Malcolm drove into North Hollywood, yesterday's relaxation at Daniella's house was perfect, exactly what the exhausted Chosen members needed the most. He rounded the corner and parked the car on the street in front of the store. " Everybody out" said Malcolm.
The group piled out and walked into the store. But it wasn't the store, it looked nothing like what it had been before. Gone were the pool tables, neon beer signs, bar stools, poker tables, and everything else that once made up Smiling Jack's Billiards and Bar Supply. In its place were empty computer towers, old monitors, bins full of spare computer parts, a large counter ran almost the length of the store, the word Black Box was written on a sign above the counter, Computer Supply and Salvage.
Jack simply stared at the sight that was before him, Charity walked out of the backroom, " You like it?" she asked.
" You've... you've changed it, all of it" he said, " what did you do?"
" Your old store wasn't making any money" said Charity, " this not only makes money but is a better front, besides Smiling Jack's? Sounds like a strip club."
" I like it" said John, " the place needed a change, I was tired of the same old crap we never sold anyways."
" And now you have twice the living space in back" said Charity, " I have used some of it to setup my workshop but I've now been able to make your lab twice the size."
" Well, okay" said Jack, " what did you do with all our old merchandise?"
" I moved it around" said Charity, " maybe I used some of it to furnish my place, maybe I used some to barter with, and some I kinda gave away."
" Let me guess those plaid barstools" said John.
" Hell no" said Charity, " I took those myself, no those poker tables that were warping I gave them some frat guys."
" This is all fine but Ophelia and I have a lunch date" said Malcolm.
" You better believe it" said Ophelia, " after a week of eating those awful freeze dried meals I would give my left arm for a real meal."
" Then let's not wait" said Malcolm, " bye everyone."
" See you in a couple of days" said John.
Malcolm and Ophelia left the store arm in arm, " So he finally asked her out" said Charity.
" With a little pushing from us" said Jack, " and speaking of girlfriends, Beth and I have a house to start moving into."
" And Azuza wants to see a movie" said John, " see you in a couple of days."
They left Charity alone in the store, " Another wonderful Friday night" sighed Charity, " alone with my computers, geeze I'm starting to turn into a cliché."
Charity realized she had an option, hopefully she wouldn't be working on her case.

Jenna heard her cell phone ring, she picked it off the cocktail table and answered it. " Hey, it's Charity from 3 pm, I was wondering if you want to have a cup on me?" said Charity on the other end.
" I would love too" said Jenna, " I'm just finishing some paper work right now, who bout we meet at 6?"
" Sounds great to me" said Charity, " see you then."
Charity hung up and smiled, hope she packs her handcuffs Charity thought jokingly to herself.

Cassandra was really at her acting peak tonight. Dante convinced her to have sex, she hoped it would curb the paranoid rage he was having. Cassandra hated rough sex and this was rougher than usual. Cassandra made sure to fake it nice and loud to sooth Dante's ego. Dante finished with a savage grunt and climbed off. " Okay?" asked Cassandra.
Dante viciously slapped her with the back of his hand, " I do not want to hear from you" he said, " get out of my sight you slut."
Cassandra got up, her soft white skin was scratched and starting to show a few bruises. She wrapped her red Chinese robe and walked out of the room. Cassandra snarled at the closed door and stalked down to the basement. Cassandra had put up with Dante she would get to sample his stock. Cassandra reached the bottom of the stairs and unlocked a heavy steel door. She pulled it back, inside was a hallway with several more heavy steel doors, Dante's private stock. Cassandra walked inside and looked at the small cards in each door. Dante collected girls from orphanages or white slavers, all young virgins. Dante would drink from them, then after the date on the card, Dante's own freshness date, was up, the girls were bled out into barrels and kept in the wine cellar, their still virginal bodies fed the ghouls. Cassandra reached the end of the hallway to the newest arrival, sold to Dante last night. Cassandra opened the little hatch in the door and looked at her meal. The creature was huddled in the corner drawing bizarre symbols in the dust. Cassandra could hear her mumbling in soft Latin, there was something different about that one. Cassandra closed the hatch and went across the hallway the other new one. Cassandra unlocked the door and the girl started screaming, violently thrashing against her restraints. Cassandra held the girl down and buried her long fangs into the girl's neck.
Sweet virgin blood spilled into her mouth, pure, fresh, untouched by man or other vampire fangs. Cassandra greedily drank until she had her fill. She drew her fangs out and licked the girl's wounds. Cassandra carefully licked her lips, Dante might be awful in bed but the man knew a good virgin when he saw one.

