Nick yawns loudly to himself as he stretches out in front of his crowded desk. A small plate on his glass door leading into his office reads:

Nick had originally wanted it to read private eye, but his boss wouldn’t allow it. Go figure. His office itself was an average size, not overly large, but not a closet. He had one window that was behind his desk facing the New York skyline, well the lower half of it. His desk was littered with papers and various file folders. A laptop sat in the corner with various post its stuck around the screen reminding him to do things. On the far right wall large filing cabinets lined up side by side. He probably had a file on almost every adult in the city by now; brownie points went to the power beings. On the left wall a large bookcase was filled with various books with titles such as So You Think You Have A Poltergeist, Handbook for the Newly Deceased, Vampires of the Twenty First Century, Elves: Not Santa’s Helpers and such. The walls though, the walls stood out. They were covered in various posters and magazine pictures/clippings. Nick hated the dreary office so he figured he would add his own style and perk it up. Pictures of Kurt Cobain stared at him from various directions mingled with concerts posters from Foo Fighters, Radio Head, Incubus, Weezer, ACDC, The Clash, The Beatles, Travis, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. An averaged size boom box sat on an end table beside his bookcase. It was currently blaring Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So”.

Nick bobs his head along to the music calmly singing along as he typed away at his keyboard. Yeah, his job was normally boring, but it had its moments…ok it had a lot of moments. He continuously complained about his desk job and paper work that was mandatory, but when it came down to it his job wasn’t that bad. He got to be in the inner circle of the power beings and whose who of the city. He was on a first name basis with most of them, even on bad terms. He also always managed to get into some kind of problem every week or so. In the last twenty-four hours he had managed to get kidnapped by AJ’s goons, taken to his lair and asked random questions. And all he had originally stepped out for was a hot dog. The week before he had some how managed to get himself into an argument with an informant of his who happened to be a witch, or was it warlock that he preferred, whatever the case he had come out of the argument with nuclear green hair that took him hours to find the counter spell.

Currently he was on AJ’s list of people to watch and he was never happy when he ended up on that list. Of course it was all thanks to everyone’s favorite new fur ball…

“Justin?” Nick says looking sideways from his computer at the disheveled looking young male that had just walked into his office, “What the hell happened to you?”

Justin stares at him panting slightly before shutting the office door behind him, “Being followed.”

“So you come to my office…wonderful!” Nick says shaking his head.

Justin rubs a hand through his hair before sitting in a chair across from Nick’s desk and sighing, “I am in deep shit.”

“AJ?”

Justin nods, “Yeah.”

“You realize there is a hit out on your head right?” Nick says.

Justin nods calmly.

“Yeah well someone picked up the contract the other night. I found out this morning on my answering machine here. Aren’t you lucky,” Nick says.

Justin looks up at him before his eyes grow large, “Wait…how do you know about that? How do you know there is a hit on my head?”

Nick smirks, “Justin, I know everything that happens in this city.”

“They said it was my head? Justin Timberlake?”

“No,” Nick shakes his head as the song changes to Oasis’s “Wonderwall”, “They said it was on the new hunter that came into town. The Reaper? I take it that’s you?”

Justin stares at him calmly shifting his weight in the chair.

“I expected something more from the elusive Reaper,” Nick says calmly.

“What does that mean?” Justin asks.

“Someone who doesn’t slip up as much…more or less one major slip up that involves an elf,” Nick says looking at his computer screen for a minute.

“Oh she isn’t that big of mistake,” Justin says, “I’ve done worse…”

“And you’re alive still?” Nick says.

“Yeah, obviously,” Justin snorts.

Nick shakes his head, “AJ will find out soon enough.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because Quest likes you…”

“So?”

Nick looks at him hard and sighs, “So if his lovely Quest likes someone so much, and that same person is hated by Oleander, he is going to want to meet you.”

Justin looks at the floor and sighs, “Fuck.”

“And eventually he WILL put it all together and figure out who you are. If his hit men don’t find out before.”

Justin rubs his forehead and sighs, “How many contracts were taken out on me?”

“So far three people have picked it up other then the one last night. Two picked it up prior,” Nick says, “And I gotta warn you. I don’t know these people yet, but I’m warning you if they find out who you are they WILL go after her. I have seen it done before. Hit men don’t play friendly.”

Justin looks at the ground again.

“But of course I guess you can call yourself a hit man too…”

“I’m not a hit man,” Justin snaps.

“Do you kill?”

“Yes, but…”

“Do you kill citizens?”

“Yes, but…”

“Do you sometimes take money?”

“Yeah, but…”

“Well that’s a hit man…”

“They’re murderers!”

“Well then what are you?” Nick asks him, “I’m not saying you’re a bad person, but you kill people Justin.”

