I had a spring in my step. I had a date! Well, it was a recurring date, and he was the same man with whom I already spent most of my time. But it was a date. We were going out for a drink, maybe some dancing. Far out.
I paused at the door to our crypt. Someone was in there - the trapdoor wasn't how Spike or I usually left it. Someone human, by the smell of things. We didn't entertain often. Ever. The Martha Stewart fairy passed most vampires by, and she was more scared of us than of most.
This scent cried out for the element of surprise.
It was her. The scent that Spike brought home with him most every time he left me. I was taut with curiosity.
I crept halfway down the ladder, until I could see exactly where she was sitting. Then I vaulted the remaining distance down, careful to make enough noise to shock her.
Startled, she jerked her knees up to her chin, knocking a book from her lap. I circled her slowly, as she watched me with more tension than fear. She had to twist to keep me in constant view, her brown hair spreading like a sheet of satin over her shoulders.
I paused, and bounced expectantly on the balls of my feet.
"Are you a friend of Spike's?" We spoke simultaneously, paused, and laughed together, shattering the fragile tension.
"Jinx," she breathed, and I smiled at her teenagerhood.
I moved closer, impressed that she didn't flinch or show any signs of nervousness. Her book lay by her side.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
She looked down at her book and then back up at me.
"You're a vampire too, aren't you?"
"Yes." I shrugged lightly, and sat down next to her, frowning. "You shouldn't have come here. It's not safe. There are lots of things that would love to snack on a treat like you."
She bit her lip and raised her eyebrows in question.
"No, not me." I smiled. "Spike would never …"
"So he's told you? About me? About everything?" she interrupted.
I raised my fingertip to her lips to hush her. The faint sound of footsteps drifted from upstairs. Either Spike, or trouble.
"Not in so many …" My whisper was cut off.
"Not in so many words, niblet."
He was back. Hands in the pocket of his leather duster, lips slightly parted, shadows setting his sculpted face in relief, he watched us.
I backed up from the girl, hands raised. Not in any words at all, I thought.
"Hi." Her voice had sudden tremors.
In what seemed like one quick movement he had closed half the distance between us. His eyes were tense with concern.
"Are you okay?"
Both pairs of eyes flickered towards me, and I knew it was time for me to find something else to do.
I walked up to him, and stood by his side, facing the opposite direction. Turning my head slowly, I placed my hand on his chest. He covered it gently with his hand.
"Later, luv." His tone was hushed so only I would hear it.
"Later," I answered him as quietly. I freed my hand, turned, and waved goodbye to the girl.
I took the stairs two by two, and stood undecided at the crypt door. From below I could hear hesitant laughter following Spike's comforting tones.
Bah! Stood up! My options for alternative entertainment were very limited. I had really been looking forward to a night out with Spike. Or a night in.
I noticed the smell of freshly turned soil nearby, and the promise of a momentary distraction.
Hopping up onto a tombstone, I crouched in anticipation.
Usually I prefer to wait until a newly risen vampire … okay, excuse any apparent hypocrisy. I had been a martial artist in life. In death, I was faster, stronger, and had much more time to train. That and the chip on my shoulder make me able to talk smugly about "newly risen" vampires.
As I was saying, usually I prefer to wait until a newly risen vampire has his land legs under him, and his wits about him. Otherwise it can be as boring as killing humans. Waiting until they went for their first meal added to the excitement.
But I'd been good. No humans were harmed in the making of my nights on the town.
Tonight, right now, I needed to doodle, a simple kill while I decided what to do. Killing time killing vamps.
Jack (that was the name on the tombstone) struggled up through the wood and soil. His back was to me; I'd forgotten to consider the logistics when I chose my perch, so I pushed him roughly to get his attention.
He stumbled away from me and turned to where I'd leapt to the ground, careful to keep stable on the torn-up grave.
Jack. Jack, Jack, Jack, Jack, Jack.
With an axe kick I twisted his head sharply to the side and dropped him to his knees. I gave him enough time to stagger back to his feet.
A quick charge, a knee to the gut, holding him down by his tie and staking him in his back, and I still hadn't decided what to do with my night.
There was always the Bronze - it had music, plenty of noise. But it was full of people, and I didn't need to be bummed out. Short of exploring, which I didn't feel too keen on right now, that left Willy's.
Good old Willy the snitch and his demon-filled bar. All heads turned as I made my entrance, but I knew better than to take this as any sort of compliment. I was walking a very fine line. I'd spent my brief vampirehood killing demons for sport. But I'd been doing it with Spike at my side. Spike lived on the outside of outsiders, but somehow he'd earned a wary respect for his abilities of vengeance. They feared him, and they left me alone.
Willy had no scruples. I might as well have been the fair-haired boy himself - service was quick and the Bloody Marys were fresh.
I nursed my drink, and others like it. I was reluctant to head back home and risk company still being there, but the idea of finding somewhere else to hang out didn't appeal to me either.
But then a distraction walked in the door. Meat. At Willy's. I wasn't the only one that noticed - he was being watched even more carefully than they'd watched me.
I was watching him for two reasons. First, I didn't want to miss any fireworks. Second, he was hot. Small and obviously well built under his thick T-shirt, with messy brown hair and icy blue eyes.
Somewhere in the middle of his conversation with the snitch those eyes turned to me. My vamp hearing couldn't pick up any of it, and my lip reading skills were awful. So I walked over.
Willy didn't bother hesitating. I'd never actually hit him, but Spike had let me pretend I was going to. I guess he remembered.
"He's looking for Spike."
Now this was more fun than I could possibly have guessed.