-Ruarc Brennan-

Harlen led Quan and I through the crowd of supernaturals. The sight which I was met with was one of horror unlike anything I had ever seen. Simon lay in the middle of the road; it seemed that he had been ran over by a car with spikes on the wheels. That wasn't what killed him though, at least, it didn't look like it. His expression didn't hold a single trace of pain or worry, it looked as though he was peacefully sleeping.

I dropped to my knees, as though a closer look would tell me it wasn't really him. It wasn't the kindest boy that I had ever dated.

"How can someone do this?" I asked, more to myself than anything else. I could barely register the words as they left my mouth. "He was so sweet."

"You know him well?" Quan asked softly.

I shook my head but remembered that Quan wouldn't be able to tell. "No, not really. We went out a few times. We kept in touch for a little while after we decided it wouldn't work, but we haven't spoken in ages."

I couldn't take my eyes off the scene of his body, even when Quan's gloved hand rested on my shoulder.

"Do you want me to look for myself?" he asked in the same soft tone that he had earlier.

I didn't know how to respond. I didn't want him to use his powers and make himself ill, but I also couldn't bear to let any adjectives leave my mouth.

"Do you want an image description?" Harlen asked darkly. I resisted the urge to hit him in the shin. He had his reasons not to like the police, but this isn't the place for it.

"That would be most kind," Quan said sarcastically. I had to resist the urge to hit him, even though that would probably break a bone of his and get me fired. I had the feeling that these two were going to make this even more difficult for me than it already was. I shouldn't let my emotions get in the way, but I'd be the first to admit that I was a rather emotional man.

"Too bad," Harlen replied snarkily.

I sighed and stood up, pushing the two further away from each other. "Stop." I could barely recognise my own voice. "This isn't the time or place for that." I turned to Quan. "Do you want to see the body?"

"What do you mean 'see the body'?" Harlen asked loudly. "It's right there." I assumed that he was pointing towards Simon, but I had my back to them.

Quan hesitated. "I probably just need to see the body."

I nodded. "Okay, take your gloves off," I instructed. After he did so, I grasped his sleeve-covered wrist and helped him find Simon, careful to avoid any of the blood. We were both on our knees, huddled together.

Quan's eyes moved every now and again, twitching, as though he was going from one focus to another. He winced and pulled his hand back sharply. "Damn," he muttered.

"What did he just do?" Harlen asked roughly. "Get him away from here. He's a witch."

I rose to my feet again, and glared at him. We were getting many strange and worried glances by the crowd, but I didn't care. "Harlen, you of all people, cannot be offended by a witch's presence." I glanced around, there was one other witch here as well, one who I knew Harlen was close friends with.

He looked away from me. "But Ruarc, you know we can't trust them," he whispered. "They'll just get us locked up. Or executed." He was referring to the police.

I shook my head. "Not him." I looked back at Quan, who had returned his hand to Simon's cheek. "He's a massive prick, but he's harmless."

"I can hear you," Quan stated. "And I suppose I should take offence that you called me harmless."

Harlen snorted. "That's the part ya have a problem with?" His eyes shifted to me. "If he ain't one of those, I might even like 'im." He shook his head before turning around and walking towards the crowd. "Getting someone to pick 'im up. We ain't puttin' him in the hands of the police, yeah?"

I nodded towards him and then turned back to Quan and Simon. Each time I looked at Simon's face, a shiver went down my spine. "Anything?"

Quan shook his head. "Nothing that says who did it. The person was very careful. Strangely careful." He sighed and pulled his hand away, resting both hands on the floor. "He never saw who killed him, or even how this was caused." He gestured towards his torso. "He was sleeping when he was killed, his dreams were the last things that he saw and felt."

"You can even see dreams?" I asked, I was trying to distract myself. I felt a bit better knowing that Simon was at peace before the end, but that didn't soothe the fact that he shouldn't be dead in the first place.

"Yes, and ghosts." Quan nodded. "I've only had to do that a few times though, it's tiring." His lower lip jutted out slightly in a pout.

