"Nothing, sweetie. I just need to talk a few things over with Mister Eric, K? Can you go back in Mister Eric's office and play with these toys I gave you a while so Mommy and Eric can have grown up time?" Jade put on the best smile she could muster as she fiddled with Claira's hair. She couldn't even look at Eric at the moment.

"New toys are in those baskets? Really?! Oh sure, mommy!" Claira exclaimed as she hugged Jade tighter before jumping up and grabbing the baskets. She ran towards the back. She paused and looked back, "Oh, and mommy... don't hurt mister Eric."

Then she turned again and ran towards the hallway, shutting the door behind her. Jade wiggled her nose, sending Claira a happy feeling from her and Eric. She didn't want her worrying anymore then she already was. Jade flipped around, she grabbed Eric by the neck, growling lowly as she pushed him into the bar.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?! Telling to call you father? You are nothing to her!" Jade snapped at him, her eyes swirling crimson inches from his face.

He only gave a mock smile.
"Careful now, she told you not to hurt me," his icy blue eyes taunting up at her, minty breathe dancing across her face. He was too calm.
"You think I give a damn?" she gritted her teeth, gripping tighter.
"Honestly, no. But she does."
"Ha, that's funny. She'll get over it. She doesn't need a bastard like you in her life."
"Really now? That's not what she told me."

Jade sucked in one of her ragid gasps hearing that. Claira was in such a need for a father that she would turn to Eric? She was a horrible mother. Jade released him, balling her hands up into fists at her sides while staring down at him.

"What?" She barely let out through her clenched teeth.
"Yes. You really don't see how much she needs, preys for a father to love her, do you? No, you don't. You've been keeping her away for your own foolish needs. Yes, when she gained her little power I had her check on you. All she kept saying was 'Mommy is sad'. No doubt it was over one of those pathetic men in that hell-hole you call home," he sneered up at her as she turned away from him.

He knew he hit a nerve, he knew all the words to hurt her. He knew too much.

"You shut the hell up. You don't know anything about me. You don't know how hard it's been and how hard it is. I'm doing this to keep her safe... from me."
"I don't know anything? I know everything. Hard? You put yourself into these situations. Safe from you? No one is ever safe. You are like a wrecking ball."
"I know, I know! Shut up!" she gripped her head. She always had hated when he was right, and he always was.
"Okay, Darling. I will quiet on your current situation. Let's speak of our daughter for the moment. There is some progression I think you should know about," he smirked up at her as she turned around. He nodded towards the barstool next to him, "Sit."

She did so, her crimson eyes glaring at him the entire time.

"First of all, never utter the word 'darling' towards me ever again. And second, she is not ours, she is mine," she shrugged into the barstool, "So what is this progression you're talking about?"

"Her heart has stopped beating," Eric's icy gazr staring into her.

Any bit of anger she had flooded from her as she heard... those terrible words. Any color left in her pale feature were now drained out. Her eyes jolted back to her jade color as she held her sides, her breathes were shuddered.
"Oh... no," she surpressed a sob by biting her lower lip, "Will she stay that way... forever?"

Anger flashed through her yet again. She knew her eyes would be crimson right at the very thought of wanting him back. In his sick, demented dreams maybe. She also knew from the sight of his grin growing larger. He always liked her more when she was angry.

"Like hell I 'longed' for you. Hells to the no. It's none your consern why I was thinking of you. Just know I hated every second of it," she sneered. Jade hated he brought this up. He knew it.

"Such a temper," he tsked her mockingly, "Of course it is mt consern. You were thinking of me after all. Your thoughts... carried pain. This worries me."

She huffed, there was no way around this. Better get on with it.
"Fine, if you want to know I'll tell you. This is all on you now," she sighed as her anger faded giving way to sorrow, "I was thinking of you... because..." She trailed off, looking at him.

He nodded, waiting for her to go on. But it was hard... sharing her pain... with him. She would have rathered being shot then going through this.

"... Because ... I'm oh so very cold, like you, when it comes to relationships. I don't know what I want. I've never been good in love, only in bed."

He only gave a short grunt in remembrance. Jade looked up at him, his eyes were far away... surely remembering the nights they shared.

She continued, "I tend to go and break their hearts. So I was just thinking... if someone made me fall madly, insanely in love with them then drop me on my arse with no remorse like I do to them... like you did to me... well maybe I'd stop my ways, ya know?"

Jade sniffled a bit as she spoke those words to him. Eric. THe man she hated for hurting, betraying her so. For making her act the way she did. For making her so weak. She never wanted to ever talk about her emotions to him. To admit he was actually a person - that cared. His eyes widened from her words, then more so at the cold trickle of blood tears that streamed down her cheeks. Her tears were soundless, she did not sob. Eric hadn't seen her cry ever since the fight they had over a year ago.

