Prey: How Much Proof Do You Freaking Need?

A/N: Amanda doesn't have all the answers. Not even close. She has no idea about quite a bit of stuff regarding her parents. Oh, and thanks for all the wonderful reviews for the last chapter (Cough cough two) they were few, but they really made my day. Tuz, this chapter title is for you, and Midnightwalker, I hope that some questions are answered.

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to any books- except maybe a little bit of the book my sister is writing. I contributed quite a lot to that one.

Amanda was stuck in a chair. She was being pelted with questions of all sorts. In any other circumstances these questions would have seemed laughable- not today. Not with so much at stake. If they didn't believe that she was the real deal, there was a very predictable fate in store for her. It involved being hacked to pieces, and burned alive.

Therefore, she was more serious than you would think when answering questions like, "Do you prefer Snickers to Milky Way bars?" She answered "Milky Way" with such gravity that David had to stifle a giggle.

They were starting off slow. No one really wanted to listen to the leech give a long detailed and completely untrue account of what happened that day, so many years ago. Better to catch her in a lie early, as they reasoned. David didn't really share this perspective. He just had to smile at her face, the expressions that briefly flickered across it when she was surprised that they were being so trivial.

Why on earth was he acting this way? It was clear that he had no reason to trust the bloodsucker, but he couldn't help both liking and trusting her. She seemed so...earnest. There was a pane of mirrored glass between the watch and the mini-inquisition scene. David sat closest to the glass, wishing that the endless questions would stop, for her sake, but also impishly wishing that they would go on, that he would be able to get to know better the Amanda he had cursed himself over for so many years..

"Favorite movie."

"Forrest Gump. Well, that and Across the Universe. And Phantom of the Opera."

"Favorite sport."

"None. Sports are disgusting. But, if I had to choose, I do like the winter Olympics."

"Favorite book."

"Well, there's the entire Discworld series, which provides the base for this name, and there's also Harry Potter, and The Stinky Cheese Man (And other Fairly Stupid tales)."

"Best part of going to the state fair."

"Seeing the black and white chickens with Afros. Cruella De Ville chickens, we called them."

"Music."

"Original cast recordings of Les Mis and Phantom, as well as ELO, Queen, The Beatles, The Proclaimers, They Might Be Giants, and I really like Coldplay and Belle and Sebastian now."

"When did you become a vampire?"

Amanda was thrown for a second. This question had not come from Howard, but from David. How had he entered the room without her noticing? It didn't have much to do with her identity, and it was certainly a break from the sort of queries she'd dealt with so far, but she answered it just the same. "About nine or so months ago. I had just barely moved here under the name of Anna Gregorson, ready to investigate this oh-so-mysterious Night Watch I'd found out about. The Internet, of course, had revealing hints everywhere about such a thing, so I was a bit curious. I moved in my stuff to the apartment across the street, and went out on a vampire hunt/jog." Her features twisted up in a cruel smile. "And I guess I didn't have a very good grip on my knives, because in almost no time, I was bitten and bleeding in the streets. And Voila! Instant vampire. Just add venom."

This prompted Howard to start on some of the more serious questions. "Assuming that you're Amanda, how did you survive the attack nine years ago?"

"Mom and dad both had their knives, and they ran over to the vamp, leaving me at the car. I don't think it paid much attention to me. I only ran over when the fight was really dying down, and by that time the leech was already pretty hacked up. There wasn't any real attack to defend myself from at that point-I just had to make sure the bloody creature wouldn't put itself together again. Dad was dying, and he told me to use knives and fire to permanently kill them. I burned it up and went home, packing my bags before the police arrived. The bodies of mom and dad were probably too burned by that point by the vampire fire for many bones to even be recognized- I don't know exactly what happened, but I was dead in the eyes of the law. You'll have to forgive my sketchy memory- it was a time in my life that I'd rather forget."

There was a bit of a pause. No one liked reliving painful moments in their past. But then the ever-flowing tide of questions was back.

