Ana nodded.

"Go ahead," she said. "You should probably settle in for a while once you're done, keep an eye on things. I'll be back as soon as I can." Ana lingered for a moment, watching the two, and then left. She went to her own apartment first, and went into the trunk at the foot of her bed. After a moment of searching, she found what she was looking for. An elegant, wickedly sharp knife in an easily-hidden sheath. The knife was edged in silver, and she knew how to use it.

She left the apartment building, trying to look casual. Inside, though, she was hyper-alert, nigh paranoid. She didn't want to run into the hunters, but she was prepared anyways.

With a cold, wet, rag in hand, Asta did exactly what she'd mentioned. With the most gentle of grazes she began to wipe away the already-crusting blood from Allen's "battle wounds", as she'd deemed them. She worked so carefully, being sure not to apply too much pressure, trying to avoid the vast majority of the wound itself. As her rag trailed down his arm a bit, her eyes scanned toward his face, soon locking on. Poor Allen, she thought. He looked so peaceful now, sleeping, and completely immune to the pain he was experiencing only moments ago. But why were there even hunters around right now? It wasn't like she, Ana, and Allen were devastating the human population, and she could only imagine that was what the problem could have been. They weren't being destructive, as far as she was concerned..

Snapping out of her train of thought, Asta sighed, and tossed the rag onto the nightstand by the right side of her bed. The rag splattered water everywhere, the wood beneath the cloth turning a darker shade, and the white walls showing the now gray splatters of water on its surface; Asta could feel a few stray drops on her arm. With a quick swipe of her hand, she remedied that, and turned to Allen. She was still so obviously upset, focusing too hard on the smaller things, and her mind whirred a thousand miles a minute. Maybe sleep would be a good idea... but what if a hunter came for her? How was she to defend herself, much less Allen if she was out cold? It was with these thoughts that Asta curled up next to Allen, eyes wide open, and ears far too alert for the noises of an intruder that was not there.

It didn't take Ana long to find the place where she got bags of spare blood. She got a few different types, and had them packed into a plain box with some ice. Once the box was packed and closed, she had them put it into a bag so that she could carry it with one hand. That left her other hand free, in case she needed to use her knife to defend herself. Then she started back towards the apartment building, keeping an eye on her surroundings.

From between two bushes, seemingly out of nowhere, David Grayson stumbled swiftly into the open. He wore the familiar dress attire that he'd met Ana in, but the only difference between now and then, was that his shirt was ripped to shreds, and there was blood on every inch of him. David looked panicked and damaged, and his eyes locked onto Ana just as soon as he saw her figure in the distance. He recognized that scent, the smell of her... it was impossible to miss.
Glancing swiftly to the direction he'd come from, his stance immediately changed. He hunched over just a bit as if ready to attack something that was once pursuing him, or that still might be. But now his mind was on other things. Just as soon as he looked back to Ana, he was to her side, and took no time in grabbing her wrist. "We have to go!" he commanded to her, not bothering to explain himself. But for Ana, having already experienced what she had earlier, she would understand his hurry.

Ana's knife was already in her hand when he stumbled out of the bushes. Her senses were on high alert, and if he'd startled her any more, she would have attacked him. As it was, she was poised to strike. She didn't get the chance to do more than sheathe the knife when he grabbed her wrist.

"What is going on?" she asked as he pulled her along. She could smell his blood easily, and it was getting on her as they ran. "I need to get back to my fledgelings, I can't leave them unprotected. One of them is hurt."

"Don't worry about your fledglings right now," he responded as they moved. "The hunter is following my trail. He's after me."

