Everyone was quiet, watching and waiting to see what would happen next between the new hybrid and the very unhappy vampire among them. Neither moved or said anything for the last five minutes. Tori kept looking from one to the other, having removed herself from Sasha when she noticed the daggers Jade glared at the contact. She wouldn't have liked anyone so close to Jade in such a way so she could understand her irritation. Andre was anxious about the stand-off. Beck was once again agitated by Jade so he was subconsciously leaning a little more in Sasha's favor. Sikowitz stood with his arms crossed trying to look serious but slowly succumbing to the smile of amusement on his face. It was like watching a dramatic play and he just couldn't help it. Suddenly, Jade marched back over to stand right in front of Sasha, almost nose to nose with her. She growled, baring her teeth, and the hybrid responded.
"I don't want to fight you, but we need that boat. If that means that you and your friends will have to tag along then so be it, but I'm not walking away until I get it," Jade hissed.
"I already asked them to go with me before. They don't want to leave their home and I won't make them. I didn't for myself so I definitely won't make them for you," Sasha replied, standing her ground.
"Fine, then I guess I'll have to convince them myself," Jade responded, moving to walk away. She only took two steps when she was yanked back by clawed hands.
"Don't even think about going near them," the hybrid snarled. Jade threw her hands off her but Sasha tackled her to the ground instead. They wrestled in the dirt, each trying to get the upper hand on the other. Tori rushed forward to separate them but skid to a halt when the fight moved farther away. She whined her distress. She wanted to help Jade but she also didn't want to leave the others unguarded.
"Stop them from killing each other, Tori! We still have some ammunition and a few knives we can arm ourselves with. We'll be fine," Andre told her, dropping the supplies he carried to search for the mentioned weapons. Sikowitz and Beck did the same. Tori nodded and then ran after the fighting hybrid and vampire. She reached them just as Sasha threw Jade through another wall. She climbed back out coughing and covered in dust. A fine line of blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. It traveled over her chin to land on the rubble at her feet.
"I'm getting tired of this shit," she grumbled to herself, wiping away the blood at her mouth.
"Stop!" Tori yelled when she approached them. Jade looked at her with a bit of shame in her expression but Sasha was long gone. The rage had taken over her already. She was lost in the side of her Tori rarely felt, the side of her that only appeared when her loved ones were being threatened. She had felt it when Jade angered her during their first meeting. She knew what to look for when it boiled in her now so that she could cut it off before it took over. She could see it glinting in the other hybrid's eyes and knew there was no stopping her unless she stepped in. After all, she hadn't learned control like Tori had. She fought vampires to kill, never meeting one like Jade. Tori darted forward just as Sasha charged. Jade met her head on but was easily thrown back. Sasha slammed her into the ground, teeth baring down to bite. Jade threw up her forearm just in time to take the damage and save her throat from getting torn out.
She cried out when the sharp teeth easily tore through her pale flesh. She shifted to get her feet in between them then dug them into Sasha's stomach, sending her flying back into a more solid wall. She yelped when she hit it and fell to her knees. She was dazed but was up in no time. She ran at Jade again but Tori slammed into her from the side. They hit the ground in a flurry of snarls. Their nails dug furrows into clothes as well as skin and their jaws came close to landing damaging bites, but the shift in power kept fluctuating. Slowly, Tori gained control of the situation and struck out with a hard kick to Sasha's stomach. She skid through the dirt and came to an abrupt stop when she struck a car. She fell on her stomach, heaving air, and unable to get up at the moment. Tori was panting where she stood but at least she was still on her feet. She was a mess of cuts and bites though. Jade forced herself up and ran to her.
"You think that was enough?" she questioned, checking to see if Sasha's wild and uncontrolled temper had run its course.
"Y-yeah…or, well, I hope so," Tori replied. Jade wiped at a cut on her cheek gently, watching as it sealed up along with the others.
"You'll be alright?" she asked next, cupping Tori's face. She nodded, placing her own hand over Jade's.
"Let's get over there before she gets up," Jade urged, dropping her hand and rushing past Tori who caught her by the arm to stop her.
"We can't take their boat," she denied.
"But Tori-" Jade began to argue. Tori only needed to shake her head again to make the vampire listen.
"All we can do is ask, and maybe try to work out a deal, but we can't just take someone's home from them," she pointed out. Jade reluctantly accepted her point.
"Then what do we do? Swim the distance?" Jade jeered.
