Maybe it was the fact that I had become so used to sleeping next to him or the fact that I went to bed early last night. Either way, I woke up very early the next morning. The sun had risen just enough to give some faint light to my room. I thought about sleeping a few more hours, but I knew I'd never get my body back to sleep.

I sighed and threw off the blankets. I shivered slightly in the cool morning air. The room was silent, empty. Despite this room being smaller than Mr. Weston's it somehow felt twice as big. The walk to the dresser seemed to take an eternity.

I thought I heard a faint ringing in the distance. A phone? Not possible. The only phone in the mansion was the emergency phone, and it only made calls, it didn't receive them. I only heard it a few seconds before it vanished. I listened carefully but I never heard it again. Maybe it had been a bird, or my ears were ringing.

I shook my head and turned back to the dresser. I couldn't let myself get distracted by silly things like strange sounds. I knew it was early, but I had no idea what time. I also had no way of knowing what time Mr. Weston had finally gone to bed. It would be better to get ready sooner rather than later.

My day with Henry had been simple. It was kind of nice to not be harassed by a persona for once. Wine and good food. It was an easy day, so why did I feel so empty thinking about it? I sighed again and stripped off my clothes. I was so tired I hadn't even bothered to change last night.

Once again, the big, empty room made me feel exposed. I hugged my body to keep off the chill. I thought I heard another sound as I dug through the dresser, but I ignored it. I couldn't be distracted by every little sound this old mansion made in the morning. Then I felt a hand brush against my waist.

I tried to cry out but a hand quickly covered my mouth. I heard a voice next to my ear, shushing me.

"Quiet, quiet. It's just me," I heard Mr. Weston's voice whisper. "We don't want to wake Thomas, do we?"

As I turned my head to look he released my mouth. He smiled at me and stroked my cheek with his thumb. The way he treated me was warm, familiar, intimate. That meant he was someone I'd met. Why else would one of his personalities come to my room?

"Why are you alone in this room? My bed was cold and empty when I woke up. Isn't it your job to keep me comfortable?" He said teasingly.

"I-I don't have this kind of relationship with Henry," I mumbled. Obviously, this was one of the personas I was intimate with. It wouldn't hurt to tell him the truth. "Thomas and I thought it was best to have me stay here on days unfamiliar personas appeared to avoid complications."

"Henry? Well, that explains the alarm clock," he said shaking his head.

"Alarm clock?" So I did hear a ringing earlier.

"Henry gets very offended if we 'order out' for breakfast," he said with a chuckle. "I don't remember when it first started, but a while ago he started setting an alarm for about six in the morning. That way he could be awake and start cooking before anyone had the chance to. He's never actually been able to use the alarm though, so really all it does is wake me up. "

"Sorry about that, sir. Should I get rid of it?" I asked.

His smile grew bigger and he had a mischievous look in his eyes. His hand slid down my face and brushed the hair away from my neck. He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on the curve of it.

"Everything we've done and you still insist on calling me 'sir'?" He chuckled softly. His other hand began to slide down my waist slowly. "Are we still keeping things professional, Ms. Walton?"

The sarcasm in his voice sounded familiar. The phrase he used, "keeping things professional." I gasped out loud and pulled away to look at him.

"Victor?!" I asked, shocked.

He frowned a little at this. He crossed his arms. It almost looked like he was pouting.

"You sound surprised," he muttered. "If my behavior was that confusing I guess Jack already staked his claims with you."

I blushed a bit and crossed my arms myself. I hated how childish Victor could be.

"He didn't 'claim' anything," I said. "And even if he did, that's between me and him. It's none of your business."

"I'm him, aren't I?" He asked, shrugging. "Don't I have the same rights to you as he does then?"

"I'm not a piece of property. Neither of you has 'rights' to me," I snapped at him. "And the reason I was so shocked, Victor, is that you just appeared the other day. You're only supposed to be around a couple times a month."

His face seemed to soften a little at this. I guess it didn't occur to him that I knew how often he appeared. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He looked down at the ground.

"Sorry," he muttered, refusing to look at me. "Crazy how a guy can be jealous of himself, isn't it?"

It certainly was crazy. Despite what we'd done together I still felt like I didn't have a good read on Victor yet. One moment he was gentle, the next he was crude, then he was kind again in an instant. Was this a game, or was he really just that childish?

"So why are you back?" I asked, breaking the silence.

