The night rolled along and late morning came. Vera was woken to the sound of an alarm…at least, that's what she thought it was. When she rolled over to grab her phone, she saw that it was a phone call. She sighed a little and answered it.

"Normal Gothic people sleep in until late afternoon." She replied in a tired voice.

"Yes, but normal Gothic people don't live in a place where they make you get up when the sun rises."

Vera groaned a little, "True. How's life on your half of the world, Billy?"

"It's been alright…just a little boring." Billy looked out the window of his house as he watched a group doing some exercises, "Same as usual. How's the southern half of the universe?"

"I wouldn't know because I didn't get to do much sight seeing. Trying to get my sleeping schedule back in order." She unplugged the phone, then rolled over onto her back, "Ran into Hawk yesterday."

"What the heck is he doing out there? Last I heard, he was working with a grew up here."

"Said some of our fellow brothers needed help in Italy. He just wanted to make a quick stop here before he headed out."

"Italy. What the heck do they need him out there for?"

"I didn't ask."

"So, why the stop then? I mean, it's not like you can't handle this on your own."

"He said that there are fellow brothers out here who can be of assistance to me, if I need it. And, he showed me a map of this place. Apparently, half of it belongs to Assassins and the other belongs to Thieves. Need to watch my back, apparently." Vera rolled over and stared at the closed curtains across the room, "This mission just got a lot harder."

"Assassins? Well, that should make your life easier. I don't see why you're worried."

"They're not like us, Billy. They kill for different reasons than we do. Plus, they hire themselves out to people to kill the person of their choosing, for the right price. We don't do that. We're not like that. We kill the people who were a threat to our ancestors and continue to be a threat to us."

"Crap! Well, never mind them, then. Perhaps you could get a thief to lend you a hand."

"I'd have to pay them to do that, I'm sure. Plus, I don't even know where this thing is at or who has it. I'm worried about it getting into the wrong hands. Compared to everything else in this world that's hidden from us, this has to be the most powerful. This is not a Treasure of Eden. This is something much different, made from a different kind of power."

"Sounds like you're on your own, then. Wish you luck."

"Thanks. Just hope this doesn't take too long."

"It shouldn't. I bet you'll be back here before the week is up."

"I really hope you're right."

Vera slept in a bit longer before forcing herself to get up at three in the afternoon. She cleaned up, then grabbed her purse, making sure to hide her bracer at the bottom, then headed out. She made her way into the heart of the city only to realize how busy it was. She groaned slightly as she weaved in and out of people not really sure where she was going or what she was looking for. She crossed several busy streets and passed shop after shop until she spotted a group of people gathered around watching a street performer. She allowed herself to cross the street to see what the person was doing. Of course, she was stuck in the back and couldn't see anything do to her height, so she decided to wait until the crowd cleared, which didn't take that long. She stayed in her place as the person come into view.

He was a little over six foot and wore a brown trench coat. He had a fedora on his head which covered his eyes. His brown hair went to his shoulders. He wore a black shirt, a pair of jeans with a few holes in them and a pair of black boots.

Vera slowly approached him.

When he noticed her coming, he held out a deck of cards in his hand, "Care ta pick a cahd, Cherie?" He asked in a Cajun accent.

Vera paused for a moment as she looked down at the cards spread out in his hands. She waved her hand over them for a moment before pausing on one. Slowly, she slid the card out of the deck, then pulled it out and had a look at it. Inside her month, she bit her tongue as her heart raced slightly. She slid the card back into the deck and watched as he shuffled them.

Upon finishing the shuffle, he held the deck in one hand, then placed his other hand on top, "Now, lessee what we got 'ere." He held the deck straight up, making sure the suit was facing him, then watched as a card floating out from the top of the deck.

Vera's eyes widened as the card slowly turned to face her.

"Tell me, Cherie, is this your cahd?"

Vera nodded her head slowly.

He took the card from the air and had a look at it, "Interestin'. King 'a Hearts. Not many people pull this one. Ya got yourself a beau?"

"Yes, but he lives far away."

"How far?"

"In another county."

He nodded slightly while placing the card back into the deck before putting the cards inside his coat pocket, "I ain't a fortune teller, but da cahds dat get pulled come from da heart. Seems ta me that ya think 'bout him a lot."

"I do, but I have friends to keep me entertained."

He nodded, "Da name's Remy."

"Vera. It's a pleasure."

"Isn't dat da name 'a a clothin' line?"

"It is, but it's not my style, sad to say. But, whatever. It is what it is."

Remy nodded his head again, "Got any plans?"

"Nope. Just flew in yesterday. Spent most of my time sleeping."

