A/N: This chapter is in Lance's POV, similar to the last. The next chapter will start out in Veronica's POV. Thanks to Ray-Anne and meanevil91 for reviewing. Enjoy.

CHAPTER 2
Specialty

I can only imagine how a shadow-possessed human can fight. Either with superhuman or normal strength. Judging by the person's size, I would still have difficulty if this was considered a "fair" fight. I had two choices at this point. The honorable one---I could try to save Veronica. I knew what would happen if I didn't. The shadow would try to reenact the murder scene, only this time Veronica would be the unfortunate victim. But the second choice, running away, looked good too. Self-preservation was preaching to me all the reasons to gun it for the car. After all, it was her fault for getting into this mess. Unfortunately, guilty conscious was always on the right shoulder.

"What do you want?" The shadow asked Lance, clearly not pleased.

Lance glanced at Veronica, who gave him an uneasy smile. "I need to bring her home."

"Don't worry about it," he sneered. "I'll bring her home."

"You really don't have to," Veronica stated, trying to get around the man. However, he grabbed her by the wrist.

"She has to go," Lance said, taking a step closer. He wished that he was a little more intimidating as a person. But because he lacked it, the confrontation was getting nowhere. Suddenly Veronica kicked the man in the groin and he let go. "That's one way," he said to himself. Veronica reached his side.

"Come on," she urged, pulling his arm.

Lance reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys. He passed them to Veronica. "Go start the car for me? I'll be there in a minute."

"This is no time to act the hero," she said.

"Just go," he reiterated. He wasn't going to deny her accusation. Saving Veronica wasn't enough for him; he had to save everyone else at the raid. Or at least try to. As of right now, he had no plan to go on. He would wing everything at this point. But first, Veronica had to leave. He didn't want anyone in his way.

"Fine," she said, taking a step back. "I'll wait by the car."

Lance watched her run off before looking back at the shadow. When he was certain Veronica was gone, he asked, "Aren't you going to come out?"

The shadow sauntered toward him, a smirk tugging at its lips. Each step was slow and deliberate as its eyes glimmered with mild amusement. Less than a foot away, it stopped, hooked its thumbs in its pockets, and cocked its head to a side. Suddenly the shadow grinned. "Make me."

Lance stood still, trying to feign a confidence that he didn't have. He was anxious, not sure how to make the shadow leave its host body. He didn't have that sort of power and the shadow apparently knew that.

"I figured as much," it said and pushed his way pass Lance.

Lance didn't retaliate. He turned around and watched the shadow go into the woods. At least it's not the raid, he thought. Sucks for whoever's out there now. He told himself there was nothing more he could do and resigned himself to getting to his car. As he approached it, he heard the engine rumbling a low growl. He reached the driver's side and saw that Veronica was not inside. Did she go back to the raid? Did she go looking for me?

His dark eyes landed on the nearby woods. Then he glanced back at the warehouse. Two options, Lancelot, he told himself. She's either in the party or she ran into the woods. I can hope she's walking out of that party any minute now. Or look in the woods for her. Both risky choices. But she would be safer within the party where lots of people are at than in the woods alone. And if she is in the woods, then that would mean she would eventually run into that shadow.

His eyes stared at the densely packed trees. And if she's not in there, I chance my head getting bashed in. Dammit, dammit. Is that chick seriously that stupid? He groaned and took his car keys out of the ignition. Then he moved into the woods, reassuring himself that if the shadow let him live once, it would do it again. He looked around, trying to see with the dim moonlight that poured between the bare tree branches. "Veronica?" He called out, wondering if that was a smart idea.

He wandered into the woods farther, losing sight of his car. "Veronica?"

The wind blew and he shivered in his jacket. He continued walking before stopping and checking out his surroundings. Then he spotted her, her back against a tree, her hands awkwardly caressing the bark. Lance looked around and saw no sign of that shadow. Telling himself to relax, he walked up to Veronica.

"Veronica," he said and reached out to grab her shoulder. A stronger spark flooded through his body and this time, he saw images flash in his mind. At first they were incoherent. Then they formed a miniature film.

He saw a girl around Veronica's age, resting against the same tree. There was a man in front of her, who looked angry. The girl tried to get away but the man held onto the back of her shirt, pulling her back. The girl pleaded but he was resilient. "What's wrong, huh?! You think you're too good for me, bitch?!" There was fear, anger, regret, sadness then suddenly self-congratulatory feeling as the man slammed the girl's head against the tree.

