Chapter 35 - Driven

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Nudity

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...Miles and miles of vast, open ocean stretched out like a blanket... An undiscovered island in the middle of nowhere, leading the water deep into its dark center... a smaller stream, maneuvering through boulders the size of cars. It all pooled inside a cave-like area with moss covered banks and a hanging plant growing against the wall. It was covering something...

A tunnel... A tunnel ending in a large descending stone staircase covered by moss and algae; no doubt slippery. Soft light from a candle swinging in its holder on the wall illuminated the otherwise pitch black cave. No, not a cave... a tomb... A dark secluded tomb, for in the middle of the area stood a large stone sarcophagus with markings suggesting Irish heritage. Very old, but intact. No moss or algae had gathered here despite being so close to the stairs. A brown climbing plant adorning the neighboring wall, brown for the obvious lack of sunlight, gave the tomb an even more eerie appearance.

Some more lit candles were placed in small groups around the sarcophagus. Who had lit them? Did they light themselves? A faint scratching sound could be heard inside the sarcophagus, once again centering attention on it! Was something alive in there? Rats? Snakes? Any animal large enough to move the massive stone lid-- because move it did... Slowly, making that scraping stone on stone sound before falling to the side with a loud crack. Boney fingers slowly turned into fleshy ones as they gripped the sides of the sarcophagus followed by a leg swung over the side as the living corpse made its way down the stone steps. With each step it took, it rejuvenated some more into the body of a full grown naked man.

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-Riverblossom Hills-

It wasn't his nakedness, nor his unseen face, but the snarl that escaped his lips that made Jane jump up. Damian felt her stir and sat up, rubbing a hand up and down her shoulder. 'Baby? What is it?''I don't know! It think I just had a premonition... There was this man, he wasn't wearing any clothes...''Sorry, babe, that was just me! I went to the bathroom a little while ago', Damian smiled.

'Did you come out of a crypt to do so?', Jane said not amused. 'No, Jane, I didn't mean to mean to upset you! What did you see?', he turned the dimmer behind her, lightening the room.

She shook her head at his apology and smiled letting him know she wasn't angry at him for trying to make light of the situation. 'There was a red-haired woman. I don't know for sure, but I think she was dead... There was a sudden pressure drop and the wind changed direction. The raven haired guy that was there noticed it too. Next thing I know I'm being dragged over miles of open ocean to a hidden cave. Turns out it was a tomb, not a cave and the last thing I saw was the naked guy getting out of the crypt''Did you see his face?', Damian inquired. Jane shook her head no, 'but I think he has black hair...'

'How so?'

'He was naked, Damian' Jane said, but still lifted her eyebrows in a 'how do you think I know' way. Damian closed his eyes and sighed, not sure he liked his girlfriend seeing the naked parts of other men. 'What do you think? Vampires?''I don't know any other being that comes out of crypts... maybe! I'll talk to my mother about it!', Damian shrugged. 'Did you know the red-head in that vision?'

'Never seen her before… And if that really was a vision and not a dream, we never will again'

'How accurate are your visions Jane?'

'Close to 97%, but I get most of them only a few minutes before it actually happens. The longest had been 2 hours'

So the girl was pretty much a goner if they didn't know her, Damian thought. He would need to consult his mother on the crypt and the naked guy as soon as possible. Maybe she even knew a spell to help Jane get her premonitions sooner. That way they could help rather than sit by and watch them happen.

Jane getting up distracted him from his thoughts. 'And where are you going?'

'Home... Maybe grams knows something too. You should talk to Jean. I don't know how long before that premonition becomes a reality', she answered and started picking up her scattered clothes from the floor. Damian got up and in a swift motion pulled her into his arms. Jane took a deep breath as the dizziness hit her. 'I don't want you to go!', he whispered into her neck. 'I know you don't', she whispered back, her voice a bit seductive. 'But I have to…'. 'This is important, I know, but I still don't want you to go…' Jane pinched him in his side and pulled out of his embrace. 'We'll be together again sooner than you think', she said laughing, turning her phone back on and instantly frowned at the train of messages that flooded in; they were all Julie's.

–Where are you?- -Call me when you get this- -Jane, why is your phone off?- -This is important. Marina is in danger! – Jane went into panic mode and hastily put on the rest of her clothes. Damian frowned at her sudden haste. 'Where's the fire?'

'I have to go! It's Julie, she's sending me some weird messages about our cousin', Jane answered, picking up her bag from the armchair, 'Call me when you get home, yeah!' She stood on tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss on his nose, making him frown once more. No one had ever done that to him, but before he could even blink, she was out the door.

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Jane called a cab instead of taking the bus and was home in no time. It's as if Julie was on guard by one of the windows. She came down the stairs as soon as Jane walked through the door. 'Where were you? I left you like a dozen messages'. Jane opened her mouth to say something when a wave of nausea hit her and she bolted for the bathroom. Everything she ate the night before that hadn't digested yet came back out. Julie waited outside until she heard the toilet flush. 'Are you alright?'

'Yeah, I think it's the lasagna from yesterday', Jane muttered rinsing out her mouth, 'and the added cab ride… I got your messages a few minutes ago - what's the deal with Marina?'

'We could sit down and talk about it, or I can fill you in on the way over there. I called her too, but there is something with phones these days. Neither of you picked up. Long story short, it's Raven… he's a vampire!'

