Eden kept walking for hours, leaving behind the well organized, rich region where she used to live and headed to the poor neighborhoods. She kept looking down with her hands in her coat's pockets, moving fast among shadows, trash and abandoned buildings.

People can smell fear, even in the darkness. She wasn't afraid but she didn't want anyone to identify her, so she kept moving thus her feet were aching so bad as if she was walking on razorblades. She could hear footsteps on the pavement behind her. She wasn't far at last. A pack of dogs surrounded her, barking, warning her not to take another step. She took her hand out of the pocket and held the gun under her coat. The leader of the pack came closer growling. She didn't move. She might have skipped a couple of breaths though. The dog kept coming closer. Once he was close enough, he smelled her while all the other dogs were waiting for his signal. He kept on smelling her, indecisive on what to do.

Eden looked into his eyes. He lied down on the pavement, showing of his belly, begging for caresses. She kneeled and pet him watching him making happy noises.

"Grumpy! Is it you, my bastard prince? So you still remember me after all that time?"

Grumpy rolled over and started licking her face.

"Oh! You want kisses now. Ed will kill me for turning you into a muffin... a pumkin... whatever disgraceful he calls wolves' descendants."

Eden stood up and went on walking with Grumpy on her side. No dog dared to question Grumpy's authority so that meant that Charming, Zeon and Odin were dead. She frowned. It had been ages since her last visit. She reached his building. She would rather fight Ed with her bare hands than face his hurt feelings for leaving him behind. On the other hand her feet came first and were more hurt than him, at least that very specific moment. She knocked on the door. Ed opened it and Grumpy pushed it and run into the living room.

Ed didn't expect her. Eden could tell that from the genuine expression of surprise on his face. She started counting the seconds to make sure that she wasn't watching a stroke in progress. It would be extremely inconvenient and obviously impolite if he died before he let her in. Ed took a deep breath, smiled and dragged her into his apartment.

" Come in. Don't just stand there. Oh! you people, the more you think, the less are the possibilities of your survival. Look at Grumpy, he's already on the couch. Grumpy! Get down! None of them ever listens to me whenever you are around, can you explain that to me? You are seducing my boys. You look like shit, princess. Sit! Down!"

Ed placed Eden on the couch after pushing Grumpy aside who was waving his tail, asking for more caresses.

"What do you wish for My Fair Lady? May I bring you water? Food? Alcohol? Drugs? Guns? Your wish is my command." Ed took a bow to Eden and winked.

"A chair, a knife and your shower and I want them now. I'm already behind schedule." Eden answered as she was looking at her clock. The sun would arise within seconds.

Ed took a chair, placed it in the shower and headed to the kitchen to pick up a knife. Eden stood up and headed to the bathroom, missing her steps.

"What kind of knife do you need?" He asked.

" Bring me Shylock."

" Shylock? Your wish is my command. Don't ask. Don't ask..." he mumbled to himself.

Eden had sat on the chair, had taken off her shoes and was washing her feet under the running water.

"Cinderella, it seems like no glass slipper could fit your feet right now. What happened? Had it been too many ashes at your fireplace or had it been no Prince Charming to give you a reason to shower?"

Eden took the knife and cut her feet that started bleeding.

"Are you crazy? Did you come here to cut yourself in pieces?" Ed shouted and grabbed a filthy towel.

"Stop! My nanobots are not functioning and I have to get rid of them. They kept healing my feet till they burned out."

"Your nanobots don't just burn out. You burned them out!" Ed shouted to Eden. He was mad with her. 

"Yes, I did. Do you feel like lecturing me about that or are you going to cut something clean in shreds for me to use them as bandages?"

Ed disappeared for a minute and when he came back he found her, searching her flesh for gathered nanobots.

"Don't just stare! I gave you a box once and told you to keep it. Bring it to me."

"Which box?" Ed asked her.

"Bring me the box before I faint here and then you will have to clean this mess."

Ed returned with a metal box under his arm. She opened it and on the first layer there was everything she needed to sew herself. She grabbed the stapler. She would be ready within a few minutes but then she wouldn't be able to run for days.

She sighed heavily. She had to go vintage mode again. As she was taking the stitches, she noticed the Stynx vial. She had stolen that long time ago. It could disable every nanobot and chip placed in her. She took it and she was ready to siphon it off with a syringe when she realized that the glitch was her only clue to find who compromised her, her team and the mission. She placed it on the sink and started sewing the stitches.

" You have no heart! I never figured it out how you can sew yourself without blinking an eye!"

" Because I'm dead inside. Isn't it what you really mean? I am, if hearing that pleases you." Eden replied while checking her stitches along with her feet's mobility.

" I run out of painkillers, so it's your call, alcohol or drugs?"

" You never run out of painkillers. I have morphine and some other great stuff in the box and you know it."

Ed jumped into the shower and grabbed Eden's box.

" Don't worry Ed, if I wanted an injection I would have done it already. You know it. I know it. I am an addict. So there is no pain relief for me in that box. No Santa is coming for me at Christmas because I have been a bad, bad girl." Eden grinned and started rolling the bandages around her feet.

" I would love to say something wicked now but my feet are killing me way worse than my sense of humor, so just take me to the couch."

" No, I won't take you to the couch." Ed answered and steped out of the shower.

" Ok, the shower it is then. It's the least that you can do after what I've done to you."

" I'm taking you to the bedroom. I will sleep on the couch."

Ed took her in his arms and moved her to his bedroom.

" It's not like the old days. Now, I are the old ones." 

" So you are still remembering it."Ed said while Eden was making herself comfortable. He saw a grin on her face as he was placing pillows underneath her feet.

" Of course I remember it, you fool. Time flies, we stay together but we were never to grow old. The deal was for you to get old for both of us, Father Francis."

"I have missed you so much Eden." Ed stood still for a moment starring at her like a school boy for a couple of seconds. He soon controlled himself and he changed his voice's tone.  "There is food and water next to the bed. Alcohol is on the other side in case you change your mind. Whatever happened can wait till you rest and recover. You will have your guns back once you leave this house."

" House?" Eden asked him as he was leaving the bedroom.

" Yes, house. It takes more than one human to call it home. Now it's time for your beauty sleep, it's almost noon and I bet you didn't sleep at all in the night..."

" ... or the night before that."

" That's my princess. Sleep now. Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, daemons were free and people knew nothing but how to slay..."

" Why do you insist in that story?"

" Because I know that a time will come and you will lay your weapons on the ground for good. I want to witness that when time comes."

" Do you believe in people Father Francis?"

" I believe in nothing."

" Liar!"

" Runaway..."

Grumpy was already sleeping on the bed, stretching and dreaming of some pretty, wild bitches of his own.

" He will take good care of you. If you need anything, ask. Rest now." Ed said and went to the living room.

She could bet that he craved to get wasted yet he knew that he had to take care of her. His dogs wouldn't let anyone come near without attacking him first. She was safe. Ed was her holy ground. None was fool enough to come for her in his territory. 

She passed out instantly.

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*  Shylock was a character in William Shakespeare's play "The Merchant of Venice".