


Underworld:Reality Shift

by azec sistra



Category: Underworld
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2006-03-15
Updated: 2006-07-25
Packaged: 2013-09-24 23:18:21
Rating: M
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,321
Publisher: www.fanfiction.net
Story URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2845795/1/
Author URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/974673/azec-sistra
Summary: What if Sonja had lived long enough to give birth? Would the events in Underworld Evolution have stayed the same or would things have unfolded in a way no one ever expected? Please R&R. Rating for violence and language.





	1. Chp 1: The Impossible

Disclaimer:

I don't own any part of Underworld, never did, still don't, and never will. The characters that you don't recognize most likely belong to me, but I will note it when they don't. If you notice a character that you think I'm not noting, then please tell me.

Azec Sistra

"My name is Dahlia. I am a hybrid. I was not made into one. I was born one. And only one other knows of our existence. For over the past six centuries, we have lived in the shadows as outcasts, neither accepted by Vampires nor Lycans. Each race believes we are of the other, and so we are to be killed on sight…that is if we are sighted. We hunt both Vampires and Lycans in order to survive, and never has anyone who has seen us lived to see another day. After six centuries of waiting, of fighting, and of searching, it is time for us to end it. We were, after all, the beginning of it, and now, we will be the end of it, with or without…HIM."

Jonathan was a boy like none other. You couldn't really call him a boy because he was over six centuries old despite the fact that he physically appeared sixteen. There was something different about him, something that made him stand out and that aroused fear and question in those who saw him. It wasn't his above average height of 6'3 or all the high-tech equipments and weaponry that he carried with him. It was his eyes. Eyes that were cold, emotionless and piercing. Eyes that were a constant shade of vampiric green, something that had never been acquired even by Vampire pureborns. They stood out even more being framed against his unusually pale complexion and his chin length dark brown hair, which he kept loosely tied.

He slowly walked among the rubble left in the sewers, the destruction caused by the war between Vampires and Lycans only moments before he arrived. His job was to search the area and look for any remaining survivors, reporting any sightings to his superior, Dahlia Whether or not to save them was not up to him or his abilities, but up to her.

The sewers were so big, and there were countless numbers of dead bodies. After working at a steady rate for a couple of hours, Jon knew that he had to quicken his pace. There were still many areas that he had yet to reach, some of which he knew he wouldn't be able to even with his inhuman abilities.

But reaching all the areas of the sewers wasn't his main concern. He had to make sure that he got out of the sewers before the Cleaners arrived.

It wasn't in the nature of any Cleaner to be hostile. Their only job was to clean up the mess made by the Vampires or Lycans or both, to keep the war between the two kinds from spilling into the human world. But they did not hesitate to kill any who discovered their existence and could potentially become a threat to them, Vampires, Lycans, and humans alike.

Jon had no fear of anyone, and especially not of the Cleaners because they were only humans after all. While he did not fear them, he certainly had respect for them. He respected the courage they showed simply by partaking in the war of the Underworld, and, much more than that, he respected their ability to back up their policy of secretiveness.

It was at this moment that he remembered something.

"**I don't understand why we have to avoid the Cleaners. It would be so simple just to tell them what is going on. And it would be even much simpler to outright kill them if they interfere."**

"**No! Don't you understand after all the conversations we've had? We don't know what the Cleaners are fully capable of. Besides, we're not that much different from them. We both keep the war contained. The only difference between us and them is that we are waiting in the hopes of finding him."**

"**Sooner or later someone is going to have to end this war. If the Cleaners do get involved with this final conflict, are you going to tell me to leave them alone?"**

**(silence)**

"**That's an entirely different matter. But, please, at least for now, do not get involved with the Cleaners."**

Lia had spoken in a strange tone, one that dissuaded him from seeking further argument with her and that made him realize that she had the means of keeping him in check.

Not two minutes in thought, Jon was forced to jerk his head to the side and stare down at the lower part of his left leg. An extremely pale and feeble hand now struggled to hang onto his leg.

"Hel…p…me. Pl…e…ase." a blond-haired and heavily burnt Vampire begged him.

Jon ignored the Vampire's pleas and simply bent down to pick up the guns located next to the Vampire. He ejected the mag of one gun and look of surprise crossed his face.

"**Silver nitrate. That's why all these Lycans died so fast."** he thought, realizing that even he only had hard silver bullets.

He realized something else, though. A vague familiarity in the appearance of the silver nitrate bullets. He quickly ejected the mag of the second gun and, this time, a look of confirm crossed his face.

"**Tanis."** was the only word that repeatedly crossed Jon's mind. Everything made perfect sense now. Tanis was the only one who was in the trade of ultraviolet bullets, and he must have been trading with him and the Lycans. Jon never made the mistake of leaving behind any traces of new weaponry that could only worsen the war, but the same couldn't be said for the Lycans. Obviously, the UV bullets must have somehow reached the Vampires and were copied, but with silver nitrate instead.

Jon's attention returned to the Vampire. He hated the Vampires. Only two were exempted from this deep, incomprehensible hatred, the first being Tanis because he provided Jon with UV bullets and the second being someone he knew about but had never personally known.

"**Die"** Jon said coldly as he shot the Vampire with the remaining UV bullets in the gun he picked up. He could only watch with sheer joy and content as the Vampire burned to death.

"**There's nothing left here. I'm coming back."** Jon said clearly but softly into the mouthpiece of the complex communicator headset he was wearing just in case any Cleaners were around.

"**Alri…"** Lia had started to say when cut short by the hurried hushing of Jon's voice.

"**Hush! Wait! There's something."** he said as his inhuman senses began to pick up something. A vague sound. The sound of light but weak breathing. Jon moved slowly towards this sound and eventually came to what could have been a storage room. As soon as he entered, he noticed the source of the sound. A Lycan with shoulder length dark-brown hair who physically appeared to be in his early to mid-thirties.

"**You'll find this very interesting."** Jon spoke into the mouthpiece, never taking his eyes from the Lycan before him.

"**What?"** was the only reply that came.

"**I found a Lycan that's been pumped full of silver nitrate."** he said.

"**That's nothing interesting. You said that you found a number of Lycans that were shot with silver nitrate."** the voice dully replied.

"**This one is still alive." **

This is my first fic ever so I hoped that you all enjoyed it and all of your reviews are appreciated. I promise that there is going to be more dialogue and action in the next chapter.


	2. Chp 2: Lock On!

Thanks for the reviews. It really boosted my morale, being an amateur writer and all. This is a mainly-action chapter. So if you don't like too much action, at least skim this chapter since there are some important details included.

Azec Sistra

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Lia waited outside of the sewers, as she often did when Jon went on missions. She rarely ever got involved in any physical action, her only purpose being to provide support and information when needed. This was clearly shown through her appearance, wearing comfortable clothing as opposed to the gears Jon wore and her breast length dark brown locks almost always neatly tied or braided.

The ride she was in, an ordinary looking Toyota Camry, had been painted black to provide camouflage, especially for nighttime missions, and had been tweaked with custom made parts to maximize its braking and accelerating speed and its maneuverability. The inside of the car was filled with all sorts of electronic equipments and weaponry, ranging from a high-tech GPS to exploding silver throwing stars to guns…lots of guns.

But none of that mattered now. Lia couldn't believe what she had just heard, a Lycan that had been pumped full of silver nitrate was somehow still alive. In her mind, she was playing out every possible scenario in which this was possible, but she could find none.

"**That's not possible."** was the only words that she could speak.

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Jon started to think back to the Vampire he had just killed. Other than the heavy burns and a slight scratch on the left side of the Vampire's chest, he couldn't remember having seen any other physical or bullet wounds. Jon knew perfectly well what Lia had meant. If a slight scratch like the one on the Vampire's chest had allowed enough UV fluid to enter the bloodstream and caused the Vampire to sustain such severe burns, then it was impossible for this Lycan to be alive, especially not after having been directly shot with silver nitrate bullets no less than three times.

"**What should I do?"** he said somewhat lamely, never having been faced with a unique situation such as this one.

"**Bring the Lycan back. I'd like to run a few tests on him."** Lia replied equally as lamely since she didn't really need to say it. The both of them knew that no one in their right mind would be stupid enough to kill or leave behind such a unique specimen.

"**Ok. I should be out in a couple of minutes." **Jon said as he gently placed the Lycan over his left shoulder, careful not to reopen any of the wounds that were slowly beginning to heal.

Jon had no trouble remembering the way out and the extra weight on his shoulder didn't really slow him down, but he was still forced to stop dead in his tracks when he reached a large open space filled with concrete pillars. The thing that he had hoped would not happen tonight had happened. He heard a shout. In front of him stood at least two dozen Cleaners.

"**Fuck…"**

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The Cleaners had entered the sewers only moments before, fully armed and not knowing what to expect since things had gotten way out of control recently. Only two days ago, they were sitting in their headquarters, merely monitoring Lycan and Vampire activity. Now, Lycans were firing openly on Vampires in full view of the public, the safety of Amelia and the Council members had been completely ignored, and the Awakening of Marcus was put off. The dwindling number of Lycans wanted nothing more than to survive, and the Vampires never acted so recklessly in order to ensure stability. So what could have provoked such radical behavior?

"What in heaven's name happened here?" Dex asked with a sickened expression on his face. He, or any of the other Cleaners for that matter, had never seen such destruction. Sure they had cleaned up Lycan and Vampire bodies in the past, but it was nothing compared to this. Hundreds of dead bodies lay before them. Many were missing limbs and covered in still thick and fresh dripping blood. The smell of the burnt and rotting bodies would stay for days.

