It was strange to see someone like him out in someplace like this. His pale skin and very skinny body just screamed that nature wasn't for him. He didn't really have a lot of strong muscle, just meat to take up form. After all, it was only there because Morose made sure Jex ate every day. Well, he had. Jex had been avoiding the apartment a little bit, and places he'd been with his friend. Thoughts were too jumbled when he remembered, it was best he be where there were no memories. Like here, just a little east of the LaCroix.

Between both of his jobs, there wasn't much time to do much other than think and walk so he took to sleeping like he had when he was homeless. Against trees, in ally-ways, on the steps of an old building. He wouldn't go to the cemetary's anymore, though. As peaceful as they may appear, Jex couldn't do much more than be plagued with guilty thoughts and memories.

His sleeping habits accounted for his messy appearance. His hair wasn't combed, his clothes were spotted with dirt and stains. The t-shirt was white so it showed its wear easily, the jeans didn't belay much but would in another day or two.

Jex's bony arms were folded against his chest, his knees were drawn up and his head was pointed down. He wasn't that far off of the blazed trail in the park and was easy to spot if you were looking. Almost completely vulnerable.

The reason Jex made such a good victim was because he just looked so... pitiful and weak. He was an easy target, who looked like he could use a bit of cheering up.

And this is why Logan sauntered up to him, in his usual attire. A long, long, longsleeved striped black and white shirt that was very soft cotton, and swallowed Logan's hands and still went on a couple more inches. For pants, black ones that were too baggy for him, and were only staying where they were because of the leather belt. The pants had plenty of pockets and chains, and looked what any other teen's looked like.

He eased beside him, carefull silent, black and white hair all in his face.

"Hey you," his voice was soft, like the gentle coo of a dove, "Why're you out here all by your lonesome?"

Quietly, so that the person encroaching in his space wouldn't hear, he mumbled out the reason he was out here all by his lonesome: because he wanted to be. Didn't anyone appreciate the goodness of a little silence anymore? Well, maybe not. After all, this guy looked like he only wanted to help and while Jex had learned that appearances can be decieving, he hadn't yet learned when to and not to be nice to people. For instance: now when he wanted to be left alone.

"Oh I'm just.." he'd trailed off because he looked up. Morose had some pants like that. Actually, the pants were the same kind that he'd pulled a strap off of and made into a tourniquette. There was no escaping it, was there? It was quite easy to see the sadness Jex felt. If you concentrated hard enough, you could even see the sinking sensation that he, himself, had been feeling.

"..here."

"And that's it? It troubles me to see such a sad face, you know. Is there something on your mind, dove?" He asked, pushing his bi-colored hair out of his eyes, smiling weakly, like one would expect a saddened person to do. It was a rather melancholy smile... heartfelt, and all that. It's a pity it was fake.

"Mind telling me, if there is? Just someone to listen, you know.."

His mind had gotten such a throw at being reminded of Morose and all of his troubles again, that he didn't even stop to be bothered by the fact that he was being called a pet name by someone he didn't even know. No one had ever used a pet name with Jex. It just wasn't something that worked. Under normal circumstances, that is. But Jex doesn't quite know that Logan isn't normal.

The head with the frizzled and matted hair turned to follow Logan, its eyes still stuck on those straps. He didn't want to tell anyone. Telling someone would just dredge up more memories and unwelcome feelings. He feels bad enough right now, at least let him feel bad and not remember why for a few more minutes. But it didn't work, his thoughts were back on Morose in an instant, confusion and guilt creeping up his spine.

"I'd really rather...not.."

"Mmm. And I'd rather not... shall we say, invade on you. I apologize." He said quietly, in that silky, sweet, soft tune he used with everyone, before he attacked. Little did Jex know, he had weapons concealed in those pockets, and weapons that aren't even solid. Telekinesis did wonders for Logan's ego.

"Tell me, if you would, what your name is? Or, if you are so inclined to keep it private, I'll forget I asked."

He wasn't wallowing in despair. He wasn't even sinking in it. Just dwelling there, with guilt creeping up on the sides and letting floodgates of memories and feelings wash and permeate his mind. The pants had been a trigger and now Jex is trying to figure out what could have gone differently. His analytical nature wasn't kicking in. He didn't remember that there was nothing he could do now to change the past. He was just strung along on his emotions, vaguely aware of the person next to him.

