Disclaimer: I don't own the Hollows or any of the characters associated with it, nor am I associated with KH or her publishing company. I am not making any money off of this publication. I'm just playing in the sandbox.

Chapter 4 – I am Under No Obligation to Make Sense to You

November 18, 2012

I awoke to sunlight streaming into Ivy's bedroom, deliciously sore in all the right places. I felt a little woozy from blood loss, but Ivy was surprisingly very cautious and gentle with me when biting. I rolled over to snuggle up to her, but found her side of the bed empty. I sat up in the bed, frowning. I looked around the room for her, but she had apparently left the room silently enough to not disturb me. You would think that I would be used to that, but it still disturbed me every single time. I took a moment to inspect Ivy's room, as I hadn't seen it last night. Like the other rooms in the church, this one had become a lot more utilitarian than before. Back at home, Ivy's room (well, our room) had gorgeous décor and antique furniture; it was a far cry better than my Ikea mismatched old room. Her arm chair was still present but had been moved in front of a window. A set of metal shelves had taken its place, going all the way to the ceiling, with a variety of jars and plastic containers on them. The brief glance I gave it showed a lot of household supplies, from medications and medical supplies to soaps and shampoos to toothbrushes and toothpaste. It was like a home based pharmacy sitting in her bedroom.

Her dresser was still present, with her collage of pictures on top. I smiled at the various pictures present, even the one with Kisten. While I still held fond memories of him, my heart was full of love for only one person: Ivy. Beside the pictures was an urn; it was different from the one we had at home, but I suspected it served the same purpose. Kisten wanted to be cremated at his death, so I would be surprised if Ivy didn't honor his wish here. I can't imagine Ivy doing anything differently for her first love and oldest friend. Despite what people thought of her, Ivy was invested in the few relationships that she held. It was easy to think differently, as she often put forth a stoic demeanor when dealing with acquaintances and strangers. To those she loved, she became a joyous person, with an infectious laughter and a beautiful smile. I had to wonder if this Ivy was capable of feeling these things after what she had endured here.

My gaze came upon a set of clothing at the end of the bed. I crawled down the bed to look at them; it was a simple pair of jeans and a shirt, plus functional undergarments, just the type to wear when running errands. Both outer garments showed that patching and sewing had been done to them; undoubtedly it was easier to fix up older clothes than make new ones from scratch. They appeared to be close enough to my size. This Ivy (yes, after last night, I knew this wasn't my Ivy or world) was a lot more toned than my Ivy; I definitely felt how hard her muscles were last night. Her breasts were smaller than what I was used to, so her clothing was more in my size range than my Ivy's were. I enjoyed being with this Ivy last night; it reminded me a lot of my first time with my Ivy. Just like I was then, this Ivy was hesitant and indecisive during our lovemaking. It was sweet, but at the same time I wanted her to be more active. Still, I was patient enough to coax her into opening up and enjoying the experience. I hoped she was doing okay today…

Leaving the clothes where they were, I moved over to the shelves. I knew I would need a toothbrush, so I appropriated one. I waited to see what was in the bathroom, figuring I could always come back to get anything else I might need. I left her room, only to see my bedroom door open. I approached the threshold and glanced inside. Ivy was there, sitting on the floor in a lotus position. Her eyes were closed, undoubtedly in meditation of some kind. Knowing that she knew I was there, I decided to wait a few moments to see if she would acknowledge me or not. I didn't wait long; she glanced over at me while gracefully rising from the floor. I gave her a smile but she had a trouble look on her face.

"What's wrong?" I inquired. She had the wall up right now, at which I was not surprised. This Ivy hadn't gotten the chance to get to know me better than my Ivy; she was still trying to get used to what we are, let alone the fact that I was actually here. I didn't envy her emotions right now. I could almost see the wheels turning in Ivy's head, as if she were contemplating the best way to break bad news to me.

She opened her mouth but closed it quickly. A minute went by while I waited patiently for her. (Yes, patiently. I am capable of it sometimes.) While I am still very impulsive, I was learning to be more patient; being with Ivy was having a huge impact of my view of life. I had gradually come to feel that I didn't need to live an extravagantly full and dangerous life every day; I didn't have to take these huge risks to feel alive. Ivy helped me with this outlook on life, while I am sure I did the same for her. It was amazing how well suited we really were together.

