John saw a small face towel was next to her. He dipped it into the bowl of water and rung out some of the water before folding it and placing it on her head as a cold compress.

Johns hand found hers and he gave it a gentle squeeze. Deep down he was worried about the woman but he had to deal with what was in front of him.

He listened to miss Wells before adding '"can I stay with her for a bit?"

She bit her lip and thought about it at first, then she said, "Doctor Wells is going to have to yell at me." She wanted very much to tell him that her brother wanted to send her away. Then she smiled, "I think he ought to see this regardless of his reaction. You are the solution if you still wish to marry her. But I would hate for her not to know she was getting married to you with the state if mind she seems to be in."

Her smile died.

Pippa heard none of it. She fixed her gaze upon the corner and the killer stood there mocking her..

John looked at Miss Wells and replied "if he wants to yell at anyone. Let him yell at me. I asked to see her. I'll take the blame!" He returned to Pippa taking her hand in his and gently stroking her hand with his thumb. He looked at where she was gazing and sensed energy in the corner of the room before returning back to Miss Wells. "And yes I do intent to marry her"

John sat on the bed and took her hand in his once more. He picked up the damp towel and proceeded to dab her forehead to remove the sweat and cool her down as best he could. He gently spoke to her. "Pippa, it's me John, can you hear me my love?"

Penelope gave a nod of approval. She said, "I am staying to keep it proper like at least, one less thing for him to yell about." She paused and moved to sit down at the small table just to be "watchful" by lollygagging really.

Pippa heard a voice through the whistling. But she couldn't tear her eyes away from the phantom. He smiled with those crooked teeth and the yellow stains, the sinister way he stood there leering.

He spoke to her, said things she had heard before. Her memory was jarred as she gazed at him, he had wanted to marry her. He had tried to get her alone many times, touched her too long during social events. She started to speak woodenly, "He tried to get me alone so many times... He planned this. I should have realized."

She furrowed her brow and stumbled from the bed and toward the corner and started to beat a tattoo against the walls, crying out with her efforts to dash him away. "He killed them all to get me. I hate him! I hate him!" She was hysterical.

John listened to her speak "who tried to pippa? How tried to get you alone?"John watched her body language closely. Was this fever, sepsis, or something else? John watched her closely.

He stood up as she made her way across the room and went to intercept her. He put himself between her and the wall to stop her hurting herself. "It's OK pippa. No one is here to hurt you. No one is gonna hurt you." He helped her back over to the bed. "Sit down pippa, who killed them pippa, who do you hate?" He let himself be the outlet. Let him take the blows to protect every one. He looked into her beautiful eyes before speaking "help us understand pippa, how did this to you my love?"

He had been out for far too long. Tristan picked up a steady pace. He hoped all was well. He hoped Pippa had slept through his absence and would still be asleep when he returned. He'd tell his sister goodnight - not even talk to her about tomorrow - and crash. He had a feeling he wouldn't sleep, but if he could just lie down in the dark for a few hours, that would help. Yet the closer he got to home, the more he worried that something had gone wrong and his sister didn't know how to handle it.

He entered the darkened hallway. There was light and a delicious smell coming from the kitchen. He relaxed. He took off his hat and coat and was just about to head for the kitchen, when he heard the commotion upstairs. Pippa yelling. And a man's voice. His heart fluttered.

He raced up the stairs, three steps at a time. He had been set up! It was a trap! He turned on the landing, dashed into his study, stumbling over his own feet and bumped into the desk, jerked the top drawer of said desk open and grabbed the loaded handgun he kept there. Then he bolted up the remaining stairs. Tristan hurled himself into the attic room and pointed the gun at...

"Jesus Christ..."

He lowered the weapon.

Pippa didn't see her intended, she saw the man she hated. "You killed them! I hate you!" She writhed free of his grasp before Pen could get the medicine to her. Pippa shoved passed the other girl and her eys darted wildly, sweat pouring from her face when she laid her gaze upon Tristan, "And you don't believe me... You think I'm mad... But he did it... He killed them all because of me.... It's my fault." And she finally started to slur her words, she wasn't actually awake.

Penny said nothing, not worried about Tristan as much as Pippa, she was close enough to slip an arm around the girl to keep her from falling hard, which happened rather quickly after that and Pen just fell to her butt whilst keeping the woman in her arms from further damage. And then she said softly, "Oh, Pippa... It isn't your fault." She gently caressed her face and hair until one or both of the men could lift the other off of her. "Don't either... Of you yell," she hissed at this point.

Johns ears had tuned to the footsteps coming up the stairs and bursting into the room. John saw the weapon but before he could react the gentleman had lowered his weapon. His attention back to Pippa. In a flash miss Wells had her on the floor.

John placed his hands under pippas arm picks picking her up and lifting her off miss Wells. "Easy Pippa, we are all here to help you" he said as he placed her on the bed. He repeated miss Wells statement "this isn't your fault my love".

He looked at them both in turn before asking "anyone care to shed some light on this?"

Tristan stood there uselessly as Pippa yelled at him. He didn't defend himself. Rather, he watched her with an intense sorrow, as if for the first time he realized the horrors she had gone through. He had known about them and had felt sorry for her before. But seeing her now, after speaking to Miss Zimmermann, it suddenly hit him with full force. And he realized what a complete and utter arse he had been all these months.

He was still useless as Pippa sank down and Penelope and Mr. Blacke supported her. Quietly, he took the bullet out of the gun and pocketed it and put the gun down on the table, but he did not approach. "Yes, but not now," he answered Mr. Blacke in a hushed voice. He looked at his sister sheepishly. "You better administer that medicine, if you can make her drink it. She'll sleep better."

Pen sagged in what looked like relief when he dodn't yell. "She screamed and I came up here to do that," she sighed and moved to give the dose to the girl and then looked to the others, "She was still feverish, talking like she was awake but I think she was sleepwalking. I recall someone at school doing similar." Once she was done, she moved to sit down heavily in the chair at Pippa's table.

Her hand covered her forehead.