Jade Tears
Disclaimer: I don't own Blade.
Chapter Two
Luckily, Gunn was asleep when she came in and she had left her jacket on a chair to let him know she had come in.
Jade wasn't looking forward to talking to him that morning, which was probably why she was taking so long to get dressed or maybe it was the problem of her hair. She had managed to make it look decent. It now fell to her shoulders and was a little uneven, but she wasn't really thinking about how it would look when she did cut it.
Now, however, she was trying to figure out a way to put it up so that it would stay out of her face. She had always braided it before, but now it wasn't an option. Unless she did it in cornrows and she knew better then to try. She would never be able to get them tight enough. Shaking her head, she gave up and grabbing a hair tie, she pulled it into a high ponytail. No use worrying about how it looked, he would notice anyways.
Sighing, she got dressed in a pair of jeans and a green sweatshirt, thinking about it. Gunn, being the one of the very few people she had ever really talked to for the last three years, knew her almost as well as she did and would be able to tell on sight that something happened. Even if it was the smallest thing, he'd know and then he would ask about it.
Pulling her shoes on, Jade stood up and felt the slight twinge of pain coming from her knee. She had hit her knee pretty hard on the ground during her fight with the daywalker and was now feeling the after effects of it where a bruise was probably forming. Lovely. Wincing slightly, she walked down the stairs, trying not to be too mindful of her knee, lest Gunn would notice and ask about that, too.
They lived in an old abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. The inside of the building had been sectioned into two halves; the front half being their living quarters and the back half being the base of their operation.
Their living quarters were mainly the 'kitchen' and their rooms. The kitchen consisted of a portable propane stove on an old desk and a card table with two aluminum chairs. Their rooms were actually one room on the main level and a loft in the rafters with a set of metal stairs leading up to it. Gunn took the room on the ground level and let Jade have the loft, claiming to be too old to be climbing stairs. (Bullshit.) There was a small bathroom next to Gunn's room, as well.
The base of their operation was Gunn's workshop, which took up two-thirds of the space in the back and a training area that was for Jade.
Gunn's workshop was on the right side and had three wood tables which held numerous tools, weapons, and other 'toys'. There was a large garage door leading out the back with a smaller door next to it and two vehicles; an old white van and a dark blue 1968 Oldsmobile Toronado that Gunn had restored a couple years ago.
Jade's training area was basically an old canvas punching bag on a thick chain that was hanging from the rafters. There was another chain on the bottom of the bag that was bolted to the floor to prevent it from moving around too much when she hit it. A small table sat in one corner of the room with a stereo on top and a weight set was in another corner of the room.
As Jade made her way towards the kitchen, she smelled pancakes and smiled as she saw Gunn leaning over the stove, making sure they didn't burn.
Gunn was a tall man with gray hair and a weathered face, wearing his usual jeans, t-shirt and work boots. He kind of reminded her of a grizzly bear, big, but really sweet when he wanted to be. They got along really well and treated each other as family.
"Smells good." Jade said, sitting down as Gunn grabbed a plate with a fork and put a few pancakes on it for her.
"How did last night go?" Gunn asked, turning around to put the plate down in front of her and seeing her hair, frowned. "What the hell happened to your hair?" As she grabbed the fork, Jade tried to figure out a way to explain.
"Which question do you want me to answer first?" She asked, stalling and Gunn sat down across from her after he served himself, giving her a 'look'.
"What the hell happened to your hair?" He repeated and Jade sighed, still trying to stall.
"Apparently my targets decided to take a quick detour around the diner." She answered and Gunn narrowed his eyes.
"That doesn't answer my question." He said, looking like he was loosing his patience with her. Sighing, she gave up trying to stall and explained.
"Well," Gunn said, once she was finished. "That was the dumbest thing you could have done. You're lucky you got your sorry ass out alive." Jade looked down at the table, both angry at herself for getting into this mess and at Gunn for yelling at her about it. She knew he was only mad because he cared, but it didn't make his yelling any easier to deal with. Like it ever was. She hated disappointing people, especially him.
"Look," She said, trying to defend herself. "I know it was stupid, but I lost my ..."
"Temper?" Gunn finished her sentence for her with a snort. "You always do. I've told you countless times to keep a cool head. Your temper is gonna get you killed."
