Scarred, an in the forests of the night fanfic

Summery: Just a long drabble on a young girl growing up near New Mayhem.

AN: It's not really sequential, hence the "A" "B" markings at the start of each section. It may get a little confusing so there you go. Anyway, read, review, and of course enjoy.

Disclaimer: Oh come on, you knew it was coming. No I don't own Aubrey, Risika, Fala, Jager, New Mayhem, or any other ideas that come from Amelia Atwater-Rhoades' books. That's all hers. I own my characters (Jayk, Jennifer, her mom, etc) and that's about it. Well, I suppose the plot could be mine but you know, it kinda has shades of DIMV so we won't go there.

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There had been a time when she was normal, a time when the other kids had liked her, but that all changed after the accident. Now they laughed, they scorned, and they mocked her all for one little flaw on the beautiful girl's face. It stretched from her left cheek down across her lips and ended at her chin on the right side.

Jennifer stared at it in the bathroom mirror while she was supposed to be brushing her teeth. Tracing it with her finger the 9-year-old cursed that scar, that fatal flaw to the world. Though she was young she knew already that it had ruined her life.

"Jennie!" came her mother's voice up the stairs. "Hurry up and eat some breakfast!"

"Coming Mommy!" she shouted back. Quickly she brushed her teeth and her short, choppy hair. Racing down the stairs she nearly tripped on her black cat, Shadow. "Sorry Kitty," she told him, running a hand down Shadow's back. He arched and purred at her touch but she barely noticed as she rushed by.

Arriving in the kitchen she saw her mother had already poured her a bowl of Raisin Bran so she sat down and started eating. Jennifer was used to all the health food her mother served her. It was an acquired taste.

"Did you sleep well?" her mother asked. She was busy washing dishes and had her back to Jen.

"Yes Mom," Jennie replied. "And I had this dream about pirates!" She had a huge smile plastered on.

"Pirates? Sounds exciting!" Her mother sounded so sincere because she was. Jennifer was her life, her reason to live. Without the girl to care for she didn't know what she'd do.

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"Hey Scar face!" The voice carried across the playground and Jennifer quickened her pace so she could reach the break in the fence before the boys reached her.

"Hey Ugly, I'm talking to you!" Without warning a hand shot out and grabbed her arm. "I just want to talk."

"Let go," she pleaded in a high voice. Soon several boys surrounded her, mostly her age.

"But I wanted to tell you just how gross you are," the boy whined. His friends all laughed but while he was watching them Jennifer wrenched her arm out of his grasp and ran towards the woods on the other side of the fence. It was a short cut to her house. She ran so fast that branches scratched at her bare arms and soon drew blood.

Jennifer stopped in a clearing and looked around. Nothing was familiar. The spring sun barely managed to illuminate this dim part of the forest and soon she felt very alone. Sitting down with her backpack in front of her Jennie began to cry. Her tears fell so fast and hard that she wondered how long it would take to cry a river. Maybe a day? Maybe a week?

Unbeknownst to her someone watched from the shadows, a lone predator. They watched the girl for a long time before stepping out of the darkness. With a start the girl stood and gasped.

"Who are you?" she asked frightful. The man standing before her wore all black, a t-shirt and jeans, with black boots and a spike collar. On his wrist she could see a tattoo partially covered by some leather thing. She looked at it questioningly.

"I won't hurt you," he told her, coming closer. She backed away and he fought the urge to grin.

"Mommy told me not to talk to strangers," she said.

"My name is Aubrey." His voice was cool, like a breeze on a summer's day that chills you just a bit too much. "And yours is Jennifer. Now we aren't strangers."

"How did you know my name?" she asked, afraid again. By now Aubrey had reached her backpack but she was at least 10 feet beyond that. He leaned down and picked the bag up.

"I'm a friend of your father's," he told her, knowing her response already.

"Oh, but he lives in California. Why are you in Massachusetts?" The little girl was not so scared any more and had stopped moving backwards.

"I met him on vacation." Lying to kids is way too easy, Aubrey thought, though why he was even talking to her was a mystery. He had been drawn by the scent of her blood but upon finding a simple child had decided not to harm her. Now he was even helping her. There was something about this little girl, something that drew him to her.

"Ok." She had accepted his lies and was now looking at him curious.

"Here," he said, holding out her bag. "We should get you home before it's dark."

She took the bag before responding, "I'm not afraid of the dark." Her brave little 9-year-old face smiled.

"You should be," he told her and the pair began walking off.

"How do you know where I live?" she asked. Aubrey wasn't really following any path but he seemed to know exactly where he was going.

"I told you," he explained, "I know your dad." They walked on in silence until the curious girl spoke again.

"What's that on your arm?" she asked, pointing to the leather sheath. Aubrey pulled out the knife and the girl gasped.

"It's for hunting," he explained. Jennie calmed down again as Aubrey put away his magical blade. What he had told her was partially true, although he doubted the girl would want to hear what he hunted.

"Why are you so pale?"

"You sure ask a lot of questions," Aubrey said annoyed.

"I like to understand the world around me," Jennie replied with a sharpness that was beyond her age. Being alone at school drove her to excel in academics.

"I don't like the sun." His response was short so Jennie took the hint and stopped asking questions. Soon enough they were in Jennie's backyard.

"This is where I leave you," Aubrey said turning.

"Don't you want to come in?" Jennie looked at him hopeful.

"Not today." The downfall in her eyes was enough to bring any mortal to tears, but Aubrey was no mortal.

