Edward's typically handsome face split into a wide grin tinged with mockery, although Emily straightened her spine and faced him defiantly she felt herself shrivel inside. She wanted desperately to cover herself with her hands, of all the times he had to see her it was while she was in this ridiculous outfit.

"How the hell are you, Emz?" Edward said with a chuckle in his voice that Emily didn't know whether to attribute to his surprise at seeing her or to him just being condescending.

"Emily," she corrected coldly, "and I'm wonderful."

Ordinarily Emily would ask how he'd been but considering he had cheated on her and left her, she didn't really care whether or not he'd just wandered into the bar after a near death experience … okay, so that wasn't entirely true. If he'd just had a near death experience of course Emily would care, but she would also laugh. What? It's not like the guy died or anything!

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her face suggesting that she had a bad taste in her mouth. Edward shrugged in a self-satisfied way and sighed as he leant casually against the bar, he passed a rather superior look at the people around him, it was apparent that they did not meet his approval.

"You know how it is at the office, Emily," he said carelessly, "I had to come down here to close a major deal."

Emily nodded absently, looking around for an escape or for someone to come rescue her.

"I saw your show by the way," Edward commented lightly and Emily snapped her eyes back to him.

"Really," Emily murmured.

"It's … good," he said with that irritating smile on his face, the one he always used when he was making fun of her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emily said through gritted teeth and Edward shrugged, with a look of innocent surprise meant to abash her, this was almost always how their arguments used to start when they were a couple.

"Nothing," Edward said, "I was never like you, Nature was never my hobby."

"Well, it wasn't mine, either, it was my career!" Emily said snappishly, Edward sighed and rolled his eyes heavenward as if to say 'here we go again', which in turn fanned Emily's flame.

"I realise you and I didn't part on the best of terms, Emily," Edward said, his voice said he was broaching the subject cautiously.

"Well, we didn't part, you left," Emily said coldly and they descended into a tense silence.

It was then that Emily realised she was acting like the shrewish, bitter ex-girlfriend that she wasn't, admittedly she had been, for a while too. But no longer, not since Jasyn, that man's touch had wiped all vestige of her former feelings for Edward away. Her feelings about Edward sprung from hurt pride and humiliation but she no longer wanted or desired him and she hadn't for a long time.

"Look, Edward, I don't want to argue," Emily said with a resigned sigh, and she even managed to smile at him. "Whatever happened has happened, nothing will change it. And to be honest we were never going to last, breaking up was probably the best thing for both of us."

Edward looked taken aback by her sudden change of heart, he nodded and they were silent for a while, with Emily trying to voice that she was now going to leave for the ladies room.

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way," Edward said suddenly, "it was a shock to me when we first got together, you know?"

Emily stiffened, "pardon?"

"Well, you know, we were from completely different backgrounds, studying different things …"

Emily raised her eyebrow, if he was about to say what she thought he was getting at, she would actually kill him.

"You were never the type of girl that I looked for," Edward sipped his drink, completely oblivious to the insult he'd just given to Emily. He looked up and beamed holding his arm out to a tall, classy looking red head who sidled up to him and moulded herself to his side. She had a haughty look about her that said she thought she should get a humanitarian award for being in the same room with the people at the bar.

"Lesha, I was wondering where you got to," Edward said giving her a toothy grin, Emily wrinkled her nose with distaste. The woman flicked her hair back and gave a man who moved past her a disdainful glare, she wiped an imaginary smear of dirt from her arm before she spoke.

"Uck! The service in this place is diabolical," she whined contemptuously, "what kind of place have you brought me too, Eddy?"

Edward gave a hearty, affected laugh as if she had just told a fantastically funny joke, Emily had visions of feeding the pair to Remi, or better yet Mama Lo.

"Well, this is one of the busiest nights of the year for Sanctuary," Emily said loftily, "most of the people here have bought tickets to get in, in fact you're lucky you got in at all."

