Can't You Help Me As I'm Starting to Burn?

[Rand O'Neill]

Rand's eyes took in the death and destruction that Vanessa had left in her wake. Stepping out from under the overhanging roof of the bar, Rand pulled his cloak a little tighter around himself. Now, the sight of dead people...brutally murdered, would be enough to unnerve anyone, but Rand had seen it all...rather, he recalled seeing it all. It seemed that most of his male ancestors had seen death before. In essence, Rand was used to death.

He shook his head in distaste nonetheless. A cry pierced the night and Rand took off in a quick paced walk towards the sound of it. Rand came upon Vanessa and her prey, a young man, no older than twenty-five. His eyes widened as he saw Rand approaching. Once again, Rand found himself flinching as gunfire blazed in the small alleyway. The rounds bounced off of Vanessa's barrier, richocheting off in multiple directions. Then, suddenly, it stopped...only to be replaced by the sound of laughter...maniacal, raspy, evil laughter. Vanessa's.

'Click, click'. Empty round. The sound of screeching tires met Rand's ears for the second time that night as backup arrived. Two Lincolns, a black and a green, rolled up to the curb. Eight doors opened between the two cars, followed by gunfire. Rand ducked behind a dumpster, concentrating hard. Blinding white light erupted from his hands, signaling the arrival of two psionic blades. Her heard a whimper from Vanessa's quarry, but didn't spare a glance.

Bullets tore into the alleyways' brick walls. Picking his head up slightly, he threw his knives into the general direction of the gunmen. Cries of pain met his ears, signaling that his aim was true. The gunfire halted, the sound of empty cartridges hitting pavement brought a smile to his face. Stepping out, he summoned two more blades of energy, throwing them at his attackers. Another went down, but his other blade struck the car, leaving a burnt hole. Blood washed and mixed with the pouring rain.

Rand was deep inside of himself, summoning all his energies to bear. Blades appeared and flew through the air so fast, it was unbeliveable. He didn't even realize the cop sirens until each and every last one of the gunmen were lying on the ground, torn, burning, and broken.

He breathed slowly and turned back to Vanessa.
["C'mon, let's have some fun"], he said in a long dead dialect.

[vanessa]

Vanessa seen the cars which arrived as back-up for her would be assassins long before she ever heard anything. All Vanessa could hear right now was the sound of her heart beat in her own ears...and that unquenchable screech of Abigael's voice. Her right eye twitched and the corner of her mouth jerked up in response as she watched gunman after gunman pour forth from the two cars which now were sitting, motors running, outside the bar. She kept one hand out in front of her, her barrier fully erected and in place while in her other hand she loosely held a set of throwing knives. Guns would have been quicker, but tonight she was without any....strange yes, but hey, thems the breaks.

Rand rounded the corner and Vanessa's dark eyes darted toward him, her smile crooked and disturbing. The Black Rook could fully handle himself, hence his title and acceptance into the Hellfire Club's inner circle, so she wasn't too worried about him, instead being worried about being cheated of her body count. She stopped just at the end of the alleyway, smiling as she watched Rand dispatch the 'back-up' with ease. Bodies fell everywhere and Vanessa dropped her hand, her barrier falling as well, she herself seeing no need to have any worry anymore.

The sound of police sirens soon filled the air and as much as Vanessa would have enjoyed such a workout, she wasn't no where near equipped for such things, plus her profile had to be kept as low as possible because Sebastian so hated covering up her tracks for her. The siren's soon became nothing but background noise as she heard the strange words uttered from Rand's lips, a bunch of muttering nothing as far as she could tell. "English Rand....English," she said as she carefully tucked away her small throwing knives. "We gotta go," she muttered as she pulled a set of keys from her pocket and fumbled with them, staggering off in the direction of a beat up green El Camino.

[Rand O'Neill]

"English Rand....English,"

English? What was she talking about, was she really that drunk that she didn't know he was speaking English? He opened his mouth to protest, but caught himself just in time. He thought back to what he had just said moments before.

