The Beginning of the End (Madison, Darian, etc...)

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily paced about the house nervously.

It was early afternoon, and for the entire day a feeling of unease had been building in her, no doubt due to the fact that Sastre, Brennan, Heath, and Adams--accompanied by some hotshot hunter named Bastian--had all gone off on some super-secret mission, leaving her behind to watch over Madison. For hours Lily had been racking her brain, trying to figure out what it was that they might be doing, and why they'd left her in the dark. Only one thing came to mind, and the possibility of it had made her blood run cold.

Had they gone off to take out Darian without her?

Then, a couple of hours after the hunters had left, Madison had gotten the call: her brother, Justin, had been killed during some sort of prison escape attempt. It had all come together for Lily then, for she was certain that whatever had happened, Sastre and the others had something to do with it. And if it was true, if Justin was dead, then what had happened to everyone else? The fear that they'd been caught somehow, or worse, weighed heavily on Lily's mind, and left her feeling anxious and worried all day.

As she went about the house, checking over the various weapon stashes and booby-traps that she and Sastre had set up over the past couple of months, she periodically watched Madison out of the corner of her eye. The woman hadn't taken the news very well, not that Lily could really blame her. Lily and Madison might not have been quite as close as Brennan and the doctor were, but Sastre's daughter had tried to be as comforting as possible, offering a shoulder to cry on if needed, and an ear to listen to whatever Madison wanted to talk about.

Sighing as she realized everything in the house was still in perfect order, Lily went and sat beside Madison, laying her hand lightly upon the other woman's knee.

"How ya holding up?"

[madison]

This wasn't happening. Madison felt like everything was so surreal. Everything was going great. Sastre and she were together. He was somewhat working things out with Lily. Lily and Brennan were happily together. Steven hadn't made an appearance in some time. Though that made Madison wary she was content to enjoy the peaceful times. Even if she was jobless.

Then the phone call came. Justin was dead. He had tried to escape during a prisoner transfer. How could that be? Why would they be transferring him. Then the body is accidentally destroyed? She was never going to see him again.

At first the tears had been sobbing as she tried to regain her breath. What was she going to tell her mother? Her sister? The tensions between them were already high. They were not going to take this with a grain of salt. What little relationship she had with them was going to be gone now. Justin was gone.

Her heart ached with guilt and sorrow. None of this would have happened if she hadn't told Justin what happened with Steven. He went to jail because of that bit of truth. He went to jail trying to protect Madison and now he was dead because of it. She had no doubt this was something orchestrated by Steven. She felt sick to her stomach.

Lily's hand pulled Madison out of her daze. She looked at the other woman with puffy, red eyes, seeing her, but not really. She opened her mouth to answer Lily, but her throat tightened as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks and she shook her head instead. This was one horrible nightmare.

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily took Madison in her arms and held her gently.

"Shhhhhh," she told the other woman, stroking her hair lightly. "I'm so sorry Madison, I really, really am. If there was anything I could do, I would. I promise." She rubbed Madison's back soothingly, resting her cheek on top of her head. "If there's anything you need, just tell me, alright? I'll do anything I can to help you..."

She let her words trail off, knowing they sounded trite anyway. She was genuinely sorry, though, even if she couldn't find the right words to say. Lily still remembered what it felt like to lose her parents, and even now, some ten years or so after their deaths, she still found herself feeling a deep sorrow for the loss. She wanted to tell Madison that she understood, and that even though it didn't feel like it right now, even though it felt like her whole world was crashing down around her, it would be okay. There would always be an empty place inside, a place that would ache sometimes when she thought about her brother, but eventually the pain would fade, though it would probably never go away completely.

And it shouldn't.

Still, in the back of her mind Lily was concerned about Sastre, Brennan, and the others. If they had somehow been involved in this, then what had happened to them? It'd been hours since Madison had gotten the call, so if the hunters had been involved in some botched escape attempt, shouldn't they have come back by now? Were they afraid to? Were they hurt somewhere, in need of help?

Lily had tried to call them already, but their phones had all been turned off. That normally wouldn't bother her, as they often kept their phones off during a job, but for some reason she was beginning to feel frantic about not being able to reach them. She'd so far been able to control the panic by running through a couple of mental exercises that Quicksilver had taught her, but it was slowly beginning to boil over...