'What? Jules, that's not possib… crap!' That was all Jane said before disappearing into the bathroom again. 'Come on Jane, this is no time for you to be sick'

Rosalie had heard the chatter of the girls and the not so pleasant sounds in between and wheeled herself to the living room where she watched them. 'Here, let me…', Julie took Jane's hand and put her left on her stomach. 'Whatever illness here resides, let it be…'

'I wouldn't do that if I were you!', Rosalie said, coming into view. The twins watched her search for something in the fridge before she wheeled herself to where Jane stood. 'Here, eat this… Feel better?'

Jane nodded throwing away the lemon peel. It wasn't as sour as people let believe. Rosalie smiled at her, 'I always thought Julie would be the one to bless me first'

Julie frowned at her grandmother's words; not getting what she was saying. Jane was a bit quicker and stood there with a unsure face. 'I'm-I'm not…'

'Pregnant?!', Julie finally caught up, 'You're pregnant? Oh my, Jane that's that's… wait, what's that supposed to mean?' She eyed her grandmother for that 'first' comment. Rosalie ignored her and focused on Jane. 'I dreamt about a little girl last night with dark wavy hair, so I had a feeling', she explained and Jane subconsciously rubbed a hand over her stomach. 'It is a little too early for morning sickness considering the time you've been together but… I guess it happens'. Jane was quiet, listening to her grandmother. She didn't know what she was feeling. Was she happy? Yeah…; Afraid? Most definitely! And how would Damian feel about this? A child was nowhere near planning right now and with Marina…

'Marina…', she whispered, bringing Julie back to a more important situation. Julie had been smiling and staring at her stomach, but the smile disappeared as fast as it came. 'You can stay if you want!'

'What? No, don't start treating me like something breakable because I may or may not be pregnant. Let's go… and stop looking at my stomach!'

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Lewis Clan

8.00 A.M.

This is SBN-News, I'm Rachel Adams.

Rather unsettling news for this early in the morning. The police uncovered a body in an abandoned warehouse close to Westport. Resources tell us that they received an anonymous call around 6 A.M. with only a location to go on. Police inspector Jackson along with several other officers went to the ominous location where the victim, a young woman, was found hanging from the ceiling. The scene clearly suggested a suicide, but upon further investigation showed signs of foul play.

According to local coroner, Jack Brimsby, the victim had already been dead before the hanging. Seems like the murderer tried to cover up his tracks by making it look like a suicide. With no ID or wallet on her, it has proven difficult to identify the victim and the police has resorted to searching the missing persons list to see if someone has reported her missing. All that has been let loose for recognition are the facts that the victim has red hair and was dressed in a green sweater and Jeans wearing calf-length boots. If anyone knows anything at all about the victim, anything that can lead to her identity and possibly that of her killer; please call your local police station.

This is the 7^th murder within the area and although the method was different is believed to have been the work of the same serial-killer. The residents of the neighboring community Westport are…

Lillian muted the television and threw the remote on the desk. This was the second time they came in contact with the authorities, risking exposure. If the police uncovered Alex identity, it would lead them straight to her and she knew all too well how nosy the police could be. She pressed the intercom button to her assistant. 'Yes, Ms. Lewis?'

'Send Charlotte in…'.

'Yes, Ms. Lewis'

Lillian sighed for a moment and thought about what action to take in this matter, before pressing the button again. '…Kat as well. I won't be taking any calls and cancel my next appointment'

'…yes m'am…'

'Well, that looks messy!'

Lillian rubbed her forehead and leaned back in her chair. 'It is! A mess that I now have to clean up', she waved her hand towards the television.

'I still can't believe it was her… That she let a vampire manipulate her like that, and now she's dead'

'Alex was always weak. Insecure people usually are…', Lillian answered, 'Plus she had no cause to do this work. Every hunter in here is here because of something that happened to them directly or indirectly involving vampires, except for her… The fact that she had any kind of relationship with a vampire proved this wasn't for her'

'So, there was no hostility from her to him?'

'Like I said Cam, she wasn't fit for the job. According to Jordan, they seemed a normal couple. A hunter and a vampire? Normal', Lillian scoffed, 'seems absurd, yet nothing explains why he'd kill her…'

Camille walked around Lillian's chair and sat on the desk next to her. 'No, but what does it matter? Don't you see?! They used her to get info and then got rid of her. You said that she was weak, probably thought the vampire loved her, so she didn't hurt him, blah blah blah… He sees opportunity, he strikes. If she wasn't hostile towards him, he killed an innocent. And her being a hunter makes it a indirect… or direct attack on you', Cam whispered that last part and watched Lillian's reaction, 'This is what you've been waiting for sis 'cause'

Lillian perked up at those words. She had been thinking it too, but hearing it from a different mouth made the foundation seem far stronger. 'They crossed a line with Alex, Lilly… the time has come. We should press harder for those witches, before the vampires get to them'

The words echoed in Lillian's ears and she pressed the button again until she heard her assistant's voice.

'Vanessa, get me Angelica on the line'

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A/N: Yes, Jane's powers are way off in this chapter. Intentionally of course.
I found this chapter a bit all over the place, so if you thought so too, sorry. You'd think with school vacations I'd have all the time and inspiration to write, not the case!