Airlia de Lioncourt: Thankee! *huggles* Yeah, he is a little mean huh? My little baby... ;)

AN: Come on… Review people… No more unless there's thirteen reviews. You can say why you didn't like it as long as you don't flame. Well, Flame would like it if you flamed… ;) *is totally not begging for reviews*

And Ririka is worried about her character. Does anyone think Cassia is weak and girly?

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The Inferno

Chapter 4: Law and shit.

He's dead. Jonathan is dead. This mantra danced through her head threatening to drive her insane. Cassia walked in the general direction of the bus station, she hadn't been able to shake this distressing feeling from her mind.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." She screamed, almost sobbing. She would not cry. Only weak people cried, and she was not weak. She stopped outside of Starbucks and began kicking the trashcans in front of her repeatedly. Cassia had chosen to walk the back streets so that she could take her frustrations out on any trashcan unlucky enough to be in her way "Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit!" She shrieked, giving the trashcan a final brutal kick that spilled garbage into the back allies.

The sudden blare of a police car at her back made her murmur more expletives. A number of thoughts zoomed through her head at that precise moment. But as soon as one of the officers from the car behind her stepped up beside her the only thing zooming through her head was vampire...Vampire...Fucking vampire. All of her senses were howling it in her head. What she wanted to do was pull her dagger from the thin lining of her backpack and decapitate the blood-sucking fuck. What she said was...

"Good afternoon officer, how may I help you?" The vampire lawman pulled a picture from his pocket and held it up in the light to examine it. The vampires' partner who was in fact human came to stand by his associate.

"Well...well...well, it must be our lucky day!" Cop number one whistled, showing Cassia just the barest flash of fangs.

"It's hard to believe that a little thing like this could be one of the serial arsonists we're looking for." Cop number two responded reaching for his cuffs. Okay, this is not good. I repeat not good, Cassia advised herself. What the fuck should I do? She began to back away from both police officers.

"Now, now little lady just stay right there and make this easier on yourself. Otherwise me and Officer Marten here are going to have to get rough with you." Cop number two warned, raising his hands in an unthreatening expression. Cassia looked over at his partner and that diminutive glint of ruthless fury that filled his eyes as he stared back told her that things were going to get rough no matter what. She laughed ironically in her head; it was so bloody typical 'good ol' Texas Ranger cop' Vs 'viscous psychotic monster cop'. Let's have a showdown at the OK Corral, she sniggered to herself. Considering all of the ways she could have died fighting the good fight for humanity, being arrested, charged and then tortured to death later by the Nightworld was not on her list. There was no way in hell she was going to go down like that. It was just too fucking easy.

Without further deliberation Cassia broke into a sprint heading in the opposite direction of the cops. For a split second it seemed that she might escape, but when she felt her legs give under her and strong hands grasp her shoulders she knew the leech had only been giving her false hope so that he could savour her angry response at being rounded up like the rat he believed her to be. "Shit!" She said, as she heard the metallic click of the handcuffs echo in her ears.

"Cassia Edwards I am arresting you for the crimes of arson, criminal damage and manslaughter. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you can or do say can be taken as evidence and used against you in a court of law." Vampire cop intoned, hauling her toward the patrol car. His human partner was holding open one of the back doors. "I hear you like playing with fire Cassia," He added, as he thrust her against the hood and frisked her for weapons. "Well just wait until we're alone then I'll show you some fire!" Cassia wanted to groan openly, partly because his idea of witty banter was just plain corny and partly because he had removed the wrist sheaths containing her throwing knives. He next removed the dagger from her bag and then pulled out a various multitude of stakes from her belt. But the final straw came when he found her boot knife. That was it, completely defenceless. In the past ten years Cassia couldn't recall a time when she hadn't carried a weapon, it had become a careless habit. Some girls didn't leave home without their purse. Cassia didn't leave home without major weaponry, better to be safe than sorry and dead. She thought muttering curses under her breath about stupid pigs with batons.

"You can't show me shit, Officer Marten." Cassia replied her voice calm and serious. Fang Cop chuckled and then muttered. "We'll see." As he pushed her against the cool leather upholstery of the backseat. His partner slammed the door shut and Cassia was left with the distinct urge to scream. She managed to retain her cool for most of the journey to the police precinct by thinking of how the foster family would rate this little excursion on the Cassia criminal record. It would be interesting to see the look on they faces when they found out she was a Pyro as well as a Clepto and basic delinquent. Assuming she lived that long.

"Hey blonde, do you know how many of our people you killed last night." Officer Marten interrupted; he was staring back at her angry. His partner was driving happily ignoring him.

"Probably less than you!" Cassia retorted, dryly, she looked straight back at him unflinching. Whether it was because he couldn't think of a comeback or because he was afraid she would blow his cover Officer Marten remained intelligently silent for the rest of the journey.

Cassia had watched some corny cop movies in all her eighteen years but to actually be in a cell out of one of them, wasn't so amusing. Grey walls almost soaked through with damp, a small cot bed in one corner and hookers in the cell next door. It was nice to see the American legal system hadn't lost its authentic edge. She could vaguely remember being carried through the various stages of the legal process but since she was already well aquatinted with them she hadn't been paying much attention. Thankfully Officer Marten and Deputy Dope had disappeared after they had booked her, but Cassia had a feeling Fang Cop would be back sooner or later. He was Night World scum and there was no doubt in her mind that he would serve her up to his masters the first chance he got.