Jill noticed a lively energy in the air as she walked into the town square of Merron, the village on the north-west of Jack’s territory. The nights had been cooling rapidly as of late, the days growing colder even as the leaves of the trees changed color from green to orange and red. Jill had never stayed in one place for very long, but, in those places where humans stayed, fall had once again become a final preparation against the winter. It was time for harvesting, gathering and making the last repairs to living quarters before the snows started to fall. Most important though was the harvest and, as had been done since time immemorial, the completion was a wonderful excuse for a party.

Jill, despite her years on the run, wouldn’t have claimed to be an expert on the human condition, but she knew the difference between a shelter and a community. She’d been in both and found she greatly preferred those communities that, despite the odds hung on and survived. In those places, humans still retained the will-power to smile, even in the face of their own extinction. In the shelters, there was no smiling, just a grim acceptance of the future. During her days on the run, Jill had never spent much time in those places; the ones who gave up were most often those that were preyed upon with the greatest frequency. This village, despite its size, had a sense of peace about it that other villages lacked; something Jill suspected came from their guardian.

Villages like Merron didn’t need much of an excuse to throw a party. Truthfully, getting a good one going consisted mostly of cracking a few barrels of the home brewed beer, finding enough people willing to stay sober and play some songs on their provincial instruments, and clearing out the center of town. For the harvest celebration though, a great deal more effort was put into it. The smell of freshly baked bread hung heavy in the air, mixed with a dozen other aroma’s coming from other dishes that had been prepared and served earlier on in the evening, before the sun had gone down. By the time Jack and the others had arrived though, the food had long since been served and grown cold, but the party itself was well underway.

Torches burned brightly along the single, simple dirt street of the village, while children ran around, laughing as they chased each other in a loud game of tag. There was a gathering in the middle of the street where couples danced to music played by five of the younger members of the town. Their instruments, while not of the highest quality, were played with very talented hands that brought rich golden melodies and counter-melodies from the worn implements. Jill felt herself smiling as she watched the couples dancing to the rhythmic beat set by the players.

Jill, Topaz, Maila and Vallov followed Jack as he walked down the street, without any sort of fanfare at all. They were all dressed in ostensibly plain clothes, which Jill assumed was an effort to fit in more with the people of the village. Even in simple garb though, Jack managed to look dignified, although Jill had to admit it was highly odd seeing him in something other than black. He wore a pair of simple brown trousers and a loose-fitting, plain white shirt, tucked in at the waist. Thinking back, Jill realized that this was the first time she had seen Jack in anything but long sleeves as she took particular note of the well defined muscles on his pale arms. His long black hair was tied back, the normally chaotic flowing hair looking much more civilized.

Jill, keeping with Jack’s instructions, had also kept her selection of clothes simple, which suited her fine. About two weeks after Jill had been turned Jill had answered a knock at the door one night, only to be greeted by an odd little vampire, who made his living in the world tailoring. Jill had never even considered there would be such a thing as a vampire tailor, but she soon found herself being measured, fitted and selecting fabrics and styles. Apparently Jack had summoned the tailor shortly after he had turned Jill, in the expectation she would require clothes of her own. A short time later, a great number of packages arrived at the house containing a closet full of various outfits, which, for the most part, matched Jill’s taste perfectly. There were a few items she was positive Jack had included in the mix as a surprise for her, consisting of a couple dresses of the type that she had borrowed from Maila earlier on, made of some o the most comfortable material she’d ever felt. With all the choices though, she was most happy to see a sort of utilitarian pair of pants, with wide pockets, loose enough in the waist and legs that they were comfortable, yet fitting enough that they didn’t completely hide the fact she was a woman. She wore those along with a dark blue blouse that went nicely with a black leather belt. Nothing fancy, but comfortable and she didn’t have to look shabby. She’d had quite enough of looking like a refuge in her life and she was starting to enjoy having a choice of wardrobe.

Maila was all but bubbling over with excitement as she walked with her arm linked with Topaz’s, her blue, length skirt billowing slightly in the wind and a wide smile on her face. The change in her had been astounding after Raff’s influence had been removed. Jill had been quite pleased to learn that she was really a friendly and lively girl, who very much enjoyed life, if one could say that about a vampire. She and Jill had quickly become friends, spending many hours in the mansion talking, laughing and joking. They were frequently joined by both Topaz and Jack. Topaz, a good enough guy at first, seemed to have a weight lifted off his shoulders when Maila came around, and became even more cheerful and goofy. Jack’s mood remained as always: unpredictable and quirky. One moment he would be dour and spooky, while the next he would be laughing with the rest of them.

No less than three weeks after Maila had been cured though, Jack and Jill had returned from one of her training sessions to find Topaz sitting in one of the couches as Maila lay across it with her head in his lap as they talked quietly, Topaz absent-mindedly running his fingers through her hair. Jack had smirked, almost as if he were pleased with himself even as his form had faded into the shadow, only to emerge a second later behind the couch where Topaz and Maila were chatting. The couples combined screams had echoes through the mansion as Jack leaned down and simply, quietly said “Boo” all the while, smiling viciously. Jack was quite happy for the two of them, and for the most part left them alone. Since then, nothing more had been said about Raff, by common agreement.

It had been just about three and a half months since Jill had become a vampire and began living with her strange new family. For the first time in her life, she was safe, secure and even found herself enjoying life, such as it was. One of the things she enjoyed most was training with Jack, who was an excellent teacher. He was not easy, but she found herself quickly gaining and understanding of her new abilities. Moreover, she discovered that she had begun to enjoy her time alone with Jack. Although he could be strict at times, she knew he was also kind. He was spooky, more than a little insane but she was finding these things were not as bad as she once would have assumed. A month after she arrived they had really started talking in earnest, and she began to get a picture of who Jack Darkness really was and, almost against her own will, she began to like him for it.

As soon as they had entered the town, Jack had begun greeting people warmly, chatting and shaking hands like they were all old friends. Truth be told, Jack had probably met most of the people in the town at one point or another, and he went to a lot of effort not to scare them. This was actually Jill’s first time coming to one of the three towns that were under Jack’s protection, so he would often introduce her, after which would follow a couple minutes of polite conversation. Jill was amazed at how casually here people treated Jack and his small retinue. Topaz seemed to have several friends in town who he and Maila were joking with loudly, not to mention several very attractive young women eyeing Maila enviously as she wrapped one slender arm around his waist and rested her head against his shoulder.

