Chapter Two: The Flip side of the Coin.

Three days later...

The Caspains started off as a small rock club that was located on the water front over looking Lake Merritt, was now a very large restaurant, and nightclub, that was known in the bay area as the primere place to listen to potential up and comers in the music industry, and a place to be seen by the crème of the Bay Area Wealthy Inhabitants.

Yet for one Cassandra Frasier, she rather be at the local college hangouts in Berkeley, drinking a nice cold beer with her friends than be here. The Caspains was totally not her style, nor could she stand the rich snobs that frequent the club, who rather either make snide comments about 'the help', try to hit on her, or totally ignore her presence all together.

It was 1 o'clock in the morning and the club like always at this time at night was jumping, the place was packed with designer garbed socialites. Who was her job to make sure that got what ever they wanted while they were in the club. So dressed in a short black knit shirt with the club logo blazoned on the front that stop at two inches underneath her breasts, and a even shorter skirt to complement it. The outfit at it's best was a beckon for pick up lines, and vastly unveiled gropes from the patrons, both male and female patrons. She shivered at the thought as she made her way to the bar, on her way to pick up another order, when she suddenly found herself flat on her ass, and her tray, plus her meager tips on strewn on the floor. 'Damn, high heels!" she thought with a sigh.

Suddenly she felt a pair of eyes on her. She quickly with a unpronounced grace of a jungle cat stood up, and retrieved her tray & tips from the floor. She tried to ignore the feeling of being watched and continued on her way to the bar. Not even the seeing the pair of blue eyes that watched the whole way.

Richie Ryan was not having a good time. Actually he rather be at home than at the Caspains. God only knew how both Bill and their dates got into this club tonight, personally he didn't want to know with Bill's many connections. The woman next to him a long legged brunette, who was constantly spouting out at the mouth about topics that he knew nothing about. The Stock Market, The latest fashion, and gossip from around the Bay. He tried to pay attention to her, but he felt his eyes glaze over at the very sound of her hight pitch, bubbly voice. He looked over to his friend, who basically manipulate him into this dating debacle. Bill was too busy sticking his tongue down his equally blonde companion. Richie knew that he wasn't going to get any help from him.

Suddenly, he felt a warm hand on his thigh, and had to stifle an groan. He really didn't need this. It was a temptation that would lead to a quick bout of pleasure then the void of emptiness would engulf him. He closed his eyes, and took a deep breathe before he opened eyes, and was astounded by the sight of the waitress passing by them, with a tray in her on the way to the bar.

She was beautiful petite woman, obviously no older than late teens early twenties. She had short dark red hair, that fell inches above her shoulder. The uniform hugged to her curves that made him ache to trace with his hands. He body ache with arousal that made him lucky that table was covering the lower half of his body.

Just as suddenly, the woman tripped on something he couldn't identified from this long of distance. His first instinct was to wretch his date's hand from his thigh, and help her. A possessivness came to him that caught him off guard.

Then just as abruptly as she fell on the floor, she was up again with a grace that he felt inviting, and had continued her trek to the bar.

A need that he never felt before rushed through him. He wanted to know her, wanted to see her again. And it scared him. This need to know a stranger that he never met in his life.

Without warning the siren song of a Immortal Presence hit him. He instinctively clutched his sword in his coat. He his search his immediate environment, looking for the unknown threat. Thoughts of his mystery woman replaced by his quarry. His now ice cold blue eyes found the eyes the immortal. He was as tall as him, but wider in width. His dirty blonde hair had a shagginess to it that couldn't be contain by any hairdresser. He was well dressed in a blue silk shirt, and matched by equally expensive looking trousers, and Italian loafers. The man narrowed his eyes and nodded towards the rear door to club. Richie closed his eyes in sighed in frustration. Silently damning his Immortality and the Game.

He turned to his date, and tried to remember her name. Cindi...Mindi...Mandy...that's it Mandy.

"Mandy,I'll be right back."

"Where you going?" she whinnied.

