Cole had risen early this saturday evening, kissing the sleeping Raen softly before heading to the shower. Michael was coming over today and he didn't want to be there for that. He had the feeling that he may have been crowding her. She never went anywhere without him. She'd at least give her this evening with Michael.

So, tonight, he'd have to find a way to entertain himself. He already had one thing in mind for this evening. He had been wanting to get away for a while to look for a gift for Raen. There was no occasion other than the fact that he loved her.

Once on the streets, he fed quickly on two young girls that he lured into the dark with him. He covered up his tracks simply and quickly and headed on his way. The mall closed at 9 after all.

The weather was getting nicer outside, so he did not wear his heavy wool coat. Instead, he wore a black cashmere sweater to keep the cold away. Other than that, there was nothing out of the ordinary about his appearance. Black hair slightly disheveled and hanging in his cold blue eyes, his skin colorless with a palpable smoothness that made it look like porcelain. For once, he wore a pair of loose jeans and tennis shoes. This was a change for him. He usually only wore clothes such as these around the apartment, but today he didn't care. No need to dress up if he wasn't going anywhere important.

He walked casually through the mall, delicate hands in his pockets, his eyes kept low. The brightlights hurt his eyes, but he didn't like sunglasses. They always got in the way. He thought he had heard of a Zale's here in the mall
and that was precisely what he had been looking for.

Jaxon on the other hand had no problem wearing a pair of sleek sunglasses inside. If she took them off, she woudl simply be blinded by all the light and color. Henri said it was just a temporary thing... That she would have to get used to or something like that... Well it had already been a month now... A month since she was killed and brought back, though not quite alive anymore...

She didn't know what she was truth be told... Henri had told her about the different covens... But what were they really? Jax wanted to find out for herself... but she had not been able to find anyone to help her... There were some older ones that she had met... But they hadn't said a word to her, just glared at her untill she left... Then there had ben some who wanted to kill her... Luckaly though she was quick... Quicker than any of them and more agile, able to jump, crawl and climb... They hadn't been able to.

Well... Everything had come to a dead end...

Untill she had come to the mall... There was a scent she had been following... For the past few minutes... Vampire... Male... She knew... But she still was having difficulty spotting them in a crowd... But if he was older... He would be able to feel her... to spot her... She knew he was here... But where?

Cole watched the people that walked in and out of the stores. He loved to watch people. Before he met Raen, he spent most of his time doing so.

He smiled softly to himself. If it weren't for her, he would have been long gone from this little city. At the time of their meeting, he had fancied the thought of visiting Rome again. Maybe he'd take Raen there someday.

His majestic blue eyes glanced around in each store as he walked past it, lingering a little as he walked by Victoria's Secret. Raen has that bra, he thought. He laughed softly to himself, accidently exposing his long, lethal canines. He covered his mouth as a little color rose to his cheeks at the thought but it soon disappeared.

Finally, his eyes caught the sleek black sign over the Zale's store. He made to walk towards it, but something caught his attention. Someone was watching him.

No, not watching... Looking for him. Could it be Corrigan? He stopped where he stood and looked around him, sensing another immortal nearby, but it was not Corrigan. A woman?

He picked her out easily in the crowd. A fledgling, no less, hunting for others of her kind with her new senses. He smiled to himself and looked pointedly at her, drawing her eyes to him. He smiled at her and then disappeared into the crowd again, walked toward Zale's once more.

Something was calling Jax’s attention… Where… Her dual colored eyes behind the shades met the blue eyes of a man… one who appeared to be younger than her… But with the blink of her eyes… “He’s gone!” She whispered in surprise. But she shouldn’t have been. She herself could do that…

She started running at a jog to find him. Her eyes scanning all about as was her nose. She had remembered Henri saying some could read minds, some could hear her thoughts… Maybe he could ”Please! Wait! I want to talk to you!” She called out in her mind, unsure of if he would be able to hear her. She knew she couldn’t project her thoughts to others… But her and Henri seemed to have a special bond… Was it like with parent and child?

“Please wait! Hold on!” She called out again, just in case.

But she didn’t hear a response or see the man again… Brown hair… Blue eyes… Black sweater and blue jeans, similar to what Jaxon was wearing actually… Blue Jeans and her FGCU sweatshirt. Where the hell had the man gone! She prided herself on tracking… But in this environment… It was hard to track just one person… But when that person was a vampire… The odds were more in their favor, especially with Jaxon’s inexperience.

Cole hadn't really thought much more about the young fledgling until she called out to him. He turned and looked at her again, moving quickly toward her. In actuality, he stopped before her.

