A/N: This is just an insane idea I got for a Titanic story with vampires. In terms of historical fics, I think it actually makes some sense. Anyhoo, hope you enjoy!

Chapter One

Elizabeth Anne Summers glanced up at the large ocean liner, shielding her eyes with one gloved hand as her escort took a hold of her elbow and said, "Buffy, tilt your head back any farther and you'll topple over."

Buffy pressed her lips into a small grin, turned her head toward the man beside her. "I've never seen such a grand boat, Giles. Do you really believe it's unsinkable?"

"Seems unfathomable," Giles remarked. "Although the mechanics of it do appear to be sound."

"It's all very exciting, isn't it?" Buffy said, walking with him toward the bridge leading up to the boat. "It's maiden voyage and we are to be counted among its passengers! We're making history!"

"By being on a ship's maiden voyage?" Giles returned with a smirk. "It's hardly something to mark in a history book."

"This isn't just any ship," she retorted. "It's an unsinkable ship. It's history in the making!"

"I suppose…" he said, trailing off as they stepped onto the ship. A uniformed man met them at the entryway and checked their tickets. The council had put them as father and daughter to avoid scandal with them traveling alone, and Buffy offered a casual grin as the man glanced up at them. Sure, her and Giles looked nothing alike, but he looked paternal and she looked of daughter age. Thankfully, the man didn't question them. He turned around to send another uniformed individual to direct them toward their first class lodging, finishing their transaction with a curt nod. Buffy hurried behind the man, anxious to explore the ship, and Giles followed a step behind.

"This is your room," the man said after opening the door, stepping to the side to allow Buffy and Giles to examine their room. It was one of the nicest rooms that Buffy had seen in her eighteen years of living and she silently congratulated herself on convincing the council that her and Giles should be given first class accommodations for their voyage back to the States.

"I hope the accommodations are satisfactory," the man said politely. Buffy spun toward him slowly, a wide grin on her face.

"Yes, they are absolutely divine."

"If you'd like I can show you to the dining room."

"Yes, please," Giles said. "Will they be serving lunch soon?"

"At half past the hour, sir," the man answered. "This way, please."

Giles fell into step beside Buffy and she grasped his arm excitedly. She had only spent a few minutes on the ship and she was already in love. Everything was just so grand and new. She adored every single bit of this ship – even the hallways! Giles glanced down at her and asked, "Am I going to have to suffer through an entire week of you gushing?"

"No," she answered lightly. "However, twenty four hours should be expected. I have now given you fair warning!"

They turned the corner and found themselves at the top of a large staircase, golden banisters twisting down to a grand dining hall. Buffy covered her mouth with her hand as her grin pulled even wider and Giles seemed similarly taken with the view as he murmured, "I believe the gushing would be appropriate at this moment, Buffy."

"I'm speechless," she replied. Their guide stepped past them and Buffy and Giles wordlessly followed him.


Dinner was served at seven and stretched far into the evening. The food was seemingly endless, and Buffy became so stuffed she wished that her corset was tied looser. Her and Giles made their way back to their living quarters, her hand resting on her torso.

"Remind me to either eat less or tie this thing looser," Buffy said, taking labored breaths.

"I would lean toward the eating less. Was it really necessary to have three desserts, Buffy?"

"They were so delicious!" Buffy enthused. "And that one with the Bavarian cream! Oh, I hope they serve that again."

"I'm surprised you didn't slip one in a napkin."

Buffy's eyes widened. "I hadn't even thought of that! Next time."

"Oh dear," Giles breathed out, shaking his head. He should have kept his mouth shut. They walked down the hallway and found themselves pushed to the side as a group of uniformed men rushed past them.

"So sorry," one of them mumbled, tipping his hat clumsily as he followed the other men.

"What in the world was that?" Buffy asked.

Giles was equally curious. "I'm not sure, but I have a feeling we're going to find out. Come on, let's follow."

"They'll surely notice us!"

"Not if we follow at a large distance," Giles said, glancing around to ensure that no one was paying them too much attention. "If we are found out we simply said we got lost. It's a large ship, after all."

"Alright, let's go," Buffy said, gesturing for Giles to lead the way. The man walked with the air of someone who knew exactly where they were going. Buffy followed suit, as to not draw attention. They grew stealthier, however, when they moved from the 1st class area to the lower areas. They took extra heed when they entered the steerage section.

"Be alert," he warned her in a low voice.

They followed the general direction that the uniformed men had gone. While they walked, Buffy couldn't help but notice the stark difference between their cabin area and steerage. It was like she had stepped on an entirely different boat. They went to round a corner when Giles stopped suddenly, gesturing for her to step back. She followed his direction and laid her hands on the wall, leaning forward a bit as both her and Giles listened to the loud conversation around the corner.

"What do you think it is?" someone asked. "You don't think…"

"It doesn't matter what it is," someone with clear authority said, his tone clipped. "This needs to stay between us. The guests cannot know."

