((Back story))

"Jadden, dear?" Jade's mother, Cordella - Jade's mirror image, called infront of the changing screen where behind was Jade and the maids fitting her into a beautiful white gown, a wedding dress.

"Yes, Mother?" Jade called back.
"How is it coming, the dress?" Cordella asked.
"Just fine." Jade's voice a tad sad and anger.
"What is it, dear?" Cordella asked.
"Nothing that we haven't gone through." Jade spat out.

Cordella moved behind the screen to look at her daughter.
"Oh it's beauitful!"

And it was. The white gown fit Jade like a glove, but anything fit Jade like so. The dress was that of a princess, but Jade was at that time. Her family the richest in the colony, Louisiana before there was a Louisiana.

It flowed onto the ground, for when she walked down the aisle it would give the effect of her floating. But of course the front was shorter than the back so she would not trip. The corset was tight, tighter than she ever had worn before. (The latest fashion in London.) It was trimmed in a pearl colored lace. Sown into the corset was jade colored velvet at the breast and at the fringes at her hips. On the skirt of the dress were little jade velvet pieces sown into it ran down the skirt.

Jade looked at the dress, it was as her mother spoke, beauitful. But yet something was wrong. Not the dress, but the reason she wore it.

"Mother, I can't..." the look on Jade's face was of freight and a mix of anger.
"Why not?" Cordella questioned.
"You told me I had a week to think about this... and already you have gotten me a dress!" Jade shouted. This was a signal for the maids to leave. As the signal was taken, The maids left Jade's room... quiet in a hurry.

Cordella folded her arms together.
"Yes, I told you that you had a week to think about this. To let it grow on you, not for you to argue. That Mooratell boy is really kind."

"But I don't love him!! I want marry someone I love. Not a person I hardly know!" Jade was giving her mother an angry glare.
"Your father and I had a pre-arranged marrige and I grew fond of him. Your father would have loved to walk you down that aisle. God bless his soul," Cordella bowed her head silently.

Jade looked at her mother. This wasn't about her father.
"Mother, I'm not walking down that aisle with that man..."

Cordella's head popped up from the prayer. "Yes you are. You are going to one day! God forbid a nice man willing to marry you comes along! Jadden you're nearly twenty-three! I was married by six-teen. It is your time!"

The war had began, again.

Jade stomped out from the screen, lifting the skirt of the dress so she could stomp. "It is not my time! And when it is, you won't be a part of it!!"

She stomped out of her room, leaving her mother standing there.

Jade closed her bedroom door silently, standing at the closed door a few moments. She had her eyes closed, just thinking about the dinner to come in a short time. Jade sighed and walked down the corridor then down another to the dining hall.
She had changed, as said she would. No use lingering in attire she would never wear. She wore her red and black corset-dress. The skirt of the dress ruffled down her legs, short enough to let her matching heels peek out.

Jade stepped into the large dining hall. It had to be large enough to hold all the dinner guests that her mother so frueqently invited, so many Jade herself never attended.
Jade's own jade colored eyes glared into her mother's. Her mother sat at the head of the table, that had been her spot since Jade's father's death.

"You wished to see me?" Jade asked while moving to the seat left of the head.
"Yes, I did. We need to have a talk, Jadden dear." Cordella's voice was an angry tone. A tone much used while speaking to Jade.

Another one of her talks, Jade thought, this will be graaaand.

((The rest of the Eric/Jade conversation))


Eric looked to Jade.
"I'm sorry, Muffins. Is there anything I can do?" his voice purred.
"No Eric. I'm fine. Things have just been coming back that's all." Jade sighed.

Eric looked longingly at Jade, the way he always looked.
"We must look to the happier times. Let's remanince them." he smiled.
"Well, what happier time do you wish to speak of first?" Jade smiled back.
There were plenty of those. They were like blackberries on a ripe vine.
"The 80's. You remember how we met?" he had a laugh in his voice. She stared back into his blue hues. Oh that memory.
"Oh yes, I believe I was serving as a stripper then. You came in that night just to see me. I was one-of-a-kind back then," Jade smiled again.
"You still are." he said calmly, then a sip of his blood.

A mix of emotions came over her. Anger, sadness, happiness, and hate. He brought her here just to get her back, after he brought them to an end so long ago. Jade decided to just let the memory of back then stay.

"Eric, there are plenty of Jade look-alikes now. Just as common as dandilion." She said as confident as ever. She wasn't going to let him break her down.
"Jade dear, You are about as common as a four-leaf-clover. But we are remanincing remember? Do you remember when I came upon you that night?" His blue hues bounced about her.
"Yes I do Eric," She remembered quiet well,"A guy was roughing me up, then you stepped in."
"I still don't know how you let him do that." his brows furrowed.
"I was a stripper, in a strip-joint. What else was I sapose ta do? I needed the money." her voice got a little louder.