He gave her a charming smile. "To the little boys room-he took her hand and gave it a brief kiss on her knuckles-I promise I'll be right back."

And with that, he scooted out the booth, his eyes connecting with the other immortal, and nodded towards the bathroom. The man nodded his head in understanding. Richie made his way through the crowd of people, pawning off advances from some of the patrons as he made his way to pass the bathroom towards the rear door. Making sure the immortal was following him. He opened up the door and stepped outside in the cool January air, and waited for the Immortal.

He didn't have to wake long.

The man stood tall, and still. A menace glinting off his eyes as he stared at him.

"Donovan Green." the man introduced himself as he took out his sword out of his sheath.

"Richard Ryan." said Richie, as he copied the man's actions and took out his sword. "And you we don't have to do this."

Donovangrowled at him. "There can be only one."

Richie reframed from rolling his eyes. He didn't head hunt anymore, he was way passed that dark time. He only fought when he had no other choice. And he really didn't want to enter a challenge now. He rather be trying to figure out who that redheaded waitress was.

" Look, I really don't want to fight you. So why don't we just let this go, an go back inside the club, and forget all about this." Richie tried to reason with the stranger.

"What lookie here, I got myself a coward."

Richie sigh in defeat. He knew how this was going go. At least he tried to reason with the guy.

"Look, you want a challenge that badly, I'll give you a challenge."

"Well it looks like you got some balls, after all."

Richie ignored the insult and continued on."Okay we can't do this now. There are too many witnesses."

The man nodded, and stroked his chin with his free hand. "Meet at the old million sixth street off of lakeside in a hour. Don't skip out on me boy or I just have to hunt ya down."

Richie narrowed his eyes at the man. "I'll be there. You can count on that." he promised.

An hour later...

"God, I'm soooo glad my shift is over." commented Jojo as she whipped down the last table.

"You and me both. If I had stay another minute in these heels, I think I might never walk again." half joked Cassandra as she placed the chair on the table.

Jojo chuckled and replaced the rag on the bar, before she wrapped a friendly arm Cassie. "So by the way, are you going out with Harry, Sunday?"

Cassie gave a frustrated sigh, as they both went to gather their jacket and purses from the rear cloak room. "Like I told you at lunch. I'm not going. I rarely I have time to take a shower everyday, nor less go out on a date. And besides, I don't do blind dates. You know that."

"Aww, Cas. C'mon." pleaded Jojo as Jojo put on her coat.

"No, Jo. I'm not doing it, and that's finial!" stated Cassie firmly. Jojo rolled her eyes at her friend. She was not giving up on the younger girl. She needed to get out there and date. And maybe get laid before she died a virgin.

Both Girls said their goodbyes to the bartenders, the bouncers and made their way to their cars. Both Promising to call each other tomorrow. Cassie drop her purse on the passenger side seat and started up her silver Acura. And headed to her dorm room in Berkeley.

She was so glad to go home. And was silently counting the days intill she was off. She was glad she only worked three days a week.

As Cassie passed the access road that led up to the Highway 24 that went to Berkley, she noticed a swarm of policemen, firemen, and EMS surrounding a crunched up red BMW, and late model Honda CRX.

She decided to double back and take a short cut through the waterfront district. She had gone only a couple miles, when she heard the tell-tale splutter from her engine, before it stop completely on her.

Cassie cursed underneath her breath as she shut off the engine, check the Gase gage. "Shit. I thought I filled it up before I went to work."

She popped the truck, got out her car, and made sure her pepper spray was in her pocket, and retrieved the gas can from her back trunk. That was when she first heard a sound she hadn't heard since she was eleven years old.

The familiar sound of steel against steel. The sound of swords fighting. And It was coming from the abandoned Steel Mill, a couple blocks from here. Then just as suddenly, she saw the strangest sight.

A Lighting Storm, but there was not a cloud in the sky. Despite everything that she was taught from Jack, Sam and the others, Cassie was curiosity hit her, and she found herself walking...no running to the mill. Desperate to find out what was going on. The freak lighting storm continued on as she ran. The glass out the windows suddenly blew out. She ducked downed and covered herself with her arms and hands. Desperate to cover her face from the onslaught. Just as suddenly as the lighting storm began, it ended. And all was quite.

