Veratos H.'s Story

Dean grit his teeth,"You're late." He turned to the huntress who struggled with her stuck arrow. He shook his head slipping his gun away as he strolled away. "Just forget the damned arrow it's useless now."



Up above, a young woman clad in black watched the duo, Dean in particular, her lips curved into a smile, her hazel eyes lit up at seeing him. "Not the Ace Killer I remember, but still the same Dean...Guess I'll drop in on him later..." Veratos muttered toying with his Beretta 92F (which was illegally modified to fire a three-round burst) and his red and black Butterfly knife. She had yet to meet with him again after two years and return the weapons he left behind for his own stupid reasons. After watching him for a while since her arrival in Sable, she was beginning to think that he was forgetting about looking back into his long forgotten past, so she was here to give him a harsh wake-up call. He needed it --if he wanted a better chance to save those he cared about after all.

And of course she wanted to team up with him again after soo long, she missed having no one else to yell at!

She turned away from the ledge and walked away.

Veratos Holmes used to be his partner in this wild and dangerous business of hunting, she was the best at her job even when she'd been at it alone, her usual weapons of choice are a M1911 pistol (also known as Colt Government) and two undersized Japanese swords known as Kodachi. She figured that since he had great skills and because they were the "same" when it came to their fighting style (in which case they both tapped into their own powers while in combat) and not just because of his good looks she was gung-ho on joining him. From the get-go he had no problem enlisting her to work with, he was very easy going and more "fun" in her eyes, only now, since the accident, he's more flaky and serious. She even wondered if she could get the old Dean back, she pondered on this while going down the steps. Entering the halls, she passed by a cheer leader, hugging her boyfriend's arm close as if he might run if she loosened her grip on him, Vera found that suspicious, plus the fact that the girl was oozing icky dark aura.

So the huntress kept a close watch on her suspect.

Dean sighed and looked up to see the highest point of the school building, he was sure he'd felt a presence up there, shaking it off he tried to focus and searching for the target, but where was he to even begin searching?

"Come on Selene, gotta keep up if you're joining me..."

Lyra had sat stiffly when Isabella had gotten up soon after going to find Dean. What felt like an eternity but was only ten minutes, she collected her things and Isabella's forgotten bag and books before standing and heading toward the direction she saw her best friend go. She paused when she reached the turning to enter the student parking lot, what she saw almost made her drop everything in her arms --Isabella was abducted by a...vampire?

"He doesn't seem to want to hurt her, if he did, he would have done so already..." Commented Katerina, she floated near her niece, also watching the scene.

"But...He's saying he's going to wipe out her memories...Do you think she saw something she wasn't meant to see?" Even Lyra wondered what it was that she "saw" and she worried even more for her.

Feeling another malignant aura caused the girl to look sky-ward to spot another figure, this one a female, watching them below and she couldn't help but shiver at the weird icy-ness tingling down her spine.

"Those two... aren't human...." Katerina informed her, the spirit's eyes narrowed as she stared hard at the new comer. She didn't like her presence either and was sure to stay on high alert if that lady were to encounter her niece.

Lyra whispered, her eyes still on the lady as she caressed a gun in her hands, staring at Dean she could only imagine. "Is she and Dean vampires too?"

Katerina shook her head, "I wouldn't call them that... but their auras are very similar. Be very wary of them both, especially Dean. Something about him isn't right, his aura-"

"I know his is darker than black, but he doesn't seem to want to hurt anyone..." Lyra's expression was sad and hurt, how could her aunt be so judgmental? Did she not see the guy try to save Isabella?

Then the woman turned and was gone.

At that, Lyra exhaled relieved, she thought for a split second that the lady was going to shoot somebody.

Tearing her gave to the parking lot she saw Dean walking out and he was telling Selene to follow him.

She was about to turn when she felt his eyes on her and she just stood there. "Um...Dean where's Isabella? She went after you a moment ago and never came back... She forgot her stuff..."

Vera hid around the corner, watching the hunter as he quickly glanced through the glass windows of the class room doors, searching with a hunter's eye for the monster. That he would never find at this rate. Obviously she knew what he was searching for wasn't there --not even close. He needed help so she stepped in, disguising herself as a student by shapeshifting into a familiar face, the better to capture his attention with.

Dean held the butt of his shot gun as he stealthily peeked from one room to another, in the halls searching for the skin walker, Selene was on another floor doing the same, he had quickly exchanged digits with the huntress soon after the second to last period to skip the remaining classes and help him with this. Though he had no idea what he was going to do after he found the perp, what if it was in a class room acting like a student? he couldn't just barge in and shoot. Too much attention and the problem would get worse unless he found a way to lure it out --Isabella was walking down the hall and he froze at seeing her.

"Dean..." She whispered, disappearing around the corner.

It took him a heart beat to react, wasn't she just taken by Avalon? And why did he get these weird vibes from her? The pressure he picked up from her was powerful and not anything he'd noticed on her before. What the hell did that guy do to her?

"Isabella, hey!"

He watched her continue on, a silent invitation to follow and he did so with a powerful urgency welling up in side him, if he didn't reach her, if something was wrong with her he didn't know what could happen. She left down the stair case and was quite fast, he was surprised he almost lost her.

While he kept a steady pace after her, he reached for his cell and pressed the number 7 on the device, having saved Selene's number on speed dial for instances as these, he almost tripped as he spun around to exit the first floor, "Selene I'm on the first floor, Isabella's here --Did you find the target yet?" He spoke into the cell a little breathless as he shoved the door open and caught the sight of Isabella almost running down the hall.

"Isabella wait!"

She was slowing down as she walked through the long corridors aligned on both sides with lockers, then she stopped ultimately in the middle of the hall, turned around and stared back at Dean, pointedly, waiting.

The hunter paused mid-way, he stared at her closely, her features were unreadable to him and he flipped the cell shut.

The deafening sound of someone being slammed against the lockers made the girl turn toward the source, she simply stood there watching the two teens around the corner in the "kissing hall" fight?

Dean raced after her, he got in front of her and told her to run, and already had the shot gun whipped out, aiming it at two other class mates there. He didn't recognize any of them, but their clothing were enough to tell they did attend Rosen Hale. The opressive aura had vanished and when he glanced behind him Isabella was gone! He turned to the two teens there, and saw cheerleader girl towering over the giant foot ball-looking guy.

"I want your body..." She hissed, her hands seized him by the collar and her eyes flared golden -too bright.

"Hey!"

Startled, she glanced up to see the hunter, cheerleader girl said, "Holy crap!"

Pulling the trigger, making sure to aim for the head, he tsked annoyed when football guy yelled a terrifying "Noo!" and reached for his girlfriend, pulling her away from shooting range.

"I- can't deal with this right now..." Cheerleader girl growled, much quietly she said to her boy toy, "I'll come back for you later." She pulled away and ran out into the nearest exit.

"Damn it, they always run!" Dean sprang after his target now knowing what she looked like, busty blonde, in red and white cheerleader uniform. She was also fast, that he'd been warned about, he really wished the football idiot hadn't interveined or this case would have already been over. Hopefully. Giving chase outside, Dean followed the flash of blonde hair, the girl was heading for town if she switched to another body he'd loose her for sure.

Keeping up wasn't too hard, he felt a high dose of adrenaline shoot up his veins like a miracle increasing his speed ten-fold. If someone were to see this, they'd only notice two streaks of red and white, being the creature Dean hunted and grayish black streaming one after the other.

Curses, I can't shake him, maybe I should just distract him- The monster's thoughts were interrupted when someone slammed into her, knocking her down. It was a stranger in a black cloak, that jumped out of the way as quickly as it came.

Dean aimed and was gonna pull the trigger when the blonde cheerleader jumped twenty feet into the air instantly and landed atop a roof of a store and headed east.

"Here we go." Dean jumped up to land atop a car, with one foot he pushed off that, gaining higher air he landed closer to the target and he shot at her, but she was super quick at evading the bullets. She continued to flee, the hunter was hot on her heels keeping up effortlessly. Some how he found the chase much more invigorating, maybe he didn't want to kill her just yet. And where the heck was Selene meanwhile? Hopefully she was up on the roofs too, free-running and could cut cheer-monster off. A big hopefully! The hunt could be fun, maybe even exciting, but if anyone got hurt that was always bad. Dean didn't want anyone else getting involved with this, which was why he seemed relaxed that the chase was above instead of below.

"I'm proud Salvatore, you're catching up fast. Which means you haven't changed at all..." Vera commented from another roof top near by. She changed back to her original self and remained close to him, like a spectator, simply watching and only assisting when necessary but since he was still new at realizing his abilities this all seemed a tiny bit dull. The old Dean could have taken out this pest in seconds without the effort of chasing.

But still, great entertainment, she followed him silently.

Aleksei ancestor of the Avalon bloodline instantly destroyed the two fools that accompanied the attacker, saving this one for last. He ripped into the messenger's throat, drinking his blood before tearing his heart out, keeping the little one close he snarled viciously into his ear, "Message received." Then he pulled out a blade that crackled in his hand, burning away at his flesh in his grip and he swung.

The man's head popped into the sky before shattering like glass to pretty, reflective sandylike ashes.

"You're next Morrigan..." Aleksei hissed, eyes burning red as the pulsing moon.

The ancestor turned and headed back to Lombardi's place. Inside the house he heard the hunter hurry about, trying to treat Isabella's mortal wounds. Reaching the girl currently seated on the couch with a towel pressed onto her injured neck he touched her head, grabbing her attention, "Everything will be alright, I promise you." He whispered with a gentle smile.

----

"How long are you going to keep doing this to her?" Dean asked clearly annoyed. He leaned against the door frame of her room, watching the pureblood put her to sleep. It was very late and Billy kept calling, worried for him.

Aleksei quietly replied, "As long as needed." He straightened and turned toward the window. Do vampires not know how to use a door? Dean thought, detecting the blood of another vampire on him, he knew things were just going to get worse.

"I gave her my blood to heal her wounds and destroyed any evidense of this occurence from her mind. Take care of her for me, there is some business that requires my attention."

Dean scoffed, "No shit. You're going after Selene aren't you?"

"Yes."
"You're going to kill her?"
"That's the plan."
"She's my partner."
"Not anymore."

Dean said seriously, "You know, this lie you've built around Isabella is nothing but your dream. It can't last forever."

"I am aware of that." Aleksei never glanced back.

"Good, because you gotta wake up and stop doing that, you can't keep hiding her and running from the truth because then it'll find you. And punch you in the gut, and if you keep trying to pretend that the world is safe when it isn't she'll never see it coming," He scoffed and put his hands on his hips as he looked at her, "Trying to keep that dream alive will destroy you. It'll destroy everything."

"And that's why you're here. You're the truth hunter, so give her a Korth and teach her to aim and shoot. I will continue my plans."

"Which plan might that be?"

Aleksei flitted out the window.

Destroying all vampires

Dean actually smiled at that weird pureblood's idea. "Goodluck with that one. You'll need it."

Then the vampire was gone.