It wasn't exactly a smart move, for she practically knocked him over with her momentum, but he caught both her and his balance, a smile drawn back on his features.

He looked down at her nodded respectfully, his eyes and expression kind as he let her go, allowing her to right herself and speak to him as she wish to do.

"Hello."

He must not have heard her… Where did he-

“Ah!” Her scream was muffled slightly by his chest as she clung on to him. She felt he was trying to compensate for the both of them and would not interfere. She was in his arms for a second then he let her go once he was sure they were not going to fall.

She looked up at the figure who had caught her… She had been the hunter, but she became the hunted… And she has been caught. But he was a handsome hunter… His eyes a most unusual shade of blue that were almost captivating… He was physically fit… But something told her not all was as it appeared. But something also told her that perhaps this one would be willing to share what he knew with her… He was old… Well, older than a mere fledgling at least… But he was no ancient or even as old as Henri was… Unless he knew how to mask his power…

“Hello as well.” She responded looking at him as she removed her sunglasses… “Um… I’m Jaxon… Jaxon Synclair…” She introduced herself with a bow of her head. What manner of etiquette this one followed… She didn’t know… “And… I had some questions… About… Our world… Perhaps… we could talk?” She asked hesitantly.

Cole's brows furrowed for a moment in amusement. She was so flustered and anxious and for what? A few moments to talk? "Of course. But slow down. There is nothing our kind has more of than time. I'm Cole," he offered her his hand and shook hers gently when she took it. "What did you say your name was? Jaxon?"

His entire face worked with expression as he spoke. He had never been one to forsake emotion and he was still rather attached to his mortality, even after all these years.

"That's an interesting name. I don't believe I've ever met a woman with such a name. What decent is it, if I may ask?" He made a funny face and waved a hand in front of his face.

"Wow, completely off topic," he laughed lightly and then added, "Yes, we can talk. Would you mind accompanying me to Zale's? I've... I've got some business there."

“Um, Yeah, Jaxon… But uh, Just call me Jax. Well all the guys at the station do anyway…” She ran a hand through her had as she would have normally blushed. “I actually don’t know where it came from though. My dad named me though. I think he wishes I would have been a boy. Probably something he made up… But it fits me really… I grew into it I guess…” She gave a slight laugh, but wanted to change the subject quickly. Memories of her family were beginning to immerge, and she didn’t want to deal with that now.

Yeah… her father was the one who had trained her when she was young… He was the one who always encouraged her to try harder and harder until she could do something that she didn’t think she could…

She looked up as he spoke again, grateful for the distraction. “Um… sure Yeah.” She nodded. She was beginning to relax in his presence. No creepy vibes… No ill will that she could feel… And that told her two things. One, he was not the vampire who was involved with the gun cartel, and two, he would be more than willing to talk with her.

But he had already said that. “Zales?” She quipped curiously. But it was none of her business. “Yeah. No problem…” She said as she followed him.

Cole nodded as he listened to her speak. "If you could have chosen your own name, what would you have named yourself? I had such an opportunity when I was a young mortal boy. My... My mentor thought it rather silly, but I like it. Cole Michael Valentine." He nodded. He fit it.

He noticed the logo on her sweater, so he didn't inquire further about the 'station.' He would pick up what he could from her thoughts.

"So... What do you want to know about us? Don't you have... Where is you sire? Why isn't he answering these questions for you?"

((Pss… FGCU was her old University in Florida ^.~))

“I don’t know really… I never thought about it to be honest…” She said with a shrug. “I’ve never minded mine, and I like it… But I don’t think I ever would have thought of it…”

There was a brief silence as they walked

“My sire? Henri? Oh… I don’t know where he is now…” She gave a grin. “You know kids these days, running off like they own the place.” She gave a chuckle. “But I mean I know I can ask him… But well, I like to get different sides of the story. And some times different people know different things… Not everyone can be at the same place at the sane time… Not even us.”

“But uh, Henri… My sire… He’s nearly a millennia old… But he still looks like he’s twelve or something…” She said hesitantly, looking around. “I mean I’ve asked him and he is teaching me. But well, I didn’t get to where I am in the force without asking questions and learning everything I needed to… And there are some things he can’t really tell me about… Like, the covens for example… He’s never been in one so he doesn’t know much about them but what they stand for…”

(*smacks forehead* Doh! Oh well. Lol)

Cole nodded as he listened to her words. "I understand. It's nice to have a different point of view." As they stepped into Zale's he looked around to make sure that none of the sales people were around. He glanced at the little signs that indicated which the speciality of the jewelry until he found engagement rings.

"I used to belong to a coven. Actually, I belonged to one when I was mortal. I wasn't exactly a participant or anything. Just, there, I guess. My master belonged to it." He paused for a moment. He supposed he wasn't making a whole lot of sense.

