In A Dead World || Vaughn || COMPLETE

[Evelyn van Buren]

81st Street was in a rare moment of stillness. With the museum closed, the lack of human traffic had waned down in the early hours of the night, and now, nearing three a.m., she was the only living thing moving.

And moving.

Her feet carried her past the museum's front entrance, past the bus stops, along a stretch of pavement devoid of vendors' carts and street artists selling cheap imitation paintings of the New York skyline. Every so often, she could glance to her right, and see blurred shapes racing parallel to her in the fringes of the park across the street. Whenever she saw them draw level with her, she'd run just a little faster, praying her beautiful new Jimmy Choos could stand the pressure.

New York was a nightmare to a canine's sense of smell. As she ran, she picked up remnant odours off the sidewalk - the grease off shish kebabs and hot dogs, a lingering sweetness of ice-cream, even dried bird poop and what was probably a sick baby's puke somewhere ahead. Her small nose crinkled but she couldn't stop. Couldn't afford to.

Her paced, hurried steps thudding off deserted concrete were the only sound to human ears. It was a good thing she wasn't one - she'd have already been dead.

As it was, outrunning a band of rogue Vampires as a human Lycan wasn't all that easy. Evelyn, unlike a lot of her brethren, frequently worked out while human, for situations exactly like this one. Ahead of her, she could see an NYDP squad car and she slowed to a hasty walk, like any New Yorker trying to get home at night. She wrapped her arms around her long, beige trench, holding it closer to herself as she passed the car.

An officer glanced up at her through the passenger side window. He nodded as he caught her eye. Evelyn flashed him the briefest of smiles and kept going.

The moment the squad car was out of sight, the hair at the back of her neck prickled. She tilted her head back and sniffed. Oh yes, they were still on her tail. Metaphorically speaking.

She usually tried her best to stay off the streets at night unless absolutely necessary. Despite the so-called truce Viktor preached, Evelyn was under no delusions and she had often let him know so - the night belonged to the Vampires.

Any wise Lycan would be safely behind locked doors or below ground by 1 or 2 a.m. Or travelling together. They'd certainly not be wandering around alone. Evelyn had no idea why she'd gotten so reckless. She'd been uptown, visiting a new bar with human associates, and had decided to walk from the subway stop by the museum, planning to cut across Kings Landing toward her apartment on the other side.

Evelyn didn't fear the dark - she enjoyed it, in fact. In the dark, she could change. In the dark, she would give her pursuers the fight they were clearly seeking.

She'd become aware she was being followed from the moment she'd emerged from 81st Street Station. Three rogues, one male and two female vampires. They might as well have jumped right in front of her announcing their presence, they were skulking that close. She'd caught only a glimpse of them in the trees across the street before she'd bolted.

They had kept pace with her easily enough, and then momentarily slowed and disappeared into the park again when they saw the NYPD car. Evelyn was relieved. She didn't want an innocent man's death on her hands.

She cast a glance to her right once more, saw no sign of the leeches and swerved wildly, cutting across the road and into the park. She couldn't keep running in human form. Sooner or later, they'd catch up to her.

She plunged into the shade of the trees bordering a wide path marking the start of the park. Knowing she had little time, Evelyn paused to take off her heels and sprinted with them in hand, her long dark curls blowing wildly as she turned off the path. She knew exactly where she was going.

Unlike Vampires, wolves had an innate sense of direction. She was a walking compass. She couldn't get lost if she tried. And certainly not in a park she frequented in all three forms so often.

Behind her, she heard a distinct snarl as her three stalkers fell behind her. Evelyn began weaving her way off into the thicker patches of trees set back from the well-marked paths. She passed the lake and ducked under a bridge, emerging from the tunnel and climbing up the little hill beside it to the top. They'd hunt her all night, these things. Their internalized hatred for her kind was strong enough to ensure that.

Evelyn didn't tolerate rogues, whether they were Vampire or Lycan. Too unruly for strategy, too conceited to be reasoned with, they caused a disadvantage to their own sides. It seemed to her though, that there were far more of the leeches running loose than there were wild Lycans. Figures, she thought, reaching a new path and crossing it to disappear into the green again, the Vampires' figurehead is getting old. Losing his touch. Her hands caught on occasional branches as she brushed aside the shrubbery to make room, and thorns jabbed into her fingers, but she held onto her shoes and kept moving.

Until she heard the awful cry. It wasn't high-pitched, in fact it was almost muffled, but to her ears, it was perfectly audible.

Evelyn froze in place, feeling her insides rattle in reflex. She lifted her head and sniffed in a rather canine way. She could scent the Vampires - they were nearby, but not as close as she'd feared they might be. And they had stopped - she could hear no running feet - because they'd found something.

Someone. Evelyn's mouth went dry and before she had time to check her actions, she was turning and running back the way she'd come.

No, what am I doing? I got a clean escape! This is it, go home, Evelyn, some rational part of her mind chanted helplessly. She was covering ground fast, closing the distance between her and her foe. And their prey.

Human, male by his levels of testosterone, her olfactory senses reported. She winced. Oh no, no, no.

What was she going to do, take on three Vampires by herself? Sure, as a Pureblood, she was strong, but she doubted taking away a Vampire's meal would be easy.

But then the decision was made for her. She heard the sound of feet marching from a new direction and instantly hurled herself behind the nearest tree, hunching down as she watched a pair of Hunters trot by. They might not find the injured human in time, but they'd certainly distract the Vampires enough.

She snuck out of her hiding spot and continued crossing the park, careful to rustle the occasional bush so the Hunters would follow. And they did, cautiously, guns raised.

When she finally found the Vampires, the stench was overwhelming. Blood everywhere, like the helpless victim had run around before collapsing into defeat. She admired him for that. Humans were stubborn little things. Even now he was twitching in a pool of his own blood, holding his coat to his neck and fighting to stay alive.

The vampires were gone. She could hear the crashing feet of the hunters somewhere nearby, despite their attempts at discretion. She moved slowly toward the man on the ground, her heels clicking together as they swung from one hand.

Evelyn dropped them beside him and knelt down cautiously, pinching her nose closed in a futile attempt to deaden the very inviting smell he gave off. She would not lower herself to taking advantage of this poor, dying creature. Up close, she could see the worst damage had been to his neck, but the jugular had not been completely severed. Maybe he'd live...but as she reached out a gentle hand to touch his trembling shoulder, she knew, with an awful sinking sensation in her chest, that this was not an injury a human could bear.

Already, she could see there was too much blood on the pavement beneath him. He didn't have much left. The man's face was pale, his eyes scrunched closed in torment, and he kept letting out the occasional wince and whimper of pain, but otherwise, it was going to be a silent death.

And it would be on her head. Evelyn pulled her hand back, feeling bile rise up in her throat. She'd led those leeches right to this innocent civilian. It was only thanks to a chance hunter patrol that the man had survived, but she wondered how permanent that was.

He opened his eyes and she jerked back, alarmed. His gaze was unsteady, clouded, but he fixed it on her as best he could. He was no longer cringing and she saw, with horror, that he really wasn't very old at all. Maybe mid-twenties, early thirties? She could never tell the nuances between the two ranges.

