Title: Nightstalker (2/2)
Author: Puck 
Email: Mish_S_Mail@yahoo.com  
Ratings: 15 I drop the F bomb 
Spoilers: All NW especially DOD 

Disclaimers: NW etc. belongs to LJS.

Summary: Ash comes back to Mary Lynette at the same time her cousin
Elle visits. Elle's just full of major secrets; one's that could
threaten Mare's newfound family....what'll happen..don't ask me...Oh,
and I got tired of writing Mary-Lynette...so I put M-L
instead...sorry, I'm lazy..  

 

Nightstalker

PART ONE 

"I don't see why we have to go through all of this stupid trouble to
clean the house, when she's just going to see it messy again!" Mark
Carter moaned to his sister. Mary-Lynette just rolled her snapping
blue eyes heavenward. "What?" He snapped, annoyed. 

"She's our cousin, Mark," Mary-Lynette reminded him through clenched
teeth. She tried to keep that thought in her head while scrubbing the
dingy guest-bathroom toiled; the thought was escaping her. "Just be
nice to her, we're some of the only family she's got left." This
seemed to strengthen her resolve toward the grimy bowl. 

"Why'd she pick now to come?" he whined, incessantly. Blue eyes
darkening, he turned a worried glance toward his sister. "What about
the Redfern's? Huh, how are we going to explain them?" 

Gloved hands stopped scrubbing, Mary-Lynette turned, shock showing
on her tanned face. Biting her lip, the emotion receded and she
answered calmly, "We don't." To her brother's surprised expression,
she smiled slightly to herself. 

"But she's-." Mark started, but Mary-Lynette finished. 

"But nothing, she won't notice and we won't tell her." The slamming
of the porcelain toilet lid ended the conversation as Mary-Lynette
walked out of the bathroom, leaving Mark in a stunned silence. 

Pulling up to the driveway, the silver Pathfinder's driver cut the
engine. This town's not much, she thought, smaller than Little Elm,
but a good, place to lay low. Breathing a sigh half way between
relief and resignation, the tall blonde stepped out of the car.
Without warning, the door to the two-story farmhouse burst open,
revealing her estranged cousins. A smile lightened the tall, blond
girl's cold features, creating a golden glow to the pale skin. 

"Elle, your finally here," roared her uncle pleasantly. "It's been
so long, since before-" he stopped, then continued after a brief
pause of silence. "Since before you were this high," he said more
quietly, placing a hand about hip level. Close, but no cigar, Elle
thought. 

Turning, Mary-Lynette almost tackled her, a larger smile lilted
across her face. "Mare, I missed you so much! You have to fill me in
on everything you've been doing," Elle exclaimed. 

"Hope you like star-gazing," Mark muttered, jealous from the lack of
attention. 

"I love star-gazing, I brought my Saturn with me, maybe we could go
out tonight." Her intentions were genuine. Noticing Mark's mood, she
turned to him and grabbed him in a bear hug. "And I hope you'll help
me with my soccer, I have to keep my skills up this summer." Eyes
lightening, he pulled back a little to face the girl. 

"Well, I'm not as good as I hear you are, but that should be fun."
Mark sounded sincerely enthused. 

Stepping forward, Claudine nervously cleared her throat. "Oh," said
her uncle, "I almost forgot, Elle, this is my wife Claudine.
Claudine, this is my niece Elle." Sticking out a bony hand, Claudine
smiled at the young lady. 

"How very nice to meet you, Elle," Claudine spoke, her slight accent
coming out. 

"Hmm, lovely accent, is it Belgian?" Elle questioned, slightly
amused at the surprised looks she got from all around. 

"Why yes, how did you know?" Surprise was coalescing into admiration
across Claudine's delicate features. 

"Spent a little time near Germany." Elle's reply was confident, and
wrapping her arms around her cousin's, she guided them into the house
with friendly conversation. 

  

Shades of darkness were creeping in through the window as Elle put
away the last of her belongings. Walking carefully over to the door,
she depressed the button lock, insuring her privacy. Sitting down on
the edge of the blond wood bed, Elle opened an intricately carved
steel chest resting on the floor. Moving to sit in front of the chest
on the floor, Elle leaned back on her heels, letting the plush beige
carpet tickle her feet. 

After a moment, she reached a hand gingerly into the chest, looking
at her real life. A small, titanium alloy crossbow sat on top the
heap, it was by far her favorite weapon. Light as air, it would fit
cleanly over her shiny black armor, ready to fire at a moments
notice. Running her fingers over the carved frame, Elle felt kind of
a longing. 

They'll just have to survive without me for a while, she thought
grimly; I have to recuperate. Footsteps outside the door shocked her
out of thought, slamming the lid down, Elle jumped up stiffly. 

A loud banging, then an equally loud shout, "Hey Elle, grab your
'scope and let's go before we miss something." Mary-Lynette's ever-
impatient voice brought a smile across her face. 

"I'll be out in a minute, I just have to find some shoes," she
called back. Grabbing a pair of sandals and her Saturn telescope,
Elle unlocked the door. Jerking it open, she ran straight into Mary-
Lynette. "Oop," Elle giggled, then held out her hand to help her up.
Gratefully Mary-Lynette took it, and Elle hauled her up. 

"Let's see, I think Vega should be right above us now, last summer,
I could almost see it clearly without binoculars even." Rambling on
excitedly, she thought about more than just the star she saw, but the
person she saw it with. 

Stepping out into the fragrant, velvety night, Elle felt the cool
refreshing air against her sensitive skin. Mary-Luntette led her up
to the hill overlooking the Burdock farmhouse. Adjusting her
telescope while Mary-Lynette dictated star coordinates, Elle notices
three slim figures loitering around the woods behind the Burdock
barn. "Who are they?" Elle asked innocently, she could see the
startledness in Mary-Lynette's eyes. She quickly covered it. 

"Oh," she began casually. "The Redfern sisters, they moved here from
back east to stay with their Aunt Opal. She's back east taking care
of some things," Mary-Lynette tacked on too quickly. It was Elle's
turn to be surprised, she hadn't thought any Night People would be
out as far as Briar Creek. 

Turning, she caught Mary-Lynette's eyes on her face, taking in the
expression. "I didn't think any other people our age lived out here,"
she said, convincingly 'shocked'. 

Mary-Lynette rolled her eyes. "This is a small town," she said
emphasizing the two last words. "Not a prairie settlement." Sarcasm
thick, Elle just smiled, adjusting her telescope. Sighing, she
changed the topic of conversation, "So," Mary-Lynette began. "What
have you been doing?" 

"Not much," Elle sighed lightly. "Mainly just thinking about school
and collage and soccer. Speaking of collage, where are you going next
year?" 

Mary-Lynette shifted, visibly uncomfortable with that topic. "I
don't know, maybe around Las Vegas…." She trailed off. Elle grimaced. 

"Las Vegas is not a nice place to visit, let alone live in." Elle
rolled her eyes, "Why would you- it's a guy, isn't it?" Nodding her
head knowingly, Elle understood. 

"Yeah, he's my soulmate," Elle jumped, surprised at the familiar
term and the regards with which her cousin spoke of it. "I want to be
near him all the time when he comes back, but I don't know if he
wants to live in Las Vegas, so I don't know where I want to go to
collage at." I wonder if she knows, Mary-Lynette thought, nah, maybe
she just reads trashy romance novels. Dismissing the thought, Mary-
Lynette ripped into her customary bag of Cheetos. "Want some?" She
asked, mouth full, orange crumbs running down her white T-shirt. 

Elle grimaced, "No thanks I'm on a diet." Mary-Lynette answered her
with a 'suit yourself' shrug and continued stuffing her face. 

An ache in her chest was beginning to form, not because of the
stars, but because of Ash. When he wasn't around, she found they
didn't shine quite so brightly. 

Not wanting to disturb her cousin's silent thoughts, Elle turned her
attention elsewhere. Angling her telescope carefully, she was able to
see the entire Burdock farm. The three girls were still outside,
seated on the warped front porch. 

