AN: Hey, guys. Sorry for the delay again. The job hunting market is still pathetic. I may have gotten a teaching job though - I'm just waiting to hear back from boss-lady now. Wish me luck!


"I take it back." Tori quipped nervously as they turned down yet another alley. "You go. I'll wait for you back at the hotel." The sun had long set, leaving the girls hurrying through the crisp night air as they made their way to the demon bar, Pandora. When Jade had made the suggestion last night Tori had been adamantly against it - the idea of stepping foot into one of those dens of immorality made her incredibly anxious. Plus, surely they could figure out this mystery without seeking help from the other side. After all, They were two very smart girls, thank you very much.

"Do you really feel long navigating this maze alone? Near a demon bar?" Jade appeared to be studying some unseen message on the side of an old brownstone, her brows furrowed in concentration and her tone absent.

"It seems like a better idea than actually venturing into one." Tori mumbled, glancing around anxiously. "They're going to eat me alive."

"I'm sure you taste too self-righteous for them." Satisfied, she started off again down yet another side street. "I told you, Shocktop's on a Thursday night usually has a rougher crowd than this place."

Tori frowned. "How often do you have to come here to know that?" Guardians were warned against these places, advised not to frequent them.

"Obviously not enough if I can't find them damn place." Jade huffed defensively. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not leading you to your doom."

Tori, though still justifiably cautious around Jade, was no longer worried that she planned on feasting on her or bringing about her untimely demise (purposefully, at least.) That, however, didn't mean that her impulsive and rash behavior wouldn't land them in trouble they would always be able to successfully overcome. They'd been lucky so far, in her opinion. "I wasn't thinking that." Tori finally replied, extinguishing her torch eyes as an act of faith. A small smile tugged at her lips when she felt some of the edge soften in Jade's mood.

"Stop that." The older girl barked in response.

Tori forced a straight face, knowing that Jade knew the smile was still lingering under the surface. It'd taken nearly a century, but she was finally beginning to understand parts of Jade; despite bring the oldest of their team, she was never the leader. That role had been designated to the likes of Andre and, later, Tori. The Guardians hasn't trusted her explosive temper and dark moods with a position of power. She had always obediently (if not begrudgingly) accepted her role and Tori, aware of the hierarchy, hadn't realized how it affected Jade so. Here, in this moment, Jade shined as a leader, stepping forward when Tori was unsure, leading the way dauntlessly through the dark.

Sure, in the end it was for her own benefit, but the qualities couldn't be overlooked. Jade stopped again at a corner and scrutinized yet another seemingly invisible mark. "What is it you're doing?" Tori asked curiously.

"The bar isn't stationary. It resides in a pocket dimension. Every few weeks it changes location to avoid the demon hunters and curious mortals." Jade explained. "They mark its new location with an enchanted script."

"How can you read it, then?"

"For demon eyes only." Jade glanced over her shoulder, her iridescent eyes shining a silvery-blue in the darkness. "The enchantment only allows us to see it. They figured the goody-two-shoes wouldn't be interested in our establishment anyway."

Tori frowned, a new uneasiness settling in the pit of her stomach. "Am I even allowed inside?"

"You're with me. You'll be fine. Just keep your nose out of everybody's business. You're not a Guardian the moment you walk through that door. You're just fishing for a few answers, understood?"

They finally finished winding their way through the labyrinth of back streets, arriving at a building that had seen better days. The windows were heavily boarded, preventing any curious urban explorers from gaining entry. Chunks of the brick facade had crumbled and fallen, allowing the peculiar sounds and smells to waft through the building's open wounds. A faint glow cast eerie shadows on the ground, and Tori held her breath as she leaned in close to peer in. She felt her heart pounding in her fingertips as she pressed her hands against the wall to balance herself, and squeezed one eye shut to better focus on the dark figures within. She could hear laughter over the loud music, hear human and decidedly non-human voices conversing. From this particular location she could see the bartender slide a glass of red liquid to a patron, and the younger hybrid had a sinking feeling that it wasn't a Bloody Mary.

A hand clamped over her shoulder and spun her, surprising her and eliciting a yelp of terror. It was Jade. "That's a good way to lose one of those pretty eyes." She warned shortly. "Come on. Paid your cover. You owe me 10 bucks." A pale hand wrapped tightly around a tan wrist and dragged her towards the open door, and the nearer they came the more Tori felt herself planting her feet in resistance.