He sighed. Eric was a womanizer, but he did like to see guys roughing up woman. There is a difference in his book.
"Jade dear, but do you let men treat you that way now?" he looked up to Jade again.
"Hell no! No one touches me without me knowing it." she barked. She had changed alot since the time they spoke of.
"Good. No one touches my Jade." He smirked.
"I'm not your Jade anymore. You gave that up a while ago." she gave a angry glare.
"But Jade dear, I want it back... the right to call you mine." his eyes frozen in shock. He had a tendency to go to far, and realize what he did at the wrong times.
"I'm no one's, only my own. I've been jaded way too many times. I loved you, Eric. But you gave it up. I won't let you give it up again." Jade stood up and scooted her chair back into the table," Remaninsion over."

He scrambled his way out of his chair as well.
"No Jade, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to forgo you. Please, don't leave. I ... I... I've only had you in mind." he scrurried infront of her, begging.
"Eric, Don't you get it!? I have always cared about you, even after what happened! But It's over because of you, and I won't let myself fall back to you." she narrowed her eyes to him.
"Jade..." He breathed,"Please..."
"If you would Eric, please be out of my way." she said with scorn. Jade knew this was how the night would end.
"I've always liked you better when you were angry." Eric said while still infront of her. Somehow when he goes to far, he goes too far. She gripped her fists.
"Eric, get out of my way before I make you." Jade snarled.
"Jade, even you know you never once could hit me. You cared too much," he said with a pout of his lip.
"You wanna make it a first? You're on thin ice buddy." she snarled again.
"No no, Jade. As you wish. May I lead you to the door?" Eric stepped out of her way.
"I think I'm a big girl." she peered at him, then stomped off.

After sleeping on a small down bed in the cottage, Jade asked if there was anything she could get or do for Boarus.

"Please run quickly to the market if you'd like." Uncle told her.

Jade nodded and looked out a small window to see that the sun had began to set during her small nap.

Just before she left, Uncle's grey eyes filled with worry as she headed to the door. She looked back at him and saw that worry.
"Uncle, what ever is the matter? Is it the money? If so, I brought with me my share of the Rogue fortune." Jade asked with one hand on the door knob.
"No no, child. Just be careful. Hemmington has changed at night. Look out, my dear, for the feared." He slowly said, looking his neice over.
"The feared?" her jade eyes widened.
"Vampires, my dear, vampires." Uncle looked into those jade eyes of hers.
"Vampires, Uncle? They are only fairytales to scare children." Jade breathed.
"Jadden, then we are living a nightmare." He paused and looked out the window to the little light they had left,"Go, before nightfall."

Jade awake stiffly on the down bed in the cottage. She blinked once, she blinked twice. Even a third time. I'm alive?, she thought.
She rose up a bit to see Uncle Boarus asleep on the floor.

"Uncle?" she whispered. Uncle Boarus shifted and looked up at her.
"Jadden dear? Are you awake?" He asked drowsily.
"Yes..." she trailed off as she looked to her hands. They were pale and cold. It felt like all the warmth from her body had been pulled away.
Jade looked down into her uncle's warm grey eyes. She didn't remember anything about what happened to her, only that she should be dead.
"Uncle, what has happened?" she whispered.

He let out a long sigh as he stood then sat at the end of the down where Jade lay propped.
"Jadden dear, do you remember going to the market for me?" he asked.
Jade only nodded.
"Well," he started,"When you didn't come back, I went looking for you in the morning." Uncle paused and took a gulp of air.
Jade nodded again.
"I found you laying on the road next to another dead man. The only thing that let me know you were still alive was your faint breathing. That's the only thing that's left hope in my mind all this time." He looked at her.

"Uncle," She paused,"What happened? And what do you mean by all this time?"
"Child, the feared bit you," he gulped as Jade gasped,"And now you are one of the feared."

Jade could only sit there wide eyed. Nothing came of her mouth even if she tried to speak.

"You've slept for nearly two months. I notified your mother that you were injured and she only wrote a letter in reply telling of how she was remarried and is with child." He told her.

Jade became angry at that.
"Remarried and with child?! That sick woman!" She shouted. And with that anger, all of a sudden a new set of fangs poked out. Uncle was just as shocked as Jade was.
She felt them and looked to Uncle.
"What... are these?" She asked.
"I think..." he gulped again,"They are fangs..."