"I don't know, but I didn't expect this. From what I was told by Tyke, there hasn't been a den of Lycans this magnitude for centuries. Not since the days of that Lycan elder Lucian. It's amazing how they've kept themselves hidden from the Vampires and from us all of these years." Bane said.

"You two! Enough talk! I want the entire area checked out and cleaned! I don't want a single trace of the existence of the immortals! IS THAT CLEAR?" Tyke's booming voice interrupted them.

All of the Cleaners, however, were forced to jerk their heads up and cock their guns. A Vampire carrying someone on his left shoulder had just walked in. Odd…this vampire had green eyes.

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One of the Cleaners had taken first shot, firing at Jon using a SP12 shotgun.

Jon instinctively put his right arm up to block the incoming barrage of bullets. The last thing he wanted was to get his head blown off. He was pissed off, his eyes focused on the Cleaners and his canines elongating. And before any of the other Cleaners had a chance to fire at him again, he pulled out twin MP5A5 machineguns and started counter firing.

All of the Cleaners ducked and hid behind the closest concrete pillars. That is exactly what Jon had wanted, and he wasn't about to give them the slightest opening to get a shot at him.

"**LIA! FIND ME THE QUICKEST WAY OUT OF HERE! NOW!"** he screamed at the top of his lungs in order to break through all the firing noise.

Lia was the best at what she did, and she wasn't about to let him down. She quickly reviewed the entire layout of the sewers in a matter of seconds.

"**TURN AROUND AND RUN ABOUT 200 METERS! YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THREE PILLARS! BLOW UP THE MIDDLE ONE! IT'LL CREATE AN OPENING THAT'LL LEAD YOU STRAIGHT TO THE EXIT! DON'T FORGET. THE MIDDLE ONE!"** she screamed back at him.

Jon was glad that he had customized his guns with extended clips. This allowed him something of a moment's breathing space and allowed him to put some distance between himself and the Cleaners. But just as all good things must end, his clips eventually ran dry. He threw the guns forward with all his strength, actually managing to break the jaws of a couple of Cleaners.

Jon turned around and broke into a run. He shifted the position of the Lycan on his shoulder in order to run faster, now carrying him in his two arms.

He knew the Cleaners would start chasing and firing at him, and he was right. The Cleaners were some distance behind him and shooting like there would be no tomorrow.

Jon received a dozen bullets in his back, arms, and legs. He could feel a cool liquid dripping down from the areas he had been shot and knew that they were using silver nitrate bullets. He had reasons to worry about this. The bullets were beginning to slow him down and another dose of silver nitrate could kill the Lycan.

When he reached the place Lia had described, he quickly pulled out a throwing star. He opened up the blades and threw it at the center pillar. The explosion that was generated did exactly what Lia had said it would and more. A chain reaction had occurred, and the two side pillars also collapsed, blocking the paths of the Cleaners.

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The Cleaners stopped. The Vampire had blocked their path, but they weren't going to give up that easily.

"Unit 3. Do you copy?" Tyke hurriedly said.

"Yes, sir" a Cleaner replied.

"There's a Vampire in close proximity. I want you search the perimeters of the area and him find. It's crucial that you eliminate him. Our existence cannot be discovered. Is that clear?"

"Yes si…Sir! We found him!" And with that the line broke off.

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Jon reached the outside of the sewers, but this was no time to stop even to catch his breath. It was safer to assume that the Cleaners had some backup plan.

Luckily, he didn't have to run far to find the car. At the same time, however, Jon heard the noise of a speeding car and looked up to find that a van with three Cleaners was headed straight for them.

He quickly opened the rear door of the car and threw the Lycan in, not sparing any time to secure him or to make sure he was comfortable. It was better to be hurt than dead.

"**GO!"** he yelled at Lia he got in the passenger seat and slammed the door.

Lia slammed her foot as hard as she could on the gas pedal. The delay in the initial startup, though, had given the Cleaners enough time to catch up to her. The front of their van was touching the rear end of her car.

"**Do you mind providing some kind of diversion or something?"** Lia said, clearly annoyed at how at she had been right since the beginning. They really hadn't known what the Cleaners were truly capable of. Their equipments were matched evenly by those of the Cleaners.

Jon stared at her and grabbed the strongest gun in the car, a M95 sniper rifle. He took a couple of seconds to look at the GPS and then leaned out the window to fire. But the Cleaners had been ready. The one in the passenger seat had already leaned out and fired at the sight of him. If Jon had any ordinary immortal, he would have had a bullet through his skull, but he wasn't ordinary by any standards. He withdrew. The bullet missed and hit the side rear view mirror.

"**Damn bastards! They're too close! I can't take proper aim!"** he hissed.

"**Well…I can fix that at least. Hang on to something."** she warned right before she slammed the brakes, turned sharply, and started to head in the opposite directly.

"**What the hell are you doing!"**

"**I'm taking a different way back. Besides…you should perhaps look out the back before you start criticizing me."**

Lia had managed to put some distance between them and the Cleaners. Jon seized this opportunity and leaned out the window.

"**12 degrees down."** he murmured to himself as he aimed and shot the tire of the pursuing van.

His shot landed perfectly, but the van faltered only a little and continued after them.

"**What's wrong?"**

"**Run flats."**

"**Can you think of something else? What are you doing?"** Lia asked when Jon pulled out a grenade pistol.

"**Don't worry. I'm not going to blow them up. They weren't wearing protective goggles so I'll try using these."**

He showed Lia flashbang grenades that he had specifically engineered for Vampires. They weren't too useful against humans but still effective enough to stun them for several seconds. He loaded the pistol, leaned out the window again, and shot at the ground next to the van.

(Huge flash of light)

He saw the van swerve in all directions. He had been successful. They were home free…for now.

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Writing an action chapter is a lot harder than I thought. Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and get ready for some really odd plot twists in the next chapter. And to clarify things, bold text is another language, normal text is English, and italicized text is thought.

The story is going to be moved to the M section for language and violence.

As usual, all your comments and reviews are appreciated!

Thanks!


	3. Chp 3: Identities

School work kept me from posting sooner than I wanted. Anyways, thanks for the reviews and advice. They really help. But please tell me if you want me to reply cause I'm really not used to the system yet. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

Azec Sistra

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After an hour of rough riding in a car with an uncomfortably silent partner, her ass completely numb, and constantly on the lookout for anybody tracking them, Lia was glad to pull into the parking lot.

She got out of the car and went to the other side in order to check out the damage that had been done by the Cleaners.

"**I guess that's not so bad. Only the right rear view mirror was shattered. What about you?"** she asked Jon as he was stepping out of the car.

Her question was quickly answered when he made way for her to see all the bullet shells that he had forced out of his body. The silver nitrate didn't affect Jon, or it shouldn't have at least. Yet, he seemed very tired and something else…something that she understood but had never wanted to understand.

"**I'm going in."** Jon simply said, turning and heading towards the front door.

"**Can you bring the Lycan in while I hide the equipments?"** he heard her say.

Jon stared at Lia who did not take her gaze off of him, then at the equipments that obviously couldn't just be left there, and then at the Lycan who wasn't about to miraculously recover and start walking on his own. He was too tired to argue. So he picked up the Lycan, being careful this time not to reopen any of the wounds that hadn't reopened during their rough ride.

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Up four flights of stairs and down a hallway that seemed to never end, Jon reached a green door with the numbers 408 in bright gold on it. He took out a set of keys and unlocked the door.

Jon and Lia lived in a three-bedroom apartment with completely covered windows. It wasn't much, but it was a form of shelter. They couldn't own a house because it would make it much easier to track them.

Jon gently placed the Lycan against a wall and went to grab some towels. He spread them on the couch, laid the Lycan on top of them, and undressed him, knowing that Lia was going to run some tests on him.

He noticed that the Lycan was wearing some kind of bracer on his right arm. Jon took it off and examined it. It was some kind of motion sensitive ejection device, but he couldn't directly tell what it was used for. So he stashed it in his room to study it later.

With that done, Jon went into his room and grabbed a towel and a different outfit. How good it would be to feel the warm water against his skin and to wash away the smell of blood.

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Lia opened the door and heard the sound of running water. She knew that Jon had gone to take a shower.

"**Oh God…" **she sighed as she looked over to the couch and saw that Jon had set up the couch and undressed the Lycan. At the very least, Jon had the decency to cover the lower extremities of the Lycan with a towel.

Before she could get started with the Lycan, however, she had to check on something. She went into her room, which would have made any computer technician envious. Her room was filled with wires all connected to the dozen flat computer screens attached to the wall.

Lia sat down in her chair and started typing something on the master keyboard. She was checking on the areas where Jon had dropped mini-cameras during their previous missions.

"**What the hell happened here…?"** she murmured to herself in shock and disbelief.

The Old Coven had been completely burnt down.

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Jon turned off the water and got out of the shower. He dried himself off and put on his clean outfit.

Then he used his hand to wipe clean the blurry mirror and looked at himself. He hated what he saw. He hated who he was and what he was. After all, he had been something of a human once, and now, he lived off the blood of humans.

The centuries of fighting and waiting had hardened him. He had forgotten how to smile, how to laugh, how to cry, how to feel any other emotions other than despair, hate, and anger for that matter. Once in a while, his humanity did surface, but that was extremely rare.

No one understood him. Perhaps the only one that had the potential of understanding him was Lia. He knew that deep down, she felt the same way that he did, but, unlike him, she suppressed her emotions by burying herself in her work.

Much like humans cut themselves to relieve their stress, Jon inflicted himself with physical pain. It kept him from going insane and made him feel…alive.