"Maybe you should go in alone." Tori suggested again.

"Tori." Jade sighed, frustration evident. "Trust me, you'd rather come in and stay with me than stay out here alone and meet whoever may leave before me." She squeezed the younger girl's wrist reassuringly, an act Tori could tell was unfamiliar and uncomfortable. "Just come inside. They know me here. You'll be fine."

"Do they know you well?" Brows knitted together as a new wave of concern washed over – how often was Jade fraternizing with the darker underbelly? "It's not that I don't trust you." Well, that was mostly the truth. "I don't trust them." She nodded into the darkened room.

Jade's nostrils flared briefly, a defensive action. "Then trust me to keep you safe. I have so far."

Tori flashed a weak smile. "Sort of."

"Sort of saved your ass from a Totoli. And vampires." Jade spun on her heel again and led a slightly less resistant Tori into a demon-filled Pandora. "Back in '33 there was that horde of succubi... In '35 that banshee."

"Okay! I get it!"

"Do you remember that time you literally fell into a nest of Strzyga?"

"Jade!" Tori whined as the door banged shut behind them. The room reminded the Latina of a crypt... And smelled kind of like one too. A few heads turned at the sudden noise, a few stares lingered as the two women made their way to two empty stools at the bar. Tori swallowed hard as they passed the clientele, noticing a few vampires stared hard at her, apparently smelling her warm, pulsing blood. "Are you not worried about them?" She muttered quietly, closing the gap between their bodies; she was so close now she could smell Jade's hair, recently washed and smelling of coconut. It was refreshing, comforting, considering her surroundings.

Jade's eyes flickered towards the predators before returning to their determined path. "They have their dinner. Just don't entice them for dessert." She advised. The pair finally arrived at the bar and claimed a seat, much to the annoyance of the burly man behind the counter.

"No Guardians." He splayed his meaty hands on the bar, expanding himself to his full, intimidating size. Tori furrowed her brows, frustrated that her whole entity seemed to broadcast goody-two-shoes. She wanted to know what it was - what exactly made her stick out... But didnt want provoke the ox of a man in front of her.

Jade wasn't fazed. "She's freelance right now. Off the leash. She's just here with me."

His stare lingered on what Tori was sure was her shrinking frame. "Girlfriend?"

"No." They said in tandem. "Old co-worker." Jade snapped, finally commanding his attention. "Two fireballs. Doubles." She demanded, obviously irritated that they'd been paired together once again.

"Keep an eye on her then, Jack back there is eyeballing her." He shrugged, turning his back to them as he prepared their drinks.

"She can handle herself." Jade replied, being sure not to catch Tori's gaze as she paid her a compliment. "We're not here for the ambiance. We've got a few questions." The bartender made no sign that he had even heard them, let alone appear bothered by the statement. "I figure you're practically the all-seeing eye of all things shady. Anything new to report?"

He turned to face them, a wry glint in his grey eyes. "There's always something new to report in this town. It's New York. You have to be a little more specific… And a little more generous." He tapped the tip jar with his knuckle, the ring he wore causing a tinkling sound against the glass. Tori stared at it and noted absently that it appeared to have some design on it, though she couldn't tell quite what it was thanks to the rhythmic drumming of his thick fingers. Was that a globe? It was odd, regardless, but she knew better than to question the fashion sense of demonic bartenders.

The Latina felt a jab in her ribs and she jerked her gaze back to Jade, whose brows had climbed up her forehead expectantly. Tori blinked twice before realization set in and she huffed - this was to be on the Brotherhood's tab too. She dug in her pocket, not brave enough to carry her purse into this establishment, and pulled out a crumpled fifty that she then shoved in the grimy decanter. He picked up the container and eyeballed the cash within, as if mentally calculating how much information that had bought them. Satisfied, he rested his elbows on the counter and glanced back and forth between them, winking at Tori before settling his gaze on Jade. "What can I help you with, darlin'?"

"A Totoli ripped my club to pieces last night. Know anything about that?"

He laughed. "Totoli? What makes you think I'd even let one into my establishment?"

"Because you'll let anyone into this hellhole." She quipped.

"As long as they can control themselves. I don't have the coin to keep rebuilding this place. It's why I don't let Trolls in anymore either. Totola are little more than rabid dogs."