His name left him without his consent because he hadn't realized that there was a world outside of the straps and the horrible mess he'd gotten tangled in.

"Oh, Jexxxx. Such a pretty little name you have." He ran a black-lacquered fingernail underneath Jex's chin, smiling a slightly possesive smile. Logan's found a new toy, that's already broken. Wonder if it's capable of breaking even more?

Of course, anyone would be slightly weirded out by a new acquaintance being so familiar with them. But Jex wasn't just weirded out a bit. He was shocked out of his reflection and jerked away from the intruding newcomer. When did they guy get so close to him? Why was he speaking so strangly?

And then Jex was accutely aware that he was in the middle of the woods, alone with someone who was acting all too intimate.

But instead of screaming for Logan to get the hell away from him, he looked up with a slightly frightened face and spoke with a new tremor of urgency in his voice.

"I'd really rather be alone right now."

Logan clicked his tongue up against the roof of his mouth, smirking and shaking his head slightly. The sound sounded something along the lines of 'tut, tut, tut' but words cannot correctly describe the sound, or the effect it had at this moment. It was sort of, to give you the idea, the almost disappointment of a parent, who's shaking their finger at you because you didn't do something, or as a warning. Something like 'tsk tsk'.

"Alone? You? Why?" He purred, letting Jex have a little space for now.

With a little hand gesture, though, vines went snaking their way around Jex's body.

Even parents can sound frightening when they're reproving a child. From Jex's point of view, the ticking of Logan's tongue was akin to the ticking of a time bomb waiting for the right moment to explode and kill. He backed farther away.

"Alone? You? Why?" Sure, he'd backed off, but his inquisitions suggested anything but. Jex had a strange feeling that Logan wasn't going to be backing off in the slightest.

His body gave a jerk and his stomach muscles spasmed lightly when something wrapped itself around him. Jex was by no means strong, half-starved as he was, and adrenaline wasn't going to make him strong enought to pry things off. Though all hell couldn't stop him from trying.

"Get these things off of me!"

"Aw, whassamatter, Jex?" He cooed, inching closer to Jex, in such a way that teased and taunted and scared some of his victims all at the same time. "I won't hurt you..." He trailed off, coming closer to him, purring the word "much" into his ear.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" He asked, as the vines continued to tangle around Jex everywhere but his face. And he let them squeeze, like a snake would to its prey. "Just," he paused, carresing Jex's face. More like his jawline, though. "Like," he continued, smirking, if only faintly. "You."

"And now what should I do with you, hm?"

Jex turned his head as far as he was able. If there was any possible way to keep those fingernails away from his neck and head, he'd have done it. Eyes squeezed closed, there was no where Jex would rather be then back at the apartment sitting at the table with Morose and talking. Just talking.

But instead, he was here and being spoken to by someone as far opposite from his good friend as it was possible to be. He was vulnerable as he'd ever been and it had happened in an instant. He was only recently inducted into the world of the initiate, so he hadn't yet learned that a person could be dangerous without muscles or weapons.

"Please let me go...just let me go away!"

The struggling against the vines hadn't done anything to improve his situation and pleading for his life is never a way to be set free. If he were thinking properly, he'd have realized long before now that people are doomed as soon as their caught if they don't have a plan. No amount of talking will save them if the assailant's mind is made up. But Jex thinking rationally and Jex afraid for his life are two different people. They don't get along well.

"Words won't save you now, love." And the vines only squeezed harder, throns slowly seeping into Jex's skin. Logan bent over Jex's form, his own form hovering over his, and then leaned down to kiss his struggling prize.

Then he let the kiss be broken, still hovering over Jex's lips, however. "The more you struggle, the worse it gets, and the far more enjoyable it will be for me to watch."

(Ack, short. *dies.*)

Jex tried to call out to someone, anyone that might be in the near vacinity, but instead of a plea for help there was a cry of pain. Small pinpricks pushing their way into his skin just kept grinding in.

And then he was kissed.

Gross.

He spat into his attackers face and felt dirty and disgusted. That was what he wanted?!

Jex tried to move, the thorns pushed in. He tried to get away, the thorns pushed in and wound tighter. He couldn't do anything. Jex was helpless against this man--no, this teenager--and he was once again wishing to be home with thick curtains blocking light and a cup of coffee in his hands. He'd even be happy to sleep that cheep matress with minimal covering if only Logan would stop and leave him to his own miserable thoughts.