"How will I find you?" she asked sadly. The girl sure could use a friend, Aubrey thought. He was not the one to befriend humans, but there was something in her eyes, a pain, just below the surface. The scar told the story for Jennifer.

"I'll be around," he told her and disappeared into the shadows. Jennie searched but when she couldn't find him she went inside. The dusk was racing faster towards night and her mother would be worried.

As she went inside Aubrey had already appeared back in New Mayhem, wandering the streets. He belittled himself for helping the child, but something told him that had he not he would have regretted it. He had meant it, too, when he told her he would be around. Aubrey would keep an eye out for the girl, lest evil befall her. She had a big future ahead of her and he couldn't stand by and watch the darkness take another child, not after Jayk.

Jayk had only been seven when he had met his first vampire. The woman had come home with his single father one night and by the next morning his father lie dead. After that Jayk was shifted around from one foster home to the next. When he was 12 he landed in Ramsa, a small town so close to New Mayhem it wasn't funny. Jayk ran away from that place only to find himself lost in New Mayhem. Fala, a vampire with a temper, had quickly singled him out. While the slave trade was outlawed in New Mayhem that didn't stop Fala from giving the child a place to stay. She spoiled Jayk and all too soon the two fell in love. When he was 17 Fala turned him into what he became.

All of New Mayhem had turned their backs on this young boy. They played ignorant while Fala twisted and warped his mind. Jayk never stood a chance, not against her mind power. He was only human after all. Weak. Aubrey in particular felt very guilty about doing nothing. Jessica had told him to, as had Risika. In fact everyone had depended on him to be the one to "deal with this problem," but he hadn't.

"Let the boy save himself," he had told Jager.

"He's only human," Jager responded. "What can he do?"

"Then why don't you save him? Fala is your fledgling." With each word he became more frustrated. Why should he care about a stupid human? One night Aubrey had found Jayk or Jake as he was at the time, crying in a back alley by his house. With barely a second glance he had walked right by, not caring at all.

Not a year later the boy had been changed. He and Fala went to a different city every night, slaughtering wherever they were. Some said you could find them by the trail of blood. The pair nearly exposed the vampiric community many times, only narrowly escaping. Finally, after ten years, Jayk split from Fala and moved back to New Mayhem. He stopped murdering frivolously and tried to become anonymous, which was a task considering how infamous his escapades had made him. Even now most still know his name, though it's been nigh 50 years since he left Fala.

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"Karen I need to go," Jen told the hovering girl. I should have never told her it was Fala who attacked me, she thought. "The longer I stay the longer I endanger everyone here."

"You can't leave! If you go now and get attacked again you will die!" Karen's normally peaceful, calming voice was high pitched and commanding. She stood between Jen sitting in the chair and the doorway.

"Yes but if I get attacked here a lot more people will die with me." Jen ran a hand through her short, chopped hair. "Let me call Jayk."

"No! He's not allowed here and you know that." Karen nearly shouted the last part but now her voice lowered. "Besides I don't trust him with you any more than I would trust Aubrey." Jen sighed and looked out the window into the bright morning.

"Jayk has changed and he loves me. He wouldn't hurt me." Her voice was pained as though no one would ever understand. "And I am going to him. You can't stop me."

"No I can't but I know who can," Karen replied tartly.

Standing Jen looked Karen in the eyes. "Move." The two stared each other down and after a moment Karen stepped aside.

As Jen walked out the door Karen called after her, "I will still be here in the highly likely event you get hurt again." Jen paused to give the girl a grin.

Continuing on she found that Jayk had parked her car just down the street. Reaching under the front bumper she found the spare key she kept there and opened the door. Starting the car she revved the engine and took off towards the edge of town. Jayk's house was in New Mayhem and there was no way she could risk going there without him by her side, not when Fala wanted her dead.

Jen pulled over at a gas station. Getting out she jammed coins into the pay phone and dialed Jayk's cell phone number. After a couple of rings he answered.

"Yeah," came his voice.

"Jayk!" she said. "I need you to come get me."

"What do you mean?" His voice held a note of panic, or worry. Either way it wasn't good.

"I'm at the gas station on your side of town," she told him. "Come and get me."

"Why did you leave?" he nearly yelled. "Now you're in real danger!" He was so upset his hand was shaking as he held the phone.

"Just come and get me!" She hung up and waited by her car. In less than a minute she saw him come around from the back of the building. He rushed over to her but did not embrace her.

"You were stupid to leave," he whispered. "Fala will kill you if she finds you." He looked into her eyes.

"She can't kill me."

"Believe me, she'll find a way. She always gets what she wants," he spat bitterly.

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There was a rushing sound as the wind whistled through the branches of the oak trees along the sidewalk but Jennifer ignored it and kept on walking at a brisk pace. She was headed towards the local library, a place that had become a sort of second home. The now 10-year-old girl read anything she could get her hands on but her passion was fantasy. She would delve into books such as Lord of the Rings and Interview with a Vampire as easily as any adult might have. It was her little escape from life.

As she neared the entrance she heard the distinct noise of a twig snapping in the woods that bordered the building. Curious she walked towards them, watching for any signs of movement. She soon found what had made all the noise, a puppy.

"What are you doing here?" she asked it, not really expecting a response.

I was looking for some food, Jennifer heard in her mind, and now here you are. She gasped as the cute innocent puppy morphed into a not-so-innocent woman. "Now I promise I this won't hurt." As Jennie turned to but the woman grabbed her quickly and only laughed as Jen tried to free herself.

"Don't worry, darling," the woman whispered. I'm a friend. Jennifer remembered nothing else up until the point where she woke up at home in bed feeling sick. There was only one sign of what had happened, two small marks on her neck. Jen wasn't sure that they were scratches, because they already appeared healed, but whatever they were they had come from that woman in the woods, of that she was sure.