"How did you manage to evade discovery by the police?"

"I fabricated an identity with my mad hacker skills."

"Hacker skills?"

"My parents never knew- I don't think."

"You were 11 years old."

"I was pretty smart. And I was ten. Don't even try to trip me up."

"But you say you hunted vampires."

"Revenge, what else? I wanted to continue their legacy."

"Legacy?"

"I assumed that they had been toiling to service their fellow humans for years by ridding the world of vampire scum, correct?"

"Yes..."

"So I took some combat classes and got a-hacking." she paused. "Then I met Tom."

"Tom?"

Amanda realized that there was an opportunity for verification of her story here. "Tom Mapple. I met him years ago in Chicago- as a human vampire hunter. He can verify who I am!" She smiled.

"Does he know you're a vampire?"

Amanda's smile faltered. "No. I let him think I was dead when I went missing. I didn't want him to try to find me or something. For one thing, he could get mugged, and another, I was seriously doubting my self control. I was trying, at that point, to only eat rats, but it is very unappealing."

"Rats?" There was a sound of disgust from David. Amanda frowned. "Well, it's better than people. Now I've graduated to deer. Much more satisfying. Eating people isn't really my style, if you know what I mean." She flexed her fingers. "So, as I was saying, I didn't want Tom to come find me because I worried that he would. I sent him my knives, which is why I can't offer them for proof."

"Where does Tom live?"

Amanda shrugged sadly. "I have no clue. I've been entirely without the internet since I became a vampire. I've been mourning my lack of Wikipedia and Google."

One of the watchpeople had an iPhone, and had done a quick Google search on the name. "Whoa-" She heard him walk into the room. "This Tom Mapple?" he flashed the screen towards her. "Tom Mapple- founder of Mappleware Tech? I thought I recognized the name..." Amanda nodded, bewildered. "What- you're saying Tom is famous? You serious?" Amanda smiled.

Howard told the man to assemble a team to meet with him, and Amanda panicked. "No, no. You can't do that. He's an extremely paranoid person. I really don't want you to give him a heart attack or an aneurysm." there were skeptical looks from across the room. Amanda shook her head. "It's a legitimate worry, trust me, so please? Take me along?"

This wasn't what Howard had been thinking she'd say.

But then again, she could have other manipulative powers. She had proven herself more than capable of doing things to people- it was very possible that she could force him to say about anything. But there was this voice, lurking in the back of his head, and it was dredging up memories of a happier time, a time before his brother and his best friend were killed.

A memory.

He was sitting in the old armchair, laughing with Alan about old times. He mentioned that he had gotten a new litter of kittens from his cat Fluffy, and did they want any. Amanda's small face- she must have been only six- lit up at the prospect of a pet of her very own, and it dimmed just as fast when her father shook his head, no. She turned a pleading face towards him, full of such sincerity, such vast amount of desire, that it was getting very hard to refuse again. But her father was allergic, they explained. Not too much, but he could get very sick if they had one. Her eyes widened, and she spoke in a frantic whisper to her uncle. "You need to make sure Daddy doesn't go to your house! We need to keep him away from them- he can't get hurt." her father, overhearing, had laughed, as had Howard. Amanda had gotten huffy and confused, but was still mostly worried. "No cats, dad." She instructed him firmly, again.

Howard was startled at the similarity of expression, worry, and just...honesty.

There was something about her, a strange indefinable quality, that caused him to say...

"Yes, we'll take you. But keep your teeth to yourself." Amanda smiled honestly for what felt like the first time in years. She closed her eyes, shaking her head lightly. "You guys are going to love Tom."

The flight to Chicago had been the worst part of the trip, that was certain. Somehow, There was a watchperson surrounding Amanda on all sides, so there was no hope of her escape.

Not that she was trying to escape, of course,

but it is really annoying to have so many people around you waiting for you to screw up so they can kill you.

