Century City Blues (Gunneh and Ana)

[Gunneh]

Police sirens filled the air and destroyed the calm that once was on that night, the city now pulsing to the rhythm of the blue lights that sat atop the police cars that were tailing the black sedan that held upwards of $100,000 and the four men that had taken it from Century National Bank.

"Jesus, Pauly," one of the robbers screamed, "fucking lay the hammer down. There right on our fucking asses!"

"I'm driving just as fast as I goddamn can, Theo," the driver responded. "Jesus Christ, whose idea was it to pull some fucking John Dillenger bullshit to rob a goddamn bank?!"

"Fuck you, Pauly," Theo screamed in response. "The fucking plan was fine!"

"I bed to differ, gentlemen," a voice from nowhere said, quieting the conversation between the two robbers. "The execution was wrong, the getaway is obviously fucked and the four of you are idiots that couldn't find their assholes with two hands and a flashlight."

"Who the fuck said that," Theo yelled. "Who the fuck said that?!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Theo caught a glimpse of a muscular man in a black hoodie in the back seat of the sedan sitting between his two other partners, who had already drawn their pistols and had them both pointed at the man's head. His head was down and the only thing visible about his face was the scruff on his chin and gleaming white teeth. Theo did a double-take to and then pressed his own pistol into what would be the man's forehead.

"How the fuck did you get in here, faggot," Theo screamed, shaking from a mixture of fear and anger now. There was something about this man's presence that unnerved him, like every single one of his childhood fears were coming back to him just because of him. "I ought to blow a window right through your fucking skull right fucking now."

"I knocked for a while, but no one answered," the man said calmly, and Theo heard the smile in his voice. "Honestly, I should kill all of you right now for being terrible hosts, but I'm gonna let that part slide. Pauly, pull the car over."

"Fuck you," Pauly screamed, looking at the man in the rear-view mirror. "Just kill him, Theo! The guy's giving me the creeps!"

Theo pulled the trigger, as did the two on either side of the man, but he was gone. The two in the backseat fell over dead as their bullets collided with each others' heads and Theo's eyes widened. "What the fuck," he screamed. "The fucker just disappeared! Tommy and Jimmy are dead, man!"

"What th-"

Pauly screamed and Theo darted around to see what the problem was: The man from the back seat of the car had appeared on the hood and he was looking straight at them now, his eyes glowing a bright white and shadows were circling him like a swarm of angry bees. The man smiled and Theo could have sworn that his teeth were filed down into fangs, but he couldn't be think. All he could do was scream as the shadows broke through the windshield and caused the entire world to go dark...

**************

"I had a feeling it was you when the car stopped all of a sudden like that," a police officer said to Darkane as he neared the line of police cars that had stopped about twenty feet behind the black sedan. "Where are the other two?"

Darkane tossed Pauly and Theo down on the ground, each of them babbling nonsense and sobbing. "Dead in the back seat," the man in the black hoodie replied. "They got a little too trigger happy and ended up killing each other." The police officer looked down at the two men that Darkane had brought him and shook his head.

"I don't know what you did to them and I don't want to know," he said quietly. "By the way, we just got word that Volte's on her way. She's not going to be too pleased that you scooped her on another case."

"She never is," Darkane replied, chuckling.

[Ana Kingsley]

“That stupid motherfuc-“Her voice was cut off by the sound of police sirens all around her. Tonight was not the night that she wanted to have to deal with this shit. Ana had been on edge all week thanks to her last encounter with Darkane. “I don’t know who he thinks he is but I’m getting so sick of him.” Her teeth gritted together as she mumbled to herself. She had been following the cop cars from the bank using the power lines that lined the city streets. Everything would have gone perfect if Darkane hadn’t shown up.

Volte knew when Darkane was around. The flesh on her arms broke out in goosebumps and the soft hairs on the back of her neck would stand up on end. He was like a damn nightmare come to life. It was no wonder half the people he brought in were institutionalized. The blond female halted in her tracks as she saw the black sedan suddenly stop. Dark blue eyes flashed to a lighter blue as she saw him step out with two of the thugs that had robbed the bank. Electricity arced over her skin as she stood on the power line. Looking to her left, she was glad to see the ledge of the building there was close enough for her to leap onto. Boot clad feet hit the roof hard as she landed. The rest of her travelled down the building with ease.

After years of relying on flying, Ana had to learn a new form of transportation around Century City. While the power lines were great for getting around, the got boring after a while. Not to mention they drained her if she had to travel over far distances. That’s where the parkour training came into play. Ana had met a few guys that were rather good at it right after she came to Century City. They taught her what they knew and she had learned quickly. Of course, in this city, you had to learn things quickly if you wanted to survive. Volte launched herself off of the railing of a second story window, allowing her to land near where Darkane stood.

God she wanted to kill him. It really was too bad he was a shadow-walker. She could easily shock the shit out of him, stop his heart and then re-start it again just to keep on torturing him. Yeah, it was nice to have someone else out there but she hadn’t caught a bad guy in nearly three weeks because of him. What good was it having her abilities when she couldn’t even beat this guy to a crime scene? Volte ran her fingers back through her messy blond hair as she stepped towards the police officer on the scene. “Seems you’re a little late to the party Volte.” He shrugged his shoulders as he spoke. The response he got from her was a glare and nothing more.

Ana turned her attention to Darkane. Asshole… Her lip pulled up in a snarl as she looked him over. “Why are you even here? Don’t you another city you can go play in?” She was itching for a fight at this point. Being so close to him was seriously about to push her over the edge. The only thing is, as much as she hated to admit it, she was terrified of Darkane. She had seen what he could do to people and what the aftermath of his abilities could bring. The last thing she wanted was him bringing to life her biggest fears or even exploiting her darkest secret. To this city, she was simply Volte and she had just shown up one day to save the day. No one around here knew about her past and she preferred to keep it that way. She slipped her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket. “I guess you did okay… “She muttered as she turned to look at the officer again. “It looks like I’m not needed here… I’ll be around if you need me. You know how to get in touch.” She glanced over at Darkane once more before she walked off down the street. In a brilliant flash of light, the streetlights above shattered and glass rained down around everyone at the scene Volte had just left.

*****

Ana found herself sitting on the edge on the head of a gargoyle that protruded from the side of an old church in the historic part of downtown. She really needed to do something to get rid of all her pent up energy but there was nothing going on now and even if there was, Darkane was faster than her with that damn shadow-walking. An annoyed growl escaped her as she stood up and walked back to the roof of the church. Without another thought, she ran to the edge and leaped off, allowing herself to free fall to a roof below. She hit it hard, rolled a few feet and instantly jumped back to her feet. Blue electricity shot out around her as she ran. Ana Kingsley ran like something dangerous was chasing her.