He lifted his fingers and placed them on the right side of his face. He shut both his eyes and, after a few seconds, sunk his nails as deep into his flesh. He slowly moved his fingers across his face, opening his left eye to see the flesh tear open and the blood slowly ooze from the wounds.

"**Ah…argh…"**

He looked to his hands and then to his face. The wounds had already healed, leaving nothing but bright pink lines that he knew wouldn't be there the next morning. He silently hoped that Lia wouldn't notice.

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Jon came out of the shower and saw Lia pacing back and forth. That was never good.

"**What did you find out about the Lycan?"** Jon asked, hoping that whatever she had found out wouldn't endanger them.

"**I haven't started the tests on the Lycan yet. We have another problem."** Lia said as she stopped in front of him and looked up at him.

"**What?"** he asked, wondering what else could actually cause her to worry.

"**The Old Coven was completely burnt down."**

"**What? Who? How? Why?"**

"**Slow down. I don't know any more than you do. I'll look into it tomorrow. For now, let's just take care of that Lycan."** Lia said as she headed into her room to grab medical equipments, gloves, scissors, suspension tubes, and needles.

Jon also made himself useful and gathered analytical equipment from his room, a microscope, test tubes, beakers, and silver nitrate.

Before Lia started to do anything, Jon used a sterile needle to draw a tube full of blood from the Lycan. He sat down at the kitchen table and started analyzing the blood samples.

Meanwhile, Lia was connecting a suspension tube that separated into two different tubes at the end to both the Lycan's arms. She was going to "clean" the Lycan's blood. Since silver nitrate was denser than blood, it would sink down one end of the tube while the blood would flow back into the Lycan's body. What she found strange, however, was that the Lycan's body had somehow begun rejecting the silver nitrate on its own. Hard silver she could understand but silver nitrate was a completely different story.

Her train of thought was abruptly interrupted when Jon called to her.

"**Lia. I just finished analyzing the blood samples, and I found something really strange."**

"**What?"**

"**Well…you know that silver nitrate and UV fluid are absorbed straight into the blood stream, causing an acceleration in programmed cell death of the subject's infected tissue?"**

"**Yes. Why?"**

"**These cells aren't entirely affected by the silver nitrate or they're affected at a much slower rate, giving his body enough time to metabolize the silver."**

"**His body shouldn't even be able to metabolize the silver on its own. Not unless he's a Vampire or a Hybrid."**

"**I know. What you'll find even more interesting is that these cells are border line Lycan."**

"**What do you mean?"**

"**These cells are clearly those of a Lycan, but they also slightly resemble those of a Hybrid."**

They found this very strange, but there was a moment of complete silence and understanding between the two. This Lycan was probably the key to helping them end the war between Vampires and Lycans once and for all.

Lia broke off from Jon's gaze and looked at the Lycan. This was the first time she had gotten a clear look at this face. It felt strangely familiar to her. She shook her head and started for her room.

"**Clean up and go to sleep. You must be tired."** Lia said to Jon.

"**You can go to sleep if you want."**

"**What are you going to do?"**

"**Someone has to stay up to keep watch on him. I can just sleep tomorrow during the day."**

"**Thank you."** was all Lia could say as she closed the door to her room.

Jon moved all the unused equipment to the kitchen table and then sat next to the couch where the Lycan rested.

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Lia was in a semi-conscious state, tossing and turning in her bed. It was almost as if something was killing her. The flesh on her back felt like it was being torn off, and the skin on her face and arms felt like it was being burnt.

Blurry images…no…memories flashed through her mind. These were memories that she didn't even know she had.

"_NOOO!"_

"_SONJAAAA!"_

She opened her eyes, which had turned completely black. She couldn't control herself and began crying.

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Jon opened his eyes.

"**Oh shit!"** he said as he realized that he had fallen asleep.

He hurriedly looked over at the kitchen clock, which read 6 AM. He checked the suspension tubes attached to the Lycan. The blood that was flowing through was completely red now so he knew that the Lycan was silver nitrate free now.

He detached the end of the tube from which the blood was being drawn and waited for all the blood to flow into the other end before detaching it too.

He brought the tubes over to the kitchen table when his ears picked up a noise. He swung his body around, a .50AE handgun in hand and ready to take down anything that moved.

The Lycan had woken up and was staring at him.

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Lucian felt at peace. His body ached and burned, but he felt at peace.

He had seen himself and Sonja in Michael and Selene. Not wanting for them to end up the way he and his beloved had ended up, he had given them a chance at life. The last thing he could remember was telling Selene to bite Michael and then being shot by his cousin Kraven.

Lucian felt like he no longer had a purpose and that no one understood him and so he wanted to die. He wanted to rejoin his beloved Sonja, the only person who had ever accepted him, loved him, and understood him completely.

He was sure he was dead when all the ache and burning sensation left his body. Instead, he woke up to find himself in an unknown place and completely naked. More shocking was that he saw a young Vampire boy pointing a gun straight at him.

"Who are you?" Lucian managed to say weakly.

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I walk a lonely road

The only one that I have ever known

Don't know where it goes

But it's home to me and I walk alone

My shadow's the only one that walks besides me

My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating

Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me

'Til then I walk alone

Green Day / Boulevard of Broken Dreams

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Hope you enjoyed the chapter. And to clarify why the song lyrics are there, I think that they do a much better job than any well-thought out words in explaining how Jon, Lia, and Lucian feel down. There's also going to be a couple more chapter featuring song lyrics.

And as always, all your comments and reviews are appreciated.

Thanks and till next chapter!


	4. Chp 4: Enemies

No reviews on the last chapter! Oh well…can't have everything you want. Anyways, I hope this chapter is better than the last. Selene and Michael are going to be part of my fic so just assume their storyline follows the script of UWE for now. Read, enjoy, and please review!

Azec Sistra

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An old man sat in a dark, dimly lit room, rubbing his temples and forehead with his seemingly thin, fragile fingers. Behind him was the marble statue of an angel.

His hair and beard were completely white, giving him the look of wisdom that comes with age. He wore a black dress shirt, pants, and shoes and a long black overcoat covered with intricate designs. His clothes and posture clearly indicated that he was of high social standing.

The man had a frown on his face. He was worried because the Cleaners had not reported to him for over 8 hours. He also had the devastation that the Lycans and Vampires caused to worry about.

His train of through was interrupted, however, when Tyke, Dex, and Bane walked in.

He looked up and said "Where have you been?"

The three Cleaners looked at one another and replied "Sir, we have been in the sewers in the close proximities of the Old Coven, cleaning evidence of the recent outbreak between the Lycans and Vampires as you ordered."

The man looked to each one of them. He got up and walked past the three of them. With a tired and knowing look on his face he asked them "What was the extent of the damage?"

"We found the bodies of Amelia, Viktor, and the Council members. Amelia and the Council members were bled dry by the Lycans. And Viktor's head was cut in half by his own sword. There were, however, no signs of Marcus." Tyke flatly replied.

"We also had to clean up hundreds of Lycan and Vampire bodies. It appears that each were using UV and silver nitrate ammunition, respectively." Dex hurriedly added.

The man turned around and looked at the Cleaners before him, three fine young men whose families had been loyal to him for centuries. He knew them better than anyone else and knew that they were keeping something from him.

"Tell me. If this was a simple cleaning mission, why did it take so long for you to come back and report to me?"

The three Cleaners sighed deeply. They had hoped to keep the reason for their delay a secret from their lord. They did not wish to add any more worries to his ever growing list of worries, but now that he had asked, they had no choice but to answer him.

"We encountered a Vampire, but this was no ordinary Vampire. This one was far stronger and faster than the ones we have encountered before. While there were no casualties, he was easily able to handle over a dozen of us and broke the jaws of two our men." Tyke explained.

"What is even more intriguing is that this Vampire had green eyes, leading us to suspect that he is a new breed of Vampire. He was also aided by someone else." Bane added, remembering that the Jon had shouted to someone.

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The scene shifted back to apartment number 408.

Tensions were building up as Lucian helplessly stared at Jon, who slowly lowered his gun and gave a sigh of relief. The last thing Jon wanted was for the Cleaners, or anyone else, to attack him during daylight hours when he was unprepared.

Jon never took his gaze off Lucian as he loudly said **"Lia! He's awake!"** but no reply came. He quickly looked at Lia's room and then back at Lucian. He gave a sigh of annoyance and went into Lia's room.

Lucian's eyes followed Jon's movements. His thoughts were chaotic.

"_Who is he? What is he? Is he even a Vampire with those green eyes? How do I communicate with him? How do I get out of here?"_ he calmly kept asking himself.

Lucian was definitely more worried about his two latter trains of thoughts. With centuries of knowledge and travel, Lucian spoke a few languages, but Jon had spoken in one that he was completely unfamiliar with. To make matters worse, he had been completely stripped of his clothes and with them his weapons.

Jon quickly came from Lia's room with a clearly pissed off look on his face. He just found out that Lia had left during the night, leaving no note or hint as to where she had gone.

He threw Lucian a quick glance and threw him a set of clothes, saying "I clean. Wear."

But Lucian completely ignored Jon. Instead, he began to thoroughly check the clothes when he realized that they were actually his. The weapons that he had carried with him had been taken away, except for his Lycan dagger, which was concealed on the inside of his leather jacket.

Jon cared too little to notice this. All he did was raise one of his eyebrow and gave Lucian a look that screamed **_"Crazy! The silver must have affected your brain!"_**

While Lucian was putting his clothes on, Jon walked over to the kitchen fridge and opened it, revealing several dozen packs of synthetic plasma and blood that he and Lia had engineered.

He took out two packs of blood and walked over to Lucian. He handed one pack to Lucian saying "Weak. Need blood."