Then the phone rang.

Lily jumped a bit, not expecting the sound, and feeling both hopeful about it, and dreading it at the same time. She gave Madison a final pat on the back, and when to pick up the phone, nearly bursting into tears of relief when she read the number on the Caller I.D. Hitting the answer button and raising the phone quickly to her ear, she asked softly:

"Sastre?"

[madison]

Lily had built a reputation on being tough. She could throw punches and take hits. Lily was thick skinned. Yet for a moment, Madison noticed her gentleness. In the way Lily stroked her hair, the way she offered to help Madison.

In that moment Madison saw so much of Sastre in Lily that it hurt. It hurt because Madison wanted Sastre to be here with her. She wanted Sastre to hold her like he had when Steven came to the house that one time. He was good at wiping away her tears. Sastre was Madison's rock, and she needed some of that calmness that Sastre seemed to radiate.

There was nothing Lily could do to help. Madison wished there were, but all that could be offered were reassuring words. Words that in the long run might make sense, but right now Madison knew she wouldn't believe. She had dealt in death long enough to know that much.

When the phone rang, Madison would have been fine to ignore it if she hadn't known Sastre was out on a hunt. Being a hunters girlfriend, she realized, was much the same as being a cops. You're always scared that the next time you answer the phone it's going to be because something happened to the person you loved.

Madison already got that call once tonight. She did not want to get another one and her gaze turned to Lily when she said Sastre's name. "Is he all right?" She asked instantly getting up and going to the phone. If something had happened to him as well, Madison wasn't sure she was strong enough to handle it.

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily nodded reassuringly to Madison as Sastre spoke.

A lot of what he said was just a blur to her, she was so relieved just to hear his voice. The story did come together for her though, eventually, and she couldn't help but grin. The sly bastard... Lily still felt a little upset about being left out of the plan, but she understood the necessity. Someone needed to be left here to protect Madison, and Lily was the obvious choice.

It was flattering in a way, that Sastre had trusted her with Madison's safety.

"Yeah, I understand," she said into the phone, nodding. Flicking her eyes momentarily to Madison, she said softly, "No, not particularly." Shaking her head, Lily interrupted him, saying, "Listen, you better talk to her yourself. I think she needs to talk to you, to hear your voice, alright?" Nodding again, Lily handed the phone to Madison.

Sighing in relief, she plopped back down on the couch, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. All of the emotional tension that she'd been dealing with throughout the day draining away and leaving her exhausted. All she wanted to do was take a nap for a while, but she knew she needed to stay sharp.

Still... It couldn't hurt to close her eyes for just a couple minutes...

[Florian Raniari]

The car sped down the highway.

Sastre sat in the passenger seat as Bastian drove, with Brennan and Justin in the back. He had just finished speaking to Lily, and now he was trying to find the right words to tell Madison that her brother was alive, and free. It wouldn't be easy, he knew; he felt awful about having to make her think that he was dead, but at the same time, the hunter had known it was necessary to deceive her, at least for a little while.

Now, though, several hours had passed, and he was confident that if anyone was watching her, they would have certainly seen an honest reaction of grief from the young woman. It was time to tell her the truth, and to deal with the consequences of his actions as well. Even if Madison could never forgive him for this, even if she told him it was over, at least Justin was free and couldn't be used against her any more.

"Madison," he said softly. "Listen to me: Justin's fine, alright? He's alive and well, and right here with me. Brennan and I, and some associates of ours, got him out. He's free now. And you'll be able to see him soon."

[madison]

Madison took the phone from Lily, her voice shaky. "Sastre..." She didn't even get a chance to tell him about the call. He was already telling her that Justin was alive and well. Her heart seized in her chest. "W..what?" She gripped the edge of the table. It was the only thing keeping her and the floor from becoming intimately acquainted.

"Sastre...what's going on?" Her voice was high, excited, and fearful all at the same time. Justin was alive? How could that be? They had called her, told her. They wouldn't lie to her. It didn't make any sense. "Justin's alive? But they said...they..." Dizziness swept over her.