Maybe he'd just graduated college, or maybe he had a family at home. A wave of sickness overtook her, an upheaval of disgust, distress, and rage. It was a single human life, but this man had not been meant to die tonight.

And he wouldn't. The sickness subsided as an idea gripped her. She'd done this less than a dozen times in all her life. Every conversion had been voluntary. Except the one that failed.

She hoped she wouldn't fail again. But it wasn't like he had anything to lose at this point. He needed blood and she had plenty of it.

He was still looking up at her, with no question in his eyes. He was a good-looking human, even with half his body bathed in his own blood. She reached down and held his jacket against his neck with one hand, leaning over him slowly.

He was so beyond pain now, he didn't even react as she tipped her head down over his forearm. Her jaws itched as her human canines doubled, forming the four peaks at the front of her mouth. She stopped the change there and opened her now powerful jaws, closing them gently around the man's arm. He flinched and a tremor went through him, but she adjusted her gip on his jacket to staunch the blood and continued biting down until she felt she'd left a firm mark.

She released quickly, pulling back without more than a tint of red on her long white teeth. She licked the blood off and lifted her free arm, nipping herself on the wrist gently before she restored her teeth to human again.

A quick scan of the area revealed no traces of the Vampires for a good hundred yards. She could still smell a hunter somewhere, an unfamiliar scent but she didn't fret. She'd manage one if she had to.

She held her bleeding wrist over the man's mouth. In his state, he was far from protesting anything, but she pinched his nose shut momentarily so he would have to swallow the drops she gave him. Holding her wrist in place, she sat back and returned to holding the jacket firmly to his neck as he choked and gulped feebly. His body convulsed again as if rejecting what she was feeding him.

Before long, she began to feel her strained shoulders slumping as weariness overtook her. She was losing a lot of blood. Was it enough though? She wasn't sure. She closed her eyes, keeping herself alert to the scent of the lone Hunter nearby.

Evelyn knelt on aching knees at the man's side, her extended arm aching, her blue silk dress and beige coat unblemished amid the blood, and she waited.

[Vaughn Logan]

The night was dark, lonely, and cruel. One could easily slip away from humans, and seem as if they have completely disappeared. But Lycans and Vampires were a different story altogether. With their keen smell and instinct..They can hear your heart beating, *thump* *thump* *thump*. The quickened pace of the beating heart only excites the predator, alerting them that they are steps closer to catching their prey.

Vaughn liked to think he could move like they do, think like they do, and smell like they do. But being a human, he knew he couldn't. His father did train him to have an acute smell, but it didn't match up to the nose of a Lycan.

The large park in the center of town was a hunting hot spot. His new order disallowed new recruits to be anywhere near the park due to its extremity. Vaughn himself did't even like going to the park on his own. It was far too dangerous. The Lycans were not typically the issue. Like a bat in the night, the Vampires ran the show. Vampires are quick, deadly hunters that do not easily let prey escape--But typically when they set their eyes on a target, they follow it in hot pursuit.

Ominous clouds covered the sky, leaving barely any moonlight through onto the ground. The only real light Vaughn had to see in front of him was from the nearby lampposts, but even then the lights were not powerful enough to expand over a great length. With his head high and his crossbow in arms Vaughn marched across the sidewalks. It was late, and Vaughn was working off of only a few hours of sleep and a large mug of coffee.

He held a fist into the air, and the hunters behind him stopped in their tracks. Shaking his fingers to the left, a small number of hunters led by Lt. Danticus fled in the given direction into the brush of the park. Vaugh did the same to the right, and another patrol led by Hobbs made their way into the forest.

Vaughn, with some experienced and well-armed hunters, snuck in the middle into a dimly lit pathway. Vaughn led the team that was meant to be bait for any Vampires. Vaughn acknowledged that Vampires would undoubtedly be able to smell the others, but since he was their commander, he hoped they would try to eliminate him first if at all possible.

He had worked with Hobbs and the Lt. about anything that could go wrong. They were well equipped and ready for whatever happens. But if Hunting were easy, there wouldn't be as many dead. Vaughn knew something could potentially go wrong, in fact he was planning on it.

An NYPD police car turned and pointed it's headlights in the Hunters general direction. They hid in the brush and waited for it to pass. Vaughn spoke into his communications link quietly, "If anyone spots anything don't be shy to yell it out."

Vaughn turned down the path and the lampposts turned off. Branching broke in the near-distance. "Team 1, Team 2, is that you making the noise?"

He waited and got a negative from both teams. "Everyone be on your guard." Vaughn turned on a UV light built onto his crossbow and looked around. Little did he know that in the trees were vampires, stalking and waiting. As Vaughn walked a leaf fell in front of him. Raising his gun up, a Vampire jumped down and landed on a Hunter behind him. Vaughn turned kicked the Vampire off. He fell to the ground and the Hunters unloaded on him. In mere seconds the Vampire was dead.

Vaughns communications link rang like crazy "We're under attack over here Commander!" yelled Danticus. He could hear them in the distance.

"If you aren't too busy picking flowers chief I could use some assistance!" Rang Hobbs from the other line.

Vaughn turned to the four hunters behind him. "Two of you go aid the Lts. squad, you other two go assist Hobbs. Stay with them I'll be fine." Vaughn reached into his pocket and pulled out a few flares and handed them out, "If you need help you be sure to ignite these, others from the Compound or in the area should come to assist."

They ran off and Vaughn quickly paced down the walkway. He could hear laughing from what sounded like females. Vampires no doubt were toying with him. Some Vampires considered hunting to be some kind of sadistic game.

"Well, well If it isn't Vaughn Logan". Laughter echoed around him, and another female voice spoke up. "He's a handsome one, too bad he has to die." More laughter ensued as Vaughn walked down the pathway. He had thought after a while of silence they had perhaps moved on, but the rustling of the trees told him otherwise. Like jaguars after a meal they stalked him, waiting for an opportune moment. Vaughn quickly turned and looked around him with his crossbow pointed, trying not to give them any chance to get the better of him. Thanks to Hobbs' enhancements, he was now able to hold the Crossbow with one hand proficiently. He stopped, reaching up to his crossbow and taking out a bolt, holding it in his hand. He kept the crossbow aimed ahead of him, and the bolt tightly in his other hands grip.

He turned to see one of the females jumping towards him. With a quick move of his wrist he jabbed the bolt right into the Vampires heart, stopping her in her tracks. She let out a loud yell, and Vaughn heard the other screaming in pain of seeing her "sister" Vampire killed.

She tried to run away from Vaughn, but Vaughn ran after. After a while of mindless running he stopped, not knowing where the other hand gone. Had her lost her trail? No, he couldn't have. She had stopped to, but where? Vaughn heard a loud gunshot echo through the trees and the other female Vamp landed on the ground in front of Vaughn, limp as a log.

"You're welcome Chief," Hobbs said as she clicked off her link.

"Sometimes that woman," Vaughn said under his breath. He heard gasping in the distance and walked towards the source. He came upon a small opening where a woman was kneeling next to a man covered in blood.

The woman stopped whatever it was she was doing and simply looked at the man. Vaughn cautiously walked closer, resting his crossbow on his shoulder. The woman wore a blue silk dress, and a beige coat. She was fair-skinned, and very beautiful. Vaughn walked over to her slowly, but stopped. He was hesitant on whoever these people were. Was she a Vampire who had murdered an innocent? No, if she were she would not still be here. Because she pitied the man. Perhaps she was different from the rest. Or perhaps it was something different entirely.

