A/N: I hope this chapter makes sense, it's explaining a bit of the Erik/JC backstory. I'm also throwing Erik a bone, since I believe he could sincerely be a good guy and I liked him in the start of the series. Now he's an ass, but I believe he could go back to being a good guy.

I was also thinking about writing a shorter story about Erik before he was Marked. It'd be him in high school and would get more into his backstory and family (since I gave him a little brother named Jason) and of course about him and JC too. Would anyone be interested in reading that? Because if no one is, I won't do it.

Oh, and I'll probably post later tonight since this is kind of a short, filler chapter.

Erik's POV

"Er, hi Erik. Can I come in?" she asked and I found myself stepping aside and letting her into my room without a second thought.

"What are you doing here? And how did you know where to find me?" I asked in total confusion. Technically, I was supposed to be sleeping since trackers are on an inverted schedule, but I couldn't do it. Between the thoughts about what I was becoming and meant to be doing and my thoughts about my first Marking, it was hard. The last thing I expected, though, was her to come to my door.

"Wow, these are definitely better than the fledgling dorms," JC commented and looked around when she was inside. She completely ignored what I asked.

"Yeah, well I suppose they are for the actual vamps," I agreed, still bewildered that she was here at all, "again I'll ask, what are you doing here, JC?"

She spun around to look at me and smiled a little bit, "can I sit?" she asked and pointed to the desk chair I had. I nodded and she sat down in the chair, then looked back up at me. "I just wanted to thank you."

"Thank me? Thank me for what? Marking you and ruining your life?" I asked, attempting to force the bitterness out of my voice. Thankfully it mostly worked.

"For getting me here and for getting all of my stuff here," JC answered and touched the necklace around her neck. Good, she found it at least. "I know Neferet didn't know or expect me here, so if it wasn't for you, I'd pretty much be screwed with everything that I had not being here," she continued, "how did you know?"

I let out a breath and looked at the girl for a moment. How had I known? "Guidance from Nyx is the only way I can explain it," I answered. I heard the Goddess's voice before I had to leave to Mark her and just had a feeling after to gather her stuff…it was Nyx, it had to be.

"Oh."

I watched her playing around with the pearl on her necklace and couldn't keep a slight smile from my face, "I'm glad you found it, I know how much it means to you. Why weren't you wearing it?"

"I'm glad you packed it…I nearly freaked when I realized I wasn't wearing it. Gassy Vassy had us running today, I didn't want to wear it for chance of losing it when I took it off," she explained. Ah, our old gym teacher who would always pass gas in our classes but would never admit it. Even I had to agree with the girls that it was just plain disgusting.

"That makes sense. I couldn't figure out why you left it at home, but now I understand. Ah, Gassy Vassy," I sighed and shook my head, smirking, "I still remember the time he allowed us outside and we tied in our race."

"I beat you and we both know it, you just don't want to admit it," she teased and sighed. We sat in silence for a few moments and looked at each other, both reliving memories of our time together. We had some really great times with each other. I knew what was coming next, however much I hated it. Old memories, it always brought up those questions in both of us. "We used to be such a good couple. Erik, what happened to us?"

"JC…don't start…"

"No," she cut me off, "I'm going to start. I think after nearly three years I deserve to know what happened. I'm not expecting some sort of apology, I gave up on that a long time ago, but I do want answers." Okay, admittedly, her saying she gave up on me giving her an apology hurt, and even though she was right on so many levels to do so, that bastard I hated to be started rising up. I couldn't control it, no matter how much I tried…I was never equipped to handle emotions like this well, and this other side of me just came out.

"I gave you answers then, JC," I snapped.

"No, you gave me bullshit," JC retorted, "it wasn't a real answer then, it was an excuse, justification for why you did it. I was a 14 year old human…which wasn't true because I turned 15…and you were a 16 year old fledgling, that doesn't explain anything! I want to know what happened. I want to know what possessed you to go after that blonde ditz but still lead me on for three months. Was it something I did? Or something else? Really, I'd just like to know."

"It wasn't something you did," I growled, grinding my teeth. That was the part of the truth.

