A/N Holy crap, Kij updating on time, must be a miracle. So I wrote this as a one shot (which would be why these chapters are rather short) and really it's just at the edit phase. Lucky for you. I hope you enjoy the second instalment of this trilogy, more than the first, as it's the king of thing that builds y'know. Thanks always to InSecret, magic!

- Part Two -

Harley would tell people later that when he found him 'the kid' was barely more than skin and bones. But the gruelling months he had spent on the street had given him a hardness that suited Harley's teaching. And so, against his better judgment, he took the boy under his wing, and taught him everything he knew.

…

Gordon never spoke about the months before his mentor found in a dark alleyway, the known hunting ground of a vampire couple, except to say he'd been looking for information on vampires and that he wanted to become a hunter.

Harley suspected there was more to it when noted the split lip and sullen jut of the kid's chin, but a lifetime of hunting evil hadn't left Harley well equipped to deal with sensitive issues, so he didn't press. He thought maybe the kid would tell him eventually, but Gordon rarely said more than he had to.

It was from Harley that Gordon learnt to hunt vampires. They tracked some fangs across the country, and a whole year passed before Harley finally asked: 'Why?'

'A fang. It took my sister.'

Harley saw a flash of something gentle before Gordon's face hardened again. He recognized the look as barely disguised sorrow and a spark of sympathy flared in his gut.

'Well why didn't you say so? We'll track 'em down!'

'NO!' Gordon was adamant. 'I want to do this one on my own.'

Harley chuckled derisively. 'You're not ready, and who knows what they'll do to you before you are.'

'I am ready!'

'You haven't killed one vampire on your own yet. Go this alone and you won't survive.'

'I. Want. To. Do. This. Kill.' Gordon was glaring at his mentor, but Harley didn't budge.

'I'm going after them tomorrow,' the older man declared. 'It's up to you whether or not you're coming too.'

He took Gordon's silence as unwilling assent, confirmed the next morning when he found Gordon waiting in the passenger seat of his truck. They drove in silence, unbroken until they hit the state border, when Harley announced: 'You're going to have to tell me what happened.'

Gordon's response was military and emotionless.

'Fang climbed in through the upstairs window, proceeded to attack my sister. I entered, armed, one rifle. Shot the creature, which had no effect, it knocked me out.'

Harley found it odd that the creature had left the kid relatively unharmed, but didn't comment on it. Instead he grinned and teased, 'You shot it?'

'I was unaware that it was anything other than human,' grunted Gordon defensively.

'Poor souls, no idea what's out there,' sighed Harley. The man's uncle had been a hunter, trained him since birth to know what was out there and kill it where it lurked. 'So you're planning to specialize in fangs?'

It was Harley's idea of small talk, the hunter equivalent of, 'So you're thinking about a journalism major?'

'That is the plan, sir.'

'Well you've got a good arm on you, that's the main thing. Play baseball in high school?'

'And football, sir.'

'Real athletic then.' Harley nodded approvingly. 'Were you captain?'

'No, sir, too many rich white for that.'

'Yeah, they always get it, huh.'

'Seems that way, sir.'

It was the best conversation they had in the six months it took to track down the vampires that had abducted Selene. The closer they got the harder it became for Harley to get anything out of his obsessive young protégé.

…

'We go in tonight.'

A short nod; he'd have missed it he wasn't watching for it.

'I think you're ready for the kill.'

'Sir.'

The acknowledgment was followed by another quick nod. Still Gordon refused to show any real emotion. Harley remembered his excitement at getting his first kill after years of being left out in the cold. It wasn't normal for a hunter to be so indifferent towards his craft, but Harley sensed something deeper in Gordon's behaviour. He dismissed the unsettled feeling in his gut. The kid would make a good hunter, that was what mattered.

…

The group didn't bother to check their noise as they drank and partied late into the night. The farm was deserted, and anyway, a callous twist and snap of the neck was enough to deal with any townsperson silly enough to wander out this far.

