Jade had only been in the ocean once, shortly after she had been summoned to her Guardian role. Surfing had been popular for a few years on the California coast, and Beck had insisted she give it a try.
In hindsight they should have realized that, as a first timer, Jade probably should have waited for a smoother set. On one particularly aggressive wave she was thrown off her board and sank like a stone, not prepared to keep afloat in a strong rip tide. She lost all sense of direction as the current flipped her end over end. The waves crashing on the surface stirred up the sand, creating a chaotic limbo. Up and down were indiscernible, and with nothing to hang on to she was at completely at the mercy of the tides.
Seconds ticked into eternity and her lungs burned as she tried to properly orientate herself, and if it hasn't been for Beck she wasn't sure if she'd still be around. He had grabbed onto her wrist and held on tightly as he dragged her to the surface, his presence immediately re-establishing what was up and down. He yanked her head above the waves and the pair clung to his surf board as they gasped for air.
Jade's head was still spinning and she closed her eyes tight. Beck rested his hand on the back of her neck and squeezed it reassuringly. "It's okay, I've got you." He wheezed. It wasn't until he had paddled them nearly back to shore that the last of the dizziness had subsided and she was able to lift her head without her stomach somersaulting.
Jade felt lost in that same surf now. She felt her body being dragged and manipulated against her will and despite her best efforts. Her vision swam, her heart pounded. Her demon was fighting for dominance over her body, and it was winning.
She was drowning.
Images flashed before her as she teleported erratically – the women's bathroom at the bar, Rachel's apartment, Tori's hotel, alleyway after alleyway. Her stomach flipped and churned with each unsteady landing and she clenched her eyes shut to force out the images; it was like the demon was trying to leave her body behind with every desperate jump. She clambered for an anchor to steady herself and found, futilely, that her incorporeal hands melted through anything she grabbed at. How much longer could it keep this up?
The world came to a sudden stop and her knees buckled beneath her. Jade slid limply to the floor, chest heaving and head pounding. Her eyes flickered open on their own and she recoiled… at least, she tried. She recognized the place almost immediately – Tori's bathroom. The full-length mirror on the back of the door showed a frightening reflection. Her mouth was smeared with dried blood, her eyes shined wild like an injured predator. She watched as she crawled forward on her hands and knees towards her own image, a triumphant, if not exhausted, smile revealing two rows of pointed and stained teeth.
She willed her hand to examine her new features; her hand merely quaked in response. Her smile broadened. "You're not at the wheel anymore," her voice rasped. Her hand closed in a tight fist in defiance. "It's been so long since I've had a body of my own."
"And such a lovely body it is. I had chances to glimpse reflections of us when your guard was down, when I was able to peek through the gaps in the prison you constructed for me." She pushed herself shakily to her feet and ran her hands over her torso. "But who knew you were so pretty," she laughed, a cruel rasping from a raw throat. "Well, were. I've made a few alterations."
Jade tried to scream; her efforts were wasted. "I've taken your voice and your body. You're little more now than a figment of my imagination. "Scream all you want in there. I'll be the only one that hears you… and, sooner or later, I'm sure you'll give up. I've had centuries to build my strength, and you've worn yourself out fighting me all these years." The demon controlling Jade's body leaned in close to the mirror so that her breath fogged up the glass. She stared deep into her own glowing eyes, searching them curiously. Jade stared back anxiously; she desperately wanted to pull away. She didn't want to look into her own eyes and see a monster staring back at her.
Her worst nightmare had finally come true.
"You know what I've missed most about having a body?" She asked absently as she pushed away from the mirror and examined her full appearance. "Enjoying a good meal. It was hardly bearable to watch you eat a steak… but once you switched over to that horrible green diet I could have just died. That's first on my agenda." She smoothed her wild hair and blinked away her glowing eyes. "Do I look passable?"
"What's next?" Jade pressed, suddenly concerned not just for her own wellbeing. She had unintentionally released a fairly powerful chaos demon onto the people of New York. It was bloodthirsty, ruthless, and completely undetectable thanks to the rune on her chest.
