A/N: Here's chapter one! Almost feels sad writing that again, but more than exciting to have a new fic up and ready to go! As with the last one, if you absent-mindedly clicked on this fic, make sure you check out the prequels, or this story will really make little to no sense. Time to jump back in!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bloodlines, but I do own my OCs.


The rain falling was cold, or maybe it was hail. Nobody cared enough to even look. The small, bumpy, misshapen headstone was all they cared about. Not the howls in the distance of hungry werewolves, not the fact that they were soaked, or might be spotted by a couple of kids who wanted to come up and use the observatory.

No one wanted to speak. No one wanted to say anything, to ruin the impromptu vigil that was being held.

Skelter stood the closest to the grave, his head down, eyes staring listlessly at the ground. Ever since he recuperated from that rabid frenzy of his, he hadn't said a word. No one had the guts to coax it out of him, either.

Anastasia kept crying, trying to at least have the dignity to be quiet. She wanted so desperately to hug Skelter and cry in his arms, but she didn't know how to approach him in a state like this.

Cissy clutched her partner's hands, remembering the last words she said to him. He never left a deep impression on her, so she felt no reason to cry, or to weep over his loss. The Anarchs didn't have a 'leader', there was no reason to feel so barren. But, seeing the others cry, seeing them absolutely destroyed over his death; that was what stirred her. She felt like she missed the opportunity to become close to someone who really could have made a difference in her life.

Catalina sniffed, occasionally her eyes would get wet, but she would blink the tears away. She occasionally squeezed Cissy's hands, thankful that no one was paying any attention to them whatsoever.

Damsel was kneeling on the ground, fistfuls of dirt which were now mud clamped between her fingers. Her posture had fallen ten or so minutes after they first arrived, so now her forehead rested in the soaked grass as well. She laid there, crumpled, silently sobbing. It was the only thing she could really do, the only thing she really did do since his death.

Killian stood furthest away, arms crossed, letting the rain falling on his face hide the tears coming from his eyes. He should be terrified. Logically, he should have been freaking out, worried that, now that Nines was dead, the only person who would offer him any sort of safety, he was going to be killed. It didn't even cross his mind. He was furious, and there was nothing to do with his anger but cry. He wasn't into bashing heads and causing mass destruction. Because there was no Nines to clean it up. There was no Nines to cover his tracks, to defend him, to say, "Give the kid a break". He felt entirely desolate. Nines was more of a parent to him than either of his. Maybe even more so than Lark ever was.

Sirius watched on with a half-bored expression. All the other Anarchs were completely broken shells of themselves, but all he was concerned about was telling Lafayette that they had one less vermin to deal with in the city. There was one thing that was plaguing his mind, however, and he never expected it to annoy him so.

Cissy combed her thin fingers through her black and red hair, now sopping wet and trying to cover her face, "I think we've been here long enough."

Damsel slowly lifted herself, "…what?" Her voice was a rasp.

"We should go. It's freezing, we're all soaked, and we need to get to safety." She waited a beat, "Nothing would be more embarrassing than an entire fucking movement getting eaten by werewolves. We don't have a lot of time to idly sit around. We can grieve more later."

Damsel rattled with rage, then let out a blatant scream, pounding one of her fists in the mud, which caused it to spray everywhere, "Then get the hell out of here!"

Cissy was startled by her volume, how shrill her voice could be. "We need Skelter's truck."

Damsel simply resumed crying. Cissy sighed and looked away, before looking over to Skelter, "Hey. Skelter. Let's go get your truck."

He didn't budge. Did he even hear her?

"Skelter?" She asked, stepping closer, "Skelter…? Yoo-hoo…?" She waved a hand in front of his face. Nothing. "I think he's dead."

"James…" Anastasia said quietly, walking up to him. No response.

"Fuck this…you guys wanna be wet soggy fruit snacks for the werewolves, then be my fucking guest…" Sirius rolled his eye, turning away.

"Hey, wait!" Cissy called, grabbing Catalina's hand and pulling the pair after him, "We're coming too! Where are you going?"

"Home."

Catalina paused, "Would…would my apartment even be safe…?"

"Is…is anywhere in California safe?" Anastasia shuddered.

