The house gets surprisingly cold at night. I hardly slept a wink in the first part of the night anyway but by three AM, cabin fever, homesickness and an overwhelming sense of curiosity had completely taken over and I couldn't stay there in that bed any longer.

I head down stairs with the light on my phone as a guide. I'm not afraid of the dark in any way but I felt like I needed a little light especially seeing as I don't know my way around yet. I make it to the kitchen and get myself a drink of water, lingering by the sink longer than I need to. In the movies when you grab a drink in the night, the person you want to see always meets you there by chance.

Alas I waited ten minutes but to no avail.

So I give up and chose to head back upstairs but when the bitter cold draft up there hits me, I decide against going back to my cold bed. While being stood literally frozen in the hallway just by my door, the strong moonlight coming through the windows lights up the path to that girls bedroom, now my phone screen is off it's the only light here, the door left ajar. I push it open enough for me to slip in.

It's then in the dark that the smell in this room stands out, very different from the rest of the house. A sweet and mildly strong aroma I hadn't noticed when in here earlier. I notice this is one of the few rooms aside from the dining room that has an open fire, though there's no way I'll be able to light it. I take a seat on a soft chair nearest the fire regardless and make myself comfortable, resting my head. I also pull a big cushion from the other chair and lay it across me, planning to stay here for the time being.

I lay my head back and stare up at the ceiling where the painting in this room also captures my attention. It's just as abstract as the rest of the ones in the house but I still find myself unable to look away. My eyes eventually begin to droop as I become comfortable and notice that this room is no where near as chilly as the rest of the house.

It's when I'm mere seconds from falling into a somewhat peaceful slumber that a noise sounds throughout the room and I'm jolted awake. The eerie creaking of a door causes me to throw my head in that direction and I hold my breath, sinking further into the chair so I'm not seen.

The silhouette of a tall and broad seemingly male creeps in and quietly closes the door before lethargically making their way over in my direction. As far as I can tell he hasn't seen me so I just sink further back into the chair. There's also a very slim chance of me managing to slip out of here unnoticed. When he gets too close for me to be able to hide I just make a small movement and it's then that he sees me.

I prepare myself for a fight but he just cries out in response and falls back. I hold my hands up in surrender now that I know it's just August.

Even though it's dark, I can tell he's still staring hard in my direction.

"August?"

He doesn't reply but instead goes a little limp after a moment.

I smile uneasily in his direction even though I know it's hardly visible. "Hey, are you okay?"

"What- what are you doing in here?" He exclaims, a hand on his chest.

I purse my lips in silence not sure how to answer that question. Because the rest of the house is the North Pole in comparison to this room and I couldn't sleep in my own room? "I could ask you the same thing."

"Yeah, except this is my house." He snaps back rather harshly. I frown to myself.

"Sorry," I sigh.

"No, I'm sorry." I watch him droop into the chair next to me. "I thought you were someone else."

"Really?"

He sighs loudly. "I guess it's a bout time I told you about my wife."

"Wife?" I echo under my breath.

"Yeah, she isn't here anymore. She was murdered. But this was her room and when I heard something in here, I came in. Then to find out it's you." I can hear that there's a frown on his face.

"What do you mean murdered?"

"D.A.R.E used her against me and because I refused to do what they said, they killed her." He says sadly. I watch as his fist that are sat in the moonlight curl and shake with anger. "I will make them pay, but I still don't know how."

"They killed someone that I cared about too." I whisper, knowing that its not fair for him to tell me something so private and I, not do that same.

"Really?"

I nod. "He's not dead but the man they took is gone. Just a shell of him is left now and I'll never get the rest of him back." I mutter, a lump forming in my throat talking about-

"Jack?"

I suddenly look to August dimly lit face. "Yeah, how did you know that's who I was talking about?"

"I, uh, I know a lot that would surprise you." He says clearing his throat, uneasy again.

I shoot him a curious look, not that he can make it out but he gets the point and wriggles nervously. He's said mysterious stuff like that a couple times now and I want to know what it means. "Try me."

"I mean I guess you wouldn't be here, had you not have trusted me..."