Yet, for as welcoming the town seemed to be, Jill was keenly aware the entire time that she didn’t belong here any more. For the last few years, the inhabitants of Merron had invited Jack to their annual harvest celebration, but he had declined mostly because he didn’t trust Raff in any sort of social situation. However, he was now out of the picture, and the mere mention of it had been enough to send Maila into fits of excitement which gradually bled into everyone in the house save for Vallov. Jill had wanted to go, just to be around people again, even if for a short while, but now that she was here, she felt the suspicious glares, or the intrigued ones like she were some exotic animal walking through the streets. She also noted a fair number of male eyes following her and sizing her up. In their defense, it did not seem that it was open lust, but rather, surprise.

“You dress down, and still you’re making every woman here jealous. Good job.” Jack smirked from across the table they were sitting in. The erstwhile ‘mayor’ of the town had been sitting their talking animatedly with his wife and Jack intermittently, obviously suffering from some of the pleasing effects of the local brewers product.

“I’m not trying!” Jill sounded very much like she was trying to excuse some sort of deviant behavior. “You haven’t exactly told me how to turn this off.” She indicated her face and hair, which were, as usual, perfect.

“Don’t worry.” Jack made a casual dismissive gesture with his hand. “You can’t turn it off. Look at the group around Maila and Topaz.” He pointed over in their general direction where there was a small group of both genders. A few of the men were openly staring while some of the women were looking with genuine longing at Maila and Topaz respectively. “We’re predators. From time to time we find ourselves needing to attract prey.” Jack grinned evily, and winked. The mayor’s wife seemed mildly shocked by the direction the conversation was taking, but the tipsy mayor hardly even noticed that anyone else was talking and continued to ramble on, at one time talking for some length on how beautiful Jill was. Thankfully he didn’t seem to be drunk enough to spend a slightly longer time singing the praises of his much offended wife.

After a while, Jack tired of talking to the increasingly drunk mayor and left Jill to fend for herself, having already introduced her to a fair number of the people in town which left Jill alone with the mayor and his annoyed wife. She quickly excused herself from the situation and began to wonder around, alone with her thoughts. She watched Maila and Topaz flirting with each other, completely disgusting their devotees who grouped around. Smiling, Topaz kissed Maila and put one arm lightly around her shoulders and Jill smiled too, seeing them both happy and enjoying themselves. Jill knew that Jack was much happier with them together than he was when Raff was mucking up the works and in that she saw just another aspect of the man who was confusing her the most.

Jill often found her thoughts drifting to Jack, her Sire and … well she just didn’t know if there was, or could be an ‘and’. She didn’t even know if she wanted there to be an one. Granted, she had seen him swing from cheerful to enraged at the drop of a hat, and she knew what Orlock had done to him. He had even confided in her one night about his wife, and what had prompted him to save her, which, she was oddly fine with. But, for all that there was a good man underneath; a kind man, who seemed almost afraid to come out at times. Oh, his anger was real enough, but so was his kindness, like he was showing these people. He didn’t have to come, nor did he have to help them, but he did. He had been ripped away from everything dear to him, and forced to spend all those years with the monster who did it, and still he had come out not being a monster. He constantly feared it, but Jill knew better, and so did Maila and Topaz. Jill frowned, considering that she had no idea what Vallov thought, not being exactly forthright with his feelings, if he had any.

Jill sighed and leaned back against a lamp post, crossing her arms over her chest. There isn’t much point in denying the obvious Jill, she thought, mentally kicking herself. You have feelings for the Jack Darkness. She really didn’t want to, but there it was. Jack had shown her more patience and kindness than anyone had since her parents had died. She’d been on the run, about to die and he’d saved her life, given her a new home, safety, kindness and much more. He was the single most aggravating man she’d ever met, and the second most dangerous one, Orlock neatly trumping Jack in the scary and dangerous department by a fair ways. And for all that, and a little more, she thought she was beginning to l… She shook her head angrily, attempting to drive the thoughts out. Ok, maybe you do have feelings for him but you definitely don’t lo… Well, its most certainly not that. I hope. 

Jack hated doing these sorts of things. How in the world had he let himself get talked into this? Oh yes. Maila. Few things made him happier than her complete recovery, but he had forgotten how much her girlish smile affected his better judgment. Jack had been about two inches from either killing himself or the overly talkative mayor and he did regret leaving Jill with them, but he really needed to get away. While enduring his punishment, for whatever sins he had last committed, he had been eyeing the alcohol being drunk around him quite enviously. Sadly, such substances didn’t react all that well with a vampire, or at least they didn’t react at all. Vampires could become drunk on blood, drinking enough to simulate the effects of being drunk in the traditional sense, but alcohol was filtered out by their immune system far too quickly. There were only a few compounds that had any lasting effects on a vampire, and they were rare.

Jack milled about, talking to people, making friendly and enduring the looks he was getting from some of the ladies of the town. Maybe he should have kept with the normal ‘Jack Darkness’ look, hoping that his innate scariness would dissuade some of this attention. Granted, it had its uses, as he’d explained to Jill, but he did wish he could turn it off at times. He wandered what in the world he had been thinking when he’d agreed to come to this thing. There was no longer any place for him in human society. He’d gone down roads that assured he’d never be able to be one of them again, even if humans and vampires could live in a degree of harmony. Still, if he could …

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as his eyes wondered over to a young man slowly working his way over to Jill, his nervousness clearly showing on his face, but his eyes were fixed straight on his goal. Jack’s anger flared and he turned to march right over to the young man and tell him to leave well enough along, but he stopped himself, taking a deep breath. It was no business of his if Jill wanted to participate in the dancing. It was a party after all. He watched smiling as the young man walked over to Jill, and exchanged a few words. Jack was quite confident that she’d flatly refuse him. Unfortunately, a couple seconds later she smiled sweetly and left with him to the center of the square where they joined the other dancers. There among the rest were Maila and Topaz too. Jack swore angrily to himself under his breath and turned his back to the dancing, walking back to the table where he’d left the drunken mayor.