"Doubt it." Sirius said, "You heard Victor. We don't leave, Gargoyles will eat us instead of werewolves…"

"We need to go somewhere then." Cissy looked between Sirius and everyone else.

"Together." Killian spoke, then he cleared his throat, "We need to go together. We can't split up, that'll end the movement flat on its face." He waited to make sure everyone was paying attention, "We all need to find somewhere to go out of state to rebuild."

"Are you out of your mind? All of us? No way. I think we're done here." Cissy crossed her arms, "Right Cat?" She looked over at Catalina.

Catalina didn't look so sure, "I don't want to abandon the Anarch cause…"

"I'm with Killian." Sirius said, "We need to hole up somewhere. Plan a next move, even if it is just getting the hell to another state."

Killian gave a little nod, turning back to the others, "Look…we'll come back. Soon. But it's a dangerous spot…I don't want any of us to get hurt."

Damsel sniffed and sat up, "Where…?" She looked over, her eyes weary from all the crying, "Where the hell do we go?"

"I don't know." Killian said, "Anyone know of a safe spot? I know Nines had this place, but…we need somewhere outside California."

"Outside California?" Sirius asked, "Hell if I know…" He said, "Whole damn state is Camarilla by now. Even if Strauss only has Los Angeles, there are other Princes nearby."

"I'm not sure…" Catalina said, "Akeem's in the Middle East…so…that would be largely Independent…if he's there."

"Yeah, we ain't flying that far." Sirius said, "Not to mention if we go anywhere near Egypt, I'll get skinned alive by my clan…"

"What…what about Nevada?" Killian asked, "Arizona?"

"Not Nevada." Sirius said quickly, "Heard the Camarilla there's got a Sheriff so bad, no one knows what he really looks like." He shrugged, "He just appears, and…poof, you're gone."

"So…what about Arizona?" Catalina asked.

"Hmm…might be safe. Might not be a lot of kine though. Remember, we need food."

"Yeah, I get that. We can go to cities and stuff there, it should work." Killian said, waiting a bit again before he walked towards the others, "We'll go somewhere to stock up on ammo, feed, then hit the road. I think we should all take the same vehicle."

Damsel gave a weary nod, still looking not entirely with it, "Uh huh…okay…Skelter has a truck…"

Killian's gray eyes flickered over to Skelter, "I'm not sure he's gonna be willing to donate it for our little adventure…"

"I'm not sure he's gonna be able to drive it." Cissy crossed her arms, "Or move. Or feed. Or do anything. Again, I think he's dead."

Anastasia lightly tugged on Skelter's shirt, "James…" She said quietly. No response.

"I mean, I have cars…" Sirius said, "Shit, I probably don't have anything as big as a pickup truck…"

Skelter suddenly took a deep breath and looked away, met Damsel, Anastasia and Killian's glances briefly before he turned and headed back. Damsel got to her feet, "I think he's…I think he's ready to go."

Anastasia swallowed hard and nodded, following after them all, and hoping dearly that her lover would be able to speak with them again.


There was a knock on the doorway to Delilah's room, "Are you there, dear?"

The rooms in the red tower were a little different than the rooms in the chantry. A little newer feeling, not so ancient and historical. Nonetheless, the temporary rooms for the Tremere were like small, cozy libraries. As he entered her room, he saw her sitting at her desk, a massive amount of books open there that she was reading, skimming over or copying down into other books.

He took a few steps inside her room, "Delilah?"

"Hmm?" She looked up, "Sorry, I didn't hear you." She gave a nervous smile.

He pulled another chair over, sitting beside her, "How go the studies?"

"I…I think they're going alright. There are a lot of new books here, at least."

"Yes…" He said, taking a momentary sigh, "I'm sure the new Chantry will be finished in a matter of days. Having a Prince in power usual speeds up such contractual affairs."

She nodded, "I'm excited…I'm sure it'll be wonderful."

He looked ahead, "I've been looking at Neptune's Might…myself…since I'm doing wonderful progress with fire, I figured water may be an excellent addition to my arsenal."

"That does sound really exciting." She smiled warmly at him.

He took another composed breath, briefly adjusted his tiny black-rimmed glasses, "They won't come back. Not ever. Not after that display."

"The Anarchs?" She asked, then she gave a tiny nod, "I know. They won't."