In the centre of the group a young girl, dark as night, wrapped herself around their leader, whispering seductively in his ear. The pair grinned at each other, looks which held no mercy.

They barely even flinched as the roar of a chainsaw filled the air. With the noise they couldn't fail to see the big man standing at the edge of the clearing, an equally ruthless expression in his eyes.

The vampires all stepped forward, around their leader and his newest mate. The chainsaw might take down a few of them, but the rest would get their revenge. Only the dark-skinned girl looked past the bold hunter, and trembled, enough for her partner to notice.

'Selene?' he questioned her.

She shook her head. 'I'll be back. It's fine, Latro. I promise.'

She had seen the young black man still standing in the darkness of the surrounding trees, the glint of a machete hanging from an unwilling hand. She knew him, knew how easily he could become a fearsome enemy. But not to her, never to her.

'Hey brother,' she said softly as she sauntered over to him, all swinging hips and shrewd smile. She grinned at the shock that registered on his face.

He stumbled forward. 'Selene?' he gasped. 'But… but how?'

'Oh baby, didn't you figure it out yet?' she cajoled sweetly. 'He never wanted to kill me, he wanted to make me his.' Her smile widened as she showed him her fangs. They glinted in the moonlight, bright with blood, and Gordon cringed and stepped back, resisting the urge to retch at the metallic tang that filtered through the air.

'We'll fix this,' he said desperately. 'There's a way… there's got to be a way for me to save you!'

'I don't want you to fix it!' His sister's tone changed; suddenly she was vicious and angry. 'Latro's taken me so high and I don't ever want to come down. I'm sorry baby, but I'm never going to be saved, not now that he's changed me.' She shot a wolfish grin over her shoulder at her lover, curly hair bouncing on her shoulders.

'I'll kill him. I'll fucking kill him!' Gordon charged forward with this angry statement, only stopping when Selene stepped into his path, using her whole body to block him.

'You couldn't the first time,' she hissed. 'I doubt you've learnt much since then. Besides, even if you did manage it… I would rip you to shreds.' She pulled away, letting her hand caress his cheek almost fondly. 'You wouldn't stand a chance big brother.'

He blinked and she was gone, back in Latro's arms. He howled with an anger borne mostly from grief and ran towards them. A few of the younger vampires stepped back in surprise, older ones in amusement. Most ignored him. From across the battlefield Harley looked up, shouted something that didn't even register with Gordon. The young hunter was completely focused on the leader, and the undead man glanced up, sensing the fight. A wicked grin spread beneath his beard.

'Well, well, well…'

'Gordon, get back!' Gordon paid no attention to Harley, even as the man ran towards him, swinging his heavy chainsaw like a toy. 'Gordon…' The older hunter paused, eyes widening as he recognized the resemblance between his protégé and the leader's mate. 'Gordon!' he yelled again. But Latro had already stalked forward. He smiled cunningly through his dark beard, his eyes full of unforgiving laughter. His skin seemed to glow luminously, pale and sickly, almost blue.

'Remember me, huh kid? You seem stupider.'

He reached for Gordon, smirking with amusement. He was still grinning when Harley swung the chainsaw, severing his head.

Harley didn't wait for Latro's head to hit the dirt before grabbing Gordon, running away from the fight and Selene's rising wail. The sound sent chills down his spine.

'I'm sorry, Jesus Christ, I'm sorry…'

Harley's sympathies didn't even register with Gordon. He had been reduced to the mumbling blankness that had overwhelmed him the last time he had met Latro, allowing the older hunter to drag him helplessly away.

…

Harley didn't know what to do to help Gordon, he didn't even know if the kid would reach normal again. Well, relative normality anyhow, a hunter's normal. So he did what he needed to do, and took advantage of Gordon's state.