Damn, did it again, he thought. The sirens were getting closer, and the rain had began to fall harder...if that was possible. Thunder rolled somewhere in the distance, odd for this time of year... but the weather was ever changing and unpredictable. Vanessa tucked her knives away, suprisingly.

"We gotta go,"

His jaw dropped.

Vanessa Madison, Assassin of the Hellfire Club, was backing down from a fight with sapiens?

"Are you going soft on me, Vanessa?" he asked as he began to follow her to her car, a green El Camino.

The police pulled up to the bar, which now resembled something off of an action-movie-set. Stained glass windows were shattered partially, leaving only: ancy's ar nd Gril (Nancy's Bar and Grill) in fancy, curly lettering. The walls were bullet ridden and splintered in many places. A hard, authoratative(is that how you spell it?) voice came over a megaphone.

"Surrender Mutants, we have you surrounded."

Rand snickered.

[vanessa]

Vanessa stopped dead in her tracks just as she reached her car, shooting Rand a rather mischievous smile, the keys in her hand just inches from the lock and a hasty escape. Carnage and gore wasn't what Vanessa was all about, pain yes, but mindless violence....not really. Sure, with Rand at her side for this, she could take down this small force of police officers, but not even she could take down the entire police force. Wave after wave would be sent her way and enhanced stamina or not, eventually her mind would give out and then all the pain and darkness would take over. Death wasn't a fear for Vanessa, hell she shook hands with it everyday, but she did fear being locked up again, facing day after day in the bleakness of that small cramped cell. No, Vanessa would not be a prisoner again, she wouldn't be anyone else's little guinea pig.

"If you want to stay here and take down the entire police force, not to mention the mutant task force which will inevitably follow that, then be my guest Rand," she said as her key slid into the door lock with a slight 'click'. "Just remember, Sebastian frowns on bad press like this, and I for one don't want to really piss him off right now, I mean, he is paying the bills," she said rather sarcastically but found herself cut short and stopped from saying anything else. The police had showed up in record time this time around and they were already demanding a surrender.

With a low sigh and what appeared to be a laugh, Vanessa turned her keys and let her door swing open, her head dropped somewhat and she reached into the bed of the El Camino, pulling back a tarp of sorts. "Let me show you why Sebastian keeps me around," she said looking up to Rand once again as she drew four small disks from a lock box which was bolted to the bed. As she turned wildly, she flung two disks from each hand, her personal barrier going up almost simultaneously. "Shit!," one of the officers muttered over the megaphone just as the rest opened fire on Vanessa and Rand. The disks each found their mark, magnetically drawn to the cop cars, violently exploding, sending the cars and several officers rising into the air with burning flame and metal. The hail of gunfire stopped for a moment and all grew silent save for the roar of fire and the sound of falling police cars and bodies. "Time to go Rand," Vanessa said as she dropped her barrier and slid into the drivers seat, unlocking Rand's side as well. A bright spot light suddenly illuminated the car and surrounding area, followed by the sound of a helicopter.

[Rand O'Neill]

"If you want to stay here and take down the entire police force, not to mention the mutant task force which will inevitably follow that, then be my guest Rand,"

Rand knew that the police were no match for he and Vanessa, but the police and the mutant task force together? He had to shake his head in disappointment. He didn't want to take any chances...who knew, they might have been armed with cure weapons...and he for one didn't fancy being genetically neutered. Rand couldn't even think of life not being a mutant...it seemed that he had had his gifts since as far back as 'he' could remember.

"Just remember, Sebastian frowns on bad press like this, and I for one don't want to really piss him off right now, I mean, he is paying the bills,"

She was right. Burn her, she was right. Sebastian was his benefactor...not to mention he was not someone to cross. Rand had seen this first hand...He winced in acknowledgement, recalling the last time someone had made the Black King angry. He watched as Vanessa reached into the back of her vehicle, revealing four metallic disks, whose purpose, he did not know. Rand could only guess that they weren't things meant for good deeds. The police had formed a semi-circle around their cars, whose lights were still flashing, creating blue and red patterns on the walls of Nancy's. The rain was also tinted in shades of blue and red.

