London, 1726

Some stories begin with an ending.

It all happened so fast that Rowena still couldn’t say for certain what took place. When she thought about it, about what had happened that night, some parts were as clear as if they were taking place before her very eyes and others were simply beyond her recollection, like trying to remember the fleeting memory of a dream in the morning sunlight.

She had spent the day with her family that at least she was certain of. It had been her younger brother’s birthday and they had travelled into the city to the park, enjoying the simple pleasures of a picnic in the sunshine. Laughing, sharing stories they’d shared so many times before and would share many times again. Or at least. The rest of her family would.

“I said…Let me go!” Rowena brought her knee up sharply between their bodies, making his eyes water and giving her a moment in which to try and break free. She darted to the side, hoping to sidestep her attacker whose face was now a mask of agony, but his arm shot out to hold her back. The arm with the knife he had threatened her with still clenched in its palm.

Her eyes widened as she felt the blade slip with frightening ease between her ribs, robbing her of her breath. The eyes looking back at her widened too. Fear. Confusion. Sorrow. All mingling on the formerly lascivious face above her own. This was clearly not part of whatever vague plan he might have had. He moved back slightly, allowing a shaft of light to pierce the gloom between their bodies and reveal the red stain spreading across the pale material of her dress. It was her best dress, her favourite. Now it was torn and ruined. Soaking up her life as it steadily flowed from her.

“But…Why…?” Rowena looked up from the sight of her own blood now racing down her clothes to his face, eyebrows raised as she sought an explanation. Suddenly her knees gave way and she clawed out desperately as she tried to remain on her feet, her hands catching the lapel of his jacket and pulling him down to crouch before her as she slid down the wall before landing heavily on the cobbles below. Dress now marked with mud. Amongst the terror somehow that seemed to make her angrier than it should have.

“I never meant to…why did you have to…you stupid girl…!” He muttered before wrenching her hands from his clothes and stumbling hurriedly to his feet. Staggering, and then running, away with his footsteps echoing off the alley walls as Rowena’s brow furrowed and her body slumped completely to the ground.

Everything began to grow darker and she could feel her body growing colder and heavier with each passing second. Her eyes tried to focus on something, anything, to keep her mind from confirming what she knew was happening. That this was the end. She could see the flickering light of the gas lamp on the street, it’s dancing orange light dancing down the alleyway but not quite reaching her where she lay. Her lips moved in silent, futile attempts at summoning help but even if she’d managed to form the words and project her voice so that someone might hear. What did she think they could do when they found her?

Rowena wasn’t frightened and that surprised her. She had always thought death would be a terrifying experience but, in a way, she felt relieved. Struggles that might have troubled her in life would now never come. She would never experience the pain of watching her parents departing from this world, or her siblings. Peace was coming, she could feel it. A feeling of calm the like of which Rowena had never known, certainty that, despite it all, everything was going to be alright.

Somewhere she heard someone cry out for help and thought she heard someone approaching, even felt a hand vaguely shaking her shoulder. Telling her it was going to be alright. That they were coming, help was coming.

But she was already on her way. In truth Rowena was already dead.

Some stories begin with an ending. This is one such story.

London, 1726

Some stories begin with an ending.

It all happened so fast that Rowena still couldn’t say for certain what took place. When she thought about it, about what had happened that night, some parts were as clear as if they were taking place before her very eyes and others were simply beyond her recollection, like trying to remember the fleeting memory of a dream in the morning sunlight.

She had spent the day with her family that at least she was certain of. It had been her younger brother’s birthday and they had travelled into the city to the park, enjoying the simple pleasures of a picnic in the sunshine. Laughing, sharing stories they’d shared so many times before and would share many times again. Or at least. The rest of her family would.

“I said…Let me go!” Rowena brought her knee up sharply between their bodies, making his eyes water and giving her a moment in which to try and break free. She darted to the side, hoping to sidestep her attacker whose face was now a mask of agony, but his arm shot out to hold her back. The arm with the knife he had threatened her with still clenched in its palm.

Her eyes widened as she felt the blade slip with frightening ease between her ribs, robbing her of her breath. The eyes looking back at her widened too. Fear. Confusion. Sorrow. All mingling on the formerly lascivious face above her own. This was clearly not part of whatever vague plan he might have had. He moved back slightly, allowing a shaft of light to pierce the gloom between their bodies and reveal the red stain spreading across the pale material of her dress. It was her best dress, her favourite. Now it was torn and ruined. Soaking up her life as it steadily flowed from her.

“But…Why…?” Rowena looked up from the sight of her own blood now racing down her clothes to his face, eyebrows raised as she sought an explanation. Suddenly her knees gave way and she clawed out desperately as she tried to remain on her feet, her hands catching the lapel of his jacket and pulling him down to crouch before her as she slid down the wall before landing heavily on the cobbles below. Dress now marked with mud. Amongst the terror somehow that seemed to make her angrier than it should have.

“I never meant to…why did you have to…you stupid girl…!” He muttered before wrenching her hands from his clothes and stumbling hurriedly to his feet. Staggering, and then running, away with his footsteps echoing off the alley walls as Rowena’s brow furrowed and her body slumped completely to the ground.