Jade kept her gaze on the table, knowing that every word he said was true. When she had turned twenty, she had gotten reckless and had taken unnecessary risks. The majority of her training was over and while she still had things to learn, she had taken on the thinking that she was invincible. Last night had changed her thinking and she didn't plan on making anymore 'stupid mistakes' any time soon.
She heard Gunn sigh heavily, and then speak.
"Look, right now, forget about it. Just eat and hurry it up." Jade looked up as he said it and he continued. "I've got a surprise for you." She smiled slightly, now curious.
"What is it?" She asked and Gunn shook his head, a small smile on his face.
"Eat first, and then I'll show you." Jade went back to her breakfast, both relieved and curious. Relieved because Gunn had let her off the hook and curious because of his 'surprise'. "By the way, I like your haircut." Jade looked up in shock.
"What?" She asked, surprise in her voice and Gunn shrugged.
"I said 'I like your haircut.' "He said, smirking at the thunderstruck expression on her face and Jade shook her head, amazed but somewhat annoyed.
"Yeah, yell at me first, and then hit me with that." She growled, under her breath, fully aware that he could hear her. "Jackass." Studiously ignoring his laugh, Jade finished her pancakes.
When they finished, they stacked the dishes next to the stove which was off. The dishes would be washed later.
Gunn walked towards his workshop and Jade followed him, still very curious. The feeling grew when instead of stopping in the workshop, he led her out the back door to the side of the building. They stopped in front of a large object that was covered by a large canvas blanket and was in the shape of a...motorcycle?
"I've been workin' on this for a while now." Gunn said and when Jade looked at him, he smiled pulling the blanket off the object, revealing a black 1996 BMW motorcycle.
"I figured you'd be wantin' a way to get around other then walking or using the van." He said when she didn't say anything. "What do you think?" The look on her face mirrored the shock she was feeling and for a moment she wasn't able to say anything.
"Where did you get it?" She asked when she finally was able to speak and Gunn shook his head.
"At an old dump. The man in charge wanted one hundred bucks for it." He smiled, clearly thinking it was a bargain and continued. "It was pretty run down, but I fixed it up and now it's all yours. So what do you think?" He repeated and Jade grinned.
"It's great." Suddenly she frowned. "But when did you find the time to work on it?" If possible, Gunn's grin became bigger when she asked.
"Remember when I started sending you hunting on your own?" Jade nodded slightly, and then it dawned on her.
"Three months ago... and you've been working on this every night?" Gunn nodded, still grinning and Jade shook her head in amazement. "Wow." Gunn laughed and patted her arm.
"Don't look so surprised." He said, and then turned to walk away. "I'm sure you're gonna want to take it for a test ride. I'll get your helmet." Jade smiled as he walked back into the building and turned back to the bike, putting one hand on the seat. It was one hell of a surprise, but she appreciated it. The Oldsmobile wasn't so bad, but she hated the van. It was too big and whenever she went around corners with it, the tilt was very unnerving.
Jade was also pleased that Gunn had remembered what she had told him about her father. Her dad used to have a motorcycle and he'd take her out riding with him when she was little. When she was ten, he started teaching her how to ride and she became really good at it. She still remembered how and Gunn obviously decided to find a way for her to put the knowledge to work.
Hearing the back door open again, Jade looked towards the noise to see Gunn walking her way with a helmet in his hand. It was a full face helmet, emerald green with a tinted visor and she smiled appreciatively. Gunn grinned in return and handed it to her.
"There you go." He said, as she looked at it carefully and motioned to the bike. "You remember how to work that thing?" Jade shook her head and gave him a 'look'.
"Unlike some people," She said, with a slight frown on her face. "I'm not old or senile." Gunn snorted slightly, trying to cover up a laugh.
"No, I'm just getting too old to deal with you." They both laughed and Jade handed the helmet to Gunn to hold while she got on the bike. Starting it up, she grinned as it rumbled to life beneath her and looked at Gunn who was watching her with a sad smile on his face. Sighing, she turned the engine off and asked him what was wrong.
"Nothing." He said, waving the question off with one hand. "I'm just glad you like the bike." Jade smiled and getting off the bike, gave him a hug which he returned. Stepping back, she looked at him, still smiling.
"I do." She said, putting a hand on his arm. "It was really nice of you." Gunn shrugged and pushed her towards the bike.