Lance released Veronica's shoulder and took two steps back. Veronica looked up at him, her eyes wide. "Lance?" she whispered.

Lance shook off the image but the feeling was still the air around him. "We need to go now," he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her with him.

"Stop!" She exclaimed and pulled her arm away. "What's your problem?"

"What's yours? There's some freakin' psycho walking around here and you're just standing in the open!"

"I can take care of myself, thank you," she said, taking a step toward him. A branch snapped and their eyes diverted from each other, landing on the man from before. Though every part of her was screaming to run, she stood still because Lance was like a statue next to her. The only indication he was still with her was his breathing.

"You came," the shadow said, its eyes on Veronica. Its gaze shifted to Lance. "I let you live last time. But since you're here, I might as well kill you just to get it out of the way."

"Run, Veronica," Lance whispered.

Veronica took a step back and suddenly grabbed Lance's arm. She ran, dragging him along. It took about three seconds for his legs to work properly, another two for his mind to register what he was doing. A tree came up and she released his hand to maneuver around it. Lance looked over his shoulder and saw the shadow standing still, chuckling. From a distance, he could tell that its mouth was forming words. Three, two, one. Finally the shadow gave chase.

Lance twisted and turned his body around the trees, jumping over protruding roots and fallen branches. Out of the corner of his eyes, Veronica moved just as agilely, not slowing her pace. This allowed Lance to focus on his self and what he was doing. Adrenaline flooded through his body as he formulated ideas and last resorts for the inevitable showdown. He kept running until he considered hiding and ducked behind a tree. Veronica did the same a short distance ahead. Lance placed his fist in his mouth to muffle his heavy breathing.

"Veronica!" The shadow called out, "That is your name, right? Why are you running away from me?" It passed the tree Lance was against and the boy bit his fist. It was so close; at least that was how it seemed. The shadow walked right by, approaching her tree. "Veronica? Where are you?"

Lance, from his position, could see Veronica moving around the tree, trying to keep out of sight. Then she stepped on a branch and it cracked. Something so minor sounded so loud. Lance could imagine the shadow's face, realizing where the girl was. It swooped around the tree so fast, confronting Veronica and cutting off all means of escape.

While she looked scared, the shadow looked pleased with itself. "Veronica," he said gently, despite the menacing smile. "Do you think you're better than me?"

Lance didn't know why he did it but when the plan had crossed his mind, it made perfect sense. As he ran toward the shadow, he then wondered if it was a logical idea. The shadow didn't turn around yet and so he picked up speed before leaping onto its back. He wrapped his arm around its neck, hoping to put it in a stranglehold. The shadow stumbled backward and away from Veronica. It clawed at Lance, trying to reach the boy.

Lance's feet dangled off the ground; the shadow's borrowed body had a few inches on him. However, he held on. His eyes met Veronica's and he knew that she was thinking, calculating something.

The shadow growled, trying to reach the boy on its back. "You fucking---!"

Lance gasped as the shadow took a firm hold of his jacket and flipped him over his shoulder. Lance landed on the cold ground hard on his back and looked up at the shadow towering over him. Its face was livid, its eyes livelier and crazier than before. And then he felt something, weird pulses flowing through the air. He then found the source.

Veronica's eyes were on the shadow, her mind focused on something else. Slowly, she lifted her arms up, her palms facing, her fingers curled. Then almost in a flicking motion, her hands opened up. A cold wave passed through the air and Lance's body, sending chills down his spine and around his heart. He looked at the shadow and watched as it was ripped out of its host. It was suspended in thin air, clearly stunned by whatever hit it. The host body hit the ground with a thud.

Veronica ran up to Lance. "Are you okay?"

Lance looked at her then at the shadow and then at the unconscious man. "You-you---what just---!"

"What are you talking about?" Veronica said, extending a hand to pull the boy up. He grasped it and she helped him onto his feet. She glanced at the unconscious person and then deemed him as unimportant. "Can we go now, Lance?"

Now she wants to go, he thought to himself. Lance stared at her, wondering if he should pursue the issue further. If Veronica protested ignorance, then why bother? He looked away, ready to go, when he saw the shadow convulsing. He frowned; he had never seen that before. Then again, he had never seen a shadow forced out of its host body until tonight. The shadow reverted back to its normal form before rushing toward Veronica.

Lance, seeing no other option, pushed Veronica out of the way. The shadow tried to change course to reach Veronica. However, Lance grabbed the shadow with his hands, stopping it in its wake. It squealed and tried to get away. There was a slight struggle but the boy was stronger. Lance gritted his teeth and focused his energy into it. The shadow distorted and then finally evaporated into nothing. Lance sighed out of relief, glad that it was over.