Everything began to grow darker and she could feel her body growing colder and heavier with each passing second. Her eyes tried to focus on something, anything, to keep her mind from confirming what she knew was happening. That this was the end. She could see the flickering light of the gas lamp on the street, it’s dancing orange light dancing down the alleyway but not quite reaching her where she lay. Her lips moved in silent, futile attempts at summoning help but even if she’d managed to form the words and project her voice so that someone might hear. What did she think they could do when they found her?

Rowena wasn’t frightened and that surprised her. She had always thought death would be a terrifying experience but, in a way, she felt relieved. Struggles that might have troubled her in life would now never come. She would never experience the pain of watching her parents departing from this world, or her siblings. Peace was coming, she could feel it. A feeling of calm the like of which Rowena had never known, certainty that, despite it all, everything was going to be alright.

Somewhere she heard someone cry out for help and thought she heard someone approaching, even felt a hand vaguely shaking her shoulder. Telling her it was going to be alright. That they were coming, help was coming.

But she was already on her way. In truth Rowena was already dead.

Some stories begin with an ending. This is one such story.

"You are...?" Mathieu asked tentatively.

"Of course I am," Rowena smiled up at him. "You've become quite important to me you know..."

" I have?"

"Yeah, you have...now then maybe we should..."

Before she could say or do anything further about it, Mathieu had pulled on her hands, the movement catching her off guard and sending her stumbling forward into his arms. She looked up into his face and opened her mouth to ask what he was doing but he answered it before she could say a word. He bent his head over hers and kissed her. She tried to pull away slightly but it did no good, her body would not cooperate with her mind. She began to kiss him back before her head was suddenly filled with a thousand images at once. The Garden in Heaven, the G.P.O., Felix, Leo, the other Guardians and then another face, wearing a look of disappointment that hurt her inside to see. It was Ani's face. She was risking everything she cared for, everything she lived for. She was breaking Guardian rules and if she didn't stop it, she might not be able to go home again. This was a sobering thought and one that gave her the resolve she needed.

She pushed him away with all her strength, Mathieu stumbled back a few paces before looking at her, wide eyed and clearly confused.

"What are you doing...?!" She demanded flustered.

"Well...I...What did I look like I was doing?!" He retorted rather hotly. " I thought...well I thought..." He struggled to find the right words to explain himself properly. "You said...you said I was important to you..."

"Yeah, so?!" Rowena exclaimed. "At which point did I tell you I wanted you to kiss me?"

The two of them looked at each other, sorrow showing on Mathieu's face, bewilderment on hers.

"Look, maybe I should just go..." Rowena started to back away, 

"No wait...please...I'm sorry, I didn't..." Mathieu started to follow her but she held up her hands to stop him.

"Let's not make this any more awkward than it already is, eh? I'll...I'll see you around..." With that she turned and walked away as quickly as she could, not daring to turn back and see him.

She waited until she could no longer sense him there before making herself invisible and leaning back against a nearby tree. She covered her face with her hands and took a deep breath. This was a serious problem and one she wasn't going to figure out alone. She needed help with this one.

"Ani...?" She said quietly. Almost immediately he appeared before her. "Oh, it's so good to see a friendly face...oh Ani it's all going wrong...I'm not sure what..." She stopped speaking. The face before her was not concerned or friendly in the slightest, in fact it was downright furious.

"Would you care to tell me what the hell you're playing at?" Ani demanded.

"I beg your pardon..." Rowena was more than slightly taken aback by this.

"Don't come it! The pair of you were kissing! Ro, I'm surprised at you," Ani said admonishingly, his deep blue eyes narrowed.

"What?!" Ro shot back, hands on her hips and her own eyes little more than angry slits. 

"After two hundred years I expected better of you..." The disappointment in his voice was clearly meant to try and make her feel guilty, it didn't work.

"Oh stop it, I know what I'm doing...!"

"Do you?!" Came the sarcastic response.

"If you don't mind, he kissed me not the other way around..."

"Heaven's above! It doesn't matter who kissed who, Ro! Don't you get it?! The G.P.O. are furious, they're demanding an explanation and, between you and me, it'd better be a good one!" Ani's olive toned face was taut with anger and his dark eyebrows were low over his eyes.

"Why are you so worked up about it?" Rowena demanded sharply. "I've gotten into scrapes with the G.P.O. before and you've never been this...well..." She gestured to him as words failed her. "What's wrong?" She asked flatly.

"You know as well as I do how compromising it can be to become attached to those Humans we work with..."

"You and I both know this has nothing to do with Guardian Ethics Ani!" Rowena folded her arms across her chest. "Tell me the truth, why are you so wound up by what just happened...?" Ani lowered his eyes for a moment or two, looking down as he thought about how to phrase what he had to say. He looked back up and his eyes looked back into hers.

"I don't want to see you hurt,"

"But...you're not making sense Ani," Her arms unfolded as confusion covered her face.