So dragging Ana along was definitely not the best idea that he'd ever had.. but he knew that leaving her was no option as well. The hunter would have come across her in some way, shape, or form. Two is better than one. He would stand a better chance with a partner. At the same time, though, his mind was racing with what he was going to do when the running stopped. The last time he had seen Ana was in the bed, naked, and they'd just romped for quite a bit. Even knowing that she was expecting him to stay, he left her. That was something gentlemen did not do, not that he'd ever claimed to be one.
David turned a sharp corner, Ana still within his grasp. "We need to move faster than this," he grunted, but he knew that in his current state, it was not possible. His abdomen was burning and aching from the slashes and damages of his enemy, and his right shoulder had quite the gash. This was his price for messing with human women, he supposed. This was what he got for playing nice with one: set up.
"We need to get somewhere safe, and we need to get there now."

"What is this 'we?'" Ana asked, pulling her wrist from his grip. One hand went to touch the hilt of her dagger. "I can protect myself, and I need to get back to my fledgelings. Neither of them are strong enough to hold their own against a hunter, and one of them is already hurt." She bit her lip and looked away from him. "Besides, you made it clear you don't care about me." So really, he could leave for all she cared. Except... she did care, for some reason. And she didn't know why.

The very instance that she pulled away, David spun around with savage eyes that searched for reason to her madness. As he listened, it was no doubt that she was bitter. Bitter for him leaving, and she had right to be.

"Ana!" he snarled at her. "There is no time for this. You're behaving like a child!" He paused only momentarily, and very briefly. His hearing was being put to use as he heard footsteps, the heated follow of the enemy approaching. "I would not drag you with me if I were not concerned for your well being. If you want to be an ass and stay behind, then fine, stay. Die. Because you would at least do that knowing that I had your best interest at heart." With all that being said, he turned and moved along. He could not hesitate any longer, and this was certainly no time for a heart to heart discussion. Either way, he would not force her to follow him, not like he could.

Ana was about to let him keep running when she caught the scent behind them. She smelled the same human hunter from before... and the scent of a half-breed. Swearing silently, she took off like a deer, catching up to David quickly. She would have been able to hypnotize a human into thinking she was one of them, but she couldn't fool a half-breed.

"Why are they after you?" she demanded when she caught up to him. "Why do they have a half-breed hunting you down?"

She knew very well why hunters employed half-breeds to track down full-blooded vampires. Half-breeds were people who had been partially turned, but were never finished. They were stronger and faster than the average human, with sharper senses, but they weren't as strong or as fast as true vampires. However, they could go out in the sun and could tell the difference between a human and a vampire, which made them ideal for tracking down vampires once they had settled in for the day.

At first, Ana did not follow him, and he took notice. He had to admit that even though the later confrontation would be a disaster, that he was still disappointed when she did not come. David, though stubborn, would rather feel the discomfort of a bad conversation than finding Ana's body in a ditch or alley, sliced up to bits.
But soon enough, she was by him again, and oh, how wonderful that small sense of relief felt...
"I made a few mistakes earlier in the night, that's all." He suddenly leaped onto the side of a large, brick building. The fire escape which he clung to seemed to give only a little bit, and swiftly he climbed and jumped his way to the top of the structure. The more David thought about the situation, he began to reason as to what the best way to get out of this would be. Taking on the half-breed would have been no issue had he not been torn to shreds by the hunter.. but now that he was sliced to pieces, it seemed as though he wouldn't fare so well. But when they half-breed came, so did the hunter, and the hunter was another story all together. He was well known, and highly skilled in his occupation. He almost never employed the help of a "mixed blood", but in this case, Daniel being as difficult a catch, the hunter'd made an exception.

As Ana followed David onto the roof, he sighed and the inhaled a sharp breath. He swung his body to the opposite side of the building. The wind, which was picking up now, carried the familiar and mudded scent of the half-blood. The being soon appeared in the distance, clambering to the top of the roof rather gracefully. This particular half-breed was a rather different type of creature, however. There wasn't much that was "half" about him. This child of night and day was selected specifically for the fact that out of a handful of usable allies, he was the best, the most experienced, and definitely the most vicious.

