Chapter 1
“Sunnydale, California, it’s not much, is it? You would think a Hellmouth would be a bit more interesting. The one in Cleveland has more potential.”
Bill rolled his eyes. “We’re not here for the small town charm, Eric. We’re here for Sookie.”
The tall blond Viking glared at his brunet companion. “No, I am here for Sookie. You’re here because you have to be the hero. You want to be the one to save her, hoping she will forgive you for your alliance with Sophie-Anne. Honestly, did you think she would never find out that was the reason for your being in Bon Temps in the first place?”
“I was going to tell her. You had no right to interfere,” he retorted.
“I had every right; you’ll do well to remember that. I let you come along to amuse myself, but right now, you’re only wasting my time. I hear this town has a Slayer, and I’m very interested in meeting her. Perhaps she could be of some assistance; it’s no coincidence that Logan happened to bring Sookie here.”
Bill raised his eyebrows. “I thought the Slayer was a myth?”
Eric grinned. “Oh, Billy, you have much to learn. Nothing is ever a myth anymore.”
They strolled through the graveyard, watching with interest when they came across a young woman taking on three vampires by herself, soon joined by another blond vampire, but this one was lending a helping hand.
Eric was beyond intrigued. “She’s very much real.” He smiled when all three vampires were soon turned to dust. “This is a rare breed, Billy. Unlike anything we’ve seen before, I must meet her.”
Bill grabbed his arm. “What makes you think she will help us? She kills our kind.”
He rolled his eyes. “We are not the same as those were. Besides, her accomplice is also a vampire. She decided to spare him.”
“We don’t have time for this. Sookie is in danger.”
Eric ripped his arm out of Bill’s grasp. “Logan won’t kill her, not when he needs her. We are guests here; this woman knows more about the town. If there is a way to help Sookie, she will find it.” He stepped forward, clapping his hands together. “That was very impressive.”
The blonde girl turned at the intruders, raising her eyebrows. She got a strong vibe from these two, but she couldn’t place what it was. “Who are you?”
“I am Eric Northman, this is Bill Compton. Are you Buffy Summers?”
“I could be. It depends on what you want,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Eric grinned, he liked this girl already. “We promise you no harm. A young woman is missing, a friend of ours. She was taken by a vampire, and we believe she was brought here. I have heard much about you, Miss Summers. I must say it is an honor to meet you.”
Buffy was confused. This guy sounded and acted like Dracula, but she knew he couldn’t be. She did know that he was a vampire, but not like any she had ever come across before. Buffy decided to ignore his praise, that never led to anything good. “So, you want my help to find her? Why do vampires care about what happens to a human?”
“She’s a very special human, one that must be safely returned,” Bill responded. “She means a great deal to me. To us,” he amended at the look on Eric’s face.
Buffy had a feeling there was more going on between them and this girl. Vampires getting involved with humans, that seemed to always be the case. At least she wasn’t the only one.
“What’s in it for her?” Spike finally spoke up, sending them a glare.
Eric turned his attention to the other vampire, wondering once again what his part was in all of this. “Payment, of course. Does fifty thousand work for you?”
Buffy’s eyes widened, nudging Spike in the stomach before he could say anything else. “You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, I assure you, this is no laughing matter. I’m very good for it, and can get you anything you wish. You don’t live for a thousand years on nothing.”
If it was possible, her eyes got even wider. “A thousand years? I’ve seen vampires who were six hundred and honestly, they don’t look like you.”
Eric could tell that she was attracted to him by the way her eyes perused his body, and smirked, certain this might work in his favor. “We are a different breed. Our faces don’t change like your vampire does,” he explained, motioning to Spike. “And we certainly don’t turn to dust. I must say, that is much easier. Less to clean up afterwards.”
“He’s so not my vampire,” she claimed, that being the only thing she seemed to catch in what Eric told her.
Spike looked away, obviously hurt by her statement.
Buffy noticed and felt a little bad, but there were more important things to deal with. She would make it up to him later. “Okay, if you promise that you’re not here to kill anyone, you can come to my house and we can decide what to do from there.”
“We shall follow after you,” Eric said, bowing before her.
Buffy was impressed by his manners, blushing as she led them out of the cemetery.
Spike scowled all the way to her house. He was finally getting somewhere with Buffy, and he wouldn’t let this pompous wanker ruin his chances with her.
* * * * *
Buffy was starting to rethink inviting the new vampires to her house with a teenager around. Her sister hadn’t been able to take her eyes off of Eric since they arrived. Not that she could really blame her.
“Wow, you’re tall,” Dawn said for what felt like the millionth time.
Eric smiled down at her. “Well, aren’t you adorable? I do love children.”
Buffy pulled Dawn away. “You better not be talking about eating. There will be no eating of people in this house. I’ll go out and get you some blood later. We need to put you up somewhere for the night; I’d like to be keeping an eye on both of you. It’s not that I don’t trust you, only well, yeah, that’s pretty much it. Bottom line is, I’m not very trusting when it comes to vampires, and I don’t know you guys. No offense.”
“That is perfectly understandable,” Eric responded. “If I may ask, why is it that different rules apply for Spike?”
“Well, that’s complicated. Spike used to be my enemy, but now he’s an ally. He’s done a lot for me and my sister lately, and he’s earned my trust.”
Eric nodded. “If you want to keep an eye on me, I wouldn’t mind staying here. You can keep an eye on me all you like,” he said with a leer.
Buffy found herself blushing again, then abruptly pulled away and into the kitchen. “Spike, what the hell are you doing?”
“I don’t trust these blokes, Slayer. You can’t be serious about letting a vampire stay here, and what of Dawn? You have her to think about. I don’t like the way that tall one looks at you, and the other one reminds me too much of your former. No good can come out of this.”
Buffy smiled. “Are you actually jealous?”
He scoffed. “Hardly, I just don’t think this is a good idea.”
“I know what I’m doing, Spike. These guys need our help, so I doubt they would really try anything. I have no interest in Eric; he’s way too full of himself. That’s a real turn off.” She walked back into the living room, focusing now on her guests. “I don’t have much room here, but you guys are welcome to stay in the basement. It’s dark and private. Wait, does your breed go out in the sunlight?”
Bill shook his head. “No, the basement will be just fine.”
“Great, then it’s all settled. Tomorrow we’ll meet my friends at the Magic Box, two of them are witches. They can do a locator spell to help us find this vamp who took your friend. What’s her name, anyway?”
“Sookie Stackhouse,” Bill commented, seeing that Eric wasn’t too thrilled about working with witches, but he was smart not to say anything about it.
A smile graced Buffy’s lips. “Seriously? I feel so much better about my name now.”
squawks
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!
