Inside Out Again

by Kirk Baldridge

Rachel and Ivy always knew this day would come, but they weren't prepared for it to turn out this way. What comes next?

NAME: Kirk Baldridge

EMAIL: kirkbwriter

TITLE: Inside Out Again

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of these characters, names, places, etc. They all belong to Kim Harrison, and I would just like to take this opportunity to thank her for creating them.

FANDOM: The Hollows

PAIRING: Rachel / Ivy

RATING: T

SUMMARY: The day finally comes, but Rachel and Ivy aren't ready.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the expanded version of INSIDE OUT, also available here. I used a different name to distinguish the two. Anyone who has read the original story will know I changed the ending a little. I did it because my own point of view on various things has changed since I wrote the original.

PROLOGUE

Algaliarept had been having such a good day.

He came into possession of a handful of new and potentially valuable soul crystals, and was hoping to turn a tidy profit with their sale. Dali, Minisitrithia and several other expressed an interest, and he knew if he played his cards right he could probably get a new room or two out of the deal.

Then Newt showed up.

Apparently, she had heard about the crystals too and wanted to see them for herself. This made it a much trickier proposition. If Newt happened to be in a good mood or the right mind he could charge just about anything he wanted and she would pay. On the other hand, if she was in a bad mood or distracted in the wrong way she might just walk off with one of more crystals and there wasn't much he could do about it.

"Gally?" Newt was sitting cross-legged on his kitchen counter with the crystals in her lap, and unfortunately was still wearing the same short shorts and tank top she had seen on Rachel the last time the witch was over. "I want this one." She held up the smallest of the crystals.

Al breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you certain?" The soul in that one was a vampire's taken at the moment of its first death. It wasn't that rare and was the least valuable of the bunch.

"Yes." Newt stared into it, her black eyes wide and unfocused. "I want this one."

Al was about to agree, when the entire room was suddenly rocked so violently that he lost his footing and Newt was flung back off the counter and out of sight. "What the hell was that?"

Newt popped up, an unusually stern expression on her face. "Ley quake." A wave of ever after washed over her and turned her clothes back into the more common purple robe and hat. "Someone just pulled on a line so hard they almost tore a hole." She headed for the door. "Come on!"

Al followed. It was best not to argue, and besides, he was curious.

Outside, a chunk of ever after the size of a pool table had been ripped away and was spinning like a whirlpool. It wasn't giving off energy, it was pulling it in.

Newt stood at the edge with her head cocked. "Someone on Earth tapped into the ever after and pulled enough power to almost make a new ley line." She frowned. "Now who do we know over there who can do that?" Al sighed. "I thought you said you had her under control?"

"More or less." Al held up his hands. "I'll find out what's going on." Normally demons had to be summoned to Earth but this anomaly was essentially a doorway. Any demon close enough could use it to cross over, though of course they would still be flung back to the ever after once the sun came up.

"You'd better hurry. It's already closing."

Al hesitated. There was some risk involved in what he was about to do, but it was still better than dealing with Newt. He stepped into the void, unsure what he would find on the other side.

END PROLOGUE

Rachel Morgan stood in the hallway, arms crossed, impatiently tapping her foot as she glared at the bathroom door. She was still in her Bite me Betty pajamas and her hair was a mess.

"Come on, Ivy! I still need to take a shower!" She frowned at the muffled response.

Jenks flew around the corner. "Tink's titties! Is she still in there?" The pixy landed on her shoulder. "I know little miss OCD is serious about her showers, but it's been a freaking hour already."

They both started as the bathroom door jerked open and Ivy Tamwood emerged, hair done up perfectly, and wearing a skin-tight black dress that perfectly complimented her pale skin, and was designed to show off both her neck and her cleavage. "I can hear you, you know."

Rachel whistled. "You're obviously not coming with me."

"Cormel wants to see me." Ivy's master vampire. "He sent this for me to wear."

Jenks nodded. "I'm guessing he couldn't just ask you to come over naked." He snickered as Ivy's cheeks reddened and Rachel frowned at him. "What? Like you weren't thinking it?"

"At least I'd have the good taste not to say it outloud." Rachel turned back to Ivy. "You look beautiful, really, but I do need to take a shower. Glenn was expecting me a half hour ago."

Ivy arched an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

"Not that I know of." Rachel did have a tendency to attract trouble, but to her knowledge she hadn't done anything to piss off the FIB or the IS lately. "I'll have my phone, just in case."

Jenks took to the air. "I'll come with you. G-Man still owes me a jar of honey." He'd helped Glenn out on a case a couple of weeks back, but Glenn had been too busy to see him since then.

"I don't know what exactly Cormel has in mind," said Ivy. "But I doubt it will take all day. I'll call you when I'm done, in case you need any help."

"Or bail," Jenks muttered.

Rachel rolled her eyes as she went into the bathroom and closed the door.

FIB agent Matthew Glenn was just putting the finishing touches on the first of many reports he needed to fill out that day when he heard a knock on his office door. "Come in." He put the pen down and made a point of looking at his watch as the door opened. "An hour late. You're early for a change."

Rachel frowned as she entered the office. "I hate it when you do that."

"I know."

Jenks climbed out of Rachel's scarf and flew over to the desk. "Officer, I'd like to report a robbery."

