A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Over the course of the two weeks, Nick and his team had entered the bedroom Ether and she were in several times to review plans for heading to (f/n)'s parents' house and for dealing with her prior tormentor. Driving to the house was the simplest. They would head into the car with their needed luggage and drive off like they had when they had left Delain and driven to the cemetery. There was a concern about fitting everyone in the vehicle, but none of them had to deal with crutches anymore. Chris even had her boot off, though; she still had a slight limp as her leg got used to walking with no support again. (F/n) was healed as well, but Ether continued to keep a protective watch over her so that something like what had occurred in the subway wouldn't happen again.

Those thoughts chilled everyone since none of them wanted to experience that pain once more. Ether, on the other hand, was worried because he didn't want to find his pink flower practically broken another time. Once had been more than enough, and that should've never happened in the first place. He should've done a better job, and he would make sure that he would in the present and future.

As for what they would do when they would arrive to her parents' house, that was a little ... well, a lot trickier. There was no way for Ether to guard seven people at once. Even with the current five, it was unrealistic. Coming to that easy conclusion, they figured that they could walk around the top part of the funeral home like normal. They just had to keep doors and windows locked that led to outside and keep an observant gaze on the outside too. Yes, it probably was too simple, but whenever they over thought the situation, they generally found themselves backed into a corner.

The tricky part was determining when her past tormentor actually would attack. There was no way that he had forgotten everything in the subway and/or decided to give up on his plans to ruin them. After all he had done in the subway, that would be too bizarre to be reality. He hadn't struck at any of them again yet, but Ether had mentioned that he might be waiting for everyone to heal so that he could make his impact stronger. If they were healed and about to get better, they would have more hope, more strength for him to annihilate. Given her past tormentor's punishments, that wouldn't surprise (f/n). Whatever the reason, they probably would face him when they arrived at her parents' house.

With that in mind, Ether already knew that he would receive little sleep. Even when he did sleep, it would be light. Nick and his team, though, would sleep in the hall by the kitchen and living room. The couch from the living would be moved closer to (f/n)'s bedroom so that none of them were sleeping by a window or too close to the stairs leading down into the main part of the funeral home. All four of them wouldn't be sleeping at one time either. Two would be awake while the other two slept. (F/n) almost had been tempted to call her parents and asked them to install a door at the top of the stairs, but she knew that only would increase the risk since a crew would have to come out and install the door. Her past tormentor could slip in during that work and attack once they left.

Thankfully when she had called her parents earlier, they had remained fine. They had no encounters with the other creature, and no one suspicious had been spotted around the premises of the funeral home. Still, the prospect of them arriving at her parents' home relieved and worried her. It was going to be difficult. No, it was going to be more than that. Over two weeks, all they had thought of was that plan. That plan! It should've been something better, something more secure!

In the past, she had made plans to stop Ether. All of them hadn't ended well, yet she had done her best to plan them out. What they were doing now ... Was it too simple? It wasn't enough, was it? Panic began to creep into her veins, and she struggled to think even of the whole thing anymore.

"(F/n)." Her name exited his lips in a near whisper. A hand rested on her left shoulder, and his breath hit the back of her ear. Up her spine, a shiver traveled. She broke out of her thoughts and peered over her shoulder to stare back at him. On his lips was a frown. "You're worrying too much."

Returning to him his frown, she answered, "You are too. I can tell." Her (e/c) optics analyzed his. Outwardly, he was calm. Inside, though, his mind was reviewing countless possibilities of where her past tormentor could strike from. Maybe, she was wrong, but his eyes certainly showed that he wasn't entirely focused on where he was at currently. "You don't like this plan." That only increased her own concern.

"That's not it." He pulled his hand back. "I don't like that I don't where he is or what direction he'll come from. Will it be a window, the stairs, when we're on the road with no other cars, etc.?" Ether crossed his arms, and his left nails tapped dangerously against his right arm. Any harder, they would be piercing his flesh as though it was a meat for a shish kabob. "It pisses me off. I wish that I ..."

