NAME: Kirk Baldridge

EMAIL:

TITLE: Sometimes You Get What You Need

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of these characters, names, places, etc. They all belong to Kim Harrison, and I would just like to take this opportunity to thank her for creating them.

FANDOM: The Hollows

PAIRING: Rachel/Ivy

RATING: K+

SUMMARY: Several of Rachel's relationships are in jeopardy.

SPOILER: Sequel to You Don't Always Get What You Want and set sometime after Black Magic Sanction. While you don't need to read my previous stories to follow and (hopefully) enjoy this one, it would help.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I feel a little explanation is necessary. My Immortal and its sequel, Through Her Eyes, are a separate timeline from my other four stories, which-if you wanted to read them all-technically belong in this order. You Don't Always Get What You Want, Love and Vampires, Disturbing, and Sometimes You Get What You Need.

CHAPTER 8

A few days later, a human shop owner approached Vampiric Charms. He wanted to hire them to help deal with a gang of teenaged Weres and living vampires who had been harassing him recently. He had gone to the FIB first but they could do little since there was no official evidence of any illegal activity. A phone call from Rachel brought the case to Glenn's personal attention, and he agreed to look into it. Meanwhile, Jenks hid in the store while Rachel and Ivy watched from an alleyway across the street. They had a video camera to record the gang in action and Ivy brought her sword, in case there was more immediate trouble.

"You realize it's Saturday, don't you?"

Rachel blinked. "What?"

"It's Saturday, and you're normally you're in the ever after with Al by now." Ivy smiled. "We're together. Maybe your working with Newt isn't such a bad thing after all."

"I wouldn't exactly say I'm working with her. I mean, I've only seen her that one time. I'm more concerned she might grab me and take me to the ever after. Al and I had an arrangement. I didn't like it, but at least it was on a set schedule. Newt could just show up any time she feels like it, and do whatever she wants. Who's going to stop her?"

Ivy snarled. "Me."

"I love you, you know that, but you can't handle Newt. No one can. That's the problem. She's the most powerful demon in the ever after. Al and Dali are afraid of her. If she wants me, she's going to get me."

"She'll have to go through me."

Rachel clasped her lover's hand and held it over her heart. "No, listen to me, Ivy. Remember when Piscary fought Al?" Neither of them was pleased at the mention of her former master vampire's name, but she needed to her point across. "Even he couldn't handle him, and Newt is way more dangerous than Al. I need you to promise, if anything does happen, you won't risk your life to pick a fight with her you can't possibly win. Let her take me. I don't think she'd hurt me, I mean, she could have done that already, but she could kill you and Jenks with a flick of her wrist, and I won't have that on my conscience. Please, promise me."

Ivy sighed. "I can't." Her gray silk voice was little more than a whisper. "I love you too much."

Rachel leaned up to kiss her vampire, but out of the corner of her eye, she noticed movement and turned. Two men and a woman, all wearing the same black t-shirts with a white infinity symbol on them, were approaching Frederick's store. They fit the descriptions of three of the gang members he had described. "Company."

"On it." Ivy pointed the camera. From outside, even she could not hear what was being said, which was why Jenks was inside, but at least they would have visual proof of what was going on inside the store. At the very least, it would give Glenn and the FIB enough evidence to open a case. "Which one did he say was the Were?"

"The girl, I think."

Ivy nodded. "I'll keep an eye on her." She didn't really like Weres, except for David, of course. They were the only Inderlanders, besides banshees, who could actually be a physical threat to a vampire.

Once the gang made their usual threats and left, they went inside and talked to Frederick. They showed him the footage, he thanked them and paid them, and they told him they would drop the evidence off at the FIB on the way home. In Rachel's new car, an early birthday present from Takata, she and Ivy got buckled in while Jenks settled on the rearview mirror.

The pixy blinked. "Crap on toast!"

"What is it?" Rachel asked, suddenly wary.

Jenks pointed to the back seat, where Newt was sitting. The demon was wearing a blood red robe with black trim, and a wide-brimmed black hat with a huge red feather in it. She was also barefoot.

"Geez!" Rachel gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. Beside her, Ivy tensed, her eyes turning black as she felt a stab of fear coming from the witch. "Do you have to just pop in like that?" Even though she knew how dangerous Newt was, the demon's frequent appearances were making her seem less frightening. "Can't you at least knock first or something?"

Newt blinked. "Why?"

"If you don't understand, I'm not going to try and explain it to you." Rachel started the engine. 'Good one, Rachel. Taunt the most powerful demon in existence. That's sure to end well.' She glanced in the rearview mirror as they were pulling away from the curb. Newt seemed to be staring at Jenks as if she had never seen a pixy before. "We're going to the FIB right now. If you're here for my lesson or whatever, it's just going to have to wait until after I'm done working."

Newt nodded, her eyes never leaving Jenks.

"What in Tinks' contractual hell are you staring at?" Jenks saw Rachel and Ivy both wince, and his breath caught as he realized what he was saying or more importantly, whom he was saying it to. His tiny eyes went wide.

Newt was sitting still and silent, and Rachel considered the difficulties of setting a circle in a car. Then the demon suddenly made an uncomfortable, laugh-like sound. "The bug is funny."

Ivy laughed nervously, and Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. 'Okay, sometimes crazy has its advantages.'