She didn’t stop until she reached the house she used to live in. Some homeless people had taken it over but she didn’t care anymore. It had held too many memories for her anyway. Ana didn’t know why she always came here when she was upset but she did. She slid her jacket off her arms to examine the bruises she had gotten from that little free fall earlier. A hiss escaped her as she poked at them. “God that shit always hurts…” She wished she still had her wings at times but she was glad they were gone. The skin on her arms broke out in goosebumps. “Why the hell are you here Darkane?” She asked the darkness around her. Just because she couldn’t see him didn’t mean he wasn’t there.

[Gunneh]

"You're too damn smart for your own good, Ana," he chuckled as he walked out of the shadows. "If everyone else in this city learned to pick up on me like you have, I'd be out of a job." He walked over to her slowly, his eyes glowing white, but much softer than what they'd been earlier. He looked down at her arm and breathed out heavily. "Tsk, tsk, little lady. You're gonna have to be a bit more careful if you want to get anything done."

He chuckled again and disappeared back into the shadows and reappeared sitting atop the mantle of the fireplace that lined the wall. "If you really don't want me snooping around on you, you should pick a place with more light than this little chateau.. I've got way to many entry points in here... Or did you actually want to talk to me for once? Is that what this is?"

He phased from the mantle and appeared a few inches in front of her, he teeth gleaming white in the darkness. "Did the big, bad hero of Century City want to discuss something with the new dog in the yard?"

[Ana Kingsley]

"Oh they know when you're around asshole. They just don't understand why the feel like someone is watching them. They think they're just being paranoid." It had taken her a good three months to learn why she felt that way. It only happened when he was around. Something about him just screamed at her whenever they were this close. Ana shrugged back into her jacket to cover the bruises he had seen. "Why would you care if I'm not careful?" She spat, pissed that she had come here. She knew the lighting was bad here but this was the only place she didn’t feel out of place. This whole city felt different now that Darkane was in it.

Heat flushed over her cheeks. “I came here to keep myself from lighting your ass up.” She could barely see him in the shadows where he sat on the mantle of her old fireplace. Ana growled at him as he suddenly appeared in front of her, grinning like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. Her hand came up between them and it began to glow a bright shadow of light blue. She could see his features better now. He wasn’t bad looking and the stubble seemed to suit him well but she just rolled her eyes at him. “I want you to back the hell off. Either that or actually just let me get a bad guy or two. Its rather difficult for me to live with so much pent up electricity you know.” The air around them became charged as she spoke. Small flashes of lightning could be seen around them.

“Just stay out of my way or I will fry your ass one day Darkane. You have no idea who you’re messing with.” Her eyes bore into his. The small electrical charges around them became a bit stronger before she brought her hand down and the room was sent back into darkness. Ana turned and walked away from Darkane. This was not how this was supposed to happen. She knew she hadn’t been very intimidating but what else was she supposed to do? Actually shock the shit out of him? Her hands balled up into fists, her nails dug deep into her palm. She needed a scalding hot shower and a few days to recover from her bruises. As she walked out, the sound of sirens filled the air. “Again?” She sighed as she watched a few cops streak down the road. Without waiting, Ana ran up the side of the old house and gripped the side of the roof, pulling herself up onto it. Another leap put her on the nearby power line and she shot off, following the police cars.

There had been a gang shooting not far from where she had been. Ana arrived on the scene in no time and was informed that a gang member had hostages, one which was a child no older than four. Being as careful as possible, she snuck into the house via an open window on the side of the house. She found the room where the gang member was and was amazed to see that he was sitting on the bed crying. What? She sighed heavily and walked to him, snatching him up by the collar of his shirt. “Dumb piece of shit.” She spat at him as she dragged him outside and threw him at the feet of a police officer. “Everyone is fine.” This had just pissed her off more. She didn’t want some crying jackass that took no effort at all to drag outside. She wanted a real fight but it seemed the city around her wasn’t going to give her what she wanted tonight.

[Gunneh]

Instantly, Darkane was beside her, his entire form seeping from the shadows underneath one of the cops cars until he was standing at full height beside her. "He was a bit more lively before I got to him," he said, the smile evident in his voice. "I told you that you needed to be more careful, but you're too damn stubborn to listen to me. So I went ahead and did my duty to make it just a bit easier for you."

He could feel her rage building and stepped away, pushing himself onto the trunk of a nearby police car, kicking his legs to and fro like a giddy schoolboy anxious for school to be out. "Oooh, you're maaaad," he teased. "You did say you wanted one or two, right? I gave you one on a silver platter, Volte. Practically handed him to you with a pretty little bow on top of his head. Think of it as an early Christmas present."

Darkane phased out of sight again and reappeared on her other side. "Or, if I'm right, your birthday's coming up, isn't it," he asked, almost laughing. "Don't say I never did anything nice for you, dear." He could feel her eyes burning holes into him by now, but he only smiled his same toothy, cocky smile, his eyes now burning a brilliant white. "I'll tell you what, I'll give you a little something extra for your trouble. If you want a fight, then follow me and you'll have your fight."

And with that, he faded back into the shadows and made his way back to Volte's little safe-house.

[Ana Kingsley]

Volte literally growled at Darkane. “ I know my own limits asshole!” She screeched at him. The air around them was dense with an electrical charge. The light of the lamp posts around them dimmed and then brightened until they all shattered. “I didn’t one want on a silver god damned platter! I want to do this MY way!” The police around them began to back off, most getting back into their cars so they could get out of the area as soon as possible. Her hands sparked as he appeared at her other side, telling her if she wanted a real fight that she should follow him. Good thing Ana knew exactly where he was going.

She arrived at her old home to find Darkane sitting inside. Well, she was sure he was in there because the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up again. Instead of waiting on him to play his games, Volte sent out a blast charge in every direction. That should be enough to at least knock him into the better lit part of the house. She walked outside to the left side of the house and powered up the generator, causing all the lights in the house to come on. This was not going to be an easy fight for Darkane. He had pushed her past her limit tonight and for the first time in a long time, Volte actually wanted to see someone bleed.

Going back inside, Volte sat on the dusty old couch across from the fire place. Her electricity arcs were no longer a shade of blue. They looked silver and were far brighter than anything she had ever produced before. “Come on out Darkane. I’m sick of waiting on you asshole.” Volte wasn’t sure why the shadow-walker pissed her off to no end. There was just something about him that got under her skin. He was too laid back for this job. She hated how he joked about everything and had that damn toothy grin, like he was some child doing this because it was his dream. She slammed her hand into the couch out of pure frustration, leaving a burn mark in the old fabric.

[Gunneh]

Her massive electric charge knocked him on his ass for a moment, that much was true, but he got up laughing and phased into what shadows were left and watched her carefully from every angle he could. "That's a nifty little trick you've got, doll," Darkane spoke, his voice booming from every darkened corner of the house, "but what you don't realise is that light only makes the shadows darker, and when the shadows are darker-"

He reached out with every bit of power he could and tilted the couch up onto its front legs, sending Volte toppling into the floor and then letting the couch fall back on all fours.