Leaving a black wolf with red eyes to keep watch in the woods below Aleksei sized up with the lurking Veratos Holmes.

"You're either my friend or my foe. Pick one." He addressed her cooly.

Her eyes sparkled at the deep red moon's light and she locked her gaze with him. "You tell me ancestor."

He nodded to her and went away leaving the huntress to do her own with Salvatore. The two after all were the same of a kind.

----


Dean crossed his arms and glanced inside the room, Isabella was in her bed, in another night gown and dreaming. When Aleksei had walked in, the hunter was going to shoot him but then he told him he was gonna help her "get better", then took her upstairs. Dean had left in that moment to get his car back at scool and drive back to Isabella's place. Once he'd returned he came prepared with everything to protect the house from anything benevolent. Nothing can get in, not with all the traps he'd set up. This felt like he was preparing for an apocolypse or something. Pacing deeper into her room he sat on the window seat and glanced down just to see a figure darting back into the woods.

Whatever or whoever it was had no chance to break in. That he was sure of, however like the paranoid hunter he'd grown to become he wouldn't leave Isabella's side for anything in the world.


-----

Flying with her long, deadly Lune scythe, Mina Avalon's crimson eyes stared ahead at the ebony night. She felt his heavy sense pressure closing in and she bit her lower lip in anticipation. He may be her fiancé, but he wasn't averse to retaliating at anyone who stood in his way including her. However she knew he wouldn't kill her, he'd never do that.

"Mina I thought I told you to stay home. It's not a good night for playing huntress." Aleksei's tone sounded pleasant but she knew him well enough to recognize the mask he wore so well to conceal his agony.

And she was the only one who went this far.

Tensing beneath the velvet black cloak, the pureblood seventeen year old girl pulled down her hood to reveal her lucious golden wavy locks, she gripped her weapon and realized the one he held in his hand now mere skeleton bones gripping the sword had been drawn. Where did he get a hunter's weapon from? Yet that was the least of her problem, it was what he planned to do with it was the main issue here. That's what she came for to stop him.

"I'm not letting you hurt Michael or Selene, they're my friends too!" She announced glaring at her beloved stubbornly.

"I don't want to hurt you Mina, but you're in my way --please move."

A loud clang of metal against metal echoed in the night.

Sighing heavily as he waited, the hunter stood after hearing her footsteps descend the stairs below, then he saw her walking outside, bearly visible in the misty night seemingly engulfing her up. It urked him how she could be so impulsive. A walk alone at 3 a.m. was perfectly alright, nothing bad could possibly happen. Did she not ever watch the news? It was senseless crap like this that got stupid girls like her kidnapped, raped, and killed. Good grief. Streatching his arms bove his head, Dean decided to follow her, where she was going he knew wasn't at Lyra's house. Isabella was headed elsewhere, she obviously didn't want him to pursue after her and had lied just to probably get back at him for being a dick. He deserved it, hell he wouldn't want to hang out with himself either, but that's just how he was, a miserable mess. If only he could play nice, if only his personality could switch to kindness instead of what he was now. But it was that way of being that has kept him alive so far. He could not change his attitude to suit everyone, that was just how he was.

And she couldn't be blamed, it wasn't her fault his life was soo crapy that it molded him into an even crappier person. Frankly he wanted to disappear into his car, drive very far away and live somewhere no one would find him. Would that solve his problems? No. Would that make his anger and sadness go away? Also, no. Would that save Isabella or anyone that could use his help from impending doom and death? Wait for it -No. It couldn't be helped, even if she wanted him to leave he couldn't and he would have loved to have left, go home, eat something warm, go to bed, drive off at day break, but as a hunter and knowing that she was a monster magnet he just couldn't stay away.

As he pushed the glass open and stepped out into the crisp cool night, he clenched his jaw and stepped off the window ledge. Maybe if her memories hadn't been wiped clean she would have recalled the little incident with the pureblood S.O.B. that tried to eat her this afternoon, known that despite Dean's mean streak he meant her well. Had tried to protect her and even so had considered her safety when the idiot pureblood Avalon had popped up outta no where and snatched her away. Not only taking her, but taking that brief moment they shared, when she had held onto him during the attack, he knew that she knew that he was trying to be a hero. Save her when she had thought he was a terrible "animal" hunter. A moment lost forever.

Doing what he did and trying to make sense of the gihugic load of crap that was the world and its never ending beastly surprises it was a wonder how he had yet to crack.

He tried not to think about it, thinking about the past always made him think even before that and the life he'd lived so far, and the huge gaps of empty memories he'd been secretly wondering about. Why did it feel like he had forgotten something important? Leaving the forest to enter the town he climbed up a small store and free-walking from one roof top to another like a stealthy assassin, he couldn't fight the urge to turn back and make sure he wasn't being followed himself. He could feel someone close behind him, it was the same sense he'd picked up earlier today, when the pureblood kid had attacked them, but with the black of night around him only heightening his senses it was hard not to feel a tiny bit panicky. Could it be that he was afraid? Well, maybe, his pulse was racing and he'd already drew his gun and when his inner hunter instincts kicked in and sent alarm bells raging in his mind he knew it was never wise to ignore it.

Isabella crossed the street entering the surprisingly still open Sable cemetery. The only one this town had, that was another oddity, this town was full of "onlies" only one supermarket,only one café, only one high school, college, movie theater e.t.c., why was that? No time to wonder though, whatever was after Isabella he had to take out, and whatever it was he was sure to find it since Isabella had a giant neon sign floating above her head with an arrow pointing down at he that proudly proclaims, here I am, come and get me! She also promised to be just as stubborn and hard headed, she didn't know what simple commands like "Stay back, get away!"or, "Run!" meant, recalling the incident with Selene he figured those were memories she should have "kept" so that she'd know how to react next time something like that happened. Why Avalon mind-screwed her was still a mystery to him, he didn't get the logic there --she'd find out about all this eventually.

Hopping off the roof of an establishment, Dean went into the cemetery after her, only lingering a little behind so that she wouldn't notice him. Not that it would make much of a difference if she saw him or not.

Leaning against a headstone he slid one hand into his pocket and gripped at his keys inside, while the other tightened on the gun. The feeling of eyes watching him only gradually decreased or was it the aura that came with it? In any case, he would just have to wait and decided instead to watch his charge. This was beyond strange, why was she here? He knew she was here paying a loved one a visit that was clear as water, but why now? Most people would freak out at the notion of being even near the grave yard. At night. Like he had thought before, this girl was different, weird, his kind of weird.

Finding the silence irritating he looked around, making a 360 of his surroundings, the quiet felt like a sort of physical presence, heavy and just as consuming as the dark. The weak full moon's odd red glow sent creepy shadows withering slightly upon the headstones it fell on. Hunter or not he hated the cemetery, any to be exact, the only time you'd ever find him here would be if a case dragged him to the point where he was forced to have to pay one a visit, dig someone's grave and salt&burn the bones of that dead person's body in order to get rid of the pesky ghost that decided to stay and haunt/ kill people. Even so he'd do that job quickly and leave. Being here with the naive and clueless Isabella only made his nerves tighten like piano wire.

"You know, there is such a thing called 'visiting-hours', where you could stop by during the day and do this. Like normal people would, so, are you gonna hurry this up so we can go home. Where it's safe?" He finally addressed her, his tone was almost pleasant yet still laced with impatience, paranoia and tention all wrapped into one. He looked like he was just about ready to shoot something, he looked around again, someone was watching them and he absolutely hated this situation.

"So you found me out, bravo Salvatore, now you can be properly rewarded. I bring gifts." A sultry, silken voice tumbled from the lips of a figure that stepped away from the shadows to reveal itself in the moonlight. It was a young woman, perhaps no older than Isabella, but with a mysterious smile that gave him bad vibes. Now what did she want?

"Who the hell are you? Don't tell me, you're going after her too so that I can skip the intro and pump so many holes into you 'till you're swiss cheese?"

Yup, he aimed the Silver Moon directly at her, dead center.

The woman's lips tugged into full grin and she brandished the baretta and knife from behind her, "Now that's not how we treat old pals is it Salvatore? Last I checked, you wanted to drop hunting and the terrible woes that came with it. You were so sick of it, all you craved was a normal life and even now you still do," she chuckled humorlessly, her expression flirty and dark, "I've been observing you and though you may think you're a different person, what's inside hasn't changed at all. I'm Veratos, but you liked to call me Vera," she began a slow pace toward them a soft touch changing her features as she reminisced the good 'ol times, "you said it was a satisfying name and easy to pronounce. Not so complicated. If it isn't obvious I'm a friend, so aim that crappy gun elsewhere or you won't get the real treat I keep right here." She rose the closed knife to her chest and gestured at the pretty cross-like pendant hanging from the end of her chain. She smiled, showcasing rows of perfect pearly whites.

Dean shook his head. Another nut job, though this one pretty. It still wasn't enough to calm him, she brought with her a heavy dose of thick, concentrated dark aura he'd never agree with no matter how many gifts she presented. So the crappy gun still remained aimed right at her head. Just had to pull the trigger.

"Jeez, what will it take for you to lighten up boy? I'm not here to fight you, even if I was I'd kick your ass no doubt. Dean, we're on the same team here."

Dean edged toward Isabella, not liking the way Veratos was inching closer and closer to them.

At seeing his fierce glare she hesitated, "Look dummy, I'm giving you your original weapons of choice back, take it or leave it-"

"Why do you have them if they're mine? How'd you find me? And what makes you think I'll believe any of the bull you're feeding me?"

She shrugged, "Was kinda hoping you wouldn't be so pushy and just take the stuff no questions asked... You really don't remember me at all do you Dean?"

"No. I don't."

"Then I wonder if taking this might jog your noggin a bit," Vera slipped the butterfly knife into her back pocket before tugging at the cross pendant from her necklace free, tossing it up into the sky she whispered a latin chant to undue the spell placed upon the object and in an instant, evanescent swirls of blue and white light encircled the small thing and a tiny sound like a bells tinkling could be heard, then the spell broke and what was disguised as a jewel burst like fireworks and shot to the earth. Its sharp edge struck the ground, the jewel turned out to be a large sword with red symbols on its onyx blade. The light soon faded and the weapon was left there glowing eerily, supercharged with even more supernatural power than Dean had ever felt before. This day just got better and better.

"What... is that... a trick?"

That is the Rebelus blade and it's yours. I've managed to keep it safe and close to my heart all this time. You owe me a big one when and if you ever get your memories back." Vera explained peering at it proudly.

"That thing is mine?" Dean asked both shocked and dubious.

She groaned getting bored with this, "Yes. Just take it already and re-connect with it please before its power gets picked up by a monster and you loose it."

Dean glanced back at Isabella, wondering her take on this, he imagined how bizarre this must seem for her and he wouldn't blame her if she thought they were all bonkers.