"Boss, boss!" the creature from across the way shouted with glee. "Look! I found two of them. "
With no hesitation, David crouched in front of Ana. "You will not touch her!" he snarled.
The half-ling bore a gruesome grin, now crouching as well and ready for an attack. "Oh, but I will," he snickered. "I will have her head on a spit, and your remains in the dirt... if anything remains, that is."
David stood deathly still now, watching as the half-blood paced back and forth, almost as if waiting for his order to attack.

Ana followed David across the rooftops. Her hand was on her dagger the entire time, ready to draw it and defend herself at any moment. The entire situation reminded her unpleasantly of the half-remembered memories of her last true bloodlust. Finally, they were cornered. Turning, Ana set down the cooler full of blood bags and drew her dagger, ready to behead the half-breed and run. She hissed when David moved in front of her.

"I can take care of myself," she snarled at him. She had no doubts that she could overpower a single halfling. Her silver-edged knife glinted in the moonlight, its edge wickedly sharp.

For David, protection had always been what he wanted for his significant other. He always felt as though it was his job, his duty to step in front of the blade for his mate. It had never been a matter of who was stronger, or faster.. but it was a matter of protecting what was precious to him, and now Ana was spitting in his face.
It was a pang of insult that now flowed through his veins, and the half-ling took notice.
"What's wrong, bloodsucker? Your girlfriend too tough for you? I'll put her in her place..." The tone of the half-blood stung even further into David, and by now he looked less and less aggressive.

Fine. If she wanted to defend herself, he would let her. If he wasn't needed, then what was the point of sticking around? Mm?

"Alright, Ana," David said, soon enough straightening out. "Take care of yourself then, eh? I have better things I could be doing with my time." And here was this son of a bitch, the biggest of grins on his face, already back toward the direction from whence they came. "Goodnight, m'lady," he said before dropping out of view, and into the alley below. His hands ran down the brick, his skin tearing as he slowed his speed for a lesser impact, and once he was to the ground, he was off yet again.

The half-blood erupted into joyous laughter, his night only getting better by the moment. "Oh yay!" he cried, clapping his hands eagerly, and licking his lips. "I do love a chase.. And now I can kill you too... Mmmmm..."

Ana couldn't believe it. The son of a bitch actually left, and left her to deal with the crazed halfling. When everything was over, she was going to find him and kill him. But even as she thought it, she knew she wouldn't be able to. Somehow, she wouldn't be able to bring herself to hurt him. But damned if she wasn't going to try.

She kept an eye on the halfling, ready to jump out of the way as soon as he moved towards her. She kept her knife ready, as well. It was just long enough to behead someone, if she moved quickly and precisely enough.

Just by looking at the half-blood, it was very obvious that he was in no way mentally healthy. He danced around the roof, skulking to and fro, sneering and giggling, waiting for an order from the hunter, or a move from Ana. The fight would certainly be a sight to behold, however, a loud, high pitched whistle erupted from below, and the creature before Ana bellowed. The loud whistle sounded again, and the unnamed half-ling made a noise of frustration and discontent before letting out a sob and leaping down from the roof. Just like that, Ana was left alone. It seemed that right now, David was the top priority of the team, and without David, Ana was not worth the trouble.

David on the other hand, was making good time as he fled the city. He was on his way to a target, a destination that he knew all too well... Injured as he was, it would take a bit longer than usual to get there, plus he'd have to take the roundabout way, but he should make it to the home before the break of dawn. He would have a bit of explaining to do, there would be yelling, and he would probably get a headache. For once, he wasn't very hungry, and that was a good thing. But he was on his way to a better place, a place where he knew he could relax fully, where nothing was ever expected of him.
And yet foremost on his mind was Ana, and the injustices he'd committed against her.

As soon as Ana couldn't hear the half-breed around anymore, she picked up her cooler and took off back towards the apartment building. She took a roundabout route, just in case, so it took her about ten extra minutes to get back than it would have if she'd just gone straight back.