"- I get much more powerful!"

He reached out from the darkness under the couch and grabbed her ankle, though he was certain that, in her eyes, all that would be seen were shadows reaching out and entangling her in their grasp. She screamed and squirmed, tried her best to charge her body enough to be set free, but he held onto her tighter.

"You can't fight the shadows, honey," he screamed, nearly cackling now as he pulled her under the couch and into the shadows, into his domain. "You've just gotta let yourself fall and hope, even fucking pray, that you're gonna hit the ground sooner or later!"

**************

Nicolae hated to watcher writhe around in the floor like that as her fears danced through her head, but he had to teach Anaris that messing with Darkane was a bad mistake that she didn't want to be a part of. His heart ached as he pulled the hood down and lifted her from the floor, his messy hair falling into her hair as he laid her on the couch.

"One of these days, doll," he said softly, nudging the hair out of her face, "you're gonna figure out who I am and those nightmares you've got are going to disappear, but I'm probably going to have to disappear with them..."

He sighed and moved the hood back in place over his head and phased back to his seat on the mantle of her fireplace, forcing his eyes to glow a dim white once again. He sat there for an hour, maybe more, till she started to stir and he switched back to his Darkane personality.

"Rise and shine, blondie," he said, grinning his same usual grin. "I believe you've got a day job that you need to get to, don't you?"

[Ana Kingsley]

Shit! No! This was not happening! Panic rose up inside of Volte as soon as she was thrown off of the couch she had been sitting on. She scrambled back but she wasn’t fast enough. Shadows surrounded her, engulfing her and drawing her into a world of her own nightmares. She struggled hard against it, her body sending off small shockwaves as she tried hard to charge her body with enough light to make the shadows let her go. Her ears barely registered what Darkane was saying as she felt herself pulled under the couch and even deeper into the shadows. Volte screamed out as she was dropped right in the middle of her worse nightmare.

White wings were fully open, fluttering as she dived down to the scene of her team’s demise. Why had they gone at him without her? They knew they needed her whether they liked to believe that or not. Anaris landed hard on the ground to see Nicolae standing there before her, fire burning in his blue eyes. Oh god. What had happened to him? It had been almost six months since anyone had seen him and now he was back, but he wasn’t the same anymore. A storm raged above them. The storm gave Anaris an extra boots in her ability but it wouldn’t be enough. She already knew this as her and Nic went into battle.

She screamed as fire burned her wings, turning her white feathers black. The pain was nearly unbearable but she had to keep fighting. She was there last hope. Anaris shot forward and was able to throw Nicolae off balance. Her hands clamped down on his arms hard. An electrical current shot through her and right into him, causing him to scream out as well. Too bad it backfired and sent her flying back a few feet. There was no fight left in her at this point. She was all out of power and the storm had died down. “Please Nicolae… Fight whatever this is. Please!” She begged with him. In the real world, the words she said in her nightmare echoed out for Darkane to hear as well. He stalked towards her, flames flicking off his hands. “This is where it ends Anaris.” He snarled at her. All she could do was whimper softly and close her eyes.

A loud crash caused her eyes to snap open. To her left stood Ellian, the terrakinetic that had once been part of the Guardians team. “Ellian?” She whispered softly. The brown haired boy smiled over at her before turning to face Nicolae once again. The two fought one another ruthlessly and all Anaris could do was watch. She screamed out when Ellian crushed Nicolae in a tomb of earth. “NICOLAE! NO! Oh God… No! How could you do that!” She screamed out from her nightmare. Her arm was outstretched as tears streamed down her face. “Get away Ellian! I hate you!” She curled up into herself and her body shook hard from the sobs that attacked her. She chased Ellian off and tried to dig Nic out of the rubble but she wasn’t strong enough. Broken and feeling useless, she flew off and didn’t stop. Her body gave out in a small town not far from Century City. There is where she cut her wings off and her long blond hair. She shut herself off from everyone and became Volte…

Ana woke up in a cold sweat to the sound of Darkane’s voice. She looked over at him with fear in her eyes and tears streaming down her cheeks. “I hate you.” She said nothing more as she stood and left the house. It had taken her almost two years to finally be able to live without the nightmares anymore. Her arms wrapped around her middle as she walked towards the busier part of town. It took her almost half an hour to arrive at the apartment building she now lived in. Once upstairs, she stripped out of her clothes and stepped into the shower she had started just seconds ago. The scalding hot water did nothing for the chill she felt in her bones. Tears continued to fall from puffy blue eyes as it all came back to her. She stood there until the water ran cold. Her boss had called and she called him back, telling him she was going to be late.

The rest of the day went on without any more incidents involving her nightmare. She had seen a customer who looked near identical to what Nic had looked like back then, which had brought on a panic attack but she had been able to fight it back. The deep scratches on her stomach burned even now but since she hadn’t taken her medicine, it was the only way she could stop the attack. Night fell fast on Century City but there was no sign of Volte yet. Instead, Ana went home and curled up in her bed to hold herself together. Her fingers traced over the scars on her shoulders. “You aren’t Anaris anymore… He isn’t alive anymore. You are strong. You are Volte. You live to keep others safe even if that means putting yourself in danger. You are stronger now.” She told herself that every night but tonight, it just didn’t work. She wasn’t as strong as she thought she was. The bruises covering her pale skin were a sign of that. She was just human.

“No! I will not let him ruin things.” Ana told herself as she got out of bed. She dressed in black leather pants and a black tank top. Her black boots were knee high and she put back on her leather jacket to hide the darker bruises on her arms. She left through her window and ran through the city streets, looking for something to do before she let the memories take her over again.

[Gunneh]

Darkane sat perched atop a building, the smile growing on his face as he felt the charge in the air get stronger and stronger until he knew that she was directly below him. He stood quickly, rolling his neck from side to side and then he jumped, free-falling for about two stories before he phased into the shadows and reappeared leaning against a building about ten feet ahead of her.

He stuck out his thumb as though he were mimicking a hitchiker. "Going my way," he called out to her, chuckling as the grimace on her face grew stronger as she saw him. "Of course you are, because I've got a surprise for you."

As she started to pass him, Darkane reached out to her and grabbed her hand, pulling her in quickly and wrapping his arms around her tiny figure. He felt her squirm under his grip and start to charge up a new attack, but he leaned into her and whispered, "Hold your breath," before he phased them both into the shadows.

They were across town before he could blink an eye, and she was on the sidewalk coughing up a lung as she caught her breath from the lightning-quick travel. "You'll get used to it sooner or later," he said with a smile, holding out his hand to help her off the ground. "I got some information that something big was happening in that club tonight and I think I'm going to need your help for it. I mean, I know, it's a nightclub and it's always pretty damn dark, but most of the Lowtown Gang is in there right now and I figure it'd be just a bit safer if we both went in. Unless you're feeling too damn stubborn to get brought in on this, I mean."