Without a word, Glenn reached into one of his desk drawers and pulled out a jar of honey twice Jenks' size. "You are so melodramatic." He chuckled as the pixie's eyes went wide and Rachel smiled. "Thanks for coming. I need this done quickly, but off the books, and I can't think of anyone better to ask."

Rachel sat down. "Need what done?"

"A old friend of mine called this morning. Doug Johnson, runs a shop downtown. Apparently, two days ago a Were comes in to pawn some jewelry. He gives him a couple hundred bucks and the guy goes on his way. The next day, another Were from the same pack shows up saying the stuff was his and that the first guy stole it from him. He has proof of ownership and everything, so one of Doug's people hands it over."

Jenks rolled his eyes. "Let me guess."

"It was a scam. The two Weres were apparently in it together." Glenn opened a manila folder and handed a blank piece of paper to Rachel. "Do you know what this is?"

"A glamor." Such a simple spell most Witches didn't bother with them. Human practitioners were often fond of them, and one with even a little bit of talent could use a glamor to make something look like something else, or in this case, make the right words appear where there were none at all.

Glenn nodded. "I guess these guys know a Witch. Anyway, the form the second Were handed over was for a bunch of jewelry way more valuable than the crap the first guy pawned. Doug's people didn't know the difference but Doug did. He called the IS and they said the two Weres had been a blip on their radar but they weren't going to do anything about it because they were no longer affiliated with the pack."

"Figures." Rachel once worked for the IS, and they usually didn't bother to investigate unless prompted to by one of the undead who ran the place. "So Doug called you?"

"I looked into it, unofficially, 'cause the FIB has no real jurisdiction here. If I get too involved the IS may notice and rain all kinds of hell down on me." Glenn slid the manila folded across the desk. "The two Weres were kicked out of their pack for pulling just this kind of crap. I know where they hang out. I was hoping, if you guys aren't too busy, you could see about getting the jewelry back? Failing that, find something I can charge them with, or at least bring to the attention of the IS so they'll get off their asses."

Jenks sat down on the jar of honey. "Sounds like a lunker problem to me."

"He's a friend."

Rachel nodded. "It's okay. I'm not busy right now anyway, and besides, considering all the times you've helped me out of a ham, I figure I owe you one."

Glenn blinked. "One?"

Ivy was in the kitchen on her computer when Rachel and Jenks got back to the church. She had changed into black leather pants and a t-shirt with the Vampiric Charms logo on it.

Jenks flew circles around her. "No fresh bruises or bite marks. I don't smell any blood. You didn't even shower again. What gives, Tamwood?"

Ivy didn't even bother to look away from the computer as she shrugged. "Rynn has his eye on some property and wanted me there as eye candy for the prospective sellers. No big deal."

Rachel frowned. "Oh my God! He pimped you out!"

"Not like that." Ivy couldn't blame the witch for jumping to such a conclusion though. Piscary had done that to her on more than one occasion. "So..." She turned in her seat. "...what did Glenn want?"

Rachel filled Ivy in about the Weres. "I have the address. Jenks and I are heading over there as soon as I change into something more appropriate. You want to come with?"

"Sure." Ivy stood up. "I'll get my sword."

Rachel followed her down the hall. "Why? Glenn says this guys are small time. You're a big bad vampire and I'm a not too shabby witch. I think we can handle them."

Jenks flew toward a window. "I'd better say bye to my kids."

When they loaded into Rachel's car a short time later Ivy did indeed have her sword.

Rachel had pulled her hair back and put on blue jeans and a loose-fitting top and her her splat gun, loaded with sleep charms, tucked into her belt.

Jenks straddled the rear view mirror. "Let's get this train wreck on the track."

The address Glenn had given them turned out to be a rundown warehouse on the east side of town, in an area that was supposed to have been renovated years ago, yet no money every made its way there. It appeared many of the other buildings were empty, which explained why whoever was inside was able to have their music turned up so loud they could hear it outside, in the car.

Ivy smirked. "At least we know they won't hear us coming."

Jenks couldn't help noticing the vampire's eyes were ringed with black, and the smell of incense was becoming hard to ignore. "Crap on toast! What's got you so worked up, Tamwood?"

"Cormel," said Rachel. "She probably expected what you not so subtly suggested earlier, and was disappointed when it didn't happen. If this turns into a fight it'll be the next best thing."

Ivy gnashed her teeth. "I hate it when you two talk about me like I'm not even here." She flung the passenger side door open and slid out with vampiric speed and grace. "Are we doing this?"

Rachel nodded. "Jenks and I will go in the front." She checked her gun, just to make sure. "Ivy, why don't you take in the back in case they try to run?" Getting no answer she looked up and frowned when she realized the vampire was already gone. "Damn it."

Jenks flitted near the witch's shoulder. "She's fast when she's horny."

The front door, not surprisingly, was locked. Rachel put her hand on it, tapped a nearby line, and whispered a spell she had learned from one of Al's books. Not from the demon himself of course, for someone who was supposed to be her teacher he rarely got around to actually 'teaching' her anything. She smiled as she heard a click and the door easily opened. Inside, the music was painfully loud.

Rachel clapped her hands over her ears. "Are these Weres deaf?" She looked around. There were crates everywhere, arranged in an almost maze-like structure, and there was an office on a second level, at the top of a rickety looking set of stairs. "Or trying to become that way?"

