I know, I know... This is most definitely not Carry Me Home...and I really should be focusing on finishing that before taking on another fic...nut this has been burning a hole in my brain lately and I just couldn't help writing it. Stoopid Plot Bunnies... I will be taking lots of liberties with the characters.

let me know what you think?

Beca shivered in the crisp evening air and pulled her red hoody tighter around her. She swore under her breath, trying to ignore the cold. You'd think I would have gotten used to it while at the academy, she grumbled to herself. But, no. Even after all the years spent training in the bitter, biting cold winter, in the mountains at the academy, she had always complained about the cold. She too much preferred warm weather.

Her Navy blue eyes followed her pluming breath as it escaped her lips. She shook her head. Two more blocks and I'll be home, she reminded herself. Turning her concentration from her breath to the night around her, she found herself acutely aware of the stillness around her. No, that wasn't quite right. The night didn't feel still, it felt...paused. Like it was waiting for something to happen…

Ugh, Becs, you're psyching yourself out for no reason, she told herself, reaching up and adjusting the onyx pendant that hung from the chain around her neck. Still, Beca couldn't ignore the small hairs that stood on end all over her body. As the breeze picked up slightly, she inhaled deeply through her nose. Faintly she caught the scent of sulfur.

Slowly, trying to be as nonchalant as possible, Beca reached into the left front pocket of her black jeans, curling her cold slender fingers around the spear of quartz resting inside. The feel of the body warmed crystal brought a small sense of security as she focused her other senses on her surroundings.

They sky was hazy, stars barely shining through the city smog. Even the moonlight seemed dulled, it's slightly waning face barely lighting Beca's way home. Goosebumps rose in a wave down the right side of her body as she hurried past a particularly dark alley way.

Something shuffled, unseen, within the shadows of the alley and Beca's heart quickened its pace. But she still kept walking. Drawing her hand from her pocket, leaving the crystal in its cotton cocoon, Beca swallowed down the lump of panic rising in her throat and glanced over her shoulder. The alley was nearly 10 yards behind her now but she could see something emerging from the shadows.

It paused at the edge of the moonlight side walk for only a moment before turning towards Beca and began following her path. That, she realized as more of the hulking figure became visible, is definitely not human...

Beca stopped in disbelief, desperately hoping that the haze and her fear were playing tricks on her eyes. What she was seeing behind her, Beca glanced over her shoulder again, no... She couldn't seriously be seeing that. No way.

The stench of sulfur was now unmistakable as the creature continued approaching. Beca could just make out its leathery skin and that it walked on four limbs and appeared to have a tail, swinging behind it. Its neck was short and its head was bird-like, with the exception of its four eyes, with a wickedly sharp looking beak for a mouth. Beca stared down at its feet. Instead of the paws, it walked on what looked like gnarled hands.

Then, faster than Beca had thought possible for something so large, the creature was rushing at her, it's beaked mouth open and a terrible screech issuing from its beak.

Beca dove out of the way, rolling as she hit the ground. When her feet were underneath her, she launched herself up and spun to face the creature. It screeched in annoyance. And then… It spoke.

"Stand still, worm, and let me eat you!" Beca's mouth fell open in shock.

"But...Did you really...Wha...?" she stammered, too flabbergasted to put into words the questions that bubbled in her mind. Instead of answering, the creature lunged for her again. Beca jumped back but the creature's beak caught the front of her jacket. As it lifted her up off the ground she could see the triumph in its reptilian eyes. "Hey! Let me go!" Beca bellowed, launching kicks and punches at her captor's beak. When that didn't seem to persuade him she aimed a wide swinging right hook at one of creature's eyes with her right fist.

There was a sickening squelch as her fist connected and the creature bellowed in pain and anger. But still, its beak remained closed around her jacket. Beca moved to reach for her right boot but the beast, sensing another retaliatory move, began to shake her violently. She curled into herself, holding onto the beak of the monster as best she could as she sailed back and forth with dizzying speed.

Shit! she cursed to herself. I can't…keep this up much longer. And then, without warning, Beca was tumbling downward, the creature's screeching nearly making her deaf, landing on her backside and knocking the breath from her body. Don't… Don't just lay there, she yelled at herself, struggling to pull breath into her lungs. Move!

With lungs screaming from their sudden expulsion of air and a dull ringing in her ears, Beca rolled over. When her feet were finally beneath her, she reached into her right boot and pulled out the knife she kept there. It was nothing special, certainly not in comparison to the knives used by her former comrades. Just a run of the mill double edged hunting knife with a four inch blade. Not too big to be noticeable under her pant leg but big enough to intimidate most would be aggressors. The handle was carved from some sort of antler, Beca didn't remember what species donated it, but years of use had worn the grooves smooth and its weight was comfortable and familiar. Holding it was like shaking hands with an old friend, and Beca felt her confidence surge.