"Jennifer," her mother called up the stairs, "dinner's ready." Jen froze at the sound of her mother's voice. Should she tell her what happened? No, she decided. Jennifer never was sure why she decided not to tell her mother but something told her that if she did it would only cause more trouble.

It would be years before she saw the woman again but by that time she wasn't worried about her mother.

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"So tell me," Jayk asked Jen once they were safely inside his house in New Mayhem, "just what possessed you to leave the one place you might have been safe?" Jen looked up at him innocently from the couch where she sat.

"Do you really think that being at SingleEarth would have stopped Fala from hunting me down?" Jayk didn't answer but looked away out the window into the darkness. "She wants me dead and will kill anyone in the way. In fact we should leave before she finds out that I'm here. I don't want you dying for me." The look on her face was one of regret, not sorrow, and it confused Jayk until he remembered her mother.

"She's already killed me once," he whispered. "She won't do it again."

"You can't stop her," Jen told him standing. "She'll do whatever it takes. We need to leave." She pushed him towards the door but instead of going he pushed back and she fell onto the couch. Jen was shocked more than offended. Something was wrong, very wrong.

Before she could find out what Jayk began to cry. He collapsed into a puddle on the floor and soon felt Jen's comforting arms around her. "Don't! Get away from me," he cried, pushing Jen back onto her back. "You lied!" She looked into his eyes, those dangerous eyes, the eyes that had witnessed so many deaths.

"What do you mean?" she asked softly. She was sitting up but slowly pushing herself backwards. Her bruised body couldn't take much more of his frustration.

"You told me," he managed between sobs, "that you stopped seeing Aubrey a year ago." The tangled web was now becoming clearer to Jen as her back met the couch and she slid up to sit on it and look at the mess that was Jayk.

"I was never seeing Aubrey," she pleaded. "We had a good time every once in awhile but I didn't love him." With a sigh she added, "I love you."

"Liar!" He lashed out at her with his mind and she winced. Jayk had controlled his anger this time, giving her a warning, a chance to run, but Jen wouldn't take it. She stood and looked down at him. Seeing that she was standing Jayk stood as well and stared down the few inches into her eyes. "Tell me," he whispered harshly, "did he wrap his arms around you? Did he whisper sweet nothings in your ear?"

"I haven't been with him in a year. I never lied to you." Her voice was calm but a note of panic was showing on her expression. "Trust me."

"No," Jayk threatened. He slapped her across the face and shoved her away. "Leave!" It wasn't a request but Jen ignored it until Jayk slapped her again. With tears in her eyes and blood on her face she ran out the door to the only place she could think to go: the hammock.

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"And then I woke up," Jennifer told Aubrey. They were sitting in a big old oak tree in the woods behind her house and she had just finished telling him what happened with the woman by the library. Jennifer could tell by his expression that Aubrey knew the woman.

"Don't worry about it," he responded after a moment of silent frustration. "She won't bother you again." He looked at the young girl and tousled her short hair. "Come on, let's get going. You wouldn't want to be out after dark." He jumped down and landed on his feet from about 20 feet up. Jennifer grinned. He was always doing things like that, jumping from high places, suddenly appearing, and talking without using words. It was just what he did.

After climbing slowly down she retorted, "You know, Aubrey, I'll never be afraid of the dark. It's silly." He sighed and shook his head. The girl was the bright spot in his dark universe. Ever since Jessica had gone off to find other colonies of vampires he had been so lonely but this simple child brought him so much happiness, a sense of meaning.

"You should be," he reprimanded as he always did. With that he walked her to the edge of the trees and watched as she walked towards her house. At the door she turned and waved at him, smiling wide. He waved back and disappeared to find Fala, who had been the one to attack Jennifer. Fala wouldn't soon forget the lesson she was about to learn, even if she wouldn't know why he beat her.

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It was a clear beautiful day but still Jen chose to spend it inside. She was sitting in the back corner of the local coffee shop reading a new book she'd picked up. The book was called Predator, Prey and staring her favorite characters: vampires. The girl was fast becoming obsessed with them, something her friend Aubrey told her to stay away from. She teased him that the only reason he didn't like her learning about vampires was because he secretly was one. Unfortunately she didn't know how right she was.

Since she was 9 she had known him. Now at 14 she was beginning to notice things, things that never bothered her before. He hadn't aged at all since she met him, not one bit. Also, those things he had did which had seemed magical as a child now puzzled her. How did he talk with his mind? Why could he survive anything? She didn't know and wouldn't ask just yet.

At the moment Jennifer set down her book and looked around at the other patrons. Most were hurried business people rushing in and out or sitting and working from their laptops. There was one girl, though, who sat not too far away, looking around much like Jen was. The two met eyes and Jen nodded. The girl stared a moment before looking away. Jen was bored so she decided to go chat with her.

"Hello," she said once she was close. "Care if I join you?" The girl looked up at her and scowled.

"Yes." That was all she said before glancing away. Not really friendly, are we? Jen thought. Oh well, that wouldn't stop her.

"Not in a good mood?" she asked in a cheery tone.

"I was," the girl quipped. Her hair hung over her eyes as she looked down at her coffee.

"Well then I guess I'll let you get back to it." Jen turned to walk away but as she did the girl called her back.

"You like that book?" she asked, pointing to the one that Jen was clutching.

"Yes," Jen answered slowly. "I just started it." This is odd, she mused.