One was tall with brown hair that seemed to glow from rich chestnut
highlights, she couldn't quite make out her eye color though. The
smaller girl was delicate looking, Elle could tell that from all the
way up here. With hip length silvery hair, she seemed more suited to
be a fairy than a vampire. 

Stepping clearly into view, Elle saw the third girl plainly, she had
a toned, athletic build, not unlike Elle's own. And her hair was a
mass of dark gold, unlike the small girls silvery mane. All of them
had a unique grace about them, a grace found in all vampires, but
only the most practiced of humans. Despite the feral look about the
golden haired girl, they all seemed pretty tame, animal feeders most
likely. 

Something happened then. Looking up unexpectedly, Elle had no time
to turn away from the dark haired girl's glance. She turned to her
sisters. Smooth move X-Lax, Elle though to herself, and I though you
were supposed to be a professional? 

As they got up, Elle tensed, they turned and went in through a solid
looking door. She sighed and let her muscles go slack. "Hey Mare, I
think I'm gonna go inside and go to bed I'm exhausted," Elle said,
throwing in a yawn and a stretch for realism. 

"Yeah, I guess we could call it a night," Mary-Lynette smiled
briefly. She had seen her cousin watching the Redfern's. What if she,
Mary-Lynette thought, wasn't all she said? 

 Shaking her head slightly, she packed up her Newtonian telescope. 

"Who did you say that girl was?" Jade whined. Kestrel rolled her
eyes as Rowan looked on patiently. 

"She's Mary-Lynette and Mark's cousin, she's going to be staying
with them for the summer, recovering," sounding slightly puzzled at
the last, she pondered what Mary-Lynette had meant. 

"Recovering? Is she sick?" Kestrel's bluntness amazed Rowan. 

Putting her hands on Kestrels shoulders, Rowan looked into the hawk-
like eyes, "I don't know. But Kestrel, please try to be polite around
her, don't mention anything M-L said about her." Rowan didn't want to
offend her blood-tied relatives. 

"Can I at least ask M-L? Besides, she was spying on us last night.
Why can't I just get a little info on her?" Kestrel pouted, a rare
occurrence. 

"All right," Rowan gave in frustrated. "Ask M-L when she and Mark
come over here tomorrow morning." 

"But what if they bring her," Jade whined. She crossed her arms in
front of her chest, not liking the thought of someone watching them. 

"M-L won't bring her; we already talked about this," Rowan's
patience was wearing thin. Her own suspicion had already been aroused
by the tall blond girl. 

"But-," Jade started and was cut of by Rowan. 

"But nothing. Now go to bed or-," Rowan looked at the door, slightly
annoyed. Mark and M-L weren't coming over, so who had the nerve to
call at such a late hour. 

"I'll get it," Kestrel sang out. Yanking the door open, her jaw
dropped. Behind the door stood a tall guy with ever-changing eyes.
Lighting up his features, the front porch light played on his ash-
blond hair. "Ash," she hollered happily, throwing herself onto her
brother. 

"Well for Goddess' sake, Kestrel, let him in," Rowan scolded. Her
frown soon melted when she saw her long-missed brother's face. "Ash,
it's good to see you back, have you seen M-L yet?" 

At the mention of her name, Ash's face brightened. "Not yet, I'm
going to surprise her tomorrow." Grinning, he dropped his bags in the
entryway and flopped down on a mahogany framed chair. 

"That's perfect! Mare's coming over tomorrow morning, she'll be so
surprised!" Jade squealed with delight. 

"Hurry up Mark, don't you want to see Jade," M-L taunted as she held
the door open. 

"I'm coming," Mark muttered around a bagel clenched between his
teeth. Taking it out of his mouth, he looked at his sister. "Do you
think Elle's up yet?" His question was filled with more then just
polite inquiry. 

"No, it's still dark out, who in their right mind would be up this
early?" No sooner had the words left her mouth, M-L realized what she
said. Rolling her eyes, she shoved her brother out the door and into
the shadowy twilight. 

Closing the door carefully, so as not to wake anyone else in the
house M-L turned to Mark and they walked down the porch steps. And
froze. 

Elle was out on the hill, surrounded by a circle of burning candles,
gracefully going through some Tai-Chi motions. Luckily, her eyes were
closed, and she was wearing headphones. Trying to get by her, Mark
and M-L were almost passed, when she opened her eyes. Winking, she
spoke quietly, "Don't worry, I won't tell your parents." Then, she
closed her eyes and went back to her graceful movements. 

Walking down the hill, M-L noticed Rowan and Jade out on the front
porch of the Burdock farm house. "Hi Jade," Mark said shyly, then
quickly added, "Hey Rowan." Rowan nodded and Jade threw her arms
around Mark. Before M-L could greet Rowan and Jade, the door swung
open and Kestrel stepped out. 

"Okay, it's been bugging me long enough, what's up with your
cousin." Golden eyes flashing, Kestrel led M-L over to a chair on the
porch. 

"Don't you think she might want to go inside," Rowan suggested
tersely. 

"Not until I get the facts on her cousin." Kestrel spoke through
gritted teeth, then turned her attention back on M-L. 

"What do you want to know," M-L asked, not liking the way they were
talking above her head. 

"First of all, what is she doing? And what did you mean when you
said she was here to recover? Is she sick? Oh, and a name would be
nice, referring to her as her and she is getting kind of old."
Kestrel's eyes were ablaze, almost intense. "And why was she spying
on us yesterday?" 

"Whoa, let's see if I can remember your questions, let alone answer
them. Number one, 'her' name is Elle. I don't know what she's here to
recover from, that's all dad said, was that she was here to recover,
I don't think she's sick. As for what she's doing, that I also don't
know. Number two, she was probably spying on you last night because I
told her that you lived next door. Next question," M-L's voice
dripped sarcasm. 

"What a mystery…" Kestrel's voice was mock-enthralled. "Um, there's
something you might want to see in the kitchen," she said, suddenly
distracted. 

"You didn't try your hand at baking again?" Mark asked suspiciously.
Kestrel rolled her eyes heavenward. M-L got up and walked through the
door, the light was on in the kitchen, the living room was shrouded
with comfortable shadows. 

Opening the kitchen door widely and stepping in, her breath caught
in her chest. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. Ash
turned around and M-L could see the innocent sky blue color of his
ever-changing eyes. 

"Ash," she gasped and hurtled herself into his strong arms. Burying
her face into his chest, she began to sob. 

"Mare," he whispered into her hair, breath warm against her hair. He
couldn't believe it had only been a year, the days stretched on like
forever, but he was finally back with her. After a forever, he pulled
back, anxiously wanting to tell her of some special news. "I have
some special people that I want you to meet, they're from Circle
Daybreak. I'm working with them now." 

"Where are they?" M-L asked, wanting to meet the people who seemed
so important to Ash. 

"They should get here this afternoon, they're driving in from Las
Vegas." Smiling down at her, Ash leaned in for a kiss. Soon they were
in each other's minds; nothing else existed. 

  

Sun streamed into the Carter living room and lit the white, airy
decor. Ell sat back against the velvety couch and sighed. She felt
sick, but it wasn't time to take a pill yet. Readjusting the ice
packs on her knees and ankles, she caught a glimpse of the scar
around her wrist. She hadn't covered it that day as she did every
other day. The need just wasn't there; but on second thought, it was. 

Light red, almost pink, the scar looked more like words of a
forgotten language than anything else. Somewhat ironic, she thought,
they really were words of a forgotten language, but what they said,
she did not know. 

Elle had almost forgotten the Redferns down the hill, almost. She
wondered what they were doing so far away from their civilization.
Ears perking, she thought she heard the sound of a car. But who. . .
she thought. 

Dropping the ice packs, Elle ran to the window of the family room.
Outside she saw a sleek, black limo pulling into the long drive
around up to the Burdock house. Two darkly dressed male figures
stepped out from one side of the limo, one blond, and one dark
haired. Craning her neck to see who would come out the other side,
she found her view blocked by a giant sycamore tree. 

