T. Skip.

(A/N: Two and a half month time skip, since he got with Caroline, at the start of this chapter.)

......................

'I've got 2 months before school kicks off and I honestly can say, I'm really not looking forward to it. Spending 3 months in this world and not having to deal with classes and homework have truly spoiled me.' Jeremy thought to himself as he laid his head back on his swivel chair and looked at the ceiling of his main warehouse. The monitors in front of him unable to hold his attention. His focus completely and utterly consumed by the vacuum-esque suction that was currently being performed on his Larry Johnson.

He ran his fingers through the brown haired girls long curls, scratching his nails against her scalp the way he knew she liked.

"Damn, Vick. You certainly know how to earn your reward, gorgeous. You ready for it?" He asked, his only response being an increase in not only the grip strength of the lips, but also the speed of the motion of her bobbing head, and he knew he had to give the girl what she wanted as any reasonable partner would.

So, he did. Ejecting his load straight down his most devoted living partner's throat, giving her the sustenance she not only wanted, but the sustenance he knew she needed... Mentally, of course. Somehow, someway, his little druggie had replaced excessive drug-use and the consumption of alcohol with his cum, and for the life of him, he had no choice but to take responsibility. Therefore, whenever they both found themselves free, he made sure to let her have her way.

After a few minutes of Vicki gulping, and then licking him clean, she lifted herself off the cushion on the floor, and took a seat on his lap, her head rested on his chest as she closed her eyes and radiated a soothing sense of calm and warmth. 'She has come a long way.' He thought to himself as he rubbed his index finger along her ass where his hand rested, feeling happy with the progress that she had made. Especially, since so far, she was the only one who was completely aware of the shit-show that would soon make its way to town and with each passing day, her heart was growing a little bit stronger and a little more resilient.

"You get 5 minutes of rest, gorgeous, and then it's in the cage." He told her, ignoring the groan his words produced as she, in response, just wrapped her arms around him tighter, doing her best impression of a spoiled brat that she could, so he gave her the response he knew she wanted.

*Slap* The sound rang out, as his hand returned to the ass cheek that he had just made sting. "No whining. The more you push your body now and enhance your control and mentality, the further you'll be able to go when you finally turn. While, it really won't do much qualitatively in terms of how physically strong you will be, it will make you far more capable and competent when mastering your enhanced physique and mastering your control. Yes?"

*Slap* "You made me wait 1 second for an answer? Should I take this to mean you're feeling a little rebellious?"

"Grrroooan"

*Slap* *Slap* *Slap*

"Okay, okay, ha. ha. ha..." Vicki finally gave him words instead of sounds, as she could no longer take the increasing heaviness of his hand on each consecutive slap, making sure to give it just a little stronger with each resting point. "Ugh, we already know I'm not fast enough to keep up with them, and the only thing I can do now is work on those techniques you taught me. It's just...I feel like we could just work on this stuff without me having to dodged newborns while I learn."

He heard her words and completely ignored them. Only placing a hand on her head and placing it on his chest, effectively telling her the conversation was over. 'Hm, I probably should tell her eventually, but if I do, I doubt it would be nearly as effective. It's the danger and pressure that this type of training produces that will have the most drastic effects on her mentality. After all, one day, I will make her one of the deadliest people in this world, and at that time, I need to make sure she feels she earned that power, because everyone knows, there is nothing more dangerous than an individual walking around with unearned power and believing themselves to be tough. It's the fastest way to go from OP to oops, dead.'

'Also, I'm giving her access to power. Though, only she can build her a mentality that's not easily broken. Especially, if she's going to control that bloodlust. I will not entertain a ripper's nonsense.'

"Get up, love. Time to get to work."

As he patted Vicki on her ass, she hopped up and put on some well-fitted black clothes that made it difficult for others to grab her while she moved. He glanced at each of his monitors. Some showing his other warehouses. Some showing the outside and inside of various places. And some showing images of different people going about their lives.

He waited for Vicki to get dressed, and once she was, he and she walked to the back of the relatively large warehouse that also functioned as a large apartment for him, and went to the very back, where a few vehicles rested. However, he skipped over the few of them, and hopped straight on his bike, with Vicki saddling on right behind him.

They rode out of the building, the wall opening a part of itself just large enough for the bike to exit and closing as soon as they were clear, riding faster than anyone with commonsense ever would, they arrived at their destination in 2 minutes flat, pulling into another warehouse, the wall opening and closing just like the previous one. Only where the previous one was a more homier arrangement, set up to be a resting area, where he could relax and just watch the world move around him, this one was far more spartan, with one large cage, similar to the ones used in the UFC, placed right in the middle of the relatively large interior of the space.