"We'll figure something out," Tori responded. They began to walk away when they heard a cry of pain that made them look back. Two vampires had taken advantage of Sasha's defeat to attack. Gunshots made them aware that their friends were in danger. They both ran in that direction, but even though Tori didn't say anything, she didn't have to. Her expression told Jade that one of them should go back to help the fallen hybrid, but she was stuck between helping her and helping the people she loved. Jade knew either choice would haunt Tori should there be fatal consequences so Jade made the choice for her.
"Get to them as fast as you can. I'll be there after I help get this stupid mutt out of trouble," Jade grudgingly stated, stopping to backtrack. Tori's smile was instantaneous. She had made the choice for Tori, not because she wanted to. That's what she told herself as she ran back to help Sasha. She jumped into the fray with fangs bared, tearing out one of the vampires' throat then tackling the other before it could get in another attack. She beheaded that one. She made sure there were no more waiting to descend on them before directing her attention to the injured hybrid. She was on her knees, a hand gripping at her shoulder and the other gripping her thigh. She growled low when Jade walked over.
"That's the thanks I get? You beat the crap out of me before talking it out and here I am saving your ass," she sneered, stopping by Sasha with crossed arms. The hybrid's growl died out and she bowed her head.
"I just wanted to keep them safe," she muttered, voice fragile.
"You won't by losing control. You can't let it get out of hand. You need to use it, not the other way around," Jade told her.
"What do you know?" Sasha spat, looking up at Jade. She dropped her hand now that the wound at her shoulder had healed.
"I've taught myself control and even helped Tori through her own rampages so I know the feeling," Jade replied. Sasha let out a huff of breath and looked away.
"I want us to come to an agreement here and now, because if choosing to save your life doesn't convince you that we're on the same side I don't know what will, so you just have to trust me, ok?" Jade continued.
"Trust you?" Sasha repeated. Jade just stared down at her. The hybrid seemed to think it over before sighing and raising a hand. It was a wordless request for assistance. Jade gripped it in her own, admittedly tighter than necessary, and helped her up. Once she was on her feet they both pulled away quickly.
"Are you going to listen now?" Jade questioned. Sasha nodded.
"Good, then we should meet up with the others and talk on the way," Jade suggested. Sasha followed when she led the way.
"Also, don't get too comfortable with Tori. I get that she's personable and you guys are both hybrid mutts, but if you get that close to her again I will win the next fight between us," Jade warned, her black and white eyes sending a shiver of danger down Sasha's spine for the first time. She couldn't let any fear or weakness show so she covered it up with a smirk and pushed herself into a strut.
"Ooh, so she wasn't lying when she said you two were mates. She was pretty open and honest about it so I believe her. You're all kinds of possessive so I believe you too. But why do you think I did that in the first place? I like making my enemies squirm," she explained in reply. Jade forced down the need to knock the girl out.
"I'm not your enemy. The vampires intent on killing you on a daily bases are. I want you to be an ally, as much as I'm already hating you, but beating the crap out of me isn't winning you any points so I suggest you change your attitude so we can both get what we need and be done with it. You aren't the only one unhappy, believe me," Jade lectured. Sasha didn't want to listen, but only because she knew the vampire was right.
"What'll we do about the boat then?" the hybrid questioned.
"I'm prepared to give you everything we have of value, whatever that may be, along with whereabouts to some survivors we met. They could help you and your friends either find a new place to live or maybe even invite you into theirs. It's pretty hidden away," Jade offered. She raised her nose to the air, sensing that they were close to the others.
"You would do all that for a boat that may or may not work?" Sasha inquired.
"Does it work?" Jade questioned instead of answering. Sasha shrugged.
"I never saw it anything but stationary," she admitted.
"If it does work, then yes. I'd be willing to make that deal," Jade said with a nod.
"What's so important that you need to have a boat? Where are you headed?" Sasha inquired.
"Hopefully, to a cure for the virus," Jade answered, a bit grim. Sasha's stride almost faltered when she heard that. She didn't know whether to believe the vampire or not. It seemed far-fetched, but even she had hope for a cure. Jade could hear her team now and was relieved when they sounded fine. Sasha wasn't blind to the attention Jade gave tracking them down. She was like a bloodhound, determined to find them. They rounded a corner and Jade shifted into a jog. Tori saw her and smiled. Jade took her hand in hers, a small smile of her own on her face. It looked out of place to Sasha who had only ever seen her angry so far, but she was starting to see why Tori brightened when she saw the small form of happiness. The vampire didn't look half bad, almost pretty when she smiled. That was one out of many though, so Sasha still didn't like them, but she figured she could allow herself not to hate this one.
"Are you guys ok?" Jade asked everyone. They all gave various answers that they were fine, just tired from the adrenaline fading.
"Can you still get us there or have we been pushed too far off course?" Jade asked Tori.