Eerinessof the quite made her a cold shiver run down her spine as she stood up. Careful to dust off the glass from her arms hands. She swore at the stinging pain of the cuts. 'Just a perfect ending to a crappy night.' She thought to herself.

Then she heard something that froze her in her tracks. The sound of heavy breathing. She looked over to the distance, wondering if she just put gas in her car and run. Yet her feet were moving without her consent, into the darkness of the mill.

After the encounter with Donovan Green, Richie lingered for ten more minutes before he made his excuses to his date, and Bill. Making up some lame excuses about a sudden headache, before he headed over to the Mill. He made it to the mill in record time. And he enough time to scout out the territory,made sure that Green was fighting far. Afterwards he waited for thirty minutes intill the headlights of a Black Lexus drove up on the gravel parking lot. Donovan got out of his car, and gave him a menacing smile.

" So you did show up after all."

" Are you going to stand their all night, are we going to get this show on the road."

" 'Seems you are quiet a hurry to die, boy. All the better for me." replied Donovan as he walked into the abandoned building, with Richie following him at a slower sedated pace. They stopped intill their were standing in the middle of the building. Donovan took his long sword out of his coat and swung around expertly, while Richie followed suit and retrieved his rapier sword out of his own long trench coat. And waited for Donovan to make the first move.

Again, he didn't have to wait long.

With an exaggerated war cry, Donovan attacked in flurry of motion, Parrying and thrusting. He was good.

Yet Richie was better, and faster.

It took all of about ten minutes to end the fight with savage slice against the man's large hand stings, and the lethal blow severing Donovan's head from his body.

Richie sighed in relief for a moment, before the Quicking engulfed him, feeling his body, and mind with Donovan's power, & his essence.

Richie later surmise that Donovan must taken some power Immortals head, because the Quicking, because he found himself kneeling in pain and ecstasy and the next moment, he was laying flat on his back, his mind driving swiftly into unconscious.

Cassie gasped at the sight she beheld. There was a headless man laying on the floor, his sword still gripped tightly in his hand even after death. Who in this day age actually still fought sword? She asked her, trying to hold down the remnants of her dinner. There was so much blood around her. And she could already smell the tell-tale smells of death. A smell she remembered all too well from her time post apocalyptic Hanka.

The sound of the heavy breathing got louder, and the rapid fear began to grow out control into morbid panic. Why did she come here? There was a murder not two feet from her, and she had to come in her and check out like some stupid movie heroine. If Jack, and the others could see her now! And yet, once again she found her feet moving on it's own accord, closer and closer to the sound.

Then she saw it. A silhouette of a man. And a sword, the sword that killed that poor man not two feet from her. Her feet kept moving closer, her body had a will of it's own. It was heeding her commands of her brain to get the hell out there. No she felt herself kneeling down, her hand hovering over the man, almost touching, but not.

Suddenly the main arched up, as he gave a ragged gasp. She tried to move, willed her body to move. Yet she was stuck there by some foreign force.

Suddenly, she found her fingers touching the man's arm. The skin underneath her fingers soft, yet also hard with muscle. Her face hovering over his in terror and in something else she couldn't define. Abruptly his hands shot out and pulled her close, molding her body to his hard one. His body working on instinct, and his mouth was suddenly on hers. Kissing her passionately, possessively, brusingly, and Cassie couldn't help the way her body responded to him. His tongue meeting hers stroke. Kissing her intill she was out breath.

Just as abruptly the kiss ended. And reality set in. She looked around, and the shadowed figure of the man that just invaded her mouth, and quickly got out and fleeted from the building. Not at all seeing the the man who snapping pictures from the rooftop.

Soundtrack

'Are you that somebody'Alliyah

'I got that (Boom, Boom)' BritanySpears.
'Building a mystery' Sarah Maclachann

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