Logan wiped the spit off his face, and only smirked wider. "Oh, so feisty, Jex." He cooed again, sitting back out of the way of Jex's face, now. "Can you tell me, who would miss you, when you're gone?" He asked, digging sharp nails into the side of Jex's neck.

"You look so skinny... and so delicate. And so... starved. Who would miss that?" Hew paused, thoughtfully. "But you're so pretty... I wonder how that goes over. You must have someone who would miss your presence. Sex toy, maybe?" He smirked.

At one time, Jex might have replied that no one would miss him. Well, he wouldn't have replied, but he would be thinking it. It was different now, though. He knew someone who really would miss him. In fact, Jex hated to think what would happen to Morose if he weren't around. That night in the park he was ready to die and the only reason he wasn't completely dead was because Jex didn't want him to be. It was hazy just who needed whom more, Jex or Morose. They aren't in any sort of romantic relationship, but the fact still remains that if one of them dies, the other is probably soon to follow.

"You must have someone who would miss your presence. Sex toy, maybe?"

That was something Jex wanted to defend. He didn't find men attractive and if this guy was going to have his way with him, Jex wanted it to be made clear where he stood. Sure, it wouldn't help him any, but Logan wouldn't be inciting any "forbidden desires" no matter what he did, at least he wouldn't be able to gain satisfaction from that.

However, maybe Logan's taunting was something he could use...if this kid knew how to move things without even touching him, then the threat of a vampire would hold some weight.

Right, Jex didn't go through each and every thought that clearly. In fact, everything was pretty much jumbled together. But he had to try something.

...too bad he was too frightened to speak.

Logan didn't exactly know what he had in mind for this new victim of his, exactly, but he had vague intentions of torturing the hell out of him, if not killing him. He leaned incredibly toward the killing side of things, however, since Jex was mildly... well, boring. He wasn't even responding, and it made this little thing he was doing so much less fun. In fact, he was more than mildly boring.

"Do you like death, Jex? Do you like the sound of it?" He murmured, quite softly, staring down at him. Because with just a flick of my wrist," he began, and paused, gently moving his wrist to indicate motion, and the vines snaked their way slowly up to his neck, "you could be dead."

"It would be pleasant, wouldn't it?" He asked, snaking his hand through the vines as if they weren't the intricate puzzle they were, to rest his hand on Jex's chest.

It didn't matter if Jex were dead or otherwise. Logan would have his fun with him.

"I already know someone dead and it's not all it's cracked up to be."

He tried struggling a bit more but just couldn't make any progress. Things might be different if he had some sort of power, were even the tiniest bit magic but he wasn't. The truth was that, power-wise, Jex was very boring. No muscles, no powers and his incredible mind was useless when he was scared.

But he did have a powerful friend who possessed all of the above. What time of day was it again?

"Oh? Is it, now? That's too bad. I'd imagine it'd be quite pleasurable." He smirked pretty widely. "Then again, I wouldn't exactly know that."

He pressed his sharp nails into Jex's chest pretty hardly, capable of doing minro damage, and leave at least a puncture.

Meanwhile. The vines squeezed violently some more, harder than they had been before, making the thorns press against Jex's bones.

"You'd probably be the kind of vamp to--" the plants that were so deep into him that it was difficult to breathe. His voice was cut off because of pain and coughs that sent the thorns even further into him. He didn't bother to finish, he couldn't remember what he was going to say and it probably wasn't going to be all that witty anyway.

It was so intense, he'd never felt anything like it. Physical pain was something he'd never been able to abide. While he was trying to bite down the screams, a name left his mouth. The name of a certain red-headed vampire.

Now the thorns grinded, trying to go deeper, but halted, and a pair of large invisible hands proceeded to choke Jex even more, so tha it'd be even more difficult to breathe.

His face twisted into a snarl, and he pressed deeper with his nails, making the hole bigger. The nails acted almost like... claws, tearing away at tender flesh.

(What do you want to do with this? Have Logan actually kill him, or just leave him, thought to be dead, but still barely alive?)