Without warning, Vanessa flung two of the disks in the direction of the police cars. Rand watched in astonishment as they propelled through the air, seemingly attracted to the police squad's cars. The disks attached themselves to the cars and exploded instantly on contact. Rand, stunned, could only watch as fire erupted, glass shattered, cars were utterly ripped into separate pieces as doors, hoods, and tires flew in every direction. He could feel the fire's heat, hear the hissing flames as rain pelted down. It was a very bright spectacle to behold, and he pulled his drenched hat down a bit further.

"Time to go Rand,"

The Black Rook turned slowly and met her gaze. He realized that his mouth was open, and quickly closed it, nodding. He thought he heard something above him...like the sound of a large fan rotating in the night. Rand tried to look up, but the rain was coming down in his eyes. Vanessa slid into the driver's seat, unlocking the passenger door for him. Quickly, he scurried over to the door and hopped in himself.

Slamming the door, he said with a mischevious grin and so much sarcasm that it was impossible to miss, "So much for the non-lethal escape. Sebastian is not going to like this at all."

[vanessa]

As soon as Rand fell into his seat, Vanessa slid down in her seat and started the car, her door swinging closed on shear momentum alone. Bright light from the helicopter spot light flooded the car and Vanessa cursed under her breath as she squinted her eyes and slammed the car into drive. "Well, he definitely isn't going to like this then," she said with a crooked smile as her foot pressed the accelerator flat against the floor board. The tires squealed and smoke rose up briefly, the smell of burnt rubber only added to the rancid smoke and burnt flesh smell that hung there now. The El Camino lurched forward and tore off up the street, Vanessa's headlights barely doing her any good considering the slightly intoxicated state she was already in, perhaps Rand should have drove home.....but then again, she doubted Rand was the high speed getaway type.

Jerking the wheel sharply to the right, the El Camino slipped to the right, the back end coming around slightly as Vanessa let off the gas just slightly and long enough to straighten the car back out. A small beat up VW Bug was parked along side the road and as Vanessa came around, she clipped it, breaking off the side mirror, along with her own and swapping a bit more paint that was wanted. "Fuck, I just waxed this thing!," she exclaimed, as if the rampant getaway was a trivial thing and the paint job on her piece of crap El Camino was more important.

The helicopter overhead stayed with them easy enough, not having to worry about twists and turns as Vanessa did. The spotlight was glued to them, unrelenting and unmerciful, but that was about to change. "Hold on Rand," she muttered as she killed the lights and slammed on her brakes, jerking the wheel sharply to the left, sending the El Camino sideways. Then slamming the car into reverse, Vanessa turned around and pressed the accelerator to the floor again, quickly backing into what looked like a dead end alley. Her face was twisted in some sort of smile, as if she was enjoying this little chase, like some demented kid on Christmas Eve as they waited for Santa Claus.

The car crashed through a wooden barrier, sending chunks of wood flying through the air and raining down on the room and filling the bed somewhat. Vanessa giggled and jerked the wheel sharply again, spinning the car back around in the direction they had just come from. Two clicks sounded that she was back in drive and her tires squealed again, rocketing both of them back down the road, only this time, Vanessa took a left about two blocks from Nancy's and headed down a dirty one way street, taking refuge under the overpasses.

The helicopter could still be heard and seen in the distance as Vanessa pulled up under the overpass and parked beside a concrete pillar, killing the engine. She leaned forward and put her chin on the steering wheel looking around with a smile still on her face. "We'll wait it out for a bit, then we'll head back out," she said, leaning back in her seat and closing her eyes, her small tiny fingers releasing the steering wheel and her hands falling to her lap casually.

[Rand O'Neill]

Vanessa started the car, saying: "Well, he definitely isn't going to like this then" with that smile that was unique to only her. She floored the accelerator, tires squealing, and they sped off into the rainy night. Rand scrambled for his seat belt, which he found didn't exactly work, so he sat there, holding on for dear life as Vanessa swerved in her semi-drunken state. Great, I just survived an ambush and a squadron of police, now I'm going to die on the getaway home.

