Disclaimer: Guess what!!! I don't own anything that even remotely resembles L.J. Smith's writings. But my badly written original characters are mine. And I warn you, they are very annoying little bastards, so steal them at your own risk.
Thank you to my reviewers. Anne, God'sgurl (you must have reviewed ch2 right as I uploaded ch3), and Spook.
Anne: While I have seen Bunny's character portrayed many different ways… from airhead to Mare's best friend… I was basing my idea off of a line in DoD.
When the group goes to town to question Jeremy, The Redfern's meet Bunny. Rowan makes a comment to Mare about Bunny staring at them to which Mare replies…"She was staring at Ash. Oh, and probably you three, too. You're new and you're pretty, so she's probably wondering what boys you'll take from her."
I see Bunny as more of the type that she's used to guys liking her… she's probably always been considered the prettiest girl in town. It's not that she's egotistical, it just that she's never known anything else. Kind of like if you're raised spoiled you still expect everything even if you don't understand why.
Love the NightChapter Four:
Ash ran back into the hall, literally running into his youngest sister and Mark.
"Ash!" cried Jade, almost joyously except for the terror in her voice. She clutched Mark's hand tightly as she dragged him away from, the fighting. "Do you know…"
Ash just shook his head. "I left Mare out on the porch. I told her to find Rowan, who should be out front. Go to her, keep her safe for me, please."
"Well, of course I'll keep her safe, she's almost family after all." Jade left, dragging Mark, who still seemed rather bewildered.
As Ash turned to face the once full dance floor of happy teens, he saw that all the humans had been gathered up into a corner, surrounded by a motley crew of a single vampire and some 'wolves. A few prone male bodies on the floor showed that some of the teenage human boys had tried to put up a fight, but not a very good one.
Well, Ash thought, considering they were fighting people with ten times their strength, there was no way it could have been a good fight.
A terrified shriek interrupted Ash's thoughts. He looked towards the crowd of humans in the corner. It appeared to Ash as if the wolves were doing the grunt labor as directed by a vampires standing in front of the stunned humans. The wolves labor seemed to be picking through he crowd, every so often stopping to get a better look at any girls with blond hair, as if looking for someone in particular.
Now what insanity is the Night World up to now? Ash asked himself as he was about to make his presence known to the room. He had seen some of these guys before, they were 'employed' by the council.
Just as he started to open his mouth to make some sarcastic comment about the intelligence, or lack there of, of the group harassing the humans, one of the wolves spoke.
"They're not here. You said they would be here."
"And at least one of them was. I saw her through the window earlier. She must have gotten out. And that would be your fault, not mine." The vampire appeared to be annoyed with his current lackey.
Ash decided that then was probably a good time to speak up. "Maybe I could help you find who you're looking for."
The vampire who had been directing the group turned around with a smug look on his face. "Oh look, it's the traitor. You're not part of our this job, but I don't think anyone would mind if we decided to whip some sense into you now that we have the opportunity." He motioned to the 'wolves behind him to come forward and join the fight.
At that moment it hit Ash, he knew who this vampire was. It was some lower status lamia that Kestrel had toyed with for a time. What is his name? Ash tried to recall meeting him on the island enclave.
"I remember you, now, Tom. Diatom Blackwell, isn't it? Are you still mad that my sister turned you down, you weren't good enough for her."
"You stupid Redfern's, and your snobby opinions of every other lamia house. Well, look at your family now. Disgrace to the Night World. How many of you have turned to Circle Daybreak, now? Vermin lovers, all of you. But they're not her to save you now, are they?" Diatom sneered as he mentioned Circle Daybreak and human. He taunted Ash, trying to throw him into a rage for the fight.
"I can take you alone, any day. I fight my own fights." Ash threw back at the challenge in Tom's voice.
"I was hoping you'd say that." Tom took a small step back as the 'wolves advanced on Ash.
Ash saw Tom backing away from the fight, "Coward," he spat at the other vampire as he prepared to be fend off the three 'wolves now approaching him.
Before the 'wolves could stack Ash, Tom swore as he saw something behind Ash.
"Let's even up this fight a bit." Quinn and Rashel had finally arrived in Briar Creek, and were reading and rearing to get into a fight.
"Oh, joy. It's you two." Ash responded sarcastically to his Circle Daybreak partners.
"Oh, look. A Circle Daybreak reunion, the two traitors together. How anyone could possible side with vermin," with this Tom spat at Rashel's feet, "let alone love one. Oh well, you're on the losing side anyways. It's your funeral." Quinn put a restraining hand on Rashel's shoulder.
