Jade marked their location on the US map somewhere off the coast of New York. She then drew a line with the red marker to New Jersey which she circled. She hoped to find one of her father's contacts who had helped them in the past. Maybe they could point them in the right direction. Beck was suddenly next to her, standing at her shoulder where he was looking over her marks. She ignored him to the best of her ability and gathered up the map of the world, the US, one focusing on the area between North and South America, and then the South American map. Her basic plan was to scour the Americas first before making a trip over to the east. She would search the whole world if she had to before giving up. She hadn't been too keen on finding The Dome in the first place, but now that she was here, she might as well commit fully to it.
"Why are we going to New Jersey?" Beck asked suddenly, eyes on the circled state. Jade looked at him over her shoulder.
"I wanted to exhaust some sources while we're nearby before we move on," she responded, voice giving away nothing. He nodded thoughtfully.
"You know someone?" he continued.
"Yes," she answered, busying herself with finding a more detailed map of the US.
"You know where they are?" he inquired next.
"I know where they were last I heard from them, but that's not the problem," she responded, giving up looking for the detailed map.
"What is?" Beck asked, moving to lean against the table next to her so that he could see her better. Jade still didn't give him her full attention.
"The real problem lies in if they're still alive or not," she answered, walking away from him to speak with Sikowitz. She didn't feel bad for snubbing him. It was his fault for trying to push for more when she told him to back down. It was his fault for being difficult in general so she didn't really care how he was feeling at the moment, or what he would be feeling when he realized she wanted nothing to do with him at the moment. Instead, she kept her mind directed to the task at hand. Tori wasn't with the captain as she expected, but careful listening by tuning out the roiling waves around them told her she was in the living room area with Andre.
"You've been told of our first stop, right?" she questioned Sikowitz.
"Yes ma'am, and I believe we will reach it in a few hours," he replied, yawning a moment later. Jade crossed her arms.
"When was the last time you slept?" she wondered. Sikowitz furrowed his brows in thought and then looked utterly confused.
"I don't know," he eventually replied. Jade rolled her eyes and stepped closer. He eyed her but didn't flinch away.
"Teach me how to drive this thing. I'm the only one who'll always be the most functional at night. If anyone wants to sleep they can while I keep us on course," she told him. Her stern tone was a demand but it wasn't a sharp one. It also held a note of suggestion, an offer.
"That would be quite helpful, yes," Sikowitz replied. He stepped back from the wheel with one hand still holding it steady while he gestured for Jade to take his place.
"Time for a crash course in basic boating!" he announced dramatically. Jade was greatly annoyed but remained patient. He began explaining and Jade listened carefully. An hour later, full of sharp turns Jade threw in for fun just to see all the humans on the vessel pinwheel their arms in an effort to stay standing, Jade had the hang of it. Sikowitz was free to leave her to it while he went to sleep.
"Wow, look at you, co-captain! We should get you a sailor uniform," Tori teased when she returned. Beck had left a long time ago and was now with Andre. Jade scoffed at her playfulness.
"We both know I'd look dashing and well deserving of it," she replied in a highly pompous manner. Tori laughed and leaned on the control board panel, careful not to push anything. Jade had a dry humor and sarcasm not many understood and tended to take seriously but Tori knew she was capable of silly humor too. It just didn't happen as often. Jade's small smile pulled at the corner of her lips, enjoying Tori's own big smile and adoring laugh.
"I wonder how I would look in it?" Tori pondered, a finger tapping at her chin.
"Like a dork. Oh wait, you already look like that," Jade commented, smirking when Tori frowned. She waited for the hybrid to put her hands on her hips and chuckled the moment she did.
"You're so scary, Vega," she continued to taunt. Tori growled, wanting to get back at Jade, but was aware that she was currently manning the wheel and couldn't afford to throw them off track.
"You're lucky you're busy right now," she warned. Jade raised a brow and glanced at her, enjoying the pout on her face and her crossed arms. She still couldn't believe the girl was a powerful wolf human hybrid.