[Ana Kingsley]

She had felt his presence before she even saw him leaning on the building near her. Volte had slowed her run into a walk but she kept on going. There was no way she was stopping for this douchebag. Just seeing him back brought all the feelings from earlier, causing her to dig her nails into the palm of her hand to calm herself down. Her heart was racing as she got closer to him. She grimaced as she walked by and nearly screamed out loud when he grabbed her arm. Volte struggled hard against his body as she tried to get free. Just as she was about to cuss him out and demand to be let go, he told her to hold her breath. “Wh-“ Before she could ask, he phased them both into the shadows.

Volte hit the sidewalk hard enough to add bruises to her knees. She felt like her lungs were about to implode! How did he deal with doing that constantly? It took her a minute to catch her breath and when Darkane offered his hand to her, she slapped it away and got up on her own. Her arms crossed over her chest as she listened to him. “Oh so now you need my help?” Her hands moved to her hips as she spoke. This really wasn’t what she had planned on but it would take her mind off of everything that had happened earlier. “Fine asshole. I’ll help out.” That little voice in the back of her head told her this was a terrible idea. Then again, she had been working on taking out the Lowtown Gang for at the last five months.

“So, how do you suppose we go at this? All out or shall we be a bit more… subtle?” She had something of a plan brewing up in that pretty blond head of hers but she figured he might have something else in mind. Besides, her planned involved them touching and she never wanted to touch the asshole again. She’d had too much of that for one day.

[Gunneh]

"I think subtle might work best, " he said with a smile, dropping his hood quickly. The white light faded from his eyes, but the irises stayed a cloudy grey colour, which probably wouldn't cause a whole lot of suspicion in a room full of ravers that were to high on Ecstacy to really do much of anything other than have sex. He ran a hand through the messy brown mop of hair that covered his head, trying his best to straighten it out just a bit before he turned to Volte and smiled.

"How do I look," he aksed with that same toothy grin as always. "Not too Ambercrombie-chic, I hope, right? I've been aiming for that disgruntled, brooding emo kid look so that it would fit with all the black and the baggie jeans, but I can never get my hair to do that weird shit."

Her eyes were wide and his smile faded as he figured out what she must be thinking: Something about how he looked reminded her of the old Nic, who he used to be before everything happened, but it wasn't enough to blow his cover. Not just yet, at least.

"Now, Volte," he said, smiling again, "I know I'm pretty, but the staring thing is creeping me out just a bit. You sure you're in the right state of mind to do this?"

[Ana Kingsley]

Was she in the right state of mind to do this? Hell no. How the hell could he look like him? It made absolutely no sense to her. Every single one of her senses was on high alert and caused her to do something rather stupid. She walked right up to Darkane and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Standing on her tiptoes, Volte buried her face into his neck and breathed in deeply. Without saying a thing, she removed herself from him and fixed his hair, making it look a bit messier than it did after he smoothed it out. “There. Now you look more like the guys inside.” She actually smiled at him for the first time since they had met. “Come on. If we’re going to do this, we need to get in and get situated.”

Volte was silent as they got into the club. She was too busy locked in her mind, trying to figure things out. He looked a lot like Nic but he didn’t smell the same. She knew the exact brand of cologne that Nic used to wear and Darkane just smelled like…well, he didn’t really have a particular smell. Fingers ran through her blond hair as they found a booth to sit down in. She sunk low in her seat and scanned the club. It didn’t take her long to spot at least ten gang members all around the club. Good thing she fit in well with this group of people. Her lips were painted red while she barely wore any eye makeup. Her face had a bit of dirt on it from earlier when she had fallen to the sidewalk and her hair looked like a rats nest on top of her head.

A few guys walked up to the table where they sat. One kept his eyes on Darkane while another looked over at Volte. “So what are you doing her with this loser?” The guy talking to Volte had nasty black hair and brown eyes that were so bloodshot it was amazing there was any white in his eyes at all. Her lip pulled up as he spoke. “I don’t know who you think you are but you need to get the hell out of here.” She snapped, seriously not in the mood to deal with people like him. He tried to talk again but she just put her hand in his face. A small spark hit the tip of his nose and freaked him out. I love messing with junkies. She thought to herself as she saw him grab the sleeve of his friend’s jacket. He was all but freaking out as he pulled his friend towards the bar. Volte looked over at Darkane.

“Shall we dance or are we gonna sit here and look like idiots?” They needed to get closer to the VIP area of the club if they were going to get this over with. She really hated being left in the dark on things but at least Darkane knew what he was doing. That gave her a little hope that this might go down well.

[Gunneh]

"Well, I figured looking like an idiot might serve me well," he said with a chuckle as he stood up, "but I suppose dancing with a pretty girl can't do anything aside from help me build some street cred outside of all the cape work."

Darkane grabbed her hands and pulled her towards the dance floor, walking backwards and never breaking eye contact with her as he did. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a few of the more prominent Lowtowners exchange a handshake and move into the VIP Lounge of the club. He pulled her into him once more and wrapped arm around her waist and slid one hand into the back pocket of her jeans.

"It's a nightclub and it's modern day times," he said, low enough to where only she could hear him. "The dancing is sexual and I'm gonna have to put my hands on you to make it look viable. For the love of God, do not shock me, please? Enjoy it as much as you can."

[Ana Kingsley]

She was so stupid for suggesting that they dance. It had been years since Volte had even touched a guy much less danced with one. She swallowed hard and nodded as he stuck his hand in her back pocket. "Don't give me a reason to shock you and I won't." She winked at him as a new song began. Everyone started moving around them and Volte suddenly felt the need to dance as well. Only, she dropped her guard completely, falling back into Ana's personality.

Most wouldn't think when looking at her that she could dance but she knew she was giving Darkane a run for his money. For some reason, she let herself completely go, moving against the male who held her close with an unnatural grace. Her cheeks flushed a deep red when she looked up to see him watching her closer than he should have been. She placed her hand on his side and gave him a small warning shock to keep his mind off of whatever he may have been thinking about. She glanced over and noticed two lower level gang members eyeing her and Darkane dancing.

"Keep this up and I may be able to get us into the VIP lounge." The song changed again, this one faster than the one before. She swung her head from side to side, flipping her hair all around as she began to dance like those around her. Part of her was loving this but the majority of her knew that they were here for business. It was getting hot and she wanted to take her jacket off but the bruises all over her arms were not attractive in any way and would give her away. A fine layer of sweat broke out on her forehead as she turned in Darkane's arms so that her back was against his chest now. "Just keep this up for a bit longer. I know you must hate it." She said, looking back at him with a smirk on her face.