Perhaps it was a good thing that Jex was so boring. If he'd been exciting and a challenge, Logan might not have stopped at strangling him. He'd probably have done worse than ripping a hole in Jex's chest. The only bad thing about being boring was that he probably didn't satiate the boy's lust for blood. More people than Jex were probably going to die that day.

He tried to scream, to call out as if that would somehow aleviate his pain but the choking stopped any sort of sound from getting past his lips. Redness began to swell his face and it felt as if it would burst with the pressure. Jex's eyes became unfocused and they began to blur and his vision got clouded and dark. His chest started to scream at his brain but it had no way of expelling the rotten air from inside it. Things became numb; his brain became foggy. Jex was dying at the hands of this young monster.

His last concious thought was that it shouldn't have been this easy for this maniac to kill him. He was thinking in past tense, already knew he was done for.

((I'd really rather he stay alive but do what you think you should))

Actually, it was bad that Jex was boring. Either way, he would've done worse to him than simply strangling him and ripping a hole in his chest. And now, he had the added factor of not satisfying his lust for blood. So, he would've been better off being exciting. As it was... well, Jex's chances for living were pretty slim. If he would've put up an interesting challenge, Logan probably would've spared his life, and hunted him down later, for future torturing. But now, poor Jex had no chance of surviving. (Notice it went from slim to none?)

Logan pushed his hand down, reached in one of his pockets with his left hand for a knife, and deepened the hole... until when he pressed his hand down, he felt... internal organs?

Then the hands stopped strangling, turned into massive jaws, and sunk into Jex's neck. The vines squeezed again.

Logan found the need to break a few ribs with his bare hands.

Then, everything fell away, the vines snaked back up a tree, the hands/jaws relaxed, and Logan stood.

He found Jex sufficiently dead. Even though, barely, he was still alive.

It looked like an animal had killed him (or almost) so it was no problem. Logan smirked, turned on the heel of his boot, and waved to Jex.

(See. Still alive, barely.)

This

The feelings had just suddenly disappeared. It was like one moment, he’d felt the panic in the pit of his stomach, and fear great enough to make him, the undead, feel cold. And even in the midst of it, he’d felt a brief sense of...familiarity? (When Jex was thinking about Morose.) Then it had all just...stopped. He’d paced the hall way in the building until finally the land lord had told him to either go back into the apartment or go somewhere else. And since it had been evening, he couldn’t leave so he’d retreated to the apartment until the sun sunk.

The moment the sun sunk, Morose had burst out of the building and stalked the streets. His proweling took him on a path towards a cemetery he’d already looked through. He wasn’t sure exactly why he’d gone that way but something about it felt right. It was like something was willing him to go that path. The prowling brought him close to the city’s conservation area and wooded area. That’s when he felt another strange feeling growing. It wasn’t panic this time. It was almost like grief, or maybe the word is a need.

Curiosity killed the cat, but he isn’t a cat. Morose entered the wooded area, cloaking himself in the darkness and shadows. Only his red hair stood against the black. He’d walked for a while and now stopped, crossing one arm over his chest, locking his fingers over his shoulder. Now what? He was thinking about turning around and going back. This feeling wasn’t normal and it was beginning to make him suspicious. He didn’t realize he was standing only a few feet from where Jex lay.

Normally, Morose would have known if anyone stood within twenty feet of him, but this feeling, it was drowning everything else out.

With Morose standing only a few feet away, one might wonder why he didn't gag on the smell of Jex's blood. Gods knew it was everywhere. Surprisingly, he wasn't dead yet, only teetering on the edge of this world and the next.

Morose didn't smell the blood, but even if he had, he wouldn't have gagged rather then gotten excited on the scent. Then he would have gotten pouty for days about his reaction to the blood. But anyways, he didn't smell the blood. He didn't see Jex or hear his breathing. The feeling was so new and made him so suspicious that it distracted everything about him.

But then he turned to leave. Blood, no matter how dark it is, gleams in the faintest light. It gleamed on the leaves and ground. Suddenly, the feeling in his stomach didn't matter. He was washed over with the scent of it. His eyes swooped over the scene and widened as they well on the only too firmiluar body of his friend.

Morose dropped to his knees beside Jex, immediatly and thourghly soaking the knees of his pants in blood, crusting them in dirt. He reached out and his big hands hoovered over Jex's body, stopping an inch off as if afraid to touch him. He finally slipped his hand under Jex's hand.

"Jex?"

