AN: Guys, I have laryngitis. And it sucks. And it's not at all comical like you expect losing your voice would be.

Jade stubbed out her cigarette with the toe of her boot before retreating back indoors to the table where Tori was sitting. A cup of coffee was waiting for her; Tori was sipping on tea. "Thanks." Jade cleared her throat and claimed her chair before sipping carefully on the brew. She couldn't get the taste of Scotch out of her mouth – the cigarettes had barely masked it. She just hoped lunch would replace it. She flipped open her menu and set her gaze on the salad section but found her heart wasn't in it. All her favorites seemed dull, flavorless. She wanted something more. Her eyes wandered to the burgers. How long had it been since she'd had red meat? They looked so tempting. The demon in her head agreed.

She blinked. Why was she craving red meat? She had been surrounded by monsters last night – could that have been it? Probably, she guessed. Like a recovering alcoholic at a frat house, being around other Dark entities usually made her question her efforts to quell the chaos inside her. Right now she was craving a rare hunk of cow… washed down with the blood of virginal sacrifices. Well. She was, at least, craving a burger. She forced her gaze to return to the vegetarian menu and struggled internally until the waitress came.

"And for you, miss?" She asked, not realizing that her simple question was splitting her inwardly.

"I'll have the Greek… No, actually. Can I get a bacon burger?" She caved, slamming the menu shut decisively and handing it over. She'd been good for months. She'd earned her red meat, damn it.

Tori hadn't noticed her inner turmoil, and ordered her own pasta salad before returning her doe eyes to Jade. "This place seems like you." She commented absently as she glanced around the room. The room was partially deconstructed – mortar had been smashed to expose the red brick foundation, strings white Christmas lights hung from heavy beams in the ceiling in lieu of harsh fluorescents. Most of the light came from the giant windows at the front of the café, which allowed the deceptively cold fall sunlight to filter into the room. It was a quiet place, a secret place. She imagined Jade coming here on her days off to enjoy a book at one of the high tables near the windows, to study passersby without being studied herself.

Returning her attention to her companion, she noticed Jade was bathed in bright sunlight; her ivory skin practically glowing. Tori smiled.

Jade frowned.

"Are you all right?"

"Not particularly." Jade took a sip of her coffee. She spun the mug between her fingers for a few moments before returning her gaze to Tori. "I think we're running out of options." That was a loaded statement, Tori realized. They both knew the only reason Tori hadn't called for backup is because Jade assured her they could handle the situation alone. They had, so far, only stumbled upon one dead end after another, and now their only hope for a lead had vanished into thin air.

"Not quite." Tori began, swallowing a lump in her throat. "Jack was quick to point out Mercy. Let's try there again."

The older hybrid sighed. "We can try. But if that doesn't lead anywhere I'm out of ideas." Jade seemed listless, defeated.

"Don't give up so easily. Someone out there knows something. We just have to find them." Tori assured. Jade looked at her skeptically and Tori leaned in closer to reach for her hand. She snatched it away quickly and the two shared an uncertain stare; Tori opened her mouth to speak when she was interrupted by the waitress arriving with their meals.

Jade watched her retreating form with a gaze Tori couldn't identify. Once she'd disappeared into the kitchen she returned her attention to the younger Latina. "Big city, Tori. It's going to be practically impossible to find someone who doesn't want to be found."

"I found you, didn't I?" Tori quipped.

"By sheer dumb luck." Jade countered as she plucked the toothpicks from her burger.

"It happened once. I'm sure it'll happen again." Jade grunted in response and took a massive bite out of her burger. Tori blinked. The last time she'd seen someone eat like that, Jurassic Park had just been released to theatres. "Are you okay?"

The half-demon glanced up at her, cheeks bulging with food and a confused look in her eye. She chewed the contents voraciously and forced them down quickly before taking a huge swig of her water. "Yeah… just hungry, apparently." She nibbled daintily on a French fry as if to compensate for her ravenous behavior a moment ago.