Damn it! Why am I so angry? Jack thought acidly to himself. He turned it over in his head but everything led him back to the same conclusion. He was jealous. Which was ridiculous because he’d actually have to have feelings for Jill to be jealous of her dancing with another person. It was quite true, that he’d grown very fond of her in the last couple months. Teaching, talking, joking and training with her let the two of them get to know each other quite well. Without meaning to he began to go over all the hours they’d spent together. His anger evaporated as he remembered the first time she’d flown just a few feet under her own power. She’d had a childlike glee and instantly flung her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek, then gone back to laughing happily while Jack touched the wet spot on his cheek. Jack remembered the odd feeling he’d gotten when she’d suddenly wrapped her arms around him, and absent mindedly reached up to touch his cheek again where she’d kissed him. Another five or six instances like that crossed his mind as a realization slowly dawned on Jack.

He did have feelings for her. Despite his best efforts, he did, in fact, now care for Jill as more than just his sireling. He cursed silently. Jack couldn’t even begin to guess when it happened, but here he was. Falling in lo… Whoa there, Jack, lets not get carried away. He fell into a chair, sighing in defeat. His eyes quickly scanned the dancers for Jill and her partner. She was quite beautiful, Jack admitted to himself, not for the first time. Neither could he deny that she was a skilled dancer, as she moved across the dirt street, which had been converted into a dance floor. Sighing again he turned his eyes away. Fine. He felt for her. Now what? He pondered the question, and in the end he could only come up with one conclusion. This was a dance, after all.  

Arron, the rather attractive young man who Jill was dancing with, wasn’t especially talented with dancing. In fact, he was rather clumsy, made partially so by his nervousness. Jill noticed that a pretty face would sometimes do that to a man, but what Arron lacked in skill he more than made up for in manners. He was a proper country-boy, well behaved and polite to a fault. Jill completely believed he had never been more scared than when he’d asked her to dance. Considering her own life, Jill found that quite enviable, but that didn’t leave them much common ground, especially considering the species gap. Still, they managed to have a good time dancing quickly together to an upbeat song from the long forgotten past. Not many things survived the vampire Holocaust, but music seemed to last, no matter where Jill had went. Every town had its own blend of songs taken from their ancestors. Jill herself had always loved these little town festivals, and went whenever she had been able. They had been a small bit of happiness in a world much short on it.

Soon, the music slowed into more of a slow, stately beat and all the couples drew close to one another. Though he was a sweet boy, and to Jill, he really was just a boy, Jill didn’t particularly want to be that close to him. Unbidden, the thought of Jack popped into her mind as Arron’s hands encircled her waist and drew her close. Well, she’d gotten herself into this, she would just have to see it through. They exchanged the customary small talk as they swayed slowly, Jill’s arms resting on his shoulders, but her mind was still far off, wondering where Jack was, maybe if he were dancing with some lovely young lady. She soon became aware of another reason for avoiding this situation.

Arron was a tall, strapping young man, with short blond hair and a strong frame, which most likely suited him well for farming. Unfortunately, he was tall enough, that when Jill and he were close as they were, her face was quite near his throat. She was suddenly keenly aware of the blood rushing in young Aaron’s veins, just inches away and it touched off her hunger. She could hear it pounding , and feel the flutter of his pulse beneath his skin and it was torture. She didn’t know it but her orange eyes were slightly dilated with hunger now and she ran her tongue absent mindedly over her fangs. A sharp prick on her tongue was enough to bring her back to her senses. She shook her head sharply drawing a strange look from Aaron, oblivious to the danger he’d just been in. He began to ask her what was wrong, but was cut off by a hand placed firmly on his shoulder.

“Mind if I cut in?” Jack asked politely, his tone of voice making it perfectly obvious it was not a question with multiple choices.

“S-sure.” Aaron stammered nervously and backed away, retreating to the tables to talk excitedly with his waiting friends. Jack’s hand was held out, waiting for her own and Jill took it without even thinking. As they pulled each other close the band changed melodies but kept with the slow beat, giving the assembled couples some more time together. Jill mused that there would be more than one marriage proposal sometime during the night. The combination of dancing and the festive atmosphere often prompted such spurts of romance. Granted, it wasn’t very original but there was still a certain charm to it.

“Close call?” Jack asked mildly. Jill instantly noticed a change in his voice. It was quiet, concerned and worried, yet there was something more there. Jill looked up, meeting his gaze and was surprised to notice that his usual half-lidded glare was gone. Instead he looked confused, and, if she wasn’t mistaken slightly nervous, which made absolutely no sense to her. What in the world would make Jack ‘Darkness’ Price nervous?

“A little.” She admitted quietly. “I had no idea that could happen. We just had something before we came over.” Truthfully she was a little ashamed, even more scared of what might have happened if she hadn’t gained control again. “All I could think about for a couple seconds was … “

“I know. I know.” Jack said quietly as they moved to the music. There was no snide comment, none of the usual sarcasm, just a quiet sincerity. Right then, Jill was very grateful for Jack and she pulled him a little closer, laying her head on his shoulder as they danced in silence for a little while. She felt a gently hand on her head, comforting. Jill had seen a great many sides to Jack, but this was one she hadn’t seen before. Strangely, it felt right to Jill.

Jack was very grateful that he’d decided to come when he had. When he’d decided to come down and attempt not to stick his foot in his mouth, he had felt Jill’s pulse quicken from twenty feet away, and a slight surge of Mana, indicating her heightened hunger. There were many ways that he could have handled it, not limited to giving her a long lecture on the dangers of what she’d done, but here he was, holding her close, noting that for the first time since Orlock had killed his wife in front of his eyes, he couldn’t feel the ache of loss that had been his constant companion. Jack smiled bitterly. Truly an amazing thing. Something he should perhaps share.

“Listen, Jill. I…” he was cut off by as he felt Jill’s lips touch his in a sudden, but gentle and sweet kiss that seemed to last a small eternity. It was the last thing in the world that Jack had been expecting, and it caught him totally unawares as everything seemed to stop around him. Without even realizing it he had closed his eyes, and wrapped his arms around her as gently as hers were around his. He had no idea how long it lasted, but, once again, without warning Jill broke away, blushing furiously.

