Solo sighed, walked up to the apartment buildings and fumbled for her keys. Even before she reached the number twenty-seven, she could feel the tears falling. She opened the door into the darkness, even though it was one in the afternoon. Her curtains were made of heavy velvet that let little or no light in at all. It had to be like that when you shared your room with vampires from time to time. She threw her keys hard against the wall and dropped to the floor. She lay there, smelling Jack through the carpet. Where was Jack? "Jacky, you there?" Jack was the whole reason she left Nick's side. She wanted to be a vampire, yes, but she loved Jack more than life itself.

A black shadow crawled across the floor. Snuffling sounds surrounded her and something wet touched her ear. Harsh panting blew her hair askew. "Hey, Jack," Solo whispered ruffled her dog's black fur. The black Labrador seemed to smile at her in a dog-like way. He was an Artemis version of a dog, now that she looked at him. He was a very smart dog and almost seemed human at times. He nudged his wet nose against her face. He fell asleep with his head in her lap. No matter what, no matter who came along, she will never let Jack be hurt. Tonight would be a full moon. Axl would be roaming around. Axl. She needed to see him. Not right now, though, Nick needed her. 'Or so he says,' Solo said, gently easing the dogs head onto the floor. She quickly locked the door and left. Jack was the last remaining bit of her past, her house pet when she lived in California with her parents. And she did not know how wrong she was when she considered him just a family pet.

- - - - - - - - - -

The last red rays of the sun peeked through the curtains as Artemis, Holly, Root and Butler went over a new strategy with Foaly. Just because Nick was a vampire hunter doesn't mean that they couldn't find out stuff themselves. Foaly's voice floated out of the speakers when Root called for him. "Hiya, people. I've got tons of info on Axl and his groupies. And, Root; Mulch says hello."

"What about it?" Root said, bothered that the convict had contact with Foaly.

"He said it into the security cameras while robbing the Fairy Bank, again."

Root turned purple. He yelled, "I am not on duty in the Haven right now! I am trying to capture one of the most dangerous criminals on Earth!"

Foaly laughed. "Whew, that was fun. Now, on to business. Axl Blair, as you know is the spawn of the Devil."

Holly saw the confusion on Butler's face and said, "Fairy talk for the first vampires."

"Oh."

"Anyways," Foaly said clearing his throat, annoyed that he had just been interrupted. "His group consists off Dominic Rose, Shina Hellebore and Alset. These three are his most trusted companions and there's no doubt that he'd do anything for them. So the plan is to kidnap one of the three and threaten to throw them into the sunlight, killing them."

Artemis felt his brain ticking. "Why can't we just find one of his 'blood- sworns'?"

"Oh, there is a possibility for that. It's just that he had only had two in his life. Dominick and Reret . . ."

"Why are telling this stuff to humans?" Reret all but screamed. She and Nick were awake.

"Because they are a part of the plan," Holly tried not to yell back.

"Then you have to mind wipe them after this!"

Artemis shook his head. "No. If I am going to help capture this Axl, I am ridding the world of a criminal, so I think my reward will be to keep my memories, thank you very much."

"Me, too," Butler nodded.

Holly raised an eyebrow. "What about Solo? I don't trust her knowing about us, since you don't trust our mortals to know about you."

"Yes, I think that is entirely acceptable," Foaly said. "If you don't let us mind wipe her, I'm afraid we can't give you the full fairy support that you are going to need in this. I will not erase everything, but just the stuff about us."

Nick considered it. They needed the fairy technology really bad, and did Solo really need to know about the fairies? "Sure, why not?"

- - - - - - - - - -

Solo shook her head. 'Go figure he'd do this without my permission. If he won't ask my permission, then I won't ask for his.' Solo turned from Nick's hotel room and headed for the nearest restaurant. She opened the door to Denny's and waited a few minutes to be seated. "Two please."

She nodded as the Denny's waiter asked her if she'd be waiting for someone. "His name will be Axl."

The waited gave a little laugh. "Axl Rose? From Guns 'N Roses?" He stopped laughing and cleared his throat when he saw the look on her face. "Ahem, well this way, if you please."

Once seated, she looked around at the tables. A lot of people were here eating with their significant other. "Hey, there!" Solo jumped. Dominic, Axl and some other vampire were standing in front of her. "It's a pleasure to see you again, ma cher." Dominic winked.

"I wish I could say the same about you," she said, sipping her glass of water. Dominic rolled his eyes and shrugged. Axl sat across from Solo and took her hand.

"It's been only a month since you've met me and you already know that I have been fallowing you."

"That's why I asked for a table for two." The other vampire looked at the two with a look of disgust on his dark face. "But, I didn't know you'd bring your friends." She motioned to Dominic who was sweet-talking some girl two tables over.