The evanescent form that lingered near Isabella crept just a bit closer, now materializing as a man, though the girl did not notice him. A handsome, prominent face with yearning dark eyes gazed at her in such utter wonder, it was as if he were looking at his bride. His pretty lips moved, though no sound came out, and it appeared that if any had, he might be stuttering and at a loss for words. A long arm reached for her, gentle fingers begging to touch the warmth of her face, though his translucent touch would not allow it.

"M-Maria...?" he whispered, his voice cracking in agony. "Maria, my love...can it...can it be?"

A twig snapped where Dean had set his foot, alerting the girl of his presence and thus causing her to instinctively shift her attention in his direction. Although the gorgeous apparition stood between her and Dean, Isabella could see nothing of his existence, in all of its grandeur. He seemed young, perhaps about 21, and dressed with the distinguished poise of a Victorian era gentleman. The pain in his voidlike eyes heightened when he realized that Isabella could not acknowledge him, and it even appeared that he might cry. However, when Dean and his new stalker began conversing, he stepped away, retreating into the long, sheltering branches of the willow tree beside her.

Isabella rolled her eyes. Not even in the middle of the night at an empty graveyard could she happen upon a time of peace and quiet. She took the rose and abandoned it on the grave before she stood and began to walk away without so much as a glance at the quarreling hunters. She didn't get very far before Vera's necklace exploded into a brilliant little showcase of lights, which Isabella gazed at with a mixture of horror and awe. She looked at Dean, immediately feeling threatened, then backed away into the mist. It continued to grow thicker and obscured the surroundings even heavier. Even Isabella's hair blended into the shadows, leaving nothing but her warm golden eyes in sight.

She looked at the envelope still clutched tightly in her hand, and as she inspected the calligraphic handwriting, a gentle hiss could be heard from behind the mausoleum. She turned and saw the outline of a young man, who, as she stepped nearer, saw was their age. His eyes were an almost supernatural tone of yellow, and the swell of his lips gave him the face of Adonis. His hair was dark and long, though combed very elegantly, and he wore nice looking clothing. He didn't seem American, just by the way he carried himself and his attire. With a nod of his head and a welcoming smile, he gestured for Isabella to come near. A perfectly timed clang of metal hitting the earth snapped her attention back to the hunters, and when she looked for the boy near the mausoleum, he was gone.

"I have had it with the weirdness," she muttered, walking past the two to get to the iron gate. "I'll see you later, Dean. Goodnight."

And with that, she began her trek back home, fading into the mist.

Metal on metal clanged against each other as both purebloods battled it out. The scent of Michael's blood filled the air, both Aleksei and Mina detected it and she glanced toward the direction of her friend for a split second, leaving an opening which Aleksei gladly took, swiping his weapon at her, she flinched back from the blade but it still nicked her on the cheek, blood trickled from the wound and she shot him a look of shock and panic.

His eyes softened and he frowned, just as quickly, he lowered the blade, moved in closer and with a gentle hand, dabbed at her cheek, regret filled his expression.

"You won't kill her..." She hissed, pouting, allowing him to ouch her as he wished, giving him that much freedom with her. She loved him too much to attempt at getting him back, actually this battle in itself wasn't supposed to be so harsh. She hadn't expected him to actually attack her at all. She did hope that it would be enough to make him change his mind.

While holding her steady gaze, he considered, for a moment, then smiled mysteriously. Taking a few strands of her long golden hair and twining it in his fingers an almost pleased expression crossed his usually stoic countenance as a thought crossed his mind.

Since Mina couldn't read his mind she had no way of knowing what terrible idea he was thinking of, and it scared her. "Aleksei!" Her voice rang with a commanding tone, she wanted him to stop keeping secrets from her, but this may be a part of him that may never change, and that was annoying.

"Go home and rest Mina, I'll take care of everything." Aleksei reassured her calmly, letting her silken hair slip away from his fingers like water, his own body swallowed up by the thick night shadows.

"If you do this know that I will never forgive you!" Mina shouted as his being disappeared into the darkness.

Soon the pureblood found Michael and Selene, his smile spread deeper as he hesitated a few feet from the couple, he raised a brow, the anti-vampire blade pulsed in his grip, as though sensing the near by vampires.

He asked rather cooly, "Am I interrupting something here?"




Dean followed Isabella to her home, kept his distance when she was approached by the vampire and simply watched them interact, all the while he held Rebellus ready in his palm to slice the monster down in half, he also had Silver Moon aimed at the sucker, finger on the trigger, eyes narrowed dangerously at the target, watching him for even the slightest sign of threat to the girl.

The vampire flirted with her, and she was gaga for him, and the hunter wasn't surprised at that, Isabella was a vampire fan, with what he'd seen of her eyes glued to a vamp novel during class today, he was sure she'd even end up falling in love with the leech. It looked like she already was. The slick devil invited her to Roma, he did tell her to visit him there. And with that swoon on her face, he knew she would. How could she resist his silken, smooth voice, and angelic charms. Pssh, Isabella must really want a death wish.

"I'm surprised you didn't shoot," Vera commented casually, watching the hunter with a knowing grin.

"The bastard didn't give me a reason to." Dean responded with a sigh lowering the gun after the vampire left. Hiding it in his jacket he seemed to relax some when Isabella retreated within the safety confines of her home. Swinging the blade up to rest over a shoulder he stifled the urge to yawn before glancing back at Vera who was still there. He wondered what she'd wanted from him, surely she hadn't decided to drop by just to give him his supposed weapons without having a good enough reason to.

"You're still here why?"
"I'm working with you on this case, whether you like it or not," she replied matter of factly.
"Don't get any funny ideas, this doesn't change what I think of you."

She chuckled lightly, "Well we're just gonna have to hang out more often so that can change." She sounded so sure.

Dean shrugged, he'd give her a shot, so far she hadn't yet done anything worth keeping her on his high suspicious list. Like say, Aleksei. So, for the mean time he was gonna let her "join" him on this case but as soon as she made a heel face turn, he was gonna pump her full of holes until she became a human Swiss cheese. Definitely. Speaking of working with someone, he wondered how Selene was holding up, she may be turned but that didn't mean she wasn't a hunter, and she would fight like one. He wished she was here to help him with this puzzle. What was with Isabella, why was she a monster magnet?

"Do you really want to work with me on this?" Dean asked, returning his wary gaze to the quiet, still house.

"I said I would, didn't I?"
"Then I need you to do me a favor."
"Anything."
"Do you know a hunter named Selene Morrigan?"
"Yup, I have been keeping tabs on you all day, so anyone you've been associating with as of late, I'm aware of." Vera admitted shamelessly.
"Did someone send you out to track me?"

She shook her head smirking at the look on his face, "No call this a personal mission of mine. I came here to recruit you, that's why I returned your weapons to you. It's a shame you still haven't remembered me yet but it may come to you later Dean, now what's the plan?"

"Find Morrigan wherever she is and get her over here, if I'm not here then we meet at Billie's I'll text you the-"

She interrupted him by putting up a hand, "Already know where it is, and I don't know why you would need a turned vampire to help you when she's the same beast that had attacked and nearly killed your charge today but whatever," Vera rolled her eyes, "Alright, I'll get her for you. Won't take long."

"I need her to tell me if she's ever met fancy pants Lorenzo, and maybe even why the hell he know's more about her than he should. Even if he says who he says he is, I'm not buying it. The chick's never even met him in her life and he decided to drop in and say hi? Major flags right there." Dean explained in case the vampire huntress questioned her.

She nodded getting it, "By the looks of it, you don't like him." She observed, before she turned about to leave.

"No shit Sherlock," Dean muttered, sensing a thick concentration of dark energy heading toward them. Fast.

Something large and quick lunged at him so forcefully that he nearly got knocked back with whatever the heck it was.The hunter managed to pull his sword up in time to block the assault which turned out to be a hideous supernatural monster.

"Tormoied's keep your guard up!" Vera warned him, leaping gracefully into the air as one tried to swipe down at her with powerful, sharp claws, she pulled out her twin blades from behind her and shot down at it in lightening speed, slicing the creature through. It's body erupted to black, thick and pungent smoke at being destroyed. "You sure you got this?" She asked, as she went after another as it tried to reach Isabella's home.

"I got it, just go!" Dean yelled as he swung down at the demon minion finishing its existence. He was surrounded by five of them, all agreeing to gang up on him. They were not vampires, this much he knew, they were demons, but of a lower level, and even so, this was bad. So many of them out here suddenly, they could have only crossed over through a Hell Gate some ass opened up he was sure of it, as the sun rose in the sky every morning. He now had to find out where, close it, before this problem got bigger and not only would Isabella's life be in danger, but Sable entirely.

They came from the direction of the school, but he had yet to realize that.

Swinging powerful blasts of fiery flames towards the lot, Dean was able to destroy most of them, one had shrunk away from the battle and was sneaking up the roof of the house, attempting at slipping into the girl's open window. A crimson, clawed hand touched the window sill, lurid eyes peeked in, its jaws gaped open, showcasing rows of razor sharp incisors, craving the girl's flesh and blood. The demon was just about to pounce into the room when Dean appeared from up above, crashing down at it with his feet, kicking the monster off her window.

"There ain't shit to see here ugly, now you're pitiful life is over!" He bellowed.

The hunter pushed off the ledge with one foot, pulled out his Silver Moon, aimed and fired a few rounds while simultaneously striking through the demonic creature with Rebelus. The impact sent a large jagged line straight across the earth, cracking it in, forming a V-shape, that extended through the woods a couple of yards. When the monster busted, its energies breaking up into the night sky which was starting to brighten a bit with the dawning sun, he yanked the weapon up from the ground and flipped it over, it stuck to his back like a magnet, attracted to his own dark energies and he smirked, both impressed and amazed. Then that happy moment died out just as quickly as it came when he noticed the totaled forest path.

"Ah, great, you guys left me with a mess... I'm no good with landscaping, someone's gonna have to cover this..." He thought aloud as he took a second to asses his surroundings. Even a bunch of trees had been sliced through, some of them had toppled over in the fight, case in point this section about five feet from her house was a mess. What freaked him out was during the heat of the battle, when he'd noticed one of the Tormoied's missing, he nearly lost control of his cool as he'd searched around, saw it lurking up on Isabella's roof, peering through her bedroom window...

He could pick up the faint sounds of police sirens headed his way, looks like someone thought the forest was getting bombed or something, which meant that Dean had no choice but to split.

"Cops, doing my job, only they suck at it."

He however wanted to be sure Isabella was okay before he departed, so he raced to the porch and swung her door open, maybe she was the idiot that had called the cops, he'd never know. Though her safety was something he wanted to know over anything else, him getting "caught" by the law enforcement was not likely to happen since his ride was right up front, "Isabella are you alright? Let me know 'cause I got to go before the cops get here!" Not only that, but quickly find where the Hell Gate was sprung open and close it, before Sable became a hot bed of rampant demons and destroy the ones already running wild in the town.

In the distance, the sirens wailed louder, they were getting closer.