What about darkness makes everyone want to whisper? He whispered Jex's name as if afraid that whatever did this would hear. But without the distraction of that strange feeling, he could hear better then any average human.

Jex had barely heard Morose. The blood loss took a heavy toll on him. After being beaten and nearly ripped to shreds, his body abandoned any unnecessary functions in favor of keeping itself from death. As a result, his hearing was shot, he couldn't speak (though that could be from the many puncture marks and bite wounds that riddled his neck) and his eyesight was blurred. He'd been slipping in and out of conciousness, out of agony, for the better part of two hours. It was only by a stroke of luck or by sheer coincidence that he happened to drift into the world of the waking when Morose kneeled next to him and took his hand.

Jex was looking out through the bottom of his lashes and when he knew it was Morose, he knew he was in safe hands. Morose wouldn't let anything happen to him. Morose would know what to do; he would help.

His lips twitched in attempt to do the impossible: smile. Instead a strangled, gurggling sound came from his throat and a weak and wet cough smattered with blood emerged. He tried to close his fingers around his friends hand but he couldn't: his arms and legs were numb.

Morose watched Jex try to smile, listened to the wet coughs and sounds that his friend made a strangled sound came from his own throat. His lips were turned down in to corners, his eyebrows scrunched togather in a forcful expression, willing himself not to break down. He could feel the stinging behind his eyes that usually meant if his tear ducts still worked that he'd be crying.

What could have happened? Was Jex going to die? And he hadn't been here to protect him. He'd let him leave the apartment in that distracted mood. Was he going to die because Morose couldn't protect him?

Morose wouldn't let him die. The thought of Jex dieing right here in his arms was enough to fight back any emotions, numb himself from reality and pull himself togather. Time for yet another visit to the hospital. But first he had to get the bleeding to stop.

Morose pulled his shirt over his head to reveal a pale, bone showing but otherwise flawless and nearly hairless torso. He began to rip the shirt into strips but there were so many open wounds on Jex that the shirt wouldn't cover it all. Oh well, the most severe could be clotted at the least. By the time he was done, the majority of the shirt had been wrapped around Jex's neck, bandaging all the bite marks and thorn punctures.

Morose's hand slid under Jex's neck and knees and he lifted him with thin arms as though it was nothing. The inhuman strength was something Morose usually tried to hide, but right now, he just wanted out of the woods and too a doctor.

"I'm gonna get you help. Stay awake. Try to stay awake."

He started to walk through the woods. He was suddenly very afraid that if Jex went to sleep, he may not wake up.

Morose might want to get a move on if he wants to be at the hospital before Jex falls to sleep again. He might want to step lightly, though. It's amazing that no major blood vessels were punctured in Jex's neck, and even more amazing that none were severed when Logan so maliciously broke into Jex's chest. If Morose travels too roughly, he may do more damage than good.

Through the fuzz and haze that settled around his mind, Jex recognized the command he'd been given and fought to keep his eyes open.

No worries. The journey will be smooth. It's another bonus to being a vampire, though Morose would never admit it if you asked. Vampires seem to have a gracful way of flowing around instead of running or walking. Morose, having nothing better to do with his time, perfected the technique. It's doubtful Jex would even realize they were moving except that the scenery was changing around them.

It took a while to get out of the trees and wooded area without getting Jex further injured and even longer to hail a cab. Eventually, Morose gave up trying to call a cab, no one wanted to transport a bleeding man anywhere, and he began to walk, short cutting through allyways to get to the hospital. How far could it be?

Hopefully not too long. Jex might have been able to hang on since the initial attack, but the severity of his injuries wouldn't allow him to sustain life for much longer. Already his breathing was getting shallower and his heart was slowing down.

Shockingly enough, it didn't take so long to get to the hospital eaither. Maybe Morose was moving a little faster then human speed. The way a vampire would move in a blurred motion that most don't actually see the movment but sense it. Hey, can't blame him. He panicked.

The red-head entered the emergency room with a nacked torso and a bleeding man in his arms to find...you guessed it...the same nurse that was on duty the previous night. The one that had given them trouble. She looked up pleasently.

"Mr. Patton, we're back already?"

Morose glared at her. He didn't have time for her games. He opened his mouth to say 'Riddle. Not Patton," but rememberd that was the name he'd given for himself. He nodded instead.

