It was a little after midnight when the train reached a stop and everyone boarded off the train. Jade immediately time traveled. She had landed in a warm summer night and slept on the bench that she and Drake were sitting on, until she came back and Drake woke her. She still felt tired though and was happy that Dane was coming to pick them up so that they didn't have to wait for a carriage. It was icy cold and the wind blew right through her clothes the moment she stepped into the knee deep snow. Drake wrapped an arm around her, "He'll be here soon."

She leaned into him closing her eyes. She hoped that Damien was fast asleep and didn't want to see them immediately.

That's unlikely dear Drake thought to her grimly. Come on I see Dane.

He took her hand and they began to wade through the snow towards the carriage. Jade's heart sunk to her feet when she saw that there were two figures in the carriage instead of one. She felt Drake stiffen.

Remember he thought to her don't act timid towards him. You aren't afraid of him because you don't know what he's capable of. Do not act like you know him. Keep your answers short the longer they are the more he can find out.

She nodded even if was stupid of him to remind her of such things as he opened the door with a shaking hand.

"How was the trip?" Dane smiled at the two of them, but Jade could see through the guise. He was worried sick. Damien glared at them through the shadows where he sat beside Dane, eyes darting between the two of them, looking for any sign of connection.

"It was fine," Drake sighed as if annoyed, "with little to no success."

"You didn't have to go all that way to find out it was a stupid theory," Damien spoke in a deep voice, "I could have told you just as well."

"Go on," he whispered to Jade as he urged her into the carriage. So that she sat opposite Damien. She was so close to him. The inside of his knees were just touching the outside of hers; her feet were resting on the space of floor inside of his. Drake shut the door behind him and the carriage began to roll along.

"I'm sorry," she smiled at Damien with a casual laugh as his cold gaze slowly turned onto her. Those eyes. She tried her best to remain calm, "I either don't know who you are or I just don't remember. You look sort of familiar."

Damien continued to eye her with raised eyebrows, but didn't say anything and Jade could hear both her and Drake's hearts racing, "Jade," Drake muttered to her at last, "that's Damien, you met him briefly before we left. He was sick in bed."

"Oh," she laughed, trying her hardest to sound obnoxious, "your father! Right how could I have forgotten. So do we know each other? Well, that's a stupid question. I guess we do."

Drake hissed through clenched teeth, "Yes. Well, what's been happening back here while we were gone."

Jade had expected Dane to answer, but it was Damien, "Oh, not much. My fingers nearly fell off and I have this strange scratch on my arm that reads Petra." Jade felt Drake freeze with fear as he struggled to remain calm and Dane looked up at the mention of Petra, glancing at Damien with pity. "Show me your left arm."

"Why?" Drake asked and then after seeming to think about it laughed, "Oh. You think that-"

However Damien's dark glare cut him short and he lifted his sleeve confidently. Before they had left Erik's they had thought of everything and had covered Drake's arm in plaster and makeup to cover up the scratch.

Damien grabbed the candle off the wall and held it to Drake's arm, pressing his lips together. He smiled through closed lips as he glanced at the pre-pushed up sleeve revealing Jade's scratch, "Well then, is someone going to tell me what happened?"

"Well, obviously we ran into Petra," he muttered, trying to keep things succinct, "things got out of control. She doesn't like me at all, you know that. It's honestly that simple."

"Petra, well, she has always been bit rash," Dane commented softly to Damien. "I - we haven't seen her in . . . months. How is she?"

Damien looked off into the distance for a moment or two, before saying, "That still doesn't tell me how my fingers nearly fell off and why her damn name is written on my arm." He carefully placing the candle back in its place.

Jade wondered why he wasn't trying to force the answers out of Drake as he responded, "You must have said something to her when you told her to forget that she knew me that made her think that Jade and I were connected somehow," he was dancing on a razor thin edge, about to tip off, "so to test it out she grabbed Jade's arm and carved her name into it. It was . . . um interesting."

"More like horrifying," Jade growled to herself.

"Well, yes," Drake smiled, trying to avert the subject, "but I mean she wasn't afraid of the blood. Interesting, right? Have any ideas why that is?"

"Why did my fingers turn black?" Damien asked coldly. He wasn't interesting in any of their diversions.

"That one's actually funny," Drake smiled to himself, "turns out that she can't read and well she got lost in the cold. She didn't have a coat on. It was like ten below or something and I'll leave you to guess the rest."

"How's that funny?" Damien hissed, "You nearly cost me my fingers because you couldn't wrap her in a damn coat."

Drake smiled to himself. I thought that you said he would be acting friendly. Jade thought to him.

I thought that he would be. You know to try to make you comfortable. Maybe he will tomorrow. He could just be in a terrible mood.

"So she isn't afraid of blood you said," Damien said, breaking the small silence as he grabbed a letter opener out of his jacket and put it to the inside of his scared arm.

Jade frowned as if confused even though she was terrified at what he was probably going to do, "Was I before?"

He dragged the dull blade across his skin without flinching a muscle until it tore deeply through his skin and began to bleed profusely down his arm in a thick black fluid. Look into my thoughts Drake thought to her.

So she did and instead of seeing the scene in front of her she saw her and Drake's conversation on the train. Then her thoughts were turned towards the window and she was watching the snowflakes hit the icy glass, instantly melting. It was peaceful and calm. However it was over in a blink of an eye and she was back in that carriage with Damien's cold eyes staring her down.