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Words: 1165

[Evelyn van Buren]

She had waited till the nearness of the hunter's footsteps indicated he was within visual distance of them. Only then did Evelyn pull back from the man on the ground, withdrawing her bleeding arm and cradling it in her lap, waiting for it to begin the healing process.

She looked up, glancing nonchalantly over her shoulder at the hunter as he emerged into her line of sight. There was no panic in her heart at that moment. Normally, she would have been a little quicker to leap to her feet, a little quicker to plan an escape. But the blood loss had deadened her reaction time. She blinked, a little woozy as her eyes locked onto the face of her new foe.

Her gaze trekked over his features, and she knew she'd seen his face before. In the dark, he might have been hard to make out, but weakened or not, Evelyn had the lupine gaze to identify his distinguishing facial characteristics easily.

The name hit her in seconds and automatically, her body stiffened. Her eyes bore no recognition in them but inside, she felt suddenly, inexplicably chilly just at the sight of him. She'd known she was facing a Hunter. She'd had no idea she would be facing this particular one.

Vaughn Logan, she mused, feeling her previously relaxed heartbeat kick into a pace astounding even for a wolf. Oh, this'll make a fun tale for Vik next time I see him. Guess what, Vik, I ran into your new best friend tonight. And I made it.

It wasn't that she was scared of Logan. He was a human, after all. But he was an armed human and hadn't been ranked Commander because he was great at knitting tea cosies. No, he was more than capable of handling a Lycan or Vampire by himself.

But Evelyn had not gotten to be Beta by playing the ingénue. She'd been in more brutal fights over her lifetime than the average human had heard of. Despite the crossbow casually braced against one of his broad shoulders, she pushed herself to rise, leaning heavily on her strong arm for balance as her legs trembled.

She rose, slowly, turning to face him so they were at a psychologically equal standing. She didn't appreciate being looked down at. She was aware he was watching her warily and that he was more than likely concluding she was a Vampire caught at the scene of the crime.

But he wasn't going to keep thinking like that. Evelyn's face was, despite her liking, often caught by cameras at any media event EAI participated in - she was the Media Director, after all. Who else would stand there spinning glamorous lies for millions of national viewers? And she was good at her job. Good enough that he'd remember her face. If she knew anything about Hunters, it was that they usually did their homework. She knew this particular man had met with Viktor - but Evelyn had never faced him before. Let him presume she was some unranked Lycan nobody. The less he knew, the less likely he would be to cause trouble here.

She couldn't tell what he was thinking as she watched him quietly through the blanket of night that separated them. A lamp behind him cast his frame into shadow, making him appear almost foreboding with the bow at one shoulder. Evelyn lifted her chin, refusing to let his crossbow alarm her. She kept her expression carefully relaxed and stopped her hands from balling into fists like they sometimes did when she was anxious.

He had yet to shoot. It was this momentary chance she seized. As long as she kept him uncertain about her motives, there was a chance he'd let her go.

She couldn't fake ignorance here. He'd know better than to believe anything that came out of her mouth. To him, she was a suspect. That was how hunters usually functioned - guilty till proven innocent. If it started leaning toward guilty, kill it and ask questions later. She was not in a preferable situation right now. She had no delusions he would hesitate to shoot if he felt threatened.

She had to divert his attention to what really mattered. She tilted her head slightly toward the figure lying at her feet. “This man," she said softly, injecting a sincere note of urgency in her voice. She gestured with her undamaged arm toward the vampires' victim, carefully folding her injured wrist into the pocket of her coat out of Logan's sight. "This - this guy, there were two or three of them and I heard him screaming. He's dying. They've nearly ripped his throat out." Her dark eyes bore into Logan's, losing their impassivity to become steely. "You need to get him out of here before more turn up. Take it from me." She couldn't help the smallest flicker of a smile from touching a corner of her red-tinted lips, almost like a self-pitying smirk. "He's still pretty tempting."

In truth, the man beside her now reeked, exuding the scents of both his and her own blood into the air. Every Vampire in the vicinity was going to smell Lycan heavily tonight. She envied humans at moments like these - they didn't have that carnal nature inside them, the instinct to brutally kill, kill, kill all because of a centuries-old hate. The instinct to keep hunting and hunting. She was having difficulty keeping herself from falling onto the unconscious man and finishing him off. Logan had no such qualms for any race.

Another wave of dizziness passed over her and she took a hasty step back to cover the way she'd swayed. Her eyes remained fixed on his, waiting for the signal telling her she could leave. At the same time though, she suspected he might not be so willing to overlook her presence.

If that were the case, well, she had less elegant ways of getting what she wanted.

[Vaughn Logan]

The woman stood. Her elegant dress swayed as he body came upright into a full stance. Vaughn looked at her, and his eyes widened. It was her. He had remembered seeing her on television being the spokeswoman for EAI interviews and press conferences. Her face was plastered on almost anything EAI had to offer. It was her face that the old Commander had left behind for him to find. There was something about her, perhaps something that he knew that he wanted his replacement to find out. But what could it be? She looked harmless enough--Despite being a Lycan, and a high ranking one at that.

He realized that maybe she had in fact not hurt this man, and was looking after him. Vaughn had caught her trying to help the man, not kill him. He had to admit though, he found it a bit hard to concentrate on the matter when she looked at him. Her eyes were piercing, but soft. She had yet to say anything, but it was as if she had said everything she needed to just by the way she held herself. She was both beautiful and intimidating to him. Intimidation is not something Vaughn had grown accustomed to, and it wasn't a change he accepted lightly.

Vaughn looked at the man on the ground. Sharp blades of green grass lay under him, coated in his blood. His neck had been gnawed on, and his muscles visible. His muscles would tense upon every breath he made. He was near inches from death and Vaughn took pity on him. A part of him wanted to aim his crossbow at the man's head and finish him off. At least then he would not have to suffer any longer.

The woman in front of him spoke, and Vaughn instantly looked up at her. She told him what happened and that he needed help. As he suspected the Vampires had attacked this man and she wished to help him. His Hunters no doubt distracted the Vampires for this woman to have a chance to look after him.

He walked over to her steadily. His boots crushed the grass under his feet as she got closer to her. She stared at him, hesitant but kept a clear gaze on him. He did the same to her, and watched her. Vaughn got close enough that he got feel her breath hitting his face. He then grabbed onto her arm firmly before he spoke. "This man is critically injured. What makes you think he's going to survive? He has the Vampire venom in him, and by the look of your arm," he said, holding it up slightly to see the blood dripping down it, "He has Lycan blood in him too. If the wounds weren't bad enough his body is now fighting off both Lycan and Vampire forms. How can you be so sure he will make it?" He spoke softly, calmly, and directly. He wanted to make her feel like he was in control.

Vaughn stared into her eyes and waited for a response. A cold breeze brushed between the two of them, but she didn't seem effected by it. He let go of her arm when he realized he was still holding it and returned it to his side. "I know what you are, and who you are, but I don't know your name. I can tell you already know me though," He said with a bit of enthusiasm.