"Get moving." He said, grinning now. "You need to get back into practice and you aren't gonna do that by standing around." Jade smiled and got back on the bike, but Gunn stopped her with a hand on her arm. "By the way, we've got a big hit tonight and I've got another surprise for you." She looked at him curiously, but he just motioned for her to get moving and she started the engine. Gunn handed her the helmet and she put it on, slightly surprised that it fit. As soon as she got the kickstand out of the way, she saluted Gunn quickly and sped away onto the street.
As soon as she was out on the road, Jade sighed and checked the bike controls, noticing that it was almost exactly like her dad's. That was probably a good thing, since she was somewhat familiar with it. She grinned slightly and turned her thoughts to other things, mainly the daywalker.
Jade had told him she would avoid him and she fully intended to, but that didn't stem the curiosity she felt. She decided to go visit Josh, the herboligist that Gunn went to for silver nitrate and essence of garlic. He had other vampire hunters as customers and Jade hoped he would be able to tell her something about the daywalker.
Getting through the city in one piece, she pulled into the parking lot where Josh kept his shop and turned the engine off. It was a small shop on the outskirts of the city, with a small garage next to it, which was where she could see Josh at that moment.
Josh was an african-american man in his late twenties with short black hair and brown eyes, as well as a penchant for jeans, t-shirts and tennis shoes. He was also just a little bit taller then her, as most people were. At that moment, he was working on one of his various projects, restoring a beat up Lamborghini Diablo. Deciding she didn't want to know how it got so beat up, she revved the engine of her motorcycle to get his attention and turned the engine off when he looked her way.
With a smile on his face, Josh started towards her as she got off the bike and wrapped her in a hug as soon as he got close enough.
"Where have you been all this time?" He practically yelled and Jade laughed, pushing him back to pull her helmet off, then gave him another hug.
"Getting into trouble, as usual." She said and Josh grinned, looking at the motorcycle, then at her hair.
"I figured. I'm surprised Gunn hasn't grounded you yet." He said, throwing an arm around her shoulders and admired the bike. "Nice ride, by the way."
"I'm too good to get grounded." Jade said, and then frowned as she thought of the Daywalker. 'Well, not that good.' She thought, but didn't say anything. "Gunn decided I needed some new wheels. Don't ask me how he got a hold of this, though." Hey, he didn't need to know everything. Josh laughed and took another look at Jade's hair.
"Love the hair, by the way." He said as he starting steering her towards his shop, obviously wanting to talk. "I always said you should cut it. How did it happen?" Jade rolled her eyes as they stepped into the store and Josh finally let go of her.
"Rough night." She said blandly, taking a quick look around the shop. Still the same; glass jars filled with various substances and books scattered on the shelves. Not exactly neat, but it was organized as much as possible.
"Do I want to know?" Josh asked as he sat down behind the counter and Jade took a seat on a stool in front.
"Let's just say it wasn't my best night." Josh studied her carefully, then shook his head.
"If I recall correctly, you've had worse nights and you never came back looking like that." Jade looked at him incredulously, slightly confused.
"I thought you liked it." Josh shrugged.
"I do, but come on. I distinctly remember you showing up one morning covered in blood."
"So?"
"It was your blood." Jade glared at him, annoyed that he had brought that up, again. She'd landed in some broken glass, face first and wound up bleeding all over the place. Josh reminded her of that every time he'd get the chance.
"Do you have a point?" She asked, frowning.
"What happened?" Josh asked.
"Ran into a group of vamps, one of them grabbed me and it was the only way I could get away." Jade said, scowling at the memory and Josh looked at her carefully.
"And just how did that happen? You're not stupid enough to land in that kind of mess without a little help." Of course not; Josh had actually helped train her and knew her almost as well as she knew herself. To him, that wouldn't happen unless she'd been distracted and she decided to tell him the rest of the story. The part she was still pissed about.
"There was another hunter on the scene. The Daywalker." To say Josh looked shocked when she told him that would be an understatement. No, she'd say he looked completely blown over.
"Blade?" He asked carefully and Jade frowned, though she was glad that she finally knew the asshole's name.
"You know him?" She asked and he nodded.
"Yeah, he comes here for supplies." Josh smirked slightly and Jade raised an eyebrow.
"What can you tell me about him?" She asked and Josh smiled knowingly, but didn't question her curiosity. Jade frowned slightly, it wasn't like she was interested in a relationship, she was just curious.