"I don't want you to do that," I said in an attempt to assure him. "This is horrible, and it should be looked at through the police. Hell, I'm sure Candice knows already. But I think that we should handle this somewhat normally, at least for now."

Quan nodded before standing up. "I wasn't going to anyway." He turned his head, as though he would be looking at the houses along the street. "You can't think of anyone?" he asked thoughtfully.

"Simon didn't have issues with anyone," I told him. "He was truly the definition of an angel."

"I can see why you two didn't work out," he commented.

I held back a laugh, I couldn't tell if that was meant to be offensive or not, but it released some of the tension that I was feeling all throughout my body.

"Yes, he was so pure, and I didn't want to change anything about that. So, I thought that it was best we broke up." I swallowed a lump which was growing in my throat.

"You know, I see some of him in you." Quan started to walk straight ahead, not turning to spare me another glance. "You're much different to how you used to be."

I shook my head and followed him. "Is that a good thing?" I whispered. I didn't quite want to leave Simon, but I knew that if I lingered, I would only become angry. I wondered if he went further into Simon's mind then simply the last few hours.

He shrugged. "You tell me." We rounded the corner. I felt like there was a string attached to my back, rubbing against the brick wall, causing heartache and grief.

After a while of walking, I spoke up, "I think so."

Quan stopped walking and turned to me with a raised eyebrow.

"I think that it's a very good thing that there are some more parts of me that are pure, and kind." I walked so that I was now beside Quan, instead of trailing behind him like I had done for the past however many days. "I'm a far better man."

"It was interesting to see another version of you," Quan admitted. His words made my blood run colder than it already does. "You were an entirely different person back then." So, he had gone back further than he was supposed to. I wanted to feel furious, but I couldn't bring myself.

I nodded mutely.

"You aren't bad Brennan, not in the slightest. You were just misguided."

I let a bitter chuckle escape. "That's an understatement. An incredible understatement."

Quan shook his head and sighed. "You still knew what the right thing was. Bad people can lose sight of that and become deceived. You didn't know there was a possibility that you could still be good, even after being a vampire."

"And he showed me that I could," I said whilst nodding. "Just because you can tell the difference between good and evil, doesn't mean that you are good. Especially if you're doing bad things."

Quan continued to walk. "Sometimes, good and bad are a spectrum. You can't have good without bad, and vice versa. Someone has to suffer for others to gain."

I hummed in reply to show that I was listening.

"But I must admit, you look nice in that leather jacket."

My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open slightly. "Oh? Is that a compliment?" I joked, poking Quan in the side gently. "Those are rare coming from you."

He shook his head with a small grin, before his face became blank. His default mask had been applied.

"But that leather jacket? Come on, you have to be kidding me." I couldn't let it go. I knew exactly what jacket he was talking about.

"I have never kidded in my life," he said in a serious tone. It was a lie, but that wasn't important.

"The jacket is nearly skin-tight," I told him. "There's hardly any room for me to breathe."

"Good thing you don't have to then, isn't it?" He smirked.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Quan was joking, quite plainly. It was something I hadn't thought that he was capable of after we first met. I thought that he was nothing but cold and rude, I suppose that, out of everyone, that I should've been able to recognise that people could wear masks in front of others, for protection.

We got a small telling-off for leaving the police station without telling anyone, but Quan seemed to just brush it off, as though it were a regular occurrence. I was slightly fearful for my job, anything could push Candice over the edge and make her point a finger at me, declaring that I was fired. She was definitely the type of person who would do that.

"So, we really aren't gonna tell anyone?" Quan asked cautiously.

I glared at the shelf-covered wall in front of me. "No," I said after a while. "I don't think it's a good idea. Simon wasn't involved with anything bad, or unlawful, but it's still better that the police aren't told."

"Yet, you told me?" Quan asked pointedly. He paused for a moment before banging on the wall next to him. "I know it's you Jade."

Not a few moments later, Jade's head poked around the doorframe. "What? Keeping secrets?" She had a teasing and curious glint in her eyes, something which was very rare for angels to possess. "What's going on?"

