Right it has been forever since I updated this and well I'll just make this short.

Reviewer of the Week! Thoth-Moon!

Okay so this guy didn't review , but when I first started reading stuff on this site without a profile or anything he was who I read! Not strictly who I read but I loved his writing style and I loved everyone of his story and I loved him like period! He was who I wanted to be like! And guess what? I found him! well not in real life. If I had found him in real life I would have given him the biggest hug I could and told him how awesome he is! But I haven't found him in real life—we can only hope, lol. But I found his profile again! I'm so happy!

Snow

5.

It's in the Blood

~Joan~

I could barely breathe as what was happening was slowly setting in. I started to shake as Zero pulled me closer. My hand was still over his clasping the gun. I glanced at it. I had to keep it away from myself. I sucked in air slowly and focused on blowing out. Just like that, in out, in out. I couldn't let this compromise me. I slowly moved to pry to gun out of Zero's hands. Zero was lost completely absorbed with sucking as much blood as he could from me. I knew it happened to all of them. If humans thought they went in to a blood frenzy by smelling them they would be completely terrified by what our blood did to them. It was like putting Heroin in front of starving heroin addict that had gone without the drug for decades. They went mad for it, not thinking clearly and over reacting to anything. I wasn't sure what the effects on Zero was going to be.

The boy had been human at least once but now? Well now was clearly defined he was no more human than I.

I was still concentrating on my breathing. Very soon I would start to feel weak I had to act before then or I would be royally screwed over. I tentatively worked the gun out of Zero's hand. He gave it to me amazingly without even a second thought. His arm quickly constricted around my shoulders holding me to him. I carefully put the gun on safety before shoving it in my jeans. I gritted my teeth a little as Zero let his razor fangs sink a little deeper. I looked around this was too dangerous here. I slowly stepped forward, pulling myself and my wrist from him. I winced at the sickly wet sound that came as Zero was forced to slide his fangs out of my flesh.

A small whimper came from the boy as I acted. His hand reached out but I backed up another few steps.

"Zero," I said tentatively. "We can't do this here. Its too easy to be caught, and far too easy for one of us to collapse." I was really afraid that I might do just that, but I was also afraid for Zero. I wasn't sure what effects the blood would have on him but they couldn't be good effects. He was have to change from a lower once human Vampire to and actual Vampire and my guess was that was going to be a painful process.

He stumbled forward another step. His glassy eyes were hazed with want as his feebly reached out his hand to me again. I shook my head. He was too far gone now. All he wanted was to drink, we needed to get somewhere fast. I glanced around the jacket was a rag by now and the two dead guys were covered in their own blood. I'd have to lift some more cloths if we wanted to get anywhere unnoticed. I looked up at Zero. There was blood covering half his face,, down his neck, and a bit over his shirt. I sighed.

This jack ass wanted to kill me so I had no idea why I was so willing to help him. I frowned, I hated him.

Then just to make my life better I heard the resounding sound of thunder. I looked up, seeing dark fast moving clouds. This was just beautiful! Now its going to rain and we are out here in the middle of London without even a jacket! FUCK!

~Aiden~

I woke slowly. Well no that is a lie, as always I woke up all at once. But I didn't want to move. I felt stiff leaning against the stone wall. But grimacing profoundly I got up stretching out all the kinks. I glanced around me. It was still day but the signature sound of rain pouring was all around outside of the church.

That was a problem. Yes it would Help him and Ra move faster but that also mean the Council and Zero would be able to move faster as well. He glanced back at his comrades and froze. He counted only three people. There was supposed to be four. His brow lowered. He quickly stumbled to Ra waking the man first. He wasn't sure it that was a spot on idea but he didn't care.. He touched Ra's shoulder and quickly tried to recoil.

Ra's hand shot out at mine grasping it very tightly holding me there until he could open his eyes. He looked up at me amused.

"What?" Ra voiced.

I froze a bit but shook my slight fear away before answering. "I can't find Joan."

Ra cocked his head still not letting go of my hand. "What do you mean you can't find Joan?" He really didn't look happy over the news flash.

"I mean I woke up and Joan was gone." I answered, trying to stand my ground against the man.

Ra quickly shifted his grip to use my hand to pull himself to stand. He quickly looked around himself. I watched tentively.

Ra was quite simply an Enigma to me. Far older than my brother Tray and I Ra's past was all but known to any in our little group of misfits. Ra never volunteered information beyond the occasional story and he never let slip what he really was. Ra had claimed that he wasn't always human, but then what was he? I knew simply by being a Vampire myself that he hadn't been a human. I didn't know exactly what Ra was and that scared me far more than the great northern race we were helping now. They were rare and mysterious beast that kept to themselves as long as you kept your distance from them. Ra was nothing like them. You never knew when Ra was going to act and what he was going to do.

