Disclaimer: Deirdre Pierson is my original character, as is DuGare(somewhat). Neither the concept for The Forsaken, or any of the Wolf Lake characters belong to me. Enjoy.

Chapter 20

As she slammed the door to the decrepit warehouse storage room, it occurred to Deirdre that she should have stayed firm on her noon appointment. The way things were going, she might not get back to Wolf Lake at all, let alone by ten thirty.

The door to the store room began to rattle. Dee grabbed a tell metal shelving rack nearby, and toppled it in front of the door. One good thing about being a werewolf and a Slayer, super strength. She felt around for a light switch, with no luck. Then she realized she could see fine, due to the cracks under the door. Enhanced night vision was apparently a second benefit. She smiled at the thought.

Levity always helps when you're trapped, she thought. Dee hadn't anticipated the sheer size of the vampire nest she'd taken on at Dock Thirteen. Her reconnaissance efforts from the outside had shown about a dozen vampires of varying species occupying the abandoned warehouse. But, by the time she'd worked her way through half of these, another fifteen or so had arrived. Apparently, there was some kind of vamp summit going on at DuGare's behest. And she'd crashed the party way too early.

When she'd left her hotel room, having changed clothes after Midian, Deirdre had gone in thinking to make quick work of Dugare and his minions. That had all gone down the tubes in the space of an hour. She'd gone and gotten her ass handed to her by an angry vamp mob.

"Smooth move, Slayer." she chided herself.

Now, she was trapped in the storage room with limited exits. She was also nursing an injured leg and multiple open wounds. All of this, her Slayer powers could heal in a few days, provided she stay alive that long.

"Bollocks." she cried, kicking a nearby crate with her good leg, and toppling over in the attempt. "Shit. Cazzo. Merde. Pelotas. Vaffanculo hurensohns!"

She lay in a heap for a moment, having temporarily run out of energy and curses. She rummaged in her pocket for her cigarette lighter. A flick of the flint illuminated the room. Dee was relieved to see a few emergency candles had rolled onto the floor when she'd toppled the shelf. She lit one and decided to take stock of her situation.

She decided quickly that her leg must be broken, but not severely so. Most of her wounds were superficial. The exception was a long gash down her right arm where a vamp had thrown her through a window. The wound bisected an old scar she'd had since childhood, whose origin she couldn't remember.

All she knew was that the mottled tissue always gave her a sense of security when she touched it. A weird reaction regarding a scar, but it worked for her. Dee had even had a tattoo inked around it to highlight the area. It seemed a shame that it was now ruined by the new wound. The thought pissed her off all over again. The wolf in her growled.

She tore off a piece of her shirt and tied it around the wound, stemming the flow of blood. Then, the Slayer held the candle aloft, looking for other exits. There was an air vent along the ceiling side of one wall. If she could get to it, she could shimmy her way into the building's duct-work and crawl to the outside. Her other choice was to wait until the commotion died down, kick down the door, and charge her way out.

Unfortunately, as soon as she had that thought, smoke began to pour in under the door, followed by the beginnings of flames. The vamps were trying to smoke her out.

"Great!" she mumbled. She found an old water jug nearby and cracked it open with the knife she kept in her boot. Then, she stripped off her shirt. Wetting the fabric, she wrapped the shirt around her face to prevent smoke inhalation. "Now I get to crawl through the vents topless."

She managed to clumsily climb up to the vent while the commotion behind the door grew louder. Only her legs were dangling out when the door suddenly caved in. Dee tried to pull herself further in, but she knocked over the candle, which promptly went out. Pain shot through her leg as someone grabbed her ankles and pulled her back out of the vent onto the floor. The wind went out of her and she felt her feet begin to heat up.

Then room filled with smoke and Dee's burning eyes couldn't see anything. She felt fangs sink into the calf of her good leg, and she kicked out. She heard screams in the distance, and the sounds of a fight. A hand grabbed her wrist and she punched and kicked in the direction of it's owner. "Fuck off gore-sack!"