Jenks frowned. "Neither." He could make out an unmistakeable sound, even in the midst of the cacophony of hard metal music some lunkers seemed to like so much. "Rache, I don't want to offend your delicate sensibilities, but I think we're interrupting something." He led her through the crates and they came around a corner to find an area with a cot. A muscular, tattooed man lay on his back, and there was a lithe, full-breasted woman with dark blue hair writhing atop him. Both were sweating and grunting.

Rachel's face reddened. "Maybe we should come back later."

"Better not. You want Ivy walking in on this in her condition? She's liable to join them."

"Good point." Rachel stepped into the open and cleared her throat. "Excuse me?" The couple was oblivious to everyone and everything else. "Excuse me!" They still didn't notice her, though she suspected it was as much about the music as how involved they were in one another. "Jenks. Turn off that racket would you?"

"On it." The pixy flew off in search of the music source.

Rachel considered just shooting both of them and sorting out the particulars later, but she didn't have any salt water on her and knew she might need to question them. There was also the matter of the other Were. She breathed a sigh of relief as the music suddenly cut off but it coincided with the blue-haired woman, clearly a witch from the smell of hot redwood, reached her climax rather loudly.

"Hey! Who let the pixy in here? He ruined my damn stereo!" Another heavily tattooed man stomped into the room. "Max! Clea! What the hell is going on?" The couple looked up from the bed. "Who's that?" They both turned to see Rachel looking at them with a rather sheepish expression on her face.

"Hi."

The other witch screamed and grabbed a blanket to cover herself. The Were stood up, completely naked. "You got a lot of nerve coming in here by yourself, lady."

"Hey!" Jenks flew to Rachel's side. "Who are you calling a lady?"

"Not helping."

Ivy appeared behind the clothed Were, sword in hand. "And who said she was alone?"

"Everybody just calm down." Rachel lowered her gun, though she held it ready in case the Weres or the witch decided to try something. "We're not here to pick a fight." Her eyes settled on Ivy momentarily as she said this. "We just want the stuff you took from the pawn shop. We don't care about the scam you guys are running. Give us the stuff back and we'll be on our way. Otherwise..."

"...it'll be really unpleasant." Ivy's voice was like gray silk. "For you."

Clea rolled her eyes. "I told you guys this was a bad idea. You never listen."

"Shut up, witch!" The clothed Were was snarling as he talked. "Just 'cause you're banging my brother doesn't mean you get a say in pack matters." He glared at Rachel. "As for you..."

The redhead sighed. "Save it. We know your pack kicked you out."

Now Max appeared to be getting nervous. "Thomas."

"Take it easy, bro." Thomas crossed his arms. "How do you know so much?"

Rachel shrugged. "Let's just say we have connections."

As the two of them faced off, each trying to find some sort of an advantage in the 'negotiation', Ivy heard the soft click of a safety being released. She quickly looked around, saw nothing, then turned and looked up toward the office on the second level. One of the windows was open and she could see the barrel of a gun. Her eyes grew wide as she realized it was aimed at Rachel. "Look out!"

Without even stopping to think she threw down her sword and ran. Just as she was getting to Rachel she and Jenks both heard the gun fire, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. She grabbed the redhead and was pushing her out of the way as the bullet arrived. It hit just below her right shoulder blade, traveled at a downward angle through most of her chest, nicking her heart along the way, and burst out her chest. She hit the ground and slid on a trail of her own blood, her eyes glassy and her breathing ragged.

"Ivy! No!" Rachel's dropped to her knees. "Jenks! Get help!" She was vaguely aware of Jenks shouting at the Weres, one of whom she presumed had a cell phone "Hang on, Ivy!" She cradled Ivy's head in her lap, oblivious to the blood she was coughing up all over her. "Please, don't leave me, Ivy! Jenks!"

"They're on the way! How is she?"

Rachel couldn't say anything, couldn't do anything but cry. She knew it was bad. As she held her she could feel Ivy slipping away. "Not like this. Not now." She wasn't ready. She promised Ivy she would find a way to save her soul, but she always assumed she would have more time. "No." Within her, the energy of the ley line she had been spindling thrummed. As the rage and grief well she pulled more and more, not just on that line but in every other one she could find, drawing in far more than she had ever tried before.

Back at the church Bis, who had been asleep, woke suddenly. "Miss Rachel?" He always felt it when she pulled on a line but this was different. Something was wrong.

"Holy shit!" Medea grabbed her Were lover's arm. "Max, she's...how the hell is that possible?"

Thomas backed off, pale. "Sterns, what the hell have you done?"

Jenks was more shocked than any of them. He had been watching Ivy's aura dimming, and knew she didn't have long, then when Rachel began pulling on the lines her own aura surged up and out like a living thing. It swirled around and into Ivy's, merging the two together, until he could no longer tell them apart. "Tink's dildo!" He could feel the energy she was giving off and it hurt. "Rache! What are you doing?"

Rachel threw her head back and screamed and in that moment, all of reality trembled. Then suddenly it was all ripped away and she slumped forward, gasping, on the verge of unsonciousness.

Jenks blinked. He shook his head several times, trying to clear it. What he was seeing didn't make any sense. He couldn't even find the words, so he just stared.

"Ivy." Rachel stroked her friend's now ice cold cheek. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

No one noticed the shifting of air pressure, or the sudden stench of burnt amber.

"I should have known."