Damnit, she thought, Mare and Mark are in trouble. Running upstairs,
she threw a white leather jacket over her white tank top. Fumbling
with the lock on the steel chest, Elle finally got it off and threw
the lid back. She took out a wooden knife and a silver one putting
one in a clip on sheath, behind her back on her khaki pants and the
other down a white leather boot. Then, Elle dug around until she
found a pair of white leather gloves, tipped with white ash claws
instead of regular fingers. 

Sticking her hands back in the chest, this time Elle pulled out a
sleek, black, semi-automatic gun, specially made to hold her
combination wood and silver tipped bullets. After making sure her
aunt and uncle were still gone, off returning her U-Haul van, she put
on the gloves and picked up her gun. 

Slipping out the back door, Elle tucked the gun under her jacket,
handle sticking out a little by her waist. Fluttering around her
shoulders, slightly, in the breeze, Elle prayed her hair wouldn't
cause a problem in a fight. Letting a smile slowly drift across her
face, she decided a direct approach would be the best. 

Hugging closely to the side of the Burdock house, Elle tried to
determine if anyone was left in the limo. The illegally dark tint on
the windows, was proving a problem, though. Elle was seriously
considering going back to get her info-red sunglasses, so she could
see into the dark limo. Common sense was overridden, however, by her
intense concern for her relatives, so she pressed on. 

Ducking the windows, she made her way to the porch through a mulch
filled planter. Carefully putting her weight on one creaky, wooden
step at a time, Elle made her way up to the door. Pausing for a
moment at the door, she pulled the gun out and braced herself to kick
the door in. 

Noticing a crack between the door and the frame, she gently nudged
it and stepped in. Brandishing the gun, she said casually, "All
right, you know the drill, nobody move." All eyes snapped to her. 

Recognizing a few of the faces as Ash and Quinn of the Night World,
Elle smiled nastily. "I'll make this easy on you guys, give me my
cousins and I might not kill you." Quinn started to get out of the
mahogany chair he was sitting in. "No, please," Elle said, heavily
sarcastic. "Don't get up on my account." A calm insanity was starting
in her eyes. 

          It ebbed as M-L and Mark entered the living room from the
kitchen, laughing. M-L looked at Elle standing in the doorway with
the gun and gasped. "What are you doing?" 

Eyes narrowing, Elle looked at them and hissed, "What do you mean
'what am I doing' what are you doing, get over here!" She gestured
with her gun for them to go to her. 

"Your crazy, Elle," Mark shouted and pulled Jade behind him. M-L
dove for Ash, who wrapped his arms around her. 

"Oh, I'm crazy," Elle began through clenched teeth. "I'm not the one
hanging out with a bunch bloodthirsty Night Worlders," her voice
rose. 

The darkly dressed blond vampire stood up, black eyes pensive.
"We're Circle Daybreak, we came to welcome Mark and M-L into the
circle." Elle's eyes widened a fraction in surprise. 

Oh shit, she thought, this is just my luck. Its not that I wanted to
become a damned Daybreaker, Elle thought, I just didn't want to piss
them off. "Okay," Elle said lightly. "I can admit when I'm wrong. I
was wrong, I'll be going now." 

She was about to start backing up too, when she caught an expression
on Ash and M-L's face, the others soon got the look also. Elle
started to feel the body heat and laughed. "There's someone behind
me, isn't there," she more stated than asked. 

"Actually, a couple of people," Quinn stated amused. Putting the
safety down on the gun, Elle let it hang from one finger as she
spread her arms to either side. 

From behind her, someone took the gun and a male voice said, "Why
don't you step inside." It was more of a demand then a invitation. 

"Oh that's okay, I was just leaving," Elle said politely, backing
up. A hand came to her shoulder. 

The voice said; "Oh but I insist," and she was guided in from
behind. He led her to a chair and said, "Sit." Elle sat down in the
mahogany chair and saw a familiar red head behind the guy in front of
her. 

Standing straight up, surprised, she asked, "Poppy?" The girl turned
to face her, green eyes glowing, recognition dawned on her face. 

"Elle, what are you doing here," she asked, throwing herself at the
tall blond girl. Her green-gold eyes widened in surprise at the small
red form attached to her. 

"I thought you were dead," Elle said, dazed. She hugged the smaller
girl back. It had been so long since she'd attended her little
cousin's funeral. So long since she had lost another family member to
the Night World, only to discover now she hadn't. Well, Elle thought,
she is a vampire, so I suppose in an ironic way, I did lose her to
the Night. 

"No, well, kind of yes, but I'm still around. I wish I could have
told you, but, you disappeared right after the funereal." Poppy
pulled away then, looking up into Elle's face. 

Arching an eyebrow impishly, she teased, "Well I guess I don't have
to ask what you've been up." She grinned mischievously at the gun in
the guy's hand. "Hey, I don't think you two have met, James," she
nodded at the guy holding the gun. "This is my cousin Elle," she
nodded at Elle. "Elle, James. He's my soulmate," Poppy added
dreamily. 

"Nice to meet you," James said, holding out his hand. 

"Likewise," Elle replied as she held up her hand to show him the
clawed glove. "I don't think you want to shake this, though." 

Another figure walked into the room, a dark haired girl with emerald
green eyes. "Is someone going to tell me what's-" she stopped,
looking at Elle. "Elle? What are you doing here? What's it been, like
two years." She grinned, Quinn stared in disbelief. 

"Rashel," Elle greeted, nodding. "It's been three actually. You're a
Daybreaker now? I never would have thought…" Elle grinned back,
sitting down in the chair. 

"Yeah, I know," Rashel said, then turned to Quinn who was looking
rather confused. "Elle and I hunted together in New Orleans." She
turned back to Elle in amazement; "You heard your reputation lately?
I think you've surpassed everyone by now." Spying the gun in James'
hand, she looked at Elle amused, "Really, what are you doing here?" 

"Well I was staying here with my cousins for the summer, trying to
take a break from everything, but I guess that didn't work out. "
Elle's voice was slightly sarcastic. Rashel just laughed. 

"I've never heard of a vampire hunter named Elle," Quinn said
suspiciously. Rashel smiled at him. 

"Would you like to explain it to everyone, Elle," Rashel said
sweetly. 

"Not really, but, here goes anyway; I kill under the name of
Nightstalker." Elle took joy in noticing the recognition in
everyone's eyes, Except for M-L and Mark's. 

"Very interesting, I've been trying to find out who Nightstalker was
for a while. I'm the leader of Circle Daybreak; my name is Theirry
Descoudres. And this," he said as the door opened revealing a wheat
blond girl with gray eyes and a birthmark. "Is my soulmate-" the girl
entering the room interrupted him. 

"Elle," she squealed. "I haven't seen you since last year, how've
you been?" Sitting down on the couch beside Elle's chair she grabbed
the hunter's hand and squeezed. 

"Hannah! I've been better," Elle said dryly, then brightened. "Heard
you had an interesting adventure after I left." 

"How'd you know about that?" Hannah said in amazement. She let go of
Elle's hand and crossed her legs, leaning back against the green
couch. 

"Word travels." Elle grinned, "So, am I going to get my gun back or
do I have to get another one?" Theirry took the gun from James;
examining it. Popping the cartridge out, he emptied the silver and
wood tipped bullets onto his hand. 

"The weapon of a true professional," he said, and handed the gun to
Elle. She looked at him amused. 

"Well if you think I'm still dangerous, you better hold onto this as
well," Elle said. She pulled on the butt of the gun, revealing a
long, sharp knife. 

Raising an eyebrow, he turned, "I think I can trust you." Elle
bristled visibly; she didn't like people 'trusting' her. 

"Hey Elle," Poppy started, green eyes glowing. "If you and I are
cousins, and M-L and you are cousins, are M-L and I related?" 

"Well, we're only half cousins, my mom and your mom were half
sisters, but, hey sure, why not." Elle smiled faintly. 

"So were related then, that is so cool! We have to keep in touch,
I'll give you my e-mail address and we can talk to each other all the
time." Poppy smiled grandly at the thought of getting one relative
back and another that she didn't know about. 