This was just entirely too much to take all in one day. First her brother was dead. Now he was alive? "What did you do, Sastre?" Her voice was soft, frightened. She was worried about both of them now, and there was fear in there for Brennan too. There was no way she wasn't a part of whatever this was.

Madison leaned against the walls, squeezing her eyes closed. Fresh tears slid down her cheeks for so many reasons. She didn't doubt Sastre. If he said Justin was alive, then Madison believed him, but what had actually gone on? How much trouble were they all in now? "Can I talk to him?"

[Darian Raniari]

Darian stood outside the house, on edge and ready for anything.

Finally, after months of tedious planning, it was time to make his move. He was no fool; he'd been following the course of events closely, and he knew about Madison's imprisoned brother, guessing that eventually Sastre would do something to try and free him. The vampire had just been waiting for that to happen, knowing that Sastre would go himself and leave Madison relatively unprotected. Sure, Lily was there, but Darian really wasn't too concerned with her. She was no threat to him, not really.

In his hand he held a small metal talisman, painstakingly created for him by a coven of witches who volunteered their services to people like him: that is, very, very wealthy people with a bone to pick with hunters. It was quite a piece of work, one that would tear away the layers of protective wards that Brennan had no doubt erected around the house. It had been expensive, but very, very worth it.

Not that he needed to do so, but Darian took a moment to review the plan. Firstly, he'd use the talisman to take out the wards. Secondly, he'd go in fast with the element of surprise on his side. Then, he'd disable Madison and go straight for Lily. He was confident that he could handle the young hunter, but he wanted to get her under control as early as possible before she had a chance to really prepare for him. Then they'd be his. Both of them. And Quicksilver would suffer...

Smiling cruelly, the vampire stepped toward the house, raised the talisman over his head, and recited the incantation that unleashed its power.

It was time to for the game to start.

[Sastre Quicksilver]

When the door exploded inward, Lily was already on her feet drawing her gun.

That the surprise assailant was Darian seemed a given to her, and she wondered briefly how he’d managed to break through Brennan’s wards… Instinct took over, though, and without even a second thought she fired off three rounds into the maelstrom of broken wood and dust. As with every other firearm in the house—and there were dozens, secreted about—Lily’s trusty 9mm was loaded with vampire stopping rounds: specially crafted hollow points filled with dead man’s blood. A single hit wouldn’t be enough to drop a fang, but a few of them fired with precision would do the job. So, when she heard no indications that she’d made contact, the young woman fired a second three-round-burst into the settling debris.

“Boss, run for help, go!” she shouted at Brennan’s Doberman, who had rose up out of a dead sleep and begun growling deeply. “Go, now, you stupid dog!” she hollered as he charged into the cloud of dust and splintered wood, cursing herself for not having learned any of his commands. “Go find help!” Before she could shout out any more useless commands, though, Boss gave out a sharp yelp and went hurtling through the air beside her, crashing through a nearby window. He didn’t make another sound.

“Madison, get—” Lily’s order was abruptly cut off when she heard Madison crying out. Spinning toward the direction of the sound, her blood ran cold as she watched Darian pick her friend up by the leg, quickly and efficiently snapping the limb just below the knee before tossing her across the room. Madison hit the wall bone-jarringly hard, and slid to the floor unmoving. Still, despite seeing this, Lily maintained an air of detachment and wasted no time as she fired on Darian once again.

The vampire was fast, but he’d obviously been expecting some show of emotion from Lily, and the idea of her immediately taking the offensive without first worrying about her friend hadn’t even crossed his mind. The first shot took him high in the chest, near the right shoulder, but he managed to dodge aside in time to avoid the other two. The act of doing so, though, caused his vision to blur, and he cursed the ingenuity of whatever ancient hunter had decided to turn dead man’s blood into a useable weapon.

Tossing the gun aside, knowing that the vampire would rush her to attack in close, Lily dropped into a crouch and pulled a long knife seemingly out of nowhere. It happened just like she’d been expecting, and when Darian tore across the room toward her, she leapt aside, lashing out with the blade and smiling grimly when it sliced across his ribs, eliciting a gasp of disbelief from the arrogant bloodsucker. This small victory wouldn’t last long, though, and as she rolled away from him toward the couch—and the specially-loaded shotgun hidden therein—it was her turn to cry out as Darian reached out lightning quick to snag her by the ankle.