"Sit down," the girl told her. Jen did as she was told but kept her eyes on the girl.

"Have you read it?" she asked studying the other girl's face.

"Yes. My name is Risika." She held out her hand across the table. Jennifer looked at it a moment before clasping it and responding.

"I'm Jen. Do you live around here?" Risika let out a chuckle.

"You could say that," she grinned. "Have you read other books by that author?"

"No but I think I might. She portrays vampires in a unique way." Again Risika laughed and Jen was beginning to think she had something wrong with her.

"That she does," Risika replied. "Try reading Tiger, Tiger. You'd like it."

"I'll do that," Jen agreed. "What's it about?" She was starting to relax around this strange girl but she couldn't shake the feeling that Risika knew more than she was letting on.

"Oh, just loss of innocence." Risika's voice was sad and trailed off as her eyes took a far away look. "Do you like vampires?" Jen thought the question was odd, especially coming from this odd girl but she answered it anyway.

"They fascinate me. I mean there could be a whole world out there that we humans have no idea about. That alone is enough to make me curious about it."

"Well just be careful," Risika cautioned. "From what I hear vampires don't like it when humans get curious." After she said that she got up and walked away.

"See you around then?" Jen called but when she looked towards the door Risika was nowhere to be seen. Puzzled she stood and left herself.

Later she was talking to Aubrey while working on her homework in the hammock she had strung up out in the woods. "She just disappeared, like you do." Aubrey raised an eyebrow.

"She wouldn't happen to be named Risika would she?"

"Actually yeah, that's what she said her name was. How did you know?" She set down her homework and looked at Aubrey who was sitting about 10 feet above her in a tree.

"Risika is an," he searched for a word not full of malice, "acquaintance of mine."

"Well the whole reason she started talking to me was because I was holding this new book I'm reading." Jen dug into her bag and tossed it up to Aubrey. His eyes brushed the cover and he stared down in disbelief at this teenager.

"I don't think you should be reading this," he told her.

"You always say that when I read vampire books," she sighed. "What's your problem?"

"Nothing," he said too quickly. "It's just that you're a very impressionable young girl and I don't think you should be reading this." He jumped down and began pacing.

"If I didn't know better I would say you are trying to hide something, quite unsuccessfully if I may add." She crossed her arms with a typically teenage attitude.

"There are some things that you don't want to know." His voice was dark and it only made Jen more curious.

"Tell me," she begged. "I'm not a little girl anymore."

"But you're still so young, really you have no idea." He ran a hand through his dark hair and looked at the girl. Her eyes were accusing and he could tell that whatever she was going to say next he wasn't going to like it.

"I think I do," she replied. "I'm not blind nor am I stupid, Aubrey. When I was younger I could ignore it but now? Now I can't just call it imagination. Shall I make a list for you or will you just explain?"

"You don't want to be exposed to this," he warned her. Aubrey read the girl's thought without an effort and understood. "Just drop it." His voice was dark and almost threatening but Jen knew he would never hurt her.

"You could jump from the top of this tree and live," she pointed up 50 feet to the top of a pine tree. "You randomly appear places with no explanation of how you got there. You speak into my mind and know my thoughts before I say a word. Tell me, Aubrey, do you want me to go on?" She stood up and walked towards him, stalking although she was a whole foot shorter than he was.

"Stop," Aubrey said defeated. "You don't need to go on and I don't think you need an explanation. If you forget all of this I will, too."

"Tell me," she demanded, nearly face to face with the man. He watched her eyes before dropping his to her throat.

"You want to know?" he asked. "You want the truth?" When she nodded Aubrey continued. "Go and read the book Risika told you to. You can find the answers there, but be warned, you may not like what you find." He disappeared with not another word and left Jen standing alone in the woods wondering just what was going on.

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I could have killed Aubrey. I could have used my strength to be like him. But I remembered my humanity.

I am one of them.

But I am also Rachel.

I am Risika.

Jennifer set down the book and simply stared out her window, mouth hanging open. After Aubrey had left her she had ridden her bike back to the library, which hadn't had the book. Next she had checked the bookstore in town and grabbed the last copy on the shelf. On the cover was a picture of a girl looking much like Risika had.

The first few pages had been unremarkable and yet drew her in all the same. It was those fateful words, the mention of Risika, which had caught her unguarded. As she sped through what followed Jen could barely believe what she was reading. If this book was to be believed it would explain all of Aubrey's quirks, but it also gave him a dark light.

Besides the personal revelations that came if the book was true came the bigger picture, the worldwide one. Vampires. Jen could not accept that they existed. It was all too much. It couldn't be true, could it?

Try as she might Jen could not find an explanation for all the similarities, all of the identical details. It didn't seem like a coincidence. Her logical mind told her that it had to be but there was something inside that told her otherwise.

After wrestling with this most of the night and not sleeping Jen decided to go out back where she always could find Aubrey when she needed him and now was one of those times.

She snuck out quietly past her mother's door. Once out in the woods a little ways she found the hammock.

"Aubrey," she whispered. "Where are you?" She spun around angry and confused. "Aubrey!" This time she nearly screamed it in frustration. Turning back towards the house she found herself face to face with the object of her queries. Jen gasped and stepped back. "Aubrey," she whispered, fearful suddenly.

"Jen," he replied just as soft. When she didn't say anything he stepped towards her only to have her back away.

"Is it true?" she asked not really wanting to know now that they were face to face.

Aubrey studied her face looking so dangerous in the dark that it was all Jen could do to keep from running away. "What do you think?" His voice was light, as though he was teasing her, and he was.