"Well someone let it off its leash." Tori interrupted, noticing Jade's growing frustration. "I've studied them. They're obedient and come in packs. Someone must have sent him into the club, he wouldn't have gone in on his own for a show."

He shrugged at her. "Don't know what to tell you, kid. Haven't seen one, haven't heard anything about it."

"Is there any other Big-Bad in town I need to know about?" Jade offered up her own roll of bills, holding them like a cigarette between her fingers. Small ones, Tori noted. The bartender snatched them from her.

"Mercy!" A shout came from down the bar, the three turned their attention to a rather normal looking man slapping the counter. "Hey, Mercy! Round of Buds for me and my friends!"

Mercy the bartend shoved the cash in his pocket and flashed a smile in the girls' direction. "Nope. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"I want my money back!" Jade snapped towards his retreating form. Her demand was ignored.

"Dead end, then." Tori frowned, spinning her drink in slow circles on the counter.

"Maybe not." Jade sipped the amber liquid and spun in her chair, raven hair tumbling in her face as she surveyed the crowd. "Just because Mercy doesn't know anything doesn't mean they don't."

"Did you ever consider the idea that Mercy may just not be talking?" The voice came from beside Tori, a patron had slunk up next to them without either of them noticing. "Hello, good lookin'."

"It crossed my mind." Jade smirked in his direction. "Jack, this is Tori. My temporary shadow."

Jack. The man who had been eyeballing her. Tori took all of him in and felt a blush creeping across her cheeks. He was, for lack of a better word, hot. His skin was a few shades darker than Tori's and practically flawless, his smile dazzling, and his eyes absolutely mesmerizing. He had the chiseled jaw of a demi-god with the toned arms to match. Tori suddenly imagined herself taking a shot off what was sure to be a flawless 6-pack. Words escaped her, and she was sure her jaw had come unhinged and was just dangling open.

"Stop that." Jade snapped, snatching the Latina gracelessly back to reality. She twisted in her seat to face her companion and found her eyes narrowed angrily… jealously, perhaps? Jack did bear a similarity to Beck; Tori wondered if Jade wasn't unconsciously crushing on him.

"You know I can't resist flirting with a pretty face." Tori heard a smile in his voice and returned her attention to the attractive newcomer, only to nearly jump out of her skin. The rugged good looks had vanished; in their place was a pale sliver a man. His face was narrow, his nose aquiline. The smile she had heard revealed long canines. The brunette looked over his shoulder, wondering how the hunk had disappeared so quickly.

"Jack's a hybrid, Tori." Jade explained, taking another sip of her drink.

"Infused with the essence of Incubus." He extended his hand and shook hers. "A shapeshifter by default. A charismatic one, if I do say so myself. The ladies love me."

Jade blinked at him, obviously unamused. "Do you have any helpful information or do you just plan on striking out all night?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Ice queen." He huffed. "You haven't been around lately, so maybe you haven't noticed the lack of the usual crowd. Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

The girls glanced at the half empty bar. "I assumed you'd recently changed locations. It takes a few days for everyone to find the place." Jade admitted, still studying the patrons. She appeared to be searching for someone in particular.

"We've been here almost two weeks, and every night less come in."

"So maybe they're going somewhere else. It's not like Mercy makes the place very welcoming."

"It's a few demons, but mostly hybrids, Jade… and not just Rogues, so I don't think your Brotherhood is behind it." Jack reached for Tori's untouched glass. "You don't mind, do you?" He wagged an empty beer bottle in the air. "I'm dry."

"I do." Jade snatched it back and shoved it into Tori's hands. She shared a look with the Guardian and Tori knew what she was thinking – that was the whole reason she was here, and it was beginning to hit a lot closer to home. "Why would Mercy feel the need to keep that a secret?"

"Got me. I can only assume that if he told you he figured you would stake out the place. Your bubbling personality doesn't exactly draw in the crowd." Jack tossed the bottle into the nearby bin and tapped the counter for a new one.

"Doesn't seem to matter at the club." Tori muttered under her breath, ignoring Jade's glare and taking a deep drink of her fireball.

Jack smiled. "I like this one. You should bring her around more." He took Tori's hand once again and kissed the top of it. "It takes a brave soul to tease the Ice Queen. I praise you."

Mercy set a fresh bottle on the counter. "That's my cue, ladies. I'll be off. I see my company has arrived." The front door slammed shut a moment later, and Jack's demi-god facade consumed his pale features. He rolled his shoulders and flashed a bright smile before sauntering over to the tall blonde that had just entered.