The woman looked at Emily coldly as if she were offended that Emily speak to her, her eyes raked Emily up and down and her lip curled slightly. Emily kicked up her chin defiantly though she could feel the beginnings of a blush colouring her face, Emily wanted nothing more then to transform into her hawk form and chase the pair from New Orleans.

"Oh, so sorry, Emily," Edward remarked carelessly, "Lesha, baby, this is Emily McLean. Emily this Lesha McIntyre, my business partner and …"

He looked at Lesha and smiled stupidly, she giggled stupidly and tapped at his shoulder as a way of reprimand, as if they were sharing a secret.

"Lesha isn't used to places like this," Edward said to Emily in an affected whisper, "we're slumming it, you see!"

Jasyn had gathered himself together enough to return to Emily, his body was still tingling but he'd gotten a hold of himself and was able to go back to her without looking like a fool. With a cup held in each hand he pushed and barged his way back through the crowd, he'd almost reached the corner of the bar where Emily and he had been standing when he halted. Jasyn saw her standing there with a foppish man and a red headed woman, who may have been pretty if she didn't look like she were smelling something foul. Even with the distance between them Jasyn could sense a severe dislike coming from Emily towards these people, he could feel her self-consciousness and discomfort. She was also extremely angry at them, so much so that a few more words could have brought tears of rage to her eyes. Jasyn marched determinedly back to her side, his head bent with a look of determination of his face as though scanning for prey.

When he was behind the couple he cleared his throat pointedly.

The guy threw a irritated look over his shoulder, upon seeing Jasyn he immediately pulled back from his girlfriend and allowed Jasyn to pass. Emily's happiness at seeing Jasyn was tangible, with his back still turned to the pair Jasyn gave her a silent look that asked if she were alright, with grateful eyes she nodded.

Jasyn handed her a cup and turned to see the woman eyeing him like she was about to offer herself to him on a plate. The guy on the other hand didn't like him, Jasyn could sense that he felt threatened by him and he was suspicious too. This did not bother Jasyn because he didn't care who liked him, and on closer inspection Jasyn found that he didn't like the way the guy was looking at Emily. Jasyn snaked his arm around Emily's waist and dragged her back to his front, pungent jealousy flared from the guy and Jasyn passed him a wicked grin.

"Jasyn, this is Edward Leech," Emily introduced them politely, her hand resting comfortably on top of Jasyn's, "we used to date once upon a time."

Emily noted with pleasure that Edward frowned, she understood why. There relationship had progressed far beyond dating, they had been living together and were talking marriage, they even shared a car for Christ sakes!

"We did a bit more then date, Emily," Edward corrected her with a bite in his voice that earned him a scathing glare from Lesha and Jasyn.

"Edward, this is Jasyn. He's … um ?" Emily looked up at Jasyn but Jasyn was to busy giving Edward some serious eyeballing.

"I'm her boyfriend," Jasyn rumbled, not one syllable of his statement had promoted friendship and Edward sensed it, Emily patted Jasyn's hand in an attempt to get him to calm down.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Emily laughed airily, "I totally forgot you, Lesha. Jasyn, this is Edward's girlfriend, Lesha McIntyre, was it?"

"Yes," Lesha said, giving Jasyn a dazzling smile and the shadow of a wink, Emily narrowed her eyes, "and Edward and I aren't dating, you were mistaken."

Jasyn did not react to her words and kept silent, he sipped his beer and watched Edward looking from him to Emily.

"Do you still see much of Jay and Aaron, Emz," Edward said confidently, as if trying to prove that he knew much more about her life then Jasyn did.

"Emily," she corrected again, "and yes, we work together on my show. Jasyn met them briefly on the set in Bulgaria. Jasyn loves Bulgaria, don't you honey?"

Emily leant her head back and looked into Jasyn's eyes which were twinkling with amusement, there was a ironic twist to his lips when he spoke.

"Yeah, killer scenery."

"To die for."

It was Emily and Jasyn's turn to exchange a secret look, Emily felt Edward's jealousy and anger grow. As smug as she was feeling, Emily felt surprised to find that she was more interested in the humour shining in Jasyn's eyes.

"He also met Quassim. You remember him, Edward?"