"Thank you for last night", she whispered. I had let my thoughts wander there for a moment and had consequently almost missed her speaking. Screwing up more courage, she went on, still in a very quiet voice. "It's been a long time since I felt loved…since I actually felt any good emotions in my life. The past five years have been very hard…it's been very difficult to keep going on while alone. I haven't felt this close to anyone since Jenks took his family and left." A small smile ghosted over her face briefly, which looked beautiful. I was glad to see that smile, even if it only lasted seconds. It meant that the Ivy I love was still in there, that she didn't have to sacrifice all that she was in order to survive.

I moved closer to her, taking her hands into mine. "Ivy, I am happy to be here for you. I love Ivy and, since you are Ivy, just not the one I am used to, I love you. I hope to show you that love while I am here."

Instantly I cringed inwardly, regretting my words, as I saw the all too familiar emotional wall come back up. I spoke without thinking, without considering that my leaving would be hurtful. I had barely gotten here and I was already talking about going away, leaving her in the same position she was in before. No, it would be worse; she would have gotten a taste of what she was denied, only to lose it again. I started to apologize, only to realize I was now alone in the room. I wasn't totally surprised to see that she had rushed off with vampire speed; she obviously didn't want to be around someone as inconsiderate as me. The only words I heard from the back of the church were "there's a basin of water in the bathroom for you". It was nothing less than I deserved for my insensitive words.

Great, I thought to myself. I should be used to the taste of my foot, as it so often ends up in my mouth. Sighing, I looked around my now empty bedroom. Like I had seen last night, my room looked exactly as if I was still alive and staying here. There were still clothes lying on the floor awaiting a wash; my bed was unmade as usual. All my makeup was jumbled up together in the basket atop my dresser, sitting beside the wide assortment of perfumes that Ivy had bought for me, in hopes of dampening my scent. I took a closer look at my dresser to see it was dust free. In fact, everything on my dresser was clean. Ivy had apparently wanted to keep the appearance of my room the same while still keeping a clean home. I wouldn't be surprised if the clothes and sheets were laundered regularly and then put back in their rightful places.

Shrugging, figuring I could get answers later, I gently closed the door to my bedroom and made my way to my bathroom. Upon opening the door, my nose was assaulted with a very harsh, chemical smell. I was a little shocked to see it had been converted to a laundry room. It looked like Ivy had started used an old timey washboard with a large basin. Several cords flowed above the room, ready to hang laundry, most likely in winter. I swiftly closed the door, unable to take the smell for very long. I turned to Ivy's bathroom, finding the basin of water on her vanity. There was a green bar of soap beside the basin, along with a straight edge razor and a washcloth. I guessed that, after four years, the supply of razor blades and disposables had dried up. I picked up the soap, hoping for a nice cucumber or green tea flavor, but was sadly disappointed to find it a bar of Irish Spring. Still, I was sure Ivy had had it worse, so I could soldier on. I took off the nightshirt that Ivy had given me, ready to scrub the sweat and grime that had accumulated over the past two days.

Feeling somewhat refreshed after my sponge bath and quick shaving (just to keep me from looking like a were), I wrapped the towel around me and went back to get dressed. (I had briefly thought of going into my room and picking something out of my room, but I decided against it. She obviously considered it as a sanctum; my presence here was unsettling enough, that I shouldn't disturb something that she went to great lengths to maintain). While the sponging got the crud off of me, it never could take the place of a nice warm shower or, even better, a hot water soak in Ivy's tub, preferably with Ivy. Still, things weren't so bad; apparently Ivy had become quite the survivalist because of these strange circumstances. I still found it hard to believe that Walter Vincent was capable of running this show. While he did a good job of getting the various packs into a round at my challenge, it would seem even harder to be able to take control of all of the packs he encountered, especially the ones like Detroit or Pittsburgh or any of the other major cities. How was he feeding them? What were the logistics of moving such a huge army? How far away could the focus influence them? Of course, I never really saw what the focus could potentially do. Between being mailed to me, sitting in my freezer, and destroyed to have the spirit come into my body and eventually David's, the focus was never really used to much effect. Beyond David accidentally turning Serena and Callie into weres, it was essentially sitting unused in David. Maybe it did have the power to do all of this. If so, getting the focus away from Vincent would put a kibosh on the whole thing. I was just hoping that he wasn't getting any outside help, as it would be even tougher to get the damned thing out of his greedy paws. Heh, I thought, shaking my head incredulously. It was so ingrained in me to try to fix things, especially situations where I was involved or at fault. However, taking on an army while alone was a sure way to die quickly. I smiled ruefully, drying off my hair before getting dressed.

