She came to her senses. "Shut the door. Kneazle'll get out."

She pulled herself away from him. She leaned against the wall and pointed down the hallway. "Kitchen" She tried to walk along the hallway but stumbled after a few steps and fell hard on the floor by the open door of the parlour. The last thing she saw before hitting the floor was her father's library sofa and the terrible repair job she had done on the side of it.

"Kneazle?" Jared asked, but turned around anyway and shut the door. He started to walk back to Pandora, but when he saw her falling again, he couldn't catch her this time. Ouch. He went down the hallway quickly over to her. Bending down he picked her up off the ground and walked down the hall way to the kitchen. She really wasn't very good. "Pandora, still awake?"

Pandora stirred, again finding herself in a pair of muscular arms. Her head still pounded and and there was a burning sting around her eye from she had hit the floor.

She blinked and her kitchen came into view. Curled up in the warm spot in front of the range was Tajma.

Who are you? Why are you holding my lady? The little kitten thought as he looked up at the tall man cradling his mistress. He stood up, crossed the kitchen and started to paw at the tall man's leg.


"I'll be okay sitting, thank you." She was shocked by how small her voice was again. She hoped that Jared would make a cup of tea and find the dittany for her, but her voice failed her.

Jared grinned at Pandora. "Welcome back to the conscious world, again." He said. "Are you alright?" He asked. "That was a hard fall." He said, and looking in the same direction as Pandora, he saw the Kneazle she'd mentioned earlier. He watched it look at him and paw his leg.

"Oh, sure." Jared said, putting Pandora back down again, onto a chair. "Do you want something? Drink? Food?" He asked.

Tajma watched as the man put his mistress down on a chair. It was his job to look after her, not this man's. Scruffy fur standing on end, he started to claw at the man, trying to make him get out of the mistresses' house.

Pandora felt a little better now that she was in her own kitchen, sitting at the table. "Thank you for being so... gentlemanly." She was surprised, he seemed like too much of a joker to be a gentleman.

"There's some dittany in the top cupboard and tea things by the range." She told him, pointing vaguely. She tentatively felt at her face where it had started to swell and was not surprised to feel that it was huge. She had hit the side of her face quiet hard when she had fallen on to the stone floor. She was aware that she needed a glass of water but was loathe to ask him for anything else.

"Ah, shame." Jared said grinning at Pandora. "I don't think your pet likes me much." He said, looking at the cat, it's fur standing up and the Kneazle clawing at him. "It's fine," he said. "Just 'cause I'm immature and all doesn't mean I'm not going to help you." He was friendly, after all.

"Yep, okay." He said, walking over towards the cupboard. HE f;icked his hair out of his face and grabbed to cups.

Pandora looked down at the kitten. "Tajma, leave him alone." She clicked her fingers for the kitten to come to her.

Tajma hissed at the tall man. You go away! He thought. His mistress clicked her fingers and he padded towards her, jumping up on to her lap.


"I'm sorry about him, you're the first man he's met since I bought him." She said wearily, tickling the kitten behind the ears.

She was slightly abashed by Jared's statement. "I-I'm sorry." She blushed, at least on the cheek that wasn't already swollen. Her injured eye had now swollen shut and her head was pounding. She watched as he made the tea. "I don't think that you're immature, just relaxed about everything." Her voice was still somehow small and broken, not it's usual imperious tones.

Jared laughed. "It's okay." He said, not really minding the kitten that much. It was sort of funny, really.

"Hey, it's fine." Jared said easily, perfectly relaxed. "Don't need to be sorry, I'm not offended or anything, I wouldn't mind if you did think I was immature." He grinned, starting to make the drinks. He was quite used to just making things like drinks without magic, so he didn't use his wand.

"It's not okay. He needs to learn some manners." She stopped stroking Tajma.

Manners? I have manners! The little kitten thought. He jumped off his mistress' lap and stalked out of the kitchen and into the parlour.

"He doesn't seem to like that idea." Pandora murmured. Her head was still pounding, not at all helped by the swelling. "Jared, could you pass me the dittany? Top cupboard. There's a headache potion in there too." She reached into a draw in the kitchen table and took out a hand mirror. "Ugh, that looks as bad as it feels."