"I need a doctor. Now." A stiff, humorless demand. It's the death voice. Morose never uses that voice.

This time, as opposed to the other, the nurse was able to realize that there was, in fact, a dire need for a physician. She couldn't just ignore the near dead man in Mr. Patton's hands.

She immediately sent the message to the beepers of any doctor or nurse available. A few other nurses were rushing the gourney and preparing to take Jex from Morose's arms as gently as possible. Then again, they didn't exactly have a vampire's grace and fluidity.

The receptionist nurse tried to lead Morose away, but she was never one for gentleness. Which is probably why she was the one in charge of triage.

Morose scowled at the nurses coming to take Jex from his arms and briskly walked past them, lying Jex down on the gourney on his own, carefully. He then did not move away from the man's side but wrapped a fist around one of the bars of the gourney so that if someone began to pull him away from Jex, the table on wheels would go too.

It's his way of discouraging taking him away. He's biten Jex once and failed to protect him once. He's not leaving his side again. Stubborn blood sucker. His eyes were set in a 'it'll be impossible and useless to argue' sort of way and he was watching the nurses.

"They'll see him right away?"

He managed to at least barely curve it from being rude and make it a question instead.

"Of course they'll see him right away! Now get off the cart so they can go operate on him! Every second you get in the way is a second of his life wasted!"

Apparantly, she'd not gotten the not so subtle message Morose was radiating.

The other members of the staff didn't bother to stay and let the stupid nurse argue. They needed to get the doctors washed up, they needed to get Jex into an operating room and they needed to do it now.

The triage nurse tried to stop Morose, foolishly.

"You're not going. We're contacting the police and you need to fill out a report, Mr. Patton."

He turned around and gave her the meanest glare that he'd ever mustered. It didn't fit on Morose's face. It was a savage glare, accompanied by a sound almost like a snarl. It made him look more like a werewolf then the vampire he was. Or, to an uninitiated nurse, like something inhuman.

"I am going. I don't know what happened so I can't tell the police shit."

Besides, how is he suposed to explain that he /felt/ Jex need him? He said this in the darkest, deepest voice that his barritone/tenor could manage with the most serious tones. It seems that shadows had fallen over his face, enunciating his eyes. Really, it's just a trick of the shadows, the way Morose is playing with the light. He turned suddenly on the other nurses.

"Now go. He needs fixed. Now." The unspoken message: and I'm coming.

The nurse was, indeed, frightened by Morose's overzealous protection of his friend. But rather than being smart enough to go back to her desk and take care of other people, she followed in an idignant manner, trying to get Morose to let go of the rolling bed until the doctor in charge pushed her out of the operating room.

The doctor, in fact, was initiate and while he couldn't tell exactly what Morose was, knew that he wasn't something to be messed with. While the other nurses were getting things prepped in a hurry, he turned to Morose with an ultimatum.

"Look, you can stay in here as long as you don't get in the way. Stay in the corner and watch and we'll be able to help him better. And if something happens I need you to keep your cool so we can fix it, alright? I won't make you leave but you've got to let us do our jobs."

Morose watched the doctor, looking him over with suddenly mistrustful eyes. Never before in his life had he ever been so suspicious that someone was out to get him of Jex. But now, he was suddenly feeling stubbornly and thuroghly (sp?) paranoid. He looked deep into the man's eyes, willing him to tell the truth, willing him to tell Morose if he really meant to hurt his Jex.

Unfortunatly, being a vampire slipped his mind momentarily. He forgot that willing someone can bring them under the vampires gazes. It'll be a good thing if the doctor really means no harm to Jex because now, unless he's strong enough to resist, he has to tell the truth.

Morose let his finger's linger on Jex's wrist for a long time. His eyes shifted to the corner and one could see he was willing to cooperate. The gaze swung back to Jex, then to the doctor again, and he took a few steps backwards towards the corner.

And if something happens...

That made him stop.

"But nothings going to happen right?"

"There's a large possibility that something could happen. He's very severely injured and he's lost a lot of blood. Things don't look good at all for him. We will do anything and everything we can do for him."

He didn't need Morose's influence to tell the truth, but it made it easier. The doctor himself was a healing mage. If Jex took a turn for the worse, he'd use his abilities to keep the wrath of an angry vampire off of him and keep Jex alive and stable.