Devils

Disclaimer: I still own no one. *cries*


Chapter II
Feel Berlin

Do you like concrete agony, Kreuzberg on Saturday
Tell me baby what you need
There's the zoo alive as the city sleeps tonight
Eternal divided dream

Much to Christina's surprise, Jyrki said nothing to her once they had arrived back to their crypt.
She got the feeling that he was waiting for her to bring what happened back up. But she wasn't
going to. Not for anything.

Jyrki disappeared further down the tunnels once they reached the dank room that contained their
coffins. For a split second she contemplated following him. Jussi caught onto that thought and
quickly shot her down on it.

"Let him be." He said, sitting down cross-legged on top of his coffin, beginning to remove his
jacket.

Christina sighed, "I don't get him."

Jussi didn't look up as he began to unlace his boots, "No one does."

"How long have you known him?" She asked, finally turning away from the darkened passage
which Jyrki had vanished down.

Jussi merely shrugged.

Christina came to sit on her coffin facing him, folding her fingers near-nervously in front of her,
"Seriously." She and Jussi never talked, really, more than they had to. It wasn't that she didn't
like him, it was the fact that she didn't really trust him yet.

After a moment, Jussi freed his foot from his boot and dropped it to the ground. He pursed his
lips in thought before glancing briefly at her, "Ninety-six years."

She found herself slightly shocked at his easy recollection of the years. "Did he... do it... to you?"
She asked hesitantly after a long stretch of silence.

Jussi's fingers faltered on the laces of his other boot, if only for a moment before he regained
control, "No."

Christina easily picked up on the fact that the conversation was over.


Going down to Potsdamer singing Checkpoint Charlie blues
The 70's brought Bowie baby
Do what you do

You gotta feel Berlin
Baby yeah
You gotta feel Berlin
Baby yeah
You gotta feel Berlin


Christina hated Germany.

She hated it with a passion that was rivaled by nothing else she had ever felt in her life.

She wanted to move, leave, go somewhere, anywhere other than here. And she would have, if
she wasn't so afraid to leave the disturbing comfort that now came along with the thoughts of her
group of... "friends".

Ville was the easiest for her to get along with. He was the most understanding of her reluctant
acceptance of her new life. He made it easier on her whenever he could. Well... whenever Jyrki
didn't oppose it. To anyone else it would appear that Jyrki ran their little family. That he was in
charge of who did what and when. But it wasn't true.

He was in charge of Christina. And Ville knew where the lines were drawn.

Jyrki made her, afterall, she was was his now. And from what she could gather from the others,
not only was it the most amazing thing in the known world that he had kept her alive in the first
place, but that he had taken her as his protegee' of sorts was even more astounding.

"He never spares anyone unless he wants them." Trinity told her one night. She'd asked what he
wanted from her, "Different things from different people. You'll find out eventually what he sees
in you."

It was hardly a calming thought, but she still tried to convince herself every dusk that it was
better than being dead.

She sat alone near a small lake, not far from the graveyard. Her knees were brought up in front
of her and her chin rested on top of them as sat in silent thought.
Ever since the incident with Jyrki she had begun to figure out what he saw in her. And she knew
she didn't like it. At least she didn't think she did.

Why then had she welcomed him right before Ville showed up?

Thinking back, replaying the horrifying moment over and over again in her mind was giving her
a headache. She closed her eyes tight and just tried to relax. But her body had other plans. She
felt weak and dizzy.

She hadn't eaten in three days and it was starting to take it's effect on her.

But she'd gone longer before. Nine days was her record. Before Jyrki finally forced her out
hunting with the threat of abandonment. It couldn't be a good thing that he knew her weakness.
But she tried not to think about it.

Christina reached out slowly with her mind, sensing where the others were. It was only mildly
surprising that Katrina and Lauri were closeby. They never really left the area.

Homebodies of sorts.

That thought brought a fleeting smile to her lips.

It wasn't long before the two were close enough to hear. They were talking about something
Trinity had done, who she'd taken that night. But Christina wasn't interested in listening. She
wasn't interested in the prospect of company either.

She stood and brushed her pants off before turning to head back up the path that lead from the
lake to the main road.

"Christina!" She cursed silently in her head as she froze, "Where were you tonight?"

"Wasn't really feeling up to... hunting." She said, turning back and forcing herself to respond.

Katrina approached and hugged her lightly, Lauri greeted her with his silent smile. Christina had
become fairly certain over the past three months of knowing him, that Lauri really only spoke
when he had to. And mainly only to Katrina. But he was still one of the nicest vampires she'd
ever encountered.

"Jyrki wasn't happy." She said in a lower voice.

Christina rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest, "Since when is that a shock?"

Lauri's lips curled in a grin and Christina couldn't help but wish that she could trade places with
Katrina.