She waited for him to pass her the dittany and the potion, nerves bubbling in her stomach. He was going to ask her all sorts of questions and she knew that he deserved an answer, he had helped her so much. She just didn't know how to explain everything.

He chuckled when Tajma stalked away. "Yeah, sure." Jared said, reaching and grabbing the dittany and headache potion. He took it over to Pandora along with two cups of tea. "Here it is." He said, sitting down.

Sitting down at the table, he took a sip from his drink and looked around the kitchen properly now. He was a bit confused, but it was rather hard to see what he was thinking because he was still grinning.

"Thank you." She began to dab the dittany on her face and felt the relief instantly. She uncorked the potion and swallowed it in one gulp. She closed her eyes and waited and after a few moments she felt the a cool sensation melting the pain.

Opening her eyes she saw that he was grinning. She realised that she was not the only one who hid what they were thinking and feeling, Jared just chose to hide his behind that lazy grin.

"Thank you for taking care of me." She said quietly, taking a sip of her drink. "Mmmm, that's lovely." She gave him a small smile. She felt fortified my the tea after a few more sips. "I owe you an explanation, don't I?" she asked, looking him in the eye.

"No problem," Jared said, when she thanked him. "But you owe me one." Though it was clear he was only teasing Pandora. He didn't expect anything at all. "An explanation?" He asked. "Well, yeah." Jared said, leaning back in his chair, looking at her.

He was teasing her again. "Okay, but I don't think that I'll be able to lift you without magic." She warned him with her customary wry smile.

She placed her cup down gently on the table and sighed. "Have you noticed the damage in the house? The gouges and the scratches? When I was ten my family was attacked by a werewolf. My twin brother, Prometheus, and my mother were killed outright but my father was infected. I cared for him until he died just over a year ago. He was very deeply unstable and one full moon I had to go away, I couldn't avoid it. He didn't take his potion. He tore himself and the house apart. By the time I got home, he was dead." She looked at him, feeling weakened by the truth. She rubbed her eyes, realising that one she had hit on the floor had healed almost completely.

She sighed again. When she spoke, her voice was barely a whisper. "Recently I've been having nightmares. I had always thought that I managed to hide, but after the werewolf attacked me in the Forbidden Forest, it brought a memory back. 'Metheus pushed me up a tree. He scrambled up after me but the werewolf pulled him back. It's my fault he's dead, I couldn't hold on to him." Tears spilled down her ghostly pale face. "I think they've just got too much for me recently. Especially with all this non-sense with that ridiculous policy of Stryker's."

She finally looked at him, waiting for him to walk away.

Jared was completely silent as he listened to Pandora. He wasn't about to interrupt until she was done. He didn't really know what he'd expected her to say, but he didn't think he expected what she said. Of course it made sense, with the state of the cottage and everything. He was solemn as he thought about her words. He felt, well, sorry for Pandora because she lost her brother and mother, but he didn't say that. From what he knew of Pandora, he didn't think she wanted sympathy.

He hardly knew much about the forbidden forest thing she spoke about, he imagined that at the time he hadn't been in the country. "What's out of your control can't be your fault." Jared said, and when he looked at Pandora, he was sincere. It was a rare time when he wasn't laughing and joking around, when he was actually thinking serious about something. This was one of those times. Jared was great for being around, but that didn't change the fact that he was very clueless about girls, and emotions. He saw the tears run down Pandora's face and he felt like he should do something. What that was, he had no idea.

"Is there anything I can do?" He asked, doing the thing he knew how to do. Be a good friend. Jared felt very out of place, being serious and thoughtful about things. But he felt compelled to stay, not because he though he should, but because he wanted to.

Pandora considered the solemn expression on Jared face. It really didn't suit him. Without the usual sparkle in his eye he seemed so sad and it pained her to know that she had caused it.

When he finally spoke, she frowned. "I should have controlled it, I should have known what to do." She covered her face so that he didn't have to look at her weakness anymore. She was not used to things being out of her control.

When he asked if there was anything he could do, she hiccuped in surprise. "Well, how are you potions skills? I've run out of sleeping draught and I don't dare brew it myself incase I get it horribly wrong." She looked at him in surprise. "And you could try and get that woman to leave me alone. I really can't take her curiosity about me, she's too false. I don't trust her."

