Lily



Jackson drew his eyes away from Charlie to peer at Lily. "I imagine they do."

Lily frowned, "You're not concerned?"

He shrugged his shoulders unaffected and moved to lean against the wall. "I can't run from it." He said calmly, "I'm sure Ward's figured out by now that I've crossed sides and well I can't really speak for the monsters."

"They're not monsters." Lily found herself saying and Jackson stared strangely at her.

"Are you defending them?" he asked almost incredulously.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Don't judge me okay?" she picked up Charlie to place him in her lap. "Besides, we all know who the real monster in this is."

Veronica appeared suddenly at the door with her burger and fries.

"What happened to you?" she asked in between snapping her gum, "Where's Ruby? I'm working her shift, you know? She owes me." She grumbled.

Veronica's ignorance moved furiously through Lily, "You good for nothing trollop trash." Lily leapt to her feet, wagging a finger in Veronica's bewildered face, "How many times have you ditched your shift leaving Ruby to work a double just so you could bang the first hottie in the hotel down the street?"

Veronica exchanged a confounded look with Jackson and then rolled her gum and snapped it. "You gonna' let her talk to me like that, Jackson?"

Smirking, Jackson simply rolled his shoulders. Muttering something unpleasant beneath her breath, Veronica dropped the plate of burger and fries, which landed simultaneously on the table and pivoted towards the door.

"It would seem Ruby's rubbed off on you." Jackson teased.

Sighing, Lily sank heavily back into her seat. "I shouldn't have said that."

Jackson chuckled and pushed away from the wall, "You only said what everyone else was thinking-Veronica is a floozy."

Jackson plucked a fry off the plate where Veronica had dropped it then pushed the plate toward Lily.

She shook her head.

"You should eat something." He settled down in the chair opposite of her.

"You're not safe with me, Jackson." "Yeah, I've figured that much out."

Lily leaned across the desk to grab his attention, "I'm serious, you better get the hell out of dodge, betrayal doesn't set well with Ward and Varian will come for me-he always does. Either one won't hesitate to kill you. You know too much and if they don't do it, others will."

Jackson lifted a brow, slight humor curling his lips. "Varian? Are you on first name basis with this vampire?"

"Damn it, Jack, you listening to me?" He held a hand to ward off some of her growing frustration, "I got it-I'm on the hit list."

"And you find this amusing?"

"Not exactly but at the moment it's somewhat gratifying to know that I'm currently alive and have survived the last couple days of bizarreness-that tends to make oneself lightheaded with giddiness."

"You mean foolishness? You're acting very nonchalant about this entire 'bizarreness', it's a bit concerning."

He presented a crooked grin, "You're concerned about me?"

"Where is all this coming from? Just a short two weeks ago you were a hard ass and now this, undeniably at ease and laced with humor?"

"I may have been somewhat of a-"

"-pompous brute." Lily finished.

He laughed, "Yes, that, due mainly to an overwhelming arrogance but also a business that needed managing."

"So the grill isn't a ploy?" "The grill has always and will always be my main priority, like I said, business had been slow and I was under some financial strain-I made a grave judgment error."

"You don't have to explain anything to me, Jack." She got to her feet and scooped Charlie in the crook of her arm, "Look I appreciate all you've done for me, but I really have to go."

He jumped to his feet, "Where can you go? Your apartment isn't an option-"

"I can't stay here-Ward likely has this place under surveillance."

"And you want to risk that?" She met his gaze with some severity, "Look, I can't say anything more then what you already know. What I can tell you is that Ruby is in some deep stuff and no matter how scared I may be I can't abandon her."

Jackson stiffened, "Has something happened to her?"

Lily shook her head, "I'm putting you more at risk by telling you even this. Take my advice, Jack, and leave Cove Neck."



Varian

He was ravenously hungry but the thought of seeking others he usually fed from wasn't as exceedingly gratifying as feeding from Lily. However, his hunger would have to wait. He was furious. The little fool was going to get herself caged or worse yet, killed.

He grabbed a leather jacket and slid it casually onto his shoulders as he strolled into the living room. Blanch sat comfortably among the plush couch, her legs tucked neatly beneath her as she skimmed through a magazine in her lap. She lifted her dark head as he entered the room and arched a brow at him. "Going out?"

"If she returns-" he growled irritably, "-barricade her in her room and throw away the key."

Blanch chuckled lightly and returned to her magazine.

Varian stepped outside to find Talon moving up the pathway towards him. "Off to find your honey?" he teased.

"I need you to watch Ruby."

Talon's brow lifted warily, "You want me to be on fledgling-duty? What if Green Eyes decides to tear out my throat?" he asked with a hint of a grin.

"I'm sure you can manage one newly-made female, T." he paused and then added, "Keep Marguerite away from her."

Talon nodded earnestly. "One bitter female is painstaking enough-but two?"

Varian resisted a grin and proceeded on down the path. His senses immediately caught wind of Lily's scent. As he followed her trail, his mood darkened ever more as her scent led him to the Red Brick Grill.

