Did anyone hear that SDRR is getting renewed for a second season? Well I did. I'm really excited and I can't wait to see what else happens next. They could take it anywhere. On that note, I have this idea for a crossover with it and Victorious, but sadly I don't think I'm capable of writing it how I want it to work. I see it having some drama, angst, and a teasing but slow burn Jori. I can't do any of those things correctly. Same with this other idea that's been bugging me concerning a crossover of sorts between Killing Daddy, Victorious, and Eye Candy. Strange mix but my head makes it work. That one looks like it will be drawn out and nothing my patience could handle. Both need a kind of dedication I lack most of the time. Anyway, here's another chapter.
The two hybrids interacted effortlessly. Jade watched as Tori played hostess to their guest who happily yapped about nothing she was interested in hearing. He went on and on about the community and the people he met. He talked a little bit about the patrols and how he sometimes cleared away any heavy groups of vampires that wandered by. They weren't as frequent ever since the raiders started picking them off for sport. He even recounted stories he thought were funny of the time he inadvertently scared some of the people he patrolled with. He was light on his feet and showed up without a word, so that when he was noticed, it was unexpected. By how charismatic and talkative he was, Jade figured him to be hard to ignore once noticed. She didn't give the two her attention until the subject of Tyrell's travels came up.
"As interesting as life's been here, I really want to know how you got here," Tori requested, itching to learn how his story tied in with hers.
"Well, first of all, we knew each other even before all the experiments addled our brains," he began. Jade glanced at them with her lips drawn in a thin line, but Tori looked eager to hear more.
"Really?" she asked, eyes bright. He nodded and set his cup of water on the small side table by the couch.
"Yeah. You were dragged in around the time I was. We were always placed next to each other back when we were kept in cells. We held idle talk but nothing I can really remember. All I clearly remember is talking to you. When the tests got…harder, and we were placed in tanks I didn't see you as much. Everything else is hard to remember, but when I woke up from the cryotank I remembered enough to look for you. I was going to take you with me, but the guy who found me was in a rush. His team ran into danger and we had to leave. We traveled as a group and learned where to find The Dome so we headed here. In the end, I was the only one who made it here. I never forgot about leaving you behind though. I'm sorry I didn't get you when I had the chance," he explained. Tori shook her head and placed her hand on his clasped ones. Jade's eyes narrowed at the contact but she remained silent, knowing Tori was just a naturally touchy person.
"It's ok. If you woke me up when you did then I probably wouldn't have met the people I know now," she responded, grateful that someone was looking out for her but relieved that it hadn't turned out that way.
"Including Vampirella over there," he joked, jabbing a finger at Jade who faked an over dramatic laugh and hopped off her perch on the counter to waltz over to them.
"I bet the good doctor's interest in you has to do with your riveting storytelling and capacity to remember more than other mutts, am I right?" Jade sneered, stopping to tower over him.
"Jade," Tori cautioned her. Tyrell only smiled, although it was strained, and stood without fear of the upset vampire.
"Feeling threatened?" he questioned, confident despite staring down one of few who were capable of winning a fight with a hybrid.
"No. Why should I?" she snapped.
"Am I getting a little too close for comfort? Are you jealous that I knew Tori before you?" he pressed. When Jade said nothing, he continued.
"Because there isn't anything to worry about. I'm on your side. And because I'm on your side I wouldn't dream of taking her from you," he assured her, tone sincere. She visibly relaxed, if only a little, and Tori let out her held breath.
"I mean, I can share," he tacked on, teasingly. Tori groaned her exasperation and Jade growled. She stepped forward to shove him towards the door.
"Get out," she spat, her lip lifted in a snarl and showing off her fangs. He held up his hands in mock surrender and did as he was told. The knowing grin on his face never fell and Jade hated seeing it more and more. She knew he was only messing with her. He had no fear of her and knew just what to say to anger her. She was also sure that he was confident she wouldn't attack him, which was why he kept pushing. He knew a lot about many things, which told Jade that he was cunning and found ways to obtain information on what he found important to know. They hadn't even met and already he knew her weakness without anyone blatantly pointing it out. Once he was gone, leaving with a cheerful farewell, Jade slammed the door and strode down the hall. Tori sighed and got up to follow her.
"Jade. Will you stop and listen to me before you fly into an unnecessary rage?" Tori called to her, grabbing at her arm when she entered the bedroom. Jade threw off her hand and spun on her, shoving her forcefully so that she collided with the wall. The air was forced from Tori's lungs for a moment, but then she was growling too, metaphorical hackles raised with Jade's rough treatment of her. Jade squared off with her, sharp nails clutching at Tori's shirt collar once more. Jade leaned in to kiss her hard but Tori bit at Jade's bottom lip, drawing blood. The vampire hissed her frustration and licked at the healing wound before trying again. This time when their lips connected it quickly turned into an open mouthed kiss, a fight of constantly trying to one-up the other. Tori's own sharp nails gripped hard at Jade's hips, cutting into her pale flesh. She pulled Jade closer so that they met hers and Jade complied with the demand. With a leg between Tori's they were picking up where they left off but with a little more force. Jade wrapped Tori in her arms, a hand tangled in her hair, and proceeded to grind against her. Tori whined and then moaned, the sound coming from deep in her chest as her hips rocked in time with Jade's movements.