She looked around, paranoid, before going inside. She went into Asta's apartment without a word, dropped off the cooler of blood bags, and then disappeared back into her own apartment. Seeing David again, seeing how he used her and then left her behind, was too much. She felt bruised and raw, and she threw herself onto her bed and started to cry for the first time in decades.

As he moved silently down the streets, he slumped over just a bit, his quick pace having slowed tremendously. The closer he got to the house, the closer that scent became.. mm.. that sweet smell of strawberries and peaches. The smell, so faint and pure put the gentlest of flutters in David's stomach, and for the first time in months he got those familiar butterflies...

At the front door he exhaled almost shakily, his knees weak, his ears practically ringing with the nerves. At first he extended his hand, his fingers for the doorbell, but then he remembered.. He was the only one who ever knocked; tonight he would stick to what he knew. After knocking there was always that brief pause, that confirmation that what she was hearing was indeed the rapping upon her door, the noise she rarely heard these days: David.
Slowly the door opened, and if David still had a heart, oh, it would have stopped there. It was in this brief moment, this very brief exchange of shock, that every memory with this woman re-approached his mind. He missed her kisses, her touches, the way she would claw at his skin, her vulnerability.. her nose, her warm breaths.. And now here she was, and all he could do is stare down at her shocked expression, her blue eyes spread wide. She couldn't handle his appearance. But before he could even speak, Madelyn threw herself into his arms. She cried against him, pulling him into her lair, her dungeon, her home. David had never approved of human women, but she was no human in his eyes.

Madelyn Mansfield was twenty three years old, and five feet tall (or short, rather). Her hair was the oddest of strawberry blonds, her skin so lightly tan, but never enough to look fake, for she was naturally tan just like her brother. She was the quiet one, the shy one, never outspoken or harsh. She had the most enchanting laugh, and even David felt stupid for having once said that to her. Madelyn was forgiving, and kind, and he loved that the most.

"David, what happened to you?" she asked him so concerned. "Don't tell me it was Mabrey... please tell me he didn't do this to you.." But David said nothing, for he was already leaving her behind where she stood at the door. He was headed for her room, the source and root of all his misfortune. It was in this bedroom that his fate had been decided, here where the beast he had become was tamed.
He fell face first into that bed, the soft, billowy comforter swallowing him up. Madelyn entered and joined him, climbing into her bed, crossing her legs Indian-style, and watching as the pale man below her lay there, still face down.
"David..." Madelyn said softly. "I need to clean you up.. Mabrey will come looking for you sooner or later. He'll know you're here.." But David did not respond to Madelyn, he didn't need to, or want to... oh, but he did. "Madelyn, it's been a long night.." A long week, a long month, a long year.
It was now, finally, that she understood the gravity of his wants. Madelyn slithered beneath the blankets of her bed before she pulled David close to her body, and finally he was calm. David, with little movement, buried his face against her skin, taking in that sweet smell, before finally resting. It was here in this place, with this woman that he found his peace.

Ana didn't notice when she literally cried herself to sleep. She woke up slowly the next evening, curled up around a pillow stained with bloody tears. For once, her first thought wasn't to go out and find breakfast. She just didn't want to move. If her heart had still been beating, she would have sworn it was starting to break. She didn't want to get out of bed at the moment. After a little while, though, she forced herself to get up and shower. She needed to check on her fledgelings, and she couldn't do that while she was throwing herself a pity-party.