"August, I trust you."

He sighs again. "I know, Willow. I just don't want what I'm about to say, to scare you."

"Why would it scare me?"

"It'll bring up a lot of memories and probably change a lot of stuff you thought you already knew."

"That's a big promise to make." I say with my eyebrows raised. "Are you sure you're not just sleep deprived?"

"Oh, I assure you I am. But this is coming from the one crystal clear part of my mind. One that I've been meaning to share with you for a long time." He says wistfully and I can't truthfully say I'm not worried now.

He gets up from the chair and walks slowly over to the one I'm comfortably sat in, knowing it's big enough for the both of us but I'm so afraid of what he's about to say that I don't know if I want him close to me right now. I begrudgingly allow him to sit down but turn away from him allowing the painting to take my attention yet again.

"It's warm in here, isn't it?" He muses, momentarily changing the topic. I nod. "I don't know why but all the heat in the house rises into this room. I gave it to Ella because she was always so cold..."

I hold my breath at the mention of her name. Ella.

"Anyway, back to business. I just want to see that look on your face when I tell you this." He explains somewhat solemnly after making himself comfortable.

"Okay? Please, stop keeping me in suspense."

"There's just so much to tell, I don't know where to start."

I blow air through my nose in annoyance. "It can't be that important then can it."

Where he's sat now is right in the line of the moon light coming through so I can see the crushed look in his eyes as he finally opens his mouth to begin telling me. "I was there the day you lost Jack."

I sharply look to him, my heart stopping in it's place for a few moments before I gasp for a breath. "H-how do you- what could you you- why?"

"I've known Jack longer than I've known you but for worse reasons, but yes. I was there that day, on D.A.R.E's side in place but not in heart. I wanted to help you both out that day but Jack had other plans."

"What do you mean?" My eyes are wide as I listen to his story.

"Believe it or not, I used to lead a normal life, far from both bad and good. Until D.A.R.E one day decided to use me as their drug mule. I didn't know so they caught me red handed."

"Who did?"

"Your agency. Back when Jack was working for them, before he became your partner, even." He says with disgust in his voice, he obviously doesn't like Jack. "He swore to bring justice and didn't believe me when I said I had no idea what I carried was drugs. I really didn't know. So I went on the run and D.A.R.E saw that as me not sobbing them in."

"You became one of them." I finish for him and he nods.

"I was trapped. I tried to live a normal life, occasionally doing deeds for them when they gave me no choice until one day, my fiancé begged me to stop when she found out. I told her I would but they k-" He has to stop talking for a moment. "They killed her." He strokes the chair we're sat on, absentmindedly.

I place a hand on top of his.

"Jack was always after me and rightly so, I technically am one of the D.A.R.E members. It's why he joined D.A.R.E. So he could get to me, for some reason he thought I was the mastermind behind the plans." August bitterly chuckles. "He couldn't be more wrong."

"D.A.R.E were probably framing you because you were a weak link." I sigh. "Jack always did take his work far too seriously."

"You can't afford not to in this line of work, though."

"So let me get this straight. This is all down to Jack? He's trying to get to you because he thinks you're leading D.A.R.E."

August nods.

"So where do I come into this? Why didn't you run and never return when you had the chance?"

"Because they'll eat you alive." He says in a low voice. "I know what it's like to have D.A.R.E after you when you haven't really done anything wrong. It's the worst way to die. I remember seeing you that day, the day Jack came for me and left you. You were so broken and I vowed to find you one day and get you out of here."

I stare into his eyes and realise he's being completely serious.

"Why?"

"In some ways you remind me of my wife, I think." I don't know whether thats a complement or not... "But I'm here now and I'm saving you because I..." He pauses.

"What?" I get annoyed at him always leaving me in suspense.

"I can't se someone do pure being ruined by people like D.A.R.E. and that corrupt agency of yours. I know you have the big potential to bring them down and together, we can do anything, Willow." he holds out a hand that's shaking slightly. "Please, say that you'll join me in making everything right again."

I hold my breath. "Promise me on thing."

He nods.

"That we will do it the right way."

"Of course."

And with that I take his hand and shake it.