Fic - Where Will You Run To? 3/5
Title: Where Will You Run To? 3/5
Author: szm
Fandom: Torchwood/Being Human
Characters: Lauren, Ianto, Jack, Gwen (mentions of other BH characters)
Spoilers: Torchwood - none set between seasons 2 and 3 (non-COE compliant). Being Human - set after episode four of season 1. Slight spoiler for that.
Rating: PG13
Betaed by tanarian
Summary: Lauren runs from Bristol and ends up in Cardiff
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Lauren actually did manage to get a couple of hours sleep. She hadn’t been lying she was tired. Stopping in one place for any length of time had been dangerous with the aliens looking for her.
The woman, Gwen, came to the door of the cell. Still with her gun in hand, Lauren was beginning to think it was attached to her.
“Come on,” she said. “Jack wants to see you.”
Lauren could feel the hunger rising. Gwen wore a t-shirt with a deep scooped neckline. Lauren found herself staring at the woman’s throat. She was almost sure she could get to her before she could fire the gun. And there was every chance that a bullet wouldn’t hurt her too much anyway.
She shook her head. The bullet may not kill her but Ianto wouldn’t be happy. And Ianto probably would kill her.
That was the reason she stopped herself. Not that she liked Ianto and didn’t want him to hate her. Not at all.
“Aww,” she said to Gwen instead. “Doesn’t a girl get to have her beauty sleep?”
Gwen smiled but it was a slightly worried one. Maybe she’d noticed Lauren staring at her neck. “You wouldn’t want to keep the Captain waiting now?”
“The ‘Captain’?” Lauren rolled her eyes. “Oh heaven forbid!”
Gwen led her to a small room. There was a table in the middle of it. Jack was sat the other side.
Jack didn’t say anything he looked up and pointed to the chair opposite him on the other side of the table. He went back to reading a file. Lauren smiled up at Gwen.
“Any chance of a drink?” she asked.
Gwen looked over at Jack, Jack didn’t raise his head he just pushed a mug closer to Lauren. All of a sudden the smell hit her. Blood.
“Bagged blood doesn’t work,” she said with a grimace, trying not to think how easy it would be to jump across the table to Jack. Or spin round and grab Gwen.
“It’s fresh,” replied Jack. “Straight out of a vein, still warm.”
Lauren glanced up to the security cameras.
“Ianto’s out questioning the owner of the building. He can’t see you,” said Jack finally looking up at her.
Lauren snarled. “I wouldn’t care if he could.” She snatched up the mug and gulped it down. It wasn’t the same as drinking from somebody, it was already starting to lose that… spark. But this, this blood had something else to make up for it. She scooped her fingers into the bottom of the mug to get the last dregs. She heard Gwen make a disgusted sound behind her as she sucked as much as she could off her fingers.
“Been a while?” asked Jack with a grimace as he passed a handkerchief across the table. Lauren picked it up with slightly shaking fingers and wiped her hands and mouth. She hated that they’d seen that. The whole ‘out of control’ aspect to feeding seemed so much more out of place when you weren’t actually attacking someone. Despite what she’d said earlier she was glad Ianto hadn’t seen it.
“There was something else in that blood,” she said. “Did you poison me?”
Was it her imagination, or did Jack look unsettled by that announcement? The expression flashed off his face as quickly as it came. “No,” he replied. “If I was going to kill you I’d do it honestly. Besides Ianto made me promise I wouldn’t… if I didn’t have to.” He smiled at her but it wasn’t a nice smile.
“If you could,” replied Lauren with an equally un-nice smile.
“I met a vampire once,” said Jack. “A long time ago. He was a nasty piece of work.”
“We generally are,” agreed Lauren. “Would I know him?”
“I killed him,” said Jack.
Lauren looked blankly at Jack for a long moment. “Oh I’m sorry, was I supposed to be scared then? Hang on, let me try again.” She cleared her throat and let out a gasp clapping her hands to either side of her face. Then she dropped her hands again and grinned. “Was that better?”
Jack frowned but didn’t answer. He turned back to his file and started to read aloud. “Lauren Smith. Born July 1988. Only child of Gillian and Mike Smith…”
“Stop it,” said Lauren quietly.
“Went to Bristol Grammar School, and then trained as a nurse. Eventually going to work in the A and E department at Bristol General. Died of a ‘heart attack’ aged 20.”