They came around a corner, heading directly for a VW Bug. "Oh, shi-", he was cut off as she clipped the car, breaking off the side mirror, and trading some paint.

"Fuck, I just waxed this thing!,"

Rand looked over at her with a very skeptical look, shaking his head in amusement. The collision hadn't halted their momentum very much, for they continued their getaway at high speed. The light from the helicopter stayed on them like white on rice, and he knew Vanessa was doing all she could to escape it's gaze. Rand heard her mutter something, but couldn't quite catch the words as she slammed the breaks, sending him hurtling foward to bash his head on the dashboard. Temporarily stunned, pinpoints of light danced across his vision.

His body was snapped back into the seat as Vanessa thrust the truck into reverse. Rand barely held on as she then floored the accelerator once more. Glancing over, he saw Vanessa with that same demented smile on her face. Blinking his eyes slowly, he tried to rid himself of the hazy state he seemed to be in after banging his head on the dashboard. It was a bumpy ride as Vanessa continued her path of destruction with the El Camino, sending them barreling through some sort of barrier.

Tires squealed as Vanessa jerked the wheel suddenly back toward Nancy's, her mad giggling filled the truck and Rand held on to the hand hold overtop the door for dear life. He almost began to protest their chosen course, which was taking them back to the wreckage of Nancy's, but Vanessa, whom he now thought to be insane, turned sharply...again, two blocks from Nancy's taking them down a dirty one way road. Then, finally, they stopped, under the underpasses.


Rand could still hear and see the chopper off in the distance. Rand, with a sickened look on his face glanced over at Vanessa, who was resting on the steering wheel, still with that mad smile on. Her words seemed far away to him as she spoke.

"We'll wait it out for a bit, then we'll head back out,"

"Vanessa, do me a favor....never...ever...do that again" he said in a slow, forced tone.

[vanessa]

Vanessa rolled her head toward her left shoulder, furrowing her brow somewhat as the pain in her head threatened to start up again and she swore she heard the faintest cry of Abigael's voice. "Unhhhh," she groaned as she rolled her head to her right shoulder now, facing Rand, her eyes still closed and her head still hurting, but of course, now her stomach was lurching and flipping about, the vodka and who knows what else sloshing around. Rand's voice was almost drowned out by her own private darkness and pain, but as usual, Vanessa forced herself to pay attention, more out of habit than anything, plus Rand was still a ranking member of the Hellfire's inner circle.

Rand seemed rather....upset I guess you could say and Vanessa didn't really blame him much considering the pretty boy had busted his head on the dashboard. Rand seemed the type who shied away from pain and the kind who didn't like getting too dirty or ruffled, a fact which made Vanessa smile rather painfully. It seemed Rand wasn't happy with being jerked around this way and that in a small cramped and out dated El Camino driven by half mad and semi-drunk young woman whose idea of a good time was pain, pain and some more pain with a bit of bleeding thrown in for good measure.

Opening her eyes just enough to peer out at Rand through small slits, Vanessa lazily and rather difficultly raised her right hand, pointing at Rand's feet. "There's a makeshift first aid kit underneath the seat. Bandages and pain relievers if ya need any," she said, her voice soft and rather meek, no doubt an act she had grown too used to over time....or maybe that really was Vanessa Madison. Her right hand fell to her jean pocket and was weakly shoved in, digging around for something. That something, once freed from its denim prison, was a clear tan bottle, prescription it looked like, and the lid was expertly removed with one shaking hand. Vanessa put the rim of the pill bottle to her lips and shook out two or three blue pills, Valium judging by the way they looked.

The lid of the bottle snapped back on and Vanessa chewed up and swallowed the pills up like they were PEZ candy, tossing the bottle of pills into the floorboard and smiling weakly.

[Rand O'Neill]

Rand took a deep breath as he fought back a wave of nausea. Given the fact that he was already slightly intoxicated, then add the crazy driving of an even crazier intoxicated woman, then you add the fact that you got tossed about wildly as she maneuvered her El Camino through the night, swerving this way and that. It was a wonder that he hadn't lost his supper for the night. He closed his eyes, waiting for the sudden wave of nausea to pass. Even with the current conditions, he couldn't help but smile to himself as he thought of tomorrow's news broadcast. He could see it now, headline: MUTANT MENACE TEARS THROUGH SUBURBS, POLICE BAFFLED.