Blood coughed up from the wounded man's mouth and Vaughn looked over at him. He kneeled and placed his crossbow on the ground, applying pressure to his neck with the bloodied cloth the Lycan had used.

With his free hand he reached up to his ear and activated his communications link. "Lieutenant, we have a civilian casualty down. He is fatally injured, I'm going to need a vehicle here to take him back to the Compound immediately. The man is on my location, I repeat, the man is located on my location."

Vaughn heard the lieutenant give him a quick acknowledgment that he had heard. Under his hand Vaughn could feel the warm sensation of blood pouring from the man's wound. He didn't think he was going to make it, he thought it was hopeless. But the Lycan woman thought otherwise, and perhaps she had reason to. He turned to see if she was still there, and she was gone.

Looking around him he saw her running in a different direction. He stood as Hunters rushed to his side. "Take care of him!" Vaughn said as he ran after the woman. As he ran he realized he had left behind his crossbow, but it was too late to go back. The woman was fast, but Vaughn kept a gaze on her and watched her. From the sounds of her footsteps and the breaking of twigs and foliage Vaughn was able to track her through the dense Park.

He knew she could probably sense him following her. In fact he was counting on it. Perhaps then she would stop. Or, if she were stubborn she would lead him on a wild hunt after her. Vaughn had questions that needed answering.

Suddenly, it all stopped. Vaughn came to a halt and looked around. The woman had vanished. Vaughn felt a cold chill down his neck and turned, as he did he jumped slightly as his eyes were met by a blonde female hanging upside down from a tree. She opened her mouth, revealing large fangs.

Damn!, he thought. His crossbow would have proven useful in a situation like this. Vaughn backed up, and the Vampire dropped to the ground, eyeing him. "Well if it isn't the infamous Vaughn Logan," she said as she stepped closer. "So handsome in person. It's because of you the others are killed," She said with a bit of a moan behind her words.

"You hurt innocent people. For that you deserve to be hunted."

A smile crept onto her face as she let out a laugh and lunged at him. Vaughn jumped to the side and pulled out a sharp, wooden stake. He swung at her, but the woman was fast. She hit him with her palm into the chest and he flew backwards into a tree.

His eyes blurred for a moment, and when adjusted revealed he had face planted onto the cold ground. He looked up and saw her standing over his stake. She looked down at it and then back to him. Vaughn felt a surging pain in his back and gritted his teeth to hide the pain.

The Vampire let out a maniacal laugh and walked towards him slowly. Vaughn, trying to raise himself from the ground looked at her grimly.

Revealing her fangs she said, "So Vaughn Logan...are you ready to die?"

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[Evelyn van Buren]

She had not expected him to touch her. No hunter was usually that foolish - at least once they realized who - what - she was.

Evelyn wore her race like a shield. It was her vicious defense against situations she couldn't handle, and it served as an unavoidable barrier between her and her human associates. Logan was no associate, but she had never quite imagined him to be so bold. And reckless.

He had to have known, or at least considered, the possibility that she would react to him invading her personal space, yet he had chosen to do so anyway. In fact, it was the very element of unpredictability that saved him from losing his hand in this situation.

She froze up. Like a stone effigy of herself, she stood immobile, hardly breathing in disbelief as the hunter nonchalantly lifted up her arm to expose the slashed wrist. To her, his grip felt cold, but then, her body temperature was at least about ten degrees higher than his.

She'd underestimated human sight and intuition. She hadn't expected him to be able to see what she'd done to herself. He had and seemed to have resigned himself to the fact that there was nothing he could do about it. The human on the ground was a goner, according to Vaughn Logan.

She didn't smile, didn't say anything to acknowledge his words - he was plainly trying to intimidate her. It wasn't working, but rather than let him know in smug victory, she kept her eyes blank and unyieldingly on his own. If her face was a book, it would be a fresh, blank page for all that she gave away.

A breeze interrupted Logan's attempt at domineering the one-sided conversation. Evelyn felt tendrils of her hair brush against her cheeks as he pulled back from her. Relief shot through her, and with it, the disbelief melted, to be replaced by a sudden, violent urge to lash out at him.

Almost instinctively, as if aware of the danger he might be in, he chose to turn his attention to the injured human instead. Evelyn watched him, listening out for the sounds of approaching hunters even as she seethed inside. The tips of her long, pale fingers curled slightly to form the shadow of angry fists, heralding her short temper had been teased awake.

She had to go. She had to before she did something she'd regret...at least a little. In the seconds after Logan's eyes shifted from watching her to completely focus on the man, Evelyn bolted.

She expected him to follow and expected that, ever the gallant knight, he would wait for his backup to arrive before he left the human's side. She was counting on those precious seconds before he moved to allow a clean, untraceable escape...it really wouldn't help for him to know where she lived after all.

She was about thirty yards away, listening to Logan's feet crashing through brush behind her when she realized she'd left her heels behind. Evelyn swore softly, ducking under the embrace of a gnarled oak and hunkering down to wait for her pursuer to pass.

Reckless as it was, she considered going back. Hunters would be swarming the assault site. Her shoes would be taken in as crime scene evidence. Would they cause her any real grief? She wasn't sure. The most they would reveal of her would be her scent...and then, only a Lycan would know whose scent it was. Of course, if the police felt like launching an investigation into this, she was, metaphorically speaking, dead.

She hunkered down into the roots of the tree, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms about her bare legs just as Logan ran by. She listened again, tilting her head back to test the air gently every now and then for clues.

She didn't hear the Vampire, but she smelled her. The leech was death on silent feet, stalking Logan for a good few yards before he seemed to catch on. Evelyn bit the inside of her cheek and rose almost unconsciously, following the pair from the secrecy of the trees.

She tracked the sounds of a scuffle. It was not a pleasant scene. The Commander was slumped on the ground as the Vampire neared him with a sneer on her dark lips. Evelyn halted downwind from the Vampire. Not that it would've mattered. The bitch was so intent upon securing her prize that she'd grown oblivious.

He was a worthy prize. The thought dawned after a moment as she watched. By wearing the rank of Commander, he automatically also wore the bright red bull's-eye that came with the job. Any rogue Vampire not under control of the Elder was going to be gunning for him if given a shot. He was an obstacle in the way of their dinner, he had to go.

And that was why he also had to live.

But, she realized with some dismay, he was unarmed. Trust a leech to tackle a man when he's down, she thought irritably, as the Vampire swung at Logan and knocked him backward.

Don't interfere, an authoritative voice chimed inside her head. This isn't your fight. You can't attack a Vampire unless provoked - remember the treaty?

Evelyn hesitated, torn between her obligation to the Lycan community and her rising fury at the scene unfolding before her.

Logan had lost his stake, which in itself was about as useful as chasing a fly with a chopstick. Sure it hurt if you managed to stick them but it'd take a miracle for Logan to take on a Vampire with that little stick. Stakes were useful only when the opponent was downed, Evelyn's tactical mind observed. It was funny how she could feel so infuriatingly helpless and yet assume the air of a disinterested spectator.

Logan was, according to Vik, all in favour of cooperating with the Lycans and they couldn't afford to lose him to some surly, disagreeable crook, which had usually been the flavour of Commander the humans seemed to prefer. Despite Evelyn's own stance on the war, she understood Logan and his people had no part in it. Her fight was with the Vampires. He had to live to do his part in stabilizing this already chaotic mess.