"The topic can't be skirted any longer, we still have to decide what
to do with you," Theirry's pensive eyes had become even more pensive. 

Elle rolled her eyes, but spoke politely, "What's that supposed to
mean." Not quite a question. 

"Well, nothing if you cooperate." Not quite an answer. Elle was
becoming visibly agitated, she hated being toyed with. 

"And again I ask, what's that supposed to mean?" Elle's voice
remained polite, but she narrowed her eyes as she spoke. 

"It's supposed to mean," Theirry began gravely. "That things would
go better for everyone if you joined Circle Daybreak." 

She laughed hostile, "You're joking, right? I don't even go to
church because of my whole nondisastablishmentarianism thing. I just
closed the Guild for the same reason, why would I join another
group?" Pausing a moment, realization dawned on her, "That was a
threat," she scoffed indignantly. 

"That wasn't a threat, if anything, it was an offer," Theirry fought
to remain calm. Hannah was looking at him funny. 

"Sure, if you say so," Elle sarcastically remarked. "Look, I don't
like organizations like this for one main reason, power corrupts. Not
everyone mind you, but a lot of people get corrupted, then they end
up making stupid decisions that you have fix." 

Theirry was looking at Elle strangely; it was as if she spoke from
experience. Then he remembered what she said; "You DO lead the
Nightstalker's Guild, don't you." 

Elle nodded, Quinn and Ash looked up at her. "I ran it, then I had
to kill it, power corrupted." Voice sad, she spoke no more about it. 

"But," Rashel began, trying to help the speechless Theirry out.
"Daybreak isn't like that. Everyone here is working toward saving the
future, not selling it out." 

"So were the Nightstalkers." Elle retorted dryly. "Only some of them
decided the future was too far away. What if that happens with
Daybreak, what if one of your safe-house files gets stolen and
hundreds are killed because of you." 

"Then we pick up the pieces and deal, but it's a lot better that we
do what we do, than simply do nothing." Rashel knew the only way to
reach her friend was to shove to truth so far in her face that she
couldn't help but deal with it. 

Eyes focusing, she looked at Theirry, "All right, here's my
proposition; I don't join." Preparing to argue, Elle interrupted
before he could even speak. "But, I do help you when you need it, and
I don't have to go to any meetings." 

Lips meeting in a grim line, The Lord of the Night World thought
about it. Then, placing his hands into the pockets of his trench
coat, he nodded. "Only if you come to one meeting, and don't like
it." 

Elle sighed; she could stomach one meeting. "Deal. And if you want
access to any of my files, enclaves, and so on, just ask," she added
generously. 

"You have enclaves?" Rashel asked in wonder. 

"Of course; doesn't Daybreak?" Elle grinned, knowing the negative
answer. 

"The meeting I want you to attend is this Saturday in Vegas. I'll
give you the name and address of my house before you leave." Theirry
stopped at the look on Elle's face. "What now?" He asked patiently. 

"I didn't hear a question in there." Elle stated bluntly. Quinn,
Ash, and Rashel looked at her in horror. You didn't speak to Theirry
that way. Hannah just looked on with wild amusement; she had never
seen anyone speak to her soulmate like that. 

"That's because there was no question," he talked, as if Elle were a
child. 

"That's right!" Elle exclaimed. "There was no, 'Elle can you make it
to the Daybreak meeting on Saturday in Vegas.' Maybe I already had
something planned for this particular Saturday." 

It was Theirry's turn to roll his eyes as Hannah stifled a giggle.
"Elle, can you make it to the Circle Daybreak meeting in Vegas this
Saturday?" Biting his lip, he waited for her answer. 

"Well, when you ask so politely, of course I can." Elle said sweetly. 

  

Sitting down next to Elle on the porch, Poppy could tell something
was wrong with her. "Hey," Poppy said lightly. "I've never seen
anyone handle Theirry like that." Elle just stared off into the
setting sun. She turned then, facing her impish cousin. 

"Can I tell you something?" Elle asked, but started again before
Poppy could answer. "I mean, something I haven't told anyone except
Grandma Harmon. You can't tell anyone." 

"Hey, I'm a vampire, I'm great at secrets." Poppy joked, but when
Elle's gold-green eyes met her bright one's, Elle could tell Poppy
was serious. 

"I got this scar about a year ago in the Bahamas, I was resting my
hand in the water and something tugged on it; burned it. When I
pulled it out, this was on my wrist; I think it means something,
though, I don't know what. Grandma Harmon was helping me figure it
out before…." Elle trailed off. Taking the white clawed glove off her
hand, Elle pulled up her jacket sleeve and revealed her faintly red
scar. 

"Oh Goddess," Poppy whispered. "I have never seen anything like that
in my life. It does look like ancient text though. Maybe the
vampire's original language. You should ask Theirry." Poppy sounded
confident that he would know the answer. 

"It's not just the scar Poppy." Elle's voice resonated sadness.
"Ever since I got it, I've been having heavy anemia; my body is
slowly stopping to produce blood." 

Poppy lifted her head quickly, to meet Elle's eyes. "How is that
possible. . ." she whispered, quite stunned. Elle just shrugged.
Poppy reached over to hug the blond girl; cable knit tank top
catching on the rough wood of the porch. "It'll be all right," Poppy
sobbed, comforting herself more then Elle. 

Poppy's red curls covered the blonde's walled off face, she willed
strength into her cousin's body, though she knew it would do no good.
Elle, pulled back from Poppy's grasp, "I'll be all right." Managing a
watery smile, she negotiated a subject change. "So how are you and
James?" 

"We're perfect. Oh, that's another good thing about joining Circle
Daybreak, you can find your soulmate." Poppy grinned auspiciously.
Elle rolled her eyes, previous worries forgotten, for now. 

"Now, you are to stay on the main roads, stop only for emergencies,
and if you wreck my car, I'll kill you. Understand, kiddies?" Elle's
voice was playful, but an insane smile played across her face. 

"Who're you calling 'kiddie'," M-L scoffed. "I'm older than you are?" 

Elle bit her lip, "By a year, I'm seventeen." Her voice was chillier
than her usually warm green-gold eyes. 

"I swear, nothing will happen to your car." Sobering, a thought
flashed through M-L's mind. "Do you really think it's safe though, to
take your bike? I mean, someone might recognize you." 

"I'll be fine, you two just take care of yourselves," Elle's voice
softened, but she quickly added, "And my car." 



NIGHTSTALKER

PART TWO 

Mark loaded the last of the luggage into the Pathfinder and slammed
the cargo door. "I guess we're off," he said smiling grimly. "Please
come with us Elle, I don't want to be stuck with the two love birds
the whole way there!" M-L rolled her eyes. Elle ignored him. 

"Okay, you've got my cell number, my pager number and you know I'll
either be right behind you or in front of you." It was more a demand,
than a question. 

"Everything's going to be fine, it's just a few hours from here to
Vegas." Ash's voice was calm; he didn't understand the girl's
reluctance to let her cousin's go off alone to Las Vegas. "If
anything, I'll be there, don't worry." 

"All right, if anything does happen, I'm holding you personally
responsible." Elle grinned, a flash of white in the early dawn. "I
just hope she's all right when we get there." 

"Elle," M-L began through clenched teeth, "I'm a big girl, I'll be
fine." 

"Not you, my car," voice dripping sarcasm, she blew them a kiss and
turned. Planting her sunglasses firmly on her face, she mounted the
sleekly armored, black motorcycle and started the engine. 

"I'm starting to think this was a horribly awful idea," Theirry
intoned to Hannah, as they finished the final  preparations for the
Daybreak meeting. 

"Why do you say that?" Hannah asked, reaching for her soulmate's
hand. Theirry took hold of it and squeezed lightly, while pulling her
closer to him. She could smell a faint hint of his cologne on the
black T-shirt she wore. 

"This whole Nightstalker thing's just got me thinking; what are we
going to do with her? She won't join us, which probably means she
won't want to play by our rules. There's no way to control her." He
ranted while Hannah looked on patiently. 