Lucian took the pack and stared at it. Then he stared at Jon, thinking _"Oh great! With that broken English, there is absolutely no point in trying to communicate with him!"_ And he had no intention of trying to speak to Jon in the other languages he knew…not when he intended on leaving.

The both of them never took their gaze off the other, even while they fed. This silence and indifference was soon going to end though.

Jon went into his room and took out some bandages, a syringe needle, and two tubes. He was going to draw some more blood from Lucian and test it again. He hoped he would discover something new now that Lucian had recovered a little.

Lucian had planned his entire escape, visualizing every possible escape route and every possible outcome. He had picked the situation with the most chance of success. Now, all he had to do was wait for the right moment to execute his plan.

When Jon came close to him and began to prepare the medical equipments he carried, Lucian saw his window of opportunity.

He took hold of Jon by the shoulders and threw him to the opposite end of the room with all his might.

"**_What?"_** Jon thought, eyes wide in shock as he felt his back make a huge dent in, almost breaking through, the kitchen wall. It was impossible for Lucian to have recovered so quickly from such injuries after what…eight hours of rest and a pack of blood.

As soon as he got back on his feet, the first thing that he saw was a dagger being thrown straight at his face. Jon quickly caught it, flipped it over, and threw it back in the direction it had come from. But the dagger had hit a wall instead.

Lucian had used his dagger only as a distraction, and it worked. He had enough time to move to the side and jump out the window, breaking the glass and shades that had kept the sunlight from entering the apartment.

Fucking shit! What had just happened? How did it happen?

Jon had no choice now but to wait until nightfall when he would go and hunt him down, their hope of ending the war between Vampire and Lycans once and for all.

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Lia parked her Camry deep in the forest where she knew no one would find it. She stepped out of her car and noticed that the sun had already set. **_"Perfect."_** she was thinking since the darkness and shadows would make the her car even less visible.

The place she wanted to go to was actually a few minutes walk away. So she opened her trunk and gathered what equipments she needed.

As Lia was walking, there was a visible difference in how she walked. She didn't walk like a normal human would. She walked like a warrior, taking light quick steps and leaving no traces in the light snow and dirt.

Not to mention she had the attire of a warrior. Her hair was tied back in a tight ponytail to prevent anyone from grabbing on to her locks. She wasn't wearing comfortable clothing but instead wore a skin tight tank top and shorts and army boots that would lessen the effects of wind resistance when she was moving around. Strapped to the thigh of her left leg was a hoister that held twenty throwing knives and around her waist a utility belt that held two vials of clear liquid and several silver throwing stars. She also had a cutting knife attached to the side of her right boot.

Unlike Jon, who was a guns master, Lia preferred to use hand-to-hand combat or melee weapons because she wouldn't need to think about the hassle of having to reload.

"**_Here it is."_** Lia smiled as she was thinking this.

She knew that the blurry flashes that she had seen last night were memories that had been passed on to her. What she didn't know, though, was who had passed on these memories to her or why the people she had seen were so familiar to her. But she did know someone who would…Andreas Tanis. He knew her and the origins of her birth. Surely he would know something about these memories.

Before Lia was the abandoned monastery where Tanis had been exiled to over three hundred years ago by the Death Dealer Selene.

She rarely went to see Tanis so she had no idea what to expect. She opened the gates that blocked her way.

A fully transformed Lycan lunged at her. Lia didn't have enough time to pull out any of her weapons so she simply took hold of the Lycan's neck and snapped it in half, killing it.

Next up were two female Vampires who had come from the monastery. They hissed at her and allowed their canines to elongate. This time Lia was ready. In one quick blurry motion, she reached to her left thigh, pulled out two knives, aimed for the base of their throats, and threw them at the Vampires running towards her.

Lia had thrown with what she considered little strength, which turned out to be enough to make the knives pierce and go through the area she had aimed for, severing the windpipes and spinal nerves of the unlucky Vampires.

Usually, she would have checked the bodies just to make sure they were dead, but that wasn't an option now. Lia was sure that she had seen something or someone whip past her going in this direction while she was driving.

Finally, she reached the room where Tanis could usually be found having sex with one or more of his Vampire prostitutes. She heard voices coming from the room. The first voice belonged to Tanis, but the second voice she heard belonged to another man.

She placed her back to the wall and glanced inside. She saw Tanis tremble and his voice falter as he sat down at the opposite end of a table upon the command of the second man.

This stranger was visibly tall and broad shouldered and had neatly tied long, wavy chest length red hair. He was wearing a gray trench coat, what appeared to be the bottom of a dress or skirt, and ancient looking boots.

Somehow she knew who this stranger was but had no time to fully register his name or face when she heard a loud scream. She glanced back inside to see Tanis dragged halfway to the center of table and his right shoulder pierced by a talon, which she traced back to the upper backside of the stranger.

"**_Wings? That is not possible…unless…"_** Lia again wasn't given the chance to finish her thought when she noticed that the stranger was going to bite Tanis, possibly killing him in the process. She couldn't let this happen…not when she was so close to having her questions answered.

She kicked open the door. But before the stranger had any chance to react, Lia had already impaled his right shoulder with three knives. The silence of the hallways was broken by the momentary screams of the man.

Lia ran over to Tanis and roughly pulled him off the table by his shoulder, barely giving him enough time to get on his feet.

The both of them began to run for the exit. It appeared as though the two of them would be able to safely escape when the stranger flew overhead and landed in front of them, his wings fully spread out and blocking their only way out.

Lia quietly met his gaze. She finally recognized him and quietly said **"Marcus."**

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Wooh! These chapters just keep getting longer, but that's all right cause I enjoy writing them. So… did any of you expect Lia to be the warrior type? And for any gaps and discontinuities, please just try to bear with me or try to use some creative flare to make it all work out. I mean my writing isn't perfect. All the more reason for you to review and tell me what you think.

Thanks and till next chapter!


	5. Chp 5: Enough Games

I don't know why but writing this chapter was harder than the others. Oh well. Here it is. Hope you enjoy it.

Azec Sistra

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"**Marcus."** Lia quietly said as she was slowing backing up and motioning for Tanis to do the same.

She recognized him now that his gaze met hers. She remembered the man that she had caught a glimpse of three centuries ago. Something about him had changed though. His once depressed and stoic expression was replaced with fierce anger and determination.

Marcus eyed Lia, knowing that her calm and cold expression and young beauty betrayed her age. He didn't know exactly who she was or what she was, but he did know that she had very impressive skills and was very dangerous. After all, no immortal he knew of would have been able to get that close to him undetected with the exception of his twin brother and his father.

"I do not know who you are Maiden, but I require Tanis' assistance. I am kindly asking you to leave him to me and to withdraw as I have never laid hands on a woman or child whenever possible." Marcus calmly said with particular emphasis on his last two words.

"**How gentlemanly of you Marcus, but do you think I will?"** she replied, never showing any signs of emotions which he could use to interpret what she was really thinking or what she planned on doing.

Marcus couldn't help but look at her in awe and amazement for an instant.

"**Old Hungarian. I must say I am surprised that anyone still speaks it. Even Viktor and Amelia had forgotten it."** he said after recovering from the slight shock of this discovery.

Lia began to laugh mockingly at Marcus and said **"There are many things that you do not know about me Marcus. I, on the other hand, have some idea of what I am up against. Tell me, what will you do?"**

Marcus was losing his patience with the Maiden that stood before him. He hissed at her and forced his canines to elongate, a sign that he was getting ready for battle. To his surprise, though, Lia had done the exact same thing. The two lunged at each other.

Marcus had released his wings and used them to distract her while he focused on throwing a series of punches and kicks at her. After a few minutes, however, he began to worry because she blocked everything he threw at her and forced him to back up two steps for every step that he took towards her. He had no idea she was this strong and agile.

Lia still showed no signs of any emotions, but inside she was thrilled with the thought of battle and was confident. She knew that she wouldn't have a problem making it out alive even if she couldn't kill Marcus. She had one clear advantage over him…even if it was only temporary…even if he was an Elder. Unlike Marcus who had just become a Hybrid, Lia was born one. She had had centuries to master her powers and to come up with ways of adapting to different situations.

She had gotten lost in her train of thoughts just for an instant. But that was all that Marcus needed to get himself out of his situation. He was going to use the tip of his left wing to impale her face. Lia quickly reacted by grabbing onto his shoulders and flipping over him like a pummel horse.

The flesh under her right eye had been torn off but was beginning to heal. **"How persistent."** Lia said, this time allowing her irritation to show. She had enough of this. This time she was going for the kill. It was all or nothing.

The next thing that Marcus knew, he was slammed into a wall with Lia slowly chocking the life out of him with both her arms. He tried to grab onto her arms and to release himself from her, but every movement that he made only gave her more reasons to tighten her grip on his throat.

He had to do something. At this moment, he released the muscles on his wings and lifted himself and Lia high into the air and slammed her into the opposite wall as hard as he could. Then he impaled her right shoulder.

Lia let out a silent scream as she let go of her hold on Marcus.

"**I think you will find it quite amusing to know that I pierced you at the very exact spot where you pierced me."** Marcus whispered to her as he leaned in on her and sniffed her scent.

She was thinking of transforming but decided it would be better to save this option as her trump card if she ever needed it. Instead, Lia leaned slightly forward and whispered in Marcus' ear **"You know…men always did have one serious flaw whether mortal or immortal."** With these words she kneed Marcus in the crutch and followed that up with a kick that put some distance between the two of them.

Marcus could still feel pain in his lower part as he got up and stabilized himself. When he turned around to continue his assault, he was met with a kick squarely to his chest and was sent flying through a wall. The impact had caused the adjacent walls to collapse and bury him.