Holding her up in front of him, the oh-so-suave vampire laughed humorlessly.

“So, you’ve got a little more fight in you than I thought, dear,” he said, his voice cold and trembling with barely-concealed wrath. She had wounded him, and he was not pleased in the least. But he had to be careful, as the dead man’s blood from Lily’s earlier shot was still weakening him, causing him to feel a bit lightheaded and dizzy. Once again, his vision blurred as he sneered at her. “But, I suppose it runs in the fam—”

“Go to hell!” Lily interrupted, bringing her other leg down as hard as she could, praying his reflexes were deadened enough by the poison blood. Her heel collided full-force with the bullet wound in Darian’s shoulder, and the vampire roared in pain as he threw her violently across the room, where she crashed painfully into a rack of bookshelves, their contents raining down upon her as she lay stunned on the floor.

Get up, get up Faraday! she mentally commanded herself, ignoring the blood that flowed copiously from a gash on her forehead. Along her side, she could feel a steady trickle also, and she was certain that a decent-sized splinter of wood had skewered her when she’d smashed through the shelves. As she took in a few gasping breaths, she knew that her recently-healed ribs had suffered yet another injury, for the stabbing pains that accompanied those breaths was all too familiar. Staggering slowly to her feet, Lily sidled along the wall behind her until her searching fingers found the small table she’d been looking for.

As she whipped open the drawer and pulled out the hidden gun, Darian came down on her from above, backhanding her several feet away and throwing the table at her for good measure. She rolled aside, barely, and the small piece of furniture shattered as it struck the floor beside her. Coming up in a crouch, Lily popped off a few more shots, and was rewarded by Darian’s curses as another round struck him, this time in the lower abdomen.

That should slow him down…

Once again discarding the gun—for she knew that there were others hidden about—Lily dove for the nearby easy-chair, reaching underneath it and pulling out a razor-sharp machete. With a grunt of pain, she staggered to her feet and rushed Darian, the long blade cocked back and ready for a decapitating strike. She was counting on the dead man’s blood to slow the vampire down long enough for her to land the killing blow, but unfortunately she’d underestimated the strength and resilience Darian gained from his insanity.

To him, Lily’s approach seemed distant, and unfocused, his eyes already beginning to feel the effects of the second dose of dead man’s blood. He staggered back a step, each movement sending jolts of agony throughout his weakening body. Still, though, just as the young hunter was about to deliver the finishing attack, everything seemed, for a moment, crystal clear to him, and he linked his fingers together to bash Lily with a double-fisted uppercut, knocking her clear over his shoulder to drop heavily upon the unyielding floor. She slid to a stop, leaving a trail of blood from her various injuries, and lay still.

Darian stalked toward her, his movements difficult and jerky. He was now quite beyond words, and wanted nothing more than to kill her right then and there. But he remembered his plan, and he knew that he’d need the girl for insurance. No, he couldn’t kill her, but he would certainly make sure that her life from that moment forward was one of pain and torment. And he’d enjoy every single second of it. As he approached her, Darian smiled cruelly, watching her as she struggled to drag herself away from him and into the kitchen, where she no doubt had more weapons waiting for her. He slowed his pace a bit as he followed her, fearing that he’d succumb to the effects of the rancid blood before he was able to secure his darling niece and the good Dr. McClain.

That’s it, you stupid bastard, Lily thought through the pain that coursed through her, you just keep on following along… She knew that she was injured, and badly at that, but at the moment adrenaline was carrying her along, and she had every intention of riding it out until this battle was over. Once or twice, her eyes flicked momentarily to the arch way that she’d just passed under, leading into the kitchen. She and Sastre had not been idle these past few weeks, and Madison’s house was rigged up with several nice little surprises for any unwanted, undead visitors. This was just one of those traps: a series of small, claymore-like devices loaded with dried and powdered dead man’s blood that had been painstakingly hidden within the arch itself. Once Lily hit a release trigger just inside the kitchen, a synchronized burst of compressed air would cause the little beauties to explode outward, filling the air with the powdered blood. It wouldn’t be quite as potent as a direct line into the blood stream, but once inhaled, the effects would be instantaneous, if not long lasting. Still, it was something new and unexpected, and Lily really didn’t plan on wasting what precious little time it gained her.