I made my way down the hall to the kitchen, my stomach grumbling. I really hadn't eaten much since arriving here; I can honestly say that hunger had been pushed out of my mind by the shock of Ivy's words last night. I was still trying to come to terms with what this world was like, how it had gone so wrong just because I died. Yes, even to me that sounded extremely self-aggrandizing but I couldn't see it any other way. Only Nick knew what the focus was until he told me, and that was only after we had rescued him. So, if Nick and I died, no one would be able to understand that it was an extremely powerful relic that allowed Vincent to control werewolves. Anyway, that problem is far away (way out in San Fran!), and right now my stomach was ready to do serious harm to anyone in its way to food.

I came into the kitchen, viewing again the changes that had been made to what I often felt as my kitchen. I wasn't bitter that Ivy made changes according to her needs; I just felt a strong, possessive feeling to what I felt belonged to me (a feeling that took me awhile to admit to, as I was always accusative of Ivy of the same). To my surprise, I saw a plate of food on the island with a glass of water ready for me. Apparently Ivy was forgiving of me, if she was able to make sure that I was taken care of. It was a quality she shared with my Ivy, as my Ivy had quite frequently forgiven me of my many mistakes and insensitive words. I walked up to the island, seeing to my delight a plate full of fruits with some nuts and carrot sticks. Some of the fruit was fresher, like the apples, whiles others were canned or preserved. The nuts were either pecans or walnuts, both of which grew plentiful in the area. I knew one neighbor had a pecan tree in their backyard, because the wife would bring us pecan pies occasionally until my whole "black witch" status came about. I dug into my meal, savoring the tastes and textures of food that was fresher than stale candy bars or crackers. In my haste to start eating as quick as I could, I missed seeing the hunk of bread nearby with a jar of honey by its side. I tore off a chunk of the bread and dolloped some honey onto it, eating it with relish. I was surprised at how good the bread tasted, as I knew that it had to have been made by Ivy. Quite the little domestic woman you've become, I thought coyly. My Ivy would object quite strenuously if I had made that comment to her, so I knew better to say it here. I was still suitably impressed by how much she had changed, but, as it is often said, necessity is the mother of invention.

While eating, I took a few minutes to survey the kitchen. Gone were the stoves and ovens; it looked like Ivy had taken the time to build a cabinet in place of one that took up the space perfectly. I wouldn't be surprised if it was loaded with food or the like; Ivy was anal at home, so I'm sure that Ivy here was the same. The other had a wine refrigerator in its place that was currently empty. I did see a large metal canister standing over by the sink, a spigot on the lower end giving away its function as a water container. There was a plastic bucket beside that canister, possibly filled with more water. Our old refrigerator was gone, replaced by a large restaurant style double door fridge. I could hear a quiet humming coming from it, so I knew that the power she gained from the solar panels was keeping it running.

I finished my quite tasty meal, leaving nothing but a clean plate behind. I felt sufficiently full, quelling the empty feeling of hunger that I had endured the past 2 days. Washing the last of it down with my water, I brought my dirty dishes over to the sink, setting them inside. Ivy would normally chide me for not washing them immediately, but I figured that, with the water off, dishes waited to be washed in groups now. Besides, Ivy was used to me leaving dishes in the sink. Well, at least I thought she was. I refilled my glass with water from the canister, marveling at the crisp taste of it. I would have killed for a cup of coffee, but water looked like the rule of thumb here. The coffee machine wasn't even present.