Medea and the two Weres were the first to notice a strange man in crushed green velvet and lace standing a few feet away. He had long black hair and a pair of thin glasses on the end of a pointy noise.

Al crossed his arms. "What else could possibly get you so worked up?"

Jenks flew deliberately between Rachel and Ivy and Al and drew his sword, for all the good it would do. "Stay back!" His wings were dark and dripping blood red dust all over the floor beneath him. "Or so help me, I'll pix you so hard you'll be back in the ever after, begging for your mommy!"

The demon's expression was unreadable. "What more harm could I possibly do now, insect?" When Jenks still didn't move Al snapped his fingers and a bubble of ever after enveloped the pixy. "Remember, I could snuff you like a candle." He swatted the bubble aside, with Jenks pounding on the sides and probably swearing, and approached Rachel who was still cradling Ivy in her arms. "My itchy witch. What have you done?"

Tears streaming down her face, Rachel looked up at Al. "No." The demon looked confused. "Whatever it is, whatever you want, however the hell you're here, I don't care! Unless you can find the man who did this and bring him to me, alive, I'm not in the mood to deal with you."

Al smirked. "So be it." He vanished, reappearing less than a minute later with a bald human in his forties, wearing blue jeans and a F**K YOU t-shirt. He was unconscious and moaning in pain, not surprisingly considering his arms and legs all appeared to have been broken. Everyone was staring at him, and the demon shrugged. "What? I made certain he was still alive. You said nothing about his condition otherwise."

Still holding Ivy with one arm, Rachel wiped her face with the other. "Why...how are you here?"

"You tore a hole in the ever after, witch. I'm not sure how you did it, but somehow you managed to draw on enough of the energy that makes up out little hell away from home that you almost ripped reality in half. Just for an instant, mind you, but it was impressive none the less. I had to come see for myself, and I followed the trail back to it's source. I can't wait to see the look on Newt's face when I tell her." Al shook his head. "As for this, I don't know how you've managed it. I know I never taught it to you."

"Taught? What the hell are you talking about?"

"You mean you didn't do it on purpose?" Al's red, goat-slitted eyes blinked in surprise. "You have no idea what you've managed to accomplish, do you? Rachel..." He knelt in front of the witch. "...you did it. Somehow, you have succeeded in keeping Ivy Alisha Tamwood's soul within her body, even after her first death. Although I must admit I never would have considered sharing my own soul to do it."

"What?" Rachel glanced down at Ivy's lifeless, yet beautiful face. "You mean, she's still in there?" Al nodded. "I don't understand. How is that possible? What did I do?"

"If I were to guess, I'd say you merged your auras, which are really just an extension of our souls after all, and when hers tried to escape her body as it died you contained it, holding her inside. But you did it in the stupidest possible way, itchy witch. Your aura, your own soul, is reinforcing hers. Hers will be maintained only so long as your remains intact. The day you die, her soul will be eviscerated. Until that happens, it will be as it the two of you are one. I can't even begin to imagine the consequences of such a merger."

Rachel's eyes settled momentarily on Jenks. "Let him out."

"What? Oh." Al waved his hand almost dismissively and the bubble of ever after burst.

"...fairy fucking son of a bitch!" Realizing he was free, Jenks flew toward Al.

"Leave him alone, Jenks." Rachel sighed. "The sun will be up soon, and he'll have to go anyway. Go wait outside for the ambulance. We have to call her family and start to work on her arrangements." Stifling whatever else he was going to say, Jenks glared at Al and flew out the still open door toward the sound of approaching sirens. "Al, do me a favor and keep an eye on those three." The other witch and the Weres stiffened. "If any of them looks like they're going to run, give them what you gave their friend."

Al sneered. "With pleasure."

To the demon's dismay none of his charges actually tried anything, so once the FIB arrived to take them away he blended silently into the shadows and watched.

Glenn arrived, and was heartbroken when he saw Ivy. "Damn it! This is my fault!"

"No!" Jenks pointed at the human and his friends. "It's theirs. What's going to happen to them anyway?"

"There are laws against ending a vampire's first life against their will. Sterns won't see the outside of a cell until he's old and gray." Glenn smirked. "And if I know Ivy, she'll be there waiting for him."

Jenks nodded. "Wish I could be around to see that."

"Is it true?" Glenn glanced at Al, who did a bunny ear kiss kiss in his direction. "Green jeans over there said Ivy still has her soul? What does that mean? How does that ever happen?"

"Wish I knew, G-Man."

One of the paramedics walked up to them and cleared his throat. "Excuse me, sir?"

Glenn frowned. "What is it?"

"We were trying to take Miss Tamwood's body into custody, as per first death protocol, but the witch won't let anyone near her. I'm not sure what's to do."

"I'll take care of it."

"No," said Jenk. "Let me." Glenn nodded, and the pixy flew over to Rachel. "Look, I know how you feel, but we have to let these people do their jobs, Rache. There are rules."

"Screw the rules!" Rachel, still clutching Ivy, looked up at him. "They want to take her to the morgue Jenks! They want to stick her in a cold metal box, all alone! Ivy wouldn't want that. I know it!"

Jenks sighed. "What then?"

"We take her home. To the church. Let he wake up in a familiar bed, surrounded by the people who love her. Not a bunch of strangers who are paid to be there."

Glenn stepped up. "Rachel..."

"What? Don't tell me there's a rule against making an undead comfortable?"

