[Evil Tink]

Artemis sighed, staring at him flatly, "Judging by your tone, I would say you're pretty damn sure, and it's not the first time you've encountered my kind." Her tone was neutral as she spoke, "Even if you don't want to believe it, I guess." She ran her tongue over her teeth, knowing it was pointless to avoid the matter now. She just prayed he wasn't a slayer. His tone, and now that she thought about it, a few odd quirks from earlier, indicated he was. She really hoped she was wrong.

Suddenly, the light switch flipped on, casting a bright light onto the room. She pinched the bridge of her nose with her left hand, pacing in a tight circle a few times, "Dammit William...you know I can't lie to you...and right now, I really wish I could. Here." She stepped up to him, only inches from his face. Her eyes were glowing dark red now and she held her mouth open slightly, just enough so he could see her fangs.

Out of habit, she quickly moved back a few feet, crossing her arms. "There, you have your answer. I'm a vampire, and I know that's been on your mind for awhile now. Now what about you?" Her expression softened and her hands slowly drifted to her sides. She spoke quietly now, "Don't tell me my best friend is a slayer...The events before t he theater tell me you are, but...I don't want to believe it."

[Honor]

William didn't flinch when she showed her fangs to him, though he wanted to. The proof hurt far more than the suspicion had. He felt his heart throb as her words mirrored his thoughts, but his expression did not change. It was cold and emotionless, just as he had been trained to do.

"It sounds like... you know the answer just as well as I did." He said looking her over. "Yes, I am a slayer." He knew what he should do now. He should kill her. He should take her life right now, but how could her? There had to be another answer.

Slowly, making sure she could see what he was doing, he pulled out a hidden knife. "I think that... we have two options." He took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes. "One of us leaves, or one of use dies." He said the words with a cold indifference, but he felt his heart break with them. Kill her? Could he do it? He doubted it.

[Evil Tink]

Artemis wanted to just curl up in a ball and die as he confirmed her words. Why, for once, couldn't she ever just be wrong? Her body told her to fight as she saw him move to grab the knife, her own hand tempted to take hers, but she resisted. Artemis wasn't usually one to get upset over loosing a friend, but this was just heartbreaking. For the first time in hundreds of years, she felt she could almost cry.

Finally, she held up her hands with a soft sigh, "No matter how much I know I should kill you, I just can't do it Will...so I will just go. Don't worry...you won't have to worry about seeing the likes of my damned self, as you slayers tend to say, around.." Even though her expression and voice were cold, she was really conflicted.

She..had to kill him, or else he'd kill her. That's how the game between vampires and slayers worked. Yet, no matter how many times she told herself this, she just couldn't make a move against him, nor could she just up and leave and risk him killing some of the other vampires in town.

She clenched her fists with a slight growl, "Why can I never be wrong? Why do I always have to pick up on those little things. I'm sorry William..." She sighed heavily, "Good bye." And in a blur of movement, she jumped out his window and hurried down the street.

[Honor]

As she talked William found himself wanting to forget what he knew. He wanted to forget that vampires exsisted, that his best friend was one, and that he would do anything to make himself not her enemy.

She left, and he wanted to follow. He wanted to apologize for being so stupid and ignorant. What he felt most was shame. She could admit to being unable to hurt him, but he had lied through his teeth, even pulled out a knife to her. That very knife now fell to the floor.

He felt himself walk to the bed, and he fell upon it in a similar position as he had earlier, but now she wasn't with him and it hurt. It hurt so much. "Artemis." She said in a voice that was barely a whisper. He clenched the sheets in his fists. Was there no mercy in this world.

[Evil Tink]

Artemis slowed to a walk a few blocks away from William's apartment, sensing he wasn't following her. She hurried to the nearest side street, dragging herself into an ally. She leaned heavily on the wall, her hands gripping her hair tightly, wanting to just rip it out. After four years of knowing Will, she just couldn't believe this had happened.