Rashel's low growl only made Tom's smug grin widen, "Oh look, boys, the vermin piece of trash wants to fight."
And with that Quinn didn't bother to hold Rashel back any longer, and the fighting began.
*** *** *** ***
Outside on the porch, Mary-Lynnette could hear that the fight had stopped and heard the murmuring of words being tossed back and forth. As if the stopped fight spurred her into action, Mary-Lynnette spun around and ran down the couple of steps to street level.
She heard a pair of footsteps behind her and turned to see Jade and Mark running towards her.
"Mare! You're still here! Come on, let's go!" Jade seemed very frightened and very urgent to get away from the hall. Mark was starting to come out of his daze, and shook his head as if to clear his mind of something.
"Come on, sis. Let's head back to Jade's. Ash told us to get you away from here." Mark was preparing himself for the outburst from his sister. He knew his sister hated it when anyone acted like a chauvinist around her.
"No, you guys take the wagon and head there. I'm going to find Rowan. Once I do," she stopped their protests, "I promise that we will leave and meet you back there. Just be safe."
With that, Mary-Lynnette turned and started looking around the building. She remembered Ash telling her that Rowan was there, and began to head around to the other side of the building to try to find her. As soon as she rounded a corner, she could hear the sounds of a different struggle going on. Rounding the second corner at a slight run,
Mary-Lynnette stopped in her tracks as she saw the two men that were trying to pull Rowan into a van.
"Hey!" called Mary-Lynnette, as she ran towards her struggling friend. "Leave her alone!"
Rowan stopped struggling as she heard Mary-Lynnette call out. The fear that Mary-Lynnette had previously seen in Ash's eyes was plain on Rowan's face.
"No, Mare! Run! Get away from here!" Mary-Lynnette ignored Rowan as she began to look for some kind of a weapon to help her friend with. Just as she thought she found something she heard Rowan scream again. "Run, Mare! Now!"
But it was too late. Mare felt a sharp pain in her shoulder as her arm was wrenched behind her back and up.
Rowan completely stopped her struggle against her two attackers as she watched Mary-Lynnette struggle to free herself from her painful capture. The vampire holding her must have become fed up with her struggles, because in the next moment she slumped over, unconscious, knocked out by telepathy.
"Please," Rowan knew Mare didn't stand a chance if she was taken by these guys, "let her go. I'll come quietly if you let her go. She's just an innocent human girl who befriended me over the last year. She has nothing to do with us. Just let her go."
Rowan knew her chances of them leaving Mare behind were small, but she had to try something. Her brother would definitely not take his soulmate's capture well
Her two captors considered her offer and nodded to each other. The one holding Mary-Lynnette laid her on the ground and then headed inside. Rowan was led to a near by van and tied with bast cord, so that if she did break her deal she would have a hard time of fighting back.
*** *** *** ***
Between Quinn, Rashel, and Ash the fight with the 'wolves was definitely easier. It was not a piece of cake though, and by the time that the 'wolves were close to being beaten another vampire had entered the room.
They heard him call out to Tom, "We got one outside, but no sign of the others. Let's go."
Ash watched as Tom dashed out the door, about to follow him, when the wolf he had just knocked to the floor, jumped him from behind.
As Tom ran outside to the waiting van, he noticed Rowan tied up, much too calm for everything to be normal.
"What's up with her?" Tom directed his question to the vampire watching over the rather subdued girl.
"She promised us she'd come quietly if we left her human friend alone." He pointed with his chin towards the ground behind Tom. "What do you want us to do with her?"
Rowan started to protest as Tom spun around to study the human lying unconscious on the sidewalk. He wondered whom she was to get such a request out of Rowan.
"Hmm… Rowan is willing to give herself up to protect a vermin girl. Why?" Turning to glance at Rowan, not really expecting an answer.
"She's an innocent in this. Circle Daybreak helps the innocent humans, remember? Anyways, she's just a friend. Doesn't even know my 'secret'"
As Rowan's struggle continued, one of the flunkies got tired of her yelling and knocked her over the head with a wooden club.
"Do you think the human knows about the Night World?" Obviously looking for an excuse to make her his meal.
Tom laughed at his flunky. "Oh, I know she's too smart to go out telling humans about vampires. Most would think she's crazy before they'd believe her. But, I think we'll bring the vermin along anyways, if only as an extra meal, eventually." With that Tom got into the van, as his two flunkies took care of the prisoners. Rowan's body was not so delicately lain in the back of the van, next to where Mary-Lynnette had already been placed.
*** *** *** ***