Peeks in... Anyone here? I know it has been a long time between updates and *yay!* here one is. My only excuse is that I am incredibly lazy. Not sure if it is an excuse as much as a fact...

Anyway, thanks for the reviews, favourites and follows. I get all giddy when I see something come through. I apologise if I have not replied to anyone, my adherence to proper etiquette needs some work. See above for excuse.

xxx

I made my way home after my chat with Sam, not wanting to hang around too long as I knew Gran would be sitting up waiting for me. No matter how many times I told her she needn't sit up to make sure I got home, she was always there, reading her romance novel and sipping at her tea.

I walked through the back door of the old farmhouse after parking around the back. Sure enough, even though it was going on 1 am, there was Gran, perched at the kitchen table with one of the latest vampire romance novels in her hands. They were all the rage after the real thing had come out of the coffin.

"Hey Gran, how was your night," I asked, leaning down to kiss her on the top of the head.

"Fine, fine, sweetheart, how was the bar," she asked, looking up at me with her bright blue eyes, still full of life even now that she was approaching 80.

"Busy, Jason seems still pretty stuck on Dawn, which I guess is a good thing. Mostly though, people were just in to gossip about Maudette."

"Humph." Gran stood up, grumbling about gossips, vultures and respecting the dead. She always hated the way apparently god-fearing people were happy revel in the sordid details of others lives. I was grateful that I had had Gran to raise Jason and I after our parents had died in a flash flood when we were only 8 and 9. While I was the younger brother, Jas had struggled most with the loss of our parents, in particular Dad. But Gran had stepped into the role of both parents, particularly when Gramps had disappeared only a year after Mom and Dad died. She had installed in both of us the same mix of manners, morals and moxy that she had. Jas just happened to miss out a bit on the maturity.

"Now you head up to bed young man, Sam is keeping you at the bar far to late these days."

I raised an eyebrow, which earned me a whack on the arm. "Don't you give me any cheek, you know I have trouble sleeping at my age. I'm up and down, not sitting here all night waiting for you to return."

I simply nodded, kissed her again and headed up to bed. I jumped through the shower, into a pair of boxers and headed to my room, listening to the sound of BBC World Service making its way from under Gran's door. For all she says about not waiting up for me, without fail five minutes after I get back, she's upstairs, with the radio murmuring in the background, out like a light. I'm not sure what it is about the BBC, but listening to it is better than the best drugs for putting Gran to sleep. She had to stop listening to it as she drove the older she got, as it was making her sleepy on the road.

I often thought about moving out and setting up on my own, but selfishly I stayed here at the farmhouse. Gran was always on my back about moving out, saying that it would be good for me to meet new people, but I was happy here. I loved Gran and it never felt like I was an adult still living at home. I was just an adult living where I loved.

As I set myself up for bed, I moved over to the window and opened it up. The sounds of the woods surrounding the house made its way in, as well as a soft cooling breeze. As I fiddled with the blinds, I looked out towards the cemetery across our yard. I squinted, as something caught my eye. I thought that I could see movement among the gravestones.

There! Something white flittered over by the older section of the grounds.

I squinted, trying to make out what was going on. Suddenly, I heard a shriek and could make out some kind of struggle.

I ran down stairs, grabbing a shirt on my way out of my room. I snatched up the shot gun that Gran kept near the front door, loaded it and made my way outside.

I made my way across the yard, leapt the fence separating us from the cemetery and ran towards the older gravestones. There was rustling and grunting coming from ahead of me and I slowed down, creeping towards the noise.

I crouched down behind a monument, trying to hide myself as much as possible. I peaked over the top and through the stones saw Vampire Bill, laying down with Denise Rattray standing above him, talking in a low voice. Bill looked extremely uncomfortable and I could see a silver chain glinting coldly in the moonlight. He also had an IV sticking in his arm, with a bag attached that was slowly filling with his blood. I had read that silver was incapacitating to vampires, which seemed to be what was happening in front of me.

I turned and sat behind the gravestone, trying to think through what was happening. Clearly, Denise had chained Bill up and was draining him for the V that ran in his veins. Whether she was capable of doing that alone was another thing. That meant that Mack Rattray was probably around here somewhere. Sure enough, I soon heard footsteps moving across the graveyard and saw Mack's bald head moving between the monuments. Some stroke of luck meant that he didn't see me huddled down as he made his way to Denise.

"Well fucker, were almost done here. How abouts we leave you here to get a nice suntan after you finish with your donation," Mack said as Denise guffawed next to him.

Ok then, I thought to myself, I can't let him die, no matter how much of creep he his. I'm going to have to do something here. But what?

Deciding that action was the best policy, I stood and fired a warning shot in the air. Quickly pointing the gun at the Rattray's, I started striding towards them.

"How about you two step away from the vampire," I said.

"What the fuck!" Mack hollered, as he turned and looked in my direction. "What the fuck do you want, freak?"

"I want you to step away from the vampire, you thick headed Neanderthal. Or didn't you hear me properly the first time."

"What the fuck do you think you are doing," Denise screeched at me, "Don't you know who you're messing with?"

