Xander felt like he'd been walking for forever, literally. His feet were killing him, and his muscles ached.
Every few miles a manhole would shine sunlight through the concrete, and Xander would stand under it, feeling the warm rays heat his skin.
He missed the outside, he'd been walking for days and he wasn't even sure where he was, he could have passed land and be trapped somewhere under the ocean for all he knew.
He'd only been stopped twice by vamps when he rested in a dugout at night. He'd had enough skills to stake them before they could bite, but he was weary and tired and he knew he wouldn't be able to keep going much longer.
He decided that the next sewer cover he saw, he'd climb up the rickety ladder and open it.
Half an hour later, he slid the hard metal across the tar, and breathed in fresh air.
"Do you usually pop out of manhole covers?" A female voice asked.
Xander tensed and turned around, a girl with dark skin, black hair, and the deepest brown eyes he'd ever seen was staring at him curiously.
"No, not usually," He replied, awestruck.
"So, this is a once in a lifetime thing?" She smirked, her eyes seemed to sparkle, and it definitely wasn't from the sun.
"Not even," Xander replied, trying to act all cool and casual despite how he felt.
"I'm Bonnie," She held out a hand and he shook it.
"Xander…" He said.
Is she flirting with me? He wondered, hoping beyond hope that that this was reality.
"What brings you to MysticFalls, Xander?" Bonnie wondered, leading him to a park bench a few feet away.
Xander sat down gratefully, "Something crazy that will probably make me sound crazy if I told you."
"Hmm, you'd be surprised as to what sounds crazy to me these days." Bonnie replied.
"I wouldn't happen to be in Virginia, would I?" Xander wondered, whipping sweat and dirt from his face with his shirt.
"Yes, Mystic Falls, Virginia." Bonnie bit her lip and watched Xander closely.
Xander stood up and looked around, amazed at his luck.
"Do you know a guy called Matt Donovan?" Bonnie's eyes widened.
"You know Matt!? Is he okay?" Bonnie grabbed his arms, desperate for information.
"He's alright, he can't remember anything though, must have gone through something bad. He's okay." Xander said, pulling her off him and holding her at arms length.
"You have to bring him back here Xander, he belongs here." Bonnie pleaded.
Xander watched her eyes sparkle, he felt weak at the knees and he'd only been talking to her for a few moments. She was absolutely amazing, there was something about her though, something that made him think she was more than just human.
"How do I bring him back?" he wondered.
"The same way you got here…" she said.
Xander stared, "Are you crazy? You must be, because unless you were crazy, you wouldn't let anyone willingly go down there."
"It's just a sewer system; you came out of it just now! What's the big deal?" Bonnie wondered.
"There's more than sewage in those tunnels." Xander whispered darkly, staring down at the manhole he'd yet to replace.
"What do you mean? Are there monsters?" She looked suddenly fearful.
"Vampires…" Xander almost hissed the word.
Bonnie laughed. "Vampires aren't bad,"
"What do you mean, vampires aren't bad? They will kill you without hesitation, and if they do hesitate then it's because they want to kill you later. They will do anything and everything to live, even if it means killing their own." Xander clutched the chain around his neck, suspended on it was a silver cross that would help protect against werewolves and vampires, Willow had given it to him for his birthday last year.
"Not here, the vampires here are pretty tame." Bonnie said.
"Why don't you just stake them?" Xander wondered.
"Because… they're my friends." She replied.