Opening his eyes, he glanced skyward. There seemed to be no sign of the police choppers, which was good, seeing as Rand really didn't feel like going through round two with Vanessa behind the wheel. Even he didn't have that much good luck for another demonstration of Vanessa's driving rampage. Shifting his lower body, he disturbed some of the trash that littered the floor, namely empty cups, soda cans and other miscellaneous stuff.

"There's a makeshift first aid kit underneath the seat. Bandages and pain relievers if ya need any,"

Her voice seemed distant, weak. The throbbing in his head had subsided a bit, but there was still an ache. Rand considered her offer for a moment, then decided against it, for he wasn't seriously in need of any bandages or pain relievers. He 'recalled' dealing with pain, many times.

"Nah, I'm alright. Just a little bruising probably. I'll get over it."

Rand observed as Vanessa reached into her jean's pocket and removed a translucent tan bottle. A prescription bottle. Shaking hands expertly opened the bottle, freeing its contents from their cylindrical prison. Three blue pills eagerly danced out of the bottle as Vanessa shook them from their home. The only sound that could be heard in the cramped truck was that of Vanessa, chomping up the pills like a child eating their favortie candies. The emptied bottle joined countless others, coming to a stop on the cluttered floor. Shaking his head, Rand strained to listen for any signs of the authorities.

He reached to roll down the window using the little window roller downer thingy (haha, sorry), and once he had rolled it down sufficiently, the window roller downer thingy proceeded to pop from its housing. Rand stared at it for a moment before he began to chuckle softly, turning to Vanessa. Rand's eyes felt heavy as they sat their in silence.

His momentary rest was interrupted as the sound of the helicopter(s?) returned. The spotlights danced around the roads in front of them, and the Black Rook's heart started to beat wildly as sirens came into earshot once more. Damn, thought we lost 'em...Maybe they'll turn around They didn't. Rand's eyes widened in shock as not one, but three police cars in single file formation, darted into view in Vanessa's rearview mirror, sirens blaring.

"Bastards, why won't they just leave us alone!" he roared. He really wasn't in the mood for this anymore.

[vanessa]

That's the thing about cops....they don't know when to quit, especially when their dealing with two individuals such as Vanessa and Rand. Petty street cops aren't anywhere near on the level to deal with two class four mutants such as which make up this unlikely tandem tonight, which will only lead to more death and bloodshed which will then in turn only lead to the eventual arrival of the Mutant Task Force.....oh joy. Vanessa had already had her share of those hard asses and as much fun as they posed, she really wasn't up for them tonight.

The sirens rang in Vanessa's ears, as did Rand's voice and the beating of her own heart as it slowed down, the drugs she just took already being released into her system. She didn't have long until she was rendered to mediocre at best so things would have to be dealt with quickly and expertly. "I'm good for about another ten minutes," Vanessa muttered in a dry and cracked voice, licking her lips and letting a crooked smile slip across her face as her head rolled over to her left side once again. "You have to stay near me for me to protect you Rand.....I can't project outside of my own area.....," she whispered this time, furrowing her brow as her hand lazily found the door handle, barely pulling it toward her. "Show me what the Black Rook is capable of," she half laughed as her eyes opened, dilated and weary looking.

[Rand O'Neill]

"I'm good for about another ten minutes," came Vanessa's voice, which Rand, concentrating hard on a gameplan for the authorities, seemed again, very distant. He breathed in slowly, seemingly calm, but inside, rage and irritation bubbled like an angry volcano. Adrenaline flowed through his system as he mentally prepared himself for what he hoped would be the last confrontation tonight. Breathing out slowly, he turned to Vanessa as she spoke.