A second later, something hit her in the head, and everything went still and dark.

Deirdre was weightless, and moving. It took her a second to realize that she was being carried. And the person who was carrying her was running. Trees sped by them as if they too were running, but in the opposite direction.

She looked down, and was startled to see that her legs were much shorter than usual. She realized that she was wearing the clothes of a child. And stranger still, her body was that of a child. She could hear the voices of men in the distance, and she somehow knew that they were chasing her.

The person carrying her abruptly set her down. "Run!" said the voice. "Run, and don't let anything stop you. And don't look back!"

She did as she was told. She ran as fast as her tiny child's legs would carry her. She heard screams behind her, and she ran faster. She weaved through the trees, putting as much distance behind her as possible. Her heart pounded in her chest.

Suddenly, the forest floor gave way to hard cold pavement. She ran into the road. A loud noise startled her. She heard a long tone like a fog horn, and red light flooded her eyes. In that second, she saw a wolf leap into view, its fur shone bright red in the light. The wolf bit into her shoulder, dragging her to the ground.

As she fell, she heard a horrible crash. Glass shattered and metal crunched. She could hear a woman's screams in the background. She fell to her knees.

Now her legs were big again, her own eighteen year old legs. She was kneeling next to a cliff and as she got to her feet, she could see over the cliff side. Below she could see thousands of wolves and shapeshifters of every size and shape charging the cliff. She realized that they were trying to get to her and she started screaming. Screaming the same thing over and over. "Red Wolf!"

Deirdre was still screaming as she was jarred awake. The figure of a man was leaning over her, shaking her into consciousness. As she got a hold of herself, she realized that he was cradling her in his arms, and repeating. "You're okay." over and over.

She calmed down a bit and Tyler Creed eased her back on the bed she was laying atop. He got up to retrieve a bowl of water from the bathroom adjoining the small bedroom. He was dressed in a blood stained white t-shirt and charred jeans. He sported a black eye. And Dee wondered absently whether or not she'd given it to him.

"Wh...? Wh..?" was all she could manage. Her throat felt like ground beef.

He sat back down on the bed next to her. He dredged a clean cloth through the hot water in the bowl, and replaced the blood soaked one on her arm with it. "You're in Seacouver, and you're safe."

A closer look revealed that she was indeed, back in her own hotel room at the Seacouver Arms. Her voice was returning, but not her brain power. "How?"

"I followed you to the warehouse." Tyler replied, as if that explained everything.

Deirdre looked down at herself. She was dismayed to see that her torso was covered only with a bedsheet, exposing her arms and stomach. Both of her jeans legs had been sliced up the front, and she was missing both boots. "Why am I next to naked?"

Tyler looked sheepish. He scratched his head and smiled nervously. "Well, your shoes caught fire. I had to cut up your pants to examine your legs. And you were topless when I found you in the storage closet."

Deirdre nodded, mulling over his explanation. She lifted the waist band of her jeans and looked down the front of them. "Well, it could be worse. At least I'm still wearing knickers."

Tyler burst out laughing at that. He winced a little, and rubbed his eye. A sly smile spread over her mouth. "You think that's funny do you?"

"I just never imagined that kind of reaction to narrowly surviving being burned to death and eaten by two dozen vampires."

"They wouldn't have eaten me. Cooking ruins the blood."

He shook his head. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Go from blind terror to yucking it up."

Deirdre shrugged, regretting it immediately. "Not much choice. Once you lose your sense of humor, there's not a lot of point to living. Then, you might as well let them eat you."

He gave her a strange look. But he nodded in agreement. "Is that why you went in there alone?"

Deirdre scoffed. "You gonna lecture me Tyler?"

"Just curious."

"I work alone usually." she replied nonchalantly, as he dabbed at her various wounds with antiseptic. "It's the nature of the job. One girl in all the world...yadda, yadda, yadda. I only really call in reinforcements for the big jobs."

