Chapter 21- Hell on Earth

Mary Frances made good her word. The moment they landed at the airport, she did her best to make him feel his worst. She purposefully changed their tickets to eliminate the lay-over in New York that he wanted and ended up on a direct flight to Los Angeles, California.

When they landed, she began to dash to get her luggage and found her stuff right away. She then made a point of bumping his shoulder as she dashed away from him. He had to actually use his powers to catch up with her after he found the cello case coming down the conveyer belt. She was loading her stuff in the trunk of the cab and slammed it shut before he made a move, causing them both to glare at each other.

Inwardly, she was doing a triumphant dance. Even through the stoic exterior, she sensed his irritation. She moved to the passenger's side of the cab to find the driver glaring at her. He held a lit cigar, dangling it out the window and spoke in a gravely voice as he informed her, "Passnegers in back."

"What?" she cried. Her head popped up to see the chevalier placing the cello case in the trunk the driver had to open again. She then popped her head back into the cab and sneered, "I am not sitting with him."

"Lady," he retorted as his cold grey eyes peered into hers, "I don't care what kinda hang-ups you and your twin there have, but you guys better learn to get cozy back there 'cause no one sits up here but me."

She let out a silent curse as she stood to her full height and rolled her eyes. After she cooled off a second, she looked back into the cab and smiled a super sweet saccharine smile and informed him, "If you make me sit back there with him, there will be blood all over the back of your cab… and it won't be mine."

The two of them glared each other down. Neither of them wanted to back off. Hagi watched the scene with a bit of amusement. The shrewish girl was now dealing with a personality exactly like her own.

They arrived at her apartment complex about 30 minutes later. Mary Frances was nearly bouncing in her seat as the cab came to a stop. Not even losing the argument with the cab driver could curb her enthusiasm. One more speed bump and they'd be there.

She wondered briefly at the scent that seemed to follow the dark haired man that was to be her body guard for half a year. There was an odd scent that she was unfamiliar with, but there were others she was familiar with. One was the scent of roses. It was strong, almost overpowering the smell of sandalwood. She casually asked, "Why do you smell like roses?"

He didn't show it, but there was a glint of surprise in his eyes as he wondered why she was curious. Maybe he shouldn't answer her. Maybe he should just make it seem as if he was holding a grudge, but he knew that would never get either of them anywhere. He took a breath and responded, "I always bring a rose to Saya every morning when she sleeps. Sometimes I give her one when she is awake."

She nodded and turned to the window. He had actually answered her. What was his game? He should have ignored her, but instead he had showed interest. The answer then processed in her mind and she thought how caring that was. "That's a bit more romantic than I expected of you, Lurch. Why a rose?"

He inwardly cringed at the nickname he was given. It sounded horrible and that butler did not look anything like him. Not only that, he didn't act like that either. He responded in his usual monotone, "It is what is expected of me."

Now her curiosity was piqued. That was not the answer she was expecting. She turned to him and commented, "Wait! Wait! You mean to tell me that you just do something like give her a rose everyday just because it's expected of you?" She vaguely heard the cab driver inform them they had arrived, but she was busy. She gave an evil smirk as the chevalier turned to get out of the car. She caught his attention as she grabbed his ponytail. She pulled him back until he was looking in her eyes from an upside down position. She told him, "Bull shit. You do it to get her attention because you're in love with her."

He turned quickly, freeing his hair from her grasp and gripped her arm as he came to a seated position. She thought she heard a growl come from his throat and his eyes flashed a bright blue. She smirked as she felt his grip tighten on her wrist, "Awe, did I piss you off?"

The chevalier released the princess and quickly exited the cab. How was he ever going to stay with this woman? He had never had a flare of temper since he was young. This princess certainly knew how to get under his skin- one cab ride and he was ready to rip her apart. Taking his cello case, he made certain to keep a wide distance between her and himself as he paid the cab driver.

The gruff looking man asked, "Hey, is that your sister? You guys look so much alike."