David was up in front of her, so she couldn't even have conversation. At her insistence, she was allowed to bring a book with her, to pass the long hours in the sky. It was Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. She listened to Sufjan Stevens on a borrowed iPod- the man with the iPhone didn't have any use for his, at the moment. Amanda liked this one better than the others.

His name was Joshua, and he was one of the more technologically inclined members of the group. While they didn't have anything close to friendship, she was able to make comments about his good taste in music and he wouldn't narrow his eyes suspiciously. She figured that knowing Tom had gotten her into his good books. She closed her eyes and hummed along softly to the music, too quiet for anyone to hear, if they had been listening carefully. She tapped her knee in time with the song- Casimir Pulaski Day, it was called, and Amanda felt a relative peace. It was almost like sleeping.

David turned to face Amanda when it was his turn to be awake and on duty. She had her lavender lids closed over her pale features- to pacify the group, she had elected to only change the color of her eyes and the glittery quality of her skin to fit into the human population. She still looked a bit... off. She never scratched her face, or yawned, or even really moved. She was like a statue, a lovely pale statue. He didn't think she noticed his gaze, so he let it linger. Her lips seemed to be moving, and by straining his ears he could detect strains of music. He had, of course, heard her voice before, but that she could make it even more musical...amazing.

He let his gaze linger longer, and he fell asleep looking at her face.

The next few hours found the group in a bus, driving to a certain Mansion located at the fringe of the big city. There was a laxed security guard on Amanda- she began to have the bright hope that they were accepting her benign intentions, at least for now. She relaxed against the side of the car, letting her gaze wander towards the semi-familiar landscape. How odd, it seemed, that it had not been long since she had first come to an internet cafe, and had chanced upon meeting the dark haired youth, whose Wed prowess allowed her to progress immensely in her work of destroying monsters, and whose companionship allowed her the small luxury of a friend. It was a real boon that she didn't quite appreciate at the time, meeting him.

And then they were there. A sprawling manor house on a large estate- especially so, for the fact that it was in the big city. There was a distinct Nouveau Riche look about the place that made eyes widen in the cars of passer by, and they would wonder, with awe and respect, "Who lived there?"

Amanda saw cameras nestled all over the property, tracking the progress of the approaching visitors to the front door. "Still as paranoid as ever," Amanda thought wryly. "Just a little bit richer." She knocked on the door, and had to dodge a fast flying knife that almost caught her in the face. "Geez, Tom. What's your problem? It's Amanda, your old business partner." a tall man with thick black hair and a Pink Floyd t-shirt cautiously came to the doorway, holding out his remaining knife. "Amanda?" he choked when he saw her looking fairly...not normal, but not "I'm going to suck every last drop of blood out of your body."

He ran a hand through his messy hair- exhaling nervously. A tear started forming in the corner of his eye and he dropped his arms to his sides. "I've missed you." He choked out. Amanda smiled widely and hugged him as firmly as she could without breaking bones. Surprisingly, his returning hug was strong as well. Not by vampire standards, but for a human it was impressive. "Tom, have you been working out?" She said mock flirtatiously. He shrugged, pretending to be a big tough guy for a moment. Just as soon as it came the charade fell off his face and he pursed his lips. "You let me think you were dead- I didn't know what I was going to do." Amanda dropped her eyes- unable to meet his gaze. "It wasn't safe, Tom. It still isn't..." She gestured towards the door lamely. "I'm still not deemed worthy to walk among mortals. Apparently, I am one of the evil undead masquerading as Amanda, who died nine years ago."

The watch was standing there, looking awkward. They weren't sure exactly what they were interrupting, but they certainly were. Tom looked startled, and then scared again. "Who are they." he muttered into her hair. He had grown taller than her in the past year- easy to do when Amanda had stopped growing. She gave him a look laden with significance. "Night Watch." The significant part of the look was "And they don't know too much- watch out."

David found himself jealous and confused. Were Tom and Amanda...together? They had an obvious connection, that was undeniable. He stepped forward at the same time as Howard, who wished to get down to business. David was going to introduce himself, to make the atmosphere less chilly. Howard looked gruff. "Is this David Mapple?" He started. It was not much of a beginning, but no one had been expecting Tom to take in Amanda with open arms.

