Sam ended the call and slipped his phone into his pocket. Turning back to the mismatched group he smiled, sitting himself back in his seat.

"Joanne is asleep and Nate has a handle on things at the hotel so we're good here."

Nikki bit her lip, her jealousy making her desperate to know more about Josh's new Charge. It was an ugly emotion and she knew it, it was also ridiculous to feel such animosity against a woman who had absolutely no control over the situation, but she couldn't stop the hostility from pouring out. Who was this new person Josh was bound to? What did she look like? Although Nikki had caught a glimpse of her in the alleyway she'd been a little preoccupied with the Carrada demon to pay much attention.

But more importantly, and the question that niggled away incessantly at the back of her brain, how did Josh feel about Joanne?What made it worse was knowing that with one innocent brush of her hand, she could find out everything she wanted to know. 

Nikki was sorely tempted, but just because she was a demon didn't mean she had to act like one. She could just take the information and no one would be any the wiser, however, the humanity that had survived her death simply wouldn't allow it. Still, the need to know more was sufforcating.

"What's she like?"

Josh tensed as she ran her fingers over his arm.

"She's," he exhaled and twisted to look at Nikki, "she's scared and lonely and she lacks any fight at all. She didn't question what we told her, just accepted it ... I don't know, something doesn't feel right about her whole situation. She's just so," he shrugged, "compliant."

Nikki's eyes followed the cracks in the floor. As much as she wanted to know about Joanne, it was painful listening to Josh. She sighed deeply and swallowed down the melancholy attempting to over power her.

Leaning forward, Sam rested his forearms on his thighs. "So what have you been doing for the last two years?" His question was aimed at Nikki but it was Ezekius who answered.

"We have been searching for answers, culling demons and trying to survive," he rasped, bristling slightly at the hard tone Sam had used. "The usual for fugitive demons. You?"

Nikki couldn't stop her smile as the demon retorted sarcastically.

Sam lifted his eyebrows and attempted to stare Ezekius down. "Sarcasm from a demon? That's new."

"Not at all, Nikki's grasp of sarcasm has been apparent since day one, or did you fail to notice?"

As much as the exchange amused her, Nikki knew she needed to intervene. With a grin she reached forward and tapped Sam's shoulder.  As he turned his attention to her she shook her head, the humour in her eyes softening his hard features as he let go of his scowl.

"Seriously, searching for what answers?"

Holding out her hand she connected with the two Guardians and cleared her mind. Hesitantly she filled them in.

"It took some time for me to accept what had happened. The battle, my death, losing you." Nikki sighed heavily. "I struggled to accept what I was and when Ezekius explained that I had to drink," she shifted uncomfortably, "that I had to drink what I do in order to survive, I refused. I couldn't. I ...  I starved myself to the point of death."

Josh gripped her hand tightly but said nothing. Although her words clearly pained him, he nodded his encouragement for her to continue.

"Eventually hunger got the better of me. I was hallucinating and delirious when Ezekius brought in a Cústos. Deviously he slit its wrist and, well, it wasn't a pleasant experience and it made me try, I mean. This is hard to admit but I couldn't think clearly through the depression and I--"

"Three times she attempted to take her life." Ezekius announced, his face a mask of anguish.

Nikki scowled and flushed with shame. "Yes, but each time you saved me." Lifting her scarlet cheeks she gazed lovingly at her demon companion.

Next to her, Josh burned enviously. He understood that look and he hated that she was sharing it with the demon instead of him. It was obvious the bond they had formed in the last two years was one that would not be easily severed. As his heart grew heavy, Nikki stroked the back of his hand with her thumb but if she had heard his thoughts she didn't acknowledge them. Undeterred she continued with her story.

"After a few month, I came to accept what I was but it occurred to me that I didn't have to act like a demon. I regained my strength and found a new outlet for my anger. Travelling the country we set up home in all the major cities and began to slash the demon population. It was satisfying but dangerous. If either Latébris or Mortemb knew I was alive they'd have come after all of us!" 

A heavy silence settled in Josh and Sam's minds and Nikki took the opportunity to distance herself. Standing up she walked away, the Guardians watching her with curious eyes.

Letting out an elongated sigh, Ezekius picked up where Nikki had left off.

"Things were hard. On the first anniversary of her death we travelled to Romania in the hopes that seeing you from afar would ease some of her troubles, but it only made things worse. We watched you from the depths of the forest for a little over a week."

Josh's heart leapt in to his mouth as his stomach dropped. She had been so close and he'd not had even the slightest inkling. How could he have missed her presence? How had she slipped by unnoticed? He searched his memory, delving back through the years. At the time of the first anniversary of the battle he'd not long since returned from America in his ongoing search to find her and was getting ready to travel to Asia. He'd still held on to hope then, even if it had begun to wane slightly.