Outside of the empty cage was a space that seemed completely devoted to combat training, with the various matts in one area, the weights and treadmills in another, not to mention the one wall that seemed completely devoted to housing a collection of various weapons. At the very back, in a space stretching the entire width of the back of the warehouse, was an open space that served as a living area for the three vampires that he currently kept in his employ. These three picked up during one of his short day trips to where Emily told him were some young-ish vampires within his reach.

Their descriptions... are unimportant, seeing as how they are nothing more than cannon-fodder, no different from the weights in their purpose, which was to refine the mind, body, and heart of the people he brings to train in this space, which so far, only included himself and Vicki.

As they stepped in, the vampires at the very back, sitting in their shared space on the couch and chairs, did not even bother to look up from whatever they were watching on the tv, but only because they had no idea anyone had entered. While they could be seen from the outside by him, from their perspective, the only thing they could notice if they looked towards the rest of the warehouse, all they would see was a black screen completely covering the span of the entire width of the warehouse, separating their space from the rest. Neither sound, nor sight, nor scent, could be perceived from their space.

That was, right up until he walked in, and snapped his fingers, which immediately made it so the cannon-fodder could perceive his presence.

"In the cage Cannon-fodder." He said to the fodder. "Get it, babe." He said to the brunette beside him. Her eyes already hard, as she looked at the individuals who would be attempting to, at the very least, end her life, once they got inside the octagon.

He took a seat on a chair outside the cage, as he watched the cannon fodder mumble and grumble and make their way inside. The only emotion their eyes conveyed was resigned acceptance of their situation, secure in the knowledge that if they wanted to live, their only option was to fight. Of course, not fight to kill... however that was only known to him and the fodder. As far as Vicki knew, and until she was able to gain enough experience to be able to analyze people effectively, all she would know is that they were fighting to kill and she was fighting to survive... if she wanted to earn her spot in his life.. from her perspective.

He was well aware it wasn't yet time for her to know that her place was already quite secure in his life, and the only way it could be shaken was if she turned out to be a ripper, and then, he had some hard decisions to make. Such as, turning her back mortal using the cure, and then linking her life to his own and condemning her to a life of fodder instead of the dominance and control that he wanted her to have.

"You place your bet, Emily?" He asked out loud, the ghost woman appearing seated by his side a few seconds later. Her eyes on the soon to be bout as well.

"What will you do if I bet against the girl?" She asked.

"Hmm, more than likely, watch you lose." He told her with a cocky smirk at the end.

"Then, I'll bet on the fodder." She responded, giving him a narrow-eyed look of challenge, her own smirk on full display. Only where his was sexy, hers was, well, also sexy. "She has been at this a month already and has yet to force them to use even a little bit of their full speed. Even if that is not the purpose of this exercise, it still shows that she will never win, no matter how many times you lose this bet."

"Same stakes, then?"

A glint passed through her eyes that he knew all too well upon hearing his question. Her mind already secure in the knowledge that he would lose, and she would win.

"Same stakes, then."

She answered, and then, they watched, chatted, and flirted. All the while, Vicki and the cannon-fodder punched, kicked, flipped, swiped, sliced, and stabbed. Her skill with the blade improving little by little, never even noticing the despair clear in the eyes of the once cocky cannon-fodder that attempted to punch above their weight, though now secure in the knowledge that, like their namesake, they are fodder.

.............

"You lost," Emily said, a pleased smile on her face.

"*Sigh* One day, I will win, gorgeous." He said with his own look of resignation on his face, though the smile on his lips made it a little contradictory.

"Are you ready?" She asks.

"One second. Cannon-fodder! Back to your business." He calls out, the cannon-fodder quickly making their way back to their space, along with him going into the cage and picking up the bleeding out Vicki. Pouring a vial of blood into her mouth and down her throat. Her wounds visibly healing.

The cannon-fodder secure once more. Vicki sleeping soundly on a cot near the workout area. And Emily and Jeremy now standing facing each other, right up until she seemingly fades away, and Jeremy walks over to a corner that is concealed, not visible from the outside. He walks straight through the pitch black rectangle and inside there is nothing more than a large, queen sized bed that was originally intended to be used for Vicki's recovery, but, since they started with their bets, it has now been requisitioned. He looks behind him and sees Vicki still asleep and the fodder back doing what they do. This room, just as secure as the one that held the fodder, only with far far more measures to ensure no one and nothing can see in or out that is not him or her. Then, when he turns back, it's to see Emily, seated at the edge of the bed. Her hands palm down on her thigs and her head and eyes angled down, causing him to smirk, stifling a laugh. Him finding it funny the way she likes to play this game. He walks up to her. Standing, and looking down at her, as he reaches out and rubs his thumb along the smooth skin of her cheek, resulting in a smirk of her own, only hers is one of anticipation.

"Looks like you win again," and with those words, he gets to work, going down onto his knees, lifting the dress she was wearing and spreading her legs, allowing his tongue to fulfill his side of the bet. Knowing that the day would one day come when he would be the one to win, only he would get something far more than sex.