"Or what? What could you possibly do to me?" Jade challenged, unperturbed by the new glare Tori sent her way. She leaned closer so that she was in Tori's face.
"You don't scare me mutt," she hissed, sneering with a fang on display. Tori advanced on her, forcing her to back up.
"Oh yeah?" she responded, unwilling to let Jade win.
"Yeah," Jade confirmed, daring Tori to make a move. Tori whined, eyes flicking to the wheel, and then to Jade's smug features. Jade knew she wouldn't do a thing so she moved to push her away but Tori grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her back. She took hold of the wheel to keep it steady with her left hand while her right gripped at the front of Jade's shirt to shove her away until the small of her back met the corner of the counter. Tori pressed against her, getting in her face. Jade's fingers gripped the edge of the counter on either side of her, nails scratching against the surface. Tori's eyes were locked on hers, burning into her. Jade growled low, feeling cornered, and Tori responded by moving to grip her by the throat firmly under her jaw. Jade was aware that she was being put in her place and she didn't like it. Her instincts naturally disagreed with the dominance held over her until a sharp barking growl left Tori's lips and the appearance of her gold eyes flashed.
The rest of her features followed, making Jade tense. Deep down that need to fight was always there, waiting to come forth and attack, but they both locked it away with the stronger presence of the people they truly were. At the moment, they were somewhere in between. Tori's grip on Jade tightened and Jade dug her nails in Tori's hips, pulling her closer; another dare. Tori's next growl tapered off into a quiet grumble when their hips met. Her breathing became heavy and her hand stroked down Jade's pale neck to rest on her shoulder. It was heavy and hot against Jade's cool skin, radiating though the thin shirt she wore. The look in Tori's eyes locked her in place, made her wonder what was running through the hybrid's head at the moment with such an intense gaze directed right at her. Tori suddenly leaned close, intent on kissing Jade, but the moment came to a screeching halt when the boat rocked violently. Tori scrambled to right it but Jade pushed her out of the way to take the helm again.
"Holy moley!" Andre's voice crowed from out on deck where he stood with Beck. Jade glanced out the wide front window to see a whale's fluke coming down next to them, the shine of the deck lights highlighted it where the water slid off. It splashed water on deck just as Tori ran out to see it up close, soaking all three of them. Jade laughed at their misfortune from her place inside. As if Tori was aware of her laughter she looked back at Jade with a scowl. Jade just laughed harder. The three took the opportunity to change back into their old clothes so that the spares could now dry.
"Ha, ha, very funny," Andre complained when he walked into the control room. Beck walked in with a small towel in hand, drying his hair. Tori had dried her hair a while ago so that it sat curled at her shoulders but was then pulled back into a hair tie so that it was out of her face.
"Add rinsing in salt free water to the priorities when we dock," she pointed out. The other two nodded. The rest of the night was uneventful. Andre spent it lounging in the living room area and Beck paced the deck, deep in thought. Tori sat slumped in the only other chair in the control room, half asleep. She was starting to get hungry which meant she was low on energy. She was like a lazy cat when that happened. It was only when the sun was on its way up that Jade woke her up and told her to get Sikowitz. She brought him back in a timely manner and he took over, thanking her. He seemed like a morning person, already loud and cheerful. Jade was quick to go to bed. Tori tried to follow her but she kept her out at the doorway.
"Stay with the others. We'll probably reach a suitable dock by the time I wake up. I want you to make sure we're ready to disembark as soon as I'm up. Have a weapon ready for Sikowitz too. That way we can set off as soon as possible. Plus, they need a body guard more than me. You never know if we'll have nosy vamps climbing aboard," she advised Tori who nodded willingly. Before she left she pecked Jade on the cheek quickly. Jade forced down the stupid smile that almost found its way onto her face then shut the door. As soon as she laid down she dozed off. She woke up to shouting and the sharp crack of a shotgun. The sweet metallic tang of blood was cloying, causing her mouth to water. She groaned at the sting of hunger clearing her mind and kick starting her keen senses. She sat up, forcing the feeling away, but tried to pinpoint where the noises were coming from. A loud familiar snarl had her jumping off the bed, scissor daggers in hand, then rushing from the room out to the deck. The first thing she noticed was that they were docked. Scanning the deck she caught Andre diving overboard for some reason. Tori was busy tearing into a trespassing vamp while bodies littered the area. The vampire Tori was fighting was huge; a burly man when human now a beast when changed. Jade's rage skyrocketed when she saw Tori's torn side and bleeding face. The vampire hunched over and roared, daring the hybrid to attack.
