One Month Later

Elizabeth had run upset to the only other house she knew and had been taken in with open arms, ushered into Vanessa's bed and had her back rubbed while weeping about the 'big fight' her and Victor had had. What had started as one night of salvation had slowly grown into weeks of her trying to clean and cook whilst Miss Ives and Sir Malcolm urged that she was a guest.

They had heard nothing of Victor and neither had Elizabeth in the weeks since she had left, and although she was worried the thought of returning to that place made her finger tips turn cold.

Elizabeth wandered the hallway with a china cup full of tea, ambling towards Vanessa's bedroom to see if she was going to meet her in the hallway. The younger woman knocked quietly on the oak door.

"Miss. Ives?" Elizabeth asked.

There was an eerie silence on the other side of the door, as if there was nothing, no one in there. She paused, knowing she shouldn't just barge in but it was disconcerting to have received no answer.

"Miss-"

"Vanessa!" The woman's gaunt face suddenly appeared in place of the door, smiling but still ghostly, "Please?"

Elizabeth smiled back, taking a small step back to accommodate for the sudden appearance of the older woman.

"Sorry, um- Vanessa..." She added graciously with a nod.

Vanessa left the door open, babbling quietly as she retreated back into her room. Elizabeth remained at the threshold and watched Vanessa run a hand lovingly over the wax covered oaken box. Elizabeth felt a warm swell of pride within her.

"Mr. Chandler is returning to us in merely a few hours,"

Stiffening briefly, Elizabeth allowed herself to relax as she realised the mention of Ethan had not given rise to blame from Vanessa's direction, merely a more intense burst of her contagious sincerity.

"Though I must inform you that the good Doctor will be arriving shortly, in case Etha takes a turn for the worst," Vanessa didn't look at Elizabeth as she said this, she didn't want to see the reaction of the girl. Vanessa knew about the difficulties of love. "We'd appreciate it if you could take a look at him as well, just to cover all possible bases."

Elizabeth stared up with wide eyes and tried to force a smile but she knew Vanessa's perception could see right through her. Quickly, Vanessa threw a friendly arm around Elizabeth's shoulder and began to guide her down the elaborate staircase.

"I'll act as your chauffeur my dear, no one shall come near unless you request them too,"

Vanessa winked playfully as they made their way into the lounge area. Although her words were quickly abandoned when she saw the man lolling on their sofa.

"Ethan!" She exclaimed, falling to her knees beside him and snatching up a hand that engulfed hers. He chuckled softly in his southern drawl, even more when Vanessa composed herself and replaced his hand, flushing red.

"Good to be back," He grinned.

"Home," Vanessa corrected him sternly as if his head wound might have made him forget his surrogate family.

"How did the hospital treat you Mr. Chandler?" Sir Malcolm spoke calmly from his position in the armchair.

"Oh, you know, the same as they usually are except for the fun of explaining how exactly I got in this state,"

Elizabeth gasped and alerted Ethan to her presence. He laughed.

"Don't worry little lady, I didn't rat you out," He winked at her joyfully, letting out a guffaw.

"Yes, it would appear there are much easier ways of receiving a concussion other than witchcraft,"

Victor sardonically replied as he rose from checking Ethan's head wound. He continued to stare at the medical thermometer in his hands, of course he couldn't look at Elizabeth. So instead he stuck to sarcastic comments and cold passivity.

"Thanks Dr. F,"

"Yes, thank you Doctor," Vanessa clasped his hand heartily with that warming smile of hers, "I understand its imperative you return to your cousin,"

"Your cousin?!" Elizabeth exclaimed; quietly, but an exclamation none the rest.

Victor's head snapped towards her, his pale facing draining into a sallow grey. Loudly, he cleared his throat.

"Yes, my cousin..." Victor mumbled.

Vanessa looked on in bewilderment, her gaze flickering from one to the other her mouth was slightly ajar and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as the inner cogs of her brain began to work.

"Yes...I believed that was the reason for your...stay...Miss. Hare?"

"It is!" Victor snapped, quickly softening his posture and retreating back towards Elizabeth and the door.

"Yes, I just hadn't been properly introduced before I was uprooted and displaced." She replied in dead-pan, eliciting a shocked and delighted smile from Vanessa.

"Vanessa, why don't you put on a dress and we can go visit the market? Leave Mr. Chandler to rest and our gracious Doctor and his...his... and Elizabeth to practice her...things."

Placing a hand over her smirking mouth, Vanessa exited the room hurriedly and the rest of those in the room could still hear stifled laughter as she moved up the stairs.

"Apologies, Sir Malcolm, Mr. Chandler I hope you feel better soon, but I have errands to won,"

Turning away coldly from Victor's dissonant stare, Elizabeth swept up her skirts and made her way towards the stairs. She had no idea where she was heading to but she knew she couldn't stand to be in that room anymore.

"Elizabeth!" She froze at the shrill calling of her name. Though she didn't even have to move since Vanessa, her hair wild, came swinging round the banister and grabbed Elizabeth by her shoulder so forcefully she nearly collapsed down the stairs.

"Miss-"

"It's the box Elizabeth, the box is broken! It's been smashed and whatever we trapped in there, is free, I can feel it."