"Of course, sir."

"We must maintain order," the man said. "That is the most important thing. There must be order. We'll dispose of the body."

Giles moved forward suddenly and the men stopped talking, the more assertive of the group immediately asking Giles what he was doing in steerage. She heard Giles say, "Oh, my goodness, I am turned around! My daughter and I were trying to make our way back to our room. I-what is that?"

"Some drunkard," the man answered smoothly. "Fell and hit his head. A terrible tragedy, but it happens."

"Yes," Giles said, trailing off for a moment. "Well, could one of you fine gentleman show us the way back to our room? We would be ever so grateful."

"Yes, of course. Jacob, show them to their room."

The youngest of the uniformed men stepped forward and led Giles and Buffy from the steerage area. The look that Giles passed her as they walked made her stomach coil. When they were in the safety of their room she asked him what he had seen.

"I'm afraid that was not the body of a drunkard," he began, taking off his glasses and wiping them with a handkerchief.

"Giles?"

"The body was drained."

"Drained? Giles, you don't mean-"

"No rest for the wicked, Buffy. I'm afraid that applies to the Slayer as well."

"This is completely unfair!" Buffy huffed, dropping heavily on her bed. "This is supposed to be a vacation of sorts! No vampires!"

"Well, do you suggest we tell them that?" Giles retorted dryly.

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "No. I just wish I could have one day without dealing with vampires. Is that too much to ask for?"

"You are the Slayer."

"I'm no longer asking for your opinion," Buffy grumbled.

"We should patrol tonight," Giles said after a moment.

"Patrolling on a ship," Buffy retorted. "Something about that just seems wrong."

"I should have thought of this," Giles mused. "Vampire stowaways on ships are fairly common."

"We didn't encounter any on the way to England!" Buffy pointed out.

"Yes, it being common does not mean it would happen on every ship ride. Thank goodness for that."

"So, we patrol?" she asked morosely. "I hope we don't run into more of those uniformed men. The I-got-lost-thing will only work so many times."


They took different parts of the ship, moving carefully through the corridors to avoid any unintentional run-ins with guests or staff. Buffy made her way down into steerage, instinct telling her that this was where the vampires would lurk. It would be the easiest pickings as news of missing persons wouldn't leave the lower deck.

While she didn't immediately sense any of the undead, the littering of dead rats was a bit of a giveaway. She stepped over one and wrinkled her nose. She was glancing back at the scattered dead rodents when she rounded the corner, incidentally not noticing the person directly in front of her.

"Oi! Watch where you're going!"

"Oh my goodness," she breathed out, hand flying to her chest. "I'm so sorry."

"You always walk around like that?" the man asked. "It's a good way to get yourself hurt."

The back of her neck tingled.

"You're not from down here, are you?" he asked, eyes studying her fine dress.

"No, I-I got lost."

"Let me guess, sleep walker?"

"Precisely," she said, taking his excuse. Why not? It wasn't as if she would see the man again. Steerage hardly interacted with first class. "If you'll excuse me, I'll just-"

"Get lost again?" the man finished with a smirk. "Why don't you let me take you to the stairwell. That will lead you right back up to your corner of the world."

"I don't want to trouble you," she said, knowing that she should probably check out a bit more of the floor before she called it a night. "I can find it on my own."

"A lady like you should not be wandering through steerage," he said. "You're lucky you ran into me and not some other bloke."

Again she felt the back of her neck tingle. She couldn't tell if it was him or what he had suggested. If she were being honest, something about him made her mind muddled. She couldn't think clearly with his eyes boring into her own. She felt unsettled and just a bit woozy.

"You can show me the way to the stairwell now," she said, thinking she could lose him afterward and continue her patrol.

"It's not far," he told her, leading her around the corner and down the corridor. "So, do you have a name?"

"Elizabeth Summers," she said. "People call me Buffy, though."

"Buffy, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name's William." They stopped in front of a doorway and he said, "Here we are. I told you it was close."

"Thank you," she said.

"Now, you go straight back to your room."

"You're very bossy," she noted.

"Just looking out for a lady's safety."

She grinned a bit. "I'll go straight to my room. Good night now."

"Good night, Buffy."

She waited in the stairwell for a count of three minutes before sneaking out and heading back down the corridor. Her stomach squirmed uncomfortably and she fought off the feeling that she was being watched. Just in case, she pulled out her stake.

She couldn't wait to finish this patrol.


He had his suspicions when he first found her, and they were confirmed when she snuck out of the stairwell with her stake securely in her hand. He hadn't seen it before; it must have been concealed in the folds of her dress. He followed at a distance, noticing the times she seemed to sense his presence but then shooed it away.

"Not good, Slayer," he whispered, slipping into the shadows. "Not good, at all."

A/N: Would you like to see this continued?