A sales woman walked by and offered her assistance, but he told her he didn't need it and she left. His eyes followed her as she walked away and he leaned over the cases looking into them.

While Raen had been sleeping the night before, he had searched through her thoughts to find what her ideal engagement ring would look like. He wanted to find the perfect one.

"See, I was born into the custody of a vampire... As his servant, I suppose. And he didn't like following the rules of that coven. It was called the Tarepha. I don't know much about it to date, but I'm sure it is still around. I'm not very impressed with it. When I became immortal, I left at once."

((Okay, I managed to rouse Jax for a bit, we'll see how long it lasts though >.<))

To Jaxon he wasn't making any sence... You belonged to one before you were turned.... But once you crossed over you abandoned them?" Wasn't that oposite of the way things should have been? But she decided to listen more instead of asking questions. Usually questions were answered when one talked...

And he did answer her question. Humans born into the ownership of vampires? Like slaves? How... barbaric... But there was some sence to it... And had the humans wanted... The could have rebeled at any time... After all... Vampires were not undefeatable. Jaxon studdied not only the strength she was gaining, but also the weaknesses. So they must not have been ill-treated...

But Jaxon nodded as he mentioned the Coven name. "Yeah, they're still around. Henri mentioned them... I guess through the ages, the covens are too strong to die out." She randomly glanced down at the case of diamond solitaires... There must have been a very special someone in his life, but she would mind her business... Funny enough her first question was if she was a vampire as well, or a mortal...

"What did you do for the coven?" She asked curiously. "A guardian durring the light hours? Running errands when they could not?"

Cole turned his head and looked at her. She was not yet very skilled at guarding her thoughts. "Do not misunderstand. My way into this world has not always been the way of us. Suppose, a certain line of a specific coven in another land follows different rules of another of the same coven. Much like how the churches of the Christian god have branched off and are now different in some ways, but still all the same. Not all mortals are born like this."

He turned his eyes back to the case and fumbled around in his pocket. He pulled out a ring, an old, tarnished ring and compared it with the others. "Yes. She is very special to me," he replied although she hadn't asked. "My first and only fledgling."

"My master didn't much like the other members of the coven, so he traveled extensively. I simply tended to him as we travelled. Had we been around for me to have a certain duty, it probably would have been the same."

He had an idea to take the diamond from the ring in his hand and place it into the band of another. "Tell me, as a woman, would you rather recieve a refinished antique of a ring, considering it is a family heirloom, or would you rather have a brand new ring?"

"Well I know not all mortals are born into the covens." She grinned. "I mean I know I wasn't in one when I was little. Well Unless you count the US Marine Corps a coven... But then again, we look after our own, so I guess you could sorta say yeah." Jax had never really been a religious person... She had lost her faith long ago... She had lost it when she lost her family... If there had really been a God, he wouldn't have let Drake murder her family...

But her mind froze at the vampires next words. "But I didn't... Don't do that!" She demanded. "You can if I want you to, but I do have the rights to my own thoughts, so stay out!" She wasn't angry per se, just a bit taken by surprise...

"I mean is there anyway you can turn that off or whatever? It just creeps me out. Still not used to things like that... I mean Henri and I share this bond... Hard to explain... But since she's your fledgling you would kinda understand I guess..." She began to pick at her nails, a continued habit when she was edgy about something...

So his fledgling was a loved one.... Well... She wished she could say the same for Henri... But that was more like a parent and child relationship... She couldn't take a twelve year old as a lover of course.... Well it wasn't like she could have one ever. Not with Drake still around... A vampire one perhaps, but a relationship with a human? Simply out of the question...

She stopped thinking though, or came as close to it as she could, when she remembered what he was able to do...

"Um... Heirloom definantly... Diamonds never go bad or get ugly, just have it shined up a bit. More sentamental value." She nodded. "Women dig the sentamental stuff to be honest." She said with a grin. Even she was not immune to sentamental hoo ha... Why else would she have taken Henri in that night unaware of what he really had been? Sympathy for a cold, hungry child who had no place to live...

Cole blinked slowly as she snapped at him and bowed his head slightly. "I apologize. There are ways, but it's hard to describe. Names hold certain value in our world. If you call the name of one who can hear it, they will. I could call to my fledgling now without even whispering her name."

"If you learn to exclude names from your thoughts, that is a start. It's a matter of guarding your mind, like putting a proverbial wall between what you want them to hear and what you don't. At first, it's difficult, but after time, it becomes easier."

Cole examined the delicate ring in his hand and smiled softly. "I'm sure she will like it."