"You were happy and safe but upon seeing this Nikki plunged further into her pit of depression. Against my advice we returned back to England. I had wanted Nikki to reveal herself to you but she felt that would be," he threw a cautious glance at Nikki, "unwise.  Not long after we came back, we found ourselves here and this is where we stayed."

"Why here?" Sam asked.

"This is the church where Nikki was Christened. I brought her here to die as I thought it was a fitting tribute to her humanity. We stayed because it is safe, dry and the last place the Hunters would expect to find us."

"Hunters?" He had captured Josh's attention. "What hunters?"

Ezekius' thin lips pulled back over his stained teeth as his face contorted into an unpleasant smile. "There is much about our world you still do not know. You are so young."

Sam's confusion was written all over his face. "I don't understand, what hunters? Why haven't we come across them? Surely you would use your best hunters to track down the powers?"

Again Ezekius smiled.

"Be careful what you tell them," Nikki warned from her hiding place in the shadows, "I don't want them in harms way."

Dropping his head, Ezekius nodded. "I understand," he whispered in her mind, "but surely if they are with us they will come across them soon enough. It would be prudent then, to forewarn them. You would not have them go against the Hunters unarmed and blind-"

"Of course not!" Nikki stepped out of the shadows, glaring into his eyeless sockets. "They should be warned but word it carefully, I don't want them in the crosshairs needlessly."

"Ah my lonely child, you forget with whom you converse. Whilst I am, and always have been, loyal to you, do not forget that I was once imperative to the survival of Unus. I have-"

"Oh Zeke, I'm sorry," Nikki's shoulders slumped as she realised she had offended him. "You know better than anyone how my brain stops working when it comes to these two. I'm so sorry, of course you know what you're doing. I'm just so scared they'll end up hurt or worse and all because of me. Even after all this time I'm still a danger to you all."

"Hang on!" Josh's exclamation shattered the silence, startling Nikki. "You two are talking to each other."

Nikki dropped her gaze to the floor and turned away, leaving Ezekius to manage Josh.

"Forgive us but unless you are going to remain in physical contact with Nikki you will only hear at most, half a conversation." Ezekius replied curtly.

"Half a conversation is better than none." Sam snapped.

"Is that so? Then I ask, will you offer us the same courtesy and include Nikki and I in each and every conversation you have."

"Ezekius, play nice. I'm guessing this has been quite the shock for them."

"I am playing nice, what I don't like is their endless assumption that they know what is best. I have outlived them a hundred times over and yet this fact is brushed aside time and time again." Ezekius growled, his words echoing off the high ceiling. He turned his face to the Guardians. "For the last twenty nine years I have watched over her, protected and cared for her. At her most fragile it was I who held her decimated body, it was my arms that carried her from the carnage at Vidaru. It has been and always will be me who protects her whether you accept this or not,  I only ever have her best interest at heart. That in turn means that I am no threat to you. She has proved time and time again that your preservation is the only thing that matters to her. Therefore it does not take any leap of the imagination to connect the dots. To harm you would be to hurt her, the very thing I have spent decades ensuring does not happen." Spitting out the last of his words he swept to the back of the church.

"You never used to be quite so huffy." Nikki smirked, watching him through the gloom.

"I assume that's what happens when you spend so much time alone with a human." Ezekius answered testily.

"Except I'm no longer human."

"No, and clearly I'm no longer demon."

Nikki laughed, her shoulders shaking in silence as she enjoyed his petulance.

"Are you sulking, Zeke?"

"Would someone like to fill us in?" Sam grumbled.

In the two years since the battle, Nikki and Ezekius had grown close. She had learned to rely on him and their relationship had gone from strength to strength. To pass the time he had often shown her snippets of his life. Nikki had watched in awe as she witnessed the passing of centuries and the demise of worlds. Frequently they went for days without Ezekius uttering a single sound; more often than not they were in each other's heads anyway so it seemed somewhat redundant for him to speak. However, when Nikki's mood darkened and the despair began to sidle back into her heart he would crush the emptiness inside the church with the reverberations of his scratchy, harsh tone. It seemed such an alien concept to her now, to have to verbalise their exchange but she knew if things were to stay amicable between Sam and Ezekius, they would have to learn to communicate.

Striding forward, Nikki placed her hands on the Guardians and replayed as much of  the silent conversation she felt she could, earning a small chuckle from Sam.

"It would seem that you've evolved, Ezekius," he admitted.

"Unlike you, Guardian." The demon spat back.

"Don't mind him, he generally sulks for a while but he'll snap out of it." Nikki couldn't stop the smile that hijacked her lips. "Despite his age, he can act rather adolescent at times," her eyes sought out his figure and she expelled a breath, "you know I still love you though, Zeke," she called fondly.