“I thought you wanted to know about the missing building,” said Lauren. “I already know my life story, thanks.”
“I like to know who I’m dealing with,” said Jack. “What brought you to Cardiff?”
“A girl has to be somewhere,” stated Lauren.
“It doesn’t have to be here,” countered Jack.
Just then Ianto’s voice sounded over the intercom. “Jack? Another building has disappeared.”
“Where?” asked Jack.
Before Ianto replied Lauren said. “Rummer Tavern on Duke St?”
There was a shocked silence. “What?” asked Lauren. “I would have said something sooner but ‘the Captain’ was too busy talking about me. I think he might fancy me.” She winked at Gwen.
“Ianto?” said Jack between gritted teeth. “We’ll meet you there.” He glared at Lauren. “All of us.”
**
Ianto watched as two police officers hung crime scene tape around where the building used to be. The barman who had just stepped out of the building for a cigarette moments before it had disappeared was being loaded into the back of an ambulance. He was suffering from shock. Police and bystanders were milling around with the Press. Ianto winced but there really wasn’t anything he could do about it. This building had disappeared in the middle of the day. No doubt there was footage going up on you tube even now. He ran through possible cover stories in his head and tried to calculate how much retcon this would take.
He had the SUV, so when the others arrived it was rather more sedately than normal - in Gwen’s new car that Jack was absolutely forbidden to drive. So at least this wouldn’t turn into another urban myth about Torchwood. Hopefully.
Jack jumped out of the car and strode up to one of the policemen. Ianto watched as Jack managed to get the area cleared through the usual mix of charm and arrogance.
Gwen brought Lauren over to him, she didn’t have her gun out but she clearly wanted to. Lauren just looked smug.
“Enjoying yourself?” Ianto asked her, trying not to grin. From the frown Gwen flashed him he guessed he didn’t succeed.
“It’s not my fault your boss didn’t ask the right questions,” she replied, standing next to Ianto and leaning against the SUV. “I would kill for a cigarette right now.”
“I gave up years ago,” said Ianto. “Sorry.” He watched Jack argue with the Detective in charge, who was clearly assuming that when Jack said ‘clear everybody’ it didn’t refer to him. Gwen rolled her eyes and jogged over to help, casting a last distrustful look at Lauren.
Once she was gone and caught up in the debate, Ianto opened the car door and retrieved the cigarette packet and lighter he had stashed in the glove compartment. He held them out to Lauren. “Don’t tell Jack where you got them from,” he warned.
Lauren eyed them suspiciously. “What are you? Good cop?” she asked.
“Well if you don’t want them…?” he said, moving the packet away.
Lauren grabbed it. “Thank you,” she said her voice sickly sweet. She lit up one and slid the packet into her pocket. She took a long drag and blew the smoke out away from Ianto. “Given up?” she asked.
“I haven’t smoked in years,” repeated Ianto. “I just like having a packet around. It’s a crutch I guess. Jack found it once and I still haven’t heard the end of it.”
“So you and ‘the Captain’,” she asked nodding to where Jack was still arguing. “Bumping uglies?”
Ianto coughed and blushed. “More than that. Not entirely sure what it is some days, but more than that.”
Lauren nodded. “I had you pegged wrong then. I guessed you let me go because you fancied me.”
Ianto rolled his eyes. “You also thought Gwen was my girlfriend. Your people reading skills leave a lot to be desired. But if it helps any, the vampire thing is more of a turn off than the girl thing.”
Lauren peered at him intensely. “You do get that, don’t you? That I’m a vampire?”
“Did you think I didn’t?” asked Ianto.
Lauren shrugged. “Your Jack thinks you don’t.”
Ianto sighed. “Jack likes to think the people he cares about are innocent and/or saveable. Often in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.”
Lauren raised her eyebrows at the definite bitter tone in Ianto’s voice. “You’re not innocent then?” she asked.
“Hardly,” snorted Ianto. He pushed the thoughts of his sins away as Jack and Gwen came back, the unfortunate Detective having been sent away with a flea in his ear.
“The pub was full of people,” said Gwen eyes sad.
Ianto nodded. “Lunchtime,” he said simply. He dearly wants to tell Gwen that it’ll be okay. That they’ll get them back. But he knows that it’s by no means certain or even likely and he knows that Gwen knows that too.
“They’re still in there,” said Lauren. Jack turned his head sharply to look at her. She shrugged. “I can see it. It’s hazy like the other one but it’s there. The people are inside, not moving, like a photograph.”
