The breeze, along with the cold night air, hit Elyssa as she walked outside. She glanced around as a street lamp flickered down the road. He couldn't have gone far, could he? Yet, there was no sign of him.

"Dantes?" Elyssa called out as loud as she dared with hopes of not waking the neighbors. She tried again, and still no response.

This was another time her magic would have been useful she thought as she walked towards the sidewalk. She wondered how far he could have gone, or if he was angry at her. She was torn. Part of her was scared that he'd leave her over such a silly misunderstanding, and the other part was angry that he'd disappear without even asking her, or allowing her to give, an explanation.

"Dantes?!" She tried a third time, just a bit louder. Maybe it was a bit too loud as the lights in the house across the street lit up. She quickly ducked her head and walked back towards her car, pulling her jacket more tightly around her.

She sat in her car for several minutes, wondering what to do. Driving around aimlessly seemed almost fruitless. Obviously, after her chase of Leo earlier she knew she could cover more ground a lot quicker on foot, but like being a witch, those types of powers weren't exactly things you wanted people to possibly notice.

If he was running away, who knew how far he'd go, or how much distance he'd want to create between them. For all she knew, he was looking to get out of town. At least that's what she'd do if she was in his shoes. She'd run away if she thought he was cheating on her. She'd run as far as she could to try to forget. Somewhere where no one knew who she was, and where she could get a fresh start. Hell, she would probably leave everything behind that she had just to remove any possible reminders of her life with him. That's how painful such news would be to her.

If there was ever a time a location spell would come in handy, this would be it. She fretfully began tapping her fingers on the door as she tried to think of what to do. At this point she didn't have many choices. Besides running around all night, whether on foot or by car, there was only one other thing she could think of to do. The thought of it put her stomach in knots, although it was likely long past due.

Before she could over analyze it, she reached for her phone and did the only reasonable thing she could think of. It rang three times before it was picked up.

"Hello?" Elyssa asked indecisively.

"...Elyssa, is that you?" Annette's voice chimed over the phone.

"...Yeah. I ummm...I kind of need your help."

"It seems there's not enough to go around these days. Is everything okay?" Annette asked with a tinge of worry in her voice.

"No. It's Dantes. He's missing. I said something and he took off. I need to find him and I...my magic's gone so..."

"Understood. I'll need a few minutes. Let me...I'll text you the location once I get it."

A loud crash sounded in the background and then silence.

"Annette...Annette? Is everything okay?" Elyssa asked with worry in her voice.

"Yeah. Like I said, not enough help to go around. I'll let you know as soon as I figure it out," Annette responded, a bit rushed in her tone.

"Okay. Thank you Annette," Elyssa paused for a moment, "...It was nice hearing your voice again. I missed..." Before she could finish the dial tone sounded.

Elyssa's shoulders slumped as she sunk down into her seat. It didn't sound like Annette was still mad at her, at least not at the start. Although the way the conversation ended left her feeling differently. Yet another worry to pile on top of what she was already dealing with. Not that it wasn't already there, but the call brought it to the forefront of her mind again along with Dantes. She didn't know how much more of this she could take, but she did know she was close to her breaking point.

Before her thoughts could drift anymore she was startled by the buzz of the phone as a text from Annette came through with the location she was searching for.

"...Isn't that the...the cove?" she said under her breathe. It was one of the last places she would have thought of looking, and the complete opposite of what she would have done in the same situation. If someone hurt you, why would you go to a place that reminded you of them? The question left Elyssa perplexed as she started the car and pulled out of the driveway.

It didn't take long to reach the cove. It would have been faster on foot with her new found speed, but with everything that had happened she needed some time to think. The ride in the car with some music helped a bit, although not as much as she had hoped. In many ways she was afraid of confronting Dantes, afraid of what he'd say or what the result of their talk would be.

While she walked down the trail towards the cove, the knots in her stomach began to get even worse. Her thoughts started to run wild as she started to question everything. What was she doing here? Why should she be forced to chase after him when it was he who ran? Maybe coming here was a mistake she began to think.

As she neared where the trail dipped down into the cove below, her eyes searched the area. There was no sign of him although the cave within the cove was partially hidden from view as was the area heading towards it. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go down below. Maybe it was just nerves. For some reason she found herself torn over the decision.