He has to live, she repeated silently. And with that, just as the Vampire leaned down toward Logan, murder blazing in her eyes, Evelyn lifted her hand and dashed her healing wrist against the trunk of the nearest tree.

Instantly, the wound burst open, leaving a blazing trail of red across the bark that, to her eyes, glowed practically neon.

Evelyn glanced up at her target, a slow smile playing around her lips. "Come at me, bitch," she murmured, rubbing the cut with a gentle finger. It stung as blood welled up but she had no time to dwell on it. The Vampire had fallen for the bait.

Her blond head shot up, away from Logan, beady eyes widening as the taste of potential dinner loitered on her tongue. She snarled in response, her head whipping around to where the scent emanated, and Evelyn moved quickly from her hiding spot, circling the clearing with inhuman speed and dabbing drops of blood on every other tree as she went. It wasn't human blood, but to a bloodthirsty Vampire, it still smelled like potential. Like a weakened, bleeding Lycan. Like the next meal.

Evelyn could practically see the thoughts in the Vampire's mind. Logan couldn't run fast enough to get away from a Vampire. A Lycan losing blood was vulnerable to attack. It was almost like getting two birds with one stone - except the Vampire had had all the hard work done for her.

The blond snarled again, a victorious cry as she dove forward - and paused as Evelyn changed positions. The blond backed up, changed directions and lurched out again. Rinse and repeat, she continued aiming for the spots Evelyn had been at seconds before.

But always, she carefully circled around her former prey, never leaving Evelyn an opening.

Evelyn didn't delude herself. In a one on one fight in her human form, she would lose miserably. She didn't dare try to change, not with the Vampire giving her most of its attention. She was vulnerable mid-change. She had no wish to die a half-morphed mass of fur, claws, toenails and tail.

And so she drew a deep breath and launched herself out of her hiding spot, giving the Vampire a split-second warning before Evelyn rammed into her stomach.

The blond wheezed and staggered back, balancing on pointed feet as she pulled back her lips into a drawn-out moan of anger. Two-inch long canines winked at Evelyn as the Vampire recovered and lashed back.

Evelyn met her head-on; apprehensive as she was about the outcome of this skirmish, she was not about to let this filthy street leech get off easy. And now that she'd chosen to challenge, she had her own dignity to uphold. She let her fingernails extend into the deadly, four-inch long claws of her Lycan beast. Not calm, graceful wolf - she needed a true monster here.

The Vampire swung, a whirlwind of cat-like swipes. Evelyn dodged, often barely in time, feeling the ghostly sweep of the Vampire's fingers brushing against her face with each nearly lucky hit.

The Vamp circled and launched a second wave. Evelyn fended it off as best she could, managing to rake the leech a few times, but she could feel herself tiring quickly. Her human heart wasn't accustomed to the speed she was pushing herself at, half-human, half-beast at this point. She'd let the changes continue enough to allow her body to twist with the flexibility she needed to stay in one piece - literally.

The Vampire was spinning around her like an angry food processor, ripping fabric, tearing skin at every turn. Evelyn had no clue where Logan was at this point - she didn't care. She was too focused on trying not to get skewered by a wronged vampire.

She didn't have time to get angry at herself for playing savior - for a Hunter - or at Logan for falling into stupid situations like this. Already her dodges were a little slow and her returning slashes a little heavy. Her body couldn't match the Vampire's pace. She missed more often than she hit. Her head was a dizzying cacophony of swirling blond hair and filtered shadows through trees. She felt like she was at the center of a tornado, fighting a gale so overwhelming, all other sound and sight was a motion blur. In that moment, she was little better than a human.

Her injured arm was her downfall. A clumsy strike left her open for a painful uppercut across her jaw. Winded, Evelyn stumbled back, breaking the Vampire's continual circling as her back met a tree. She leaned against it, inhaling slowly as her heart pounded away against her ribs, her dark eyes glowing with the heat of a fire that wasn't quite dead yet.

The Vampire sneered across the clearing, moving closer. Unlike Evelyn, the blond looked like she'd just gone on a refreshing jog. She stopped, her face about a foot from Evelyn's flushed cheeks and windswept hair. Evelyn stopped breathing, disgusted by the leech's scent.

The Vampire's blue eyes took her in, and a decision appeared in her expression even as she mocked, "Aw, whassamatter, little doggy, don't you wanna play anymore?"

Evelyn's gaze flickered up over her opponent's shoulder, seeking ideas for a quick escape. She could read her drawn-out end in the Vampire's gaze. Not today. She was not dying today.

Certainly not for a damn Hunter she didn't know.

She took a few more breaths, sucking in enough air to speak, and managed to retort, "I'll play if he does."

The Vampire whirled around, only just remembering her first target had yet to succumb. And next instant, Evelyn saw the sharp end of the stake jutting through her lower back. The Vampire's maneuver had saved her.

Not for long. Evelyn lifted her extracted claws, digging them into the soft flesh at the back of the Vampire's neck. The gripping bone extended, tearing through the blond's throat and reaching air out the other side, spilling flesh and blood and strands of gleaming viscera. Evelyn clenched her fist and jerked it sideways, nearly tearing the blond's head off her shoulders. It swung forward, severed from her spine, hanging by a few flaps of skin and Evelyn completed hte job by crushing the few intact veins in her fist.

Evelyn ripped her hand free, jerking back as the blond gave a strangled moan as she collapsed. Her shaking hands fingered the stake sticking out of her chest for a moment before her body tipped sideways and she gave a final shudder, falling still.

In the proceeding stillness, Evelyn allowed her bloodied fingers and muscled waist to meld back into their slim, feminine frame. The monster submerged, leaving behind the starkly contrasting image of an unimposing, long-limbed human female with unruly curls, bloodstains down the front of her dress and blisters on her bare feet.

She lifted her head from where she'd sunk down to sit beside the blond's prone form. Her wary eyes met the Hunter's across the red-and grey-flecked patch of grass between them, and at odds with the grisly situation, she noticed his handsome features for the first time. A lot of human women would have turned up at his funeral, she thought darkly. Evelyn realized she'd stopped breathing, uncertain for one of the few times in her life.

The situation had flipped. She was the one on the ground and he stood capable. She had no energy left to fight him off if he chose to retrieve his stake and use it on her. Yet she refused to allow her eyes to plead and pander to his gallant side. It was one of the few perks of her stubborn pride. She was the Beta of every Lycan in this city and the only person she lowered her head for was her Alpha. And she ensured Logan could see that lethal pride written in every line on her composed face as she looked up at him.

"Well?" she asked, sounding almost pleasantly curious as she reached up to sweep an unruly lock of dark brown hair off her cheek. If it weren't for her clenched fists and the "bite me" look in her eyes, it would have looked like a polite introduction to a chat between friends. The tension clotting the air between their eyes shattered that illusion. There was no friendship here, only an uneasy impasse. And the ball was in his court.

Word count: A lot.