“If they’re inside how can you see them?” asked Jack in a distinctly unfriendly tone.
Lauren gave him a withering look. “I can see them through the windows,” she shot back.
Once again Ianto found himself trying to hide his smirk, it wasn’t all that often people consistently got the better of Jack.
“How did you know that this building had been targeted?” Jack shot back, shifting his stance slightly to better square up to Lauren. It looked faintly ridiculous. Lauren was so much smaller and younger than Jack and so clearly unbothered by his posturing.
“I saw the aliens putting some kind of devices on the other building. Then they started trying to kill me or chase me out of town or whatever. So I figured I’d follow them a bit. I saw them tagging this building too.”
“Tagging?” asked Gwen.
“That’s what they called it,” confirmed Lauren. “I never saw them tag anywhere else but they had a van full of those things.”
“So they could be planning another building?” asked Ianto.
Lauren shrugged.
Jack looked thoughtful for a minute. “Ianto, take Gwen, go to the hospital and question the barman. Maybe he saw someone hanging round. Lauren and I can have a look round the pub.”
“See,” said Lauren dropping the cigarette onto the floor and stepping on it. “He totally fancies me. He can’t wait to get me on my own.”
Ianto rolled his eyes. “Get over yourself,” he said with a grin as he walked away. Lauren stuck her tongue out at him
**
“So?” said Jack after Gwen and Ianto had gone. “What do you see?”
Lauren shrugged. “A pub, just a pub. People inside, not moving. What else is there?”
“I don’t know,” replied Jack. “That’s what I need you for.”
“Anybody would think you didn’t like me,” said Lauren, fumbling in her pocket for the lighter Ianto gave her. She felt nervous. Jack seemed a lot more dangerous now they were alone.
“I don’t,” replied Jack.
Lauren got another cigarette lit. “This a typical day for you then?”
“There’s no such thing as a typical day,” said Jack peering at the building as if willing himself to see it.
“You are so cheesy,” scoffed Lauren.
“We need to find the technology they used. Can you see it?” asked Jack.
“No,” said Lauren. “I think it was round the back, there was more than one though.”
“We’d best get looking then,” replied Jack.
It took twenty minutes for Lauren to find three of the devices. Jack didn’t talk much in that time. He just nodded when she found one and marked the postions in chalk on the floor. At one point Lauren grabbed his coat to stop him walking through a person. Jack gave her an odd look. But all she could think to say was that it was creepy.
“Odd coming from a vampire,” said Jack. Lauren resisted the urge to smack him in his stupid face.
“So what now?” asked Lauren.
“We need to have a little chat,” said Jack turning to face her. Lauren realised with slight panic that Jack had manoeuvred her in such a way that the only way out was through the pub and its ghostly inhabitants.
Unwilling to back down she took a step forward. “Really?” she said with a confidence that was rapidly fading. “I wonder what this could be about then?”
“Why are you here?” asked Jack seriously.
“Why do you care?” Lauren shot back.
“Because you’re in my city, threatening the people I care about,” replied Jack eyes glittering dangerously. In that moment he reminded her a little of Herrick. That arrogance, that absolute certainty that you would be the one to back down. It should scare her, but at that moment it just made her angry.
“You don’t get to claim a whole city,” she hissed. “And by people I guess you mean Ianto?”
“I claim a lot more than that,” countered Jack. “And yes, I mean Ianto, and Gwen. Ianto is trying to save you, he likes to think people can be saved. He’s been wrong before. If you get him hurt…”
“Funny,” replied Lauren. “He said pretty much the same about you.”
Jack gritted his teeth. “Why are you here? I’m not going to ask nicely again.”
“If you’d asked nicely then you might have gotten an answer. There’s nothing you can threaten me with Captain.” Lauren pushed past Jack and he caught her arm.
“We’re not done,” he said blankly.
“You’re not stronger than me,” said Lauren looking anywhere but Jack. “I tossed a full grown man over my shoulder and it was easy. I could snap your neck. I could drain every drop of blood out of you and there would be nothing you could do to stop me. Part of me even wants to. You don’t scare me even half as much as I scare myself.” She did look at Jack then. She let him see the depth of it in her eyes, that darkness she could feel in herself. That alien hunger that somehow was a part of her now. Something she couldn’t understand but she couldn’t deny.