With a knowing smile, she spoke slowly, "I think, that you're more
worried about controlling her then anything else." Before he could
interrupt though, she cut him off, "Elle is a good person, she was my
friend and I know we can trust her. However, I do doubt that she'll
be calling you 'sir' out of duty. She'll only do that once you've
earned her respect." 

Theirry smiled and kissed her delicate hand, "I'm so glad that I
found you." Then, leaning in close, he kissed her. 

The sound of a throat being cleared brought them out of each other's
minds and back into reality. "Excuse me sir, I'm sorry to interrupt,
but some of the other's have arrived. Shall I show them in?"
Nilsson's manner was that of business, but just then, Hannah swore
she saw amusement in his face. 

Theirry nodded, and Hannah jumped up; the other's were slowly
entering the spacious living room. Straightening her red shirt and
black capri pants, Hannah greeted them as they entered. "Hi Keller,
Galen," she said cheerfully, they nodded in response. 

Keller went straight to Theirry, and her point, "So when do we meet
the new girl, I hear she's good." 

"Elle should be here in a few minutes, she's coming with her cousins
and Ash out from Briar Creek." 

Keller's face lightened, "I can't wait to meet her." Turning to
Galen, black hair swishing witch-like, she spoke quietly. "I wonder
if she's as good as they say." 

Galen's leopard eyes showed confusion, "As who says," he asked.
Keller nodded in Theirry direction, where he was now talking to Thea
and Eric. "Oh," was all he could muster. More guests were entering
the room, but at the entrance, Keller spotted a dazed looking blonde,
surveying the room. 

"Hey Ash," she yelled, waving at the same time to attract his
attention. "Over here." Catching her eye, he turned to the dark
haired girl and boy next to him and they started making their way
over. 

"Hey Keller, hey Galen, what's up?" His voice was smooth and lazy.
"This," he said touching M-L's shoulder lightly. "Is my soulmate M-L
and her brother Mark, they're both new." 

Keller's eye's sharpened and she looked at him expectantly, "And."
Her voice was eager, her expression anxious. When Ash looked at her
blankly, she huffed and said, "Elle, where's Elle?" 

"I don't know, we thought she was already here," M-L said worriedly.
Conversations had picked up and the room was starting to buzz as a
black-leather clad figure stepped in, standing out against the stark
whiteness of the room. 

"Nevermind," Mark uttered dryly. Elle strode over to them, a vision
of the perfect vampire hunter. Black boots, black leather pants and
duster jacket, and black shirt. Drawn up in a chip clip, dark roots
gave her blonde hair the illusion of tiger stripes. 

A smile lightened her face as she approached them. Taking off her
gloves and sunglasses, she spoke, "Glad to see you guys made it in
one piece, what about my Pathfinder?" Her voice was slightly
suspicious as horrible sights of wrecks and scratches played out in
her mind. 

"It's perfect." Ash said, flashing her a nerve wrecking grin. "Oh,"
he remembered Keller and Galen standing next to them. "Raksha Keller,
and Galen Drache, this is M-L's cousin, Elle Masters, better known as
Nightstalker." Ash grinned mischievously at Elle. 

Keller's jaw dropped in amazement. I've always wanted to work with
her, she thought in awe. "I've heard a lot about you, but not that
you were Nightstalker… I just hope we get to work together sometime." 

Elle smiled, instantly at ease. I thought I was going to be the
outcast, she thought, thank God for fellow hunters. "Well, I hope I
do get to-." Elle was cut off by Theirry, who was trying to get
everyone's attention. 

"Can I get everyone's attention? We're going to start the meeting
now. Umm, I guess I'll start with welcoming the new members. M-L,
Delia, Thorn, and Mark, you guys mind raising your hand or
something?" They did. Dear God, Elle thought, this is the fraggin'
Mickey Mouse Club. "Unity, and I hope that you find it nice to be
among friends." 

All eyes in the room turned to look at the member closest to them
and voices chorused, "Unity." Attention then shifted back to the
pensive blond. 

"Someone special is also with us today," Theirry started. Elle's
thoughts drifted: any minute now someone was going to start grunting
'Jerry, Jerry.' Nodding at her, Thierry said, "That's Elle Masters,
she's going to be working with us on special cases. Elle, Unity." He
looked at her, then, everyone else looked at her and  chorused
'Unity' again. Elle smiled slightly. 

"Well, everything's been going all right, except our search for the
fourth wild power. If anyone has any ideas, I'll be around here, so
feel free to share. That about wraps things up, so until next month."
Smiling briefly, Theirry stepped away toward Hannah and a few others. 

Looking at the blonde girl strangely, Keller demanded, "Your not a
member?" 

"No, I don't like organizations. Besides, on my own, I can employ my
own tactics." Smiling nastily, Elle looked at Keller, causing her to
laugh. 

"I just hope the rest of my team gets a chance to meet you, I'm sure
I'll see you again." Keller smiled, turning and looking around for
Galen who had wandered off during Theirry's speech. 

"This is just so much fun," Elle muttered, then turned toward M-L.
"Mare," she began sweetly. "You wouldn't mind doing me a tiny favor
and covering until I get back would you?" Eyes wide, she did her best
to look innocent. 

M-L rolled her eyes, "I don't think that's such a good idea. . . "
she trailed off, looking at Mark and Ash for help. 

Ash jumped in, trying to save M-L. "You might want to stick around
for a while, we're probably going to be having a discussion or
something." 

"Like I was saying," Elle said, turning back to M-L. "I'll just be
gone for a few minutes, if anyone asks, just tell them I'm getting
some air." Turning, she glanced quickly around the room seeing
Thierry involved in an animate dissection with Rashel and Jez. Good,
she thought, I'll sneak out and no one'll notice. 

Backing up slightly, she turned and found her face coming in contact
with a white textured wall. Stepping to the left, Elle ignored the
couple staring at her and proceeded into the entrance hall. Reaching
the door, she thought, I'm home free. 

Crowded body to body, she struggled to take a final glance backward,
wanting to make sure no one had seen her. Smiling, Elle saw no sign
of Thierry or his security staff, she was home free. Turning, she was
knocked backwards onto the hard tile floor, when her face made
contact with the opening oak front door. 

Sprawled out on her back, Elle lifted herself to rest on her elbows
while people gasped and asked if she was all right. Coming through
the open door were a medium sized girl with sorrel colored hair and
sparkling eyes, and a tall dark haired vampire with hawk yellow eyes. 

Upon seeing Elle on the ground, the girl bent down and asked, "Are
you all right?" Elle cocked an eyebrow at her. 

"What's wrong, Miles?" Maggie asked him quietly as he rejoined them
in the large living room. Miles had left cheery and talkative, and
came back quiet and sullen. Maggie was worried. 

"Nothing, Mags, don't worry about it." Miles faked a smile and tried
to brush her suspicions off. He really didn't feel like talking about
the beautiful vampire hunter and her pill addictions. 

"Come on Miles, talk to me…" Maggie pleaded. She hated when her
brother got all sullen and sulky. Crossing her arms in front of her
chest, she stuck out her chin and gave him a stubborn glance that
told him she would not give up easily. 

Miles sighed. "Okay you win." He stopped, unsure of how to explain.
"There's this girl-" 

Maggie rolled her eyes, cutting him off, "Oh brother, I hope she's
good this time…" 

Miles glared at her and she shut up, realizing the gravity of the
issue. "And I feel a sort of connection with her, like she grounds
me…" Miles trailed off, looking at the immaculate white carpet,
wondering how Theirry got it to stay so pure with so many feet
trampling it. 

"But…" Maggie prodded, when it was clear her brother wasn't going to
answer. 

Miles looked up, staring Maggie straight in the eyes, almost
pleading. "Something's wrong with her, I don't know what, but, I
don't know, this is stupid, Mags. Just forget about it," Miles shut
up and leaned back against the white leather coach, oblivious to the
games and everyone around him, locked in his own thoughts. 

Sighing, she got up and moved to the wet bar, taking the stool next
to Delos, who thought the object of charades was to mind message your
team and tell them what the answer was. 