Lia quickly turned around and saw Tanis with his mouth wide open and trembling out of fear of the fight he had just witnessed. She grabbed him by the arm and broke into a run for the nearest exit. The rumble wouldn't hold Marcus for long.

There were two problems. First, the only exit in the whole entire monastery was blocked by the rumble holding down Marcus. Second, Tanis was running at a speed that would surely get the both of them killed.

With a sigh of exasperation, she heaved Tanis onto her back and held him tightly with both her arms. She motioned him to brace himself because her only option now was to make an exit.

She made a sharp turn and started running as fast as she could, hoping that she could gain the strength and momentum she needed. She ran through the wall in front of her and never stopped running.

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Jon stood on the roof corner of the building where he lived.

He was wearing simple clothing, a black shirt and pants and boots, compared to the combat gear he normally wore. He wasn't carrying anything with him except a shoulder bag that contained a couple of vials of clear liquid, several silver throwing stars, and three guns loaded with UV, silver nitrate, and generic ammunition.

Normally, Jon preferred to wear combat gear that allowed more carrying capacity and use heavy artillery. But he needed to be particularly light for this mission.

His arms were crossed and his eyes were closed in concentration. He was trying to bring all of his senses to their peak levels, which he found somewhat difficult because it was exhilarating simply to stand under the light of the full moon.

He finally began sniffing the brisk night breeze to distinguish the scent of Lucian. It was difficult and he knew it would be because Lucian's scent had been diluted by the day's breeze and the scent of hundreds of passerbys.

Jon sharply opened his eyes after a couple of minutes, revealing his cold, green eyes. The scent was faint but definitely was his.

Jon took a deep breath and jumped off the edge of the roof, making over a fifty feet dive toward the empty street below. He landed on his feet as if he had merely taken a step forward and began running into the darkness.

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Lia roughly dropped Tanis on the passenger side of her car and slid across the hood to the driver side. She hurriedly unlocked the doors and got in.

"Get in now or you'll die." she coldly said to Tanis when she noticed the hesitation on his face. She had no plan of saying this again but had no choice but to wait for Tanis to react. She needed him to react. She needed him to want to live because he was the only one with the answers to her questions.

Tanis finally realized that he would be better off with her than with Marcus back at the monastery. He jumped in the passenger seat and barely had the time to shut the door when Lia slammed her foot on the gas pedal and sped away.

Lia handed him the two vials of clear liquid that were strapped to her waist and ordered him "Open the window and drop the liquid on the road while covering your nose."

Tanis took the two vials and looked at them questioningly before he turned his attention back to Lia and stared at her.

It took Lia a few moments before she realized that there was no sound and no change in air pressure inside the car. She turned her head and only saw Tanis staring at her like an idiot rather than doing what she had told him to do.

"What?" she calmly asked him. But she understood everything when he looked down at the vials again and then back at her.

She explained "That's super concentrated hydrogen peroxide. The smell from that should be enough to knock Marcus off of our trail for a while."

Tanis opened his window and did as he was told. Immediately, he understood what she had meant. The smell of the liquid was so strong that he was nearly knocked out cold. Thankfully, Lia had warned him to cover his nose.

Once he was back inside, Tanis broke the uncomfortable silence and asked her "Does he know you?"

"No."

"Why refer to you as 'Maiden' then?"

"Because of this." Lia said as she unhooked something from her outfit and handed it to Tanis. He examined it closely. She had handed to him a brooch or pin of sorts that was shaped and colored like an iris flower. It was very fragile and very old but still retained its vibrancy and distinct shape.

"What is th…" he began to say when Lia grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer.

"Enough games Tanis. I overheard your conversation with Marcus. Tell me about the key he keeps asking about. What is it and what does it unlock?"

After few minutes of silence, Lia let go of Tanis and allowed him to straighten himself.

The nature of all the actions that she had taken towards him so far had caused Tanis to misinterpret them as actions done out of kindness. Perhaps Lia was not as cold hearted as Jon had previously said.

His image of her was soon shattered when Lia spoke up "Do not try my patience Tanis. I have powers and skills that rival, if not surpass, even those of an Elder, and there would be nothing more pleasing than to sink my canines into your neck."

"_There are times when she won't distinguish between friend and foe, especially when it comes to your kind. Her hatred of Vampires runs deeper than even mine so you had best be careful when being questioned by her."_

This was the only but most helpful advice that Jon had ever given to Tanis. And he could see it now in Lia's eyes, the coldness and hatred that she felt towards him even though he had done nothing but help her throughout her lifetime.

Tanis swallowed hard and began to say "You must know the legend of Alexander Corvinus."

Lia let him go and gave him a glance and told him to continue.

"It was never a legend. Everything is true. Marcus…he is the one…the first true Vampire."

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Answer me, it can't be so hard  
Cry to relieve what's in your heart  
Desolation, grief and agony

Trying to move  
down in this grave  
Trying to believe in every faith  
As another bridge to clarity

Daylight Dancer / Lacuna Coil

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The lyrics really set the mood for Jon and Lia, don't you think?

Oh and the issues about the languages that Lia and Jon speak and the whole entire "Maiden" thing are going to be clarified in the next two chapters.


	6. Chp 6: Reunited

Finally, I get to introduce Lucian, Selene, Michael, and Alexander a bit more. Read, enjoy, and please tell me what you think!

Azec Sistra

* * *

"_Run, run, and don't look back. Never look back."_

These words kept ringing through Lucian's head as he jumped out the window of apartment 408 and landed on the street below. It hadn't been a very high drop so he had no trouble shifting into an all out run for his life.

Lucian didn't notice the attention that he had drawn to himself and to apartment 408. That didn't really matter, however, since no one would likely be able to catch him or go near that place after what had happened.

He needed some place to go, somewhere he would be safe and could recover peacefully. Centuries of knowledge had taught him one thing, the most dangerous place to be in often turned out to be the safest and most unexpected place to be in. He was going to return to the sewers.

After hours of running nonstop, Lucian noticed that the sun was beginning to set and that it was going to be a full moon. The only thing that was protecting him from Jon was the daylight, and he was sure that Jon would soon come after him. It would be a full moon at the very least so his powers were going to be at their peak.

Fate had been harsh and cruel to Lucian. He was born into servitude, his bride and child had been burned to death, and he had nearly been killed several times. This time proved no different because the sewers had been completely cleared of all weapons and medical equipment, leaving Lucian with nothing to work with.

With a heavy heart, he tried to figure out something else. He was left with only one option, to seek out Selene and Michael. They were the only two remaining people who knew the complete truth about him and the only people he could trust.

Picking up on the slightest of their scent proved to be an easy job for him. He was not only very experienced at doing this but he was also the one of the most powerful and oldest Lycans, second only William Corvinus if he did exist.

"_Selene_…_Michael_…"

* * *

Hours of running had brought Jon to a dock filled with wooden crates under tight security. He could tell that the people guarding the dock were only humans, but that was no reason to underestimate them. They did carry decent body armors and artillery after all.

He snuck to the edge of the dock and looked at the ship anchored at least a hundred meters away. The ship was fairly large compared to others ships anchored in that area and had a very distinct name, the Sancta Helena.

Jon took out a headset and called Lia. He wanted to know everything about this ship before going in there.

"**What do you need?"** Lia answered, knowing that only Jon was able to reach her.

"**What can you tell me about a ship called the Sancta Helena?"**

He patiently waited while Lia took out her laptop and looked up the information he needed. He didn't know or care where she had gone or what she had done but knew that he could always count on her for information.

"**The Sancta Helena is owned by someone named Lorenz Macaro. He is extremely wealthy, equipping his ship with the latest offensive and defensive technologies. Why do you need to know…?"** she asked when the sound of gunfire on the other end of the line interrupted her.

Jon never had the chance to finish hearing that last question. He had been so busy talking to Lia that he hadn't paid attention to the security shifts. When he turned around for the first time, he was met with a barrage of shotgun shells to his chest. The force of the impact had violently knocked him off the dock.

The Cleaner that shot Jon stood on the edge of the dock for a while and continued shooting at the water just to make sure that he had killed Jon. After a few minutes, he turned around and started walking away. He took out a headset and contacted the other Cleaners, saying in French **"I just shot a Vampire boy off the dock. Come recover his body and…AHHH!"**

A hand had punched through the boards of the dock and had clung on to the Cleaner's leg. The Cleaner struggled as hard as he could but was dragged down into the water, the protruding pieces of wood from the dock tearing through his flesh.

The Cleaner flailed and attempted to knock away his attacker, but the strong current made his movements useless. The last thing he saw was a pair of green eyes before a hand cut through his throat and severed his spine and head from the rest of his body.

Jon had enough of avoiding the Cleaners and constantly hiding from them nor did he have any reasons to anymore. Lucian was a key to ending the war between Vampires and Lycans, and the end of the war also meant the end of the Cleaners.

Jon jumped back on the dock with the severed spine and head still fresh in his hands. He heard another Cleaner run up behind him and quickly threw the body parts at that person. This momentary distraction had given Jon the chance to bite the second Cleaner.

He could feel the thick, warm liquid flow down his throat as he shut his eyes and enjoyed this moment. Jon let go of the now lifeless body and kept his eyes closed in concentration. He was trying to organize the memories he had just obtained into a single, cohesive vision.

He broke into a run, though, when he heard a dozen more Cleaners heading his way. He jumped back into the water and left absolutely no traces that could be used to follow him.

When he sure that all the Cleaners had left, Jon allowed part of his head and nose above water. He took off his shoes and began to swim towards to Sancta Helena.

