Saying goodbye to Erik before Jade and Drake boarded was one of the hardest things Jade had ever done. They hadn't said much, but simply hugged. Drake had slipped some sort of piece of paper into Erik's coat pocket without him noticing, before he shook hands with him and then putting a hand on Jade's waist guided her into the train. However, she slipped away beneath his arm just before they had boarded and ran back to Erik, throwing her arms around his neck once more.

"I'll miss you," she said, holding back her tears and then kissed him lightly on the lips.

Erik opened his mouth to say something, but the loud whistling of the train filled his words. "Come on," Drake hissed from where he stood at the train door.

"Go on," Erik smiled, "we'll see each other in a few days."

Nodding she took her hands from his and walked back to Drake, where he shoved her into the train angrily. The doors slammed shut behind them.

It was a long time after they were seated alone in a booth before Jade said anything. Drake had merely picked up a book from one of the many shelves circling them and laid back to read it. She could feel his nerves racing and could see his hands trembling each time he turned the page, trying to keep calm.

"You know," she said absentmindedly tracing her finger through the fogged up window, "I never did visit Alastair."

"Hmm," Drake muttered without even glancing up from his book, where he sat opposite her. No one was in the booth with them, thankfully. "As long as you have that ring set for a time after we get off the train, I don't care."

He wasn't even listening to her. So she laid back and watched the scene behind the window rush by. However time was not rushing by so quickly and it seemed to drag on and on as Jade sat there looking from the window to Drake, until she finally sat up and examined the shelves to see if she could find anything to pass the time, almost wishing that she had some other company in that booth other than Drake's. A book at the top shelf with a gilded spine caught her eye. So she stood up to reach for it. Suddenly the train gave a jerk, sending her flying backwards, but a firm hand planted on her back forced her to keep her balance.

"Here," he said from behind her and grabbed the book leaning in closer to her and placed it into her hand.

She sat back down book in her hands blushing, "What?" he hissed, studying her red cheeks.

"Thank you," she muttered back, ignoring his terrible mood because she knew it was her fault that he was in it. "How much time has passed?"

"Barely an hour," he said, "why, do you have somewhere to be?"

Rolling her eyes, she cracked open the book, scanning it for any pictures. Drake was staring at her, even without his thoughts pounding in her head, she could feel the heat his eyes were spitting at her, "You can't read?"

Pressing her lips together, as the redness filled her cheeks once more, she muttered softly, "Not everyone is born into the right world or family to."

"But you've read my name before," he argued with her as if he could prove her wrong somehow, "you wrote your name on the booth, and you wrote Petra's name on your arm!"

"First of all," she said laying the book on the table, "It wasn't that hard to copy down Petra's name since there a thousand picture with her name written below them hanging around her house. I'm not stupid. Secondly, I've seen you and Damien write my name on at least a hundred pieces of paper, not to mention your's and I wasn't the one who wrote it down."

He stared at her dumbfounded, so she picked the book back up to hide her blushing cheeks. However, he reached across the table to jerk the book out of her hands harshly, "Is that why you couldn't find your way back to Erik's? Wait a second. He knows about this doesn't he?"

"Yes, of course, that's how I know what little I do to read because he was teaching me right before you came along," she answered.

"I didn't know," he muttered dumbfounded as she reached over to snatch the book back from him. "Damien doesn't know."

"God, Drake," she hissed, ignoring the heat in her cheeks, "I don't know why you expected me to. Damien probably figured it out."

"I don't think so," he laughed, "if he knew, he'd have taught you, personally believe me."

"Why," she growled, "what's the point?"

"What's the point? What's the point!" He exclaimed, "Well for one, you could have found your way back to Erik's. It's a rather useful skill to have, actually."

"Ok," she said and flipped the book back open. She didn't feel like talking about it anymore. There was no way that she could have found her way back to Erik's in the middle of that dark freezing night and Drake knew it.

"You don't have to be embarrassed," he said, pulling the book down once again and giving her a sympathetic smile like he thought that she was completely mortified.

"I'm really not," she said, angrily. Couldn't he leave her alone?

"Well, then how are you planning on operating that ring?" He asked accusingly.

"I can read numbers you idiot," she hissed, "are you done yet?"

He smiled to himself with a small laugh, "Of course, dearest."

Then picking the leather bound book up again, he leaned back. Shaking her head, Jade did the same, flipping through the pages absentmindedly. Until, she heard the sound of Drake closing his book and laying it on the table with a loud sigh. "What are you doing?"

She lowered the book to peer at him over the edge, "Trying to forget you're here."

"Seriously," he said staring at her through brown eyes, "if you aren't reading it then what are you doing?"

"Why is this bothering you so much?" She asked casually bringing the book back up.

"Is it a picture book or something?" He simpered.

"Damn it Drake," she closed the book, "you already know! Why are you pestering me like this?"

"Just trying to pass the time," he muttered, looking away from her and out the window at the cold bleak landscape.

She put a hand to her head as feelings of sympathy began to trickle into her heart. This was all her fault. He was worried to death and couldn't sit still because of it. She shouldn't have lied to Damien and she shouldn't have made Drake keep the secret with her. More importantly though, she shouldn't have saved Damien's life. She should have left him out there to die and kept running away. She could have been free. Drake could have been free and it was her fault that they weren't and now she felt guilty.

Drake turned to look at her as her thoughts bled into his mind, "Don't pity me."

"I'm not," she hissed bitterly, "I'm just realizing how stupid I am."

His eyes widened, "What? No, I am glad that you saved him. I would actually be angry with you if you hadn't."

"What?" She coughed, choking on her astonishment. "You would love to see him dead."

"True," he replied, "but well how do I put this - uh, hmm."

"What?" she asked, peering at him as a smile spread across his face.

"Ok, so say Erik saw me dying, right and we aren't connected at all," he began, "and he just let's me die there. What would you think of him?"

She frowned. It seemed like a good analogy. Erik hated Drake like she hated Damien, but, "I don't think it's the same."

"How so?" He asked, "are you telling me that you wouldn't mind seeing me dead?"

"Of course I wouldn't want to see you dead!" She exclaimed, "What the hell! I'm not heartless."

"And that's why," he laughed, "if you'd let Damien die I'd honestly hate you."

"Honestly," she repeated to herself. The words sounded strange in her mouth.

"Yes," he said, "it just isn't who you are Jade. I would have let him die without blinking an eye and you couldn't and that's fine."

She buried her face in her hands as the tears stinging behind her eyes began to push their way out. "I'm so sorry," she cried.

"For what?" He asked, sympathetically.

"For not letting him die!" She moaned, "I know you're mad at me for it. I was handed the key to our freedom and I threw it away."

He laughed at her, "Were you not listening to what I just said? I-"

"I won't let him hurt you," she interrupted him, rising her head from her hands.

"What's that?" He smiled, "You care?"

"It's my fault," she said shortly.

"If you say so," he laughed again, picking the book back up, trying to keep the wretched worries running through his mind from reaching Jade. However, the talk did help to calm their racing nerves some and the rest of the train ride went by relatively fast with little to no more conversations.