"Sorry, I can't seem to find the way from here," she answered after glancing around and scenting the air. Jade nodded and looked to the other hybrid, waiting. She wanted to pretend like she didn't know what the vampire wanted, but eventually gave in with a groan.
"Follow me," she said with a wave of her hand. Tori looked between Jade and Sasha, trying to figure out what must have happened for them to get along just enough to function, but they gave no indicator. It was a reluctant alliance at best. As they traveled, Tori could tell that Andre was dying to talk to Sasha now that there was relative peace. She nudged him and he practically jumped but relaxed when he realized that it was just her. Tori held in a laugh and tilted her head at Sasha. He shook his head in response, eyes wide, but Tori rolled hers and pushed him forward so that he was walking next to the Australian girl. Jade watched their interaction with a crooked amused smile. She then raised a brow at Tori who only continued to smile, feeling accomplished. Beck and Sikowitz had seen the exchange too and now watched on as Andre cleared his throat.
"So, uh, where you from?" he began, getting a snicker from Jade for his lame attempt at conversation. He shot a glare at her before returning his eyes to Sasha. She looked back at him but quickly looked away.
"I don't think you missed my accent," she replied.
"No, I didn't," he agreed, his brows coming together when he heard the others muttering how obvious he had been every time she spoke. She smiled at their teasing and Andre's frustration with them even though he tried to hide it.
"So you were living here, traveled here, or what?" he asked next. It was a better question than the first. They had to give him that.
"I came here for a little vacation with a friend of mine. We were doing some sightseeing when I was taken. I remember walking down the street with her, stopping so that she could take a picture, and then nothing. The next time I woke up I was in some lab. I had flashes of other images but nothing I could grasp. The next time I woke up I was in some cryofreeze tank. Someone found me. It was a man raiding the lab or something. Vampires found us shortly after. I tried to keep them from him but there were too many. I must have gone into a rage because I managed control some time later but I was somewhere else. A trail of dead vampires were laid out behind me. I just wandered until I met the two who live in this boat. They had been out scrounging and were attacked. They were doing well on their own but I made sure they won. I've been protecting them ever since. That was maybe two years ago. They know English but they taught me Spanish should I run into anyone else," she shared, surprised that she was comfortable enough to talk to Andre. She felt like she didn't have to try so hard with him. Andre nodded, understanding after going through similar situations with Tori. He began telling her their story and she listened with rapt attention.
"They seem to be getting along well," Sikowitz remarked. Beck, Jade, and Tori nodded. They let the two talk and joke around with each other while they traveled. Jade had the habit of flicking her eyes skyward, anticipating the arrival of the sun. Tori was worried about it too. Right when Jade thought they would have to stop somewhere so that she could find shelter they had reached their destination. They walked over the creaking dock and stepped over missing boards on their way closer to the boat. A man was leaning on the side and spotted them. He called to another and then pointed at them. A woman showed up and they both jumped out to run over to them. Their smiles at seeing Sasha and more people quickly fell when they saw Jade.
"What is that doing here?" the man demanded.
"Finally, another person who speaks English!" Sikowitz exclaimed, thankful. The man and woman ignored him to look to Sasha.
"She's…an ally," she explained haltingly.
"She's with us," Andre added, backing her claim.
"We were looking for some help. Sasha brought us to you," Beck spoke up, simplifying all the fighting that had happened before they could even reach their objective.
"We'd love to help, but we don't trust vampires. None of them can be trusted," the woman stated, unyielding.
"I talked to her myself," Sasha pressed.
"'Talked' being loosely used here," Jade grumbled, pointedly dusting off her dirty, bloody, and slightly ripped shirt. The two looked shocked to see her speaking. In fact, it made them more suspicious.
"I'm sorry, but we can't," the woman repeated, looking from Jade to Sasha who turned to them with a shrug.
"You guys go ahead. I get it. I'll find somewhere to hide out. We'll meet up here later," Jade told them, walking back down the dock.
"I'll go with her," Tori said, quick to volunteer. She jogged to catch up to Jade who smirked at her.
"Look who needs a cuddle buddy now," she teased, Tori smacked her arm in retaliation but laughed. The rest of the team followed Sasha and her two companions onto their boat while Jade and Tori managed to find a rowboat lodged in the sand a few yards down the beach. They worked together to get it loose then propped it upside down with the side resting on a low rock. They took shelter under it. The bottom was nicely curved and the planks made to sit on had been broken off so that they had some head room. Not that Jade needed it because with the first sun's rays came the fatigue. She laid on her side in the sand and Tori huddled next to her. She took the side where the boat was resting on the rock so that no stray rays could get to Jade. She brushed back her hair and kissed her temple.