"What the hell?" Veronica said, pounding the ground.

Lance looked at, wondering what if she saw that.

"You pushed me for no reason!"

The boy sighed, thinking about how to explain this one. Unfortunately there was no way. He remained silently as she continued her little rant.

"If you wanted me to move so badly, then you should have said something! You didn't have to push me like an idiot! Damn." Lance offered to pull her up but she did it without his help. She dusted off the back of her skirt and realized that the dirt wasn't coming off. Then she groaned when she was the scrape on her knee.

"Sorry," Lance said dumbly.

"Let just get back to the car," she said, clearly irritated.

"Fine," Lance said, glancing around the woods. "I think that way?"

"You got us lost," Veronica said in disbelief.

"We're not," Lance lied, glancing at the unconscious guy. "Help me drag him along. I'll figure our way back."

"Why should we help him?" Veronica asked. "He can stay here and freeze for all I care."

"Just help me," Lance said. Again his conscious told him that it was not good to leave the victim there on the cold ground. Veronica shook her head and grabbed an arm.

"Whatever," she muttered.

Lance grabbed the other arm. Due to the extra baggage, it took longer than necessary for them to find their way back. Lance was touching trees, searching for the remnant. Once he found it, he was able to determine which way to go. Along the way, Veronica suggested ditching the guy before he woke up. However, Lance told her to keep pulling. When they reach the end of the woods and saw the dockyard, he had no probably leaving the guy there.

"I forgot something at the dock," Veronica suddenly said.

"Really?" Lance asked.

"Yep."

"I'll come with you," he said, not willing to lose sight of her again.

Veronica rolled her eyes and started to approach the area.

"What'd you forget?" He asked.

"Nothing," she said spitefully, walking on the dock.

Lance followed reluctantly, trying to recall the news report on the dock murder. Already he could feel the bad vibes in the air as he approached the end of the dock. Veronica stopped at the very end of it and stood still.

Lance glanced at his watch and saw that it was after three o'clock in the morning. "Veronica."

No answer.

Lance grabbed her by the shoulder and regretted it instantly. Once again, images flipped through his mind before it became a coherent story to follow, accompanied by emotions and dialogue. No, not dialogue; only the man from before was talking. The girl seemed dead but he could sense her last fleeting thoughts. "You're so beautiful." The man kept saying that as the girl heartbeat slowed down to nothing. When he started to undress the dead girl, that was when Lance had enough and let go. Back to reality, he saw Veronica staring at him.

"I'm ready," she said, taking a deep breath.

Lance didn't say anything. He unlocked the car, got inside, and started the vehicle. A second later, Veronica took her position on the passenger side and closed the door. Lance sighed, rubbing his temple. He wanted to forget what he saw but the image wouldn't leave his mind. It was too prominent; he could easily guess what happened and it was sickening possibility.

"Do you have a Band-Aid?" Veronica asked.

Lance opened the glove department and took out a first aid kit.

"That's a bit nerdy" Veronica commented. Lance shrugged, his mind clearly elsewhere. He opened it, took out a Band-Aid, and he gave it to her. Her eyes flashed to his hand and she frowned. "When did that happen?"

Lance looked down at his palm and saw something that resembled a burn mark. There was no pain but the skin had been bruised and white plasma was leaking through whatever tiny holes that was there. "Nothing," he muttered, searching for the gauze and wrap, the whole purpose of the kit. He found some and tried to wrap his hand by himself. Since he used only one hand, it was an awkward job. Eventually, Veronica took the wrap from him and started to do it for him.

"I'm not stupid," she said, pushing the light on above. She heard noises, signaling that some people where leaving the warehouse. She put off the light and locked the doors. Then she continued what she was doing, using the little light from the moon.

"What are you?" He asked, his eyes on the girl.

Veronica smiled, her gaze on her task. "That's cute," she said. "If you're asking what I am, I wonder what you are. You can take your hand back," she added, indicating that she was finished.

Lance placed his hands on the steering wheel and pressed the gas pedal down. Veronica resigned to looking out of the window as he drove. Lance didn't know what she was thinking about. It seemed that her mental state of mind was stable despite the images she could have seen. It made sense that she saw them as well if he could access the remnants through her. Unless, of course, she was a medium, a pawn even.

"Necrophilia, right?"

Lance glanced at Veronica, caught off guard by her question. He quickly focused on the road again. "What?"