Just a few more feet…

Almost…

There!

She rolled aside into the kitchen, her arm shooting out to hit the small trigger that Sastre had mounted along the inside wall. The effect was immediate, and with a slight hiss and pop, the half-dozen hidden weapons all let loose with their poisonous charges. And, just like she’d been hoping, Darian was caught right in the middle. The vampire coughed and gagged, swiping his hands before his face as the dusty red cloud seemed to envelope him. Then, with a strangled moan, he fell. Just like that, he simply dropped to the floor, his body twitching ever so slightly. It was the most satisfying, beautiful thing that Lily had ever seen.

This was it, the moment when she could finally rid the world of this monster, and give her father back his life, or at least a life where he wouldn’t constantly be dreading Darian’s interference. He deserved this, after all. Sastre had done so much to help everyone else, that it felt good to be the one who could do something for him for a change. Sparing a glance into the decimated living room, Lily prayed that Madison was alright. This whole thing would be an empty victory if she were lost…

After taking a deep breath, Lily commanded her exhausted body to stand up, biting back a cry of pain as she did so. She was hurt, badly; much worse than she had originally thought. But it didn’t matter one bit, because in a matter of seconds it would all be worth it. Slamming her hand down on the corner of the kitchen counter, Lily sprung a hidden drawer containing yet another machete. It was a bit shorter than the one she’d used earlier, but it was still more than enough to finish the job. She approached quickly, clenching the weapon tightly in both hands as she prepared to lop Darian’s head off. Grinning to herself, she looked down at the vampire to see…

The barrel of a gun, pointed directly at her.

The shot seemed terribly loud, and Lily’s eyes opened when she realized that she was going to die. It was point blank, and she had no chance to dodge aside, or to even move at all. Time seemed to slow down, and she could have sworn that she saw the bullet leave the barrel before clenching her eyes shut and preparing for the inevitable end. It struck fast, bringing with it a hot fire that seemed to tear along the side of her head. She saw stars, and was flung backward, losing her grip on the machete as she fell back against the counter, knocking off various utensils and items as she tried in vain to steady herself. As she fell, though, she could have laughed in disbelief.

He had missed! Or, rather, the shot had only been a grazing one, though it had rung her bell and nearly killed her from fear alone. Fortunately for her, Darian’s aim was off due to the amounts of dead man’s blood that were coursing through his system, burning through his veins and clogging up his lungs. Pulling the gun and firing that single shot had been all he could do, and now he was spent, and he simply lay there, knowing that his aim had been off and that the end was probably coming soon for him.

Or was it?

As far as Lily was concerned it was. She looked around, dazed and in agony, unable to find her machete. Beside her, though, lay an assortment of kitchen knives, knocked from their place on the counter top when she’d fallen. Reaching out tentatively, she picked up the largest one she could find. It was no machete, and the job would be slow and messy, but it would work. Without the strength to even stand, she crawled toward the prone vampire, anticipation causing her wounds to seem distant and inconsequential. Upon reaching Darian, she rose to her knees, raising the knife in preparation for the first of many slashes that would, hopefully, remove his head from his shoulders.

Then she heard the gunshots.

For a split second, Lily was relieved, for no doubt help had finally arrived. She and Madison would be okay, and Darian would be dead, finally, unable to trouble her family ever again. It seemed too good to be true, really, that they would actually win this time…

It was at that point that the bullets plunged into her back, two in the upper left shoulder and one lower down, missing her spine by a fraction of an inch. She lurched forward, tumbling past Darian to lie on her back in a spreading pool of her own blood. Shock took her quickly, and she was paralyzed with pain and fear, a deep cold settling over her. She was dying, and she knew it. There was no way to get out of it this time.