He looked up at me and half-smiled. "I guess Tommy's been too busy 'interviewing' to update that book properly. I used to appear about twice a month, but in the last year or so it's been closer to twice a week."

"Why in the last year?"

He shrugged. "Maybe I'm getting better at controlling this thing, or maybe it was Henry's stupid alarm. Who knows?"

"What does the alarm have to do with anything?" I asked.

He looked surprised, then a smile spread across his face. He laughed a little and moved closer to me, putting his hand around my waist again.

"Tommy mentioned about not waking me up, right?" I nodded. He laughed again and shook his head. "Well, I'm the reason for that. We don't know why, but if 'Mr. Weston' is forced awake, then it's twice as likely that I show up. So to answer your earlier question, no. Don't get rid of the alarm. If anything I think you should set it more often."

His other hand slowly slid up my stomach and rested on my breast. In all the arguing and confusion I'd completely forgotten I was still naked. I shivered a bit at his touch, my skin grew hot beneath his hands.

"That would be nice, wouldn't it?" He asked, leaning in and kissing down my neck. "You can have me around more often, and when Tommy's gone we don't have to sneak around like this. I can give you what you need whenever you need it."

I felt his hand glide from my waist and travel between my legs. I gasped as I felt his fingers rub against my clit. He chuckled softly, I felt his breath against my neck.

"You said yourself, I haven't been gone that long," he said, biting my neck gently. "Did you really miss my touch that badly?"

I didn't have a chance to reply before he slid two fingers inside of me. A moan exited my lips. He brought his head up and kissed me deeply, his fingers slowly moving in and out of me. I could feel my body heating up, ignoring the chill from the room completely now.

"Anna," he whispered my name huskily.

He pressed his body closer to me, forcing his fingers deeper. I felt his hardness pressed against my thigh. The heat and desire were growing inside me. I felt like I was about to burst.

Then I heard a sharp knock at the door.

"Ms. Walton?" I heard Thomas call.

I gasped as my senses came back to me. I tried to push Victor away, but he just smiled and continued like nothing happened.

"You'd better say something, Anna, or he'll find us," Victor said teasingly, increasing the speed of his thrusts.

I wanted to hit him and ask what the hell he was thinking, but he was right. If Thomas came in and saw us it would be bad. More than that, I really didn't want him to stop. It all felt too good, and the adrenaline from the idea of being caught only increased my arousal.

"Ms. Walton?" Thomas called again, his tone slightly more concerned.

"Don't come in!" I shouted barely able to keep my voice steady. Victor smiled at this.

"Is everything okay?" Thomas asked.

"Everything's fine," I called. I covered my mouth with my hands to stifle a moan as Victor began teasing my clit. "I-I'm just getting dressed right now."

"Oh, alright. Take your time. I was just checking on you after yesterday's feast," he said with a chuckle. "We have no important business today, and Henry was up late so Mr. Weston will probably be sleeping for a while."

"Thanks!" I shouted.

I covered my mouth again and tried to listen past the whimpers and wet noises my body was making. I heard the sound of fading footsteps as Thomas left. I let out a sigh of relief.

The relief only lasted a second as I felt Victor add another finger inside of me. A small moan escaped me. His eyes flashed mischievously.

"That was fun. I almost feel bad he's leaving now. That could have been quite an exciting little game for us," he teased.

"With all due respect, sir," I said, fighting against the pleasure. "Screw you!"

"Oh, I like that offer," he said, smiling.

He began to thrust into me faster, his fingers brushed against my clit each time. I could feel the pleasure from earlier building up again. He leaned his head down and began to suck on my breast. I began to grind my hips against him, my body begging for more.

He pressed against me harder. Pinning me between his body and the dresser. He slowed his fingers, making me whimper. He slowly kissed his way back up my chest. My heart was racing in my chest, my body was aching for more.

"I want you, Anna," he whispered lustfully. "Should I just carry you to bed and take you now?"

I couldn't speak. My body was screaming yes. I wanted him to take me, I wanted him to satisfy the burning and emptiness inside of me, but I couldn't do it. Something felt wrong.

It wasn't the exciting kind of wrong like what happened with Thomas a moment ago. This one made my heart feel heavy and my stomach feel sick. I didn't know why though. I'd already done things like this with Victor before, what was the issue with taking things that extra step?

I didn't know, but I couldn't do it. I shook my head no. I bit my lip and looked away from him. I felt guilty for some reason. He didn't say anything.