"What?! Ya haven't gone explorin' yet?!"

"I'm more of a late afternoon, evening, night person." Vera replied to him, "Sadly, there's not a lot of stuff to do around that time."

"Well, if you're hungry, I can take ya to a nice place near by." Remy pointed down the street, "Just 'bout two blocks or so away. Dere's some nice shops along the way."

"I haven't eaten much today. I'll take up your offer." Vera walked next to Remy as she had a look around, "It's really crowded right now."

"Tis always crowded down 'ere. No matter what time 'a day it is, dere's always a crowded street somewhere."

"I'll try and avoid those places."

"Ain't much 'a a city girl, are ya?"

"Nope. Where I live, it's kind of in the middle of nowhere…well, there is a town near by, but it's not freaky busy. I can deal with that. I just don't do good with crowds. Anxiety issues."

"Ya seem fine right now."

"Believe me, I'm trying to ignore it. I mean, I like to go to concerts, but I'm always there early and get front row, if I can, so I can forget that there's a large group of people behind me."

"Makes sense." Remy paused next to a small restaurant, "'ere we are." He opened up the door for her and allowed her to enter first. He followed after her.

"Thank you." Vera replied to him as they walked up to the hostess.

"Two for this evening?" The hostess asked as she grabbed two menus.

"Yes." Remy replied, then followed her and Vera to a table near the back of the room. Before Vera could seat herself, he walked up behind her and pulled the chair out for her, "I have ta be a gentleman, don't I?"

Vera looked back at him for a moment before seating herself, "If you'd like to be." She placed her purse on the table next to her and opened up the menu once it was placed in front of her.

"I try ta be." Remy walked to the other side and seated himself across from her.

"Your waiter will be with your shortly." The hostess said before walking off.

"Oh geez! Everything looks so good! Just not the spicy stuff." Vera stuck her tongue out a little, "I'm not a fan of hot or spicy."

"Figured ya wouldn't like a Cajun styled place, so I picked a place dat has a little 'a everythin'." Remy replied as he opened up his menu to have a look, "Thinkin' 'bout getting some spicy chicken."

Vera shivered a little, "I don't get how you all can hold that stuff down."

"Strong stomach, Cheire, an' strong taste buds."

"Good evening. I'm Jensen and I'll be your waiter for this evening. Can I start you two off with something to drink?" He asked as he pulled out his book.

Before Vera had a chance to speak, Remy replied, "We'll share a bottle 'a your best sparkling grape juice."

Vera's eyes widened slightly. The last time she had some sparkling grape juice was on New Years. She could already taste it in her month and hoped that it would appear at their table very soon. And, she had a feeling the bottle wouldn't last long because she planed to drink it all. But, she knew that she had to be nice and share with Remy.

"Of course. I'll get that for you right away. Do you still need time to look over the menu?" Jensen asked.

"I do." Vera raised her hand a little as she kept her eyes fixed to the menu.

"Of course. Be back shortly." Jensen walked off.

Remy closed up his menu and pushed it to the side, "I hope ya don't mind me orderin' da drinks."

"No, it's quite alright. I never would have thought about having grape juice for dinner." Vera replied as she flipped the page, "I haven't had any since New Years. This is going to be a real treat."

"Don't day sell dis stuff in stores where ya live?"

"They do, but I ignore it. I can drink a whole bottle in one day. Probably not a good thing to have every single day of the week."

"True, dat wouldn't be good." Remy saw Jensen come back with the bottle and two wine glasses, "Gettin' fancy on us, ain't ya?"

"Only the best." Jensen placed the glasses down, then poured some in each of their glasses before placing the bottle on the table, "You are free to help yourselves. Now, are you ready to order?"

Vera looked up at Jensen and nodded, "I'll have a chicken parmesan." She closed up the menu and placed it on top of the other.

"An' I'll have da Cajun chicken with fries." Remy replied.

"How much 'kick' do you want on the chicken?" Jensen asked as he wrote it down.

"Put da sauce on da side."

"Of course. I'll put these in right away." Jensen picked up the menus, then walked off.

Vera watched him for a moment, then looked across the table at Remy, "He has the same name as the actor who plays Dean in Supernatural."

"I take it dat's a TV show." Remy removed his fedora and placed it on the table next to him before picking up his glass and having a sip.

Vera felt her face flush when she got a glimpse of his eyes, "Yes, it is. I watch it all the time, but, sometimes, I have to DVR it when I'm busy the day a new episode airs."

"It sounds interestin'."

"It really is and it's worth watching. Dean and his brother, Sam, are hunters. They have an angel friend named Castiel who helped them out."