It was badly injured with gashes of its own and additional bullet holes. That didn't seem to stop it. Jade dashed toward it, leaping to strike, but in midair it caught her by the neck. She stabbed and carved into its arm but it just threw her aside so violently she skid across the wooden deck then hit the side, almost tumbling over into the sea. She was now short a weapon, having lost hold of the one she had dug in her opponent. Tori growled protectively, angered that Jade had been dispatched in such a way. She threw herself at the beast of a vampire and clamped tight on its throat, brute strength knocking it over. Jade picked herself up while watching the carnage, Tori mercilessly tearing the vampire apart. When it was no longer moving under her, no more than a bloody mess, she stood up to look over at Jade. She was frozen in place, disbelieving the animosity flashing in the usually calm and caring hybrid's eyes. Yet, the moment they met black and white, the harsh gold softened into brown. Jade moved to go to her and Tori met her halfway. Jade raised a tentative hand to Tori's face, grimacing at the gashes made by sharp nails that tore through her skin. It had already stopped bleeding at least. Her other hand went to Tori's side, carefully brushing away the tattered shirt to see the matching injury.
"Are you ok?" Tori questioned, worry in her eyes.
"Am I ok? I should be asking you that," Jade replied, meeting her eyes again. Tori shrugged, still slightly panting, and stroked Jade's cheek.
"I'll be fine. I was just making sure you weren't hurt too bad," she said. Jade gripped her red stained hand in hers and chuckled bitterly.
"You may be able to take a beating but don't rely too much on your abilities. You're just as likely to get killed as any of us. Be more careful next time," Jade warned her. The tone of her voice was steeled with stern admonishment but Tori knew it was only because she cared so she smiled tiredly and nodded. Just then Andre and Beck reappeared on board, both soaked with wide anxious eyes, but otherwise okay.
"What happened?" Tori called to them, turning to walk over. She cringed in pain, her hand at her torn torso, and stumbled. Jade was quick to support her, holding her close.
"When that big brute charged on deck he threw me over. I must have hit the edge of the dock's rail because it cut me and the sting of the salt water kinda took me by surprise so I didn't swim to the surface as fast as I normally would have been able to. Andre got me though," Beck answered. That must have been the blood Jade had detected. She smelled Tori's blood too, but hers didn't call to her primal instincts like a human's blood did. Jade's eyes locked on his hip where his clothes were ripped. She could smell his blood, stronger, now that the gentle breeze brought it to her. She exhaled heavily, trying to get the tantalizing scent out of her nose.
"Let's get you two patched up first. I think we should stay here for the night until Tori's at least feeling better. We can head out tomorrow night," Jade ordered, helping Tori into the cabin. She set her down on a couch and then dug in their supplies for the first aid kit. Andre set Beck down on the other small couch where he would be tended to also. Jade left them to it and took Tori to the room.
"Where's Sikowitz?" she asked the hybrid.
"Probably…hiding in his room. We told…ow…we told him to hide and stay put when that bigger vamp showed up," Tori answered, grunting and flinching with each step. Jade scooped her off her feet and carried her the rest of the way, setting her down on the bed where Tori sat removing everything on her upper body besides the sports bra she wore under it all. Jade's cool hands were gentle on her, cleaning up all the blood with a damp rag then disinfecting her wounds. She bandaged Tori's torso then gave her some to press to her face. Some pressure would help staunch the blood flow and Tori's quick healing would do the rest. The wounds on her face weren't as deep as the ones on her side anyway.