Finally, he let out a frustrated sigh. He removed his fingers and backed away from me. I glanced up, he looked upset.

"One of these days you'll have to stop with this teasing, you know," he muttered.

"Sorry..." I said gently.

He sighed again. "Don't apologize. If you're not ready, you're not ready, but please tell me that before we start next time. Okay?"

I nodded. He reached out and grabbed my hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed it softly.

"I'm going to go... clean up," he said, smiling. "You should go meet Tommy, he's already going to be in a bad mood when he realizes who's back."

I smiled and kissed him gently. "Okay, I'll get dressed and head down."

He pulled me in closer for a deeper kiss before finally breaking away and leaving. My body turned against me as he left. The ache I felt before seemed to double as it angrily protested the lack of satisfaction. I sighed and turned back to my dresser, trying to ignore it.

As I dressed I wondered more about my actions. I was completely swept away by Victor, yet again. I had resigned myself already to be at the mercy of Mr. Weston's personalities, so why couldn't I give myself to him? I let him do everything else to me. I could feel the answer vaguely at the back of my mind, but I wasn't really sure what it was.

I closed the door softly as I left and glanced at Mr. Weston's. What was he doing exactly? A slight blush filled my cheeks as I thought back to that day I walked in on him in the bath. The ache intensified.

I shook away the memory and continued downstairs. Thomas had almost finished his breakfast by then. He smiled and stood as he saw me.

"Ms. Walton, let me be the first to congratulate you," he said cheerfully.

"Congratulate me? For what?" I asked.

"Are you aware of what today is?" He asked back. I shook my head no. "Today is your sixth day at Weston Manor. If you make it through today, and my confidence is high at this point, then you will have passed every other previous candidate."

"Oh."

It was all I said. It was all I could say. Had it already been a week? Time almost seemed to fly by the past few days. It almost didn't seem real. Thomas laughed.

"I'm glad you seemed shocked, it means you weren't expecting the time to go so fast," he said, motioning for me to sit. "That never happened with the others."

"The others?" I asked, sitting.

He grimaced a bit. "There were two other candidates who made it to day six, but there were... issues that made them change their minds last minute."

"Mind if I ask what these 'issues' were?"

He sighed. "Well, one had a family member fall seriously ill and felt his skills were better used there. Not that I can blame the boy. Besides, he had seemed skeptical about actually taking the job the whole week. The other was a woman, and we had an 'issue' with Victor that scared her off."

I felt a little pang in my chest as he said this. I knew Victor was a "playboy," but what exactly did he do to run this woman off? The Victor I knew was stubborn and childish, but not threatening. Then again, who knew how often things like this morning used to happen.

"What happened?" I asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Nothing major by Victor's standards," he said, waving it off. "A half-joking proposition that she should 'assist him' in his bedroom. He's said far worse than this before, but unfortunately, it was her first time with Victor and she wasn't as capable of handling these 'jokes' as you are, Ms. Walton. Said she refused to be harassed in such a way and quit immediately."

I guess I could see that. If I hadn't already established some kind of relationship with Jack I might have quit when Victor appeared too. I mean, she left after an inappropriate joke, he actually kissed me.

As if on cue, he entered. He walked over and sat next to me at the table. Thomas smiled courteously.

"Good morning, sir," he said.

"Morning, Tommy!" Victor said cheerfully, helping himself to breakfast.

Thomas' smile immediately turned to a frown when he heard the name "Tommy." I almost felt bad, for both of them really. Thomas nodded, trying his best to keep a professional demeanor. Victor sat there quietly enough, but I could see him fighting the urge to shout out to Thomas that he knew everything.

The air became the usual awkward atmosphere that was always between them. I felt I had to break the tension somehow. I suppose the best way was to show Thomas the side of Victor he never saw.

"Did you sleep well, Victor?" I asked sweetly.

He smiled at me, he seemed relieved. I guess he hated these awkward moments too.

"Yes, An- Ms. Walton," he said, correcting himself. "I slept great. Although I was surprised, why weren't you in the room with me this morning?"

He gave a sly grin. Thomas didn't know Victor's "insight" about his situation, and he knew even less about our personal relationship. Victor was testing me, seeing how I would put on the role of the "good caretaker" for Thomas.

"Well, sir," I saw him frown a bit as I said this. He really hated that word. "I woke up early and couldn't fall back asleep. I thought it might be better to start my day."