[Vaughn Logan]

Get up Vaughn, get up! The words rang in his ears as the sharp pain of being thrown into a large tree ran up and down his spine. He figured he'd bruised it somehow. Get up boy, get up! The voice turned into his fathers, and even sounded like it in his head. The raspy, deep voice didn't stop either. It was a memory of all the heartache and pressure his dad put on him when he pushed him to the limits. Vaughn looked up, his vision a little blurry. How hard did he hit the damned tree? For a moment he even thought he saw his father in front of him offering a hand. But it was only his imagination. Be the Wolverine, he remembered his father telling him. What the hell does that mean? His father was bent on making Vaughn a wolverine. A creature of sorts that is a force to be reckoned with. They do not look like much--In fact they look nothing more than a mere otter. But behind that soft exterior is a viscous interior ready to kill. That was the idea Vaughn's father instilled in him. To become the wolverine. A Hunter, a predator, and a killer.

Shakily he managed to get his knees under his body, and slowly raise. While holding onto the tree, he managed to stand--barely. Bones cracked, and Vaughn could feel the pain rushing through him. You can do this, you aren't dying here. He thought to himself. He stumbled forward, trying to maintain balance. It was a struggle on it's own, but he managed to straighten himself out. His back still hurt like a bitch, and he knew he needed to get it looked at. But for now it would have to do. There's no place to rest, not yet.

With a hand he touched the communications link, it beeped upon activation. "Hobbs, once the injured man is extracted you get the teams out of here and head back to HQ. I'll get there when I can..--", he let out a groan and continued talking. "I'm injured, but I can make it back. Get everyone out. Logan out." He released his hand and let out a long drawn-out sigh, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them and looking up into the sky. Vaughn was no astrologist, but he did enjoy looking up into the starry night, hoping to see a constellation he would be able to recognize. Anything really, from the little dipper to Ursa Minor. He even remembered learning faintly about a constellation dedicated to Hercules...--But that was a long time ago back in high school.

With a groan and forced motivation he walked forward. He came around a corner of trees and spotted the woman fighting the vampire that almost killed him. The woman was trying to help him, he knew that much. But she looked like she could use some help. Vaughn looked to the ground, and grabbed his long retractable wooden stake by placing it on top of his foot and kicking it up into the air in front of him.

Using the strength that remained, he crept up onto the Vampire, watching the two fight.He could feel the crackling of his bones and the stress his muscles were put through to keep himself quiet. He wore him out, very quickly. With a minor leap he lunged behind the Vampire and shoved the stake through her back into her heart, penetrating the other side of her body. "Say goodnight, bub" he said. It wasn't one of his better lines, but considering the pain he was in and the circumstances he didn't care.

He twisted the stake, forcing it to cut through any entrails or ventricles that may have gotten it stuck. The blonde haired woman let out a dying gasp and shriek. Vaughn watched at the woman ripped out her throat and decimated the Vampire. She knew how to kill, and effectively at that. Vaughn pulled out the stake and held it into his hand, watching the vampire fall over limp, her body twitching before finally accepted death.

The attractive woman fell onto the grassy floor, tired no doubt. Vaughn extended a hand towards her and shared glances with her for a moment. She was an incredible fighter, and he hoped they would not have to come to blows, especially considering the amount of pain and exhaustion they both faced (or so he assumed).

"Thank you for uh..." Vaughn scratched the back of his head, scrunching up his face for a moment before finishing his sentence. "..Well, you know. Saving me and all." The reminder of his aching back came as a shock wave of pain shot through his body. With a hand he rested it on his back and tried to straighten himself up some more. "Damn, that bitch had a good arm." He said, letting out a deep breath and trying to adjust himself in the darkness.

"Look, I know it's not much. But I can give you a lift to the Lycan Complex, if you want it." Vaughn looked around, trying to figure out where he was and where his motorcycle was most likely parked. He soon remembered that he had parked it a little ways away from the outside of the park in order to keep the suspicion low and to have an easier time sneaking up on the Vampires.

Great, he thought. Lots of walking, just what he needed.

He looked towards her, surprised that she already looked like she had begun to heal whatever had caused her to feel obligated to sit on the ground floor. "I know you're a Lycan...But I don't know your name." Vaughn watched her closely, waiting to see if she would try to pull a fast one on him and to see if she could be trusting. Thus far she didn't disappoint him or make him believe otherwise. But it didn't hurt to be on your guard, especially with this kind of company.

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Words: 1009

[Evelyn van Buren]

Evelyn had done nothing more than blink when the hunter began to talk. It was somewhat amusing watching him. Clearly uncomfortable with expressing gratitude, he managed it with some difficulty as he tried to hide whatever injuries he'd sustained.

He offered to drop her to where he assumed she must live. Evelyn bit her lower lip, not wanting to correct him. She didn't spend much time down in the complex lately. He didn't need to know that, though. There was a reason the rent contract on her apartment was under a different name. As far as the hunters knew, the higher ranking Lycans lived below ground...where it was safe.

She liked it that way. When she was home, she needed to feel a sense of security and privacy that only came from knowing that, if they needed to find her, the hunters wouldn't know exactly where to look.

So she was getting a little paranoid. She didn't know how to be any other way. All she'd known of hunters and Vampires was that they were generally untrustworthy and would take advantage of you whenever your back was turned. It was everyone out for themselves, so she didn't blame them. She'd do the same.

But she needed this one time to be different. Because as she sat there, trying to figure out how best to get Logan off her trail, she realized with disturbing disquiet that she needed him. Until she was out of the mess she'd made for trying to be a Good Samaritan, she needed his help and she could only hope he was as much of a White Knight as she suspected him to be.

She couldn't afford to be linked with a grisly assault in the park. Couldn't afford to be dragged into interrogation by a band of passionate hunters looking for a reason to lop her head off. She couldn't run that risk. It would end everything she'd worked for over the last decade. Her media face, for one thing - nobody was going to vouch for EAI with her suspect shadow looming over the company. And if she was somehow proven guilty, her life as well.

Humans took the life of one of their own very seriously.

She had yet to answer him. Evelyn released her lip and looked away from Logan, casting her ears out to get a feel for what was going on around them. The rest of the hunters seemed to be fading to her hearing. Maybe they were leaving? She could smell a Vampire but he was extremely far south.

Her eyes snapped back to meet Logan's for a brief instant and she hesitated again before answering his query about her name. It wasn't something she found worth hiding from him - if he switched on his TV or grabbed a paper off a news stand, he'd know who she was.

"Evelyn," she replied slowly. Then she smiled at him, simply because it seemed to unnerve people when they weren't expecting it. And she needed to keep him on edge for her own comfort.

Evelyn reached up her clean hand to meet the one he'd extended toward her (he was as gentlemanly as she'd expected), but instead of using his as a support, she merely intertwined her fingers with his and shook his hand before slipping hers free. "Evelyn van Buren. This is hardly the way I expected to meet you, Vaughn Logan. I don't usually look this..."

She trailed off momentarily, not entirely sure what to call her appearance. Bedraggled? Thrown in a washing machine with a pair of garden shears? "Ruffled. Just having an exciting night," she finished.

She braced one palm on the ground and attempted to rise, but felt the breath leave her lungs. She sat back and inhaled slowly, careful to keep her exertion off her flushed face. Let's try this again. Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself up and wobbled to her feet, leaning her back into the tree behind her once again. Her eyes dropped to the Vampire's dismembered head, lying askew off her neck and spilling blood and miscellaneous entrails onto the grass. Evelyn was glad they were out of range of the nearest park lights. Even the darkness couldn't hide the foul stench and gleaming viscera.