I had heard Ivy working outside while I ate, so I made my way to the living room, grabbing my shoes where I had left them last night. Sliding my feet in, I opened the back door to find the love of my life, Ivy, sitting at what looked to be a grindstone, continually turning the wheel at a slow but even rate. I smiled at the sight of her domesticity, amazed that she had changed so much due to her circumstances. I supposed it was no different than anyone else would be; you'd either learn to adapt or you would die. Scavenging would only take you so far, as my diet for the past two days can attest. It was actually surprising that I found as much as I did while scavenging myself; I can't believe that what I found was overlooked, especially when food was so scarce. Shrugging my shoulders, I figured I could ask Ivy about that and other things. Hopefully she's not so upset over my words that she won't really talk to me.

Walking over to her side, I looked at what she was grinding, seeing wheat being slowly ground into flour. Wow! She hadn't been kidding when she said that she had to learn a lot of things. "Ivy," I started, "you create your own flour? Doesn't that require a lot of wheat to do so?"

Ivy stopped what she was doing and looked up at me. I was disappointed to see the mask firmly in place on her face, showing her reticence to share her emotions with me. "I have a few fields that are growing wheat, the biggest one being down Augustine Street where the old packaging plant was. I try to store as much wheat or flour as I can; I'm sure you saw all of the glass jars or tins I had on the shelfs. It's been a real blessing to find as many jars as I have; many people had them in their garages or cabinets full of knickknacks or the like. I did find the house of a pagan; she apparently loved to collect various things and put them in jars on her shelves. Some of them were very odd, but I guess no different than what you use in your spelling.

"Bread can be a real filler when food is lean otherwise. I don't have enough flour to have bread all the time, but usually once a week I will get to fire up the oven out here to make a loaf." She pointed over to a large clay oven on one side of the church, piles of wood sitting next to it. "This is my third year growing wheat; I have a few fields for spring wheat vs winter wheat. I've even got a manual pasta maker that allows me to make spaghetti, linguini and the like. I'm glad that Kisten taught me how to make a good sauce all those years ago; while my spices are running low, I still have enough to make a good pot of spaghetti now and then."

"The competition for Homemaker of the Year is heating up, apparently," I commented wryly. "You've done well for yourself. I wouldn't think otherwise of you; I, on the other hand, would be out scrounging for anything, because I could never get this organized. I'm really impressed, Ivy."

A small upturn of her lips was the only reaction I received, which made me somewhat sad. I was happy that I could get even that much, but it still reminded me that Ivy hadn't had any positive social interactions in years. The fact that my compliments would make her feel validated, a feeling she probably didn't experience much anymore, was both pleasing and depressing. I'm sure she would feel a sense of accomplishment over her work, but Ivy always craved that feeling of love and trust that could only come from another. My Ivy had slowly gotten to the point where she could be happy on her own, but this Ivy never had that chance. After both my and Kisten's deaths, she most likely retreated inwardly. With no one left close to her, she'd be in the same position that she was before my…err, Rachel's death. The worst part is, that I wasn't planning to be here long term, so these affirmations would go away eventually and she would be back at square one.

Unfortunately, before I could make any decisions about what to say or do, a more urgent matter required my attention. "Ivy," I asked, "I know there is no indoor plumbing, but where do you, you know, go?" I felt my cheeks getting red; the price to pay for having fair skin. It really wasn't embarrassing to need to go, but having to ask another adult where to go was always a bit awkward.

Ivy stopped her grinding of the wheat and looked up at me again, the mask still firmly in place. "There's an outhouse on the side of the church." She pointed to the far side of the church. "Just toss some kitty litter in after you go; it really helps keep the smell down." I smiled my thanks, hurriedly turning to the source of my relief.

Coming back minutes later, feeling much emptier, I asked earnestly, "So, Ivy, what do you have planned for the day? Is there anything I can do to help out?" I figured that I could at least be of some assistance while trying to figure out how to get home. I didn't want to be a leech, but I also wanted to have some time to look at books, especially the library at the University. Hopefully they had something I could use. Without my scrying mirror, I couldn't even speak to Al. The lines felt too strange to want to try anything really powerful, like line jumping, so I had to find different options. I'd need to hit up all the magic shops to see if they happened to have any kind of herbs or wands or the like, anything that might be of help. As it was, earth magic was currently out, with no easy access to the materials that are needed. Ley line magic was no good either; I didn't trust the lines to do much of anything serious. Curses were essentially a combination of the two, which left it hanging as well. My life, in a nutshell.