"Don't blame yourself for what you could've done. Not everything is under your control, as nice as it would be." Jared wasn't one to have the need to control everything, in fact there was hardly anything he did need to control. Unless it was competitive, which changed things, because Jared was very competitive. This did sort of remind him of something when he was a kid, even though the situation was completely different. But his dad was a healer and whenever something had gone wrong he had always said he should've controlled it better, like Pandora was now.

"I don't know about making it now, but I've got some at my flat." Jared had those sort of things lying around there, courtesy of his father. "Well, I can do that." He said when she mentioned Rinatta. "But she might actually just wanted to befriend you."

When Jared said not everything was under her control, for once Pandora's face spoke volumes. It should be was clearly the thought on her mind. That should have been under my control.

"I've come up against werewolves, wild animalistic ones, twice and lost both times and now, after the cup, we're going back into the forest. What am I going to do if I loose again?" Her voice shook and she groped blindly fir the box of tissues on the table. Pandora was making herself very vulnerable and she wondered if it was the right thing to do.

Pandora wondered if he was covering for his limitations as a potioneer. "That's ok, I'll owl Dora, she might be able to help me. You've done so much already." She gave him a grateful, watery smile.

When he mentioned that Rinatta may want to be his friend, she resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. "She's going about it in the wrong way. I just felt so suffocated by her."

Jared looked at Pandora, and he didn't know what to say. He always knew what to say. He was talkative and joking and he had no idea what he should say. "Who is we?" He asked. "You have more experience now."

"Hardly. It's all good." Jared grinned.

"Okay, but not everyone's against you, Pandora." Jared said simply. He didn't need to go into too much. Whatever would happen was going to happen.

Pandora looked at him and frowned. "Last time we went into the Forest, everyone who was available went. I'm not sure that it was the best plan but that was what Tetrus wanted so that's what we did. Chad may choose to limit who he takes this time, but I've already asked him if I can go. I need to go but..." She broke off, still trying to find a tissue to wipe her eyes. When she spoke again, it was a whisper. "I just didn't see it coming last time. I'm scared." There it was, the truth. Behind everything, she was afraid. She looked at Jared, wondering if he knew how vulnerable she felt, laying all this out for him to see. She had completely lost all sense of composure.

A smile hitched on her lips. "You really are laid back, aren't you? I know you won't go telling anyone about this." There was a warning mixed into this statement. If he did gossip about her, she would make sure that he regretted it. That was just how Pandora operated.

She pursed her lips slightly. "I didn't say I was against her, or that I thought that she was against me, she's just too much. She was complementing me on standing up for my principals saying that she had the same ones. Well if that's true, where was she? Why was I making a stand on my own?"

Her head had begun to swim again and she gripped the table, paling. "Maybe we should move to the parlour," she suggested, "It's more comfortable in there." She stood up, her legs still like jelly and lead the way through the narrow hallway to the small parlour.

"Right," Jared said, as she said that Chad might limit who he took. "Hey, Pandora, it's gonna be okay." He said slowly. He was surprised when she told him she was scared. Not that it she didn't have reason to be scared, but that she would tell him, of all people, was a surprise. "And you'll have help, right?"

"So because she didn't stand up for that, you think she's sort of... Fake?" Jared asked, only wondering, really.

"Okay, sure." Jared got up and, watching her lead the way through the hallway. He followed, and he was behind her so he could potentially catch her if he needed to. But she seemed better now. At least she could walk, right?

Pandora noted a look of surprise on Jared's face and wondered what had surprised him, her honesty was the most likely cause. She looked at him and shook her head, laughing mirthlessly. "I had help last time Jared, and look at what happened! I'm just bad luck when it comes to werewolves, clearly."

She rubbed her now healed face and chose her words carefully. "I don't think that she's fake, I think that the way she has behaved is. All that stuff about me being inspirational, if I was so inspirational why wasn't she inspired to open her mouth?" Pandora didn't give him an opportunity to answer but ploughed on, fire flashing in her eyes. "I'll tell you why she kept her mouth shut, she's far too comfortable in her job to be bothered standing by her own principals!"