"Don't think. Just get it over with," she told herself under her breath before taking the first step towards the bottom.

The climb down to the cove seemed to take forever. She hadn't been back here since the night she had found the rings that had helped her unravel the history she had shared with Dantes. It seemed different now, but she wasn't quite sure how. Maybe the mystery of it had worn off. Or maybe it was something else, something deeper and more personal.

At one time this place invoked such contradictory feelings in her. There used to be a feeling of danger when she was here. It wasn't necessarily evil, but a kind of fear of the unknown, of adventure and possibilities. The cove made her heart beat faster and she'd imagine that mysterious man from her dreams. When she met Dantes, and then later realized that mysterious man was him, those feelings only grew more intense. It was like a first date with the butterflies and nerves that threatened all of the excitement one felt. That was what she use to feel when she was here.

Now this place, this cove, seemed to lack every one of those feelings. Instead it seemed dull and almost creepy. Every little bit of magic she had once felt for this place had vanished. As she climbed down to the beach and her feet met the sand, she wondered if maybe the lack of feelings was a sign that things had run their course and it was time to move on.

Was that what she was supposed to do? The vision she had experienced before the battle with Aine had made everything so clear. It showed her how things were suppose to play out but for some reason her memory of it was foggy, as if it was slowly being erased. She shook her head trying to clear it, trying to bring back the memories of the way things were supposed to be.

She needed reassurance and whatever vision she had tried to hold on to was now almost completely lost. Was their relationship doomed? The more she thought about it, the more she realized it would only make sense if it was. If she was being honest with herself, most rekindled relationships didn't stand the test of time.

The only thing she could remember of that vision was that things would be difficult, and people would be hurt, particularly the ones she cared for. Maybe herself and Dantes realizing they weren't meant to be was one of the difficult things she foresaw. Maybe the pain was an emotional one due to a breakup. Was that it?

Again she shook her head. Logically it made sense. If only she could remember to be sure before she did something she'd regret. Why was she having so much trouble remembering the vision...

She was distracted mid thought as she neared the cave to find Dantes sitting at its entrance. His gaze was set upon the water, staring out at the waves crashing upon the beach. He didn't appear to notice her.

"...Hey," Elyssa said hesitantly. She could feel a nervousness overtake her as she approached him. Her mouth felt like it was full of cotton, making it difficult to form the words. Her body felt like it was locking up, making it hard to move naturally. She hadn't felt this anxious since high school, and the more she worried about it, the worse it became.

She wondered if Dantes was feeling the same. Somehow she doubted it. He sat completely still, his eyes refusing to move to her or anything else to acknowledge her presence in any way.

"...I'm sorry for earlier. What I said...It didn't come out...I mean I didn't do anything with...," she tried again, her mouth still not feeling quite right as she fumbled for the right words.

Finally he looked over and gave a slight nod before turning back to focus his attention upon the ocean. It didn't exactly give her a feeling that things were okay. Even if it had though, she wasn't feeling okay about everything either. In that sense, his response, no matter what it was, probably wouldn't have made a difference.

"Do you mind if I..." Her tongue was still tied as she stopped short of finishing her sentence but managed to motion to the area next to him. Again, he gave a slight nod while somehow moving even less than before in doing so.

She took a seat beside him upon the soft sand, and together they sat watching the waves as they rolled in and out. Other than the sound of the waves on the shore, it was quiet and peaceful, the exact opposite of how Elyssa was feeling inside. In a way it was oddly calm. The more she focused on the waves, the more at peace she felt. No wonder Dantes had retreated to this spot.

"I know why you came here now," she said softly.

"You do?"

She nodded, "The waves, the ocean, it's so peaceful. And the whole atmosphere, it's just so...I never noticed it before."

Her response was met with silence.

"Are we okay?" she asked, not sure if she really wanted an answer. She wasn't even sure that if she got an answer, which one she'd want it to be.

"Would you mind if we didn't talk about this right now?"

"So we're not okay?"

"I didn't say that. I just...it's just a little too much for me to want to think about at the moment," he responded, his voice low and solemn.

She paused for a moment and turned her attention back to the ocean.

"Do you hate me?" she asked.

He raised his eyebrow in her direction, slightly taken by surprise from her question.

