AN: To anyone still reading, I hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think.

Chapter Three

Season 1, Ep. 5

Elizabeth couldn't pinpoint when she'd fallen asleep that night. She only remembered waking up just as the sun began to rise.

She took a deep breath and stretched, smiling to herself as she did. Last night had been one of the best in her life. She'd been surrounded by people like her, people who'd been through almost the exact same things she had –no matter how insane- and her best friend. There was no hiding what she was or what she could do. There was only music and laughing and having a good time.

Izzy's eyes danced around the scene. She and Amanda were still sat on the bench seat where they'd been majority of the night with a ratty, holey blanket wrapped around them to keep them warm. To her right, Martin was asleep, but sitting almost completely upright with his chin against his chest. He looked like he was prepared to launch into a fight at a moment's notice if he had to. She had no doubt he could and would.

Across the still-dying fire and curled up around his sledgehammer was Grips, fully asleep, but smiling as he tenderly held the weapon. Izzy rolled her head toward the van and, with the sliding door wide open, could see Vogel asleep on the bench inside, and Cross curled up on the floor.

Izzy smiled again. She's spent more time on the streets than she ever told people, more time waking up either in the woods, or in alleys because they were the only places she could go, but never once in that time had she woken up happy. In fact, Izzy couldn't remember the last time she truly felt the emotion for so long. Wisps of it here and there, sure, but she was going on a full day. That was unheard of.

Slowly but surely, as the sun began to rise, the people around her began to wake up, too.

Amanda didn't want to go back to Todd's, but she had to. She felt a bit sheepish asking Martin for the ride, but he happily obliged. Even though they'd only known each other for like, a day, it felt like she'd known them forever. At least, that's how they treated her. They treated her like they'd always been right there at her side.

After they stopped for something to eat and were back on the road headed to Todd's apartment, Amanda couldn't help but notice how weird Izzy had been acting. She kept staring at her hands, flexing and squeezing them, opening and closing them over and over again, and smiling. It honestly looked like she had only just realized she had hands in the first place.

"Dude," Amanda said with a laugh, drawing Elizabeth's gaze. "What's with you?"

"I'm full." She replied excitedly.

Amanda's brows rose and a crooked, uncertain smile touched her lips. "Okay," she said in a tone to match. "So?"

"I've never been full before." Izzy replied. Amanda felt an instant stab of shock, but Elizabeth hadn't noticed. She was too busy being happy that she wasn't hungry. "Everything's… clearer. It's so much sharper than before."

"Wait," Amanda mumbled.

"You ain't never been full before?" Martin asked from the driver's seat, putting voice to the same thing that had been coursing through Amanda's mind.

"No," Izzy replied as she shook her head.

"Like, ever?" Vogel asked. "Never ever?"

Again, Izzy shook her head. Amanda noticed that the guys shared her sentiment. She saw their faces twist and scowl, as though the thought of Elizabeth barely scraping by when it came to food was horrible. She agreed. Maybe that was why she had such a hard time accepting the simple statement. It seemed completely unreasonable for someone to never be full, no matter what they ate.

"Well," Martin chimed. "You ain't got to worry 'bout that anymore, Kid. We take care of our own. You and Drummer there, you're set for life."

Amanda couldn't help but smile, a reaction she saw mimicked on Izzy's face.

They continued to make their way down the road, seemingly content, when Amanda noticed everyone else begin to tense. Vogel scowled, Cross rolled his shoulders as though they'd suddenly gone tense, and Izzy looked deep in thought. Given what she knew now, Amanda assumed they sensed something that she couldn't.

"Well, well, well," Martin said in a sing-songy voice as he peered into his mirrors. "Looks like we got some company."

"Who is it?" Amanda asked. She adjusted herself just enough to look through the back windows past the guys. A few cars back, and standing out more than they probably would have wanted, was a black, unmarked van.

"Don't know." Martin crooned as he continued to divide his attention between the road and the van. "How 'bout we have some fun, hm?" The Rowdy boys immediately let loose a barrage of hollers and woops as they beat their fists against the inside of the van. "That's what I like to hear!" Martin shifted just enough to see Amanda. "We're gonna take a slight detour, Drummer. That work for you?"

