A/N: New update for everyone who has stayed faithful to Blurred Lines. Heads up, this is pretty much a short filler chapter all the way through. I tried taking it out but there were a few important details that wouldn't let me. As always drop a review if you like it, or if you didn't. I promise that it starts to pick up very soon; by the time the story ends I promise there will be a large body count, and a new relationship.

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Chapter 10

Always one to plan a head I stashed a fresh change of clothes in a plastic grocery bag underneath the sink for just such an occasion. I pulled them out and set them neatly on the top of the toilet tank. I went to the shower and turned the hot water on. Oh what a miracle hot water is. If anyone doubts that tell them to live without hot showers or baths for two and a half years. Oh I hope I don't screw up the water heater.

I quickly disrobed and put the dirties back into the plastic bag. I paced around the cramped bathroom waiting for the water to get warm. I finally pulled the curtain aside and stepped in. The hot water felt amazing after three days without any kind of bathing. The dirt washed off of me in waves. I felt free of the events of the past few days. I tried to focus on keeping my mind in the moment. To think nothing of but the shower, the hot water, the smell of the soap. It worked.

For all of three minutes.

Then I got down to business, no big hypothetical questions. Just practical ones. I wanted to keep myself safe, the threshold around the house seemed pretty strong. I wanted to set some sort of wards up, but there was a hitch. Charlie. I need to set up a talisman for each person coming in and out of the house who would actually open the door. That meant I had to make something for both Bella and Charlie that they would carry all the times.

If I tell Bella what it is, and what it's for; she'll carry it. But Charlie, I'm not sure if I can say "You need to carry this all the time because I installed a magic security system that would fry your ass if you tried to open the door without it." Maybe I could make something and have Bella give it to him. That makes about as much sense as any.

I shut off the water. Pushing aside the curtains, I tried to remember where the extra towels were stashed. I smacked myself on the back of the head as I remembered the completely obvious 'hiding' place. After all I did put a change of clothes right on top of them.

I toweled off, and slipped into a new change of clothes. This time something outrageously simple, black t-shit and jeans. I was running out of clean clothes at an alarming rate. That's one thing I refuse to worry about, after all I'm a guy, if it smells clean I can wear it.

My stomach informed me that I was thinking too much and eating too less. I ran my fingers once through my hair and walked back down to the pizza that was more than likely cold.

Cold or not it tasted great! I don't think I could remember the last time food tasted this good. It seemed like an eternity since I had last eaten a real meal. I think it was a Mexican place in central California. That was two or three days ago, all that driving ran together; and I can't remember. I sat at the kitchen table, alone; Charlie was off in living room slash den watching an inane game. Yes I am a guy, no I don't like spots. Now when they start playing baseball with magic then I'll watch.

Bella was probably upstairs waiting for Eddie-boy to show up. For most normal people she was sneaky. I was keenly aware, because I was the same way. Not that I care, provided the prophecy doesn't come true.

With the pizza devoured, I went into the living room, completely unnoticed by Charlie. I grabbed one of my suitcases and rummaged through some books that didn't really matter. I found the one I wanted, this one wasn't as obviously magic, it wasn't nearly as interesting either. It was about diseases and viruses that can affect vampires. I know I know, sounds like a real nail-biter right? The title and most of the beginning were in Latin, or some other dead language I could almost read.

Since I don't have a talking skull that has all the answers, I actually have to read books.

I went back into the front room with the book and a small notepad. This is as good a place as any to start. I don't really want to think about the odds of whatever caused Jasper to rampage being in the book. There were these illnesses plus a whole host of other magical causes. Psychic trauma, mind control, poison, or potion. I was trying to sift through a haystack with a pair of forceps looking for a specific piece of hay.

I skimmed through most of the book looking for the symptoms that match what he looked like this morning. There are about a kerjillion illnesses that cause mindless aggression, and ninety percent of those involve red eyes. Of course they involve that the vampire has a diet of human. Nothing in here about vegetarian vampires. What if it was a real disease that somehow infected him? Lyme disease and rabies are the only two things that come to mind.

