Author's Note: I got the idea for this after watching "Blood Ties" and "Kingdom of Heaven" back to back. Hey, if Tanya Huff can turn Henry Fitzroy into a vampire, then I can certainly turn Baldwin into a vampire.
Disclaimer: I don't own "Kingdom of Heaven".

Blood Song

The sound of the blood rushing through the humans' veins nearly drove Baldwin to distraction. The hunger was gnawing at him, but the vampire reigned in his darker side as the sounds of drumbeats filled the air.

A young woman came out from a makeshift backstage, a silk blue veil artfully framing her figure. Carefully, she delicately stepped out from the fabric, always in time with the music. Her costume shimmered in the lights as she lithely made her way around the room. The dancer moved with a feline grace as her muscles popped and locked.

By a chance, blue met green and a jolt of electricity shot through Baldwin.

'She has the Sight.' The vampire tried to concentrate on breathing evenly through the dim roaring in his ears. The song of her life was a siren's call to the vampire.

Glossy auburn waves bounced as she undulated and twisted sinuously to the beat, eyes still locked on Baldwin. With her mischievous expression, the hunter wondered through the haze if she was purposely flirting with death.

It took all of Baldwin's hard-won self control to fight back the Hunger and calmly leave the restaurant. Once outside, he leaned against the cool brick wall and pushed his long hair out of his face.

' I need to feed.'

Baldwin noticed two giggling twenty somethings about to enter the restaurant. The vampire violently ripped aside his mask and let the Hunger take over.

"Hello, ladies."

Baldwin was so deeply absorbed in feeding that he didn't notice another of his kind quietly enter his favorite hunting grounds.

Time slowed to a halt as he quenched his thirst, trying to erase the siren's call of the dancer's blood from his mind. Hundreds of years of perfecting his self-control would not be put aside by that tempting girl, no matter how good she smelled.

Lifting his head, Baldwin gently stroked the face of one of the girls. Both were in a sort of sleepy trance, due to the combination of the vampiric powers of persuasion and blood loss.

"You will not remember this, and you will go straight home. Both of you." Blue eyes flared unnaturally in the dim light behind the restaurant. The two young women nodded, still in a daze and stumbled off.

'It should be safe to go back in. Her blood shouldn't affect me, now that I've fed...' He didn't have time to finish the thought before he heard a piercing cry.

Two all too familiar scents hit the air, and Baldwin snarled as he ran towards the source of the scream.

Another vampire had the red haired dancer in his clutches and was quickly draining her. If he didn't intervene, she would die, and quite painfully as well.

Fangs bared, the blonde vampire crouched and leaped. The black-haired male looked up just in time to get a vicious backhand.

"Get away from her, rebel."

"Whose gonna make me? You?" The other scoffed.

Snarls filled the air as the two males circled, taking the measure of the other.

The other vampire charged, but Baldwin lightly stepped aside. Crouching, he sprang and knocked his opponent to the ground. Pushing him into the ground, Baldwin took a silver hunting knife and thrust it deeply into his chest.

Unholy screams rent the air as the blonde twisted his rival's neck until he heard a snap. With a fluid motion, the knife was out of the other vampire's chest and drawn across his neck.

There was a soft popping sound, and the other's body turned to dust. Quickly, Baldwin turned his attention to the young girl lying so still on the ground.

She moaned once before passing out as he gathered her in his arms and licked her wounds.

"Shhh, shhh! You're safe with me…but we should leave. I'm sure someone will have heard the commotion and will come to investigate. Don't worry, I'll take care of you." Baldwin soothed as he walked with her back to his car.

'What have I gotten myself into?' He sighed as he drove back to his apartment. 'Meshkent, I wish you were here.'