Demon Falling

Chapter Two: Meetings

The bar was crowded; the thick smell of smoke permeated the air. Loud music reverberated from the speakers. Bartenders and waitresses doled out drinks to customers. People danced with each other. Laughter filtered above the music as drunken patrons told jokes and made crude comments. Everyone was laughing and having a good time. All save for one woman.

Her red hair was darker than fresh spilled blood, her pale skin almost looked translucent; the edges tinged a low red. Her dark blue eyes were piercing as they gazed about the bar, her eyes taking in everything and everyone around her. She sipped at her drink slowly, grimacing as the liquor burned her throat on the way down. She sighed, rolling her eyes as her ears picked up an overly crude joke told by a man sitting at the bar a few stools down from her.

A beer bottle being set down next to her drew her attention from the men. Her sharp eyes stared at the man that was sitting down next to her. "Did you have fun?" she asked, her voice smooth.

The man smiled as he took a drink. "Oh yes. The music here is fabulous."

A wry smirk crossed her face. "I'm sure it is."

His smile widened as he leaned closer to her, brushing a light kiss to her cheek. A shiver ran down her back at the feel of his lips against her skin. She turned her head slightly, capturing his lips with hers. A prickle at the back of her neck drew her away moments later. Her eyes hardened slightly, her jaw clenching.

"What is it?"

"Someone's here."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Someone?"

"More like something," she responded, a low growl almost leaving her lips as she replied.

Johnny stepped into the rowdy bar, his eyes scanning the crowd. He knew she was in here. As much as it pained him to admit it, Mephistopheles was right; he could feel her. There was a definite demonic presence in the bar. Johnny could sense it and had to fight to control the Rider from rising.

The demon was right in front of him, he knew she was, but the feeling wasn't right. There was something different about it than what he had felt from the other demons he had fought. There was something strange about the feeling that she left in his mind; something different about the demonic flavor that was left in the air.

He looked up as the feeling grew closer. A woman stood before him, her black jeans and leather vest hugging every curve, highlighting her deep red hair. Her cold blue eyes were the dead give away. If she had had normal eyes, Johnny wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

The demon sat down, her eyes staring at him, unwavering. "What do you want Rider?" she asked finally.

"Don't know completely. I'm here to find you I suppose."

She cocked her head to one side and began to drum her fingers on the wooden table. Johnny grinned as he noticed the thin trails of smoke that began to drift off of the wood from her fingers. He knew that she was warning him. A warning to tell him not to try and take her against her will.

"I don't think you want to do that here."

She smiled wryly. "Why? Do you think I care what these people see?"

"No," Johnny replied calmly. "But I do think you care whether Mephistopheles finds you. You know that if you use your powers he'll find you."

Her hand rose up slightly, her fingers curling into a fist. Her eyes narrowed. "So what do you plan on doing now?"

Johnny shook his head. "Nothing. I just want to talk."

The demon looked at him incredulously. "Talk?"

"Yeah. Talk."

"About what?"

Johnny leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table top. "About why you broke free from Mephistopheles."

She drew back from him and then ran a hand through her short hair. "I don't think-"

"Whatever reason it is, I don't really care," Johnny interrupted. "Mephistopheles sent me after you to bring you back. I want to know why."

She was silent, her eyes scanning the occupants of the bar. "I have something of his. I suppose he would like it back."

"What did you take from him?"

An explosion behind them caused them to look behind them. A handful of demons stood amongst the crowded bar, their eyes glowing. The demon turned to him, her blue eyes blazing.

"You led them here! You led them to me!"

Johnny had already jumped to his feet, his body smoking. "No I . . . didn't," he said, his voice coming out rough.

"Damn you Rider!"

Before he could respond she flew into the crowd of demons. Bystanders ran past him, screams and the sound of stamping feet echoing in his mind. With a roar he released the Rider, a feeling of satisfaction running through him as the demon took over. A laugh escaped from his bony mouth, the flames around his skull glowing bright. With a feral scream he launched into the fight. He grabbed hold of two demons allowing the flames to overwhelm them. The demons screamed as the flames engulfed them, peeling their flesh and scorching their bones.

The red haired demon fought alongside him, her fists and feet flying through the air. She grabbed one demon around his neck, twisting quickly, snapping his neck easily. A burst of fire behind her startled her, causing her to whirl around, ready for an attack. Instead she saw the outline of a demon, his body burning. She turned around, her eyes taking in the Ghost Rider standing behind her.

She glanced around her, noticing half of the demons around her lying in burning piles. Her eyes scanned the empty bar and for a moment her heart leapt. He wasn't there. She sighed in relief. He wasn't there.

"Now maybe you'll talk," the Rider said.

She turned to him, her eyes blazing. "You led them to me, you son of a bitch!"

"No," he stated simply. The flames died down, his skin re-forming on his face. "They must have followed me. I swear to you I didn't bring them here."

"Why should I believe you? You are Mephistopheles favorite creation."

"And I've decided to break away from him like you; like Slade a hundred and fifty years ago. I've come to help you. Believe it or not I want to help you."

"Why should I trust you? The minute you show up here they come. I was hiding perfectly until you showed up."

"I told you he sent me to find you. I just didn't tell him I would hand you to him."

She looked at him, her blue eyes piercing. "I don't want, or need, your help."

They stared at each other for a moment, her cold eyes staring deeply into his. Johnny stared unflinchingly at her, his blue eyes gazing into hers. A voice behind them drew their attention away. "Kaeler."

Johnny looked behind him for a moment at the man standing in the doorway, then back at the demon standing in front of him. Her face had paled more than it already was, her eyes widened. "Kaeler?"

Her attention snapped back to Johnny. "My name . . . is Kaeler."

"Kaeler, we need to leave," the man said again. "There're sirens in the distance," he finished, stepping slightly into the bar.

Kaeler sighed. "We need to leave," she seconded. "As much as I don't like it Rider, you need to come with us. If the police find you here . . ."

Johnny nodded without saying anything. They walked side by side to the swinging doors. Kaeler grabbed the other man's hand, squeezing it gently. Johnny swung his leg over his motorcycle, his hands running lovingly over the handle bars. "Follow me to my hotel. We'll be safe there."

Kaeler looked at him for a minute and then nodded, pushing the other man gently towards the black car sitting next to Johnny's motorcycle. Johnny kick started his motorcycle, stealing a glance at the black car and then backing up slowly and beginning to head away.

Kaeler turned slightly in her seat. "Caleb," she whispered. He jerked his head up to look at her, his soft brown eyes gazing into hers. "I'm sorry for bringing you into this."

He smiled at her, an uneasy smile. "It's okay. I knew what it was going to be like from the beginning," he replied, throwing the car into reverse and backing out of the parking lot. "Everything will be okay. We'll be fine."

Kaeler smiled back at him and then turned away, her eyes watching the scenery as it flew past them. She hoped it would be okay. If only she could tell him . . .

AN: Yay! A new chapter! I'm sorry it's so late, but I have so many others to write at the same time. I'm going to try to set up a schedule of updating everything so hopefully it'll get updated soon!

AN2: I would like to thank all of you for reviewing. Thank you to: WhiteDresses, Chaotic-angelX, Rokhal, Englebird, Mystery GYRL, Ms. Black, Dawnie-7, Emperor K. Rool, TizamiKi, Lunatic Pandora1, AutomaticLove, Peggy Douglas, Superman1701. Thank you all for reading!