[Gunneh]

He wanted to reply, he really did, but he was so lost in the way she was dancing against him that he could barely do anything aside from move with her to the music and think. He pulled her in closer against him as she danced and used his other hand to tilt her head back towards his own. He took the lobe of her ear between his teeth, nibbling on it teasingly and biting a little hard once to get her back for the shock earlier and pull her back to the real world. "I think we're about to get our invitation," he whispered as he ran his hands underneath her shirt and pulled his nails back down across her toned stomach lightly.

Two Lowtown soldiers approached them and tossed an upwards nod at Darkane, and he replied accordingly. "The boss wants to talk to your girl, man,' one said with a thick ghetto accent.

"The girl doesn't go anywhere that I can't go, homie," Darkane replied, almost growling now, but still smiling. The other soldier lifted up the tail of his shirt to reveal a glock stuffed into the waistband of his jeans, which only made Darkane chuckle.

"Oh, that's cute," he said, his smile widening. "Fine." He wheeled Volte around and pressed his lips against hers forcefully for a moment and the pulled back and whispered, "When you're ready, give me a blackout."

[Ana Kingsley]

Oh holy shit! Ana shivered in his arms as he nibbled on her earlobe. Had she mentioned she hadn't been with a guy for years? Yeah. She swallowed hard as she spotted the two Lowtown soldiers walking their way. His nails across her stomach made her inhale sharply as she tried to fight off yet another shiver. God he was going to pay for this later on down the road. She was just about to speak when Darkane answered for her. He was sending her in alone. Well shit. This was perfect.

He wheeled her around and brought his head down until their lips were touching in a rather passionate kiss. Her hands shot up to his face, palms flat against his scruffy cheeks. There was something all to familiar about the way he kissed but she ignored it. Her eyes met his and she nodded slightly. Turning back around, she allowed herself to be led off by one of the soldiers, the other falling in behind her to make sure she didn't try to run.

By the time they had gotten to the VIP longue, she was back to being Volte. The lingering effects of Darkane's teasing was evident by the red colouring of her cheeks and the light in her blue eyes. She was pushed gently towards a man in a black suit, sitting in the middle of a bunch of females. It was like some cheesy gangster movie back here. She glanced around before the big kahuna cleared his throat to regain her attention.

"My men saw you out there and decided I should see your moves for myself." He said, a dark smirk covering his features. She just smirked back at him and grabbed the wrist of one of the females sitting on the couch near him. Volte brought the girl close to her and began dancing with her even more provocatively than she had when she had been with Darkane. The dance ended in a rather hot kiss before Volte shoved the girl back and looked at the boss. "Hot enough for you?" She asked, her eyes gleaming at this point in time.

She could see the excitment in his eyes. Perfect. She had him right where she wanted him. Just as he was about to speak, another man walked up behind him and whispered something in his ear. "Tell Surgio to bring the goods out here." She cocked an eyebrow at the man before her. He just shrugged his shoulders as a Hispanic male came out carrying a briefcase. It was at this point in time that all the lights in the club suddenly popped, causing a complete blackout. "Time to shine asshole." She whispered into the shadows as she backed off from the scene to take care of the soldiers on the main floor.

[Gunneh]

Darkane smiled and flipped his hood up as he watched her move for the blackout. The lights in the club surged brighter and then shattered, raining glass down on everyone in the club. The music stopped and allowed for the yells of everyone in the club trying to figure out what was going on, finally, everyone kind of calmed down and started to head for the doors, but they weren't going anywhere just yet.

Darkane reached out with as much power as he could and slammed the doors shut with so much force that the banging of the metal echoed around the huge room for a moment afterward. The bouncers tried their best to open the doors, but to no avail. Suddenly, a voice boomed from all corners of the room, but it wasn't Darkane's usual voice. This was much deeper and much more sinister.

"Well, look at what we have here," the voice cackled. "A room full of the lowest of the low. The druggies, the pimps, the whores, the gangsters and everything in between. I must say, I don't know what to do with this mean fuckheads that have so many fears to pray on, but I'll have to do something."

With that, he went quiet and then, all of a sudden a giant pair of glowing white eyes and a snarling mouth appeared in the air over everyone else and let out long, loud roar. Every screamed and surged for whatever exit they could find. The giant face cackled and roared again before disappearing.

Darkane moved quickly into the VIP Lounge, materializing but still remaining as stealthy as possible. Seven soldiers circled around their boss as the whores that had surrounded him moved for a nearby exit door. He took out one, two three, leaving them in crumpled, unconscious piles on the floor. Two of them pulled out guns and began firing into the darkness, surely striking and killing a few innocents in the process. Those two went down next. Two left, but he felt them run away just as quickly as frightened puppies.

"What the fuck are you assholes doing," the boss called out. "Get your faggot asses back here and fucking protect me!" Darkane wrapped a hand around the man's throat and forced his eyes to burn a brilliant white light that only illuminated the man's face.

"Looks like it's just you and me, big boy" Darkane replied with a smile. "What do you say we go have a chat with the police officers that are, undoubtedly, outside by now. Oh! And what say we take this little briefcase and show them what's inside, too?"

"Fuck you, you freak," the man screamed. "I ain't going nowhere with you!"

"Oh, you'll be coming with me a lot easier than you think," Darkane replied, his smile shining out through the darkness, his teeth appearing as pointed fangs. The man shrieked as he felt the tentacle-like shadows encircle him and his world went dark...

**************

"You're fucking unbelievable," a police officer shouted. "We caught six Lowtown gangsters on their way out just from us opening the goddamn door! Were none of them sane enough to open a fucking unlocked door?"

"It's amazing what the shadows will make you do," Darkane replied with a smile. "By the way, tell the mayor that we got him a little present." He tossed the Lowtown boss down on the ground and sat the briefcase on the hood of the cop car.

"We," the officer asked. "Who's we?"

"I worked with Volte on this one," Darkane replied."

"Shit, man," the officer replied, "she hasn't come out yet. Or, if she has, I've not seen her."

"She'll be fine," Darkane replied, the smile fading from his lips. "I think."

[Ana Kingsley]

Volte couldn't help but smirk at the giant face that illuminated the darkness. She was able to use the brief lighting to take out five soldiers while the rest scrambled for the doors. What she hadn't been expecting was one of them to spot her and open fire. One shot got her in the shoulder while the other slammed itself into a bone in her rib cage. She didn't want to alert anyone to her condition so she escaped through an emergency exit in the back. As she came to the corner of the building, she peered around to see Darkane looking back at the building. Was he looking for her?

She shook her head and turned back down the alleyway. She slowly climbed up an electrical pole and hit the wires, gliding along them as low as she could so no one would see her. It took her a while to reach the hospital but as she fell into the lobby of the ER, she was rushed right into surgery. Volte had taken damage like this before but this was a lot worse for some reason. Four hours later, she was laid up in a hospital bed and looking like utter shit. "This fucking sucks."

******

It was 7 in the morning when her boss called. She sighed heavily as she grabbed her phone and answered it. "What?"