"Is everything alright in the room? I can have it changed if you're not comfortable," I knew he was teasing me, but his voice had a tinge of sincerity to it.

Thomas seemed to pick up on this too. He almost seemed surprised at the genuine concern in Victor's voice. He shot a glance my way. I smiled and gave a slight shrug. Thomas played around with his food for a bit.

"Victor," Thomas said slowly, "I'm glad to see you... are getting along so well with Ms. Walton."

I could tell he was trying hard not to make a negative comment. Victor could see it too. He shrugged vaguely and picked at his food a bit too.

"I'd like her to stick around for a while," he said, glancing up at Thomas. "You found a good one, Tommy."

Thomas just nodded. It was painful seeing how hard it was for them to talk. When was the last time they weren't fighting with each other? I could tell it was overwhelming for both of them. Victor sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"I need a drink," he mumbled.

Thomas opened his mouth to protest, but I raised my hand to cut him off. I wanted to keep their arguing to a minimum. This might be the last day they met, it should end on a good note. I lowered my hand and placed it over Victor's. He looked over at me, I smiled sweetly.

"Victor, it's a little early to drink now. Why don't we have one together by the fire tonight? It will be a lot cozier that way. Right Thomas? " I asked, looking over at him.

He seemed shocked by my intimacy with Victor, but quickly composed himself. He may not have known everything that was going on, but he could see whatever I was doing was working. Victor instantly seemed to relax as he glanced down at my hand on top of his.

"Oh, yes," Thomas finally piped up. "A good glass of wine by the fire is really the best way to end an evening."

I'm not sure if I actually convinced him or he was just trying to behave for me, but either way, Victor nodded and resigned himself to sobriety. Thomas stood suddenly. I glanced up at him. He was smiling, but his eyes looked worried.

"Well, um. Ms. Walton seems to have things under control here. I should get back to packing my room," he said. He tried to force a laugh but it came out a bit dry.

"Are you packing already?" Victor asked, the genuine concern coming through in his voice again.

Thomas nodded. "Well, my last day is tomorrow. I'd like to be ready to leave the next morning, my arrangements have already been made. I figured it would be better to have everything in order."

"Right, right," Victor said, nodding.

The air went silent again. It was obvious they wanted to talk more but had no clue where to start. I worried about it. It might be their last chance. Thomas nodded to both of us and started to leave.

"You're still coming back for that drink later, right Thomas?" I asked curiously.

"Oh. Oh, yes. Of course," he seemed startled by the sudden question. "I suppose after dinner would be best. So, I'll see you both at lunch then."

He nodded to us again before leaving the room. Victor let out a deep sigh as he did. Whether it was from relief or frustration I couldn't tell. I squeezed his hand gently. He turned to me, he looked tired.

"Victor, what's wrong?" I asked.

He shrugged vaguely. "I wish I knew, Anna. We argue all the time, and he can be a real killjoy, but..."

Victor trailed off. He really didn't seem to have a clue what to say.

"But he raised you, and you're going to miss him?" I suggested.

He half-smiled and nodded. Thomas felt the same way, it was obvious he did, but I couldn't tell if Victor knew that. I stood up, he glanced over at me.

"Will you be okay by yourself for a while?" I asked. "I just want to check in with Thomas, see if there are any last things he needs to tell me about the house."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm a grown man. I'll be fine by myself for an hour or two. I'll watch a movie or something."

"Where is that by the way? I searched everywhere yesterday," I said smiling.

He laughed. "It's actually in my room. There's a projector hidden in there. I'll show you later. Just meet me up there when you're done."

I nodded and started to leave. He grabbed my wrist to stop me. He stood and leaned in, kissing me softly on the lips. I blushed a little at how intimate he was being. He smiled and kissed me again before letting me go and leaving himself.

I shook off the slight burning that was starting to build again. I had more important things to do. As I left I began to wander around. It occurred to me I didn't actually know where Thomas' room was. He mentioned I should remain close to Mr. Weston's room, so I assumed he would do the same.

I started looking through the rooms on that floor. It was a tedious process, but eventually, I heard some shuffling behind one of the doors. I knocked firmly.

"Do you need something, Victor? Where is Ms. Walton?" He asked.

"Actually, it is me, Thomas," I said, smiling a bit. "Can I come in?"

"Oh, of course," Thomas said. I heard footsteps and the door opened, he motioned for me to enter. "Pardon the mess, I'm still in the middle of packing."

