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By: Kash |
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Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer:I own nobody...though I still keep hoping that if I'm a very good girl Santa will slide Edward under my tree this year...and I'll keep hoping til it either comes true or I find a way to slip myself under HIS tree...whichever comes first. Hehehehe...sorry having wicked thoughts. In any event I don't own any of the characters, well I guess I sorta own Seri and Chrys and Fata...though if you asked them I'm sure they'd deny it. I'm also not making any money from this endeavor...nope no money none at all...in fact could someone lend me a couple dollars...I need coffee. Note: Well its been a while and I know I'm a slacker...goes with out saying...but I am trying honest I am. In any event we are getting closer to the end....one day I hope to actually be able to type those words and mean them. Of course there's the usual plea for feedback...though I probably don't deserve it. |
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Anita stared at Lillian, letting the silence stretch between them.
She hadn't liked the prognosis and she sure as hell hadn't liked the
ring of defeat in the dear doctor's voice. The pity glowing in her
eyes didn't help matters much either. Anita was pretty damn certain
that pity wasn't gonna save Asher and currently that was all she was
interested in.
"There's no hope." She said her eyes cooling one infinite degree at a time. Lillian shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry Anita, its only a mater of time before the silver..." she let her voice trail off. There was no need to go into the details. A small tremor crawled down her spine. She'd once seen a were-leopard poisoned with silver. It wasn't a death she'd wish on her worst enemy. "The munin?" Anita offered, breaking the silence that seemed to ebb and flow in the conversation. Lillian shrugged and gave her a pained look. "You could heal him, but the silver would still be there, the process would just start over again." She sighed heavily. Healing the vampire would buy them time to find a cure perhaps...but she didn't wish to watch him struggle through the agony of being slowly dissolved by silver, especially not a second time. It was torture...and you just didn't do that to your friends. Anita's jaw tightened. "Why can't we just remove the silver, then heal him afterwards?" Her voice came out sharper then she intended but she made no apologies. She wanted a cure, not sympathy. The aura of defeat in the room was threatening to choke her and she refused to just give up without so much as a fight. "It's too late, the silver has spread throughout his system. We can't simply remove it. It's not like a bullet." Lillian's eyes flickered to where the bullet she had removed from the vampire rested in a container by the bedside. "There's nothing I can do for him." Anita was on the verge of snapping at the good Doctor when Jason spoke up. It seemed to be his week for playing guardian angel to all her likely targets. "We understand, thank you for coming out so late," he offered, while leading Lillian from the room. Anita ground her teeth together watching silently as they retreated. Jason glanced over his shoulder long enough to shoot her a knowing look. She suppressed a growl. She took a deep breath and tried counting, it didn't work. It never did, but Marianne had assured her that controlling her anger was important so she continued to try. The sound of the door opening broke what little concentration she'd been able to muster and she spun round, gun out and ready, to lock eyes with Edward. His gaze from behind his own drawn weapon did little to soothe her nerves but it did manage to break the steady stream of worry she felt over Asher...for all of about five seconds...but it was a nice five seconds. "Funny, I'd expect you to go for a head shot." Anita said as she eased her finger off the trigger. Not completely off, but she did relax a bit. Edward smiled and it almost reached his eyes. "I'd hate for the funeral to be closed casket," he replied. Anita's eyebrows shot up. She wasn't sure if she should laugh or...be afraid, very afraid. Laughter won...but it was a close call, and part of her immediately began demanding a recount. She lowered her gun, clicking the safety back on, as she gave an amused grunt. She didn't put the gun away though. She was amused, not stupid. "Will he...live?" Edward asked, getting back on topic as he too lowered his gun and tucked it into the front of his pants. Anita was certain that wasn't where he had drawn it from but she'd save that question for later. "Lillian says No," Anita replied, but there wasn't a lot of conviction in her voice. She'd been faced with hopeless situations before and she'd gotten lucky...she was praying luck would be with her this time as well. Edward nodded. He supposed he should say that was sorry. He wasn't. She knew that. Lying would be an empty gesture and he wasn't one to make gestures...empty or otherwise. "How long does he have?" he asked after a long pause. She shrugged. A smile tugged at his lips. She wasn't being helpful, but then he knew the drill...he had taught it to her after all. "Where's the bird?" He asked after another long silence. Anita took a breath before answering. "With Asher...keeping watch." "You let her?" he asked, monotone carefully removing all traces of surprise from his voice. "Not much damage she can do...sing him a lullaby, wash his face." She shrugged again. "What's the next step?" he asked, letting the issue of Seri go at that. A tight evil smile crawled across her lips. "Search and destroy," she replied, savoring the taste of the words on her tongue. Edward smiled. This was the part he liked. Seri eased the door closed and sighed. Sing him a lullaby...was that really all she could do? Turning she looked at the pale form lying still as death in the middle of Jean-Claude's bed. She shivered suddenly, feeling a cool wind teasing the hair on the nape of her neck. She closed her eyes trying to contain her grief. It was well after sunrise, Jean-Claude was safely ensconced somewhere nearby. Asher had fallen silent at dawn as well. Now the only sound in the room