Showmanship

Romania 2011

It was the little towns where she got most of her business, and she felt bad about it, most of all in these parts they were more than likely feeding on sheep or maybe cows. This was not the usual human hunting grounds; but the towns people insisted they were taking people too. So here she was, sitting in the top of an abandoned silo, waiting.

She munched on a granola bar, tossing a piece to a scurrying mouse; her thoughts wondering about what dear old dad was up to. He had retired a few years back, moved to California to "find himself a nice hottie to settle down with," his words not hers. She chuckled at the memory, she could almost picture him drinking a beer and smoking a cigar with some twenty something stripper on his lap and then going home to watch TV land reruns. She missed the old man. She missed a lot of things about her old life, most of them too painful to dwell on.

Miranda's ears perked at a faint rustling in the underlying field and she took her position. She shook her head at the sight below, a man being dragged away from one of the nearby barns and a shady male figure checking to make sure the coast was clear. The boys were never easy, they were always so damn alluring, this one included. She grabbed her weapon of choice and slid down the ladder; one foot on either side of the rails. She waited until he was just outside the silo opening, and cocked her extremely large, extremely modified hand gun, stepping out into view.

"Now you and I both know this area is off limits," she said with a sly smile.

"Ah ha, you must be Cooper." He flashed that perfect smile. "You're famous you know. Known for being nice to those lame-o veggie types," he ran his tongue over his teeth exposing his fangs and inhaled deeply. "And you smell delicious."

"So I've been told, on all accounts," she smirked and bounced her eyebrows.

"I bet you taste good too," he purred licking his lips.

"Why don't you come find out," she offered, nibbling her bottom lip. What had she become, flirting with the enemy, it was disgusting.

The vampire scoffed and eyed his next victim. "Hypothetically, if I were to let him go, would I get to live?"

"Yeah…no…sorry, doesn't work that way. Gotta send your buddies a nasty message," she raised the weapon in her hand and gave it a little shake. "And there's only one way to do that. Tell you what though," she reached into her pants and pulled out a small vial of blood. His eyes grew black and he was in front of her in a flash.

"Not so fast big boy," she scolded pressing the gun into his chest.

"That's your blood," he sniffed.

"It is." She nodded.

"Why would you offer me a taste of your blood?"

Miranda lowered her gun and took a small stainless steel blade from the inside of her belt and cut the top button from his shirt, slicing his chest. She slid her finger across his skin and licked the blood clean with a smile. "Because you are different. You don't want to be here, you don't hunt for the sake of hunger you hunt because you crave connection." She paused and inched closer to him. "And you like me."

He let out a shuddering breath.

"Granted more than you should. What's your name?"

"Dimitri," he whispered and brushed a curl of hair from her face and she promptly slapped his hand away.

"Tsk tsk tsk, you don't get to touch. Tooooo much connection." She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a piece of folded up paper with an all too familiar crest on it. "What do you know about Damiri house?" she asked arching an eyebrow.

He held up his hands and backed away, "Keep your blood, shoot me now; I'm not getting involved in Damiri affairs."

"Oh Dimitri," she pouted "I only want a location, and you'll get to live, you'll get a little taste of me, but you'll have to leave this area alone, tell your whole clan to leave this area alone."

"I already fed from him, he'll be changed soon," Dimitri frowned.

Miranda wiggled her gun in the air again. "Villagers still need a show."

"America, there is only one left now, but you'll find him there. Building a new family. Not sure where exactly."

Miranda smiled and slipped the vial back into her pocket, turned to her back pack and pulled out a donor bag and tossed it to him. "Much appreciated," she grinned. "Don't enjoy that all at once."

She went over to the poor man lying in the grass and placed the barrel of the gun over his chest, gave the trigger a squeeze, shooting a stake into his middle and walked away. "Sorry buddy."

"Umm, you missed his heart," Dimitri smirked.

"Yep, you might want to get back in the silo." She gave his back a push and shut the door behind them just in time for the door to be splattered in remnants.

"Dear god," he muttered when she pulled back the door and bits of blood and guts were still raining down into the field. "What a shit way to go."

Miranda chuckled and gave his arm a pat, "I call it the Stake N Bake," she winked. "See ya!" she called over her shoulder as she sauntered away into the moonlight.


