NAME: Kirk Baldridge

EMAIL:

TITLE: All About Us

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of these characters, names, places, etc. They all belong to Kim Harrison, and I would just like to take this opportunity to thank her for creating them.

FANDOM: The Hollows

PAIRING: Rachel/Ivy

RATING: K+

SUMMARY: Al is in hiding, while Rachel finally gets the answer to one of her questions.

SPOILER: Sequel to You Don't Always Get What You Want and Sometimes You Get What You Need. It is set an undetermined amount of time afterBlack Magic Sanction. You need to read at least Sometimes first, because I'm not going to give too many explanations, so if you haven't read the story before this you probably aren't going to understand everything that's happening here.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: For the sake of clarification, My Immortal and its sequel, Through Her Eyes, are a separate timeline from my other four Hollows stories, which-if you wanted to read them all-belong in the following order: You Don't Always Get What You Want, Love and Vampires, Disturbing, and Sometimes You Get What You Need.

Al insisted on making everyone tea before he did anything else.

Ivy continually snickered and mumbled something under her breath he could not understand, so he 'accidentally' spilled the entire tray into her lap. Once Rachel eventually calmed her down, he began his story.

"The demons and the elves have been at odds with one another since both races have existed. I'm not certain how or why it started, it was before my time. Newt might know, but good luck asking her." Al frowned. "Our two races have always been evenly matched. We were stronger, more proficient at magic, while the elves had sheer numbers and more creativity."

"Get on with it," said Rachel. "Who else did they curse?"

"Tell me, Tamwood. Is she this impatient in bed?" Ivy snarled. Al blew her a kiss, and laughed when Rachel grabbed her arm to keep the vampire from coming at him again. "Down girl. I'll give you a clue, itchy witch. You may or may not be aware of it, but it wasn't just us and the elves back then. There were three prime Inderlander species at the time."

Ivy glanced at Rachel, who leaned forward in her seat. "You're talking about the banshees?"

"And you didn't even need cue cards." Al rested his hands in his lap. "The banshees could easily have rivaled us, or the elves, but they refused to take sides. Bribes and force didn't work. They wanted no part in our war. That was when the elves decided if they couldn't get the banshees on their side, they could at least make sure they never helped us."

"So they cursed them?" Rachel asked. "What does that have to do with the vampires?"

"I'm getting to that. Honestly. You should take one of those human relaxants. I hear their pharmaceuticals can do wonders." Al paused, more for dramatic effect than anything else. "The curse they twisted was supposed to kill the banshees completely, to wipe them all out, but it didn't work the way they intended. It didn't exterminate the species. Just the males."

Ivy's eyes widened. "You're saying there used to be male banshees?"

"I've never heard or read anything like that," said Rachel. "And I've met banshees."

"Understand. This was all before recorded Inderlander history. Yes, there were male banshees. They were powerful, virile creatures, and the curse just made them wither up and die." Ever after washed over Al, and he transformed into a seven foot tall, ebony skinned entity with long black hair and smoldering red eyes, as well as a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. "Unfortunately for all concerned, the curse had an unexpected side effect. It killed the banshee males but they didn't stay dead. They rose again, hungry for blood as well as auras. Worse, they still had their souls, and it gave them a measure of control you and yours have never dreamed of, Tamwood."

"They were the first vampires?"

Al nodded. "More or less. They shared many of the same traits, though they had powers far beyond the undead you know. They went after the elves, as you might expect, but they also hunted us, and their own people. We tried to fight them but they were too strong, and every time we killed one of them, they just rose again. Finally, Minias…or was it Dali? I can't remember. Someone suggested we approach the elves and offer a temporary alliance. No one liked the idea, on either side, but we also couldn't come up with anything better. Together we managed to eradicate the Paragon, as Newt named them, but the remaining banshee females decided they blamed all of us and fled, they were the first race to migrate to the mortal world you know. Problem is, they were still carrying the curse. It didn't affect them, of course, but they passed it on to the humans and it adapted, becoming more of a virus and…"

"…and creating the first vampires on Earth," Rachel concluded. "Son of a bitch!"

Al changed back to normal. "The alliance broke down pretty quickly after that, as you can imagine. Both sides took credit for the victory. We used one of the failed plans to stop the Paragon and came up with the ever after, though you know how that trap turned out. The elves were decidedly more successful with their curse, which they eventually modified and used on us."

"So, we're related to Mia?" Ivy asked. "And Walker?"

"In a decidedly distant sense," Al replied. "The banshees are the progenitors of the altered genetic line that would eventually lead to vampires, but it would not be accurate to call them cousins, or even ancestors really. Not like witches to demons, which can be traced back directly as you and Newt well know, Rachel." Her eyes widened and he nodded. "Didn't you ever wonder why the undead take a little bit of the aura when they feed? You always assumed it was to fill the hole caused by the lack of their soul. It's not…at least, not entirely. It's a remnant of the ancient time when the curse was connected to the banshees, and they fed on auras to live."

Rachel cleared her throat. "You said the banshee males kept their souls when they rose. So why did the vampires who developed on earth lose theirs? And was it always that way, or did something change?"

"The very first vampires on earth were stronger and more powerful than even the undead you know now. Over the generations, this bestial nature dwindled until they were only a pale imitation of their true selves. Did their have their souls still?" Al shrugged his shoulders. "I cannot say for certain. Truth be told, I was less interested in that lowly little realm at the time. Until humanity got to the point where they began making deals with us, let's just say I had other things on my mind."

Ivy leaned into Rachel. "Can we go home now?"

"Okay." Rachel took Ivy's hand. "Enjoy solitary confinement, Al." She stepped them into the line and vanished.

Al smirked. "Perfect."