Dante sat in his study glaring out the window at the twinkling lights of LA. He remembered the night he seized control away from Lord Andrew. That night he sat in this chair and looked out at LA like it was all his for the taking, but now it all felt like it was unraveling. He was having trouble keeping the others in line more and more were going renegade and preying openly on the human cattle, he knew the others were eyeing the position themselves, especially Cassandra. He wanted her dead but knew damn well that her bloodline and breeding would never allow him to move openly against her. Dante was starting understand Lord Andrew more and more these days and wondered if what he did was just and if not was the current situation a balancing of the scales for his deed. Dante shook his head, no he wasn't weak and indecisive like Andrew, no he was Lord Dante, the most powerful vampire in North America and it was time he started to bring his kind back under control. Dante picked up his phone off his desk, there was one group he could count on to bring everyone back inline. Dante dialed the number and listened to it be picked up after the first ring, " Yes Lord Dante" came a voice with an Italian accent.
" I am in need of your services" said Dante, " how long for you to bring a group of here?"
" It can be done quickly" said the voice, " how many will you need?"
" Six to eight" said Dante, " I need them soon."
" Certainly" the voice replied, " I will have them on the next plane."
" Very good" said Dante, hanging up.
Dante chuckled, and got up. He strode from the room feeling his power coming back to him, it was time for a snack.

Celestine waited two minutes after the door closed to slip through the window and move over to the phone. Devlin would have a fit if he knew but Celestine wanted to know if she should start sleeping with pistol before it happened. Celestine looked at the caller id and knew it immediately. She knew Dante was paranoid but this was insane even for him. Celestine quickly snuck out the window and hurried away from the mansion. She had to think.

She drove out to the beach and sat in her car. They were the worst killers in the world, they would wipe out the Chosen unless warned, but warning them would be a violation of everything vampiric in her. Celestine banged her head against the steering wheel. Celestine thought about Maresa, how would she deal with this. Maresa saved a half dead vampire and hid her inside her house until she was health enough to leave. Maresa violated her own rules to save her, it was time to pay the debt.

Jack and Beth sat on the floor of their empty living room eating Chinese. " I'm not sure you should be poking around in a murder investigation like this" said Jack.
" What you the only one that can go wading into danger?" asked Beth, " you aren't exactly Superman you know."
" I still don't like it" said Jack.
" I didn't know Ophelia knew her" said Beth.
" Yah she came into the store once" said Jack, " think we ruined Ophelia's weekend though."
" Well know I have a second reason to investigate this" said Beth, " to help bring peace of mind to Ophelia."
" So how goes it?" asked Jack.
Beth shrugged, " I've been at it an entire day so far" said Beth, " I'm good, but not that good."
Jack kissed her lips, " You are to me" he said.
Beth's cellphone rang and she plucked it from her purse, " Yah Clove" said Beth.
" I just finished talking to the world's creepiest guy" said Clover, " he said he knew a buddy of his named Chris Fontain that might know something about what happened in West Hollywood."
" Really" said Beth, " great, how did you get that from him? You aren't wearing that black top are you?"
" The one that shows my pierced pinkies?" asked Clover, " maybe, it is a hypnotism trick, you let them stare and you can get all kinds of information, so now what are we going to start hunting for this Chris Fontain guy?"
" Yah, I'll talk to a friend of mine, see if she can get me an address and some info on him" said Beth, " good job Clove, have fun."
" I will" said Clover.
Beth hung up, " I just got a lead on my case" said Beth proudly, " apparently a guy named Chris Fontain has some information about what happened."
" It's a start" said Jack, " let's forget about work tonight, I think we need to try our pool out."
The pair stripped naked, ran out of the house and straight into the pool.