Vegas 2011

"No! No, no, no, no, no! Just fucking stop! Christ!" He drug his hand through his hair and ground his teeth muttering more obscenities. "Is it that fucking hard to have some mist on this bloody fucking stage? Not a thick, choking fog, how is anyone supposed to see what's happening with this dense shit all over the place?" he waved his arms in the air around him, clearing a spot in said fog. "Fucking armatures," he complained under his breath. He was on his way off stage when one of the younger stage hands approached him.

"Mr. Vincent?"

He turned to face the boy with narrowed black lined eyes.

"Um," the boy swallowed. "We're having problems with the wiring in the fire set ups around center stage."

"And what do I look like, kid? A fucking electrician? Fuck off."

The kid shook his head, or that might have just been a reaction of his body in general, and scampered away.

"Jesus Pete, you don't have to be so...you," his stage manager Tom smirked as he passed by. He liked Tom to a certain extent. They got on well…most days. He was a bit younger and Peter liked that, didn't make him feel as old as he was.

"Aww, and spoil this fabulous reputation I've worked so hard to uphold," he grinned. "Not a chance. I'm done here, calling it a night. Oh and get the damn fire working, yeah?"

Tom gave him a salute to which Peter rolled his eyes. "Just get it done."


He didn't even wait until the elevator reached the penthouse floor before he began peeling off his façade. The god awful wig, the beard, the false piercings. On more than one occasion he had wanted to throw it all away, but he had worked hard to get here, and above all she was right. He was indeed successful, there were plenty of women (albeit none of them the one he wanted), but he was far from okay. He sat by the window, leg thrown over the arm of his chair watching the city below, swishing the ice in his tumbler. He glanced down at the scar on the inside of his palm, a thin white line that would throw any palm reader off their game. He smirked and let out a sigh, rolling his eyes around in his head. There hadn't been a day that passed he didn't think about her, he even made sure that the box office had a set of tickets put up for her every night, just in case.

He never tracked down the thing that killed his parents, any information he dug up only made his impending doom look worse so he just kept running, hiding, surviving. It had worked so far, but he felt like nothing more than a failure.

Here he was, his name in lights, albeit a new name, and still a failure.


Romania

"Jobs done Anton, give me my money and I'll be on my way." Miranda shoved her duffle in the back seat of her car and turned to face the middle aged man approaching her from behind.

"Monies?" he replied, his accent thick and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Yes, money. Bani, numerar, plată."

The man shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Wut monies?"

She cocked her hip just enough to expose the handle of the gun that was hidden by her coat. "Funny, you spoke beautiful English yesterday," she smirked.

"Ooohh, yes, yes that monies, I get, I get." He hurried into a nearby house and quickly returned with a wad of cash holding onto it when he placed it in her hands. "Monster is gone now, yes?"

"Yes, no more monster," she said with a smile and pulled hard on her end of the bills getting him to release them. "And spread the word, I'm leaving, find someone else to take care of your problems."

"Vhere are you going?" he asked with worry, suddenly looking very afraid.

"To take care of one of my own."


She shuddered when she walked into her hotel room; she hated to think of the things that were living in here. But it was affordable, and a place to sleep until she could catch a flight out. She dug around in her bag for her phone and punched in her dad's number.

"Randi," a tired voice answered after several rings. "Is everything alright?"

"Hey daddy," she smiled, god she missed him. "I'm fine. Hey look, I'm thinking about coming to stay for a while, what do you say. Got room for you long lost little girl."

She heard Christopher smirk on the other end. "Miranda, I don't think you've ever been lost, not a day in your life."

"Aww, glad you think so highly of me. But that's not an answer."

"Of course you can stay sweetheart. When should I expect you, a week? Maybe two?

"A few days," she said quickly, her hands tightening in the sheets. Here she was all grown up and her father still intimidated her.

"Okay, what's wrong? Something happen with that hush hush job of yours? Are you sure you're okay? I may be old, but damnit, Miranda I'll kick someone's ass if need be!"

"Dad! I'm fine! Just want a vacation that's all. Okay?"

"You're sure?" his tone ever so maternal.

"Yes daddy."

"Alright then, see you soon."

She hung up the phone and lightly laughed. He was always so damned protective, even now. There was a light tapping on her window her eyes flickered over to see a figure looming on her windowsill.