"What's the matter, Maggie?" Delos asked, settling his arms around
Maggie's shoulders. She leaned into the hardness of his chest,
grateful for the strong arms around her. He breathed, grateful for
her scent, and even her mere presence. 

"I don't know, Delos. Something's wrong with Miles, but he won't
talk to me about it," Maggie replied. 

"Then there is nothing you can do about it," Delos said, voice
barely a whisper in her ear. "Your brother is a grown man, Maggie, he
can handle his problems better than you can. You shouldn't worry,
he'll talk to you when he's ready," Delos finished, resting his head
on Maggie's head. 

"You're right, I just can't help but worry," Maggie sighed. 

The stars outside sparkled brightly, undimmed here, by the glitz of
Las Vegas lights. Elle lay in the soft bed looking out across the sky
at the full moon, a heating pad blissfully warm between her knees,
for once not in pain. 

But that wouldn't last. The pain always came back, sooner and sooner
these days. The witch who gave her the medicine/magic warned her to
use it sparingly, because the magic and biology destroying her body
would become immune eventually. And the great Nightstalker, destroyer
of demons, dhampire and demigods, would die. 

The tinkling of glass sent her up straight in bed. That shouldn't be
happening, Elle thought. Warily, she kicked off the covers, and
peered out of the window, over the balcony. The backyard seemed
empty, and the night covering it seemed still, but Elle knew quite
well that appearances are always deceiving. 

Crossing the room to the door, Elle paused as she caught a glimpse
of herself in the mirror and debated on whether to throw on a robe.
She was dressed only in a black spandex sports bra/shirt and black
Adidas soccer shorts. 

A seven-inch marine divers knife was strapped to her left thigh. A
blessed and impenetrable gauntlet was around her left wrist, covering
the scar. On her right hip, in a clip on holster attached to the
waistband of her soccer shorts, rested a low caliber gun full of
hollow tipped, wood jacket bullets. 

At her own house she wouldn't have cared if she had to fight an
intruder in the nude, but here…it didn't matter either. Grabbing the
half silver half wood fighting stick, sharpened to a point at one
end, Elle opened the door and carefully headed downstairs. 

The hall was thick with black night and Elle cursed herself for not
having put on her info-red sunglasses. Creeping carefully toward the
end of the hall, she made no noise, even as she peered over the half
wall enclosing the stairs. 

Dark figures, nearly indistinguishable from the Night were down
there, fanning slowly out as if to secure the rooms. 

Shit, Elle, thought. Three were nearly at the base of the stairs
when she wished she'd taken her semi out of the closet and brought it
instead of this low caliber gun and stick. Deciding to act, Elle
reached up for the light switch, closed her eyes and turned the
switch on. 

Seconds later, she opened her eyes as the Night Worlders were still
rubbing their own eyes, trying in vain to recover their vision. 

Pulling the gun from the holster, Elle clicked off the safety and
yelled out, "Okay monkeys, right there will be fine." 

One of the vampires, recovering more quickly than the others, turned
electric blue eyes on Elle, hissing harshly and baring strong white
teeth. 

"Human, you think you can stop us?" He sneered. He thought nothing
more of this girl, other than she was a pretty dinner display, and
mere annoyance. 

"No, I don't think so," Elle said cheerfully, smiling at them. They
looked at her, fully recovered and angry. "But I can sure take a lot
of you out before I die." 

Taking aim at one of the vamps near the stairs, a green eyed
brunette with a foot on the first step, she got off a shot before he
could blink. Hitting him square in the chest, he went down and
mummified. 

"Now, if the rest of you want to end up like King Tut here, then
please, feel free to stay. But me, I suggest you go." None of them
moved, none blinked. They couldn't tell whether this human was
serious or just had a death wish. 

"Have it your way." Elle took aim again and got off two more shots
before the vampires came to their senses and converged on her. 

They came slowly, not knowing what to expect, and Elle came towards
them as well. From the second landing, she could see the mummified
bodies of the guards littering the grounds. Nilsson was not among
them; fortunately, he had taken the night off and was sleeping. 

Stepping over the three bodies at the foot of the stairs, Elle got
off three more shots, taking one vamp in the arm, another in the
upper chest, puncturing a lung and one in the leg. She counted five
and bet there were a few more outside. 

Keeping a wall at her back, she forced the five to converge on her
from the front or the sides. The leader, the one with electric blue
eyes and jet black hair stepped up, motioning for the others to fall
back and fan out behind him. 

"I thought you were one of the good guys," He commented in a voice
that raised the little hairs on the back of Elle's neck. 

"I am," Elle replied emotionlessly. 

"Then why did you shoot us, when we are weaponless; helpless." His
voice was good, pleading, intense. It made Elle sick that a vampire
could manipulate his voice like that, and could manipulate others
with his voice. 

"Weaponless maybe, helpless, no," Elle replied coldly. Discarding
the gun with a flick of her wrist, she settled her grip on the stick
and prepared to fight. 

"And perhaps weaponless no, as well." He spoke softly, reaching
behind his back; Elle tensed as his muscles locked on something
beneath that night black trench coat. His arm came back, holding a
shining black sword. 

"They call it the Dark Blade, do you know why?" He mused, stepping
closer. The vampire was within a five foot range from Elle, and she
worried more about him than the other vampires, and that scared her. 

Elle cocked an eyebrow at him and he laughed, rich and dark.
"Because the blade drinks the blood of enemies slain with it; no
weapon can destroy it, not even the blue fire." He smiled slightly at
the expression on Elle's face. "And it grants its owner the same
immunity." 

Double shit, Elle thought. Shouldn't the other's be waking up right
about now? "How rude of me," The vamp continued and Elle's thoughts
were jerked back to him. "I forgot to introduce myself, my name is
Bael." He smiled darkly at the recognition in the woman's eyes. 

Elle felt her heart sink, Bael was one of the more powerful
vampires, at first thought to be merely a legend, then introduced as
reality when Hunter Redfern died and Bael stepped up to lead the
Night World. 

Forcing a face of mock amusement, Elle laughed and proclaimed, "Well
Bael, I am the Nightstalker, destroyer of demons and demigods and I
believe you fall somewhere in that category." 

"Don't fool yourself thinking you can defeat me," Bael taunted, but
Elle saw the recognition in his eyes. Bael's grip on the sword was
firm. No way she could knock it from his hands. Even if the legend
were true, which Elle would not admit, even to herself, that it was. 

"Are you going to fight or talk?" Elle asked impatiently. If she was
going to fight this fool, she'd rather do it now when the pain was
not upon her. 

"Actually I'm here to destroy a wild power or three, but if you will
not stand down, I can make an acceptation to kill you," Bael
whispered at her. For a moment, Elle felt drawn to him somehow, as
though they were close and connected. She shook her head and the
feeling died, but from the expression on Bael's face, he had felt the
same thing also. 

With a grunt, Elle thrust the stick, pointed end first, at him. He
knocked it away with the sword and followed through trying to disarm
her, literally. 

Elle parried and stepped to the side, letting the white wall take
the blow of the sword for her. His foot whipped out and she went down
hard on her back, cold of the tiles soaking through her skin.
Dropping her stick, she reached for the knife and found Bael
straddling her knees with his feet, sword above her head. 

She removed the knife as he dropped the sword to open her rib cage.
Metal clinked on crystal as the knife and Elle's wrists trapped the
blade. In one motion, Elle moved her knee up into Bael's groin and
continued on, throwing him off further into the living room and
scattering his sword from him. 

Taking the sword in her right hand and the knife in her left, Elle
started toward the other vampires that looked to their fallen leader,
then fell on Elle like a pack of wolves. 

She was fully awake and aware of everything, dodging kicks and
punches, slashing with the lethal sword and taking blows as well as
she could. However her knees were starting to ache and her ankle was
bruised and hurt from the pressure of Bael's kick. 

Her ferocity was still intact, as was her stamina as she fought the
remaining two vampires. One missed a block and Elle cut through his
ribs with the sword like a hot knife through butter. The second
vampire moved out of her way and stopped for a second, eyes
unfocusing. 