"Considering it's the undead who made most of those rules? I doubt it." Glenn shrugged. "I don't know of any law or statute against it. And if anyone raises a stink, I'll take the heat."

Rachel nodded. "Thank you."

"It's the least I can do." Glenn nodded to the paramedic. "Did you get that?"

"Yes sir." The paramedic raised his voice. "Change of plans! We're taking Miss Tamwood home!"

Ivy, being Ivy, had put all of her affairs in order years ago and kept the information updated. Over the next two days Jenks fielded phone calls from lawyers. They sent over a mountain of paperwork which could only be filled out by Ivy or someone from her family. Her father arrived the next morning to do just that, leaving later in the day to pick up Erica, Ivy's sister, at the airport and bring her to the church.

"Mom told me what happened." Erica swept a lock of hair from her sister's face. "You really threw everybody for a loop, V. Never could do things the easy way, huh?" She wiped her eyes. "She said if you don't come see her after you wake up, she'll come here. She hasn't left the house in years."

That evening, Rynn Cormel arrived.

"Is this what you always wanted for her?" Rachel asked. "Ivy as an equal?"

"Oh, she was that even when was alive. Now I suspect she will be something exceptional." Cormel clasped his hands behind his back. "Though you might be surprised how many of us would prefer not to go through the change at all. I've known more than a few who walked into the sun shortly thereafter. I don't imagine that will be the case here though, thanks to you." He smiled. "I suppose congratulations are in order."

"For what?"

"You succeeded." He clasped his hands behind his back. "You vowed you would find a way to maintain Ivy's soul and you have done so. You are to be commended."

"I don't know about that. This isn't the solution you were hoping for. It was an accident. I don't even know how I did it and I doubt I could ever do it again. And, no offense, but if I can't none of the witches you're probably thinking about hiring to work on this would be able to either."

"Perhaps. Even so, you have at least proven it is possible. That is a step in the right direction."

Cormel left just before the sun came up, and offered to take Erica and her father home so they could clean up and spend some time with Ivy's mother.

Rachel was exhausted. She hadn't slept a wink in the last two days, and with Jenks keeping everyone else away for a while she finally got the chance to crash. She sat down on the bed by Ivy for just a moment, and the next thing she knew Ivy was the one sitting up, looking down at her with black eyes.

"Rachel."

"Ivy?" Rachel almost hugged her, then stopped herself as she saw Ivy's fangs, longer and more intimidating than they had ever been in life. She wasn't afraid, exactly, just cautious. "Are you okay?"

"I'm not sure. What happened?"

"You were shot, saving me." Rachel lowered her head. "I'm so sorry."

Ivy held her hands up and stared at them, as if she had never seen them before. "It's not your fault." Something occurred to her and she turned. "Have you told my family?"

Rachel nodded. "You've been down for two days, Ivy. Your Dad and Erica have been and gone. Cormel too. Your mom...she apparently said she'll come and visit once you're up and about, if you don't come to see her first. I think it was a threat."

"Probably." Ivy checked her fangs with her tongue. "What about Glenn?"

"He put all the paperwork through and helped us get around the red tape. They wanted to take you to the morgue but I wouldn't let them. I knew you'd want to be here, with us."

"Thank you." Ivy slid her legs off the side of the bed. "Rachel?" She tensed slightly as the witch slid closer. "I still feel...everything. It's not like Mom and Piscary described. I see you, and I don't just know who you are, I remember our first assignment for the I.S., laughing when I saw you face down in the pool after the Troll tripped you, kissing you, biting you." She shook her head. "I'm still me. How can I still be me?"

Rachel wiped her eyes and took a deep breath before answering. "It was an accident. I was holding you as you died and I couldn't let you go. I was crying and screaming and there was this...I don't know, ripple. Somehow, our auras merged and your soul...it's like it started to slip from your body but I pulled it back."

Ivy put her hand on Rachel's shoulder. "You saved me."

"Al showed up, without being invited. Apparently, I tapped into the ever after without even realizing it and everyone from Newt to Dali felt it. I tore a hole and he was able to follow it back. He said he knew it was me, and that he wasn't surprised it was because of you."

Ivy's eyes widened. Before she could say anything, Rachel took her hand. "It's okay." She stroked it gently. "Everything's fixed now. That was a fluke. The hole repaired itself and Al is back in the ever after where he belongs." She smiled. "The point is, you're still you, Ivy."

Ivy sat in stunned silent as she gaped at the redhead. Her scent was intoxicating, the redwood more intense to her than it had ever been before and she could hear her heart beating, clear as day. Worse, she could practically feel the blood rushing through her veins. "Rachel, you have to go."

"What?" Rachel was taken aback by the sudden change in her tone. "Why?"

"I'm hungry."

Rachel paled. In the past Ivy could go out find some willing donor, men and women both often lined up for the opportunity. But dead vampires needed blood to live, not just to stay sane, and she couldn't go outside right now since it was the middle of the day. Which itself was odd, from what she had been reading the last two days the dead usually rose at night, instinctively, and had a couple of living vampires there for their first meal. This had been unexpected. "Umm...I'm the only one here. Unless you count Jenks."

"I can't eat a pixy!" Ivy's voice, low and gray silk, now became harsh, almost gravelly. "But you!" In the blink of an eye she had Rachel by the shoulders and sank her fangs into her throat.

Surprised, by the suddenness of the attack as much as the pain, Rachel screamed.