She lifted her eyes to meet Logan's, a wry smile on her lips. "You'd think if you were going to kill someone, you'd go ahead and kill them - not stand around making witty remarks. Seconds count when you're dealing with one of us."

She heaved in another breath, noting the presence of a needle-sharp pain in her left side. She knew, without looking, that the Vampire must have raked her in the exact spot where she bore the scars of a silver bullet that had very nearly ended her life a month ago. It was her Achilles heel. Evelyn rested her right hand over the spot gently, feeling wetness coat her fingers. If she'd been human, she'd have needed stitches, but as she was not, she simply pinched the wound closed and held her fingers there.

She felt exhausted, the kind of tired that made her want to go home and flop facedown on her fluffy pillows in her bloodied clothes, shoes and all. Oh wait...she didn't have her shoes on anymore.

She looked up at Logan uncertainly. "Thank you for the offer," she said, courteous as ever. "I can manage it. It's not...not very far to walk." EAI was a few subway stops down from here but she hoped he'd conveniently forget that.

"There is a more pressing matter. I...my shoes." She bit her lip again, and her voice grew pained. It wasn't an act; she really was irritated at herself for making such a blunder. "I left them behind...they'll have been taken in as evidence. And they'll lead right to me. I'd rather...I'd rather not be taken as a suspect."

She straightened, digging the fingers of one hand into the tree trunk behind her for support. Her normally cold eyes softened as she looked up at him, hopeful and doubting at the same time. "I've helped you tonight. I ask only one favour before we put this whole thing behind us and pretend it never happened. Don't let them find me, Vaughn Logan."

[Vaughn Logan]

Trees everywhere. The trees made it hard to hear anything going on nearby. Even though Vaughn was trained to have heightened senses, the damn trees made it hard to distinguish any sounds due to the sound waves bouncing around, making it unclear what the sound is or in what direction. At this point it didn't really matter. Vaughn was in too much pain to care about any sound he heard. At this point he distinguished everything as either the wind, or a pesky squirrel. "Damn rodents", he said to himself as he looked back towards the woman before him.

Evelyn, huh? Seemed like such a classy name for a Lycan. Then again this Lycan had to be really old, but looked no more than thirty. A grin appeared on his face when she shook his hand, rather than use it to help herself up. Either she didn't trust him, or she was prideful. Or perhaps she didn't see help when it was right in front of her. "So why run?" he finally said, almost as if blurting it out without thinking. There was no reason for her to run, he gave her no reason. He merely wanted to know what she was doing with the man.

Clouds passed over the moon, allowing for more light to reach the surface. The clouds were ominous, grey, and thick. No doubt due to the smog and other nasty chemicals the city managed to put into the air. From things such as paper mills, factories, or even cars--Cars were probably a very large contributor to it. Although, the facts didn't sway Vaughn one way or another to make him not want to drive anymore. Driving gave him a thrill, a thrill that he doesn't have anymore...Although he wasn't able to admit that Hunting wasn't enough of a thrill.

As dark as the clouds were, not a drop of rain fell onto the ground. Which was good. That would only prove to be an annoyance to him and no doubt his female acquaintance on the ground.

The pain in his back continued to swell, now feeling like a gas pain in his stomach, but in his lower back region. He didn't know what to think, but he did know he would need to have a medical officer at the Compound to look it over. He let out a painful sigh, but tried to hide it with a cough. No need to show weakness, at least not to her. He didn't know her well enough to trust her not to slit his throat or rip off his head. Even though just by looking at her face, and gazing into her eyes, he knew she wouldn't and didn't have it in her. He felt like he had met her before, possibly when he was younger or maybe he had some supernatural conference with her in a dream. Or maybe she was just his idea of a perfect woman; minus the whole...Lycan and killing people attribute about her.

Leaning against a tree and closing his eyes for a moment, Vaughn pressed his communications link which he was surprised was still in tact. "Lt., grab Cinderella's shoes if you haven't already. They should be next to where the injured man is. We can't have the police chasing after an innocent woman. Hold onto them and don't let anyone get a hold of them. Logan out." He let out another sigh, this time much deeper as he straightened his back out against the tree. A loud cracking sound rang and Vaughn let out a bit of a roar. Or at least to him it sounded like a manly roar. But to a Lycan it might have sounded like an outstretched house cat.

Vaughn also noticed the woman in pain. Apparently the Vampire landed a hit on her she didn't notice. Feeling able to move and breath normally again, Vaughn grabbed onto the woman's arm. Instantly he knew she didn't like to be touched. Right now she was like an injured dog; best to be left alone.

"They won't find you. I know you don't like being touched, it's not hard to notice. But frankly, I don't care. We're going to get out of here together. Don't like it? You can eat me later. Let's move." Vaughn led her away from where they spent a majority of time resting and recuperating their bodies.

"So you think I'll ever see you again?" Vaughn said as he trudged through the grass and occasional thick brush. "Because I usually don't kiss on the first date." A laugh escaped his mouth as he tried to lighten up the mood. If she didn't take to it. This would be a long night indeed.

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Words: 790

[Evelyn van Buren]

Why run? he asked.

Why run from him? Evelyn had to fight down a sudden, disbelieving laugh. Why would a Lycan run from a Hunter? Fear? She didn't like that answer. Common sense, that was more like it. Why wouldn't a Lycan run from a Hunter...especially at night?

She wasn't sure if that was why she'd run, however. When Logan had first appeared as she tended to the injured man, she had panicked, assuming he would shoot first, question later. When he hadn't, she had remained tense and grown more and more anxious waiting for him to do what hunters did best, react violently. He disappointed her - he simply sank down to examine the fallen human.

But then she'd realized she had no proof of her innocence...except the word of this hunter. She doubted the rest of his team would see things his way. She would be prosecuted, taken in for questioning, no doubt unkindly. And so when he'd called for back-up, she had reacted like any cornered animal would. She had fled.

Evelyn bit the inside of her cheek, but said nothing, and Logan moved on. He seemed to zone out for a minute and Evelyn debated the odds of her being able to get up and out of his sight before he realized she was gone.

Just as she clenched her jaws and gave herself a push off the tree-trunk, Logan returned his attention to the present. Evelyn flinched and sank back into the tree again as she met his curious gaze. He had the most peculiar look on his face, like he was memorizing her features. Of course he was, she thought dully. In case he had to arrest her later. In any case, he was starting to unnerve her with his absolute lack of fear. She ducked her head and broke away from his stare, frowning at the bloodied grass instead.

When she looked up, it was to see Logan leaning against a tree, unsuccessfully concealing the strain in his torso. He must have been hit harder than she'd thought. The thought disconcerted her, just slightly. If another opponent came along, neither of them was in any shape to tackle it. As she was thinking this, Logan moved.

Evelyn shifted to the left to keep the distance between them, but in a manner that was quickly getting really old, he grabbed hold of her arm and yanked her upright. She repressed the urge to snarl and bite his hand off and then pain lanced through her side as the bullet scar inflamed. She pressed her lips together to curb the fleeting vulnerability from showing on her face.

