It felt so familiar walking around in Pleyvale again, yet also it felt so out of place. Azura was glad it was snowing, it gave her an excuse to pull the hood on her head down lower, shielding her hair and face from anyone who might recognize her. She walked down the main streets, weaving her way through the crowd making sure her scent would mix with the masses and thus would be rendered almost impossible to pick up unless you would be looking for it.

Azura turned a corner and for a fleeting moment, saw herself walking down the same road with high heels, nervous as she was about to go to the bar Lucas had ordered her to go to. It had been a miracle she had not fallen flat on her face back then as she observed the uneven cobblestone street. That night had changed everything. 

She stopped before the alleyway where he had kissed her for the first time. Her eyes glanced around the walls and in her imagination, she saw the two of them as he pressed her against the wall to cool down. he saw the way he looked at her, his confusion as to his feelings and the determination as he made up his mind and had gently kissed her for the first time. She watched her self react to it, shocked but eventually accepting and encouraging him to kiss her again. Azura smiled as the memories and feelings of that moment came rushing back to her. It had been quite a heated make-out session and looking back on it, Azura knew she would not have objected if he had decided to take it to the next level right there, out in the open.

She tore her eyes away from the alley with a heavy heart. Her body weighed down by feelings and emotions that filled her. There was no stopping it and she couldn't fight it. Azura let everything just flow. The memories were painful, but at the same time brought her joy and hope. Her feet carried her away, her head angled downwards to avoid looking at any other person passing by. Goosebumps covered her skin, the small hairs on her body stood upright and a shiver ran down her spine as Azura saw a pair of feet in long feminine boots hold still just a few meters away. Azura stoped as well and quickly glanced up but before her eyes connected with the person also standing still, she moved again. The sound of hurried steps filled her ears as she listened to the person walking away at a fast pace. For a moment, it was the only sound Azura registered as she felt herself being frozen in time.

"Hey, Stranger! What's taking you so long?!" Rose's voice snapped Azura out of her trance-like state.

Rose smiled as walked up to Azura but she didn't touch her and remained a safe distance away. Azura's blue eyes met with Rose's light-green ones as they faced each other. Rose knew... She could try to hide it with a smile and a cheerful voice, but her eyes and body betrayed her.

"They told you didn't they? They told you everything." Azura softly spoke as she watched the smile fall of Rose's face.

The night before was a blur for Azura. She remembered the anger boiling up, the madness which had caused her to lose it several times now. She recognized the first signs and she ran. After that, it had been a blur. Her memories were foggy except for the pain. It was a good thing she had fled, that was one thing Azura was certain of. She had lost it again but this time nobody got hurt. It wasn't until she returned that Azura could start remembering things again. Zahair had been sleeping and Killian had been waiting in his snow leopard form. Waited for her to return. He had been on guard at first and she didn't blame him for that. 

"Yes. You were acting so strange and you running away like that... it was odd. But I understand now--"

"Good! Then you also know that right now I'm the same old me as always." Azura rudely cut Rose short while she was speaking.

"Are you? Like... Are you really?" Rose sharply threw back at Azura without missing a beat. It wasn't recrimination though.

Azura was silent for a moment and let her whole body suddenly relax as she snorted. "No. I'm not. I'm actually rather a big fucking mess right now and I have no idea who I truly am but I don't care!"

The two friends awkwardly stood across from each other for a moment before Rose burst out into a giggle and moved up to hug Azura.

"Now that's the Azura I know!" She breathed out between her giggles.

"Gee, thanks! I'll just take it as a compliment I guess." Azura replied sarcastically as Rose let her go again. 

The two women smiled at each other for a moment before they started walking side by side. Azura loved having her friend close to her again. She had no idea how much she had missed Rose and the others till now. They all meant so much to her, had been there for her and never let her down. That's what true friends were. For her, to not include the rest right now felt horrible. She wanted to reach out to every single one of her friends, to let them know she was ok, still alive but she couldn't just yet. The risk was too big.

"Where do you want to start?" Rose asked curiously as she followed Azura through the streets.

"Home. It's safest right now seeing Lucas and Jeff are both working right now." It was the last thing Azura said.

 They walked for twenty minutes in silence close to each other when they entered the street where Lucas's house was. Azura paused at a bench that had a perfect view over both Lucas's and Jeff's house and sat down staring around, scanning the surroundings and the houses. Rose silently seated herself next to Azura and watched as the black-haired woman opened her coat and pulled out the golden necklace with a ring attached to it.

 Azura twiddled the ring between her fingers. She could feel the effects of it as she rushed her finger past the opening. Her capability to smell herself faded and a tingling sensation started on her finger the moment she pushed the first digit through. She quickly pulled it back and stared at it in wonder and hoped she would be able to bear with the pain long enough to do what she wanted to do in the house. 

"That ring still works?!" Rose asked surprised as she felt the effects of it too. "And you sure you want to use it after what it did to you earlier? Like.. is it really needed to enter the house?! I just.. don't like the idea of it..."

Azura turned her head to Rose and softly bit her lip. Was it really needed? She had no idea. She told herself it was, that she needed some personal things. She didn't even know if Lucas had kept her stuff around or not.

"It's... needed." She lied to herself as doubts filled her mind. Deep down she knew why she wanted it. 