She let out a yell, throwing her fists down, after letting go of her hair of course, creating two large holes in the brick wall behind her. She clutched the top of the hole, crushing the old brick in her fingers, slowly making the hole bigger this way. She would have to stop before she caused the entire wall to fall. She let her legs fall from beneath her, closing her eyes tightly, as if that would make things better. Of course, it didn't work, and so she continued to sit there, trying to figure out what she should do.

[Honor]

He sat up, his teeth clenched in anger. The anger was directed mostly at himself. Why did he have to be a slayer? Why couldn't he just be a normal human? Some was directed at Artemis. Why did she have to be a vampire? Why couldn't she just be human? He felt betrayed by this, though no one had betrayed him. Why was it that his only piece of happiness had been taken from him? Fate was too cruel sometimes.

Digging in his pocket he pulled out his cell phone. Flipping it open he scrolled through his contact list until he found her number. He didn't call her just stared at the number. Would she answer if he called? He didn't know, and as much as he wanted to hear her voice he had a desire of equal force of not wanting to hear her voice. She wasn't who he had thought her to be. She couldn't be. She was a monster who only sought blood of the living to sustain her own selfish life. He had to believe that was the truth, that she was evil and had been deceiving him.

But why would she deceive him? Things didn't add up. If she really only cared for blood then she would have tried to feed from him by now, but she never had. It didn't make any sense.

[Evil Tink]

Suddenly, a taunting voice echoed the ally, "Well well well, look who we have here. I thought you would've learned by now to not go walking around alone at night."

Artemis cracked open an eye. Great..those guys. "You're a little too dedicated. You should find a new hobby guys." She shut her eye letting her head rest on the wall.

"E-excuse me? Do you even know who you're talking to?" He pulled his gun, cocking it, but not pointing it at her yet. After all, why would he go through all this trouble just to shoot her? Really, you couldn't sell a dead body. He grabbed her by the arm and forced her up, "Now come on, I'm sick of chasing you around."

Artemis pulled her arm away once she was to her feet, opening her red eyes with a hiss, "Don't touch me you cur." Before he had a chance to react, she swiped the gun from his hand, bending back his wrist and breaking it. With only three men there, she would have them taken care of in seconds.

She held the gun to his forehead, her finger hovering over the trigger. She hesitated though, knowing this would only prove to Will what he believed about her kind. Just as the man was going to make a retort, she pulled the trigger, killing him instantly.

She looked to the other two, her eyes glowing brightly with anger, "Either you move your asses or die." They were not fond of the latter option and so hurried off. She sighed, dropping the gun by the body and letting herself gently fall back to the ground where she sat beforehand. She would leave when she heard the sirens getting closer, but for now, she didn't feel like moving.

She was really beginning to hate her lifestyle now. She could never see William again simply because she was..different. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't she just go back in time, and kill those two before she had even reached Will? None of this would've happened if she had just done that in the first place. This was all her fault, and that realization made it so much worse. She brought her knees up wrapping her arms around them and resting her forehead on her knees with a deep sigh. "Dammit..."

[Honor]

For a moment, just a single moment, William wondered what it would be like to be in Artemis's position. Was she hurt by his coldness? Had she expected him to be sad? Was he even of any significance to her? He shook his head suddenly, knowing it was not wise to let his mind wander this path. But despite his anger at what she was, caring for her and trying to understand her was second nature to him.

Standing, he rummaged through his closet before finding his appropriate slayer gear. He needed to release stress, and distract himself. He needed to kill something.

He pulled on the dark clothing. It was made for fighting, but also for being discrete. It was simple and would help him blend into any crowd, and if there was no crowd, into the darkness of the night. He got as many weapons as he could have without them drawing attention to him. He was a hunter, but he could not openly attack his prey. It was almost funny, that the human people he did this to protect would panic at the sight of him with a weapon.

The moment he was completely ready for a night out hunting, he took his keys, locked his door, and vanished into the night. He hoped to find prey that would put up a fight.

