Chloe walked into the training room the next day with purpose and determination. She wanted to really get to know the other Red Guards. She had a week to bring something meaningful back to Derek and she wanted to have some good ideas and good information. She hoped he was thinking along the same lines. She saw Johnny and walked over to him. He was the one who had pointed out her parents' presence in the city and he still felt bad about it. She figured he would be open to some conversation if she started it.

"Hey, Johnny," she said.

Johnny, for his part, looked a bit uncomfortable, but he smiled gamely and greeted her. "Hey Chloe. I'm just warming up for a bit of hand-to-hand scrimmage. Feel like having a go at me? I probably deserve a good beating after the other day."

Chloe shook her head with a frown, "Actually, I'm glad you mentioned it. Seeing them gave me some closure. And, you know, you never know what the future holds. We're here, right? Who would ever have thought that would happen?" 

He smiled at her words as he started to bounce from side to side. "You're right, I guess. I always wish I had seen my parents one last time. Now it's too late. They both passed away about five years ago." He smiled sadly at her crestfallen face. "I know. It sucks. I'm sure I'll start to hear about more of my family dying in the next twenty years or so. From what I understand, it's one of the drawbacks of living forever, while your family does not."

"It just makes you wanna punch something, doesn't it?" Chloe asked with a grin.

"Funny, it does indeed. Ready?" he smiled back. 

Chloe had been stretching and warming up her muscles as well. "You bet," she replied. 

He was the first to make a move, and he lunged right for her legs. She wasn't expecting it. The others she had fought with usually went for the head first. He caught her off balance and she landed hard on her tailbone. She felt it snap and glared at the back of his head. You are dead meat buddy, she thought. He had his arms locked around her knees and moved with a quick jump to land on her chest. When he jumped that little bit, she moved her knee so that it landed squarely in his groin. She smiled with satisfaction as he cried out in pain. 

She took advantage of his momentary weakness and rolled him over. She drew back her arm and landed a hard punch into his stomach and heard him grunt as his wind flew out of him. While he gained his breath back, she got on her knees and prepared to grab his head. But just as she was about to grab and twist, he flashed forward and head-butted her right in the nose. She saw black and her eyes filled immediately with tears. 

She panicked in her blindness and reached out trying to grab him, but he wasn't there. And that was when she felt his hands around her neck and the quick snap as he twisted. Damn it! she thought. Her nose healed more quickly than her neck and she opened her eyes to see his grinning face above her.

"Good fight," he said. "You're quicker than I thought... dirty though," he shook his head with a laugh. "It's been a long time since someone got me in the family jewels."

She laughed as her neck snapped back into place. "Sorry about that," she said. "Well, actually, I'm not sorry. It was the only move that came to mind in that moment."

"It was a good one. Effective at least. Sorry about breaking your neck," he smiled then as he looked at her, "Actually, I'm not sorry either." They both shared a laugh as he pulled her up and they walked into the weapons room.

Johnny picked up one of the crossbows and loaded it with a bolt. He took aim at the target and pulled the trigger. Chloe was impressed when he got a bulls eye. She couldn't even hit the target with a cross bow, but she did know how to load it now. "Impressive aim," she said.

"I've been doing it for quite some time now," he said with a blush. "I can shoot a few bolts in quick succession. Wanna try?"

She eagerly took the cross bow from him and loaded in a bolt. She aimed at the target through the scope and pulled the trigger slowly. She missed. Again. She let out a little sigh of frustration.

"Try breathing out when you pull the trigger," Johnny said as he handed her another bolt. "I know it sounds funny, but it works for me."

She bobbed her head as she took the bolt and reloaded. She brought the cross bow back up and lined the sights up again. She took his advice and breathed out as she squeezed the trigger. She actually hit the target... well, the target paper. She didn't make it into one of the circles, but she was pretty happy to have made some progress. She beamed at Johnny and he let out a light laugh. 

"Baby steps," he said.

"No kidding!" she exclaimed. "I think I've fired that thing a thousand times into the wall. I'll take paper any day."

 He patted her shoulder in congratulations.

"Nice one, Desjardins," cheered Jessica from the doorway. "I was starting to wonder if that would ever happen!"

Chloe turned and smiled at Jessica. She had been so patient with Chloe over the past few training sessions that Chloe had developed a soft spot for her in spite of their first night out hunting.

"We have a new target for tonight," said Jessica with excitement. Chloe didn't think she'd ever get overJessica's propensity for violence, but she had to admire her suitability to this life.

"Name?" Chloe tried to hide her sense of nervousness. She hoped it wasn't Derek.

"I forget the name, but the Pope is pretty sure she's the one who took out two tourists a week ago," Jessica beamed.

"'Pretty sure'?" questioned Johnny. "What does 'pretty sure' mean? Is that what the Pope said?"

Jessica turned a glare on Johnny, "Johnny, you need to remember your place. The Pope gave us a target and we will kill it."

"Her. We will kill her," corrected Johnny.

"Whatever," snarled Jessica.

"I just think it's important that we recognize we are killing salient beings. Once God's children, always God's children, no?"

"Uh, no, actually. Not according to the Pope," argued Jessica with narrowed eyes.

"Does the Pope believe you are also soulless?" persisted Johnny.

"Of course not. We all know that if the virus is stopped quickly enough, our souls are saved," Jessica replied.

"Our souls," interrupted Chloe. She just couldn't resist a good philosophical debate. "You mean the one part of us we can't prove we even have? Like, have you ever seen a soul?" She regretted it as soon as Jessica turned her glare to Chloe. But Johnny smiled at her when Jessica wasn't looking, and that may have been worth it. Perhaps she had found another ally.

"Whatever, we have our target," Jessica said. Then she spun on her heel and walked out of the training room.

"Do I sense a fellow atheist among us?" asked Johnny.

"Yeah, well, it doesn't seem to be a very popular stance around here," laughed Chloe as she looked around at all of the crosses in the room. "And to be honest, one does have to wonder why crosses and Holy Water work. I mean, if there was no God, then why do those religious symbols work to kill vampires?"

"Now, you do raise a good point, but I bet we could do some research and find out some other explanation," said Johnny, slapping Chloe on the shoulder.

"I guess we should get ready for dinner," Chloe said as she noticed the time. "We will have to get out hunting as soon as the sun goes down. I'm so nervous about killing someone."

"Well, it's a big step when it comes right down to it. Taking a life isn't something that should be done lightly. I admired you speaking up the other night. It's not easy with Jessica at the helm. She loves it so much, but I think my first kill changed the essence of who I was."

Chloe looked over at Johnny as they walked. She felt sad at his comment, because he was right. If she had to make the kill tonight, she knew it would change her at her core, and she didn't want to change like that.

"You'll be fine," he said noticing her silence. "If you're going to be one of the Red Guard, you have to change who you are. You are not really Chloe Desjardins anymore. You have the same name, but that's about it."

"Maybe I'm not the one that needs to change at all," she whispered. "Maybe this needs to change." She held her arms out to her sides as if encompassing Vatican City.

Johnny stared at her. "Wow," he said. "That is bold." He paused. "Bold and dangerous. I think I like it. Let's talk more later." They had reached the door to the training room. "See you at dinner?" he asked.

"Sounds good," she said.