OOC: Dean's blade looks like this btw→[link][link 2]

Dean sensed that demon upstairs, Isabella need not yell at all for him to rush up to the source. Racing down the hall at inhuman speed, the hunter withdrew his gun, kicked the door open aiming his gun directly in front of him, at the same time he'd felt another vampire's presence; Lorenzo, but before he could react, the vampire had iced the demon and was gone by the time the hunter fully entered the room.

"Heh, well that was taken care of..." He managed to let out before Isabella launched herself at him terrified and crying. That was to be expected. Now he understood why Aleksei shrouded her memories every time something like this happened, so that she wouldn't suffer. However, the trend he knew had to stop, he wasn't Aleksei and he certainly wasn't about to sugar-coat the truth for her. This was as real as it got, but seeing her this rattled shook him too, she was no longer safe here, he had to take her with him. Sighing, he slipped the gun away, before taking her into his arms, lowering his lips to her ear he whispered, "It's alright the scary monster is gone now, c'mon let's go, I won't leave you not in this hell." Then he let her go and went to her closet to pull out a chunky knit grey cardi, draped it gently over her shoulders and steered her out of the room. Outside he lead her to his Impala and helped her in, closed the door, and went around to the driver side. Stopping for a second to take the sword off his back, toss it in the back seat before getting in himself. He pushed the key into the ignition, the engine turned over and the disc player started up, "Eye of the Tiger" jammed out of the speakers as he speed the car down the road.

Dean drove in silence, preferring to let the music fill the space in between, it was a way to focus on something else beside the horror that was behind them. He did steal a few glances at her now and then, gradually relaxing by the time they hit the main road. Soon he was singing to himself along with the lyrics, maybe the shift in mood would transfer to her, he didn't like her being freaked out, and well, now that she was beside him he couldn't say he had any worries now. She was safe indeed.




Mina didn't know what to expect from Aleksei, he could be so dark and secretive sometimes and she hated it. What happened to the trust they so deeply used to share? He used to tell her everything, and the times when she'd drunk from him, he'd reveal everything to her, the man she knew was not a liar. That was it, he didn't lie, but he kept secrets. She went home as he'd asked, changed into a soft, ivory night gown but she didn't rest, too far from it, she remained awake, in his room, waiting. Her Lune scythe stood against the wall, it was a hunter weapon, transformed from a rod to a powerful scythe, how could she wield such without the rebound rejecting her touch? It was tricked out by her blood and it was created by her love for the sole purpose of her usage. Just like the Silver Moon.

"Please come home soon Aleksei..."

Raising the blade up, the pureblood swung, a powerful stream of air and electricity shot out of the weapon headed for Selene. Aleksei cared not that she was his friend's love, if he got in the way then he would have to take him down as well. Michael of course was already there, he'd reached Selene before the shock hit and was up in the air, with the huntress in his arms, the other man glared at him, as though he were a stranger and not a well known friend.

The battle has begun.

Veratos arrived soon after, she saw the huntress being set down by the pureblood, and the two exchanged a few words. Now she stepped into the scene, flitting out of sight before reappearing behind the vampire huntress.

"Hey Selene Morrigan is it? I'm Veratos, a friend of Salvatore who has requested your presence. You can come with me and avoid getting ganked by a crazy pureblood, or I make you. It's your choice." She said, ignoring the others, not caring for them at all.

Aleksei noticed the other woman but he didn't care to address her, she wasn't his target.

"So Michael, you plan on defending the huntress? How touching!" He swung the blade once more, sending another shock of air and lighting at his old pal, this battle would be very interesting. Michael was an excellent fighter after all, and wouldn't be falling down so soon.

At first, Isabella sat in the passenger seat of Dean's car quietly. Silent tears streaked her cheeks as she gazed through the window at her house and the damaged forestry around it. She could only worry further that her father might come home and be attacked, and Isabella wouldn't be there to help. She trembled and shook, her eyes glossed over ass she stared blankly into her surroundings, until she heard Dean's voice singing along to the cheesiest song in American history. Her tension quickly began to evaporate, her shoulders relaxing a bit as she settled against the headrest.

When Dean hit an awkward note, she couldn't help but giggle, and soon found herself watching him amusedly. For a moment she had forgotten that she was running away from her home, and that she had been attacked by God knows what in the comfort of her own bedroom; all that she knew of life and reality was fastly becoming a mystical blur of her favorite storybooks and supernatural folklore. She couldn't shake the thought that the demon looked at her with recognition; like it knew who she was, and that was the reason it attacked her. And then she remembered how Lorenzo came to her rescue in the blink of an eye.

"Dean...?" she began tentatively, her brows furrowed. "What is going on? There are gaps in my memory it feels like, and... And that thing in my room..."

Before Selene could think, Michael had whisked her into the air to dodge an attack. Aleksei watched them with the silent intensity of a wolf stalking its prey, and as Selene landed back onto her feet, she shared the same icy gaze. She was no longer afraid of the pureblood- she never had been, even as a human, anyway -and she would face him bravely. The heels of her boots sank into the earth which had become slightly damp from the morning dew. As the first rays of the sun poked from behind the horizon, Selene grew increasingly apprehensive. Suddenly, everything started to get a little hotter and uncomfortable.

Then Veratos appeared behind her, much too close for comfort. Selene stepped away, eyeing the girl cautiously, before she mentioned Salvatore and his request for her backup. She turned and looked at Aleksei, frowning.

"We both know Isabella needs all the protection she can get," she began fiercely. "Killing me or Michael won't help the problem we're currently facing. Since, you know, you can't even manage to keep her safe for long either. And we all know you can't resist getting inside her head, Avalon; so let me help you protect her. I promise I won't harm her."

And then she disappeared with Veratos.

Dean knew this would all be just another blow to her, would she be able to handle? Perhaps he didn't have to worry too much, he had to give her credit, she was dealing fine in his eyes, most people would have gone nuts, completely lost it in a situation like this, but as he'd thought before, Isabella was something different. He lowered the volume of the music at the sign of her cooling off, having achieved what he'd set out by this act he no longer felt the need to continue and then when she spoke, he listened and without hesitation he answered quite seriously,

"You can thank Aleksei for the holes in your memories, too bad you're never getting them back... damn thief. As for what's going on, my guess is that you're not as normal as you'd think. Spirits often target people with psychic tendencies, evil spirits especially like to loom near desperate people to try to lure them out of their minds and join their ranks so to speak. Your inborn psychic energies must be very powerful to attract so many spirits. That demon in your room was a minion, something else was pulling the strings, it wanted to kill you in order to absorb your spiritual energy. They all do, every single one of those supernatural creatures lust for power and every life they kill, they get stronger. Humans are nothing more but walking pools of energies to them, most aren't even aware of it, and some often have more psychic energies than others. Like you for instance, you're a damn magnet to them, like a beacon of light in the darkness,"

Dean glanced at her for a second, trying to read her expression before he returned his gaze to the road and continued, "I don't know how I could remember that, some things are coming to me. Just like you I've been mind screwed, my memories aren't intact. Hmm, I still don't understand how those demons could break into your room when I had put up a barrier on your house, maybe I missed a spot or something." He fished his pocket to take out his cell and handed it over to her, "Call your folks and tell them not to go home tonight, scratch that, tell them to rent a room in a hotel, your house has already been visited by evil forces, it might become a hot spot for sure. You don't want mom and dad walking into a demon party now do you?" He smirked at her and winked, then lead the car down another street before pulling up into a car repair shop called Jenkin's Auto Shop. It belonged to Billie, a very trusted friend, another father to the hunter.

"Well, this is the place, you'll have to stick around here for a while. I'm off to find the Hell Gate and close it, might take all day. Let's go I'll explain everything inside, I wanna eat something before I leave."

Dean killed the engine, pulled the keys out and opened the door to get out, then he walked around to get her out as well, offering her a reassuring half smile, he also reached in to grab the Rebelus sword, couldn't be too careless on such a powerful weapon now. Walking her to the door, he again told her she'd be okay here while he was away. Walking in, he was met with a grouchy middle aged man who was none too pleased at seeing his "son" stroll on in as if it were just an ordinary morning. For one, it was just about 5 a.m. and two, does he not know how to use a cell phone when he was called? The man was beyond angry, but at seeing the girl, namely Isabella, he let out a breath and tried to keep his cool, he'd get back at the teen later.

"I've found what you've been looking for Dean, and you're right, this Lombardi girl is much more than she seems. You've got something special on your hands." Billie explained, shooting Dean a grave look, this was not a good time for taking it "easy" at all. He seemed to have known more than he was letting on, maybe this intel was something he wanted to discuss in private, he feared how Isabella would react if she'd known the truth of her ancestry. It wasn't a pretty one, nor was it normal by any standards.

Dean introduced Billie to Isabella, then went straight for the fridge and raided it, "You want anything?" He offered her as he started pulling out cold cuts and bread and beer and other stuff to eat.

Finally the trio settled into the living room, the place was small, having been divided into both a work place and home for Jenkins it wasn't exactly maintained for a normal family, he tried, but with all the work he had piling up, keeping things tidy was impossible. He served as both a parental figure for Dean and a info keeper. Namely the man was entitled to do the research for the boy when things were out of hand for him, he was more knowledgeable when it came to the world of the supernatural than anyone of the planet --well according to Dean he was. So it was no wonder that Dean always crawled right back to this place at the end of the day, having no one else to turn to or trust really. They were both hunters and they were both intuitively keen on each other in that level, well, like father and son. If only he could do something more to help him though, he did try his best to assist him in any way he can, but there were times when he thought he wasn't doing enough for him.

"I can't offer you anything more than what I got here kid, sorry, I also did not expect any visits. So, Dean wants you to stay here while he takes care of some business out there." Billie was addressing Isabella, then he'd switched his gaze to glare sternly at Dean who was drinking his head off, he even stood from the lumpy red old couch to snatch the beer from him. "Hey you gotta stay sharp, this is serious boy, you're still on duty! There's already sightings of the demons attacking civilians outside, Dean you better hurry up and get to the matter of this."

Dean frowned at him, "It's only one come on, lighten up. At least tell me, do you know where the massive energy flux is coming from? I'd felt something like this earlier, but I couldn't make sense of one from the other..." Then he noticed Isabella and the confusion she just may be having at this talk. Taking out his gun he showed it to her, the pistol brimmed with suppressed energies, that emanated from the weapon in wisps of shadowy, crimson hues. "This is the Silver Moon, I use it to shoot my targets, and when it comes down to melee attacks, I use the Rebelus. I'm a hunter, and these are some of the many arms I posses to take out the monsters that go bump in the night." There was a hint of amusement in his serious tone, like it was starting to become more enjoyable to him, killing the sonuvabitches that only wanted to kill innocent lives, what a nuisance, and in a sense he could say it was exciting. Would he admit it? Probably not to Isabella.