"If it's true than you already know what I think," she told him. "So tell me, Aubrey," she went on, each word giving her boldness, "do I believe that you are a vampire?"

"You don't want to. You want proof." He pulled a jack knife from his back pocket and opened it. Handing it to her he told her, "Here you go." Once she took it he held his arm out, wrist up.

"Not your favorite knife?" she mocked.

"Poisoned," he explained shortly. "Come on now, I don't have forever." Jen almost laughed but controlled herself.

Placing the blade against his wrist she hesitated, glancing at Aubrey's eyes. He said nothing but stared back. What Jen didn't realize at the time was that he was giving her protection using the single most obeyed law in New Mayhem: blood claim.

Jen closed her eyes and cut with the blade gingerly. Looking down she saw nothing on his wrist. "You're going to need to cut a bit deeper," he instructed. Jen grimaced but grabbed his wrist with one hand and slashed as hard as she could, wincing at the feeling of it sliding through his flesh. She watched with shaky hands as it bled a little and then healed itself up.

Dropping the knife Jen backed up more until her back hit a tree. Aubrey appeared right in front of her instantly and saw her shaking her head insistently.

"No," she feebly tried. "It's not possible. You can't be. This can't be real. I'm just dreaming and I need to wake up." Aubrey grabbed her wrists and drew her into his arms.

"It's no dream," he whispered as she cried. Don't cry, he told her. She stopped and he pulled her back to dry her tears. "Why are you so upset?"

"I don't know," she said. "This is just too much. I need to go." With merely a thought Aubrey brought them to her room and laid her in her bed.

"Sleep now," he told her. "Tomorrow things will seem better." He disappeared without another word and left Jen to fall into a fitful sleep. And that is exactly what she did.

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Two years later an odd looking girl walked into her favorite coffee shop and sat in the corner booth as she always did. In the booth next to here was the same girl who was there every day, more than the first.

"Hey, Risika," the first girl greeted the second without turning to her.

"Hello, Jennifer," the second responded. They each settled into a coffee and a good book along with a comfortable silence. After about an hour Jennifer turned to Risika, who hadn't touched her now-cold coffee.

"Did you hear?" she asked softly so the other customers wouldn't hear.

"I'm assuming you mean about the new book and in that case, yes," Risika replied. "It isn't exactly a secret." They were of course referring to the plans "Ash Night" had to release another book about the vampires. This time it was one called Broken Glass. Supposedly it was about twin brothers who had been changed and their encounter with a Vida witch. No one would have believed it if they didn't already know it was true.

"Have you read it?" Jen asked eagerly.

"Of course, who hasn't?" With that Risika ended their conversation and left. Although she and Jen had been what could have been called friends for almost two years they never openly acknowledged the fact. It was an odd sort of relationship but it suited the two of them just fine.

After sitting there for a while longer Jen got up and left to go meet a friend in the woods. Aubrey would be wondering what took her so long to drink a coffee. He was like that, so over-protective of her. In all of her reading she had yet to find an explanation for it. All of the books portrayed him as dangerous and mysterious. Sometimes this was true but at most times he was just like a brother to her. This had changed recently and Jen knew exactly why. You can hardly choose whom you are attracted to. It didn't help that Aubrey knew immediately that she was. He only teased her more for it.

"Did you miss me, love?" he asked when she found him lounging in her hammock.

"Oh immensely," she joked back. "I couldn't stand the thought of going another moment without you so I came so quickly." She burst out laughing at this and Aubrey merely smiled.

"Quickly wasn't the word I would use but whatever suits you," he grinned. They talked for a while before it got dark. "I should go, it's getting dark," Aubrey finally said, glancing at the sky.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not afraid of the dark." Jen was teasing and they both knew the routine.

"And how many times must I tell you that you should be?" He walked up to where she was leaning against a tree and stared into her eyes. A moment passed, and then another. They both sensed that saying something now would be pointless. Aubrey leaned forward and whispered in Jen's ear, "Monsters hide in the dark." He pulled back but only so that they were inches apart. He could feel Jen's warm breath on his cold lips and without a second thought he leaned in and kissed her. It was short but sweet and when he pulled back he wished he hadn't.

"Monsters like you?" Jen asked grinning. She leaned forward and kissed him this time, making it longer and deeper. In the end it was Jen who pulled back because she needed to breath, Aubrey didn't.

"Goodnight, Jennifer," Aubrey told her and disappeared. Jen leaned against the tree a moment before smiled wildly and running back into the house.

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Jen lay in the hammock behind her old house curled up into a little ball. It hurt, it really did. Physically Jayk had not harmed her at all but emotionally and mentally he had as good as killed her. She thought for sure her tears must have created a river by now but no, they hadn't.

She rolled onto her back and stared at the night sky through the trees. It was still there, the same as always, ignorant to her pain, to her suffering. All she wanted to do was not feel anymore, just stop the pain. The world could go to hell and she wouldn't care. Jen hurt too much to care about anything.

A sudden idea struck her and took root. Standing up she got her bearings and took off at a brisk pace towards New Mayhem. There was someone who might help her.

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Over the next year Aubrey and Jen fast became friends with benefits. They never claimed to love each other, and they never did, but they found comfort in that fact, knowing that there were no strings attached. It was the perfect thing for Jen.

Every week she continued meeting more vampires and the like. It was amazing the way she had managed to immerse herself into their culture in only two years and still remain human. There were those who hated her, of course, on principal alone, but she was used to that. Mostly she avoided the New Mayhem crowd because of how they looked down on humans. She hung around those who frequented bashes, although she never put herself on the menu, most of her human friends did.

