"Where did you get that idea ?" , Faith inquired , as she bent down to retrieve the shears . "Ash and I are friends , that's it ."

      "Yeah , it is now , but we both know that you'd like for it to be more . I've seen the way you look at him when you think nobody's watching ." , Alex replied , in the same calm tone .

      There was silence for a few seconds , then Faith let out a sigh and said , "Great , just great . If it's that bloody obvious , I'm screwed . I might as well start looking for a new job when we get out of here ."

      "I doubt that it is to anybody else . I noticed because you remind me an awful lot of some other people I know ." 

      "Who ?" 

      Alex raised her hand and said , "Me , for one . I was in basically the same position not long ago ." She began beating the eggs and continued speaking , saying , "You see , Jake and I were best friends for a long time , and when I figured out that I wanted to be more than just his friend , I didn't deal with it very well at first . I didn't want to admit it for awhile , because I was afraid that he wouldn't feel the same way , and then we wouldn't even be friends anymore ."

      "What changed your mind ?" , Faith asked , as she rinsed the scissors and continued cutting the onions .

      "A big honkin' bunch of zombie soldiers ." , was the response . "We were in a position where we thought we could very possibly die , and I decided that I didn't want to take the chance of that happening without letting him know how I felt . I got lucky , and he felt the same way ."

      "Somehow I doubt that I'd be as lucky as you were ."

      Alex put down the whisk and asked , "What is it you like about him , anyway ? Yeah , he's easy on the eyes , I'll give you that , but what else is there ?"

      "He's smart , and talented , and he's really sweet once you actually get to know him ." , Faith stated . "He sort of puts on this playboy front , but I actually heard him telling CC once that he was sort of envious of him and the other guys , because they all have solid relationships . I think he's lonely sometimes , and he doesn't deserve that , because he's an amazing person ."

      "Then why don't you talk to him ? If that's true , he'd probably do handsprings if he knew you actually think that much of him ."

      Faith sort of snorted , and said , "Not likely ! Look on social media and you'll see the kind of girls he actually likes , and they're nothing like me ! He goes for lingerie - model , Playboy - centerfold type women , and I couldn't pull that off if I tried ."

      Alex rounded the counter and put her hands on Faith's shoulders , looking her square in the eye as she said , "If that's true , and those are the only things that matter to him , that basically cancels out almost everything you said about him ! And if that's the case , he's not worth bothering with . But if you're right about what kind of person he is , then I'd guess that he winds up with those girls because they're the ones that make themselves available , and he might actually be looking for a change . So at least think about it , okay ? Because it would be a shame for you to be wondering in a few years , 'What would have happened if ...' ."

      Faith nodded in agreement , and as they continued the breakfast preparations , she finally opened up and told Alex what she had seen in the bedroom : Ashley , gravely injured and bleeding , begging her for help .

      "I guess that makes sense of what Diana saw , too ." , Alex mused . "It had put up the illusion of being hurt , but instead of Ashley , she saw Molly , because that's what scares her the most ."

      After they had gotten the casserole in the oven and set the table , Faith turned to Alex and said , "I promise , I honestly will think about what you said , but I'd really appreciate it if you don't say anything to anybody else right now , okay ?"

      "If I wanted to do that , I would've just asked you right out there in front of everybody ." , Alex informed her . "But , I would like to tell Jake , if you don't mind . And it's not because I feel the need to tell him everything , but because he had a similar experience awhile back , and he might be able to give you some tips on how he worked around it . Can I do that ?"

      After a few seconds thought , Faith nodded an affirmative , and they finished working on the meal , with Alex slicing fruit and making coffee while Faith made waffles , transferring them to the warmer as they were done . Eventually , the casserole was done , and they called everyone to the table .

      They came filing into the dining room , with Jon and Yanni supporting Allan , and helping him into his chair . The food was passed around , and everyone complimented Faith and Alex on the meal .

      As they ate , nearly everyone observed that Faith was quieter than usual , seeming to be deep in thought . After everyone had finished , Crane and Joe loaded the dishwasher , and Faith said that she was going to go up to her room for a few minutes to call Todd , and would be back shortly .

      When she had disappeared up the stairs , everyone turned to Alex , and Jenny said , "Okay , spill ! What the hell was that about ?"

      "We had a talk while we were making breakfast , about what she saw the other night ."

      "You mean she told you , after she wouldn't talk to anybody else ?" , Andy asked incredulously .