Hagi's jaw clenched as he simply nodded. It didn't matter that he was actually more than a century older than her, he still looked 22. No one would believe the truth- neither did he.

~0~

She wanted to relax that day. They had gotten back from a very long flight and she had so many things to do. Her mail was in a stack and she had to go through it all. Thankfully, all her bills were paid online and taken directly from her checking account. The sale of The Center had swollen the account and the money from smuggling only added to the pile she had sitting in the bank.

She smirked as she left the shower and rubbed her hair dry with the over sized towel. Her guest was in the living room playing something on the cello. She rolled her eyes when they arrived and he turned down a chance to watch her big screen TV and instead grabbed a chair from her dining room table.

Looking at her computer screen, she noticed the last transfer she had made from her account to another account under the name Hagi Goldschmidt in the amount of $900. She warned him that she would pay him back, whether he wanted it or not. She could still hear the way Joel VI was trying not to show the smile in his voice when she explained why she wanted Hagi's account number. She just knew he'd refuse her offers to pay him back.

She came into the living room where the chevalier was drawing the bow across the strings, producing the most beautiful, melancholy piece of music she had ever heard. The princess couldn't help but watch, entranced by the spell he seemed to weave with his gentle motions and the way he seemed to be completely engrossed in even the slightest movement he made. It was a vision of perfection and she knew not to intrude on it. Instead she chose to make some tea in the kitchen.

She began to boil the water as she searched through the cabinets above where she usually kept her tea and coffee. She muttered about having to buy some milk, cheese, eggs, lunch meat, bread… the list went on and on. So many things had gone bad in her absence. Through Kai she had found out that Hagi never ate or drank anything so that was one less person to worry about when it came to groceries.

As the kettle whistled, she was brought back to her original task. She took the plastic container from the cabinet and opened it to the smell of her favorite chai tea. Busy with her tea preparations, she did not realize the music had stopped. As she waited for her tea to steep, she began to write down a list of things she needed. When she moved to get a trash bag to throw the molded stuff out, she was startled to see him standing in the dining area, watching her.

She turned back to her task of throwing stuff out and murmured, "Creepy ass stalker." She then spoke aloud, "Do you always creep on women or am I just special?"

He did not respond as he continued to stand there, causing her to feel a bit annoyed, "What do you want?"

Finally, he turned his gaze to the window, letting the sunlight color his face in a yellow and his grey-blue eyes sparkled. "The tea smells good. What is it?"

She went still in the process of throwing away some fuzzy grapes. Her face turned to him, surprised at his interest, she regarded him with suspicion. "It's vanilla chai tea. I usually have a little milk with it." She then grabbed a half gallon jug that held something that had really gone bad. But, as you can see, my milk has turned a rather terrible shade of green since I was gone."

He nodded and then asked, "Could I try some, please?"

She blinked and then turned back to the hot kettle and grabbed another mug. "Yeah," she responded with a bit of reluctance, as well as an expression of disbelief. After she set the tea bag in the steaming mug, she turned to him. "I thought you didn't eat or drink."

He stared out the window again and elaborated, "I am curious. It smells… different than what I am accustomed to."

She nodded and wondered at him. Once she had thrown out all the bad food, she tied the bag and informed him, "Be right back."

He sat by the window and sipped the tea. It was exotic and yet very familiar to him. As he stared into the now half empty mug, he wondered, "What is this woman doing to me?" He had never allowed his curiosity to take over before. He was doing and saying things he had not in over 100 years.

When she returned, she took her mug and flopped into the overstuffed leather chair in the living room. She clicked on the television as she sipped her tea. "It's better with milk," she commented. When he turned his head to her, she added, "The tea- it's better with milk."

He nodded and turned his gaze to the window again. "You said that earlier."

She responded, "Well, it is."