Ivy jerked her head back, mouth full of blood. "What was that? I felt that." She blinked. "Oh God." She moved back, pressing against the wall, as far away from Rachel as she could go. "What did I do?"

Though Rachel had a hand to her neck blood still seeped through her fingers. "I-It's okay." But it wasn't, not really, and they both knew it. She was scared, which would have been obvious to Ivy. It was so brief a contact, yet it had been more painful and more brutal than anything that ever happened before. She had been a heart beat away from dying just then. "You need this."

Ivy shook her head. "Not from you. I'll kill you."

Tiny hands began pounding on the bedroom door. "Rache? Rache, you okay! We heard you screaming out in the yard! Tink's titties! Why do I smell blood? Rache, answer me!"

"It's okay, Jenks. I'm fine." Rachel smiled weakly at Ivy. "I'm fine. But, do me a favor and call Cormel. Tell him Ivy is awake and he needs to get someone over here, right now. You hear me, Jenks?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm on it. But if she tries it again, don't be afraid to slap Tamwood down. You don't have to worry about killing her anymore don't forget."

Ivy nodded. "He's right. You shouldn't hold back. I can take it."

"If it comes to that, I will, but Ivy...I trust you."

"You shouldn't! I don't trust myself. Not like this. Not around you."

Rachel frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Soul or not, I'm a monster. The dead kill their food all the time. The only difference is none of them care. I would. I could never forgive myself if anything happened to you. I love you."

"I know. I love you too."

Ivy snarled. "That's not what I mean and you know it! I've been in love with you for a long time. You don't feel the same way, and it's taken me an even longer time but I was finally in a place where I could understand and accept that we're never going to be together." She turned in a slow circle. "Then this happened. Whatever control I may have had is gone. Things are so intense now. Your scent, your blood, I don't know if I can live...exist, with that right next to me and not being able to do anything about it."

"Ivy..."

"Leave me alone, Rachel. Please." Ivy lowered her head. "Just go."

Tears in her eyes Rachel left the room, wincing at Ivy slammed the door behind her. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be. Ivy still had her soul. Or maybe that was the problem. As far as she was aware no vampire had ever kept their soul after they died. Maybe there was a reason.

"Crap on toast!" Jenks came flying down the hall, his eyes on Rachel's neck. "You okay?"

"It looks worse than it is." Though Rachel knew that wasn't entirely true. It hurt, a lot, it needed to be tended to soon, and she was going to have to do something about all the blood she had lost. But at the moment she was still more worried about Ivy. "Did you get a hold of Cormel?"

Jenks shook his head. "The man himself was asleep, it being daytime and all, but one of his associates said they'd send someone over as soon as they can."

"Good, she..." Rachel started as she felt a sudden rush of cold. At that exact same moment they heard what sounded like a roar in the bedroom and something breaking. "What is she doing?"

"It sounds like she's tearing the place apart." Jenks wasn't too concerned by this. Ivy had had temper tantrums before, and if this was what she needed to do so be it, furniture could be easily replaced. Then they heard the unmistakeable sound of glass shattering. "Wait, was that...the window?"

Rachel gasped. "Oh God." Sunlight caused the virus to go inactive. Any dead vampire caught in the sun would die a second time and there was no coming back from that. "Ivy!"

The bedroom looked like a war zone. Holes in the walls where pictures once hung, and every single piece of furniture had been broken or completely shattered. She had apparently picked up her dresser and thrown through the window. Sunlight streamed into the room and was bathing Ivy.

Ivy was crying. "It's so beautiful."

Rachel's jaw dropped. "You're okay? Ivy, how are you okay?"

"I have no idea."

Rachel got Ivy out of the sun, just in case, and made sure to cover up the window before three young living vampires showed up courtesy of Rynn Cormel. She escorted them into the bedroom and close the door, and as she was walking away felt a jolt of heat right down to her core as she heard a feminine cry. She staggered into the kitchen, where Jenks watched go to the sink and splash cold water on her face.

"What's up, Rache? You're flushed."

"I'm not sure. I feel so...hot and bothered."

"You mean horny?" Rachel nodded. "Weird, since Ivy is getting her bite on. And you felt something right before she started violently redecorating her room too. What do you think it means?"

"That there's something else going on besides Ivy still having their soul." Rachel looked around, and found her scrying mirror. "And I need to know what."

Jenks frowned as she picked it up. "You sure this is a good idea?"

"No, but he knows more about souls and auras than anyone else." Rachel put her hand on the mirror, closed her eyes and concentrated. 'Al? Come in, Al.'

After a brief delay she felt a familiar pressure in her mind. 'Itchy witch? I didn't except to hear from you. I thought you'd still be busy with your dead best friend.'

'That's why I'm calling. Ivy's awake, but something's happened. I seem to be feeling...I don't know, flashes of emotion from her, and she's able to be in the sun. How is that possible?''

Al's mental presence was silent for a few agonizing moments, and just when Rachel was starting to worry the demon began to laugh. 'Oh Rachel, you still have no idea what you've done, do you? Vampires still kept their souls after their first death, once upon a time. They were truly formidable creatures back then, so much more powerful than even the oldest dead ones you know of now. They were among the first to wage war on us, and we survived only because Newt and several others found a curse that stripped them of their souls and ensured none of their offspring would be able to retain theirs. They were a shattered race after that and have never really recovered, which is why most of them are a shade of their former selves. But what you have done is restore Ivy Alisha Tamwood to the height of her species power, upsetting the balance, or restoring it, depending on your point of view. As for the emotional connection, I told you that your souls were linked now. You will feel some of what she feels and vice versa. In time the strength of this link will fade, if you don't work to maintain it. For now, enjoy it. I imagine the vicarious thrill of her feeding or ….ing should be quite enjoyable.'