“Heh. Sorry about that.” Jill said shyly, blushing. The dance continued around them, but neither seemed to notice, as other couples steered clear of them, even though some were watching intently. Jack was simply silent for a moment, searching for words.

“Wow…just wow.” He finally said. He was slightly disturbed actually. This was not like him at all and although he was worried, he found that he didn’t particularly care either if he wasn’t himself. Something more important seemed to have come up. “I guess we both had a couple things on our minds.”

“And what was it that you had on yours.” Jill asked coyly, wrapping an arm around his waist and smiling. Honestly, she hadn’t even been thinking. Her body just seemed to act of its own free will and her heart was still pounding from the thrill of acting on the thought that had been rattling around in her head for the past several weeks.

“Much the same thing actually.” Jack replied, a mischievous smile touching his lips, as he pulled her close again. “I don’t know if I was going to phrase it exactly the same way, but you appear to be a much more gifted orator than I.” Jill blushed and Jack smiled, reflecting on just how pretty she was when she did that. He could feel her pulse racing, almost in time with his, noticing she had been just as nerve-wracked as he had been. They had only just began to slowly dance to the lilting, slow beat of the music again when the music stopped, followed by the thumping a foot on the stage, marking out a much faster tempo for the new song. “Shall we?” Jack asked, smiling widely, showing his sharp fangs but without his usual flare for the dramatic.

“Why not? This is a dance after all.” Jill answered moving out of his embrace and taking his hands in preparation for the dance steps. “Wouldn’t want to waste it.” It was a fast and complicated rhythm that ebbed and flowed as the dancers moved and twirled in the dirt street. For that short while Jack’s eyes didn’t leave Jill’s, both smiling their eyes faintly glowing in the darkness with a new energy. The song was just reaching its climax when a panicked shouting rose over the music, cutting it off as the players stopped to hear what the racket was about.

A man, beaten and bloody stumbled down the street, as if he had been running for his life, shouting indistinct warnings. Instantly he saw Jack and made a bee line for him. Jill looked up at him to see his face instantly set back in its serious, all business look. “Mr. Price!” said the man, panting, his voice strained as he clutched his side in pain. He was bleeding from a dozen cuts and his clothes were ripped and dirty. He began talking far too quickly and Jack calmly silenced him, prompting him to speak slower and called for bandages and someone to see to his wounds. As he had his wounds dressed he told Jack how he’d been held up getting back to town from taking a shipment of wheat to one of the human strongholds outside of Jack’s area. It was generally considered to be wiser to travel at night, thus at least awake enough to perhaps avoid becoming a victim of some roving vampire. Unfortunately, bandits and thieves liked to operate both during the night and the day. He’d been set upon while he’d been sleeping, a good ways away from the village. They’d beaten him and wounded him, but tied him up. Somehow he’d loosened the knots and grabbed his horse, riding as fast as he could, actually making good his escape while they were sleeping. Tragically, his horse’s leg found a hole in the ground at full gallop, throwing him from the saddle. The horse had broken its leg, but the merchant had needed to get back to town as quickly as possible.

“While I was tied up I heard ‘em talkin’ about these towns here.” He said finally. “None of ‘em believed me when I said there was a vampire protectin’ ‘em, just beat me again fer’ lyin’.” He seemed quite worried. “With them horses they could be going to any one of your towns tonight! They’ve got to be warned!” Jack nodded at the frightened man. He was absolutely right. Such groups were often the scum of what was left of society. Rape and murder were their bread and butter, and Jack would be damned if he let them wonder into his territory and leave unharmed.

“Ok,” Jack said after a moment’s consideration. “Topaz, you get to Rennic fast as you can. Maila you go to Knox. Vallov, you stay hear and keep an eye on Merron. You three, stay here until daybreak and then get back to the mansion.” He looked at Jill, eyes all business. “Jill, you head back to the house. I don’t want them moving in and surprising us right before dawn. I’m going to go track these bastards down and make sure they don’t bother anyone, ever again.” His last statement carried the finality of the grave. Jill was slightly disappointed at having to go back but she didn’t argue. She knew someone had to watch the mansion, and since she didn’t know where the other two villages were, she was the logical choice. “All right, lets get going.” Maila and Topaz disappeared almost immediately, while Vallov just stood their, like a stone monolith. Jill was about to start her sprint back to the mansion when Jack put his hand on her arm. “Be careful.” He said simply, winked and turned away to share some last words with the merchant. Jill didn’t waste another moment, but took off running to the house. 

Jack had been scouring the country-side for hours, looking for the bandits, but he couldn’t find any. He’d spoken to the merchant, trying to learn the general direction they might be, but he’d been turned around so many times in his escape he hadn’t been any help at all. Jack had found his horse, lying in the road, unable to move with a broken leg. Knowing there was nothing he could do he reached down and quickly snapped its neck out of mercy. There was no one in the village that could heal a break in a horse’s leg that bad. It was dead the moment its leg found the gopher hole. Jack continued to search for the bandits trail and he finally found it many miles away. Unfortunately, it was too late to do anything about it. Dawn was already coming fast, and he would be hard pressed to return to the mansion. Hopefully Topaz, Maila and Vallov would be there as well. They’d pick up the trail tomorrow night and hunt down the criminals.

Jack took flight covering the distance back to the mansion in a matter of minutes. He was exhausted from the nights ordeal as he opened the door, and instantly his thoughts turned to Jill, wondering if she were still up. Most likely not, but it might be worth checking out, he thought as he closed the door behind him silently. Distracted as he was, it was no wonder that his guard was down, most especially in his own house. Only too late did he hear the slight whistling sound as he walked away from the doorway and a little dart shot into his chest. He pulled it out, annoyed, thinking that Topaz was playing another one of his jokes, when suddenly his vision blurred and he stumbled. He tried to put all his Mana into healing the poison but he found he couldn’t concentrate enough pull together enough Mana. Slowly, he dropped to his knees, then fell face first on the floor, darkness swallowing his world completely. 

Chapter 8 – Just a Little Blood. 