Quan sighed and leant back in his seat, causing it to rock back and forth. He had a gloved hand under his chin and tilted his head to the side. "Well, if it's a secret, why would I want you to know?"

"Because you love and trust me?" Jade asked with a pout. "Because you know I'll figure it out soon?"

I had to stop myself from scoffing.

"If you figure it out without using magic, I'll give you my month's paycheck," Quan bargained.

"Deal," Jade immediately accepted. "So, you two are dating?"

This time I couldn't hold back the snort which left me. I felt bad for laughing after hearing terrible news, but at the same time I couldn't believe that she had said something like that so bluntly.

"No," Quan denied. He was keeping a straight face, I didn't know where he went to acting school, but he was doing great. "Next guess?"

Jade blinked a few times before biting her lip. "That was the only one," she admitted. "I'll figure it out though." She raised a fist triumphantly before leaving.

"Well, I don't think that was a good idea," I told Quan. "What if she figures it out?"

He raised both his eyebrows. "Then she deserves three months' worth of pay checks."

I couldn't help but laugh at him. Despite it being true, it was still some part of him being casual, joking. It was a different Quan to who I had first met.

Yet, he didn't show that to anyone.

I felt slightly special, but I also felt like I was intruding in his life. Since I was somewhat forced to be with him, follow him home, and basically be his stalker. I didn't want him to think that he had no choice but to open up to me, I wasn't about to tell him that anytime soon.

"What's the next case?" he asked. We were still doing paperwork, I'd read about eight documents to him, sometimes they had to be read more than once. It didn't really lead to much; all he did was confirm what was said. There weren't any disagreements from what was written on the paper. It made me wonder why they even had to double-check, but I suppose that if any mistakes were made, then they would be the ones to face the consequences.

"Uh, baseball bat case?" I questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Wait, is this a common occurrence? Do you literally name all your cases like this?"

Quan sighed a bit, and he looked as though he wouldn't tell me the reason for the stupid names. But nevertheless, he started to explain. "They're based off the objects I have here." He gestured towards the shelves. "So, there have been many baseball bat cases. However, this is the current one. I'm usually only given one type of an object at a time, unless there's a significant difference."

I nodded in understanding. "Does me moving in here mean that your workload has increased?" I felt my lips twitch, I had to resist smirking.

He rested his head on his fist angrily. I didn't know such an action could be done so angrily. "More than likely," he grumbled under his breath. "More shelf space doesn't immediately mean I can do more work though. I'll have to build myself up for it."

I nodded, I didn't understand, but I nodded anyway.

"Well? What does the baseball bat case have to say?" he asked impatiently.

My attention turned to the piece of paper in my hands, and I started to read the details of a very intriguing murder.

I tried to keep myself distracted whilst I was at work, but that kept going downhill whenever I thought about what happened throughout the day. I don't know why my mind trailed back to finding Simon. The state of his body was incomprehensible. How could anyone do that to someone so sweet? I thought that the person would have some sort of conscience, as he had been killed before the real torture began.

Quan had assured me that he'd get to the bottom of things, and I reluctantly agreed that we needed his help. I didn't care what Harlen and the others would think about Quan's involvement. He had proven himself to be good at his job, and that's what we needed.

I also worried that he would give away the fact he's a clairvoyant witch, but whenever I voiced this concern, he brushed me off with a scowl for believing that he wasn't capable of disguising himself or making himself seem normal. I argued that he seemed anything but normal, yet I was shrugged off. I think he took the statement as a compliment.

I lay back on my settee and closed my eyes, opening them again when the image of Simon filled my head. If I hadn't had drank last night, I would be very tempted to use all of my tokens today in order to drink away my sorrows. I hadn't done anything like that in years, and it wasn't as though we were extremely close. The fact that Simon was another on the long list of people that I knew who had died, made my heart break.

It reminded me of my parents, my brother, every friend who I had lost or pushed away because I became a vampire. I became a monster who couldn't control themself.

A knock on the door broke my daze and my shoulders tensed. Nobody knew my address, so why would anyone be here?