"Then damn it, please explain to me what it was!" she shouted and threw up her hands, "I've been racking my brain from the day it happened to try and figure it out!"

We glared at each other for a moment again, Jen waiting for an answer, me refusing to speak. Looking at her, she was such a feisty, fiery girl and it'd only grown since I hadn't seen her. Goddess we bring the worst out in each other, I never actually believed it until that instant. Our fights were always bitter and loud, but we almost always made up. Now, now we just ripped each other apart…and it all started when she caught me cheating on her in the KC House of Night. No, no, not this time. I refused to do this again, she had a right to know, and I at least hoped I became a better person than when we last knew each other. "Because I was a bastard…is that what you want to hear!" I finally responded and blew out a breath, "because I was a teenage guy confused as hell about everything. Because she thought I was hot and I thought she was hot and I lost all common sense about what I had back at home. Because I was a huge ass not thinking about you and your feelings as I strung you along and damn it I'm sorry for being that stupid and inconsiderate," I admitted, "it's not enough, especially when it's three years late, but it's all I can offer now."

Jenny sat there gaping at me, stunned into silence by that admission I guess. "I-I…actually yes, that's exactly what I wanted to hear," she responded quietly, "why now?"

"Because I'm no longer that teenage guy…or at least not as much I hope. And you said you wanted the answer…I figured you deserve them by now."

"I'd like to think that I deserved them a long time ago. But still, thank you then, for that as well," JC nodded, her voice calm and back to normal now. Her emotional control was both a wonder and a danger.

"You did, I just didn't have the balls to admit it then," I agreed and looked away from her, "do you want to know something else?"

I caught her out of the corner of my eye looking me over warily, "I don't know, but I am now curious for sure."

"I missed, and still do miss, what we had," I admitted, "and looking back on my past two relationships…with Aphrodite and especially Zoey, I think maybe I got what I deserved there for what I did to you," I added and looked back to her.

JC smiled sadly and nodded, "I missed what we had too, it was the best relationship I've had when it was good, and the worst that tore me up when it was bad. And yeah, maybe I should be here defending Zoey and what she did since we're family, but I won't…because what she did to you was just as wrong. But, I do think maybe you did get what you deserved." Oddly, that was one of the things I missed about her, she didn't sugar coat things, she was honest and spoke her opinion. It got her into trouble, but it was refreshing right now.

I was surprised, though, to hear that our relationship was the best one she'd had, "that's really saying something about your other relationships."

"Yeah, well, I don't have the best luck in dating apparently. Josh broke up with me because I wouldn't have sex and both Mike and Lewis cheated on me as well so…" she trailed off and chuckled bitterly, "really, not a good history."

"What about you and Pete?" I had to ask, "Jay told me you two were getting close, and he's a great guy."

"Never dated," she answered simply with a shrug, "we were both way too busy by the time I was Marked to do so and he is still totally in love with Jenny Thompson."

"Still has that hopeless crush?" I asked and couldn't help but to smirk.

"Probably will until he grows the set he needs to ask her out," JC snorted and shook her head with a smile, "what a group of friends I ever did have. And Jason was doing well. He was a popular kid, I think it just goes with the last name 'Knight'."

"I think it might," I agreed and chuckled. My little brother and I were a lot alike, I was popular during high school so it wouldn't surprise me he was too. I just hoped he uses it better than I ever did. It also struck me as odd that we fell into a calm, somewhat kind conversation about our old high school, a conversation kind of like what we had when we were dating. I suppose some things never change.

She let out a sigh and pushed a lock of red hair behind her ear. "I'm glad we talked," she said finally and met my eyes, "we may never be what we once were…but I do feel a lot better now," she admitted, "and I do, by now, guess that I forgive you too. Or, not so much forgive as I do forget and moved on…worse things have been done to me. It's been a long time since it happened, and Goddess knows that seeing you again brought up a lot of old memories and emotions, but I do feel better enough to forgive you for the distant past, I shouldn't hold nearly as many grudges as I do. And I hope that you and Venus work."

Well that caught me off guard. "You know about me and Venus? Or, better yet, you know about Venus in general?"

"Zoey and I are cousins in case you haven't heard. She's written to me a lot and has mentioned the relationship, and her, a couple times," Jen explained.