“I don’t kill people…I kill vampires there is a difference.”

“So you say, but not everyone feels that way. Same could be said for werewolves and shape shifters.”

Nick locks eyes with him and nods, “Just watch your back ok. Call me if you get in that much trouble.”

“Ok,” Justin nods standing up.

“Where ya going?”

“I told Quest I’d see her at her place and we’d go out to lunch.”

Nick nods, “Daylight doesn’t make it safe.”

“I know,” Justin sighs, “Trust me I know,” he says before turning around and walking out the door.

Nick watches him leave before shaking his head. Now he was defiantly going to be on AJ’s shit list.

Justin walks into his apartment building and walks straight to the elevator hitting the up arrow. He shifts the waist of his pants slightly trying to fix the position of his Seecamps .32 autoloader. It was his gun of preference. It took someone about a year to get their hands on one since they were custom made. He had five. Under his black sweatpants was a knife sheath around his right ankle and a second small gun rested behind him on his back in a holster…just in case of course. It was concealed under a plain blue t-shirt though. He knew how to hide most of his weapons perfectly by now. He just tried to avoid wearing white t-shirts because when the sun hit them right you could see the gunmetal. His hair was kept under a baseball cap currently. He woke up to late to style it and he needed to get to the store to by some silver bullets before he met Quest. Wow, great priorities right?

Justin walks by his own apartment door and looks at it for a second. He looks at the doorknob and then the door carefully. He inhales a scent in the hallway and follows it to his door. Shit.

“Justin,” a voice says from down the hall as he looks up suddenly at Quest who was walking down the hall towards him.

SHIT! “No,” Justin yells.

“No what?” she asks.

“STOP,” he says locking eyes with her as she stops suddenly midway down the hallway, “Just…Just stay there. Ok?”

She nods slowly staring at him.

Justin looks over at his door again and with his right hand draws his Seecamps out slowly trying to hide it from Quest’s eyesight. He puts a hand slowly on the doorknob and unlocks it with his left hand. He had only opened it a crack before a deafening boom is heard and a gunshot blows through the wooden doors sending splinters of it flying in very direction. He hits the floor immediately. Jesus Christ it was a shotgun. He kneels up slightly and takes aim with his Seecamps as he lets two shots out as a second shot is fired at him and he hits the floor again. This time he jumps to his feet quickly and lets off a round of bullets through the large hole in his door hitting a figure inside. Blood flowed from the chest of the figure as it stumbled before falling onto his wooden floor. Blood pooled out onto the floor as he opens the door fully and walks in looking at the older male figure. Dead.

“Justin,” he hears a voice say softly.

Oh Jesus, “Quest,” he yells running out into the hallway and looking at her spread out on the floor of the hallway. Wood ships littered the floor by now and the smell of blood was leaking into the hallway, “Are you ok? Are you ok?” he asks kneeling down beside her and pulling her into a sitting position, “Quest,” he says locking eyes with her.

“What was that?” Quest asks lacing her arms around his waist.

“Nothing,” he says, “Its nothing now. Everything’s fine I took care of it,” he says wrapping his arms around her protectively, “I…I’m just running away from a lot of demons right now.”

Justin looks up from his sitting position with her over to his door. It was a matter of five feet maybe and the second shot had gone wide veering more towards her about three feet off. No doubt he had hit the guy before or as he was getting off the second shot. Three feet…it had missed her by three feet.

“They blame it on an assassination attempt at Quest,” Josh says looking at AJ.

“Who did it?” AJ asks calmly from his seat behind his desk.

“Some guy,” Josh says looking over his shoulder at Nick Carter standing behind him and slightly to the left.

“Jim ‘Snuffer’ Sims,” Nick says calmly, “He’s a citizen of the city. He’s usually very good at what he does to. He’s sloppy though. This time he got caught.”

“Snuffer?” AJ says calmly, “Does he have any family?”

“AJ, don’t punish his family,” Josh says calmly, “They didn’t touch her. They have nothing to do with this.”

“Are you sure it was a hit on her?” AJ asks looking over at Nick.

Nick stares at him and shrugs slightly, “I can’t really say. Remember I only met this guy about a week ago. I know a lot of people know about them dating now though.”

“Dating?” Josh looks over at him.

“I guessed they were,” Nick says calmly, “They seem like it.”

AJ nods, “Where did the kid learn to shoot?”

“He’s a werewolf,” Nick says simply, “You know they have reflexes almost as good as yours and elves.”

“Where did he get the gun?”

“His.”

“Who’s watching them now?”

“Probably under elfish protection. Her uncle isn’t taking it well,” Nick sighs.

AJ nods again calmly, “Send Benny over to watch them.”