Seriously. This guy was getting a little too handsy for her liking. Evelyn might not have been human, but she had immersed with them for long enough to know that this was unacceptable behaviour from some stranger she'd just met, however handsome he might have been. She opened her mouth to tell him this, deciding to drop the courtesy bullshit. But he wasn't done talking.

Eat me later? she mouthed, baffled, as he dragged her across the clearing. That thought was the last on her mind. They left behind the Vampire's corpse and waded into the thicker trees. Evelyn wore a frown the entire time and it deepened every time she had to leap over a thick root and land on bare feet amid thorny grass. Her feet probably resembled Swiss cheese with all the bloodied holes she must have earned in this damn park.

What, she wondered, did this hunter think he was doing? Though he'd as good as given his word to keep her out of the others' sights, he had not exactly clarified where they were headed. She wasn't too troubled. Injured or not, she could take him on if she had to.

She'd rather not have to. He might not have realized it, but she was grateful he was serving as a crutch right now. She doubted she'd have made it this far on her own. Her side was throbbing so much that she occasionally paused to double over and breathe slowly to ease the ache. Soon, Evelyn figured, with the aid of her lupine instincts, that they were close to the wall that bordered the park, and beyond it, the street up ahead.

And it was around that time that she realized the Vampire down south was moving up, closing the distance.

"So you think I'll ever see you again?"

Evelyn blinked and jerked her arm free of Logan's, stumbling over to the nearest tree to lean against it as she massaged her side with one hand. The rest of the injuries gifted by the dead Vampire had begun to heal. The injury to her side, thanks to the silver nitrate in the bullet, was taking its sweet time. She pressed the wound closed again and lifted dark eyebrows up at Logan in response to his quip.

He could joke under pressure. Although this was hardly a tense situation, it made him more tolerable. Despite herself, her lips quirked into the slightest rictus of a smile. "That depends. Do you usually manhandle women on the first date, Mr. Logan? Or am I supposed to feel honoured?"

The Vampire was definitely closer now. She felt a slight stab of panic hovering on the edges of her mind. It was an unusual feeling - normally a single Vampire was nothing to fear.

Before Logan could answer, Evelyn peeled herself off the tree and staggered upright, feeling her head spin with the effort. She clenched and released her teeth to regain a handle over the disorientation and stepped toward him. Slipping her arm through his to steady herself, she looked up at him and informed him rather nonchalantly, "We should keep moving. Vampire a couple hundred yards south."

What she didn't say was that she was swiftly hitting rock bottom. Her vision had started to cloud as the silver bullet wound remained stubbornly open. She didn't exactly want to insult a hunter to his face, so she also did not add that the way he was looking right now, he was probably not in any shape to take on a Vampire.

Silently, she tugged him forward, feeling her heartbeat start to slow down; that was always a bad sign. They went past the low wall bordering this section of the park, and back out onto the street she had entered from.

Her apartment was on the other side. Swearing under her breath, Evelyn let go of Logan and slumped down onto the nearest bench. "I hope you've got a gun under that jacket," she remarked, closing her eyes and leaning her head back.

Ideally, they would part ways here, but she doubted she was getting anywhere alone. He seemed to have realized that too. Her home, her safe haven, was the nearest place she could think of where they'd be safe, but it would mean letting him know where that was.

"I, uh..." She paused, peeling her eyes open with effort to shoot him a doubtful glance. She barely knew him, how on earth could she possibly let him know where she lived?

She was starting to realize that he posed no threat to her. Still, the stigma associated with hunters was strong in her mind. He seemed decent - strange for a Hunter - but she was afraid to lower her guard any more than she already had.

"Why didn't you...why didn't you shoot me?" she asked aloud, almost subconciously. An instant later, she wished she had kept her mouth shut. Delving into the psyche of a hunter was hardly appropriate right now. Her cheeks warmed and she forced her battered body to straighten, looking down the street in the direction she knew the Vampire was lurking.

"You know what, never mind. I'll uh..." She trailed off, blanking. What had she wanted to say? She was forgetting the details of the night already. Her head felt like it was filled with cotton balls for all she could compute at this point.

Oh yes. He needed to leave while he could. "You should get out of here. He can probably smell your blood. Damn leech." This last was in a vehement whisper. She forced her heavy head up to look up at Logan and realized exactly why the Vampire was headed over.

She indicated a spot at the corner of her own lips with a slim finger and then spots on her cheeks and temples. "You're bleeding. All over. A walking invitation to dinner."

In case he was wondering about her own hunger, she added, "You're lucky you're so terribly unappealing. Usually about now I'm looking for a quick way to heal."

[Vaughn Logan]

"I'd be honored" Vaughn said as he let out a groan of pain, walking down the dirt path but coming to a halt when he noticed that Evelyn slumped up against a tree. "It's not everyday someone gets a midnight stroll through the park with the Hunter Commander."

As if fate had slapped him across the face, Vaughn felt another kink crawling up his spine. He too slumped up against a tree for a moment to straighten himself out before stepping back onto the dirt path, playing hands on his hips and waiting for their next move.

She moved closer to him, wrapping an arm through his. They continued to walk, using each other to stabilize their balance and even out the pain. "So you're all like...Kate Beckinsale?" "Vamps, huh? Right now that doesn't sound like such a bad idea." Vaughn said as he let out another painful groan and walked through the park.

They reached the outside of the park in what seemed like forever to Vaughn, but in actuality was about fifteen minutes. He watched Evelyn slump into a park chair and lean her head back. She too was obviously exhausted just as he was. As Vaughn plopped down into the park bench he heard (and felt) a loud popping sound in his back. He let out a mild roar in pain and grabbed at it.

Finally he eased himself into the seat and looked over at Evelyn. "Two actually, but they're lined with silver nitrate bullets. It'll only piss off a Vamp, not kill it."

As he moved more the pain in his back seemed to release. Perhaps when he sat down he cracked something into place. Or perhaps fate is working on his team for once. Vaughn grabbed at his communications unit which only formed static on his end. Not a good sign.

She started to speak but stopped. Vaughn looked over towards her, but remained silent as well. Whatever needed to be said, didn't have to be said at this moment. Reaching into his jacket slowly and stiffly he pulled out a flask. Opening it up, he raised it to his lips and took a swig before passing it over towards Evelyn, offering her a drink. He had no doubt in his mind she'd refuse. But the offer was still there nonetheless.

She asked why he didn't shoot her. To be honest, he didn't have an answer. At least not right away. Vaughn eyed the sky and the ominous clouds that once hovered over the park had all but now dissipated. That meant other morning was dragging nearer or the wind was picking up speeds. His response took longer than he anticipated because she then started speaking again. Acting as if she had wished she had never have said anything.

"We all have a choice in what we do. I don't believe the lycans or the vamps to be monsters, they sometimes do monstrous acts sure, but that doesn't entitle them to be monsters.. You, undoubtedly saved a man's life today. His life will be different, but he will have another day to live because of you. What kind of person would I be if I would have killed you? I don't kill when I don't have to."

He too noticed he was bleeding, but he didn't move. Instead he took another drink from his flask and looked over at Evelyn. "Right now, in the mood I'm in, I'd like to see the Elder himself try to fuck with me."

Finally he put the flask away, closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, and then looked back over towards Evelyn. Vaughn let out a laugh, and grinning he said, "You just want to save me for later."

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