Pandora led Jared back along the narrow hall, supporting herself by placing a steadying hand on the wall every few steps. She could feel him close behind her and wondered if he was that close in order to be able to catch her, just like an anxious parent would as they watched their little one take those first faltering steps. She blushed when she saw the damage to the wall by the front door but thankfully they didn't need to go past that. She led him into the small parlour, where most of the books and furniture were missing. In the corner of the room was a door. She flicked her wand at the door and heard the lock click. What she would do if he needed to use the bathroom, she had no idea. She gestured for Jared to sit in the single remaining arm chair while she settled on the library sofa.

"So Jared, now that you know my deepest darkest secret, I think that it's only fair I know one of yours." Her tone was serious but her steely eyes sparkled with something akin to mischief. She didn't actually think that he could have those sorts of secrets... but she could have been wrong of course.

"True. I'm just a bit surprised, anyone with any sense, werewolf or not, would be scared of you, right?" Jared asked, smiling at Pandora. He never really knew how she would take the things he said, and never really cared.

"Oh, right." Jared said. He hadn't been listening much at the time, which wasn't unordinary. Maybe Rinatta would just have to grow on Pandora, some things took time. Because, really, Jared trusted Rin. That wasn't really saying much, however, he trusted a lot of people.

Jared followed Pandora through to the parlor, and sat down, quite comfortable. "Deep dark secrets?" He laughed. "There's plenty you don't know about me, I'm sure, but nothing that I wouldn't tell anyone. I don't have any secrets, but ask away, if you like."

When Jared made an attempt at a joke, Pandora just looked at him and said darkly "They ought to be."

His lack of a reaction about Rinatta didn't surprise her. She just hoped he didn't expect her to like the woman any time soon.

Tajma could hear his mistress talking in the room she called the parlour. He padded in to see if the tall man had gone, but he hadn't. He jumped up onto the sofa and climbed on to his mistress' lap. He looked haughtily at the man as if to say "She's mine."

When Tajma climbed onto her lap, Pandora absent mindedly scratched him behind the ears before answering Jared. "Oh, I don't know, let's see, what should I ask... What about family? Are you an only child?"

The pounding in her head had come back, even as she asked the question. She paled and unconsciously raised her hand to her temple, as though she could rub away the pain.

"I'm so sorry Jared, especially when you've taken such good care of me, but I think that I need some sleep." She told him, the purple bags under her eyes showing that this was the truth.

He just chuckled.

"Oh, no, it's not just me. I've two older brothers, Felix and Claude, and a younger sister, Stella. My sister and mum live in France where I've been living the past years, and my brothers and dad are here in England. My dad's a healer and my mum owns a hotel, she's muggle. There's not much more to it, really, I've got cousins and all around the place too."

Jared raised his eyebrows at Pandora. "Wait a minute, let me get this right. You're saying sorry... For being tired?" He questioned, laughing again. "You know that's ridiculous." He said. "I should probably go back to work anyways, but if you feel like you're gonna faint again, just let me know."

Pandora listened to him vaguely snatching random parts of what he was saying. Her head continued to pound mercilessly. "Big family," she murmured, "That must be nice." She shooed Tajma off her knee, unable to tolerate his warmth.

Tajma looked up at his mistress, most unimpressed. With his tail high in the air, he spared them a contemptuous look each and stalked out of the room.


She looked at him and nodded. "I suppose you should be going back. Tell Sarah I'm sorry." She stood up, her legs wobbling and betraying the attempt that she was making not to show how faint she actually felt. "I suppose you could see me to the study. Falling down the stairs at this point would make your efforts so far rather pointless."

She made her way over to the door and with a flick of her wand opened it. The spell drained her and she grasped the door handle for a long moment. She opened the door to the stairs and started to make her way up slowly and carefully. At the top of the stairs she opened the door to the study. The room was still wrecked. Torn parchments and books were strewn across the floor. The antique rosewood desk still lay in splinters where it had fallen, as was the chair. The leather chaise lounge was laying on its' side, the springs and stuffing spilling out onto the floor. There was also a thick layer of dust in this room and it was clear that Pandora had made no effort to repair any of the damage since it had been done over a year before.