Ivy looked up from the grinding machine, having restarted in my absence. "After I am done with this, I plan to make a water run. We haven't had a lot of rain recently, so the rain barrels aren't nearly as full as I like them." She nodded over to one corner of the church, where one of several barrels sat beneath a gutter. She continued, "I do have a spare bike and wagon that we can take a second barrel to the river. With you here, we will need more water. I know you probably aren't used to rationing, but we really must use only what we need. Even the water we use in bathing or laundry is recycled. I try to waste as little as possible; you never know when and how long that little has to last you. While I do have plenty for myself, I didn't plan on a second person. I need to store more away for this coming winter."

With that, Ivy lapsed into silence, concentrating completely on her task of grinding wheat. I was a bit chagrinned when I realized how much my presence was affecting Ivy, both negatively and positively. Being a child of the modern era, I really never thought about things like water or food or clothes. If you needed something, you went to the store and bought it. Not here though, not anymore. Things still came with a price, but one that was higher than I'd ever known. While I was here, I needed to do as much as I could to alleviate the burden on Ivy. I was already taxing her resources with just my presence. Ivy wasn't always the best with change (we shared that in common); being alone for so long undoubtedly exacerbated the situation. I really needed to think my way through everything here, a trait that I was not used to exercising.

I looked around, hoping to do something I could help with, but there wasn't much apparent. Her crops were calling to me; crops always needed weeding. So, I headed to the row of broccoli I spotted, nestled in between a row of cabbages and a row of squash. Good thing that I loved vegetables as much as I did; I expected that they would be staples of my diet while I was here.

Being in my garden at home was always a satisfying experience, and it was no different here. Once I started in, I quickly became immersed with only the crops themselves being different than normal. I was used to weeding in my witch's garden, full of all the ingredients I needed for my spelling. This garden was far more practical, all being grown for eating. Still, I quickly became hypnotized with my work and didn't notice that the grinding noise had stopped. When it finally did penetrate my brain, I looked up to see Ivy with that same small smile on it. "What?" I asked petulantly, as always disturbed how she could sneak up on me so effortlessly.

"We need to leave soon," Ivy answered, not breaking her smile. "The sun will be setting in a couple of hours, and I prefer to do this while it is still light. Work here can wait until we are back." Ivy couldn't seem to keep her eyes on mine, quickly fleeting around her field of vision. I didn't know if she was still having a problem accepting my presence or if she was actually paranoid after all these long years of solitude. By no means did I feel threatened or in danger; there was no way that I could ever feel that way around Ivy anymore. I knew that I couldn't think of this Ivy like my Ivy. It was easy to do so, but it might be dangerous as well. I didn't for a second think that Ivy would harm me, but her instincts may forget that I am here.

"OK, can I get cleaned up first?" I looked at my quite dirty hands, assured that my face looked the same.

Ivy pointed towards a barrel closer to the outhouse. "That barrel there is strictly for washing up." Ivy quickly went on after seeing my stricken face. "I only use it to water plants afterwards; I have separate barrels for drinking. I do have a purifier that I run the water through before drinking. I have managed to find enough water purifiers so far; I take the filters out and clean them regularly enough to extend their life." She paused a moment, her eyes looking around sharply, before settling back on me. "Go wash up. We can leave soon." With that, I saw her speed off in the direction of the front of the church. Figuring she was getting ready for the water run, I shrugged my shoulders and moved to the washing barrel. I splashed water on my face and thoroughly washed my hands and arms. I would love nothing better than to wash my hair thoroughly, as the past few days had made my hair a hugely tangled mess. (OK, maybe I would love a coffee more right now, but fixing my hair seemed a more reachable goal.) I tried brushing my hair out a bit this morning, but I eventually just gave up on it. I probably had a better chance at finding the ingredients to make a straightening charm than I would ever get this straightened on my own.