She wanted something to touch, to smell, something... from him. Was she being selfish? Azura clenched her teeth as she watched people walking by. Both houses had been quiet and empty for the entire time. There was nobody home and it was safe to go there. Just as she was about to get up a very familiar scent hit her nose. Both Azura and Rose's heads snapped up as they watched two tall figures at the end of the street.

"Shit!" Azura breathed out. She knew she had to move, to leave now before any of the two men would notice her but she was frozen as she stared at the shorter man. Her eyes glued to his face, his posture, the way he moved, his face... Something was different about him. As they approached Azura was able to get a better look. She shrugged Rose's hand off as she was yanking her to move. Rose's voice did not seem to reach Azura's mind, and the pulling on the side of her arm seemed like it was not there. The only thing there was Lucas. 

He had shaven. The beard was gone. His hair was shorter and he walked in a way she did not recognize but it was unmistakably him. She knew she had to leave... She had to go but her body did not respond to her mind. She felt Rose let go of her and move back a little. It broke the spell she was under. Azura managed to pry herself away from Lucas and turned her head the other side where her eyes met those of someone she had not seen for a long time.

"Azura?! I thought it was you!" Azura stared horrified at Nina who smiled warmly at her. Nina... Nina, who had been dating Lucas before her. Nina, who had broken up with him after she saw them together for the first time. "I thought I saw you a bit earlier on the street but I wasn't sure. How are you doing?"

Azura's eyes flashed past Nina and rested on the two men who stared at both of them, equally frozen to the ground as her. They had heard Nina call out to her. 

It was over. 

Jeff's jaw had almost dropped to the ground as her eyes briefly locked with his before she moved over to Lucas. She could hear the blood rush in her ears, felt the loud thumping off her heart increase, heard how he dragged his feet across the pavement towards her. It was as if time slowed down as she observed him.

His jaw had tensed up, she noticed his fists which were clenched tightly together. His stance was rigid, every muscle stood tight and he narrowed his eyes at her. His green eyes held no love for her, his green eyes which did not seem like his own. Despite it all, she felt that flicker of hope inside of her. The flicker that he would come up to her draw her in his arms, kiss her and tell her it was going to be alright.

Someone dragged her down, broke the eye contact between her and Lucas. Azura stared at Rose in confusion as she saw Rose's lips move but heard nothing she was saying. Panic started to rise in the eyes of the smaller woman until finally, Azura felt a smack across her cheek.

Time moved forward again, sounds came back to her ears. The cocoon that had come down on her the moment she had seen him lifted away from her as realization dawned in. Azura blinked in confusion for a moment before Rose shouted at her again, fully breaking the trance.

"Azura, run!"

Azura flicked her eyes upwards to see Lucas coming straight for her. She did what Rose told her. She spun around and ran. She heard a yelp, some grunting and other strange noises behind her but she didn't look back. She ran as fast as her feet could carry her. She did not look where she was going, just followed the streets and where her legs were taking her. Houses flashed by, trees, the road changed snow covered the ground and became thicker the further she went. The sounds of the city faded as she kept on running. She had no idea how long it had been since she started fleeing but she could hear him. He was close and gaining. Something had held him back at the start, gave her an advantage but that was now gone. The idea of shifting flashed across her mind but she decided not too. If she would shift, he would shift and if he would catch her shifted it would mean death. 

Again.

She knew she could not fight him. Like last time, she knew she would not defend herself if he were to catch her. Like last time, she was afraid she would lose control if she would.

Behind them, there was shouting. People were following but they weren't as fast. Still, Lucas was gaining on her and it wouldn't be long before he would catch her. They were far away from the city now and Azura realized with a shock she had been going back towards the car. Straight to Killian and Zahair. The thought distracted her for just a fraction of a second. Long enough for her to make a slight misstep, losing her speed to regain her balance and enough time for Lucas to catch her. 

She felt him grabbing her and throwing her down to the forest floor. With his momentum, he dragged her down and they rolled on top of each other, limbs flailing around. An elbow hit her in the face as they struggled for a bit before Lucas pinned her down underneath him. Blood trickled from her nose as he wrapped his hand around her throat again. Azura gasped for air, trying to fill her burning lungs with the so much needed air but her air pipe was swiftly closed off by his hands. 

She thrashed beneath him, tried to kick him off but Lucas planted his other fist against her jaw, momentarily letting go of her throat. Despite the pain that burst out within her, she could breathe again. She gulped down lungs full of fresh air for as long as she could before he again grabbed her by the throat and squeezed. 

Panic set in as she locked eyes with him for the first time he had caught her. He was enjoying it. A wicked smile adorned his face as he had her right where he wanted her to be. Azura tried to find the Phoenix but it remained still and quiet. No flames, no heat just a growing need of oxygen was all she found. Azura gave up the struggle. Her limbs fell down next to her body as she focused on herself and slowing her heartbeat. Jeff, Rose maybe even Nina were on their tails. They had to be close. She just had to wait... Just had to survive.

Black spots started to dance in her vision as her eyes blurred with tears. It didn't hurt. Not this time. She barely felt his hands as she blankly stared up at Lucas as he strangled her. She felt the darkness envelop her mind, watched as it closed around her, waited for it to whisk her away as it had done two times before now. It no longer scared her. For some reason, the only thing that filled her mind was how she hated the fact he was clean-shaven.