"He…he didn't deserve that…I was preparing the Gargoyles…and I had no knowledge on Mister Sorrentino's whereabouts…"

"It's okay, it isn't your fault. It isn't anyone's…" She looked away, trying to stay strong in front of her Magister.

"I know…you two had something, long ago. Whatever it was may have been strained at best…but…I suppose losing a fellow Tremere works in funny ways…despite the circumstances…"

She gave a little nod, but not much else. She reached forward to grab at her witch hat, just making sure it was there, it seemed.

"When Neo and Ebony died…it left me…sort of empty…despite the fact that they were at different times." He said, "One was a while ago, during LaCroix's rule…and the raid on Andrei's Hallowbrook Hotel…the other, Phaedra killed, to retake Santa Monica." He said, "Nevertheless, I just…want to clarify that you're not alone. Even if I wasn't here, you're still not alone. I have seen conflict in the Jyhad for almost a century now, and dealing with losing your allies…or in some cases, former allies, never gets easier…"

She gave a weary nod. Then a tear slipped out. It was useless now. She broke down and started crying into her hands, cowering away from him.

He faced her, giving a small smile, "It's alright, dear. He will be missed by all of us." He said, "You're allowed to mourn as long as you wish."

"We all…" She whimpered, "We all treated him so poorly…we never respected him…I always got in petty fights with him about nothing…he never had a break, and he always just…tried to be helpful…" She sniffed, "He kept trying to get better so we would respect him…he died saving my life…I would have never done that for him…"

"I know, it was a failure on my part as well." He reached out and hugged her, "But it's important that we honor what he wanted. He saved you for a reason. It meant that he saw your potential, your power. A part of him deep down was able to forgive you despite how often you bickered." He said, "Maybe he forgave all of us. What I'm saying is that he wants you to carry on for him."

She sniffed and nodded, gently hugging him back, "Thank you…" She murmured.

"I'll always be here to help you." He smiled, "Just be the best Tremere you could possibly be, for him."

She nodded, a tiny smile on her face, "Yes, okay. I will."


"Ah, there you are. I hope you don't mind I brought a guest." Dragomir said as he brought Genevieve into Slade's room with him.

"Greenhorn!" Genevieve ran over and hugged him, "And…and you have Snow Bird!" She ran over and hugged April.

April was surprised, but nonetheless, she gave Geneviève a warm and welcoming hug. "Oh…hello!"

"It's been a long time, April." Dragomir gave a little smile.

April blinked a few times as she held onto Genevieve, "I'm afraid I don't recognize you…"

Dragomir held a hand to his chest, "Oh, I'm so hurt…"

"It's Dragomir, April…" Slade said.

"Dragomir?" She couldn't believe her eyes, "You've…changed so much…"

He giggled as he sat next to Slade, "Yes I have. It's been a real hoot. Or at least, that's what I keep telling myself."

"It's certainly a look. You could pass for a model."

"Ooh, why thank you. Such a flatterer."

There was a knock on the door, then Tess came in, "Hi."

"Hi Tess." April smiled warmly, then they stood up for a hug.

"Nice to see you again." Tess rubbed her back before they separated, "How have you been?"

She nodded, "I've been great. How about you?"

"Mmm. Things are starting to look up." She sat down too, all of them gathered around the table.

"That's good." Slade smiled, "I think they are for me too, possibly for all of us."

"Should I make something to eat…?" April asked, "Does anyone…do that?"

"Afraid not." Dragomir said, "Though if it smells good enough, I might."

"Then you'll vomit." Tess snickered.

"If I remember this girl's cooking, it'll be worth it."

"Okay, I'll make cookies then." April stood up and got to work.

"Please don't tell me he's actually going to eat it…" Slade muttered.

"Depends on how good they smell." Dragomir said firmly.

"April, please, put garlic in the cookies." Tess said.

"Mmm…they might be icky then…" April hesitated.

"No, do not put garlic in the cookies!" Dragomir demanded, "That would reek to the high heavens. Don't subject the poor girl to torture."

"I thought you used to like garlic." Tess's pretty face was marred with confusion.