was her own shallow breathing and the panicked racing of her heart. She moved across the room to the edge of the bed. Looking down at him she frowned. He looked so peaceful...so perfect. In the darkness his scars were all but hidden and his face was relaxed, no longer tense with hidden emotion. She reached down and traced the line of his cheek with one finger. He was cold to the touch, dead as only the undead could be. Her eyes trailed down his face and neck to his chest where the beginnings of a wound had appeared. It looked like he was on fire inside and the flames were slowly burning him away. Her hand hesitated above his chest, dark fascination urging her to touch while another part of her was appalled at the very idea. It was an invasion of his privacy. She jerked around as the door opened. Her eyes wide with guilt as her gaze met Anita's. "I..." she started and then bit down on her tongue firmly. She hadn't done anything wrong and babbling would only make it appear as if she had. She took a small step away from the bed, turning to face the door and its occupants. "He's sleeping." Seri said softly, her eyes remaining locked with Anita's, carefully avoiding looking over her shoulder at the blonde man behind her. She did her best to appear as unthreatening as possible when in Edward's presence, only a fool could look in his eyes and not see death peering back at them. Anita watched Seri carefully. There wasn't anything she could do for Asher...or so she thought...but this little scene wasn't reassuring. "He's dead." She said bluntly her eyes flickering to Asher's corpse. That's all it was right now. Seri's eye widened at that and her mouth set. She was the very picture of disagreement, but she didn't speak. "We're going hunting." Anita said slowly, taking a step into the room. She felt Edward step through the door behind her, then move to the side. Looking for a clear shot no doubt. Seri controlled the urge to shrug. They were going hunting...what did that have to do with her? Her face must have betrayed her confusion though because Anita explained. "I want to know where she is and who she has with her." Her voice remained cool, purposeful. Seri stared at her before answering. "I don't know where she is...but she has a number of men with her." Edward spoke up. "Just men?" Seri's eyes snapped to him. "Yes men. Fata doesn't appreciate competition." He didn't so much as twitch. "Human?" He asked his voice flat and unfathomable. She smiled grimly. "Almost...she'd like you." His eyes locked with hers for a long moment before she continued. "They'll be as strong as a werewolf and as fast...without being allergic to silver. They are linked to her power. Laurel or Ash works best." "What about modern weapons..." Anita asked interrupting. She preferred a gun to a bunch of branches any day. Seri shrugged. "I don't know. When I killed her army there weren't any modern weapons, it was all arrows and swords..." a small smile tickled her lips. "And the occasional removal of the heart. Edward turned to look at Anita. "Hollow tip ammunition at the heart should work..." Anita nodded. "What about Fata...how do you intend to kill her?" Seri asked her voice barely a whisper. Anita looked back at the woman. "Decapitation probably," she tilted her head to one side clearly giving it serious thought. "Cremation tends to work pretty well on most monsters." Seri shook her head. "Won't work. It'll kill her body, but she'll just take another. That's what the vampire is for." Anita frowned. "What vampire?" "Asher's daughter. She'll rise tomorrow night. That's why Fata wanted her." Anita froze. "Asher's what?" she demanded in a rigid tone. Seri looked at her somewhat confused, "The girl...she was in the coffin with Asher. Tomorrow is the Solstice. She'll rise and Fata will have a new body. She's almost burnt this one up." Anita stared at her hard for a long while. "What will she do if we find her before the girl rises?" Her voice lost the sharp edge of anger that had been growing in it and fell into ice. Seri looked down at the floor, giving it her full attention before Anita repeated her question. Looking back up she took a deep breath. "She'll take a different body..." Her eyes fell away for a moment then snapped back up. "Yours probably. She'd never think to take on a man, not as long as there's an alternative available." Anita stopped breathing for a full second. "Mine..." she shook her head. "I've already got enough baggage." Seri gave a harsh laugh. "Wouldn't matter...she's a God. You'd just be there for the ride." Anita's eyes narrowed, "She's not MY god." Seri's eyes flicked down to where the silver cross lay resting against Anita's breast bone. "No she's not, but she's used to getting her way. She's had centuries of practice and she survived the birth and crucifixion of your God, don't underestimate her. If she could have been killed so easily she'd be dead already." One corner of Anita's mouth turned up. "Who said anything about easy? I fully intend to make it as painful as possible." Seri swallowed at the grim determined tone then took a deep breath and continued. "She'll be expecting you...and she'll be at full strength." Edward moved suddenly, reminding both the women of his presence. "So when WON'T she be at a full strength?" he asked quietly. Seri turned to look at him, giving the question some thought. "The most..."she searched for the right word to use "inopportune time would be when she takes the new body. The girls spirit will probably rebel and she won't have complete control of the body for a time." Anita looked at her. "You're sure?" Seri shook her head. "No...but it makes sense." Anita gave Edward a look and he replied with a shrug. Seri watched the unspoken communication with unease. She was alone in a room with two highly seasoned killers. It didn't matter that once upon a time she'd had blood on her own hands, they still unnerved her. "I'll go scout the area," Edward said, already moving to the door. Anita looked like she was going to join him but stopped, glancing back at the figure on the bed. "I'm less likely to be spotted alone." He whispered, pausing at the door, Anita nodded, but he was already closing it behind him. to be continued.... |
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