"Lone wolf." Tyler muttered. "It's not the best idea. Besides, I'd say that was a bigger job than you thought. Did you find DuGare?"

She shook her head. "Wasn't there. But I got some intel. Thanks to you, I got out alive...Sorry about your eye, by the by..."

He waved a hand dismissively. "Not the worst thing a woman's done to me."

Deirdre nodded, not missing a beat. "Anyway, now I know to gather a posse. Next time the bastard's going down."

Tyler handed her a clean New York Dolls t-shirt, and a set of sweat pants. "Sounds like he pissed you off."

"He came after my brother." Dee growled. Somehow, Tyler sensed that this was not her only reason for going after DuGare.

Abruptly, she threw off the sheet, stripping as best she could to put on the new clothes. Tyler raised an eyebrow at the display and turned his back to her, doing his best not to leer. "Sure not shy, are you?"

"A good portion of Paris has seen me naked already." Dee frowned at her own comment, a dark expression marring her features. Immediately, she switched to a wry grin. "Besides, why should I be shy in front of the man that saved my life?"

"Just returning the favor." He deflected. He too had his secrets. "You already have a posse, you know. That's what the Pack is for. We protect each other."

Dee snorted cynically. "Thanks, but I'll stick with my tried and true people. You can turn around now. Do you know what time it is? I have to meet with Donner and Vivian in the morning."

"It's nearly three." He said. He grabbed a blanket for himself out of the linen closet. "Get some sleep. I'll be on the couch if that's cool. Just want to be sure that knock on the head didn't leave you with a brain bleed or something. I'll head out in the morning."

"Tyler." she said. "It's not true you know."

"What's not true?"

"I didn't save your life." She replied, guilt showing in her eyes. "I tried, but I just didn't hack it that night. I'm... I'm sorry...for what happened to you. What Hunter did...What I let happen."

Tyler stared at her a moment, not knowing what to say. He wanted to tell her so many things, but his charm and wit seemed to be failing him lately. "Don't sweat it, Slayer. At least I got a cool jacket out of the deal."

Deirdre was about to ask what he meant, but Tyler walked into the living room of the suite, closing the door behind him. Deciding not to push her luck, Deirdre climbed gingerly back into bed and shut the light off. Somehow knowing that Tyler, a virtual stranger to her, was in the next room allowed Dee to sleep more soundly than she had in a long time.

The next morning Tyler was gone. True to his word. Deirdre woke up to the sound of the phone ringing, only to hear a cabby on the other end of the line. Apparently, he was waiting out front for her.

"Ten minutes." she grumbled, looking at the clock. It read 9:56 AM. "What?...Yes I tip well!"

Hanging up, Dee made her way to the shower. She was pleased to find that after all the dried blood washed off, all her wounds had closed up, and most were healed completely. She could now bear weight on her leg, albeit carefully. Thank god for quick metabolism.

The Slayer brushed her wet curls into a ponytail. She opted for a long sleeved Runaways tee, and some cargo pants. Her sneakers would have to do until she could get some more custom boots. Slapping on some makeup over her uncovered bruises, she deemed herself presentable. As Dee grabbed her room key off the parlor table, she found a note in jagged handwriting:

CALLED YOU A CAB. LEFT YOUR BIKE AT THE DOCK LAST NIGHT. YOU SHOULDN'T RIDE TODAY ANYWAY. YOU'LL SCARE THE OTHER DRIVERS.

"Great," Dee chuckled to herself, "A new guardian angel. Hopefully he's not too much of a boy scout."

Deirdre walked into the Cates house at 10:28 AM exactly. Vivian showed her daughter into her office directly. If she noticed Dee's limp, she didn't comment on it. Deirdre sat down in the same chair she had the previous night. Matt Donner was sitting in another leather chair next to Deirdre's. He looked very tense.

"Would you like something to eat, before we get started?"