"Yep, I sure do. I also know that vampires don't tend to look too kindly on drainers, so you to better hurry along now before I let some friends of mine know about what I have stumbled across this fine evening."

"You don't know any vampires, you big fuckin' Lurch," Mack said, backing away from the injured vampire nonetheless.

"Really, do you think a freak like me doesn't know any vamps? Do you wanna test that Mack? Because it will be the end of you if you do." I cocked my gun, raised an eyebrow and hoped like hell that I looked intimidating.

"All right, all right, we are backing off. You can have the vamp. Like I give a fuck anyway. This shits getting too hard to move as it is," Mack said, grabbing Denise by the arm and moving away from me.

I watched them as they disappeared into the trees, waited until I heard a car start across the cemetery, then looked over at the vampire I had just rescued.

"Do you need a hand getting that silver off?" I asked, moving towards Bill.

"If you wouldn't mind. It is a tad uncomfortable," he said, watching me intently as I bent down and removed the thin chain. "Thank you very much for your kindness tonight. I was not expecting the events to work out as they have, but you might call it fortuitous. I am grateful that you are here."

I felt like he was evaluating me. I stood quickly, keeping the silver chain and wrapping it around my fist. Even if I didn't want him dead, it sure didn't mean that I trusted him. I wasn't sure how much the silver would help if he decided to attack me, but I figured I was safer with it as backup. The shotgun sure as hell wasn't going to do anything for me now.

"Sure, no problem. I heard a noise and just wanted to make sure no one was hurt." Now that the adrenaline was starting to recede, all that I wanted to do was go inside and got back to bed. I was shaking slightly, but I figured that's what you get when you confront drug dealers draining a vampire in the cemetery outside your house at 1 in the morning. Dear god, I sound like I'm living in a bad scary movie. Wait, does this make me the blond who gets killed for investigating a scary noise. Yep. Definitely time to go inside.

"So, do you need a hand or anything? Where do you sleep for the day?"

"I am currently residing at my ancestral home, the Compton house. After my last living heir died, I was able to take over ownership again and am now planning to return it to its former glory."

"Oh, ok then. Well, do you need a hand getting back there or anything?"

"I would be most grateful for some assistance in standing, but I should be capable of making my own way to my residence."

Man, does he always talk this way? How the hell did he manage to hide his age before the Great Revelation? I think while all I say is, "Sure, no problem." I move over to give Bill a hand standing, keeping my sliver wrapped fist at the ready. Not to equate vampires with animals, but I am fairly sure that an injured vampire would be just as dangerous as an injured animal. Either way, no harm in a little protection.

"What were you doing out this side of the cemetery?" The Compton place is on the opposite edge, so he is well out of his way over here.

"I came to give my regards to my late wife Sarah and our children," he says, pointing to a grouping of overgrown headstones. I see the letter 'pton' on one and realise that this must have been the graves of his human family.

"Oh, well I guess I will leave you to say what ever you wished to in private." I begin moving away, not turning my back to Bill, but moving towards the safety of the farm house. Bill was still standing, looking down at the jumbled headstones.

"My wife Sarah was just a gentle spirit. She was always so understanding of my... differences."

I stop moving, trying to work out what the hell he is on about now.

"You see, I found difficultly adjusting to the needs of matrimony. But she always was so helpful and I was eventually able to fulfill the duties of a husband and give her the children she so desired."

Why the hell is he telling me about him being impotent? Eww.

"You see, it was not like today, where people are are to be free with who they are and who they are attracted too. I was not able to be myself and follow my own desires until well after my human life was taken from me."

Oh...

"It must be so freeing for you to be able to be who you really are inside Eric. You are very lucky to have been born into the time you were."

Oh no... Time to go. I was not in the mood to explain that while yes, I did not date any local girls, I hung around Lafayette, I still lived with my Gran and did not run around with my brother, the perpetual 'Stud of the Year: Renard Parish', I was not gay. I have pretty much given up on that, figuring that it was better if the town just left me be as the freak I know I am. Whatever the reason behind it, it was better to be cut off and ignored by them than have to deal with their prejudice. Have to be honest though, never thought that it would result in a vampire attempting to hit on me.

"Yeah, freedom sure is great. Well, I'm heading in, if you don't need anymore help." Argh, damn Gran's insistence on proper manners, where the hell did that last bit come from. All I want is to get the heck out of here.

"I shall be perfectly fine. You may return to your residence. I just wish to say farewell to my human family. Thank you again for your assistance tonight, I shall endeavour to repay it one day soon." Bill turns towards me and half bows. God he is an odd one.

"Ok then, well night," I say moving away again, still keeping half an eye on the vampire. However he remains where he is, standing in front of his family's tumbled gravestones. As much as he seems a few sandwiches short of a picnic, it does make you feel for him. All those he knew are dead, even his human family line as died out with Jesse Compton's death last year. He really is all alone.

I eventually reach the property line and step over the chain link fence. I cross the yard, enter the house, put away the shotgun and my shiny new silver chain and make my way back up to bed. My last thought before going to sleep is how lucky vampire Bill was that he was attacked so soon after I got home and before I went to sleep. I can't imagine the pain of being left in the sun like the Rattray's planned to do with him. How horrible for him. Poor guy.