"Do you expect I'd come in a mile radius of Nick without a few bodyguards? Oh, this is Alset." Alset nodded, but did nothing more.

"You're right, you might need them. So, I will do whatever you like, just turn me into one of you."

"Done deal."

"Reret was your blood-sworn?" Solo said suddenly. "And Dominic?" She heard Dominic snort, holding back laughter.

"No, no. Not that Dom!" He shuddered at the thought. "Dominick with a K at the end. He was the vampire that made me."

"And Reret?"

"She made Dominick, though she'd never admit it. She was just a fling for me."

There was breaking of glass as a blonde waitress dropped a tray. When she looked up, her eyes flashed red. "What about me, Axl?"

"What about you, Shina?" Solo said, waving a hand, dismissing the girl.

"A lot is about me. Besides," she said, flicking her blonde hair over her shoulder, "I'm the one who caught your group."

"Group?" Axl and Solo said at the same time.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Nick suddenly shouted, "Down! Get down!" The door busted open and people with guns and fangs approached. Butler quickly threw Artemis out the window. 'Only a three foot drop, he won't hurt himself, I hope,' Butler thought. The intruders didn't notice Butler throwing Artemis out and quickly subdued Butler, having already taken Root and Holly's weapons, and had paralyzed Nick and Reret. Butler's mind was racing. As long as Artemis was okay. One of the vampires smiled a wicked smile and leaned out of the window. Butler tackled the vampire, and caught a glimpse of outside. Artemis was gone. He heard a Vampire shout, "Unshield now!" and everything went black.

- - - - - - - - - -

Artemis landed so hard on the pavement that the whole world became one big blur. A vaguely human shape grabbed him by the arm (or was it the leg?) and dragged him off into the shadows. This was too much. He twisted around, kicking his captor in the leg. It crumpled and limped. Artemis decided to take a break for it. He spun around and headed toward the parking lot with his attempted kidnapper on his tail. The world was spinning and Artemis had no doubt that he had suffered head injuries from his short fall. Even Holly looked like she had twelve heads. Holly? He took a step toward her and blackness filled his vision.

- - - - - - - - - -

Solo hissed as Artemis kicked her in the shin. She clutched her leg and tried to go after him at the same time, causing her the fall forward. She defiantly wanted to be vampire because of their grace, but even vampirism wouldn't help her not fall every once in a while. She let out a cry of frustration as the boy fell the pavement and the fairy picking him off the ground and pulling him away from her. Her frustration grew even more as she saw the vampires leaving with the others.

- - - - - - - - - -

Axl picked the glass out of his bleeding hand. When he heard that Shina had captured the Artemis boy and Nick, he had gripped the glass he was holding so hard that the cup had shattered itself into his hand. After the last piece was out, he willed the wound to close and the wound felt itchy as it closed up. He sat in a blue convertible Dodge Viper with Nine Inch Nails' Head Like a Hole blaring through his speakers. Nine Inch Nails had captured a lot of what it meant to be a vampire, even though they didn't know it. Money and power was what it was all about, something that is hard to take away from vampires. He kicked his feet up onto the leather seat and waited for Shina, who deserved a little credit for this.

She arrived not too long afterward with a body slung over her shoulder. Several people looked at her as she walked toward the car. "Drunk 'til he passed out," was her response to people's questioning looks. Axl leaned over and opened the passenger side door for her. She put the body on her lap and set him up so it looked like he just wanted to sit on her. Finally, Artemis was his. Shina tipped the body's head back a bit so it rested against her shoulder. That wasn't Artemis. Axl yelled out and jumped out of the car without even opening the door. Shina moved the body a bit and turned off the radio. "What's your problem?"

Axl decided that she did not deserve more than what she had right now. She didn't even deserve to be his Blood-Sworn right now. "What are you doing with Dominick?"

"Dom? Where?" Shina looked over here shoulder and when she didn't see that buoyant French boy, it hit her. Dominick, the creator of Axl was sitting on her lap. Dominick, who was part of the second generation of vampires, was sitting defenseless in her lap. A smile twisted across her face. Instead of apologizing, she suggested she get rid of him.

Axl pulled up to the cathedral and hopped out. Vampires weren't really scared of crosses; they didn't melt when one was pressed to their skin, at least, not now because they had become immune. Axl opened the door and jumped to one of the highest beams. Shina threw a loop of barbed wire up to him before she climbed up with Dominick in her arms. Axl tied him and jumped down, just in time to see Alset bring in Butler, Root and Reret.

= = = = = = =

Whoa! It's been forever since I updated! Well, school started so ya can't blame me! So, r+r plez! New Chap soon up!