Jack awoke with a start, the sound of cruel snickering greeting him as he opened his eyes. Instantly he noticed that his hands and legs were bound and tied, himself on the floor in the basement. The first sight that greeted him was Steve, the skull’s empty eye-sockets staring at him mockingly. He stared right back into those empty sockets and smiled as if he were greeting an old friend. A normal man, a sane man, might have felt fear, understanding the situation he was in, but Jack was far from a normal, sane man. He felt his anger welling up deep inside, like a great raging beast. He could feel each and every man in the room with himself and he knew with a grim certainty that they would all be dead within the hour.

Two rough hands grabbed his shoulders and rotated him harshly so he was looking up at his captors, rather than lying on his side. There were eight men in the dungeon cell with him, all dirty to some extent, emitting various offensive odors. Some exchanged jokes, laughing at the helpless vampire master in front of them, others cast nervous glances from side to side, urging the man in front of him to be done with it and gone. There was a decent amount of light in the room, several torches burning on the wall, lighting up the torture chamber. Normally, Jack wouldn’t have called it that but he surmised that very shortly that would indeed be what he used it for, if only temporarily.

“Well, well, well, boys.” Said a harsh voice contemptuously, the source of which was the man who had turned Jack upwards. He was a great hulking brute of a man. He had broad shoulders and his arms were covered with muscles, the kind that took hours a day to maintain. He was bald, and an ugly scar ran from the left side of his forehead, across his eye and to the center of his chin. He was missing several teeth and his breath smelled of twenty years of hard drinking. He wore a cruel, self-satisfied grin, like a troubled boy, holding a magnifying glass over an anthill. “Looks like Mr. Darkness here is finally awake.” Some of the men shared his cruel smile, laughing wickedly. Jack tested his bonds and felt metal fibers digging tightly into his wrists. Substantial, but nothing he wouldn’t be able to handle. “Hmmm…Looks like our little vampire here can actually move. That might be troublesome. Brad, stick ‘im.”

Jack couldn’t see who stepped forward but he felt the prick of the needle as it was stabbed viscously into his neck. He felt a cold sensation quickly spread across his body as his muscles went slack. Jack struggled against the effects of the drug, but it was pointless. There weren’t many substances that had any effect on a vampire, but it appeared these thugs had done their homework well. Such drugs were troublesome to come by, as vampires had done their honest best to obliterate them, but every now and again they would pop up. They were actually far too deadly to use on humans, their effect on vampires not becoming known until the holocaust as humans tried to find any way they could to fight back. Garlic may have failed them, but they had found a few other things that worked in its place.

“Nice stuff huh?” Jack assumed the brutish one to be the leader, as the rest were deferring to him. “Cost us plenty to get it, but seeing you here like this… Well, I have to say it was worth every penny.” He laughed callously and kicked Jack in the side. Jack didn’t so much as blink as he stared his captor dead in the eye. Jack could clearly feel the effects of the drug on his mind, clouding it, making it hard to concentrate but he was still lucid. He felt his Mana but was having a hard time getting control of it, trying to filter the drug out of his blood-stream. “Oooo…my, my, my! The rumors about you must have been true, which will make this all the more enjoyable. I do enjoy hearing a strong man scream. But then, you aren’t really a man are you?” He took a knife from its sheath on his leg and bent down next to Jack, so close that his fowl breath washed over Jack’s face. The knife was long, curved and polished to a mirror shine, the firelight reflected off it shining on the man’s face.

Jack felt the knife bite into his arm as his captor pushed the point in deep and then slowly drag it down. Jack didn’t make a sound, didn’t twitch or blink, he just kept his eyes locked on those of his captor, burning red with his anger. If it weren’t for the drug in his system he would most likely be able to snap his metallic bonds like rubber bands and proceed to paint the walls with their blood, but he was unable to at the moment. The drug was quite effective, completely paralyzing him, but still keeping the nerve-endings active, allowing him to feel every bit of pain. What this fool didn’t realize was that he was a base amateur compared to Orlock. Another thing they failed to realize was just how fast his body could dispose of the drug, and they wouldn’t have any idea until it was too late.

His captor continued working for another ten minutes, growing more and more frustrated that his attentions didn’t elicit one single indrawn breath, one scream or whimper from Jack. The wounds he inflicted healed almost as fast as he could slice with his knife, and soon he cut randomly, deeply, just trying to cause some sort of damage. He grew ever more creative in what he thought would get a reaction from Jack, but the vampire remained impassive, staring at him coldly with his hate filled gaze. Truthfully, Jack barely felt what he was doing, his mind wandering where it would to distract him from the pain.

Almost immediately his thought’s turned to Jill. If he concentrated hard enough he could feel her lips on his even more keenly than the knife being twisted in. He didn’t know which actually hurt more. He could see her face, even as stars exploded across his vision when something heavy and hard hit his head. Still, he did not move, make a sound, or even let them know he noticed what they were doing. Jack knew he was in a bad position, but all they could do was kill him, which was far preferable to living the rest of his life, pretending that he didn’t want to be with Jill, living in the same house and knowing that was all they would ever be. Jack almost lost hold of his cold, hate filled glare with that realization. He almost laughed when he realized that he didn’t need Orlock to torture him, when he was so talented at it himself. He was letting the mere shadow of Orlock keep him from what could be the best thing that happened to him since Emily. Granted, there was still a risk, but there was always a risk with Orlock. Before Jill, the risk had never been worth taking, but now, now that he was staring his death in the face, he could not consider letting the opportunity pass. While Jack was busy with his own thoughts, the boss was only growing more angry as Jack showed no reaction to his attentions. His subordinates were growing quite uneasy with Jack’s calm acceptance of his mutilation. A couple of the younger ones were actually getting green in the face, the more experienced were just getting edgy.

“Come on.” Encouraged one, somewhere in his mid-thirties. He was dirty, scarred and possessed cold, hard eyes, just like his boss. “Let’s just kill him and get out of here before the others get back. We’ll strip this place, loot the nearest town and run for it. By the time the sun sets again we’ll be so far away that the other two will never catch us. Besides, I don’t know how long our guys will be able to keep that Drone of his busy, even if they do get the drop on him.” Although a lot was known about fighting vampires, not a lot was known about killing Drones. At the mention of the Drone, the others became increasingly more nervous. Jack, of course, had been listening in, woken from his reverie by the conversation and suddenly understood everything.