"Guess I'll have ta check it out." Remy noticed a bit of a tattoo sticking out of the bottom of her sleeve, "What kind 'a ink ya got there?"

Vera rolled up her sleeve slightly and showed him the tattoo on her wrist, "It's the anti possession symbol that Dean and Sam have on their chests. It's suppose to protect them from the evil creatures they hunt."

Remy took her hand, then pulled it over to him to have a look, "Interestin'."

"They have a lot of hexes that they use against these creatures. I have the Devil's Trap on my other arm." She rolled her sleeve a little way up above her elbow, "This is the Mark of Cain. Dean has this one. And, I have the Angel's Banishing Sigil on my right ankle and the Angel Ward on my left."

Remy whistled a little as he observed the two tattoos, "Talk 'bout being a hard core fan."

"You should see my back. I have Castiel's wings, but they're not filled in. It's just the outline." Vera rolled her sleeve down, "Oh, and I have this one." She pulled the collar of her shirt down slightly, "You can't see the whole thing, but it's the Aquarian Star."

"Gees! How many 'a dese things da ya have?"

Vera sat back as she thought for a moment, "I'm not really sure. I've lost count over the years." She pointed to her upper right arm, "I have one here. One on the back of my neck. One on my upper left arm. One on my side. A few on my legs…yep. I don't know any more."

"How can ya sit through all of dat?"

"Just go once or twice a year and pop a Benadryl. I'm pretty much passed out while they do them. I'm not a huge fan of pain. I lived through the piercings, but not my first tattoo. Don't worry, though. A friend of mine always comes with, so I don't have to drive home half tired."

"You're one brave, but crazy, girl, Cherie."

"What can I say? I love my ink." She noticed that he was looking at her eyes, which caused her to flush slightly.

"I've been meaning ta ask ya. Where did ya get your contacts at?"

"My contacts?" Vera tilted her head slightly.

"Yeah. Dey're red."

"Oh! Those contacts!" Vera hit herself on the head slightly, "I forgot I put those on before I left this afternoon. Ugh! It's becoming a bad habit." She grabbed her purse and stood up, "If you'll excuse me. I better take them out before I forget about them later." She walked off.

Once she was out of sight, she dashed into the bathroom and went straight into the first empty stall and locked herself in. She seated herself on the toilet, then reached into her bag and pulled out the make up case Hawk had given her the day before. She unzipped it, reached inside and pulled out a smile vial with a deep red liquid inside. She popped the corked, then drank the liquid inside. Allowing herself a few minutes, she placed the empty bottle back into the bag and zipped it back up. She fished around her bag until she found a compact mirror. She looked at her reflection in her mirror and saw that her eyes were back to normal. She let out a sigh of relief, then placed the mirror back. She stood up, then headed out of the bathroom.

As soon as she returned to the table, she saw that Jensen had brought their food and Remy was already placing the sauce on his chicken. She seated herself and placed her purse back on the table.

"Thank you for catching that. I have such a horrible memory sometimes and forget that I've put them on." She took a quick sip of her drink before helping herself to her food.

"Tis not a problem, Cherie. Day are purdy, though. Where did ya get dem?"

"From a cosplay website." Vera glanced up when she saw he was giving her a strange look, "Cosplay is when you dress up like a character from a movie, TV series or book series." When she saw him nod his head in understanding, she continued, "Anyways, that's where I got them from. They're not prescription, which is good for those of us who don't wear glasses."

"Might have ta get me a pair." Remy began to eat his chicken.

"They have different colors and some even say what anime they're from." Vera ate a little, then looked back at him for a moment as she grabbed her glass, "Are you sure you can handle that? Your face is red."

"Cherie, I eat dis stuff all da time! Don't worry 'bout me."

"Ok…" Vera drank some more of her drink. She filled her glass up a bit more before going back to her meal.

Remy lead Vera out of the restaurant and back down the street. He used the sleeve of his trench coat to dab some sweat away from his face. which was still a little red from the hot sauce.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" Vera questioned him as she looked at the shops along their new route.

"Give it a few moments an' I will be." Remy replied to her as he moved his arm away from his forehead.

"If you need to stop and get water, I don't mind."

"Nah! Tis cool. I'll be fine."

"Well, I do thank you for paying for dinner and for inviting me as well."

"Tis no problem, Cherie. I don't mind treatin' people every so often. If ya see a place ya want ta stop in, let me know."

"As badly as I want ice cream, I should probably wait. My head says 'yes', but my stomach says 'no'."

"We can get some later on. Dere's a great place several blocks from here."