"Yeah, how is that exactly? You and Zoey cousins I mean?" I asked. It never came up in our past and seriously, they looked nothing alike.

She sighed, "my mother was her biological father's younger sister. Her dad wasn't Cherokee, actually Grandma Montgomery was Scottish, she just got the looks from the Redbird side of her family and I got the Irish/Scottish."

"And you two are close?"

"Yeah, we saw each other a lot when her dad was around and when Aunt Linda wasn't married to the step-loser we kept in touch still, it was only when John came in that we were 'supposed' to lose touch, but we still wrote to each other," she explained and smirked, "Zoey was such a truthful rebel when it came to John."

I nodded, "I always got that feeling from her when we were together."

"Yeah, they did not like each other," JC agreed and sighed, "her Marking was a blessing in disguise to her. Hell, arguably so was mine. Oh, by the way, just figured I should let you know, you're officially talking to the first Spirit vampyre that's existed in four centuries."

"Should I feel privileged by this?" I asked and smiled just a bit.

"Honestly I don't know, but I found that out when I passed out…again…in the parking lot. Apparently I'm a new, old extinct race of vampyre that were heavily prosecuted around the times of the Salem Witch Trials and are blessed with Spirit during their Marking instead of Night, so I also have an affinity for the element, just to let you know what you Marked me as," she explained briefly.

"Sounds like I played an important part in history then," I joked.

"I suppose you could see it like that," she agreed, "you're taking it a lot better than just about everybody I've told."

"I've had more time to think about it than everyone else," I shrugged, "I'm going to have to get used to it whether it's a different Marking or not and whether I like it or not."

"That's a mature way to look at tracking I suppose," JC nodded and looked around, her eyes landing on a clock. It was already quarter to four and I think we both knew that she should be leaving relatively soon. She let out a large yawn and stood up, pushing the desk chair back under my desk. "I think now that that's all over with I should be getting some dinner and crashing in my new room. I'm only getting more tired from the day, er, night, and I need the sleep badly, despite what I got in the car," she announced.

"That sounds like a good idea for you, you're going to need it with what's going on around here," I agreed, "if you'd like, I can accompany you to dinner. I haven't eaten yet and well, I need it too," I offered.

"You can come if you want," she shrugged and walked over to me and the door, "it doesn't really matter one way or the other to me."

I nodded and followed after her as she exited my room. We left my room and the faculty building altogether as we made our way to the dining hall.

"It's a nice night," JC commented.

"Oddly peaceful after last night. It's welcomed, but enjoy it while you can," I warned, "do you know what happened last night?"

"I've been caught up, yes," she nodded, "it was apparently one hell of a night too."

"Yeah, it was," I agreed, "and it's only worse to say that a hell of a lot more will more than likely come."

Jen just sighed and nodded again as we walked in silence the rest of the way to the dining hall. A lot of fledglings were already in there and eating. Most of them stopped though and turned their attention to me and JC as we walked in, and the resentment towards my companion did not go unnoticed. "What'd you do to piss them off?" I asked and looked to her.

She shrugged, "they were like that when I left too, the girls were anyways. My Mark is the only thing I could think of. Now, probably because I'm with you."

"Yeah well, I suppose I have that effect on girls," I chuckled.

She glared at me for a moment and shook her head, "I suppose that's possible. Goddess I hope Gwen's here," she mumbled.

"JC, over here!"

We both turned to find the blonde in question sitting down at a small table with Maggie. "Well, it appears that you have a place to eat after all," I announced, "I should be going to eat with the other faculty…technically that's where I have to eat anyway. So, I bid you adieu, JC," I said and, taking a huge chance that she wouldn't punch me, bent down to hug her.

To my surprise, she hugged back for a moment before pulling back. "Bye, Erik, I'll see you around I'm sure," she said and turned around, walking over to her roommate. I watched her for a moment walk over to the table and I noticed her shudder, like she was cold. I wasn't sure why, but it was a bit odd. Setting it aside, I turned around and saw most of the girls and some guys still glaring at her. Goddess this place was turning upside down, and I had to stay here for another four fucking years.