Desmond stays in his office until he hears the front door close. Then he looks down and it takes everything in himself to keep from crying. Something he's never wanted to do before except when he learned that he harmed Helen.

It is some hours later when he comes out of his office and finds Sasha coming in with Helen only semi conscious. Immediately he's furious and goes over to take Helen in his arms. Before he gets to them Sasha starts telling him what happened.

"We went to breakfast first. Helen was very quiet and thoughtful. After breakfast she started shopping for clothes and art supplies.

"Phillipe was having a hard time dealing with the people at the mall and so I had him and Raymond switch places. Raymond was watching the car.

"Once she finished shopping we returned to the car only about ten maybe fifteen minutes after I had Phillipe and Raymond switch. We get to the car..." Sasha stops and is gritting her teeth.

Desmond narrows his eyes and this makes her continue. "Helen stops suddenly which makes me go to her to make sure everything is okay.

"It wasn't. Desmond, words can't explain it. Raymond stayed behind to wait for a tow truck and to make sure the humans don't see it or we'd have police swarming all over. He called and said that the tow truck came shortly after we left. It should be here shortly."

Desmond continues to look at her narrowly but Helen's shaking gets worse and so he forces himself to calm down and do his best to help Helen.

"There was so much blood, Desmond. So much blood. It was all over."

This makes Desmond look sharply at Sasha once more. "Blood? Where was Phillipe?"

Sasha can't speak even as they hear the sound of a heavy engine turn into the front drive.

Desmond turns back to Helen. "Helen, I have to look at the car. I don't want you to see it again so I need you to go to Sasha once more."

Helen starts shaking even more and shakes her head in denial. "No, no, don't make me."

Desmond's eyes soften. "Helen, I don't want you seeing that again. My powers don't work on you. You will have to stay with Sasha."

"No, Desmond, please."

Desmond holds her tight to him and caresses her hair. "There is something I can do, but you have to trust me. Trust me fully. You will have to allow me into your mind. That way I can take your fear and calm it and help you deal with it. You will also have to keep your face into my neck or chest. If you can't do that, then you'll have to stay with Sasha since I won't allow you to see all that again."

"I'll try."

"Then look at me, Helen. Look at me and allow me into your mind."

Helen looks at him and soon her trembling slows down and stops. She finds herself calming to the point that she is feeling tired once more.

"Keep your face into my neck or chest. I don't want you seeing this again."

"Okay, how am I so calm?" Helen asks him drowsily.

"I took away your fear enough that you can handle it. As you are able to handle more you will have more vivid memories. I will always help you if you wish." Desmond tells her as he walks out the door and to the tow truck and car in his drive.

As he gets closer he hears Raymond using his voice on the human and paying him money for the tow job. Shortly the human is gone and Desmond is able to see Helen's car fully. He does his best to keep from losing control only because Helen is in his arms and calm at this point.

"How long was Phillippe alone?" Desmond demands.

Sasha had followed them out and answers. "He hadn't been alone more than fifteen minutes at the most. If I had known that Helen would be leaving that soon after then I wouldn't have changed the arrangements."

"Then likely it would be Raymond there instead. No offense Raymond, you can fight, but I think Phillipe was the better fighter."

"No offense taken master. My strengths don't lie in the physical."

"Sasha, we will find out who declared war on us and I swear to you, that you will help me punish him."

Desmond knows that it has to be one of the original or their immediate progeny. Only they are foolish enough to go against him. He figures that they have forgotten the lesson he gave in the underworld to the first original.

"Desmond?" Helen says sleepily. "Why are you saying anything about going to war?"

"They killed Phillipe, one of my fledglings and placed him in your car terrorizing you, my mate. It was a declaration of war by one of my enemies. But they made a mistake by using you as the messenger."

Desmond looks at the vampires that have come around him. "Deal with the car, there can't be any traces of blood for the police to find. You'll need to get a new one for Helen. Look at the cameras see if you can figure out which of the vampires are stupid enough to do this. Likely the dashcams were messed with, but the other cameras might have been over looked."