"I'm guessing you've lived here all your life, since you know where all the good places are."

Remy nodded, "I was born 'ere."

"Have you ever traveled?"

"I do from time ta time, but I always find ma way back 'ere. Tis ma home. Ma heart belongs 'ere in Nawleans."

"Nothing wrong with that. As long as you always have a place to go back to, then you'll always have a home."

"Dat is true, Cherie. Very true." Remy turned his hand when he noticed that she had placed her finger tips above her left eye, "Ya alright?"

"Slight twitch. What's the weather suppose to be like tonight?"

Remy shrugged his shoulders, "I don't pay attention ta dat stuff. Why?"

"I always get a headache when a storm system is coming in." Vera quickly pulled out her phone and had a look at the weather, "An hour before a storm comes through…or just rain to start with."

Remy peeked over her shoulder to have a look, "We should think 'bout gettin' ya back. Where's your place?"

"Across the river close to the bridge. That nice hotel."

"We ain't gonna make it there in time. Even on a water taxi." Remy looked around for a moment, then took her hand, "Follow me."

Vera just had enough time to place her phone into her purse before she was tugged away, "Where are we headed?"

"Ma place. Tis a bit closer dan da hotel." Remy guided her down several alleyways through the heart of the city. After twenty minutes, the beautiful colors of the city quickly turned dark and dole. This part of the city looked to be abandon.

Vera glanced around as she began to feel a bit unease, as if something were waiting inside one of the abandon building to attack them. She placed her free hand in her purse and touched the bracer with her finger tips, "What is this place?"

"An older part 'a da city." Remy replied as he walked past several buildings before stopping in front of an old restaurant, "Sad part is, no one wants ta fix it up, which is a real shame."

"I don't mind spooky, but this place is beyond spooky."

"You're not da only one who feels dis way." Remy released her hand, then proceeded to open up the door. He allowed her to enter first before following behind her and closing the door.

"Oh my Ra." Vera whispered as she looked around the interior of the restaurant.

At the far end was a large stage with a beautiful painting of the Mississippi River with a river boat floating by behind it. The floor was made to look like a street while the second level had railings that appeared to be on the outside of the buildings in the main city. The light fixtures dawned a ray of colors. Each made from stained glass. To the left of the stage was a door and a little ways from that was a hallway leading to the kitchen and rest rooms. All the tables and chairs were still inside. Everything that was once bright and beautiful was now covered in dust.

"What happened to this place?" She asked as she made her way to the back to have a look at the painting.

"All da owners got old an' retired. People did try ta revive dese places, but da government didn't want ta put in da time ta restore da old buildin's, so day just left dem ta rot." Remy replied as he followed after her.

Vera jumped up on the stage and moved over towards the painting. She could hear the wood beneath her creaking and cracking. One board even snapped away, but she was luck to have jumped out of the way. She looked up at the painting to see that it was losing its color and starting to chip away.

"This is just so horrible! That's why I hate governments! All they care about is making new things for this generation and not preserving the history."

"Ya ain't da only one who feels dat way." Remy made his way over to the door next to the stage and opened it up.

Vera heard the sound of the squeaky hinges, then looked over at him, "What's that?"

"Dressin' room. Tis where I stay."

"You live here?" Vera carefully made her way over to him. She jumped off the stage, fearing that the stairs leading from it would break beneath her.

"Tis a long story." Remy said as he walked her into the room. He closed the door.

Vera looked around to see a vanity on the far side of the room. A beaten up couch rested in the center of the room with a chair on either side and a wooden coffee table in front of the couch. There was no light, just small candles sitting on the vanity.

"What happened?" She asked as Remy walked over to the vanity and lit the candles.

"Family issues." Remy replied to her as he took off his jacket and threw it over towards one of the chairs.

Vera just simply nodded her head. She walked over to the coffee table and placed her purse on it before seating herself on the couch, "Understandable."

"Same with ya?"

"Not really." Vera took off her boots and put them under the table, "Other stuff."

Remy quickly changed into a muscle shirt, then walked over to the chair and seated himself, "Guess we both come from troubled backgrounds."

"I suppose." Vera glanced at her purse for a second before looking back over at him, "How long have you been here?"

"I've lost count."

"You can't be that old. You look like you're in your twenties."

"Close enough." Remy looked over at her, "What 'bout ya?"

"Do you want me to tell you, or do you want to see my driver's license?"

"Ya have a driver's license?"

"Yeah. While I enjoy walking, I do have to drive from time to time." Vera reached over and pulled her wallet out of her purse. She pulled out her license and handed it to him, "I have a motorcycle license as well."