Jade scowled. "Well, now what?" Tori asked.

"Now we wait. See if I recognize any other hybrids. We can talk to them." Jade finished her drink in one big gulp and ordered another.

"You realize that's my exact mission." Jade blinked, realizing she had inadvertently reassigned herself to a cause she had long abandoned. "My. Exact. Mission." A smile was creeping across her face. "That you just took up willingly. To help people."

"This is to help me." Jade countered with an icy glare. "My crowd is disappearing. Demons are attacking my club. I don't need this shit following me around. If I happen to save a few people in the meantime, so be it. Besides, the faster I help you, the faster you get out of my hair."

"How heroic." Tori replied sarcastically. "And here I thought you were beginning to enjoy my company."

"You're woefully mistaken."

"Ice Queen."

"Goody-two-shoes."

The first hour passed slowly, and by the start of the second Tori was certain Jade had completely lost sight of the task at hand and was searching for it in the bottom of her shot glass. Tori, meanwhile, was nursing her second drink in an effort to be mostly coherent. Seeing Jade intoxicated was an unusual sight – the woman who was normally so concerned with privacy and stoicism was warming up considerably, chatting with the demon patrons like they were old friends.

"So Cat… she's been okay, right?" Jade asked suddenly.

Tori paused. "She is, yeah." She nodded. "A few close calls over the years, but she's really grown into her powers. There haven't been nearly as many accidents." She was referring to the redhead's tendency to be overwhelmed by her emotions and subsequently lose control over her powers. The last time it had happened with Jade present, she had set their stakeout on fire and revealed their location to a pack of werewolves.

Jade nodded in return and continued to stare with that glazed look. Tori took that as incentive to continue. "Andre's doing well too. They're stationed in Montana right now. A horde of chupacabre is raising hell. When they finish up they're going to rendezvous with me here." Satisfied, the pale girl returned to her drink, watching quietly as the beads of condensation fell into a ring around the glass. "Cat doesn't think you're dead. Andre and me… sorry to admit this, kind of figured you were. She still thinks you'll come back one day. I can feel her feel it." Upon her last words she could feel something building in Jade, something she tried desperately to crush, to shove away in a box somewhere the empath couldn't access.

It was too late; Tori had already sensed it and recognized it all too easily. "You miss them too."

"What's your point." Her tone was obvious: shut up, Vega. She returned her attention to her glass as to avoid eye contact.

"Just seems strange to miss people when you're the one who turned your back on them."

Her companion's spine went rigid, her grip on her tumbler threatened to shattered the thin glass. Tori was thankful she wasn't a dragon hybrid, one capable of breathing fire when provoked. She'd be little more than a scorch mark on her stool if that were the case, she was certain.

"You need to mind your own goddamn business, Vega." She snapped, throwing back the rest of her drink. "Why I left doesn't concern you or any of them. Cat was the closest thing I had to a sister. Andre was my best friend. You … were inconsequential. But not a reason I left."

Tori felt Jade's emotions infecting her, perhaps a result of her intoxication. "Well you could have fooled us. The second Beck and Robbie died you disappeared. The fire in the factory hadn't even gone out. We needed you, Jade. And I know you needed us."

"You don't know shit." Jade countered, eyes blazing.

"I was right there with you that night, right when that those mental blocks you used to brag about so much came crumbling down. I knew exactly how you felt." She snapped. There it was – the long kept secret. The one Tori swore she would take to her grave for the sake of Jade's pride. Now that she considered it, however, she realized that the grave may not be too far away. "You didn't have to deal with that pain all alone. You still don't." Her tone had softened in surrender. She and Jade had been doing this same dance since their paths had crossed; it was exhausting. In the beginning Tori had hoped she could chip away at her defenses, convince Jade that she really did just want to be her friend. Now she just wanted her to know that the door was open and let her come in if she chose.

"God, Tori, can you ever just mind your own business? Did you ever stop to consider that one of the reasons I don't ask you for help is because you think you're some kind of saint? I feel like one of the dirty masses you get off on while helping."

The younger girl was taken aback at the vulgarity of the statement, at Jade debasing her calling. "I don't think you're – "

"Or if I didn't feel like you were just trying to probe my brain and make sure I wasn't about to give into the dark side." Jade interrupted. "Don't think I haven't noticed they always place empaths on teams where some of the darker hybrids are present. You're supposed to alert the Brotherhood if we're about to go AWOL." Tori frowned and opened her mouth to interject. "You're little more than a spy… a tool. Did you know that? That's why I won't ask you for help."