"Shit," she growled in Jade's ear, gasping out a whimper when she unexpectedly bit into her neck, fangs sinking in deep. Jade pulled away just as quickly, shuddering at the small amount of the hybrid's blood coating her teeth and tongue. It was worth feeling the surge of arousal caused by the control she currently held over the hybrid. The minimal amount of blood didn't stop her from working Tori over the edge. Her body trembled as she buried her face in Jade's shoulder but she pushed Tori back and kissed her with a fiery passion, their eyes locking when she pulled away.
"You're mine, Vega," she whispered, voice rough and deep, raspy in a way Tori could only describe as sexy.
"Always," Tori whispered, kissing Jade's slightly bloody lips once more. Jade released Tori and ran a hand through her hair as she walked away to grab a change of clothes. The taste of the hybrid's blood swam in her mouth, upsetting but pleasing her at the same time. She yanked off the bloody clothes she wore thanks to Tori's grasping nails then left to the bathroom for a quick rinse. Tori followed suit and entered just as Jade was stepping into the shower stall. She waited silently for Tori to get undressed and join her. They rinsed off together, dressed, and then retired to bed. Despite Jade's earlier possessive claim, she was still upset and slept turned away from Tori who understandably let her be.
When the next night arrived, Jade was the first to wake up. She glanced at Tori, seeing her clearly in the dark, her breathing steady. She brushed aside a lock of her brown hair, dropped a kiss to her forehead as a silent form of apology, and then got up. She wandered outside for a while and eventually came to a stop out past the city to stand in a wide clearing. It was still too quiet but Jade figured that Tori was right, even if she didn't want to admit to it. They needed some time to themselves. She sighed and sat down in the grass, bowing her head and letting her thoughts wander. She only looked up when she scented the overwhelmingly repugnant smell of a dog. She sighed heavily and raised her gaze to the wolf mix Maya who sat down next to her.
"What do you want?" she questioned. The dog's ears flicked back then perked up, mouth open and tongue hanging out. She pushed at Jade's hand with her head where it rested on her raised knee until Jade raised it to pet the persistent canine.
"You're just as bad as the rest of those mutts," she commented, wondering why she was even wasting words on the animal.
"Looks like I'm not the only wolf that likes you. Have I been replaced?" Tori's light voice suddenly commented. Jade allowed a small smile and turned to look at the slowly approaching hybrid.
"How long have you been there?" Jade questioned. Tori stopped a few feet away.
"I just got here," she answered. Jade raised a skeptical brow and Tori threw up her hands.
"Alright, I've kinda been watching from afar ever since Maya led me to you," she confessed. When Jade chuckled, sloughing off some tension between them, Tori walked over the rest of the way to sit on the other side of Maya.
"How did you know?" she asked, petting the dog.
"How can I not? I can smell you a mile away. You reek that much, Tor," Jade replied, a light and teasing note to her voice. Tori chuckled and shook her head.
"No I don't," she denied after trying to subtly sniff herself. Jade laughed freely now, bringing a beaming smile to Tori's face.
"I can sense you. I always know when you're near. So even if I can't see you, hear you, or smell you for whatever reason; I just know," Jade continued seriously, all emotion stripped from her voice now. Tori's smile dropped and she ran her hand over Maya a few times to give herself something to do.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you earlier or let him provoke you like that," Tori mumbled, averting her eyes and looking very much like a sad dog. Jade sighed and shook her head once, a dismissal.
"No, I'm sorry for getting bent out of shape for nothing. You were concerned for us when you said we should relax, and even though he provoked me, I should know by now that we'll never stray from each other. I guess I was just being…stupid," she finished lamely, her eyes lifting to meet Tori's glowing yellow in what the hybrid could only place as one looking for forgiveness. Rarely did Jade ever admit to anything or apologize. It didn't happen often, so Tori never took advantage because it might not happen again should she do that. Instead, she appreciated and cherished the rare moment. It was times like this when she loved Jade even more.
"Either way, I guess we were both being stupid," Tori pointed out. Jade smiled crookedly and allowed a light chuckle.
"Yeah," she agreed. Maya barked happily and licked at Jade's hand. She cringed and wiped it on her pants before leaning away from the dog who stood to trot away. Tori laughed and crawled over to take Maya's place, licking at Jade's cheek.