Damn it I'm a miracle worker, not a doctor.

It's probably wrong, there's a good chance at least one of them has eaten, or drunk, something that was infected already, and they would have gotten it too. Strike one!

Back to magical causes, back to the book.

After what seemed like four years worth of reading, something that's only English part of the time, I still had almost nothing. Well I can't say that, I had five notebook pages full of possible supernatural illnesses, fortunately none of them are easily communicable. Unfortunately I can't even begin to figure out which one it might be without knowing anything else. All of them are difficult to cure at best. The ingredients for the potions would be either difficult to find or expensive. I'm not fast enough to search myself, and I don't have the money to buy them; and more than likely I don't have the skill to make them. But exact recipes I should be able to get from Harry, or rather Bob.

I feel like I'm playing House. But without the limp.

Potions aren't hard to difficult to understand. Each has seven ingredients plus a solvent to mix them in. The first five correspond with each of the five senses: sight, touch, smell, hearing, and taste. The ingredient is meant to link the sense with the intent of the potion. The sixth is an ingredient for the mind, and the seventh is for will. Then you take them and pour a bunch of magical will in there and let simmer for just the right amount of time and then drink. Normal potions will only work for ten minutes to an hour, these are specialty potions meant to cure something so they only work for thirty seconds and infuse the drinker with the cure. Theoretically. I've never seen one of these in action before.

I'm in way over my head.

I need some sleep.

Sometime during the mind-numbing monotony of searching for the holy grail of mythical diseases, Charlie went to bed. Or he had to leave. Obviously I wasn't paying any attention.

I went back into the living room and began making up my 'bed.' The sheets were sitting on top of my suitcase, just where I left them this morning. As I was putting them on the sofa, I became acutely aware of someone watching me. I stopped where I was. I strained to hear even the smallest of sounds, whatever it was it had left or became completely silent.

Never one to take unnecessary chances I went back to my suitcase and grabbed my blasting rod. I tucked it in the couch cushion before walking up to the bathroom. I heard Bella (I really should come up with a condescending nickname for her. Why haven't I?) and Sparkles whispering sickening lovey dovey things; as I was brushing my teeth. I focused on two things; first, keeping my mind blank; two, getting out of earshot as fast as possible. I felt vomit trying to push its way out from the back of my throat.

Walking downstairs, I noticed something was distinctly wrong. I couldn't put my finger on it, other than it just wasn't right. The door was locked, the windows were shut, everything was exactly the same but completely different. I checked my right wrist to make sure I still had my shield bracelet on. Finally something is actually going right; sure enough I did.

I readied myself, for a potential attack. The hair of on the back of my neck began to creep up. I quickly scanned the room dark room, noticing nothing. My senses went into hyper-drive. There was no sound, other than the muffled snoring. I thought about opening my sight, but if there was something big and ugly, I sure as hell don't want to remember it for the rest of my life.

I though of my blasting rod tucked into the couch cushions, I wondered if I can get to it time before I get attacked. My sword was still safely tucked in its carrying case even further and more inconvenient. I could throw around some unfocused power, but then I would more than likely damage (or destroy) the house. I stalked down the final three stairs, regretting that I turned off the lights.

I raised a quarter-dome shield. I commonly use a half dome shield, but that's neither here nor there. Normally when I make a shield they come across as a shimmering blue dome; however, this time I put much more will into it. The extra will made the shield transparent. I outstretched my arm part way and carefully crept into the living room.

Maybe I was imagining things? There wasn't anything weird, nothing out of the ordinary; just a bad feeling. I lowered my shield and sighed in relief. I untied the knot that held the bracelet on and placed it on the end table. I slumped down onto the couch and sighed even heavier.

"I must be getting paranoid." I said to the empty darkness around me.

"No you aren't." The darkness spoke back.

Quick note: I'll update a couple more times this weekend (in terms of writing I'm on chapter thirty.) Stay tuned and thanks for reading!