"Why are you not here already Kingsley!" He snapped at her. This was the fourth time this week she had been late.

"I'm in the fucking hospital! I be there in an hour okay?" She sat up, careful not to the pull the stitches on her side out. Ana hated her boss and her stupid job but she needed to go to work in order to pay the rent. Being a super hero didn't give her a steady salary. Ana called her nurse and asked for her clothes back. Instead, she was handed a simple black tank top and a pair of old jeans from one of her last adventures here.

Ana practically snuck out of the hospital because her doctor was refusing to let her leave. If her job wasn't so important to her, she would have just stayed. It was too bad her rescuing the city every night didn't pay her shit. She arrived at the diner downtown about thirty minutes after her boss called. He looked her up and down and went in the back room. He gave her a sweater to wear to cover the stitches on her shoulder and the other markings on her skin. After all, he couldn't have people thinking he let some guy beat up on his female employees. Jack, her boss, knew who she was and thats why he didn't give her crap about being late too often. This week was just worse than normal and he was starting to worry about Ana.

She greeted a few customers and got busy putting on her happy face. Jack tried to slip her a few pain killers but she refused them. She actually liked the pain from her broken rib and bad shoulder. With her shoulder injured, she wasn't going to be able to climb buildings near as well so it seemed running/walking was going to be her only means of travel for a while. Ana continued with her work and she prayed that Darkane wouldn't come looking for her. He was the last person she wanted to see while she was in this condition.

[Gunneh]

A bell rang as he stepped through the door of the diner and Nic almost jumped out of his skin. He caught his breath and looked up, seeing one of those little bells that was jerry-rigged to ring every time someone opened the door and smiled, blowing a rather large pink bubble with the bubble gum he'd been chewing on for the past hour.

"Well ain't this just the most quaint little place you ever did see," he almost yelled, smacking on the gum a little louder than he probably should have, trying to call whatever kind of attention he could. "Shit, and here I thought most of these little diners got shut down every time a Starbucks opened up!"

"Welcome to Jack's, sir," a cute little redhead called from behind the bar. "What can I get for you today?" He tried not to laugh as he watched her eye-fucking him from across the room, forcing the action into that same big grin as always and a small chuckle. He'd decided to stay away from the usual attire of a black hoodie and dark, baggy jeans, and instead wore a tight, black t-shirt with some sort of white tribal design, a lighter blue pair of baggy jeans, white skate shoes and a black pair of Ray-Ban shades. He tilted the glasses down a bit further on his nose and let his every day ice blue eyes shine through, flexing his arms just a bit and smiling a bit wider as he saw her face light up.

"I thank you very kindly for the offer, ma'am, but I'm here to see someone in particular," he said softly. "A girl that works here, actually. Ana Kingsley? She wouldn't happen to be around would she?"

"She is," the redhead replied, "but she's busy with some customers right now. If you just wanna come on over here and take a seat, I'd be more than happy to help you out till she can talk to you." Then she winked and he couldn't help but chuckle just a bit.

"Nah, ma'am," he replied, still smiling. "I'm just gonna wait over here till she's ready to come get my order." With that, he slid the shades back up higher on his nose and sat long-ways at one of the booths, stretching his legs out till his feet were hanging off the edge of the seat.

**************

"Welcome to Jack's, sir. What can I get you to drink?"

He knew that voice anywhere, though it seemed to hold a little less anger in it during the daylight hours, but maybe that's because he hadn't found his way to her day job till today. He grinned from behind the menu that was in front of his face.

"Of course you can, dollface," he said. "Can I get a nice, tall glass of Coke? Oh, and I'd like one of these Double Chili Bacon Cheeseburgers, a large side of fries and another side of the leggy blonde that's taking my order?" He tilted the menu down just a bit, enough to let her see the glass nearly on the tip of his nose and the ice blue eyes shining underneath that flickered grey for just a second, but long enough for her to notice who he was.

"How are you doin', doll?"

[Ana Kingsley]

Ana had been grabbing an order from the back when some loud, obnoxious guy walked in. She rolled her eyes at whoever it may have been. “Some people are so rude.” She heard a chuckle from Jack, who was standing a few feet behind her. “Is Ana actually watching her mouth today?” He teased. “Fuck you Jack.” She flipped him the bird, causing him to laugh loudly at her. She knew he was only messing with her to make her feel better but it would take a few days for her to get back to her normal self. After all, the only sleep she had gotten was when she was put under for her surgery and even that couldn’t be considered real sleep.

She took the plate to the customer, a younger guy who was hell bent on getting her number, when Susan – the cute red head from behind the bar walked up to her and said someone asked for her by name. Ana had been working here for a while so she had a pretty steady customer base that knew her full name. Slowly, she made her way over to the man stretched out on the bench of one of the booths. “Welcome to Jack’s, sir. What can I get you to drink?” She asked sweetly. From what she could see of him, which wasn’t much with the menu blocking his face, he wasn’t that bad looking. He gave her his order, adding in a little flirting at the end and just as she was about to flirt back, he brought the menu down and looked at her will icy blue eyes that flashed gray. Fucker… I should have known it was him…

Then again, he was in civilian clothing and wasn’t giving off that creepy vibe he normally did. “And here I thought you’d burst into flames if you came out during the day. That, or you’d sparkle like a fucking fairy.” She teased before she took his order to the back. “I’m taking my break Jack. I’m also stealing a Coke.” He just grunted in response as he went to work. Ana got two glasses of Coke and brought them back to the booth Darkane sat in. She sat on the other side and slide his drink over to him. The wince on her face was all too obvious as she rubbed her bad shoulder. “I’m doing fine by the way. Why are you here? Were you worried about me?” Part of her was pissed by the idea that he could just follow her anywhere like some creepy stalker, but part of her also thought he genuinely cared about her well-being. But why would he? She was his rival and if she was out of commission for a while, he’d take over Century City as their new hero.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come back out after what happened at the club. I figured you wouldn’t care and I needed to get somewhere before I bled to death. I thought that travelling the way you do wouldn’t be the best idea with my injuries.” Why was she explaining herself to him? Her inner Volte was becoming more and more pissed off with the fact that he was here but she ignored that part of her. She was too tired to be angry. Ana yawned and then took a sip of her drink. There were dark bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep but sleep deprivation was better than dealing with the nightmares he had caused to resurface. Anything was better than that. Jack walked out and placed Darkane’s order on the table, giving him a look over before looking to Ana.

“This guy messing with you babe?” He asked, still eyeing the male.

“No Jack. He’s an old friend.” She said with a smile. Jack nodded and walked off. She stole one of his fries and nibbled on it while she waited on him to talk, if he would talk at all.