"He comes around every two weeks or so and doesn't talk much." She knew that wasn't it, but left it alone, mainly because he wasn't finished speaking. "In fact, he should be coming in today." Jade watched as he glanced at the clock on the wall. "In a few minutes, to be precise."
Jade felt the blood drain from her face when he said it and of course, Josh noticed.
"What? You scared?" He asked, now grinning at her. Jade quickly shook her head, trying to hide the fact that she was, indeed, afraid. Mainly because Blade pretty much kicked her ass last night, but she didn't tell Josh that and as far as she was concerned, he didn't need to know about it either.
"No. He's just not exactly my favorite person." She said, frowning at the wide grin he had on his face and glared at him yet again.
"Funny," Josh said, still smiling. "you look scared to me." There was a roar of an car engine outside, but Jade ignored it as she stood up.
"Think whatever you want, Joshy." She smirked as he frowned at the nickname she'd given him and backed towards the door casually, masking her unease at the thought of running into Senor Jackass again so soon. Hey, it wasn't like Blade knew or cared what she thought. Jade frowned when Josh suddenly smirked, but she didn't call him on it, wanting to get the hell out of there before you-know-who showed up.
"I gotta go." She said before she tripped and fell backwards, just not onto the floor like she thought she would. Instead, she wound falling into something warm and semi-hard and felt a hand grab her arm just above her elbow to keep her from falling any further, if she could.
Josh grinned cheerfully as he greeted the newcomer.
"Hey Blade."
'Oh crap.' She cursed silently as she regained her balance, with a little help from her 'rescuer' and Josh coughed, obviously covering a laugh. The 'coughing' stopped when Jade glared at him, although she had a feeling that Blade also had something to do with it. Not that it mattered; she was still going to beat the crap out of him for it later.
Moving so she could see the person behind her, Jade smiled weakly and got what looked like a glare in return. 'He's friendly.' She hadn't really been paying attention to appearances, as far as height was concerned and she now noted with despair, that the top her head only came up to his shoulder. 'Is everybody taller then me?' She wondered, annoyed, though she did admit that up close he was kind of handsome, but she kept that to herself.
"Blade," Josh spoke up, making Jade aware of the fact that Blade was also studying her when he finally looked at Josh. "I'd like you to meet Jade Alden."
"We've met." His voice was a low growl when he spoke, making her shiver slightly and she caught Josh's small smirk as he looked at her. 'Jackass.' She thought, deciding she was probably going to kill him instead of just beating him up. That would take care of one problem. She wasn't sure what she was going to do about the others.
"I heard." Josh said, still smirking and Jade mentally promised him a very long and painful death; preferably something with white hot knives, that was definitely the way to go. Gut 'im like a fish.
"Is that so?" Blade looked at her out of the corner of his eye and Jade looked away, missing the small smirk on his face. Of course, Josh wasn't finished just yet.
"Yep, but for some reason I got the feeling that she didn't tell me everything, which is very unusual." Josh gave her the fish eye as he continued and Jade rolled her eyes. "She usually tells me everything. So do you have anything to add, Blade?" Didn't he just tell her that Blade didn't talk that much? What was that little jackass up to now?
Jade could feel Blade looking at her, as well as the heat rising in her face as she realized that Josh had figured out there was something she hadn't told him. 'Crap, crap and more crap.' Silently, she begged Blade not to say anything; Josh was just trying to get a rise out of her, she knew and unfortunatly it was working. She really didn't want Josh to find out about her temper tantrum last night.
Fortunatly, Blade didn't play Josh's little game and tossed him a black leather bag.
"Don't have time to talk." He said, all signs of amusement dissappearing from his face and Jade sighed with relief, grateful. Josh nodded and started walking towards the storeroom, pausing only to give Jade a look.
"Don't go anywhere, Pixie." 'Who else saw that coming?' Jade thought, now annoyed that Josh had given her a new nickname; Josh loved to tease her and if Gunn found out about this one, she would never live it down.
Realizing she was standing rather close to Blade, Jade scooted a few inches away and tried to think of something to say to him. She wasn't very good at small talk, although she didn't think it would be appreciated and because she was still kind of pissed at him for the other night, she might shoot her mouth off and get into even more trouble. Didn't want that...
Besides, she didn't even want to talk to him; the only reason she was there was because of Josh and she was going to rip him a new one when Blade left, if she got the chance. Blade wasn't the only one who could kick her ass, unfortunatly.