"Rowena, don't you understand what I'm trying to tell you...?" His face changed, became softer, and he took hold of her arm, drawing her towards him.

"What are you playing at?!" Rowena tried to pull away from him.

"Ro, we've been there for each other for the last two hundred years! You know how I much I care for you..." He held her tightly. "And you can't tell me you don't feel for me too..."

"I don't believe I'm hearing this..." Rowena exclaimed, wrenching herself away from Ani. "So, it's alright for you to do this to me but not Mathieu?!"

"Mathieu is your charge...and I'm...well..." Ani started rather brashly but came to a sudden halt. "Well, I'm a friend..."

"Yeah..." Rowena frowned, "I thought you were too..."

With that she turned and, for the second time that day, walked away.

What in Heaven's name was going on? She had never felt so confused and angry in all her life.

She stomped angrily through the trees before coming to a rather sudden halt. 

A few metres away from her was a bench. Sat on the bench was a little boy. He looked to be about five or six, dressed in light blue shorts and a white t-shirt, with sandals and a baseball cap. He was apparently alone and apparently completely fine with being so. He also had the remains of an ice cream cone in one hand, which he licked at every so often. Rowena wandered over, all the while looking around, trying to spot whoever was with the little boy.

"Hey..." Rowena said softly, crouching down at the end of the bench. "What's your name...?" The little boy eyed her cautiously, as all young children do when a stranger asks them such a question. After he had decided she wasn't a threat he replied.

"Daniel Scott Burrell," He said proudly.

"Well, nice to meet you Daniel Scott Burrell," Rowena smiled warmly and offered her hand. "I'm Rowena,"

"That's a pretty name," Daniel admitted, shaking her outstretched hand.

"Thank you, I like it..." Rowena replied happily. "So, Daniel, can I ask how old you are...?"

"I'm six and ten months...soon I'm going to be seven..." He answered without any hesitation. "How old are you?" Rowena giggled.

"Well...I'm a little older than seven..." She said after a moment or two's consideration.

"Are you twelve...?" Daniel's eyes opened wide.

"Not any more," Came the slightly sad reply. "Shouldn't you be in school today Daniel...?"

"Nah, it's holidays," Came the slightly condescending reply.

"Oh yes, of course..." Rowena nodded, watching as the young boy glanced around and started to swing his legs back and forth. "Did you come to the park by yourself...?" He shook his head and started to hum to himself. Rowena was sure it was a nursery rhyme but that wasn't really the issue. "Where's your Mummy and Daddy...?" Rowena glanced around herself, looking for an adult who looked like they might have lost a child recently.

"They're lost," Daniel said frankly. "Would you like some of my ice cream..." He held out the soggy mess that was the remains of his ice cream cornet. Rowena looked at him and sighed.

"No, I'm fine...but are you sure it's not you who's lost sweetheart..." She ruffled his sandy hair.

"No I'm not...first we lost Mummy and now, Daddy's lost too..."

"What...what do you mean...?" Rowena asked, suddenly feeling afraid of the answer.

"She's gone to a nicer place...Well...that's what Leo said anyway..."

"Leo?!" Rowena felt as if she'd stopped breathing. "Who's Leo...?"

"He was my friend...but he's gone now..." Daniel looked thoughtful. "Maybe he went looking for her..."

"Where...where's your Daddy now then...?" Rowena persisted.

"Well, Daddy said that we'd lost Mummy, I think he's gone to try and find her but if she's lost doesn't that mean he'll get lost when he finds her...?" Daniel explained and asked with disarming honesty. Rowena felt as if she had fallen back into the boating pond, her blood felt like it had turned to ice.

"I...I don't know..." Rowena replied a few seconds later as she tried to swallow the painful lump growing in her throat.

"Uncle Robert says that we've lost Daddy too," Daniel sighed heavily. "I think that if I go looking for Mummy and Daddy, that I'll get lost and then I'll find them...what do you think...?"

"What do I think...?" Rowena repeated, trying to think of something, anything to say. "I...well...I guess..."

"There you are!" A voice exclaimed, brimming with happiness, anger and relief all at the same time. Rowena glanced over her shoulder to see a man running over to the bench.

"Hi Uncle Rob..." Daniel said gleefully as the man picked him up and hugged him tightly to his chest.

"Don't you ever run off like that again..." The man said as firmly as his trembling voice would allow. "What were you doing way over here anyway...?" He asked, putting the little boy down and taking his hand as they walked away from the bench.

"Just talking to the lady with the pretty name..." Daniel replied. The man glanced back at the bench. Seeing nothing there. He frowned slightly as they continued to walk away.

"What lady...?"

Back at the bench Rowena was crying. She couldn't stop herself even if she wanted to. Everything she knew, everything she cared about was crashing down around her. She'd fought with her friend, possibly alienated the only man she'd ever felt strongly about and now, as if it was needed, she'd just had confirmation that everything she and her fellow Guardians did was maybe for nothing. As the crowds in St. James' park milled about, laughing and smiling as they passed her by, sat on that bench, surrounded by hundreds of people, Rowena had never felt so alone as she did at that very moment.