“You really think they need Benvolio?” Josh asks looking at him.

“I’m doing it A.) to make sure she’s safe and B.) it’s a good gesture to make to the elves. I’ sure they are ready to let some heads roll,” AJ says simply.

Josh nods, “Think I should send Pierce?”

“I would suggest it,” AJ says nodding to him.

Nick looks between the two of them and watches their faces as their minds work. He was praying to God neither doubted him. He was hopping that they would buy into the story just as fast as the cops had. Justin was lucky…no he was beyond lucky. Quest had provided a huge scapegoat when it came to the assassin that had camped out in his apartment.

Fingers had been automatically pointed at Justin when the authorities showed up at his apartment staring into the large gaping hole in his door at the dead body inside. All they knew was there was one dead body and one man with a smoking gun in his hands. They jumped down his throat immediately. “Why did you open the door?” “How did you know he was in there?” “You didn’t? Then why was the gun ready?” “How did you know to duck before the gun went off?” “You shot through the hole in door?” “Is there any motive for this man to be here?” “Where did you say you came from again?” When Nick finally got there Justin looked like he was ready to pull out his hair with his bare hands.

Nick knew he had to plant the seed though, “Where’s your girlfriend?” he asks Justin as he walks up to the scene.

Justin looks up at him from his spot sitting on the floor and glares at him.

“Justin, where is she?” Nick asks calmly.

“She’s over there,” Justin says looking over at Quest sitting on the floor about five feet away from him.

“Gentlemen, did you look into the idea that this may have been an assassination attempt?” Nick asks loudly as the officers look at him and Justin glares up at him uncertainly, “Did you question the girl?”

“We haven’t gotten to her just…” an officer says.

“And I will ask again…did you question the girl?” Nick says sternly. He knew how to play cop when it came down to it.

“No,” the officer says.

“I suggest you look into the fact that that girl…sitting over there is Quest Vacant…heir to the elf throne in the city,” Nick says as Quest looks up and over at him slowly at the mention of her name, “I would also take into account that the young man before you is a werewolf,” he says as Justin looks up at him looking intently as he paces around slightly as he walks, “Well we all know how well the elves and the werewolves in the city get along don’t we? Did you maybe think that, I dunno, someone could hate the fact she is dating outside of her race? Maybe not liking the idea of her taking the throne shortly and dating a werewolf nonetheless. Go talk to Westclox see if anything else has occurred. Get some security in here and guard them both.”

Quest looks up at Nick and swallows hard pulling her legs against her chest and resting her chin on her knees.

“You heard the man,” an officer yells, “Let’s get moving.”

It could never have turned out better by Nick’s standards.

Justin sighs loudly and lies back on the bed he was sitting on. It was huge and covered in large pillows and blankets all white. The bed itself was a four-post bed that sat in the center of a large limestone colored room. He would have checked the door again, but he already figured it was locked still. There was a large window to his right that showed the skyline of the city as an amazing view. He was willing to bet every room in this place had an amazing view though.

His ears perk up suddenly as the doorknob on the door turns. He sits up and stares at the door intently. On instinct he reaches behind his back for his gun, but it wad downstairs with the rest of his toys locked up probably. Justin’s blue eyes lock on the opening door as a tall male with a black cloak walks in and throws the hood back staring at him.

“Hey Nick,” Justin says looking at him and relaxing as Nick walks around the room looking around.

“Here,” Nick says throwing Justin back his Seecamps and his other gun and knife, “Nice gun.”

“Thanks,” Justin says taking it.

“You’re lucky you even have them back,” Nick says, “Even luckier you’re not in jail. You should be glad the elves took you in and agreed to watch over you until this al blows over.”

“Yeah…well they seem to want to keep their good name more then help me,” Justin puffs.

“True,” Nick says as Justin looks at the door that s closed again, “It’s guarded.”

“By who?”

“Benvolio and Pierce…vampire and shape shifter…gifts from AJ and Josh.”

“What?” Justin asks sitting up.

“Yeah…the man you’re trying to kill…and the same one who probably sent that assassin through someone else to kill YOU…is now guarding your safety with one of his own,” Nick says.

“So he was sent for me?” Justin says.

Nick nods, “No doubt in my mind.”

“But you pin it on her?”

“You want the cops on your ass? More?”

“No…” Justin says simply.

“Then be grateful…not the first time it has happened to her.”

“I dug myself into a hole didn’t I?” Justin says turning his gun over in his hands.

“You have no idea,” Nick says, “Wait until tomorrow.”

“Why?” Justin asks looking up suddenly.

“Why…AJ wants to meet the man who saved his beloved Quest,” Nick says.

“Well fuck me,” Justin says staring out the window.

“That’s the best you can hope for.”