"Yes," Edward muttered with barely concealed irritation, "how did you find him?"

"Perceptive, acerbic and smart," Jasyn replied, "my kind of guy."

His voice was so monotone and Edward's face so irritated and unsettled that Emily let out a giggle, she stroked Jasyn's hand with her thumb to show her thanks, in response he tightened his arm.

"Edward, didn't ever get on with Quassim," Emily explained with pleasure, "Quassim was a little too perceptive in his assessment of Edward."

"Really?" Jasyn commented with malicious delight, "what was his assessment?"

"I don't think we need to -" Edward sputtered red-faced.

"He likened him to an orifice on the human body reserved for the process of talking shit."

Jasyn's quiet laughter rumbled up from his chest making him vibrate against Emily's back, all of a sudden Emily didn't care quite so much about the revenge she was wrecking on Edward, she wanted him gone.

"Well, he let you go," Jasyn commented lightly, "probably an accurate assessment."

Emily wanted to grab Jasyn and kiss him senseless.

"Now see here!" Edward said, straightening up and taking a step forward. Jasyn stepped to Emily's side with a growl, Emily put her hand on his arm knowing that should Jasyn want to go at Edward there wasn't much she could do to stop him. Edward's face lost colour and so did Lesha's, Jasyn had sounded like a savage animal and his eyes were too intense and bright to be human.

"I think we better be going, Lesha," Edward muttered quickly and hurried her to the door, Emily watched them leave, she blew Lesha a sarcastic kiss when the woman looked back over her shoulder at Jasyn.

She turned her gaze to Jasyn with a mischievous grin, he had a wicked smirk on his face that was making him look good enough to eat. She touched his forearm, Jasyn jerked and looked down at her hand.

"Thank you."

"Was that -?" Jasyn let the question hang.

"The one that left me with a broken heart?" Emily gave a wry grin, "yep that was him. Only the heart was bruised, never broken."

Jasyn's eyes softened, "I'm glad," he murmured, his eyes hot on Emily's skin.

"I always knew I had quite a vindictive streak in me," Emily informed him happily, making Jasyn laugh, "I rather enjoyed it actually. I bet you give him an inferiority complex for life!"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh come on!" Emily giggled, "did you see the way he was looking at you? I bet he gets home and starts pumping weights and steroids. He was like Jane next to your Tarzan!"

Emily bit her lip and blushed when she realised what she had inadvertently admitted, Jasyn felt like beating at his chest in triumph.

"Oh, damn!" Emily said suddenly, "look what the stupid idiot has done."

Jasyn watched her pick up a brown leather, bulging wallet, Jasyn whistled and took it from her and starting checking out the roll he had in there.

"That much money and he couldn't even take poor Lesha to a restaurant!" Emily said outraged, "I don't know why I'm surprised, I always had to go halves on the bill whenever we went out!"

Jasyn chuckled and handed it back to her.

"I better try and give it back to him, he can't have gone that far."

"Why bother?" Jasyn asked frowning, "why should you do anything good for him? Unless you still have feelings for him?"

Emily snorted out a laugh at the absurdity of the statement, and what Jasyn might say if he knew his presence completely eclipsed Edward in everyway for her.

"Hardly," she scoffed and Jasyn felt a lightness in his heart, "besides it worked out for the best."

"How so?"

"Well, if he hadn't left me I might never have met you. And wouldn't that just be a shame?" Emily teased before turning on her heel and walked towards the door, her hips and ass swishing like well oiled machines.

She turned at the door and their eye locked over the people and the dance floor, through the lights and the smoke. Jasyn's felt heat pulse through his body, his groin turned to steel, he'd never felt the urge to mate so strongly since puberty. Then she disappeared into the night and Jasyn felt his breath catch, his mind suddenly sucked into an void of broken, terrifying prospects. What would he do when she left? Would she look at him as she had just done before disappearing out the door and leaving him to his life? What life? Of being alone and lonely forever, a life of being forever unfeeling and in the dark? Jasyn could not bring himself to accept that soon she would be gone, back to her life of friends and happiness. Had he expected her to stay and go on the way they had been? Had he expected her to stay at Sanctuary with him and all the rest of the outcasts and the unwelcome, suffering the sexual heat between them, wanting him and knowing he wanted her but unable to act upon it? Why would she when there were males out there, human and Were, that could offer her so much more?