Once his mug was completely empty, he noticed she had went to her room. After a moment, she returned in a pair of very short ripped denim shorts barely hanging on her hips. She wore a shirt that had the word "BITCH" printed in bold letters across the front. It was tied just under her large breasts, revealing her flat belly with a few parallel lines and yet another piercing. "Gotta get some stuff," she informed as she grabbed a small clutch he remembered from a year ago. She removed her wallet and stuffed it in her front pocket. "You coming or what?"

"You should wear something else if you plan to go anywhere," he said plainly.

She snorted, "Yeah, sure. I guess you forgot something, mister. I'm not sweet or innocent and I'll wear what I damn well please."

He had no choice but to follow her so he got up and did just that.

~0~

If she got stares of disapproval before, she had many more now. They were an odd combination and to top it off, they looked so much alike. She ignored the stares and comments as she grabbed items from the shelf.

As she went to pay, she noticed the chevalier reach for the card in his wallet. She scowled at him and hissed, "Just what the hell are you doing?"

He glared back at her and responded, "I do not know how you did it, but you added money to my account." He added firmly, "I am paying for this."

She didn't want to make a scene. They already drew too much attention as it was, but she would not be backed down. She hissed through clenched teeth as her eyes went wide with anger. "Let's get this straight right now. I am 19 going on 20, my mom raised me until I was 17 by herself, I have plenty of money, and I think I'm doing a fine job of taking care of myself. So as you can see, I don't need your charity, Lurch."

He did not like the scene that this caused. Usually he ignored stares of strangers, but too many eyes could cause problems. He backed down and let her pay, but not before he noticed the thin line around her iris- an indication of contact lenses. Keeping silent, he followed her after she paid for the food and they began to leave.

She was surprised as they made their way outside, he asked casually, "Why do you wear contacts?"

"None of your damn business," she responded coldly.

"It's because she can't see," a voice called out from the side.

They turned and to see a bleached-out blonde haired man that stood next to a deep red muscle car. He smiled at the pair and looked Mary Frances up and down. His smile widened as he commented, "God, Mary Frances, you don't know how much I missed you."

She smirked, "Jack." She walked up to him, placed a hand on his chest, and ran her finger up the center of his tight t-shirt and then up the side of his face, causing him to shiver. She then grabbed a handful of nearly white hair and roughly pulled his head back. Noticing the instant reaction he had against her hip that was tight against his groin, she asked, "What did you do to your hair?"

His cheeks colored as he pulled her hand to release him and answered, "I should ask you the same thing." He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down, knowing there was someone with her… and he clearly wasn't her type. He cleared his throat and asked, "Who's you friend.

She rolled her eyes and answered, "Friend is such a strong word. I would use body guard, but I won't. I call him Lurch- you'll see why soon enough, but his name is Hagi and he's actually my half-brother." They had already realized no one would believe he was her father, so telling them he was her brother made more sense.

They loaded the groceries into the car and headed to unload the groceries before they came to the shop.

~0~

Jack led the way inside and yelled out over the sound of the metallic clangs and the sound of the air compressor rattling on to tighten some lug nuts, "Hey! Look who I found!"

All heads shot up and beamed smiles at the same time. There were shouts and questions as they surrounded her, being cautious to pat her on the back or give high fives, but none hugged her.

Hagi watched from the background in curiosity. He noticed when one placed a hand on her back in an almost embrace. Her eyes grew cold briefly.

At that moment, an aging man with deep brown skin and shocks of thin white hair around his head appeared from the office. His thin black cane clicked against walls and items that sat on the floor, letting him know where to step. Mary Frances gasped. He looked as if he had aged 10 years.

His hand shook as he asked, "What's all that noise out here?"

She came to his side with tears in her eyes and whispered, "Daddy Green?" She came down to one knee in front of him and grasped his aging hand.

His head went up in surprise. Giving a wide grin, he greeted, "Hey Girlie!" His hand found her cheek and stroked it gently, "Where the hell have you been?"

She rolled her eyes and said, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." When she came to her feet, the aging man wrapped his arms around her waist. She reluctantly embraced him back.

He then commented, "I'm glad you're back to keep these guys in line."