She looked into Jack’s eyes and saw something similar staring back.
Author: szm
Fandom: Torchwood/Being Human
Characters: Lauren, Ianto, Jack, Gwen (mentions of other BH characters)
Spoilers: Torchwood - none set between seasons 2 and 3 (non-COE compliant). Being Human - set after episode four of season 1. Slight spoiler for that.
Rating: PG13
Betaed by tanarian
Summary: Lauren runs from Bristol and ends up in Cardiff
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Lauren actually did manage to get a couple of hours sleep. She hadn’t been lying she was tired. Stopping in one place for any length of time had been dangerous with the aliens looking for her.
The woman, Gwen, came to the door of the cell. Still with her gun in hand, Lauren was beginning to think it was attached to her.
“Come on,” she said. “Jack wants to see you.”
Lauren could feel the hunger rising. Gwen wore a t-shirt with a deep scooped neckline. Lauren found herself staring at the woman’s throat. She was almost sure she could get to her before she could fire the gun. And there was every chance that a bullet wouldn’t hurt her too much anyway.
She shook her head. The bullet may not kill her but Ianto wouldn’t be happy. And Ianto probably would kill her.
That was the reason she stopped herself. Not that she liked Ianto and didn’t want him to hate her. Not at all.
“Aww,” she said to Gwen instead. “Doesn’t a girl get to have her beauty sleep?”
Gwen smiled but it was a slightly worried one. Maybe she’d noticed Lauren staring at her neck. “You wouldn’t want to keep the Captain waiting now?”
“The ‘Captain’?” Lauren rolled her eyes. “Oh heaven forbid!”
Gwen led her to a small room. There was a table in the middle of it. Jack was sat the other side.
Jack didn’t say anything he looked up and pointed to the chair opposite him on the other side of the table. He went back to reading a file. Lauren smiled up at Gwen.
“Any chance of a drink?” she asked.
Gwen looked over at Jack, Jack didn’t raise his head he just pushed a mug closer to Lauren. All of a sudden the smell hit her. Blood.
“Bagged blood doesn’t work,” she said with a grimace, trying not to think how easy it would be to jump across the table to Jack. Or spin round and grab Gwen.
“It’s fresh,” replied Jack. “Straight out of a vein, still warm.”
Lauren glanced up to the security cameras.
“Ianto’s out questioning the owner of the building. He can’t see you,” said Jack finally looking up at her.
Lauren snarled. “I wouldn’t care if he could.” She snatched up the mug and gulped it down. It wasn’t the same as drinking from somebody, it was already starting to lose that… spark. But this, this blood had something else to make up for it. She scooped her fingers into the bottom of the mug to get the last dregs. She heard Gwen make a disgusted sound behind her as she sucked as much as she could off her fingers.
“Been a while?” asked Jack with a grimace as he passed a handkerchief across the table. Lauren picked it up with slightly shaking fingers and wiped her hands and mouth. She hated that they’d seen that. The whole ‘out of control’ aspect to feeding seemed so much more out of place when you weren’t actually attacking someone. Despite what she’d said earlier she was glad Ianto hadn’t seen it.
“There was something else in that blood,” she said. “Did you poison me?”
Was it her imagination, or did Jack look unsettled by that announcement? The expression flashed off his face as quickly as it came. “No,” he replied. “If I was going to kill you I’d do it honestly. Besides Ianto made me promise I wouldn’t… if I didn’t have to.” He smiled at her but it wasn’t a nice smile.
“If you could,” replied Lauren with an equally un-nice smile.
“I met a vampire once,” said Jack. “A long time ago. He was a nasty piece of work.”
“We generally are,” agreed Lauren. “Would I know him?”
“I killed him,” said Jack.
Lauren looked blankly at Jack for a long moment. “Oh I’m sorry, was I supposed to be scared then? Hang on, let me try again.” She cleared her throat and let out a gasp clapping her hands to either side of her face. Then she dropped her hands again and grinned. “Was that better?”
Jack frowned but didn’t answer. He turned back to his file and started to read aloud. “Lauren Smith. Born July 1988. Only child of Gillian and Mike Smith…”
“Stop it,” said Lauren quietly.
“Went to Bristol Grammar School, and then trained as a nurse. Eventually going to work in the A and E department at Bristol General. Died of a ‘heart attack’ aged 20.”
“I thought you wanted to know about the missing building,” said Lauren. “I already know my life story, thanks.”