Jasyn inhaled with a rasping sound and wondered whether or not he'd heard himself sob, he could actually believe it with how bad he felt. No one would believe it but Jasyn found it rather hard to go back to being dead now he'd had a taste of living, no one would believe it but Jasyn rather liked having Emily to care about. And it was true that he did care about her very much, so much that he couldn't quite contemplate a life where he never had another rather deep, albeit sarcastic, conversation with her. It would be so strange once she left, to everyone else she would simply be another drifter, just passing through those ever swinging doors of Sanctuary. But it would be so much more for Jasyn, for him she wasn't some broken down, bitter woman fresh from losing her clan to the slaughter of the war. She wasn't a vicious killer in the guise of a femme fatale hoping to assassinate her prey. Or some bitch on heat, perpetually looking for someone to indulge with her in the extremes of depravity because she had lived so long all walks of life had lost meaning for her. She was this amazing young fledgling who had just lost control over her entire life and thrust into a world she didn't know, and was doing it all with a smile on her face and a sarcastic wink. He'd seen her laugh until she'd cried and cry until she'd laughed, seen her angry, hurt, happy and scared. But the point was … she could feel all those things, and she thought nothing of showing such emotion in a world where the beings guard themselves so closely. Jasyn siphoned those feelings from her like a friggin' vampire, he revelled in her emotions and then the ones she in turn produced in him.

One night was all he wanted then … then he would let her go. After one night of being with her Jasyn promise himself he would let her go. With that thought in mind he moved towards the door, so fast was he that the human eye could not trace him as anything more then a blur.

Jasyn stepped out into the October air and his eyes immediately focused on Emily in the dark, she had her back to him and was standing there like the fairy she was meant to be, as if waiting for her magical kin to find her. Jasyn was about to open his mouth to call her name when he saw a shadow move, she was staring right at, Jasyn felt his blood freeze in his veins: Arion!

Flashing himself to her side Jasyn let out a screech of outrage and fury, his menacing green eyes gleaming with the promise of violence. Arion took a step back with his own fierce squawk, but he did not turn to leave, he held his hand out and stared desperately at Emily.

"Come with me now, Emily!" he cried urgently, he thrust his hand at her, "come with me now before its too late!"

Emily turned fearful eyes on Jasyn who pushed her behind him and held her there, Jasyn wanted to rip Arion's heart from his chest. There previous battles and meetings felt like a game in comparison to what Jasyn was feeling now. Jasyn took a vicious swipe at Arion's outstretched hand, his human hand rapidly changing to sharp talons to cause maximum damage, Arion drew back with a hiss.

"I'll protect you from him, Emily," Arion said seriously, "all you need to know, all you need to learn I will teach you. Just don't allow him to poison your mind!"

Jasyn felt Emily's small hands curl around his strong bicep and hold on to him, primal instincts older then time itself reared their magnificent head in Jasyn's chest. The innate animalistic nature demanded that he protect her like he would the very flesh on his body. The impulse demanded that he fight to survive ordained that he would fight to ensure her survival at all costs. Anyone who threatened that survival, even by method of taking her away from him would come under the merciless nature of his inner beast. Jasyn was Katagari and no man on this earth would take Emily without having to fight Jasyn first, and even then they'd have to kill him. Arion narrowed his eyes on her hands clinging to Jasyn and shook his head regretfully.

"Fine," he said, "but just remember what I told you."

Arion flashed himself out of New Orleans, usually Jasyn's first instinct would be to go after him and tear him limb from limb but that instinct was stunted by the protective one that needed to see Emily safe. He turned and caught her in his arms, flashing them both inside Emily's room, when they were there, Jasyn held her at arms length and let his eyes run over her.

