Thankyou thankyou for the great review! Yes I always thought Doris was a strong character. She was stuck in unfortunate circumstances but still fighting and never giving up, and that was why I always liked her best. And yes you may be correct about the baron, but I'll say no more and leave it as a surprise!

I do not own V ampire hunter D.

Chapter 11

Doris stared across the fire at the noble, distrust written upon her face. The sky was turning to grey, yet he still had not gone to sleep. She flicked her gaze to D who sat off by himself calmly sharpening his blade. He must have sensed her for he looked up dark eyes challenging, asking her it seemed, what she would do. Doris was a frontier woman through and through, and she hated vampires more passionately than most. She had good reason. Yet she knew D, and knew that his trust was not an easy commodity to obtain. It nearly defied belief, that the deadliest most dedicated vampire hunter on the frontier should befriend one of the nobility. The man whom she loved and trusted above all others, seemed to trust this monster. Still, she glanced back at the pale noble who was telling Mia a story. There was a smile on his face as he spoke, and it was neither fake nor terrifying. And his actions earlier, though in defense of his own life surely, had also clearly been in defense of theirs. It was a puzzle, just as learning to love a dhampir had been she supposed. The huntress coiled her well oiled whip and stood, walking the few steps over to where D now lay reclining against a tree, hat pulled low over his eyes. She leaned back against the same tree and silently waited.

"Speak."

"What makes you think I'm here't talk?"

He sat up and raised his hat, giving her a rare expression of one delicate eyebrow lifted milimeters higher than the other. She laughed.

"Don't give me that look, and don't pretend ya don't know whats buggin me."

One side of his beautiful mouth curved upward. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do!"

"Good." He laid back down pulling his hat over his eyes once more.

"Arrrgg...What kinda answer is that!" She pounded on his chest in mock anger, but really she hadn't expected anymore than he had said, or even as much. He pulled her down beside him easily restraining her, though clearly aware that she wasn't really angry. She smiled instantly delighted to find herself in his arms once more.

"He is my friend," the hunter murmured, "and he earned it."

Doris swivelled her head, the hat was still in place. She lifted it, and his gorgeous black eyes turned to her, unreadable and deep as ever.

"Friend is it? I don't reckon I've ever heard ya say that before." She paused staring inwardly for a long moment. "It'll do."

She looked up suddenly realizing it was quiet, the baron was gone and Mia sleeping soundly by the fire as the sun was rising in the east casting a golden orange glow on the land.

"Everyones asleep." She said almost gleefully.

The hunter quirked an eyebrow once more.

"Don't give me that look again, you know what I want."

He smirked and elegantly stood, then lifted the feisty huntress and slung her over his shoulder walking away from the fire and sleeping Mia.

"Hey! I aint a sack of grain ya know!"

Mia blinked a few times rubbing the sleep from her eyes and slowly began to look around as the world came into focus. She sat up, and realized she was alone. The embers from the fire were cold and the sun high. She considered going back to sleep, but rose instead. The afternoon was cool with a wind blowing in from the north, the summer had run its course and the autumn had taken hold.

Doris appeared seemingly out of nowhere, slightly dishevelled and yawning. She rummaged through her bag for a pot and started a fire before realizing Mia was awake.

"Mornin'" Doris mumbled.

Mia nodded smiling, well aware it was after noon.

"You all slept somewhere else?" She questioned without thinking about it.

"just round...yonder." She mumbled vaguely, blushing slightly for some reason.

"When will we reach Ferro?"

The older woman sat back on her heels with a pensive look. "If we make good time, and barring any more unexpected visits...we could be there tonight."

Mia smiled, then glanced down. "Do you think we'll find her?"

Doris smiled reassuringly, "Yes I do. Nothin slips past D, and the other one seems pretty sharp too. I'm actually right glad I'm not huntin him!" She laughed heartily.

"He told me how he met D last night."

Doris narrowed her eyes, "how?"