"That is what it's called, right?"

Lance frowned at first but the dock images came back a second later. Again, he forced them to the back of his mind. "You see them, don't you?"

"See what?"

"Remnants."

"Remnants?"

"It's what I call those imprinted memories," he explained.

Veronica nodded to herself, absorbing the new information. "Interesting. I just call them memory fragments or some B.S. like that. But I like your name better . . . And do you call the things 'shadows'?"

"What else would you call them?"

"True."

They stopped talking for a while and Lance restarted his thought process. Then it hit. "If you can see them, why'd you run off with that guy?"

She smiled. "I was testing myself. I wanted to see if my pain was greater or that dead girl's."

"No. Honestly."

"Honestly."

Lance raised eyebrows in disbelief. The girl knew what she was doing the whole time and she made them go through all that trouble. Although he had every right to flip out on her, he chose not to. Instead he kept his calm and tried to get a better understanding of her motives, whatever they might be. "Sort of morbid, isn't it?"

"What is?"

"Watching those remnants. Or whatever you call them."

She shrugged and looked out the window. "Call it morbid if you want. I'm just proving to myself there's no need to die on purpose. Other people have been through worst than I."

"Morbid," he said to himself, confirming what he had said.

Veronica snorted. "I don't expect you to understand me, Lance. You believe that the world is an innocent place where nothing bad happens. And when something bad does happen, you tune it out."

Lance rolled his eyes. "I'm trying to live a normal, regular life."

"Really? Cause I wouldn't consider this normal. And people like you can't be normal. You have a conscious and you can't walk away when people are in danger."

"You think so?" Lance challenged, feeling irritated.

She laughed. "After tonight, I know. Out of the two of us, I'm the only one can walk away. Unlike you, I worry about me, not about some man and if he can find his way out of the woods."

Lance pulled up to her house, glad that she was leaving. Veronica unlocked the door by herself and opened it. "I'll see you tomorrow," she snapped and slammed the door shut. She walked around the car and to the side of her house. Once she was out of sight, he sped to his own place.

When he arrived it was almost four o'clock in the morning. He parked his car and got out. Then he went to the tree and starting climbing it up. He got to the roof and moved to his window. He tried to lift it up but it wouldn't budge. He frowned, remembering that he had left it open. Then his bedroom light came on and there was his mother glaring at him. He watched as she undid the latch and opened the window. Lance came inside, prepared for the scolding of his life.

----

"I'm grounded," Lance explained to Jake as he got his books for first period.

"You sure you can't sneak out?" Jake insisted.

"He got in trouble for sneaking out," Shaun stated. "Why would he do it again?"

Jake groaned. "The one time I throw a party without adult supervision and you get grounded. You're smart."

Lance closed his locker and rested against it. He wanted to go into detail about the raid and Veronica but he believed that would be too hard for them to understand. They would keep asking for more information and what happened between the two. "Now's not the time, Jake. I only got an hour's sleep."

"Lance!"

The guys looked and saw Veronica approaching them, rather fast. She charged straight for Lance. Jake and Shaun gave their friend a weird stare, then a smirk. Lance shook his head, indicating that it wasn't what they were thinking.

Veronica looked at Jake and Shaun. "Can you excuse us?"

"Sure," Shaun shrugged. "We'll see you in math, Lance."

"See ya, Lancelot," Jake said, leaving with Shaun.

Lance faced the girl, not pleased to see her. "What?"

Veronica ran her hand through her hair, momentarily looking away. "Lance, I thought about us last night."

"And what'd you come up with?"

"We need each other," she replied. She stopped herself from rolling her eyes at her own words. "I mean that, I have what you need and you have what I want. It's like we were meant to work together, you know?"

Lance laughed in disbelief, glanced at the ground, and then settled his eyes on her. "You really are a funny chick."

"If I didn't believe this, do you believe that I would really waste my time talking to you? I told you before---time's a scarce thing. I'm willing to give up being normal 24/7 just to deal with these shadows with you."

"So you can continue your morbid fascinations with death? I rather not be there."

She thought for a second and then said, "You can hang out with your friends then. But they don't know the real you, do they? They don't know about your gift."

"It's a curse."

"That only I understand."

As strange as she seemed to me, she was right. She was the only person I knew that could do what she does. She was the only one within a definite thousand-mile radius who could see what I could see, sense what I could sense. Together, as a team, we completed our abilities. Shield and sword. I guess that was why she became my partner---to help me deal with whatever we would face in the future.