[Gunneh]

"Traveling the way I do isn't necessarily good for anyone," he said, pulling his drink towards him and leaning in to catch the straw between his lips. He drank for a good long minute before he finally sat back and looked at her intently through his sunglasses. "I was kinda worried about you when I had sat outside of those doors for twenty fucking minutes and no one that even halfway looked like you came strolling out. Figured you'd gotten kidnapped, beat the fuck out of or trampled when the shit hit the fan. I'm sort of glad it's just a bullet or two: You're too goddamn stubborn to let a couple of pieces of lead keep you from breathing."

He chuckled slightly and pulled his sunglasses off before running a hand through his hair, trying his best to recreate what she had done to it the night before and failing miserably at it. He laughed out loud at how stupid he must look and then leaned forward on his elbows across the table.

"I don't want to talk about work, though," he said softly. "I'm not in 'costume,' if that's what you can really call my get up, and it's not dark outside. I'm not the Master of Shadows and you're not the Human Power Grid. No more work talk." He sat back in the seat and laid both of his arms out along the top of the bench seat and grinned that same grin at her. "You know, you're really pretty when you're not trying to kick my ass."

[Ana Kingsley]

Ana had just taken a drink when he called her pretty. For a second, she forgot to swallow and nearly spit out her coke all over the table. She swallowed hard and looked at him like he was insane. Had he just complimented her? As much as she liked it (since she knew she looked liked death warmed over), it freaked her out a bit. He had said that they weren't "at work" since the sun was up so she figured that this was just how he was as a normal person. This was going to take some getting used to. "You aren't too bad either boy. Susan's been eye-fucking you ever since you walked in. She likes the mysterious boys." Ana smiled at him as she stole another fry off his plate.

She had seen him messing with his hair again. He just didn't have the skills to make it look good like she did. Ana leaned over the table and worked her magic, getting his hair to fall just like it had the other night. This left her close to Darkane and for a second, she got lost in those icy eyes of his. How could he be so damn good looking and so damn annoying all at the same time? Ana quickly sat back down in her seat, not wanting to be impulsive and do something stupid. She had done enough of that at the club the other night. Her stomach fluttered with butterflies every time she thought about it. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered why he had done it. It was just a show stupid! You had to get to the VIP area and thats why he acted that way. You will NOT go falling for him! She had to admit, her inner Volte voice was right. It had been an act and she needed to remember that.

It bothered her when lines blurred between Volte and Ana. She wondered if Darkane ever had that issue with whoever this was before her. She felt weird calling him by the name she knew him by. It just didn't seem right since she wasn't trying to kick his ass or wasn't insulting him. "So, how did you find me?" Knowing him, it hadn't been hard. He seemed to have some weird Ana GPS it seemed. He could find her no matter where she was. That gave her a chill as she realized what it meant. "You aren't some creepy stalker are you Kane?" Might as well shorten the name since she didn't have anything else to call him. while Jack might have known she was Volte, no one needed to know who he really was. He'd be amazed by how many criminals came through that door to eat here. She had been freaked out at first but none of them ever seemed to recognize her.

Ana finished off her drink and looked at the time. "I'm going to have to get back to work soon." As if he had been eavesdropping, Jack came over with a bowl of soup and a plate of fries. "Sit and eat Ana. You're shift is over for the day. You push yourself too hard and I'm giving you two weeks paid vacation so you can rest." She wrinkled her nose at her boss, pissed that he was doing this in front of Darkane. She didn't want his pity but the growling in her stomach and the ache in her body made her decision for her. "Fine... but I won't like it." Jack just grinned at her and said he wouldn't have expected any less from her before he walked off to get her a refill on her drink. She put her face in the palms over her hands, moving her hands up until they were entangled in her messy hair. "Well, I guess that means we can talk for a bit longer."

[Gunneh]

"Good," he replied, smiling. "Firstly, I don't care how much I may or may not enjoy the company of redheads, I've always had more of a thing for blondes. Don't go getting all Justin Beiber fangirl on me, though, because I've also only really got a thing for blondes that haven't tried to kill me. You might have to fix my hair a few more times or grind all up on me like you did in the club last night again to get me to see you in that kind of light."

Bullshit, Nic, he thought to himself. You'd scoop her up right now and kiss her like you used to if you could. God, did that kiss last night feel amazing...

He shook away the thoughts and smiled over at her again. "Secondly," he said, holding up two fingers as if to accentuate the point, "you've got to be kidding me if you think I'm really stalking you, dollface. Remember what I told you the other night? Just because it's light out doesn't mean there's a lack of shadows. All it means is that the shadows get stronger, and I'm always keeping a look-out around town."

He stole a couple of fries off of her plate to make up for her stealing his own, chewed and swallowed them down before taking a large chuck out of his burger and doing the same. "Holy damn, that's good," he said, chuckling as he wiped his mouth.

[Ana Kingsley]

She laughed at him after he took a bite of his burger. "That burger is Jack's specialty. Its what made this place famous, well, kinda famous anyway." Ana smiled at him as she ate yet another fry. She found herself watching him as he ate. He really did look a lot like Nic. It still freaked her out but she tried hard not to say anything about it. She thought about what he said earlier, about him liking blonds and how if she wanted to fall into that category, she would need to repeat what happened in the club.

Her lips tingled as she thought about the kiss they had shared. God she hated how familiar it had been. It was like Nic had never died and he was just pretneding to be someone else. Ana found herself staring a little too hard at Darkane and he was looking at her like she was insane. "Sorry. I totally spaced there for a second. I haven't slept in a few days." Her words came out a bit spiteful than she wanted them to. A heavy blush spread out over her face as she looked down to take a drink of her Coke. You shouldn't feel bad about reminding him what he did Ana... Volte told her and Ana could see her just standing there in her head with her hand on her hip and a know it all look on her face.

Ana sighed heavily as she couldn't take her thoughts off of Nic. What would he be like today? Would he still be with her? Bad Ana! Bad! She shook her head, running her fingers through it once more. Why was this so hard for her? It had been years. She really needed to forget. Before she could stop herself, Ana asked Darkane something really stupid. "Instead of going out fighting tonight, would you want to get a drink instead?" As she watched his expression, her heart began to race. While she knew she could handle rejection well, she was terrified he would say no. "As friends I mean. I just... I need a break from it all." Yeah, just keep making yourself look more pathetic Ana. You're doing great.

[Gunneh]

"I suppose I could do without one night of crime fighting," he said with a smile. "Just so you know, though, I am going to have to run if duty really calls, and I think you already knew that." He finished off his burger and sighed contently, pattting his stomach. "You make sure to tell your boss that he did very well." He pulled out a twenty and laid it on the table and then looked at Ana. "Whatever comes back from the change is yours. You're probably the best waitress I've ever had."

With that, he put his shades back on and stood up to walk out. Before he walked out the door, though, he turned back to her, tilted the glasses down and winked. "I'll find you tonight. Wear something sexy for me, alright?"

**************

The bar she had picked wasn't near as loud as the club from the night before, nor was it near as packed with gang bangers, but he probably felt more awkward here because of that. He was wearing nearly the same thing as earlier, just with a black, short sleeved, pinstriped, button-down shirt of the t-shirt. He scanned the crowd quickly before catching a glimpse of her familiar blonde hair at the bar.