* * *

"Do you have any idea of the devastation he caused before he was captured? You know he cannot be set free." Selene said, slamming her hand in front of Macaro.

Michael stood closely behind her. He had no idea what Selene was talking about, but he could see the frustration and worry on her face. Selene was always cold and calm. It took the worst of predicaments for her to show this much emotion.

Tanis had told the both of them the truth about Marcus and William Corvinus. But he hadn't been clear about their potential for destruction. He hadn't told them anything that would be useful in stopping the two brothers.

Silence filled the room.

Macaro was thinking about what Selene had just said, Michael was lost in his own thoughts about how dangerous Marcus and William were, and Selene was getting ready to attack Macaro's unwillingness to help her and Michael stop Marcus from releasing William. She never got the chance because Tyke, Dex, and Bane interrupted them.

The three Cleaner commanders made no efforts to hide their worries as they each passed out a folder to their leader and the two guests in the room. Then they stepped back and waited for some kind of response from the three of them.

"What is this?" Macaro asked them after he examined the report and pictures.

"Sir, those are evidence of an attack carried out by a Vampire boy a few minutes ago, possibly the same one that attacked us in the sewers based on the descriptions given." Bane said.

Macaro and Selene were mildly worried and shocked when they saw the pictures in the folders given to them. They had no idea how it was possible for any immortal to simply carry out such an attack and then disappear without a trace. Michael, however, was about to spill his guts out. The most he had ever seen was deep cuts and bruises.

* * *

When he reached the side of the Sancta Helena, Jon clung on and slowly started climbing up. He couldn't help but think about what a useful ability being able to cling on to walls and other surfaces was. It was a perfect ability for covert missions. He let out a chuckle at the stupidity of Vampires for not using this ability to their advantage.

Jon quietly jumped aboard and hurried to silence the two Cleaners that had their backs turned to him. Jon sneaked up to the nearest Cleaner and broke his neck so quickly and cleanly that he had no time to give his partner any kind of warning.

The second Cleaner turned around and got ready to open fire when he heard the thud of a body behind him. But he never got the chance to do more than raise his gun because Jon moved too quickly for him, seemingly coming short only of teleportation. The next thing he knew, Jon had swung down his arm and locked it into place and followed up with a right hook and an elbow, shattering the side and front of his skull.

Jon walked over to the set of doors leading to the inside of the ship and noticed that they were systematically locked. He went back to gather the communicators and GPS devices of the two dead Cleaners. He dismantled these items and his own short circuited headset and used the parts to fashion a disruptive explosive wire, which he tied around the handle of the door and set off.

He simply walked in and ran for the nearest wall, pressed his body against it, and walked to the nearest corner. Jon peered around the corner and noticed security cameras stationed every couple meters along the walls and floor. There was no way he could get pass all of those without being seen, no matter how fast he was.

Jon took a deep breath as he drew his silver nitrate and generic guns and cocked them. He jumped out and began firing at every camera in sight without missing a single one.

His course of actions had set the entire ship on alert. Several able Cleaners scouted the area for the intruder. Of the few who went to search for Jon, no one came back to report their success or failure.

Eventually, Jon opened a door and before him stood Tyke, Dex, and Bane. The three of them thought they were done for when Jon raised his twin guns and fired at them before they could even raise their guns. Fate smiled upon them for now. His clips were empty.

The three of them open fired on Jon. To their surprise, however, Jon threw aside his empty guns and slid along the floor, avoiding their hail of bullets and catching Bane's legs between his own.

Jon followed up by twisting his legs, forcing Bane to bring himself into a kneeling position unless he wanted his legs to be broken. Then Jon flipped himself into a handstand position on Bane's shoulders.

"BANE!" Tyke and Dex said together as they backed up and fired at Jon again.

Jon could clearly be seen smiling almost as if he had wanted the two Cleaners to fire at him. He defended himself by quickly flipping himself forward and bringing himself to sit around Bane's shoulders like a child does. Then he let his entire weight drop forward, flipping the both of them and using Bane as a shield.

Bane screamed in pain when his back and ass where shot by Tyke and Dex and again when Jon slammed him hard on the ground. "GET HIM OFF ME NOW!" were the only words that he managed before Jon silenced him.

Holding Bane's head tight between his legs, Jon twisted the head a complete circle. Then he got into a handstand position again and helicopter kicked Tyke and Dex.

Tyke was slammed into a wall and tried to focus his vision while Dex was simply pushed backwards. The both of them knew that Jon wasn't above to stop there and they were right.

Jon scorpion kicked Dex, turned around to face the same direction as the Cleaner, and backed the both of them against a wall. He locked Dex into place and used the machine gun still in his hands to kill Tyke.

"NOOOOO!" Dex screamed out loud as he managed to free himself and lifted his gun to fire at Jon. All of his shots connected, but not even halfway through emptying his clip he let go of the trigger.

Jon had pulled out his UV gun and had shot Dex right in between his eyes. The three most experienced and most devoted Cleaners of this generation had fallen to a Vampire boy in less than five minutes.

* * *

"Sir, someone has infiltrated the Sancta Helena. Some of our members have gone out to look for this intruder but without success because all the security cameras have been shot down." a Cleaner reported to Macaro.

Selene was speechless. She had to give credit to this person because even she wouldn't have been able to do this on her own no matter how skilled and efficient she was. "I hope you realize it is easier to shoot a man dead than to shoot down dozens of security cameras with such accuracy." she finally spoke up.

But before either men were able to say anything, the door to the room had been forced open and a dead body was thrown in and landed at the base of desk located in the rear center of the room. Macaro bent down to check the body and recognized Dex.

The three of them looked up to find a young looking Vampire boy calmly walk in. He had striking features that differentiated him from other Vampires yet made him seem so familiar to the three of them, especially his constant vampiric green eyes.

Jon was amazed at the stupidity Michael showed by engaging him in a direct fight. He dodged all the punches and kicks thrown at him except for one that knocked his gun out of his hand. Becoming slightly irritated, Jon sweep kicked Michael and kicked him in the ribs, sending him flying towards Selene.

Selene quickly moved to the side and pulled out her trademark Walther P99 gun. She took aim and fired at Jon.

Her reaction had been pathetically slow compared to Jon's. By the time she had done all of that, he had already kicked up his gun, measured the angle of Selene's aim, and fired at the same time as her.

Both of their shots connected in midair and the trajectories of the bullets were deflected. The two of them didn't even blink as the bullets shot past their heads. They only kept their eyes on each other.

Jon began a conversation with Selene and spoke up in French **"I'm impressed. The both of you are doing a better job than those Cleaners but that's still not good enough to defeat me."**

"**It is truly amazing how calm you remain and how efficiently you carry out your attacks even in enemy territory."**

Jon somewhat became irritated at this comments and replied **"I expected this to come from one of them. But this coming from a trigger happy bitch who spent the better part of six centuries doing nothing but hunt Lycans is simply too much."**

He finally dropped the subject and lowered his gun since he had more important things to take care of than deal with Selene and Michael. Jon walked over to Macaro and said to him **"You must be Lorenz Macaro. I never planned to kill any Cleaners, but I had no other choice. They were interfering with what I needed to do."**

Macaro in turn rubbed his forehead and gave a deep sigh. Then he raised his head to look at Jon straight in the eyes and asked him **"What business do you have aboard the Sancta Helena?"**

Jon had heard the question but was thinking about the ring that Macaro wore on his right middle finger. It was an antique ring with an old Hungarian crest that dated even before Jon was born. So Jon decided to test Macaro by replying in his native old Hungarian, saying **"I'm looking for an injured Lycan. He looks like he is in his late twenties or early thirties. Fairly tall with a full grown beard and long wavy dark brown hair."**

Macaro couldn't believe his ears. He simply stared at the boy in front of him with wide open eyes. Then he slowly answered Jon and watched his response to it **"There is only one Lycan aboard this ship. You must be looking for Lucian."**

Jon began breathing heavily and kept murmuring to himself **"Lu…Luci…Lucian…"**

Then the boy looked up and pointed his gun right at Macaro. Jon began screaming **"WHERE IS HE? I AM WARNING YOU…IF YOU EVEN HARMED A SINGLE HAIR ON HIS HEAD, I WILL MAKE YOU SUFFER FOR IT."**

Michael had no idea what Jon and Macaro were saying to each other but noticed the drastic behavior change in Jon. He was dumbfounded at how Jon went from a calm and cold blooded killer to furious and seemingly near uncontrollable savage. "What the fuck are those two saying?" he asked Selene.

She had no answer for him because she had no idea herself. She had never heard of the last language Jon broke into. True she was from a Hungarian family but she had been born close to a century after the old Hungarian customs and language died out.

"**Calm down child. Lucian is receiving treatment in the infirmary as we speak. I will personally bring you there momentarily."** Macaro said to keep Jon from running wild. He looked to Selene and Michael and motioned them to follow him as well.

* * *

In the infirmary ward, Lucian was being treated for nearly nonexistent wounds. He never realized what a good job of patching him up Jon and Lia had done, not that he even knew Lia existed.

He sat there quietly and waited for the results of his physical. He was thinking about what Selene and Michael had told him about Marcus when Macaro and the others came in.

No one expected what happened next. Jon had rushed to where Lucian was sitting and knelt down besides him. He kept his head down and his eyes were filled with a miserable mix of joy and sadness. Then he raised his head and spoke to Lucian in a low and almost childish voice as opposed to his usual calm and clear cut voice. "Why did you never tell me who you were?"

Everyone stared at Jon in shock. The best anyone managed was "You speak English?"