She glanced at his arm and saw that it was bleeding heavily still. Jade please. Drake was begging her over and over in her head. I brought you back because you looked like you were about to faint.

It's just blood. She told herself and taking a deep breath as quietly as she could she grabbed the corner of her dress, saying, "Here," and wiped it off of Damien's arm at a steady, not panicky pace, remembering how he had done the same for her back in time. In fact she wasn't even seeing what was in front of her she was merely going through the motions, otherwise she might've fainted or had a panic attack.

Out of sight out of mind. Drake's thoughts laughed in her head, but she couldn't tell whether it was a memory or his current thoughts.

"Interesting," Damien, unconsciously repeated Drake's very words. He smiled and leaned back casually, "So then the two of you aren't lying to me for once?"

He was using his power on Drake. It was the very last test. Sweat glistened on the sides of his head as Jade spoke for him as his mouth said, "No."

Damien's smile cracked into a grin, "Perfect. Just perfect."

Jade and Drake glanced nervously at each other. He should not have been happy about it. Dane was right. He was planning something. "What?" Drake asked, through narrowed eyes.

Damien's eye darted towards Drake. There it was. The anger slipped out just enough for the two of them to know that he was seething with anger. Drake's body went limp with relief.

"My darling," Damien said, putting a hand on Jade's knee, "you must think I am an absolute monster, the way I've behaved tonight. You have my sincerest apologies. As you can see," he said gesturing to his bandaged leg and arm, "I haven't been in the best of health. I will try better tomorrow."

She flashed him a quick smile, "Of course I understand. What happened to you by the way?"

"Oh, nothing serious," he said oily, "you on the other hand look exhausted."

She stared into his brown eyes through the dimly lit air, remembering that he had burnt everything she had ever owned, that he had killed the little bit of family that she had left long ago, and the other hundreds of horrendous thing that had done. Yet then there was the flash of his past self, smiling at her happily, kindly. His hand moved from her knee crawling up her thigh, but then darted for her hand with the ring. Drake watched him cautiously.

"What's this, my dear?" He said, reaching with his other hand to slip it off.

"Please don't," she said, quickly jerking her hand out of his.

His eyes widened, turning towards Drake as he smiled, almost like he knew that he'd just found the only hole in their plan, "Where did it come from?"

They had honestly thought of everything, everything except for that ring. She silently prayed that Drake could patch this up. She prayed that his past self had never seen the ring. "Just some trinket that Erik bought her. I think she remembered him some. That's why the ring is so important to her. She hasn't taken the damn thing off since he gave it to her."

"Fair enough," he responded, "it's looks awfully familiar though and it's far too big for your finger."

"I like it," she muttered to herself.

"I just want to see it," he said with a reassuring smile as he held out a hand. "I'll give it right back, you have my word."

She didn't dare to look at Drake lest Damien derive something from it, but he thought to her, You can cry if you want to or throw a tantrum. Whatever it is don't let him touch that ring.

"Please don't," she said sniffling.

She could see the irritation flaring in his eyes, but he said kindly, "I suppose it's just a ring. Fine."

"So," Drake said, leaning forwards, his elbows on his knees, "I'm guessing we're supposed to keep up the whole I love you act?"

"No," he muttered absentmindedly, "I'd suppose not, until she gets her memories back."

"So, Erik can see her if he wants to?" Drake questioned him.

"I don't exactly care," Damien replied irritatedly, "unless that is you do."

"No," Drake spat bitterly, "I'm just saying that the guy's obsessed with her."

Jade eyed him as Dane repeated him doubtfully, "Obsessed? Like Petra is with you?"

"Yes!" He exclaimed and then shaking his head said, "I mean no. I mean. Look it could be a problem, ok?"

Damien sighed, rolling his eyes, "Jade my dearest, do you like Erik in any way?"

"Yes?" She responded, unsure of her answer.

"And what about him," he motioned towards Drake as if swatting at a fly.

"He's like you," she said, knowing how out of place it was, "you're both sardonic and unwelcoming. I don't like him."

"Unwelcoming," Damien said cocking an eyebrow at her, "would you rather walk the rest of the damn way-" his voice had been rising with each word, but he caught himself with a sigh, "forgive me, my love. I know this is . . . this is all new for you yet again, but do try not to be so open mouthed would you?"

"What are you going to do if she isn't? Drake laughed at him, "you have no power over her. Admit it, it's eating away at you."

"Drake," Dane warned him and so he closed his mouth. All of them did, letting the silence calm their tempers and the cold night air ice their wounds.

It wasn't until they reached the mansion and had left the carriage that Damien, spoke from where he sat in his wheel chair, "I'll see the two of you in the morning for breakfast then."

Dane gave Jade a brief smile before rolling Damien into the mansion. Once Drake and Jade were alone, Drake sighed his relief and then beaming at Jade smiled, "I think we may have actually fooled him."

"Time will tell," she said, trying her best to seem optimistic, but the way that Damien had eyed her ring, made her insides twist with worry.

"Come on," he grabbed her hand, leading her inside, "before we freeze to death."

Reluctantly, she followed him into that prison for a home, letting the doors click behind her. There was no going back now. She had walked into the cage willingly, knowingly. There hadn't even been a bait.