Vivian waved a hand over the silver tray laid out on her desk. There was an assortment of danish, fresh fruit, and other morning finger foods. Apparently V had anticipated that this was breakfast time for Deirdre.

The slayer grabbed a breakfast burrito. She knew she needed the protein if she intended to keep healing. "Thanks," She mumbled around bites. A thought occurred to her. "Where's Lucas?"

"School." Vivian supplied. She neglected to tell Deirdre that it had taken both hers and Sophia's combined influence to get her son out the door.

"Ruby and Kanin?"

"Kanin is working on a case." the sheriff supplied. "And Ruby is in the process of moving."

He sighed, becoming impatient. "John told us that you're more inclined to cooperate today."

"I gave my word." Dee nodded. "What do you want to know?"

"Let's start with who The Forsaken is." Vivian replied.

Dee shifted her legs for better circulation, settling in. "Forsaken refers to a particular species of vampire. Originated back in the Crusades with a Faustian pact with the Devil."

"Excuse me." She polished off her breakfast and continued on with the lesson. "Originally, there were eight of them. Over the years, they got whittled down. The last one got popped by some friends of mine. Now there are only three left. That's not to say they don't have plenty of minions. See, the Forsaken are both demonic and infectious. Their bites transmit a telegenetic virus, that turns humans into Feeders. Not as strong, but once they've tasted blood, they're just as deadly."

"What does all this have to do with Sophia?" Donner interjected.

"I was getting to that." Dee griped. "Apparently, this particular Forsaken has grown tired of his own weaknesses. Different vamps can be hurt in different ways. But there are some constants. Decapitation will kill almost anything. Fire works across the board. Sunlight is the great equalizer when it comes to vamps. From what I found out, DuGare has a plan to perform a ritual that will cure him of the whole allergy to sunlight thing. These kinds of demonic rites always have some weird component. Bottom line: DuGare needs the blood of a female White Wolf to accomplish his goal."

The sheriff nodded. He was deeply disturbed that a vampire was out for his daughter's blood. But the cop in him was pleased to be making headway. "But why Sophia? Why not Ruby? She's a White Wolf as well."

"Dunno." Dee replied. She looked like she wanted to continue speaking but thought better of it.

Vivian spoke up. "Ruby's been in lock-down for months. First under Willard's authority. Then, under Tyler's roof by my orders. If DuGare only discovered our clan recently, Sophia may be the only one he knows about."

"That makes sense." Donner agreed.

There was an awkward silence and Deirdre became increasingly uncomfortable. "Anyway...I wouldn't worry about it too much. I just need to call in some of my people to help me cull the lot of minions. Then once I take DuGare out, Sophia and Lucas will be safe. All will be right with the world, and I'll be on my way and out of your hair."

As Deirdre moved to get up, Donner clapped a hand on her injured shoulder in an attempt to stop her. She grabbed hold of his wrist, exerting just enough pressure to hurt. He released her and she growled. "No man touches me without my permission."

Matt shot a look at Vivian who shook her head at him. "Fair enough. But you're not leaving just yet."

"And it worked soooo well the last time you tried to stop me."

Seeing she needed to reign in the situation, Vivian stood. "Please Deirdre, there are still a few things we need to discuss."

Dee sat back down, conceding the point. "Such as?"

"Such as the fact that this is our fight." Donner interjected.

"Matt please." Vivian interrupted. Donner waved a hand, showing that he would let her explain. V turned back to Deirdre. "We are a very closed society here Deirdre. You didn't grow up here but..."

"And that would be whose fault?" Dee quipped under her breath.

A hurt look showed in Vivian's face but she continued. "The Pack protects it's own. If you bring in outsiders to deal with this threat, it increases our risk of exposure. I love both Luke and Sophia, but as Alpha, I have to think of all the innocent young adults and children in this town, both Wolfen and human."

