Around two hours later the living room is a mess of papers and documents. I sit on the floor by the coffee table, skimming through the Records of the Finis that Cupid stole from the archives.

Cal crouches on the floor beside me flicking through sepia photographs while Cupid is slumped in his armchair. I peer up at him - his eyes are bleary as he looks through a heavy looking file with Employee Details embossed on the front. Behind us Crystal's gentle snores fuse with the sound of the crackling fire. 

An array of dirty coffee cups surround us.

After a while Cal sighs and runs an agitated hand through his hair.

"Anything?" he asks.

I shake my head.

"It would help if we knew what we were looking for" says Cupid with a sigh, throwing the file down on the floor. "I say we change tact. Let's try and get Crystal to wake up."

He makes a move to get up, pushing his muscular arms against the sides of the chair. Cal glares at him.

"And how do you suggest we do that?" he says.

They stare at each other a moment before Cupid shrugs, slumping back down in his seat.

"Fine" he says "You got me. I have no idea."

We fall back into silence for a few moments before Cupid stands again.

 "Anyone want another coffee?" he says raising an eyebrow.

I pass my mug to him and he strides out into the hallway. Cal frowns.

"There must be something" he says, dropping the photographs onto the coffee table.

I peer over to look at them. Some are rusty and sepia in colour, others are bright and new. They all seem to be depicting the same posed shot of a group of cupids.

"She said she wasn't always a receptionist. That has to mean something" he mutters.

He reaches behind me for the file Cupid has dropped onto the floor. I lean past him and slip the sepia image from the top of the pile and examine it - squinting my eyes.

It shows the reception area of the Matchmaking Service.

The image is faded but I notice a male in his early teens is stood behind the desk in Crystal's place. I scan it - trying to find her - but she's not there. There's something else about the room that looks different than usual - like something is missing - but I can't put my finger on what it is.

I glance down to the corner of the image.

March, 1887 is written on it in black marker.

Why does that year mean something to me?

I frown and pull the Records of the Finis towards me - opening it on Crystal's account of her meeting with the Minotaur.

Whitechapel, London, 1888 is written at the top of the page.

The year after the photograph was taken.

A thought occurs to me as Cupid saunters back into the room carrying two steaming mugs. He places one down before me and throws himself back into the armchair.

"Cal" I say "The file you're looking in - it has employee details in it?"

He looks up at me sharply, seemingly irritated by the interruption.

"Yes?" he says.

"So presumably it will have the dates when cupids started working for the Matchmaking Service?"

Cal nods - furrowing his eyebrows.

"Yes" he says shortly "But what good is that?"

I sigh.

"Does it have the date when Crystal stopped being an agent and started being the receptionist?"

He studies me a moment, then looks back down to the file and flicks through. He stops on a page and scans it for a few moments.

"January 1889" he says "But I don't see why that is important"

1889. Just after her visit to Whitechapel to retrieve the Finis.

I ignore him and grab the sepia photograph - studying it more closely. Then I rush over to the desk, sifting through the photographs until I find the group shot from 1889.

Sure enough Crystal is there – smiling in the centre.

I look up and grin - realising now what else is missing from the first image.

"It's important" I say "Because I know where the Finis is"

I pause a moment, letting my words sink in. Then I take a deep breath, knowing that the brothers won't like what I'm about to suggest.

"But I think we're going to need help to get it back" I say "I think we're going to need Charlie"

***

Half an hour later Cupid, Cal and I are gathered in the kitchen around the breakfast bar. Charlie sits warily on one of the stools – her black hair tied back from her face. 

The brothers hadn't been keen on bringing Charlie in on the plan, but we decided it was the best way of getting back the Finis.

"So....you want me to break into a place called the Cupid's Matchmaking Service?" she says, raising an eyebrow.

Cupid looks at her studiously a moment then makes his way out of the kitchen without replying. I follow him with my gaze – wondering where he is going – before turning my attention back to Charlie.

"Yes" I say "But you won't be breaking in – you have a place there now. You'll be expected. Right Cal?"

Cal nods sternly, his silver eyes watchful.

