Chapter 12

The dust of one vamp blew up in my face as the one behind me pushed me forward. This was getting old really fast. I whipped around just in time for another burst of dust to explode in my face. I wiped the dust out of my eyes to see who put it there. It was the hansom grin of Aires, of course. I really should stop getting surprised by the way he just shows up places.

I rolled my eyes and put my arms out for him to grab.

He pulled me into a hug. "Why, hello" he said it like he just found the key to unlock a treasure chest.

I grinned, "Hey, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Umm…making a lunch visit," he pulled that one out of his ass.

I huffed out a laugh. "Do you think that's the smartest of things to do?" I crossed my arms and stepped back.

He pulled my arms out of the knot and back around him, "It's definitely worth the risk." and then leaned down for the kiss.

I grinned, and then looked him in the eyes. "There going to be back soon." It was practically a whisper. "You should go, or Max and Dave will stake you."

He sighed. "I'll be out of sight but, I will be watching you."

"There's no need, I mean don't you need to eat?"

"That's already been taken care of."

"If you don't mind, how was, that taken care of?"

He blew a sigh through his lips. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yeah, I do." My arms were on his biceps and his were around my waist.

"Well, I go to the blood bank."

"And what, they're just like 'Here you go have some blood to drink?'"

He laughed at my interpretation. "No, if I go at a certain time, there's a vamp on the clock. He gives the blood under the counter."

"Oh, well, I guess as long as you're not killing people I'm okay with that." I held on just thinking for a minuet.

"Well I'm glad that you feel that way, umm but I think I hear your friends coming."

"Okay, bye." I sighed.

"Bye." He laughed, kissed me good bye, and was gone.

I hated the way this had to be. I could already see problems coming ahead. Out of all the books and movies I have seen, this will never work.

I turned around looking for any more vamps so I wouldn't be suspicious for when everyone came around.

"Dru," Jack breathed out. He was exhausted from killing and running. "Did you see anymore?"

I shook my head. "No, two ran over here and I got them both. But I didn't see anymore." Actually I saw one more but, you don't have to know about that.

"Okay," he seemed to relax. "Well then, lets keep heading toward the lake." He turned and put out his arm, gesturing me to go ahead.

Finally we made it to the lake. It was three minuets of Sunday, and I was ready to kill a few more vamps and go home to talk to Aires for awhile. Or maybe I would check out his house for a few. I don't know but all I needed was one more vamp, or monster and I was on my way to home.

"So guys, what have you been up to today?" I asked as I plopped down on the green, cold, swing bench.

"Umm…we went to the mall and we walked around town. We got hot dogs and ice cream." Criss wasn't really good at this she was really trying to come up with stuff.

"Okay, is that all?" I asked a little concerned.

"Yeah," she looked at me like there was something wrong with the concern in my voice. "Why, what would you have expected?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I guess I would have suspected you to do a bunch of insane stuff that we normally do." I shrugged.

"Yeah, but, well, I don't know Dru." Jack was complaining almost.

"What is it?" I bugged.

"I don't know that's a, you and us thing. We don't go jumping around and stuff with anyone else. We also don't kill things with anyone else." He laughed.

"Well, I would think that's a little bit weird if you were going around killing all the time."

"Yeah, not only are we part of the slayers killing band, we're also assassins." Jack laughed out.

Then Criss hit him. "Jack, you're not supposed to tell!" She insisted.

I laughed really hard and then everyone followed the action. I think I laughed a little too hard but it got everyone else in the happy moment. And it would be the last for the night; I just spotted our last victim. I didn't want to leave for the sake of catching up on lost time. Then again I really wanted to go for sake of my amazing and extremely unreal new boyfriend. I was definitely leaving.

"Guys, I have our last victim in sight." I business walked over toward the last kill.

Five minuet fight and he was gone.

I turned to my faithful friends. "So guys, what do you say we call it a night?"
"I for one am game." Dave volunteered.