      "Only after I basically guessed ." , Alex replied . "I kind of figured it out because I had a similar situation myself once , and I told her that ."

      "Would you care to enlighten the rest of us ?" , Ashley inquired .

      "I can't do that , she asked me not to . The only one I'm saying anything to is the one other person who'd actually understand what happened ."

      "And that would be ... ?" , Hawley asked .

      Alex turned to Jake , and said , "I think you should talk to her , babe . What happened to her ... . Well , it was basically the same thing that Jobe did to you in Dreyfuss' cabin ."

      Everyone was taken aback when Jake visibly recoiled , with a grimace crossing his features . His voice shook when he finally said , "Damn , that'll definitely leave a mark . I still have nightmares about that ."

      "What did he do ? You've never told us about anything like that ." , Diana said .

      "No , because I don't even like to think about it ." , he responded . "Alex knows , because she was there , and because I've woken her up more than once dreaming about it . I can't talk about it now , apparently , but I promise you guys that as soon as we get back to DC , I'll tell you the whole story ."

      The conversation was interrupted by Diana's phone ringing . She answered , and after a few seconds , she looked up and mouthed , "Chief Potter ." She listened intently for a bit , then related the facts of the wrecked vehicle , and their injured visitors , then ended the call .

      "Chief Potter said that they've had three reports of livestock killed since early this morning ." , she announced . "Apparently , people have been slogging out in the snow to check their animals , and she said that the count so far is six sheep , two cows , and three pigs . Apparently the bastard's still hungry ."

      "Indeed ." , Crane said . "Fortunately it didn't enter any more dwellings , and satisfied itself with the animals ."

      "As far as they know , you mean ." , Hawley interjected . "In this area , there's gonna be people living out where nobody's gonna be able to check on 'em for the next few days . So we can't say for sure that nobody else has been hurt ."

      "Or that they might not be ." , Jenny added , her tone grim . "Damn , I hate when he's right about things ."

      Hawley reached into his bag and brought out two metal containers , offering them to Jenny and Crane . They accepted them , and started moving around the house , smearing the contents around the doors and window frames . Faith walked down the stairs as they did this , walking into the living room to stand next to Hawley . "Some of your random what - not , Nicky ?" , she queried .

      He slung his good arm across her shoulders and grinned , saying , "Hey , I like to come prepared for anything , you know that ."

      Alex watched the exchange , and forced herself to maintain a neutral expression as she saw the glare that Ashley directed at the taller man . "Maybe he's a bit more interested than she realizes ." , she thought .

      As the day went on , everyone worked to find ways to occupy themselves , since the TV's , stereos , and the majority of the bands equipment was inoperable , due to the power outage . Jinxx , Jake , and Ashley pulled out some acoustic guitars and tried to get some work done , while the others read , played games , or just relaxed . 

      When it became darker outside , Crane lit the oil lamp and a few of the candles . Everyone agreed to save the flashlights for use while going to the restroom , or up and down the stairs , to conserve the batteries while minimizing the risk of fire from someone possibly dropping a candle while walking .

      Faith , Crane , and Jon carried the lamp into the kitchen , and Faith put a pan of water on the stove to heat for coffee or tea , while the two men rummaged the freezer for something to cook for dinner . Finding a packet of pre - cooked Italian sausage crumbles and some pre- made crusts , they decided to put together some pizzas .

      Jon spread sauce on the crusts , Crane topped them with cheese , and Faith added various toppings , making sure that there was something that everyone would enjoy by leaving one without cheese and topping it with an assortment of vegetables , since Andy had recently adopted a vegan lifestyle .

      As they worked , they became aware of a strange sound , which seemed to be coming from outside . From the living room , Diana called , "Are you guys hearing that in there ?"

      "Yeah , we're hearing it !" , Jon yelled back . "What the hell is that ?"

      Suddenly , something slammed into the back door , which opened onto the back porch from the kitchen . This was followed by a shrill squealing , which had Faith and Jon covering their ears , as Crane moved toward the door . Everyone else piled into the kitchen , seeking the source of the awful sound , so when Crane pulled up the blinds on the window next to the door , they all saw the source : An unknown creature straight out of a nightmare .

      "Yeah , I'm with Jon on this one ." , CC said . "What the hell IS that ?" 

A / N : Holidays are coming up , so I updated a day early this time ! Enjoy , and Merry Christmas , Happy Hanukkah , Happy Kwanzaa , and any other holiday I might have missed !