The room was about as large as the one I stayed in. It really wasn't that messy, a few boxes and some piles scattered here and there. I guess, based on how tidy the mansion was, this was "messy" for Thomas. He cleared some papers out of a chair and motioned me to sit.

"How can I help you, Ms. Walton? Is there a problem with Victor?" He asked.

"No, Victor went to go watch a movie," I said reassuring him. "I guess I wanted to know if there are any more things I should be trained on before you leave."

He smiled and shook his head. "You've dealt with the cleaners, gardeners, and Chef Philip. Those are all of your extra duties. As for Mr. Weston, that binder is all the training I can really give. It's a learning process that can only be done through hands-on training. I'm sure you'll develop your own method for his personas over time. You already seem to be doing well with that."

His voice sounded a little sad as he said this. He continued packing, but it seemed like he had slowed down. Something was wrong.

"Thomas, what's the matter?" I asked, worried. "You've been upset today."

He sighed and smiled a little. "Is it that obvious? I used to hide my emotions better. I guess I'm too old for that now." He paused a moment, trying to find the words. "I suppose it's a few things. I'm a little envious of how fast you could make Victor behave and adjust to you. I'm upset knowing that I may be gone before I really have the chance to say goodbye to Jack. Mostly I think I'm sad to be leaving.

It's not as if the future seems miserable. I have a lot of things to look forward to in fact, but despite all that, I'm still going to miss this place. It's been my home for quite a while now. I said before, I'm tired. I need to retire. I just don't have the strength to carry on like this for the rest of my life. I guess I'm just having trouble accepting that this is really the end."

I felt bad for Thomas. It couldn't be easy on him. To look forward to your future while missing your past.

"You could always visit," I said, shrugging. "You'll still be in town, right? Drive up sometime. I'm sure Mr. Weston, any of him, would be happy to see you."

Thomas chuckled. "I suppose you're right, but I think I'd still make a point not to do so too often. I might fall into old patterns and start taking over again."

I smiled. I could easily see Thomas doing that. He started packing again.

"Come as often as you like, we'd be happy to have you. Bring Laura even," I suggested.

He chuckled a bit at this. "Now that would be an interesting day. Thank you, Ms. Walton. Despite my hesitance, I am very happy you will be taking over."

"I am too," I said. I stood and smiled at him. "Well, I should go check in on Victor. Can I help with anything, Thomas?"

He shook his head. "You've done more than enough. Thank you, Ms. Walton."

I nodded to him and left. Whether Thomas would come back or not I didn't know, but I think he felt better knowing he had the option. I walked down the hall to Mr. Weston's room. I thought about knocking, but it seemed pointless. As I entered I saw Victor sitting by the fireplace.

True to his word, a screen had appeared above the fireplace and a projector was running from somewhere in the ceiling. I walked over and sat in the seat next to him. Movie credits were on the screen, he must have just finished.

He glanced my way as I sat down. I smiled at him. Though I'm sure he could barely see in the dim projector lights.

"Is your training done?" He asked. I nodded. "Good, then come here."

He motioned for me to come to him. He smiled as I did and put his arms around my waist. He pulled me into his lap. I didn't try to resist. He placed a gentle kiss on my neck and held me close to him. It was comfortable, familiar, but somehow still wrong.

It was the same wrong I felt from this morning, but this time I began to realize what the problem was. Jack. Despite my determination that I would love all of him, I was still having trouble adjusting to the idea of an intimate relationship with his personas. Sex was one thing, but to be this close with Victor was still a bit strange.

I didn't want to be that way with Victor. I knew he would be hurt if he knew this. He was trying so hard to be understanding and caring towards me. Still, I felt like I wouldn't be able to properly be with him until I spoke with Jack again.

I needed to know that they both knew what was happening. I felt like doing something with one was somehow betraying the other. It was already going to be awkward enough explaining to Jack what we had done.

Victor kissed my neck again. He started to play with my hair.

"Are you alright, Anna? You seem lost in thought," he said, concerned.

I nodded, forcing a smile. "I was just wondering what movies we could watch."

"Plenty, I'll show you," he said, playing with some kind of controller.

Guilt spread through me as he searched through the movies. I didn't want to lie to him, but I wasn't sure of how to explain things. I wondered if things would ever really feel "right" with Victor, and how long could I hide it if they couldn't?