TTGBITN: CHAPTER 2

Shreveport LA- Two black SUV's are driving down the driveway of a large residence. In the background is a stable; while in the fenced pasture are several large black horses.

Surveying the property, Agent Rossi commented, "Nice place."

"Not the Gothic horror I was expecting … "Agent Prentiss began.

Dr. Reid interrupted, "Actually there would be no reason for it to be Gothic, just the opposite. Most vampires living in mainstream society try to blend in." Making a face at him, Emily explained, "It was a joke Reid."

"Oh … ", he replied.

SSA Aaron Hotchner rang the doorbell and a young woman of about 25 years old opened the door. "Hello, I'm SSA Aaron Hotchner of the FBI – BAU and this is my team. We have an appointment to meet with Magan Nordhast."

To which the woman answered, "That would be me, please … come in." She invited.

Taken aback, Aaron Hotchner said, "Oh, we were expecting to meet with someone a bit older."

"I'm older than I look" Magan stated, "if you would come in and have a seat I'll explain as best I can … if you like."

The team followed her into a large great room. On the big screen TV hanging on the wall photos cycled on the screen. Some showed the girl with a large handsome blonde man, others showed her with groups of what had to be vampires. Some were of various horses, some were of jewelry, and some showed her kayaking – as well as other vacation shots. On a sideboard sat several pitchers of beverages and an array of appetizers. Motioning to the table, their hostess poured herself a glass of ice tea and seated herself in a centrally positioned chair and invited, "Please … help yourselves. I'm sure you must be hungry after your flight."

Garcia was watching the TV screen. When a series of photos of the blonde man came up she gasped and asked, "Is that …" "Yes", Magan interrupted, "That's Erik."

Prentiss and JJ stared at the pictures with Garcia. It was obvious what was going on in their minds. "Wow." They said in unison when a particularly racy photo appeared. "Yes – he does tend to have that effect on people." Magan confirmed, "It's even more pronounced up-close and in person."

The men looked at the parade of pictures and had to admit there was something compelling about the vampire Sherriff that transcended photos. Agent Morgan whispered "Looks like vampires not being able to show up in pictures is a myth." Turning to look at Derrik, she stated, "Yes it is, as well as many other supposed facts" surprising the macho Agent.

"So why is it you don't look very old?" Agent Rossi asked, echoing the question they all wanted answered.

Magan coyly replied, "Let's just say the Great Revelation wasn't a revelation for me – and the first vampire I knew was very, very old. I'll decide later if I wish to tell you any more.

Sighing Emily commented "Well if you could bottle it and sell it you could make a fortune."

To which Magan said, "It's illegal to deal in V. Now please … if you have all finished helping yourselves to the refreshments – let's get started."

The team finished pouring drinks and filling plates before settling themselves in the chairs and sofas in the living area. Taking the lead, Aaron Hotchner asked, "How much do you know about why we are here?"

"Simple", Magan answered, "You want our help in finding a serial killer who may or may not be a vampire and may or may not be headed here. Since you and your team are profilers, you probably plan to find out as much as you can about how vampires think so that if the killer is a vampire you can profile it. The real question is - do you know why you are meeting with me first?"

The team looked at each other uneasily and Hotch replied, "No, we hope to meet with Mr. Northman soon after dark." With a smile that did not quite reach her eyes, Magan informed him, "I am to decide if and when you will meet with Erik. First of all, for me, it would be nice to know who all of you are."

Off balance, Agent Hotchner proceeded apologetically. "I'm sorry, I should have introduced everyone. This is SSA David Rossi, next to him is Dr. Spencer Reid. Then we have SA Penelope Garcia, our tech analyst. SSA Derrick Morgan is next to her. Then SSA Emily Prentiss; and lastly SSA Jennifer Jareau, our media liaison." He paused and continued, "I was under the impression we would be meeting Mr. Northman tonight."