"You could've killed him back in the subway?" His eyes met hers directly, and she saw a spark momentarily ignite in his very pale blue optics. She released a drawn-out sigh. "If you had gone after him, you probably could've."

"Then, you'd be dead, and it would've been pointless." His expression softened a little. "Remember, you're my life." (F/n) didn't smile to him, but she relaxed slightly. "My priority is making sure that you live through this and that I am there with you."

"You couldn't have stopped with just the first part?" she asked, a slight smirk on her lips. It was forced a little bit, but she couldn't resist saying it. It helped lighten the mood in her mind.

"No." He grinned and giggled. "I'm not going to die easily." His left hand patted her on the head, and his nails didn't even touch her skin in the process. Ether crouched down in front of her and grinned up to her. "That's especially the case since you're no longer my murderer." A smirk fell on his lips. "I'm not going to let that a**hole kill me. I only wouldn't mind you killing me, but that bond between us is over. Now, ..."

"We're not partners," she clarified, wishing that he would remove his hand. His nails weren't touching her, but they were restricting her movement. "But, we're ..." She didn't know what to call them. Words left her mind, and she furrowed her brows.

Giggling, Ether stood up and removed his hand. "Not partners?" He shrugged. "I disagree, but if you want another name for us. Hmm ..." The creature hummed in thought and tapped his right foot on the ground. "Lovers?" he asked with a grin on his lips. Not amused, (f/n) raised a brow and glared.

Holding his hands up in surrender, he responded, "Fine, fine. Not that." Ether seated himself on the chair across from her at the table. He leaned back and crossed his arms. "I don't think that the term friend works either for us." He furrowed his brows now.

"You seem to be having just as much trouble," she pointed out as she rested her chin on the palm of her left hand.

"Seems it's mutual," he mentioned back with a smirk. One of her eyebrows twitched, and she grumbled across from him. Mentally, though, he was smiling. Their conversation was distracting both of them from the potential dim days that lied in front of them. Ether giggled. "I really think that 'partners' is the best term for us. We're going to be fighting him together. Or, we're planning his death together anyway."

"No." She was adamant on it since she knew that partners in his mind equated to lovers, and she didn't agree to that in the slightest. If she still had the ability to kill him, that would've been better since she could've kept the term 'murderer.' Frustrated at the whole thing, she offered, "What about we just don't apply a name to us? You didn't have a name for a long time after all."

Thinking over it, Ether shrugged. "We could do that. I don't mind. But, let's say that you don't have to have a name for us. I have many, however." His grinned turned a little threatening, but she didn't think that it was directed at her. Then again, he might be trying to intimidate her into accepting the term 'partners.' Unfortunately, it was somewhat working, but she wouldn't admit it. It was irritating how his grin and giggles still could be terrifying if he had that certain gleam in his eyes. The look brought her back to Cankerfell, and a dreadful chill flowed through her blood.

Before either of them could say another word, however, the cell phone, which Deidre had given them and was in the middle of table, rang. Both of them looked over to it. (F/n) reached out and grabbed it. Instantly, she recognized the number. It was her parents. Strange. Most of the time, she called them. She just had talked to them earlier in the day too since all of them would be heading out later in the morning once everything was ready.

Confusion was written across her countenance, and she stared over to Ether as though he would have an answer to her puzzlement. He seemed just as perplexed by the call. A knot formed in her stomach as her mind went to horrible conclusions. She answered the call and placed the phone up by her right ear. "Hello? Mom? Dad?"

"..." Silence was on the other end, and the knot in her stomach grew. She heard heavy breathing on the other side. It sounded like her dad, but why would he ... "(F/n)!" he practically cried out into the phone. Panic radiated off of his voice as though he was broadcasting his words to the entire region. "He's gone! He's gone!" he screamed into the phone, and (f/n) felt sick at her father's next words.