It was dark, so dark, dark and pain that's all there was.

Each movement sent more pain through ever fiber.

The man moving through the tunnel wasn't careful with the body he was carrying, he didn't care if a hand was dragged along the wall, if a head hit something sticking out. It was just a body, the woman who had once inhabited it was gone, finally gone.

The pain was the first thing she felt, there were cuts, bruises, burns, each nick and abrasion like glass being dragged across her exposed skin. She was careful when she became more aware, careful not to move, not to make any sound.

The pain wasn't nearly as bad as the hunger though, that went bone deep. It was what stirred her into action.

With a low growl she shifted on the mans shoulder, ignoring the pain as she moved her hands to grip and dig into his stomach, causing him as much pain as she could, tightening her fingers until he started to shift and drop her. As she fell she struck, rearing up and attacking him, her face twisted in need as she struck.

The first pull of blood wasn't sweet and wasnt' even satisfying, he wasn't human, wasn't powerful, just a minor vampire, but she took enough to get herself out of the tunnels.

She dropped him and took off.

When she stumbled out, into the West End she looked like the monster some believed her to be, ripped, torn, bloody and burned clothes, cuts, burns, abrasions all over her, soot, dirt, and more blood ground into her skin and hair wild around her face.

She didn't look back, instead lifting her chin, closing her eyes, and taking a long sniff of air. A few minutes later she'd taken off.

By the time the sun came up there would be a few new bodies left in various dead ends and abandoned buildings, and at least one left in the middle of the street. All had been completely drained of blood.

She wasn't careful when she fed, she wasn't careful after she fed, she didn't clean up at all afterwards, not even herself. Her clothes were ripped, they didn't really even match, her most prized possession was a coat that had large hood on it that hid her face and her hair. She didn't want anyone to see her when she killed, a figure in the darkness was harder to catch than a description with a face.

Still she spent every night moving though the streets of the West End attacking at will and taking what she wanted. She had no idea where she was but she seemed to know the best places to hide and attack.

During the day she disappeared into the tunnels and slept.

This was how she breezed through the nights, killing, feeding, sometimes watching the humans from the rooftops. Time held little meaning and there were nights she couldn't remember what she'd done.

Then one evening she was moving through the docks, picking off drunk vagrants and a sailor or two. She was stalking a young boy when a scent moved past her on the wind.

It was familiar and it made her feel warm inside, she had no idea what it was but she stopped her stalking and followed it. As it got stronger she slowed, moving as quietly as possible, it smacked her in the face when she reached the end of an alley.

She kept to the shadows, to the darkness, quickly moving to a fire escape and climbing up to the top of the building. She lifted her chin, closed her eyes and took another long smell, following the scent until she was at the edge of the building.

When she looked down, she saw a man.

The next few nights she was busy, as busy as someone with nothing to do but cause trouble, eat, and kill people is. She was comfortable where she was and she'd gotten good at remaining hidden during the day. At night she kept to the shadows mostly, picking of strays and stragglers.

Her mind kept drifting back to that man though, she didn't know who he was, there was nothing about him that seemed at all interesting or spectacular, but she had to admit that when she'd caught his scent she'd felt comfort.

So a week after she'd first followed him she camped out on top of a building across from the ship yard, sitting with her legs dangling over the edge of it she waited.

It would be the first of many nights where she'd watch and wait.

She followed him at a safe distance, watching his movements the set of his shoulders. She kept her hood pulled up so her face couldn't be seen, habit when encountering most people in this city. She couldn't decide what to do, he smelled so good, so inviting, she wanted to take him, drain him like she had all the others, but something held her back, a little voice in the back of her head that kept stopping her.

That voice was the reason she'd decided to get closer, she didn't know why it was there and she wanted to test it.

She stayed at that oh so safe distance, distracted enough that she wasn't as quiet as she normally was, she was almost surprised when his steps slowed. Pulling her lower lip between her teeth she made a decision and didn't stop or slow down, instead keeping her stride and moving closer to him with every step.

When his feet finally stopped moving and he turned to look at her she still didn't stop. Walking until she was in front of him, close enough to study him from under her hood, but far enough away to get away if he needed too. She wasn't sure what to do, what she wanted to do, what her purpose for following him and letting him see her was, it had been a gut decision and now she was struggling with what to do.

There was pain on his face, pain and grief, seeing it hurt her, made her feel something other than the gut wrenching hunger she'd been fighting since she woke up. The pain is what spurred her on and finally pulled some words from her.

"Why do you smell good?" Her voice was rough and rusty, her face still hidden under the hood, and part of her was sure she was making a huge mistake. She couldn't take it back though, so she stood there and waited for his response.

The name, uttered so softly shouldn't have meant anything to her but there was a small pull, a little tick in her head. She lowered her chin and looked at him, one eyebrow up. "I shouldn't be following you." She started walking toward him, not stopping when she got to him, instead she set a hand on his chest and started pushing him back until his back was against the wall.

He stepped backward until he hit the wall, pushed back by her, to stunned to try and get out of the way (not that he would have a chance), his attention never leaving her.

She lifted her hand off of his chest and finally pushed the hood back. Rolling up onto the balls of her feet she set her nose against his neck and closed her eyes. "You smell good. I keep coming back. I should kill you now."

His heart skipped a beat in his chest, then pounded, echoing in his ear. He could hardly believe his eyes, the despair of his grief hanging against the cautious hope of seeing her before his eyes. He closed his eyes, feeling her nose against his neck. "Y?.you're alive," he murmured in a hush, worried that voicing it would make her disappear again.