He moved silently over to her, trained through several years of using the shadows as protection, with or without the shadow walking, and slid his hands over her eyes from behind her. "Guess who," he whispered into her ear, his signature grin evident in his voice.

[Ana Kingsley]

She shook her head when he asked her to wear something sexy. Ana was about to argue with him, reminding him of the bruises on her body when she remembered the healer she had saved a few months back. He promised to fix her up if she ever needed it. With her new goal in mind, she left the diner and headed towards the nastier part of the city. Ana hated going down there but it would be better than showing up looking like she had been beaten.

*******

Ana arrived at the bar nearly half an hour earlier than the time she told Darkane to show up. Her pale skin was flawless, looking as if it had never been marred at all. What she was wearing had been turning heads and causing whispers ever since she walked inside. The black dress she wore hugged her curves in all the right places. It was staples, showing off her smooth shoulders and delicate collarbone. Her long legs were bare, a pair of black Fuck me heels covered her dainty feet. Oh she had dressed sexy tonight. Blond hair was tousled in a way that made her look like she had just had a good night with a man. Her lips were painted red and she wore a smoky eyeshadow on her lids.

The hands over her eyes made her smirk. "Im guessing its the Master of Shadows." Ana replied as she took his hands from her eyes. She turned in her seat and looked him over. Pinstripes suited him well. She stood slowly, letting him drink in her appearance. She knew this place was quieter than the club and she liked that. Music played around them but it wasn't anything to dance to. Ana grabbed her drink, taking Darkane's hand and leading him to a booth in the back. A burly guy came up and asked what they both wanted. She finished her wine before asking for a Jack and Coke. "He is on my tab." Ana looked over at him and winked.

"Thanks for coming out with me tonight. It's nice not having to drink alone."

[Gunneh]

He could barely think, let alone talk, when he saw just how sexy she did look in her outfit tonight. His hand kind of tingled where she had led him to the booth. Finally, he snapped out of it in enough time to order two double shots of straight scotch and a Budweiser to chase it. He watched her lips as she spoke, almost entranced by the way they moved to form out every syllable.

"Umm...no problem," he said, clearing his throat beforehand so that his voice wouldn't crack, Shit, he felt like he was a teenager again, holding her hand on the edge of some skyskraper as they watched the sun set in the distance. He smiled, a touch of nervousness apparent on his face and leaned forward a bit, sliding his own foot closer to hers under the table.

"You know," he said quietly, trying his best to regain his cool, "a couple of nights ago you tried to kill me, and now we're sitting in a bar having drinks and I can't help but tell you just how amazing you look tonight." A lit twinge of red graced his cheeks for a second and he cleared his throat again. "I mean...you look sexy. Yeah, that's the not awkward thing to say, right?"

The waiter brought them their drinks and he downed the two shots quickly, hoping the burn of the liquor would kill his awkwardness enough to make the night go smoothly. "So, I notice you don't have the bruises anymore. Call in a favour from someone?"

[Ana Kingsley]

The trace of pink on his cheeks caused her to smirk. "You nervous love?" She asked as she got more comfortable in her seat. She lightly rubbed her leg against his as a small tease. When the man came back with their drinks, she sipped on hers slowly. "Its not awkward at all. You look damn good in that shirt boy." Ana giggled. She was already feeling the effects of the small amount of alcohol she had ingested.

"I got Quin in Lowtown to fix me up. He owes me for saving his ass not long ago. I don't normally go to him. Some sick part of me enjoys the bruises and the scars but I figured I could do without the stares tonight." She ran her finger across her collarbone slowly. Ana used to have a deep scar there but Quin was a highly gifted healer. She looked down at her drink before finishing it off in one gulp. The guy came back and she ordered a round of random shots, telling him to surprise her. This was bound to be fun.

Ana rubbed her legs against his again, smiling at she did. "You remind me so much of someone I once knew. It's kinda weird ya know." She shrugged her slender shoulders. "But he is long gone and I need to accept that." The shots came and she downed one, loving the burn in the back of her throat. "Am I talking too much? Im sorry if I am." Another shot and her head was spinning. Perfect. She let out a giggle as she placed the shot glass upside down on the table between them. Her eyes met his, a longing in hers that he wasn't meant to see. "Just remember Darkane... I'm not Volte right now. Just Ana. Believe it or not, we are almost two separate people." She giggled again softly, trying to ignore the other voice in her mind.

[Gunneh]

He'd be lying if he tried to say that he wasn't feeling just a bit buzzed from his own shots, but he popped the top on his beer and took a full swig anyway. He responded to her rubbing her legs against his by doing the same.

"I kind of figured as much," he said, taking another gulp from his beer. "I don't think Volte would exactly want me here. I do happen to like being around Ana, though. She's a whole lot nicer and seems just a bit more naughty, especially when she's had a few drinks."

What the fuck are you doing, Nic thought. This is a terrible idea. You know exactly what that look in her eyes means, don't you? She wants you. She wants you bad. But you want her, too, don't you? Except she wouldn't be climbing into bed with you. She'd be climbing into bed with Darkane.

Nic silenced the thoughts quickly and finished his beer, reaching across the table to brush a stray piece of hair behind her ear, letting the skin of his hand graze slowly along the side of her face, his heart rate speeding up as she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. "So tell me what you're thinking," he said, smirking just a bit. "You look like you've got something on your mind, and I'm willing to listen."

[Ana Kingsley]

She leaned into his touch, loving how his skin felt against her own. "Mmm. Volte is mad at me. She keeps reminding me what you did to me, to us. I really should loathe you but I can't bring myself to. You brought back nightmares it took years for me to rid myself of. I haven't slept since that night and I am scared of sleeping tonight." Her eyes bore into his as she confessed how she truly felt. Alcohol always made her so truthful. "I feel the need to be around you when I'm just me. God, you remind me so much of him. It nearly kills me." Ana downed another shot, wincing as it went down.

"I'm sorry. Ive talked way too much." She took his hand in her own, placing light kisses on his knuckles. "I should probably have someone call me a taxi. There is no way I can get home on my own tonight." She smiled at him as she held his hand above the table. "As much ad I'd love to go hone with you, it wouldnt be a good idea. I think I'd regret it..." She bit her lip hard between her teeth as tears stung her eyes. Fucking alcohol. This had really been a bad idea.

Ana grabbed a few bills from the side of her bra. She dropped them on the table and moved away from Darkane. She mumbled an apology as she got up, stumbling over to the bar to have the bartender call a cab for her. Taking one last look back at him, she stumbled out of the bar and onto the street. Out there, she let a few tears fall as she waited in her cab. It arrived sooner than she thought and soon she was on her way home to a night of tossing and turning as she fought the demons of her past.

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