It was a day when she was out with one such friend that she met Jayk. They were hanging out at some local teen club just pissing away the time.

"So," her friend Alexa had been saying, "then he says 'I just need to take a breather.'" The two burst out laughing from way too much sugar and the bad joke.

"It never fails to amuse me when they say crap like that," Jen managed once she could breathe again. "Like just the other day Aubrey was like 'Are you trying to choke me or something?'"

Again the girls had a fit of giggles, which was unceremoniously interrupted by someone asking, "Excuse me, but did you say Aubrey?" Jen looked up to see a boy about her age standing over the beanbags they had crashed on.

"Uh, yeah, I did. He a friend of yours?" Jen's voice was still heavy with laughter and joking but she was curious as to this boy.

"Yes, actually, he is," the boy replied. "I'm Jayk."

"Jen," she replied. "And this is Alexa. Come, sit, join the merriment." Jayk had grinned at her hilarity and sat down next to her. The night passed away quickly with jokes and friends. By the end of the night Jen was surprised by how much she was attracted to Jayk. At the time she and Aubrey still had a thing going on.

As she was walking out the door Jayk called to her. "Hey Jen!" She stopped and looked back at him. As he caught up with her he asked, "Do you want to go out sometime, for coffee or something?" Jayk still had no idea that Jen had pegged him for a vampire already so she played along.

"Sure," she grinned. "Meet me at the coffee house tomorrow afternoon around four."

"It's a date," he replied.

"Is it?" Jen was teasing but Jayk didn't know that.

"Well, it is to me." He turned and disappeared into the growing crowd. He nearly keeled over when Jen told him he was a vampire.

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Less than a week later the whole town of New Mayhem had heard that the infamous Jayk was dating a human girl. Not only that but that this particular human was also a friend of Aubrey's. How they found out no one knows but once one person knew, everyone knew.

"Hey Aubrey," called Fala from the end of the bar at Los Notches. "I heard you got another human girl in your eyes." Her voice was sweet but her face was a maddening sight for Aubrey.

"She's a friend, Fala, and as we've established before I'm allowed to have human friends." Aubrey was annoyed but unless Fala really pissed him off she would leave her unharmed because Jager walked in and sat down next to her.

"Well it seems to me that Jayk has made friends with her to," Fala purred. "Is this some sort of disease I should worry about catching?" She laughed at her own joke.

"As fate would have it you were the one who brought it to New Mayhem, remember? Or was it someone else who brought Jayk in here before they changed him?" he quipped. Fala hissed in response but did nothing.

"He will pay for this insult," she told Aubrey. "I love him and he goes off with a human whore!" She looked like she was about to explode. Instead she disappeared and left the bar in silence once more, except of course for the heavy pounding music that was always there. You got used to it.

Jager used the lull to slide on over to Aubrey and order a drink. "So it's true, then," he wondered aloud. "Jayk is dating this human." Aubrey said nothing but took a long sip from his cup of blood. "This can not end well, Aubrey. You should know that." Aubrey maintained his silence.

He still wasn't sure how he felt about Jen dating Jayk. Of course he never had but still there had been something between them and now that Jen was dating he doubted if it would still be the same. Who would make out with you when they were dating your best friend?

Jen almost felt the same way, almost, but she had Jayk keeping her mind off of things. He was so sweet and no one bothered to tell her about his past so she went on in ignorance knowing better than to ask about it.

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"Aubrey!" Jen stood pounding on his door, praying he would be here instead of Las Noches. Her fists were aching but she kept pounding for another minute. Finally resolving herself to the fact that he wasn't going answer the door she opened it herself finding it unlocked, as always.

"Aubrey!" she shouted as she raced up the stairs to his room. She stopped in the doorway to it and watched his sleeping figure, weighing her options. Boldly she stepped into the room and moved to the bed. Jen was about to place a hand on Aubrey's shoulder when he snapped awake and grabbed her wrist. She gasped in surprise but did not pull back. "Aubrey I need your help." He laughed, literally laughed.

"What is it?" Aubrey asked. He stood up slowly and Jen saw that he was lacking a shirt. She noted the scar from Risika as her eyes traveled over his body. Memories flooded her mind but she pushed them away by thinking about Jayk.

"This is something you won't mind doing," she told him strangely calm. It hadn't taken her long to come up with this plan, not long at all. And it was simple, very simple. It hurt too much to live without Jayk, far too much. She needed it to end; she just wouldn't live like this, not now, not ever. It hurt far too much for any mortal to bear.

"Well spit it out, Jennifer. You're wasting my sleep." Aubrey still held her wrist but for some reason he didn't release it when he noticed.

Jen pulled her hair away from her neck with her free hand. "Please," was all she said. Aubrey released her wrist and backed up a step.

"You don't know what you're asking," he warned in a threatening voice. "And I don't know why." He thought Jen must be drugged by the way she was acting.

"Please," Jen begged again. "Do this one favor for me." She stepped closer but Aubrey pushed her gently back a step.

"No," he firmly told her. "I could never do that to you or Jayk. Are you insane?"

"He's left me, Aubrey," she whimpered, tears beginning to fall. "He doesn't love me anymore and I can't live without him." She stepped forward and Aubrey let her this time. "Please, I will never ask anything again."

"Of course you won't. You'll be dead," he spat. "Don't you understand? Death is final. You can't go back. It is nothing." He brushed past her and went to grab a shirt but she stepped and blocked his path.

"Aubrey," she pleaded. The look on her face broke him and he grabbed her in a hug.

