

"Did you just say, fuckers?" Instantly I burst out laughing and even Logan tried to hide his smile, while Mum pretended not to have heard any of it.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up." Dad grumbled. "So, do you have some kind of plan. At all?"

I didn't, but for some reason I thought about the Van Helsings and their sword display and now, looking over towards the door to Dads office, I could see the handle of a samurai sword he had mounted in there.

Swords; more importantly - sword.

"Yes. I do." I almost boasted.

"Care to share?" Logan asked almost hesitantly.

"Dad, we need to go back to Sobek's tomb thing."

"How is that a plan?" Logan scoffed.

"Shut up. I had a sword with me, I am positive I came through the portal with it, but with everything self destructing, I dropped it. I think we're going to need it."

"Why?" Mum finally spoke.

"Sobek was going to use it to kill Cain, I used it on him. I think it could be kind of special."

"I've never heard of such a thing existing." Dad thought out loud. "You could be onto something."

"I know I am." I answered confidently.

"Okay, we'll check it out. First sign of trouble, we're gone. Understood?" Dad decided.

I nodded, so did Logan and Mum shook her head. "But-"

"Mum, it's happening. I'm sorry, but we're going."

"I was going to say, but what about the fae. Are we just leaving them here?"

"Oh." I looked at Logan.

"Sonia will take care of it. We can trust her and we'll find out what happened soon enough. I think finding this sword is more of a priority." He told her.

Mum stood up, looking more determined than ever. "I think you're right. Go get ready, we leave in five."

Doing as she said, we all went to change. It didn't take long at all, and I was still tying up my hair as I walked into Logans room.

"Did any of that seem strange to you?"

"What? The part where your therapist turned out to be not human, but a possessed fae or how well your parents are taking, well everything?" He asked, finishing with the laces on his boots.

"A little from column a, but mostly column b." From there, we headed to the roof space to grab a few extra weapons; just incase. "Should we be worried they're possessed too?"

"No Bunny, I think you telling them whats happening was a good thing. You're not keeping them in the dark, you're showing trust in them and well, a little goes a long way." He pauses, before finding what he was looking for and strapping a dagger to his calf. "Either that, or they're in shock and once it all sinks in you're going to be in for a hell of a time, especially with your Mum. You know she'll go on a baking rampage and your Dad? Well he'll-"

Logan froze as Dad appeared in the room with us. "He'll what, Logan?"

"Ah, nothing Sir." Logan grabbed the closest holster, and disappeared - slipping around Dad to go back down to the kitchen.

"Is he right? Are you two in shock?" I teased Dad.

"No, a little, surprised more like it, but we're okay. You're Mum can't believe she didn't pick up on anything either, that's all. Thank you for telling us now, before, shit got even more real."

"You down with the cool kids now Dad?" I laughed. "Shit got real hey?"

"Jord said something the other day. It just kind of stuck. You ready?"

"Yup, I'm good!"

And I really was. Who knew talking about your problems could be so, freeing, and it was almost hard to remember why I didn't tell them to start off with. Oh right, I was paranoid it would end up putting them all in unnecessary danger - guess it's a little too late to worry about that now.