Jon wasn't surprised with this question. He answered their question and another that was bound to be asked. "Of course I speak English" he began and turned to look at Macaro, Selene, and then Lucian again "but I never reveal my true nature to anyone before I know everything there is to know about that person, something you should know as warriors. Besides, speaking languages that people don't understand arouses fear and discomfort in them because it make me unpredictable."

"I suppose you know who he truly is if you are speaking to him like that." a female voice could be heard from the far corner of the infirmary ward.

Selene quickly turned around and pointed her gun straight at the girl.

"WAIT!" Jon screamed warningly.

* * *

Hope you liked it and will review. Anyways, you probably guessed who the girl is. The real question is do you know who Jon truly is? 


	7. Chp 7: Regret, Doubt, and Truth

I know it's been three months since I last posted a new chapter but learned something at least. Allow me to share with you and with all writers out there. Do not put off writing for even one day because you'll start putting it off and off until…well…this! Anyways, thanks for the reviews, which by the way really boosted my efforts to finish this chapter, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Lots of action and explanation but bear with me please. This chapter is essential. You'll find out why later.

Azec Sistra

* * *

_Grey skies cloudin' up the things we used to see with wide eyes_

"WAIT!" Jon screamed warningly.

Selene only heard a faint echo as her attention was completely focused on the intruder.

In her early days as a Death Dealer, she had quickly built a reputation for ignoring advice and defying orders even from Viktor. Fueled by an insatiable desire for revenge against the Lycans, Selene often went on killing rampages that jeopardized her safety and sometimes even that of the Coven. Yet few others dared to challenge her and Viktor commended her for showing sharp instincts and intuitive skills matched only by the Elders.

This time was no different. Selene ignored any possible consequences and open fired on the intruder. To her surprise, though, the girl wasn't in her line of fire anymore.

The girl had moved in time. Even confined to relatively small space, she had no problems avoiding the incoming bullets. She continued to dodge the bullets fired at her while slowly moving towards Selene. She turned her back to face Selene and, using the ground for support, arched her leg up and performed a kick that connected with Selene's face. The vampiress was thrown back against the west wall. Now on one knee, the girl drew something from her side and threw it at Selene.

_Maybe everything was meant to be this way_

Such speed and skill caught everyone in the room off guard. No one fully realized what had happened until Jon caught the object in front of Selene.

Surprise and fury quickly led to Michael to turn. First his eyes completely dilated and then his skin and hair begun to turn a deep shade of blue. The sound of his bones cracking and his muscles growing could be heard as his transformation reached its peak.

He began to attack the girl but had trouble keeping up with her movements even though he towered at least a head over her and had the combined speed of Vampire and Lycan. Oddly enough, she wasn't attacking him, merely dodging his attacks.

Lucian became increasingly frustrated, indicated by his low but threatening growl and his eyes turning their signature bluish-black. As a weapons master, he felt naked without a weapon in hand and even more so knowing that Jon had confiscated his blade. But he noticed from the corner of his eye that Macaro was carrying an antique battle sword. Lucian, in one quick motion, snatched the sword from its sheath and lunged at the girl.

At the same time, however, Jon looked at what he was holding and suddenly looked back in confusion to see Lucian joining Michael in an attack against the girl. He acted instinctively, and in less than the blink of an eye, he had grabbed Michael by the shoulder and threw him back with enough force to leave a permanent mark on an ordinary immortal. Then he placed himself between the girl and Lucian, holding the sword with one hand and keeping Lucian at bay with the other.

_Will it ever change_

"STOP!" Jon screamed again.

Michael, who had reverted back to human form from the pain, angrily asked "Can't you see she tried to kill Selene?"

"This wouldn't have happened if Selene had listened to me and waited. And no, she didn't try to kill Selene."

Michael was going to say something when Jon gave him the coldest, most threatening look he had ever seen, sending somewhat of a shudder up his spine.

"Look." the boy said, releasing his hold on the sword and holding out the palm of his hand. He was holding a tranquilizer needle that had been completely crushed and twisted by the pressure he had put on it.

_Or are we stuck here on our own_

"Put away your gun Selene. If she wanted you dead, you would already be dead. And if she wants you dead, then no one in this room can stop her."

Before anyone could respond to that, the girl spoke up saying "You sure seem quick to defend her. We might need their help. But what reason do you have to defend her?"

Jon didn't know what to say. He could only stare at the girl and try to sort out his thoughts. In truth, even he didn't know why he had saved Selene. She was a Vampire and a Death Dealer, and he normally found great pleasure in hunting her kind. But her being with a Hybrid and Lucian not trying to rip her guts out on sight seemed reason enough not to kill her.

The girl noticed Jon casting quick glances at Michael and Lucian. She turned to face Lucian, and in an instant, her cold stare melted into a soft, pained expression that even Jon had only seen a couple of times in his life.

Both Michael and Lucian had noticed this and their fury dissipated immediately. The both of them couldn't take their eyes off the girl. The way her flowing hair covered her face, her eyes, her soft expression, everything about her seem so familiar.

_It's all gone grey_

"Who is she?"

Jon looked up at Selene and then took a few moments to meet the stares of everyone else in the room until he met eye to eye with the girl. He kept looking at her, waiting for some sign of approval from her when she finally nodded.

"She is my superior and elder sister, Lia."

He felt awkward saying these words since they would be the first people in centuries to find out the relation between the two. This was even more awkward for everyone else, especially to Selene and Lucian. They knew that siblings were extremely rare in the Underworld. There was a constant fear that siblings would end up fighting to be heirs to a legacy they would never inherit considering their parents were immortals.

Selene was first to recover from this momentary shock and wasted no time in trying to find out more about the two. She asked Lia this time "How did you get here?"

_It's all gone grey_

Jon shifted his attention from Selene to his sister, actually about to ask her the same thing. He had mentioned the name of the ship but never had the time to tell Lia where it was. Furthermore, he had covered his scent and had been out of GPS range, making it virtually impossible for her to track him here.

This was an easy enough question to answer for Lia. The answer was simple really. She had outside help. Pointing to someone behind her, she said "He told me about the Sancta Helena."

Everyone looked behind her and was surprised to see Tanis standing there, shaking and quietly mumbling to himself as usual when he was around weapons and immortals stronger than him. Everyone had focused their attention on Lia and had completely failed to notice his presence.

While everyone else seemed satisfied with this answer, Jon wasn't. He somehow got the feeling that there was still something he didn't know. Before anyone could force his attention onto something else, he asked her "How did he know about the Sancta Helena?"

Lia simply answered "There are many secrets that have been kept from us. Given his nature, did you really think that he would tell us everything?" But Jon wasn't the only person she was addressing this question to. One moment later, she turned to face Macaro and asked "Wouldn't you agree Alexander Corvinus?"

_I found telling you the truth the hardest thing to get out_

Jon spared a quick glance at Corvinus and furiously asked "What else has he kept hidden from us?"

With so many things to worry about, Marcus, the issue with Lucian, trying to convince Selene and Michael and perhaps Corvinus to help them, Lia couldn't afford to give him a full detail explanation. So she decided to show him even though this was a risky move on her part since she wouldn't be able to select which memories to show him. She would have to show him absolutely everything that happened since the previous night.

She brought her wrist to her mouth and bit down until blood started dripping, and she offered it to Jon.

Jon understood what Lia was doing but didn't know why she was doing this. He was hoping to find the answers to his questions in his sister's memories. Taking her wrist and bringing it to his mouth, he closed his eyes to focus the memories that were flowing into his very being.

* * *

"_SONJAAAA!"_

"_Here it is."_

"_Wings? That is not possible…unless…"_

"_Marcus."_

"_How gentlemanly of you Marcus, but do you think I will?"_

"_Does he know you?"_

"_Enough games Tanis."_

"_Marcus…he is the one…the first true Vampire."_

"_Lucian."_

"_How long have you known?"

* * *

_

_I know it wasn't you that made me feel this way_

Tanis watched in fear as Jon continued to drink his sister's blood. Showing him what had happened was faster and better than trying to explain things by word, but there were things that he didn't want Jon to find out. The boy viewed things differently than his sister, and that could prove costly. That cold, emotionless exterior hid Jon's true nature, that of a mentally unstable child whose hopes, fears, and self-inflicted pain had been the only things keeping him sane. Coupled with centuries of repressed anger and his capabilities, he proved to be a potential danger to others and himself.

The vampire made a run for it, but his attempt to escape proved futile. The moment he shifted his body was the moment he felt his back slammed into the west wall a few feet away from Selene, who was forced to take a few steps back to avoid the debris from the impact.

Jon lifted Tanis off the ground and to eye level and brought him closer. Jon examined him, smelled him, and in a frighteningly calm voice asked "What's this? Is this fear I smell? What could you be afraid of?"

Tanis was shaking more violently then ever as he struggled to break free. He could feel the hold on his neck tighten with each passing second, each breath and each effort to make any kind of sound becoming struggles themselves. His body was becoming numb and his mind blank, regaining some sensation, if only for a brief moment, when Jon slammed his body into the wall again and said "If you think you are afraid now, then let me show you the true meaning of fear."

He could do nothing more than mindlessly gaze into the eyes of his aggressor and for the first time, he realized why even Viktor and Marcus, despite his newfound powers, would come to fear this child given the proper amount of time.

_Will it ever change_

"Your…your…sister…she…" Tanis struggled.

"Reacted the same way I did." Jon finished the sentence for him and continued "Yet she let you live. I don't understand why but don't expect the same from me."

To his surprise, though, the grip on his neck was loosening and eventually, he was dropped on the ground and slowly crawled away all the while taking in every bit of air that he could without causing him lung damage.

From a safe distance, Tanis looked up and realized that Lia, still holding Jon's wrist, had forced her brother to let him go.