"Never." Dragomir shuddered, "The thought of that satanic root makes my rotting stomach churn…"

Slade chuckled, "You're gonna make her think all vampires can't stand garlic…"

"I thought it burned them…" April said softly.

"It burns me." Dragomir crossed his burly arms like a frustrated toddler, "I'm no match against a hunter with a clove of garlic. The sight of it makes my skin crawl and teeth chatter."

"I feel like this is a new development." Tess muttered, "You used to cook with me, you never had a problem with it."

He grinned, "Maybe I just wanted to play with April a little."

"Don't do that, it's not nice."

"It was just a jest!"

"So…I should put garlic in the cookies…?" April asked.

"No." Dragomir clarified, "Then neither of us will want any."

"Well, there was something I wanted to talk about." Tess said, "I heard there was a massive war against the Anarchs and Camarilla. I wasn't there."

"Ah. Neither was I." Dragomir said. "My solace foresaw it and I decided it was best to hide out from them. They dislike me."

"I went." Genevieve said, "It was fun. No one saw me."

"I was there too…" Slade said, staring down at the table for a second or two, clearly reflecting on something, "I kinda missed having you guys around…it felt lonely…"

"I'm sorry, I really wish I was there…" Tess said, "I didn't know about it until it happened. I feel so out of the loop."

"I was home for my own safety…it was very selfish…" Dragomir admitted, quite ashamed of himself.

"Come on, guys…I didn't mean to make you feel bad." Slade said, "We were pretty heavily armed as it was."

"Why don't you spin the tale for us?" Dragomir asked.

Slade sighed and folded his hands, "Well…by the time I got there…in Cadmus's giant fleet of choppers…the Tremere Chantry was already destroyed…"

"I heard about that…I never expected they'd be so…violent." Tess said.

"It was another case of mistaken identity, wasn't it?" Dragomir asked, "Those damn idiots thinking with their feet…"

"The Dark Flame…" Genevieve shuddered.

"I think a few Tremere died…even…" Slade said.

"Really? How awful…" Tess sat back.

"Who was the victor?" Dragomir asked with a smirk.

"Us." Slade said, "It was weird…almost surreal…we kept getting more and more reinforcements…" He said, "And…then…Victor killed Nines. He finally did it. Once he arrived, that was it. It was done, over."

"How anticlimactic." Dragomir mused, sounding bored, "I wish he strung the man up on a lamppost and extracted each organ until he expired. That would have been a show! Something I'd expect from him too."

Tess looked rather disgusted, "Either way, what happened to the Anarchs? The others? Were they all wiped out?"

"They were either massacred, or they saw Nines died, freaked out, and ran away." Slade said, looking at Dragomir, "I don't know, it was pretty brutal. I think you would have liked it."

"Would I?" He smirked, "How angry was he? Madison?"

He just swallowed hard as a response.

"Lie Detector's rise to power…" Genevieve muttered, "He will kill the dagger, but then the Dark Flame will rise and nearly consume us all…"

"I don't know…Nines seemed like one of the more fair-weathered Anarchs…" Slade said, "At least he did in that battle…it was shocking to see him go so…quickly…so abruptly…"

"That's what I like the least. Madison's all about sadistic torture. I love it." Dragomir said, "Shame he got himself lost in a daze of hate."

Slade gave Dragomir a small smile, "I ran into that chick who gave you a lot of trouble."

"Which one?"

"The redhead." Slade said, "Gave her a piece of my mind…"

"Did you?" Dragomir laughed, "Good! I bet she babbled on like a mental patient!"

"Well, at first, I wanted to kill Killian, but it looked like Cadmus already took him out." He said, "So I figured she would be the next best thing. She was adamant the Anarchs would win at first, and that I was all wrong about what happened, all those months ago. Then Nines died and she started crying like a baby…" He snickered.

"Go figure. She's nothing without her big man to tell her what to do."

He laughed for a while. "Man…it…feels so good…to be allowed to be happy. Finally, after all this time." He said, "The Anarchs are pretty much dead in this city. They're all either dead or leaving. We kicked the Kuei-Jin out a few weeks ago…all that's left is the Sabbat. Things are finally starting to look up."

Tess smiled, "I heard we got a ton of secrets from the Sabbat anyhow. Wasn't there a spy?"

"Yeah, I heard a little bit about that too."