Amanda grinned and shrugged a shoulder, "Sure."

Martin gave them a sharp nod and stepped on the gas. The van careened down the road and with wild, yet expert precision, he slipped in between traffic with little more than the honks of angry drivers following.

He took a few turns fairly sharp, jostling those in the back and threatening to knock them into each other, but after jetting down an alley, he finally stopped. Turning the van off, Martin twisted in his seat and looked to the two newest members.

"You two okay playin' the bait?"

"Bait for who?" Izzy asked a bit skeptically.

Martin offered her a light smile, "No worries, Kid. Me and the boys'll be nearby. Ain't nobody gonna hurt you guys."

"Sure," Amanda happily agreed. She was too consumed in the moment to care about much else, and she knew, on a deep, important level, that the Rowdy 3 wouldn't let anything happen to her and Elizabeth.

Cross threw open the sliding door and the large group exited the van. Almost before she and Izzy could see it, the guys vanished from sight. Her brows rose high. She was a little surprised by it.

Off to the side and tucked behind a building was an abandoned lot. It wasn't big, but there were things to sit on, and it was out in the open. Amanda reasoned that it would be as good a place to wait as any. They were supposed to be bait, after all.

While Amanda fell easily into a seat and was more than content to relax, Izzy seemed incapable. She'd begun to pace, taking long, easy steps in a straight line back and forth. The longer it went on, the more Amanda began to realize that she was genuinely uncomfortable with something.

"What's wrong with you?" Amanda finally asked.

"I don't know," Elizabeth mumbled. "Something feels weird. I've never been this alert before."

"Have you really never been full before?" Amanda couldn't help but narrow her eyes on her friend. It wasn't that she didn't believe her, necessarily, it simply meant that the alternative was Izzy going through life half-starved.

"No," Elizabeth said with a hint of shame. "I mean, I've hurt people before. Why would I want to risk it?" Amanda nodded absently. It made sense on some level, though she couldn't picture the Old Lady hurting anyone, intentional or not. "How are you doing?"

A large, wide smile almost immediately spread across her face. "Dude, I'm having a blast."

"Really?" She asked with a slight laugh.

"Yeah!" she exclaimed. "I mean, Todd's hanging out with a psychic detective and we spent the whole night partying with the coolest set of dudes I've ever met, and I just found out that my best friend has super powers. And! I don't have to worry about attacks anymore. That's awesome!"

Izzy laughed and shook her head in disbelief, but it was true. Amanda couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun after being diagnosed.

But as they sat there hanging out, waiting for whatever was going to happen to happen, they heard a commotion. Both Amanda and Elizabeth went rigid and turned their attention toward it. Through the chain link fence, they saw the guys fighting someone dressed in black tactical gear.

"Vogel! Boys! We need to talk!" Screamed an old guy as he rushed the group. "Martin, we need to talk."

With his bat raised high, Martin let out a long, loud growl. "You should not be here." He snapped back at the old dude. "The Rowdy Boys ain't got no use for you."

When the guys parted just a little, the two young women finally had a clear view of who they were talking to. Amanda didn't recognize him or the guy at his side, but Izzy had a reaction.

"Son of a bitch," She growled so angrily it shocked Amanda.

"What?" Amanda asked. "Who is that guy?"

And then she ominously replied, "Blackwing."

Amanda opened her mouth to speak, but Izzy was gone before she had the chance. The white-haired woman was on a war path, charging into the fight without a second's hesitation.

Izzy saw red the moment Riggins came into view. He was older, fatter, but it was him. She knew that voice was familiar, but couldn't put it to a face until she saw him. After that, she was furious.

She raced towards the fight without a second thought as to who might be hiding in the wings. There could be a thousand other soldiers, but it didn't matter. She had shit to say.

When she emerged on the road, she was finally spotted. She noticed his brows tug together and confusion take his expression at the sight of her alongside the Rowdy boys.

"Elizabeth," He said, his voice mirroring his face. "You…" His gaze danced between the four subjects. "You look well."

"Fuck you!" She screamed, shocking those around her with the outburst. "What are you even doing here?"

"Let's just stomp his ass!" Vogel shrieked. "This is the guy! What are we waiting for?!"