The merchant who’d stumbled into town had most likely been telling the truth, only he’d been allowed to escape. Jack, of course, had split up his group to protect all the towns and gone to search for the bandits himself. It was his only option if he wanted to protect all three villages. They must have had some sort of radios to keep in contact with someone in the town, letting them know what action Jack was taking. With the three vampires split up, and himself away from his guardian, one vampire must have seemed like easy prey. They probably hadn’t known when he’d be returning, but they could have just been waiting for him. Jack cursed himself silently. They’d set the bait and he’d taken it.

Unfortunately for the brigands, they had made two errors. The first was not killing him immediately when he’d been unconscious. The second was that they had made a slight miscalculation on the number of vampires in attendance that evening. He didn’t know how they’d missed Jill, but it was something they might come to regret most fervently. Jack assumed she must have been in her room, which, sadly for him, were fairly soundproof but there were always other ways to let her know of the danger. Jack knew her tendency to retreat to her room when angered, and he was now keenly regretting his choice of actions earlier on, for various reasons.

Their boss grunted with annoyance as he pulled the dripping blade out of Jack’s stomach. Those damn, arrogant eyes annoyed the hell out of him, and he wanted satisfaction, but for the first time that evening he decided to err on the side of caution. If that Drone busted in on them before his master was dead, they’d all be dead. Sighing with regret as he stood up, he wiped the blood from his hands on his shirt and picked up a shotgun that he’d rested against the wall. The gun was a fair size larger than someone would carry for hunting or self-protection. Jack guessed its sole purpose was to cause enough damage to slow a vampire down or kill one. The trick, of course, was hitting your target, but, Jack though, a stationary target, like himself, wasn’t too all that difficult to hit.

“S’pose you’re right.” Said baldy, gruffly. “Last thing we need is that Drone showing up. I was hoping to hear a scream, but killin’ you should do just as well.” The last comment was directed at Jack as he took aim right at Jack’s heart. At this distance, it would easily destroy his heart. For the first time, Jack felt a thrill of fear. He had some motor control, but not enough strength to snap the cables. He could focus enough to use some Mana but not a lot, which meant his options were extremely limited. Jill! Help! He called out fervently with his mind, before he turned his attention back to the gun pointed at his chest. Focusing everything he had at the moment he locked his eyes on a piece of the gun barrel and let his Mana loose in the form of a nearly invisible shadow. “Night, night, Mr. Darkness.” With that last barbed pleasantry, Jack’s tormentor pulled the trigger. No one had even heard the metal shriek in protest a moment earlier as a small shadow put a crease in the metal barrel of the shot gun.

Jack smiled evily as the gun exploded, sending bits of metal shrapnel around the room, sadly missing most of the men. The brutish leader took a piece right in the face though, screaming as he fell down. A shard of metal pieced Jack’s leg but was pushed out by his body a moment later. For a moment there was panic until their leader stood back up, shaking with rage and pain and pointed a finger at Jack. “Kill him!” he yelled at the seven other men in the room and was answered by the sound of several guns being cocked. Damn! Jack thought as he faced a half dozen guns pointed at his head and heart.  

Jill lay in her bed, still fuming about what had happened earlier in the evening. Upon returning home she hadn’t even bothered to wait for anyone. She walked straight upstairs into her room, slammed the door and fell over on her bed. She laid there for a long while, all the while, thinking of Jack, running over the dance in her mind, over and over. She kept seeing his face, for that short time, unguarded and gentle, felt his lips on hers once more, then the cold sting of his refusal. She noticed an odd wetness on her cheeks, reaching up and wiping a single drop of moisture away from the pale skin, swearing at herself. God damnit! I am not crying for Jack Darkness. Jumping out of the bed headed straight for the bathroom, shed her clothes and climbed into the shower.

The hot water felt extremely good, scalding her skin slightly but drained away the stress of the night. Even here though, she couldn’t escape her thoughts. In a way, she knew Jack was right about Orlock, there was a decent possibility that he’d hurt her to get at him, but the more she thought about it, the more she knew she’d take that risk, if Jack would only let her. Orlock was perhaps the one thing Jack feared, and for good reason. He’d stood up to him in the past and been stepped on like he was nothing more than a bug. Yet even that wasn’t the truth. Orlock delighted in tormenting him, and, in all reality would not let Jack die. Even so, it didn’t change her feelings, nor, she suspected, did it change Jack’s.

“God damnit!” she yelled and slammed her fist into the wall in the shower, splintering the wood beneath the water-proofed cover, which now bore a deep dent. Faintly, she heard a door open and close downstairs, undoubtedly Jack or one of the others. The sound of the water drowned out all but the sound of the door opening and closing, even from her heightened senses. She considered going down to meet whoever had just returned, but the water felt far too good running down her back, and she didn’t particularly feel like talking with Jack, or watching Maila and Topaz play couple. She just stood there, standing under the steaming water until she felt the hot water begin to run out. Still with Jack on her mind she dried off and put on her normal pair of shorts and tank top that she slept in, and fell into her bed again. True, dawn was only a few hours away, but she was emotionally exhausted and despite all her worrying and thinking she was no closer to coming to a solution about Jack. So, she lay there, staring at the ceiling, torn between anger and her feelings for Jack.

Only a second later it seemed she woke up with a sharply indrawn breath, covered in a cold sweat. She didn’t know when she had fallen asleep, but deep inside, she felt something was terribly wrong. Quickly, she threw her soaked covers off and got up, listening carefully in the darkness, on guard for some reason. Her heart was pounding and she didn’t know why. Normally she would have thought it a dream, but she hadn’t dreamt since her first night here. She tried to quiet her thundering heart and listen but all she heard were the sounds of the house. She wanted to write it off, but something was very wrong. Not bothering to put on different clothes she silently opened the door and stalked out into the hallway on silent feet. Moving with all the silence of a cat on the prowl, almost blending in with the shadows she made her way to the main staircase that overlooked the front entrance. She looked down and saw two men, nervously pointing large shotguns at the entrance, like they were waiting for something.