"Don't cry," he whispered. "I'm here and it's going to be ok. No one is worth killing yourself over." Jen took his moment of looking over her shoulder to bring up a small knife and make a cut on her throat near his face.

"That's why you're going to do it for me," she whispered back. Aubrey caught the scent of blood and shoved her away.

"Dammit!" he screamed. "Don't do this to me!" He wasn't looking at her but down at the floor. It had been a few days since he had fed due to being extremely busy with, well, nothing.

Jen quickly walked to him with one hand at her cut, letting it get blood all over it. "I'm sorry, but I need you to." When she was close enough she smeared the blood from her hand all over Aubrey's mouth. Some inadvertently got in and he cursed its sweetness. With blood lust taking over he leaned her head back with one hand and drew her close with the other.

This won't hurt a bit, he told her. Jen braced herself for his bite and let herself be lulled by his mind.

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The night was crisp and clear as Jen walked home from Jayk's house in New Mayhem. She liked to sneak in there to see him but it was always dangerous. Fala, his ex from was she gathered, was out to get her. Poor bitter woman, Jen thought.

"You wouldn't be talking about me, would you?" came a silky, dangerous voice from just behind her. Jen froze and slowly turned to see none other than Fala standing there. She had never met the woman but an odd memory came to mind: a puppy by the library. "Oh good, you remember me. Well, let us dispense with the pleasantries and get right down to business."

"And what business do we have?" Jen asked cautiously. Angering a vampire when she was alone and unarmed in the middle of nowhere didn't seem like a very good idea.

"I think you know that one, Jennifer," Fala cooed. "Dearest Jayk seems to have forgotten that I loved him long before you were even born."

"Things happen," Jen remarked backing up away form Fala. The vampire laughed and tutted.

"Oh but hasn't he told you what used to happen to the humans around him?" Fala proceeded to tell Jen all about Jayk's bloody past. She took another step forward. "Now, now. I'm not going to hurt you . . . much." With that she appeared instantly before Jen and smacked her hard across the face. "See? That wasn't so bad." She smacked Jen once more. "Was it?"

Jen's head was spinning and she knew that if Fala kept this up she would soon lose consciousness. "Not at all," she replied. Fala frowned and hit her again, this time in the stomach.

"I didn't think so," she said darkly. With that she brought her fist down hard on Jen's head and her world went black.

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A few minutes later Aubrey shoved her away.

"No!" he whispered roughly, voice darkened by the lust. "I won't kill you. Now leave!"

Jen was crushed, lying on the floor in a heap. "Please," she begged, crawling over to his feet. "Just let me die."

"You don't deserve to die," he told her, licking blood off of his lips. "You deserve to live with this pain for what you tried to do to me." Aubrey grabbed her arm and the pair reappeared in the middle of the woods behind her old house.

"Don't ever show your face to me again or I will harm you, and I promise I will not be as kind next time." He dropped her on the ground and disappeared.

Jen lay there and cried for the second time that day and as the sunset she knew one thing for certain. Her life was falling apart.

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A pounding headache was banging in her ears and Jen didn't dare open her eyes. From her moaning Karen sensed that she was awake.

"Morning sleepy head," she greeted. "That's quite a bump you got there." Jen muttered some curses and Karen laughed her happy laugh. "Don't worry, you'll be fine."

Cracking open her eyes and finding the room relatively dim she asked, "How did I get here?"

"Well," Karen started, "lucky for you someone stumbled across you laying in the woods last night and brought you here. You're lucky it wasn't someone less than friendly or else you probably wouldn't be here." Karen left Jen to puzzle over why Fala hadn't killed her. It wouldn't be long before she found out.

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The next day she awoke at SingleEarth completely confused as to how she got there and amazed that she had been in this state yesterday morning as well. When she asked they told her she had been brought in by a girl named Alexa who said she would come by later.

Jen lay back down and thought over what had just happened to her. She had just left this place and now she was back again. It was just her luck. Maybe next time she would manage to stay out for longer than a day.

Everyone she talked to assumed it was Fala who had attacked her and she let them think that. Jen didn't need them worrying she was going to kill herself. No, she had more important things to do, such as kill Fala for lying to Jayk, and possibly Jayk for believing Fala, but probably not. It wasn't his fault he was so trusting of his old lover.

Later that day Alexa dropped in as promised. "What the hell happened?" she practically screamed. "I had Jayk show up on my doorstep telling me to get you here as soon as I could and you were passed out from blood loss. So start talking." Jen did. She told Alexa everything that happened and the girl was silent while listening. "Oh," was all she said once Jen had finished.

"It was Jayk who brought me to you?" Jen asked confused. Last she checked he hated her.

"Yeah he was mumbling something about being stupid and sorry and that you needed help, blah, blah, blah." Alexa made some random hand gestures. "And here we are."

"Have you heard from him at all?" Her voice sounded just a little too eager but it was forgivable.

"No and when I do I'll let you know," Alexa told her. She already knew that Jen was going to ask that. They chatted awhile longer before Alexa left and Jen went back to sleep.

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There was a comfortable silence between Aubrey and Jayk as they sat at the bar in Las Noches after discussing the events thus far. Once they had cleared up the fact that Aubrey and Jen had not done as Fala had said it was a simple matter of making sure that Jen was ok and that Fala paid for what happened.

Aubrey was still very upset with Jen. She had used him and manipulated him like few others had ever done. Ather was perhaps the only one. He wouldn't kill her but that wasn't because there was any love lost between the two of them. It was because the closest thing he had to a best friend loved her more than life. That was the only reason he had even gone to speak with Jayk the night before.