Each of them, whether it was Project Incubus, or Project Succubus, was vibrating with very real rage. The worry on Riggins's face told Izzy that he was well aware he was standing on a powder keg about to burst.

"I'm just here to talk." Riggins said for the third, or fourth time.

"Talk?!" Elizabeth was losing her battle with control. "You want to talk after everything you did to me? To us?!"

"I'm sorry for-"

"My hair turned white from the shit they did to me in that place!" Izzy yelled, instantly cutting off what she was sure was a halfhearted apology. "And it's your fault!"

Without warning, Martin launched himself forward, gliding past Izzy with more of that feline grace. He raced for Riggins and in one swift motion, slapped his hat away before crashing his forehead into that of the old man's.

"You," Martin's voice sounded downright animalistic, "You ain't gonna put me and my Rowdy Boys back in no cages, the Kid, either."

"I'm here to save your lives." Riggins said in an almost pleading way. "It's different this time."

"We're not going back into a freak zoo!"

Everyone's attention had been so focused on Martin and Riggins that no one noticed the young man snatch Amanda until he yelled, "Drop your weapons!"

They all shifted to see him holding her tightly to his chest with a gun aimed at her head. Izzy felt fire rise inside her. He was threatening her best friend –her sister in some ways- and the fact that he worked for the same organization that ruined her life made it even worse. It didn't help that all of the energy vampires were feeding off one another's rage, either.

"What the hell are you doing?" Riggins asked his man.

"Just trying to take control of the situation, sir." He replied in a shaky voice. "Drop your weapons!"

The five of them –the freaks they were there to grab- shifted and moved uncomfortably on their feet. Izzy could tell the guys wanted to attack as much as she did, but no one could think of a way that wouldn't affect Amanda. Except Izzy. She knew what to do.

While the energy around her continued to sizzle and pop, she stepped forward without fear. Eyes shot to her and the kid holding Amanda tensed.

"Back up!" his voice wavered.

Izzy immediately stopped. Her body was rigid, but she knew how to defuse the situation, at least a little.

Still staring at him, she softened her expression substantially and smiled. He flinched.

"Elizabeth," Riggins said with a warning tone. "Don't do this."

She doesn't listen to him. Instead, she played her part. Izzy ran her bottom lip through her teeth, catching the ring in the center briefly. She tilted her head to the side and let her long hair fall out of the way. Slowly, she approached him again, exuding all of the flirtatious energy she could.

Flashing her best, award-winning smile, Izzy cooed, "Hi."

A crooked, uncertain smile twitched at his lips and his aura grew a little brighter. The color started to tint red, so she continued her advance. He must not have been very smart. It sounded like a mean thing to say, but Izzy barely had to put forth the effort. Sometimes, it would take all of her energy to break down someone's walls enough to feed. But not with him. Either he already fancied her, or he wasn't a bright man. She leaned towards the latter.

"Elizabeth!" Riggins snapped, but she continued to ignore him.

The closer she drew, the stronger his attraction became and while his attention was on her, she reached forward. The instant her hand touched his bare cheek, it was over. He wouldn't be able to escape, not with physical contact.

Izzy immediately pulled him forward, dislodging his grip from Amanda in the process. She cradled his face in her hands and began to suck the energy from him. His attraction was the open door she needed to take everything he had.

Pain took his face. Elizabeth managed to glance over at Amanda and told her to run. She didn't hesitate to flee while she had the chance.

"Elizabeth, enough!"

Hands on her shoulders yanked her almost violently back from the young man she was feeding off of. She stumbled, unable to get her feet under her before an arm shot out and grabbed her. Cross was the one who kept her from kissing the pavement, hoisting her to her feet while his black eyes remained angrily fixed on Riggins.

The young blonde wavered on his feet, dizzy and uncertain. Izzy knew she didn't take enough to hurt him, but she made sure he'd have a hell of a migraine to contend with. He was lucky she didn't kill him for what he'd done. She should have. Maybe she should have shown him what kind of a freak she was.

"Let's go!" Martin called out.

With Amanda gone and safe, Izzy backed up alongside the guys and kept her eyes on Riggins for as long as possible before racing off to the van. The old man's yells followed them as they practically dove into the vehicle and peeled out.

The whole ordeal took perhaps two minutes.