Ophelia looked out at the night sky, she cuddled closer to Malcolm. She was sad, her evening with Malcolm was wonderful but she couldn't get Christie out of her mind. She had been such a good friend, a few night more than just a good friend. Ophelia slowly wiped the tears off her cheek, she always assume it would be her dying young and Christie mourning the loss. Ophelia felt Malcolm rub her back, " Still thinking about Christie?" he asked.
Ophelia nodded, " She was a good friend, it is awful what happened to her" she said.
" It is better to remember her as a friend" said Malcolm.
" Yah" said Ophelia, " she was a good friend."
Ophelia planted a deep kiss on Malcolm's lips, " Thanks" she said.

Jenna climbed out of her car and walked for 3 pm, she had been tired all day but now she was filled with energy as she tried to run through a thousand ways to ask Charity out. Jenna walked in and spotted Charity sitting at the same place when they first met. She joined her, " Hi" said Jenna.
Charity smiled at Jenna, that smile made Jenna feel warm and fuzzy inside, " Hi" she said, " glad you could join me."
" Tired of spending Friday night alone?" asked Jenna, " know the feeling."
" Yah, its been a bitch since my girlfriend left me" said Charity.
" Know that feeling, mine left me after four years" said Jenna, " came home one day and she'd moved out, and like my luck runs we start a big murder investigation the next day."
" When it rains it pours" said Charity, " you busy tomorrow? I'd love to take you to my favorite Mexican place."
" I'd love to" Jenna blurted out.
The pair smiled at each other, " That was easier than I thought" said Charity, " thanks."
" Thank you" said Jenna kissing Charity.
The pairs kisses managed to stop passers by on the street. " We're making a scene" whispered Charity.
" I live close by" said Jenna, " how bout a movie?"
" Love to" said Charity.
The pair walked out of the tea house hand in hand and only reluctantly split to get in their separate cars to drive to Jenna's place. Jenna felt happy, a feeling she hadn't felt in awhile and was a welcome change. She had the strangest feeling that everything would work out with this one.

Maresa opened her eyes, she had just heard something moving in her room. Maresa carefully opened her eyes and looked across the room. Her window was open, the breeze rustling the curtains. Maresa felt another presence in the dark room," It's been awhile since I've had anybody sneaking in through my bedroom window" said Maresa sitting up.
" It's important" said Celestine.
Maresa sat up straightening her pink baby doll nightgown and slipping on her bunny slippers. " What's up?" she asked.
" Dante just called in a contract to the Black Hand in Venice" said Celestine, " he wants all of you dead."
" The Black Hand" said Maresa, " fuck he is pissed."
" I know" said Celestine, " I wanted to warn you, I don't want a full scale war to break out but Dante keeps trying to make one."
" Thanks Celestine" said Maresa, " when will they arrive?"
" In a few days I assume" said Celestine, " Dante is keeping it very secretive."
" I owe you big for this" said Maresa, " anything you need just ask."
" No problem" said Celestine, " been relaxing huh?"
Maresa looked over at the silver vibrator that was peeking out from under her pillow. " Relaxing, exactly" said Maresa, " you better disappear just in case you were followed."
" Me followed?" giggled Celestine, " nobody can follow me not even Devlin."
Celestine walked over to the window, " I'm going to be off the radar for awhile" said Celestine, " when this blows over I'll give you a call."
" Sure" said Maresa.
Celestine disappeared out the window and Maresa hurried over to her desk and grabbed the phone, some of the best assassins in the world were heading for them. Dark days were ahead for the Chosen.