Billie clarified for her, "Basically this is just an everyday norm for him, although his first time riding the front seat, I can't say I'm not surprised you've managed well for a novice. He's a few of the hunters scattered across this world, there aren't many of them as you can see, their jobs are a tough one, they're entitled to rid the world of spirits or other malignant entities that defile the natural order or balance of the world. Trust me, it's not a career path most sane people would follow. You gotta have guts for this and a whole lot of will power to keep trekking forward and do what you do best. As I've said before, just waking up in the morning to put yourself out there and do work that puts your soul at risk is a beautiful thing, call me crazy but I think that's what it means to be alive... At least I always believed this, but I can't say I'm alive anymore huh, I quit, I'm just sitting on the sidelines, watching this one take the guns and ride the hot seat. Makes me proud of him, what he's grown up to be." Billie sighed, almost longingly, but it only made sense for him to retire and lay down the gun, things weren't like they used to be, the fiends now were not the types they used to be, and he didn't have the strength needed to handle it. The pressures and agony that came with this business, not to mention the losses. Some meetings were destined for heartbreak and he expected that this was an aspect of the hunter's life Dean had yet to experience. "And no Dean, I don't know where that build up of supernatural aura is coming from, what am I a freakin supernatural GPS?" Then he explained what they were talking about to Isabella to keep her up to speed, "What he means is that, somewhere in the town, a Hell Gate's been brought up, someone must have found a way to create a portal from this world and the demon world, or underworld or hell, whatever you want to nick name it, and evil spirits are both pooling out of that door and gathering around the place, even more attracted to it if its already filled with bad vibes, which would in turn make it more powerful, attracting more evil spirits, a hot spot of terrible you don't want to find yourself in unarmed. That's why he brought you here, to keep you safe obviously."

Dean crossed his arms, "Alright I guess I'll have to find it by searching, but at this rate I doubt it wouldn't be too difficult, and don't speak so highly of me yet if I haven't even gotten to bigger game or done anything worth being proud of, when I'm done with this, you better have a pie waiting for me here. And keep and eye on her, she can get a little slippery. Make random visits to the cemetery. " Dean warned the old timer who wasn't at all as useless as he thought he was, and this was a topic that he'd bring up later, right now he needed the man to keep it together and use some hunting know-how to keep her safe. He was all Dean had left, and he wasn't about to accept defeat. Not from anyone, and as he stood he instructed Isabella to learn some defensive techniques, especially how to handle a gun. "You have guts and I know all this seems like utter crap to you but you have to trust me, you are NOT safe outside that door, if you don't want me going crazy worrying about you please listen to me, and wait for me here. Will you do that for me Isabella?" He gave her a serious look, laced with deep concern and a fiery passion in his eyes that could draw in even the coldest of hearts. He liked her, and he wanted a chance to know her a bit even if he'd never see her again when all this was over. She was a friend? Not too sure what to call it, he was at a loss, never had he been interested in forming something akin to friendship with anyone outside the family.

A surprising first it was. Maybe even something he may come to soon regret, because as his father once told him, "Once you become a hunter, your life is never the same, guys like us, we don't have a home, we don't get a family, and all our friends that stick around most end up dying. It's best to keep on walking forward, alone. That way you won't hesitate in action, get the job done without the casualties of friends trailing behind you."

That memory was all too fresh in his mind and he averted his gaze with a heavy heart, would she be in greater danger because she was with him instead of Lorenzo who was undoubtedly another vampire tethered to her? Maybe, yet he was the only one that stood between her and a horde of ravenous demons waiting in line to eat her up. So for now he'd take his chances and do his best to protect her as best as he could. Another death was undesirable to him and as long as he was alive and kicking, he wasn't gonna let anyone hurt her anymore. What Selene did to her was a wake-up call, a very cruel one at most and a lesson to take this more seriously.




"So the little fox escaped, that's no problem I can deal with you then. Tell me, LeVian, why didn't you keep her under control, has she become a liability to you?" Aleksei asked striking Micheal in a heart beat, having no concern in trying to track the girl whom he knew all along was on his team from the get go. He had heard his love when he'd left and she was clear on her words, she would never forgive him if he killed her friends, and that was not a wrath he wanted to face. So he resorted to keeping his mind off the anger he felt toward the woman that dared to harm his other love so brutally. Take it out on Michael whom was already familiar with his quirks and habits and may even be already realizing what was transpiring before him. They were very close friends and his only confidante, so killing the man was an act he wouldn't be able to bring himself to do anyways.



"So you're his new lackey huh? Salvatore's taken an interest in you, having me fetch for you even though you're a vampire now. He's sure changed, let's hope you're good at what you do, or I just may be giving you the vote off the island." Veratos expressed as she sprinted through the woods with the huntress following after. As they passed the streets, Veratos picked up the malignant auras increasingly thickening in the atmosphere, coming from the direction of the school. Most undeniably the source of all that evil energies, a massive psychic feedback loop of more evil spirits gathering toward the hot spot. She knew well that bad vibes always had an outside source. One that needed to be put down pronto.

"This is gonna be one hell of a mission for him, let's hope he doesn't screw up. Are you game Morrigan? This isn't an odd job for a simple hunter, now that you're a vampire I think you know what that means."

They continued to Jenkin's auto shop where they were to meet up with Dean, shortly after they were to jump on this case, the quicker they got to it, the sooner she could have some alone time with the amnesiac hunter. She was beginning to wonder if there were a possible way to jog his memories, and have them come to him faster. Having to wait was annoying and no fun.

"I can't say it's not uncommon, there's been many rumors floating around but I never had any interest in investigating it. I'll ask around and confirm though with what's happened a while ago I doubt it's just an urban legend. A vampire named Lorenzo stopped by, gave Isabella quite a show and even invited her back to Roma." She smirked remembering Dean's reaction to that, watching him was always fun, even now, as he was preparing to leave and Isabella bumbling around him, they look so cute together, too bad she wasn't rooting for them. She liked Dean, and wanted him, his intoxicating scent of cinnamon and sandal-wood intermixing with his own body aroma was her addiction. Oh she could never get enough. Her eyes narrowed as she went back at the memory of Lorenzo, he sported a tag too, it looked super regal like himself, "That emblem, was it a gold tacky pendant worn around the neck?" She asked, returning her gaze to the vampire, "You can still wield your weapons by the way, just because you're a vampire makes no difference, they were yours before you were turned, though I won't lie to you, it'll hurt at first, the weapons themselves will try to reject you, but then you get over it and use them anyways. " She smirked at the other's face, then placed a hand on her hip with a easy sigh, she wondered how long they were gonna have to wait here.
Dean turned to Isabella as she mentioned a letter, it had been left with a rose he remembered seeing her holding one before. Aleksei.
"I don't have much time to explain things for you Isabella, Aleksei's a vampire, he's the one that's been trying to protect you, I think that letter can explain it all better than I can, so I suggest you read it. I'll call you as soon as this is all over, please be safe and wait for me here. I'll return as soon as I can. Business beckons." Smiling a little more than usual he headed out to join both Vera and Selene, he was glad to see them both and he expressed it by giving them a nod and a signal to follow him.
"Do you know the source?" Vera asked him as she started leaping up in the air after him, they were roof hopping, heading toward the powerful force of miasma in due north.
"I don't know, just goin' on instinct here, do you know where?" Dean asked, before glancing at Selene, "Hey, you okay? Last I seen you, you nearly tore Isabella up, if you're not up for this side mission you could stay back with Isabella. Left her with Billie, he was plan B."
Vera smirked, "You're right on target, it's coming from the school, and I think she's perfect for the job, she's got a dose of Michael's juice in her, should be enough to handle this." She looked to Selene and winked at her. Maybe having her around wouldn't be so bad, she could tell they were gonna get along just fine.
Dean smiled pleased, "Then let's rock!"He shouted, pulling out [i]Silver Moon{/i] they all neared the school a few blocks away. Mission start.

"He didn't wear a medallion. What Lorenzo had around his neck was a pendant, and a handsome one, with a different emblem on it that seemed more Roman," Selene responded, thinking. "Italians... Did you ever hear myths about an empire beneath the Vatican city and the Coliseum?"

From inside, Isabella held her envelope hopelessly, staring at Dean with sad, pleading eyes; were she an animal, she closely resembled a puppy watching after its retreating owner from within its kennel. She sighed, defeated, and turned after he had gone to meet up with the girls. She then settled on a wooden chair in the kitchen, where she proceeded to opening the letter addressed to her. Inside, there was a simple skeleton key, and behind it a letter that looked crisp and new.

My dearest Isabella, it read. If you are reading this, it is because the empires both know of your existence. You are a very special girl, Isabella; moreso than your mother and myself combined. In over two centuries, there has never been a Lombardi quite like you. You see, we believe you are the reincarnation of an extremely important woman. There are otherworldly beings among us, and I am not speaking of Martians- vampires, werewolves, witches of lore; they are all quite real, my love. And because you are so special, they seek to have you- some for good, to establish peace; but others for evil, for your blood. There is a man whom I have entrusted your safety with. His name is Aleksei Avalon; go to him. He has been a friend to our family for generations. He will answer any questions you might have. Also, he has a gift for you from I; my diary, which I hope you should read, and seek knowledge from. You may not understand what is unfurling around you yet, but when the time comes, I know you will make the right choice. I love you very much, Isabella, and I always will.

The letter was written by Alessandra Lombardi- her beloved grandmother that passed away when she was very young. Hers is the grave which Isabella so frequently visits, and the one that makes her feel safest, even as she has long since been gone. She looked up at Billie, tears in her eyes.

"Where can I find this Aleksei?" she said, between gritted teeth and stifled cries.

Selene bounded from rooftop to rooftop alongside her fellow warriors, a sudden burst of energy surging through her body. Her newfound abilities were only extremely intensified levels of ones she already had before she turned, which was cause for her to grin. They passed the Lombardi house, where in the distance she could still smell Aleksei and Michael quarreling.

"Doesn't that inbred lunatic know we have heavier matters on our hands aside from picking on Michael?" Selene hissed, her eyes averting from the forest to Veratos and then at the school they approached. As dawn was rising, she knew they only had a couple hours before students and staff would begin pouring into the school. So whatever it was that they were after, they had to find it fast.

"Yup, but as I'd said before, never had the interest to look into it. So I may not have all the deets on all the sketchy stuff they've been up to. All I know is that they can't be trusted, and whatever they're up to now, well, I know it'll get ugly."

Veratos let out as she zoomed in on the school, something was there, something powerful, and it really did needed to be stopped before this bomb of dark energy erupted in the small town. It was a possibility that the power just may wipe out the town itself off the map -that was just a hunch of hers for she had no way to tell. Nearing the school she reached for both of her blades, pulling them out in a swift motion ready to strike it through a demon's head. At Selene's quirp she chuckled, "I think that lunatic inbred is up to something, I'm pretty sure he's aware of the situation but has decided that we're enough to handle it, which would explain why he isn't jumping in to join us on this field trip! But hey why complain? More for us to slay and for that I have no problem dealing with, even if were just me against them. Don't think, just do and go with it!" The woman soared above the morning sky, landing upon the roof, just below she'd noticed Lyra, hesitating before the school entrance, probably gripped by fear. That was normal, for a human, however what most people would feel as fear, she felt an adrenaline rush, similar to riding a roller coaster. This was something she looked forward to almost everyday, her and Dean taking out the demons or other monsters. Keeping the balance.