Tori hid her worry behind a clump of pasta salad, and mulled over the right course of action as she chewed. She knew better than tackle another issue head-on, not after her last few strike-outs. She could feel an anxiety, an edginess, radiating from her companion. They were both getting frustrated – they were running out of leads. The only difference, Tori realized, was that their leads were potentially Jade's friends. Jack and Ruby, as far as she could tell, were the only two people Jade seemed to almost trust. They were both gone now, and who knew how many of her other acquaintances would soon follow?

Well, maybe.

Tori leaned back in her chair and dug into her jeans' pocket, retrieving a Zippo lighter. She placed it on the table without a word.

Jade swallowed another bite and looked at her suspiciously. "That's Jack's." She said. "You took it from his apartment?" Her disappointed accusation was impossible to misinterpret.

"I thought we could use it to scry for him. I saw him with it at the bar a few nights ago, I figure it's personal enough to work."

Jade nodded and resumed her meal in silence. She knew the Brotherhood had searched for her; Tori had only confirmed it during confirmation. She wondered, though, what personal element they had used. She'd tried to gather everything of sentimental value, not that she assigned that sacred title to much anyway. She was half tempted to ask Tori but decided against it, not wanting to remind the goody-two-shoes there was a way to cloak herself from magical radar.

The majority of their meal continued quietly, save for the younger hybrid's weak attempts at small-talk. She could tell, thankfully, that something internal was claiming Jade's attention, and had decided it best to not pry. It wasn't until the waitress came to deliver the bill and bus their empty plates that she finally broke her silence.

It had been an accident – the server had lost her grip on Jade's half-finished coffee and spilled the contents across the tiny table. Both girls avoided the splash zone, but Jack's lighter had been ground-zero for the initial wave.

Jade exploded. "You idiot!" She practically snarled. Both Tori and the waitress recoiled as Jade snatched up the Zippo and jumped to her feet, shaking it dry. "You could have ruined it!"

Tori placed herself between the raging half-demon and the fragile mortal and dismissed her frantic apologies. She was wide-eyed in surprise – they both were. Tori urged her to return to the kitchen and promised to calm Jade down before she returned for the check. She spun to face her companion when she noticed the other diners staring pointedly at the outburst, at Jade as she muttered angrily to herself and dismantled the lighter to dry it out.

"What the hell was that?" Tori hissed angrily as she threw a few bills down on the table and snatched Jade by the elbow.

"She soaked the damn thing in coffee. We'll be lucky if the spell doesn't direct us to every fucking Starbucks in the area now." Jade snapped, jerking her elbow away and storming ahead to the exit.

"That's not how it works and you know it!" Tori called, catching the front door before it slammed in her face. "Jade! Slow down!" She was disappearing down the dark alley beside the restaurant. Tori was barely able to grab her hand as it became ethereal before they disappeared altogether.

Jade sat cross-legged on Tori's bed, still silently fuming, as the other hybrid dug a map of the city out of her bag and smoothed it across the bedspread. She snapped the lighter open and closed impatiently as she watched Tori untangled the string and scrying crystal from itself, each click adding unnecessary tension to the already tense room. Tori threw her the gem once she was finished, answering Jade's skeptical glance with an equally as impatient tone. "You know him best. If you do it we'll have a better chance."

The Latina unzipped and kicked off her tall boots before climbing onto the bed opposite Jade. "We'd have a better chance with a witch." Jade huffed.

"Oh, would you like me to call one? I'm sure the Brotherhood can send one right over." Tori replied sarcastically.

"Fine." Jade slapped her hand away and clicked open the Zippo once more to snap the free end of the cord in it, effectively tethering the two objects. She clutched the lighter in her right hand and allowed the pale crystal to dangle, and then swing in a wide arc across the map. She closed her eyes and pictured her friend, channeled her memories of him into the silent spell she mouthed to herself, and slowly began to rotate the stone in a wider circle. In theory, the crystal would begin to glow and tug towards a location when it passed over the area in which the person was. Once an area was determined it was essentially a game of "hot or cold" to pinpoint his exact location.

