"Hmm." Jonny considered what it'd take to start a program like Damian's capable of identifying and tracking Naturals. He didn't have the manpower or time to stand up such a tasking. "Or I could just steal access to his program."

"Could," Xander agreed, amused as always by the tug-of-war between the gods. "You'd face some stiff resistance from those guarding it."

Jonny's mind was already working through this dilemma. He reviewed what he'd learned of the White God's organization the past few years. Attacking any of Damian's large bases of operation was out of the question when he was hunting vamps day and night. But the recruiting points and three to five man stations located in cities across the country were more vulnerable, and each of them had someone capable of accessing the database where Damian's recruiting records were kept.

"Okay," he said. "I like this idea." Satisfied yet not surprised his mentor had once again pointed him in the right direction, Jonny faced the large vamp. "How's the fam?"

"None of your business, as usual," Xander replied.

Jonny expected the response yet couldn't help being disappointed by it. He'd walked away from Xander's now stepdaughter, Ashley, four years before. Xander made Jonny swear to never look back if he ever wanted help, and Jonny had obeyed.

Sometimes, he let his mind wander to who he had been, to a simpler life where he slept more than three hours a day and wasn't constantly at battle. Sometimes, he experienced a flicker of regret when he thought about how he had ended things with Ashley. Not that she'd want anything to do with him. He'd nearly gotten her and her family killed and in the years since he'd seen her, he'd killed too many people for him to count. A sweet girl with a fragile disposition, she was better off without him, and yet, he still thought of his first love on occasion.

"Focus on your vamps," Xander advised. "We both know how it ends if you come within a mile of my place or my family."

Jonny was quiet. He wasn't in a position to take on Xander. No one was. Not even the White and Grey Gods combined were a match for the Original Vamp. "Yeah. Thanks. Until next time."

He left Xander on the beach. Traveling to his quiet, isolated headquarters on the Oregon coast, he knew something was wrong the moment he materialized in the open foyer area of the main lodge.

Charles was standing over a bloodied vamp, his fist raised as if to strike the downed creature again. The two of them - and everyone else present in the foyer - froze. Jonny assessed the situation briefly. The vamp on the ground reeked of human blood and lots of it.




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