Disclaimer: I am not Mercedes Lackey and while I like to think that I can do her justice, yeah. She's so much better than me! I'm just playing in her world. I do own Sabrina, Erika, Jakob and the various people that you don't recognize. Please don't steal them!

AN: Okay. This is a little out there. It's a cross over with Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, although I don't use any of the BtVS characters. I'm just using the ideas that the wonderful Josh Whedon created. Cyber-cookies to anyone who figures out who the Companions are.

Chapter 4.

Familiar Enemies

She was running through the streets. Panting as she felt her pursuer get closer. Sabrina glanced behind her, seeing the deformed face of the man that was chasing her and managed to get a burst of speed. She darted around the carts that were blocking the path and into a dark alley. Cursing under her breath she was forced to stop by the wall of the building in front of her. She heard laughter all around her as shadows pulled away from the walls and realized that she had been caught in a trap.

She turned quickly as the group surrounded her, all of their faces deformed like the man that had been chasing her. "What do you want?" she questioned bravely, trying to buy time. Trying to give herself a chance.

They didn't say anything, just drew closer to her, growling softly. She felt like a sheep in the midst of a pack of wolves. She felt hands grab her and struggled automatically, managing to break their hold for a moment. The moment was short as they grabbed her again and this time, their hold held. She continued to struggle as they stroked the pulse point on her neck, but a voice in the dark stopped them.

"Don't kill her," the female voice ordered. She felt a sense of reprieve that someone had come to save her, but the next sentence made her skin crawl. "She is to become one of us."

Chills shook her body as Sabrina struggled even harder as the owner of the voice came forward. "Erika?" she questioned as the deformed face of her surrogate mother came into view.

Erika just laughed.

Sabrina sat up in the bed, gasping for air. "Bright Lady," she muttered under her breath as she ran her hands up and down her face. "What is happening?" Knowing that she was not going back to sleep any time soon, she grabbed her dressing gown and went to the window. She pulled the heavy curtains back slightly, to look at the moon which was full overhead.

She sighed, wondering what had happened to Erika and why her mind was making up such weird images in her dreams. She leaned against the frame of the window, wrapping the dressing gown tighter around her body. The glass was fogging up with heat of her breath. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow move within a shadow. Trying to get a closer look, she turned her head, but the condensation on the window prevented her from seeing anything. Curiosity overcame her as she decided to go downstairs to see if she could get a better look.

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Jakob settled onto the comfortable bed and reached out with his mind. :Tyler? Are you close?:

:Of course, Chosen. Even though your disguise as a traveling Bard precludes the use of a horse, I'm staying close by your side.: the Companion told him. :Hopefully, the ruse will determine what is actually going on, since every time Heralds have gone to investigate the reports of monsters, the monsters mysteriously vanish, only to reappear just out of our reach.:

:It's frustrating. That's why I agreed to this ruse, even though I do feel bad lying to the girl.:

The Companion chuckled in his head. :Sure you feel bad. You are also feeling protective, but Chosen, she can handle herself.:

:I know that,: Jakob told his Companion. :I can feel her strength, but I can also feel her impulsiveness. That's going to get her killed.:

:You worry too much, Jake. Go to sleep. You are going to need your rest in the upcoming days.:

Jakob sent a feeling of assent before resting his head on the pillow. He fell into a fitful sleep quickly, but far too soon he found himself blinking awake.

:Chosen. Jake. Jakob!: the mental shout assaulted his mind.

:What? Bright Lady, you didn't have to shout!: Jakob returned grumpily.

:Yes, I did. I've been trying to wake you for five minutes. The girl, Sabrina, has heard a noise. She went downstairs to investigate and I fear she is going to go outside. This would be a bad idea, Chosen. You must stop her.:

Jakob reacted to the concern in his Companion's voice but leaping out of the bed. He grabbed his clothes quickly and throwing them on. He opened his door just in time to hear the front door to the inn open. Hydatha's Tits! he thought as he ran down the stairs to find an empty end. :Tyler. Where did she go? Can you see her?:

:No, Jake. I'm sorry. I'm not within seeing distance of the village and I can sense beings creeping through the forest. You must find her quickly.:

There was an undertone of panic in his Companion's Mindvoice and he moved quickly. :Follow me. I may need your help.: Jakob quickly ran back up the stairs to his room. Out of his packs, he withdrew his sword, knowing that he might need it. When he got back downstairs, he exited the inn and lowered his shields. His Gifts included Mindspeech and a minor form of Empathy. He used the Empathy to try and locate Sabrina and when he felt the surge of pure terror, he blindly ran towards the feeling.