Something seemed to click on inside her as the threat in the house became something very real, and not just a vague feeling. A slow anger took hold in her at the thought of these vermin invading her home. My home! She thought, rage building. The only home she’d known since her parents had died. The house of her Sire, the man who’d saved her and she quite possibly loved. The thought took her a little off guard, but she only had time to acknowledge it as hard truth at the moment. Whether or not she actually loved Jack, was a matter that would be completely moot if neither of them was around to see the moon rise again.

Reaching out with her senses she found there were only the two guarding the entrance, standing together in front of the door, their backs to her. An advantageous position for taking someone entering by surprise, but leaving them wide open from behind. Jill’s heart beat faster as she began to sense that time was becoming something of a luxury that she didn’t have. She didn’t know why, but she had to be quick about this and find the source of the feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. Without making a sound she jumped off the top of the balcony and landed on all fours just as silently. Moving so fast that they wouldn’t have been able to follow her were they looking right at her, Jill appeared behind the two, still oblivious to her presence. Two simulations cracks shattered the silence of the house, as Jill broke both of their necks at the same time, letting their limp bodies slide to the floor with a clatter. She considered grabbing a gun, but knew that it would only prove a hindrance. Her new weapons were far more potent: strength, speed, and Mana, even if she could not fully use it in battle yet, it would prove more than effective at healing wounds.

Jill! Help! Jack’s thought echoed in her mind as clear as if he had spoken it right next to her. She didn’t know how or why, but Jack was in danger. Along with the words she saw a vivid picture of a skull, staring balefully at her. Knowing instantly where Jack was she broke out in a dead run with no concern for stealth. She threw open the couple doors between her and her destination, taking the stairs in one graceful movement and arrived outside the door just in time to hear a deafening explosion followed by several painful screams. Also, hanging in the air, she could smell the metallic tang of blood, most notably, Jack’s. She didn’t know how she knew it was his, but she did and that one smell drove all thought from her mind as it was swallowed in rage. The smell of blood brought her hunger from earlier screaming back and she could sense the warm bodies inside, some already leaking blood from wounds and her Sire in danger inside. Jack. Her Jack. They were hurting Jack and with and cold certainty she knew they would pay most dearly.  

Jack continued to stare at the men as they pointed their guns at him, even as he prepared himself for a final attack with what Mana he could use, still feeling the effects of the drugs. Yet, just as they were about to fire, there was a shuddering impact on the door and it exploded inward, sending large shards of wood bouncing around the room, splinters scattering over the floor. For a moment, Jill stood framed in the door, radiating anger and outrage into the room, even more when she saw Jack, lying bound on the floor. The next instant there was a sickening crunch as the first gunman, a skinny man with the face resembling a weasel flew through the air and hit the wall, dead before he settled to the floor. Jill was silent the entire time, while the men screamed and the leader tried to regain control but it was too late.

Jill’s eyes glowed with a feral delight as she broke the spine of another man with a savage strike to the back, her hand coming away wet and sticky with blood. She smiled, her fangs glinting in the firelight, and Jack felt a surge of Mana as the flames sputtered and died, sending the room into pitch darkness. In the following panic two more died with matching wet crunches as their heads were slammed together with inhuman force, the smell of blood was becoming overpowering in the room and both Jack and Jill felt it tugging at their hunger. Jack heard a scrambling and turned to see the leader fumbling his way out of the room, keeping his bloodied hand on the wall, trying to escape in the mad panic. Focusing his mind, Jack strained against the final effects of the drugs, pouring all his effort into breaking his bonds.

The metal binding his wrists snapped with the sound of a gunshot and he savagely tore the restraints off his feet. He heard a scream and a wet splash from behind him as Jill savagely cut another down, Jack’s eyes dilating as he smelled more fresh blood. Standing quickly and fighting off the momentary dizziness Jack stalked calmly into the hallway where the bleeding leader of the marauders was desperately trying to make his way up the stairs, scrambling and crawling, crying prayers to a god he didn’t believe in to save him. He felt a surge of relief as he reached the closed door at the top and turned the handle, throwing the door open. A fist slammed into his stomach and he felt several ribs break under the force of the blow, feeling more bones shatter as his body rolled down the stairs. New terror grasped hold of his heart as he looked up and saw Jack walking slowly towards him. He couldn’t see his face save for two red eyes, glaring at him with a satisfied amusement in the darkness as he closed. One final scream marked the passing of his life as Jack’s fangs bit deeply into his neck.

The two remaining men didn’t even know their leader was gone. They were surrounded by darkness, frozen in place by terror. They heard the screams of their comrades dying, the sickening crunch of a bone shattering under inhuman pressure. The only thing they could see in that pure black were two orange glowing eyes, filled with a terrible anger, inhuman eyes glowing like twin lanterns in the dark. Like a cat playing with her prey, Jill stood still for a moment, staring at the last two, letting their fear grow. She found she could feel it in the air, taste it, and it was sweet. The smell of blood was thick now, the floors slick with it, her hand dripping with the thick red liquid. Out of pure instinct she slowly licked the blood off her hand, enjoying the taste as she walked slowly toward the last two. Just as when she’d been dancing with Aaron, she could feel their pulses beating strong, sense the blood flowing through their veins and there was nothing but her hunger and her rage.

Her hand lashed out, knocking one off his feet, his head crashing into the wall, rendering him unconscious, the other screamed as she moved behind him, grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled his head back, exposing his throat. She could see his pulse, beating rapidly in the darkness, felt his fear wash over her and heard his whimpering as he begged for his pathetic life. For an instant, she heard a voice from inside, telling her this was wrong, killing these men in cold blood. Another voice answered, calm and logical, yet hungry, smiling that wicked smile she knew so well. They made their choice, and now they will suffer the consequences of those actions. It is as simple as predator and prey. Her fangs slid effortlessly through the man’s skin before she could even make a choice and hot blood rushed into her mouth. Once begun, she couldn’t stop, fastening hold, taking until his struggling stopped and he had nothing left to give.

