“Going some where?”2
Turning to close the door to the room that had been home for the past year, Peter shrugged. “Just packing a few things for when I have to leave.”3
“Why?”4
“Vaughn’s not coming back,” Peter said in a low voice. “If he manages to, then it’ll be as a human, and I won’t be needed here.”5
“All right.” Taking a step to the side, Ash motioned for Peter to continue on his way. He watched as the Squire walked past, and then followed. He knew that Peter was doing this more to keep busy than any fact that he would have to possibly move soon. Regardless of how much Vaughn annoyed him, his squire was loyal and held a worry that maybe his boss wouldn’t be coming back. Ever. 6
Once in the living room, Peter set his bag down by the couch and turned. He started to talk, but stopped. Running a hand over his face, he stared at Ash for a few moments. “I have to do inventory,” he said lamely, then walked back out of the room. 7
“Humans worry far too much,” a deep voice said from a shadowed corner. 8
“That they do,” Ash said as he casually turned to newest arrival. “Why are you still skulking around here?”9
Shrugging, Jaden wandered around the room. “Why are you even helping him?”10
“Why wouldn’t I?” Ash countered, knowing he was referring to Vaughn.11
“Your past,” Jaden pointed out. “After that, one would think that you’d despise anyone like Vaughn.”12
“He knows what he did was wrong,” Ash said, tamping down on the emotions that always surfaced when he thought of his past. “He admits it, and has punished himself for the past two thousand years over it.” Ash paused. “Humans are like dogs in some aspect. Get punished enough, and they either attack all that cross their path, or huddle in a corner and expect to be hit by everyone. All they need is someone with enough brains to approach slowly while they snarl, and pet instead of hit.”13
“I’m sure Vaughn appreciates being compared to a mangy mutt,” Jaden said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Tilting his head slightly, he adopted a faraway look. “Speaking of Cujo, shouldn’t he be back by now?”14
“Not exactly.”15
Something in Ash’s tone made Jaden look.16
~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~17
The worst part about being without his Dark-Hunter powers was that he was also basically weaponless. Earlier Vaughn had gone through the selection that Peter had laid out, and every hidden pocket in his jacket held a weapon; only problem was that his jacket was currently wrapped around Helen’s naked body. 18
And Vaughn doubted that Caras would wait while he retrieved a gun or five. 19
Having to settle with the small handgun in the shoulder holster, Vaughn reached quickly, pulling it out and raising even before Caras had moved. So he didn’t have powers for a while... big deal. He had two thousand plus years of fighting techniques to call on, and knew that he’d need every single one of those years to even consider getting out of there with Helen. 20
Two shots was all he managed to get off before the demon was on him, and Vaughn fired once more into the body, before his hand was wrenched back. The gun fell to the floor where it was ignored as he struggled to survive. 21
Pulling away from claws that were digging into his arms, Vaughn took a step back to where Helen was and turned with the intention of grabbing the closest weapon. He stopped in slight confusion when he realized that Helen wasn’t behind him any longer. Looking, he grimaced when he saw her in the clutches of Brin, standing beside Asya. 22
Worse, two smaller demons where reaching into the pockets of his jacket and removing his collection. He watched as their hands traveled the material, more than once ‘accidentally’ caressing bare skin as they checked. 23
Anger boiled inside of him at the thought of anyone touching Helen in such a manner, and he’d taken three steps towards the small group before he’d even realized it. Unfortunately, it also took him closer to Caras, who had been waiting and watching as Vaughn stared. 24
Punched hard enough to knock the sunglasses off his face, Vaughn took a few steps back to clear his head, Helen momentarily forgotten. Moving as Caras ran at him, Vaughn easily spun out of the way, ending so he was facing the demon. 25
Before he could react, Caras created a blinding light, which caught Vaughn off guard. Since his pupils were permanently dilated, and without his glasses to offer any sort of protection, the light virtually slammed into his eyes, bringing a howl of pain as he covered his face. 26
That gave Caras just the distraction needed to run at Vaughn, plowing him across the floor and into the wall. Although the Dark-Hunter tried to hit back, the punches Caras was giving, along with the pain from the light made it a losing battle.27
Every time Vaughn fought back, Caras would create another bright flash of light, which he used to pummel his opponent even further. Before too long, Vaughn was lying in a dazed heap on the floor as the demon kicked him. 28