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When Sabrina had gotten downstairs, she peered out the windows. Still seeing shadows moving, her curiosity got the better of her and she decided to slip out the door. The coldness of the ground seeped into her slippers, but she paid it no heed. Silently, she followed one of the shadows, trying to figure out what it was. It's too large to be an animal, unless it's some sort of changed creature from the Pelagirs, but it moves like a man. She mused over that last part, something niggling in the back of her mind just out of reach of her conscious mind. Slipping herself into the shadows, she had followed it across the village, almost to the edge of the forest.

Standing beside the wall of a stable of the last house, she looked into the darkness, grateful for the full moon. Finally, she saw a flash of pale skin as the being moved into the moonlight. She couldn't help but gasp when she saw its face. It was the face of the monster that had been plaguing her dreams.

The creature heard her gasp and turned towards her, smiling malevolently. She read his expression as she automatically shrunk back into the wall, hoping that he couldn't see her, but her hopes were soon dashed. He stalked towards her, paralyzing her with fear. At the last moment, she broke out of her terror and began to run towards the inn, her only thought that she could prevent him from following her.

She had barely gone ten steps when a cold hand grabbed her shoulder. She shuddered once and then began struggling, trying to break his hold on her shoulders. Miracle of all miracles, she managed to break free and some instinct inside of her caused her to turn around. He went to grab her again, but she moved this time. Avoiding his grip, she threw a punch at him, knocking him back a few steps. He looked surprised, but growled and began to pace towards her.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw more shadows slipping towards her and knew that if she didn't get away at that point, she would disappear just like Erika did. She turned to leave, only to be confronted by two more of the monsters blocking per path. Desperately she looked around, finally daring to address the creatures. "What do you want?" she asked them, her voice showing no trace of her fear.

"You," the creature behind her whispered as he pinned her arms to her sides. She felt him move her hair, exposing her neck. "Don't struggle," the voice in her ear commanded. "It is futile."

Sabrina ignored him, kicking with her legs to try and break the hold. Then she heard the whinny of a horse and a blur of white entered her vision. It took her a moment to realize what it was. A Companion. And she knew that where a Companion was, its Herald could not be far behind. She breathed a sigh of relief, until she was able to see the sheer number of monsters around her. There had to be a dozen that she could see.

The monsters began to stalk towards the striking horse, unafraid of its presence. The monster that had her in his grip, moved backwards, away from what was sure to be a bloody fight. She watched as the horse reared onto its hind legs, bashing in the head of one of them, feeling the monster's grip loosen the tiniest bit. She used that to her advantage as she plowed her elbow into his gut, surprising him. She moved away just in time to see a gleaming sword appear through the torso.

The monster just laughed as the sword did seemingly no damage and she looked in shock at the man behind it. Jakob. Sabrina watched in horror as the monster turned around and threw Jakob across the open field with preternatural strength.

It grinned again and she looked around for the Companion, noting that it was not harming many of the creatures. The only casualty amongst the monster had been the one that the Companion had bashed its head in.

All of the sudden, there was another flash of white as a second Companion joined the fray. Between the two, they managed kill another two monsters and the rest seemed to melt away into the darkness.

Sabrina sank to her knees, grateful for the reprieve and mentally berating herself for going outside of locked doors. She watched as the first Companion made its way over to Jakob and nosed him softly. She heard the man groan softly as he managed to get into a sitting position. She looked around for the second Herald, but was stunned with the Companion stopped in front of her.

She fell into his sapphire eyes, feeling an overwhelming love emanating from him. :Sabrina, I am Valdir and I Choose you.:

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AN: I am so sorry that it took so long to post this, but thanks to everyone that reviewed and added this to their alerts! It makes my muse very happy! Thanks for reading and please review!