"How are you feeling?" Heath asked.         

His question was answered only with a low groan. The man from which it came lay motionless on a bed. Heath sat quietly sat next to him. He then laid a hand gently on the hurt mans cheek.         

"Justin, hun?" Heath asked softly.         

Justin let out another low groan and tried to peer through swollen eyes. His eyes were so inflamed he could barely open them. He searched for Heath through small slits of vision.         

"Hey, there you are? How are you feeling?" Heath asked.  

Justin tried to respond making more groaning and mumbling noises than audible words and sentences. Heath gently dabbed a wet cloth over Justin's bruised and cut face causing more noises of disapproval.         

"Sorry babe, I know it hurts. You had me worried there for a while. I thought I had lost you," Heath said trying to comfort his hurt companion.         

Justin struggled painfully as he tried to move into a more comfortable position. Heath assisted the injured man in his move. Justin let out a loud groan as he settled into his new position.         

"You'll be ok babe. Just take it easy," Heath sad aloud, mostly to comfort himself.         

Justin looked in Heath's direction keeping his eyes closed in fear of discomfort. He gathered what strength he could and raised a hand towards Heath. Heath took the offered hand and held it gently in his own. He could feel the lack of strength in the other vampyre. Heath smiled softly to Justin although he knew he couldn't see him.         

Heath leaned in towards Justin's hand and let his lips rest softly on the bruised hand. He let gentle kisses land on the man's extremity. A lone tear fell from Heath's eye as he placed Justin's hand back on the bed. He leaned over once more and gave a single kiss to Justin's forehead before allowing his injured love to fall into sleep.

Joey paced nervously outside Sully's office. His Prince had asked to be alone which was quite unusual given the last few months. With the exception of sleep, Sully had never been alone.         

Joey's mind raced. Thoughts of his long time friend and Prince and his emotional distress filled him. Thoughts and memories of Abigail interrupted in intervals. Then the occasional vision of Russell and of how he was and what he now was popped into mind. His thoughts were going a million miles a minute and he could barely keep up. To make matters worse he could feel the effects of the long night creep up on him and he knew dawn was arriving soon.         

Before Joey would succumb to sleep he had to know if Sully was alright. He wanted to make sure Sully was in a rational frame of mind. He had to make sure everything was as normal as possible, given the circumstances.         

Sully's office doors opened revealing the man that starred in Joey's thoughts. Sully blinked in confusion at Joey's presence outside his doors. "What are you doing here Joe? Where's Heath?"         

"I told Heath to go to his room and that I would watch over you," Joey explained.         

"Who gave you the authority to tell my bodyguard what he can or can't do?" Sully snapped.         

"Sully, come on. Heath was worried about Justin. He wanted to be with him and I wanted to make sure you were ok, so I opted to stay here for him."         

"Let's get one thing straight Joe, don't you ever tell Heath what he can do without my permission, you got that? Heath had no right to abandon his post."         

"You're being unreasonable."         

"I'm not unreasonable, I'm the Prince and people will do what I tell them to do. I've been too lax on all of you. It's time I start being more strict and getting this city back into shape."         

"You're by no means too lax. You run this city better than anyone else could possibly do and people respect you for that. Getting more strict will not change anything but how people view you."         

"It will change a lot of things. People will know not to fuck with me and that I mean business. They will know I am law and and to cross me is fatal."         

"No, it won't. It will make people fear and hate you and it still won't make Justin well or Abigail human again."         

Sully let out a low growl. Joey could tell Sully was trying to intimidate him. He could feel it creep over him, but Joey retaliated. He let a soft growl of his own to escape his throat to let Sully know he wasn't afraid.         

"What do you want Joe?" Sully asked tired of the mind game they were now playing.         

"I want to know you'll be alright and won't do anything irrational. I want to know you won't do anything without consent of the council."         

"Oh sure, I'm fine. I just suspended one of my best friends from her position on the council. My best friend who brought an evil being into this city that helped bring the death of the woman, the only woman I love. A woman that is now faced with something she only barely understood not to mention that she may just go crazy in the process if she lives that long. So, yes I'm just fine Joe and as for the council, I will do as I please when I see fit."

"Sully, Abby knew the consequences and she knew before she met you that her fate rested as a vampyre. What happened was not your fault. It wasn't Jolee's or Heath's or Justin's or anyone's, so don't take it out on anyone. The only persons responsible would be the Vigilante and we will get our time to pay them back. Believe me, we all want it bad."         

"I should have been with her. I should never have trusted Jonny or any said ex-Vigilante. You say it wasn't may fault but it was. It was my judgment call and I blew it. Not just for Abigail, but for all of us. How can I trust anyone?"         

"You trusted and believed because that is who you are. No one would want you any other way otherwise you wouldn't be Sully. We want him, the one who loves his people beyond anything else. The one who would rather die than to see his city fall to evil. The one who is still close enough to humanity to make mistakes and even own up to them. We don't expect perfection, we expect you to do your best and you did."         

"I almost lost the city tonight. Those mistakes you speak of that I did almost cost the city to fall because I made the mistakes. I'm not fit enough to run the city. Russell had to have known that. That's why he put me in charge, so I'd make the mistakes and he could take over."         

"We all make mistakes Sully. I would have made the same choices you did. I know it is killing you right now and that is why you are a great Prince. You will let it eat at you and you will find a way for this to never happen again. Russell knew you would defend this city with your life and you did. He may have thought he could have taken the city from you easily, but what he doesn't know is what I know. I know that you won't ever let him have another chance to get that close."         

"I don't know. Everything is just too much right now. I don't even know where to start."         

"What you need to do is get some rest. Things may look and feel better in the evening. I will help you with anything you need, a friend, council, a gofer, anything. We will all work this out. We can talk to the council find out what everyone else is thinking and take it in strides. All I'm asking is that you let things have a chance to run their course before you decide to fly off the handle or do anything drastic."         

"I will need your help my friend. At the moment you, Lance and Abigail are the only one's I feel I can trust with everything and I know in my head that I should trust more like Heath and Justin but can't bring myself to do it. I need time to heal and to make sense of everything."         

"Then start by relaxing as much as you can and be thankful of what we have. We have a city that is once again safe. We have friends who would protect us with their lives and we still have Abigail. Keep faith in your heart my friend she is stronger than she will lead anyone to believe."         

"What if she doesn't make it Joe? I don't know if I could handle that. I couldn't even bring myself to stay and watch her rise. I couldn't be there when it's most confusing. I can't even think of seeing her one more time until I know for sure she will make it in fear of losing her a second time if she never recovers."         

"All we can do is place faith in Abigail and even in Lance to help her through this. I will check on her and give her news on you. When you feel you can see her then do so. Don't push yourself. We need you and all your strength. I however, have full belief Abigail will be back in your arms and will be an incredible asset to us."         

"I wish I could believe that as strongly as you Joe."  

"Believe it then. She will surprise you just wait and see. Now, you need to rest you look like hell."         

"Yeah, well you don't look so hot yourself Joe," Sully said with and almost amused sound in his voice.         

"I just take after my sire," Joey smiled. "I'll see you first thing in the evening."         

"Until then," Sully replied.         

Joey smiled softly to Sully then turned to take his leave. Although the mansion was dark from thick curtains he knew it was dawn and sleep was calling to him. His mind and body were screaming for it. So he succumbed to it when he reached his room.