"Good Holmes, you cover the top, I'll clear out the bottom," Dean said as he zipped to the ground level, alighting to the ground, he swung Rebellus out, it's supernatural energies pouring out in a thick crimson and ebony light as he raced passed the frozen medium with her ghost companion. "Hey don't just stand there, if you wanna get paid you gotta do something." He addressed her briefly, snapping her out of her trance. Glancing up to the still air born Selene he called out to her, "You take the upper floors, make sure you get them all, and if you find the Hell Gate let me know if you can! And whatever you do, don't die!"

With that said, he sent a powerful kick at the double doors, bursting them off its hinges before blasting in with a swing at a bunch of demons that quickly sprang toward him upon his entrance.

"This place reeks with suppressed energy, hard to -breathe." He noted as he whipped the blade around to slice through a group of them trying to catch him from behind. Then he continued down the corridor, aiming Silver Moon at his targets he shot a bunch of bullets, many of them burst into black, foggy smoke as they perished, but others he realized with alarming horror were going after the weaker ones and devouring them absorbing their energy and increasing their strength! Awesome. Another thing he noticed were that the demons had a difficult time leaving the school, was a barrier put up? By who?

"Ah, the son of Adacio has graced us with his presence, it was about damn time." Said Calanthe Calisen, the chair lady of Rosen Hale. She was decked out in a leather coat, looking like a Matrix chick herself, sexy. She held a giant machine gun, and a devilish smirk on her face. "So far the others have kept the groups of 'em at bay, but with the morning coming on I doubt they'll be able to keep up at it. The portal was set up in the Gymnasium by a student, who is surely not graduating. Not from my school. I got this here, Salvatore, go and get rid of that portal now!"

"I'm on it!" Dean said, not taking any more seconds to ask her how she knew that about him, he hadn't even know that about himself, in any case he knew that he would find out the truth soon enough. He knew his father's name was James Salvatore, who was this Adacio guy? Breaking the locked Gym doors down he was met with a wall of concentrated spiritual pressure that made it difficult to push in and walk through the doors, and yet, at the same time he felt every cell in his body attracted to the source. How freaky? The blade in his hand pulsed like crazy, its glow brightening at sensing the high spirit energies. Gritting his teeth, Dean stepped forward, forcing himself further, keep going, don't give up now, keep walking!

"I will destroy this world and everyone in it!" A deep and scratchy voice announced by the demon straining to force all this power into the human body it was possessing, behind the student, there was the giant Hell Gate he's been searching for, in it was the opening that connected the physical world to Hell basically. And in order for Dean to close it, he had to tango with the culprit that sprung it ope, send it right back in for it to close entirely.

"Damn, you snuck in disguised as a human, that's just sick!"Dean yelled, pointing the edge of his blade at the freshman student that looked like he was a nerd, the glasses and bow tie was a big give away. The kid was floating up in the air, his body reeled and writhed in spasms and his eyes were lurid an ugly black tinge that engulfed his eyes, even the white parts. The boy glanced down at the presence of a powerful spiritual energy below, a familiar one. "So, the Adacio legacy lives on through you, I smell his blood in you, the way you hold that sword confirms it. I've been waiting for the time we were to cross again! Now I don't have to hold back!" The boy lurched forwards, his back tearing as the real demon's form broke away from its shell, roaring loudly.

Dean smirked at the monster, "Hah, so this is what you really look like!" He was aware that the monster knew about his past too, would he be open for a little chat before they began fighting?

"Precisely, now I will end your pitiful life and eat your heart!" The big boss yelled, shooting at the hunter burst of electric-ish balls of energy that burned away at whatever it camein contact with, Dean saw it hit the wood floor and melt it away, revealing the earth underneath. Deep shit. That was a warning, not to get hit by them, so he dodged each blow as he closed in the space in between them and swung Rebelus "Haaaaaaa!" He yelled as he attacked the beast.


"Why. Don't. You. All. Disappear.Already?!"

Veratos shouted with each kill by her twin katanas, she'd managed to take out an entire army of the cretins collecting on the roof top, but she quickly realized that even if she killed them, more and more would come. That barn door needed to be closed or this little free-for-all were going to be too much for the barrier to take, it might even shatter. She knew it was the only thing up keeping most of the weaker demons inside. While the other stronger ones tried to break out, she went after them in quick precision, she wondered if Selene was holding up her own. She was just a vampire hunter, this kind of vanquishing must be an even wilder chase for her. "Hell I shouldn't be worrying, she got herself into this crap,I'm positive she'll get herself out. Dean, you better get this bastard, even if you don't remember being the Ace killer, somethings gotta give!" She brought the blades down on one of the more powerful demons, slicing in an X fashion, they disintegrated to smoke.




"Aleksei, you mean the pureblood? Who knows... You're not thinking of going out there on a man hunt now are you? Dean told you to stay here, I can't have you strolling around out there alone, you know why." Billie explained, he was back at his desk that was facing the open kitchen concept, there weren't many rooms in the place to begin with so, "What does the letter say girl? Did it reveal something useful, anything that matches my research?" He watched her warily, what if she suddenly got up and ran out? How would he be able to catch up to her then? Was leaving her here a good idea after all?

Aleksei squinted against the sunlight hiking up the sky, both him and Michael were a little breathless, him more worn out than the other, he wasn't the one wielding a weapon that hurt to touch, much less ate away at the flesh of his hand.

"There's some disturbance out there, I can feel it, like a head ache, only more annoying." He said, taking a moment to break out of the battle and notice the danger outside this. He had yet to realize Michael taking this chance to strike at him...

Selene, however confused she may have been at the sight of the onslaught of demons, was handling them quite expertly for not having seen one before. As she held her weapon expertly in her hands, she came to realize that Veratos was right about it being difficult at first, and then- it seemed to become an extension of her body, one that she controlled with expertise and precision. She aimed and fired, impaling each target through the head, though they evaporates into smog and left her to retrieve her abandoned arrows.

As she bolted through the halls, her senses pointing her in the direction of the gymnasium, she noticed a particularly voracious looking demon heading toward helpless Lyra. Upon instinct, Selene dove toward the girl and shoved her out of the way of the demon just as its powerful jaws came crashing down to the tile. She then whirled back around, aimed and let another arrow fly.

"Get out of here, medium," hissed Selene. "Unless you know of a way to seal the gate."

Then she abandoned the girl altogether, racing after Dean once she was sure the east wing was secure. Upon seeing the sunrise beaming overhead, she grew increasingly more apprehensive, all before she spotted the creature spitting fireballs at Dean. The huntress screwed her face up in horror, before taking another arrow and retrieving a small sack of blue powder from her belt. She then dipped the silver arrowhead into the powder, spit upon it, and listened for the telltale crackle and the scent of sulfur and myrr intermixing. She anchored the arrow against her cheek, aimed for the head of the beast, and let it fly.

Isabella watched Billie expectantly. She was young, he was not; older humans could not do without rest like adolescents can. Soon enough he would fall asleep, and that is when Isabella would run like hell to find this Aleksei man who splats Ty has been doing alot more than just trying to protect her. She held the paper in her fingers for a few moments when Billie inquired about it, then slid it toward him to read for himself.

"It's pretty vague," she explained. "But she mentions something about me being a reincarnation of someone and that 'the empires'-" her little fingers gestured air quotation marks as she spoke. "-have learned of my existence. There's this key, and she wants me to travel to Italy."

She held up the little gold skeleton key eye level for the man to observe. It was immaculate, as if it had never been used before. Then she furrowed her brows and tucked it away into her satchel. A sigh left her lips, feeling utterly helpless as the entire situation unfurled all around her, though she knew nothing of it.

"You know, for me being special or whatever," she continued, huffing exasperatedly. "I really don't like being left in the dark about things. I think I deserve some answers."

Her golden eyes watched him, though their expression was unreadable. Isabella had always been the curious one, and the moment Billie dozed off on the couch, she snuck out quietly. She was greeted almost immediately by Lorenzo, who shook his head as he looked over his shoulder at the automotive shop. Then he clicked his tongue, eying the satchel that hung at her hip.

"Sneaking out is not the brightest idea, amore mio," he purred, moving to block her every time she tried to pass. "Although... I can take you directly to where you want to go, at this very moment, if you wish. You need only ask."

Isabella thought it over for a moment, silently praying that Aleksei would hear her thoughts and come running to her rescue, since she couldn't even recall what his face looked like. Her dark hair waved softly around her pretty features, which had grown tired and weary from the night's events and lack of sleep.

"Can you take me to Aleksei?" she asked, noticing the man's demeanor drop considerably. Apparently, not very many people liked this guy.

"If that is what you so desire," he responded, though bitterly.

Isabella caught a glimpse of the iridescent, purplish glow that tainted the golden horizon in the direction of the school. She only hoped that her friends were safe- especially Dean, whom she still had so many questions for. Without warning, Lorenzo took Isabella by the hand, yanking her at lightspeed over treetops and buildings. She screamed with surprise, before realizing that she was soaring over Sable while draped in this very attractive man's strong arms.

"Where are you taking me?" Isabella demanded.

"You said you wanted to see Avalon," said Lorenzo impassively, dropping quickly back to earth to the girl's terror. "Your wish is my command."

A little distance away, Aleksei and Michael were tucked into the foliage, probably still quarreling about nonsense. She listened to their voices, one she could distinctly recognize as Michael's, and turned to look back at Lorenzo, whom had disappeared. She swallowed nervously before following after the sounds, hoping that she would be greeted with welcome arms, or perhaps with an open mind ready to answer her many questions.

"Aleksei?" she called out into the trees, receiving nothing but a rustling in the brush ahead of her. She took a step toward the movement, again hoping for the best, though feeling absolutely naked with nothing to defend herself should she run into trouble.

"Dean is going to hate me for this..." she muttered. "Aleksei!"

The pureblood's hand clenched the key that was warm in his grasp. Opening his eyes as she turned away, he watched her go through the dark glass of the shades. He ever really found a use for them but these he would cherish. Forever.

Mina blinked as she watched the girl walk off to school. She returned her gaze to her beloved who stood up the second she left and took off the sunglasses. Mina approached him with a questioning look in her dusky hues.

"You let her go...?" She seemed surprised.

He slipped the shades gently into a pocket, then looked at her as she drew closer to him, he smiled sadly as she touched the key;s edge, "What secrets does this key unlock?" She asked softly, returning his gaze with much concern. He closed his eyes for a moment, the little bats that followed Isabella confirmed that she indeed was heading in the direction of the school. "I wanted to see where this was going. That fool Lorenzo is allowing her to go to school, knowing full well that classes are not yet in session. Not while there are demons on the loose. And she doesn't want to 'run' now? What terrible timing to decide this. Oh well, that's what I'm here for. To stop her from doing stupid things like this." He sighed as he ran his fingers through his locks and opened his eyes to lock gazes with her.