Ivy came back, 2 hoodies in hand. Whatever had happened in the front was apparently inconsequential; I would assume that she would have said something if it was major. I took one of the hoodies and tied it around my waist. If we were biking there, I figured that I would work up enough energy to stay warm while cycling. We went to the shed in front, which is where I used to park my car or Ivy her bike. Inside were multiple shelves with tools of all sorts. There were various planting tools as well. However, we were here for the 2 mountain bikes with attached wagons. On each wagon was a large plastic drum, identical to ones that Ivy was using for rainwater, only somewhat smaller. If I had to guess, it was probably a third to a half the size of those gathering rainwater from the gutters. Ivy started rolling a bike out backwards; I followed suit once the way was clear. I had ridden bikes before, when I was a kid, so I figured that this would be just like, well, riding a bicycle again.

I'd like to think that I am in good shape. I run frequently, when I'm not busy on… runs. After we came together, Ivy and I had started sparring again, which almost always ended up in sexy times with my favorite vamp. There was nothing like getting sweaty with close contact to inflame a vamp's senses. She kept me on my toes for sure, for which I was always grateful. I kept a watch on my caloric intake, trying to eat healthy so I wouldn't put on weight. While I still had a good 120 years of life (potentially), I didn't want to do things now that I would regret down the road. Ivy helped here as well, swaying me from temptation with promises of a much better treat when we were alone. Sorry, the best piece of carrot cake in the world would never compare to the obsidian haired goddess who blessed me with her presence.

So, as I was saying, I consider myself to be in good shape, toned with good musculature. Yet, here I was, huffing and puffing on this torture device that Ivy inflicted on me. Getting to the river was easy enough; once we were there, I found that there was a smaller barrel inside the bigger one, making it easier to fill the bigger one. This was somewhat of a chore, going back and forth with a heavy barrel on one trip, but nothing I couldn't handle. It was the trip back to the church that was killing me.

Most of Cincinnati and the Hollows are on pretty flat surfaces. Once you start moving away from the city centers, you start slight inclinations to the hills that surround the city. While the church wasn't on a hill, it was definitely in the slight inclinations area. So, we were starting to go up a hill, toting behind a 55 gallon barrel of water.

Of course, Ivy had it easy. Not only is she definitely more buff here (which I was completely shocked about, but happily enjoyed the benefits from), but she also has her vampiric strength to help her out. I could see that she was a bit frustrated with my slow speed; she's probably used to getting the water home in a far more expeditious manner. I'd see her glancing back at me occasionally, a blank look on her face. Despite her not showing her displeasure, Ivy, no matter which one, could not hide her feelings from me. I had gotten used to knowing her moods without seeing them. So, yes, I knew she was irritated at me. Normally I could brush it off and see what I could do to make it better. However, now Ivy was starting to tick me off. It irritated me that she didn't have to work so much at this, that she could still ride a bike while wearing her sword on her back. Even though I didn't hear them, I knew she was huffing at the delay. While my patience in general had benefitted from being with Ivy, this Ivy was pushing all the wrong buttons. When she looked back again, I was ready to chew her out, until I noticed her face was drawn into a frown. She motioned for silence before I could ask anything, while casting about to hear something that I obviously couldn't. I pulled up beside her and managed to stop the bike, despite the momentum.

Her hand still held up for silence, she seemed to be listening for something east of us; I still hadn't managed to hear anything. Vampiric hearing, I thought jealously. I had the bad habit of saying what was on my mind at all times, even when I was irritated with someone, but usually only at a whisper then. Ivy, of course, could hear anything I said no matter where I was in the house, so I was frequently called out on it. Yes, my comments were usually not merited, so I was often apologizing for whatever rude thing I said. Ivy was very forgiving, provided that I initiated the making up part. (Writing this down, it occurs to me that my comments reflect that Ivy and I were horn dogs, for lack of a better word. Well, we weren't that bad, but we were still in the honeymoon phase of our relationship. Something I was hoping that would last a long time to come…)

I saw a determined look cross Ivy's face as she turned to me. "There are people just two blocks over. Since the only ones around are those three idiots, I know they are trespassing on my land and taking my food. I need to handle this; stay here." With that, Ivy moved her bike to the side of the road, dismounted, and then disappeared in a heartbeat. Sighing, at first I thought I was torn between listening to her and going to see if I could help. Shaking my head, I shrugged my shoulders, already knowing that there was no way in hell that I would just sit here while Ivy puts herself in danger.