He felt the muscle at his jaw pulsing with barley refrained fury as he strolled into the restaurant. His dark eyes swept the couples that adorned the booths, a few loners occupied the bar, and a group of teens conversed loudly in one corner, but Lily was no where to be found.

He felt his irritation mounting.

A waitress caught sight of him and an immediate glint of appeal lightened her eyes as she moved toward him, swaying her hips in a 'come hither' manner. She snapped the gum in her mouth and produced a grin meant to entice.

"Hello stranger." She purred, "What can I do for you?"

"I'm looking for Lily McDermott." He growled.

She blanched, slightly insulted. "Who are you?" she demanded haughtily.

His dark eyes narrowed heatedly on her face and immediately she pulled back. "I m-mean, can I give her a message for you?"

He frowned, "Is she here?"

The waitress hunched in her stance and popped her gum once more. "She had a few words with Jack and then she left."

"Where too?"

"I don't know!" she snapped, "She's got some nerve showin' up here anyhow, what with not working her shifts and all." the girl whirled about and sauntered to a man sitting at the bar.

Varian turned toward the door and then paused-catching another scent that fed his anger.

Jackson jolted in his leather seat as all of muscle and bared fangs came barreling into his office. He paled at the sight that loomed before him and held up a hand in an attempt to ward the furious fiend off. "I haven't harmed her-"

"And I'm to believe that?" the vampire growled stiffly.

Jackson warily pushed himself to his feet, quite certain the vampire could easily remove the objects separating them without strain. "I never meant for her to get hurt." He said earnestly.

"You put her at risk-that makes you my enemy."

"You have bigger problems then me, bloodsucker. A man was looking for her today at her apartment."

Varian stiffened, "What man?"

Jackson shrugged, "Who else but another pawn?"

"Where is she?" he demanded.

He shook his head, "I don't know, she said that Ruby was in some kind of trouble and then she left."

A hiss issued from Varian's throat, "And you just let her leave?"

"After what I did to her, she doesn't trust me and I felt no obligation in keeping her here."

Varian eyed him suspiciously, weighing him considerably as to whether he should end him or not-in the face of death, he was strangely calm.

He straightened and started for the door.

"Are you not going to kill me?" Jackson asked almost incredulously.

Varian turned with a grin, "Perhaps another time."



Lily

She imagined Varian was quite angry with her, she could even feel his anger streaming through her as if it were her own. She had managed to block his voice from her head but even that was becoming strenuous on her. When she left the Red Brick Grill, she had started to feel quite nauseous-probably from the smell of batter and grease-she thought.

She cradled a sleeping Charlie in the crook of her arm and paid the cab driver, then started up the stretch of concrete that led into the safe-house.

She nearly leapt from her skin as a lithe, slender frame materialized on her path.

"What have you done to make him so infatuated with you?" Marguerite hissed.

Lily exhaled a long breath, "I'm tired, Marguerite, could you badger me another night?" she started around the ethereal vampire with every intent on going inside and to bed, but the woman was quick to stall her.

"He loves me you know?"

She stiffened despite her best efforts not too and found herself turning around to brace the glossy impact of her icy glare. "Is that supposed to move me in some kind of way?" she challenged.

Marguerite shrugged her slender shoulders in a careless manner with a tiny hint of a grin playing across her reddened lips. "I merely felt it necessary to tell you that your efforts on him would be futile. He cannot possibly love a human." She said this lastly with chagrin.

Lily stepped closer to the woman until her potent, vintage perfume tingled at her nose. "Then it's a good thing I'm not human."

Marguerite blanched, her painted lips falling open with disbelief and puzzling anger. "What are you saying?' she demanded hastily.

"Marguerite!"

Both women jolted against the masculine timbre that resounded from the dark. Lily's heart jumped against her breast as she turned to peer at Varian strolling angrily towards them-his dark eyes resting only briefly on her before averting heatedly to Marguerite. "Have you nothing better to do?" he asked crossly.

Marguerite whirled on him, "What is this nonsense about her not being human?" she wagged a finger at Lily, "Is this true?"

Lily rolled her eyes to the heavens and started for the door. She was tired and not up to hearing Marguerite's whining. She fled inside and moved quickly through the foyer, passing a startled Blanch to the stairs. Once she was inside her room, she released the breath she had been holding. Moving to the bed, she set Charlie down, who lifted his little head and blinked his little beady eyes before turning away to fall back asleep.

She hadn't been aware of Varian's looming presence until she turned around to find him staring at her with a fixated glare. "Where have you been, Lily?" he demanded.

"Why didn't you tell your 'piece of tail' about my not being human?" she exclaimed with frustration.

"And you felt it necessary to tell her?" "She provoked me!"

He stormed toward her, "Nonetheless, you shouldn't have said anything."

"Why not?" she snapped, "That woman-excuse me, vampire-" she emphasized, "-is wretched!"

"She cannot help herself-"

"That's not an excuse!" she spat and added angrily, "Her jealousy is ridiculous!"

"She cannot help her jealousy. She is unconsciously drawn to me-"

"What are you talking about?"

Varian inhaled a steady breath and said quite frankly, "I am her maker."

**********