Darker London-Uncover what is underneath...

"The time has come that things are explained," Ava said.

Scarlett was sitting beside her, hands sitting heavily in her lap as she watched them. She knew that James and Ava had only been waiting for Scarlett to be okay for this conversation to happen, but three months after Astrid's dead Scarlett wasn't sure if she'd ever be okay again. The loss of her sister ached, a constant dull thud against her ribcage that sometimes threatened to tear her apart. Sometimes she thought no one else was feeling that pain, but they must have been. To imagine that she somehow hurt more for the girl they'd brought into their life than the man and woman who had adopted her, or the big brother who'd love her, was not only stupid but incredibly selfish and cruel. Of course they hurt. Every single one of them hurt, including the angel woman who now spoke, who'd known and care for Astrid like a mother before Scarlett had even met her.

( ... )

James knew that Scarlett needed her time to grieve (just like everyone else), but he also knew that it wasn't healthy for her to be as within herself as she was. Since Astrid's death Scarlett had practically moved herself into their sister's bedroom, refusing to sleep anywhere else. She surrounded herself with Astrid's things and wouldn't go anywhere or see anyone else. All that Scarlett could see was Astrid.

It had been a month and Scarlett hadn't even left the room for the purposes of transforming. She'd become wolf right there, stifling her cries from her parents downstairs and then sleeping on Astrid's bed in wolf form.

( ... )

The Oslo Opera House in Norway was a architectural wonder, according to Elise, and Scarlett thought it was nice but a little too 'modern' for her tastes. She liked the old opera houses, all gothic and gray stonework and spires. This thing didn't have any spires, just strange slanted roofs that meant you could walk right up onto the top of the building and look out over the water and art installation that floated out there.

Don Quixote was what the family were going to see tonight and it had been made clear to Astrid that if she needed to leave at any time then they'd go. No one cared about money lost. It just wasn't important. All anyone wanted was for Astrid to have everything she could. (Scarlett wasn't looking forward to the conversation that had to be had about how Ava had supplied the money, about who she really was, about what was really going on. Firstly because it was going to be difficult and secondly because of the knowledge that it was happening 'after'. When that conversation happened it meant that Astrid was gone.)

( ... )

"Quit following me, James!"

Scarlett was like a bright streak of red through the night streets of Copenhagen, her clothes dark and her hair free behind her.

"ScarJo," he sighed, following at a quick walk. "Could you just stop?"

( ... )

Scarlett's brother was getting married, and while she was so happy for him (and loved his fiance) she couldn't help but feel... unsettled by it all. Not because he was making a mistake, but because Scarlett felt like she just might be. When she looked at her life there were things she was proud of and things that fitted - like teaching - but from a distance she could also see the things that didn't fit.

Like her relationship with Renee.

She hadn't said anything of the sort out loud but each day made it more clear that, as girlfriends, Renee and Scarlett didn't fit. How was that even possible? Hadn't they both wanted this for so long and longed for their chance to be together. Finally being able to love each other freely should have been the perfect fit, and yet... it didn't fit. They didn't fit.

Scarlett sat on the grass of the front lawn, watching Ishtar run after the birds that flew up to escape her in the trees. She wished everything felt right.

Scarlett's grip on reality was shot, but she didn't know whether that was her own mind or because Magnus' had lost his grip on whatever world he had been trying to build up for her. Sure, it had all made sense before but now it seemed like she'd drift out of the world for long periods of time. Was she insane? Or was Magnus insane? Or had he forgotten about her and she was just lying somewhere in the dark creating so much noise in her own head to keep from feeling alone.

She didn't know any more if she could believe a word of anything. These were the things she knew as fact, because her friends had told them to her: Tasha was alive and well, Kait was dead, Renee was losing her mind, her parents had moved to Canada with Nancy, Astrid was in the clutches of Jillian, The hospital had been handed over by the government by Peter, all hell had broken loose and London was in chaos.

( ... )

When Scarlett opened her eyes it was Thomas she saw across from her in the bed, and she lay there for a few moments, silent and still, contemplating the angles and places of his sleeping face. Thomas had always been handsome, but that had never meant anything to Scarlett before all of this. He was just a man, a friend of a friend. But now it all meant so much more and she spent her wakeful hours trying to decipher what all of her new feelings meant. She was smart enough not to mention any of them to anyone though. She wouldn't understand and so why should they?

It didn't take too long for her to realise that seeing him meant she couldn't see Stephie. Stephie who had been sleeping between them for days. She sat straight up in the bed and cried out for Thomas to wake up.

Visitors came and went but in the end, in the darkest hours of the night, it was often just the three of them. Scarlett. Stephie. Thomas. All with separate little worlds of fear in their head, and the knowledge of the shared one between them.

Scarlett was still hooked up to an IV, the doctors worried that she wasn't getting enough food, which was fair enough as she was having difficulty eating without remembering her snout buried in Thomas' stomach. A werewolf refusing to eat was a medical worry. Scarlett was happy to accept the needle in the back of her hand.

Her bed had been moved at their request, pushed up against Stephie's to make a wide thing that both girls could sleep on, and even Thomas could fit on to sleep if they all moved over a little, something Scarlett was more than happy to do. Waking up and not being able to see Stephie and Thomas almost sent her spinning into a panic attack.

The warmth and light of the hospital felt so safe and knowing that the Templar couldn't find them here was the only thing that let Scarlett sleep, curled in the makeshift queen-size bed and trying not to touch Stephie in case she hurt her. She didn't want to touch either of them, but she wanted to cling and never let go. Her head was so messy with them.

But as she lay there she could hear Stephie's breath, the other girl so close. She couldn't hear Thomas breathing - being dead and all - and every now and then she opened her eyes and raised her head, just to make sure he was still there as well. It was okay. They were all there, all safe.

Scarlett had her snout lowered as she ran through the the streets trying to pick up familiar scents. Now and then she caught ones she recognised but it was just of the others also searching. She was alone but around her neck there hung a small bag carrying her mobile phone to contact everyone else, cash for a taxi if needed, and a singlet and tiny shorts. She needed the lightest amount of clothing that she could get away with wearing should she need to return to human for anything. It was important to keep it all light so she could run easily as a wolf.

There was a change in the wind and Scarlett stopped suddenly, turning her head towards the breeze. There it was. Stephie and Thomas. She didn't change back yet, but instead ran in the right direction, following the scents. Once she was closer she'd call in the demons.

She ended up at an old church and the scent was somewhere around here. She darted into the shade of some trees and changed back as quickly as she could before pulling out the phone and the clothes.

Humans were no longer immune to the illness that was falling across the supernatural world and unlike the immortals who caught it, humans wouldn't survive. People couldn't just keep bleeding forever. It felt now like they were all caught together in the plague and Scarlett was scared that they would lose everything from fear - not only their lives, but their ability to connect to their friends, to hold their lovers. Scarlett didn't want to live in fear.

That was why she hoped that Renee wasn't infected, because she needed the warmth and love of the other woman. Without that she might just fade away tonight.

When Renee appeared in her doorway Scarlett reached out to here from where she was already under the covers in her bed.