Arriving back in the city Miles was kept busy, firstly bringing in two of the seriously wounded people to the hospital. Discussing their injuries with Lori and a couple nurses Miles managed to explain the basic outcomes of the day. Moments alone with Miles, Lori attempted to bring up the strange note in Ida's file. Intrigued to read it Miles hadn't the chance summoned away.

After dark Ella returns to the hospital hoping to speak with Miles. Not wanting to get the kids involved she figures Lori will do too, "good evening Lori. How are you holding up?"

"Why hello," Lori was hoping to speak with Ella, "I'm glad to see things worked out Ella. But can you explain the note you left?" Lori leads Ella back to the lab, "was it supposed to be funny?

"I'm sorry. A note? Like on a post-it? I have been known to drift off and scribble things in note pads." Ella slowly follows along.

"No, on the computer." Concerned another might have typed it bothers Lori, fearing the possible truth, "it was left in Ida's file and you were on that terminal the other night."

"Yes, you caught me unawares. I must've drifted off." Sensing more than concern from the woman Ella's curious, "I better read it first. I'm sorry if I did and don't recall, but let's see."

Tapping the mouse button Lori displays the note on the monitor, "tell me what you think?"

The first three lines Ella re-reads several times before able to finish it. "Um, I can see why you would find this upsetting. I'm finding it upsetting. I now have an image of a colony of ants or something in me." The mere idea causes her to rub arms feeling skin crawl.

"You didn't write this?" Lori now wishes someone else did, as Ella's rationalization on it seems terrifying.

"No." Ella re-reads it, "give me a second to read this. Maybe a few times. Or several. There's been these odd dreams over the years. Fragments of commonalities are coming together in my mind right now." She reads it long enough Miles returns. When he glimpses Ella, Lori points to the screen urging him to read it.

Completing the first read through Miles notes to Lori, "this is strange, science fiction strange. I'm sensing neither of you recall typing this. Lori I'm sorry I didn't listen to you earlier, so much was going on." He turns to Ella, "what ever that's about I'm not sure about. But before we get way into whatever this is. Thank you and Vlad for what you did earlier today. This community can breath a little easier."

"Yeah, sure." Ella turns to them, "there's a colony in me that wants to exist too. That part about Ida taking this affliction, she shouldn't have to. I can live with it. If there's a way to control it, I'd love to find out. Ida should have a chance to have a childhood, even have children. That Parkinsons may not affect her until she's forty. And trust me this organism will keep me going that long. I think at that point, if she's willing, I might consider it."

The response eased Lori but she's perplexed by the truth, "Ella? Does something unusual happen to you?"

"I had a dream about Ida before the first day we met. And I met her just not like the dream at all." Ella studies them for reaction, "in the dream Ida was hiding under a bed. A dream I've dreamt many times, but I was usually the girl under the bed. From dream to life, Ida and Adan helped me out. I couldn't believe it was her. And she knows, she has me figured out."

A little lost at first Lori begins to put it together, "you can't be... Not seriously... You actually become a wolf? A werewolf?"

"I don't know about a werewolf. But in the day I am forced to be a wolf to get blood. Ida doesn't need to experience that at her age." Ella sighs, "the worst thing having to live alone with it - them I guess. I'm not contagious but the animal within is dangerous."

"All men are capable of causing harm. It's deciding what you do. Most of us are living alone these days. Lori and I are disease free yet there's no one else for us to have an actual relationship with. Lori and I would still chance having children of our own. If there was another for us" Miles has to process this more and reads the note again. If Ella is the wolf, why didn't I get to see her? Explains the verbal probing earlier today. "How long have you had the affliction?"

What did he just say there? Lori and he are not really together? Why not? "I was close to Ida's age," Ella doesn't want to admit her age, "I wondered if Ida was requested because of the age? Or the blood?" She studies Lori and Miles assessing their bond, inhaled scent suggests family blood. Craving blood from the loss Ella snaps back to reality, "oh my god! They can hear me - us. What the HELL is really inside me?" Horrified of what's carried within Ella jumps to her feet wanting to run, further surprising Lori and Miles. Recalling great moments with Paval noticeable grief builds within Ella.

Considering the truth Lori backs up behind Miles.

Taking in the text read Miles puts it together and attempts to rationalize it, "okay, there are parasites out there that get into snails or mice forcing them to expose them selves to danger in order to get eaten."

That thought doesn't help either woman out. Feeling awful for Ella, Lori wants to offer a comforting hug however fears contracting the affliction, "so sorry Ella, wow. I wanna ask if this is just an elaborate prank but I've seen the blood." Ella I love you for not wanting to force that on Ida. "I don't know what to say here." Lori almost wants to run herself.