"You'll find out soon enough." She smirked, frowning almost immediately. "The fangs aren't very human, are they?" She ran her tongue over them and huffed. "Nothing to be done about them now. Now," she opened the door to the bathroom and peered out into the empty hotel room. "How long do you think it'll take you for that delectable little Guardian to come back? She's quite a morsel. I'd love to get another bite of – "
"NO." Jade's voice rang through their shared soul, and the door in the demon's hand slammed shut as she regained brief control. "Not Tori!"
"Not Tori?" The demon sounded bemused. "And what are you going to do to stop me if I want to?" She glanced back once more at the mirror. "She's going to come looking for you. The stupid bitch is practically in heat for you. Yes, she'll come. And I'll make sure that your sweet baby blues are the last thing she sees before I rip out her heart and eat it."
The promise felt like a punch to the gut and a sense of hopelessness washed over her. She tried again to slam the door as the demon moved to exit, but it was futile. Her hand barely quavered. "Just sit back and enjoy the ride, Jadelyn. I'll take care of everything from now on."
Tori pressed a pillowcase to her wounded neck and tried to regain her bearings. She sat on the floor, leaning against Jade's bed, and tried to gather her thoughts well enough to make a plan. Jade's lost control. She's gone, just like they predicted would happen. She thought back to just moments ago when she watched, in horror, as Jade's features melted away to reveal the demon she was bound to.
Protocol was clear: eliminate the threat. Subdue if possible, kill if necessary. The idea of killing Jade made her blood chill; she just couldn't fathom it. Not her, not one of her team. Not Jade.
She knew the demon wouldn't provide her the same courtesy, not considering their millennia-long feud.
Her mind was racing as she struggled to put together the last few days' events. Tori had deduced that Jade was hardly a threat within hours of crossing paths with her. Rogue, yes, but actively determined to repress her demon. What had changed so suddenly?
She needed answers. She needed backup. She pushed herself to her feet and dug her phone out of her back pocket, thumb hesitating over her contacts. Calling in her team would condemn Jade to imprisonment. Not calling them could mean condemning her another way. Tori was conflicted. The situation had deteriorated far past her expertise, but would calling in those unfamiliar with her particular circumstances could only worsen matters. Damn it, Jade. What do I do?
Jade would tell her to nut up and know when she's beat and call for backup… unless it caused her personal grievance, in which case Jade would tell her to back the fuck off. Jade was a pretty shitty conscience overall. "You can always get her away from the Brotherhood, Vega. You can talk your way out of this somehow," she muttered after a few tense moments, tapping Andre's number and waiting anxiously.
He picked up on the second ring. "Hey, Tor!" He greeted cheerfully. "When are you wrapping up and – "
"Not anytime soon," she interrupted. "Look, I need you and Cat to get here in a hurry. I'm fine, I just need backup fast," she explained quickly. "Use a spell, a car won't be fast enough."
"Tori?" Andre was clearly concerned.
"I'm fine. I'll explain when you get here. Scry for me; I'll wait here for you. Keep it quiet, Andre, please. Just get here." She disconnected the call and tossed the bed on the phone before making her way to the bathroom to examine her injuries. Her neck was throbbing, the tender and ragged skin around the wound stung sharply when she removed the compress. She prodded at it gently and hissed upon contact; her fingers pulled away stained with blood. It was painful but not life threatening, she decided. She rummaged around the messy apartment until she located the same cheap liquor she'd used on Jade's wounds just days prior and doused a clean towel with it.
She clenched the towel with a shaky hand as she mustered up the courage to sterilize her wound. It needed to be done, she reasoned, she just didn't know if she could stand the pain. She tapped it to her shredded skin and hissed before committing herself entirely to the act. As the soaked cloth made full contact with her throat, a roar of pain escaped her lips and faded into a series of pained mews as the stinging subsided slowly. Fucking cheap liquor feels like battery acid, she mused as she studied the label.
Liquor. Her thoughts shifted from her pain to the series of events that had occurred over the past few days. Pandora, Jack's apartment, Jade… Liquor had been involved, and the root of all their trouble seemed to always trace back to Mercy. Did he really have anything to do with it? Had she been right? Or was it just another coincidence?