"He said he hired him as a bodyguard, and told me about all these crazy hunters that were after them, and then about another noble named Miska."

"Hm, they mentioned that name yesterday." Doris mused.

Struck suddenly with a question Mia blurted, "how did you meet D? You seem like you've known each other for a while."

The beautiful huntress stared at the girl for a long moment, then smiled. "I reckon I can tell ya, I've known D for twenty five years."

Mia's eyes popped a little, "but you're both so young!"

She laughed.

"How did you meet?" Mia couldn't help but ask.

Doris set about making coffee over the fire, "I was sixteen when I was bit by a noble, Count Magnus Lee was his name..."

The clink of chains and steady thud of feet on the frozen ground were the only sound to break the oppressive silence of the overcast day. Snow floated silently down all around them, but here were no happy voices, no smiling faces. For all here knew what their fates would be, they were slaves destined for the pleasure houses of the capital, or worse. Ophelia glanced at the woman walking beside her, a beautiful golden haired creature. The woman smiled wearily when their eyes met, then glanced down to Ophelia's wrist. She looked down and stifled a quiet gasp, her manacles had come lose. Whether from old age, rust or something else she didn't know, but she could just slip her wrists from them. She glanced at the other woman, wondering how she could free her. Seemingly reading her mind the other shook her head, "just go." She whispered so silently it was nearly inaudible. Ophelia tried to think of something to say, but nodded instead and dissapeared into the twilight.

She was content, she knew that she would die tonight alone on the frontier with no weapon or aid. But a quick death was preferable to the long drawn out life of horror and misery that had awaited her in the capital. She slipped past a tree and touched the bark as she passed, savoring the roughness. Then she held out her bare arms and revelled in the frozen air, she was terribly cold but everything had become beautiful in these final moments, even pain.

The wind blew harder and she wrapped her arms around herself, trudging slowly up a hill. Something stopped her, was it a voice? No that couldn't be right. Yes, it was. Someone called her name from far away. Someone familiar, but she couldn't recall who.

"I'm here!" Ophelia cried out certain that this voice was important. Though she also felt a sense of something being off. This wasn't the way it had happened. The realization of which only confused her more.

"This has already happened," she murmured to herself as she began to understand. "Why am I back here again?" The voice called her again more familiar.

"I'm here!" She yelled once more with a growing sense of excitement. "Where are you?"

"Far away little flower," came the voice and her heart tightened in joy. "Where are you?"

"I don't know." She nearly wept, "in the past somewhere I suppose."

She heard a distant laugh, "You are dreaming Ophelia it is the reason I was able to find you, where are you in waking?"

"I...I really don't know." She sadly replied wracking her dreaming mind for some clue from reality, "They keep me locked in a wagon, but," something tugged at her memory, "there has been often a sound of wind, and something small and hard constantly beating on the side of the wagon, maybe sand or pebbles. And we passed through a large town a week ago...I think. It is hard to tell."

"I see," his voice was becoming stronger, and she smiled in spite of herself. Cold nightmare of the past forgotten and replaced slowly with growing delight.

"I will find you soon Ophelia."

"I..."

Ophelia sat up, her cheek was stinging and the old woman was glaring at her.

"Well?" The crone demanded.

"Well...what?" She stammered blinking.

"What' do ya mean what? I asked you who are ya talking to!"

"Oh...umm, I was sleeping." She mumbled.

The old hunter narrowed her eyes. "hmmph." Then turned and sat back down as the wagon rumbled on to the constant barrage of harsh unending wind.

Ophelia closed her eyes and attempted to reach out to him once more, knowing that she wouldn't likely be able. The talent was not hers after all, she could only answer when he called. She sighed and opened her eyes, the old woman was glaring at her.

A/N

*Firstly D informed me he is far to dignified for me to write smut about him...so sorry, I dare not defy him. But yes it was STRONGLY implied.

*Second, I know what you're thinking, you wrote Doris in at forty one years old?! Whats wrong with you! But I promise I have a purpose! Its gonna be good!