[Evil Tink]

Artemis bolted upright, hearing the sirens approaching now as 9-1-1 calls flooded Dispatch. Time to go I guess. She grabbed the gun, knowing it would be stupid of her to leave it, as her finger prints were on it. She looked around, just to make sure there was no one that would have seen her here, or shoot the man. Once she was certain, she ran off, the police cars only a few blocks away when she had left.

When she had stopped, she found that she had taken herself to the small park where she met William earlier that night for the movie. She frowned deeply, This was no my intention. With a shake of her head, she looked at the gun. She couldn't keep carrying it like this, and she certainly had no place to holster the weapon. So, what to do with it?

She certainly had more anger and hurt to expel, but she would not kill anyone else. While she enjoyed her life as a vampire, she was not a blood crazed killer. She liked to hang onto her sanity and try to blend as much as possible. Now, that wasn't to say she didn't like to kill; she loved it, but in moderation, like everything else.

She toyed with the gun a bit, twirling it and tossing it between her hands while she pondered. She couldn't go home to stash it, that would probably be the first place William would look for her. Her thoughts flashed to when he pulled the knife on her. She held the gun in her hands, holding them close as she frowned again.

She just couldn't believe it. After all this time, he was able to pull the knife without a second thought. She knew that she should've been able to do the same, or worse. She could've snapped his neck with a thought, or drank his blood until he was bone dry, or a world of other things. Yet, she could never bring herself to hurt him.

Suddenly she jumped, feeling something run down her cheek. A tear? Artemis was not one to cry, ever. But, the heartbreak was more than anything she had ever experienced and she couldn't help it. She quickly dispelled her sad, depressive thoughts, wiping her face dry on her sleeve.

[Honor]

It didn't take long for William to find one of the bloodsuckers. It was a male, appearing to be approximately in his late twenties. He seemed to be looking for something, probably someone to feed from. Perfect.

William walked past him, letting his shoulder brush the vampire as he did so. He could feel the man's gaze as he walked past, though he did not look back. The man followed him without a sound, though William knew he was there.

He turned down a empty alleyway, leading the man away from anyone who might witness what was about to happen. The moment they were out of sigh William spun around, throwing a knife in the process. It hit the side of the building, just to the right of the vampire's face. A growl escaped him, his eyes narrowing as he stared at William.

William hissed. What was wrong with him? That should have been a direct hit. He pulled out another knife, readying himself for a fight. The vampire darted forward, using his nails like claws and racking the side of William's face. William spun around, ducking and flipping back in order to avoid further attacks. His eye narrowed. That attack shouldn't have hit, he should have dodged in time.

Whipping around he stabbed upward, into the vampire's chest. Finally, he thought as he saw the body crumple to the ground, pulling his knife out of the chest.

[Evil Tink]

Artemis looked up, smelling blood. Two types. Human and vampire. She furrowed her brow, knowing it was William. She'd recognize the scent of his blood anywhere. She fiddle with the gun, debating whether or not to go. She clenched her hands, crushing the barrel and stock of the pistol, then twisted it as she thought. She wanted to, just to see him, even if he didn't want to see her. But, she knew it was a dangerous idea. Dare she?

Damn right. She dropped the gun, not really caring who found it and if she was arrest sooner or later for having her prints all over a murder weapon. It didn't matter to her. She ran through the city blocks, quickly arriving at the scene, yet she remained hidden. She had managed to get herself up on the rooftop of one of the buildings.

She kept low as she peered over the edge, a bit horrified at what she saw. She bit her lip until it bled. How could this be? William killing? Impossible. It just..wasn't..William. Her hands clenched at her skirt tightly, threatening to tear it.

Of course, she was angered that he dared to kill a vampire. How dare he try to make himself appear better than them? A vampire was the ultimate predator. There was no besting him, yet this stupid boy seemed to prove that fact wrong.