"That's not the worst part." Ella's eyes well up, "they killed Paval and started this whole mess," exasperated Ella has to sit down. "You need to hear this so I don't think I'm crazy."

"Who's Paval?" Lori touches Miles' shoulders really needing to be held. "I sense someone dear to you Ella. What do you think happened? I'm feeling as if what's in you attacked him with a virus. That became what's plaguing us now."

"No. What?" Miles would rather they be hysterical or pulling a prank, "what am I missing here? I don't think you, you yourself is responsible for the infection. Please do tell us more, we're a little invested in it at this point. And if there is intelligent life within you, they did say a cure is possible."

"Not comforting Miles but I did catch that," Ella sighs process the new information. "Paval of Romania, he had the same affliction. Flushed his system in the eighties with one of those paid blood transfusion drug rehabilitation deals that were all-the-rage. Met him years after said he could smell it inside me. Vlad and I socialized with him mainly because of the Romanian heritage. But it turned into something more than that."

Lori's catching up with Ella, "you became lovers. IT learned that he destroyed a fellow colony and IT became vengeful. Manipulated a virus to use while you two – ah - coupled."

Recalling the moments Ella tells them, "there was a time he did get really sick. I thought he was being typically male for saying 'this ones going to kill me I feel so sick' He didn't die though. Not then. About a year later a virus was raising concern, we here remember, they created a vaccine, which Paval took but died a month later.

Miles has wondered about the vaccine having heard troubling case studies, "so the vaccine reacted badly with what was sent to kill Paval. While he had it he could have potentially initiated the spread. Under motives to murder the affliction you have has one, self-preservation, the biggest. Knowing one being, destroyed millions of a fellow-um-beings' revenge is possible. Which leads to the possibility of true feelings being involved like jealousy and rage," this suddenly got too deep for Miles.

"I'm so sorry about Paval," coming over Lori has to hug Ella, "I'm not going to hold you responsible. I am a little scared of you but I understand you didn't ask for this to happen to you." Breaking the hug Lori eases back inquiring, "you said Paval of Romania, when did you meet? And where, not in America I take it?"

Appreciating the human contact Ella wasn't ready for it to end. Sighing to the true history, Ella decides to tell them, "I do wished I'd met Paval in Romania. But no here on American soil. Separately one night we all saw the same meteor streak into the earth's night sky. Big ball of green then red fire, with a tail miles long. Vlad actually went looking for it. He and others around the Black Sea. Most figuring it had magical properties. Vlad never found anything, but while wandering past my family's farm house, he ended up saving me from a wolf attack. However the wolf only nipped and held onto my arm. Oh it broke skin and bleed but it kept lapping the blood while holding on to me. Vlad forced it off me, hurt it some, but it ran a bit faster then Vlad. I got what ever this is from that wolf. I think that wolf had bit Paval too."

Knowing old cinema and trying to play along Miles assumes, "you bit Vlad and now he has it. And he bit Filomena and now she has it."

"What? No," Ella does consider the possibilities, as better than laying out the full truth, "alright before I say anymore. I need you to know it's the truth and the stuff you may've read or seen on TV isn't real. I do find silver does hurt more. Vlad tells me that's in my mind it should hurt the same. And he just doesn't like garlic it won't actually hurt him."

"Wait, now," Lori becomes intrigued, "Vlad is the actual count Dracula?"

"No," Ella lightly laughs, "but this is true we have met the man fighting for our country. He found out about our blood-lust. He started on the stuff himself, we had nothing to do with it. Dinning in front of the men like that trying to promote it. 'Drink from your foe's soul and gain their strength' Vlad and I got the hell away from him shortly after that. Half his troops were so horrified, the ones that puked their guts out shortly after were lucky. Those that didn't were plagued with nightmares. Sick bastard, men do some strange things."

"Wait now," Miles was trying to gauge Ella's age before, "what you met the man? Count Dracula?" What century was that? Middle ages?

Ella nods, "his troops were farmers and guys like Hoss' gang. Vlad and I taught them some basics. Vlad went a little nutty in a battle, it was personal though. But the Count saw Vlad drink – ah - um, I hate picturing it, the blood of an enemy during a battle. We were so worried about being burned at the stake for being witches or demons. The count appreciated the results."

Now thinking she's older than Count Dracula, Lori has to ask, "who taught you and Vlad to fight or was it learned?"

Grinning slyly Ella nods, "learned but in a another little skirmish with some Mongolians after Vlad went to far. It's funny he says to me after those times, 'he'd wished people would leave him alone to farm the lands and watch the clouds go by,' he's still a terrible farmer," Ella lightly giggles.

Anxious for an answer to age Lori does like the clouds, "a nice sunset. Or sunrise, they are so fleeting though."

With a long exhale Ella sighs, "yeah."