"Are you feeling better?" Jade questioned while she packed up the kit. Tori smiled and rested on her right arm, her left holding the bandages to her face.
"I am now that you've patched me up doc," she teased. Jade allowed a small one sided smile then stood up.
"Stay here. I'm going to put this away and then come back," she told Tori who nodded. Jade left to return the kit to the supply bag and saw Sikowitz peeking out of his door down the hall.
"Is it safe now?" he inquired cautiously. Jade nodded and he opened the door wider. He followed her into the living room area where Beck sat with his bare upper body bandaged around his waist. Jade's eyes flicked to the small blood spot in the white, clenching her teeth and reminding herself to be careful when inhaling.
"I'm going to get Tori and then you're going to tell me what happened," she told them. She then looked at their captain.
"Does your boat have an anchor so that we can put some space between us and land? I'm sure some of them can swim but I know some can't. It would help if we had more of an obstacle between them and us," she continued.
"Good call, but I'm afraid I do not. I do have a very heavy chain so maybe we can turn something into an anchor?" he suggested. Jade became thoughtful.
"We'll have to work on that," she replied, leaving the room again. She entered the room she was starting to see as her own, prompting Tori to look up. She smiled and lifted her arms. Jade stopped in front of her with her arms crossed.
"Who said I'm carrying you back?" she questioned, her voice blunt and uncaring. Tori's smile wavered, temporarily believing the vampire, but then it returned full force.
"Aww, come on, Jade. You wouldn't do that to me," she said, voice bright.
"Oh no?" Jade responded, a slender eyebrow raised. She then turned away to leave the room, but slowly, testing Tori for a reaction. None came so she stopped at the doorway to look back. Tori sat back, leaning on her arms, and just waited patiently for Jade to come back.
"Dammit, Vega," she cursed, stomping over to her. Tori laughed and let Jade pick her up.
"I knew you weren't serious," she said, wrapping her arms around Jade's neck.
"Whatever," Jade grumbled, unhappy that she was being so lenient towards the hybrid but still caring too much to purposely cause her pain. If she moved around too much that was exactly what would happen, but if she could avoid it, she would. Tori kissed her cheek and nuzzled her jaw while she made her way back.
"Thanks," she whispered, sincere. Jade hesitated but managed a response.
"No problem," she answered, securing her hold. When they got back she set Tori down where she had been before then took a seat next to her.
"So, now that we're all here, fill me in," she commanded. Sikowitz was the first to share.
"I had just docked and gone through the processes of tying her down when not more than ten minutes later I spotted a few vampires wandering around not too far away. I hurried to raise the alarms so that we were ready," he explained.
"I don't think any of us were prepared for the amount that attacked," Beck added.
"Or that huge one. We're low on ammo now and some of us are injured," Andre joined in. Jade scowled but nodded. They would have to scavenge for more or she and Tori would need to cut down all enemies in the area so that the boat wouldn't get infested again.
"Ok then, I think we should lay low for now. I'll keep watch and take down any that come near the dock through the night. By tomorrow night Tori should be better. She'll go with me to clear some of them away from the dock so that we have more time to get to our destination before they start sniffing around the boat again. We'll have their attention by then so it'll be a tough journey. Feel free to opt out," Jade informed the small group, looking to Andre and Beck by the end. They looked ready to dispute but then thought about it. If there were large groups of vampires and they ran out of ammo how were they going to fight? They would be overrun while the two strongest of their team would have to keep them as well as their own selves defended.
"Ok, I see what you mean," Andre accepted. Beck was still hesitant. Jade looked to him, waiting for him to disagree.
"We'll stay here, but be quick. It'll probably be easier getting around with just you two anyway. You can avoid having to fight as much," he eventually responded. Jade was just glad he had nothing negative to say. She didn't want to fight with him again. She was tired of it and didn't have the patience.
"So then tomorrow night we set out?" Tori spoke up. Jade nodded.