Jade half slid, half tumbled out of her seat and grabbed her coat. She jerked her over her shoulders and glanced back at the Latina, her rosy cheeks doing nothing to diminish the murderous look in her eyes. "It's also why you'll have to find your own damn way home."

Tori's eyes widened in realization and she scrambled off her own stool in a frantic effort to catch Jade before she could disappear. She was a half second too late – her hand closed around the empty air in which Jade had just been standing. Her forward moment carried her into Mercy, who had stepped out from behind the bar to clean a few tables. He caught her easily, feeling something akin to a fleshy, breathing wall. A fleshy, breathing wall that smelled like vomit and chewing tobacco. She pushed away from his quickly and smoothed her clothes in an effort to compose herself.

"Looks like Jade ran off." He commented.

"Yeah." Tori sighed.

"You got her tab or what?"

"Yeah." Tori repeated, sighing again. She begrudgingly trudged back to the counter and signed their hefty bill before making her own, longer, way back to her hotel. On the way out she slipped past Jack, who was looking a little worse for wear. She wondered how many drinks he had downed since they'd last spoken. "Looking a little pasty there." She muttered, the door slamming behind her a second before his response reached her ears.


By the time Tori arrived at the hotel door she was both confused and practically shaking with rage. How dare Jade accuse her of being a tool, a spy. She had been nothing but supportive for the entire team, and never once did it cross her mind to ever report behavior to her superiors. Now she had half a mind to contact the Brotherhood, to inform them of Jade's exact position and let the chips fall where they may.

Of course she'd never actually do that, but it was a very cathartic idea, and perhaps the only thing that kept her calm enough to fish around her pockets for the card key rather than pound angrily on the door, assuming Jade was still there anyway.

When at last, on the third try, she managed to open the electronic lock, and threw it open with a vengeance. The lights were on, the bathroom door securely shut. A quick sweep of the room proved it empty; if Jade was here there was only one place she could be. The Latina grabbed the handle and cracked the door, her olfactory immediately assaulted by the smell of alcohol and, worse, vomit. She clicked on the light to find Jade slumped against the wall opposite the entrance, leaning her head against the toilet and cradling the stainless steel trashcan against her chest. Littered around her was the entire collection of minis from the hotel refrigerator. Jade was, for lack of a better term, blasted.

And completely at Tori's mercy.

The empath slipped inside and locked the door behind her before leaning against the heavy wood and crossing her arms. With the lights on, Jade would be unable to disappear… and she didn't appear to be able to stand and storm out like she was so famous for. Tori stared at her, watched her chest rise and fall in even strokes – was she asleep? "Jade?"

The girl in question jerked suddenly, cracking one pale eye to detect the source of the noise. "Look who made it home." She mumbled, a hint of a slur muddling the coherency of the sentence. Her chest suddenly swelled and she heaved, her stomach trying to dispel whatever remained within. It didn't sound like much, thankfully. She groaned and removed her head from the garbage pail, forcing open her other eye in the process. "That's not a happy face." She taunted. She rubbed the back of her hand across her mouth to clear a bit of dribble that had spilled down her face.

"I want to talk to you." Tori explained, crossing the small room to wet a washcloth. She wrung it out and attempted to pass it to her companion; the gesture was ignored and Tori tossed it near her instead. Jade had attempted to narrow a glower in her direction – in this particular moment it was remarkably less terrifying than it normally was.

"Well I don't want to talk to you. Go – "

"I didn't say I wanted you to talk. Not yet." The younger girl interrupted. "I want to talk to you. And I want you to listen." Jade looked away definitely, the action resembling that of a surly teenager. Tori took her silence as a cue to continue. She didn't know what she hoped to accomplish, if anything. She was tired, though. Tired of walking on eggshells, of dancing around Jade's often irrational sensitivities and insecurities. Whether she liked it or not they were teammates, at least temporarily. They couldn't keep butting heads like this – it was going to get one or both of them killed. She couldn't force Jade to respect her, or even like her. But damn it, Jade was going to understand her. Maybe, just maybe, she could convince her that she wasn't all bad.

She could tell, however, by the look in Jade's eyes that it was going to take divine intervention for her to arrive at that point.