"In normal circumstances one of the cupids would have brought you in already" he says "Usually the one who turned you. Because it was someone from the Arrows rather than a cupid from our LA branch I expect that Crystal would have been assigned as your mentor – but she's unable to bring you in at present"

I notice his gaze momentarily flicker over to the door leading to the living room. Charlie looks at us blankly.

"And you want me to take an arrow?"

Cal shakes his head.

"Not exactly" he says "To take it yourself would be a one way ticket to banishment. We can't ask that of you. You just need to get the receptionist to leave the reception before Midnight – which is when they usually swap shifts –once the area is clear we'll do the rest."

She looks at me and I nod.

"The people who are looking for it will kill us if we don't get it first" I explain "And we overheard them say they'd be there at Midnight. If we get it before then we can avoid any fighting- and without the Finis they can't kill Cupid or Cal.  We're hoping after that they'll just leave."

Suddenly Cupid emerges from the doorway carrying the black satchel of weapons Cal brought on the day we were training. He casually throws it onto the table by Charlie, reaches inside and pulls out a pink tipped arrow.

Before any of us can react he jams it into Charlie's shoulder. She screams and I rush forwards.

"What are you doing?" I cry out angrily – grabbing onto his arm.

The Capax crumbles to ash in his fingers and lightly coats the shoulder of the leather jacket she is wearing. He shrugs me off.

"Whose side are you on?" he says forcefully "Ours or the Arrows?"

"Yours" she shrieks "What the hell did you do that for?"

Cupid's ocean eyes meet my glare. He raises his eyebrows.

"What?" he says - feigning innocence "She's a new cupid – she can't fight the power of the Capax. We had to know she wasn't plotting against us with our fellow Finis hunters."

He looks down at my friend and shrugs.

"Sorry Charlie" he adds.

She brushes down her jacket, a fiery look in her eyes.

"Jerk" she mutters.

He raises an eyebrow.

"You did try to kill Lila" Cupid says "That little detail come back to you yet?"

My friend sighs and bites her lip.

"Yes" she says dejectedly "Just about. I remember. And I remember afterwards Selena told me to forget. And then I remember that the same people who shot me attacked Crystal."

A dark look crosses her face.

"After all that - you better believe I'm not on their side" she stares up at Cupid – her eyes blazing.

Cupid nods and shrugs.

"Good enough for me" he says "You going to help us?"

She pauses then stands up. There's an air of confidence about her that I don't normally see in my friend, and I think again about the subtle differences that I've noticed since she was turned into a cupid. 

She looks at me then sighs.

"Sure" she says. "Let's beat these assholes to it. I'm in."

***

Cupid parks his car about a hundred metres down the road from the Matchmaking Service. The street is quiet – lit up by streetlights.

The clock on the dashboard reads 11.

We have an hour before the Arrows get here.

I turn to my friend in the backseat beside me.

"You sure you want to do this?" I ask.

She nods.

"Sure" she says, taking a deep breath "Go in, get the receptionist to take me through to the office, prank call you from my phone so you know it's clear" she smiles weakly "No problem."

I nod and smile – grateful that after everything that's happened to her she's willing to help. Cal turns rigidly in his seat to face her.

"Be careful" he says sternly "We only have one shot at this."

She nods then shakily opens the door of the car – stepping out onto the street.

"Where is the Finis by the way?" she asks, poking her head back into the car.

My mind flashes back to the object absent from the sepia photograph, and then to Crystal's message to Cal.

She said she hadn't always worked on reception.

I smile as I think of the simplicity of her clue. She was practically giving us the answer as to where she'd hidden it.

When she'd got back from London with the Finis she must have manoeuvred herself to work in a position where she could watch over it at all times.

"It's the arrow hung over the desk" I say. "She hid it in plain sight."

I notice the same half smile cross Cal's face as when I'd first told the brothers. I think he is proud of her. 

Charlie nods then turns.

"Wish me luck" she says.

I watch as she walks down the street towards the Cupids Matchmaking Service then take a deep breath - glancing at the quiver full of arrows by my side.

My heart beats fast as I think forwards to the potential fight ahead, and the danger we're all in.

"Good luck Charlie" I say quietly after her.