"I'm proud of you," Tori told her.
"For what?" Jade mumbled.
"You saved Sasha's life," she answered.
"Yeah, well, the world seems to need you mutts to survive and if I let her die I would be making that hard on humanity, so, whatever," Jade responded indifferently. Tori only smiled and shook her head with a sigh.
"I know you better than that, West," she stated, nuzzling at the vampire's jaw. Jade couldn't hold back her smile at the affection but forced it away a second too late. Tori had already seen it and grinned happily.
"Then you know not to be a bother while I'm trying to sleep, Vega," Jade countered, trying to sound irritated, but again, Tori knew better. She held Jade against her and relaxed, falling quiet. She buried her face in Jade's back, right between her shoulder blades. She smelled of all kinds of things varying from dirt to blood but she didn't turn away because the strongest scent entering her nose was Jade's own and that alone comforted her enough that she too fell asleep curled around her vampire.
Tori had been the last to fall asleep but she was the first to wake up. Although she was a little groggy she didn't miss the sounds of someone walking through the sand, heading in their direction. She quickly sat up, careful not to wake Jade, to eye the crack between the sand and the rowboat. Whoever it was stopped before she could see feet but one sniff of the air told her it was Sasha. A look of puzzlement greeted the fellow hybrid when Tori carefully extracted herself from under the overturned rowboat.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"A rowboat? Quick thinking," Sasha responded casually. Tori waited for a proper answer with her hands on her hips and a slight frown on her face.
"Do you use that glare on your vamp?" Sasha inquired, amused.
"Sometimes," Tori answered with a one shouldered shrug.
"Does it work?" Sasha questioned once more.
"Sometimes," Tori admitted grudgingly, eyes downcast now. Sasha chuckled and gestured for her to follow. They walked slowly across the sand, going nowhere in particular.
"I was thinking about the offer she gave me," Sasha began, glancing back at the rowboat that hid Jade. Tori looked back too then gave the other hybrid a curious tilt of her head.
"She said she was willing to give up all your supplies and tell me where to find a new shelter in exchange for the boat," she clarified.
"She did?" Tori replied, surprised. Sasha nodded.
"Yeah, she also told me why you need it. I've been thinking about that a lot. I want to do what's right. Even though that boat is my friends' home, I have to look at the bigger picture. Your cause is just as important, maybe even more so, than just survival. I can't turn you away from a chance at finding what most of us only ever dreamed of," she confessed.
"What are you trying to say?" Tori wondered, stopping to look at Sasha.
"I'm going to give it to you," she stated plainly. Tori blinked, taken aback.
"And your friends just agreed?" she questioned disbelievingly. Sasha shook her head. She looked sad and a little guilty when she replied.
"I may have snuck something into their food to knock them out," she admitted.
"You drugged them?!" Tori exclaimed.
"It's harmless! They'll be up some time tomorrow morning. It gives me just enough time to get them over to that place your vamp mentioned. They won't even know what hit 'em and by then you'll have the boat and they can't do anything about it," Sasha explained.
"You're putting their trust in you at risk," Tori pointed out.
"I know, but if they refuse to understand or forgive me down the road then maybe they aren't the friends I think they are," she replied easily.
"How do you suppose you'll get over there before they wake up while hauling them and a few bags of supplies?" Tori asked her.
"Easy, I hid away one of those motorcycles with a sidecar and basket attachment. I'll just squeeze 'em in there and put the supplies in the basket," Sasha revealed. Tori smiled and held out her hand.
"Thank you," she said, truly grateful. Sasha grabbed her hand to shake it.
"No problem," she replied, truly happy to help. She saw Jade slip out from under the rowboat, probably in search of Tori, and had to mess with her one last time. She yanked Tori into a bone crushing hug and watched as Jade's posture stiffened before she strode over. She chuckled and Tori pushed her back to shoot her a look of pure confusion. She didn't need to explain because by then Jade had reached them. She pulled them apart and stepped between them, glaring at Sasha with an expression that clearly read 'mine, don't touch'.
"Hands off mutt," she growled.
"Oh Jade, stop it," Tori reprimanded lightly, finally understanding what was going on. Sasha only smiled and held out her hand to Jade who looked at it as if she wasn't going to return the gesture, but then she took her hand to shake it once before letting go.
"Your mate will explain everything, and I don't mean that phrase in a friendly way. You know, so that you're not confused. Good luck to you," Sasha said in playful farewell, saluting them. She ran back to the boat before Jade could even get one word out so she turned to Tori for the answers.