It played over and over again in his mind like a broken record player.

He struggled on the edge, trying to save the Assassin who had killed Iola. Every instinct in his body yelling at him to let go, but his innocence telling him to hang on. But Al-Rousasa didn't...

"So, did you like my little presentation, Joe? It's one of your better moments. I like to call it, 'Portrait of a Professional Psychopath.'"

As usual, the demon's voice was smug and oily in his head, like a spot of mold on an otherwise pristine apple.

That was a long time ago, he thought back, but even he could taste the insincerity of his comeback.

"You and I both know that time means little to someone like you, Joe. Once a killer, always a killer. Isn't that how it works? You are and always will be a wolf, Joe. No matter how many sheep suits you put on."

Joe was silent. After a pause, the demon continued.

"I was just thinking you needed a little reminder. You've been acting a little too...heroic of late. I wouldn't want you thinking that girl should be looking up to you, Joe."

There's no danger of that, he thought tiredly, then paused. There was a defensiveness that was seldom present in the demon's tone. It aroused Joe's curiosity.

Why should you care?

"I don't," the demon answered, a trifle too quickly. "You do. I'm just making sure you know how these things end, Joe. Wolves don't protect little girls. They eat them all up."

Vanessa is a strong woman. If it comes to that...she can take care of herself. She's done it before.

"Reeeally? Then why, pray tell, are you here, Joe?"

Because she's also even more stubborn and single-minded than...

The demon's voice turned sickly sweet. "Than who, Joe?"

You know who, demon.

"I just want to hear you say it."

What does it matter? She's dead. Saying that, thinking it, still hurt, even after all these years.

"Not for you, Joe. Not. For. You." The demon's laughter faded out once again into blessed silence.

At least, for the moment.

***

Vanessa awoke to severe amounts of pain.

Not to say that her current sleeping arrangement wasn't comfortable. Well, it wasn't, actually, but that wasn't her companion's fault.

Then Vanessa remembered that it basically was, and this annoyed her all the more.

Every muscle in Vanessa' body screamed at her for the abuses she'd put it through up to this point. Vanessa's brain reminded it that this was a dictatorship, not a democracy, and her body fell silent, brooding and plotting vengeance.

She groaned and opened one sleep encrusted eye. With sight came awareness of other little details, like the weather had gone from frickin' freezin' to good Lord it's hot.

Funny, how nature will do that to you.

Another, more pressing need caught her attention. She bit her lip.

"Joey...are you awake?" she croaked.

Joe's reaction was subtle, but noticeable. He breathed in deeply, then let it out in a sigh that mussed her hair.

"Geez, could you answer, please?" she said, irritated.

"Yes," he answered.

Though he didn't clarify which question he was answering.

Not that it mattered much.

"I think it's stopped raining." She said awkwardly, then cursed her stupid brain for coming up with such an idiotic remark. What was with this guy, that he made her turn into a drooling moron?

Jow didn't answer for a long time, then he sighed again. "Yes."

"So, um...does this work with all the girls, or just me?" she said, trying to break the one-sided tension a bit.

In answer he stood up and stepped over her, his joints creaking in an oddly comforting manner.

"Jerk." She stuck her tongue out at him.

He turned and stared down at her, an unreadable expression on his blank face.

She avoided looking at him, fidgeting slightly. "Anyway... I, uh... kinda have to..."

He didn't even bat an eye.

"That is, I gotta go... you know."

He blinked.

"Geez Joey! Do you have to be such an insensitive prick all the time, or is it just with me? What is it about me that makes you such an asshole?! I gotta pee! You happy now?! Do I need to draw a damn diagram for you?! Oh wait, I can't! My friggin' hands are tied. Gee, I wonder who did that!! Asshole!!"

He took a single step around her side, then crouched down, fiddling awkwardly with her bonds. She felt them loosen, and the somewhat sluggish circulation returned to them, giving her pins and needles. She rubbed her wrists.

"Thanks, Joey. Why the hell'd you tie me up, anyway?"

He gave her an un-amused look.

"Oh yeah...I kinda ran away," she answered her own question.

"That reminds me..." She looked him seriously in the eyes, adopting a quizzical expression rather than an angry one. Which was not to say she wasn't still angry, just that her need to know why he'd done it was more important to her than letting him know she hadn't forgiven him.

"Why did you shoot me, Joey?"

He looked at her cooly for a few moments, then raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said you had to go to the bathroom."

She pouted at him. "I do, but I wanna know." She leaned forward.

"Tell me!" She ordered, then noticed that their faces were considerably closer than the conversational topic strictly called for. Embarrassed, she leaned back. "Please?" She'd never tried polite before with Joe. It might be worth a try.

Gee, ya think?

He regarded her for a moment, then sighed. "Have you ever tried to save someone who was drowning?"

She blinked at this sudden, unexpected answer. "No...what the hell does that have to do with--"

He continued, blandly. "Someone who's panicking forgets everything they know, about swimming or anything else. They just react."

She frowned, but quietly.

"If you just go in and try to save them, chances are they'll end up dragging you down with them."

She narrowed her eyes, not liking where this was going.

"When it comes right down to it, someone who's unconscious is a lot easier to save then someone who's flailing around," he finished quietly.

She thought about this for a moment, then scowled at him. "I wasn't panicking. Nor was I drowning, Joey."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's not the point."

"Well then what the hell is? Oh I get it, I'm not as stupid or clueless as you people seem to think, and you know what Joe? You're just like Andrea, you think you know what's best for me? That you can just come in and run my goddamn life?! Why is it that nobody thinks I can decide what's damned best for me!? Well the hell with you, Joey! I-"

"You're right."

"Damn you! I'll don't care what y--... huh?"

He sighed. "You're right."

"I am?! I mean, yeah, so..." she deflated. "You really irritate me, you know that, Joey? I had a good head of steam going there."

He shrugged. Only a little shrug, but a shrug nonetheless.

She stood up. He followed her.

"Well, I..." She stopped, looking around, as though for the first time. Severe cliff faces faced her to the north and south, and east and west the gorge continued until the natural bend of the walls cut off the view of further down.

"Where the hell are we?"

He raised an eyebrow again. "I thought you had to go to the bathroom."

"I just said that to get to you to take off those ropes," she said flippantly. "We've moved past that, Joey. Try to keep up."

He sighed.

"Well, where the hell are we?"

"I thought you weren't interested in my opinion," he said. Then blinked, as though surprised at himself.

She took it completely in stride. "I never said I wasn't interested in you, Joey...just that you don't have any right to run my life. Up to and including shooting me in the leg and tying me up, then taking me somewhere I already said I didn't want to go."

He sighed. "Point taken."

She brightened. "Does this mean you aren't taking me back to Bayport?"

"No."

"Dang."

He turned to the east. "We were headed in this direction before we fell into this crack. We might as well continue until we find a spot that's easy enough to climb out."

She grinned at him. "You know, this is the most I've ever heard outta you in a while, Joey. Should I be writing this down? Is this quotable Joe?"

He started walking east.

She followed after a short time.

"Don't get used to it," he said, after a while.

"Oh my God. Was that an attempt at humor?"

Silence.

"Nice try, Joey. Your delivery was off, though."

More silence.

"You kinda have to snap 'em back for it to be effective. Like, five seconds or less."

Still more silence, but Vanessa could have sworn she saw Joe smirk, if only for a nanosecond.