Ra turned back to me. "We have to go after her."

I nodded to the two still slumbering. "We can't leave them though and no they can't come with us."

Ra looked back at them.

"Alright." I tried reading between the lines as Ra spoke. Abruptly Ra looked at me. I was startle flushing and quickly looked away. "We have to guard them." I nodded, looking at the floor. Annabel had meant a lot to Ra, and now she had left her mark. A few days ago Ra would have led the way, but now he was realizing; sometimes you have to go on the defensive before you can ever manage an offensive.

"Do you want to split up?" I asked not sure what Ra was thinking as always.

Ra nodded, stoic. "But not to find Joan per say."

I waited for the man to continue.

"You are going after your brother."

My eyes went wide. I defiantly hadn't expected Ra to say that. In fact over the past day or so my brother had barely crossed my mind. I sighed inwardly at the thought. My relationship with my brother was like the polar opposite to Mark and Joan's. I barely cared about where or what my brother was doing. Yes, I loved him and would die for him in a heartbeat but that didn't mean we were close at all. Joan and Mark on the other hand. They were Kyree so Mind Magic was common among their folk and according to Joan herself she'd molded a type of bond with Mark. They always knew of each other. Feelings and emotions were sent through the bond effortlessly. Mark always knew where and in what condition Joan was in—

I stopped. Mark always knew where and in what condition his sister was in.

"Ra!" I exclaimed a smile broadening on his face.

"What? You don't want to go after Tray?"

"Tray?" I was confused for a moment. "Oh, yeah going and finding him. But back to Joan! We have Mark!"

Now it was Ra's turn to be confused. "Yes, Aiden, we still have Mark." He pointed to the slumbering two. "He's right over there with Alex, we also have Alex with us. Now who we don't have is Joan and Tray, so could we work on finding them?"

I shook my head at Ra's antics. "No, what I'm saying is that Mark and Joan are linked. If anyone knows where she is its Mark."

That's when Ra got it. He didn't say anything just fleeted to Marks side. He was never an exactly gently person, but I would have taken more care in waking the wounded boy then Ra even thought about. He grasped Mark's shoulder shaking him to a shuddering awakens.

"What?" he said very drowsily. He sounded half drugged. I glanced to Alex.

They had never let any of the Vampire acting as their escorts in on much of their methods or how they used their power, but what Mark understood Alex was a Healer. I wasn't sure what else she was but she seemed to be a very valuable asset Joan would insist time after time. They needed Alex. I always just wondered, why? What did this girl possess that was so vital?

I turned my attentions back to Ra as he started to speak.

"Mark, we can't find Joan. Can you tell us where she is?" I rolled my eyes. Of Course, Ra demands it out of the half asleep fellow instead of waking him up a little and asking for the information nicely.

"Joan—what?" Mark stared his yes half lidded his face in confusion. I sighed before speaking up.

"Mark, we need you to tell us what you feel of that bond you have with your sister. Where she is, is she okay, what she's doing. Simply anything you can tell us." I said in what I hoped was more of a soothing tone.

Mark nodded and closed his eyes for a moment. Ra leaned forward to shake the boys eyes open again but I was on it smacking the vampire upside the head, with a sharply whispered, "he's not going back to sleep!" Ra looked like he was about to shoot back a retort when Mark's eyes opened again.

"She's fine. She's blocking most sensory and her location, but she says what she's doing is important and that she's perfectly fine." Mark said, yawning after in quick secession.

Ra's eyes went wide. "You can speak to her?"

Mark turned drowsy eyes to him and shook his head. "No, she speaks to me. I'm not very good with Mind speech, but Joan is. She's good at all Mind magic. I can Broadcast but only emotions through the Bond, she can use it to communicate as long as we're not a strenuous amount of distance apart."

"Don't count Merlin out though He could Broadcast some nasty feelings right on to you if he chose." Alex said very defensive. Ra and I both looked up. She looked like a Lioness who had just found a couple of Jackals waking her defenseless sleeping child. And she looked poised to strike. Ra sucked in a breath, gearing up for the confrontation. I shrank back though. We were their escorts we weren't to be fighting amongst each other. I placed a hand on Ra's shoulder pulling him back with me a foot or so.

She quickly turned from the two to Mark. "Mark, please lie down you really need to sleep now."

Mark didn't need telling twice as he let himself drop to the makeshift bed roll again. In seconds he was out and Alex was to her feet.

"Alright, what all this about Joan being gone?" Ra and I scrambled to our feet. Alex was always the timid one…at least until now.