"Well this is new," she uttered, prying the window open and allowing him in. "What are you doing here Dimitri. We're done, I got what I wanted and you didn't blow up…Happy ending."

"What do you want with Damiri house?" He slinked into the room with ease backing himself against the wall. She was able to get a better look at him now. Dark medium length hair, nice build, lush green eyes when they had color.

"Why do you care?"

"You tasted me. You're kind don't do that, they can't, not without force or consequence." He took a step towards her but not too close, she liked that.

"Curiosity?" she smirked.

"No," he shook his head, "You're different," he closed his eyes and inhaled letting out a soft groan.

"Oh," she laughed, "You enjoyed that, huh?"

"It was glorious." He flashed her that beaming smile.

She hummed contently.

"You know how I work, how I connect," he paused, looking her up and down, studying her... "With a vial I could have followed you all over Europe for a century, but you, you gave me a bag. Now why is that?"

"Oh, I have my reasons," she approached him and steered him back toward the window. "Now go off with you, I have a plane to catch in the morning."

His cold fingers snaked around her wrist and his eyes locked onto hers as he teetered on the edge. "Be careful, Cooper."

"Always am," she whispered. And with that he was gone.


Malibu

The air was hot and dry and already she missed the London rain. Her father had an apartment that overlooked the beach; the sand already filled with overly loving couples more than eager to rub each other's bodies down with suntan lotion and oil and a good amount of topless women. Yeah, she could see why her dad liked it here.

"All settled in pun'kin," her dads voice called from the door way. He had aged well for a man of sixty five. His hair still held a good bit of color, but that was because he dyed it regularly, keeping flecks of grey in. He had put on a small amount of weight, not enough to be considered completely out of shape but enough to give him a little bit of a belly.

"Yeah, I'm all good," she nodded. "Take away for dinner?" she suggested.

"Take out," he corrected with a chuckle.

"Ahh well old habits you know."

"And not very healthy ones," he grinned, "but oh so good!" he gave his little belly a pat. "I'll order.

They sat around and watched T.V. as they ate, talking and laughing about fond old memories; ignoring the bad. Christopher gathered up the Chinese food containers and carried them off to the kitchen. Miranda sipped on a glass of water and turned her eyes to the television screen. Some sort of ridiculous promo for some Vegas show; all dark and dangerous. She rolled her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair, glancing at the screen once more. They were showing the showman himself now; long black hair, a few piercings here and there, typical open shirt, tattoos, guy-liner on his big doe eyes…

"Holy fucking shit." The glass fell from her hand and promptly soaked into the carpet. She grabbed the remote and hit the rewind on the DVR. Peter Vincent the title card read. She let it go forward again and paused it on his face. How it took her that long she would never know, she could pick those eyes alone out of a god damned line up.

"Well, now that that's out in the open. Speaking of bad habits…" her father spoke up from behind her.

Miranda spun around on the couch. "You knew about this!? And you didn't say anything?!"

"I didn't think you'd find out so quickly," he shrugged.

"You're practically in his back yard!"

"Just let him go, Randi, that boy really messed you up, Randi." He came and sat next to her on the couch. "It's time to forget the past and move on."

"That boy is the reason I do what I do," she snarled, getting up from the couch and storming off to the spare room.

"And what exactly is that, Miranda. You say you get rid of monsters. Like what? A cop, CIA, secret service, some British agency?" he berated her as she stuffed her things back into her bag.

"Just that dad, I make bad things disappear…like magic," she said with a glaring look, shoving past him and marching out the door.

"Where the hell are you going?!" he yelled after her.

"To see a show," she muttered under her breath, heading to the nearest bus stop.


A/N: Hey-ooooo whew that was the longest chappy to date! So be honest and tell me who loves and who hates the new Miranda. I hope you all love her! She's spunky...I like that, she's flirty...I like that too. I hope you all like her as much as I do :D I can't wait until the first reunion, that should go over real well don't you think. I had a blast writing this, I knew I would, grown up Pandi (that's what I'm calling them now) is soo much fun to write. I really should go to bed now though. I have a nurse coming over early to show me how to use my new drug injector tomorrow (yay, can you feel my enthusiasm o-O ) So I should sleep...but I want to continue...we'll see. Remember to leave some love in that magic box, maybe Peter will send you a magical treats in return...or series of fucks...either is good I suppose.

Shelly!