Son of a bitch, Elle though, he's calling reinforcements. Elle
struck him square in the heart and turned, only to see a large mob of
people outside the sliding glass door. And then the door was
shattering, glass tickling in an eerie sound and they were inside. 

"Man, and I thought we'd miss out on the fun," Rashel's voice called
from halfway down the stairs. 

Elle turned and sighed in relief as all the fighting members of
Circle Daybreak converged on the mob, backing Elle up. 

"What took you guys so long?" She asked, grinning. Moving to put her
back against a wall, she glanced up slightly and saw the Day rushing
down to meet the Night. 

"Sleep spell, kiddie stuff," Blaise explained, tossing a round of
dark witch fire at the oncoming crowd. 

"How come I wasn't affected?" Elle asked, as she thrust the Dark
Blade into a vampire's gut and pulled it up, letting his wet entrails
plop down on the floor. He mummified before touching the cold tile. 

"Probably the pills," Mile's voice proclaimed. He was next to her
somehow, and she hadn't felt the air stir. In his hand was an odd
looking wooden broadsword, like something out of Macbeth or
Braveheart. 

"Shouldn't you be hiding with the rest of the non combatants," Elle
hissed. A vampire came too close to her right, and was instantly
decapitated. The blood was drawn into the sword and Elle felt
stronger instantly. 

"Who says I'm a non combatant," Miles intoned. And as if to prove
his point picked up the nearest vampire and tossed him into the
throng Elle was slaughtering. 

"And I thought you Neely's were human," Elle commented. She was
tired of play fighting with the vamps and was now merely cutting
through them like they were air. 

"I thought you were, too." Miles' voice was calm as he thrust his
sword between the ribs of one of the vampires. 

Elle smirked, but didn't reply. Bael should have returned by now,
Elle thought as she glanced Quinn and Rashel double teaming a vamp
where Bael'd been previously thrown. 

Surveying the room, Elle caught a glimpse of Bael chasing up the
stairs. "Bael!" Elle screamed and rushed the stairs, cutting her way
through vampires until she reached them. 

"Nightstalker!" Rashel called. Elle stopped and looked at her for a
moment, Rashel narrowed her eyes and nodded upstairs. The powers were
up there. 

"Thanks Cat!" Elle called and raced up the stairs after Bael. 

He met her on the landing, holding her spear. "The return of your
weapon for the return of mine…" He offered. 

Elle smirked, "Yeah right and I've got a bridge in Jersey I'll sell
you." 

Bael smiled, "Then I suppose I shall simply have to take it from
you." He advanced a step, readying the stick. 

"Come and get it big boy," Elle said, absolutely dead pan. Wielding
the sword like an expert, Elle stood ready for any challenge he could
pose. 

"Child, you have no idea of the power that sword contains," Bael
warned her one last time. 

"Goody," Evan said and advanced on him. Bael rounded and Evan swiped
at him, forcing him to back up toward the stairs on the landing. He
thrust futilely at her, she simply parried it and thrust at him,
playing with him, backing him down the stairs and forcing her to
fight up at him. 

Bael readjusted the grip on his sword, causing the arm of his black
trench coat to bunch, revealing a strange mark on his wrist. Like a
scar, only red and like an ancient text. Elle was taken back, but
quickly recovered, although too late. 

Taking advantage of the moment, Bael knocked the sword from Elle's
loosened grip with the dull end of the stick and sliced her arm with
the spear head. Blood ran watery down her arm in crimson rivulets. 

With only the knife, Elle crouched, ready to die fighting him. But
Bael did not attack, he simply looked at her, then said quietly, "I
could never murder my soulmate." Then picked up his sword, dropped
the spear and walked down the stairs. 

"You are not my soulmate," Elle said quietly. Bael stopped and Elle
bent, picking up the spear. "YOU ARE NOT MY SOULMATE!!" She screamed,
hefting the spear airborne and aimed dead center at Bael's chest. 

The fighting stopped and simply watched as the spear pierced the
leather of the jacket and drove home into Bael's heart. He did not go
down. Elle stood watching amazed, as did the rest, Day and Night
alike, watching in silent wonder. 

Bael simply plucked the spear from his chest, threw it to the ground
and said, "True, but we have a connection. I will come for the powers
again, and at that time, you will not stop me." Gripping the sword in
front of him with both hands, he closed his eyes. The blade gave off
a bluish black glow from within as Bael concentrated. 

Elle felt her blood running thick again, it hurt to stand, to
breathe, to live; but she had been through worse things than wishing
for death and simply grasped the banister until her knuckles turned
white and she was sure she was leaving nail marks. 

Then the feeling receded and Elle could breathe around the pain.
Bael straightened and walked toward the ruined door. 

 Exiting through the shattered glass door, he made a slight motion
with his hands and the other's followed him, leaving the Daybreakers
and Elle staring at the door in wonder. 

Her bruised ankle gave first, then her knees, and that might have
been fine had Elle been on level ground but here on the stairs, there
was only one way to go; down. 

Elle's vision was blurring as she felt strong arms support her. Mind
snapping back into focus, Elle's grip tightened like a vise around
the banister as she yanked herself from the man's arms. 

Miles looked at her in surprise as she'd pulled away. He was so sure
she could relax, be weak for once and let him protect her; he was
wrong. 

"I'm fine," Elle mumbled, making her way down the stairs, using the
banister as a crutch. 

"You are not fine, besides, you're bleeding all over the white
carpet…" Miles trailed off, following her tightly in case she passed
out. 

"I don't know why people decorate in white," Elle quoted as she
reached the bottom landing. As her bare foot touched the tile, she
felt the cold seep into her. However the cold didn't affect her this
time, and that worried her. 

Making her way into the kitchen, she finally slumped into a chair
and leaned her head back all the way. "Rashel," Elle said vaguely.
Rashel stepped forward and Elle continued. "Stitches, medicine bag,
same place as always." 

"Right," Rashel said, smiling grimly. Her friend looked bad, but
only a cut wouldn't mess her up so much. Maybe that Bael guy had put
some kind of spell on her… 

"You're arm's bleeding wrong," Miles said, coming to her side. And
her arm was bleeding wrong. The blood was runny, as though it were
watered down. 

Damn, now everyone's going to know, Elle thought. "And how's it
supposed to bleed, genius?" Elle snapped. Her headache was really bad
now, worse than it had ever been and her legs were going to give out
if she had to stand again. 

Miles was saved from answering by Rashel dashing into the kitchen
with a sleepy looking Mary-Lynette, Ash, and Mark in tow. Mary-
Lynette gasped when she saw the blood, and almost burst into tears
when she saw Elle's condition. 

Mark's face was grim and Ash tried to shield them both from the
sight. Elle heard her cousin's whimper of distress and said quietly,
"And I thought this would be my time to recover." 

Rashel gently set the medical bag on the table and Elle roused
herself enough to open it, heavy handed, and take out a sterile
needle package and medical thread. The blood was congealing in a red
puddle on the floor, liquid on top and almost solid on the bottom as
the cells died quickly. Elle's arm was painted scarlet to the tips of
her fingers, a deep red, the color of berries, unoxygenated blood. 

"I found these too," Rashel said quietly setting the bottle of pills
on the table before her. Miles glared at Rashel, who was about to
smack him when Quinn held her back. 

Elle was lucid again, and her hands were only shaking slightly. Her
pill schedule was upset now, something about that sword increased the
intensity of her illness. 

"You'd probably do better without those," Miles said calmly. Maggie
looked at him from across the living room, so that was the girl and
the problem. Delos put his hand on Maggie's shoulder, keeping her
with him away from her brother. 

"I'd probably drop dead at your feet without those," Elle spat
through gritted teeth. 

"You were taking this summer to recover; you can get through this
without pills," Miles said encouragingly. His hand was covering
Elle's hand, the hand holding the pills. 

"I lied, don't presume to know me," Elle snapped, jerking her hand
away from his. Her arm wasn't clotting, she could feel that. Her
blood was too weak after that shock, even to perform a simple task.
She had to take a pill and administer stitches or this simplest of
wounds would be her death. 