"So I take it you're gonna stop him. Mean while I'm gonna go help the hunters." Mina said with a nod, they knew what they had to do.
"You do that. Be safe love."
"Won't make any promises!"

Aleksei watched her body break away in a million fluttering, beautiful blue butterflies and disappear into the skies.

"Maria lives through you Isabella." Aleksei whispered as he held the key to his lips and kissed it before adding that too into the same pocket. Then he flitted out of the forest, following her and soon enough catching up to them a block or two away from the hell that was taking place at the school. He was hoping the entire ordeal would be resolved before the ruckus awakened the entire city. The good news, a powerful barrier was brought up so that any supernatural creatures that tried to escape could not. He knew that was the working of the exorcist, Working her magic.

Stopping a few feet from the two, Aleksei appeared and he shot Lorenzo a disapproving glare, "Nice to see you're very mindful of Isabella's safety Lo, now, we all know where this is going. Why don't we skip to the part where you let her go and walk away? The position of armament and escort has already been taken. By me obviously, but I'm sure you already knew that. Like I know you didn't come here just to play nice either." He smiled, but it didn't take away any of the coldness in his garnet eyes.

"You do realize I'm not asking." He said, his tone dropping icicles.

◙ ◙ ◙

"These babies want more, how about a dose of water. Holy water!"

Vera slid her twin blades behind her on her back, then she reached for four bombs of divine water from her stash, popped the little triggers on them and threw them up into the air. She leaped like a dancer out of the area as the bombs imploded, making the area "rain" with its contents, the pellets of water that splashed onto the evil creatures burned away. A terrible sight that couldn't be unseen. Luckily, the huntress has been at it for years now, she'd lost her squeamishness toward death and destroying these things a long time ago. It was mandatory if she wanted to survive. As she passed down the halls and stairs, she went about tossing a couple of these holy water bombs, wiping out hordes of demon minions at once, all while making it down the lower levels of the school. She was hoping this could be wrapped up soon, though the "job" was never really done. Just the missions. As she cleared out the major regions of the school that was crawling with demons it didn't take long for her to follow the trail that would lead her to the gym where they originated. Jack pot!


The arrows sent by Selene's newly powered vampire bow, struck the giant monster's face, but it wasn't enough to take it out all together, but it sure helped weaken the sonuvabitch.

Dean sliced one of its large arms off, spewing black slime that could be its blood everywhere. Yuck. He appeared to dance around the monster as it cried out in rage since it was too big and slow to be quick enough to catch the kid with the giant sword. Powerful as it may be, everyone knew that it wasn't any good if it means you're stuck in a giant body that lacked any speed at all.

The arm Dean vut off broke away, its flesh forming grotesquely into mini versions of the giant monster he was fighting. Great, more demons.

"Hey Morrigan, ice them with your arrows, I'll take of Fi Fi Fo Fum over here-" He glanced back to see Veratos emerge out of the doors, clouds of debris and bursting violet, thick electrical-pulsing miasma bursting in smog behind. "Hope I'm not too late to join the fun!" She called out to them grinning wickedly.

"This party's gettin' more crazy, look at that. Glad you made it!" Dean managed as he shot at the giant boss with his blade, aiming for one of its legs now.

Lorenzo's bright yellow eyes flashed momentarily as they halted, stopped by Aleksei, who was anything but pleased at seeing the two together. Though Isabella was shielded by his strong arm from stepping toward the opposing pureblood, a smile curled over her lips. She had hoped he would follow her, if he was the man that he claimed to be. The full lips of the Italian pureblood hinted at a smirk, though only a slight chuckle escaped his nostrils. He observed Aleksei with eyes like that of a wolf, but not a single muscle tensed.

"Is that so, Avalon?" he mocked, his tone regal and romantic. "Because it seems to me the only purpose you serve in her life is to steal her memories, and keep her ignorant of the purpose there is no way she can escape."

He turned and looked at her over his shoulder, just as she wrapped a small hand around his bicep. She watched the two converse curiously, her smile fading, though still intrigued. She swore it was like having Louis and Lestat in front of her eyes, though she couldn't quite decipher which of the two bore malicious intentions. She had never seen two beings as beautiful as these two; quite literally, they appeared to be physical manifestations of the most eloquent literary pieces known to mankind. A gentle sigh escaped her lips, but as soon as she realized they were quarreling over her well being, she furrowed her brows and stepped forward.

"You clearly know nothing of my intentions, inbred, if you believe I desire to bring harm to the girl," he snapped cruelly. "We both know her life is severely precious to the world. And with that being said-" Isabella broke from his grasp to stand in between them, giving each a very pointed look. "-we should let her decide for herself who she so chooses to escort her... Although, I do believe I am more suitable... We are both Italian, afterall."

"Obviously I've been kept in the dark from whatever the hell it is you both are blabbering about," Isabella began, her face cutely scrunched in disapproval. "And even more obviously, I need the both of you to clue me in as to what is going on. And Aleksei-"

She looked at him gravely, standing almost defensively before Lorenzo, who watched the pureblood from behind her rather triumphantly. He crossed his arms over his chest, and the smirk that had been threatening to break over his painfully handsome features.

"All I know of you so far is that you've 'stolen my memories'-whatever that means- and not one of my friends seem to like you very much. On the other hand, Lorenzo has come to my rescue on two occasions... I trust him. So both of you need to play nice."

Selene grunted as the creature spurted offspring from itself like some twisted, evil amphibian of some sort. She took more arrows from her quiver, dipped them in the blue powder around her waist, aimed and shot. They dissipated upon impact, leaving the huntress to gaze at the enormous hellish guardian growing more frustrated as it combated Dean. She closed er eyes for a second- among the chilly, sulfuric air, a gentle, flowery and exotic scent carried- her eyes opened, revealing their hungry crimson color. As her canines budded, she realized that Isabella was nearby.

Quickening her pace, Selene darted like a bolt of lightning toward the limbless monster, running up its only good arm like a spider ensnarling her prey. She took more arrows and began to shoot directly into its skull until the creature reached behind it and attempted to throw her off, where she then leapt from her perch to land on the ground beside Dean.

"Isabella is coming," Selene warned between breaths. "Avalon is providing a temporary distraction, but we need to speed this up. Tell me how to seal that damned gate!"

At the same moment, the enormous fist of the creature rained down in their direction. Selene pushed Dean out of the way just in time, barely missing the blow herself. Then she turned and looked at Vera, swinging her weapons with such grace and precision it was almost as if it were some kind of dance. The smell of demons was though thick in the air that Selenw couldnt believe Isabella's fragrance was detected at all- perhaps the prophecy was indeed truth. All she knew was that she had to be protected at all costs.

Aleksei knew it and felt it, something changed. Lorenzo had Isabella's fate in his hands, he decided that he was going to marry her, and Aleksei could tell that it was going to be forced upon the girl. At Lorenzo's retreat he knew that the man took something away with him, and that from this point on, Isabella was left with his image forever in her mind. She would grow to love him, it was always that way, and all he could do was sit tight and watch it all unwind, all of it inevitable. In knowing this still, he would do anything he could to prevent this, anything to keep her from certain unhappiness.

Isabella was left shaken and in tears, he took her into his arms bridal style and whispered to her that all would be okay, then he turned opposite from the direction that Lorenzo left and departed the scene, he brought her to his own manor, welcomed upon first entering by a servant, Sera, he instructed her to fetch him a glass of water then he continued up to a room. Isabella's room. Laying her on the bed, he gently patted her head, willing her to rest because it would be much easier to deal with it all when she was well rested. "I'm sorry Isabella, I wish I could take this pain from you..." It was as though his voice were an echo, always telling her the same thing, he wanted to chase her pain away, and was always sorry because his efforts were never enough. It hurt him unbearably to see her tears and there was nothing he could do to console her, he wiped her tears away with tender fingers recalling how she had previously done the same for her. "Whatever you decide, to go to Italia, be with him, I'll always be right beside you...If you decide you want to fight against it all, I will be there for you, and hold your hand through it all, as I always have..." He gazed down at her, his eyes the canvas of his soul, slowly breaking down again, how many times had he pictured this happening? Loosing her over and over in his dreams to what is and what could never be? Before they were just nightmares, visions that she had warned him about, but now it was no longer just visions, it was all really unfolding before him.

"I will always protect you, my queen..."

Sera was at the door, a tall glass of water in her hands, her silver iridescent eyes watching them, she nodded when Aleksei motioned her forward and she handed him the glass of water. Then she bowed respectfully, turned then left them on cue.

Aleksei held the glass of water for Isabella, he urged her to drink some and to simply try to find calm.



"Only by either killing this thing or forcing it to retreat can the damn hell hole close up." Dean grunted, slicing quickly at the monster's leg. It toppled over, as the limb fell away, and predictably mutated into more hellish versions of the giant monster. In his peripheral vision, he caught Vera shoving something into the little cretin's gaping mouths as they tried to snap at her. She smirked and slipped away as the bombs of holy water burst within them, eliciting them to holler in agony as they burned from the inside out. She landed a little behind the hunters, the big monster was all that was left standing.

"Let's wrap this up before eight shall we?" She called out to the both of them.

[Happy New Year everyone! @St. Valentine I read your rendition of the role-play, I loved how you depicted Lyra, right on the nail! Are you writing anymore? I would like to know how Isabella suddenly awakens like that, it was like watching a television show so exciting.]

---

Michael rushed through the forest, through the awakening town and directly toward the school. Isabella was with Aleksei and another vampire, Michael wondered if he had ever felt this man's aura, it felt almost familiar, perhaps in one of the many council meetings before. Reaching the school property he saw Lyra, she was standing her guard, her hands held up before her, a white barrier protected the school its light faint and pulsing. It kept the evil things within from coming out, but he wondered if he could step through it without getting harmed, so he paused close to the girl.

"Selene is inside Michael, where have you been? There's a giant source of evil auras coming from in there, please help them, I don't know how long I can support the barrier!" She glanced back momentarily to see him, "I'll leave an opening for you, be quick!"

Michael nodded confirming, he gently patted the girl atop her head, smiling rather brightly, "Good job Lyra, keep it strong there, this will be over soon." Then he slipped away like a breeze, his hands ready with water and ice enveloping them as he burst through the doors. He saw the other night class students wrestling with a few stray demons and he helped getting rid of them.

"The culprit is at the gym, but the hunters are taking care of it," Amy, a vampire informed the pureblood when he asked for a report, smiling at her, thanking her for the imput he continued on to the gym, catching Veratos as she finished off her own demons before leaving a wreck behind her. When the smoke cleared he ran to the doors and slammed them open in time to see the hunter slice at the monstrous hell beast.

"Go after her, help her out, remember where you stand..." Aleksei's voice echoed in his mind as he though back at the fight they had before, he wasn't certain what the pureblood was planning out now, but he knew for sure that his Selene was now more involved in it than ever before. He shook his head slightly as he walked passed the ashes left behind by the huntress. He saw Selene in action, sending arrows dipped in a blue powdery substance at the giant thing. He looked up to her, "Mind if I join in?"