"It is clouded." Genevieve said, "The Dark Flame…the one-eyed viper…and the crossroads…Lady Ophelia…they're all coming. The ghost family…and their key master…the dagger and the grave robber duo…and…then the shadow…will rise once more. All at once…complete chaos…"

Dragomir looked over, gently putting a hand on her knee, "When?"

She shuddered and held her head, whimpering. Then she said, "We…we have time before Lady Ophelia…at least…lots of time…"

He gently put an arm around her shoulders as April watched on, looking worried. Dragomir pressed a gentle kiss to her temple, "Good. Good. Thank you very much for your sight."

"There's more…there's always more…" She whispered quietly, "So much more…we're in danger…"

Slade looked nervous. They were getting better luck than ever, how were things going to go downhill? But only a complete idiot would question Genevieve's insight. Something was coming.

"Only take in what you can." Dragomir said what he could to help. His bursts of insight were so infrequent and vague, they never caused him nearly as much strain as they caused Genevieve. "Try and relax."

"Mmm-hmm." Genevieve said, giving him a weak hug.

Slade waited as a minute or two passed by, "I guess we'll be prepared though, at least. After seeing Strauss's Camarilla in action, we can't be too worried."

Tess nodded, looking back at the Malkavians, "You're more than welcome to head home and rest, if you need to."

Dragomir kissed the top of Genevieve's head, then looked back at the kitchen, "But…her cookies…"

"It's better off you go home before you eat them and make yourself sick." Tess said.

"Ugh. Fine." He stood up, still holding Genevieve close in hopes to make her more comfortable, "We'll see you two again, soon."

"Have fun." Tess waved as they left, "Poor thing…"

"She's good to have around though." Slade said, "She should tell Strauss all that. He'll be able to listen and plan accordingly."

"Yes, I'm sure he would be more than appreciative." Tess nodded.

"Are they okay?" April asked, "They seemed so…"

"They're Malkavians." Slade said.

"Malkavians…?" She asked, "I'm afraid I don't know what that is…"

"They're a type of vampire clan." Slade said, "Almost like species. We all drink blood and sleep during the day, but every clan is different. They have strengths, or traits that make them unique, and weaknesses…clan curses…Dragomir and Genevieve are Malkavians, sometimes they're clairvoyant, but it costs them a bit of their sanity."

"Oh okay…that's why he's so different?"

He nodded, "I'm guessing Genevieve was probably a different woman entirely when she was human too."

"It's almost sad to think about…" Tess muttered.

"I mean, they do call it 'the Curse of Caine.'" Slade said, "It's not meant to be…beneficial…"

"What about us?" April asked, "Or, you? What's your curse?"

"Tess and I are Toreadors." Slade said, "We…uh…we can lose our humanity quicker. Humanity is…" He paused, "It's what prevents us from giving into the vampiric beast inside us. If we lose control, then we just start killing people indiscriminately, or giving into our darkest, most taboo desires." He said, "Toreadors can lose humanity much easier, because of how close we are to humans, I've…I've seen a lot of Toreadors turn into mindless savages in the Sabbat because their humanity was so bad…" He said, "Sabbat are the bad guys." He clarified, "But we can gain humanity back just as easily as we lose it, at least. We really don't have it that bad compared to some of the other clans…"

She nodded, "Okay…that makes sense…" She took out a tray of cookies, "I feel bad that he can't have any…"

He shrugged, "We kinda get used to it after a while…"

She quickly picked some up and put them on a plate, then sat at the table with the other two, "So now that that war blew over, how is the city?"

"Uh…it's…okay…I guess. We both lost so many people on both sides." He said, "And then Lafayette and the Sabbat are still hanging around. But…they're about it…so…I kinda have high hopes for all of this ending soon. I mean, sure, Andrei was strong, but we all dealt with him."

Tess nodded, "I think the Sabbat being a problem won't last very long." She looked at the clock, "I might head out." She stood up, "Thank you so much for having us over. It was nice."

"Yeah, no problem." Slade smiled, "Take care, Tess."

"You too." She smiled as she headed out.


A/N: Another little checkup on the roommates…those types of scenes are harder and harder to put together, especially with all their different lifestyles and schedules…well, thanks for reading!