(I don't know what the hell to say now. Lol.)

Jax nodded. Names huh? Well then, she'd just have to leave names out for the innocent... And the guilty.

"She'll love it I'm sure." Jax said with a small smile. "You two are lucky..." She said fondly. "Have someone you love forever..." The smile faded as she looked away. She couldn't help but be jealous... To have someone who actualy loved you enough to spend quite literaly the rest of eternity together.

Jax ran her fingers through her hair with a sigh. Well why was she so jealous about a ring? Jax never wore jewelry anyway, well anything but the small silver locket around her neck. Henri had saved it from the fire that had taken just about everything that she owned... Insurance had covered a great deal of it yes... But even now she was trying to get everything back together.

"Well I know I can only hear Henri at times... No one else... But what about those like you? Who can hear others, can you turn it off? I mean I just don't think it's right that well, people like me have to keep you out all the time." She turned back with a smirk. Changing the topic was always good... "And I'm sure someone older than me could just push through if they wanted... I mean I don't want just anyone to know my life's history." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Ya know?"

Cole nodded, motioning a saleswoman over. She called to him and told him she'd be there in a minute, and he nodded again.

He turned to look at her, shrugging. "Yes, it is a pain, but it is still something that must be done. Unless you want everyone to know your business. And yes, even if you did try to put up a barrier, some elders could still break through, but if you practice enough, it should be no problem. Excuse me for a moment."

He turned to the saleswoman and talked to her for a few minutes about the ring, telling her he wanted it cleaned. She smiled brightly and walked away with it.

He turned back to Jax and leaned against the jewelry case. "I don't tend to block my mind very often. I really have nother to hide. But I still keep it check in case I get into a situation where it is imparitive that I do block my thoughts. The better you learn to manipulate your mind, the more you can do with it. It unlocks hidden powers within you, so to speak. We can do amazing things."

"Well wouldn't it be easier for you just to... I don't know, not read my mind or ignore whatever it was I'm thinking? After all. Unlike you, my history isn't somethign I like to remember or discuss." Not to mention the fact she hated pity. Those who knew of what had happened... All the families who had been close to hers... They all pittied her... She hated it... It was so weak... She couldn't stand being weak...

"I mean sure I can practice it and all, but if I'm not good at it to begin with, then how am I going to protect myself?" She asked. "Well, I mean..."

She sighed slightly "I can probably do it yeah... But until then it's not going to do me any good when I come across someone who wants to know..." And if Drake was a vampire... Then he would be able to know anything of course... But he couldn't be a vampire... It was impossible... His kills had always been in the day...

What if he were dead? That woudl make everythign so much easier...

"I didn't mean to pry. I never do really. I tend to like to read expressions. And if they are hard to read, then I like to know what the person is thinking. It's easier that way, in my opinion. I apologize."

Cole stood up straight and looked past her at the people in the mall, "Can you hear their thoughts? Do you have that gift? It is actually quite a chore. You must learn to block it out. That is the hard part. It is so hard to sleep with so many voices in your head."

"Nope... My skills seem to be moved more towards the physical end of things that I've noticed so far... But that could have to do with some things I did when I was human." She gave a shrug. "I don't know how this stuff works so don't bother asking me. And as far as I know, Henri can't either... But I mean I can imagen that it would be a bit of a pain, ya know... But at least in this world you have an excuse to hear voices right?" She grinned slightly.

"But as for expressions... I'm a cop, catching lies is what I do. I can smell a lie our guilt from a mile away. But I've also learned to hide my own guilt and lies well enough to not cause suspicion even though I work with the same people night after night..." She gave another shrug.

"You will become better at it now. Both detecting and hiding it. But are you still a cop? Despite your change? You work with mortals, do you not?" He raised his brows and looked at her, hardly noticing as the sales woman walked back to them.

"Here you are, sir. No charge."

Cole smiled and shook his head politely at the woman, "Nonsense. The least I could do is tip you." He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and gave her a fifty. The young woman's eyes lit up as she thanked him and bid him farewell. Money really was no object to him.

He stepped away from the store, out into the masses again. "I think it would be hard to work with mortals as one of us. Especially if they didn't know about us."

"It's the only thing I have left..." She said quietly. "If I lost that... I would have actualy lost everthing..." She admitted. Her job was her life. It had always been her life. But unfortunatly... Though she would be able to physicaly work forever... "I've only got maybe ten years left there at most... And then... I'll die..." She said with a shrug. And though she wouldn't physically die, she would be dead to the world, she would be dead inside... She would go out in style though. She refused to simply move or dissapere. She would not leave those she cared about wondering...