Unless conducted by a witch, the process was usually tedious and only partially reliable at best. Their magicks were more adaptable, able to be focused on a specific task at hand. Jade and Tori could only rely on their immutable magickal properties to propel the stone. Seconds ticked by and she still couldn't feel a pull against her hand. She opened her eyes to find Tori staring, brows knitted, at the colorless stone as it swung over the map. "Maybe he's not in Manhattan." She muttered to herself before carefully unfolding the map to its full size; it took up nearly half the bed.

"Are you kidding me?" Jade scowled.

"We have to try." Tori's tone was final. Blue eyes rolled towards the ceiling as she redoubled her efforts. Tori began shifting the map so Jade could remain focused and, block by block, they began to search the entire city.

Seconds passed, then minutes. They had barely made it through half the map and Jade was prepared to call it quits – Jack would never venture far away from his haunts, not even if he was in danger. He was a fighter, not a runner. She was a mere half-second away from dropping her arm when she felt a familiar jerk, be it feeble. Her arm froze, and she forced herself to ignore burning from the effort to keep it suspended for so long to study where the crystal had pathetically tried to pull itself to. She didn't recognize the area, and the signal was weak. She frowned.

"What is it?" Tori asked.

Jade dropped the stone to the paper and watched as it flickered faintly, like a candle that had used the last of its wick. It should have been practically fluorescent, not puny and frail. "Magical interference?" Tori guessed.

Jade suspected a more sinister implication, and chose to remain silent. Before either could speak again they watched the light extinguish.

"What?" Tori turned her attention to Jade's dark countenance. "What could make it do that?"

"I've got a pretty solid idea." She placed the Zippo gently on the map, careful to not disturb the crystal's resting place.

"Don't think like that. You don't show up on any map either, Jade. Maybe Jack's figured out the same trick." She ignored Jade when she rolled her eyes and bent over the paper to examine the now-dark stone. "Well, it's a start. Do you know this part of the city?"

"Not well."

"So we'll take the train there. Come on." Tori rolled off the bed and shrugged on her coat.

"Oh, come on." Jade huffed in exasperation.

"Jade." Tori's tone was final. Jade glared at her as she pulled back on her boots before following suit. She was exhausted, mentally and emotionally, and the demon in her head was making an incessant racket in her mind. Perhaps sensing her weakness, it had been tormenting her, antagonizing her all day.

"Fine. But if it's another dead end, I'm leaving you to navigate your own way back." Jade promised, snatching up her own coat and grabbing Tori's arm. Before the younger girl could protest she dragged her towards the dark bathroom and into the shadows.

They reappeared in a utility closet in the nearest subway station to their hotel, and when Jade threw open the door she saw that Tori was a little worse for wear. She gripped Jade's hand and allowed the half-demon to weave her through the congestion and onto the train. Jade hadn't been kind in this jump; it had been more turbulent than she normally allowed. She was irritated. Irritated with Tori's bossiness, with Jack's disappearance. Irritated.

The car was crowded. Jade elbowed her way through the bodies with Tori in tow and positioned them near a pole. Before she could make room enough for the pair of them the train lurched forward, knocking an already shaky Tori off her balance and into Jade. The older girl caught her lithe frame with ease, their cheeks grazing. The relief was immediate, and Jade breathed a sigh of relief as she held Tori against her.

Tori regained her balance and the pair shared a silent moment as brown eyes stare into blue. Jade tried not to betray any appreciation she felt and quickly averted her gaze to the subway map above the nearby doors. Tori repositioned herself and took hold of the pole to ensure she wouldn't take another tumble, and made a point to close her pinky finger around Jade's index as she tightened her grip.