She smirked, "They been giving you trouble?"

"A little," he responded.

At his response, she snapped her head up and shouted, "Alright you grease monkeys, show's over! Get your asses back to work!"

They all went back to their jobs as she turned to Daddy Green and said, "Daddy Green, while I was gone, I met someone- he's related to me." She motioned for Hagi to come to her side. "This is my half-brother, Hagi."

The dark-skinned man smiled as he greeted the tall man, "Hello, Hagi, I'm Calvin Green."

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Green," the chevalier responded as he gave a formal bow.

The aging man raised a brow as he felt the strands of his hair brush against his hand. He began to run his hands over the taller man's arms, shoulders, and then face. Mary Frances explained, "He sees with his hands. He's just checking out what you look like."

Hagi bent down further to give the man better access. "Damn," he commented, "he's as tall as you, Girlie!" His hands moved over Hagi's face, "And he has the same nose and chin. The face is a bit longer and eyes are narrower, but the ears are the same as yours. That's a lot of similarities, Girlie. He's older, too."

She smirked, "Yeah. But we are completely different people."

His hands moved to the long locks of hair held by a ribbon in the back. He smirked, "I know someone that could fix this for you."

Hagi responded, "No thank you."

They stayed for a while before the shop began to shut down for the night. It was then, as they were getting a ride home that Hagi sprung a surprise on his daughter. They were quiet as he sat in the back seat and the two in the front of the car were stealing occasional glances full of lust.

He overheard Jack ask Mary Frances, "So how long is he going to be staying at you place?"

He answered before Mary Frances had a chance, "One week." This caused Mary Frances to turn and look at him in surprise. He elaborated, "Lulu will join her after that."

She glared at him, "Mr. David said that you were to watch over me."

He looked into her eyes and answered, "We should not discuss this here."

Glancing at Jack, she silently agreed and then articulated, "Fine, but you owe me an explanation."

They announced their arrival back at her apartment with a slam of the door. Hagi didn't startle or even flinch. This had been expected.

"What the hell?" she demanded. "You come here and tell me that you're supposed to watch out for me and then you just leave!"

He waited until she calmed down and explained, "I must go. Lulu will be fighting chiropterans made by your blood, Mary Frances. She can handle some of them, but not without help. She will be able to train you to fight while she is here with you. In six months, I will be able to take care of the situation in the eastern US. You and Lulu can handle the western US together."

She came to face him and pointed a finger in his face, "Admit it, you know you can't handle me."

His eyes narrowed as he noticed a movement to his left side. He caught her wrist as her hand was a mere centimeter from his face. With narrowed eyes, he said, "You have a lot to learn, princess."

~0~

The week went quickly as Mary Frances was now ignoring him completely. She would get up without a word and go wherever she felt like going. He opted to follow her at a distance and watch from the shadows.

Every night she seemed to head to the same place for about an hour. It was an apartment 5 miles from the shop. She would give a brief knock and get ushered in by a familiar bleached-haired man, usually shirtless.

Tonight was the last night he'd be there and she was in her customary place. Hagi couldn't hear the conversation, but he knew she was angry with him and taking it out on her lover.

Hagi cringed at the idea that this was his daughter and she was doing… that… with some guy that she was obviously not in love with. She hated being touched by him. Actually, she hated being touched by anyone.

Disappearing into the night sky, he found solace in a park across the way and began to play in order to drown out the sounds that would make any father cringe in disgust- the sound of a man being pleasured by his daughter.

Something was changing in him. He could feel it. He never cared for anything anyone did unless it affected Saya, but now he was feeling protective over this girl. He had to get away before the attachment became something that would change him for good. She didn't need him and Saya would never forgive him if she found out. He planned to find the answer for this problem before they left the US.

Lulu would arrive in the morning and he'd be free. He should feel relieved, but somehow, he wasn't. He knew this feeling, it was guilt. Why should he feel guilty? The princess clearly was doing fine on her own and Julia would develop a serum soon enough.