(AN:  Okay, I've been reading JTHM:Director's Cut for the past few days straight so I think I'm improving in getting Johnny more into character.  So yay!  And I had a lot of fun writing Piper in this chapter, b/c you get to see her "smart ass" side!  YAY!  Anyway, Johnny doesn't belong to me … Tristan and Piper do … yadda yadda yadda … read!  And thank you to my one reviewer, who showed me that someone is reading this piece of crap I wrote.)

            Piper watched, from the cover of an alley, as Johnny sat in Taco Hell, listening rather aptly to another woman's very animate conversation.  Piper squinted, trying to think of where she might have seen her before … but her mind drew a blank.  Besides, the woman wasn't important.  What was important was getting close enough to him to talk to him, and persuade him to let her straighten things out in his life.  This would be a difficult task, as she knew that he was currently fighting off all forms of control … but it was worth a try. 

                Inside the Taco Hell, Johnny was half-listening to what Tristan had to say.  He had to admit, he liked the idea of having some sort of companionship.  But maintaining a companionship of any kind meant having to maintain emotions, and he didn't want to have anything to do with those wretched things.  And Tristan seemed rather unstable, even more so than he ever was … she killed simply because she liked the sight of blood.  She enjoyed the feeling she got from taking away something so precious from someone; something they could never gain back once it was gone.  He used to be like that, he remembered.  He didn't much care for the sight of blood, he hated anything that came from humans … but he couldn't deny at one time he did enjoy killing people.

                "I was weak and naïve then …" He thought to himself bitterly.  "I was a slave to something other than myself."  He looked out the window, staring at the back alley for a few moments before he noticed … someone was staring back.

                "Nny?" Tristan's voice interrupted him. "Have you been listening to a bloody word I've said?"

                "Yes yes, interesting … um … I'll see you back at the house."  He promised, sliding out of the booth.

                Not paying any mind to the stares and the comments he was getting from the other customers, he stealthy stalked out of the building. 

                "Shit!" Piper cursed to herself, sliding back into the shadows the alley had to offer.  She knew he'd be coming this way, and she just wasn't ready to meet with him yet. "What about you oh-so-brilliant plan?" A voice nagged in her head. Screw the plan, she needed to get out of there before he saw her face-to-face.

                She turned and ran, only getting a foot or two when she bumped into someone rather large and muscular.  "Watch where you're going!" She spat, and was answered by a large hand wrapping around her throat. That was the problem with having an attitude …

… Sometimes it got you into deep trouble.

                "That certainly isn't a way a lady ought to be speaking …" The man's voice rasped, his dangerous gray eyes were level with her ice-green colored ones. She felt cold steel on her throat. "It's not … polite."

                "I'm warning you … I've been trained for years and years in many different forms of defense.  If you let me go now, maybe I'll consider not kicking your sorry ass!"

                She gasped, when she felt cold steel plunged into her right hip. And the warmth of her own blood flowing downward, soaking her jeans and the bottom part of her shirt. 

                "And if you keep quiet, maybe you'll be dead by the time I get finished with you."  He vowed.  No sooner the threat left his lips, she heard him hiss in pain, and more blood was sprayed on her.  Her was plucked from her sight, and she heard the unmistakable sound of flesh being ripped apart in very unnatural ways. (AN: Writing gore is fun!  Try it!  Yay!)

                She gulped, reminding her lungs that they needed to start sucking air in again.  Her hand traveled down to her wound, and she found out that she was loosing quite a lot of blood.  Next thing she knew, there was another knife at her throat … and a different face, although this one had enough consideration to not stick itself right in front of hers.

                "Why were you staring at me?" Johnny wasted no time in getting to the point.

                Piper cracked a smirk, despite the dizzy feeling she was getting in her head. "Heh, you get rid of … one knife wielding maniac … and along comes another."

                "Answer my question!" He demanded.  Wow, he sounded far away.

                "… 'D love to but … due to … severe blood loss … passing out … now." Piper managed, before blacking out and slumping rather quickly down the wall.

                "Screaming.  Lots of it.  So many people … in pain.  In misery.  Ouch … why does my spine hurt?"  The room faded into view, slowly.  A little too slowly for Piper's liking.  Her mouth tasted like sand, and her body felt like it had been used as a soccer ball in a tennis match.  She groaned, trying to stretch her arms to make sure they were still there.  "Agh!  I can't feel my arms!" She screamed, and then realized that they were behind her … tied together at the wrists.  She looked up, and saw that she was hanging from a metal bar, being held up by a rope tied under her arms. "Oh … this is not good."  But hey, at least her wound was patched up.

                She heard footsteps, coming down the stairs.  The unmistakable clink clink clink of metal meeting with hardwood, a steady, taunting beat. 

                And then he entered the room.  He didn't look at her at first, and she thought maybe he was going to walk right past her without giving her so much as a glance.  With his back turned to her, he greeted in a rather sinister way "… Good morning … sunshine."

                "Aww … mornin' cupcake."

                He turned on his heels, showing that he held to large daggers in his hands.  "My my … don't we have a bit of an attitude problem.  I could adjust that for you." He offered, cocking his head to the side.

                "First of all … it's not 'a bit' of an attitude problem, it's a full-fledged one.  And second, nah … I'd rather have it left alone thank you."

                He smiled. "You're funny.  Almost pains me that I have to kill you."

                She looked down at her bandaged hip.  "If you're going to kill me … then why did you bother fixing me up?"

                "You can't answer my questions if you've bled to death." He answered simply, as if she was already supposed to know that. "First question … why were you staring at me in that alley?"

                "Because I wanted to know where you were."

                "And why did you want to know?"

                "Because it's my job."

                "What's your job?"

                Piper smiled. "To watch you. To keep tabs on you.  It's my job to watch over you … Johnny."

                His eyes widened. "… How did you know my name?"

                "It was on your name tag." She said cutely.

                "Cute … how did you know it."

                "I know lots of things about you, Johnny C.  I know every little thing you've done, every little secret you keep … everything."

                His eyes narrowed. "You lie."

                Piper scoffed, looking upward as if she were looking for an answer in the ceiling.  "Lets see … what shall we talk about … hmmm … I know, how about that nice man who was going around asking questions for a survey.  He was just doing his job, no matter how silly his questions were … that wasn't nice of you to mutilate him, Johnny."  She smiled at his reaction, which was his eyes widening again. "Or … or how about that other nice man … what was his name … ah!  Edgar.  Edgar Vargas … he was kind to you.   The closest thing you ever got to a friend … and yet you still ripped him to shreds.  Tisk … tisk … tisk.  Then there was Jimmy oh, he admired you but he doesn't count.  He was one sick fuck, and I for one … think he deserved what he got and then some."

                "Stop." Johnny commanded.

                Just then Piper gasped. "Oh … or … what about … Devi.  Devi, Devi, Devi …" She repeated the name as if it were the last word he'd hear. "Now there … was a nice girl.  You two had so much in common!  You would've made a great couple!  But no … no you couldn't let that happen could you?"

                His blood boiled.  She was mocking him! In an instant, he was a few inches in front of her … one blade touching her throat while the other hung at his side in case it was needed.  "How do you know these things?" He demanded an answer.

                "Simple … because it's my job to know everything about you.  Just like it's my job to watch over you.  I'm also supposed to make sure you don't stray from your kinds duties … which we have to talk about because lets face it … you've done some terrible things to people who didn't deserve it."

                Johnny shook his head in disbelief. "What are you?" Was the only question he could think of.

                "Johnny C … my name is Piper Mackenzie." She introduced. "I'm your Guardian."