Stop after stop, the train cleared out until two seats became vacant near them. Neither girl moved and Jade found herself studying the situation. It was innocent enough – two fingers barely grazing one another – but it was the way Tori tried to pretend it wasn't happening. She avoided her stare and focused her gaze instead on passengers as they shuffled on and off the train. She was normally very outspoken about offering her "feel-good" vibes; maybe she had just finally wised up and realized Jade was too proud to accept proffered help. Maybe she was just trying to get rid of cranky Jade. Maybe she felt guilty about dragging her around the city on some hopeless mission.

Whatever the reason, Jade was grateful for a momentary reprieve from the chaos in her head. By the time they broke the connection 13 stops later the good vibes still lingered. They emerged on the surface as the sun was setting, and Tori yanked out her phone and pulled up a photo of the map. "Okay. Three blocks that way." She pointed down the street. "Then, I guess, we'll figure it out from there."

Three blocks over they found themselves standing in front of a bodega. "Think he's hiding in there?" Jade asked sarcastically as she dug Jack's pack of cigarettes from her pocket and lit up.

"Not helping." Tori huffed, waving Jade's smoke from her face. She frowned and glanced around as if she expected Jack to materialize in thin air. Jade watched in mild amusement as the seconds ticked by and her frustration grew.

"What's your plan now?" She goaded.

"I brought the crystal." She produced the stone and lighter from her pocket. "Maybe we could –"

"Maybe we could walk all around this neighborhood hoping this pebble will tell us something?" Jade snatched the items from her hand. "I don't think so. This is a waste of time." She spun on her heel and headed towards the bodega, intent on disappearing into a closet and teleporting back to the hotel.

"Jade, come on!" Tori caught up with her before she crossed the threshold and grabbed her by the elbow. "Please?"

If throwing puppy-dog eyes was an Olympic event Tori would place gold, Jade decided, as she watched her eyes swell to the size of saucers. Jade took an extra long drag of her cigarette before throwing it to the ground. "If we haven't found anything by the time it's dark enough for me to disappear, I'm taking us both back to the hotel and it won't be a pleasant trip."

For the next hour the pair wandered around the unfamiliar neighborhood, their only guide a faintly flickering crystal that led them down half a dozen dead-ends. Tori could sense Jade's frustration building, and made attempts to establish contact to ease her anxiety. The train ride had boosted her confidence, and she now reached out to the half-demon with only minor fear of rejection. Like a smoker addicted to nicotine, Jade seemed to appreciate the calming effects of her touch… even if she didn't want to admit it. Tori tried not to make it obvious – a brush of their hands from time to time was enough to keep her patient with that damnable scrying crystal.

Night began to fall and Tori began to panic. She glanced sideways and studied the deep lines in Jade's brow, her deepening scowl; she was losing the last of her patience and all they'd accomplished was getting themselves thoroughly lost in an unfamiliar area. Jade finally pocketed the crystal and rubbed her hands together for warmth as she studied their surroundings. They were off the beaten path by a good margin, and as the last of the light extinguished from the sky Tori illuminated her eyes.

"If somebody sees you they're going to flip their shit." Jade breathed as she approached a nearby fire escape.

"If anybody sees me back here they're probably already flipping their shit." Tori retorted, only to be met with silence. "Because they're on drugs." She continued awkwardly. Was Jade ignoring her again? "Because this is a sketch neighborhood and they'd probably fit the stereotype…" Silence still. "Jade?"

Jade had retrieved the stone from her pocket and was rolling it in the palm of her hand. Tori could see it glowing faintly from where she was standing. Jade, however, was staring into the distance, first at the corner before them and then at a wall across the alley. "What is it?" There was nothing there.

Jade, meanwhile, was trying to make sense of what she was seeing. Demon script was scrawled in familiar handwriting before her, and it was fresh. This way to Pandora . She held the crystal flat in her hand as she followed the sign's prompt, Tori prattling something behind her. Sure enough, the light began to flicker more erratically as they approached the next marker. She returned the stone to her coat pocket, no longer needing its unreliable light to guide their way.

Tori seemed to have finally caught on. "We're going back to the bar, aren't we?" Her disdain was practically tangible.

"We are. Gird your loins."