"No, I mean..." Katrina shook her head and reached out to touch Christina's shoulder. Out of
instinct, Christina stepped back quickly before contact could be made.

"Sorry." She said, when Katrina drew her hand back in.

Katrina waved it off, "No I mean... I think he was worried."

Christina nearly laughed, "Worried? Are you kidding me?"

"He's hard to read, but it seemed that way." Lauri said softly, adjusting his fingerless gloves
before tucking his hands back into his jacket pockets.

"He just thinks I'm going to run off with Ville." Christina said, dismissing the entire thought of
Jyrki worrying about her as completely idiotic.

Katrina half-shrugged, "He did make you."

"I wish everyone would just stop saying that." Christina ground out, "Like he did me some huge
fucking favor." They both seemed a little thrown by her remark, but she didn't care as she turned
back towards the path, "I'm heading back in. I'll see you two tomorrow."

She didn't look back.


Do you like punk rock mutiny, rock 'n' roll depravity
Tell me baby what you need
Boys keep swinging Wild At Heart until the morning
Let this baby set you free


Christina didn't head directly back to the graveyard. She still wasn't done thinking.

A brief walk around town, through the thin flocks of people heading to or from the bars, did
little to settle her wandering mind. She was hungry.

After nearly leaping on a man in front of her on the sidewalk for the tenth time, she forced
herself to go back. She could go another night without eating.

Ville found her sitting above the cemetary gates, perched on the cement pillar like some sort of
statue. It took him only a moment to scale the one two feet away.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked, bringing his feet up and wrapping his arms around his
legs.

She shrugged, facing forward. The night was dark and the sky was dense with fog. The dull light
from the half-moon overhead cast an errie glow throughout the mist hanging low in the air. Had
she been human it would have scared her to be out at right now. But that wasn't the case. She
wasn't the least bit afraid of the night. Not now that she was one of the most terrifying things in
it.

"I'm no medium, but I can venture as to say you're in for it when you get back there tonight." He
nodded his head back in the general direction of the crypt she shared with Jussi and Jyrki.

"I don't care." She said quietly, brushing her hair out of her eyes, "I just wanted to be alone."

Ville didn't take it to mean she wanted him to leave. Because, truth be told, she didn't. She just
closed her eyes, mirroring Ville's pose, and tucked her face into the cold fabric covering her
thighs.

The silence that overtook them wasn't uncomfortable. In fact, Ville's presence was rather
calming to her. He just sat there, looking out into the night, watching out for her as she rested
her mind.

It was a long time before either spoke again.

"Christina?"

"Hmm?"

Ville shifted and she opened her eyes, turning her head to watch him, "I care for you." That got
her attention, her head picked up as they made eye contact, "I don't want to see you leave us."

"I'm not going anywhere." She said, laying her head back down.

"But Jyrki isn't going to keep you around if you don't start trying." He said seriously.

Christina was more than a little lost, "Trying what?"

"To accept this."

She knew what he meant, but that didn't mean she agreed or wanted to try any harder than she
was. Which wasn't very hard. She brought her hand up to rub her eyes, " I don't want to accept
this." she said tiredly.

"You don't have much of a choice." He said, a hint of sadness in his voice.

Tears were beginning to form in Christina's eyes, "I'm beginning to think that death wouldn't be
so bad." She whispered brokenly. "I can't stand killing people. I can't stand destroying lives.
What we do isn't living, it isn't right."

"But we don't have any other choice, Christina. This is our lives whether we want it to be this
way or not. And it's not really that bad. If you'd get out and come see the night with us... you'd
know that it isn't just darkness."

She blinked slowly, tears rolling down her cheeks, icy eyes shining even more in the misty light.

"Look, we're leaving Berlin soon. We never stay put for too long. Once we get out of here,
maybe you'll see that there's more to it than this." Ville kept looking at her, but she couldn't bring
herself to do the same, instead looking straight forward, "We're as blessed as we are cursed."


Just life that's what it is
Don't be afraid of an angel's kiss
Just life that's what it is
Don't be afraid of


It wasn't long before the two leapt from their posts and decided to say goodnight before dawn
became a threat.

"Just try, Christina." He said, holding her close for a moment, "Hunting will get easier. I promise
you that." She nodded even though she didn't really feel it.

When he pulled back and she turned to head through the graves, Ville caught her by the hand
and pulled her back. She nearly stumbled, but the hand on the back of her neck and the one that
held her hand kept her steady enough as he leaned down and brought their lips together.

Her eyes were wide for the briefest of moments, before she let them slip shut. Any and all
thoughts she'd had of Jyrki before this went shooting from her mind as she gingerly touched his
chest and relaxed into him.

Neither sensed the presence of another, intruding on their private moment.


A criminal kiss.