"Your people have no idea how to deal with this kind of a threat." Deirdre argued. "Hell, half of your population has never left the town limits."

"Well, I'm hoping that's where you come in." Vivian smiled.

"Oh?"

"With your knowledge and ability, and our numbers, I hope to neutralize the threat of DuGare. And protect Sophia in the process."

Dee shook her head. "That's assuming I play by your rules."

"And you will." Donner replied. "Or you can spend time in lock-up until we get rid of DuGare ourselves."

Dee smiled. "See you're making a lot of assumptions there. First, that your people are capable of fighting off, not only the Forsaken, but also his minions. Who happen to be comprised of various vampire species with all kinds of abilities and weaknesses. And finally, you assume that you have any earthly idea what I'm capable of."

"Yeah, we get it." Donner grumbled. "You're a badass. But just try me sweetheart. This is my daughter's life we're talking about."

Vivian pinched the bridge of her nose while they bickered. She'd known that there would be head-butting between her daughter and the sheriff, but this was ridiculous. "Okay, hold it!"

The two stopped and turned at the sound of Vivian slamming her hands onto the desk. "This is getting us nowhere! Matthew?"

"Yes, V?"

"With all due respect, shut the hell up!" Vivian turned to smirking daughter. "And you!"

"Yes?"

"Daughter or not, this is my town. While you are in it you play by my rules. I will not have this turn into a free-for-all with innocent bystanders, just to soothe your ego. Do I make myself clear?!"

Deirdre thought it over for a moment. "Fine."

"Good." Vivian breathed. "Now, what exactly is your interest in eliminating DuGare? Besides the obvious fact of you being the Slayer."

"He came after Luke." Dee seethed. "And I don't like people who fuck with my family."

"Okay then, we can all agree that keeping Sophia and Lucas safe is our central priority then. Yes?"

Both the Slayer and the sheriff nodded. Vivian sighed in relief. They were making headway. "Then for argument's sake, let us say that working together would be the best way to attain that goal. So, I suggest that you, Deirdre, start compiling all your relevant data on DuGare and his minions. If you can provide that to Matt's sheriff's department, I can arrange for you to have 24 hour access to Luke and Sophia. That way, we can track down DuGare..."

"And I can play bodyguard for Luke and his girlfriend." Dee finished. She nodded, thinking it over. "Say I agree to this. I play tag-along and keep a low profile. What's your back-up plan if he screws up?"

Matt growled at the implication. Vivian rolled her eyes. At least he was holding in his rage. "I have every confidence in Sheriff Donner and his team. However..."

"However..." Deirdre prompted.

"Should the time come that we do need the help of your associates to eliminate DuGare, I will let you know."

Dee mulled it over for a few moments. Begrudgingly she sighed. "Agreed."

Vivian turned to Matt, raising an impeccably sculpted eyebrow. Donner rolled his eyes, knowing he had very little choice. "Agreed. But I reserve the right to keep my own people on hand to watch Sophia."

"Wonderful." V breathed. "It's settled. Now then Deirdre, I think it would be best if you moved into Ruby and Amanda's old room upstairs. Sophia can have the second bed. And Matt, I can have the guest room down the hall spruced up and ready for you by the end of your shift tonight."

"Excuse me?" Matt cried.

"Hold up," Dee interjected. "I never said I was moving in here!"

Vivian smiled saccharin. "Well I assumed that protecting Luke and Sophia would be a 24/7 concern. The only way I see that happening is if Sophia were to move in here for the time being. Obviously it would be harder to move Luke into the Donners'. And I don't think that you'd approve, Matthew, of having the both of them in the same room. There is plenty of room here. And, this way we can all be watching over them. Three sets of eyes are always better than one. Matt's room will be between the girls' and Luke's, to prevent any impropriety. Deirdre, you'll be across the hall from your brother. And I can arrange for you to attend classes with the two of them while we adults are working. That way it's a win win for everyone."

Matt scowled for a few minutes but he conceded her point. Well played, V.