“I like to know who I’m dealing with,” said Jack. “What brought you to Cardiff?”
“A girl has to be somewhere,” stated Lauren.
“It doesn’t have to be here,” countered Jack.
Just then Ianto’s voice sounded over the intercom. “Jack? Another building has disappeared.”
“Where?” asked Jack.
Before Ianto replied Lauren said. “Rummer Tavern on Duke St?”
There was a shocked silence. “What?” asked Lauren. “I would have said something sooner but ‘the Captain’ was too busy talking about me. I think he might fancy me.” She winked at Gwen.
“Ianto?” said Jack between gritted teeth. “We’ll meet you there.” He glared at Lauren. “All of us.”
**
Ianto watched as two police officers hung crime scene tape around where the building used to be. The barman who had just stepped out of the building for a cigarette moments before it had disappeared was being loaded into the back of an ambulance. He was suffering from shock. Police and bystanders were milling around with the Press. Ianto winced but there really wasn’t anything he could do about it. This building had disappeared in the middle of the day. No doubt there was footage going up on you tube even now. He ran through possible cover stories in his head and tried to calculate how much retcon this would take.
He had the SUV, so when the others arrived it was rather more sedately than normal - in Gwen’s new car that Jack was absolutely forbidden to drive. So at least this wouldn’t turn into another urban myth about Torchwood. Hopefully.
Jack jumped out of the car and strode up to one of the policemen. Ianto watched as Jack managed to get the area cleared through the usual mix of charm and arrogance.
Gwen brought Lauren over to him, she didn’t have her gun out but she clearly wanted to. Lauren just looked smug.
“Enjoying yourself?” Ianto asked her, trying not to grin. From the frown Gwen flashed him he guessed he didn’t succeed.
“It’s not my fault your boss didn’t ask the right questions,” she replied, standing next to Ianto and leaning against the SUV. “I would kill for a cigarette right now.”
“I gave up years ago,” said Ianto. “Sorry.” He watched Jack argue with the Detective in charge, who was clearly assuming that when Jack said ‘clear everybody’ it didn’t refer to him. Gwen rolled her eyes and jogged over to help, casting a last distrustful look at Lauren.
Once she was gone and caught up in the debate, Ianto opened the car door and retrieved the cigarette packet and lighter he had stashed in the glove compartment. He held them out to Lauren. “Don’t tell Jack where you got them from,” he warned.
Lauren eyed them suspiciously. “What are you? Good cop?” she asked.
“Well if you don’t want them…?” he said, moving the packet away.
Lauren grabbed it. “Thank you,” she said her voice sickly sweet. She lit up one and slid the packet into her pocket. She took a long drag and blew the smoke out away from Ianto. “Given up?” she asked.
“I haven’t smoked in years,” repeated Ianto. “I just like having a packet around. It’s a crutch I guess. Jack found it once and I still haven’t heard the end of it.”
“So you and ‘the Captain’,” she asked nodding to where Jack was still arguing. “Bumping uglies?”
Ianto coughed and blushed. “More than that. Not entirely sure what it is some days, but more than that.”
Lauren nodded. “I had you pegged wrong then. I guessed you let me go because you fancied me.”
Ianto rolled his eyes. “You also thought Gwen was my girlfriend. Your people reading skills leave a lot to be desired. But if it helps any, the vampire thing is more of a turn off than the girl thing.”
Lauren peered at him intensely. “You do get that, don’t you? That I’m a vampire?”
“Did you think I didn’t?” asked Ianto.
Lauren shrugged. “Your Jack thinks you don’t.”
Ianto sighed. “Jack likes to think the people he cares about are innocent and/or saveable. Often in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.”
Lauren raised her eyebrows at the definite bitter tone in Ianto’s voice. “You’re not innocent then?” she asked.
“Hardly,” snorted Ianto. He pushed the thoughts of his sins away as Jack and Gwen came back, the unfortunate Detective having been sent away with a flea in his ear.
“The pub was full of people,” said Gwen eyes sad.
Ianto nodded. “Lunchtime,” he said simply. He dearly wants to tell Gwen that it’ll be okay. That they’ll get them back. But he knows that it’s by no means certain or even likely and he knows that Gwen knows that too.
“They’re still in there,” said Lauren. Jack turned his head sharply to look at her. She shrugged. “I can see it. It’s hazy like the other one but it’s there. The people are inside, not moving, like a photograph.”