Feeling light-headed, Jill fell back against the wall, enjoying the cool feeling of the stone on her skin. Idly she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, smearing blood across her face as she smiled drunkenly, feeling warm all over. She giggled slightly and leaned against the cool stone wall, her anger forgotten, reveling in this new sensation. She remembered vaguely, Jack explaining the effects that drinking too much blood had. It was rather pleasant, Jill decided as she eyed the other man on the ground hungrily. Her attention was taken off of her next victim though when Jack stumbled into the room, looking mildly intoxicated himself and smiling slightly.

“Hey Jack!” Jill waved happily at him. “You ok?” She was most definitely feeling very good at the moment. Jack smiled and nodded, swaying on his feet a little as he walked over to lean against the wall next to her.

“Just fine!” He said, smiling broadly and licking a little blood off his fingers. “Now, listen,” He began awkwardly, holding up a finger, like he was going to lecture her. “There … there are one or two things that I was going to tell you.” Jack paused, looking around the room again. “Did you do all this?” He sounded amazed and Jill just nodded enthusiastically, fighting back a little laughter.

“Yup!” She pointed an unsteady finger at herself enthusiastically. “Just me.” She giggled a bit and Jack laughed, almost losing his balance which only made him laugh harder, which in turn made Jill laugh more as they both clutched their stomachs.

“I … I had something … thing to tell you… … “ There was a long pause as Jack stared at the ceiling, a look of intense concentration on his face. “Only…now I don’t have the faintest idea what it was!” Jill giggled as Jack continued to think, his gaze shifting to Jill. “Ah!” Jack said smiling proudly. “Now I remember!” Then, with no warning whatsoever, Jill found herself, once again pressed close up against Jack as his lips met hers for the second time that night. This time, it was Jill who was finding herself surprised as she gave herself over to the heat of the moment and heat there was. Jill could not ever recall being kissed quite that passionately and certainly never returning a kiss with such enthusiasm. It seemed to last forever, the lingering taste of blood in each other’s mouths only heightening the sensation. At last they pulled apart, breathing hard, hands encircling one another, holding tightly.

“A very…interesting point you make Mr. Darkness.” Jill felt even hotter than before now, but it had little to do with the blood in her system. She still had a good buzz, but the high she had felt minutes before was gone and she was thinking more clearly now. “What about Orlock?” Jill had gotten her hopes up that evening, and she was even mildly worried about Orlock herself.

“Heh.” Jack looked down at her once again with those kind and honest eyes he’d shown her earlier that night. “I realized that no matter how much Orlock may terrify me, it won’t change how I feel about you.” It took almost a physical effort for Jack to say, but as he did, he knew it was the truth. Almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth Jill’s lips were on his again in a fierce kiss, moisture gathering underneath her eyes.

“So, now what?” Jill asked, smiling widely as they separated for a moment, her fangs glinting in the dark.

“Oh, I believe we can think of something.” Jack’s smile matched her own as they left the dungeon and headed upstairs.  

Dawn was only thirty minutes away when Topaz returned to the mansion, the smell of blood hitting him in the face as he closed the door behind him, the eastern sky already brightening. Vallov walked into the entryway, two bodies slung over his shoulder, blood dripping from various wounds. The Drone didn’t even appear to notice the weight as he walked over and dumped the bodies on the floor without ceremony. Quickly looking him over Topaz noticed, what looked like two huge bullet holes in the back of the Drone’s black cloak. “What happened to you?”

“I sensed danger so I was going to come back here.” Vallov’s voice remained deep, and save for a kind of grim amusement, without emotion. “Someone tried to stop me.” A small self-satisfied smile emerged as he finished, his meaning extremely clear.

“And here?” Topaz probed urgently. The smell of blood was far too strong for just two bodies. Vallov shrugged indifferently and turned to leave. “Where’s Jack then?” Topaz asked after him, worried. The smell of blood was beginning to get to him though, and he wondered if there might be a little something lying around somewhere to drink.

“In his room.” Was Vallov’s answer as he left the room. Topaz didn’t waste a moment as he took the stairs three at a time, running straight to Jack’s room. Hurriedly he threw the door open and stepped inside.

“Hey Jack, what happened down the … WHOA!” Topaz turned pale even for a vampire and made the hastiest retreat of his life, all the while apologizing profusely and finally closed the door tightly behind him. He retreated down the hall, chased by Jack’s deep rolling laugh and the memory of Jill’s embarrassed smile. He shivered slightly as he returned to the entryway were Vallov piled another body in front of the door. Vallov looked at Topaz as he approached and smiled a slightly evil smile that looked very much like Jack’s as he turned around to head downstairs again.

“Why didn’t you tell me about that?!” Topaz yelled after the Drone. His only answer was a deep and amused chuckle as the door to the basement shut again. A second later the front door opened and Maila entered, slightly out of breath and shut the door behind her. Immediately she noticed the smell of blood and the bodies in front of the door. She rushed over to Topaz, looking confused.

“What happened here?” She asked, concern in her voice. “Where’s Jack? Is Jill alright?” Not waiting for an answer she turned to head upstairs but Topaz caught her arm.

“They’re just fine. Together…upstairs…you know. Together.” Topaz explained awkwardly, making motions with his hands that roughly described the situation he’d walked in on. Maila’s answering smile lit up the room. She’d been waiting for something like this to happen for the longest time now.

“Finally!” she exclaimed, beaming.

“You knew?!” Topaz asked incredulously, still wide eyed from what he’d just seen.

“You didn’t? How could you miss it?”

“I’ve been a little distracted lately! You seem to have been having that effect on me.” Topaz exclaimed, his cheeks blushing slightly, smiling. Maila smiled sweetly, laughing at her confused lover.

“Am I that distracting?” Maila asked innocently, entwining her arms behind Topaz and looking up into his eyes, batting her lashes.

“Immensly.” Topaz kissed her gently on the forehead, smiling as well and forgetting about the new couple upstairs.

“Hmmm…If you’re not careful you’ll forget that the sun’s coming up.” Maila reminded him. “Everyone else is already in bed, don’t you think we should go too?” Topaz easily caught her meaning, smiling broadly as they walked arm in arm up the stairs and retreating quickly to Topaz’s room.

Vallov dumped the last body roughly on the floor, surveying the damage that had been done, and they looking up the stairs with a bemused glare. “Couples.” He muttered to himself with a faint amount of disgust as he set about cleaning up the mess.