“Enough,” Asya said, her tone both soothing and commanding. 29
Motioning to another demon, Caras grabbed one of Vaughn’s arms while the demon grabbed the other, and dragged him to his feet. He seemed deadweight, which made the hold on him tighten. 30
“Vaughn?” Helen asked in a shaky voice. Pulling at the grip Brin had on her arm, she tried to get free. 31
“He’s alive,” Caras told her. “For now.”32
“Let him go,” Helen said. “Please.” 33
Held between the two demons, Vaughn forced himself to keep his eyes open. Sleep beckoned, but would be a guaranteed death for both him and Helen. With no strength to even raise his head, Vaughn stared at the his legs and the floor behind him as light sand images danced in and out of focus. He caught sight of a shiny object on the floor behind him, and focused on it. Recognizing it as the retractable sword that one of the demons had removed from his jacket, he concentrated on the metal as he pulled his mind back to some sort of order.34
Vaughn. 35
Jerking slightly as he imagined Ash’s voice in his head, Vaughn blinked a few times in confusion. 36
Vaughn. 37
That wasn’t his imagination. “Ash?” he whispered, not having the strength to concentrate enough to send back a mental response.38
It’s time, Ash told him. 39
“Time?” Vaughn mumbled as the floor and sword blurred. “To sleep?”40
To save Helen, Ash replied. 41
“I can’t.” Moaning as he was punched in the ribs, Vaughn coughed in pain.42
“Stop your muttering,” Caras warned, punching again. He quickly stepped to the side as Vaughn coughed again, and stared in disdain as blood landed on the floor where he had been standing. 43
“Stop!” Helen ordered.44
Vaughn. 45
Closing his eyes, Vaughn wished that everyone would just stop talking so that he could sleep in peace. The idea to just let go and float on the comfort that was surrounding him was too strong to ignore. He could feel himself slipping closer to darkness and instead of fighting it like he wanted to, he couldn’t help but be lulled into-46
Jerking suddenly Vaughn pulled himself away from any desires to just give up. Helen needed him right now, and he couldn’t betray that trust she had placed on him. Save her… then he could curl into a corner and sleep or die; didn’t really matter at the moment. Only Helen’s safety did.47
That’s it, Ash’s deep tone soothed his fatigue away. I can’t return your DH powers, but I’ll help as much as I can, Vaughn. 48
His strength coming back slowly, Vaughn concentrated once again on the sword on the floor behind him. His chest and sides ached with each breath, and he used that pain to center his anger.49
Having just about enough of a delay, Asya took two steps towards Vaughn, then looked at Helen. “Your soul for him,” she said, her tone carrying a definite threat.50
“Don’t,” Vaughn whispered. 51
“You’ll leave him alone?” Helen asked, finally pulling free from Brin. 52
“As long as he breathes,” Asya promised.53
“No,” Vaughn said, his voice finally strong enough to pull all attention to him. He could feel his strength steadily returning and lifted his head to look at Helen. “Don’t.”54
Walking to him, Helen snarled at Brin when he gave her a warning look. Keeping her hands in view, she crouched down so she could look in Vaughn’s eyes. “You’ll be safe.”55
“But you won’t be,” he told her. “You can’t take a soul from a live body.”56
Standing with a jerk, Helen spun to look at Asya. “Is that true?”57
Forcing her anger down, Asya stood and regally approached Helen. “If you were a human, yes. It’s different for demons.”58
“She doesn’t want a vow,” Vaughn said. “She wants-“ Cut off as Asya motioned to him, he struggled to breathe.59
“Stop!” Helen said. She approached Vaughn, who was pale and had a glazed look to his eyes. He gave her such an intense look that she swore it reached straight through her. 60
This is it. The realization that he was about to probably die with no chance in hell of Helen being saved was enough to give Vaughn the ability to summon that part of himself that was unstable at best when angry. 61
Sagging in the grip, Vaughn used his weight to pull the demons off balance. Calling on the last of his strength, he yanked free, flipped back away, and grabbed his sword off the floor as he passed. 62
Taking advantage of the sudden move, Helen ran at Brin, jumping on him the same moment Vaughn approached Caras. Swinging the body off him, Brin threw Helen against a wall, smirking as she hit, then fell unconscious to the floor. Angry, Asya raised her hand, ready to put an end to this once and for all, but a movement caught her attention. 63
Standing in the shadows, a figure glared at her, the one brown and one green eye daring her to make what she assumed would be her final move. Not wanting to press both her luck and fate, she took a step back and vanished, ready to return to grab Helen’s soul when the fight was completed.64
~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~65