"Me too." Criss added.

"What do you guys want to stay awake and kill by yourselves?" I asked looking at Max and Jack.

"No, I think I'll be on my way too." Max stepped next to Criss and Dave.

"Jack?" I asked.

"Umm…" he looked at me with suspicion. "I'll catch up with you guys later."

Damn, he knew I wouldn't let him be here alone. "Alright guys get started he'll be along before soon."

"Alright, then lets go." Dave turned and the crowd followed, Criss by his side.

When they were on there way I sighed and turned to Jack. "So, what is it that you need me for?"

He rolled his eyes. "Why do you assume that I needed you and I didn't just want to be alone?"

I looked at him in a, come on, stair on my face.

There was no response.

"Fine, I'll just leave you alone then." I turned to walk down the lake.

"Wait, I lied and you caught me."

"Yeah I know." I smiled and turned around. I walked until I was with in a yard of him. "So, what is it?"

"Nothing really, I just really don't want to go home. The slayer seems like a nifty thing to have when you're alone at night and not in your house." He shrugged.

"Now, I'm confused, I thought you wanted to tell me something, but you really just wanted my protection?" I was going to kick his ass if that was right.

"Yeah, actually." He put on a sorry face. "Plus, we never hang out together anyway; this will give us a chance to."

I was pissed. All I wanted to do was go, and walk around with my boyfriend. "Okay, umm…why don't you want to go home, and if you lie to me, you will not have children unless you adopt."

His eyes widened at the thought. "Okay, okay, just keep your feet planted and I'll tell you."

"Okay," I folded my arms over my chest. "Go."

He took in a deep breath. "Well, my parents are in one of there drinking things again. I just can't be around them like this; I can't even have respect for them when they're like this. So I just want to stay out as long as possible. They're just so stupid; I don't even want to have relation to them because of it."

This had happened before with Jack's parents. They were, well, are alcoholics. They had gotten help every now and then, but they just couldn't stop drinking. Sober they were the greatest couple ever, but drinking they wouldn't stop yelling, screaming, and throwing things at each other. I was at Jacks house at the wrong time one day. "I'm sorry Jack, but wont they be passed out by now?"

"I don't know, I'd rather wait though."

He was looking for my comfort and I was selfishly thinking about Aires and how I would miss him. I sighed. "Okay Jack, but wouldn't you rather talk to Max and Dave. They seem to get you better."

He looked at me. "Yeah, but I mean, you're the like leader of the group and from what I hear, you give good psychological advice." He wasn't leaving.

"Okay," I looked for the answer in my head, it had to be there. "You have to get them during a hang over and tell them the need real help. You might want to take dumping all the alcohol out into consideration too. You wouldn't want them drinking and getting pissed at you. Is that the kind of advice you wanted?"

He looked up at me and smiled. "Yeah, thanks Dru, I'll go and do that. Do you want to walk me home?"

I laughed. "Sure thing pal." I stood, it was a twenty minuet walk to his house and I wanted to try for ten. "Let's go."

"Bye Jack, I'll catch up with you later." I said as I turned away.

"Okay, bye Dru." The door shut and I hauled ass down the street. When I was at the corner and out of sight of any of my friends I slowed down.

I strolled all the way to the end of the next block, and there was Aires.

"You fought your ass off today, and then you counseled your friend. That's pretty impressive."

"Yeah, I'm what happens, when miracles make children. Like some kind of mega miracle." I smiled and reached up for a kiss.

. "I totally agree with that." Our fingers laced and we walked to the lake.

When we got there we sat under a willow tree and on the rocks surrounding the lake and watched the water. The solitude was amazing, indescribable. Probably because the solitude that overcame me wasn't complete. My head was leaning against Aires cold, hard chest.

"Where do you live?" I tilted my head up for the answer.

"Where do I live?" he asked and his head tiled to face mine. He was puzzled at the question.

"Yeah, you obviously live father than my house from the grave yard where we met."