"Geez! You're busy." Remy tilted the card around until he was able to get a good glimpse of it in the little light that they had.

"Blame my friend. He has one and got me hooked on it. He even taught me to drive it before I went to get my license. He drove me to the classes and let me use his."

"You're a lucky girl." Remy stared at the card for a little while, then handed it back to her, "Never would 'ave thought that's how old ya were."

Vera took it and placed it back into her wallet, "You're not the only one to say that." She put her wallet back into her purse, "Got the young gene from my parents."

"I'm a little jealous of ya right now."

"Don't be. You look young to me, so you can't complain."

"I'll take your word for it." Remy glanced up at the ceiling when he could hear the rain hitting the roof, "Sounds like da storm is 'ere."

"Wonderful." Vera put her feet up on the couch, then leaned against the arm rest, "I really hate storms."

"How come?"

Vera shrugged a little, "I'm not really sure myself. I guess it's the sound of the thunder that spooks me…and when the wind gets really strong. Perhaps it's the fear of a simple thunder storm turning into something much worse."

"Ya afraid ta die?"

"Is there really anyone in this world who isn't?"

"Ya got a point there." Remy stood up, "Would ya like a blanket?"

"I'd rather have that." Vera gestured towards his jacket, "If you don't mind, of course."

"Ya want ma jacket?"

"Any girl would want a guy's jacket."

"Is dat how dat works?"

"Yes, it is. I tend to 'steal' things from my boyfriend and my friend, but I do return them."

"Ya must have one lucky friend an' boyfriend who tolerate what you're doing."

"Believe me, I do. Now, will you let me barrow your jacket for the night?"

"How long are ya plannin' on stayin'?"

"Until the storm lets up, which could be sometime during the night, so it'll be a long while."

"Is da storm really suppose ta last dat long?"

"Yeah. I can show you on my phone."

"Nah. Tis cool. I'll take your word for it."

"Alright. Now…" Vera rose to her feet and made her way towards his jacket, "…mind if I…" She paused when she saw Remy grab her wrist. She looked up at him, "Really? Is that how you treat a lady?"

"Did I say ya could barrow ma jacket?" Remy asked her with a slight grin on his face.

"You wanna fight for it? I bet I could take you down in a moment."

"Do ya really think dat?"

"You'd be surprised at what I can do." Vera quickly whipped her arm around and Remy fell onto the chair, "Challenge?"

"Accepted!" Remy quickly jumped to his feet and began his attack.

Vera was able to block all of his moves. She watched him carefully as she noticed that he was allowing her to back him up towards one of the walls. Within a moment, she found herself dodging out of the way of a bo staff.

"Hey! That's not cool!" She was able to grab onto the staff when she saw it coming her way, "I'd call that cheating."

"Just usin' ma resources, Cherie. Plus, ya didn't warn me 'bout how good ya was." Remy was able to break the staff free of her grip and began his next move.

Vera quickly got on her knees and grabbed the staff. She used all her straight to flip the staff over, which caused Remy to lose his grip and fall to the ground. She jumped up on her feet, then tossed the staff to the side, "I've been trained well."

"Who trained ya?" Remy grabbed her ankle, then pulled her down the floor before quickly getting to his feet. He backed away from her.

"My little secret." She was able to use her legs to trip him, but quickly found herself stuck on the ground when she saw that he had grabbed her ankle.

"How are ya gonna get outta dis one?" Remy grinned slightly.

Vera studied him for a moment. She didn't want to bring harm to him, but knew that if she were to twist her ankle out of his grip, then it might break, which was the last thing she needed to have happen to her. She thought for a moment, then put her other foot on his shoulder and pushed down on him as hard as she could.

Remy could have sworn he felt his shoulder pop and quickly released her. Before he knew it, she was right behind him with the side of her hand against his throat. He glanced back to see her kneeling behind him.

"I think ya can barrow da jacket for da night." He replied. As soon as she released him, he put his hand on his shoulder and began to move it around. He groaned slightly.

Vera placed her head on his shoulder, "Slight dislocation. Nothing that can't be fixed." Without too much work, she was able to pop it back into place, which was less painful than a normal dislocation. She began to massage his shoulder.

Remy did feel some pain shooting through his body when his shoulder was popped back into place, but quickly felt some relief from the massage. He closed his eyes and began to lean back on her.

Vera screamed slightly when she noticed this, "Remy…what the heck are you…" She soon found herself on the floor with his head on top of her chest. She looked down at the top of his hand for a moment before placing her arms around him. She stared up at the ceiling as she listened to the falling rain and allowed that to help her to fall asleep.