“Helen?” 66
The question came out as a whisper as Jared stared at the ground below him. Something wasn’t right in an already completely messed up event, and although he could contact Helen if he concentrated hard enough, she was nowhere to be found.67
That didn’t necessarily mean that she was dead, but the absence was making Jared worried. Moving his head as the containment collar pinched slightly, he coughed and tried again. Sighing when he could feel nothing, he closed his eyes. 68
“Ash?” he whispered. “Jaden?”69
Nothing.70
“Help her,” he whispered, ignoring the pain as he sent his request through the cosmos, then added the one word that he’d barely ever uttered. “Please.” 71
~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~72
Trying to keep track of those he was facing off against, Vaughn had a hard time sorting it all out. He’d killed one of the demons, his sword slicing through neck and separating head from the rest of the body. Now, he was down to three… manageable odds had he been in full control of his Dark-Hunter powers. 73
Brin, who seemed to have finally grown a backbone, was somewhere behind Vaughn. Cataloguing that information away for now, Vaughn concentrated on Caras and the other demons that were coming at him. 74
Stumbling as he moved to the side, Vaughn added a bit more sway that necessary, hoping to lure the attackers into thinking that he was weaker than he already was. With aching ribs and the taste of blood in his mouth, it was hard enough as it was to keep on his feet. Only the sight of Helen still unconscious against the wall kept him going. She was the only reason he wasn’t lying down beside her and giving up. 75
The two attacked at the same time, giving Vaughn a bigger target as he swung out. Jumping back and swinging again, he felt sword connecting with something, and blinked as Caras stumbled away clutching his chest. He fell to the floor, silent as he started at Vaughn. 76
Not stopping to think about running over to finish the wounded demon off, Vaughn had the second one to deal with. He leaned to the side to avoid being skewered by a sword when he stopped. Blinking in confusion, Vaughn looked down at the sword tip that was extruding from his chest. Jerking as it was pulled out, he forced himself to turn and face the newest attacker. The sword entered him again, this time forcing all pretense of trying to fight out of his mind. 77
Falling to the floor, Vaughn glared as the sword was titled, and placed against his neck. Memories of the first time his throat was slit flashed through his mind, and he knew this was going to hurt. A lot. Although it wouldn’t hurt as much as the knowledge that Helen would die because he failed in protecting her. 78
Not willing to let down another person he cared for gave him just enough strength to slap the blade away, roll and come up with a knife in his hand. He could barely stand, and knew that he was probably dying, but he’d be damned if he went down without a fight. 79
Brin stared in annoyance as the Dark-Hunter faced off against him. Planning on finishing this with one final cursory lunge, he didn’t notice Helen starting to move as she lay against the wall. 80
Vaughn was quicker than he had anticipated, and Brin jumped back with a yell as the knife sunk deep into his arm before being pulled back out. Advancing with the last of his strength, Vaughn tightened his grip on the knife so he wouldn’t drop it. 81
Eyes opening slowly, Helen blinked and sat up at the sight that greeted her. She watched, stunned as Brin stabbed at an injured Vaughn, and forced him to the floor. Panic grabbed at her as Brin stabbed again, making Vaughn drop the knife as he finally yelled out in pain. 82
Feeling the strange sensation that always accompanied her about to leak some demon powers, Helen stood, stalked towards Brin, and grabbed him by the neck. The surprise on his face was humorous enough as she dragged him away from the still body of Vaughn. 83
“You’ve fucking pissed me off for the last time,” Helen said in a calm tone.84
“Let go,” Brin demanded, bringing the sword up. 85
Grabbing it easily from his hand, she twisted her wrist and drove the tip deep into his heart. Brin only had time to look confused before it changed to fear when he saw her eyes. The amber held streaks of black, red and teal as they glared at him, and he knew that he would be very dead, very soon.86
“Die,” Helen hissed, maintaining her grip on his neck as he started to shake violently. Tossing him away, she watched as his body seemed to dissolve in a matter of seconds. Before he even had time to register the pain, he was nothing more than a small burnt spot on the floor. “Bastard,” she said, then turned to look at Vaughn. Gasping as the last remaining demon started towards Vaughn, Helen motioned, pinning him to the ceiling, before letting go and ignoring as he slammed to the floor. 87