"It's not really all that hard... My sire... He apperes to be twelve... So I've adopted him, and I say that I home school him durring the day and work at night while he's asleep. It is a cover for the both of us really. And I told the guys I work with that I'm anemic... So that covers for how pale I usualy am..." She smiled. "Along with a good bit of makeup." She ha dnever worn make up before she had been turned, she had never felt the need. But it helped to make her appere more lively when she had not eaten. Like tonight.

"But that contact I have, It's really the only thing I have left."

Cole considered her words, "I never had to deal with that. My cover for the way I am is that I have a rare blood disorder in which my circulation is slow, so my skin is white and cold. Especially my hands and feet." He shrugged, "It works."

"What will you do when you retire?"

Jaxon shook her head at his question. "I don't know... When I leave though... Once I am dead to them... I have no reason to keep living. Or even this other life or whatever..." She admitted with a sigh. "In about ten years I figured, maybe less, they're going to start wondering why I haven't aged. Why I still look the same. And of course I can't tell them... Unless something happens to turn everythign upside down. So even though I would otherwise be able to serve activly for near another fifteen even twenty if I were still.... normal. But like this?" She could only shake her head again. "I'm twenty eight... just at the end of my prime. My very peak, and I guess I'll never really take that plunge over the edge I was standing on."

"Physicaly I would be able to stay with the force for all eternity... I would want nothing better. Nothing... Well... Maybe a family of my own... but that's impossible now..." She brushed out a stray strand of blond from her eyes. It had been particularly devistating to Jaxon when she had found that out... She had hopes... Ever since she was a little girl, about having a husband... kids... But that was all gone now. And she would never... Ever get it back. Henri was posing as an adopted son, but that wasn't even remotly close...

"So... I don't know what I'll do... Kill myself maybe. End everything just as it's good... Fake my death, then just seak out sunlight, swallow some garlic, drive a steatk through my heart... Whatever works best..." She gave a grim smile. "Because with my job... Goes everything I've ever been, and ever will be."

And she was damn proud of that too. She was good at what she did and she loved it.

Cole was quiet, considerate. He really didn't know what to say to that. "I can't say I know exactly how you feel, but to a certain extent, I do."

"You see, when I was turned, my master was expelled from the coven to which we belonged. He was not a very nice man and he had many enemies. Once he was without the protection of the coven, he was sought out by those enemies. I thought he had been killed. It was devastating to me. He... He was my father and my lover. I didn't have anything anymore."

He walked slowly to a bench in the middle of the hallway and sat down. "One would think that a man could just give up after something like that. But I didn't. I wanted the life I had never had. I travelled everywhere, taking in all the experiences I couldn't have had as a mortal. I never intended to stay in one place long, but... When I came here... And I met Raen... Everything changed."

He looked over at her and smiled, "Just because there seems like there is nothing left, doesn't mean you should give up. If you do, you will never know what could have been. What should have been."

"Well, I had the life I wanted Cole..." She pointed out. "I had everything that I needed, I was happy. I would havebeen happy to serve until retirement, maybe move back to Florida and live the last of my days in peace Telling my grandchildren aobut my days of being an officer and everything. But..." She threw her hands up slightly, in a helpless manner. "No chance in hell for that ever happening now."

She sighed and shook her head. "After I get to the point where I can't be me anymore, what else will I have?" She asked, looking at him curiously. "You have someone, something to live for now. You should be greatful for that..." She said with a sad, almost envious smile. "Maybe I'll find someone... But, if not." She shrugged. "And if I'm dead, I won't care all that much about the should'a, could'a, would'as won't matter much anyway now will it?" She asked with a sardonic grin.

Cole didn't agree with her, but he listened to her anyway. "Just keep that in mind. Don't give up hope on a simple whim. You never know what will come."

"I need to get going. She will be expecting me home soon." He smiled softly and offered her his hand. "It was nice meeting you."

"But I'm not just going to be clinging desperatly here waiting that someday something comes to give me a reason to live... After a while that just gets depressing... Tried it before."

She shook the hand that was offered. "Yeah, well you have fun then. Congratulations and I hope you two are happy." She said with a forced smile. "Nice to meet you too..." She gave a nod as she watched him leave... She could smell the Aunti Annie's pretzles baking a few stores down... Ohh... How she wanted one... But would it be worth the price she woudl pay...?

Cole smiled and added, before disappearing into the crowd, "We'll meet again, I'm sure." As he made himself scarce and headed for the exit, he ran directly into Corrigan, who, unbeknownst to Cole, had been watching him this entire time. He smiled and stepped past him, watching Jax for a while and then disappearing as well. (Now would be the time where she's in the park and she meets Corri for the first time)