"She's gone, obviously." Ra hissed. I sighed. Really Ra for one second could you at least act like you weren't raised for confrontation?

I quickly interjected. "When I woke up I found that she was gone."

Alex nodded seeming to take that in to account before she spoke.

"We should leave her be then." She said with resolve.

Ra went to step forward and I stepped on his foot, stopping him instantly.

"We need Joan though." I pointed out. "If anyone can find a way to get you guys home quickly, it's Joan."

Alex nodded but didn't' waver as she spoke. "Joan wouldn't abandon us though; if she left she had to have a dang good reason for it."

Ra advanced only with word this time. "Alright, but we still need Tray."

"Alright." I couldn't argue with that. My brother, I knew could take care of himself, but more than that he would be very useful in getting these guys home.

I nodded set on my decision. "Alright, I'll go bring him back." I of Course wasn't sure where He was but If I knew him he was probably drunk in a bar somewhere. Well I'd just have to sober him up and drag him back here. He was going to help us. I'd let him do whatever the hell he wanted after this was over, but until then he still had to at least act like the boy had a little more dignity.

~Tray~

I watched the sun setting from the window seat. Only a day and I was already completely integrated in to the vast house. Make no mistake Edmond had made it very clear I was staying. I pulled my knees up to my chest. I wanted to cry. I very much wanted to cry.

They were dead. Every last one of them. The second Edmond had gotten the report he had forced me to see it. Now here I was. I'd ran away so to speak to this room. It wasn't the room that me and Edmond shared. It was a bedroom though. A very old bedroom by the looks of it. White sheets had been placed over much of the furniture. I had pulled off some in an attempt to make the room seem a little more inviting. In the end It was all to folly. I knew there was no way to make this in to home. Everything was to rich, it was too decorative. Aiden and I were raised as we were normal Vampires, not Nobles, not council members, just normal Vampires. Greater then human's turned for sure, but nothing extremely remarkable about our livings.

As I watched the sun sinking beyond past the horizon lines I realized I wanted it back. I wanted my entire childhood back. We were from Poland originally, my brother and me. Our mother had been very old for our kind. Our father, well he had little hand in our lives. Our mother had assured us constantly that he was of no great importance and that we would succeed without him just as we had always done. And that had been our life. We had lived in a small town house posing as normal human beings for my whole childhood. And we had been happy at it.

I let my chin rest on my knee.

Of course it hadn't lasted. Their mother, god rest her soul had convinced herself that she was no longer of use in this world. Aiden and I had watched her slowly starve herself to death.

I didn't move as I heard to door open behind me. I simply closed my eyes. He had found my hiding place. My grieving would now have ot come to an end. I shivered as I felt him near hme his foot steps sounding on the hard wood floor.

Edmond reached out his hand clasping my shoulder. I didn't have to look, I already knew he was smiling.

~Joan~

We (as in myself and the half starved, completely out of it, moron, I was supporting, with his arm around my shoulders) had barely made it up to the hotel room. It had taken a lot of effort just to get his wallet away from him. I hadn't realized it but now I did. He was getting drunk off of my blood. Well that's at least what I could figure. The more he got a taste of it the more he was starting to falter in his steps and the quieter he got. I hadn't heard a word out of him besides curses all night and now even those were all silenced.

"Come on." I said as I helped him over to the bed. I was glad he had at least gotten a room here in London. And I was also glad the room key he had had in his wallet gave me all the information I needed, pretty much. After that a quick trip to a pay phone and then just to hail a cab. I seemed like an easy enough task right. Well wrong.

Well there was the wallet thing. He did not want to give it up, apparently he had still been thinking at the time. So after a few very theify hand tricks and assuring him I wasn't going to run with the thing. I mean come on, petty thievery is so not my style. Well anyway let's just say that this little excursion went downhill from there. Ending in the cab ride which was excruciating. By that time keeping him away had gotten ten times harder. He wanted more than my wrist by that time. I have no Idea what the diver was thinking.

I lowered him down to the comforter and he collapsed on it heavily. I sighed and slumped down to sit at the edge on the bottom of the bed.

That of course didn't last long as a hand grasped me around the shoulders and hauled me to the top of th e bed pinning me under Zero's weight in the process.

"Ow!" I hissed as he very rapidly sunk his fangs in. he held my head still as he pulled his shrugged out of one arm of his coat then slowly out of the other. I hissed as his fangs sunk in deeper and winced as the pull of his sucking started to take effect.

I growled at myself inwardly. I should have shot the bastard when I had the chance. I hate being a good person.

So there you go and hmmm I'm asking a question in all the rest of my updates so lets see…If you could pick a theme song for Joan what would it be? My answer is probably A Day to Remember—Have Faith in Me, but I want to hear what you guys think!