"I could never hate you. Not in a million years. I'm just...," he became quiet, deep in thought before finally responding, "I don't come here for peace. I don't find peace here at all to be honest. Memories maybe, when things were better between us. But even those are painful when I think of the time we lost or how..."

He shook his head trying to forget as she watched him, seeing the pain in his eyes as he tried to reword his train of thought, "The waves and water, for me they're reminders. The waves always return to where they came, they adjust and move with the flow. Powerful, yet soft and a consistent reminder that no matter what happens life goes on. They just...exist."

She nodded and almost in sync with each other they both tried to force a weak smile. It was painfully obvious that neither was particularly feeling it. They both turned their attention back to the water, a deep sigh escaping Elyssa's lips.

Dantes, sensing the disconnect between them, reached his hand towards hers but she pulled away for just a second. From her reaction, and partly out of reflex, he did the same. So quietly they sat, uneasy and unsure of what to say or do next. They were like two kids on a first date, neither knowing exactly what was supposed to happen next or who would make the first move.

Finally, after several moments of overwhelming angst, Dantes broke the silence, "If there was a cure...would you take it?"

The question caught Elyssa by surprise. Obviously it was something she had mulled over quite a bit, but she also didn't have an answer and she wasn't really sure why.

"...I don't know," she finally responded. She could hear him exhale a deep breath, and she knew he wasn't happy about her answer. What else could she do though. It was honest, and she didn't want to get his hopes up. Wishing for a cure if none existed would only disappoint him more when the time came. Even if she did decide she'd take a cure, letting him think she wouldn't or was undecided would be a less painful let down if the worst should happen.

She glanced towards Dantes out of the corner of her eye and could see that his body had stiffened. Just as she thought, he wasn't happy with her response.

"There's something I need to tell you," he finally replied, his voice low and gravely serious. She nodded as she waited for him to continue.

"If I see Leo again, regardless of how innocent or not your encounter was...I'm going to kill him. I need you to know that."

His eyes were locked on hers the whole time he spoke. It was a quiet anger that resonated in his voice sending shivers up and down her spine. She didn't know how to respond, or even if she should. All she could bring herself to do was nod in reply.

The peacefulness she had started to feel earlier was now completely gone. It was replaced by something darker and much less comfortable. Watching the waves roll in and back out only reminded her of how one could get swallowed and drowned in a body of misery. Maybe their time together had run its course.

"...Before Aine, before the spell that...changed me, I had a vision," Elyssa shared almost reluctantly, "I saw what the future held. I remember being content...even happy with it. Extremely happy actually. But I can't remember what it was...I can't remember what I was supposed to do."

"The vision was a result of magic. You lose your magic, you lose the memories of what that magic brought," he replied matter of factly, "...Still not sure you want a cure?" His final question wasn't exactly mean sounding, but she sensed a tiny bit of sarcasm in it. It annoyed her a bit, and with how things were going she didn't understand why he'd want to push the issue in such a way.

They sat in silence for most of the rest of the night. Neither said a word, and they barely moved. So many thoughts were running through Elyssa's head that she started to feel overwhelmed. What should she do, what could she do?

With those feelings of desperation and despair, the hunger started to return. Maybe it had been there the whole time, but it wasn't until now that she actually noticed it. It was strong, almost unbearable. She had gone for too long without feeding.

Her eyes wandered over to Dantes. She needed his help but with everything that had transpired between them over the last several hours...it seemed wrong. How would she even ask him to do such a thing, to quench an appetite with something so intimate when their feelings...might change. And obviously at the moment neither of them were feeling it.

Dantes must have sensed what she was going through, as she was surprised to find his hand reach out towards hers again. Normally this act may have reassured her, or given her hope in a time of distress and disheartenment, but when she looked into his eyes she saw only pity and sadness. The butterflies she use to get when she looked at him were now replaced by nothingness. It was empty.

Without a word, they both stood and began the walk back to the car. Maybe that was a good thing, or at least the best they could have hoped for. At the very least they wouldn't taint what few happy memories they might each still hold of their precious cove. What the future held for both of them, they didn't know. What was certain though was that an act that normally should and had been filled with passion and love would, at least on this night, be one of trepidation and discontent.