I slowly sat up and turned towards the door. I couldn't see anything from this angle, causing me to groan and dramatically flop off the settee, before scrambling to my feet. There was another knock. "I'm coming!" I yelled. I didn't want to use my vampire speed to answer the door, since it wasn't impossible for a human to come knocking.

I was surprised when I saw a head of green hair peeking through the window of the door. It was unmistakably Cappi.

I was tempted to pretend that I still hadn't heard the door, despite them probably seeing me through the window. They knew I was a vampire, so I would need to pretend that I wasn't in the house.

"I know you're there," Cappi said, their voice muffled. "Let me in. Hey, I sound like you did the other day."

I wouldn't be able to get out of this easily. I reluctantly opened the door and popped my head in the gap between the door and its frame. "Can I help you?" I asked in the most casual tone I could muster.

"No, but I can help you," they declared and pushed against the door.

They were surprisingly strong, but I still managed to keep the door just closed enough so that they could only see my face.

"Ha, ha. You are hilarious," I said sarcastically. I had a teasing smile on my face, I couldn't seem to be mad at them.

They pouted, and somehow made their eyes even bigger. "Can you just let me in? I've got to talk to you about something." Their tone was serious, which didn't match their expression at all/

"What do you want to talk about? Maybe then, I'll let you in." I leant against the doorframe and crossed my arms.

"Well, I can't tell you out here." They exaggerated each word. "You live just a few doors awa-"

I made a noise of understanding as I understood what they wanted to discuss. "My house isn't soundproof." I told them. "I don't know the extent of his hearing range."

Cappi gave a small giggle. "He should honestly get hearing aids or something," they commented. "It's like his sight, but he tries to focus more on images rather than sounds. He isn't comfortable being unable to hear."

My eyes widened and I opened the door for them to come in. I didn't know that was possible for him. I thought that Quan could just see the past. The fact he could hear things too suggests that he has some sort of control over it. At least he wasn't completely eradicating all of his senses for his work.

Cappi skipped into my house and looked around with an approving stare. I swear they weren't even blinking. "Did Quan design this?"

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "No?" I questioned. "Why? Is he good at interior design?" I had to admit that my house was quite stylish, a bit too stylish for my taste, but I wasn't about to complain.

"Yeah, he's pretty good." They shrugged before plopping themselves down on the settee and placing their bare feet on my coffee table. They took them off when I sent them a half-serious glare. "Okay, no feet on the table. You are just as stubborn as he is."

"It's called hygienic," I corrected.

"It's called buzzkill. Why do you even need to be hygienic anyway? You can't get sick, at least not from bacteria and dirt and stuff."

"I actually know people, who can get sick from bacteria and dirt. I'm the one who has to clean it up." I sat on the chair opposite them, beside the television. I didn't understand why there was a chair there exactly, but it came in useful in this instance. "What do you want to tell me about him?"

"He's in love with you," Cappi stated extremely seriously.

I paused for a moment before I burst into laughter. I held my stomach as my shoulders shook my entire body.

"I'm being serious," Cappi exclaimed. "He is."

I shook my head. "Your seriousness is only making it more hilarious and unbelievable."

They emitted a sound which was almost like a growl. "I'm not joking with you Ruarc."

The tone of their voice made me freeze. They had an aura of foreboding. It made me feel like something terrible was about to happen.

I heaved a sigh. "Cappi, why exactly did you come here? It wasn't to make up stories about Quan having feelings for me, was it? If it was, then you have wasted your time."

They shook their head, crossed their arms, and crossed their legs. "You needed to know, so that I could threaten you not to hurt him."

I tried to hide my laugh, but I didn't do very well. I pointed towards my chest. "Threaten?" I asked. "Is this you being threatening?" I crossed my arms, just like they did. "That doesn't seem very threatening."

They stammered a few times. "That is because...I haven't started yet." They leaped to their feet and marched towards me, before standing on their tiptoes. They looked me straight in the eyes. "Don't hurt him."

I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing. They looked as though they were trying very hard not to fall back on their heels. Their voice was squeaky and broke near the end of their sentence.

"Cappi, I have no intention to hurt him." I placed my hands on their shoulders. "Trust me."