Rachel frowned as Al suddenly broke the connection. She opened her eyes to find Jenks fluttering a few inches from her face. "Hey!" She swatted at him and he flew back. "Don't do that."

"What'd he say?"

"That vampires used to have their souls, but the demons cursed them. There was a lot of that going around back in the old days apparently." Rachel put the mirror aside, stood up and stretched. "I accidentally restored Ivy to the way the species used to be, and now we have to live with the consequences."

Jenks nodded. "Which are?"

"No idea."

"Have I ever told you how frustrating it is to work with you?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Only every single day." She called Ivy's family and Glenn to tell them she was awake but didn't mention the sun, since she didn't really understand it herself yet. It was possible her resistance for only temporary, and she didn't want to get anyone's hopes up.

Jenks flew into the kitchen with several of his kids trailing along behind him. They were all anxious to see the new Ivy but he insisted on only letting the eldest in the church with her for now, since they were trained for getting out of the way and avoiding trouble. "Uh, Rache? Why is it so quiet?"

"What?"

"Since Ivy's party favors arrived it's been nonstop moaning and groaning. I'm thinking she's getting more than her teeth into them if you know what I mean. But I don't hear anything now."

Now that he mentioned it, Rachel felt calmer and less heated than she had in a while. "You're right." After a moment she shrugged. "Maybe she wore them out?" She was worried though. Even older, experienced dead vampires could easily kill their partner without meaning to, and this was Ivy's first time feeding. "Maybe we should have a peek? Just to make sure?" Not that she particularly wanted to see the kind of things that might very well be going on the bedroom. As it turned out though, she needn't have worried.

The bedroom door was wide open. One of the living vampires was sprawled across what remained of the bed, she was naked and had a big, bloody chunk taken out of her neck, but they could see she was still alive. As were the other two, crumpled naked on the floor in opposite corners.

There was no sign of Ivy.

Rachel bit her lip. "Where is she?"

"Uhh, Rache?" Jenks pointed toward Rachel's room. That door was open too. "Correct me if I'm wrong but your rooms are in the sanctified part of the church, right?" She nodded. "I figured maybe it didn't matter for Ivy's own room but how can she go into yours?"

Rachel shrugged. "The same way she can be in the sun?" She entered her own room cautiously, in case Ivy was still on the hunt. Just in case, she tapped into the line near the church and began to spindle energy. Better safe than sorry. It wasn't like there was much she could do do actually hurt Ivy now. "Ivy?"

"She's not here either." Jenks shook his head. "What is she doing?"

Music filled the church. Someone, not that it was difficult to work out who, was playing Ivy's piano. Although she wasn't singing they recognized the song as Who Will Love Me Now, a melancholic but beautiful song by PJ Harvey that Ivy often liked to play when she was depressed. When they found her she was sitting at the piano, playing absently while staring off into space, wearing a thin black robe and nothing else.

"Ivy?"

The music was silenced as her fingers stopped moving. "I can still taste everything I took from those girls. Every individual little bit. My skin is tingling. Whenever the sun touches me I expect it to burn but it doesn't. Your wings are so loud, Jenks. Did you know someone's baking cookies down the street? And I can feel your pulse all the way from here, Rachel." Ivy slowly turned. "You have no idea what this is like."

"So tell me." Rachel knelt in front of Ivy and put a hand on her knee. "I'm right here."

Ivy grabbed her wrist, squeezing just tight enough to make the witch wince. "I can feel that, you know." She brought the hand up to her mouth and kissed it. "And this." She smiled, deliberately baring her fangs as Rachel shuddered. "There is desire coiled up inside you. A part of you is curious but the rest is too scared to do anything about it. I could help, but I don't feel like bothering anymore."

"I don't understand. What are you saying?"

Eyes black, Ivy looked into Rachel's soul and shivered as the witch recoiled. "I could have you. Right here, right now, and we both know there isn't a damn thing you could do about it. But the irony is, now that dominating you is no longer a challenge, I'm not interested in playing." She pushed Rachel away and stood up. "I'm going to see my mother and Cormel, and then about finalizing my arrangements."

Rachel frowned. "For what?"

"Moving out."

"Tink's little red thong!" Jenks exclaimed. "Why?"

Ivy shook her head. "Simple, insect. There's nothing here for me anymore." With that she was gone, and a moment later they heard her bedroom door slam.

Rachel sneezed. And again. "Damn it." Though she had forgotten, what with everything that was happening, that was the evening she normally went to the ever after with Al. When the demon contacted her she tried to get him to give her the weekend off but he insisted it would be worth her while.

"Help me, and you can have the rest of the year off."

Rachel went. Standing in his kitchen, she crossed her arms. "What is it?"

"I want to know everything that happened between you and Ms. Tamwood, when you shielded her soul with your own. Every little detail, no matter how insignificant it might seem."

"Why?"