"You have to stay near me for me to protect you Rand.....I can't project outside of my own area.....,"

Nodding, he reached for his own door handle and swung the door open. Stepping out of the truck, his booted feet met the pavement. The rain had slowed to a slight drizzle, glancing up he watched as clouds passed overhead, occasionally leaving him with a glimpse of a half moon. Looking back, he smiled mischeviously at the officers, six in all, exited their own vehicles...albeit a bit warily.

"Show me what the Black Rook is capable of,"

With a slight turn of his head, and with the same smile, he just gave one nod of his head in acknowledgment. The police now had pistols drawn, their mouths were moving, but Rand couldn't tell what they were saying. More sirens could be heard in the distance...but hopefully he wouldn't have to deal with them, for they were most likely the dreaded Mutant Task Force. Sebastian is going to kick my ass for this he thought with a wry smile.

Stepping forward, blinding white light, tinged with a violet color on the edges, erupted from his hands, taking the form of daggers. Glancing down for a moment, he said loud enough to be heard by the authorities:

"Hmmm...six cops for us? Down right insulting"

With a wave of his arms, the daggers flew towards them, breaking off into separate smaller blades on the way there. Only one found its mark as the cops dashed behind their vehicles in an absurdly vain attempt at safety. The cop howled in pain, the dagger had dissipated, leaving a smoking hole in his shoulder. Other smoking holes littered the squad cars, their causes dissipating as well.

Summoning a sword this time, he motioned for Vanessa to follow him as he made a steady advance toward the police.

[vanessa]

Vanessa's small feet hit the damp ground, splashing a few drops of the grimy run of water onto her black boots. She climbed out of the El Camino, using the door for support and smiled as her foot turned, rock and dirt crunching underfoot, her body swiveling to allow the car door to close slowly. Vanessa was beginning to feel good, as she well should, and instantly began to slip into the very thing she had been groomed to be all these past years. Vanessa was a stone cold killer, a murder, and she made no attempt to deny that or try to sugar coat it in any way. She took lives, enjoyed doing so most of the time, and embraced lifestyle forced upon her, choosing to be the best instead of regretting her choices.

One foot slowly found its way in front of the other as the psionic daggers flung by Rand raced for their targets. Vanessa was no stranger to such antics, having seen such power as Rand's before, evening fighting and laying along beside of the one who wielded it before. Vanessa's once upon a time counterpart had been able to psionically project energy in such a way and to be honest, she was much better than Rand, or as of right now she was anyway. Abigael could conjure the greatest weapons from her mind and used each one with such skill and grace, that even Vanessa had been impressed.

Rand's voice caught Vanessa's attention and she looked his way, stopping her progress toward the police cars. Her dark eyes instantly caught the sight of the psionic sword he wielded and she smiled, apparently pleased with what she saw. "Abigael could slay all six before the first hit the ground....," she said slowly in some sort of challenge to Rand, "but if your content to let a little girl best you...," she added looking away now with a light giggle.

[Rand O'Neill]

"Abigael could slay all six before the first hit the ground....,but if your content to let a little girl best you...," came Vanessa's voice, followed by a giggle.

Rand's face grew hot as he listened to her goading, but he could only manage an incredulous, annoyed look on his young face. Vanessa had no idea what he was capable of, for she had only witnessed a small fraction of his power. If Rand were to concentrate hard enough, the weapons he created could cut through almost any material short of adamantium. His weapons, once manifested, weren't merely psionic, they actually did real damage instead of short circuting the victim's nervous system, or making them believe that they had been hurt.

His weapons didn't cause harm to him, rather, they created a light warming sensation on his gloved hands. The sword that he had manifested shimmered eerily in the falling rain, a beacon of light in the evening night. The police were still behind their cars, he could hear their radios as they called in for backup. Grimacing, the psionic sword in his right hand, he advanced quicker onto the frightened law enforcers. Cowards, he thought.

A fire burned in his eyes as he came upon the cars. The remaining five policemen popped their heads up, guns drawn, and began firing. Rand met the pavement as he instinctively dropped. His shoulder burned as a bullet entered through his coat, and he cried out in shock and pain. Concentration almost faltering, he struggled to regain his composure, his blade winking in and out of existence. The firing stopped as the cops struggled to reload.