She steadied her stance and looked to her attacker, reading herself for another attack. But the monster was busy grappling with something-no, some ONE else. Beca's battle stance faltered.

"What the...hell?" she muttered as her eyes tried to make sense of what she saw before her. This new person was human. At least, she thought so. He was so quick, darting in to strike at the leathery skin of the creature with one of the two short blades he held in his hands. His reactions and the speed at which he dodged and parried the attacks of the creature where nearly impossible for Beca's eyes to follow. His mouth, she gasped inwardly. It took a moment to realize that the giant, maliciously grinning mouth filled with razor sharp teeth was actually a painted mask, covering the lower half the new comer's face.

Is he a hunter? She wondered. But why would he be alone? And he didn't fight like a typical hunter. Perhaps he was trained somewhere besides the academy? It was unusual but not unheard of. But still, why would he be out alone? "What the hell is going on?" she grumbled.

"Guilder," the creature snapped with a voice that reminded Beca of the sound of metal grinding together. It batted one of its hideous hands at the masked stranger. "don't you have anything better to do than interrupt some one's meal." Beca looked back at the man in the mask. Their eyes met for an instant and she felt jolt shoot through her body. Even from a distance his eyes were striking. His eyes were a nearly unnatural frosted blue lined by a thick fringe of dark lashes. But he quickly turned his attention back to the creature.

"See, this why we have a problem, you stupid Ravager. Had you just stuck to eating vagrants, or animals, or just fucking hid the scraps a little better, I wouldn't be here. But you ate the son of a senator last week. A senator who happens to be in the pocket of one of the Guild's Elders. "

The Guild? Beca felt her heart sink at the mention of The Guild, her bravado seeping out of her. I need to get out of here, she realized. She took a slow step back, hoping not to call attention to herself.

"You are one to talk," the beast countered. "Here you are revealing yourself right in front of that worthless scrap of meat." Beca froze when the creature turned its gaze to her. She could feel its hunger, its need to consume her, nearly rippling the air around it. The man merely snorted in dismissal.

"One glamour and she'll only remember what I want her to," again, Beca's eyes locked with the masked stranger's. "I may even get to play with her for a bit," Beca balked at what the stranger was eluding to, his smirking gaze halting her escape. "and I won't get in any trouble for it. You wanna know why? Because I have fucking control, you belly crawling piece of shit!"

The creature roared and charged. Beca watched the man easily side step, vaulting up the beast's body and slashing across its back. The monster bellowed in frustration, thrashing his head before charging. Each time he lunged for the masked man he only snatched at empty space. Beca could tell the creature was getting angrier by the second. Suddenly it turned it's wild gaze upon Beca. She could almost see the idea forming in its head. Raising the hand still clutching her knife, she drew in a slow breath and tried to focus.

"Give up already?" the man taunted. But the creature had stopped listening to his barbs. Instead it was focused on Beca. Even if she hadn't had her eyes trained on the creature she would have felt its malicious gaze upon her. Its fury rolled off of him in waves, nearly rocking her back with their intensity. Beca shuddered as she continued to stare at the creature, searching for the slightest sign that he was going to take his frustration out on what he considered easier prey.

Beca felt time slow down as the creature took a few steps toward her, she heard the man in the mask calling out to gain it's attention back and then cursing when it didn't work. So much for escaping unnoticed, she thought ruefully.

Once again, Beca found herself being charged by the monster. But, this time, her knife in hand, Beca was ready for him. She took off, rushing at the beast, taking it off guard. Using its surprise to her advantage, she ducked beneath him and slashed at the surprisingly soft underside. A spray of brackish fluid splattered to the dirty concrete. Beca did not pause to celebrate, however. She was already rolling out from underneath the creature, slashing at one of his hand-like feet for good measure.

But the creature seemed to have anticipated that sort of move and swung its thick tail in retaliation. Beca grunted as the flailing appendage struck her, sending her rolling a several feet. As she got back to her feet Beca could see the masked man darting forward to drive one of his blades into the side of the creature.

While it was preoccupied with the man in the mask, Beca rushed to the other side of the creature and drove her knife into its belly, dragging it a few inches to widen the wound. The creature howled in pain and began to thrash and flail, trying to fend off the two attackers. Now working in tandem, Beca and the man struck at the creature, wounding it and splattering its blood all over the ground. Finally, collapsing to the ground, the creature keened and then moved no more.