“If they’re inside how can you see them?” asked Jack in a distinctly unfriendly tone.
Lauren gave him a withering look. “I can see them through the windows,” she shot back.
Once again Ianto found himself trying to hide his smirk, it wasn’t all that often people consistently got the better of Jack.
“How did you know that this building had been targeted?” Jack shot back, shifting his stance slightly to better square up to Lauren. It looked faintly ridiculous. Lauren was so much smaller and younger than Jack and so clearly unbothered by his posturing.
“I saw the aliens putting some kind of devices on the other building. Then they started trying to kill me or chase me out of town or whatever. So I figured I’d follow them a bit. I saw them tagging this building too.”
“Tagging?” asked Gwen.
“That’s what they called it,” confirmed Lauren. “I never saw them tag anywhere else but they had a van full of those things.”
“So they could be planning another building?” asked Ianto.
Lauren shrugged.
Jack looked thoughtful for a minute. “Ianto, take Gwen, go to the hospital and question the barman. Maybe he saw someone hanging round. Lauren and I can have a look round the pub.”
“See,” said Lauren dropping the cigarette onto the floor and stepping on it. “He totally fancies me. He can’t wait to get me on my own.”
Ianto rolled his eyes. “Get over yourself,” he said with a grin as he walked away. Lauren stuck her tongue out at him
**
“So?” said Jack after Gwen and Ianto had gone. “What do you see?”
Lauren shrugged. “A pub, just a pub. People inside, not moving. What else is there?”
“I don’t know,” replied Jack. “That’s what I need you for.”
“Anybody would think you didn’t like me,” said Lauren, fumbling in her pocket for the lighter Ianto gave her. She felt nervous. Jack seemed a lot more dangerous now they were alone.
“I don’t,” replied Jack.
Lauren got another cigarette lit. “This a typical day for you then?”
“There’s no such thing as a typical day,” said Jack peering at the building as if willing himself to see it.
“You are so cheesy,” scoffed Lauren.
“We need to find the technology they used. Can you see it?” asked Jack.
“No,” said Lauren. “I think it was round the back, there was more than one though.”
“We’d best get looking then,” replied Jack.
It took twenty minutes for Lauren to find three of the devices. Jack didn’t talk much in that time. He just nodded when she found one and marked the postions in chalk on the floor. At one point Lauren grabbed his coat to stop him walking through a person. Jack gave her an odd look. But all she could think to say was that it was creepy.
“Odd coming from a vampire,” said Jack. Lauren resisted the urge to smack him in his stupid face.
“So what now?” asked Lauren.
“We need to have a little chat,” said Jack turning to face her. Lauren realised with slight panic that Jack had manoeuvred her in such a way that the only way out was through the pub and its ghostly inhabitants.
Unwilling to back down she took a step forward. “Really?” she said with a confidence that was rapidly fading. “I wonder what this could be about then?”
“Why are you here?” asked Jack seriously.
“Why do you care?” Lauren shot back.
“Because you’re in my city, threatening the people I care about,” replied Jack eyes glittering dangerously. In that moment he reminded her a little of Herrick. That arrogance, that absolute certainty that you would be the one to back down. It should scare her, but at that moment it just made her angry.
“You don’t get to claim a whole city,” she hissed. “And by people I guess you mean Ianto?”
“I claim a lot more than that,” countered Jack. “And yes, I mean Ianto, and Gwen. Ianto is trying to save you, he likes to think people can be saved. He’s been wrong before. If you get him hurt…”
“Funny,” replied Lauren. “He said pretty much the same about you.”
Jack gritted his teeth. “Why are you here? I’m not going to ask nicely again.”
“If you’d asked nicely then you might have gotten an answer. There’s nothing you can threaten me with Captain.” Lauren pushed past Jack and he caught her arm.
“We’re not done,” he said blankly.
“You’re not stronger than me,” said Lauren looking anywhere but Jack. “I tossed a full grown man over my shoulder and it was easy. I could snap your neck. I could drain every drop of blood out of you and there would be nothing you could do to stop me. Part of me even wants to. You don’t scare me even half as much as I scare myself.” She did look at Jack then. She let him see the depth of it in her eyes, that darkness she could feel in herself. That alien hunger that somehow was a part of her now. Something she couldn’t understand but she couldn’t deny.
She looked into Jack’s eyes and saw something similar staring back.