Magan merely looked at him with a blank poker face, "That has yet to be decided … so what exactly do you want to know?"

Thinking that maybe a change in interviewers might warm her to their plight Agent Rossi chose to respond to her in Aarons place. Deferentially he said, "Well you're human – but you live among vampires, and evidently have a position of influence in vampire society. What can you tell us about them that would not normally be known outside of that society?"

Magan's face warmed slightly, "Good question; there are actually two vampire societies that I have experience with. The first one isn't known to humans … yet. This society is the one I have spent the most time with. They refer to themselves as Ancients, and the oldest one I know of is over 10,000 years old …"

Emily interjected, "Did you just say 10,000 years?"

Magan confirmed, "Yes, though not all of them are millennia old. A few are even younger than Erik. However, the ones of them who are that young have a Sire who is millennia old. The one I had a relationship with is 4700 years old. Many of the older ones were regarded as gods; not the monotheistic gods of today, but rather the pluralistic goddesses and gods of early history. They treat humans as equals, not livestock. They are much more compassionate than the vamps you have most likely met. They place great value on knowledge and learning …"

In an aside, Agent Morgan commented, "Sounds like your type of vampires, Reid."

Dr. Reid confirmed "I actually was thinking much the same thing."

Magan looked at him curiously, "What does Agent Morgan mean by that Dr. Reid"

Dr. Reid explained, "I have PhD's in Chemistry, Mathematics, and Engineering – as well as am working on a fourth one in Philosophy; plus I have undergraduate degrees in Sociology and Psychology. My IQ is 187, I read 20,000 words a minute and I have an eidetic memory. Meeting and learning from one of these Ancients sounds … fascinating to me."

"I see" Magan said thoughtfully, "perhaps that could be arraigned for some time in the future. Back to the subject on hand, I am certain that your killer would not be one of them.

The second society is the one that engineered the Great Revelation. They are much more organized – though younger and weaker – than the Ancients are. Despite what they tell you, the main reason they revealed themselves was because they realized with the advances in science it was only a matter of time before they would be discovered. They wanted to control when and how they became known to humans; thus, when the Japanese made their artificial blood discovery it gave them an opening and an excuse to do so. This society was strongly influenced and modeled after medieval European society from between the 1300's and the 1500's."

"That was the beginning half of the Little Ice Age, wasn't it?" Dr Reid stated.

Magan continued, "Yes, it was. Vampires in the second society tend to be possessive, controlling, and manipulative. There is always some type of intrigue going on in their various courts. They see humans as beneath them and good for only two things – sex and food; usually both at the same time. A derogatory term they have for humans is 'blood bag'. Almost any one of them would be capable of your murders, but doing so in such a manner is against vampiric law and punishable by final death. One possibility, however, would be a new vampire whose maker had abandoned it. The problem with this theory is that new vampires need to feed more than once a week."

"Are you saying then that you don't think this is the work of a vampire?" Agent Hotchner asked.

Magan shook her head, "I'm not ready to say that yet. If this is a vampire though – you will need to agree to turn him or her over to the Magister for punishment. I don't believe you will get any cooperation otherwise." She paused – then asked, "Is it possible for me to see the crime scene photos and information?"

Hotch was glad to be able to answer in the affinitive – and hopefully gain some of this strange woman's trust. "Yes, we planned for that. JJ could you hand her the extra file?"

Magan looked through the photos, flipping back and forth between them. After about 5 minutes she asked "Has anyone measured the distance between the fatal punctures over the femoral artery?"

Prentiss answered, "Not until Atlanta; no one thought to before then. Since then they have all been the same distance apart."

Magan looked at photos from several of the victims again, "Hmmm … the angle seems awkward and wrong for bites … but according to the coroner's report there are no drugs present … I don't feel that this is a vampire – yet I don't think it is a human either."

This would be the end of the second chapter. What could it be? Next chapter we introduce the boys from Supernatural to the mix. Hope everyone enjoyed it.