Breathing heavily, Beca leaned against the brick wall of a building and stared at the dead monster. Finally, she thought in exhaustion. She looked down at herself in annoyance. She was covered in greenish black...goo... "I really liked this hoodie, too," she grumbled. "I wonder if this washes out?"

"You!" Beca looked up at the stranger who was marching toward her, one of his blades pointed at her. Shit! He knows, she thought, fighting panic. Beca straightened up, immediately bracing for another attack. "Who are you? Why are you after MY bounty? I was assigned to that Ravager. And you're fucking stoned if you think I'm going to split the money with you."

Beca blinked in confusion, staring at the man before her. Being so close now to the stranger in the mask, she could take in every detail about him. His skin was paler than hers, though held an olive tint to it, and his black hair was short on the sides but long on top, a few strands dusting his eyebrows and shading his eyes. His eyes, Beca realized with a jolt, were a nearly unnatural frosted blue lined by a thick fringe of dark lashes.

"What are you?" Beca felt herself asking aloud, though she already knew the answer. Immediately, the icy orbs were focused on her and Beca could clearly see the annoyance in them.

"The fuck does that have to do with anything?" he demanded. "I asked you first anyways." Beca stared at him in confusion and he sighed in annoyance. "Who are you and why were you after my bounty?" he repeated slowly.

"I'm not any one," she replied in a tone that clearly conveyed her dislike of his patronizing attitude. "and your 'bounty' was after me. I was merely defending myself."

"Yeah," the man continued, his gaze piercing, and Beca had the suspicion he didn't believe her. "about that; where did you learn to fight like that? As far as I know, the Guild doesn't take humans on as assassins."

Assassins, Beca repeated slowly in her mind. Everything about this man in front of her suddenly made sense. The reason he wore the mask was so that he couldn't be identified by other Underworlders while he was on an assignment. The strange man before her was an assassin for The Guild. An organization meant to police and protect Underworlders and keep the general human population from getting wise to the existence of Demons and Vampires and Werewolves and Ravagers and the many other creatures that Humans would fear.

Beca swallowed nervously. She needed to get away from this man right now. Her grip tightened on the handle of the knife she held. Even that minute movement was notice by her new foe.

"Who. Are. You?" he repeated and Beca saw is body tense.

"I'm no one," she insisted. Quicker than her eyes could track, the man brought his arm up. She felt a chill run through her when the sharp edge of his blade, a black 6 inch tanto, rested against the side of her neck.

"How 'bout you drop the knife, and then answer my question," he suggested. Beca glanced down at her own knife. She sighed. So much for keeping a low profile, she thought dejectedly. She brought her gaze back up looked back at the man in the mask. Their eyes met once more and she felt another jolt shoot through her body.

"I'm sorry, but I just can't do that," she told him evenly. He blinked in surprise.

"Huh?" faster than he was expecting, she drew her leg up and kicked out at him. He moved to dodge and she swung her fist out at his head. Again, he moved out of the way and she used her momentum to spin around and swing her leg out. This time she managed to hit him and she smiled at his grunt from the impact of her kick.

"Punta!" she heard him growl. "Te matere!" Beca had no clue what he was saying but she could guess he wasn't complimenting her form and fighting ability. She needed to get her back away from the wall.

She threw herself to her left and scrambled to distance herself from the wall as much as possible. She already had the disadvantage of fighting an Underworlder with no help, she didn't need to impede herself further by limiting her space to move...or run. She jammed her hand into her pocket and withdrew her crystal, holding it out in front of her with one hand, while her other hand still held her knife.

"What the fuck is the rock for?" her opponent scoffed. Beca exhaled and focused on the crystal in her hand. The man laughed again, shaking his head. He took a step forward.

"Don't take another step," Beca warned him.

"Or what?" he challenged, taking another step. "What can you do to stop m-"

Beca thrust her hand out in front of herself, opening her fist and holding the crystal between her thumb and forefinger and released the mental hold she had on the stone. She felt a pulse from the crystal seconds before a concussive wave of magic flew from the faceted rock and impacted with her approaching opponent. With a gasp of surprise, the man in the mask was knocked to his back.

"I said don't take another step!" Beca growled, allowing her lips to pull into a smirk. She bit back a laugh. The surprise on the man's face had been priceless. She watched as he got back to his feet, his icy glare sending a shudder through her. Slowly he reached up with one hand and pulled his mask down from his face to hang around his neck.