I pulled my bike up beside Ivy's and took off down the nearest east-west street. I heard a yelp up ahead, figuring that Ivy had already tracked one down. I ran ahead, using that yelp as a guide on which way to go. I can hear that the confrontation was going down on the next cross street, but I could't hear the words clearly yet. Deciding to not startle Ivy or the others, as it might cause panicked reactions, I slowly crept along the house at the corner of the street, peeking around the side to see what was going on.

Two men were in a standoff with Ivy, both of whom I saw yesterday when they chased me. The big one had a huge gun trained on Ivy, with the bow toting guy by his side. Whiny guy was at Ivy's feet, not moving. I couldn't tell from here if he was breathing but unconscious, or if he was dead. I'm not sure that I would care either way. From my vantage point at 100 feet or so distant, I could still tell that there was anger on both sides, simply based on the yells I was hearing along my way.

"You don't need all this damn food," Football Guy said. "You have yourself, we are three! The little bit we took won't hurt you! We need this! And we will leaving here with this, you can't stop us both! Whoever you kill, the other will nail your bitch ass!"

Oh boy. Ivy hated to be called a bitch; she took that quite personally. I knew this guy was done once he uttered that word. Unfortunately, he might be right in that she couldn't kill both before one got a shot off. I needed to step in, but I wanted it to be a surprise. I had already seen Ivy do a quick glance back; I knew that she saw or heard me there. So, Ivy might be waiting to see if I would do anything before she started in. I retreated backwards and starting going behind the houses there. Luckily, any fences that were there had been removed for her gardens. I quickly made my way down the rows to be at a point where I was behind the jerks. All the time I had been moving, Ivy had been talking, keeping their attention on her. If she put her mind to it, she could argue all day about anything that she felt she was right about. I unfortunately knew that this was the case; we had had arguments that lasted quite a while. Ivy was almost always right, but I was too mule headed to let it go easily.

I tapped a line, spindling up energy. The lines still felt weird, like they were sluggishly giving up the power I needed. It took a little longer than I liked to get enough energy to make a difference. Still, once I had enough, I looked over my targets. Football Guy was huge; I'd say he was a bit smaller than the Rock, but not a lot. Bow Guy was a lot smaller and skinnier than his friend. I didn't trust the quality of energy that I had stored in my Chi to knock the big guy out, so Bow Guy it was. I slowly started moving out of the back, enough to the side that Ivy could see me. Nodding to my target, I aligned myself to Bow Guy and let loose the energy I had been holding.

Bow Guy had apparently sensed something behind him, turning at the last moment before being hit. It didn't save him; I still nailed him straight on. Before I or Football Guy could even react, Ivy had covered the distance between her and her prey. The gun was quickly tossed away, leaving Ivy to savagely bite Football Guy in the neck. I was still twenty feet away from them, but I could feel the pheromones that she was putting off. It would have been easy to just let them relax me, but I shook them off. I knew Ivy wasn't going to let him go this time; she had me to keep safe now, so she was going to take care of any hostiles. Slowly, I walked over, trying to not startle Ivy as I approached.

"Ivy, let him go. He doesn't need to die. You've made your point. I'm sure they will go back to their neighborhood." I moved a little closer, eliciting a growl from Ivy. Crap. She's not thinking of me as a friend, but as a competitor. I'm going to have to convince her otherwise before she drains this guy. "Ivy, I'm not trying to take him away, I just want you to stop before you kill him. It's not necessary. He's just a stupid guy who thinks he can take whatever he wants. Don't do this, love."

