Summary: Set in 1x6 "Nothing Matters." Instead of Vanessa heading back to the hospital with her best friend, Axel goes in search of Vanessa, so he's the one that finds her in the tunnels. Can he figure out what's wrong with her, so he can save her life? Will she be okay?

It was a dismal night, as Axel Miller walked, alert for any ferals, as he searched for Vanessa. She'd left, determined to find her daughter, Dylan, despite him telling her that if she had a daughter, her daughter was dead. She just wouldn't believe him. Now, Axel, a military soldier on a mission to protect Vanessa, had no choice but to look for her. After all, he'd been given the order before The Rising to keep her alive.

When he couldn't find her nearby, he went for another route, entering a sewer tunnel he assumed would lead to either vampires or Vanessa or both. He knew backup was a better choice, but knew he didn't have time to turn back now. Vanessa could be in danger. Just because she could heal quickly like a vampire, and turn vampires human didn't mean she was invincible. She was still human.

After several hours of walking, he found her on her back, no moving, and when he knelt by her, he saw a bite on her leg.

He layed his M4 down and rested a hand on the side of her face, which felt warm.

"Vanessa," he whispered as to not draw any attention to himself. "Can you hear me, Sleeping Beauty?"

After a few moments, he gently picked her up in his arms, as he grabbed his gun with a hand, ready just in case. Then, heading back the way he'd come from, he kept his gun pointed at the ready.

Several hours later, when he emerged from the tunnels, it was daytime. And as he walked, he continued for the hospital, which he soon arrived at.

Half an hour later, he was in the lab with her, which was when he layed her down on the lab table. He then set his gun down nearby and used his jacket as a pillow for her head. He then looked at the bite on her leg, which wasn't healing. That made him assume that something was in the wound. So, once he realized that, he checked it out, only to soon pull out what looked to be some kind of tooth of whatever had bitten her.

When Vanessa woke up, she saw that she was back on the lab table she'd spent three years laying on. She also saw Axel standing not too far away from where she was, as she sat up, feeling much better than she had when she'd blacked out.

Axel approached.

"How do you feel?" he questioned, and could see that her wound had finally healed.

"Better. Thanks, but how'd you find me?"

"Well, anyone smart enough would know there's not too many places for you to go that I can't follow you to," he replied to her. "Now that you're feeling better, how about we get out of dodge? We can go find your daughter, since your so determined to find out if she's alive or not. It's not like this place is going to hold off the vampires forever. If they want you bad enough, they'll eventually break in here."

"I'm glad you're starting to see things my way," she commented.