With a roar, Rand popped up and charged, leaping over the hood of a squad car. He didn't even see their shocked, frightened faces as he went to work, 'memory' taking over. Rand weaved in a dance of death as he swung his blade, slicing through bone and sinew. It was all over in a matter of seconds, but to him it had seemed like an eternity. As the last body crumpled to the pavement, Rand was left in a crouched position, breathing slowly...almost calmly. Blood mixed with rain in one large pool, the sword disappearing.

Lifeless bodies lay feet away from each other, sprawled out un-naturally as missing body parts lay strewn in every direction.

[vanessa]

Seeing as how Vanessa was a bit....'influenced', shall we say, her reaction time was sluggish, hence the bullet wound Rand suffered, but hey, one bullet out of twenty or so wasn't bad odds. The rest Vanessa had managed to deflect away, even if Rand hadn't been aware of that, which she was sure he hadn't, this of course had its own advantages though. Rand seemed to have been spurred on by the anger he felt in being shot and much to Vanessa's surprise, he dropped every last officer....in a very unusual way. "Now there's something Abigael never did," she muttered as she raised an eyebrow and staggered over to Rand's side, giving the scattered limbs laying about a look over, "I didn't think psionic blades could actually 'cut' you?," she asked with a slight smile as she crouched down face to face with Rand, "but then again, they aren't supposed to leave scars either," she said as she pulled back the hair from her face giving Rand a glimpse of the scar which ran across her forehead and ended at her eyebrow.

Vanessa wasn't sure if it was feelings of her own or perhaps the mixture of drinking and taking pills, but as she crouched there in front of Rand, she felt a tug toward him. Now don't go thinking that Vanessa Madison is capable of love, because she's not....not by any means....no, that emotion was burned out of her a long time ago. However, Vanessa was still a woman and as such, she had cravings....as all women do....and add in the sudden violence and adrenaline, well then you have something right up Vanessa's alley. The rain had started again, but Vanessa paid no attention, even as the water began to run down her face and drip from her hair. She reached out to Rand, as if she was going to help him or something, but instead squeezed the shoulder where he had been shot, causing him to bleed a bit more. A slight smile crept across her face as she watched him wince, pain being Vanessa's vice of choice. She bit her upper lip with excitement and then laughed slightly, patting Rand on the side of the face, "Come on love, we'll get that patched up back at my place," she said as she she slowly stood, beginning her stagger back toward the El Camino, humming some obscure song from the bar.

[Rand O'Neill]

He stood up slowly, wincing as pain radiated from his shoulder. Glancing down, he was dimly aware of the dark red stain which was spreading from his wound. Once he was fully upright, he staggered a bit as bright white pinpoints of light crowded his vision, starting from the edges of his sight and working their way towards the middle. Closing his eyes, he shook his head forcefully to rid himself of the lights. The rain had started once more, but he paid it no mind as water formed on the brim of his hat in small droplets. Feeling unsteady, he knelt to the ground, his head bent.

Vanessa's voice seemed a mile away, echoing in his mind.

"Now there's something Abigael never did. I didn't think psionic blades could actually 'cut' you? But then again, they aren't supposed to leave scars either,"

Slowly, he turned his head, eyes half-closed, and caught a glimpse of her scar. She had showed him before, come to think of it, it had been this very night. What a long night... Vanessa reached out to him, and for a moment he was shocked as it seemed that she would help him, but that shock was basically over before it began as she, being psycho Vanessa Madison, squeezed his injured shoulder. Wincing, but not uttering a sound, he waited for her to stop. Finally, her heard her laugh, dimly aware that she had stopped. Her cold hands touched his face as she said,: "Come on love, we'll get that patched up back at my place," .

Smiling, he watched as she began her drunken stagger back to her El Camino. He stood up to follow, ignoring the pain and the lights that played across his vision.

"I didn't know you took your men back to your place on the first date" he said, a bit hoarse but with a noticeable amount of sarcasm. He opened the door to the El Camino and stepped in, taking his place on the passenger side. Sighing, he waited to be driven off by the mad-woman better known as Vanessa Madison.