Both Sam and Josh reacted to her words before she could register what had caused their sudden stiffness.

"You love him?" Josh whispered.

It was Nikki's turn to descend in to annoyance.

"Yes, as a daughter loves a parent, or a sister loves a sibling!" Turning away from Sam she grabbed Josh's hands and clamped them in her own. "Listen, Joshua Walter Chambers," she absorbed the shock in his mind, as she used his full name but brushed it aside. "I thought I knew what love was until the day you walked into my life. You stole my heart and introduced me to a whole new love; one that saved my life. For as long as I can remember, loving you is the only thing I've been sure of, even when I wasn't certain I wanted to live. I love you, nothing and no one could change that. You're the only person in the world, hell, in any world that I have ever truly been in love with but you are not the only person I love. The others, like Zeke and Sam, hold equally special places in my heart, but whilst I love them, I am not in love with them." Closing her eyes, she shook her head. "There will never be anyone as important to me, as you, so please let's not do this dance again. I'm over it. Can we just move on?"

Josh stared down at Nikki as the seconds ticked by. Eventually he closed his eyes and with a smile, removed his hand from hers to cup her face.

"What you just said. Ditto."

For a blissful second, they held on to one another basking in the glow of their affection.

"Only it's not true," Ezekius murmured. "Whilst Josh may be your everything, you're no longer his. He has a new Charge and as that connection grows, yours will weaken."

"No." Josh shouted, "No it won't."

A shrill from Sam's pocket interrupted the stand off. He snatched it out and checked the call.

"Nate," he muttered by way of an explanation. "Hey, what's up?" he asked in to the receiver.

Uninterested in whatever Nate had to say, Josh captured Nikki's face in his hands.

"Nikki, it's not true."

"Okay, we'll be right there." Sam sighed and hung up the call. "Josh." His strained voice caused Josh's shoulders to sink.

"No, don't do this to me now."

"I'm sorry but-"

"I assume your new charge needs you, Joshua."

Ignoring Ezekius' taunt, Josh rested his forehead to Nikki's and sighed deeply. "I'm not leaving without you, so pack up your things-"

"No! It's not safe for you or Joanne if I come."

"Well we've got a problem then 'cos I'm not leaving without you."

"Josh." Sam's warning rang out clear.

"No, I've made my choice, it's Nikki." But even as the words were forced form his clenched jaw Nikki could hear his mind battling against itself.

Sucking in her bottom lip, she chewed at the flesh until it bled. "You have no choice, Josh. If you don't go to her you'll drive yourself mad."

"No! I belong with you, wherever the hell that might be. If you don't go then I don't go."

Sam crossed his arms over his chest, a deep-set scowl adorning his face. "Oh for fu... Right, this ends now. Josh, get back to the hotel and deal with Joanne. Get what she needs then you, Joanne and Nate meet us back here. I'll stay put, that way I can keep an eye on these two and you can be sure they'll still be here when you get back."

Josh's head shook back and forth as he rounded on Sam. "You'll stay, will you?" he asked sharply. "You'll keep your eye on her? Like last time when you let her run off in to the middle of that fucking battle?"

"Josh I-"

"What? You can explain? She hypnotised you? So what's to stop it from happening again?"

"What do we do Zeke?" Nikki's eyes flicked to her companion as the two Guardians continued bickering. "This is exactly why I insisted on staying away."

Ezekius cocked his head. "They could help us."

"No, I won't put them in danger."

"You may not have a choice."

"What do you mean?"

Stepping out of the shadows, Ezekius cleared his throat. "I will accompany you back to the hotel but we must hurry. The night is fading and it will soon be dawn. Whilst I remain with you Josh, Nikki will stay with Sam and if anything untoward happens I can relay it back."

Josh and Sam stopped arguing and turned to stare at the demon.

"Are you joking?"

"This is your best option." Ezekius grabbed Josh by the arm, pulling him roughly from Nikki's grasp. "Besides young guardian, I have things I want to talk to you about, things Nikki would have me keep secret."

With his mouth hanging slack, Josh allowed Sam to shove him towards the window where they had made their entrance.

"Go, take care of things as quickly as you can then get back here. I swear, I'll look after her and keep her here. I'll make up for last time."

Josh realised he'd been bested. His curiosity had been sparked and he was dying to hear what Ezekius had to say.

"You'll wait for me?" He called to Nikki.

She nodded and with her index finger crossed her heart.

"I'll find you if you run."

"She wont run, now move quickly and follow me." Ezekius climbed out of the window, landing outside the church with a muted thud.

"I'll find you!" Josh cocked an eyebrow, throwing Nikki one last stern look before joining Ezekius outside.

Sam watched them leave before turning back to Nikki and spearing her with hard eyes, "Well then, it's just you and me and I've got some questions I want answering."