"Why didn't you call to me?" he demanded to know, he gave her a slight shake, a frown creased Emily's brow as she spoke.

"I was going to at first but he just started talking to me and," Emily paused and gave Jasyn an odd look, "telling me things."

Jasyn did not outwardly react to the look but he let her arms go and went to the window to shy away from it under the pretence of checking the lock and pulling the drapes.

"He said you were a killer, Jasyn," she said her voice low and soft yet utterly clear, Jasyn turned to her frowning darkly.

"That you know," he replied sharply and Emily nodded.

"I told him that," Emily said quick with another question, "he said you were a child-killer, Jasyn?"

Jasyn closed his eyes as if pained, when he opened them they were two bright orbs of light, they stared fixedly at her, unblinking.

"It isn't true, is it?" Emily gasped, tears trembling in her voice.

"What do you think?" his voice rumbled through the darkness, taking on a sinister edge it had never had before.

"I think …" Emily said slowly, "that you are capable of anything."

"Good!" he sneered, "because you're right, I am!"

"Even murdering a child?"

Emily felt her stomach lurch at the thought and put her hand over it to try and instil some calm into it.

"It wasn't like that," Jasyn said in that monotone of his, "it wasn't like that at all."

"What about my family?" Emily demanded to know, her eyes flashing fire now, Jasyn looked up from his deep thoughts and seemed confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"Arion said that you went from city to city, town to town, village to village wrecking terror and destruction. Thousands of innocent Arcadian families slaughtered under you, that you spill blood for fun. Could you have murdered my family?"

Jasyn laughed with disbelief, "what do you believe, Emily?"

"Well, you just said you were capable of anything!"

"Is there any point of defending myself when you've convicted me already?"

"That's not fair!" Emily hissed at him and Jasyn laughed mirthlessly again.

"You're so sure of my guilt you're even convincing me of it!"

"I'm only asking whether it is possible that you could have killed my family!"

"If what Arion told you was true, and I am this mass murderer of women and children," Emily winced when Jasyn barked the words at her, "who's to say that your family are even dead? They could have just abandoned you."

Emily looked stricken and Jasyn rubbed his brow tiredly, he hadn't meant to say it so starkly.

"Emily, I -"

Emily marched up to his and shoved at him with the flat of her hands, it was a mild shove really and Jasyn didn't even move. Then to his greatest shock Emily flung her arms around his neck and held on to him so tight he felt his neck crick.

"You're all I've got, Jasyn," she whispered into his neck, her breath hot and moist there, but it could also have been a combination of her tears. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

She chanted it endlessly while never losing her death grip on him, Jasyn held her back just as tightly more out of instinct then of actually knowing anything about comforting someone. Finally he picked her up in his arms and took her to the bed where he sat with her and allowed her to sob until she was too tired to sob anymore.

"I'm sorry," she whispered when her tears had slowed and were drying on her face, "I know - y-you wouldn't - do that!"

Jasyn held her hair back from her forehead and said nothing while the storm of emotion ended, she finally scrubbed her hands over her face and stared down at her hands that were twisting nervously in her lap.

"Have I completely grossed you out yet?" Emily joked feebly, "or would a few more sobs and sniffs do it?"

Jasyn said nothing, Emily blew out a deep breath.

"You must think I'm a total weakling," she muttered regretfully, Jasyn shook his head then realised that she wasn't looking at him.

"No."

"You don't have to lie, Jasyn."

"I'm not."

Emily looked at the clock on her bedside table, she turned to him, still not meeting his gaze.

"I guess I should sleep off the aftermath of a crying jag, eh?"

"Yes," Jasyn agreed solemnly, "you need to rest."

Jasyn stroked his hand down her hair, gave her shoulder a squeeze then stood up and made for the door, he stopped and turned when she said his name. He stared at her playing nervously with the threading in the quilt, her eyes and nose were red and her hair was mussed.

"Can we talk tomorrow?" she asked quietly, hopefully.

"I think that would be best, don't you?" Jasyn said so kindly that the lump in Emily's throat turned painful, she nodded unable to speak and Jasyn took his leave.