"Yes, master," the others respond.

"Sasha, I'm sorry about Phillipe," Helen tells the vampire that has done her best to befriend her.

"Thank you, Helen. It wasn't your fault. Desmond has many enemies, but most are smart enough to leave him alone. Apparently this one isn't."

"Has any other declared war with him?"

"Once, about a century or so ago. Desmond wiped him and his clan out."

"Everyone keeps saying he, couldn't it be a she?"

"Phillipe was strong, especially for a fledgling. None of the originals were females nor were any of the second generation. Third generation on, the females are terrified of Desmond even as they are drawn to his power. They would never dare go against him. Phillipe might only have been a fledgling, but he gained a great many of Desmond's demon abilities, he was strong, very strong. He was a good fighter. His biggest problem was control especially since he has so many demon abilities. Only a first gen or second gen vampire could have overcome him like that. We are up against a very powerful foe."

"This is why Desmond didn't want to give me freedom."

Sasha hesitates and so Desmond answers, "Yes. Now it might have been better if I had sent you away sooner. I am sorry."

"Not your fault." Helen tells him. "It's whoever decided to go against you."

"Thank you for that, Helen, but we both know that if I had let you go when you first came here that it would have been better."

Helen sniffs rather loudly but is feeling to relaxed to do much else. "Not likely. They would probably have found me and taken me like you warned if you had let me go sooner." 

This statement so completely stuns Desmond that he stops abruptly in front of her door. "You don't hate me for keeping you?"

"Nope, I was going to come back when I finished anyway."

Helen's words make it so Desmond has a hard time breathing. "You were going to come back to me?"

"Yes."

"But why?" Desmond asks and his voice is more than a little lost and childlike with the question.

"Because although it goes against everything in you, you were willing to give me my freedom and let me live my life away from you, never seeing me again. You were willing to sacrifice everything for me. I know that goes against everything a demon is and you've kept your promises about the other as well even though it caused you pain and me leaving would do the same. You are far more selfless demon than my parents are humans. I decided that I would give you a chance. Seems like it's a good thing I was willing to come back after all. I am sorry about Phillipe. It can't be easy losing one of your people like that. Can't be easy on Sasha either."

"No, it isn't and Sasha will have a hard time as well. Phillipe was partially bound to her like he was to me.

"Now, sleep, Helen. I must find out who was foolish enough to terrify my mate and declare war on me."

"Don't leave, please?" Helen feels a great deal of terror swamp her at the thought that Desmond would leave her alone.

Desmond hesitates. He doesn't really like the idea of leaving her alone either. "Would you be able to sleep if I held you as I worked in my office?"

"Yes, I feel safest with you." Helen says softly almost wonderingly at the realization. He had gone from someone that she feared more than any other to someone she feels safe with.

As for Desmond her words make him almost cry once more. It is a sign of trust that he never thought he'd have with her after what he did.

"Very well." Desmond turns from her room and goes to his study. He sits at his desk and has one of the maids bring a blanket for Helen as he gets started on his work once more.

He feels more relaxed and content than ever even as he follows the clues he has to find out just who dared to declare war against him. They will pay for what they did to Helen and Phillipe.

Photos of the one that killed Phillipe come in and most are useless, but one catching a full face in clear light. "Gotchya." Desmond says more than a little evilly. He knows this vampire and their maker. Seems like the second generation wasn't happy about him killing his sire. Desmond will be more than happy to take him and his line on. This time there will be no mercy given.

The creators of the vampires has declared that there are certain guidelines all vampires must follow but after that he's hands off. Very few vampires dared go against their ultimate creator. The few that did showed the rest of them why they shouldn't. 

So Desmond knows the fallen angel won't get involved. Which is just as well. He doesn't want to have to deal with the Fallen angel.