He had told Jayk what Jen had said and what he had done. Jayk took it all in stride and, of course, blamed himself for not being there and not believing her.

"I should have trusted her when she said it wasn't true," he sobbed. "Why did I believe Fala over Jen?" Jayk was a miserable wreck and Aubrey had to stop him from rushing off to kill Fala immediately.

"There will be plenty of time for that later," he told Jayk. "What you need to do now is go get you girlfriend," he couldn't bring himself to say her name, "and make sure she doesn't die." Aubrey didn't want Jen dead. He only wanted her to feel how much anger and pain he was feeling. It was her fault he felt this way. At least that's what he thought.

Finally Jayk broke the silence. "I should go see her," he said.

"You can't," Aubrey simply stated. "You're not allowed at SingleEarth, remember?" Jayk cursed but stayed seated.

"What the hell am I going to do?" he shouted. "I screwed up, Aubrey. She was the one good thing I had, the only shot I had left and I blew it! She'll never take me back!" He disappeared and Aubrey followed him to his house. There he found Jayk laying on his bed, crying.

He didn't know what to tell Jayk. Should he tell him it would be ok? No, he didn't know that it was true. Could he tell Jayk Jen still loved him? Well that was true but Aubrey wasn't able to form the words. All he could do was put a hand on Jayk's shoulder and say a phrase so familiar to him now. "That's just how the world works."

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"Are you sure I can go, Karen?" Jen was standing with all her stuff at the doorway to SingleEarth. It had been a week since she got there this most recent time and she hadn't seen Jayk since the night at his house. He would be meeting her down the street.

"Yes," the healer said impatiently. "Last time you couldn't wait to leave and now I'm practically throwing you out! Now go before Jayk leaves!" She shooed the girl out the door.

Once in the street Jen looked for Jayk but he was no where to be seen. She began walking out of town but by the end of the block a car rolled up next to her.

"Need a lift?" came a not so kind voice. Jen glanced up to see none other than Fala and some vampires she didn't recognize jumping out of the back.

"Oh great," she replied. "Don't tell me you haven't had enough fun with my life yet." As the guys roughly grabbed her and dragged her into the back Fala laughed.

"I haven't even begun." Then once again Jen's world went black.

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There was a scream, a terrible scream that woke Jennifer from her sleep. Rushing out of bed and down the hall to where the scream came from she saw her mother being attacked by a man with dark eyes.

"Stop!" she screamed. Nothing she did mattered. Nothing would stop this violent rage and she sat down and cried.

"Wake up, Kitten," Fala purred. "It's time to play." Jen opened her eyes but still saw nothing. It took her a moment to realize that she was blindfolded and tied up on the ground.

"Where are we?" she asked, not really expecting an answer. Fala laughed her evil sadistic laugh.

"Somewhere where no one can hear you scream," she giggled. Jen felt a knife slide into her back and she bit back a scream. It came out as a whimper instead.

"Geeze," she taunted, "I thought that was supposed to hurt." Fala growled and pulled the knife out. Again Jen bit back a cry of pain and Fala laughed.

"Not having fun playing?" she asked mockingly. Jen felt Fala's foot crash into the back of her knee and heard something snap.

"Hurry up," Jen told Fala. "Jayk and I have a date tonight."

"I don't think you will be making it," Fala hissed. She lifted Jen's head and smacked it back onto the ground. Oh great, Jen thought. Why can't I ever stay conscious? With that last thought darkness overtook her.

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"Jen," called out a voice. "Jen can you hear me?" The voice was frantic, confused.

"Where am I?" she wondered. Her head pounded viciously and she could feel sticky blood dripping down her arm and her back.

"Jen? Oh thank God you're alive," a man's voice said. He tried to pick her up but she screamed in pain.

"Where am I?" she repeated after subduing the mind-numbing pain that wracked her body.

The man sighed and slowly Jen opened her eyes to look at him. It was Jayk. "You don't remember?" He wasn't all that surprised.

"No," she replied softly. Glancing around she saw that she was in the middle of the forest. "What happened?"

"Never mind that, we need to get you out of here before-"

"Before what?" The voice that came from behind Jayk was cool and smooth. It came from a woman, deadly beautiful. Her words held no threat but the way she calmly walked towards the pair made it clear she was out to harm them. Well, at least to harm Jen.

"Before something foul comes out too play," finished another voice from behind the woman. A man's figure emerged into the clearing and quickly grabbed the woman's arms, pinning them behind her back. She cried out in pain.

"Damn you, Aubrey," Fala cursed. "Stay out of my business!" She meant it, too.

"You made it my business when you attacked Jen," he told her with an air of arrogance. "Blood claim seems to be a law you have trouble understanding." He was of course referring to her claim with Jessica, which had been obliterated the moment she was changed.

All the while Jayk kneeled over Jen protectively. "It's ok," he whispered. "You're going to be ok."

"Go ahead and lie to her, Jayk," Fala spat. "Tell her life will be great. Tell her she'll be-" she was cut off by her own moan of pain. Apparently Aubrey had decided that restraining her wasn't enough. He had pushed her arms up until both femurs had snapped and while the bones were healing already it must have hurt like hell. Aubrey pulled a knife quickly with one hand and held onto Fala with the other. In one swift motion he slit her throat and dropped her to bleed to death on the ground.

"I didn't do this for you," he told Jen in a controlled rage. "I did it for Jayk. Next time I doubt I will be as generous." With that he disappeared as the crimson blood soaked into the soft dirt.

"Come on, let's get you somewhere safe." He picked her up and also disappeared, heading to SingleEarth.

"But I was just there this morning!"