"Jadden..." his usual cool tone was now soothing, "You know I didn't 'drop you on your arse'. I loved you."

Her face jerked up at that. Lies. She stabbed a finger in the air at him, even though he was inches away on the barstool next to her, "You didn't? You loved me? You are such a liar, Eric! Get over yourself! You cheated on me, not the other way around!"

She quickly used the back of her hand to wip away the tears, pathetic tears.

"I did love you!" I do love you, he wanted to add, "I was drunk and I made a mistake!"
"Mistake? You banged her for two years!"

He grit his teeth, she was right this time. He hated it almost as much as she hated him always being right. He clenched his fist in his lap.

"You're right, Jadden. But she was nothing to me. I never had any feelings for her."
"You had feelings alright. Enough to f*ck her."

This was it. What Jade never wanted to confront Eric about, to know his feelings about this very real topic. But she knew it would be coming one day... Just not today. She didn't want to resolve this, she just wanted to hate him. Any other time, this would have started a fight. Jade knew this would be different, she didn't want this to be different. Yet, she didn't stop him when he took her hand.

"Jadden, listen to me. I made a mistake. I'm only hu... No no, I'm only male. You of all people should know that men don't think with their brains most of the time."
"Don't I know it."
"See... I had one of those moments."
"For two years? Ha. You had plenty of those moments."
"God damnit, Jadden! Listen to me!"
"I am! You're just not making any sense! I bet she didn't even know about me!"
"She knew about you..."
"What? You're kidding me."
"No, I'm not. I told her there was another, but she didn't care. She just wanted to be used."

Realization struck Jade like a bullet, a bolt of lightening. She was that girl. With Gabe, she was. She just wanted to be used, to have him anyway she could even if there was a chance he was with another. Eric misread her horrible sobs as something he caused. Panit hit him as Jade held herself.

"No no! I swear to you she only wanted the sex and the thrill. Nothing more! She didn't love me, I didn't love her. She was nothing more than a fang banger!"

She shoved him away as he tried to wrap her in a hug, "This isn't over you! I'm crying because I frikken feel like it!"

Eric studdered a bit, "E-E-Engaged?"
"Yes, it was in the heat of the moment. I didn't want to... but it seemed so right at the time. I probably couldn't have said no to him even if I wanted to."
"I see... So what happened?"

She sighed. The whole thing was so long and drawn out... not to mention tearful, that she didn't really want to tell the whole story, "I'll show you."

"What?"
"Release my arm, only for the moment."

He gave her a shakey look, but agreed and released her right wrist. His lips brushed over her skin before they parted. Fangs grazed the flesh only for a second before sinking in. She only winced a slight bit, not a sound coming from her. One taste was all he needed. A wave of jumbled memories came over him. He was no longer in his club, but in Jade's memories - watching them, living them.

Memories of using Gabe in the beginning, before she loved him and how she ended it for his own good. It flashed forward to the night she was a mess, crying to Alana that she really loved him. The heat of the moment proposal. The happy times, the nights with him. Then the meeting with Bob, and the tape. Every word played out just like it did that night. Her emotions. anger and betrayal. They were the only ones that registered. The Flames. How she burned down their brand new home. Ashes. THe mindless month that passed. Seeing Michelle talking about being with Gabe. Finally giving in to her feelings. The tearful apology to Gabe. Michale. The break up with him. More tears spilled. The awkward talks with Gabe. The night, the wonderful night they got back together. Her need to feel used. The doubt she had about him being with Michelle still. Her not caring only if she was with him somehow.

He lurched back into the now, Jade still planted unwillingly on his lap, her wrist pressed to his lips. He released his fangs from her wrist, mumbling this and that from the memories, trying to comprehend it all. He licked the blood from her wrist before taking a napkin and wrapping it around her wrist. Eric ran his tongue over his lips, savoring his last taste of Jade. Her blood was always so sweet, lined with pain. It mirrored her herself.

Jade sighed, holding the napkin to her wrist. He didn't fight her as she slid back into her barstool, "So, you see why I don't like talking about things?"

He cleared his throat, "I do."
"I'm sorry I couldn't give you the watered down version."
"It wouldn't have done it justice. My sweet Jadden, why do you torture yourself so?"


She peeled back the napkin, the wounds already gone. She gave one of those over used exhausted sighs.

"Because I tortured others the same."
"Why do you let him do this to you?"
"Because I love him."
"Even if he just wants sex?"
"Yes."
"You clearly don't know what love is."
"Never have."
"He uses you."
"I let him. I want him to."
"You shouldn't."
"But yet I do. Eric, you won't win this. I do as I please."
"I know far too well."