Deirdre looked about to erupt. She'd had no intention of getting immersed this far into Wolf Lake. She sputtered for several moments, looking like a fish out of water. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, centering herself. When she finally spoke, her eyes were pressed shut, as if looking at either of them would enrage her. "Fine. But I bring whatever weapons and equipment I want with me, no questions asked. My business, outside of Wolf Lake is my own, no questions asked. And this is a temporary arrangement. As soon as I'm satisfied that Luke is safe, I walk. No Questions Asked. Those are my conditions. Take them or leave them."

Vivian and Donner agreed in unison. Deirdre lifted herself out of the chair, feeling suddenly stiff, and very old. "Alright, I've gotta go get my things. What time should I be back?"

"School let's out at 4:30." Vivian supplied. "I'd like to get you settled in by 3pm, to minimize confusion when Lucas and Sophia come back."

"Fine. 3 it is. I have to put my affairs in order back in Seacouver. If I see anyone following me, especially any Wolfen, I won't be happy." Dee warned.

"Understood." Vivian nodded, leading the Slayer back to the door. "We will see you later today."

As she closed the door behind her daughter, Vivian breathed a sigh of relief. She'd accomplished her goal. Her eyes caught the laughing gaze of Matt Donner. "What?"

"Remind me to watch your acceptance speech for that Oscar."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She replied, moving past him into the study, where she poured two glasses of single malt scotch.

Accepting the drink she held out to him, Matt laughed. "Tell me that performance had nothing to do with getting her to move back in."

"I told you Matt..."

"Yeah, yeah. It's a win win for all concerned." He chuckled. "Come on, V, level with me."

Vivian got a far off look in her eyes. Matthew saw emotions played out there that he knew had been buried for many many years. He hadn't seen her look so tired since her husband Willard's funeral. Then she spoke. "What would you do, Matt? Until a few days ago, I hadn't seen my baby girl in fourteen years. Fourteen years! I couldn't even send her a card on her birthday. Or else those monsters might...She probably didn't even know that I'm her mother."

"I remember how hard it was for you to give her up." He said.

She'd gone through a year long depression after her daughter had been taken away. He could recall her sitting on her porch for days on end, after the Cates's had released false reports of Deirdre's kidnapping and death. Willard had called Matthew in more than once to get Vivian to go inside and eat something, or at the very least to wrap a shawl around herself when winter hit. Eventually, the two men had been able to convince Vivian that Lucas needed her enough to pull her out of it. Day by day, she seemed to recover, mostly from interacting with her son, as well as her two step daughters.

"Hard?" Vivian croaked, smearing a tear away. "What's hard, Matt? Giving up your daughter? Or convincing everyone you know that she's dead, when you know damn well she's not? How about convincing your son, her twin brother, that she never existed in the first place? Because you know that it would be easier for him."

He shook his head. "I can't imagine. If I had to give Sophia up...Well, I don't know what I'd do."

Vivian downed the rest of her scotch and took a deep breath, shaking off her sadness. "Well, at least now I have a second chance. I am going to make her see that she belongs here, with us...with me."

"She's had a hard life." Matt commented. "She's a tough cookie, V. But then again, she gets that from you."

Vivian smiled genuinely for the first time that day. "Will you be able to live with this?"

"Let me see. A house full of beautiful women, and only your pup of a son to challenge me? I think I can handle it." Matt chuckled.

"I meant the arrangement regarding Sophia? DuGare might prove to be a real problem."

His eyes flared gold at the mention of the vampire. "No one is going to hurt Sophia. If he comes near her, I'll gut him myself. As for Deirdre watching her, do you think she's trustworthy?"

"She's a Slayer." Vivian answered. "She has the ability I'm sure. Her loyalty to Luke will most likely translate to Sophia. Either way, my goal is that we make it irrelevant."

"Work around her?"

Vivian nodded sternly. "For the sake of all our children."