Blinking as the pain seemed to be everywhere, Vaughn tried to smile as Helen knelt beside him. There was so much he wanted to tell her, but found himself saying the one thing that would mean the most to her. “I’m so proud of you,” he whispered. 88
“What?” She looked confused as she gently touched one of his wounds. “Why?”89
“Because you were you,” he tried to explain. “You saved my life, and yours, and…” He trailed off. “And I have no idea what I’m saying.” 90
Helen jumped to her feet as a small light flashed across the room, and was ready to kick the life out of whoever it was until she realized it was the one person who could help her. Approaching quickly, Ash grimaced as he looked down at Vaughn. Pulling a long case out of his backpack, he regarded the couple intently. 91
“I have Vaughn’s soul,” he said, nodding to the box. “The moment he dies, you have to place it on his double bow and arrow mark. It will be painful, but if you drop it, his soul will vanish forever.”92
Nodding in understanding, Helen gently opened the front of Vaughn’s shirt so she would be able to access the mark of Artemis that was on the area between his collarbone and shoulder. 93
Backing away slightly to give them some space, Ash grimaced again as Vaughn’s pain reached out to him. The Hunter looked calm on the outside, but he was hiding so much pain that Ash was impressed that he was still alive. 94
“My heart and soul are yours forever,” Vaughn whispered as he tried to fight the pain. 95
Helen brushed brown hair off Vaughn’s forehead and smiled gently at him. “And mine to you,” Helen said, kissing him lightly on the lips. 96
“I love you.”97
Blinking back tears, and not succeeding, Helen kissed him again. “I love you, too, you insufferable twit.”98
Smiling, Vaughn finally let go of fighting the death that wanted to claim him. The last thing he saw was Helen trying to smile at him, then she was replaced by nothing. The pain, when it hit, was unlike anything he’d ever experienced before, and mercifully only lasted a few seconds. 99
~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~100
Opening the case quickly, Ash pulled the pendant out by the chain and held it. Helen clasped the swirling medallion at the end, her eyes going wide at the sensation. Hand burning with unbelievable pain, she placed it on the double bow and arrow tattoo. No sooner had it touched than she felt a presence beside her. She saw Ash lunge across Vaughn’s body at the same instant something grabbed her arm, slinging her across the room. 101
The pendant, still clenched in her hand, dropped as she hit the wall. Panic built as she looked from it, to the still body on the floor. Her voice stuck in her throat as the realization of what happened struck her harder than anything. 102
Ash was bent over Vaughn, trying to figure out if enough soul had passed through to bring him back to life. Closing his eyes in regret, Ash stood. “Why?!” he yelled at the figure that stood on the other side of the body.103
Smirking at him, Asya turned away to face Helen. “I told you before, little one. No one crosses me and gets away with it.”104
Crawling across the floor, Helen stopped at his body. “Come on,” she whispered as tears flowed. “Please. I love you.” Placing the now cold pendant on his tattoo, her hand shook at the futile effort.105
Regret filled his silver eyes as Ash looked down at her. “I’m sorry,” he said in a gentle voice. 106
“No,” Helen mumbled through her tears as she laid her head on his chest, and wrapped her arms around his upper body. 107
Realizing that she wasn’t listening, Ash pulled his attention back to the goddess across from him. He’d always thought that Artemis was the biggest bitch he’d ever met, but this woman made Artie look meek in comparison. 108
“I warned you about interfering in his life.”109
Asya gave him a smile that was pure narcissistic satisfaction. “Oh, but I didn’t interfere in his life,” she said. “I interfered in his death.” 110
Cursing to himself for allowing someone a loophole like that, Ash glared at her. 111
“Don’t give me that look, Acheron,” she spat. “You know the way this game’s played.”112
“That’s the problem,” he said, striving for patience. “You view this as a game.”113
“And I won.” She turned for Helen, intent on gathering the demon’s soul.114
“Not so fast,” Ash said, motioning her back away from Helen. “Helen Vandis is now and forever under my personal protection. You even look at her wrong, and I’ll show up on your doorstep to finish you off.”115
“You can’t!” Asya shrieked. “She’s not of your line.”116
“She vowed her heart and soul to one of my men,” Ash said dangerously. “That places her under me.”117
Screaming in annoyed anger, Asya took one look at Helen, then vanished. 118
~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~119
Angry beyond belief, Asya appeared in a smaller throne room, the one she used to accept tribute from her followers. Screaming again, planters around the room exploded with her anger, spilling dirt, flowers and small trees into the room. 120