"Wytch," he spat. He drew his other blade, another tanto, before getting to his feet. Beca stared at him, goosebumps rising along her flesh. She could feel the power of his aura swelling with his anger. "This must be my lucky day," he continued, taking a step towards her again. Beca swallowed thickly, trying to not let her nervousness show. "The guild pays a huge bonus to anyone who manages to find a Wytch."

"I'm not a Wytch," Beca corrected.

"You're lying. The only humans that can do magic are Wytches." Beca grit her teeth.

"I'm a hunter, you idiot. I just happen to have some Wytch ancestors." the man smiled cruelly and Beca felt her nervousness spike.

"A Hunter?" he repeated. "Even better. I'm really gonna enjoy this."

"that little push was just a warning!" Beca told him, hoping her voice sounded more confident than she actually was. "I won't be so gentle with my next shot."

"I never did like gentle girls," he teased, taking another step forward.

"Look, I'm not looking for any kind of trouble. I just want to be on my way home." Without warning the man was on her, slashing at her with his blades. It was all she could do to block what hits she could and try to dodge the rest. She wasn't as quick as he was. Several of his strikes managed to slash across her, tearing through the fabric of her clothing and slicing her flesh. She wouldn't last long like this.

She managed to shove him back a few feet. He stood there grinning at her for a moment. Then he brought one of his tantos up to his mouth and licked her blood from the blade. His mouth split into a frightening grin.

"You taste good, Hunter," he chuckled. She could see fangs peaking from begin his lips. Vampire, Beca whispered to herself. That explains a lot. She couldn't win a battle against a vampire. Not by herself. Not without help. Or leverage. She flicked her gaze up to his frosty glare and suddenly felt her body begin to go limp. Her vision clouded. She could see nothing but those eyes.

She thought she could hear someone whispering to her…

"It's been a few years since I've drank Hunter's blood. I'm really gonna enjoy this." the words echo in her head and Beca could swear she felt lips against the whorls of her ear. It wasn't until she felt the cold edge of a blade at her throat that she made her move. Reaching to the chain around her neck, Beca yanked hard enough to snap it. Then, grasping the onyx pendant, she pressed her palm into the solar plexus of the vampire standing before her.

Her vision cleared suddenly, the fog in her brain vanishing. The vampire stood, melded to her body, a hand wrapped around her back to keep her flush against him. She could see the shock in his eyes before he gasped and crumpled to the ground at her feet. Now that he was incapacitated, the glamour he had placed on her vanished. She could move freely.

"What...what have you done to me?" he groaned, glaring up at her from the ground. Beca glanced down at the onyx stone in her hand.

"This rock," she explained, "I wear it so that my aura is dampened and Underworlders will think that I am human. But when it touches an Underworlder in just the right spot it temporarily drains them of strength and power. Kind of like a Glamour." she glared down at her attacker. He met her own glare with a fierce gaze.

"Go on then, Hunter," he growled. "What are you waiting for? Kill me."

Beca stared down at him, unsure. He wasn't just some random Underworlder. This man was an assassin for The Guild. If she killed him he would be missed, The Guild Elders would investigate what happened to him. And if they found out that there was a Hunter in their city… And it wasn't like she could ask for help from the Hunter's Coalition. She glanced back down at the helpless vampire. A plan was forming in her mind

"Look, I'm not a Hunter anymore," she murmured slowly. "I…left that life behind me."

"that makes no difference to me. And it will make no difference to The Guild either. As soon as they find out you're here they will have you killed. You will pay for the lives you and you kind have taken."

"what if I pay you not to tell?"

"you have nothing I want!" he spat, glaring at her.

"what if I gave you the sun?" Beca watched as confusion replaced the contempt on his face

"You...what?" She held up the onyx again for the vampire to see.

"See this? I have more of these. I can tweak the magic in it so that it will allow you to be in the sunlight without dying."

"What?"

"I can give this stone. All you have to do is let me go. The magic will last for two weeks, roughly. That's two whole weeks in the sun. You can have it just as long as you let me go. Deal?" He stared at her in disbelief. Slowly he sat up.

"why?"

"why what?"

"why are you bribing me? Why aren't you killing me?"

"I told you. I'm not a hunter anymore."

"what's to stop me from killing you and taking the stone anyways?" Beca paused to consider her words carefully.

"Nothing, I suppose. One Hunter is not much of a match against a Vampire. But if you don't kill me...and you don't tell anyone at the Guild that there is a Hunter in the city, then when this stone is used up I will...recharge it, so to speak." Beca let her ultimatum sink in for a moment. "Look at it this way, the longer I stay alive the longer you get to play in the daylight."