"Then I say we all grab something to eat, get a good sleep, and wake up to prepare for the next night. We'll need to be on guard too even if we'll be here," Sikowitz said, standing up and gaining the group's attention.
"Sounds like a plan. What are we having?" Andre asked their captain while rubbing his hands together.
"Well, our stock of food is pretty good, but to slow down using it all I catch fish to eat instead," he answered. Andre's smile fell. He didn't really like fish, but of course, he couldn't not eat it. He had no room to be picky.
"Aw man," he mumbled, disappointed.
"Not to worry my friend. I've gone through so many fish my grilled recipe is the best! You'll see," their captain assured him. Andre looked a little more hopeful.
"I really don't care what we're having. I'm starving," Tori commented, pouting slightly. Jade rolled her eyes but couldn't help the thought that Tori looked very much like a hungry and begging puppy. She was not cute. No, not even close. Jade shook her head and stood up.
"I'm taking watch now," she announced. She received various nods and acknowledgments then she was out on deck, crossing to the side that was aligned with the dock. She stepped onto the worn cement structure then walked down to stop at the end. She spied a few vampires lurking in the buildings not too far away but they didn't try to get closer. Just as she could smell them they could most likely do the same. She hoped her presence was enough to keep them back. As the hours dragged on and Jade made a game of counting the ones she spotted, her thoughts wandered to the person she was going to try and find. She doubted he would still be hiding out in her hometown. He had to have been driven out by now. It's been twenty plus years and he was already a thirty-something year old man. Would a now fifty-something, almost sixty, year old man be able to stay alive? The odds weren't good, but she remembered how crafty he was. He also had a son who she was hoping had stuck around.
Maybe he learned the tools of the trade, so to speak. Jade made note of a new vampire that joined the bunch then sat back so that she was leaning on her hands. The hunger seemed to squirm in her stomach like the parasite it had made her, like a huge leech demanding more blood. She clenched her teeth and closed her eyes momentarily, pushing back the feeling. She must have had them closed longer than she thought because they snapped open when she sensed the beginning of sunrise. She would have to leave her post soon. By the look of it she only had two hours left. She hoped to be hidden in the next hour just to be safe. She couldn't waste even a few seconds of energy on healing any damage the sun could cause. She couldn't risk a spike in hunger either. She moved to get up and caught Tori's scent on the breeze. By the time she stood Tori was there to wrap her arms around her middle. Warm lips brushed the skin of her neck and then Tori breathed in her scent. Her arms tightened slightly on her and Jade placed her hands over them.
"I sometimes wonder why I feel so different towards you. Why don't you disgust me like the other vampires? Why don't I hate you?" Tori muttered, her voice truly confused but slightly frustrated too. Jade sighed, her keen eyes still tracking the vampires' movements.
"I wonder the same thing. I hated you at first. I couldn't stand every aspect of you. But I guess, being forced to live together must have tempered our senses so that we just got used to each other. Once that was out of the way we were free to get to know one another. Maybe it's just as simple as that?" Jade answered. She felt Tori shrug.
"Maybe. So…do you think it's possible for other vampires like you, if there are any, to be rehabilitated the same way?" Tori questioned. Jade scoffed.
"Not to sound overconfident or pessimistic but, I don't think any could reach the point that I'm at now. It took death of a loved one, grief, constant determination, and a strong hold of my instincts to get where I am," Jade explained. Tori hummed thoughtfully and rested her chin on Jade's shoulder.
"Yeah, probably not," she eventually agreed. They fell into silence, just enjoying the moment while they had it, then returned to the boat. Jade fell asleep with Tori curled up next to her. Normally, her schedule was a mix of sleeping at night as well as the day. She slept during a little of both depending on the needs of the colony. But in the last month, after things changed between them, the nights Jade wasn't needed or the days Tori wasn't needed they sometimes slept next to each other. It was a wordless decision between them; simply one of few comforts they agreed on. So, she had a hard time trying to sleep without Jade, but now she could get a few hours in before she would have to get ready for the next night. Her hand found Jade's cool one before she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.