The Serum

Part 11

AN: Dedicated to Anita Blake - for the number of times she's almost shot Edward doing this It could be better, but then I might be competition and I am not worthy.

He hammered on the door again. Why wasn't she answering, her ring had traced to here. It was possible, of course, that she wasn't wearing it, but why would it be at her home. Unless Nikki had done something to her Thoughts of Shalimar tied up inside the room, unable to get to the door, flooded into his mind unasked. She had been wearing the ring at Sanctuary so at the very least someone had brought that ring back to the apartment

He wasn't thinking rationally. Nikki was Shalimar's friend, or had been at least. It wasn't like she would hurt her. But then why would she have lied about what Shalimar had said? Because there was no way she would have said that. Was there?

She might have taken a night shift at the police station, maybe she would be there. Decision made, he span on his heel to drive to the police station - only to find Nikki stood behind him.

"Oh now isn't this interesting." She laughed throatily. Thoughts of Shalimar bound and hurt came flooding back, making him take a step back. "My, you're jumpy this evening Jess."

"What are you doing here?" He asked, stepping forward again. He jumped again as she pulled a jacket from behind her back suddenly.

"Eliza left her coat behind. I was bringing it back to her." It was a perfectly rational explanation - so why didn't he believe her?

"She's not in. I was going to find her at the station, I'll take it to her." He held out his hand for the jacket.

"I don't think you heard me when I told you she didn't want to see you Jess. Why are you here?"

"It's not Jess, it's Jesse, Nikki. And I'm here because Shalimar's my friend and I care about her. Something's not right."

"Shalimar is it? What happened to 'Shalimar's dead', I don't think our dear Eliza would be too happy to have you running around exposing her now, would she. Not now that she's 'normal' again." She spat the word normal with distaste. He cursed his slip up, wishing it was simple to forget one person and relearn who they were. Was Eliza really Shalimar? Did he know Eliza at all? Was he mistaken, was Nikki telling the truth about what she had said? No, no he wouldn't believe that.

"Give me that jacket Nikki. I'll see you later." He said in what he hoped was a demanding voice.

"Oh, my. Aren't we just the little pushy one." She mocked, laughing again. "Tell you what. Come and get it." And she held it out to him, her whole posture asking for a confrontation. Gritting his teeth, Jesse stepped up to her.

Eliza laughed as Jaylynn stumbled on the step out of the bar. They had spent a good night comiserating each other's downfalls and after several drinks they were too drunk to care what either of them had said. Eliza leaned over as Jaylynn pulled herself back of the pavement, whispering, "I think you should know. You're a little drunk."

"Do you wanna know something?" She replied. "You're pissed as a fart." Eliza waved a hand over her mouth in a gesture that might have looked like mock-horror if she had been able to keep her hand still.

"I hadn't noticed." She giggled.

"No, me either."

"Lets get a taxi home. I have some beers in the fridge."

"Sounds good to me."

There was blood on the floor. It was the most sobering thing Eliza had ever seen. What made it worse was the fact that she could smell it. It filled her senses and pushed all alcohol-induced clouds to one side.

Jaylynn had seen it, reaching for a gun that wasn't there by her side. Eliza wondered if she could smell it too or if it was her returning feral senses that made the scent such a physical thing, something she could roll around on her tongue, something to savour. She pushed the thoughts aside. There was blood on the floor outside her apartment, her sanity could be stored for analysis later.

"So how did you guys take it so good?" Eliza asked, trying to make her voice as normal as possible. Jaylynn looked at her wide-eyed before realising what she was doing and going along with it.

"Umm I dunno. I guess there's so much weirdness around. It's almost an anticlimax when someone tells you it's a an overblown science experiment. And maybe it just hasn't sunk in yet that one of our friends might be an ex-overblown science experiment." Eliza laughed softly, taking out the keys to her apartment from her bag. She gestured for Jaylynn to continue as she stood alongside the door rather than in front of it to open it. If the person inside had a gun they would be aiming through the door as she opened it and she would be out of the way.

"Plus you've always have had something about you. You don't act like someone who's come of the streets, with your body-language and your fighting skill. I suppose it wasn't that unexpected." Jaylynn took up a post on the other side of the doorframe. If the person was hiding on the other side of the wall alongside the door she would be able to see them straight away.

Eliza swung the door open heavily as she unlocked it, ducking out of the way as soon as she could. The door bounced off the wall levelly. No one behind the door. She glanced over a Jaylynn who shook her head. No one hiding behind the doorframe. Good. She stepped into the doorway quickly, she had no gun and no way to protect herself, but she was hoping that she would be able to move out of the way quick enough if someone started firing.

She stopped in the doorway, confused. Nikki was sat on her sofa, Jesse sat beside her, both watching TV. "Nikki?" She asked. The blond feral shifted and suddenly she could see ever so clearly that Jesse wasn't watching the TV.

Her moment's hesitation was enough to give Nikki time to move right up beside her.

"Welcome home 'Eliza'. I changed my mind, you have to die."