"Why? Why would you let him live?" Jon turned around and started for Tanis.

_Or are we stuck here on our own_

Lia quickly pulled him backed and forced him to look at her.

"Why? I would understand if any one of them stood in my path. But you? No…you won't keep me from taking his life…no matter what he is to us." Jon said, shaking in confusion and fury and drawing the attention of everyone else in the room with his last comment.

"We still need him. And need I remind you that we owe him our lives." She roughly let him go and said "Would you dare oppose me?"

This was one of the few rare occasions when Jon showed any signs of doubt. To kill Tanis, he would have to fight his sister. He didn't know whether or not he had it in him to fight his own flesh and blood for something such as this. But more than that, he was afraid of her. Physically, perhaps, he was stronger than Lia but in terms of skills and experience, he was much inferior to her. There was a time, after all, when she had been the fierce defender and he the cowardly scholar.

* * *

"_Did you see how I killed this Vampire?" _

"_Special powers and skills can only be exercised through special tactics. If one doesn't choose those tactics, then the powers and skills become weak and useless. Lycans, for all the strength and agility that they boast, lack the dexterity and finesse of Vampires. Vampires, though they are many in number and have many resources at their disposal, are easily overpowered or pit against each other. You have all the strengths of both but none of their weaknesses. But just because you do, it does not mean that they will stand around and admire your abilities. You need to learn how to control your powers and refine your skills. Do you understand?" a bloodstained hand reached for the face of a much younger looking Jon, tilting it up slightly._

_Jon looked up but yelped in fear and covered his eyes at the sight of the specks of blood on his sister's face, remembering how brutally she had slain the Vampire whose corpse was now behind her and then feasted on it._

_He uncovered his eyes and noticed how his sister was looking at him with an exasperated look on her face. He realized that he still hadn't answered her question and so quickly nodded._

_Lia shook her head disapprovingly. How could Jon still be afraid? On the nights of full moons, he entered a fit of feral rage and became a fearless beast while on the remaining days, he was a cowardly tactician who waited for her to bring him flesh and blood. How would she ever be able to teach him how to survive.

* * *

_

_And given one more try_

"You never were able to understand how I felt." Jon leaned towards Lia and whispered.

He switched his attention to Tanis, who immediately became rigid. "Consider our debt repaid. You know the consequences if you dare deceive us again."

Lucian walked over to help Tanis. While he didn't like the Vampire, Lucian sympathized with him seeing as to how both had been betrayed by Viktor and asked "What did you do to anger them so?" at the same time keeping an eye on Jon and Lia.

"I…didn't…" Tanis began, still heavily gasping for air, and waited until his breathing stabilized a bit more before finishing his sentence "tell them…about you."

"Me? What does this have to do with me?" Lucian asked, his voice filled with confusion among many other emotions as his six century quest to avenge Sonja suddenly became much more complicated with the events of the past few days.

_I don't know if I would stay_

Tanis didn't respond to this but Lucian realized that it wasn't his place to that and so looked to Jon and Lia for the answer to his question.

The boy opened his mouth and moved his lips and yet no sound came out. He couldn't speak the words, tell Lucian the truth because he would no longer be able to deny the nature of their being and existence. He would no longer be able to deny everything that happened, no longer be able to hope that he was in a dream from which he would wake up to the comforting voice of a mother, the encouraging words of a father, the warmth of a normal life. Most importantly, he would have to accept the fact that their misery partially stemmed from their inability to communicate with each other rather than her inability to feel anything at all.

Jon in turn looked to Lia and hope she would fare better than he did but no. Even she couldn't speak, but she didn't have to. She had let for them a way out.

"They're Sonja's children…"

Ears twitched, heads jerked, all eyes and attention focused on Tanis, who spoke with a confidence that he never appeared to have before.

_I feel so much better now_

"What?" Lucian placed his hands on Tanis' shoulders and shook him lightly.

"They're Sonja's children. They're your children." Tanis watched as Lucian stumbled slightly backwards, reaching for the wall for support and mumbling to himself in his disbelief.

"That's impossible! I saw Sonja burnt alive by Viktor! She died along with her unborn child!" Michael interrupted.

"Children…" Jon corrected him and brought to attention the fact that "What you saw were blood memories at best. You weren't there when we were born so you wouldn't possibly know."

Selene scoffed at this remark. "You were both newborns then. This is hardly the place for either of you to speak." She crossed her arms and waited for a response, expecting none that could possibly satisfy the curiosity of anyone else in the room.

_And baby begging me will leave you so empty inside_

But a response was given. Provided that it was the most unexpected response and had come from the most unexpected source, it was a response nonetheless. "I was there Selene. I was there when they were born. I helped in their birth…I'm their godfather Selene."

What Tanis said couldn't be true but their look of relief intermingled with disgust and regret somehow proved this to be undeniable. Jon and Lia were both disgusted and regretted how things had turn out with Tanis, a once almost father-children relationship having turned into one of manipulation, hatred, and deceit because they weren't able to see past his Vampire nature and him past their Viktor-like qualities.

"I remember both you and the Elders left too soon to take notice of any signs of life from Sonja but not me. When things settled down, I went to her burial site and dug her up. I found her laying there, the majority of her body having reconstituted itself but with no strength to free herself." Tanis placed one arm on Lucian, who was shaking and whose tough shell was beginning to crumble.

"But how did she survive? How could I not know?" Lucian looked up.

"How did you survive? How did you survive being shot full of silver nitrate?" Jon asked, knowing that simple answers wouldn't satisfy anyone, especially Selene, who as a Death Dealer must have been aware of the advancements in the studies of Lycan physiology.

_I know every last regret inside of me is my own_

No answer came and Jon explained "Your Lycan physiology was fortified down to the cellular level…by Vampire enzymes. You're not a Lycan in the conventional sense. Your cells have vampiric traits but you're not quite a Hybrid. Same concept with mom."

"That's not possible." An unknown voice came from the back of the room.

"And who are you?" Lia followed the direction of the voice and found a man who had been hiding behind a medical counter.

"Leave him be. He is part of the medical team here. He was doing a physical on Lucian." Corvinus waved his hand, prompting the doctor to come by his side.

Jon didn't much care who the man was so long as his questions were answered. "Can we get back on subject? How exactly is that not possible…Doctor?" He asked, slightly annoyed at the fact that some human would find his medical and scientific confirmations faulty.

_The way I hold them close has made me be this way_

"Marco. Adam Marco. Well…based on what I know, the mixing of blood from both species results in cellular breakdown and eventual death within the subject in question."

The boy slightly raised his eyebrows, clearly not impressed by this "common" knowledge. "The lycanthropic or vampiric intake of blood isn't a natural process. It is the result of a virus, which is why the intermingling of blood from both species results in cellular breakdown in most cases. But I was referring to a more basic process…the exchange of semen and saliva, among other enzymes, during the session of sexual intercourse that resulted in our conception."

Marco was left speechless and amazed at the thought of such a complex yet perfectly suitable scenario. But as a doctor and scientist, he couldn't simply accept things as presented by words. He needed proof. Proof that Jon was ready and happy to provide.

"Here." Jon gave Marco a set of test tubes containing Lucian's blood. "I got these samples from my father the night I found him in the sewers. They're not the purest but should prove what I said."

"Can you run a DNA test at the same time?" Selene asked.

_I will never change_

When Tanis, Jon, and Lia looked at her, she only replied with a harsh "I'm still not convinced. There are too many things we don't know about you."

Marco walked over to Jon and Lia took from each of them a single strand of hair. He returned to the lab portion of the room and began analyzing the blood samples he had drawn, the blood samples Jon had given him, and set up to conduct a paternity test.

"Well, while we're waiting for the results, why don't we talk about more pressing issues. Marcus? You fought against him?" Jon didn't direct his question to anyone in particular and got a firm "Yes." from both Lia and Selene.

"You fought against him? What happened?" This time he faced Selene.

"Michael and I fought him this morning right before sunrise. We injured him but barely escaped. He was after this, the key to William's cell. You do know who William is?" Selene threw him the pendant that was once draped around Sonja's neck and later Lucian's.

_I know I'm stuck here on my own_

Jon caught the pendant. "As much as I would love to deny it, you seem to be forgetting who my godfather is. I know, or at least I thought I knew, a lot about William and Marcus." He said, making slight reference to the amount of knowledge he gained from his sister's memories.

"And how did you make out?" He asked Lia.

"I had the upper hand for a while but only because he didn't know how to fully control his abilities. I managed to knock him out but he will eventually make his way here."

"Marcus had a particular attraction to your sister. He kept calling her 'Maiden', apparently because of this." Tanis threw the iris shaped brooch at Jon, who, like everyone else, was wondering why Marcus would show such courtesy to an opponent but more than that, to girl who completely lacked the characteristics usually associated with a maiden or lady. "Can you tell us what it is?"

But Lia seemed to be bothered by this question and hissed at Tanis "Don't go there."

_My own_

It was too late though. Jon had registered the image of the brooch and it brought forth a torrent of emotions and memories that he had hoped, that they both hoped they would never have to talk about again.

"This is the Maiden of Irisa." He said with evidence of tears beginning to form.

* * *

_It's all gone grey  
It's all gone grey  
It's all gone grey _

Grey skies cloudin' up the things we used to see with wide eyes  
Maybe everything was meant to be

_Grey by Yellowcard

* * *

_

You know how I procrastinated in writing this chapter. Well, you'll be happy to know that I already started the next chapter. It's going to be a period piece that ties up a lot of loose ends and things like that. Hope you guys review to inspire me with some new ideas. Thanks.


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