Outside Lyra closed her eyes, her cheeks rosy, wow, a handsome man had cheered her on to keep going, stay strong, it was enough to boost her confidence. Wait until Isabella found out about this! Speaking of, she could faintly "feel" her, she was a bit away from the school, along with her were two others that had much stronger, darker auras about them and it made her a little scared.

"It's alright Lyra, Isabella is with Aleksei, he only wants to protect her. Keep your focus dear." Katerina whispered, pulling the girl back to her task.

"Who's Aleksei?" Lyra questioned her, returning her focus on holding the barrier up, she was having some difficulty in it, takes a lot of mojo to cover up an entire school, also while keeping her mind clear for it all to work.

"A vampire, apparently he's been behind Isabella her entire life, however with this new fellow, he doesn't bode well in the mix, what he brings with him and takes away it's all so sad." Katerina expressed, she had remained long enough to know what was going on, having disappeared soon after Aleksei had explained what he could to Isabella. She'd returned to her niece to help her, and also, let her know what was going on.

Lyra frowned, "Oh so she has a guardian who's always been there for her sooo romantic -wait- did you say he was a vampire? That's unbelievable, but then again, I'm holding up a huge cage to keep the demons inside so I guess... I still can't believe it."

"Lyra focus!" Katerine urged her.

"Sorry!"

(Happy New Year my loves! I'm so happy to have met you both, and that we have all stuck together through what has it been? Two, three years now? Very safe and cheerful celebrations to you and your families! Also, thank you Angel, I tried my best to capture their unique personalities. I am writing more, and will send you both the newest edition soon. Thank you again guys! Love y'all! n_n)

Isabella wrapped her arms around Aleksei's neck as he carried her, the tears still falling, her despair ever present; yet, like all the other tender moments she had just shared with Aleksei, this particular gesture, as he held her close to his heart, again she could almost remember the same occurrence as a child. She breathed in his scent, the smell of earth on his hair and cold skin, and nuzzled her skull into the crook of his neck. Everything she had ever known was suddenly crashing down all around her, leaving nothing but chaos and confusion in its wake. Nevertheless, she knew there was no longer anywhere she could run, except directly to the source itself. A sigh escaped her lips.

As he placed her on a bed, in a room blossoming with dozens of fresh, beautiful flowers that resembled a Wonderland like garden, she watched him sadly. She could see the sorrow in his demeanor, and feel the shame emanating from his strong form. She reached out to place a hand on his, trying to reassure him that everything was going to be alright, though she was not sure of this herself. She graciously took the water, thanked him and sipped, though still observed him and felt he needed it more than she did.

"You don't have to protect me anymore, Aleksei," Isabella started softly, her small fingers wrapping around his hand. "At this moment in time, I need a comrade... Someone to help me fight whatever future is trying to force itself on me."

She sighed, looking away for a few moments and sniffing pitifully. A single tear streaked her cheek, but she didn't wipe it away; instead, she let it fall and dapple the floral quilt. When she returned her gaze to Aleksei, her smile was still there, unwavering in its efforts to provide him with some kind of comfort. Her free hand moved a few stray strands of his platinum hair from his carnelian eyes, a loving gesture she never thought she would do. That's when she remembered Dean, and how he had tried to make her promise to stay with Billie. She wondered where he had gone off to, and where Selene and her other friends were, and what their thoughts might be on all this madness.

"I... I want to go to Italy," she continued, mindful of Aleksei's sensitivity of the subject. "But I don't want to marry Lorenzo or be royalty or whatever it is he was hinting at. I just want to meet my mother, and find out why this is happening to me... And finish high school..."

Another tear streaked her cheek as she realized that, however futile that ambition probably seemed now, it was an important milestone in every teenager's life. She was determined that, regardless of this calamity, she would live out each of her desires despite the responsibility that would soon befall her. All she wanted was to keep her friends safe, allow them as normal a life as they could possibly have, and move on with her own.

"But I want you to go with me. You seem to be a very dear friend of my family's, and if I am to meet my mother, I would like to have you at my side, in case she isn't as forgiving with me..."



Selene was being overwhelmed by the spawning demons that were continuously reproducing from the monster's wounds. At the moment, they were climbing all over her, and her arrows were quickly becoming scattered. They started to rake their nails along her flesh in an attempt to tear her apart, which only angered the newborn vampire; at the same moment, an explosion resounded near her, and then a shower of Holy water rained down on all of them, destroying the demons and consequently wounding Selene as well. She hissed with the pain, but it subsided quickly, and when she recovered she glanced over at Vera to offer her an acknowledging and thankful nod.

She caught a familiar musky scent, and when she turned she noticed Michael standing beside her. With a smirk, she shook her head and began to recollect all her arrows.

"By all means, take your time," she joked, as she positioned the arrow along the bowstring and aimed for the creature, studded with her seemingly futile weapons. "It's nice of you to finally join us."

She couldn't smell Isabella in the air anymore, which meant she had been taken, and it was anyone's guess that her captor was Aleksei. At least, at this point in time, that's what she hoped for. The demons in the schoolhouse were gradually depleting in number, but the hell guardian was only maimed, or so it seemed. Hunting evil spirits and bogeymen was not something Selene listed on her resume, nor a skill she had in her repertoire. This was something different entirely, and she knew that if she was going to face future adversaries of the same nature, she would have to invest in proper weapons.

"When is this damned thing going to die?!"

((St. Valentine I hope you had an awesome new years last night! I'm just as happy to have met you, can't wait to see what you cook up next. To you both thanks for sticking with me in this role play, seems like forever since we were in this one, I think it's the longest running that promises to find an 'end' the way we're going. Keep at it guys, make me proud! lol XOXO))

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Isabella touched his hand, his fingers wove around hers, holding on to what he could, his eyes swam with so much tenderness as he captured her gaze and listened to her with a smile curving his lips. As long as she was before him, he would do his best to make her happy, anything she asked he would grant. I'm sorry protecting you with my life is a promise I will keep forever. Aleksei thought slowly shaking his head, then nodding with the other request, "I will be your comrade, if that is your wish, I'll hold your hand, and be beside you always." As her eyes gave birth to more tears, he watched them fall, it was necessary, she would shed the tears he wouldn't allow himself to shed before her.

She sighed, seeming pensive about something for an instant, then her gaze met his and her hand reached to his face, fingers brushing away a few wispy strands of his hair from his eyes and he closed them at her contact, welcoming her touch. A soft tired sigh left him, he could feel himself gradually relax as the seconds ticked by, she always left this effect on him when ever they were close, almost like Mina. He opened his eyes once again, his eye lids felt like sand paper when he blinked, he was pushing himself too much, and even so it didn't stop him from wanting to be here with her. As though he were cherishing every single moment he was sharing with her from this point on, and not wanting a single moment to pass where she wasn't in it. He was hopeless.

Isabella voiced further wishes to indeed go to Italia, and his jaw clenched at the topic, his eyes narrowing a tiny bit, brows wrinkling in obvious concern, she was playing right into Lorenzo's hand, using her mother most likely as bait. She then expressed her refusal to wed Lorenzo, and he couldn't help the twitch of his lips, threatening to break into a smile, even a chuckle, but he didn't have the energy to muster that. Finally she made it clear that finishing her studies was a must and his expression softened at that one, for it was a wish he shared with her, that she live her life, completely. More tears streaked her face and he gently wiped them, he remained silent so that she could fill the air with only her desires. She continued, telling him that he was whom she wanted to accompany her to Italia, he would have, had she not mentioned this anyway, and he nodded, glad that she had welcomed him further into her life.

"Your mother loves you immensely, let go the guilt baggage, that's heavy weight not meant for you to carry." he said while taking in her sweet scent. "You have done no wrong, never had...Just lived, if it's anyone who should feel guilty it's me... should have told you...the truth."
He smiled, then stood up remembering something, "Stay put, and close your eyes. I want to give you a something, I'll be right back." He left the room.

A few minutes later he returned with his hand behind his back, settling on the bed across from her, he reached for her hand, looked to be sure she wasn't peeking then laid something cool over her wrist, closed it by it's clasp then held her hand gingerly as he admired such beauty. It looked much better on her, than in the box it was contained in, he also rested a bound leather journal on the bed which was decorated with rose petals. What Isabella wore was a bracelet, its white chunky beads reflected at the light faintly, pearls strung beside an unpolished white gold charm embossed with a heart set aflame. He gave it to her because he wanted to, and nothing more, just something to remember him by if ever they were to part. He hoped she would take care of it as he had for the many years he'd kept it.

◙ ◙ ◙

Dean was just as anxious to get this damn monster out of the picture, but it just wasn't that easy. "This fella doesn't know when to quit!" he said, taking a lunge for it, raising his blade over his head, he aimed for the demon's skull, but was stopped when the enraged beast shot at the hunter with his giant hand, crushing him into the wall, his jagged claws encased him, he couldn't escape.

"I know you, your face is just like your father's what a surprise that I would find myself facing the son. And defeating him!" the demon growled, forcing his weight against the kid. Then he pulled back to look at him, the demon was incredibly weakened, and his senses were fading, but he wasn't going down without bringing someone to hell with him. "Tell me son of Adacio, where does your strength come from, the fact that you aren't human or is it because of the life you've lived so far? I want to know." His voice was scary deep and grating, matching his ugliness.

Dean glowered at the glowing orbs of the demon as he pulled himself out of a Dean sized hole, "How do you know I'm not human? I'm more human than you'd ever know!" he pushed himself off the wall and attempted to strike at the demon, blade gleaming red with his aura pouring into it, now he was really pissed.

The demon expected that he'd hit a chord, what was so great about humanity? He'd never know, but he was prepared for the kid as he advanced on him and just before they met in the between, he pushed his remaining strength into one last hit, allowing the opening above his head, the blade came down on him, ending him.

Vera smiled pleased at seeing him attack the beast, this time slicing it through in half, the atrocity erupted to pieces leaving behind nothing but bitterness and the nastiest stunk of sulfur. She scrunched up her face and covered her nose with her sleeve, and waved her other hand to clear the air, then gasped, almost choking on the stringent air. What she saw almost made her heart stop, her eyes flashed a bright red at the shock, before turning back their natural dark color and she raced after the fallen boy who was on his knees, the blade forgotten on the floor, his head hung low like a wilted flower. "Dean!"

"It hurts... but I can barely feel it." Dean whispered, he fell against Vera as she ran to him, sunk to her knees and captured him just as he fell. She held onto his hand which gripped tightly at the only thing left behind by the demon boss, his gihugic claw, or what looked like it. The claw had perfectly impaled him right in the guts. He held on to her shoulder, blood rising up in his mouth, he shut one eye trying to pull it out but not having the strength to. "Get it out. Get it out!"

"You'll loose too much blood, I can't just yank it out like that!" Veratos yelled back, she grit her teeth, shaking with the fear she never knew she had gripping her. Poor kid, he was the best hunter she ever knew, and now he was gonna die, like this? The thought was unbearable. "Selene, Michael... HELP!"