Artemis stood quickly, taken aback by her thought. Stupid? No, no no. William was many things, but stupid and an enemy he was not. But..he..was. She really wanted to kick something but didn't dare give away her position. She had no idea how he would react to her being there. Although, the likely option would be hostile. Why...

[Honor]

William stared at the body of the vampire before him. It was clearly dead, still as stone as stone as it laid there on the ground. Artemis's face flashed in front of his eyes, just as still, and just as dead. He cursed and threw his weapon to the ground, letting himself fall back against a brick wall. He slouched till he sat on the ground and let his head fall into his hands.

Artemis dead. The image caused his through to tighten and his heart to squeeze painfully. There were some things his mind simply could not take. He cursed again. "Artemis." He said in a whisper, them repeated her name till he was simply mouthing the word over and over again.

[Evil Tink]

Artemis was about to leave, when she heard her name. She quickly turned to the ally way again, peering down cautiously. So he had not seen her, he was just..hurting. Just like herself. Well, perhaps more, and just like that, that little thought instantly made her feel superior to him. She knew that she would eventually get over it..after all, he was going to die in about 50 years or so anyway. After that, it would be like he never existed. It had happened many times before, and was bound to happen many more.

She just about slapped herself at that. How dare she just cast aside the only person she ever truly cared about like that? So what if he had threatened her. Big deal, hundreds of hunters have, and he certainly would not be the last. Unable to resist the urge, she did. She just up and slapped herself. She quickly regretting it, the sound echoing through the area. She quickly jumped back away from the edge, hoping William didn't see it was her.

After a moment, she carefully moved forward, trying to peer over the edge discretely, but knew if she tried to see what he was now doing, she would be seen. Against her better judgment, she decided to look anyway, her face slowly creeping over the edge, ready to pull back if necessary.

[Honor]

William heard a sharp sound like a slap. Instantly, probably because of years of training, his head lifted out of his hand and he looked around his eyes sharp. He almost called out, asking the intruder to show their self, but decided to remain quite. That was when he saw her. Artemis. He felt air rush into his lungs and life fill his heart. At the same time he felt his entire body fill with ice. He did not want to hurt her. More than anything he just wanted her to be safe and well. He shouldn't want that, but he knew he did.

His eyes narrowed as he looked at her. He was going to have to get over his feelings, and quickly. "Artemis." He said, though his voice had lost it's caring tone that it had held only moments ago. "I..." He trailed off, not knowing what to say.

[Evil Tink]

She winced as he looked up, Damn..well too late. She wanted to go down there and beat the living hell out of him to avenge her fallen friend, but then again, the ass deserved it. When he said her name again, she became tense. What should she do? Her body told her to just up and leave, like she should've done minutes ago now. She should not still be there. Who knows when another slayer would show...but...

Suddenly a thought came to mind. What if the other slayers found out that the two were best friends only moments ago, while their lies were still about in the air. What if..they found out William was almost constantly around a vampire? That would endanger him as well. She had to go. Now. Before any others showed up.

By now, there had been and extended silence since William spoke. While she knew it was urgent for her to go, she felt that she had to at least explain. She spoke just barely loud enough for him to hear, "I'm sorry..I can't let them find me here. You'll get in trouble if.." She trialed off, shaking her head and quickly scurrying away from the edge. Yet, she couldn't move any farther than that. She closed her eyes tightly, wishing she could just be with William..that none of this ever happened. She shook a bit, trying to get the will power to move. Come on Artemis..move it!.

[Honor]

William stared at her as she spoke, her words surprising him. As she turned he stood, not understanding why he did so. "Wait!" He said, then instantly closed his mouth as to prevent any more unnecessary words from coming out. He swallowed loudly.

"Why? I understand protecting yourself, but why protect me? I don't matter to you, and I certainly wouldn't do the same for you." He said icily. The last part was a lie. A pure lie, but he had always been a good lier. She couldn't see through him, could she? After all she had heard him crying her name. What would she think.