The night time was hazy for David when he awoke. His head was rather groggy, and he woke up on his back, which he had sworn was not the position in which he'd fallen asleep. The more he came to, the more he began to realize that Madelyn had taken the liberty of trying to patch him up, for there were bandages across his chest and shoulder. David's pants were absent, and now his legs were clean as they should be, with a fresh pair of boxers around his waist. David, for a few moments, took the time to relax yet again. He took in that smell, the one he couldn't get enough of, and he glanced at the paintings on her walls.
After ten minutes of his meditation, Madelyn appeared in her bedroom doorway. "Hey, sleepyhead," she said to him. He couldn't help but to smile at her, for him, it was impossible. "Good morning, Madelyn," he responded as he began to sit up.
"It's about time you woke up, you know. It's a little late for you," she said. "What time is it?" he asked her. "Two." Grinning just a bit, David moved his head in a mocking fashion. "Oh," he said, feigning hurt," my mistake, my lady." Madelyn giggled at this one, sauntering into the bedroom with her hands behind her back. That smile she possessed told David what to expect next. Madelyn, small and meek, climbed her way atop her bed, and soon atop her vampire. He held her by her waist so gently, her hair dangled down in his face. David inhales her scent so deeply, letting her push him down into the bed where he belongs. The next step is mouths, the distance closing, the emotions overwhelming. Unnecessary contact is made as fingers become tangled within hair.


Unlike David, Asta was eager to awake. She needed to know if Allen was alive.
Rolling over from where she had tossed over in the day, she was instantly upon him, and low and behold he was alive. Alive enough.
With a sigh of relief she relaxed back into the bed and snuggled against him carefully, being sure not to lean on him too harshly, but soon enough she noticed the scent of Ana and another in her home. Ana was no longer there, and the scent of the other was also faded, but apparently Ana had been by. No worries there.
"Allen," she cooed. "Are you okay? You up?"

Allen woke up as Asta snuggled closer to him. Slowly, he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"'M up," he mumbled. After a moment, he added, "I think." His body still ached a bit, and he was hungry, but he wasn't mindlessly ravenous or still terribly wounded. In fact, most of his wounds were almost healed. They were still healing slowly, but they were much better than the night before. "Anything for breakfast around here, or do we need to go out?"

"Ana was here," was what escaped her mouth first. "And I'm sure she brought something for you. How about I go check?" Of course she let him have no say in the matter, because she was already up and gone before he could even respond.
Leaping from the bed, Asta moved swiftly out of her bedroom, down the hall, and into the kitchen. The first thing she spotted was the cooler, obviously from Ana. Asta smiled, taking mental note to thank the older vampire for her good deeds.
"Yeah Allen, there's breakfast in the kitchen!" Breakfast, dinner, whatever it needed to be called. But Asta was feeling better about things now, now that Allen seemed more lively, that is.

Allen slowly got up, feeling the stiffness in his limbs. He almost made a joke about rigor mortis, but decided that morbid humor might not be the best thing to do. He would probably feel better once he had some relatively fresh blood in him. He followed Asta into the kitchen.

"Anything good?" he asked.

Dropping to her knees, Asta opened the cooler and began to dig through it. None of it was as fresh as a human body, but it was by no means old, and after glancing over the dates printed upon the bag, she handed Allen the freshest. "Here you go," she said as she smiled up to him. "Best one in the bunch." It was nice that she was trying to take care of him, or give him the best of what was around, and she was more than happy to.

Allen leaned over as well as he could and gave Asta a kiss.

"Thanks," he said, taking the bag from her. He appreciated that she was trying to take care of him, and he let her. He didn't mind letting her, every so often. It was a nice change. He carefully took a cup out of the cabinet and poured the blood into it. It was less messy that way. Not that his shirt was in such great shape... It was mostly gone by this point, so he finished the job and took it off.

Even though Allen's wounds were beginning to heal up, Asta knew that keeping things clean was probably the best thing for him. What sparked that idea into her head was the fact that Allen was relieving himself of the damaged shirt that he'd been wearing. "You know," she said, "you should probably take a shower sooner or later. It'd probably be good to clean your wounds and all. Keep away from infection." Assuming that was really even possible.

Even if it wasn't possible, a shower sounded great.

"I like that idea," Allen replied. "I'll go and shower once I feel a bit more normal." He looked at the remains of his shirt. "And, you know, find something else to wear. I think this one's done." Downing the rest of the glass, he rinsed it out and left it to dry.