Disclaimer: I obviously don't own the characters.

*Story is set after the season 1 finale.


Two Worlds Collide

Chapter 1: An Old Friend

Brian was dead. Valentina was dead. Jasmine was recovering from a near-fatal knife wound, but her chances of survival were slim. Alek was nowhere to be found. Everything ran through Chloe's head as she sat on BART. She had to get out of town. It didn't really matter where she went, but she knew she couldn't stay in the city any longer.

She put her finger through the bullet holes in her shirt and hoped no one would ask her to explain the dried blood. The memories of the night were a blur, but she was sure of one thing. Brian was dead, and she had killed him.

Like a bastardized tale of Romeo and Juliet, Brian had kissed the lifeless girl in his arms just in time to see her open her eyes. Her lips were poison to him, and moments later he was gone. Poor Juliet couldn't kill herself. She would only keep coming back to life.

Chloe tried to fight back the tears, and clutched her bag closer to her. She had climbed through her own window last night and shoved some clothes in a backpack. Her mom would have woken up by now and found the note taped to Chloe's door. Broke up with Alek. Need some girl time. Be at Amy's for the weekend. Love you, no implieds. By the time Meredith realized she needed to look for her daughter, Chloe wouldn't be anywhere near San Francisco.

Which direction was she heading? She couldn't even remember which train she'd gotten on. If she'd been smart, she would have gone straight to the Oakland airport and caught the first flight out. Suddenly she felt something rising from the pit of her stomach.

The doors opened and the conductor called out, "MacArthur station."

She jumped out, ran toward the trash can and heaved.

This was a good station to be at. She could definitely get to the airport from here, but first she needed something to eat. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she left the station and headed onto Telegraph Avenue.

She had never been in this part of Oakland. In fact, even though Oakland was right next to San Francisco, she had hardly been there at all. Meredith didn't think it was safe, but Chloe could protect herself. Besides, she still had seven lives left.

"Chloe?" came a voice from behind her.

She spun around, terrified. She knew she should have gotten back on the train.

"Kai?" she blurted out. "What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing. It's not safe for you here."

She shook her head, still trying not to cry. "It's not safe for me anywhere."

Kai noticed the blood on her shirt. He moved in closer to her and grabbed her shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

His touch was warm, and Chloe wanted to sink into his arms and let herself sob. She remembered their last encounter and what Kai's father had done to Alek. Kai had led them to a bloodbath. He was a Jackal, a sworn enemy of the Mai. Chloe wrenched her arm loose.

"Chloe, I'm not going to hurt you," he promised. "My family isn't here. I left them after what they did to you. I don't want to be like them. You helped me when I needed it. Now let me help you."

She looked at his face and let her pupils turn into slits. He was telling the truth; he wanted to help her.

"Is there someplace we can go?" she asked.

"I live a few blocks away," he told her. "We'll go there."

He grabbed her bag and put his arm around her.

Kai lived in a studio apartment that was in desperate need of a paint job and a thorough cleaning, but Chloe felt safer now that she was off of the street. He opened the fridge, pulled out a carton of milk and sniffed it. He promptly tossed it in the trash.

"Can I get you some, uh, water," he asked her. "I'll have to go the store to get some milk. I mean, Mai like milk right?"

For the first time since the day before, Chloe let out a small chuckle.

"I don't know," she giggled. "Do Jackals like kibble."

Kai handed poured a glass of water out of the filtered pitcher in his fridge and handed it to Chloe.

"I hate to ask," she said, "but do you have anything to eat? I'm starving."

Kai laughed and handed her a box of Chinese food and a fork.

"It's chicken chow mein," he stated, "and it's fresh I swear. I ordered it last night."

Chloe shoveled the noodles into her mouth, barely stopping to breath, and occasionally taking a swig of water. She remembered when she had taken Kai off the streets and watched him devour Chinese food in much the same way. It was strange the way life could turn around so quickly.

"Feel better?" Kai asked when she was done.

She did. She felt much better.

"So are you going to tell me what happened?" he asked.

And then she felt worse. How could she explain it to him? Jackals hated the Mai. What would he do when he found out she had killed a human? She burst into tears, and suddenly found herself in Kai's arms.

"Shh," he comforted her. "It's going to be okay Chloe. Whatever happens, we're going to get through this."


Let me know what you think. Working on chapter 2 now.