A flickering in the center of the room interrupted her thoughts, and she backed away from a shimmering green portal as it grew larger. Cat's head appeared suddenly, floating disembodied in the abyss. "Tori!" She cried when she noticed the blood, and threw the rest of her body through. Andre brought up the rear and the portal closed behind him.
"What the hell happened?" He demanded as he studied the room. "Where are we?"
"Cat, I'm fine." Tori winced as the smaller girl examined her injuries. "It's not that deep." She pushed her away and replaced the towel to shield herself from any further prodding. "It was an accident; she didn't mean to," she began.
"Who didn't mean to what?" Cat frowned, glancing up in worry.
"I need to explain, okay? And I need you to be quiet until I'm done…"
"Do you remember the 80s? All those short leather skirts and ripped fishnets. Those were the days – we sure made the boys turn their heads." The demon spun in the mirror, admiring her body in the new attire; she had changed into a black streamline skirt, black fishnets, and a black corset top. Satisfied with her new outfit she shrugged on a dark blue leather jacket to complete the look.
We had nothing to do with it, Jade snapped, disgusted as she watched the demon run its hands over her body. You didn't pick my style.
"Do you really think you would have worn that without my soul mingling with yours? I remember the whelp you were the day we were fused. Poor little orphan Jade. So lonely. So pathetic. So angry at the world with no courage to do anything about it." She stepped close to the mirror and ran her tongue over her fangs. "I saved you."
Jade seethed as she stared at her own reflection. She wanted to scream, wanted to slap… herself, she guessed. She wanted to do anything to express her frustration and, instead, she sat immobile, trapped in the very prison she'd constructed for her demon. "No sassy comeback?" She asked. "Pity. Those were always my favorite."
She abandoned the mirror and began sauntering towards the door, stopping only to pull on her heavy combat boots. "Now, let's get that steak. I'm starving."
The demon picked the nearest restaurant it could find, seated itself at the bar, and ordered the tenderloin. "Are you waiting for someone to join you?" The waiter asked.
"No, just me," She smiled, making a point to trail her gaze down his lean torso. "Such a shame, really."
"I'll put the order in for you, then," he blinked nervously. "Can I get you a drink?"
"Scotch. Neat."
He dismissed himself quickly and the demon released a low chuckle. Leave him alone, Jade demanded.
"Oh, it doesn't hurt to look," The demon huffed.
It does when you do. You used your powers.
"Our powers, love. Ours. And if he's anxious he's likely to provide better service. Don't act so haughty – back when we were actually a team you pulled tricks like this all the time." She paused as the waiter returned with her drink and retreated. She took a sip and allowed the liquor to settle on her pallet before she sighed and swirled the glass on the table. "Not nearly as good as the stuff from the bar."
If she could have, Jade would have frowned. What do you mean? Mercy serves shit.
"You'll find out," it replied absently.
Damn right I will, she snapped and mustered all her strength to slam the glass down on the tabletop. A few curious heads turned at the sound and the demon shot them an icy glare to divert their attention.
"Oh please, Jade. You can't tell me you couldn't feel it. I know I did. He's been lacing that cheap liquor."
What? With what? How do you even know? She demanded. Her demon was imprisoned – there was no way for any outside presence to contact it.
"Because I'm more observant than you, Jade. I was trapped in you for over a century; I didn't have anything else to do but watch."
Jade suddenly felt very uncomfortable; she knew the demon had been in her and had been aware of what was going on around her, but she didn't think it could physically see what was going on. She briefly considered all her sexual affairs, all of her other more intimate moments, and huffed angrily. She had let her guard down over the years, had gotten too complacent.
The waiter arrived shortly with her steak and the demon focused its full attention on the meal before her. It ate ravenously and Jade could only imagine the looks they were receiving from the patrons nearby. When it finished it tossed back the last of its drink and wiped its mouth with the back of its hand. It sat quietly, processing, and Jade felt it stir with excitement. "That's the first flesh I've had in almost two millennia," it breathed, watching as the waiter skirted past her back to the kitchen. "I need more."
It rose to its feet and made its way casually towards the swinging double doors. Where are you going? Jade demanded angrily. Stop! She thrashed, exerted all the force she could muster. Nothing could slow the demon's advance.
Sudden screams and the sound of struggle shattered the languid peace of the dining room.