From across the kitchen, a large, heavily muscled man held his gun still trained on her, the light reflecting off his eyes evidence that he was a vampire himself. Convinced that Lily was no longer a threat, the man walked over to stoop next to Darian, who had begun to gasp and cough once more. The two exchanged some words, though Lily couldn’t quite make them out, as she was using what little time remained to her to reach her hand underneath the couch, almost giggling as her trembling fingers closed around the cold barrel of the shotgun that was hidden there.

Before either vampire could react, and before her rapidly weakening body could give in, Lily rose into a crouch and leveled the gun at the two fangs. Unfortunately, though, the newcomer had not been afflicted by any dead man’s blood, and his reflexes were just as fast as any vampire’s that Lily had ever faced. Before she could pull the trigger, the stranger fired two more shots, one taking her in the upper-right chest, the other tearing clean through her left shoulder. Blood splatter filled the air, and her body twisted as it was flung back, landing in a heap a few feet away.

“You thrice-damned imbecile!” Darian roared, using his slowly-increasing strength to shove the other vampire aside. “Damn it all, Steven, I told you that I needed her alive, alive!” Staggering to his feet, the beaten, battered, and severely pissed off Darian limped into the living room, heading for where Madison still lay after his initial attack against her. Lifting her up by her hair, he was rewarded with a sharp cry. Good, she was conscious at any rate. He dragged her to where Lily lay bleeding out and threw her down upon the broken form of the young hunter. Then, he found her med kit and dropped it beside her, trembling with rage. “Fix her!” he commanded Madison with a snarl, casting a furious glare at the newly-turned Steven.

“D… don’t do it, Madison,” Lily stuttered, tasting blood and feeling a strange sense of detached peace as darkness began to cloud her vision. “Don’t let… don’t let him use me… against my father… Let me die, Madison… Please, let me die…” Before she could gasp another word, Darian delivered a swift kick to the side of her head, knocking her unconscious instantly.

“There, now you can work in peace, doctor,” he sneered. “And don’t get any noble ideas about honoring her wishes either, unless you want to be the one to tell Quicksilver that you let his only daughter die.” With that, Darian stood over the two injured women, his arms crossed over his chest, silently praying that Lily could be saved. He would need her, of that he was certain. And though he knew that her death would be enough to wound Sastre, he also knew that the torment that lay ahead for her would utterly destroy his old adversary…

[madison]

One moment Madison was on the phone with Sastre, in complete and utter disbelief that her brother was alive. The next there was an aganozing pain radiating through her lower leg. She felt the bone snap, so easily like it was flimsy, like it was a toothpick. She screamed, the phone falling from her hand before she was flung into the wall. Her head bounced off of it with a sickening thud.

Dazed, Madison was barely aware of what was going on around her. Steven, she could have sworn she heard his voice. Darian's too. The world was spinning around her, her vision slightly blurred. There was chaos gunfire. Madison wasn't sure what was what, but she knew one thing was for sure. They were definitely in trouble.

She was trying to get her bearings, trying to figure out what had just happened. Pain was coursing through her, but she knew it should have been worse. Her heart was pounding. Adrenaline...adrenaline was pushing it back for now. Later, she was going to be feeling it though.

Her gaze moved under a curtain of hair. Steven...she was certain it was him. What was he doing here? He was working with Darian? Why...did he hate her that much? Did he want her to be so miserable he would do something like this? She didn't understand.

A hand jerked her head up. Her hair jerked against her scalp and she cried out, tear filled eyes glaring up in defiance of Darian. She was scared, but not for herself. Her gaze moved to Lily. She was in bad shape. Madison could tell before Darian dragged her over to the other woman.

Madison ignored Lily's protests. "I'm not doing it for him," Madison assured Lily. She wasn't going to let Darian win. She couldn't let him taking something else from Sastre. The vampire had caused him enough pain. She wouldn't stand by and do nothing while Lily died.

She met the other womans gaze, a hand going, pressing down on the wound. A silent apology for defying Lily's wishes. Then, just like that, everything was pushed back as her doctor mode was switched on. The fear, the pain, Madison shut it all down. Opening the medkit she proceeded to get to work, doing her best to asses Lily's injuries and take care of them. She stopped a moment glaring over her shoulder at Darian's hovering form. "You want me to save her? Back off."