"I do know you; not as well as I'd like, but well enough to know you
want help," Miles said gently. He kneeled before her, gentle eyes on
his hostile ones. 

"Get the fuck out of my face," Elle said dangerously. She had no
more weapons left, and her simple injury was bleeding her dry, but
she threatened him with the coldness in her eyes. 

"Just let her take the fucking pills," Poppy cried out. Tears were
streaming down her face and James was holding her tightly to him.
"I'm sorry Elle, but-" 

"No," Elle said. All were quiet. "I'm going to take my goddamned
pills whether he gets the fuck out of my face or not." 

"Not until you admit you want my help," Miles' voice was firm with
resolution. 

"If I wanted your help to die, I'd simply ask you to kill me," Elle
started opening the bottle in Miles' face. He placed his hand gently
over hers and she didn't have the strength to do anything. Her lips
were turning slightly blue, so were her finger tips. Poppy's sobbing
was audible over everything now. 

"What do you mean?" Miles asked, stricken. He could smell her now,
and she smelled like death. Not old and lingering death, but the
death of the dying. 

"I mean that my fucking body is shutting the fuck down and those
pills are actually medicinal shit that an M.D. witch gave me to slow
off the process. I didn't go the fucking middle of nowhere to
recover, I went there to die in peace, are you happy now? I told you
the fucking truth now get out of my face," Elle hissed. 

Miles removed his hand like he was touching fire. Elle popped the
cap on the bottle and took a pill, downing it. Instantly, a little of
her color returned, the blue fading from her finger tips and lips. 

He got up quickly, stepping back, "I'm sorry," he said strangely. 

Elle closed her eyes as she felt the medicine and magic working,
slowly the frantic feeling of impending doom faded and real time
washed over her. "You didn't know, how could you, I didn't tell you…"
Elle murmured. 

Snapping her head up, she picked the needle out of the package,
threaded it and began sewing her arm, the blood had already begun
clotting and that made the job easier. But she knew the pills would
have to come sooner and sooner now, the spell sped up by some kind
magic from the sword. 

When the last knot in the thread was tied, she got out some sterile
bandages and a scalpel from her medical bag. 

"What are you doing?" Rashel asked as Elle calmly removed her
gauntlet. 

"I'm going to cut the source of my illness off, like I should have
done the first time." To the surprised looks, she added, "Don't
worry, I'm good, I've had a lot of practice at skinning things." 

"You're not thinking straight," Miles exclaimed. Maggie ran to him,
putting an arm around his shoulder; he shrugged it off. "There has to
be another way." 

"I don't know it," Elle said quietly. Delos went to Maggie, pulling
her away from her brother. The small crowd gathered around Elle,
staring in wonder at her scar. 

"What is that?" Ash asked in wonder. 

"Ancient writing, don't ask…" Elle murmured, she was positioning the
scalpel above her bone, trying to decide where to cut from when a
hand clasped the scalpel and pulled it away. 

"Damnit Miles," Elle turned. But it was Delos who held the scalpel. 

"Wouldn't you rather know what that writing says?" Delos asked,
handing the scalpel carefully to Miles. Elle rolled her eyes, there
goes another perfectly good scalpel. 

"Fine, what?" Elle asked. 

Delos took her wrist lightly, turning it over as he read, "This is
the Hand of Fate; the hand that creates, the hand that crushes." 

"But what does it mean?" Elle asked, looking Delos straight in the
yellow eyes. 

"You can wield the true power of the Dark Blade, just as Bael can.
And I suspect that is why no one heard from him in quite a while…"
Delos trailed off. 

"Because the Dark Blade had selected no one to draw the life from,
and slowly steal the soul to feed it for another millennia," Theirry
finished, walking down the stairs. 

"Elle, I wanted you to join so you could fight, not bleed on the
carpet," Theirry said with dry humor. 

Elle laughed slightly. "Right," she intoned, then got serious. "So
what does this mean? If I get the Dark Blade away from Bael, I can
cure myself? I mean, I did feel better while holding it, especially
when it got bloody." 

Theirry's face darkened, "That's the drawback of the Dark Blade,
blood feeds it, therefore it is evil. And unfortunately immortal, as
is it's owner." 

"What if the immortal blade pierced his immortal flesh, would that
destroy them both?" Elle asked. She shifted in her chair. The pill
had taken affect and all her pain was almost gone, except the
arthritic knees and the bruised ankle compliments of Bael. 

Theirry's face darkened, "In theory, I suppose…" He trailed off,
unsure as to how the immortal blade could pierce Bael's flesh while
Bael wielded the blade. It was making his head hurt. 

"Good, then we have a working theory, Thierry," Elle laughed, and
the other's looked uneasy. "I'm not cracking up, I've just wanted to
say that since I got here." 

"You're better?" Poppy sniffled at Elle, she was still wrapped in
James' arms, but facing her cousin. 

Elle lied through her teeth, "Yep, all better." Miles saw through
it, as did M-L who hugged Ash tightly. Getting up, Elle stretched,
looked at the ruined door then started for the stairs. "Well kiddies,
I'm exhausted and my knees hurt so I'm going to go sleep for a few
centuries." 

She was about to hit the first step when something shiny and black
lodged in the wall caught her eye. It looked like a crystal chard,
gleaming almost obsidian black in the too bright lights. 

Frowning, Elle bent slightly to pick it up; wincing at the cry of
pain from her knees. "Oh my God," She whispered. 

"What is it?" Rashel asked, moving in almost directly behind her. 

"A fragment of the Dark Blade-" Elle barely had time to explain
before all hell broke loose. The entire backside of the house blew
out; plaster, bricks and debris flew down on top of them as dark
energy crackled around the edges. 

The crystal felt warm, then hot in Elle's hands, and her knees felt
instantly better as she catapulted from the stairs and ducked under
the first floor landing. Black clothed Night Worlders poured in from
the whole like ants on a picnic. 

Bael stepped in last, finding Elle immediately; she had the urge to
slap the triumphant smirk off his face. "Well, didn't expect me a
second time tonight, did you?" He asked. 

"Why do you think we're still up?" Elle taunted. She felt her knees
growing cold and pulled at the power of the crystal again, sucking
more and more energy into her starved body. The crystal responded and
Elle let the urge run like music in the back of her mind, keeping the
crystal on and the energy flowing. 

"Give me the chard…" Bael commanded, stepping forward as he spoke,
face somber. 

Elle gave him a laughing glance, "And I thought your line was 'Give
me the child.'" She felt nothing at her back. No one was moving,
neither day nor night, all eyes were on her and Bael. 

"Don't make me hurt you again," Bael threatened and realized it was
a mistake soon as the words left his lips. 

Elle's eyes brightened and her fingers tightened further around the
crystal chard. Imagining power pouring from Bael, to the crystal, to
her, Elle got the satisfaction of seeing Bael wince. "So that's how
you did it," Elle commented causally. 

"Stupid child," Bael snarled, wounded more than he would let anyone
know. The energy drain was continuous now, like his had been of her
before she'd seen that Harmon crone. Damnit, he thought, me and my
stupid pride. 

"Not so stupid, now I know what power the crystal yields, and I know
this chard can drain you like you drained me." Elle stated quietly. 

"This sword can do more damage." Bael's voice quavered, but his face
was stony. He tried so hard to believe himself. 

"No," Elle replied grinning madly. "Because now I'm immortal as
well." 

Bael's face went chalk white, then regained color as an evil gleam
started in his eye. "Yes, and now that you are immortal, when the
blade tastes your blood, your soul; and you will feed it forever!" 

With that, he charged at Elle and the Nightstalker at him. They
clashed for a brief moment, then separated and whirled at each other.
A few drops of blood splattered on the carpet, Bael looked to his
sword in triumph, then shock as he saw the blade clean and felt a
warm rivulet running down his thumb. 

The tiny chard Elle held dropped another spot of blood to the
carpet. "Looks like I win," she whispered, then tugged with all her
might on the energy flow of the chard. 

Bael howled, falling to his knees and dropping the sword. Elle bent
and picked it up, replacing the tiny chard against the Dark Blade.
The bla