"Ugh, dogs," she complained, wiping at her face now, slender eyebrows arrowed down over her nose. Tori grinned and raised a hand to turn Jade's face to hers.
"I love you, Jade," she murmured, voice sincere and eyes smoldering. If Jade needed to breathe it would have caught at the way Tori was looking at her.
"I do too," Jade responded playfully despite almost getting lost in the hybrid's gaze. She smirked as she watched realization dawn on Tori's face.
"Hey! Jade!" she exclaimed, making the vampire laugh at her incredulity.
"Way to ruin the moment. I thought you were supposed to be the serious one?" the hybrid grumbled. Jade controlled her mirth before cupping Tori's face in her hands and leaning in so that their noses brushed.
"I love you, Tori," she stated, kissing her as soon as the words left her lips. It was soft and languid, loving caresses free of tongue and purely simple. They shared a smile and rested their foreheads against the other, their fingers interlaced between them.
"How much you wanna bet now that we're enjoying time together someone is going to come wandering over here, seemingly out of nowhere, just to spoil the moment?" Jade remarked, moving to mutter the words in Tori's ear before kissing behind her jaw right under it. Tori hummed happily but shook her head.
"You're so negative. It's just us here," she disagreed.
"But you have to admit it happens," Jade argued, her free hand rubbing up Tori's thigh. The hybrid groaned and stopped her cool hand from traveling any higher.
"It does, but it also seems like it usually happens when we're just about to get somewhere," she pointed out. Jade squeezed her thigh then pulled away with a nod.
"True. So then if we just sit here together simply enjoying the moment then no one should interrupt us, right?" she responded hopefully. Tori nodded and rested her head on Jade's shoulder.
"Seems about right," she mumbled, getting comfortable against the vampire. Jade sighed and looked up at the enclosed sky.
"Do you think they allow it to rain in here?" she idly wondered.
"I don't see why not," Tori answered.
"They would need it at some point," Jade said, looking to the large farmland in the distance located on the other side of the city. She felt Tori nod in agreement. Jade opened her mouth to continue the small talk when she sensed someone approaching.
"Oh, come on! We weren't doing anything!" she exclaimed in exasperation. Tori laughed and sat up to kiss her cheek then looked to see who found them this time.
"There you are," a familiar voice addressed them. Jade let out an agitated sound and turned to see Tyrell striding over with that smile on his face that she disliked and his hands in his pockets. Jade wondered how anyone could be so laid back with the world crumbling around them.
"I really thought I was about to get the jump on you. Oh well. Next time," he remarked.
"Ugh, not you again," she commented, deflecting his attempt at humor.
"That's her way of saying 'hi, nice to see you again'," Tori joked, standing to face their new acquaintance. Jade got to her feet with a frown. He chuckled and shrugged.
"No, it's fine. I get it. I was just tasked to find you after running into your friends. They were looking for you so I offered to help," he explained.
"Well aren't you a bona fide bloodhound," Jade mocked, arms crossed. Tori frowned but said nothing while Tyrell laughed, unaffected.
"Sorry for cutting into your alone time, vamp. I'll try not to be the one to do so in the future. Luckily I can sense you guys going at it before I get too close so it'll be all too easy to avoid," he joked playfully. Tori blushed a little but Jade scoffed.
"If that was the case, why the hell did you even show up before?" she demanded. He shrugged.
"I dunno. To see how you would react?" he responded, questionably, like even he wasn't sure. Jade growled threats under her breath and advanced on him with clenched fists but Tori quickly intervened and pulled her back. She questioned why hybrids liked to piss off Jade so much and rationalized that maybe because they didn't want to physically fight it was the only way left to pick at each other. After all, she had done the same thing in the past. Sometimes even now.
"So where's Beck and Andre?" she asked her fellow hybrid.
"Oh, they told me to send you guys home once I found you and that they would be waiting for you there," he answered. Tori nodded, laced her fingers with Jade's, and then pulled on her to start walking.
"Thanks for the heads-up. See you around," she said in farewell, walking quickly so that Jade wouldn't get any ideas. Tyrell waved in return before wandering off.
"So what was it you said about only being interrupted when we were in the middle of doing something?" the vampire inquired, tone a little sharp. Tori rolled her eyes.
"Ok, so that time was different," she allowed. Jade sighed and let her frustration drop. She was tired of letting things get to her. All she wanted was uninterrupted time with Tori, but if that wasn't going to happen, then she would try to be manageable and make any other time with her a pleasant one regardless of what happened.
"It doesn't matter. Let's just see what the guys want," she said evenly, dismissing the topic. Tori glanced at her with a proud grin, and one look at her made Jade groan.
"No. Don't start," she warned Tori who ignored her.
"Aw, why not?" she pouted playfully.
"Because I said so, that's why," Jade replied sternly. Tori heaved a sigh then pushed Jade back so that she was suddenly pressed into a tree.