…

Gordon's arms were aching when he stirred the next evening. He automatically pulled his hands up to scrub the sleep from his face, and winced in pain when he discovered they were tied behind him. The shock woke him enough to notice the hard corner of the post pressed against his back. He could see Harley shifting about the room inspecting the weapons.

'Why?'

'Did you really think I'd let you come with me after that little display?' Harley didn't even turn around, a disregard that only inflamed Gordon's anger.

'You can't fucking do this! She's my sister. I'm the only one who gets to decide what happens to her! You're just like every other heartless son of a bitch out there. You can't do this! You can't!' Gordon's anger dissipated suddenly and he slumped against the post. It took Harley a second to realize he was crying, but this time he looked around.

'Gordon, son,' he said gently, 'I know this is hard for you. I don't want you to see her like that.'

'You knew.' Gordon's eyes were hot with blame.

'No.' Harley shook his head. 'I hoped you were right and the vampire just took her body, but I couldn't guarantee it. I've never seen a vampire who only wanted to change a person.' He took a breath, steeling himself. 'We only have one choice, Gordon. I can't let your sister live – she'll only want to kill us both anyway.'

Gordon glared at him and said coldly, 'Fuck you.'

Harley's grin was laced with pain. 'Now that's why I tied you to a pole. I don't want you to see this, and I can't let you stop me. I'm sorry to do this to you kid, but you should learn how to get out a tight spot anyway.'

'You're not even going to come back for me?' Hurt overrode the angry lines on Gordon's face.

'If I can, I will,' shrugged Harley. 'But I don't know how many were left.'

And with that troubled prediction he turned back to his preparations.

…

Harley gently tapped the side of Gordon's face to wake him. 'I have some food for you, then I have to go.'

Carefully, Harley fed Gordon a sandwich he'd picked up at a nearby drive-thru. Gordon barely held his head up, not bothering to protest being fed like a child. In return, Harley pretended not to see his tears.

When the meal was over Harley stood up. 'I'm leaving my truck here,' he announced. 'All the equipment is in it; I'm only taking what I need for tonight. If I'm not back by dawn get yourself out of there and drive. Don't think she'll spare you just because she was your sister.'

He didn't want for Gordon's reply, just cast him one last, long look and walked out of the room towards the car he'd stolen for the night. His eyes stung and he wasn't sure he could have managed a proper goodbye had he tried, not like that with Gordon slumped pitifully on the floor.

Gordon lifted his head to watch as the door swung shut on Harley and the life that they'd built. By the time the latch slipped into place he couldn't see past the haze of salty liquid pooling in his eyes. With his head lowered again he allowed himself to recognize the hurt that had forced him to pull over and curl up in the back seat of the car the night he ran away from home.

He had finally found someone to fill the space his parents had left. And better, Harley hadn't questioned Gordon's belief that his sister's attacker wasn't human. Instead, he had understood and known how to explain it to him – the way a parent should.

He knew there was a hardness about him that hadn't been there before, but Gordon thought that Harley's company had washed away his issues with his parents. And only now that it had returned in full force did he understand that Harley had only been a buffer between him and the pain.

Gordon leaned forward, pulling against the ropes, welcoming the hot rush of pain that lanced through his arms, and the way it banished, if only for a second, the thoughts spinning through his mind. He sat like that until his tears were more the result of physical pain than emotional, and then he leaned backwards again.

Maybe Harley would come back.

But Gordon had heard his sister's cry and seen years of her strong will at work. Harley didn't know what he was up against. Another sob filled him. Harley wasn't just hunting down the girl he had seen last night, the vampire who had clung to her leader and lover with an unfeeling smile. He was also hunting down the little sister who would sneak into Gordon's room and mess up his stuff, knowing he'd forgive her as soon as she smiled at him. The sister who had cried so hard before her first day of school until he had promised he would be there the whole time, only a classroom wall between them. Harley was killing the sister who had slept peacefully above him, dreaming of her prom night.

The sister Gordon had failed to protect.

TBC and concluded in part three.