“No!” she yelled. “She was my last chance!” The temptation to cry was there, but overshadowed by the anger that Asya felt. The last of her bloodline, Helen, was now out of her reach; even Asya knew better than to push it too far with some things… Ash being one of those things.121
She was too angry about the recent events to notice that someone was sitting in her throne, his dual colored gaze taking in her temper tantrum. Smiling slightly as she screamed again, Jaden waited a handful of moments before letting his presence be known. 122
“There, there,” he said sardonically, not flinching as she whipped to stare at him. “Know something, Asya? You’re fairly ugly when you’re angry.” 123
That set her off even further, and she set her sights on the interloper. “Who are you?” she demanded, stalking towards him. “And why are you-“ Stopping when she realized he was the same being that had been present during the fight, she stared. “Who are you?” she whispered.124
“Basically put,” Jaden said, standing easily from the throne and approaching, “I’m the last being you’re ever going to piss off.” 125
~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~126
This wasn’t quite how Vaughn expected it to be, and the small trickle of dread morphed into a full-fledged waterfall when he realized that something must have gone wrong. Concentrating, he pulled himself out of the darkness that surrounded him, pausing when one of his hands caught his attention. Instead of their normal tanned shade, they were a sickly gray. 127
“Vaughn?”128
Spinning at Ash’s voice, he was suddenly back in the building, looking at the one scene that he didn’t want to see. “What happened?” Vaughn asked, staring at his body on the ground, and at Helen as she cried while still holding on to him. Reaching out to Helen, he clenched his eyes shut as his hand passed through. “Damn it, Ash, tell me it’s a dream.”129
“I’m sorry,” Ash said. “I wasn’t fast enough to stop Asya.”130
“My soul?”131
Shaking his head briefly in regret, Ash looked about as sad as Vaughn had ever seen. “I’m sorry.” 132
“Can you… “ Vaughn trailed off, his gaze never leaving Helen. “Can I talk to her one last time?”133
“I can’t-“134
“Please.” He glanced at Ash, then back to her. “I’m begging you. Just a few minutes so I can let her know I love her.”135
Helen jerked as something touched her shoulder, and turned to find Vaughn standing behind her. Smiling, she hopped to her feet, and threw herself in to his arms.136
“I can’t stay,” he whispered in to her hair. 137
“Why not?” she cried as the joy at seeing him faded.138
“I just needed to come back to let you know that I love you.” Pulling back, he tipped her head up so he could kiss her. “You’ll be all right,” he said after a few seconds. “I’ll make sure of it.”139
“I need you.”140
”I need you, too,” he admitted. “But what I need more is for you to be strong, understand that I love you, and know that I’ll be looking over you.”141
“No.” Shaking her head, she held onto him with no intention of ever letting go. “Jaden promised that I’d be happy. I can’t be that without you.”142
Closing his eyes as an eternity of regret fell on him, Vaughn exhaled. “I’m sorry.”143
“Jaden!” Helen yelled. “My soul is yours if you bring Vaughn back!”144
“No!” Vaughn yelled. He kissed the tip of her nose. “No. Hard as it will be to never be with you again, I won’t come back just so you can be a slave.” 145
“Your soul is no longer yours,” Ash said, interrupting their talk.146
“Say what?”147
Ash shrugged. “She vowed her soul to you,” he told them. “For eternity.”148
“What?” Vaughn asked.149
“She vowed her soul to you,” Ash repeated. “Which technically places her under my protection.”150
“That’s all it takes?” Vaughn asked, wondering why no one had thought to mention that little bit of information earlier. It could have saved everyone a lot of pain.151
“No,” Ash said. “But that’s the way I’m interpreting it so that it keeps Helen safe.”152
“Thank you,” Vaughn said, then exhaled. “What happens now?” he asked, afraid of the answer.153
“Not really sure,” Ash admitted. “You got a small part of your soul returned to you, which may keep you from becoming a shade. But,” he shrugged apologetically, “you’re still dead.”154
Smiling, Vaughn looked back at Helen. “You’re safe now,” he said. “I kept my word, and you’re safe.” Kissing tears that fell from her eyes, he nuzzled close for a moment. 155
“I’ll never forget you,” Helen whispered, kissing him again.156
“’Course not,” he replied. “I’ve got your soul, and I know where you live.”157
Laughing through the tears, she ran a hand over his cheek, wanting to catalogue every detail so she could take him with her to the end of time. 158
Adding your comment:
it fit so well with another story I was writing... and out of that, this was born. 
It just make take some time to exploit. 
I may create a possibility... but, as Ash says 'just because you can, doesn't mean you should.' 