"Yeah, I do, I live down Douglas Street."

"Oh, well where?" I repositioned my head for comfort.

"Umm close to the end of the road, yeah I know it's really long road."

"Yeah," I drifted back into the lake then I wanted to go somewhere, right then I felt trapped suffocated I had to go and there's never anytime like the present. I just had to go. And what do you know; his place was the first to come to my mind. I sat up. "We should go to your place,"

"Why, I thought that we're happy here?" he was confused and not used to the sudden change of pace I get. It doesn't come about that often though so that's why.

"I really don't know I just want to go."

He looked unhappy with my answer. "You just got the sudden urge to go to my house?"

I crinkled my nose realizing my complete weirdness. I turned around to face him front to front. "Yeah, I know what you're thinking; 'What the hell, we're here in this really romantic spot and she just wants to up and leave to my house?' And yeah, I do, because I just have the need to go. I really don't know I just have to move, and well, I've seen this spot already, but, I haven't seen your house, so, what do you say we migrate over there?" I was starting to freak myself out a little bit. "Oh, god I sound like a mental patient, don't I?" I complained.

"Well, the straight truth of the fact is, yeah. But I do understand what you're saying, so," he stood up. "Let's go see my place." He put out his hand for mine.

I reached up. "Thanks for understanding me." I further thanked him with a kiss.

"Well, that's no problem, you could tell me another of your problems and I'll understand again. You see I'm a quick learner."

I grinned, "So, you have figured out that understanding equals kiss?"

"Yes, yes I have." He grabbed a hold of my hand as we headed to his house.

"Well, then you have just understood another part of me, or did you? Do you get the kiss? I think you should tell me the answer."

He bit the corner of his lip. Then he grinned. "Yeah, I do." He grabbed me up to be taller than him by at least six inches, and kissed me. It was very passionate, very in the middle of the side walk too.

Dating, it's a wonderful thing. Kissing is a wonderful thing. Aires is a wonderful being. This moment would be perfect if frozen.

Unfortunately it didn't freeze. The world kept spinning. In one minuet he kissed me, the next a stake flew by his ear again, and he froze then looked at me. I looked down at him and his face was just as petrified as I imagined mine to be, "Shit!" this is so frustrating. He released me, and my feet met with the ground. The damn guy was hunting him still. "What are you in debt or something?"

He looked at me and rolled his eyes.

"Well, it's possible." I pushed him aside and tied my hair up quickly, to prepare for defense. I faced the way the stake came from. "Come out; come out, where ever you are." I sang out to the hunter.

No response.

"Don't make me find you again. Just make it easy on me and you."

No response.

This was really pissing me off. "Okay, fine." I closed my eyes to connect with nature, I hate having to listen to nature. I'll have to dump some garbage somewhere, maybe spit out my gum. Litter and loiter, that's my motto.

I finally, found him. He was lying low, behind one of the helpful lake bushes. "Okay, I see you so, you want to just stand up so I don't have do drag you out?" I asked with annoyance ringing through my voice.

"I don't think he wants to." Aires added helpfully.

I glared at him. "Alright fine." I walked behind the bush. I saw him lying there on the ground and grabbed him at the ankles. "Let's go." Then I started mumbling to myself. "Stupid people, have to make this hard on me."

Aires heard me and grinned. "So who are you, and why do you want to kill me? And who taught you to throw, you have terrible aim."

I grinned at Aires questions. "So… did you gamble with Aires and loose or something?"

He half turned for an answer. He wore a mask, blue jeans, and a hooded sweat shirt, with the hood up.

"Not much of a talker, I take it?" I asked.

There was still no response.

"Fine then, let's go." Still holding his ankles I started walking and signaled for Aires to follow.

"Where are we going?" Aires asked.

"To discover who this is and why he keeps trying to kill you." I answered as plain as day.

"Alright," he agreed. He picked up his arms and helped me carry him.