Even from this distance, I could see Ivy's eyes start returning to brown from the all-encompassing black she gets when feeding. Moments later, I saw her rip her fangs from Football Guy, causing a large groan to emit from him. He hit the road hard. I could see that his neck look ravaged, with blood coming out at a faster rate than was healthy; I had to wonder if he'd survive that wound. Looking again to Ivy, I could see the blood around her mouth, dripping down her chin. Bow Guy was definitely alive; I doubt I hit him hard enough to stay unconscious for more than a few minutes. The third guy wasn't moving or making any sounds; from the slight angle of his neck, I'd guess that Ivy took him by surprise and broke his neck before he could react. I knew that she held animosity with these guys and that she had become more possessive of what she considered her own, but I wouldn't have guessed that she had become a murderer. No, I reminded myself, she had been a murderer under Piscary. She climbed out of that hole because she wanted to be better than that. Unfortunately, it looked like that she had resorted back to old ways when left alone.

"Ivy, let's go home. We've stopped them, so let them be. It's getting late; I'm sure we still have a lot to do today," I pleaded. I wasn't sure that my words were registering with Ivy. She had a wild, crazy look on her, unable to keep eye contact with me as she kept looking at the two hunters there. Football Guy was obviously not going to do anything any time soon; he looked very pale and was emitting low groans and moans occasionally. Bow Guy was starting to come to, but being hit by leyline energy took quite a bit out of you, leaving you somewhat disoriented upon waking. Obviously, neither presented a threat to us, which is why I was shocked when Ivy drew her sword and beheaded both of them quickly.

I was stunned into silence. All I could do was watch as Ivy carefully cleaned her sword of blood on a rag she had apparently brought with her. When she was done, she stood there, silently looking at the ground at my feet. I had no idea what to say. I had never seen Ivy this way; yes, she could be violent when it was called for, but she had never been this ruthless since I've known her. She seemed a completely different person than I had ever seen. Several things to say came to my mind, but were quickly discarded. Glib nor sarcasm nor anger seemed like appropriate responses to the situation. What the hell do I do now?

Ivy didn't seem to be experiencing any of the agony that was mine. After a couple minutes of silence, she sheathed her sword and merely stated, "Let's go." I numbly followed her down the streets back to the bikes, unable to find anything to say. It was still Ivy, but just now I was given a view into how different this Ivy was from my Ivy. It felt like I had been given a mental slap, one to which I couldn't find a response. Nothing in the story she told me gave me the idea that she could murder someone so easily. Murder… There was unfortunately no other word that I could find to describe what had happened. We finally reached the bikes and mounted them, leaving for the church with no words between us.

It was close to sunset when we finally arrived home. During the trip back, Ivy never bothered to look back at me, even to verify that I was still there. She merely kept a pace that I could keep up with and left it up to me to do so. I couldn't keep my thoughts from racing, from wondering of what else Ivy was capable, to concern over my safety with her. True, I knew she loved me, if only based on the state of my room. I seriously doubted she would ever intentionally hurt me, but now I had to question whether she was mentally stable enough to keep me safe from her if her thoughts ever went south. Yes, I was fearful of Ivy for quite a while, always afraid she wouldn't stop herself from draining me dry if she decided that I looked too tasty to pass up. I never doubted her sanity (mostly), so I felt that I could trust her otherwise. The big question now became, what do I do now?

Once we had unloaded the bikes (well, Ivy unloaded them) and stored them away, Ivy moved to the rear of the church and I followed her there. Light was dying away, so I had no idea what Ivy still hoped to accomplish before it became too dark to do anything. She immediately went to her wood pile, pulling out several logs as well as what looked like fencing. Using these, she started up her bonfire, quickly getting it to a respectable height. While it did give more light to the backyard, it did little to dispel the darkness settling in. Ivy had moved on to grinding wheat again. I had felt pretty much useless in terms of helping around the church, so I figured I could at least help with the lighting situation. I tapped the line in the backyard and summoned my light orb above Ivy. Ivy briefly glanced up and gave a small nod to me; I felt a bit better about her. Still, I had to really think over on how to proceed. I started to move closer to Ivy when I heard a voice that always sent chills to my soul.

"Well, damn my dame! It IS you, Rachel Mariana Morgan!"

Oh shit.

AN - Sorry for the quite long delay in this. In addition to physical and mental issues due to current health problems, I also suffered from awful writer's block. I have rewritten this chapter at least 4 times. I just finally got inspired this past Friday on how to get this working. Thanks for reading and please leave feedback!