Al rolled his eyes. "What you did is completely unprecedented. I don't think it's ever even been contemplated before. Not that it matters, since most demons would have a hard time even drawing on enough energy to accomplish such a feat." He rubbed his gloved hands together. "If I can figure out how to make it viable and bottle it so I could duplicate it I could make a fortune, and not just from the vampires either. This sort of thing could revolutionize the way we demons do business."

Rachel's face fell. What she had done to Ivy could make it easier for demons to take souls? 'Great. So I've ruined even more lives.' She shrugged. "I'll tell you, but I don't know how much help it'll be."

Ivy spent hours with her mother, finding the experience more stimulating and less frustrating now that she understood her better. They discussed their issues in the past and her future plans, as well as the larger percentage of the Tamwood family fortune she was now entitled to.

The rest of her evening, with Cormel, was stimulating in a completely different way. The two of them had had sex before but this time it was brutal and bloody, neither of them needed to hold back, several bones and more furniture were broken before they were through. After they were through Cormel invited a few living vampires in for a late night snack and Ivy gorged until she was unconscious.

Ivy woke with a cold, empty sensation that she felt sure had something to do with Rachel. Concerned, she slipped out from under two unconscious male living vampires and called the church. Jenks told her Rachel had gone to the ever after and for some reason this bothered her. She quickly got dressed and was on her way out the door when Cormel awoke. "Where are you going? The sun will be up shortly."

Ivy still hadn't told him, or anyone else, that wasn't really an issue for her. "It just occurred to me I still have some things to take care of. Would you mind if I borrowed one of your cars?"

"Of course not. If you insist on leaving, take the limo. I had the back windows specially prepared in the event I was ever caught outside unawares."

"Thank you, Rynn." Ivy kissed him. "For everything." A few minutes later she was on the road, cloaked in the pitch black back seat of a limousine with heavily tinted windows. She had been lying to Cormel, however. She had no particular destination in mind, she just needed some time more or less to herself.

"Miss Tamwood?" The limo driver, a ghoul from the scent of him, glanced at her in the rear view mirror. He was used to having orders, but she had told him to just drive.

Ivy thought about her conversation with her friends. "There's nothing here for me anymore." She had at least expected Rachel to argue, not to just run off and hide in the ever after. 'Fine. If that's the way she wants to play, I can do it too.' She nodded. "Take me to the Dead Space offices."

The ghoul looked relieved to have finally been given a destination. "Yes ma'am."

Dead Space was one of the top tier reality agencies in Cincinnati, and the only one which catered exclusively to the needs of the undead. New and younger vampires often approached them to find their first sun-safe home while those like Cormel might come looking for a second or third. Of course she could have used his contacts and resources to find a new place to live but decided she would rather do it herself, now that she was dead she didn't want to be beholden to anyone if she could avoid it.

Ivy stepped into the offices moments before the sun could finish rising. They had the windows shaded, though she hardly noticed. 'Rynn would be furious if he knew what I was hiding from him.' He was the leader of her camarilla but now that she was dead as well she could oppose him for the position if she chose. She had never be interested before but wasn't so sure any longer. She was also bemused when a rather nervous looking living vampire approached her. In the past it had always bothered her how polite and even subservient most living vampires were to the dead, though she was beginning to understand the appeal.

"Ms. Tamwood?" Many vampires, living and dead, in Cincy knew her face. They all respected and even feared her family name. "It's an honor to meet you. My name is Tobias Gray. How may I be of service?"

"I'm in the market for a new place to live."

"Of course. You resided in a church before now, did you not?" Gray smiled. "I imagine that would be rather inconvenient. Come this way." He gestured toward an office and even held the chair out for her. "Now, a few questions first, so we might better serve you." He typed something on his computer. "What sort of property were you interested in? House? Apartment? Condominium?"

"A house."

Gray nodded. "Very good." He tapped a few more keys. "Now, did you want something small, to be used just as a shelter, or were you planning to actually reside there on a regular basis?"

"I don't do small, Mr. Gray. And I'm looking for a home, not just some place to crash."

"Understood." His eyes scanned the screen. "The housing market had been unusually brisk as of late, and I don't have quite as many properties available as I normally would. There are, however, three homes currently with four bedrooms each, and one with six that will officially be on the market next month. If you like, I could arrange for you to have a tour of any of the first three over the next several days."

Ivy shook her head. "I'm a bit impatient, Mr. Gray. The one with six bedrooms. How much would it take for me to close the deal today and move in before the end of the week?"

"Sight unseen?" She nodded, and Gray took a deep breath. "Miss Tamwood, the family who owns the house is still living in it. It would take, I don't know, a quarter of a million dollars to..."

"Fine." Ivy took out her phone. "I can have a cashier's check for you in an hour. Will that do?"

Gray was clearly stunned, no doubt by the thought of his commission, not to mention the idea of getting in the good graces with one of the most prominent family's in the city. "I'll have to make a call, but...yes Ms. Tamwood, I think that will more than suffice." He glanced at his watch. "Oh my. Given the time, I'd like to offer you the use of our underground shelter. Free of charge, of course. It's climate controlled and comes with all the amenities. We had it prepared in case any of our clientele needed to wait out the sun."

Ivy thought about just leaving, but knew that would lead to questions she didn't really feel like answering. Sooner or later the world would learn she was a dead vampire who still had her soul and could walk through both the sun and sanctified areas, but this was not that day. She nodded. "Thank you."