FBI agents rushed outside their vehicles as they surrounded the apartment complex. Several ushered inside to R-27, their final destination. Once at the apartment in question, the agents waited for the woman to pack as quickly as possible so they could escort her down to the SUV waiting for her.

She then was taken to a residence that was purposely secluded and heavily surveilled at all times. She was not allowed to leave the residence at any given time and whatever she wanted was brought to her. It was no mystery that associates of the killers were after the woman and she needed as much protection as possible.

Trish sighed as she waited in the dark SUV. The Family was outside the vehicle going over their game plan for what seemed like the umpteenth time. You know what this reminds me of? This reminds me of a lot that happened nine years ago. Only I'm having the dead wanting to kill me. Talk about irony.

Trish was barely sleeping a few hours before Dave woke her up and told her what was happening. There was no room for debate or discussion as Dave instructed her to retrieve only her important items and leave behind anything else that can be replaced.

While Trish understood exactly what was happening and why she needed to live with Dave and the Family, she was also saddened by the situation. While certain things in her life could be changed, she was comfortable with how things were and where her life was going. Now there wasn't the slightest guarantee if she would be alive tonight.

Dave opened a door and sat down beside Trish. "Should I even ask how you're feeling?"

"Scared." She replied softly.

Dave wished he had the right words to say to her. He wished he could tell her that everything will be okay and that this was just a temporary fix. But he knew Edge too well. And he knew what The Brood was capable of. The only thing temporary would be The Brood's handling of potential victims—and they had their eyes set on Trish and Stacy. "I understand."

Trish's eyes were steadily watching the trees move lightly to the soft wind. Her index finger was resting above her upper lip as she tried to get a grasp on what was occurring in her life. "What's going to happen to me?"

"You need to be turned." He replied.

Trish didn't mistake what Dave meant. She knew exactly what he was referring to. Her life as she knew it would be changed forever. How she ate, when she slept; even how she survived would be turned upside-down. Trish sighed as she kept her focus on the tree's movement. The simplicity of watching a tree was having surprising calming effect on her. "When?"

"As soon as possible."

"And what if I don't?"

Dave thought about his conversations with Rock and Taker. But he couldn't bear to bring himself to tell his girlfriend that she would die regardless. "There's no guarantee how much longer you'll live." He admitted.

Trish breathed a heavy sigh. Her sitting in the SUV, talking to Dave was a huge risk within itself. There was no doubt that she was definitely the hunted. "I just have one question about all of this…"

"Yes?"

Trish turned to Dave and held his face within her hands. Tears were forming in her eyes and they slowly moved down her cheeks. "Will you protect me?"

For the first time in all of his being, Dave felt an overwhelming urge to protect someone he was close to. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Trish meant everything to him and he would kill and destroy whoever he needed to in order to protect her. "Yes."

-------------------------------------------------------

Dave got out of the SUV and the Family surrounded him. "Listen, kids. Chances are Edge and his little minions are still at Trish's apartment. And they probably got to Stacy while they were having fun. One of you stay inside the truck while the other two escort her inside her place. She is not to be left alone at any time whatsoever."

"What if we run into Edge or the Brood? Can we kill them?" London asked with a smile and lighted eyes.

"Yeah, can we Dave?" Nitro nodded his head like a puppy.

Dave nodded. "By any means necessary."

Dave, Taker, and Rock watched the Family load up and speed off into the night. Placing a hand on Dave's shoulder, Taker spoke first. "You know what this means right?"

Dave nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"It's on." Rock finished.

----------------------------------------------------

Upon arriving at Trish's complex, London stayed inside the SUV while Nitro and Melina accompanied Trish upstairs to her apartment. Both were carefully checking for evidence that the Brood was still present as they walked Trish to her front door. When she entered her place, they were surprised to see that Stacy was awake—and alive.

"Good morning." She greeted with a smile. "Nice for you to come home, finally."

Trish walked inside as Nitro and Melina were steadily behind her. Trish studied her best friend's face as something was awkwardly different about her. Her whole aura was of a different mood and it made Trish very uncomfortable. "Ooh, I see you brought guests." Stacy smiled.

Nitro and Melina immediately picked up on Stacy's new attitude. She's one of them, they both thought. Through telepathy and knowing she didn't have enough powers to sense what they were saying, Nitro instructed Melina to watch Stacy while he supervised Trish.

"Yeah, they're just here for a second. We'll be on our way soon." Trish said.

"Oh, please. Stay for a while." Stacy smiled.

Trish went straight to her bedroom and quickly began packing with Nitro standing at her bedroom door. She grabbed all of her clothing and personal belongings such as family pictures and mementos throughout the years. She stopped briefly to glance at a picture of her and her family on her 21st birthday. She had what she thought was the world's biggest smile while her parents and brother flanked her on the Harley.

She gently caressed it the picture and tucked it away in her suitcase. She sighed as yet another aspect of her life was slowly fading away. She shook her head to relief her thoughts and concentrated back on packing.

Meanwhile, Stacy was finishing up her manicure as Melina stared at her. Stacy held out her hands to show. "How do they look? Do they look nice?" Stacy asked.

Melina smirked and continued to stare. Stacy shrugged as she cleaned off the coffee table and put away the nail file. "I think they look pretty nice." She then got up and walked over to Melina. She was face to face with Melina, who didn't blink once. Once again, Stacy began to smile. "Did you want to see them in person?"

Melina shook her head and licked her lips. "Don't even fucking try it, Lili." She said without taking her eyes off Stacy.

Stacy looked at Melina with a confused expression on her face. Melina snapped her head to her right and grabbed Stacy by the throat, lifting her from the ground. Melina smiled at Lilian as Stacy struggled to free herself. "One more move and the blonde bitch gets it."

Lilian began clapping her hands together. She walked towards Melina and smiled at her. "Bra-vo. Bra-vo. That was pretty impressive there, Melina."

Melina didn't let go of Stacy and continued to glare at her nemesis. "You want her to die now? I can make it happen."

"Her, I wouldn't be so concerned with." Lilian smiled. "I think blondie in the bedroom is more of your priority." Lilian made a gesture with her mouth. "And I remember correctly, I think she's all alone!"

"You need to start taking some memory pills for that shit." Melina grinned. She tightened her grip on Stacy's neck as she kept kicking at her. "You need to tell her to be chill or I'll make her afterlife a brief stint."

Lilian stomped her foot as Stacy kept trying to escape Melina's clutches. Melina was beating Lilian at own game and she hated it. "Stacy, stop it." Lilian instructed.

The moment Stacy stopped kicking around, Melina released her grip and Stacy instantly fell to the ground. "I think we're done here, Lili."

Lilian stepped closer to Melina, who in turn pulled out a sharp knife. "You want some?"

"What are you going to do? Cut my hair?" Lilian teased.

"I was hoping to make your face look better than the fucked-up shit it is." Melina suggested.

Lilian got out a knife she had hidden in her garter belt. "I dare you, little girl."

Steadily holding one knife and whipping out another that was hidden in her bustier, Melina was ready to battle. "It'll be my absolute orgasmic pleasure to kill you." She taunted.