She laughed, a quick bark of a sound. "No I'm not, I haven't been alive in a long time." She stepped back, watching him. One grubby hand, dried blood obvious at the base of her nails, was lifted and run through her hair.

He reached for her, pulling his hand out of his pocket. "Come home, Kate."

"I don't know you and I'm hungry." Her eyes narrowed a little and she lifted her left hand up to her head. It was just as grubby as her right but the ring he'd given her still glinted on her ring finger.

He reached for her hand, catching the ring on her finger. His heart skipped another beat in his chest, hope rising. It was all he could do not to try and wrap her up in his arms. "You know me?you just?you just don't remember. Come home with me Kate."

She stepped back avoiding him when she saw his hand. "I don't know you. You'll lock me up like the other one or send me to the Watch." Her gaze sharpened on him. "Are you here to punish me?" She kept herself just out of his reach, watching him with narrowed eyes.

He pulled out his other hand, the one with the ring, the one holding the pda. Fingers held onto the pda as he showed the ring on his finger. "I'm here to take you home. I'm not going to lock you up or send you to the Watch." He drew a deep breath. "I'm your Bear. You're my wife."

When he said the name "Bear" she felt another pull, this one harder to ignore. She wanted to step closer to him to listen and go with him. Instead she laughed again. "No." She shook her head, hair bouncing.

"Why not?" he pressed.

"Trust me, I'm not your wife." She was shaking her head again. "I'm not anyone's wife."

"Come home, Kate," he reiterated.

She turned on a heel and started walking away. "You're mistaken."

He took a step toward her and reached to grab hold of her arm. "No, I am not."

When he touched her she jumped, her free hand coming up to shove at his chest as hard as she could, at the same time she was pulling her arm away from him, trying to break his grasp.

He took the strike, stealing the breath from him, but his struggled not to lose his grip. He had lost her once before, he couldn't bear to lose her again, not when she was standing there before him.

"Let go of me!" She was pulling her arm away from him, panic rising. "Let go!"

"Don't leave, Kate," he managed to gasp, trying to catch the breath she took. WIth great reluctance he let go of her arm.

She stumbled back, her hand lifting to cover where he'd been holding her, her eyes dipping to glance at her arm, fingers lightly stroking her skin. "You have the wrong person"

He shook his head. "No, I don't. If you think I am wrong, you might as well kill me right now, because I am not going to relent."

She moved quickly, going at him again, pushing him back against the wall, her mouth open at his neck, a hiss coming from her.

He grimaced as his hit the wall, his head and back bouncing against the wall. He didn't fight her, didn't struggle against her. "I won't relent, Kate. I'm going to keep coming after you until you come home," he promised.

She tried, she was going to bite him, drain him, take what she needed from him but she couldn't. The struggle within her played across her face and throughout her body, her fingers gripping his arms, her mouth, unmoving at his neck.

And still he didn't fight her, didn't try and move from her hold. "You're my wife. And I love you."

She growled and shoved him against the wall again before she released him. "no"

He grimaced once more, looking back at her. "Deny it all you want. It doesn't change it."

She took a few more steps back. "I'm hungry. I have to go."

He took a step toward her, then paused, sighing. "Go then and feed. But come back to me."

She shook her head and started for one of the buildings. "No. I don't know you."

He moved after her. "You just don't remember." He glanced around, then nodded toward the shipyard. "Come back here. I'll wait for you here."

She was looking up the wall, chewing on her lower lip. "No, you are mistaken and if I can't kill you I need to not come back."

"Then kill me."

She ran her hand up the wall. "I can't." her fingers found a hold and she started pulling herself up.

"Why can't you?" he asked, moving toward her.

She was moving up the wall, fingers finding holds, toes in her shoes pressed against it. "I can't."

"Then come back," he replied watching her starting to climb the wall.

"Go away, I shoudn't have gotten off the building." She glanced down at him as she climbed. "you smell"

He looked up at the wall, then back at the shipyard. Then he reached up for the wall and started slowly after her.

She kept moving, pausing at the top to pull herself up over the edge. She glanced back down at him then grabbed a handful of gravel from the roof and tossed it down at him.

He struggled to scale the wall, making sure he had secure hand and foot holds. He turned his head into the wall when graevel rained down from the roof.

And still, he kept climbing. "I'm not going away."

She frowned down at him, turned and started running, taking off across he roof, jumping once she reached the edge and then taking off across the next one.

He saw her taking off as he pulled himself onto the roof. He muttered under his breath, and took off after her.

She glanced back but kept going, pulling her hood up to hide her hair. As she moved she was looking down at the streets.

He was far behind her, but he didn't stop, coming after her. He jumped from one roof to another, certainly without the skill and grace she had, stumbling and in one instance barely keeping from falling off.

She paused at the edge of a building and turned to look back at him. "Go home" then she jumped, disappearing off the edge of the building.

He ran after her, looking down off the edge where she had disappeared off. "I won't stop looking for you!" he bellowed into the darkness after her.

She'd pressed herself into a hollow in the brick of the building, he couldn't see her but she could hear him above her. She leaned back against the brick, knowing she'd have to wait until he left.

He looked through the darkness of the streets below. "Do you hear me? I love you and I'm not going to stop looking for you!"

She tilted her chin up to look where he was, still sticking to the darkness.

Times like his he hated not having preternatural senses. He sighed, sinking against the parapet and sitting on the roof. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the PDA. He brushed his fingers over the device before playing the message once more.