Tom looked at Howard in mild bewilderment. How could anyone doubt that Amanda was who she said she was? Although, he conceded, she had been legally dead for years and living as completely different people, Amanda looked a lot like pictures of her mom she had shown him once. He never got a chance to ask Howard, though, because a chair was brought in and they motioned for him to sit in it. He looked at Amanda warily, but she just nodded in weary confirmation, seeming to say, "they won't be satisfied until they get their little games done with."

He sat in the chair, and electrodes were hooked up to his temples, and various other things were hooked up to his neck, wrists, and heart.

It's lie detecting time! We don't trust your word alone! This was the prevailing attitude in the room. Joshua got a picture of Tom with his camera, hooked up to all the gadgetry.

Then the inquisition began, although this was much nicer in nature to the one Amanda had faced.

"Who is this person?"

He swallowed and began. "Amanda Post- she met me in Chicago under the alias Amelia Wainwright, and partnered up with me to rid the world of vampires."

"Why was she doing this?"

"To avenge her parents, who were killed when she was ten."

"Was she human during this time?"

"Yes- I've seen her with cuts on her skin, and she has eaten, drank, slept..." He realized that none of this might be concrete proof, but the sleeping thing seemed to make his case a little stronger. "Did she have any extraordinary talents?" He closed his eyes. "She could scare the living daylights out of me when she would switch identities really fast- she was always good at hiding who she was." He reopened his eyes. "Why?" He looked at Amanda quizzically. In response she made her eyes go back to red and gave herself a blue striped pink updo and black lipstick. "I'm basically Nymphadora Tonks, as far as leeches go." Tom fidgeted with his hands, looking up at the ceiling. "Why am I not surprised?" he muttered. Amanda threw a triumphant grin at her audience of vampire slayers. "Now do you believe me?"

Howard paced, warring with himself as Joshua detatched all the gizmos from Tom's face, muttering words of admiration for his work on the new Mapple code writing software. Howard stopped his pacing after a minute, and the resulting silence was deafening. "Yes." his shoulders slumped as he fully realized the implication of what he said. He bowed his head a fraction, eyes filling with saltwater.

"forgive me."

Amanda smiled and gave him the hug she'd been waiting to give for the past ten years, and even though her embrace was cold and hard, Howard felt a depth of warmth and feeling that he couldn't imagine. "Welcome to the group." he whispered, then smiled ruefully. "That is, if you don't hold any grudges against us for taking you hostage and putting you through all this." Amanda broke free from the embrace. "Well, of course. You guys need someone with insider information. But if you'll excuse me, I really have this craving for blood? I need to go to the sewer or something to have a little lunch."

With that she was out the door. Tom gave David an odd look. "Insider information?" David smiled, feeling for the first time in his life that he could be the intimidator instead of the intimidatee. "You don't want to know." For the moment, when everything was so happy and reconciled, David had to agree. But he still had one worry. "You and Amanda... were you guys ever... together? Dating?" Shocked at the very idea, Tom shook his head emphatically. "No. Nothing close. Today's display was more touchy-feely than we've ever been. Like sister and brother." David didn't realize what a change this brought to David's expression. His smile lifted up at the corners until he was sure his lips would be pulled apart, and his heart felt lighter than air, and it was bursting out of his chest.

But then he remembered.

Oh.

David tried to hide his expression from the room, from the excited people inside it, all glad to have their Amanda back from 'the dead'. David's soul was dashed upon the rocks, like an overconfident lemming, jumping off a cliff only to learn that they cannot fly after all.

How would he ever explain?

How could she ever forgive him? Learn to trust him?...Love him?

A/N: I merged two chapters into one for this- I didn't feel like there was much of a break in between the two, so I decided to let it go seamless. As a result, you get a very long chapter. Review please! I spent a lot of time on this one.