"So if I can't bring up your honorable resignation, can I at least reward you for it?" she asked, her voice low and brow raised. Her warm hands went to Jade's hips, fingers slipping under her shirt to brush her skin.
"That, you can do," Jade permitted. Tori leaned in to kiss across her jawline slowly. Her hands disappeared under Jade's shirt to traverse her smooth skin, fingers taunting as they ran over her. She sighed and relaxed against the tree behind her. One of Tori's hands wandered down her thigh, sliding between her legs briefly before dragging back up her body to grip behind her neck. She was tugged into a deep kiss before Tori broke it, stepping back to take in Jade's completely submissive form. She smiled but Jade scowled at her once her head cleared. She hadn't noticed that her sharp nails were digging into the tree until she had to pull them loose. Tori chuckled while Jade dusted off the bark pieces on her pants.
"You tease," she grumbled, starting a quick stride past the smug hybrid.
"You like it," Tori stated. Jade glanced at her, a brow quirked, but then she smiled lightly. She didn't have to say it. Tori knew. They silently made their way to their house of sorts, locating the back door residents used. It led to the same lobby where they had to take the stairs up. Andre and Beck were loitering in the hall by their door, waiting for them.
"Hey guys," Tori greeted happily.
"Hey," Jade said with a small smile. Despite wanting time to waste away hours with Tori, she knew it wasn't possible right now. But whenever that time came she would gladly make it last as long as she could.
"We thought it would be nice to just hang out and relax like old times back at Sanctuary when we were given time off," Andre suggested.
"Sounds good," Tori replied, looking to Jade.
"As long as you aren't here to eat all our food. A hungry Tori is not something I want to deal with on top of the usual things I have to endure," Jade exaggerated, making it seem worse than it really was. Tori smacked her arm but Jade just smiled while the guys laughed.
"We ate before we got here so we're good," Beck assured them while Jade opened the door.
"Has it been unlocked this whole time?" Andre asked, incredulous. Jade just shrugged.
"Yeah," she replied, walking inside followed by the other three.
"It's not like we have anything of value in here so we don't have to worry about someone stealing from us. We only lock it before sleeping for a sense of security," Tori added. Andre and Beck took a seat and Jade stood nearby. Tori walked over to nudge her.
"Besides, who's crazy enough to try getting in here without permission when Jade's wrath is the punishment?" she continued jokingly.
"That's not being crazy. That's stupidity," Beck corrected her. Jade glanced at him and he offered a smile which she hesitantly returned before heading for the kitchen. While she pulled out another pack of blood to silence the ever present hunger she listened to her team sharing their various thoughts and opinions about the newest hybrid they met. She leaned on the counter with the pack half-finished in her hand, pretending that just for a moment they were all normal people in a world that wasn't on the brink of destruction. It wasn't like her to even entertain the thought, but she supposed that now that a solution seemed within their grasp she would allow herself a few minutes to believe in something better. She downed the rest of the blood and returned to the conversation. She was effortlessly included. The next few hours were the most normal any of them had ever experienced. It was relaxing, just as they had hoped. The guys headed out hours before sunrise, leaving Tori to realize just how much their schedule had changed since leaving Sanctuary.
"Remember how we had a mix of days and nights spent awake, interchanging depending on when we were most needed?" she questioned, the situation applying to her and everyone else more than Jade yet she understood. She nodded from her place stretched out on the couch, her feet in Tori's lap.
"Slowly we started to sleep during the day mostly and stay up at night," she went on.
"Seeing as I couldn't travel any other way," Jade commented. It was Tori's turn to nod.
"Do you think they should go back to sleeping at night and being up during the day? You know, if it's easier for them," she pondered. Jade opened her eyes to look at her.
"Sure, I guess. But what about you?" she questioned.
"What about me?" Tori replied.
"Do you prefer sleeping at night or during the day?" Jade inquired.
"My body says night but my mind says day because then I get to be up when you are," the hybrid answered with a smile. Jade chuckled and closed her eyes, pleased with the answer even if she knew that was what she would say.
"I think, if we plan on returning to Sanctuary, that they should practice getting to sleep during the day. So that when we travel it'll be less of an adjustment," Jade reasoned. Tori nodded, but when she remembered that Jade's eyes were closed she spoke the affirmative aloud.
"So with that being said, you should be getting to bed. We haven't been called in again so you should take the time to rest. I don't think the method for this sample will be as painless," Jade reminded her. She felt Tori stiffen and sat up, bringing her feet to the floor. She took Tori's hands in hers and pulled her up off the couch. Wordlessly, they retired to the room where they got comfortable sharing each other's space. Jade fell asleep with Tori clinging to her tightly, taking a little longer than normal to follow her into sleep. When she finally managed it, it was with the reminder that Jade would be there for her every step of the way.